Sample File DRAGON Issue 280 GAME ROOM February 2001 What’S New, What’S Happening, and What’S on Your Mind

Home , Matthew Sernett, Mike Selinker, Ray Winninger, Rebecca Guay, Spellfire

Sample file DRAGON Issue 280 GAME ROOM February 2001 What’s new, what’s happening, and what’s on your mind. Wyrm’s Turn...... 8 Scale Mail...... 10 Profiles...... 16 Up On A Soapbox...... 20 Convention Calendar...... 22 Previews...... 24 Countdown ...... 30

FEATURES New rules, campaigns, and idea generators. Your Sorcerous Life ...... 34 Robin D. Laws

Polymorphology ...... 39 Johnathan Richards

Magic in the Blood ...... 46 Geoffrey McVey

Better Living Through Alchemy...... 50 Jesse Decker & Stephen Kenson

Mastering Chance ...... 54 Jonathan Tweet

Just the Facts Mage ...... 56 Robin D. Laws

A Little More Familiar...... 60 Stephen Kenson

Reel Heroes...... 64 Eric Haddock, Matthew Sernett, Cory J. Herndon, Rich Redman, & Jeff Grubb

ZoeSample Motion...... file 65 Cory J. Herndon

The Opal of Nah ...... 72 J. Gregory Keyes FAMILIARS Humor, puzzles, monsters, magic, and more. Dork Tower...... 32 Vs...... 82 New Adventures of Volo...... 84 When Rebecca Guay first began the cover she Class Acts...... 88 had very little to go on. The only information Dragonmirth ...... 95 she’d been supplied was the sorcerous theme Nodwick ...... 96 and the suggestion that the subject be “doing What’s New...... 114 something cool, like casting a spell.” WIZARD’S WORKSHOP Rebecca renders her vivacious subject with an Tools, tricks, and tactics to improve your game. impressionistic confidence. I feel she captures Forum ...... 98 the isolation that most sorcerers must endure. PC Portraits ...... 101 Her painting suggests the loneliness of Van Gogh Role Models ...... 102 while remaining decorative. The wyrm’s serpen- The Play’s the Thing...... 104 tine arrangement mirrors her figure and keeps Sage Advice...... 106 my eyes easily travelling over the entire piece. Dungeoncraft ...... 111

—Peter Whitley, Art Director

5 Group Publisher • Johnny Wilson Publisher • Wendy Noritake

Editor-in-Chief • Dave Gross STILL Associate Editor • Chris Thomasson Assistant Editors • Eric Haddock, Matthew Sernett Contributing Editors • Ed Greenwood, Robin D. Laws, Christopher Perkins, Mike Selinker, Skip Williams, Ray Winninger

