Believe it or not, Fantasy has reality	Flaming oil	Lycanthropes	Turning	Painting: Wolves
Fillers	Helms of Changes	Wand of Ochalor's Eye	Nidus' Wand of Endless Repetition	Fire-Eye Lizard
Flitte	Wingless Wonder	Huntsman	Funerals	Dragon

Believe it or not,
Fantasy has reality

Douglas Bachmann

 
 

Introduction	Home areas & Wyrd areas	Game objectives	Honor	Character
Oaths & Vows	Lejends & Dooms	The World pattern	Adapting for AD&D	Concluding remarks

INTRODUCTION
It was with some concern that I read in The Dragon #33 that
Gary Gygax does not believe in the “stuff of fairie,” and yet loves it
all nonetheless. How can a person get excited about and invest so
much time and effort into something which is just make-believe? If
fantasy is not real, not only do I have a difficult time justifying playing
the games and reading the books, but there is no way to justify any
game system. If all fantasy is just make-believe, all fantasy game
systems ultimately are based on designer prejudice, arbitrary
choices or game balancing needs. It is my conviction that we cannot
tolerate this kind of situation; we play fantasy games because we at
least hope that we are doing something more than playing makebelieve.
Tolkien regarded “Faerie” as an objective reality, accessible to
Man when he was enchanted. “Fantasy” is, for Tolkien, an art form
designed to enable Man to enter Faerie, to enchant him. Mircea
Eliade (a profound scholar of mythology and comparative religion)
has noted that “myths are the most general and effective means of
awakening and maintaining consciousness of another world, a
beyond, whether it be the divine world or the world of the Ancestors.
This ‘other world’ represents . . . the plane of absolute realities. It is
the experience. . . which gives birth to the idea that something really
exists, that hence there are absolute values capable of guiding man
and giving a meaning to human experience.”

Another way of approaching Faerie might be to say that it is
another dimension to everyday life which possesses greater depth,
power, or significance. When we experience this dimension, we are
taken out of ourselves, we transcend normal everyday life and
become greater in stature. The images and motifs of Fantasy function
as symbols in that they point to realities far greater than the
images themselves. Ultimately, it is the elves, dragons, heroes and
“stuff of fairie” that undergird our normal lives and make them
worth living.

Joseph Campbell described the universal pattern of the quest in
The Hero with a Thousand Faces. That book deals with mythology,
but mythology touches Fantasy in many places. It is my contention
that we need to incorporate the Quest Pattern into our game playing
in order to enrich our games by relating game activity to the objective
reality of Faerie. Without the Quest Pattern, we are playing “sword
& sorcery” games, with it we may achieve “High Fantasy.” Very
briefly restated, the pattern is as follows:
    1) The hero leaves his everyday world,
    2) successfully encounters a guardian at the crossing into the World of the Dark,
    3) journeys through a strange land and has strange encounters or tests,
4) undergoes a supreme ordeal,
5) wins a reward,
    6) journeys back to the everyday world,
    7) recrosses the threshold, and
    8) brings a boon which restores the world.
The object of this Quest Pattern is twofold. The first object is the
transformation of character in the hero, and the second is the restoration
of life in the hero’s world.

The greater part of this article will seek to present some coherent
mechanisms which provide an adequate structure for playing out
this Quest Pattern and for achieving High Fantasy.
Before proceeding with the body of the article, a short detour is
in order. While pondering the Quest Pattern, I was led to consider
the meaning of the phrase “rhyme & reason.” My conclusion is that
the phrase points to “a harmony or agreement of elements which fit
together to provide purpose && significance.”

To say that a fantasy game needs a consistent world is to say that
it requires rhyme & reason. The consistency of the world we seek is
not, I think, so much physical and scientific (although we need
certain minimum standards here also), but moral and intentional. In
other words, it does not matter so much that we get wind currents,
disease vectors and the laws of physics right, as it does matter that
what we expect makes sense and what we do is meaningful. When
we, as players, decide to do something, or act in a certain way toward
beings we encounter, we need to know that our decisions and their
results have good reasons and are not merely fortuitous. In order to
address this need for rhyme & reason, I have tried to explore, in the
latter part of this article, the possibilities of lejends, the concept of
individual destiny, and the moral order of Faerie.

Finally, this article addresses issues raised by role-playing fantasy
games. My tentative solutions all are based on Chivalry & Sorcery,
but players using other sets of rules should be able to modify ideas
found here with relative ease. If you incorporate these ideas into
AD&D, you may unbalance the game; so do so with care.

HOME AREAS & WYRD AREAS
Life does not exist in a vacuum, it exists within a context, a world.
And so, the first task (literally) is to map a world—a single dungeon
will not do. This mapping needs to be sufficiently detailed to indicate
substance, yet still left open, so that a person’s imagination can fill in
unexplained features. Beyond this, there is an essential element
which will determine the success or failure of a game as High
Fantasy: the division of the world into Home Areas and Wyrd Areas
(“wyrd” is an Old English word meaning destiny in the sense of an
inward potentiality in process of becoming, with an approaching
inevitable end; it eventually was changed through use into “weird”).
A Home Area is one in which everyday life as we know it exists; it
is the Primary World. <AD&D: Home Areas could equate to any civilized area.>

A Wyrd Area is the realm of the Dark, the actual world of Faerie.
It is in Wyrd Areas that one encounters monsters and has adventures.
All AD&D dungeons are Wyrd Areas. It might be worth noting
that gold and mithril are items with close connections with Faerie,
with Wyrd Areas, and it would seem most appropriate that gold coins
not be available and gold/mithril mining not be permitted in Home
Areas. <AD&D: Wyrd Areas could equate to any wilderness area, and any location therein.>

The boundary between Home Areas and Wyrd Areas should be
set out clearly. The use of mile stones, walls, magic barriers, hedges,
toll gates, rivers, and ditches all serve to clearly separate the Primary
World from Faerie.

Home Areas are populated by humans. It may be appropriate for
a few elves, dwarves or halflings to be visiting a Home Area, but they
should not live there (I personally find this requirement sad, but
sadness is part of High Fantasy and must be accepted). It is also
possible to conquer land, so that Home Areas can become Wyrd
Areas and vice versa.

It is imperative for players and DMs to understand the need for
this division, and to handle the separation creatively. For instance,
all adventures are appropriately undertaken and all experience
points gained in Wyrd Areas. Bawdy houses, government, trade,
agriculture, law & order, and military orders/units—the entire ambiance
of En Garde! or of a feudal society (or any other historical
culture/society)— are appropriate to Home Areas. Hence, real Fan-
tasy actually permits two types of games to be played: 1) the quest
through a magic land, and 2) a more or less historical role playing
game. In any case, marriages of humans to any race other than elves
is totally inappropriate in either area.

'A Wyrd Area is tbe realm of tbe Dark, tbe actual world of Faerie. It
is in Wyrd Areas that one encounters monsters and has adventures.'

The end of an adventure is defined as physically crossing from a
Wyrd Area into a Home Area. Experience, Honor, and Character
points are gained only at the end of an adventure. There is a motif in
fantasy and myth of the loss of power when moving from a Wyrd
Area to a Home Area. This is so because one suffers a kind of culture
(or moral) shock when “coming home.” The power one gains on an
adventure can, in reality, be easily dissipated when returning to the
Primary World. In order to reflect this insight, use the following
system: As you cross the border from a Wyrd Area to a Home Area,
select the appropriate Return Modifiers, and roll 1d6 on the Return
Chart. Apply the result.

Return Modifiers
 

With an Escort	Fleeing Pursuers	On Horseback
-2	+1	-1

<AD&D: an Escort could be defined as one or more henchmen>

Return Chart

Modified Die Roll	Result
1	No effect
2	No effect
3	-10% of Experience Points
4	-15% of Experience Points
5	-20% of Experience Points
6	-25% of Experience Points

<AD&D: There are two general types of areas. Civilized && Wilderness (as per the MM2 encounter tables).
When entering a civilized area, roll on the above table. -10% means that you lose the class abilities of your highest level. -25% means that you lose the class abilities of your 2 highest levels.
Things like THACO, HP, saves, skills (ie. proficiencies), etc. are NOT affected by entry into civilization.
Example, cleric, -2: See M-U, below. Turning undead is affected, as well.
Example, fighter, -2: No change.
Example, magic-user, -2: A level 3 M-U loses the ability to cast his 2nd level spell, and 1 of his 1st level spells. (As well as the ability to rememorize for these slots.) The spells remain in memory.
Example, thief, -2: A level 3 thief performs as a level 1 thief.
Multi-class characters must apply the -1 or -2 to each of their classes.
If the game begins in a civilized area, roll on the table above, and, apply immediately.
The above does not affect training (eg. an L3 M-U at -2 (training for level 4) just trains normally).>

GAME OBJECTIVES
The objective of an initiation or quest is to change a callow youth
into a Hero or Heroine. A fantasy campaign also needs to see some
Epic Destiny fulfilled.

