D RAGON 1 Magazine Issue #116 SPECIAL ATTRACTION Vol. XI, No. 7 December 1986 9 MARITIME ADVENTURES: Oceans of gaming information Publisher 10 High Seas Margaret M. Foy Mike Cook Ships, from life boats to the glorious tall sails Editor 28 Children of the Deep Todd Mossburg Roger E. Moore Aquatic elves in the AD&D® game Assistant editor Fiction editor 38 The Dragons Bestiary Robin Jenkins Patrick Lucien Marine life as the readers imagine it Price 46 Hello, Your Majesty? Craig Barrett Editorial assistants By ship or by pigeon, the mail must go through Marilyn Favaro Georgia Moore Eileen Lucas Debbie Poutsch 52 High Seas in 3-D Dennis Kauth A 25-mm sailing craft for maritime quests Art director Roger Raupp OTHER FEATURES Production staff Linda Bakk Gloria Habriga 32 The Ecology of the Minotaur Anthony Gerard Betty Elmore Kim Lindau The unusual tale of a lone survivor Carolyn Vanderbilt 36 Readers Surprise James A. Gollata Advertising Subscriptions Our favorite double take of the month Mary Parkinson Pat Schulz 54 Rogue Stones and Gemjumping Ed Greenwood The perfect holiday gift for trouble-prone mages Creative editors Ed Greenwood Jeff Grubb 58 By Tooth and Claw Gregory W. Detwiler Never laugh at hyaenas, and other wild advice Contributing artists 66 High Ones, Ancient Ones Michael DeWolfe and Galan Akin Peter Botsis Sue Weller Playing High Ones in the ELFQUEST® game world Roger Raupp Jim Holloway David Trampier Larry Elmore 69 The Role of Computers Hartley and Pattie Lesser James A. Gollata Dennis Kauth Dragonfire II and Bard’s Tale pass the test Wendi Pini Robert Maurus 80 The Marvel®-Phile Jeff Grubb Bruce Simpson Joseph Pillsbury Dont get caught in the Crossfire Diesel Mark Saunders Francis Mao Gustave Doré 84 Doctor Who? Margaret Weis and Michael P. Bledsoe Marvel Bullpen Cosmic Comics A six-in-one special for FASAs DOCTOR WHO game Lawrence Raimonda so Aim and Burn William A. Barton Fanning the fires in TRAVELLER® games DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 78 TSR Previews 97 Snarfquest 4 World Gamers Guide 94 Gamers Guide 100 Dragonmirth 6 Forum 96 Convention calendar 102 Wormy COVER Some time ago, we received an unusual set of pictures in the mail. Peter J. Botsis, of Roch- ester, NY, created a scratch-built red dragon in its lair, complete with gold coins and the remains of several treasure hunters. Sue Weller photographed it; the sculpture is actually several feet long. We immediately decided it was perfect for a December cover (Rangers roasting on an open fire . .) 2 DECEMBER 1986 Potpourri No particular theme comes to mind for my December editorial, so Ill cover a number of short subjects: New arrivals: The first of our new Armor addenda partial armor system adds considerable sophisti- features, hinted at in last months cation to the games combat system, but it is editorial, makes its debut (redebut?) sophistication of preparation, not of play. The in this issue. The Dragons Bestiary player is urged to write the armor class of each Dear Dragon, returns with a wild host of reader- body part of his character on his character submitted oceanic monsters. We I would like to commend you on the excellent sheet, so that this information is readily availa- job you did on the article, “Armor, piece by ble in combat. have a large backlog of creature- piece” (issue #112); but I have one question. Monsters, however, are a different matter type material awaiting publication, Wouldn’t it be coherent to have separate hit entirely. DMs who enjoy hours of grueling so we ask that new monster submis- points for each part of the body? For example, mental excercise may want to prepare a table sions not be sent to us for at least shouldn’t the chest be able to take more damage giving the armor class of every body part of four or five months. than a foot? Also, a person cannot be killed by every monster involved in an adventure [See Credit is due: After reading the being hit in the elbow, as the current hit point Alex Curylos article on this topic in issue #114, description of the witch NPC in system would suggest. I think a separate hit page 50, for a much simpler system. Editor]. point system would be realistic if you use the hit DRAGON® issue #114, Paul Suliin Others may simply prefer to guess at values, gave us a call. Long ago in issue location chart. using the rules put forth in this article as guide- James Goldberg lines. Either system is usable, so long as guesses #18, in fact we published an Phoenixville, PA remain reasonable and the armor class tables