ARCHIVE
Full text of "OD&DITIES #3"
See other formats
I
I
OD&DITIES
The Original Dungeons & Dragons Fanzine
Well, it has been some time since the last issue of OD&DITIES. Since the last issue, the gaming
world has been overturned with the introduction of 3rd Edition D&D, and the introduction of the Open
Gaming License. I have to admit that I picked up the core books and ran a short campaign with the new sys-
tem, but I have come to the conclusion that OD&D, the game I grew up with, is still superior. 3e provides
rules for situations, complicated ones, whilst OD&D provides simple suggestions, leaving the details for
you to work out.
This issue of OD&DITIES is different from the rest, in that it contains two adventures, both de-
signed to be fitted into any setting. These first three issues of OD&DITIES have each been designed differ-
ently - please e-mail with any thoughts about which you preferred, or about any thoughts at all.
Submissions have been rather low, with only the two excellent NPC's submitted by Michael Harvey.
Please send in your submissions - they are vitally needed if OD&DITIES is to survive, and are part of the
reason that this issue is so long in coming out.
I apologise for the delay profusely, and can only blame pressure of work in other projects, such as a
degree(!), and the introduction of 3rd Edition - I had determined to be fair and give it a proper trial. Still,
OD&DITIES is now back and is here to stay. I hope to bring out the next issue in July, so please hurry your
submissions and letters along.
In addition, this issue will now be distributed rather differently. Instead of being posted on the web-
site, this will be send only if it is requested by e-mail. This is in the hope that it will encourage letters and
submissions to the editor, as well as to determine the size of the readership. The back issues can be sent as
well, if they are wanted.
As always, please send any letters or submissions to Methuslah@tongue.fsnet.co.uk .
U Cchar d/ Tcm%we/
Editor
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Letters
Reviews
Getting Started
Compendium of Characters
White Dwarf
Epic Heroes
Street of a Thousand Adventures
Dragon Index
The Star of Kolaador
The Tower of Doom
Gazetteers 1, 12 and 14
Upper-level Expert adventuring
Two Wizard NPC's
An old magazine with useful articles
Epic Campaigns in OD&D
Margarita, the Soothsayer
Index of OD&D Dragon articles
A low level adventure
A low level adventure
I
o
I
issue 3 - May 2001 OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine (T)
I
0)
I
Well, we finally have enough content for
a letters page. I thank the two people mentioned
below, and hope that many more letters appear
in the future. Please send letters on any subject -
comments on the magazine or any articles
therein, suggestions for future issues, anything.
The address to send to is : Methuslah@tongue.
fsnet.co.uk .
Early Accolades on your first two issues of
OD&Dities to your online fanzine I think imagi-
native and enthusiastic gamers of OD&D could
all contribute to a very high quality magazine. I
am waiting patiently for your 3rd issue and I am
eager to contribute to later issues.
Ray Combs
Thanks for the comments. Again I apologise for
the delay in preparing the 3rd issue, but please send in
your contributions. Anything will be considered, from rules
additions to short stories.
I enjoy reading your 'zine. It reminds me of the really old
days, when everything was simple and new. The 'Pit of
Shadows' was fun, with its fungus trap and gauntlets of
bugbear power. 'Getting started' is a nice meaty article; it
seems like I see a fledgling DM post a request for help
every few days on USENET. It is a little hard to read with
no paragraph breaks though. Overall I think you have nice
content -- short, useful articles. I also really like the em-
phasis on the older (pre-Cyclopedia) rules, and the setting
independence. I like the Known World, but sometimes it
wearies me with all its detail and history, and I want to roll
my own again.
Unfortunately it is perhaps not a good time to be starting
an OD&D zine. We've been playing OD&D but now eve-
ryone is eager to try 3e, so we'll be switching soon. Kind of
disappointing in a way, because I really like the flavour
and simplicity of OD&D; I even think that skills and
weapon mastery make it too complicated. But ya gotta go
with what people want to play. Still, I do love OD&D!
Michael Harvey
I'm glad you appreciate the feel of the magazine - I was
attempting to capture the feel of the early days of role-
playing, while still introducing new ideas. The setting inde-
pendence rose out of the recognition that although there
were many Mystara sites on the net, there were few that
were devoted simply to OD&D. I agree that the 3rd Edi-
tion is a good game, but I also agree that it is over-
complicated - it can take up to an hour to generate a char-
acter! Whenever I ran a 3e game I was scared of killing off
a PC because of the time it would take to create a new one
that was not a carbon copy of the original (although hav-
ing a second character rolled up solved this problem). A
lot of people have been playing 3e over the last year, but a
certain amount of that can probably be explained by its
newness. People continued to play OD&D in the time of
le, and 2e, and I doubt that any difference will be seen
with 3e.
