,r , a

F-ClrO!!
--.:.i

,'iWi,' ,:.'ljffi NEWSZINE

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Gefan by Dicksmalley
@1992 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Deserts
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ORGANIZAfION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIEI} Omnivorous
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional,
TREASURE: A
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 40-160
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENI"T: I
HIT DICE: 4+t
THACO: T7
NO. OF AITACKS: lor2
DAMAGE/Af,TACK:
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Yr"fr"fr"if
il,l fll;inrmpaler
SPECIAL DEF'ENSES: *2 bonuson all
ll;;:ibititl,
MAGIC RESISTANCE: t0Vo
SIZE: M (6',)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
X.P. Value: 420

Thane 650 - 'r /,

Jarl 975
bililrtui' i,+-oo -\=

Psionics Summary:
them only in extreme situations.
Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Score PSPs While in their home terrain geran blend in with their sur-
5 2l4ll0 EWII/IF,M-,MB,TW 15 95 roundings so that they are effectively inuisible.
Psychokinesis: Sciences-telekinesis, detonate;
Devotions -ballistic attack, inertial barrier, molecular agita- Habitat/Society: Geran live in hillside abodes carved out
tion, rnolecular manipulation of the badlands rock. The homes are simple and usually
Telepathy: Sciences- rnind link, tower of iron wilh house one family consisting of 1-2 adult males, 1-3 adult fe-
Devolions-ego whip, contact, id insinuation, intellect for- males, and 2-8 young.
tress, mind ba6 mind blank For every 20 geran encountered, there will be a thane of
5 +2 HD and 100 PSPs.The thane acts as the leader of the
Geran are found primarily in the rocky badlands of Athas. geran
- war units.
Most are hardworking, peaceful beings who strive to over- If 50 or more geran are encountered, they will be led by a
come the harsh climate of their homeland. Their communi- jarl of 6 + 3 HD, 120 PSPs,and a psionic scoreof 16, plus one
ties are orderly and law-abiding. Outsiders are viewed with additional psionic discipline. The jarl is held in high esteem
suspicion. in geran society and is always guarded by a force of five
B-ecauseof the intense heat, geran wear little clothing, geran
- and one thane.
usually just a loin cloth, and upon rare occasions,ornamen- When 120 or more geran are encountered, they will be led
tal jewelry. when preparing for battle, a geran also adorns by a high chieftain. The high chieftain has 8+2 HD, has
himself with a belfdecorated with the skulls of those he has 150 PSPs,and is psionic level 8. He has a base scoreof 17 for
killed. The skulls are intended to warn away opponents. all psionic checks.In addition to the normal psionic powers
Geran speak their own tongue in addition to the language held by the gerans,the high chieftain also has the sciences
of the Gith and Belgoi. There is a lUVochance a geran will of disintegrateandproject force and the devotionsof anirnate
be able to speak the local Common dialect. object and soften The high chieftain is guarded by a jarl,
three thanes, and 15 other gerans.The high chieftain is also
Combat: Geran prefer to use their psionic talents to fright- assisted by a precept that is treated as a normal geran with
en intruders from their domain. However, if the enemy can- the additional psionic talent of cell adjustmenf. The precept
not be scared, the geran resort to a harmful exhibition of servesas the tribal healer and advisor to the chieftain.
their psionic powers.
When forced into melee, geran typically attack with a Ecology: Geran are miners and hunters relying on them-
weapon called an impaler. This is a polearm that looks like selvesfor survival.
a javelin on one end; the other end is cappedwith a large, Geran mines usually are well guarded operations that sel-
curved, razor-sharp blade. The blade is used to sever vic- dom delve below 50' into the ground. Geran are especially
tims' heads to be addedto the geran's collection. successfulin mining various forms of gems. Gerans are fre-
If a geran is disarmed, he can attack twice a round with quently sought by traders and treasure hunters.
clawed hands. Each attack delivers 1-8 points of damage.
The geran view such battle tactics as barbaric, resorting to
 3

Poflyh@dmg-m
V o l u me12,Num ber8
lssue#74, August,1992

SPECIALFEATURE
| 6 Experience Preferred, Part lll - by Tom Prusa
ThL Company of the Swan finally-meets its_nemesis,but can they stop him
before he carries out his maniacal schemefor vengeance?

FEATURES
2 Geran - by Dick SmalleY
About the Cover FtuV"" chiracters would-do well to mind their manners when meeting this
denizen of the world of Athas.
Tbddle, mascot at the Living CitY's
Ill Eagle Inn, keeps patrons
7
- The Living City - by Chrislopher Earley
entertained and undesirables on
The Iil Ea?b t"trttf"-utores fine cuisine, in unusual mascot, and several more
their toes. Art by Kevin Ward.
services that don't meet the casual visitor's eye'

| | SecretsBest Kept Hidden - by Bruce Nesmith and Bifl Connors

Fear nottoianyotte? ThiJsneak preview of.an upcoming RAVENLOFT"
boxed""a
set has PlentY ofeach.
2l A New Crystal Sphere - by Timolhy B- i Brown
Part TWo: bombat, Planets', and the-Aliens of Sol. The whos, hows, and
wheres of adapting GDW's SpRCn' 1889 rules for use with the
SPELLJAMMER* setting.
Publisher 30 Monstrous Mayhem Winners
Rick Behling The jury reveal-sits favorites from the horde of beasts unleashed during issue
#66's contest.
Editor
Jean Rabe

Associate Editor EDITORIAL

Skip Wiltiams
4 Notes From HO - bY Jean Rabe
Graphic Director All about NetworkC-lubs and a new contest for the cybernetically inclined.
PauI Hanchette 5 Letters

Cartographer
Brian J. Blume
DEPARTMENTS
Production Staff The Everwinking Eye - by Ed Greenwood
| 4
Angelika Lokotz This overview of Faerun terms and names will have you speaking Common
Tbacey Zamagne like a native in no time.
Norm Ritchie
25 Into The Dark - bY James Lowder
Subscriptions Summer treat got-Voudown? These films are good for a few chills.
Charmaine Snyder
27 The Livin g Galaxy - by Roger Moore
This montlh'stherire iJ. . . no theme at all as our columnist offers ideas on'
everything from planetary disasters to time travel'

@1992TSR,Inc. All RightsReserved.

P o Y H E D R o N
 NotesFromHO
ClubsAre Aces,But Cyberwarels Good,Too
There are more than 80 official RPGA* at the GEN CON/ORIGINS Game Fair a cyberware design contest.
Network clubs will test the best teams clubs can field. In a dark, cyberpunk future, you dre
The clubs have between 10 and 140 If you are not a member of a club, but the creatiue director of a megacorpora-
members, and are scattered throughout would like to join an existing one, see tion that producescyberneticimplants.
the United States, Canada, France, issue #69, or drop a postcardto HQ Howeuer;intensecompetitionhas driuen
England, Austria and Australia. An- asking if there is a club in your area. businessinto the ground. Unlessyou
other club is forming in Germany. Also, check the Newszine'sClassifieds coffLeup with a,n'Lonu,rlentalidea for a
Clubs provide a ready group of people sections. new project, you will losemuch rrlore
to game with, social activities, an oppor- than your job.
tunity to make new friends, a chanceto Be Kind ToChar Rules: Design an original product of
try new game systems, and often times cyberware for any game system. Exam-
a place to play. Charmaine Snyder, our clerk, gets lots ples include: Cyberpunk by R. Thlsorian,
Network clubs also can competein the of phone calls from members wanting to Cyberspaceby I.C.E., GURPS Cyberpunk
annual Decathlon, which is a combina- know their points and levels. by Steve Jackson Games, Shadowrun by
tion of tournaments, writing contests, Char works busily away at typing EASA, Tbrg by West End Games,and
scenario design challenges,and other tournament results into our computer. 2300 A.D. by GDW. You are zol limited to
activities. Many of the submissions In the midst of this a member will call g€unesthat appear on this list. Use the
from the writing contests find their way and say, "I'm going to a convention in a same format for presenting the implant
into the POLYHEDRON@Newszine, few weeks and I need to know my level. as the respectiverulebook does.
and many of the tournaments are run at I might be able to play in a Masters Each entry must frt into one of the
conventions throughout the world. Sev- tournament." following categories.I SensoryInput:
eral of these tournaments are scheduled For Char to checkthis member'spoints, This incorporatesall sensoryimplants.
for the GEN CON@/ORIGINS* Game which she was quick to do becauseshe is Examples include thermal vision, sound
Fair. For example, the winning tourna- a nice person,she has to completelyback amplifi er, taste processor,directional
ment from the Decathlon in 1991 is out of her tournament entry program, scent,tactile enhancement,and tempera-
ARC Fellowship's Carniual of Heroesfor accessanother program, enter the mem- ture sense.2 SensoryOutput/
the MARVEL SUPER HEROES same. ber's number, pull up the member's level Physiological:This includes implants
Another finalist, The Death Pits of Na- and point information, relay that informa- such as limbs, internal organs, reflex
tatiri, for Tbrg, was The Valiant 13th tion over the phone, back out of the mem- boosters,voice modulators, and muscular/
Regiment's entry. And One On Euery ber's data base, re-enter the tournament skeletal systems.3 Neurological: These
Planet, a high-scorer for the Midwest program, and go back to putting in points implants involve the mind. Examples are
Masters, is the Benefit tournament. from tournaments. All of that takes quite brainwave transmitters, cyberdecks,
At the end of the year the club that has a bit of time. It doesn'ttake many delays weapon and tool hands, neural interfaces,
scoredthe most points in the Decathlon like this to causea real problem. armor, cyberbeasts,and painblockers.4
competition walks away with bragging When Char's drawer of convention Other: Things that just don't fit into one
rights and a big trophy. The ARC Fellow- tournaments began to overflow, she came of the above categories.
ship has won the Decathlon two years in to the conclusion that she would no longer All entries must be typed, double-
a row. Can they do it again? answer point questions on the phone. spaced,and fit on one sheet ofpaper.
Current leaders in this year's Decath- If you want an update of your points Include your name, membership num-
lon are: SAIGE, The Club, Kenneth & and levels, send your request in writing ber, the game your cyberware fits, and
The Apocalypse,The Valiant 13th Regi- and include a stamped,self-addressed the category. Each submission must be
ment, Rathskeller Gamers, MGM postcard or envelope.That way, when accompaniedby a completedStandard
Grand Gaming Association, Brisbane Char has finished inputting a conven- Disclosure Form.
League of Adventurers, Cy Lons, and tion's tournaments, she can check many Entries must be postmarked by Octo-
ARC Fellowship. people'spoints and levels all at once.It ber 1, t992.
Next year's Decathlon will be expand- will save a lot of time and everyone will Winning: Entries will be judged on
ed to include tournaments at more con- still get the information they want. completeness,originality, and playabili-
ventions, especially international ty. You may enter as many times as you
gatherings. ContestContest wish, but each entry must have a sepa-
Network clubs competein special rate disclosure form.
tournaments at conventions throughout We received many submissionsfor our
Winners will receive a one-yearmem-
the world. Notable victories have been Contest Contest. During the next sev-
bership extension.
won by the Adventurers Guild of eral issueswe will run the best entries,
Wright State University (GEN CON@ with the contest originator receiving a Take Care,
Game Fair 1991);MGM Grand Gaming one year's membership extension and a
Association (WINTER EANTASY'' Con- TSR books trilory.
This month's offering, created by Jean
vention t992); and The NorEasters
(ConnCon 1992). This year's club event member Alex Iwanow of New Jersey, is o

P o Y H E D R o N
 Letters
SourGrapes,And PatsOn The Back
Complaints,
I think that Lawrence Hurley's ideas in many shops run by peoPlewho have tournaments at the GarneFair and
high levels. But this doesnot usually WINTER FANTASY" Conuention the
issue #70 about having readers write
their opinions about new (and old) bother me. I have my own solution. authors use certain fauorite businesses.
products was great. Knowing what Like Mr. Morffi, I am running a cam- Skip Williarns has a few Preferred
paign world with true-history parallels shopi that grace his campaign.And I
other players think about a game sys-
and a quasi-medievalfeeling. It is not altir a few things in someof the busi-
tem would make the choice of what to
buy much easier. the FORGOTTEN REALMS@setting, nessesand put them in uarious cities in
Also, you frequentlY ask readers to but it is partially inspired by it. We my Star Wars camPaign
have a senseof realism (not always i tt int*,that's part of the attraction of
voice their opinions on what they like
gritty, though), and definite continuity. the Liuing City entries. They're uery
and dislike about the Newszine, so
here's what I think. Wolff and BYrd is What I do is split uP and relocate uersatile.Of course,we still want to hear
never enjoyable, and Bloodmooseis only these shopsand their owners.While from other readers about their uiewson
this may seem to some to detract from the Liuing City.
slightly better. Other than that, most of
The Liuing City, if you aren't using the As for Bloodmoose)we get mixed re'
the articles in the Newszine are fine. I
especially enjoy reading t};.eLiuing Realms setting, it doesn't matter. uiewsfrom our readers-although the-
Galatcy(even though I do not play space For instance, in my current campai'gn, Continued on page 6
RPGs). It is extremely well written and we are adventuring in the lowlands, an
POLYHEDRON*Newszine(the officialnewsletterof TSR
serves as an example of how one can area of swamps and Plains near the lncls ROLE PLAYINGGAME ASSOCIATION*Network)is
integrate ideas into games. ocean, with three towns. Now, let's say oublishedmonthlvbv TSR, Inc. The mailingaddressfor all
in the town of Kelmsdale (medium size, correspondencei!: PO. Box 515, Lake Geneva,Wl 53147'
I like The Liuing City not becauseI tie Telephone: (414)248'3625.
all of the articles together into one huge near a forest and a deeP swamP),I POLYHEDRON Newszineis mailedlree to all RPGA'*Net
city campaign, but becauseI can easily place Oljagg's Rag and Bottle Shop work mem.bers. US membershipratesare$20 per year(bulk
enhance my own citY adventures bY (issue #66) and Holly's Mill (#65).These maildellveryonly);Canadianratesare $25; foreignratesare
$32 per year (surfacemail) or $60 per year (air mail)' All
adding a feature from The Liuing City- two stores, along with one or two other price'sare subjectto changewithoutnotice.Changesof ad
When viewed individuallY, theY can shopsof my own, and the normal0-level dressfor the deliveryof membershipmaterialsmust be re-
ceived at least 30 days prlor to the effective date of the
becomeinvaluable tools-like NPCs or proprietors of aII the other businesses, changeto ensureuninterrupted delivery.
monsters-that can be used as needed. aaai up to a very interesting locale. pOiVn f OnOU Newszinewelcomesunsolicitedsubmis-
artwork that are accompanied
Into The Dark is another feature I Or, in the larger coastal town of Dim- sionsof written material and
by our StandardDisclosureForm.No responsibility for such
enjoy reading. Although I do wlh that mesburg, I might add to the gloomY' submissions can be assumedby the publisher in any event'

occaiiottally new pictures would be normalihops and establishments,The No submission will be returnedunless lt is alsoaccompanied
stampedenvelopeof sufficientsize'
by a self-adressed,
reviewed as well. Also, I greatly enjoy Sigil of the Silent Night(#67), E.L.F. Unlessspecialanangementsto the contraryare made prior
the letters and contests. oid Co. (#61),The Dancing Bear (#60), to publication,materialssubmittedto the publisherfor publica-
the
tion in pOLyHfDRON Newszineare acceptedsolelyupon
Black Dugal's Music Shoppe(#56),and conditionthat the materialsmay be edited and publishedin
Jeff Mills have ProfessorWu Ling and his magic - POLYHEDRONNewszineor used in RPGA'- Networksanc-
Milltown, IN tionedtournaments,conventionsand eventswithoutcostto the
Iantern (#64)visiting town. That would publisherTSRand the RPGANetworkshallmake no otheruse
certainly spice things uP. of the materialsunlessTSRand the authoror artistenterinto a
Thanks for your thoughts, Jeff. Weneed So you see,a creative DM maY use the writtenagreementregardlngsuch use.
rightto
to know what membersthink of the different places detailed in the
TSRgiantsto prospectiveauthorsa non-exclusive
use copyrightedmaterialsof TSR ln their submissionsto
Newszine. Webasethe Newszine'scon- POLYHEDRON@Newszine in different fSn. nn'auttrorhowever,shallhave no rightto publlshor to
tent on the submissioreswe receiueand oermitsomeoneotherthan TSRto publisha submissionthat
villages, towns, hamlets, and metropo- includesany copyrlghtedmaterialsof TSR withoutfirst ob-
the types of articles our readers enjoy. lises throughout his world. Through tainingthe writtenpermissionof TSRto do so'
We'tt hold the polls openjust a couple this use, said DM can utilize what may Atl l-etter.addressedto the RPGANetworkor to TSR,Inc',
will be consideredas submissionsand may be printed in
rnre months beforewe adjust our con- have seemedlike a waste of spacein his wholeor in partat the dtscretionof the editorunlessthe send-
tent based on reader response.So if there favorite magazine. er specificallyrequestsotherwisein writing
are featuresyou like or dislike, get your Unless otherwisestated, the opinions expressed in
One last thing: where on Earth (or POLYHEDRON Newszinearethoseof the individualauthors'
responsesin soon. Narnia or the Forgotten Realms) did and do not necessarilyreflectthe opinionsof TSR, Inc ' the
you get that stupid comic Bloodmoose?I RPGANetwork,or its staff.
Standard DisclosureForms, POLYHEDRONWriting
I am writing in responseto Lincoln R.T. know Batton Lash is on leave, but Guidelines,TournamentRequest Forms, Membership
Morffi's letter, and to comments made in please,comeup with something better Forms,Ctub Forms,and ClassifiedAd Formsare available
"Wither the LivingCity?" (Notes from than that!
from NetworkHQ.
BUCK ROGERSand XXVcare trademarksowned by The
HQ), both in issue #69. DilleFamilyTrust.
I, for one, am not tired of The Liuing Dan Brown @designatesregisteredtrademarksowned by TSR' Inc'
City.Whrle certain articles, llke Chem- Findlay, OH * designatestrademarksowned by TSR,Inc.

cheaux,are not to my taste (too Most other product names arq trademarksowned by the
Dan, nlany DMs selectiuelyuse bits and companiespublishingthose products.Use of the name of
farfetchedllVlonty Haulish), the majority any productwithoutmentionof trademarkstatusshouldnot
are very entertaining and enjoyable.On pieces ofThe Living City'in their non- be construedas a challengeto such status.
the other hand, I also agree, in Part, FORGOTTEN REALMS settin'gcaffL' 01992TSR,Inc.All RightsReserved.
with the other view. There are far too paigns. Euen in Liuing CitY

