The City Beyond the Gate
An adventure for high-level AD&D® characters
Designed by Robert Schroeck

 

20th Century Adventuring	London, 1985	-	-	-
Dragon 100	-	-	-	Dragon

THE SCENARIO
There are a number of possible opening
scenarios, but they are almost all variants of
two basic situations, given below.

1) Over the course of several adventures,
the adventuring party accumulates a number
of scraps of information regarding the
Mace. Most are legend and hearsay, but
two or three seem to suggest the location of
the Mace’s hiding place, and one hints of an
extra-planar location. Research on the little
solid information available yields the location
of a small island relevant to the quest,
in a nearby sea or ocean.

2) In exchange for a needed resurrection,
regeneration, or similar favor, the party
undertakes the recovery of the Mace for a
high-level cleric or deity?s servant. The
adventurers are given an enigmatic map
which displays an island and gives its approximate
location. Optionally, the party
may be geased by the cleric to perform the
mission.
In either case above, it is up to the party
to obtain a ship or other passage to the
island, as well as appropriate equipment to
conduct the search for the Mace.

THE GATE ISLAND
Scale: 1 hex is 100 feet wide <>

At the location given in their sources, the
characters do find an island. Approximately
half a mile long north to south, it has a
lagoon guarded by two high cliffs to the
northeast, promontories at both the north
and south ends, and a high plateau in the
center. Some forested areas exist, especially
around the base of the plateau, but the isle
is predominantly grass-covered or white
sand beach. Upon the plateau can be seen a
simple white house, while on the south cliff,
a small temple-like building stands in partial
ruin.

The lagoon is the best place to anchor a
ship, as it is sheltered and calm, its clear
waters revealing white sand (and no dangers)
below. Upon the party?s anchoring
here (or at any other spot off the island, for
that matter), two young women will be seen
on the shore, hailing the ship. Both are redhaired
and beautiful, and will introduce
themselves as Selvana and Lilith (not their
real names); they request that all seekers for
that which is of Law accompany them to
their humble home. They are modest and
kind, and are actually Type V demons
polymorphed into human shape: AC -5
(torso)/-7 (tail), MV 12?, HD 7 + 7, hp 40
and 43, ATT: 6 weapons/1 constrict, DAM:
by weapon/2d4, MR: 80%) hit only by + 1
or better weapons, psionic (see below);
numerous special spell powers (see MM for details). If a cleric attempts to
banish these demons (by rolling the score
for "special" on the "Turning Undead"
table), he will receive a + 1 bonus to the roll
due to the residual aura of Good which still
permeates this place.

Each of these two demons has the following
psionic powers: clairvoyance, detection
of magic, and aura alteration. The latter
power will be used at all times when the
party is nearby, as the demons will be concealing
their alignment (causing their auras
to radiate as lawful good). Anyone with
psionic powers will sense the use of psionics
from the two demon-ladies, but will not be
able to tell what powers are being employed
by them. If asked, the demons will say that
they are protecting themselves -- their isle
is sought after by many evil creatures, and
one cannot be too careful.

The demons were sent to the isle fifty
years ago by an unnamed demon prince (or,
optionally, the leading chaotic evil deity in
the current campaign). After destroying the
garrison by surprise, they established themselves
to kill off any other adventurers who
happened to come upon the isle. Unless
attacked, the demon-ladies will quietly lead
the party to their home, the small white
house glimpsed from the ship. If possible,
they will attempt to charm the adventurers
secretly, one by one, and will detect invisible
objects to make sure no one is
up on them (though they will not
creeping
act as if
they see anything unusual if they do see a
hiding thief or invisible magic-user).

1. The white stone house was built of
local fieldstone and whitewashed. This
simple structure has the look of a farmhouse
that has withstood many decades, maybe
even centuries of sea air and weather. There
are four rooms to this building.

A: Sitting/dining room. The centerpiece
of this room is a massive table surrounded
by a dozen chairs. It is well-worn as if many
a feast had been presented here before. The
room is lit by oil lamps suspended from
brackets on the stucco walls, which are
decorated with a great many weapons:
polearms, swords, and daggers of varying
ages and manufacture. Twelve weapons
have no dust on them: six each of battleaxes
and bastard swords. These are the demons?
weapons, Should they be attacked anywhere
else on the island, the demons will teleport
here and assume their demonic forms to
wield their weapons. If a major party is
fighting against them, the demons will take
the time to summon 1-3 extra demons each
(only of types I-IV) to assist in the attack on
the party.