As most games stand now, the objective is to rise in experience
levels. Such an objective is actually a measure of the acquisition of
power. Although this has a legitimate place in fantasy, it is much too
limited to be totally satisfying. We might note that games which are
limited to the acquisition of power are of the “sword & sorcery”
variety; those games which also include nobler objectives are, at
least, moving toward High Fantasy.

The experience one gains in an initiation or adventure can really
be expressed as an acquisition of power (“I can now do what before I
could not do”), or as an acquisition of honor (“We applaud you for
your noble behavior during the Great Test”), or as a deepening of
character (“I see you are a changed man”). Power is functional
either in Home Areas or Wyrd Areas. Honor is functional only in
Home Areas because it implies popular acknowledgment of one’s
right to great respect.

Such popular acclaim is only appropriate to the Primary World;
the creatures of Faerie measure you in terms of your inner character.
Character is functional primarily in Wyrd Areas because the inhabitants
of the Primary World possess very limited ability to fully appreciate
the inner transformation of a Hero or Heroine. In addition,
character really does equip a person to perceive and appreciate the
world of Faerie.

These three uses for experience can force players to choose
where their growth will be. Suppose the system works like this. Using
C&S rules, one gains experience in the usual way. You are a Level I
character, and you gain 2,500 experience points—just enough to
make you Level II. However, Honor points cost 1,000 experience
points and Character points cost all of the experience points needed
to move you up one experience level. You could move up an
Experience Level, or acquire two Honor points, or acquire one
Character point. There is a real choice to be made here, depending
upon what is happening in Home Areas and Wyrd Areas.

HONOR
This concept of Honor assumes that there are various problems
in one’s Home Area which must be solved nonviolently by a hero or
heroine —usually a PC. Examples might be the overthrow
of a tyrant, reconciling feuding factions, redistributing wealth,
leading an army or arranging a marriage. Honor is the measure of a
noble person’s ability to get people to work together.
Honor functions within a social system that accords status to
each individual. A simplified Social Status Chart might look like this:
[You are born into one of these classes]
 
 

Experience  Level	Townsman	Freeman	Lesser Guild	Greater Guild
I	Resident: 1	Rustic: 2	Apprentice: 4	Apprentice: 3
III	Citizen: 3	Individual: 5	Journeyman: 5	Journeyman: 4
V	Burgher: 6	Patrician: 6	Master: 6	Master: 7
VII			Syndic: 8	Syndic: 9
Elective	-	-	Guild Master: 10	Guild Master: 11

[You earn the right to enter one of these classes]
 
 

Lesser Nobility	Greater Nobility
Earl: 10	“the Brave”: 14
C o u n t : 1 2	“Trueblood”: 16
Marquis: 14	“the Faithful”: 18
Duke: 16	“ t h e J u s t ” : 2 0
P r i n c e : 1 8	“the Wise”: 22
King: 20	“the Compassionate”: 24
-	“Master of Doom”: 26
-	“the Triumphant”: 28
-	“the Glorious”: 30
-	“the Magnificent”: 32

Numbers indicate your social status.

In this example, I have purposely changed the C&S social class
system. I do not wish to live in a feudal society, nor is the essence of
Faerie feudal. The system used here assumes that nobility is something
earned as a result of acquiring great honor or character—
which is how things really are in Faerie.

To get anything of substance done in a Home Area, one would
have to influence people. One’s influence could be computed like
this: [(Charisma + Appearance) / 4] + Status + Honor points =
Influence. This is not very original with me, practically the same
system is in C&S— overall, it is a pretty good system. The mechanics
of influencing could be those of C&S (which are moderately complex)
or of En Garde! (which are pleasantly simple). Players and DMs
should feel free to use a system that brings them delight without
being silly. You might also want to work out a system for influencing
crowds, e.g., a scribe or author might have the ability to write books
which influence different social classes.

If the solution to problems in your Home Area depends upon the
exercise of influence, the acquisition of Honor becomes very important,
especially if solving a problem is your Doom (see below).
Honor could be gained or lost (only in Wyrd Areas) as follows:
    +5: completing a Geas
    +2: assisting a Geas
    -7: failing a Geas
    +1: failing a Quest
    +4: winning a battle
    +1: championing a lady
    +2: member of a victorious army
    +1: per 10 points of damage to the body
    -1: per 500 gold pieces not spent on pleasure
    variable: reneging on a Lesser Oath
    variable: failing to fulfill a Vow
    +1: having a mistress
    +1: per 1,000 experience points

In this system, one would be born into the Townsman, Freeman,
Lesser Guild or Greater Guild class. It is desirable to have an equal
chance of being a member of each. You would start with the status
given at Level I and automatically increase your status at Levels III,
V, and VII. Guild Masters would be elected. Magicians, Scholars,
Sages, Scribes and Lawyers could receive additional status as per
C&S, as could professional soldiers as per En Garde!

A person would enter the Lesser Nobility by becoming worthy.
One attempt could be made per year (perhaps at a certain festival),
and a failed attempt to be elevated would result in the forfeiture of
1,000 gp. One Honor point would give you a 1% chance of
being worthy. Promotion within that class would occur each time
you accumulated 20 Honor points.

With this system, you could set up government offices as per
C&S, En Garde! or even City State; a certain influence factor could
be required as a prerequisite, and you might have to influence
someone to get the position. At any time in a game, one could be
dealing with problems within a Home Area, and need to influence
people in order to solve the problems. The use of experience and
adventures to gain Honor could become a very interesting, viable
option in a game.

It is this Honor system that attempts to embody stage 8 of the
Quest Pattern, just as rolling on the Return Chart seeks to embody
stage 7.

CHARACTER
Character refers to a person’s sense of decency, integrity, honesty;
it indicates a degree of passion for justice and equity, a commitment
to virtue, beauty, loyalty and compassion. It also indicates a
person’s relative maturity or the degree to which he/she has outgrown
his/her infantile ego and become more fully human. It does
not have very much to do with alignment; in fact, if you like these
proposed mechanics for using Character, you should definitely drop
all rules relating to alignment.

Character is initially determined by rolling 1d4+7; and then
consulting the Character Chart. Character affects encounters with
beings with whom one can communicate, the rate at which one gains
experience, the degree of awareness of one’s Doom, and the probability
that an act of violencecommitted by you will have negative
repercussions on you.

Character is also the basis for entry into the Greater Nobility.
Once a year (perhaps at a given festival) one may attempt entry; the
probability of success is equal to your Status + (1.5 x Character). If
one fails, one must forfeit gold pieces equal to 15,000 divided by
Character. Promotion within the Greater Nobility is one level per
two Character points gained.

The creatures and powers in Wyrd Areas will react to you depending
upon your Character. When meeting beings which can
communicate, apply your Encounter Modifier, and roll on the Encounter
Table.

In Faerie, there are also “Great Figures,” e.g., Very Old Dragons,
Sublimely Beautiful Queens, Great & Valorous Kings, Profoundly
Wise Old Men, etc. These figures represent ambivalent
forces which must be approached with extreme caution. This is not
so much because they are monstrously hostile, but because they
represent immense power which is accessible only to those of mature
character.

For example, suppose you happen upon a nude Diana-figure
who is bathing. A PC lacking in Character might well
see her through lustful eyes. The power Diana represents, however,
is positive or noble; the encounter of base intentions with positive
power will result in a very negative effect on the player character.
A player character with high Character might well perceive the
sublime depths of female sensuality as it participates in the cosmic
cycle of birth and death. In this case, you might well come away from
the encounter with a positive effect. So, when encountering any
being designated by the DM as a “Great Figure,” use your Great
Encounter Factor; it is the percentage chance that the “Great
Figure” will react to you positively. If the encounter is positive, you
gain two Character points, plus any treasure and/or boon that
“Great Figure” wishes to bestow. If the encounter is negative, you
must roll on the “Great Encounter Adverse Effect” Table, and you
lose one Character point. We might note here that a character with
relatively low Character going before a “Great Figure” for a sacrificial
or noble cause could have a better chance than he/she normally
would have. Additionally, “Great Figures” can be the subjects of
Legends or the objects of Dooms.

