This Old Dragon: Issue #124

Let's go back to a transitional time for me personally. August 1987. I was starting my first year at university, and pretty much everything in my life was changing. I had moved to a town that would be my home for the next 7 years and 2.5 degrees. I was about to meet the woman I was going to marry, though we never actually dated in college. Just hung around each other like 24 hours a day for five years. And in gaming, I was getting ready to move over to the "new" 2nd edition of the game that had been part of my life for 10 years or so. Stakeout was the number one movie. U2 and Madonna filled the airwaves, and on tables and shelves everywhere was This Old Dragon #124.

I will admit, I don't recall this one very well. I don't think I actually owned it.

The cover by Teanna Byerts is good, but I am not sure I recognize her name at all. Like many of the Dragon of this time frame, it is a themed issue, this time on "Aerial Adventuring."

Also, my copy is in pretty terrible shape. There are a lot of pages falling out, and it is missing the Forgotten Realms map, much to my disappointment. Though given that it is nearly 40 years old, this is hardly a shock.

Letters cover some of the changes in Dragon and some of the ones coming up. 1986-88 was a big transitional time at TSR as we all know now and there is evidence everywhere. 

Roger E. Moore asks in the Editorial what other changes do people want, including a dedicated BBS (bulletin board system). Kudos for the forward thinking. I got onto a lot of BBS back in the day and TSR one would have been fun. 

Checking my PDF it looks like I am missing the Forum page.

Ken Rolston is up first with Role-playing Reviews. He covers two books from the Warhammer Fantasy line, though he spends a lot of time talking about the merits of various other Fantasy RPGs including AD&D/D&D, GURPS Fantasy, RuneQuest and Harnmaster among others. When we get to warhammer he likes the character creation and combat, but doesn't seem to care for the magic system. Though he loves the races and monsters. The review is long, but not so long as to be overpowering. Given the impact that Warhammer will soon have on the hobby, it is likely the right size. 

Sage Advice covers the Frank Mentzer-edited D&D Expert set. 

Ah, page 17, we get into our feature articles. 

Ed Greenwood is up first with Sailors on the Sea of Air, detailing the skyships of the Forgotten Realms. Since these pages were already falling out, I just took them and stuck them into my 1987 "Gray" Forgotten Realms boxed set.  These are not Spelljammer ships, at least not yet, but they are a nice fantastical piece that separates what makes the Realms the Realms and not Greyhawk. Does Greyhawk have flying ships? Maybe, but they seem to work well here. Ed, of course, is dropping names here that will soon become minor D&D celebrities in their own right.

On a Wing and a Prayer is next from L. Gregory Smith and covers gliders for AD&D. Not quite as fantastical as flying ships. It seems to be complete. When were gliders first used? 1880s it seems. 

Thomas Kane is back with Flying the Friendly (?) Skies, or a guide to aerial adventuring in the AD&D game. This covers mounts of various types and spells. He also gives us weather effects and altitude adjustments. 

The Wings of Eagles by J. E. Keeping details the aarakocra as a PC and NPC race choice. I don't recall ever seeing anyone ever play one back then, so not sure if this article had much traction. Of course, today they are ubiquitous enough to be a character and a plot point in the last Dungeons & Dragons movie.  Again my copy was falling out, so I just punched some holes into it and stuck it into my Monstrous Compendium for AD&D 2nd ed. There is even a god of aarakocra, Krocaa, listed. 

This ends the feature.

Buy quirk of layout, Sage advice continues here on the same page with the updated Beastmaster XP tables. Now I kinda want to make an aarakocra beastmaster. 

Joseph R. Ravitts is next with Kicks and Sticks, Introducing escrima to Oriental Adventures. A system of escrima martial arts as well as a class to use it, the Escrimador. It *seems* fine, but feels like a solution in search of a problem. Honestly, I never used Oriental Adventures much and got into their martial arts sections even less. 

Rich Stump is up with Front-End Alignments about "Quasi-alignments" of gamers like "Chaotic Everywhere" and "Lawful Bored."  Not really my thing, but I'm sure someone was amused. Feels like filler to me. 

Far more useful is Rich Baldwin's Arcane Lore: The Secrets of Odeen the Arch-Mage. This details the known background of the Arch-Mage Odeen and, more importantly, the discovered spells of the Arch-Mage. There are five new spells here, nothing earth-breaking, but fun ones. Perfect for a quest to uncover this lost book. 

Stuck in the middle of this issue is this AD&D Game 2d Edition Questionnaire. It is pretty comprehensive. The mail in reply card is still attached, but sadly I think I missed the window to send in my responses.

What is most interesting to me is what is here that made it into the game and what didn't. 

Packing It All Away by Ian Chapman offers tips on what to pack for a wilderness adventure. Most of the people I gamed with were at the time or had been Boy Scouts, present company included (yes, I was a Boy Scout, no, I didn't stick with it because they didn't like Atheists then, still don't I think.).  So this material was a bit of a repeat. We all had access to various Boy Scout manuals. Still this is a useful list of items and advice. Not sure if the GP values translate to other systems, though. 

Ah, now here is a fun one. Ed Greenwood is back with The Ecology of the Gelatinous Cube. A monster that, by all accounts, was created just so Gary could mess with his players gets the full Ecology treatment. Here the deadliest of the all the Jello-O flavors gets situated into the dungeons of the Undermountain. Ed even manages to make these things make sense. They even get a proper name, Athcoids. Since this was already falling out, I punched holes in this one too and put it in my Monstrous Compendium binder. Blasphemy? Eh. The magazine is falling apart anyway, and this at least allows me to keep the best parts. 

Michael Dobson give us some sneak peaks of AD&D 2nd Edition in The Game Wizards. I know that at the time I was excited to get this new AD&D. Despite starting in 1979 I always felt I was on my back foot when it came to AD&D 1st ed. I began with Holmes Basic and then on to Moldvay Basic before getting into AD&D proper. This of course is silly for me to think, since the Holmes Basic I was playing then was a combination of that and the AD&D Monster Manual. So I was only two years late for the start of AD&D. But still, I felt AD&D 2nd Ed would be "mine" the one I could invest into. This article covers the new AD&D, but also other offerings from TSR. I didn't fully comprehend then what was happening with TSR and Gygax even if I new the broad strokes. Still, it felt like a change, and I was already in the middle of my own changes that this felt custom-made for me. College and AD&D, 2nd ed., would be forever linked in my mind.

Peter R. Jahn has some rules for guns for various systems in Blasters & Blunderbusses. Really, I should say it is more system-agnostic.

Following on that is A Shot in the Arm, or a new damage system for Star Frontiers by Jason Pamental and David Packard. I enjoyed SF back in the day, but by 1987 I had moved on to other sci-fi games in my search to find the perfect sch-fi game for me. Eventually, I just had to write my own. 

Thomas Kane is up again with The Most Secret of Secrets, real world secret tech for Top Secret and Top Secret/SI games. This includes such things as the Stealth Bomber and Stealth Fighter. I had a high-school buddy who became an engineer and was WAY into stealth tech. Then later on in college I had a roomate that bought all the flight simulators for the stealth fighters when they came out in the early 1990s. I liked this article for the coverage of the nearly forgotten Soviet "space plane," their answer to our space Shuttle. 

Friend of the Other Side, Jeff Grubb is up with his Marvel-Phile discussing The Hulk and the Hulkbusters. 

