Dragon #52, Wracking Pains

Dragon #52 hits us right off the bat with a great cover by Boris  Vallejo. I have always appreciated his art as he is after all one  of the most iconic fantasy artist of all times. Most of his work  has never inspired my imagination like the one of this cover. The  cover just lays the groundwork though.

Looking through these old issues are really often bittersweet. It  is nice to relive some of the memories but then it hits home that  it may never be this good again. It is possible that in 30 years  someone the age I am now will be saying the same things I am now  but just like comics and TV sometimes the best stuff will most  often always be the older stuff.

The first article in the magazine is one dealing with clerics. It  is actually a set of three related article written by two  different authors. The three articles drive home to me how much  clerics often become divine magic users more than agents of their  deities. Played right a cleric should not be wandering dungeons  with nonbelievers unless it directly serves the agenda of their  church. Even then they should be trying to convert or at the  worst admonishing those who do not believe.

The next article is by none other than J. Eric Holmes who is  discussing the basic set of his creation as well as that of Tom  Moldvay. The article is broken up though by another article which  I would normally hate except in this case it is commentary by Tom  Moldvay. These two articles alone make the magazine one to own.  If it has not been done I think gaming companies should scour the  older publications for insight into games design like this and  make it part of a company manual.

The next offering may be one of the articles I used most while I  was running a campaign set in Greyhawk. It is Leomund's Tiny Hut,  written by Lenard Lakofka, it is one of the regular columns in  the magazine. This topic is birth tables for the world of  Greyhawk. It starts with the tables for human characters along  with possible alignments from each location. It then provides a  table and sub-table for demihumans with the primary table being  what be considered demi-human lands and the sub-table being the  possible locations where demi-humans might also be born. It then goes over the languages that might be spoken by  inhabitants of each realm in an exhaustive manner. It then ends with an appendix by Gary  Gygax concerning the human racial types in Greyhawk. Just a whole  level up of awesomeness here!

The next article deals with undercover jobs. The information on  salaries will be dated as it was written thirty years ago. It is funny to see those numbers though and how the levels for each  profession have shifted some. The item that is still useful is  that it rates each profession as far as their travel potential.  This plays a role in what profession they may want to be hidden  in. How may conferences can a elementary school teacher really  play off that they are going to.

Next is the cover story article on Boris. This is a nice read  but as I said earlier he has never been a favorite of mine and I  bought these magazines way back when for gaming purposes. Not a  selling point for me but it might be for some.

The next article was one of my favorite parts of issues from  Dragon from that era. It is the Giants In the Earth series. This  one deals with island enchanters. The two topics of this offering  are Prospero and Circe. I had not noticed until writing this that  the author for this is Katherine Kerr who has gone on to write a  number of well received fantasy series.

Next is a short Gamma World scenario called Cavern of the Sub-Train. It is intended for beginning to intermediate level players  and deals with them exploring a recently discovered subway  system. I do not think that I ever ran this and I for the life of  me can't imagine why. I will have to remember this if I ever get  a chance to run 1e Gamma World again.

Following another regular column, the Dragon's Bestiary, we are  presented with an article on the history of siege warfare. I  recall as a teen that this was most likely my first real exposure to this type of information. We discussed sieges in history  classes but never with the detail on what was involved just that  it happened.

We are next presented with an article that was in response to a  readers letter from an earlier issue. I wonder how many letters  were sent in as a result of just announcing that. I have spoken  ill of prestige classes many times so I hate bringing up these  but the article presents three variants of bounty hunters. One is  a merger of rangers and assassins. The second  is a hybrid ranger  and thief class and the latter is a subclass of fighter. I prefer  the middle offering but feel like a hypocrite in even saying  that. I did roll one up as a player at one time I think :(

There are a number of other normal offerings in the magazine that  I won't write about. I do want to mention the Minarian Legends  though. This series has to be on of the most overlooked gems from  that time period. It takes the world from the Divine Right games  and expands it in such a way that it could be used as a campaign  setting. Something I still might get around to doing sometime.