When using Character, delete the C&S astrological experience
bonus and the AD&D prime requisite experience bonus.
You could gain or lose Character as follows:
    +2: meeting with Great Figure
    -1: meeting with Great Figures
    +1: discover one’s Doom
    +1: fulfill one’s Doom
    -2: reject one’s Doom
    -2: failure to fulfill Doom within 3 years of discovery
    +1: per 3,000 gold pieces spent on charity
    +1: all experience points needed for the next experience level
    variable: reneging on a Great Oath
    +2: fulfilling a Vow
    -2: failing a Vow
    -1: failure to give away 50% of wealth when returning from an adventure
    +1: assisting a Geas
    +2: completing a Quest
    -5: failing a Quest
    +1: correct understanding at a Legend Nexus
    -1: fight with a member of your party

What happens if your Character falls below 1? If you are an elf,
there is a 10% chance per point below 1 of you degenerating into an
orc (The Silmarillion indicates that orcs are twisted and perverted
elves). If you are any other type of character, there is a 10% chance
per point below 1 of you becoming leprous.

This Character system seeks to embody stages 4 & 5 of the Quest
Pattern, and is the most explicit attempt to embody the inner transformation
of the hero or heroine.

CHARACTER CHART

Die  Roll	Description	Experience  Modifier	Encounter  Modifier	Encounter  Factor	Doom  Modifier
1	Abhorrent	-15%	-12%	1%	-25%
2	Vile	-15%	-10%	2%	-20%
3	Debased	-15%	- 8%	4%	-15%
4	Sordid	-15%	- 6%	6%	-10%
5	Base	-10%	- 4%	8%	- 5%
6	Boorish	- 5%	- 2%	10%	0
7	Decadent	- 5%	0	12%	0
8	Worldly	0	+ 1%	14%	+ 3%
9	Worldly	0	+ 2%	16%	+ 5%
10	Worldly	0	+ 4%	18%	+10%
11	Worldly	0	+ 6%	20%	+15%
12	Urbane	+ 5%	+ 8%	25%	+20%
13	Urbane	+ 5%	+ 10%	35%	+25%
14	Just	+10%	+12%	40%	+35%
15	Honorable	+15%	+14%	50%	+40%
16	Faithful	+15%	+16%	75%	+45%
17	Honest	+20%	+18%	80%	+50%
18	Virtuous	+20%	+18%	85%	+55%
19	Venerable	+20%	+20%	90%	+60%
20	Illustrious	+20%	+22%	95%	+65%

Encounter Table

Die Roll	Reaction to PC
1-15	Violent hostility, anger, attack, challenge or extreme fear.
16-35	Hostile, but non-violent; deceptive, appears friendly, but plans treachery; refuses offer or request
36-50	Mildly negative; unhappy about offer or request; dissatisfied
51-70	Neutral; further terms, more information, more conversation
71-85	Agreeable; agrees to offer, friendly
86-95	Enthusiastic; agrees willingly, offers aid
96-100	Very enthusiastic; wants to help, offers extra aid, extremely friendly, affectionate; may become follower

(The only real difference between this table and the one in EPT is
that is one is more heavily weighted toward negative reactions.)

Great Encounter Adverse Effect Table
                                                                                                Die Roll

Character  Points	1	2	3	4	5	6
1-2	E	H	H	J	K	K
3-4	D	F	G	H	J	K
5	C	E	F	G	H	J
6-7	C	D	E	F	G	H
8-9	C	D	D	E	F	G
10-11	B	C	D	E	F	G
12-13	B	C	D	E	E	F
14	B	C	C	D	E	F
15-16	A	B	C	D	E	F
17	A	B	C	D	D	E
18	A	B	C	C	D	D
19	A	A	B	C	C	D
20	A	A	A	B	B	C

Result
    A. Eliminate Encounter Modifier for one month.
    B. Eliminate Doom Modifier for three months.
    C. -30% Fatigue Points for fourteen days. <AD&D: “Character Class prime requisite(s) is (are) reduced to minimum levels for fourteen days.”> <AD&D, alternate: cf. Fatigue, WSG>
    D. Blindness for twenty-one days.
    E. Add -5% to Experience Modifier for three months.
    F. Turned into stag for 1-12 months; 10% chance per month of being hunted.
    G. Lose all Honor you now possess.
    H. Insanity for 1-4 years.
    J. Lose all but 1 Body Point.
    K. Death.

OATHS & VOWS
One of the themes of fantasy is the importance of keeping promises.
The ideas which follow here were initially stimulated by a spell
provided by Roger Levy in White Dwarf #13.

Oaths are used to seal a bond, bargain or verbal agreement
between two or more willing participants. They are not spells; anyone
can make an oath. If an NPC or monster reacts to a PC at least “agreeable,” he/she will enter into an Oath with
that player character at a percentage chance equal to five times that
player’s Character.

There are two types of Oaths.

1. The first is the Lesser Oath, in
which each party binds him/herself to do or refrain from doing
something. If one reneges on a Lesser Oath, one loses all currently
held Honor points, and you cannot acquire any Honor until you
have been rehabilitated.

2. The second type is the Great Oath, in which the parties bind
themselves to do or refrain from doing something, and they may not
FIGHT or otherwise harm each other, and they must actively assist
each other so far as they are able. If one reneges on a Great Oath, his
Character drops to 8 if it was above 9, otherwise, it drops three
points. In addition, one becomes known as “Oath Breaker”; this
means that no one will enter into any kind of Oath with you, you may
not make any Vow, and your encounter modifier is that of Character
1. <>

One can be rehabilitated after breaking an Oath. If you successfully
complete a Quest (i.e., a voluntarily accepted task with no
serious survival penalty for failure), you receive back all of your lost
Honor points. If you successfully complete a Geas (i.e., a task
imposed on you without your consent, and carrying serious survival
penalties— e.g., death—for failure), you are restored to your previous
Character points and modifiers. While working to complete a
Quest or Geas for the purpose of rehabilitation, one receives only
one-half of the normal XP.

A Vow is a solemn pledge dedicating yourself to some act,
service, or way of life. This is done regardless of what anyone else is
doing. The one item of greatest value to you as determined by the
DM—jewel, magic item, weapon, castle, mistress, etc.—becomes
the pledge; it is forfeit if you fail to fulfill the Vow. The Vow should be
worded in such a way that the DM can evaluate your success or
failure to perform it.

If you succeed in fulfilling a Vow, you gain two Character points;
if you fail, you lose two Character points and half of your currently
held Honor points. In addition. there is a percentage chance equal to
sixty minus Constitution of falling ill with Recurring Fever (cf. C&S
Sourcebook, p. 53). A person contracting Recurring Fever in this
way can never be cured fully; it will afflict him/her for the rest of
his/her life.

A Vow made in relation to one’s Doom increases experience
points gained by an additional 5%. NPCs will work for a player who
is under a Vow for half price. It is conceivable that in extreme cases, a
very high level Cleric or a Great Figure could free a person from
his/her Vow.

LEJENDS & DOOMS
Two of the major insights which David Feldt provided in Legacy
were those relating to the handling of information and intentionality.
His rules stimulated some reflections on the motifs of legends and
individual destiny in fantasy. What follows in this section has been
developed from the material in Legacy, and without those rules, I
know that I would not have gotten any insight into Legends and
Doom.

Lejends are stories that people tell and believe to be true. Some
are true, some are not literally true, some are true but include
inaccurate, exaggerated or misleading details. Players could have
the opportunity of sifting through Lejends and, using their real
brains, deciding what to do with the Lejends. In large part, good
Legends will provide the meaning within one’s fantasy world; an
accurate Legend unraveled helps players act purposefully in a game.
If life is a puzzle, Legends contain the clues for figuring it out.
Legendary material is probably best placed on note cards. The
object is to have enough clues on a subject to be interesting, yet not
so many as to create clutter and unnecessary complication. Each
card should identify the Legend, indicate the level of information,
and state the clue(s). Levels of information (as in Legacy) are as
follows:
 

*1.	Knowing only the topic, only that it exists.
*2.	Dictionary or atlas-level clues.
*3.	Increasingly detailed information, yet not enough to determine the truth or relevance of the Legend.
*4.	These clues allow a player to evaluate and judge the truth or relevance of the Legend.
*5	Threshold I. Information at this level gives a player a sense of     knowledge && accomplishment. Some Legends stop at this level,     but a player will not be able to tell if the clues go on to higher levels.
*6.	Clues here merely indicate that more clues follow.
*7.	Beginning of higher level clues.
*8.	Expanded clues: Information here is useful in game activities.
*9.	Relatively complete information; this allows judgments and evaluation of what is likely to remain in the Legend.
*10.	Threshold II. All clues are filled out, completeness.