B: Kitchen. This room is furnished as a
fine kitchen, slightly better than such a
simple structure would suggest, with
enough cooking utensils and food storage to
feed a small garrison. A coldbox is set into
the floor in one corner, refrigerated by a
small spring that wells up nearby and provides
water for the whole house. The coldbox
is large enough to hold four humansized
creatures. On a high shelf in the opposite
corner of the room, hidden from direct
view by several canisters of spices, are five
unlabeled potion bottles that contain the
first part of a two-stage poison. This bottled
substance is harmless by itself, but becomes
deadly when combined with the second part
(see below). Note that a spell or power that
detects poison will fail to register this substance
(or the second part of the poison) as
dangerous.

C: Sleeping quarters for the party. Again,
this room looks to have served a small troop
of people at one time or another, for the
room has a dozen beds. It is lit by candles
in sconces on the walls. These candles are
impregnated with the second part of the
two-stage poison found in area B. As before,
this part of the poison is harmless
unless mixed with the first part above. The
demons will light the candles in this room
before the party retires for bed that night.

D: The demons? quarters. This room
appears to be a very plain room with simple,
hard beds and a small shrine, but this is
a permanent illusion. The room actually
contains two large nests in which the demons
rest while in their natural forms.
Entering the room will not dispel the illusion,
which possesses tactile and olfactory
components; it requires a deliberate effort
to disbelieve the room's contents to gain a
saving throw. Scattered and mixed in with
the rubbish of the nests are the following
items, all belonging to the demons? previous
victims: 20,000 gp, 14 gems, a gold armlet
worth 2500 gp, a platinum necklace inset
with emeralds worth 10,000 gp, a chime of
opening with 20 charges left, three jars of
Keoghtom's ointment, and a scroll of seven
magic-user spells: mass charm, crystalbrittle,
symbol, contact other plane, time stop,
ice storm, and Mordenkainen's magnificent
mansion.

The demons will invite the party to stay
with them and prepare themselves for their
search for the Mace, and will cook them a
sumptuous meal, liberally laced with the
first part of the two-stage poison. The second
part (as mentioned before) is in the
candles in the party?s quarters, and anyone
breathing the air therein within ten hours of
ingesting the first component of the poison
will suffer the following effects. First, fatigue
will set in within 1-2 hours, causing
characters to save vs. death magic or fall
asleep for 5-10 hours. Those who save will
be groggy and will fight at -2 ?to hit,? and
will lose all dexterity bonuses to armor
class. The characters will also be severely
weakened, their strength scores falling by 3-
6 points for 2-5 hours before they fully
recover. Characters who fall asleep cannot
be awakened for the first 2-5 hours of sleep,
except by a neutralize poison or wish. The
demons will attack as soon as all party
members are so drugged. If no one eats of
the demons? food, the demons will act offended
but will say they understand (and
they will attack the party at the best possible
opportunity afterwards).

If the demons are destroyed or dispelled,
a spirit will appear (treat as similar to a
haunt from Monster Manual II, except that
it cannot possess characters and is able to
communicate with living beings). The spirit
will take the form of an old but robust man
in the garb of a cleric. Identifying himself as
Girard, a priest of St. Cuthbert, he will
explain that he is the original guardian of
the gate, and headed a garrison of troops
housed in the white house to protect the
way to the Mace from those who would
destroy it. He and his troops were murdered
by the demons, who took his place to
ensure that no force of Good would reach
the Mace. While his troops were taken to
their reward above, Girard was charged to
remain until the demons were vanquished.
To show his power, he will resurrect any two
good-aligned party members slain in the
battle with the demons. He will then lead
the party to the ?mace detector? and the
gate.

2. A small cave hidden by brush is the
first place to which the spirit of Girard leads
the party. It is a tiny opening in the side of
the plateau, curtained by the scrub and
bushes that surround the base. Unless led
there by Girard, only rangers, elves, and
half-elves have a chance to notice this cave
(2% chance per level for rangers, normal
chance of noticing concealed doors for elves
and half-elves). The demons never found
this cave, being more interested in protecting
the isle than in exploring it.
The cave is small and cramped, with
room enough for only two people and
Girard. (A third can be fitted, but that
would mean someone would have to stand
in the same place as the spirit ? an unnerving
but harmless experience.) The cave?s
stone floor has a thaumaturgic triangle,
inlaid with gold (12 gp worth), inscribed
thereon. At the center of the triangle is a
short wooden post surmounted by what
appears to be a 6-inch elliptical disk of white
quartz, with the emblem of a mace engraved
on the end of one long axis.
This disk, Girard will tell the party, is the
device that will lead them to the Mace of
Cuthbert on the other side of the gate. It
will flash a blue-white light at a rate dependent
upon the nearness of the Mace -- 10
flashes per minute for a mile or more distance,
20 per minute down to 1/2 mile, 40
per minute down to 1/4 mile, 80 per minute
between 1/4 and 1/8 mile, and 120 flashes per
minute when between 1/8 mile and 200?. At
closer than 200?, the mace detector gives off
a continuous glow. The brightness of the
light emitted is relative to the facing of the
crystal?s engraved mace end toward the
Mace. That is, the glow is brightest when it
is facing in the direction of the Mace, and it
is darkest when it faces ninety degrees or
more away.