P o Y H E D R o N
 6

majority of them are fauorable. What the RPGA Network and the mediocre scenario into sornething ter-
does the rest of the Network think about POLYHEDRON Newszine only advo- rific. Besides,if you don't like what you
Bloodmooseand Wolffand Byrd? cate playing TSR-producedgames. haue beengiuen to ru.n, why not write
All of these elements combine to form and submit your own tournaments?
I have been a member of the RPGA* one idea in my mind: to never renew my You complain that prices for member-
Network since November of 1989, and I RPGA Network membership again, and ship haue increased during the past few
have watched, I am sorry to say, the to find a decent gaming organization years. Postagecosts rnore,printing
steady decline of the quality of this (several exist that specialize in one prices haue increased, and you get a
organization since that time. I joined game, the best I have seenbeing monthly magazineinstead of a bi-
becauseI wanted to be involved in a KA GE for Shadowrun). Unfortunately, rnonthly one. You also say you haue only
gaming organization that promoted I have a desire, or perhaps a perverse receiued six issuesof the Newszine. We
good gaming and sponsoredquality love of pain, to play in upper level rnust receiue change-of-address notices
conventions. I am sorry to report that I RPGA Network sanctioned events at from mernberswhen they rnoue.Wehaue
believe this is no longer true. Since I conventions, such as the Masters events said innumerable times that the U.S.
joined I have attended many conven- (if I had ever been told my correct point post office does not forward bulk rnail.
tions, both as player and as judge, in- totals in all my membership, I might be The address in our data base does not
cluding GEN CON@Game Fair in 1990 a master now. I don't know) in a hope match the one on your letten
and 1991. During this time I have that playing with higher level players The RPGA* Network aduocatesplay-
watched the steady decline in tourna- will improve play. That is my reasoning ing only TSR,Inc. games?Grffin hock-
ment quality until now I believe tourna- for writing this letter, and perhaps some ey! Of the six tournaments you mention
ments are not only nearly unreadable upcoming events. Tb better an organiza- in your letter, three of thern are non-TSR
by GMs, but they offer no role playing tion that I think can still be saved. gan'Les,two.of therl are for the sa,n-re
potential what-so-ever,offering only Please understand I am not saying that TSR garne, and one-the TOP SECRET/
hack-and-slashgaming that I attempted all tournaments releasedare bad, but 5.1." game-we no longer support for
to get away from by joining the RPGA all the ones I receive or play in seemto lack of scenarios and players. At this
Network. Some of these tournaments be. I saw a copy of Blazing Saddles for GEN COI{@/ORIG/N,$" Garne Fair we
include: the AD&D@ game by Mr. Alan Grimes are sponsoringscenariosfor TSR,Inc.'s
AD&D@game, DernonToothTowei- of the RPGKC, that I thought would be AD&ry game and GAMMA WORLry
not playtested at all, poorly written. I quite fun. game; WestEnd Games' Torg, Star Wars
GM'd. and Paranoia; .FASA'sShadowrun;
Name and addresswitheld.
DARKSUN'" realm, Enemy Af My GDW's D ark Conspiracy, MegaTlau eller
Enemy-no role playing at all. I GM'd. and Ttuilight 2000; 54o40' Orphyte's
You say there has beena steady decline
FASAs Shadowrurt, Fear City-little Timemaster;Palladium's Robotech;and
in quality of the organization since the
role playing, author had no knowledge Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu. Other con-
of the rules whatsoever. I GM'd. fall of 1989. Well, we took a bi-monthly uentions throughout the world offer
Newszineand rnade it rnonthly. Weadd-
GDW's Merc 2000, (don't remember Network tournaments featuring game
ed a plethora of Regional Directors to
the title)-this was so hack and slash I systemsby uarious cornpanies. Wesanc-
help gamers locally. Westarted two inter-
stood up and left from my table at the tion more AD&D g&me tournaments
national branches to increaseNetwork
GEN CON Game Fair. I played. than anything, howeuer-that's what the
participation worldwide. Westarted a
TOP SECRET/S.I.* game, Operation players seernto want. And don't forget
Retailers Prograrn, which benefits the
Snowball-no playtesting, too long for the POLYHEDROAP Newszine. We
rnembersbecausethey can get discounts
one round, but finally a goodplot. I publish articles on a uariety of game
at many local hobby shops. Weimproued
GM'd. systems.
our club program and cunently haue
GDW's Dark Conspiracy,(don't re- You mentionjoining other organiza-
seuendozen Network clubs. Wesanction
member the title)-Ill prepared for the tions. Maybe KA GE is a great group;
tournaments for n'r,oregame systems
time, no playtesting. I played. we're not familiar with it. Howeuer,
than euer before. Weoffer n'Lorecontests.
Also, at this time I am preparing to please note we seruicea uariety of games,
Decline in quality? Wedisagree.
run two tournaments, both for an up- notjust one.
The Network promotes good gaming.
coming convention. They arc First Run, And as for your correctpoint total, it's
We'resorry you belieuethis isn't the case.
which needed proofreading (like most of listed on the sheetof paper that comes
TYue,not all tournannentsare of equal
the modules I have received)and needs with eueryupdated membership card
quality. Weget about 200 tournament
something besides"blast 'em all" gam- you receiue.You might not get your up-
submissionsd year Not all of them are
ing. And Million NuYen Bounty, which dated card, howeuerias sornetimesthese
sanctioned.Based on the uolurneof sub-
is almost worthy of being called a RPG are mailed bulk-and the post office
missions, howeuer;you can seethat we
adventure. But I have only skimmed won't forward bulk mail.
do not haue tirne to edit each accepted
through it.
Also, during this time I have watched
euentinto somethingof publishable tr
quality. Wemore closely edit tourna-
my prices for joining go up, while I
rnents selectedto run in the Newszine.
personally received no benefits, as I
Your opinion on the tournamentsyou
have, in my time as a member,received
mention aboueis just that-your opinion,
only six copies of the POLYHEDRON@
and we won't argue ouer reuiews.You
Newszine, two of which were the intro-
also say you ra.n rnost of those tourna-
ductory issue.
rnents. With work, a GM can turn a
Also, I am dissatisfied in the fact that

P o L Y H E D R o N
The Living City
Eagle

As Tloddlehas pointed out, the Ill Eagle

The fnn is now quite illegal.
by Christopher EarleY
Sorduel Meytauc's skills as servant, During businesshours, Toddle almost
This hostelry, within a short walking cook, and host (along with the monetary always can be found in his cagein the
distance to the docks,has a reputation booty from Tbhlard's mansion) paved center of the common room. He lets
for fine food and unusual conversation. the way for the opening of the III Eagle himself out at night, as the cage is nev-
What sets it apart from other superior Inn. However, the Damaran soon squan- er locked. The raised platform on which
inns of the city is its unusual "attrac' dered a large quantity of his finances on his cage rests is a three-foot high, four-
tion," an ugly talking eagle with an setting up the business,and it became foot diameter circle of cobblestonethat
equally ugly opinion of the world. necessary to sell some of the more con- was once an indoor well before it dried
The Inn's owner, Sorduel MeYtauc, is spicuousbaubles he had acquired, up. One of the building's former owners
an acid-tongued,yet mostly peaceable, things easily recognizedas "previously filled it with gravel. Various dark green
human in his 40s. Meytauc is the form- owned" merchandise.With the help of a plants line the edgesof the old well and
er chef of the lord of Damara, Kidaez letter of recommendation from his one- drape down to obscure the stonework
Thhlard. When that lord's elegant time accomplicein Heliogabalus, Sor- from sight, making it appear that Tod-
northern estate was overrun bY the duel found several underground dle's cage sits atop a mound of foliage.
army of the Witch-kingZhengyi prior to contacts throughout the city and un- The tatking eagle is a fascinating
the BloodstoneWars (seethe H-series of loaded his former master's possessions novelty to passersby and an amusing
TSR AD&D@game modules),Sorduel one by one. He kept the eagle. distraction to regular patrons. Toddle
was able to flee with a modest hoard of At prompting from Tbddle, the inn- usually starts ranting about the grow-
gold and a wagonload of the nobleman's keeper remained in touch with his ing blight of half-elves in the commu-
possessions. "lower peers" (as the eagle referred to nity or lack of any full-fledged
Among those possessionswas a most them). Through this associationSorduel discriminatory laws against demi-
rare creature, a gnarled eagle with the has becomethe face behind a fairly humans in general. Often, he will make
powers of speech.The eagle calls him- lucrative fencing operation. With an .obscuredisparaging remarks about an
selfToddle, and he professesa great agreement with the thieves guild, a elf named Ripsky, though not even
hatred for all demi-humans. secret chamber was constructed below Sorduel knows about this Person.
the inn, one with accessto common As one would assume,the inn is a
guild haunts in the immediate vicinity. humans-only establishment by default.

P o L Y H E D R o N
 THE ILL EAGLE II\TI\T
Second Floor

High Cost Rooms

@

Low Cost Rooms

@

Equals Five Feet

Ground Floor

Nfl | Il*p Door in

lK Floor of Offrce

Detail of Secret
Basement Room

P O LY HED R O N
 9

While Sorduel does not refuse to serve the demigod of bigotry. joke. Tib insists on escorting the Conric
demi-human patrons (despite his own One year, an elven adventurer, Kalesh sisters home each evening after the bar
bigoted tendencies), few find they are Ripsky, single handedly turned the and kitchen are closed.
able to comfortably digest a meal with a Greater Servant's hateful polystery Alba Gantley, cook. A high-strung,
bird cursing at them and telling crude upside down and stole the temple's rotund women approaching age 50,
jokes about their heritage. eagle. Ripsky initially thought to train Alba is the more creative of the inn's
Beliefs and temper aside, Sorduel Tbddle away from all prejudices, but two cooks. Originally from Waterdeep
Meytauc runs a first-rate inn. Meals are found the task beyond him. While wan- and still retaining her northern accent,
very palatable, served in large portions dering in the Realms, Ripsky unloaded Alba specializesin two things: seafood
and reasonably priced (seePlayer's the misanthropic bird on an interested dishes and fights with her co-worker,
Handbook, p&ge 67, and improvise from buyer, who later sold him to the estate Carlin.
there). The menu includes common and where Sorduel worked. Carlin Rendeg,cook.Born in the
exotic examples of Damaran cuisine, Since Tbddle spoke in a tongue inscru- Sembian city of Yhaunn, Carlin is an
prepared by chef Carlin Rendeg or Sor- table to sagesand linguists of the accomplished chef with a greater base of
duel himself. Realms (the Oeridian language of knowledge, yet less natural flair in the
Lodgings, on the other hand, are more Greyhawk), it was not until he picked culinary arts than his tormentor and co-
steeply priced, though none complain up the Common tongue of Faerun that worker, Alba. Carlin prepares all Da-
about the quality or service once the he could make his opinions and biases maran dishes, save when Sorduel is in
gold is spent. Most rooms cost 12 sp per known properly. the mood to "return to his roots." Carlin
day, or 10 gp per ride (a ten-day week). Lord Tahlard was forced to hide the is mild tempered by nature, and Alba is
The better rooms available go for a tidy toad-featured eagle in the servant wing one of the few people able to truly anger
2 gp per day, or 15 Sp per ride, a hefty of the estate whenever important digni- him.
sum for bedding in the neighborhood. taries came to visit-especially when A women named Stenda HartIY also
Any guests with mounts are charged an demi-humans were known to be in their helps the staff on a regular basis. She is
extra 6 sp each day for care and feeding entourage. Sorduel's mate of seven months (mar-
of each animal. Sorduel found that he shared many of riage plans are in the making). The
Sorduel's rates are so high because Tbddle's views and began to develop a daughter ofa local tanner, she acts
the fence prefers a less-crowdedinn. He liking for the eagle. When the wave of mostly as a supervisor but is not ad-
does not like the idea of having too assaults came from Vaasa, he took his verse to pitching in when things get
many people up and about after hours, like-minded companion south, where hectic. She also handles any emergen-
the time he most often devotes to the they eventually settled in Ravens Bluff. cies that might arise in the middle of
pursuit of his profitable, shady hobby. the night and tends to the needs of
For this reason, Tbddle typically keeps guests at the inn once Marda has gone
The Staff home. As proof of Sorduel's trust, he has
an inconspicuous watch near the en-
trance to the secret chamber (beneath Sorduel has an office and living quar- told Stenda about his illegal dealings
the office floor). At the first sign of trou- ters in the rear of the building's first and revealed to her the secret chamber
ble, be it a raid by the city pdtrols floor. The inn's employees are mostly below the office. Initially, she tried to
(which has yet to occur) or a much too middle-class citizens and live elsewhere convince Sorduel to end his affiliation
curious guest (a common problem), in the city, walking to work each morn- with the underworld, but she has since
Toddle squawks, "Ripsky had dung fer ing. The exception is the stableboy, a t4- come to realize what percentage of the
brains!" a prearranged signal warning year-old orphan named Kam, who Meytauc wealth comesfrom the "lower
those below to clear out immediately. sleeps in the loft above the stable. Un- peersj?and has ceasedarguing the
The eagle then begins berating the known to all, Kam has discovered Sor- point.
guest until the guest is insulted and duel's fencing operation; he has kept
returns to his room. quiet on the subject so far. Fencing,Anyone?
The following people also work at the
Ill Eagle: Few who enter the Ill Eagle are aware
The Eagle Tbri Conric, waitress. Thri is a 19- of the criminal activities that take place
Shortl;r,after hatching, Tbddle was year-old girl, plain looking but pleasant under the premises. Further, Sorduel's
given an increased intelligence and the and shy. fencing enterprise is not well known
ability to speak by a meddling, addle- Marda Conric, maid, Thri's 26-year-old among the criminal element of Ravens
brained wizard from the world of Oerth. sister. She is a smart, but unassuming Bluff. Thus, he maintains a lower level
The wizard Zebaakus met an untimely woman who is protective of Tari. When of illegal traffic than other fencing
end while venturing into a region the inn gets busy, Marda assists her operations in the city.
known as the Vast Swamp. The wizard's sister in the common room. Still, the quality of the goodsinvolved
ersatz familiat Tbddle, soon fell into the Tib Krutter, bartender. Tib is a talka- is high, and Sorduel has built up a large
warty hands of a Greater Servant of the tive, good-naturedman in his mid-3Os. base of funds once again. He has a re-
demigod Wastri, the Hopping Prophet. Sorduel dislikes Tib but pretends other- spectable network of underground con-
In his many years among the odd and wise for the sake of business-Tib is an nections, which keep the news of his
bigoted worshipers of Wastri, Tbddle excellent bartender and is well-liked by operation quiet. The irinkeeper has been
gained his current inflamrnatory atti- patrons. It was Tib who first shouted made an honorary member of the
tude toward demi-humans and also "Tbddle watch yer tongue," a phrase thieves guild, and in such circles he has
developed a distinctly toad-like appear- regulars now cry out in unison when- garnered the reputation ofbeing an
ance, as frequently befell followers of ever Tbddle tells an especially tasteless "honest criminal."

P o Y H D o N
 f0

Sorduel only accepts goodsfrom per- Toddfethe TafkingEagfe altered Tbddle has made him sterile as a
sons the guild has okayed or whom Host of the Inn side effect, a fortunate occurrence since
respected local fences know to be reli- no female eagle would ever consider
able customers. He also acceptstransac- AC: 6 mating with him.
tions from regular customers of his MV: 1, FI30 From time to time, Tbddle still likes to
three best contacts in Selgaunt, HD: 1+3 stretch his wings, but this is usually
Tblflamm and Heliogabalus. These out- hp: 10 just to frighten his more mundane
of-town customers must enter the inn #tr: 3 brethren. He typically takes flight only
under the pretense of ordering a meal. Dmg: l-2/L-2lt-2 to find a few toads to spend some time
When the waitress asks what they MR: Nil with. lbddle has a special rapport with
would like, they ask if it would be possi- INT: Very (seebelow) frogs and toads; he often decidesto
ble to get,a recommendation from the AL: N (with evil tendencies) bring home several such "friends" dur-
owner himself. When Sorduel arrives, SZz M (6' tall,7' wing span) ing the night. In the morning, Sorduel
the following exchange must take place: or Stenda must convince him to return
Special Abilities: speech,increased the creatures to their homes before the
Customer; I hear the Ill Eagle serues intelligence, dive attack, rarely sur- first guests wake up and seethe warty
an excellent rat soup. prised. amphibians hopping along the bar or
Sorduel: I'm afraid that delicacy isn't '' Languages: Common, Oeridian, empa- down the staircase.
in seasonjust now, thy with toads Tbddle'sown eating habits mirror
Customer; Then I simply rnust haue Possessions: brass cage,ring of spell humans', and he deteststhe idea of
son'Le. turning eating the "uncooked things" that his
Sorduel: Perhaps we can find some- cousins prefer.
thing on the rnenu to rneetyour needsa The wizard Zebaakus was an insane The ring of spell turning on his left
bit m,orefauorably. spellcaster who, in separate fits of rage, talon was provided by the Greater Ser-
Sorduel exits the room, returning managed to kill offthree familiars in vant of Wastri after a spell caster decid-
with a menu for the customer with the the span of five years. As punishment, ed Tbddle would be an easy target and
unusual craving. Scrawled on a note the powers that be prevented Zebaakus came close to roasting the bird. Tbddle
tucked inside is a messageabout return- from gaining any more familiars in his is still fluent in the Oeridian tongue. ff
ing at a particular time to "pick out a lifetime. Not one to be so easily thwart- angered (especially when in the pres-
tasty rat." ed (and growing lonely in his own evil ence of demi-humans), he reverts to his
Once the covert appointment has been way), the mage bought an expensive native language to repeat some of Was-
made, it is up to the customer to decide eagle egg in a nearby city and tamed tri's most malicious chants-which have
whether to stay and order an actual the emerging fledgling. By casting a no equal in any other spoken or written
meal. Most transactions take place in permanent spell related to the more languages in Faerun.
Sorduel's office, with quick accessto the common speak with animals incanta-
secret room. If a customer already tion,Zebaakus gave the bird the powers
knows of the chamber, business is car- of speechin his own tongue, Oeridian. SorduelMeytauc
Unfortunately, the talkative young 2nd Leuel Male Hurnan Fighter
ried out below. Access is via a trap door
in the floor, atop which a heavy liquor avian seemedmore interested in ex- STR: t4
cabinet sits. By depressing a concealed plaining the freedom of flight or the INT: L4
latch inside the cabinet, the bottom taste of different kinds of rodents than WIS: 9
panels fall away and the heavy piece of in listening to his master's evil plots DEX: t2
furniture comesto rest upon a set of and laboratory experiments. Tb make CON: 13
wheels formerly raised and hidden, thus up for this oversight,Zebaakus used a CHA: 10
making it easy to roll offthe trap door. wish to increase the eagle's intellectual
By tilting one side at a time and snap- powers and give him a more human AC Normah 8
ping the panels back into place, the perspective. AC Rear:8
cabinet can be made immobile again in When Tbddle fell into the hands of the Hit Points: 13
three rounds, or two rounds if two peo- priest of Wastri, he was still young and Alignment: NE
ple work together. easily influenced, despite his recently Languages: Common, (Damaran dia-
Sorduel has five trustworthy agents revamped intellect. Years in the polys- lect), Thieves Cant (some)
who keep him apprised of trends in tery as the Greater Servant's personal Age: 45
other cities, and many carriers who can pet and the temple's mascot had a Heighh 6'2"
be trusted becauseof their affiliation to brainwashing effect on the eagle (as lVeight:192
the thieves guild of Ravens Bluff. Tb well as slowly deforming him to his Hair/Eyes: Black/Green
cover the fees of everyone involved in current toad-like stature), and Tbddle
the operation, customers must be pre- has hated demihumans and the rest of Weapon Profrciencies: Short sword,
pared to pay 15 to 20 percent ofthe society ever since. sickle, dagger, knife.
value of stolen goodsthey wish to sell. Tbddle has bulging eyes and sits
Sorduel usually can tell a potential hunched over with his tongue sticking Nonweapon Profrciencies: Forgery
customer right away if there is a mar- out most of the time; he prefers to hop (12),cooking (14),etiquette (12),apprais-
ket for any particular stolen good, but about rather than fly. His feathers are al (14), read/write Common.
sometimeshe needsa ride or two (10 to mottled'and becomeslimy if he does not
20 days) to find willing buyers. bathe every few days. The magic which Continued on page 37

