Dragon Magazine Issue 264: October 1999


part 7/7


Legacy of the dragon: Are Vampires getting everywhere again?! Not even Alternity is safe. I'm not really surprised, their popularity shows no signs of abating. Why shouldn't they try to get a small slice of that pie. The result owes more to WoD vampires than D&D ones, oddly enough, right down to terminology like ghouls and the kiss. I suppose that shows once again how they've captured the imagination of game designers and the public in general. And when you have a point buy system for powers, and need to present lots of options which individuals might or might not have, then of course it makes sense to mine the nearest reference material. So this is pretty derivative, but since they're actively trying to be generic, that's not too surprising. It does manage to squeeze in a few quirks in their specific settings, involving vampires of different species, and how the undead in general adapt to space travel. Overall though, I think this is just too predictable to be anything other than average.


7 of 9 gets to be on the cover of Amazing Stories. Pandering!


Dragonmirth fails again. It'd be less funny if they didn't. KotDT goes full colour. Someone turned the contrast up a little too high in fact. And they're fighting amongst themselves again. What do they need a GM for anyway?


TSR Previews: D&D gets another product designed to lure newbies in. The Diablo II Adventure game. Hee. Pregens, full rules and starting adventures based on the computer game. Ahh, joy.

AD&D is fairly rehashed, with the priests spell compendium vol II. Still pretty handy, really. They do seem to be trying to make the vast amounts of things they've made over the past 10 years accessable.

Greyhawk keeps trying to stay alive by feeding off nostalgia. White plume mountain gets a novelisation by Paul Kidd. The amusing group we've seen before in this magazine bicker their way through classic locations.

Dragonlance is doing even worse, reprinting Murder in Tarsis by John Maddox Roberts. Since that's one of the more slated novels in the series, I'm very surprised it sold well enough to justify this.

The Realms do their usual trick of having novels tied in with recent adventures. Under Fallen Stars by Mel Odom lets you see how the official metaplot events of the sea of fallen stars adventures will go. Once again, the setting details'll be out of date before you know it.

Ravenloft reaches out it's misty tendrils with Carnival. Another way to bring horror into any campaign, and quite possibly turn the characters into monsters. Muahahahahaha!!!!! Just pray they don't bring you with them into the demiplane itself.

Alternity gets another last ditch attempt to bring in more players before they cancel the line. Another fast-play set, with everything you need to get things going, but probably not enough to play a long term game. So you'll then have to spend extra for the actual corebooks. The writing's on the wall.


Profiles: Brom! Yes, that is his real name. Hee. He looks like he should be in a nu-metal band. Anyway, he's one of this decade's iconic artists, doing tons of RPG stuff, and more than a few other things as well, including book covers, computer game design, CCG's, and film work. He's also writing his own novel on the side, as everyone does. For someone who creates such dark illustrations, he seems pretty cheery. Guess angst worked out is no longer a problem. And as long as there's an audience for being slightly unsettled in a safe environment, he'll have plenty of work to make a living from.


Quite a few goofy bits in this issue, which i'm pretty sure was intentional. Some of them hit the mark, some of them didn't, but the quota of truly forgettable filler was fairly low at least. And the countdown definitely adds a certain frisson to the proceedings. Knowing exactly how long we have left will hopefully make people appreciate these issues all the more.

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 1/7


116 pages. Volcanos! Jungles! Savages! I can certainly see the thematic links there, even if they don't actually spell out the issue's theme. It's time for a journey into the rougher side of nature, the bits the druids don't talk about when they're trying to recruit newbies by talking up how awesome maintaining the balance is. Or maybe they do, because you want a certain number of people who don't mind blowing stuff up with lightning bolts, earthquakes and flame strikes. I guess you've got to tailor your spiel to your audience. Guess I should see if they've tailored this issue to my preferences.


Scan Quality: Excellent, indexed.


In this issue:


The wyrms turn: Another double length actual play story this month, as Dave tells us a particularly entertaining tale of the DM introducing special guest star PC's who may or may not be traitors, and the effect this had on the game. Since these guys are consummate professionals, this actually went pretty well, and when taken over by dopplegangers, they took to their new roles with sadistic glee. So this shows that despite recently saying you should always play heroic characters, deep down, they want to cut loose and do horrible things when they can get away with it as much as anyone. It's also a strong reminder that you can have sex, gore and PvP in a game and have a lot of fun as long as everyone can handle it. You can't spend all your time in safe happy parental guidance land. (and even there some shows slip quite a bit past the censors) Take some risks, do something that they'll definitely remember, even if you aren't certain they'll like it. Better to go out in a blaze of glory than hang around bored.


D-Mail: We kick off with a letter about MUD gaming. It's not doing too badly for itself, although it'll never really become a huge mainstream thing, and as the internet becomes faster and more commercialised, they eventually get sidelined by more visually flashy mediums. WotC never do do one, although White Wolf had a rather busy one on their site back in the day. I do have a certain soft spot for them, although really, I do regret losing a couple of years due to MU* addiction back then. Oh well. It's not a proper vice if you don't regret it, and I always did suck at the sex, drugs and rock and roll thing.

We follow up with some general praise, with a minor criticism. While modern art looks better, it's not always as useful as functional diagrams and maps. A very important lesson. Why spend all that extra money if it doesn't benefit the player?

Then we have a letter from someone who's found Dungeoncraft very useful in their actual play experience. The kind of letter that encourages them to keep it on next year when they look at their roster and consider a revamp.

A little more cliche twisting is added to the mix, hopefully giving us some more ideas to use in our own game.

A really interesting idea to create a computer-aided module that automatically scales with your characters, with computer aid. Not too hard to implement, really, but they'll stick to regular paper ones that don't do this more than a couple of levels up or down.

And finally, we have a complaint about them cropping their cover images and plastering them with promotional gumph. Sorry, their covers are just going to get more irritatingly cluttered in the next few years. Apparently they need all that promotion.


Nodwick faces his most encumbrance-busting lift yet.

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 2/7


Nodwick faces his most encumbrance-busting lift yet.


Forum: Martin Rosenkrantz tells us a story of how things went horribly wrong for him. Even with a saving throw of 3, that's a 10% chance of failure. It will come up sooner or later.

