NEW! 24 MAGICITEMS - 11 SPELLS -7 CLASS OPTIONS Rey TB LO] NaS TN Mea new Yel Pasa 0 10) a3 CRUEL, E DARK, & ; HANDSOME MEET THE LORD OF DARKNES Ah Pr RY con TS} ir ie WHATTODO WHEN. ~ _THELIGHTSGO OUT.DRAGON’ puaronntncrarres ors eres ete Eee enemas ces eo Se eco Pn omet cee roar ra) ener ianneee ntti) Eee ae ele ca steer eo eeeeimieya Pree nate are) Eu Peer sear) cr pe roa erent ns Rien race Rea eee ab rane ata ronan Perna nas aioe cin raters rnin cee anes os Pe ce) ee en ey Pe eiegnrtreene etisanee= ay ecru ovens ation ure ie Waa ons aang Coenen uma irs Beers ance paren enc eae eran ttre) 7 oorcoat Pee) oes Our readers discuss dragons, Dn a rece each other, and what we mean eat rel ee lal ee Pacers cemtanmert seta Peoria camera Feurancensh peed scarce Leesan ference ttreantoerene Corea e roe resale ee eae anes cis Dect creer tnt Dark Ones. Eiri tarctasiaes eee oie acre od Pierre tee renttiog Se oeoeetoen vere rec Beciteravece mance) Ree eu aan ctr Reta See eee tere Lanterns. eect er noe See i piece epson Seago cnet aed) vedas ieee my oon ki Cee es eee berierseterer rere eit ee meen See Dera se ya an enigma... until now. cutee eee Ses yaa ene ae Nien Bete cereenes coer Cerca tr}Issue #322 - August 2004 Vol. XXIX « Number 3 DARKNESS AND SHADOW. Toros cI eRe ura eee ieee Ca Cm Ey ESTES Pores OME 84 Elminster's Guide ieee ea ae eee See Coen een ics ts Poe ears ne Com eau Came ea erat Those who cant elude these ene vena eens er ed irs tse Pian a eee eu) Teme a aes Price io Be a shadow of your former self ena) classes, Say Gear iano eae Undrenride’s poison enhancers Ber eis Se ce pr ra cace ee ores aed The horror! The horror! Find the ee at god, Erebus. Sima ae! Dee ote ne cen Se Ook as ed Pere eae Is the god of murder dead? His Se SCCn eos 104 eects) SNe Cn aE Seon Ree seis ce ‘The Sage reveal this and morel oa Rae aero csoWYRM'S TURN FROM THE EDITOR IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS DARKNESS ikea ft of DEAD players, in tinkering with an idea for @ new campaign world And L® Ian ne capa wry ea er farang a sgn in frustraion withthe setings avaible. I's not that | dor like the pubished setings ma dichard Forcorren Renu fan, and Ind Caeeeow inriguing. | ao love the older settings lke Srewnvas, Kit-Tun, Reverwors, and Ac Osc. The trouble | curren find myself havirg with al of these settings is two-fold: derkvison and monsters. ‘The monster problem ts this: Most selings are largely setled and hot ile room for all the monsters that make D&1D so much fun, Thus. in the campaign I'm building, various monsters rule much ofthe work. There's a labyrimhine ciy-state controled by minotaurs, a gloom-shrouded forest-nation that owes allegance to dark mags, a kingdom lorded over by a great wyrm blue dragon and an incestuous dynasty of Eels) tlf-dragon sorcerers, and so en ir might not be everyone's ideal adventuring eS ee grounds, but it sounds ke a fun campaign to me, bales reg Races, SA yd ‘The darkvsion problem proves ticker like the dea of avemurers delving ico REMUS aurcoons vit torches ond lover od igh We aiio don rane ie the sense of adventure I ike to have when running a game or playing in one. Yer in most games I've played in, darkness rarely affects flay. Someone inthe party has oa Canyon presents another grim facet of if in Balefire Unlike the shadows of the plane, the anyon presents a very tangle threat to the safety of the city, one that every resident is aware of. Atleast twice a ‘year, a nighterawler or two rises from the eanyen wil-a horde of undead 10 menace the city. Normally the undead are kept at bay by the lanterns, but Somatimes they attack end the City Watch, Lantemeers, and Shadowcratters join forces 10 destroy them, Residents of Balefire are a fataistic lot, but they have a strong, sense of comsmuni'y despite their differences The nervous edge the residents have is released in impromptu celebrarons every time a nighterawler attack is averted, [tis @ Custom among many in the city 19 place bers prediting attacks, and coins are clandestinely exchenged during the parties hat follow a nighi- cravler's destruction, The Cy Watch frowms on such betting, but this does not stop it Frem happerings When not cslebrating, the residents of Balefre queily go about heir lives, This normally involves catering to the needs of travelers passng through the LAJANDRA'S LANTERN ‘he fh fret mag ners eee by Landa, ane there copied by ar aprons, aca’ ater a box shaped lon lane of unassuming, appiorance The lane car be used a ‘ole thes normal Lniorn but edn aso burn mage potions, ols elvis, oF oint- mers, When sich se the antery andi is the mage uid are immediatly destroy bt the ln ats profcas + gow ike that created by the day spel. In ator to she nora tffect of he spel ncorporel creatures must make a DC 15 Wil save fo enter an fara innate by ths ight Thow: incon portal erates that uecend may move through the let's rads, but sufler a penaly on aaks, saves, and ecks wile in the aren. igh fron a Laan ner has @ 6osoo!