P o Y H E D R o N
 tl

SecretsBestKept Hidden
A Previewof the ForbiddenLoreBoxedSet
book are translated into RAVENLOFT When to Make a Powers
by William rrV.Connors and setting game terms, and special guide-
Check
Bruce Nesmith lines are presented for adventures that
revolve around "psychic horror." Addi- For the purposes of a powers check, not
tionally, a much needed set of rules is all acts that might be defined as evil
When Tbacy and Laura Hickman wrote given for the inclusion of DARK SUN'" need be considered.For example, the
the original RAVENLOFT" setting
world characters in RAVENLOFT ad- act of killing is rightly classed as evil by
module in 1983, they had no idea it
ventures. We've added another domain, most cultures, but the circumstances
would becomethe best selling and most
which has been pulled from the chaotic around the act must be weighed. Was it
beloved ADVANCED DUNGEONS &
history of Athas. murder done in the heat of passion?Was
DRAGONS@game module of all time.
Our fourth book is entitled "Cryptic the death accidental or caused by negli-
When the decision was made to spin an
Orders" and presents a number of se- gence?Was the act committed in self
entire line offof this module, no one at
cret societies and mysterious organiza- defenseor in the pursuit of a greater
TSR expected it to take off like it has.
tions that lurk in the corners of many good?In these cases,no powers check is
The RAVENLOFT line has acted like
domains. Some are mere dupes of evil made.
the land it depicts, drawing in people
powers, others are striving for purposes A powers check is made when a delib-
and capturing them with its eerie
unknown, and one is good. erate, calculated act of evil is done. The
shadows and lurking horrors.
Lastly, we present "The Waking more foul the act, the more likely it is to
The Forbidden Loreboxed set, which
Dream." This book is an exploration of draw the attention of the dark powers
will be available in hobby shops in
the Vistani tarokka (prophetic deck) and cause them to reward/punish the
November for $20, is intended to high-
and its usesin game sessions.This ties person committing it.
Iight many elements of the realm that
in to the deck of 54 cards, giving DMs a
needed to be addressed,expanded, or
wonderful tool for the weaving of dra-
clarified. At numerous gaming conven-
matic fortune telling sessionsinto their
Shadesof Gray
tions, we heard people telling us what
RAVENLOFT campaigns. A second Some other acts that don't seem overly
they liked and didn't like about the
method of divination, the Dikesha, is evil might force a character to make a
RAVENLOFT setting. This product is
also explored. Coming from the temples powers check as well. As with all
dedicated, with our thanks, to all the things, this is subjectto a DM's desires
and tombs of Har'Akir, this method of
folks who attend gaming conventions fortune telting uses five dice to catch a and interpretations.
and tell us what we do right, what we glimpse of the future. Consider a group of heroes that come
do wrong, and what we forgot to do.
Tb give the readers ofthe across a long abandoned temple in the
So, what have we put into the box? midst of the foul swamps of Souragne.
POLYHEDRON@Newszine an idea of
Quite a lot. The major componentis a what they can expect from Forbidden The temple is clearly unused, and has
set of five books. In addition, there's a Lore,we've selectedtwo sectionsthat do been for many decades,but it appears to
full color poster m&p, a deck of 54 Vis-
a goodjob of conveying the material we have been dedicated to a good deity
tani fortune telling cards, and a set of when it was in service. PerhaPs the
have included in this box.
five specially marked prophetic dice. exploration of this temple would not be
What are the books about? "Nova an evil act, but the removing of its trea-
Arcanumj' the first book, is a collection PowersChecks sures (especially if this caused the defil'
of expansions to the rules and guide- (Excerptedfrom "Oaths of Euil"). There ing of the temple) could well be.
lines presented for magical spells and
is a mysterious force, a lingering and There are two general guidelines for
characters in the RAVENLOFT game
boxed set. It includes rules for using all majestic curse,behind the dread do- the resolution of such cultural or moral
mains of Ravenloft. Sagesspeculate conflicts. The first assumesthat an act
the spells in Tbrneof Magic and some
about its nature and try to assessits is not evil unless the individual commit-
spells that we've pulled right out of the
pages of Strahd Von Zarovich's secret power. They ponder its earliest begin- ting it seesit as such. Thus, a grave
books of necromancy. nings and question its ultimate ends. robber who saw no malice in his actions
For all their theories and questions, for might not be subject to the scrutiny of
The secondbook, "Oaths of Evil,"
gives expanded rules for handling curs- all their lore and history, for all their the dark powers. The secondeonsider-
tireless efforts, they know nothing of ation is that of the cultural norms of a
es and the dread powers checks that can
the Dark Powers. given domain-an act is good or evil
turn even the besl-intentioned warrior
into a foul thing of the mists. As a fin- The actual game mechanics involved based upon how the local populace per-
ishing touch, it includes a number of in making a powers check is presented ceivesit.
cursed magic items and one very power- in the original RAVENLOFT setting The decision of which guideline to
ful, very evil artifact. boxed set. It is simple and easy to use in follow is left to the individual DM. The
Third, we have "Dark Recesses."In a game session.There are; however, former is good for forcing players to act
this volume the rules for psionics pre- some subtleties that need to be ad- in keeping with their roles and main-
sented in the CompletePsionics Hand- dressed. taining a feeling of consciencein the

P o Y H E D R o N
t2

game. The latter is better for presenting certainly will refrain from anything them a numeric value between one and
local taboos and superstitions in the that is remotely evil. 10, indicating the chancesthat are
context of a RAVENLOFT* adventure. For NPCs, however, the main thrust associatedwith such a deed.These are,
of a powers check, that of promoting of course,just guidelines. Anyone who
role playing, is lost. For this reason, it commits the act with unusual cruelty or
M itigatingCircumstances is advised that DMs use powers checks is especially malicious will find his
Another common exception to the re- only for player characters. Randomness chances of failure increased by one or
quirements for powers checks are cases has no place in the life of an NPC; if he two points.
where the ends might justify the means. commits an evil act, the DM should A number of categories and terms are
For example, an evil necromancer is simply decide if it warrants a powers used in the presentation of this hierar-
about to transform a young woman into check and whether that check fails. For chy of evil. Let's take a few moments to
an undead ghoul. Tb rescue her, a band the most part, however, DMs should define and clarify them.
of heroes is forced to fight, and kill, simply ignore this aspect in the caseof
several of the charmed guards that non-player characters. Crimesor Acts of Violence
protect his keep. Killing these unwit- There is, however, another way to use
ting servants of evil might well be con- NPCs and powers checksin the game. Here are some general categories of
sidered evil, especially if no attempt By having an NPC who undergoes re- violent acts.
was made to subdue them or avoid peated powers check failures, the DM Assault, Unprovoked: An unprovok-
fighting them. If there was no time left cari illustrate the inherent dangers of ed assault is any attack upon another
for such considerations, however, or the evil. Nothing serves to drive a point like person that is done out of malice or
heroes were unaware that the guards this home better than watching some- spite. This includes minor physical
had not willingly chosen to follow the one important to the party, like a valu- violence like beatings or brawls and
necromancer's evil ways, then no check able henchman, slowly decay into a some violent crimes (mugging, for in-
would be required. creature ofdarkness. If, in the end, he stance).It assumesthat the victim is
If, on the other hand, a more difficult turns on his master and former compan- not permanently harmed by the attack
(but still viable) means of reaching the ions, the shock is complete. and will recover in time. This is the sort
wizard was discarded becauseit was of thing that marks a bully.
easier to slaughter his underlings, then Assault, Grievous: This is more
Makingthe Check brutal and assumesthat some lasting
a check is certainly called for. Such
callous disregard for life has been the The procedure by which a powers check harm has been done to the victim. It
first step on many a ruinous journey. is made is describedin the includes many of the more severevio-
It is important, then, that the DM not RAVENLOFT setting boxed set. Tb lent crimes like attempted murder.
set the players up where they have no summarize, the DM assignsa base Betrayal, Major: This implies the
choicebut to do evil. No one enjoys percentage chance, determined by the betrayal of a person's trust or taking
being put in a no-win situation, espe- malevolence of the evil act, and then a actions that are against their best inter-
cially in something as personal as a role simple die roll is made against it. In est. Major betrayal includes such vile
playing game. If the players are put in a general, this chancewill be between1-%o deedsas luring someoneto a vampire's
position that requires them to take and tU%o,but certain truly evil acts will lair in exchange for the fiend's promise
some action that might normally be draw more challenging rolls. If the roll that no harm will come to betrayer or
consideredevil, no powers check is exceedsthe chance assigned, then the his family. In general, if it leads to
made. character has made his check, and the someone'sharm or death, it's major
It is impossible to be forced or tricked dark powers take no notice of him-this betrayal.
into an evil act that merits a powers time. If, however, the roll is equal to or Betrayal, Minor: Although less se-
check. One of the most basic purposes of less than the chance defined by the DM, vere, actions of this type cannot be
this game mechanic is to instill a fear of the character has been spotted by the discounted.Deedsthat lead to embar-
evil in the players. Tb be evil, in this dark powers and advances one step rassment or a change in lifestyle fall
sense,an act must be premeditated and down the road to destruction. into this category.
undertaken with a full understanding of Extortion: This covers areas such as
its vile nature. blackmail and similar acts where the
The Valueof Evif threat of physical violence or loss is
One of the comments we hear most used to force someoneelse to perform an
PC or NPC? about powers checks at conventions and undesirable task, violate a law, or re-
An examination of the role of powers the like is that some DMs have a hard frain from reporting a criminal or vio-
checks for various types of characters is time assigning a value to the powers lent act.
in order. check. To be sure, the difference be- Lying: This covers all manner of
For PCs, a powers check can be an tween lvo andIUVois subtle, and in intentional deceit, even the simple
important and dramatic part of the game terms the risk of failure is often omission of facts. However, unless the
adventure. A character who has failed minor. Still, even a LVochance will catch lie has some direct negative effect on
one or two checks is faced with the up with an evil character eventually, the person hearing (and believing) it, no
looming possibility of becoming some- and a LOVochanceought to be enough to powers check is made. This is, all things
thing dark and sinister. If this happens, worry even the most callous of sinister considered,a very minor indiscretion in
his character is lost, becoming an NPC. people. the darkness that is Ravenloft.
No doubt, such a player will be consid- To aid the DM, we've put together a
ering possible acts of redemption and list of various evil acts and assigned

P o L Y H E D R o N
 t3

Murde4, Brutal: To qualify as brutal, Unholy Acts: Other Evil Acts

a murder must cause undue suffering or
These are deedsdone against a church Of course,this list doesnot begin to
horror on the part of the victim. Often,
or other religious body. It is especially include every conceivable act of evil
this is a very fine judgment call. For
important to those who are making use that a person might do. Still, it does
example, poisoning someonewould not
of the Complete Priest's Handbook or to provide a broad overview ofthe various
normally be considered. However, if the
groups of adventurers that include levels of powers checks and the types of
toxin caused great pain and suffering
paladins or priests. deedsthat they are intended to punish.
before it brought death, the DM might
Breaking a Tbnet: AII faiths have There are countless other actions that
decidethat it counted.
normal rules and regulations that their might require characters to make a
Murde4, Premeditated: This in-
followers are expected obey.For exam- powers check, two of the more common
cludes any killing that is done in the
ple, a harvest deity might require that ones are presentedhere.
name of personal gain and vengeance so
l07o of all harvests be burned in hom- Casting an Evil SPeIL In both the
long as the victim is simply done away
age to his help in growing the crop. If a RAVENLOFT* setting boxed set and
with and not made to suffer.
follower of the deity intentionally sacri- the "Nova Arcanum" book in this col'
Theft, Grave Robbing: This type of
fi.cesless than his full share, he has lection, variants on traditional AD&D@
theft is so unusual in most cultures that
violated one of his faith's tenets. Gener- game spells are presented. In many
it merits inclusion as its own category.
ally, these transgressions are minor and iases, spells are also marked to indicate
As a rule, it includes the looting of
don't require a powers check unless that their use requires the caster to
fallen bodies in war or the removal of
done repeatedly or with malicious in- make a powers check. When this is
any treasure from a place ofburial. It
tent. done, the chance is equal to LVoper level
also includes acts like slipping a ring
Breaking an Oath: This is a more of the spell employed.Thus, the use of
from the finger of dead woman just
serious violation. It requires that the an energydrain spell requires a9%o
before she is placed in her coffin. In
act be in violation of some promise check and the casting of chill touch a
some cultures, this crime is far worse.
made under the auspices of the church. l%ocheck.
In Har'Akir, for example, grave robbing
For example, a cleric who has sworn Laying a Curse: The first Part of this
might fall under the category of dese-
never to use an edged weapon finds book dealt with the creation and use of
crating a holy place.
himself in mortal combat with an evil curses. In that section, it was written
Theft, Major: This covers any tyPe of
creature. Instead of using his own mace, that anyone using a curse must make a
theft that results in great personal
he picks up the magical flame tongue powers check. The chance of failure is
hardship for the victim.
blade of a fallen comrade and cuts the 2Vofor an embarrassing curse, with an
Theft, Minor: Any crime that does
beast down. His reasonsmight seem additional2Vobeing added for each level
not fall into the previous category, like
picking a pocket or cutting a purse, is fairly rational;he might have felt that beyond embarrassing. Thus, a lethal
it would take too long to kill the mon- curse requires at|Vo powers check.
placed under this heading.
Threat of Violence: This is a fairlY ster with his own weapon. His oath,
minor offense that generally involves however, requires him to always forsake Acts of UftimateDarkness
any threatening gesture or statement blades and their kin.
Breaking a Vow: This is the most In somecases,a character will commit
that causes another individual to fear
serious violation that one can commit an act so vile that a powers check seems
for his well being. Thus, it doesnot to be too minor an award. These under-
include mundane threats like those against a deity. Like the two failings
of described above, it governs transgres- takings are termed acts of ultimate
rnade by a drill sergeant or member
sions against one's promises made un- , darkness and have a much greater
the watch attempting to extract infor-
der the auspices of the deity. In this chance of drawing the attention of
mation from a reluctant prisoner. By
case,the act is so great that it flies in Ravenloft's dark powers. What sort of
the same token, warnings to refrain
the face of everything the faith stands things fall into this category? A perfect
from some courseof action ("Don't move
your hands, necromancer,or I'11kill for and violates a duty to the ultimate example would be Strahd's murder of
power, not just to the church and its his own brother in an attempt to possess
you!") don't count.
agents. For example, a paladin who his wife. This crime involved the betray-
Tbrture, Routine: Almost without a
doubt, this is among the most heinous betrays the trust of his church and al and murder of his own kin, the driv-
watches as one of its temples is sacked ing of a beautiful and innocent woman
and evil things that one person can do
might weII find himself in this level of to suicide, and the making of vows to
to another. This type of torture includes
jeopardy. forces darker than any man was ever
all such acts that might seem to be for a meant to treat with.
purpose. Tbrturing a prisoner to learn Desecration: This is a broad category
that covers any manner of destruction When a PC commits an act of ulti'
who his master is, for instance. Even in
or defilement of sacredplacesor objects. mate darkness the DM is free to assign
the best of circumstances,this is a thor-
Thus, it might include anything from any chance of failure to the Powers
oughly reprehensible act.
the destruction of an important holy check,beit257o,50Vo,or even LUUVo.In
Torture, Sadistic: This vile category
symbol to the doing of evil in a temple the latter case,the DM has seen a play-
includes all manner of tortures inflicted
of good. For an act to qualify as desecra' er attempt an action so vile that he
for the simple joy of causing pain. It is
tion, the object or place must be made cannot help but punish it. When this
so evil an act that every example of it
fairly begs for the attention of the dark offensive to the deity, so that any bless- happens, automatic fdilure of a powers
powers. ings he has bestowed upon it are with- check is a perfectly acceptableresponse.
drawn. tr

P o L Y H E D R o N
l4

The trverwEm[<lngtrye
WordsTo The Wise
ohs: "Fortune find you")-a parting The Wriften Word
by Ed Greenwood used in Essembra and in the country-
Published Realms products contain
side south ofit as far as the seacoast,
and west as far as the Thunder Peaks. little heraldry and runic script, but
"Hou) else can we touch each othe4 d'own
the passing years, saue by words?" It is not favored within the proud cities enough "bare-bones" linguistic notes to
of Sembia, where only "bumpkins" and address most writing and DMing needs.
Laeral of the Nine,
"country dung-carters" are thought to The "Cyclopedia of the Realms" book in
Thoughts On Life And WizardrY
speak so. the original Realms set contains (on
Year of the Snow Winds page 7) the styles of names used by folk
Rhambukkya (Ram-BOOkh-yah: "Ride ofvarious races and professions (con-
Elminster bid me pause in our gpided high")-used as both greeting and part- sider this generalized information to be
tour of the Realms while he cleared up a ing by the nomads of the Shaar. supersededby later, contradictory but
few terms of speech.So here's a look at:
Sabbas (Sab-BAS:"Run free")-a part- more specific notes and details in other
ing used by centaurs. Realms sourcebookproducts). Further,
LanguageLore alphabets are found in the "Cyclope-
Stettar Voh (Stet-tar VOE-hh: "Gods- diaj'page 8, and languages on pages8-
A Tiny (But Hopefully Handy) Gl'ossary power lkeep youl well")-formal, peace- 9.
of Phrases, Sayings, and Words of the ful greeting and parting among A more detailed delving into dwarven
Realms. merchants in The Shining South. names, Dethek runes, and runestones
The words we delve into here should Tantam (TA.N-tam: "Hello")-peaceful can be found on the covers of FRL1/
prove useful for DMs and players alike way-greeting among merchants of the Dwarues Deep.Inside the module, on
seeking to spice their characters' speech north. pages 11 and 12, is a selectedglossary
with the flavor of the Realms. of dwarven words and lists of clan
Uluvathae (Oo-loo-VAW-thay : " [May names.
Greetings & Farewells The shaded yourl fortune bring you joy")-a friend- In like manner, chapters 9 and 10 of
box on page 9 of the Cyclopedia of the ly, informal greeting and parting used FOR2/The Drow of the Underdark ex'
Realms book (in the original by elves and half-elves to others (of any plore drow names and words. The forth-
FORGOTTEN REALMS@boxed cam- race) they welcome the company of.
paign set) contains salutations and coming Menzoberranza.nboxed set
Between close friends, its use is an expands drow lingo a little more-for
partings widely known among folk of insult, or a neutral "say-nothing-we're-
various places and races in Faerun. In readers willing to pick information out
being-listened-to" warning. of text dealing with other topics. FR13/
addition to the words and phrases there,
know ye these: Vlandranna (VIan-DRANNA: "Gods Anauroch doesthe same for the human
grant [approval, or that what is spoken Bedine desert nomads.
AlaE (ah-LAY "Fortunate meetingi' a of occurs by their willl!-an old, corrupt-
contraction ofan old elven phrase ofthe ed dwarven word from the region that is
same meaning)-a greeting (and reas-
PfaceNomencfature
today the Vast and Impiltur; now used
surance of peaceful intentions) between by all trading races in The Sea of Fallen Largely derived from human speech,
travelers in the southern and eastern Stars. these terms have becomewidely used by
coastlands around The Sea of Fallen all trading races in the Realms.
Stars. In this list, look up the place on the
Other Terms left. After the colon appears the term
Durgos (DUR-ghosz: "P eace")-a cor-
ruption of the orcs'durgreos (seebe- In the Realms, "Power," capitalized, that applies, so that one can write "Am'
low), used by mongrelmen and some means "divine magical powers." nian wine" instead of "wine of Amn."
human slavers. Where we would say "a moment or
twoj'most humans in the Realms saY Amn: Amnian
Durgreos (Dur-GREE-ohzz: "No "a breath or two"-and what we would Anauroch: Anaurian
quarrel")-a responsive greeting and call a minute is "a goodly breath or Arabel: Arabellan
parting uped by orcs of the north. three." Athkatla: Athkatlan
Dwarves tend to call the same span of Baldur's Gate: Baldurian
Hykyath (Hik-ah-YATH: "Prance!")-a
time (actually, anything up to about (Never "Balduranj'which is the name
parting used by satyrs. It has been
picked up by some poets among the three minutes) "but a little while," of the city's founder. Tb misuse his name
elves and half elves, and even orcs have whereas a halfling would call the same is to insult his memory and the city.)
been heard, in battle, derisively telling span of time "a long song." To a half- Berdusk: Berduskan
their foes and underlings to "look live- ling, a minute is "a tune," and 10 min- Calaunt: Calauntan
utes is "three long songs." Most (Not "Calauntian" or "Calaunani' 'oCa-
ly" in the few breaths left before they
die. halflings tend to speak of longer time launthead" is a deliberate outlander's
periods, within a day, in terms of how insult heard often among Inner Sea
Lammath Drios (Lham-math DREE- much the sun has progressed. sailors).