3. The gate building is the ruined temple
that could be seen from the ship when
rounding the south end of the island. When
the adventurers near the structure, they will
see that it is actually built in the form of an
open, Parthenon-like structure with randomly
laid stone blocks about it that make
the building appear from a distance to be
crumbling. The two demons have explored
this building before, but having no means
to open or control the gate, they have left it
alone.
The interior of this structure is quite
empty and clean, as if it were swept regularly.
It is bare of all furnishings and ornamentation,
save for a massive stone arch in
the exact center of the floor. This 12? tall,
10? wide arch is the magical, interplanar
gate leading to London. Girard tells the
party that the gate opens from either side by
holding the detector disk toward it and
commanding, "Open!" After wishing the
party luck and performing a benediction, <cf. benediction, orison>
the spirit will go to his well-deserved rest.
Unless otherwise garrisoned by the player
characters and their servants, the island will
probably be uninhabited by any intelligent
creatures while the party is adventuring
through the gate. See, however, the section
at the end of this module on closing the
adventure.

BEYOND THE GATE
Once through the gate, the party members
will find themselves on a wooded isle in
a small lake with lightly wooded shores.
Beyond the young trees on the lakeshore
can be seen open fields in which there seems
to be scattered public recreational activity.
The characters have gated in on the
major island in the Boating Lake of Battersea
Park, London, south of the Thames
River and one of the many parks in the city.
The party will exit the gate through an arch
exactly like the one on Gate Island, except
that this one has a small plaque on one side
that reads: "Sculpture donated by Hon.
Edward Cuthbert -- 1932." If perchance
some PCs search for records pertaining to
Edward Cuthbert, they will find that no
such records exist. Given the time differen- <continued below>

How to read the map key
The large map on pages 56-57 is keyed
with two sets of numbers. The numbers 1
through 7 printed inside squares refer to
locations described in the ?Beyond the
Gate? text section, and the numbers 1
through 9 printed inside circles refer to
locations described in the ?Large-Scale
Map? section that begins on page 59.
 

tial between the universes, the gate between
London and the current campaign world
has been established for over 640 years
(reckoning by the fantasy world?s years).
The weather will initially be clear, bright,
and sunny. The London time is 9 a.m.,
June 1, 1985 (or the current time when this
scenario is played out). If desired, the DM
may have the weather patterns follow that
currently experienced in either London or
in the nearest major city, so long as such
conditions would logically occur in London
(no monsoons, tornadoes, etc.). No other
people will be on the island when the PCs
first appear, though future scenarios may
not allow the party to be so lucky.

1. Battersea Park is slightly larger than
the average London park in size, lightly
wooded around the edges and around the
lakes, with the central east-west lane lined
with trees. The remainder of the park is
open grassy meadow. Its many paths make
it a popular locale for horseback riding. The
area called ?The Festival Pleasure Gardens
? is a collection of buildings including a
bandstand, a small amphitheatre, stables,
refreshment stands, and the like.
Once the party gets off the island, they
will encounter a police officer (end-level
fighter, AC 9, hp 12, armed with billy club)
grappling with a blonde girl about twelve
years old. The police officer will be swearing
at her as she kicks his shins and yells for
help, insisting ?I ain?t done nothing!? The
girl is named Charlotte; she is a street urchin
and a 3rd-level thief (see the description
of Charlotte at the end of this module).
She is armed with a slingshot and 20 stones
(treat as sling stone for range, doing 1-2/1
points of damage).

