This Issue of Credits

Editor: Matt Finch

Cover Artist: Peter Fitzpatrick
Designer/Compositor: James D. Kramer
Interior Artists: Christopher Burdett, Ian Baggley,
Michael Cote, Andy “ATOM” Taylor, Dave Bezio, Paul Fini
Cartography: Andreas Claren, Matt Finch

1
Editor’s Note Matt Finch
2
From Kuroth’s Quill #4 Allan T. Grohe, Jr. Editor’s Note
7 Beneath the Crossroads: An Adventure by Joshua James Gervais by Matt Finch

11
Artist Interview!: Christopher Burdett Rats! Yup, this issue has rats. Just like the first
level of any dungeon, there are a lot of the little
13
Megadungeon Adventuring Tactics Matt Finch fellers running around in our pages this time
22 Isles on an Emerald Sea 3: An Adventure by Gabor Lux around. Jeff Talanian’s adventure “Rats in the
Walls” is only the beginning; but we don’t want
17
Random Tavern Generator Robert Lionheart to spoil the fun by identifying all the places
29
Artifact Type & Attributes Scot Hoover where the referee’s favorite furry, disease-

37
Spell Interval System John Stater
carrying little friends appear. After all, it’s not
just the referees who read the magazine. In
38 Online Roleplaying: A Quick Overview Marcelo Frossard Paschoalin fact, there’s an article in this issue written

40 Rats in the Walls: an Adventure by Jeffrey P. Talanian

specifically for the players — enjoy a few tips
on how to organize megadungeon expeditions
47
Stealing the Histories Michael Curtis in Megadungeon Adventuring Tactics. Of
52 Free-Form Rules as a Referee’s Toolbox Al Krombach course, a truly sinister referee might read the
article looking for a few nice
57Rolling Along: Wheeled Magic Items James Bobb countermeasures…
58
Weird Weather and other Unexplainable Just a note to anyone who’s new to the maga-
Phenomena J. Sholtis, J. Larrey, J. Hartleb zine; most of the stats included in the maga-

60
Review: The Dungeon Alphabet
zine use the Swords & Wizardry (1974 edition
retro-clone) format, which can be used without
61
Weapon Generator J.R. Cone any changes in First Edition (or the OSRIC

62
New Magic Items James Bobb
retro-clone of 1e) and Second Edition. They’re
also so close to the stats of Moldvay Basic and
63
Classified Ads its retro-clones Labyrinth Lord and Basic
64
About the Authors Fantasy Roleplaying Game that they can be
used on the fly with these games. Some of the
64
Legal Material material is also specific to OSRIC, First Edition,
Labyrinth Lord, etc., but all these games are so
similar that any referee should be able to han-
dle it without his/her head exploding.
Basically, if you play any edition before third,
you’ll be able to figure out the stat blocks.
— Matt Finch

Trademark Disclaimer
D&D, AD&D, Dungeon Master, DMG, and DM are all trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc,
which is not affiliated in any way with this magazine. No claim is made to such trademarks or
any other trademarks appearing herein. Any discussion of the games underlying these trademarks
is in a historical or analytical context, and should not be construed to indicate compatibility or
use of the trademark in connection with material licensed under the Open Game License.

No. 4 •    1
 ,
From Kuroth s Quill # 04
“
by Allan T. Grohe Jr. (grodog)

From Kuroth’s Quill” is my regular Knockspell design • destroy the gate’s grounding frame/location/henge, for
column covering the elements of adventure design (and without its moorings, the gate cannot exist and dissipates
more-specifically dungeon design, given my interest in into wisps of nothing
that topic). I will also wander through the design of spells and open a second gate within the first gate (the Babylon 5
•
magic items; monsters, traps, tricks, and treasures; PC and NPC solution)
classes; planes and pantheons; and likely other topics as well. In
the articles, I hope to provide practical examples that will be • destroy all of the portals leading to/from the gate (the
useful in campaign play, to show theory in action. Morgaine solution)
Some or even most of these methods may not be available
Author’s Note: the information and new spells presented in to most PCs, however, while others offer little to no hope for the
this column are a conclude “The Theory and Use of Gates in characters to continue on in their current setting (C. J. Cherryh’s
Campaign Dungeons, Part 1,” from the third issue of Knockspell Morgaine regularly travels from world to world, closing each
(Summer 2009). While you don’t need to have read that column to gate behind her — never able to return to her home or to travel
use this one, this article does leverage the terms and concepts
defined in its predecessor. back from whence she came). I recommend that you make the
methods of destruction for each gate unique, but also remain
f lexible to allow player ingenuity to provide inspiration. That
way you can roll on the table below once the gate has been
nuked successfully!
The Theory and Use of Gates
in Campaign Dungeons, Part 2:
On the Destruction of Gates;
and, New Magic-User Spells
On the Destruction of Gates
“And lo! — the fourteen gates of Pesh were sundered
and disjoined. And a great Nothing rippled across
the plains, swallowing them in utter blackness,
and carving the deep abysses that lay there now,
where once the Marshals of Law marched against
the multitudes of Chaos. Only their echoes remain
— forlorn and lost, beyond the edge of time.”
— “The Fall of Aaqa” in The Fables of Burdock

Player characters often seem to need to destroy gates and

portals, prior to Something Wicked This Way Coming, in one
form or another. This brings up an interesting query, namely,
how is a gate destroyed? A number of means to destroy gates
immediately leap to mind, including:
• hit it with lightning bolts, fireballs, ice storms, cones of cold and
whatever other attack spells are available
• disintegrate it
• shatter it

2   • No. 4
Result of Destroying a Gate d100 Result
d100 Result 89-100 Planar Rift: the planar boundaries are rent, and a new planar geog-
raphy begins to emerge in response to the destruction of the gate:
01-55 Nothing: the gate is destroyed with no ill effects or unintended
consequences d6 Result
56-73 Explosion causing 6-15 d6 damage (roll 3d4+3 d6s) to all within a 1 The plane splits in two, over the span of (roll 1d6 for
50' radius (unmodified save vs. Breath Weapon for ½ damage); Results 1 and 2 on the time travel table above)
reduce damage by 2d6 and extend radius in 50' increments until no
2 The plane fragments into 2d4+1 planelets, over the span of
further damage dice remain; round down to 0 if only 1 die remains
(roll 1d4 for Results 1 and 2 on the time travel table above)
for the final 50' radius increment)
3 An area spanning (1d3+3 Results 1 and 4 on the time
74-79 Implosion: everything within the radius is sucked into the singularity
travel table above) sloughs off as a new demi-plane, in
and destroyed; roll d100 again for specifics:
(1d3 Results 1 and 2)
d100 Result 4 The gate is not destroyed, but is instead amplified as a
01-70 Small and slow implosion in a 0-40' radius: fixed conduit to a single destination; the gate’s size
([2d6]-4) x 5'; 1 in 20 small implosions result increases to (1d3 for Results 1 and 4 above)
in the creation of a sphere of annihilation. 5 The gate’s destruction triggers a planar collision, as 98-99
71-100 Large and fast implosion in a 50-5000' planar bleed above, but more widespread and catastrophic
radius: (5d100) x 10'; 1 in 3 large implosions in nature: the geographies of the plains smash together,
result in the creation of a sphere of annihilation. their atmospheres mingle, earthquakes and volcanoes arise
in response, etc. (think of this as planar plate tectonics:
Small implosions allow 1 segment of reaction time per 10' of dis- eventually one plane will grind another away, or perhaps
tance from the gate; large implosions allow 1 segment of reaction they’ll simply bounce apart in time…)
time per 1000' of distance from the gate. Gentle and Benevolent
6 The gate’s destruction triggers a multi-planar collision, in
game masters may allow PCs unmodified saving throws vs. Breath
which 2d4-3 planes collide; for any result of 0 or less
Weapon to avoid destruction, in which case each PC is cast into
than zero, treat this as a planar-wide implosion over the
a random plane and each item in their possession must make an
span of as the plane collapses into itself over (roll 1d3+1
unmodified saving throw vs. disintegrate or not survive the implosion.
for Results 1 and 2)
80-88 Spatial/Temporal/Planar Distortion: the space-time continuum
and the megaflow buckle in response to the destruction of the gate: 80% of the rifts above are permanent in nature; if temporary (and
actually reversible), they will fade within (roll 2d3 for Results 1 and 2
d100 Result on the time travel table).
01-34 PCs are randomly plane shifted to somewhere across
the span of planes that the gate normally traverses I encourage all Dungeon Masters to let loose the hounds
35-49 Space in a (4d6) x 10' radius warps into non-Euclidean of insane imaginings when modifying this table for use in your
geometry own campaigns!
50-77 Space in a (6d12) x 10' radius is distance distorted and
slowed New Magic-User Spells
78-90 PCs remain in place but are thrown forward or backward
in time (roll 1d6 three times, for Results 1, 2, and 3): “I have analyzed the dweomers, notes, and formulae
d6 Result 1 Result 2 Result 3 Result 4 within Yagrax’s tome, and extracted herein those that
1 1d3 Days Historical past Feet bear the most promise for further development. While
2 2d6 Weeks Normal future Yards his efforts demonstrate his facility for conjurations, he is
3 4d12 Months Alternate past Fathoms
4 8d20 Years Alternate future Furlongs
clearly building upon key principles that enable gates
5 16d24 Centuries Bizarre past Miles to function. These laws are the foundational elements
6 32d100 Millennia Bizarre future Leagues through which we travel the multiverse — Keoghtom
91-97 A reality-maelstrom is unleashed, centered on the
clearly mastered these precepts when he forged his
previous location of the gate; roll 1d4 on the table rod, but from what sources did he and Yagrax gain
above for Results 1 and 2 to determine its duration their knowledge? I must find their original source
98-99 1d3-1 planes associated with the gate begin to bleed — even if from Gresil, and no matter his price.”
into the plane where the gate was destroyed: matter,
flora, and fauna, “invade”; if a 0 is rolled, planar mat-
— The Witch of Perrenland, The Demonomicon
ter from the location of the gate bleeds away into the
newly-adjacent plane; duration and extent of the bleed If you want to establish gate-related magics as more-​
is based on 1d4+1 for Results 1, 2, and 4 above readily accessible in your campaign (as when playing in Michael
100 Roll twice. Do not ignore subsequent rolls of 100. Moorcock’s Eternal Champion multiverse, or in Philip Jose
Farmer’s World of Tiers settings, for example), consider reducing
80% of the distortions above are temporary in nature, and will
fade within (roll 1d6 for Results 1 and 2 on the time travel table). the level for all of the following spells by one (i.e., Detect Gate
becomes first level, Identify Gate second level, etc.). Similarly, if
gates are wondrously rare artifacts in your campaigns, feel free
to raise the level of the spells by one (Detect Gate becomes third
level, etc.). In my campaigns, Identify is a second level magic-user

No. 4 •    3
spell, which is why Identify Gate is one level higher than Detect stone, etc.), with the caveat that very strong (or more powerful)
Gate to begin with. In addition to deciding how to adjust the spell gates may sometimes be detected even through thick stone walls
levels in your campaigns, you may want to consider the rarity or perhaps even through lead.
of these spells. Again, in my campaigns, I assign scarcity to all The spell also allows a base 10% for each level above 3rd
named spells, as well as various others based on how I manage for the caster to determine one or more of the following outer
magic in the campaign: spell frequency follows that of monsters traits about a detected teleporter or gate. Some gates are easier
— Common (65%), Uncommon (20%), Rare (11%), Very Rare to detect based on the intensity of their auras, as well as their
(5%), and Unique — and I generally assign all spells new to the recency of usage (see below for modifiers); some magic items
campaign a frequency at least Uncommon, if not perhaps Rare may also boost these detection percentages. Each outer trait
or Very Rare. PCs may need to discover these spells from the requires one round of concentration with no further scanning
long-lost spellbooks of ancient mages, or to perform a geas or for the presence of gates; the caster may attempt to detect one
quest for the order that guards their secrets. Drive the availability outer trait per round, and must begin with intensity, although
of the spells by how common the knowledge and workings of subsequent rounds of detection may occur in any order desired:
gates will be in your campaigns, because these tools strongly intensity: a measure of the strength of the gate’s magical and
empower PCs to break the “broken” spells: for example, using planar auras and connections; detection levels are: none/inactive,
force gate, a PC can trail a foe who f led “to safety” via dimension dim, faint, moderate, strong (detects +10%), very strong (detects
door or word of recall or similar escape magics. +25%), intense (detects +50%), overwhelming (detects +100%)
New Magic-User Spells recency: a measure of the when the gate was most-recently used
last; detection levels are: fresh (used within 1 round/level; detects
• Second Level: Detect Gate
at +50%), recent (within 1 turn/level; detects at +25%), waning
• Third Level: Identify Gate (within 1 hour/level, detects at base), dwindled (within 1 day;
• Fourth Level: Dimensional Anchor, Gatetrace detects at -25%), stale (within 1 day/level; detects at -50%),
lapsed (within 1 week/level; detects at -75%), atrophied (within
• Fifth Level: Force Gate 1 month/level; detects at -125%), eroded (within 1 year/level;
• Sixth Level: Dimensional Lock detects at -200%)
ethos: a measure of the alignment components of a gate’s
Detect Gate (Divination) destination(s) (if any); detects as: none, law, chaos, good, evil,
Level: 2 (and see below) neutrality (no detection modifiers)
Range: 0
If a caster fails the roll, they may receive no reading, or
Duration: 1 round/2 levels
perhaps misinformation about the trait sought — “dim” detects
Area of Effect: 1" wide path, 1" long/level
as stronger; while “law” and “good” ethoi result in opposed
Components: V, S, M
values or read as none perhaps; recency resolves as at least two
Casting Time: 1 round
places removed from actuality, etc. — the game master must
Saving Throw: None
adjudicate such instances.
Some clerics are able to cast detect gate as a third level clerical
This spell enables a magic-user to scan for gates and teleporters;
spell if it fits within the portfolio for their deity; however, like
in a manner similar to detect magic, up to 60˚ may be scanned
detect magic, most clerical casters are not able to divine more than
each round, out to a range of 1" per level of the caster. Detect
the presence or absence of a portal, and they cannot discover
gate also detects extra-dimensional pockets (rope trick, Leomund’s
any of its outer traits. The material component is a small plat-
Tiny Hut or Secret Chest, a portable hole, etc.), astral spell, maze,
inum tuning fork, carefully fashioned to vibrate when gates are
Murlynd’s Void, phase door, plant door, prismatic sphere or wall (so
detected (cost 800 gp; the ‘fork is reusable).
long as the violet layer remains in effect), shadow door, shadow
walk, transport via plants, and similar magics, as well as a sphere Identify Gate (Divination – Conjuration)
of annihilation, amulet of the planes, cubic gate, well of Level: 3
many worlds, etc. if such magic items are within range and Range: ½"/level
actively in use. It will not detect monsters existing in more than Duration: 1 segment/2 levels
one plane (level-draining undead, for example), lesser conjura- Area of Effect: One gate or teleporter
tions (monster or animal summoning, beckon, implore, etc.), spatial Components: V, S, M
warping effects (displacement, distance distortion, reverse gravity, Casting Time: 1 turn
etc.), or other near-instantaneous gates (Chariot of Sustarre, plane Saving Throw: Special
shift, prismatic spray; see below also on recency, however). If any
detectable objects are present within range, the caster will know This spell allows a magic-user to identify one or more inner
their relative numbers and relative distances within scanning attributes about a gate, teleporter, or similar magical transportation
range (i.e., “You discern two teleporters to the SW at 5" and 9" feature (pool, archway, etc.). Note that unlike the first level spell
ranges, and a gate 25" away in the same direction”). Detect gate is identify, the magic-user is not required to touch or to directly
blocked just as other divination magics are (by 1/12"of metal, 1' of handle a gate or teleporter since the spell may be cast at range

4   • No. 4
(albeit a very short one). The caster has a base 20% chance to Dimensional Anchor (Alteration – Conjuration/Summoning,
identify an attribute, plus 5% per level above 5th. The caster may Abjuration)
attempt to identify one or more of the following attributes of a Level: 4
gate, in any order, at the rate of one trait per segment: Range: 2" plus ½"/level
activation method(s): general details about how the gate is acti- Duration: 1 turn/level
vated — by walking through, by command phrase, by proxim- Area of Effect: One to four creatures
ity of some sort of key or item, by ritual, etc.; specific details Components: V, S, M
beyond walking through the gate often require research via Casting Time: 5 segments
consultation with a sage or bard, legend lore or contact other plane, Saving Throw: Negates
or similar efforts to glean the full information
This spell prevents target creatures from employing extra-
destination(s): the caster discovers how many destinations to dimensional travel. The caster may select up to four creatures
which the gate leads; if the gate can access more than one plane, as targets, and those that fail their saving throw are limned with
planes will be identified from most- to least-commonly trav- a deep emerald aura. If three or four creatures are targeted,
elled destinations each saving throw is standard; targeting two creatures reduces
periodicity: determines if the gate is always on, or periodic; a saves by -1; if a single creature is targeted, it saves at -3. Forms
second check will determine the frequency of the gate’s operative of movement barred by a dimensional anchor include the usage
periods — every other round, once per day, upon command, of astral spell, blink, dimension door, displacement, etherealness, gate,
during the new moon, etc.; a third check will determine the maze, plane shift, phase door, rope trick, shadow walk, teleport, and
duration for the gate’s activity cycle — always on during the full similar spell-like abilities or magic items (including the usage of
moon, one use during a full moon, for one hour after the third free-standing gates and teleporters, bags of holding, cubic gates,
person to walk through during a full moon, etc. portable holes, etc.). A dimensional anchor does not interfere with
the physical movement of affected creatures, or affect creatures
sweetness: a measure of the discomfort that passage through a gate
already in ethereal, astral, or shadow forms when the spell is
causes, based on a 14 Constitution; adjust upward or downward
cast. The spell does not block extra-dimensional perception or
from Con 14 using detect gate’s intensity scale to determine PC
attacks including the ability for undead to energy drain, nor
impact, if any: none (no effect; the gate is “sweet”), faint (mild
does it prevent summoned creatures from disappearing at the
dizziness), moderate (dislocation), strong (mild nausea), very
end of a summoning spell’s duration. The material components
strong (nausea), intense (strong pain), overwhelming (uncon-
are one 3” long pin formed from adventurine (green quartz) per
sciousness); each level of effect is cumulative, and exact effects
targeted creature, as well as a swatch of fine, earthen-hued silk,
are left to the game master to adjudicate
into which the pins are stuck. The fine silk costs 25gp, and is
symmetry: does the gate shift travellers’ physical positions during consumed in the casting; each pin costs 250gp, and may be reused.
transit, or do they arrive in the same positions relative to one
another, to the gate itself, etc. Gatetrace (Divination – Conjuration)
Level: 4
temporality: does the gate shift travelers forward or backward in
Range: 3"
time, or have a discernible lag during transit time
Duration: Special
transit options: is the gate one-way or two-way? Area of Effect: one portal
traps: the caster identifies one trap on the gate, if any, along Components: V, S, M
with the trap’s level of threat (use detect gate’s intensity scale) Casting Time: 4 segments
Saving Throw: None
usage restrictions: identifies whether or not the gate restricts
usage in some manner, such as by home plane, race, sex, align- This spell informs the caster of the destination for the last usage
ment, class, level, eye color, family lineage, etc. ; the first check of any gate or teleporter, including the destinations for the residual
provides a yes/no response, while subsequent checks provide and temporary portals created by spells like dimension door, plane
one restriction per check shift, teleport without error, a ghost or phase spider entering the
After casting the spell, and determining what can be learned Ethereal Plane, psionic Probability Travel, etc. In order to trace
from the gate, the magic-user loses 8 points of Constitution, and the destination of a non-permanent gate, the caster must first
must rest for 1 hour per point in order to regain them. (See the employ detect gate to identify where to focus the gatetrace spell
first-level spell Identify for further effects of Constitution loss). (if detect gate was unsuccessful in determining a gate’s intensity,
The material component of this spell is an alchemical recency, or ethos, gatetrace will provide aligning, although equally
infusion that consists of a 500 gp violet garnet, which is pow- incorrect, information). The destination is given as a plane, as
dered by the magic-user and then mixed with red wine and the well as a complex string of multi-planar coordinates, which
ocular juices from a roc, giant eagle, ki-rin, beholder, or similar can be used to arrive at the same destination if the caster has
creature with far-seeing and/or magical vision. The component some form of appropriate magical transport available (dimension
must be drunk (and is consumed) with each casting of the spell. door, teleport, gate, etc.). The coordinates remain in the caster’s
memory for one round per level of the caster, and may can be

No. 4 •    5
transcribed by the caster for future usage if he or she does not In general, the forced gate remains open and available to use
currently have an appropriate spell memorized or device to for 1 turn plus 1 turn per level above 11th; during that time it can
enable immediate travel to the destination. Coordinates require be used normally by any creature, with our without the presence
1d4 rounds plus a varying amount of time to transcribe, based of the caster. For spells with instantaneous durations, such as teleport
on the following table: without error, the forced gate remains open for 2 rounds plus 1 round
per level above 11th. The spell functions for just one side of a portal:
Destination is Within Transcription Time thus, if an MU and party pass force a gate and pass through to the
Prime Material Plane no additional time required other side, the first casting of force gate will not allow them to use
Demi-plane or other non-standard Prime +1 round the gate to return unless it is normally available for their usage.
Material Plane location (other planet, etc.) Note that there is no material component for this spell.
Alternate Prime Material Plane +2 rounds
Dimensional Lock (Alteration – Conjuration/Summoning,
Demi-plane or other non-standard +3 rounds
Alternate Material Plane location Abjuration)
Level: 6
Ethereal Plane +2 rounds
Range: 1/2”/level
Elemental or Quasi-Elemental Plane +3 rounds
Duration: 1 day/level
Other Inner Plane (Shadow, +4 rounds Area of Effect: Special
Positive or Negative Material,
Components: V, S, M
Concordant Opposition, etc.)
Casting Time: 1 hour
Demi-plane within Inner Planes +5 rounds
Saving Throw: None
Astral Plane +7 rounds
This spell creates a shimmering emerald ward that prevents extra-
Demi-plane within Astral Plane +9 rounds
dimensional travel into or out of the area of effect. The caster may
Outer Planes – The Abyss, +16 rounds effect up to a single 40’ cube in volume, plus another 40’ cube
Pandemonium, or Limbo
per level above 13th. All forms of movement barred by the fourth
Outer Planes – all others +10 rounds level spell dimensional anchor are warded against by a dimensional
Demi-plane within The Abyss, +24 rounds lock. In addition, a dimensional lock prevents the physical crossing
Pandemonium, or Limbo into the area of effect while in an extra-planar form (ethereal
Demi-plane within all other Outer Planes +12 rounds ghosts must materialized in the Prime in order to cross into
Another Multiverse + 30 rounds a dimensionally locked room, for example). It also blocks extra-
dimensional perception into the prescribed area of effect, so that
Instantaneous communication of the coordinates string is ethereal creatures, for example, cannot see into the area of effect,
possible using telepathy, ESP, Raary’s Telepathic Bond, etc. and the nor could cross-planar scrying originating from outside the plane
various Extension spells will allow the coordinates to remain in of the warded area. Once the dimensional lock is in place, it may
the caster’s memory for a longer duration, of course. The material be concealed or be built-over — such cosmetic changes do not
component for the spell is a pair of 5" by 1" electrum bars, beaten impair its protection. Dimensional lock may be made permanent.
wafer-thin and finely polished on one side; the two are twisted into Some variations on dimensional lock allow the caster to
an infinite loop during the casting of the spell, with the ref lective designate creatures present during the casting of the spell to be
sides facing each other across the middle of the ouroboros helix. immune to the dimensional lock, and therefore they are permit-
The component costs 400gp and is consumed in the casting. ted to travel into and/or out of the circumscribed area while
others cannot. The material component may take a variety of
Force Gate (Alternation – Conjuration/Summoning) forms, depending upon the exact application of the spell in the
Level: 5 target environment; in general, the material component consists
Range: 3” + ½”/level above 11th of a four gallons of a magical paint, wash, or mortar, which
Duration: Special outlines the protected area to be warded. The formula for the
Area of Effect: one portal planar sealant requires three months to distill per 40’ volume
Components: V, S affected, and costs 640 gp — but ten times that if the spell is to
Casting Time: 3 segments be made permanent! It is consumed in the casting of the spell.
Saving Throw: None
Force gate allows the caster to force open (to fissure) and activate Various other gate-related magics have been rumored to exist, or
a gate that is inactive or that is otherwise unusable by the caster, to have been used by mages prior to the twin cataclysms. Such
whether due to unknown activation methods, pre-specified times legends speak of mages who temporarily blocked a gate’s func-
only during which the gate will function, being on the wrong tionality, and who diverted the gate to an unexpected destination
side of one-way transit options, or due to other usage restrictions. (to catch a pursuer unawares); wizards would peer through a gate
The spell affects permanent and temporary gates, including those to scry all of its destinations, and bind gates into servitude. Others
portals created by abjure, word of recall, transport via plants, blink, could track and follow a creature f leeing across the planes, no
dimension door, maze, astral spell and similar transportational and matter how many gates and planar changes to its destination.
conjuration/summoning spells and magic items. Archmages would banish one or both terminuses of gate, and could
hide a gate, even one of overwhelming intensity. These spells are
6   • No. 4 just the beginning — the possibilities are endless!
Beneath the Crossroads
An Adventure by Joshua James Gervais

A
simple roadside shrine hides the secret sanctum of a cult can buy (Meric), and a man horribly warped by one of Cecil’s
devoted to a rat demon. This adventure is appropriate unfinished rites years ago, who now serves as caretaker for the
for characters of second to fourth level. cult’s sanctuary (the Caretaker). The sanctuary is a fairly recent
addition to the cult’s resources: not long ago, Cecil found a roadside
shrine with a secret basement hidden beneath it. It seemed perfect
The Cult to Cecil to hide his unholy deeds under a holy place. Moreover,
It all began with Cecil, a man who dedicated his life to family the shrine is located next to a crossroads, excellent locations for
and faith; who lost the former and then the latter. His wife and rites intended to pierce the barriers between worlds.
daughter died in a fire that left Cecil’s left arm a useless stump, Cecil is ready to attempt his rite once more.
and his faith died when his church did nothing to aid him. He
turned to darker means after discovering some fragmented notes Cecil
concerning the demon Naezu, which came in the form of a rat Cecil is the leader of the cult, and a cleric of the rat-demon
and granted favors to those that managed to summon it. Naezu. He has been driven mad by his obsession with the rite
Cecil spent twenty years attempting to perfect the ritual to to summon Naezu, and has completely lost sight of his original
summon Naezu. During this time, he has sacrificed many lives goal to bring back his family.
with limited results. He has also built a small cult following of Cecil wields a thurible as a weapon, if he does 4 or more
others who wish to summon the rat demon: a wealthy merchant points of damage with this weapon, the thurible shatters, releas-
at the end of life who has become desperate for more time (Theo), ing the burning incense inside and dealing an additional point
a mercenary with no real loyalty to the cult beyond what they of damage.

Cecil: AC 9 [10]; HD 4; Atk thurible

(1d4+1); Save 13; Move 12; CL/XP
5/240; Spells: 1st—Cure Light Wounds
(reversed) x2, Detect Magic, Purify
Food and Drink; 2nd—Bless, Hold
Person; 3rd—Cure Disease (reversed).

Theo
Theo is an aged merchant who joined
the cult in hopes of extending his life.
He is an outsider to the area and spends
most of his time in the sanctum, resting
and waiting for the strength of youth to
be returned to him. His donations paid
for the silver statue of Naezu that sits in
the Altar Room. He also donated two
servants who originally accompanied him
here, but these were sacrificed in another
of Cecil’s unsuccessful attempts to sum-
mon the demon.
Theo wears a ring worth 150 gp.

Theo: AC 7 [12]; HD 2; Atk dagger

(1d4); Save 16; Move 12; CL/XP 3/60.

