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Poor Brendan s Almanac

,

Rodger ThormOVERALL SUPPLEMENT DESIGN

Jim Huffman, David Leuck, David NovakADDITIONAL DESIGN and DEVELOPMENT

Concept Montressor StudiosART DIRECTION

Anonymous PeabodyILLUSTRATIONS

PLAYTESTING AND ADVICE

Brian Bachman, Kerry Conway, Craig Cowie, Thor Hansen,Lisa Leutheuser, Alex Marsh, Joe Meyer,

David Nadler, Joe & Cheryl Orosz, Philip Proefrock, Joe Saul

PUBLISHED BY

The DragonQuest Newsletter

A Supplement for use with DragonQuest™ and other Fantasy Role-Playing Games

Copyright ©1990, 1991, 1992, 1999 by Antherwyck House. Authorized for electronic distribution only. Any other form of copying, distribution, orpublication requires permission from the author. While this document remains the property of the author, permission is granted to copy and distribute

electronic copies provided (1) it is distributed unmodified and in its entirety, including this notice, and (2) it is distributed for free.The DragonQuest role-playing game is presently owned by TSR, Inc., a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast, which is now owned by Hasbro. This

document falls under acceptable use under the TSR Online Policy (http://www.wizards.com/contactinfo/TSR_Online_Policy.asp).

I. Introduction

II. Additions to Combat101. Combat Talents102. Additional Combat Rules103. Weapon Cross Use104. Weapon Handling105. Additional Weapons

III. Additions to Magic106. Quickcasting107. Ritual of Planar Travel108. Complex Cantrips109. College of Witchcraft110. College of Time Magics

I. INTRODUCTIONWhy does a game whose original publisher has been non-existent for almost twenty years need a supplement?

Some of the materials included in this supplement seemed (to me, anyway) obviously lacking in the originalDragonQuest game, and were practically begging to be written up. Other items came about as the course of severalcamapigns progressed, and rules were needed for things which DragonQuest did not cover. Poor Brendan’sAlmanac was developed out of a set of in-house rules and modifications to DragonQuest (2nd Edition) used inseveral camapigns going back as far as 1981. Although it has existed in a fairly fixed form for nearly 10 years, itis only relatively recently that a reasonable means of distributing it (namely the Internet) has been broadly avail-able.

The DragonQuest community on the Internet has developed into a small but devoted core of players and GMs.This supplement is dedicated to all of you who have contributed to the DragonQuest Newsletter, or written toWebRPG or the dqn-list or one of the other DragonQuest discussion forums or newsgroups. Your presence andcontinued support for DragonQuest makes it worthwhile to produce this project. Some material in this supple-ment has been previously distributed through the DragonQuest Newsletter.

Two versions of Poor Brendan’s Almanac will be available. This one is a smaller file with lower-resolutionimages. A second file with higher resolution images (suitable for making a laser printed copy of the book) willalso be produced. Both files are machine-readable with Adobe Acrobat software. We have tried, as much as hasbeen possible, to reproduce the look-and-feel of an SPI supplement, as well as making the content follow in thespirit and style of the original DragonQuest game.

Like the original DragonQuest game itself, there is nothing to keep there from being a future Second Edition ofPoor Brendan’s Almanac. Feedback and commentary are the best ways to work out the bugs and to help make thismore useful for everyone.

Hopefully, you will find this a useful addition to the DragonQuest rules and use it in your campaigns. Pleasefeel free to print out and distribute copies of this supplement to other DragonQuest players, within the extent ofacceptable use.

--Rodger Thorm

Contents

IV. Additions to Skills and Adventure111. Minor Skills112. Diplomat113. Herbalist114. Hunter115. Adventure Abilities116. Alchemical and Herbal Shopkeeping117. Troubador Itinerancy118. Building Costs119. Peasants and Labor120. Farming121. Team Handling & Horse Trading122. Extended Merchant Tables123. Experience Point Cost Chart

Designer’s Notes

POOR BRENDAN’S ALMANAC, PAGE 2

II.ADDITIONS TOCOMBAT

In DragonQuest combat there aremaneuvers which a character may wish toperform which are not covered by the basicrules. The following rules allow for moreflexibility and interest in combat. Whenintroducing these rules into an existingcampaign, the GM should decide which ofthese rules to allow into the campaign andallow the player characters an opportunityto learn them before beginning to incorpo-rate them into combats.

101. COMBAT TALENTSThe combat talents are special abilities

for use during the Tactical Stage. Theyfunction like other special attacks andsometimes modify the normal operation ofthe combat sequence. Many of these talentsrequire skill with a weapon. Applicableweapons which may be used with eachtalent are listed with the talent. TheExperience Point costs and training timeare independent of the Experience Pointcosts and time needed to study to use theweapon. Practice and instruction for acombat talent may take place at the sametime as the practice (but not instruction) fora weapon which can be used with theparticular talent. Instruction in a combattalent is like instruction in a weapon. Acharacter may study two combat talents atthe same time

There are no Ranks for the combattalents. The success or failure of a combattalent depends on the character’s skill withthe appropriate weapon, and not on a talentRank. A character either knows themaneuver or he does not.

An instructor for any of these talents willcost (Experience Cost/2) Silver Pennies permonth of instruction. For example, itwould cost a character (1000/2) = 500Silver Pennies a month to learn Fencing.Since the Fencing talent requires fourmonths of instruction, the total cost to thecharacter would be 2000 Silver Pennies.Payment may be spread out over the courseof instruction.

[101.1] Iai-jutsu [Draw-and-Strike]This talent allows a figure to draw a

weapon and strike with it in the samePulse. Attacks by Iai-jutsu suffer a -15modifier to the Base Chance in addition toall other modifiers. Iai-jutsu attacks canonly be made with the following weapons:Katana, Scimitar, Tulwar, Sabre, Broad-sword, Longsword (B-Class), Knife (eitherthrown or held), and thrown Dagger. Iai-jutsu does not allow a figure to make a

melee attack with a dagger.The scabbard and weapon must be

crafted for this use, and must be worn in amanner suitable to quick use. A weapondesigned for this use costs 10 times thenormal base cost and includes a suitablescabbard or sheath.

The Experience Point cost for Iai-jutsu is500 and must be learned separately foreach weapon. A character must have Rank4 with the weapon and must have aminimum Manual Dexterity of 12 in orderto learn this talent. A character with aManual Dexterity below 17 pays anadditional 300 Experience Points to learnthe talent. Instruction time is 3 months.

Iai-jutsu is a variant combination of the

Prepare action and the Strike action andmay be performed by engaged or unengagedfigures.

[101.2] Flying TackleThis talent allows a character to rush a

defender with an attack like a Charge andClose attack [DragonQuest, 14.4]. Due tothe nature of the Flying Tackle, thedefender’s chance of successfully Repulsingthe attacker from entering Close Combat isreduced, but at a penalty to the attacker.

An unengaged figure must declare aFlying Tackle attempt. He may then moveup to (TMR - 1) hexes so that he is adjacentto his target. The Tackle is then resolvedbetween the engaged figures on the


following Pulse.The attacker’s Subtraction Value may not

exceed the number of hexes he travelled(excluding the defender’s hex) to make theTackle.

Subtraction Bonus Extra Value to Hit Damage

-1 +15% +1 (+0)-2 +20% +2 (+1)-3 +25% +4 (+2)-4 +30% +6 (+3)

The defender gets the Bonus to Hit addedto his chance to hit the figure attempting toTackle him. When the defender is using theB-Class Multiple-Strike rule, reduce hisStrike Chance in all attacks by -30 insteadof -20. If the defender does hit, the damageis increased by the extra damage number. Ifthe attacker is Stunned, he remains in hishex, and the attempt to Tackle fails.

If the attacker is not stunned, thedefender may then try to Repulse him fromentering Close Combat using normal rules[DragonQuest, 13.6], modified by theSubtraction Value. The number thedefender needs to roll on a D10 to success-fully Repulse the attacker is reduced by theSubtraction Value. Thus, a character who isdefending himself with a Sabre at Rank 6who is being attacked with a Flying Tacklewhere the attacker has chosen a SubtractionValue of 2 will need to roll a 4 or less(instead of a 6 or less) to keep the attackerfrom successfully Grappling.

If the attacker is successful, he may thenenter Close Combat and immediatelyexecute a Grapple attack as with the Chargeand Close attack.

The Experience Point cost for FlyingTackle is 300. Instruction requires 1 monthand practice time is an additional 3 months.

A variant of the Flying Tackle may beexecuted from horseback. This is called theHorse Tackle. It is similar to the FlyingTackle, except that the defender’s bonus tohit is reduced by 15%, and the lower,parenthetical damage bonuses are used.The Horse Tackle talent costs an additional300 Experience Points, and requires anadditional 3 months instruction and 3months practice. A character must haveHorsemanship skill at Rank 4 or better inorder to learn or use the Horse TackleTalent.

[101.3] Crossing SteelCrossing Steel is a special attack used in

Melee combat by engaged figures. Toinitiate a Crossing Steel attack, the attackerenters the defender’s hex with a permittedmelee weapon and declares that he isCrossing Steel with his opponent. Thedefender may choose to yield the hex, inwhich case he moves back one hex into the

attacker’s new Melee Zone and combat isthen resolved normally.

Otherwise, Crossing Steel combat isresolved like Melee combat, except that theattacker and defender are in the same hexand Close Combat modifiers are usedinstead of Melee Combat modifiers. Aftercombat, resolve the possession of the hex asfollows:

• If only one combatant is Stunned, thenon-Stunned individual keeps the hex andplaces his opponent in his Melee Zone.

• If both figures are Stunned, theattacker is returned to his starting hex.

• If neither figure is Stunned, then eachcombatant rolls a D10 and adds hisStrength plus 1/2 his modified Agility plus1/2 his Armor Protection Value [refer to theArmor Chart, DragonQuest, 18.1](rounding all halves up) plus his RacialSize Number [DragonQuest, 18.1]. Thefigure with the higher total wins the hex,with ties going to the defender. Then, if thedifference between the two numbers is:

0-4 the losing figure moves into hischoice of hexes in the winning figure’sMelee Zone.

5-8 the winning figure places the loser

in the winner’s choice of hexes in hisMelee Zone. A figure cannot be forced intoan occupied hex unless all hexes areoccupied.

9+ as above except that an occupiedhex may be chosen. The losing figure willalso fall prone unless he rolls under 3 xmodified Agility.

If a figure is forced into a hex occupiedby another figure, resolve the TacticalDisplay as followins. The forced figuremust roll under 2 x modified Agility and theother figure must roll under 3 x modifiedAgility (with a +15 bonus to his chance ifhe could see the figure being forced into hishex). If both fail, both figures are prone inthe hex. If only one makes his roll, he isstanding, and the other figure is prone inthe hex. If both make their rolls, the figurewho originally occupied the hex stays in hishex, and the forced figure is placed prone inthe nearest available hex. If there are noopen hexes within 2 hexes of the the hexthat the character was being forced into,then the figure is forced prone in that hex.

The figure being forced may not attemptto enter Close combat with a figure in thehex he is forced into until the followingPulse. A figure who had Passed or Set whothen has a character forced into his hex mayelect to enter Close combat, and mayexecute a Grapple or Restrain attackimmediately.

Crossing Steel may only be used by afigure with at least Rank 2 with one of thefollowing weapons: any Sword, any PoleWeapon, or any Hafted Weapon except Sap,Flail, or Chain Mace. The ExperiencePoint cost for Crossing Steel is 250, and itrequires 2 months of instruction.

[101.4] BackflipAn engaged or unengaged figure may

perform a Backflip as a special Moveaction. A character making a successfulBackflip is moved straight back 2 hexes andretains his same facing. The target hexmust be unoccupied or the figure willautomatically fall Prone. Any attacksagainst the figure are at a penalty of -30 tohit in addition to any other modifiers. If thecharacter is not hit, he must roll 3 xmodified Agility or less to land success-fully, or if he is hit, he must roll 2 xmodified Agility. If he does not make hisroll, or if he is Stunned, he is placed Pronein the intervening hex. There can be noobstacle higher than half the character’sheight in the intervening hex, and theremust be an overhead clearance of one-and-a-half times his height in order to performthis maneuver. A character may notnormally attack in the same Pulse as aBackflip is performed.

Halflings and Dwarves suffer a reduction


of -20 to their Base Chance to perform thismaneuver.

Backflip costs 300 Experience Points tolearn, and requires one month of trainingfollowed by 3 months of practice.

[101.5] Diving AttackAn unengaged figure may make a Diving

Attack. A character positioned above anopponent may jump down and attempt toenter Close combat. The attacker makes aD100 roll. If the roll is 00 or is over 75 +modified Agility, the attacker has missedcompletely, and he takes normal fallingdamage and is placed prone in the nearesthex adjacent to the target hex. If the roll isnot a complete miss, but is above 4 xmodified Agility, then the defender takesdamage of (D10 + attacker’s fallingdamage) as a normal blow, and the attackeris treated the same as he would be for atotal miss.

If the roll is successful [NOTE: Endur-ance and Critical Hits are possible, andshould be treated as a C-class attack] thedefender takes damage as above, and theattacker takes his falling damage to Fatiguerather than to Endurance (but still notabsorbed by armor). Additionally, theattacker is in the hex with the defender and,if not Stunned, can then make an immediateGrapple attack. However, if the defender isin a position where he could fend theattacker’s attempt to Close, he may attemptto do so. If the defender successfully fendsthe attempt to close, he moves into the heximmediately behind himself. Neither figurecan then engage in any further activity thatPulse.

This skill can be learned by spending 2months in instruction. The cost is 200Experience Points.

[101.6] FencingAn engaged figure with the Fencing

talent may elect to use Fencing to resolveMelee combat. The character must have atleast Rank 4 with his prepared weapon:(Main-Gauche, Rapier, Poignard, Estoc,Schlaeger, Longsword [A-class], ShortSword, Spear) to learn thisability and mustspend 1000 Experience Points and 4months instruction followed by 8 monthspractice.

A character using Fencing adds +15 tohis Defense, and changes his tacticalorientation so that only the center hex of hisMelee Zone is a front hex. If he is right-handed, his left front hex is a flank hex andthe other four hexes are rear hexes. {Thisis reversed for left-handed figures. Anambidextrous figure sets himself accordingto the hand in which he holds his fencingweapon.} The defender cannot normallyuse the Shift one hex & Strike option inMelee combat to make a rear strike on the

fencer. When the defender in the front hexshifts, the fencer is automatically andimmediately shifted to maintain facing,even if the fencer is Stunned. Fencing mayonly be used if one or more of the followingis true:

• The opponent in the front hex is using aFencing-type weapon.

• The Fencing figure’s Rank with hisprepared weapon is 4 or more higher thanthe defender’s Rank with his preparedweapon.

• The defender chooses to allow theattacker to use Fencing. If the defender haschosen to allow the figure to use Fenceing,and if he has the Initiative, he may performa Shift one hex & Strike attack. Note,however, that the net effect will be a +15 tohis chance to hit (+30 for the Rear strikeand -15 for the extra Fencing defense =+15). On the following Pulse, the Fencingfigure will not be allowed to continue to useFencing unless there is a new defender inhis front hex with whom he can Fence.(This will mean that the defender will onceagain be in one of his front hexes, unless here-adopts a Fencing posture.)

A Fencing figure may only attack withhis prepared weapon in his front hex. If hehas a weapon in his secondary hand, he mayattack a figure in his flank hex with thatweapon (using the usual modifiers formultiple weapon and secondary handstrikes).

[101.7] Jumping TurnThe Jumping Turn is a special acrobatic

combat maneuver which enables a figure toleap past an opponent in order to better beable to Grapple with him.

