I From the Notebooks

of Fallendor the Mage:

t has happened again.No peace this night

or for a fortnight past. I have been cursed,robbed of my rest by a maddening vision�the Codex of infinite Planes! It has been lostsince before my time, the time of my fatherthe time of all my known ancestors.

Yet every night in my dreams, I see thecursed book. It hovers beyond the veil ofreality, a dream that has more substancethan reality. I try to touch the pages, butevery motion forward propels the bookaway. Frustration fills me and I begin torun. Every night I run faster toward it,but every night I am no nearer to my goal.In the morning, I awaken with new visionsfilling my mind.

I began recording these visions in mynotebook as I remember them. They arenot the random scenes of dreams butmessages, encrypted in a code of images. Iam certain they are passages from theCodex of Infinite Planes.

I have a theory about the Codex. I do notthink it exists yet, at least not as a materialthing. It exists only in the world of sleep.There it reveals itself, a page each night, andevery morning I dutifully transcribe itspages into the world of flesh. I am no morethan another of the great books scribes, likethe Archmage Tzunk before me.

At first the passages seemed random andmeaningless, but now I sense a pattern.The Codex�s magic is the magic of words.As the dreamer reads the entries in thebook, he creates the destination where theCodex will send him. When the image iscomplete, the traveler arrives. Perhaps ifsomeone could find all the fragmentsrecorded by the book�s scribes, the Codexwould become real in this world.

If there is a link in all the messages Irecord, it is a city called Sigil, the Heartand the Cage. This city exists, I know, atthe very center of the Outer Planes. It isthe place through which all things pass.For now, my image of it is only fragmen-tary. Perhaps if I review the entries relat-ing to Sigil, tonight I will dream of the cityitself.

74 MARCH 1994

by David �Zeb� Cook

Artwork by Dana Knutson & Tony DiTerlizzi

Aleax of Sigil, The: An engine ofdiscipline, the aleax is the formless spawnof divinity. The creature has no thought orno will, only the raw clay of its shell andthe spark of life. The creature becomeswhole only by an act of mortal denial tothe gods. Then the aleax wakes eachmorning in a new land, its hands and feetclumsy strangers. Its face is the face ofone who rejects it. With each day, its mem-ories are new; the smile of a grandchild,the taste of sweat, the cold slash of winterwind, and the shrill of the teakettle in themorning. Perhaps wanting to cling to itsborrowed memories, the aleax seeks outand kills its mortal father. This seems likethe sting of an ungrateful child, but thealeax has no choice. Its family is a ring oftraps. The mortal parent gives it form butdenies the child; the divine parent acceptsthe child but refuses it form. Unable toaccept this, the aleax chooses to returnitself each day to oblivion.

In the great city of Sigil, there is an aleaxcut off from its god. It is an idiot and a

great threat to the Faction of the Athar.Helplessly the creature wanders thestreets searching for a form. It hears thedenials and renunciations of all gods andcannot choose one from the lot. Its hand isone man�s, its face another. In this block itremembers the taste of oranges fromElysium, in the next the scouring fires ofGehenna. It talks in all voices, it speaks allwords. In its ramblings are concealed thegreat secrets and hidden thoughts of all ithas become. Driven mad by its too-fullexistence, the aleax seeks only oblivion.

The inhabitants of Sigil are as singular asthe city itself.

Dictionaries of Pain, The: This tomeis not the only dictionary found on theplanes, and not all dictionaries classifywords. There are dictionaries of smellswhere a scent evokes the memories ofother scents. There is Tbron�s dictionaryof memory, whose pages hold nothingbeyond what the reader brings.

In Sigil, the baatezu Ganeesh holds an-other type of dictionary, one of the Dictio-

naries of Pain. In its pages are listed all theshadings of anguish, categorized by theplay of the nerves under the skin, anddefined the music of their cries. Ganeeshcomposes poems from the entries therein.Some of the poems are meant to be read,since reading them is enough to causeanguish. Others are performed in secretconclaves of Sigil�s Lower Ward.

Just as there is an entry in the Codex forthe Dictionaries of Pain, there is an entryin the Dictionaries of Pain for this book,the Codex of the Infinite Planes. In thealphabet of nerves, the entry for the Co-dex can be found between the sharp stingof discovery and the salted wounds offailure.

Doomguard, The: The Doomguard isone of the factions of Sigil. It exists only tobring the end, the oblivion that over-whelms everything. Their goal of destruc-tion applies to themselves, too, for theentropy of the multiverse that they desiremust include themselves. Nonetheless,they actively recruit and expand, swellingtheir ranks while striving to destroy allelse. It is said that entropy comes wheneverything is reduced to a single state, soperhaps this applies to the community ofSigil, too.

The Doomguard has heard of the aleaxof Sigil and are frustrated by it. Theywould dearly grant it oblivion, but itslifeforce is sheltered by the gods. All theDoomguard can do is stalk it helplessly,hurling themselves at it like the goat thatcharges the tiger.

Factions: Life without belonging is notlife. Every being must have a position tocompare itself to all other beings. In thecore city of Sigil, to be is to belong to afaction. In a lesser city, these factionswould squabble for the control of water,light, or gold, but Sigil is the heart of allcities. It cannot strive for commodities, itsfactions struggle for the only realproperty�belief. What is believed is whatcreates the reality of the planes.

There are many realities in Sigil forthere are many factions. There is theAthar over whom the aleax have nopower. They forswear the might of thegods. The Godsmen, who hold that all

DRAGON 75

beings could become divine, build theirproofs in the Great Foundry. Using wordslike these, the Fated take their reality fromothers, wearing the dreams of their ene-mies as their own. The Sensates shapereality in eye and hand, fashioning theworld according to their experiences.

The Bleak Cabal denies its philosophyhas any meaning, for cause and meaningare pointless to them. The Doomguardconstantly tears down the houses of itsown thought, searching for path to entro-py. There are the Mercykillers whosejustice is like ice to fire. In the alleys of theHive are the Xaositects and the Revolution-ary League, who live their lives in contentdisorder.

On the far side of Sigil�s ring, the Harmo-nium hunts the realities that are not itsown. In its wake are splintered worlds,never to be whole again. The Guvnersprobe the machineries of reality. TheCiphers watch them without comment.Their truth is hidden in the deep mines ofthe soul. The Dustmen merge the realityof life and death. They have abandonedbelief in the line between these two things.

Of all these factions, the Free League arethe saddest in their claims. They deludethemselves with the vision of independence,never accepting that they are bound to eachother in their belief of free will.

�Come to learn about the planes, berk?Well, if that�s true, then this is the rightplace. There ain�t nobody who knowsmore about the planes than the folks wholive here. So it might be wise to sit downand listen to what a bloods got to say.

�First off, welcome to the real world�more real than most know. It pays to havea geography lesson before getting to farinto this, so pay attention. The dark of it�ssimple-there�s three realms in all themultiverse: the Prime Material Plane, theInner Planes, and the Outer Planes. ThePrime Material�s got a lot of little worldsfloating in it, bubbled inside their crystalspheres. The Inner�s a place of raw surg-ing elements and no place for most cuttersto live. It�s here�the Outer Planes�wherethe real secret of the planes is going to befound.

Only the Lady of Pain stands free of thefactions, bound in by cages of her own.

Geography of Sigil: These were thedreams of the Guvners� factol:

�Of course, for a clueless sod, the GreatRoads an overwhelming place. There�s toomuch of the planes for a berk to absorb.That�s why it�s best to learn the way toSigil, the City of Doors.

�Sigil floats over the great spike at thecenter of the Outlands, the plane thatitself is the center of the ring of OuterPlanes. A basher can�t get to it by walking.There ain�t no roads or gates to her, atleast not in the sense most primes under-stand. Sigil�s doors are portals that canlead from anywhere to the Cage�s streetsand maybe back again. Even beyond that,Sigil�s no ordinary place. It curves andarches �round itself �til the sky is filled

76 MARCH 1994

with roofed houses on other streets. Devasand tanar�ri build side by side, each ac-cording to its taste.

�So let a clueless basher take some ad-vice from a planar�get to Sigil and get akip there. Sigil�s the heart of it all!�

PLANESCAPE� campaign setting: Inanother reality, there exists a game andfor that game there are imagined worlds.One of these is the PLANESCAPE cam-paign set. In it are three books that de-scribe worlds that never were. Some ofthe players of this game imagine them-selves as people who never were�humans, dwarves, half-elves, goat-centaurbariaur, githzerai, and tieflings, the smoke-tinged children of corrupted creatures.They pretend strange philosophies andinvest their creations with powers beyondin their own prosaic lives. They exploretheir imaginary worlds with the maps thatcome with the box, maps that chart land-scapes created for their pleasure.

In this game world there is a city calledSigil, impossible in their own reality. Thecity is a ring that floats over a spire whoseheight is beyond measuring. Sigil is thehome for their imaginary people, theirheroes. From it, their characters travel bymagical doorways to distant towns andstrange lands. Back to Sigil their heroesreturn to celebrate their imagined victo-ries. In their journeys they meet othercreatures no less fantastic than them-selves. They create races to fill the spacesthey have imagined�modrons, servants ofSet, marrenoloth, and vortexes-and writedescriptions of them into the box.

The easy question would be, of course,who dreams who? Is this world the crea-tion of those who imagine it in play, or arethey mere fictions of this realm? But thehard question is this. Of the two worlds,one is truthful, while the other one lies, sowho created the honest world?

Portals: �I, Prespos, citizen of Iriaeborthe Overland City, explorer-mage, occa-sional ambassador from the court of Bron,son of the former alderman Teramgot andhis legal wife Elysa�may the gods guardtheir souls�have journeyed to planesbeyond our own; all true are my words,from my departure from this plane to myjourneys into the other dimensions of theplanes and my return again. May Oghmacurse me if my words are untrue!

�I have always been a scholarly wizard,though I admit to an uncontrollable wan-derlust that lures me to far reaches of ourglobe. Although some consider my schol-arly journeys reckless, I am not a foolishman. On my explorations I have everydesire to return to Iriaebor alive and notas ashes in some jar.

�On the day of departure I prepared forthe worst. My will was complete and theservants paid through the end of the year.A scroll gave the means for departure-I�had invested a small fortune to make thesheet. I uttered the words and sureenough, a shimmering gate appeared.Bravely, wand in hand, I stepped through.

�Straight into the center of an openmarket! There I stood, like a gaping farm-boy, in a doorway between the moundedfruits of a melon-dealer and the batteredbrass of a tinker. I first thought the spellerred, teleporting me to a market fairsomewhere in Calimsham. A quick glanceto the sky corrected that belief. There wasno sky. Overhead I looked at the jaggedtops of buildings. The city was both aboveand below us and strung out like an arcfrom north to south and east to west.

�I have since learned this city was Sigil,the city of doors. And well named it is.Where I had spent my fortune and timepreparing a single scroll, the citizens herecan travel throughout the planes simplyby stepping through a door. If the rightitem is held, even the most harmless-seeming arch crackles with the flame ofmagical power to reveal the vista of adistant land. The citizens call these portalsand make regular use of them. In my timethere I did too, passing through to otherplanes. But I will leave those stories foranother day!�

The Lady of Pain: She is the guardianof Sigil surrounded by her silent staff, thedabus. One sees her as she floats abovethe ground, too rare a thing to touchcommon earth. Voiceless, she drifts pasthim and into the Maze of the city, dispens-ing her blessings on no one. All that is leftin her passing is the aura of serene fear.

This is my dream, Fallendor�s dream,recorded in the pages of the Codex. This isthe part where a mage�s life intersects thelife of his dreams. He falls in love with asingle glimpse of the Lady of Pain but hecannot acknowledge that love. Herwarmth would bring destruction. Still, heis unable to forget her. He researches theCodex more and more, searching for theclues to a portal that will lead him to Sigil.He records his dreams, compiles them,and draws maps of their routes. Fromthese he searches for the final entry thatwill lead him to his goal.

At last he dreams the magistrate stand-ing in an empty house, reading the papersFallendor has left behind.

The document ends here. To date, nosign of Fallendor has been found.

Magistrate Lach-Verger

From the unpublished

Tjournals of Ambranthe Seeker, half-elven paladin ofOghma’s temple at the court

of Azoun IV; king of Cormyr.

en days in Sigil: As fascinating asthis city is, I fear I have tarried too long.My charge was to explore the realmsbeyond the barriers of Toril and I must notlose sight of this goal. My friends back atcourt cannot wait forever for my report.

It is with reluctance and fear that I haveprepared to leave this city. I have heardmuch of the lands beyond the doors ofSigil. Much of what I hear worries me,though I am not sure how much of what Ihear is exaggeration or truth. That, Iguess, is part of my duties. I have becomeparticularly concerned about the BloodWar. There is always a chance that suchendless warfare will present a threat toCormyr. Certainly the fiendish travelers Ihave seen pass through Sigil�s gates showlittle concern for the lives of others, evenhere where peace gilds the surface of life.

This morning I hired a guide, namedGlin. He is a bariaur, one of a race of goat-centaur men. It was curious dealing withhim�though he was quite polite, he hadall the appearance of a tattooed savage.Even after spending time in the city, Ibarely understood him. People here speakCommon but fill it with odd expressions.My guide said he was a Free Leaguer anda blood when it came to the planes andkept calling me a clueless or a prime. Ican�t say that I liked either and he makesme suspicious� peery, as they say here.Still, he was the only guide who claims toknow the Outlands that I could find on mylimited funds. (Sage Trandleer�s maps ofthe planes note this as the ConcordantOpposition. Glin laughed when I used thename, saying it pegged me as one of theclueless for certain. I must be more cau-tious in relying on the sage�s works.)

Glin is ready to leave tomorrow. He hasexpressed no problem with my aimlessitinerary. I have learned the bariaur are arace quite given to wanderlust. He sug-gests I get new clothes, so I won�t standout so much as �a hopeless prime." Insult-ing as it sounds, I�ll take his advice eventhough it stretches my funds dearly.

One day out of Sigil: What an ex-traordinary means of travel! Having ar-rived in Sigil by spell, I had never seen aportal in operation. From their descriptionI had no idea what to expect, certainlynothing as simple as this.

The day began when I met Glin at theGreat Bazaar. Though he said nothing, Ithink he approved of my new travelinggear, since it is much more in fashion withthis world. He brought virtually nothing atall, save a small saddle-bag and a stem ofwhat I gathered was horse-tail reed. Thegoat-man led me down several side streets,

28 APRIL 1994

past the hordes of beggars so prevalent inthis city, until we reached an open archthat spanned the small street we were on.To my amazement, he said this was ourportal. The whole thing seemed patentlyridiculous�I could see the street continue,I even walked under the arch and nothinghappened. Glin gave a bleating laugh andsaid, �Poor sod, of course it won�t workwithout the key.� Then he pulled me bythe arm as he stepped though. The archcrackled with sparks that tingled my skinand before my very eyes the landscapechanged as we stepped through to stand

before the walls of a great building�thePalace of Judgment. (Even though it wasas large as a city, there is no note of it onTrandleer�s maps. Neither was I able tofind any note of Sigil where I began mytravels. I suspect the accuracy of the sagemore and more.)

This, Glin explained to me, was thedomain of a power venerated in the PrimeMaterial Plane as the judge of the dead,part of a great bureaucracy of powers. Itreminded me of faiths I had heard of fromKara-Tur. Indeed, the building had the lookof those found in far eastern lands. What

by David �Zeb� Cook

Artwork by Dana Knutson & Tony DiTerlizzi

made this building singular was the line ofbodies filing patiently through the gate.Humans, half-elves, and creatures I couldnot identify, dressed in colors and ranks ofclothes, waited in a queue that stretchedbeyond my sight.

�Petitioners, them that�s died on theprime," was how Glin explained it. �Insidethe proxies of the power�ll send each oneto his proper plane�least that�s how itworks for the cutters who follow thispantheon." Petitioners and proxies�twothings new to me. I must learn more aboutthem.

TwO days out of Sigil: Ignoring theprotests of Glin, I joined the petitioners online for the palace. It seems the bestmeans to obtain an audience with thebeings within. I have been waiting theentire day, slowly shuffling forward. Glinhas gone off to one of the many tavernsthat line the way.

Though the wait was (and is) tedious, itgave me the chance to learn more of thepetitioners. My first curiosity was wheredid these travelers come from? Not onecould answer this simple question. Theyhad no knowledge of where they once

lived or even how they came here, only anunquenchable desire to file through thepalace gates. Unable to get an answer thatway, I watched for where they came from,yet this too was impossible to tell. When Iwatched the road behind us, not one peti-tioner did I see. I lowered my gaze for aninstant and when I looked back, therestood two or three new travelers, not 10�from me! I could believe only that theyhad appeared from the very thinnest of air.

At first, when they are fresh to the line,these petitioners are like unformed clay.Their features are sharp but their mindsdull. Their words are slow and halting andtheir passions flat. With the passing hoursthis mental haze lifts and they becomemore natural and animated until onewould mistake them for a normal mortal.Still, as much as I questioned them of theirprevious lives, not one could dredge upeven the slightest memory of a momentprior to this one.

Three days out of Sigil: Still waitingon line. The wonder of the petitioners hasgrown weary. Glin is impatient to take meelsewhere, but I think tomorrow I willreach the gate. Oghma grant me the pa-tience to endure that long.

Four days out of Sigil: Today Ireached the gate and had my ambitionscrushed. After waiting half the day, it wasfinally my turn to stand before the en-trance. There I was confronted by a singu-lar creature. It was taller than a man andhad the head of an oxen, like a minotaurand yet not. It was dressed in splendidrobes and gleaming armor and barred theway with a massive halberd. These detailsare clear because I had ample time tostudy it as it blocked my path.

At first it spoke in a language I could notfathom. Seeing my ignorance, it shifted toanother and then another, all similar intone yet different in inflection. Only whenit had failed in all this did it resort to Com-mon. �You are not awaiting judgement,� itsaid with some puzzlement.

I explained my nature�a prime, not apetitioner�and that my purpose here wasto gain knowledge and understanding.Unfortunately, the answer was discourag-ing. I was welcome to apply for an audi-ence in two to three weeks. It was clear Icould not immediately get in and I have nodesire to wait around here for weeks itwill take to gain audience.

When I found Glin at a stable-like innand told him, he was quite pleased to beon our way. Perhaps sensing my disap-pointment, he offered to take me to Rib-cage, the gate-town to Baator, the planeTrandleer notes as the Nine Hells. Againthere are more name changes I mustlearn.

DRAGON 29

Here is the end of Vol. 7 of Ambran’sjournals. The next diary in the sequence,Vol. 8, has never been found. From whatcan be inferred from other notes in Am-bran’s diaries, the volume was probablylost in the flight from Ribcage or the fightthat followed shortly after.

Nineteen days out of Sigil: PraiseOghma for escaping Ribcage! Looking on itnow, I marvel at my mad desire to viewthe portal to Baator or the terrible conse-quences it would have. I saw, yes, as Ihave already described and for my ownpeace of mind, I will write no more of it. Itis effort enough for me not to dwell on itstill. Sage Trandleer prepared me for noth-ing like what I saw.

Glin has been driving us both at a brutalpace ever since we escaped Ribcage. Icannot blame him for I too fear the town�sBlackguards are still pursuing us.

Even in our flight, I cannot help butnotice the mountainous landscape we arepassing through. Glin says it is the Vale ofthe Spine and it is aptly named. The bar-ren valley floor is almost perfectly curvedand the mountain peaks arch overhead,though not quite as skeletal as they werein Ribcage.

I have not seen any game�deer, rabbits,or birds�since our descent into the Valeon the way to Ribcage. Before, even at theworst points of our journey, near Se-muanya�s Bog, there were at least somenatural animals.

Twenty Days out of Sigil: My guidecontinues his driving pace, even thoughthere are no signs of pursuit. When Ichallenged him on it, the haughty bariaurclaimed speed was urgent if I wished tosee the wonders of the Outlands and thenasked if I wanted to end his employment,leaving me abandoned out here. If hepresses me on it too much, I will. I refuseto be held hostage by a guide. Oghma willguide me.

We have cleared the Vale and the landhas changed. Gate-ward�the local way ofsaying you�re moving toward the edge ofthe Outlands disk�the plain grows rough.(The other direction is �spike-ward,� to-ward the spire at the center of the plane.)I can see in the distance that it is fracturedalong near crystalline lines, so that thehills tilt and angle like great blocks. Glin,who is at least not completely secretive,explains (in his own colorful words),�There�s no dark to it, cutter. Every planearound the rim gets mirrored on the Out-lands. Know it and you can fix where youstand. Them blocks are toward Acheron.Head that way and you�ll find Rigus."

Twenty-three days out of Sigil: Glinsays we�re somewhere upland of Automa-ta, the gate-town to the plane of Nirvanaor Mechanus as it is known to the nativesof the planes. (With all his errors, how didTrandleer ever earn the title sage?) I wastold in Sigil that near Mechanus, rigidorder prevailed. Then I didn�t believe it�itseemed too fantastic to be real�but here

30 APRIL 1994

the fields are squared, the forests almoststraight rows of trees. Perfect, logicalorder.

I do not know what I shall do if myguide does not relent. He seems to lead mewith some purpose of his own, perhapsfulfilling desires I have not yet realized.

Twenty-four Days out of Sigil: Howcan I describe it, the most extraordinarything that has happened yet? Purposes havebeen revealed and yet I still do not under-stand. This morning Glin waited impatient-ly, as he always has, while I broke camp.I�ve become used to the fact that he will notassist. We set out at his thundering paceonce again, and I resigned myself to thestruggle of keeping up.

At noon, we reached the crest of a ridgeoverlooking a walled town. From its per-fectly square blocks (described to me inSigil), I knew it was Automata. I assumed itwas our goal, the cause of Glin�s haste butinstead of descending to town, he insistedwe stop in the center of a field. There helaid out a blanket, curled his legs beneathhimself, and waited. I didn�t bother askingwhy, now accustomed to his stubbornrefusals.

�You�re a long-suffering cutter, Jon," Glinsaid suddenly without my asking, �andyou�re right to be peery of me. I should�vesaid more earlier, but I�m not much of abasher to rattle his bonebox. It�s bad busi-ness, you see, to linger in the Vale of theSpine too long, especially after that dust-up in Ribcage, and the ground �roundAcheron ain�t much better. So that�s why Ipressed us at first. Then, once we werefree of that case, I figured you�d want tosee this." With that he pointed toward athin line of figures that was snaking itsway from the gates of Automata.

�It�s the modron parade. Every seven-teenth cycle, a whole troop of modrons,those strange little berks, tumble outthrough the portal of Mechanus and begina march round the whole length of theGreat Road. Nobody knows why they do it,but they�re modrons, so it�s got to be some-thing to do with the order of the universe.�

As the line marched through the neatfields outside Automata, I could estimatethere were over a thousand or more ofthe strange creatures. They marched inperfect files, organized by rank with eachled by a banner marked in symbols thatonly had meaning to them. �What happensto them?�

My guide shrugged at this question.�Most of the little sods wind up in the deadbook, I guess. The road takes �em rightalong the gates to Baator, Gehenna, theGray Waste, Carceri, and the Abyss. Ateach gate they pass, raiding parties ofbaatezu, yugoloths, geherleths, andtanar�ri come boiling out and make a fewmore of �em lost. The chant goes thatmaybe two or three ever make the fulljourney, coming home a couple of cycleslater."

I was and still am stunned by this. Whatwould possess a thousand or more intelli-

gent creatures to blindly march to almostcertain death? Perhaps they march toobserve the state of order along the GreatRoad. Perhaps their march ensures thesurvival of that road. Perhaps they marchjust to die. What would Sage Trandleermake of this?

My meditations on the whole spectaclewere interrupted by the arrival of a wom-an, clearly a warrior, though her armorwas to my mind scant. At first she keptsome distance from us and surveyed thescene just as we were. At last, againstGlin�s well-meant advice, I hailed her. Herecognized her as Doomguard by thedevice she wore.

Though wary, she was not hostile andwe eventually fell to conversation. Hername was Rialiva and she�d traveled toAutomata from one of the Doomguardcitadels on the Inner Planes.

�I�ve come to see the modrons march,"

she explained. �We Doomguard alwayswatch the progress of their parade tolearn what our role in it should be."

�Your role?� I had to ask.�Our universe exists but to end, and it�s

our purpose to see that entropy is ful-filled."

�So then the modrons are your enemies,because they seek order in everything,� Iguessed. �You�re here to see if they fail."

�Not necessarily. Entropy is only anotherform of order. The modrons may serveour purpose."

�Then you�re here to protect them fromthe fiends?� I pondered. This was becom-ing stranger than I anticipated.

�Not all order�s entropy. We�re here todecide what cause the modrons serve. Ifthey seek the absolute rigidity of the uni-verse, then it�s no different from yourkind of entropy, is it? The stopping of allthings. Here�s the chant, if the modrons

see order as progress to somethinggreater, then it�s the fiends we�ll sidewith��

�And let the fiends rule the universe?� Iblurted in horror.

Rialiva laughed, though I hope not at mysimplicity. �For a handsome cutter, youmust be a prime. The fiends, particularlythe baatezu, are only another type oforder. We don�t want to be ruled by themany more than you do."

I must confess I surrendered the argu-ment at this point. Her philosophies, likeso many others in this strange realm, aredeeper than I ever imagined. I have muchyet to learn and see.

To Glin�s raised brow, I have invitedRialiva along for the rest of my wander-ings. Tomorrow Glin has promised tocontinue to the River Ma�at. What newmysteries will I see there?

DRAGON 31

by David �Zeb� Cook

Artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi & Dana Knutson

From the final journal of Ambran theSeeker, former paladin, who forsook hisgod, name, and country to remain on theOuter Planes. May Oghma forgive him ofhis errors; may King Azoun not judge himtoo hastily

hird day in the

Mausoleum: I have lost all trackof days and nights. The marchsun across the sky, the falling

grains of the hourglass�what is the use ofthese things in Chronepsis� realm? Thespan of days is his to rule, within theMausoleum�s shattered boundaries. Per-haps I have aged here, perhaps I have not.Glin greeted me this morning, his faceunlined and horns just budding. By after-

noon he was aged again. Could the samebe happening to me? Sometimes my hands

are hard and worn with care, then freshwith youth. There is no way to tell.Chronepsis banishes all reflections, so thateven the smoothest water does not sharewhat it sees.

Glin is impatient to leave. He worriesthat Chronepsis, sole inhabitant of thisrealm, will change his humor. I am reluc-tant to leave. I have never been in thepresence of a god before, even a scaledone like Chronepsis. Still I have becomeused to the presence of petitionersthroughout the land, so it is strange tofind none here. What becomes of thosedestined for Chronepsis� land? Perhapsthey are the grains within his hourglasses.

Glin is right. It is time (if there is timehere) to leave.

First day outside the Mausoleum:Glin�s fears seemed unfounded. Indeed Iwonder if Chronepsis truly knew we werethere. Perhaps we are still there in theshuffled randomness of the dragon lords

DRAGON 51

hours, arriving with our heads bowedduring its breakfast, leaving quietly againat lunch, only to reappear during dinnercounting the hourglasses in their niches.

Outside the limits of the Mausoleum, theland has changed. It is no longer green,but has the sere look of fall. It reminds meof Cormyr. Since the Mausoleum I can nolonger count the days from Sigil.

Five days after the Mausoleum: Theland grows worse�more rugged than Iexpected. This morning Glin asked his firstquestion of me, beyond the usual queriesof every day. He was curious about mydreams, if I had any recently. I have notand told him so.

Seven days after the Mausoleum:Glin asked again about my dreams. Hisinterest is more than curiosity.

Glin says we should pass over Ilsensine�srealm soon. Although he did not add anymore to that statement, he clearly does notwant to linger there like we did at theMausoleum.

Eleven days after the Mausoleum: Iunderstand now why the bariaur wishesto hurry. The air here is filled with a sub-tle pain that, were it stronger, would driveme mad. It began this morning with abuzzing burn at the back of my thoughts,a verminous fly lodged behind my eyes.All day the drone has grown stronger. Bythis afternoon there was the distinct sen-sation of thoughts�images and whisper-ings that were not mine. Hands withoutskin, whimpers from the room of a dark-ened inn, the ranting of a fevered fiend,and scraps of other thoughts I could notidentify�these things have filled my mind.Even focusing on my writing is hard.

Glin solicitously asked about my dreams.I think he only pretends concern�there ismore in his eyes than care. It is like heexpects an answer, casting his net to col-lect my dreams. Perhaps he�s not a FreeLeaguer as he claimed. Is he a follower ofthe Fated, those who seek to understandthe planes by taking it from others? If I tellhim what I dreamt, do I lose my visions sothat they can become his?

Thirteen days after the Mausole-um: Glin�s question persists and thismorning I lied. I can no longer trust hismotives.

I told him no, but I did dream. It was apersistent buzzing that skirled behind myeyes. It was not my dream, but the dreamof another that slipped away in the tangleof other preoccupations. I can even imag-ine a man, a shadow at the back of theburn. Perhaps because of Glin�s curiosity Ifeel compelled to write down thesethoughts, or is this some effect of theillithid-lord�s realm? Glin says Ilsensine�sdomain is in caverns beneath our feet,tunnels lined with the pulsing veins ofIlsensine�s mind. Perhaps the mind-flayergods knowledge is too great for it to con-tain. Whose dream is this�mine, an-other�s, or the secrets gathered by thething beneath the ground?

Dream One: I dream about the book. Icurse it in my dreams. Each night pagescome to me and press themselves againstmy flesh, carving their images into myskin. The chapters construct places that Iwill go. They build themselves word byword, slowly tattooing their knowledgeonto me. When they are finished they willtake me to these places, these places I donot want to go.

There is a man I see who travels towardme, sometimes straight, but more often withthe path of the lost. There is a page in thebook my dreams are writing for him. Whenit is done he will stand before me.

When I awoke, my arm stung anditched. Rolling back my sleeve, I was horri-fied to find a band of writing freshly tat-tooed there. A single word girdled myforearm� Fallendor.

For the first time since I left Faerun, Iam truly afraid. The terrors of Baator Iglimpsed in Ribcage cannot compare tothis. They were real, at least. I could havefought them if it had come to that. Gro-tesque as they were, they at least had fleshand substance.

What have I done in leaving the safety ofToril? What a fool I was to feel safe in aworld where my dreams turn against me.

Seventeen days after the Mausole-um: Glin has stopped asking, although Istill think he covets the images in mymind. I know what he is after now, andwill not fall for his traps. I�m not a fool�ifhe can�t trick me into giving him what hewants, he may try violence. Let the bashertry�I�ll be ready for him.

Worse still, the dreams have not stoppedand we have left Ilsensine�s realm. Eachnight they become stronger and moreinsistent. My left arm is almost completelycovered by tattoos. Why does this nolonger concern me?

Dream Two: Slowly moves the tattooinghand, carefully inking the script on skinlike the whorls of a finger. With eachtouch of the needle, another syllable iswhispered. I shape the sounds carefullyadding a little more of myself to the ink.Carefully I inject the memories into theflesh, layering a new skin over the old.Ambran becomes no more. He is the can-vas, the escape from the prison the Codexhas built for me.

Nineteen days after the Mausole-um: This morning the tattoos advancedbeyond the collar of my jacket to coilaround my neck. Glin has seen them forthe first time and I can see his fear. He nolonger hungers for my dreams. Perhapsnow he knows what they are. The bariaurcan no longer be trusted.

Twenty-three days after the Mauso-leum: We have reached Bedlam, gate-town to Pandemonium. After all mywandering through the Outlands, now Itravel with a purpose�to reach Pandemo-nium. I have forced my journey upon my

52 MAY 1994

guide. I lead and he follows, increasinglyapprehensive over the paths I choose. Pikeit, I tell him when whines.

Dream Three: By day I serve as a slaveto the Codex of the Infinite Planes, copyingthe pages. Today’s entry was on the Grottoof Bones at the heart of Hruggekolohh’srealm. With fearful patience, I describedthe cluster of skulls that ring his throne,how those heads whisper of their liveswhen the winds of Pandemonium blowthrough their moldering sockets.

I know that when the words are done Iwill go there, but I cannot stop the dreamsfrom flowing out of me. The best I canmanage is to tarry over the arch of a let-ter, the flourish at the end of a line. Thepages of Tzunk’s work that I have foundshow the same touches, the same devotionto artistry, as he too came to understandhis fate.

At night the Codex visits me, filling meas its receptacle. Even as it does so, I shapemy dreams and send them to Ambran.Each night I tattoo a little more, paintinghim while he sleeps. Each night I sensethat he is a little closer to me. I am amazedthat the Codex does not suspect me, evenas my escape nears its finish!

Twenty-seven days: Where I havebeen is meaningless. Where I am going isthe only thing that matters. Today I dis-missed Glin and he was glad for it. He isuseless as a guide. I know where my jour-ney will end.

Still, I fight my fate. I have tarried nowfor four days in Bedlam, staying to thehigh ground of the Citadel. The inhabit-ants are saner here than on the lowerslopes, so close to Pandemonium�s gate.Every moment I struggle to resist the urgeto descend and pass through the iron archto Pandemonium.

The tattoos continue to appear. Thememory of a past love is written in thecurve behind my ear. I cannot see it, but Ialready know what feelings the wordscarry. I am less of myself and more ofsomeone else.

What is happening to me?Twenty-nine: Today I almost suc-

cumbed. I was searching for a sage, amember of a group called the Sarex. I hada hope he would explain these tattoos(what would Trandleer say?) when I real-ized my steps were carrying me from thesafe haven of the Citadel and into thetangle of the lower slopes. I could barelyremember the prayers to Oghma tostrengthen me!

My distress did not go unnoticed. Evenas I fought for strength, a voice addressedme from the shadows. At first I thought itwas another part of the madness that hastaken me.

�You are in great danger," it whispered.�The Slave of the Codex has written uponyou.�

I nodded to the eyes I could dimly see.�To exist and to grow, the book becomes

the dreams of a prime. The slave writeswhat he dreams and goes where the pagestake him, until eventually the slave is auseless husk. When he finally writes hisown page in the dead book, the book waitsfor another and continues its pages."

�I�ve been captured by the book?��No, you berk, you�ve been snagged by

the slave." The darkness gave a dry,throaty chuckle to my plight. �Sometimesthe slave learns from the Codex even as it�susing him. He learns how to ball up hisdreams and send them to some poor sodlike you.�

�And?��And you become him. And he escapes

the Codex’s grip�even if he does havewear his memories on his skin for the restof his life�makes for an interesting life."

I started to shiver. �What happens tome?�

The shadows swirled around me and thevoice whispered in my ear. �Maybe you�redestroyed. Maybe you�re trapped insideyour own body. What does it matter?�

I was sick with fear then. �Why are youtelling me this? What do I owe you?�

The laughter came again, fading into thedarkness, �Owe? Nothing. I�m Hrava, theshadow-fiend, what you�d call a thing fromthe pits of the Abyss. I told you because itamuses me. But I�m a fiend�am I lying ortelling the truth?� With that he left me inthe darkness.

I have given up looking for answers inBedlam.

Pandemonium: Now I have even givenup counting days. My body carries meforward as if it knows where to go. Thewind cuts and screeches in my ears, tryingto drive me insane. It can�t�what morecan madness do to me now? I (or someoneelse?) still harbors the hope that I canescape this fate.

that now covered nearly all my face. �Youknow about this?�

�I am Hrava�leader of the Sarex. Comeinto the shadows if you want to hear thechant."

It was foolish, but I followed the voice. Ineeded to know. �What is happening tome?�

There was a soft caress of shadowacross the bridge of my nose, tracing thepatterns of words etched in tiny letteringthere. �You�re being replaced. Word byword, memory by memory. Each sentenceon your skin�s the thought of another,every syllable a moment of their life."

�Impossible!� That was ridiculous to say,but I did.

�And yet it happens."�Who���Who is doing it? A prisoner and a slave.

There is an ancient book�the Codex ofthe Infinite Planes. Perhaps you haveheard of it?�

I was dumb-founded. Until this point, no Dream Four: He is here! My needlesone in Bedlam had even noticed the tattoos have pricked the last letters. My hands

have wiped away the blood and ink. WhenI wake he will be before me. He nears thedoor to my cave. I when I wake, I, Fallen-dor, will reach out my hand and pull. I willdraw him out, trap him within this shell. Iwill be free!

I feel his footsteps through the earth. Myeyelids tremble . . .

Procampur: I still struggle with thetransformation. There are parts of Am-bran left behind that press me to actagainst my will. I wonder how his incom-plete spirit feels in that cave in Pandemo-nium? I wonder if he too is a slave of theCodex?

I thought I was free of the Codex, buteven now I realize this too was a lie. I nolonger see it in my dreams, but its wordsstill bind me. These notes, for one. I can-not resist the urge to write my experi-ences, even though I always burn themlater. My passions are printed on this face;these hands describe the childhood ofanother body. All the things that Fallendorwas are written for everyone to see�hishopes and his final treachery. People seethis tattooed face and shun me. Words stillenslave me.

DRAGON 53

Listen, berk. You might think you’ve gotthe dark of what the factions are about,but there’s more to ‘em than meets the eve.They’ve got secrets within secrets, and thepoor sod who crosses a factol’ll find him-self lost, and lost fast. Now, you seem like adecent basher, and it would be a shame ifyou got put in the dead-book without evenknowing why you got there. So, pay atten-tion, and you may learn something thatcould keep your soul and body togetherwhen you walk the streets of the Cage.by Rich Baker

Artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi

10 JANUARY 1995

FactionsThere’re thousands of leagues, circles,

conspiracies, and alliances on the GreatRoad, but there aren’t more than a fewdozen factions, and there’s only fifteen thatare known in all the planes. Each factionstands for something—a body’d have to becompletely Clueless not to know that—butthere aren’t many cutters who have thedark of what the factions do about theirbeliefs and what belonging to a factionactually means.

If a cutter’s a factol’s man, he lives thebelief of his faction. The Ciphers emptytheir heads of thought. The Bleakers em-brace howling insanity. The Mercykillershound lawbreakers into their graves. Butthat don’t mean that every Cipher spendshis day contemplating his navel, or that

every basher wearing the badge of the RedDeath does nothing except pursue crimi-nals. See, there’re different levels of associ-ation with each of the factions, and thetruth of things is this: most cutters wearthe colors and live the belief while goingabout their own lives.

Most bashers you meet on Sigil’s streetsare namers. They’re sometimes called thefile, or factioneers. Namers are cutterswho wear the colors but keep a distancefrom the factol’s plottings. They’ll gladlyget in a brawl over their badge, but they’llrarely shed blood for their colors. Whennamers can, they help each other out. May-be they let the faction’s bloods crash intheir kip, or maybe they keep their earsand eyes open and pass news along. Thepoint is, they keep their involvement at aminimum unless it serves their purposes toget in good with the factol.

If a namer doesn’t want to do somethingfor his faction, he can tell his fellows topike it. Usually, he can get away with it.He’d better not come around asking forhelp later on, though. A lot of the factolsonly ask a cutter once, and if he doesn’tmarch to their tune, he’ll never become ahigh-up.

When a basher enlists in a faction full-time, he’s called a factotum, or faction-man. A lot of sods think that factotums arejust guides and messengers, but those’reonly the most visible kind of factotums.Many more factotums are soldiers andscholars, diplomats and enforcers, andknights of the post who all work for thefactol. In fact, any basher who considersbeing a faction member his primary em-ployment and use of time is a factotum.

Generally, all factions are short on facto-turns; it’s easy to find namers to wear thecolors, but it’s hard to find someone who’lldrop what he’s doing to carry a message toRibcage, or maybe undertake a little cross-trading for the factol’s benefit. Factotumshave to take orders from the higher-ups intheir faction, but the factions watch outfor their factotums and make sure they’vegot the jink and savvy to get a job done.Each faction has a different way of makingfactotums out of namers.

The rarest kind of faction-man is the fac-tor, or factol’s man. The factors are thehigh-ups of the factions. They commandstrongholds and oversee operations, andcouncils of factors usually govern most ofthe factions’ relations and activities. Insome factions, the factors stay invisible;they disguise themselves as factotums ofsome type or another. Other factions, likethe Guvners, like to put a name and title toeach of the factors. When it’s time for anew factol, it’s usually one of the factorswho ends up taking the job.

Faction secretsSo, you think you have the dark of it

now? Well, don’t think you know all youneed to know to deal with the factions.See, the factions pass on more than a set ofcolors and an attitude to their namers andfactotums. Factions are about knowledgeand philosophy, after all, and there’s fewpieces of knowledge more handy thanspells no one else has seen, or darks no oneelse can learn. The low-ranking bashers—the namers—won’t know much more thanyou would, but the high-up factotums andfactors have been initiated into the deep-est, most dangerous darks the factolsknow. In the Cage, knowledge is power.

Most of this chant is common sense. Anysod on the street knows that Ciphers knowthings about how to move and how to actfaster than a snake’s strike. Everyone’sseen Dustmen deal with undead, or aDoomguard in a fight. But these aren’t theonly tricks the factions have up theirsleeves. There aren’t many namers wholearn these darks; the factols like to gettheir hooks in a cutter and be sure of hisloyalty before they call him a factotum andtrust him with a new secret. And in mostcases, the blood’ll have to demonstrate hisloyalty many times to earn the more pow-erful darks the faction trusts him with.

AtharThe Lost have a lot of enemies in the

Cage. There ain’t many cutters who’ll ad-mit to thinking like they do. After all, whoknows when a sod might need a little di-vine aid? An Athar sure won’t see any..

Wearing the Athar colors is bad enough,but the factotums of the Lost have to learna trick or two to help themselves whenother folks might turn to a power for help.

In the Athar, factotums are calledathaons. A namer can become an athaonby participating in a hidden ceremony inthe walls of the Shattered Temple. It’s saidthat an athaon has to bring three objects,books, or symbols imbued with the magicof the so-called powers to this ceremonyand destroy them there. (Magical itemsusable by priests, relics, or holy writingswill do.) Once the namer’s done that, he’ssworn into the ranks as an athaon.

Athaons can get room and board fromany namers of the Athar. In addition, thefactors’ll keep him busy with assignmentsdesigned to increase the power of thefaction and work against those sods whomeddle in the name of imaginary powers.Most low-level athaons are used as guardsand messengers, or technical experts. Mid-level athaons (4th-7th level) are used asspecial envoys, independent operatives, orsupervisors.

Athaons receive a special saving throwbonus of +2 against priest spells cast byclerics, proxies, or servants of any of thepowers. They know that it’s all a sham andplace their trust in themselves. This bonusalso extends to the spell-like abilities ofcreatures such as devas and baatezu whoserve a power.

By 9th level, most athaons are nearingselection as a factor and elevation to theinner circle of the Defiers. Factors of theAthar gain a special obscurement thatprotects them from the observation ofpowers and their servants. Priests, divineservants, and even the powers themselvesusing spells or spell-like powers to locateor inquire after an Athar factor mustmake a saving throw versus spells or havetheir efforts fail automatically. Spells orabilities this Athar obscurement countersinclude detect evil, detect invisibility, ESP,know alignment, locate object, clairvoy-ance, clairaudience, magic mirror, contactother plane, sending, ensnarement, legendlore, demand, foresight, augury, detect lie,divination, reflecting pool, magic font, findthe path, exaction, and other such spells.It’s thought that since the Athar don’tbelieve in powers, the powers and theirservants have a hard time affecting them.

Believers of the SourceGodsmen believe that every sod out

there can be a power someday. It’s easy tolaugh at ‘em, but there’s the unsettling factthat sometimes Godsmen do things thatcan’t be explained. None of the otherfactions believe the Godsmen are actuallybecoming deities, and say that they’reusing magical items to achieve these ef-fects. The Godsmen pay no attention tothese nonbelievers—they know they’reright.

Godsmen namers who want to becomefactotums undertake an apprenticeshipbeneath a more experienced character

12 JANUARY 1995

who shows them the ropes. The appren-ticeship varies widely from individual toindividual; some mentors almost ignoretheir charges, leaving it to the apprenticeto keep up with them, while others taketheir duties very seriously and insist ondaily lessons or tasks. When the mentorfeels that the factotum candidate is ready,he takes his protege before a Godsmanfactor who evaluates the candidate withtests, puzzles, or challenging tasks. Thetests are said to be tailored to the candi-date’s fears and weaknesses.

Factors of the Godsmen are selectedfrom the most experienced and powerfulfactotums (10th level or higher) after asecret ceremony or test of some kind inthe Deep Ethereal.

The Godsmen spend a lot of time in theEthereal Plane, studying the formation ofdemiplanes, and they learn their wayaround the Gray Sea. Godsmen factotumsare trained in recognizing color curtainsand automatically know what plane acurtain of vaporous color leads to. Theymake excellent guides in the ether; Gods-men factotums reduce travel times by one-third, and Godsmen factors reduce traveltimes by one-half. Because they are at-tuned to the misty world of the EtherealPlane, they learn to detect the approach ofenemies—Godsmen factotums gain a +1bonus to surprise checks on the Ethereal.

Godsmen factotums sometimes can befound with magical stones called sourcetokens. These stones look like cloudy graypebbles with swirls of darker matter in-side. The holder of a source token canenter the Ethereal Plane at will from anyother point in the multiverse, but eachtoken only works once before disappear-ing. It’s said that source tokens are manu-factured in a secret forge in Sigil’s GreatFoundry, and they’re only given to facto-turns who have a specific mission for thefaction.

Bleak CabalBleakers don’t see themselves as insane,

despite everything everyone else saysabout them. It’s all the other sods who’redeluded. The Cabal picks its factotumscarefully; the difficulty of their beliefs ismore than most sods can take. Prospectivefactotums must serve six months in theGatehouse, looking after the barmies,before they are accepted and assigned toother duties.

One of the unusual darks about theCabal is the fact that there’re many wiz-ards and scholars among their ranks.Characters of high intelligence find astrange logic in the Bleakers’ teachings.Most of the factotums and factors of theCabal are wizards, and the Cabal hasaccess to a number of rare and dangerousspells developed by its members. (Two ofthese special spells are described here, asexamples.) The Cabal jealously guards theknowledge of its spells, passing them ononly when a factotum has proved his valueand loyalty in many important missions.

Despair (Enchantment/Charm)Wizard spellLevel: 4 Components: V,SRange: 30 yards CT: 4Duration: 1 rd./level Save: Neg.Area of Effect: 2d4 creatures in a 20’ X 20’square

Mages of the Bleak Cabal developed thisspell to share their point of view withtheir enemies. When this spell is cast, 2d4sentient creatures (Intelligence 3 or better)in the area of effect must make a savingthrow versus spells or lapse into a despon-dent depression as they realize the hope-lessness and folly of their beliefs. Victimsof despair are unable to attack, cast spells,move, or even engage in basic activitiessuch as eating or drinking. Everything justseems pointless. The effects last for oneround per level of the caster.

Creatures suffering from despair don’tbother to defend themselves, so opponentscan automatically strike, disarm, or bindthem without resistance. However, when acreature is damaged or bound, it mayattempt another saving throw versusspells to shake free of the spell effects.Primes and Independents resist the effectsof despair, since they’re not committed toa philosophy. They gain a +2 on savesversus this spell.