If the party does not interfere, the police
officer will eventually wrestle Charlotte into
submission and cart her off into the city.
The bobbie will be so intent on this that he
is only 15% likely to notice the party. If the
PCs decide to get involved, the officer will
be so astounded by their appearance that he
will let go of Charlotte (who will immediately
hide behind the nearest PC and put on
a very innocent-looking expression) and will
be dazed for one round. Once he recovers,
he will attempt to get the girl back, politely
at first, then becoming progressively more
threatening. If his threats are answered or
topped, he will retreat and report the party
to the nearest station house (thus making
them subject to arrest if identified). He does
not want the girl desperately enough to try
fighting it out with the PCs who confront
him.

If the group thus successfully defends
Charlotte, she will thank them, tell them
that they?ve gotten themselves in trouble
with the ?woolies,? and offer them a place
to hide. Should the party not accept the
offer, she will repeat it, more urgently, and
if the PCs still decline, she will reluctantly
leave them. There is a 15% chance that any
subsequent street urchin encounter will
include Charlotte, who will repeat her offer;
also, should the PCs find themselves in a
(Text continues on page 59)

serious situation, there is a 20% chance that
Charlotte will appear to offer help.
If the party accepts her offer, she will
remain with the party (unless convinced or
forced to do otherwise) for the duration of
their stay in London. All urchins encountered
by PCs while she accompanies them
will be automatically well disposed to them
because of her influence.

2. Abandoned house. This is a large,
three-story building with fading grey and
black paint on Battersea High Street. Near
the top are painted the letters “Bunham
Patent Locks, Ltd.” It has apparently been
empty for years, but it is now home for
Charlotte and two of her friends: Nicky, a
tousle-haired lad of twelve years, and
Rocco, a black youth of about eleven (see
the descriptions given at the end of this
adventure). While most of the house is in
acceptable condition, the children inhabit
the basement because it is easier to keep
light from leaking out of its small windows
at night. Charlotte will lead the party here,
where it is comfortable and there’s enough
room for everyone on its floor. There will be
some argument between Charlotte and her
roommates over food and room, but she will
win out in the end.
The house is entered through a broken
cellar door in the rear of the building. In a
closet on the third floor of this house can be
found Charlotte’s secret cache of books: La
Morte d’Arthur, Ivanhoe, Robin Hood,
and a number of modern swords-andsorcery
novels and novel trilogies.
If communication can be established with
the children, they will ask the party hundreds
of questions concerning their business
in London, their homes, their equipment,
and anything else the DM can imagine. If
the party reveals any information on their
true mission and origins (and can demonstrate
a little magic), the children will do
everything they can to help the adventurers
without risking their lives directly. The
children will be tempted to steal a few minor
items from the group, but if well
treated, they will return the items after a
short inspection.

3. Doctor’s office. In this building is the
office of Dr. Andrew Bainbridge. He is in
his sixties, and treats the street children free
of charge out of concern for their wellbeing,
and because he once lived in the
streets as a boy. The children in return
respect him and consider him a friend.
They trust him implicitly and he has never
betrayed them or their trust. However, he is
a law-abiding man, and if PCs are brought
to him and they are wanted by the police,
he will feel obligated to turn them in should
he recognize them.

Dr. Andrew Bainbridge is treated as a
sage (AC 10, hp 24, no attacks) with the
special categories of human biology and
human psychology, plus a minor field of
chemistry. He possesses 1st-level thief skills
(left over from his days as an urchin). He
can immediately restore 1-6 lost hit points

through wound treatment, with a 50%
chance for an additional 1-4 points next day,
followed by normal healing rate. He can
cure most acute diseases of no greater than
moderate severity in 1-8 days with his prescriptions
and treatments. When he does
charge for treatments, his bill is on the
order of £8- 11.

4. Churches. A number of churches are
found on the map; unless otherwise noted,
90% are Anglican churches and the remainder
are Catholic.

5. Libraries. These are public libraries,
holding 5,000-30,000 volumes each. While
they have circulating collections, it will be
unlikely that the PCs will qualify for cards.
There is a 3% chance per library that there
are 1-2 books on magic that could actually
aid magical research.

6. Battersea police station. This is the
primary police station for the Battersea
area, from the Thames to the park, and
south to Battersea Park Road. It is detailed
below, and a plan of the building is provided
provided.
If the DM is doing his job right, a
PC will sooner or later end up here.

A: Entry hall. This narrow corridor is
filled with traffic at all hours; there will
usually be 1-4 police officers passing
through every round, and 25% of the time
they will be escorting prisoners. For a little
excitement, allow a 5% chance per prisoner
being moved that he will get free, grab a
gun, and try to shoot his way out.

