Dragon Magazine #103
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D RAGON 1 18 SPECIAL ATTRACTION 48 UNEARTHED ARCANA additions and corrections New pieces of type for those who have the book 35 26 Publisher Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief OTHER FEATURES Kim Mohan 8 The future of the game Gary Gygax Editorial staff How well tackle the task of a Second Edition AD&D® game Patrick Lucien Price Roger Moore 12 Arcana update, part 1 Kim Mohan Art director and graphics Explanations, answers, and some new rules Roger Raupp All about Krynns gnomes Roger E. Moore Subscriptions 18 Finishing our series on the demi-humans of the DRAGONLANCE world Georgia Moore Advertising 26 A dozen domestic dogs Stephen Inniss Mary Parkinson Twelve ways to classify mans best friend Contributing editors The role of books John C. Bunnell Ed Greenwood 31 Reviews of game-related fantasy and SF literature Katharine Kerr This issues contributing artists 35 The Centaur Papers Stephen Inniss and Kelly Adams Robert Pritchard Everything two authors could think of about the horse-folk Larry Elmore Bob Maurus 58 The Wages of Stress Christopher Gilbert Roger Raupp How to handle obnoxious people and make it pay Tom Centola Marvel Bullpen David Trampier Ted Goff Joseph Pillsbury DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 88 Convention calendar 93 Dragonmirth 4 World Gamers Guide 86 Gamers Guide 94 Snarfquest 6 The forum 89 Wormy COVER Robert Pritchards first contribution to our cover is an interesting piece of artwork and thats always the main factor in deciding whether or not to accept a painting to use. But Roberts choice of a title didnt hurt a bit. The name of the painting, of course, is Birth of the Blues. 2 NOVEMBER 1985 One monster we cant defeat No matter how strong you are, you cant keep it from attacking you again and again. No magic item has any effect on it. No matter how good your armor class is, it Copy service Why is the service only available to RPGA scores a hit sooner or later and when it members? Because we don’t have enough time or hits, it hits everybody. Dear Editor, people to handle requests from the entire reader- The monster goes by many names. Well Im a bit confused. In answer to George ship of the magazine. Because Penny is the only Embleys question (issue #101) as to whether or person who deals with the requests, and also call it Increasing Costs but dont expect not he could get a copy of the astral article in happens to be the head of the RPGA Network to find it under I in any of the rule issue #67, you said no, unless it was published in organization. And because RPGA members books. It does show up in a book, but its a future Best of DRAGON. deserve some special treatment in return for their the kind used by accountants, not gamers. However, in issue #83 you said it was possible membership fees. If you’d like to find out about Okay, enough of the cute lead-in. What to order copies of articles not reprinted in the more ways in which RPGA members get special Im edging toward telling you is this: Prices Best of DRAGON series or not still available as treatment, write to the above address for mem- are going up. Effective on Feb. 1, 1986, all back issues. I checked the list of issues available bership information. — KM new TSR products will cost more than they in #101, and issue #67 wasnt listed as available. Why couldnt Mr. Embley order the article from would under our existing (soon to be DRAGON Magazine, simply paying the price former) price structure. Many existing stated in issue #83? Or is this service no longer Flail followup products, including DRAGON® Magazine, available? will also carry higher price tags. Chad P. Culotta Dear Dragon, The magazines single-copy price will be Shreveport, La. In the clerical spell holy flail (issue #100), it $3.50 starting with the February issue states that any non-bladed weapon is trans- (#106). The AD&D rule books and other I did speak a little hastily in issue #101. I formed by the spell into a magical flail. Does this products that now cost $12.00 or $13.50 will include any weapon that is much larger than a thought the photocopying service offered by TSR become $15.00 items. Standard-sized mod- had been discontinued (it has been a long time flail that is non-bladed like a javelin, staff, spear, ules will be $8.00 instead of $6.00, and since issue #83), but I was only partially right or even a lance? Does it work on magical non- about that. Penny Petticord, the Coordinator of bladed weapons or not? special, larger modules will be $12.00 or the RPGA™ Network, informs me that the service If the answer to the preceding question is yes, $15.00, depending on the page count and is still available — but only to members of the can the spell be used to an advantage? For in- number of components in the product. RPGA Network. stance, if a cleric fights someone who is using a Practically every other item thats produced If you’re a member, you can order photocopies + 5 lance, cant he cast the spell to transform the or published by TSR, Inc., will also go up of any article from an out-of-print issue of lance into the less powerful holy flail? Does the in price. weapon transformed by the spell have to be listed DRAGON Magazine, as long as the article does Im not going to waste any precious space NOT fall into one of these categories: 1) It has as a weapon, or can anything that can be used as with verbal contortions intended to con- been reprinted in a Best of DRAGON® Maga- a weapon (rock, bottle, etc.) be transformed? zine anthology; 2) It was written by Gary Gygax; Joey Garcia vince you that higher prices are a Good 3) It is a work of fiction; or 4) It is an article that Bronx. N.Y. Thing. Youre all intelligent enough to does not specifically pertain to a TSR® game. realize why price increases are occasionally The reason for restriction 1 should be obvious: Instead of using the term “non-bladed necessary and occasionally is the right Why would you want to pay for one article when weapon,” we should have specified that the spell word here. The cover price of the magazine you can buy it, plus lots of others, for the same or only works on weapons usable by a cleric. That has been $3.00 ever since issue #37, five less money? The reason for restrictions 2 through rules out everything except a club, flail, hammer, and a half years ago. The price of the 4 is that the authors of those articles have re- mace, staff. lasso, sap, or staff sling — no lances, AD&D rule books has not gone up since tained ownership of the copyright to their materi- spears, rocks or bottles allowed. those books were first published. But now als, and as such we are not authorized to The spell will not fail to function when it’s cast the time has finally come when we cannot distribute copies. For the same reason, we cannot upon a magic weapon, but it won’t offset or and will not honor requests to photocopy art. reduce any powers the magic weapon already continue to absorb all of the Increasing The cost of the service depends on what you had. However, the spell will bestow upon the Costs that continually attack companies in want: $4.00 for a module from the center of the weapon any special powers that are part of the the publishing business. We have to ask you magazine, $2.50 for any single article, or $1.00 magic. If it’s used on a horsemans mace + 4, for to absorb part of the blow for us thats for any single new monster or magic item — instance, the weapon is still + 4 to hit and on what friends are for, right? regardless of how many pages the module, ar- damage, and for the duration of the spell the We cant stop the monster from getting in ticle, or monster takes up. The postage and mace will do extra damage to undead and “any its licks, but we can keep you from being hit handling charge is $2.00 for an order of $15.00 or creature of a greatly different alignment than that while youre surprised, Armed with this bit less, plus $1.00 for each $10.00 (or portion of the cleric,” as it says in the text. This extra thereof beyond that: $3.00 for an order of $15.50 damage is 1 point per level of the cleric who cast of advance warning, you still have several through $25.00, $4.00 for an order of $25.50 the spell, not per level of the character wielding weeks to pick up existing products at their through $35, and so on. (Don’t worry if you the weapon — and note that the extra damage current prices, and I hope lots of you do ordered some copies recently under the previous only applies when the magicked weapon is just that. Bad news is never easy to take, or pricing structure; those prices will be honored wielded by a cleric. Thus, it’s pointless to cast the to deliver, but we figured youd rather know until after this magazine is distributed.) spell on a enemy’s weapon — and it’s downright about it now than find out the hard way on Requests should be sent to RPGA™ Network, dumb to even try doing it if the enemy is a cleric the first of February.