The attacker either begins in his startinghex or moves into a hex from which he willjump (move up to 1/2 TMR and then jump).If the attacker does not move beforejumping, his Base Chance of success is 3 xmodified Agility. If he has a running start,his chance is 4 x modified Agility.

If the attacker has the Initiative, or uses arunning start, attacks against him for theturn are at -30. If an opponent hasInitiative, he may attack normally beforethe attacker makes his Jumping Turn. Ineither case, the attacker gets no benefitfrom any shield he carries on the Pulse heexecutes a Jumping Turn.

If the attacker’s roll is a success, he isplaced either to the right or the left of thehex that was in front of him. (ahead one,and one to either side.) He is placed facingthe hex he passed over. If the roll is aCritical success ( < 15% of the successchance), the attacker has landed perfectly.If he is in the Rear hex of the defender, hemay enter Close Combat and immediatelyexecute a Grapple attack.

If the attacker is Stunned before the

Jumping Turn, he remains in the start hex.If the roll fails, the attacker lands Prone inthe target hex. However, if the attacker hasacrobatic skill (such as Troubador-acrobatspecialty) and misses his roll by 2 x skillRank or less, he remains standing, butfacing away from his opponent.

If the jumping figure does not enter CloseCombat immediately the following Pulse,the defender may elect to change facing tokeep the attacker in a front hex.

Jumping Turn may not be used against afigure who is Evading.

This maneuver may be learned over 2months of instruction for 600 ExperiencePoints, followed by 2 months of practice.

102. ADDITIONAL COMBATRULES

The following rules are not separateskills to be learned, but are additions to theexisting set of combat rules. All may beused in Melee Combat as special attacksalthough some may have special restrictionsor requirements. This section may beviewed as an addendum to theDragonQuest Special Attacks section[DragonQuest 16.5]

[102.1] Open AttackingThere arise certain situations where a

figure may wish to throw himself at anopponent without regard for his own safety.A figure may choose to increase his chanceto hit an opponent by reducing his modifiedAgility (either in whole or in part) by anequal amount.

The attacker cannot be using a shieldwhile making an Open Attack. If he carriesa shield, he gets no defensive benefit fromit when attacking this way. Open Attackcan only be used in face-to-face combat,and may not be used while making asurprise attack or a Rear strike.

[102.2] Set AttackingA figure may choose to take a Pass action

intentionally during Melee combat in orderto gain initiative the following Pulse,regardless of the opponent’s InitiativeValue. The character taking a Set actioncannot use an Evade or Fire or Attackaction in conjunction with a Set action. Ifthe figure becomes Stunned, the Setbecomes a Pass action, and nothing isgained.

If the figure rolls 3 x WP or less, his Setis successful and he acts first the followingPulse. If both attacker and defender Setagainst each other, the figure with the lowerroll for the Willpower check is allowed toact first. In case of a tie, the figure with thehigher initiative is allowed to act first.

A character may not Set to make any kind


of multiple attack (including two-handed B-class weapon Multiple Attack[DragonQuest, 16.4]). A Mage who hasPrepared a spell may elect to use a Setaction rather than to Cast the spell. Acharacter may not Set with an investeditem.

[102.3] Aimed AttackA figure employing certain forms of

missile weapons or thrown weapons mayuse a special form of Ranged Attack calledAimed Attacking to increase his chance ofsuccess. To make an Aimed Attack, afigure must have the weapon prepared (andloaded, if applicable). Rather thanexecuting an immediate Fire action, theattacking figure announces his target anddeclares that he is Aiming. The GM mayneed to decide whether or not the figurebeing aimed at is aware of being Aimed ator if he has a chance of noticing. Theattacker may change targets at any time.However, he loses any bonus he may haveaccrued due to Aiming.

An attacker is allowed to conduct anAimed Attack against a moving target, butif he looses direct line-of-sight with histarget for more than one Pulse, he looses allbonuses due to Aiming, and must beginAiming anew when he regains sight of thetarget.

In all other respects the Aiming figure istreated as if he had executed a Pass action.On any subsequent Pulse, the attacker maythen Fire his weapon, with the appropriateAiming bonus added to his Base Chance. Afigure who has made an Aimed Attack alsoincreases his chance of causing an Endur-

ance hit by one for each Pulse he has aimed(to a maximum of 3). The attacker mayAim his attack for up to three Pulses inorder to accrue maximum effect. There isno further bonus if a figure continues to aimbeyond three Pulses.

Pulses Bonus1 +52 +15

3+ +25

If the Aiming figure is attacked, he willhave to make a Concentration Check [seeDragonQuest 15.6 and 29.5]. If he fails,he loses his Aiming bonuses.

A figure may make an Aimed Attackusing any of the following weapons: anyBow, any Crossbow, Blowgun, Slingshot,Spear Thrower, or any of the followingweapons only when thrown: Dagger, Knife,any Axe, Spear, Javelin, Rock, Boomerang.

[102.4] OvercutA figure wishing to employ an Overcut in

place of a regular Melee attack cannot haveexecuted a Fire or Melee attack in theprevious Pulse. When an attacker usesOvercut, he loses Initiative, even if thedefender is Stunned. All attacks against thefigure making an Overcut attack are at +20in addition to all other modifiers. If theattacker remains un-Stunned, he may thenmake his Overcut attack. The roll usesnormal Melee combat chances andmodifiers, but the damage is increased by 2,and the damage bonus due to Strength isdoubled.

Example: Greagor the Dwarf hasStunned his opponent, an ogre, in the firstPulse of combat. On the second Pulse hechooses to Evade, hoping that he will beable to hit the ogre with an Overcut on thefollowing Pulse. However, at the end ofPulse 2, the ogre successfully recovers frombeing Stunned. On the third Pulse, Greagorcan either attack normally and automati-cally act before the ogre (since it wasStunned on the previous Pulse), or he canwait and take what damage the ogre maydispense in hopes of doing extra damagewith an Overcut.

An Overcut may be used as part of aCharge action [DragonQuest, 14.2] usingthe appropriate modifiers, but a figurecannot make an Overcut attack whileCharging with a pole weapon.

A character must be using any B-classSword except Knife, or any Hafted Weaponexcept Sap, or any B-class Pole Weapon inorder to perform an Overcut.

[102.5] UndercutUndercut is an attack to cause an

opponent to fall Prone. The Base Chance ofan Undercut is 0% with applicable skill andweapon modifiers. A character who makesan Undercut attack while kneeling or whoattacks an opponent who is standing abovehim (on a table, for example) adds +10 tohis chance. A character may not attempt anUndercut attack while he is Prone.

If the hit is successful, apply normalweapon damage to the defender, and thedefender must roll less than [3 x (modifiedAgility - (1/2 x Effective Damage))] or fallprone. [Example: Rolf has a modified


Agility of 17 and is Undercut for 7 points ofeffective damage. He must roll 3 x (17 - 4)= 39 or less to stay standing.]

Undercut may be performed with thefollowing weapons: Scimitar, Tulwar,Sabre, Broadsword, Longsword (B-class),Hand & Half Sword, Claymore, Cutlass,Schiavone, Flamberge, Schlaeger, Two-Handed Sword, Katana, O-Dachi, BattleAxe, Scythe, Great Axe*, Mace (non-chaintype)*, Morningstar, Mattock, Quarterstaff,Halberd, Poleaxe, Glaive*.(*Giant type weapons may also be used.)

103. WEAPON CROSS USE

Once a character has learned to use aparticular weapon, learning to use otherweapons of a similar nature will be easier,and the character will be able to useweapons of a similar type to those he knowswith marginal skill.

[103.1] A character may use anunfamiliar weapon from the same clusteras a weapon with which he is skilled atone-third his Rank with the knownweapon.

This is true even if the character’s trueRank with the weapon is less than one-thirdof his Rank with another weapon from thatcluster. A GM should penalize a characterwho continues to use a weapon regularly inthis fashion without spending the experi-ence points to properly learn it.

[103.2] A character may study the useof another weapon in the same cluster asa weapon he knows at a reduction in timeand Experience Point cost. If acharacter’s Rank in a particular weapon isgreater than the Rank he is studying toachieve with another weapon of the samecluster, the experience point cost is reducedby 25% and the practice time necessary ishalved.

[103.3] Weapon Clusters Table

• Dagger, Dirk, Poignard, Main-Gauche• Sabre, Claymore, Schiavone, Tulwar• Falchion, Cutlass, Machete, Tulwar,

Scimitar• Rapier, Estoc, Longsword (A-class)• Broadsword, Scimitar, Cutlass, Sabre,

Longsword (B-class), Schlaeger• Broadsword, Hand & A Half, Two

Handed, Claymore, Schiavone,Flamberge• Crude Club, War Club*, Mace*,

War Hammer, Mattock• Short Bow, Long Bow*,

Composite Bow• Crossbow, Heavy Crossbow• Hand Axe, Battle Axe*, Great Axe

• Sling, Fustibal, Spear Thrower• Throwing Dart, Dagger (thrown),

Knife (thrown)• Flail, Morningstar• Javelin, Spear*, Pike, Trident• Glaive*, Halberd, Poleaxe• Crude Club, War Club*, Truncheon,

Sap, Torch, Mace• Boomerang, Hunting Stick

*includes Giant weapons

104. WEAPON HANDLING

(Optional Rule) Depending on theirconstruction, wear, and use, some weaponsof a given type may feel more comfortableto a character than others. Each weapon hasits own character, and the GM may elect tointroduce this feature into play by allowingeach weapon a modifier for its Handling foreach individual.

[104.1] Each individual who handles aweapon may determine its feel for hisparticular use.To determine a weapon’s Handling for aparticular individual, roll 2D5 and consultthe following chart:

Roll Modifier2 -33 -24 -15 06 07 08 +19 +210 +3

The Base Chance for the weapon in thehands of that particular individual is thenadjusted by the modifier.

While it may not be at all unusual for acharacter examining daggers at the bazaarto handle several to compare their heft, theGM should discourage players fromswapping weapons around among them-selves to see whose hand it best fits. After

all, if someone finds a weapon he likes,he’s going to keep it for himself, even if itfits someone else’s hand better.

[104.2] Only certain types of weaponswill reasonably have noticable Handlingcharacteristics.Only swords, hafted weapons and pole armsshould have a modifier for Handling. TheGM need not apply this rule in all cases andshould use his discretion to keep this rulefrom turning the purchase of each and everyweapon into the search for the absolutelybest fitting sword hilt.


III.ADDITIONS TOMAGIC

As an Adept becomes more skilled in thepractice of magic, there are other wayswhich may be used to further enhance his orher abilities. There are also additionalrituals which may be part of the SpecialKnowledge of all colleges of magic.

106. QUICKCASTINGOnce an Adept has become skilled in theapplication of a spell, he may learn toPrepare and Fire the spell in the samePulse. This procedure is calledQuickcasting.

[106.1] An Adept may attempt to Prepareand Fire a spell in the same pulse byusing Quickcasting.

The Fatigue cost to Quickcast a spell isdouble the standard cost of casting thespell. The Adept’s Cast Chance is reducedby 15 for using Quickcasting. If theAdept’s player rolls a number more than 20higher than the Cast Chance whileattempting to Quckcast a spell, the spellbackfires. Certain spells which state arequirement for a longer period of time tocast cannot be Quickcast. Rituals can neverbe Quickcast. An Adept may not Quickcasta spell in a “mana poor” location. A spellcast by Quickcasting may still receivedouble or triple effects [see DragonQuest28.2].

[106.2] The Adept must have achieved atleast Rank 6 with a spell he wishes tolearn to Quickcast.

The Experience Point cost to learn toQuickcast a spell is equal to the Experi-ence Modifier for that spell. It takes oneweek to learn to Quickcast a GeneralKnowledge spell and two weeks to learn toQuickcast a Special Knowledge spell.

[106.3] The Adept’s Initiative Valuewhen Quickcasting a spell is reduced by25.

The Adept may Quickcast a spell, even ifhis Initiative Value has been reduced to anegative number. He will simply act afterall other figures with higher InitiativeValues.

[106.4] The presence of cold iron makesit very difficult to Quickcast a spell.

The GM’s interpretations as to theammount of cold iron which may be incontact with an Adept attempting toQuickcast a spell should be much moresevere than for those for normal spellcasting.

If an Adept has neutralized items of coldiron which he carries with precious metals,the following modifiers should be usedwhen the Adept attempts to Quickcast aspell. If the item is neutralized with silver,the Adept’s base Chance is reduced by 20.The Cast Chance for the Adept with itemsneutralized by gold is reduced by 10. Evenif the item is neutralized with truesilver,the Cast Chance is reduced by 5.

107. THE RITUAL OF PLANARTRAVEL

The Ritual of Planar Travel can be usedby Adepts of any college. It is similar tothe other spells and rituals found in theConsequences section (DragonQuest rule84] and may be considered to be rule[84.6].

[107.1] The Ritual of Planar Travel is aSpecial Knowledge ritual which allowsthe adept to open a passable gateway toanother Plane of Existence.Experience Multiple: 750Effects: With this ritual, the Adept is ableto open a gateway to another Dimension orPlane of Existence for 1 individual plus 1additional per Rank. The Base Chance ofsuccessfully performing the ritual is equalto the caster's Magical Aptitude plus 3 foreach hour spent in the ritual (to a maximumof 10 hours). The following modifiersapply to the Ritual of Planar Travel:

Adept has never visited the target Plane -25Adept does not know the True Name of the Plane -15The target Plane is the Adept's home Plane +7Each Rank the Adept has with the Ritual of Planar Travel +3Each Rank the Adept has with the True Name of the Plane +1Use of a symbol of power var.An Adept may gain Rank with the True

Name of a Plane the same way he wouldwith any other True Name. It takes anumber of weeks equal to the Rank he isattempting to reach to study the True Nameof any Plane. There is no Experience Pointcost to study the True Name of a Plane. AnAdept may also use a symbol of power in aRitual of Planar Travel. These symbolshave the same cost and bonus as thoselisted in the chart for the Remove CurseRitual (see DragonQuest 84.5).

108. COMPLEX CANTRIPS

Complex cantrips are a form of minormagic more difficult than regular minormagic talents, but less difficult than spell

magic. While general minor magic is aspontaneous use of magical talent, complexcantrips are more difficult feats of minormagic which require a rehearsed trigger.For this reason they are sometimes alsocalled 'Key Magics' because they use amnemonic key in order to be triggered.These are some of the 'nickel-and-dime'stunts that surround an Adept's life.

[108.1] Because of their more complexnature, a character must spend Experi-ence Points, time and perhaps money tolearn a complex cantrip.Complex cantrips require 1 day of instruc-tion from another Adept who knows thecantrip or one week of study if learningfrom books only. The cost of instruction isequal to (Experience Point Cost + 30)Silver Pennies.

[108.2] The Base Chance to cast a


complex cantrip is 4 x Caster's MagicalAptitude.

Modifiers for the caster's particularcollege of magic do not apply to the castingof complex cantrips. As with other minormagic, the GM may add modifiers or varythe Base Chance at his discretion.

Casting a complex cantrip costs oneFatigue Point, whether the spell is success-ful or not. Complex cantrips operate inessentially the same fashion as does minormagic (see DragonQuest 4.2 for moreinformation).

[108.3] A character may learn anunlimited number of complex cantrips.

All complex cantrips a character knowscount collectively as one spell for purposesof having sufficient Magical Aptitude tolearn them (see 34.6 and 34.7)

Complex Cantrips are not Ranked likespells. Once a character has learned the'key' to the cantrip, there is nothing else tomaster.

[108.4] Complex Cantrips ListEach complex cantrip is followed by its

Experience Point cost in parentheses.