The Lessers are back with The Role of Computers, detailing what was high tech in the Summer of 1987. They cover the games Black Magic and Realms of Darkness as well some clues for other games. The DNA that all computer games share with D&D is always a little more obvious in these early games. 

Small ads are next with the Gamer's Guide. Always a ton of great stuff here. Avil Enterprises still has its ad for illustrating your character. An ad for "Christian Adventure Novels," "Discipleship Games," and a few more. 

Order form for back issues of Dragon. You can get issues as far back as #80 and all five volumes of "Best of Dragon." Minimum $15 for credit card orders, please. 

The Convention Calendar covers all the best cons for late summer/early fall 1987, including Gen Con 20 in Milwaukee, WI, on August 20-23. I see the Midwest still dominates the Con scene, followed by the West Coast. 

Dragonmirth, Snarf Quest, and Wormy provide us with our comics this issue. 

All said and told, not a bad issue at all. Part of the transitional time of Dragon, D&D, and TSR. Some of those transitions were pretty obvious, others we only see in retrospect.

While some people claim that the best days of Dragon were behind it, as part of the Golden Age of TSR/D&D, I would argue that Dragon gained more focus and direction in these years, between the height of AD&D 1st edition and the beginning of AD&D 2nd edition. We are seeing the direction AD&D is about to go (again, this is retrospective), and honestly, I thought and still think it looked pretty good. I was not so creator-focused back then that the news of Gygax's, Mohan's, and then later Mentzer's departure affected me much. I suspected then that AD&D/D&D would go on. It did in fact. 

Had I been more "creator-focused" I should have noticed more the rise of Ed Greenwood. It was not a meteroic rise, but a gradual one built up over years of steady and reliable output. Maybe I would have given the Realms more of a chance back then. But it would not be until the 2000s that I really looked into it all and not till much later that I would be playing in the Realms. 

Still. One of the big reasons to keep doing these "This Old Dragons" is to appreciate what we had, how it has shaped the game and the gamers, and what we can still learn from it all today. 

Speaking of which. I have been periodically buying large collections of Dragon magazines. I am now just about out. I'll have to check, but I might not have many of these left. 

Character Creation Challenge: Day 23, Celeste & Cassandra

 Celeste and Cassandra are a duo of witches I have been playing around with for a few years. They are witches, yes, but something else as well.  Like some of the witches here, I have featured them in a previous challenge, in this case, back in 2021, along with Aviva's younger brother, Áedán Aamadu.

At the time I knew they were going to be witches of sorts, but I was using the language of D&D 5th edition (2014). So, Celeste Holmes was a Human Wizard (Sage) and Cassandra Killian was a Human Sorcerer (Divine Soul). Of the two, Celeste was a regular character of mine for a while, even getting a Holmes (her namesake) Basic version at one point. She was my occult scholar character whose background was purely learned. That is to say, in AD&D terms, she was a magic-user and not a witch. For me then, she makes for a perfect Magus.

Cassandra was a bit more difficult. In my mind, she was a character whose religion was science. She approached math with the same reverence that a cleric approaches a holy text. I tried her out as a Divine Soul Sorcerer, and that worked, to a degree, but it was never the right fit. I tried other things, including various mystic classes, including the one from Dungeoneer #16 by Jon Mattson. That one was one of the closest ones, but still not exactly what I had in mind for her. I have been playing her as a Wicce for a little bit. I am not 100% happy with that either, really, but it is the closest I have come. I think I need to make my own mystic class someday.

Both casters are part of the West Haven coven. For reasons that make sense in my games, Celeste, Cassandra, and Katrina have all worked together often. I would call them all friends to be honest. Mechanically, I see them as three aspects of different sorts of witchcraft. So Katrina "sees" the Magus and Wicce as being part of the larger collection of what is "Witchcraft" in the game. And by that I do mean, *I* see them as being part of the larger set of Witchcraft.

Together, Celeste Holmes and Cassandra Killian represent two different approaches to understanding the world: the Magus who believes truth can be rendered repeatable, and the Wicce who believes truth must be approached with devotion. Both are witches in the cultural sense, but neither practices witchcraft in the same way, nor in the same way as say Katrina or Larina.

I gave both cantrips based on Intelligence and Wisdom, respectively. I'm not sure whether there are differences in cantrips by class (like in D&D 5e) or if there are just a bunch of basic cantrips that teach the basics of spellcasting. Still thinking about that one.

Celeste Holmes
23rd level Human Magus, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Scribe

S: 12
I: 19
W: 15
D: 13
C: 16
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 8
Petrify/Polymorph: 5  
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 3
Breath Weapon: 7
Spells: 4

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 76
THAC0: 11

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3

Powers
Occult Literacy, Esoteric Focus (athamé), Shared Ritual Craft (2nd Level), Ritual Theory, Ley Line Sense, True Name Hypothesis

Spells
Cantrips: Spark*, Clean, Warm, Lift, Freshen
First level: Read Magic*, Charm Person, Hold Portal, Protection from Evil, Shocking Grasp, Wizard Mark
Second level: Audible Glammer, Bind, ESP, Levitate, Flaming Sphere 
Third level: Lightning Bolt, Haste, Hold Person, Tongues, Fly
Fourth level: Confusion, Charm Monster, Fire Trap, Magic Mirror, Remove Curse, 
Fifth level: Conjure Elemental, Dolor, Contact Other Plane, Magic Jar, Telekensis
Sixth level: Chain Lightning, Enchant an Item, Legend Lore, Repulsion, Spiritwrack
Seventh level: Banishment, Cacodemon, Forcage, Power Word Stun, Simularcum
Eighth level: Antipathy/Sympathy, Binding, Mass Charm, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Trap the Soul

Theme Song: Walking on Sunshine (She is one of my most upbeat characters)

So who is Celeste? She is magus, so she sees magic as a science more or less, a high science, mabey akin to religion but not a religion. Celeste is deeply uneasy around magic that cannot be diagrammed, reproduced, or verified, a discomfort that often puts her at odds with mystics and visionary witches. She gets along with Cassandra due to shared experiences and a shared past. They are actually quite good for each other. 

Cassandra Killian
23rd level Human Wicce, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Scribe

S: 11
I: 16
W: 18 
D: 10
C: 15
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 2
Petrify/Polymorph: 3  
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 4
Breath Weapon: 6
Spells: 5

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 74
THAC0: 8

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3

Powers
Moon-Blessed Magicks, Shared Ritual Craft (2nd Level), Sacred Circle (3rd Level), Blessed Be, Coven Bond. 

Spells
Cantrips: Flare*, Spark, Open, Clean, Warm
First level: Bless, Chill Touch, Command, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Faerie Fire, Glamour, Invisibility to Undead, Light, Purify Food & Drink, Remove Fear
Second level: Augury, Barkskin, Burning Gaze, Calm Emotions, Chant, Cure Moderate Wounds, Levitate, Resist Fire, Slow Poison, Speak with Animals, Spiritual Weapon
Third level: Astral Sense, Create Food and Water, Cure Disease, Dispel Magic, Locate Object, Meld into Stone, Prayer, Protection from Fire, Remove Curse, Scry
Fourth level: Analyze Magic, Cure Serious Wounds, Divination, Divine Power, Lower Water, Neutralize Poison, Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Remove Curse, Speak with Plants, Spell Immunity
Fifth level: Anti-magic Shell, Commune with Nature, Cure Critical Wounds, Dispel Evil, Flame Strike, Magic Jar, Plane Shift, Quest, Wall of Fire
Sixth level: Aerial Servant, Forbiddance, Find the Path, Heal, Speak with Monsters, Weather Summoning, Word of Recall
Seventh level: Astral Spell, Holy Word, Regenerate

Theme Song: Shadows of the Night

Cassandra Killian approaches magic, math, and religion as one and the same. For her, it is devotion. An equation is a benediction. Mathematical proofs are a homily.  