Although Legacy allows levels to go as high as *20, I would think
*10 is as high as you would want to go and still keep things relatively
simple.

The clues for the “Legend of the City of Gold” might look like
this:
    * 1—People tell of a City of Gold;
    *2—It is in the east at the head of a great river;
    *3—The inhabitants speak Wosish, are ruled by a King, have
    little contact with the outside world, and there is a beautiful princess
    living there;
    *4—An old adventurer had been there, he tells that the inhabitants
    believed their King was mad, and he mentions that he remembers
    the King looking like John Doe Swordsman (a member of your
    party who does not know that he has a Doom);
    *5—There is a rough map in the city archives made by the old
    adventurer after his journey, there is also a copy of a letter sent with
    an ambassador who did not return;
    *6—There is no reply to the letter;
    *7—Fifty miles from the City, a player will stumble over an
    ancient milestone which is overgrown, nearly illegible and seemingly
    in the middle of nowhere;
    *8—Twenty-five miles from the City, a player will find a hermit
    who tells of the disarray of the City, disease, decline of the army, the
    absence of magic, and mentions the death of the King (+);
    *9—In the City one hears of hopes for a new King, talk of
    despair, one sees work to be done, the Beautiful Princess has a
    chance to fall in love with John Doe Swordsman;
    *10—The long lost ambassador is met, and the party learns the
    signs of the New King (most of them point to you-know-who).

In this example, Level *8 is a Legend Nexus-that is, info
contained at that level connects with material from one or more
other Legends. The DM should announce that a Legend Nexus has
been reached and permit players time to reason out what the connections
might be; they all are allowed to make one guess in writing,
all must be submitted to the DM at the same time. In my example, the
clue followed by (+) is the connecting material; it is Level *1 of “The
Legend of the Death of the Old King.”

The concept of Doom assumes that the people of the world are
waiting for things to happen, that the world is not a vacuum into
which players step and do anything that pops into their heads. A
player character with a Doom is one who, from birth, has had some
mystical connection with the purposes and meaning of the universe.
Doom is very similar in meaning to “wyrd.” Doom imposes some
restrictions on a player’s freedom and also imposes some patterns on
game activity. However, in the last analysis, no one is ever compelled
to fulfill a Doom; it can be ignored.

The DM must, as he is designing the world, also determine the
number of Dooms there will be and write the Doom statements. I
have found that while I am taking the time to fully map the world, the
geography seems to cry out for certain Dooms && Legends. The
players then roll their characters, and the DM can determine if any of
the player characters fit a Doom. If none do, the game can still be fun
and rewarding if the players meet and assist the NPC who fits the
Doom. Note that not everyone or even anyone will necessarily have
a Doom—this keeps things much more interesting.

It is quite possible, although not certain, that some Legends will
be related to Dooms in the game. Consequently, the DM must be
prepared for the possibility that a player will interpret a Legend and
also recognize the role he/she is to play in that Legend. If this occurs,
the DM should openly acknowledge that it has happened, and
congratulate the player for being so astute. If a player thinks there is a
Doom on him/her, and attempts to guess that it is at any time other
than when he/she is attempting to understand a clue in a Legend
directly relating to his/her Doom, the DM is required to respond
truthfully only at a percentage equal to five times the player
character’s Wisdom.

Each Doom is described by a statement which indicates the
potential role a player or NPC might play in the
history of Faerie, and it is normally kept secret. One’s Doom Modifier
applies only to persons and events which are related to one’s Doom
statement. Die-roll modifiers could apply to your effect on others, to
NPC intentions, to items which only respond to you, to increased
effectiveness of your abilities, or to the likelihood of you receiving
certain information. An example follows:

“It is the Doom of John Doe Swordsman that he will someday
come to the City of Gold and find that he was born to be the New
King. He will become fully aware of his Doom, and the people will
recognize him for what he is, when he recovers the Crown of the
Fathers which is at the Grave of the Last King. John cannot remain as
King in the City. He must restore the City and then father a child who
will become the Eternal King/Queen. After the child’s birth, John
must return to his Home Area. His Doom will be reflected in the use
of his Doom Modifier to move him in the direction of the grave when
he is lost; his Doom Modifier is used in place of his Encounter
Modifier when in the city, people will talk to him about problems in
the City and hopes for a New King at a percentage equal to his Doom
Modifier; the Beautiful Princess has one chance per week of falling in
love with John (probability equals Doom Modifier). Finally, the
Crown of the Fathers can normally be discovered only 5% of the
time; to this percentage, John alone adds his Doom Modifier.”

The way this works in reality is that John Doe Swordsman must
first either pay attention to the Legend of the City of Gold or
accidentally find the City. If he does neither, the only effect his Doom
will have on him is that whenever he is lost he will move in the
direction of the Grave of the Last King at a percentage chance equal
to his Doom Modifier. If he never gets lost, never pays attention to
the Legend, and never finds the City, his Doom will have no effect on
his game activity. Once he gets to the City, however, things will begin
to seem odd. He will have more positive encounters than his companions
will have, and a lot of people will tell him their woes and
hopes—they will hardly ever do so with his companions. Assuming
the Beautiful Princess has at least seen him, she has a good chance of
falling in love with him, and communicating that to him. All of this
may raise some questions in John’s mind about what is happening to
him. If he ever searches for the Crown of the Fathers, he will have a
very good chance of finding it (assuming his Character is fairly high,
cf. the Character Chart for Doom Modifiers), and when he does, he
will know what his destiny is—except for the part about leaving
directly after fathering a child.

If a Quest is cast on a player (cf. C&S magic), it must be his/her
Doom. In this case, he/she will gain nothing for discovering or
rejecting one’s Doom. Dooms can certainly be more subtle and
complex than the example, and it would be best that a Doom be
difficult to figure out. Dooms can apply to something requiring
fulfillment in a Wyrd Area or a Home Area.

The combination of Doom && Legends has the potential of
really opening fantasy games up to the rhyme & reason of Faerie. I
am not sure that I or David Feldt have said the last word on game
mechanisms for them, but we have made a good start. Doom and
Legends do, however, require some subtle and imaginative work on
the part of DMs before a game begins. It is my belief that if Doom and
Legends are handled properly, the world will seem very real, even if
the laws of physics are frequently overlooked.

THE WORLD PATTERN

No matter how outlandish our imaginations become, the world
of Faerie has a givenness to it that must be respected. As an objective
reality, it possesses an inner consistency and integrity with which one
ought not to tamper. The Quest Pattern is part of the integrity of
Faerie. However, the inner consistency of Faerie goes far deeper
than the Quest.

The Primary World includes ecosystems which are patterned
and balanced; any upset to these systems threatens life. Similarly,
there is pattern and balance in Faerie, but it does not involve natural
science. It does involve character, morality, forbearance and respect.
These four elements are integral to the rhyme & reason of
Faerie.

What I am proposing here is a system for reflecting the inherent
morality and purpose of the world in Fantasy. Recurring Fever and
Leprosy in individuals, and various epidemics in the world, are all
moral disorders—they are symptoms either of an individual at odds
with his/her own being or of a Cosmic Dis-ease (imbalance). Violence,
theft and magic all threaten the World Pattern Balance, just as
any action taken by Free People risks being or going awry. Violence
has a greater capacity for immoral use than theft, and magic—as a
manipulation of cosmic forces, natural elements and free wills— has
the greatest capacity for turning life into a nightmare.

The World Pattern is balanced when it is at “0“ on the accompanying
chart.

The letters on the chart indicate effects which are the result of the
World Pattern being out of balance by so many points. Only one of
the effects can be in operation at any given time, and it must always
be the most severe effect. Effects are functional until they are superseded
or until the balance returns to “0.”

Imbalance Effects
A.

There is a 25% chance per night of seeing comets. Astrologers
will have a mere 10% chance of succeeding with Legend Lore.
Orcs will always be “ferocious” at night and add +20% to morale.

B. The sky is extremely overcast, so that the sun is obscured.
Weather is always cold and damp. Orcs and trolls are free to wander
about during the day.