BUG - summons a few insects to a pointwithin (2 x Magical Aptitude) feet from theadept. (15)

CALL - summons a horse, dog or other non-magical familiar animal from up to(Magical Aptitude X 3) miles. (40)

CHILL - cools a bottle, cup or other smallquantity of material by (Magical Aptitude x2) degrees. (45)

CHIMNEY - protects a bare candle or othersmall flame from gusts. (30)

CLEAN - lifts dirt, dust, liquids, etc. from asmall area. (55)

COLOR - temporarially shades or colors asurface. (80)

CURE - heals one point of Fatigue andserves as a Physiker's Kit or Rank 1 healerskill to staunch bleeding, etc. Can only beused once on a wounded individual. (150)

DAMPEN - covers an area with dew ordampness. (30)

DRY - removes dew or dampness from anarea. (30)

DUST - stirs up a small dustcloud. (25)

GATHER - collects like objects or materialfrom a localized area. (85)

IGNITE - causes a flamable object (such asa candle, dry kindling, lamp wick, parch-ment corner, etc.) to ignite. (50)

KNOT - magically tangles a knot making itmore difficult to untie or loosen. Takes (2 xMagical Aptitude) minutes to untie byhand. (70)

LUCK - allows the player to make one dieroll (no more than once every game day)which may be substituted for any other dieroll at any time. The player does not seewhat number he has rolled, and it maysometimes be worse than what he hadrolled initially. (70)

POLISH - shines objects and removestarnish. (35)

PRESERVE - slows or stops decay orrotting. (90)

PROD - causes a shocking jolt. (50)

RAVEL - unsews a seam or unravels a pieceof cloth from a broken thread. (60)

SPILL - tips small containers and otherwiseencourages spills. (30)

STITCH - causes a thread or string to sewitself into a seam, attach a button, etc. (60)

TANGLE - snarls thread, hair, string, vines,etc. (20)

TEMPERATURE - protects the Adept fromextremes of temperature. {Wizards don'tsweat} (150)

TIE - ties two threads, two cords, etc.together. (50)

UNTIE - undoes a knot or removes a snarl.Can be used to reverse the effects of one'sown 'Knot' cantrip instantly, or will untieanother Adept's 'Knot' in ([30 - MagicalAptitude] x 5) seconds. (50)

WARM - heats a small object. (45)

109. THE COLLEGE OF WITCH-CRAFT

The College of Witchcraft is concernedwith the powers of life and community.

Witches draw strength from theirassociations with their Coven. A Coven isa collective of witches usually comprised ofa specific (and symbolically important)number of members. The College ofWitchcraft belongs to the Entities Branch ofMagic.

Depending on the locale, a Coven may be

spread out over a number of small villages(with perhaps just one Witch in eachvillage) or there may be several Covensthroughout the precincts of a large city.The Coven is led by a powerful Adeptknown as a Warlock who oversees allactivity of the Coven, including theselection of new members to the Coven (tomaintain proper number), manages itsmonies, and sees to the training andeducation of all of its members. TheWarlock is also the connection throughwhich the Coven communicates with otherCovens of similar association.

Adepts progress through three levels ofmembership within their Coven:

1. The First Circle: A new member of aCoven initially joins the First Circle.Within the First Circle, an adept learns allof the General Knowledge of the Collegeand is able to progress to Rank 10 with thatknowledge. Adepts of the First Circle alsolearn the Remove Curse Ritual (84.5).

2. The Outer Circle: Once a member ofthe First Circle, an Adept must study for atleast one year before being able to progressto the Outer Circle. As a member of theOuter Circle, the adept is able to attaincomplete mastery of the General Knowl-edge of the College and begins to receiveinstruction in the Special Knowledge of theCollege. A Witch in the Outer Circle mayattain Rank 10 with any Special Knowledgespell or ritual he has learned. Members ofthe Outer Circle begin to take on some ofthe duties of the Coven, and are oftenresponsible for the instruction of membersof the First Circle.

3. The Inner Circle: Once an Adept hasdemonstrated sufficient mastery of theteachings in the Outer Circle, he will beinvited to join the Inner Circle. In order tobe accepted into the Inner Circle, the Adeptmust complete a particular task or quest forthe Coven or its leader. Upon successfulcompletion of the quest, the Adept will bepromoted to the Inner Circle. Onlymembers of the Inner Circle are able tolearn Special Knowledge beyond Rank 10.The leader of a Coven will always be amember of the Inner Circle. Once an Adepthas achieved membership in the InnerCircle, he may be able to move on andestablish his own Coven.

Allegiance to a Coven and membershipin the College of Witchcraft can be revokedsimilarly to most other colleges of magic.Unlike the College of Black Magics, thereis no onus upon an Adept who forswears theCollege of Witchcraft.

Depending on its allegiance, the Covenwill have specific holidays on which all ofits members convene. Popular numbers forcoven size include 7, 9, 12, and 13.

Some of the more widespread associa-tions of Covens include:


The Coven of Dravewood - named afterits central Place of Power, the ancient ruinsof Dravewood, which is thought to havebeen a vast library in ancient days. TheirCovens consist of thirteen members.

The Coven of Innar - a Coven dedicatedto healing and the preservation of life.Many Adepts of this Coven are alsoHealers. Innaran Covens number sevenmembers.

The Coven of As‘wish - a Coven limitedto female members only. As‘wish was ascholar who founded the order and whohighly prized knowledge and learning.

Witches are concerned with theircommunities and with ordinary magic.Witches are aligned with neither thePowers of Light nor the Powers of Dark-ness. They are not a part of that greatconflict, and will be weakened when eitherfaction is at its strength. As a college, theCollege of Witchcraft is closer to medieval'hearth-witches' than to Satanic witches.

[109.1] Members of the College ofWitchcraft may only practice thosetalents, skills and rituals permitted themby the Pact they have made.

[109.2] The following numbers are addedto the Base Chance of performing anytalent, spell or ritual of the College ofWitchcraft:It is daylight -10It is nighttime 5Witch is in the Outer Circle 5Witch is in the Inner Circle 10It is a Light High Holiday -5It is a Dark High Holiday -10Witch occupies

hallowed ground 15Place of Power 20meeting of entire Coven 30

All of the above modifiers are cumulative.

[109.3] Talents

1. Witchsight (T-1)The Witch has a Base Chance equal to

his Perception (+5 per Rank achieved withthis talent) of seeing objects which arenormally invisible or which have beenrendered invisible by magical means (i.e.,such spells as Walking Unseen, Blending,and Invisibility). The Witch also possessesthe night-vision of an Elf. The ExperienceMultiple for this talent is 200.

2. Tarot (T-2)This talent works in the same fashion as

the Limited Precognition function of theritual of the same name of the College ofBlack Magics (DragonQuest, 46.5, Q-1).The Witch must spend (90 - 3 x Rank)minutes to complete the talent. The BaseChance for this talent is 25% (+3 perRank). The Experience Multiple for this

talent is 400.

3. Detect Aura (T-3)This talent is identical in all ways to the

talent of the same name of the College ofNaming Incantations (DragonQuest 39.3, T-1).

[109.4] General Knowledge Spells

1. Spell of Walking Unseen (G-1)Range: Adept must touch targetDuration: 1 hour+1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 100Base Chance: 60%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: The effects of the spell are thesame as for the spell of the same name ofthe College of Celestial Magics(DragonQuest, 44.4, G-9).

2. Spell of Converse with AnimalsRange: 10 feet+10 additional/RankDuration: Concentration/max: 3 hours xRank (x1 if unranked)Experience Multiple: 50Base Chance: 45%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: The effects of the spell are thesame as for the spell of the same name ofthe College of Earth Magics (DragonQuest,43.4, G-1).

3. Spell of Blending (G-3)Range: May be cast over self onlyDuration: 1 hour+1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 50Base Chance: 60%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: The effects of the spell are thesame as for the spell of the same name ofthe College of Earth Magics (DragonQuest,43.4, G-4).

4. Spell of Healing (G-4)Range: May only be cast over adjacentcharacterDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 100Base Chance: 40%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: The spell can cure 2 points (+1 perevery 2 or fraction Ranks) of Endurance orFatigue due to injury or disease (If curingdisease, add +3 to the damage healed.) Theeffectiveness of this spell can be increasedthrough the use of fresh magical herbs. Theeffect of the spell is doubled if using herbs,but the spell requires about 10 minutes inthis case.

5. Spell of Storm Calling (G-5)Range: Within sight of casterDuration: VariableExperience Multiple: 200Base Chance: 40%

Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell allows the Adept tosummon any weather front within sight tocenter on the location from which the Adeptcast the spell for a number of hours up tothe Adept's Rank (depending on thestrength and nature of the storm) beforeresuming its normal activity.

6. Spell of Herbal Lore (G-6)Range: May be cast over self onlyDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 75Base Chance: 25%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell allows the caster toidentify any magical properties of an herbor plant he is examining. Additionally, thecaster will be aware of any magical plantswithin a radius of 5 feet (+2 per Rank).

7. Spell of Protection against Were-Creatures (G-7)Range: 15 feetDuration: 30 minutes + 10 addition-al/RankExperience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 20%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: The effects of this spell are thesame as for the spell of the same name ofthe College of Black Magics (DragonQuest,46.4, G-7).

8. Call Coven Spell (G-8)Range: AnyDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 225Base Chance: 20%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: The caster calls the attention of therest of his coven to himself, much like theCall Master Spell of the College of BlackMagics (DragonQuest, 46.4, G-14). TheBase Chance of casting this spell isincreased by 15 if the caster is the head ofthe Coven.

9. Spell of Blessing/Curse on UnbornChild (G-9)Range: SightDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 200Base Chance: 20%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: This spell has the same effect asthe spell of the same name of the College ofBlack Magics (DragonQuest, 46.6, S-11).

10. Spell of Enchanted Sleep(G-10)Range: 10 feet +10 additional/RankDuration: 1 hour +1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 250Base Chance: 15%Resist: May be actively & passively resisted


Effects: This spell has the same effect as thespell of the same name of the College ofEnsorcelments and Enchantments(DragonQuest, 36.4, G-3). In addition, thisspell may be cast over an item of food or drink,which will have the same effect as the casting ofspell when consumed. Casting of the spell inthis fashion requires 1 hour of preparation, andthe effectiveness of the magic in the food lastsfor a number of hours equal to the caster's Rank.

11. Spell of Predict Weather(G-11)Range: See spell descriptionDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 150Base Chance: See spell descriptionResist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell operates in similar fashion tothe talent of the same name in the College of AirMagics (DragonQuest, 40.3, T-1).

12. Spell of Light (G-12)Range: 15 feet +15 additional/RankDuration: 30 minutes +30 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 75Base Chance: 50%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell operates in the same fashionas the spell of the same name in the College ofFire Magics (DragonQuest, 42.4, G-4).

[109.5] General Knowledge Rituals

1. Ritual of Cleansing (Q-1)This ritual must be performed prior to the

performance of any other ritual of the College. Itis similar to the ritual of the same name of theCollege of Greater Summoning (DragonQuest,47.5, Q-1).

2. Ritual of Binding Familiar(Q-2)

The Adept uses this ritual to create a bondbetween himself and a chosen animal. With thissemi-telepathic link, the familiar is able to serveas information gatherer and confidant to theWitch. The Witch's patron will also often usethe familiar as an intermediary to communicatewith the Witch. A witch may not use a sentiententity as his familiar, and a Witch may have onlyone familiar at a time.

The Base Chance of this ritual is 10% +3/Rank, and the Experience Multiple is 300. If theritual is being performed to renew the bond withan existing familiar, the Base Chance isincreased by 20.

The bond created with the familiar lasts for 2weeks plus 2 days per Rank. However, if theritual is performed on the night of the full moon,the duration of the bond will be doubled.

3. Ritual of Creating Witchcharm (Q-3)The Witch must burn 2000 Silver Pennies (-50

per Rank) worth of incense in this ritual. A

token of some sort (a locket or otheritem of value) is used to be thereceptacle of the charm. The finishedcharm then confers a favorableadjustment to all die rolls of 1 per 5Ranks (rounded down). The BaseChance for this ritual is equal to theWitch's MA +3 per Rank. TheExperience Multiple is 125. Theeffects of witchcharms are notcumulative with each other or withother amulets, potions, blessings ortokens of luck.

4. Ritual of Creating Potions (Q-4)An Adept who wishes to create

potions must initially prepare acauldron of magical fluid to use as thebasis of all potions. The contentsconsist of many rare herbs and othermagical materials, which the witchmust either personally obtain or buy atsignificant cost (approximately 5000Silver Pennies). Once the Adept hasstocked the cauldron, it may be used tomake an unlimited number of potions,however, it must be replenished yearly.Annual replenishment of the cauldroncosts 2500 - (100 x Rank) silverpennies. Each type of potion alsorequires additional materials specificto the particular potion which willentail additonal cost.

A witch is able to create thefollowing potions:

A. Potion of Toad Sweat (see theSpecial Alchemy talent of the Collegeof Black Magics [DragonQuest 46.3,T-3] in section B) cost 100 sp perattempt.

B. Love Potion (see the SpecialAlchemy talent of the College of BlackMagics [DragonQuest 46.3, T-3] insection D) cost 500 sp.

C. Potion of Fertility (see theSpecial Alchemy talent of the Collegeof Black Magics [DragonQuest 46.3,T-3] in section E) cost 100 sp.

D. Potion of Carbuncle whichdecreases damage from poison by 2points per Pulse or per day cost 1200sp

E. Potion against miscarriage cost300 sp.

F. Potion against infection reducesBC of infect by 10 cost 1000 sp.

G. Potion of Restfulness to preventbad dreams and increase Fatiguerecovery by 2 for a night’s sleep cost400 sp.

H. Potion of Sleep which causes anenchanted sleep like E&E spell.

I. Potion of night vision cost 1200.J. Potion of Airy Form which causes

a figure to become almost weightlessand able to swim about in the air.

However, in high winds, the figure may beswept away faster than they can moveagainst it. Cost 1200 sp

The duration of such a potion is 2 weeks +1 additional/Rank, and the cost of materialsis one half the listed cost.

The Experience Multiple for this ritual is500

[109.6] Special Knowledge Spells

1. Spell of Fear (S-1)Range: 15 feet + 15 additional/RankDuration: Immediate (during Pulse)Experience Multiple: 350Base Chance: 20%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: This spell has the same effect asthe spell of the same name of the Collegeof Celestial Magics (DragonQuest, 44.6, S-13).

2. Spell of Damnum Miniatum (S-2)Range: 15 feet +15 additional/RankDuration: Until dispelled by the appropri-ate counterspellExperience Multiple: 500Base Chance: 10%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: This spell has the same effect asthe spell of the same name of the Collegeof Black Magics (DragonQuest, 46.4, G-4).However, the Witch must use magicalherbs, mushrooms, etc. for this spellobtained at a cost of (10 x Rank) SilverPennies. If the Witch is using a lessercurse than his Rank allows, he pays onlyfor the level of the affliction. (i.e. anaffliction of warts (Ranks 1-3) would nevercost more than 30 S.P.)

3. Spell of Telepathy (S-3)Range: TouchDuration: 1 minute +1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 350Base Chance: 10%Resist: May only be passively resistedEffects: This spell enables the Adept toread the thoughts of any one entity withinrange. The Adept can also send thoughts,unlike the spell of the same name of theCollege of the Mind [DragonQuest, 37.6,S-2] . More than one entity may becommunicated with during the duration ofthe spell, but only one at a time.