Cassandra does not know a lot about her family, save that somewhere in the past, she is a relative of the great mage Killian Mazior. 

Magus vs. Archwitch and Wicce vs. Witch Priestess

Both the Magus and Archwitch are combined occult and arcane spellcasters. The Wicce and Witch Priestess are spellcasters that tap into divine and occult forces. But how do they differ?

The Archwitch and the Witch Priestess must begin as witches. At 8th level (now, was 7th) a witch takes on new training to better serve their needs or the needs of their covens. 

The Magus is a subclass of the Magic-user. It is, in my mind, what the "witch" was going to be as "promised" by Holmes Basic. For this reason (among many) Celeste is my iconic Magus. Maybe even more so, Esmé. Celeste helped me define the Magus, and Esmé helped me show that the Magus is a viable class. The magus gains some witch spells, the archwitch gets some magic-user spells. I have to make sure these lists are not identical. 

Likewise, the Wicce is a subclass of Cleric. It blends ideas of cleric, witch, druid, and, with Cassandra's input, the mystic. Both are divine-influenced spellcasters. This lets me go and use a bunch of ideas I have had about "divine" witchcraft. Again, the wicce gets some witch spells and maybe even a couple of druid spells. The witch priestess also gets some cleric spells. Like the magus/archwitch above, I want to make sure that these two classes do not outshine the cleric as the group's healer. One thing I think is important is the cleric be the only one to turn undead even if a case can be made for the wicce. 

Honestly, given this, I should come up with a Divine-Arcane class, the Theurge. Magic as religion. Sounds like a problem for another day.

Character Creation Challenge: Day 15, Marissia, Daughter of Zelligar

A few years back I found what I think is my earliest surviving written reference to a witch in my games: Marissia, Daughter of Zelligar. Zelligar is, of course, the missing wizard from the module B1 In Search Of The Unknown.  

I have long been of the opinion that the infamous Rogahn and Zelligar of B1 are the same adventurers on the cover of the Holmes Basic set and the same, along with Marissia, on the cover of Warlocks & Warriors. Well...I named her Marissia (yes that spelling) for a variety of reasons that began with Scooby-Doo and Jerry Reed. There was a "Melissa" in B1 who was the paramour of the fighter Rogahn. I merged the two in my mind and that became the downfall of the two mighty adventurers. Marissia, Zelligar's daughter, began an affair with Rogahn. That's fun, but not why I am talking about her today. Today I want to revisit her as my "First Witch."

No, she really isn't my first witch, just the one I have the earliest evidence for. 

I was playing a mix of AD&D and D&D here, so I am guessing I was age 11 or 12.

For this witch I am going back to the 1983 Bard Game's The Compleat Spell Caster. Which has a witch class based on the Druid. It also had a sorcerer, but that is a topic for another day. All the Spellcasters here have a great "occult" feel to them so I really want to capture the feel of this in my own games. 

Marissia here then feels very different from my other witches largely due to her "druidic" relationship. Figure this is a druid that is allowed to be something other than just True Neutral. This witch has a lot of plant related powers and the ability to read magic. Similar to my Occult Powers.

I have have The Compleat Spell Caster, so I also use The Compleat Alchemist (which is recommended for the witch).  I also gave Marissia the secondary skill of Alchemist. 

Marissia
15th level Human Witch, Chaotic Evil

Secondary Skill: Alchemist

S: 11
I: 17
W: 17
D: 12
C: 15
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 5
Petrify/Polymorph: 8
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 9
Breath Weapon: 11
Spells: 12

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 56
THAC0: 12

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3
BroomStaff 1d6

Familiar: Hellhound

Powers
Identify Plants, Pass without a Trace, Read Magic
7th level: Create Elixirs, Potions, Dusts

Spells
First level: Charm, Detect Magic, Disguise, Eldritch Fire, Healing, Hex, Night Vision, Summon Familiar
Second level: Blending, Circle of Darkness, Eyes of the Hawk, Levitate, Water Breathing, Speak with Animals, Frost, Youth
Third level: Shape Change, Dispel Magic, ESP, Emotional Influence, Locate Object, Windstorm, Animal Control
Fourth level: Circle of Silence, Flight, Invisibility, Malediction, Speak in Tongues, Thunderbolt
Fifth level: Elemental Shield, Ice Storm, Minor Enchantment, Mists of Sleep, Psychic Assault, Guards & Locks
Sixth level: Firestorm, Plague of Spiders, Quagmire, Psychic Shield, Teleportation
Seventh level: Great Curse, Restore Life, Tempest, Witch Wind, 

Theme Songs: Pretty Mary Sunlight (for her name) and Going to Hell (her actual song).

Using the Druid spell progression provides a lot of spells, but is limited to the Seventh level. Not a terrible trade-off. 

In my mind, Marissia began as a "demonic" witch, especially given all the demons in the CSP, but her spells read "Storm Witch" more. So maybe her patron is not Ereshkigal, but rather someone like Pazuzu. Pazuzu feels right to me, given his connection to The Exorcist and the time period. 

But there is a demon in the book, Baal, who is also known as the Master of Storms. Many of the demons in the CSP have vaguely ancient origins: Aaman (Anu), Baal, Astorath (Astaroth), Thamuz (Dumuzid, Tammuz), Nergal, and more. Given all this, Pazuzu still feels like a great choice, as does my very first choice, Ereshkigal. Maybe Pazuzu is just a demon employed by Ereshkigal. 

Character Creation Challenge: Day 10, Esmé Valethorn and The Magus

Photo by RDNE Stock project

 Esmé Valethorn is a character I rolled up back in the summer of 2024. So no deep history with her here. I wanted a character that would have a special interest in portals and how the line up along ley lines. She began life as a Blue Rose Adept, moving on to ShadowDark, a little bit in Baldur's Gate 3, and finally Wasted Lands.

Now she is finally where I want her, in AD&D 1st edition. 

Esmé is a magus, which is something of a cross between a magic-user and a witch, but think of them as professors of magic. That really fits how I see Esmé to be honest. She loves to give people her opinions. Trouble is she is right far more times than not. I have described her as outwardly very serious, inwardly very ridiculous. She is very "buttoned down" and dare I say conservative, but inside she loves the absurd. For example she pretends other wise, but Doireann and Amaranth are two of her closest friends; but she would be appalled if anyone knew this.

She is a Magus, but what exactly is that? Short answer a magus is a magic-user that also studies the mysteries of the occult in addition to the arcane. Certainly there is overlap in these topics, which is why the magus is a sub-class of the magic-user. 

This is my attempt to fulfill the promise of the Holmes Basic witch class.

THE MAGUS

The magus is a subclass of the magic-user, distinguished by their study of occult correspondences, ceremonial magic, and metaphysical law. Where the magic-user (wizard) channels arcane force through long years of spellcraft, the magus seeks to understand the hidden structure of magic and reality itself.