Gordon Dunne wants the house rules of maximum HP at first level and making fighters more interesting implemented. Another case of someone being in luck.

Ian Mathers reminds us that the AD&D combat round is abstracted over a whole minute. The difference between a monk's slaps, and a two handed sword swinging is pointless, as each roll still represents many individual attacks in both cases.

Garry Stahl has a pretty similar opinion to mine on the subject of deceiving your players. NPC's should lie shamelessly if it suits their personality and goals.

David L. Nelson thinks the average soldier ought to be at least a proper 1st level fighter. That'll go a long way towards keeping settlements safe from both adventurers and marauding humanoids. PC's shouldn't be so special. It might help keeping them from getting overconfident.

David Pierce thinks that the relative power levels of characters pales in contrast to their player's ingenuity in terms of impact on the game. How many times have we seen complete newbies beat mighty dragons in stories by using their brains?

Roy Greenhalgh reminds us that while clerics may be powerful, their god is a big balancing factor. Presuming they're played properly anyway. We've been through this before. Fluff penalties don't compensate very well for mechanical bonuses, because they're so often ignored.


Dungeoncraft: Ray continues to balance the pressures of verisimilitude, and filling the world with secrets to explore and monsters to kill and take the stuff of. Course, the two are not mutually exclusive, you just have to think about what effect all these monsters would logically have on the human communities and each other. This is why I wouldn't start with too small scale a map. It means you can have more things on a map without it seeming crowded, and allows the players to heal up, train, and generally advance the timeline during the days or weeks it takes to journey between significant locations, which also leads to a more realistic advancement rate. So as usual, I agree with most of Ray's advice, but not all of it. Everyone is going to run things slightly differently, and that's a good thing really. I think I'm always going to prefer doing things on a large scale wherever possible.

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 3/7


Sage advice: Do planescape characters get modifiers to the new thieving abilities (yes)

Does true seeing reveal if you've been artificially aged (no. It's your true form now.)

What happens to stuff a druid is wearing while an animal when they turn back (It falls off. Nothing so spectacular as merging.)

How quickly does control temperature work (instantly and insistently.)

Does a ring of fire resistance protect against normal fire (easily. )

Can you summarize negative status penalties. (if you like)

Can animal friendship break a familiars bond (no. That's their primary loyalty, no matter what. )

Can arrows fired from a magical bow hurt creatures that need magic weapons to hit. (no. The extra force comes at the release stage. )

What does the Paralyzation spell do? (use hold person if you can't be bothered to get the compendium. They are not that different anyway)

What spheres do knights of solamnia have (Kiri-Jolith's. He's the guy responsible. )

What happens if you disjoin a cage of Zagyg (they escape unharmed)

Can invisible creatures see other invisible creatures (no. Pixies have to work something out. I'm sure they're used to it, as they've grown up not seeing each other most of the time. )

Why do duergar PC's have their spell level limited to 10. (To keep the game from breaking)

Do speciality druids count as clerics or druids for purposes of level limits. (Druids)

How fast do Trow swim. (Faster than you. Better hope you're faster than your buddies)

If you take 6 continual lighted coins into an area of continual darkness, how many of them are cancelled out (1. Basic maths, my dear.)

Can you guard with a whip (Yes. What do lion tamers do? )

Which has default in order of attacks, reach or initiative (reach. Damn useful, reach. )

What happens if two people charge each other simultaneously (they can't. The resolution system doesn't work like that. Once one of them's closed, the other can't charge. )

Can you do more than one attack of opportunity against a swooping creature (Only if it does multiple provoking actions. Probably no, in other words. )

There's 40 posts on your message boards debating exactly how wall of force works. That's huge. (Oh my. Skip must get caught up on this newfangled intartubes thing. The private sage cannot be seen to not know what Skip is talking about. )

How much room do you need to charge (15 feet)

Can a +4 defender sword hurt things that need +4 to hit (No. It's the attack bonus that counts. Same reason you can't shield bash things with your magical shield and do tons of damage. )


ProFiles: Wolfgang Baur is another of our writers who's turned his hand to all sorts of things, and come out pretty well, as much due to luck as skill. Planescape, Al-Qadim, Birthright, he's certainly contributed to quite a few books that I personally enjoyed. Currently, he's immersing himself in conspiracy theory fun as he writes for Alternity's Dark Matter setting. But not taking the things he reads too seriously, thankfully. After all, as he knows, real life is very much about luck. Vast global conspiracies that stay secret against against all the odds just wouldn't be able to hold themselves together, given human nature.

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 4/7


Countdown to 3rd edition: 9 months to go. We don't get much new info about 3e itself this time. Instead they talk about the Gen Con where it was announced. And if you think they're going to put on a big show, you're damn right. They've roped in both original founders to promote it, which I suspect was a significant factor in the 3e changeover having a bigger uptake than 4e. They've also deployed vast numbers of playtesters to iron out the kinks, but of course are leery of changing things so fundamentally that the game no longer feels like D&D, which means the fighter/spellcaster divide in versatility and high level power is still all too well in place. Basically, they're pulling out all the stops, to make sure as many people know about it and think the idea is cool as possible. The only holdouts will be people who are entirely out of the loop or consciously choose to reject the new edition. We've come a long way since the last edition change, and the way the media works is very different. They are not going to mess around.


Earthstokers: They decide to take a break from putting a huge special feature at the start this month, but they're still leading with their biggest and best material, and putting extra effort into the artwork for it. And it is pretty interesting. An order of druids that specialise in monitoring and regulating seismic activity? That's a valuable niche that the Complete Druids Handbook never filled. And since volcanos and earthquakes can cause massive amounts of damage, I can see certain players drooling at the idea of wielding their powers. Of course, this is tempered by the need to not use their powers in a manner harmful to nature overall (which doesn't mean they can't wipe out the occasional uppity human settlement) or lose them. This is a pretty entertaining read, and the writer obviously has both enthusiasm for the subject and real world research, but it also has some substantial mechanical flaws that really should have been caught in editing. The kit confuses mage schools and priest spheres in a way that makes it's intentions unclear, the new dragon type fails to distinguish which of it's spell slots belong to which class, and the whole thing adds a somewhat clunky extra subsystem for tracking seismic energy onto the game. So this will definitely appeal to those who like that old skool verve, but does need a bit of errata to actually be usable in a game. Pay more attention, Dave.