4. Spell of Crop Blessing/Blight (S-4)Range: SightDuration: 1 yearExperience Multiple: 125Base Chance: 40%Resist: May not be resisted


Effects: This spell has the same effect asthe two spells of similar name of theCollege of Black Magics (DragonQuest,46.6, S-4 & S-5). Although seeminglymore potent than the Black Mage's versionof the spell, the Witch's version only lastsone year.

5. Spell of Disease (S-5)Range: 15 feetDuration: 1 day +1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 25%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: The spell infects 1 person +1 per 3(or fraction) Ranks with an illness. Thevictims will begin to show symptoms in (30- Rank) hours after the spell was cast. Usethe list in the spell of the same name of theCollege of Black Magics (DragonQuest,46.6, S-10) as a guideline to what diseasesmay be afflicted upon the victims of thespell. However, unlike the Black Magicsversion of the spell, the victims of theWitch's Spell of Disease may die from theillness they contract.

6. Spell of Flight (S-6)Range: 30 feetDuration: 30 minutes x Rank (x1 ifunranked)Experience Multiple: 250Base Chance: 25%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell allows the target to flyat will at 20 miles per hour (+1 mile perhour per Rank). Flight in this manner isonly broadly controllable (i.e. the characterin flight will make slow sweeping turns)unless some sort of an earthly anchor (suchas a broom or a chair) is used as a focus.This use does not enchant the object in anyway, but rather just gives the charactersomewhat better control of his flight.

7. Spell of Transformation (S-7)Range: Self onlyDuration: 1 hour + 1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 500

Base Chance: 10%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: With this spell, the Witchinhabits the body of his familiar, becomingone being. For all intents, the Witch's bodyvanishes and simultaneously the familiar'sbody is inhabited. The Witch is fullycapable of controlling the actions of thefamiliar, although the familiar's conscious-ness is still present as well.

At the conclusion of the spell's duration(or sooner, if the Witch chooses to end thespell sooner) the Witch's body reappears inthe place from which he disappeared.

8. Spell of Obscurement (S-8)Range: 15 feet + 5 additional/ RankDuration: 10 minutes + 10 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 20%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell creates a hazy, shadowedveil 10 feet tall by 100 feet long which theAdept mat position in any way withinrange. The veil gains 1 foot of height and10 feet of length per Rank. Anyoneattempting to pass through the veil mustroll passive resistance or will becomedisoriented for (D10/2) Pulses. Rangedattacks through the veil are subject to a -20penalty

9. Spell of Blindness (S-9)Range: 30 feet + 10 additional/RankDuration: 1 hour x D10 x Rank (1 hour ifunranked)Experience Multiple: 250Base Chance: 15%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: This spell causes one target (+1 per4 Ranks) to be struck blind

10. Spell of Lightning (S-10)Range: 50 feetDuration: Immediate (during Pulse)Experience Multiple: 225Base Chance: 30%Resist: May only passively resist (thensuffers half damage)

Effects: This spell causes a bolt of lightningto fly from the Witch's fingers. The boltmust travel its full length, and will reboundany remaining distance. All characters inthe bolt’s path must successfully resist orsuffer (D + 2) damage +1 additional pointfor every 3 (or fraction) Ranks (and becomeautomatically stunned).

11. Spell of Power Transfer(S-11)Range: 5 miles +1 additional/RankDuration: 30 seconds +5 additional/RankExperience Multiple:Base Chance: 20%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell allows the caster to letanother member of his Coven to use hisFatigue to cast spells. When meeting inCoven or when contacted by a Call CovenSpell, a Witch may help another member ofhis Coven by using this spell. For theduration of the spell, the target of the spellmay cast magic by expending the caster'sFatigue rather than his own. In this way,even a Witch with no Fatigue remainingwould be able to cast spells. While thisspell is in effect, a form of limited telepathyexists between the two Witches.

[109.7] Special Knowledge Rituals

1. Ritual of Animating the Dead (R-1)This ritual allows the Adept to animate a

recently dead corpse back to a temporarysemi-living state. Beings animated by thisritual are not healed of their wounds in anyway. Rather, they are suspended betweenlife and death. If taken to a healer, a beingwho has been Awakened from the Deadmay still be resurrected normally.

The Base Chance of this ritual beingperformed successfully is equal to thecaster’s Magical Aptitude plus 3 per Rank.Up to three witches may work together inorder to perform this ritual. If more thanone witch is involved in this ritual, add theMagical Aptitude of the other Adepts to thebase chance. However, only the Rank of


the witch actually leading the ritual is used.If the being has been dead for less than aday, add 20 to the Base Chance, otherwisesubtract 1 from the Base Chance for eachday that the being has been dead.

This ritual may not be performed on abeing who has been dead for more than anumber of days equal to (2 x caster’sRank). If the being’s corpse has been toobadly damaged in its death or subsequenttreatment, it may not be possible to animateit. The effects of the ritual last for 1 day +1 additional per Rank. During this time,the body is preserved as if under the effectsof a healer’s preserve dead ability[DragonQuest, 55.7].

Performing this ritual costs the caster 5points of Fatigue and 1 point of Endurance(if more than one witch is involved incasting the ritual, the fatigue loss may beshared equally, but the prime caster alwaysis the one to lose the point of Endurance).This will awaken the body and give thebeing effective characteristics equal to one-third of its previous living values. For eachadditional point of Fatigue the witch (orwitches) expend, the being’s Fatigue can beincreased by one, to a maximum of three-quarters of the being’s original Fatigue.Once animated, the body will have limitedvolition, and will be able to move and act inrestricted ways. All of the body’s actionsare performed in a trancelike state, and willtake twice as long to perform as they wouldfor a living being. The animated figurepossesses one-half of his true Rank inskills, weapons, and most other abilitieswhile animated, but cannot cast magic. If aplayer’s character has been animated, theplayer may continue to play the character(although in a greatly reduced capacity).For purposes of resurrection by a healer, abeing animated by this ritual is consideredto have just died (or to have died as soon asthe effects of the ritual have ended). Nohealing magic will have any effect on abody under the effects of this ritual.

The Experience Multiple for this ritual is400. Attempting to cast successive Ritualsof Awakening the Dead on the same body tokeep it in an animated state may beperformed, but the increasing number ofdays from the being’s death will make itmore and more difficult to do so. If thebeing is not resurrected or otherwisespecially attended to once the effects of theritual have ended, there is an 85% chancethat the being’s spirit will become a ghost.

110. THE COLLEGE OF TIMEMAGICS

The College of Time Magics is concernedwith the powers of time. While TimeMages cannot change the past, they are able

to work with the powers of the past and thefuture.

Due to their effectively timeless lives,elves find it particularly difficult to studythe arts of the College of Time Magics.

The College of Time Magics belongs tothe Elemental branch of the Colleges ofMagic.

[110.1] Members of the College of TimeMagics may practice their arts withoutrestriction. (At any time?)

[110.2] The Base Chance of performingany talent, spell or ritual of the Collegeof Time Magics is modified as follows:Adept is Seasonally Aspected +1Adept is Lunar Aspected +3Adept is Sun Aspected +5It is Midnight +5It is Noon +10It is an Equinox +5It is a Solstice +10Adept is an elf -20

All of the above modifiers can becumulative.

[110.3] Talents

1. Time Sensitivity (T-1)The Adept is able to tell the exact time of

day to within (10-Rank) minutes up to Rank9, and then to within (60 - 3 x Rank)seconds at Rank 10 and above. The Adeptwill always know the exact day and will beable to calculate the time in another placeas well. The Adept will also be able to tellthe duration of an event or the elapsed timefrom a given moment with (80 + Rank)%accuracy. Experience Multiple for thistalent is 50.

[110.4] General Knowledge Spells

1. Spell of Memory Recall (G-1)Range: TouchDuration: 5 minutes + 1 additional/RankExperience Multiple:150Base Chance: 25%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: The Adept is able to stimulate thememory of one target to recall an earlierperiod of the target’s life. Specific detailsare recalled at the GM’s discretion. It isrecommended that a number of specificquestions equal to (Rank X 3) be permitted.

2. Spell of Quickness (G-2)Range: 15 feet + 15 additional/RankDuration: 30 seconds x Rank (x1 ifunranked)Experience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 20%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: This spell affects 1 target plus 1additional per 3 (or fraction) Ranks. The

target adds (5 + Rank) to his InitiativeValue. Up to Rank 12, the target’s TMR isdoubled and he is able to perform Actionstwice as fast. Above Rank 12, the castermay choose to triple the target’s TMR. Inthis case, the number of targets is halved.

3. Spell of Slowness (G-3)Range: 15 feet + 15 additional/RankDuration: 30 seconds x Rank (x1 ifunranked)Experience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 20%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: This spell affects 1 target plus 1additional per 2 (or fraction) Ranks. Up toRank 12, the target’s speed is halved, andthe time it takes to perform any Action isdoubled. Above Rank 12, the target’s speedmay be reduced to one-third, but thenumber of targets which may be affected ishalved.

4. Spell of Accelerated Plant Growth (G-4)Range: 10 feet + 10 additional/RankDuration: 1 hour + 1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 225Base Chance: 15%Resist: NoneEffects: With this spell, the caster can causea number of substantial plants (trees,bushes, magical plants, etc.) equal to hisRank (one if Rank 0) or an area of smallerplants (grasses, flowers, and the like) equalto (5 x Rank) square feet (approximately 1Tactical Display hex per 3 Ranks) to growat a rate of 1 hour = (Rank) weeks.

5. Spell of Animal Growth (G-5)Range: 10 feetDuration: 1 hour + 1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 10%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: This spell causes 1 target plus 1 per5 (or fraction) Ranks to grow to fullmaturity in (50 - Rank) minutes. If thespell is cast on already mature target, it willhave no effect. The spell will have noeffect if cast upon a sentient being.

At the end of the spell’s duration, if theanimal makes a successful 4 x WP roll itreverts to its previous condition, otherwiseit dies.

6. Spell of Identifying Age (G-6)Range: TouchDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 100Base Chance: 35%Resist: NoneEffects: With this spell, the Adept canidentify the age of an object, determine howlong it has been in a particular location, orforecast how long a thing will last if it


continues unhindered (e.g. ‘This candlewill burn for 5 hours,’ ‘This spell will lastanother 20 minutes,’ etc.)

7. Spell of Enchanted Sleep (G-7)Range: 15 feet + 15 additional/RankDuration: 1 hour + 1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 250Base Chance: 20%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: This spell causes 1 entity (whichnormally spends any time sleeping) plus 1per 3 (or fraction) Ranks to fall into anenchanted sleep. If the spell is under Rank10, the target may be wakened (by beingshaken, etc.) though it will require (Rank)Pulses for the victim to fully awaken. AtRank 11 and above, the target cannot bewakened, and the the spell must run its fullduration.

8. Spell of Prediction (G-8)Range: Within sight of the AdeptDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 200Base Chance: 30%Resist: NoneEffects: The Adept is able to determine theweather and general conditions of an areafor up to 1 day (+1 additional/Rank) intothe future. In addition to seeing weather,the Adept may be able to foresee such largephenomena as floods, fires, volcaniceruptions, dragon attacks, or the presenceof an army or a caravan. No informationabout individuals' activities or specificevents can be determined with this spell.

9. Spell of Hibernation (G-9)Range: May only be cast over adjacentcharacter or selfDuration: VariableExperience Multiple: 350Base Chance: 20%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: This spell has the same effect asthe spell of the same name of the Collegeof Air Magics [DragonQuest, 40.6, S-8]except that the Physical Strength reductionis equal to D10 - (Rank/2).

10. Spell of Decay (G-10)Range: TouchDuration: 1 hour + 1 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 300Base Chance: 15%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell causes the material theadept touches to suffer rust, decay or rot.This spell will coat a weapon with rust, andthe chance of an affected weapon breakingin combat is increased by (2 x Rank)%. Avolume of wood in a 6 inch radius can haveits strength weakened 25% (+1/2 inch

additional radius or 5% additionalweakening per Rank). This spell has noeffect, however, against the living tissue ofanimals or other beings. Other specificeffects of this spell will require the GM'sinterpretation.

[110.5] General Knowledge Rituals

1. Ritual of Enhancing Study (Q-1)The Adept may perform this ritual either

for himself or for another individual toenable faster learning of skills and spells.After successfully performing this ritual,the target will have improved memoryretention, and will require less time tocomprehend new information. The ritualtakes 1 hour to perform, and the Adeptmust set out a circle of 12 lit candles andburn a special mixture of incense costing1000 Silver Pennies in order to performthis ritual.

After successfully completing the ritual,the target will require 10% + 2% per Rankless time to study any language, skill,talent, spell, or ritual. The effects of theritual last for 1 week + 1 day per Rank.

The Base Chance for this ritual is 50%plus the caster's Magical Aptitude plus 1per Rank. The Experience Multiple is 375.

2. Ritual of Future Prediction (Q-2)With this ritual, the Adept is able to

foresee future events in a manner similar toan astrologer. The Base Chance for theritual is equal to the caster's MagicalAptitude +3 per Rank, and the ExperienceMultiple is 200.

The caster must prepare a question of aspecific nature regarding presumed futureevents at the beginning of the ritual. If theritual is successful, the caster will seevisions of the future events about which heasks. The GM will need to give a replywhich recognizes the variability of theuntied strands of all future events.

It is recommended that the GM avoidabsolute statements, and instead giveinformation and details which allow somelatitude. For example, when given aquestion about an adventuring party'sfortunes in their forthcoming exploration ofa desolate castle, it would be better toreply, ÒYou see Brendan and Cormac in adesperate battle with three ogres,Ó ratherthan to state absolutely, ÒYou see Brendanand Cormac die in battle.Ó

[110.6] Special Knowledge Spells

1. Spell of Enhancing Duration (S-1)Range: TouchDuration: Variable, depending on the spellbeing extendedExperience Multiple: 350Base Chance: 10%

Resist: May be actively resisted onlyEffects: This spell increases the duration ofa spell being cast by another mage adjacentto the Adept. The other mage need not be aTime Mage for this spell to succeed.However, the Base Chance of successfullycasting the spell is increased by +10 if thetarget mage is a member of an ElementalCollege (or +15 if the other mage is a TimeMage). There is no bonus if the targetmage is a member of a College of theThaumaturgies, and if the target mage is amember of a College of the Entities theBase Chance is reduced by -10.

The Time Mage must cast his spellbefore the other mage begins preparation.Once the Time Mage has successfully casthis spell, the next spell the target magecasts will be increased in duration. If theduration of the other spell is Rank based,the Ranks of the two mages are added (+1if the Adept is Rank 0) to calculate theduration. If the duration is not Rank based,add 10% per Rank of the Time Mage to theother mage’s spell duration (+10% if Rank0).

This spell has no effect when attemptingto extend instantaneous effect spells (e.g.lightning, bolt of energy, etc.) The spellalso cannot be used to increase the durationof a spell cast from an invested item.

2. Spell of Accelerated Healing (S-2)Range: TouchDuration: 8 hours + 8 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 150Base Chance: 30%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell creates a zone in whichresting individuals heal at a faster thannormal rate. The application of this spelldoes not substitute for the the skills of aHealer. Rather, the natural process ofhealing takes place at an accelerated rate.

Each 8 hours of rest under the spell’sinfluence is treated as 1 + (Rank X 4,rounded down) days of healing rest. [AtRank 0 the effect is of 12 hours rest.]Those under the influence of this spell willrequire food and drink at a rate equal tohalf the effective healing time. Thus acharacter spending the full 3 days under thespell (at Rank 8) healing at a rate of 3 daysper 8 hours will require 14 days worth offood and drink.

