-	-	-	-	-
Dungeons & Dragons	Dragon magazine	-	Best of  The Dragon,  Vol. I	The Dragon #5

The following rules are designed to supplement the research rules
found in Men & Magic at 6-7 and The Dragon, Vol. 1, No. 2, Aug.
1976, at 29. These rules have been playtested in the “Kingdom of
Blake” game at the Historical Simulation Society in Charlottesville,
Virginia, for over a year, real time, or over nine years, game time.
1. New spells (spells not found in existing rules) or spells which are
initially unknown due to the “Intelligence” rules set out in Greyhawk
at 7-8 may be researched by any level magic user, cleric, or healer at the following cost:
 

SPELL LIST	CHANCE OF SUCCESS	TIME REQUIRED	GOLD PIECE INVESTMENT
1st	20%, 100%	1 week	2000 | 10,000
2d	20%, 100%	2 weeks	4000 | 20,000
3d	20%, 100%	3 weeks	8000 | 40,000
4th	20%, 100%	4 weeks	16,000 | 80,000
5th	20%, 100%	5 weeks	32,000 | 160,000
6th	20%, 100%	6 weeks	64,000 | 320,000
7th	20%, 100%	7 weeks	128,000 | 640,000
8th	20%, 100%	8 weeks	256,000 | 1,280,000
9th	20%, 100%	9 weeks	512,000 | 2,560,000
10th	20%, 100%	10 weeks	1,024,000 | 5,120,000

A magic user, cleric, or healer doing research on this chart may only do
research at those spell levels in which (s)he possesses spells due to level
and experience points.

2. A spell to permanently increase one stat. (strength, intelligence,
wisdom, dexterity, constitution, charisma, or beauty) and to have that
stat. treated in every way as if it had been initially rolled up at that
higher level may be researched from the following chart. However, the
spell may only be used once per stat. per character (including all
clones). These spells may not be combined between different magic
users, or by the same magic user throwing the spell twice, or throwing
different spells designed to raise the same stat., to increase the same
character’s specific stat. more than once.
 

SPELL LIST	INCREASE IN STAT.
7th	1
8th	1-2
9th	1-3
10th	1-4
11th	1-5
12th	1-6
13th	1-7
14th	1-8
15th	1-9
16th	1-10
17th	1-11
18th	1-12

3. Only wizards, patriarchs, witches and matriarchs (The Dragon,
Vol. 1, No. 3, Oct. 1976, at 7-10) may create or change magic items
through research. Normal research involves making or changing the
magic item over a period of time while the item is placed inside of a
magic furnace. It is necessary to throw gold pieces or other items of value into the furnace during the research.

4. Any weapon, shield, armor, or indeed anything else, can be enchanted to + 1 in 2 months for 2,000 gold pieces.

5. Serious enchanting is the process by which weapons, shields, and
armor above + 1 can be produced. Serious enchanting requires 10
months and the investment of 10,000 gold pieces. When seriously enchanting
a weapon (of any type) use the rules for determining swords
found in Monsters & Treasure at 27-31 and Greyhawk at 40-41, but
substituting the following table for the table in Greyhawk.
 

01-03	Cursed Weapon of Backbiting +1
04-06	Cursed Weapon of Backbiting +2
07-09	Cursed Weapon of Backbiting +3
10-25	+1 Weapon
26-29	+2 Weapon
30	+3 Weapon
31	Weapon of Slaying
32-34	+2 Weapon <?>
35	+1 Weapon, +2 vs. Lycanthropes
36-38	+1 Weapon, +2 vs. Magic-Users and Enchanted Monsters
39-41	+1 Weapon, Locating Objects Ability
42-45	+1 Weapon, +2 vs. Goblins & Kobolds
46-47	+1 Weapon, +2 vs. Orcs, Goblins, & Kobolds
48-50	+1 Weapon, +3 vs. Trolls (Clerics)
51	Weapon of Speed (+3 on initiative dice)
52-55	+1 Flaming Weapon, +2 vs. Trolls (Pegasi, Hippogriffs, & Rocs), +3 vs. Undead (Ents)
56-58	+1 Weapon, Wishes Included (2-8 Limited Wishes)
59	+1 Weapon, Wishes Iincluded (2-8 Full Wishes)
60	+1 Weapon, +5 vs. Druids, Monks, Psychics, Healers, Samurai, Idiots, and Jesters
61-65	+1 Weapon, +3 vs. Dragons
66	+1 Weapon, +5 vs. PCs
67	+2 Weapon <?>
68	+3 Weapon <?>
69-70	+2 Weapon, Charm Person Ability
71-72	+3 Weapon <?>
73	+2 Weapon, Nine Steps Draining Ability
74	+ 3 Weapon, One Life Energy Draining Ability
75	+5 Holy Weapon
77-78	+ 3 Weapon of cold, + 5 vs. Fire Using/Dwelling Creatures (Including Magic Users Employing Fire or Fire-like Spells)
79-82	+2 Dragon Slaying Weapon
83	-1 Cursed Weapon
84-89	-2 Cursed Weapon
90	-3 Cursed Weapon
91	-4 Cursed Weapon
92	-5 Cursed Weapon
93	+3 Weapon, 6" Throwing Range with Return
94	Weapon Like Sword of Kas (Eldritch Wizardry at 41)
95	Weapon Like Mace of Cuthbert (Eldritch Wizardry at 41)
97	Dancing Weapon
98	Weapon of Sharpness (Use the Samurai Critical Blow table at The Dragon, Vol. 1, No. 3, Oct. 1976, at 25, for damage done when 19 or 20 rolled on the attack dice.)
99	Weapon of Disruption
00	Vorpal Weapon

If a curse or a purpose is rolled up, the person doing the research may
name and define it. When seriously enchanting armor (of any type) or
shields, use the table in Greyhawk at 42.