Note: Missed yesterday due to an Internet outage. Actually it was  cable, phone and Internet. The story about not putting all your  eggs into one basket came to mind often yesterday!


Spell:

Wracking Pains

Level: Third
Range: 9"
Duration: 6 Rounds
Area of Effect: One Creature
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 3 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

This spell allows the magic user to cause a series of increasing  pains to occur in the target creature. The spell will cause  increasing levels of damage as well as hinder the target.

The spell will start by doing 1s4 for the initial round of the  spell. The creature will be entitled to a saving throw and if  made they will suffer half damage rounded up. The spell will  cause a progression in the possible damage by one dice type each  round (d6, d8, d10,d12 & d20). The target is entitled to a save  each round to halve the damage.

In addition to the damage the spell will hinder any actions that  the target creature may be attempting. The saving throw made each  round for damage will determine how the creature is affected. For  each round after the first if the save is made the creature will  suffer a -2 to all to hit, damage and saving throw rolls. They  will also suffer a +2 to their effective armor class. If the save  is failed then it becomes a -4 to all rolls but the +2 will  remain the same. The spell will not prevent any actions just make  them less effective or harder to accomplish.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Dragon #184, Zephyr

There are covers of Dragon Magazine that stick out in my mind.  Most of these are for positive reasons either because they are  that good or they spur imagination. This one is one of those few  ones that stick out for another reason. It is in no way a bad  piece of art it is just so different than any other I can recall.  I have also always thought that the patron looked a bit like Jack  Nicholson.

I saw this last night while flipping through some scans and  decided I would write about another magazine. I try to limit  these. It was odd that this was the one I found because there has  been some recent talk on villains and not so long ago about being  a good GM. This issue has articles on both of these topics as  well as a few others.

The issues first article is "Courts and Courtiers" and it deals  with NPCs for royal courts. It provides a list of possible unique  personalities that one might find in the court. It also suggests  using the "Foils" article in Dragon #136 which I will have to check out.  It then provides a random chart for court activities and a rather  extensive list of expert hirelings that could be connected with  the court as well as their costs. If you game involved nobles in  any way this will be information to check out.

The next article deals with giving the evil NPCs an even break.  There are some great tips here to make even the most basic of bad  guys more challenging for a party. It focuses on spell casters  but then who doesn't include an evil magic user or cleric in a  dungeon now and then. Most of the spells are low level and in  some cases involve turning tricks players use back upon  themselves which I have always been a favor of. I always told  players if you can have or do it then the bad guys can as well.

The next article was one that really struck a cord with me. I  hate the fact that in many sessions I have played in even the  important NPCs end up being nothing more that stat blocks. The  most memorable events in my gaming history are where there was  role and roll playing involved. It puts for the idea of the seven  sentence NPC. I am going to sue this for every NPC I need to  create from now on. The DM should write a single sentence  describing NPC for each of the seven topics. I will list the  seven topics below which I hope does not violate copyright. I  will quote one of the samples they provide as well.

Occupation & History
Physical Description
Attributes & Skills
Values & Motivations
Interaction With Others
Useful Knowledge
Distinguishing Features

"Baron "Wardog" Muckdigger is the lord of a small land holding in  east Sembia, of which he is the seventh heir. He is a short man,  clean shaven with a very upright posture. Wardog is a 9th-level  fighter famous for his incredible stamina (Con 18) and his  leadership abilities (Cha 15), as well as his alleged ability at  musical composition (his works are described as being more like  the sounds of war than actual music). Beside composing music, the  baron's greatest love is war, and he will use almost any excuse  to take up arms against anyone he thinks might prove an  interesting adversary. The baron has a rather blunt and direct  way of dealing with people, but mixes it with enough charm to avoid being abusive. He knows a lot about military tactics,  different military organizations and how to defeat them, but  virtually nothing about the back-room politics in Sembia (or  music, for that matter). The baron always talks in a loud voice  with his head stuck right in your face, so you can smell the  heavy garlic on his breath."