C. The moon turns to sickly green. Fatigue and Body points
require twice the time to be replaced. The undead can be turned at
one level less effectively than they normally would be.

D. Perpetual winter sets in. Wind is always at least “blustery,”
and there is a 40% chance of snow per day.

E. Crop blight. Food shortages set in; food cost is doubled.
Hunting && foraging are more difficult.

F. Starvation begins. Food cost is quintupled. There are largescale
deaths and violence between rich and poor.

G. War. Neighboring Home Areas attack each other. Orcs,
trolls, and giants are more active. Elves, dwarves and halflings may
attack humans. There is a 50% chance per day of severe storms at
sea. Everyone has an Encounter Modifier of -10%.

H. Plague— “Influenza”: Comes in a wave, starting at the
northern edge of the world map. It covers an area 140 miles north to
south and as far east and west as the map goes. It remains in this area
for seven days; during this time 1-10% of all humans living in the
area will die. Each player character and NPC has a 10% chance of
becoming ill; if one does, there is a 20% chance of death. If you do
not die, you are ill for seven days, totally incapacitated. For the next
seven days, you operate with only 75% of your normal hit points.
After one week, the plague moves south, taking in another 140-mile
area, and so on, until it moves off the south edge of the map. If you
enter a plagued area after you have recovered from a previous case
of “influenza,” you can catch it again.

J. Plague— “Typhus”: Comes in a wave, starting at the south-
ern edge of the world map. It covers an area 200 miles north to south
and as far east and west as the map goes. It remains in this area for
four weeks; during this time 15% of all human beings and elves will
die. Each PC and NPC has a 10% chance per week of
becoming ill (if you are in a group of more than 12, there is a 20%
chance); if one does, there is a 30% chance of death. If you do not
die, you are ill for the month, totally incapacitated. After four weeks,
“typhus” will move north, taking in another 200-mile area, and so
on, until it moves off the north edge of the map. If you enter a
plagued area after you have recovered from a previous case of
“typhus,” you can catch it again.

K. Plague—“Black Death”: Comes in a wave. starting at the
eastern edge of the world map. It covers an area of 220 miles east to
west and as far north and south as the map goes. It remains in this
area for three months; during this time 25% of all humans, elves and
dwarves, and 15% of all halflings will die. Each player character and
NPC has a 20% chance per week of becoming ill; if one does, there is
a 40% chance of death. If you live, you are totally incapacitated for
fourteen days; thereafter, all prime requisites are at “3” for 10-60
days. After three months, “black death” moves west, taking in
another 220-mile area, and so on, until it moves off the west edge of
the map. If you enter a plagued area after you have recovered from a
previous case of “black death,” you can catch it again. Curing spells,
potions, etc. have no effect on any of the plagues.

L. Earthquakes have a 20% chance of occurring where player
characters are. All streams are fully dried up; rivers will dry up in 1-12
months (roll 1d12 for each river). There is a 15% chance that each
river and lake is polluted. All drinking liquids are extremely scarce.
World Pattern upset points are totaled and go into effect at
midnight of the last day of each month. The WPB automatically
moves toward harmony at a rate of 6 points per month, calculated at
noon on the first day of each month. The WPB may have a balance
inertia (reserve) of four points, but at the beginning of a game, it
should be set at “0.”

World Pattern Balance Chart
Reserve

4	3	2	1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	A	15	16	17	18	B	20	21	C	23	24	25	D	27
28	29	E	31	32	33	34	F	36	37	38	39	G	41	42	43
H	45	46	47	J	49	50	51	52	K	54	55	56	57	58	59
L	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75

 The World Pattern can be upset in the following ways:

VIOLENCE:

 

Each individual act in a Wyrd Area has a 10% chance of altering the balance.	If an individual act upsets the balance, roll 1d4 to calculate the number of points of upset.
Each individual act in a Home Area has a 15% chance of altering the balance.	If an individual act upsets the balance, roll 1d4 to calculate the number of points of upset.
Each minor battle has a 15% chance of altering the balance.	If a minor battle upsets the balance, roll 1d6.
Each major battle has a 20% chance of altering the balance.	If a major battle upsets the balance, roll 1d10

<AD&D: in theory, only invoke the above rule when the PC party attacks a) 0 level creatures, or, b) a Very Rare creature that is part of the ecology of the current plane>

<example, above: In AD&D, dolphins are Uncommon, so that slaughtering them for XP and $ is AOK in AD&D, in theory>

<however, killing the sacred animal of a deity (e.g.), Whales, who are the sacred animals of Shan Hai Ching, might have consequences. there is precedent for this, in (Greek) Myth.>

THEFT:
        Percentage Chance of Upset

-	In Home Areas	In Wyrd Areas
Pick Pocket	5%	2%
Minor Theft	10%	5%
Major Theft	15%	10%

If any theft causes an upset, roll 1d4 to calculate the number of points of upset.

<AD&D: in theory, only invoke the above the above rule when a) a PC steals from the poor: LLC, MLC, ULC, or, b) when PCs rob a tomb (Major Theft)>

MAGIC: Each time a spell is CAST, check the “Magic as a Cause of
World Pattern Balance Upset” Chart.

Magic as a Cause of World Pattern Balance Upset

Casting  Level of  Spell*	Group  A	Group  B	Group  C	Group D	Group  E	Group  F	Group  G
1	1	2	3	4	6	8	5
2	2	3	4	6	8	10	10
3	3	4	5	8	10	12	15
4	4	5	6	10	12	16	20
5	-	6	7	12	14	20	25
6	-	7	8	14	16	24	30
7	-	8	9	16	18	28	35
8	-	9	10	18	20	21 <>	40
9	-	10	11	20	22	36	45
10	-	11	12	22	24	40	50
11	-	12	13	24	26	44	55

 *In case of enchanting materials and Demon Summoning, use
BMR; convert MKL to Spell Casting Level for Alchemy.

Group A: Astrological, Communication &
Transportation Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1d4)
Group B: Alchemy, and Divination and Detection Spells . . (1d4)
Group C: Enchanting materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1d6)
Group D: Command and Illusion Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1d8)
Group E: Ancient Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1d10)
Group F: Basic Magic Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1d12)
Group G: Necromantic and Black Magic Spells, and Demon
Summoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1d20)

Number on chart is percentage chance of upsetting the World
Pattern Balance. If a spell does upset the balance, roll the appropriate
die as indicated in the parentheses for that group; the result is the
number of points of imbalance which are caused.

<AD&D: in theory, don't apply these for spells of level 1-3>
<AD&D: in theory, halve the above percentages>
<AD&D: in theory, apply these to a) elemental spells, b) reversible spells, c) necromancies, d) conjurations (summoning beings from other planes)>
<AD&D: in theory, with regards to the above, it may be possible to balance the effects of a) and d): eg. 3 create water spells might balance a fireball>

ADAPTING FOR AD&D
The ideas in this article all fit best in some form of abridged C&S
game. AD&D has a very different feel as one plays, and seems to be a
much tighter, more rigid game system. Gary Gygax has also gone to
some trouble to see that character races and classes balance each
other and have different talents to use in dealing with the problems
posed by AD&D. Thus, use of the ideas contained in this article may
cause serious problems for AD&D game balance. With that WARNING,
I now present some suggestions for using these ideas with AD&D.

Homes Areas and Wyrd Areas can be utilized with little problem.

The Honor system can be used as is, with the following modifications:
    1) -5 Honor pts. per 1,000 g.p. not spent on pleasure and
    2) a failed attempt to be elevated to the Lesser Nobility costs 2,000 g.p.
Money is a lot easier to come by in AD&D than in C&S.

The Character system requires quite a bit of adjusting.
    1) First, all
rules relating to alignment && prime requisite experience bonuses
must be dropped.
    2) Second, a failed attempt to enter the Greater
Nobility costs 30,000 g.p. divided by Character.
    3) Third, you gain one
Character pt. per 6- 10,000 g.p. spent on charity or public works (this
is different than and separate from giving away 50% of your wealth
gained on an adventure).
    4) Fourth, when rolling for the result on the
Great Encounter Adverse Effect Chart, result “C” should be
changed as follows: “Character Class prime requisite(s) is (are)
reduced to minimum levels for fourteen days.”