Meric
Meric is a soldier who has decided to
use his sword to make his own way in
the world. He is beginning to become

No. 4 •    7
distrustful of Cecil after seeing the length that the man will go The Sacrifice
to reach his goals.
This is a youth taken from one of the nearby villages, who has
Meric has a black-bladed sword that he always keeps beside
been deprived of food, clean water, and sleep since being taken.
him, which prevents the many rats in the sanctum from attacking
The Sacrifice will claim that one of the cult’s rats came down
him. It may have other properties at the referee’s discretion. He
into the pit to whisper foul secrets in his ear, which might be
also carries 60 gp.
a hallucination brought on by fatigue and malnourishment, or
Meric: AC 6 [13]; HD 3; Atk Bastard sword (1d8); Save 14; might indeed be true.
Move 12; CL/XP 3/60. Special: magic sword.
Other Cultists
Cecil may have other helpers in the surrounding towns and
The Caretaker villages, which can be anything from full members to paid
The Caretaker’s body is massive and grotesque, covered in informants. These cultists may have a usually number of rats
patches of dull gray fur, which he continuously sheds. His face around their homes or businesses. If there are more than one
resembles a rat’s snout and he has a thin whip-like tail that cultist exists in a particular community, the rats will build tunnel
twitches when he is nervous. systems that connect each cultist’s home.
The Caretaker is quite mad, and utterly loyal to Naezu and
the rats, for the rats whisper Naezu’s secret will to him – not to
Cecil. He knows that Cecil’s rite will never be truly complete,
Adventure Set Up
and he knows that each “failed” attempt makes Naezu stronger. At the start of the adventure, the location of each cult member is
If Cecil were even to show signs of doubt about his continually determined randomly, though afterwards they can move about
failing attempts at summoning the demon, the Caretaker would in response to activity in other rooms. Roll d6 for each member
kill him and find someone to take his place. of the cult (and for the Sacrifice).
The Caretaker spends the majority of his time with the 1-2 3-4 5 6
cult’s rats and has caught a number of diseases from them. His Cecil Shrine Entrance Cecil’s Room Altar Room
connection to Naezu keeps most of these illnesses from hindering
Theo Entrance Storage Room Theo’s Room Altar Room
him, but he is contagious if he bites someone. The nature of the
Meric Entrance The Test Meric’s Room Altar Room
contagious disease is up to the referee.
The Caretaker Shrine Rat’s Nest Caretaker’s Altar Room
Caretaker: AC 7 [12]; HD 3; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite Storage Room
(1d6); Save 14; Move 9; CL/XP 4/120; Special disease. The Sacrifice Cell Cell Altar Room Altar Room

Rumors
The towns and villages near the crossroads shrine are abuzz
with rumors of disappearances within the last two months,
which include:
• A strange foreign merchant (Theo) with two servants.
• A local youth (the sacrifice).
• A well-known drunkard (who is unrelated to this adventure).
• A talented silversmith who was working on a secret project
(the idol of Naezu).
Each of these four was heading in the direction of the
crossroads before they went missing.

Roadside Shrine
The shrine, located at a crossroad, is an unremarkable stone
altar to a local deity associated with travel or roads, sheltered
by the overhanging roof of a building (20 ft wide and 10 ft
deep) directly behind it. Passers-by often stop to pray at the
shrine and occasionally to shelter from bad weather under the
overhanging roof.
The building serves as a storehouse for the shrine and con-
tains assorted foodstuffs and a disproportionately large amount
of grain, though the supplies are kept safe behind a locked door.
A faint odor of decay permeates the storeroom, although the
origin of the odor is elsewhere.
8   • No. 4
 A portion of the storeroom’s southern wall is a secret door. maps of foreign lands where he has traveled in his career
Sliding it to the side reveals a small set of stairs leading downward. as a merchant.
Some scuffmarks on the f loor near the door might betray that If Theo is here, he is most likely sleeping and can be
something is odd about the southern wall. easily subdued.
If Cecil is here, he will be dressed as a member of the order 5. Meric’s Room: Meric’s room contains an unused cot, a
that built the shrine, and will pretend to be the shrine’s caretaker. backpack with 25 gp worth of miscellaneous adventuring
Since he believes that his next rite will be successful, he will gear, and 95 gp. He coated the inside handle of the door
want to dispose of any visitors to the shrine as soon as possible. with a contact poison that deals 2d4 damage or (1d4 with
If the Caretaker is here, he can be clearly heard carrying a successful saving throw). A bent nail is driven into the
bags down to the sanctum. There is a 2 in 6 chance that he will door, which is how Meric actually opens it from inside.
neglect to close the secret door properly. If Meric is here, he will be pacing the f loor of his tiny
room trying to figure some way out of this situation, and
The Underground will be especially susceptible to attempts to turn him against
The walls of the underground area are, for the most part, uni- the rest of the cult. Listeners at his door will hear him
formly constructed from red-orange stone, with crumbling mumbling to himself about how much his distrusts Cecil.
mortar. When it rains, water seeps into every crack and crevice
6. Storage Room: This room is used to store the cult’s non-
in the complex and lingers for days afterward.
perishable goods. There is a pit trap just north of the room’s
The cult attracts many rats that have, over time, burrowed
entrance, which only Cecil and Theo are well aware of,
out numerous tunnels that link various rooms. There is a 1 in
since they are the only members of the cult to frequent
6 chance that there will be 1d4 giant rats in any given room
that room.
(including rooms that have already been explored). The cult’s
The cult’s current funds, 400 gp in various coinages,
rats are more aggressive than most, and will attack to protect
can be found in a small chest as well as various items stripped
their territory if they have sufficient numbers.
from former sacrifices (such as some tools used by a silver
1. Entrance: A circular room with many small niches where
smith and some strange weapons from a foreign land). This
candles and sickly-sweet incense are burnt. A metal grate in
room also contains spare clothing and other mundane sup-
the center of the f loor serves as the only entrance to a small
plies that might be useful to the cult.
cell where the cult keeps prisoners due to be sacrificed.
If Theo is here, he will be making an account of the
Any member of the cult might be found here. Cecil and
cult’s supplies. He will attempt to engage any intruders
Theo will both f lee from conf lict if found alone, but Meric
in conversation, hoping to make an escape or maneuver
may attempt to engage a group of four or fewer intruders.
them into the pit trap.
2. Cell: The cell underneath the metal grate is 5 feet tall, with a
5-foot diameter. Since the cult normally uses relatively weak
victims for their sacrifices, the weight of the grate is sufficient
to keep said victims from escaping. The bottom of the cell is
covered with 6 inches of cold, stagnant water. To the north,
there is a doorway that has collapsed in upon itself.
If the sacrifice is here, the rite has not yet begun.
3. Cecil’s Room: Cecil’s room contains a simple cot, piles of notes
relating to the perfection of his rite, and a small metal chest
where he keeps two set of vestments—the clerical robes he
uses when pretending to be the shrine’s caretaker—and the
black robes he uses to officiate for the cult. There is also a
large locket that once belonged to his wife.
The locket has suffered significant smoke damage
(from the fire which killed Cecil’s family) but the thumb-
nail painting of a young Cecil and his family inside is still
recognizable. It is extremely unlikely, but if confronted
with the locket and a very convincing speech, Cecil might
reconsider his path.
If Cecil is here, he is mostly likely preparing himself
for the rite, and those listening at his door will hear him
softly chanting in an unknown tongue. While making
his preparations, Cecil secures the door with a bolt-lock.
4. Theo’s Room: Theo’s room contains a cot with a pile of
heavy blankets piled on top of it – he is used to a warmer
climate. He also has number of scroll cases filled with

No. 4 •    9
 7. The Pit: This rooms only feature is a putrid smelling pit 3 will see this as a sign of weakness and attack at once, biting
feet wide that the cult uses to dispose of its waste. The pit each round for 1d4 damage.
goes down roughly 100 feet; any item dropped down the The rats will withdraw if the person they are attack-
pit will land with a wet plop. ing leaves the area.
If Meric is found in this area, he is traveling through
8. Caretaker’s Room: The caretaker’s room contains a cot
it from the Altar Room. It’s obvious that the rats avoid
and a dresser—both have been badly chewed by the cult’s
him for some reason.
rats. Searching the dresser will reveal some fragments of
Cecil’s diary where he laments the loss of his family (in 10. Rat’s Nest: A room with a low ceiling (4 feet high) where
the same script as his research notes), a small steel mirror, most of the cult’s many rats nest. At any time there are 2d6
and a 100gp diamond. rats in this area. The nests are made of scraps of paper, worn
pieces of cloth, and the odd bone. The remains of the cult’s
There is a small alcove hidden behind the dresser,
sacrificial victims are thrown outside the rats’ nest.
which contains three metal tubes. Each tube leads to a
A person can make their way through the nest, but there
different room and allows a person to hear what’s going
are many rats, and they will attack anyone who enters the
on in that room. The tubes lead (from right to left) to the
nest except the Caretaker or someone with Meric’s sword.
shrine above, the Entrance, and the Altar Room. There
The Caretaker uses the corridor that links his room with
is a 1 in 10 chance than a rat will be in one of the tubes,
this room (which has the same low ceiling as this room)
which blocks any sound (and it may attempt to attack
to access the nest without bothering the other cultists.
anyone trying to listen to that tube).
If the Caretaker is in this area, he will fight any intrud-
If the Caretaker is found in this area, he will be listen-
ers with the aid of the nearby rats.
ing to one of the three tubes. He will attempt to f lee to
the Rat’s Nest rather than fighting here. 11. Altar Room: A silver statue of a humanoid rat with a bul-
bous belly, sitting atop a pile of skulls, is positioned at the
9. The Test: Rats from the Rat’s Nest will swarm over any
eastern end of the room, the demon Naezu. There is a
person that enters this room from the western entrance.
summoning circle in the middle of the room, surrounded
As long as the person remains calm, the rats will remain
by bloodstains both old and new, etched into the center of
calm as well. If the person is agitated or nervous, the rats
the room. Once melted down, the Altar of Naezu produces
worth 600 gp of silver.
Cecil can use the summoning circle to conjure a rat
demon. This requires him to perform a fresh sacrifice in
Naezu’s name.
If the sacrifice is in this area, then the rite will begin
soon; if both Cecil and the sacrifice are here, the rite may
already be underway.

Rat Demon: AC 7 [12]; HD 4; Atk Bite (1d6); Save 13; Move 9;

CL/XP 4/120; Special Summons 2d4 giant rats once per day.

Every combat round, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the

rat demon will turn on Cecil.
To provide a greater challenge, the rat demon could be
given the ability to be hit with only silver or magic weap-
ons—increasing its challenge level/XP Value to 5/240. In
this case, Meric’s black blade should be counted as a silver
weapon, since he would not work for the cult without
a way to protect himself from the beasts they summon.

The Aftermath
After the cult has been taken care of, there is still some adventure
potential beneath the crossroads.
The statue of Naezu is worth a good deal, but the dark rites
performed before it may have tainted it requiring some sort of
cleansing before it can be safely melted down.
Moreover, the cult’s sanctum was found rather than built, and
there are still areas of it left unexplored—unblocking the door-
way in the Cell might lead to some of those areas.

10   • No. 4
Artist Interview!
Christopher Burdett

O
ne of the things we’ve always wanted to do with educational websites. During the next two years I made a lot of
Knockspell Magazine is to focus on some of the great microscopes, missed making monsters, but in the end I found a
art that’s coming out of the “Old School Renaissance.” wife. As fate would have it after I found myself returning to LA
Christopher Burdett has worked with some major productions, this time with my wife and back at work with my former boss.
including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. He’s also The two years had been good for him and he called me back out.
a frequent contributor of art both to Knockspell Magazine – in
our last issue, he illustrated the module “Labyrinth Tomb of the That’s when you started working on the higher profile
Minotaur Lord.” We asked Christopher a few questions about stuff, yes?
himself and about the techniques he uses to create adventurous art.
This time around I cut my teeth on projects like Buffy the
Tell us a bit about yourself, first of all. Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firef ly as well as a various monster
and horror movies. This time around we were in LA for about
I am a working fantasy artist based in north Florida where I three years before the stress of the city got to us. Let me jump
live with my wife and our pride of deadly house cats. Being a in and say that LA is amazing, awesome, fun and exciting with
sixth generation Floridian I have unsuccessfully tried to escape MANY opportunities and chances that can’t be found anywhere
Florida twice to the less humid climes of Los Angeles. else, so please go if that is your dream, but please be aware that
it is dog eat dog, and can be hard and cold sometimes. I would
How did you start with fantasy gaming? Are you a gamer? never trade the time that we lived there and I would not be the
artist I am today without having lived there, but some of the
I have loved games and gaming all my life, but never really hardest times of my life were in LA. I miss the friends and places,
found the time or a decent group to play with until I was an but not the stress. After LA, we were back in Florida, where I
adult. The gaming bug bit me when I was very young though, worked for a design firm that dealt with a lot of state and local
I must have been under 10 years old when it happened. I was at governmental clients. I promised myself that I would continue
a friend’s house and his older brother was painting miniatures making the art I wanted to make, and I continued to keep up
– and I was captivated. He explained they were for some sort with contacts in the gaming industry I’d made while in LA.
of dungeon game. I immediately ran home and started drawing Within a couple of months after moving back from LA I found
monsters, which I then made into small clay sculptures. A year myself doing miniature turnarounds for Wizards of the Coast
or two later I came across a strange book called the Dungeons and never looked back. Looking back over the last four and half
and Dragons Monster Manual at a f lea market for a couple of years I have worked in the gaming industry I realize that I am
dollars. It was a book filled with strange and crazy monsters, best suited for this industry out of all the art carriers I have had.
and with even stranger and crazier drawings. In that singular
moment my fate was set. I knew what I wanted to do with my What sort of work do you do, now that you’re in the
life, I needed to make monsters. gaming industry?

A career in making monsters? Did it work? As a fantasy artist I have worked for Wizards of the Coast doing
miniature designs for Dreamblade and Dungeons and Dragons
I continued to make and draw monsters over the years and as I Miniatures, concept design for Dungeons and Dragons 4th
faced graduation from college with an art degree I was desper- Edition monster and armor, and illustrations for Dungeon and
ate to find a career that would allow me to make monsters. I Dragon magazines and (my crowning achievement and childhood
thought my options consisted of movies or video games. So in dream) the 4th Edition Monster Manual 2. This past year I have
the summer of my last year at school I jumped at the opportunity branched out to a lot of new clients including Paizo Publishing,
to work on a low budget vampire movie that was actually being Fantasy Flight Games, Catalyst Labs Games, and Hero Games
made locally. Turns out the guy that was overseeing the makeup as well as many other smaller companies. For Paizo I have been
effects had his own shop in LA and in the end upon graduation working on illustrations for several of their Pathfinder books
I was heading to LA to work in the movies. I worked in LA and campaign settings. I have finally been able to work on
for about a year on various low budget TV and movie projects some cards for FFG on their Talisman and Runebound titles,
until the internet bubble pooped in 2000 and work all but dried and most recently some more miniature turnarounds for an as-
up. I headed back to Florida to where I worked with a scientist of-yet announced project. Needless to say, I have been keeping
making 3D models or various microscopes and equipment for his very busy.

No. 4 •    11
 Back to games... then and now... over the years I would work in pencil. I continued to do a lot of my color monster work
occasionally play D&D, various super hero rpgs, and of course a in traditional mixed media of marker and colored pencil, but
brief but bitter affair with Magic: the Gathering. I currently play my client base really responded well to my digital color work
Dreamblade with my father in law whenever possible and I have so I switched to completely digital finished work. I still start
been playing D&D 4th Edition with a good group since right all my projects with pencil on paper before scanning them in
after 4th Edition’s launch. I have a special place for Dreamblade and digitally painting them in Photoshop. If the project is for
and 4th Edition, so I really enjoy playing them. It has been miniature turnarounds where the final product is the line draw-
years and years since I played Talisman, but would love to play ing, I stay completely traditional. For the pieces I created for
again. Many of my friends that have much more free time to Knockspell I started with a pencil drawing to work out my ideas
play really want to get me playing more FFG times, and I think with the art director and to get final approval. I then scanned
I just might to take them up on it. the drawing in and used Photoshop to ink the drawings if I
was inking with a pen. The pieces in Knockspell #3 I wanted
Tell us some specifics about your art. What kinds of to make really textured and gritty, so I added a lot of line work
methods? and half tone patterns (the dot pattern) to try to add as much
texture as I could while still making the images readable. In
For most of my career I have worked mostly traditionally in all of my work I enjoy texture and details, the more the mer-
black and white media, be it pencil or ink pens. Starting in LA rier. I hate working on smooth and simple. So needless to say
on Buffy and Angel I started moving back into digital media. I I like filling in everything with marks and texture. The pieces
still very much enjoyed working traditionally, but work required in Knockspell #3 got a lot of line work and texture while the
more and more of my time to be spent in Photoshop. I have been pieces in Knockspell #2 got a lot of black negative space and line
using Photoshop in 1991, so I was familiar with the software work. I also wanted the work I did for each KS to feel separate
and didn’t mind the transition. Once I left LA, I continued to and unique to that issue. I am not sure if that is readily apparent,
work both traditionally and digitally, doing all of my miniature but that was my intention. As far as more specifics on what I

Minotaur Skeleton by Christopher Burdett (Knockspell #3). Poison Wine by Christopher Burdett (Knockspell #2).

12   • No. 4
use to make my work, I draw exclusively on Bienfang Graphics
360 marker paper and use only Prismacolor black pencils. The
paper comes in many different dimensions to suit the project and
the pencils go down beautifully onto the paper. The paper can
take a beating as well as hold up to wet media. I also employ an
electric pencil sharpener and electric eraser: both are invaluable.
For my digital work I use a Mac. I have a desktop and a laptop,
so I can work anywhere I need to. As mentioned before, I use
Adobe Photoshop to paint in. I have both a Wacom tablet and
Wacom monitor to suit my mood and local when working.
Also, on any current project I am working on I have at least 4
backups of my work, which are on computers, portable media
and online storage. You can never be too careful and cautious.
show me how to be an artist and to draw), William O’Connor
What about inf luences on your artistic style? Are there (for that awesome thing you do), Todd Lockwood (for without
any artists who have been major inf luences on you? him we would not know the meaning of awesome), Scott Purdy,
Jeremy McHugh, Patrick McEvoy, Ralph Horsley and so many
A short list of artists that have inf luenced me, helped me either other amazing and talented people I look up to and call my peers.
personally or from afar, or have just gotten stuck in my head... I know I can’t list them all and even if I tried I would forget
in no particular order: Carlos Huante (for kicking me in the butt someone important. You can see more complete lists in the blogs
when I needed it most), Jim Nelson (for being awesome, helpful, I follow: http://www.blogger.com/profile/17006535822300071138 or
friendly, and who I want to be when I grow up), Steve Prescott my watch list on Deviant Art: http://christopherburdett.deviantart.
(for being awesome), Lars Grant-West (for making my monsters com/myfriends/ Go there, check out all the amazing art these folks
look cooler then I ever could make them, and for also being awe- are making and who humble me and make me honored to be
some, helpful, friendly, and who I want to be when I grow up), counted amongst them.
Neville Page (for opening my eyes and being the first to really

Megadungeon Tactics:
Mission-Based Adventuring
Defining the Mission
By Matt Finch

T
he recently coined term “megadungeon” refers to a really So, even though there’s not a universal program, there
big underground complex with multiple, large levels. The is a (relatively) universal set of mission guidelines. The trick is
advice in this article actually applies to adventuring in figuring out which one matches up with what you’re actually
other types of areas as well, but the specific examples are all geared going to encounter.
toward the traditional “great big dungeon” environment. The
focus of the article is to define a few optimal methods of organiz-
ing an expedition, or a series of incursions, into a megadungeon. The First Two Missions
Since every dungeon is different, there’s not a single, all-
purpose program to exploring all dungeons of any referee. Expedition #1: Map the Corridors
However, that doesn’t mean you should abandon the mission- The optimal first step for exploring a megadungeon is usually to
based approach to dungeon exploration. Far from it: indeed, run a fast-moving reconnaissance mission to explore the corridors.
you should embrace the idea of equipping and planning your The main objectives of the corridor-mapping expedition
expeditions appropriately for a specific mission rather than try- are (1) to map as much of the complex as you can get by explor-
ing to go in equipped for everything, carrying the kitchen sink. ing only the corridors, (2) to identify the escape routes, pinch
Certain challenges are best faced with certain configurations of points, good fallback points, and weak defensive positions, (3)
equipment, spells, and other resources. In each successive mis- to identify shortcuts, and (4) to identify hardpoints (I’ll discuss
sion, try to gain information by mapping and observing so that hardpoints later on in the article).
you can choose your next mission and plan for it intelligently.

No. 4 •    13
 The two keys to the method here are (1) fast-moving and located in the same corridors you’ll be breezing through. And
(2) focusing on corridors. Why? a 10ft pole to check ahead for pit traps, obviously.
Let’s discuss corridors first. When you start getting into the Speaking of traps and reconnaissance, if your party is higher
heavy stuff – the rooms with monster lairs or the big obstacles than first level you might have access to some “utility” spells
like lava rivers – you will encounter situations in which you that can assist in a pure mapping expedition. Clerics with find
need to run away or fight a running battle with opponents that traps, silence 15’ radius, and locate object, and magic users with
may split up or take shortcuts to cut off your PCs. The best way read languages, detect magic, hold portal, knock, web, wizard lock,
to be prepared for this eventuality is to already have a good idea clairaudience, and clairvoyance can come in very handy when you
about the f low of the corridors. The corridors are your f light are doing a fast mapping sweep. It means sacrificing some of your
path when you cut and run, leaving the plate-mailed dwarf and combat potential, but your plan isn’t to engage in combat – the
his slow movement rate behind. Incidentally, never leave your plan is to run like utter cowards when threatened.
only copy of the map with the slowest-moving party member. One other point about mapping. See if captured monsters
That’s bad planning. (In fact you should have at least two map- can fill in part of your map, and check in “the Tavern” to see if
pers, in case one gets disintegrated or drowns in a pool of acid, there’s already a partial map available from previous adventuring
or whatever). Mapping the corridors will identify places where expeditions. These maps might contain false information here
your party, instead of the monsters, will hold the advantage of and there, but they can save you a lot of time, too!
better terrain, better escape routes, and better cover. Keep in
mind especially that corridors which circle back to other cor- Expedition #2: Recover Lost Cash Flow
ridors are very dangerous in running battles, because they allow Your first expedition didn’t get you any measurable treasure, and
enemies to hit you from more than one direction at the same your bar tab is getting high at the local tavern. It’s time to start
time. Whenever you find a corridor that intersects with another some serious, profitable adventuring. The first step is to take a
one you’ve already mapped, you have just identified a circular look at your map and find a nice, treasure-concealing door, or
pathway that can probably be used to tactical advantage, by an area that looks like it’s got several of them. Your objective
someone, in a running battle or a retreat. is to plan a route that won’t require you to keep retracing your
The second point about corridor mapping expeditions is steps. Dungeon movement is slow, and every backtracking means
that they should be fast-moving. Why? Because large dungeons more wandering monster checks. Plan for a straight-line path
are usually constructed to have periodic checks for wandering into a profitable-looking region of the dungeon – this isn’t a
monster encounters. Wandering monsters don’t offer much loot scouting expedition like last time. For this sort of mission, go
– their treasure is in their lairs, not their pockets. So fighting in like you mean it: armor up, bring those noisy hirelings along,
with wandering monsters is simply unproductive. In general,
the referee will be doing “checks” for wandering monsters every
few turns, possibly when you get into (or complete) combat,
and definitely when you set off explosives or do anything else
particularly noisy. Thus, your goal is to (a) move as quickly as
possible (which means fewer wandering monster checks per ten
feet traveled), (b) to avoid combat, and (c) to keep quiet. This is
the time when you might want to switch out the plate mail for
something lighter, to keep the party’s movement rate at 9, or
9”, or whatever speed lets the entire party move as fast as pos-
sible without everyone having to suit up in wizard robes. (If you
decide not to wear any armor, of course, you might as well all
dress like wizards – it might scare some monsters off. Possibly.
If you’re really lucky…. I wouldn’t recommend going quite so
far with this strategy, but basically, keep your movement rate
high enough to run away from the slowest wandering monsters.
Keeping it quiet is another reason to leave the plate mail behind
– but don’t leave the dwarf behind: if at all possible, bring a
dwarf and an elf on this expedition, even if you have to hire
them. (Hire them for a share of the treasure, too, because this
sort of expedition brings in basically zilch). Dwarves can identify
strange stonework – possibly including some traps, depending
on the referee – and elves have at least a chance to notice secret
doors in passing. Since you’re not slowing down to check for
secret doors, it’s a bonus if the elf spots one – secret doors are
important to know about. One piece of equipment you should
carry, though, is whatever type of hacksaw, bar-spreader, or
bolt-cutters you can get your hands on. Portcullis traps are often

14   • No. 4
and bring a cart for one of them to pull. If this is only your moving through in the heavy armor (monsters respect people
second expedition into the dungeon, you probably aren’t going who look shiny, sharp and deadly). You might be able to expand
to find the best of the treasures, but since you’ve already gotten your map quickly with the help of some captured goblins.
the lay of the land (via your corridor map), you can plan for
combat and treasure-haulage. You might as well be optimistic; Type #2: Checking for Details
if you have to run, carts are pretty cheap and disposable, and a Up until now, or in a particular area, all you’ve done is to dash
cart might even slow down monsters if you abandon it in the through it mapping the corridors, and then to go through the
middle of a passageway. (Rolling it down a slope is even cooler, obvious doors without doing much checking for secret doors –
if you found a slope in your first expedition; and setting it on and definitely without approaching anything that looks like it’s a
fire before you roll it is the coolest of all). “Referee Special,” such as statues with gems in their eyes, shiny
Bash down doors, fight monsters, and make sure you check f loating jewelry, or rickety bridges over rivers of molten lava.
their lairs for secret doors that might lead to the real treasure. Now it’s time. Your map may show places where secret doors
If something looks like a trap, don’t screw with it. If something could be located, or you might have noted down a couple of
looks like it does something weird, don’t screw with it. Your interesting things (“shiny jewelry f loating in air here”), or you
focus here is to check through the easily accessible rooms for might have seen things like murals or runes that you haven’t tried
easy, uncomplicated, hack and slash treasure gathering. Grab to read or examine yet. If you don’t eventually start checking
the low-hanging fruit, as it were. This will not only pay the bar into the details, you’re going to miss the big treasures and the
tab, but it will expand your map(s) a bit. Moreover, exploring important clues. And possibly you won’t find the stairs, either;
rooms will now start to suggest places where intensive secret that’s kind of a dirty trick on the referee’s part, but dirty tricks
door checks should be made. This is especially true if the top are the referee’s trade.
levels of the dungeon use the old TSR model of thin walls and In preparing for a general detail-gathering expedition, part of
closely-packed rooms. If this is the case, your map might now the process is obviously going to depend on what sort of “special”
start showing some areas that are surrounded by rooms and you’re tackling. If you’ve got nothing but possible secret doors,
corridors but, strangely, don’t have an entry. If you get this sort you’ll approach it differently than if you’ve got nothing but evil
of “surrounded but unknown” configuration on your map, altars and gem-studded statues, and differently still if you’ve
you may have identified a secret room, or even a secret area. heard noises that sound like an orc tribe on the other side of a
Places like this usually contain the best treasures; they will be door labeled “Orc Tribe – Keep Out.” For most detail-gather-
an objective of the next expedition. Not an objective of this ing missions, bring all the ingredients you need to bake a cake,
expedition, though! Wait for the next time before going into except sugar: that is, f lour, water, eggs, oil (the f lammable kind,
these potentially most-dangerous areas. though!), and a way to start the fire. Flour is useful for detecting
invisible objects. Also, f lour dust is rather explosive, so a trail
Expeditions After the First Two of oil leading to a place where you smacked open a bag of f lour
At this point, you’ve got a quick map (or two) of the corridors can make a nicely distracting little noise if you’ve got wander-
and whatever portion of the level that you mapped, up until ing monsters looking for you. And don’t think for a second that
the point where treasure or wounds caused you to wrap up the medieval people didn’t know that f lour dust explodes. Water can
“cash f low” mission. Now what? Now it’s time to get down be used to test the slope of a passageway, and can be mixed with
to business and look for the real stuff: the big treasures that are your f lour to make dough (yes, dough sometimes comes in very
found in secret rooms, on the far side of obstacles, and behind handy). Eggs are one of the few things monsters like to eat that
weird tricks like rotating, talking statues. This section covers don’t have a smell until they are thrown. An excellent distraction
the variety of different ways to move on from this point. if you’re being chased. Don’t pack them with the spellbook. Oil
is brought along for obvious reasons, especially if your referee
Type #1: Rinse and Repeat allows the super-flammable Greek fire type of fantasy lantern oil.
If the dungeon is really large, your first two expeditions might Bring a crowbar for getting past locked doors in (relative) silence.
not have covered enough mapping territory to identify good Bring rope in case you have to climb down something, and don’t
prospects for the types of expeditions mentioned later on. If this forget that most uses of rope can be improved with a grappling
is the case, you might want to repeat the sequence of mapping hook. Get a couple of loop-rings welded onto your grappling
corridors in one mission and then grabbing the easier loot in hook so it can also be put at the end of a pole for hooking things
the second expedition. If what you really want is just to find the down from ceilings and high alcoves. If you’ve got a cart, bring
stairs to the next level down, because you’re ready for a bigger something really heavy like an anvil too: you can abandon it
risk-to-reward ratio, this might be your approach if you think when you find treasure, and in the meantime you can use it for
the stairs are going to be out in the open (as opposed to being all those situations where you need to find out what happens if a
hidden behind a secret door or on the other side of an obstacle person steps on something, only without using an actual person.
you’re skipping with corridor searches). Keep in mind, though, Wrap it in cloth to reduce noise.
that you’re leaving more distance between your PCs and the Balance the need for thoroughness against the wasted
exit as you explore deeper into a level. time that does nothing but increase the likelihood of fighting
If the pattern of mapping and then sweeping isn’t work- (unprofitable) wandering monsters. Chances are, you’ll never
ing out well, try doing some monster-negotiation when you’re check the area carefully a second time, so this is your one chance

No. 4 •    15
 didn’t bring in with you. Even if it looks like a potion, drink it
I played in Tim Kask’s OD&D game at North Texas RPG Con last after you get out, preferably in the company of a reliable cleric
summer, and we were confronted with a statue that demanded food.
It ate all the rations we tossed into its mouth, and Tim gave us an
and/or a stomach pump.
evil chuckle: “It doesn’t work; it wants something different.”
Type #3: Deep Excursion
“I offer it a wheel of cheese,” I said.
You’ve found a long corridor or a way into a whole new part of
Tim’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “You’ve got a wheel of cheese on
the level, and you’re going to be hiking in a long way from the
your character sheet?”
exit sign. Whether you’re going on a mapping expedition or
I tossed the sheet over. heading out in force, that distance should be a matter of at least
“Damn,” he said. minor concern. Bring whatever navigational resources you have
(a dwarf is usually the best you can get; but if the referee allows a
Motto of the Story: Never underestimate the value of unusual
equipment. compass, bring one, and then ask if the campaign has GPS loca-
tors). Navigation isn’t the only peril to a deep excursion. Getting
Actual Result: Ultimately, the statue didn’t want the cheese either, cut off from the exit can be a nasty development too, whether by
but the “real food” kept it talking to us. A partial victory.
monsters or by the dungeon itself (moving walls, corridor col-
lapses, portcullis traps, etc.). Consider establishing one or more
to find secret doors and other interestingly-hidden things. On supply dumps along the way. Obviously, leaving a pile of ham
the other hand, it’s just not worth it to burn time checking sandwiches in the middle of a corridor isn’t going to do you much
every inch of every long corridor. In most really large dungeons, good – all it takes is a single troll or gelatinous cube passing by and
there are lots of empty rooms that are truly empty, so don’t get you’ve traded your sandwiches for a stalker. However, if you’ve
caught in the assumption that there must be something you’re explored the region fairly well, all those places where the referee
not noticing. There definitely may NOT be anything hidden or carefully hid treasures away are now your sandwich-storage loca-
special at all present in that curious gap on your map(s). Identify tions. Put in a spare suit of armor, a couple of spare weapons, a
the places where interesting things are likely to be, and focus backup light source, food, water, and a crowbar. Anything bulky
there. This means places where corridors turn, areas where you think you might need to come back for – especially if you
there is a strange, room-shaped gap in the corridor pattern, anticipate the expedition might turn into a Gizmo-using mission
areas where everything seems symmetrical except in one place (see below) – stash the heavy gear in one or more secret rooms
(especially if a wall seems to be blocking off the symmetry), and along the way. We’re working from the assumption that getting
places where there is an inexplicable dead end. Seriously check out of the dungeon can be almost as dangerous as working your
f loors and ceilings in those dead ends. They are ideal places way in, and if this is the case, you might very much want to hang
for pit traps, stone drops, and portcullis traps. (And check the out in the middle until you’ve got your strength back. Plan for this
interesting pits for secret doors too!) Don’t drink anything you contingency. If you have access to a wizard lock spell, or any other
spell that can be used to create a permanent defense, use these to
make your bolt-hole/supply base more secure.