The next article deals with villains, as opposed to simple NPCs,  in your campaign. The article calls them reoccurring NPCs but what  is a villain but that. The "good" villain is the one that though  perhaps thwarted finds a way to escape and return again. They  will also need to be fleshed out being something more than a stat  block. Using the Seven Sentence platform above would be a great  start but perhaps make it a paragraph on each. It is also  possible that what starts out as a NPC will become the villain  through happenstance. The villain does not even need to be one  that the party is trying to kill but one that has motivations  opposed to that of the party or one of the players. The article  does a much better job than me in describing this and I think any  DM should give it a read.

The last article of note in the magazine was "The Referee's Code  of Honor". It deals with some rules that will help with the  relationship between the DM and the players. This will help make  the DM and the campaign better. Some of the rules I might tweak  but then maybe I am not as good a DM as I think I am. Below are  those rules but if you are a DM give the full article a read.

1) Always treat your players with respect.
2) Never take a character away from a player.
3) Don't take on more than you can handle.
4) Be reliable outside the game.
5) Make the game fun for the players and yourself.
6) Take pride in your work and also in the group.

The rest of the magazine is full of normal features and a piece  of fiction. There were also a high volume of advertisements in  the magazine. I have put forth that there was a decline in the  overall quality of Dragon over time. This one hit on some high notes but the ads occupy more space than the articles or seem to  at least. In the end this is an issue to own for the articles I  describe. It can be picked up for a few bucks or perhaps less if  bought in a lot so give it a look over.


Spell:

Zephyr

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: One Day
Area of Effect: 1 Target/Level
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Rounds
Saving Throw: None

With this spell the magic user allows for a greatly increased  movement rate. The spell is intended to used outdoors though  there might be some instances where it would work in a  subterranean environment.

The spell will allow the targets to travel at a speed that will  allow them to travel a distance that would take them a week in  just one day. The distance traveled will be lessened if there are  any delays or obstacles that take more than a few rounds along  the way. The spell will also eliminate the chance for random  encounters as the speed being traveled out will make encounters  unlikely.

The spell can target both those on foot and those mounted. The  caster can mix these as desired though the travel rate for each  target is based individually on their normal travel rate. The  spell will not allow the use of wheeled transports as the  vehicles will not be affected by the magic and will not hold up.  This spell can be cast in an aquatic environment as well as on  land.

The use of this spell is limited though as it puts a serious  strain on the target. After use of this spell the target must  rest two full days before it can be used again. If used mounted  there is nothing to prevent the use of fresh mounts though.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Dragon #359, Cassandra's Smoke Screen

September 2007 marked the end of an era for me in my gaming life. One of the  things I connected most with gaming ended. There will be people that say it  did not end as it is still published electronically but to me it ended. A  digital magazine is not the same. I prefer hard copy gaming material to a PDF  copy. The only PDF material I have ever bought were the Dragon Magazine and White Dwarf archives and copies of the RPGA  modules through Pazio a few years, or more, back.

Dragon 359 is what I am referring to as you already know. For the last five  or six years of its existence I had subscribed to the magazine, and before  that I made pilgrimage to either the FLGS or Borders, even though I had not  played any of the version of the game it was supporting at that time. I still  opened up every issue and at least skimmed every article though many I still  read in full. There is always something you can take from almost anything is  the way I try and look at it.

The issue was very much a serious let down. I am harsh with goodbyes and last  issues/episodes of anything. I want them to be full of things that will  remind me of the good times and both make me sad to see them go but feel good  about it at the same time. The final episodes of MASH and Babylon 5 come to  mind as good examples of this. Issue 359 of the Dragon was not. In the end  the best thing about it ended up being the Dork Tower strip but I love the line "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

The only other redeeming parts of the issue were the cover art...thank you  Mr. Elmore though I did not really see it as all that much of a tribute to  the first issues cover. The next is the article "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D"  which was moderately reflective. Lastly was the Top Ten issues of Dragon  Magazine. I include the list only because it really let me know that it was  time for the publication to go. Below is the list of issues as they ranked  them:

1) #75
2) #76
3) #318
4) #336
5) #3
6) #72
7) #127
8) #315
9) #298
10) #116

I won't make commentary on this other than that they got two issues in the  list that deserved to be and close to where they should. To have three issues  in the 300s is just not right. Goodbye Dragon Magazine you had a great run and me from 50 to 359 which is longer than anything else other than the game  that started you.


