Dragon Magazine #75

D R A G O N 1

Vol. VIII, No. 1 July 1983

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

Can Seapoint Be Saved? . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Another winning AD&D� adventure

OTHER FEATURES

The ecology of the mimic . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The Nine Hells, Part I.. . . . . . . . . . . . .16From Avernus through Stygia

Mutants, men (?), and machines . . . . .34GAMMA WORLD® creatures

Beyond the rule book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Guidelines for the prospective GM

Language lessonsI: Even Orcish is logical . . . . . . . . . .54II: All games need names . . . . . . . . . 58

UK revisited: Games Fair 83 . . . . . . . . . 76EGG had a jolly good time

Snarfquest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Debut of a new comic saga

REGULAR OFFERINGS

Out on a Limb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Letters from readers

From the Sorcerer�s Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . 4New denizens of devildom

Figure Feature: Humanoids . . . . . . . . . 68

Runequest Companion . . . . . . . . . . . 70The Solomani Rim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Tales stranger than fantasy. . . . . . . . 74

SF/gaming convention calendar . . . . . 78

Gamers� Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

What�s New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Wormy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Review section:

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toDragon Publishing, P.O. Box 110, Lake GenevaWI 53147. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848.

Second-class postage paid at LakeWis., and additional mailing offices.

Geneva,

DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Pub-lishing’s monthly adventure playing aid. Allrights on the contents of this publication arereserved, and nothing may be reproduced from itin whole or in part without prior permission inwriting from the publisher. Copyright © 1983 byTSR Hobbies, Inc.

All material published in DRAGON Magazinebecomes the exclusive property of the publisherupon publication, unless special arrangements tothe contrary are made prior to publication.DRAGON Magazine welcomes unsolicited sub-missions of written material and artwork; how-ever, no responsibility for such submissions canbe assumed by the publisher in any event. Anysubmission which is accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size willbe returned if it cannot be published.

The issue of expiration for each subscription isprinted on the mailing label for each subscriber'scopy of the magazine. Changes of address for thedelivery of subscriptions must be received at least30 days prior to the effective date of the change inorder to insure uninterrupted delivery).

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DRAGON Magazine is available at hobbystores and bookstores throughout the UnitedStates and Canada, and through a limitednumber of overseas outlets. Subscription rates areas follows: $24 for 12 issues sent to an address inthe U.S. or Canada; $50 U.S. for 12 issues sent viasurface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via air mailto any other country. All subscription paymentsmust be in advance, and should be sent to DragonPublishing, P.O. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60690.

DRAGON Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is pub-lished monthly for a subscription price of $24 peryear by Dragon Publishing, a division of TSRHobbies, Inc. The mailing address of DragonPublishing for all material except subscriptionorders is P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

This issue�s contributing artists:Jack Crane Phil FoglioRoger Raupp Dave TrampierLarry Elmore

Publisher: Mike CookEditor-in-Chief: Kim MohanEditorial staff: Marilyn Favaro

Roger RauppPatrick L. PriceMary KirchoffRoger Moore

Business manager: Mary ParkinsonOffice staff: Sharon Walton

Pam MaloneyLayout designer: Kristine L. BartyzelContributing editor: Ed GreenwoodNational advertising representative:

Rober t Deweyc/o Robert LaBudde & Associates, Inc.2640 Golf RoadGlenv iew IL 60025

Phone (312)724-5860

Summer what?Most of you who read this magazine are

presently enjoying the part of the aca-demic year that I always found the mostfun � summer vacation. Whether youhave a job for a while before going backto the books, or whether it really is avacation, at least summer represents achange from what you do the other nineor ten months of the year.

But if there�s something like summervacation in the gaming magazine busi-ness, nobody�s told us about it yet. Andfor the gaming industry in general,summer is anything but a vacation. Thisis the time of year when most of themajor game conventions are held � andthat means it�s also the time of year whencompanies release lots of new products.

That brings me, in a roundabout way,to the point of this speech. By the timeyou read this, we will be finished with theproduction of Volume III of the BESTOF DRAGON® anthology. We�re alsoworking steadily, if not (yet) frantically,on finishing our DRAGONTALES� IIfiction anthology. Also in the preparationstage is a volume containing all of theWormy episodes we�ve ever published. Bymy reckoning, only about three percent ofthe people reading DRAGON® magazinenow were around when Tramp�s storystarted in issue #9 � and I hope the other97% of you are anxious to see how thestory (and the strip itself) have developedover the years.

Summer vacation? Summer what? . . .

It�s congratulation time again. Off andon, we�ve been using part of this space toannounce module contest winners, andthis time the person in the spotlight isBob Waldbauer of Delavan, Wis., whowon category A-7 with this issue�s specialinclusion, �Can Seapoint Be Saved?�

Finishing close behind Bob�s entry inthe judging were �Mystery of the Name-less Isle� by Colin Nordell of Ontario,Canada, and �The Lost Cathedral� byDaniel Biemer of Louisville, Ky., thesecond-place and third-place winners,respectively.

Our appreciation and congratulationsgo to all the prize winners, along withour thanks to everyone else who enteredcategory A-7 and made the judging thatmuch more difficult. Don�t get the wrongidea � we like it when the judging istough. That means at least most of theentries in a category were high-qualitypieces of work, so we can be sure that thewinner we print is going to be a winnerwith you, too.

DRAGON, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED D&D, TOPSECRET, and GAMMA WORLD are registered trademarks owned by TSR Hobbies, Inc.

TRAVELLER is a registered trademark owned by Game Designers’ Workshop, Inc.RUNEQUEST is a registered trademark owned by Chaosium Inc.

2 JULY 1983

ven though I’ve tried andtried to resist the tempta-tion, I can’t help referringto this one as a devil of anissue — or, perhaps more

properly put, an issue of devils. No, that’snot entirely accurate, but more than 20 ofthe pages inside are devoted to descrip-tions of new devils and devil-types for theAD&D™ game, along with “facts” aboutwhat the environment is like on the var-ious planes of the Nine Hells. It’s not aplace to spend your summer vacation —except, of course, in your imagination.

Leading off the devil section is a pre-sentation of the manuscripts that E. GaryGygax has composed over the last fewyears (since the release of the MonsterManual) on the hierarchy of The NineHells and some of the previously unre-corded devil-types that live there.

Next is part I of “The Nine Hells,” amassive treatise composed by contribut-ing editor Ed Greenwood in an effort toflesh out what Gary had already done. Edpresents his educated speculations aboutwhat each of the separate planes is like,and descriptions of the individual devilsthat Gary mentions but doesn’t detail.Because Ed’s manuscript was so long, wehad to break it into two parts; nextmonth we’ll present his musings on thelowest four planes, plus notes on how theeffects of various magic spells arechanged, or nullified, if those spells arecast anywhere within the Nine Hells.

Top billing in the table of contents thistime — our middle-of-the-magazine spe-cial inclusion — goes to the winner incategory A-7 of our Module Design Con-test, “Can Seapoint Be Saved?” If theplayer characters in your campaign havenever been challenged by an adventure on(and around) the high seas, just let ‘emtry to sail through “Seapoint.”

There’s a lot more to being a good andeffective gamemaster than knowing therules. Lew Pulsipher’s contributioninside goes “Beyond the rule book,” offer-ing guidelines on procedures and stylethat any “campaign manager” — veteranor novice — should keep in mind.

'Way back in issue #66, we printed apackage of articles about the use of lan-guages in role-playing games. As oftenhappens, those articles prompted otherarticles on the same subject — so, insideare two new “Language lessons.” Bothauthors, Clyde Heaton and KatharineKerr, make the same basic point: Anylanguage, no matter how primitive, mustbe logical and consistent in order to bebelievable and playable.

Lastly, but far from least (or shouldthat be leastly?), we present the debut of anew comic adventure strip: Snarfquest,drawn and written by Larry Elmore.Maybe ol’ Snarf isn’t exactly a typicalhero — but then again, this isn’t exactly atypical magazine. . . . — KM

PBM problemsDear Editor:

The April issue of DRAGON Magazine con-tamed an article entitled “The PBM Scene:Facts you can use when you choose what gameto play.” Unfortunately, the information aboutUNIVERSE II contained in the article was notfactual. To begin with, the address shown hadnot been accurate for two years. Since mailfrom that address is no longer even forwarded,anyone trying to contact us will assume we areno longer in business.

The article stated that UNIVERSE III was a“new version” of the game, implying that it isdifferent than UNIVERSE II. This is not thecase, as both are processed using the samecomputer program. Each game operates fourquadrants of space which are adjacent to eachother.

It is apparent that Mr. Gray had suchlimited experience with UNIVERSE II that hefelt he had to “create” information to include.He evidently paid very little attention to theship he was assigned, as he referred to the“supply of fuel” when, in fact, the ships needno fuel. In addition, he claimed to have builtan “alien escape pod” when there is no suchdevice that can be built.

UNIVERSE II is a game which requires thata player use intelligence and creativity in orderto be successful. The range of activities is verydiversified and allows a wide variety of roles.Some players choose to build fleets of ships(battlecruisers, freighters, shuttles, interceptors,etc.). They explore the hundreds of uniquesolar systems, deal with civilized alien races,discover new lifeforms, operate trading sys-tems, raid other ships or colonies, etc. Otherschoose to be colonists on uncivilized worlds.They build fortifications, farm, mine, explore,operate a wide range of factories, trade withpassing starships, etc.

Player interaction is frequent, with manyplayer alliances and empires in existence. Warsare fought, ships destroyed, territory con-quered. New players are generally started inquieter areas so they will have a chance tobuild up their strength before confronting star-ships with the capacity to destroy them.

I feel Mr. Gray has done my game a tre-mendous disservice by including gross inac-curacies in an article billed as “factual.” Asyour magazine has one of the best reputationsin the industry, I am certain you will want toprint this letter in the next issue to provide thecorrect “facts” for your readers.

Jon Clemens, PresidentClemens and Associates, Inc.

P.O. Box 4297San Clemente CA 92672

Right you are, Mr. Clemens. We�re morethan happy to try to straighten out the prob-lems that the article seems to have caused.Ordinarily, we don�t print complete mailingaddresses of writers in, or under the signature

of, a letter � but for obvious reasons we�remaking a couple of exceptions to that policy.(See the following letter as well.)

Unfortunately, Mr. Gray is not immediatelyavailable for us to obtain comments from himabout Mr. Clemens� assertions. But this letterjust came to our attention on the day beforedeadline for this issue, and rather than holdonto it and wait another month to correct theaddress error, we decided to use the letter nowand contact Mr. Gray at a later date. Maybehe�ll have something to say in explanation (orin defense) of what he wrote, and if so we�ll bepleased to print his letter next time. � KM

Dear Editor:Thank you (and Mr. Gray) for your recent

coverage of the Play-By-Mail gaming industry.We would like to point out that in issue #72 ofDRAGON magazine, page 31, the address ofSchubel & Son was incorrectly listed. Our cor-rect address is: Schubel & Son Inc., P.O. Box214848, Sacramento CA 95821.

Duane WilcoxsonGamer Relations

Schubel & Son Inc.

This time, the mistake was a �simple� typo-graphical error: Somehow, between the timeMike Gray wrote his article and when it gotinto print, the �2� got deleted from the postoffice box number. Even though Schubel &Son is probably famous enough for the Sacra-mento Post Office to find �em anyway, itobviously helps to have the correct address onthe envelope you're sending. Our sincere andprofuse apologies to anyone who tried to con-tact either Clemens and Associates (see thepreceding letter) or Schubel & Son by using theincorrect addresses we printed. � KM

Champions criticDear Editor:

I was very disappointed with the article con-cerning the superhero role-playing game“Champions” which you printed in issue #73of your magazine.

First of all, the author’s suggestion of roll-ing only for a few characters’ hunteds andDNPC’s is absurd. What good is having thedisadvantage if it only comes into play everythird or fourth game? On that same note, whosays a hunter that is “scheduled” to appear hasto jump our hero and try to pound in his 14defense skull! There are other ways of dealingwith hunteds, such as having them leave ourhero a threatening message of some kind, per-haps a riddle leading the hero to the villain’shideout (a definite adventure in the making),or even a trap.

Secondly, the author makes a suggestion for“timing,” or how to get several heroes into thegame. All I have to say on this is, if you don’tknow of any way to bring “Cosmic Dude,”

D R A G O N 3

�Valley Brick,� or �Wonder Twit� into anadventure, you might as well pack it up as aGM.

Lastly, the idea of paying power points for aparticular financial bracket is an original one,but it severely limits the character�s expressionof individuality. With this concept a powerfulcharacter, who might need a lot of money tobalance out his origin, may not be able toafford an �industry.� That�s too contradictoryto me. After all, the entire Champions gamesystem is set up to allow a player to be what hewants, not just what he can afford. I believethe Champions rules were left somewhat vaguein spots on purpose to allow a player to usemore of his own creativity in the game.

Mark ArsenaultSacramento, Calif.

Translation anddesign opportunity

Is Japanese your first language? Areyou fluent in English as well? Is Japa-nese history well known to you? Are youa student of mythology of the Far East?Do you play D&D® and AD&D™ gamesregularly?

If you can answer each of the abovequestions affirmatively, then you mayhave an unparalleled opportunity withTSR Hobbies, Inc.! We are now seekinga full-time translator and designer towork with our line of fantasy role play-ing games. The position has excellentpay and benefits plus opportunity foradvancement based on performance.Employment location is at the mainCorporate offices in Lake Geneva, Wis.Applicants must send a complete re-sume with salary history. Be sure tostate how many years you have playedboth the D&D game system and theAD&D game system. Indicate familiar-ity with other FRP games, please. Sub-mit information to:

Cheryl GleasonInternational DivisionTSR Hobbies, Inc.P.O. Box 756Lake Geneva WI 53 147

Piercer praiseDear Editor:

I was surprised when I opened DRAGON#72 and saw a cross section of the piercer. Myfirst thought was that it must be part of your

I have never thought of the piercer as a par-ticularly exciting monster, but now I have

annual April foolery. But as I began reading Ifound a serious, informative article.

more respect for it. I too have wondered howthe piercer locates and feeds on prey.

Although I don�t think the article was espe-cially important, it did cover virtually all gen-eral points. Some specific information aboutlifespan, maximum time between feedings, andresults of starvation would have been appre-ciated, though. For instance, do other animalsor piercers ever inhabit dead piercer�s shells?

I would like to see more short articles of thistype and encourage anyone who is so inclinedto make some speculations on the life cycles ofvarious creatures.

Andy StoneMt. Horeb, Wis.

We hoped �The Ecology of the Piercer�would go over well; based on the reactionswe�ve received, our hopes were realized. AsAndy and the rest of you realize by now, thepiercer article was just the first of what weexpect will be a long series of �ecology� arti-cles. If you�re considering trying to write oneto submit to us, there are two things youshould know: First, our standards for thisof article are pretty demanding � in someways, even higher than for a �regular� article.Be real sure you know what you�re talkingabout, and try not to leave any stonesunturned. Second, we�ve already got a good-sired backlog of articles of this type. Thatmeans that even if you write about a monsterno one else has covered yet, and even if it getsaccepted, it might not be printed for a longtime. If you�re not discouraged by either orboth of those facts, give it a try.

Obviously, no �ecology� article can be com-pletely comprehensive; there will always bethings people want to know that neither wenor the author thought about. And in manycases, such as the points Andy raises in his let-ter, the only way to answer a question is totake a slightly wild guess. The life span of apiercer, or how often it needs to eat, are factsthat can�t be deduced logically from what weknow, or suppose to be true, about the natureof the creature. If the situation in your cam-paign demands answers to questions like

kind

Dear Editor:

I�ll suggest, as I sometimes do in this space,that Robert�s question sounds like the germ ofa good article idea. If anyone out there wantsto try to answer it, great. Our mailbox alwayshas room for one more manuscript. � KM

Not all of the articles we print are compati-ble with each other, and we don�t try to makethem so. We hope they are all compatible withthe game rules they are derived from, andthat's really all that we (or you) can reasonablyexpect. The article on the Attack Priority Sys-tem was designed to be used with the standardAD&D� rules. It is not necessarily compatiblewith supplementary information we�ve pub-lished in the magazine, such as the barbarianand thief-acrobat classes. And it would havebeen downright impossible to include allow-ances for the cavalier in the attack system. Thearticle was accepted several months before itwas printed � long before any of us here (andcertainly the author of the article) had everheard of the cavalier. In fact, the cavalier arti-cle didn�t appear in print until the month afterthe Attack Priority System was featured.

I�m sure that a suitable answer to Robert�squestion exists � or, at the least, there oughtto be a way to use the cavalier character classand the Attack Priority System in the samecampaign. Unfortunately, that�s not a topicthat can be addressed in this very limited space.However, Robert�s letter raises a point that Ican afford to spend a paragraph on.

I was very pleased with the Attack PrioritySystem in issue #71, and I was about to use itin my campaign when a very important ques-tion came up. What about the Cavalier and theweapons he is specialized in? The old way hewould get 3/2, 2/1, 5/2, and 3/1 attacks withthose weapons in melee rounds, but whathappens now?

Robert SprottFairborn, Ohio

Cavalier conformity

Andy�s, then you�re going to have to make adetermination and stick to it. Sure, we couldgive you a number � but we admit we can�ttell you why a piercer has a life span of (forinstance) five years, instead of fifty or fivehundred. In this respect, the AD&D world is alot like the one we live in: Some questions cannever be answered definitively because we justdon�t have, and never will have, enough factsto be positive we�re right. � KM

4 JULY 1983

�open doors� roll based on their strength.Repeated attempts to break free may bemade, but no other action � attack ordefense � is possible by the victim dur-ing the round of attempted escape.)

Mimics are interested only in personalsafety and an endless quest for food.�Killer� mimics will attack any livingcreature, regardless of the number ofadversaries or their powers. The moreintelligent variety often prefers to bargainwith an enemy initially � but the crea-tures have no moral standards as weknow them: If an enemy is sufficientlyweakened after a bargain has been struck,a mimic will �change its mind,� alwaysseeking a meal first and foremost.

Mimics have very sensitive �eyespots�(patches of pigment that are sensitive toheat; light, and vibration) all over theirskin. Bright sunlight overwhelms thesesensory spots, effectively blinding themimic; thus, the creatures are almostalways found below ground or in otherareas where the sun never reaches. Mimicsof all sorts are immune to the deleteriouseffects of alcohol (but will absorb it ifoffered, to make use of the inherent nu-trients and sugar), and are also unaffectedby slime (including green slime), molds(including the brown and yellow varie-ties), and the corrosive secretions of crea-tures such as the black pudding, grayooze, ochre jelly, stunjelly, and gelatinouscube.

It should be remembered that mimicscan travel on walls and ceilings as easilyas they can on floors. Those of the moreintelligent sort are most adept at �hid-ing� by assuming the shape of a partitionwall, overhanging arch, or rough rockwall if they feel threatened. One famous,if somewhat extreme, example: A mimicsomehow came into one of the busiestmarket squares of Waterdeep andassumed the shape of a statue. Itremained undetected for two winters,until the chronic disappearance of streetderelicts in the square on every dark nightprompted an investigation. A sewerbeside this strangely unfamiliar (to thesculptor who had �done� the square)statue was discovered to be filled to adepth of more than 60 feet with humanand animal bones. (Even after this factwas discovered, the �statue� ate twomembers of the City Watch who proddedit carelessly with their spears, not expect-ing to find anything.)

Although the details of the concoctionare not known by this scribe, it is gener-ally said that the skin of the mimic is use-ful in the making of a polymorph (self)potion. Also, further investigation isneeded to determine the range of travel ofan individual mimic over a lifetime, andthe precise efficacy of the creature�s detec-tion organs, which, based on casualobservation, appear to �see� up to 90 feetin subterranean (not total) darkness, andup to 30 feet in the gloom of night, or indarkened areas above ground.

by Ed Greenwood

variety that is of lesser intelligence,

From the Journals of Maerlun the

attacking all nearby prey, and does notspeak; and the more intelIigent, eloquent

Scholar:

species which will often bargain for food,has a curious (as yet unfathomed by me)

The mimic is a curious (and danger-

language of its own, and often speaksorcish, the common tongue, dwarvish, or

ous) creature to most minds � but few

other tongues used in the vicinity of theindividual creature�s hunting ground.

know, or care to know, that there are

The mimic gains its name from itsability to alter not only its body shape but

actually several related species of mimic,divided into two groups: a larger, �killer�

the color and texture of the outer surfaceas well. The color and texture changes areaccomplished by the shifting of pig-mented liquid between interior and exte-rior body cells, so that the creature resem-bles wood or stone in color and texturedepending on whether this pigmentedliquid is brought to the outer surface ofthe creature�s body or stored internally.

A mimic is naturally gray in hue, witha smooth, very hard outer skin that givesit the stone-like appearance. The pig-mented liquid, brownish in color (oftenrevealed to adventurers when a mimic iswounded in battle), is held within thebody in large, muscular organs that serveas both bags and pumps. When theseorgans are squeezed by the contraction of

6 JULY 1983

Reputedly, this glue is sticky enoughthat only the strongest of adventurers hasa good chance of breaking the mimic�shold without killing the creature first.Some adventurers claim to have pulledthemselves free from a mimic�s glue, butsuch tales are rare and often their veracityis doubtful: (To simulate the possibilityof breaking free in game terms, heldcharacters may be allowed to attempt an

the cavity wall muscles, they squirt theircontents rapidly (within 1 round) into theouter skin layer, filling many capillariesthat lie just beneath the skin surface.These capillaries then stand out, brown-ish and wrinkled, in a pattern resemblingwood grain.

Reversing the process, from the wood-grain appearance to the natural state,requires a sort of external contortion; amimic appears to wriggle and twist allover as it empties its capillaries of theliquid. (The creature can, as we all know,alter the external configuration of itsform at will, within the limits imposedby the actual volume of its form.) Themimic grows replacement layers of skinbeneath the outer one, which is con-stantly being worn away by the ravages ofmovement, battle, and feeding.

The mimic is amorphous, and movesin the same way it attacks: by extendingstrong pseudopods, which exude a sticky�glue,� and pulling themselves along. Amimic can �unstick� its own glue at anytime, and it never sticks to itself.

New denizens of devildomA partial preview of Monster Manual IIBy E. Gary Gygax

©1983 E. Gary Gygax. All rights reserved.

The Monster Manual details the names the dukes are about equivalent to aand ranks of many of the devils, but it is weaker Arch-Devil, although some areby no means complete. The following is a only a little stronger than a pit fiend, orlist of the Dukes of Hell, as well as some are, in fact, actual pit fiends.of their foremost henchmen. In general, In this list, names printed in italic type

represent pit fiends, all having excep-tional strength and power for their type.The notation (f) indicates a female devil.Typically, females have strength justsuperior to that of a pit fiend.

Name In service of Command or positionAbigor . . . . . . . .Baalzebul . . . . . . . . .60 companies malebrancheAdonides . . . . . .Mephistopheles. . . .StewardAdramelech . . . . Asmodeus . . . . . . . . .ChancellorAgares . . . . . . . . .Geryon . . . . . . . . . . .31 companies bone devilsAlastor . . . . . . . .Asmodeus . . . . . . . . .ExecutionerAlocer . . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . .36 companies erinyesAmduscias . . . . .Tiamat . . . . . . . . . . .29 companies abishaiAmon . . . . . . . . .Geryon . . . . . . . . . . .40 companies bone devilsArioch . . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . . AvengerBaalberith . . . . . Asmodeus . . . . . . . . .Major DomoBaalphegor (f) Mephistopheles. . . .ConsortBaalzephon . . . . Dispater . . . . . . . . . .Prime MinisterBael . . . . . . . . . . .Mammon . . . . . . . . .66 companies barbed devilsBaftis (f) . . . . . . .Baalzebul . . . . . . . . .ConsortBalan . . . . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . .40 companies bearded devilsBarbas . . . . . . . . .Mephistopheles. . . . ChamberlainBarbatos . . . . . . . Baalzebul . . . . . . . . .Marshal

Name In service of Command or positionBathym . . . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . .30 companies barbed devilsBel . . . . . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . .3 companies malebrancheBele . . . . . . . . . . .Mephistopheles. . . . JusticiarBensozia (f) . . . . Asmodeus . . . . . . . . .ConsortBethage. . . . . . . .Moloch . . . . . . . . . . .9 companies malebrancheBiffant . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . .ProvostBifrons . . . . . . . .Mephistopheles . . . .26 companies ice devilsBileth . . . . . . . ..Moloch . . . . . . . . . . .TribuneBitru . . . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . .70 companies erinyesBuer . . . . . . . . . .Asmodeus. . . . . . . . .15 companies pit fiendsBune . . . . . . . . . .Asmodeus . . . . . . . . .30 companies malebrancheCaarcrinolaas . . Mammon . . . . . . . . .36 companies barbed devilsChamo . . . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . .LegateCozbi (f) . . . . . . .Geryon . . . . . . . . . . . ConsortFecor . . . . . . . . . .Geryon . . . . . . . . . . .8 companies malebrancheFocalor . . . . . . . .Mammon . . . . . . . . .SeneschalFurcas . . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . .12 companies bearded devils

8 JULY 1983

Name In service of Command or positionGaziel . . . . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 companies bone devilsGlwa (f) . . . . . .Mammon . . . . . . . . .ConsortGoap . . . . . . . . . .Tiamat . . . . . . . . . . . 3 companies erinyesGorson . . . . . . . .Geryon . . . . . . . . . . . BailiffHerobaal . . . . . .Moloch . . . . . . . . . . .16 companies bone devilsHerodias . . . . . . .Geryon . . . . . . . . . . .MagistrateHutijin . . . . . . . . Mephistopheles. . . . 2 companies pit fiendsLilis (f) . . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . . ConsortLilith (f) . . . . . . . Moloch . . . . . . . . . . .ConsortMachalas . . . . . . Geryon . . . . . . . . . . . 11 companies barbed devilsMalphas . . . . . . . Tiamat . . . . . . . . . . . 40 companies abishaiMartinet . . . . . . . Asmodeus. . . . . . . . . ConstableMelchon . . . . . . . Mammon . . . . . . . . . 18 companies erinyesMerodach . . . . . . Dispater . . . . . . . . . .21 companies barbed devils

Notes on individual descriptionsThe new devils and devil-types in this article, through the de-

scription of Titivilus on page 14, are taken from the same origi-nal manuscripts, by E. Gary Gygax, that were used in the prepa-ration of Monster Manual II. However, the assembly of that book

Name In service of Command or positionMorax . . . . . . . . . Asmodeus . . . . . . . . . 9 companies pit fiendsNaome (f) . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . .ConsortNeabaz . . . . . . . .Baalzebul . . . . . . . . .HeraldNexroth . . . . . . .Mephistopheles. . . .16 companies malebranchePhongor . . . . . . .Asmodeus. . . . . . . . . InquisitorRimmon . . . . . . .Asmodeus . . . . . . . . . 5 companies ice devilsTartach . . . . . . . .Moloch . . . . . . . . . . .LegateTitivilus . . . . . . .Dispater . . . . . . . . . .NuncioZaebos . . . . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . .LieutenantZagum . . . . . . . . Asmodeus . . . . . . . . .30 companies barbed devilsZapan . . . . . . . . .Belial . . . . . . . . . . . .4 companies malebrancheZepar . . . . . . . . . .Baalzebul . . . . . . . . .28 companies malebrancheZimimar . . . . . . .Mammon . . . . . . . . .6 companies bone devils

(to be released soon) and the preparation of this magazine articlewere independent efforts. The information presented here islikely to be very similar to what�s in the new rule book, but itwill not be identical. When a point is expressed differently in thetwo works, the book will take precedence over this article.

ABISHAI (Lesser devil)

Black Blue Green Red WhiteFREQUENCY: C o m m o n C o m m o n C o m m o n C o m m o n CommonNO. APPEARING: 1-3 or 2-8 1-4 or 3-12 1-3 or 3-9 1-4 or 3-12 1-3 or 3-12ARMOR CLASS: 2 3 3 1 3MOVE: 9�/12� 15�/15� 12�/15� 18�/18� 9�/15�HIT DICE: 8 5+1 6 4+2 7% IN LAIR: 20% 35% 30% 40% 25%TREASURE TYPE: Nil Nil Nil Nil NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 1 1 2 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-14 5-10 4-10 2-5 /2-5 4-9/4-9SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below for allSPECIAL DEFENSES: See below for allMAGIC RESISTANCE: 35% 20% 25% 40% 30%INTELLIGENCE: Average Average Average Average AverageALIGNMENT: Lawful evil for allSIZE: L (8�) M (5�) M (6�) S (4�) M (7�)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

The race of abishai, the scaly devils, are their lair (second range of numbers undercommon to the first plane of the Nine �No. Appearing� above). If abishai areHells. They are reptilian, and most serve encountered in their lair, 10% of the timeTiamat. On the lower infernal planes there will be 1-4 other devil-types presentabishai are uncommon (2nd-4th) to rare as well.(5th-6th). Abishai will always appear in Although they do not value treasure,greater numbers when encountered in abishai occasionally (15%) have charge of

type Q treasure which they are taking tosome greater devil. Attack damage shownis for the weapon type used by a particu-lar sort of abishai, with strength bonusadded in. Black abishai use halberds;white, flails; red, long daggers; green,guisarme-voulges; and blue, tridents.

In hand-to-hand combat, all abishaican grapple. The damage done is 1-4 (dueto cuts from sharp scales, talons, etc.)plus strength bonus � red +1, green orwhite +2, blue +3, black +4. They are alsoable to strike with their tails for 1-2points of damage. Abishai regenerate atthe rate of 1 point per round, unlessstruck by silver, holy water, or holy magicweapons.

Abishai can use the following spell-likepowers, one at a time, one per round:change self, command, produce flame,pyrotechnics, scare, summon (anotherabishai, 20% chance of success, once perday).

Description: Abishai are the epitome ofdevils, appearing as humanoids withsmall horns, snaky hair, fangs, pointedears, slanting eyes, leathery wings, andbarbed tail. They have scaled hides andreptilian feet.

D R A G O N 9

AMON (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 18�HIT DICE: 126 hit points% IN LAIR: 60%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 and 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12 or by

weapon type +7SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (9� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 229

Attack/Defense Modes: All/all

Amon is a vassal of Geryon, musteringand commanding up to 40 companies ofbone devils recruited from his fief. He islarge and strong, typically attacking witha huge (+3) mace and a vicious bite aswell. A winter wolf of the largest sizeserves him as a companion and guardian.

One at a time, at will, one per turn ormelee round, Amon can use the followingspell-like powers: animate dead, charmmonster, detect magic, detect invisible,dispel magic, fly, geas, know alignment,polymorph self, produce flame, read lan-guages, read magic, suggestion, teleporta-tion, wall of ice, and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Amon causes fear in anyindividual he gazes at, unless the intended victim makes a saving throw vs.spell. Once per day Amon can use a sym-bol of hopelessness. He can summon 1-4bone devils with a 60% chance of success.Amon is able to regenerate 1-12 points ofdamage per turn.

Description: Amon is wolf-headed butotherwise appears human. His torso iswell-formed and muscled.

BAEL (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 12�HIT DICE: 106 hit points% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (8�+ tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 206


Bael is one of the vassals of Mammon,commanding 66 campanies of barbed

10 JULY 1983

or 1-8/1-2/1-2

In most cases, bearded devils carry asaw-toothed glaive equipped with atreble-hook arranged at the base of theblade. The latter device curves backwardand is used to entangle or snag opponentsclosing or fleeing (1-3 points damage,plus held fast unless a die roll equal tosuccess of opening a door is made). With-out weapons, bearded devils attack withtheir wire-like beards plus clawed hands.If both hand attacks succeed, beard dam-age is the maximum (8 points). Any crea-ture struck for maximum beard damage

Bearded devils populate the ThirdHell, the domain of Mammon, as well asplanes below that. They are particularlycruel and violent, attacking at any excuse.This makes them unpopular and subjectto frequent and harsh disciplinary mea-sures, but it also makes them desirable asshock troops.

Attack/Defense Modes: NilPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 45%INTELLIGENCE: Average � VeryALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (6½� tall)

TREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type

FREQUENCY: CommonNO. APPEARING: 1-2 or 4-10ARMOR CLASS: 1MOVE: 15�HIT DICE: 6+6% IN LAIR: 15%

BEARDED (Lesser devil)

Description: Bael is a well-formedhumanoid with gold-colored skin. Hishead is rather long and has small,forward-curling bull�s horns. His featuresappear rather bovine, with large, roundeyes, a long and broad nose, and protrud-ing ears.

