The Book of Treasure Maps, Cassandra's Sphere of Time Alteration

This is going to be another one of those items that in today's world may not be as useful as it once with. With the advent of the Internet and the ease that small publishers have can make their products available items like The Book of Treasure Maps are now easy to get and in many cases products are free.

When this was published back in 1979 though the DM did not have access to the wealth of products that are available today. This is the same situation that I have written about before with the other Judges Guild products. This product provides the DM with mini-adventures that they can throw into their ongoing campaign on the fly.

The adventures are set in the Judges Guild Wilderness setting but they cna easily be adapted to any setting. There are a total of five adventures included in the book which comes in at 48 pages. Each of the adventures comes with a separate map for both the players and the DM. Each also includes backgrounds and rumors for each of the adventures. The included adventures are listed below:

The Lost Temple
The Tomb of Aethering the Damned
The Lone Tower
Willchidar's Lair
The Crypts of Arcadia

The module has another thing in its favor. This is the fact that in addition to being written by Paul Jaquays he did all of the interior art. This may not be the draw for some that it is for me but in my mind his art helped make early Judges Guild products what they are. The mummy image on page 15 and the demon on page 36 are images that still stick with me to this day as some of the most evocative art from early products. It is also said that Mr. Jaquays is the taller person in the metal helmet from the cover. This may also be the first known published LARP picture.


Spell:

Cassandra's Sphere of Time Alteration

Level: Ninth
Range: Special
Duration: Special
Ares of Effect: Special
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 Segment
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast the magic user causes time flow in the affected area to slow. The rate at which the time will slow and the area of effect are based on the caster level and the amount of energy channeled for the effect.

The spell will have a based effect of causing time in the area of effect to slow to an extent that one day in the area will allow two years to pass outside the area. The caster can amplify this but at great cost.

The spell will cause the caster to age 10 years for the base casting. The cast can further slow time but doing so will cost the caster one full level of experience per level of effect. For each level the time alteration will be doubled. The caster will also age an additional 10 years for each factor of alteration. The caster must make a saving throw versus death magic or lose 2-5 points of intelligence due to strain of the magics involved.

The levels lost in this fashion are not easily restored. Not even a Wish will restore the levels. The caster will be required to begin accumulating experience as if they were first level again. Once they reach the experience points to start gaining levels again they will.

The area affected will not be noticeable. The spell effect will actually mask the appearance of the area. To those on the outside it will appear to be a normal area regardless of what the actual inside may look like. The same will hold true for the appearance from the inside. Nothing will serve notice that there is anything different passing in or out of the area except for a chill and the immediate change in scenery.

The area that can be affected is a 25" radius sphere per level of the caster. The size can be any size up to that effect or as small as a 1" sphere. The radius extends into all directions so this will need to be taken into account when cast. The caster can cast the spell up to a distance of the area of effect plus 1".

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.

Living Greyhawk Journal #2, Summon Merchant

At some point in time I joined the RPGA though for the life of me  I do not recall when it was. I know it was before November of 2000  but I am not sure how much before that. I am certain it was  strictly for the modules that they put out for belonging. It was  not early enough to have gotten any of the REALLY nice modules  though. I have a few of the later ones but the specifics again  escape me.

It was in 2000 that they started sending out the Living Greyhawk  Journals. To have gotten these had eclipsed any joy I got from  getting the modules that were released, again since I did not get  any of the original modules they released by in the early 80's.  The Journals short lived as stand alone publications but then  again the to quote Tyrell from Blade Runner "The light that burns  twice as bright burns for half as long...". The six issues they  released were all great.

The issue that stands out in my mind is the one above. Issue #2  was not the best for the article content. Though this was great  information the real gem here was the insert that came with the  magazine. This is the issue that came with the poster map of the  City of Greyhawk. The map was keyed and the magazine also featured  the information of the keyed items so the content was essential as  well.

The magazine articles even without the map will make the Journals  worth having.This issue had some great material on city as well as  material for the Living Greyhawk Campaign. The articles contained  in this issue are below:

Campaign News
Gem of the Flanaess: City of Greyhawk Map Key
Gem of the Flanaess: The Artisan's Quarter
The Way of the Lake
Enchiridion of the Fiend Sage - Second Report
Dispatches
Contact List
Special Insert: City of Greyhawk Poster Map

All of the stand alone issues of the Living Greyhawk Journal (0-5)  are worth picking up if you are a Greyhawk fan. I hate to single  out any one issue to pick up because all were good and what makes  this one great for me may not be what works best for you. The map  is a great item to have so if you are picking up issue #2 please  make sure it is included.