By R.E.B.Tongue
This issue, three reviews on some of the OD&D
Gazetteers produced in the late 80's. The MML had a
thread some time ago in which Ethengar and the Atraughin
Clans were regarded as Tame-duck' - this will attempt to
point out some of the positive aspects of these Gazetteers,
with the more mainstream 'Grand Duchy of Karameikos'
Gazetteer reviewed by means of comparison.
GAZ 1 : Grand Duchy of Karameikos
This, of course, is one of the most used Gazetteers
of them all, detailing the land where the B-Modules were
set, and therefore where many Mystara campaigns began.
This gazetteer was the first of its kind, and is an excellent
item. It contains notes on society, economy, and history, as
well as a detailed geographic description of the land. In
addition, it has a system of skills detailed, to help further
flesh out PC's. This system of skills is, however, some-
what brief, with few examples mentioned. If it being used
with over Gazetteers or with the D&D Cyclopedia, then
this is not so much of a problem, but if used alone needs
more work. ( For good examples of skills, look at the skill
system of Advanced Fighting Fantasy - the non-weapon
skills from this rules set would work well with this sys-
tem. )
The description of Karameikos is excel-
lent, with great detail despite the shortness of
the book. Many NPC's of high level are in-
cluded to be major players in the campaign, but
few low-level ones are added. Such items as the
dress and hairstyles of the Thyatian colonists
and the Traladaran natives are included, which
definitely adds to the spirit of the land. There are
a few brief adventure hooks included, but all
need a great deal of fleshing out.
If you have many of the B -Modules, and
plan to set a campaign in Mystara, then this
product is essential, being an excellent starting
place for PC's, from which they can explore the
rest of the world. However, due to its very na-
ture it is somewhat provincial, and high-level
PC's will find little to do here. Still....
Score : 9.5 out of 10.
I
s
I
GAZ 12 : Golden Khan of Ethengar
This gazetteer details a land inhabited by
a race of humans similar to the Mongols of real-world his-
tory, and consists of two books and a map - a Player's
book and a DM's book. The Player's book contains the
information a player needs to create a PC from this culture,
and the DM's book contains the material required for a
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine
©
DM to run a campaign in this setting.
The gazetteer itself is excellently writing, evoking
the style of this land. It is easily the equal of the Karamei-
kan Gazetteer in this style, providing much setting infor-
mation, and is even superior in one way - the adventures
section is far larger, and contains some adventures that are
almost ready to play.
As to the usefulness, this is disputable, and depends
upon the type of camping you wish to run. In a dungeon-
based campaign, the horse warriors of Ethengar will have
little place, but in other types of campaign they can be
more useful to a DM, though perhaps not as a source of
PC's.
In a political campaign, the Golden Khan and his
horde of warriors can be an excellent enemy. If played in
the right manner, these forces would be unstoppable in the
correct terrain, and would be a constant threat to any nation
on its border. The PC's could then be emissaries or ambas-
sadors, sent to prevent an invasion, or leaders of an army
sent against them.
In a merchant-based campaign, or a more traditional
wilderness campaign, a vital trade route could run across
the territory of the Golden Khan - PC's could be hired to
defend a caravan and be forced into fighting the Horse
Warriors of the Ethengar. Or, the PC's could be hired to
blaze a trail across the area, and have to prevent any at-
tacks from the Khan's forces by getting involved in the
political arena of the Khanate.
This sourcebook also includes rules for a new Char-
acter Class, the Shaman, who use spirit guides to give them
special powers as well as being able to cast spells in a
similar manner to a priest. This class is well written,
though perhaps a little limited in it's use.
Score : (Book) 9 out of 10 (Usefulness) 7.5 out of 10
GAZ 14 : The Atraughin Clans
The last of the surface-world Gazetteers to be writ-
ten, this Gazetteer details the lands and peoples of the
Atraughin clans, which greatly resembles American Indian
culture. This in itself is an excellent idea that is seldom
used in fantasy RPG, and it's realisation is interesting.
Again, the book is well-written, with descriptions of
five different clans, each of which resembles a different
American Indian tribe. The interaction between these tribes
is well-done, and each individual tribe is well-described. In
addition, this sourcebook details a source of access to the
Hollow World, that may be a major motivation for a party
of PC's to enter this area.
As to the usefulness of this product, that is a little
harder to justify than with the previous Gazetteer. Running
a campaign with just Atraughin characters would be ex-
tremely interesting and would work well, but it might be
difficult to persuade a group of players to play in such a
campaign. Having one such character, wandering in the
outside world, would also be an interesting concept.
There seem to be two main reasons to visit the
Clans - to enter the Hollow World (or leave it, if there is no
other way out) by means of the Mystic Conveyor, or by
accident. The latter probably has the greater scope. A
group of PC's could be shipwrecked on the coast and en-
counter the tribes in that area whilst finding another ship to
take them home, or they could be part of the crew of an
airship that are left behind, high on the plateau - this would
put them in contact with the tribes of the interior.