Primitive PCs: They haven't mentioned the whole every monster can become a PC in 3e thing yet. That's bound to raise a few eyebrows. In the meantime, time is ticking away, and there's still a whoie ton of humanoids that never got PC stats, that would be well suited to it. I'm betting this is the kind of thing they'll step up in the last few 2e issues. Course, they might not be any good statistically. But that kind of judgement is what I do. Let's see if these guys can be tamed.

Gibberlings aren't very bright, but given their strong horde instincts, one that's separated from their companions might fall in with a group of adventurers, although they'll never really lose their simple and direct thought processes and tendency to scream their way through a problem. They have pretty standard goblinoid class options and limits, so they're not going to keep up at high levels.

Grimlocks are rather more versatile, although they'll need to develop a custom method of recording their spells if they want to be wizards. Their lack of sight and enhanced other senses will be crucial in playing them, but otherwise they're not that special statistically. I think the talking points they have are significant enough though.

Mold Men are pretty alien, and their main flaws revolve around bridging that gap enough to relate to meat-based lifeforms. They do have pretty substantial benefits though, Immunity to electricity, piercing weapons, and anything that affects animals, they could mess with quite a few standard tactics to their benefit. That can definitely be fun for a PC.

Quaggoths are fairly typical humanoids, apart from having moderate psionic talents in their spiritual guys instead of shamen. Still, they're very much of the sort that'll be good at 1st level thanks to their natural weapons and armor, and then rapidly fall behind at higher levels. It ain't easy, having a genetic tendency towards mookism.

Su-Monsters get a bit of revisioning, suggesting the author has a real soft spot for them. Their adrenalin shot when defending their family won't apply as adventurers, but their climbing, natural weapons, and psionic talents certainly will. They have some pretty decent tactical options a less mobile race would really struggle to match.

Troglodytes of course have to deal with the social issues their odor creates. (don't put them in a party with a Grimlock in particular.) Still, I'm definitely surprised they haven't been done before, since they're one of the old staple monsters that have been around forever, and have fairly decent powers. I guess the social stigma of excessive BO is more of a consideration to the average geek than you'd think.

Yeti also have social issues, but not as severely, and lose some of their powers outside their native climate, so they're another one that definitely won't be settling down with the other adventurers. Once gain, their level limits aren't great though, which I think fits into the general primitivism thing. While cunning, these guys just don't have the capacity for advanced learning to build a sophisticated culture on their own. So I think the rules do fit the fluff in this case, making this collection interesting, but not really able to fill out an entire party on their own. Spices and seasonings, that's the ticket. The magazine provides an epic selection for your game to choose from, but it'll never replace the corebooks.

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 5/7


Marvel super heroes: Captain Marr-Vell. Not to be confused with just Captain Marvel, who ironically belongs to DC. (and that must irk Marvel comics quite a bit) Man, this opens up another can of worms when it comes to things like copyright, character histories, and comparing and contrasting. Neither are really A-listers, and have spent extended periods of time dead. And both have alter egos with which they have interesting relationships. It's a demonstration of how real world legal issues can affect what appears on the page quite a bit. There's still stories featuring Godzilla that they can't republish because the licence has expired. I do worry about what will happen if copyright keeps on being extended by big corporations, and how we'll make big new media properties if all the short snappy names are already taken. It's entirely possible to kill something through oversaturation. Will we eventually run out of room for new superheroes? Will we eventually run out of room for bands? TV shows? Movies that aren't remakes? It's a worrying thought, tempered by the knowledge that we'll probably invent a new way of entertaining ourselves at that point. I just hope I'll be able to understand and appreciate those too.


The oerdian lesser gods: Telchur completes the collection of Greyhawk seasonal gods, representing winter. He's quite different from the other winter god we had a couple of issues ago, slightly less cruel, but a good deal more unpredictable, and very keen on his worshippers exposing themselves to the cold to toughen up. This pays off big time for his clerics, who become immune to nonmagical cold and able to unleash nasty weather. As with all the seasonal gods, they seem likely to have their congregation vary quite a lot depending on the time of year, and ought to maintain ties with the clerics of the other seasons.

Rudd puts a third different spin on roguishness, being the goddess of gambling, luck, and swashbuckling sorts in general. Fighting her is a mug's game, since she's incredibly lucky, and can automatically spot attempts to cheat. Her priests also fall into the swashbuckler mold, getting tricksy spells and the ability to specialise in the rapier. They could definitely be a good way to fill out a party that wants everyone to look good and be mobile in battle. So once again, these gods aren't original, but they are interesting, and quite open to being compared and contrasted. Putting different spins on the same basic ideas is how we get the infinite variety that makes up the world. After all, it's all protons, neutrons and electrons. Just in different combinations.


Fiction: The king of winter by Mark Anthony. Another short story by an established author that's basically a teaser/promotion for their full novels in the same setting? Fuck you WotC. This is just getting tacky. I actually don't mind the video game conversions too much because at least they're interesting, and often useful in game, but this? It's an unfulfilling attempt to get us to spend more money, so we can keep track of more continuity. Orion & Fool Wolf have the right idea of it, because their stories are both entertaining and written to be self-contained for easy access to newcomers. This, on the other hand, does not, and makes me rather cross. Once again, I am reminded that the average standard of the fiction is not nearly what it was when Barbara Young ran this department.


Arcane Lore: More spells from less civilized locations. Actually, they haven't offered too many of those, so you can still say that they're underrepresented, ethnically speaking. Eh, just another day at the office really.

Tana Relatha is made of woven reeds, and is full of spells that get you close to nature. Mud, tree sap, mists and spiders. Not the parts of nature I'm really that keen on getting close too, thanks very much.

Tsanak Dorth is slightly more highbrow, being comprised of oak roots and obsidian. With four tree related powers, it does seem to be stepping on druid's toes a bit. I suppose niche protection between spellcasters is a bit of a joke now, after 12 years of articles like this. Yawn.

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 6/7


Bazaar of the Bizarre: Another bit of so-called savagery here, rather more optimistic about the capability of shamans and the like to make magical items than it's counterpart in issue 189. They may not be as scientific about it, but they certainly don't hesitate to assign special properties to things. Some of them might even work.