Howl of Pandemonium(Conjuration/Summoning)Wizard spellLevel: 6 Components: V,S,MRange: 0 CT: 6Duration: Special Save: SpecialArea of Effect: 30’ radius or a cone60’ X 20’ at its end

This spell enables a mage to channel thescreaming winds of Pandemoniumthrough his own body, allowing him toemit a numbing howl that incapacitatesanyone nearby. The spell lasts as long asone round per level of the caster, butceases if the howl is not maintained forthat length of time. (The howl must bemaintained for at least one full round tobe effective at all.) The effects linger afterthe spell ends, lasting as long as the howlwas maintained. The wizard can take noother action than standing still and howl-ing to maintain the spell. When the wizardcasts howl of Pandemonium, he has theoption of channeling the spell into a cone-shaped area, or simply affecting all crea-tures within 30 feet.

All sound-based attacks are negated bythis spell. Even a banshee’s wail or anandrosphinx’s roar would be drowned outby the howl. All creatures in the area ofeffect are deafened and disoriented by thespell. Communication of any kind is impos-sible, and the victims suffer a -2 penaltyto attack rolls and saving throws. Anycreature trying to approach the castermust save versus spells to be able to getcloser, and any nonmagical missile fire isdeflected by the force of the howl.

In addition to the above effects, crea-tures whose Hit Dice or levels are lessthan the caster’s must save versus spells orbecome confused. Roll a d10 for thosewho fail their save and refer to the listbelow:

1: Wander away for duration of effect.2-6: Stand confused for one round, then

roll again.7-9: Attack nearest creature for one

round, then roll again.10: Act normally for one round, then

roll again.Creatures of 2 Hit Dice or less who fail

their saving throw are not confused, butinstead driven into a catatonic state thatlasts for 2d6 hours. Petitioners and mon-sters native to Pandemonium are unaffect-ed by this spell.

The material component is a pebblefrom Pandemonium, which must be con-sumed by the caster.

DoomguardThe Doomguard believe that it’s neces-

sary to prevent people from interferingwith the natural order of things—thegradual entropic death of the entire multi-verse. The constant conflict of entropyagainst order has taken on the characteris-tics of an unending war for many Doom-guard. Unlike many other factions, theDoomguard make no distinctions betweennamers or different ranks of factotums.Doomguard forces form spontaneously inresponse to a direct threat to entropy, andany blood who happens to be there mayend up as the high-up for that fight.

Although the Doomguard don’t officiallycreate supervisors or officers, the truth isthat there’re Doomguard who spend all oftheir time fighting the entropy war, andthere’re Doomguard who don’t. The full-time bloods might be considered the equiv-alent of factotums from another faction,since they tend to be in on the dark ofthings and often wind up as the cutter incharge when the faction needs to getthings done.

While the Doomguard skips on organizersand middle ranks, they do spawn factors tomarshal the forces of entropy against theforces of order and progress. These bloodsare known as Doomlords, and most sodsdon’t ever want to meet one who’s about thefaction’s business. Doomlords are pickedfrom the most powerful and ruthless Doom-guard, and then subjected to some kind ofunspeakable transformation in the NegativeEnergy Plane. When they return, they wearblack and red masks blazoned with thefaction symbol where their faces ought tobe. It’s said that the sight of what’s under themask’d drive a body mad.

From time to time, the Doomlords createchampions of entropy to respond to spe-cific threats. These cutters would be high-up factotums in another faction, but in theDoomguard they’re made from whoever’sthe strongest sword arm near the trouble.To help these cutters perform their duties,the faction arms them with magical weap-

ons known as entropy blades.Entropy blades are forged in the Doom-

guard citadels and imbued with the destruc-tive powers of the negative quasi-energyplanes. An entropy blade is created to op-pose a specific threat to the disorder of theuniverse, and once the threat has passed,the entropy blade dissipates into dust. Forexample, a powerful priest of a lawfulpower may be trying to unite a warringkingdom. The Doomguard chooses to opposehis action, since if the kingdom were leftalone it would fall into entropy. A Doom-guard hero is entrusted with an entropyblade with the purpose of destroying thepriest and his works.

Entropy blades are normally swords of+2 magical value, but when they directlyoppose the threat that prompted theircreation, they act as +4 weapons. Entropyblades ignore the normal adjustments tomagical weapons caused by travel throughthe planes—after all, entropy is every-where.

Entropy blades also have special powers,depending on the specific type of bladecreated—but note that these specialpowers only operate when the blade isbeing used in direct pursuit of the purposefor which it was made.

—An ash blade protects the bearer as if hewere wearing a ring of fire resistance, andcan cause a chill touch three times per day.

—A vacuum blade provides the bearerwith immunity to gas attacks such as agreen dragon’s breath or a stinking cloudspell. It can enfeeble (as per ray of enfee-blement) by touch three times per day.

—A salt blade provides the bearer withwater resistance (as per a ring of fireresistance, but against water-based attacksor spells) and allows the bearer to lowerwater or destroy water as a 12th-levelcleric, up to three times per day.

—A dust blade protects the bearer againstearth- or stone-based attacks, including earthelementals, giant-thrown boulders, or fist ofstone, and can disintegrate stone or earth bytouch once per day.

A Doomguard factotum with a very longmission may retain his entropy blade forhis entire natural life, passing it on toanother Doomguard when he can nolonger serve as a champion of entropy.However, most entropy blades exist foronly a few months before their missionsare either accomplished or defeated.

DustmenDustman factotums are rare; the mem-

bers of the faction refer to them as Initi-ates. The lowest-ranking factotums areInitiates of the Fifth Circle, and middle-ranking factotums are Initiates of theFourth Circle. The factors and factol of thefaction belong to the First Circle. No sod’sever discovered what the Second andThird Circles were and lived to tell thetale, but it’s said that powerful, free-willedundead make up these ranks of the fac-tion. To become an Initiate, a Dustmanmust be at least 4th level.

Initiates of the Fourth Circle are inaugu-rated into a sinister and dangerous dark:their pact of neutrality with the undeadbecomes a pact of service. Dustmen facto-turns gain the power to command undead,just as if they were neutral priests. EachDustman must be individually initiatedinto the circle of command; many Dust-men never become part of this alliance.Once initiated, the character gains thepower of a lst-level priest for purposes ofcommanding undead, and improves when-ever he rises in level. Priests who gainaccess to this inner circle get a bonus of+4 on all their normal attempts to com-mand undead.

If this wasn’t frightening enough, it’s alsosaid that the Dustmen hide a terrible darkin their hidden Negative Energy Planecitadel: Every Dustman who has ever diedis waiting to be recalled to service. Exceptfor those who were disintegrated or other-wise physically destroyed, the Dustmentake all their dead back to their blackcitadel and prepare them for continuingservice as undead. Some day, they’ll all besummoned back to unlife when the factionhas need of ‘em. A body’d better not rattlehis bone box about this one—if the Dust-men even suspect that someone’s tumbledto this, they’d be waiting in the darkness.

The end result of all this is that DustmanInitiates often can muster undead allies tohelp them. An Initiate of the Fourth Circlecan “requisition” a group of undead whosetotal Hit Dice are no more than twice hisown level. To make this requisition, theInitiate must convince his superiors thathe really needs the help, must succeed in acommand undead attempt, and also mustreward the undead for their service. (TheDM can decide exactly what kind of un-dead forces are available for the charac-ter’s command, and what the charactermust pay them. Under no circumstancescan a PC attempt to muster undead alliesmore than once per adventure.)

The Dustmen are careful not to abusethis pact of service or to let it becomecommon knowledge. There are too manybloods in the Cage who’d take offense atthe sight of undead marching through thestreets or looting the homes of the rich forthe faction’s benefit. A Dustman sod whofouls this up could very well find himselfas one of the creatures he was trying tocontrol.

FatedThe Takers have a unique system of ad-

vancement from namer to factotum, andfrom factotum to factor: challenge anddefeat. When a Taker decides he wants tobecome a factotum, he has to find a sodwho’s got the job he wants and remove himfrom it. The sod can be “convinced” to retire,encouraged to go after someone else’s kip, or(rarely) simply disappear. Whatever it takes,it’s understood that the fellow advancing inrank is merely asserting his right to confis-cate the desired position from someone tooweak to defend it.

DRAGON 13

Factotums of the Takers soon discoverthat it’s not in the Takers’ nature to helpeach other out. They don’t pass aroundspecial magical items, or teach each otherunique spells. They believe that each cut-ter’s got to make his own way in theworld, and if one of the Fated really needshelp from someone else, maybe theyshouldn’t have become Takers in the firstplace.

However, this doesn’t mean that theFated don’t have tricks that other peopledon’t. Any sod’11 tell you that the Fated aresome of the most knowledgeable andreliable guides on the Great Road. You see,one of the Takers never lets someone elsedo his work for him. If he’s planning a tripto Carceri, he finds out everything there isto know about the Red Prison first. Whenhe gets there, he relies on nothing but hisown observations and common sense. TheTakers’ve got a knack for survival that’s amile wide. Of course, Takers don’t passalong this information for free. You’ve gotto earn it somehow, and if you want amember of the Fated to guide you acrossAvernus, you’d better be prepared to paydearly for his time and trouble.

In game terms, factotums of the Fatedcan use nonweapon proficiency slots togain a special proficiency called PlaneKnowledge, described below. Once a Takerspends a slot on Plane Knowledge, he canspend additional slots on Layer Specializa-tion. For example, a Fated who has PlaneKnowledge (Baator) can spend another slotto get Layer Specialization (Avernus).

Plane knowledgeGeneral, 1 slot, Int -2

This proficiency allows a character tobecome familiar with the hazards, deni-zens, and refuges of one specific plane. Acharacter with this proficiency knowswhat the gates to the neighboring planesand different layers look like. He canrecognize common denizens of that planeand estimate how dangerous they mightbe. He has a good idea of what’s where,and the general characteristics of anypower’s realm in that plane. With a suc-cessful proficiency check, the charactercan determine which way to go to findany destination or portal he’s heard of,recognize uncommon or rare residents ofthe planes, determine the intent or pur-pose of any natives he meets, or surviveon inhospitable planes without food, wa-ter, or special equipment.

By spending another proficiency slot, thecharacter can specialize in a layer of theplane he has knowledge of. Layer speciali-zation creates several contacts or ac-quaintances for the character on the layerin question. With a successful proficiencycheck, he can apply a +3 reaction adjust-ment to any dealings with natives of thatlayer—the character learns which namesto drop in which situations. A characterwith layer specialization effectively hasthe direction sense, weather sense, and

survival proficiencies while on that layer.Unfortunately, the only real way to learn

this proficiency is to spend time on theplane (or layer) in question. About amonth’s worth of travel and study willsuffice for general plane knowledge, butbecoming an expert on a layer could takefour to eight months of extensive traveland introductions.

Fraternity of OrderIt shouldn’t surprise anyone that the

Guvners are the most organized and disci-plined of the factions. Every factioneer orfactotum’s got his place and his responsi-bilities. A clear chain of command con-nects even the lowest cross-tradinginnkeeper right to the factol himself. Fac-totums are advanced at regular intervalsto positions of greater responsibility, pro-vided they live by the rules and showcreativity in getting around them.

As Guvner factotums grow more power-ful, they learn the dark of things. Theyfind the loopholes in the universe andlearn how to take advantage of them. Ahigh-up Guvner can do things that no oneshould be able to do. When a Guvnerfactotum reaches 5th level, she gains alimited ability to manipulate probability.Once per day, the character can tinkerwith the laws of chance to gain an advan-tage for herself. (In game terms, she cangive herself a +1 to an attack roll, damageroll, saving throw, or bestow a -1 penaltyto any one of her opponents’ rolls. Thisbonus or penalty improves by 1 per threelevels, so at 8th level it’s a +2 bonus or a-2 penalty, at 11th level a +3 or -3, andso on. This ability is one commonly taughtby the Fraternity of Order to all of itsfactotums.

A more personal special ability lies in theGuvners’ command of spell-like abilities.These are acquired on an individual basis,usually at the cost of months of adventur-ing or research. A fighter might learn howto “borrow” some elemental fire to tempo-rarily turn his sword into a flame blade, ora thief might learn how all shadows meeton the plane of Shadow and how he canteleport himself by stepping into oneshadow and out of another. Every time thecharacter uses one of these abilities, thereis a 10% cumulative chance that the loop-hole in the laws of the universe closes, andthe ability is lost forever. If the characterrolls 01-05 on this check, the loopholecloses in a catastrophic fashion for him.(The DM is encouraged to be creativelymalevolent.)

As a rule of thumb, a factotum cannotlearn how to create a spell-like effect thatis of higher level than he could cast if hewere of the appropriate class. It wouldtake a 9th-level thief to learn the teleporttrick described above, since it takes a 9th-level wizard to cast teleport normally. Inaddition, the research and study involvedis approximately equal to the time andmoney required to research the same

spell. (Refer to page 44 of the DMG.) It ispossible for a wizard to research a spellthat he knows how to cast normally; theseare spell-like abilities derived from aknowledge of the multiverse, not extraspells. After a character invests the neces-sary time and money, he has a percentagechance equal to his Intelligence plus hisexperience level to find a way to make itwork.

A Guvner can’t gain more than one spell-like ability per five levels. The DM is per-fectly within his rights to require a playercharacter to make an extraordinary effort(i.e., have a successful adventure) to evenget started on developing one of theseabilities.

Free LeagueThe Indeps don’t have any formal orga-

nization or card-carrying factotums. Therearen’t any terrifying secrets that they’repassing around, no distinctive powers thatmark them for what they are. They settlefor maintaining their neutrality and keep-ing out of the kriegstanz of the otherfactions. Since they don’t create specialpowers for themselves, the Indeps findother ways to look out for each other. Oneof these is a spell, know faction, whichwas developed by an Indep wizard whowanted to be sure of who he was dealingwith at any given time.

Know faction(Divination)Priest or wizard spellPriest sphere: DivinationLevel: 1 Components: V,SRange: 20 yards CT:1Duration: 1 rd./level Save: Neg.Area of Effect: Special

This spell enables a wizard to determinethe faction of a character or creaturesimply by looking at him. Most factionmembers don’t bother to hide their affilia-tion, but on occasion factols will ordercovert missions or infiltrations of othergroups. The spell lasts one round per levelof the caster, and the caster can determinethe faction of one creature within rangeevery round. If a target is trying to con-ceal his faction, he may attempt a savingthrow versus spells to foil the wizard’sefforts.

On occasion, creatures with deep-rootedphilosophical beliefs will be revealed bythis spell. For example, a high-level priestwho worships a power of death may bemistaken for a Dustman.

HarmoniumStrangely enough, the Harmonium’s

views often create situations of conflictwith those who don’t agree with them.The Harmonium has adopted a rigid mili-tary structure similar to that of a typicalarmy, and most factotums serve as soldiersand officers beneath factotums of higherrank. The Harmonium is careful in select-

14 JANUARY 1995

ing factotums, requiring candidates to betough, smart, and dedicated. Usually,candidates of lower than 3rd level can’thandle the regimen of exercise, training,and education.

Hardhead factotums are trained exten-sively in combat and are almost as good atending fights as the Doomguard is at start-ing them. At 4th level, a Hardhead facto-tum may select a weapon of choiceappropriate to his class. When attackingwith the weapon of choice, the factotumgains a +1 bonus on his attack roll. Notethat a weapon of choice is not weaponspecialization, and provides no extra at-tacks or damage bonuses. If a fighteralready has a weapon specialization, shecan use the weapon of choice to gain the+1 attack bonus with another weapon.

At 7th level, Harmonium factotums gaina special +3 bonus to saves versus fearand emotion effects. Their dedication toduty and their rigid beliefs make it diffi-cult to distract a Hardhead from his duty.This bonus applies against spells or spell-like abilities such as friends, spook, taunt,forget, scare, emotion, fear, despair, eyebi-te, cause fear, or even dragon fear.

Finally, Harmonium priests are taught aspecial second-level spell called dictate.Harmonium factors (characters of 10thlevel or higher) may learn dictate as aspecial spell-like ability, which they mayemploy once per day.

Dictate (Enchantment/Charm)Priest spellSphere: Law, CharmLevel: 2 Components: VRange: 30 yards CT: 5Duration: 1 rd./level Save: Neg.Area of Effect: Up to 6 creatures ina 20’ cube

This spell is an improved version of thecommand spell. It can affect up to sixcreatures at once, and its effects can lastmore than one round. Dictate allows thecaster to speak a short, precise phrase ororder of no more than a dozen words thatmust be obeyed by all targets who failtheir saving throw. Examples include,“Throw down your weapons!,” “Stay hereuntil I return!,” or “Seize that elf!” Thecommand must be stated in a languageunderstood by the targets, or the spellfails. The subjects will continue to obeynonimmediate orders (such as “Wait here,”)for up to one round per level of the caster.

Dictate must be phrased to create animmediate course of physical action forthe target. Commands to “Die!” or “Sleep!”usually don’t work, but commands to “Liedown and put your hands behind yourhead” are effective. If the dictate spell ispoorly phrased, the DM can assign a sav-ing throw modifier of +1 to +4 for thetargets. If the caster directs the intendedvictim to take an obviously self-destructiveaction (“Throw yourself off that cliff!” or“Kill yourself!“), the victim stands still for

one round if he fails his save, fighting thecompulsion to obey.

MercykillersMercykiller factotums are call them-

selves justices. They must undertake alengthy period of training and study,learning the law to an exacting degree.Once the justices graduate, they are freeto serve the faction independently andpursue punishment as they see fit. MostMercykiller justices commit themselves toan unending crusade against lawbreakers.

From time to time, the Mercykillers areconfronted with a criminal who escapesthe normal processes of justice and whosecrimes cry out for retribution. When thishappens, the factol orders the creation ofa justiciar from the ranks of the justices topursue the villain and ensure that thecrime does not go unpunished.

Justiciars are justices of 5th level or higherwho are assigned to find criminals of unusu-al power or villainy who would otherwiseescape punishment. Only the most responsi-ble and resolute of Mercykillers are selectedfor this duty; it is expected that the justiciarwill place the performance of his task abovehis own life and never give up the chaseuntil he is dead or justice has been done.Some justiciars have followed their quarry

for lifetimes, and many others have died intheir quests.

Justiciars are created in three steps.They first swear a blood oath to pursuetheir assignment; second, they are linkedto their target in a magical binding cere-mony; and last, they are equipped with awarrant with which to serve their prey.When the justiciar’s creation is completed,he is excused from all other duties andassignments and set to the trail. Justiciarscan command any resources or assistancenecessary from other Mercykillers theymeet during the pursuit of justice.

The magical binding ceremony that ispart of a justiciar’s creation serves twopurposes. First, it provides the justiciarwith an innate sense of direction that giveshim a feeling for how far his quarry is andin which direction. Even the planes them-selves do not bar the justiciar’s specialsense. Second, when the ceremony iscompleted, the quarry becomes instantlyaware of the fact that it is now beinghunted for its crimes. The material compo-nent of this binding ceremony is a piece ofevidence from the crime, or somethingbelonging to the criminal. The justiciarmust keep this on his person for his spe-cial sense to operate.

The warrant is a scroll with a very spe-

DRAGON 15

cialized spell written on it. When read inthe presence of the justiciar’s quarry, thewarrant functions as an individualizedhold person spell with a -4 penalty to thetarget’s saving throw. The justiciar canread the warrant regardless of his charac-ter class, and the warrant works onlyagainst the individual creature named inthe scroll. Even creatures normally im-mune to hold effects are threatened by thepower of the warrant; they must make asaving throw versus spells or be affected.The warrant’s effects last for 5d4 rounds.

Player characters occasionally may beassigned as justiciars if they have servedtheir faction well and have shown thatthey have what it takes to be made into ajusticiar. There are no limitations on com-panions, so a PC justiciar could bring hisfellow PCs along in the search for justice.

Revolutionary LeagueThe Anarchists have found that espio-

nage skills and revolutionary organizationare useful tools in their war against theestablishment. Revolutionary League nam-ers are organized into cells, which aregroups of three to eight cutters who don’tknow anyone else in the organization.Only one blood, the factotum of the cell,knows anyone else. He is a member of asecond cell, composed of the factotums ofother cells. The Anarchists take theirinternal security very seriously, and aprospective factotum is watched for

months before he’s invited to meet otherfactotums.

When dealing with the Anarchists, it’sbest to assume that they know most ofyour darks and can get at the rest if theywant. It’s a good things these cutters can’tfigure out an agenda, because if they everdid agree on which faction to topple first,the Cage would never be the same.

Anarchist factotums are career revolu-tionaries. They train their cells extensivelyin skills such as Forgery and Disguise. Thefactotums gain the special benefit of learn-ing proficiencies from the rogue group atnormal cost, regardless of their actualclass. Rogue characters gain a special +2bonus to their score in any proficiency oftheir group that they know.

Sign of OneThe Signers believe that all existence is

imagined by the mind that perceives it,and that reality is real for only one bloodat a time. It sounds far-fetched, but there’sa circular logic to their arguments that asod just can’t get free of. Of course, mostof it’s just drivel, but every now and then aSigner shows you just how powerful thepower of belief can be.

Signers of 4th level or higher can chooseto be initiated into the inner circles of thefaction as a factotum. Signer factotums aretrained in the special art of imagining. TheSigners find imagining to be extremelyarduous work—after all, they’re tampering

with reality by forcing their perceptionson everyone around them. A charactermust make a successful saving throwversus spells to imagine, and for eachadditional time he attempts imagining inthe course of one week, he suffers a -4cumulative penalty to the save.

When a factotum imagines successfully,he can mimic the effects of the wizardspells minor creation or shadow monsters,as if he were a wizard of the same level. Ifthe factotum makes his saving throw byfour or more, he can mimic the effects ofthe spells demi-shadow monsters or majorcreation. The factotum actually is creatinga temporary, subjective version of realitythrough the force of his beliefs.

Unfortunately, reality doesn’t like to bebent like this. When a Signer fails hisimagine saving throw, he “burns out” thepower until he advances in level. TheSigner realizes that he didn’t know asmuch as he thought he did and has to re-examine his beliefs. If the Signer fails hissaving throw by rolling a 1, he suddenlyrealizes that he is imaginary, and becomesa shadow monster version of himself. He isreduced to 20% of his normal hit points,inflicts 20% of his normal damage, andcannot cast spells or use special racial orcharacter class abilities. It’s hard to getmuch done when a body’s almost imaginedhimself out of existence. The unlucky sodcan attempt a saving throw versus spells(no penalties apply) once per day to imag-ine himself back into reality.

Society of SensationSome bashers think the Sensates are

nothing but an organized society of stag-gering bubbers. It’s no dark that the Sen-sates enjoy themselves, and do so in anyway possible, but it’s also true that Sen-sates make a point of collecting life experi-ence as well as pleasure. Sensates liveevery moment of their lives, ignoringnothing that seems new or unusual. It’snot a neverending debauch; it’s a studiedeffort to experience everything there is tobe experienced, and Sensates can tellstories that’ll open a body’s eyes in won-der. Sensate factotums are recruited bysenior factotums who search for charac-ters with experiences of particular valueand intensity.

All this life experience and the apprecia-tion of entertainment and the arts can’thelp but rub off on cutters who becomefactotums of the Society. Sensate facto-tums begin to pick up a few skills a body’dnormally associate with bards. Beginningat 5th level, Sensate factotums can use thebard’s Local History and identificationabilities as if they were 1st-level bards.Sensates have an extensive store of experi-ences that often provide them with unusu-al insights. “Been there, done that,” ispractically the faction’s motto.

To be initiated as a factor, the Sensatehas to make some lasting and significantcontribution to the experience of theentire faction. The factors of the Society of

18 JANUARY 1995

Sensation are not a band of monumentalhedonists, but a circle of rare men andwomen who’ve tried something no one’sever done before them.

Transcendent OrderAction without thought is perfect, or so

the Ciphers say. Any cutter who’s everseen a Cipher spend a day contemplatinghis navel in front of a wall’d be inclined tothink they were half-right. But the truth is,Ciphers can achieve a remarkable state ofcoordination between mind and body thatcan leave other sods wondering howthings happened so fast.

The Ciphers don’t recognize factotumsor factors. They simply reward thosebloods who’ve proven their mastery of theCipher meditations with the title of master.There are three ranks of masters: masterof the heart, master of the mind, andmaster of the spirit. Masters of the spiritare roughly the equivalent of the factorsof the other factions. Members of theTranscendental Order must be at least 3rdlevel to be recognized as a master of theheart, and at least 7th level to be recog-nized as a master of the mind. No bodyknows the dark of what it takes to becomea master of the spirit—‘cept the mastersthemselves.

With time, the Cipher meditations canimprove a character’s reflexes to superhu-man proportions. A master of the mind

increases his initiative bonus to +2, and amaster of the spirit increases the initiativebonus again to +3. It takes a Cipher aboutthree to four months of intensive exerciseand deep meditation to absorb the teach-ings of his new rank.

Another benefit of the TranscendentalOrder’s teachings is the fortification of themind against mental attack. It’s hard totake control of a cutter’s mind when thefellow isn’t even thinking. Once a Cipherhas invoked his action trance, he gains asaving throw bonus versus mind-affectingspells and spell-like effects (charm person,dragon fear, harpies’ songs, and the like)equal to his initiative bonus. If the spell oreffect normally allows no save, the Ciphermay attempt a save without his specialbonus. Note that Ciphers only enter theirtrance of action when they get into a fightor are engaged in their exercises andmeditations—a Cipher PC can’t walkaround in a blank zone all day on the offchance that someone might try to throw acommand at him.

XaositectsWho knows what the Chaosmen might

have the dark of? It’s likely they’re notsure themselves. The Xaositects have nostructure or organization at all; a bloodjust finds something he’s interested in andkeeps doing it. There are some Chaosmenwith more pull than others, ranging from

leaders of cliques or bands of bashers onup to major figures who seem to act asmarshals of Chaos. There’s no limit to howfar or fast a Chaosman can rise.

Like the Doomguard, the Xaositects haveno formal structure for creating factotumsor factors. It’s simply a matter of whether acutter remains a Chaosman in name only, orchooses to make the goals of the faction(such as they are) his primary pursuit.Chaosmen who strongly embrace theirfaction’s causes tend to become mobile cen-ters of mayhem and disorder that infecteveryone around them with confusion.

As the Xaositect becomes more power-ful, the forces of Chaos become strongerin her. Chaosmen of 5th level or higher areprotected by nondetection against spellscast by lawful wizards or priests. Chaos-men of 9th level or higher gain the abilityto radiate confusion in a 20’ radius, onceper day. The effects of the confusion lastfor 2d6 rounds, and any lawful characterswithin the area of effect save with a -2penalty.

It’s rumored that very powerful Chaos-men have the ability to mutate their physi-cal forms or create a circle of chaossimilar to a paladin’s aura of protectionfrom evil. Unfortunately, no one’s beenable to get to the truth of the matter—theChaosmen both confirm and deny anystories to this effect.

20 JANUARY 1995

[Editor’s Note: This article was written tobe usable in any AD&D® game campaign. Itis not specifically intended to be used in thePLANESCAPETM setting, although such cer-tainly is possible with some minor adapta-tion. (I think shades would fit right in withthe cutters and bashers of Sigil.) Also, WolfBaur pointed out that DUNGEON® Adven-tures issue #35 contained the adventure,“Twilight’s Last Gleaming” by James Jacobs,which takes the PCs to the demiplane ofShadow. —Dale]

OverviewSwirling within the Ethereal Plane, large

blobs of proto-matter collide and clumptogether. When significant amounts of aspecific proto-matter have amassed, it ac-quires physical and magical properties ofits own and becomes a demiplane. As ademiplane continues to acquire more of itsbase proto-matter over time, it eventuallymay become a plane in its own right. Thedemiplane of Shadow (known also as theShadowlands) is one of the largest demi-planes and is believed to be nearly infinitein size. Sages speculate that it might be-come the newest inner plane in the centu-ries to come.

Shadowstuff, the essence of the demi-plane of Shadow, is derived from intermin-gling forces constantly pouring forth fromtwo great vortices connected to the EnergyPlanes. It is a “semi-element” created by thecombination of equal parts of energy fromthe Positive and Negative Energy Planes.Fixed in the sky high above the demiplaneof Shadow, these two vortices appear ashuge spheres of identical size. One sphere,blazing forth with blinding white light, isthe vortex to the Positive Energy Plane.The other sphere, oozing out thick, inkydarkness, is the vortex to the Negative En-ergy Plane. The spheres are nearly impos-sible to see from within the demiplane, dueto the rolling thick shadow-clouds that al-ways blanket the sky. Most visitors to thedemiplane are unaware of the existence ofthese vortices.

The demiplane of Shadow is not an in-herently evil land. Although its gloomyappearance does contribute to the mythsthat only dark and foul creatures would

want to live in such a place, there are a fairnumber of nonevil creatures living on thedemiplane—both natives to the Shadow-lands and outsiders who have sought outthe demiplane to dwell in or visit. Somecreatures found here are good (15%), butthe majority are either neutral (45%) orevil (40%). The demiplane is a dark andmurky land of perpetual gloom and twi-light. Most of the demiplane has terrainand weather similar to those phenomenaon the Prime Material Plane worlds. Otherareas of the demiplane are alien, strange,and often highly dangerous to travelers.

Reaching the demiplaneThe primary means of reaching the de-

miplane of Shadow is through the use ofplanar travel spells and devices. The spellcreated specifically for such a journey isthe seventh-level wizard spell shadowwalk. Travelers in the Ethereal Plane mayenter the demiplane’s silver curtain fromits Border Ethereal. Permanent ducts lead-ing to the demiplane of Shadow may befound on all the inner planes and thePrime Material Plane. These are usuallyhidden or well guarded by powerfulshadow-beings. There may exist a portal tothe demiplane in Sigil, the City of Doors,from the PLANESCAPE setting.

MovementMovement on the demiplane is the same

as on the Prime Material Plane (dependenton existing weather and terrain condi-tions). Terrain varies on the demiplane;dim forested regions, gray hills, dusky des-erts, dark mountains, pitted plains, insub-stantial oceans, and alien landscapes are allto be found. All light sources are severelydampened by the light-dimming quality ofthe demiplane of Shadow. Torches burnonly as brightly as a candle, while a lit can-dle will barely glimmer. In game terms, alllight produced by natural sources (torch,lantern, bonfire, etc.) is reduced by 75%.Vision in this shadowy realm is limited tothat available under “Twilight” as per thePlayers Handbook, page 117. Infravisionworks normally on the demiplane ofShadow.

Characters who walk along the demi-

plane’s Border Ethereal will find that theycan cover more distance than if they werein the demiplane itself or on the PrimeMaterial Plane (three quarters of a milecan be traveled in one round of normalmovement). The shadow walk spell takesadvantage of this unnaturally occurringphenomenon.

Physical conditionsThe environment of the demiplane of

Shadow is not immediately hostile to non-natives. The demiplane’s temperaturestays nearly constant at 60° F. The air isbreathable and not known to produce anyill effects. Travelers must bring their ownfood and water, though. Any food or wa-ter found on the demiplane has no truesubstance with which to nourish a visitorand will not satisfy hunger or thirst. Thedemiplane has a gravity similar to that ofmost Prime Material worlds (a definitesense of up and down, items released fallto the ground, etc.). Time passes here thesame as it passes on the Prime MaterialPlane with regard to combat, memorizingspells, and natural healing.

Creatures of shadowBeings encountered on the demiplane of

Shadow either are natives of the Shadow-lands or outsiders that are visiting or havedecided to reside permanently on thedemiplane.

Among the natives are the ancestors ofmany creatures that have migrated toother planes but are believed to haveoriginated on the demiplane of Shadow.Additionally, the demiplane is home to agroup of natives commonly referred to as“umbrimals.” These are shadowy counter-parts to Prime Material Planar creatures(similar to the animentals of the ElementalPlanes). [Animentals are further detailed inthe Manual of the Planes supplement forthe original AD&D® game.

Many of the common animals and someof the unusual monsters found within theMONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® volumeshave shadow-duplicates living on the demi-plane. These umbrimals have similar hitdice and Intelligence to their Prime Materi-al counterparts, and 10% of these doublescan cast some form of magic equivalent inability to a spell-caster of the same level astheir hit dice. This ability is innate andrequires no components.

All natives of the demiplane of Shadoware immune to the effects of any spell thatspecifically draws upon shadowstuff (ashadow magic fireball would not burnnatives of the demiplane, a demi-shadowmonster griffon is unable to harm anumbrimal, and so forth). Umbrimals en-countered may appear solid, semi-corporeal, or insubstantial. Coloration ofthese creatures is always drab (gray, olive,brown, and other muted hues). All nativesof the demiplane of Shadow are immuneto attacks that drain life levels.

As a general rule of thumb, creaturesfrom the demiplane of Shadow are strong-

24 JANUARY 1995

er and more resilient when in shadowyareas (+1 to hit, +1 bonus to AC, 1 addi-tional hp/hit die). Conversely, in areas ofbright illumination, shadow-beings becomesomewhat enervated (-1 to hit, -1 penal-ty to AC, lose 1 hp/hit die).

CombatAt the DM’s option, melee and missile

combat abilities may be affected by theshadowy lighting conditions (as per theDMG, page 118).

Effects on magicSpell-casting characters on the demi-

plane will discover that certain spells anditems that produce spell-like effects do notfunction the same way they do on thePrime Material Plane. For one thing, spellsthat produce bright light, vivid colors, ordarkness (light, continual darkness, etc.)are severely limited when cast on thedemiplane of Shadow (area of effect re-duced by 75% and duration halved). Spellsbelonging to the various wizard schoolsare additionally affected as follows:

Abjuration: Spells of this school performnormally, except those that defend againstspecific animals or plants from the caster’shomeworld may not protect against simi-lar types of creatures on the demiplane.Abjurations will, however, function wellagainst non-natives. Abjuration spells thatproduce colors (i.e., prismatic sphere) willstill function, but all colors of the spherewill be greatly dimmed (and area of effectand duration are affected as mentionedabove).

Alteration: Many of these spells functionnormally, except as noted above wherelight effects will be lessened. Spells thatrely on colors for their effect (rainbowpattern, color spray, etc.) allow a +2 bo-nus to the saving throw for targets be-cause the demiplane dampens the spell’seffect. There are no “natural” plants, ani-mals, or weather conditions on the demi-plane of Shadow, so spells such as plantgrowth, speak with animals, and controlweather will not function.

Conjuration/Summoning: Any item orcreature conjured up in the demiplane willbe composed of shadowstuff—which isreal for all intents and purposes while theitem or creature remains on the demi-plane. Once removed from the demiplane,it immediately dissolves into insubstantialshadow. The caster may summon crea-tures only from the Inner Planes, due tothe demiplane’s remote location in theDeep Ethereal. Summon shadow will sum-mon shadows from the Negative EnergyPlane, but the caster has no control overthem.

Divination: Most divination spells func-tion normally here. No divination spellsare able to contact the Outer Planes, dueto the demiplane’s remoteness from thoselocations.

Enchantment/Charm: Natives of thedemiplane may be immune to charm spellscast by non-natives. Otherwise these spells

work normally.Evocation/Invocation: Most of these

spells work normally except for spells thatproduce bright colors or light. These spellswill be muted but still have the same ef-fects (for example, meteor storm willcause burning damage but will glow nobrighter than a torch). Astral spell doesnot work on the demiplane.

Necromantic: These spells have en-hanced effects when cast on the demi-plane of Shadow, due to the demiplane’sunusual relationship with the Positive andNegative Energy Planes. Necromanticspells that heal or cause harm with atouch have 1 hp added per die. Addition-ally, spells that target individuals, largegroups, or areas from a distance (deathspell, finger of death) carry a -1 penaltyto the saving throw for the victim(s).

Illusion/Phantasm: The often colorfuleffects that accompany illusions and phan-tasms will be muted, but they otherwisefunction normally except as follows: Sincemost illusions draw their magic from theEthereal Plane and because of the demi-plane’s proximity to that plane, illusionsand phantasms take on a truer aspect ofreality, making them harder to disbelieve(-1 penalty to saving throws). Spells thatdirectly draw on the demiplane are specialcases. Their effects are altered as follows:

Shadow magic and demi-shadow magic:The effects from these spells are 100% realand function exactly as the spell that it ismeant to imitate. For instance, a magicmissile created by shadow magic functionsas the real magic missile spell with regard todamage inflicted, number of missiles, etc.

Shadow monsters, demi-shadow mon-sters, and shades: The monsters createdby these spells are actual monsters withthe full abilities of the monsters they du-plicate (Intelligence, innate spell-like abili-ties, THAC0, movement, etc.). In mostcases, the monsters disappear at the spell’sexpiration. However, the nature of thedemiplane may allow created monster(s) tobecome free-willed. There is a 30% chanceof this happening with shadow monsters,20% with demi-shadow monsters, and10% with shades. Free-willed monstersmay behave in any way the DM decides(attack the caster, flee, fight for the caster).

Minor creation and major creation:Items created are permanent and real aslong as they remain on the demiplane,dissolving immediately once removed fromthe demiplane.

Shadow walk: This spell opens a tempo-rary conduit to the Prime Material Planethrough which the caster may enter thatplane, along with anyone else chosen bythe caster.

Shadow door: This spell creates an actu-al room in extradimensional space for thespell’s duration. The room may be securedby those inside or outside.

Lorloveim’s creeping shadow (from theTome of Magic): Any native of the demiplaneof Shadow immediately becomes aware ofthe presence of a creeping shadow. Demi-

planar natives may attack the shadow as if itwere a physical creature.

Lorloveim’s shadowy transformation(ToM): There is a base 100% chance, minus1% per level of the caster, that the recipi-ent will become an insubstantial shadowforever.

Shadowcat (ToM): The shadowcat cre-ated by this spell has no limit on the dis-tance it may wander from the caster.There is a base 50% chance, minus 1% perlevel of the caster, that the shadowcat willbe free-willed. A free-willed shadowcatmay not be hostile, but is under no obliga-tion to obey the caster’s will.

Effects on PCsPriests who have deities residing any-

where but the Ethereal Plane or the InnerPlanes will be unable to receive spells oversecond level.

Psionicists can use their abilities normal-ly, since psionics are not affected by thedemiplane of Shadow.

Thieves gain a +10% modifier whenattempting to hide in shadows. However,natives of the demiplane can see throughany shadows and will always be aware ofa thief trying to hide.

Bards’ abilities are unaffected on thedemiplane.

The combat abilities of fighters, pala-dins, and rangers are not affected on theDemiplane of Shadow. A paladin’s holysword loses its ability to cast light on thedemiplane. Unless a ranger learned how touse his abilities on the demiplane ofShadow, he cannot track wildlife or iden-tify any plants native to the demiplane.Both rangers and paladins fall under thesame restrictions as priests when attempt-ing to regain spells.

Wizards are affected to the extent thatcertain spells will have different effects(see “Effects on magic” above).

EncountersBelow is a brief list of creatures—natives

of the demiplane, ancestors of creaturesthat have migrated to the demiplane, andoutsiders that often visit the demiplane—that a group of player characters couldmeet while they are adventuring on thedemiplane of Shadow. The list includes theprimary source for each creature’s fulldescription, and in some cases a briefexplanatory remark. A DM who does nothave access to some of the primarysources given here should feel free toexpand this list—especially the “Outsiders”section—with creatures as he sees fit.

SourcesMC# = MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM®

accessory followed by specified volumenumber

MM2 = Monster Manual II from theoriginal AD&,D® game rules

Dun = DUNGEON® Adventures followedby issue number

Drag = DRAGON® Magazine followed byissue number

Natives of the demiplane of Shadow

MonsterElemental, Semi-(Shadow)

Source RemarksMC1 Not a true elemental, a shadow elemental

has similar stats and commensurate abilitiesto natives of the Inner Elemental Planeswith regard to hit dice, control, etc.

Dragon, Shadow MC5Gloomwing MC3Worm, Tenebrous MC1Greelox Dun 35Shadeling Dun 35Mastiff, Shadow MM2Psi-Shadow MM2Shade Drag 213Shadow Asp Drag 174

Ancestors of migrant Prime Material Plane creatures

MonsterCloakerCloaker LordDark Creeper

Dark StalkerRaven (all types)Steel Shadow

SourceMC3MenzoMC14

MC14MC5RoU

Remarks

Most commonly encountered humanoid ondemiplane

Outsiders

MonsterBaatezu, GreaterBodak, BenignDarkenbeastDeva, MonadicGingwatzimHuman/HumanoidNightmare

Shadow * *Shadow, Slow * *Shadow Fiend

Tanar’ri, TrueUndead, various * *

Xag-ya, Xeg-yiXi11

SourceMC8MC8MC3MC8WHRlvariousMC8

MC1MC5MC10

MC8various

MM2MC14

RemarksRefugee from the BaatorEscapee from the AbyssPrime Material creation brought to the demiplaneOn mission from greater power of Outer PlanesAccidental wanderer from Ethereal PlaneParty of NPC adventurers*Summoned by powerful beings, often seen inherdsVisitor from Negative Energy PlaneVisitor from Negative Energy PlaneRefugee from the RAVENLOFT® setting domainsor the AbyssEscapee from the Blood Wars and the AbyssUndead who have partial existence on theNegative Energy Plane sometimes visit thedemiplaneVisitors from the Energy PlanesHunter from Ethereal Plane tracking PrimeMaterial Plane travelers into the demiplane ofShadow

*—NPC party composition is up to DM (adventuring high-level NPCs, a mage questingfor information and magic, resident hermit locked away in a keep, spelljamming vesselsomehow lost in the demiplane, etc.)

* *—Undead do not remain long on the demiplane of Shadow. The natural resistanceof the natives to most life-draining attacks coupled with the proximity of the demiplaneto the Positive Energy Plane causes undead to seek out more appealing places.

Poly = POLYHEDRON® Newszine fol- RoU = FORGOTTEN REALMS® originallowed by issue number

WGR1 = WORLD OF GREYHAWK®source module

Ruins of the Undermountain boxed setMenzo = FORGOTTEN REALMS Menzo-

berranzan boxed set

DRAGON 25

Shade

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any (demiplane ofShadow or shadowy areas)FREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: SolitaryACTIVITY CYCLE: SpecialDIET! See belowINTELLIGENCE: VariesTREASURE: VariesALIGNMENT! AnyNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: As original creatureMOVEMENT! As original creatureHIT DICE: As original creatureTHAC0: As original creatureNO. OF ATTACKS: As original creatureDAMAGE/ATTACK: VariesSPECIAL ABILITIES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 3% per level of origi-nal creatureSIZE: As original creatureMORALE: VariesXP VALUE: Variable

It is agreed by most sages that a shade isa once-powerful human or demihumanwho sought out immortality by infusinghis mortal body with shadowstuff—the“semi-element” that comprises the demi-plane of Shadow. The magical union withthis dark essence has brought about thecharacter’s transformation into a shade.

Only a single-classed human or demi-human of at least 10th level may become ashade. A dual-classed or multiclassedcharacter can never become a shade. Ashade may continue to advance in its class(racial limits still apply) but cannot changeto another class under any circumstances.Knowledge of the rare and highly reclu-sive shades is kept secret by the few resi-dents of the Prime Material Plane worldswho know of their existence.

The infusion of gloomy shadowstuffoften changes the alignment of a shade(generally toward neutral and/or evil).Because of this, only 10% of all shadesencountered will be of good alignment,50% will be neutral, and the remaining40% encountered will be evil. Only a wishspell may prevent this change. Once it hassuccessfully completed the transforma-tion, a shade is considered to be a truenative of the demiplane.

Special abilities: The transformationempowers all shades with special abilities.Some abilities are always available, whileothers may be employed only in areas ofheavy shadows. The infusion of shadow-stuff extends a shade’s life indefinitely, forunless a shade is slain outright, it willnever die. Shades no longer need to eat,but subsist solely on shadows. Addition-ally, shades gain magic resistance equal to3% for each level possessed. Shades areimmune to disease and life-level loss. Allshades are able to regenerate lost limbs(except for the head) in 2d8 weeks. Inareas of sufficient shadows, a shade willregenerate lost hit points. Moreover, a

26 JANUARY 1995

shade is empowered with special spell-likeabilities. These spell-like abilities are com-mon to all shades in addition to otherabilities available to each particular class:

Shadow walk as per the seventh-levelwizard spell (see Player’s Handbook, page186); two uses per day.

Lorloveim’s shadowy transformation asper the sixth-level wizard spell (see Tomeof Magic, page 38) 3 uses per day.

The shadow may open a gate (ninth-levelwizard spell, PHB, page 195) to the demi-plane of Shadow once per day (100%chance of success). The gate summons aspecific creature that the shade personallyknows (ally, pet, etc.). The creature mayrefuse to pass through the gate and isunder no obligation to obey or fight forthe shade.

The priest-shadeEffects of light and darkness: A This class of shade is among the rarest

shade’s power can wane or wax dramati- of all shades. Since most deities do notcally depending upon the lighting of its approve of their clerics becoming shades,current surroundings. A shade is most priests almost never become shades onpowerful when surrounded in shadow. In their own. Those who do often worshipareas of bright light or extreme darkness deities whose sphere of influence lies withwhere shadows are scarce, a shade is shadows and darkness. Priest-shades loseweakened significantly and loses much of all access to the Sun sphere of spells. Anyits special abilities. priest who successfully becomes a shade

General outlookMost shades care little for the day-to-day

affairs of mortals whose days are few andwhose lives are consumed in petty questsand mundane struggles (an existenceshades are glad to be freed from). Thevirtual immortality that all shades possessallows them to pursue those interests thatthey followed when mortal (magical re-search, increasing personal power orwealth, overseeing an ages-long project,etc.). Whatever endeavors they undertake,shades rarely interact with each other.The incorporation of shadowstuff intotheir beings invariably brings about agloomy, sullen change in personality to-ward solitary behavior. Even good-alignedshades are affected in this way.

Lightconditions*Bright

Average

TwilightShadowyNightCompletedarkness

MagicRegenerate resistanceNo Standard, saves at -4

penaltyNo Standard, saves at -2

penalty1 hp/turn 3% per lvl1 hp/turn 3% per lvl1 hp/turn 3% per lvl

No

*—Light conditions:

TypeBright

Average

Twilight

Shadowy

Night

Complete darkness

Standard,penalty

saves at -2

Damage from Specialcondition abilities * *

lose 1 hp/round None

lose 1 hp/turnNonenonenone

None1, 21, 2, 31, 2

lose 1 hp/turn None

**—Special abilities:1= shadow walk2= Lorloveim’s shadowy transformation3=gate

ExamplesBright sunlight on clear dayCenter of continual light spellLight without shadows (from several sourcesaround shade)Normal daylight with shade or cloudsCenter of light spellOutline of faerie fire or similar spellDawn or duskAverage indoor lightEdges of light/continual light spellNormal illumination on demiplane ofShadowUnderground torchlightDimly lit room or forested areaRoom with windows at nightMoonless or cloudy night skyPitch black, overcast night skyUnlit interior room or cavernIn area of darkness spell

has its Wisdom ability score permanentlyraised by one (with a maximum of 19).