Another new character class, the shamani, is de-
tailed in this book, which is similar to the Shaman in many
ways, but different in that it depends on totem animals
rather than spirit guides - these classes are described prin-
cipally to help with the atmosphere of the setting.
Score : (Book) 8.5 out of 10 (Usefulness) 6 out of 10
Next issue : The first three Creature Crucible books, Tall
Tales of the Wee Folk, Top Ballista, and The Sea People,
are reviewed. Any review submissions of any OD&D prod-
uct are welcome and should be sent to Methuslah(S>tongue.
fsnet.co.uk .
I
ft
O
z
t
111
<9
I
By R.E.B.Tongue
Part Two
Well, by now it must seem as if this column's
name has become misleading. In just two issues
we have progressed from starting a campaign to
'Name' level, a point where the PC's are likely to
have a major impact on the game world, wherever
it is. This column will proceed from levels 9-15,
up to the 'Companion' Rules set. At this period,
your adventures are becoming more and more
complicated - through necessity. The simple dun-
geon crawl is now a thing of the past ( though it
may be missed - consider running another cam-
paign in parallel, with a fresh group of PC's
played by the same people. Set in the same game
world, you may find interesting situations de-
velop.)
Your adventures will now revolve around
major aspects of the campaign world. Instead of
cleaning out a den of monsters, you have been
saving a town from attack, and travelling all over the game
world. The OD&D rules indicate that, at 'Name' level,
most PC's must make the choice of either settling down in
one place and building a stronghold or becoming travellers
permanently. The first option does not perhaps suggest so
many obvious adventure hooks, particularly in a group
with many different classes, but one idea might be estab-
lishing a town of their own, with the Fighter as the Mayor,
Thief running the Thieves' Guild, Cleric running a church,
and so on. ( This might produce some interesting inter-
party rivalry as the Fighter marshals his forces to try and
fight the Thieves' Guild.) If a suitable ruined city exists,
then the PC's may decide to rebuild it, which can leave
room for a large dungeon crawl as the PC's explore the old
city, as well as hours of wilderness adventures as local
monster groups are eradicated and local communities, hu-
man or demihuman, are contacted for permission to settle.
This might make an interesting campaign in itself.
The second option perhaps has the most obvious
possibilities for adventure. The PC's are at a high-enough
level now to receive many probable missions ( it is likely
that the king would ask them to rescue his daughter from a
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine
©
mad wizard - a plot which has real peril if the wizard in-
volved is 20th level. Many interesting and new creatures
can be included in such a scenario.)
Another idea is to have the players more manipu-
lated by an external force. This can either be in the form of
some sort of event - maybe a magical cataclysm is immi-
nent that the PC's must either stop, or to clean up. It can
also be in the form of some sort of individual. This could
be the avatar of a god, the identity of which would be de-
termined by the alignment of the party involved, a power-
ful mortal such as a king, high priest, powerful magician,
or other important figure. The article on Epic Quests in this
issue is particularly useful to this type of campaign, with a
powerful entity to fight.
Of course, it is also quite likely that, by this time,
the PC's will have been involved in the campaign for sev-
eral months, many game sessions. They will have gained
enemies, allies, power and weakness. They will have or-
ganised their own campaign goals, and it can be easy for a
DM just to play to the ideas of the PC's, although this will
still mean a considerable body of work. A high-level cam-
paign such as this will always require a lot of work, but it
can be a lot of fun, also.
Next issue, instead of carrying on up through the
levels, we return to the beginning, with character creation -
some ideas that can be used, ways to streamline it, methods
involved, various useful hints and tips for setting the play-
ers up fully in a campaign. See you next time!
I
0)
o
<
<
X
o
Ik
o
o
o
I
This issue, two wizards from Michael Harvey
who are certainly wizards you would expect. Each
one is, as usual, detailed fully ready to be dropped
into a game, and this time include skills compati-
ble with the rules given in the Cyclopedia. Enjoy!
Trellius (Lawful Thief, 3rd Level)
Trellius has always been interested in
magic, and began training as a wizard in his youth.
Alas, he lacked the discipline for study and even-
tually dropped out. He learned that people respect
wizards, however, so he pretends to be one. Trel-
lius dresses in a blue robe and carries a staff, and
knows enough magical jargon to bluff people. He
relies on trickery and magic items to complete the
illusion, always casting his "spells" in secret
("Wait over there, lest you distract me"). For ex-
ample, he'll Hide in Shadows to simulate invisibil-
ity, or use his Climbing ability to simulate a Spi-
der Climb spell, or use Open Locks to simulate
Knock. He is always on the lookout for new magic
items, and if invited along on an adventure will
always pick magic items over other treasures ("I
am a wizard after all".) Magic items that he cannot
use he will trade to a wizard in exchange for re-
charging his ring. He is law abiding and conscien-
tious, and never uses his thief abilities for criminal
activities.