Paladins will have some difficulty fitting into the Character system.
The following suggestions may be helpful. First, a character
must begin the game with Character 11 in order to be a Paladin, and
a Paladin’s Character can never drop below 10; if it does, the
character becomes a mere Fighter forever. Second, a Paladin gains
the abilities to turn the undead, employ clerical spells and the laying
on of hands at a probability equal to his/her Doom Modifier (cf.
Character Chart). A Paladin has one chance each time he/she moves
up an experience level; he/she rolls percentage dice; if the die roll is
equal to or less than the Doom Modifier, he/she gains the ability.
You still must be level 3 to turn the undead, and level 9 to employ
clerical spells—these are also the levels at which you may begin
rolling to acquire those abilities.

If you catch Recurring Fever as the result of failing a Vow, it
works this way. The attack lasts 6-36 hours (roll 1d6). If the attack
takes place only during daylight hours—it always begins the first
daylight hour of a day-you are merely sick and incapacitated. If it
carries over into night hours, there is a 15% chance you will die.
Each year, on the anniversary of failing the Vow, you will fall ill
again, but with no chance of death.

When using Magic as a cause of World Pattern Balance upset,
convert as follows: 1) the column headed Casting Level of Spell
becomes Spell Level, 2) Magic-Users Spells use Group F, 3) Illusionist
Spells use Group E, 4) Clerical Spells use Group D, and 5) Druid
Spells use Group C.

CONCLUDING REMARKS
The concepts worked out in this article ought not to be thought of
as hard and fast. Players and DMs should feel free to play around
with these ideas. Honor and Character, especially, could use some
work on the ways in which one could gain points in those areas. The
need is, I think, to have enough variety to be interesting and challenging,
yet not so much variety that you can easily gain Honor and
Character for just about everything.

I also want to point out that the Honor, Character and World
Pattern mechanisms can be readily adjusted to reflect just about any
perception of the nature of moral reality. You can use any social
system, and then merely decide what kind of actions will gain or lose
Honor and Character, and what actions will adversely affect the
World Pattern Balance. The great virtue of these mechanisms is that
they do not prohibit any action; there are consequences that everyone
knows may well result from certain actions, but in the end, each
player can act any way he/she chooses, as long as he/she accepts the
risks.

The mechanisms for Legends and Doom also reinforce the free
decisions of players. You can choose which Legends you will pay
attention to, and your Doom Modifier still leaves you plenty of
freedom.
 

The wolf in your paint pot

©1980 by
Marjorie Jannotta
and
C. A. Hundertmark

Somewhere in almost any dungeon or wilderness campaign
worthy of its name there lurks at least one lycanthrope. In the tamer
dungeons, the lycanthrope is likely to be just around the corner. But
in a more insidious and deadly campaign he may become a member
of the adventuring party itself. Wherever he lurks, however, the
werewolf and his kin will become dramatic elements of the play if
they are represented by well-painted miniatures.
Most dungeon werebeasts tend to be fell creatures, but it is not
necessary that they have an evil alignment. While werebeasts have
been portrayed as evil in many cultures around the world; the
student of lycanthropy will be aware that benign werewolves have
also appeared in folklore and literature. One East European werewolf
testified at his medieval trial that he and his compatriots became

1. For facial detail, see next illustration.
2. Inner ear is light; exterior ear darker than body.
3. Thick shoulder guard hair is darker than rest of
body; it; outlines the ruff and extends the length of <missing text in original article>
4. Several streaks of darker color may saddle the body.
5. Color graduates from darkest at spine to lighter
underbelly.

6. Haunch edge may be darker than basic body color.
7. Dark spot at base of tail marks scent gland.
8. Tail is basic body color, with a darker area at the tip.
9. Underbelly, inside of legs, tops of feet lightest
10. Dark color at shoulder may extend across chest in
front or may break for a lighter-colored chest.

wolves nightly to save the people from famine. He avowed that
Satan and his minor demons had stolen the grain harvest and the
livestock from the countryside. In the form of wolves, the man and
his companions ventured into Hell to do battle with the demons and
return the flocks and harvest. But, we digress. The truth of the matter
is that werewolves—and wolves—have had unilaterally bad press
for centuries.
Whether good or evil, wolves, werewolves, and other furred
beasts can be realistically painted with relative ease. Shading and
highlighting, using simple washing and dry brushing techniques, will
yield realistic fur characteristics on bears, wolves, lions, and rats. In
addition to these basic techniques, a few touches of detail, described
below, will add striking realism to wolves and werewolves.
In the classic literature, werewolves turned into real wolves, not
pathetic Lon Chaney-type hairy men walking with a stoop and a
leer. Wolves (and, therefore, werewolves) come in many colors
including shades of blonde, rust, brown, and grey. Pure white (albino)
wolves and black wolves also exist; even spotted wolves have
been reported. No matter what the basic color of the wolf, however,
certain areas of the face and body tend to be emphasized by a darker
color. These dark areas help to exaggerate facial expressions and
body postures which are important in communication. The black
outline around the ears, for example, gives emphasis to the position
of the ears whether they are erect and alert, or pulled back and
submissive. Dark fur on wolves is found along the spine; at the
shoulder and ruff; at the base and tip of the tail; and around the
prominent facial features of the eyes, mouth, and ears.
The wolf is light in color underneath, on the belly, and on the
insides of the limbs. This camouflage feature compensates for the
animal’s body shadow which could otherwise make the animal more
conspicuous. The outer facial hairs and underjaw are lighter than the
basic body color. Underneath the tail may also be lighter.
The illustrations accompanying this article will give you a detailed
picture of the wolf’s pelage. If these charts are followed, you
are sure to create authentic wolf figures.

Animals are fun to paint because whether you prefer to detail
every freckle with a ten-ought brush or slap the wash on freely and
let it stand, animals usually come out looking pretty good. We spend
a lot of time with our figures because that’s the way we get the most
pleasure from painting them, but we recognize that not every painter
wants to be as compulsive as we are. One trick we have learned to
speed up detail is the use of a fine-point marking pen. (Use permanent
ink or your finish coat will dissolve it.) A pen can be used to
outline dark areas around eyes, fill in shadows in ears. outline lips,
color toenails, or accent whatever miniscule characteristic you wish
to call out. Wolves can particularly benefit from this kind of attention
because as you can tell by the accompanying illustration, there is a
lot of detail on the face of a wolf which adds considerably to its
expression.
The following techniques will be useful when painting furred
animals. You will probably be familiar with some of them, but we
give a brief overview of each technique for beginning painters.
Washing. A wash is a diluted paint applied to a surface which is
primed, unprimed, or painted another color.
Thinning paint has three primary effects. First, it dilutes the
binder, which decreases the adhesive ability of the paint. Second, it
increases the space between pigment grains, which reduces the light
blocking characteristic of the paint and allows more of the
underlying color to show through. Finally, it increases the fluidity of
the paint, causing it to run more freely.
On the textured surface of wolf’s fur, the pigment of the wash will
settle in the recesses more heavily than on raised surfaces, giving an
excellent effect of light and shadow. A darker wash used over a light
base coat is most effective as the light base coat shows through on
the raised surfaces, reflecting light and giving the appearance of fur.
A lighter wash over a dark base coat may become muddied, but it is
important to experiment—you may find a combination that works
very well. Female wolves tend to have a reddish cast to their fur. A
reddish wash used over a brown or sandy color will add realism to a
female wolf figure. A very thin black or brown wash may be used

over a variety of base colors or over a primed surface to create
realistic pelage.
Dry Brushing. A combination of washing and dry brushing is
very effective when rendering wolfs fur. Dry brushing is a technique
in which most of the paint is wiped off the brush before you begin
painting. The paint may or may not be dilute, as in a wash. Light
strokes of the dried brush leave small amounts of paint on raised
surfaces but not in recesses.
Dry brushing is very good for highlighting fur. It is an especially
effective technique to “work in” color on wolves, particularly in the
darker areas such as shoulder, face, spine, and base and tip of tail.
Lighter areas of the underbelly, insides of legs, and underside of the
muzzle can also be worked in by dry brushing. When dry brushing,
you can use paint which is either darker or lighter than the dominant
color.
A final, very light dry brushing with a metallic color can add
dramatic highlights to fur. Metallic highlights can be applied to
prominent points (scruff of the neck, back, shoulders, flanks, muzzle,
and tail). Gold goes well with light browns; antique bronze or metallic
gold goes well with reddish browns; and silver or metallic grey
goes well with greys. The wolves we have finished with metallic
highlights look very dramatic and powerful, but at first glance one
does not even notice that the effect is achieved with metallic paints.
Blending Colors. Wolves are never a single color-even black
or white wolves will show shadow and highlight. Most wolves will
require two or more colors carefully blended together without a
definite line between them. There are two basic techniques for
blending colors that produce satisfactory results with very little
practice.
You can blend colors using a wash. Apply the adjacent colors,
and while they are still wet, blend them by using a solvent or wash to
obscure the line where they join. The longer the strokes and the
more solvent used, the wider the area of blending. Don’t use too
much solvent or you will find yourself working on bare metal. Be
sure you use paints that have the same base (water, oil, or lacquer)