Magicians of this kind are often associated with academies, arcane colleges, or invisible orders of esoteric learning. Some belong to ancient schools or urban universities, while others work independently but draw on shared traditions. Regardless of origin, the magus is more urbane than hedge wizards or wild witches, more structured than mere spell-slingers, and more systematic than druids or illusionists.

While not as versatile as the magic-user in destructive sorcery nor as instinctively gifted as the witch, the magus excels in prepared rituals, symbol-work, magical theory, and the reading of strange phenomena. They are highly sought after as scholars, ward-makers, spirit-binders, and astrologers.

Magus spells include both arcane and occult types, but never the most potent wizardly magic. The magus may cast up to 8th-level spells, but never 9th.

Requirements: 

Intelligence 13+, Wisdom 11+

Prime Requisite:

Intelligence

Hit Dice:

d4

Armor Allowed:

None

Weapons Allowed:

Dagger, staff, dart

Spell Use:

Arcane and Occult (limited list, up to 8th level)

Special Abilities:

    Occult Literacy: At 1st level, the magus knows Read Magic automatically and may attempt to decipher occult writings or witch-scrolls (50% base chance, +5% per level) and clerical scrolls (5% base chance, +5% per level). Failures may not retry until gaining a level.

    Esoteric Focus: The magus must use a ritual focus (wand, crystal, blade, or orb). While wielded, it grants +1 on saving throws vs. spells and illusions to the magus.

    Ritual Participation: At the 2nd level, the magus may substitute as a Ritual Participant as either a witch, warlock, or wizard. They can not lead a ritual or be its primary spellcaster.

    Ritual Theory: Beginning at 5th level, the magus may cast one known spell per day as a ritual (casting time: 1 turn), without expending a memorized spell. They must have their grimoire present. Unlike casting a spell from a spell book, this does not destroy the spell in question. They cannot do this with a spell unknown to them.

    Ley Line Sense: At 7th level, the magus may detect ley lines, magical loci, and planar disturbances with 90% accuracy after one turn of study. This allows the magus to sense active portals or rifts, locate nodes for enhanced rituals (conferring an additional -1 to saving throws), and interpret magical residue or psychic impressions. 

    True Name Hypothesis: At 11th level, the magus gains +2 to saves against any named extraplanar being, and those creatures suffer −2 on saves to resist dismissal or banishment.

Magi may create magical items and engage in magical research as magic-users. They may use any magic item permitted to magic-users and witches, except those limited to a specific class (staff of the archmage, broom of the witch queen).

Magi are considered part of the educated elite in many societies, often forming cabals within universities, temples, or ancient halls of occult knowledge. Even the self-taught magus is familiar with the structure and culture of these institutions, and is rarely mistaken for a common sorcerer.

Upon attaining 9th level, a magus may seek or be invited into the service of a noble, monarch, religious figure, or powerful lord. In this role, the magus serves as an advisor, astrologer, ritualist, and arcane consultant, often holding a place of prestige within the court or temple hierarchy.

Duties typically include:

• Casting horoscopes and natal charts to guide decisions of state, marriage, or succession.
• Performing divinations and rituals to protect the realm or improve the fortune of their patron.
• Advising on magical threats, relics, and omens.
• Overseeing or suppressing occult phenomena, magical uprisings, or rogue spellcasters.
• Occasionally, educating heirs or clergy in magical or philosophical matters.

While some magi serve faithfully and benevolently (as did John Dee for Queen Elizabeth), others may grow manipulative, arrogant, or dangerously entangled in prophecy, such as Rasputin with the Romanovs. A magus need not be evil to wield significant influence, though political entanglements carry great reward and greater risk.

A magus in such a role may receive room, board, access to libraries, laboratories, and a modest stipend, or even noble titles and land at the GM’s discretion. Such positions may attract rivals, enemies, or factions fearful of arcane influence.

A 9th-level magus may also found a philosophical lodge, occult college, or private sanctum where students and adepts gather to study ritual magic and Hermetic principles. These may serve as centers of learning, intrigue, or esoteric power. These worthies often take on the title of Grand Magus.

Unlike other wizards, Magi pursue magic as a sacred science. They seek harmony between the celestial and terrestrial, invoking the axiom "As Above, So Below." Their art is not mere spell-casting but the weaving of correspondences: colors, metals, stars, and numbers. Though their rituals are longer and more demanding, they wield powers that align with cosmic order. In ancient courts, kings turned to Magi to chart the stars, bind spirits, and inscribe seals of protection.

Esmé Valethorn

10th level Human Magus, Lawful Neutral

Secondary Skill: Scribe

S: 11
I: 18
W: 12
D: 12
C: 14
Ch: 15

Paralysis/Poison: 13
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 9
Breath Weapon: 13
Spells: 10

AC: 8 (no armor, ring of protection +2)
HP: 25
THAC0: 19

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells
Cantrips: Fire Finger, Hide, Knot, Clean
First level: Read Magic*, Burning Hands, Shocking Grasp, Unseen Servant, Light
Second level: Knock, Wizard Lock, Deep Pockets, Locate Object
Third level: Blink, Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10' Radius
Fourth level: Dimension Door, Minor Globe of Invulnerability
Fifth level: Teleport, Avoidance

Theme Song: Seven Wonders

I like Esmé. She is a fun character to play. She acts all serious, but really isn't or doesn't want to be.

I am using my new cantrips rules, but cantrips from the Unearthed Arcana. A magus, as a subclass of the magic-user does not get any bonus spells though like the witch or cleric. Still, she does have quite a few already.

This Old Dragon: Best of The Dragon Vol #1

 This is the first issue from the Eric C. Harshbarger collection. I did have a copy already, but it is in rather sad shape. I have had a copy of this issue for a bit. I was hesitant to review it since it not exactly the same as reviewing a proper issue of Dragon. This is a curated collection, or as it says on the cover, a Best of. Part of the fun of This Old Dragon is reflecting on the issue, what I was doing at the same time it was out, and finding the gems, or lumps of coal, in each one. But, I am very willing to make an exception for Best of The Dragon vol. 1 and Best of Dragon vol. II for various reasons. First, I am not likely to find the older issues they cover, especially from Vol 1. Secondly, these issues were part of my D&D experiences growing up. I remember getting my copy of Best of Vol. II at the same time I picked up Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. My old high school DM, Grenda, and I agreed he would buy the odd-numbered ones and I the even-numbered ones. So there is some added nostalgia for me. So lets get into it.

I should note that this issue is really just "Best of The Dragon." There no other volumes to be a Vol. I for yet. But it will come soon.

Best of The Dragon

This best-of collection was initially published in 1980 and was edited by Tim Kask. It covers the Strategic Review and The Dragon vols I and II, or the first two years of The Dragon. So, from 1975 to 1978. Game-wise, this also covers the era of Original D&D and the dawn of AD&D.  

What I want to get from this is a feel for what was going on then. 1975 to 1978 is a great time since this predates my own involvement in the game. I would not start playing until 1979. So the Best of Dragons were like hidden treasures of a bygone age. These were my "Glamdring" and "Orcrist" treasures. That is, if Gygax was Turgon and Lake Geneva was Gondolin. 

This reads like a White Paper for AD&D. You can see how, where, and even why AD&D was made here with the various additions and rule guidelines. To expand on this further to my own interests, the lack of inclusion of the witch class seems a little odder. 

There are a lot of articles here and they are packed together. I will mention them all, but some might not get much more than that. Others though are very interesting.