P o Y H E D o N
 t5

Citadel Adbar: Adbarrim Saerloon: Saerloonian or mages, priests, and agents of the evil
Citadel of the Saerlunan or ganization that currently controls
Raven: Ravenar (The second,older term is heard less Zhentil Keep).
(A citizen; garrison soldiers are referred often.)
to as "Citadel-helms," or, less politely, Scornubel: Scornubian or RacialNomenclature
as "stone-heads.") Scornubrian
Cormyr: Cormyrean or: (Both are correct, but the secondterm is This section collects a few widely used
Cormyrian little used.) terms for intelligent races of the
("Cormyte," a more slang, familiar Selgaunt: Selgauntan or Realms. The names in parentheses refer
term, is also used, and is favored by the Selgite to those who usually use such terms. If
current monarch, Azoun IV.) (The secondterm applies only to art and no parentheses appear, assume that the
Daerlun: Daerlunian workmanship.) name is in general use (certainly among
Elturel: Elturian Sembia: Sembite or surface-dwelling humans and merchant
(Not "Elturelian.") Semmite folk of all races).
Elversult: Elversian (Either term, applied to the citizens, is Drow: the Dark Elves, The Accursed
(Not "Elversultianj'which is much correct, the former is used most often in (other elves).
used in Calimshan, and considered an the north and in the Dragonreach lands, Dwanres: the Stout Folk.
insult by Elversians.) the latter used more in the south. One Elves: the Fair Folk, the PeoPle
Eveningstar: Evenor speaks of a chair or sword of "Sembian" (elves,of themselves,collectively).
(An archaic, little-used, formal term.) make, but of "Semban" habits, beliefs, Gnomes: the Quiet Folk.
Faerun: Faerunian or style of workmanship. Outlanders Halflings: the Quick Folk, the SIY
Gond: Gondryr often call citizens of Sembia "Sem- Folk (humans and dwarves).
(Not "Gondianj' although this old term biansj' and the citizens usually don't Humans: the Manyhanded (halflings,
is sometimes applied to temples, vest- bother to correct them.) elves; a.k.a "The Manyhanded Curse"),
ments, and other items.) Shadowdale: Dalefolk Brittle Bones (orcs),Oroosh ( = "never-
Hillsfar: Hillfarian (Like all other Dale-dwellers; they use stopping talkers;" treants), Hurbryn ( =
(The old, scholarly term "Helvar" is no other term; in Sembia, Westgate, and "heavy-footed ones;" brownies, half-
also sometimes heard.) the Vilhon Reach, where folk of the lings, korred, satyrs).
Immersea: Immersean Dales are thought of as backwards Korred: the Dancing Folk.
("Immerian" is also sometimes heard, bumpkins, the term "Dalef is some- Ogles: Beast-Men.
but is frowned on locally, becauseit was times heard; it correspondsto "dung- Orcs: the Mighty (orcs, of them-
used in the past to refer to smugglers, carter" or "hayseed.") selves),Slaugh 1= "pigs" among some
slavers, and pirates.) Sossal: Sossrim or Sossar elves; this term literally translates as
Iriaebor: Iriaeben or Iriaeban (Use the first term for beings, and the "mud-wallowing-dogsj' and is begin-
Lantan: Lantanna secondfor items.) ning to be heard in use by half-elves,
Luskan: Luskar Suzail: Suzailan dryads, and some other forest-dwelling
Marsember: Marsembian Thntras: Thntran folk).
("Marsemban" is also correit, but Tbshluta: Thshlutar Satyrs: the Free Folk.
rarer.) (The term "Tbshalar" refers to the sur- Svirfneblin "deeP gnomes": the
Melvauntian rounding coastlands, subject to the rule Deep Folk.
Melvaunt:
Mintarn: Tbrnian of Tbshluta.) Collective terms most widely encoun-
(Never "Mintarniani') Thay: Thayan tered are:
Mulmaster: Mulmasterite or Tilverton: Tilverian
MuIman (Never "Tilvertonian;" locals refer to Meat : all intelligent prey (orcs).
(The former term applies to people, the themselves as "Gap folki' and will say, The Proud PeoPles = dwarves and
latter to things.) "I'm from the Gap.") elves collectively (humans).
Myth Drannor: Myth Drannan Urmlaspyr: Urmlassan Ugrukh ("broken bones") : wound-
Neverwinter: Neveren or (Not "Urmlaspianj' although snobs ed, defeated, slaves or those too weak to
Neverwintian from Selgaunt use this term, which is defend themselves or to be worthy of
(The secondterm is rarely heard outside resented in Urmlaspyr.) attention [used of all creatures](orcs).
of poetry, pedantic peech, or among the Waterdeep: Waterdhavian Worms = Iesser goblinkin (orcs).
arrogant Calishites.) Westgate: Westhavian or tr
Nimbral: Nimbran or Westar
Nimbrian Yhaunn: Yhauntan
(Either is correct; the former is usually (Not "Yhauntian.")
applied to beings, and the latter to Zhentil Keep: Zhent or Zhentish
things, but not always.) (The former term applies to a being
Ordulin: Ordulian or [plural: "Zhents"], the latter to work or
Ordulan goodsproduced by those citizens. The
(The rarely-heard secondterm applies to archaic term lused today mainly for
goods,companies, animals, and items, artifacts and other olden-workl is
but never to people.) " Zhentarian." The term uZhentilar"
Procampur: Procampan refers only to Zhentil Keep's soldiers,
Ruathym: Ruathen and the term "Zhentarim" only to the

P o L Y H E D R o N
l()

DM Background
by TornPrusa In this, the final chapter of Experience

Experience
Preferred, our heroes must make their
way to the demi-plane of Kansas, find
Exeter,and bring him backhome.Un-
fortunately, the detours they have been
forced to take have given Exeter enough
time to organize a party of his own and

Pref ed escape.This adventure works best with

the player characters presented in issue
#72.
While on the demi-plane of Kansas,
there are no modifications to spells or
magic items. However, Wemick does not
have his spell books and cannot relearn
spells. Also note that the potions Matil-
da carries are old and might not be
effective. For purposes of this adven-
ture, assume t}rrehealing potions always
work, the others are still potent on a
roll of 51-00.

Pfayers'Background
',;g*fiffi ,ioubee,that .'
ri'buiti'r

*sm;p+.r;{titff
'iliffiI
f i1t4g]t',a',mgdusqi,,I:,,,,,
.,r.trw,fu lle,rnrebr., i'

-l#'#ffl;i;

#,
ffi
'..#ffieffiffitg'i
-H#i 1i"
Part Three --'
An AD&D@2nd faitibn Game Scenario
For Six Veteran Adventurers
-$*
Illustratian by Gary M. Williams

P o Y H E D R o N
 l7

Kansas,At Last fact they're only a few feet above the stock and asking prices include:
bridge's walkway. A character must Three medium horses.These horses
make a Strength check at a -2 penalty are in good condition and are capable of
A*,youantei,ttie desli.pianeof Kan- l : to crosson the rope. If the check fails, carrying armored characters. They are
'il?rn*'';T;ffi
fffit'fJH,ffil.tf
&:',,"
iS,a,,giani,,qpg,a,tlwarf; and tlle,sth. i
the character falls about two feet to the
walkway. This does not dispel the ueil,
not battle trained. Blake's initial asking
price is 100 gp each. These are the
'. but the character automatically is enti- horseshe wishes to sell to the party. He
, ei-s'aro Lluman,,.,The'o 'in.tfie:lead,'is, tled to a disbelieve attempt at +3. If the will not sell them for less than 80 Sp.
, Sxeter! A{ter,they cross thg,bridg€,r, disbelieve attempt fails, the unfortu- TWolight horses.These are horses
, Exgten [urns,..'He',holds'a sheet,of. nate character suffers 20d6 points of Blake wants to train for his sons.They
',:parc'hme-ntin one hand and.gestures ' damage-all experienced adventurers are worth 25 W each, but he will not let
with the other- The bridge explbd'es ' , know about the maximum falling dam- them go until the party offers at least
,,in fl-ameS.fixeter:, and,his en!-ogr.age, age rule (seePHB, page 104). 60 gp each.
' str.ide,quiekly;up the |1itl',,s.topping After the PCs crossthe bridge, theY TWomules. These are onlY average
bbforelthe,gate, ExCter t"trirlsi and r' can use the gate. They are teleportedto mules. They cost 20 gp each. If Sagrais
' through'$onrehCougtictrick'.oft-hig, is to ride, he must have one of these-he
a cave southwest of the home.
"1wn*'ih:r.tm,tiH,t##lfltno "' On the Road Again
wonft stop me?'
knoW bvrhow,.that,,you
is too short to ride anything else.
Saddlesand harness can be had from
Blake for 15 gp per set.
,'.Iir,g.r
hetter,.than, y ou; trIve,alwa-ys,heen
betterti'.}qq y,orr!r' r. ''.
.The delay,in crossing'the bridge was Hornick (bully); This small-minded
,jus[,enough to g:ite Exbter time for a man is the leader of a local gang of
The party cannot get close enough to hit elean,getaway. Everybody-can see young toughs. They are smart enough
Exeter with spells or missiles before he ,freshhorse tracks and giant foot- not to bother any ofthe residents. In
and his group escapethrough the gate. printsrleading out of the cave and spite of the PCs' armor and weapons,
i ,towar.d'the,rnainroad to the north-
Hornick seesthem as old, infirm, and
east, You guess the home must be easy pickings. Before the party leaves
The Burned Bridge about two day's travel on foot, maybe town, he leads his group of toughs onto
When the party reaches the bottom of half tha,t by horseback. It seemsthat the street and demands a "fee" from the
the hill, they stand in front of a gorge Exeter,and'his group'have a good PCs for using the streets. He makes
which cuts across the entire valley. ::lead.T,he.villageof Muriows Dell is
rude remarks about the characters' age
Mountains ring the valley, and the about five miles,down the road. Per- and acts obnoxious. If the party soundly
party must cross the gorge to reach the ha-psyouwill be able to find mounts thrashes the toughs, several local resi-
other gate. The gorge descendsstraight ther-e. .. 1 ' dents (mostly little old ladies) cheer
for nearly L,000 feet. It is 60' across. loudly.
The bridge has been reduced to two Murrow's Dell
smoldering bridge supports, one on each
side of the gorge. This small hamlet is barely a wide spot
There are several ways the party can in the road. There is a tavern and a
get across-most likely Wemick or Hen- blacksmith shop with a stable attached.
ry will use a spell or two. The village is not detailed, since the Hornick: Int Low; AL CE; AC 7; MV
The party can use the bridge (the fire party will not be spending any great 12; HD 2 (F2); hp 14; THAC0 18; #AT 1;
and destruction ofthe bridge are part of amount of time there. A few of the key D-g 1-6; SA * 1 "to hit and damage for
a ueil spell Exeter cast from a scroll). NPCs who the party might deal with 1-7strength;SZ M; ML 11; XP 35.
T}rreueiled area looks and feels like a are listed below:
destroyed, smoking bridge, but does not Big-MouthedMerchant
smell like one (only PCs who specifi- Harold (tavern keeper): This big burly
cally ask about the smell will notice man is always ready to greet travelers. As the party rides northeast, remember
this). The ueil's duration will expire 12 His ale is drinkable (barely), and the that they will have to travel at the
turns after the party reaches the gorge, food is good. His prices are extremely speedof the mule Sagrais is riding. The
revealing an intact bridge. high, but he knows he is the onlY game PCs continue to lose ground to Exeter's
If someoneattempts to lasso the sup- in town. At this time of the day the party.
ports on the other side, there is a SOVo tavern is virtually empty;there are
After riding along for about three
chance the rope will strike part of the only a few old farmers nursing mugs of
ale. hours, you spy a wagon approaching.
"invisible" bridge. The rope appearsto There is an immensely fat man driv-
have been knocked aside. (Anyone who ing the wagon, which is piled hieh
makes a disbelieve attempt after seeing Blake (blacksmith): Blake also owns
with boxes and bariels. The man
this gets a +2 bonus, +4lf the charac- the stable. Blake is a huge man, the
typical picture of a smith, but he has a waves as you approach, and he pulls
ter also noticed the smell.) If the lasso is
his ryagon to a stop with every sign
not deflected, the PCs must hit AC 0 to surprisingly high falsetto voice. He
that he expects you to stop.
successfullylasso the beams. Once the offers to sell the party three horses and
lasso is in place, the PCs can crosshand two mules, and only a clear cut opportu-
over hand;they'll think they're swing- nity for a large profit will cause him to The merchant is Formil, a dealer in
ing over the 1,000-footchasm, but in part with more animals. His current spices,foodstuffs, and tobacco. This

P o Y H D R o N
r8

fellow never passesup the chance for a

sale.'If the party asks for information ',$ffi*n
,.tr1;!i4glbeen,a,ls.qg,hard'rri&,'but. ' ..,.-r,'-
about Exeter, Formil says he saw a '
.$#ii;ritisffiitT'fiL 'h#;tryrff#f;f tffi
group ride past some hours ago. They
were riding fast and didn't even stop to 'ffittEl#i'if '" .4$.of-ffi#*llf;Hfl''"
say hello, though they did stop a ways
down the road to meet with a grouP of 'tffif;l'#';ifi*-11ffi$meiil " Lomei Wel-lrd9 5q'ou'accept:,the:,e'h'al.r,
:i,,'
mercenaries. -'
will.you. go brlin.{l'yto nr,,,,,
l,combC,outside,a.rrlbment,Iaten ..',,.,.. ,,-'Ieg.e.,'or
It is near noon now, and Formil will
,,'giant,ig,h-olding'Nellie,in his'handsr' r' .,,d4-h,the' s.hee$ydtr' are?: t '. , , . , . . : ,
offer to let the party eat with him. He
persistently tries to sell spices (he has a
ua'n*,-kff....If the challenge is accepted(what self-
,,xffffii:u-*ffi
surplus of cinnamon), dried beef, and respecting adventurer could refuse?),
tobicco. He will offer tobacco to each of
Exeter's Plan: Exeter wishes to prove the PCs are led to the training ground,
the men, being most Persistent with where most of the other residents are
Henry, Wemick, and Sagrais. once and for all that he is better at
everything than Wemick. He has cre- already being held. The giant tosses
If the party tries to ride bY,remind Nellie into the stands, where a pair of
Sagrais that it is near lunch time. ated a set of 12 gems, and six of them
are planted about the home. When their mercenaries watch her closely. There
counterparts (held by him and his allies) are dozensof mercenaries with swords
The Murdered Peasants are brought together, the home will be drawn, all watching the residents.
destroyed by an earthquake. But de-
..l ;ffi:hourglater ,"*e, fig-'tt't'' stroying the home is not enough. Exeter Mercenaries (50): Int Average; AL LE;
r,r'-,'' AC 7; MV 1.2;HD 1 (F1); hp 6 each;
,,,ures'si ding ,ther.o.ad-,Af,e
'HlH.''.|i#if$i'f
,,,,eT,t
wants to destroy Wemick first, defeating
him in view of all the residents. Each THACO 20; #NI1; Dmg 1-8;SZ M; ML
10; XP 15 each.
,.,9, '' member of this group will face one of
the player characters in a combat to the
death. If four or more player characters
Duel Layout: The training ground is
150 feet by 50 feet wide. There are seats
,,,Vp s,.that,tfugii:'pa,rents e lyln'g. on',,-., can win their duels, they can save the all around. Exeter will place a gem on a
,t,',theground,rone-of 'thgmtCtrawed' f6',,l:,1,, home. If not, everyone will Perish. pedestal in the middle of the field. The
.'ile e'otlher''ry''.i ',
,,a.bro'k$.ne-ak'. first character to reach it and return to
The situation: In addition to his party the starting gate will be considered the
The boys, Anderus and Philey, are un- from the plane of Kansas, Exeter has winner of the duel.
hurt, but devastated. They are trying to picked up a group of mercenaries; these
be brave, but the death oftheir parents were the men Formil the merchant saw. The Gems: The gems are large ame-
has left them in near shock. It is obvi- The mercenaries currently are holding thysts. Destroying a gem is just as good
ous to the PCs that these children will the residents captive. For the duels, the as winning the duel. However, the oppo-
perish if left alone. residents will be forced to sit and watch, nent will certainly fight to the death if
If the PCs carry the boys on the two most with a guard right behind them. a PC doesthis, to avoid Exeter's wrath.
largest horses, they party will not slow Any attempt to free the residents will The gems can withstand 10 points of
down, as the mount Sagrais is riding cause many deaths. The onlY waY to damage and are AC 4.
still is the slowest. rescue the home is to meet Exeter on The Duels: The duels will commence at
If questioned, the boys say their fami- his own terms and defeat him. If the high noon. The PCs are given no time to
ly was going to town when theY were party takes a few minutes to look prepare. When the PCs are ushered to
overtaken by a group of men and a around, they'll seethe stands around the arena, Exeter announces the duels,
giant. The giant killed the father, and the practice field packed with nervous which will occur in the following order:
one of the men turned into a monster residents and grim-faced mercenaries.
and clawed the mother. The boys are too Attempts to do anything but look will 1. Ratha Rann vs. Icehand, the frost
miserable and frightened to describe the result in Nellie's immediate death, giant.
monster (it was Chillclaw, the gelugon), followed by the slaying of all the resi- 2. Matilda vs. Maralix, an 1lth level
though they do remember that the giant dents and the destruction of the home. fighter.
had white skin and that the monster 3. Sagrais vs. Hedgeheart, a 10th level
was white, too, and almost as tall as the The Chalfenge dwarven thief.
giant. The boys paid no attention to the
men.
Some time after finding the boYs,the
" ,tffiTrrffi#tffi#t 4. Henry vs. Simon, a 10th level illu-
sionist.
5. Ada vs. Chillclaw, a gelugon.

''tffi"$fffiHa.$fi*t ''
PCs will have to stop for the night. 6. Wemick vs. Exeter.

Home At Last
The PCs reach the home before noon the
,ffi {t$or"*;',Fi##i##ffi "' As the duels start, the first bout will be
fought cleanly, Ratha vs. the giant. As
th,e,,,,,- ,',
arrC:'fi+e,moig,tike,if.iit this is going on, the party notices that
next day. If they didn't push themselves .,,,!hbr,e
into a forced march the previous night,
they feel ready for anything.
"ffffif Exeter's group is casting spells, prepar-
ing for their duels. The PCs can do the
same, although they will have to have

P o L Y H E D R o N
 lc)

THE CHALLENGE

any spells cast, or potions drunk, before and,L8l23 Strength, one extra attack
,,,u#ies,,are,quickly,disp.atched: In,,, each round with net; SZ M; ML 14; XP
the duel is called. i,spite of.the,,faCiihat you fell; and : j :
If the party wins four or more of the 5,000.
: failedi ybumist,stifl admit t'h6tr , '; ', Maralix wears plate mail and carries
duels:
..ihdreX no subsiitute
foi experience: , a net and a trident +2.
,:*r,tue tast'a*r:* Combat tactics: Maralix will move
"on* . . quickly to closewith Matilda. He uses
'. Exeter's Group
ik,ptr,,
''.i3ffilltffino;ntry,s , ,:, Exeter has gathered the following al-
his net as a secondary weapon, attempt-
aid,is, :
, ,an .,ieCoVeredlhefihammerr ing to entangle Matilda. Use the rules
sf [hs, lies. foi nets in the CompleteFighter's Hand-
,,.no*. Ieaaing,65a,,tld,residenii
,liomerintheii"fi,ght,,again5t,the,meF ' book.If you don't have t'heHandbook,
' ' Icehand (Frost Giant): Int Low; AL Maralix must hit his opponent with a
.,oeu--#iesi,TU",t*o*U,,mahes..shor+ CE; AC 0; MV L2;HD t4+ 1.'4;hP 75;
.'.i;nE'l;i,ine-*,..:usixe",bh,L11..t"gs,,un -2 penalty ( -6 with the secondarY
tike,, THAC0 7; #Nt 1; Dmg 2-16+9; SA weapon "to hit" penalty). Once entan-
,.btelias,staves.,ql'.1d,-thq.{,-hg, :, , Hurling rocks for 2d10 points of dam-
,,.Chase themgut of theihome,Nellie: ,: gled, Matilda must make a DexteritY
'.'ilats,,theimeilenaly'teadu4ana,wiifr:l age; SD Impervious to cold; SZ H; ML check to get free.
themerc
en*t.' 13; XP 7,000. Maralix joined Exeter just to cause
[t3'l.flffi , Icehand carries a huge battle axe * 1
(remember to apply the appropriate
trouble for those weaker than himself-
If reduced to 10 hit points or less he will
bonuses to the unadjusted statistics suruender,and try to flee the home.
If the party loses the duels: Iisted above),and a sack containing
I three throwing rocks.
',rhere,is'*,io*,nl* trre,".n#4 6s , , Hedgehearh Int Average; AL NE; AC
.:.
ExCier, t .,his.iemalnlng,iitils,:
araw., Combat tactics: Tbctics, what's tac- 5; MV 6; HD 10 010); hp 44; THACO
,t"!;tt'.i; $;aae'tt,N"tti5ap*#l., '. tics? I throws me rock, then I takes me L6; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6;SA t2"to hitj' and
,,.andttflingg, silrashihg'.rl
h:er,.hammef,. :: : axe and cuts him to pieces.Little ones- damagefrom magical weapon,poison;
the stbnes,before,.t'hby
:',&*ee i,of, Can,be, Icehand joined Exeter for the money.
SZ S; ML 14; XP 4,000.
, hrough,ttogether.:She:then,:,hegins.to, Hedgeheart carries a short sword.+2
, .thro*, th-e.,ha.qqp .at .E- tbr's,','
g,q.again Maralix: Int Average;AL CE; AC 3;
treated with type E poison (immediate
:part}t :lwtdle, turn, on t-hq,
the,reei:dents: MV 6; HD 11 (F11);hp72 THAC0 10;
death, save vs. poison for 20 points of
.,rneicen#ies;,in ffi,, Ex*erts pa*y .,..,' #NI 3lz;Dmg 2-7; SA *4 "tohit:' +7
damage), which is good for one hit.
the -erCe, ,
', s'fti::ttreir:li,ves,:,and damage and two attacks a round from
Combat tactics: Hedgeheart plays to
trident specialization, magical weapon,
win. Before the duel, he received a