Spell:

Cassandra's Smoke Screen

Level: Third
Range: 9"
Duration: 5 Rounds + 1 Rounds/Level
Ares of Effect: 1" Sphere/Level
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast the magic user causes a stationary field of smoke to  come into existence. The field will be centered at the point they specify  during casting. The field is composed of a smoke that is not physically  harmful in and of itself to those caught in it.

Beings caught in the field can not be detected by normal vision nor with  infravision or ultravision work. Those inside will not be able to see via  those methods either. Those in the field will be basically bind not being  able to see past one actual inch.

Those trying to move in the field will have a 16% or 25% chance, the actual  number is based on the sue of squares or hexes for mapping, of moving in the  right direction. For each turn moved the DM should roll a d4/D6 and on a one  the victim moves in the right direction. While in the field in addition to  the disorientation effect movement rates are halved.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Dragon #285, Sound Manipulation

The last Dragon Magazine review I did pointed out that I though that the  quality of the magazine had slipped considerably. The issue that I am going  to discuss here shows that there has been improvement though it is still  much a it or miss offering.

I grabbed this one because I have always been a fan of halflings. My primary  character over all of the years I have been gaming has been a halfling thief.  This issue focused on halflings so why not. Plus a map of Hommlet and stuff  for the Temple of Elemental Evil...how could I go wrong. Sometime I am going  to need to learn how not to ask that question.

The cover features Lidda who is the poster child for thieves in third  edition. The art is done by Larry Elmore and I have always liked his work.  This makes her look a little bit "mature" than I picture halflings but it is  a spin I could learn to like. In the editor section they go back and forth  between mocking the shorter races and pointing out positive halflings.  Starting to get a bit of a bad feeling here.

The letter section is still there and still called Scale Mail. Getting this  far in you have to notice it has become a lot more graphical in nature and  seems to advertise a bunch of WotC products (it is their magazine after all).
Mixed in amongst the articles so far and the full color page ads are some  sidebars which are nice and a Nodwick cartoon.

At page twenty-two we get our fist thing that will pass for an article. I  skipped the Previews section since it was really just wordy pimping of WotC  materials the coming magazines. The first real article, one page in length,   is a Profiles section wring on a WotC employee David Noonan who apparently  wrote the 3.x Manual of the Planes amongst other things. This gives us  insight into industry professionals. I wonder if they were always WotC  employees though?

Skimming some more ads we get to page twenty-eight there is a Dork Tower full  page comic. I like Dork Tower so it was a good diversion from the  catalog...err...I mean the full page ads in my magazine. Finally page thirty  is hit and I get my article on halflings. Then I see 'most halflings live in  semi-nomadic groups called commonwealths..." and there is a burning in the  pit of my stomach. Then I see "halfling infants are not named until they can  speak. Until this time the parents refer to their child only by such loving  nicknames as "Scout," "Sprig," or "Dandelion". There are most likely parts of  the article that are good and can be used but I stopped reading it very early  on and skimmed. Halfling gangs, really? What is this Clockwork Shire? The  feeling is spreading out from my stomach now. Thanks for nothing James Jacobs. Apparently not only does it take a village to raise a halfling it  takes...be nice, be nice.

The cover article idea ran for twelve pages and had it been written by  someone who did not want to make sure no one ever played a halfling again or  whose agenda was to not make them a laughing stock this would have been good.  Next we come up The article "Little Wizards - You Can Call Him Mini Mage" by  Jesse Decker. This is the article on halfling wizards. I had seen this on the  cover and thought maybe it might work. Had this not followed the previous  affront it might have been palatable. It is third edition after all and anyone  can be anything if you want to powergame it enough. Did not even read more  than things highlighted or in bold type and still felt I spent too much time.