¢ Art Director • Peter Whitley 10 Designer • Ole Sørensen Circulation Director • Pierce Watters Advertising Sales Director • Bob Henning Production Director • John Dunn Production Manager • Bobbi Maas Circulation Assistant • Dawnelle Miesner can remember purchasing comic books that Advertising Intern • Alice Chung proudly∂∑ announced that they were “Still 10 I Cents.” The superhero comics had already raised their prices to 12 cents apiece, citing the usual blend of higher production costs (printing, paper, distribution margins, and so on). Fortunately, DRAGON Magazine (ISSN# 0279-6848) is published monthly I could always borrow superhero comics at my cousins’ houses, so I could for $34.95 per year by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., 1801 Lind continue buying the Dell and Gold Key comics with my favorite animated Ave. SW, Renton, WA 98055, United States of America. Periodicals Postage Paid at Renton, WA, and at additional cartoon characters. mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO DRAGON Magazine, P.O. BOX 469107, Of course, what I began to notice was that Dell and Gold Key were ESCONDIDO, CA 92046. ©2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. reusing material at a much higher frequency than the superhero comics All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced (except for review purposes) without the prior were. Even as a young child, it began to register that I was saving my two written permission of the publisher. Material published herein cents per issue, but seemed to be getting fewer new stories and fewer total does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., its employees, or its editorial staff, who are not pages. It was a lesson I have only forgotten on those occasions when I liable for opinions expressed herein. Most product names are doomed myself to sobering disappointment by going for price over value. trademarks owned by the companies that publish those products. Use of the name of any product without mention of Naturally, you know where I’m going with this. I’m going to try to con- trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to vince you that the extra dollar you now pay for DRAGON Magazine is worth such status. WIZARDS OF THE COAST; TSR; DUNGEONS & DRAGONS;ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS; D&D; AD&D; it. I’m going to suggest that the value overshadows the price increase. If FORGOTTEN REALMS;DRAGONLANCE;PLANESCAPE;RAVENLOFT; Sample file BIRTHRIGHT;MYSTARA;SPELLFIRE;GREYHAWK;DARK SUN; you’re one of our almost 20,000 subscribers, the value is definitely worth it, SPELLJAMMER;AL-QADIM;COUNCIL OF WYRMS;MASQUE OF THE because we haven’t raised subscription prices . . . yet. If you buy DRAGON off RED DEATH;MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM;ALTERNITY;STAR*DRIVE; DARK•MATTER;ALIEN COMPENDIUM;FIFTH AGE;DUNGEON the newsstand, you’re bound to wonder where the value resides. MASTER;PLAYER’S OPTION;DRAGON;DUNGEON;POLYHEDRON; In this and upcoming issues of DRAGON and DUNGEON, you’ll get a two-sided LIVING CITY;LIVING GREYHAWK;GEN CON; RPGA are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. dungeon tile to use in making random dungeon terrain. Plus, we’re planning to RAGON Star Wars is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. provide at least two D CD-ROMs as bonus features in your magazine ©1999 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. this year. Each will come complete with an unpublished DUNGEON adventure, *©1995, 1996, and 1998 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. some handy electronic utilities, printable “PC Portraits,” complete and revised Pokémon , Jungle, Fossil,Gym Heroes, Team Rocket, Game versions of popular features, and more. Boy, Gotta catch ’em all, and the official Nintendo Seal are trademarks of Nintendo. And that’s not all! (Shouldn’t I follow this up with a question like, “Now, how ©2000 Nintendo of America. much would you pay for a DRAGON magazine?” Naah! Too cliché even for a SUBSCRIPTIONS: Contact Publishers Creative Systems publisher!) We plan to publish two supplementary magazines that you’ll get at [email protected] or call 1-800-395-7760. In RAGON the UK, contact [email protected] or call along with D for the same cover price. These supplemental magazines +44-18-58-41-4713. will cover games using the d20 System, as well as Open Gaming License ADVERTISING: Contact DRAGON Magazine’s Advertising games outside of the fantasy genre. In this way, you won’t be cheated out of Sales Director, Bob Henning, at 425-204-7262. All ads are DUNGEONS & DRAGONS coverage, but you’ll get bonus coverage for the same subject to approval by Wizards of the Coast, which reserves the right to reject any ad for any reason. price. If you don’t like it, you can toss the bonus magazines. Advertisers and/or agencies of advertisers agree not to At Wizards of the Coast, we know that nobody likes a price increase. We hold Wizards of the Coast liable for any loss or expense from alleged wrongdoing that may arise out of the just hope you like what you’re buying. We certainly believe you will. publication of such advertisements.

Northeastern Advertising Representatives: Sig or Scott Buchmayr, Buchmayr Associates, 137 Rowayton Avenue, Rowayton, CT 06853, (203) 855-8834.

Distribution Nationally and Internationally by Curtis Circulation Company, 730 River Road, New Milford, NJ 07646. Tel: 201-634-7400. Fax: 201-634-7499

Johnny L. Wilson • Group Publisher DRAGON, DUNGEON, STAR WARS Gamer, and STAR WARS Insider Magazines Printed in the U.S.A.