Flumbert of Felburg, Aspiring Wizard
(Lawful Magic-User, 1st Level)
Flumbert is a gawky adolescent boy of only 15; he
has pimples and his voice sometimes breaks when he talks.
He is frail and clumsy, and has no useful combat spells.
Nonetheless he is determined to become a great wizard and
seek his fortune in the world. He is blessed with great in-
telligence and some useful skills. In all likelihood he'll
want to tag along with PCs; he'll do the cooking, watch the
horses, and do what he can to help.
Trellius
( Lawful Thief, 3rd Level )
Strength
10(0)
THAC0 17
Saving Throws
Dexterity
17 (+2)
Armour Class 7
DR/P 13
Constitution
Intelligence
16 (+2)
13 (+1)
MW 14
Hit Points ( 14
)
P/TTS 13
Wisdom
8(-l)
14
BA 16
Charisma
11(0)
R/S/S 16(-i)
Skills: Alchemy (INT), Magical Engineering (INT), Acro-
batics (DEX), Lip Reading (INT), Alertness (DEX).
Equipment : Robe, Staff, Dagger + 1, Pouch with "spell compo-
nents", Potion of Levitation, Potion of Polymorph Self, Ring of Spell
Storing (Magic Missile, Sleep, Phantasmal Force).
Flumbert of Felburg
Strength
9(-l)
Dexterity
5 (-2)
Constitution
6(-l)
Intelligence
16 (+2)
12(0)
(Lawful Magic-User, 1 st Level)
THAC0
Saving Throws
Skills: Alchemy (INT), Magic Engineering (INT), Healing (INT),
Knowledge of old legends (INT), Knowledge of nonhuman races
(INT), Knowledge of monsters (INT)
Equipment : Robe, Staff, Dagger, Spellbook with: Analyse, De-
tect Magic, Floating Disc, Read Magic.
Spell :
Detect Magic (1)
Although, in recent years, White Dwarf magazine
has become devoted solely to miniature gaming, with spe-
cial reference to Citadel Miniatures and Games Workshop
products, this was not always the case. When it was first
produced, White Dwarf was a role-playing magazine, of
high quality. There are many aspects to it that make it an
excellent magazine to collect.
Each issue was packed with valuable articles and
ideas, for OD&D and 1st Edition AD&D. New weapons,
new spells, new magic items, new creatures, all of these
were featured in each issue. In addition, in almost every
issue can be found an adventure, most of this time of
high quality - often in a completely different style to
those found in Dragon and Dungeon magazine,
showcasing new monsters and items. In addition,
new Character Classes can be found, such as the
Necromancer and Artificer, which again can be eas-
ily converted to OD&D.
White Dwarf can often be found quite
cheaply in second-hand RPG shops, and frequently
can be found on Ebay, especially in the UK.
I
x
m
o
%
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine
I
0)
By R.E.B. Tongue
Epic Quests in OD&D.
The first time you play an RPG of the
genre of OD&D, you are likely to do what the
box tells you to. You send a group of players into
a dungeon to fight randomly rolled monsters in
order to win randomly rolled treasures. If this is
your first game, then there is nothing wrong with
^™ this - indeed it can often make an interesting di-
O version even for an experienced group of players.
. ( Especially if they are expecting complex plots
ft and deceptions. Often a group of players will
■fc save you the work of coming up with a plot and
create one themselves, out of a few chance en-
I counters. ) Once you have been playing for a few
months, you will evolve something greater, com-
plicated storylines, sub-plots, and all manner of
devious trials and tribulations for a group of PC's. The
dungeon, once created with no regard for ecology, is now
created in minute detail. You will run the PC's through
various adventures, stringing them together into a cam-
paign.
Finally, however, the players will demand some-
thing even greater - to change the face of the campaign
world. If you wish, you could just let their umpteenth-level
characters loose on the world, and watch pandemonium
reign. Or, instead, you could have the players roll new
PC's, and create an epic quest. Perhaps the best example of
an epic quest in fantasy RPG is the original Dragonlance
series of modules. To create one yourself, however, can be
far more satisfying.
First, you need a campaign world. If you are already
using one, such as Mystara, it makes things much easier.
However, it will also mean that published work will be-
come less useful to you, unless the PC's perform exactly in
line with the Mystara storyline. ( Highly unlikely. ) Creat-
ing a campaign world for an epic quest is easier, in some
ways. You will have to do more work, but as you will have
much more control over the storyline, you only have to
develop the areas of the world the PC's will see.
Second, of course, come the PC's. For an epic
quest, you may wish to use pre-gens, with abilities you
know will be required. ( One idea is to produce twice as
many as you need - still allowing player choice. ) If you
wish to let your PC's roll, you will still have to make
guidelines. You may wish to ban certain races, or classes.