Type #4: Rescue and Recovery

One of three things has happened: you left a dead party member
behind, one of your party members was taken prisoner, or you
know where a valuable hostage/prisoner is being held inside the
dungeon. The very first thing to remember in this sort of scenario
is negotiation. You don’t necessarily have to fight your way through
every obstacle (and don’t forget the possibility of “negotiating”
via charm person too!). If your plan is to sneak in (i.e., you’re not
wearing much armor or bringing many people) consider leaving
reinforcements behind at a hardpoint. Stealth operations are one
of the few times when it makes sense to split the party (or at least,
split the characters from the henchmen and hirelings). What I mean
by a hardpoint is this: a highly defensible place – preferably with
an escape route that can’t be used as a second way in – where you
can fall back and gain the benefits of a superior tactical position.
The top of some stairs, for example, will generally give you a fairly
significant combat advantage. If you’ve got a room where you
can store a heavy table (for use as cover) or other cool weaponry
(tossing a bunch of caltrops down the stairs is a neat idea), so much
the better. Another useful thought about a rescue and recovery
mission is to customize your spell use; it’s common practice for
adventuring parties to automatically load up with as many combat

16   • No. 4
spells as possible, to the exclusion of utility spells like knock, ESP, bolt-cutters, hacksaws, and wheels of cheese already, but there
find traps, and silence 15ft radius. A rescue operation involves stealth are innumerable gadgets that can be used by a party of adven-
and alertness in a very small theater of operations. Assuming you turers: block and tackles, tall iron tripods (for using a pulley to
know where it’s all going to come down, you might want to aug- raise something), long levers with a tall fulcrum to pry things
ment your powers of stealth and detection more than you want to up at a distance – these are just a few examples. Equipping
be loaded up with combat spells. Keep a couple of combat spells yourselves and preparing spells for a gizmo-use type of mission
in case things go bad, of course, but plan for the mission. really depends on what you expect to find on the other side of
the obstacle. If you don’t know what’s on the other side, wear
Type #5: Gadgeteering, the armor and carry the combat spells.
Gizmology, Amateur Siegecraft, If you’ve established a bolt-hole somewhere in the dun-
and Buildstuffological Engineering geon, consider taking one expedition specifically to fortify it
(as mentioned above in Types 3 and 4). Load the magic user
Sometimes, you know you’re headed toward something that’s up with wizard lock spells, load the fighters down with caltrops
going to need some heavy-duty adventurer-rigged engineering: and lumber, and transform your hideaway into an underground
getting down a chasm; assaulting a massive, orc-filled chasm; fort! (Do as much as possible of the hammering on the surface,
moving a twenty-ton statue … all of these are Gadgeteering or wandering monsters will probably test your defenses before
missions. What distinguishes a Gadgeteering mission is usually you’ve finished putting them up).
that you need to carry in lots and lots of stuff. Some embarrass- This isn’t an exclusive list of the ways to organize a mis-
ing things can go wrong – a twenty-foot long battering ram sion, but it should help a great deal to get your party thinking
might have adequate ceiling clearance, but it won’t go around a in terms of a specific mission, and whether you’re bringing the
90-degree turn in a corridor that’s ten feet wide. The geometry materials and the tactics you need to execute that mission as
is against you. Figuring out how to disassemble things (or get- safely as possible.
ting them specially made that way) can solve a lot of headaches.
Assaulting positions where the monsters have good cover and And with the most loot, of course.
can shoot you with arrows? Consider a mantlet – a disassembled
wooden wall with arrow-slits – to even up the odds. I mentioned Happy Adventuring!

Random Tavern Generator

By Robert Lionheart

W Quality of the Establishment

hat is a tavern? In fantasy adventures, a tavern is dwarves
drinking hearty ales and buxom beauties serving hot
meat pies. It is crackling fires dancing in silver moon- Not all taverns are created equal. Roll 3d6 to determine the
light with melodious bards singing tales of old. And don’t forget Quality of the Establishment. Then roll 1d6 for Patronage, which
the mysterious stranger in the corner! tells you how many tables are occupied when the adventurers
The traditional fantasy tavern has become a stereotype, because arrive at the tavern. The better the food and drink, the more
the setting is both evocative and immediately recognizable. For the likely there will be a crowd. In general, a Table will have 1d6
referee, taverns provide an easy platform to introduce NPCs and people in their group.
rumors leading to new adventures. Also, the tavern offers the referee Referees may choose to add an additional Table of patrons
a chance to engage the player’s five senses with warm descriptions during “Happy Hour” and maybe subtract a Table during off-hours,
of food, women, wine and song. This is a pleasant change from the such as late into the night. In poor quality taverns, it is quite possible
usual repertoire of adjectives depicting the horror of monsters and the adventurers are the first customers all day, maybe even all week!
the slashing violence of combat. 3. Worst Toilet in Scotland
The goal of the Random Tavern Generator is to enhance this Patronage = 1-4 Empty, 5-6 one Table
wonderful aspect of adventuring by adding variety to the tavern
Eating or drinking the food here may result in saving throws
experience. With a few 3d6 rolls, the referee can quickly generate
versus food poisoning! The fare is rotten rat meat (at best),
the Quality of the Establishment, the Disposition of the Patrons
the wenches are ugly and the drink is stinking swill. But
and the Aura of Mystery.
it’s cheap, and the portions are big!
Instead of rolling randomly, referees may enjoy picking and
choosing from the lists to build unique taverns for their various 4. I Don’t Like You Either
towns and city-states. Maybe an area of your game world is renowned Patronage = 1-3 Empty, 4-6 one Table
for its hospitality and cuisine, or lack thereof. My hope is that your While the patrons might be friendly, the owner and his staff
taverns will become favorite locales players remember fondly and are downright unpleasant. Prices are high, the food poor,
visit again and again.
No. 4 •    17
 and the service rotten. Maybe the “tavern” is just a false The wenches are beautiful, the meat pie has no gristle, and
front for unsavory and illegal activities; so roll twice on the the beer is always fresh. Prices are standard, but the quality
Aura of Mystery table. is outstanding. Of course, no good meal can go unpunished.
5. Tourist Trap Roll twice on the Aura of Mystery table!
Patronage = 1-3 Empty, 4-6 one Table 13. Local Favorite
This dive is avoided by locals and caters to foreigners, travelers Patronage = 1 one Table, 2-3 two
and merchants drawn in by the shiny lanterns. The wine is Tables, 4-6 three Tables
watered down, the ale is stale, and the turkey is an under- This tavern is located off the main road within the residential
cooked sparrow. If the pork chops were any drier, they’d area of the community, and the décor is never flashy. The locals
be mummified. Of course, the prices are higher than usual. will be surprised (and maybe dismayed) that out-of-towners
6. Order Off the Menu found their watering hole. On the Disposition of Patrons chart,
Patronage = 1-2 Empty, 3-4 = one Table, any result of 13 should use entry #8 “Inquisitive Authorities”
5-6 = two Tables instead. The GM may decide this place is so mundane that
there is no possible Aura of Mystery.
The cook is laughably incompetent, but he can do one dish
surprisingly well. Or maybe the moonshine is wretched, but 14. Delver’s Rest
the brandy is terrific? If the adventurers are observant or Patronage = 1 Empty, 2-5 one Table, 6 two Tables
make local friends, they will be told in advance what they This tavern caters almost exclusively to adventuring folk,
should order. Otherwise, the other patrons will enjoy a bad but the owner takes bribes from various merchants and
joke at the adventurer’s expense. haughty strumpets who want to get close to the dungeon
7. Hole In The Wall gold. Prices are standard and the fare always good. On the
Patronage = 1-2 Empty, 3-6 one Table Disposition of Patrons chart, re-roll any result of 4, 5 or 8.
Also, such a concentration of adventurers obviously requires
This place is nothing more than a few stools in back alley, an additional roll on the Aura of Mystery table. In campaigns
or a rundown hut at the side of the road. Roll 1d6. On 1-4, where adventurers are rare, such taverns would instead cater
the quality of food, drink and décor are poor; on a 5-6, the to wealthier pilgrims, wandering knights and the lesser sons
food and drink are quite good and the décor is unusual. of nobility.
8. Run By Foreigners 15. Brewery (1D6 Groups)
Patronage = 1-2 Empty, 3-4 one Table, 5-6 two Tables Patronage = 1 one Table, 2-3 two
The tavern keeper (and maybe his staff ) are not local to the Tables, 4-6 three Tables
area; maybe demi-humans or even a humanoid monster. The This is no mere tavern, but a full-fledged brewery that serves
locals are sure to point out this fact repeatedly. The food is the area. The food is usually mediocre, but the beer, ale and
good, often spicy, and with unrecognizable ingredients. Do mead are fabulous. Maybe the brewery is run by dwarves?
you really want to know what goblins put in their goulash? What a crazy idea! Alternatively, the brewery could be a
The prices are standard, but locals complain that the place winery instead. Probably run by elves.
charges too much.
16. Oktoberfest Beer Hall
9. Wretched Hive Of Scum And Villainy Patronage = 1-2 two Tables,
Patronage = 1 Empty, 2-3 one Table, 4-6 two Tables 3-4 three Tables, 5-6 four Tables
This tavern is usually located on the wrong side of town. Beer halls are much larger than most taverns, catering to
The bartender is hairy, snarling and nasty…and so are the several dozen or even hundreds of patrons. Individual tables
serving girls! The food is okay, the prices standard, and are bigger, holding 2d6, 3d6 or even 4d6 people. Beer halls
the booze never watered down. However, the place caters will be packed with families and revelers on most local holi-
to a rough bunch of ugly-looking troublemakers. On the days. The food is good, served in huge portions with always
Disposition of Patrons chart, any result of 10-12 should use f lowing tasty brew. Prices are standard. Half the Tables will
entry #14 “Thieves & Thugs” instead. use entry #12: “I Love You Man!” on the Disposition of
10-11. Classic Tavern Patrons chart, while the rest roll normally.
Patronage = 1 Empty, 2-4 one Table, 5-6 two Tables 17. Temple of the Party God
This is the classic fantasy tavern, complete with burly bar- Patronage = 1-2 two Tables, 3-4 three Tables,
keeps, tasty turkey legs, and plenty of ale on tap served by 5-6 four Tables
f lirting wenches. It is the most common result on the table This tavern is actually a shrine, temple or even cathedral to
because the Classic Tavern has served us well for decades! a chaotic deity whose worship demands eating too much,
Prices are standard and the fare is good. drinking too much, gambling like mad and other unprint-
12. We Love This Place! able raucous good times. Think Bacchus, Dionysus, and
Patronage = 1 Empty, 2-4 one Table, 5-6 two Tables any Hollywood movie fraternity party. Neutralize Poison is
a great hangover cure and usually offered half price by the
clerics after nights of heavy devotion!

18   • No. 4
 18. Staying at The Ritz lecture them on local customs and laws. Taxes and other
Patronage = 1-4 one Table, 5-6 two Tables extortion may have to be paid before the adventurers can
enjoy their beer.
Finally, an establishment worthy of royalty! Such places have
strict dress codes and expectations of behavior, burly guards 9. Throw the Bones
who keep the peace, and possibly some magical or monstrous These patrons are eager to gamble away their pouches of
protection. Maybe it is called “The Dragon’s Lair” for a rea- coppers, silvers and maybe even a few gold. If the adven-
son! Almost any exotic food, drink, sin and pleasure is readily turers want their attention, they must risk coins and throw
available. Prices are extremely high to keep out the common the knucklebones. The more the adventurers lose, the more
scum. Start with ten times higher and work upward. Think gossip they get.
five star luxury resort, gilded in gold and probably enhanced 10-11. Bard’s Tales
with magic. Even the Unseen Servants wear fine robes! On the These patrons are eager to hear stories. The adventurers will
Disposition of Patrons chart, re-roll any results of 4, 8 or 14. be pestered to tell their tales, and a rousing saga may earn a
Depending on the campaign, this tavern may automatically round of ale. This is the most common result because it makes
have entry #8 “Enchantment” on the Aura of Mystery chart for fun and boasting. This table will contain good candidates
in addition to any others. for NPC hirelings.
12. I Love You Man
Disposition of Patrons The patrons are happy drunks who want to drink the adven-
turers under the table. Somehow their drinks wind up on the
Roll 3d6 for the Disposition of Patrons for each occupied Table in
adventurer’s tab. This group also may contain good candidates
the tavern. This chart generalizes their background and attitude
for NPC hirelings. If you are using the Random Hireling
toward the adventurers. Will the surly dwarf ever get to drink his
Generator from Issue One of Knockspell, most of these guys will
beer in peace? Let’s find out!
be Useless Drunks. Or are they just a bunch of pickpockets,
3. Of All The Gin Joints... liquoring up the adventurers while pouring their own drinks
The front doors open and the adventurers are confronted with into the potted plants?
a motley assortment of old foes, deadly rivals, past girlfriends
13. Travellers
and their angry fathers. Think fast, or roll initiative!
These patrons are not local either. They are passing through,
4. I Don’t Like Your Kind coming from Point A and going to Point B. Roll 1d6 to find
Pick a race which is not native to the area whom these patrons their route.
consider equal to a monster. Verbal confrontations will eas-
1-2. Just came from the direction where the adventurers are
ily become violent. Patrons will not share information with
going.
friends of the “monster” and may work themselves into a
3-4. Going in the same direction as the adventurers. Wanna
vile, drunken stupor before starting a fight. At the referee’s
caravan?
discretion, the tavern keeper will not serve the “monster” or
5. Going Far and Away - traveling to another land, foreign
accept his gold. His friends, however, may pay double.
nation or even another plane of existence. May pay for
5. Fear of Strangers useful information.
These patrons are obviously unsettled by the presence of strang- 6. Just came back from Far and Away. May have goods and
ers. The innkeeper may also share their worries. Fortunately tales.
his greed overcomes his fear as long as the strangers do not
14. Thieves & Thugs
balk at paying double for everything.
This table of patrons will carefully watch the adventurers, then
6. Angry Drunks decide how to part the fools from their bags of gold. They
This group wants nothing to do with the adventurers or may use local informants, a compliant serving girl or greedy
anyone else. They sit, drink and brood. After a while, the children as scouts. These rogues are looking for easy marks,
brooding may become slurs, curses, threats and assorted pre- not bloodbaths. Depending on the outcome, this group may
brawl agitation. All too often, angry drunks turn out to be also be good recruits. If using the Random Hireling Generator
the town guards, or spoiled sons of nobility. (editor’s note: Knockspell #1), they will be Traitors.
7. Except That Guy 15. Rich Guys Pay
The locals may not approve of the adventuring lifestyle, but If the adventurers’ exploits are publicly known, this table of
everyone enjoys their wild tales…except THAT guy. The louts exaggerates their success to anyone who will listen. If
town drunk, village bully or uppity punk takes an instant not, these guys make up stories of how wealthy the adventurers
dislike to them. Nobody really likes the troublemaker, but he have become. In exchange for this ego-boosting notoriety,
is a local. Dealing harshly with him will have consequences. they expect the adventurers to pick up the tab for the evening’s
Remember Wiglaf from the saga of Beowulf? entertainment. This is the classic “celebrity posse” which can
8. Inquisitive Authorities drain great wealth. If refused generosity, this table will spew
The table patrons may be town watchmen, burgomasters, less f lattering stories around town. Why ain’t us locals good
village elders or other local authorities. They demand the enough to drink a beer with you fancy elves?
adventurers identify themselves and their business, and probably

No. 4 •    19
 16. Who’s With Us? 3. Dead Man’s Party
Inebriated and itching for trouble, these patrons loudly declare Everyone looks fine at first glance, but everyone at this tavern
the adventurers to be their bestest friends and steadfast allies. died a long time ago. They may not be violent undead, just
Then they proceed to drunkenly incite trouble such as a robbery, restless spirits casting an illusion to interact with the living.
slander against local nobles or just a barroom brawl. Again, they Or maybe the adventurers are the evening’s entertainment!
may be good recruits. If using the Random Hireling Generator Why was the tavern built on top of a haunted graveyard?
(Knockspell #1), they will Loyal. 4. Cursed
17. A Chance Meeting The tavern suffers under a terrible curse. Are the locals are
This table is sociable and engages in pleasant, respectful small causing the problem or are they also aff licted by the diabolical
talk. They are also adventurers, usually of equal or higher secret? Curses include beds that shrink the adventurers down to
level. Unbeknownst to either these patrons or the adventurers, mouse size, charms that plant subconscious triggers into their
their paths may cross again in the future at a time of great minds or even taverns which are simply traps laid by hungry
crisis. But will they be on opposing sides? cannibals. What exactly was in that delicious meat pie?
18. Old Friends 5. Such a Quiet Evening
These patrons are actually loyal friends of the adventurers. Roll on the Wandering Monster chart and charge the slaver-
What a coincidence seeing you here! Of course, gain another ing beasts and hatchet-wielding nightmares into the tavern,
roll on the Aura of Mystery chart. intent on bloodshed.
6. Secret Coven Meeting
Aura of Mystery The adventurers stumble into a tavern just when the forces of
darkness converge to plan their future deviltry. The Disposition
Wherever adventurers go, danger and intrigue always follow! The of Patrons is unaffected, but all Tables share a common cause
Aura of Mystery helps turn a simple rest stop into a springboard for with hidden gestures, identical tattoos and knowing looks. If the
exciting role-play and action. Pulp author Raymond Chandler said adventurers realize what is going on, will they be allowed to leave?
suggests that when things get boring, kick the door open and start
shooting into the room. This is the Swords & Wizardry equivalent. 7. Winds of War
Tavern conversation is dominated by talk of war. The region
is either being invaded by enemies or going to war against
a hated neighbor, or maybe with itself. Maybe it is just idle
gossip or the misinformed ranting of fools? Maybe it’s the
king’s spies checking out public opinion and looking for dis-
senters? Unfriendly patrons may accuse the adventurers of
being spies for the other side.
8. Enchantment
Some permanent magic affects the tavern itself or even the
patrons. Maybe it is as simple as a Light spell instead of lan-
terns, a Magic Mouth door greeting, Unseen Servants instead of
serving girls, a sudden Alarm whenever a weapon is drawn,
bartenders who throw Hold Person on anyone starting a brawl
or maybe the saucier is really a zombie, reanimated just to
keep doing his job?
9. Not What They Seem
One table of patrons has wicked plans for tonight, but not
directly involving the adventurers. Maybe they are assassins
intent on kidnapping the queen’s baby, a doppleganger looking
for a merchant to impersonate, a wizard cloaked in illusions
to carry out horrific vengeance, or just thugs about to knock
over the tavern’s coin chest. The adventurers may wake up the
next morning, hear the terrible news and suddenly realize they
met the attackers over dinner! If the adventurers socialized
with that table, the local law may consider them suspects too.
10-11. Rumors of Gold
The bard sings a saga of a lost dragon hoard, a grizzled miner
mumbles about caverns full of emeralds, or some fool starts
showing off his half-torn treasure map. This is the most com-
mon Aura of Mystery because it allows the referee to weave
in adventure hooks, letting the adventurers hear rumors of
nearby dungeons and other locations of interest.

20   • No. 4
 12. Cloaked Stranger Ye Olde Fork in the Road
A mysterious cloaked figure sits quietly in the shadows, mind- Quality: Tourist Trap
ing his own business. There is something clearly odd about Tables: None
his dress, mannerisms and the way he drinks his wyvern-tail Happy Hour: Inquisitive Authorities
ale. Do the adventurers recognize him? Or just think they do? Mystery: Rumors of Gold
Arrivals: Don’t Like Your Kind
13. He’s Eyeballing Me
The cloaked stranger in the corner is clearly focused on one of Ye Olde Fork in the Road sits outside a large town. The inn caters
the adventurers. Maybe the stranger recognizes him? Maybe to travelers who miss the closing of the town gates. The adventurers
he has a message? Or maybe he was just staring into space and will be the first customers of the day if they arrive before sundown.
the adventurer is being paranoid. Road wardens show up at suppertime with concerns of banditry.
If the adventurers are not local, they will be questioned. While
14. You Are My Only Hope
the adventurers are dining, some rough fellows arrive who have an
Someone (maybe a beautiful but treacherous someone) throws
ugly dislike for dwarves. The owner is a lazy innkeeper, but he’s
herself upon the adventurer’s mercy. Roll 1d6. On 1-3, some-
a treasure-trove of gossip about the ruins of the ancient city upon
thing very bad has happened. On 4-6 something even worse
which the current town now stands.
is about to happen. Either way, this someone has no one else
they can beg for help. Will you fall into her trap, err … I Goobers, Dubbers and Schmidt
mean save her? Quality: Run by Foreigners
Tables: Bard’s Tales
15. Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Happy Hour: Fear of Strangers
What are the odds that a bunch of villains fitting the descrip-
Mystery: You Are My Only Hope
tion of our innocent adventurers have just committed a terrible
Arrivals: Rich Guy Pays
crime? And now the town guard, the king’s knights or a rabid,
angry mob is on their way to the tavern to apprehend these Goobers, Dubbers and Schmidt is a small tavern built for small
“criminals” and deliver a much deserved “justice.” patrons. Goobers and Dubbers are gnomes and Schmidt was their
loyal wolf hound, now dead many years, but always fondly remem-
16. Dungeon in the Cellar
bered. The tavern is famous for their burneye berry pies with cayenne
There is a dungeon underneath the tavern. How convenient!
& raspberry! Any time of day, one table is occupied with gnomes
Maybe the dungeon entrance is a hidden secret, or public
and pixies eager to hear about the adventurer’s last dungeon delve.
knowledge as part of the tavern’s charm?
At meal times, the women and children of the wee folk arrive, but
17. Portal to the Outer Planes they are scared of anyone over 3 feet tall. Once word gets around
Somewhere in this tavern is a very special door. Maybe it’s that adventurers are there, some little troublemakers show up to
carved from a remarkable wood, or covered with strange runes, flatter egos and put drinks on their tab. Sadly not everything is happy
or hides its true purpose. Once opened, this door is a portal pudding, and soon Goobers will make his desperate plea for help.
to another place, quite often another plane of existence. Does
Cult of the Sacred Flesh
the door always open to the same place, does the magic only
Quality: Temple of the Party God
work on some nights, or when the knob is turned a certain
Tables: Of all the Gin Joints, Angry Drunks, Throw the Bones
way or when a certain phrase is uttered in the right tongue?
Happy Hour: Travelers (Going Far Away)
Maybe the door isn’t even a door!
Mystery: Secret Coven Meeting
18. In the Presence of Gods Arrivals: Who’s with Us?
A powerful being, such as a polymorphed dragon, shape-
The Cult of the Sacred Flesh is a hedonistic den of iniquity, only
shifting demon, or a disguised deity is among the patrons this
tolerated because powerful nobles are always shown a good time.
evening. Are they just kicking it with lesser mortals or have
On any other night, the temple would be a raucous palace of wine,
they come bearing a challenge?
women and song. But one night each year, the worshippers gather
to devour children. Guess which night your adventurers arrive?
Trouble starts immediately with a few violently displeased rivals. If
Late Arrivals the adventurers survive that altercation, other cultists are drinking
The referee may also choose to have one or more tables of patrons themselves into an angry stupor to steel their nerves for tonight’s
arrive after the adventurers sit down for their brew, stew and brauts. gruesome murder and meal. The odd clerics are content to just
Simply roll on Disposition of Patrons to discover something about play knucklebones … with the fingers of last year’s victims. In the
the late arrivals. early evening, a table of acolytes will be discussing their travel to
a far destination to raise up another temple. If the adventurers stay
for drinks, a rowdy group of acolytes will mistake them for fel-
Sample Taverns low cultists and suggest they join in on tonight’s kidnapping and
As always, I simply chucked the dice and quickly interpreted the cuisine. If the adventurers don’t play their cards right, they might
combination of results. Also, the Happy Hour table and the Late be the new meat on the menu!
Arrival table are listed just in case these extra patrons are needed.

No. 4 •    21
Isles on an Emerald Sea III
An Adventure by Gabor Lux Editor’s note: stats for monsters in this adventure are pre-
Playtesters: Gabor Acs, Kalman Farago, sented in the Swords & Wizardry format, and are thus easily usable
without conversion in the Original, Basic, and Advanced (First Edition)
Laszlo Feher and Gabor Izapy editions of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game, as well
as with OSRIC and Swords & Wizardry’s Core and WhiteBox versions.

The Isle of Molonei

turned into a gilded cage: outside the confines of Molonei’s

F
rom afar, the Isle of Molonei resembles the spine of a subterranean plaza, amoeboid horrors prowl the corridors in
fantastic creature – a row of mountain peaks towering pursuit of prey; outside, under the waning sun, the claw and
over thick woodlands. Where now only the shadows beak of the pterodactyl are a danger no less real. Therefore,
of pterodactyls sweep, there stood fabulous Molonei, a utopian Molonei’s people have grown fewer over the last generations,
refuge of refined hedonists. Now the city is a tangle of fantastic leaving behind even the strange customs that were a shadowy
ruins and the inhabitants have retreated under the mountains, side to their easygoing nature: inviting and warm, their greeting
leaving behind the open air for the security of their temple and is ‘Come, come with us in beauty and abundance, while the sun
the plenty of their munificent god. However, the refuge has burns and the gods give’.

