SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue #163 9 The endless challenge of magic. Vol. XV, No. 6 November 1990 Back To School Magic School! Gregory W. Detwiler 10 If you want to be a specialist mage, youd better know each schools Publisher pros and cons. James M. Ward Oops! Sorry! Donald Hoverson Editor 15 So you miscast a fireball spell. What could possibly happen? Roger E. Moore Hedge Wizards Gregg Sharp 18 Some mages are perfectly happy to see a dungeon. Fiction editor never Barbara G. Young Magic Gone Haywire Rich Stump 27 Lots of things can go wrong with a magical item. Such as . Assistant editor Dale A. Donovan A Hoard For the Horde David Zeb Cook Insert A gatefold special: A hoard (horde?) of four new monsters for the Art director FORGOTTEN REALMS setting. Larry W. Smith Production staff OTHER FEATURES Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz Tracey Zamagne The Role of Books John C. Bunnell 32 Murders most foul in universes most bizarre. Subscriptions Janet L. Winters The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard 41 Betrayal and escapeinto the claws of darkness. U.S. advertising The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Roseann Schnering 47 When a dungeon thaws out, it goes bad right away. U.K. correspondent Storm Winter fiction by M. C. Sumner and U.K. advertising 58 Her father was kidnapped. Then a kidnapper came to ask for her help. Sue Lilley The MARVEL®-Phile David E. Martin, Chris Mortika, Scott Davis, 71 and William Tracy Just because a villain is dead doesnt mean you cant bring him to life. Making Law Out of Chaos J. R. Renaud 74 Can a chaotic-evil half-orc assassin avoid mugging little old ladies? Professional Monsters Matthew Schutt 80 Get a jobfor your NPC centaurs, orcs, and lizard men! The Dragons Bestiary Ed OConnell 82 Few will escape the spell-weavers web. The Affordable Fort Ed Dobrianski 88 If you want a castle, build one right in your living room! Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow, 106 Tis the season for a miniatures gift-buying spree! D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 68 Gamers Guide 96 Twilight Empire 6 Editorial 85 TSR Previews 101 Convention Calendar 36 Forum 94 Dragonmirth 104 Sage Advice COVER At the 1990 GEN CON® games fair, Larry Elmore said that he had a painting that we might want to use as a cover for DRAGON® Magazine. He led us over to it, we looked at it, and here it is. Dicharas Tree is a place of refuge for a tired sorceress, from which she ponders the mysteries of nature and the ways of mankind. 4 NOVEMBER 1990 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States of America. The postal address for all materials from the United States and Canada except subscription orders is: DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone: (414) 248-3625. The postal address for all materials from Europa is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223- 212517 (international); telex: 818781; fax: (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). What did you think of this issue? Do you have Dear Dragon: Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from a question about an article or have an idea for a Could you send me a complete set of Dragon game and hobby shops throughout the United States, new feature youd like to see? In the United Dice? My sister flushed mine down the toilet Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited with two character record sheets. number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, Your sister shows great promise, and we in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. 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Short & strange Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class Dear Dragon: mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent to an address in the U.S. or Canada; £16 for 12 issues The following letters were actually received In one of my dungeons, a player character by the editors of DRAGON Magazine and, except sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 had an affair with a succubus (much to his issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds for minor editing, appear as they were written. surprise!). She has conceived an alu demon. My for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address; question is, how long is the gestation period of or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent airmail to any Dear Dragon: other address. Payment in full must accompany all such a child, and how long will it take to grow subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of About what time and age do elves stop making up? payment include checks or money orders made payable love? What time do they begin? to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA Surprise! All the demons have been taken out credit cards: send subscription orders with payments to: 9:15 P.M., middle age; 9:13 P.M. of the AD&D 2nd Edition rules, so whoever that TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In the United Kingdom, methods of payment include PC had an affair with was not a succubus. Dear Dragon: cheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd, or Rerolling the encounter for you, we find that charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send What are the effects of a severed limb? the PC has gotten a neo-otyugh pregnant in- subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd, as per that address above. Prices are subject to change without prior None; it just lies there. stead. Good luck! notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription is printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy of Dear Dragon: Dear Dragon: the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of I have a hard question to ask you. I have all of subscription copies must be received at least six weeks I was wondering, how much damage does a prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure paper cut do? your books, and I have read them all but cant uninterrupted delivery. find the answer. My character was swallowed Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is The actual damage is nil, but the character by a monster, and I was wondering if you could available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop experiencing it will easily believe that he has (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from regenerate or resurrect him after [original text TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists been attacked by a sword of sharpness from the deleted by editors in favor of a more delicate available back issues, write to either of the above pain alone. See the AD&D® 1st Edition Dungeon phrasing] he passes through the monster. addresses. Masters Guide, page 166, or the AD&D 2nd Submissions: All material published in DRAGON Edition DMG, page 186. You could resurrect him, maybe, if someone Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary are volunteered to get close enough to the, um, made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes Dear Dragon: remains. unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; My brother says elves cannot be muscular. I And now for a serious letter: however, no responsibility for such submissions can be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission say they can. What do you think? Do you think accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of elves are powerful? sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. A serious letter We strongly recommend that prospective authors write Elves are anemic and weak. They are power- for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. ful only in their imaginations. No offense, of Dear Dragon: In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, course. stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’ I loved your April issue (as I do every year). Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above On page 12, you mention that the only way to address; include sufficient American postage or Interna- Dear Dragon: damage a gello monster is to snarf iti.e., eat it tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope. In How do you gladiate in AD&D games? Europe, write to: Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGON as quickly as possible.