3. Spell of Stasis (S-3)Range: 10 feet + 10 additional/RankDuration: VariesExperience Multiple: 400Base Chance: 15%Resist: NoneEffects: This spell causes natural phenom-ena to wait in stasis a short period beforeresuming. The delay can be specified bythe Adept, up to (Rank x 5) seconds later.


(In the Tactical Stage, use (Rank) Pulses forcalculating the delay.) For example, abarrel pushed from a ledge could be madeto wait in mid-air for up to 35 seconds by aRank 7 Time Mage before it fell. Note thatthis spell has no effect if it is cast directlyover another being.

Since the effect of this spell is over asingle object, the adept cannot freeze waterto walk over a stream or solidify the air intoan impermeable barrier.

4. Spell of Aging (S-4)Range: 10 feet + 5 additional/RankDuration: D10 hours + 2 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 350Base Chance: 15%Resist: May only be passively resistedEffects: The target of this spell is subjectedto rapid debilitating effects of aging. Theseeffects reduce the target’s characteristics byD10 (+1 per 3 Ranks or fraction) fromPhysical Strength, Manual Dexterity,Agility, Perception, and Endurance. Nocharacteristic may be reduced below thetarget’s racial minimum (5 for humans) dueto the effects of this spell. The characteris-tics must be reduced as evenly as possiblewhen applying the effects of this spell.

Elves add +15 to their chance of resistingthe spell, but if they fail to resist must rollunder 4 x WP or fall unconscious.

5. Spell of Timeseeing (S-5)Range: Within sight of the AdeptDuration: 10 minutes + 5 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 250Base Chance: 25%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell allows the caster or anadjacent figure to see into the past of aparticular location or object. Events whichpreviously took place in the space the Adeptoccupies will be visible, as will the formercharacter of the space itself.

This spell takes 60 minutes (-2 minutesper Rank) for the Adept to prepare. Theindividual may not walk about or otherwisemove while observing the past with thisspell, and will be only faintly aware ofpresent events as a ghostly projection in hisvision.

If the adept is studying the history of anobject, he will be able to determine featuresfrom the object’s past which were of asustained period or were of significantimpact. For instance, an Adept mightdetermine about a pair of boots that theyonce belonged to the great mage LeskDarvius, or that an arrow found in a templewas used to slay the dragon Lardios. WhenTimeseeing is used on an object, reduce thebase chance of the spell by 2 for each 5 feetof intervening distance between the Adeptand the object he is studying.Whenattempting to look into the past, the Adept

may see as far back as (Rank Squared)years up to Rank 10. At Rank 11 andabove, the Adept may see up to (Rank)centuries into the past.

6. Spell of Precognition (S-6)Range: 10 feet + 1 additional/RankDuration: 15 minutes + 15 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 200Base Chance: 10%Resist: May not be resistedEffects: This spell confers to the target anability to see a short distance into thefuture. In combat, the figure is able toperceive an opponent’s tactics and defendagainst them. The target of the spell adds 5(+2 per Rank) to his defense. The target isalso less susceptible to surprise and adds5% (+1 for every 2 or fraction of 2 Ranks)to the chance of detecting an ambush.

7. Spell of Spell Extinction (S-7)Range: 30 feet +15 additional/RankDuration: Concentration, depending ontarget spellExperience Multiple: 450Base Chance: 10%Resist: May be actively & passively resistedEffects: Upon casting this spell, the Adeptcauses the effects of another spell withinrange to pass at an accelerated rate. Thisdoes not increase the efficiency of the

target spell, but simply causes it to endsooner than it would otherwise. The rate ofextinction is equal to 1 + (Rank/2) times asfast [1.5 times if the caster is Rank 0].Thus at Rank 8, the Adept can cause a spellto end after only one-fifth its normalremaining duration.

8. Spell of Altering Time and Season (S-8)Range: 25 feet + 25 additional/RankDuration: 5 minutes + 5 additional/RankExperience Multiple: 350Base Chance: 5%Resist: May only be passively resistedEffects: With this spell, the Adept is able tocause an area surrounding him to exist in aparticular time. The adept is able to createa local area of effect where day exists in thenight (or vice-versa) or to alter the season.

The Adept may alter the apparent hour byup to (2 x Rank) hours or may alter the timeof year by up to (2 x Rank) weeks (1 houror 1 week at Rank 0). At Rank 10 andabove the adept may combine the effects;for example, an Adept with the spell atRank 12 could alter the time by 8 (2 x 4Rank) hours, and the season by 16 (2 x8Rank) weeks.

Any figure attempting to enter or leavethe area of time displacement must roll onthe Fright Table, and must roll passive


resistance or suffer D - 4 (+1 per 4 Ranks)damage.

9. Spell of Timewalking (S-9)Range: 5 feet + 5 additional/RankDuration: ImmediateExperience Multiple: 500Base Chance: 5%Resist: May be actively & passivelyresistedEffects: This spell causes one individual orobject up to 500 pounds (+100 pounds perRank) to leap forward in time. The targetwill find itself in the same place, but atsome time in the future from the casting ofthe spell. The caster may cause the targetto go into the future any length of time upto (Rank Squared) months (up to 2 weeksat Rank 0). Above Rank 10 the target maybe projected up to (Rank) years into thefuture.

In the intervening time between thecasting of the spell and the return of theindividual or object, the target effectivelydoes not exist.

[110.7] Special Knowledge Rituals

1. Ritual of Life Prolonging (R-1)The Adept must prepare a ritual circle of

12 lit candles and burn 5000 Silver Penniesworth of special rare incenses and oils toperform this ritual. The intended targetmust remain at the center of the circle forthe duration of the ritual. The ritual takes12 hours to perform.

Once successfully cast, the effects of theritual prevent the target from aging for 1year (+6 months per Rank). At the end ofthis period, unless the ritual is renewed,the individual will resume normal aging.

The Base Chance for this ritual is 65%plus the caster's Magical Aptitude plus 3per Rank minus the number of years thetarget's life has already been extended. Ifthe ritual is performed on the targetindividual's birthday, add 5 to the BaseChance. The ritual may not be performedif the caster's chance of success is less thanor equal to 0%. If the roll is equal orgreater than (80 + Rank) the effects of thespell are reversed, and the target isinstantly aged an equivalent number ofyears as he would have been preventedfrom aging.

The Experience Multiple for the ritual is375. There is no result when this ritual isperformed on an elf.

2. Ritual of Permanence (R-2)With this ritual the Adept is able to

extend the duration of a stationary magicalphenomenon to a great extent. The Adepteither casts his own spell at the end of theritual, or, working in conjunction withanother Mage, the other Adept casts his

spell at the conclusion of the ritual. If theritual is successful, the spell effect willremain in place for a number of years equalto (Rank Squared). For example, a TimeMage who cast a Ritual of Permanence anda Spell of Stasis could cause a rock to floatpermanently in mid-air, until the end of theRitual of Permanence. The Ritual ofPermanence will not function as either aWard or an Investment.

The Base Chance of this ritual is 10% +3 per Rank. The Experience Multiple is400.


111. MINOR SKILLS

In addition to the skills necessary whileadventuring (the DragonQuest skills fromBook Three) characters in an ongoingcampaign will be in need of the skills ofvarious artisans and tradespeople. Somecharacters may even have some of theseskills themselves. The minor skills coverthese areas of endeavor and provide a basicoutline for their application in a campaignenvironment.

Due to the common nature of these skills,there is no Rank 0 as found in normalskills. All of the knowledge of these skillsis of a practical nature (or conversely, asthey are common trades for the most part,all people have Rank 0 knowledge of theseminor skills).

[111.1] A character must spend Experi-ence Points, time and perhaps money toincrease his Rank with a minor skill.

The Experience Point cost and timerequired for the successful mastery of eachRank of a minor skill is listed on the MinorSkills Experience Point Cost Chart. Aswith other types of skills, instruction is anecessary ingredient in learing minor skills,and the same strictures that apply tolearning normal skills should apply (see[87.5]). Like weapon skills, much of thetime is spent in understanding the applica-tion of what one has learned, rather than inactual training. The player should consultwith the GM as to the ammount of time thatwill actually be taken up with instruction.The cost of instruction will have to benegotiated. Due to the crafts nature ofmany of these skills, the time figure alsoindicates the ammount of time necessary topractice the skill before one is ready forfurther instruction.

[111.2] Minor Skills Experience PointCost Chart

The first figure lists the experience pointcost for each Rank of each minor skill. Thesecond figure lists the time necessary tomaster that Rank. Abbreviations for thetime figures are as follows: w=weeks;m=months; y=years.

[111.3] Minor Skills ListARCHITECT Skill in the planning andoversight of building construction. Ageneral rule of thumb may limit the numberof stories to a structure an architect designsbased on his Rank:

Rank Stories1-4 15-7 28-9 310 4

BAKER Skill in the creation of breads,

pastries and other foodstuffs.

BOATWRIGHT Skill in the design andconstruction of ships and other watervessels. A boatwright must have attainedskill of 3+ in Carpenter before he can gainRank as a boatwright.

BOWYER Skill in the manufacture andrepair of bows and crossbows. A weaponcreated by a bowyer has its Base Chancemodified by (-3 + Rank). Thus a long bow(which has a stock BC of 55) built by aRank 1 novice bowyer would have a BC of53, while one built by his Rank 8 mentorwould have a BC of 60.

BREWER Skill in the brewing of beers,ales, and other beverages.

CABINETMAKER Skill in the construc-tion of fine furniture. A cabinetmaker musthave skill of 3+ in carpentry before he cangain Rank in cabinetmaking.

CARPENTER Skill in carving and woodconstruction.

CARTOGRAPHER Skill in reading,copying and making maps and in surveyingland.

COOK Skill in the preparation of food. AtRanks 6, 8, 9 and 10 a cook adds a new,foreign style to his repertoire.

COOPER Skill in building barrels andsimilar containers. A cooper must alreadyhave skill of Rank 2+ in carpenter. Acooper may learn an equal or lesser rank inwheelwright for one-half the normalexperience cost.

FALCONER Skill in controlling andhunting with birds of prey. In practice,falconry is more of a social art than amethod of catching prey for dinner.

FLETCHER Skill in the construction ofarrows and bolts for bows and crossbows.Missiles created by a fletcher have anaccuracy modifier of (Rank - 3). A fletcher

is able to create up to (5 x Rank) missilesin a full day’s labor.

GAMBLER Skill in wagering andknowledge of games of chance. A gambleradds (5 x Rank)% to his winnings fromwagering.

GARDENER Skill in the raising of plantsfor food. A gardener adds (RankSquared)% to the yield of his harvest.

GLASSBLOWER Skill in fabricating itemsof glass.

HERALD Skill in the design and manufac-ture of coats of arms, flags, and otherornamental identification

INNKEEPER Skill in hosting travellersand wayfarers. To gain Rank at innkeeping,a character must have Rank 2+ as Merchantor Rank 3+ in Math.

The level of hospitality an innkeeper isable to provide is dependent upon Rank:

Subsistence Rank 1+Moderate Rank 2+Expensive Rank 4+Extravagant Rank 5+

JEWELER Skill in the cutting of gem-stones and creation of decorative orna-ments. A jeweler is also able to assayjewelry as a merchant.

MASON Skill in construction of structuresof brick and stone.

MATH Skill in counting and numericalmanipulations.

POTTER Skill in fabricating vesssels ofclay, earthenware, porcelain, etc.

SAILOR Skill in the operation of ships;rigging sails; etc.

SCRIBE Skill in calligraphy, dictation,book copying, etc. A character must haveskill of Rank 8+ in the written form of anylanguage in which he wishes to work.


SHIPWRIGHT Skill in the design andconstruction of ships and watercraft.

SMITH, ARMOR Skill in the fabricationof metal armor, helmets and shields. Anarmor-smith must have Rank 3+ in the Iron-smith skill in order to gain Rank in armor-smith. The types of armor an armor-smithmay create are limited by his Rank:

Scale mail Rank 2+Chainmail Rank 3+Partial Plate Rank 4+Full Plate Rank 5+Imp. Plate Rank 6+

SMITH, COPPER Skill in the fabricationof utility metal objects such as clasps,hinges, bowls, gears, pipes, needles, etc. Acoppersmith primarially works with basermetals and alloys such as brass, bronze,copper, tin, etc. but may also work withfiner metals such as silver and gold,although the results will not be as rich ordecorative as the works of a silversmith.

SMITH, IRON Skill in the forging andbasic working of iron. An ironsmith is ableto create basic tools, shoe horses, and forgeother common items of strong metal.

SMITH, SILVER Skill in the creation offine objects working in precious metalssuch as gold, silver, pewter, platinum, andothers. A silversmith is also knowledgablein the coining of metals and is able toappraise objects of precious metal as amerchant.

SMITH, WEAPON Skill in the creation ofweapons of strong metal. A weaponsmithmust have Rank 4+ ironsmith skill in orderto gain Rank. Weapons created by aweaponsmith have a Base Chance modifiedby (-3 + Rank)

STONECUTTER Skill in the quarryingand carving of stone for building. Stonecut-ters are also skilled at decorative carving ofstone such as gargoyles and statues.

TAILOR Skill at the creation and repair offine clothing. A tailor is able to assay clothand clothing as a merchant.

TANNER Skill in the preparation andcuring of hides. At Rank 3+ a tanner cancreate leather armor.

VINTNER Skill in the growing of berries(particularly grapes) and fermentation oftheir juice to make wine.

WEAVER Skill in the manufacture of clothfrom fiber.

WHEELWRIGHT Skill in building and

repairing wagon wheels. A wheelwrightmust have a skill level of 2+ in carpenter.A wheelwright may learn an equal or lesserrank in cooper for one-half the normalexperience cost.

112 DIPLOMAT

A diplomat is skilled in the arts ofcommunications and politics. Diplomatsfind employment as governmental represen-tatives in foreign courts, as bureaucrats andofficials of government, and as representa-tives of their leaders in their absence.Diplomats may also sometimes be found inthe employ of merchants dealing in foreigntrade.

[112.1] A diplomat must be able to speakhis government’s language at Rank 8.

In order to progress past Rank 1 thediplomat must also be able to read andwrite his government’s language at Rank 8.It is sometimes the case that the courtlanguage is not the same as that spoken by

the people of the land, so this distinctionmay be relevant.

In order to advance beyond Rank 3 adiplomat must also be able to speak and toread and write at least one foreign languageat Rank 8.

[112.2] A diplomat can assess thecurrent social standing of other sentientshe meets.

A diplomat’s chance of successfullyrecognizing another’s social standing isequal to 40 + (6 x Rank)%.

Additionally, when a figure attempts todeceive a diplomat with a disguise, subtract(2 x Rank)% from the success chance.

[112.3] A diplomat is able to appear non-hostile and can avoid offending others.

When making an encounter reaction rollfor a diplomat, or for a party with adiplomat as their spokesman, the die rollshould be adjusted by (2 x Rank) in thediplomat’s favor.

[112.4] A diplomat will be aware of courtpolitics and the rumors surroundingcourt life.

A diplomat will know all of the majorfigures at court (or at least will recognizethem if he is not personally acquainted) andwill be conversant with his lord’s stand onmajor issues of importance.

The chance of a diplomat knowing asecondary figure or issue is equal to [50 +(5 x Rank)]% and the chance of his beingfamiliar with minor figures or issues isequal to [10 + (8 x Rank)]% The GMshould make all rolls for a diplomat’sknowledge secretly. If the roll is above (90+ Rank) then the diplomat should insteadbe given erroneous information.When serving at a foreign court, thediplomat is treated as being at 3 Rankslower than his actual Rank if the court ishostile to his lord’s. If the foreign court isneutral, he is treated as being 2 Rankslower, and is treated as being 1 Rank lowerif in the court of an ally.