Combat: Priest-shades are limited to theweapons and armor normally usable bytheir class. In shadowy areas, priest-shades may, once per day, use the specialability either of shadowharm or sha-dowheal. When employing shadowharm,the priest-shade uses the magic of a harmspell on another creature’s shadow, dam-aging the target as if affected by the 6th-level priest spell, harm (saving throwallowed). Conversely, shadowheal willaffect the target creature as if cured by aheal spell. The priest-shade must physi-cally touch the target’s shadow to use thisspecial ability.

Habitat/Society: Because so fewpriests become shades, the priest-shade isthe rarest of all shades. Given the fact thatonly the most devoted and powerful cler-ics rise high enough in level to becomeshades, it is improbable that such high-level priests would forsake their deities tobecome shades unless given permission todo so. Priest-shades residing on the demi-plane of Shadow must worship higherpowers dwelling either in the Inner Planesor in the demiplane of Shadow (if any suchexist in your campaign) to receive spellsabove second level. Priest-shades primarilyseek to exist in their shadowy temples andlive out their immortal existence obeyingtheir deity. When priest-shades travel tothe Prime Material Plane, it is mainly tokeep in contact with the mortal membersof their sect.

The psionicist-shadeAfter priest-shades, psionicist-shades are

the rarest type of shade. This is primarilydue to the secretive nature of psionicistsand their small numbers. The transforma-tion for a psionicist gives the psionicist aboost to her mental powers. A psionicist-shade permanently gains 20 to 80(ld4 X 20) additional PSPs. Additionally, apsionicist-shade gains the sciences of ani-mate shadow and shadowform (even if thepsionicist-shade does not have access tothe disciplines that include these sciences).The use of these sciences does not have aninitial cost or maintenance cost, and apsionicist-shade never rolls a 20 on itspower score. A psionicist-shade may useeach of these abilities twice per day.

Combat: With poor hand-to-hand com-bat skills, psionicist-shades rarely enterinto physical combat. Since psionic effectsare not hampered on the demiplane ofShadow, a psionicist-shade can use all itspowers to overcome an opponent. If seri-ously threatened, a psionicist-shade willflee using its innate shadow walk ability.

Habitat/Society: Psionicist-shades arethe most reclusive of shades. They spendmost of their immortal existence alonestrengthening their mental abilitiesthrough dedicated practice, creating a

28 JANUARY 1995

psionic artifact or two, and occasionallydealing with troublesome intruders.Psionicist-shades’ dwellings are spartanand devoid of earthly riches or other“useless” treasures. Items found within apsionicist-shade’s abode primarily serve autilitarian purpose. Psionicist-shades rare-ly leave the demiplane unless on a missionof personal importance.

The rogue-shadeOnly thieves—not bards—are eligible to

become rogue-shades. Upon becoming ashade, a rogue-shade’s Dexterity score isimmediately raised three points (with amaximum of 19). This change in Dexterityimproves the shade’s thieving skill basescores appropriately. On the demiplane ofShadow or in areas of similar illumination,a rogue-shade can move silently and hidein shadows with a 100% base chance ofsuccess. When employing these skills, arogue-shade is completely undetectable bynormal means (but magical detection willstill function).

Combat: Rogue-shades fight as they didin their mortal lives, except that they morecraftily wield the power of shadows to aidthem in their endeavors. Seemingly beingable to dissolve into the shadows at willand then surprisingly reappear soon afterin another area is the rogue-shade’s maincombat tactic ( +4 on attack rolls, +4bonus to armor class when in shadowyareas). Rogue-shades are cunning oppo-nents, always looking for an opportunityto utilize the surrounding shadows to thebest advantage.

Habitat/Society: Rogue-shades enjoyaccumulating wealth, especially if they canacquire riches through their thievingways. Rogue-shades travel more than anyother shade class between the demiplaneof Shadow and the Prime Material Plane.Rogue-shades have been known to runthieving guilds on several Prime Materialworlds from their home base on the demi-plane of Shadow. Rogue-shades worksolely for themselves and have never beenknown to serve a master. They primarilyseek to fill their dark and dusky mansionswith treasures and magical items. Thesemansions are always well guarded againstunwanted visitors.

The warrior-shadeWarrior-shades were once formidable

fighters, paladins, and rangers who nowfight in a new shadow-enhanced body. Thefear of old age and its infirmities thateventually turn all stalwart warriors intofeeble things is what drives most warrior-shades to become shades and thus beforever able and strong. Any subclass ofthe warrior class may become a warrior-shade. All warrior-shades add one point totheir Strength ability (with a maximum of19; any score from 18 to 18/00 is raisedone category).

Paladins and rangers who becomeshades suffer a great loss of abilities. Pala-

dins who move toward this darker sidelose all benefits associated with their sub-class (spell-casting, cure disease, protectionfrom evil, etc.). A paladin’s war horse willalways desert a master who becomes ashade. Rangers who become shades are nolonger considered a part of nature and solose most of their special ranger abilities.A ranger retains only those of his trackingabilities that work both on the ranger’shome plane and on the demiplane ofShadow and the ability to hide in shadows.A paladin or ranger who undergoes theprocess to become a warrior-shade is nowa warrior of the same level (experiencepoints adjusted downward appropriately).

Combat: A warrior-shade is formidablein combat. In shadowy areas, a warrior-shade gains a +2 bonus to armor class,+2 to attack and damage rolls (cumulativewith any other benefits). A warrior-shadealso may animate a shadow double of itselfonce per day when sufficient shadows arepresent. A shadow double is an exactphysical duplicate of the warrior-shadewith regard to armor class, THAC0, andhit points (shadow doubles have no weap-ons but may pick up an available one). Theshadow double will fight or move as di-rected by the warrior-shade and will re-main until dismissed by the warrior-shadeor slain. A shadow double must be withinthe warrior-shade’s field of vision to becontrolled. A loss of control will dispel theshadow double for that day.

Habitat/Society: Warrior-shades areamong the most numerous of shades.They gave up their mortal lives to becomeeternal warriors. At times, they are seenemerging suddenly from the shadows on agreat battlefield to aid some cause ornation. Oddly enough, while warrior-shades enjoy battle, their brooding andsolitary ways keep them from sharingtheir adventures with others. Once abattle has been finished, a warrior-shadeusually slips back into the shadows—avoiding curious adventurers and otherquestioning folk. In their keeps and cas-tles, warrior-shades live as most royaltydoes—having a full staff of servants, well-tended and stocked stables, a securedarmory, and lots of treasure. A few arebelieved to rule lands and people in dark,shady castles on the Prime Material Plane.

The wizard-shadeThis is the most common type of shade

encountered. Any subclass of wizard maybecome a wizard-shade. Of all the charac-ter classes, wizards are perhaps the onesmost likely to use life-extension methods.For wizards, the shade-transformation isviewed as a much more pleasant optionthan undeath. Wizard-shades add onepoint to their Intelligence scores (with amaximum of 19).

Combat: Wizard-shades suffer none ofthe spell limitations that normal wizardsdo when casting spells on the demiplane of

Shadow. Spells that deal with shadowswhen cast by a wizard-shade will havedouble strength and a double duration.Illusion/phantasm spells cast by a wizard-shade are more difficult to disbelieve (-2penalty to save) since the caster has adeeper comprehension of the shadowymagic being wielded.

Habitat/Society: The lure of long life,the love of magic, and the desire to pursuea deeper understanding of their magic arethe primary reasons that wizards becomeshades. Their immortality allows for near-ly limitless research and creation of spells,magical items, and an artifact or two.Wizard-shades prefer to stay locked up intheir towers to continue their arcaneresearch. A few wizard-shades have beenknown to live in towers of solid shadow-stuff situated on the border of a Quasi-Elemental Planes and an Energy Plane.How these structures withstand suchharsh environments remains a mystery.Wizard-shades are very private and haverarely been known to accept strangersinto their dwellings. Some wizard-shadeskeep in touch with old comrades on thePrime Material Plane and have been re-ported to aid friends in times of need.

Character subclasses of uniqueworlds: DMs may opt to allow charactersubclasses unique to certain worlds theoption of becoming shades. These specialsubclasses would fall under the appropri-ate class heading (an Athasian gladiatorwould become a warrior-shade, a templarwould become a priest-shade, etc.)

The transformationA shade may be created in one of two

ways. One is by the use of the new ninth-level wizard spell create shade, which isdescribed below. The other way is alludedto in the Player’s Handbook under theninth-level wizard spell energy drain, page194—a wizard who has his Constitutionscore reduced to 0 by multiple castings ofenergy drain dies and is “reborn” as awizard-shade. A shade created in thismanner immediately undergoes an align-ment change to neutral evil (due to animbalance caused by tapping the NegativeEnergy Plane when casting energy drain).

Create Shade (Alteration)Level: 9 Components: V,S,MRange: Special CT: 1 dayDuration: Perm. Save: NoneArea of Effect: 1 creature

This powerful spell infuses one beingwith shadowstuff from the demiplane ofShadow and transforms him into a shade.The subject of this spell must be a single-classed human or demihuman (psionicist,priest, thief, warrior, or wizard only) of atleast 10th level.

The casting of this spell is a long, deli-cate, and highly complex procedure. Thecaster and the recipient must not be dis-

turbed at all, or else the spell will fail. Thecaster must additionally cast shadow walk,Lorloveim’s shadowy transformation, gate,and permanency upon the subject for thetransformation to succeed.

Upon completion of all the castings, thesubject must successfully roll a systemshock roll.

A 25% bonus may be added to this roll ifthis spell is cast on the demiplane ofShadow. A percentile roll less than orequal to the survival chance indicates thatthe subject has been transformed success-fully into a shade. Failure means that thesubject dissolves away into shadow—lostforever. Any attempt (even by a wish) toreturn the subject to normal will automati-cally fail.

It is possible for a character to have hisalignment changed by this spell. Roll d10for any changes: 1, Alignment stays thesame; 2-4, Alignment moves one step to-ward true neutral; 5-7, moves one steptoward evil; 8-9, becomes true neutral; 10,becomes neutral evil. A wish spell may beused to prevent any change in alignment.After the spell is cast, the caster loses ld6Constitution points and loses conscious-ness for 1d8 days (also aging five years if awish was used to prevent an alignmentchange).

If not for the fact that this spell is dan-gerous to both the caster and the recipi-ent, shades might be more numerous.Only a free-willed wizard can cast thisspell successfully. The material compo-nents for this spell are 10,000 gp worth ofpowdered onyx, 10,000 gp worth of pow-dered diamond, and an amulet of theplanes. The powdered onyx and diamondare consumed during the casting of thespell, while the amulet is used to drawforth the necessary amounts of shadow-stuff and planar energy from the demi-plane of Shadow and the Positive andNegative Energy Planes respectively.

30 JANUARY 1995

by Bill Slavicsek & Michele CarterArtwork by Tony DiTerlizzi

Welcome to Sigil, the Cage, the city ofDoors. Whatever you call it, Sigil is eternal.It’s the crossroads of everywhere, the way-station of the multiverse. But you alreadyknow that, ‘cause you’re here. It’s not likeyou’re one of the Clueless or some addle-coved barmy, right? You know the chant. Icould tell the moment you stepped throughthe portal just by looking at you. Still,there’s dark and there’s dark, and everycutter needs a light now and then. For justa little jink (a little more than that, berk!)I’ll be your light. It’ll be money well spent.

32 JANUARY 1995

Now, most touts’ll show you where toeat, what to see, where to sleep, andwhere to spend jink. But the Cage’s morethan shopping and impossible architecture.It’s bodies, especially the bodies who’refound in Sigil more often than not. Withoutthem, there’d be no services, no bloods topass on the chant, no cutters to tell you thedark of it. A few of these bodies are so wellknown that they’ve become fixtures in theCage—not quite on the same level of recog-nition as the dabus and the Lady herself,but close enough. I know these bodies, andI’ll point them out as we go.

The first body you’ll want to rememberis A’kin. He knows where all the skeletonsare buried in the Lower Ward, if you catchmy meaning. He’s over this way, right offBloodgem Road. . . .

A’kin, the friendly fiendA picture of a smiling yugoloth over the

door identifies the shop as The FriendlyFiend. It’s one of the best shops in theLower Ward, with a reputation for fairnessand quality that impresses even the hard-to-please denizens of the Market Ward. If acutter needs the best supplies available inthis part of town and wants to pay the bestprices, then this is the place to dobusiness—even if the shopkeeper is agreater yugoloth.

A’kin, the shopkeeper, has a fearsomeappearance. He looks like a robed humanwith the head of a war dog. He has a pleas-ant personality, however, and a friendlymanner. In fact, he’s probably the nicestyugoloth a cutter’ll ever run into. He neverhas a foul word to say or a bad mood topass on to a customer. To the contrary,

A’kin makes friendly conversation and par-cels out kind words to everyone who visitsthe shop.

Step inside The Friendly Fiend andbrowse. Unusual items from across themultiverse fill the shop. From the mundane

to the magical, if it’s available in Sigil it’sprobably in a bin, atop a shelf, or on a ta-le in A’kin’s shop. A moment after a berk

steps through the door, the yugoloth rush-es over with an amiable greeting and a cupof hot tea or a mug of sweet wine to washaway the dust of travel. Enchanted itemsand goods from far-off planes can be pur-chased here, but quantities are extremelylimited. But don’t be in a hurry, ‘causeA’kin takes his time.

A body won’t get the hard sell here. Infact, A’kin takes forever to get around toselling anything. Instead, he talks about theweather, provides local news, and shares

amusing anecdotes with his customers. Heasks about where they’re from (if they looklike they don’t mind talking), or drops hintsabout places that might offer advice or as-sistance to their types (bashers, peelers, fac-tion members, and so on).

A’kin’s shop has been around for a num-ber of years. He arrived mysteriously (asmost arrivees do) and quickly made a namefor himself among the other Cagers. Whilethe friendly yugoloth talks a great deal, hedoesn’t say very much—at least not abouthimself. In the absence of facts, Cagerstend to invent fantasy. How close some ofthis fantasy comes to the truth, who cansay? Regardless, if a body asks three differ-ent berks on the street about A’kin, a bo-dy’ll get three different versions of whoA’kin is, why he’s so different from otheryugoloths, where he comes from, and whyhe’s living in Sigil.

One says that A’kin is a spy, sent to Sigilto gather information for the Blood War.Which side does he work for? Well, thatdepends on who’s spouting the chant.Some of the berks who hold with this storysay he’s the eyes and ears of the DarkEight, sending intelligence reports back toBaator on the Lady of Pain. Others claimhe’s in the employ of one of the balor,watching for a weakness the tanar’ri canexploit. A few even suggest that he’s an

independent, selling what he learns to thehighest bidder. In all of these cases, thefriendly persona is just an act. Deep down,these bubs believe, A’kin is as vile and evilas all his brethren. He just hides it well forthe profit he can gain.

Another rumor describes A’kin as anexile. The arcanaloth, according to thedark of it, did something so terrible thatthe General of Gehenna banished himforever. To survive outside Gehenna’s cruelembrace, A’kin had to take on a personacontrary to fiendish nature. He hopessomeday to return to Gehenna, once theclimate improves. That, of course, couldtake centuries, for the speculation overA’kin’s actions ranges from the horrific tothe most revolting imaginable. Most whohold to this chant believe that A’kin’s calmexterior hides a terrified castaway. Heconstantly watches for signs that the Gen-eral has come to terminate his exile—permanently. They believe that one day afiendish assassin will arrive to put A’kin inthe dead book—unless the arcanalothremains alert and ready to strike beforethe assassin’s blade slashes in the night.

Finally, there are those who think thatA’kin is barmy. He doesn’t behave like anormal yugoloth, so he must be one stoneshy of a portal, they say. A friendly fiend?That’s just plain addled! It’s a sure indica-tion of insanity, as A’kin’s behavior goesagainst the natural order. These bubsbelieve that insanity and violence go hand-in-hand. “We know how a normal yugolothacts,” the bubs say, “but a barmy yugolothmight do anything, and that makes himtwice as dangerous!” Someday they thinkthat A’kin will totally snap—and not eventhe Lady herself will be able to prevent thedeaths that will surely follow.

The truth, as is so often the case, proba-bly includes elements of all these chants.Until A’kin feels inclined to share his histo-ry or something happens to confirm oneor another, one fact remains clear. If abody enters The Friendly Fiend lookingfor a deal, some information, or just to getout of the rain and smog, then they’ve gota friend in A’kin the arcanaloth.

A’kin the greater yugoloth(Planar/male arcanaloth/HD 12+24/N):

Int 20; AC -8; MV 12, Fl 18 (B); hp 88;THAC0 9; #AT 3; Dmg 1d4/1d4/1d6 (claw/claw/bite); SA Poison (cumulative -1attack roll penalty per successful claw hit);SD +3 weapon or better to hit, immune toacid, fire (dragon and magical), iron weap-ons, poison, half damage from gas, doubledamage from cold; Spell-like powers: Alterself, animate dead, cause disease, charmperson, continual darkness, control tem-perature (10’ radius), fly (unlimited dura-tion), heat metal, improved phantasmalforce, invisibility, magic missile, produceflame, shape change (to any humanoidform), telekinesis, teleport without error,warp wood (all used at will), advancedillusion (once per day), fear (once per day);MR 60%; SZ M (6’ tall); ML 16.

‘Course, not everyone in Sigil’s native tothe Outer Planes. Plenty of berks comehere from their insulated prime worlds,most of ‘em in search of power and trea-sure and as clueless as you can imagine.Lots of ‘em get killed in ugly ways, too. Butthere’re some canny enough to seek outthe dark of the planes, and those whoadapt quick enough prove themselvescutters the equal of any planar. Well, al-most any.

Anyway, the point’s that not all primesare completely clueless. Take Lissandra,there. If you want to know where to find aportal to elsewhere, or you need to knowabout a certain gate key and don’t havetime to deal with the Guvners’ endlessfussing and forms, you might simply askher where it is and how it’s done. ‘Course,it’ll cost you a bit of jink . . . but what inSigil doesn’t?

Lissandra the gate-seekerAs a scholar on some backwater prime,

Lissandra always was fascinated with theidea of the infinite planes. Specifically, shewas intrigued with the mechanics of trav-eling measureless distances, and the seem-

transporting a body from one hypotheticalend of the multiverse to the other.

Lissandra arranged to have herselftransported to the planes. She arrived inthe Cage just as clueless as any prime, butwith a mission. It didn’t take long for herto learn the dark of surviving in Sigil; forthe most part, it’s a matter of providing aservice to some other berk for enough jinkto live on.

After getting used to the local condi-tions, Lissandra went about doing whatshe does best. She started to investigateSigil and its connection to the rest of themultiverse. It wasn’t long before she dis-covered that the Guvners already had agreat body of knowledge on the subject.Using her natural beauty and charm,Lissandra hooked up with a few Guvnersand gained access to the faction’s library.Soon she was sifting through all of theirrecords pertaining to portals, conduits,gates, keys, and related topics—at least allof the records not sealed by order of theGuvner’s factol. She spent months poringover scrolls, paging through books, andstudying complicated diagrams. In return,she used her considerable research skills

ing paradox that an infinite distance couldbe traveled in a finite period of time. Shescrupulously gathered and compiled re-ports from plane-traveling souls that spokeof “portals” and “paths’‘—shortcuts be-tween the infinite distances capable of

to help organize the library and catalogthe vast amount of information that ar-rives on a daily basis.

With the Guvner’s records as her start-ing point, Lissandra soon ventured out toconduct personal research. A body can

DRAGON 35

spot Lissandra more often than not inSigil’s streets. She watches the knownportals, waiting for someone to comethrough so she can ask her questions:“Where did you just come from? What’sthe portal on the other side look like? Howdid you get it to work?” She’s learned to bepatient and not so enthusiastic in herquestioning, as most visitors to the Cageare suspicious and short-tempered bynature. Plus, most cutters don’t give awayanything for free. Lissandra has becomeadept at determining what fee will usuallybe called for.

The Gate-Seeker, as most of the Cagershave come to call Lissandra, does morethan watch portals, however. She tracksshifting gates, trying to determine logicalpatterns so she can predict future appear-ances. She maps stationary portals, compil-ing a list almost as long as the one kept bythe Guvners. And she’s always experiment-ing with gate keys, trying to determine notonly which item works with which portal,but why. Lissandra is very systematic. Shestarts her investigations on one end of award and works her way from block toblock in orderly fashion. Sometimesher investigations take her toanother part of the city,but eventually she'll return tocomplete the circuit she started

Lissandra is attractive,perceptive, and more thana bit obsessive about her stud-ies. Still, she finds time totake a break from theresearch so that she can make

some honest jink. ‘Course, it all ties backinto what she knows, ‘cause knowledge isher power and source of livelihood in theCage. Need the location of a portal? Go askLissandra. Need to know what key opens aplanar gate? Go ask Lissandra. As almostany berk’ll say, the Gate-Seeker is a loteasier to deal with than the Guvners. Abody’s still got to acquire the key for him-self; Lissandra’s a source of information,not a key-seller. Like everything else,though, it’ll cost. (Exact prices vary withcampaigns and DM styles.) In addition to areasonable (for Sigil) fee, she expects to betold about a body’s experiences travelingthe distances of the planes.

In pursuit of knowledge, Lissandra’scompletely fearless. She’ll ruthlessly inter-rogate a marraenoloth, contend with thecircular reasoning of a modron, or playriddle-games with a ratatosk until it givesher the answers she wants. Gossips in Sigil

recount the memorable day she queried acornugon baatezu for hours about thetwisting paths of Baator; apparentlyamused by her investigation, the fiendanswered truthfully (as truthfully as abaatezu ever does, anyway) until shestarting asking about ways onto the ninthlayer of Nessus, where the Dark Eightmeet—whereupon the cornugon got aspale as a baatezu ever gets (which isn’tvery), and abruptly fled.

Lissandra might ask or be persuaded totemporarily join a party, particularly if it’straveling on one of the Great Paths (Yg-gdrasil, River Styx, Mount Olympus, orRiver Oceanus) or plans to visit a uniquepathway site (such as the LabyrinthinePortal of Mechanus or the Infinite Stair-case in Selune’s realm in Ysgard). If shedoes, she’ll be as useful to the group as shecan; she doesn’t expect to be protected orcoddled. Lissandra may have her ownagenda, but she recognizes the fact thatthere’s no such thing as a free ride—or acompletely safe one.

Lissandra the mage(Prime/female human/W9/NG): AC 0

(bracers AC2, ring of protection +2); MV12; hp 22; THAC0 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 +3(staff of striking); SZ M (5’ tall); ML 16;Spells (usually memorized): charm person,comprehend languages, detect magic,magic missile, ESP, warp sense x2, fly,

36 JANUARY 1995

lightning bolt, suggestion, dimension door,wizard eye, teleport; Str 11; Dex 15; Con12; Int 17; Wis 15; Cha 16.

This is the Clerk’s Ward. It’s clean, peace-ful, and totally boring, but there’re a fewbloods you should be aware of. Estavan,for instance. He’s got an office near theHall of Records. If you need something—and I mean anything—then Estavan is theblood you’ll want to talk to. ‘Course, ifyou’re one of those sods who has troublemaking nice to an ogre, you could havesome problems. . . .

Estavan of the planar tradeconsortium

Not far from the Hall of Records, on astreet of crowded, two- and three-storyhouses, a curious sign directs interestedpatrons to the second floor of a buildingthat looks like it’s been squeezed flat be-tween its neighbors. The narrow stairsclimb toward a plain wooden door, andanyone taller than a large human has toduck beneath the swaying sign. On thesign, a series of glowing portals stretchacross the surface in an artful rendering.The silhouette of a long caravan trudgesthrough the portals. This is the icon of thePlanar Trade Consortium.

The door at the top of the steep, narrowstairs opens into a richly appointed officethat’s furnished with an oversized desk, ahuge chair, a couch of gigantic propor-tions, and a pair of human-sized chairs.The room appears huge, due in part to the15’ high ceiling. A door on the far wallreaches almost to the ceiling. Arcane iconsdecorate its frame, and the door itself ismade of solid bronze. The same icon asthe one on the exterior sign is engraved onthe face of the door. Four times out ofevery five, an ogre mage will be seatedbehind the desk or stretched out on thecouch. This is Estavan, one of the mer-chant lords of the Consortium.

Estavan wears expensively tailoredclothes with a definite oriental flare. Hislight blue skin always is clean and pow-dered, his ivory horns polished so theygleam. An ornate polearm called a nagi-nata hangs on the wall behind the deskwhenever Estavan is in his office. Whenhe’s not, the rack is empty. The ogre mageserves as one of the Consortium’s agents inSigil. There are at least two other Consor-tium offices elsewhere in the Cage, one inThe Lady’s Ward and one in the MarketWard. Each seems to have a slightly differ-ent function, though any business a bodyhas with the Consortium can be handledby any of the merchant lords in the city.

The Planar Trade Consortium handlescommerce across the multiverse. TheConsortium’s agents go far and wide tofind exotic goods, make deals, and engagein many kinds of business transactions.Much of their activity comes through Sigilat some point, where the resident mer-chant lords direct it to the best markets(both in the Cage and beyond). This is one

38 JANUARY 1995

of Estavan’s major functions, though hejuggles many tasks in a given day.

Estavan can be gracious and polite, buthe is ruthless in business dealings. He’salways calculating, always watching foropportunities. If a body deals fairly withhim, he’ll return the favor. If a body triesto pull a fast one, the merchant lord reactsharshly, with no remorse, as though hewas engaged in war instead of business.Estavan isn’t squeamish about spillingblood to keep the jink flowing. He alsolikes to provide favors in return for futureconsiderations. The chant’s that so manyberks in the Clerk’s and Guildhall Wardsowe Estavan favors that the Planar TradeConsortium’s allowed privileges that noother group could ever hope to achieve.

The ogre mage is never seen outside hisoffice. In fact, it’s doubtful he could fitthrough the door or down the narrowstairs. Most of his clients believe that thedoor inside his office is actually a portal tothe secret headquarters of the Consorti-um. When Estavan isn’t in the office, theclients think, he’s off on some other planeperforming missions of some sort for theConsortium. If asked, Estavan simplylaughs hid chilling laugh.

If a body needs to get out of the Cage,Estavan’s one blood to talk to. The Consor-tium has pathways to most of the majorplanes and to many of the backwaters. Fora price, Estavan can put a body in one ofthe planar caravans. It costs more if abody wants to leave Sigil quietly, but Es-tavan can arrange that, too. A body has towork during the trip, of course, helping toget the goods to their destination. On sometrips, the work’s easy. On others, it’s hardand dangerous. If a body wants to leavebadly enough, a Consortium caravan’sprobably the best way to go.

Estavan the merchant lord(Planar/male ogre mage/HD 5+2 Frater-

nity of Order/LE): Int 16; AC 4; MV 9, Fl 15(B); hp 27; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8 +2(naginata +2); SA +3 to attack rolls, +6to damage rolls; Spells: Used at will: fly(for 12 turns), invisibility, darkness 10’radius, polymorph self (humanoid form, 4-12’ tall), regenerate (1 hp per round); Usedonce per day: charm person, sleep, gas-eous form, cone of cold (60’ long, 8d8damage); SZ L (10½’ tall); ML 14.

Me? Oh, I’m nobody special. Just anothertout showing a bunch of cutters the backalleys and secret spots of the Cage. MaybeI know a bit more about the bloods livinghere than some of the other touts—it’s allpart of the service. But you know that,‘cause you’re paying the jink to make itworth my while.

Kylie, a toutKylie was born and raised in the Cage,

and she’s happy to stay there. She neverwanted to work in a shop or go adventur-ing, but she loved to roam the city andmeet the diverse beings who come and go.It was inevitable that Kylie became a tout. Atout’s reputation and pay ain’t the best, butit does let Kylie get to know everyone—andeveryone knows her. She figures that thebest way to fame and fortune isn’t throughadventuring around the planes (a nastybusiness—and dangerous!), but by simplybeing at the center of events and knowingeveryone and everything going on. She’s gotacquaintances all over Sigil, from the Courtof the Lady’s Ward to the slime pits of theHive. She doesn’t consider them friends—she’s too wary to call anyone friend—butshe goes out of her way to make sure ev-eryone remembers her favorably.

Kylie figures that information is the coreof her business, and she’s right. She fol-lows her own Rule of Threes: watch,listen, and learn. Somebody always wantsto know something, and Kylie wants to bethe first blood they think of when they’reready to hand out the jink. Though she’smore inclined to collect information aboutSigil as it’s usually immediately profitable,she’ll keep track of anything and every-thing that crosses her path. No bit ofnews, nor rumor, nor solid fact is wasted.Growing up in Sigil taught Kylie a valuablelesson—everything’s worth something tosomeone. Everybody needs to find some-thing sometime, and when they do they’reusually willing to spend jink for the privi-lege. That’s where Kylie comes in.

Kylie is very friendly and extremelyhelpful to everyone she meets. She’s espe-cially gracious to adventuring types, asthey’re usually most immediately in needof her services. Like all touts, Kylie watch-es the portals for new arrivals. When shesees a good prospect, she hooks up withher (or it) and offers her unique services.Besides acting as a guide to the city, Kylielikes to provide her customers with anadditional service. She points them towardthe really important things in Sigil, namelythe bloods who make the city work. Mostcutters really don’t need help finding agood inn or a lively tavern. It’s muchharder to find a berk who knows the darkof a particular topic or the clerk who cangrease the wheels of bureaucracy. That’sthe unique service Kylie sells.

Jink’s well and good, and Kylie won’tturn down substantial amounts of it, butwhenever possible she prefers a differentkind of payment. Kylie likes to be paid inmagical items. She has an appetite for allthings arcane, from clothing to weapons toitems with magical properties. It isn’t thatshe has a desire to become a wizard oranything like that. She’s just fascinated bymagical items. As such, she’s always load-ed down with at least a handful of useful(and sometimes not so useful) enchantedthings. Another form of payment she’llaccept is useful information, but it has to

be something she thinks will earn her a lotof jink for her to take it in lieu of moneyor magic.

Kylie’s ambition is to set herself up as aninformation source with an extensive spynetwork at her command. To that end,she’s already begun “recruiting” some ofthe younger, less-experienced touts toadvise her of news and happeningsthroughout Sigil. She won’t establish ashop, as a permanent headquarters makesan easy target for the enemies she’s sureto cultivate. Instead, her network will be aroving one, made up of dozens of seeming-ly independent touts making the dailyrounds of the portals and marketplaces.She’s seen careless berks who deal ininformation end up on the leafless treebecause they dealt the wrong information;others are so paranoid their shops andhomes are turned into veritable fortresses,afraid of factions or proxies or powerfulbloods who find out the sods are dealingsecrets they’d rather keep dark. ‘Course,her dream is still far from becoming reali-ty. She still has to build a sizeable base oftrusted associates and work out the logis-tics of gathering and passing along infor-mation. In addition, Kylie has two otherweaknesses to overcome. First, she needsto recruit bashers to provide her networkwith protection. Even a roving group canbe attacked, if only one member at a time.

Second, she has a lack of magical sourcesof information. To rectify this deficiency,Kylie is especially friendly to all wizardsshe meets. One day she hopes to find onewilling to join her developing network.

Kylie is whip thin and slight of build.She’s frighteningly quick, with movementsthat appear too smooth to be natural. Hermanner is friendly and easy-going, at leaston the surface. Deep down, she’s pos-sessed of a terrific desire to turn herdream into a reality.

NotesA‘kin and the Consortium appear briefly

in the upcoming PLANESCAPE™ adventureHarbinger House. For more on the path-ways of the planes—particularly the lawfulones (including the treacherous way intoNessus)—see the Planes of Law boxed set.

Kylie the tout(Planar/female tiefling/T8/Free League

N): AC 2 (earring of protection +2, Dexter-ity); MV 12; hp 27; THAC0 17; #AT 1; Dmg1d6 + 2 (short sword of quickness +2);SA: Backstab x 3; SD: half damage fromcold, +2 to saves vs. fire, electricity, poi-son; SZ M (5½’ tall); ML 15; Special abili-ties: infravision 60’, darkness, 15’ radiusonce per day; Thief abilities: PP 85%, OL55%, F/RT 55%, MS 90%, HS 90%, DN50%, CW 85%, RL 45%; Str 14, Dex 18,Con 12, Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 15.

I0 JANUARY 1995

42 January 1995

Plenty of planar-encounter possibilitiesby Larry Granato

Artwork by Terry Dykstra

re ordinary monsters getting a bit bor-ing? Are the local dungeon and wildernessbecoming too familiar? If you’re a DM run-ning a party of high-level characters wholike to teleport, plane shift, travel ethereal-ly or astrally, and generally visit otherworlds and planes, then here are someinteresting ideas to spice up your campaign.

Traveling throughout the multiverse insearch of adventure can lead to confronta-tions with unusual beings not found on thePrime Material Plane. But there’s more outthere than monsters. There may be timeswhen the DM wants to provide special en-counters with strange and awesome entit-ies or places.

The spells and devices that allow interdi-mensional travel are fraught with hazards,too. If you subscribe to the theory thatalthough magic is usually well understoodand controlled, from time to time there is asmall chance that something will gowrong—really wrong—then you’re gettingthe picture. When one is attempting totravel between worlds, the results can beinteresting.

The following three lists (along with theiraccompanying explanations) can be used incases where the DM decides that some sortof mishap has befallen a party of travelers.Or, the encounters and occurrences de-scribed here can be used simply as randomevents, for a change of pace.

List #l, “Interdimensional mishaps,” men-tions the most common problems encoun-tered by groups teleporting or movingabout the planes. These represent variousnatural hazards. Every time the party usessome form of magical transport, there is asmall (0l-05%) chance that something willgo wrong. If the spell has been hurried ordisrupted slightly, but not enough to spoilit, the chance of error rises to 25%. Whenan error occurs, the DM can roll a d10and consult List #l, or choose an appropriateresult.

There are times when the DM decidesthat the party has traveled to an unusual

place (either deliberately or by accident) orhas encountered powerful forces of theMultiverse. These “Forces and places of themultiverse” are given in List #2.

List #3, “Strange encounters;’ gives somepossible encounters with the bizarre thatcan flummox even the mightiest group ofPCs. Use this list sparingly.

Fantasy literature, TV, movies, and otherarticles in DRAGON® Magazine providedinspiration for many of these ideas. Youcan expand these lists using similar means.

Since these encounters are special, don’tlet the players get off easy by having theircharacters cast a few spells or use a fewmagical items to solve their problems. Forinstance, you can tell the PCs that magicdoesn’t work well in the universe they’rein, and they’re out of touch with their dei-ties. This will restrict the use of high-levelpriest spells and cut back on their usingpotent magic to blast their way to success.You don’t want to destroy the characters;just make the players come up with crea-tive solutions instead of relying on the usu-al magical ways of problem-solving. Keepthe PCs guessing about their adversary’strue strength.

Good DMs try to be consistent and followthe rules. But remember the advice, “mod-eration in everything,” including modera-tion itself. Once in a while you can pull afast one, as long as you are not unfair toyour players. Playing strictly by the rulesall the time can get tedious, especially ifyou’ve got a group of “dungeon lawyers.”They know all the monsters in the books,so now’s the time to throw in a few thingsthey’ve never heard of before (unless theyread this article). However, I would notrecommend using the following encounterson every adventure!

Some of these encounters result in theparty being quested. For the DM, it’s al-ways a good idea to keep a few questshanging over the party’s head in case theyrun out of things to do, or need help. Theentity who quested them might be willing

to pull them out of a tight spot so hedoesn’t lose their services for some othertask at a later date. This will cost the ad-venturers additional quests, of course.

These encounters are suggested only forgroups with a sense of humor and imag-ination—and DMs who can come up withideas on the fly, and like to roll dice a lot.

List #1 : Interdimensionalmishaps

1. Random destination. When usingplane shift, teleport, dimension door, ortraveling astrally or ethereally by somemeans, the party ends up in an unexpect-ed location on their homeworld, thou-sands of miles from their intended

44 JANUARY 1995

destination. Needless to say, they are hope-lessly lost.

2. Vortex. An energy vortex appearsfor 2d10 rounds. Its origin is on anotherplane. It may siphon PCs (or their magic)off to another world or spew out debris(50% chance of either). Characters pulledinto the vortex suffer 10d6 points of dam-age and end up on another plane. Debriscomes out at the rate of ld4 - 1 pieces perround. Each piece has a 5% chance ofhitting someone within 400 yards, doing3d6 points of damage. There is a 10%chance that one of the pieces of debris is avaluable item, possibly magical.

3. Psychic winds/Ether cyclone. Ifthe party is traveling astrally or ethereally,a gigantic storm blows them far offcourse, and they are lost for 3d10 days. Ifthey weren’t astral or ethereal, something(a miscast spell, a dimensional hole, etc.)propels them into the Astral or Etherealplane.

4. Discontinuity. A quirk of the uni-verse has changed what was. Upon return-ing home, the PCs may find that theirhouse is on the other side of the street,one of their followers never existed, pasthistory is different, a certain spell or magi-cal item doesn’t work the way it used to,an opponent they killed is back, etc. Thisgives the DM a chance to change some-thing that has been causing problems inher campaign.

5. Displacement. A temporal, planar,or energy displacement affects the party.If the displacement is temporal, the partyappears forward or backward in timefrom when they left (or expected to be). Aplanar displacement puts them in anotheruniverse. Energy displacement involvesthe draining (or gaining) of charges frommagical items and any technological items,if the party has them. Items totally drainedof charges crumble to dust; items that areovercharged (charged beyond their capaci-ty) explode, doing 6d6 points of damage toall within 10’.

6. Teleport or planar fatigue. Toomuch dimensional travel wears out theparty. They may not use any teleporting ordimension-shifting spells for ld4 days.

7. Rift. A hole to another dimensionopens up. The rift is unstable, and disap-pears in l0dl0 rounds. Meanwhile, there’sa 85% chance some really nasty monsters(DM’s choice) will come through. Theparty also can go through, but can’t comeback after the rift is closed. There’s a 25%chance the rift is so strong that creatureswithin 100’ must make a saving throw toavoid getting pulled in.

8. The mystery nexus triangle. Theparty enters a strange area (a “crack”between the planes) where things from allover time and space disappear. Sometimesthey pop back years later. It’s a sargasso(or a garbage dump) of the cosmos. Allthose lost items like lost socks and keysend up here (maybe even things the PCshave lost). Strange creatures and itemsalso can be met, but the real trick is to

find the way out. (Is that Elvis over there?)9. Miscast spell. The party’s magic

goes haywire. Roll percentile dice:01-05 Random spell affects the party06-10 Random spell affects a random

target11-15 Spell affects wrong target16-20 Spell’s power increases/decreases*21-25 Spell effects reversed26-30 Spell delayed 1d20 rounds31-35 Spell affects possessions only36-50 Backfire. 6d6 damage to all within

10’ of caster51-00 Fizzle. The spell has no effect* The DM must determine how this

affects range, duration, area of effect,damage, saving throws, etc.

10. Character/Item encounter. Theparty encounters a group of plane-shiftingnonplayer characters. These NPCs arehigh level and are not happy they’ve beeninterrupted in their journey. Or, the PCsinadvertently pull an object out of anotherplane to their location. This could be anastral artifact, a technological device, apiece of trash, someone who’s been turnedto ethereal stone, a supply cache, etc.

List #2: Forces and places ofthe multiverse

1. Gate/Portal. An opening to anotherworld or plane appears. It is permanentuntil some ultrahigh-level creature closesit. These openings often appear as mir-rors, stone megaliths, caves, etc. Some areone-way only. This encounter also coversspecial areas that connect many dimen-sions like the “Wood between the Worlds”in C. S. Lewis’ Narnia stories or the City ofDoors, Sigil, of the PLANESCAPE setting.

2. Unique character/creature. Nowis your chance to inflict on the party oneof those special monsters you’ve beensaving. Is it Megabreath, giant dinosaurking of the B-monster movies? The sweet-looking little girl who is the most powerful(and chaotic) psionicist in the multiverse?How about that Bolo Mark XXVI Continen-tal Siege Unit?

3. The balance of the planes. Thisentity, appearing as a giant set of scales,maintains the balance between good andevil, order and chaos. The PCs have donesomething to upset the balance, and theyhave to correct it by performing a difficultquest. If they fail, the balance will bechanged for a long time. For example, theparty may find themselves defending theirhomes in a losing battle against ever-increasing hordes of evil, otherplanarmonsters.

4. The auditing department. Oh-oh.The agency responsible for balancing thelevels of magic in the multiverse has foundan account overdrawn. They will correctthe situation by permanently drainingmagic (or levels) from magic-using charac-ters or the party’s magical items. As analternative, the party might be able to “paythe bill” by going on a difficult quest;perhaps recovering a few cursed artifactsfor the agency.

5. The cosmic wheel of fortune.Spin the wheel and take a chance! Repre-senting the force of random fate and for-tune, it rolls into view looking like a giantvertical roulette wheel (sorry, no VannaWhite). There is a base 25% chance (plus10% per each roll after first) that theWheel will disappear after each spin. Thefollowing table is an example of the vari-ous effects on a character who spins theWheel, but DMs can substitute any appro-priate effect they desire.

Roll0102-0304-0506-10

11-1516-25

26-3536-6566-7576-8081-8586-9091-95

96-97

98-9900

EffectDisintegratedKilledTurned into a monsterLoses a level (it can’t berestored)Loses a good magical itemLoses half his money andvaluablesGets a diseaseNothingGets a cigarGets 5,000 gpGets a magical itemGets a special abilityGets a really good magicalitemHas one ability score raisedl-3 pointsRaised one levelGets a wish

6. The eternal city. This is a tranquilplace that exists between time and space.Visitors are greeted with hospitality. Theinhabitants are unarmed and peace-loving.They don’t want to be involved in thestruggles of other worlds. If the party ispursued by enemies, they could bringunwanted conflict to this peaceful locale.In that case, they are responsible for help-ing to protect the Eternal City.

7. The Dimension-travelingstructure/place. This could be a “float-ing” extradimensional island or a buildinglike the Vanishing Tower of Voilodon Ghag-naisdiak in Michael Moorcock’s Elric sto-ries. These objects usually only appear fora short while and jump from plane toplane randomly. The party could betrapped in such a place until it stoppedsomewhere familiar. Sometimes one ap-pears only on a certain plane once a year,on a particular day, or at a particular time.

8. The conjunction of the millionspheres. The barriers between the uni-verses are at their weakest ever. It’s possi-ble to visit another dimension just bytaking a walk. Needless to say, creaturesfrom other dimensions will be visitingyour PCs’ neck of the woods to pick up afew “goodies” (e.g., the PCs and their trea-sure). The conjunction lasts (1d10 +61days.

9. The plane-shifting vessel. A magi-cal vessel that can be steered to different

DRAGON 45

universes. One example is “The Ship ThatSails the Seas of Fate,” also from the Elricstories, but a zeppelin, spacecraft, orchariot are other possible vehicles. Thecrew will be interested in the PCs, eitheras potential targets of attack or suckersfor a quest.

10. The night of nights. Only once ina thousand years does a night like thisoccur. Anything can happen on a Night ofNights and usually does. A princess mightfall in love with a homely dwarf. Muscle-bound barbarian warriors take up knit-ting. A greedy PC gives his most treasuredpossession to a homeless orphan. In short,the DM will have plenty of chaos to spreadaround.

11. The stars are right. Extremelyrare astronomical conditions make thetime perfect for an appearance of an ma-levolent extraterrestrial slime-suckinghorror. Such creatures start at 20 HD, areimmune to most magic, attack both psioni-cally and with numerous tentacles orsquirts of face-dissolving goo, and like toeat brains. Enjoy.

12. Bar between the worlds. Thishospitable tavern can be reached frommany planes by those who know how. It’salways full of interesting people from allof space and time. The special anti-magicalproperties of the place prevent magic andany but the most primitive (nontechnologi-cal) weapons from being used. This re-striction does not affect the owner and hisstaff.

13.The fountain of youth. The fa-bled source of restoration. After drinkinga sip, a character’s physical age will be inthe 16-20 year range. Anyone who takes abig gulp turns into an infant. Anyone whodrinks twice will disappear.

14. The labyrinth. A dungeon to beatthem all. There’s no mapping here; theparty is perpetually lost. The labyrinthexists in a “pocket” dimension of its own,so there is no chance of escape beforegetting to the end of the maze. The trapsand monsters of the labyrinth usually arecontrolled by a malicious archmage (whoobserves the party’s progress throughmagic), making them doubly dangerous.The DM is encouraged to be particularlyfiendish (e.g., part of the labyrinth is agiant pinball machine; the PCs are theballs).

15. Pure law/chaos. The party comesinto momentary contact with a force of

Pure Law or Pure Chaos (50% chance foreither). The effect on characters varieswith each character’s alignment. Pure Lawgives lawful PCs a temporary raise inthree ability scores (character’s choice) to18 for 3d10 days (30% chancel or gives a+2 bonus on attack, damage, and savingthrow rolls for 1d3 months (70% chance),but gives a -4 penalty to a chaotic PC’sattack, damage, and saving throw rolls,and ability checks, and causes a 20% re-duction in spell range, duration and ef-fects for 2d4 weeks (60% chancel or slowsthe PC for 1d20 + 10 days (40% chancel.Neutral-aligned PCs will be blasted for 5-20(5d4) points of damage. The effects de-scribed above are reversed for a PureChaos force acting against lawful andchaotic characters—a lawful PC either isslowed or suffers the penalties, and achaotic PC either gets the higher abilityscores or the bonuses.

16. The well of wisdom. The magicalfont of sagacity. One drink allows characterswith Wisdom of less than 7 to add 1d8points. For a Wisdom of between 7 and 12,add 1d6 points. For a score of 13 through15, add 1d3. For a score of 16 or 17, add 1.Drinking from the fountain is dangerous formortal beings with a Wisdom of 18 orhigher-there’s a 50% chance of having thecharacter’s Wisdom permanently reduced to3; otherwise add 1 point. Characters whodrink from the fountain a second time willdie (no resurrection possible).

17. The crack of doom. Now they’vedone it. It’s like a rift, only a lot worse. Agiant abyss opens in the surface of theground near the party, and out pours ahorde of creatures from the underworld.Overhead, storms and lightning rage. ThePCs must survive as best they can. Re-member, even if they get away, whoeverhas to clean up the mess will try to findout who caused it and will take revenge.Unless you plan on ending your campaign,the Crack of Doom is only a temporaryphenomenon and will disappear in 1d4days.

18. Pure evil/good. The party comesinto momentary contact with a force ofPure Evil or Pure Good (50% chance foreither). The effect on them varies witheach character’s alignment. Pure Good willraise good-aligned PCs one level (30%chancel or add 1d8 hit points (70%chancel, but will drain 1d4 levels from evilPCs (40% chancel or cause 8d6 pointsdamage (60% chancel. Neutral PCs will beblasted for 3d8 points of damage. Effectsare reversed for a Pure Evil force on goodand evil characters. Level drains cannot berestored.