1. Darkly marked eyes and ears outline facial features.
2. Ears darker at outside and back, lighter on inside;
center is very dark.
3. Eye outlined in black; pupil is round; eyes may be
greenish, grey, brown.
4. Central facial line may be dark from forehead to
nose or may be broken between the eyes.
5. Black nose and lips.
6. Outermost facial hair and under jaw may be lighter
than rest of face.

and work quickly so the paint does not dry before you are finished.
The second method of blending colors uses dry brushing. You
begin by applying one color to the entire area where the colors will
overlap. Allow the area to dry, then apply a second color with a
moderately dry brush. Apply the paint first to the area farthest from
the region where you want the colors to merge. The brush will
become drier as you move closer to the area where the colors are to
overlap. Rather than dabbing fresh paint on the brush, continue to
paint with the dying brush, using lighter strokes as well. In this way
you apply less and less paint as you move into the region which has
been painted with the first color. Overlapping a darker color over a
lighter color works best. This technique can be used on the flanks of
a wolf to blend the darker color of the back into the lighter belly.
Finishing. An overall finish of flat can be used; a semigloss can
be dry-brushed on to add highlights to prominent facial and body
features. Finally, a high gloss can be applied to nose, eyes, and lips.
For a werewolf, though, which traditionally has dry eyes, a flat finish
should be used on the eyes.
* * *
Using these guidelines, you can experiment with many variations.
Wolf figures are available in several lines, and the quantity and
variation of animal figures—potential werebeasts, all—seems to be
increasing. They certainly add punch to the wilderness, dungeon,
cavern, or tavern. Meanwhile, don’t waste all your garlic in the
lasagna.

Marjorie Jannotta and Chuck Hundertmark are professional
writers who also enjoy painting miniatures and lurking around an
occasional dungeon. They are the authors of Painting Fantasy Miniatures and
Skinwalkers and Shapeshifters: A Guide to Lycanthropy for Players, DMs, and The Curious.
Morningstar Publishing Company.
 

The Other Were?
Right here!
Roger E. Moore
The AD&D Monster Manual lists the major lycanthrope types at
large in the world, but does not describe some of the much rarer
weretypes referred to in Eldritch Wizardry (D&D Supplement III) as
“Other Were.” All known weretypes are mammalian, and most are
carnivorous and aggressive in their behavior. The ones described
here are found only in very isolated areas in mountains, hills, or
forests. Several of the ones listed are thought to be extinct, and the
probability of finding them is extremely low. Note, too, that a few of
them are basically herbivorous (and hence extremely rare); occasionally
this sort may be worshipped by nearly primitive tribesmen as
promoters of good hunting. All lycanthropes, as stated in the
Monster Manual, have standard magic resistance, can only be struck
by high-hit-dice monsters or silvered/magical weapons, and do not
possess psionics. Special notes on each are presented below.
Werelion? This creature is capable of leaping 20’ onto its prey
from a standing or crouched position. It is typically found in rough,
tropical areas or on savannas far from human habitation. It is 10%
likely to be found among prides of true lions, but prefers to form its
own lycanthrope prides. As with all werecats, it can speak with all
other cats and werecats. It surprises prey on a roll of 1-3. It may rake
with rear claws as a lion.
Wereleopard? A solitary hunter found in jungles, near a particular
village or two, it can surprise its prey on a 1-3 and leap up to
15’ from a crouch. It is the least powerful of the werecats.
Werejaguar? Similar to the wereleopard in abilities, though it is

more powerful and less rare. If the front claws both strike, it may rake
with the rear claws (as can the wereleopard).
Weresabre? As the sabertoothed tiger died out, so did its lycanthrope
type, until now it is extinct—or nearly so—the world over.
The only known weresabres are found where sabertooths are, but
the two 20 not associate. It may leap 30’, and surprises prey on a 1-4
roll due to its stealth and natural coloration in fields and rough
terrain. It is the most powerful (and rarest) of the werecats.
Weredire? This lycanthrope suffered the same fate as the weresabre;
as dire wolves became less common and were replaced by
normal wolves, so weredires died out until they are regarded as
almost extinct. They are much like a larger version of a werewolf,
with a grayer fur. They surprise on a 1-3, and attack by biting.
Wereram? Wererams are 15% likely to be found in mountain
dwelling herds of giant sheep or goats: They appear as shaggy,
ram-headed humanoids and generally avoid all contact with the
outside world. It is possible that they use giant goats as mounts. They
attack, when sorely pressed, by butting.
Wereweasel? Much feared in the areas they inhabit, wereweasels
drain blood from their victims if they successfully bite. They
are swift hunters, and are 50% likely to be found among giant
weasels rather than on their own. They possess three shapes:
human, giant weasel (only slightly different from the real thing), and
weasel-man (something like a rat-man).
Weresloth? these creatures are generally inoffensive and
spend much of their days eating leaves, sleeping, etc. If they gain
surprise over an opponent (having rolled a 1-4 due to their silence
and coloration), they will flee 50% of the time, and sit silently
otherwise, waiting for the intruder(s) to leave. They will fight if
cornered or wounded, using their claws.
Werebadger? Werebadgers are able to tunnel as do giant badgers,
and have only been known to exist in remote woodlands. They
do not collect magical items, but do amass small treasuries of coins
and coin-like objects.
Werebison? This beast is found on prairies and arid plains,

and though it is herbivorous, it has a temperament like a wereboar.
Some tribes living near a lair of these creatures regard them as holy
and do not hunt them. Werebisons are powerful, and butt with their
horns and bony skull. They appear as hairy, stocky beings with a
bison-like head, being otherwise humanoid. They do not collect
treasure at all, and are usually found near a herd of buffalo (60%),
acting as protectors of the herd.

MINOR LYCANTHROPE TYPES
Werelion Wereleopard Werejaguar Weresabre Weredire
No. Appearing 1-6 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-6
Armor Class 5 6 6 4 5
Move 15” 12” 15” 18” 15”
Hit Dice 6+3 4+2 5+2 7+2 5+5
% in Lair 10% 5% 5% 10% 15%
Treasure Type D, S C, Q×5 B D, S, Y C
No. of Attacks 3 (5) 3 (5) 3 (5) 3 (51 1
Damage/Attack 1-10/1-4/1-4 1-6/1-3/1-3 1-8/1-3/1-3 2-12/1-6/1-6 1-8
Special Attacks 2-7/2-7 rake, 1-4/1-4 rake, 2-5/2-5 rake, 1-6/1-6 rake, surprise
leap, surprise leap, surprise leap, surprise leap, Surprise
Intelligence High Very High Average Low
Alignment Lawful neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral evil
Size L M M L L
 

Wereram Wereweasel Weresloth Werebadger Werebison
No. Appearing
Armor Class
Move
Hit Dice
% in Lair
Treasure Type
No. of Attacks
Damage/Attack
Special Attacks
Intelligence Average
Alignment Lawful good
Size M
2-12
6
9”
4+1
20%
C
1
2-8
Nil
2-8
6
15”
4+2
20%
C
1
2-8
Blood drain:
1-4
Low
Chaotic evil
M
1-4 1-4 3-12
5 6 3
6” 9” 12”
2+3 3+2 6+3
65% 40% Nil
O, P C (no magic) Nil
2 3 1
1-4/1-4 1-6/1-3/1-3 4-10
Nil Nil Nil
Low Low to Ave. Low
Neutral Neutral Neutral
M S L
 
 
 

Don’t drink this
cocktail—
throw it!