Cha'chal Blowguns automatically add poison to darts, removing the danger of handling and loading nasty sticky icky substances. One of those definite convenience enhancers.

Bones of Foretelling are not so convenient, being your basic cryptic vision provider. Yawn. We don't need those when we have more specific divinations.
 
The Censer of Guardians summons spirit animals to kick butt for you. Make sure it doesn't go out, for as usual, that removes the assistance from your party.

Wailing Chimes are another guardian device that make an awful racket if anyone not keyed to them approaches. Meh. Even the most primitive of people have basic recognition skills.

Spirit Cloaks give you animal based powers. Another very blah overused idea.

The Council of Skulls, on the other hand, is pretty awesome, and gives a concrete benefit to having a load of ominous skulls on posts through your territory. They're watching you, and the shaman can consult them from the central circle. Like any security camera, smash them if you want to go dark.

Rending Daggers have limited charges, which is unusual for weapons. Guess 16th level spellcasters are in short supply, so fitting them with a ton of animal teeth and using the sympathetic boost is another decent cost cutting method.

Tribal Drums grant benefits to your side and penalise the other as long as they're being played. I'm sure I've seen this in the magazine before.

Gourds of Concealment are the savage equivalent of the ninja flash bomb. Throw them to the ground and they let out a brief cloud of gas so you can escape. More tedious reskinning.

Bear Gauntlets let you use claw attacks. Seen this before too. Is this going to make the record of most rehashed items in a single article?

The Headdress of Sight is a near direct rip of eyes of the eagle. I really am running out of patience with this one.

Horns of Wolf Summoning also do exactly what they say on the tin in ripped off legalese.

Masks of Fear, Necklaces of animal communication, and Powder of Eternal Slumber are all also so tedious and predictable I can't even be bothered to give them their own entries. You really really aren't missing anything.

Oil of Marking is used to make hard to erase territorial pissings. If you get it on you it's a right bitch to get off. Have fun messing up your opponents hair and watching them rage.

Curse Rattles are another one that steals from movie portrayals liberally. Unga walla boggie balla. Yawn.

Warding Skulls use the more subtle form of keeping people from coming in, that of making them believe they're going straight when actually they're going round. This obviously makes them less likely to try and see it as a challenge to penetrate just because and come back.


PC Portraits: This column is always easy to fit into the theme. It's savage hero time. Which means animal hybrids, scantily clad people of all ethnic groups, bad teeth, and interesting headgear. Political correctness? Nah, we'd much rather look cool while facing the many challenges of the unpacified wilderness. And what kind of adventurers would we be if we can't get away with wearing way more or less than the cultural norm? Barely worth the name.


Shop keep unites people the best way. In hate of others! Woo :rolleyes:

Dragon Magazine Issue 265: November 1999


part 7/7


Role models: Ha. We have a particularly inventive bit of minis advice this month, as they advise you to make scenery out of milk cartons and cereal boxes, (after all, nearly everyone goes through plenty of those) and show us how to emulate video game style fog of war in a minis scenario using plastic cups. That's brilliant, funny and useful. Once again, this column is a font of cool ideas crammed in a small package, and is really proving it's value as part of the magazine. Get out your craft knives and scissors and turn your food waste into an opportunity for more fun. Not playing with your food is something you tell your kids, not something you have to stick too yourself. Once again I approve strongly of this column, and just wish it was a bit longer, so I'd have more to talk about.


The voice: We've already had one Alternity fast-play in the magazine. But they're releasing a second setting, so here's a second, smaller one to introduce us to Dark Matter, their modern day action/conspiracy setting. Once again, it's a pretty simple plot, all about introducing the basics of both combat and various skills to that player (which is easy enough since the system uses a universal mechanic) It does railroad more than a bit, with no real choices you can make to affect the outcome of the plot beyond succeeding and advancing or failing in your dice rolls and facing further complications. So that does make this pretty unsatisfying, like most of these fast-play adventurers, because they don't include even a few token choices, which wouldn't be impossible to do even in an adventure of this size. As it is, even a computer could play this. I certainly wouldn't want to be introduced to roleplaying without being given any options on how I played. In addition, the illustrations have obviosly been traced directly from photographs of real people from around the office, which just doesn't quite look right somehow. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to fail this one both on story and presentation. You need to lead with at least one good adventure if you want to make a new system accessible, and this is not it.


Dragonmirth takes things rather too literally. KotDT figure out how to get cheaper hired help.


TSR Previews: Planescape may sorta be cancelled, but it's influence is still being strongly felt. A guide to hell sees Chris Pramas do officially what he'll do again slightly less so in the D20 era. Since we're no longer covered by the same editorial restrictions, expect all the old names to be back and ready to rock. Meanwhile, Planescape: Torment gets a novelization by Ray & Valerie Vallese. Still doing the multimedia thing to considerable success I see.

Greyhawk does much the same thing, only the other way round. Return to white plume mountain follows the book in short order. Bruce Cordell is responsible for revising, expanding and adding a load of plot to this one.

The realms rehashes too. The temptation of Elminster gets reprinted in paperback. I still don't know why they bother to tell us that. And Drizzt gives us his own Guide to the Underdark. Guess Volo called in sick for this one. Wonder if they'll manage to accurately reproduce his voice from the books, given a different writer is responsible.

Dragonlance does, yeah, yet more expanded rehash. The original trilogy get directors cuts with added material and author commentary, just like the module series. They really are trying to scrape every last inch of the barrel dry before they move onto the next edition.

Alternity, on the other hand, does get 2 new products. Dark Matter is a new campaign setting featuring modern conspiracy weirdness. Mindwalking: A guide to psionics is a general book, but seems likely to be useful to it. A likely precursor to the Agents of Psi setting for D20 modern.


What's new is Baaack! After 15 years, some of them spent dealing with CCG's, they return to the world of roleplaying, tanned, with new hair, ready to reveal the deepest truths behind the creative urge. And crack cheap gags. Well, they can't go too far from their core, or they'll lose their audience.


With several articles that fail in interesting ways, this isn't the greatest of issues, but was reasonably entertaining for me to pick apart. That's certainly preferable to bland articles that leave me with nothing to say. And as usual, there are a few articles that are genuinely enjoyable and useful amidst the dross. It does feel like they're hitting the accelerator in general as well. If that means more little details get messed up because they're concentrating on the next edition content, then so be it. That'd be an understandable flaw to take the blame for.