19. Land of dreams and night-mares. The place where what you dreamcomes true. While characters are here,their physical bodies are in a unbreakablesleep. What the PCs dream appears tohappen, but the effects are not perma-nent. However, the creatures who inhabitthis land are much better at creatingdreams than visitors, and their attacks

cause real damage. If a PC is “killed” in theLand of Dreams, his physical body dies.The land is ruled by Morpheus, the deityof dreams, whose will is the only realityhere. He can make any dream come true.

20. The city at the end of time.Quite different from the Eternal City, thisis an ancient, moldering ruin inhabited bypacks of horrific mind-destroying mon-sters. The creatures can track youthrough any dimension, so there’s noescape. Alternatively, the city is inhabitedby a few degenerate humans with hugeheads and weak, shriveled bodies. Thehumans may be conscienceless technolo-gues who want to manipulate the partyfor their own enjoyment, or pitiful, help-less remnants of humanity who are be-sieged by evil forces.

List #3: Strange encounters1. The black coach. This is a dark,

sinister carriage that flies through the air,guided by a headless driver and pulled bysix black horses. It has come to take a PCto another plane to pay for some crime oroffense. It is unaffected by any magic orphysical attacks, and can follow its preyanywhere. The only hope of avoiding it isthrough the use of a wish (unless the partycomes up with a sufficiently impressivealternative).

2. The anti-universe. After using ateleport or plane shift, the charactersarrive at their destination to find thateverything, although familiar, is the oppo-site of what they’re used to. For example,everyone who was good-aligned before isnow evil. (The PCs may have counterpartswith opposite characteristics in this land.)

3. Death. Yes, it’s big Mr. D, and he’scoming for one or more of the party.Death is immune to all forms of bribery orflattery, and beyond the ability of the mostpowerful PCs to injure or influence in anyway. He occasionally can be distracted,however, and there is also the possibilityof making a some kind of deal, althoughwealth or magic will not interest him.

4. The megacurse. A curse of extremepotency, it can’t be removed except by amajor deity or the like. Examples are acurse of extravagance, which causes thePC to give away all of his possessions tothe poorest people around (not other PCs),or the jinx, in which the PC’s bad luckaffects everyone but himself, causing themto miss saving throws and attack rolls, dominimum damage, miscast spells, losestuff, trip and fall in combat, etc. An alter-native to the megacurse is the cursedsuper-item, something that the party can’tget rid of. This intelligent, annoying objectcauses the PCs unending problems with itspouting and whining, but has a few veryuseful, very powerful abilities it employswhen it feels like it.

5. The guru. Also known as the celes-tial sage, this incredibly wise, ancienthermit is full of useful information andgood advice on every subject. He doesn’tadventure and dislikes being bothered.

6. Mental transfer. A PC exchangesminds with a monster. The condition maybe permanent, or may revert after a peri-od of time. (One character in my land gotto be “king of the slimes.”) Another possi-bility is the possession of a character by acreature that can’t quite displace the PC’smind, so they’re continually fighting forcontrol over his body.

7. UFO. A flying saucer descends onthe party. The aliens are hostile and veryhigh-tech. They usually have some schemeof conquest. One campaign I played in wasfamous for its “Martian Nazis.” Can the PCssave their world? Remember: “Resistanceis useless. Take us to your leader!’

8. The zone of diminished illumi-nation. For your approval . . . a group ofmedieval adventurers are thrown into astrange, incomprehensible situation. Is itthe Kung Fu disco party? A moronic gameshow hosted by demons? The battle of theSomme? The sinking of the Titanic? Theeruption of Krakatoa? Will they survive?(doe-doo-Doo-doo, doo-doo-Doo-doo . . .)

9. Fate. One PC is selected to confront acritical moment in her lifetime. Her futureshould depend on how she handles thepredicament. The DM should devise asituation that is appropriate for the PC’sbackground and goals.

10. Trial. Arrogant superbeings fromsomewhere else force the party to standtrial for the crimes of humanity (or elfdom,

dwarfdom, etc.). The fate of the world asthe PCs know it may hang in the balance.The superbeings plan to punish the partywith the same penalty the PCs have dishedout to countless monsters (i.e., death). Thetrial will not be fair, but PCs who claimignorance and stupidity as their defensewill find the superbeings agreeable, sincethey consider all mortals inherently feebleand weak-minded. Insufferably righteouscharacters will be squashed like bugs.

11. Mutation. A strange oddity ofgenetics affects the party. You can usesomething from the GAMMA WORLD®

game or make up a mutation yourself—themore gruesome, the better.

12. The accommodating circum-stance. A creature that can transmuteitself into anything takes the form of anobject the PCs need at the moment or havealways wanted. Of course, after a littlewhile (no more than one adventure), thebeing will get bored with that form andbecome something else—maybe somethingdangerous or antithetical to the party.

13. The imp of improbability. Thisannoying creature can’t be destroyedeither because you can’t locate exactlywhere he is, or if you do, by the time youattack, he’s somewhere else. The mostunusual things happen when he’s around.Water flows uphill, dragons become vege-tarians, PCs break their +4 swords, flyingsheep fill the sky (led by Harold the clever

sheep, of course), magic backfires, etc.The Imp hangs around until he gets boredwith the party’s efforts to get rid of him.

14. Transformation. One or morecharacters undergo a startling transforma-tion. Examples are changes in race, charac-teristics, appearance, sex, age, metabolism,height and weight, skills, levels, or class.Why ask why?

15. The powers that be. These arethe cosmic personifications of such quali-ties as Liberty (lady with a book andtorch), Justice (blindfolded woman withscales), Plague (diseased guy on a palehorse), Greed (Ebenezer Scrooge), Cleanli-ness (knight with magic lance that makes“white clothes whiter”), Stupidity (Disney’sGoofy), etc. They are all-powerful in theirsphere of influence and either can help orhurt the party.

16. Bazaar of the bizarre. A magicshoppe with a difference. It looks ordi-nary, but it actually exists on a differentplane, with the front door being a gate. NoPC’s magic will function inside. It appearsfull of the most powerful magical itemsimaginable. The shopkeeper will not sellany item, but will only trade for the PCs’items, at ridiculous bargain values. (PC:“You’ll give me a vorpal sword for a heal-ing potion?” Shopkeeper: “Sure!“) How-ever, 95% of the items in the shop turninto worthless junk when taken outside.

17. Casino of death. You like to gam-ble? This is the place. One problem: Youcan’t leave unless you win, and the onlyacceptable bet is your life. Mr. Bones, thecroupier, is waiting for your roll.

18. Carnival of doom. It looks like anordinary 20th-century amusement park,but the staff are monsters in disguise. Tobe allowed to exit, the party most go oneach ride once. There are some problemswith the rides, however. The roller coastertends to leave the track, boat rides sink,merry-go-round animals bite, bumper carsexplode on contact, etc.

19. The secret place. This ordinary-looking village (or old house, castle, or hotel)harbors a sinister secret. The DM mustformulate the mystery, but it should be wellhidden. Think of a “terror town” whereeveryone seems bland and happy, or a“house of horrors” with a mad scientist.

20. The siege perilous. This is themystical chair at the head of King Arthur’sRound Table. Only the pure of heart, orthose willing to undertake an arduousquest, are allowed to survive after sittingon it. The rest disappear in a burst offlames. The chair may appear to PCs indistress and offer to rescue them in returnfor several difficult quests.

48 JANUARY 1995

rom one of the authors of Factol’sManifesto comes details on a few fac-tions for the PLANESCAPE™ setting

that have died out over the years.Here are the details of the factions,written when they were still goingconcerns. Common knowledge saysthat they have all been extinct for along time—and maybe it’s better thatway. (Of course, common knowledgehas been wrong before.)

The Beautification League(The Decorators)

A mauve claw would look simplylovely over that archway!

Factol Dionystan ofthe Beautification League

Faction philosophy: This factionbelieves the multiverse is a place to beenjoyed, and they see it as their dutyto help everybody to enjoy it by “beau-tifying” it. These berks will take anyopportunity to paint a wall, hang apicture, rearrange furniture, plant agarden, or any of a dozen other thingsto increase the charm of a place. Thisincludes them telling a cutter whatthey really think about a body’sclothes, hairstyle, and home.

Here’s the chant: by beautifying themultiverse, a body pleases the powers,or whatever stands behind the powersand pulls their strings. Even the mostoffensive individual can be broughtaround to happiness and goodness ifonly given a nice place to live andtrendy clothes—and maybe a goodbath and a thorough makeover. Well,these are the cutters who are going tobring the change around, whether

22 APRIL 1995

anybody else likes it or not.It’s not that these berks are

militant—but they are persistent. Theyfigure they know the dark of howthings should look, and everyone elsehad better listen. A body who doesn’tlisten to their advice ought to watchout. The Beautification League mightsneak up one night and do someredecorating—or they might just de-cide a cutter “doesn’t fit the colorscheme” and eliminate him.

The Decorators seem to have a spe-cial grudge against the sods and bar-mies of Sigil, because they tend toclutter up the landscape, and they'vegot a general order to get rid of allthey see. The nicer Decorators mightbring the unfortunates to a placewhere they can be kept or even reha-bilitated, but the nastier bashers ofthe Beautification League have been toremove such “eyesores” permanently.

The Beautification League has beenworking on Sigil for years, and while afew smart-mouth bashers might saythat’s why the city looks the way itdoes, the truth is that the Decoratorshaven’t accomplished much. Theyhave two big problems. First, theplanes are just too big (try watchinginfinite color schemes!), and notenough people care to help the Deco-rators, especially in places like Baator.

Second, the Decorators don'talways agree, and they oftenargue among themselves.

annoying in the extreme, and want toput all of them in the dead-book. [Edi-tor’s Note: This is exactly what hap-pened, too.]

Eligibility: Evil characters can’tjoin this faction; as the Decorators putit, their taste is “tres gauche.” Otherthan that, anybody can join the Beauti-fication League.

Benefits: A Decorator can tell in-stantly when something is out ofplace. When a member of the factionenters a room, the DM should make aWisdom check for the character; if thecheck succeeds, the character instant-ly notices any secret or concealeddoors in the room.

Restrictions: A Decorator alsonotices when other things are out ofplace, or if they aren’t aestheticallypleasing—and the Decorator can’t helptelling a body about it either. Thismakes them annoying, and a memberof the Beautification League suffers a-3 penalty to Charisma.

The Free Flora Collective(The Veggies, The TreeLeague

Primary plane ofinfluence: The Decoratorsmaintain a small, tastefullyembellished abode in Arborea.They could have chosen any

plane, but Mechanus was “tooboring.” the Abyss “simplydisgusting,” Pandemonium “fartoo windy,” and so forth. In Sigil,the Beautification League makes i t s h e a d q u a r t e r s i n t h eGrand Gardens.

Allies and enemies: The Decora-tors get along famously with the Sen-

sates, who can experience whateverthe Decorators create. The Decoratorsthink most of the other factions needa little more class, especially the Wiz-ards of the Black Teddy (see below).

The Doomguard have a certain ad-miration for the Beautification League,which contributes to entropy theyfeel. The Bleakers are annoyed by thecheerful attitude of the Decorators,and the Dustmen think them frivo-lous. The Mercykillers find them

Stop eating our immobile brethren!Stop using our limbs as weapons!

Factol Rose Amaryllisof the Free Flora Collective

Faction philosophy: The mem-bers of this faction are convinced thatwalking plants are destined to rule themultiverse. Of course, that’s mainlybecause the high-up men of the FreeFlora Collective are actually high-upplants. The chant goes like this: ani-

b y T i m B e a c h

Artwork by Tim Beach & Larry Smith

Flora Collective nearby. See, since theFree Flora Collective believes in thesuperiority of plants, they try to stopanyone and everyone from harmingplants. While they’re mostly con-cerned with intelligent plants, theyalso try to protect their “unenlight-ened and soil-bound cousins.”

One of the Veggies’ ongoing projects isto kill all the herbivores they can find.This not only protects plants, but once itbegins to work—they say—the carni-

mals live by killing, while plants liveby digesting the rotting remains ofonce-living beings. These berks(barks?) say this makes plants a superi-or form of life.

The Free Flora Collective, though,has decided to take the battle to theanimals, and are an armed and radicalbunch. A berk who goes around cut-ting down trees, or trampling on thegrass, or eating salads, had betterhope there’s not a member of the Free

vores and omnivores will be forced to They are said to have plants in everyfeed on each other, until the animals other faction headquarters, wherewipe themselves out. they can sow the seeds of revolt.

Primary plane of influence: TheVeggies are said to have headquartersin the Beastlands, where they huntherbivores, and in Bytopia, wheretheir freedom fighters work to stopthe depredations of the woodcuttersof Dothion. They don’t have a head-quarters in Sigil, though they are saidto have “branches” in various gardensscattered around the city.

Allies and enemies: The FreeFlora Collective considers all otherfactions to be their enemies, mainlybecause the other factions don’t allowsentient plants, but they do allowbashers that eat plants, or cut themdown for firewood. The Veggies havea special hatred for the BeautificationLeague, who regard their kind asmere decoration, and often confinethem to pots or fenced plots of landwith poor soil and lighting.

Most other factions are unaware ofthe existence of the Veggies. Thosethat are aware regard them as prettyludicrous. The Veggies just don't fitinto the philosophies of most other factions. There are some Sensates who like talking to the Veggies, so they can

Restrictions: Like the faction’sbenefits, its restrictions are based onthe species of the members. There aresome places a plant can’t go, and thereare some things a plant can’t do. Forexample, it’s nearly impossible for atreant to impersonate a dwarven am-bassador and crash a swanky party. Inaddition, most humanoids have littlerespect for walking plants, and theytend to regard them as ambulatorykindling.

The Herbivorous Assembly(The Vegetarians)

animals can’t be hunted for any rea-son, for food, or to provide raw mate-rials for clothing, or for any otherreason. Rabid Vegetarians have beenknown to attack unlucky sods just forwearing leather. A cutter can’t expectto advance very far in the ranks of theHerbivorous Assembly if he wearsleather or any other product takenfrom an animal.

One day, says the Herbivorous As-sembly, when every living being in themultiverse has given up eating meat,everyone will live in peace and harmo-ny, and the dark of everything will berevealed.

Of course, this means the Herbivo-rous Assembly also is devoted to wip-ing out all carnivores. However, theycan fight predators only when thosepredators attack innocent herbivores.Thus, a lot of Vegetarians hang aroundin the forests of the various planes,watching herds of plant-eaters, wait-ing for a predator to attack.

Primary plane of influence: The

Vegetarians have a headquarters inthe Beastlands. In Sigil, they run a chain of "health food" inns, where"gourmet vegetarian dishes" are pre-pared .

Allies and enemies: The Vegetari-ans try to get along with most of the other factions, though they have a strong distaste for the Wizards of theBlack Teddy, because of the excessive

amounts of leather they wear. (It's not

come to understand “the plight of theplant,” and the Xaositects like pullingthe leaves off Veggies. The biggestenemy of the Free Flora Collective,though, is the Herbivorous Assembly(see below).

Eligibility: Only an intelligent,mobile plant can become a member ofthe Free Flora Collective. The factionalso allows a few associate members:cutters (not leaf cutters) who arepurely carnivorous, and who sympa-thize with the Veggies’ quest for free-dom from oppression. As a bodymight suspect, there aren’t a lot ofassociate members.

Benefits: The Veggies gain benefitsaccording to their species: they canusually hide among humanoids, sincefew humanoids recognize them asintelligent beings. Thus, a member ofthe Free Flora Collective can hide inthe corner, looking like a potted plant,and eavesdrop on a conversation.Though Veggies usually consider suchduty degrading, they understand itsvalue in building a vast log of informa-tion, and they have established a spynetwork known as “the Grapevine.”

24 APRIL 1995

Be kind to the animals. Or else.Factol Du’liddel of

the Herbivorous Assembly

Faction philosophy: The Herbiv-orous Assembly consists of berks whohave decided to never eat meat. Andthey think nobody else should be eat-ing meat, either. They think the darkof the multiverse is that the so-calleddumb animals are the repositories ofgreat wisdom. Oh, maybe not all ani-mals are fonts of knowledge, but someare, and it’s better to not eat any ofthem. If a cutter (a leaf cutter, in thiscase) can live in harmony with theanimals, talk to the animals, then she’lllearn the dark of things.

So, the Vegetarians don’t eat ani-mals, though a few namers in thefaction might eat some animalproducts, like milk, cheese, or eggs.And to make sure they can get alongwith the animals some day, they haveto keep others from eating them orbothering them as well. This means

that the Black Teddy wizards wearlarge amounts—pieces—of leather;they don’t. It’s just that leather is allthey wear.) The Vegetarians also goaround rattling their bone-boxes aboutthe evils of eating meat, and annoyingalmost everybody.

Most factions consider the Vegetari-ans to be pretty harmless, if a littlebarmy. The Sensates think their viewsare too restrictive: to really experiencelife, one should eat a few animals, saythe Sensates; this makes the Vegetari-ans think ill of them. The Dustmenthink the Vegetarians are all barmy;death is a part of life, and hunting andkilling a part of the grand scheme.Finally, the Veggies have a very strongdislike of the Vegetarians, and the twofactions have constant skirmishes inSigil and elsewhere. Lately, the Veggieshave begun attacking inns run by theVegetarians, to “free political pris-oners.” [Editor’s note: Eventually, theHerbivorous Assembly and the FreeFlora Collective declared war on one

another and wiped each other out.]

Eligibility: Anybody can join theHerbivorous Assembly, as long as theynever eat meat again. The faction isopen to all races and alignments, buthumans and elves fill most of theirranks.

Benefits: A Vegetarian gains theranger’s ability to befriend and calmanimals. A Vegetarian ranger gets afree nonweapon proficiency in AnimalTraining.

The Wizards of the BlackTeddy(The Babes)

Restrictions: A Vegetarian cannever attack an animal, but can de-fend himself or another animal. Thishas been the cause of much conster-nation to adventuring members (andtheir companions), because the Vege-tarian is restricted from helping inmany combat encounters. They candefend companions from predators,but won’t help anyone who eats meat,because it’s a fight between predators. Sure, it’s a little cold, but it’s better

protection than any armor:Factol Elle McFearsome of

the Wizards of the Black Teddy

They’re babelicious!Innumerable male cutters and bashers

Faction philosophy: Basically, theWizards of the Black Teddy are benton domination—of the planes, and ofanyone who gets in their way. As faras these cutters are concerned, themultiverse is messed up because it ismostly controlled by addle-covedmales. To solve all the problems, themultiverse must be ruled by females.As their name implies, the Wizards ofthe Black Teddy have two primarymethods for accomplishing their goal:magic and, well, their rather obviouscharms, made more obvious by allur-ing attire—mostly leather. The Babesaren’t murderous, like the Mercykil-lers. They’d prefer a lot of submissiveservants to a handful of corpses.

The chant says this faction sprangfrom a group called the Wizards ofthe Black Robes, on some backwaterprime named Krynn. Tired of beingignored by men who felt superior byvirtue of their gender, a group ofwomen broke off from these robedwizards and formed their own group.They found that with a judiciouschange of attire, they were no longerignored, and they could befuddle thesimple-minded males they dealt with.

Later, a powerful female entity vis-ited Krynn, and a lot of these femalewizards decided to join her cause, andthen went to live on the planes. There,with their goal of gaining power, espe-cially for women, they found manywilling recruits. More than a few fe-male wizards joined their number, andquickly ascended to the rank of Mis-tress (the equivalent of the factors ofother factions). These Mistresses aretotally devoted to the Lady of Pain andhave led the faction to a strong posi-tion in Sigil.

Primary plane of influence: TheWizards of the Black Teddy have aheadquarters in Baator, specifically inthe dungeons of Maladomini, wherethey give lesser fiends something tofear. The chant says there are hun-dreds of males chained to walls be-neath Maladomini, where the Wizardsof the Black Teddy can whip them intoshape.

Allies and enemies: This faction’sallies and enemies can’t always becategorized; that is, part of a factionmight hate them, while other mem-bers like them. For the most part,males of most species don’t have too

26 APRIL 1995

much of a problem with the Babes— The Apathetic Alliance(The Apathetics)for blatantly obvious reasons—but

some females do. However, the Sen-sates like the sensual nature of theWizards of the Black Teddy, and theCiphers admire their individuality. TheDustmen ignore them. The Anarchistsare fond of the Babes because they aredisruptive to other factions, and theGuvners see the Wizards of the BlackTeddy as a potential threat to theirpower structure.

Eligibility: The Wizards of theBlack Teddy have four somewhat unu-sual membership requirements. First,all are wizards of one kind or another;generalist, dual-classed, multi-classed,and specialist wizards are allowed.Second, only females of any speciescan join. Third, they can’t be good inalignment. And finally, to be a Wizardof the Black Teddy, a sorceress musthave a Charisma score of at least 13.This is one of the few factions thataccepts fiends as members; there aremore than a few erinyes and succubiin their ranks, not to mention a lot oftieflings.

Benefits: The Babes are very dis-tracting; males who see them tend toforget what they’re doing, what they-’re saying, where they’re going, whothey are, and so forth. When fightingone of the Wizards of the Black Teddy,a male of any species, intelligent orunintelligent (most of the Babes wouldargue that there’s no such thing as anintelligent male), has to make success-ful Wisdom check, or he can’t bringhimself to strike her. For monsterswithout a Wisdom score, roll 3d6 todetermine a score for any creaturewith Intelligence of 5 or more; forothers, use the creature’s Intelligencescore.

Restrictions: One detriment tobelonging to this faction is that otherfemales usually don’t like the Babes,and they go around calling them “trol-lops” or worse. The real disadvantage,though, is the, well, uniform (such asit is) of the Babes. To say the least, it’sa bit drafty. A Wizard of the BlackTeddy suffers a permanent -1 penal-ty to her Constitution score due togetting chilled easily.

Who cares?Drevis of the Apathetic Alliance

Faction philosophy: This factiondoesn’t so much have a philosophy asit has a way of life: they don’t careabout anything. They don’t go aroundtelling other people not to care, andthey don’t try to explain why nobodyshould care—they just don’t carethemselves. And most Apathetics don’tgo around doing much, or even goaround at all.

There are a few namers in the Apa-thetic Alliance who use that as anexcuse to do whatever they want.These bashers are a danger tothemselves and others, but usuallydon’t last for very long: either someoneputs them in the deadbook, or they stopcaring enough to keep moving.

The Apathetic Alliance started oneday when a Bleaker and a Dustmanwere talking philosophy. Both fell intoa deep depression, and both stoppedcaring about most everything. Theystopped going to their faction meet-ings and stopped wearing faction col-ors. After a while, their “new”philosophy spread, and other apa-thetic types started hanging aroundwith them.

While Apathetics occasionally dis-cuss philosophy with other factionmembers, the conversation usuallyends with “Who cares?” The rest ofthe time, most Apathetics just sitaround, in an almost catatonic silence.If their faction were to go away, fewwould notice and fewer would care.

Primary plane of influence: NoApathetic has ever bothered to build aheadquarters, so they don’t have one.

They also don’t have a factol, becausenobody cares enough to lead the restof them in just not caring about any-thing. To join the Apathetic Alliance, abody just needs to stop expressing aninterest in anything, dress in black,and to start hanging around in darkcoffee-houses with other Apathetics.

Allies and enemies: The Apa-thetic Alliance doesn’t see much pointto having allies, but they don’t seemuch of a point to anything, really.They also can’t raise enough feelingabout any of the other factions toconsider any of them enemies either.Oh, some grumble a little about theGuvners, who see a point to every-thing, and a few can muster a littleadmiration for the carefree Xaositects,but most Apathetics just keep to them-selves.

Most of the other factions ignore theApathetics—as the factol of the Atharonce said, “Who cares about the Apa-thetics?” Still, the Bleakers and theDoomguard have some admiration fortheir philosophy. The Dustmen alsoshare some common ground, sincethey believe there is nothing in life tocare about (except death, of course).The Sensates find the attitude of theApathetics incomprehensible, and theGuvners deplore the Apathetic Alli-ance’s disregard for laws (and foreverything else). The Signers have alittle admiration for the Apathetics,because of their rarely exhibitedpower of mind over matter (see Bene-fits below), but don’t appreciate theApathetic philosophy.

Eligibility: Anybody can join theApathetic Alliance, though most arebetter suited to the Bleakers, Doom-guard, Dustmen, or Xaositects.

Benefits: The Apathetics, sincethey don’t care about anything, tendnot to notice most things. Therefore,they are completely immune to attacksfrom normal weapons. Only a spell ora magical weapon can attract enoughof their attention to actually causethem damage.

Restrictions: An Apathetic doesn’tcare enough to adventure, or to takepart in any kind of communication orcombat. To actually participate in anencounter, an Apathetic must exert hiswillpower, represented by making aWisdom check; only if the check suc-ceeds can the Apathetic draw a weap-on or otherwise act.

28 APRIL 1995

10 NOVEMBER 1995

It�s no dark that the baatezu are cagey bash-ers. They�ve got secrets hidden that wouldastonish the powers, and they do their levelbest to keep their secrets dark; but occa-sionally they slip. When they do, theirmysteries spill out across the multiverse.

This article is based on the Baator bookfrom the PLANESCAPE� Campaign Set. It�shighly recommended that one read thatbook before this text.

The Logs of Willgan the DoggedThe years ain�t been kind to me, but didthat stop me? No. It didn�t. And while thosesods who called �emselves scholars dancedand laughed with the Sensates slipped awayacross the boundaries of death, I�ve heldon, my studies just becoming all that muchmore important.And now they�ve paid off. I might not have

been looking for the elusive sound of coloror the mysteries behind the forms of thepowers. I�ve never been that imaginative.Some�d call that a curse. Me, I call it ablessing. It means that I focus on the factsand don�t let ill-formed fancies distract mefrom the truth.

Do I seem bitter? I am. I�ve been mockedand reviled, my quest called emptiness, myheart left desolate from the bleakness ofthe truth I sought to uncover. But now it�sdone and I�ve snatched the dark right outfrom under the baatezu nose.

Ha!I�ve got the dark on the Lords of the Nine,

and I�ll be cursed if anyone can stop me frommaking my life better from this point on!

The Lords of the Nine are the mysteriousrulers of Baator, the Nine-Layered Pit, theStinking Maw of the planes. Their originsare lost to the mists of time, seemingly

stretching back before even the powersremember. Their true capabilities havenever been defined, at least until now.

They are, in short, an enigma. What istheir purpose? Do they simply act as war-dens for their plane, or do they play amore active role? Do they truly even exist?And how do they relate to the denizens oftheir plane, from the lowest baatezu to themost powerful of the gods?

To understand the Lords, perhaps it�sbest to summarize exactly what it isthey�re said to be and do.

The Lords and What They AreThough many discount the Lords as thecrazed imaginings of those who�ve wan-dered the bleak wastes of Baator, the truthis that the Lords have shaped the planesince time immemorial. They may seem tobe nothing more than primal forces,incorporeal and unwanting, but that isn�tso. They�re all individuals, and they�re allferociously hungry for more power. It�sjust that their desires make them knownover the millennia, as opposed to the pettylength of a mortal lifetime. That�s not tosay that the Lords can�t act quickly whenthey need to; they just prefer to make theirplans on a much longer range.

The Lords are each set over a singlelayer of Baator, their presence twistingand warping their layers to be more pre-cisely what they themselves embody. Thusit is that Avernus, the first layer, is a blast-ed and scarred wasteland, perfect fortraining the armies of baatezu in the end-less Blood War, while the fourth layer ofPhlegethos is a fiery pit, burning all whotravel its infernal depths. They are thedefenders and protectors of each of these

layers, each Lord taking the qualities ofthe layer in an effort to keep its essentialnature pure of the ravages of chaos. Whoset them this task, none can say-but it�san assignment they fulfill to the best oftheir abilities.

Every Lord has a name, though through-out time only the names of three havebeen commonly known. Just like otherfiends, the names of the Lords of the Nineare names to conjure power with-theprime wizard who actually uses thesenames is in for a devil of a time, but thatdoesn�t keep the attempted conjuringfrom being an inconvenience.

It wasn�t without pain that I discoveredtheir names. I�ve endured much for thismoment, the setting of their names topaper and thus to immortality. Thoughthese are not their true names, they arestill names with power. The Lords are: Bel,Warlord of shattered Avernus; Dispater,Archduke of iron-hot Dis; Minauros,Viscount of the sunken Minauros; Fierana,the Fiery Lady of Phlegethos; PrinceLevistus of watery Stygia; The HagCountess Malagard of Malbolge; The SlugArchduke of Maladomini, Triel the Fallen;Baron Molikroth of ice-locked Cania; andthe Dark Lord of shadowy Nessus.

Chant is that the Lords occasionallyattempt to wrest away pieces of anotherLord�s layer. Prince Levistus, Lord of theFifth, is said to be particularly greedy inthis regard. It�s thought that he�s planningan assault on one of his compatriots-atleast, that�s the word in Stygia, his layer,and the amnizu baatezu there are busyrecruiting berks they think would be goodfor the job.

D R A G O N 1 1

Their Powers The Other Lords

The Lords are some of the most powerfulbashers in the known cosmos. They con-trol whole layers of a plane, which is farmore than most powers can claim. TheAbyssal lords claim as much, but the chaot-ic politics of the Abyss ensure that thetanar�ri lords never rise far above theircompatriots. The Lords of the Nine, on theother hand, are willing to set aside theirdifferences to achieve a common goal; theAbyssal lords seem incapable of that.

In a sense, the Lords are their layers. Theyhave the ability to shake the land aroundthem, to make it erupt and heave up itscontents. They can see all through theirlayer, piercing through nearly any veilthrown up for privacy-it�s unclear as towhether they can see into a power�s realmwithout the god�s say-so.

Of course, they�re not omniscient. Theyaren�t aware of every pebble�s fall andevery gust of wind-but if they wanted tobe for a time, they could be. They�d justhave to divert their attentions from othermatters, that�s all.

Are they omnipotent on their homelayer? It�s unknown but the truth is thatit�d be highly unlikely. They�ve got anincredible amount of power, yes, but thatdoesn�t mean they can do everything. It�s awell-known fact that they rarely coercesomeone into doing something; the best-laid plots will make anyone of whateverstation carry out his functions willingly,thinking whatever it is was his idea in thefirst place. Dispater especially loves to twistpeople into doing his bidding. Only in themost extreme cases will he ever use hisimmense might to warp a mind.

They�ve got the powers of wind and rain,earth and fire at their disposal (though ofcourse some are more likely to use onethan the other). They�ve also got special-ties, each of them focusing on a particulardestructive power. The Lord of Avernususes explosions. Dispater uses emotion.Minauros favors disease. Fierana, natural-ly, punishes with flame, while Levistus car-ries the power of amnesia and its atten-dant miseries. The Hag Countess destroysby sheer force and crushing weight, whileTriel fancies entropy and decay. Molikrothfavors ice. . . and the ninth? None know,but it must be a fearsome power indeed, ifno one will speak of it.

Their Relationships

It�s no dark that the Lords pass their ordersto someone. They�ve got to have dealingswith someone if they want anything accom-plished, right? So who do they deal with?The list is fairly small. They deal with eachother, naturally. They bargain with thepowers. They pass orders to the pit fiendsand lesser baatezu. And occasionally, they�llmake a pact with a mortal.

Their feelings about each other could bebest described as resigned hatred. Theydespise each other, but they�re rarely in aposition where they can affect oneanother. As mentioned above, they occa-sionally attempt to poach some land fromone layer or another, trying to increasetheir own holdings at the expense of theirfellows, but this ploy rarely succeeds.When it does, it�s not without conse-quence. Still, they find it an amusing game.Perhaps they�re testing each other, or per-haps their role in this is to see what naturewill emerge triumphant. Regardless of thetruth, it�s known that they use mortals aspawns in their endless games, steeringthem hither and yon in fruitless questsuntil the Lords grow bored of the charade.

It has been said in legend that a mortalhas actually managed to lure the Lordsinto outright fighting. How this wasachieved, no one knows, but to matchwits against the Lords of the Nine, you�dhave to be barmy or brilliant... or both.

The Lords are usually too busy to attendto every pressing matter. That�s why theycreated the substrata of nobles belowthem. In fine feudal fashion, each has anentire staff and court who deals with thepetty matters of the layer, leaving the Lordfree to concentrate on truly importantmatters. The nobles are obviously of lesserranks, though they might pretend to be oflofty status. All of them, however, are pitfiends of incredible power. Some aremore powerful and long-lived than theDark Eight themselves, while others arestill young but show excellent cunning.

The nobles plot and scheme on theirown, working to further the ends of theirmasters and to benefit their own careers.It�s said that when a pit fiend learns howthe true power works and things are run,he can try to seize the mantle of the Lordfor himself. It�s happened several times.

Naturally, these nobles are not above theuse of mortals in their schemes. Someallow the mortals to play an importantrole in their plotting. And some actuallyencourage the mortals to develop theirown schemes.

The PowersSo what�s the relationship of the Lordswith the powers? Nobody really knows;probably strained at best, though it�sunlikely that they�re actively hostile toeach other. Struggles among beings of thismagnitude generally leave entire layers ofplanes devastated, and it�s unlikely eitherthe powers or the Lords would find thatacceptable.

Nevertheless, it�s no secret that Set andPrince Levistus have nearly come to out-right war. The two have aims that aren�tentirely compatible, and each works insubtle ways to bring down the other.Levistus has used his mortal agents todestroy temples dedicated to Set, whileSet�s minions wreak havoc on the amnizu

and the cities of Stygia. They�ve reachedan impasse for now, but both would love achance to tweak the nose of the other, andthey�ll handsomely reward anyone whocan do it for them.

Rumor has it that it was the enmity ofone of the Lords that forced the orcishpantheon to flee to Acheron and pointsbeyond. Now, that may or may not betrue-but if it is, the Lords have got to beeven mightier than previously believed.

It�s not unknown for the Lords and thepowers to work together on occasion.They�ve got common enemies in thetanar�ri, bringers of chaos, not to mentionvarious other powers. Why, a Lord mightaid one of the powers on his or her ownlayer against the power from another. It�scalled the politics of expediency, and theLords and the powers practice itwhenever they can.

The FiendsThis is the part that�s most interesting tome. Why in all the heavens would someoneas powerful as one of the Lords everchoose to have anything to do with the lowlyfiend? Are the Lords watchers over thebaatezu race, or do their duties run deeperthan that? What is it that we�re missing?

Oddly enough, the Lords tend to leave thefiends to their own devices. It�s unknownif the Lords have any dealings with theDark Eight, the nominal rulers of thebaatezu. Still, one would think that theeternally raging Blood War would give theLords pause for thought, since it�s theirland that�s going by the wayside if thetanar�ri make it this far.

My thought on the matter is that thefiends are simply like the proxies of theLords, that they�re an even lesser tool thanthe noble caste. The Lords do care aboutthe War; it�s just so far down on their pri-orities that they�ve delegated it in its entire-ty to the baatezu.

The Lords certainly command vastarmies of baatezu on their own-fiendswho are outside the structure of thebaatezu hierarchy imposed by the DarkEight. Though the Lords� minions have toundergo the same selection and elevationtortures, they answer only to the nobles ofthe Lords, and to their Lord in particular.That doesn�t keep the Dark Eight�sbaatezu enforcers from throwing theseberks into the army when possible-it�ssaid that the Lords� servants are insuffer-ably smug, and they�re usually the ones inthe front lines, unless they can findsomeone to take their place.

All fiends eventually bow to the Lords ofthe Nine, if for no other reason than thatthe Lords could crush the life from thebaatezu. But the fiends are rarely calledupon to do such a thing, for the Lordshave other servants and proxies to fulfilltheir wishes.

12 NOVEMBER 1995

The Mortal CompactOnce in a millenia, a mortal is powerfulenough or canny enough to be able tosneak through the defenses of the Lords�or perhaps the Lords allow it as part ofsome scheme they have. Regardless, theLord conjured occasionally finds it amus-ing to manifest himself fully in the pres-ence of the mortal, �gracing� the poor sodwith the complete glory of the Lord.Sometimes it�s to burn the offender to cin-ders; more often it�s to lead the mortal ona path of betrayal that�ll drive him toinsanity while increasing the Lord�s powertremendously.

This happens most commonly throughpriesthoods. The Lords gains power frommortal worshipers, just as a god would,though he cannot grant spells. Still, thedevotion of mortals is a powerful thing,and it�s something Lords covet. It�s saidthat that�s the reason the Lords evenbother to trifle with mortals at all.

The only problem is this: How do thesecults retain worshipers if there�s no evi-dence that they�ve got power? That�swhere the politics of expediency come in.Before establishing a priesthood on thePrime, the Lord usually has to perform afavor for one of the powers of Baator. Inreturn (and usually in return for some ofthe power gained from the ceremonies),the power sends along some of his ritualsto the mortal priest, creating a strangecombination of beliefs, but one that�sdeadly nonetheless.

These priesthoods have become moreand more common of late. Their rites areobscene, their methods perverse. Are theLords allowing more priesthoods? And ifso, does that not mean they�re trying tobecome powers in their own right?

Whatever the cause, the cults of theLords of the Nine are seducing more mor-tals with promises of power and immor-tality ever year, across the Prime andacross the Outer Planes. It�s only a matterof time before drastic measures must betaken to curb their worship.

The Lords Themselves

This was the hardest dark of all to come by.If the Lords resisted generalities aboutthemselves for so long, how d�you thinkthey�d feel about their personal secretsbein� spilled?

Well, too bad, one way or another. They�regoing to have to face the music sometime,and it might as well be now. I�ve outlinedtheir names, what I could glean of theirhistories, and any other information Ithought might be useful.

The Warlord of AvernusThe original Lord of Avernus (not Tiamat,contrary to popular belief) found herselfimprisoned and entrapped by her war-lord, the pit fiend Bel, thousands of yearsago. She�s now struggling to break free,but her struggles become weaker and

14 NOVEMBER 1995

weaker as Bel siphons more of the Lord�spower for himself. For all intents, Bel isthe new Warlord of Avernus, and thatsuits the other Lords just fine-at least, itseems to; they�ve not lifted a finger to aidtheir ensnared sister.

However, because of this, Avernus hasbecome a little fiercer, more brutal than itwas under the original Lord; and the Lordof the First now has little time to overseethe maintenance of the layer-for whilehe has the power, he does not have thetime. He cannot back out of his responsi-bilities to the Dark Eight, though he couldprobably crush them if he so desired�except that they remain in the fortressMalsheem in Nessus, and Bel�s dominionextends only over the first layer.

Bel has only recently discovered how tocreate an avatar. The avatar takes the formof a burly humanoid with a jutting chinand powerful arms. The avatar�s skin isslightly tinged with red, and his broodingscowl and the promise of rage held barelyin check dissuades many from offendingthe representative of the Lord of the First.

The Warlord�s Avatar (fighter 20)Str 24 Dex 22 Con 21Int 18 Wis 15 Cha 20MV 15, F124 SZ L (7�) MR 75%AC -4 HD 20 hp 155#AT 3 THAC0 2 Dmg 112 +16

Special Att/Def: The sheer size andpower of Bel�s avatar is enough to makeanyone of good alignment under the 10thlevel save vs. spells or suffer as if underthe effects of a fear spell. Those of neutralor evil alignment under 10th level mustsave vs. spells or suffer from awe.

If necessary, Bel can call forth 15 HD fire-balls from the air at will.

The Archduke of DisDispater is thought to be one of the oldestof the Lords of the Nine. He�s certainlycunning enough that he�d want to givethat impression anyway. He governs thesecond layer from his tower of lead andiron, able to see the tiniest details of theplane from the tower�s height. His layer isa gray-green plane of heat and pain,perfectly reflecting the suave archduke.

Dispater never loses his temper. Thoughanger burns within his chest, he prideshimself on his restraint and smooth man-ner. Should he actually lose his temper,chances are he�ll annihilate the witnessesrather than let them report his shame.

Dispater�s avatar appears as a 10� tallman with yellow skin, a pit fiend�s horns,and a fluttering red cape.

The Archduke�s Avatar (fighter 15,wizard 20)Str 20 Dex 19 Con 20Int 24 Wis 22 Cha 22M v 1 5 SZ L (10�) MR 90%AC -2 HD 15 hp 150#AT 2 THAC0 5 Dmg 1-8 + 10

Special Att/Def: In his tower, Dispatersimply cannot be harmed. As it is his cen-ter of power, weapons pass through thearchduke and spells melt harmlessly fromhis person. The statistics above are for therest of the layer.

Dispater�s special defense is to make thoseattacking him relive their lowest moments.Whether they were being beaten in an alleybehind a pub or falling from the heights ofMount Celestia, Dispater can summon thememory and make his enemies relive theentire miserable experience.

The Viscount of MinaurosMinauros the Serpent dwells in theSinking City, his bulk writhing and spas-ming through the fetid water of his layer.He�s indirect and venomous, his schemesconvoluted and twisted. He speaks in rid-dles, never coming straight to the point,even when giving orders. His cadre offiends emulates this behavior, hoping toimpress their Lord.

Minauros seems to spend most of histime in the waters underneath his city, liv-ing an amphibious life amidst the foetor ofhis layer. He doesn�t roam far from theSinking City preferring to oversee hislands from a single location.

The Viscount�s avatar appears as a gar-gantuan snake with a humanoid torsowhere the head would be. His eyes areslitted and yellow, his tongue is forked,and he speaks in a sibilant whisper.

The Viscount�s Avatar (fighter 14, thief18)Str 19 Dex 23 Con 21Int 21 Wis 19 Cha 18MV 12, Sw18 SZ G (30�) MR 80%AC -5 HD 14 hp 160#AT 5/2 THAC0 6 Dmg 1-8 + 14

Special Att/Def: Minauros can, on a suc-cessful attack roll of 15 or better, sink hisfangs into one of his enemies. If Minaurosdrops his weapons and attacks with hispowerful arms, he can try to pin his vic-tim; this requires two successful attackrolls of 8 or better. If he pins his victim inthis fashion, he needs only an 8 or betterto bite. A body thus bitten must save vs.poison or contract a wasting disease simi-lar to that of the mummy-except that theViscount�s disease cannot be healed, andit drains the life from its victims by thehour, rather than by the day.

The Fiery Lady of PhlegethosFierana, Lady of Phlegethos, is rarely seenand her presence rarely felt. She prefersto lose herself in the boiling magma of herlands, letting the pit fiend Gazra govern;however, she�s not foolish enough to lethim have too much power, and shereminds him of her rightful positionwhenever she thinks he�s planning onturning stag.

Her temper is mercurial, her moodsfickle. She�s like the dancing flame, mov-

ing from one obsession to the next, burn-ing her way through eternity. However,she does so in a pattern that perhaps onlyshe can see-anything less would bechaotic, and her job is to preserve order.

Her avatar appears as a beautiful youngwoman with flaming red hair and a lithefigure. The berk who�s fooled by herbeauty deserves what he gets-beingturned into a charred husk.

The Lady�s Avatar (wizard 20)Str 15 Dex 20 Con 19Int 23 Wis 20 Cha 21MV 18, F136 SZ M (6�) MR 90%AC -3 HD 20 hp 140#AT 2 THAC0 8 Dmg l-6 + 10

Special Att/Def: Fierana has absolutepower over all flame in her layer. She cantake any flame that�s brought near herand turn it against anyone she desires.Oddly, she takes no damage from cold- orwater-based attacks; they serve only toirritate her, and she�ll burn anyone who�sfoolish enough to try them on her.

The Prince of Stygia

Levistus is probably one of the least popu-lar of the Lords of the Nine, especiallyamong his compatriots. He sets aside therules they�ve laid down for themselvesand is constantly attempting to aggrandizehimself, usually at the expense of others.His cadre of amnizu ignores the hierarchyof the pit fiends, and they�re always plan-ning mischief against the Dark Eight.

Their concerted dislike of him is partiallywhat has kept Levistus from overcomingthe rest of the Lords. When they catch onto his schemes, they work together todestroy them; while they hate each

Levistus�s avatar is a darkly handsome,brooding man. He prefers to dress infancy clothes and adorn himself with fin-ery when he appears to mortals. However,he�s usually too busy governing Stygia andhatching plans from his icy prison tobother himself with manifesting an avatar.

The Prince�s Avatar (thief 23)Str 19 Dex 24 Con 16Int 23 Wis 22 Cha 21MV 15 SZ M (6�) MR 80%AC -4 HD 23 hp 155#AT 2 THAC0 3 Dmg 1-8 + 10

Special Att/Def: With a suc-cessful attack,Levistus has the abil-

ity to induce amnesia in his

enemies asthough he

h a d

tants need to be constantly vigilant ofstresses in the bronze. If they�re not,Malagard makes sure that the next inhabi-tants will be; more than one fortress haslost its inhabitants when she�s come inwith her great flaming sword to correcttheirmistakes.

Malagard�s avatar is not unreasonable,but she doesn�t excuse foolishness. Sheappears as an old crippled hag, stoopedfrom the weight of the years. She carriesimmense power under her withered exte-rior, teaching that it�s best never to judgesomeone on the basis of appearance. Shecarries a sword that flames with heranger; it looks too heavy for her to wield,but in her hands it�s as light as a feather.Anyone else who touches it takes animmediate 1d20 + 20 hp damage.

The Countess�s Avatar (fighter 18)Str 22 Dex 19 Con 20Int 21 Wis 19 Cha 12MV 24 SZ L (10�) MR 85%AC -5 HD 18 hp 170#AT 3 THAC0 3 Dmg 1-12 + 10

Special Att/Def: At will, the HagCountess can bring a meteor swarm downon one particular enemy, or cause anavalanche to begin under his feet, or forcea hail of rocks down upon his head fromnowhere. She has absolute control overthe physical aspects of her layer, and she�llnot hesitate to use that control to destroyher enemies.

immersed them in theRiver Styx. If he�s suc-cessful, he refrainsfrom slaying his vic-

tims, preferringinstead to tantalizethem with the tortu-ous hints of theirprevious existence.