22   • No. 4
 Encounters on the island occur with a 1:3 probability; in 6 fuzzy young playing with a large opal (300 gp); the one
the mountains, they will always be with 2d4 pterodactyls; in to the east, nothing.
the woods, wildlife (apes, tapirs or colourful birds) or ptero- B. A tremendous, dim sphere of glass half-sunk into the earth
dactyls; and in the ruined city, either a group of hedonists or is the favourite sunning place of 8 giant lizards. Weird lizard
yet another group of pterosaurian horrors. There are a total of skeletons are imprisoned within the glass by the dozens.
24 pterodactyls, and they all lair in one of the three nests (A.)
among the jagged peaks.
Giant Lizards (8): HD 3; HP 10, 16, 12, 16, 12, 16, 14, 16;
AC 5[14]; Atk 1 bite (1d8); Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 3/60;
Pterodactyls (24): HD 3; HP 14, 12, 12, 22, 20, 10, 19, 6, 11, Special None
13, 16, 12, 11, 18, 12, 12, 6, 13, 17, 13, 11, 17, 8, 10; AC 5[14];
Atk beak 1d6; Move 3 (Fly 15); Save 14; CL/XP 4/120; C. Here are the remains of terraced agriculture now covered
Special snatch and carry victim up into the air by dense vegetation.
D. The city of Molonei is built into the side of the mountains,
a sequence of bulbous shapes and eccentric geometry rising
from the abandoned harbour to the foot of the cliffsides:
here are the colonnaded terraces, steep stairways, hollow
domes and empty palaces of an aff luent civilisation. The
city shows no signs of destruction, only abandonment: its
marble and limestone ruins were given over to the lemures
and the shrill cries of the simurgh.
There are no treasures among the ruins. If humans
are encountered, they are either a larger group (3d4) who
have ventured out to enjoy an ancient vintage, the sunset
and the thrills of danger on the melancholy terraces, or
a smaller company (1d3+1) seeking amorous pursuits. In
either case, they are cautious at the sight of armed men,
but welcoming if they see no sign of malice.
A. These are pterodactyl nests; hard to approach via conven-
tional means, the westernmost contains the armoured shell
of a giant crab and a rusted helmet; the one in the centre,

The entrance to the subterranean city opens from a columned

hall at the base of a great towering building. There are no other
entrances to the main complex, although alternate routes may lead
to smaller, isolated labyrinths. Underground, random encounters
are rolled semi-hourly unless stated otherwise. On the entrance
and 1st level, they occur on a 1:3 chance, with either 3d4 hedonists
(unarmed) or one of the grey oozes inhabiting the lower levels. On
the 2nd level, they are with 1d3 grey oozes or a black pudding;
the puddings will come periodically until they or the intruders
are all killed. There are 13 oozes and 4 puddings in Molonei.

Grey Oozes (13): HD 3+3; HP 12, 22, 21, 13, 9, 18, 10, 17,
25, 24, 17, 22, 12; AC 7[12]; Atk slime 2d6; Move 1; Save 14;
CL/XP 5/240; Special corrosion, transparency, impervious to
blunt weapons, fire and cold
Black Puddings (4): HD 10; HP 48, 45, 36, 58; AC 6[13]; Atk 1
attack (3d8); Move 6; Save 5; CL/XP 11/1700; Special Acidic
surface, immune to cold, divides when hit with lightning

1. The giant entrance hall fills the entirety of the tower, with
the grandeur of skyscrapers and railway stations. Beams of
light fall on the debris below, and there is a layer of dust
disturbed by the occasional trail leading north. The north-
ern hall is dark, and eventually emerges at Snolog’s Plaza.

No. 4 •    23
 2. A semicircular amphitheatre or auditorium in a side-build-
ing, now no longer in use. Mirror Images (3d4): HD 1; HP 8 each; AC 10[9]; Atk as char-
acter, touch (3d4); Move as character; Save 17; CL/XP 2/30;
3. Decorative hall with a succession of marble stelae depict- Special only susceptible to melee attacks
ing the bustle of a forum. To the south stands a statue of a
bearded man in a toga, right hand raised in benediction;
below the pedestal, there is a dry font. The statue and ped- 5. The treasure room beyond the secret door contains chests
estal both show signs of decay, with porous and crumbling of brass ingots, 100 sp, 500 electrum, 15 platinum, a 300gp
surfaces. silver dagger with an opal grip, a 20gp soapstone figurine
and a chain shirt +1.
4. A series of bare chambers cleared of all valuables. To the
south, one is a portal f lanked by marble urns, bearing the 6. A frescoed room: the procession of human figures has
inscription, “SEE ANOTHER IN THE VARIETY been reduced into porous blackness below waist height. A
OF THE IDENTICAL”, a phrase which activates the makeshift barrier has been erected against slimes: copper
portal if uttered aloud. A character looking through the rods and spear hafts fashioned into a set of bars, further
grey sheen sees himself slightly changed – clothing colour, reinforced by heavy, corroded brass plates. This setup is
complexion, eye hue and other small details may be dif- effective vs. puddings, but not oozes.
ferent. Changes are towards the dramatic in characters 7. Both of these locations are barred by heavy metal blast
of chaotic disposition and uniformity in the lawful; the doors inscribed with the following phrases:
chamber works its adjustment to bring outwards appear- =ΤΕΡΜΙΝΕΧΥΣ=
ance in line with inner inclinations. Stepping through =ΜΑΓHΕΤΟΦΟΡΑ=
the portal brings 3d4 mirror images into being while the =ΟΚΕAΗOΣ=
character disappears; the images attack at the character’s (TERMINEXUS MAGNETOFORA OKEANOS; south)
normal melee effectiveness via touch. Once the images are =ΤΕΡΜΙΝΕΧΥΣ=
slain, the character returns, clothing turned into a swirl =ΜΑΓHΕΤΟΦΟΡΑ=
of bewildering hues and imbued with +1 enchantment (as =ΣT ΓΑΜΜΑ=
cloak). If left to their own, 1/3 of the images wander off, (TERMINEXUS MAGNETOFORA S.T. GAMMA; north).
and when the character returns 1d6 x10 minutes later, he
will be weaker by 1 HP for each image lost.

24   • No. 4
 The doors are opened by an electronic panel with two Furthermore, it is sheathed in a golden halo, a sign of the
blank „eyes” – an application of electricity or sharp light magic resistance. The halo is also efficacious versus laser
activates the mechanism. Beyond the blast doors lie domed projectiles and rays of all sort. **UUARAM** may engulf
rooms, stops to a long-defunct monorail system. Further those it hits, causing automatic damage and consuming
doors bar progress. The southern door fails to open for any them utterly once dead. Its intelligence is either negligible
reason as the tunnels beyond have caved in, but the other or extraordinarily unconventional.
may be operated. Half an hour down the sloping tunnel,
a sign is found (ß ΜΟΛΟΗΕΙ w ΣΤΓ à); further on,
there is a great downward shaft with a massive cargo lift
and a supply depot hanging over unknown depths.
10. A barrier identical to 6. has been set here.
8. This secret chamber contains a cache of abandoned cer-
emonial objects. There are six thick and voluminous robes 11. A storeroom filled with heavy, lime-encrusted amphorae.
of shaggy fur, supplemented by black leather masks with 2/3 of the vessels contain a heady and fragrant vintage of
hanging tentacle-like appendages; similar buskins and gloves, great antiquity. Together, the haul is worth some 3,100
as well as sets of glass eye-stones (one pair is polished ruby, gp – although it is very bulky.
worth 2000gp each). Furthermore, there are odd brass 12. An advance outpost of Molonei, this place is manned at
candelabrums, a set of heavy braziers, scented oil, and a all times by eight men. The total combatant forces of the
heavy, gnarled brass-alloy rod terminating in a cluster of six subterranean city number 30 fighters and 12 thieves. In
tentacular appendages. The vestments are used to protect times of great danger, all citizens retreat to Snolog’s Plaza.
against **UUARAM** the Hairy Mound, the monstrosity
imprisoned on the f looded levels of the city, while the rod,
Fighters (30): Ftr 2; HP 7, 6, 10, 6, 10, 10, 9, 14, 13, 8, 7, 7, 10,
which has no magical properties, may be used to control it.
7, 10, 8, 13, 9, 11, 10, 6, 6, 10, 9, 5, 14, 11, 8, 6, 2; AC 5[14]
9. A sinister basalt temple of thick cyclopean pillars and dark (ring, shield); Atk spear 1d6; Move 9; Save 13; CL/XP 2/30
slabs depicting unwholesome abstraction. The entrance has Thieves (12): Thf 3; HP 7, 12, 12, 16, 7, 8, 15, 13, 9, 12, 8, 10; AC
been blocked with thickset brass bars that seem of more 5[14] (Dexterity, leather, shield); Atk shortsword 1d6 or crossbow
recent construction. Around the well to the south, the fol- 1d4+1; Move 12; Save 12; CL/XP 2/30; Special thief abilities
lowing inscription has been written: “UUARAM THE
HAIRY MOUND”. The well leads to the semi-f looded 13. Snolog’s plaza is a great underground hall supported by
17. and the chained plug stone there. mammoth columns, the higher reaches obscured in darkness
Using the vestments, rod and braziers from 8. and
performing a human sacrifice will break the chains below,
and **UUARAM** will come forth to pay its conjurer
obeisance. The rod may then be used to control the form-
less demigod or command it back to its watery demesne. If
the methods are incorrect (e.g. one of the conjurers doesn’t
wear vestments, the eye-stones are not set in their place
in the leather masks, or some other error is committed),
**UUARAM** is eligible to a saving throw, and if suc-
cessful, proceeds to devour the characters.

**UUARAM** the Hairy Mound: HD 13; HP 104; AC 3[16]; Atk

mass 4d6 + hairs 3d4 + engulfment (may attack simultaneously in
three different directions); Move 15; Save 3; CL/XP 16/3200;
Special +2 to hit, 30% magic resistance, immune to mind-affecting
spells and rays Editor’s Note hit points in S&W WhiteBox will be 78

**UUARAM** is an amoeboid being of semi-divine

power. Its great mottled bulk towers above men to a height
of 15’, although it can fit into lesser places and batter down
most barriers. As it progresses, it emits an unpleasant, inar-
ticulate mixture of wheezing, piping and bellowing. The
mass of the demigod is studded with a thousand sharp but
delicate hairs which are the strength of supple daggers.

No. 4 •    25
 despite the plentiful braziers. In the centre stands the col- idol and bows or kneels, it breathes a cloud of sweet gas
umned temple of Snolog. The idol of the benevolent snail- that brings joyful death (save at -4).
god rests on a bloc of marble within. At its leisure, it may 15. The chambers of the lower level are irregular, humid and
synthesise any amount of varied and wholesome (although dank. Barred openings in the wall lead to black mouths too
salt-free) food for its followers, project two eye-beams per small for men to squeeze through. Within lurk the gelatinous
round (striking at the 9th level of ability and inf licting horrors of Molonei. All rooms are identical except the one
6d8/6d8 damage on hits), or exude an area-effect charm to the northeast, where the bas-relief of an armed fighting
monster spell, filling subjects with all-consuming lust. woman opens as a secret door to stairs leading up.
The plaza also functions as an agora and general gather-
ing place for Molonei’s citizens, and there is always a mass of 16. An underground stream running through the level. To
hedonists male and female, young and old, on hand. When the west, it deepens to ultimately open above a submerged
encountering strangers, Molonei’s citizens elicit a mixture tunnel. This passage leads to 17.
of curiosity and perplexity that there is still a world outside 17. This hall has been half submerged in dark and cold waters.
their utopia: most would not think of setting foot on the As the characters swim by, stern warriors peer down on
surface, let alone off the island. They are content to drink, the intruders from bas-reliefs. In the centre, the water is
love, and, when grown tired of life, breathe in the divine only breast-deep. A round well above leads to the temple
vapours at 14. and thus depart the mortal coil. Above all, of **UUARAM** (9.), while three chains bind the
they desire to see an end to the amoeboid monsters that have stone plug blocking the entry to the dark spaces where
dragged off so many. This sentiment is not shared by a small the formless demigod is slumbering. It is a great difficulty
sect of citizens who secretly venerate **UUARAM**. This to remove the plug; thereafter, it takes 1d3*20 minutes for
group consists of 6 fighters, 2 thieves and the “high priest”, **UUARAM** to emerge unless explicitly called via
a fighter who also possesses a paralytic projector (save vs. ritual. **UUARAM** can climb up the well to 9., and
immobilisation in cone-shaped area; also inf licts 3d4 points will then proceed through Molonei, killing all it comes
of non-lethal damage; 14 charges). across until contained or defeated.
Beyond the plaza lie networks of domiciles, baths, The circular stairs lead to a platform above the water.
meeting points and storerooms too numerous to enumerate: Under the domed ceiling stands the statue of a woman,
most are now abandoned and empty. The place of most surrounded by a faint, rectangular force field. Letters in
interest is a disused library: the collection of engraved the f loor read, “DIASKARE SEES THAT WHICH
copper plates mostly involves satirical rhyme and bucolic IS, AND AIDS HE WHO ASKS.” The statue is a false
hymns, but an hour of research turns up a plate that func- and inaccurate oracle, giving advice that leads to strife and
tions as a spellbook of illusionist spells (improved illusion, dissent. If approached or otherwise molested, the “force
greater illusion, suggestion, phantasmal killer, Lankwiler’s field” tumbles forward, seeking to engulf its prey – revealed
prismatic missile and dreamspell, or Referee’s choice) as as a gelatinous cube!
well as one bearing an ominous image:
Gelatinous Cube: HD 4; HP 19; AC 8[11]; Atk 1 (2d4) +
paralysis; Move 6; Save 13; CL/XP 5/240; Special Paralysis
6 turns, transparent, immune to lightning and cold

18. A long irregular cavern, bisected by a small stream emerg-

ing from behind a collapsed cavern wall. This gap is a
favourite hangout of amoeboids (1d6): 1–4 grey ooze, 5–6
black pudding.
19. Side-chamber containing a peculiar contraption: two stone
wheels half-embedded into the wall, one smaller and set into
the other. The surface of the wheels is notched irregularly
with radial lines, and there is also an iron needle pointing
above them. The wheels may be turned in synchronised or
opposed direction, leading to periodic clicks. The device
has no discernible purpose, but it is perfect to waste time
while slimes sneak up on the interlopers.
20. There are broken stumps of statues in the niches of this
14. A sanctum draped with heavy curtains and swimming inordinately high hall, their surface porous and crumbling
with a heavy, resinous odour. On a marble pedestal stands from decay.
the statue of a naked woman. If someone stands before the 21. The spring chamber is a low grotto. It is wet, filled with
knee-deep water, and also contains 180gp worth of crystals.

26   • No. 4
The Islands Miscellaneous Umman Akthan: HD 3+3; HP 19; AC 7[12]; Atk touch 1d4 + 1d6;
The Isle of Kaikar: A wind-swept, barren expanse of land dissected Strength drain; Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240; Special Strength
by several deep fissures. All living vegetation is burned off by drain, +1 to hit, incorporeal, hit only by magic weapons
Kaikar, a mindless iron automaton. Flying Jellyfish (3d4): HD 3; HP 16, 14, 14, 8, 17, 11, 11, 8, 20,
13, 16, 11; AC 8[11]; Atk 4 tentacles (1hp + poison for 3d6 dam-
Kaikar: HD 6; HP 25; AC 1[18]; Atk 2 slams 1d10; Move 6; age); Move (Fly 12); Save 14; CL/XP 5/240; Special poison for
Save 11; CL/XP 8/800; Special fiery breath once per 3 rounds 3d6 (saving throw for half damage)
for 6d6 HP (save for half damage), impervious to fire and mind-
affecting spells The Isle of Iskander Khan: 30 fanatical nomad warriors, all grey
and stooped with age, guard the stone tower of their comrade,
The Isle of Miralf: Long sand bank with a tall row of basalt organs Iskander Khan. The greatest khan to walk the lands of Fomalhaut
in the middle. 15 ghouls have made camp among the ruins of a has been sent here in his twilight years to avoid the shame of
fishing village, and they light a beacon if they see a ship approach. senility and decay. A witness of 230 years, the khan has his
bejewelled +3 scimitar still (worth 4000 gp for the gems alone).
Ghoul: HD 2; HP 12, 11, 4, 11, 9, 6, 10, 10, 10, 7, 8, 9, 12, 4, 2; His comrades have an additional 1100 gp worth of valuables
AC 6[13]; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d4); Move 9; Save 16; among them in this island paradise.
CL/XP 3/60; Special Immunities, paralyzing touch
Nomad Warriors (30): Ftr 3; HP 11, 15, 7, 12, 7, 10, 12, 3,
14, 10, 11, 4, 11, 13, 12, 9, 9, 8, 13, 4, 12, 12, 17, 7, 18, 18,
Editor’s Note: If using Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox, these 11, 13, 3, 13; AC 8[11] (Leather, Dexterity); Atk 2 longbow
ghouls would be worth as many as 240xp each due to the multiple (1d6) or scimitar (1d6); Move 12; Save 12; CL/XP 3/60
attacks and high hit points
The Isle of Askor: Shoals encircle this wooded island, the extinct
cone of a former volcano. In the moss- and vegetation-covered
The Isle of Umman Akthan: A dark basalt isle. Crude steps lead
crater, echoing with bird-cries, dark statues look inwards, most
from the shore to the island plateau, where the ruins of a tomb-
fallen and crumbling. On the bottom, there stand the vine-
palace lie abandoned. At night, the shadow-form of Umman
grown ruins of a rectangular basalt-temple.
Akthan weeps over the sacking of his resting place, and pleads
Therein lies the colossus of Askor on its back: great head,
for help. If approached or talked to, he responds with a shrieking
maw full of crude conical teeth, short but muscular arms,
laugh, sending his “slave-women”, 3d4 f lying jellyfish against
over-emphasised genitalia, and stumpy legs broken off by the
the characters. If Umman Akthan’s curse is lifted, he reveals
heel. Before the fallen idol, there is a sacrificial fire-pit full
the location of his last treasure, a jade-gold amulet (600 gp).
of ashes and soot; a heavy brass globe hangs from the ceiling

No. 4 •    27
and letters are visible on the f loor: “NONE WILL LEAVE magnificent land, and they all speak the tongues of men: so has
THE ISLAND, NOT WITHOUT HUMAN SACRIFICE Oymlienk the Hazar gained a strange, divided new life beyond
BEFORE ASKOR”. death. His step-pyramidal tomb, constructed of black, rustproof
If the temple is left without heeding the omen, the seven iron, holds a heavy jade bowl worth 1000 gp, a mace +1 and the
intact statues that remain in the crater animate to fulfil it them- ring of silence (renders wearer completely silent, but also mute). The
selves by slaying the blasphemers. These opponents, although tigers aren’t necessarily hostile, although they will eat grave robbers.
ferocious, possess the same faulty weight distribution as Askor,
and may be tripped with some ingenuity on the rockslide. If Tigers (6): HD 6; HP 29, 22, 36, 25, 21, 31; AC 5[14]; Atk 2
human sacrifice is performed before Askor’s fallen colossus, the claws 1d6 and bite 1d10; Move 15; Save 11; CL/XP 7/600
great body heaves with a tremendous roar, trying to stand with
enormous effort. Those who remain on their feet by rolling a The Isle of the Dead: Among the hills of this island lies a small
-4 saving throw (may be adjusted based on circumstances), may settlement of ramshackle huts. The inhabitants of the small
learn the spell slave in stone (Eldritch Weirdness) or employ it as colony are infected with corpse-weed, a parasitic growth of
a one-use spell if not a Magic-User of sufficient level. Within grey filaments that first turns the skin grey, then slowly dries
the brass globe, there is 1200 gp worth of crushed ruby dust. the body into a cadaverous husk sprouting patches of miniature
seeds (corpse-weed can be cured via submersion in boiling water
Living Statues (7): HD 4; HP 12, 17, 13, 27, 17, 26, 23; during the first week of infection, and spells afterwards). The
AC 2[17]; Atk 2 strikes 1d8; Move 6; Save 13; CL/XP 5/240; villagers hate the healthy, and commit everything within their
Special immune to fire and cold, +1 to hit, unstable
power to infect them; those of them who are too sick to move
and work are thrown into a deep pit to starve.
The Isle of Women: Amazonian civilization of Ishtar-worshippers.
The utopian interpretation of the mystery-faith has lead to dog-
matic inflexibility in the face of real circumstances; consequently,
the population of the only urban centre, Disium, is close to
collapse. Nevertheless, even now, every man is exiled after the
birth of his first child, while surplus population is expected to
be acquired via raiding.
The city of Disium is a conglomeration of globular buildings
covered in bronze sheets and white ceramics, patina-covered domes
and long colonnades. The central building is the temple of Ishtar,
also serving as an agora. Here, citizens (grown women) may pay
obeisance to, and in exchange experience, the Five Immutabilities.
The city is governed by Ishtar’s Dreamers, who possess limited but
potent illusionist powers. The dreamers can collectively employ
the dreamspell, using this dangerous method to influence the reality
governing the city; however, due to discord within their ranks, this
has not taken place for two decades. Disium is surrounded by olive
groves and fields of wheat. The surrounding isles are surrounded
by jungles, where giant butterf lies are common (encounters 1d6;
1 = 2d4 butterf lies, 6=group of 15 amazons). The “demon” of the island-dwellers is Pangrolm the jack-
alwere, an object of hatred and fear. Immune to the sickness and
Ishtar’s Dreamers: HD 4; AC 0[19] (chain shirt, shield, conventional weapons, Pangrolm enjoys to torment villagers
Amazon, collective psionic); Atk spear 1d6; Move 12; Save 11; with his malevolent tricks, but is friendly to outsiders. He lives
CL/XP 6/400; Special dream, nightmare or phantasmal killer in a small tower, where he trades in rare objects. Treasures/wares
spell 1/day include: 300 electrum, 500gp, opium, poisons, jade dagger 350gp,
Amazons: HD 3; AC 1[18] (chain shirt, shield, Amazon, collec- engraved stone egg 60gp, ancient purple drape 130 gp (laced
tive psionic); Atk spear 1d6; Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 3/60 with deadly poison), leaden mask 70gp, mummified, leathery
paw with amber fingernails 350gp (relic of primordial serpent-
Giant Butterfly (2d4): HD 2; AC 7[12]; Atk tongue 1d4 + poi-
son (soporific); Move (Fly 12); Save 16; CL/XP 4/120; man magic-user, extremely valuable/dangerous), copper idol
Special Soporific poison tongue, pollen of the bat-god 170gp, electrum bell 20gp, box of strange black
Pollen (1d4) 1 – irritation (save or -2 to rolls) material 90gp (bakelite), 6 matte ceramic prisms (25gp each).
2 – narcolepsy (save or fall asleep)
3 – paralysis (save or held 2d4 t.) Pangrolm the jackalwere: HD 4; HP 19; AC 4[15]; Atk bite 2d4
4 – poison (save or 3d4 HP) or shortsword 1d6+poison; Move 15; Save 13; CL/XP 8/800;
Special sleep gaze, silver or magic required to hit
The Isle of Oymlienk the Hazar: The thick jungles of this paradisial
island are filled with noises and scents. Six king tigers hunt in this

28   • No. 4
Artifact Types
& Attributes
for Original Edition (and Swords & Wizardry) & First Edition (and OSRIC)
by Scot Hoover

B
olverk’s laughter joined his. “Aye, wield it in glee,” said the Artifacts, relics and sites all share certain characteristics which
Jotun. “Smite your foemen—gods, giants, mortals, it matters can be generated using the tables provided here. Restrictions
not. The sword is loose and the end of the world comes nigh!” (Table 5) detail which special requirements must be satisfied
– Poul Andersen, The Broken Sword in order to use the item. Some artifacts may impart Minor or
Major Drawbacks (Tables 11 & 12) to the user, which are similar
From the Biblical Ark of the Covenant to Arthur’s Excalibur to to a curse (although a Remove Curse spell will almost certainly
Tolkien’s One Ring, powerful magical artifacts and relics have not affect an artifact). Additionally, some artifacts may impart
always been an important staple of mythology, folklore and a Minor or Major Transformation (Tables 8 & 9), which affects a
fantasy fiction inspiring quests, pilgrimages and heroic sagas. physical or mental change to a first-time user, often permanent.
Similarly, history and folklore is full of stories of places of great Major and Minor Powers (Tables 6 & 7) are inherent abilities
and often mysterious power - the kinds of places where the gods possessed by the item and available for use. In most cases, these
dwell and where the stairway to heaven begins. powers function similarly to a particular spell. These spells will
Just so, fantasy role-playing would not be the same without be cast at the level of the artifact, as determined in the generation
these unique and powerful creations to inspire an adventure or procedure. Some powers however are unique and are detailed
an entire campaign. With that in mind, a procedure for quickly
generating these kinds of unique artifacts, relics and magical
sites is provided herein, so just grab your dice and a notebook
and let’s get started!

Definitions
Artifacts are unique magical or divine items, specially constructed
with a variety of different shapes and functions by powerful, some-
times unknown beings. There are three type of artifacts described
here: Sorcerous, Sacramental and Extra-dimensional. Artifacts will
vary in form, from mighty weapons & armor to elaborate sorcer-
ous machines, and multi-part utensils. While the exact methods
of their construction may be unknown or misunderstood, in
some cases several different ‘copies’ may exist independently.
All artifacts display, in some manner, both the personality and
abilities of their creator – important clues (or warning signs!) for
those attempting to possess and use such objects.
Relics are the physical remains, personal possessions or
other important items belonging to a powerful being such as a
saint, goddess, or demon prince; and only one type, sacramental,
is covered here. Relics are even more closely tied to their creator
than artifacts, and cannot be duplicated for obvious reasons.
Great care and attention to their many restrictions is necessary,
as the unwary handler can suffer dire consequences.
Finally, sites are mystical places, located either in this dimen-
sion or elsewhere that function similar to artifacts or relics. As these
are permanent locations, they may, at the GM’s discretion have
one or several guardians as well as traps or other natural hazards.
Segmented artifacts and relics are objects with several parts
or pieces that have limited functions individually, but may be
combined into a much more powerful whole. These items are
considerably rarer, and in many cases a lengthy quest may be
necessary to re-unite the missing pieces.
No. 4 •    29
in the appropriate table. In the majority of cases, powers will b. Determine Number & Types of Minor Powers (Table 6)
be subject to limits on the frequency of use, as generated on
i. Determine Usage Frequency for Spell-like Powers
Subtable A: Frequency Usage.
(Subtable A)
Primary Powers (Table 10) are unique abilities of world-
c. Determine Number & Types of Major Powers, if any
spanning power. The entries are deliberately brief, and it is up
(Table 7)
to the individual GM to detail the exact extent and effects of
these abilities according to his or her campaign. i. Determine Usage Frequency for Spell-like Powers
(Subtable A)
Finally, some of these objects and sites will have Possession
as a characteristic. While all artifacts, relics and sites are sentient d. Determine Type of Primary Power, if any (Table 10)
in some respects, these items actively seek to impose their will i. Determine Usage Frequency for Spell-like Powers
on their users and use them like a slave or automaton. The first (Subtable A)
time the artifact is touched and each time a power is used the user
must make a Saving Throw vs. Spells. If the saving throw fails,
the character becomes a powerless thrall to the artifact’s will and Note: While random tables are provided to inspire creativity,
should be treated as a NPC under GM control thereafter. If the Gamemasters are advised to hand-pick entries for the best results.
saving throw succeeds they may carry on as normal – this time.
The final generation step is determining the method for
destruction of the artifact (Table 13). There will generally be
only one method for destroying a particular artifact or relic. Artifacts by Type
Sites are slightly different, requiring both the complete razing
of the physical site itself and a further ritual desecration, which Table 1: Artifact Type
should be quite expensive and/or difficult to accomplish in itself. d% Type
Below are briefly the steps necessary to create a new artifact, 1-10 Minor Sorcerous Artifact
relic or site, while Artifacts by Type details the requirements for 11-20 Minor Sorcerous Artifact
each individual type, as first generated in Table 1. 21-30 Minor Sacramental Relic
31-35 Minor Extra-Dimensional Artifact

Artifact Generation Procedure 36-42 Major Sorcerous Artifact

43-50 Segmented Sorcerous Artifact
1. Determine Artifact Type (Table 1)
51-60 Major Sacramental Artifact
2. Determine Artifact Alignment (Table 2)
61-65 Segmented Sacramental Artifact
3. Determine the Artifact Form (Table 3) 66-75 Segmented Sacramental Relic
4. Determine the Artifact Source (Table 4) 76-96 Site
5. Determine the method for the destruction of the artifact 97-100 Major Extra-Dimensional Artifact
(Table 13)
Sorcerous artifacts are constructed using powerful, and per-
6. Consult the Artifact Type description
manent sorcerous dweomers, typically by ancient high-level
a. Check for Restrictions, if any (Table 5) magic-users or illusionists in the distant past. Segmented artifacts
have 1d8 components which have abilities both singly and in
conjunction with their assembled whole.
Alignment: Any; but 60% will have the same alignment as
the creator
Minor: 20% 1 Restriction
1d2 Minor Powers
45% 1 Major Power
10% chance 1 Primary Power
Radiate Magic in a 1d4 x 5’ radius
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d12+10 magic-
user (or illusionist)
Major: 50% 1d2 Restrictions
1d4 Minor Powers
1d3 Major Powers
50% 1 Primary Power
Radiate Magic in a 1d4 x 10’ radius
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d20+15
magic-user (or illusionist)