article by Paul describing new dont interfere with the continuity of game play magic-user spells. Among them were The system adds but a single die roll to combat, some spells which were later and it brings a wealth of realism to the game. Though Mart Bandy did not include a system adopted into the version of the Matt Bandy for calculating the hit points of individual parts witch published in issue #43, from of the body, he did have a system that took this which the revised witch was de- question into account. Because of space limita- rived. TSR, Inc., owns the rights to tions, the following material was dropped from all of these articles, but certainly the original article; we present it now (as Matt New horizons Paul deserves the credit for such had intended) for use as a set of optional rules horrors as mass polymorph, mystic for his partial-armor system. RM Dear Dragon: rope, nature call, call spirit, and my I have played the AD&D game in the past but, Damage modifiers: Damage is modified as to personal favorite, rusting touch alas, eventually found most all situations, hit location as illustrated on the following table. whether with new characters and/or a new DM, (originally called rust monster These modifications result from each areas boring. I have moved on to other games now, touch). Thanks, Paul. importance in maintaining life processes. like the TOP SECRET, TRAVELLER®, and Speaking of witches: One reader TIMEMASTER™ games. I really enjoyed your wrote to ask why the witches of Damage magazine; I didn’t even mind you raising the Body part modification issue #114 were said to gain up to prices in the long run, but now I cannot get my +3 13 spells at 22nd level (page 10), but Head money’s worth because you really are an 80% Neck +3 were given only five spells at 22nd AD&D game magazine. I also heard you got rid Chest +2 level on the witches experience table of the ARES™ Section (I haven’t bought an issue Abdomen +1 (page 12). The reference on page 10 since March), so I suppose it’s 90% D&D® and Hand -1 AD&D game material. I think you would do is to the total number of High Secret -1 Foot much better if you expanded your letters Order spells that a witch may learn, column, while devoting more of the magazine to but the table on page 12 shows how Called strikes: A combatant may attempt to other games like those mentioned above and many that a witch may cast per day. strike a specific area of his opponents body, other TSR games. I realize there are hundreds Dropped copy: A line disappeared rather than stabbing at any opening that ap- of RPGs that you could write about, but if you between pages 27 and 28 in issue pears. In this case, the hit-location roll is by- wrote articles about the top ten or fifteen best- #115. The sentence crossing those passed and a -2 penalty to hit is incurred. If selling RPGs for the past three or four months, pages should read: These penalties the attack is successful, the desired location is you would eventually get a broader reading are added to any adjustments for hit; if not, no hit is scored. Called strikes may be audience. Of course, I don’t mean to tell you used to knock a weapon from an opponents how to publish your magazine; DRAGON® surface-types, and when both these hand, if damage equal to half an opponents hit Magazine has been around for ten years, so I factors are combined with the char- points is inflicted on an opponents weapons don’t suppose you’d change the format. True, acters base climbing percentage, the arm. AD&D gaming is the most popular — the father, character's true chance of scaling a Selective protection: A combatant may opt to in fact, of all RPGs ever published — but if it given surface is revealed. lend special attention to the protection of one continues to dominate DRAGON Magazine, you As they say in Amadeus: There it is. specific body part. If this option is utilized, the should call it the AD&D Monthly Role-Playing armor class of the specially protected body part Aid. It would be more accurate. is bettered by two, while the armor class of the Mark D. Spivey remainder of the body is degraded by one. Also, LaGrange, IL all attacks made by the defender while protect- ing selectively are done so at a -2 penalty. Magical pieces of partial armor are feasible if Dear Dragon: the DM so desires. Note that magical shields are I’ve been subscribing to your magazine since already accounted for with this system. issue #63, and I have most of your issues from It has been said that if the AD&D® game dies, #49 and on.