P o L Y H E D o N
20

stoneskin spell from Exeter. This com- rounds. Chillclaw can gate other baate- Exeter's Background
pletely negates the first six attacks zu, but will not do so during this adven-
I am an incredible wizard. I'll show
against Hedgeheart, hit or miss. Sa- ture. them all. For many years I traveled
grais will have to be resourceful to win Combat tactics: Chillclaw wants to
with that old fool Wemick and the com-
this duel (wrestling or overbearing defeat Ada soundly. He will start by pany of the Swan.Companyof the Sit'
attacks would help negate Hedgeheart's blocking her escapewith wall of ice,
ting Duck is more like it. None of them
advantage). trusting in his magic resistance to pro- ever gave me the credit I deserved.It
Hedgeheart joined Exeter for the tect him from Ada's spells. Then he was always "We'll run in and Wemick
money. casts fly, and closes,swooping with will cast his spell." I am just as good,if
claws extended.He will melee until he
not better than Wemick eYer was. I
Simon: Int Exceptional; AL LE; AC 5; is down to20 hit points or less,then fly could tolerate the slights while adven-
MV 12; HD 10 (W10);hp 37; THAC0 17; into the air, dropping a wall of ice on turing, but once I retired to the home,
#N l; Dms L-4;SZ M; ML 15; XP Ada. Note that if Ada is near the gem at
the years of stories about how "Wemick
4,000. this time, the gem may be destroyed. did this, Wemick did that," finally got to
Simon wears bracers of defenseAC 5, Exeter summoned Chillclaw with a me. I left the home and resumed adven-
and carries a dagger *2 and a wand of magical scroll. Exeter really isn't pow-
turing. Now, I am a full wizard, plus a
nxo.gicmissiles (23 charges). erful enough to control him. The bait, a little more, and Wemick will have to
Spells remaining: Chromatic orb* high priestess of Tyr, was more than
admit I am the more accomplishedspell
(x2), blur; color spray, detectrnagic, enough motivation for the creature. He caster. That is, if he can still talk after I
hypnotism, blindness, mirror img'ge, doesn't care awhit about Exeter's silly get through with him. He'll pay for all
improuedphantasmal force, hold person duels, he just wants the cleric. He easily those insults, they'Il all pay.
(x2), phantom steed,fire shield, phan- could "win" just by teleporting,blut I did my.researchcarefully, I know
tasrnal killer shadow tnagic. ean't resist getting his claws into a who is still strong enough to fight at the
* New spell from th'e Complete Wizard's cleric in an even fight. If a general home. My group is carefully tailored to
Handbook If you don't have this book, battle erupts, Chillclaw will use all his defeat that band of old fumblers. I am
replace this spell with grease. abilities to cause as much destruction as not really comfortable around Chill-
Combat tactics: Simon will not move possible for three rounds, then teleport
claw, but someonehas to fight the stu-
to close,trusting in his spells. Before away. pid cleric.
the duel, he casts blur on himself. When
facing Henry, he starts with a distance Exeter, the Excellent Mage Most Running Exeter: Exeter suffers from a
spell, perhaps a shadow magic.fireball. Magnificent: Int Genius; AL N (insani-
severepersecution complex,with a bit
He then tries phantasmal killer and ty causesfluctuatiotts); AC A;MY 12;
of an inferiority complex, and some
hold person. He then moves close HD L2 (W12);hp 27; THAC0 L7; #NI L;
delusions of grandeur thrown in for
enough to use hltschromutic orbs.If Dmg t-6;SZ M; ML 15; XP 6,000. good measure.He is capable of deciding
both are still standing after all of this, Exeter wears bracers of defenseAC 4,
anything, for any reason. He is a compe-
he casts blindness at Henry, grabs the a ring of feather falling, and a brooch of
tent wizard, his madnessin no way
g€ffi, and runs. shielding (33 points). He carries a staff
of striking (9 charges),a potion of flying, affects his spell casting abilities or
Simon is a spell stealer who joined intelligence. He has a total fixation on
Exeter so he could prey on other illu' and a wand of fire (13 charges).He re- Wemick, and is perfectly willing to see
sionists and steal their spell books. ceivesa +2 bonus on savesvs. mental
everyone die if he can only defeat
Exeter promised him all of HenrY's attacks (Wisdom 16). Wemick once and for all. Of course he
stuff, perhaps exaggerating about some Spells remaining: Burning hands,
has a teleportspell in reserve; he may
of it. rnagic missile (x2), unseenseruant,
be crazy, but he's not stupid.
continual light, detectinuisibility, inuisi-
Chillclaw: Int Genius; AL LE; AC -3; bility, shatter, dispel tnagic, hold person,
MV 15; HD 11; hp 56; THAC0 9; #N 4; Melfs rninute rneteors,slow, fumble, Nellie Thursday
Dmg I-4 + 4lt-4 + 412'8+ 413'L2+ 4; SZ H polyrnorph other;stoneskin,telekinesis Nellie Thursday: Int High; AL NG;AC
(I2' tall);MR SOVo; ML 16; XP 39,500. (x 2), fumble, coneof cold, teleport,globe 10; MV 6; HD 8 (F8);hp 55; THACO 13;
Chillclaw, abaatezu, is immune to of inuulnerability. #N 3lz;Dmg 2-5; SA t6 "to hit" +11
cold and takes half damage from fire. Combat tactics: Exeter is finally damage from magic weapon and stone
He can be hit only by silver weapons going to show everyone that he is a giant strength; SZ M; ML 16; XP Nil.
(half damage)or magical weaponsof +2 better wizard than Wemick. He doesnot Nellie carries a ring of stonegiant
or better enchantment. He regenerates want this fight to end quickly. Before strength hidden on her person. When
two points of damage each round. He the duel starts, he casts a stoneskin, antd she reappears after the duels, she wears
can use the following abilities at will, a globe of inuulnerability. (The globe will the ring and wields a war harnmer * 3
once a round: aduancedillusion, charm stop most of Wemick's spells, although dwaruen throwen
per son, suggestion, teleport w ithout it can be brought down with a dispel Nellie owns and managesthe home.
error detect magic, polymorph self, wall magic.)Exeter begins the duel with his She is 331 years old and has been run-
of ice, fly, and,generate fear in a 10' flashiest offensive spell, probably cone ning the home for about 75 years. I{er
radius. He has infravision and contin- of cold.If the spell assault fails, Exeter hammer hangs over the mantel in the
ually detectsinuisibility and knows screams in frustration and closeswith front room. Nellie is a kindly soul and
alignment. A hit from his tail causesthe Wemick. He pounds on Wemick with his still a very competent fighter.
victim to save vs. paralyzation or be
slnwed from numbing cold for 2d4
staff of striking, using three charges
every strike, until one of them is dead.
tr
P o L Y H E D R o N
 2l

A New CrystalSphere
And TheAliensof Sol
Combat,Planets,
SPACE:1889ShipWeaponry
by Timothy B. Brown Personal ROF #Per THAC0 CH
Weapon Range Hull
Space: 1889ships fighting spelljamming Damage Damage
uessels,the Earth as a new world, and Maxim 0 1-3 4-40 4tl 18
Gardner 0 1-3 3-30 3lL 18
Sol residents as AD&D@ ganxecreatures 18
Nordenfelt 0 1-3 4-40 4lL
completethe new crystal spherewith this
issue. l-Pdr'
8-pdr r ,
6-pclf
'
,
1:
1
, ,L.4.,,
tr.6, ,
2 , ' . . 2 -8 ' , ,
iiiii1iii*iil #
I
.4#fi
, ,,. 12, , , 20
1 ,,i,.,
.. 't 'i'0''i,'. , 20. . . '
,1 ,t,,,,
2 1',,,.1.,.,,',10...t'..'.,,'t
Battles between spelljammers and
4" shoit 2 2-8 2-L6 2/L 2 10 19+
liftwood vesselsin an atmosphere 19+
4" long 3 2-12 2-20 2lL 2 8
should be played using the 18+
o' 3 2-L6 2-24 2tt 2 8
SPELLJAMMER'" rules or the War
Captain's Companion rules, on the 500-
yard hex grid. Alt liftwood vessels,
6 ' ,i,
8r,
,,
r.
: : : i : : : : a: : : : : : : : : : a: : : : : : i : : : : i I : : : ; : :
,, .4 ,
4 ,,
, ,5,
, 2.2,0,'
'3-24 .' .3'-33
.,. $il
t4,&a", , 'ffi& i i i i ri i i l ! :
2,' ,,,,':' ". , : ;.;.;.,,,lp,
i; g, ' +.
,.,8'' ,:':'I7::+':
2 ,',;i;.i,,,,,,,,
3;'' , , 8. . , . ' f O +
including kites, have a maneuverability .ICItr:l;:l:
liil:li;l,i.'...; , 3-30 aililfi
rating of D. Kites must move with or L2" 6 4-32 4-40 Ul 3 8 15+
against the wind, as describedin the t4" 7 4-40 6-60 L/L 4 8 13+
t6" 8 5-50 6-72 tlL

firi;iif
ii11ii1;
Aerial Cornbat section of the SPACE:
1889rules book (page 103). $*64$a{,;,,;' ,.0 .,, 2;-L',6,'
, ,,, , $t*
To convert SPACE: 1889 ships for
tight:
Heavy
r
RoaGun .
0
1
r
1,"3,.
1.6 .,
2-8
,,.'.t':3,
,.
2-t6
2f.#
:fil*
2/L 2 L2 19+
SPELLJAMMER game use, reference
the following material. Rogue t 2-12 2-16 uL 3 10 19+
Built By: Earthmen or Martians Lob Gun L 2-T6 2-20 r/l 3 16 16+
Used Primarily By: Same
nearest whole number. Here are the SR Hull Points:32
Tonnage: Divide the listed tonnage
equivalents for liftwood vessels.For Crew: 15
by 10 to find the tonnage in
kites, the SR is one plus the roll of 1d4, Maneuverability Class: D
SPELLJAMMER game terms. Yes
rolled at the beginning of each turn. Landing-Land:
Hull Points: For most ships, this is
Landing-Water: No
equal to the tonnage value. However,
Hullcutter Screw Galley 2 Armor Rating: 4
for British gunboats with heavy metal
Small Bird Screw Galley 2 Saves As: Metal
armor (such as the Steam Launch and
Aerial Steam Launch 4 Power Type: Steam engine and Pro-
t}rreAphid-class ships), hull points are
Zeppelin 5 peller
double the tonnage value.
Aphid-class Aerial Gunboat 5 Ship's Rating:5
Crew: As determined for each ship in
Standard Armament:
SPACE: 1889.
Standard Armament: List all the 1 4" short gun
Maneuverability Class: D for all
weapons and crews detailed in SPACE: C rew :2
liftwood ships.
or Water: As deter- 1 .8 8 9 . 2 Hotchkiss l-pounder eannons
Landing-Land
Cargo: Unless otherwise noted in the Crew: l each
mined for each ship in SPACE: 1889.
original SPACE: 1889source,liftwood 2 5-barrel Nordenfelt machineguns
Generally yes for land, no for water.
vesselshave a cargo capacity equal to Crew: l each
Armor Rating: The liftwood vessels
als,thetu SPELLJAMMER game ton- Cargo:4 tons
on Mars and Earth are sturdy. Tb find
nage. Keel Length: 72 feet
their armor rating for the
SPELLJAMMER setting, use a base Keel and Beam Length: As deter- Beam Length: 18 feet
value of 6 and subtract the vessel's mined from the SPACE: 1889source.
Special Considerations: Liftwood
SPACE: 1889armor value.
Saves As: Martian vesselssaYeas As an example, we present lhe Aphid' vesselscan suffer a lossof trim, as de-
class Aerial Gunboat, statted out for scribed in the SPACE: 1869 rules book.
thick wood. Earth vesselssave as metal.
Power Type: List the appropriate SPELLJAMMER* game play. Determine the altitude of battles within
power source:steam engine, screw, kite, an atmosphere before play begins.
etc. The Aphid-class Aerial Gunboat Liftwood ships cannot climb higher
Ship's Rating: For tactical move' than 24,000 feet above the surface of a
Built By: Earthmen, specifically planet-spelljammers have no such
ment, a liftwood vesselreceivesone
point of SR for every 500 yards it can British Earthmen restriction. Ether flyers do not have an
move in one minute. The formula is Used Primarily By: Earthmen air envelope, due in part to their ether
Movement Rating x 0.8, rounded to the Tonnage: 16 tons drive system.

P o Y H E D R o N
22

Putting a Helm on a Gunboat or stumble on electricity and its applica- characters and creatures, but panic may
Etherflyer: It's an easytask to Put a tions. AII matter is made up of mixtures easily engulf the common folk.
helm onto a liftwood vessel or an ether of the four elements.
Luna
flyer. Using the tonnage calculated, a Gunpowder Versus Smokepowder:
minor helm can move a ship of up to 50 Though similar in effect, these two The surface of Luna is a barren, airless
tons. A major helm can move a shiP of products are vastly different. Gunpow- place. The planet's natives, the Seleni-
up to 100 tons. Special helms also can der is an alchemical powder with a tes and Moon Men, Iive underground in
be fitted to these ships, according to the large portion of fire locked within it- the caverns of their honeycombed world.
rules presented in the Concordanceof introduction of an outside source of fire Spelljammers visiting Luna easily can
Arcane Space.The ship's rating changes releases the gunpowder's fire suddenly take part in the Luna adventure from
according to the helm type and level of and violently. Smokepowder is also an the SPACE: 1889 rules book, encounter-
the spellcaster. With a helm, each ship alchemical compound that contains fire, ing the selenitesandthe madRussian
gains an air envelope and gravity plane but it is set off magically. The two are inventor Vladimir Tbreshkova in the
as for other spelljammers. not interchangeable. British weapons, great canyon on the moon's dark side.
Putting a Cannon on SPelljamming for instance, cannot be loaded with They could then continue with t};reRiuer
Vessels: The lethality and accuracy of smokepowder ammunition. Gunpowder of Life adventure presented in Tales
Earthman and Martian weapons makes is a new creation in Wildspace, and it From the Ether; where they will discov-
them ideal for spelljammers. New weap- will be some time before alchemists er the moon men themselves. Since
ons must replace old ones or else eat have developedthe means to make it these adventures are exploratory, they
into the ship's available cargo space, themselves.In the meantime, the only require little modification for the
one ton per additional weapon. Ammu' source of gunpowder is the Sol crystal SPELLJAMMER setting.
nition for these guns takes up one ton sphere.
Spelljamming Versus Ether Pro' Mars
per 1,000 rounds (or 10,000rounds for
machine guns). pellers: Ether propellers work by creat- Mars is, by far, the best explored world
ing a temporary interface between the in the SPACE: 1889universe. Adven-
Prime Material and the Ethereal tures and campaign materials for Mars
ScienceVersusMagic planes. An electrical field allows the are presented in the original rules book,
Though magic poor, the worlds of the blades of the propeller to "push" Tales From the Ether, More Tales From
Sol crystal sphere exist within the mag- against the border Ethereal, creating the Ether, Beastmen of Mars, Canal
ical universe. Magic, alchemy, and the motion on the Prime Material. Priests of Mars, Carauans of Mars,
true nature ofthe planes have been Spelljammers are powered by the magic Cloud Captains of Mars, and Steppe-
skirted around by inventive humans for of spellcasters. lords of Mars. The boardgame Ternpleof
introductionto the
However,
centuries. Electricity Versus Magical En- the Beastrnen aLso rnakes a fine adven-
realities of the universe will change the chantment: Electricity works in the ture possibility. Of course, all of these
human outlook toward technolory for- four elemental universe. Its exact na- adventures presume exploration by
ever. ture is unclear, but appearantly has pistol-armed Earthmen, not magical
Physics Versus SPELLJAMMER* something to do with moving elemental sword-wielding spelljammers. Some
Setting Physics: Human beings have fire along an unbroken series ofearth care must be taken to modify the situa-
had Newtonian physics right all along, particles. Alchemists in Wildspacewill tions and reactions before play can
but their theories about the macroverse study the principles for years before begin.
have been wrong for some time. Exactly beginning to understand them.
what lies between the planets and the Mercury
crystal spheres never has been discov- The Worfds of the SofSphere Tbuchedupon only briefly, Mercury's
ered nor accurately predicted. Only Twilight Zone is an interesting place to
recently, through exploration using Published materials for SPACE: 1889 visit, described in the adventure "The
ether flyers, have humans begun to provide a wealth of materials for Burning Desert" in Tales From the
piece together the gravitation puzzle- SPELLJAMMER* campaigns. Each Ethen
objects have their own gravity planes world is addressedin different products,
based upon their geometric shape with and each world presents its own assets Venus
a universal level of attraction (one and problems for conversion. The Venusian lizard men are, in fact, a
Earth gravity). lost tribe of AD&D@ game lizard men
Earth
Chemical Versus Alchemical: Simi- fallen into relative barbarism. While no
larly, both humans and Martians have The many countries and cities of Earth true adventure is presented in the
mistakenly interpreted the evidence will beckon spelljammers of all sorts. SPACE: 1889 rules book for Venus,
regarding the microverse. The ancient Tlade of gold and magic for technology there is source material. The adventure
cultures of the Earth, such as the will spawn a new age for the mother "Drums Along the Border" in Tales
Greeks, Mayans, and Chinese, devel- planet of the Earthmen. Conklin's Atlas From the Ether takes place on Venus,
oped the basis of the correct four ele- of the Worlds gives maps and detailed presenting a situation ideal for
mental nature of the microverse, but information about Earth for a SPACE: spelljammers.Venusian animals are
their groundwork was abandoned by /889/SPELLJAMMER game crossover dinosaurs; use the Dinosaur entries
"more enlightened" civilizations. No- campaign. Read the boxed set from Monstrous Compendiurn3,
tions of the atom have been, for the carefully-Victorian scholars might Forgotten Realms Appendix for Venu-
most part, inaccurate, but they have show great interest in AD&D@ game sian monster statistics.
been correct enough for humans to

P o L Y H E D R o N
 23

Human,Earthman his own weapon), any group of 10 or feet in height. His feet are three-toed
more Earthman soldiers gains a + 1 and webbed, but his hands are quite
CLIMAf,E/TERRAIN: Any bonus to their attack rolls and morale intricate, having three fingers and an
FREQUENCY: Common checks. Also, opponents suffer a - 1 opposablethumb. The Venusian lizard
ORGANIZAIION: SolitaryA.[ation penalty to their morale checks, since man's long tail and webbed feet assist
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day they are coming under devastating him in swimming. When running, the
DIET: Omnivore volley fire. If the officer is killed or Venusian lizard man prefers to use all
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-toGenius(3- leaves the vicinity, the modifiers are four limbs, sliding along on his belly
18) lost. acrossthe damp ground. The skin on his
TREASURE: back is dark green or gray-brown, and
ALIGNMENT On, Habitat/Society: Spelljammers are his belly is usually a lighter shade.
NO. APPEARING: 1(1-20) most likely to come into contact with Venusian lizard men speak a primi-
ARMOR CLASS: 10 Earthmen from the Colonial powers tive version of their original language
MOVEMENT L2 where Victorian values dictate behav- known as Low Lizard Man. Communica-
HIT DICE: 1 ior. Essays on the Victorian age can be tion between speakers of the lizard man
THACO: 19 found in the SPACE: 1889rules book. language and those speaking Low Liz-
NO. OF AflTACKS: 1 There are also countless other cul- ard Man is possible, but the possibility
DAMAGE/AITACK: 1-6or by weapon tures of Earthmen among the non- of miscommunication is everpresent.
SPECIALAITACKS: ConcentratedFire Colonial powers. Some of these practice
SPECIAL DEFENSES:Nil rudimentary magic (both clerical and Combat: Venusian lizard men fashion
MAGIC RESISTANCE:Nil wizardly). their native weapons from the oma
SIZE: M (6') jolima, a reed-Iike plant of their native
MORALE: Unreliableto Ecology: Becauseof their technological world. Javelins, harpoons,spears,ar-
(2-20)
Fearless muscle, Earthmen to this date have rows, clubs, axes, and macescan be
XP VALUE: 35 been the dominant race of their own made from the plant. Some Venusian
planet and begun colonization of Mars, lizard men have acquired firearms from
Earthmen are, technologically speak- Mercury, and Venus. They are the driv- the colonizingBafthmen, though am-
ing, the most advanced race in the Sol ing force behind an economic and mili- munition is in short supply.
crystal sphere. On the other hand, when tary family (albeit a bickering family) of The oma jolima plant can also be
it comesto magic, they are the least nations and colonies that extends formed into helmets and other armor. A
sophisticated. through the system. The introduction of Venusian lizard man so armored has an
Earthmen are indistinguishable from magic into this comfortably humming effective AC of 3.
other humans in Wildspace. An Earth- machine may indeed be disastrous. Venusian lizard men are particularly
man's specific land of origin can be adept at water combat. By absorbing
determined by his dress, speech,and oxygen through the belly skin one can
ethnicity. Earthman males tend to wear LizardMan, Venusian stay submerged for as long as an hour.
rugged clothing suited to their occupa- CLIMAf,E/TERRAIN: Swamps,water
tions, though females, especially those FREQUENCY: Common(on Habitat/Society: Venusian lizard men
from Europe or America, tend to wear Venus) live in simple family and clan groups,
far less functional clothing in favor of ORGANIZATION: Family/clan working as hunters and gatherers in
tradition and style. ACTMTY CYCLE: Any their vast swamps. Some of them have
Earthmen speak a variety of lan- DIET: Omnivore begun to improve their lives, using
guages, including all those found on the INTELLIGENCE: Semi-toYery(2-L2) primitive agriculture to feed them-
Languages of the Sol Sphere table. TREASURE: Nil selves, settling into villages with more
None of these languages is spoken else- ALIGNMENT: Any specialized occupations, but this is still
where in Wildspace. Spelljammers wish- NO. APPEARING: 2-12 the exception and not the rule.
ing to make contact will most often ARMOR CLASS: 7 Earthman colonists, especially those
have to use magical or psionic means of MOVEMENT 9, Sw 12 from Germany, have taken stePsto
communication. HIT DICE: 1 tame Venus and its lizard man natives.
THAC0: 19 Some Venusian lizard men have adopt-
Combat: Individually, Earthmen are NO. OFATTACKS: 1 ed the ways of the Colonials, abandon-
unremarkable warriors. Many aren't DAMAGE/AI'TACK: 1-6or by weapon ing their primitive lifestyles for the
even trained in the use of melee weap- SPECIAL Af,TACKS: Nil values and material possessionsof the
ons, relying instead upon firearms. SPECIAL DEFENSES:Nil Earthmen.
Earthmen from the Colonial powers MAGIC RESISTANCE:Nil
(Britain, America, Japan, Russia, etc.) SIZE: M (5-6',) Ecology: Venusian lizard men are ea-
are generally armed with firearms. MORALE: Elite (13-14) ger to trade their stone and reed items
Earthmen from non-Colonial powers XP VALUE: 15 for valuable metal tools and items that
may have firearms, but the majority are won't corrode in the constant rain of
more likely to wield melee weapons. Venusian lizard men are an offshoot of their swampy homes.
In organized groups, Earthmen with the more common lizard man race of
firearms can coordinate their fire to Wildspace.
achieve greater results. Under the di- The Venusian lizard man is relatively
rection of an officer (who does not fire short, standing between five and six