30   • No. 4
Segmented: Single part relics have 1d20 pieces which have abilities both singly and in
+d2 Minor Powers each conjunction with the assembled whole. These objects always
Radiate Magic in a 5’ radius have an alignment identical to that of their creator.
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d12+10 magic- Alignment: Any; but these objects always have an align-
user (or illusionist) ment identical to that of their source
Completed whole Minor: 1 Restriction
40% 1d2 Restrictions 1d2 Minor Powers
+d2 Major Powers 60% 1 Major Power
+50% chance of 1 Primary Power Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d2 x 5' radius
Radiate Magic in a 1d4 x 10’ radius Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d8+10 cleric
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d20+15 (or druid)
magic-user (or illusionist) Major: 1d2 Restrictions
Sacramental artifacts may either be a gift from a deity, demi- 1d4 Minor Powers
god or the like, or a powerful religious item created by a group 1d2 Major Powers
of their mortal followers. Segmented artifacts have 1d12 com- 75% 1 Primary Power
ponents which have abilities both singly and in conjunction Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d3 x 5' radius
with the assembled whole. Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d10+10 cleric
(or druid)
Alignment: Any; but these artifacts will always have an Segmented: Single part
alignment identical to that of their creator or 1 Restriction
patron being +1d2 Minor Powers
Usage: 75% of these artifacts can only be used by a Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d2 x 5' radius
cleric of the creator/patron deity; the remain- Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d8+10 cleric
ing 25% can only be used by a cleric of the (or druid)
same alignment as that of the creator/patron Completed whole
deity 50% +1d2 Restrictions
Minor: 60% 1 Restriction +1d2 Major Powers
1d3 Minor Powers +50% 1 Primary Power
60% 1 Major Power Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d3 x 5' radius
10% 1 Primary Power Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d10+10 cleric
Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d3 x 5' radius (or druid)
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d12+10 cleric
(or druid) Extra-Dimensional artifacts originated on an unknown plane
Major: 1d2 Restrictions or alternate universe, and exhibit characteristics often inimical
1d4 Minor Powers to natives of the Prime Material. These artifacts tend to have
1d3 Major Powers bizarre, often technological forms & abilities and a surfeit of
75% 1 Primary Power unpleasant side-effects.
Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d3 x 10' radius Alignment: Any; determine alignment randomly
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d20+15 cleric Minor: 1d4 Minor Powers
(or druid) 75% 1 Major Power
Segmented: Single part Radiate Magic in a 1d6 x 5' radius
1 Restriction Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d12+10
+d2 Minor Powers each spellcaster
Radiate Good/Evil in a 5' radius Major: 50% 1 Restriction
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d12+10 cleric 1d4 Minor Powers
(or druid) 1d3 Major Powers
Completed whole 75% 1 Primary Power
60% +1d2 Restrictions Radiate Magic in a 1d10 x 5' radius
+d2 Major Powers Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d20+10
+50% chance of 1 Primary Power spellcaster
Radiate Good/Evil in a 1d3 x 10' radius
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d20+15 cleric Magical or Sacramental Sites are special areas 1d10 x 10' in
(or druid) diameter and function like artifacts or relics.
Sacramental relics are the fragments or belongings of a saint, Alignment: Any, but 75% of these places have an alignment
demigod, arch-devil or other powerful spiritual being. Segmented identical to that of their creator(s) or patron(s), while the rest
have a randomly determined alignment

No. 4 •    31
Details:

1d3 Restrictions
1d6 Minor Powers
Artifact Generation Tables
1d3 Major Powers Table 2: Artifact Alignment
75% 1 Primary Power d% Result
Radiate Magic/Good/Evil in a 1d6 x 10'
01-35 Lawful (d10: 1-4 Good, 5-6 Neutral, 7-10 Evil)
radius
36-65 Neutral (d10: 1-2 Good, 3-7 True Neutral, 8-10 Evil)
Spell-like powers cast as a level 1d20+10
spellcaster 66-100 Chaotic (d10: 1-2 Good, 3-4 Neutral, 5-10 Evil)

Table 3: Artifact Forms

1d12 Artifacts Relics Segmented Extra-Dimensional Sites
1 Weapon Tooth / Teeth Rod, Staff, Wand Polyhedron Grove
2 Apparatus Skull / Head Chain-links Armor Cave
3 Armor Mummy Deck of Cards Weapon Island
4 Gem / Jewelry Hand / Finger Keys / Seals Rod, Staff, Wand Pool / Well
5 Clothing Skeleton / Bone Jewelry Book / Tablets Megalith / Henge
6 Book Writings Pages in a Book Vessel Tomb
7 Vessel Mask / Shroud Teeth / Bones Gem / Jewelry Altar
8 Rod, Staff, Wand Cradle Machine Apparatus Mountain Peak
9 Ark / Chest Skin / Nails Idol / Statuette Automaton Oasis
10 Musical Instrument Horn / Hair Armor / Clothing Vehicle / Ship Shrine / Temple
11 Utensil / Tool Footprint(s) Vessels Machine Pit / Chasm
12 Idol / Statuette Ashes Stones / Gems Implant Grotto

32   • No. 4
Table 4: Artifact Sources
1d12 Sorcerous Sacramental Segmented Extra-Dimensional Site
1 Archmage Patriarch Monster Elemental Earth Law
2 Illusionist Saint Deity Upper Plane Dragons
3 Demi-human Hero Sect / Cult Sect / Cult Lower Plane Elemental Magic
4 Demigod Demon / Devil Demigod Astral Plane Humanoids
5 Deity Demigod Archmage Ethereal Plane Sorcerous Magic
6 Necromancer Deity Patriarch Alt. Universe Illusionary Magic
7 Demon / Devil Demi-human Hero Demi-human Hero Elemental Air Demi-humans
8 Witchdoctor Lich Lich Negative Plane Clerical Magic
9 Lich Archdruid Demon / Devil Pocket Universe Demons / Devils
10 Humanoid Hero Dragon Archdruid Elemental Water Undead
11 Demonologist Magical Creature Humanoid Hero Positive Plane Druidic Magic
12 Dragons Humanoid Hero Dragon Elemental Fire Chaos

Table 5: Artifact Restrictions

1d12 Details
1 User’s alignment must be the same as that of the artifact 1d12 Details

2 User must be a blood descendent of the artifact’s creator 8 User must allow their soul to be permanently entrapped in the artifact

3 User must be level 1d10+10 or higher 9 User’s Ability Scores must all be 15 or higher

4 User must be a spellcaster (MU for Sorcerous arti- 10 User must be a virgin
facts, Cleric for Sacramental artifacts) 11 User must be a ranking member of the same reli-
5 User must have exactly the same alignment as that of the artifact gion or order as that of the artifact’s creator

6 User must be of the same race as that of the artifact’s creator 12 User may only use the artifact in service to it’s intended
purpose or suffer immediate pain or death
7 User must be a man/woman

Table 6: Minor Powers

1d8 Sorcerous Sacramental Extra-Dimensional Site
1 1st-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 1st-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * Major Transformation Minor Transformation
2 2nd-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 2nd-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * (1d4)th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * Minor Transformation
3 3rd-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 3rd-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * (1d4)th-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * Major Transformation
4 4th-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 4th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * Minor Transformation 1st-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
5 Minor Transformation Minor Transformation Minor Transformation 2nd-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
6 Minor Drawback Minor Transformation Minor Drawback 3rd-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
7 Minor Drawback Minor Drawback Minor Drawback 4th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
8 Major Drawback Minor Drawback Major Drawback Minor Drawback

Table 7: Major Powers

1d8 Sorcerous Sacramental Extra-Dimensional Site
1 5th-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 5th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * Major Transformation Major Transformation
2 6th-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 6th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * (1d4+3)-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * Major Transformation
3 7th-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * 7th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell * (1d4+4)-lvl MU/Illusionist Spell * Major Transformation
4 8th-lvl MU Spell Major Transformation Major Transformation 5th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
5 9th-lvl MU Spell Major Drawback Major Transformation 6th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
6 Major Transformation Major Drawback Major Drawback 7th-lvl Cleric/Druid Spell *
7 Major Transformation Possession Major Drawback Major Drawback
8 Major Drawback Possession Possession Possession

Notes:
*Swords & Wizardry does not have the second character class listed; use the first spellcasting class listed for this result. If using OSRIC,
these results will have a further 25% chance to use the sub-class instead. To determine the actual spell, roll on the appropriate table
in either the Swords & Wizardry or OSRIC v2 rulebook.
No. 4 •    33
Table 8: Minor Transformations 1d20 Result
1d20 Result 17 User is able to see in any conditions
1 +1 bonus to the user’s Prime Requisite Ability 18 User may become ethereal at will
2 +2 bonus to the user’s Armor Class 19 User need never consume any food or water
3 Cause NPC reactions to the user to be never better than neutral 20 User regenerates 2hp/turn when in contact with the artifact
4 Confers a permanent sex change on the user the first time the artifact
is held
Table 10: Primary Powers
5 Confers darkvision on the user
2d10 Result
6 Curses the user with Lycanthropy (GM should determine type accord-
2 Oracle – prophesies the certain future
ing to the artifact’s alignment)
3 God-Slayer – can slay one or more gods from a certain pantheon
7 Immunity to Charm or Hold spells
4 Portal – opens a gate to multiple extra-dimensional planes
8 Immunity to disease
5 Doomsday Device– focuses earth energies to create natural disasters
9 Immunity to fear
6 Pocket Dimensional Realm- an entire world or
10 Immunity to gasses
plane accessible only through the device
11 Immunity to illusions
7 Instrument of Creation – can permanently enchant new magic items
12 Immunity to Magic Missile spells
8 Soul-Trap – entraps souls, +1 Major Power per 10 levels so entrapped
13 Immunity to Sleep spells
9 Mesmerizer – Charms mass numbers of people
14 Inflict an incurable disease upon the user. At the start of each month a
10 Immortality Device – confers immortality (not immu-
saving throw vs. death must be made to avoid losing 1 point of
nity to death by violence or magic however)
Constitution. When the user’s Constitution reaches 0, death occurs.
11 Elemental Construct – total power to summon & control ONE element
15 Inflicts light sensitivity upon the user, who suffers a -1 penalty to all
die rolls while in sunlight 12 Space/time Machine – the TARDIS
16 Permanently afflicts the user with one form of insanity/neuroses 13 Hybrid Incubator – facilitates enchanted cross-
breeding (Manticores, etc.)
17 Permanently endows the user with a poison touch that requires a Save
vs. Poison 14 Magic Shield – confers 3d10 + 70% Magic Resistance
18 User needs no food or water for up to one week 14 Examiner – unfailingly detects & permanently dis-
pels even the most powerful magics
19 User’s alignment is permanently changed to conform to that of the artifact
16 Entropic Lens – casts superior and wide-rang-
20 User’s metabolism is altered and they must consume 6x the normal
ing misfortune, curses, aging, etc.
amount of food & water per day
17 Illusion Projector – large multiple self-acting illusions (the holodeck)

Table 9: Major Transformations 18 Summoner – allows user to summon any known crea-
ture and control or imprison them for 1d6 days
1d20 Result
19 Slayer – can permanently kill any living or
1 +2 bonus to all of the user’s Ability Scores, normal racial maximums undead being lesser than a demi-god
apply
20 Resurrection Machine – can raise any mortal being
2 +2 bonus to the user’s weapon damage in melee from the dead with no time restrictions
3 +4 bonus to one random Ability Score 1d4 points
4 Confers a Magical Resistance of (1d20+50)% Table 11: Minor Drawbacks
5 Confers an Armor Class of 0 5d4 Result
6 Doubles the user’s allowable encumbrance 5 Confers a -1 penalty to the user’s Charisma
7 Doubles the user’s movement rate 6 Holy water within 10’ of item becomes polluted
8 Immunity to acid 7 Confers a -1d4 penalty to the user’s Charisma
9 Immunity to cold/frost when a major power is used

10 Immunity to electricity 8 Confers a -1 penalty to the user’s Saving Throws vs. Magic

11 Immunity to Energy Drain 9 Confers a -2 penalty to the user’s Saving Throws vs. Poison

12 Immunity to fire/heat 10 User suffers a temporary loss of one of their senses for 1d8 turns
when artifact is held/worn (1-2 Sight 3-4 Hearing 5-6 Smell)
13 Immunity to Poison
11 Confers a 1d4x10lb weight gain on the user
14 Raise the user’s Prime Requisite Ability to 19
12 Confers a 5d6lb weight loss on the user
15 Spell Absorption (1d6+18 total levels)
13 User must make a Saving Throw vs. Spells
16 User can cast combination spells (if a spell caster) as follows (roll d4) to part with the item, even briefly
1) 1st and 2nd level spells simultaneously
2) 2nd and 3rd level spells simultaneously 14 All small sources of flame (lamps, torches, etc.) within a 30’
3) 3rd and 4th level spells simultaneously radius when a Major or Primary Power is used are extinguished
4) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level spells simultaneously

34   • No. 4
5d4 Result 2d12 Result
15 Any wood within a 10’ radius when a Major or Primary Power 20 Each time a Primary Power is used, all within a 20’ radius
is used will die and/or begin to decay within 1d7 days (including the user) will receive 5d4 points of damage
16 Plants within a 10’ radius when a Major or Primary 21 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, there is a 5% cumulative
Power is used will wither and die within 1d8 hours chance that the user will become Ethereal, and remain so for 1d8 turns
17 All normal animals within a 50’ radius will be hostile toward the user 22 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, the user
18 Casting of normal spells within a 5’ radius is impossible must Save vs. Spells or go insane for 1d6 days

19 Causes the user to experience short-term memory loss, starting 23 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, the user ages 1d10 years.
with minor details and progressing eventually to total amnesia All of the affects of aging should be applied to the user, although
they will not die (of old age) as long as they possess the artifact.
20 The user is inflicted with partial hearing loss and may only hear
voices at a shout. Spellcasters must shout their spells. 24 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used there is a 50% chance
of geas being placed upon the user. The geas must be completed
before the artifact’s Major or Primary Powers may be used again.
Table 12: Major Drawbacks
2d12 Result
Table 13: Artifact Destruction
2 There is a cumulative 5% chance each time a Major or Primary Power
1d30 Method
is used that one of the user’s limbs will wither and rot as if inflicted
with leprosy 1 A seal an the site of the artifact’s creation
must be broken with a +5 weapon
3 The artifact places a Geas/Quest upon the user in keeping with its
alignment and agenda 2 All memory of the artifact must be erased from all memory
4 The artifact has a deep animosity toward 1d4 races and will force the 3 Inscriptions on the artifact itself must be erased
user to attack them if encountered unless a Save vs Spells at -4 is 4 It must be bathed in a pool of pure holy water for 7 years
successful
5 It must be crushed beneath gears of pure adamantium
5 Confers a permanent -1 to penalty to one of the user’s Ability Scores
6 It must be crushed under the cloven heel of a demon lord
6 Permanently subtracts 1d6 points from the user’s Hit Points
7 It must be destroyed by 1,001 wishes
7 The artifact must be activated each day by an offer-
ing (1d6 x 10,000gp) or a sacrifice (1 human/ 8 It must be destroyed by a Grand Ritual of Severing
demihuman 2-4 humanoid 5-6 monster) 9 It must be dissolved in the waters of the River Styx
8 Users alignment is permanently and irrevers- 10 It must be fed to the Mother of All Dragons
ibly changed to conform to that of the artifact
11 It must be frozen on the Elemental Plane of Water
9 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, the most powerful normal
12 It must be ground to dust and consumed by its user
magic item within a 30’ radius will be irreparably drained of all magic
13 It must be incinerated in the fiery breath of an ancient red dragon.
10 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, the user ages 3d10 years.
If the user dies, they will return as an undead guardian of the artifact 14 It must be melted at the earth’s core
11 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, the 15 It must be melted down on the Plane of Elemental Fire
user suffers 2d10 hit points of damage 16 It must be pulverized between two meteors.
12 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, roll 17 The creator, or their soul, must be permanently destroyed.
1d6, (1-3) the user’s height increases 1d3 inches,
(4-6) the user’s height decreases 1d3 inches 18 It must be sealed in a specially-constructed pocket universe

13 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, the user 19 It must be shattered on a magical anvil, or per-
must Save vs. Spells or go berserk, randomly attack- haps against another similar artifact
ing anything within a 20’ radius for 5d4 rounds 20 It must be soaked in the blood of 666 greater demons
14 Each time a Primary Power is used, the user must 21 It must be sundered by a +5 weapon
Save vs. Spells or lose 1 lvl of experience
22 It must be sunk into the deepest ocean trench
15 All intelligent beings within a radius of 20’ must Save vs. Spells or
23 It must be thrown into a volcano, perhaps on another plane
be forced to act in order to possess the artifact for their selves.
24 It must be thrust into the heart of the sun
16 Each time any of the artifact’s Powers are used, roll 1d6, (1-3) the
ambient temperature within a 60’ radius is raised (1d4+1 x 10) 25 It must be used to wound or slay a deity
degrees F for 2d4 turns, (4-6) the ambient temperature within 26 It must sit in 1,000 years of total darkness
a 60’ radius is lowered (2d4 x 10) degrees F for 2d6 turns
27 Only the end of the universe can destroy the artifact
17 If this artifact is used as a weapon, it deals double the normal dam-
age, but the wielder takes normal damage from the resulting backlash 28 Ten thousand Dispel Magic spells must be cast upon the artifact

18 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, every- 29 The artifact can be easily destroyed; but will appear again,
one (including the user) within a 30’ radius must whole and undamaged in a different place or time
Save vs. Spells or be forced to flee in terror 30 The characters must travel back in time prior
19 Each time a Major or Primary Power is used, all coins to the artifact’s creation, and stop it
within a 40’ radius will be consumed by the artifact

No. 4 •    35
Subtable A: Usage Frequency Smoking Mirror (Mesoamerican)
1d4> 1 2 3 4 Spear of Cuchulainn (Celtic)
Minor Power At will 7/day 3/day 1/day
Staff of Moses (Islam)
Sudarshana Chakra (Hindu)
Major Power 3/day 1/day 3/week 1/week
Sword of Kas the Bastard (OSR)
Primary Power 1/day 3/week 1/week 2/month Sword of Light (Celtic)
Sword of Peleu (Greco-Roman)
Tablets of Destiny (Mesopotamian)
Examples for Your Inspiration Talisman of El’Kadim (OSR)
Artifacts Tarnhelm (Germanic)
Aegis Shield (Greco-Roman) The One Ring (Tolkien)
Andvarinaut (Norse) Throne of the Elder Ones (OSR)
Apollo’s Bow (Greco-Roman) Urim and Thummim (Latter Day Saints)
Apparatus of the Mad Archmage (OSR) Vajra of Indra (Indian)
Ark of the Covenant ( Judeo-Christian) Wand of Eleven Sections (OSR)
Armor of Achilles (Greco-Roman) Yessinda’s Flute (OSR)
Asmodeus’ Diabolic Rod (OSR) Zeus’ Lightning Bolts
Axe of the Dwarven Kings (OSR)
Relics
Baba Yaga’s Hut (Slavic)
Bone of Ullr (Norse)
Book of Thoth (Egyptian)
Bones of Elisha ( Judeo-Christian)
Brísingamen (Norse)
Buddha Tooth of Kandy (Indian)
Canon of Changes (Chinese)
Chair of Idris the Giant (Norse)
Chariot of the Sun (Greco-Roman)
Crystal Skull of Lubantuum (Meso-American)
Codices of Innumerable Dimensions (OSR)
Eyes & Ears of Kyuss (OSR)
Crane-Skin Bag of Cumhail (Celtic)
Hide of Leviathan ( Judeo-Christian)
Cronus’ Sickle (Greco-Roman)
Hide of the Nemean lion (Greco-Roman)
Cup of Jamshid (Persian)
Holy Grail ( Judeo-Christian)
Cuthbert’s Cudgel (OSR)
Sacred Cloak of the Prophet (Islam)
Dancing Sword of Lightning (Chinese)
Seamless Robe of Jesus ( Judeo-Christian)
Excalibur (Arthurian Britain)
Shroud of Turin ( Judeo-Christian)
Flaming Shard of Ebon (OSR)
Spear of Destiny ( Judeo-Christian)
Flying Throne of Kai Kavus (Persian)
Teeth of Nalledev (OSR)
Fragerach (Celtic)
True Cross ( Judeo-Christian)
Glassy Spheres of the Dragon Lords (OSR)
Golden Automaton of Ur-nee (OSR) Sites
Hammer of Thor (Norse) Amarnath (Indian)
Horn of Geryon (OSR) Angkor Wat (Southeast Asian)
Jade Books in Heaven (Chinese) Chaco Canyon (Amerindian)
Juggernaut (Indian) Externestein (Germanic)
Kantele (Finnish) Great Pyramid of Cheops (Egyptian)
Kaustubha Jewel (Indian) Grotto of Lourdes ( Judeo-Christian)
Magic Mould of the Yu Emperor (Chinese) Haleakala (Polynesian)
Monkey King’s Spear (Chinese) Kabbalah Stone (Islam)
Morgan’s Organ (OSR) Konarak Sun Chariot (Indian)
Necronomicon (Cthulhu Mythos) Machu Picchu (South American)
Obsidian Chalice of Greevis Phleg (OSR) Mt. Kailash (Tibetan)
Orcus’ Bone Wand (OSR) Mt. Koya ( Japanese)
Palladium (Greco-Roman) Mt. Shasta (Amerindian)
Pandora’s Box (Greco-Roman) Mt. Sinai ( Judeo-Christian)
Pearl of Pricelessness (OSR) Mud Mosque of Djenne (Islam)
Pelian Spear (Greco-Roman) Oracle at Delphi (Greco-Roman)
Queen Labea’s Amazing Sparrow (OSR) Porpherio’s Garden Pool (OSR)
Regalia of the World Emperors (OSR) Snake Mound (Amerindian)
Ring of Xagy Gaxgy (OSR) Stonehenge (Arthurian Britain)
Sampo (Finnish) Tabernacle’s Holy of Holies ( Judeo-Christian)
Seal of Solomon ( Judeo-Christian) Tower of the Winds (Greco-Roman)
Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar (Persian) Uluru (Australian Aboriginal)
Skíðblaðnir (Norse) Yellow Mountain (Chinese)

36   • No. 4
 Editor’s Note: At first glance, I almost dismissed this article as “another spell failure system.” At second glance, I realized that – if one is inter-
ested in using a non-Vancian spell casting system – the core method described in this short article is actually startlingly elegant. The interaction of
spell levels and caster levels (represented by the caster’s improving saving throw) actually hang together rather well with a spell failure table that
looks superficially too harsh until it’s read in context with the rest of the system. If you wanted a really, really simple way to avoid the “Vancian” feel
of spellcasting, this one is an interesting candidate.

Spell Interval System

By John Stater

A
common complaint about old school fantasy role-playing Roll Effect
systems revolves around magic, and specifically the way
5 Develop a weird or unwholesome obsession
that magic-users and clerics cast their spells. For some,
6 Leg twisted (Dexterity lowered by one, movement lowered by 3)
it’s a matter of spells having to be prepared or memorized in
advance. Others argue that spell-casting is too scientific and that 7 Hand twisted into claw (Cannot hold an item
and a cast spell at the same time)
spells are cast too often. This system attempts to address both of
these complaints. Under these rules, magic-users and clerics can 8 Develop a dangerous obsession
only cast one spell of a given level within a given time interval. 9 Become paranoid, begin to hear voices
For example, a magic-user or cleric can cast a single level one 10 Struck blind
spell each hour. The magic-user or cleric is still only able to 11 Must succeed at a saving throw or go into a sei-
cast spells of a level that he has access to, i.e. a 3rd level magic- zure during stressful situations
user can cast level one and level two spells, but not level three 12 Confusion (as the spell, maximum duration)
spells. The magic-user or cleric need not prepare or memorize
13 Tormented by an imp for one year
his spells ahead of time, but he must take an hour each morning
14 Feeblemind (as the spell, lasts one day)
to pray, study, meditate, etc.
The spell level intervals are as follows: One level one spell 15 Lose one level
per hour, one level two spell per day, one level three spell per
week, one level four spell per month, one level five spell per For clerics, constant petitioning of the gods for their help
season, one level six spell per year, one seven spell per decade, can result in angry, wrathful gods. When a saving throw is
one level eight spell per century and one level nine spell per failed, roll 1d6 on the table below, adding the level of the spell
millennia. to the roll.
Naturally, the average adventuring magic-user or cleric
Roll Effect
will not be satisfied with these restrictions, and will seek a way
2 Reverse of spell (if possible) is cast
around them. Spell-casters can attempt to cast spells over and
beyond what is allowed, but doing so can be dangerous. When 3 Immediate encounter with summoned monster (level appropriate)
a spell-caster wishes to cast additional spells of a level, he must 4 Cursed (as the spell)
make a saving throw, subtracting the level of the spell he wishes 5 Struck by lightning bolt (1d6 damage per spell level)
to cast from his roll. If successful, he summons and masters the 6 No spells for one day (cleric will be so informed
energies necessary and casts the desired spell. If he fails, he must by a booming, disembodied voice)
face the consequences. 7 Cleric must undertake a heroic quest
For magic-users, a failure to properly master the arcane
8 Earthquake, centered on the cleric
energies required to bend reality to their will can result in mental
9 Struck blind
or physical deformity. When a saving throw is failed, roll 1d6 on
the table below, adding the level of the spell to the roll. Re-roll 10 No spells for one month (cleric will be so informed
by a booming, disembodied voice)
duplicate results if they do not make sense.
11 A servant of the gods appears and attacks the nuisance
Roll Effect 12 Tormented by a minor demon for one year
2 Hair turns white 13 Lose one level
3 Wart grows on nose (Charisma lowered by one)
4 Develop body odor (Charisma lowered by one, more The Referee must be the final arbiter of these effects. In
frequent wandering monster encounters) fact, the Referee may wish to add to these lists, personalizing
them for his particular campaign world.

No. 4 •    37
Online Roleplaying:
A Quick Overview
by Marcelo Frossard Paschoalin

S
o you’ve decided to try your hand at online roleplaying. there are dedicated services that email random dice results to
Congratulations! You are bond to have much fun, but selected recipients, and it’s also a way to handle the random fac-
there are a few things you need to understand before tor of the game. However, with other faster ways to play, Pbem
we roll our dice. Consider this part of your game session are becoming even more rare.
preparation… I know it’ll sound a little like that in no time.
First you’ll need your playing area. You know, we are not talking
about a large table here: you need to have your online gaming Play by Blog
software. There are plenty to choose from. Some resemble a With so many blogs out there, it’s not hard to find some that are
true tabletop game, others have a more story-oriented feel. Let’s focused on the stories of a particular gaming group. Usually with
talk about our options. restricted membership, those blogs act like PbP games, but have
the option to include more content to the story being told, as
maps, videos and other multimedia alternatives. A nifty example
Play by Post (PbP, for short) is the Play-by-Blog Pathfinder Game (http://pbbpathfindergame.
or Play by Forum (PbF) blogspot.com), including embed dicerollers on the page.
Since the first message boards on the internet this kind of game
has being played. It has a deep story-oriented feel (I’ve warned you
about that), relying more on the descriptors of each action than on
Play by Wiki
dicerolling (specially because there’s no dicerolling in this case). Wikis are also good ways to play online. Similarly to a PbP, the
Usually this game doesn’t need a Referee, as the players agree—to game has a more ‘story-oriented’ feel, but all the advantages of
an extent—to follow some (written or not) rules of conduct. a wiki allow gamers to fill any plot holes in the story and also
The first message depicts a scene and the tone of the game (and gives the Referee the chance to edit the story completely. The
may include an invitation to other players to join), then the story resulting wiki is able to gather off-topic discussions in one area,
develops as each player replies and adds content to the thread. archive the whole game for later consideration and also change
Generally speaking, each player has absolute control over his anything easily if the direction of the story derails completely
own character and may dictate the outcome of his own actions. or if an action need to be voided by the Referee.
This may become a collaborative story-writing session, but with
a gaming factor—other players may present challenges to their
fellows, and overcoming those challenges become the main Play by Wave
part of the game. When there’s a Referee, she usually controls Google Wave is the new tool on the shiny box, and there are a
the NPCs, but the result of the PC’s actions is rarely under few gamers who decided to try roleplaying using all the blips
her control, unless she deems a player stretching the limits of and waves. The technology is new, but it may gather all the good
what should be expected from his PC. For an example of PbP characteristics of the ways described above in one place… yet
game, I’d recommend the STF bulleting board system, a Star it’s too early to call this the ‘one’ way to play.
Trek roleplaying game, in particular the USS Atlantis forum
(http://www.star-fleet.com/webb/node/365/notes).
Play by Chat
As old as the Internet Relay Chat (IRC), many Play by Chat
Play by Email (PbE, or Pbem) games are still active. Some games begin by chance (a few players
Similarly to PbP, there’s a Play by Email kind of game. In this are all in a single chatroom and decide to roleplay their characters),
case there’s a Referee, and her work is even bigger: she needs to others are ongoing campaigns, with the same players logging in
send all players the description of the scene, gather all individual at the same time to keep the game f lowing. As a variation on
replies, collate everything in a readable format to all the players the same theme there is also play by instant messaging service
and send the resulting outcome. Some Referees even go the extra (from ICQ to Windows Live, for example), and some have
mile and re-write the player’s replies building a more cohesive created dedicated scripts that allow dicerolls to be made on the
story, trying to keep one ‘voice and tone’ for the game. In this very chat the players are in.
kind of game the Referee usually handles the dicerolling, but

38   • No. 4
Online tabletop game Now, if you are the Referee, you need to gather players. Set
up a Room describing what you’ll play and when the games will
Finally, there’s online tabletop games. Using server-based softwares, take place (for example, “Recruiting: S&W Campaign Fridays
or peer-to-peer connections, the games may be fully automated, at 8pm PST”) and wait for them to come. If you have prepared
including embedded dicerollers, character sheets, maps and other some campaign overview, leave it available for public (see that
drawing options. In my opinion, this is the best way to emulate Gametree in the upper left corner? It’s there that you’ll include
the roleplaying experience, but your mileage may vary. nodes—forms and blocks of text—for your personal use or not,
In the past I’ve used WebRPG (inactive nowadays), but including character sheets and notes) in order to let the potential
I’ve moved to OpenRPG (http://www.openrpg.com/ or http://www. players to read it if they are interested. In any case, be there to
rpgobjects.com/index.php?c=orpg) when WebRPG went paid. The answer any questions or, if you decide to set up the room and go
same reason some players dislike paying their FLGS for “renting to work, leaving it up as an “advertisement” for your campaign,
a table” made me choose OpenRPG at the time—and I must state that clearly and mention ways the players may contact you.
tell you I don’t regret the decision at all. Anyway, it’s a matter As a Referee you’ll need to know little more than a player
of taste. You may like some fancy features of Fantasy Grounds regarding your software of choice. But a good thing to know is
(http://www.fantasygrounds.com/), or even other software, but I how many characters can be typed at once—this way you may
like the old school style of OpenRPG (see a trend here?). prepare specific notes before the session and copy & paste them
Second, familiarize yourself with the software you are using. when the players reach that determined spot on the adventure.
Know how to roll a dice (is it a string of text, a push button, a And copy & paste is a great boon for Referees: if you are fol-
custom macro?), how to communicate with your fellow play- lowing a module, you may drop the info as the players advance
ers (are you able to send private messages?), and how to use the without bogging down the session—but you should review and
character sheets (are they pre-made, custom, or do-it-yourself?). rewrite the module beforehand if needed, in order to keep the
For those who really want to use miniatures, learn how to set up game f lowing with “your voice”, and not the author’s.
them and how to draw simple maps on the software. Nothing By the way, there’s no limit of characters in the chat room
bogs down a session more than asking someone to teach you input—feel free to copy & paste large entire paragraphs and even
something important in the middle of the action. include dicerolls in the middle of your message (you may type
Speaking of it, online communities are also known for help- “The bandit swings at you. [1d20+2]” and the result of that 1d20+2
ing newbies. If you don’t know how to do something, go ahead roll will be included in your message in a way similar to “The
and ask. If you are not in the middle of a gaming session, that’s bandit swings at you. [1d20+2] => [4,2] = (6)” if the die roll is
it—but usually new players have more lenience than Referees, equal to 4). In any case, test the features still off line in order to
so play a few games in order to get used with everything (or master your options before running a game online.
better, set up a room for yourself and play sandbox for a while…
but your fantasy sandbox, but I think you know that already).
Okay, now you know how to use your program of choice,
you are ready to roll your dice. And a word of caution: rolling
dice for no reason is one of the behaviors most online roleplayers
frown upon. It disrupts the f low of the game as the result will
show on everybody’s chat window (or whatever is called the
place where all messages are displayed).
Each online software has its own way to display the available
games. If you are like me and are using OpenRPG, you will have
plenty of options, starting with the Game Servers (ctrl+B) cur-
rently online. Each Game Server may host a number of Rooms—a
Room is where games take place. There are always a few Game
Servers available, but you may even set up your own server,
password protected or not, in order to have your game going.
If you are a player searching for a game, find a Room that
matches the description of what you are looking for and join
(select the room and click Join Room, but verify first if the room
is not password protected—the room’s name will be written in
red if you need to input a password to join). The best Rooms
for new players are those that are “recruiting spots”—usually
Referees set up Rooms recruiting players for a future campaign,
the same way you see f lyers on your FLGS. If there’s no recruit-
ment at the moment, join a Room that have a few players in and
quietly ask the Referee if you may watch/join the game—unless
the game is underway for a while, or it’s a specific session of a
campaign, you’ll be able to join the party… again, in the same
vein of what happens on your FLGS (see a pattern here?).