Wanting to finish the trip I move forward to find a missive by Monte Cook.  "Four In Darkness - A Guide To Elemental Evil". Even though written for the  third edition version of ToEE it was like an Oasis in the magazine. I can see  things I would use and it is not something whose sole purpose is to smear crap  all over something that was already in existence. It gives us four new  monsters and a fair number of new spells. It then has a template on creating  demonically fused elementals (where is Rona now) and an example using the  template. Over all a useful offering.

Leaving the garden in the desert of despair I find a caravan leading  somewhere good in a piece of fiction by Ben Bova called Enchantment. I won't  tell you about it but it was worth the read. It clocked in at about eleven  pages so it was a longer read than some fiction I had seen in the magazine  previously but it was from Ben Bova so that is not a bad thing.

Next after a page of puzzles is an offering called Campaign Corner which  features plot hooks for many of the various WotC campaign sponsored worlds.  These all seems to be viable hooks and noting too crazy like nomadic street  gang of halfling wizards in the commonwealth.

Next we get a prestige class for Gnomes & Halflings offered to us by Monte  Cook. The class is Lightbearer. They are special heroes for the two  aforementioned races. They can best be called racial paladins perhaps. The  concept is one I am not sure I would use but it is well presented and not  overpowering.

The next section "The Bestiary" presents us with a handful of monsters that  are supposed to be connected with the Temple of Elemental Evil. The offerings  are solid and can be used even if not connected with the ToEE with a minor  bit of work in some cases and not much in others. I am starting to not feel  so bad about the magazine by now but I still have issues.

The next section "City of the Ages" reviews cities from the past and presents  them in terms that could be used in the game. The city presented here is  Prague. I have often thought that the cities of eastern Europe are overlooked  gems for gaming material. This proved my point and though presented with some  game stats it is generic enough to be used in any fantasy type game.

The next two sections are Faith of Faerun and Elminster's Guide To The  Realms. The former deals with special followers of Selune called Silverstars  and the latter with The Shrine of Swords which are roadside shrines to  Tempus. Though Forgotten realm specific these are good and could be adapted  easily enough.

These are followed by a section dealing with Pixies. Is is only one page long  but is a good read. It deals with dealing with pixies. Then is a two page  Nodwick comic. I guess we get multiple offerings but in the end it is a comic  after all.

The final section is actually a section with a number of short offerings. It  is called Wizard's Workshop. This is arguably the most useful and best part  of the magazine. The sections contained here offer a wealth of good gaming  advise and information on related topics. The section here are listed below.

Chainmail
Forum
Silicon Sorcery
Sage Advise
The Play's The Thing
PC Portraits
Dungeoncraft
Role Models
DM's Toolbox

The issue ends with a full page What's New with Phil and Dixie. There was  also the enclosed map of Hommlet which will come in handy either as intended  or as some yet to be named village. Overall the issue was good once we got  past the Halfling Hate. I would say that the quality had improved in the  years since the last reviewed issue was published. It is for the third  edition and that makes it not really so OSR friendly but much of the  information could be converted. I am more interested in the quality than the  edition so this was a step up....except for the halfling crap!

Spell:

Sound Manipulation

Level: Third
Range: None
Duration: Five Rounds + 1 Round/Level
Ares Effect: 9" Radius
Components: V   
Casting Time: 3 Segments
Saving Throw: None

Bu means of this spell the magic user is able to manipulate and control the  sounds that occur within the area of effect. The ability will be limited to  the sounds that they themselves are able to hear.

The manipulation ability can be applied to any number of sounds  simultaneously. The caster can either deaden a sound or amplify it so as to  be unbearably loud. They can also make an existing sound seem to be something  other than what it really is but it must be similar in nature. The footsteps  of a party member could be modified to into the skittering of a rat or  similar sound.