P o Y H E D R o N
24

all comers-a High Martian king is INTELLIGENCE: Averageto Genius

Martian,High often the most able warrior in the clans. (8-18)
CLIMAIE/TERRAIN: Mountains,kraags High Martians survive by raiding. TREASURE: Varies
FREQUENCY: Uncommon They raid canal Martians and ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral
ORGANIZAIION: Monarchy/clan Earthmen at will, striking from the air NO. APPEARING: L(2-LZ)
ACTIVITY CYCLE: ANY whenever possible.They are also free to ARMOR CLASS: 10
DIET Omnivore attack liftwood vesselsin flight, swarm- MOVEMENT: t2
INTELLIGENCE: Semito Genius(2- ing them to seizeboth ship and cargo. HIT DICE: 1
18) High Martians have, on occasion, THAC0: 19
TREASURE: Varies been known to trade, particularly in NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil valuable liftwood and slavestaken in DAMAGEiAITACK: 1-4or by weapon
NO. APPEARING: 2-8 raids. SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
ARMORCLASS: 10 SPECIAL DEFENSES:NiI
MOVEMENT 12,Fl 18(B) Ecology: When a High Martian dies, MAGIC RESISTANCE:NiI
HIT DICE: 1+1 its lifting gland quickly loses its valu- SIZE: M (6',)
THACO: 19 able properties. MORALE: Average(8-10)
NO.OF ATTACKSz I or 2 XP VALUE: 15
DAMAGE/AITACK: 1-6or by weaPon' Canal Martian: Canal Martians are
SPECIATAITACKS: Nil taller and larger than High Martians, Moon men are the survivors of an
SPECIALDEFENSES:NiI attaining seven feet in height. Canal advancedtechnological civilization. In
MAGIC RESISTANCE: NiI Martians have no lifting gland or fact, they are not native to Luna, hav-
SIZE: M (6',) wings, so they cannot fly, and their feet ing escapedto the moon from the planet
MORALE: Champion(15-16) have lost the ability to grasp objects, so Vulcan before it exploded to create the
XP VALUE: 35 they are limited to a single attack per present asteroid belt beyond Mars.
round. The canal Martians have lighter Moon men are vaguely humanoid, and
High Martians are the original stock coloration than their high Martian of approximately the same size. Their
from which the other two Martian races cousins.Canal martians dress in a style arms are quite long, ending in three-
descended.High Martians are savage similar to that of ancient Egypt. There fingered hands, and their legs are com-
raiders who terrorize their world from are a number of vanal Martian lan- paratively small, sporting two-toed feet.
their mountain fastnesses. guages,including High Oenotrian, Their skin color is pale blue, revealing
High Martians are upright bipeds Parhooni, Koline, and Umbran. blood vesselsand musclesbeneath its
that can grow to six feet in height. Canal Martians live in the canal cities thin surface. Moon men wear a variety
Their hands and feet are all three-toed, of their own making. Their civilization, of clothing depending on their position
grasping appendages,and wing mem- while once the most elaborate and suc- within society.
branes extend from their backs to either cessful on Mars, is most definitely in Moon men speak their own language.
arm. High Martians have thick, black decline.
hair that covers their head, back, and Combat: Moon men aren't particularly
shoulders.High Martians wear a simple Hill Martian: A hill Martian is for the effective unarmed fighters. However,
loincloth and may decoratetheir bodies most part a wilderness version of a they can be armed with knives (1d4
with other ornamentation. canal Martian; hill Martians cannot fly damage),spears(1d6 damage),clubs
High Martians have their own lan- and don't have grasping feet. They are (1d6 damage),sabers(1d8 damage),or
guage.Many speak other martian lan- darker than canal martians, with even electric rifles. Electric rifles have a
guages, particularly Koline (the trade brown, black, or even deepred hair that short range of 50 yards, medium range
Ianguage) or the languages of the grows over most of their bodies. They of 100 yards, and long range of 150
Earthmen. Every High Martian mon- dress mainly in the skins of animals yards, and they inflict 1d8 points of
arch has interpreters. and similar, primitive garb, though damage.A single weapon has 1d100
those in contact with canal Martians shots remaining before it must be re-
Combat: High Martians have a lifting often adopt their dress. HilI Martians charged. Magical protection from elec-
gland that supports them in flight; their speak a variety of languages particular tricity or lightning may nullify the
wings are used mostly for balance and to their many cultures. damage inflicted by an electric rifle. On
maneuvering. When in flight, a high Hill Martians have a variety of cul- any attack roll of 1 an electric rifle is
martian can attack twice with his tures, all beyond the reach ofthe canal jammed and must be repaired.
hands, inflicting 1d6 points of damage princes and their power. They are fron-
each, or he may wield up to two weap- tiersmen, living by various means in Habitat/Society: The moon men are
ons, attacking with each once per the wildernessesof their world. governedby the sciencepriests, coun-
round. While standing, a high martian cilors who protect the ancient tomes of
can only attack once per round, either technology and preach from them.
with hands or weapons. Moon Man
CLIMAIE/TERRAIN: Lunar caverns Ecology: The moon men have great
Habitat/Society: A number of High FREQUENCY: Uncommon electrical technology locked up in their
Martian families form clans, and a ORGANIZAIION: Theocracy manuals of knowledge, if they can be
number of clans organize themselves ACTIVITY CYCLE: ANY wrested from the sciencepriests.
behind a single monarch. The monarch DIET Omnivore Continued on page 37
is usually tested in personal combat by

P o L Y H E D R o N
 25

[mto Tfhc Detrk

LeftoversAgain?
The plot is a mixture of the film not'r Curseof the Demon
by JamesLowder classicsChinatown and The Maltese 1957,95Minutes
Falcon, and Lovecraft's own horror Columbia
Deadlines being what they are-and classic,"The Dunwich Horror." Detec- Director: Jacques Tburnier
any word that has "dead" in it can't be tive Phil Lovecraft is hired to recover Cast: Dana Andrews, Peggy Cum-
good, can it?-I was caught without a lhe Necronornicon,which was stolen mins, Niall MacGinnis
theme for this month's column. Accord- from sorcerer Amos Hackshaw. The * * * * l 12
ingly, I scurried around and dug up the scramble for the book leads him deeper
notes I'd made on various films that into a mystery involving the Vista Boni- Based on the M. R. James short story
didn't fit in previous columns or were ta housing development (built entirely "Casting the Runes," this spiffy horror
just strange enough not to fit in any- by zombie labor) and a gate to bring the film has inspired lots of modern flicks,
where else. Old Ones back to Earth. including the recent psuedo-Lovecraft
Fred Ward, of Tlernors fame, PlaYs epic, Cast a Deadly Spell.
You can't get any better *{<{<*<{< Lovecraft with the mixture of cynicism After the gruesome murder of Profes-
Entertaining and enjoyable **** and vulnerability neededfor a success- sor Harrington, his niece (Peggy Cum-
t** ful film noir detective.Well-heeledbad
There are worse films mins) and a psychologistfriend (Dana
Wait for cable ** guy David Warner doeshis usual nice Andrews) investigate his death. At the
A waste of good tape * work as the polished but ultimately same time, the psychologistPushes
violent Hackshaw. The real stand-out in forward the late professor'sinquiry into
Casta Deadfy Spef f the cast is Arnitia Walker, who gives the Satanic cult lead by Julian
1991,93Minutes life to the small but juicy role of Hypoli- Karswell (Niall MacGinnis). The two
HBO te Kropotkin, the witch who owns Love- investigations intersect, and our hero
craft's building. soon finds himself running from an
Director: Martin Campbell Cast a Deadly Spell is best when it's ancient fire demon Karswell has set
paying homage to other films or borrow- upon his trail. Curse of the Dernon is an
Cast: Fred Ward, David Warne4
Clancy Brown ing heavily from other stories. Some of atmospheric, well-written chiller. The
Julianne Moore,
***ll2 the sharpest sequencescome from Curse heroes are all smart and believable, the
of the Demon and the short story, "Cast- villains equally intelligent and quite
ing the Runes," upon which it's based. dangerous.The viewers can easily iden-
Los Angeles. 1948. Everybody uses
magic-except detective Phil Lovecraft. Campbell also shows a flair for working tify with the skeptical psychologist,who
great dark fantasy elements into scenes doesn't believe Karswell to be in posses-
The proliferation of Lovecrbft-related
unabated since in graphic ways-the interdimensional sion of true supernatural powers until
films has continued
Dunwich Club, for example. With its the demon of the title puffs smoke down
Stuart Gordon's successwith his gory
West: Re- zombies and werewolves,conjured de- his neck. Karswell, on the other hand,
versions of "Herbert
mons and unicorn-hunting virgins, the presents a perfectly acceptable motiva-
Animator" and "From Beyond." Various
or merely world of Cast a Deadly Spell is instantly tion for his evil deeds-fear, which he
films have been completed
threatened. Recently, The Resurrected
intriguing. believes drives everyone,at one level or
was released straight to video, a telling Campbell succeedsin juggling all the another.
of The Caseof Charles Dexter Wardby source films and the enthralling ele- The film's only major weakness is the
director who brought the clev- ments that make up the background demon itself. The long-distance shots of
the same
world right up until the last few scenes. the huge creature running out of the air
er Return of the Liuing Dead to the big
screen. Most other entries in the After using fi.lm noir and horror fiction and the accompanying sound effects are
conventionsso cleverly, he lets the cli- chilling. The close-upsjust aren't as
Cthulhu sweepstakeshave had less
potential, including the much-dreaded max slide into cliche. Sure, we get a effective.
pretty good monster with suitably drip- The battle between Tournier and the
sequel to The Unnameable.
Cast a Deadly Spell was produced to ping tentacles, but the villain is undone studio over the demon is legendary-the
debut on cable's HBO, but found its way by the comic relief, in a manner that is director didn't want to show it, prefer-
some good reviews clear from the first act. ring to let the viewer fill in the rnon-
onto cassette after
Cast a Deadly Spell sets itself up as a ster'sfeatures;the execsthought the
sparked interest in the film. It is a clev-
er movie, with a sense of humor that is film for peoplewho love film noir detec- film just wasn't scary without the
rnost apparent in the background of tive movies and Lovecraftian horror thing's hideous face. Tburnier was right,
many scenes.In the classy nightspot tales. It provides great in-jokes and a though Curse of the Dernon still stands
known as The Dunwich Room, bar- compelling world for those who are well- as one ofthe best supelnatural horror
tenders use magic to serve drinks and read and well-viewed. It fails to satisfy films ever made.
clean glasses.A good look at the build- becauseit cannot offer any twist on the
ing will reveal it appears as nothing old stand-bys, sinking into the mire of
more than a door from the outside. cliches it uses so cleverly right up until
the conclusion.

P o L Y H E D R o N
26

TheBodySnatcher refused the role of the Monster in Uni- Frankenweenie

L945,77 Minutes versal's Fr ankenstein (t'he part required 1984, 30 Minutes
RKO too much make-up and had no dialogue). Disney
If the actors had done no further films, Director: Tim Burton
Director: Robert lVise The Body Snatcher would have been
Cast: Boris l(arloff, Bela Lugosi, Cast:Barret Oliveq,DanielStern,
Daniell, Russell Wade evidence enough that Karloff had won Shelley Duval
**#fr"t the title of Hollywood's horror king. ***r*

The Body Snatcher was the eighth and The MonsterSquad Before he hit the screen as a director of
final film that featured both Boris L987,82Minutes such monumentally big budget produc-
Karloff and Bela Lugosi. It occurred T!i-StarA/estron tions as Batman Returns, Tim Burton
during a high point in KarlofPs career, Director: Fred Dekker did a stint as a house director for Dis-
when directors and studios were discov- Cast: Andre Gowe4, Duncan Regeh4, ney. Until recently, the films he did
ering how talented and versatile an Tom Noonan, Ashley Bank there were unavailable for public con-
actor he was; the opposite was true for ***l12 sumption. Since the good folks at Chez
Lugosi. At the time he was cast in the Mickey discovered the wonders of video
film, his career was on the skids and he Dracula has come to America in search rental, however,they've pillaged their
had just acquired the morphine addic- of a magic amulet. Should he find the vaults. Oh boy. Now we can have a Love
tion that helped acceleratehis sad fall doodad and destroy it, he will upset the Bug-fest every night of the week!
from stardom. cosmicbalance in favor of EviI. To help This clever little gem concernsyoung
Based on a Robert Louis Stevenson him in his quest, he calls his old pals- Victor Frankenstein (Barret Oliver, star
short story of 1885, "The Body- the werewolf, the gill-man, the mummy, of The Neuerending Story),a normal kid
Snatcherj' the film tells the creepy tale and Frankenstein's monster. Against who lives in suburbia with his mom
of Doctor MacFarland, who runs a medi- him stands the Monster Squad, a bunch (Shelly Duval), dad (Daniel Stern), and
cal schoolin 1830sScotland, and John of kids who spend their time reading his dog, Sparky. One sad day, Sparky
Gray, a cabman who supplements his monster comics and debating how many finds himself at the wrong end of a
income by stealing bodies for the stu- ways there are to kill werewolves. moving Ford. Victor, having the name
dents to dissect. And when there are no The resulting film is a pleasant cross he does,createsa lab in his attic and
new burials or the graveyards are too between the old Universal all-star mon- revives the pooch.The neighbors, how-
well guarded, Gray happily provides his sterfests like House of Frankenstein and ever, don't take kindly to the resur-
own fresh carrion. MacFarland can't the annoyingly bad Spielberg/Donner rected dog with the stitches that leak
turn the murderer in, though, for Gray fiasco, The Goonies.It really outdoes when he drinks water and the bolts in
knows too much about the good doctor's the latter at its own game;the kids are his neck that spark now and then (as is
shady past. all likeable and act as if they're kids rather appropriate for his name).
The strength of the movie is its em- (something rare in these sorts of films). What follows is a typical
phasis on mood. Like all the films Val The monsters are pretty good, too. FX misunderstood-monster story. Filmed in
Lewton produced for RKO, The Body genius Stan Winston's neat gill-man black-and-white, it's filled with hom-
Snatcher is a study in understated hor- and mummy outfits provide the best agesto classichorror movies of the
ror. The dialogue is bright and chilling, scares,though they get little screen forties, especially Universal's Franken-
especially in the sceneswhere Gray time. As Dracula, Duncan Regehr is stein series.Burton's characteristic
(Karloff) casually discussesgathering stiff and prissy, more concernedwith strangenessis here, too, though in
corpsesor how best to "burke" a victim the folds of his cape than frightening much milder form than his feature-
(a method of suffocation perfected by the people.With talent like that, he proba- length efforts; the most inventive sets
real grave-robbers,Burke and Hare). bly landed a job as a mannequin at are the lab made from junk and house-
With clever use of sound and setting, Sears right after shooting closeddown. hold appliances and the pet graveyard,
Lewton and director Robert Wise man- Overall, The Monster Squad proves complete with morbidly clever tomb-
age to keep us on edge;the noise of too gentle for its own good. There never stonesappropriate for dead snakes,fish,
Gray's cab rattling through the misty really seemsto be much danger, despite and so on.
streets as he searchesfor victims is a all the monsters lurking about, and the In many ways, Frankenweenieis a
heck of a lot more frightening than its humor isn't nearly strong enough to less-polisheddry run for Burton's later
more contemporary equivalent: a guy in carry the film as a light comedy.The success,Edward Scissorhands.Both are
a hockey mask with a bloody axe in one film sort of flounders in the middle, tales of monsters who upset a normal
hand and a severed head in the other. neither a horror flick nor a true horror- neighborhood(which isn't really so
Karloff shines as Gray, and the rest of comedy.Still, the satire hits the mark normal if you look hard enough). Unlike
the cast is equally inspired. Lugosi has on occasion;the comments about slash- the feature-length frlm, Frankenw eenie
a very small part, despite his second er film series-here it's Groundhog has an unqualified happy ending. I
billing; he plays Joseph,MacFarland's Day-are clever and accurate. supposewe should expect no less from
sneaky butler. The fact that, Karloff ' The finale, a monster battle royale, is Chez Mickey.
"burkes" Lugosi part of the way really quite good,despite a ridiculous tr
through the film must have been espe- plot twist involving the virgin who
cially galling for the once-powerful star must open the gate to destroy the bad-
of Draculo. After all, Karloff got his big dies. (It's pretty much the same one
break in Hollywood becauseLugosi used in Cast a Deadly Spell)