Section 1: Design/Designer's Forum

This all reads like rough drafts of the AD&D game presented from the D&D point of view. I should also add that Metamorphosis Alpha also gets some coverage.

Planes by Gary Gygax gives us our first look at what will become the famous D&D "wheel" cosmology. The color-coded planes of this article make it slightly more useful than its Player's Handbook counterpart.

How Green Was My Mutant, also by Gygax, gives us some random human mutation tables. I note these can be used in conjunction with the the random demons tables in the back of this issue. More on that later. 

What follows are some more MA articles, Some Ideas Missed in Metamorphosis Alpha by James M. Ward and An Alternate Beginning Sequence for Metamorphosis: Alpha (note the colon) by Guy W. McLimore, Jr. It is easy to see the ideas brewing that would transform MA into Gamma World. 

Hints for D&D Judges is a three-part series from Joe Fischer helping what will be called Dungeon Masters. I like the use of "Judge" here, very much old-school and the original idea for DM. Part 1 covers towns. Part 2 is Wilderness, and Part 3 is the Dungeon itself.

The amazing Lee Gold has a rare Dragon appearance with her article on Languages or Could You Repeat that in Auld Wormish? Given the discussions I have had here on languages, you know this is one that I have gone back to many times. 

Tony Walston is up with The Development of Towns in D&D. It covers two pages and is packed really. I think some of this morphed into future articles about towns. Like all articles from this time, it is largely "here are your tools, go build it," which is great and works well for me. I am fairly sure that Grenda used some of this for all the cities he built and we adventured in.

On the other side of this is Let There Be A Method To Your Madness from Richard Gilbert. This article details how you should design your dungeons from the ground up, er, down. Followed by Daniel Clifton with Designing For Unique Wilderness Encounters. There is an assumption here, I think, that this is largely for a hex-crawl sort of adventure. 

Jim Ward is back with two more MA-related articles, Deserted Cities of Mars and The Total Person In Metamorphosis Alpha. 

Ok, now this one is an odd one. How Heavy Is My Giant is overtly a good article. It is a math-intensive guide on how much a giant-sized human should weigh. The article was "written" by Shlump Da Orc. Seriously? The article is good and whoever wrote it should be taking credit.

Rob Kuntz is up with Tolkien in Dungeons & Dragons. Knowing what I know now, this article hits a little differently. Though there is one solid point that was very true then and very true now. While there are similarities between Tolkien and D&D, they are not the same thing. The best example is the elves. D&D elves are not the immortals of Tolkien, nor should they be.

Jim Ward, our MVP of this collection, is up again with Notes From a Semi-Successful D&D Player. It is a bit of his reflections on playing as long as he had been at that point. He continues these thoughts on Some Thoughts on the Speed of a Lightning Bolt. This is less about how fast a lightning bolt moves, and more about how fast the wizard can cast the spell. 

The Meaning of Law and Chaos in Dungeons & Dragons and Their Relationships to Good and Evil is next. It sounds like the title of a Master's Thesis, and in a way, it is. It was from Gary Gygax himself and it is in my opinion required reading. The graph of the soon-to-be AD&D alignment system is more complex than what we see in either Holmes Basic D&D or the AD&D Player's Handbook. There is a sense of "degree" or "intensity" in this. So, Demons are the most Chaotic Evil, then followed by Red Dragons (back then, yes), Trolls, and moving closer to Neutral, Orcs, Efreeti, Wereboars, and more. So not all creatures of the same alignment experience or act the exact same way. I think this distinction was lost later on. Suggesting that a Chaotic Evil creature can only act as chaotic evil. 

This is the start of a series of articles by Gygax. There is a short article, Gary Gygax on Dungeons & Dragons which covers how Gary says he started the game. We know now of course it was much more involved that the handful of paragraphs here. This is followed by D&D is Only as Good as the DM. This is the first mention in this magazine of the "Dungeonmaster" (one word).

The Dungeons & Dragons Magic System is next from Gary and covers how the D&D magic system evolved out of Chainmail.

Section 2: Dragon Mirth

This section covers some of the "funnier" articles from TSR/The Dragon.

There is a Monster Reference Table Addition for a bunch of creatures they just made up for this. Sort of amusing I guess. 

Jake Jaquet is up with The Search for the Forbidden Chamber. A bit of fiction. 

Omar Kwalish (really Tim Kask) is up with What To Do When the Dog Eats Your Dice. Which is actually helpful, in a silly premise way. What to do if you don't have dice handy. Granted this is an artifact of the time. Everyone has a phone with access to dice rollers. But he also provides some solid 20th-century solutions like chits, cards, numbered straws/sticks, spinners, and even calculators with random functions. I used to use that one a lot. 

Excerpt From An Interview With A Rust Monster from Michael McCrery is honestly best ignored. But I am sure someone out there enjoyed it. 

While Sturmgeschutz & Sorcery is a silly idea from Gary Gygax, it has some practical uses. Namely, how much damage can a WWII tank do in D&D terms? The emphasis here is more Chainmail in origin than D&D, but it is still fun to read. 

Section 3: Variants

Ok, now this section is much more interesting and gives us what The Dragon did the best: providing us with new material for our games.

Peter Aronson has two articles about Illusionists. The first gives us the class to 13th level and 5th level spell ability, and the next extends this to 14th level and 7th level spell ability. Both include a bunch of new spells. It honestly looks perfect to add to my Expert Set box.

Jim Ward is back with treasures found in Tombs & Crypts.

Gary is also next with Halflings, Dwarves, Clerics & Thieves in Dungeon! In this case, the Dungeon board game. I am going to make copies of this one and put it in all my copies of Dungeon. Not only are there new rules for these player types, but there are also new treasures and new monsters. 

Doug Schwegman has a classic one for me next, the original Bard class in Statistics Regarding Classes: (Additions) - BARDS. I have played this Bard in the past and it works out great. The feel is more OD&D + Greyhawk, but that also means it would work well in Basic D&D and even AD&D. This is the one I used for my 1st Ed version of Nida. 

Joe Fischer has a "new" Ranger class in The Original Ranger Class. Again, the presentation makes it look perfect for Basic D&D.

Charles Preston Goforth, Jr. is up from The Dragon #5 with Wizard Research Rules. This expands the rules covered in OD&D and again in The Dragon #2. It is a pretty solid set of rules for spell and magic item research. I'd have to compare it to later editions, but what strikes me about it is the simplicity of it all. 

Ah. Next is the first version of the venerable Dragon Magazine Witch class in Witchcraft Supplement for Dungeons & Dragons. There is no author listed, not even Tim Kask knows who wrote it, but it is quite well written. It is overtly for OD&D Prime. Even before Greyhawk was released. The "Best Of" format has it neatly confined to 5 pages of text with some art. There is a lot to love about this article and class, really, and I am still puzzled why we never got an official witch class in old-school D&D.  Though, I suppose if we had I'd be over here droning on about something else. 

An ad for Fantasy Games Unlimited. 

John M. Seaton is up with Monkish Combat in the Arena of Promotion, or how monks gain levels officially.  It has diagrams that remind me of old martial-arts manuals. 

Two pages of tables for Solo Dungeons & Dragons Adventures by Gary Gygax, with contributions from George A. Lord and play testing by Ernie Gygax and Robert Kuntz. I mean, it looks like it could work. I know for certain if I had seen this I would have tried to write a BASIC program to mimic this. I mean it would not be very difficult at all. 