Spell:

Summon Merchant

Level: Fifth
Range: 6"
Duration: 3 Turns + 1 Round/Level
Ares of Effect: One Merchant
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Round
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell the magic user is able to summon a merchant to their location. The merchant summoned will belong to the same race as is summoned by the Summon Exchequer spell. The summoned merchant will be able to sell items as well as purchase them.

The merchant summoned will buy any item that they are offered though they are shrewd negotiators. The base price that is paid will never be more than 50% of the listed value of the item that they are purchasing. The price can be adjusted by the Reaction Adjustment based on the sellers Charisma stat. This amount will be adjusted by race though. Gnomes, Halflings and Dwarves will get the full benefit. All other races besides Humans will get half the amount. Humans will receive no benefit.

The merchants will also sell items. The exact items available is always up to the discretion of the DM but as a base the Basic Equipment List in the 1e PHB would be a good baseline. The merchants will not have any living creatures for sale ever though. The amount charged can be role played if desired. If not then the merchants will charge a base five times what an item normally costs. This is not affected by the Charisma but will be by race. Gnomes, Halflings and Dwarves will be charged 50% less than the 5x amount. All other races besides Humans will pay the full 5x amount. Humans unless the players role play it out will pay the 5x amount plus an exaggerated amount left to the DM's discretion.

The material component of this spell will be a bar of platinum. The value of the bar will need to be at least 100gp. The bar is surrendered to the merchants when they arrive. The value of the bar will be used as credit for any items purchased 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.

Atlas of the DragonLance World, Cassandra's Mystical Spy

Love it or hate it if you are a gamer there is a real good chance that you have something DragonLance related in your collection. It has to be the most marketed campaign setting in the history of role playing. I for one am not ill disposed to the setting or the game material but it was sort of the Joshua Tree of D&D....a good product that took something mainstream and it was never the same afterward.

The Atlas of the DragonLance world was released in 1987 making it the first of the Atlas products connected with gaming. The Pern and Middle Earth books beat this but they were not directly tied to a gaming world at the time they were published. Actually I am not sure if there is a Pern role playing game out there. I can't imagine GURPS has not done it.

As I said previously with the Forgotten Realms Atlas the maps in this book are nothing short of amazing.Decipher released some maps of Middle Earth that are more display friendly but the maps in this book could still be hung if someone was into maps. In addition tot he maps there is wealth of material for the DragonLance fan to read on notable location on Krynn. Below is just a partial list of the locations contained in the book.

- Inn of the Last Home
- Towers of High Sorcery
- Tika's house
- Thorbardin
- Ice Wall
- Silvanost
- Istar
- Mount Nevermind
- Sanction
- Neraka
- The Abyss
- Dragon Mountain
- Foghaven Vale
- Solace
- Pax Tharkas
- Tarsis

The Atlas can be picked up cheap either on eBay or on Amazon (where I stole the list above from) so price should not be an issue. Again it comes down to some people just not liking DragonLance either on principle or the setting itself. If you feel you need something DragonLance in the collection you could do much worse than this.


Spell:

Cassandra's Mystical Spy

Level: Fifth
Range: None
Duration: Special
Ares Effect: One Location
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: None

This spell allows the caster to have an invisible spy deployed at a single location waiting to be activated. The spy will be undetectable except for those that can see creatures that exist in the Astral Plane. If visible the spy will appear as a shifting blob of energy with no consistent form.

The spell must be cast in the location that the spy is intended to monitor. The spy will be located exactly where the spell is cast. Once cast the spy will remain vigilant for a number of days equal to the caster level. They will remain at the location until a specified time or event occurs.

When the trigger event occurs the spy will begin "recording" all that goes on at the location they are posted. They will be able to see and hear all that a person in the location could. The area of effect that they can cover is one single room up to 100' x 100' in size. The spy will record all that goes on in the room for a period of time equal to two rounds per level of the caster.

One the duration of the spell expires the events that the spy recorded will be planted in the mind of the caster. They will be able to see and hear the events recorded just as if they were there. The will not know anything more than what could have been seen or heard though. The spy's position will have been stationary so seeing written words and such will be dependent on where the spell was cast.

The material component of this spell will be a gem whose value is equal to 50gp per day the spy had to remain resident at the location. The gem must be present on the caster when the spell is cast but need not be so when the spell expires.

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.

Dungeon Geomorphs - TSR, Attribute Enhancement

The combined set of the Dungeon Geomorphs was something I loved as a DM way back when. If I needed to throw a dungeon together on the fly I could use these and make it easy on myself. It never failed that the players wanted to go someplace that I did not have a map made for.