P o L Y H E D R o N
Th@Lrwrilg GeDery
Odds& Endsfor Campaigns
of Stardust:
A Sprinkling
but prevent the use of its weapons. has probably made interplanetary trav-
by RogerE. Moore Perhaps it will cause the ship to invol- el reasonably easy.But asteroid-to'
untarily store and carry secret informa- asteroid travel (like travel from one
So far, every installment of this column tion to another star system, where it world to another anywhere within a
has had a guiding theme, from planet- will secretly make the ship send a planetary system) will probably have a
building to smart starships. It's been transmission to a spy satellite or ground noteworthy price tag anywaY.
theme, theme, theme, theme. receiver. Perhaps it will play practical Pournelle indicates, however, that
Frankly, I'm bored with themes. jokes on the crew. Anything's possible. there is a grouping of worlds and world-
This month's column presents a grab The GM can keep this in mind as a lets within our own solar system that
bag of bizarre and generally unrelated long-running minor annoyance in a are quite easy to reach from one an-
ideas that have been filling my note- campaign or turn it into a one-shot other: the moons of the gas giant Jupi-
book. None of them look like they could nightmare adventure. ter. Without going into the statistics he
be expanded to fill an entire column- gives, Pournelle makes an interesting
but they each deserve a few paragraphs. casefor setting up a human civilization
Enjoy!
Zero-GeeBlues scattered acrossthe moons of Jupiter,
As all real-life astronauts and cosmo- each world linked by fast rockets to
nauts know, exposure to weightlessness every other one. Tfavel times would be
ViralWars makes many people throw up, causes very short, and hydrogen fuel for nucle-
The idea of using computer viruses as fluid redistribution in their bodies, and ar rockets or power Plants would be
weapons, first mentioned in this column produces other unwanted and uncomfor- widely available if you scrape up the
in issue #57, is beginning to grow on table changesin spacetravelers'phy- hydrogen-rich ices on their surfaces.
me. There was an apparently bogus siologies over time (just pray that you Why not apply this principle to gas-
report following the Persian GuIf war don't get a head cold like the entire giant moon systems in general? Actu-
that Americans had secretly sabotaged Apollo 7 crew did, or you'll know what ally, I have seen some modules for
Iraqi computers by selling virus-laden realmisery is like). various sciencefiction games that have
software to Iraq through third parties. So, what if the artificial gravitY on made use of this point, but it would be
The so-called Michelangelo virus was the characters' ship fails when they're nice to seeit more developed.Gas gi-
spread across the world on bulletin- too far out in spaceto fix it? Go to a ants like Jupiter, Saturn, Ifranus, and
board systems and shareware programs, library and find some of these books, Neptune are assumedbY most modern
its mission to sabotage the computers it which detail the physiological changes astronomers to be quite common
infected by erasing all data qr the hard brought on by zero-geeiPioneering throughout the universe, and it is very
drives; it was only one of hundreds of Space,by James and Alcestis Oberg; likely that nearly all of them have sat-
such catastrophic programs that have How Do You Go to the Bathroom in ellite systems. The player characters
had computer departments tearing their Space?by William R. Pogue;and A would probably meet several of these
hair out in the past few years. But it House in Space,by Henry S. F. CooPer, multiworld groupings, each with a dif-
wasn't nearly as bad as the 1988 virus Jr. Then give the characters a taste of ferent government system and culture.
created by Cornell University student misery-with an emergency or unex- Perhaps one such group is organized
Robert Morris, which did $96 million in pected adventure to boot, of course. like a confederation, with a balance
damage to computers nationwide. Cre- existing between each world's rights
ating viruses was a game long before it and responsibilities and those of the
A Nation of Moons confederation government. Another
became a matter of international sabo-
tage, in the form of "Core'Wars" games One of the usual elements in science group might consist of a tyrannical
played on mainframe systems by hack- fiction settings is a mining civilization central world that holds all others near
ers late at night. strung out across an asteroid belt. "Bel- it as subject territories; a third might
It is safe to assume that in the future ters" are usually seen as independent, have no central government at all,
there will be new computers, new data- wary of planetary cultures, and self- being a loosely aligned assortment of
storage and data-retrieval systems, and reliant. However, in an article entitled minor governments. Some worlds might
new forms of viruses or other destruc' "Those Pesky Belters and Their Tbrch- in political oppositionto others or even
tive programs to infest them. What if ships" (originally in Gala,xymagazine, at war, and different cultural groups
May L974;reprinted in the paperback might inhabit each world or even differ-
the player characters happen to buy
doctored viral software from thieves, science anthology, A Step Farther Out), ent parts of eachworld. SteveJackson
saboteurs, or pirates? Perhaps their writer-scientist Jerry Pournelle pointed Games'GU&PSSpacebooknames
infected starship will attempt to kill off out that asteroids are usually scattered many sorts of government types that a
its crew as it leaves a certain world, so far apart that movement from one to multiworld group could support. The
then drive itself to another part of the the next would be time consuming and adventuring possibilities in such a rich
planetary system where it is looted and costly. This is not necessarily so in sci- environment are great.
taken over by enemy forces. Perhaps it ence fiction role playing games, given
will simply monitor the ship's functions that the conquest of interstellar travel

P o Y H D R o N
 28

"We'vegot a problemhere" situation could be quite tricky. Rival of humanity all over the place-some
gas-giant empires might duel it out perhaps even in small neighboring
On April L3, L970, an oxygen tank within the interstellar territory of "sur- galaxies and star clusters. Eventually,
aboard Apollo /3 exploded,severely face world" aliens, or two surface-world one or more such ships entered your
darnaging the electrical system aboard groups could stage ship-to-ship battles current campaign area t0 set up c0l0-
the spacecraft and forcing its crew to within the atmospheres of gas giants nies, and your campaign was born. The
abort a planned lunar landing. There's themselves,especially if one side has colonists might have only rumor and
no guarantee that a similar mechanical, been hiding its fleet in the gas giant's hearsay about their origins, perhaps
electrical, or electronic problem won't cloud cover. having degenerated over the centuries
appear in a futuristic starship at some like the crew in Robert Heinlein's Or-
incredibly inopportune time, such as phans of the Sky or Brian Aldiss's Star-
when it is isolated in'lump space"on YourPersonafSpace ship (also called Non-Stop). However,
its way to another world, and thus simi- It might be that the sciencefiction they eventually build themselvesup to
larly endanger the crew. game you and your players like best the curuent status of the campaign the
If the GM wishes to try this scenario, also has an official campaign universe GM wants. Even without generation
the details of the disaster should be that your group doesn't particularly starships, almost all sciencefiction
carefully worked out and set up to occur like, yet you hate to ditch all of the games allow for other sorts of lost star-
over a given time period, not all at once. "official" material entirely. This prob- ships that vanish into jumpspace,hy-
For example, a micrometeorite punc- lem is one that I've mostly heard used perspace,or what have you. Lost-ship
tures the hull of a spacecraft,clipping with the popular Tlaueller and Mega- coloniesare easy to set up and give you
an electrical line and punching through Traueller systems,in which gamers the freedom you want to "stay official"
a pipe deep inside the spacecraft.The yearn to draw out their own sectors of yet do your own thing, too. (See Uz-
loss of air from the strike is noted very spacewithout using the Third or Shat- night, for Steve Jackson Games'
quickly, but the electrical system prob' tered Imperium, respectively.However, GURPS Spacegame, for an example of
lem won't appear for another few min- any game system is prone to this. GMs what such a world might look like.)
utes until that electrical line is called like to be creative and have a piece of
into service or is checked by routine spaceto call their own.
computer-run maintenance. Meanwhile, How can you justify cutting out your
Timefor Everything
coolant fluid is leaking from the punc- own chunk of spaceand still be a part of In hard-core"spaeeopera" campaigns,
tured pipe into another room, and it the "official" universe?Actually, there some of the themes you might find in
could explode at any moment. Maybe a are several ways to do this. the wilder sciencefiction tales are
crewman was struck by the tiny parti- 1. The easiestand most obvious solu- likely to be missing. In particular, you
cle, adding a medical emergency to the tion works if the campaign'sphysical aren't likely to find much mention of
list of troubles. A computer malfunc- scale is big enough:Use a part of the time travel, unless you are using the
tion, a frightened passenger,a mutinous galaxy that official game materials Tirne Master or Doctor Who games,from
crewman-add one or more of these, and generally ignore. In West End Games' 54" 40' Orphyte and FASA, respectively.
the player characters will remember Star Wars: The RPG and FASlt's Star It is an axiom in sciencefiction writing
this jump for the rest of their lives. T?ek: The RPG, for example, almost the that authors should avoid having their
entire galaxy is assumedto be colo- audiencesswallow too many "big lies"
The Neighbors nized, and no game product could cover all at once for their stories to be more
so many worlds. You should have no believable. In gaming terms, it's okay to
Several sciencefiction games have trouble drawing out planets and suns to have interstellar travel. or time travel,
picked up on speculations that gas gi- your heart's content, and the Empire but not always both, as that produces
ants like Jupiter could harbor life of and United Federation of Planets will too much potential campaign chaos and
their own. Winged or balloonlike aliens still be around. It is also unlikely that demandstoo much suspensionof disbe-
chasing each other among titanic clouds GDW will ever detail every part of the lief on the part of the players.
of methane, hydrogen, sulfur, and am- Shattered Imperium, so you can borrow On a limited scale, however, it might
monia are an entertaining feature of whatever part you like and fine-tune it not be a bad idea to set up an adventure
some games (GDW's Tlaueller and to your heart's content. in which the PCs are the subjects of a
MegaTlaueller systems come to mind). 2. If the game scaleis more restricted, time-travel experiment, in the courseof
But what if these always-floating aliens as it in GDW's 2300 AD system and either taking part in a planned scien-
were capable of interstellar travel, and TSR's STAR FRONTIERS@game (each tific experiment or messing with An-
they decided to colonize other gas gi- of which have but a few dozen inhabited cient Alien Artifacts That No Being
ants, which humans and similar carbon- worlds), you have the option of the "lost Was Meant to Tbuch.You will have to
based life forms could not use? ship colonies."This idea is used to good consider someheavy conceptshere, such
The idea of overlapping interstellar effect in Tlaueller Adventure 5, Tlillion as: Do you want the PCs to go into the
empires is an interesting one. The float- Credit Squadron, in the section on the future or into the past? Can the PCs
ing aliens would legally own the gas trslandsClusters Campaign (pages40- alter the past, and if so,by how much?
giants, and other aliens like ourselves 47). Gigantic generation-travel star- If the PCs can't alter the past, how can
would own the satellites-unless one ships moving at sublight speedsare you contain their actions to avoid mess-
side or the other wanted to mine the assumed to have been sent out from ing up your universe? If they can go
other side's worlds for natural resourc- Earth in the past, before the discovery into the future, how can they be pre-
es, or station commercial or military of fastei'-than-light drives, and these vented from learning things that would
bases in the other side's territorv. The colony ships then dropped off their loads allow them to capitalize on their knowl-

P o L Y H E D R o N
 9

edge in the present? What sorts of hor- UFO sightings, and these were actually' then builds cities in them. The movie,
rors and thrills will they face in any the results of secret weather-control Beneath the Planet of the Apes, features
event? experiments, or were the result of some the intriguing underground ruins of an
A trip to the bookstore or library is in fantastic technolory from ancient alien atom-bombedNew York City, inhabited
order to find some of the best examples ruins, or were part of a mass hallucina- by mutant humans; the TV series Beau-
of time-travel literature, all of which tion resulting from mind-control experi- ty and the Beast had a huge under-
can be used to show the good and bad ments conducted by a mad scientist or ground environment below the same
sides of having this particular element evil political or corporate group, or were metropolis. In real life, tremendous
in your sciencefiction campaign. I previously unknown beings of pure civil-defensetunnels are said to have
would recommend in particular the energ'y,or were a hoax put on to bring been dug beneath the city of Moscow.
following: Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of more tourists to the world, or were a Colonieson airless worlds, poisoned-air
Thunder"; Robert Silverberg's Up the hoax designed to draw attention away worlds, or those around unstable suns
Line; Jack Finney's Time and Again;L. from some more secret plot being would certainly have to dig down to find
Sprague de Camp's Lest Darkness Fall; hatched elsewhere on the world that shelter from radiation, micrometeorite
Larry Niven's A World Out of Time; somehowinvolves UFO-like things, or strikes, and the surface environment.
Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee; Joe were actually super-advancedspacecraft As a tongue-in-cheekchange of pace,
Haldeman's The Foreuer War; and, of on scouting missions from a rival inter- you might find it amusing to set up a
course,the classictale by H. G. Wells, stellar empire? You get the idea. Just fantasy-game style "dungeon crawl"
The Time Machine. Each of these works becausean idea initially seemstrite in with a sciencefiction theme, in which
covers time travel in a unique fashion the context of your campaign doesn't the PC explorers must investigate old
and should offer much food for thought mean you can't use at all! underground ruins filled with traps,
in designing an adventure or two in the monsters, and bizarre treasures. Maybe
distant past or remote future. (You the "caves" they're wandering through
lic the Earth'sCore are actually part of a buried starship
might also be familiar with the Sfor
T?ekT{ episode,"The City on the Edge Yet another weird gaming concept,this from ancient days. In this case,you'll
of Forever," which is worth a look.) one borrowed from sciencefantasy liter- find the AD&D game material of enor'
TWopiecesof advice: One, in a stand- ature, is that of the hollow world. Sub- mous value for scenarioideas.
ard sciencefiction campaign, you might terranean adventures with a science
want to keep time travel as rare as fiction touch would be quite striking in The Ship That Afways Saifs
humanly possible,perhaps beyond the your campaign. Consider such sources
control of the PCs so that they cannot as Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center Generation starships were mentioned
abuse it later on. The alien-artifact idea of the Earth and Edgar Rice Bur- earlier as a possiblerationale for set-
would work best here, especially if the roughs's Pellucidar series for starters, ting up your own chunk of the gaming
artifact breaks down when the adven- then recall the underground mines of universe. What about using a genera-
ture is over. TWo,make the time-travel Janus VI, shown in the Star TlekTY tion starship as its own adventure set-
angle open up an adventure of its own; episode,"The Devil in the Dark." More ting?
if the PCs simply voyage 2,000 years thoughts might fall from reading the Think about it: What would it be like
into the future but don't get to do much, fantasy-gaming materials on the Under- for an independent nation or culture to
the event will have been lost on them. dark of the AD&D@ game's WORLD OF be permanently fixed aboard a starship
But if they happen to also solve a mys- GREYHAWK@and FORGOTTEN that travels from world to world in an
tery, defeat a foe, discover a treasure, or REALMS@settings, and the HOLLOW endlessjourney? Sciencefiction litera'
otherwise becomeembroiled in exciting WORLD* setting of the D&D@game. ture offers us such tales of active, rov-
activities over one or more game ses- (As a side note, I grant you that a ing cultures as ZebrowskT'sMacrolife
sions,the experiencewill be regarded as completely hollow world could only be (mentioned earlier); Cities in Flight,by
worthwhile and memorable. Merely the result of an extremely advanced James Blish; and Rite of Passage,bY
traveling through time and spaceis not technology, though it might be possible Alexei Panshin. Of course,there is the
enough, or else t}r'eDoctor WhoTY for most spacefaring cultures to hollow other end of the spectrum, with lost
episodeswould be dull. out asteroidsand use them as living starships and regressed cultures, as
areas. Read George Zebrowski's Macro' displayed in Heinlein's Orphans of the
life for a potent account of this sort of Sky and Aldiss's Non-Stopftoth also
The UFO Problem spacecolonization, or seethe Star Tlek noted earlier), Harry Harrison's Captiue
Another element found in many science TV episode,"For the World is Hollow (Jniuerse,and Samuel R. Delany's The
fiction novels (though not many from and I Have Tbuchedthe Sky.") Ballad of Beta-2.If you can find them,
these days) is that of the flying saucer. The idea of a world having a tremen- two older sciencefiction gems worth
Now, in any sort of interstellar cam- dous series of natural caverns or artifi- reading are Don Wilcox's "The Voyage
paign, UFOs are not going to be very cial tunnels is appealing as a change of That Lasted 600 Years" (which aP-
impressive because people already trav- pace. In one sciencefiction story by peared in AMAZING@Stories in 1940'
el between the stars, and a UFO is very Robert Heinlein (the title of which es- reprinted in some anthologies) and the
likely to be either a "normal" space- capes me, but I think it was "The Men- epic poem Aniara, by a,SwedishNobel
craft or else some sort of natural weath- ace From Earth"), the Moon is found to Prize winner, Harry Martinson. TSR's
er or astronomical phenomenon. In be filled with giant bubbles'in its interi- METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA* game,
short, UFOs lose all of their thrill. or, the result ofits cooling processes the first sciencefiction role playing
WelI, maybe they lose their thrill. over the ages; humanity simply digs game ever written, was based on a lost
What if there was a planet that had down until these bubbles are located, generation starship, and it served as the

P o Y H E D R o N
30

spacestation. Perhaps one of the PCs If you are designing your own gene-
basisonwhichthe GAMMAWORLD@ altered humans for a scenario, You
game was founded. was born on just such a traveling star-
- might wish to go to the librarY and
An encounter with a lost starshiP ship, and one day she receivesa mes'
Dixorl-'s Man
with a peculiar, isolated culture would sage that her family has a mission for check out a copy of Dougal
make for a rernarkable series of adven- her and her friends. . . . of the Fu-
After Mon: An AnthroPologY
ture or Brian Stapleford's Future Man.
tures as the PCs explore the labyrinths
of the ship, meet the weird locals, and These remarkable volumes speculate on
Playingin the Gene Poof future species of humanity, and they
try to make senseof it all. If lour game
Having genetically altered player char- include large color paintings of what
system can handle it, and if You are
acters can be more of a pain than not for our descendants might look like (be
lucky enough to find it, I would strongly
the GM. If "super humans" are a part of prepared for a real shock!). Some science
suggest getting a copy of the old T?auel-
terboxed, set, Azhanti High Lightning' the sciencefiction landscape in your fiction novelswith lots to say about
which details an enormous military campaign, most players will want to use "supermen" include OIaf Stapledon's
them becausecertain types of altered Od,dJohn, A. E. van Vogt's Slan, PhiliP
starship that could easily be used as a
humans will offer special advantages, Wylie's Gladiaton Stanley G. Wein-
lost ship with a strange society aboard
made up of the descendantsof the origi- just as being a dwarf or elf doesin a baum's The New Adarn, Jack William-
fantasy role playing game. This column son's Darker Than You Think, James
nal crew.
has abused the idea of "perfect" charac- Blish's Jack of Eagles, and the many
An encounter with a more normal and
ters in issue #63, but such maY be al- Sime/Gen novels by Jacqueline Lichten-
active wayfaring culture on a starship
(perhapsiike the version of the U.S.S. lowed if they aren't perfect in other berg. Finally, you might pick up some
ways. The Tl aueller/M egaTYaueller interesting ideas ofthe personal prob-
Enterprise on the TV series, Star Tfek:
universe is overrun with variant human lems that super-peoplehave if you read
The Nert Generation) would also be
types as the result of tinkering by an a lot of super-hero comic books.
interesting, if the GM can find a way to
draw out or describe the vast living ancient alien race (yes, them again).
Most such speciesoffer few if any ad- Let your imagination run free when
environment such a ship would have.
vantages, but provide interesting cul- you dream up things for your next sci-
The PCs might find conditions aboard
tural perspectivesin game play;the ence fiction adventure. Your players
any sort of starship culture to be slight-
psionic Zhodani, for instance, is such an will love you for it, no matter what they
ly tlaustrophobic over long p-eriodsof
alternate human race. There are also say otherwise. tr
time, though I would guess that manY
PCs would never miss wide-openspaces the "gennies" of TSR's BUCK BUCK ROGERSand XXVc are trademarksused under
if they were born and raised in the ROGERS@XXVc'" game, which are also licensefrom The Dille FamilyTrust.
confined environment of a spacecraft or worth a look.

Monstrous Mayhem Winners

An lnimicalBeastDefinedAnd
Described
Ferr-Ell by Erik Robbins, Lakewood,
Issue#66'sMonstrousMayhemcontest SecondPlace CO. Rifts game.
brought forth a hordeof entries,usually Chok'lek by Eric Francis, Little Rock, Bossie, the Meat Locker Menace bY
malifn, but often whimsical. As it hap-
pened, the contest deadline fell right in .AtR.Stormbringer ganxe. Michael Bauser Jr., GrosseIle, MI.
the middle of our move, so we had to Ghostbustersganxe.
Arzhard by Steve Johnson, Barlow,
review the entries while surrounded by Third Place KY. AD&D garne.
heaps of overloaded cardboard boxes.
The construction workers who prepared The Hicksville ReaPer bY Michael Rurati by Jeff Williamson, Evanston,
our new offices also left behind quite a Bauser, Jr., GrosseIsle, MI.It Came lL. AD&D gatne.
collection ofdust, strange artifacts, and From The Late, Late, Late Show ga'nle. Kurdue by Michael L. Heckman' Death
alien debris to decoratethe boxes.The Valley, CA. AD&D game.
Orchi by David Carl Argall, La Puente,
tramp of heavy feet on the rooftop above TheJudgesSalute: CA. AD&D game.
us completed the scene as we tried to
compare each entry's virtues. All in all, Xenak'toc by Matt Bogosian,Seattle, Hellorg by PauI R. Shiner, Berkley, MI.
we had an appropriately beastly atmos- WA. AD&D game. AD&D game.
phere for choosing the winners, which Massacre by Joe Littrell, Lincoln, IL. Wave Rider by Dirk VandereYken,
are listed below. One of the winning MARVEL SUPER HEROES game. Berten, Belgium. Championsgame.
creatures, as you might already have Scaldrig by David Ward, Raumanti U
noticed, graces the pages of this month's South, New Zealand. AD&D game.
Newszine. Ghorat by Runar Magnusson, Hafnarf-
jordur, Iceland. AD&D ganxe.
Forgoth by Dick Smalley, Boonville,
FirstPface MO. AD&D game.
Geran by Dick Smalley, Boonville, MO. Hrogiggamargh by Timothy Emrick,
AD&tr gatne. Granville, OH. AD&D ganxe.