No. 4 •    39
Rats in the Walls
An Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers
Editor’s Note: the statistics given for monsters in this adventure
of Hyperborea adventure for 4 to 6 or are provided in the format used by AS&SoH, but they are completely
more characters of 1st – 3rd level. compatible with the rules of other games we support; such as First
Edition, Swords & Wizardry, etc. Interpreting the stats for these
Written by Jeffrey P. Talanian other games is pretty much obvious at first sight, so we haven’t
Edited by Matthew J. Stanham provided any highly technical guidelines.
Illustrated by Ian Baggley
Cartography by Andreas Claren

40   • No. 4
Introduction (to be read or paraphrased to the players): Renowned is the time travel. Hyperborea is a bleak realm that survives under a
City-State of Khromarium not only for its extensive harbour, but also for its bloated, scarlet sun that sheds little warmth. It is also attended by
dockside taverns. In all of Hyperborea this port is the most racially and two moons, one large the other small. At the rim of the world
culturally disparate; one can enter almost any tavern and expect to encounter the seas spill eternal into the illimitable depths of the Black Gulf.
Vikings, Kelts, Esquimaux, Picts, Amazons, and Cimmerians drinking and
mingling together and with men of mixed ancestry. Rarer still is the appear- Khromarium: Khromarium is a major port city of Hyperborea,
ance of a gaunt Hyperborean garbed in mail, or perhaps a dusky-skinned its harbour being the largest known. The city’s history is one of
Ixian caped in tattered velvet. Such heterogeneousness does not transpire tragedy and death. A thousand years ago it was ruled by the true
in the world without, but in Khromarium diversity is the norm. Hyperboreans, the giant sorcerer kings of reputed immortal-
Least discriminating of all are Khromarium’s local seamen, fishermen, and
ity that have seemingly fallen to decay. Other men were their
longshoremen whose wont it is to frequent the dockside taverns. Always vassals in that bygone age. Then came the Green Death, which
will they drink before launch and straight away upon moorage at the pier. devastated all of Hyperborea, and for all their power the race
They drink bitter ale and rancid whiskey, and sometimes they indulge them- of gaunt sorcerers were no exception. Centuries later the dock-
selves with an expensive bottle of pomegranate wine—if the bounty of the sides were rebuilt by men of mixed ancestry. Today the city is
sea has proved favourable. For these reasons and more it is quite baffling ruled by an oligarchy of knights, nobles, and guild masters that
as to why the Silvery Eel is unattended. As your party drops its gear to the select a Lord Mayor; presently, Gill Sampatose, Master of the
floor and seats itself at a battered table of pine, you at once assume the Mariners’ Guild, serves.
tavern is bereft of either ale, whiskey, or both. Khromarium’s populace is largely aligned with Neutrality,
The barkeep quickly stokes the fire and approaches your table. His furtive though many lean towards Chaos. The city is not bereft of Law,
eyes snatch glances at the walls and ceiling as he smiles and takes your though seldom is justice served with equality. It is a dismal, seedy
order, nodding, wiping his brow. His hands, you observe, are shaking, and place, choked by the smoke of its factories, and poverty and
in his countenance you read a most palpable fear. Quickly he returns with homelessness aff lict the largest segment of its population. Many
your order, and from a door behind the bar you catch glimpse of a scrawny such destitute souls take refuge in the streets of Old Khromarium,
young woman whose eyes are hung with dark circles. She regards you with where once dwelled the most aff luent Hyperborean families.
a haunted expression before slipping back from whence she came. Finally, Here rise twisting towers of marble and stone, reputed to be
one of your party broaches the subject with the barkeep: “Is there something
haunted by the ghosts of sorcerers claimed by the Green Death
amiss here at the Silvery Eel?”
a thousand years ago.
“No, of course not,” replies the barkeep with a taut smile. But then, with
his eyes shifting side to side, he sighs and admits, “Yes. Yes, I’m afraid
something is dreadfully wrong …”

Introduction

R
ats in the Walls is a short adventure that takes place in
Khromarium, the largest port in Hyperborea, but it
might take place at any busy port of any campaign set-
ting, be it published or home-brew. Hyperborea is the default
setting for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, a role-
playing game set to debut in 2010. AS&SH is a game whose roots
are firmly entrenched in the traditional RPG style as conceived
by Gygax and Arneson. The game derives its f lavour from the
fictional works of authors C.A. Smith, R.E. Howard, and H.P.
Lovecraft, with a liberal dose of Vance, Burroughs, and Merritt.
This adventure in particular is inspired by The Rats in the Walls
by H.P. Lovecraft, though astute readers will no doubt note the
inf luence of some of the other authors noted. For more informa-
tion on AS&SH, please visit swordsmen-and-sorcerers.com.
What follows is information for the eyes of the referee alone;
players should cease reading now. First included is some brief
information on Hyperborea and the port city of Khromarium,
followed by this adventure’s dramatis personae, and then the adven-
ture itself. Regardless, the people and places can be substituted
with one of the referee’s choice.
Hyperborea: The Land of Hyperborea is centred upon a f lat earth
micro-campaign setting, a polar continent at the End of Time
that might be accessed via polar travel, planar travel, or even

No. 4 •    41
 Annesta: The girl is some 17 years of age, tall and somewhat
Adventure Notes: The referee should familiarize himself with the homely, with straw-like yellow hair and sunken features. She
following adventure notes before running this adventure. What fol-
lows afterwards should also be reviewed, though it is fairly straight- is a taciturn sort, but if compelled to speak she may admit that
forward and can be run by an experienced referee on the fly. unbeknownst to her father she has been bit five or more times
in the night – on her stomach, behind her neck, at her ankles.
At each instance she is in her bedroom, and she recalls a pinch
Xill Vuntos, Tavern Keeper of the Silvery Eel: Xill Vuntos is a round- of pain, but she is not able waken from her nightmarish slum-
faced, balding man who combs over his remaining hedge of bers that involve a terrible woman with the visage of a swine.
hair. A year ago he purchased the building from the city. The She does not wish to admit it to her father, because he has felt
previous owner, an importer of spices, allegedly hung himself enough pain with the loss of his wife and Annesta’s young sibling.
in the basement. He owed a substantial debt to the city, and so
the property was auctioned to the highest bidder: Xill Vuntos, Clues and Notes: The following may be gleaned through
who had recently inherited his family fortune. Xill renovated investigation.
the building as a tavern and named it the Silvery Eel. Soon the • Scratching in the walls, rats scurry up and down.
tavern became a hot spot for local fishermen and dock work-
• Rat droppings, the size of what a small dog or large cat
ers; the ale was good, the boiled lobster delicious, and the fish
might leave, some of a strange crimson colour.
chowder fine. Then came the rat problem. Within a year it
eroded Xill’s patron base, caused the deaths of his wife and • Holes in the walls, the chiselled marks of the rats’ teeth
youngest daughter, and now haunts both his life and that of his betray rodents of unusual size.
surviving daughter, Annesta. • Bite victims have suffer a greyish pallor of the skin and
The Infestation of the Silvery Eel: Every dockside tavern gets its subsequent listlessness.
share of rats; it is unavoidable. At the outset Xill’s problem seemed • Neighbouring warehouses show no sign of the infestation.
no worse than that of any other tavern, so he took the usual
measures – cats, traps, etc. Nothing seemed to work: the traps • Recently a Hyperborean patron made strange allusions
were found broken; the cats dead, their throats ripped asunder. regarding the history of the Silvery Eel, but Xill avoids those
The rats, many of unseemly size, would scurry across the f loor, tall, gaunt, lotus-chewing sorcerers. The Hyperborean is
over his patrons’ feet, biting ankles, and chewing holes in the seven feet tall, has yellow-white hair, wears blue mail, and
walls. Xill would spend hours plugging the holes during the carries a battle axe. He is among the crew of a small galley
afterhours whilst listening to the dreadful sound of scratching moored at the pier.
in the walls – claws scrabbling up and down, up and down. Kiloplo Vheez: Kiloplo Vheez is the Hyperborean. He is the first
Each of Xill’s three serving wenches were bit, and after mate of The Berg Breaker. He can be found at the nearby pier,
two of them took ill and died, the third one quit. Xill was hard- overseeing the conveyance of goods to and from the galley.
pressed, forced to work his wife and eldest daughter long hours. He will entertain questions, though he proves condescending.
One night, while the three served a rowdy group of seamen, Kiloplo admits that he indeed holds special knowledge of the
Xill’s youngest daughter was left unattended for several hours in Silvery Eel tavern. His father, a sorcerer of no little reputation,
a bedroom chamber above the tavern
proper. Later they discovered the child
withered and listless, riddled with
puncture wounds. When she died,
Xill’s wife went mad of it, eventually
killing herself. Now there are only
Xill and Annesta, and the word is
out amongst the locals – the Silvery
Eel is plagued and cursed; except for
the occasional arrival, no one patron-
izes it.
Xill’s Offer: He offers a 2,000 gp pearl
necklace to eliminate his rat problem.
He also offers the shield (+1 small
round shield; 1.5-foot diameter, sheds
5 feet of light when gripped ) of the
thief who just last week promised to
solve the rat problem. That man was
found dead in the basement, his throat
torn out, his skin withered and grey. He
grants complete access for an exhaustive
investigation of his property.

42   • No. 4
told him that, in the days when the true Hyperboreans ruled spells with impunity, though he can presently cast but one 1st level
Khromarium and the “sub-men” knew their station, there stood and one 2nd level per day. If the party begs his assistance, he might
at that locale a sorcerer’s tower overlooking the harbour. It was acquiesce (referee’s call) though only for a substantial reward: an
burnt to its foundations in the aftermath of the Green Death, and equal share of any treasure discovered, and, upon conclusion of the
(he presumes) the current structure built atop. Kiloplo Vheez quest, he selects a magic item of choice if any are won.
advises the seekers to search for a foundation of red sandstone Giant Rats: There are several giant rats in this adventure. To avoid
blocks intended to support a much larger structure. redundancy, please note the appendix for details and statistics.
Kiloplo Vheez is a uniquely classed AS&SH character – a
spell-sword: a fighter that dabbles in sorcery. Kiloplo Vheez: AL
N; MV 9”; AC 4; HD 3; hp 15; FA 3(4); #A 3/2; D 2-9 (battle axe),
ML 12. Spells: sleep, web. Items: battle axe (mastery: +1 “to hit” Ground Floor
and damage), dagger +3, chain mail, backpack, 50’ rope, wineskin, Outside the Tavern doors is a painted sign with silver zigzagging
potion of healing, spell book (also contains burning hands). The eels surrounding a foaming mug of ale.
Hyperborean has the fighting ability of a fighter of equal level. 1. Common Room: Typical tavern common room with fire-
He can gird himself in the arms and armour of a warrior, and cast place, tables, benches, bar. Behind the bar there is a door

No. 4 •    43
 to the back room (#2). The otherwise fine whitewashed a swine-faced daemon woman. His rat problem worsened, so he
walls present with several boards tacked here and there. brought in cats; they howled and ran about baff led before all were
These block holes where the rats have chewed through. eventually killed by the rats. His writings eventually give way to
Xill serves the patrons. Annesta works in the back. mad ravings, and the conviction that he has fallen victim to some
Fish chowder = 3 sp per bowl (includes hot roll w/ inescapable curse, no doubt bestowed by the swine-faced one.
•
butter + mug of ale)
• Gill of whiskey = 5 sp Basement
7. Basement: The basement is one large chamber cluttered
• Pint of ale = 1 sp
with crates, boxes, and casks of various sizes. The walls are
• Dinner = 1 gp (boiled lobster, sweet potato, mug comprised of massive sandstone blocks fitted together, though
of red wine) somewhat separated from age. It is easy to see how the rats
If the PCs investigate the common room they find the might enter the walls of the tavern proper above. With patient
chewed holes are unusually large. When all is quiet, the rats observation, the party might hear a rat or two deep inside the
can be heard running in the walls, quite fast and evasive. blocks scrabbling up or down. The ones that scrabble down
continue scratching downward until no longer heard.
2. Kitchen: Typical kitchen. Annesta works here. There are some
The casks hold ale, wine, pickled eels, and pickled fish.
casks and crates here, including this morning’s lobster purchase,
The crates and boxes hold various tools and supplies, includ-
wine, and ale taps. A wash basin holds mugs and plates. There
ing aprons, blankets, candles, canvass, cloth, herbs (cooking),
are more holes here (most are covered with scrap wood), more
knives, lamps, mugs, nails, rope, salt, sacks of lentils and rice
scratching to possibly be heard in the walls. Annesta might
(ripped open; nearly emptied), spoons, twine, etc. Several
be engaged here, as indicated in the Adventure Notes above,
crates are empty and smashed, Xill having used the wood to
but not while her father is about, and several uncomfortable
plug rat holes in the common room above. There are several
glances in his direction may betray this. There is a back door
large droppings here. Amongst the debris of the southwest
in the kitchen and stairs leading down to the cellar.
corner there are 5 giant rats (hp 3). They emerge to attack
3. Exterior Stair to First Floor: Rickety stairs to Xill’s dwell- once the crates are disturbed. These rats have a penchant
ings above. for collecting shiny coins: 57 gp, 102 sp in the SW corner.
Secret Door: In the centre of the room a f lagstone conceals a
First Floor secret door. It may be discerned (upon a successful check)
by its slight discoloration as compared to the other f lags. The
4. Hallway: This hallway has one window and two doors. At f lag must be lifted with a pry bar or like device, thus revealing
the east end of the hallway there is a stack of crates hold- an iron trap door below. The trap door is rusted shut. It can
ing all the silverware that Xill once used. With business only be pulled open by an extraordinary feat of strength; however,
so poor, he intends to sell the lot, which is valued at some three characters can work together pulling the large ring and
100 gp (individual pieces worth 1-3 gp). There are 5 giant thus combining their percentile roll one big pull. If they fail, a
rats (hp 3) resting in the largest crate. Droppings behind second chance might be allowed. A spiral stair with old, dusty
the crates are of a deep crimson colour. cobwebs is revealed below, quite dark.
5. Xill’s Bedroom: The tavern keeper’s chamber has a window,
a door, a bed, and a dresser. When the sun sets the rats
begin scratching at the walls and continue throughout Sub Basement
the night, slowly driving him mad. Sometimes he can- The spiral stair descends 50 feet.
not waken when they scratch. He is caught in some deep 8. Temple of Aurorus “The Shining One”: This massive temple
slumber, from which he wakens only by his own screams. area was where the ancient Hyperboreans worshiped one
Xill keeps a small idol of Xathoqqua in his chamber, and of their favoured deities, Aurorus, “The Shining One”.
he prays for the curse to end every night, to no avail. The old sandstone f lags of this temple area are scratched
6. Annesta’s Bedroom: The tavern keeper’s daughter’s chamber and littered with rat dropping small and large. There are
has a window, a door, a bed, a dresser, and a mirror of polished four large stone pillars supporting an arched ceiling of
steel. The crib for Annesta’s deceased little sister remains in some 40-foot height at its apex. Stone stairs descend to the
here. There are holes chewed through the wall behind to south. A nauseating stench wafts from below; the stairs are
Annesta’s dresser. Under the dresser there are large rat drop- littered with droppings and appear sticky with urine.
pings of a curious crimson coloration. If the room is searched Note that there are two secret doors in this room.
there is a secret compartment under a loose f loorboard. The one at #10 is easily discovered, as noted below.
Secret Compartment: Here lies the diary of the previous owner of 8-A. The Altar of Aurorus: Here upon the dais stands a 12-foot
this location, before Xill renovated it to a tavern. Early pages are statue of Aurorus. It is carved of green soapstone, an indis-
dedicated to his mundane thoughts regarding his work and his tinct lower body swathed in robes that rises to a three-faced
admiration for a young woman who works at a local seamstress. woman, albeit of one head. One face stares south, whilst
Further entries complain of the rats. Then his nightmares concerning the other two face east and west. The dais holds not one

44   • No. 4
 rat dropping. On the f loor before the dais and between 10. Summoning Chamber: This room is accessed by a secret door
the two north pillars there are iron shackles bolted into the that swivels on a central pivot and is slightly ajar (referee
f loor. If a man or woman is chained here and the correct should increase probability of discovery; or simply make it
incantations are spoken, the eyes of all the faces sparkle. an automatic discovery if the party searches behind the east
Then a sparkling light manifests above the statue to descend curtain). There is a rusted 10’ × 10’ iron cage that extends
on the victim and take him or her, body and soul. from the flagstone floor to the 12-foot ceiling. The cage has
To the left and right of the dais, depending from bent no door. Inside the cage is the skeleton of what can only be
iron rods hang old velvet curtains, rotted and mouldy with described as a daemon. It has a vaguely humanoid, female
age. There are 2 secret doors concealed behind them. shape, must have stood 9 feet tall. Its skull is swine-shaped
8-B. Boxes and Casks: The boxes and casks here do not seem to fit with ram-like horns, and pointed teeth. Its shoulder blades
the temple environment. Indeed, these are the spoils of pirates extend to suggest great, membranous wings. The skeleton
that once hid out here in the years following the Green Death. appears to have died whilst gripping the bars of the cage.
Centuries have passed and the once valuable scented woods At the east end of the room there is an engraved magic
they stored have not only rotted, but have become a nest for circle that encloses a pentagram, the points of which pres-
6 giant rats (hp 3). They attack if the crates are disturbed, ent globs of melted wax. Any magician will note this as
followed by more rats from #8-C within 1-4 rounds. a sorcerer’s protection whilst summoning daemon kind.
In one box there is a golden Statuette of Kthulhu worth In the centre of the circle there is a +1 silver dagger. If
500 gp. If destroyed, the perpetrator is plagued by night- the magic circle is entered or if disturbed in any way, the
mares until at length he either submits his soul to Kthulhu skeleton’s eyes glow.
or goes mad (within a year); only a remove curse spell can • If the party has yet to go enter the dungeon (#11),
help. In another crate there is a pile of 78 gp, 54 ep, 80 sp. a voice speaks, the sultry voice of a woman: “You
8-C. More Boxes and Casks: There is nothing salvageable here, have failed, sorcerer. In your absence I have taken a new
but several of the casks show that they once held wine from host, and soon I will have another.” Mocking laughter
a place called Port Greely. There are 4 giant rats (hp 3) follows these words.
here. If this pile is disturbed, they attack, soon joined by • If the dungeon has already been visited and the daemon
the rats of #8-B within 1-4 rounds. In a crate where they rat has been destroyed, the skeleton cries out, “Feed
nest there is a pile of 34 gp, 15 ep, 29 sp. me! How dare you destroy my host! Feed me!”
9. Old Vestry: This room is accessed by a secret door that
swivels on a central pivot. The room has a bed, a dresser
and a small book shelf. It appears undisturbed, yet in fine
shape despite the passage of centuries. Velvet curtains dyed
maroon hang on the east and west walls.
There are 6 skeleton halberdiers (hp 4) within,
standing behind the curtains. They stand three on each
side behind the curtains on the east and west side. They
emerge within a minute or so if the room is disturbed. They
wear black homespun cloaks in curiously fine condition
and wear great helms with plumes red-dyed horse-hair.
Each skeleton wields a halberd; these are mottled with
rust, all save one, which appears extremely fine. This is
a +1 halberd.
The book shelf contains leather-bound volume of
prayers and rituals devoted to Aurorus, “The Shining
One”. The sacrificial rites are included as described at
#8-A. Beside the prayer book, contained in a cedar box
lined with velvet there is a potion of healing (light blue
liquid), potion of cure disease (pulpy green liquid), and a
potion of invisibility (oily clear liquid). Each is a clear glass
bottle with cork stopper.
In a cubby space behind the east curtain a suspended
wooden pole is racked with long, cowled gowns of purple
velvet embroidered with gold thread and studded upon the
breast with tiny, imperfect diamonds, sapphires, emeralds,
and rubies, and amethyst, the entirety of which form what
appears to be a constellation. There are 5 such gowns, each
in immaculate condition and worth 250 gp each. They
are ankle length for men of 7-foot height (Hyperboreans).

No. 4 •    45
11. The Dungeon: The stone stairs are worn and littered with of her victims, sending them into a deep slumber during
rat droppings and urine. They must be carefully negotiated which her children proceed to feed. Mature giant rats
or one might fall. Forty feet down, and the stairs are lit- drink the blood of these victims and then feed it to their
tered with skulls and skeletons of human and semi-human. mother with a bloody, siphoning kiss for the mother to later
The skulls suggest some semblance of man and apedom feed the pups. Once a “normal” female rat, the daemon
as seen in the wilds of Hyperborea, the dreaded ape-men, (entrapped at #10 by a Hyperborean sorcerer) has possessed
creatures of primitive intelligence. They appear to have this creature, which now controls all the rats that plague
perished whilst in an attitude of fear and panic. The bones the Silvery Eel.
have been chewed and gnawed by rats.
There are eight stone cells in the dungeon, each once
secured by a barred iron door, but all are corroded, warped and Referee’s Note: The battle should not be easy. If the party is
comprised of all 3rd level characters, or if the party is rather large,
broken open. The cells are choked with the skeletal remains have more giant rats (hp 3) emerge to join their mother in the fight.
of men and ape-men. From the north end of the chamber, This is a judgement call by the referee, creating an appropriate chal-
from under the piles of bones there emerge 6 giant rats (hp lenge for the player group.
3) that attack rabidly. From the south end of the dungeon
there comes spine-chilling laughter, that of a woman.
In the southwest corner, behind the nest there is more
Hiding in the southwest corner, amongst a tangle of
treasure that the rats have brought their “mother”: 185 gp,
bones and debris, there is a huge, fat daemon rat (hp 28, see
78 ep, 92 sp. There is also a gold chain worth 50 gp, a pearl
appendix), some 8 feet long. She is feeding a litter of eight
ring worth 100 gp, and a periapt of health (aquamarine
ruddy-pink pups, each of 1-foot length. The enormous rat
opal set in silver and depending from a thin silver chain).
laughs and then speaks in a mocking female voice (the same
as that of the skeleton demon of #10) through a maw that CONCLUSION: Once the rat daemon is destroyed the curse is
is covered with dried blood: “Oh, how divine. Never do my ended. But there can be a last “bite” for the players, should the
children bring enough blood to keep me sated. Anon will I drink of referee choose to add further ramifications. Annesta has suf-
your sanguine riches, oh mortal pigs.” Derisively again she laughs. fered enough bites to suffer a curse, and this might develop into
The scene is horrific. Dried blood covers the belly of lycanthropy; i.e. she might become a wererat in the future,
this bloated monstrosity, and the blind faces of the pink pups one with a taste for blood. She can haunt the players at some
that attend it. At night, the daemon enters the nightmares future point, reaching a point of madness in which she believes
the rat daemon was her “mother” and that the party killed her
mother. But for the time being it is best to present appreciation
from the Xill and his daughter that the curse is finally ended.
Once word gets out and the place is properly repaired, perhaps
business returns to what it once was, but the pain and grief of
losing his wife and youngest daughter will never subside.