( In Dragonlance, for example, clerics were forbidden. )
When deciding whether or not to use pre-gens, a
factor has to be availability. Creating an epic quest takes
time. If you know the players, and can create their PC's
with them a few weeks or even months in advance, then
fine. ( If you wish to surprise the PC's, developing any
henchmen is a possibility as well. ) Otherwise, pre-gens are
probably required, as you need to know your PC's before
you can really begin.
Once you know the PC's, you must work out a plot.
First, build an enemy, a villain for your campaign. If the
epic is to be short, maybe less then a dozen adventures,
then one man and his henchmen are fine as an enemy. If it
is to be longer, then an organisation of some type is proba-
bly going to be more effective. The PC's can start low
down in the organisation, and work their way up, always
finding a new tier for them to master. ( Something like the
famous Lensmen series by E.E.Smith, where Kimball Kin-
nison always discovered a new layer to Boskone at the be-
ginning of each book, to replace the one he had annihilated
in the last. ) This can work, so long as caution is taken to
ensure it does not appear too contrived. Having different
branches can be a help, if a couple of them are unusual. ( A
tropical civilisation may be supplying magical compo-
nents, or running a gold mine for example. Or maybe the
organisation have moved in, and the PC's need to organise
some sort of resistance. An historical parallel could be
Spain extracting gold from Central and South America. )
Once you have worked out your villain, figure out
his motivations. A wizard might want to reshape the world
in his own image, a cleric to convert everyone to his god.
Making the goal stereotypical is probably a wise move -
anything less might be missed by the PC's, who would
then lose the best part of the entire campaign.
Once you know the enemy's goal, work out a time-
line of events. While the PC's are working to demolish the
organisation, they will be carrying out activities them-
selves, capturing cities, recovering artefacts, etc. Work out
two timelines - one if the villain's plan is working per-
fectly, one if the PC's attempts to foil them are working
perfectly. Start a new one, and keep it going through the
campaign - it will be useful for you to know just what
stage the enemy has reached.
Then, now that the enemy is worked out, you must
decide upon the motivation of the PC's. They will not in-
volve themselves in this for nothing. The options are plen-
tiful, but depend upon the motivations of the villain. For
example, if the villain is a clerical organisation, the PC's
may be members of another faith, stopping him under or-
ders from their god, on a holy crusade. ( Note - stopping a
Crusade could make an interesting campaign. ) The PC's
families may have been killed as heretics, or merely to un-
cover a holy relic buried near it. Their city might be in dan-
ger, and the city council may order them on missions to
stop the enemy. ( An historical parallel here might be Jeru-
salem, under attack from various forces during the Cru-
sades. )
Once the PC's motivation is apparent, you basically
have the starting adventure. Tidy it up, and design it to pre-
sent the PC motivation in a direct manner - nothing subtle,
be blatant. Burn down the PC's village before their eyes,
have them helplessly dragged off into slavery, visited by a
holy messenger, anything appropriate.
Now you must design the adventure. For each
event, or minor aspect of the organisation, work out be-
tween one to three adventures, depending on how impor-
tant the event or aspect. Then design two to four paths the
PC's can take to discover the major organisation, and to
work against it, gathering allies, collecting funds, and so
on. Interlink them, to allow freedom of choice. When the
PC's go after a minor branch, or event, just drop the adven-
tures you have designed into the storyline. Work out sev-
eral links you can use to allow the PC's to become in-
volved in these, but make them optional. ( You should,
however, make completing them beneficial to their
chances at the end - maybe they take the holy artefact,
which they can use instead of the villain. )
Now work out three or four sub-plots, based upon
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine
©
the PC's backgrounds, or as 'red herrings', to throw them
off the scent. These should be two or three adventures
long, but do not have to be beneficial - indeed, some might
even assist the villain, if you feel the need to be particu-
larly cruel. Then, design or find more adventures. Create
your own, or better still use published ones, to save you
work. These will provide a change of pace for you, and for
the PC's.
Then, the most fun. Work out an epic ending. De-
stroy the evil fortress, have the foul villain condemned to
hell, etc. Make it big, as big as possible. Change the face of
the campaign world. Reward your players, and their PC's.
Make their effort worthwhile. But, as with all great epics
of the big screen, remember to leave room for a sequel -
you never know when your players might ask the question
"what happens next?"
Ijjj By R.E.B. Tongue
Each issue, this section will detail a shop that
|£j can be slotted into any city or town in your cam-
Qgi paign world, for your players to use or abuse as they
see fit. They should fit anywhere from Specularum
to Thyatis City, and provide useful and unusual ser-
^ v i ces f° r tne PC's.