If the diplomat is not familiar with aparticular issue or rumor, he may spend (12- Rank) days investigating. If the GM’s rollis successful, the diplomat has found theinformation he was seeking.

A diplomat must be in service at court fora number of days equal to (20 - Rank)before he can perform any of his tasks. Anytask performed before he has acclimated istreated as though he were 2 Ranks belowhis true Rank.

If a diplomat is gone from a court formore than (Rank) months he will be forcedto reestablish himself at that court upon hisreturn.

[112.5] A diplomat is able to negotiate


differences and settle disputes betweenparties.

A diplomat may advance a proposedsettlement to one of the parties. The timeneeded to negotiate a dispute as well asmodifiers to the diplomat’s chance ofreaching an agreeable settlement willdepend on the complexity of the issue, andare left to the GM’s interpretation.

The base chance of the proposal’sacceptance is equal to (6 x Rank)%. Onceone party accepts the proposal, thediplomat must present it to the other side,with the same Base Chance. If both sidesaccept the settlement, the issue is resolved.Otherwise, the diplomat must begin a newround of discussion. Each subsequentround of proposals increases the diplomat’schance by +5, up to a maximum of +30.

However, if at any time the roll foracceptance of a diplomat’s proposedsettlement is above (90+Rank) the entireprocess has broken down, perhaps evenwith dire consequences for the diplomathimself.

[112.6] A diplomat is familiar with thecustoms of other cultures.

When performing social activities,addressing nobles, following local customs,etc., a diplomat’s chance of knowing theproper forms is equal to [20 + (6 x Rank)+ (2 x Rank in the appropriate Lan-guage)]%. If the diplomat fails his roll, thedegree of error and the consequences ofsuch an error should be interpreted by theGM depending on how badly the roll wasmissed.

[112.7] A diplomat in the full timeservice of a major noble will receive anannual stipend of [1000 + (500 x Rank)]Silver Pennies.

A diplomat’s pay will vary from thisbased on the employer’s position, thediplomat’s responsibilities, etc. The GMshould use this formula as a base guidelineand figure an appropriate ammount basedon the diplomat’s actual circumstances.

[112.8] A diplomat must spend [200 +(50 x Rank)] Silver Pennies annually tomaintain a proper wardrobe andappearance plus [50 + (25 x Rank)]Silver Pennies each month while servingin court for gifts and entertainments.

A diplomat who does not meet theformer requirement is treated as being atone Rank lower than his actual Rank. Adiplomat who has not made the latterpaymentis treated as being two Ranksbelow his actual Rank and will be forced tospend twice the time needed to investigaterumors or information or to settle in atcourt.

113 HERBALIST

Due to the presence of mana in theDragonQuest world, there exist magicalplants, as well as ordinary plants withwhich magic can be worked. The herbalistis an individual who has detailed knowl-edge of magical plants and their propertiesas well as extensive education in the uses ofnon-magical plants.

[113.1] An herbalist’s training isparticular to a specific ecological zone,and his ability to use his skill in anotherzone is limited.

The herbalist will be familiar with theplants of the zone of his training. Unlike aranger, the herbalist will be familiar withplants of different terrains, but primarilythose from the area where he lives. It willbe necessary for the GM to outline theboundaries of the particular ecologicalzones and to determine which plants arenative to that environment.

The herbalist understands the effects anduses of all plants native to his particularecological zone. An herbalist has a chanceto know the general effects of a foreignplant equal to (Perception + 2 x Rank)%.

[113.2] An herbalist may attempt toanalyze a new or unfamiliar herb orplant in order to determine its proper-ties.

His chance of success is (Perception + 8x Rank)% if the plant is found in his nativeecological zone, and half that if it is not. Ifthe GM’s die roll is above the herbalist’ssuccess chance, the herbalist may be givenpartial information or erroneous informationdepending on the die roll. The herbalistmust spend 120 - (10 x Rank) hours in anherbal laboratory (although not necessarilyall at one time) to perform the analysis.

[113.3] An herbalist gains certainabilities as he gains Rank.

Rank Abilities0 Identify Common Plants

and Herbs1 Perfumer, Use of Common

Remedies2 Basic Herbalism3 Cure Infections4 Cure Diseases, Create

Pain- Killers5 Cure Wounds6 Formulate Drugs7 Advanced Herbalism8 Create Poisons and Antidotes

[113.4] An herbalist may create per-fumes and dispense common remedies.

The herbalist must spend (12 - Rank)hours and 100 + (5 x Rank) Silver Pennies

to distill each quarter ounce of perfumeoils. Common folk remedies are easilyfound and grown by an herbalist.

[113.5] The herbalist learns to createherbal compounds for a variety ofpurposes.

The GM must create a list of basic herbalcompounds for the players. They may befor such things as sleeping draughts,headache remedies, and the like. Advancedherbal compounds are for more complexends such as enhancement of the senses,sleeping potions and so forth.

[113.6] The herbalist can create un-guents to cure infections, wounds, anddiseases and can formulate pain-killers.

To cure infections the herbalist mustspend 180 - (10 x Rank) minutes to createthe mixture. The percentage chance ofsuccess is 10 + (9 x Rank). Different plantscan be used to cure a variety of ailmentsand diseases. An herbalist has an (8 xRank) % chance of curing these maladies.To cure wounds or diseases, the herbalistmust spend an amount of time equal to 300- (15 x Rank) minutes mixing and preparingthe herbs. The herbal wound cure takes (12- Rank) hours to take effect and cureswounds equal to D + (Rank - 5) points.

[113.7] An herbalist can preparetherapeutic and recreational drugs.

[113.8] An herbalist may create poisonsand poison antidotes.

He must spend (20 - Rank) hours tocreate a poison or antidote, and theprocedure will cost 750 - (60 x Rank) SilverPennies. The poison or antidote will be ofthe natural variety (as outlined underAlchemist) and may be either a NerveAgent or a Blood Agent. The poison willcause (D5 + Herbalist’s Rank) points ofdamage. Refer to Alchemist for additionaldetails.

[113.9] An herbalist must pay 100 SilverPennies a year for upkeep of his labora-tory.

He must pay the cost of the building plusan additional 1500 Silver Pennies toconstruct his lab. An herbalist withoutaccess to lab facilities performs at 3 Ranksbelow his true Rank in all but the assayalskill (114.1). An herbalist may alsoconstruct a greenhouse at an additional costof 1500 Silver Pennies. It costs 250 + (100x Rank) Silver Pennies to maintain thegreenhouse each year. If the herbalist hasno greenhouse, all the plants will have to beacquired from some other source atadditional cost. The GM must require anherbalist without a greenhouse to pay toacquire the necessary herbs and plants.


114 HUNTER

A hunter is an individual skilled in thetracking and slaying of wild creatures. Thehunter is also familiar with animals in afashion similar to a ranger’s knowledge ofplants.

A hunter may be found working in suchpositions as a huntsman to a noble or theleader of the hunt in a village. While aranger may know more about the wholeenvironment, the hunter’s knowledge ofwild creatures and their ways is unequalled.

[114.1] A hunter adds 2% per Rank tohis Stealth ability when he is in theenvironment of his specialty.

There is no bonus in other environs.A hunter must choose an environ of

specialty in a manner similar to a ranger.In addition, a hunter will develop a deep

knowledge of the area surrounding hishome, and will be at an advantage whenacting in his home terrain. Every threemonths that a hunter spends at homepracticing his craft, he adds 1 mile to hishome area radius to a maximum of (Rank)miles. A hunter’s chance of remainingundetected in setting an ambush isincreased by (3 x Rank) in his home terrain.

[114.2] A hunter is adept at setting,baiting and concealing traps in theenviron of his specialty.

He has a percentage chance to catchanything equal to 20 + (6 x Rank) per trap.He must spend 60 - (5 x Rank) minutes toset each trap. A hunter setting a trapoutside of his specialty environment istreated as if he were only half his trueRank.

[114.3] A hunter can track a quarryacross the land.

Like a ranger, a hunter is able to trackany being which leaves marks of itspassage, such as footprints, broken twigs,strands of hair or fur, etc. A hunter’schance to track his prey is equal to ([2 xPerception] + [15 x Rank])%. However, ifthe quarry the hunter is tracking is activelyobscuring its trail, then the hunter’s chanceis ([Perception] + [8 x Rank])%. If a beingis using its skill as a ranger or a hunter tohide its trail, then subtract the greater of (2x Hunter Rank) or (4 x Ranger Rank) fromthe hunter’s chance to track the figure.Ranger skill and hunter skill are notcumulative when obscuring tracks andtrails.

If the hunter is tracking a quarry acrosshis home terrain, he adds 15% to his chanceto track it. If the hunter is using trackingdogs or other trained animals for trackinghis prey, add (2 x animal’s Perception) tothe hunter’s tracking chance.

Under usual conditions, a hunter will beable to find and follow a track which is upto (3 + [4 x Rank]) days old.

[114.4] A hunter must be able to use atleast one form of missile weapon (exceptcrossbows) before he can progress pastRank 0.

He must be able to use it at Rank 4before he can progress past Rank 2. Hemust be able to use it at Rank 6 before hecan advance beyond Rank 5. If his weaponis the blowgun or spear thrower he must beable to use it at Rank 8 before he canprogress past Rank 5.

[114.5] A hunter will always recognizecommon animals of his environ by typeand will know uses for them.

He will also know what parts of ananimal are edible and what is not. For lesscommon animals the percentage chance is(12 x Rank). Outside his environ a hunterwill recognize common animals with a (6 xRank) percent chance, and less commonanimals by a (1 x Rank) percent chance.

[114.6] When a hunter makes a surpriseranged attack he adds 1% per Rank tohit and 1% per 2 Ranks to his chances ofscoring an endurance hit or a grievousinjury.

If a hunter scores an endurance hit, histarget will sustain the full damage, plus anadditional 50% of the damage due tobleeding at the rate of 1 point per 30seconds.

[114.7] A hunter must pay 500 + (100 xRank) Silver Pennies a year for specialweapon points, camouflage clothing,weapon maintenance, etc.

[114.8] If a character’s Rank as a rangeris greater than his Rank as a hunter, thecharacter expends one-half the necessaryExperience Points to acquire or improvethe latter skill, provided that thecharacter’s environment of specialty isthe same for both skills.

The reverse is also true.

115. ADVENTURE ABILITIES

In the course of their adventures,characters may find it necessary to learncertain physical skills. These cover simpleabilities which may come into play duringthe course of an adventure.

These physical tasks are presented in asimplified format. Unlike Horsemanship orStealth or the other skills in DragonQuest,there is no structure of Ranks for theseskills. It should be enough for most playpurposes to know either that a character isable to do a certain task or he is not. For

those instances when the GM feels that thecharacter needs to test his ability in one ofthese skills, the appropriate characteristic islisted with each skill. Thus the GM can tella character wishing to pole vault over amoat he will need to roll 3 x MD to landsafely on the other side and avoid becomingcrocodile food.

SKILL CHARACTERISTIC EXPClimbing (Rope) PS 100

1 week instructionPole Vault MD 200

2 weeks instructionRapelling AG 500

2 weeks instructionSkating (Ice) AG 50

1 week instructionSnowshoeing EN 50

1 week instructionSwimming EN 100

2 weeks instructionSki, Cross-Country EN 150

1 week instructionSki, Downhill AG 250

2 weeks instructionTeam Handling WP 25

(each type must be learned separately:e.g. pony-cart, 2- horse team, 4-horseteam, 2-ox team, etc.)1 week instruction

Tightrope AG 10004 weeks instruction

116. ALCHEMICAL AND HERBALSHOPKEEPING

An alchemist who has attained Rank 3 oran herbalist who has attained Rank 2 mayopen a shop to practice their trade commer-cially. It will be necessary for the alchemistor herbalist to have some regular place toconduct business in addition to thelaboratory and/or greenhouse he mayalready have. An alchemist’s base incomefrom selling chemicals is 250-375 SilverPennies per month, and an herbalist willearn (300 + [10 x Rank]) Silver Pennies permonth. However, an herbalist can only earn(20 x Rank) Silver Pennies per month if theherbalist has no greenhouse and mustinstead forage for plants.

At Rank 5 an alchemist must declare aspecialty for his shop from the list ofalchemical specialties. An alchemist willearn an extra (10 x Rank) Silver Penniesper month for each additional specialty hehas. An alchemist specializing in medi-cines will earn (50 x Rank) Silver Penniesper month; one selling poisons and venomswill earn (200 + [40 x Rank]) SilverPennies a month; and one whose specialtyis potions earns ([100 x Rank]-300) SilverPennies each month, all figures being afterexpenses for materials.

An herbalist practicing his art will earn


an additional (4x [Rank Squared]) SilverPennies each month after supply costs arepaid.

The GM should adjust these figuresaccording to the type of market the shop islocated in. An herbalist in a market-townsurrounded by farming villages may earn asmuch as 50% more, while on the otherhand, an alchemist in the competitivemarket of a city may be forced to cut hisprices 10-20% to stay in business. Tradeguilds may be another factor to consider .Both the dues they charge and the pricesthey set for their districts will have to betaken into consideration.

While these income figures cover thesupplies needed for the commerce, the costof maintaining a laboratory, greenhouse,equipment, etc. must still be paid. There isalso a much higher chance that anyonedealing in poisons will attract the interest ofmembers of the Thieves’ and Assassins’Guilds.

For most shopkeepers, a bribe of 1% ofthe lab value per year is sufficient price toafford “protection” from the organizedThieves’ Guild. However, shopkeeperswho leave their places of business to goadventuring will need to pay extra bribes tokeep their shops safe in their absences.

117 TROUBADOR ITINERANCY

A troubador of Rank 1 or higher with anappropriate entertainment skill may attempt

to make a living as an itinerant performer.In this way, a troubador may be able toexchange song and news for his room andboard. The troubador must be in a town orother location where there are enoughpossible customers for him to make his wayin this fashion. Adventurers’ Guildhalls,inns and taverns, as well as the homes ofmerchants and nobles all may welcome atroubador with news from afar, fresh songs,or a repertoire of mime or dance.

For each week the troubador seeks toearn a performer’s living, roll D100, and ifthe troubador also has courtesan skill,subtract that Rank from the roll. If the rollis above (80 + Troubador Rank), theperformer is out of luck and must pay forfood & lodging, etc. Otherwise, thetroubador has earned a low comfortable/high subsistence lifestyle for the week. Asan itinerant performer, the troubador earns(5 + D5) x (Rank + 2) Silver Pennies aweek. Alternately, he may choose to rollD100 using the Starting Silver PenniesTable [DragonQuest 8.5] and subtract 10from the roll and add his Rank.

If the roll is equal or below (5 x Rank),the troubador lives comfortably. If it isbelow (2 x Rank) he lives expensively andhis earnings are doubled.

If the roll is equal or below his Rank, helives extravagantly and earns three timesthe amount rolled. If the roll is less than(1/2 x Rank), there may be an extraordinaryencounter or event.

118 BUILDING COSTS

The following is a basic system to beused in calculating the cost of building ahouse, laboratory, or other structure. Itemssuch as reinforced doors, secret panels andpassages, iron doors, superior locks, or anyform of luxury design such as plasteredand/or painted interiors, plumbing, golddoorknobs, etc. are (of course) extra.These figures also do not include calcula-tions for the cost of land (which in manycases could not be owned outright, but wasinstead rented from the noble who ownedthe land). Many other factors may beinvolved in determining the final cost for aparticular building. It will also benecessary for the GM to adjust prices toaccount for aspects of the building’sconstruction which simply fall outside ofthese rules. The formulas here areintended as a guideline only, rather than acomplete description of determiningbuilding construction costs.