In addition to normal attacks, Bael can,at will, one per round, use the followingspell-like powers: animate dead, causeserious wounds, detect invisibility, detectmagic, dispel magic, invisibility, knowalignment, produce fire, pyrotechnics,read languages, read magic, shape change(twice per day), suggestion, teleportation,wind walk, (fulfill another�s limited)wish. Once per day Bael can employ asymbol of stunning. He radiates fear in a10� radius when he so desires. He cansummon 1-4 barbed devils with a 65%chance of success. Bael regenerates 1point per round.

devils. In battle array Bael wears armor ofbronze fashioned in the ancient style anduses a morning star (+2) with a longbronze handle which telescopes magicallyfrom 4� length to 8� length as Bael desires.

must save vs. poison or immediatelydevelop a burning rash which reducesdexterity by 1 point per round for fourrounds.

At will, one at a time, one per turn orper round as applicable, bearded devilscan use the following spell-like powers:affect normal fires, command, fear (bytouch), produce flame, and summonanother bearded devil (with a 35% chanceof success).

BELIAL (Arch-devil)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 9�/15�HIT DICE: 154 hit points% IN LAIR: 75%TREASURE TYPE: A, S, T, YNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +7SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (10� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 279


Great Belial rules the Fourth Hell. Heis firmly in the camp of Baalzebul, hatingGeryon nearly as much as does Moloch.In turn, Belial must guard against themachinations of Mammon, so he does nothave complete freedom to act. From hisbasalt palace, Belial dictates the disposi-tion of the abishai, barbed, bearded, bone,and spined devils populating the reekingfens and smoking plains of his realm. Heutilizes a huge military fork (+4) in com-bat. This weapon causes the creaturestruck to save vs. spell or be affected as ifsmitten by a symbol of pain.

In addition, Belial can use the follow-ing spell-like powers, at will, one at atime, one per round: animate deed,beguile, charm person, detect magic, dis-pel illusion, detect invisibility, dispelmagic, geas, illusion, invisibility, knowalignment, light, produce flame, pyro-technics, raise dead, read languages, readmagic, shape change, suggestion, telepor-tation, wall of fire, and (fulfill another�s)wish. Once per day Belial can use a sym-bol of insanity. He can likewise pro-nounce an unholy word once per day.Belial causes fear in any individual hestares at, saving throw vs. spell applica-ble. He can summon 1-4 black abishai(25%), 1-3 barbed devils (25%), or 1-4bearded devils (50%) with an 85% chanceof success,

Description: Belial is humanoid andtypically diabolic in appearance. His hideis scaly and sooty black. His horns, tail,and wings are glossy black. His eyes arelarge and slanted, and they glow red.

BITRU (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 12�/18�HIT DICE: 99 hit points% IN LAIR: 50%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (9� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 199


Bitru serves Dispater and leads 70 com-panies of erinyes in warfare. These devilsare raised from the vast estates held infief. Bitru employs a huge (+3 two-handed) sword in combat.

These spell-like powers can be used byBitru, one at a time, at will: animatedead, charm person, detect invisibility,detect magic, dispel magic, illusion,know alignment, mirror image, producefire, read languages, read magic, sugges-tion, teleportation, wall of smoke (sameas wall of fog), and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Once per day Bitru canemploy a symbol of pain. He causes fear

by pointing at any creature within a 60�distance, saving throw vs. spell applica-ble. He can summon 1-3 erinyes with a60% chance of success. Bitru regenerates 2hit points per round.

Description: Bitru is very muscular.His skin is shining crimson, and hishorns, hooves, and wings are lustrousblack. Bitru�s visage is typicallydiabolical.

GLASYA (Princess of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 15�/30�HIT DICE: 69 hit points% IN LAIR: 80%TREASURE TYPE: I, Q(×5), SNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +4SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 60%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (9� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 206


As consort to Mammon, Glasya is oneof the more powerful and influential of

female devils. She does not normallyengage in combat, but she has a shortsword with a poisoned blade (equal to adagger of venom).

Glasya can employ the following spell-like powers, one at a time, at will: ani-mate dead, charm monster, charm person,dispel magic, illusion, know alignment,poison, polymorph self, produce flame,read languages, read magic, suggestion,teleportation, and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Once per day Glasya canemploy a finger of death. She causes fearby speaking to an individual, savingthrow vs. spell applicable. She can sum-mon 1-2 malebranche (70% chance of suc-cess). She regenerates 2 points of damageevery turn.

Description: Glasya is another typicallydiabolic devil, being well-built and good-looking save for her wings, forked tail,horns, and copper-colored skin.

HUTIJIN (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 9�/18�HIT DICE: 111 hit points% IN LAIR: 30%TREASURE TYPE: GNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +8SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (13½� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 275


Hutijin commands two companies ofpit fiends in service to Mephistopheles.These creatures are, in fact, the artistoc-racy of the Eighth Plane, just as Hutijinis one of the greatest of the dukes of thehells. He uses a net of snaring and a +3trident in battle.

One at a time, at will, one per round,Hutijin can use the following spell-likepowers: animate dead, detect invisibility,detect magic, heal (twice per day), holdmonster, invisibility, know alignment,polymorph self, produce flame, pyro-technics, ray of enfeeblement, read lan-guages, read magic, shocking grasp, sug-gestion, teleportation, wall of fire, and(fulfill another�s limited) wish. Hutijincauses fear by voice tone in a 30� radius,with a saving throw vs. wands applicable.He can use a symbol of persuasion onceper day. Hutijin can summon a pit fiend(75% chance of success).

Description: Hutijin resembles a pitfiend, although his head is larger and hiswings are proportionately smaller thanthose of a pit fiend. His hide is a darkrust-red color.

12 JULY 1983

Mammon�s realm is a boundless seriesof rifts with slime streams along the bot-toms. Hot ash falls from spurting volca-noes scattered over these badlands.

Mammon is the ruler of the ThirdPlane of the Nine Hells. He and Dispaterare supposedly allies and jointly supportMephistopheles, but neither ever hasfailed to obey Asmodeus. It is also doubt-ful that Mammon places real trust in theLord of Dis.

TREASURE TYPE: H, RNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +7SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (12� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 259


FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 6�/12�HIT DICE: 139 hit points% IN LAIR: 65%

MAMMON (Arch-devil) Mammon rides a nightmare of largestsize, with a pack of hell hounds at hisheels, over this grim domain, seekingtrophies of the hunt. His weapon is afauchard-fork which inflicts normaldamage (1-8 or 1-10) but acts otherwise asa sword of wounding.

At will, one at a time, one per round,Mammon is able to use the followingspell-like powers: animate dead, beguile,charm person, detect invisibility, detectmagic, dispel magic, fools gold, geas,illusion, invisibility, know alignment,produce flame, pyrotechnics, raise dead,read languages, read magic, shapechange, suggestion, teleportation, wall offire, and (fulfill another�s) wish. Once perday Mammon is able to use a symbol ofhopelessness and to pronounce an unholyword. He causes fear by means of hisgaze, saving throw vs. spell applicable.Mammon can summon 1-4 green abishai(50%), 1-3 barbed devils (25%), or 1-3bearded devils (25%) with an 80% chanceof success.

Description: Mammon is a red-goldcolor, with scaled wings gleaming likerubies. His form is bloated and soft-looking, but Mammon is very strong. Heis otherwise typically diabolic inappearance.

Mephistopheles� great iron citadel in the icemountains of [the Eighth Plane of the Nine Hells] isa place of much plotting and intrigue. . . .

MEPHISTOPHELES (Arch-devil)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare) Mephistopheles has a great, three-tinedNO. APPEARING: 1 fork (+3) which can, upon his command,ARMOR CLASS: -6 deliver 3-12 points of cold, electrical, orMOVE: 15�/18� fire damage, saving throw vs. spell appli-HIT DICE: 188 hit points cable. Each function is usable three times% IN LAIR: 70% per day. These function damage pointsTREASURE TYPE: R, X, Z are in addition to all other damage causedNO. OF ATTACKS: 2 by the weapon.DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +9 Mephistopheles can, at will, one at aSPECIAL ATTACKS: See below time, one per round, use the followingSPECIAL DEFENSES: See below spell-like powers: animate dead, beguile,MAGIC RESISTANCE: 85% charm person, cone of cold, detect invisi-INTELLIGENCE: Supra-genius bility, detect magic, dispel illusion, dispelALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil magic, geas, ice storm, illusion, invisibil-SIZE: L (9� tall) ity, know alignment, produce flame,PSIONIC ABILITY: 309 polymorph self, raise dead, read lan-

Attack/Defense Modes: All/all guages, read magic, rulership (once perday), shape change (once per day), sug-

The Eighth Plane of the Nine Hells is gestion, teleportation, wall of ice, andruled by Mephistopheles. His main aim is (fulfill another�s) wish. He can pro-to wrest the Seventh Plane from Baal- nounce an unholy word once per day.zebul, and with the strength thus gained Mephistopheles causes fear by gaze (savechallenge Asmodeus for the overlordship vs. spell applicable) or in a 10� radiusof all the hells. (save vs. wands). He can summon 1-3 ice

Mephistopheles� great iron citadel in devils with a 90% chance of success.the ice mountains of this frozen plane is a Description: Mephistopheles is a tall,place of much plotting and intrigue. The blue-black humanoid with handsome, ifouter marches of oozing slime and the diabolical, features. He is hugelysteaming fringe beyond, from whence muscled, as would be expected from hiscome Mephistopheles� malebranche and great strength. His wings are deep blue,pit fiends, are said to be a constant source as are his horns and talons. His eyes areof worry to him. pale blue with red irises and pupils.

DRAGON 13

MOLOCH (Arch-devil)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 12�HIT DICE: 126 hit points% IN LAIR: 95%TREASURE TYPE: I, R, S, T, XNO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 8-11/8-11/4-16SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: L (14½� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 226


Moloch is a Grand Duke, Viceroy ofBaalzebul, and the lord of the Sixth Planeof the hells. He is as strong as a hillgiant, and he attacks by grabbing andcrushing or piercing a victim with hishuge hands and taloned fingers, followedby the bite of his shark-toothed maw.

Moloch carries, and at times maychoose to employ, a six-tailed whip madeof an unknown, pliable metal. Thisdevice delivers either 1, 2, or 4 points ofdamage per tail striking, depending onthe number of charges he expends. Thedamage from this whip is electrical in

Attack is by weapon usually, since mostspined devils carry a short military fork(4½� long). When airborne, they are alsoable to use their taloned feet to inflictconsiderable raking damage. The spikedprojections on the body of a spined devil

Spined devils are found on all theplanes of the Nine Hells, although theyare most common on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th,and 5th. Spined devils are used as ser-vants, couriers, and the like, for they aretoo small and weak for most other duties.They often herd lemures.

FREQUENCY: CommonNO. APPEARING: 2-5 or 4-20ARMOR CLASS: 3MOVE: 6�/18�HIT DICE: 3+3% IN LAIR: 10%TREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 and/or 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type

and/or 1-4/1-4SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%INTELLIGENCE: Low-averageALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: S (3� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

SPINED (Least devil)

Description: Moloch is a great, square-bodied creature with red-orange skin. Hehas short, thick arms and legs, and huge,square hands and feet. His feet and headare horned. His head is huge with slant-ing eyes and a gaping mouth.

Great enmity exists between Molochand Geryon. If it were not for Baalzebul,there would be open warfare between thetwo, much to Moloch�s detriment andMephistopheles� delight.

Once per turn or melee round, asapplicable, Moloch can, at will, use thefollowing spell-like powers: affect normalfires, animate dead, beguile, burninghands (16 points of damage), detect invis-ibility, detect magic, fire charm, fly, geas,illusion, know alignment, polymorphself, produce fire, produce flame, pyro-technics, raise dead, read languages, readmagic, suggestion, teleport (no error),wall of fire, and (fulfill another�s limited)wish. Once per day Moloch is able tocreate a flame strike, use a symbol ofstunning, and pronounce an unholyword. When Moloch chooses, he maybreathe upon an individual, or up to 9persons within 30�. Those who fail a sav-ing throw vs. breath weapon will beaffected by fear such that they will droptheir weapons and flee. Moloch cansummon 1-3 horned devils (with an 80%chance of success).

nature, and so is greatly feared by lesspowerful devils.

can be pulled loose by the creature, andwill burst into flame when they arepulled out. Up to 12 of these spikes canbe loosed by these creatures when they areflying over an opponent, each inflictingdamage as a dart if it hits, and causingflammable materials to burst into flame.In melee, from 1-4 spines will wound anopponent if the devil elects to hurl itselfupon an antagonist. Hits are automaticon this sort of attack, but the devil canmake no other attack in the same round.

The following spell-like powers can beused by spined devils, one at a time, oneper round, at will: affect normal fires,change self, command, produce flame,scare, and summon (once per day) abarbed devil (5% chance of success).

TITIVILUS (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 15�/30�HIT DICE: 86 hit points% IN LAIR: 35%TREASURE TYPE: G, S, TNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +3SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%INTELLIGENCE: Supra-geniusALIGNMENT: Lawful EvilSIZE: M (5½� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 239


Titivilus is infamous for his ability totwist words, to use words to confuse, toconfuse those using words. Fittingly, heis the nuncio for Dispater. He is not largenor particularly strong, but he is mostclever. It is said that Titivilus possesses asilver sword of wounding. In any event,he typically uses his other powers.

At will, one per round, as applicable,Titivilus can use the following spell-likepowers: animate dead, bestow curse,charm person or mammal, chaos, emo-tion, feeblemind (once per day), forget,fumble, hypnotism, illusion, illusionaryscript, know alignment, message, misdi-rection, non-detection, polymorph self,protection from good, suggestion, tele-port, tongues, ventriloquism. Once perday Titivilus can use a symbol of discordor one of sleep (19 levels or hit dice or 99hit points affected � save indicates onlynodding and dozing with a 1 in 20 chanceper round of awakening fully). He causesfear by touch only. He can summon 1-4erinyes (50% chance of success). He regen-erates 1 point of damage per round.

Description: Titivilus appears very sim-ilar to a satyr, but he is actually morehuman-looking, save for his bat-likewings. His complexion is pale, but hisface slightly ruddy.

14 JULY 1983

D R A G O N 1 5

A devil . . . thought the adventurer.Now there is a fitting foe! Moreover, hislands would not be safe until it was nomore, and so he set about tracking it.

And a little later . . . There are morewhere that one came from, he thought tohimself, standing over its smolderingremains.

"They could well come again," he saidaloud.

"Yes," agreed the paladin who hadfought at his side. "You have joined anendless battle, my lord. But if you wearyof fighting it here, amid that which youhold dear, then come with me—I ride onthe hells tomorrow."

by Ed Greenwood

Devils and demons have always beenfavorite monsters in AD&D� play, partic-ularly with upper- and mid-level charac-ters. As a DM, I have been reluctant toinclude devils until I had done somework on the Nine Hells � for the simplereason that player characters, once theyare introduced to devils and find out factsabout them, are sure to want to carry thefight to the enemy�s home ground. I ambasically kind and fair (what DM isn�t?),and it goes against the grain not to allowcharacters to enter the hells after they�vegone to some trouble and expense tosecure the means to do so. Not permittingthem to make the trip, when they deserveto be given the try, condemns the charac-ters to endlessly be on the defensive whenfighting devils. Far more so than (forinstance) the chaotic layers of the Abyss,the environment of the Nine Hellsdemands that the DM do considerablepreparation before play moves to thatenvironment. There are gaps and uncer-tainties in available official informationabout the Hells. Briefly, this article willtouch on some of these and explain thereasoning I have adopted; other DMs maywell make different decisions. The treat-ment of the Nine Hells offered here leavesample room for a DM to make the hellsmore as he or she sees them, and/or toinclude specific features therein for a par-ticular adventure.

The very name of the styx devil (see theFIEND FOLIO® Tome, pp. 25-26)implies that the river Styx exists in someform in the Nine Hells of the AD&D mul-tiverse, and we know (from the DEITIES& DEMIGODS� Cyclopedia) that thesahuagin deity, Sekolah, swims in thedeepest part of the seas of the Nine Hells.Sekolah is a giant white shark that�hunts only the largest and fiercest ofprey.� The illustration in the DDG booksuggests that a giant squid is part of suchprey. Might Sekolah also hunt dragonturtles, or giant octopi? Or are thereaquatic leviathans unique to the hells?

There are other details a DM mustresolve, too: Gruumsh, Maglubiyet, Kur-tulmak and some human deities (Set, forexample) named in the DDG book areplaced in the Nine Hells. Gruumsh andMaglubiyet are locked in unending battlewith the armies they command, and thesearmies had best be geographically placedin relation to hell�s nine planes. In issue#64 of DRAGON® Magazine, Mr. Gygaxmoves the first three deities (to Gehenna,Gehenna, and Acheron respectively), butit is unclear whether this change appliesofficially to the AD&D rules, or just to theWORLD OF GREYHAWK� campaignsetting. Certainly, from a design stand-point, these deities are best removed, for ifthe archdevils themselves (see the DDGbook) are merely lesser gods, how do theyexist amicably with Set, a greater godwho conceivably has the power to (lawfulevil, remember?) rule them.

If any deities are to be allowed in the

Various hints about the nature of theNine Hells are found in the rules, such asthe suggestion (by inference from the de-scription of bone devils, and from thecold-related powers that Geryon and thebone devils possess) that Geryon�s planeis a rather icy place. By gathering theinformation contained in the AD&D rulebooks, and embellishing these facts with

High-level clerics of Bane regard devilsas a group of lawful evil beings who canbe commanded into various services bythe proper means, and who can beexpected to act thus-and-so due to theirlawful evil nature and the social organi-zation of the hells, but who are self-interested and not willing servants ofBane or of the clerics. This is essentiallyno different from the way clerics of otherdeities regard the devils; the diabolical arenever dealt with in safety and trust. Towhat extent Bane and the archdevilsknow of each other, or have contact, canremain vague � part of a DM�s �designelbow room� � for now. (Bane is geo-graphically separated from the NineHells, too � he is in Acheron.)

Using the rules

In the Realms (my campaign world), Ihave followed the idea of the shifts speci-fied by Mr. Gygax in DRAGON #64,removing all non-devil deities from theNine Hells except for Sekolah. In thecampaign pantheon there exists a greatergod of lawful evil alignment (Bane, byname) who is worshipped by humans.The problem of how to deal with such adeity vis-a-vis the archdevils has beenavoided by separating the two (the deityand the devils) entirely. Bane does notattempt to hinder or control Asmodeus orthe other devils because they serve hispurposes acting on their own, freeingBane to do his work elsewhere. By strictlyavoiding the devils, Bane maintains anunwitting (?) but steadfast and quitepowerful set of allies without fearingtreachery from them, and withoutexpending time and effort in the intriguesof training, organizing, or commandinginfernal armies.

Reality in the Realms

Most player-character invasions of thehells, too, would arrive on the first plane.It is, however, necessary for the DM atinvasion time to know something of theother planes of hell, since from thoseplanes will come the reactions to anysuch invasions. Here we depart from theofficial, and move into this writer�sattempts to make the Nine Hells a play-able environment.

hells, the suggestion from here is thatthey be confined to the first (uppermost)plane, which can serve as a universal�doormat� area for visitors and non-devils, and a staging area both for anystanding armies or defenders of the hells,and for foraging parties who are to leavethe hells on various missions.

information from literature, one can cob-ble together a geographical picture of theNine Hells.

A vast number of writers have offeredtheir own religious or primarily fantasticconceptions of the infernal regions (thoselands of the dead that are linked with evilspirits and, usually, punishment of thesouls of the dead). The chief sources ofgeographically detailed descriptions ofthe hells are listed here, for DMs whowant to develop their own versions:Dante�s Inferno; Homer�s Odyssey, bookXI; Virgil�s Aeneid, book VI; Spenser�sFaerie Queene, book II canto 7; Ariosto�sOrlando Furioso, book XVII; Tasso�sJerusalem Delivered, book IV; Milton�sParadise Lost; Fenelon�s Telemaque,book XVIII; and William Backford�s fan-tasy romance Vuthek. Libraries are thebest sources for the above books.

Also valuable are modern fantasy ver-sions of the hells drawn from the originalsources, such as Inferno by Larry Nivenand Jerry Pournelle (a 1976 Pocket Bookspaperback, still in print). There are manyother such examples in fantasy literature,and many comparable underworlds (thosein Ursula LeGuin�s The Furthest Shoreand H.P. Lovecraft�s The Dream-Quest ofUnknown Kaddath leap to mind) also tobe found therein that will yield ideas offlora, fauna, and physical conditions to aDM creating his or her own version of theNine Hells. What follows is my own(unofficial) conception.

Servants and vassalsBefore plunging into a plane-by-plane

description, a note regarding servant andvassal devils: These beings are useful inthat they help to delay any direct inter-vention by archdevils in play, stretchingout the fun and providing player charac-ters with individual, significant foes oflesser power before bringing the �bigguns� onstage. To characters (such aspowerful clerics) in the Realms who areprivy to such information, the role anddescriptions of these servant devils isknown to be as follows:

Some devils, even those of sufficientpower to attain archdevil rank, see theirsafest position in the present infernalregime to be that of lieutenant to anarchdevil. Their precise reasons for thisattitude are known only to themselves,but it is thought that some prefer tomaintain a low profile so that they canwork �behind the scenes,� and othersprefer to act in the name of an archdevil,thereby disclaiming responsibility fortheir own actions.

A DM should bear in mind that there iscertainly some degree of silent coopera-tion between these servant devils, whowish to avoid being openly set againsteach other (i.e., in combat) or against anyarchdevil. This cooperation must beobvious to the archdevils, who seem totolerate it (Baalzebul the least), and somebelieve that Asmodeus quietly aids and

DRAGON 17

encourages it, for it adds stability to thepresent status quo � in which he is ontop. Fear and/or mindfulness of generalstrategy (ahead of short-term tactics) pre-vent most open rivalries between devilsfrom escalating further than exchanges ofnasty words and cruel pranks. A playercharacter should not be able to play onedevil against another like a Machiavellimight manipulate his courtiers; bear inmind that most devils are of reasonablyhigh intelligence.

devils) the place in which intruders aredealt with.

It is a plane of darkness, consisting ofrocky crags and hillocks, a desolate waste-land of stunted, poisonous vegetation andbare rock. Many concealed pits lined withfilth-smeared stakes and the like havebeen prepared for intruders. Avernus hasno roads or buildings, but many cavesand warrens have been dug out of therocks; most are devils� homes, as unwarytravelers seeking shelter will soon learn.

1. AVERNUSThe uppermost plane of the Nine Hells

is ruled by Tiamat, the ChromaticDragon, and serves as a home to all lesserunique devils. These are devils with indi-vidual names and characteristics, andpowers of greater magnitude than thoseof a pit fiend (for all such unique devilsof lesser power are soon destroyed by theirenemies and the cruelty of their fellows),which are not otherwise placed in thehells as ruling archdevils or their directservants.

There are approximately fifty of theselesser unique devils; embittered, frus-trated beings who torment the lemuresand spined devils of this plane andviciously attack all intruders. Chiefamong them is Nergal, who like all of hisoutcast fellows plots and schemes con-stantly to win a higher rank, but throughhopes of reward always eagerly andenthusiastically obeys commands issuedby the archdevils. Most such commandsconcern the defense of the hells againstall intruders, for the dukes of hell have nowish to deal with intruders on their ownground � the plane or planes they rule�when such disorderly business can beconducted elsewhere. The uppermostplane of the hells thus serves as a mar-shalling area and training ground forinfernal armies, and is (preferably to the

Any non-devil lawful evil creatures notnative to the hells (such as the occasionalbeholder), if they are to be found in theinfernal regions at all, will be found onAvernus unless specifically located else-where by order of an archdevil. Onenoteworthy example of such creatures arethe nycadaemons (see the FIEND FOLIOTome). These have the power to movefreely about the Nine Hells, but they aredisliked and distrusted by the archdevilsand may well be met with physical oppo-sition if they appear uninvited on a planeother than Avernus. (DMs should bear in

At irregular intervals the darkness is litby fireballs (as in the spell, varying in sizeand damage from 2d6 to 7d6) that formspontaneously from the vapors of the air,bursting at any height above the ground.If one should notice a glowing, swirlingeffect in the air, one soon discovers that afireball will burst in that location oneround later. The precise cause of thesefiery discharges is unknown, but it isnatural and not under the control of anydevil or other creature. A gust of windspell will push a forming fireball away,but a dispel magic will not stop it fromforming, or negate its effects. (Editor�snote: DMs using Avernus in play shouldtake note of the alterations in magic spelleffects that are prevalent there and on theother planes of the Nine Hells. Thatinformation will be part of the secondinstallment of this article.)

mind that a nycadaemon might aid aparty of adventurers traveling in the hells,to further its own ends.)

Avernus is nominally ruled by Tiamat,the Chromatic Dragon. The mother of allevil dragonkind holds Avernus throughthe support of Asmodeus, but her actualauthority extends only as far as her physi-cal reach. Most of the inhabitants of theplane avoid her, not wishing to serve asher meals.

The Chromatic Dragon spends most(90%) of her time sprawled in her lair, thegreat caverns known as Azharul, �The

green, one blue, and one red (for details,refer to the Monster Manual). She is con-stantly guarded by these consorts, andwhen not plotting, feeding, enjoyingcruel sport or facing danger, Tiamat willbe found mating with one of them withina protective ring formed by the otherfour. She bears litters of 1-4 dragonets (or�mewlings�: very young dragons bornconscious and in control of their feeblepowers) after an average gestation periodof 6 days. Tiamat occasionally (7% chanceat any given time) travels via the AstralPlane or Ethereal Plane, perhaps to givebirth to a litter on the Prime MaterialPlane (or Planes, if the multiverse of yourcampaign includes �parallel worlds�) �sometimes grudgingly, at the behest ofAsmodeus, but more often to furthersome plan of her own.

The scant remainder of her time isspent roaming Avernus; very rarely, shejourneys to the palace of Asmodeus.Those of Tiamat�s offspring that are bornand remain on Avernus occupy them-selves with hunting down and bringingback food for Tiamat and her consortswhile the Chromatic Dragon is in herlair. These offspring/underlings are of allsizes, types, and ages of evil dragonkind,and all are aggressive, cruel, and in goodhealth. Injured, weak, or disobedientspecimens are soon eaten by Tiamat, orby others at her direction; she also dineson slain dragons, including slain consortswho have displeased her, and all newbornspawn who are multi-headed or otherwisechromatic in nature. The few of herspawn that survive to achieve �hugeadult� status serve as replacements for herconsorts.

Note that Tiamat will have fullamounts of treasure (as shown in theMonster Manual entry) only while in herlair. She may seize small amounts of trea-sure when on the Prime Material Plane,but only quantities which she can trans-port herself, since her bodyguards areunable to accompany her when she leavesAvernus. They guard her hoard inAzharul diligently in her absence, for shewill notice if even a single bauble is gone!

The treasure prized most highly byTiamat is magic � specifically, magic-user spells of 1st to 5th level which are

Dragonspawn Pits.� Here she is attendedby her bodyguards, five huge adult maledragons � one whhite, one black, one

18 JULY 1983

new to her. With these she can increaseher personal power, and consequently sheis always seeking more powerful offensiveand defensive spells which she can study,experiment with, and modify for her ownuse. Note that Tiamat needs time andtrial to modify a written magic-user spellfrom the standard form to her own (ver-bal component only) form of casting.

While on the Prime Material Plane, shewill reveal herself in the open only if shebelieves a fair chance exists to gain suchspells in so doing. Otherwise, her visits tothe Prime Material tend to be secretiveaffairs, for she feels uneasy without herbodyguards. In the past, it is said, manymen (and some of other races) wor-shipped Tiamat, and her visits were tri-umphs of worship, adulation, pamper-ing, and the bestowal or riches andmagical information to the extent ofhuman experimentation and masteryupon the Chromatic Dragon � but if thiswas indeed so, it is no longer the case.Nowadays, evil dragons will stillacknowledge their allegiance to her, butthis is a �worship� born of fear andrespect rather than love or loyalty.

Although Tiamat will battle (attempt-ing to kill and eat) individual devilswithout hesitation, she will never know-ingly attack an archdevil or a lieutenantto an archdevil. She rules her spawn byforce and fear, but her will is enforced onAvernus by 40 companies of abishaiunder the command of Malphas, 29 sim-ilar companies led by Amduscius, and 3companies of erinyes under the commandof the pit fiend Goap. (Names printed initalic type indicate devils who are indi-vidually described in the text that fol-lows.) These forces are always busy, forAvernus is constantly dealing withintruders and the machinations of the�rabble of devilkin� � former consortsfallen from favor, and other unique devilstoo weak or too mistrusted to gain orhold a position in the hierarchy of thehells. These beings are constantlyattempting to gather enough support towin (at least) a position in the service ofTiamat, perhaps by supplanting one ofthe incumbent vassal devils, and arealways moving to avoid the armiessearching for them. Among these outcastdevils are names such as Rumjal, Caim,Bist, Cahor, Dagon, Azazel, Armaros,Kochbiel, Nisroch, and Nergal.

Tales are told of a mysterious arch-devil, Astaroth, said to be mightier inpower than any devil save Asmodeushimself (see Alexander von Thorn�s arti-cle, �The Politics of Hell,� printed inDRAGON #28 and reprinted in the BESTOF DRAGON� Vol. II anthology), whodwells elsewhere than the Nine Hells,apart from the present regime, workingalone to advance his secret ends. Thisdevil represents the greatest threat toAsmodeus; with Astaroth�s support,Mephistopheles, Baalzebul, or even alesser archdevil such as Geryon could

Amduscias prefers to fight in wolfform; his movement rate is 18�, and heattacks with two raking foreclaws and hisjaws, or his hind claws and tail. If in aposition to do so, he can use all six ofthese attacks in a round, against as manytargets. The claws do 3-12 damage each,the jaws 1-20, and the tail 1-10 constric-tion damage per round plus additionaldamage if Amduscias uses it to immerse aheld victim in water, batter a victim

In human-like form Amduscias hasaverage dexterity, and two or three attacks(fists for 1-2 each and beak for 1-8, orweapon and beak). Amduscias is ambi-dextrous and can wield two weapons ifthey are small (e.g., daggers or darts).This devil has above average strengthwhen in human-like form, and a long,curved beak somewhat like a humming-bird�s in appearance. This beak is, how-ever, terrifically strong and sharp. Hismove in this form is 12�.

When in unicorn form, Amdusciasattacks with his horn (acts as a sword ofwounding, for 2-9 damage), or his hooves(2 per round, for 2-10 damage each). Hismaximum movement rate in this form is18�; he can �bolt� from a standing start,and some say that when horses spook orgallop uncontrollably, it is becauseAmduscias has affected them.

Amduscias is a duke in the service ofTiamat, ruler of Avernus, and leads 29companies of abishai. He is a being oflong memory and cunning strategies. Hecan shape change at will into a dirty yel-low unicorn with eyes of flame and apurple horn, a hawk-headed man (heusually wears dark red or black robeswhen in this form), or his favored form: awolf with a prehensile, constricting ser-pent�s tail. He does not need, and doesnot wear, armor in any of his forms.

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: See belowHIT DICE: 92 hit points% IN LAIR: 20%TREASURE TYPE: See belowNO. OF ATTACKS: See belowDAMAGE/ATTACK: See belowSPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better

weapon to hitMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: See belowPSIONIC ABILITY: 216


AMDUSCIAS (Duke of Hell)

conceivably wrest control of the NineHells from the Great Devil himself. Buteven the existence of Astaroth is uncer-tain; he is definitely not an avowed forcein the hells at this time.

against a rock, etc. The tail will loosen itsgrip if it is severed, or if it is dealt 17points of damage in any single round or 26 points of damage over a succession ofrounds.

Amduscias can change forms in oneround (during which he can do nothingelse except speak), and is restricted to theforms described. He can use the spell-likepowers listed below, one at a time, onceper round. Note that (as with other dev-ils) verbal, somatic, and material compo-nents � as spell-casters on the PrimeMaterial Plane know them � are notnecessary. Amduscias� spell-like powersare: pyrotechnics, produce flume, fireshield (either version), detect invisibility,detect lie, read magic, locate object, dispelmagic, telekinesis (5,000 g.p. maximumweight), find familiar (for another being;the familiar will be an imp), and faeriefire. Amduscias can cause fear (save vs.spell to avoid) in anyone within 3� hepoints at (but only one target per round).Once per day he can use a symbol ofstunning.