Madame Margarita, Soothsayer
Madame Margarita does not have a shop as
such, but sets up in a stall on a busy street, never in
the same place twice. (Occassionally she even
changes city, so can move with the PC's if re-
quired.) Her stall is simply a tent, with a table and
two chairs - Madame Margarita is in the business of
being a soothsayer, and has a good reputation, hav-
ing had some predictions come true in the past. She
has two sons, who help her move her stall as well as
having jobs in the city, usually involving manual
labour.
Unknown to most, Madame Margarita is a
charlatan. She is, in fact, a Thief. In her childhood
out in the country, her parents had her apprenticed
to a hedge wizard, and she did indeed showed some
promise in this field, but quickly tired of the life of
study and moved to the big city, working in a
Thieves' Guild, where she had an affair with the
local Guildmaster, which resulted in the birth of her
■■I twin sons. When that Guildmaster was killed in a
111 brawl, Margarita realised her position was unten-
Q£ able, and fled. It was then that she remembered her
old training, and began to impersonate a soothsayer,
making phoney predictions to gullible passers-by.
To maintain her reputation, she sometimes uses her
HI sons to make sure that an event does happen, which
>
35
u.
o
can bring more business as word spreads around.
Her technique does not stop there. She will settle
with stealing a few silvers from a poor man, but with a rich
merchant, she uses a different tactic, distracting the subject
as best she can whilst relieving him of his coin pouch, of a
ring or brooch. Sometimes she even gives loaded advice to
a person, luring him to a particular place so that her sons
can kill him and loot the body.
Margarita 's most likely use in a campaign is as an
enemy character. One of the PC's could be the one embez-
zled by the charlatan, and could seek revenge - but this
could be difficult, as she always takes great pains to ingra-
tiate herself with the local Town Guard, as well as having
her two sons to protect her. If the PC's are fairly wealthy,
she may attempt to set them up for an ambush by her two
sons - in this case the PC should be manoeuvred to be on
his own at the time, or else the sons will probably be easily
overpowered.
In a town with a Wizards ' Guild, the PC's might be
given the task of investigating Margarita, with the possibil-
ity of offering her membership, this will involve meeting
her, and doing some detective work about her past, possi-
bly travelling to her old home city. When they discover she
is a charlatan, the PC 's could be ordered to bring her to
justice, to make an example of her.
Another possible use is for her to suddenly discover
that all her prophesies are coming true, and to realise that
she has been blessed by a Immortal / God. When she has
trouble being accepted by others due to her shady past, she
might call upon the PC's to help her, especially if she can
convert them to her repentance. This might be especially
interesting if the PC's have had encounters with her in the
past.
Margarita should be a Medium-level Thief, and her
sons Low to Medium level Fighters.
This index is designed to be an aid to anyone who
has purchased the Dragon Magazine Archive. If anyone
has any articles that I have missed, then please feel free to
inform me.
D&D Articles
Uniformity, Conformity... or neither? 39
And Then There Were Three, 84
War Machine Revisited, 109
Three Challenges in One, 104
Around the World in 36 Levels, 148
Out of the Stone Age, 118
And Then There were Three, 84
Voyage of the Princess Ark ( Many issues, followed by
'The Known World Grimoire', all by Bruce Heard )
D&D Adventures
Sword of Justice, 92
Fell Pass, a D&D adventure, 32
Halls ofBeoll-Dur, 41
Chapel of Silence, 50
Hall of Mystery, 21
Faceless Men & Clockwork Monsters,
Creature of Rhyl, 55
Sage Advice Columns
119, 120, 123, 124, 129, 134, 144
o
17
o
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine ( 6
By R.E.B. Tongue
jQgj Suitable for 3 - 6 PC's of Levels 1-2
( Total Levels 4-10)
This adventure is suitable as a short quest,
^0 taking no longer than an hour and a half, and is de-
j3 signed to slot into any campaign. City and location
names should be changed as appropriate. This ad-
venture is especially suited to beginning players, as
it includes a fairly powerful NPC to assist the PC's
1 1 level of your PC's.)
and guide them in the adventure.
( Jonas should be designed as suited to the power
Player Introduction
The PC's are sitting in the Inn one night
when they are approached by a middle-aged man
wearing a cloak, who walks up to your table and
sits down opposite you. You notice that he bears a
scar on his cheek, running parallel to his right ear.
lem
lem
see you have noticed my scar. That was dor
me by a Goblin during the Ore Wars. If my prob-
was to do with combat I would have no prob-
dealing with it, but my problem is different. I
S| was hired to guard a rare crystal, the Star of Ko-
JI laador, to the capital Holmgard, from the Southern
Lands. This was my last stop before the capital,
and the crystal has been stolen from me. A group of ban-
dits knocked me out, and stole it while I was unconscious.