[118.1] The formula for calculating theBase Cost of a structure is:

1 Silver Penny x Ceiling Height (infeet) x Area of the Building (in square feet)x Materials Multipliers

The minimum height for a structure is fourfeet (and this is a low ceiling for ahalfling). If the building is multi-story,figure the cost of each story separately.Remember that, except for castles andkeeps, most buildings will be single story(and virtually none more than three).Average ceiling heights for halflings are 4-5feet; for dwarves 5- 6 feet; for elves 7 feet;for humans and orcs 7-8 feet; and for giants15-30 feet.

[118.2] The cost of a building alsodepends on the type of material used andits availability to the construction site.

Table 118.2 shows a general table ofmultipliers for material and availability.The GM should use these as figures asguidelines in order to determine an exactmultiplier.

Material MultiplierWattle & Daub .5 xWooden 1 xField stone 2 xQuarried stone 5 xBrick 3 x

Material may be gathered freely, as in anunregulated frontier, a wilderness, or whena noble allows resources to be utilized.5 x

Material must be transported a longdistance or is difficult to obtain


3 x

Material is readily available due to acompetitive market .75 x

Town or city in the midst of a cycle ofgrowth .9 x

Urban setting where all materials must bepurchased 1.5 x

Large city or situation where materials arein short supply 3 x

[118.3]Basement and undergroundstructures may be excavated at anadditional cost.

Basement and underground structurescost 2 Silver Pennies per cubic yard; 3Silver Pennies if in rocky ground. If thestructure is mined through stone, the cost is20 Gold Shillings per cubic yard (10 sp percubic foot) .

[118.4] Additions and amenities beyondthe basic structure have an additionalcost.

Other additions and their costs includethe following:

Thick oak door 25 spIron banded door 50 sp3' x 3' trapdoor 25 spWall sconces 20 spHearth & chimney 200 sp +

50 sp/storyBrick oven 300 spDutch door 30 spShuttered windows 10 sp eachIron banded shutters 20 sp eachSealed windows 20-150 spHinged frame windows 50-800 spStaircase costs are based on the number offeet the stair rises:

Ladder 1 sp/footStaircase, wooden 20 sp/footStaircase, hardwood 25 sp/footStaircase, rough stone 75 sp/footStaircase, fine stone 150 sp/foot

Marble flooring 5-10 sp/sq ftParquet flooring 2-8 sp/sq ftTile flooring 2-5 sp/sq ftBalcony

200 sp + 10 sp/sq ftPortcullis gate

50 sp x width in feetDrawbridge w/windlass500 sp + 50 sp x length of bridge in feet

Bathtub, wooden 40 spBathtub, copper 200 spCounter 10 sp/sq ftWastewater Drainage 800 sp

per roomRooftop cistern 100 sp +

1 sp x gal capacityCistern plumbing 500 sp

per roomWater wheel 1000 gs

Small windmill 250 gsHand pump 200 spMill pump 500 sp

[118.5] Secret areas may be constructedin a structure at a substantial costincrease.

A structure containing secret rooms and/or passages will cost an additional 4 xBasic Cost for the portion that is concealed.

119 PEASANTS AND LABOR

Peasant workers are paid 2 sp/day. Onepeasant can construct 100 square feet ofwall per day. Every 15 peasants require anoverseer who receives 10 sp/day.

Peasant workers can dig 50 cubic feet/day; 30 cubic feet/day in rocky ground.

120 FARMING

Farmland - Peasants occupy the land ata rate of about 1 family per 15 acres. Aslong as the crop is good, each familyproduces enough food per year to feedthemselves plus 1 1/2 people on average.Large families may only be able to feedthemselves, small families may be able tofeed more than 1 1/2 others, this is simplyan average to figure crop yield. Crops were


commonly rotated through a three yearcycle, growing two different crops onsuccessive years and then lying fallow thethird in order to keep the land frombecoming exhausted.

Peasants (freemen) pay all farmingexpenses. Production (based on 1 SilverPenny per day common food cost and 360-day year) yields 540 Silver Pennies peryear . Usual landowner/ tenant farmer splitis 1/5 returning the landowner 90 SP fromeach tenant farming family.

Good cleared farmland costs 500 SPacre. Farmland with serfs costs 1000 SP/acre and up. Peasants often do not occupytheir land, but instead live in a centralvillage and set forth each day to tend theirown fields.

GrazingMeadows, fields and unused farmland

may be used for grazing. Grazing land willsupport 2 cattle or 4 goats or 1 sheep peracre. Annual herd growth will range from -20% to +30% depending on prevailingconditions, age of the herd, etc. Oneshepherd is required per 80 acres or per160 animals.

Uncleared fields cost 200 SP/acre.Barns and other buildings cost the normalbuilding costs.

OenocultureEach acre of vineyard will support

about 200 vines and yield 100-200 bottlesof wine per acre. An average vineyard willcover about 40 acres. Most of the year, avineyard can be tended by one family, butharvest time will require additional labor(usually recruited from among the neigh-boring peasants) who are paid in cash or inwine.

A fair vineyard might sell for 2500 SP/acre, and a vineyard of good quality couldsell for 10000 SP an acre or more.


[105.1] ADDITIONAL WEAPONS CHART

MaxWT PS MD BC DM RG CL USE COST Rank

Swords:Knife 1 8 10 40 +1 12 B RMC 15 9Dirk 2 11 13 45 +2 P A M 25 5Basilard 1.5 10 10 40 +1 P A MC 20 6Poignard 1 9 14 45 +1 P A M 15 9Machete 3 12 13 50 +2 P B M 35 6Longsword -A 3 14 16 45 +4 P A M 75 8Longsword -B 55 +3 P BCutlass 5 16 12 50 +3 P B M 40 7Schiavone (1-2) 3 15 12 50 +3 P B M 70 7Flamberge (1-2) 6 16 15 50 +5 P B M 90 6Schlaeger 3 14 17 55 +3 P B M 80 8

Hafted Weapons:Truncheon 3 15 14 50 +3 P C M 30 5Sickle 2 11 14 45 +1 P B M 8 5Scythe (2) 8 16 15 50 +4 P B M 14 4

Thrown Weapons:Hunting Stick 1 12 14 45 D 18 C R 1 5Tankard 20 oz 12 15 35 -1 10 C RMC 5 3Chair (2) 15 14 12 25 +1 3 C RM 10 2

Missile Weapons:Slingshot (2) 1 11 16 45 +1 25 C R 8 6Fustibal (2) 5 13 16 45 +3 80 C R 6 7

NOTES:The longsword is a narrow, pointed, two-edged sword which can be used either to thrust (A-Class) or to slash (B-Class). Therefore it has

two Base Chances and two Damage Modifiers. A character employing a longsword must declare which style of attack he is employing beforebeginning his attack.

The fustibal (or staff-sling) requires at least 4 feet of overhead clearance in order to be employed effectively. It may also be used to launchgrenados up to a range of 40 hexes. Grenados fired in this manner use the fustibal rules to determine a hit, but do grenado damage rather thannormal missile damage. A fustibal may be used as a crude club if necessary.

A flamberge (which translates as “flaming sword”) is actually very similar to a Hand & a Half type sword but with a wavy blade. Due toits particular blade, it cannot be scabbarded and carried normally.

A hunting stick is used much like a boomerang, but without an ability to return if it misses its target. Hunting sticks were also used toplay a game somewhat like ten pin bowling, where the object was to knock down small sticks which were stuck into the ground in a ten pinpattern.

Chair and tankard damage should be varied by the GM depending on the type of material actually used in making the particular object.These are meant more as a guideline for any sort of ‘large object’ or ‘small object’ which may be used, especially in a brawl.


[111.2] MINOR SKILLS EXPERIENCE POINT COST CHART

SKILLRank

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Architect 250 650 1500 2600 3900 5300 7000 8850 10900 1300003m 6m 9m 1y 15m 18m 21m 2y 27m 30m

Baker 200 500 1000 2000 2000 2000 2000 30001m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m

Boatwright 200 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 50003m 3m 6m 1y 1y 1y 1y 1y 1y 1y

Bowyer 200 400 700 1500 3000 3000 3000 30005m 10m 15m 20m 25m 30m 35m 40m

Brewer 2000 2000 2000 2000 20002y 2y 2y 2y 2y

Cabinetmaker 150 500 900 1400 2000 3500 4000 50005m 10m 15m 20m 25m 30m 35m 40m

Carpenter 150 500 900 1400 20003m 6m 9m 1y 15m

Cartographer 400 500 1000 2000 30006m 6m 1y 2y 2y

Cook 300 450 600 800 900 1500 3000 4000 5000 40006m 1y 18m 2y 30m 3y 42m 2y 2y 2y

Cooper 200 400 600 900 15002m 2m 3m 3m 4m

Falconer 500 500 750 1000 15003m 8w 2m 3m 6m

Fletcher 100 200 350 750 150012w 5m 8m 10m 13m

Gambler 300 900 1200 1200 1200 1500 30001m 2m 4m 6m 6m 6m 2y

Gardener 150 150 300 600 13001y 1y 1y 1y 1y

Glassblower 500 900 1400 2000 3000 4000 5000 60003m 4m 6m 6m 6m 1y 1y 2y

Herald 300 600 900 1500 3000 50006m 1y 2y 3y 4y 5y

Innkeeper 100 200 400 700 18003m 6m 9m 1y 15m

Jeweler 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 7000 8000 90001000010m 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 70m 80m 90m 100m

Mason 200 600 1050 1600 27503m 6m 9m 1y 15m

Math 25 50 100 200 400 700 1500 3000 4000 50001m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 24m 27m 30m

Potter 100 500 1000 1500 2000 35005m 10m 15m 20m 25m 30m

Sailor 25 100 150 200 3002w 4w 6w 8w 10w

Scribe 400 700 1000 1700 35006m 1y 18m 2y 30m

Shipwright 300 900 1800 2700 4500 6300 8100 10800 135003m 9m 1y 1y 2y 2y 3y 3y 5y

Smith, Armor 250 800 1650 2750 4100 56506m 1y 18m 2y 30m 3y

Smith, Copper 400 400 700 1500 2000 30004m 8m 1y 16m 20m 2y

Smith, Iron 100 200 500 950 14504m 8m 1y 16m 20m

Smith, Silver 300 450 600 800 900 1500 3000 4000 5000 40008m 16m 2y 32m 40m 4y 56m 64m 6y 80m

Smith, Weapon 400 1600 3500 5800 8400 1140014700 18500 22500 287506m 1y 18m 2y 30m 3y 42m 4y 54m 5y

Stonecutter 250 700 1200 1800 25003m 6m 9m 1y 15m


Tailor 300 450 600 800 900 1500 3000 4000 5000 40003m 6m 9m 1y 15m 18m 21m 1y 1y 1y

Tanner 100 300 500 800 1000 16002m 4m 6m 1y 1y 2y

Vintner 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 2400 25002y 2y 2y 2y 2y 2y 2y 2y 2y 2y

Weaver 150 500 900 1400 2000 3500 4000 50005m 10m 15m 20m 25m 30m 35m 40m

Wheelwright 200 400 600 900 15002m 2m 3m 3m 4m


[121.1] TEAM HAULING CAPACITIES

CART WAGON CARRIAGEPony 275 2 Palfreys 800 4 Palfreys 2000

2 Ponies 875 Quarter Horse 300 2 Quarter Horses 700Palfrey 395 2 Quarter Horses 1500 4 Quarter Horses 5000

2 Palfreys 1200 4 Quarter Horses 4000 2 War Horses 1500Quarter Horse 575 Mule 400 4 Mules 3000

2 Quarter Horses 1600 2 Mules 2000 6 Mules 6000Mule 675 4 Mules 6000 8 Mules 10000

2 Mules 2000 War Horse 1000 Draft Horse 1500War Horse 1500 2 War Horses 3000 2 Draft Horses 6000

Draft Horse 2000 Draft Horse 3500 4 Draft Horses160002 Draft Horses 8000

[121.3] HORSE QUALITY TABLES

Draft Horse TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -400 -150 - +100 +250young 525 sp Speed -50 - - - Xadult 600 sp Temper -150 -50 - +50 +100mature 575 sp Intelligence -50 - - +50 +100old 475 sp Training -150 -50 - +50 +100

Mule TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -75 -25 - +25 +50young 160 sp Speed -40 -20 - +50 +100adult 204 sp Temper -60 - - +120 Xmature 180 sp Intelligence -40 -20 - +60 Xold 120 sp Training -80 -50 - +100 X

Mustang TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -120 -60 - - +100young 270 sp Speed -240 -100 -20 - +100adult 480 sp Temper -50 - +20 +60 +100mature 420 sp Intelligence -100 - - - +100old 320 sp Training -150 - +60 +100 +200

Palfrey TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -100 - - +50 +100young 650 sp Speed -150 -75 - +50 +150adult 720 sp Temper -200 -100 0 +50 +100mature 700 sp Intelligence -150 - - - +100old 675 sp Training -200 -100 - - +200

Pony TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -75 -25 - +25 +75young 324 sp Speed -50 - - +50 +75adult 384 sp Temper X -100 - +50 +100mature 360 sp Intelligence -80 -30 - +25 +50old 300 sp Training -100 -50 - - +150

Quarter Horse TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -200 -100 - - +200young 750 sp Speed -300 -150 - +100 +500adult 900 sp Temper -150 -75 - - +150mature 850 sp Intelligence -100 - - - +100old 800 sp Training -150 -60 - - +100

War Horse TERRIBLE POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENTAGE: VALUE: Endurance -200 -100 - +150 +300young 900 sp Speed -100 - - +100 +400adult 1200 sp Temper +50 - - - +100mature 950 sp Intelligence -100 - - +150 +300old 750 sp Training -500 -200 - +250 +500


[122.1] Extended Merchant Table

FOODAle 5 gal 18 spBeer 5 gal 14 spWine 5 gal 35 spFlour 10 lb 15 spCorn meal 10 lb 18 spRice 10 lb 13 spBeans 1 lb 2 spPotatoes 5 lb 2 cfDried beef 50 lb 40 spSmoked ham 5 lb 20 spBacon 10 lb 45 spSausage 2 lb 5 spShellfish 1 lb 15 spSmoked fish 10 lb 8 spPickles 32 oz 4 spCheese 50 lb 35 spButter 1 lb 2 cfPasta 1 lb 2 spApples 1 lb 1 cfOranges 1 lb 5 spPlums 1 lb 1 spDates 1 lb 3 spRaisins 1 lb 5 spOlives 32 oz 5 sp

SPICES These are average pricesHerbs 1 lb 10 sp

(oregano, parsley, etc.)Spices 16 oz 50 sp

(paprika, ginger, cloves, etc.)Rare spices 16 oz 100 gs

(saffron, curry, etc.)Lemon peel 16 oz 50 spTea 1 lb 100 spCinnamon 16 oz 200 spPepper 1 lb 40 spGarlic 4 oz 3 spSalt 1 lb 5 spSugar 1 lb 15 spHoney 1 lb 20 spMolasses 1 lb 10 sp

FURNITUREBathtub, copper 90 lb 150 sp4 person oak table 50 lb 30 spChair (oak) 15 lb 10 spFeather bed 80 lb 60 spChest (oak) 120 lb 50 spOttoman 15 lb 20 spArmoire 150 lb 125 spSettee 75 lb 120 spDivan 90 lb 200 spDesk 60 lb 60 spBookcase 30 lb 45 sp

FURSBear pelt 50 spDeer 70 spBeaver 20-60 spFox 50-100 spErmine 300-500 spMink 100-400 sp