Amduscias is sometimes called the�Reconciliator of Foes,� because he is askillful actor and negotiator, and Tiamatoften employs him to mediate in disputesbetween devils or her kin. While in any ofhis forms, Amduscias can speak andunderstand perfectly any language (cf.tongues spell). When encountered,Amduscias will only have treasure withhim if he is in his human-like form; if so,it may be of any type. Amduscias regener-ates 2 hit points per round. He can sum-mon (with a 70% chance of success) 1-3abishai at will.

MALPHAS (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 12�/30� (in crow form)HIT DICE: 90 hit points% IN LAIR: 20%TREASURE TYPE: See belowNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +5SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better

weapon to hitMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: See belowPSIONIC ABILITY: 220


Malphas is a duke in the service ofTiamat, ruler of Avernus. He leads 40companies of abishai, and, like his fellowduke Amduscias and the pit fiend Goap,is likely to be found traveling aboutAvernus enforcing Tiamat�s will. None ofTiamat�s dukes have permanent en-campments or fortresses, but instead theymaintain a commonly held system of

D R A G O N 1 9

guarded, �safe� caves where their forcescan rest or gather.

Malphas appears as a powerful, dark-complexioned man dressed in black velvetstudded with gems (of considerable value;his robes have 333 gems of all sorts, 100g.p. base value each, if recovered com-plete), or as a large, black, crow-like bird.

Malphas shuns armor, and fights withall weapons (and his spell-like powers)when in human form. His voice is deepand compelling, and with his powers oftongues and ESP (usable at will), he isadept at deceiving others, particularlynon-devils. He may carry treasure of anytype if encountered in human form.

Once per round, at will, Malphas canuse one of his spell-like powers: tonguesor ESP (as noted above), pyrotechnics,produce flame, fortress (this creates astructure similar to Daern�s Instant For-tress � see the DMG � in all respects,save that its door will open and close foranyone, and it will disappear in 16 turnsor when Malphas wills), detect invisibil-ity, read magic, dispel magic, flame arrow(Malphas can also apply this to bladeswielded by himself or others; thesebecome flume tongue swords � fierydamage, but no �to hit� bonuses � for 3rounds), and remove (or bestow) curse.Once per day Malphas can use a symbolof pain, and he can cause fear (save vs.spell at -2 to avoid) by touch (one targetper round). He can summon 1-2 abishai,with a 55% chance of success, at will.Malphas regenerates 2 hit points perround.

NERGAL (Greater Devil)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 18�/10�HIT DICE: 106 hit points% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better

weapon to hitMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (9� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 211


Nergal is the most powerful of the�rabble of devilkin� banished to Avernusby the archdevils. Usually enveloped inmagical darkness, Nergal appears as alion-headed, winged toad. His mottledpinkish-grey, warty skin is covered withsores which ooze a clear, colorless ichor.This liquid is deadly poisonous tohumans and demi-humans, who mustsave vs. poison to avoid this effect if con-tacted. If the save is successful, the ichor

20 JULY 1983

Bist, a devil akin to the hellcats (see theFIEND FOLIO Tome: Hellcat), is totallyselfish and a master of duplicity. Forthese reasons, she is mistrusted by allarchdevils and is confined to Avernus.Bist cannot leave the hells without beingsummoned (unlike hellcats), for she hasbeen compelled to change her name, andthus can no longer be summoned bymages on other planes. She shares many

Attack/Defense Modes: All/allPSIONIC ABILITY: 213

TREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5/2-5/2-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 60%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (9� long)

HIT DICE: 90 hit points% IN LAIR: Nil

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 14�

BIST (Greater Devil)

Nergal likes to present himself tohuman intruders as a fellow man horriblytransformed by diabolic magic, and may�help� the intruders for a time, usually tolearn of their powers, magic, treasure,and purposes, before luring them into atrap. Often he uses the powers and magiche obtains in this way to torment his vic-tims; sometimes he hoards informationand treasure he obtains to use it for bar-gaining purposes. Always, he builds andlooks to the future, planning a forcibleentry into the ranks of the dukes or arch-devils. He has no fixed abode or lair, butoften conceals caches of treasure or magiche has seized in caverns and grottos scat-tered all about Avernus.

Nergal can employ the following spell-like powers, one at a time and once perround: pyrotechnics, produce flume, wallof fire, continual light, tongues, readmagic, detect magic, detect invisibility,dispel magic, and darkness 15� radius. Hecan cause fear (save vs. spell to avoid) bytouch, if he so wills. Nergal regenerates 2hit points per round. (Note that he can-not use a symbol, nor can he summonother devils to his aid.)

Nergal is warlike, quick to attack thosewho defy him or bully injured or weakercreatures. His bite does 3-12 points ofdamage, and possibly confers a disease;refer to the DMG for type and effects. Vic-tims who are bitten must save vs. poisonat +3 to avoid disease.

does 1-6 points of corrosive damage andconfers immunity to its effects upon thevictim for 10-40 turns. Nergal is some-times called �The Bringer of Pestilenceand Fever� because of this property.

Invisible in the presence of light(except for her eyes, which appear asirises of orange flame floating in midair),Bist appears in darkness as a faintly lumi-nescent, wraith-like, and unusually largehellcat. Her eyes retain their flame-likeappearance when she is so revealed.

of the hellcats� other capabilities,however.

Bist is immune to all mind-controllingspells (charm, hold, sleep, etc.). She canonly be hit by weapons of +2 �to hit� orbetter, and all magical weapons lose theirdamage bonuses when striking her. Bistcommunicates by telepathy in a 14�range, although she can speak (in a hiss-ing, rasping voice) the common tongue,Mabrahoring (the High Tongue of thehells), and the lawful evil alignmenttongue.

Bist can employ the following spell-like powers at will, one at a time andonce per round: pyrotechnics, produceflume, affect normal fires, detect magic,detect invisibility, dispel magic, magicmissile (3 missiles per spell), and shield.

Once per day Bist can employ gazereflection, and once per day she canblink. In addition, she can generate fearat will in a 5�-radius sphere about herself.Bist regenerates 1 hit point per round.

CAIM (Greater Devil)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 8�/16�HIT DICE: 93 hit points% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better

weapon to hitMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: S (5� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 213


Caim is an outcast devil, bound toAvernus. He is a gossip and a sneak, andis particularly disliked in the hells. Askilled orator, he can always make hisown actions or opinions seem reasonable�and he often seeks to dupe intruders,partly because he considers the flesh ofelves and men delicious.

Caim appears as a large, upright,darkly handsome bird � a thrush � witha long, sharp beak and a belt about thehips. In pouches on this belt Caim carriesitems he deems necessary, manipulatingthem by means of his unseen servantspell-like power.

Caim can employ the following spell-like powers at will, one at a time andonce per round: pyrotechnics, produce

affect normal fires, unseen servant, light,detect magic, detect invisibility, dispelmagic, hold person, and tongues.

Once per day Caim can reverse gravity;thrice per day he can cast repulsion. Caimcan generate fear in a 5�-radius sphereabout himself, at will. He regenerates 1hit point every 2 rounds.

2. DISThe second plane of the Nine Hells is

largely flat, with here and there a barehill or tor rising smoothly up out of theplains. Its sky is a thick, smoky-huedgreen without clouds, occasionally lit upby high lightning flickers and faintthunder. The black and cold waters of

outward from the moat surrounding thecity of Dis, which is the seat of the arch-devil Dispater.

stagnant rivers and streams are stretchedthreadlike across the plain, radiating

The city of Dis, built of unrusting iron,stands on an island in the center of a lakewhere the rivers meet. The waters are poi-soned and give off odiferous vapors,sometimes visible as smoky wisps orplumes. Over the plains sweep ceaseless,fierce winds, tumbling many lemureshelplessly through the air to strikerepeatedly against the ground or eachother. There is at least a 10% chance eachround that a land-based traveler trying tostand or move against the wind will beswept off his or her feet (20% chance ifmounted or standing high on an exposedposition).

Aerial travelers will find the windunpredictable and savage, so that unlessthey have spent years learning tomaneuver in constantly changing winds,they suffer a Flight Class penalty of -1,and an aerial movement penalty of -3�.(Those of Flight Class E retain the abilityto fly, but lose a total of 6� move distanceper round. Movement penalties in all

cases should end when a creature isreduced to a maximum 2� move.)

Erinyes, being native to the plane, cannavigate with comparative ease in thegale (suffering no penalties), and some ofthese devil-types are always aloft, buffet-ing lemures for sport and watching forintruders. Erinyes earn increased poweron the plane of Dis through the favor ofDispater, who rewards them for unswerv-ing loyalty (he often arranges tests ortraps for his servants) and for missionsdiligently and well accomplished. Whenan erinyes encounters intruders in Dis, itwill usually fly near to observe clearlytheir numbers and appearance, and thenhead straight for Dis to inform the pitfiend Baalzephon, Dispater himself, oneof Dispater�s other commanders, or one ofthe �Iron Guard� (Dispater�s bodyguardof malebranche).

Almost certainly the erinyes willencounter others of its kind while on thisjourney, and these it usually informs inpassing of the intruders and their loca-tion, so that said intruders will likelysuffer attacks from odd bands of erinyesbefore any organized force is sent outfrom the Iron City. If a group of erinyesencounters intruders, all but one � themessenger to Dis � will immediatelyattack. They may not seek to slay theintruders outright, for Dispater, like allarchdevils, is always alert for beings oritems that can help maintain or improvehis own position, and no erinyes deliber-ately courts his wrath by destroying some-thing Dispater might have liked to have.

The Iron City itself is a dismal place ofeyrie-riddled towers, zombies, garbage-choked streets alive with rot grubs (and ablack pudding here and there), and iron-barred cells full of chains and tortureimplements. Abishai, imps, and spineddevils, plus occasional barbed devils, hell-cats, and rakshasa, throng the dark, reek-ing streets.

The island on which the city is builtrises sharply in elevation toward the cen-ter, and on this rocky knob is the �infer-nally grand� palace of Dispater, manytowered and terrible. It is fashioned ofstone (unlike the rest of the city) and fur-nished with iron, carved bone, and stone.Its terraced approaches are adorned withtrees fashioned of iron. The palace is offlimits to those without a reason for beingthere. Erinyes can be seen frequently flit-ting in and out of the palace�s high,arched windows (presumably to give orreceive information). There are manycaverns beneath the palace, known as�the pits of Dis,� where prisoners live inunmanacled savagery, fighting for theedible garbage that falls into their light-less realm down shafts from the palaceabove.

Far from the central city, the plains ofDis rise into rolling hills, haunted by�wild� erinyes who seldom or never gointo the city, and by many hellcats. Pil-lars of stone are said to move about in the

rolling hills of Dis, but nothing definiteis known of these.

Hellcats serve various of the lesser dev-ils, and can be found on all of the planesof the Nine Hells (except the ninth, forAsmodeus does not employ them and sel-dom tolerates the servants of others in hisdomain) from time to time, in accordancewith their masters� wishes. Most of thedevils regard hellcats as sneaking spiesand useful errand-runners, but untrust-worthy due to their mutable loyalty, andof little consequence. Hellcats chargedwith guarding or the performance ofother protective tasks will serve with zeal-ous diligence, hoping to gain favor withtheir masters.

Between the city and the hills lie thevast estates held in fief by Dispater�s vas-sals. The duke Bitru is the strongest ofthese vassals; he can muster 70 companiesof erinyes. Merodach (described below),commanding 21 companies of barbeddevils, and the pit fiend Furcas, with 12companies of bearded devils, also boastsizable holdings. Mephits, achaierai, andrakshasas wander these holdings, andstench kows and spined devils are theworking backbone of them. Rakshasassometimes achieve positions of responsi-bility in a duke�s household or retinue,but are always watched closely, for theyare too self-willed and ambitious to betrusted servants.

In the city of Dis itself � and almostalways within Dispater�s palace � can befound Lilis, Dispater�s consort; his primeminister, the pit fiend Baalzephon, whoorders and administers Dispater�s vassalsand armies; and Biffant, the provost, whoruns and commands the staff of thepalace itself. Titivilus, Dispater�s nuncio,can be found here, as can the pit fiendBel, who commands the �Iron Guard� (3companies of malebranche), and Arioch,Dispater�s avenger, who punishes allthose who have wronged or hindered thewill and plans of Dispater.

LILIS (Princess of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 14�/26�HIT DICE: 66 hit points% IN LAIR: 85%TREASURE TYPE: Q (×4), SNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +3SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 60%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (5� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 211


Lilis, consort of Dispater, is one of theolder and weaker female devils, but her

DR A G O N 21

PSIONIC ABILITY: 226

careful diplomacy and strategies and herattention to events in the hells and else-where (her network of spies is said to besecond only to that of Asmodeus) haskept her own position in the infernalregions as secure as that of any of thenobility of the hells. Lilis and Biffant(q.v.), Dispater�s provost, are as trustingand as close as two devils ever become �but both are (thus far) unswervingly loyalto Dispater, making his control of Dis theenvy of other archdevils.

Once per round, at will, Lilis canemploy one of the following spell-likepowers: pyrotechnics, produce flume,animate dead, charm person, dispelmagic, know alignment, detect lie,tongues, read magic, dimension door,repulsion, invisibility, (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Once per day Lilis cancause insanity by touch. She can causefear by pointing at a victim (one victimper round; saving throw vs. spell appli-cable). She can summon 1-3 erinyes (70%chance of success), and can regenerate 1point of damage every turn.

Description: Lilis has orange-red skin,copper-colored hair and green eyes; shelooks like a short, plump, well-preservedhuman female of middle age, except forthe hue of her skin, her tiny orange-redhorns, long red nails, forked tail, wings,and delicate cloven black hooves.

ARIOCH (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 14�/20�HIT DICE: 123 hit points% IN LAIR: 65%TREASURE TYPE: See belowNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 (bite), by

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (9� tall)

weapon type +6


Arioch serves Dispater in the office of�avenger,� meting out punishment uponall on Dis who defy or otherwise displeasehis master. He also wards off the intru-sions of devils of all ranks from otherplanes, and accompanies his master asbodyguard in all situations of possibleperil (such as visits to the court of Asmo-deus or other planes). In combat, Ariochemploys a huge, 20-foot-long, double-ended +1 halberd (having a blade at eitherend, and wielded by grasping in the mid-dle of the shaft) of adamantite.

Arioch can use the following spell-likepowers, one at a time, once per round:produce flume, blink, dispel magic, detect

Description: Arioch�s flat, reptilianhead (rather like a stubby crocodile�s) isringed with a leonine mane. His skin isdark wine-red, deepening to purple onthe head and shoulders, and on his greatbat-like wings. Arioch has a forked tail,great cloven hooves, and heavily muscledarms.

invisibility, remove (or bestow) curse, andmagic missile (6 missiles per spell). Onceper day Arioch can use a symbol of death.He radiates fear at will in a 6� radius (sav-ing throw vs. spell to avoid). Ariochregenerates 2 hit points per round.

BIFFANT (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 14�HIT DICE: 84 hit points% IN LAIR: 90%TREASURE TYPE: Q (×8), SNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +3SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 219


Biffant serves Dispater as provost, run-ning the affairs of that archdevil�s palace.Consequently, he is almost always to befound in the Iron City, usually in thepalace itself, where he is never without astaff/guard of two �messenger� erinyesand six servant spined devils. Typicallyhe carries an ornate iron rod (equal indamage potential to a morning star), butwill seize whatever is at hand in a battle.Biffant prefers to let others fight for him,however, and will try to summon or oth-erwise call for aid if attacked. He is notparticularly brave or forceful, but is craftyand plans far, far into the future. Biffantand Lilis (q.v.) are said to be veryfriendly; closer in mutual understandingand cooperation, some say, than Lilis andDispater himself.

Once per round Biffant can use any oneof the following spell-like powers: pyro-technics, produce flume, wall of fire, readmagic, detect invisibility, detect magic,detect lie, know alignment, locate object,animate dead, and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Once per day he canemploy a symbol of hopelessness, or oneof pain. Biffant radiates fear in a 3�radius at will. He is able to summon 1-6spined devils (70% chance of success) or1-2 erinyes (30% chance of success) whennecessary. Biffant regenerates 1 hit pointper round.

Description: Biffant appears as aportly, blood-red skinned humanoiddevil, wingless but with a small, tufted

22 JULY 1983

D R A G O N 2 3

tail and two inward-pointing, hook-curved horns that sprout from his headabove either temple. His eyes are of a sin-gle hue, deep blue-green, and he is alwayssmiling.

MERODACH (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 14�/12�HIT DICE: 92 hit points% IN LAIR: 50%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: See belowDAMAGE/ATTACK: See belowSPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (12� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 196


Merodach is a duke in the service ofDispater, and leads 21 companies ofbarbed devils into battle on his master�sbehalf. Merodach has the body of a wolf,large, feathered wings, and a prehensile,serpentine tail. Atop Merodach�s head aretwo huge, spreading longhorns, and thesehe can turn slightly to strike an oppo-nent. A clumsy flyer (Flight Class D), heprefers to run on all fours, but in battleoften rears up to wield a weapon with hisfront claws. He has no special or magicalweapons, but favors polearms of all sorts.In a fight his jaws do 1-10 damage, hisclaws 1-4 and 1-4 (or one attack with aweapon, damage as per weapon type +5),and his horns 2-12 each. Merodach�s taildoes no damage in combat, but is used totrip, blind, and disarm opponents, or tocarry weapons for Merodach�s use later.

At will Merodach can use the followingspell-like powers, one at a time and onceper round: pyrotechnics, produce flame,animate dead, detect invisibility, knowalignment, telekinesis (5000 g.p. weightlimit), read magic, teleport, and (fulfillanother�s limited) wish.

Once per day, Merodach can employ asymbol of pain. He is able to cause fearby touch (save vs. spell to avoid). He cansummon 1-2 barbed devils with a 50%chance of success. Merodach regenerates 2hit points per round.

ALOCER (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 12�HIT DICE: 90 hit points% IN LAIR: 50%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2

DAMAGE/ATTACK: Bite 2-8, byweapon type +4

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (7� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 196


Alocer is a duke in the service of Dis-pater, and leads 36 companies of erinyesinto battle. Warlike in attitude, Alocerwears plate mail and fights with broad-sword, axe, mace, and dagger, wieldingone at a time and biting at the same timewith his great jaws. He will seize andemploy other weapons (incurring nonon-proficiency penalties) available whenin battle, and often rides a nightmare

Alocer has a humanoid body with red-gold flesh and a fearsome leonine head.The fiery flash of his eyes can be seen forsome distance; if one meets their gaze, thevictim must save vs. spells or be blindedfor 2-12 days (devils are immune to thispower). A cure blindness or dispel magicspell will restore sight to a victim.

about his estates or to war.

Once per round, Alocer can employone of the following spell-like powers:pyrotechnics, produce-flame, detectmagic, detect invisibility, fly (enablinghim to act as an erinyes in terms of flightclass and move), dispel magic, dancinglights, and read magic. Alocer can causefear by touch (save vs. spell at -3 toavoid). Once per day he can use a symbolof stunning or one of discord. Alocer cansummon 1-2 erinyes with a 65% chance ofsuccess. He regenerates 2 hit points perround.

Typically, barbed devils perch atop thestone of a cell, burning the heads andexposed portions of the prisoners below.Prisoners soon learn (if they survive thatlong) to sit tight against the rock so thatthey can use it for protection and sup-port, to elevate themselves out of thewater by sitting on a pile of bones, and tokeep their heads above water even whensleep comes. Barbed devils can control the

The fortress of Mammon is the onlybuilding of any sort on Minauros; in themarshes, Mammon allows stone to beused only in �cells.� These are great shal-low pits (two or three feet deep in water)in which one or more great stones lie.Fastened to the stones at one end, anddangling away from them, are greatchains and manacles of iron or brass. Thevigilant barbed devils will capture anyintruders and bring them hence, wherethey sit or stand chained in the cold, fetidwater until they die, are taken away forinterrogation or torture, or escape. Some-times when Mammon or his lieutenantsare occupied elsewhere, the barbed devilswill let a prisoner �escape� and thenhunt it for cruel sport. What they cannotcapture they kill, or else call on Focalor,the pit fiend Zimimar, or Mammon him-self to deal with.

Disease (DMG, pp. 13-15) is rampanthere; the base chance of a creature notnative to the hells contracting a diseasehere is 13% per trip (including the modi-fiers for polluted water, etc. � but notethat this base chance is doubled if a crea-ture imbibes any of the water on theground of Minauros, deliberately or inad-vertently). Bones and the like are alwayshandy for use as weapons � but their�handiness� also obstructs movement,causing constant stumbling and occa-sional falls for those who travel overland.A fall may do serious damage if the vic-tim strikes an upthrust bone, or isknocked unconscious, perchance todrown.

The outlands of Minauros form onegreat dismal marsh of stinking, rottingearth, covered with carrion and someinches of water. It is a place of eternalrain; dirty water mixed with hail fallsceaselessly, at a steady pace, from themurky, fog-shrouded air. The bodies of agreat many creatures lie here; indeed, it issaid elsewhere in the hells that Mam-mon�s house is built upon them.

The third plane of the Nine Hells isruled by Mammon, the clutching �Lordof Avarice,� and nothing of value existsfor long on this plane before being de-stroyed or taken inside the walls of hismany-pillared fortress. This namelessabode is built of black stone broughtfrom another plane (possibly the PrimeMaterial), and stands crazily upon greatpillars that sink constantly, slowly, intothe bottomless ooze of the marsh.

3. MINAUROS

24 JULY 1983

intensity and size of their produce flameability with great accuracy. The groundwater of Minauros will douse such aflame, but the resultant scalding steamcan also do considerable damage to theunprotected. (Barbed devils are notharmed by the steam.)

Toward the center of the plane, Minau-ros rises into a vast tortured volcanic bad-lands of ash-hills and slime-filled rifts.The palace of Mammon sits in a marshybowl at the heart of these volcanic lands,where many rifts meet. It is here whereMammon�s seneschal, Focalor, standsguard over Glasya (Mammon�s consort),Mammon�s palace, and Mammon�s affairswhen his master is out hunting across thebadlands. The pit fiend Zimimar com-mands the �palace guard� of 6 companiesof bone devils, and will either be found atthe palace or hurrying elsewhere to pro-tect Mammon or enforce his will.

The vassal dukes of Mammon rulestretches of volcanic ridges and ash-choked, lifeless woods far from the centralpalace, between the uplands and themarshes where prisoners lie in dolor.Chief among these vassal dukes is Bael,who can gather 66 companies of barbeddevils (and actively plots to supplantFocalor, and ultimately Mammon him-self). The duke Caarcrinolaas commands36 companies of barbed devils, andalthough he is aware of Bael�s ambitions,neither supports nor betrays them. Theduke Melchon, who can muster only 18companies of erinyes, chooses to be ea-gerly and actively loyal to Mammon �which has earned him the deep suspicionof the seneschal Focalor.

FOCALOR (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 12�/16�.HIT DICE: 121 hit points% IN LAIR: 80%TREASURE TYPE: F, I, Q (×3)NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6, or by

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)

weapon type +4

PSIONIC ABILITY: 223Attack/Defense Modes: All/all

Focalor is seneschal (an agent, or bai-liff) to Mammon, and wields much of thereal power in Minauros, for his master issomewhat neglectful of security anddiplomacy. The thin, often silent Focaloris careful in word and deed, and a masterstrategist. He is respectful, too, and takesno risks with the safety of Glasya (Mam-mon�s consort) and that of the palace

Twice per day Focalor can blink, onceper day he can cause blindness by touch,and four times a day he can remove (orbestow) curse. He can use a symbol ofstunning once per day, and he can sum-mon 1-2 barbed devils (40% chance) or 1-4erinyes (65% chance) at will. Focalorcauses fear by his breath, a cone of foul-smelling vapor 1� in range, spreadingfrom a mouth-sized base to a 3�-widespray. He can direct this at any target(s)in the area of effect, one exhalation perround (save vs. spell at -1 to avoid).Focalor regenerates 1 hit point per round.

Description: Focalor appears human �a thin, bearded, and middle-aged states-man or sage with power and heavy con-cerns � until he unfurls his featheredwings from his flowing robes or revealshis brown cloven hooves. Focalor wearsan iron gauntlet on his right hand, as hisbadge of office, and with this gauntlet hecan strike for 1-6 damage. He is normallyarmed with a staff, but will seize anyweapons in battle. His skin is a palepink-green, and if his armpits and flanksare revealed, tiny scales will be seen.

When summoned to the Prime MaterialPlane, Focalor will seize any chance toswim (for this he enjoys), and revels inthe use of two powers of his that are inef-fective in the hells: fish command (as inthe trident of fish command, DMG p.155; all fish save at +1), and call storms(usable only when at sea), basically acombination of call lightning and controlwinds. The call storms ability, when

Focalor can employ the followingspell-like powers, one at a time and onceper round: pyrotechnics, produce flame,invisibility, detect invisibility, detectmagic, read magic, tongues, dispel magic,gust of wind, water breathing, teleport,know alignment, passwall, and (fulfillanother�s limited) wish.

itself. Most of the other archdevils (andthe outcast Nergal; see Avernus section)believe that Mammon would be easy preywere it not for the strength of his fewdukes, and for the wise care of Focalor.Focalor�s loyalty seems unshakeable; mostof the archdevils have in the past tested it,and they continue to do so.

employed, evokes lightning dischargesfrom any clouds present, bringing alsorain and strong winds in the directionand intensity Focalor wills, the wholeeffect lasting 4 turns. If no clouds arepresent, this power attracts them (whichmay take several hours, or a day or more).When they arrive, Focalor (if still present)can use the call storms ability again, asdescribed above, to bring the storm out ofthe �summoned� clouds.

CAARCRINOLAAS (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 14�/12�HIT DICE: 104 hit points% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (7½� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 203


Caarcrinolaas is a duke in the service ofMammon, and leads 36 companies ofbarbed devils into combat at his master�sbehest. In battle he wields a +3 scythe thatdoes 5-11 (2-8 +3) damage vs. targets ofany size, and wears armor with a high-spired collar to protect his head (for hewears no helm). He is indifferent to theambitions of others, preferring to followorders and wait for any opportunity tobetter himself to come along. Let othersrisk their necks in intrigues; Caarcrino-laas will sit and watch patiently.

He can use the following spell-likepowers at will, once per round and one ata time: pyrotechnics, produce flame,detect invisibility, detect magic, readmagic, dispel magic, animate dead, tele-port, invisibility, fire shield (either ver-sion), and (fulfill another�s limited) wish.

DR A G O N 25

Twice per day Melchon can cast adelayed blast fireball of 6d6 damage, andonce per day he can use a symbol of hope-lessness. Melchon causes fear in all crea-tures within 1� of any living being hestrikes, including the target struck; allmust save vs. spell (the target at -2) toavoid). Melchon can summon 1-3 erinyes(70% chance) whenever desired. He regen-erates 2 hit points of damage every round.

Melchon can employ any one of thefollowing spell-like powers in a round,one at a time: pyrotechnics, produceflame, envenom (which turns water � ofany sort except holy water � to a caustic,viscous venom used by erinyes and Mel-chon himself upon their weapons), detectinvisibility, detect magic, read magic,dispel magic, teleport, and suggestion.

Melchon is a duke in the service ofMammon, on whose behalf he leads 18companies of erinyes in battle. A devilmost jealous of his stronger fellows, Mel-chon is something of a malcontent inMinauros, and would welcome any set-back to Bael or Focalor � but he maskshis true feelings.

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 13�HIT DICE: 101 hit points% IN LAIR: 55% TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE ATTACK: By weapon type +5SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 189


MELCHON (Duke of Hell)

Description: Caarcrinolaas is agray/brown-furred, dog-headed human-oid with scarlet bat-like wings, uprightscarlet horns protruding from a bonybrow-ridge above each temple, blackhooves, and a scarlet, forked tail. In thecenter of his brow is a third horn. Tallerthan the two up-curved flanking horns, itprotrudes straight up, and can beemployed (3-6 thrusting damage) againstany targets directly above Caarcrinolaas(a rare circumstance). He has strong,bony, scarred hands of human appear-ance, and glittering yellow eyes.

Once per day Caarcrinolaas can cast adeath spell, and twice per day he can pet-rify one creature by touch (as in flesh tostone; normal saving throw allowed).Once per day he can use a symbol ofpain, and he causes fear by touch if he sowills. He can summon 1-3 barbed devilswith a 65% chance of success. He regener-ates 1 hit point per round.

Description: Melchon is a fiery red-skinned, humanoid devil with upturned,bull-like horns; black, curling brows andbeard; black hooves; and large, crimsonwings. In battle he strikes with his weap-ons � usually a trident or a great two-handed war axe (12� long, damage 3- 12vs. S/M, 3-18 vs. L).

His weaponry may vary, but Melchon�sweapons are never magical, and they arealways envenomed (see Monster Manual,Erinyes, for effects of the venom). Mel-chon also makes use of his long, agileforked tail, which ends in a sharp sting.This sting does 2-8 points of stabbingdamage, and Melchon usually envenomsit prior to any expected combat. Melchonis immune to the effects of his, and otherdevils�, caustic venom. Melchon�s venomdoes not dry out in the hells (althoughusage does wear it off of a weapon), but itis harmless outside the infernal regionsunless it is continually within 1� of adevil (an erinyes, or Melchon himself).

4. PHLEGETHOSThe fourth plane of the Nine Hells is

ruled by Belial. It is a tortured realm ofvolcanoes, gouting fires, hills of ash, andpits of smoking dung. The ground isalways uncomfortably hot � mostintruders are constantly on the move �and well patrolled by groups of barbeddevils. Ground tremors are common, anda sudden, violent eruption or the openingof a fissure in the earth is not unusual.The sky is a dark, starless void, but thelandscape is weirdly lit by leaping flamesall about. There are rivers of liquid fire,and at least two large lakes (all the bodiesof liquid are interconnected), and therethe flames blaze brightest.

This �water� is home to several wan-dering salamanders that were broughthere long ago, to be bound in servitude toBelial. This didn�t work out � sala-manders take orders from no creaturewhen it does not suit them � and most of

the salamanders were immediately slainby Belial�s servants and vassals. But a fewescaped, yet bound to this plane byBelial�s magic, and survive by avoidinglarge groups of devils and snatching lonecreatures who venture too near to one ofthe rivers of fire.

These salamanders grow fewer as, oneby one, they are found and slain � butthe devils are busy, and the salamanderscan leave the rivers without any harm andventure elsewhere on Phlegethos, so theyhave lots of places to hide. Their favoritehiding spots are long, worm-like volcanic�tubes� in rock, and they are fond of bur-rowing into a hill of ash until it collapsesoverhead to conceal the burrower.

This plane is perhaps the most visitedof the Nine Hells except for Avernus,since outsiders who work magic oftencome to the fabled �firefalls� of Phlege-thos, where the rivers of fire tumble fromvolcanic ridges down into clefts. The firein such a spot is mentioned by manyalchemists and mages skilled in the crea-tion of magic items. The best flametongue swords (DMG, p. 165) are made insuch places; one account of the making ofa helm of brilliance mentions one suchsite, and the barbed devils themselvesseem attracted to such falls of flame, leap-ing and playing about the firefalls andemploying their produce flame powers asif excited.

Belial rules from the huge, hollowed-out shell of a dead volcano. His strong-hold-is known as Abriymoch, �TheMount of Leaping Flames.� The arch-devil is attended by his consort Naome,his legate Chamo, and a few malebranche(notable among them the great scarredspecimen known as �Night Fang�) underthe command of the pit fiend Zapan.

Abriymoch consists of several tiers ofchambers, opening into the central shaftlike balconies, and connected to eachother by stairs, shafts, and a great spiralpath that winds about the central gulf orshaft of the dead volcano. Some chambersstretch through the sloping walls of thevolcano and have windows or doorsopening out onto the volcano�s outsideflanks. The lips of the volcanic crater arecrowned by Abriymoch�s basalt towers. Afew erinyes under the command of the pitfiend Zaebos, Belial�s lieutenant, serve asmessengers within Abriymoch andbetween it and vassal dukes or outlyingpatrols. These erinyes are often bulliedand are quite miserable, and as usualhave their eyes always on bettering theirown positions in the hells. Chamo sus-pects that the erinyes have served as thespies of Asmodeus, Baalzebul, and per-haps other archdevils in the past, but hehas not yet been able to prove anything.

