S PECIAL ATTRACTION 15 Into the Wizards World: Where power is magic, and magic is all. Publisher 16 Lords & Legends The readers Mike Cook Choice, fate, struggle, and luck: how four wizards achieved greatness. 22 Where Wizards Meet John C. Bunnell Editor A guild of wizards can govern nations or destroy them. Roger E. Moore 30 Bazaar of the Bizarre Scott Waterhouse Assistant editor Fiction editor Two powerful tomes that even Arch-Mages covet. Robin Jenkins Patrick L. Price OTHER FEATURES Editorial assistants Kim Walter Barbara G. Young 10 A Gamer's Guide to DC HEROES Jack A. Barker Need the stats for Krypto the Superdog? He (and others) are in this index! Art director 36 Speaking With the Spirits William A. Barton Lori Svikel A seance is not a party game when Great Cthulhu is involved. Production staff 42 Oh, look a harmless statue! Rone Barton Marilyn Favaro Betty Elmore Golems made more dangerous, in thirty dirty ways. Kim Janke Carolyn Vanderbilt 46 The Visitor fiction by Llynne Moore Even the mightiest of sorcerers has a secret terror. Subscriptions U.S. Advertising Pat Schulz Sheila Meehan 50 The New, Improved Druid Richard Hernandez For the woodland sect: familiars, new spells, and . poisons? 56 And the Winner Is The editors The gaming awards from the 1988 GEN CON®/ORIGINS Game Fair. 58 Hand-to-Hand Against the Rules Vince Garcia Should a wu jen know kung fu? Martial arts in Oriental Adventures. 62 Jetboots, dont fail me now! Charles A. Vanelli No one outruns a laser but fast feet help in the STAR FRONTIERS® game. 70 The Dragons Bestiary Ed Greenwood Lock lurkers, metalmasters, and other FORGOTTEN REALMS setting fauna. 76 The Role of Books John C. Bunnell How to fix a rip in the universe, and other unusual matters. 86 The Ecology of the Spectator Dougal Demokopoliss Always faithful, ever vigilant, and dangerous to disturb. 90 The Game Wizards David Zeb Cook The second-edition AD&D® game: ranting, raving, and 3 X 5 index cards. 96 When the Tanks Roll Ed Sollers Rescuing nations from the Web: coups in the TOP SECRET/S.I. game. D EPARTMENTS 3 Letters 66 Sage Advice 98 Index to Advertisers 6 Forum 92 Gamers Guide 100 SnarfQuest 14 Publishers Statement 94 Convention 102 Dragonmirth 54 TSR Previews Calendar Frog Prince is the first DRAGON® Magazine cover painting by Carol Heyer, a writer/illustrator from Thousand Oaks, Calif. The Magicians wand is still smoking after turning his opponent into a giant frog, Carol noted in her letter. Magics are like that, yeah they are. The real world, part II IN DRAGON® issue #130, I made some editorial comments about the What did you think of this issue? Do you have 1. Will the entire system be dropped? If so, real world and how it was a lot a question about an article or have an idea for a what will replace it? stranger than the worlds of science- new feature youd like to see? In the United 2. If it is dropped, what will happen to those fiction RPGs. A similar point might States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® monsters that have certain innate psionic Magazine, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147, powers (e.g., mind flayers, intellect devourers, be made that the real world is a lot U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON brain moles, demons, duergar, etc.)? stranger than the worlds of fantasy Magazine, TSR UK Limited, The Mill, Rathmore 3. Wouldnt it be better to simply overhaul or RPGs, too, though hard-core gamers Road, Cambridge CB1 4AD, United Kingdom. streamline the present system in the way the may cheerfully argue the point. bard was done? What about magic? What about Im sure that there are others like myself who dragons? What about daring deeds would like to get some answers to these ques- of heroism against all odds? Missing map tions. The psionics system is one of the parts of Well, you could make an analogy the AD&D game that I enjoy using. It is unique between magic in fantasy worlds Dear Dragon: to the system and shouldnt simply be discarded. and the power of technology in Can you tell me where I can get the map that Any help you could give on this matter would will take me to the lair of the legendary undead be greatly appreciated. today's world. Both accomplish a lot, dragon, Dragotha? P.S. How about an anthology of articles that even if most of us are fuzzy about Casey Beard deals with dragons only? the details of how either of them Natchitoshes LA Thomas R. Phillips work. Technology has also created Aberdeen ME some interesting modern-day oppo- As noted in the description of Dragotha (in nents. Would your