8 february 2001 Scale Mail

Sample file

Dragon 280

©2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Published electronically by Paizo Publishing, LLC., under license. Permission granted to print one copy for personal use only. No other reproductions permitted without the express authorization of the copyright holder. This month’s plunge into the mailbag produces raves from Denmark, a font of font knowledge, an apology from the Art Director, some father-and-son gaming adventures, and a fruitcake—as well as our first and (we promise) last Indecision 2000 joke.

Big in Denmark Upon reading issue #277 I simply had to drop a line to give you a piece of my mind. “How You Play the Game” by Tracy Hickman is absolutely, positively, and without a doubt the best article I have ever read in your fine publication. (I have been with you for the past twelve years.) Never before have I read something that made me dream of ways to kill my own PCs just to make a difference on gaming night. Please convey my most sincere thanks to Mr. Hickman for doing an outstanding job on the article. Leif F. Alveen • Klarup, Denmark

Tracy’s article has garnered plenty of praise, and not just Samplefrom file the land of Hamlet and Havarti. We aren’t surprised that the co-designer of such classic adventures as Ravenloft and Pharoah knows a thing or two about run- ning a fun adventure, but we’ve asked him to prove it yet again. Watch for his new DRAGONLANCE adventure, “Anvil of Time,” in an upcoming issue of DUNGEON Magazine. KEEP IN TOUCH! Expert Witness To share your opinions on this issue When trying to make a point, I have noticed that many of the magazine, post a letter to: folks state they are experts when, in actuality, they are not. I am not one of those people. I spent most of my “Scale Mail” DRAGON Magazine college years taking design and graphics classes in 1801 Lind Avenue S.W. Colorado, I do freelance commercial artwork, and I work Renton, WA 98055, USA as a font operator at a television station in Florida, so Send email to [email protected]. I am informed in what I am about to say. Before reading “Scale Mail” in issue #277 of DRAGON Include your full name and mailing address if you Magazine, I was appreciating the bizarre fonts used in expect your letter to be printed, and let us know some areas of both DUNGEON #82 and DRAGON #277. I how much of that address you’d like printed. have even gone so far as to approximate them on our (We’ll assume city and state otherwise.) computer at work (not for any newscasts I assure you— they would not be appropriate). Then after reading the For subscription inquiries, reports made in DRAGON #277, I must say that I became send email to [email protected] worried. Would they stop using those font styles because or call 1 (800) 395-7760 of one letter? So I am writing a “pro-font” letter to cancel the “con” one out.