Luckily I discovered them as the combined set. I would have hated to have cut up the individual sets and used them...but then again that is what they were made for weren't they. The original set I so diligently cut up all those years ago are long since lost except for a few stray pieces I still have floating around.

I am not sure of the timing on these compared to the early GW products as to which came first. The first set was released in 1976 so I would think these had to be first but you never know. Regardless these again were a huge time saver back in the day.

This is another example of something we take for common today. With all of the online dungeon mappers that are available it is easy to forget a time when maps were not so easy to produce. I know I have gone to the point of creating a bunch of random maps and saving them as PDFs so I never have a chance of not having one I have not sued before handy.

The only disadvantage to the combined set other than the collectability is the data that is included in the individual sets. Each of the three had small sample dungeons included. I have not had a chance to see them but they are said to include magic, monsters and NPC's that have never been reprinted anywhere. If anyone has any information on these I would love to hear about the.

Spell:

Attribute Enhancement

Level: Fifth
Range: 6"
Duration: 5 Rounds + 1/Round level or 5 Round
Ares Effect: One Creature
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 6 Segments
Saving Throw: None

This spell will allow the magic user to increase one or all of the attributes  of the recipient. There are two options for this spell. The effect will turn them into the perfect physical specimen  or grant them unearthly power in one aspect.

The caster will have two options with the casting of this spell. The first  will grant transform the recipient so that they have the maximum human  potentials (18's) in all of their attributes. The other option will grant the  recipient god like power (25) in one attribute.

The first version of the affect described will have the longer duration. The  second will have a much shorter duration (the star that burns twice as bright  and all that). There is a cost to this though. If the former is used then  when the spell expires all attributes will temporarily be reduced by a -2. If  the latter is used the reduction will be a -6. The reduction will remain in  place until the recipient has had twelve hours of continuous rest.

The material component of this spell is a small vial of blood from some  either a titan or some extra-planar creature. The blood is not destroyed or  used up with the casting of this spell.

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.

Village Book One - Judges Guild, Cassandra's Waiting Light

In an earlier post I had written about the Island Book which was released by Judges Guild and how it was probably still the most useful of the premade mapping products. I had said it beat out the Village book but perhaps not by much. I still hold with that but the margin may be even closer than I recalled.

The Village book was released in 1978 and then again in 1979 with this same exact cover. The only difference between the two are the Booty List that is in the back of the book. Other than the other products listed in the end they are identical. There is a third printing that has a different cover and marketed as a Universal Fantasy Supplement.

The Village book consists of forty-eight different maps of villages. The villages range in size from a few building to ones that are on the upper end of what might be called a village. In addition to the maps there are nine pages of tables that will help the DM randomly determine the contents of the villages and their makeup. The tables are what I had forgotten about and help inch this closer to being the equal of the Island Book.

In the end this is still a product that is worth having. I was recently made aware that most of the earlier Judges Guild products are available online as PDF files. I prefer a hard copy to an electronic copy so I would look on the secondary market first but that is a matter of taste. Regardless of how you get it I think this is something worth having.

Spell:

Cassandra's Waiting Light

Level: Second
Range: 12"
Duration: 1 Month/Level
Ares Effect: 3" Radius
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Round
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast it creates a specialized Light Spell. The light affect created by this spell will have a trigger effect and phrase.

The use of this phrase will cause the light effect to either come on or go off as is appropriate. The trigger effect is more specific and will only cause the light to either come on or go off.

This spell will remain until such time as it is dispelled or the duration expires. The caster of the spell may also cancel the effect at will.

The material component of this spell is a living firefly or similar such creature. The creature is released when the spell is cast and will vanish until the spell duration expires.

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.

Forgotten Realms Atlas, Cassandra's Carpet Trap I

The Forgotten Realms Atlas was first published back in 1990. It was written by Karen Wynn Fonstad who had previously written/created a number of other popular Atlases for other imaginary worlds such as Middle Earth, Pern, The Land (Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) and of course Krynn.We get the following from the back of the book...

TORIL...

Visit the exciting and fantastic world of the Forgotten Realms.

Join adventurers renowned as they trek across Toril in this detailed, beautifully illustrated atlas. Ride with the Ffolk in the magical Moonshae Isles. Brave the brutal elements of Icewind Dale. Follow the gods as hey wreak destruction from the Dales to Waterdeep. Watch as empires of East and West collide.

