DRAGON Magazine Carries with It Several Benefits, Some Less Obvi- Dean Morrissey Ous Than Others
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D RAGON 1 55 43 SPECIAL ATTRACTION 43 Into the Forgotten Realms A tournament adventure for AD&D® game characters OTHER FEATURES 8 Demi-humans get a lift Gary Gygax The last word on level limits and ability scores 22 12 The influence of Tolkien on the D&D® and AD&D® games Gary Gygax Why Middle Earth is not part of the game world 18 How taxes take their toll Arthur Collins An interview with a guy who ought to know 22 The ecology of the cockatrice Ed Greenwood Birds of a feather petrify together 30 Prices for the Roaring 20s Glenn Rahman Helping modern adventurers stretch their dollars 32 Credit where credit is due Katharine Kerr A nonviolent examination of experience-point awards 38 The many shapes of apes Stephen Inniss Primates packaged for use in the AD&D game 55 Battles above the dungeon Tim W. Brown Tactics for conducting combat in the wide-open spaces 60 Desperate Acts Gordon Linzner Action, suspense, and an out-of-this-world enemy DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 15 Convention calendar 89 Wormy Publisher 6 The forum 68 Coming Attractions 92 Dragonmirth Mike Cook 14 World Gamers Guide 69 The ARES Section 94 Snarfquest Editor-in-Chief Kim Mohan COVER Editorial staff Dean Morrissey, indeed the dean of all our cover artists, got the idea that there Patrick Lucien Price should be a place where people can bring their old metal items and have them Roger Moore fashioned into armor and weapons before embarking on the adventuring life. The scene that resulted is entitled Toads Cloak Armorsmith Shop, and theres more Graphics and production to it than first meets the eye. Roger Raupp Subscriptions Georgia Moore Advertising In defense of advertising Andrea Lee Anderson Contributing editors If you havent read the first letter on the next page, please do so and then come right back. Ed Greenwood I dont intend to refute Dans statistics or the method of his analysis. I wont take issue Ken Rolston with his facts or most of his opinions. But I cant accept his basic assumption: that the maga- Katharine Kerr zine is worse because it carries more advertising than it used to. ® This issues contributing artists The advertising in DRAGON Magazine carries with it several benefits, some less obvi- Dean Morrissey ous than others. For the readers, its a way of getting information about what sorts of Roger Raupp products are available in the gaming industry information that may be interesting and Bob Maurus helpful even if you dont intend to buy the products being advertised. A few people have Marvel Bullpen actually written in to compliment the magazines advertising; we dont expect everyone to be Jayne Hoffmann that crazy about it, but you shouldnt resent advertising for the space it takes, either. Try to Dave Trampier appreciate its value to other readers even if you cant use the information yourself. Richard Tomasic For the magazine, its a way of making money, some income that partially offsets our Daniel Flahive Joseph Pillsbury operating costs so that we dont have to pay our bills by taking more of your money. The Denton Elliott explosion of advertising that Dan has documented is one of the reasons why weve been Tony Moseley able to maintain a $3.00 cover price on the magazine for nearly five years wed rather get Larry Elmore (Turn to page 4) 2 MARCH 1985 that answer is yes, is it possible for a high level M-U to create one? Bill Hilf Orange, Calif. Lets assume that the fachan has a typical humanoid skeletal structure, down to and includ- ing an opposable thumb on its upper extremity. For the thumb to work the same way as it does with other humanoids, it must be on either the right or the left side of the fingers it opposes. If the earned xp if the convert later changes his the fachan didnt have this kind of hand struc- Hard of hearing? mind or is converted again by a different cleric. ture, it would be implausible for the creature to Although there are two sides to the issue, I be as strong as it is. Dear Dragon, think the conversion system should only be Thats about the best I can do for a logical Your magazine is the finest FRPG magazine on applied to non-monster NPCs humans and reason. Actually, Bill, you can answer this first the market, but one aspect of your magazine humanoids that can be of any alignment in the question for yourself just by stretching your bothers me very much. The aspect that I am spectrum, as opposed to humanoids (such as orcs) willingness to suspend disbelief a little bit further. speaking of is advertisements. A quick study that are, by definition, limited to a narrow choice If you can accept the existence of a creature showed me the following: In issue #62, there were of alignments or no choice at all. An orc that was with one arm in the middle of its chest, you 9 full page ads throughout the magazine, and converted to the worship of a lawful good deity should also be able to accept the fact that the only 7 altogether in the first 33 pages (I only wouldnt really be an orc any more, not as we fachans single arm has either a right hand or a searched the first 33 in the interest of saving know em. And whether or not the orc suffers a left hand at the end of it. time). Issue #72 showed an increase in full page reduction in level (hit dice) might be academic. I The glasspane horror is armor class 2 in any of ads from 9 to 12, but 26 ads were to be found in can imagine a deity like Gruumsh repaying a its forms hard to hurt no matter what it looks the first 33 pages. converted orc for his loyalty by striking him like. The second form is indeed solid, as anyone Then issue #82 came along. Explosion! The dead on the spot and dead orcs all have the whos been hit by its fists can tell you. And no, full page ads stayed at 12, but there were 22 same number of hit dice. the horror is not a magically created being, but a advertisements in the first 33 pages. Issue #92 The other side of the issue is the good old lot of magic-users probably wish it was that easy showed a decrease of full page ads from 12 to 9, nothing is impossible argument. Sure, there to get one. KM but 26 ads were to be found in the first 33 pages. could be such a thing as a lawful good orc, and Finally, I received issue #93. You raised the allowing player-character clerics to try to convert subscription price from $24 to $30. The number monsters might work well in the campaign you of ads in the first 33 pages were lowered from 26 run or play in. But the conversion system de- Potion notions to 20, but the full page ads skyrocketed from scribed in the article was not intended to be used 9 to 25. for that purpose. KM Dear Dragon, In short, since issue #62, you have nearly I have a question about the Potion of Mind tripled both the full page ads and ads throughout Restoration (Treasure Trove, issue #91). Does it the magazine (if the first 33 pages are indicative cure the effects caused by potions and magic of the rest of the magazine), put another publica- Ring removal items that affect the mind? Also I would like to tion inside your current one (virtually eliminating know if it cures fear spells. the benefits of your 16 page expansion), and, in Dear editor: Brian Cope my opinion, lowered the quality of both the In the Treasure Trove (issue #91), the Ring of Neosho, Mo. magazine and the paper it is printed on. I can the Eagle seems to have a contradiction. It states: live with some advertisements, but at the rate you All the wearers worn or carried possessions are As described by its author, Mike Persinger, the are going, we will soon be buying a magazine full merged with the giant eagle form while the ring potion seems to work against intellectual dam- of advertisements! People have made requests for wearer is in that shape. Doesnt that mean that age to the mind, as opposed to emotional fewer advertisements at a higher price, but no the ring cant be removed because it has merged damage. It will cure any form of insanity a attempts have been made to rectify this. For a into the shape? feebleminded condition, and all but the most magazine that listens to its readers, you seem David Schwam extreme forms of intellectual damage that a to be getting hard of hearing. Piscataway, N. J. defenseless psionic might suffer. It is not good Dan Fejes against, for instance, charm or fear magic, even Aurora, Ohio Exactly the point, David. The user of a ring of though the mind is technically affected by such the eagle cannot take off the ring, or have it forces. The conditions that the potion works Well, Dan, you certainly came in loud and removed, while he is in eagle form. (If he could, against cause physiological changes; forces such clear. For some editorial thoughts on the matter, that might be very hazardous to an ex-eagles as charm spells or other will-force spells cause see the column to the immediate left.