- rads 'go-oot-radus on the Plane of Shade Is blocked by any substance or structure hat ih ond magi fe biocks normal igh, ands magic and ight las fora nuber of hours equa othe olspiece value of he mage gud fusing ih ts such, a popion of eur light woes useltolghra Lanka loner” eeps tit for so hours, me full of Key zion’ ‘ainmen proves ful for 4,000 hours. A ana’ tanrem can be blown out 983 sled snd rel before agan praducesits mage hal nor, requting i 1 ba efecrs, While is uni, he lnter does no! burn fue, ether mundane or magi Faint Abjuraton; CL sth; Craft Wondrous hem, masz ind aganst ov Price 9,000 gp: Weigh bs sity and scholars studying the myster- ies of the Plane of Shadow, both using the city as a relatively safe beachhead for further exploits DBalefire has gained @ reputation as a place where magic can be bought and sold at bargain prices, a qual- ity that atiracts.a sable aumber of black marketers deaing in the arcane aris, OF course, even these secretive dealers have to do business with the Shadowerafters, who monopolize the reation of mos! magic items in the city visiTons Ano eITIzEns Before visitors can enter Balefire, the City Watch employs various means of magical detection 10 determine 3 creature's race, gender, and alignment As arule, fiends, destructive monsters,and most unde are banned from entering the city. Exceptions are rare but have been made from time to time, either at the request of some powerful city authority ot when it seems more harm will come From trying “0 deny the visitor entrance than irom merely allowing iti When visitors are allowed aniry, they are given an arcane mark, a magical fat~ fo that glows with bright bls fet an offense fo remove the mark and any attempt to deface oF erase one, such 03 with an erese spell results in immedi ae banishment from the city if caught. ‘While it might be possible io remove the arcane mark and move. around the city magically disguised or by using ether means, the watch is surprisingly canny. in detecting such offences ‘After spending. a year in te city anyone wanting to become a ctizen must travel 10 Xurothis tower and sign tne Book of Census. Commor bre holds that the book possesses extremely powerful magic. Citizens do rot speak ‘penly about their time in the tower «er about the book, but o fev petition ing fo become citizens never return {rom the tower or swifity leave the city after their experienc. Upon becom- ing permanent residents of the town, new citizens may in the ranks of the Shadoworafiers of Lanierneers. GUILDS AMD FAcTIONS ‘The Shedowerafiers are the richest ‘and most infuential group in Balefie. From within Shadowerafier’s Hol, they direct the research and construction of a wide variety of magic items and spells dealing with shadows and dark ness. The Shadowcrafters require that all members be ciizens and prove their talent for constructing magic items, Although joining the guild is not cheap, members gain eccess to the hal’s vest laboratories, libraries, and many powerful alles While the Shadowcrafters have the most powerful guilé in the city, the Lantemeers ore surely the most beloved. There are two divisions of Lanterneers, lantern makers and lan- tern lighters, Joining the Lanterneers is not as difficult as joining the Shadowsrafters ond only requires members to be citzens and pay a small yearly fae, This is more than made up for by the pay menbers of he guid ive patraling the city and keeping its thousands of lanterns lt ‘The City Waich is also a prominent group within Balefire, These dedicated men and women answer direcily to Vargid, a retired bounty hurvter. The City Watch upholds the low but has litle control over either the Shaloweralters or the Lanterneers. A typicel patrol of ‘watch members has six competent war riors and spelleasters, usually mounted ‘on beacon moths. SECRET SOCIETIES Two mysterious groups, the Nightshade Covenant and the Obsitian Dancers, constantly vie for power within Balefire The Nightshade Covenant isa group of drow and shadar-kai alied with the undead of Nightcrawler Canyon. According to rumors, the covenant wants to reduce Balefire to rubble and extinguish its cursed lanterns, wip- ing its stain of light from the Plane of Shadow’ perfect derkness. Whatever the truth, the covenant ia outlowed, and Xurothil hinseff magically inrerrogetes suspected merbers before they are disposed of: wwwepaizo.comidragon 19The Obsidian Dancers are not outlawed, but several mem bers have been banished from Balefire for various misdeeds This brotherhood of assas~ sins and shadowdancers holds a eniuries-old grudge against the Shadowerafters and oppose their ‘work at every turn, Disgulsed as entertainers, the Obsidian Dancers, are rumored to be gathering allies fron beyond the city’s walls, preparing to drive the residents of Shadowerafter's Hall from the city new monsTeR First seen in Balefire more than a cen tury ago, beacon moths have become ‘one of the city's most unique and rec cognizable Features. Beacon Moth Huge Magical Beast Hit Dice: Bdioni6 (Gohp) Initiative: +4 Speed: 30 f.(6 squares), climb 20 ft fly 90 fi (average! AGii7 (-e size, +4 Dex, +5 natural, touch 12, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +8/-+19 Attack: Bite + melee (4644) Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (464.4) Space/Reach: 15 fi./10 i Spesial Attacks: Dazzling wings Spezial Qualities: Bindsense 60 fi, cold resistance 10, darkvision 120 Fr, daylight ‘ure, low-light vision Saves: Fort +8, Ret +o, Will +3 Abilties: Str, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 16 Skils: Climb +14, Laten +9, Spot