B: Office. This is where citizens walking
in off the street will go to talk to a police
representative. The room is divided by a
long counter, behind which are two desks
covered with paper. There are three officers
in this room, unarmed. They are generally
very polite and helpful.

C: Chief’s office. The local captain has
his office here. It is immaculate, perfectly
clean and neat. The captain is something of
a fanatic on cleanliness, and there is some
dislike of him among the ranks because of
this. PCs arrested because they were recognized
as “wanted” will be brought immediately
to Captain Byrne; otherwise, they will
be put in the holding area (E) right after
being booked (Captain Byrne: 4th-level
fighter, AC 9 (7 in riot gear), hp 35, LN,
armed with .38 revolver). At any given
time, Byrne is 60% likely to be in his office.

D: Communication and records. Two of
the walls of this room are lined with filing
cabinets. On the third is a switchboard and
radio setup, with two officers manning it at
all times. Another two officers handle the
records, which includes booking all incoming
prisoners and notifying London central
police headquarters of their arrest. The
basic booking procedure takes fifteen minutes
per prisoner and includes fingerprints,
photographs, and basic form-filling.

E: Holding area. This bank of cells is a
temporary holding area, housing prisoners
until they can be transported to the main
complex elsewhere in the city (one day is
the average wait). The cells are of simple
iron bar construction. All prisoners will be
frisked and all personal belongings are
removed, tagged, and stored in the closet on
the west end of the room. The cells are
segregated by gender, and at any given
time, they will be filled with 2-16 drunks
and suspects of assorted crimes ranging
from prostitution and petty theft to murder.

F: Squad Room. The area where off-duty
officers rest, eat, drink coffee and tea, read
newspapers, and talk. There are always 3-
12 officers in this room at any time. Against
the west wall is a bank of vending machines,
dispensing sandwiches and drinks.
Along the south wall is a row of coat hooks.
Under the third coat from the left is a belt
holster holding an unloaded .38 revolver. A
box containing 30 bullets can be found in
the right pocket of the coat. Along the east
wall of the room is a weapons rack holding
3 shotguns, 4 rifles, 10 .45 caliber handguns,
and 20 rounds of ammunition for
each. The rack is locked with a combination
lock and is constructed of steel bars and
wire screening.
In a locked cabinet next to the rack hang
three bulletproof vests. Made of a special
plastic mesh, they will stop bullets or other
projectiles (arrows, sling bullets, etc.) from
any range; no real damage will be sustained,
but a character wearing a vest must
roll his dexterity or under on a d20 when
shot to keep from being bowled over by the
impact. A vest is similar to padded armor
and has an encumbrance of 50 gp; it provides
protection against all blunt weapons
such as maces, reducing all damage from
them to 1 point. However, if struck by an
edged weapon, it must save as cloth vs.
crushing blow at + 3, or it will be pierced
and the wearer will sustain damage.

50% of the officers in the station are 1stlevel
fighters with AC 9 and 6 hp, 35% are
2nd level with 16 hp, and 15% are 3rd level
with 35 hp; all are armed with billyclubs
and .38 revolvers. In the basement of the
station is a generator to provide emergency
power and two 50-gallon drums of gasoline
to run it. Outside the building proper is a
garage holding two squad cars and one van,
and an adjoining stable housing three
horses (treat as light warhorses, but having
no effective attacks).

7. Battersea Church Road. This is not a
description of a particular building, but
rather a rundown of the more important or
noticeable features of a street. The road is a
major marketplace ? one could even call it
a social center ? for the Battersea neighborhood.
Every day the street is jammed
with crowds and costers (salesmen with
pushcarts) from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is in
these crowds that Charlotte and her friends
obtain their food and what little money they
possess. In regard to this, there is a 5%
chance per urchin (should they accompany
PCs to the market) that he or she will be
caught swiping something, with predictable
results.
From where the Church Road starts on
the Battersea Bridge Road down to where it
ends at Westbridge Road, there can be
found a coster or van every few feet. The
most common item sold is food: there are
many greengrocers with barrows holding
fruits, fresh fish, large crabs, donuts, pretzels,
and other foodstuffs. Ironmongery,
hardware, and the like are also common. In
addition to the costers, there are stalls set
up along the length of the street, and the
holders of these stalls often sell goods right
out of the vans that they park by them. An
eclectic collection of products is available;
assume an 85% chance to find any particular
item (within reason), at a 0-19% (d20-1)
discount, after 6-60 rounds of searching.
Aside from the carts and stalls, food can
be found in regular shops along the length
of Church Road. All shops and taverns
serve dark English beer, but they do also
provide stronger beverages and foreign
brands.
A junkyard is located a block down from
the Bridge Road along the Thames side of
the street. Beyond it is a British Army
surplus store which sells knives, compasses,
fatigues, and everything short of firearms
and vehicles. Devices like flares and
battery-powered torches (flashlights) will
not work in the AD&D universe unless the
DM so allows it, but compasses and other
non-powered items will. Next to the surplus
store is a pawnshop, where items may be
pawned for up to 20% of their total value.