George Rihn is up with Lycanthropy - The Progress of the Disease. Which is basically discussing lycanthropes and XP progression for lycanthrope levels. It also looks pretty solid and I wonder why it didn't catch on. Though as I have mentioned many times, my Appendix N is more Hammer Horror than it is Pulp Fantasy; playing a werewolf is something that was going always come up in my games.

The Japanese Mythos are next by Jerome Arkenberg. This appeared originally in The Dragon #13 from 1978 and uses the format laid out by 1976's Gods, Demigods, & Heroes. There are three and half pages here and there are more entries than seen in the Japanese Mythos section of Deities & Demigods. 

Paul Montgomery Crabaugh and Jon Pickens have two similar articles, Random Monsters and D&D Option: Demon Generation, respectively. With a few dice rolls you can create any sort of monster; living, undead or demon, to fill your dungeons. Combine these with the How Green was my Mutant article above and you can generate thousands. Again, this is exactly the sort of thing I would have tried to program in BASIC on my old TRS-80 Color Computer 2!

I said this was packed, right?

Ok, so a lot of great articles here that hit heavy on the nostalgia, but also still have some use today. I might try that random monster generator, or more to the point recombine it all and see what I can come up with. Maybe Python or something. Could be fun.

The Witch, of course, is the star for me. Love going back and looking at this older version. 

One of the big issues I have with this collection is that while I can lump it all into a specific time, the time before I played, I miss the nuances of the times. I mean, I was very different from 1975 to 1978, and so was our hobby. I would have liked to see the date and issue each of these was published originally, like Best of Dragon Vol II does. I do miss the ads and the commentary from that time, though. 

Still, it is a fascinating, if brief, glimpse into a time that remains a foreign country to me. 

Should I do Best of Dragon Vol II? Have to think about that. 

Fantasy Fridays: Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia

 While my Fantasy Fridays are overtly about featuring fantasy RPGs other than Dungeons & Dragons, I feel a pretty solid case can be made for this as a different game. The truth is that the 1991 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is worthy of more love and attention. Well, at least more love and attention by me.

June, after all, has traditionally been my month to celebrate all things Basic-era D&D, and this is a perfect choice. 

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991)

Edited by Aaron Allston and based on the work of Frank Mentzer, Dave Arneson, and Gary Gygax.

There’s something magical about the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. It’s not just a book, it’s a time capsule. Released in 1991, this single volume condensed the sprawling BECM,  Basic/Expert/Companion/Master (excluding Immortals, which I'll address later) sets into one massive, 300+ page tome. When the standard was established and continues to be three-volume sets for AD&D/D&D, the Rules Cyclopedia broke the mold, providing everything in one book.

I have already gone on record stating that I didn't pick this up at the time, despite my initial interest in it. I was heavy into AD&D, and as a broke college student, and my drinking spending money was limited. 

One Book to Rule Them All

Sort of. The Rules Cyclopedia was certainly an ambitious project. Take the well-loved BECMI pentalogy and try to rearrange it into a cohesive whole. By this point, we had already had the Original D&D game, which was reorganized into the Holmes Basic game, which was in turn re-edited into the B/X Moldvay/Cook/Marsh books, and then finally those gave rise to the Mentzer BECMI. There was a lot of play and a lot of history here to try to gather together.  The DNA of all of those works is still visible here.

If you are familiar with Basic D&D in its many forms (Basic, B/X, BECMI) you have four basic human classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic-user, and Thief, and the three demi-human races (races was still used here, so let's stick with that) Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. Human classes go to an impressive 36 levels. Demi-humans have level limits, but still have ways to improve with experience. There are a LOT of things characters can do in these 36 levels, too. Neutral Clerics can become Druids, Lawful Fighters can become Paladins, and there is more. Magic-users at 36th level get 81 total spell levels. There is a lot more like this. There is also a Mystic class, sorta like the D&D Monk. 

I also still feel that BECMI and the RC have some of the best high-level play advice in D&D. In truth, there is a lot of great "D&D" advice here that is great for any D&D edition, but obviously the best translation is to AD&D 1st ed. Some of this advice does exist in different wording in the DMG. But without all the High Gygaxian. And better organized. 

The trick here is, of course, not how the rules are the same, but how they are different. A great example is how dragons are handled. There are small, large, and huge sizes for starters. Something we would not see in AD&D until 2nd edition. Plus all sorts of Gemstone dragons which include the rulers of Dragons, Diamond, Pearl, and Opal. (An aside. What if the Dragons were divided like this: Pearl = Chaotic, Opal = Neutral, Diamond =Lawful, Bahamut = Good, Tiamat = Evil?)

Lots of fun monsters here and despite the lack of art (or maybe because of) there is a lot of intersting entries. The entry on Monster spellcasters is uniquely BECMI/RC and something I wish I had adapted more back in my AD&D games. 

The D&D planes are covered, similar to the AD&D planes. But only the inner planes are covered. 

Some of the best bits are cover the D&D Game World, Mystara, and the Known World. Here we see a departure from BECMI, where the game world was called Urt and was a living world. The map from the Expert Set is back for the Known World, which we learn on later maps is just a small section of the world. AND the Known World is Hollow, which was a revelation to me when I first read it. I rather love it. 

Appendix 2 covers conversions to and from AD&D, which is rather fun. 

The character sheets are rather plain, to be honest. 

Immortals

I call this one out specifically, because it is one of the main differences between the Basic and Advanced games. In the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, Immortals are discussed, but specific Immortals are rarely mentioned.  Ka, Odin, and Atzanteotl, are mentioned by name and have appeared in other BECMI products over the years.  The conversion notes for D&D to AD&D 2nd Ed in the Cyclopedia gives us this little tidbit:

The Immortals of the D&D system and the deities of the AD&D system should not be converted between the game systems.

They were really set on the whole Immortals ≠ Gods thing. But this works for me since it is possible and even desirable for characters to become immortals. 

The most interesting parts cover the PCs' acquisition of immortality. We would see this again in D&D 4e, though in a different form, the idea is the same. 

Summary

I have not covered this book in detail and certainly not in the detail that it deserves. This is a masterpiece really. 

Larina Nix for D&D Rules Cyclopedia

Larina got her start as a witch in Glantri (the Country) and wanted to move to Glantri City to attend the city's magic school. Of course, this was before I picked up the Glantri Gazetteer. Who knows what I would have done with her had I bought that Gazetteer back then? 

For this I am going to use my "The Witch." While not exactly for the Rule Cyclopedia nor BECMI, but for "Basic-era games" going to level 36. It does work for this and honestly the book was created largely based on Larina as my major play-test character.