Abriymoch is staffed by spined andbearded devils, and has a kennel of hellhounds that can be used by Zapan�s forcesto help defend and guard the palace.

The vast, smoking plains surroundingthe volcanic heart of Phlegethos are the

26 JULY 1983

PSIONIC ABILITY: 219

domain of Belial�s vassals: Balan, whocommands 40 companies of bearded dev-ils; Bathym, who can muster 30 compa-nies of barbed devils; and Gaziel, wholeads 11 companies of bone devils. Thesevassals are usually dealt with and com-manded by Zaebos, speaking for his mas-ter Belial, who, assisted by Chamo, isusually occupied with matters of diplo-macy and intrigue within the Nine Hells.

Phlegethos is the most chaotic physicalenvironment in the Nine Hells, affordingintruders the most opportunities for con-cealment � but it is also one of the mostactive planes, being constantly traveled byits inhabitants. The archdevils of otherplanes often test underlings by sendingthem here, charged with accomplishing atask and remaining undetected by thepatrols that roam Phlegethos, while theirprogress is observed by spies � of whomthere are many among the barbed devils.

As with Minauros, the outlands ofPhlegethos are wetter and lower than theinterior, and these �reeking fens� arepopulated by bearded devils, a few styxdevils and abishai, hell hounds, lemures,and the mephits who flit about constantlyeverywhere on Phlegethos, serving as�eyes� for any and all who reward them.

NAOME (Princess of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 16�/26�HIT DICE: 69 hit points% IN LAIR: 85%TREASURE TYPE: P, S, TNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +5SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)


Naome is consort to Belial, the ruler ofPhlegethos. She spends much of her timein Abriymoch, but is highly regarded inthe hells for her settling of disputes whenothers have failed, and her shrewd bar-gaining ability. In battle she uses herspells and a long scimitar; although sherarely engages in combat, it is said sheenjoys a good fight.

Naome can employ the following spell-like powers, one at a time and once perround, at will: pyrotechnics, produceflame, charm person, dispel magic, knowalignment, detect invisible, read magic,telekinesis, (2,000 g.p. weight limit), sug-gestion, teleport, and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Once per day Naome cancast a feeblemind (normal saving throwapplies) on one creature. Her gaze can, ifshe so wills, cause fear (save vs. spell to

avoid). She can summon 1-4 barbed devils(65% chance of success), and regenerates 2points of damage every turn.

Description: Naome is a short, burly,middle-aged female devil, with longbrown hair and cold, pale blue-greeneyes. She has a tinkling laugh and a sur-prisingly light, easy sense of humor.Quick-witted and glib-tongued, she rarelymakes enemies (although she bears nolove for Glasya, the consort of Mammon,or Lilith, the consort of Moloch), and ismost friendly with Baftis, the consort ofBaalzebul. When clad in flowing robes(she prefers green or claret-colored silkengarments), only her tiny horns, grayhooves, and crimson forked tail betray herdiabolic nature. Her face, shoulders, andhands have a pale, human-like complex-ion, but the rest of her body is deep crim-son in color. Her hands have long rednails.

CHAMO (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 14�/16�HIT DICE: 131 hit points% IN LAIR: 85%TREASURE TYPE: C, P, SNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE ATTACK: By weapon type +4SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 222


Chamo serves Belial as legate, andplans one day to supplant his master. Hefears Naome more than Belial, for Chamoand she too often think alike to suit him.Polite but abrupt, Chamo always appearscalm and fearless. He is said to knowevery hiding place in Phlegethos, andpossesses an iron-shod staff capped withthe linked (by rings of beaten brass) skullsof sixteen paladins defeated by him overthe years. This staff is +1, parts or negatesall web spells, wizard lock spells, holdspells, and other locks or bindings at atouch, and it can detect good; the skullsupon its top glow with a pearly whiteradiance when a creature of good align-ment is within 9�.

Chamo can employ the following spell-like powers, one at a time and once perround: pyrotechnics, produce flame, wallof fire, wall of smoke (equals wall of fog),fireball (4d6), charm person, dispelmagic, read magic, tongues, detect invisi-bility, invisibility, teleport, and (fulfillanother�s limited) wish.

Twice per day Chamo can reverse grav-ity (for as long as desired, or until hisconcentration is broken by events or

attack), and once per day he can petrify(flesh to stone of permanent duration)one creature, by touch. He causes fear byhis stare (save vs. spell to avoid), and canemploy a symbol of stunning once perday. Chamo can summon 1-6 beardeddevils (45% chance of success) at will.

Description: Chamo appears as awhite-haired, middle-aged man with bigbrown eyes. He has upward-pointinghorns, black hooves, a forked tail, andblack bat-like wings. His skin is scarlet,darkening to blue on his long-nailedhands. He usually wears loose robes ofblack with a high stand-up collar.

BALAN (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 12�HIT DICE: 112 hit points% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: C, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (9� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 219


Balan is a duke in the service of Belial,and leads 40 companies of bearded devilsinto combat. Like his soldiers, he is crueland aggressive, given to wild, lustfulrages and violent sport. Little liked evenamong his fellows on Phlegethos, Balanis at the most respected, and at the leasttolerated. He will never back down froma fight, although he is shrewd enoughnot to be drawn into conflict with supe-rior foes, given any choice in the matter.In battle he fights with his spined limbsand a weapon, favoring large axes,blades, or halberds (but he has no specialor magical arms). Balan is belligerent,roaring, and loves a rough-and-tumblefight with opponents he considers weakerthan himself.

Along his forearms from his elbows tothe backs of his hands run rows of spinessix to eight inches in length. These spinespierce and rake for 2-4 points of damageper arm per attack, and a struck opponentmust save vs. poison or immediatelydevelop a burning rash which reducesdexterity by 1 point per round for sixrounds after the attack. Subsequent poi-son attacks on the same target will nothasten the loss of dexterity points, and a6-point loss is the most that can be suf-fered. Recovery of lost dexterity pointsbegins, at the rate of 2 points per round,on the round after the victim reaches themaximum penalty of -6. Any poisonstrikes suffered by a victim during the

D R A G O N 2 7

recovery period will drive the victim backtoward the maximum dexterity loss of 6points, counteracting points gained backup to that time and delaying furtherrecovery.

Once per round, Balan can use one ofthe following spell-like powers: pyro-technics, produce flame, animate dead,detect invisibility, dispel magic, invisibil-ity, teleport, wall of fire, push, and (ful-fill another�s limited) wish. Balan causesfear with his roar (save vs. spell at -1 toavoid) in all creatures within 2�. Once perday he can use a symbol of pain. He canalso summon 1-4 bearded devils with a50% chance of success. Balan regenerates 2hit points per round.

Description: Balan appears as a giant,yellow-skinned man with fierce blackbrows and a beard which grows in tufts(somewhat resembling the lower barbelsof a catfish). He has gray hooves and abody which darkens to scarlet about hislegs and his forked tail. He typicallywears a leather weapon belt and girdle,but shuns armor. He has red, flamingeyes visible at some distance, and a hoarsevoice. He is quite a wit (despite a coarsesense of humor), although few converselong enough on friendly terms with himto discover this. He wears a badge uponhis belt depicting his own head next to abull�s head (signifying his brutal, aggres-sive nature) and a ram�s head (denotingthe lusty side of his nature). Balan ispolite and respectful to Naome, his mas-ter�s consort, but other she-devils willrarely tolerate his presence.

BATHYM (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 14�HIT DICE: 102 hit points% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: C, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8 or by

weapon type +5SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 221


Bathym is a duke in the service ofBelial, and leads 30 companies of barbeddevils. He is sometimes called �The BlackDuke,� after his custom of wearing jetblack armor (with full helm) and a blackcloak. In battle Bathym wields a black +3mace which dispels light, continual light,and faerie fire radiances upon contactwith the affected area, and causes dancinglights to fade away. Bathym is also armedwith a long-bladed, envenomed knife

Gaziel is a duke in the service of Belial,and leads 11 companies of bone devilsinto battle when called upon by his mas-ter. He does nothing he does not have todo, and appears to spend much of histime brooding. In battle, Gaziel is coldand mechanical � a perfect general,never missing or forgetting any aspect ofa skirmish or possible tactic. On rareoccasions he appears to take some per-sonal interest in such a fight, whereuponhe becomes most savage. He fights by

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 16�HIT DICE: 116 hit points% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: P, SNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12, or by weapon

type +5SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (12� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 196


GAZIEL (Duke of Hell)

Description: Bathym dresses in black,and has black-hued eyes, black hooves,and black nails. His skin, horns and tailare a dead, fishbelly-white color.Bathym�s forked tail is short and curledlike a pig�s; he is most sensitive about itand keeps it concealed. When angry,Bathym hisses like a snake when hespeaks.

Once per round, Bathym can, at will,use one of the following spell-like pow-ers: pyrotechnics, produce flame, readragic, tongues, detect invisibility, wall offire, blink, teleport, ESP, confusion, and(fulfill another�s limited) wish. Once perday he can cast feeblemind, and thrice perday he can use a 4-dice delayed blast fire-ball. Once per day Bathym can use asymbol of sleep (19 levels or hit dice or 99hit points affected; saving throw indicatesonly nodding and dozing with a 1 in 20chance per round of awakening fully, andautomatic arousal if attacked). He causesfear by pointing at a target (one creatureonly per round, effective only within 5�range; save vs. spell to avoid). At willBathym can summon 1-3 barbed devils(60% chance of success). Bathym regener-ates 1 hit point every 2 rounds.

(treat as a dagger of venom), and hisspell-like abilities. He rides a nightmareinto battle. If summoned or bargainedwith, he will reveal (for a high price)knowledge of the magical lore of gem-stones, herbal lore, and low-level magic-user spells (material components, casting,and general principles).

spitting acid up to 2� with his forkedtongue (3-12 corrosive damage, will eatthrough metal, hide or cloth), and withwhatever weapons are at hand.

Once per round Gaziel can use any oneof the following spell-like powers: pyro-technics, produce flame, hold person,hold monster, read magic, know align-ment, detect invisibility, burning hands(doing 14 hit points of damage), fly, tele-port, dispel magic, and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Once per day he can slayliving (one creature, by touch), and twiceper day he can paralyze a victim within 4�by pointing at the character or creature(save vs. paralyzation to avoid). Once perday he can use a symbol of hopelessness.Gaziel radiates fear in a 2� radius at will.He can summon 1-3 bone devils with a60% chance of success. Gaziel regenerates1 hit point every 2 rounds.

Description: Gaziel has a white, skull-like head with hollow eye sockets andsmall, curling pink horns, so that from adistance he resembles a bone devil. Hehas a brown to blood-red hued humanoidbody, a red forked tail, and black hooves.His tongue is long, slim, purple-red, andforked. His wrists and knees have bul-bous, bony joints, and his elbows havehooked spurs (1-6 gash damage).

5. STYGIAThe fifth plane of the Nine Hells

derives its name from the Styx, themighty river of black, opaque water thatfalls from the endless encircling moun-tains and swells into a vast salt swampthat fills much of the plane. Stygia isruled by Geryon from his huge castle,Tantlin, which lies at the center of theplane, the swamp curving about it forslightly less than half the run of its highstone walls. Stygia is a chilly place, lit bylightning flashes and �cold fires� (weirdwhite flames that are freezing cold and do2-12 points of damage per round of con-tact) that burn on rocky peaks for sometime after a lightning strike. It is notknown precisely what these flames feedon � they appear to blaze on bare rock �and they leave no trace on rock or ice.Much of Stygia�s landscape is high,tumbled rock and ice. Avalanches andelectrical storms are common, and�shooting stars� of ice sometimes hurtleacross the sky from the peaks, smoking,to plunge into the swamp far below.

The swamp itself is constantly dis-turbed by splashes and wails, for it is theabode of the styx devils, who tormentlemures constantly unless summoned byGeryon to undertake a mission. Some-times a bone devil or horned devil willenter the swamp to join in the fun, or tochase a few styx devils, but on such occa-sions all of the styx devils present willeventually unite to drive them out.

Beneath the swamp lies a cold andlightless ocean, home to giant octopi and

30 JULY 1983

squids, whales, and many smaller, blindfish. There are no sharks or killer whales,however, for in the utter depths Sekolah,a great white shark, cruises. She long agodevoured all potential rivals, and nowswims supreme, ignored by the devils, asthe ruler of her deep realm. If there everwas an aquatic race of any sort at the bot-tom of this black river � sahuagin, dia-bolic, or otherwise � there is none now.The sahuagin of the Prime MaterialPlane worship Sekolah (see the DDGbook) but she appears totally disinterestedin all matters except where her next mealis coming from. Much of the upperreaches of the ocean are always frozen (ifthey were not, much of the vegetationthat makes up the swamp would havesunk to the ocean floor long ago), andSekolah very rarely comes to the surface.When she does, lemures, hell hounds, anddevils alike usually make a hasty exitfrom the surrounding area.

Geryon seldom leaves his great castle.He delights in physically battling lesserdevils and captured intruders within thewalls of Tantlin, sometimes chasing themfor long periods of time throughout thehalls of the castle and the gravel-strewnmines nearby, where Tantlin�s blockswere and still are quarried, eternally, bycaptives, spined and barbed devils, andthe like. Geryon delights in luring power-ful creatures from other planes (that is,from outside the hells) to Stygia withcarefully contrived tales of magic, lore, orother treasure, so that they can be the vic-tims for one of his cruel hunts. Any sur-vivors of these unsporting events go tothe quarries. (Geryon, by the way, isimmune to the strength-sapping power ofthe bone devils� tail poison.)

One of the most powerful members of

Newcomers to Stygia will find that it iscold (why the swamp and the river Styxdo not freeze is a mystery to one accus-tomed to conditions on the Prime Mate-rial Plane), with little shelter outsideTantlin, and there is nothing to eatunless one has a taste for the flesh of dev-ils, lemures or hell hounds. (It is not cer-tain if such flesh is edible by humans.Some mad adventurers in the Realmshave boasted of eating the flesh of devils,but the truth of their claims is unknown.If their words are true, it is impossible to

Geryon is perhaps the most satisfied orcontented of the archdevils, and the leastinterested in the endless political struggleamong the devils for more power,although he never misses a chance to actto the detriment of his foe Moloch, rulerof the sixth plane, or his other neighbor,Belial. Herodias and Gorson safeguardhis interests (under the watchful eye ofCozbi, Geryon�s consort), gaining muchactual power while always acting inGeryon�s name, and allowing Geryon tocontinue his �hunts� by, if not increasinghis force and influence, at least prevent-ing their erosion.

Geryon�s bailiff, Gorson, concentrateson external matters. It is Gorson whoobserves the day- to-day activities andinternal politics of the other planes of theNine Hells, and who (unless Geryon stepsin to do this directly) orders and coordi-nates the styx devils in their individualmissions about the planes.

Geryon�s retinue is Herodias, whose titleis magistrate. Herodias is responsible forthe security of the realm and the trainingand ordering of Geryon�s legions of bonedevils, and for assuming command of thedefenses of Tantlin whenever Geryon ishunting.

say if such food is poisonous to some,carries any diseases or parasites, or if it infact has caused their mental conditions.)Tantlin, however, is said to be richly pro-visioned and furnished, crammed withthe bric-a-brac of centuries of plunderingthe wealth of other planes. (Before hegained the rulership of his own plane,Geryon was wont to undertake extendedpillaging expeditions through the PrimeMaterial Plane whenever summonedthere by a foolish mortal � and healways sought out the most dangerous,and richest, foes.)

Geryon�s vassals are outwardly loyal,and are often called upon to protect theirmaster�s interests. They include Amon,who commands 40 companies of bonedevils; Agares, who commands 31 com-panies of bone devils; Machalas, wholeads 11 companies of barbed devils; andthe pit fiend Fecor, who leads 8 compa-nies of malebranche.

The fiefs of these dukes lie betweenTantlin itself and the rockiest heights ofthe endless, frozen mountains, consistingof rising land and many long, twistingrocky canyons and hanging valleys.There are a few remote volcanic rifts inthe mountains, commonly known as�steam trenches,� where the malebranchedwell unless ordered elsewhere.

COZBI (Princess of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 14�/24�HIT DICE: 67 hit points% IN LAIR: 90%TREASURE TYPE: C, ENO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +4SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (7� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 229


Cozbi is consort to Geryon, ruler of thefifth plane of the Nine Hells, and is per-haps the quietest and least forceful of thediabolic princesses � but she is no easymark. Cozbi watches her master�s interestscarefully at all times, for she knows wellthe hatred that both Moloch and Belialhold for Geryon, and she is aware ofGeryon�s relative weakness among thearchdevils. She mistrusts both Herodiasand Gorson, and is said by some to befriendly with the outcast devil Nergal (seeAvernus section). In battle, Cozbi throwspoisoned knives (Insinuative Type D;DMG, p. 20), and fights with a +1 spear.

Cozbi can employ the following spell-like powers, using them one at a time andone per round: pyrotechnics, produce

DRAGON 31

flame, animate dead, detect invisibility,charm monster, charm person, sugges-tion, dispel magic, know alignment,invisibility, polymorph self, read magic,ice storm, teleport, and (fulfill another�slimited) wish. Four times per day she cancast a 4-dice lightning bolt, and once perday she can employ a finger of death. Shecauses fear by speaking to an individual(save vs. spell to avoid). She can summon(40% chance) 1-2 styx devils or, if shechooses, 1-4 bone devils (70% chance ofsuccess). Cozbi regenerates 2 points ofdamage every turn.

Description: Cozbi appears as a beauti-ful, unnaturally tall woman with chalk-white skin and long (thigh-length) palegreen hair. Her eyes are fiery green andher long nails are black. She wears beltedrobes and jewelry when in Tantlin, butwhen fighting or otherwise active stripsher garments away, whereupon her dia-bolic nature is revealed. Her hooves aretiny and delicate, easily concealed byboots, and Cozbi customarily wraps herforked tail about her waist, or hangs itover one arm. Her skin is shaded pink tored on her belly, and red from the hipsdown, but her arms and upper torso arechalk-white. Her hair usually hides twotiny horns that form a crescent upon thecrown of her head, and her canine teethare slim, vampire-like fangs (1-2 points ofbiting damage, but in a serious fightCozbi will rarely let an opponent getclose enough to allow her to employ thisbite).

GORSON (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 14�HIT DICE: 126 hit points% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: A, G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +7SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%

Description: Gorson appears as ayellow-skinned, hawk-nosed man withblack-hued eyes, small horns, a tuftedlion-like tail, and black hooves. He wearssaffron robes and bears a scimitar. Hisvoice is soft and cultured; his advice andarguments always appear sound, sensible,and convincing. In battle, Gorsonappears to let out all of his pent-up feel-ings and go berserk, exulting in therough-and-tumble, This is the origin of asaying in the hells, referring to someonehurrying, that the individual looks like�Gorson unleashed.�

Gorson can employ the followingspell-like powers, one at a time, and onceper round: pyrotechnics, produce flame,ice storm, animate dead, dispel magic,detect invisibility, polymorph self, invisi-bility read magic, friends, hold person,teleport, and (fulfill another�s limited)wish. Gorson causes fear by pointing at atarget (one creature per round) within 6�range, and can use a symbol of stunningonce per day. He can summon 1 styxdevil (25% chance), 1-3 bone devils (60%chance), or 1-2 barbed devils (65%chance). Gorson regenerates 1 hit pointper round.

Gorson is Geryon�s bailiff, and in thiscapacity is up to his neck in the intriguesand activities of the hierarchy of the hells.A quiet, careful devil who says nothinghe does not intend to, and plans ever forthe future, Gorson is acutely aware ofGeryon�s relative weakness in comparisonto the other archdevils. As a result, healways acts to strengthen the standing of�The Great Beast,� but in such a way asto make Gorson himself appear useful,reasonable, and noncommittal to diabolicobservers � future masters or allies -outside of Stygia. He will be quick to dealwith intruders to Stygia, but will seek tokeep any items seized or any knowledgegained about intruders from others asmuch as possible.

Attack/Defense Modes: All/allPSIONIC ABILITY: 231

INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: M (6� tall)

HERODIAS (Duke of Hell)

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 18�HIT DICE: 129 hit points% IN LAIR: 60%TREASURE TYPE: A, S, G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12/3-12, or by

weapon type +7SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (8� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 236


Herodias serves Geryon as magistrate,and is a devil of great pride and ambition.He fully expects to one day be master ofthe Nine Hells, and favors any change inthe present regime as a step in his inexor-able rise to the top.

Herodias can employ the followingpowers, one at a time and once per round:pyrotechnics, produce flame, ice storm,wall of ice, animate dead, dimensiondoor, dispel magic, detect magic, detectinvisibility, polymorph self, read magic,suggestion, charm person, hold monster,hold person, teleport, and (fulfill anoth-er�s limited) wish. Herodias causes fear bytouch (save vs. spell at -2 to avoid). Onceper day he can disintegrate one creatureor item of up to twice his own size, andtwice per day he can cast feeblemind.Once per day he can employ a symbol ofhopelessness. He can summon 1-4 bonedevils with a 60% chance of success.Herodias is able to regenerate 2 hit pointsper round.

Description: Large and portly, Hero-dias has a humanoid body of scarlet hue,and massive, muscled arms. He has asmall forked tail and small, bat-like (use-less) wings. His face is round and sinisterand startlingly human in appearance,and his horns are tall, curving inwardand then out again like a goat�s. Hishooves are black.

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -1MOVE: 15�HIT DICE: 119 hit points% IN LAIR: 60%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evil

AGARES (Duke of Hell)

3 2 J U L Y 1 9 8 3

SIZE: L (8� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 232


Agares, vassal to Geryon, is a duke whocommands 31 companies of bone devils.He and Amon, Geryon�s most powerfulduke, bear no great love one for another,and several times Herodias has had tohead off open warfare between the two.Agares customarily fights with a +1 iron-shod staff, but will use any weapons athand in a fight.

Agares can employ the following spell-like powers, one at a time and one perround: pyrotechnics, produce flame,know alignment, dispel magic, animatedead, ice storm, detect invisibility, slow,cause earthquake, hold person, holdmonster, tongues, wall of ice, teleport,and (fulfill another�s limited) wish.Agares radiates fear in a 1� radius, at will(save vs. spell to avoid). Once per day hecan use a symbol of pain. He can sum-mon 1-4 bone devils with a 65% chance ofsuccess, and regenerates 1 point of dam-age every 3 rounds.

Description: Agares appears as an oldman, and has a brittle, quavering voice.He often bears a hawk at his wrist;these birds he captures or bargains for onthe Prime Material Plane when sum-moned thence, and he enjoys trainingthem as messengers or companions. Hehas gray-scaled, clawed reptilian feet, and

a ruddy facial complexion that deepens toa scarlet body skin hue (usually concealedby robes). Agares has a stumpy, gray rep-tilian tail, and a humanoid body withcurved, irregular-looking ribs that makehis ribcage look knotted and deformed.Tufts of gray beard are matched by small,stubby gray horns. Agares has watery redeyes and red hooked nails.

FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 16�/21�HIT DICE: 122 hit points% IN LAIR: 60%TREASURE TYPE: G, PNO, OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8, or by

weapon type +6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 60%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (12� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 201


Machalas is a duke commanding 11companies of barbed devils at the direc-tion of his master Geryon. The least of

MACHALAS (Duke of Hell)

Geryon�s dukes in both personal powerand influence, Machalas encourages thefeuding between his fellow dukes Amonand Agares, while taking the side ofneither, and hopes to appear Geryon�smost steadfast and reliable vassal so as togain the favor of �The Wild Beast.�

Once per round, Machalas can employone of the following spell-like powers:pyrotechnics, produce flame, ice storm,push, blink, jump, know alignment,detect invisibility, read magic ESP, dispelmagic, animate dead, wall of ice, teleport,and (fulfill another�s limited) wish. Onceper day he can cause insanity (save vs.spell at -1 to avoid; see DMG for types)by touch, and once per day he can use asymbol of stunning. He radiates fear in a1� radius at will. He can (70% chance ofsuccess) summon 1-3 barbed devils. Heregenerates 1 hit point every 2 rounds.

Description: Machalas appears as a tall,thin humanoid with black, scaly skin, ablack forked tail, black cloven hooves,large black batlike wings, and large jaws(2-8 damage from bite in combat). Animble flyer, he usually wields a +2 axeor a normal spear in combat. His hornedhead is a startling fiery red, and his eyesare slanted and entirely white, so thatthey appear to have no pupils or irisesunless examined very closely. His faceappears ugly and batlike (the jaws mostprominent), and his voice is a soft,menacing, hissing tone.

D R A G O N 3 3

Mutants, men(?), and machinesA GAMMA WORLD® creature collection by Roger Moore

HYDRAGEN

NO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 3MOVE: 12HIT DICE: 14d6% IN LAIR: 40%ATTACKS: 5-30 (×2-7) per bite, or

by specialORIGINAL STOCK: Diamond-backed

rattlesnakeMUTATIONS: Taller, multiple body

parts, gas genertion, pyrokinesis,illusion immunity

The Hydragen is a huge, mutated de-scendant of the diamond-backed rattle-snake. It is found in many places in thedeserts of southwest North American (theold United States and Mexico). Hydra-gens range from 15 to 20 meters in lengthin adulthood and appear to be large,multiple-headed serpents; 2-7 heads arepresent and each is well equipped withrazor-sharp fangs and teeth. The sixmajor fangs, in the upper jaws along thefront, contain an intensity 15 paralyticpoison effective only against mammaliancreatures (including humans, of course).Because of their speed, these monstersrarely go hungry, although relativelyintelligent beings give them a wide berth.They are not especially intelligent them-selves, but Hydragens readily pursue anyprey and use their cunning to drive vic-tims into dead-ends (box canyons and thelike) to prevent escape.

If the creature is in grave danger orconfronted by many opponents, a specialpower of the Hydragen can be broughtinto play. The creature can generate largeamounts of highly explosive gases in itsstomach, and once every 12 combatrounds it can belch out clouds of this gas

from all of its heads, directed at as manydifferent targets (within range) as it hasheads.

Each head then uses the Hydragen�spyrokinesis ability to ignite the gasclouds, at ranges between 10 and 30meters as desired, creating an explosionwith a 5-meter radius of effect. Theflames and concussion from the blast willdo 10d6 damage to all within the blast

Each head of a Hydragen has its ownbrain, and the heads work together withexacting coordination. Among otheradvantages, this accounts for the crea-ture�s immunity to illusions and illu-sional attacks or forces. The lifespan of amonster of this sort is estimated to be over200 years.

A Hydragen nest is a shallow depres-sion in sandy soil about 5 meters acrossand 2 meters deep. There is a 20% chanceof 1-6 eggs being buried one meter belowground. Each egg is one-half meter long,ovoid in shape, and dull yellow in color.It is very possible that more than oneadult Hydragen inhabits the nest or thearea nerby. There is also a good chance(65%) that 1-6 treasures and 1-2 artifactswill be in or near the nest, previouslyappropriated from some unfortunateadventurers who ventured too close.

Hydragens prefer living in isolatedlocations like deserts and barren, roughterrain. The brilliant patterns of yellow,red, and black across the Hydragen�s backstand out clearly in any terrain or envi-ronment, though this is not yet a majorproblem for it, since its speed and tenac-ity make up for its lack of camouflage.

A Hydragen may generate this gas onlythree times a day. If this fails to stop anopponent after the third use, the Hydra-gen will retreat. Those beings caught inthe blast areas may take half damage(5d6) if they are immune to either fire orsonics, or no damage if immune to both.Note that even if the victim is immune tothese effects, the 75% chance of beingknocked down for 1d6 damage stillapplies.

area, and beings of man-size or smallerout to 10 meters from the blast centerstand a 75% chance of being knockeddown and suffering 1d6 damage.

Raydiums are large, mutated mantarays that still strongly resemble theirancestral species. At present there arethree known types, to wit:

Alpha Raydiums are dull black in color

ORIGINAL STOCK: Manta rayMUTATIONS: Wings, telekinesis, gas

generation, heightened radar sense

ATTACKS: 2-12 (Alpha), 4-24 (Beta),6-36 (Gamma)

NO. APPEARING: 2-5ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVE: 18 (flying only)HIT DICE: 6 (Alpha), 10 (Beta),

14 (Gamma)% IN LAIR: Nil

RAYDIUM

34 JULY 1983

with silver and blue highlights, and havea wingspan of about 2 meters. They arecommonly found over the shorelines ofthe east coast of North America, though a

few have been seen further inland.Beta Raydiums are about 4 meters

across and are a dark grey dorsally and alight blue-grey ventrally. Beta Raydiumsare found in more southerly climates thanthe Alphas.

Gamma Raydiums, spanning 6 metersfrom wingtip to wingtip, are a pale blueand are known to live only around a fewislands in southeast North America.

All Raydiums spend their lives air-borne. Young are born in mid-air; theycling to the parent until their wings dry(only a few minutes), and then they canfly as well. For food, Alpha Raydiums eatsmall aerial creatures up to 1/10 meter insize; Betas can eat creatures up to 3/10meter in size, and Gammas can eat crea-tures up to 1 meter across in one bite.

A very powerful innate radar sensegives all Raydiums a +4 bonus to hit witha bite attack, and any �to hit� score of 20or better means the prey has been swal-lowed whole, if it was of the appropriatesize. Raydiums can maneuver easily indarkness or light; they have no eyes, butthe �radar� sense has a maximum rangeof 500 meters to the front of the creature.Typically, Raydiums fly at altitudes of300 to 800 meters.

All Raydiums have special abilitiesthey use to catch prey on the ground,should they happen to notice it. When aflock of Raydiums notices creatures ofedible size on or near the ground, one ofthe flock detaches from the group andswoops down in a silent glide (+2 on sur-prise) at double normal speed (36) andreleases a gas cloud 30 meters long, 10meters wide, and 5 meters deep over thetargets. The gas has a poison intensityequal to the number of hit dice of theRaydium releasing it; the gas affects allmammals, reptiles, amphibians, and avi-ans, causing them to be rendered uncon-scious for a number of minutes equal to20 minus the victim�s constitution. Thegas cloud can only be generated once aday by any Raydium.

The gas dissipates in one minute, andthen the other Raydiums swoop down,use telekinesis to pick up the smallercreatures (treat as a mental attack), andfly off with them for a snack in the

Fortunately, Raydiums are too stupidto use their telekinetic powers to pick uprocks and bomb victims with debris. Ray-diums are locally known as �skydivers�or �dusters� (after �crop dusters,� ancientaircraft that sprayed insecticides on cropsand fields).

All of these gases, except the killingpoison and radioactive gases, take effectonly if a �D� result is obtained on thePoison Attack Matrix. Poison andradioactive gases can cause damage, aslisted on the Poison Attack Matrix, if theydo not kill the victim.

Some Beta Raydiums (1 in 6) andGamma Raydiums (3 in 6) are able togenerate other types of gases besides theunconsciousness gas. Each individual soendowed will produce only one addi-tional sort of gas. Roll d6 and refer to thefollowing list to see which gas the Ray-dium will use:

1 = poison gas (kill)2 = blindness-producing gas3 = paralysis gas4 = tear gas (-2 on all attacks)5 = radioactive gas6 = no effect except to obscure

vision to 1� distance.

clouds. Alphas can lift up to one kilo-gram, Betas up to 10 kilograms, andGammas up to 50 kilograms with theirtelekinetic powers. The telekinesis lastsonly 5 melee rounds, so eating must bedone quickly.

CYCLOPTRON

NO. APPEARING: 2-12ARMOR CLASS: 5MOVE: 8HIT DICE: 16d6% IN LAIR: 25%ATTACKS: 6-36 or specialORIGINAL STOCK: HumanMUTATIONS: Taller, improved infra-

vision, radiated eye (special), trans-mutational touch

In the mountainous regions of westernNorth America may be found the greatcaverns of the folk known as the Cyclop-trons. These are human-descended beingswho stand an average of 6 meters inheight at adulthood. Their hair is abushy black, glossy in appearance, andtheir skins are a dull silver-grey. Cyclop-trons are humanoid in shape, thicklybuilt and powerfully muscled.

