Issue #173 S PECIAL ATTRACTIONS Vol. XVI, No. 4 September 1991 The burned world: Athas 9 A journey into TSRs all-new DARK SUN universe. Publisher The Monstrous Side of the DARK SUN World Timothy B. James M. Ward 10 Brown and William W. Connors Man-eating halflings? Half-giants? Insect folk? And theyre player Editor characters? Roger E. Moore A Letter From the Wanderer Troy Denning Fiction editor 19 Thousands of undead roam Athas, and no two are ever alike. Barbara G. Young Random Magic For Organized Minds Timothy B. Brown and 24 William W. Connors Associate editor When you pick up a spell scroll on blasted Athas, dont expect to find Dale A. Donovan water breathing. Art director Larry W. Smith O THER FEATURES Production staff Bazaar of the Bizarre Ed Greenwood Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz 30 Elminster reveals the secrets of a dozen new magical staves from the Tracey Zamagne FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting. Subscriptions Magic Mangling Made Easy Gregory W. Detwiler Janet L. Winters 36 Dont get mad at those magic-users. Get even! The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard U.S. advertising 41 In the Great Hule, they dont suspect their government of lying. They Roseann Schnering count on it! Out of Your Chair, Into the Action! Michael A. Ventrella U.K. correspondent 46 Live-action role-playing: A look at some very interesting weekend and U.K. advertising warriorsand wizards. Denise Lyne Get Your Priorities Straight! Royce Wicks 50 Want to play AD&D® game alignments in a completely different way? The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser 55 Death Knights of Krynn: If you think youre a match for Lord Soth, you could be dead wrong. A Little Knowledge fiction by Jerry Oltion 67 He knew just enough to open the floodgates into trouble: a tale of the DARK SUN universe. The Sociology of the Flind Spike Y. Jones 77 What looks like a gnoll, but is a heck of a lot meaner? The Role of Books John C. Bunnell 87 Maid Marian meets Muffy Birnbaum, and other tales of adventure. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 113 What happened to the anti-lead bill in Congress? Its not gone yet! D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 90 Forum 102 Dragonmirth 6 Editorial 95 TSR Previews 104 Twilight Empire 62 Sage Advice 96 Convention Calendar 108 Gamers Guide COVER Gerald Brom, whose artwork has brought so much of the DARK SUN setting to life, reveals a scene from the world of Athas. The creature with the bell is a belgoi, perhaps announcing the arrival of the wagon in the distance. But for what purpose? Visit the DARK SUN world and find out. 4 SEPTEMBER 1991 ® DRAGON Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States of America. The postal address for all materials from the United States of America and Canada except subscrip- tion orders is: DRAGON® Magazine, PO. Box 111, (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone (414) 248-3625; fax (414) 248-0389. The postal address for all materials from Europe is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from game and hobby shops throughout the United States, What did you think of this issue? Do you have his merry band of 100 kenders in order to Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book a question about an article or have an idea for a depart on a great adventure. trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and new feature you’d like to see? In the United After Darklight had used the wand (and the in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distribution States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® kender band had “found” all of the things there to the book trade in the United Kingdom is by TSR Ltd. Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, were to “find”), Waldorf was resurrected. But Send orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON Waldorf had become a lich! The wand had (800) 733-3000. Newsstand distribution throughout the Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry malfunctioned and just happened to cast a spell United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom. that transformed the nuclear man into a mean Road, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: 01-733-4444. and nasty undead. Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class Of course, Waldorf wanted revenge on his mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent enemies, who had seemed to come out of the to an address in the U.S. or Canada: £16 for 12 issues woodwork to kill him. Thus, Parevé, Megahnan, sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 Mail call issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds Hanibal the Minotaur (46th-level warrior), and for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address, The following letters were actually received Nicodemis (20th-level sage) wandered the multi- or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent air mail to any by the editors of DRAGON Magazine and, except verse, slaying the enemies of their lich leader. other address. Payment in full must accompany all subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of for minor editing, appear as they were written. The first to fall was “Fist” Xavier Redlance. payment include checks or money orders made payable Megahnan polymorphed Xavier’s pet cloud to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid Mastercard or VISA dragon (14 HD) into a salamander and swallow- credit cards: send subscription orders with payments to: Dear Mr. Moore, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In I am writing in regards to your editorial in ed him whole. Next, Megahnan broke Redlance’s the United Kingdom, methods of payment include issue #168. This column was entitled “This is holy avenger +6 with the ancient hammer of cheques or money orders made payable to TSR Ltd., or only a test.” I found the entire tone of the article Kharas, then finished him off with a 46th-level charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send bolt of plasma. subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd., as per degrading and ridiculous. The self-justifying that address above. Prices are subject to change without nature of the column was pathetic. In reality, no Next, Megahnan used his ring of Mirv finding prior notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription one reads DRAGON Magazine because you are to locate the human known as Mirv the Outra- is printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy geous. Megahnan quickly coughed on Mirv’s of the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of such a brave editor or your job is so intellectual- subscription copies must be received at least six weeks ly dangerous. I doubt that the editors of Time, band, infecting them with the horrid “burning ® prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure Newsweek, or U.S. News and World Report fever” from the DRAGONLANCE saga, then uninterrupted delivery. would waste valuable space writing articles turned to face Mr. Outrageous himself. Me- Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is gahnan won the first attack and slew Mirv with available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop designed with the sole purpose of glorifying and (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from validating their positions. one hit from his sword of infinite slaying. TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists It should be stated that, yes, you do a good Thirdly, Hanibal captured Shamogroth available back issues, write to either of the above job, but that’s what you get paid for. If you feel Darkmane while Parevé killed Darkmane’s band addresses. Submissions: All material published in DRAGON insecure in your position or are currently of 89 barbarians with his newest 42nd-level Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- lacking in self esteem, please see a trained spell, spirit rollingpin. Darkmane fought Hanibal lisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are professional and move on to more important and killed Nicodemis (who was along for the made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes fun) in the process. Hanibal became mad and unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork: topics. however, no responsibility for such submissions can be Name and address ran Darkmane through with a footman’s assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission thoughtfully withheld dragonlance. Shamogroth died a coward, accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of by the editor screaming for his mommy. sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. We strongly recommend that prospective authors write Lastly, Waldorf, Hanibal, and their new slave, for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. I assume this means that you couldn’t answer Thor (mentioned in issue #152) killed the hun- In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, any of the questions on the test.