Robert Plamondon
 

Festus the Dwarf kicks open the wide door of the bandits’ dun-
geon home and throws in two molotov cocktails, burning one of the
twelve bandits to death and wounding two more. Right behind come
Rangers Smith and Jones and Cletic Lucretia, who each lob two
smoking oil flasks. Before the bandits can react, over half receive
serious bums and several are dead. The pools of flaming oil prevent
them from regrouping. With sword and bow, the invaders pick off
the survivors and take the room. None of the adventurers has taken a
hit.
Many players, like those mentioned above, have realized that
flaming oil is the most powerful weapon available to a low-level
player in AD&D. A flask of oil burning on a monster (or player) does
3-18 points of damage in the space of two rounds, and can be used
by all character classes except Monks. Compare this to a “paltry”
1-10 points of damage done by each hit of a two-handed sword.
Because the players in my dungeon were using so much oil and
frying monsters so consistently, I decided to investigate the use of oil
in AD&D. I wanted to simplify the combat system for oil, and I
wanted to “burn” my players a little.
A common technique for using burning oil is to first toss an oil
flask onto the target, then light it with a torch. This method is useful
when you need a wall of flame between you and the monsters, but
takes a long time to set up—grab oil, throw it, grab a torch, throw
it-and requires two hits to torch one target.
Molotov cocktails are a more elegant method of creature crisp-
ing. In its simplest form, a molotov cocktail is an oil flask with a rag
stuffed in the mouth. The rag is lit before the oil is thrown, and the rag
lights the oil when the flask breaks. Instant monster flambee!
The stout-hearted can manufacture molotov cocktais during me-
lee by opening oil flasks and stuffing rags into them. Those with more
18

foresight will have some made in advance. Preassembled molotov
cocktails can be used more quickly, but tend to soak their immediate
surroundings with oil, endangering whomever carries them.
Classier models have a cap over the wick which prevents oil
leakage. These caps can be of metal, which can be pulled off or
unscrewed, or of waxed paper or parchment, which can be burned
or torn off. Molotov cocktails assembled with wicks going into the oil
are preferred because they can burn for hours and be used as lamps
or incorporated in a delayed-action booby trap.
The best molotov cocktais have their paper caps and wicks
impregnated with saltpeter, so they will light from a spark or a hot
coal. Saltpeter is what makes gunpowder burn faster than other
smelly charcoal fires. It can be obtained from nitrate deposits in
caves; alchemists use lots of it. Molotov cocktails of the most elabor-
ate sort will cost from thirty to forty silver pieces.
If your players are suicidal or use lots of traps, they’ll love
self-igniting oil flasks. Alchemists in most universes (including this
one) discover phosphorus at one time or other. White phosphorus
has the charming property of burning spontaneously in air but not in
oil. Thus, when a flask of oil and phosphorus breaks, the phosphorus
is exposed to air and everything bursts into flame.
These devices are extremely dangerous. A fall, a fumble, or an
attack can break the flask and torch the user. This danger makes
alchemists reluctant to make phosphorus-oil flasks. Those who
agree to make them will charge from twenty to fifty gold pieces each.
Torches, the most common source of flame, will quickly light
even a reluctant wick. They are, however, bulky and almost impos-
sible to shield, hindering weapon readiness and stealth.
Lanterns can be used to light wicks if plenty of time is available. In
melee it is more practical to use the lantern itself as a molotov
cocktail rather than trying to light things from it.
Two non-bulky, easily concealed fire sources are punk and slow
match. Punk is fungus-decayed wood; slow match is specially treat-
ed rope or cord. Both smolder without flame at the rate of thirty
inches per hour (five inches per turn).
Saltpeter-impregnated wicks light immediately from smoldering
material; lanterns and simple molotov cocktails will light after a few
seconds of blowing on the match or punk to heat it up.
Various sorts of shields and holders can be made for punk and
slow match to hide their glow and leave both hands free. Wind does
not blow out the burning ends, but care must be taken to shield them
from dampness.
Punk is available everywhere, but slow match is used mostly in
cities to light street lamps. Both are cheap, about one copper piece
per foot.
 

The number of oil grenades that a character can throw in a round
depends on the complexity of the operation. Thus, oil flasks, self-ig-
niting flasks, and lit molotov cocktails can be thrown at the rate of
three per round. Unlit molotov cocktails can be lit and thrown at the
rate of two per round. Stuffing a rag into a flask, lighting and
throwing it can only be done once a round, as is also the case for
throwing a flask and then throwing a torch.
These rates of fire assume that the oil grenades are thrown singly
at a distinct target and that the grenades are close at hand. Obvious-
ly, dumping a backpack full of oil flasks down a stairway will dispose
of more than three flasks in a round, while groping through loot and
laundry for a flask will slow the rate of fire.
Combat using flaming oil as given in the DMG is unnecessarily
complicated. Here is a simplified system:
First, roll the usual d20 “to hit.” If the grenade misses, pick a
convenient direction as “12 o’clock” and roll a d12 for the direction
of the miss, counting clockwise from “12 o’clock,” in relation to the
target. Then roll a d6 for short range, d12 for medium range or 2d12
for long range to find the distance from the target of the point of
impact.
Second, roll another d20. A “1” means the flask didn’t break, a
“2” means the flask broke but didn’t light (for molotov cocktails and
oil-phosphorus flasks). Any other result means the grenade did what
it was supposed to. Unbroken grenades can be thrown again; broken
ones can, of course, be lit later on.
A direct hit with any oil grenade does 2-12 points of damage the
first round and 1-6 the next round, provided it gets lit.
Splash hits occur when a creature is within three feet of the point
of impact of the grenade, and the creature misses its saving throw vs.
poison. Splash hits do 3 points of damage (the DMG spreads this out
as one point per segment for 1-3 segments, but it can be applied all at
once for simplicity).
mail, for instance, would keep most of the oil out, what did get
Armor doesn’t help reduce damage, because although plate

through would be where the character couldn’t reach, so it couldn’t
be smothered or scraped off.
When a successful attack is made on a person holding an oil flask,
there is a one-in-six chance that the flask will be dropped and
broken. A person rendered unconscious or killed while holding a
flask has a two-in-six chance of dropping and breaking it.
Falling into a pit or down an incline will cause flasks located
between the person and the point of impact to break 95% of the
time. Flasks located elsewhere will be unharmed. For instance, a
flask in a backpack would remain intact if a character fell forward
onto his chest or face.
Although flaming oil is a very potent weapon, it is not appropri-
ate in all dungeon situations, some of which are examined below:
Some dungeons have wooden floors, thick carpets, layers of
straw, or other flammable surfaces. Using oil under these circum-
stances can cause a party to bum important treasure, block off their
only escape route, or even destroy whole sections of a dungeon.
Destroying the dungeon is not a very bright plan, since the area
around the fire will suddenly be filled with monsters. Some of these
will be trying to escape the blaze, some hoping to scavenge a hot
meal, and a few will try to fight the fire. None of these creatures will
be well disposed towards the arsonists.
Additionally, rumor has it that pyromaniac players are some-
times attacked by a huge bear in a flat-brim hat who fights with a +6
shovel.
Using oil in poorly ventilated areas can kill everyone involved
because of heat, smoke inhalation, and/or lack of oxygen.
Use of oil in well-ventilated areas will bring the aroma of roasting
meat to creatures in rooms connected to the same air shaft, thus
attracting scavengers.
Players should try not to educate the opposition.
Relatively intelligent monsters will learn from experience with
oil. Although ogres, lizard men and trolls dislike using flame wea-
pons, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins and kobolds will gleefully use flam-
ing oil on adventurers once they learn how potent a weapon it is.
 

Giving the Undead an Even Break -- Steve Melancon
 

A. roll % dice (+2 per point of wisdom above 15) (-3 per point of wisdom below 11)
B. find the appropriate number on the Clerics vs. Undead table
C. A-B = C

B. CLERICS VS. UNDEAD TABLE
                                                                                                                                                                                                        LEVEL OF CLERIC

HIT DICE OF UNDEAD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
1	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99	-110	-125	-	-	-	-
2	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99	-110	-125	-	-	-
3	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99	-110	-125	-	-
4	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99	-110	-125	-
5	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99	-110	-125
6	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99	-110
7	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90	-99
8	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72	-90
9	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45	-72
10	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21	-45
11	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6	-21
12	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0	-6
13	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6	0
14	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21	6
15	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45	21
16	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72	45
17	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90	72
18	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99	90
19	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N	99
20	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	N

Note: 1 level drain = +5 HD
10 years aging = +5 HD
 

C. TABLE

200 or more	6d6 dispelled, 3d6 turned
150-199	5d6 dispelled, 3d6 turned
125-149	3d6 dispelled, 3d6 turned
100-124	3d6 dispelled, 3d6 turned
75-99	2d6 dispelled, 3d6 turned
50-74	1d6 dispelled, 3d6 turned
25-49	3d6 turned
1-24	2d6 turned
0	1d6 turned
Less than 0	No effect