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 1/7


116 pages. Ooh. This christmas, lycanthropes and other human/animal shapechangers get their turn at a themed issue. That's fairly welcome and probably a bit overdue, like the similar one for giants this time last year. After all they're another one that has an absolute ton of myths from around the world. This probably won't catch them up with vampires in terms of overall coverage, (and a lot of people prefer them shirtless anyway ) but it certainly can't hurt. Let's ravenously devour the good stuff in this issue, but leave the bad bits politely on the side of the plate.  


Scan Quality: Good, some pages slightly curved, no indexing.


In this issue:


The wyrms turn: Our editorial this month is all about deferred gratification. Revenge is a dish best served cold, release means little without building up tension beforehand, you ought to have to work for your rewards. You know the drill. It's a good lesson to teach because otherwise you wind up with players who are shocked when they don't win every battle without any real challenge, and people who throw tantrums over something as insignificant as a game probably aren't the kind of folks you want to go to for help in a crisis. Which is exactly the kind of stuff people will complain they're causing with both upcoming edition changes, by putting more focus on empowering the player, speeding up advancement, and designating what kind of challenges are appropriate for a character of a given level. I think that's what you call irony. So yeah, we aren't out of this edition yet, and even when they do switch the changes in people's playstyles are going to be more gradual than binary. They should keep giving me something to comment on for quite a while.


D-Mail: We start off with a complaint from someone sick of the company's racism agains small people. They simply laugh it off. Oh, they'll regret that next edition, when that small size becomes a huge benefit for spellcasters, and halflings can take any class too.

We then move onto a sexism complaint. They fully intend their new minis line to be sexually and ethnically diverse, as they proved in last month's teasers. On the other hand, if you want either gender to have decent fashion sense, you'll be wishing in vain for quite a while.

A less weighty complaint follows. Which Greyhawk seasonal goddess is the youngest. What a question to ask a lady. Do you really expect to get a straight answer out of them?

Next, we have our first edition change complaint. Multiclassing XP penalties suck! That they do, and even though you're not working on full info, it's no surprise that a lot of d20 based games wound up leaving them out with no problems. Even the designers don't really know about the long-term emergent issues with their new system, despite the huge amounts of playtesting.

 And finally we have a very long rebuttal letter by Greg Detwiler which goes quite some way towards revealing his own playstyle and design choices. Very interesting indeed. Remember, reskinning allows you to use an old challenge without the PC's instantly knowing the right tactic to foil it.


Nodwick stays on good terms with the enemy. It's just a gig. Keep saying it to yourself.


Forum wants us to ponder how technology has changed the way we game. Have you tried using email and chatrooms? Maybe you should. They can have quite decent benefits and speed play along.

Anonymous shows up for the first time in a few years, to criticise the idea of deceiving the players. 3e ought to have strict rules on what is and isn't acceptable behaviour for a DM that the players can hold them too.

Julian Neale, on the other hand, is fully in favour of decieving the players when it would make for a more fun game. Secret rolls are a very useful tool as well if there are traps and the like in the area. Muhahahaha.

Lance Goetz is our longest contributor, pointing out that thieves have the least well defined role in the party, and are thus most easily disposed of. Well, they weren't even in the very first corebook. That is technically true. And so we take another step towards redefining them as Strikers.

David Boyer averages your int and dex bonuses to determine initiative bonus. This keeps one class from blatantly outshining the others in this area.

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 2/7


Dungeoncraft: The first year of this column is over, and we've pretty much finished the topic of building your first map full of monsters. So they move on to some more general advice for christmas. And here Ray falls pretty firmly on engaging the players, not just their character's statistics. Give them genuinely meaningful choices, set them puzzles that they have to use their brains to solve, not just dice rolls, and make sure they have noncombat interactions with characters to add variety. All the things last month's fast-play story lacked, in other words So this is a good reminder of how tabletop RPG's are not computer games, there are some things that they'll always do better than even the most wide-open sim game. And if you're going to go to the effort of getting everyone together, do you really want to put them into a linear dungeon crawl anyway? Play to the strengths of your medium. I think that's advice that's valid whatever you're doing.


Shop keep is rather festive, but doesn't realize it.


Sage advice: What planar races can become psionicists. (all of them. 10th level.  See ya later. )

Does chill touch work once then discharge, or can you keep on attacking. (you can keep on bein' cooooooooool. )

Is the limited magic item use restriction based on large or small divisions. (Large. Kick those min-maxing twinks back into their place )

Can item be cast on one item and also affect anything contained within it (no)

Does demilich soul-trapping have a save. (Yes. Not easy though. )

How many spells does an amber dragon really cast (we missed a slash. )

Pls explain the sword of life stealing (Natural 20 means natural 20. Not some stupid number like vorpal sword's plus only calculation. You only get hit points if you drain someone. )

Can stone golems be affected by magic missiles (what part of immune to all spells but the specific ones mentioned don't you understand)

What proficiency do you need to get the benefits with a longtooth dagger (Dagger, even when it's a longsword. )

How many HD does a 30th level spirit of the land have (basic addition. It comes to 41d8+22. Quite a hefty number.)

What are type I-VI demons. (True Tanar'ri. Vrock to Balor. Go for the power. )

How many missiles does Snilloc's major missile make (just the one big nasty one. )

Does comprehend languages let you read pictograms and voweless arabic writing (if that's the way it's supposed to be written. If it's being done in a diliberately obscure way it might not make sense still. )

Do you get a save against heat metal (no, because it's not being cast on you. Master the art of the quick strip, and you can avoid most of the damage. )

Can you cast admantite mace on a magical mace (yes, but only use the best bonus. They're the same type of bonus, so they don't stack.)

Ohh. Alternity stuff again. Skip could do with a change. Onward we go.

What are the penalties for using a dumb GID (No shadow combat for you, matey.)