cavalier charge a Lords & Legends, DRAGON issue #134), men- Jon Pickens, who is working with the AD&D main battle tank or an armed com- game revision, was consulted on your psionics tion of Dragothas lair was made only in passing bat helicopter? Yet unarmored sol- on a map of another dungeon complex, White questions. He replies: Plume Mountain (in the AD&D® module of the 1. Yes, although withdrawn for reworking is diers face both daily in our world; same name). However, no other map or refer- a more accurate description of the systems fate. just check the evening news. (This ence to Dragotha appears anywhere in that or 2. The monsters are being held for reissue at latter point also takes care of the other AD&D game materials. The location of the a later date. daring deeds comparison as well.) monsters lair is in hex K4-58 on the WORLD OF 3. Yes, but revising other parts of the AD&D We can continue the comparison GREYHAWK® setting maps from the boxed set. game rules has priority by looking at a few other themes That hex is north of the Howling Hills, on the We usually schedule the June issue of commonly found in fantasy game edge of the Cold Marshes. A DM interested in DRAGON Magazine for articles on dragons. We campaigns. As you read the follow- are not publishing any further article antholo- having PCs meet this undead dragon should ing, think of similar events from design detailed maps as necessary gies in book form though we might do it again someday. fantasy games in which you partici- patedand compare them for a Ancient issues moment. Merchant-dicing Man vs. beast: With modern weap- Dear Dragon: onry, the slaying of virtually any What happened to the ads for back issues of Dear Dragon: animal is absurdly (and perhaps DRAGON Magazine? The last one printed was in I have two questions regarding the merchant obscenely) easy. Still, some people issue #129, when you were offering a last character class in Taking Care of Business have used relatively primitive weap- (DRAGON issue #136). First, does a merchant chance for lower prices on back issues. ons and have come out on top. A Keith Martens gain experience from treasure acquired in Charlotte MI dungeons or adventures? Second, when a PC few years ago, a bowhunter was changes character classes to a merchant, does surprised and mauled by an adult The Mail Order Hobby Shops catalog contains he retain all hit points? bear in the wilderness. The all the latest information (including updated Chad Schafer bowhunter repeatedly stabbed and prices) for ordering back issues of DRAGON Charmichael CA eventually killed the bear with a Magazine and back issues of DUNGEON® single arrow; being a butcher by Adventures, IMAGINE Magazine, AMAZING® Yes, a merchant gains experience points from trade, the bowhunter knew exactly Stories, and the Best of DRAGON Magazine treasure acquired while adventuring. Also, if where to strike to do the most dam- anthologies as well. In North America, write to: the merchant is being used as a PC class, all age the bears neck. Elephants TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop, c/o TSR, Inc., P.O. former hit points of the character are retained themselves are often slain if shot Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In when the change to the merchant class is made. Europe, write to: TSR Mail Order Catalogue, New hit points are gained only when the PCS once in the ear. TSR UK Limited, The Mill, Rathmore Road, level as a merchant exceeds his level in his Falling damage: A Soviet pilot Cambridge CB1 4AD, United Kingdom. In addi- former class; thus, a 5th-level magic-user who jumped from his damaged aircraft in tion, ask for DRACOL, the special collectors list becomes a merchant gains new hit points (1-6 of January 1942 at 21,980 (a little over of DRAGON issues not shown in the catalog. them) only when he becomes a 6th-level mer- four miles) and survived after hit- chant. Note that as the merchant class is struc- ting the edge of a snow-covered tured, multiclassed nonhuman characters may ravine and sliding to the bottom. A switch to this class in the same manner that Psionics blasted Yugoslavian airline stewardess sur- humans may use it as a dual class; this was one vived when her DC-9 blew up at Dear Dragon: of the reasons that the merchant class was I have three related questions concerning the recommended as an NPC class. If used as a PC 33,330'; she fell to the ground in the future of psionics and the second-edition AD&D class, it would be best if only human merchants Continued on page 49 game system: were used as PCs.