The enormous weight they carry is wellsupported by their skeletal systems,because of the addition of a light metallicalloy to the composition of their bones.So much of their physiology requiresmetallic elements that Cycloptrons fre-quently make their own wells and reser-voirs underground and fill them withspecially developed metallic salts. Theirfood is also heavily spiced with metallicsalts and materials.

Cycloptrons have only a single eye,

D R A G O N 3 5

with a red-gold iris. Though they havelimited depth perception (and are -4 tohit with thrown missiles), the larger eye-ball better enables them to see in the infrared spectrum up to one kilometer

distance. Daylight causes them no dis-comfort. Three times a day, a Cycloptronmay launch a ray of energy from its eyeagainst an opponent or opponents, withthe same ranges and scores �to hit� as aFusion Rifle. Every time this ray strikesan opponent, it will cause the loss of 1point of physical strength and 1 point ofconstitution (plus all attendant bonusesand hit points) for 1-6 days. After thistime the lost points will be regained; butnote that if a victim is hit two or moretimes, the duration of the strength andconstitution losses are cumulative. (Twohits =2 points loss from each ability, for2-12 days.) Should either the victim�sphysical strength or constitution score bereduced to zero, he or she is slain. Other-wise, the victim can survive the encoun-ter, and recuperation can eventually takeplace.

Cycloptrons are able, by simply touch-ing something that is predominantlymetal, to draw the metallic elements outof the object and effectively disintegrateit. A Cycloptron can destroy 1 cubic meterof metal in this fashion every round �and this power cannot be �turned off.�Clever merchants from other races willtrade old machinery parts to these beings(for use by them as food) in exchange fortheir services.

As a result of this metal-disintegratingcharacteristic, Cycloptrons cannot userobots or the like, and their technologicallevel is quite low. Cycloptrons energeti-cally avoid contact with duralloy andradioactive elements; the former acts as anintensity 15 poison if touched by one ofthe creatures (doing 3d6 damage), and thelatter is greatly feared by all Cycloptronsfor religious reasons.

CYBER-NETTER

NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 1MOVE: 18HIT DICE: 20d6 (100 hit points)% IN LAIR: NilATTACKS: See belowTYPE: RobotPOWER SOURCES: Nuclear plantSENSORS: Standard, infrared, ultraviolet

at 2 kilometersCONTROL: Only by a specific

permanent cybernetic installation

Adventurers in the Great Lakes regionof North America have reported a new,apparently post-holocaust robot type thatis occasionally found as far as 200 kilome-ters from Lake Superior�s shorelines.Observors believe that it is being manu-factured by one or more unknown PCI�sfor unknown reasons.

The �Cyber-Netter,� as the locals callit, is a flattened sphere 6 meters in diame-ter and 3 meters tall. Eight legs projectout from the sides of the body at regularintervals, lifting the body some 8 metersoff the ground. Its armament is lighterthan for other types of robots or warbots,but effective nonetheless. The mechanismhas two batteries of Mark VII blaster rifles(3 �guns� each) that each do 20d6 damageout to 500 meters, 15d6 out to 1,000meters, 10d6 out to 1,500 meters, and 5d6out to the maximum range of 2,000meters. It also has a grenade launcherthat can fire 50 rounds of stun grenadesout to 100 meters.

Peculiar to the Cyber-Netter is a specialsort of weapon (of non-lethal design)called a �webber.� A single barrel, pro-jecting from the front of the Cyber-Netter,is capable of ejecting long strands ofsticky material onto a target or targets,like water from a fire hose. Everythingwithin a 60-degree arc to the front of theCyber-Netter, out to a maximum range of20 meters, has an 80% chance of being

caught in the sticky masses of materialwhen the webber is used.

Victims caught in the mess mayattempt to pull free; their base chance ofsucceeding is equal to their physicalstrength doubled and expressed as a per-centage. Only one attempt may be madeto pull free; failure means that the victimis trapped for the time being.

The webs are not flammable in theleast, and the strands harden in five min-utes to the consistency of a steel-mesh net.The Cyber-Netter may then recover thecaptives at its leisure, lifting them outwith a tractor/presser beam on the under-side of the body (able to move 500 kg at20 meters) after cutting away the strandswith the atomic torches mounted on theends of the two front legs. When not inuse, the torches retract into the mechani-cal foot-pad at the end of the legs.

Captives are deposited inside the Cyber-Netter through doors on the underside ofthe body by the tractor/presser beamequipment, and then carried away. Noone knows where they are taken or whathappens to them after that. The machineemits coded radio signals from time totime, but they are not decipherable, andno receiving station is known.

36 JULY 1983

NITRODJINN

NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 2MOVE: 6HIT DICE: 17% IN LAIR: 100%ATTACKS: See belowORIGINAL STOCK: UnknownMUTATIONS: Absorption, illusion

leech,generation, life weathermanipulation

The nocturnal creature of desolateareas known as the Nitrodjinn is a rareand strange being. Each creature is invar-iably associated with an atomic energysource such as a reactor or large battery,from which it appears to draw its �lifeforce.� Each being manipulates the localweather conditions to produce a thick fogfor a 100-meter radius around the atomicpower source.

Unless opponents can see in the ultra-violet spectrum, the Nitrodjinn is com-pletely invisible to the casual observerwhile within the fog. In ultraviolet lightor when seen without the surroundingfog, this being appears to have a vaguelyhumanoid torso with four arms and a fea-tureless head. The lower half of the bodyis a long serpentine form stretching alongthe ground all the way back to the powersource. The Nitrodjinn may move a max-imum of 150 meters from the atomic

source, and no more: if forced beyond thispoint, it will die immediately.

Nitrodjinns may use their life leechability within a 30-meter radius of the

creature�s head. They may also use illu-sion generation, making shapes of menand monsters appear and disappear in thefog, misleading adventurers until theystumble into a hidden trap or pitfall.Nitrodjinns have a mental strength of 18.They may also attack physically, fourattacks per round, and each strike from ahand will drain one point of dexterityfrom the opponent for 2-12 hours. If anopponent has his or her dexterity reducedto zero in this manner (multiple hits arecumulative), death occurs. The absorp-tion abilities of the Nitrodjinn apply toany form of cold or gaseous attacks, andthe creatures are immune to all poisons.

Nitrodjinn fog reduces normal visibil-ity to one meter, makes infravision use-less, but does not affect ultravision. Anystrong light source within the fog willcreate a �white-out� effect, and makes allopponents without ultravision take a -4to hit penalty from the partial blindnessresulting from it. Nitrodjinns seem to bevery highly intelligent and know how tobest utilize their powers for defensive andoffensive purposes.

The Nitrodjinn�s torso is roughly man-sized, and the snake-like lower body isabout 1/4 meter in diameter. As thesebeings are partially composed of energy,they are only semi-material and hencehave such a low armor class. If the powersource of a Nitrodjinn is destroyed, thecreature will be destroyed as well.

D R A G O N 3 7

Beyond the rule bookProcedure and style tips for good GMingby Lew Pulsipher

Most fantasy role-playing game rulesdon�t give much guidance to the prospec-tive gamesmaster (GM) about the proce-dural matters of GMing. I don�t meanmechanics, but matters such as the GM�sattitude toward rule changes and playerbehavior. Moreover, most rules give thenovice GM precious little guidance about

GM PROCEDURE GUIDELINES

1: Don�t let players push you around.GMs must look out for the effects of

�Mortimer�s Law� (as quoted by JonPickens and modified by myself): �It isoften the goal of many players in a cam-paign to destroy it by the accumulation ofunearned advantages for their charac-ters.� This is more often the case withinexperienced and younger players thanwith more experienced and mature role-players. Many players lack self-restraint;only the GM can restrain them, and whilethey may not out-and-out cheat, theywon�t be too careful about how they fol-low the rules.

Those not inclined to cheat will searchfor justifications in the rules, in fantasyliterature, or (worst) in articles printed ingame magazines, to support their�demands� for all kinds of odd advan-tages, rule changes, special characterclasses, and so on � the �unearnedadvantages� mentioned above. You, asGM, must be prepared to resist thesearguments, or any suggested arrange-ments such as �You go easy on my char-acter in your campaign and I�ll go easyon yours in mine.�

No magazine article � including thisone � should ever change your mindmerely because it�s the printed word. Alogical argument, or an explanation of aheretofore unclear rule, might changeyour mind, but it doesn�t matter whetherthis is printed in a magazine or pointedout by a player. Justification can befound for almost anything in the vastbody of heroic fantasy literature, so itshould not influence your judgementexcept in the broadest matters. And mostgames include ambiguous statements anddownright bad rules. Remember thatyou�re the ultimate authority, relying sen-sibly on the rules and on logic.

of whatever game he runs. In some cases,he may change so much that it will bedifficult to summarize the differences.Nonetheless, nothing annoys a player somuch as to find out, after he�s tried some-thing (spell, trick, whatever), that in thisworld it doesn�t work. For example, if

rules before you start the game.Virtually every GM changes some rules

3: Tell players how you�ve changed the

My favorite example of this transgres-sion is the GM who normally gives hisplayers plenty of time to think aboutplans or to make decisions during a bat-tle. But when the going is really tough,when those decisions are most important,he switches to �real time,� forcing playersto decide immediately or suffer by doingnothing at all. Or, if one day a lightningbolt extends and bounces in somemanner, but the next day it acts differ-ently, how can the players rationallydecide whether to use the spell? Wouldn�tyou be exasperated if this sort of thinghappened to you? This guideline leadsdirectly to number three, which is . . .

Your rulings (and your rules) in yourworld are like the laws of physics in thereal world. If they change frequently orunpredictably, the inhabitants of theworld are lost in confusion. Howevermuch you encourage role-play, it is still agame; and the essence of any game (or,for that matter, of life) is to make deci-sions based on available information, andthen predictions about the outcomes ofthose decisions. If the �natural laws� ofthe world change frequently, how canone make rational decisions? Or, to put itanother way, if the GM changes the rulesin mid-session, nobody in his right mindwill want to play with him � unless therule changes and exceptions always favorthe players.

2: Be consistent.

One could write a book about thesetopics, but a limited set of guidelines ismore practical and will be as much asmost GMs need. Consequently, here areoffered twenty guidelines for being agood GM, divided into ten about GMing

establishing a coherent world and a con-sistent GMing style.

procedures and ten about creating a cam-paign and a gamesmastering style.Another experienced GM would offersomewhat different guidelines, of course,but these suggestions should help anyinexperienced GM save time and learnsome useful lessons the easy way, ratherthan through unhappy experiences.

you play the AD&D game and you rule(for some reason) that hit points of dam-age from a fireball are divided among thevictims, rather than inflicted in total oneach one, you�d better tell this to theplayer-character magic-users before thegame begins.

4: Don�t stonewall.Some writers recommend that the GM

should never alter a ruling during thegame (except in matters of demonstrableand accidental error � e.g., misremem-bering the damage a monster inflicts).The reason given is that this prevents allargument and keeps the game going. ButI disagree. Granted, the GM cannot oftenallow himself to be persuaded to changehis mind during a game, or he�ll findhimself unsure of anything, and the play-ers will disagree every chance they get.But if the GM stonewalls, refusing tochange anything, he may find himselfpermanently antagonizing players, if notlosing them altogether.

No GM is infallible, nor has any GMdevised a rule or determined a percentagefor every possible situation. Sometimes aplayer may make a very reasonable sug-gestion, or think of some aspect of theproblem which escaped the GM. If youare so unsure of yourself that you musthide behind dogmatism, perhaps youshould give up GMing until you havemore playing experience.

5: Prepare before game time.A few minutes of preparation before

the game can make the playing activityrun much more smoothly. The more pre-game preparation, the less aggravationand delay during the game. Some GMswrite down every possible detail of everyplace of adventure they construct. Othersjot down just a few notes, expecting tofind (or make) the time to generate the

38 JULY 1983

additional details and such with dice rollsduring the adventure.

I don�t recommend the ultra-thoroughmethod, for it results in much timewasted on detail which is not used; on theother hand, if you leave too much to thelast minute, you ruin the flow of theadventure, and you may give away infor-mation to the players. Take the classicexample of the wandering/randomlyappearing monster. A GM who doesn�tdetermine the type, purpose, hit points,etc., of wandering monsters before thegame starts is going to waste his players�time. The information should be writtenon an index card; if the adventurers avoida significant encounter this time, you canuse the card again in another session.

Some GMs like to roll to determine thecontents of a treasure after the adventur-ers have defeated the guardians of thetreasure. Not only does this waste time, ithas a tendency to result in treasures muchmore valuable than the guardiansdeserved to be guarding. It�s hard for aGM to decide fairly whether he should re-roll a treasure when he already knowshow difficult it was to obtain the treasure.

6: Maintain some semblance of order.If one or more players are over-eager,

boisterous, or just plain unruly, don�t lethim or them take over the game. Don�tallow one person to destroy the fun of theother players. Don�t be afraid to kill afool�s character if his actions call for it.

Some players try to take advantage ofconfusion. It�s much easier to be a GM ifa certain amount of organization and self-control is evident in, or forced upon, theplayers� actions. For example, if you letplayers move their fingers around when-ever they want, you�ll find that they�vealways moved themselves away fromdanger (when they can see that you�reabout to say or do something) � they�realways somewhere else. (This sort of�fudging� occurs even more often if youdon�t use figures.)

The solution to this particular problemis to not let anyone move until it�s timefor everyone to move. (Free-for-all mov-ing can cause hard feelings between play-ers as well, when the less grabby peoplefind that their characters have beenmoved, or that their protective line offighters has suddenly disappeared.) Youare under no obligation to tolerate aplayer whose actions seriously annoy oth-ers, especially yourself. Let the playerknow what you disapprove of and why.Incorrigible offenders will probably quiton their own before you have to ask themnot to play any longer.

7: Be humorous, or open to humor.Typically, players think of many

things their characters might do or saywhich would be humorous but quiteunhealthy. Much of the amusement of thegame is derived from these �might-have-beens.� (In some groups, players actually

I can�t imagine playing a six-hour FRPsession without some laughter. Humor

intend their characters to do such things,forgetting about safety, but most of usvalue our characters� lives more highlythan that.) Unfortunately, some GMs liketo occasionally, if not consistently, takesuch jokes seriously and make the charac-ter do whatever the player said. Typicallythis amuses the GM, but not the players.It is a cheap trick, if nothing else, butalso stifles the humor in the group to thedetriment of fun, which is what the gameis all about. Normally the GM should askthe player if he really wants to do or saysomething, when he seems to be joking; ifhe means it, he�ll make it clear enough.

comes partly from the players, but alsofrom the GM. You don�t even need to tryto arrange deliberately humorous encoun-ters � in fact, slapstick destroys the sus-pension of disbelief which is vital to fan-tasy gaming. But you can throw outwisecracks on the side, play the straightman to the players (or to their characters),and ham it up when you act out a non-player character role.

8: Don�t favor one player over another.Players, as a class, are pretty smart �

maybe as smart as you are. If you contin-ually favor one player�s characters, theothers are going to recognize this, andmany of them may resent it. This depends

D R A G O N 3 9

on the extent of the favoritism, of course.Try to be impartial and fair, as much asyou can.

There may come a time when the dicejust aren�t cooperating, when the playershave been wary, intelligent, and skillful,yet the dice decree death. In this case youmay feel that, for the good of the cam-paign, the character(s) should live. If so,try to devise some alternative which,though undesirable in itself, will be lessfinal than death.

For example, if a character with 8 hitpoints left is pushed into a pit, and youroll 12 points of damage, you mightreduce the hit-point damage to 7 points,but also say that a leg is broken. Only dothis sort of thing if you really feel thecharacter deserves a second chance. Or, ifa character is trapped (through no faultof his own) in a dead-end corridor andten trolls �just happen� to approach, thecharacter might �just happen� to notice asecret door through which he can escape�a secret door that you just decided toput there. It is imperative that the playersdo not realize you�re doing this when youdo it, or they may begin to take foolishchances because they think you�ll bailthem out.

Never favor the monsters. There is toomuch temptation, once you allow this, toconstantly adjust numbers of monsters to

battle, regardlessJust accept that

give the players a hardof how well they play.

Some GMs take the idea of hoardinginformation to an extreme, and prefer toroll all the dice during the game. Butplayers feel a greater sense of participa-tion when they roll their own dice, andfor that reason I virtually never roll forthe players. In some cases, such as hidingin cover, I have the players roll the dice sothat I can see the result but they can�t.Also, I have players make a few rolls ofd20 and d100 before the game starts, and Iwrite down those results to use as savingthrows or whatever in cases where thecharacter shouldn�t know that somethingunusual may be happening to him.

During an encounter, don�t tell aplayer more than his character would beable to sense. For example, a characterwon�t be able to tell a normal wolf from awerewolf by sight, or if he sees a serpen-tine form in the shadows he won�t knowif it�s a dragon, a wyvern, a giant snake,or some other related creature.

Some GMs know more about theirplayers� characters than the players do,but most of us don�t have that kind ofmemory. You should require the playersto make a list of ability numbers andmajor magic items for you to consult dur-ing the game. Then you needn�t attractattention to a character by asking (forexample) what his dexterity is, and theplayers can�t spring magic items on you� �Oh, I forgot to mention that . . .� or�Oh, I just happen to wear an amuletwhich negates that attack. . . .� The sim-ple principle to bear in mind is: Don�tgive a player more information than hischaracter would have.

10: Don�t give away information.

There�s a fine line between vendettaswhich arise from situations among char-acters in the game (say, the non-playercharacter former owner of an item is try-ing to retrieve it) and those arising fromthe outside (the GM�s desire to �get so-and-so�). The first is part of the cam-paign, but the second is not part of agood campaign.

If you�ve made a mistake, perhaps inallowing the character to obtain an over-powerful magic item, you only com-pound your error by trying to kill thecharacter or steal the item. This sort ofretribution is not fair, nor is it likely toendear you to the victim; from his pointof view, you will be a cheat.

over another, you shouldn�t carry on avendetta against a player (or group),regardless of how his brilliant stratagemsmay foul up your scenarios. To ruleagainst someone�s idea or scheme is partof the rules of the game, but trying to killoff his character is not.

particular player or players.Just as you shouldn�t favor one player

9: Don�t pursue a vendetta against any

occasionally your set-up isn�t going togive the players as much trouble as youanticipated.

40 JULY 1983

GM STYLE GUIDELINES

1: Your style is not for everyone.There are many ways to play, and not

every player will enjoy your way no mat-ter how hard you try. You can�t satisfyeveryone, but you should be able togather a group of players you can satisfy.Sometimes you may run a game for play-ers who prefer two different styles. Insuch circumstances the game is likely toend unhappily, not through your fault.

In other words, sometimes the chemis-try (or lack thereof) among players willruin the session, because they�re lookingfor different forms of recreation. Forexample, players who get their kicks frombackstabbing and player-vs.-player com-petition will not get along with playerswho enjoy cooperative or even regi-mented adventures. How could one GMpossibly satisfy both groups at once? Or,players who like to have the GM tellthem a story, in effect, with their charac-ters as participants, will not get alongwell with those who treat the game asimprovisational theater (the �true role-players�). If you satisfy one group,members of the other group will feel thatyou�re doing a poor job. A really skilledGM can alter his style to accommodatedifferent tastes, but only if he runs thedifferent groups in separate adventures.Most GMs prefer one style of play, andthey look for players who like that style.

As GM, you have the power to forceplayers to advance slowly. In the long runthey�ll thank you for doing it, and they�llget more out of the game. If you�re goingat a properly slow rate there will be com-plaints, but no one will quit. What isslow for one group may be fast foranother. I�ve heard of groups in whichthe player characters reached double-figure levels in a year � almost certainlytoo fast by any standard � and of othersin which 100 adventures netted only sevenmagic items, and correspondingly smallamounts of experience. A �rate of gain�that is too fast can disillusion players assurely as one that is too slow.

Let�s assume that you want to play fan-tasy role-playing games for as long as youcan enjoy the activity; in order to do so,you must restrain the impulse to get towhat appears to be the �exciting part� assoon as possible. For example, theAD&D� game at any level is exciting,when the adventure is played and runproperly, but there comes a time, whenplayer characters reach fairly high(double-figure) levels of experience, whenthe game becomes boring to all but thewildest power-hungry fanatics, or itbecomes a lottery. The longer you canput off this situation, the more enjoymentyou�ll derive from the game.

2: Let the players gain abilities at theslowest rate which maintains their inter-est in the game.

3: Don�t pass the buck.Your campaign is your responsibility,

no one else�s What happens in it dependsultimately on you. You cannot explainaway this responsibility by abdicatingyour decision-making in favor of a com-mercial module, or in favor of a dice table(especially one you�ve prepared yourself).The classic example of buck-passing isthe GM who rolls dice to determine atreasure guarded by 10 orcs. The result is,say, a vorpal blade or a wand of fireballs,and the GM flatly says, �I rolled it, so it�sthere.� In such a case, a competent GMwould exercise his judgement, takeresponsibility, and re-roll the treasure,because such a powerful item does notbelong in the hands of 10 orcs.

If the GM is using a dice table hederived himself, the admonition againstbuck-passing applies doubly. You won�tconvince anyone if you say that �the dicerule all� or �the dice are Fate.� If youmade up that table, whatever is in it isyour responsibility; if it gives an unbe-lievable result, or one which would de-stroy play balance, you had better changethat result before you use the table.

Finally, commercial modules are writ-ten by people like yourself, though per-haps with more experience. They aredevised with certain assumptions in mindwhich might not apply to your cam-paign. If something in the moduleclashes with your ideas of how the game

DR A G O N 41

should be played, or with some assump-tions underlying your campaign, youmust change the module. If you pass thebuck, you may make your players angryand ruin your campaign at the same time.

4: What�s good for player charactersis good for the monsters.

You might call this the Golden Rule ofFantasy Role-Playing Games. The game,whichever one you play, is already biasedin favor of the player characters (andshould be, or it wouldn�t be much of agame because the good guys would beslaughtered 90% of the time). If you allowplayers to do something that a non-playershould, by all logic, be able to do, butwhich you do not allow, you are goingtoo far. Moreover, you�re abandoningyour most useful argument against thoseplayers who want as many advantages aspossible � that if they are able to dosuch-and-such, their human enemies (atleast) will be able to do the same.

For example, players may argue thathumanoid-type creatures should be virtu-ally unable to move when in a magicweb, even if they are quite strong. But ifyou point out that the same thing couldhappen to the player characters, the play-ers might be less insistent. Or, if youallow player characters to learn align-ment languages other than their own,non-player characters should be able todo the same. The players are going to use

any magic item they have, so why shoulda non-player human leave his magic itemin a treasure chest? This works both ways:Non-player characters should not be ableto use magic which player characters of asimilar class cannot obtain.

This is not to say that you shouldchange the rules. For example, in theAD&D game only humans and someassociated types, such as elves, can usemost magic items and many magic spells.The idea, I think, is that it�s the magicwhich enables humans to dominate theirphysically far more powerful rivals. Ifyou change the rules of your game so thateveryone from orcs to giants can usemagic items, you�ll be changing the �bal-ance of power� � changing the entiregame, really. This is not a proper appli-cation of the Golden Rule.

If you�re unsure whether to allowplayer characters to obtain a powerfulmagic item or large treasure, alwayschoose not to do it. If you�re too stingyyou can always give more later, but it�sextremely hard to call back somethingwhich is already in the characters� hands.For beginning GMs, this guideline mightbe restated as: �Give only half as muchtreasure as you think is fair.� Nothingruins a game more quickly than escala-tion and inflation of levels, wealth, andmagical power.

5: Err on the side of stinginess.

If players are accustomed to treasuresworth 500 gold pieces, a 5,000 g.p. trea-sure is fabulous; to those accustomed to5,000 g.p. treasures, 5,000 is merely nor-mal � you need to give 50,000 to reachthe �fabulous� category. I have evenheard of games in which 100,000 g.p. wasa normal treasure. In any case, the playersbecome accustomed to the �normal� trea-sure, regardless of the numbers. Why not,therefore, make your normal treasurevalue a small number, and keep abilitiesand wealth under control? Your playerswill be thrilled just as often by the occa-sional big treasure, but �big� will meanone thing to your group, another to the�inflation gang.�

6: Don�t try to stop the irresistible forceor overthrow the immovable object.

In most games there are certain spells,magic items, or creatures which are sup-posed to be the ultimate. In the AD&Dgame, for instance, things that fall intothis category are the gods, protectionfrom magic scrolls, perhaps the anti-magic protection of a paladin�s holysword, the undead-turning ability of cler-ics, the inability of MUs to use swords,and the inscrutability of magical tomes.The cohesion of the game depends on theinviolability of such ultimates. A GMshould resist the temptation to add some-thing to the game in order to get aroundthe restrictions, because once he starts todo there�s no end in sight. In a way, it�slike starting an arms race.

For example, don�t allow any magic-users, whether player or non-player char-acter, to research a spell which will workthrough an anti-magic spell or shell.Don�t let someone devise a spell to deter-mine the nature of magical tomes. Don�tlet characters kill gods! For that matter,don�t let characters become as powerful asthe gods, and don�t let humans escape thebasic fact of their nature: their mortality.Don�t devise amulets which enableundead to resist turning by clerics. Don�t,please don�t, let magic-users use swords,however magical and special they may be.These kinds of things unbalance thegame at worst, and at best they offendone�s sense that the adventure is �real.�

7: Don�t allow anachronisms.Fantasy role-playing is only a simula-

tion (of sorts), not reality. Consequently,the players can try to take advantage oftheir knowledge of the real world �knowledge their characters would nothave. Typically, a player might cause hischaracter to invent some extremely usefuldevice known in our world but not in thecampaign world, and from that he makesa huge amount of gold; or perhaps, inother cases, his inventions give him greatpower (rather like the paratime travellerwho invents gunpowder, as in H. BeamPiper�s Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen). Suchseemingly foolproof schemes can ruin acampaign, and in any case are contrary tothe spirit of the game. What can the GMdo to stop it?

Of course, the easy method is simply todisallow any action which depends solelyon the players� knowledge of the realworld. Alternatively, if someone comesup with a scheme which may ruin yourcampaign, ask yourself why no non-player character has ever done this. Per-haps some powerful lord is against thiskind of thing, or perhaps the culture ordominant religion in the area prohibitsactivities which aid this kind of scheme.For example, maybe a character can�invent� gunpowder, but could the dom-inant church in this world be opposed toit, just as the Catholic Church outlawedgunpowder weapons in the late MiddleAges?

Or, as another alternative, ask yourselfwhat non-player characters are going todo when they see the player charactermaking money (or gaining power) handover fist. Will they try to set up a similarscheme in competition? Will they try todestroy his scheme, or destroy him? Ineither case, the non-players won�t neces-sarily resort directly to force. There aresubtle ways to influence events, throughrulers, bribes, other kinds of pressure onemployees, and so on.

8: Never let the players feel that theircharacters are invulnerable.

Much of the excitement of role-playingcomes from the possibility that death maymeet �you� around the corner. This

42 JULY 1983

Some GMs habitually put draconian,dogmatic, or arbitrary directions in totheir dungeon or wilderness keys. Forexample, the key might say �there is noway to avoid this trap� or �nothing canstop the statue except [some odd spell]�or �anyone who touches the object ispermanently dead, no saving throw,wishes notwithstanding.� Typically, suchcategorical statements are the mark ofpoor design. The GM is not competent to

9: Avoid arbitrary keying.

instills a healthy caution in most players(though not in the few who don�t thinkof their characters as people). When play-ers become so powerful that they cannotbe harmed, they are initially on a big egotrip but after a while they become bored.That fighter with +5 armor and shieldand 18 dexterity can laugh at orcs andogres. Sure, you can throw tougher mon-sters against him, but you should alsorule that a roll of 20 against him isalways a hit. It�s even easier to make surethe fighter doesn�t obtain that much pro-tection in the first place.

A game which is too predictable cancause boredom as well. Throw the playersout of routine with, for example, a highlyintelligent giant spider, the infamousmummy that doesn�t burn, or a strange,non-evil undead. But don�t overdo it. Iftoo much is unpredictable, the gamedegenerates into a lottery.

provide for the unexpected; therefore, helegislates against it.

There should always be some chance ofgetting away, of surviving, of using aspell or item in a way no one has thoughtof before. Your job as GM is to recognizethat this possibility exists and arrange theplace of adventure accordingly.

10: Don�t expect players to perceive aproblem the way you do.

GMs must expect the unexpected. Ifyou get locked into a particular plot foran adventure scenario, and the playersdecide to try something other than theobvious � or what seems obvious to you�either your scenario may be ruined oryou must drastically interfere. The latteris quite reprehensible, except in thosegroups where players prefer to let the GMcontrol their overall course of action. Theformer can be avoided by setting up theadventure with attention to flexibility.

An example: A strong party, lookingfor a reputedly very evil and powerfulcreature, came upon a castle atop a 5,000-foot peak, with a single narrow accessroad. The GM expected the party to blastthe guards with fireballs and barge in �but the party wanted no part of a canal-ized assault over a mile of open, narrowroad. So they looked for a back entrance,sneaked past an encamped orc army usingan invisibility spell, and met the chiefbad guy and his group of bodyguards

almost immediately, while the party wasstill at full strength.

Obviously, this threw off the GM�sexpectations (though he had provided theback-door entrance), but he didn�t try tochange the players� minds, nor did hefudge his die rolls so that the party wouldbe detected before they reached theentrance. His set-up was flexible enoughthat even though the party killed theboss, the underlings and the orc armykept things interesting for several days.The party perceived the problem differ-ently than the person who designed it,but because the GM was not dogmatic orinflexible, the adventure remained enjoy-able for all.

D R A G O N 4 3

44 JULY 1983

Can Seapoint Be Saved?First place entryCategory A-7Module Design Contest

For as long as anyone in the town canremember, nothing has come easily to theresidents of Seapoint. The little harbortown sprang up on the south side of ashort peninsula when the idea of trans-porting goods by sea began to catch on,and the shipbuilders of the land acquiredthe ability to construct large seagoingvessels to carry raw materials and mer-chandise up the coast.

Before the sea trade was developed, allcommerce between the northern andsouthern lands of the country took placeover a time-consuming and hazardousoverland route. Caravans were forced tohug the coastline in order to avoid travel-ing through the mountains � and insome places along the way, the rough ter-rain extended almost to the seashore.Then the shipbuilders began to refinetheir skills, and merchants began to dis-cover that it took less time and involved

less danger to ship goods by sea to Sea-point from Riverneck, a harbor townabout 600 miles due south of Seapoint.

It took years for the economy and effi-ciency of seagoing commerce to becomeevident to most of the major mercantileconcerns along the coast � years duringwhich the people of Seapoint scratchedout a living, practically on a day-to-daybasis. The town survived, but onlyrecently had it really begun to prosper.

Then, just as Seapoint seemed to becoming into its own, ships started to dis-appear during the journey northward,Sporadically and infrequently � butquite often enough � entire cargos andcrews were seemingly lost to the depths.On rarer occasions, merchant ships thatwere reported lost turned up days aftertheir scheduled arrival in Seapoint � bat-tered, empty, and washed up on the rockyshore to the southeast of the harbor.

Designed byBob Waldbauer

Those hulls, gutted of practically any-thing portable and valuable, offered theonly clue to what was going on. Theywere empty of cargo, so robbery was amotive. The crews had apparently eitherbeen kidnapped, or killed and thrownoverboard, because no evidence of liferemained on any of the wrecks.

Obviously, a sinister force was operat-ing in the waters between Riverneck andSeapoint. But of what sort? Were thethieves �simply� pirates, engaging in anoccasional raid? If that were so, then thesea would still be no more dangerous totravel than the overland route; certainly,land caravans had been ambushed anddecimated before. Putting up with crimi-nals was an occupational hazard in thebusiness of commerce, and the threat ofan occasional pirate raid would not beenough to scare most merchants.

But these raids have become more than

D R A G O N 4 5

occasional; lately, an average of two shipsper month have been waylaid en routefrom Riverneck to Seapoint. And eachraid is terrifyingly thorough � at theleast, stripping a ship of any items ofmeasurable worth, and at the most, caus-ing the victimized ship to literally disap-pear from the surface of the sea.