The Hag Countessof MalbolgeMalagard, the HagQueen of theCrushing Lands,delights in surprise

appearances. Thecities of her layer

are huge bronzecitadels, each ofwhich is under the

command of a pitfiend. The citadels

constantly resoundfrom the huge boul-ders crashing into

them, and the inhabi-

16 NOVEMBER 1995

The Slug Archduke of MaladominiTriel the Fallen was once an archon, or sothe chant goes, who was expelled fromthe lofty heights of Mount Celestia forexcessive vanity and the contemplation ofeternal perfection taken to extremes. Hisfellows cast him from the celestial slopes,and his form changed as he fell into theStinking Maw of Baator. Now he presidesover the rotting cities of Maladomini,always searching for the perfect configu-ration to his city. He�s oblivious to thedecay of the old cities, always wanting toimprove on the new ones.His avatar is a grossly deformed slug-crea-

ture, with vaguely humanoid features andforelimbs that are more like prehensiletails than actual limbs. Still, a mortal whogazes on the avatar can catch glimpses ofthe beauty that Triel once possessed beforehe fell.

have his victims come to him. MV 9 SZ H (7') MR 80%

His interest in AC- 1HD 18 hp 160

governing his #AT 1 THAC0 6

layer is Dmg 1-12 + 9

com-plete. Special

Att/Def:The Archduke�s Avatar (wizard 19,bard 12)Str 19 Dex 18 Con 13Int 21 Wis 19 Cha 10MV6 SZ H (25�) MR 70%AC -4 HD 18 hp 145#AT 2 THAC0 7 Dmg 1-8 + 7

Special Att/Def: Triel prefers to age hisvictims as if he had hit them with a staff ofwithering. If he makes a successful hitwith one of his atrophied forelimbs, hisvictim gains no save and loses the use ofhis limb.

The Baron of CaniaMolikroth is devious and cruel. No surprisethere. What is surprising is the extent towhich he takes it. As ruler over frigid Cania,he�s got the power of ice and cold, and heknows how to use those tools to such adegree that he can make a proxy cry out formercy. He delights in torture, rarely leavingthe citadel Mephistar, preferring to

last few millenia, he�s been on his guardagainst a move by Prince Levistus, and he�sgrown ever more leery over the years. Noone passes into this layer without theBaron�s knowledge.

The Baron�s avatar is a grossly hugeman, beyond foppish in his finery. Hisclothes are always the height of style inSigil, and are usually made of ridiculouslyexpensive materials; but even the finestfashions appear foolish on him.

The Baron�s Avatar(wizard 20)Str 21 Dex 18

Int 23 Wis 22Con 17Cha 15

Forthe Molikroth's

attacks arealmostalways icy,penetrat-ing evenmagical

defensesagainstcold.

D R A G O N 1 7

There�s no spell known that can resist thefrigid batterings of the Baron�s will.Frostbite sets in in one round, causing 1d6hp damage a round. If he�s still fighting anenemy after 5 rounds, his opponent mustbegin to save vs. spells or suffer a cumula-tive -1 penalty per round the enemy failsthe save as the cold slows reflexes andinduces torpor.

The Dark Lord of NessusI�ve not been able to find any informationon this blood. He (or she, to be totally fair)is so well hidden that it�ll take years moreof digging through dusty references andpainstaking interviews with fiends whoshould know better. I�ve come this farthough, and I won�t be cheated. I can standto search-for a few more years, I think.What�s the worst that could happen to me?

Note: Not long before publication, Willganthe Dogged suffered from what can only betermed a personal implosion. Drops ofblood were found where he stood, but noother trace remains of his eventual disposi-tion. We have taken the liberty of publish-ing this posthumously. Several fiends havecommented on it as �a delightful piece ofspeculative fiction.�

by Monte Cookillustrated by Adam Rex

S ome folks say that fiends — them bashers from theLower Planes — are products of the beliefs of PrimeMaterial berks. I guess that’s probably true enough.

Fiends represent evil and all that. Not a kind word to be saidabout the lot of ‘em.

But then the same screed’ll tell a body that, because fiendsare the offspring of belief, they model themselves after thebelievers. I just can’t twig to that sort of wig-wag. Here’s thechant, and listen good: things on the Lower Planes ain’t likethey are on the Prime. Sure, they’re fighting a big Blood War,but it’s like no war fought anywhere else.

Take the strongholds the fiends build for themselves, forexample. On the Prime (and elsewhere, too, I know), a berkbuilding himself a castle surrounds the whole thing with a walland a moat, hiding his sparkles and jink in a high tower or indeep, dark vault under the ground. Nothing like a fiend’scastle, let me tell you.

See, I was there, all up-close and real-like. I fought in theBlood War for... I have no idea how long, but long enough totumble to a thing or two. I’ve seen sights no mortal should eversee. Tarrek Norstro, mercenary (retired) at yourservice.

In the Planescape™ setting, the fiends of the Lower PIanes areamong the most feared yet intriguing of foes. These creatures exem-pIify, personify, and even embody evil. Their powers are fearsome,their violence and ferocity unmatched. The places that they inhabit— the Abyss, Baator, the Gray Waste, and the other PIanes of Evil —are spoken of by the canny in hushed tones, for they hold horrors nomortal should ever experience. Nonetheless, planewalkers (thosebold planar adventurers who travel the multiverse) continually findthemselves traversing the nether regions, either avoiding or takingpart in the terrible Blood War fought between the lawful andchaotic groups of fiends — the baatezu and tanar’ri respectively.

In Sigil, one might be surprised at how freely the chant flows. Thenumber of old hands volunteering their own views on tanar’ri,baatezu, and the Blood War can be overwhelming. When a bodytries to weed out the cony-catchers, the peel-masters, the barmies,the screeds, and the out-right liars, however there’s not much left.

Even Tarrek doesn’t know the very latest chant about the BloodWar and the most recent, surprising development concerning thefiends. For this information, interested bloods are going to have tolook at Hellbound. Not to worry, though. These changes are so new

that the vast majority of fiendish fortresses won’t bealtered to compensate for some time — so

Tarrek’s chant is still virtually priceless.

DRAGON #233 25

In the court of the fiend-kingSure, I’ve been in a fiend’s castle. I’ve

assaulted them, I've defended them, I'veeven spoken civilly with the inhabitants afew times. See, there was this yagnoloth— you've heard of them, right? —yugoloth noble, as I understand it. Thesefiends remain neutral in the Blood War,often offering their services to whicheverside’s paying the best that day. Nowthat’s a philosophy I can twig to.

Anyway, I had to go listen to this cut-ter rattle his bone-box about thespecifics of some mission. See, lots ofyugoloths sub-contract their mercenarywork to berks like me — that’s how I gota job attacking a tanar’ri fortress... well,let me get to the yugoloth first. Thisfiend had quite a place, especially thethrone room.

The yagnoloth, whose name wasWhvis (or something like that), heldcourt with a whole gaggle of cutters. Histhrone room was filled with minoryugoloths, like piscoloths and mez-zoloths, but they were among the leastinteresting bashers there. Night hags,shadow fiends, and finely-dressedtieflings came before this noble withpetitions, grievances, and queries. Evena few rogue tanar’ri (with a lone amnizubaatezu sending them deadly glances), asinister and silent githyanki warrior, afoul-smelling shator gehreleth, and asolitary slaadi emissary. (What could ithave been doing there?) lastly, therewere a great many mephits flittingabout like insects. These were atten-dants of the various fiends, messengersgoing to and fro, and others that wereprobably just pests.

But as I waited there, listening tothese monsters hold court and discussissues unfathomable to me, it was thefortress itself that held my attention. See,Whvis had the place constructed in themost unnerving way possible. This is acommon thing for fiendish lords to do,to keep their friends as well as their ene-mies off guard. The entire court wasbuilt over a pool of bubbling and boilingacid and then floored with glass or someother transparent material, so that allstanding before the throne realized howclose they were to destruction.

My mercenary’s eye lookedaround and noted the defensesthat he had placed around thecourt as well. There were theobvious maelephant and yugoloth

guardians, but they were for show asmuch as they were for actual defense(though don’t miss my meaning — a blood

couldn’t find more capable warriors). Theceiling was filled with hidden murderholes, and there were high balconies thatsurely hid archers or crossbowmen oreven spellcasters. Plus, you can be as sureas Sigil that there was some way tounhinge that floor to dump any threaten-ing sod into the acid below — even agreater fiend is going to quake at thethought of that.

Even the way into the throne roomwas designed with both intimidation anddefense in mind. The passage that I anda few of my comrades were escortedthrough was wide and imposing, filledwith terrifying statuary of violent andgruesome images. Again, my peerygazes revealed that these statues hadsmall compartments and notches thatcertainly contained traps like darts orpoison gas or worse.

I finished my business there and gavethe place the laugh as soon as I could.Being a guest in a fiend’s fortress is onlyslightly better (and perhaps not better atall) than being an invading enemy.

Citadels of the lower planesThe fiends aren’t like humans or elves

or what have you when it comes tobuilding their keeps. The reason’s as sim-ple as the point of your blade. They cando things that most folks can’t — teleport,fly, and lots more.

What that means is that a body won’tfind a curtain wall surrounding mostfiendish castles. Walls like that are use-less in the Blood War, since practicallyanyone can simply fly, jump, glide, orteleport past them. So, there are nocourtyards or baileys to muster troops orprotect livestock. Cities are very hard toprotect with walls being useless, butmost Blood War battles aren’t foughtover cities. Besides, there’s always theold saying, “a city full of fiends is farworse to assault than any fortress,” sothey don’t need much protection whenyou get down to it. Interestingly enough,most fiendish cities — as opposed tofortresses — are surrounded by a so-called defensive wall. I figure its just forshow.

Fiendish defensive constructionsalways involve a good deal of intimida-tion. They often’re made to appear to begreat beasts or piles of corpses (’course,some actually are piles of corpses) orsomething similar to frighten their ene-mies. While the opposing fiends aren’tfrightened by this, as a mortal merce-nary who fought in some of those bat-tles, I can tell you now that its plenty

26 SEPTEMBER 1996

unnerving to march into battle to assail were in the first Gloom of the Waste.a place made to look like a giant skull — Xoun had us infiltrate baatezu lines andcomplete with moving eyes still in their scout around. This place is as desolatesockets. I still have nightmares about and dreary as you can imagine. I don’tthat place. know about such things, so I’ve got no

As important as all this is, what’s most idea if it’s so bleak because the fiendsvital about a fiend’s citadel is what a have been fighting there forever, or ifbody can’t lay his eyes on. What that’s just the nature of thewith baatezu, tanar’ri, and place. Seems to me thateven yugoloths being it’s just the way theable to pop anywhere plane is. That gray-they wan t w i th ness, it gets tot e l e p o r t a t i o n , you. Anyway,many fortresses the baatezuare built with had heldsecret this dirtportions for somethat the time —enemy they’dwon‘tthink to tryto teleportto, sincethey don’tknow theyexist. Most

had awhile to

dig them-selves in

andprepare

a fewof thesehidden

surprises.Now,

structuresare under-

here’s away to look at

ground, thoughI’ve heard tell of

the two sides ofthe Blood War. The

sections being hiddenunderwater, made to appear asruins, or even secreted away behind par-ticularly powerful illusions. The hiddenparts of the fortress often hold the mostvaluable elements of the defense, suchas supplies and leaders, as well as jinkand prisoners. They also provideavenues to secretly move into positionsallowing the defenders to strike with sur-prise against the attackers.

Rarely, the baatezu — and less often,the tanar’ri — utilize artillery in eithertheir fortresses or their attacks againstother forts. Catapults and ballistae arecommon — that’s not what I’m talkingabout. The dark is that the fiends haveaccess to bombards that can launchhuge metal rounds at the enemy withexplosive force. Others have strange cat-apult-like devices that hurl spells ofdestruction much farther and withgreater force than the magic’s potentialnormally allows.

The baatezuAll right then. It was about twenty

eight, twenty nine years ago. Me andabout thirty others were working for atanar’ri named Xoun, a real soddingslop-sucker, if you get my meaning. We

baatezu are moremilitaristic. They like

marching around, giving orders, mak-ing weapons, digging trenches and allthat. Now, if you’re Clueless, you’re say-ing to yourself, I suppose that meansthat the tanar’ri are peace-loving paci-fists. Keep up, berk. The tanar’ri are justas horrible and violent as their foes,they’re just not interested in militaryorganization as much. They’re morecrazed — like vicious killers. Basically, theBlood War is a conflict between an armyof regimented, disciplined war mongersand a bunch of psychopathic murderers.

This comes out clearly when you lookat their fortresses. The baatezu installa-tion that we came upon that day in theGray Waste was a tall tower with a hugeglobe on the top (they made it look like alarge scaly arm thrusting up out of theground with a silver sphere clutched in itsclaw — they’ve at least got style). Thewhole thing was at least 300’ high, andthere wasn’t a door or window to be seenon the tower- or arm-part. It was just asupport. The globe, however, was cov-ered with arrow slits, murder holes, andbalconies from which to launch attacksdown upon any offensive strikes. Thearea around the tower — everywhere

Weapons of the Blood WarThe Blood War has produced many

weapons of mass destruction. Here arethree different types of artillery usedby the fiends. These virtually never fallinto the hands of non-fiends, and themortal who does obtain one usuallyregrets it soon after, when the fiendsarrive at his doorstep to collect theirrightful property.

Baatezu bombardThis baatezu weapon looks like a

long barrel of black iron. Whenfiendish magic is applied, it fires a largemetal or stone ball up to one-mile.

It takes 15 rounds to load and firethe great artillery piece, and its aim isvery clumsy, taking up to 15 additionalrounds to effectively change its targetor re-aim. It has no chance of hitting aliving, mobile creature of size S or M,and the attack roll to hit size L crea-tures is at - 4. It inflicts 3d10 hp dam-age. For purposes of hitting enchantedcreatures, this weapon is treated as onewith a bonus of +3.

Levlevor “Spell’s Long Reach”This weapon was made and

named by the yugoloths, who’ve soldthem to both sides of the Blood War.It looks like a standard light catapult,but it is actually a powerful magicaldevice. If a ranged spell is cast into thedevice, the spell can be launched (itmust be fired immediately after cast-ing) as a light catapult missile, givingthe spell a range of 300 yards. In allother respects, the spell is resolvednormally. The weapon can be usedonce every 10 rounds.

Fist of Graz’ztThis tanar’ri weapon looks like a

small bombard, usually mounted on atripod or base, or perhaps even stead-ied on the shoulder of a large and stur-dy fiend. Spells cast through the fist ofGraz’zt are magnified in their ability toinflict damage in order to destroy forti-fications Spells of an immediate, vio-lent nature (such as fireball, lightningbolt, Melf's acid arrow, etc.) inflict twiceas much damage — but only in regardto non-living, inanimate targets.

The fist is extremely useful inblowing holes in things to allowan attack to pass through a barrier.Range, area of effect, and durationsare not increased by this weapon.

DRAGON #233 27

Teleport trapsVery simply, there is a 10% chance

that a fiend teleporting blind into abaatezu fortress with such defenseswill fall victim of the traps. Some typesof trap include:

Acid: This is the most commontype, since it is a universal agent ofharm among fiends and most lowerplanar creatures. Those immersedwithin suffer 5d6 hp damage perround — although a saving throw indi-cates only half damage is sustained.

Crushing Trap: When the enchant-ment within the room detects thepresence of an intruder, the walls ofthis empty room slam shut immedi-ately, while the fiend recovers andreorients itself from the teleport. Theclosing walls deal 3d10 hp damage tothose caught within.

Teleport Bounce: One of the moreinsidious teleport traps, this activatesas soon as a victim enters the area,teleporting it yet again to a completelydifferent location — sometimes faraway, sometimes in a very hostileenvironment, and sometimes toanother teleport bounce location... adinfinitum. The fiendish victim has nochance to save, but magic resistanceapplies.

within arrow or spell range — was a stag-ing ground for the lower-ranking troops,which probably never actually got to somuch as see the inside of the globe. Thismeans the lemures and nupperibo, aswell as various charmed monsters andhired mercenaries, stayed on the ground.There were no ladders or stairs going upto the globe, ‘cause the fiends could justteleport up to where they wanted to go.

Now, then, you might be saying, howdo they keep the tanar’ri from doing thesame and teleporting right insideClutched Victory (that’s what they calledthe place)? Good question. They don’t.Like many baatezu fortresses, ClutchedVictory was segmented into a series ofvery small chambers. There was noplace inside the stronghold into whichthe tanar’ri could teleport a large force.The defenders guarded each of thesetiny rooms, just waiting for a loneattacker (or maybe two) to appear, andthen they’d attack while the teleportingfiends got their bearings.

See, in a Lower Planar fortress, there’sreally not such things as “outer defenses”and “inner defenses.” Something deep

inside a castle is just as vulnerable asanything else. So the fiends are preparedfor attackers to appear anywhere.

If for some reason (such as a spell orsomething), teleportation was preventedfrom occurring on a battlefield, thedefenders could quickly adapt and justmove to the outer edges of the fortress(in this case the outer edge of thesphere) to defend against conventionalattacks. In fact, the fiends of both sideshave such good tactics for defeatingteleporting attacks that conventionalassaults are as common as not. Againstthe segmented fortress defense such asin Clutched Victory, the tanar’ri quicklylearned that mass assaults from the out-side are just as effective as teleportinginside.

Plus, there’s always teleport traps.The traps? Well, they’re a nasty littleinvention. Chant is, it was actually theyugoloths that came up with them, butboth sides of the war use them now. Idon’ t know i f they were used atClutched Victory, but they probablywere. They’re really very simple. Thefiends just place pools of acid or emptyrooms with quickly c losing wal lsthroughout the fortress. When a berkteleports in blind, he’s got just as mucha chance to end up in the trap as a realroom. They’re real useful at discourag-ing such incursions.

In fact, the only advantage to tele-porting into the heart of a citadel is ifsome valuable target (leaders, plans, sup-plies, prisoners, etc.) can be taken, killed,or destroyed. Since the offensive forceshave to teleport in blind, only luck willallow such a find to occur, and becausethe baatezu have compartmentalizedtheir fortress to such a degree, even alucky find can never be reached by alarge force, and by the time that wordreaches the commanders and the attack-ers concentrate their reinforcements inthe area, the lucky find is usually moved.

That’s why stag-turners are such adanger. If the enemy isn’t teleportingblind — if they know where they’re going— the defenders are in real trouble. That’swhat Xoun really wanted us to scout out— he was looking for some basher who’dgive him the dark of the interior of thefortress for a little (or a lot of) garnish.Didn’t work, though, and the tanar’riassailed the place anyway. They gotslaughtered. It wasn’t until the tanar’risacrificed the majority of their forces in amass suicide charge at the base of thefortress, eventually toppling it (right ontotheir own remaining troops no less), that

the battle ended. And the tanar’ri lookedupon that as a victory. That’s Abyssalthinking for you. But I didn’t care. I gotmy jink and took my leave.

I’ve heard that in Baator itself, thereare fiendish citadels with no doors at all.Every room has to be reached by tele-portation. Chant is, there are ways insuch places for non-fiends to teleportaround too, since we weren’t all bornwith that ability. I can’t even imaginehow hard it would be to attack such aplace. If you sent your troops in, even ifthey were winning, they could neverlink up to coordinate their movementsor concentrate their attacks. What anightmare. And I’m sure that’s the idea.

The baatezu like fortresses so muchthat they tortured their engineers intomaking some so that they could be usedon the offense as well as the defense.These mobile fortresses are on hugewheels or rollers and are powered bysome eldritch mechanisms that proba-bly involve the backs of thousands ofslaves in some fashion, if I know thebaatezu like I do. Not only do they trans-port troops but they literally roll rightover the enemy.

The tanar�riTanar’ri fortresses are fewer than

those of their foemen, but they’re no lessterrible to assault. As a body mightexpect, there’s no rhyme or reason to theway that they are built — that’s actuallyone of their main defenses. To most folk,but in particular to the orderly baatezu,tanar’ri fortresses make no sense.

There was a time I worked for theyugoloths, who were working for thebaatezu (at the time, that is — it’s compli-cated). This ride took us to some layer ofthe Abyss, looking for a kidnappederinyes that was being held for ransomby some minor tanar’ri lord. In anyevent, we discovered her on a floatingfortress high above the rest of the layer.

This was an old tanar’ri tactic — butone they still use today. They use power-ful enchantments to hoist their citadelshigh in the air. The inhabitants of suchplaces use flying mounts like hiera-cosphinxes or giant bats or whatever’s athand to get up there if they can’t fly ontheir own or teleport. In this particularcase they used what appeared to begigantic blue hornets. These were veryeffective combat mounts, as they couldhover to allow accurate missile combatas well as defend themselves with theirstingers... but you didn’t come to me tolearn about bugs.

28 SEPTEMBER 1996

Anyway, some of the ’loths I wasworking with could fly, while the rest ofus (my human mercenary company andthe non-flyer yugoloths) “acquired” someof the giant hornets. When we flew up atthe fortress, however, we learned thatwe’d fallen right into a tanar’ri trap.They’re chaotic, not addle-coved. A float-ing fortress needs to be prepared againstairborne attack, and prepared they were.Powerful, magical winds generated fromwithin the citadel tossed us about, send-ing many down to the ground and thedead-book. Like many tanar’ri strong-holds, this one was warded against tele-portation, so none of the yugoloths couldslip in that way either.

Tanar’ri sorcerers apparently havebeen tinkering with powerful teleportwards for some time. Sometimes theywork, and sometimes they don’t, but itseems there’s always a new wrinkle tothis magic that the fiends have uncov-ered. Chant is that the baatezu gave upon this sort of enchantment long agobecause it is unreliable, but the tanar’rihave made a successful enough stab atit to bring tears of regret to baatezueyes. No teleportation means a morestraightforward clash, with less strategyand more bloodshed — just the way thetanar’ri like it.

It takes no graybeard to guess thatwe lost that day. I was lucky to escapealive. I don’t know what the inside ofthat fortress contained, but if I knowtanar’ri, it was worse than what weencountered on the out-

entire decoy fortresses. Whole installa-tions, manned with troops and every-thing, that are complete ruses. This peel iscapped by the existence of the realfortress nearby. A body’ll find that theactual case is hidden by magic, disguisedas a natural feature, deep under a nearbysea, or buried far below the surface. (Ionce heard of one that was thousands ofmiles down on some Abyssal layer wherethe tunnels went on forever. For those ofus sods who don’t like bashing aroundunderground, that place is a real night-mare — imagine the months it would taketo get down there, and the traps in thosepassages leading down to that place.)

Most horrible of all, however, thetanar’ri sometimes imbue their fortresseswith sentience. Through some unknownprocess, they give their fortresses life.Maybe it’s some extension of the abilityof the tanar’ri to advance (or be promot-ed) from one form to the next higher.Maybe sometimes a lesser fiend is alteredinto what appears to be a stronghold.Such places are often characterized byeyes, limbs, and even mouths seeminglybuilt into the walls, floors or ceilings. Suchstructures have practically unbeatablealarm systems, since the fortress itself candetect a cross-trader attempting to sneakin, and can warn the inhabitants.

’Course, a few planewalkers havetumbled to ways to combat these livingdefenses. The whole fortress, as big as itmight be, has a single mind — at least,the ones I’ve heard of do. If a body canget past the fiend’s resistance to magic,

a well-phrased suggestion, charmor other mind-influencing spell

can take care of all yourworries. Further, I’ve heard

of one blood that some-how introduced a

fiendish disease intothe tanar’ri fortress,

slaying it outright.

On the primeSometimes

the Blood War,side. it’s said, spillsThe tanar’ri over into thefortresses I’ve seen Prime Materialare always different, but Plane. Whatalways terrible. folks mean by

An old Baatezu trick, again playing this is thatoff of their teleport traps and compart- sometimes onementalized fortresses, was to leak false side or the otherinformation and create phoney decoy (or both) find that it’s important to go tomaps to trick foes into teleporting into the Prime to gain some important item,the wrong areas. Well, the tanar’ri often tumble to some vital chant, stop thetake this idea a step further and create other from doing some deed, or some-

Teleport ward(Wild magic)Level 6 Wizard SpellRange: 0Duration: 1 hour per levelArea of Effect: five 10’ cubes per levelComponents: V, SCasting Time: 6Saving Throw: None

This is one of many such spellsdeveloped by tanar’ri wizards in anattempt to protect their strongholdsfrom magical infiltration by their ene-mies. It essentially blocks teleport,dimension door, and similar spells with-in the area of effect for the duration.Further, those attempting entrancehave only half their normal chance toovercome the spell using magic resis-tance.

Unfortunately, this wild magic spellis very unreliable. The block usuallyworks both ways — casters can nei-ther enter or exit the area using suchspells. When the spell is cast, use thefollowing chart:

1d10001-10 Failure (wild magic surge

results)11-60 Both ways blocked61-90 Affected spells restricted

only in entering the area91-99 Affected spells restricted

only in exiting the area00 All non-permanent spells

restricted in the area

thing else. These incursions don’t usual-ly last long, and (what most Cluelessdon’t believe) the fiends usually aren’tmuch interested in mixing it up with thelocal primes if they don’t have to. Sure,sometimes a few rogues or two’ll headto a Prime Material World to cause somehavoc and bloodshed, but those focusedon the Blood War don’t have time forfun like that.

So, the fiends never stay long. Thismeans that there’s not time to builddefenses or castles. In such cases asthey’re needed, then, baatezu andtanar’ri both use the same tactic — theyconfiscate an already-existing fortress.Either through force (often in the case ofthe tanar’ri) or guile (the baatezu) thefiends take the castle of local humans,elves, dwarves, orcs, or whatever. Theydon’t care about the alignments of theformer inhabitants — they’re only inter-ested in the strategic value of the bastion.

DRAGON #233 29

Even more than on their homeplanes, fiends on the Prime use othercreatures as guards and t roops.Sometimes a tricky baatezu high up’llstrike up a deal with a dragon, and inexchange for some treasure, the dragonlets the baatezu forces stay with it in itslair for a time. Hardly a safer spot on aPrime world than that, eh, berk? Moreoften, however, the planar invaders sub-jugate lesser races such as orcs, goblins,or trolls and monsters such as basilisks,wyverns, chimerae, medusae, giantinsects, etc., then use them to defendtheir holds. When in the cavernousunderworld (where, unknown to mostbashers, many baatezu and tanar’riincursions take place), they makealliances with the dark elves, the mindflayers, or the aboleths. Any of thesecreatures can be found in a fiend’s Primefortress.

When the local primes discover asmall army of Lower Planar creatures liv-ing in a nearby fortress, they usuallylaunch a holy war against the place.Fiends have no time for crusadesagainst them, and so they usually leaveafter a few of these assaults (unless theattacks are not a threat or are particu-larly entertaining). Thus, the taking of afortress on the Prime is usually donewith as much secrecy as possible — forfear of being exposed to the real threat,their Blood War foes. Whatever the out-come, such incidents are surely the thingof which legends are made on thesebackwater Prime Material Plane worlds.

A word of advice to planewalkersThose of you self-styled adventurers

who go flitting about the planes insearch of a little jink and a lot of notori-ety, take heed. I’m only going to say thisonce. You’re going to run into the BloodWar at some time during your travels —that’s a given. So be prepared.

A body needs to know who’s whoand what’s what. A canny blood’ll keepin mind the nature of the conflict, aswell. Though it might appear to be, thisisn’t a war fighting over land. Sure, thefiends take and re-take plots of groundon the various Lower Planes all the time.They even build all the above-mentionedfortresses to hold that ground. But thereal dark is this: it’s a war fought overideals. The baatezu and the tanar’ri fightto see the ultimate extinction of theother for one reason — because theyeach stand for and exemplify beliefsthat the other despises. It’s a true strug-gle of law versus chaos. It’s a fight to seewhat “brand” of evil is the superior. Asterrible as the war is, woe to the multi-verse if one side ever actually wins,‘cause where do you think the victor’ssights are going to fall if that happens,berk?

The only court that Monte Cook has evervisited is traffic court. Nonetheless, he earnshis living writing about much more fantasti-cal things at TSR, so he is content.

By James C. Martin, Jr

“Why do I feel that all armor designers are male?”

Tanar’ri living fortressesLesser Tanar'ri

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: N/AFREQUENCY: N/AORGANIZATION: N/ADIET: N/AINTELLIGENCE: Low to Average (5-10)TREASURE: NilNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 10MOVEMENT: N/AHIT DICE: 15-20THAC0: 5NO. OF ATTACKS: 1d6DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil (see below)SPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%SIZE: variesMORALE: N/AXP VALUE: 12,000 to 17,000

Living fortresses are impossible toharm through normal attacks — onlyarea of effect attacks inflict damageupon them. They fight by means ofmanifesting 1d6 clawed limbs whichextrude from the walls, floors and ceil-ings (wherever needed). These limbscan be harmed by normal weapons,and are destroyed after sustaining 30hp damage. A fortress can only haveas many limbs as it has HD, so theloss of one of these members is notinconsequential. The fortress cansense activity of any kind within itsown confines and within 50’ of itsouter perimeter.

They can’t move or flee, so theyhave no movement or morale ratings.The entire fortress has the same sortsof special defenses and abilities as anormal tanar’ri, except that they can-not teleport. This means that a livingfortress can use the following spell-like abilities at will (once per round):darkness 10’ radius, and infravision.Further, it can gate 3-18 least tanar’ri3 times/day with a 40% chance ofsuccess. Like all tanar’ri, these fiendssustain half damage only from cold,fire and gas attacks. Further, electrici-ty, non-magical fire, and poison dothem no harm (so they’re incrediblyhard to slay).

30 SEPTEMBER 1996

This article provides Skills & Powers options to create planarPCs for the PLANESCAPE setting. In order to make cross-referenc-ing easier, this article follows the organizational structure ofPLAYER’S OPTION™: Skills & Powers. The article incorporates variousmaterial presented in many Planescape products, so players cre-ating characters using this article should have access to thePlayer’s Handbook (PHB), Tome of Magic (TOM), PLANESCAPE

Campaign Setting (CS), Planewalker’s Handbook (PWH), Factol’sManifesto, PLAYER'SO PTION: Skills & Powers (S&P), and the PLANESCAPE

MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® tomes volumes I & II (PMC1 & PMC2).The ongoing revolution in PC customization for the AD&D®

game has been a major force in reshaping the way gamers cre-ate and play characters. As seen in the three PLAYER’S OPTION

handbooks (Skills & Powers, Combat & Tactics, and Spells & Magic),players can choose from a variety of options, creating a uniquePC. The options from these books work fine in standard cam-paigns like the FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting, but this is not the casewhen creating unusual PCs from specialized campaign settingslike the PLANESCAPE setting, where bizarre races are the norm.

It is well-known that folks living on the planes are subjectedto the ever-present planar energies surrounding them. The folksout here are sometimes called “planetouched,” because expo-sure to these planar energies grants them abilities above andbeyond their prime counterparts. It would be a rare blood whocould live out here and not be influenced in some way.

1. Character pointsThe S&P rules introduced character points (CPs) as the means

to acquire abilities and proficiencies for a PC. Rather than playa rigidly defined standard character as provided in the PHB,each player has a number of points with which to customize aPC. The CPs allotted depends on the race and class chosen.Points are expended for race and class options and for profi-ciencies but may also be spent in other ways, such as to acquirea new spell, re-roll a missed attack, or grant a second save. Fora complete list of ways to spend CPs, see chapter 1 of S&P.

PLANESCAPE PCs are generated by using one of the six meth-ods listed in the PHB. After a PC has been rolled, the player cre-ates a background for the PC. Players may select one of thechoices in S&P or devise a history uniquely tailored to planarlife using the character archetypes found in the PWH.

Abilities cost 5, 10, 15, or 20 CPs. Some options allow a playerto impose limitations on their characters for bonus CPs that canthen be spent to obtain other abilities. At any stage of PC creation,only 5 points may be retained for later use.

2. Ability scoresAfter rolling ability scores, the player selects the PC’s race.

Ability scores are modified according to the race chosen. Racialability modifiers for the standard AD&D races such as elves,dwarves, and gnomes may be found in the PHB or S&P andremain unchanged in the planes. Racial ability score modifica-tions for all PLANESCAPE PC races (aasimar, bariaurs, genasi, githz-erai, rogue modrons, and tieflings) are listed in the PWH.

As detailed in S&P, a PC’s ability scores may be split into sub-abilities. Players exercising this option for PLANESCAPE charactersmay increase one sub-ability at the expense of diminishing theother. For each ability score, there may be no more than 4points difference between the sub-abilities.

Note: Some options offer a bonus point to one sub-ability.Characters taking these options are allowed a 5-6 point differ-ence in sub-ability scores.

3. Racial requirementsEach PC starts with a number

Race CP AllotmentAasimar 40

of character points dependent Bariaur (male & female) 30

on race. Points can be spent toDwarf 45Elf 45

customize a character from the Genasi, all 25

skill list provided for each race, Githzerai 30Gnome 45

or they can be used to purchase Halfling 35

the race’s standard skill pack- Half-Elf 25Half-Orc 15

age. Planar dwarves, elves, Half-Ogre 15

gnomes, halflings, half-elves, Human 10

ha l f -o rcs , ha l f -og res , andRogue Modron 40Tiefling 40

humans receive the same num-ber of CPs as their Prime counterparts in S&P. Players creatinga PC from one of these standard races can mix options foundin S&P with the new planar racial options. Races unique to theplanes, such as tieflings and githzerai, are completely cus-tomizable with the options presented here.

Notes on magic resistance: Most races living on the planeshave developed some magic resistance. This resistance can beeither specific, like the elven ability to resist charms, or broad,like the powerful magic resistance of githzerai and aasimar. PCswho opt for broad magic resistance fall under the same restric-tions as those listed for githzerai in the CS. (In addition to pro-tecting a PC from magic, MR can affect what magical items acharacter can use and prevent beneficial magic from aiding him.)As some magic-resistant PCs rise in level, they experiencegreater difficulty using newly acquired magical items or whenreceiving benevolent magic. The magic resistance rules in the CSshould be used in all cases except those of single class wizards,who must no longer forego magic resistance to be wizards.

All RacesThe unique nature of the planes can affect its inhabitants.

Sometimes different populations exhibit the same planetouchedabilities. The following options are available to all PCs in additionto those listed for each race. Regardless of whether a playerselects any of the options below, all planar PCs have the com-mon, innate ability to perceive planar portals at will. This abilitycosts no CPs.

Alignment Affinity (5): The PC is instantly aware of anybeings within 20’ who possess the same alignment as himself.For example, a paladin knows when a lawful good aasimar hasjust stepped behind him but does not learn the alignment of thelawful neutral good deva crossing in front of him unless heemploys some other means of divination.

Magical Perception (10): Regardless of whether the PC is aspellcaster, he understands how the unique nature of his homeplane affects magic. This includes which schools of magic areaffected, how it is affected, and why (“You’re on Mechanusberk — wild magic is useless here and against the law.”). Thisability does not provide other magical insight, such as spellkeys.

Planar Recognition (5): Upon sight, the PC instantly recog-nizes any beings who originate from his home plane as a fel-low native. Only true natives of the PC’s plane can be dis-cerned. This ability does not grant the ability to recognizethose who migrated to the PC’s home plane from anotherplane. The PC does not gain any other information about thebeings he encounters.

Planar Resistance (5): The PC receives a +3 bonus to allsaves vs. any naturally occurring phenomena on his homeplane (plane of birth).

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AasimarStandard abilities: Cold resistance, fire

resistance, infravision, magic resistance,mental fortitude, surprise bonus.

Aasimon bloodline - major I (10):The PC is immune to all forms of gasattacks.

Aasimon bloodline - major II (15):The PC is immune to poison.

Aasimon powers - minor (10): Oncea day, the PC can cast cure light wounds,dispel magic, or protecfion from normalmissiles. At 7th level, the PC can cast allthese abilities once a day.

Aasimon powers - major (15): Oncea week, the PC can cast heal, holy word,or spell turning. At 9th level, the PC cancast all these abilities once a week.

Armor bonus (5): The PC gains anadditional +1 AC bonus when wearingany metal armor.

Celestial skin (15): The PC can be hitonly by magical weapons.

Cold resistance (5/15): The PC suffershalf damage from all cold attacks for 5CPs. For 15 points, the PC suffers halfdamage from cold until 9th level, whenthe PC becomes completely immune tothe cold.

Confer (10): With this option, an aasi-mar may temporarily confer one of hisracial abilities on a worthy being ofgood for the next 24 hours. The acttakes one round and requires the aasi-mar to touch the recipient. The PC losesthat ability until 24 hours have elapsed,at which time he regains the ability. ThePC cannot cancel this conferral once ithas taken place. This sacrifice is nottaken lightly.

Detect lie (5): The PC may cast detectlie once a day.

Eladrin bloodline - major (10): PC isimmune to magic missiles.

Eladrin powers - minor (10): Once aday, the PC may cast alter self compre-hend languages, or slow poison. At 7thlevel, the PC can cast all of these abilitiesonce a day.

Eladrin powers - major (15): Once aweek, the aasimar may cast minor globeof invulnerability, polymorph self or wall offorce. At 9th level, the PC can cast allthese spells once a week.

Fire resistance (5): PC suffers halfdamage from all fire attacks.

Guardinal bloodline - major (15): PCis immune to all electrical attacks.

Guardinal powers - minor (10): Oncea day, the PC can cast light, magic missile,or profection from evil 15’ radius. At 7thlevel, the PC can cast all these abilitiesonce a day.

Guardinal powers - major (15): Oncea week, the PC can cast hold monster,lightning bolt, or wall of ice. At 9th level,the PC can cast all of these abilities oncea week.

Holy regeneration (10): While on anyof the Upper Planes of Good, the PCregenerates hit points at the rate of 1hp/round.

lnfravision (5): PC possesses infravi-sion to 60’.

Intuition bonus (10): PC raisesWisdom/Intuition sub-ability by +1.

Know alignment (5): The PC may castknow alignment once a day.

Lightform (10): Once a day, the PCmay assume a lightform similar in func-tion to the wizard spell wraithform(except this ability accesses an extra-dimensional space, not the etherealplane). Once activated, the PC is identi-cal in appearance to a light aasimon(PMC1). At 5th level, the PC can assumea lightform twice a day.

Magic resistance (10): PC has 10%magic resistance.

Mental fortitude (5): +2 to savingthrows against charm, fear, emotion, anddomination type spells.

Muscle bonus (10): PC raisesStrength/Muscle sub-ability by +1.

Power of life (20): As a direct descen-dent of the forces of life and goodness,the aasimar is immune to death magicand level draining spells and attackssuch as those from undead. The PC is notimmune, however, to aging effects suchas an attack from a ghost or a haste spell.

Rilmani bloodline: minor (10): PC suf-fers half damage from acid attacks.

Rilmani powers - minor (10): Once aday, the PC can cast blur, fly or mirrorimage. At 7th level, the PC can cast allthese spells once a day.

Rilmani powers - major (15): Once aweek, the PC can cast advanced illusion,improved invisibility or solid fog. At 9thlevel, the PC can cast all of these abilitiesonce a week.

Surprise bonus (5): The PC’s unnaturalhearing and other-planar alertness granta +1 to all surprise checks.

Stamina bonus (10): The PC raisesStrength/Stamina sub-ability by +1.

Sword bonus (5): The PC gains +1 tohit with any sword.

Telepathy (5): At will, the PC can com-municate telepathically with any aasi-mon, eladrin, guardinal, rilmani, or otherintelligent being of the same alignmentwithin a 20’ radius.

Willpower bonus (10): PC raisesWisdom/Willpower sub-ability by +1.

Racial weakness optionsSome aasimar may inherit weaknesses

from their Upper Planar parents. AasimarPCs may select any or all of the followingracial weaknesses to receive bonus CPs topurchase additional racial traits.

Iron weakness (5): PC suffers doubledamage from any iron weapons.

Lower planar disorientation (5): Thegood nature of PC comes into severeconflict with the overwhelming evil ofthe lower planes. On any lower plane,the aasimar becomes extremely uncom-fortable and nauseous suffering a -4 toTHAC0 and AC as well as a -4 to all sur-prise checks.

Susceptibility to fiendish magic (5):The PC is more susceptible to the foul,unwholesome magics cast by fiends. PCreceives a -1 to all saves vs. magic usedby fiends and also suffers an extra pointof damage per die rolled from offensivespells employed by fiends.

Unholy water vulnerability (5): ThePC suffers 2d4 hp damage from a directhit of unholy water. A splash of unholywater inflicts 1d4 hp damage.

BariaurStandard male abilities: Charge,

head butt, infravision.Standard female abilities: Infravision,

spell resistance, surprise bonus.Back kick (5): The PC can kick an

opponent to his rear with his hind legs for3d6 damage and no penalty to THAC0.

Charge (10): Male PCs may causetriple damage with a head butt by charg-ing an opponent. The PC needs at least30’ running distance to perform thisattack successfully.

Club bonus (5): Any club the PCwields in both hands has the speed fac-tor and damage of a 2-handed sword.

Fitness bonus (10): Male PC gains a+1 to the Constitution/Fitness sub-ability.

Head butt (5): Male PC may attackwith his horns for 1d8 hp damage plusStrength bonus. Should the PC alsoselect Hoof Attack, then he receives 3attacks per round.

Health bonus (10): Male PC raisesConstitution/Health sub-ability by +1.

Hoof attack (10): PC can attack withboth hooves in one combat round caus-ing 1d6 points of damage per hoof,

Improved movement rate (5): ThisPC is one of the fastest of the race pos-sessing a movement rate of 21.

Infravision (10): PC possesses infravi-sion to 60’.

Intuition bonus (10): Female PC gainsa +1 to the Wisdom/Intuition sub-ability.

10 NOVEMBER 1996

Knowledge bonus (10): The femalePC gains +1 to the Intelligence/Knowl-edge sub-ability.

Lawbreaker (5): The wildly chaoticnature of bariaurs makes them naturallyresistant to the influences of law. The PCreceives a +1 bonus to all save vs. spellsagainst magic from the priestly sphereof law or magic cast by lawful creatures.

Magic resistance (10): The PC pos-sesses 10% magic resistance.

Muscle bonus (10): The male PC gains+1 to the Strength/Muscle sub-ability.

Poison save bonus (5): Because of hishearty constitution, the male PC receivesa +2 to all poison saves.

Reason bonus (10): The female PCgains +1 to the Intelligence/Reasonsub-ability.

Spell resistance (10): The female PCgains +3 to all saving throws vs. spells.

Spear bonus (5): The PC gains +1 toattacks with any spear.

Stamina bonus (10): The male PC gains+1 to the Strength/Stamina sub-ability.

Surprise bonus (5): The female PCgains +2 on all surprise checks.

Tough hide (10): The PC’s thick skinand fur give him a tough hide grantinga natural AC of 8.

Trample (10): On a successful attackwith both hooves, the bariaur hasknocked down his opponent and auto-matically tramples him also. A trampledvictim suffers an additional 2d6 hp dam-age, has a -2 penalty to his AC, and mustspend the remainder of the round get-ting back up on his feet. This attackaffects only humanoids of M size orsmaller. The PC must first select HoofAttack to choose this option.

Willpower bonus (10): The female PCgains a +1 to the Wisdom/Willpowersub-ability.

GenasiAll genasi may select from this list of

shared half-elemental traits in additionto traits peculiar to their specific element.

Ignore element (5): Genasi canignore his element (magical and non-magical) for a number of rounds equalto his experience level once a day.

Elemental empowerment (5): Elemen-tal spells or abilities employed by the PCare treated as if he were one experiencelevel higher. Option may be taken multi-ple times for increased effect.

Elemental form (10): Once a day, thePC can polymorph into an elemental ofthe PCs element.

Elemental regeneration (10): Whenthe PC rests immersed in his element as

it occurs naturally, he regenerates at arate of 1 hp/turn.

Elemental resistance (5/15): The PCgains a 30% resistance vs. all attacksagainst his element. For 15 points, thePC is completely immune to his element.This option cannot be taken with magicresistance option.

Etherealness (10): Once a day, the PCcan enter the ethereal plane from any ofthe inner planes or prime material planeor if already within the Border Ethereal,the PC can enter an inner plane or primematerial plane world.

Infravision (5): The PC possesses 60’infravision.

Magic resistance (10): The PC pos-sesses a 10% resistance to all magic.

Para-elemental resistance (5): ThePC receives a +2 to all saving throwsfrom any para-elemental attacks associ-ated with the PC’s element (e.g., firegenasi receive this bonus against ashand magma attacks).

Quasi-elemental resistance (5): ThePC receives a +2 to all saving throwsfrom any quasi-elemental attacks asso-ciated with the PC’s element (e.g., watergenasi receive this bonus against steamand salt attacks).

Saving throw bonus (5): The PCreceives a +1 bonus to all saving throwsvs. spells and magic of his own elementfor every five experience levels.

Genasi, airStandard abilities: Non-respiration,

levitate, saving throw bonus.Aim bonus (10): The PC gains +1 to

the Dexterity/Aim sub-ability.Air boat (10): At 9th level, the PC can

call down an air boat once a week.Balance bonus (10): The PC gains +1

to the Dexterity/ Balance sub-ability.Elemental powers, minor (10): Once

a day, the PC can cast fly, stinking cloud,or wind wall. At 7th level, the PC can useall of these abilities once a day.

Elemental powers, major (15): Oncea week, the PC can cast air walk, solid fog,or suffocafe. At 9th level, the PC can useall of these abilities once a week.

Feather fall (5): The PC can cast feath-er fall once a day for every three experi-ence levels possessed.

Non-respiration (10): The PC need nolonger breathe.

Knowledge bonus (10): PC gains +1 tothe Intelligence/Knowledge sub-ability.

Levitate (5): Genasi can Ievitate once aday as a 5th level wizard.

Reason bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Intelligence/Reason sub-ability.

Genasi, earthStandard abilities: Stony skin, saving

throw bonus.Elemental powers, minor (10): Once

a day, the PC can cast fist of stone, maxi-milian’s stony grasp, or meld into stone. At7th level, the PC can use all of these abil-ities once a day.

Elemental powers, major (15): Oncea week, the genasi can cast move earth,stone shape, or wall of stone. At 9th level,the PC can use all of these abilities oncea week.

Fitness bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Constitution/ Fitness sub-ability.

Health bonus (10): The PC gains +1 tothe Constitution/Health sub-ability.

Muscle bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Strength/Muscle sub-ability.

Pass without trace (5): The PC canpass without trace once per day as a 5thlevel priest.

Passwall (10): Once a day at 5th level,the PC can cast a passwall except that thisability affects only stone or earth.

Reverse gravity (10): At 9th level, thePC can reverse gravity once a week.

Stamina bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Strength/ Stamina sub-ability.

Stony skin (10): The PC has a naturallyrock hard AC of 8.

Genasi, fireStandard abilities: Affect fire, fire immu-

nity, infravision, saving throw bonus.Affect fire (5): The PC can affect normal

fires once per day as a 5th level wizard.Elemental powers, minor (10): Once

a day, the PC can cast flame arrow, flamewalk, or heat metal. At 7th level, the PCcan use all of these abilities once a day.

Elemental powers, major (15): Oncea week, the PC can cast fire shield, malec-keth’s flame fist, or wall of fire. At 9th level,the PC can use all of these abilities oncea week.

Fire immunity (5): The PC is immuneto normal, non-magical fire.

Knowledge bonus (10): The PC gains+1 to the Intelligence/Knowledgesub-ability.

Produce flame (5): The PC can pro-duce flame once a day for every threeexperience levels.

Reason bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Intelligence/ Reason sub-ability.

Surprise fireball (10): At 7th level, thePC can cast a delayed blast fireball once aweek.

Genasi, waterStandard abilities: Create water, sav-

ing throw bonus, water breathing.

DRAGON #235 11

Acid storm (10): At 7th level, the PCcan create an acid storm once a week.