P o L Y H E D R o N
 3l

the generous pay. He got into frequent market for his rather conspicuousbooty,
The Living CitY
arguments with co-workers and alien- he and lbddle made their waY to the
Continuedfrompage1.0
ated most of the other servants and city. The former caterer sold a choice
members of the Thhlard family. Eventu- few items and invested the money in a
Nonweapon Proficiencies: ForgerY
(12),cooking (14),etiquette (12), apprais- ally he began pilfering from the estate, Iegitimate business, the Ill Eagle Inn.
usually in the wake of large parties; After several months of poor m4nage-
al (14),read/write Common.
this approach covered his actions and ment and an incident with a half-elven
Magic ltems: Ring of Protection *2,
kept Tahlard from becoming suspicious city official that resulted in a steep
ring of sustenance
of his own staff. increase in his property taxes and mort-
Sorduel brought the pilfered items to gage payments, Sorduel'scash base
Sorduel was born and raised in the
Damaran capital of Heliogabalus, an old friend in Heliogabalus, a thief dwindled.
able to sell high-profile stolen goods. It becamenecessaryto re-oPenhis
where his parents ran a catering service
This fence explained to Sorduel that he contacts with the fences of Ravens
for the more well-to-do citizens of the Bluff. All Sorduel has managed to re-
city. After a brief schooling (all they had a network of contacts who could
make the sale of the stolen merchandise tain from his raid of the besieged estate
could afford at the time), Sorduel's par-
far from the site of the thefts. What the is an armorial seal with the Thhlard
ents brought him into their business,
unhappy cook brought him usuallY family crest and a piece of jewelry that
and his knack for preparing excellent
made its way to a citY farther south Thhlard had bought to give to his mis-
meals becameknown. At one time,
called Ravens Bluff. tress before the fateful battle.
when the catering service was gaining
More years of discontentment fol- The combination of advancing years, a
many rich, new clients, Sorduel was left
lowed. When the Witch-King's armies seclrre flow of income and the company
in charge of preparing a banquet for a
local estate's upcoming party. Tbhlard, a becameactive on Damaran soil, Lord of his soon-to-bewife, Stenda, has re-
Tbhlard insisted that his family and sulted in a smoothing of Sorduel's tem-
visiting noble from the north, was in per and a softening of his once
attendance and was at the time search- employees learn to defend themselves -*"tt"tt*y
' ing for a new cook to complement his and his home. Hence, Sorduel became outlook on life. As bartender
trained as a fighter. Tib has been heard to comment, "He's
staff. The meal made a favorable im-
pression with him. But when the less-than-loyal cook's almost pleasant to be around nowl' His
- black hair is graying at the temples,
The young Sorduel was brought to chance at a new life came, he took it. As
word of Tbhlard's demise and the deci- and there is no longer a Permanent
Thhlard's estate and made assistant to scowl etched across his features' Much
the mansion's head cook. mation of the local militia reached the
mansion, Sorduel began looting the to Stenda's happiness, he is even think-
Events unfolded rather nicely at first,
estate while his peers prepared to de- ing of giving up his life of crime and
but Sorduel grew to dislike both his deceit. SomedaY.
fend it with their lives. Remembering
superiors (Tahlard and the head cook)
hir life as estate servant-despite Ravens Bluff as a prime underground
tr
"ni

Thomas Edison is beginning his own glish countryside since the Middle Ages,
A New Crystal SPhere just out of sight of the bungling humans
Continued from Page24
production-line research into spells and
all magic. He is assemblingall the Lround them, are curious about their
knowlJdge he can, but is inviting lPetl- brethren in Wildspace. A halfling ad-
Adventuring ldeas casters into something of a trap-the venturer might find himself the spirit-
The bored sections below can be present- citizens of Massachusetts are being ual leader of a whole communitY of
ed to players as newspaper clippings. whipped into a fervor by a local minis- halflings now readY to acknowledge
ter who is organizing a modern-daY their own existence on Earth.
Her Majesty's Government kindlY witch hunt. Elves wanted for Reforestation Project'
seeks the services of otherworldly Pleaseapply in person.Flyers Gate,
priests and wizards to assist Colonial Guides to WildsPace wanted. Good Parhoon, Mars.
efforts in New Zealand'.Positions Pay and Benefits. Consult the RoYal This is actually a ruse set up by high
available immediatelY with out- Society,London. Martian King Hattabranx of Kraag
standing pay. Barrovaar. Having heard Martians
The LondonZoo is sponsoringa compe- compared to mythical elves for years,
A Maori medicine man has conjured tition through the Royal Society.A cash Hattabranx wants to caPture one to
an entire army of outer planar crea- reward of t10,000 is being offeredfor make a comparison. His agents will
tures that have gone on a rampage over the most exotic addition to the zoo from meet and kidnap any elves who respond
Southeast Asia. With no real idea of the beyond the crystal sphere brought back to his advertisement and take them to
danger involved, the Colonial Office is bythe end of the year. A zoologist-and his kraag. After examination, during
likely to accept the first priests and several Earthman adventurers will which the king will be thoroughly un-
wizards who happen along, assuming head up the expedition. impressed, he will trY to ransom the
any spellcaster can deal with tanar'ri or elves or, failing that, lash them to the
baatezu. Halfling Spacetravelers with Thles of sbrews of one of his liftwood galleys.
Wildspace.Reply by Post,Box 1312, E
Magical items purchased. Sagesand Middlesex.
wizards wanted for indepth interview.
Apply in person.Box 112, Boston. Halflings, who have lived in the En-

P o L Y H E D R o N
' 6YRP-
'AREYOI)
ALLRI6N
 G@rilv@rilGnoms
Pennsylvania: Just movedt Looking to join or General: I am looking for some players for a play-
Canada (Alberta): I am trying to put together a
create a group that enjoys the AD&D game or by-mail game in the DRAGONLANCE setting.
Network club in the Edmonton alrea. We'll support
Runequest in the Dallas or Bark Mountain area. Players from anywhere in the world are welcome' I
the AD&Do Znd edition game, GtlRPS, Robo1bch,
I'm willing to try other games. David Osborne, RD am also lmking forthe module DL5 Dragons of
and Rifts, and others. Please call me, Kelly
#l Upper Demunds Rd. Box 417,Dallas,PA Mystery. Please write: Arnold Mohammed, P.O'
Hamilton, at (r103)4t]3-8093and leave your name
18612; (7L7re75-3874. Box74, Adelaide Station, Toronto, Ontario MbC
and phone nurnber.
2H8, Canada.
Republic of Ireland: I am looking for any Puerto Rico: I'd like to start a Netwprk club, and
I'm looking for serious players and DMs in my Genera} I'm lmking for materials for Shadowrun,
serious, teenaged role players in Cork who wish to
play the AD&D game. Also, I am selling materials area who are willing to meet every week or every the WORLD OF GREYHAWIf setting and the
other week. I play the D&D game, the AD&D RAVENLOFT setting. I have lots of AD&D gaqe
ior the TOP SECRETT game, MERR the AD&D
game, and Oriental Adventures. I'm interested in materials to trade. I'm also seeking
game, and others. Please contact: Martin O'Leary
iearning more about Call of Cthulhu and other correspondence;I'm a 26'year'old male DM and
Woodlands, Cloghroe, County Cork, Ireland.
Horror RPCs. Pen pals welcome. Please write: player. Please write: Dale Flanagan, P.O. Box
Flora Sanchez, Eseralda 52 Villa Blanca, Caguas, 1989, Ely,IrIV 89301.
Union of South Africa: Any role players,
especially in the Johannesburg area' who are PR 00725.
General: I'm a student preparing for college and I
interested in fornring a group or club please
Texas: Looking for AD&D game' Paranoia, must sell my role playing materials. I have trooks
contact: Lauren Beukes, P.O. Box 87174 for both vensions of the AD&D game and many -
Houghton, 2041, Johannesburg, South Africa; GURPS, or MARVEL SUPER HEROES players in
the Houston area. Call (713)644'1895, ask for boxed sets. I also have back issues of DRAGON9
(O27I1fi46-6071. Also, I have information to share
Magazine and POLYHEDROIf Newszine' All my
with anyone overseas about campaigns wing Nelson Garza,
books are in like-new condition;'some are brand
South African tribal cultures. I play the D&Do
Texas: ARGHT (Association of Role Playing new and have never been used. I am selling them
game, Shadowrun, and the AD&D game.with the
Gamers of Houston) extends an invitation to for 4OVotDSO% offthe cover price. For a list, send
bMCONIANCEo setting DARK SUN* setting,
gamers to submit storie and art for publication in a SASE to: Joseph R. Fyffe II, H.C. 75, Box L495,
' FORGOTTEN REALMSo setting, and Isonville, KY 41149.
RAVENLOFI* setting. ARGHzine. We love to hear from gamers
worldwide, and we already have several foreign
Wanted: Network members to form an members. ARGHI sponsoni Network events at cons General: I have for sals Woman with
Florida:
AD&D game club in the Tbmpa/Brandon area. For in the Houston area and encouragesgamers to Quarterstaffand Cold Drake books for the Lost
unite in friendly competition. For more Worlds game; Ci$/Ibch, The BattleTech
information call Allen Guzzebta (813)681-3198 or
information write to: Cortespondent Helen Peters, Compendium, and BattleTbch Tbchnical readouts
Roy Pinson (813)681-1042.
11818 Palmsprings Dr., Houston, TX 77072. 3205and 3206; Mechwarrior 2nd Edition; T\rnnels
& TYolls solo adventures; The Complete Fighber's
New York The East Hudson Gaming Association Handbook, The Catacomb Guide, and DM's Screen;
is looking for new members in southern Duchess Washington D.C.: Living in Maryland, Virginia,
or the District and can't find gamers? T\y the BattleTech maps; Dragonraid; D&D game Basic
and northern Putnam county. Tb receive a free boxed set; and AD&D game modules DLEI, MVl,
brochure and information on joining send a SASE Washington Metropolitan Area Gaming Society
(WMAGS). Our club is quite active in the and N4. Send a SASE to Nick Kessler' 1020 W'
to: East Hudson Gaming Association, RR2 Box 45th St., Vancouver, WA 98660.
588, Stormville, NY 12582. Baltimore/D.C. corridor and is one of the few
Network clubs in the mid-atlantic region. WMAGS
is an active sponsor of Atlanticon, a yearly gaming Tlading Cards: Wanted: card 659 and 722 ftom
New York: I am looking for serious gamens in the 1991 Series II. I have doubles ofall other Series II
Slnacuse area, age 18 or older. I play the AD&D convention. We always are interested in new
members and increasing communication between rare cards for trade. I'm also looking for Series I
game, MARVEL SUPER HEROES game, cards. Howie Dawson,938 Hampton Rd,' Grosse
boardgames, and others. I'm willing to learn new gament in our area. For information, send a SASE
to: Wm., Paul Crum, 8104 Sandy Spring Rd', Pointe Woods, MI 48236.
systems. I am a 22-year-old grad student at
dyr'*"n". University with more than 10 years of Laurel, MD 2O7O7.
lYading Cards: Wanted: complete set of 1991
gaming experience, mostly as a game master and
General: Selling new RPGs and supplements and AD&D trading cards (the gold-bordered cards)' I
*rit t Also, is there anyone in the area with a will pay up to $250 for a mint condition set' Also
club or publication? Contact: Richard McCoy, 103 some slightly older stulf at reduced pricea. All
items are still packaged and in new condition' For *"ttLd copies of the D&D cartoon show on video
Kenny Dr., Fayetteville, NY 13066; (315)637-0609
information send a SASE to: Julius Wu, 16040 cassette and items for the DRAGONLANCE
(before 11 pm please).
Mark Dr., Brookfield, WI 53005. setting: all graphic novels except #4, Leaves from
the Inn of the Last Home, 1990 and earlier
Ohio: I'd like to join a campaign using either calendars, posters, and other unusual items' Top
version of the AD&D game. I have been playtng General: I am looking for players for a play-by-
prices paid. Please write: Robyn Reinke, 47
the D&D game since the 8th grade and I'd like to mail game. There will be no set'up or turn fees,
but I do request a SASE with each turn. I will run Governors Rd., Hilton Head Isle, SC 29928 or
step up. If you'd like another player for a
an many players as possible. For information leave a messageat (803)363'2305.
campaign in the North Royalton, Pacma,
Brecksville, or Broadview Heights area please write: Voyagers PBM. e/o Greg Ferris, 79 Castle
Rd., Rochester,NIY 14623. Tlading Cards: Will trade or buy 1991 Serim I
write: Mark McElroy, 8600 Oakwood Lane, North
and II. Pleasesend lists ofwants and needsto:
Royalton,OH 44133. John Daniel, L4I4 Anthony, Columbia, MO 65201'
General: I'd like to buy any of the colored plastic
Ohio: I am22 and have just moved to Kent. My AD&D game figures put out by IJN in 1983. The
primary interest is the AD&D game' but I also figure were olficial AD&D game characters
play several other games including: Car Wars, including: Ringlerun, Mercion, Strtngheart,
Living Steel, Lost worlds, and Machiavelli. If Elkhorn, Skylla, Zarak, Warduke, Kelek, and
you're looking for a new player please call Todd at Northlord. Send price list to: R. Vaselelski,2265
(216)678-7608. Fmthills Drive South, Golden, CO 80$1.
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 G@mvemtnoms
fiibinger Tolkien Tage/LfRA'CON' Fallconn October 1&18
Con-spiracy' August 28'30 Lincoln, NE
Durhdm,NC Septenrber 7-13
Ornni Durharn Tfuebingen, &rma'nY This event is entirely FREE. We'll have Star Fleet
Cgn-SPiracy will be held at the
This combined event commemorates the 1992 Battles, Warhammer 40I! BattleTbch, and a dozen
Convention Center. Events include Network
centennial of J.R.R. Tblkien's birth and 10 years of Network events; six of these are first run: AD&D
tournaments, miniatures, speakers, a video room,
Myra, a cr.eative fantasy world with 200 PBM game Masters, Grand Masters, Feature, Call of
and anim6. For more information write:
players. The T\rebingen MYRA-CON, which Cthulhu Feature, and Flulfy BOOT HILL game (a
N.A.A.R.P., P.O. Box 2752,Chapl Hill, NC 275L5' '92 Games Decathlon event). For inforrnstion
2752. already is one of Germany's largest events, will be
held together with lots of fantasy grlrupg write: Fallcon, 1621 S. 12th, Lincoln, NE 68502'

'Tacticon; Augrrst 28-3O throWhout the hobby including PBM (GFR e' V')
role playing (252 e.Y.), and literature (First Illusions 192, October 17'18
Denuer, CO Brid.gewaterT Noua Scrl.tio.,Conad.a
German Fantasy Club, EDFC e. V., and Inklings-
This convention.will be held at the Holiday Inn Join us at the Wandlyn Inn in Bridgewater.
Socieff). Features include medieval music, PBM
convention and trade center at I'?0 and Chambers Guests will include Kenny Young, a local sword-
tournaments, show fighting, several art
Rd. Events include the frrst NASAIVIW WRG smith. Events will include a painting contest,
Ancients frnal held west of the Mississippi' Games exhibitions, the "Tolkien Around the World"
exhibition, fairy-tale storytellers, an RPGA" AD&D games, Paranoia, Dark Conspiracy, and
of all kinds, Network tournaments, the Golden Shadowrun. Pre-registration before September
Network meeting and much, much more' For
Dagger toumament, auctions, and a figwe- 15th is $tO. Write: M. Robichaud, RR #4,
painting contest. For information contacb The information write: Wolfgang G. Wettach,
Schickhardtstr. 9, P.O. 8ox2747, T\rebingen 1, D' Bridgewater, Nova Scotia B4V 2W3, Canada. Or
b"nuut Gamers Association, P.O' Box 440058, call (902)54i|'0006 or (902)542'L702
W-7400, GermanY.
Aurora, CO 80044; (303)665-7062' For
accommodations call 1'8OO-HOLIDAY' Chili Con Carnage' October 23'25
Oklanomicon, SePtember 25'27
This euent has beencancelcd' Dallas, TX
Emperor's Birthday 22, September 5'6 Come to the Parkway Hilton{800)356-3924.
Sou.th Bend, IN Features include guests, panels, art show,
Fox Con II, SePtembet 25'27
Join us at the Century center in South Bend' masquerade, dance, filk concert, videos, anim6,
Events will include Napoleonic and other historical Elgin,IL
Fox Con is on again at the Elgin Community and gaming. AD&D game, Call of Cthulhu,
miniatures games' Network tournaments, and Shadowrun, Torg, DC Heroes, Champions,
many other games. For information or to pre College. The Network will be there in force with
seven tournaments planned, including several Warhammer 40K BattleTech, and more. For
regiiter contact: Mark E. Schumaker, P'O' Box special airline rates, call World-wide lYavel, Inc.,
25t, Elkhart, IN 46515, or cail (219)294-7019' frrsLrun scenarios. Many other events will be run,
including BattleTbch, miniatures, and board (8OOY2I-775?, be sure to mention Chili Con
games. There also will be a dealers area and a Carnage. For convention information write: John
Fantasy Fest Fall 192, SePtember 5'7 Manning, rlt|28 Alcott #102, Dallas,TX75204.
Sunbury, PA well-stocked concessionstand. For prereg:istration
Events will includs the AD&Do game' information contact: Fox Con II, 621 Sienna Dr.,
Schaumburg, IL 60193 or leave a message at ShaunCon V' November 6'8
Warhammer Fantasy, Call of Cthulhu, Toon,
(708p240139. Konsas City, MO
Battletech, Warhammer 40K, Shadowrun, Star The RolePlayers Guild of Kansas City invites you
Wars, Paranoia, Vampire, Champions, Cyberpunk, to the Roadway Inn at 6th & Main. Events include
GURPS, Illumi nati, Dark Conspiracy, miniatures, Council of Five Nations 18'
October 9-11 an AD&D game Grand Masters, Torg Masters,
Network tournaments, and much more. There also
Albany, NY Champions, Star Wars, Shadowrun, Paranoia,
will be a painting contest, 24hour open gaming,
Spend a fun-filled weekend with us at the Vampire and Star TYek. Board games will include
and a dealers area. Pre'registration is $20' For
Washington Inn in Albany. Network events Advanced Civilization, Supremacy, Diplomacy, and
information send a SASE to A&B Entertainment, others. There will be dealerc, a painted miniatures
P.O. Box 645, Shamokin Dam, PA 17876' Make include a Benefit, Team, Members Only'
Decathlon, and Feature. We also will have contest, and seminars. For information write: The
checks payable to A&B Entertainment' To register Role-Players Guild of Kansas City, c/o ShaunCon
by phone, call (7L7)743-4146or (7L7)743-4465' miniatures ga.mes,board games, live role playrng,
a miniatures painting contest, a costwne contest, Y P.O.Box7457,IGnsas City, MO 64116,or call
an auction, seminans, a convention breakfast, and (S16X55-5020 (24 hours a day).
Texi-Con, September 4'7
a dealers room. Convention T-shirts are available
Houston, TX Cornmand Con 4, November 7
through registration. More GMs and events are
Greater Houston Gaming Ltd. is proud to offer Soint Louis, MO
welcome. Pre-registration postmarked by
Texi-Con, a new event for gamerc in the South' This convention features G'O.H Lester Smith.
September 15 is $18 for the weekend. For more
ARGHI (Association of Role Playrng Gamers of There will be miniatures, board games, and role
Houston) will coordinate Network events, and inflrmation write: Council of Five Nations 18,
Schenectady Warga.mersAssociation, P.O. Box playrng events. Pre-r,egistration is S5 and there
there will be plenty of other events. Contact the atre no event fees. Come meet us in Saint Louis.
J.W. Marriot for room feservations{713)961- 9429, SchenectadY,\IY 12300.
For information or to preregister writq Command
1500. Tb pre,register write Texi-Con, P.O' Box Con 4, P.O. Box 9107, Saint Louis, MO ffif 17.
63 1462, H ow to n, TX 77 263' | 462. For information COSCON 92, October 9'11
about Network events contact: ARGHI, 7829 Cook Beaver Falls, PA
Rd., Houston,.TX 77072. The Circle of Swords Gaming Guild's fifth
anniversary convention will be held at the Beaver Attention all Network tournament
AndCon 192,SePtbmber 11'13 Falls Holiday Inn, just off the Pennsylvania players: There is something missing
Independence,OH I\rrnpike (Exit 2). There will be many firsLrun
from many of the voting Packs HQ has
This event is Ohiob largmt gaming convention and Network tournaments among the scheduled
received during the past several
the national play-by-mail gaming expo. Highlights events, which include Grand Masters, Masters,
and Benefrt events. Other games include board months. You cannot receive points for
include more than a dozen Network events, plenty an event unless you put Your
of role playtng, board gaming, miniatures, PBM games, a major multi-day tournament, and other
role playing events. Featured gueet is Jean Rabe- membership number on your voting
events, parties, and a packed decilers room sheet. Ifyou don't know your number,
featuring top designers from Mayfair Games and We also will have a dealers area, game auction,
painting contest, and an anniversary gift for all just make a note to that effect on your
Stellar Games. All role playrng events will be held
registrants. Preregistration is $20. For details, sheet. Get the cre di t Y ou
in quiet, private roon$. For information and a pre-
registration book write: AndCon'92, P.O-Box 142, send a SASE to Circle of Swords, P.O. Box2126, deserrre
Kent, OH 4420-OOO3,or call (216re73'2117 (we Butler, PA 16003 or call Dave Schnur at (412)283-
also can take faxes at this number). 1159.
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