Can datalink telepathy be used to reprogram stuff. (oh yes, but only if you know computer language. )

How much do broad skills cost robots (nothing. It's the processor power that's the expensive part. Data is cheap. )

Do you use table D17 or the custom parts list for building robot PC's (both)

Do planetary thrusters harm photon sails (no. Just fold them up when you land)

How many G's can a robot take (no more than a human. )

Can you use a fusion torch engine as a weapon (oh yes. They can be ridiculously effective. )

How big is a spikespore's second form (Human size. It takes about 12 hours to turn back. )

Do heavy weapons need power cells. (No, they need actual ammo. Beams just don't have the same ....... impact, no matter how flashy they look. )

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 3/7


ProFiles: Mary Kirchoff is, like Sue Cook, a multiclass gaming editor/wife (married to Steve Winter). Seems surprisingly common. Unusually, though she started off more as a writer, and then gravitated more towards editing as time went on. (it's usually the other way around, if previous profiles are anything to go by. ) From Polyhedron, to Ares magazine, to Dragonlance, to being responsible for hiring R.A Salvadore, to her current job as head editor of the book department, it's certainly been an eventful ride, not all of it entirely successful. Can she bring the book department back to it's late 80's glory days? Probably not, but it won't be for lack of trying.


Silicon Sorcery: Woo. We have the release of the dragon magazine archive. More amusing recursiveness to be able to review this article. They go into plenty of detail on it's interface and searching functions, which are of course needed to sift through such a vast amount of information usefully. They also make a big deal about the fact all the adverts and other bits and pieces are in (although of course they missed a few of the games, sigh.) which I suppose is a pretty big deal really. It does make me wonder why they bothered doing ad-free scans later, when the adverts are sometimes just as interesting, and certainly as informative in retrospect about what else was going on out there. As with most of their promotional articles these days, this is a good deal prettier and less irritating than TSR's ones, and of course the sheer ambition of the product is a pretty good selling point as well. It'll take a good decade or so for the rest of the publishing industry to really catch up, and even now, it's pretty haphazard what will be in print or electronically distributed and how their price points will compare. Like the OGL, this had a significant part in changing how we think about distribution, and the ways our reading experience could be improved by making everything cross-indexed and searchable. It deserves a good deal of praise, and I wish more old magazines had something similar.


Countdown to 3rd edition: 8 months to go. Ahh, here we get into one of the really contentious parts of 3e. The Dungeonpunk artwork. "Realistic" medieval backdrops? We're bored of those and want to try something new. Which is an understandable sentiment after you've been doing this for 25 years, but still alienates a fair chunk of people. Aesthetics do matter, and how a book looks and is laid out will affect how people play it, even if the underlying rules are pretty much the same. Cuddly hobbits are out, dwarves have seriously updated their forge technology, and monks aren't all asian. While I'm not totally sold on the direction they went in, and it does seem like trying too hard to be kewl and badass in retrospect, I do think the idea of having a consistent set of iconic characters who appeared in the generic rulebooks throughout the edition and became well known names was a good one, as was the desire to make things distinct from what came before. And having a definite look for the books does make them easy to pick out on a bookshelf (although brown?! Is that really the colour you want to go with? I suppose it's slightly preferable to the orange of the 1e hardcovers) So the choices they're making aren't perfect, but they are interesting, distinctive, and deliberately counter to stereotypes. That should also count for quite a bit because it gets people talking, even if they don't like it. And let's face it, stirring up forum debate is free publicity.


Feathered friends and foes: A short but interesting article to start off our features. Swanmays and Bird Maidens have established the idea of shapeshifters caused not by genetics or infection, but as a secret society that initiates worthy people into their ranks if they have the right stuff morally and skillwise. This does technically change your race, and with that your level limits, but they're some of the less onerous ones, and in the meantime you have a quite neat extra ability. I think quite a few PC's would be willing to take that offer.

Black Swanmays serve specific Lawful Good gods rather than nature in general. This does mean they have all the more to lose if they stray from the path, as if being a paladin wasn't enough. But if you can't take the winds of fate, you shouldn't be pinning your flag to the heroic mast.

Laridians have rather more interesting symbolism, turning into gulls. This means they're noisy thieving, squabbling sorts, who use their powers to make spectacular heists and get away with them. They seem like fun sorts to have around, and their ability to take their equipment when they transform is a huge practical benefit. Plus you don't have to worry about any moral code, just be a damn good thief, which I'm sure you were going to try and do anyway.

Red Falcons are the evil counterparts of swanmays, fighters and priests dedicated to the dark, predatory side of nature. This means they have quite a lot of enemies to  get through, and may have to leave their armor and weapons behind if they're being beaten. Still, that ought to bemuse the players quite a bit if they don't have the magical artillery left to take them down. And spying is always handy.

Thebestyns are wizards who follow Thoth, and turn into ibises with the help of a magical ankh, appropriately enough. That's slightly less cliche than the owl option I was expecting as well. They won't be able to access the highest level spells, and get to put all their weapon slots into nonweapon skills, which will be a bit of a hindrance at lower levels. Still easy flight combined with spellcasting should make them quite the tactical go-too, and they're full of flavour. Like the old articles on variant familiars, planar horses, and similar cool stuff, this is something they haven't done before, and is very welcome and useful for a game.

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 4/7


PC Portraits gives us our third helping of hybrid creatures over the year. Popular buggers, aint they. Wolf, boar, bat, tiger and rat are all represented, obviously. But in addition, we have a druid, an imp and a mimic disguised as a door, which is a pretty unusual choice. And is that supposed to be a wereraven, or just a guy being attacked by a giant shadowy venus fly trap? And the final one is this weird optical illusion that could be a little cat sprawled on a mat, or a big horned demonface. Yeah, there's a few amusing bits here that are worthy of comment. I think I approve.


Humanimals: Hengeyokai are a bit wussy when compared to Lycanthropes, but I guess that's the kind of sacrifice you make when you want to make them PC suitable, rather than monsters, but still thematically cool. Actually, we've barely seen them around in ages, since oriental stuff fell out of fashion. But it looks like we'll be revisiting several more cool ideas before the edition ends, and another dozen animal types getting PC friendly shapeshifter races is one of them. At this rate, we'll have more than enough new races to keep any holdouts busy for years.

Badgers are exceedingly grumpy, and likely to take it out on everyone around them. They'll make fairly decent antagonists, but they're unlikely to be able to carry out a long-term scheme blowing up and ruining it. Guess that keeps them down in the thug leagues then.