LARGE-SCALE MAP
Expanding outward from the Battersea
area, we come to the larger-scale map of
London, reaching north as far as Hyde
Park. There are several places of interest
within this area:

1. Buckingham Palace. Don't even think
of letting PCs in here. This site is included
on the map for atmosphere and is not in
any way connected to the fulfillment of the
party?s mission, The entire area of the
Palace grounds, as defined by the streets
around it, is surrounded by a 12? stone wall
with iron spikework on top. The only visible
gates are in the front, facing out on the
Mall, the street/park that proceeds roughly
northeast parallel to St. James Park. These
are the gates guarded by the famous, expressionless
Coldstream Guards. There are

two guards for each of the three gates (3rdlevel
fighters, AC 8, hp 20, armed with
rifles). The palace is closed to tours during
the party?s stay for various reasons.
The palace is regarded with an almost
religious respect by street urchins as the
place ?where the Queen lives.? Should the
party members consider storming Buckingham
Palace, any urchins with them at the
time will attempt to dissuade them; should
they fail in this attempt, they will quietly
sneak away, not to return, while PCs ready
themselves. Then, if the PCs continue with
their plan, the DM should immediately
throw in as many SWAT teams as it takes to
convince them of the foolishness of their
actions. The palace, being the home of the
Royal Family, is extraordinarily well protected.
For game purposes, assume an
unlimited number of troops will arrive,, all
totally loyal to the Crown and not checking
morale. Thieves trying to climb over the
wall will be noted immediately by patroling
guards and arrested, if not shot; those trying
to escape arrest will be fired upon.

2. Victoria Station. This is the major
train station for this area of London, connecting
with the subways and many lines
out of the city, all more or less underground,
starting at Victoria Station Square.
It is a huge building, although only about
half of it is concourses and other areas
where the public is welcome. However, that
half will be heavily populated at all times
except between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5
a.m.; it will be most heavily conjested between
7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 4
p.m. and 6 p.m., when the London rush
hours fill the building?s public areas to
overflowing. Off the main concourses, PCs
will be noted by security guards immediately
and will be escorted back to the public
section unless they can give a plausible
reason for their presence there.
Most trains leaving Victoria Station do
not stop again in the city. Unless you plan
to take on the immense job of running a
campaign in England at large, do not let
characters find out how to get tickets or
even what the station is; tell them that the
crowds are too confusing and their jostling,
scurrying movement makes it impossible to
get one?s bearings for more than a few
moments at a time. If visited at night, all
facilities in the station except for a few ticket
windows will be dark, and the clerks at
those windows will not take favorably to
customers who haven?t the faintest idea
where they want to go or by what trains or
lines.

3. The Royal Hospital. Perhaps the
largest hospital in metropolitan London, the
Royal Hospital, overlooking its spacious
gardens and the Thames beyond them to
the south, is a massive building of grey
stone nearly a quarter of a mile long, with
several smaller buildings on either side of it.
One of these smaller buildings serves as the
hospital?s psychiatric ward.
Should PCs end up in the psychiatric

ward, they will first be seen by a consulting
psychiatrist, who will administer the standard
ink-blot, word-association, and other
tests, after which PCs will be dressed in
standard hospital gowns and placed either
in a ward with 5-20 other patients or in
isolation if they resisted capture. What
happens after this is largely up to the DM.
Great potential for humor can be found
here (exactly how does the psychiatrist
explain an elf?), as well as suspense (how
will the PCs escape?). If the PCs are wanted
by the police, then they and their gear will
be turned over to the authorities once it is
concluded that they are no longer any real
danger.

The Royal Hospital is open continuously.
Because of England?s socialized medicine,
nearly any citizen can obtain treatment at a
minimal cost. PCs, on the other hand, may
have some problems with the bureaucrats
who manage the hospital?s paperwork. If
the PC in question needs aid badly enough,
he will be an ?emergency room? case, with
no attention paid to the paperwork until
after the initial treatment. Otherwise, characters
attempting to get treatment will have
to fill out long forms that have questions
about their places of residence, medical
plan, and other information which will not
be believed if answered truthfully; these
forms take three turns to fill out, with a
25% chance of an error being made which
requires the completion of a new set of
forms. Non-emergency medical treatment
will not be provided until the forms are
filled. This assumes, of course, that the PCs
can read and write English.