"Larina" by Jeff Dee

Larina Nix
36th Level Witch, Classical Tradition
Human Female

Strength: 10 (+0)
Intelligence: 18 (+3)
Wisdom: 18 (+3)
Dexterity: 12 (+0)
Constitution: 12 (+0)
Charisma: 18 (+3) * (+15% XP)

Death Ray or Poison: 2
Magic Wands: 2
Paralysis or Turn to Stone: 2
Dragon Breath: 2
Rod, Staff, or Spell: 2

THAC0: 6
Movement: 120 (40)

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar ("Cotton Ball" Flying Cat)
Herb Use
7th level: Temporary Magic
13th level: Permanent Magic
19th level: Witch's Blessing
25th level: Ability Bonus
31st level: Timeless Body

Spells
Cantrips: Black Flame, Chill, Dancing Lights, Inflict Minor Wounds, Object Reading, Quick Sleeping
First Level: Bewitch I, Black Fire, Burning Hands, Charm Person, Endure Elements, Fey Sight,  Glamour, Read Languages, Concentration (Ritual)
Second Level: Alter Self, Candle of the Wise, Enhance Familiar, Ghost Touch, Hold Person, Produce Flame, Scare, Suggestion, Calling the Quarters (Ritual)
Third Level: Bestow Curse, Bewitch III, Clairvoyance, Danse Macabre, Dispel Magic, Fly, Scry, Tongues, Imbue Witch Ball (Ritual)
Fourth Level: Analyze Magic, Arcane Eye, Divination, Ethereal Projection, Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Mirror Talk, Phantom Lacerations, Spiritual Dagger, Drawing the Moon (Ritual)
Fifth Level: Bewitch V, Blade Dance, Death Curse, Dream, Endless Sleep, Eternal Charm Person, Hold Person, Primal Scream, Telekinesis
Sixth Level: Anti-magic Shell, Death Blade, Eye Bite, Find the Path, Greater Scry, Mass Agony, Mirror Walk, True Seeing, Legend Lore (Ritual)
Seventh Level: Ball of Sunshine, Breath of the Goddess, Death Aura, Etherealness, Greater Arcane Eye, Insanity, Wave of Mutilation, Widdershins Dance, Vision (Ritual)
Eighth Level: Astral Projection, Bewitch VIII, Damming Stare, Discern Location, Mystic Barrier, Prophesy, Wail of the Banshee, Descent of the Goddess (Ritual), Protection of the Goddess (Ritual)

Immortal Sphere: Energy

This is a good build. This is Larina right before her ascension to Immortality. If I review Wrath of the Immortals, then that is where I will go next.

Who Should Play This Game?

Honestly, anyone who has ever played AD&D or played any version of D&D after this should give this a try. The rules are different enough to be a new experience and familiar enough to make it easy to get into. The Race-as-Class will feel odd to most other veterans of D&D, but it is such an important piece of D&D history that everyone should try out. 

The newer Print on Demand version is reasonably priced and easier to read than the previous versions, but it makes for a great choice for people who do not want to pay eBay prices for it. 

Links

The Known World

Print on Demand Review

Fantasy Fridays: Hyperborea 3rd Edition

 Welcome to my first proper Fantasy Fridays. For this first one I want to feature one of my favorite fantasy RPGs. It is Jeffrey Talanian's Hyperborea RPG, now in its 3rd Edition.

I keep coming back to this game time and time again for good reason, it is just a fantastic game.

This game has the feel of first Edition AD&D in a "Dying Earth" style setting. It is part Jack Vance's Dying Earth, but a greater part of Clark Ashton Smith's "Zothique." The world is old, cold, and dying.

The first edition was a boxed set of three books, and the second edition was a single massive tome. The third edition is now two separate books.

I have all three and have reviewed them all.  I'll throw some links below to the reviews and other characters, here is the the latest, the third edition, which sits nicely on my shelves with my AD&D books.

HYPERBOREA Player's Manual

PDF and Hardcover. 324 pages. Color cover, black & white art with full color art pages.

For my review, I am going to be considering the hardcover from the Kickstarter and the PDFs from DriveThruRPG.

The book starts with the credits, acknowledgments, and dedication to John Eric Holmes, the author/editor of the "Holmes" Basic edition. 

Chapter 1: Introduction this covers what this game is and what RPGs in general are. This is important and worth a read since it sets the stage for what sort of sub-genre this game covers, "swords, sorcery, and weird science-fantasy."  The classics of Swords and Sorcery are covered here briefly and how they add to the feeling of this game. This is pure Howard, Lovecraft, and Smith.

Chapter 2: Character Generation covers character creation. This chapter is brief covering of what you can do with the five chapters.  This also has a listing of the common "facts" known to every character. There is a section on leveling up. 

Chapter 3: Statistics or the "rolling up characters" chapter. The six recognizable methods are presented here. The most common of course is Method III; roll 4d6 drop the lowest.  We also have the same six attributes we have always had.

Each class has a "Fighting Ability" (FA) and a "Casting Ability" (CA) which relates to attacks. So yes, even magicians can get a little better in combat as they go up in level.  It's a great little shorthand and works great.  So a 4th level Fighter has a fighting ability of 4. A 4th level magician still only has a fighting ability of 1 and a cleric 3 and thief 3.  Subclasses can and do vary.

AC is descending (like old school games), BUT with the Fighting Ability stat it could be converted to an ascending AC easily.

Chapter 4: Classes We still have our Basic Four; Fighter, Magician, Cleric, and Thief.  Each also gets a number of subclasses.  Fighters get Barbarian, Berserker, Cataphract, Huntsman, Paladin, Ranger, and Warlock.  The Magician has Cryomancer, Illusionist, Necromancer, Pyromancer, and Witch. The Cleric has the Druid, Monk, Priest, Runegraver, and Shaman.  Finally, the Thief has the Assassin, Bard, Legerdemainist, Purloiner, and Scout.  

Each subclass is very much like its parent classes with some changes.  The classes look pretty well balanced.

Chapter 5: Background This covers all the things about the character that "happened" before they were characters.

Races are dealt with first. They include Amazons, Atlanteans, Esquimaux, Hyperboreans, Ixians, Kelts, Kimmerians, Lemurians, Picts, and Vikings along with the catch-all "Common" race of man.  No elves or dwarves here. Physique is also covered. 

Alignment is a simpler affair of Lawful Good, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Evil, and Neutral.

Along with race, there are various languages the characters can learn/know.  There are also gods here, an interesting mix of Greek, Lovecraftian, Norse, and Smith gods. 

There are background skills and weapon skills. Though I misread "charcoaler" as "chocolatier," and now I want a character with this background. 

Chapter 6: Equipment Or the "let's go shopping" chapter.  If you missed the "to hit modifiers vs. armor types/AC" in AD&D then I have a treat for you. Weapons here are more detailed than they were in previous editions of HYPERBOREA; or at least more detailed than my memory of the older editions.  Just checked, this one is much more detailed. 

Chapter 7: Sorcery This is our spell chapter but it also covers alchemy. Spells are split up by character class. Spells are limit to 6th level since classes are all limited to 12 levels. Spell descriptions are all alphabetical. This covers about 75 pages.  

Chapter 8: Adventure. This chapter improves over the previous editions. It covers all sorts of adventure topics like hirelings and henchmen, climbing, doors, nonstandard actions, time and movement.

Chapter 9: Combat. All sorts of combat topics are covered. Critical hits, unarmed combat, mounted combat and more. Damage and madness are also covered. The madness section is small and not really designed to mimic the real world. 

Appendix A: Name Generator. Pretty useful, really, to get the right feel of the game. Afterall "Bob the Barbarian" isn't going to cut it here. 

Appendix B: Lordship and Strongholds. What each class and subclass gains as a Lord or Lady of their chosen strongholds.  There is a great section on creating strongholds as well.

Appendix C: Cooperative Gaming. This covers how well to play in a group.

Appendix D: OGL Statement. This is our OGL statement.

These appendices (with the exception of D) are all new. 

There is also a great index.

So I will admit I was unsure about backing the 3rd Edition of HYPERBOREA.  I have the 1st and 2nd Editions and they have served me well over the last few years.  This edition brings enough new material to the table that it really is the definitive version of the game. 

