Sample File ® July/August 2002 Vol
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Sample file ® July/August 2002 Vol. XVI, No. 3 Issue #93 EDITORIAL 6 LETTERS 8 VANITY 14 CRITICAL THREAT: J. Bradley Schell SADIE & HER LAIR 66 An ancient temple’s guardian hides the secret of one Christopher Perkins man’s great hubris. A D&D adventure for four 5th-level This drider has something to prove, and the means to do PCs but adaptable for levels 3–9. so. A D&D “Critical Threat.” THE STATUE GALLERY 28 THE STORM LORD’S KEEP 68 Johnathan Richards James Wyatt A room full of statues is almost always a signSample of trou- The file Storm Lord’s daughter has been slain, and no force ble—this one is no different. A D&D Side Trek for 9th- in the world can keep him from his vengeance—except level PCs but adaptable for levels 5–13. the PCs. A D&D adventure for four 21st-level PCs but adaptable for levels 17–25. This adventure is for use SWAMP STOMP 38 with the new Epic Level Handbook. Jeff Ward Something has the peaceful Broken Axe Clan of lizard- WRITER’S GUIDELINES 102 folk riled up. A D&D adventure for four 4th-level PCs The newly revised DUNGEON Magazine Writer’s Guide- but adaptable for levels 1–8. lines will start you on the road to seeing your adven- tures appear in these pages. “The infernal storm, eternal in its rage, sweeps and drives the spirits with its blast; it whirls them, lashing them with punishment. When they are swept back past their place of judgment then come the shrieks, laments, and anguished cries; there they blaspheme God’s almighty power. —Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, “Inferno.” cto. 5, l. 31-6. COVER The small village of Ruvian stands no chance against the Thunder Champion—illustrated here by Scott Schomburg—and his cloud giant troops when they ride forth to seek the Storm Lord’s vengeance in “The Storm Lord’s Keep.” A MATTER OF SCALE Group Publisher Johnny Wilson Some say high-level play is problematic, that it epitomizes the “munchkin- Editor Chris Thomasson Art Director Kyle S. Hunter ness” of D&D, that it only encourages power gamers in their endless quest to kick the most ass. Others say that they look forward to watching their characters challenge the Contributing Editors Erik Mona most powerful denizens of their campaign world. Matthew Sernett Stacie A. Fiorito Personally, I have to confess to a mixed reaction to high-level play in general. As a Christopher Perkins player, I dig the idea of the epic barbarian who leaps over redwoods or the epic bard who can convince two warring nations that they’re actually bosom comrades. I get Production Director John Dunn Production Designer Theresa Cummins chills imagining the epic rogue who creeps into a powerful foe’s lair just to count coup. Circulation Director Pierce Watters But as a DM, epic play terrified me when I first sat down and considered its poten- Advertising Sales Director Johnny Wilson tial. How could I come up with a challenge for such powerful characters? How do I Ad Traffic Manager Dawnelle Miesner Cover Artist Scott Schomburg EDITORIAL justify the presence of powerful, evil organizations that haven’t already destroyed or enslaved the world? Contributing Authors Solutions to these obstacles came easier than I expected. The first is this: Start James Wyatt Jeff Ward Johnathan M. Richards J. Bradley Schell thinking about epic early. In fact, the earlier you start plotting for higher level cam- Christopher Perkins paigning, the easier the transition. When your PCs are low level, present them with some adventure hooks that are obviously beyond their level. They’ll realize right away Contributing Artists Scott Schomburg Chuck Lucaks that some bad guys are too much for them to handle. Ron Spencer Diesel In a lunchtime Oriental Adventures campaign that DRAGON Editor Matt Sernett runs, Christopher West Craig Zipse that’s exactly what he did. The first few hooks he dropped in our laps as 1st-level charac- Aaron Williams Jason A. Engle Anthony Waters ters involved exploring the forbidden stronghold of an ancient empress and a journey to free a god from his prison. We players took one look at each other and knew we’d be in DUNGEON (ISSN# 1526-6391) is published bi-monthly by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., 1801 Lind Ave. SW, Renton, over our heads in either case, but all the while, we were thinking, “Someday . .” WA 98055, United States of America. Periodicals Postage Paid at Renton, WA, and at additional mailing If you don’t want to drop hooks like this—in fear, perhaps, that your low-level PCs offices. might actually pursue them—consider this: Are