Bestow water breathing (10): Once aday for every three experience levels,the PC can bestow water breathing (or itsreverse) on any creature other thanhimself.

Create water (5/10): Genasi can createwater once a day as a 5th-level priest.For 10 points, the PC can cast improvedcreate water (reverse of transmute waterto dust) as a 5th-level priest.

Elemental powers, minor (10): The PCpossesses the innate ability to castlower/raise water, insatiable thirst, or waterydouble once a day. At 7th level, the PCcan use all of these abilities once a day.

Elemental powers, major (15): Oncea week, the PC can to cast abi-dalzim’shorrid wilting, part water, or wall of ice. At9th level, the PC can use all of these abil-ities once a week.

Fitness bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Constitution/ Fitness sub-ability.

Health bonus (10): PC gains +1 to theConstitution/ Health sub-ability.

Water breathing (10): The PCbreathes water.

Genasi vulnerabilitiesAll genasi may inherit certain weak-

nesses from their elemental parentage.Genasi PCs may select any or all of thefollowing racial weaknesses for bonusCPs to purchase additional racial traits:

Elemental damage (+5/+10): The PCsuffers additional damage from elemen-tal attacks not of his own element. For 5points, the PC suffers +1 to damage perdie rolled. For 10 points, the PC suffers+2 damage per die.

Elemental hatred (+5): The PC despiseshis opposition element and always seeksto destroy without question or hesitationanyone strongly associated with theopposition element (such as natives ofthat elemental plane, specialist wizardsand specialty priests of the opposingelement, etc.).

Elemental vulnerability (+5): The PCsuffers a -1 penalty to all saves from ele-mental attacks not of his own element.

GithzeraiStandard abilities: Infravision, magic

resistance.Aim bonus (10): The PC gains +1 to

the Dexterity/Aim sub-ability.Balance bonus (10): The PC gains +1

to the Dexterity/Balance sub-ability.ESP (10): The PC can cast ESP once a

day. At 9th level, the PC can cast ESPtwice a day.

lnfravision (10): The PC possessesinfravision to 60’.

Knowledge bonus (10): The PC gains+1 to the Intelligence/Knowledgesub-ability.

Lesser magic resistance (10): The PCpossesses magic resistance equal to2%/level. This option cannot be takenwith the magic resistance option.

Lower resistance (10): Once a day,the PC can attempt to lower his magicresistance by effecting lower resistanceon himself only.

Limbo powers (5): As a native ofLimbo, the PC gains a movement rate of96 while in Limbo and also suffers no illeffects from the roiling, primal matter ofthat chaotic plane.

Magic resistance (15): PC receivesmagic resistance equal to 5%/level.

Mental assault (10): The PC can castfeeblemind once a week for every fiveexperience levels.

Mental shielding (10): Once a week,the githzerai PC can cast mind blank.

Mind guard (5): The PC gains +1 to allsaves vs. mind affecting spells and psionics.

Plane shift (10): Once a day, the PCcan plane shift (himself alone) to anyother plane he has previously visited.This ability takes one full round to acti-vate. If the PC is interrupted during acti-vation of this power, the power fails.

Racial enmity (5): The PC’s extremehatred of githyanki grants him a +2 tohit on all attacks against githyanki.

Rrakkma hunter (5): The PC gains +2to hit against the despised gith slavemasters of ages past — the mind flayers.

Reason bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Intelligence/Reason sub-ability.

Renegade (5): The PC has secretlydecided to advance in level beyond theartificial limits set by the githzerai wiz-ard-king (i.e., the PC has no level limits inany chosen classes). Once a renegadegithzerai’s decision becomes known, herarely survives for long, as any suchblasphemous githzerai are quickly hunt-ed down by the wizard-king’s forces.

Silver sword (5): At 5th level, the PC,if in good standing with his people, isrewarded with a special two-handedsilver sword +3. If used on the AstralPlane, the silver sword has a 5% chanceof cutting an opponent’s silver cordupon scoring a hit. These weapons havea significant religious value to the githz-erai, who would never willingly let themfall into the hands of outsiders.

Sword bonus (5): The PC gains +1 tohit with any sword of githzerai make.

Xenophobe (5): Fearful and hateful of

nearly all sentient creatures not of hisown race, the PC is always on the alertfor outside treachery and attack. The PCreceives a +3 to all surprise checks. Notethat while a xenophobic githzerai maybe able to suppress displays of his xeno-phobic nature most of the time, suchstrong emotions are ever-present underthe surface, just waiting for a chance tobe expressed.

Zerth bonus (5): The PC is a zerth,part of a religious sect who worship thememory of the legendary githzerai hero,Zerthimon. PC gains a 5% bonus to allXP when actively worshipping as a zerthand also receives a +4 reaction modifierwhen dealing with any githzerai (allgithzerai value such worship in othergithzerai). DMs may decide on the formsuch hero worship takes such as joiningrrakkma bands, spreading the word ofZerthimon or hunting githyanki on aregular basis.

Rogue modronStandard abilities: Armor, detect

doors, resist unlawful influences, savingthrow bonus, superior sight.

Armor (10/15): The PC possesses atough, semi-metallic skin allowing a nat-ural AC of 8. For 15 points, the roguemodron has enhanced armor grantingan AC of 6.

Detect doors (5): The PC has a 2-in-6chance of discovering secret doors anda 3 in 6 chance of detecting concealeddoors.

Detect lie (5): The PC can detect lieonce a day.

Fitness bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Constitution/Fitness sub-ability.

Four arms (10): The PC possesses anextra pair of mechanical arms which canbe used to wield another weapon andcarry a shield (much like a thri-kreen PC).

Health bonus (10): Constitution/Health sub-ability raised by +1.

lnfravision (5): The PC possesses 120’infravision.

Knowledge bonus (10): The PC gains+1 to the Intelligence/Knowledgesub-ability.

Magic resistance (10): The PC receivesmagic resistance equal to 2% per expe-rience level.

Modron powers, minor (10): Once aday, the PC can cast clairaudience, clair-voyance, or command. At 7th level, PCcan use all of these abilities once a day.

Modron powers, major (15): Once aweek, the PC can use its innate ability tocast dimension door, teleport without error,

Continued on page 17

12 NOVEMBER 1996

or wall of force. At 9th level, PC can useall of these abilities once a week.

Reason bonus (10): The PC gains +1to the Intelligence/Reason sub-ability.

Resist chaos (5): The PC receives a +1to all saves vs. wild magic, spells cast bychaotic individuals, and spells from thepriest sphere of chaos.

Resist unlawful influences (10): ThePC has a 30% resistance to illusions,energy drains, charm, sleep, fear, domina-tion, and other mind-affecting spells.

Saving throw bonus (5): The PC pos-sesses the modronic resistance to fire,cold, and acid gaining a +1 to all savingthrows vs. any such attacks.

Sense modrons (5): Ever alert to thefact that it may be captured by a mod-ron patrol and returned for judgment onMechanus, the PC can detect at will allmodrons within 60 yards. Detectionrequires the modron’s full concentrationfor each round to be maintained.

Superior sight (5): The PC’s vision isdouble the normal range of sight.

Telepathy (5): At will, the PC can con-verse telepathically with any creature oflawful alignment.

Winged modron (10): The PC pos-sesses a pair of wings allowing flight(MV 15, MC D).

TieflingStandard abilities: Cold resistance,

darkness, electricity save bonus, firesave bonus, infravision, poison savebonus.

Ambidextrous (5): The PC is ambidex-trous and can fight equally well with twoweapons with no attack penalty asrangers. Tiefling must use weapons he isproficient in.

Appearance bonus (10): The PC gains+1 to the Appearance/Charisma sub-ability.

Baatorian bloodline (15): Somewherein the past, one of the PC’s humanancestors became romantically involvedwith a resident of Baator — most likelyan erinyes. This diabolical blood tie hasgiven the tiefling a complete immunityto fire.

Baatorian powers — minor (10): Oncea day, the PC can cast command, fireball,or know alignment. At 7th level, tieflingcan enact all these abilities once a day.

Baatorian powers — major (15): Oncea week, the PC can cast fear, improvedinvisibility, or wall of fire. At 9th level,tiefling can enact all these abilities oncea week.

Bladeling flesh (10): The PC is granteda metallic natural AC 5 inherited from

his bladeling ancestry. An unfortunateside-effect from this option is that thetiefling suffers double damage from anyheat metal spells and rust dragon breathattacks.

Choice weapon (5): The PC gains +1to hit when using any one of the follow-ing weapons: long sword, stiletto, throw-ing dagger, long spear, ranseur, handcrossbow, scimitar, or punch dagger.

Cold resistance (10): The PC suffershalf damage from cold attacks.

Darkform (10): Once a day, the tieflingmay assume a darkform similar in func-tion to the wizard spell wraithform. Onceactivated, the tiefling appears as a shad-owy humanoid shape filled with dark,roiling clouds. At 5th level, the PC canactivate this power twice a day.

Darkness (5): Once a day, the PC cancast darkness 15’ radius.

Electricity save bonus (5): The PCgains +2 bonus to all saves vs. electricalattacks.

Fiendish hide (15): The PC can be hitonly by weapons enchanted to +1 orbetter.

Fiendish wings (10): The PC sports alarge pair of leathery, fiendish-lookingwings from his back that allows flight(MV 15, MC C).

Fire save bonus (5): +2 bonus to allsaves vs. fire.

Gas resistance (10): The PC suffershalf damage from gas attacks.

Hellraiser (10): The PC is invigoratedwhen on any of the lower planes, provid-ing a temporary boost to his primeattribute (1d4 points added to primeattribute ability score). A PC with morethan one prime attribute, such as a multi-classed PC, has only one attribute deter-mined randomly raised in this way. Thisboost cannot be made permanent andends once the PC leaves the lower planes.

Hordling bloodline (10): The PC’shordling ancestry has granted the PC anunpredictable magic resistance. Every24 hours, the PC rolls a 1d6 to deter-mine his magic resistance for the day(1 =1%; 2=50%; 3=10%; 4=15%; 5=30%;6=60%).

Howl from pandemonium (10): Oncea day at 5th level, tiefling can emit amind-jarring howl that affects all beingswithin 30’ of the PC as if targeted by achaos spell.

Infravision (5): The PC possessesinfravision to 60’.

Knowledge bonus (10): The PC gains+1 to the Intelligence/Knowledge sub-ability.

DRAGON #235 17

Lower planar regeneration (10):While on any of the lower planes, the PCregenerates 1 hp/round.

Poison save bonus (5): The PC gains+2 to all saves vs. poison.

Reason bonus (10): The PC raisesIntelligence/Reason sub-ability by +1.

Styx resistance (10): The PC, likemany denizens of the lower planes, isimmune to the memory-sapping watersof the River Styx.

Tanar’ric bloodline (15): The PC isimmune to all forms of electricity.

Tanar’ric powers - minor (10): Once aday, the tiefling can employ heat metal,scare, or suggestion. At 7th level, tieflingcan enact all these abilities once a day.

Tanar’ric powers - major (15): Once aweek, the tiefling can employ telekinesis,true seeing, or vampiric touch. At 9th level,the tiefling can enact all these abilitiesonce a week.

Telepathy (5): At will within a 20’radius, the PC can communicate tele-pathically with any fiend or being pos-sessing the tiefling’s alignment.

Teleport without error (15): At 7thlevel, the PC can teleport without erroronce a day. This ability take one full turnto activate and is ruined for that day ifthe tiefling is disrupted in any way.

Undetectable lie (5): Once a day, thePC can speak an undetectable lie (reverseof detect lie).

Yugoloth bloodline (15): A bizarrecross breeding between one of thetiefling’s human progenitors and ayugoloth resulted in the PC beingimmune to acid.

Yugoloth powers - minor (10): Oncea day, the tiefling can employ alter self,charm person, or spectral force. At 7thlevel, the PC can enact all these abilitiesonce a day.

Yugoloth powers - major (15): Oncea week, the PC can polymorph self, warpwood, or wind walk. At 9th level, the PCcan enact all these abilities once a week.

Racial weakness options: Sometieflings inherit weaknesses from theirLower Planar ancestors. Tiefling PCsmay select from the following racialweaknesses to earn bonus points.

Fiendish weakness (5): The PC suffersdouble damage from cold attacks.

Holy water vulnerability (5):Tiefling’s fiendish ancestry makes himespecially vulnerable to holy water. Adirect hit causes 2d4 hp damage, whilea splash does 1d4.

Silver vulnerability (5): The PC suffersdouble damage from all silver weapons.

Upper planar disorientation (5): Thetieflings fiendish nature is at odds withthe pure goodness found in the UpperPlanes. On the Upper Planes of Good,tiefling is sickened and weakened suf-fering a -4 to THAC0 and AC as well asa -4 to all surprise checks.

Standard PC racesPlayers creating planar PCs with one

of the standard character races canselect any option for their particular racefrom both the S&P handbook and fromthe list of planar options below. Thenumber of CPs for each race remainsunchanged from S&P.

Additional dwarven abilitiesEnlarge/reduce (5): The PC can

enlarge or reduce himself as the wizardspell once a day.

Lower resistance (10): The non-magi-cal nature of planar dwarves can be har-nessed to adversely affect other beings.At 5th level, the PC can cause one beingto be affected by lower resistance oncea day.

Magic resistance (10): PC has 10%magic resistance.

Pebble to boulder (5): At 5th level,the dwarf may cast pebble to boulderonce a day.

Planar sense (5): Being creatures ofthe earth, dwarves are naturally attunedto the lands they travel upon. At will, thePC can determine which outer plane heis on as well as how many layersbeneath the first layer of the plane he is.The PC does not gain any other knowl-edge of the plane (i.e. planar ruler, localinhabitants, etc.).

Rockform (10): Once a day, the PC canassume the form of a large rock or smallboulder the same size as the dwarf. Thedwarf may remain in rock form for 1hour per level of the PC. When the PCreverts back to his normal dwarf form, heis healed of 2d8+6 hp damage. While inrock form, the dwarf is virtually immuneto standard weapon attacks but may beharmed by other means such as miningequipment, being thrown by a giant.Stone-affecting spells cast on a dwarf inrockform affect the dwarf in the samemanner such spells affect a being underthe effects of a meld into stone spell.

Additional elven racial abilitiesAnimal/plant form (10): Closer to

nature than perhaps any other PC race,the elf has developed the ability to castpolymorph self (natural animals only) ortree once a day.

Detect undead (5): As champions oflife, most elves despise undead as anunnatural abomination and seek todestroy them where possible. The PCcan detect undead as per the spell once aday for every three levels possessed.

Invoke wild surge (5): Elves, being amagical and mostly chaotic race, cancombine these two traits to cause spec-tacular results. Once a day for every fivelevels, the PC can cause a wild surge tohappen to a spellcaster in the process ofcasting a spell within 20’. This powercannot affect innate abilities.

Magic resistance (10): The PC pos-sesses 10% magic resistance. Thisoption may not be taken with the elvenresistance to charm spells option.

Power of life (20): The PC is immuneto death magic and level draining spellsand attacks such as those from undead.The PC is not immune, however, toaging effects such as an attack from aghost or a haste spell.

Withdraw (5): The long-lived elfapproaches each situation with tact andcaution making the best possible use oftime. Once a day, the PC can cast with-draw.

Additional gnomish abilitiesEtherealness (10): From any prime

material world, inner plane, or demi-plane, the PC may enter the BorderEthereal of the Ethereal Plane at willtwice a day. Likewise, a gnome in theBorder Ethereal can enter any borderingplane twice a day.

Dreamweaver (10): Once a day, thePC can cast phantasmal force. At 3rdlevel, this power improves as thegnome’s understanding of illusionsbecomes greater allowing the PC to nowcast spectral force once a day. At 9thlevel, this ability becomes even moreenhanced allowing the gnome to castadvanced illusion, programmed illusion, ormirage arcane once a day.

Illusion resistance (5/20): The PCreceives 30% resistance to illusion/phantasm magic for 5 points. For 20points, the gnome is immune to all illu-sion/phantasm magic.

Magic resistance (20): Gnome startsoff with 20% magic resistance thatimproves by 5% for every level after3rd. This cannot be combined withIllusion Resistance.

Non-detection (15): The PC is perma-nently protected by non-detection.

Shadow wielder (15): At 5th level, thegnome can cast shadow magic or shadowmonsters once a day. At 9th level, this

18 NOVEMBER 1996

ability is enhanced via the gnome’sgreater understanding of illusory magicsand the PC can cast either demi-shadowmagic or demi-shadow monsters once a day.

Summon earth elemental (15): At 6thlevel, once a day, the PC can summon anearth elemental as the conjure earth ele-mental priest spell with no chance of thegnome losing control of the elemental.

Additional halfling abilitiesAlter self (5/10): Once a day, the PC

can alter self. For 10 points, the PC canpolymorph self once a day.

Alternate reality (15): The PC can castthe wild magic spell, alternate reality,once a day.

Chaos shaper (5): The PC receives thechaos shaping proficiency. All attempts toshape land in Limbo automatically suc-ceed, and the halfling can shape doublethe amount of land normally allowed.

Chaos shield (5): Some halflings havedeveloped an innate (some say vital)resistance to wild magic. Once a day forevery five levels, the PC can cast chaosshield to protect himself from all wildsurges regardless of where they originate.

Limbo friend (5): The PC is recog-nized as a native of Limbo and lookedupon as a fellow chaos supporter byother natives (i.e., slaadi, githzerai, etc.)receiving a +4 to all reaction modifiersshould those natives care at all to parleywith the halfling.

Magic resistance (10): The PC has10% magic resistance (option cannot becombined with wild resistance option).

Wall of fog (5/10): Once a day, the PCcan use his smoking pipe to create awall of fog. For 10 points, halfling stilluses his pipe to produce a wall of fog butupon reaching 8th level can producesolid fog once a day.

Wild resistance (5): The PC possesses30% magic resistance to wild magicspells, the effects of wild surges, andpriest spells from the sphere of chaos.

Additional half-elf abilitiesAncestor ability (5+): The PC can

select any one ability from either the elfor human list of options but must pay anadditional 5 points over the original costof the option. This option may be takenonly once.

Appeasement (5): The PC deeplyrespects and defers to both human andelven society, gaining a +4 modifier toall reactions with these two races.

Life protection bonus (5): The PCgains +1 to all saves vs. death magicand life-draining attacks.

Racial appearance (5): The PCappears for all-intents and purposes as amember of one of his parents race(either human or elf). The PC will neverbe mistaken for a half-elf or as a mem-ber of the other parents race.

Survivor (10): Not fully accepted byeither human or elven society, the soli-tary PC learned to rely mainly on himselfand has thus developed unusual sur-vival abilities. Once a day, the PC cancast know alignment, invisibility, or silence15’ radius. At 9th level, the half-elf cancast all these abilities once a day.

Urban sense (5): The PC is a toughurban survivor having had to hone hisskills to find out pertinent informationfast. The PC has a base 40% + 5%chance per level of knowing the answerto any general question concerning Sigilor any of the gate-towns (portals, locallaw, ruler, etc.). Of course, many burgshave secrets that no berk will ever getthe dark on.

Additional half-ogre abilitiesAlteration resistance (5): The PC is

30% resistant to magic from the schoolof alteration.

Club bonus (5): A half-ogre who isproficient with a club inflicts doubledamage on a successful attack thatexceed the to hit roll by more than 4.

Humans not so bad (5): The PC haslearned enough of his human parentscustoms to gain a general acceptancewith humans. PC gains a +4 reactionmodifier when dealing with humans.

Necromantic resistance (5): The PCreceives 30% resistance to necromanticmagic.

Ogres good, humans bad (10): The PChas honed his fighting skills againstthose particularly troublesome humans,elves, half-elves, aasimar, and tieflings.PC gains a +2 to hit and damage whenfighting any of these “annoying” races.

Super hit points (15): The robust PCreceives a bonus 2 hit points at everylevel advance.

Additional half-orc abilitiesBattle Rager of Acheron (10): Once a

week, the PC may choose to enter a bat-tle-rage whereby during a battle, PCfights to -15 hps or until all foes in sightare slain. After either condition is met,the half-orc is rendered unconscious butis also instantly healed to 1 hp if 0 hp orless. Once unconscious, the PC cannotbe revived by any means but eventuallywill awaken in 1d4 turns. Some sagesattribute this ability to a bizarre influ-

ence emanating from Acheron targetingthose of orcish descent.

Chaos foe (5): The PC gains +1 to allsaves from spells cast by chaotic beings,spells having chaos as an end resultsuch as confusion and chaos, or priestspells from the law sphere.

Eye of Gruumsh (10): At 2nd level,once a day, the PC can know alignment,detect lie, or detect magic. At 8th level, thePC can enact each ability once a day.

Gruumsh’s speedy blessing (10):Once a day in battle only, the PC canmove as if hasted for as many rounds aslevels possessed. The half-orc does notsuffer any aging from this power.

Law warrior (10): Once a day, thehalf-orc can cast one priest spell fromthe combat, war, or law spheres. The PCcan only cast a spell that is normallyavailable to a priest of the same level.For example, a 5th level half-orc fightercould cast one priest spell up to 3rd levelbut no higher. When he reached 7thlevel, the half-orc could then cast onespell up to 4th level.

Magic resistance (10): The PC receives10% magic resistance.

Revitalized slayer (5): The PC is invig-orated with every kill in battle. For everybeing slain by the half-orc, the PC ishealed of 2 hp of damage (but cannotexceed PC’s maximum total). This is areward from Acheron for the half-orc’sproven battle prowess.

Additional human abilitiesAstral walker (10): Once a day, the PC

and up to 1 companion per level canenter the astral plane from the first layerof any outer plane (excluding Sigil). Thisability takes one round to enact butworks only on the outer planes.

Detect fiend (5): Some stalwarthumans are always on guard againstthe seemingly ever-present fiends. Atwill, the PC can detect all fiends within30’ x 10’ path in front of him even if thefiend has assumed a different form. Thispower takes one round to scan a direc-tion and the PC cannot engage in anyother behavior.

Detect scrying (5): Some humans arevery sensitive to divination magicsdirected at them. Once a day, the PC candetect scrying.

Evocation resistance (5): The PC has30% resistance to invocation/evocationmagic.

Free actor (10): Once a day, thehuman can cast free action on himself.

Magic resistance (5/10): Humanreceives 2% magic resistance for every

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level possessed. For 10 points, the PCreceives a 3% magic resistance perlevel. This ability cannot be combinedwith evocation resistance.

Plane lover (5): The PC is enamored ofa handful of native races living on theouter planes. The PC gains a +4 modifierto all reactions when dealing with goodcelestials, evil fiends, or the neutral beings(modrons, slaadi and rilmani). The playerchooses one group only. Such infatua-tions sometimes lead to the births of aasi-mar, alu-fiends, cambions, and tieflings.

True seer (10): The human has beengifted with a precious enhanced vision.PC can cast true seeing (priest version)once a day.

4. Character classesEach class has a standardized pack-

age of abilities found in the PHB which isalso duplicated here for easy reference.Players may opt to take the standard listof skills or customize their PCs using theabilities listed here. More informationconcerning each class (such as allowableweapons and armor, level limits, andminimum requirements) may be foundin PHB or S&P.

ClassWarrior

FighterPaladinRanger

RogueBardThief

PriestClericDruid

WizardMageSpecialist

Points Allotted

156060

8080

125100

4030

All classesAll classes can select the following

ability:Weapon specialization: PC has the

ability to specialize in a single weaponbut the CP cost for acquiring the special-ization must be met in addition to pay-ing for this option. This cost variesdepending on the class chosen: Fighter5 CPs; Paladin, Ranger, or Bard 10 CPs;Thief, Cleric, Druid, or Mage 15 CPs;Specialist Wizard 20 CPs.

Warrior classOptional restrictions

All sub-classes of warrior can gainbonus points by accepting voluntaryrestrictions on normal warrior abilities.

Limited armor (5/10/15): The PC withthis restriction is limited in his selection ofarmor. If the PC is restricted to chainmailor lighter armor, this restriction gives 5CPs; if limited to studded leather or lighterarmor, PC gains 10 CPs; and if the PCrefuses to wear any armor at all, he gains15 CPs. All warriors may still use a shield.

Limited weapon selection (5): The PCis limited in his choice of weapons. Hecan gain proficiency with weapons inonly one of the following groups: meleeweapons (no missile weapons allowed);priest weapons; rogue weapons.

Limited magical item use (5+): ThePC refuses to use certain categories ofmagical items. For each category that isbarred to him, he gains 5 CPs. The cate-gories are: potions, oils, and scrolls;rods, staves, wands, and miscellaneousmagical items; weapons; and armor.

FighterStandard abilities: Attract followers,

weapon specialization.1d12 for hit points (10): The PC rolls

d12 for hit points.Attract followers (5/10): The PC at 9th

level gains followers as described in thePHB if he establishes a stronghold. The10-point option allows him to attract fol-lowers whenever he establishes astronghold, regardless of level. DMsshould adjust the racial make-up of fol-lowers to adequately reflect thePlanescape setting.

Blood warrior (10): The PC believesthat the true path to becoming the finestwarrior lies in pitting his skills againstthe eternally warring fiends especiallyfighting them where they war the most— in the Blood War. When fightingfiends anywhere, the PC becomes anawesome fighting machine as he revelsin his true element. Fighter gains a +2 tohit and damage against all fiends, andreceives a +2 bonus to AC.

Leadership (5): The PC is able to leadlarge number of troops in battle (up to

Building (5): The PC knows how toconstruct heavy war machines, siegeengines, and siege towers.

Defense bonus (10/15): The PC gains a+2 bonus to AC if unencumbered andunarmored: For 15 points, AC bonus is +3.

Improved THAC0 (10): The PC beginslife better suited to fight than most byhaving an improved THAC0. The PCstarts with a THAC0 of 18 at 1st level thatimproves by 1 for every level advance.

Increased movement (5): The PC isquicker than most and adds a +3 tomovement rate.

100 soldiers per level). The PC knowshow to use messengers and signals, isfamiliar with military terminology, andunderstands the mechanics of movinglarge numbers of troops.

Move silently (10): A PC with this abili-ty can move silently like thieves. Thechance of success is equal to PC’sDexterity score added to the PC’s level. Inorder to move silently, the PC cannotwear any armor greater than studdedleather. All other thief penalties also apply.

Multiple specialization (10): The PCwith this ability can specialize in asmany weapons as desired provided thatthe CP cost is met for each individualspecialization.

Planetouched (10): The PC’s body ischarged with a curious planar energythat temporarily renders non-magicalweapons the fighter wields into amagical weapon (so long as the fightermaintains physical contact with theweapon). For every 4 levels of the fight-er, the non-magical weapon gains amagical +1 bonus to hit and damage(i.e., +1 at 1st level, +2 at 5th, etc., to amaximum of +5).

Poison resistance (5): The PC gains+1 to all saves vs. poison.

Proficiency ease (5): By spending 5CPs now, the fighter can cut the cost ofall weapon proficiency costs in the future(including all forms of mastery) by 50%.

Spell resistance (5): The PC gains +1to all saves vs. spells.

Supervisor (5): The PC has theauthority to supervise the constructionof defensive works such as ditches, pits,fields of stakes, and hastily built woodenand stone barricades. Semi-permanentbuildings may also be constructed iftime permits.

War machines (5): The PC knowshow to operate heavy war machinesand siege engines such as ballistae, cat-apults, rams, bores, and siege towers.

PaladinStandard abilities: Circle of power,

curative, detect evil, faithful mount,healing, health, priest spells, protectionfrom evil, saving throw bonus.

All paladins have built-in restrictionsto the class, which cannot be changed,as listed in the PHB and S&P. If the DMallows, paladin spell restrictions listed inPLAYER’S OPTION: Spells & Magic rules maybe taken for extra CPs.

Circle of power (5): If the PC owns aholy sword, he can project a circle of

1d12 for hit points (10): The PC rollsd12 for hit points.

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power 10’ in diameter. This circle dispelshostile magic at a level equal to the pal-adin’s experience.

Curative (10): Once a week for everythree experience levels, the PC can curediseases of all types.

Detect evil (5): The PC can detect evilmonsters and beings up to 60’ awaysimply by concentrating for one round.The PC can perform this ability anunlimited number of times.

Dispel evil (10): At 7th level, the PCcan cast dispel evil once per day.

Faithful mount (5): The PC can sum-mon a steed at 4th level as per the PHB.

Fiend slayer (10): The PC is the swornenemy of all vile fiends and gains a +3to hit and +3 to damage against fiends.

Gift of the Archons (15): The PC hasbeen honored by the archons andrewarded with a wondrous gift. The PCgrows a large pair of feathered wingsfrom his back that allows flight (MV 18,MC B). Note that any armor the PC ownsmust be altered to accommodate thesecelestial wings.

Healing (5/10): Once a day, the PCcan heal him or another by laying on ofhands restoring 2 hit points per level.For 10 points, the paladin can heal 4 hitpoints per level once a day.

Health (5): The PC is immune to allforms of disease.

High wisdom bonus (5): If the PC hasthe Priest Spells option, he receivesbonus spells based on his high wisdomidentical to the way clerics do.

Holy assistance (10): Once a week,the PC can gate in 1 lantern archon perexperience level as long as the archonsare employed solely in the fight againstevil. The gated lanterns remain for 1turn plus 1 round per paladin’s level.This ability does not work in Sigil.

Holy defender (10): When on theplane of his power (usually Mt. Celestiabut not always), the PC becomes a nearinvincible defender. All magic resistanceand saving throw bonuses are doubledand the paladin’s AC is improved by 4.

Lawful order (5): The PC can dictate(as the 3rd-level priest spell in S&M) oncea day for every four levels.

Lower planar vanquisher (10): The PChas steeled himself for taking the goodfight where fiends live and breed. Thepaladin receives a +4 to all saves vs. anynaturally occurring phenomena on anyof the lower planes.

Poison resistance (10): The PC gains+2 to all saves vs. poison.

Priest spells (10): At 9th level, the PCcan cast priest spells as per the PHB.

Protection from evil (5): The PC isprotected from evil by a natural aura 10’in diameter which affects all evil crea-tures in the aura (-1 penalty to THAC0).

Resist fiendish magics (10): Paladingains a 2/%/level magic resistanceagainst any spells employed by fiends.This resistance can be added to anyother magic resistance the paladin pos-sesses.

Resist charm (10/15): +2 bonus tosaves vs. charm-like spells and effects.For 15 points, the paladin’s saving throwbonus vs. charm magic is +4 if thecharm is cast by any evil being from thelower planes.

Saving throw bonus (10): +2 bonus toall saving throws.

Turn undead (10): At 3rd level, thepaladin can turn undead as a cleric twolevels below his own level.

RangerStandard ranger abilities: Attract fol-

lowers, empathy with animals, hide inshadow, move silently, priest spells, spe-cial enemy, tracking, two-weapon style.

If the DM allows, ranger spell restric-tions listed in the PLAYER’S OPTION: Spells &Magic rules may be taken for extra CPs.

1d12 for hit points (10): PC rolls d12for hit points.

Animal master (15): At 5th level, thePC has learned how to control the nat-ural fauna around him. Once a week,the ranger may cast animal growth, anti-animal shell, conjure animals, or hold ani-mal. At 9th level, the ranger can enacteach of these abilities once a week.

Attract followers (10): At 10th level,the PC attracts followers as per PHB orS&P (the list of followers should be mod-ified to include planar beings).

Bow bonus (5): +1 attack bonus withany bow.

Climbing (10): Ranger can climb trees,cliffs, and other natural formations(except the Spire). Climbing score isequal to ranger’s Dexterity/Balancescore plus the hide in shadows percent-age for a ranger of his level (see table inPHB or S&P).

Detect noise (10): Similar to the thiefability but the ranger uses hisWisdom/Intuition score plus the hide inshadows percentage to determine hischance of success.

Empathy with animals (10): Rangercan approach and befriend an animal asdescribed in the PHB or S&P.

DRAGON #235 21

Find and remove wilderness traps(10): Ability functions similar to the thiefability but ranger’s chance of success isequal to move silently percentage.

High wisdom bonus (5): If the rangerhas the Priest Spells option, the rangerreceives bonus spells based on his highwisdom identical to the way clerics do.

Hide in shadows (5): Wearing stud-ded leather or lighter armor, ranger canhide in shadows as per PHB or S&P.

Move silently (5): Wearing studdedleather or lighter armor, ranger canmove silently as per PHB or S&P.

Pass without trace (10): Ranger canpass without trace as the druid ability.

Planar defender (10): Ranger gains a+2 bonus to hit, to damage, and initia-tive as well as a +1 bonus to AC whenfighting on his home plane against non-natives of the plane.

Planar attunement (5): Ranger canattune herself to the plane he is on andbecome vividly aware of naturally occur-ring phenomena of the plane such asthe will-sapping entropy of the GrayWaste. This ability takes one completeturn of uninterrupted concentration perphenomena to be discerned.

Plant master (15): At 3rd level, theranger has learned how to effectivelymanipulate surrounding flora and may,once a week, cast anti-plant shell, holdplant, plant growth, or wall of thorns. At8th level, the ranger can enact each abil-ity once a week.

Polymorph self (5/10): At 5th level,ranger can polymorph self once a dayinto any natural animal native to hisplane of origin. For 10 points, ranger canpolymorph into any creature he desireswithin the spell’s limitations.

Priest spells (10): At 8th level, rangercan cast priest spells precisely asdescribed in the PHB or S&P.

Savage ranger (10): The union of pla-nar energies and the ranger’s relation-ship with nature have combined tomaker him a savage fighter. Once a day,the ranger can cast Tenser’s transforma-tion on himself with the following differ-ences: ranger uses his own THAC0 andmay fight with any weapon which hechooses (proficiency rules still apply).

Sneak attack (10): A ranger who suc-cessfully, hides in shadows and movessilently can backstab an opponent asthe thief ability. A backstab is +4 to hitand causes damage as per a thief of thesame level.

Speak with animals (5/10): Once aday, the PC can speak with animals asthe spell. For lo-points, the ranger can

employ this ability once a day for everythree experience levels possessed.

Special enemy (10): The PC gains a+4 to THAC0 and -4 to reaction modi-fiers when dealing with his specialenemy. This ability is fully described inthe PHB and S&P, but the ranger maynow select planar beings as enemiesincluding fiends.

Tracking ability (5): The PC receivestracking proficiency which automaticallyimproves by +1 for every three levels.

Two-weapon style (5): The PC canfight with two weapons and suffer nopenalties as per the PHB or S&P.

Rogue classStandard rogue thieving skills

Both types of rogue have access toany standard rogue thieving skill listedbelow provided that each skill is paid forwith CPs. The base values of each rogueskill are detailed in S&P. Racial modifiersfor the standard races are also detailedin S&P. Racial modifiers for the uniquelyplanar races are found under their spe-cific entry in the appropriate PLANESCAPE

source. Modifiers based on Dexterityand the specific type of armor worn arefound in S&P. These skills can beimproved upon as a rogue advances inlevel but these improvements varyaccording to the type of rogue. Bardsbegin with 20 discretionary points todistribute among their base thieving skillvalues at 1st level. At every level there-after, the bard receives 15 points to dis-tribute among these skills. At 1st level,thieves begin with 60 discretionarypoints that can be spent on these skills.At every level thereafter, the thief gains30 more points to spend on thievingskills. Complete descriptions of theseskills are found in S&P: Bribe (5), climbwalls (5), detect illusion (10), detectmagic (10), detect noise (5), escapebonds (10), find/remove traps (10), hidein shadows (5), move silently (5), openlocks (10), pick pockets (10), read lan-guages (5), tunneling (10).

ThiefStandard abilities: Attract followers,

backstab, climb walls, detect noise,find/remove traps, hide in shadows,move silently, open locks, pick pockets,read language, scroll use, thieves cant.

Attract followers (5/10): The 5-pointoption allows the PC to attract followersat 9th level as per the PHB. For 10 points,thief can attract followers whenever heestablishes a stronghold, regardless oflevel.

Audible glamer (5): A thief oftenneeds to cause a diversion when he hasto slip past some annoying hardheadsor other law-enforcing berks. The PC cancast an audible glamer once a day.

Backstab (10): The PC can attack anopponent with a vicious backstab asdetailed in the S&P.

Backstab bonus (5): A thief who haschosen backstab now attacks with a +6to all backstab attacks.

Comprehend languages (5): Theplanes house a tremendous number ofraces and a knight of the cross-trade hasto be able to speak their languages toget what he wants from them (usually aprofitable peel). Once a day, the PC cancast tongues.

Dimension door (10): Berks about toget nabbed by the law usually wishthey’d have planned some form ofescape. Some planar thieves, usuallySigilian, have learned a sure-fire way toescape. Once a week, the PC canemploy a dimension door. At 9th level,the PC can enact this ability once a day.

Defensive bonus (10/15): An unar-mored and unencumbered thief gains a+2 to his armor class. For 15 points, thethief receives a +3 bonus to AC.

Know faction (5): In Sigil and else-where, lots of cutters try to hide whothey are and who they serve. This thiefhas made it his business to know whohe is dealing with before he deals withthem. The thief can know faction once aday as the Indep spell in the Factol’sManifesto.

Magic thief (10): At 7th level, the thiefcan steal enchantment once a day.

Portal lock (5): If on the run, somethieves need to keep annoying berkslike Harmonium from following themthrough portals. Once a day, the thiefcan attempt temporarily to shut down aportal by casting surelock (PLANESCAPE

campaign setting).Sense portal (10): Always looking for

a possible means to escape should theneed arise, the thief can cast warp sense(PLANESCAPE campaign setting) once aday.

Shadow thief (10): At 7th level, thiefcan cast Lorloveim’s shadowy transforma-tion on himself twice a day.

Silence (5): Once a day, the thief canrender himself silent as the 2nd-levelpriest spell silence 15’ radius, except onlythe thief is affected.

Scroll use (5/10): At 10th level, thethief can use magical spell scrolls as perS&P. For 10-points, the thief can readscrolls at any level.

22 NOVEMBER 1996

Thieves’ cant (5): Thief uses slangterms when referring to illegal activitiesthus letting them converse about suchdealings in the open without othersknowing what is being talked about.

BardStandard bard abilities: Alter moods,

attract followers, climb walls, countereffects, detect noise, history, magicalitem use, pick pockets, rally friends, readlanguages, wizard spells.

If the DM allows, bard spell restric-tions and options listed in PLAYER‘S OPTION:Spells & Magic may be selected.

Attract followers (5/10): The 5-pointoption allows the PC to attract followersat 9th level as per the PHB. For 10 points,PC can attract followers whenever thePC establishes a stronghold, regardlessof the PC’s level.

Alter moods (5): The PC can influencereactions as described in the PHB.

Animal friendship (10): Once a day,the bard can cast the equivalent of ananimal friendship spell by singing a song.

Charm person (10): Once a day, thePC can cast a charm person by singingthe spell. At 9th level, the PC can castcharm monster instead of charm persononce a day.

Charm resistance (10): The PC gains+2 to all saves vs. charm/enchantmentspells and effects.

Counter effects (10): The PC cancounter the effects of songs and magicused as magical attacks (including spellscast by song mages) by performing acounter song as described in S&P.

History (10): Bard knows a “little bit ofeverything as found in the PHB.

Instrumental spell casting (10): ThePC has learned how to enhance hisspells by casting them through a musicalinstrument with which he is proficient.(CPs must be spent for this proficiencyalso). All spells cast through the instru-ment are treated as if two levels higherwith regard to effect, range, etc., andneed no material components. Castingspells in this manner increases castingtime by 1 per level of the spell.

Magical item use (10): Bard can usemagic items usable only by wizards butwith a chance of failure as per the PHB.

Priestly magic (5): The bard gainsminor access to one sphere of priestlymagic. The wizard spells option mustalso be taken. Additional spheres maybe purchased as many times as desired.

Rally friends (5): Music, stories andpoetry performed by the bard can beinspirational as in the PHB.

Song of combat (10): Once a day, thebard can play a song of combat whichhas the same effect as unearthly choiras if he were a trio of priests. At 6thlevel, the bard can sing as per the quar-tet; at 9th level, the bard functions as ifa quintet; at 12th level, the bard sings asan ensemble of six priests; and at 16thlevel, the bard sings as if he were anentire choir of eleven priests.

Song of discordance (10): Once a day,a non-lawful bard can play a song of dis-cordance on his instrument which hasthe same effect as chaotic combatexcept that all warriors within 10’ of thebard are affected.

Song of harmony (10): Once a day, anon-chaotic bard can play a song of har-mony on his instrument which has thesame effect as defensive harmony.

Sound resistance (5): +2 bonus tosaves vs. sound-based magical assaults.

Spell bonus (10): Bard gains an extraspell per spell level if the wizard spellsoption is taken.

Wizard spells (10): The bard can castspells at 2nd level as per the PHB and S&P.

Priest classAll priest spheres and their costs are

detailed in S&P. If the DM allows, priestrestrictions and options listed in S&P.may be also selected to further cus-tomize priest PCs.

Optional restrictionsBoth clerics and druids can gain

bonus points to spend on abilitiesappropriate to their sub-class by accept-ing the following voluntary restrictionson normal priest abilities.

Armor restriction (5+): The PC is lim-ited in choice of armor. For 5 CPs, thepriest is restricted to chain mail or lighterarmor; for 10 points, the priest is limitedto studded leather or lighter armor; andfor 15 points, the priest may not weararmor at all.

Limited magical item Use (5+): Anypriest with this penalty refuses to usecertain categories of magical items. Thepriest gains 5 CPs for every categoryselected: potions, oils, and scrolls; rings,rods, staves, wands, and miscellaneousitems; weapons and armor.

Reduced hit points (10/20): The PCwith the 10-point limitation uses d6 forhit points. For 20 points, the PC uses d4for hit points.

ClericStandard abilities: Sphere access

(Major - All, Astral, Charm, Combat,

Creation, Divination, Elemental,Guardian, Healing, Necromantic, Protec-tion, Summoning, Sun, Weather), turnundead.

Access to spheres: Clerics can pur-chase major or minor access to thepriest spheres of magic. All clerics aregenerally limited to only those spheresof their powers portfolio.

Anchor of stability (5): The very landof the planes, being mutable, can slideinto another plane when dominated bythe overwhelming influence of the align-ment of those present. The PC’s strongdevotion to his power acts as an anchorfor that ground and thus prevents itsmovement. No planar land slips within10’ of the cleric unless that land is shift-ing to the plane of the cleric’s power. (Inthis case, the land slips normally).

Casting reduction (5): Clerics castingtime is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1)

Detect good/evil (10): Non-evil clericswith this ability can see emanations ofevil (non-good clerics detect good) fromcreatures and objects within a path 10’wide by 60’ long. This power takes oneround to scan a direction and the clericcannot engage in any other behavior.

Detect undead (10): Clerics with thisability can detect undead within a path10’ wide by 60’ long as long as theundead are not hidden behind stone orother dense material. This power takesone round to scan a direction and thecleric cannot engage in any otherbehavior.

Expert healer (5/10): The PC can casta bonus cure light wounds spell once perday. With the 10-point option, the clericcan cast a bonus cure light woundsonce a day for every three levels ofexperience.

Faithful fanatic (10): All spells cast bycleric function as if the PC were onelevel higher as a reward of his devotionto his power.

Followers (5/10): The 5-point optionallows the cleric to attract followers at9th level as per the PHB. For 10 points,he can attract followers whenever thecleric establishes a stronghold, regard-less of the his level.

Hit point bonus (10/15): The PC rollsd10 for hit points. For 15 points, the PCrolls d12.

Know alignment (10): Once a day,the cleric can cast know alignment.

Nearer my power to thee (10): Anextremely strong link between the clericand his power exists lessening by onethe levels a cleric will drop when not onthe plane of his power.

DRAGON #235 23

Path of the proxy (5): Once a day, thecleric can call upon faith or draw uponholy might.

Plane truth (15): The cleric is grantedthe purest vision from his deity. Priestcan cast true seeing (priest version) oncea week. At 7th level, the priest can usethis ability once per day.

Resist energy drain (5): The PC gains+1 to all saves vs. the energy drain spelland level-draining attacks of undead.This ability has no effect where no saveis allowed or when used in conjunctionwith the negative energy protectionspell.

Resist temptation (10): The cleric’szeal and devotion to his power lessensthe chance that others can sway or influ-ence the PC. PC gains a +2 to all saveswhich might influence the PC’s mindsuch as charm/enchantment spells andpsionics.

Spell duration increase (10): Theduration of all non-instantaneous spellscast by the PC increases by 1 round forevery 2 of the cleric’s experience levels.

Sphere bonus (6+): The cleric canpurchase either major or minor accessto one sphere of priest spells that nor-mally lies outside his powers portfolio.The cost is twice the standard cost listed.

Sphere focus (10): Any spells in onesphere of the clerics choice are cast as ifthe PC were two levels higher. This maybe combined with the Faithful Fanaticoption.

Turn undead (10): Cleric is grantedpowers over undead as per PHB or S&P.

Warrior-priests (10): Clerics with thisoption use the warrior Strength andConstitution bonuses for exceptionalscores.

Weapon allowance (5): A cleric withthis option can use a favored, edgedweapon of his deity. PC must also payfor proficiency for the weapon.

Wizardly priests (15): Cleric gainsaccess to one school of wizard spellsand can cast them as if they were cleri-cal spells. This includes the more stylizedwizard schools such as elemental magicor even wild magic.

Wondrous healer (15): All curewounds cast by the cleric heal to theirmaximum potential.

DruidStandard abilities: Communicate,

fire/electrical resistance, identify, immu-nity to charm, pass without trace,shapechange, sphere access (Major -All, Animal, Elemental, Healing, Plant,Weather; Minor - Divination)

Access to spheres: The standarddruid selection of spells costs 60 CPs orthe druid can purchase access to thespheres just like clerics do.

Alignment change (10): Once a day,the druid can temporarily neutralize onebeing by changing its alignment to theleast extreme alignment - true neutral.On a failed save vs. spells, the being soaffected has its alignment changed to trueneutral for the next 2d6 hours and actsaccordingly. This change can severelycomplicate the lives of ‘extremists’ such aspaladins and fiends, which is preciselywhat the druid wishes to accomplish.

Alter beasts (10): Once a day at 7thlevel, the druid can polymorph otheranother being into a woodland creature.

Analyze balance (5): The druid cananalyze balance at will.

Animal friendship (5): Once a day,the druid can cast animal friendship.

Cold resistance (5): +2 to all saves vs.cold or ice-based attacks.

Communicate (10): The druid canlearn one language per level of onegroup of creatures from a related groupof racial tongues. A druid could learn thelanguages of woodland and sylvanraces or the languages of the neutralplanar beings such as rilmani, modrons,eladrin, slaadi and yugoloth.

Elemental sphere bonus (5/20):Elemental spells cast by the druid aretreated as if the PC were one level high-er. For 20 points, the druid’s own bodyalso serves as an all-purpose elementalpower key enabling all elemental spellscast by the druid to reach their fullestpotential anywhere in the planes.