The leatherette covers are really nice and I am happy I waited for it. Since the Player's and Ref's books are now separate, I could, if I wanted, pick up another Player's book.

The art is great. There are some reused pieces and still plenty of new ones. It uses the art well and helps set the tone of the game.

HYPERBOREA Referee's Manual

PDF and Hardcover. 308 pages. Color cover, black & white art with full-color art pages.

Chapter 10: Introduction Again, this is our introduction this time for the Game Master or Referee's point of view. What the Referee does for the game and more. 

Chapter 11: Refereeing This get's into the Game Mastering process in detail. This covers grant experience for the characters and setting up the campaign. 

Chapter 12: Bestiary Our monster section and truthfully one of my favorites. The expected ones are here, but there are also plenty of new ones.  This covers roughly 130 pages.  There are interesting new takes on some classic "D&D" monsters, plus many new ones like a bunch of new "lesser" and "sublunary" demons. The format is most similar to Basic or Labyrinth Lord, and it is full of the usual suspects with some Lovecraftian Horrors, and even remnants of alien and bygone ages. "Demons" are here, but no devils. 

Chapter 13: Treasure Covers treasure types and magical treasure. Among the magic items are things like Radium Pistols and other sc-fi artifacts. Very pulpy. It also includes some rules on scribing spell and protection scrolls. There is even a small section on Alchemy in Hyperborea. Very useful to have really.

Chapter 14: Gazetteer.  The lands are a pastiche of Howard, Vance, Lovecraft, and Smith.  If these names mean anything to you, then you know or have an idea, of what you are going to get here.  This section has been greatly expanded from the previous editions. Included here are the gods again and a little more on religion.  Basically, you get the idea that gods are either something you swear by (or to) or get sacrificed to by crazy cultists.  So yeah, you know I am a fan.

Appendix A: Weather in Hyperborea. Likely more important here than, say, other game worlds. Weather in Hyperborea is dangerous. 

Appendix B: Hazards of Hyperborea. There are horrible things waiting for you in Hyperborea and they are not all monsters or the weather. 

Appendix C: Waterborne Expeditions. Covers waterborne adventures and combat. 

Appendix D: Warfare and Siege. Your characters have built their strongholds. Now someone wants to know it down.  Here are the rules.

Appendix E: OGL Statement. The OGL statement for this book.

Since the 2nd edition, nearly every aspect of this game has been expanded, some sections more than others, but it is a great upgrade.

The art throughout is very evocative of the setting. Mighty thewed barbarians, shining knights, elderly and eldritch wizards. 

Larina Nix for Hyperborea 3rd Edition

A dedicated witch class? Yes please! That means I want to try out Larina here. Now I have tried other witch characters with the Hyperborea rules, but to build my iconic witch is something of a full test for me and a game. 

Larina Nix

Female Kelt Witch 12th level

Alignment: Neutral (Lawful)

ST 9 [+0 +0 2:6 4%]
DX 12 [+0 +0 3:6 4%]
CN 12 [+0 +0 75% 2:6 4%]
IN 18 [+3 95%, Bonus Spells 1, 2, 3, 4]
WS 18 [+2]
CH 18 [+3 12 +1]

Age: 30s
AC: 1 (Cloak of Darkness, Bracers of Defense)
HD: d4
hp: 27
FA: 5
CA: 12
#Attacks: 1/1
Damage: 1d4+3 (dagger+3), 1d6 (staff)
SV: 11 (+2 Transformation, +2 Sorcery)
ML: 12

Abilities
Alchemy, Brew Decoction, Familiar, Read Magic, Scroll Use, Scroll Writing, Sorcery, Dance of Beguilement, Effigy, Henchmen, Broom Enchantment, Ladyship, Witch's Apprentice

Spells
First level (5+1): Charm Person, Detect Magic, Mending, Shocking Grasp, Sleep, Write Spell (Charm Person in ring)
Second level (5+1): Bless, Extrasensory Perception, Hold Person, Identity, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shatter, (Ungovernable Hideous Laughter in ring)
Third level (4+1): Dispel Magic, Phantasm, Tongues, Witch Fire, Wind Wall, (Starlight in ring)
Fourth level (4+1): Gylph of Warding, Moonlight, Mirror Mirror, Sorcerer Eye, (Transfer Wounds in ring)
Fifth level (3): Anti-magic Shell, Control Winds, Shadow Conjuration

Sixth level (2): Control Weather, See

Languages: Common, Keltic (Goidelic), Hellenic (Greek), Old Norse, Speak with the Dead, Speak with Nature Spirits
Size: M (Height: 5'4", 125 lbs)
Move: 40
Saving Throw Modifiers: Transformation +2, Sorcery +2
Secondary Skill: Scribe
God: Lunaqqua

Flying Cat ("Cotton Ball"): AL N; SZ S; MV 10 (Fly 80); DX 15; AC 7; HD 1/4 (hp 5); #AT 3/1 (claw, claw, bite); D 1/1/1; SV 17; ML 5; XP 11

Normal Gear
Clothing, daggers (2), backpack, woolen blanket, chalk, ink and quill, polished steel mirror, incendiary oil, parchment (4), soft leather pouch (2), small sack (2), tinderbox, torches (2), wineskin (wine), writing stick, iron rations (one week), spellbook (contains all prepared spells), 5 gp, 15 sp, gems (100gp)

Magic Items
Bracers of Defense, Ring of Spell Storing (4 spells), Ring of Telekinesis (100 lbs), Wand of Magic Missiles, Wand of Lightning Bolts, Bonded Broom, Cloak of Shadows, Gem of Brightness, Horn of Blasting (Thor), Copper Skull Necklace 

I like this version. So who is this Larina? This is Larina at the End of Time. She has all the memories of her past lives and often gets lost in them. Not really remembering who, or when, she is. She lives alone in her witch's cottage with her, yet unnamed apprentice. This is not the Witch-Queen Larina, this is something lesser and far older.

She would make for a great NPC for the next time I run this game.

Who Should Play This Game?

Anyone that enjoyed First Edition AD&D but liked the level limits of B/X D&D. Humans abound here, so if you like playing anything other than a human, you might not have as much fun. Also, the world is bleak and dying. This is not a time of heroes to make for a better day; better days are past. This is a time to survive against brutal odds and in the face of an uncaring universe. 

Also, play this if you loved the works of Jack Vance, H.P. Lovecraft, and especially Clark Ashton Smith. 

There is also a pretty good online community for this game, so support and advice are often a click or two away.

This is one of the games that I play the least but want to play the most. I love everything about it. It combines so many of my favorite things in one game that I am hard pressed to think of something I would have done differently.  Well...maybe go to level 14 so I could map it onto my Basic-era games plans a bit better.  

Links

• NorthWind Adventures Page (Home of Hyperborea)
• DriveThruRPG page
• Discord
• Facebook
• Xitter
• Instagram
• Reviews
• Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, 1st Edition
• Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, 2nd Edition
• HYPERBOREA 3rd Edition Player's Manual
• HYPERBOREA 3rd Edition Referee's Manual
• Other Products
• Plays Well With Others
• 2nd Edition
• BASSH, Basic Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
• Characters
• Miriam, The Witch-Queen of Yithorium
• Red Sonja
• Skylla
• Tanith, 2nd Edition
• Tanith, 3rd Edition
• Xaltana