While the caster is manipulating the sound they must remain in a constant  state of concentration. If their concentration is broken at any point the  spell will end and all sounds will return to normal.

It is important to note that the sounds are manipulated and not the  perception. This will mean that sounds will be heard as manipulated outside  the area of effect but once the area of effect is left it will be heard as  normal inside the area of effect.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit. 

Dragon Magazine #140, Cassandra's Carpet Trap V

Some time ago I wrote about Dragons #50 and #54. The post on #50 was my first and not very long. The one on #54 I described why it was one of if not my favorite issues. I also spoke about #158 I think it was though that was only in passing as I was really talking about the Deck of Many Things.

Issue #140 is only of note for the cover art. This is my favorite piece of art from Larry Elmore. It may very well be my favorite piece of fantasy art though there are strong contenders for that. There is just something about this that brings to life the story behind what happened. I even have the miniature that was done for this but it does not do it justice.

I will now talk a little about the issue itself. The topic on this issues is Clerics. I can't recall when but they went to theme issues at some point. Not sure the idea is all that great because if I don't care about the theme then I don't care about the issue. At some point between issue #54 and this one things went bad in my mind. I still have almost all of them from till the end of publication but this was in a period where the issues just weren't that strong.

The cleric portions in this issue were not all that good. They offer a new NPC that is at best so-so. They then revisit pantheons (done great in I think #54 as I recall). They then discuss fallacies of clerical healing (huh?) and finally redo the Turning Table which was not really worth the work that was done on it.

In the other portions of the magazine the revamp Weapon Specialization. This was OK but the entire idea of specialization was too munchkin for me and it needed to just be killed. Next of note is the article on expanding the Unearthed Arcana idea of stat rolling. So they take away crap and they expand on crap next? Next is some fiction that was not terrible but no where near other I had read in the pages of earlier issues. Next is a two page write up on Navel Lint...err...I mean knives. Didn't they make fun of  the fixation on Pole-arms somewhere?

Next is the Dragon's Bestiary which finally gives us something that is worthwhile but not all that great. The last area of note is the Reviews area. The Looking Glass (Miniatures) and Role Of Computers (Computer Games) both drag on for way too long but then again maybe I just didn't care and got bored....no it was boring. Then they review some role playing games. I recall the old reviews that had Traveller, DragonQuest, Call of Cthulhu, Paranoia, and all other types of games....this was basically five pages of Forgotten realms ads. They did spend a column and half called "Short and Sweet" where they talked about items for GURPS, Twilight 2000 and DragonQuest but none of them were the academic dissertations on the TSR products.

In the end I guess I just wanted to say that at some point in time between October of 1981 and December of 1988 the magazine switched over from being a classic gaming magazine to whatever it was by #140. Except for the cover and me being a the guy who wants the complete run I should not ever have bothered with this.

Spell:

Cassandra's Carpet Trap V

Level: Seventh
Range: 6"
Duration: Special
Ares Effect: Special
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: Nine Rounds
Saving Throw: Special

When this spell is cast the magic user brings into being a carpet that is  magical in nature. The nature of the carpet can very based on the caster's  desire and the level of the spell.

By default the carpet will be of ornate and of exceptional quality. The  caster can specify a different appearance if desired though it will always  appear to have been a carpet of some quality at one time.

The carpet created will have a maximum size equal to ten square feet per  level of the caster. It will by default fill the space it is cast in though  the caster can specify any shape and size.

The carpet will remain until such time as the effect it is intended to have  is triggered. The triggering effect can be anything that the caster desires.  It can be a timed effect such as one day from now or a specialized event such  as the first thief to walk on it or if a spell is cast by someone while  standing on it. Until such time as the trigger effect occurs the carpet is  nothing more than a carpet. The carpet can be moved with no impact to the  trigger effect unless moving was part of it.

With this level of the spell there are two types of carpets that can be  created. It is important to note that higher level of the spell can also  create all versions of carpets that previous version could create.