Dolphins have a bit of a crap hybrid form, but their swimming abilities are pretty impressive, and sonar opens up sensory options that'll give an imaginative DM plenty of room for cool descriptions. And having someone in the team capable of dealing with alternate terrains is particularly handy at lower levels.

Falcons are loyal and honourable, but it's not easy to put one over on them, and they can be pretty vicious. Give them a cause to fight for, and you can bet they'll pursue it tenaciously. Perhaps an epic world-saving quest'll do the job.

Frogs are one of the softest and least combat capable creatures out there. They don't taste good though, which might put some monsters off. Since they're good for nothing, they don't have any favored class or alignment. Which is freeing in it's own way, I suppose.

Lizard hengeyokai have the slightly quirky benefit of being able to pass for both humans and lizard men depending on form, which may be useful in roleplaying terms. They can be surprisingly fast as well when properly warmed up. Don't be surprised if they manage to put some trick over you after all.

Lynxes have ridiculous sideburns in human form. They're a selfish, antisocial lot, probably not suitable as PC's. I'm sure someone'll want to play the badass brooding loner though. And hey, sideburns. The orient doesn't have wolverines, so that's a decent substitute.

Octopi have blue blood, even in human form, and act on the assumption that everyone is fully aware of their emotional state. This means they're probably one of the worst at concealing their nature. Still, I'm sure they can find people who'll accept them for their tentacles anyway. Just got to know where to look.

Otters are a hyperactive and playful lot, skittering around in and out of water, but maintaining immaculate grooming nonetheless. They seem like becoming a swashbucking sort would be right up their alley. Through the moat, up the castle wall, seduce the princess, and then off we go again.

Owls get a pretty substantial wisdom bonus, unsurprisingly, which means they're likely to take the cleric role. They can't fly in hybrid form, which means they won't be able to take full advantage of that trick. Oh well. It's still useful enough as it is.

Pandas are homebodies, since their diet is pretty restricted. While not completely unsuited as adventurers, as they do have decent natural weapons, and climbing skills, they'd be going against type. Still, I suppose that's what being an adventurer is all about. The same applies to hobbits, after all.

Turtles are exceedingly slow, and their AC isn't as high as you might think, so they don't even make that great a meat shield. They are decent swimmers though. They might become adventurers, but they'll still do things on their own schedule, which'll be fine for elves and treants, but may drive humans mad with impatience.

Weasels are of course cunning and vicious, the ideal traits for scheming roguish sorts. They'll probably get a bit further than Badgers in their schemes, but still, you don't trust someone who subconsciously reminds you of a weasel. That's going to get in their way sooner or later. So a big chunk of these races aren't particularly great as PC's, but nearly all should make interesting characters. That's not bad going. This issue is being pretty good at providing new options they haven't done before.

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 5/7


50 Monster Maximizers: Ah yes, going back to the original mythology to give your monsters new cool powers. There's a reasonably familiar topic. After all, quirky powers and weaknesses really bring a monster to life more than adding a few more hit points and a bigger die type to damage, and will certainly make players remember them more. Most of these are pretty familiar as well, making this a fun one, but also an article that/'s more aimed at newer readers who don't have a grounding in mythological studies from reading the old folklore. Still, statistical conversions are always good, and it reminds us that there's more moral nuance than you'd think in things like nymphs, centaurs and various fae races, and even mundane animals have a whole bunch of weird myths attached to them. Now, if only they'd cover more myths from non-european cultures. That'd reduce the amount of overfamiliarity considerably.


Fiction: The innkeepers secret by Troy Denning. After a couple of issues where the fiction was merely promotion for a novel the writer had coming out, we have one that uses the same characters as their novel, but at least has the grace to make a decent standalone story. Vangerdhast and the crown princess of Cormyr are off on adventures incognito so she can level up and be a suitable ruler. Obviously the big one will appear in the novel, but this is an interesting enough little ghost story on it's own, with well sketched characters, a plot that has some combat, but doesn't rely on it to solve the problem, and a decent helping of Realmsian whimsy that tops it off, but doesn't go overboard and make it all cheesy. While not quite as good as the average standalone story, this is at least something I didn't mind reading. Still a sign they're depending too much on their regular writers though.


Arcane Lore: Another shapeshifter based article. Magic for and against lycanthropes? Haven't had that before. And not in a October issue either. Once again those damn bogarting undead are stealing the big publicity and corresponding countermeasures.

Instantaneous Shift lets you skip the round of vulnerability when shapechanging. Just like spending Rage points in W:tA, this may be well worth the resource expenditure.

Resist Silver lets poor shapeshifters take half damage from their big vulnerability. That'll weed out the amateurs from the true professionals who don't waste time with weapons, and just go for the big blasty spells.

Ripclaw & Sabertooth sound like a lycanthrope comedy duo, but are actually a pair of spells to buff your natural weaponry. Useful to anything with claws or teeth, really.

Scent lets you mark someone to be easily tracked. Since it requires a touch attack, it's not the most useful of 3rd level spells.

Full Moon is, unsurprisingly, a forced transformation spell. This is particularly helpful when they've just infected some of your buds. Get ready for chaos and fur flying. It's even reversible, which will be much in demand if found out.

Howl is just a refluffed Fear spell. Meh.

Increased Infection doubles your odds of getting your mitts on new minions. Muahahahaha!

Pack Mind is also pretty unsurprising. Buff up your buds, the more buds, the more buffed. Meh.

Invest Lycanthrope is a nasty little trick. All the powers of a full lycanthrope for a day, but a very real threat of becoming an infected one after that. Way to lure people in with false advertising.

Silverblade brings on the reverse side of the coin. Make your weapons temporarily useful against lycanthropes. Course, in Ravenloft, who knows what their vulnerability will be. It may well do sod-all.

Resist Lycanthropy is no surprise either, as are Declaw, Hold Form and Lycanthropic Immunity. Snooze time.

Wolfsbane lets you turn lycanthropes in undead style. See, that redresses the balance nicely. Until next time. The living dead are still well ahead.

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 6/7


Bazaar of the Bizarre: A very different bazaar this month, with only 3 items, but cool and detailed ones. Wands of wonder and bags of beans are well known, but here's some potion based random items. Drink them and experience semirandom but generally useful transformations. Much hilarity may indeed ensue.