the PCs the only adventurers in your POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to DUNGEON Magazine, P.O. Box 469106, Escondido, CA campaign world? Probably not. Are other groups all do-gooder heroes? Again, proba- 92046. ©2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. bly not. So there’s another method of introducing epic play: Assume it’s a part of the No part of this magazine may be reproduced (except for review purposes) without the prior written permission world that’s always been there. Just as the PCs go on their adventures and grow in of the publisher. Material published herein does not nec- power, so too do the bad guys. Any road the PCs walk has been traveled by other adven- essarily reflect the opinions of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., its employees, or its editorial staff, who are not liable for turers—good and evil—before. There’s always someone bigger, badder, and meaner opinions expressed herein. Most product names are trademarks owned by the companies that publish those just around the corner. Sample file products. Use of the name of any product without men- In my home campaign, this is the approach I opted for early on. I decided the world tion of trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status. was too big a place for the PCs to keep track of, and plenty of villains they hadn’t met yet WIZARDS OF THE COAST;DUNGEONS &DRAGONS; D&D; FORGOTTEN REALMS;DRAGONLANCE;PLANESCAPE; were out setting vile plots in motion and building their powerbase, waiting for the RAVENLOFT;BIRTHRIGHT;MYSTARA;GREYHAWK;DARK SUN; opportunity to stake a claim in the Epic Antagonist Hall of Fame. SPELLJAMMER;AL-QADIM;COUNCIL OF WYRMS;MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH;MONSTROUS MANUAL;MONSTROUS Finally, use the approach of epic levels to introduce a world-altering event into your COMPENDIUM;ENCYCLOPEDIA MAGICA;ALTERNITY; STAR*DRIVE;DARK•MATTER;ALIEN COMPENDIUM;FIFTH AGE; game that allows access to epic powers. This change can be as disruptive as you like— DUNGEON MASTER;PLAYER’S OPTION;DRAGON;DUNGEON; POLYHEDRON;LIVING CITY;LIVING GREYHAWK;GEN CON; and akin to a massive radiation leak—or it can be a subtle shift—by introducing the power RPGA are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. sparingly via an artifact like the Shadar Pool (from “The Razing of Redshore” in issue SUBSCRIPTIONS: Please contact Publishers Creative Systems at [email protected] or call 1- #92). Either way, it’s a good opportunity to alter the balance of a campaign setting and 800-395-7760. In the United Kingdom, contact [email protected] or call +44-18-58-41-4713. maybe even reinvent your game. ADVERTISING: Contact our Advertising Sales Director, Bob Henning, at (425) 204-7262. All ads are No matter which approach you use—one of these or another entirely—consider subject to approval by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., which that there is a hierarchy of power in any setting. The “Monsters Ranked by Challenge reserves the right to reject any ad for any reason. Advertisers and/or agencies of advertisers agree not to Ratings” chart on page 223–224 in the Monster Manual really puts things in perspective. hold Wizards of the Coast liable for any loss or expense from alleged wrongdoing that may arise out of the publi- We’d love to hear how you plan on working epic adventures into your campaign. Or if cation of such advertisements. you’re cutting your campaign short before reaching levels 21 plus, why you made that Northeastern Advertising Representatives: Sig or Scott Buchmayr, Buchmayr Associates, 137 Rowayton decision. Drop us a line at [email protected] and share your epic experiences. 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 OPEN GAME CONTENT: Unless otherwise noted, this Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may by Editor reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20. 6 Printed in the U.S.A. 93 FreeD20 RacingGame DUNGEON CAR-CRAZY CHICKS! 30 Monster Tokens • THESTORMLORD’SKEEP OFFICIAL DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS® ADVENTURES • THE STATUE GALLERY EPIC-LEVEL ADVENTURE • SWAMP STOMP DOWN & DIRTY Taking it to the Lizardfolk • VANITY •• HEADS WILL ROLL Hard Looks in the Statuary THUNDERBALL RALLY UGLY ON THE INSIDE Pride Goeth Before the Fall SEXY SADIE Manslaughter Made Easy July/August 2002 JULY/AUGUST 2002 ISSUE 93 • vol. XVI, no.3 DungeonSample file 93 Letters LETTERS Tell us what you think of this issue’s adventures. Write to: Letters, DUNGEON Magazine, 1801 Lind Avenue S.W., Renton, WA 98055 or send an email to [email protected].