Assume that most medical treatment
costs the same number of English pounds as
the equivalent spell would cost in gold
pieces ?back home.? However, the hospital
?s methods are not as time-effective as
spells. Roll 1d4 per level of the curative
spell equivalent to the treatment being
performed; this gives the number of weeks
the patient must stay in the hospital (except
for the equivalents of cure light wounds,
which can be administered without an
extended stay and which take effect immediately).
Multiply the die roll by one-eighth of
the basic cost of the treatment for the cost of
the stay itself. Note that modern medical
technology can duplicate the effects of spells
only up to regeneration, and that only for
the reattachment of a severed limb. Raise
dead and resurrection are beyond the modern
doctor, except for those techniques used
in surgery for reviving patients on the table.

4. Battersea Power Station. This is a
typical electricity-generating plant. It is a
large, grey and beige, stonish-looking building
with tall smokestacks, surrounded by an
8? chain-link fence. Around the plant itself
are several smaller buildings, including a
depot for several sidings that extend from
the main rail lines passing close to the station.
There are always 8-15 (1d8 + 7) guards
on duty at the gate and along the perimeter
(guards: 4th-level fighters, hp 23, AC 9,
armed with .357 revolvers). Perimeter

guards are accompanied by 2 guard dogs
each (2HD, hp 12, AC 8, ATT 1 for 2-8).
Should the party members manage to
enter the station proper, they will find massive
furnaces burning coal and undefined
mechanical devices that extend from them,
humming and occasionally giving off steam.
An unprotected character who comes within
10? of the furnaces will suffer 2-8 points of
heat damage per round of closeness. Examining
the mechanical devices (the generators,
turbines, and steam conduits) will
result in the following: heat/electrical damage
of 2-16 points (75%), or the examining
character will be dragged in by the machinery
and crushed to death (25%; save vs.
petrification for merely 4-48 points of damage).
Poking around with metal or partmetal
implements will result in an electric
shock doing 10d6 of damage (no save).
Every turn there is a 50% chance that the
party will be seen by a technician who will
summon a security force of five men (5thlevel
fighters, hp 35, otherwise same as the
guards) to escort the party to one of the
smaller buildings while they call the police.
Both the police and the security force will
assume that the PCs are a group of terrorists
and take no chances with them.

5. The Underground. The London Underground
is one of the more famous subway
systems in the world, and to a limited
extent PCs may use it to shorten traveling
times north of the Thames. At the cost of
two shillings per person, the Underground
will transport characters from station to
station in one-tenth the time it would take
for them to walk the distance. As long as
characters remain on the system, it does not
matter if they leave the boundaries of the
map; if they stay on the train long enough,
they will return to where they started. If
PCs get off at a stop beyond the map edges,
simply tell them that they are lost. All passersby
will be able to tell them where the
Underground station is if the characters lose
sight of it. Stations are marked with large
signs having the following design: a red
circle with a bar through it horizontally. On
the bar is written in white, ?Underground.?
All street urchins will have perfect knowledge
of the Underground in their neighborhoods,
and are 75% certain of areas outside
their own.
In case characters somehow get pushed
onto an Underground track, there are four
rails, two of which carry 660 volts DC.
Persons shorting out the live rails will be
frozen to them by the current, and will take
1d20 points of damage per segment until
freed. Using conducting materials to free
them is not a good idea, since the person
doing so will be frozen by the current just
like the person he is trying to rescue. To
make matters worse, a new train appears
every two turns; its impact damage will be
5-50 points per person at any point between
stations, and 2-20 at a station. Characters
not stuck to rails by the current flow receive
a save vs. petrification to avoid the oncoming
train by rolling out of the way.

6. The Royal Albert Hall. A huge circular
domed building of reddish stone, the
Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall of great
size. Small signs outside the hall read,
"David Bowie Live in Concert! One Night
Only! Tickets available now: £5.5, £8.5,
£10." On the doors to the Hall, though, are
signs reading, "Closed for repair and maintenance,
-- and inquiries at the box office will
reveal that the Hall will be closed for another
two weeks. The southern doors to the
Hall are open, though, and a small pickup
truck is parked by them. The truck has a
sign on it which reads, ?R. Starkney, Contractor,
4000 Wholsen Road, Blackburn,
Lancastershire,? and in the truck?s bed are
assorted tools, tiles, paint pots, and lumber.
If PCs enter the Hall, they will find Mr.
Starkney hard at work repairing a number
of small holes in the floor of the building.
Internally, the Hall resembles any large
auditorium.