Appendix
Giant Rat: AL CE; MV 12”; AC 7; HD 1/2; #A 1 (bite); D 1-3;
ML 10. These rodents are tainted with evil. Their eyes betray
a lambent ruddy glow. There is a 1-in-6 chance that their bite
confers a deadly disease. It begins with a fever within 2-24 (2d12)
hours. Then, in 2-12 (2d6) days a saving throw versus death
(poison) must be rolled. Failure indicates death; otherwise the
fever breaks after 2 weeks of suffering (any associated penalties
should be decided by the referee). These rats drink blood and
sometimes leave crimson droppings.
Daemon Rat: AL CE; MV 6”; AC 7; HD 5; hp 28; #A 1 (bite); D 2-8;
ML 12. Her bite is like that of the giant rats (see above) as regards
the transmission of disease. The blood is substantial, if she is killed,
a viscous red-black f luid that smells of bile. Optionally, her death
might effect the deaths of any remaining rats within 1–6 turns.
Special thanks to following Knights of Next Tuesday for playtest-
ing: Dan Berube, Jonas Carlson, and Donald Manning. I still can’t
believe Dan had his character drip fresh blood on the bones of the caged
daemon skeleton. Actions have consequences, gentlemen …

46   • No. 4
Stealing The Histories
by Michael Curtis

A
fter months of work you’ve finally completed your fantasy For the game master looking to create a truly memorable
campaign sandbox. The hexes have been filled and keyed, campaign world, a copy of Herodotus’ The Histories is invaluable
the dungeon has been dug and stocked, and the various as a reference source. Within its 2,500 year-old pages you will
settlements and their inhabitants await the coming of the char- find more interesting and unusual nuggets of detail and potential
acters. Something’s missing though – the colorful bits of world game color than in an entire stack of $30 splat books. Herodotus
background and history that turns a static environment into a wrote of the ancient world in which he lived, combining real
vibrant and exciting world. history, legend, and folklore to create an intricately detailed
Such little bits of color are not always easy to create and guidebook and historical text. By itself, The Histories could serve
too often we succumb to the use of clichés to fill the void. Our as a campaign “world book” for any role-playing game set in
innkeepers are all retired soldiers with large, bullying wives; the ancient Mediterranean region, but when cherry-picked for
wizards are all either absentminded or power-mad recluses; the ideas and creative starting points, Herodotus’ work will serve as
city’s shops are open from nine to five, and the land is ruled by a inspiration for any fantasy world.
western European-style monarchy. Such shorthand design is fine This article pulls a few choice passages from The Histories
from time to time, but if you really wish to create a vivid cam- with an eye on using them in your own campaign world, and
paign world that impresses your players, you might think about covers the topics of laws and government, magic and religion,
drawing inspiration from sources other than the usual sword & warfare, life and death, and women’s roles. While the quoted
sorcery novel or work of game fiction. passages are some of the author’s favorites, they are but a small

No. 4 •    47
portion of the interesting and often downright weird accounts Sometimes it is not the ruler, but the legal process that brings
contained in the text. Quoted passages are followed by book and color to the campaign world. Laws, treaties, and compacts might
chapter numbers in parentheses to allow the reader to consult be decided based on astrology or messages from previous rulers
the full text for themselves. Thus, a quoted passage from Book sent from beyond the grave. Spirits of another nature may even be
Two, Chapter 37 is annotated as (2.37). While many editions of invoked: “They are accustomed to deliberating on the most serious
The Histories are available, the author recommends The Landmark business while they are drunk, and whatever decision they reach
Herodotus (Anchor Books, 2007). This version contains not only a in those sessions, it is proposed to them again the next day by the
more contemporary translation, but also numerous maps, illustra- [previous night’s host]. Then, if the decision still pleases them when
tions, appendixes, and annotations to help the layperson achieve they are sober, they act on it; if not, they give it up. Conversely,
a detail understanding of Herodotus’ work. whatever provisional decisions they consider when sober, they
reconsider when they are drunk” (1.133). Although “hangover
parliament” may be too whimsical for hard-drinking, yet sensible
Laws and Government dwarves, it seems fitting for half ling moots and town meeting.
While not having a great impact on the daily lives of the player Politics and law is not all bleary-eyed mornings after, however.
characters, local laws and government systems offer wonderful For some it can be fatal. When one judge was discovered accepting
possibilities to add distinct color to your campaign world. Both bribes to inf luence his rulings, King Cambyses rendered his own
legal and political systems can be bewildering to the layman, and, fitting judgment: “The King had ordered that his throat be cut and
as a fantasy world, they should be even more bizarre in your game. his entire body f layed…his skin was removed…and stretched on
With luck, the players will experience your world’s interesting the throne on which he had sat while rendering judgments. [That
laws and leaders as observers and not as victims of their decrees. judge’s replacement was instructed] to remember what throne he
From god-kings, satraps, despots, and oligarchs, your world’s was sitting on whenever he was acting as judge” (5.25). While
rulers should rarely be prosaic. They are not democratically elected certainly gruesome and fitting for your campaign’s token evil
commoners (usually), but prestigious entities with military power kingdom, other versions of this might take the form of the skulls
and noble heritage behind them. An adept ruler, such as one of tribal wise men watching over barbaric Althings, or humanoid
who’s been bred for the position, is likely to cloak himself in a tribes ritually eating their dead rulers to gain their knowledge.
commanding or mysterious aura: “No one was allowed to enter
into the presence of the king inside his palace. They must use
messengers instead. And when the king came out, no one was Life and Death
to look directly at him, and anyone who laughed or spit in his The way that a culture chooses to mark the beginning and the
presence would incur disgrace” (1.99). A ruler could also take end of a life is perhaps the easiest way to make that society unique.
symbolic steps to distance himself from his subjects by wearing The regularity of these events (especially death in the case of
gilded masks or ostentatious robes of office. A truly outré despot adventurers) ensures that the PCs encounter them often enough
might employ ceremonial stilts, levitation, or magical f light to to reinforce any deviation from the real world’s treatment of
literary raise him above the unwashed. such occurrences and make the culture a colorful part of the
campaign’s backdrop.
The simplest way to make a culture stand out in a fan-
tasy campaign is to completely reverse the way life and death is
handled when compared to our modern attitudes. This example
from The Histories gives us an excellent justification for doing
so: “When a child is born to them, his relatives…grieve over all
the evils he will have to endure later, recounting all the things
that humans must suffer. But when someone dies, they have fun
and take pleasure in burying him in the ground, reciting over
him all the evils he has escaped and how he is now in a state of
complete bliss” (5.4). Turning funerals into raucous, orgiastic
rites and births into somber occasions will make your campaign
stand out…and give the PCs a reason to party on a regular basis
if their explorations don’t fare well.
But not every culture need turn a funeral into a festival.
Mourning traditions provide another colorful way to make the
campaign world unique and memorable. Great men and women
should require expansive declarations of grief to mark their deaths,
perhaps in a manner like so: “the whole army…went into mourn-
ing for Masistios, and in boundless grief they shaved their heads
and also their horses and pack animals” (9.24). If the death of a
ruler is mourned by depilation in one of your world’s major cities
or towns, the PCs are sure to remember the place, even if only
as the “crazy, bald people town.”
While they’re in town, they might find that a major death
proves to be an inconvenience in ways other than just for the
48   • No. 4
departed and those mourning him: “After the king is buried, all Being dead doesn’t necessarily rob one of a sense of humor
business in the agora…[is] suspended for ten days, during which either. Nor does it prevent you from teaching an object lesson from
they mourn” (6.58). Closed shops mean no resupplying for the beyond the grave. In my most favorite account from Herodotus,
next dungeon expedition and an enforced downtime where Queen Nitokris of Babylon left the following message inscribed
the PCs will probably bleed off money in the taverns, inns, and on her elaborate resting place: “If any king of Babylon who comes
gambling houses of the settlement. after me needs money, let him open this tomb and take as much
Even after the dead are safely entombed, they may still affect money as he wants. Let him not, however, open it unless he is
the living in diverse ways. In fantasy literature and gaming, the truly in need. If he opens it for any other reason it will not go
lines between the living and the dead often blur in the form of well with him” (1.187). Her tomb remained undisturbed until
the undead, but this is not the only way for the two to interact. Darius took the throne, who thought that it was a shame to leave
The quick sometimes seek out the dead for protection and other such treasure lying unused in a crypt. “When he opened the
assistance: “They swear oaths by men of their country who… tomb, however, he found no money inside, just the corpse and an
have been the best and most just… [placing] their hands upon inscription which read: ‘You would not open up the graves of the
the tombs of these men. They obtain prophecies by going to their dead if you were not so insatiable and shamefully greedy’” (1.187).
own ancestors’ tombs, saying a prayer, and then falling asleep upon Try that trick the next time the PCs decide to play tomb raider!
the tombs. Whatever vision they receive in their sleep is regarded Tomb robbery isn’t the sole way to make a few coins of the
by them as the oracle’s response” (4.172). Clandestine meetings dead in some cultures. In fact, depending on one’s relationship
and black market dealings are hazardous enough to conduct in with their deceased relatives, a corpse may be more valuable to
a moonlit cemetery without the threat of some omen-seeking a family than a living family member: “[According to law] an
citizen witnessing a criminal deal from atop his ancestor’s tomb Egyptian could get a loan by declaring his father’s corpse as security
or by two businessmen closing a contract with oaths sworn before [with the stipulation] that the creditor could assume possession
a legendary hero’s mausoleum. of the whole grave site of the debtor as well. [If the debtor failed

No. 4 •    49
to repay his debt] when he died, he would have no grave in the and players with fodder for backgrounds and adventure ideas. A
burial place of his ancestors nor any other grave; and his descend- PC cleric might be a former slave who is now devoted to the god
ants could not be buried either” (2.136). A party hired to recover of the sanctuary who freed him. The game master might wish to
a corpse from an unscrupulous moneylender is a new twist on the reintroduce a former slave or servant of the party – a mistreated
classic rescue scenario, and the dead returning from the grave to torch-bearer perhaps – as a spell-wielding priest or divine warrior
extract revenge on a spendthrift heir who lost the family burial with a grudge against his former employers.
plot to a pawn broker makes for unique walking dead adventure. Temples also make great storehouses for treasure. Relics,
The one facet of death that crosses cultures, however, is religious tools, and holy texts can each bear adornments of jewels
the desire to avoid it. Even with priests capable of performing and precious metals, and where would Conan or Faf hrd and the
miraculous magic, life for the average citizen can be extremely Gray Mouser be without a temple or two to plunder? Unfortunately,
short, especially when illness is concerned. While adventurers many of these same holy sites also maintain guardian beasts and
may have access to remove disease, the common folk are not so monsters. But In some fanes, both treasure and guardian are com-
blessed. In fact, they might not even have doctors: “They do bined: “…they choose one crocodile to raise and feed, taming it
not use physicians; instead they carry their sick people out into completely, inserting pendants of glasslike jewels and gold in its ears
the public square and allow people to approach the sick person and adorning it front feet with bangles…And when these animals
and advise him about his illness. Some may themselves have die, they embalm them and bury them in sacred tombs” (2.69).
suffered from the same illness that the sick person has, or have While a serpent might be a more traditional swords & sorcery
seen someone else who did” (1.197). Having the PCs encounter temple guardian, a bejeweled giant crocodile is a foe worthy of the
a pustule-covered wretch lying atop of cot in the town forum Cimmerian, himself, and embalmed crocodiles in sacred tombs
makes an interesting encounter. It reminds the players of how lead to thoughts of crocodilian mummies to challenge the party.
lucky their characters are compared to the common folk and also
provides an opportunity for goodly-hearted characters like clerics
or paladins to perform a good deed. Warfare
Any campaign that runs long enough will eventually have to
tackle the subject of warfare. Sometimes these massive battles
Magic and Religion will be in response to the PCs’ actions; other times they will be
In the ancient world, the gods took a much more active interest in background events against which the play sessions are enacted.
daily life and the methods used to appease them were mysterious Regardless of the reasons for battle, they should be something
and sometimes unsettling. Magic was a part of daily life and its more than just the clashing of armies. Herodotus provides us with
practitioners produce amazing effects. The Histories is rife with many interesting accounts of warfare, and from land battles to
historical accounts of these magical and religious practices, and sea skirmishes to prolonged sieges, there is much to be pilfered
any game master using it as a reference source will find untapped from them for the fantasy campaign.
riches within its pages. Most readers are no doubt aware of the events that occurred
Some longtime players know the powers of the various spells at the battle of Thermopylae; indeed it is Herodotus himself who
by heart, making them difficult to surprise with magic. The best is responsible for much of what we know of that conf lict. What
way to muddle the game waters for such players is to introduce might not be commonly known, however, is the reason why so
color to the game world that could have more than one explana- few Spartans were available to hold the pass. Like many other
tion: “…according to the Scythians and the Hellenes who inhabit aspects of life in the ancient world, warfare was affected by religion
Scythia, once each year every one of the Neurians turns into a wolf and obligations to the deities: “the Spartans resolved to help the
and, after a few days, changes back into himself again” (4.105). Athenians, but it was impossible for them to do so at the moment,
Jaded players encountering rumors of a similar people in your since they did not wish to break their law. For that was the ninth
campaign world are faced with several possibilities to explain such of the month, and on the ninth, they said, they could not march
a phenomenon. Are they a nation of lycanthropes, polymorphing out to war, but must instead wait until the moon was full (6.106).”
sorcerers, or devout worshipers of a nature deity that rewards them Religious holidays and observances in your own campaign
with animal form? Or maybe a more mundane explanation, such world could have similar repercussions on when conf licts could
as the donning of animal pelts for an annual ceremony, is the truth begin or who could participate in a battle. These restrictions
behind these rumors? With so many possibilities to choose from, will in turn provide the seeds for many exciting adventures and
seemingly magical powers again become a mystery. conundrums. Imagine a lonely watchtower guarding a minor pass
Ecclesiastical law can be just as obtuse and Byzantine as leading to the PCs’ home kingdom. When an enemy launches an
secular regulations, and, in a fantasy world, the divine can easily attack on the kingdom via that pass, the king’s standing army is
supersede the mundane. Powerful rulers might find themselves under religious prohibition from fighting until a specific day. In
bowing to the decrees of high priests, and even the lives of the dire straits, the king hires a band of less than pious adventurers to
lowliest slave can change dramatically once religion steps in: “On hold the pass until his army is free to take the field.
the shore there was…a sanctuary of Herakles to which anyone’s Druids or other nature priests are not the first class one
servant may f lee for asylum, have himself branded with sacred thinks of when warfare is considered. According to The Histories,
marks, and devote himself to the service of the god. If he does however, a valuable asset is being overlooked. On the night before
this, no one is permitted to lay hands on him” (2.113). Including the Egyptians and the Assyrians met in battle, the gods intervened
a holy site in the campaign world where servants and slaves can on behalf of the Egyptians: “But after the enemy had arrived and
seek sanctuary from cruel masters provides both the game master night had fallen, an army of field mice swarmed through their

50   • No. 4
camp and chewed up their quivers, bowstrings, and even the and one woman he selected from his household to prepare his
handles of their shields, so that on the next day, the enemy found food. These women were saved; all other women were brought
themselves deprived of their weapons and defenseless” (2.141). together and strangled in order to prevent them from consum-
With their command of animals and vermin, such a miracle could ing the supply of food” (3.150). Will the PCs still proceed with a
easily be reproduced by nature priests of any ilk. siege, knowing their action condemns hundreds or thousands of
Utilizing unexpected resources is not the only way to win innocent women and girls to strangulation or will they be forced
a battle. As the story of the Trojan Horse teaches us, thinking to rethink their strategy?
outside of the normal paradigm of war is another way to achieve
victory. If you can prey upon the superstitions of your enemy
in the process, so much the better: “He made 600 of the best Women’s Roles
Phocian men completely white with chalk…and had them attack As the above account explicitly demonstrates, the attitude towards
the Thessalians at night…The Thessalian sentries were the first women in the ancient world was hardly an enlightened one.
to see them, and they immediately panicked, supposing that they Women were second class citizens at best and chattel at worst.
were seeing some strange portent. After the sentries, the troops A few managed to rise above the prejudices of men to carve
themselves saw them and panicked as well” (8.27). This account out their own places in the ancient world, either by assuming
can also be adopted as a cultural one. The blue woad-covered traditionally male roles as warriors or by cloaking themselves in
Picts of history are well-known, but your campaign world might feminine mysticism.
have a race of chalk-covered barbarians who give a dark forest The role of the women warrior is a fantasy clichés, but it
the reputation of being haunted. is possible to embrace this cliché without resorting to the old
In both fantasy literature and gaming, it is often assumed that “chainmail bikini”-clad warrior princess trope. Some women
the heroes are the “good guys,” fighting against the forces of evil assume a martial role without the need to bloody their own
without having to worry about sticky moral quandaries. While hands in battle, even if the men in their life do their best to stop
there’s nothing wrong with a simple black and white morality in them: “Pheretime came to Euelthon and asked for an army that
role-playing games, sometimes muddling moral decisions makes would restore her [to power]. Euelthon offered her everything
for more interesting play. Imagine the trouble this response to but an army, and while…she accepted his gifts…she would add
being laid siege to might give a group of goodly-aligned PCs: that it would be even better if he would grant her the army she
“When they did revolt openly, each man set aside his mother had requested. Euelthon finally sent her a golden spindle and
distaff… [saying] that these were the sorts of gifts women should
receive, not armies” (4.162).
Taking inspiration from this account, place a similar event in
your own campaign world. A noblewoman, stripped of his lands and
title, tries to assemble an army to take them back. When rebuffed
in a similar manner as Pheretime, our noblewoman builds her
own forces comprised of female warriors, Amazon fighters, and
forward-thinking women from throughout the land. In response
to their commander’s rebuff at the hands of a man, these forces
take up the sign of the spindle and distaff (or similar domestic
tools) as their standard. After proving themselves in battle after
battle, male soldiers now quake in their boots at the sight of the
spindle and distaff f luttering on the army’s banners.
One of the reasons that the Amazon remains a potent cliché
in fantasy is that she represents a masculine fantasy: strong and
competent, perhaps even dominant, while retaining a potent sexual
allure. Artists such as Frazetta and Vallejo have based careers on
this image, but what if not every fantasy Amazon is young and
buxom? Consider this account from Herodotus: “Their marriage
customs demand that no virgin ever gets married until she has slain
a male enemy, and some actually grow old and die before they can
marry because they are unable to fulfill this requirement” (4.117).
This passage provides the game master looking to turn the
Amazon cliché on its ear an interesting way to do so. The next
time the PCs wander in the lands held by the legendary women
warriors, let them not encounter pinup-style warrior-maidens
looking to capture men for breeding stock, but rather a band of
elderly women determined to slay a man in battle so that they may
at long last marry. After frustrating decades of ill fortune robbing
them of the opportunity to kill a man in battle, they fight with a
ferocity and tenacity that should have your masculine PCs run-
ning for their lives and looking at Amazons in a different light.

No. 4 •    51
 The assumption of masculine roles is not the only way women
can gain and maintain temporal power in the campaign world.
The feminine role in magic and mysticism is one that goes back to
prehistory. Legends, myths, and historical accounts from around
the world contain numerous sorceress, priestesses, witches, and
wise women, all of whom maintain power by possessing powers
not understood by men. It would be a loss not to include similar
women in your own campaign world.
Herodotus, however, provides us with an example that mixes both
the mystery of woman with the attributes of man: “Whenever
they or their neighbors have been threatened by some calamity
or other, their priestesses of Athena would grow a long beard,
and this omen had occurred three times in the past” (1.175). The
sudden appearance of a beard on the face of one of your campaign’s
high priestesses is a unique way of conveying that tragedy and
calamity will soon be visiting the mortal sphere, and is bound to
be memorable to the players. Taken in another light, this event
might provide an answer to the old debate over bearded or beard-
less dwarven women as well.
Hopefully this article has served to inspire the reader to read (or
reread) The Histories with the intent to steal a few choice bits
of color for his own use. As the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin once
observed, “Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers
steal from them outright.” The same can be said for game masters,
too. And with a pedigree going back two and a half millennia,
Herodotus has proven he has ample wealth to be plundered by
the criminally-minded referee.

Free-Form
, Rules as a
Referee s Toolbox:
Simple Methods to make your campaign truly unique
by Al Krombach

O
ne of the greatest strengths of a simple, free form fantasy be able to provide players with an exciting, compelling, and
game is its unending potential for use as a “Referee’s unique game experience by simply “re-skinning” the contents
Toolbox”. I use Swords & Wizardry as the example, but of his toolbox! A few changes of name, description, and effect
the guidelines in this article are generally applicable. When you can go a surprisingly long way. Think of a box of unpainted
start to think of the rules presented (the classes, races, spells, miniatures. Imagine the differences you can create by using
equipment, monsters, magic items, etc) as simple tools await- colors that defy expectations, thwart traditions, and demand new
ing your customization, you’ll quickly realize how feeble the interpretations. What new paradigms would arise from simply
limitations on the types of game experiences you can provide swapping the knight’s zweihander with the wizard’s wand or
for your players really are. This article will take you through the sahuagin’s trident?
a few simple steps to customize your campaign setting; simple Many fantasy role-playing campaigns are based on a pseudo-
steps with great effect! historical, pseudo-medieval, Western-European world influenced
As it is presented in such a streamlined format, Swords & by magical and supernatural elements drawn from mythology or
Wizardry allows the time-constrained referee to skip the often the works of fantasy and pulp authors. It is surprisingly simple
arduous process of creating new things “whole cloth”, and still to make just a few cosmetic changes to this traditional standard

52   • No. 4
to make your campaign stand out from the rest. For some cam-
paigns you can take things even further, with games occurring
in tumultuous elemental worlds of fire and ice, shadowy realms
of undeath and restless gods, or primeval worlds populated by
savages and dinosaurs. For the examples in this article, I’ll use
two sample “campaign worlds”: “Emerald Skies”: a world of
airships and f loating islands, and “Thundarria”: a far-future
post-apocalyptic world of lost science and bloodthirsty mutants.

Races and Classes

The first step in customizing your campaign is to consider
the races and classes of your campaign setting. The Swords &
Wizardry rules present the fairly common races of Elf, Dwarf,
and Half ling. Even in campaigns where these traditional races
are desired, one can use a couple of quick tweaks to ensure that
there is always an element of mystery. For pseudo-medieval
campaigns you can make very unobtrusive cosmetic changes
that will keep the traditional values intact, but still give the
campaign a more unique feel.
For instance, Elves could be blue-skinned and cold-blooded,
with reptilian dispositions, needing to eat only once every other
week or so. Dwarves could be elemental in nature, creatures made
more of stone and earth than of f lesh and blood, who crumble
into the earth from which they sprang when they are killed.
Half lings could be capricious and fey creatures of the Twilight
Realms, alternating cruelty and kindness according to a pat-
tern only they understand. Just a sentence or two of description
can significantly alter the players’ perceptions of a “standard”
campaign setting, which can instantly wipe any preconceived
notions or assumptions they may have of “how things are going
to be” in your world, giving it a sense of mystery and wonder
before character generation is even finished.
For settings deviating still further from the norm, the mon-
ster section is a great place to look for alternate races. Perhaps
your setting features Humans, Hobgoblins, Lizardmen, Gnomes,
and Doppelgangers, rather than the traditional range of races.
You can quickly assign the class options of the “normal” races to
these new ones: Doppelgangers could have the class options of
Elves, Gnomes have the class options of Half lings, Hobgoblins
have the class options of Dwarves, and so on.
Just as easily, classes can be tweaked just a bit to make them
more unique. You could change the weapon restrictions of clerics:
perhaps they can only use holy, rune-carved daggers and staves
in your campaign. Perhaps holy symbols are tattooed on the face
and palms, rather than worn like jewelry. Perhaps Turning affects
elemental creatures, or even the human worshippers of rival dei-
ties, rather than undead. Magic-users may need to draw power
from crystals for their spells, or may carry their spells carved into
narwhal tusks rather than spell books. Tweaking the spell lists for
these classes is another way to make them different. As with the
races, one or two changes of this nature are often enough to give
the campaign enough of a difference to make it unique. Let’s look
at the class and race options for our two sample campaign settings:
“Emerald Skies”: Humans are uncommon in the setting – the
primary races are Elves, Half lings, and Bugbears (known in the
Emerald Skies setting as “Bairs”). As they are the default races,

No. 4 •    53
they can choose to be Fighting Men, Clerics, or Magic Users change the flavor of a campaign. For instance, let’s take a standard
as desired. Clerics typically worship deities of elemental Air, low level spellbook with read magic, charm person, magic missile,
and therefore favor ranged weapons such as bows and javelins. levitation, and web, and rename it two different ways. First, one for
Magic Users selfishly guard the secrets of the creation and use a Vancian, Dying Earth-style campaign: Roderic’s Runic Reveal,
of the great airships that ply the green skies between the massive Effulgent Compulsion of Yeu, the Searing Rays of Ferlizire, Gorgand’s
f loating islands of the setting. The few Humans that do make Upwards Fall, and the Sticking Strands of the Hairless Prince. Now
their way to the setting are special indeed, and can develop the same book again for a dark, Lovecraft-inspired campaign:
abilities in both fighting and magic use as do the Elves in more Libramus Vocii, Dictum Maleferius, Pyrocleian Surge, The Pact of
traditional settings. Aerothraxus, and Balii Arachneus Infernus.
“Thundarria”: Humans are the default race of Thundarria, and are Alternately, you could keep the basic names and effects of
pure-blooded. Mutant humans are represented by races such as orcs, the spells consistent, but modify exactly how they work or even
goblins, and ogres. They, and even pure-bred humans, roll on a look. To use our example spell book again, Read Magic could
chart to randomly determine what color they are: yellow, purple, cause magic runes to speak aloud the words they represent, charm
green, blue, red, white, etc. Fighting Men are the most common person could cause the recipient of the spell to take on the visage
class, and Clerics are not a class option, the gods having long since of the caster for the duration they are under the caster’s control,
deserted this world. Magic Users are known as “Psychic Warriors”: magic missile could be blasts of black and purple negative energy
they use the hit dice, experience, and spell progression of standard that leaves festering wounds, levitation could summon a weak air
Magic Users, but do not memorize spells or use components, and elemental that bodily lifts the caster into the air, and web could
can wear armor and use weapons as do Fighting Men. They “know” summon up humming strands of magnetic wire that entrap
one spell for each slot they can cast per day, gaining new ones as any armed or armored creature that passes within twenty feet.
they gain levels, and can draw from a limited list of “psychic” type “Emerald Skies”: All cleric spell titles are run through Google
spells like charm person, levitate, suggestion, etc. translate for Finnish, and all Magic User spells are loosely trans-
lated into Latin. At first, only the referee and the cleric, or the
referee and the magic user, will know what is going on when
Spells a player declares what spell he or she is casting; the other play-
Spells are often overlooked as a way to give campaigns more ers will only learn through experience the mysteries of these
individuality. Often, simply renaming the spells can completely secretive classes.

54   • No. 4
“Thundarria”: The “psychic” abilities are not known by their For instance, one common thing a lot of pulp-inf luenced
spell names, but rather by the effects as described by the Psychic referees try to change in their campaigns is the reliance on
Warrior’s player. For instance, the player will not cast charm heavy armor. The obvious thing to do would be to ban heavy
person, but declare, “you will obey my commands!” The player armor in your Pulp Sword & Sorcery or Pirates of the Main
will not cast levitate, but rather declare that his target “Arise!” campaign, but then you’re stuck with low AC characters, and
Suggestion could be “look into my eyes, and remember every you sink into a quagmire of rules, adjustments, bonuses, and
thing I say!” When using their psychic abilities, their eyes glow other counterintuitive means of giving characters the AC they
with green fire and sometimes spiraling, mystical designs of need to survive. An alternate means of adjusting the standard
energy f lare from their hands. armor tropes of your campaign setting (while maintaining the
AC status-quos the whole game system is built around) is to
simply take a standard list of armor like this:
Equipment None – AC9
•
The arms and armor presented in Swords & Wizardry is fairly
evocative of the default setting of the pseudo-medieval, western- • Leather – AC7
European analogue. Making some simple changes to this equip- • Chain Mail- AC5
ment list is another quick way to change the tone of a campaign Plate Mail – AC3
•
setting. While doing this, it’s important to keep in mind what
purpose the equipment is serving in the default setting, and that And simply rename it to suit your campaign. Don’t worry
your new equipment should fill the same roles despite the new about what medieval armor the Bone-and-Feather Shirt of your
“f lavor”. Doing this helps you avoid complicated rules adjust- Savage Jungle adventurer would be analogous to; just put it where
ments and focus on the fun stuff instead. For instance, there you want it in the AC range relative to what’s available in the
are low-damage light weapons accessible to most classes, and setting. If the Bone-and-Feather Shirt is the toughest armor in
high-damage heavy weapons that only the Fighting Man class the Savage Jungle, then it is AC3, the Snake-Skin Vest is AC
can use. This is an important part of the class-to-class balance, 5, etc. If the Iron Skull-Face Belt is the toughest armor in your
so try and make sure that your new or re-skinned weapons Thieves of Hyboria campaign, then the Iron Skull-Face Belt is
follow the same paradigm, or you may find yourself the victim AC3, the Chainmail Bikini is AC5, the elephant-hide loincloth
of a trickle down affect that has you making rule change after is AC7, and so on. This method allows the referee to offer the
rule change to accommodate your seemingly simple changes. full range of armor classes to the players without having to invent
a single rule to compensate for low ACs!
Similarly, you can take a list of weapons com-
mon in Swords & Wizardry like this:
• Two-handed Sword – 1d10
• Broadsword – 2d4
• Battle-axe – 1d8
• Spear – 1d6
• Warhammer – 1d4+1
• Dagger – 1d4
• And fill those same “weapon roles” with weap-
ons more appropriate to your setting. So your
Savage Jungle campaign might include some-
thing like:
• Choaclak – 1d10 (a staff studded with sharp
f lakes of obsidian)
• Benoklikoa – 2d4 (a club with sharp flint edges)
• Hakeesh – 1d8 (a spear with a two-foot bone
blade at each end)
• Mekklor – 1d6 (a club with a spiky kobold
skull on one end)
• Bakeesh – 1d4+1 (a light, bone-tipped javelin)
• Pakh – 1d4 (a sharpened antelope horn used
for ritual combat)

No. 4 •    55
 Simpler cosmetic changes can also be made, such as stating evil of course!). Hobgoblins may appear as normal humans in
that magically-tempered glass is used instead of iron for weapons, the daylight, but moonlight reveals their natural form – skeletal,
bows are fashioned from the petrified ribs of long-dead sky- rotting creatures of nightmare! Trolls could appear as tall beings
whales, morning stars are fashioned from the prickly burrs of with glinting, obsidian skin, ancient, knowing eyes, wide maws
Faerie vines, etc. Here are some arms and armor for the sample filled with gleaming boar-like tusks, and long blue hair that
campaign settings: writhes as if alive. Simple changes like these require no mech-
“Emerald Skies”: Characters in this campaign can choose from anical aptitude with RPG rules, and can completely change
different armors like the light, warm “f light leathers” (AC7), the players’ perceptions of exactly what is trying to kill them.
the thick, woolen coats of the Sky Marines (AC5), and the spiky, A third simple means to defy expectations is to add (or take
chitinous body-suits (AC3) made from the shells of the extinct, away) the iconic abilities of iconic creatures. Give trolls the poi-
insectoid race of Keldine, the bodies of which may still be found sonous scorpion tail of the wyvern. Turn Gelatinous Cubes into
on distant sky-isles. Common weaponry aboard the skyships Acidic Clouds. Give giant frogs a mouthful of paralytic tongues
includes the saber (1d8), hatchet (1d6), poniard (1d4+1), and fear- like the tentacles of a carrion crawler. Again, this requires little
some blunderbuss (2d6). Cool items like personal hang-gliders time and effort, and the grunt work of designing the rules is already
and helium-inf lated lifeboats may be found at large markets. done; all you have to do is mix and match to your heart’s content
(and your players’ dismay). If you have the time and the interest,
“Thundarria”: Thundarrian armors range from the Furry Loincloth combine all three tweaks to make entirely new creations: Cragools
with Brass Belt (AC6), to the Leather Vest with Shoulder Guards are regenerating trolls with glinting obsidian skin, etc, and the
(AC4), on up to the rare and priceless Combat Armor (AC2) of poisonous tails of wyverns. Simple and effective.
the lost Ancients. Weapons run the gamut from scrap metal knives
(1d4), to crossbow-like weapons that hurl razor-sharp metal disks “Emerald Skies”: A common pest in this setting are the “Peshwyrs”,
(1d6+1), to revolvers (2d4), to dazzling energy-swords (1d10). a sort of reptilian version of the f lying monkeys of Oz. They
Special gear like canned foods and medi-kits are also available. travel in locust-like swarms between the f loating islands and
pillage whatever they may. I adapt this monster from the Kobold,
and all I have to change is the movement and the description:
Monsters Peshwyrs
AC: 6/13
Few elements of an RPG can set the tone of a game as thoroughly Hit Dice: 1d4hp
as the monsters used. Hordes of zombies and werewolves invoke Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6)
the feel of late-night horror flicks, orc warbands led by foul wraiths Saving Throw: 18
evoke the heroic fantasy of Tolkien, black puddings, kuo-toa and Special: None
ochre jellies call to mind the insanity-inducing underworlds of Move: 12 (f ly)
Lovecraft’s nightmarish set-pieces. A simple way to set the desired Challenge Level / XP: A / 5XP
tone of your campaign is to give the monster section of your game-
book a quick once-over, and select a group of fifteen or twenty “Thundarria”: A terrible threat out in the radioactive swamps of
“iconic” monsters. For instance, giant bats may haunt the night Thundarria is the “Brain Terror”, a disgusting, pink, brain-like
skies over the cities of your campaign world, while displacer beasts monstrosity with tentacles that dissolve the flesh of its victims. For
lurk in the misty moors, and hordes of drow ravage the wilderness this monster I simply renamed the Black Pudding, and divided
just beyond civilized lands, ever searching for a weakness to exploit. its one attack for 3d8 damage into 3 attacks for 1d8 each, and
These “night-themed” creatures work together thematically as a replaced its dividing ability with immunity to mental attacks.
whole to give the setting a particular f lavor that could otherwise Brain Terror
take a long time to emerge in an “anything goes” setting. AC: 6/13
Similar to the treatment given spells above, it is also quite easy Hit Dice: 10
to make a few simple changes to the traditional monsters to make Attacks: 3 tentacles (1d8)
them into something new and unknown. Changing the names of Saving Throw: 5
several monsters can be a fun way to change expectations. Perhaps Special: Acidic surface, immune to cold, immune to mental
the orcs, hobgoblins, and trolls of your campaign are called jyres, attacks
crawgins, and cragools, for instance. Telling the players a fearsome Move: 6
cragool rears up out of the swamp can be a bit more intimidating Challenge Level / XP: 11 / 1700XP
to experienced players than simply calling it a troll, since they’ll
Enjoy changing it up!
have little or no experience to draw from when confronting the
creature. How long has it been since a party you ran neglected to
set a troll carcass on fire, thereby robbing you of the fun of sending
the regenerating arms of the creature against them? It’s unlikely
they’ll take the same precautions with a dead cragool.
Appearance is another fast way to alter the monsters of
your setting. Orcs can be wiry, eerily beautiful humanoids with
wine-red skin and hypnotic black eyes (though still irredeemably

56   • No. 4
Rolling Along:
Wheeled Magic Items
by Jim Bobb and Kimberly Nicholson

Square Wheel 19. (Ivory) Gains 1 wish.

