Dragon Magazine #105
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D RAGON 1 SPECIAL ATTRACTION 43 BETRAYED! — Designed by Jim Bengtson A new challenge for AD&D® game player characters Publisher Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief OTHER FEATURES Kim Mohan Editorial staff 10 Leomunds Tiny Hut Lenard Lakofka Patrick Lucien Price Toning down the new demi-human PC races Roger Moore 14 Travel works both ways Paul Vernon Art director and graphics PCs arent the only characters on the road Roger Raupp Subscriptions 20 Seeing is believing Geoffrey Meissner Georgia Moore It isnt easy, but heres a look at invisibility Advertising 24 The rest of the Papers Mary Parkinson Odds and ends to add to our centaur coverage Contributing editors Ed Greenwood 30 The well-equipped victim Ed Greenwood Katherine Kerr Detailed treasure types for O-level encounters This issue's contributing artists A world of difference Fraser Sherman Robin Wood 36 Use parallel worlds to open up new gaming vistas Roger Raupp Marvel Bullpen Spys advice Merle M. Rasmussen David Trampier 56 Answers and suggestions for the TOP SECRET® game Ted Goff A.J. Toos On the Rocks at Slabs -John Gregory Betancourt Joseph Pillsbury 64 Tavern patrons protect their happy haunting grounds Richard Tomasic E.B. Wagner Stephen Hearon Larry Elmore DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 62 TSR Profiles 90 Wormy 4 World Gamers Guide 69 The ARES Section 92 Dragonmirth 6 The forum 86 Convention calendar 94 Snarfquest 6 0 TSR Previews COVER People are still writing in to say how much they liked Robin Woods first cover paint- ing, back on issue #97. This piece depicts an entirely different scene, but we expect the painting to be just as popular as its predecessor. Through the aid of a ring of flying, this magic-user is able to do battle with these giant bats on her own terms. That big bat in the foreground is about to find out the hard way what a lightning bolt spell is like and its not even grounded. 2 J ANUARY 1986 For Paul Its easy to lose track of whats really important in life when you spend day after day doing the same things. Anyone who has a job, goes to school, or runs a house- hold knows what I mean. Once in a while, though, something happens during one of those monotonous Here we go again bling the amount. Determine raw double dam- days something that almost seems age first; e.g., an arrow +1 does 2-7 points of designed to shake us out of our ruts and damage, so raw double damage would be 4- get us thinking about what counts. I had Dear Editor, 14 (2d6 + 2). A 14th-level archer also gets +7 on Page 11 of Unearthed Arcana says that no damage and an extra +1 for using a magic one of those experiences on the day before instances are known of half-elves descended from arrow, for a total of 12-22. Thats enough dam- Thanksgiving, when I received a letter grugach stock. However, in the article Arcana age, isnt it? Id make the archer live with his from a familiar address in San Diego. update in issue #103, it says on page 12 that A generally lower number of attacks per round (he It was Paul Crabaughs address, but it half-elf of wild descent cannot become a cleric, a never gets better than 3/1), as some compensation was his mother who wrote the letter. She ranger, or a magic-user. for his greater ability to hit and damage. wanted me to know, by means of what she Based on this evidence, either (a) The rule on You'll need to solve other problems to make the called the letter a mother should never half-elves of wild descent from Unearthed Arcana two systems mesh smoothly; for instance, they have to write, that Paul died of cancer on is removed; (b) An error was made in issue #103; differ in the definition of point-blank and short or (c) Wild elves can toss humans a long way. range. Maybe youll want to rule that an archer Nov. 17, at the age of 29. Which is it? who benefits from some of the aspects of weapon The news hit me right between the eyes Nicholas Leahy specialization can never have proficiency with and sunk into the part of my brain thats Boise, Idaho anything but a bow. You can use the two systems In Charge of Priorities. Paul had been a side-by-side, or you can mesh one into the other regular contributor to DRAGON® Maga- Thanks, Nicholas. I love multiple-choice tests, without making the archer too powerful. — KM zine longer than I had been on the staff. and I love making corrections to an article about Over the years he had become one of my corrections. The answer, of course, is (b). I many long-distance friends. He sent in used the offending sentence in issue #103 as an lots of articles, practically all of which example to illustrate how certain classes were Back to the dogs were accepted and printed. He always prohibited to certain half-elves, and I didn't stop to think that no half-elves can be of wild elf Dear Dragon, wrote in a casual style that I enjoyed and descent in the first place. Thanks for another great article by Stephen envied a style that made it seem as Technically, the statement is accurate — there Inniss (A dozen domestic dogs, issue #103). though he didnt have a care in the world. is no such thing as a half-grugach cleric, or One additional fact on water dogs is that the And maybe he didnt. He knew he was ranger, or magic-user. What it doesn't say is that webbing between their toes extends much farther sick, of course, and he did what he could there is also no such thing as a half-grugach toward their nails than that of non-water dogs. to fight the disease. But he never once fighter, or thief, or illusionist, or . — KM This increases their swimming efficiency and gave in, or even admitted his pain and speed, and the length of time they can spend in discomfort, said his mother. Right up to the water over what their brethren can do. his last hours he was looking ahead to Also, in the Costs table on page 28, an entry A special archer? for food dog is listed. Is this the kind of dog various articles and projects. In fact, he used to hunt rabbits, or is it the kind that would enjoyed a gaming session with some of his Dear Dragon, be served on a plate in Oriental Adventures? friends the day before he died. Should the archer NPC class (Best of Steve Null Paul Montgomery Crabaughs name DRAGON Vol. III) be allowed to have the ability Palm Bay, Fla. will appear on only one more article in of weapon specialization as described in Un- this magazine a piece we accepted a earthed Arcana? The description of very small normal dogs few months ago, and which will be printed Adam Lidz mentions that some of the canines in this category within another issue or two. But his con- Bala Cynwyd, Pa. are raised for the cooking pot. This is what the tribution to the magazine will go on for as entry on the costs table refers to. A dog for hunt- If youre using the unofficial archer NPC ing rabbits will probably be a small fighter or a long as people keep buying back issues designed by Len Lakofka, the original bonuses to medium runner (in Stephens system) and will and taking advantage of the knowledge hit and damage given in that article should be cost 17 gp, as per the Players Handbook. KM and insight in the pieces he wrote. And his retained, not replaced by the combat bonuses contribution to me will last even longer given in Arcana for specialization with a bow. than that. Whenever I get bummed out Those original bonuses are part of what makes an about the problems I have to solve in my archer an archer; besides, from 4th level on, A jump too far life, Im going to try to remember Paul theyre better than the bonuses given to a bow and what he had to tackle. From now on, specialist. On top of that, the archer gets an extra Dear Dragon, Im going to see problems such as making +1 when using any magical bow or arrow. If you I found the article Short hops and big drops find these advantages too powerful, you can treat (#93) very useful. However, it does not mix with a deadline and balancing my budget for the archer more like a regular bow specialist. But the Unearthed Arcana version of jumping. The what they are small obstacles, easily if these advantages haven't caused any game- book says a thief-acrobat with 15 strength and 16 overcome. balance problems in your campaign, then theres dexterity can make a running broad jump of 9 I realize now that my problems are not no reason to replace them with the lower bonuses. feet at sixth level, and any other character can big ones, and Im grateful for that. But if I can't think of a logical reason why archers broad jump 8 feet. But in the article, a character I ever have to deal with a real problem, I should be denied the benefit of the other aspects with combined strength and dexterity of 31 would hope Ill be as strong and courageous of weapon specialization.