Many of the smaller merchant con-cerns, and even some of the larger ones,have become apprehensive about �play-ing the odds� any further. Word hasreached Seapoint, from conversationsoverheard in Riverneck, that severalcommercial interests have made a pact toinsure their continued survival: If thesepirate raids (if that is what they are) con-tinue much longer, they�ll sell their shipsand re-open an overland trade route toserve the lands to the north.

Practically every merchant who ownsmore than a single ship has been victim-ized so far; the raiders apparently bear nopersonal grudges. The loss of materials isespecially serious to small businesses that

can�t afford to have a cargo-laden shipdisappear. Even though the larger busi-nesses may be able to stand this sort of aloss, some of them are starting to haveproblems persuading sailors to sign onwith a merchant ship heading north.Strangely, no ship has been lost on thereturn trip south from Seapoint to River-neck, presumably because ships headingsouth carry relatively light loads, andmany of them are virtually cargoless.

All of these conditions add up to onething for Seapoint: trouble. If even a fewof the merchants decide to give up seatrade, the town�s economy will go under.Only days ago, the Seapoint town councilpromised a reward of 5,000 gold pieces toany individual or group of adventurerswho can successfully investigate the causeof these raids and put an end to the piracythat threatens the continued existence ofSeapoint. There have been no takers yet� but today is the day your party hasarrived in town, and that reward moneylooks pretty good. . . .

46 JULY 1983

STARTING THE ADVENTURE�Can Seapoint Be Saved?� is an adven-

ture designed for use with the AD&D�rule system. To be able to answer thatquestion, a party of adventurers shouldconsist of 4-8 player characters, each of4th-7th level. The group may also includehenchmen and hirelings. To have the bestchance for success, the party shouldinclude as many different characterclasses as possible, with emphasis onfighter-types.

This adventure can be played as part ofa campaign, or as a stand-alone activityindependent of a campaign world.Whether it can be easily incorporated intoa campaign depends on how the DM�sworld is structured, both geographicallyand politically. In most cases, it shouldbe relatively simple to modify part of theworld map to fit the geographical mapportrayed here (or vice versa).

The way to begin this adventure is tocause the player-character party to arrivein Seapoint. Most of the preceding sec-tion of text is information that playercharacters could know before arriving inthe immediate vicinity, but it�s up to theDM to decide how much of this detail togive to players beforehand.

The party�s arrival could be by land orsea, depending on circumstances. Ocean-going travel is not that dangerous yet; thechance that the party�s ship will be raidedon its way to Seapoint is virtually nil �especially if the ship the party is sailingon doesn�t look like an ordinary mer-chant ship.

The presence of a hardy band of adven-turers in a town the size of Seapoint isunlikely to go unnoticed for long. Withinjust a few hours after their arrival, thecharacters will find out about the reward(if they didn�t know about it already), andwill encounter a man named EvaldFerrier. He is a rich merchant who hassome very personal reasons for wantingthe pirates stopped: three of his ships areamong those that set out from Riverneckand were never heard from again.

Ferrier has one valuable piece ofinformation above and beyond the factsthat characters might find out from othersources. The captain of a merchant shipowned by a competing businessmansailed into Seapoint several days ago andcontacted Ferrier to tell him that he saw aship resembling one of his lost vesselsunloading cargo at the docks in River-neck. Ferrier assumes this information tobe true, and is seeking the services of agroup of adventurers who would be will-ing to travel to Riverneck and investigatefurther. If the party agrees to undertakethis mission, Ferrier will supply themwith a ship and crew for the journeysouth, against their promise that theywill do their best to find out whether theship actually is Ferrier�s, and if so, who�sin command of it now. (Ferrier is alsowilling to sweeten the pot with a largerreward, especially if the adventurers see

the town�s offer of 5,000 gold pieces as toopal try.)

Although the plight of Seapoint is thecrux of the adventure, most of the land-based activity of the adventuring partywill take place in Riverneck (assumingthey take Evald Ferrier up on his offer).For this reason, a sketchy description ofRiverneck and a map of that town areprovided in the adventure, but the townof Seapoint is not detailed in the sameway. If adventurers end up spending a lotof time in Seapoint, the DM will have to�design� a town for them to move aroundin. Since both Riverneck and Seapoint arerelatively small harbor towns, they wouldbe quite similar in terms of physicallayout and the buildings and businesseslocated in them.

THE TOWN OF RIVERNECKAfter the party strikes its deal with

Evald Ferrier in Seapoint, they haveroughly a week-long journey ahead ofthem on the open sea as they trace thetrade route southward to Riverneck. Atthe DM�s discretion, the ship bearing theparty may have random encounters alongthe way, but for the sake of the overalladventure, none of these encountersshould be overly dangerous or distractingto the party�s mission.

The bustling little harbor communityof Riverneck is a vital link in the chain ofcommerce in this part of the world.Besides being the location from which

merchant ships set out on their journeyalong the trade route north to Seapoint,the town is also the endpoint of a coupleof major overland trade routes (notshown on the geographical map) leadingfrom the south and the west. Ships arrivein port on the average of one or two perday � some of them coming from Sea-point, most arriving at Riverneck frompoints further south. And, ships ladenwith cargo leave the harbor with the sameregularity � but at this point in time,most of the ships that leave Riverneck areheaded south rather than north.

The map at the top of this page depictsthe major buildings and other features ofthe business district of Riverneck (keyedwith letter-codes) as well as several othermiscellaneous structures that serve as res-idences for some of the townspeople.Physical details concerning the major fea-tures (the presence of people, interiorfurnishings, etc.) should be generated bythe DM if the adventurers� activities makethis necessary.

The first things the adventurers will seewhen their ship pulls into the harbor arethe receiving dock (A) and the shipbuild-ing yard (B). The dock can accommodateup to four relatively large merchantships, but seldom holds more than twovessels at once. (See the following sectionof text for a general description of a typi-cal large merchant ship.)

The shipbuilding yard is a fenced-inarea serviced by its own pier. A partially

constructed hull (far from being com-pleted) is the dominant feature of theyard; around it are stacks and piles ofwooden planks and beams, metal fittings,and other necessary materials. The resi-dence for the operator of the yard and hisapprentices is a simple enclosure in thesouthwest corner of the yard itself.

After their ship is docked, adventurersmay want to head for the nearest tavern(C) to find out what the people of River-neck may have to add to the facts theyalready know. Building (D), just across anarrow walkway adjacent to the tavern, isthe shop of the town�s cooper (barrelmaker), which is regularly kept busymanufacturing new containers to holdcargo to be shipped out.

The two buildings marked (E) are theproperty of the local Merchants� Guild.The westernmost structure is a �flophouse� for transients, either members of aship�s crew or workmen who came totown in an overland caravan. The otherbuilding is a warehouse for goodsreceived by merchants from ships or cara-vans and destined for re-shipment.

Another nucleus of activity in the townis the Riverneck Inn (F). Visitors can rentrooms by the night, and meals are sold ina large common room that is also a socialcenter. This place is frequented by ship�scaptains and officers, prominent mer-chants passing through town, and otherinfluential and knowledgeable types.

Virtually any specific manufactured

DR A G O N 47

Cabin interiors

Largemerchantship

Main deck

Cargo hold

0 5 10(feet)

48 JULY 1983

0 5 10(feet)

Small merchant ship

item of a nautical nature can be found inthe ship�s store (G). Items for sale rangefrom sextants to barrels of grog to caulk-ing pitch. The proprietor of the shoplives in the small building near the mainstructure. This shop is operated more orless in cooperation with the rope and sailmaker�s shop (H); the ship�s store doesn�tsell rope or rigging materials or sails, andthe rope and sail maker sticks to his spe-cialties without trying to compete for thecustomers of the ship�s store.

The most remote of the main features isthe constable�s office (J). The buildingcontains a jail with a pair of iron-barredcells, but they are empty more often thannot. The constable is a figurehead withrelatively little actual power in the com-munity; law enforcement in Riverneckconsists primarily of citizens controllingone another, in a sort of crude �honorsystem�: If you don�t try to steal some-one�s property or slip a knife between hisribs, chances are he (or his hired help, orthe survivors of his family) won�t try any-thing against you, either.

Most of the main structures in thebusiness district of Riverneck are builtaround the perimeter of the traders�

Depicted above and on the facing pageare the two types of sailing ships thatplay a major part in this adventure. Thelarge merchant ship shown at left is whatEvald Ferrier�s missing ship, The SeaHawk, looks like. (This ship is also thetype of vessel that the characters will useto travel from Seapoint to Riverneckbefore they encounter The Sea Hawk and

THE SHIPS

As luck would have it, the next marketday in Riverneck is scheduled for the dayafter the ship carrying the adventurersarrives in port � a golden opportunityfor everyone to replenish supplies beforethe next stage of the mission.

square (K), an open-air marketplace witha raised platform (used as an auctionblock, speaker�s stand, etc.) in the center.One day a week, the square is filled withmerchants and traders peddling theirwares. On �market day,� virtually anyitem imaginable (within reason, ofcourse) can be bought from one of thevendors. Often, the captain of a ship willtry to time his arrival in Riverneck, ordelay his ship�s departure, to be on handfor market day.

her new �owners.�) The small merchantship shown on this page is the vessel thatthe pirate band uses on its raids.

When the adventurers arrive in River-neck, they probably won�t be fortunateenough to find The Sea Hawk sitting atthe dock waiting for them. However, theywill be able to find out from townspeoplethat a ship matching the description ofThe Sea Hawk (sailing under a differentname, of course) was last seen in portalmost a month ago.

Since a great many merchant ships visitRiverneck on a monthly schedule, thosewho keep track of such things (the dockmanager or one of his helpers) will tellthe adventurers that they might expect tosee it return soon. And sure enough, twodays (at most) after the party arrives intown, the ship they�re seeking will pullinto Riverneck.

For purposes of movement, hull values,and so forth, treat The Sea Hawk as alarge merchant ship as per AD&D rules,except that it has no oars and thus nomovement rate for that means of travel.

The aft cabin is the captain�s quarters,being occupied at the present time by thethird-ranking member of the pirate gang,Gareth Juster, a 4th level fighter (AC 6,HP 34, Str 16, Int 12, Wis 9, Dex 17, Con15, Cha 9, alignment lawful evil). He car-ries a +1 dagger and a long sword, andwears a +1 ring of protection. Rolled upand stored inside the drawer of a smalltable inside the captain�s cabin is a mapof the island chain (refer to the map onpage 46) with the site of the pirate head-quarters clearly marked with an �X� anda hand-drawn line that describes the routethe pirates take when entering and leav-ing their base.

The other occupants of the ship whenit docks are two �name� pirates (de-scribed below) and five �nameless� deckhands. All �nameless� pirates (whetherlocated on the ship or waiting back at thepirate headquarters) are 1st-level fighters(AC 10, HP 7) who carry daggers on theirpersons and who also have access to (andcan use) short swords that are storedbelow decks where the crew sleeps.

The other two �name� pirates are:Aldo Huckster, 2nd level fighter (AC 9,

HP 21), armed with dagger and longsword.

Kappern Celeste, 2nd level fighter (AC8, HP 16), armed with short sword anddagger.

The forward section of the ship has asmall cabin used as storage for the anchorchains, extra ropes and lines, and othernon-merchandise materials. The cargohold, accessible through an open hatch inthe front of the main deck, is where thecrew�s supplies, as well as goods intendedfor sale in Riverneck, are stored.

The pirates are posing as merchantswith wares for sale, just like any othership that comes to Riverneck. They oper-ate �in the open,� like any othermerchant-ship crew; that is, they will not

DRAGON 49

be secretive about the merchandise ontheir ship, and they will gladly accept allthe help any dock-workers want to givethem unloading their cargo. However,they won�t take kindly to anyone whotries to invade the privacy of the captain�scabin. The crew sleeps on the ship whileit is docked; the �merchant sailors� willgo into town for recreation and relaxa-tion, just like any other visitors to River-neck, but in such a case at least one of the�nameless� pirates will be ordered to staybehind and make sure no one boards theship while the rest of the crew is away.The pirates will not be looking to take onnew crew members, and it�s virtuallyimpossible for even one person � letalone an entire party of characters � tostow away aboard The Sea Hawk and notbe discovered. (Clearly, the only way forthe adventurers to deal with the pirates atthis juncture is to take the ship by force� but without damaging the ship itself.)

The small merchant ship will probablynot come into play until the adventurerscommandeer The Sea Hawk and sail itback to the pirate base. Treat the smallship as equivalent to a small merchantship in the AD&D rules, except that themovement rates for �normal oar� and�maximum oar� are doubled.

THE PIRATESJust as most of the merchants and resi-

dents of Seapoint have suspected, a bandof pirates is behind the evil operations inthese waters. But it isn�t that simple:Operating in league with the pirates, andacting as their leader in most ways, is a9th level magic-user. And the creature �primarily responsible for the group�srecent successes is neither pirate normagic-user � it�s a dragon turtle, whichcooperates voluntarily with the magic-user and the pirate band, and has thiscooperation enhanced by applications ofa charm monster spell.

The small, unassuming ship that thepirates travel in (see the preceding page)is not likely to arouse the suspicion of amerchant-ship captain who encountersthe vessel; eight men in a small boat arenot much of a threat. But lurking nearby,underwater, is the dragon turtle � andthis changes the odds considerably.

The dragon turtle (while under theinfluence of the charm spell) secretlyaccompanies the small ship when itleaves the pirates� headquarters andmoves into the shipping lane, hoping toencounter a northbound ship loaded withgoods. When the small ship moves closeenough to a merchant ship to determinethat it�s worth taking, the pirate leaderorders his oarsmen to give a signal to thedragon turtle (they slap their oars on thesurface of the water), and the monsterroars into action.

Still underwater, the dragon turtlerushes the merchant ship. It surfacesbeside the vessel and belches out a cloudof scalding steam that kills or wounds

50 JULY 1983

The pirates �own� one large merchantship, The Sea Hawk (see the previous sec-tion of text). This vessel was capturedintact on one of their early raids, andserves as a way for them to transportstolen goods to Riverneck, where themerchandise is sold for fair market valueby pirates posing as merchant sailors. (Itis quite possible that the pirates havestolen and sold the same goods more thanonce, since some of what they unload atRiverneck eventually finds its way onto amerchant ship headed north.) By just sell-ing one ship�s worth of goods at onetime, and by doing it within the law, thepirates avoid attracting attention tothemselves.

The pirates� strategy is a key to theirintentions. They don�t want to com-pletely discourage merchant-ship trafficin this area, or obviously they�d be out ofbusiness. So, they only set out on raidsonce every couple of weeks or so. Theystrip a victimized ship of its cargo (or asmuch of it as they can pile into theirsmaller ship), then scuttle the empty ornear-empty ship and head back to theirheadquarters. (The wrecked hulls thatinfrequently wash up on the rocks nearSeapoint are evidently ships that thepirates thought had been damagedenough so that they would sink � butthey retained enough buoyancy to ridethe current until beaching themselves.)

The dragon turtle has 12 hit dice, 48 hitpoints, and a 30-foot diameter shell. It isrelatively weak (as dragon turtles go) butquite intelligent � smart enough to real-ize when it has a good thing going. Themonster is only charmed by the magic-user when the pirates are about to embarkon another raiding expedition, because itis at this time when the creature must bestrictly controlled to be sure it doesexactly what it�s supposed to do. The restof the time, even when it�s not under theinfluence of the spell, the dragon turtle iscontent to remain in its lair on the islandwhere the pirates have established theirheadquarters. It savors its collection oftreasure, satisfies its hunger with occa-sional meals provided by the pirates, andwaits patiently until the next time it iscalled upon.

As a reward for its assistance, thedragon turtle gets to devour all the crewmembers it can eat. The monster alsoreceives a portion of the monetary trea-sure taken from each wrecked merchantship. The relationship between the pirateband and the dragon turtle is mutuallybeneficial: The creature gets lots of freemeals and a goodly amount of treasure(and a way to transport those goods backto its lair), and the pirates get all the sal-able merchandise they can carry off theships that the monster destroys.

anyone who isn�t below decks. After thisblast, it is a relatively simple matter forthe pirates to board the merchant ship,making short work of any resistance thatmight remain.

PIRATE HEADQUARTERSThe pirate band�s base of operations is

located on the eastern shore of one of thesmall islands in the chain that extendssouthward from the peninsula. Theisland in question is in the center of theenlarged inset on the geographical map,and the approximate position of thepirate headquarters is indicated by a dotwith a circle around it. All of thechambers in the headquarters are naturalcaves and caverns hollowed out of theinside of the island. Except where other-wise noted, all the chambers are wellilluminated in strategic spots by the useof continual light spells. All of thechambers have ceilings at least 20 feethigh. The doors shown on the map areall of wood and are normally locked.

When the party of adventurers arrivesat the island base, the site will be occu-pied by five �name� pirates (detailedbelow), four other �nameless� pirates(low-level types, statistically identical tothe miscellaneous hands on the ship), andthe magic-user who is the brains behindthe operation.

The magic-user is Adoniram Latoner(AC 4, HP 28, Str 9, Int 17, Wis 15, Dex14, Con 12, Cha 16, alignment lawfulevil). He is proficient with the dagger andthe quarter staff, and possesses two ofeach weapon. One dagger � a +2 weapon�is on his person, and the other (non-magical) is kept under the pillow of thebed in his quarters (area E on the head-quarters map). In a pocket of his robe, hecarries a key that will unlock any door inthe complex. He wears bracers of defense(AC 4) and always sports a rod of beguil-ing in a leather �holster� hanging fromhis belt. He knows the following spells:reduce, shield, sleep (×2), invisibility,web, continual light, hold person,tongues, water breathing, charm monster,wall of fire, and teleport.

Latoner uses the rod of beguiling as asafeguard against a mutiny by the pirateshe is leading, and only rarely has he actu-ally had to wield it to end an argument orquell a possible uprising. He does not usethe rod on the dragon turtle, preferring tonot waste any of its charges on the crea-ture since his charm monster spell canaccomplish the same effect and can bereplenished.

The pirates all know about the rod,and they realize that Latoner can easilyput a stop to any conflict by using it, butthey don�t realize the rod has a limitednumber of charges � and Latoner doesn�tknow that the rod only has three chargesremaining at this time.

The magic-user seldom is found any-where but in his chambers, and thepirates have never known him to leavethe headquarters complex. Unless hefinds out in advance that adventurershave invaded the base, Latoner will beencountered in his living quarters (AreaE). This chamber contains a bed, a desk, achest of drawers, and other miscellaneous

Scale: 1 square = 10 feet

DR A G O N 51

furniture. Latoner�s book of 4th and 5thlevel spells (with only three pages filled atthe moment) is lying on his desk. Hisother spell book is in one of the drawersof the chest. Aside from his weapons andthe items he is wearing, Latoner keepsnothing of value in this chamber.

The cavern to the southeast of Laton-er�s quarters (Area F) is where the magic-user keeps his share of the monetary trea-sure and other items of high valueappropriated by the pirates. Tucked awayin the most secluded spot inside thisunlighted chamber are three woodenchests without locks. They contain goldpieces, silver pieces, and copper pieces inroughly equal proportions (400-600 coinsin each chest). The only other items ofnoteworthy value in the chamber are apair of gold urns, worth about 350 g.p.each, and a ship�s bell formed entirely outof silver, worth 450 g.p.

If Latoner is aware of the party�s pres-ence within the complex, he will not con-front them directly but will rely on thepirates to do the dirty work. He willgather up his spell books and weaponsand lock himself inside the treasurechamber. At the first sign of a disturbancein his living quarters, he will teleporthimself, his books, and his weapons intohis �escape hatch� hideaway (Area H).

If the magic-user is surprised inside hisliving quarters, he will attempt to defendhimself with any means available (the rodof beguiling, a weapon, or spell use) untilhe can grab his book of 4th-5th levelspells. When he has that book in his pos-session, he will teleport as describedabove. Except in a truly life-or-deathsituation, Latoner will not use his tele-port spell to escape unless he is carryingthe book, since he must have the book tore-learn the teleport spell and get himselfout of the hiding place the same way hegot into it. (For purposes of moderatingthe teleport attempt, treat Area H as �veryfamiliar� to Latoner.)

The captain of the pirate band is a 6thlevel fighter named Morgan Krell (AC 6,HP 49, Str 17, Int 15, Wis 12, Dex 14, Con16, Cha 16, alignment lawful evil). He isproficient with the long sword, dagger,and spear. He carries a +1 long sword anda non-magical dagger, and wears bracersof defense (AC 6). His living quarters arein Area D, immediately to the east of themagic-user�s chambers. The cavern is assparsely furnished as Latoner�s quarters,containing only a hammock hung fromposts, a wooden chest on the east wall,and a table with four chairs around itroughly in the center of the chamber. Thechest is locked. Krell has the key to thischest in his pocket, and he also holds akey (identical to Latoner�s) that will openall of the doors in the headquarters.Inside the chest are a leather bag contain-ing 60 gold pieces, various personal itemsand articles of clothing, and a book inwhich Krell is writing (in the commontongue) a log of the pirates� activities.

52 JULY 1983

Unless intruders use some form ofmagic that makes them undetectable, itwill be virtually impossible to invade thebarracks and surprise everyone in it. If theparty advances into this room from AreaA and a conflict ensues, the pirates will

The barracks area doubles as a diningroom and sleeping chamber. It containsseveral hammocks hung from posts andan equal number of small, unlockedchests that contain clothing and personalitems. Crates and barrels of foodstuffs arestacked along the northern wall of thechamber; nearby are a fire pit, a largesquare table for preparing food, otherkitchen-type furnishings and equipment,and a long, low table on which meals areserved. Scattered about the room are sev-eral �community property� weapons,predominantly daggers and short swords,which can be snatched up at a moment�snotice by anyone who finds himself inneed of one.

All four of the �nameless� pirates inthe complex are armed with daggers. Inaddition, the pirate on sentry duty has ashort sword at his side, and each of theother three pirates can also use a shortsword if one is available,

Gorlon Dundore, 2nd level fighter (AC10, HP 15); armed with short sword anddagger.

Klass Goffe, 2nd level fighter (AC 8,HP 19); armed with long sword anddagger.

Dongal Maskill, 2nd level fighter (AC10, HP 14); armed with short sword anddagger.

Larkin Fletcher, 3rd level fighter (AC 7,HP 23); armed with long sword anddagger, also proficient with spear.

Jans Harper, 3rd level fighter (AC 9,HP 25); armed with long sword anddagger, also proficient with spear andclub.

All but one of the remaining residentsof the complex will be in Area B whenthe adventurers arrive at the island. Theexception is a lone sentry (one of the�nameless� pirates) who is pulling guardduty at the dock (Area A). The five�name� pirates found in Area B, allhumans of lawful evil alignment, are:

If he is surprised, the captain will be inhis quarters entering a passage in thelogbook, with his spear within easy reachleaning against the hammock. If he isalerted to the presence of the adventurersin Latoner�s chambers, Krell will leavehis chamber through the eastern door andround up all the pirates from the generalbarracks area to the east (Area B). If hehears a disturbance in Area B, Krell willflee westward into the magic-user�schamber and alert Latoner. In such acase, it is possible that Latoner will takeKrell along with him when he retreatsinto the treasure chamber and prepareshis teleport spell. (Krell would be able toteleport with him, since the captain�sweight does not put Latoner over thelimit imposed by the spell description.)

try to get past the party and escape intoArea A (since they don�t have keys to getthrough any of the doors leading out ofthe barracks). If the party enters the com-plex from the southern end (through AreaG) and Krell is alerted to the intrusion,the captain will move into Area B, lock-ing the door behind him, and will thenunlock the door leading to Area C (adark, empty chamber) and the door in thelower right-hand corner of the map. Thislatter door blocks off an ascending tunnelthat leads out of the subterranean com-plex. The pirates will not use this door,but will try to make it look as thoughthey have. When his men are organized(which will take two rounds), Krell willlead them into Area A, and they will alltry to escape by using the barge tied to thepier. The pirates� small merchant ship isanchored just outside the opening to thiswaterway. As long as the number ofpirates who escape is sufficient to get thesmall ship under way (at least two men towork the sails, four to man the oars), theywill be able to leave the complex.

The sentry in Area A will certainly bealerted if characters attempt a directassault on the complex through the widewaterway leading east. If this occurs, theguard will sound an alarm; two roundslater, the dock area will fill up with angrypirates from Area B. Unless the party hasobviously superior power, the pirates willmake a determined defensive stand at thislocation. Crates, barrels, and boxes ofstolen merchandise are stacked in manyplaces around the open warehouse area,offering substantial cover and lots of hid-ing places for the defenders. If the piratesare getting the worst of the fight, or itlooks like they won�t be able to hold offthe adventurers� assault, they will retreatback into Area B and entrench them-selves. As a last resort only, they will tryto open or break down the door leadingto the tunnel and head outside.

Area G is �no man�s land� for everyoneexcept Latoner, the magic-user. This isthe lair of the dragon turtle. On a narrowpatch of land adjoining the small butdeep lagoon there is a disorderly pile ofcoins with a few gems and bits of jewelrythrown in (just for �color�). This is thetreasure that Latoner has given to thedragon turtle as part of their bargain; it isroughly equivalent to the value of themonetary treasure in Area F. The monsteritself lurks in the depths of the lagoon,generally surfacing only on a signal fromLatoner. At the bottom of the lagoon isanother pile of treasure, composed of allthe valuables that the dragon turtleacquired before getting involved with thepirates. In all probability, this treasurepile will not be discovered by the party(unless they somehow manage to kill ordisable the dragon turtle). If it becomesnecessary to know the contents of theunderwater treasure pile, the DM shouldgenerate it according to the MonsterManual specifications.

D R A G O N 5 3

by Clyde Heaton

Language lessons: I

Even Orcish is logicalMake the system fit the speakers

Players of fantasy role-playing gamesare spectators and critics of a complex,varied art form. This medium covers arange of experience equal to that of musicand poetry, which soars from simplerhyme and melody to the rarefied heightsof symphony and epic opera. So, too,does game design range from simple tocomplex.

The simplest form is that of the free-standing dungeon, where the playersenter the demesne of a mad wizard, whohas supposedly created the dungeon forhis own amusement. The characters comefrom nowhere. There is never a referenceto the wider world outside the maze oftunnels, no reason for the strange mena-gerie of monsters and men found in therambling warren, and the players find nohints of anything more.

Eventually, usually under the goadingof players� inquiring minds and freeimaginations, the referee either losesinterest in an increasingly complex hobbyor gets lost himself in what has becomean art form: the design of a fantasy world.If the players don�t ask questions aboutthe world, the designer�s own mind willask them � and there are always answersto be had:

�You said a wizard built this placebecause he was mad. What made himinsane?�

�The madness was a curse from thegods.�

�What did he do to get the godsdown on him?�

�Uh . . . he helped overthrow a kingthat had the support of the localreligion.�

�What kingdom is this? Can we gothere?�

And so it goes, until you find yourselfas the creator of your very own world,dropping hints of great treasures andglory to be won.

Imagine a scenario wherein the playersfind an inscription on a tomb wall in anunknown language. They copy it downand go looking for someone to translate itfor them. A magician can make sense outof some of it, enough to figure out what

54 JULY 1983

Every language has its internal logic,although folk wisdom holds otherwise.Some people are fond of saying that Eng-lish (or whatever language they are beingforced to study) is illogical, unpredicta-ble, and ridiculous. Deep down, theyknow this is not true, for they learned thebasic logic of their native tongue as theylearned to talk, without any formal les-sons. They can hear a sentence made upentirely of unknown words, but if thesewords conform to the patterns of Englishthey will instantly recognize certain facts.

The commonly quoted example of thisis the meaningless phrase, �The gostak

Languages have logic

The masters of literature have oftenfound solutions to the puzzle by actuallydesigning a language. J. R. R. Tolkien�sElvish is famous, spiced with a bit ofDwarvish; Frank Herbert�s Dune series isfull of fragments of language, from thebattle language of the Atreides to bits ofFremen and Tleilaxu tongues. Each ofthese fragments strikes a note of realismbeause it reflects a real vocabulary andsyntax, however incomplete it is. Theselanguages are not simple substitutions ofnonsense words in English grammar, likea ten-year-old�s �secret language� heshares with his friends; they represent realthought about the characters speaking thelines, and real rules about how languageswork. It�s not hard to learn: This articlewill show you how, and we�ll design alanguage for orcs along the way.

In most cases, the life-or-death inscrip-tion is never described except as a set ofprobabilities on dice, or it is given in asort of doubletalk, as �razzamatazz dagooblegoop,� which the players instantlyrecognize as a simple symbol for a realphrase, with no meaning of its own. Toomuch of this sort of thing, and the gamebecomes dry.

language it is. Since a player characterhas been told in a dream that this inscrip-tion may mean life or death to a memberof the party, off the party goes in searchof a needed sage, having many adventureson the way.

distims the doshes.� Without knowingexactly what one is, you automaticallyknow that a gostak is a being or an objectcapable of performing some kind ofaction. This gostak distims; that is, per-forms an unknown action (defined as anaction by the internal logic of the lan-guage), and it distims doshes (whateverthey are), the object of the action of �dis-timming.� The only time this internallogic is upset is when two languagescome into conflict by being used at thesame time and place, and therefore areoften combined. Eventually the twotongues will become the same language,having its own slightly different logicwithin a slightly different framework.

Before a language can be designed, youhave to decide a few things about thepeople or creatures who will speak it.First, what kind of vocal apparatus dothese creatures have to work with?Obviously, a creature with no teeth, onlya horny bill, will not use the same soundsthat a beast with fangs will, and neitherwill use the phonemes of humanlanguage.

Second, what kind of culture and worldview do these people live in and with? Inhis science-fiction novel The Languagesof Pao, Jack Vance suggests that lan-guages shape cultures. In his fictionalexample, he uses language changes toshape changes in a society. This may beso, but if a language grows up within aculture, the reverse will probably be moreoften true. The sound and grammar of alanguage will almost certainly reflect thecultural environment in which is is used.

For example, it may be no coincidencethat ancient Rome, an aggressive, expan-sionist society, spoke Latin by putting theverb first. The position of the word de-noting and describing action shows clear-ly the importance the Romans placed onaction. The English-speaking world putsthe subject of a sentence, a noun, in theleadoff position in the simplest sentences.This may reflect, as it seems to do, anacquisitive, possession-oriented culture.To design a language for part of anAD&D� world, you don�t need a complete

analysis; knowing the general alignmentand cultural habits of the society willcover the situation.

The third fundamental decisioninvolves the question of use. What dothese people do with this language? Is itspoken primarily by courtiers (such asHigh German) or by peasants and mer-chants (such as Low German)? To you, asthe game-world designer, this decision isimportant because it will limit the kindof vocabulary you will develop. TheAtreides� battle language in Dune didn�tneed words for flowers or birds, for philo-sophy or religion, but it had a drivingneed for military intelligence and combatterms. In the same manner, you willdesign only the part of a greater languagethat you require, adding the rest only ifyou find some part of it useful.

Common Orcish

metal work with the Black Dog orcs, but

The language we are going to developis Common Orcish, so named because it

they do need to know how, why, and

is common to all the orc tribes in a givenarea. Common Orcish is a well-developedmilitary language, having evolved tomeet the needs of intertribal cooperation.Generally, the only reason tribes willwork together is for warlike purposes,such as civil war or a major raid into civ-ilized territory. The orcs of Stony Ledgedon�t want to discuss the fine points of

Setting up syllables

are chosen, set up a table to help pick syl-Once the basic sounds of the language

lables, using a matrix something like the

If we were designing a tongue for a lesshostile race, such as elves, we might dis-card this series of consonants completelyin favor of softer sounds such as F, H,TH, L and S.

(Remember, the process of gaming lan-guage design is arbitrary. You are thedesigner and authority. It is only neces-sary that the component parts not beinconsistent. If, by chance, a slight incon-sistency does creep in, blame it on inter-language contamination, which happensin all but completely closed societies.)

Orcs are always shown with protrudingfangs, a physical feature which definitelylimits the sounds they can make. Manysubtle sounds that require a completelyclosed mouth to produce will beunknown to orcs, because their fangsliterally get in the way. Their harsh, sav-age nature will further lead orcs to usemostly harsh, guttural sounds. Therefore,the only consonant sounds in the lan-guage are D, G, J, K, N, R, T, and Z. Thevowel sounds are A (as in at), E (as inegg), and O (as in off).

when they are all going to launch a jointcharge against the kobolds. Hence, thelanguage is full of concepts relating towarfare and military construction.

one given here, or a similar design ofyour own creation:

1st 2ndConsonant Vowel Consonant

(null) a (null)d e d

g o g j jk kn nr rt tZ Z

Now, by picking �one from column A,one from column B, and one fromcolumn C,� Chinese restaurant style, youcan build dozens of suitably harsh sylla-bles (243, to be precise), each one similarin form and sound to the others, such asdug, jeg, zor, ot, and tet.