Fortunately for the crystal's safety, I am fairly tough. I
managed to follow the bandits for a few hours today and
found their hideout, a hidden lair about six hours south of
here. I need a group of adventures to go with me to the
hideout and help me retrieve the crystal - I heard of what
you did against the Goblins, and wondered if you would 1
interested. I'll pay forty gold each plus anything you
in the hideout. Deal?"
)f what
3 uldbe
" fi " d
Prologue
As soon as the deal is struck, the warrior, whose
name is Jonas, will lead out the door will the PC's follow-
ing him.
You are soon out of Narborel and heading for the
arby forest, following a trail Jonas seems to have marked
it carefully with sticks. Soon, you are deep in the forest
and after only a short while, you come to the spot Jonas
says is the cave. He motions you over to a spot near a tree,
and pulls away some twigs. Sure enough, your actions re-
veal a hole in the ground easily big enough for a
pass through.
2 Storeroom
This 25 sq. ft. room contains several boxes, each filled will
looted merchandise such as cloth, rations, and wine. There
is little of immediate value in the room but a careful search
will reveal a pouch containing 25 Gold behind a loose tile.
3 Sleeping Area
This 50' by 25' room contains two tables, one at each end
of the room, and a collection of eight sleeping bags, lined
with fur. There are six bandits in this room, all very much
awake, eating at the tables. They will snatch up various
weapons and attack the PC's, at least two of them with
Light Crossbows ready to fire. Again, the attack will be
concentrated on Jonas.
4 Well
This small room only contains a well, with a bucket by it's
side. Anyone attempting to Hear Noise will hear strange
rumblings coming from the bottom of the well. A PC
climbing down to investigate will find a pair of angry Ores
in a ruined room about ten feet down the well, who seem to
have burrowed in from outside, judging by marks on a
wall. By the looks, their tunnel collapsed and they were
trapped, and are now starving. It takes three rounds for a
PC to go down the well safely, or two if the PC's risk a
Dexterity check. Failure means a fall down to the bottom
of the well, thirty feet (3d6 Damage halved, due to water at
the bottom of the well). The Ores have no treasure, but one
of them wields a Battle Axe made of Mithril, a rare Dwar-
ven substance that has no effect on the weapon, but in-
creases it's cost to 75 Gold.
5 Wolf Lair
This room contains two Wolves, chained to the wall. How-
ever, if any PC approaches the Wolves too closely, they
will break away and attack. The room is otherwise empty,
and is square (15' x 15').
6 Leader's Quarters
Inside this square ('20 x '20) room is the Bandit Leader
and two guards, each armed with Broadswords. The Bandit
leader has a THACO of 18 and 2 HD, and is armed with a
Normal Sword +1. A search of the room will reveal a
Elven scroll Magic Missile, a treasure chest containing 100
Gold, and a small casket, containing the Star of Kolaador.
Conclusion
Jonas is overjoyed at retrieving the Star, and upo:
return to the inn pays you the promised forty go
each. Later that day, an official approaches you and tells
that there was a bounty on the bandits, good for an-
fifty gold pieces. As Jonas leaves for the capital,
m
Id
Dungeon
1 Guard Room
This 25 sq. ft. room has within it a weapon rack and a ta-
ble, around which are sitting three Bandits armed with a
variety of weapons. They will attack the PC's as they enter
the room, but will pay particular attention to Jonas. A
search of the room will reveal 45 Gold and 72 Silver, along
with three Short Swords and one Normal Sword on the
weapon rack.
Experience Points
For completing this adventure, the PC's should re-
ceive 200 experience each, with a bonus of 150 available
for good role-playing, ideas, etc. These additional points
are optional and should only be allocated if the PC's have
earned them, and can be spilt between two or more PC's if
required. A considerable amount of treasure can be found
in this adventure, which already should provide consider-
able additional experience for the PC's.
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine
©
I
By R.E.B. Tongue
Suitable for 3-6 PC's of Levels 1-2
( 8 Total Levels )
This adventure is designed to fit into any
campaign. Only the tower itself is detailed, as it
can be placed in any wilderness setting, but suit-
able wilderness encounters can be fitted in. It is
useful to have a Halfling in the party, as this will
provide additional reason to undertake this adven-
ture.
Player Introduction
The PC's are shopping in the marketplace
^fc one sunny day when, several hours late, a wagon
rolls in, badly damaged. Inside is a family of
Halflings, from a small hamlet named Elmshire.
^_ They claim that an evil wizard controlling a horde
of Undead is terrorising their hamlet, killing in-
discriminately at night. They offer a reward of 50
Gold to anyone who drives the Wizard away. If
ci there is a Halfling in the party, he will practically
insist they help the Halflings, but even if there
I aren't, it sounds like a worthy quest for the PC's.
Elmshire is only two days journey away, and you
start off soon after nightfall. When you arrive, you
find conditions are much as the Halflings described. The
people are scared by your very approach, and only the
owner of the tavern lets you inn.