Groundshift gives you rocky transformations.  From fists of stone to turning into earthworms, they all have their positive uses, but may also be a problem. Make sure you have someone on hand to dispel a bad turn.

Herbturn has plant related transformations. You could become spiky, a tree, a dryad, or a floating blossom. This is probably less useful than the last one. Plus, people eating your fruits sounds kinda kinky.

Waveschange provides water based benefits of course. Gills, scales, tentacles, or just becoming merfolk. It'll generally help, but still isn't really reliable. And if it gets contaminated, it'll be even less so. Are you going to play this mugs game?


Dragon's bestiary: Last christmas, they combined giants with undead. This year, they combine them with lycanthropes. Will wonders never cease? [/sarcasm] They are starting to use the templating idea though, with most of this article devoted to what can and can't be infected with what. Someone may have been sneaking peeks at the developers ideas for the next edition. They also introduce a couple of types of true lycanthrope, just for the hell of it, along with a decent amount of roleplaying advice, albeit stuff that feels very familiar if you've read Van Richten's guide to werebeasts. Keep cranking those formulae :sigh:

Polarweres are frost giant werebears, unsurprisingly. They're grumpy solitary things, and seem likely to die out eventually if they don't pass on their infection. It's a good thing there are regular werebears around then, isn't it.

Shadkyn are voadkyn weremobats. They're also one of those lycanthropes that has serious problems fitting into regular society, since regular voadkyn are vegetarians and they have serious bloodthirst. Guess they'll have to flap around being angsty and alienated then. Maybe they could hook up with some exiled drow.


The ecology of the Xixchil: Oooh. It's the body mod obsessed spacefaring mantises.   Another bug race that can also become PCs. Well, they're a good deal better at fitting into humanoid society than Aspis, but that doesn't mean they'll ever think quite like us. They move wrong. They think in a highly pragmatic manner. And their sex life.... let's not go there. Amazingly, Johnathan does go there, counting on the fact that it's so different from human sex to get past the censors. He also provides a new system for body modifications, for those of you who want to get some cyberpunk in your D&D. Once again, he really seems to be pushing the limits of what you can do with the format, combining gross-outs with humour, and psychological study. A combination you wouldn't think would work, but just about does. What will he try next?


Role Models: Using a different scale for outside and inside adventures? Well, if it's good enough for the Expert set, then far be it for me to complain. Of course, you'll have to adapt your rules based on the fact that your characters aren't actually occupying the whole space their minis are on the map, and the terrain features are abstracted rather than solid to scale objects. Although I'm not too keen on drawing out the entire overland walk with multiple erasings and redrawings as you go. Save it for when there's anything actually happening. Or maybe this is the kind of thing that virtual mapaking software would really help with, so you can create the large scale map with huge mountains and forests, and zoom in and out to add individual houses and dungeons. Definitely be quicker and more consistent than regular redrawings of a big board. So this is an interesting article, but one where I can instantly see more efficient ways to handle things, especially with technology advancing as it is. Once I build my world, I'd rather it stayed built, rather than having to take it down and put it together again each session.

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 7/7


Back to the future: We have two settings for Alternity now, so the floodgates are open to other ones. After space opera and modern day conspiracy, what to do next? 50's B-movies?! Well, ok then. It might be a little cheesy, but that can just make it all the more fun. So here's stats for flying saucers, bug men, rocket suits, and atomic heat rays, along with plenty of advice on how to get the right tone for the era. Sexism, nationalism, nuclear power, robots, radar, giant monsters, strong moral messages, there are some definite tells to 50's sci-fi that have become a good deal less common with time. You might not be able to get it perfect, but an entertaining pastiche for your players a la mars attacks should be entirely doable. The layout guys once again really go to work on this article, having been given an opportunity that doesn't come up very often around here, going for full pulp novel cover mode with all it's stylised drama. Overall, this is pretty neat, and of course very light on the rehash. Funny that D&D pretty much completely skips over this era. Even when they do mix modern day or sci-fi with fantasy, it's rarely of previous 20th century decades. Once again, goes to show how untapped resources can be surprisingly close if you know how to look.


Marvel Super Heroes: Mockingbird? I remember her not. Looks like she's dead anyway, and will remain so for a good few years. This means this little article becomes a running commentary on how to bring characters back, either temporarily or permanently. Even comic book writers know this is becoming a joke. They can at least make sure that if they do come back, they're suitably affected by the experience. But then, if they want to tell "classic" stories again, they can't have them too changed. Once again we're bumping up against the flaws ingrained in the system. Not very interesting overall.


Dragonmirth puts the puzzles first, and recycles another joke. The KotDT are ridiculously red this issue. They really need to pay more attention to detail.


TSR Previews: This december is pretty light on products. The overall rate of releases per month continues to drift downwards in vaguely uncool fashion. Our general AD&D product this month is Bastions of faith. Another one expanding on the way classes organize, with maps of temples so you can break in and do some asskicking. Now what you need is one on fighter companies to complete the symmetry.

Ravenloft rehashes this month, with volume 2 of van richten's compiled monster guides. Ghosts, liches and mummies. All an absolute bitch to kill for good. They just keep coming back. Sigh.

The Realms get Beyond the High Road by Troy Denning. The princess of Cormyr has daddy issues. Haven't heard that one for a while.

Dragonlance gets Chaos spawn. Another dual stat book set in the bridge between the 4th and 5th ages. Awkward backpedaling ahoy.


Aha! Here's another statement of ownership. Looks like the spike near the end of last year was just that, as once again they're flatlining around the 50k mark, although subscriptions are still creeping upward. There's a lot of disillusioned people out there that WotC hasn't won back, a lot of copies not distributed. Where is the new blood? How do you hook them and keep them? Very good question. Lets hope the new edition manages to do that.

What's new covers shapeshifters too. Oh, the wacky fun they have. And good advice in there as well. Pretty cool.


Mostly a pretty good issue, as this untapped topic still gives their writers plenty of opportunities to stretch their creative muscles. You can have a lot of fun with shapeshifting, both as a PC and a DM. The Alternity article also showed that there are some fairly significant untapped topics still out there, waiting for a good themed issue. Course, since they generally play it safe in the annuals, we're unlikely to see anything particularly unusual there. Still, let's not hang around. Anything'll seem uninspired if you stick there too long.