Fire/electrical resistance (5): The PCgains +2 to all saves vs. fire and electri-cal attacks.

Hide in shadows (5): Druid can hidein shadows as per the ranger ability withthe same chance of success as a ranger(see ranger).

Hit point bonus (10/15): Druid rollsd10 for hit points. For 15 points, thedruid rolls d12 for hit points.

Identify (5/10): At 3rd level, the druidcan accurately identify plants, animals,and clean water from his native plane.The 10-point option allows the druid toaccurately identify plants, animals andclean water from other planes butbecause of the druid’s unfamiliarity withflora and fauna from other planes, hemay fail at an identification attempt.Chance of success equals 40% +5%/level.

Immunity to charm (5/10): At 7thlevel, druid is immune to charm spells

cast by woodland creatures from hisown plane and the plane of his deity asper the PHB. The 10-point option gives adruid this immunity at 1st level.

Immunity to disease (10): With thisoption, the druid is immune to all naturaldiseases.

Keeper of the balance (10): Whenfighting against creatures of extremealignments (LG, CG, LE, & CE), the druidgains a +2 bonus to hit, damage, andinitiative as well as receiving a +2 to allsaves from spell attacks by those beings.

Move silently (5): Druid can movesilently as per the ranger ability with thesame chance of success as a ranger (seeranger).

Outlandish defender (10): On theOutlands, the druid becomes an awe-some defender receiving a +4 bonus toarmor class and doubling all magic resis-tance and saving throw bonuses.

Pass without trace (5): At 3rd level, adruid moving at his normal movementrate can pass without trace at will as perthe spell.

Planar native (10): This powerfuloption allows a PC to attune his body toany outer plane he is on, providing himwith special benefits. The PC’s neutralalignment is masked and for purposesof divination appears to be the align-ment of the plane he is on. The PC alsodoes not drop in level if his power is onanother plane. The PC gains a +1 to allsaves vs. natural phenomena of theplane he is on.

Portal affinity (5): Druid can castwarp sense (campaign setting boxed set)once a day.

Purify water (5): Druid can cast purifyfood and drink once a day.

Secret language (5): Druid knows asecret language that only druids and ril-mani know.

Sense plane slippage (5): While onany of the Outer Planes, the druidbecomes instantly aware of any large-scale plane slippage from one plane toanother as it occurs (large-scale beingabout he size of a gate-town). The druidlearns where the slipping begins andwhere the land is headed. Additionally,the druid instantly becomes aware ofwhen he steps on any land that hasslipped if the slippage occurred withinthe past 100 years (druid also learnswhere the slipped land originated).

Shapechange (10/15): At 7th level,druid can shapechange into a natural ani-mal as described in PHB or S&P. For 15points, the druid can shapechange start-ing at 5th level.

24 NOVEMBER 1996

Spire sense (5): On the Outlands, thedruid is instantly aware of when hecrosses any of the nine rings surround-ing the spire that restrict magic use.

Wizard classBoth mages and specialist wizards

have similar characteristics attributableto both sub-classes. The below listedoptions are available to all wizards inaddition to other options particular toeach sub-class. If your DM approves,additional options for wizards found inS&M may also be purchased.

Wizard optionsArmored wizard (5/10/15): As a 5-

point ability, the wizard may wearpadded armor. For 10 points, the wizardmay wear leather, studded leather, hide,or brigantine armor. For 15 points, thewizard may wear any armor desired.Wizards are not allowed to use shields.

Automatic spells (5): When a wizardwith this option gains access to a newlevel of spells, the wizard automaticallyacquires a spell for that level. Specialistwizards may only select spells belongingto their chosen school.

Bonus spells (10): Wizard may memo-rize 1 additional spell per spell level.Bonus spells memorized by specialistsmust belong to the wizard’s specialtyschool.

Casting reduction (5): Wizard’s cast-ing times are reduced by 1 (to a mini-mum of 1).

Combat bonus (10): Wizard fightswith a priests THAC0.

Detect magic (10): This ability allowsthe wizard to detect magic once a dayfor every two levels of the wizard.

Dispel magic (10): Wizard can cast dis-pel magic once a day for every five levelspossessed.

Extend duration (10): The duration ofall non-instantaneous spells increasesby 1 round for every 2 experience levelsof the generalist mage. If taken by a spe-cialist, this option extends a non-instan-taneous spell’s duration by 1round/level but the spell must belong tothe wizard’s specialty school.

Greater hit die (10/15/20): For 10points, the wizard rolls d6 for hit points.For 15 points, the wizard rolls d8 for hitpoints. With the 20-point option, thewizard rolls d10 for hit points.

Immunity (10+): A wizard with thispower gains complete immunity to oneparticular spell, at a cost of 10 CPs plus 1CP per spell level. The wizard ignores theeffects of the spell and cannot be directly

damaged or harmed by the spell. Thewizard may gain immunity to a group ofrelated spells by spending CPs to becomeimmune to the highest level spell in thatgroup, so a wizard who wanted tobecome immune to all charms (charm per-son, charm monster etc.) would spend 18CPs for immunity to mass charm.

Range boost (5): The reach of allranged spells (other than 0, self, ortouch) from one school selected by thewizard is increased by 25%. Specialtywizards must apply this option to theirchosen school.

Read magic (5): Wizard can readmagic once a day for every two levelspossessed.

Optional restrictionsBoth mages and specialists may

select from the following limitations togain CPs to spend on other abilities.With their DMs approval, players mayopt to select other wizard limitations inS&P.

Learning penalty (5+): Wizard suffersa -15% penalty when trying to learnspells in all schools of magic except oneschool which the wizard exempts fromthis penalty. Specialists must exempttheir chosen school.

Limited magical item use (5+): ThePC with this penalty refuses to use cer-tain categories of magical items. Thewizard gains 5 CPs for every categoryselected: potions, oils, and scrolls; rings,rods, staves, wands, and miscellaneousitems; all weapons and armor.

More opposition schools (5+): The PCwith this restriction may choose to takeadditional opposing schools, gaining 5points for each school in opposition to hisspecialty. Only standard specialty schoolsas described in the PHB can be selectedas additional oppositional schools. (Thisoption is not available to mages).

Reduced hit points (10): Wizard usesd3 for hit points rather than d4.

Weapon restriction (3/5): For 3points, the wizard may never have aweapon proficiency. For 5 points, thewizard can never wield a weapon evento save his life. This last restriction is notlimited to weapons wholly created bythe wizard’s spells such as ice knife.

MageStandard abilities: Access to all

schools.Access to all schools: It costs 40

points for a mage to have access to alleight standard schools of magic.

DRAGON #235 25

Planar proficiency summary

ProficiencyGeneralChaos ShapingPlanar Direction SensePlanar SensePlanar SurvivalPlane KnowledgePortal Feel

Wizard/PriestPlanologySpell Recovery

cost Initial Rating Ability Reference

4 8 Wisdom/Intuition PWH3 7 Wisdom/Intuition PWH3 6 Wisdom/Intuition PWH44

5 Intelligence/Knowledge PWH5 Intelligence/Knowledge FM

5 3/1 Intelligence/Reason PWH

4 7 Intelligence/Reason PWH5 3 Intelligence/Knowledge PWH

are more effective against creatures of aEthos focus (10): The mage’s spells

specific ethos, who suffer a -2 to savingthrows vs. the mage’s spells. Only crea-tures whose alignment falls into one ofthe following groups are affected: law-ful, chaotic, or neutral good/evil.

Spell option was taken, the specialistnow receives a second bonus spell per

Extra bonus spell (10): If the Bonus

spell level provided that the spellbelongs to his chosen school.

Focused magic (10): Most beings inthe planes have some form of magicresistance which makes it difficult forwizards to use offensive spells. The wiz-ard has enhanced his spellcasting toattempt to overcome that magic resis-tance. Once a day, any being targetedby a spell cast from the specialist’s cho-sen school is first treated as if affectedby lower resistance for that spell only.

Planar safeguard (10): The mage hasdeveloped a magical resistance (2%/level) against spells cast by all beingsoriginating from one plane of existenceas chosen by the player. This resistancecan be added to any magic resistancethe PC already possesses.

Planar sympathy (10): The wizard isattuned to those outer planes with thesame ethos as his own (either law,chaos, or non-lawful/non-chaotic neu-trality). All spells cast by the wizard aretreated as if two levels higher when caston an outer plane of the same ethos.

Priestly wizard (10/15): For 10 points,mage gains minor access to one sphereof priest spells and can cast them as ifthey were wizard spells. For 15 points,the mage gains major access to thatsphere.

Resistance to sleep and charm (5): +1bonus to all saving throws vs. sleep andcharm.

Stay enchantment (5): Weaponsused by the mage do not suffer a magi-cal plus loss when brought to otherplanes as the wizard is able to sustainthe weapon’s magical enchantment. Aweapon not in the wizard’s grasp isunaffected.

Warrior wizard (10): The mage enjoysthe benefits of a high constitution scorethe same as warriors.

Specialist wizardStandard abilities: Specialty school

and accompanying schools (no pointcost), automatic spells, bonus spells,intense magic, learning bonus, researchbonus, saving throw bonus.

Specialized wizards as listed in thePHB have the following penalty (which isnot mandatory) when selecting optionsand limitations: learning penalty.

Intense magic (5): If a specialist wiz-ard casts a spell from his chosen school,the targets of that spell suffer a -1 savingthrow penalty. This option may be pur-chased several times with a cumulativeeffect.

Learning bonus (5): +15% bonuswhen attempting to learn new spellsbelonging to the wizard’s specialtyschool.

Magic resistance (10): Specialist gains10% magic resistance against magicfrom his specialty school which may beadded to any other magic resistance.

No components (10): The ability todesignate one specialty-school spell percharacter level as a spell that does notrequire material components.

Planar strength (10): On his home-plane, spells of his chosen school cast bythe specialist have their effects doubled.

Research bonus (5): When attempt-ing to research and create a new spellbelonging to his specialized school, thespell is treated as one level lower thanits actual level.

Saving throw bonus (5): +1 bonus onsaving throws vs. spells cast at wizardfrom school of specialization. Thisoption may be purchased several timeswith a cumulative effect.

Specialty bonus (10): All spells in thewizard’s chosen school cast by the spe-cialist are treated as if the wizard weretwo levels higher for purposes of dam-age, duration, etc.

Specialty sense (5): The specialist isvery much in tune with his specialtyschool and instinctively knows how thephysical conditions on any plane willaffect spells from his chosen school. Thisknowledge comes to a wizard within1d3 turns upon arrival on a plane.

5. Character kitsTheoretically, any kit currently exist-

ing in any campaign setting may betaken by a PLANESCAPE PC. Players shouldkeep in mind that some PC kits havebeen specifically designed for play sole-ly on a specific campaign world (such asthe Athasian advanced being or theMystaran inheritor). It is understandabletherefore that their presence on theplanes might be difficult to justify.Players should seek their DMs approvalbefore using any kits. The PWH listsseven new kits exclusively designed forthe Planescape campaign: PlanewalkerWarrior, Planewalker Wizard, Plane-walker Priest, Planewalker Rogue,Abyssal Warrior, Floating Sorcerer, andHinterland Bandit.

6. Nonweapon proficienciesAt this stage of PC development,

players spend points on nonweaponproficiencies and traits. Standard non-weapon proficiencies by point cost arelisted in S&P and S&M. PLANESCAPE war-riors, rogues, priests and wizards receivethe same number of CPs as the standardAD&D classes given in S&P.

Eight uniquely PLANESCAPE non-weapon proficiencies have been pub-lished to date. Their CP cost, initial rat-ing, and reference source appear in thetable above.

7. Weapon proficiencyand mastery

All classes must consult chapter 7 ofS&P for more information on acquiringweapon proficiencies and other weaponskills. Planar warriors, rogues, priests,and wizards follow the same weaponsrules as their Prime world counterparts.

8. Magic and newschools of magic

W izards spending a s igni f icantamount of time in the planes soon dis-cover that nearly every spell and schoolof magic in existence can be found inthe planes. New spells for wizards andpriests can be found in nearly everyPLANESCAPE reference released so far.

Some forms of magic found on spe-cific prime worlds simply do not or can-

26 NOVEMBER 1996

not exist in the planes. Spellcasting PCsfrom the BIRTHRIGHT® campaign will notbe able to cast any realm spells on theplanes (or on any other prime materialworld for that matter) as they are effec-tively cut off from their domains and leylines. There is no magic in existence thatwill connect a PC with his ley lines oncethey are separated by the planes. Thereis also no way to create ley lines in theplanes. Blooded PCs, however, mayenact any of their innate abilities with-out difficulty wherever they are (unlessprohibited by the plane’s magical prop-erties). Similarly, afflicted PCs from theRED STEEL® campaign can use theircursed abilities as they wish, however,individuals affected by the Red Cursewill soon suffer the excruciating loss oftheir legacies if they stay away from thecrimson lands of the Savage Coast fortoo long. DMs have the final say onwhether magic and spells unique tosome prime campaign settings will beallowed in their Planescape campaign.

9. PsionicsTwo sets of optional rules exist that

cover the creation of psionicists using theSW method. One is found in the “SageAdvice” column in DRAGON Magazine #231while the second is in the DARK SUNPlayer’s Option article in the DRAGONMagazine Annual #1. The options fromthese two articles are not compatible andthus cannot be “mixed and matched.”Psionicist proficiencies described in S&Phave been assigned CP values in theDARK SUN Player's Option article.

For specifics on importing spells andmagic to PLANESCAPE that are unique to aparticular prime world (such as aBIRTHRIGHT PC’s blooded abilities), consultthe guidelines provided in the PWH. DMshave the final say on whether suchmagic will be allowed in their PLANESCAPE

campaign.

Ed Bonny reports that game dungeonstook on a whole new meaning when hebegan to patrol the subterranean maze ofstations and dark tunnels called the NYCsubway system. He writes, "I was very muchattracted to the PLANESCAPE setting, not onlyfor letting players adventure on the planesbut also for the cosmopolitan attitude andposeur scene that so mirrors the NYCnightlife.”

28 NOVEMBER 1996

by Monte Cookillustrated by Michael Sutfin

eep in the void that is the AstralPlane, beyond the outer githyanki

fortress-cities, deeper than the psurlonstrongholds, and more distant than thesecret berbalang covens, there lie thedead gods. These massive beings areoften called “husks,” because that isreally all they are: mere shells of theirformer selves.

When one refers to a dead god of theAstral, what’s really meant is the god’scorpse—or as near as a power can cometo having a corpse. When a god dies—asrare event as that is—its power fadesaway. All that is left of it is the idea of itsexistence. Each power has a focus, likewar, nature, famine, or motherhood. Thisfocus or idea becomes the remainder ofits essence, which then appears on theAstral Plane, a place where all thoughts,emotions, and ideas eventually end up.

On the Astral, the power’s essencetakes the form of a large mass of rock-or a rock-like substance. The mass (or,as it’s sometimes called, the “rockyisland”) vaguely resembles the mostcommonly perceived appearance of thepower. Powers can take many shapesand have no true bodies as such, butalmost all have an appearance that theirworshippers can relate to and depict inart. This is the appearance that therocky island takes. The features are usu-ally so indistinct, however, that onlyextremely close examination, includingentering the memory aura (see below),can identify the power.

The following information is useful increating continuing adventures afterplaying through Dead Gods, a mammothPLANESCAPE® adventure out this month.Dead Gods isn’t necessary to use theinformation in this article, but the twocomplement each other well.

Traveling to the Astral PlaneAdventurers who wish to travel to the

Astral Plane to explore the dead godshave a number of options. The first andmost obvious is the astral spell. Both wiz-ards and priests can cast this spell,which allows an entire group of charac-ters to travel into the Astral Plane. DMsare encouraged to read through thatspell carefully to be aware of therequirements and restrictions that itplaces upon the travelers and what theycan bring with them.

5 6 OCTOBER 1997

One interesting note about the astralspell is the phenomenon of the silver cord.When the spell is cast, those affected by itgain astral bodies that leave their nor-mal, physical bodies. The silver cord is amagical link that ties the two bodiestogether. It is visible only on the AstralPlane, and even there it is difficult to see,as it extends away like a wispy tetherfrom the astral-traveler and fades fromview after only 10-20 feet.

But the astral spell is a high-level spell,probably not accessible to most adven-turers unless they have a powerful wiz-ard or priest as an ally. An alternativemode of transportation accessible toanyone is a planar portal. These magicaldoorways lead from plane to plane andcan be found leading to the Astral Plane.The portal’s advantage over the astralspell is not just its ease of use but alsothat there are no restrictions as to whatsorts of equipment the travelers can takewith them. The drawback is that portalsare difficult to find, and the key thatactivates them must then also be found(see the PLANESCAPE campaign setting,Planewalker’s Handbook, or “A Handful ofKeys” in DRAGON Magazine Annual #1 formore information about portals).

Lastly, a number of magical items,including the cubic gate, the amulet of theplanes, and a staff of the magi, can poten-tially bring a group of PCs to the AstralPlane.

AnubisBefore a blood’s going to talk about

poking around the corpses of deadgods, he’s got to think about the dan-gers. One of the greatest potential dan-gers is the Guardian of the Dead Gods, abeing that was once a power itself. Itsname was Anubis.

Anubis was a power belonging to theEgyptian pantheon. Then he was apower devoted to escorting the spirits ofdead mortals to their final rest. Now itwatches over dead powers. Why thechange? Good question.

Fact is, no one knows the dark of thetale, or at least not all of it. One versionsays that another power named Osirustook over Anubis’ portfolio as the wardenof the dead, and that Anubis began todie. As he faded into the Astral Plane,something-either the living gods afraidof what happens when they die, or thealready dead powers, aware of his intru-sion on some level and needing assis-tance-empowered him and charged himwith the protection of the fallen gods.Another tale says that Anubis took the

duty upon himself willingly, after spend-ing much time in the Astral and seeingthe desecration of the corpses.

No matter what the reason, however,Anubis has become something whollydifferent. No longer a power but certainlynot a mortal, the Guardian of the DeadGods is a mysterious being unique in themultiverse. Chant is, it sits upon a hugethrone among the god-isles and recordsthe events that occur on or to the deadgods.

Now, as Guardian of the Dead Gods,Anubis watches over its charges andkeeps them from being harmed, exploitedor desecrated. ‘Course, it’s possible thatits duty is much more than that. Perhapsit’s something to do with the nature ofdivine power and its eternal rest on theAstral Plane. More than likely, suchthings are far beyond the grasp of mor-tal minds. For example, the githyankibuild fortresses on the dead godcorpses, and most of the time theGuardian doesn’t seem to care. At othertimes, even touching a particular corpseat a particular time draws its ire.

In any event, the presence of theGuardian of the Dead Gods is not onethat an explorer can overlook. There’salways a chance that a basher’s activitiesconflict with the Guardian’s mysteriousmotives. What the Guardian allows andwhat disturbs it isn’t always clear. If anexplorer does run afoul of the Guardian,most likely its through its proxy, BetitaKhab (see sidebar). Otherwise, it means adirect confrontation with the formerpower-a situation so dangerous that abasher’s only hope is fast talking andluck. Needless to say, the Guardian can-not be harmed by mortal attacks and candestroy with a thought.

If such dire circumstances occur,assume that Anubis can destroy onecharacter each round (generous DMswill allow a PC a saving throw vs. deathat -6). Canny bashers’ll try to escape, inwhich case the Guardian will most likely(80% of the time) allow the offenders togo. Its duty is to defend and guard, notto chase intruders down. Should it fol-low, the Guardian of the Dead Gods cantravel anywhere in the Astral in thespace of one round. It never leaves theAstral Plane.

Luckily, the Guardian ignores mortalsmost (95%) of the time, unless theyattempt to do something particularlyheinous, such as completely destroyingthe body of a dead god or somethingequally foolish—in which case Anubis’sintervention is almost guaranteed.

Betita KhabProxy of the Guardianof the Dead Gods

Anubis has no more specialtypriests. It is thought that those few stillworshipping him draw their powerfrom Anubis’s old pantheon or somehow from the dead gods themselves,In any event, they are clerics, not specialty priests. The Guardian of the DeadGods also does not have an avatar. It iswhat it is—but its still far beyond anypower measurable by mortals.

The only real vestige of Anubis’sformer divine status is its proxy. BetitaKhab served Anubis while it was stillpart of the Egyptian Pantheon, and heserves it in its new role as well. Betitamonitors the god-isles and those thatlive on or around them. All heobserves he reports to his master.Occasionally, he is sent on a specificmission to observe or even to inter-vene. When someone commits an acton a dead god that the Guardianjudges as improper, Betita is often sentto deal with the offender.

Betita is known to the githyanki,and he has their respect. Despite theirdifferences in alignment, they will notharm or cross him.

Betita Khab, human male, M14: AC5 (Dexterity and ring); MV 12; hp 31;THAC0 16 (13 with staff); #AT 1; Dmg1d6+3 (staff of striking); MR 30%; SZM (6’3” tall); ML Fearless (20); AL LG.

Notes: Betita’s magic resistance is agift from Anubis.

S 14, D 17, C 13, I 18, W 16, Ch 15.Personality: Noble and just but

severeSpecial Equipment: Staff of striking

(22 charges), ring of protection +2, ringof chameleon power, gem of insight, robeof eyes

Spells (5/5/5/4/4/2/1): alarm, colorspray, comprehend languages, magicmissile, shield; blur, detect evil, ESP, knowalignment, strength; dispel magic, fireball,hold person, nondetection, suggestion;emotion, fire shield, polymorph self wallof fire; feeblemind, dismissal, telekinesis,wall of force; chain lightning, true seeing;spell turning.

Conditions on a God IsleMost folks call the corpses of dead

gods god isles. Though “space” is a diffi-cult concept to cope with in the AstralPlane, most of the god isles are fairlyclose together, and sometimes anexplorer can just see one or two while

DRAGON #240 57

standing on a third. Most of the time,however, they’re not quite that closetogether.

These rocky husks are generally1d100 × 50 feet long and about a quar-ter that distance wide. Further, each godisle has an area of influence of aboutone-tenth of the length surrounding it.Within this area, the unique conditionsof the individual god, as opposed tothose of the Astral Plane, hold sway.

Some conditions within this area canbe very strange, yet others can be tan-talizingly familiar. Unlike most areas inthe Astral Plane, many (40%) of the godisles have local gravity. Gravity is usuallyfocused at the dead god’s center, so abasher can walk around all sides of theisle as if it were a tiny planet all to itself.Rarely (10%), though, the gravity workson only one side of the god, with a body“falling off” if he goes over the edge.

Another aspect distinguishing the godisles from the rest of the Astral is that afew (5%) have a field around them inwhich time passes normally. Some (10%)have other unique conditions:

1d10001-30

31-40

41-45

46-55

56-60

61-70

71-7374-7576-77

78-80

81-83

84-85

86-87

88-89

ResultExtremely hot (50%) orExtremely cold (50%)Surface obscured by cloudcoverSurrounded by clouds ofpoisonous gasTerrestrial-like storms (rain,snow, etc.) move over thesurfaceReverse gravity field forcesobjects away from thesurfaceOne school of magic isuselessAll magic is uselessPsionics are uselessMagical items lose allpower (30% chance of per-manent loss)Time flows twice as quickly(50%) or time flows twiceas slowly (50%)One material (wood, metal,cloth, etc.) is 100 times asheavy as normalCertain actions DM’schoice, based on the natureof the god) are impossibleor result in a 6d6 electricalattack (no save)Newcomers are immediatelyteleported to a specific areaCharacters of a specificalignment are teleported toanother spot on Astral

90-91

92-93

94-95

96-97

98-99

00

Surrounded by impenetra-ble, permanent darknessOne school of magic istwice as potent as usualwith respect to range,duration, area of effect,and damageRandom monsters aregenerated from the deadgod’s fleshRoll again twice ignoringresults above 95Roll again three timesignoring results above 95DM’s Option

Exploring a Dead GodAside from the guardian, there are

other hazards to exploring the deadgods. Still there are those who do it-forthere are surprisingly large rewards tobe found.

Since the husks are the bodies offallen powers, energy, matter, and evenliving things on or around them are of asort unlike those found anywhere elsein the multiverse. Some are valuable;others are downright deadly.

When determining what can be foundwhen a dead god is explored, use the fol-lowing table. The DM should make 1d4rolls for any particular god isle.

Dead God Encounter Table1d100 Result01-65 Nothing66-75 Githyanki party (2d8 indi-

viduals)76-80 Githyanki fortress (10d10 ×

5 individuals)81-89 Planar explorers/adventur-

ers (1d12 individuals)90-93 Other Astral creature (DM’s

option—see Guide to theAstral Plane or choose)

94-95 Mysterious energy field96-97 Mysterious mineral

98 Mysterious plant99 Mysterious liquid00 Godquake

Mysterious Energy FieldsMany dead gods radiate mental or

physical energies unknown anywhereelse. These energies often play over thegod-isle in waves or flashes. Other times,they exist as steady, limited-radius fields.

One such energy field that most deadgods exhibit is that of the memory aura.These are residual memories that werepossessed by the power. Some areinconsequential and meaningless, whileothers reveal a great deal of informa-

tion. As these events vary from power topower, the DM is left to determine theexact affects of these auras. Most simplybestow some of the god’s memories toanyone coming near, but others take ona more tangible effects—even so muchas conjuring up physical representationsof people, monsters, places, and eventsfrom the deity’s past.

Energy fields vary in size. Some (10%)surround the entire corpse to a distanceof 10d10 × 5’, while others (80%) exist ina 10d10’ radius somewhere on the body.The remainder pass over the body aswaves of energy, moving at a rate of1d100’ per round.

The duration of the fields can alsovary. A few are only microseconds induration (10%), while others (85%) lastfor 6d12 hours, with the remaining fieldsbeing permanent.

Energy fields are distinguished pri-marily by effect. They affect anyonewithin them in these ways:

1d10001-3031-5556-60

61-63

64-66

67-68

69-70

71-72

73-74

75-76

77-78

79-80

81-82

83-84

85

ResultNo effectMemory aura (see above)Inflicts 3d6 hp electricaldamage (save vs. spell forhalf damage)Inorganic materials mustsave successfully or be dis-integratedInflicts a random type ofinsanity (save vs. spell toavoid)Causes confusion for 1d10roundsActs as a heat metal spell foras long as metal remainswithin the fieldRestores any memoriesever lost (through spells,magical attacks, encounterswith the River Styx, etc.)Permanently alters the colorof everything within (blackto white, red to green, blueto orange, yellow to purpleand vice versa)Dispels all magic within asa 20th level casterHeals all wounds com-pletely (works once)Drains all memory (savevs. spell to avoid)Reverses alignment for1d4daysForces beings to re-livetheir most harrowingmoment, paralyzing themwith fear for 1d4 hoursPermanently feebleminds

58 OCTOBER 1997

86

87

88-89

90

91-92

93

94

95

96-98

99

00

anyone failing a savingthrow vs. spellPermanently drains awayall emotionsPermanently adds onepoint of Strength, Constitu-tion, or Dexterity (worksonce)Temporarily adds onepoint of Strength, Constitu-tion, or Dexterity (lasts 2d6days)Permanently adds onepoint of Intelligence orWisdom (works once)Temporarily adds onepoint of Intelligence orWisdom (lasts 2d6 days)Acts as a death spell, butanyone not slain is filledwith power enough tomake a wishPermanently drains awayall psionic powersBestows a psionic ability(treat as a wild talent)Roll twice again, ignoringresults over 95Roll three times again,ignoring results over 95DM Option

Mysterious MineralsThe substance that composes the

body of a dead god is usually describedas “rocky,” but it isn’t truly stone. Instead,it is a unique substance that possessesqualities similar to common terrestrialminerals. This substance, in itself, is aninteresting curiosity worth a fair bit ofjink (1d6 gp per pound) in a Sigiliantrade market.

Of much greater interest, however,are the rarer minerals that sometimesexist within the corpses of powers. Richdeposits of diamonds, emeralds, silver,gold and other valuable minerals aren’tuncommon. Further, an explorer occa-sionally comes upon a small quantity ofsome wholly unique stone or metal.These usually have some special prop-erty that makes them valuable.

Unlike some of the mysterious ener-gies, liquids or plants, most of the min-erals found on dead gods pose littlethreat to an explorer. On the other hand,extracting them is a lengthy process andis more likely to attract the attention ofnearby monsters, and even the Guardianitself.

Note: The mysterious minerals arealways found in tiny quantities—usuallyonly a few pounds of ore at a time. The

DM should be very careful in how avail-able he or she makes these substances.

1d10001-5051-70

71-80

81-85

86-90

Result91

Normal stone or metal orePrecious stones or metals(use the Gem Table inAppendix 1 of the DungeonMaster® Guide if gems(50%) or, if metals (50%),determine which type:copper (30%)/silver (30%)/gold (30%)/platinum (10%);assume that there exists10d100 gp worth of themetal, no matter whichtype)

92

93

Mineral is twice as durableas normal (and thus twiceas hard to extract) andworth three times as muchA metal that can be usedto easily forge weapons orarmor of +1 enchantment(worth 10 gp per pound)A metal that can be usedto forge weapons or armorof -1 enchantment, butwhich are virtually weight-less (treat as no armorfor spell casting or thief

94

95

96-97

abilities); worth 10 gp perpoundA material that can beformed into a golem forhalf the cost and time nor-mally required (50% stone/40% clay/10% iron) (worthten times as much asnormal)A material that can beformed into a double-strength golem (50%stone/40% clay/10% iron)(worth 100 times as muchas normal)A material that absorbspsionic energy, up to 200PSPs per pound (worth1,000 gp per pound)A material that absorbsmagical energy. Up to 20spell levels per pound(worth 1,000 gp per pound)Roll again, but mineral istainted so that anyonewithin 10’ must make asaving throw each day orfall prey to a rotting diseasethat is fatal in 1d4 weeksRoll twice again, ignoringresults over 95

DRAGON #240 59

98-99 Roll three times again,ignoring results over 95

00 DM Option

Mysterious PlantsThriving amid the strange energies

and nourished by the rare soils, a fewdead gods have unusual plants growingon their bodies. The growths on godisles range from green, leafy plants(including trees and shrubs), floweringvegetation, and even various types offungi. They can also include completelyunique plants, never seen anywhereelse in the multiverse.

When a plant is found that haseffects produced by ingesting, imbibingor in any way consuming it, enough isfound to produce 1d10 doses or uses.

1d10001-4041-50

51-60

61-70

71-72

73-74

75-76

77-78

79-80

81-8283-84

85-86

ResultNormal plantNormal plant with oneinnocuous unusual quality(odd color, glows brightly,strange odor, hums musi-cally, etc.)Has the affect of a randompotion if eatenPoisonous (save vs. poisonor die if eaten), but if boiledwith water makes a ran-dom potionProduces a mind-control-ling odor that forces any-one within 15’ who fails asaving throw vs. spell toinsist on remaining on thedead god permanentlyCan be spun into fibers thatcan be woven into clothwhich acts as virtuallyweightless leather armor(treat as wearing no armorin regard to spellcastingand thief’s abilities)Causes euphoria if eaten orsmoked like tobacco (savevs. poison or becomeaddicted—addicts die aslow rotting death over thecourse of 3d4 monthsunless a cure disease spell iscast upon them)Can move and attack as achoke creeperCan move and attack as aviolet fungusPoisonous to touchSecretes a fluid that can beused to make ink for anyprotection scrollSecretes a fluid that can beused to make an ink which

87-88

89-90

91-92

93-94

95

96-98

99

00

is visible only to elves(30%), humans (10%),dwarves (10%), halflings(5%), gnomes (5%), fiends-including tieflings (5%),bariaur (5%), githzerai(5%), or other (25%)Produces an odor thatdrives away fiends 25% ofthe timeCan be powdered andmixed with a normalpoison to enable it to affectfiendsPossesses intelligence andgreat wisdom, is able tospeak telepathically, andhas a Neutral alignmentRestores all memorizedspells if eatenCan be powdered andmixed with godsblood (seebelow) to double the num-ber of doses availableRoll twice, ignoring resultsover 95Roll three times, ignoringresults over 95DM Option

Mysterious LiquidsBubbling up from the heart of a god

isle, the purest waters and the vilest bileslie in pools on some dead gods. Many ofthese liquids are dangerous, but a fewhave beneficial effects.

Planewalkers frequently come to thegod isles specifically hunting for a sub-stance called godsblood. This rare, valu-able syrup is the very essence of divinelife and can be used to heal any wound,cure any disease, and even restore life.Any character so much as touching thissubstance is healed up to his maximumnumber of hit points, is free of disease,poison, curses, insanities, etc. Even scarsdisappear, and lost tissue (like severedlimbs) grows back in 1d6 turns. Deadcharacters are restored to life. Only onedose of this extraordinary liquid is everfound at one time—and only a cannyblood can think of how to transport itwithout touching (and therefore con-suming) it.

Most other mysterious liquids arefound in amounts consisting of 1d12doses, when applicable.

1d100 Result01-60 Water (Stagnant 70%/

Fresh 30%)61-65 Milk (Sour 80%/Fresh 20%)66-70 Blood/bile/etc.

71-78

79-83

84-89

90

9192

93

94

95

96-9798-99

00

Godquake

Poison (save vs. poison ordie if drunk)Disease-ridden (save vs.poison or become infected)Acid (inflicts 1d6 hp dam-age per round if touched)Sentient liquid (treat as aminor water elemental)Equal to a random potionWater that never vaporizesno matter what the tem-peratureWater that never freezesno matter what the tem-peratureThick syrupy liquid thatdries and hardens into afire-proof coatingMolten mineral (use themysterious mineral table,above)Godsblood (see above)Roll twice, ignoring resultsabove 97DM Option

A “godquake” is a period when thedead god stirs. All of them experiencethese shudders from time to time,although they are rare. Treat this effectas a normal earthquake, with after-shocks occurring for 1d4 days after-ward. After a godquake, however, thereis a 20% chance for an encounter withan energy field or mysterious mineral,and a 10% chance for an encounter witha mysterious liquid, as these things areoften brought up or produced by thestirring.

AdventuresThe dead gods of the Astral Plane

suggest their own adventures. Playercharacters, when hearing of the valu-able resources to be found there, willoften travel there on their own with nofurther motivation. Beside generalexploration, however, there are otherscenarios that the DM can incorporateusing the fallen powers.

Sacrilegious SabotageThe Athar is a faction dedicated to

the opposition of the powers and thosethat worship them. They have a citadelin the Astral Plane, among and over-looking the god isles, for they believethe dead powers to be proof that thereis nothing “divine” about the known“divinities.”

Most of the Athar know to leave thedead gods alone, however, for they

60 OCTOBER 1997

have a healthy respect for the power ofthe Guardian. A few, however, are will-ing to pay handsomely to daredevilsand thrillseekers willing to commitminor acts of “vandalism” upon thefallen bodies of the powers. These actsinclude marring the outer surfaces, chip-ping away substantial portions, andeven painting anti-power slogans uponthe bodies. ‘Course, those barmyenough to carry out such acts risk thewrath of the Guardian, his proxy, andthose who still might revere the fallengods.

Interested adventurers should speakwith Dimal Huves (Pl/male human/F6/Athar/CN), a minor official in the Athar’sAthar Citadel.

The Astral AdvisorAmong the githyanki there are indi-

viduals known as hr’a’cknir that are ableto perceive and identify the strangeenergies found among the dead gods.An aged planar explorer named FarisEssil (Pr/female half-elf/F6, W5/FreeLeague/NC) is in need of a hr’a’cknir,and she’s willing to pay some youngeradventurers to find one.

Faris has come upon a particularenergy field on the body of a dead godthat seems to knit wounds and stopbleeding. However, those who spendmuch time within the field sometimesrun screaming out of it, their mindssnapped like twigs. She knows that onlya hr’a’cknir can truly identify what’sgoing on and why the field is sometimesdangerous.

The PCs, should they accept thismission, must explore the god isles for agithyanki settlement that has an experi-enced hr’a’cknir willing to help them.Since the githyanki are very insular andunfriendly (not to mention evil), this is atask for a group of good negotiators aswell as those who can protect them-selves against githyanki psionics, magic,and other attacks.

The energy field in question is 20’ indiameter and is layered so that the outerfour feet produce a healing effect (heal-ing 1d8 hp to anyone within), but theinner 12’ have a negative effect on anyminds within, causing them to go hope-lessly insane (save vs. spells to avoid).

Home on the StrangeA barmy old basher named Barvac

Poite (Pl/male tiefling/F8/Bleak Cabal/N) has decided that he wants to live ona dead god. He’s looking for able-bodiedplanewalkers willing to explore the

god-isles to find a safe spot and thenwatch over things while his home is built.

Not only must the PCs contend withthe normal hazards of exploring thedead gods but they must also deal withthe githyanki again. This time, though,the Astral warriors are on the offensive-they don’t twig to the idea of someoutsider tiefling calling kip in their terri-tory. Raids by the gith warriors arenumerous, as are some magical trapsthat the githyanki have set to wardaway trespassers.

The Last PilgrimageEndryt Fallow (Pr/male human/C10-

no spells—/LG), the last worshipper of apower named Graessomar, has come tothe Astral Plane to pay his last respectsto his fallen deity. He needs help in find-ing the dead god and protection on hisjourney. He’s never been off the PrimeMaterial Plane and is woefully ignorantof the ways of the Astral.

Viggs (123): AC 6; MV 18, Br 6; HD1+2; hp 8 each; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg1d4; SA burrowing under foes; SW purewater inflicts 1d8 hp damage; SZ S (1‘-2’diameter); ML Steady (12); Int Low (5-7);AL NE; XP 65.

Notes: When the viggs burrow undera foe, there is a 1 in 4 chance that theground under the victim collapses inflict-ing 1d6 hp falling damage.

Worse, once Graessomar is found,Endryt discovers that his power has beenoverrun by horrible parasites that feedon the corpses of gods. These creatures,called Viggs, are numerous and nasty-and Endryt wants them destroyed. He’lloffer his escorts a handsome payment

Monte Cook is neither dead nor a god,and working for TSR is bringing him closerto one of those states.

and his undying gratitude if they’ll helphim rid his deity of these beasts.

Unfortunately, the viggs are surpris-ingly intelligent and crafty. They soonorganize themselves and form a strongresistance to the exterminating charac-ters. The creatures use their incredibleburrowing capabilities to cause theground under characters to collapse,hoping to trap or kill them. The viggsenjoy swarming over fallen characters.

DRAGON #240 61

by Monte Cookillustrated by R.K. Post

arsheva Longreach, a renowned planewalker, once saidthat as strange and alien as the forces of chaos seemedto her, the forces of order seemed equally strange-if not

stranger. Upon close examination of some of the most visibleembodiments of order, a body would probably agree. See, thecreatures in question are the modrons.

The modrons, known to some graybeards as modrontificusrigidilus and to others as those annoying geometric bashers,are inhabitants of Mechanus, at the center of the Planes ofLaw. Some primes refer to the plane as Nirvana, although it’spretty difficult to imagine why.

Modrons are creatures of blind order, each taking on a dif-ferent geometric shape that signifies its place within the rigidhierarchy. A few modrons go against this hierarchy, and theseoutcasts are called rogues. Rules for creating rogue modronPCs can be found in the Planewalker�s Handbook.

Most of the modrons’ goals are insular and nigh indecipher-able to non-modrons. For example, beyond the reasoning ofanyone else, the modrons believe that it is important for themoccasionally to march around the Outer Planes. Apparently theyare marching about these planes, called the Great Ring bymany, to gather information-but no one knows for sure. Likeclockwork, the modrons go on this grand walkabout at setintervals. ‘Course, chant is that they’ve suddenly started a newGreat March out of the standard pattern. It’s simply not the righttime for them to be marching. Now, modrons violating standardprocedure is a little like a Lower Planar fiend giving out flowersand candy, so folks are more than a little confused (more infor-mation can be found in The Great Modron March, an adventureanthology available now).

One thing that outsiders can understand (at least to a point)is the advancement of modron magic-a special type of sor-cery, the secrets to which only they are privy. In the heart ofthe plane of ultimate law, the modrons of ancient

enchantment allows them to create spells and devices uniqueto them. (A body’s likely to encounter a modron with magicalitems, but he might not even realize that the modron’s gotthem, since they seem “built in” -lenses of detection, eyes ofminute seeing, slippers of spider climbing, gauntlets of ogre power,armor of blending, bracers of defense, etc. Modrons also use moreobvious items like wands, rings, weapons, and similar devices.)

So now, since the modrons have begun their march, acanny blood might start to expect seeing them in his own kip.Those that do can learn a little something about the new kindsof magic they might be carrying from the following few pages.Remember, any bit of additional knowledge on the planes is alittle bit more of an edge a body’s got to keep himself alive.

Modron Magical ItemsWithin some of the workshops and laboratories of

Mechanus, a body’ll find the most interesting things. Clockworktools and gear-driven machines the likes of which no one’sseen anywhere else. Unlike some such devices created bysome mad prime inventor or even a few ingenious gnomes,these items work with such precision that there’s never anychance of mechanical failure-if a body treats them right.

Examples of modron devices include gear-driven machinesthat clean other objects (clothes, floors, etc.), open and closedoors, print books, and more-not to mention, of course,incredibly accurate clocks. Below are a few examples of morepowerful items, useful to planewalking adventurers.

These items are created by modrons called septons. Untilnow, magical item creation wasn’t among their known duties-which just goes to show that even straightforward cutters likethe modrons still have a few mysteries to them.

Almost all modron magical items are activated by a specificcommand word. This word may be the true name of the device

in question. (Want to know for sure? Ask a gray-beard, berk!)times discovered a kind of magic that they call

Truphysik. This highly focused sort of

56 November 1997

Clockwork SlingThis device can be used only by mod-

rons. Most folks agree that it looks like atiny catapult mounted on the top of themodron, with a small bowl-like reservoirfor additional missiles below it. Whenused, it’s affixed to the modron’s body,preferably near the top. Like a miniaturecatapult, it lobs stones or other smallobjects through the air with great force.It even loads itself up to five timesbefore five more stones or bullets mustbe placed into its reservoir.

In battle, the modron can use theclockwork sling in addition to otherattacks or actions (although if in closecombat with a foe, firing into a meleepresents the same sorts of problems asalways-see the Combat section of theDUNGEON MASTER® Guide).

The clockwork sling functions as amagical weapon although there is nobonus to the attack roll (for determiningwhat creatures can be struck, treat it asa +1 weapon). The damage it inflicts isidentical to that of a normal sling, with a+2 bonus to the die roll.

XP Value: 900 XP Value: 3,000

Clockwork SpinswordDespite its name, this weapon isn’t

really much of a sword. Instead, aspinsword is really a three-and-a-half-foot

shaft with a set of metal gears on theend, each connected to a two-foot-longblade. There are four blades in all.

When activated, the gears begin tospin rapidly and powerfully. This, in turn,makes the blades whirl in a deadly blur.The spinsword has no magical bonus, butit inflicts 2d6 hp damage against smalland medium sized creatures, and 3d4 hpdamage against large opponents. Fordetermining what creatures can bestruck by the weapon, treat it as a +2enchanted sword.

The weapon can cut through 2” ofwood per round, and even ½” of stone-although each round of cutting throughstone presents a cumulative 5% chanceof destroying the spinsword. If a cannyblood stops cutting, waits a round, andthen starts again, the chance for bladedestruction goes back down to 5%. Non-magical shields and armor struck by theclockwork spinsword must make a savingthrow vs. crushing blow or be destroyed.

Anyone wishing to use the spinswordmust devote a proficiency slot toward itsuse, because it is so unlike any otherweapon. Since it is so crude in its use, itis impossible to specialize in the use ofthe spinsword.

One drawback is that the spinswordmakes a great deal of noise whileactivated. This loud, grinding sound may

draw unwanted attention toward thewielder.

XP Value: 1,500 XP Value: 4,500

Crystal of Clear FocusThis clear magical gem is actually

meant for creatures other than mod-rons. The modrons that created it did soin order to provide others with aninsight into the modron (i.e., “correct”)way of thinking. Such an act of benevo-lence is uncommon among the mod-rons, but a body can assume that someof them believe that getting others tosee their way of thinking is ultimatelylogical and helpful to modron goals.

Anyone gazing into this crystal for afull round, taking part in no other action,falls into a short meditative trance duringthat time. The very next round (and onlythe next round), the character is 20%more likely to succeed in a desired action.Thus, thief skills have a 20% increase,and attack rolls gain a +4 modifier.Likewise, saving throws, ability checks,and any other action gains the bonus.Only success or failure is modified by themeditation. For example, attack rolls gaina bonus, but damage rolls do not.

The crystal can be used three timeseach day.

XP Value: 800 XP Value: 2,500

DRAGON #241 57

Delay Fire CrossbowThese devices are small, one-use

weapons. Delay fire crossbows were cre-ated for use in a modron retreat. They canbe readied and placed into the ground, fir-ing on their own and providing cover forthe user’s escape. Once set, the crossbowlaunches its quarrels either one or tworounds later, depending on the desire ofthe user. Each crossbow fires three bolts ata time (and then can’t be used againbecause the magic consumes the deviceand it fails apart). The bolts each attack arandom target within range and within a45° firing arc with a THAC0 of 10.Characters aware of the crossbows anddoing nothing but attempting to avoid theattack gain a -4 bonus to AC that round-of course, then the bashers’ve broken offpursuit and the crossbows’ve still donetheir job even if they missed.

Delay fire crossbows are extraordi-narily effective when used in large num-bers, half set to fire in one round, therest firing in the next.

XP Value: 500 XP Value: 1,500

Flying HarnessThis contraption is incomprehensible

when a body sees it the first time. A cannybasher can study it for a while, however,and eventually tumble to its use (DMsmay wish to require one or moreIntelligence checks). Once the canvaswings are unfolded, any medium sizedcreature can be strapped into this device(he must have help from at least oneother individual). Upon command, theomithoptic machine begins to flap itswings and fly like a bird. It moves at speed18 and has a maneuverability class of C.

The flying harness is particularly frag-ile in the air. If it sustains 1-10 hp in com-bat, the character must land immediately.(A modron, an alchemist, or an inventoris needed to repair the damage.) Morethan 10 hp damage destroys the harnessand sends it and the character withincrashing to the ground. Strangely, whenon the ground, the harness can take agood deal more punishment (twice asmuch in fact). Any creature of size M canuse this device, modron or not.

XP Value: 750 XP Value: 2,500

Lens of ProtectionMost cutters’ve noticed that modrons

often have special lenses over their eyes.While some of these simply aid the bash-ers in their normal vision, some giveextended capabilities. (As noted above,many modrons are equipped with lensesof defection or eyes of minute seeing.)

The lens of protection provides anyonelooking through it complete protectionfrom gaze attacks and sight-based dan-gers. This includes the blinding effects ofa light spell, and even a blindness spell. Italso protects against spell effects such aseyebite or even horrible sights that mightcause the viewer to go insane. In fact, themodrons developed the lens so that theycould safely view chaotic events withoutharming their psyches-modrons arealways looking for ways to avert the hor-rible afflictions that cause some of theirnumber to go rogue.