Leopard 200-300 spRabbit, fine 6 oz 5 spRabbit, field 8 oz 1 spIvory 10 lb 200 sp

CLOTH(a bolt of cloth averages 3-4 feet wide by10-15 yards long)Silk 12 gs/boltPrinted silk 30 gs/boltFelt 40 sp/boltLinen 45 sp/boltCotton 50 sp/boltDyed cotton 90 sp/boltVelvet 75 sp/boltWool 35 sp/boltPrinted cotton 10 gs/boltBurlap 10 sp/bolt

CLOTHINGGown 15 lb 50 spLeggings 10 oz 3 spDoublet 2 lb 15 spTabard 6 lb 40 sp

TOOLSCorkscrew 6 oz 2 spMortar & pestle 2 lb 6 spHammock, cloth 2 lb 10 spFishing hooks 1 oz 6 cfFishnet (10' x 20') 2 lb 50 spBlock & tackle 3 lb 20 spHand plane 3 lb 1 gsBrace & bit 2 lb 5 gsWood clamp 5 lb 3 gsWinepress 150 lb 80 gs

(4' diameter)Loom 500 lb 100 gsCrowbar 4 lb 6 sp1" link chain 3 lb 8 sp

10 feetRope net (8' x 8') 25 lb 30 spSharpening stone 8 oz 2 cfCollar, animal 6 oz 1 spLeash, leather 12 oz 1 spDog cage 10 lb 1 gsFalconry gauntlet 24 oz 5 spFalconry kit 4 oz 20 sp

(hood, jesses, etc.)Hunting horn 3 lb 25 spCaltrops, small* 20 oz 5 sp

(bag, covers 1 hex)Caltrops, large* 4 lb 10 sp

(bag, covers 3 hex)

DEVICESTelescope 4 lb 600 spSextant 12 lb 400 spMagnifying glass 5 lb 250 spHand magnifier 8 oz 165 spCompass, geometric 1 lb 5 spCompass, magnetic 3 lb 25 spScissors 1 lb 2 gsBalance, merchant’s 20 lb 50 sp

with weightsBalance, alchemist’s 5 lb 125 sp


Bear trap 20 lb 100 spWolf trap 12 lb 40 spRabbit trap 5 lb 15 sp

CONTAINERSJar, earthenware 2 qt 3 spUrn, earthenware 3 gal 10 spFlask, bronze 2 lb 2 gsFlagon, porcelain 12 oz 15 spBox, iron 5 lb 1 gsGrenado case, padded 2 lb 6 spCooking pot 4 lb 10 spCrate, wooden 15 lb 8 spTankard, pewter 20 oz 5 spBowl, porcelain 24 oz 20 spPouch, small leather 6 oz 2 cfWallet 4 oz 2 sp

INSTRUMENTSPiano 800 lb 400 gsHarp, concert 100 lb 85 gsHarp, personal 5 lb 90 spLute 6 lb 100 spRecorder 10 oz 50 spTambour drum 2 lb 30 spFlute, wooden 12 oz 40 spPan flute 20 oz 65 spMandolin 5 lb 200 spDulcimer 8 lb 150 spLyre 3 lb 60 spFiddle 2 lb 75 spCoronet 6 lb 350 sp

LUXURY ITEMSSealing wax, common 1 oz 2 spSealing wax, red 1 oz 5 spSealing wax, purple 1 oz 9 spDice 2 oz 6 spPlaying cards 3 oz 15 spCrystal glass 10 oz 100 spGlass decanter 24 oz 150 spPerfume water 1 oz 5 spPerfume 1 oz 10 gsDown quilt 12 lb 20spFeather pillow 2 lb 5 sp

*Small caltrops are used against humanoidsand creatures on foot; large caltrops areused against horses or other such creatures.A figure passing through a caltrop hex musteither spend a full turn’s worth of TMR topass, or must roll less than 2 x AG in orderto run through without stepping on acaltrop. (Humanoids must roll less than 4 xAG for each hex of large caltrops they passthrough.) A figure may attempt to leapacross an area of caltrops at the GM’sdiscretion. Small caltrops cause D-1damage and the figure must roll again lessthan 2 x (AG - damage) to keep from fallingprone. A horse or other large figure is notaffected by small caltrops. Large caltropscause D+2 damage to large figures, but onlyD-2 damage to humanoids . A rider maysubtract (Horsemanship/2) from the die rollfor a mount under his control to avoidcaltrops.

[123.1] EXPERIENCE POINT COST CHART

WEAPONSRank

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Swords:Knife 50 75 100 150 200 500 800 1500 3000 4500 -Dirk 100 150 200 300 500 900 - - - - -Basilard 75 75 150 250 400 700 1000 - - - -

Poignard 25 75 150 250 450 850 1250 1650 2500 3500 -Machete 25 50 100 200 500 1100 2000 - - - -Longsword 150 150 250 500 750 1500 3000 3000 3500 - -

Cutlass 100 150 250 500 1000 2000 2500 3000 - - -Schiavone 50 50 100 200 350 650 1350 2000 - - -Flamberge 75 100 200 400 600 800 1750 - - - -

Schlaeger 100 100 150 350 600 1000 2000 3000 3500 - -

Hafted Weapons:Truncheon 50 75 125 250 500 900 - - - - -Sickle 100 150 250 500 1000 1500 - - - - -Scythe 75 100 200 400 750 - - - - - -

Thrown Weapons:Hunting Stick 100 250 400 800 1200 1500 - - - - -Tankard 25 50 100 200 - - - - - - -Chair 50 150 250 - - - - - - - -

Missile Weapons:Slingshot 100 300 500 1000 1200 1500 1800 - - - -Fustibal 200 250 500 750 1500 3000 3000 3000 - - -

SKILLSDiplomat 250 125 250 750 1200 1800 2500 3800 4600 6500 9000Herbalist 700 300 800 1750 2800 4300 5500 7500 9700 1125013000Hunter 500 250 700 1650 3100 4500 5800 7400 9400 1150013750

COMBAT TALENTS Experience Instruction PracticePoint Cost Time Time

Iai-jutsu 500 3 months noneFlying Tackle 300 1 month 3 monthsHorse Tackle (requires Flying Tackle) 300 3 months 3 monthsCrossing Steel 250 2 months noneBackflip 300 1 month 3 monthsDiving Attack 200 2 months noneFencing 1000 4 months 8 monthsJumping Turn 600 2 months 2 months


Designer’s Notes

I realize that many of you who usethis supplement will also be long timeDragonQuest players, and may haveeither adopted rules of your own tocover some of the same things we havewritten rules for, or may not wish tointroduce some of these rules becausethey may upset the balance of yourparticular campaign. This supplement,therefore, should not be taken as an all-or-nothing package, but may be usedselectively and as each particular GMand his players see fit. Because of themodular nature of SPI’s rule system, itis very easy for GMs to do this. Someof the particular rules which are styledalong the lines of Optional Rules inoriginal DragonQuest have beendesignated as Optional Rules in thissupplement. This should not constrainany GM to treat only those rules asoptional.

Most GMs will probably want to useonly some portions of this supplement.Hopefully, all of the material here isuseful, but there is no one who is goingto force you to use all of it. Each GMshould decide which of these rules willapply in his or her campaign. Playerswith an attitude should be invited tostart their own campaigns.

As much as possible, we have triedto stay as close as we could to the spiritand the style of the DragonQuest gamesystem.

COMBATAs a whole, DragonQuest has an

excellent combat system. It allows fora variety of activity and flexibility,while remaining able to move along ata reasonable pace. Our additions to thecombat system serve only to add on tothe existing system, and not to replacewhat already exists. The CombatTalents and Additional Combat Rulesexpand the range of options a figurehas available in combat. Some of thesemaneuvers cover reasonable actions notavailable in the DragonQuest system.Others are included more for the flavorthey introduce into combat.

The rules for Jumping Turn andFencing seem, in retrospect, to go a bitbeyond the bounds of standard DQ. Ihope that some of you have some

feedback as to whether these shouldstay or be deleted from a SecondEdition.

Weapon Cross-use addresses thequestion of why a figure who wields abroadsword like a hero can’t use asabre worth a damn. Cross-use givesthe GM some leeway in interpretingthe situation when a character doesn’thave his preferred weapon available orat hand, without excessively penalizingthe character. However, this ruleshould be closely monitored to preventabuse. A character who regularly usesa weapon through cross-use should berequired to purchase the skill, andGMs are warned again to keep playersfrom abusing this rule.

MAGICWe have added two new Colleges to

the Magic System, the College ofWitchcraft and the College of TimeMagics. The original DragonQuestsystem seems extremely open-ended inthis regard. Although there are onlytwelve Colleges in the original system,it seems designed to easily allow fornew Colleges, and probably everyDragonQuest player has either createdor at least considered inventing a newCollege. SPI had begun to advertiseArcane Wisdom, a fourth book ofDragonQuest, which was to containthree new colleges: LesserSummonings, Runes, and ShapingMagics, shortly before their demise.TSR, Inc. released a version of two ofthese colleges in their adventure, TheShattered Statue and then incorporatedthose colleges into their Third Editionprinting of DragonQuest.

The College of WitchcraftThis College encompasses elements

of Elemental magic, as well as a fairamount of the College of Black Magic,but adds new dimensions and newtwists to the magic system. In somecampaign worlds, it is possible thatWitches would comprise over 90% ofall the Adepts, because of the folkloricnature of the college and the ways inwhich it is taught. The Coven adds awhole level of important NPCs (ormaybe some PCs) who will regularlyinteract with the player-characterWitch.

A Witch’s familiar will tend to bean ordinary animal, rather than a

magical one. Intelligent and magicalcreatures are too willful and tooindependent to make good familiars.A domestic animal is a good choice,too, in that the familiar will not tend towander great distances from theWitch. A cat or an owl will be muchless likely to draw attention movingaround the village as an informationgatherer than would a Tasmanian devilor a giant spider.

When a Witch successfully casts theSpell of Transformation, the Witch’sbody disappears from the locationwhere the Witch had been (and indeedfrom all known Planes of Existence).However, all goods and possessionswhich were on or about the Witchremain in that place. The Witch’sfamiliar need not be immediatelypresent. As soon as the spell iscompleted, the Witch’s consciousnesstakes over the familiar’s body in thelocation where the familiar is, and thefamiliar is ‘possessed’ by the Witch forthe duration of the spell.

It should also be noted that a placemay not be both hallowed ground and aPlace of Power. Hallowed ground mayor may not also be consecrated. Theways of religion and the ways of magicare disparate enough that the two donot commingle.

The College of Time MagicsThe College of Time Magics seems

to be a great void in the DragonQuestuniverse. Several people have sepa-rately and independently come to thesame conclusion, that Time Magics isthe missing Elemental College, andelements of the design of this collegeare indebted to some of those otherdesigners.

More than one playtester suggestedthat if you poisoned someone under theSpell of Accelerated Healing, thepoison would work faster, too, and theycould be killed in this way. However,the spell primarily accelerates thehealing processes, and while themetabolism is accelerated, any systemicpoisoning would continue at a normalrate (as perceived by outside time)though perhaps offset somewhat by theenhanced healing abilities of the body.

The Spell of Stasis cannot be usedto solidify water or air into an impen-etrable barrier, nor can it be used tostop a blow from a sword (as this is


really using it against the living beingwielding the sword). It can be used tostop an arrow in flight, but this wouldrequire it to be quickcast. GMs whofind this idea too difficult to administermay, of course, rule otherwise. It is,after all, ultimately your campaign.

QuickcastingThe ability to quickcast a spell will

change the tone of combat when magesare involved. The penalties associatedwith quickcasting help keep it frombecoming too destabilizing.

Ritual of Planar TravelThe present DragonQuest system

does not address the issue of alternateplanes of existence, except through theCollege of Greater Summonings(which was removed from the ThirdEdition rules). The concept of alter-nate planes of existence is a staple offantasy role-play, however, and thisritual allows the expansion of acampaign to include other planes.

Complex CantripsThe Complex Cantrips add some

depth to the Minor Magic abilities. Isuggest if you are uncomfortable withhaving Experience Point costs on theseor don’t want the bother of therecordkeeping, you simply use these assome suggestions for things to do withMinor Magic that you may not havethought of before (using the regularMinor Magic rules in DragonQuest,4.1).

SKILLSThe DragonQuest game system is

strongest in its expandability. Skillsnot present in the original system canbe easily added without affecting theoverall game system. The new skillsdo also introduce some modificationsto the existing game system.

Minor SkillsThe minor skills cover a large gap

in the original DragonQuest system. Anumber of these skills are likely neverto be used by most player-characters.But as a character progresses, he mayfind himself in need of consulting anon-player-character with expertise inone or another of these areas. Theminor skills put a number of areas ofskilled expertise into the DragonQuest

system. It is also likely that, whilemost player-characters will not devotevast amounts of their time to thesepursuits, some knowledge of some ofthese areas can be an invaluablething...a little knowledge of armorsmithy can be a lifesaver to a knight oncampaign in the wild lands far from hishome castle.

DiplomatThe Diplomat skill fills a gap in the

original DragonQuest skills andintroduces the political angle. Thediplomat skill is important not only toemissaries but also will be a skill heldby nobles and rulers.

HerbalistBecause an herbalist’s surroundings

may comprise more than one particularenvironment, he is not restricted to oneparticular environ the way rangers are.This is because an herbalist’s knowl-edge is scholastic rather than direct.

The boundaries on this region willbe subject to the GM’s judgement. Touse North America as an example,there are probably only 15-20 environ-mental regions as they would beclassified under the herbalist skill.

HunterWhile there is a fair amount of

overlap with Ranger, Hunter is aseparate skill, and should be viewed asa complimentary skill, much like Spyand Thief.

Adventure AbilitiesIt seemed to be too much trouble to

make all of these abilities separateskills, although there are good argu-ments in favor of a more extendedswimming/diving rule. If you needmore detail in one of these abilities inyour camapign, then do use a morefully worked-out rule set for it. In myexperience, however, it has beensufficient to know whether or not acharacter knows something about theability, and then judge according totheir stats whether or not they succeedat a particular task.

Alchemical and Herbal Shopkeeping& T roubador Itinerancy

These rules started out as just somenotes for use in the campaign, butturned out to be a particularly useful

source of adventure ideas and encoun-ters. These rules can also be useful to aGM who wants to develop NPCs whoare involved in these trades.

Building CostsThe building guidelines are meant

to be no more than that. Other gamingsupplements treat these issues in muchgreater detail and with much greaterauthority. These rules will give playersand GMs a system in the DragonQuesteconomy as a base for their calculationsIt should also be noted that these rulesdo not cover the costs and systems ofconstructing castles and fortifications.Such rules, along with a possibleexpansion and/or revision of thebuilding guidelines may be part of afuture DragonQuest supplement.

Peasants and LaborThis is just a very basic rule of

thumb to help a GM for a camapignwhere the characters have developed tothe point of maintaining estates orother involvement in large-scaleprojects.

Farming and landProductivity in farming in the

Middle Ages was barely sufficient tokeep the people who worked the landfed. A farmer “could produce at bestonly about ten bushels of wheat peracre from a little more than two bushelsof seed.”(Morris Bishop, The MiddleAges, 1970, American Heritage Press)Almost all of the propulation wasdirectly involved in the production offood. Most farmers produced littlemore than enough to meet their ownneeds.

The abstract system represented inthis supplement gives an improvedfarming performance based on theassumption that in a world wheremagic exists, the lords and landownerswill have Adepts assisting them tocontrol the weather and improveconditions to assist farm production.

—Roger Thorm


poor brendan s almanac - fantasist.net · 2004-10-28 · poor brendan’s almanac. feedback and...

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