Carpet of Petrification

Any individuals on this carpet when the trigger effect occurs will need to  make a saving throw versus Petrification. Those who make their save will not  be affected in any way. Those who fail their save will be turned to stone  just as if they had met the gaze of a Medusa. The effect is not permanent  though. Those affected will remain in the statue like state for seven to  sixteen days. Those affected are completely aware of what happened around  them during their entrapment.

Carpet of Horrors

When this carpet is triggered all on it must make a saving throw versus spell.  Those who fail are immobilized but will not perceive themselves in this  state. They instead see themselves as being attacked by what would be the  most logical creature the DM feels would fit from the Random Monster  Encounter tables level VII or up in Appendix C of the DMG.

The players affected will each be attacked by one of these though this is  merely an illusion. Players will see all the other players as being attacked  as well even if a save their save was made. The fight will play out as normal  but if the players lose they fall unconscious with one hit point and can only  be healed by means of magical healing. Disbelieving the attacks entitles them  to another save at +4 but if this save fails the fight becomes one they can  not win.

The material component of this spell is a small woven rug of exceptional  quality. This carpet will cost no less than 100 gp per level of the Carpet  Trap. The rug transforms into the carpet with the casting and is used up. The  appearance of the actual carpet will be whatever the caster desires though it  will always appear to have been so high quality at some point.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back  then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel  free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to  use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask  is proper credit.

The Finieous Treasury, Weight Amplification

Finieous Fingers is the self proclaimed "World's Greatest Thief". The Finieous Treasury was published in 1981 and included all of the strips published in Dragon Magazine through that time. The magazine is 40 pages long and includes the Dragon strips, A who's Who from the strips, a short biography of the writer and artist J.D. Webster and also a new adventure Finieous vs. The Cloud Giants.

The strip details the adventures of  Finieous Fingers, who is actually quite cowardly and often inept, and his henchmen Fred and Charly. Through their adventures they encounter comrades and adversaries all the while making a total mess of things. Finieous is based on a close friend of the author and one of the villains has the name sake of Tim Kask who was the editor of Dragon Magazine at the time. The adventures of Finieous did not end with this book nor did they end in Dragon magazine. He later appeared in Adventure Magazine, Space Gamer, Fantasy Gamer and was last seen in Shadis though drawn by a new artist.

The adventures in the Finieous Treasury are perhaps his best though many of the later ones I have not had a chance to read. I would not have thought this went for what it did in the secondary market but it is still worth grabbing a copy of it. The cast of characters appearing the Finieous Treasury are:

Finieous Finger - "World's Greatest Thief"
Fred and Charly - Men-atArms
Eric the Paladin
Skraig the Merciless - Red Dragon
Grond - Anti-Paladin
Mergatroid - Dragon
Kask - The Evil Wizard
The Hobbit Thieves Guild


Spell:

Weight Amplification (R)

Level: Second
Range: 6"
Duration: 1 Round/Level
Ares Effect: One Item
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: Negates

Weight amplification enables the magic user to make a single item increase in weight by a factor of their level. It must be noted that the spell will only affect non-living objects. The weight of the affected item will increase by a factor of one for every three levels of the caster. Thus a third level caster doubles the weight while a sixth level caster will triple the weight.

Objects in the possession of a living creature are entitled to a saving throw. The items make a save as a fighter of one half the owners level. Items in the possession of willing recipients need not make a saving throw. Intelligent weapons will be entitled to a save if the DM feels the weapon would not be willing to be affected. When saving they save as a magic user equal to their owners level with all appropriate bonus due to pluses. In no case will artifacts or relics be affected by this spell.

The reverse casting of this spell will decrease the weight of an item by a divisor equal to the level of the caster. A third level caster will cause an item to weight one third while a tenth level will cause it to weigh one tenth of its normal weight. The reverse casting of this spell has all the same limitations and restraints as the normal casting.