These syllables may be used as com-plete words, by themselves, or may be puttogether into longer words. In doing this,take into account the intelligence of thespeakers. In most cases, only races of rela-tively high intelligence would use a lot ofpolysyllabic words. I doubt seriously iforcs would use more than two syllables toa word, especially in their common, inter-tribal language. Even so, the consonantsand vowels from the above list can becombined into more than 40,000 two-syllable words. Common Orcish need notbe a limited tongue.

When building a vocabulary, if you

D R A G O N 5 5

From syllables to sentences

choose you may have similarities betweensome words, to show a common root; forexample, in Old Dwarvish (described inDRAGON� issue #66) the verb ak (to cut)was reflected in the nouns bak (cutter)and zak (axe). Such relationships androots are very easy to develop whendesigning a language, since one wordwill suggest another, such as with sleep,bed and blanket.

However, root-word organizationwould not be very prevalent in CommonOrcish. Orcs are not very creative, arelawful, and may have evolved from apack-running, hunting carnivore. I stipu-late that their words may have developedoriginally from hunting calls and aretherefore arbitrary in nature, at least inthe common language. New words areeither borrowed from other languages orimposed by a leader strong enough tohave his way. Once used by enough orcs,a word gains the weight of custom and isaccepted by the lawful-minded populace.

Another thing to consider is whethercertain parts of speech have a differentword form, making them immediatelyrecognizable for what they are. This maybe done by reserving certain syllables forspecial uses, or by the use of suffixes andprefixes. In Common Orcish, we willrecord a tendency for verbs to be of onethree-letter syllable, and for connectorssuch as and, or, but, from, etc., to be ofone two-letter syllable. Plurals will bedenoted by adding the suffix -a to a word,and a female version of a noun will begiven an -o suffix. All other words,whether nouns or adverbs and adjectives,will be of similar structure, probably oftwo syllables.

In any language, there must be a wayto denote possession and tense. In HighElvish (see the article on that topic else-where in this section), a relatively moresophisticated language, possession andtense are both shown by using an entirelydifferent word to denote the differencebetween my possession and yours, as wellas a difference between an object of todayand the same object tomorrow. In OldDwarvish, the same requirement is met bya short modifying syllable preceding theword. In Orcish, we will use a simplemodifier in the same manner as anadverb.

Next, we must determine simple sen-tence structure, taking into account theculture and attributes of the race and cul-ture using the language. When OldDwarvish was designed, I considered thereputation dwarves have of being mate-rialists, always seeking to amass treasuresof gold and finely worked materials.Apparently, physical objects are of mostimportance to them, and this must bereflected in their language, with the sub-ject and object of a sentence taking theprominent position.

In the case of High Elvish, I tried to

56 JULY 1983

imagine what would be of paramountimportance to a nearly immortal people.I decided that my personal view of elveswas that of a race of artists, more con-cerned with appearance and attitude thanwith actual objects and actions. Hence,the mood of a statement takes grammati-cal precedence over the subject, verb, andobject. Orcs are not as highly developedas either dwarves or elves, however, so wewill use the simple egocentric grammarof subject, verb and object, in that order.Words modifying another word will fol-low it.

For example, the English sentence Thechief of the orcs attacked the big fort bythe wide river would be organized inCommon Orcish as Chief orcs/attackpast/fort big by river wide.

The simple concept is Chief attack fort.The subject, chief, is modified by orcs;the verb, attack, is put into past tense byan adverb; and the object, fort, is modi-fied by the adjective big and the preposi-tional phrase by river wide.

We now have the bare skeletal structureof a language. If all you need for gamingpurposes are a few fragments of speech ortomb inscriptions, you really don�t needto develop a full vocabulary; just followthese rules of construction and the lan-guage (or what there is of it) will soundand look consistent.

However, if you want to develop avocabulary for orcs, let�s continue. First,decide what concepts are required by thespeakers of the tongue. As we decided ear-lier, Common Orcish is basically a mil-itary language to allow cooperationbetween tribes in time of war. The orcswill need to talk about combat (bothindividual and group), bivouac situa-tions, sieges, construction, and possiblyhunting. Incorporating these conceptswill dictate the vocabulary of thelanguage.

Start by making a list of the names ofevery object, person, direction, etc., thatan orc may have to talk about when inany of these situations, and assign anOrcish word to each, according to wordstructure as decided earlier; go back to thethree-column syllable table. Remember,nouns are usually of two syllables.

As you begin this list, keep it in alpha-betical order. I find that 3�×5� indexcards are the easiest method; by keepingfiles for both English and the languageI�m working on, I avoid any repetition.

When the noun list is as complete asyou want it to be, look it over and add .any adjectives that an orc might need toapply to any of these. For instance, rivermight require wide and fast; sword mightneed the modifier sharp. In the case ofCommon Orcish, the adjectives have thesame syllabic form as nouns.

Now, decide what verbs an orc wouldneed, such as cut to go with sword andswim with river. These verbs are usuallyof one three-letter syllable, in the case ofOrcish. File these verbs in order with the

list:

nouns and adjectives, then select adverbsto modify the verbs, such as hard to mod-ify cut. Adverbs have the same form asnouns and adjectives.

Now, we need one more type of word togive the language the flexibility it needs:connectors, such as conjunctions (and, or,if, etc.) and prepositions (from, for, andto). These we have already decided will beof one syllable of two letters only, soassign Orcish translations to these wordsand file them.

Using this process, I worked out thefollowing English-to-Orcish vocabulary

ragdargandan

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . joktarag

dakdakzokekdod

And (conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . akAnimal (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Armor (n.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Army/warband (n.)At (prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....Attack (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Attack (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....Axe (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Bed (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . derdarBig/great (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jajgakBlanket (n.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .derdakBreak (v.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dodBrick (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kettakBright (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .gatadBurn (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . detBut (conj .) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ekCarry (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dogCharge (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kotChest (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .zekarCity/town (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ejtagClimb (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tegCloak(n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..duradClose/shut (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . genCold (adj.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . etarCome (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .zenComing (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..zenakCompany (n.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . roktorCut (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gekDagger/knife (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jortakDanger (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nartagDark (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..gerdakDay (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zandagDeer (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .roradDefend (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gagDie (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . otDig (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garDog (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . g o j a kDown (adj./adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zegorDrink (v.)Drink (n.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . az. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . aztar

Dwarf (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kezEast (n.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gokzekEat (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gadElf (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rekarEnemy (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rargadFar (adj./adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gotrakFast (adj./adv.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tortanFight (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dekFire (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . detadFlank (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . togtadFood (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gaddujFor (prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o jFormation (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kejarFront (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . regtonFuture (adv.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gakdarGate (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..netdag

Get/fetch (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d o jGo (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .zorGoing (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zorakGuard (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d e jGuard (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dejadHammer (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gettokHard (adj./adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .gegorHe (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . daragHelmet (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ozradHorse (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gozakHot (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dendadHow (adv./conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o rHunt (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jarHunt (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jaragHuman (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rannorHunter (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jardakI, me (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dagadIf (conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . egIn (prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ajIs/am/to be (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . totKill (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dezLead (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jedLeader/officer (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jeddarLeft (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rakanLike/as (prep.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . adListen/hear (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dunLoose (adj.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(konad)Make/build/erect (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tekMany (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zejdadMarch (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dokMove (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . torNear (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gotragNight (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zakdagNo/negative (adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zozgatNorth (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . todregObey (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jegOf/from (prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ogOpen (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nezOr (conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o kOrc (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .darakOrder (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . j e nOrder (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .jendadParry (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gajPast (adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .dotadRear (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rontakRetreat (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .nojRide (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rejRight (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tokanRun (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . razSaddle (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . orgadSafe/safety (adj./n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . noztanscout (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gonScout (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gontadSergeant (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jegdanShield (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gandalShoot (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jezShut/close (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rotSleep (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . derSlow (adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tontagSoft (adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..gezanSouth (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . takrenSquad (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . j o kStand (v.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nakSteal (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dezStone (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kordadStop/halt (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . g e jSword (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .dotakTake (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . donThief (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .deztejThreaten (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..na rThrust (v.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zokTight (adj.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kozad

To (prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . odTreasure/wealth (n.). . . . . . . . . . . . . doztatTree (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tadnenUp (adv./prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tegatWall (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kokadWater (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dozarWest (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gogkerWhat (n./adj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . arWhen (adv./conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . anWhere (adv./conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . erWho/whom (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . onWhy (adv./conj.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . enWine (n.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tagratWith (prep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .edWood (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .dortodYes/affirmative (adv.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . tojatYou (n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .dakar

The parts of speech abbreviated aftereach English entry are expressed gener-ally in terms of how the Orcish languageuses these words and concepts. For sim-plicity (because that�s the way orcs wouldinstinctively do it), there is no distinctiondrawn between nouns and pronouns.Although a given word may be character-ized either as an adjective or an adverbbecause of its principal usage in English,it can be both parts of speech in theOrcish sentence structure, where the samewords are used to modify both nouns andverbs.

Words can be easily added to this list asthey are required by the game situation.Words on the list can influence the crea-tion of other related words (as with theOrcish words for �hunt� and �hunter�).But don�t overdo this; as mentioned ear-lier, Common Orcish wouldn�t be terriblysophisticated in this respect. Reserve the�related word� privilege for concepts andobjects that are near and dear to orcishmentality, such as az/aztar, dej/dejad,jar/jardak, and gon/gontad, to name afew from the list above. As long as youfollow the language�s construction andgrammatical rules � and avoid outrightduplication of words by keeping organ-ized lists � the language can be dealtwith and used by players. It can become amajor factor in the events of your cam-paign; for instance, being able to recog-nize Common Orcish from previous con-tacts with the language may provide animportant clue to player characters in aperilous situation.

To translate an English sentence intoCommon Orcish vocabulary and gram-mar, reorganize the sentence in Englishfirst. The sentence The officer ordered usto climb the wall has officer as its subject,ordered as the verb, and us as the object ofthe verb. The basic Orcish sentencewould be officer order me. The subject isnot modified, but the verb is modified bythe phrase (to) climb the wall and bybeing placed in past tense by the modifierdotad. The object is modified by addingthe plural suffix, -a.

Translation, direct and indirect

The complete rearranged sentence

reads: Officer order (past) to climb wallus. A direct translation of this sentenceinto Common Orcish yields: Jeddar jendotad teg kokad dagada.

If players ever get too familiar with thelanguage, it may be time to sprinkle yourCommon Orcish vocabulary with some�indirect translations,� otherwise knownas dialects. As the use of a languagespreads (and any language worthy of thename �common� would certainly bewidespread), differences arise in the wayvarious tribes pronounce various words.For example, one tribe may pronouncethe harsh T more softly, so that it wouldbe written TH; the K could become abreathy KH at the end of a word only.

Much of the Portuguese language issimilar to Spanish, with the words short-ened, some of the vowels left out. Perhapsone tribe of orcs speaks this way, so thatgogker (west) becomes go�k�r, and tagrat(wine) is t�grat; in an adventure, thiscould be a source of friction betweentribes that adventurers could exploit.

How will you make the most and thebest use of the languages you design?That�s impossible to predict; there are atleast as many ways to use a language asthere are words in the language itself.And no matter how much and how wellyou use authentic languages, one thing isfor sure: Player characters in your worldwill use the languages you designed inways that you didn�t even dream of.

D R A G O N 5 7

But don’t make a game out of naming!

Language lessons: II

All games need names

by Katharine Kerr

©1983 Katharine Kerr

�You�re in the Temple of Florwaks inShinebright City,� says the gamemaster.�You see the Priestess Oolala and herbarbarian bodyguard, Upchuk, whoserves the mighty god, uh, the god . . .how do you say Smkznrf, anyway?�

Does any of that sound familiar? Alltoo often, role-playing games, to saynothing of the lower reaches of fantasyand science-fiction writing, are marred bythe use of personal and place names rang-ing from the merely silly to the utterlyincomprehensible. Even some popularpublished gaming campaigns are filledwith banal random names.

Al though most fantasy role-playingsystems have elaborate rules for determin-ing which game-world languages a playermay know, when we come right down toit, all their manifold tongues sound alike�a species of that truly common lan-

guage, Gamer�s Exotica. It�s a pity,because the proper use of strange-sounding names adds the feeling of a dif-ferent reality that�s part of the pleasure ofrole-playing, whether your game-worldlies on a futuristic planet or in a past thatnever was.

The problem seems to be that manygamers forget that names are part of alanguage, and that each language has aconsistent character that sets it apart fromother languages. By and large, most role-playing games are created and played byspeakers of English, and American Eng-lish at that. For centuries, English hasbeen a linguistic melting pot, drawingroots and words from many other tonguesand in the process losing any recogniza-ble purity of tone and sound, such as onefinds in, for example, Chinese orGerman.

In America, our cross-cultural societyproduces names drawn from all over theworld. I�ve known a Kevin Woo and aHeidi Sanchez, for instance � ethniccombinations of names that would beunthinkable elsewhere, especially in aprimitive, isolated society such as those in

58 JULY 1983

most FRP games. As a result, whengamers create names, they start with theassumption that anything goes, just as itdoes in American English. Sometimes, ina desperate attempt to sound exotic, theyfall back on handfuls of consonants; moreoften, they mix and match from widelydifferent languages, with a healthy doseof just plain English thrown in.

It is possible, however, to have a systemthat will produce personal and placenames in fantastic languages with a min-imum of effort and brain-wracking. Whatthe gamemaster needs to do is create thelanguage from which these names will bedrawn. Making an entire language wouldbe too time-consuming and not necessary,but you can use a few basic linguisticprinciples to create a small part of a lan-guage in a surprisingly short time. Thisarticle explains those basic principles andgives specific pointers on language crea-tion so that it can serve as a starter-kit forthose who want to create partial lan-guages for their campaigns. You shouldbear in mind that the article oversimpli-fies many a tangled concept, but on thewhole, it sticks close to modern linguistictheory. It also uses two standard linguis-tic conventions by setting off examplesounds in slashes (/g/) and examplewords in italic type.

What is a language?Before we can get down to the step-by-

step process of making up a language, it�snecessary to define exactly what a lan-guage is: a system of sounds, all givenarbitrary meanings and organized intopatterns that carry meaning and show therelationships between the basic sounds.

The one primary reason that languagesexist is to communicate informationbetween individuals. Every existing lan-guage fulfills this need in a very preciseway, no matter what speakers of otherlanguages may think of it. You mustunderstand that a truly �primitive� lan-guage � that is, a system of grunts, shortwords, and grammarless sentences, likethose often attributed to primitive peo-ples in fantasy fiction � simply never has

been discovered and probably neverexisted among anyone recognizablyhuman. It�s likely that as soon as proto-humans were using tools, they wereinventing real languages; the same willhold true for any sentient human orhumanoid beings in a fantasy or science-fiction campaign.

Pick the right phonemesThe two basic parts of any language

are its sound (what linguists call its pho-netics or its phonological inventory) andits structure (grammar and syntax). Toinvent a language, you must first deter-mine what kind of sounds your new lan-guage will have, then decide what kind ofgrammar it uses. Once these decisions aremade, you can generate lists of personalnames and words that can be used tobuild place names. Let us begin thenwith what most people call sounds butlinguists call phonemes (for a reason thatwill become clear later).

The human mouth and throat, to saynothing of the speech-making parts of analien anatomy, can produce an enormousvariety of sounds, ranging from a Bronxcheer to a soft hiss. Any language thatused all or even most of the sounds a crea-ture is capable of making would be toocomplex to use for general communica-tion. So, every language selects a rela-tively small number of sounds to use inbuilding words. This selection is whatgives a real-world language its basic�music� or character, because out of asimple human liking for what�s familiarand orderly, languages tend toward con-sistency in their choice of phonemes.

Thus, the German Ianguage soundsthroaty and harsh to many peoplebecause of its selection of phonemes pro-nounced farther back in the mouth thanthose of English, while Spanish uses theopen, soft phonemes that give it its nick-name of �the loving tongue.� Thesejudgements, of course, are culturally con-ditioned and emotionally subjective �but as a gamemaster, subjective emo-tional color is exactly what you want inyour invented languages.

D R A G O N 5 9

Your first job, then, is to select basicsounds in an orderly, patterned way togive your new language character. Sincethe word �sound� is vague, let�s defineour special term, phoneme: A phoneme isa speech-sound that must be preciselypronounced to communicate meaning,but this precision is a relative thing.

If a person with a high-pitched voiceand one with a baritone voice both saythe word can, for instance, the pitch ofthe two words is different, but they wouldboth be understood. Similarly, a Britishand an American speaker would eachpronounce the vowel /a/ in can slightlydifferently � but again, they would beunderstood. On the other hand, if some-one pronounced the word as con, theword would not be understood for what itis. Thus, the British and the American/a/ sounds are variants of a single pho-neme, while /o/ is a different phoneme.

When inventing your new language,then, remember to define the phonemesclosely rather than broadly. For example,just how will the vowel /a/ be pro-nounced in your language? Don�t assumethat it represents all the phonemes thatthe English letter a represents, such as thephonemes in can, cane, and aha, butdecide which of these phonemes youwant. (The spelling in your new lan-guage will be a breeze, unlike English, ifyou play your cards right.)

The number of phonemes used inhuman speech is vast, and far frombounded by our English alphabet. SomeAfrican languages, for instance, use thephoneme /!/ (no, that exclamation markis not a mistake), which is pronouncedroughly like a bottle-top being popped byan old-fashioned opener. Welsh has thephoneme /ll/, produced by putting thetip of the tongue on the hard palate andhissing. Many languages use the throaty/ch/, as in the Scottish word loch. Closerto home, consider all the ways that /r/may be pronounced: open as in AmericanEnglish, rolled or trilled as in Celtictongues, swallowed like in British, nasal-ized as in New England dialect, or evenaspirated like the /rh/ in Welsh, Eachlanguage selects one method as the�right� way to pronounce /r/, and so canyour new language.

Vowels and consonantsVaried as they are, however, all pho-

nemes fall into one of two groups: vowelsand consonants. A vowel is a phonemeproduced by vibrating the vocal cords andallowing the air to pass out of the mouthor nose or both without obstruction. It�sthe vowels, in other words, that actuallyallow a word to be pronounced by ahuman or humanoid mouth.

A consonant may be simply defined asanything that isn�t a vowel. Certain con-sonants, such as /s/ at the beginning of aword, do carry air with them, but this airis insufficient to allow the word to beheard from any distance away without the

following vowel. Say the word stop aloudand pay attention to the way that yourvoice becomes automatically louder whenyou hit the /o/. Thus we see that a wordwithout vowels, such as the god Smkznrfof our example, is unpronounceable andthus unusable, no matter how dandy itlooks on the printed page.

Both vowels and consonants are classi-fied into categories on the basis of certaintechnicalities. Although you don�t needto learn all these categories to create apartial fantasy language, included belowis a table for those who like this sort ofthing. The table shows most of the basic

ways of producing consonants, definesthose terms, and shows how the Englishconsonants are classified. Notice how fewdifferent consonant sounds English uses,in comparison to the number of differentsounds the human vocal apparatus canmake. For a new language, it would cer-tainly be possible to introduce new con-sonant sounds � but make sure you andyour players can actually pronounce anasalized dental, for example, if youchoose to include one. (Perhaps writtenas /nt�/, it would be sounded with thetongue pressed against the upper teeth asthe air went out your nose.)

TABLE OF CONSONANTSNasals stops Spirants

voiced voiceless voiced voiceless

Labial m b p w wh

Dental th th

Labio-dental v fAlveolar n d t zh, z, 1 sh, s, l

Cacuminal r r

Palatal n (as in onion) y yVelar ng g k

Uvular (not used in English; ch in German, as in achtung, is one example)

Definitions of terms in table:Nasals are sounds produced with the

nasal passage open.Stops are produced by first closing the

lips, then opening them with a puff ofbreath.

Spirants narrow the lips, but allow airto escape with a feeling of friction.

Voiced consonants are those where thevocal cords continue to vibrate as they arepronounced. (Put your fingers on yourthroat and say first /s/, then /z/ to feelthe difference.) Many consonants haveboth voiced and voiceless pronunciations.

The technical terms reading down theleft column show how the consonant is

Taking the table furtherTo go beyond the table of consonants

given here, write out the Englishalphabet and make notes of the variety ofphonemes each letter represents in actualspeech. If you know other languages,think of how those languages would pro-nounce the various phonemes. Pay atten-tion to any foreign languages spoken inyour community and try to distinguishdifferent phonemes. (If you�re unfortu-nate enough to live in an English-onlycommunity, you can ask at the publiclibrary for language-learning records.)You may want to incorporate distinctiveforeign phonemes into your new lan-guage. A little bit of thought will giveyou a long list of possible phonemes �more than can be incorporated into a sin-gle language. Remember, however, thatany unusual sounds must be easily

What about frequency? Well, if youlook over this paragraph you will see

To make your new language soundproperly exotic, it�s not even necessary tohave a large number of non-Englishphonemes. Languages also take on char-acter by the way in which they combinetheir phonemes and the frequency withwhich they use certain combinations.English, for example, readily uses con-sonants in pairs or clusters, such as in thewords strong track star. Other languages,such as the Polynesian group, rarely usemore than a single consonant per vowel,and many syllables consist of a singlevowel, as in Hawai�i or Nu�kalofa. TheWelsh language strings together a varietyof diphthongs, as in haearn, while Eng-lish avoids such combinations.

learned and easily spoken during the heatof play.

produced by the vocal apparatus. Labialsare produced with the lips. The othertypes are produced by contact between thetongue and another part of the mouth:dentals with the tongue touching theteeth; labio-dentals with the tongue andthe lower lip; alveolars with the tonguetouching the gum above the upper teeth;cacuminals with the tongue toward thehard palate; palatals with the tongueclose to the hard palate; velars with thetongue on the soft palate; and uvularswith the tongue back in the throat. (Saysome English consonants, noting howyour tongue is positioned, to get a betterunderstanding of these terms.)

60 JULY 1983

D R A G O N 6 1

many uses of /t/, /r/, /e/, /a/, and /n/,but hardly any appearances by /x/, /q/,and /v/, to name three relatively rare let-ters in English. In other languages, /x/(for instance) might be a common con-sonant, even at the beginning of words,while /t/ may be exceptionally rare.When you select phonemes for your newlanguage, give them a different frequencyrate than in English; that is, use some ofthem more and some less than the corre-sponding English phoneme. The choiceof a phoneme pattern is just as importantas the choice of the phonemes themselves.

Let�s look at an example drawn frommy own fantasy campaign, which hastwo prominent languages: Kazrak andTribal. Kazrak predominantly selects theconsonants represented by /j/, /k/, /z/,/w/, and /r/, with other phonemes addedfor variety, of course. It also clusters itsconsonants and isolates vowels from eachother with consonants. Tribal, on theother hand, prefers smooth sounds suchas /l/, /m/, /d/, and /p/, and rarelypairs, much less clusters, its consonants.If we have two chararters, for instance,named Jezro of Haz Strokej and Maradorof Rinbabadelan, it�s obvious that thefirst is a Kazrak and the second a man ofthe Tribes. Any place with a name likeMelimbalaban will be in Tribal lands,while Dazjarko must be somewhere inKazrak territory. More importantly,neither could be in California or Indiana.

62 JULY 1983

In an isolating language, each mor-pheme is indivisible in the same way ascan or is. In the purest type of such atongue, one morpheme equals one wordequals one syllable, always remainingdistinct, never changing its form orsound, and revealing its grammaticalfunction by its position the sentencealone.

Isolating-type languages

Just as a sound can be made up of sev-eral phonemes, what are commonlycalled words can be made up of severalmorphemes. Consider, for example, theword unfortunate. It is made up of un,fortun, and ate, each a set of letters thatcontributes meaning to the total word: anegation, then the root meaning, andthen a suffix showing that the word is anadjective. Although none of these piecescan stand alone as a word in a sentence,each has a definite meaning and thus is amorpheme � the smallest unit of a lan-guage that can carry meaning. Somewords are single morphemes: can, a, andis, for instance, cannot be subdivided inthe manner that unfortunate can be.

Before you begin making up word listsfor your language, you have to decidesome basic questions about its structure,because the grammatical structure of alanguage determines not only the lengthof its words but the details of the words�form. In spite of their amazing variety onan individual basis, all known humanlanguages can be classified as one of twobroad types: isolating and inflectional.(Modern European languages, includingEnglish, are a mixture of the two types,but most other languages are quite rec-ognizably one or the other.) In the primi-tive and culturally pure worlds of fantasygaming, languages will also follow oneor the other of these patterns. To definethese two language types, we need a newterm � morpheme � to replace thecommon term, word.

If you assign one and only one pho-neme to each letter, spelling will be easy.The horror of English spelling arisesfrom the fact that one letter can representseveral phonemes, and some phonemesare represented by several letters. Thissituation arose because of the �linguisticmelting pot� characteristic of Englishmentioned earlier � a characteristic youcan avoid in your new language.

At this point, let's consider the ques-tion of how to write down your new lan-guage. While it�s tempting to make up anexotic alphabet, remember that you haveto read these words out in the middle of agame. Since learning how to read a newalphabet takes a lot of time and practice,it�s best to start by writing your new lan-guage in the alphabet you already know.For non-English phonemes, modify exist-ing letters by such devices as putting aslash through or a dot over them. Make akey, and stick to it, to avoid confusion.

Reading, writing, and morphemes

Inflectional-type languagesAlthough the inflectional type of lan-

guage is more complex, you can inventone with a minimum of effort once you

Making up names in an isolating lan-guage is a relatively simple matter. Per-sonal names will consist of two or threewords placed side by side, such as �LingMei� or �Trong Nhu Tang,� to give oneChinese and one Vietnamese example.One of these words will be the person�sactual name, the other the name of theperson�s family, or perhaps the villagewhere he or she was born or resides. Anattribute can also be added to a personalname � as in �Thor Stormbringer,� togive a common-sounding example withthe attribute plainly stated in English. Itwould be much more interesting to havethe name be �Tor Mek Al,� for instance,and leave it up to the character bearingthe name to reveal (if he chooses) how heearned the name Mek Al, or �BringStorm.� Place names can be formed in asimilar way. �Big Tree Place� or �OrcDeath Rock,� suitably translated, couldbe names of places in a country speakingan isolating tongue.

If you choose an isolating type of struc-ture for your new language, its words willbe short � ideally all monosyllables, buteven Vietnamese, the purest known iso-lating language, does not attain thatideal. Such a language will have to haveplenty of different phonemes in order toavoid words which sound alike but meandifferent things. Chinese neatly solves theproblem by adding tones to its phonemicsystem; that is, a word like hwa meansone thing when pronounced in a high,even tone of voice, but quite anotherwhen pronounced emphatically with afalling tone of voice. Unless you alreadyspeak Chinese or another tonal language,this system will be very confusing foryour game-world language. Since you�llonly need a small number of words, youcan get by with simply including a lot ofphonemes in the language and payingstrict attention to make sure that youdon�t duplicate entire words.

Chinese is a good example of an isolat-ing language. In a very rough transcrip-tion, in Chinese jung means middle andgwo means country; thus the word forChina (the Middle Country) is Junggwo.The morpheme hwa means either�speak� or �speech�; there is absolutelyno difference in the form of the mor-pheme to show whether it�s a noun or averb. The morpheme bu is used for nega-tion. Thus, the sentence Do you speakChinese? translates (very roughly) asJunggwo hwa, hwa bu hwa? or, moreliterally, China speak, you speak notspeak? The listener understands that thissentence is a question from the pattern ofthe morphemes; that is, the repetition inhwa bu hwa is a vital part of the lan-guage and carries the information thatthe sentence is a question.

understand the basic principles. Basically,an inflectional language changes thesound or form of its words to showchanges in meaning. There are two waysof making these changes: (1) altering thesound, as in the English run and ran,give and gave, and so on, or (2) by addingmorphemes, as in fortunate and unfortu-nate. When morphemes are added, someof them remain distinct; others have theirpronunciation �blurred� and becomepart of the word. (Always remember thatspeech is the primary form and writingthe secondary form when thinking aboutthese matters.) In the purest type of aninflectional language, every single wordin a sentence will change its form to showits precise function and various shades ofmeaning � but even in Latin, a goodexample of an inflectional language,some words are invariable. Inflectionallanguages are further subdivided into twotypes: agglutinative and fusional. Sincethe differences between these two types isconfusing at first, let us examine them inmore detail.

Latin is a good example of a fusionallanguage. Remember our example ofunfortunate, a Latin word taken overalmost whole into English. To form thatword, un and fortun and ate are �fused�into one longer word which has a mean-ing that goes beyond any one of its parts.In Latin itself, unfortunate undergoesanother change when it�s being used in a

In agglutinative languages, there is noquestion of sound changes. Each mor-pheme has a distinct meaning and a dis-tinct character, no matter how many ofthem are �glued together,� or aggluti-nated. In Turkish, for example, the mor-pheme for house is ev. To form a plural,one adds ler, for evler. This morpheme isalways a sign of the plural. In Latin, that-i which pluralizes can also be added todifferent kinds of words to fulfill otherfunctions: librum Marci does not mean abook and several Marcuses, but a bookbelonging to Marcus. In Turkish, suchconfusion would never arise.

Suppose we want to say that Ann andMark are both unfortunate; this becomesAnna et Marcus sunt infortunati. Noticethat the verb changes its form to the plu-ral, just as the end of infortunatus/a isaltered yet once again. Are these changesat the end of infortunat- sound-changes,or are they morphemes added to the root?Scholars argue the point, because in afusional language it�s very hard to say.Fortunately, the answer is irrelevant forour purposes, except as it bears on thedistinction between a fusional and anagglutinative tongue.

sentence. Consider the examples Marcusest infortunatus (�Mark is unfortunate�)and Anna est infortunata (�Ann is unfor-tunate�). The end of the word undergoesa further sound-change because Ann isfemale and Mark is male.

Agglutinative languages can stringtogether quite a number of morphemes.In Turkish, the morpheme den indicatesmovement away from the root it�s at-tached to, so that evlerden means out ofthe houses. In practice, most fusionallanguages have some agglutinative fea-tures and vice versa, but all you need toworry about is the predominant characterof your new language. Since an aggluti-native language can pack a lot more mor-phemes into a single word, names in thislanguage will be longer but at the sametime more distinctly pronounced.

Any inflectional language has anumber of different kinds of morphemes.Some are what we think of as words, pureand simple, referring to events, things,qualities, and so on: horse, ride, fast,under. All morphemes of this class arecomplete, as it were, even in their moststripped-down form. If a Latin speaker,for instance, heard the incomplete wordcaball-, he would think vaguely of ahorse, even though he would feel thatsomething was missing without anothermorpheme on the end. Morphemes of thisfirst type can be called, simply, �com-plete� morphemes.

A second kind of morpheme can be saidto carry meaning by itself, but its mean-ing is so abstract that it can hardly standalone. This second kind of morpheme is,for instance, a -us for caball- to make theword �horse� in the nominative case, or

D R A G O N 6 3

the -i which would make it caballi, theplural. The Turkish morpheme ler issimilar, in that a Turkish speaker wouldrecognize it as meaning �more than one,�but would hardly consider it a word inthe way that ev is a word. Morphemes inthis second category are those that addsomething to the meaning or qualify themeaning of the root-morpheme to whichthey are attached; therefore, we may callthem �qualifying� morphemes.

A third class of morpheme, which I�llterm �relational� morphemes for ourpurposes here, is exemplified by thephrase a horse�s back. The �s morphemeshows the relationship of horse to back,namely, that the horse possesses the back.All inflectional languages either addmorphemes or use sound changes to showcertain basic relationships such aspossession.

Inflectional languages have animmense variety of morphemes in boththe second and third categories for everypart of speech, but you will be pleased toknow that you need only a few mor-phemes for a few kinds of qualificationsand relationships to make up names in acreated inflectional langauge. (Anyonewho�s obsessive enough to want to createan entire inflectional language shouldread Theoretical Linguistics by JohnLyons, Oxford University Press, to findout about the months of work that lieahead.)