The maps in the book are nothing short of incredible. Not only are they detailed but they are borderline works of art that one could hang on a wall in some cases. Almost all of the major locations that are covered in the works of fiction are detailed within these pages. This is one of the problems when looking at this as an accessory for gaming. This works much better for fans of the books than characters in the Realms. Gamers will already have access to playable, working maps of the areas. The Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas might be a better choice for the gamer community.

In the end the book is still worth picking up and having in your collection. Even if you don't play in the Forgotten Realms you can still appreciate the maps. It can also be mined for names and ideas as can most things gamers pick up. It can be pricey sometimes on eBay but if you can get it at a good price do yourself a favor and do so.

Spell:

Cassandra's Carpet Trap I

Level: Third
Range: 6"
Duration: Special
Ares Effect: Special
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 3 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 Adhesion:

This carpet will upon the triggering event transform in to an exceptionally sticky substance. The substance will cause all on it to make a save versus magic or become hopelessly stuck in the spot they were standing when the effect triggered. Those who make their save can move though at a rate of only ten feet per round. Once triggered the carpet will remain in its new form for a period of 6-36 turns. Any who come into contact with the carpet during this time period will need to make a save or become stuck as well.

Carpet of Frictionlessness:

The triggering event for this carpet will turn it into a plane of completely frictionless material. This will have the effect of causing any who are on it or step onto it to fall and continue sliding the direction they were originally moving. The victim will slide 3" for every 1" of movement they had left when they stepped onto the carpet. Should the victim movement make them impact an obstacle before the end of their slide they will suffer damage from the impact. They will suffer 1d4 for each inch of slide movement left. They will also be required to make a save versus magic or become stunned for 3-8 rounds. Once triggered this carpet will remain until the caster actively wills it out of existence or a successful dispel magic is cast on it.

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.

JG - Island Book One, Cassandra's Shadowy Hound

This is the Island Book 1 - Campaign Hexagon Sub-System that was put out by Judges Guild back in 1978 give or take a year or so. This was another of those time saving boons to the early DM. This one more so than perhaps the Village Book is still almost as useful. I say that because I know of a number of village generators that can be found online but I do not know of any that generate islands. If one exists perhaps someone can mention it in a comment. Regardless all of the early Judges Guild mapping type products be they the blank map sheets to the Island Book to the full blown Wilderlands offerings were all top shelf accessories. The book has 48 maps of either single islands or chains of islands of varying sizes. Also included are three or four pages of charts for generating such items as terrain, inhabitants, possible volcanic activity, unique things to find and encounter charts. Given the generic nature of the product I think this is still one of the more useful aids that Judges Guild produced and that it has stood the test of time better than other products from that era.

Spell:

Cassandra's Shadowy Hound

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

By means of this spell the magic user creates a temporary gate to the Plane of Shadow. The gate brings forth one Shadowy Hound for every three levels of the caster. These hounds will be friendly to the caster and any that the caster signifies as friends. The caster does not need to maintain concentration to control the hounds.

The hounds may perform very minor tasks but their real purpose is to serve as guardians for the caster and/or a given area. The hounds are not able to attack anything on this plane and any successful magical attack or a casting of Dispel Magic will send them back to the Plane of Shadow. The hounds can appear to be any largish dog and will often be mistaken for Shadow Mastiffs.

Should anyone not in the magic users party or signified as a friend of the caster come within fifty feet of the hound they will begin to issue a low growl that any creature within a fifty foot radius will be able to hear unless other noises make this impossible. If anyone other than a friend comes within 20 feet of the hound or should any of the hounds be attacked then all will start barking and yelping. Those who are within 100 feet that hear the barking and fail a save versus fear will be stopped in their tracks for 1d4 rounds though any attack on them will break this.

The caster as well as any they have signified as a friend will be immune to the yelp effect of the hounds though they can hear it if within range. Even if outside the range if they are asleep there is an 80% chance for anyone other than the caster to be awakened. There is a 100% chance that the caster will be awakened by this. This yelping will alert the magic user and their party thus preventing them from being surprised while asleep or otherwise occupied.

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.

Wilderlands Hex Sheets - Judges Guild

This is a pretty simple item so there is not much to say about it. Judges Guild had  perhaps on of the most detailed early campaign settings there was. I go back and forth between it and Harn though. The settings was spread out over a number of different products and any one would have been enough for the whole campaign. Getting back to the item at hand. This map pack included four double sided 17" by 22" map sheets. They said it is designed for use with their Wilderlands product but can be used for any mapping project. Hexes were individually numbers. I very much wish they still made this product today as I think the JG mapping system is perhaps my favorite.