10 february 2001 Fonts are crazy and bizarre things in sheets for their miniatures, and if contents does. The black text on a light that they have to be appropriate for DRAGON sent out maps of landscapes to page stands out much more than the whatever medium they are used for. slide under the plexiglass, well, if I white text on a dark page. One cannot use a font just because it wasn’t already a subscriber, I would Lastly, this is to Dave Gross: It would looks cool. For television, the obscure immediately become one just to get be nice if you read the content of the fonts you have used (Wrongfont and those posters. I cannot even begin to magazine before writing the editorial. I Replicant are cases in point) would not convey how helpful they would be to really got excited when I read your work. The audience we produce for session preparation. editorial “Reinventing the Dwarf” would not be able to comprehend the Adam Quinn • Champlin, MN (DRAGON #278, page 8). Here was a quirky letters as fast as we would have magazine dedicated to the dwarf and them up (for about 2–3 seconds). For Your landscapes idea is a good one— you are talking about how you can set television, plain blocky letters are best. perhaps it’s something we can do the tone for the dwarf by being the However, your usage of these type- instead of a future installment of the first to play the dwarf. Well the rest of styles in your magazines not only gives Instant Dungeon Tiles maps. We’ll put it the magazine was a disappointment for flavor to the areas in which they are in the “future projects” file and dig it me, since I thought that you would used but also they give the magazine out next time we’re scheduling onserts. make the first magazine dedicated to a character apart from other magazines In the meantime, we welcome any and race an opportunity to offer some like it (although there are none like it, in all suggestions for nifty stuff to put in ideas on reinventing the dwarf. All the my book). Mr. Loya made it seem that the polybag. articles dealt with dwarves the same old the aforementioned fonts were used way. I hope you will take future oppor- throughout the magazine, making it Fruitcake tunities to offer something new to very hard to read. They were, in fact, A couple requests and comments: reflect the new style of the magazine. not used throughout the magazine. The Why don’t you do an article of all the Issue #278 reminds me of the jokes areas in which the fonts were placed characters that are mentioned through- about a fruitcake that is passed from were thought out, planned for, and the out the Players Handbook and DUNGEON family member to family member each letters were easy to understand. MASTER’s Guide? I think we all would like holiday season and the only change to Keep up the good work, and may I to see the stats of Mialee and Lidda. It it is the gift wrap. Your December issue say that after five years of playing would be nice to see how they pro- of DRAGON was a fruitcake in that sense. D&D, and occasionally buying the few gressed as well, if the players can John Csaky • (address withheld) good issues of DRAGON over the past remember. (I am assuming that these several years, that I have subscribed. were characters of some of the What’s not to like about fruitcake? Thank you for finally putting out a playtesters.) Seriously, reinvention makes sense magazine we can all be proud of. It would be nice if you made that only if there’s a tradition from which to Your quality of content has improved really cool font in your magazine title break, so much of the December issue’s greatly, and your new features are available, as well as some of the other content remained true to existing per- well worth the money. typeface that was used in the creation ceptions of dwarves. Still, you make a Justin Carmical • Tallahassee, FL of the magazine and the products (links good point, and we’ll look for more to whereSample we can get them file would be as chances to break with tradition in As you can see, Pete and Ole continue good.) I have the FORGOTTEN REALMS font future dwarf articles. to blend both the “challenging” type- from the FORGOTTEN REALMS Atlas done The magazine’s logo isn’t actually a faces and the traditional ones in an with CC2 by Profantasy, and even typeface, though perhaps one day effort to keep the magazine fresh but though I do not play in Faerûn I make we’ll turn it into one. When we do, readable in our continuing mission to use of the font. we’ll find a way to share it with please all of the people all of the time. I do like the new magazine format. DRAGON Magazine readers. The moment we move to television, However, I agree with several of the Look for the iconic characters to however, they’re right out. people that the first issue looked like a appear later this year in Enemies and bad Web page where someone tried Allies, a collection of characters to Posters? Maps! using every graphic variation possible use as NPCs or ready-to-play PCs. I’d like to begin by saying that I have on one page. I chalked it up to over- only recently subscribed to DRAGON, but excitement. I do like the idea that you Dwarves? Dwarves! I have already found the content to be are not using the magazine as one huge I have been playing D&D for about worth the purchase. Most of the arti- ad for each new product that is coming fifteen years, and I have never played cles are fabulously done, the monsters out in the same month as the magazine. a dwarf. Dwarves have always been are well thought out, and the comics I do not like when you have two arti- sketchy at best, often the unseen suppli- are a great addition. cles starting on one page, or have an ers of weapons and armor and fronted I noticed that almost every issue of article start in the middle of another by a human (or elven) shop clerk. I DRAGON comes with some sort of a article. It breaks up the flow of the guess I just couldn’t get into their heads poster inside. These posters range from magazine for me. I often do not read to roleplay them comfortably enough to maps of castles to boardgames and are the articles that start in the middle of make them anything other than short, always pretty cool. However, I was another, because I finish the first and stocky humans with beards and atti- wondering if it would be possible to go on to the next article. It would be tudes. Thanks to issue #278, I have print out some posters of varying land- nice if certain pages retained their look enough background, culture, and psy- scapes. A lot of gamers use plexiglass from issue to issue, like the table of chology to bring dwarves to life.