A game-world language might wellhave an unusual way of designatinggender. An hermaphroditic race, forinstance, might use the two �genders� ofliving (sexed) and dead (non-sexed); or, aprecise language might split up theneuter gender into categories such asactive, passive, and abstract. When itcomes to number, most languages distin-guish only between singular and plural,but others include a dual number for a

To make up names in your new inflec-tional language, you will need qualifyingmorphemes or sound changes for genderand number. Gender is important for per-sonal names for characters. It refers toactual sex only when the noun refers to aliving being, but inflectional languagesassign genders to all nouns just for lingu-istic consistency. Often, as in Latin, alanguage will use three genders (mascu-line, feminine, and neuter), but at times,as in Welsh, there are only two (mascu-line and feminine).

Gender and number

If you�re inventing an isolating lan-guage, you�ll need none of these secon-dary morphemes at all. Isolating lan-guages leave such questions as number,gender, and time totally to the context ofthe sentence. Thus, Two horses ran byyesterday would become Two horse runby yesterday if English were an isolatinglanguage.

Let�s look at some examples of numberand gender changes. In Latin, a commonclass of personal names ended in -a forthe feminine gender and -us for the mas-culine. Thus, Claudius and Claudia arethe same name, merely differentiated for aman and a woman. English has somenames which follow a similar pattern, asin Robert and Roberta. An agglutinativelanguage will have morphemes to showgender added onto the core of the name.

pair of things or make distinctionsbetween �one only,� �a few,� and �agreat many.�

It�s also possible to use internal soundchanges to mark for gender, as in Johnand Jane. The plural of words will beshown in similar ways. Arbor is one treein Latin; arbores means more than onetree. In English, we have one man, severalmen. For variety�s sake, your new lan-guage can have several different mor-phemes or sound changes that mark forplural and gender. For example, youmight decide that men�s names alwaysend in -onno, -el, or -on, while women�snames end in -alla, -or, or -ne. If you aremaking up an agglutinative language,remember to make the morphemes con-sistent with the general sound of thetongue; in a fusional language, the mor-phemes should be short and colorless.

Possession and locationFor place names, you will also need

morphemes or sound changes to showpossession and location. The possessivehas an example in English: the �s addedto nouns, as in the house�s roof.Although English can also say the roof ofthe house, an inflectional language hasno equivalent to of. The possessing nounwill have to have a sound change or mor-pheme added to it to show possession.For example, in my Kazrak language, hazmeans �fort,� and stroko means �sun.�The name �The Fort of the Sun� trans-lates as Haz Strokej, because -ej is thefused morpheme of possession.

The locative, or located-ness, quality ismore foreign to English, which representsthat idea solely with prepositions andmakes no changes in the actual noun.Although most inflectional languageshave prepositions, they also feel the needto add a morpheme or change the soundof a noun to show its subordinate statusto the sentence. In Latin, for example,arbor means �tree,� but �under the tree�is sub arbore. A word in this locative casecan also stand alone; domus is �home� inLatin, and domi means �at home.�

Prefix, suffix, or infixBy now you may have noticed that

most of these examples so far have addedtheir morphemes at the end of the basicword, but many languages make changesat the beginning and middle as well. Amorpheme added at the end of a word is asuffix; at the beginning, a prefix; and inthe middle, an infix.

6 4 J U L Y 1 9 8 3

All three of these forms can be used inthe same language for a properly foreignfeeling. In your fantasy language, �tree�might be hendir, and �trees� bahendir. Inagglutinative languages, infixes becomeespecially important. For example, in mycampaign�s Tribal language, the posses-sive morpheme is bala, which comesbefore the possessing noun and after theobject possessed to form names. Since rinmeans �mountain� and delan is �moon,�the name Rinbaladelan means �Moun-tain of the Moon.� Simple sound changescan occur at the beginning or end ofwords as well as in the middle. In Welsh,for instance, �home� is cartref, and �athome� is gartref � a locative parallel tothe Latin domus/domi. You thus havemany ways of particularizing the differentlanguages in your campaign.

Now, for the namesNow that you have determined the

basic structure of your new language,made up a list of the phonemes for it, andinvented the basic grammatical mor-phemes if it needs any, you are finallyready to make up names and words. Per-sonal names are the easiest, simplybecause they don�t have to mean any par-ticular thing. After all, do you know whatSusan or Robert actually means? Do youcare? All you need, then, are words thatare the proper length and consistent withthe sound of your new language, and a

To make up names, you can use thesesame groups, make up basic word lists,and draw combinations from them. Ifyour new language is an isolating type,all you have to do is decide whetheradjectives come before or after nouns,

Natural features sometimes take theirnames either from their appearance, likethe Black Hills, or from legends aboutthem, like all the places named Arthur�sChair, Arthur�s Castle, Arthur�s Seat, andso on in Britain.

If you look at maps of various coun-tries, you�ll find that many place namesfall into one of a few broad groups. Onegroup is a description of the place, suchas Salt Lake City or Stratham, whichmeans �the hamlet on the strata (Romanroad).� Another group incorporates thename of a god or a saint, as in San Fran-cisco or Lyon, which once was calledLugdenensis, �the land of the godLugh.� Other places have been given thenames of secular heroes, like Washington.

way of marking them for gender. You canprepare a list of such names and have iton hand for both NPCs and new playercharacters as the need arises. If a simpleone-word personal name is unsatisfactoryfor some reason, you can add a placename, put into the locative case, to showthe character�s origins, or make up anattribute, such as �Stormbringer� or�Quicksword,� using the principlesdetailed below for place names.

then place the chosen words in a row inthe proper order. In an inflectional lan-guage, you�ll have to relate the chosenwords with the possessive and locativemorphemes if necessary.

How many words is too many?Doubtless you�re wondering how many

words you�ll need to develop meaningfulnames. In actual practice, you�ll find thenumber to be surprisingly small; mostreal-world languages use a relativelysmall vocabulary for basic, everydaycommunication � and even fewer wordsthan that for naming.

A good many names can be built withonly a hundred words of the right kinds.One group of words necessary for placenames are prepositions: on, by, on top of,below, and so on. For personal names,you�ll need a morpheme for son of anddaughter of. Otherwise, most of the wordsyou need are nouns and adjectives suita-ble for describing countryside. You canalso use the names of the gods in yourcampaign, and secular heroes if there areany. In a science-fiction game, manyplaces will be named after the person whofirst discovered or colonized them. In fan-tasy worlds, the inhabitants are morelikely to give their gods credit for a deedas stupendous as founding a town.

At the top of the next page are someexamples, to get you started, of wordswith a high degree of name potential.

D R A G O N 6 5

Natural features: hill, mountain, river,forest, meadow, ford, peak, canyon, plain,lake, desert.

Man-made features: town, city, village,fort, palace, battleground, crossroads,bridge.

Adjectives: big, great, small, high, low,marshy, dry, color words, north, south,east, west, dangerous, placid, famous,holy, cursed.

From even this short list, you can gen-erate a tremendous number of names.Just for starters: Black Bear Mountain,Little Fort, Great Blue Mountain, DragonCity, North Peak, High Fort, Holy River,and so on. Translated into your new lan-

You can also add some animals and thenames of certain trees: bear, horse, oak,dragon, pine, and so forth.

guage, these names will sound not onlyexotic, but consistent, as if they werethought up by real brains and spoken byreal mouths, instead of having theirnames, and the history those namesimply, come from an essentially randomchoice.

Watch out for weird wordsWhen you�re making up vocabulary, be

careful to avoid inventing words withunwanted connotations, and stay awayfrom downright puns. Once you�reimmersed in a brand-new language, it�seasy to forget your English �roots� andproduce some real howlers if you�re not

Of course, it�s far from necessary toinvent a language for every area in yourcampaign, particularly if the players aregoing to pass through it quickly, but Iheartily urge every gamemaster to workup the two or three primary languages inhis or her world. Such a process addsmore than atmosphere. If you refrainfrom translating place names in foreign

careful. To use one of the examples fromthe beginning of this article: Oolala

Another trap to avoid is words that

might be a respectable name if pro-nounced oo-LA-lah, but who�s going to

sound like commercial products. If you

say anything other than oo-la-LAH?

watch television, all that advertising has

Upchuk, of course, is reminiscent ofregurgitation no matter how you say it.To be reasonably sure of avoiding such

soaked right into your subconscious

mistakes, say each of your invented words

mind, and it will reappear at the wrong

and names aloud several times in severaldifferent ways, until you�re sure it can�t

moment. Take a name like Kolak, for

be twisted into something you didn�tmean to say.

instance, which sounds properly mascu-line and exotic at first hearing. But thinkabout it for a minute, and it also suggestscola, Kodak, koalas, and to the histori-cally minded, kulaks � none of thosebeing words that have really suitableconnotations for a heroic figure.

countries, the rules about languages willhave some point in the ongoing adven-ture. Players will have to get translationsfrom NPC�s to learn that a place calledMelimbalatanol, say, means �River of theMonster,� rather than getting an easyclue the moment they enter an area.

As player characters gain added profi-ciency in a language, you can offer moretranslations more easily, thus givingthem the feeling that they are indeedlearning something new. The cleverest ofcharacters may even learn to pick apartnames and decipher them for themselves.When faced with a string of border forts,all called Haz something-or-other, even adolt can figure out what haz means.

The last ingredient: youFollowing all of these rules and guide-

lines need not restrict your creation of alanguage in any way, because the oneelement that distinguishes each languagefrom all others � its individuality � issomething that only you can provide.The atmosphere and the conditions ofyour game-world remain the overridingconsiderations when inventing consistentand workable names for that world.When we consider what�s in a name, wemay conclude that a rose by any othername would smell as sweet � but if roseswere called plontzes, it�s unlikely thatthey�d figure as prominently as they do inpoetry and song.

DR A G O N 67

FIGURE FEATURE:

TSR HOBBIES, INC. designed for the AD&D game. When thisP.O. Box 756 review was prepared, only prototypesLake Geneva WI 53147 were available for photographing; hence,

AD&D™ Metal Miniatures the druid in the photo is holding a swordRanger, Druid, and Paladin and not the scimitar, as in the actual sets.

TSR Hobbies’ new figure sets were The “protos” showed a lot of detail, espe-scheduled to be on the market by the time cially in the druid’s leather banded armorthis column is printed. The first four setsare “character” miniatures specifically

and the ranger’s chainmail. Suggestedretail price: $9.95 per set.

Text byKim Eastland

Photos byScheibe Studio

RAL PARTHA5938 Carthage Ct.Cincinnati OH 45212

Personalities LineHalf-elves (Sculptor: Tom Meier)

One of the problems in portraying fantasyraces in metal figures is the limitation of thesmall scale. With half-elves, for instance, thephysical difference between them and humansis almost impossible to see in a figure barely aninch tall. Something else must be incorporatedinto the sculpture to bring out the difference.Ral Partha’s half-elves are made different by anelaborate and extensive fashion change. Notethe scalloped robe worn by the spell-caster, andthe distinctive cloak that covers all but theupper face of the warrior. This set of four fig-ures is fun to look at, and it offers a real paint-ing challenge. Suggested retail price: $4.00.

ESSEX MINIATURESc/o The Reiter3440 S. MontereyNew Berlin WI 53157

Medieval FeudalsMonk in mail shirt with flail, Monk holding

large cross, Monk with two-handed maceWarrior clerics are often difficult to find in 25mm

scale. Consequently, these “monks” from Essex ofEngland should be particularly welcomed by Amer-ican collectors. Of continual note in Essex figures isthe interesting weaponry; while historically accurate,these weapons seldom find their way into today’s fig-ure lines. Another fine aspect of this line is the avoid-ance of the “clone” look so often seen these days. Asmentioned before in this column, about the only realdrawback to the Essex lines is that they are slightlylarger than the normal 25mm figure. Suggested retailprice: 65¢ each.

6 8 J U L Y 1 9 8 3

HUMANOIDSASGARD MINIATURESc/o The Armory4145 Amos Ave.Balitmore MD 21215

Space MarinesSpace trooper captain, Space marine in full

armor, Space marine in light space armorIf you have a need for science-fiction warriors in futu-

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CASTLE CREATIONS1322 Cranwood Sq. S.Columbus OH 43229

Survival Force figure lineWarriors of the Devastation

(Sculptor: Russ Coddington)Also in the category of futuristic figures

are miniatures designed especially forpost-holocaust SF games. This is one ofthe newest lines in this genre. They are

marketed as accessories for FGU�s After-math� game, but the humans and�muties� work just as well for othergames, too. Pictured here are a femalehuman sporting a laser; a plated,Mohawked mutie with crossbow; and oneBIG dude with an eyepatch and a .50 cal.machine gun. Suggested retail price:$3.00 for a blister pack of 3 figures.

CITADEL MINIATURES U. S.P. 0. Box 12352Cincinnati OH 45212

Fantasy AdventurersEvil cleric, Grim Reaper,

and Anti-heroHere�s a group of sweethearts you

might have fun springing on your fantasy

gaming group some night. All three ofthese guys look as mean and vicious as a25mm figure can be � and the GrimReaper is the grimmest of all. As usual,Citadel gives us figures that really conveya mood � they don�t just stand there.Suggested retail price: $1.10 each.

D R A G O N 6 9

Companion fills the Glorantha gapReviewed by Ken Rolston

The Runequest Companion is a sup-plement for Chaosium�s Runequest®role-playing game. For the $8.00 price,the purchaser receives a collection of mis-cellaneous articles, stories, and adven-tures, including background history andgeography of regions of Glorantha, noteson alien races, fragments from ancientchronicles, and a wry detective story withan imaginative fantasy setting.

Many game companies publish houseorgans that specialize in offering supple-mental material related to their fantasyrole playing games. Chaosium used tohave such a publication, Wyrm�s Foot-notes, for its games; the April 1982 issueof this magazine was its last.

That magazine was an importantsource of information for those who playRunequest. This game system is set in thefictional world of Glorantha, an originalfantasy realm with its own peculiar his-tory, theology, and culture. Runequesthas become organically identified withthis particular fantasy universe � unlikemost other FRP rules systems, which donot provided detailed universes.

The only problem with using Gloran-tha is that the gamesmaster becomes

The Companion series fills this need.Edited and maintained according toChaosium�s usual high standards, the

To make up for the demise of Wyrm�sFootnotes, Chaosium has undertaken aseries of intermittently published sup-plements to Runequest and Glorantha �the Runequest Companions. They willcontain articles, stories, and play-aidswhich do not fit readily into the com-pany�s other RQ supplement packs. Mostof the Runequest supplements are coher-ently designed on a single limited themeor geographical region � for example,Trollpak, which details the troll race, orPavis, which describes a remote town ona great river. In addition, there was a needfor a suitable vehicle for publishingmaterial that does not fall within narrowthematic or geographical bounds.

dependent on published backgroundmaterial provided by Chaosium. Wyrm�sFootnotes used to be invaluable for back-ground material on Glorantha; it con-tained articles on the cultures of alienraces and primitive human societies, onhistories at a local and global scale, ontribal sports and exotic cults. When pub-lication of Wyrm�s Footnotes ended, amost important source of detail, both epicand trivial, about Glorantha disappeared.

Companion volumes will draw materialfrom a number of sources. First, they willcontain material revised and re-editedfrom out-of-print issues of Wyrm�s Foot-notes. Other articles will be drawn frommaterials cut from other Chaosium pro-jects because of space limitations. Someof the Companion contents will be mis-cellaneous articles from the Chaosiumstaff; some will be free-lance submissions.

The offerings of the first Companionrange from soup to nuts � almost liter-ally. The most substantial contributionsare provided by Greg Stafford and AlanLaVergne.

Glorantha is the original creation ofStafford, and he has insisted on preserv-ing its coherence and quality through hisauthority over the piecemeal publicationof supplementary material. Given here isa history and geography of the HolyCountry, an important region that hasbeen mentioned in side references formany years; at last we have an officialaccount of it.

The two other major pieces are fromLaVergne, the author of Chaosium�sexcellent solo adventures. One of his soloadventure is in the Companion, as well adelightful short story, �The Smell of aRat.� LaVergne�s contributions are assolid in their detail as Stafford�s are intheir broad scope; the minor details of thesetting and circumstances of the shortstory add color and life to the abstractframework of the Runequest rules andcampaign background materials.

There are a number of other useful andentertaining articles, including a descrip-tion of illusion Rune magic by Staffordand notes on unicorns and trolls bySandy Petersen. Other pieces includefragments of correspondence and excerptsfrom chronicles of historical figures ofGlorantha, and the musings of a legend-ary hero from his own accounts of a for-gotten age.

These pieces, individually and as agroup, provide the texture and atmo-sphere that are Glorantha�s hallmark; justas in superior literary fantasy, the settingis perhaps the most important �charac-ter� of all � and the setting must becompelling and lifelike, or the fantasywill fail.

This publication will probably be oflittle use to anyone who doesn�t playRunequest and use Glorantha as hiscampaign background. Much of thecharm and humor of the contents relieson references recognizable only to aRunequest gamer. However, it�s a littlelike the popular magazine ArizonaHighways � you don�t have to live inArizona to appreciate the quality of themagazine. For Runequest players, thispackage is a must-buy, both for its utilityand its entertainment value.

70 JULY 1983

D R A G O N 7 1

72 JULY 1983

Visit The Solomani RimThe Solomani Rim is Supplement 10

in Game Designers� Workshop series ofaccessories for its Traveller® game system.A profusion of play-aids for Travellerhave been marketed by other companies.Some of them make it possible to expandthe scope of a campaign by introducingthe referee to another sector of interstellarspace � and this is also the purpose ofThe Solomani Rim. But this supplementis noteworthy, because it�s only thesecond work of its type ever produced bythe company that created the game. Ref-erees whose campaigns have outgrownThe Spinward Marches (Supplement 3)can now turn their attention to the otherside of the Imperium, where a brand newregion awaits the players.

This is the region where Terra can befound � the home planet of the speciesHomo sapiens. The three-page historyoutline in the front of the 48-page booklethistory is full of insights on the Terrans�rise to interstellar importance, startingwith the development of the jump drivein the year 2089 and the Terrans� subse-quent challenge to the already establishedVilani Imperium. The long InterstellarWars followed, ending in the defeat of the

Reviewed by Tony Watson Vilani and the founding of a SecondImperium, the Rule of Man. All thingsbeing transient, the Second Imperiumcollapsed after 400 years, giving way to aninterregnum, the Long Night. From thisemerged the Third Imperium, the politi-cal setting for current Travelleradventures.

The humans of Terra, now known asthe Solomani, continued to play animportant and aggressive role in interstel-lar politics after the rise of the ThirdImperium, eventually leading to the out-break of The Solomani Rim War. But theSolomani were defeated, and Terra wasoccupied after a bitter struggle. TheSolomani Movement, however, remains apotent force in the sector covered in thissupplement.

This summation of the history outlineincluded is intended to point out howcarefully GDW has constructed the�future history� of the planet we occupy.What�s written here makes sense and fitswell with the pieces of information we�vealready been given about the inhabitantsof Terra. The Solomani Rim has been thesite of two of GDW�s Traveller adven-tures, The Argon Gambit and PrisonPlanet, and it has been used in two GDW

(concluded on page 74)

board games, Imperium and InvasionEarth, which chronicle the InterstellarWars (in part) and the final battle of theSolomani Rim War, respectively.

The Solomani Rim is a measurableimprovement over The SpinwardMarches. The sixteen subsector maps areconsiderably more detailed and providemore information. Facts about starporttype and bases, the presence of gas giantsand water (for refueling purposes), andlarge populations are included right inthe hex on the map; all the pertinentinformation about a world is available ata glance. Another very useful item is alarge map in the centerfold which showshow the subsectors fit together. Each ofthe subsector maps is accompanied by alisting of the worlds included and theirstatistics and a brief word about anyplanets of note in the region. As for those�familiar� planets, GDW has continuedits traditional use of place names fromfantasy and science-fiction works as thenames for worlds in the Traveller uni-verse. I spotted Anacreon, Barsoom, Kryp-ton, and Boskone at first glance.

If your Traveller campaign has some-how managed to exhaust the opportuni-ties presented in the Spinward Marches,or a change of venue just sounds like agood idea, The Solomani Rim shouldprove valuable. The supplement,designed by John Harshman, is availablefor $3.98 in game and hobby stores.

Tales stranger than fantasy

Another important similarity: Both areby established writers (Coyne has pub-lished three previous books, Jaffe ten)who clearly have not done much playingof role-playing games, but nonethelesshave decided that they would be an inter-esting subject for a novel.

Above all else, both writers view fan-tasy gaming as something that must beexplained, like teenage alcoholism orjoining the Moonies. And examined: Justwhat is it, anyway, that leads intelligent,seemingly normal people into fantasyrole-playing? In both works, game play-ers are eventually shown suffering fromdissociative schizophrenia (or some sim-ilar malady), which the reader is invitedto blame on fantasy role-playing.

and bookstores are these two mundanenovels dealing with players of fantasyrole-playing games. Although very differ-ent in their approaches and effects, thesenovels have a lot in common.

John CoyneBerkley 0-425-05380-6 $3.50

Presently on the shelves of newsstands

$3.50Rona JaffeDell 0-440-15699-8

HOBGOBLIN

MAZES AND MONSTERS Coyne�s Hobgoblin would generally beconsidered the lesser of the two works,although he seems to have put moreresearch into his work than Ms. Jaffe dis-plays in her book. Coyne tosses aboutnames of games like Traveller and theDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game witha spurious facility. He presents an �orig-inal� monster (a Brobdingnagian fromGulliver�s Travels) in a format evidentlycribbed from the AD&D� Monster Man-ual. And he even tries to depict a gamingsession, in which polyhedral dice (whichhe perpetually calls �pyramidal�) displaybizarre ranges of numerical values. Hisresearch shows to much better advantagein the creatures of Irish myth with whichthe fictitious game �Hobgoblin� is popu-lated: banshees, spriggans, ghillie dhus,and others even more obscure.

The story concerns high-school studentand FRP gamer Scott Gardiner. Hismother and he live near Ballycastle, a vastmedieval Irish fortress that was trans-planted stone by stone to the U.S. decadesago. Scott�s father has died (simultane-ously with the demise of his 21st levelpaladin: heavy symbolism), and hismother has had to move near Ballycastle,since she is writing its history. Scott mustadjust to a number of major changes atonce, including going from BMOC at aprep school to freakish newcomer at arural high school. When he begins toencounter bugganes in the bushes, hismother and friends (and the reader) mustdecide whether they are dealing with thevisions of an overtaxed mind, pranks byvicious classmates, or something . . . else?The answer, of course, must be found bythe reader within the book.

The central characters in Ms. Jaffe�sMazes and Monsters are students at asmall Ivy League university in easternPennsylvania. Kate, Jay Jay, Daniel, andRobbie meet, love, laugh, and play�Mazes and Monsters,� until one of themvanishes mysteriously and the less compe-tent media types raise a nationwide hyste-ria about this ominous and bizarre cult-game. (Does that ring any bells, folks?)

Much of the book is taken up with ana-lyzing why the players are who they are.All of this psychoanalysis, of course, isfor the purpose of explaining the deepinsecurities, neuroses, or even psychosesthat must exist within the players of thesegames. This is a Problem Novel, and theProblem is role-playing games.

Neither of these books is likely to beenlightening to the FRP gamer, except asexamples of what reasonably intelligentadult non-players imagine we must belike. In both books, the attainment ofmature adulthood is accompanied by theabandonment of role-playing games.Need I say more?

� Reviewed by Mike Lowery

74 JULY 1983

UK revisited: Games Fair 83by E. Gary Gygax

Regular readers of this journal willrecall that I was Guest of Honor atGames Fair 82, and upon my return fromthat British convention, a brief report ofthe event was presented in these pages foryour edification and amusement. Wonderof wonders, the same sequence of eventsoccurred, and is occurring, again thisyear. The status of honored guest atGames Fair 83 was bestowed upon this

Unworthy Writer, and so I was again ableto spend about three days at ReadingUniversity�s Student Union, where theevent took place. The convention wasquite a success, and everyone there,including myself, of course, had a splen-did time of it.

Don Turnbull, Managing Director ofTSR (UK), Ltd., informed me that thedormitory accommodations were filled inJanuary. The capacity of the conventionsite was about 400 gamers, and this was

reached and surpassed on the first day!When I suggested that a larger facilitymight be in order, the convention staffreplied that they preferred to maintain asmallish and closely knit event, and sucha desire is quite understandable. Inter-ested game enthusiasts should, however,look for a second convention to be offeredby TSR (UK), so that more of the publiccan be served.

As is also typical of a convention in theUnited States, the gamers arrived early onFriday, the opening day. Likewise, therewere many left in the halls when closingtime came. In between, everyone was busyhaving fun. Since the minimum age foradmittance to the Student Union build-ing was 14, the conventioneers were a bitolder than is typical of a like event in thiscountry, but the ratio of males to femaleswas about the same.

My youngest son, Luke, accompaniedme to Games Fair, and his perspective isnoteworthy. Luke observed that he couldjust as well have been at a conventionanywhere in the U.S., although hethought all the gamers had accents, andhe was called �to-may-toe� in return ofhis japes. He had a lot of fun.

Don Turnbull was kind enough to actas moderator for my seminar. About ahundred people showed up to listen andto ask questions. The range of questionswas broad, and most were on subjects notcommonly asked when I do this same sortof thing at GEN CON® conventions, forinstance. This I attribute mainly to thedesire of UK gamers to get to know moreabout me personally, and to learn moreabout TSR. I expect that if I am allowedto give a seminar at Games Fair 84, thequestions posed will more closely parallelthose asked by American enthusiasts:sticky ones about rules ambiguities andglitches in one game system or the other.

While at Games Fair, I spent most ofmy time chatting with various gamers. (Ifthe pub hours in the UK were more lib-eral, I would undoubtedly have spentmore time drinking good English ale andless time talking. . . .) In the course of thethree days of the convention I was givenmore than half a dozen amateur maga-zines to read. Because the demands on mytime are such that I am unable to prop-erly review each of them, the whole stackhas been passed to a reviewer forDRAGON® magazine. You may expect tosee reviews of the lot appear in thesepages soon, I think.

Games Fair is quite different from mostU.S. conventions, so a comparison isn�tactually meaningful. What can be said isthat the convention is fun and thor-oughly enjoyable. If any American gamerhas the opportunity to attend, he or shewill not regret the experience.

76 JULY 1983

SF/gaming convention calendarDRAGONSTEETH I, July 16

A one-day event featuring tournamentsin 18 different role-playing and militarysimulation games. The site will be theA&J Hobby House, 20 Auburn Ave.,Utica NY 13501.

STARBORNE CON 5, July 1617A science-fiction convention, with

emphasis on films, sponsored by theStarborne Science Fiction Club. The loca-tion is Mull�s Motel & Convention Centerin Hickory, N.C. The special guest isactress Sarah Douglas (the villainess fromSuperman II). A D&D® tournament isamong the scheduled events. For infor-mation, write or call Geoffrey Rayle, 806Chesterfield Cr., Lenoir NC 28645, phone(704)754-4698.

ARCHON 7, July 22-24A SF and gaming convention (origi-

nally scheduled for July 7-9) slated for theChase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Mo.Gene Wolfe will be Guest of Honor, andthe list of other guests includes Joe R.Haldeman, Ed Bryant, and Wilson �Bob�Tucker. Memberships are $18; for moreinformation, write to Archon 7, P.O. Box15852, Overland MO 63 114.

Described by the organizers as a�science fiction, gaming, & pro-spaceconvention,� this event will feature LarryNiven and Jerry Pournelle among itsguests of honor. It will be staged at theSheraton Inn S.W., 120th and �L� St.,Omaha, Neb. The registration fee is $13until July 23, $15 thereafter; one-day

OMACON 3, Aug. 5-7

MEMPHIS FANTASY CON, July 2431A comics, SF, film, and game conven-

tion to be held in Memphis, Tenn. Regis-tration fee is $10 for all three days or $5per day. To obtain more information,write to Memphis Fantasy Con, 665 S.Highland, Memphis TN 38111, or phone(901)452-9376.

Another running of the conventionthat has become a tradition in the Hous-ton area. To be held at Stouffer�s Green-way Plaza Hotel in Houston, and featur-ing a full range of role-playing, boardgame, and miniatures events, plus more.For further information, send SASE toNan�s Game Headquarters, 118 Briar-grove Center, 6100 Westheimer, HoustonTX 77057, or call (713)783-4055.

NANCON 88-VI, July 29-31 passes at reduced rates are also available.For details, send SASE to OmaCon 3,2518 S. 167th St., Omaha NE 68130.

ATLANTA FANTASY FAIR, Aug. 5-7The Omni Hotel and the adjoining

Georgia World Congress Center inAtlanta will be the location for thisSF/fantasy gathering. Special guestsinclude Elfquest creators Wendy &Richard Pini and animator Chuck Jones.Memberships are $16 until June 30, $19thereafter and at the door. For moreinformation, write to Atlanta FantasyFair, P.O. Box 566, Marietta GA 30061.

ADVENTURE EXPO �83, Aug. 6Sponsored by the Adventure Unlimited

gaming club and the Wizzards and War-riors Guild of Michigan City, Ind., thisone-day gaming event will be held at theNational Guard Armory in MichiganCity. Admission is $4 for pre-registeredguests, $5 at the door. Contact: AdventureUnlimited, 2707 S. Franklin St., Mich-igan City IN 46360, phone (219)879-2781.

MYSTICON 2.5, Aug. 12-14Science fiction author Orson Scott Card

will be a guest of honor at this SF andgaming convention, to be held at the Jef-ferson Inn in downtown Roanoke, Va.Memberships are $10 each; for moreinformation, send SASE to MystiCon,P.O. Box 1367, Salem VA 24153, or phoneCalvin Yates at (703)362-3562.

MIT SUMMERCON 83, Aug. 12-14A gathering for board wargaming and

military miniatures enthusiasts, spon-sored by the MIT Strategic GamesSociety. To be held at the MIT StudentCenter, Cambridge, Mass. For details,write to MIT Summercon 83, East Cam-pus, 3 Ames St., Cambridge MA 02139.

GEN CON® GAME FAIR, Aug. 18-21The 16th annual gaming and fantasy

extravaganza sponsored by TSR Hobbies,Inc. For more information, see the adver-tisement on page 81 of this issue ofDRAGON® Magazine.

VULCON �83, Aug. 19-21SF author Roger Zelazny will be the

guest of honor at this science fiction/fan-tasy/gaming event to be held in Akron,Ohio. Registration is $8 in advance, $10at the door. For more information, con-tact Stargate, c/o Sarah Blick, 150 CongerAve., Akron OH 44303.

CAMPCON 83, Aug. 20A game convention to be held at Camp

Emmanuel near Astoria, Ill. For details,contact Kevin B. Sager, Box 833, AstoriaIL 61501, phone (309)329-2934.

78 JULY 1983

D R A G O N 7 9

Index to advertisersName of firm or product Page(s)Advanced Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Adventure Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Alnavco Distributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65American Creative Games, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Armory, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82,83Aulic Publishing Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Bandersnatch Leathers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Bard Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72Berkeley Game Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Broadsword Miniatures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Castle Creations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Chaosium Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22,72Citadel Miniatures U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Clemens & Associates, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Columbia Games Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside front coverColeco Industries,Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Companions, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Compleat Strategist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Dag Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76DB Enterprises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Dragontooth, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Dungeon Hobby Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Dunken Company, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Entertainment Concepts, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Fantasy Games Unlimited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33, 41, 55Fantasy Unlimited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Fantasy Worlds Unlimited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79FanTek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80FASA Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Flying Buffalo Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Name of firm or product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page(s)Game Designers’ Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Gamelords, Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Gamemaster Hobbies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40GEN CON® XVI convention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Graaf Simulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Grenadier Models Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73Hobby Game Distributors, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..59Iron Crown Enterprises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, Back coverJandeL Products, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Judges Guild. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Kilendale Enterprises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Midkemia Press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70Nova Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Penny Promotions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79RAFM Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Ral Partha. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13RPG Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76RPGA™ Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Superior Models Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Talisman, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Task Force Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67Tin Soldier, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4TSR Hobbies, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . ..28, 29, 77, Inside back coverTyson, Gill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Victory Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Viking Games, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35VIZ Productions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32WarGames West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Wizard’s Corner, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Yaquinto Publications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

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Dragon Magazine #75

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Transcript of Dragon Magazine #75