When affixed to any vehicle (wagons, chariots, carts, etc) these 20. (Iron) Saving throw at -2 or die.
‘wheels’ will size to fit properly. Utterly useless on f lat land or
Usable by: All Classes.
roads, square wheels allow the craft and pulling creatures to
traverse uneven, broken terrain and sandy deserts as if they were Wheel of Teleportation
on a f lat, even road. Usable by: Wheeled craft only.
When affixed to any vehicle (wagons, chariots, carts, etc) this
Wheel of Buoyancy wheel will size to fit properly. Once per week, the wheel can
be used to teleport to a destination it has been to before. Usable
These rare wheels can be affixed to any wheeled vehicle —
by: Wheeled craft only.
wagons, chariots, carts, etc. and will size to the craft. When
faced with water over a depth of 3 ft, the craft and any creature Wheel of Disguise
pulling it will tread across the water as if it were solid ground.
Usable by: Wheeled craft only. When mounted onto a wheeled vehicle (wagons, chariots, carts,
etc), this wheel will size to fit properly and makes it appear to
Wheel of Fortunes look like any other type of wheeled vehicle of the same general
size, including changing the appearance of the pulling creature(s).
This wheel rests on a heavy bronze pedestal and has 20 colored
Usable by: Wheeled craft only.
wedges - 10 of white ivory and 10 of blackened iron. A character
can spin the wheel but once in their lifetime, with the following Spinning Wheel
permanent results (roll 1d20):
When commanded to do so, this spinning wheel can make
1. (Ivory) Gain 1d4 points to Prime Requisite. nearly any plant-based clothing material from common straw
2. (Iron) Lose 1d4 points to Prime Requisite (minimum score - twill, silk, cotton, denim and the like in quantities enough
of 3). to produce 5 man-sized outfits 1 day out of every seven. If the
3. (Ivory) Gain 5,000 gp. user is 9th level or greater, the spinning wheel will spin up to
1,000 gold pieces from straw, but only 1 out of every 30 days.
4. (Iron) Lose all coin-based wealth. Usable by: Any Class.
5. (Ivory) Gain a Medium Wonderous Item.
Wheel of the North
6. (Iron) Lose least valuable magic item.
Vehicles (wagons, chariots, carts, etc) mounted with one of
7. (Ivory) Gain 1d2 points to random ability score.
these cold-feeling wheels will gain no extraordinary benefits
8. (Iron) Lose 1d2 points to random ability score. from them in warm climates. When moving through snow and
9. (Ivory) Gain 1 Hit Dice of permanent hit points. across ice, the vehicle and pulling creature(s) suffers no move-
ment penalties or ill-effects for cold temperatures. Usable by:
10. (Iron) Lose 1 Hit Dice of permanent hit points. Wheeled craft only.
11. (Ivory) Healed of all damage.
12. (Iron) Struck blind and deaf (no saving throw).
Pinwheel of Luck
This seemingly-looking, colorful child’s toy can be of great benefit,
13. (Ivory) Coins on person double in number.
or cause great woe, to the user. Each day 1d3 is rolled, this is the
14. (Iron) All carried wealth vanishes. number of times per day it can be activated. If grasped and made
15. (Ivory) Gain 1d10 x 1,000 xp. to spin by waving it around childishly, the player rolls 1d6-3. The
result (which can be negative or zero) is applied to all of the charac-
16. (Iron) Lose 1d10 x 1,000 xp. ter’s die rolls for the next turn. Usable by: Any Class.
17. (Ivory) Gains Giant Strength for 24 hours.
18. (Iron) Weakened (1/2 weight carried possible and damage
halved) for 24 hours.

No. 4 •    57
Weird Weather and
other Unexplainable
Phenomena
Contributing authors: Joe Hartleb, John Larrey, and Jason Sholtis

E
very once in a while, the referee needs to use an event 4. Cirrus the Watchdog: Clouds form the shape of giant watch
that’s truly out of the ordinary. It isn’t always easy to come dog, warning against grave dangers ahead with echoing barks.
up with bizarre events on the f ly, so this article offers a When impetuous players forge onward despite this display,
set of idea-seeds to help out. The weirdness is presented without Cirrus whimpers mournfully before becoming dissolute.
the clutter of “ordinary” events - when you need one of these
5. Celestial Cyclopes: Rising up from a thunderhead, the
events, you’ll know it. These happenings (as you’ll quickly see
shapes of two gigantic Cyclopes descend from the heavens
when you read them) will freak out players. Which is sometimes
and make straight for the adventurers, slamming their
exactly what you need.
immaterial war hammers onto them before disappearing
into the ether. Characters are stunned, but unharmed.
Ill Omens(roll 1d6)
6. Black Hole of Smoke: From the heavens a dark ring descends
When the players need a serious warning…
upon the adventurers, enveloping them in a lightless bank
1. Clouds of Accusation: Storm clouds gather themselves into of smoke, hampering visibility as a darkness spell and requir-
a colossal hand that points accusingly at the adventures ing them to make a saving throw or suffer uncontrollable
before quickly dissipating into nothingness. coughing fits for 1d6 turns at which time the cloud dis-
2. The Moon Cracks: A low rumble of indeterminate origin sipates, echoing with sinister laughter.
precedes the appearance of a large, slowly widening fissure
on the visible surface of the full moon. Magically enhanced Tidings of Good fortune (roll 1d6)
observation reveals the surface of the moon teeming with
When things are going splendidly, and the players deserve
monsters who pour from the crack.
kudos of a spectacular nature. Or when you want to create
3. The Fog of Pursuit: A strange bank of fog moves inexorably false confidence…
towards the player characters until it envelopes them in its
1. Gale of Prophetic Mutterings: The howls of powerful winds
unpleasantly moist embrace (obscuring vision somewhat,
seem to contain murmuring voices speaking many languages,
but no ill effects otherwise) until successfully evaded or
some recognizable, others eerily incomprehensible. Attentive
somehow destroyed.
listening yields a message that bolsters players’ aims.
2. Morning of 1000 Rainbows: When the sun rises it reveals
a spectacular vista: countless rainbows arc across the sky,
crossing over one another in many-hued splendor.
3. Golden Sun: For a moment it appears the sun itself drips
golden coins into the sky below.
4. Warm Front: Beautiful weather suddenly rolls in and the
adventurers begin to hear plants and animals conversing.
There is a 50% chance of an adorable woodland creature
(squirrel, rabbit, titmouse, mole, etc.) permanently befriend-
ing one of the player characters.
5. Chorus of the Four Winds: Howling winds coalesce into a
rousing fanfare of trumpet blasts, announcing the adven-
turing party’s arrival at their destination.
6. Approbation of the Sky Gods: Leaving behind a trail of
tumultuous f lame, a titanic figure, resplendent in glis-
tening golden mail, careens across the sky in a mighty
58   • No. 4
 dragon-drawn chariot. The being nods his colossal head the tempest discover to their horror that the strange rain
in respect before disappearing over the horizon. causes their horded precious metals to dissolve through
their sacks, irretrievably disappearing into the ground.
Vengeance from Beyond (roll 1d12) 11. Hurricane of Death: A black cloud shaped like a skull mani-
Gods don’t like it when their temples are sacked. fests in the sky and emits crackling bolts of lightning from its
eyes (as a wand of lightning bolts) down upon the adventurers.
1. Razor Hail: A punishing volley of small knife-like hailstones
assails the party, who accumulate 1hp of damage per turn 12. Sandstorm of Annihilation: It is visible from miles away, a
until they affect a shelter of some kind. dark wall of wind-borne sand moving toward the adventur-
ers at unbelievable speed and howling with preternatural
2. Malevolent Fog: A hideous green fog rolls in, plants wilt curses of vengeance in an unmistakable language. Unless
and animals f lee as it blankets the area. Due to the fog’s some extremely sturdy form of shelter can be accessed, all
toxic nature those who fail their saving throw suffer a men, creatures, and property will be utterly destroyed by
temporary (1d4-1 days) loss of 1 point of constitution. the maelstrom.
3. Tornado of Unbidden Transportation: Players find their char-
acters sucked skyward and roughly deposited in a random Favor of the Gods (roll 1d8)
location 1d4-1 miles away (or they could wake up in Oz,
if the referee has taken leave of his senses). Blessings from the cosmos for those who take up arms and spell-
books in the name of justice.
4. Morphine Drip: A light rain or drizzle acts as a contact
poison, drugging characters who fail their saving throw. 1. Cleansing Rain: A well-timed downpour on a cloudless
Effected characters pass out for 1d4+2 turns (or hours or day acts as a cure disease spell on all exposed.
days, dependent upon referee disposition). 2. Dew of Healing: Leaves and grasses glisten with exceptionally
5. Earth Creep: Rock and soil (and everything attached) shift heavy dew the morning after some pitched melee. Curious
position abruptly, changing the direction of roads and trails, characters notice a faint glow emanating from the sweet smell-
transplanting familiar landmarks, and creating conditions that ing fluid. An hour spent licking the underbrush (or otherwise
drastically increase the chances of becoming lost in the wild. collecting the dew) yields 1d6+1 hit points in magical healing.
The dew evaporates as soon as the sun has fully risen.
6. Abysmal Zone: Characters descending into a trench, ravine,
or chasm of some kind find that the area magically blocks 3. Magnetic Zone: A large dome shaped area, shimmering
out light (including light spells) and rapidly increases in air with multi-colored radiance like a polar aurora, bestows a
pressure and gravity, as if it were deep underwater. Weight +1 magic bonus lasting 1d6+3 days to any weapon brought
load increases if characters attempt to move through the within. After one such use (per adventurer) the dome
zone. Adventurers must make a Strength check (-1 every crackles then vanishes, never to be seen again.
twenty feet) each turn to avoid collapsing and being trapped 4. Rainbow Connection: A rainbow acts as a beacon for lost char-
under their own weight until rescued or they suffocate. acters, allowing them to return to familiar territory if they
7. Ultra Violent Light: For a terrible instant the sun turns vio- guide themselves by its path. The rainbow terminates in an
let! It’s altered rays temporarily excite the latent homicidal enchanted cauldron that restores, mends, and recharges (1d10+4
instincts of those exposed. Henchmen and hirelings attack charges) magic items, weapons, or armor placed within.
their employers and adventurers must make saving throws 5. Fog Transfusion: A pleasant smelling fog descends from
to avoid engaging one another in mortal combat. After 1d6 above that cures diseases, neutralizes poisons, and lifts
rounds the sun pulses momentarily with azure radiation, curses on any who breathe in its fumes.
restoring the effected to normal. 6. Bracing Blizzard: The mountain gods reward the faithful (or
8. Muddy Waters: Adventurers will surely sing the blues when an those who otherwise serve their aims) with an invigorating
unexpected sinkhole of reeking mire opens up before them. snow squall that imbues fortitude as a strength spell when
Continuing through the muck pit will allow the unnatural melted on characters’ skin.
slough to seep into the characters’ systems with to horrifying 7. Liquid Crystal Display: Caught in a sparkling mist, a shining
effect: after an hour any non-living object touched will turn accumulation slowly develops on the adventures’ clothing
to mud, requiring a remove curse spell to negate. and armor. Exposure for 10 minutes creates a crystallized
9. Slick Sleet: As the adventurers surmount a challenging layer of magic on the garments that enhances armor class
peak (or some other precarious situation) coal black clouds by a factor of 1d4. After 25 total points of damage to the
send down sheets of befouled half-frozen rain. The melting character, this protection is lost.
liquid is twice as slippery as oil, requiring characters to save 8. Lunar Lucre: Enchanted rays from a lunar eclipse cause all
or lose their footing and making normal travel impossible the gold in the area to brightly glow until the moon is once
until some means of escape is effected. again fully visible. Fiscally-minded players who perform
10. Crashing Downpour of Penury: A horrendous storm impedes an audit of their purses find whatever personal wealth they
travel (movement decreased by 75%). Characters caught in carry to have mysteriously increased by 10%.

No. 4 •    59
Miscellaneous Wonders 5. Freaky Lightning: A nearby lightning strike charges the
and Perils (roll 1d8) ground and the characters with eldritch electricity, causing
a “Freaky Friday” effect. Players pass their character sheets
Reminders of the fundamentally baff ling nature of magic in clockwise and play their original character (and class) in the
fantasy worlds. body of the character they’ve received. The effect wears
1. Razzle Dazzle: Hundreds of harmless glowing phosphorus off after 24 confusion-fraught hours.
jellyfish-like creatures dance in the air nearby, putting on 6. Somniferous Snowfall: A light snow begins to fall, gradually
a hypnotic lightshow. Save or be enthralled for 1d4 hours, increasing in intensity. The characters become more and
unless roused by unaffected cohorts. more fatigued as time goes by until they fall into a state
2. A New River: The sound of huge volumes of gushing water of hibernation (1d6 months) if they fail to find or make
foreshadows the sudden advent of a river in the throes of shelter within an hour. Hibernating characters lose 10%
its creation, carving a path through previously arid terrain. of their body weight and 2 points of Strength. With suf-
The gods must be crazy. ficient food, these effects can be reversed in 1d3 days. To
the characters’ surprise, upon recovery they do not require
3. Time Sharing: Vague images in the clouds transform into vivid
sleep for the next four weeks.
visions from the characters’ past, present, and future. Only a
saving throw can prevent observers from becoming enraptured 7. Frost Hollow: A secluded frost-covered area in an otherwise
for 1d6 hours. The spurious nature of the visions temporar- temperate zone hinders travel by 50%. Metal Items are too
ily impede the thought processes, reducing the observers’ cold to hold in bare hands, fire-based spells work only 50%
Intelligence score by 1d2 points for the rest of the day. of the time, doing 50% normal damage.
4. Strobe Weather: In a bewildering cascade, characters expe- 8. Sudden Glacial Intrusion: Presaged by days of increasingly
rience the following in rapid succession: momentary snow loud sounds of tearing earth and wrenching stone and
squalls, driving rain, blast-furnace heat from a raging sun, accompanied by a precipitous drop in temperature, a vast
stultifying humidity, instantly freezing sleet, choking fog, wall of ice appears on the horizon. With a speed that could
impenetrable haze, deafening thunder, punishing winds, and only be supernatural, the mile-high glacier tears a great
lightning of every variety, repeating over and again until swath in the wilderness, bisecting the route planned by
the referee has satisfied his mean streak and/or the players the adventurers. Characters with exceptional vision can
are suitably impressed with their own fragility. There are barely make out the uncanny shapes of giant beings atop
no game effects save for a sharp up-tick in PC paranoia. the ice f loe, and can only guess as to their connection to
the phenomena.

Review:
The Dungeon Alphabet
An A-to-Z Reference for Classic an expanded version of the original blog posts was published
Dungeon Design in Knockspell #1 (Spring 2009).
The content in The Dungeon Alphabet is presented as an
Written by Michael Curtis A-to-Z listing of dungeon “ingredients” that the game master
Introduction by David “Zeb” Cook can use for inspiration: A is for Altars, D is for Doors, L is for
Cover art by Erol Otus Levers, T is for traps, etc. Michael has expanded the content for
Interior art by Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Doug Kovacs, William McAusland, each entry in this edition of The Dungeon Alphabet by adding
Brad McDevitt, Jesse Mohn, Peter Mullen, Erol Otus, Stefan Poag, Jim tables, with each offering a series of random exemplars, such as
Roslof, Chad Sergesketter, Chuck Whelon, Mike Wilson #4 for Inscriptions:
Published by Goodman Games
48 page hardcover, color cover, black and white interior, $19.99 Helpful directions written in a common tongue. These
directions could warn of an upcoming trap, point the way
Reviewed by Allan T. Grohe Jr. (grodog) to the nearest exit, or provide clues to a hidden treasure.
There is a 20% chance that these directions are actually

T
he Dungeon Alphabet is Michael Curtis’ compendium intended to lure adventurers into danger, rather than help.
of dungeon design inspirations and advice. Michael The tables are a nice touch, and push The Dungeon Alphabet
originally wrote the content during the first week of book out of the category of a game master’s advice product, and
November in 2008, for his excellent blog, “The Society of move it more-solidly into the game master’s aid category: I can
Torch, Pole and Rope” at http://poleandrope.blogspot.com/, and easily imagine using the tables while improvising during a game

60   • No. 4
session, for example, as well as while sitting down and keying the the layout works nicely. Several pieces of artwork were reused
level. The tables are not as exhaustive as those in Scot Hoover’s in the book, generally in facing pages (mirror image borders,
Classic Dungeon Designer’s Notebook #4: Old School Encounters or a section excerpted from a larger picture, for example), but
Reference or as in AEG’s Toolbox books, but the A-to-Z entries their use as accents was generally well-done. I would have liked
are broader in scope and more useful as inspirational references to read a short bio on Michael (which could have plugged his
(vs. for just lifting a specific entry for use in a game). blog as well, which oddly wasn’t mentioned in the book at all),
The artwork in The Dungeon Alphabet ranges in quality from as well as from each of the artists. A credits listing by page for
average to excellent pieces. While art from many TSR artists each artist would also have been appreciated — I didn’t recognize
grace its pages, the contemporary old school artists also hold all of the artists’ styles. I found a few minor editing mistakes as
their own nicely. My favorite pieces of art include Doug Kovacs’ well, but none of these minor nits detract from the fact that The
two-scene pieces across pages 25-26 and 40-41 (they also appear Dungeon Alphabet is a very-well put together book.
to have been drawn in 1982 and 1983!), Peter Mullen’s various The Dungeon Alphabet is also one of the first old school
dungeon cut-away views, and Erol Otus’ A is for Altar piece, blogosphere products to appear in retail hobby shops, and at the
and his front cover as well. Several of the pieces feature recur- $9.99 price it’s a steal — the original price was going to be $20,
ring characters in vignettes similar in spirit to Dave Sutherland’s but through some unknown dark arts, Goodman was able to
“Appendix A” illustrations from the Dungeon Masters Guide (most cut the price in half and to pass that savings along to the read-
notably Jim Roslof ’s pieces, which feature the same extended ers! I was already willing to pay $20 for the book (which would
party of PCs throughout the book). Peter Bradley laid out The put it in the same ballpark as a hardcover children’s book), but
Dungeon Alphabet, and other than a few minor errors (some table reducing the price makes The Dungeon Alphabet a “must buy”
rows lost their alternate row shadings, and at least one piece of if you’re at all interested in mega-dungeons and their sometime
artwork was published with resizing comments on the page), surreal and esoteric contents.

Weapon Generator
Use the die results to create a map with each result providing a landmark, obstacle, or destination on the map. The Treasure is
always located in Hex 1 (“X” marks the spot.) Distances between results can be determined any way you choose. If the d10 roll is
1-5, fill Hex 6, if the result is 6-10 fill Hex 7. One of them will be blank or you can use the same result for both. Determine which
direction is north using the d6 result and the numbered blue dots.
J.R. Cone 2009

Die d4 d6 d8 d10 d12 d20

Nature Type Stats To Hit Bonus Damage Bonus Effect
1 Cursed (d6, d8, d10–6) Missile d10, d12 -3 Extra Attack Vorpal
2 Normal (d6 only) Polearm d12 -2 Auto Win Initiative Vampiric
3 Blessed (d6, d8, d10) Edged d10 -1 Reroll 1s & 2s Casts Spell X3 day
4 Enchanted (All) Crushing d20 +1 Reroll 1s Casts Spell X2 day
5 Spear d10 +1 +1 damage Casts Spell X1 day
6 Sword d12, d20 +1 +2 damage Teleports Wielder
7 d10, d12 +2 +3 damage Fire
8 d10, d12, d20 +2 +4 damage Ice
9 +2 +5 damage Emits Light
10 +3 +1 die size Emits Warning
11 2 dice, keep high Vs. Species
12 Double Dice Vs. Element
13 Vs. Undead
14 Vs. Dragons
15
16 No Fumbles
17 Returns to Hand
18 Communicates
19 Empathic
20 Intelligent

No. 4 •    61
New Magic Items • Wind Armor: +1 armor that is surrounded by constant
breezes. These winds penalize missile attacks against the
by James Bobb wearer by -2. In addition to this, the armor grants its wearer
the ability to form a whirlwind as a Djinn once each day.
Amulet of Recovery: The wearer of this amulet heals damage at
Useful Items twice the normal rate while resting. In addition, once per week,
Dwarven Plate Armor: Well-built plate armor only sized for a the wearer of this amulet will automatically stabilize if brought
dwarf (even if magical). Weighs 50% greater than Plate Armor, to below 0 hit points. Usable by: All Classes.
but negates 1 point of damage from each hit in combat. Roll Armbands of Healing: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to the result
1d8-4 for armor’s magical bonus (minimum of 0). of any healing spells he casts. The wearer can cast cure light
Elemental Armor: These armors are all tied to a type of element wounds thrice per day as well. Usable by: All Classes
and grant an ability to their wearer and protect from certain
types of damage. 1 in 6 chance of each type:
• Fiery Armor: +1 armor that is surrounded by f lames. Cursed Items
These f lames deal 1d6 fire damage to melee attackers that Boots of Stomping: These boots seem to be elven boots, until the
successfully strike the wearer. In addition to this, the armor wearer tries to move quietly. At that point, every step he takes
grants its wearer the same protection as a Resist Cold spell. thereafter sounds as loud as an ogre’s tromp.
• Frost Armor: +1 armor that is covered with icy spikes. Bracers of Defenselessness: These bracers appear to be Bracers of
These spikes deal 1d6 cold damage to melee attackers that Defense AC 2[17]. When the wearer is struck in combat, they reveal
successfully strike the wearer. In addition to this, the armor their curse - AC drops to 9[10] regardless of protections worn.
grants its wearer the same protection as a Resist Fire spell.
• Stone Armor: +1 armor that has a rock-like texture. This
armor reduces damage from melee and missile attacks by
1 point per die of damage. In addition to this, the armor
grants its wearer the ability to form a Passwall spell-like
effect once per day.
• Storm Armor: +1 armor that is electrically charged. This
charge deals 1d6 lightning damage to melee attackers that
successfully strike the wearer. In addition to this, the armor
grants its wearer the same protection as a Protection from
Lightning spell.
• Watery Armor: +1 armor that always appears wet. This
armor allows the wearer to function underwater as easily
as on land. In addition to this, the armor grants its wearer
the ability to breathe underwater.

Dancing Boots: These boots function as boots of speed, until

the wearer is in combat. Suddenly at that point he will
begin to dance a mad jig for 1d4+1 rounds, unable to fight.
Gauntlets of Gracefulness: These gauntlets seem to be
Gauntlets of Dexterity. When placed on the hands, the
wearer’s Dexterity drops to 3 and he has a 50% chance of
dropping whatever he is holding each round while in combat.
Gem of Flaws: This gem appears to be a highly valuable gem-
stone of a random type. When placed with other gems and
jewelry, after 1 hour it turns all of them to worthless dust.
Jewelry of Attacks: While worn, this necklace or ring doubles
the chance for random encounters.
62   • No. 4
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No. 4 •    63
About the Authors Goodman author Harley Stroh as they converted two other DCCs to AD&D, wrote a
“On the Long Island, followers of the madman and prophet, Michael Curtis, gather bridging adventure, and released Goodman’s 2007 Gen Con Special Release Saga
on moonlit nights to read from the holy text. This codex is composed of the many of the Witch Queen. In early 2009, Jon and long-time Greyhawk fan Allan “Grodog”
articles he has written for Knockspell and Fight On!, passages from his blog, “The Grohe teamed up to form a new publishing company, Black Blade Publishing, to
Society of Torch, Pole and Rope”, and excepts from his books, Stonehell Dungeon: release adventures and other gaming products for First Edition AD&D and the other
Down Night-Haunted Halls and The Dungeon Alphabet. In times of danger, his tem- early editions of D&D as well as their modern simulacra such as OSRIC, Labyrinth
ples become infested with guinea pigs that portend calamity.” (13.11) Lord, and Swords & Wizardry.

Allan Grohe is known online as grodog, where he publishes a website featuring Scot Hoover is best known on the Internet as “Kellri.” He has published several free
Greyhawk D&D content, as well as his non-gaming writing (poetry, personal netbooks for OSRIC/1E, which are absolutely state-of-the-art. Knockspell
essays, and literary scholarship), and the usual fan ephemera. Allan co-founded Magazine highly recommends that every referee take a look at them!
Black Blade Publishing in 2009 with Jon Hershberger. He lives in Wichita, Kansas,
Al Krombach, often known as “TheRavyn,” is the author behind the well-known
with his wonderful wife Heather, their games-playing boys Ethan and Henry, and
“Beyond the Black Gate” blog, which can be found at www.beyondtheblackgate.
their cats Percy and Jasper.
blogspot.com.
Jon Hershberger began playing D&D in the late 1970’s and received a shiny new
Gabor Lux is a Junior Research Fellow at Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre
set of AD&D hardbacks for his birthday in 1980. He began DMing in earnest about
for Regional Studies. His interests include industrial transformation in Central
a year later, launching his first campaign with twelve of his closest high school
Europe, with an emphasis on Old Industrial Regions; development and industrial
friends sitting around his parent’s dining room table. In 2006, Jon worked with
policies as well as urban studies. He lives in Pécs, Hungary.
Goodman Games to convert one of their Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) from D&D
3.5 to AD&D and a special Gen Con release of The Iron Crypt of the Heretics was John Stater is a commercial real estate researcher in Las Vegas, NV. He’s currently
produced for fans of the early editions. The following year, Jon teamed up with sweating out the recession with his wife, daughter and six loyal players.

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2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses
that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix shall survive the termination of this License.
such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall
from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan
terms of this License. Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce
R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors Gygax and Dave Arneson.
grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch
License to Use, the Open Game Content. From Kuroth’s Quill #4, copyright Allan T. Grohe
Knockspell Magazine Issue #4, copyright 2009, Matthew J. Finch
END OF LICENSE

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