"So they made it, then. Thank the Gods! Listen,
we'll pay you 75 Gold to kill that Wizard now. He's mur-
dered fourteen of us in the last week. We sent three parties
out, none has sent word back until now. Please, will you
help us. We are desperate for your help!" With this plea,
you calm down the barkeeper and ask him where the wiz-
ard's lair is. He gives you directions to a tower, several
hours north of here, but advises you to stay the night, in
case you are ambushed on your way. Although you spend
the entire night waiting for something to happen, your
nerves tensing with every tap on the door, it is finally
morning, and you set off for the tower."
After nine hours, you finally reach the tower, stand-
ing by itself on the plain, tall and menacing. By the looks
of it, no-one seems to be at home when you first approach,
with the doors securely shut. Closer examination, how
re\
eveals a secret entrance badly concealed undernea
floor of the building. With little hesitation, you ent
tunnel and proceed deep into the tower.
vever,
Tower
1
Basement
This 25 sq. ft. room used to be the torture room of
this keep, and indeed seems to still fulfil that function. In-
side this room is a rack, stained with dark blood from a
long time ago. A turn after the PC's enter, a group of 15
Giant Bats descend from the ceiling and attack the PC's,
staying with them until killed or driven away.
2 Entrance Room
This 25 sq. ft. room seems to be the main entrance
room. The doors are in this room, and you can see and easy
way to open them, by breaking the latch ( Str test ). Guard-
ing this room however are three Skeletons, who attack the
PC's when they see them. One of them will try to run up
the stairs to Room 3 to warn the guards there - if he suc-
ceeds, they cannot be surprised by the PC's ( and add 1 to
their number ).
3 Guard Room
This room used to be the tower's guard room. In-
side are four skeletons, who will stand inactive in the room
unless they have been alerted to the PC's presence by one
of the Skeletons in Room 2, or a PC moves within 5' of
them. ( Required to reach the exit. )
4 Watch Room
This room hears windows on each side, providing a
magnificent view of the surrounding landscape. Through
them, you can see that night is beginning to fall - you must
hurry. Inside this room are 5 Giant Rats who will attack the
PC's if they move towards the stairs.
5 Sleeping Room
This room has six bunks inside it, and upon four of
them rest Zombies, who, bearing Cleavers, will attack the
PC's when they enter, moving of course at their slow rate.
However, they cannot be surprised. This room yields the
first treasure - inside a small pouch at the feet of one of the
bunks can be found a small amulet, which in fact is an
Amulet of Protection from Evil ( can cast Protection from
Evil upon demand ; 5 charges remaining. )
6 Gargan's Room
This is the room the wizard, Gargan, has taken over.
Inside is a chair, fireplace, and pinned on the wall is a map
showing his grandiose plans - judging by the markings he
has made upon it, he intends to take over most of this prov-
ince with his Undead, even though as yet he has but few.
With an evil yell, Gargan will throw some dust on the floor
as the PC's enter, and from them will rise three Skeletons.
Then he will cast his spells, first Shield, then Shocking
Grasp. If the fight appears to be going badly for him, he
will rush up to Room 7. A search of this room will reveal
his treasure, a spellbook containing Shield, Shocking Grasp
and Levitate, and a chest containing 150 Gold. In addition,
in a small box underneath his chair can be found an ancient
bone.
( This is in fact the remains of a holy man of the Faith, and
a Cleric will recognise it as such. Giving it to the church in
Narborel will yield great favour for those who give it. )
7 Roof
This flat surface is the roof of the building. Gargan
has another three Skeletons up here, who he will try to use
to keep the PC's busy while he Levitates over the side.
However, any missile weapon or spell can bring him down,
even if he gets off the building. In addition, the Scroll Fly
or one of the Potions of Levitation would come in handy at
this time, to follow him down to the ground if need be.
Conclusion
With Gargan dead, his Undead legions fall to the
ground, lifeless as they were but a short time ago. A grate-
ful Elmshire gives the PC's the reward that was promised,
Issue 3 — May 2001
OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine ( 8
and shows them great hospitality until the PC's return to
Narborel, their reputations again enhanced.
Experience Points
For completing this adventure, the PC's should re-
ceive 150 Experience points. However, if a Halfling PC is
present, he should receive double that for performing a ser-
vice to his people. A pool of 250 experience is available
OD&DITIES
The Original Dungeons & Dragons Fanzine
Issue 3
Edited by:
Material by:
Richard Tongue
Richard Tongue
Micheal Harvey
Layout by:
Shane Mclean
Dungeons and Dragons is owned by Wizards of the Coast and it's use here is not intended as a challenge to their owner-
ship of that copyright. All materials are used here without their permission.
All other material copyright R.E.B. Tongue unless credited to another author.
issue 3 - May 2001 OD&DITIES— The Original D&D Fanzine