The problem with the lens is thatrarely does anyone have more than one.This leaves most creatures with one eyeleft exposed-although one-eyed crea-tures, like monodrones and nonatons,are perfectly safe. Two-eyed creatureshave only a 50% protection from theabove stated affects and spells. If the50% protection fails, then the effectshould be handled normally (with savingthrows, if applicable).

XP Value: 2,000 XP Value: 6,000

Limb ExtensionsThese odd devices don’t look like

much, but they really work. The modronstraps the contraptions to his wrist orankles (assuming such terms apply). Tentimes each day, they can be commandedto telescope outward with small hands orfeet on the end, effectively extending thelimb(s) as needed. Each can extend up to30 feet. Once the desired extension isreached, they remain that length untilfully retracted.

The arm extensions have hands on theend that the modron controls. They arefairly dextrous and strong able to manip-ulate small objects and even wieldweapons (use the same value as the mod-ron’s). To use them, the modron’s realhands must be free. The leg extensionsallow a modron to walk through deep liq-uids or step over hazardous substances.

Non-modrons can use these items aswell, but at half their normal Strength orDexterity scores.

XP Value: 2,200 XP Value: 7,000

Magnetic ClampThis device allows modrons to attach

things like bags, sheaths, quivers, etc. tothemselves easily and cleanly. It’s simplya magical stone that is attracted tometal with a Strength of 9, with a sturdymetal clamp that can hold most any-thing that could fit in a cutter’s hand.

Non-modrons can use such a deviceas an aid in climbing a metallic wall or in

retrieving dropped metal objects if theclamp is attached to a length of rope.

XP Value: 275 XP Value: 1,000

MirrorballSome folks like these things more

for how impressive they look than for theiractual usefulness. The modrons, however,focus entirely on the device’s function.

A mirrorball is a 4-inch silver spherethat floats and bobs around its owner. Thesurface of the sphere is highly reflective.The magic that powers the device keepsthe mirrorball maneuvering so that theowner can see what’s behind him withina 180° arc. Even though the mirrored sur-face is curved, no significant distortion ispresented, so as long as a cutter glancesinto the sphere occasionally, he has virtu-ally 360° vision. The constant bobbing ofthe mirrorball comes from the device’sattempt at always showing a completeview of what’s behind the owner withoutblocking any forward visibility.

Chant has it that one in ten of theseitems has an additional magical func-tion. These special mirrorballs reflectspells from their surface like a ring ofspell turning. This effect can apparentlybe triggered anywhere from 1-10 timeseach day, depending on the individualdevice.Normal Version

XP Value: 500 XP Value: 1,500Spell-Turning Version

XP Value: 1,200 XP Value: 4,000

TruebridgeWhen not activated, this modron

device looks like a square plate ofrefined steel, about 18” to a side, andabout an inch thick. The plate weighsapproximately 12 Ibs. When activated,more steel plates, apparently imbeddedin the original, begin to extend out, andthen plates extend out from them, sothat eventually, the whole thing is 3’wide and anywhere from 5’ to 30’ long(depending on the command given bythe user).

The weight of the device does notchange, but it retains a great deal ofstrength-the entire truebridge, no mat-ter what the size, has the durability of aone-inch thick steel plate. It can supportup to 1,000 Ibs. or more safely. Modronsin the past have used these magicalitems to create small bridges, erect lowbarricades or defensive walls, or as lad-ders to scale vertical surfaces, becausethe truebridge can be commanded toform small handholds on its side.

XP Value: 1,000 XP Value: 3,000

58 NOVEMBER 1997

Winch of Giant StrengthThis is a tiny set of powerful gears

with a rope and wheel (to wind the ropearound) connected. The rope is thin butvery strong. Once put in place, the winchcannot be moved again by any forceunless the proper command word isgiven. With another command word,the winch automatically begins pullingin the rope with the strength of a hillgiant. This is useful not only for hoistingheavy objects into the air also, but foropening locked or stuck doors (in effect,pulling them off their hinges), and othermatters. Modrons not known for theirgreat strength utilize this device to per-form feats otherwise beyond them.

XP Value: 1,300 XP Value: 4,000

Modron SpellsModron magical skills aren’t limited

simply to creating enchanted items. Themodrons have developed new spellsthat they can use to make the most oftheir learned knowledge. While there isno known school of magic that focuseson the modrons’ Truphysik, the spellsthat they’ve developed with their insightinto the craft are unique and useful (if,perhaps, a little odd).

Set the Path2nd-level wizard spellRange: CasterComponents: V, S, MDuration: 3 roundsCasting Time: 2Area of Effect: CasterSaving Throw: None

Much of the modron way of thinkinginvolves the clarity of order. Set forth agood plan, don’t deviate from it, andeverything will work out. The modrons’foes often use this sort of thinkingagainst them, since they’re not good atreacting to unforeseen circumstances.

Nevertheless, this spell allows a mod-ron to set forth a course of action andthen follow through with focus and skill.When cast, the wizard states what hisactions will be in the next three rounds.Once the magic is set into motion, hecannot deviate from this plan no matterwhat happens, and no matter what hewishes. For example, the caster might saythat on the first round, he opens theportcullis blocking entrance to the nextroom and goes in. The second round, heattacks the guard inside the room. On thethird round, he leaps over the pit in themiddle of the room and reaches the farwall, where the object of his desire rests.

The benefit given by the spell is thatall actions committed to at the casting ofthe spell gain a bonus of +3 (or +15 per-cent) to any applicable rolls. In theexample, if the door is assumed to bebarred, the caster gains a +15 percent tohis bend bars/lift gates roll. Then on thesecond round, he gains a +3 to attackand damage rolls as he strikes theguardian. On the third round he gains a+3 to his Dexterity as he makes an abil-ity score check to leap over the pit.

Of course, the above plan is based onmany assumptions. The only thing thatcan cause a deviation from the declaredplan is a failure to perform a statedaction that then prevents the followingactions from being attempted. If thebend bars/lift gates roll fails, the charac-ter is stuck outside the room, and musttry again. If successful, the spell takeshim into the room to attack the guardbut then wears off before he reaches thepit (and since the spell is over, he’s nolonger obligated to leap over it). If hisblow against the guard missed in thesecond round, however, he still has toattempt to jump over the pit, becausethe guard being alive doesn’t precludethis. It might mean that the guardattempts to stop the caster or continuesto attack him from behind, but the castercan’t do anything about that.

Further, if (after casting the spell) theabove caster discovered that theportcullis was already raised, or therewas no guard, he still must spend theround miming the action he had set outto do. The absence of the opportunity totake a stated action is not the same as afailure. If circumstances or the action ofanother force the caster deviate from hisstated course, he still makes all possibleattempts to do what he planned in theorder that he planned it-even if theaction is impossible or nonsensical.Casters cannot put contingencies in theplan (“if I kill the guard, then I jump overthe pit”) and must specify the order inwhich actions will be taken.

The material component for this spellis a small, perfectly straight iron rod thatis three inches long.

True Arrow of Law3rd-level wizard spellRange: TouchComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1 round/levelCasting Time: 3Area of Effect: SpecialSaving Throw: Special

This spell creates a weapon extraordi-narily useful to the modrons, particularlyas they make their Great March throughso many other, potentially hostile planes.Upon casting the spell, the wizard cre-ates one or more arrows of pure whiteenergy. Such arrows can be placed intoany kind of bow, including a crossbow.

The arrow must be used within thetime span of the spell’s duration, or thearrow disappears and the spell is wasted.It must be fired from a bow or crossbowto be used (throwing it simply doesn’twork). When fired, it has a range com-mensurate with the weapon thatlaunched it, and it always strikes thepotential target. The effects of thearrow depend on the targets ethicalalignment.

If the character is Chaotic, the orderlyenergies of the arrow inflict great pain,inflicting 1d8+2 hp and the forcing thetarget to make a saving throw vs. para-lyzation or be stunned for 1d3 rounds,unable to act.

If the target is of Lawful alignment,the arrow’s magic doesn’t harm him butsustains him, healing 1 d6 hp damage (ifthe character is hurt) and raising moraleby a +2 bonus for the next 1d10+5rounds.

Neutral targets struck by the arrowfall under the sway of the forces of lawfor a short time. In effect, such charac-ters are charmed (as a charm person orcharm monster spell) to think of anyLawful being as a friend for 3d10rounds.

High level wizards can create morethan one arrow of law with this spell.For every five levels of the caster, he cancreate one arrow, rounding down.Therefore, casters of levels 5 to 9 createone, 10 to 14 create two, and so on. Theadditional arrow(s) can be created at anytime during the spell’s duration, but nonelast beyond the end of that time limit.

The material component for the spellis a normal arrow-although only one isneeded, even if more than one arrow oflaw is created.

Correlate Data4th-level wizard spellRange: CasterComponents: V, SDuration: InstantaneousCasting Time: 4Area of Effect: CasterSaving Throw: None

As the modrons go about their GreatMarch, they are presented with a great

DRAGON #241 59

deal of information. A body’s got to pre-sume that they’re on the walkabout togather as much of the chant as they can,so they’ve got to be able to bothobserve and bring together vastamounts of information as they passthrough an area. This spell aids them inthis goal.

When cast, correlate data allows thewizard to bring together every detailthat he has experienced in the last 24hours-every sight, every sound, everybit of chant that he’s heard . . . every-thing. Not only is this information thenstored away in his memory so that hecan recall any of it with perfect claritybut also he can gain insights about whathe has experienced.

When the spell is finished, the wizardshould make an Intelligence check. Ifsuccessful, he learns something fromwhat he has perceived. The actual reve-lation is up to the DM. The DM shouldfeel free to provide the caster with what-ever he wishes, but the amount bywhich the wizard made the Intelligencecheck by should indicate the amount ofinformation (roughly).

For example, if the caster has justspent the last 24 hours locked within aprison cell in a mighty fortress, watchingthe guards come and go, he might learnthat the cell that he is in has a structuralweak spot on the floor (perhaps heobserved that his captors avoided thisspot when they brought him his meals).Just the right amount of pressure in justthe right spot might be what he needs toescape.

Or, if traveling through a wild wood-land, the caster might observe that thereare just a few too many birds and othersmall animals than there should be inthis forest. The exact percentage ofincreased animal life indicates that ablack dragon must have recently movedinto the area (probably making its lairnear the river the caster saw a few hoursago, which was almost certainly thetype which would create an underwatercave system upstream about two orthree miles), making some of the area’slarge predators its own prey.

Basically, the information can be asdetailed as the DM wants and canassume huge leaps in logic (and evenknowledge that the caster doesn’t knowor doesn’t remember learning, like whatsorts of rivers create underwater caves).Alternatively, the DM can limit the infor-mation to just what the caster directlyobserved.

Harmony5th-level wizard spellRange: 10 yards/levelComponents: V, S, MDuration: 1 round/levelCasting Time: 5Area of Effect: 5,000 cu. ft.Saving Throw: Negates

This spell utilizes the harmoniousaspect of the force of law. Essentially,everything within the spell’s radiusbecomes harmonious, calm, and peace-ful for the duration. Strong winds diedown, earthquakes are calmed, andeven intelligent creatures cease all vio-lent actions.

All beings of greater than animalIntelligence are allowed saving throws vs.spell (modified by Wisdom) to resist thespell’s effects, although the DM may wishto adjudicate based on the beings inten-tions. Only the truly aggressive, angry, ordriven of creatures may wish to resist thespell, depending on the situation. A crea-ture leaving the area of effect retains itscalm demeanor for 1 d4 rounds.

Calmed creatures will not take violentaction unless threatened. They also makeonly slow, simple movements-most (75percent) actually sit or lie down on theground peacefully. During the duration ofthe spell, all affected are pleasurablyrelaxed. If any targets are calmed for theentire duration, they’re fully rested andeven have a 50 percent chance each toheal 1 hp (if hurt).

Only the spell’s relatively small areaof effect is calmed. Earthquakes andharsh weather still occur outside thearea, but their effects cannot be feltwithin the spell’s domain-trees blownover and falling into the area of effectfall harmlessly to one side, and tumblingboulders sent in by an avalanche cometo a gentle stop.

The material components for thespell are two tiny, silver gears that fitperfectly together.

Modrons in Other SettingsIn terms of worlds other than the

PLANESCAPE settings, the modrons areextra-planar entities that come from theplane of Mechanus. Though PrimeMaterial settings like the FORGOTTEN

REALMS® or GREYHAWK® settings won’t beaffected much by the modrons march-ing around the Outer Planes, they canstill make interesting encounters for PCsof any world.

Gates, rituals, and other devices tobring fiends into a Prime Material

campaign can just as easily bring mod-rons to a prime world. While not asdestructive or murderous as fiends,modrons are cold and utterly heartless.If someone gets in their way, they won’thesitate to eliminate them. Modronsmight come to a prime world like Athas,Krynn or Aebrynis to establish an obser-vation post (information is important tothe modrons), obtain a magical item orartifact on Toril or Oerth, or eliminatesome chaotic stronghold on Mystara.Most of the time, however, the modrons’motivations are completely incompre-hensible to humans and demi-humans-so who knows why they might come?

In the adventure anthology The GreatModron March, Prime Plane PCs can beincorporated in many ways. Any charac-ter who’s accidentally blundered througha portal and found himself in Sigil can beused in the first adventure of that prod-uct, and since all of the scenarios in thebook are more or less linked a DM canthen use the product to take some PrimeMaterial characters on a wild ridethrough the planes.

Alternatively, a powerful wizard couldsend the PCs to the planes to find themodrons for some reason-maybe evento get hold of some of the secrets of themagic discussed in this article. ‘Course,when the PCs show up and find them-selves following the modrons around theplanes on their Great March, that justmakes things all the more interesting.

Of course, extra-planar adventuresaside, the magical items and spells inthis article can be used in any campaignwithout ever mentioning anythingabout the modrons. Perhaps they’re theprovince of a group of lawful wizardswho gained the knowledge from arogue modron long ago, or it was some-how passed on to them by the modronsin some ancient pact. Ultimately, theidea of law-based magic, as opposed tochaos magic, should fit into virtually anyfantasy setting.

Sages have discovered that there is actu-ally a modron below the status of the mono-drone, that being the montedrone. Thiscreature writes role-playing games for TSR.

60 NOVEMBER 1997

Magical Steeds for Knightsof All Alignments

by Steve Bermanillustrated by Roger Raupp

WHEN THE WORLD WAS RULED BY ANIMALS, the fastest stal-lion that ever galloped coupled with the strongest mare in theland. The pair soon drew the notice of the Powers of the OuterPlanes, for the Powers knew that the pair’s foal would be greaterthan any other steed that had lived. Each of the Powers wantedit, hoping to breed the foal and have its descendants bound tothe essence of its Plane.

The stallion remained vigilant over his pregnant mate, soambassadors were sent, one from each of the Outer Planes, tooffer a great gift and convince the sire to give up the foal at itsbirth.

The ambassador from Mount Celestia brought a bushel of thefinest grain from bountiful fields. Elysium offered the foal’s weightin gold. The Arborean had composed epic verse to celebrate thebirth, while the ambassador from Mechanus displayed a master-ful statue of the two horses. A visitor from Limbo lifted a won-drous elixir in a glass, as the representative of the Gray Wastesought to bribe the pair with rotten meats clutched in its claws.From the Abyss came the promise to slay all the stallion’s rivals.Baator sneered at the others, calling their offerings petty andunworthy. It promised the foal great station and power. Only theambassador from the Outlands had nothing to

Now the stallion was proud, and he ignored the mare’s desireto accept the offerings from the Upper Planes in return for theirfoal. He told all the ambassadors to return with even greaterofferings that he might then decide among them.

This declaration angered the ambassadors. The evil Powersconspired to take the foal, and the good Powers worried howthey might protect the animals and still earn the foal. The Powersof the Outlands saw the upcoming conflict and found if unac-ceptable, so they used their abilities to ensure balance by splittingthe unborn foal’s spirit nine ways, allotting to each Power a foalof its own and leaving the original foal to its parents. Thus, all theambassadors were satisfied and returned to their native Plane.The arrogant stallion received nothing, and the mare was con-tent to keep her offspring.

Thus were the equars of the nine Outer Planes createdfrom a single Prime Plane foal. While other horse-likedenizens of the Outer Planes (such as the nightmare) roamthe multiverse, the equar is the steed that most often findsitself a part of the deeds of mortals. Not only a knight or

paladin but also any character in your cam-offer; it remained apart from the others andwatched.

paign might win one of these mounts ashis or her own.

26 JANUARY 1998

CLIMATE/TERRAIN:FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:

DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:ALIGNMENT

Lesser EquarAnyVery rare (rare)Solitary (herds)Diurnal (good-aligned)Nocturnal (evil-aligned)Any (neutral-aligned)See belowVery to High (11-13)NilSee below

EquarGreater EquarAnyVery rare (rare)Solitary (herds)Any (all alignments)

See belowExceptional (15-16)NilSee below

NO. APPEARING 1 (3-8)ARMOR CLASS 3MOVEMENT: 18HIT DICE: 6THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12/2-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: LMORALE: Champion (15-16)

112491223-12/3-12See belowSee below20%LFearless (20)

The equar is a horse-like species native to the OuterPlanes. Nine different breeds of equar have been recorded,and from time to time they are summoned to the PrimeMaterial Plane to act as steeds and helpers to powerful indi-viduals. An equar’s appearance and demeanor vary fromtype to type. Each is strongly aligned to the same ethos asits native plane. An equar can speak the Common tongue,its alignment language, and by means of the spell that sum-mons it forth, the same racial language as the caster.

The spell to summon these creatures creates a pactbetween a rider (who need not be the caster) and the equar.Each promises to look after the welfare of the other. Theequar agrees to aid the rider, who in turn pledges to providethe unique food the equar craves while upon the plane.

A lesser and greater equar are actually the same crea-ture; the term designates how fully the creature exists onthe Prime Material Plane. A lesser equar still has some of itsessence upon its home plane, while the greater equar hasbeen wholly conjured. Thus, any equar encountered uponits home plane is a greater equar.

Riding an equar has its dangers. Should the steed be dis-pelled through magic or circumstance, it immediately gal-lops to its home plane—with the unfortunate rider still in thesaddle. Also, a rider who has proved to be the ideal of thealignment of the equar might unwittingly convince the crea-ture that he deserves to be taken back to the equar’s homeplane. A protection from evil/good spell or equivalent effectprevents the equar from carrying the rider off-plane.

Combat: Equars can act as warhorses. All can be fierce inbattle, attacking with their front hooves. Creatures ofopposing alignment are always attacked first.

Equars have keen senses and are never surprised. Theyare immune to petrification, disease, and poison. Equarscannot be affected by charm or beguile spells or their vari-ants. They are harmed only by magical weapons of +1 orgreater enchantment.

An equar can gallop back to its home plane at will, butit might well take any rider with it, as mentioned above.

Each equar has an innate weakness as detailed in eachindividual’s description. The special vulnerability may notbe known by its summoner; after all, such beasts rarelymention their weaknesses to anyone, even a well-knownand respected individual. Some arcane tomes that containthe spell to summon the beasts might offer a hint. The moreobvious weaknesses though, such as those of the troth-spyre and charnalbalk, soon become apparent to a rider.

The spell-like abilities possessed by lesser equars oper-ate at 9th-level ability; greater equars make use of their tal-ents at 12th-level ability.

Habitat/Society: Equars tend to travel the wide open areason their native plane. They roam in small herds of no morethan ten, lead by the strongest stallion. Lawful equars matefor life. A foal is born only once every 20 years and requiressix months of parental care as it learns to gallop and use itsspecial abilities. An equar has a life span of about 100years.

More powerful denizens of the Planes often seek out anequar to use as a steed. Not always is the creature willingto accept the rider. Often, in the case of the Lower Planes, afiend captures and subdues an equar. Bards of many Planestell of incidents in which a summoned equar was thus acci-dentally released from such service and then pursued to thePrime Material Plane by the infernal denizen.

Ecology: On their native plane, equars graze on the naturalplant life, though the evil equars also hunt for meat. Likethe horses they resemble, an equar consumes a great dealto keep up its stamina. Only on the Prime Material Plane arethe creatures eating habits extreme and they require suchspecial diets as gold or poison to maintain their magicallink to their home plane.

DRAGON #243 27

TrothspyreLawful Good

The noble trothspyre is summonedfrom the verdant plains of MountCelestia. Some sages have marked theresemblance between the trothspyreand the unicorn. Indeed, when seenfrom a distance, the two might be con-fused; but a trothspyre is markedly dif-ferent from a unicorn, with crystallinehooves and a twisted horn rising fromits brow. Some sages have commentedthat the horn is actually a symbolfor the word “truth” in an archaic lan-guage. Evil creatures tend to averttheir eyes, if possible, from the sight ofthe horn.

Diet: The trothspyre eats only themost fine and rare of grains, whichmust have been blessed by a lawfulgood priest; each such meal costs atleast 50 gp. The creature will starveitself rather than eat mundane grains.The trothspyre must also spend atleast four hours drinking in the sun-light every day to be sated. The troth-spyre goes no more than two dayswithout such a light-drinkingbefore it views the pactwith its rider nulland void.

Special Abilities: Instead of tram-pling with its hooves, a trothspyre canimpale an enemy upon its sharp horn,inflicting 1-10 hp damage (2-12 for agreater trothspyre). Any form ofundead and any chaotic evil creaturesuffers double damage from the troth-spyre’s horn attack.

A trothspyre can cast know align-ment at will by touching an individualwith its horn.

In addition to all common equarabilities, the trothspyre has the follow-ing spell-like powers:

Lesser: A trothspyre can cast detectlie and protection from evil twice perday and can seal wounds with a touchof its horn. This action heals only 1 hpof damage, but the wound stopsbleeding, even if the victim has beenaffected by a sword of wounding orsimilar effect.

Greater: Trothyspyres can employ adetect lie spell on any creature within20 feet unless the falsehood is hiddenby an undetectable lie spell or similareffect. A touch of the creature’s hornseals wounds (as described above),

andonce perday the

creature cancast cure seri-

ous wounds. Agreater trothyspyre’srider gains protection

from evil while upon theequar’s back.

Special Weakness: Alesser trothspyre cannot

exist on the PrimeMaterial Plane aftersundown. It slowly

fades away,returning to itsrider’s location(as long as the

rider remains onthe same plane)

at daybreak. Thegreater trothspyre

remains on the plane,to its chagrin, but its AC

falls to 5, and the creaturesuffers a -1 penalty on all

attack rolls until thenext daybreak.

The Paladin’s TrothspyreOf the equars, only the lawful

good trothspyre provides a suitablemount for the paladin. If the DMfeels that the paladin has earned aspecial mount, he might allow aquest for a lesser or a greater troth-spyre.

A paladin blessed with a lessertrothspyre warhorse receives a +1bonus to Charisma while mountedatop the equar, and their combinedaura is equivalent to a double-strength protection from evil spell.Attacks made by evil creaturesagainst the paladin or his troth-spyre suffer -4 penalties to attackrolls, and any saving throws causedby such attacks are made with +4bonus.

In addition to the above powers,any paladin astride a greater troth-spyre radiates a 30’ radius aura ofbravery, affording himself and hisnearby allies a +4 bonus to fear,hopelessness, antipathy, and phantas-mal killer spells.

The pact between paladin andtrothspyre is unbreakable for aslong as the paladin remains aparagon of virtue. Should the pal-adin fall from grace, the trothspyreremains with its rider for as long asthe paladin endeavors to redeemhimself. If the paladin abandons histrue calling, the trothspyre returnsto its home plane in disgust.

A paladin who has remainedhonorable and faithful to his callingcan coax his trothspyre steed intoforegoing its usual diet in favor of alesser meal if fine grains are unavail-able, with the understanding thatthe equar will dine well when theopportunity presents itself. A troth-spyre can live for months in this fam-ished state but suffers a -1 penaltyon attack rolls and saving throws (-2for a greater equar) until fed well.

At any time, a paladin may healhis trothspyre’s hit points at the lossof his own. Similarly, a trothspyremay sacrifice any portion of its ownhit points to heal its injured rider.The two must be in direct contactfor this exchange to occur, and theone bestowing the hit points cannever drop below 1 hp as a result ofthe transfer. Neither the trothspyrenor the paladin can heal others inthis fashion; the exchange is limitedto rider and mount

28 JANUARY 1998

GildmaneNeutral Good

A gildmane appears as astout chestnut horse with ashimmering mane and hooves ofpure gold that shine in the sun.equar lacks a tail. Legends claim thatthe first gildmane had a long flowingtail, but the creature angered a power-ful fiend, causing havoc on the PrimeMaterial Plane as it fled the demon’swrath. The fiend chased the gildmanethrough the Astral Plane and acrossthe spheres. In its fury, the fiend washeedless of the track the equar wastaking. Thus the equar lead thefiend into the midst of Elysium,where it was slain by thedenizens of that goodPlane. Its final act wasto grab hold of thegildmane’s long tailand tear it off. The

the gift to travel the Astral Plane, nonehas done so for centuries, perhapsfearing that the fiend that stole its tailstill hunts it. Any attempt to take agildmane into the Astral Plane is con-sidered a breach of the pact.

In addition to all common equarabilities, the gildmane has the fol-lowing spell-like powers:

Lesser: The gildmane cangrant good fortune to an indi-vidual, lending a bonus of +1

(on 1d20) or +5% on an singleroll once per day. The equaran cast glitterdust shield (pro-tecting both itself and rider),

and astral window, eachonce per day.

Greater: Thegildmane can

grant exceedinglygood fortune to an

equar rode on, and eversince then the gildmanehas had no tail.

Diet: The gildmane’s peculiar dietdemands worked gold (coins, jewelry,etc.), the purer the better. It consumes200 gp value of the metal each day.Should it feast upon less for more thanthree days, the gildmane becomessurly and considers itself released fromthe pact, returning to Elysium.

per the light spell, and it offers a +1 onall saves for anyone within that 20’radius against any form of curse orhex. Cursed magical items within thisaura stand revealed for what they areand may be abandoned by their own-ers without fear of return, as if theproper spells (remove curse, dispelmagic, etc.) or conditions necessary tolift the curse had been cast or met.This curse-breaking aura may be sum-moned but once per day and lasts forno more than one hour.

individual, allowing either a +1bonus for one turn to all rolls or a sin-gle +3 bonus to any single attempt,once per day. The equar can cast glit-terdust, shield, and astral window alltwice per day.

Special Abilities: By touching ahoof to any suspect gold, the gild-mane reveals the purity of the object:whether it is indeed gold or simplygold-painted iron or a lesser metalenchanted with the fool’s gold spell. Arider who knowingly supplies falsegold to the equar voids the pact.

A gildmane can surround itself witha golden glow that provides light as

At any time, a gildmane can speakwith an astral traveler by gently layinga hoof upon the creature’s body.Though the gildmane is said to have

Special Weakness: Gildmanesattract the attention of evil creatures.Any and all monsters of Low intelli-gence (7) or lower must make a sav-ing throw vs. spell every day while agildmane is within one mile. Failuremeans that the evil creature is drawnto attack the equar and its rider whenwithin range.

FavonianChaotic Good

Diet: A favonian’s diet upon thePrime Material Plane is one of rain

water and ancient sagas. Of all the

Known to travel the open fields ofArborea, favonians are unafraid of theworst weather conditions. Theseequars consider the downpours ofmajor storms as nothing more trou-bling than a spring shower. They arepale horses, bluish-white or dappled

gray.

equars, the favonian most enjoysthe songs and antics of bardsand entertainers, seeking outsuch company when the

opportunity arises. Rain watercan be collected in barrels or found inpuddles after a sudden downpour. Farmore difficult to find are the epicpoems and songs that the equardemands be read or sung in its pres-ence; usually such passages must befound in old libraries or copied from

DRAGON #

243 29

the epitaphs of barrows. Failure toprovide the favonian’s food and drinkfor three consecutive days convincesthe equar that the pact is broken, andit departs.

Special Abilities: A rider never fallsoff a favonian unless the equarwishes it; even at the most gruelingpace or windy conditions, a favonian’srider is safe from being ousted fromthe saddle. Favonians also leave notracks on any surface.

The senses of a favonian are nothampered by heavy rain, fog, or mistof mundane or magical origin. Whenin such weather conditions, the equarcan conjure 1-3 phantom steeds, asper theappear

spell. These phantasmsidentical to the favon-

ian and may be ridden asnormal horses. They alsoact as a mirror image spell,distracting enemies’ attacksfrom the real favonian.

In addition to all com-mon equar abilities, theyhave the following spell-likepowers:

Lesser: Favonians cancast alter normal winds(described in theWizard's SpellCompendium [WSC]),gust of wind, and

LithicthilLawful Neutral

The stalwart lithicthil rides throughthe open areas of Mechanus. At firstglance, the lithicthil appears to be aliving stone statue, but its flesh simplyhas an odd, sculpted look to it thatresembles stone.

Diet: A lithicthil eats only workedmaterials—stone, wood, metal, clay,etc.—that have been enchanted insome way. Some are extremelyfinicky and eat only marbleor wrought iron.

Special Abilities: Once per day, thelithicthil can increase any one attributeof its rider by 1-4 points (but not toexceed the racial maximum). Theequar must be within 100 feet of therider and often chooses itself whichcharacteristic to augment; for example,a lithicthil who feels that its rider couldtreat it with more respect might chooseto augment the rider’s Charisma, even

if the rider would prefer an aug-mented Strength or

obscurement each oncea day.

Greater: Favonianscan cast alter normalwinds, (WSC), cloudburst(WSC), gust of wind, andobscurement all thrice per day. Theequar can perform a flying gallopthrice per day (MC B), lasting one turn,during which the equar moves at nor-mal movement rate through the air,as per the fly spell.

Special Weakness: Because of theiradmiration (some say even love) forbards, these equars never attack anentertainer, even one of sinister dis-position. In dealing with such persons,they’d rather disperse the crowd anddeprive the rogue of his or her audi-ence-and thus his or her livelihood. Afavonian will come to an entertainer’srescue, even when such action devi-ates from the desires of its rider. Afavonian’s rider who attacks a bard orother entertainer learns that thefavonian considers this action abreaking of the pact. The favoniansternly admonishes the offenderbefore departing the plane.

Dexterity. The effectlasts five rounds for alesser lithicthil, oneturn for a greater.

This equar canalso detect enchant-ment at will, as per

the detect magic spell,noting if an individualhas been affected byany sort of spell from

the School ofEnchantment.

In addition to all commonequar abilities, the lithicthil hasthe following spell-like powers:

Lesser: The equar can castremove fear once per day.

Greater: The lithicthil can castremove fear thrice a day and meld into

stone (rider and equar both affected)once per day. The rider is immune tofear while astride the lithicthil.

Special Weakness: Exposure torandom magic is detrimental to

this equar. It suffers a-2 penalty on all

saving throwsagainst wild

New Magical ItemThe Saddles of Ahl Mitac

The conjurer Ahl Mi tac wasknown throughout the world not somuch for his tremendous magicalprowess but for his many beloveddaughters. When suitors began tovisit the conjurer’s estate, Ahl Mitacdecided to create a wondrous dowryfor each child—a gift that not onlywould be valued for its worth butalso could bring back swiftly anydaughter who found her husbandunkind. After many days of toil withlocal craftsman and countless nightsspent consulting Planar charts, AhlMitac cast a dweomer upon severalof the most finely-wrought saddles.

Legend marks their number at seven,but some bards sing that there are asmany as 13 enchanted saddles.(Some sages point out that the num-ber changes frequently, dependingon the length of the song the bardwishes to sing.)

Whenever any woman sits atop asaddle of Ahl Mitac (even if the saddledoes not rest on a mount), an equarof the same alignment is instantlysummoned as her steed. A pact canthen be arranged between the riderand the equar. If at the time of thesummoning a normal horse had beenwearing the saddle, the equar inter-planarly changes places with the ani-mal.

XP Value: 1,000 GP Value: 5,000

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magic (and the greater lithicthil’smagic resistance does not apply tosuch dweomers), and any magicalitem that has random effects or pow-ers (such as a bag of beans or a wand ofwonder) will not function normallywithin 100 feet of an lithicthil; instead,the item will permanently drain itselfof all magic to induce a wild surge (seeTome of Magic, page 7) within 100 feetof the equar, quite possibly affectingthe item’s wielder along with thelithicthil, who—in addition to sufferingthe effects of the surge—also suffers1-20 hp damage instantly.

MenthricTrue Neutral

The menthric, native to TheOutlands, appears as a normal horseand can have a variety of colors, frompiebald to roan. But when seen out ofthe corner of the eye or with a true see-ing spell or similar effect, the Menthrichas the form of a plain-faced humandressed in non-descript clothing andshoulder-length hair. A perceptive per-son might notice that the menthriccasts a human’s shadow rather than ahorse’s This equar is often calledupon when some event upsets thebalance of power in the PrimeMaterial Plane (for instance, duringtimes of war, famine, and plague).

Diet: A menthric must feed onenchanted script: magical scrolls, wiz-ards’ spell books, and the like.Unfortunately, it is still vulnerable toany protective wards placed on thewriting (such as explosive runes, sepiasnake sigil, and the like), activatedwhen the equar begins to eat. A men-thric requires no less than four pagesof magical script per day. If the equarmust go for three days without thisfood, the pact is broken.

Special Abilities: A menthric has atalent for discerning weaknesses andstrengths. If able to observe a creaturefor a full round, the equar can deducewhether the creature has any vulnera-bilities or immunities. If the creatureshould have more than one specialweakness or defense, the menthriccan discover them with further scrutiny,learning one such trait per round. Forinstance, atop a hillcrest, a menthricand rider spy a horrid figure stumblingalong the river bank. The menthricwatches and notes that the creaturefavors its side, a sign of weakness. Bywaiting another round, the equarmagically perceives that the wound

was caused byfire and thatflames are espe-cially harmful tothe monster.The forewarnedrider readies atorch as they rushdown to engagethe troll.

A menthric cancast analyze balanceand detect magic atwill.

In additionto all com-mon equarabilities, thementhric hasthe follow-ing spell-likepowers:

Lesser:The men-thric cancast holdportal, knock,mending, andshatter once perday.

Greater: The men-thric can cast hold portal,knock, mending, and shatter twice perday. Once per day, the equar can sum-mon a unique magical shield to pro-tect both itself and rider. This effecttakes the form of the opposing energy/force that the attacker is using andthus only works against spells or mag-ical effects. The menthric (and its rider)suffers only half damage from theattack, one-quarter if a saving throw issuccessful. Thus, if a red dragonbreathed on a protected menthricemploying its magical shield ability,most of the flames would be blockedby a suddenly appearing ring of iceand frost. The equar gallopingthrough a blade barrier would beencircled by flying bucklers. Thisarcane shield lasts for one turn.

Special Weakness: A menthric is acreature of balance, prone neither tochaotic behavior (rash decisions) orlawful deliberation. It uses its owninstinctive nature as a guide. However,spells that induce such state tend towear at the creature’s ties to the PrimeMaterial Plane. Thus any true chaoticor lawful magic—including Priest spellsof the spheres Law and Chaos, andthose wizard spells that either induce adisordered state such as chaos, Otto’s

irresistible dance, polymorph other orunluck) or rigid state (such as domina-tion or hold monster) have a 5% chanceper level of the spell of driving theequar back to its home plane. This riskoccurs only if the menthric fails anymagic resistance and saving throwrolls. Unfortunately, the rider of a ban-ished menthric is also sent with theequar.

PotherrounceChaotic Neutral

The potherrounce is a creature oftrue chaos, native to the wilds ofLimbo. Though always a horse inbasic form, it has no true appearance;every time one looks at a pother-rounce, one sees something different.Thus, the first glance might show azebra, while the next a draft horsewith a mane of flower petals, and thenext glance a dappled mare with

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three tails. This effect can be quite dis-concerting, and superstitious folkintensely dislike and distrust thisequar and any who associate with it.

Diet: Being borne from the forcesof chaos, the potherrounce hungersfor food similar in nature. Upon thePrime Material Plane, the only meals iteats are mixed magical potions(unmixed vials are unappealing to theequar; see Table 111 in the DUNGEON

MASTER® Guide for the effects of mixingpotions). Since the potherrouncedemands fresh concoctions, the result-ing mix can be quite volatile, andexplosions have sometimes resultedin the demise of the rider. Still, thepotherrounce laps up the strangebrew. Failure to provide a drink of atleast three different potions blendedtogether once a week convinces theequar that thepact is broken

Special Abilities: Because of its nat-ural environs, the potherrounce’smagic resistance is effectively doubledagainst wild magic and surges. Also, apotherrounce’s senses are constantlypatternweaving (see the Tome of Magic[TOM]). Thus the equar is unaffected bysuch spells as blur, chaos, confuse lan-guages, confusion, fool’s speech, thereverse of tongues, and the like.

In addition to all common equarabilities, the potherrounce has the fol-lowing spell-like powers:

Lesser: A potherrounce can castblink, affecting both it and rider, threetimes per day. The rider is continuallyprotected as by a chaos shield (TOM)while mounted on the equar.

Greater: The potherrounce can castmiscast magic (TOM) once per day. Therider gains more protection from wildmagic, sharing the equar’s enhancedmagic resistance against such

dweomers. The potherrounce canurn ethereal with its rider for up

to one hour each day.Because of the shifting

appearance of thepotherrounce, anyone

with a full day’sexposure to the

creature mustmake a savingthrow vs. spell

or lose 1point of

Wisdom.Should such an attribute fall to 0

through time spent in the equar’spresence, the individual goes perma-

nently insane (until a restoration orlimited wish spell is applied). LostWisdom is regained at the rate

of 1 point per week spent away fromthe potherrounce.

Special Weakness: Any missileweapon blessed by a lawfully alignedpriest inflicts double damage to apotherrounce. The equar attempts toretreat from such attacks if at all pos-sible, even if its rider demands other-wise. Hold spells and other forms ofparalysis inflict 1-3 hp damage perround on the potherrounce in addi-tion to their usual effects, as the equarcannot freely shift its appearanceunder such effects.

BanecourserLawful Evil

For villains, the banecourser is agrand mount. At first glance it appearsto be nothing more than a fine blacksteed. Close inspection reveals its vile nature. Then one might see the oddstreaks of rust and verdigris along itscoat. When the equar opens itsmouth, a serpentine tongue slips outfor snake-like flicker. This equardwells on the awful moors of Baator,but it is more than eager to appear onthe Prime Material Plane and workwith evil riders. Moonlight never illu-minates a banecourser, and observa-tion of this uncanny effect is one ofthe means to uncover the true natureof beast.

Diet: The banecourser must feedon deadly poisons. Many a rider hasperished from accidental exposure tothe venom gathered for the equar.The equar requires an average of 50gp of such poisons per day, or else thepact is broken.

Special Abilities: The banecoursercan detect poison by smell. With its

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flickering tongue, the creature canactually drain poison from any crea-ture. This venom-theft can be per-formed upon a beast that has poisonglands or sacs, thereby robbing it ofsuch an attack. It can even removethe venom from a poison victim’s sys-tem, perhaps inadvertently saving alife in the process. To employ this spe-cial attack, the equar must first suc-cessful strike the target. Thereafter, itdraws out the poison over the courseof a number of rounds equal to the HitDice of a venomous creature or 2-7rounds for a poisoned individual (whomight well die before the poison is allremoved). Each round the banecourserspends draining the poison, the targetsuffers 1 hp damage from the sharptongue’s lapping.

Banecoursers have 60’ infravi-

equar; if the banecourser becomestrapped by a circle of silver, it departsthe plane, the pact broken.

Due to the equar’s diet, a slow poi-son spell cast upon a banecourser actsas a slow spell, while a neutralize poi-son inflicts 4d6 hp damage. A periaptof proof against poison, if bound to abanecourser, forces the creature backto Baator for a period no less thanone year.

sion but are irritated by daylight,suffering a -2 penalty on allrolls under such light, includ-ing the effects of a light spellor similarly bright illumina-tion. This rider shares boththe infravision and thesensitivity to light, unlesswearing a helm, hat, or

rosinante can Move Silently(60%) and Hide in

Shadows (70%), evenwhen ridden.

Greater: While riderless,this equar can shapeshift

into a giant rat onceper day and slip

through small open-ings no less than one

foot wide. The

other apparatus to shieldthe eyes from direct light.

Interestingly, all creaturesencountering the rider while he orshe is in physical contact withthe banecourser areaffected as by afriends spell, withno saving throwallowed.

In addition to

creature may also summon 1-3 giantrats once per day to aid its cause. Suchcreatures are under the complete con-trol of the rosinante with no need forthe equar to concentrate to keep thebeasts in line. Note that the areawhere the rats are summoned mustbe hospitable to such rodents, or elsenone can be called. When necessary,the greater rosinante can MoveSilently (80%) and Hide in Shadows(90%) as a thief, even while ridden.

handed melee weapon. The lesserrosinante may wield weapons of Ssize, while a greater rosinante mayemploy M-sized weapons.

This equar can detect good at willthrough a magical sense of smell. Theequar is also immune to the effects ofa stinking cloud. They can see as wellat night as they do at day.

In addition to all common equarabilities, the rosinante has the follow-ing spell-like powers:

Lesser: The rosinante can summona swarm of verminous rats (as perthe second-level Wizard spell sum-

mon swarm) up to twice aday. When necessary, the

all commonequar abilities, the banecourser hasthe following spell-like powers:

Lesser: The banecourser allows therider’s words to act as a suggestionspell once per day.

Greater: The equar can cast sugges-tion and undetectable lie upon one ofthe rider’s statements once per day,with listeners suffering a -2 to savesto detect the lie. The rider is affordedprotection from good while astride thebanecourser.

Special Weakness: Banecourserswere cursed long ago by the goddessof the moon, as punishment for theequars’ taking part in the destructionof her high temple. Ever since, thebanecourser has been unable to crossa line of silver (the metal sacred to thegoddess). Though silver inflicts noharm to the equar, it irritates the

RosinanteNeutral Evil

Though bards praise the melodiousname of this equar, truly nothingabout this creature hailing from TheGray Waste is the least bit lovely. Arosinante has the appearance of sickly,hairless horse with long rat’s tail. Theeyes are unnaturally large and withoutpupils, looking like dead-white orbs.The rosinante’s teeth are crooked andsmall.

Diet: This equar dines only uponrotten meat and tainted water, and itinsists on being hand-fed.

Special Abilities: Instead of itshooves, a rosinante can attack a foewith its prehensile tail. This attack cantake the form of whipping that inflicts1-4 hp damage (2-5 for a greaterrosinante), or it can grasp a single-

Special Weakness: Restorativemagic cast upon the rosinante actuallyharms the creature. Thus a cure lightwounds inflicts 1-8 hp damage, a curedisease inflicts a disease, and so forth.A rosinante can be healed only byeating victuals affected by putrefy foodand drink spell, regaining 1-8 hp perhelping.

CharnalbalkChaotic Evil

Straight from the Abyss, the char-nalbalk appears as an emaciated coalblack horse with iron hooves. Itsmane is tangled and unkempt. Whena foal matures, the evil powers of theAbyss forge a terrifying iron mask andbolt it on the creature’s head; smol-dering eyes glow from slits in thehelm. The jaws of the beast stretchwide and are lined with sharp teethand a pair of boar-like tusks.

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Diet: The charnalbalk demandsblood and warm flesh to dine upon,but such a meal must be from thesame racial stock as the rider; sagessuggest that this equar secretly har-bors ill will toward any who dare rideit and thus chooses such as its diet,One victim slaughtered per day keepsthe charnalbalk content. One suchmeal every three days keeps the pactof the spell, though the beast may atan inconvenient time attack a mem-ber of that race (other than the rider)to snack upon in the meantime.

Special Abilities: Instead of fightingwith its hooves, a charnalbalk can bitean enemy with its daggerlike teeth,inflicting 2-8 hp damage (3-12 for agreater charnalbalk). If the beast scoresa natural roll of “20,” it succeeds in tear-ing loose a hunk of flesh, thereby caus-ing further 2-8 (3-12) hp damage;whether the wound is healed throughnatural or magical means, the strikealways leaves a nasty scar.

Charnalbalks have 120’ infravisionand can cause the spell-like effects fearand weakness (the reverse of strength)for one hour in any creature below 3rdlevel or 3 HD that meet its gaze. A suc-cessful saving throw negates this effect.

In addition to all common equarabilities, they have the following spell-like powers:

Greater: The equar can cast invisibil-ity to undead (affecting both itself andits rider) and heat metal each thrice perday. It can also cast ani-mate dead once per day,but only corpses killed bythe charnalbalk can beanimated.

Special Weakness: Alesser charnalbalk can-not exist on thePrime MaterialPlane aftersunrise. It slowlyfades away atdawn, return-ing to itsrider’s loca-tion at dusk.The greatercharnalbalkremains onthe plane,to itsgreat annoy-ance, but its ACfalls to 5, and thecreature suffers a -1penalty on all d20 rolls.

Lesser: The equar can cast invisibility Steve Berman keeps busy writing arti-to undead (affecting both itself and its cles for DRAGON Magazine while alsorider) and heat metal each once per day. continuing work on his fantasy novel.

New SpellsSummon Lesser Equar(Conjuration/Summoning)Level: 5Range: 50 yds.Components: V, S, MCasting Time: 5Duration: 1 day/level of casterArea of Effect: Summons 1 equarSaving Throw: None

This caster of this spell summonsan equar from one of the OuterPlanes. Before the creature agrees toassist the caster and take a rider, apact must first be struck. The wordingis not as important as the understand-ing (though some tomes suggest oth-erwise). In return for caring and feed-ing the equar, the beast agrees toserve the caster in a single endeavorfor a period not longer than the spell’sduration. A rider must also be desig-nated, though this need not be the

caster. There are conditions in whichan equar will feel that the pact hasbeen broken. If it is improperly fed,betrayed to an opposite alignment, orattacked by the rider or caster, it willswiftly return to its home plane. Thenext time the conjurer attempts tosummon an equar, he may well haveto make amends for the spell to work.

A conjurer can call upon only anequar of the same alignment. No evilmage can ever summon one of thegood equars, for instance. However,an equar will accept a rider with analignment close to its own, but themount might prove demanding andcritical of any action it deems offen-sive. For example, a trothspyre mightconsent to bear a neutral good or law-ful neutral rider, but the steed willextol the ways of virtue and ensurethat its rider commits no evil.

The material component is anoffering of food to the taste of the

summoned equar. Only those thathave first mastered the incantationsfor mount and monster summoning Ican learn this spell.

Summon Greater Equar(Conjuration/Summoning)Level: 7Range: 50 yds.Components: V, S, MCasting Time: 7Duration: 1 day/level of casterArea of Effect: Summons 1 equarSaving Throw: None

This spell is similar to summonlesser equar, and the conjurer musthave knowledge of that spell beforelearning this one. This version createsa more powerful call to the equar.The beast is more firmly bound to thePrime Material and thus has the sta-tistics of a greater equar. In all otherways, this spell resembles the above.

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