6. Spell embedment is the process which the researcher can use to embed
(place) any spell which (s)he knows in any enchanted object at the
same cost as learning that spell through research. See rule number 1.

7. Already enchanted objects may not be re-enchanted, but new spells
may be embedded in them. Spells may be removed at the same cost as
embedding the spell.

8. Rules for the manufacture of scrolls appear in Men & Magic at 7.

9. Rules for the manufacture of potions appear in The Dragon, Vol.
1, No. 2, Aug. 1976, at 29.

10. A researcher may enchant a duplicate of any magic item except
scrolls, potions, rings containing spells, wands, weapons, shields and
armor. The list of items which may be duplicated includes (but is not
limited to) all staves and rods and all gauntlets, bracers, and cloaks.
Rings other than rings containing spells may be duplicated. For example:
A wizard could use this process to duplicate a ring of spell storing,
but without the spells stored in the original ring — the new ring would
be empty. The cost of duplication is 10,000 gold pieces and ten months
times the number of the Miscellaneous Magic Table (if any) where the
item is found or (if the item is not found on any of the Miscellaneous
Magic Tables) times one (1).

11. Enchanting rings and wands. Spells may be embedded in normal
rings and wands or already magic rings and wands and staffs. Rings so
made have unlimited charges, wands and staffs have 100 charges of the
new spell.

12. Serious ring making. A Wizard may create a ring determined at
random from all rings which do not contain spells (see 10.). Cost =
10,000 and 10 months.

13. True Ring Making. Cost = 10,000 and 10 months and 300,000
Experience Points. This ring controls all rings which were either made
by the Wizard who made the true ring or physically touched to the true
ring. The true ring wearer may read the thoughts of all persons/things
wearing true rings. The wearer of the true ring has total knowledge of
all properties of all controlled rings. The true ring will try to make its
location known to its creator and return to him. The true ring wearer
has total control of all ring creatures wearing controlled rings. When
true rings touch through control of the same lessor ring they will struggle
until one control is broken. When true rings touch, they will struggle
until one is enslaved or destroyed. The only other method which can
destroy a true ring is to consume it in the fire of the same magic furnace
where it was created. The true ring will try to corrupt its wearer to the
alignment of its maker. A true ring contains spells picked as for a human
magician with the same number of experience points. The maker
picks the spells. Stronger true rings may be created by adding more experience
points. More gold or time makes no difference.

14. Wizard Blade Making. Cost = 10,000 and 10 months and 200,000
Experience Points. The Wizard may name the blade’s level (+ 6 to
-6) and roll one 8 sided die and choose that many properties from the
following list: flaming, with a purpose, with another purpose, with a
vorpal blade, with a curse, with another curse, of life draining, of
sharpness, holy, dancing, of disruption.  This sword may be used by any
magic user or fighter or druid or (if and only if holy) lawful cleric.  The
sword will necessarily be the same alignment as the maker.  It may only
be destroyed in the fire of its creation.  Larger rolls for properties;
300,000 XP | 12 sided die
400,000 XP | 16 sided die
500,000 XP | 20 sided die

A Wizard Blade contains spells picked as for a human magician
with the same number of experience points.

15. Rules 13 and 14 represent the ultimate enchantments — the creation
of the Eldritch Wizardry class item by the player character. These
are weapons “forged by more powerful forces for an express purpose.”
Monsters & Treasure at 30. The experience point cost drained-into the
weapon or ring permanently lost. Restoration will not restore the lost
experience points. A clone which contains even one of the drained
points must attempt to do away with the magic item or both the magic
item and the clone will become insane. All Simulacrums in existence
when the magic item is created are destroyed. Any attempt to evade this
rule is taken as a personal insult by virtually everyone in Gods, Demi-
Gods & Heroes.

16. Guesswork. A Wizard may tell the games master how much
money, time, and experience points he has invested. The games master
will then tell the player what he has ended up with.

17. A wizard up against the wall is a foe indeed — and this power
born of desperation is reflected by The Sorcerer’s Memorial Enchanting
In Distress Rules. These rules allow a wizard, witch, patriarch or
matriarch to create any magic item without any expenditure of time or
money. The wizard holds the item to be enchanted, speaks the Power
Word of Distress, and bends his strength to the enchantment. Often,
the blood flows from his hands. Always, he rolls one eight (8) sided die
for hits. These are magical distress hits — they cannot be cured by time
— or by healing spells. These hits can only be removed if the wizard
spends twice the amounts of time and gold which would have been required
to create the item normally on complete rest. Wizard Blades and
True Rings may be created by this method. Since the wizard has the experience
points at hand there is no additional experience point cost to
make up in rest.

18. A wizard, witch, patriarch or matriarch can embed spells in distress.
The wizard simply speaks the Power Word of Distress and drains
one or more of his spells into the magic item. The item gains and the
wizard loses the spell. Of course, the wizard can always relearn the
spell, or pick up another to replace it, using rule 1.

19. A Wizard Blade or True Ring has an intelligence equal to the
higher of (1) the prime stat. of its creator or (2) the number of levels
that its creator lost as a result of its creation. The Wizard Blade or True
Ring has an ego equal to its intelligence.

20. Any player character may sacrifice magic items to his or her gods
in the hope that the god will reward him or her with aid, increased experience
or perhaps increased stats. The magic item is consumed by the
god and removed from the game. The gods may not answer, but this is
a great way to keep your magic items out of enemy hands.