This spell will have additional effects when used on weapons that are being used in combat. The changes are the damage done by weapons with their weight changed and also affects to durability.

Items with their weight increased will do one extra dice of base damage for every double in weight. The DM will also need to factor in the weight of the item for factors of use, encumbrance and fatigue.

Items with a decrease in weight will have the damage done divided by one half the factor of weight decrease. This means that a weapon that weighs one fourth its normal weight will do half damage. The minimum amount of damage on any successful attack will be one hit point. If an items weight is reduced below one gold piece it must make a save versus crushing blow for each successful hit in combat.

The material component for the normal casting of this spell will be a small lodestone which is destroyed with the casting of the spell. The component of the reverse casting is a small piece of down which is also destroyed in the casting of the spell.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Dragon #54, Cassandra's Minor Replicas

I try to not use issues of Dragon magazine too much. I will use them sparingly and only when they have some significance to me or stand out for some reason. Issue #54 is one of the ones that stand out in my mind. This issue very much IMHO could be the benchmark for why Dragon Magazine back in the early days was so good. This issue has "Cavern Quest" which is a competition module. I will not say it was the best module they ever used but I liked it because it was different. The next item of note was the write up on how to create a DM designed mythos even though it was, unbeknown to me,  from the setting that would later replace my much beloved Greyhawk as the default TSR game world. The next item of note is one of the two best parts of the issue. This is the multipage write up on Ruins and how to construct what is in them. I may have used this article as much as any I ever read during my early DM days. Next there is a great article on "Weapon Dame"....not to the victim but to the weapon and with fumbles. I did not implement that but it was mined for ideas. Next comes a write up of the Jabberwock which was just it for me as far as monster write ups. There is also an expanded write up for Boot Hill dealing with price lists and equipment and the final episode of Finieous Fingers for Dragon Magazine. The best though was the short fiction called "Abomination" by D. Aaron Achen. I won't spoil it for those that have not read it but there are few short fiction pieces I remember almost 30 years after first reading them. Do they still make gaming magazines this jam packed with worthwhile material? If so can someone tell me the name of them.

Spell:

Cassandra's Minor Replicas

Level: Fifth
Range: 6"
Duration: 1 Round/Level
Ares Effect: Caster
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Round
Saving Throw: None

With the casting of this spell the magic user brings into being a number of physical replicas of themselves. There will be 2-5 replicas created for each casting of the spell. Each replica will be free acting and will not require any direction from the magic user but will know immediately what the caster would and will want done as soon as the caster thinks it. The replicas will have non-magical version of any equipments that the caster may have but these items will have no special abilities. It should be noted that the replicas will have working copies of any material components in the casters immediate possession.

The replicas will each have one quarter of the casters hit points and their armor class regardless of what armor is worn will be AC6 less one for every two levels over 9th. The replicas will have none of the casters magical abilities but can go through the motions of casting spells just as the caster would. If engaged in combat the replicas will fight as if they are one half the level of the caster. Should a replica be killed before the duration of the spell expires or the caster ends it the caster will suffer 2-5 points of damage.

The material component of this spell is a small wax figure in the general shape of the caster. The wax figure must contain some part of the caster be it hair, blood or even part of a mail etc. The wax figure is destroyed with the casting of the spell.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Dragon Magazine #148

A noteworthy issue of Dragon Magazine because it includes a prop for the fabled Deck of Many Things. Sorry issue #148 I am now going to talk about the Deck for the rest of the time. If you want to turn a character or campaign in some cases on it's head have the group encounter the Deck. It is the most amazing tool of Chaos ever invented. I even go as far as to say that if a Paladin were to draw from a deck they would need to go the quest route to get back their status. I have a love/hate relationship with the Deck as both a player and a DM. No Donjon, no Donjon...poof!

Dragon Magazine #50

First Dragon Magazine I ever bought. Purchased at the student bookstore at OSU. Was not attending there as I was still in high school. I think I had my parents drop me off or something.

I will try not to post too many of these unless they have something really cool or hold deep significance to me.