7. Imperial College of Science and Technology
(7A) and The Royal College of
Science (7B). These two colleges are bustling
with students (it being the end of the
spring semester and near exam time). If
PCs wander around here, there is a 75%
chance for every five rounds of wandering
that a student will ask them if they are
looking for someone or something, or will
ask if he can help them. If characters happen
to observe lectures or classes, they will
be able to understand the basics of nearly
everything they hear being discussed, except
for elementary courses in geology,
physics and mathematics.
In the Archaeology department of the
Royal College of Science can be found an
expert on old weapons who has examined
the Mace of Cuthbert in the Victoria and
Albert Museum across the street, and plans
to write a paper on its unique metallurgical
properties as compared to other weapons
from the same period. Professor Byron
Marlowe, Ph.D. (0 level, AC 10, hp 8,
STR 16, INT 17, CON 17), is a robust and
hearty 65-year-old, and he knows how to
use the deceptively decorative weapons that
hang on his walls: a morning star, a broadsword,
a halberd, and a crossbow. However,
he is not a violent, or even unlikeable,
man; he is quite personable and will take
the time to talk about his work with anyone
who expresses interest, and will go into
ecstasies if he meets someone whose knowledge
of medieval weapons meets or exceeds
his own. He is quick-witted and strong of
arm, and will not hesitate to grab one of his
weapons (the morning star is his favorite;
he has not worked with the broadsword
enough to manage it yet) if he is threatened
or attacked.

8. The Natural History Museum. This
museum is filled predominantly with galleries
of dinosaur bones, rocks, meteors,
displays on cultural groups, English history,
and the like. One gallery has as its centerpiece
a massive, 30? -diameter globe of the
Earth, showing the planet in great detail,

rotating on its axis. For more details, just
picture the typical museum, and describe
things in terms that will be moderately
puzzling to characters. Remember that it is
a small museum, and as such, it need not
be extensive.
This museum is provided mainly as a
diversion; errors in triangulation or whatever
other method is used to zero in on the
Mace can possibly indicate that this building
holds the Mace instead of the Victoria
and Albert Museum; and it does contain a
display of ancient weapons, including a
couple of maces. This display just happens
to be located parallel to the location of the
Mace across the street in the other museum.
That is, if the mace detector is pointed at
this display, it will register positively for the
actual Mace, which is about 150? beyond it.
Characters paying close attention to the
mace detector will note that its brightest
light is about five degrees off the line pointing
directly at the maces here, although the
continuous glow implies that the actual
Mace is nearby.

9. Victoria and Albert Museum.

One of
London?s many fine museums, the Victoria
and Albert specializes in the fine and applied
arts. Spread throughout its two floors
and many galleries can be found everything
from 20th-century watercolors to medieval
illuminated manuscripts to arms and armor
from many of Earth?s cultures. It is in this
building that the Mace of Cuthbert lies.
The following is a short summary of
pertinent details necessary to the presentation
of the museum in game play. The
museum is located north of the Thames,
approximately a mile and a half from Battersea
Park and the urchins? home. It is
open every day, and admission is free.
Free tours depart from room 25 on the
first floor every hour starting at 10 a.m.,
providing an excellent opportunity to scout
the museum and assess its defenses. These
tours stop in almost every gallery for a few
minutes, and the tour guides provide a
running commentary on the major items on
display, as well as answering (or, at least,
trying to answer) any and all questions.
Security appears nonexistent during the
day, but in any given room at any time
there is a 50% chance that a plainclothes
officer will be present. Plainclothesmen are
armed with .38 revolvers and should be
considered the equivalent of 4th-level fighters,
with 27 hp and AC 8 due to training
and clothing. Any disturbance in the presence
of a plainclothesman will be immediately
responded to by the officer, and all
disturbances (whether or not an officer is
present) will be answered by 1-4 other
plainclothes officers in one round.
All items on display, unless specifically
described otherwise, are found in glass
cases. Breaking the glass or moving a case
more than one inch (real scale) will trigger
an alarm, bringing 2-12 security personnel
in one round during the day, and 6-15 after
closing. All will be armed with .38 revolv-

ers. At night, all major galleries also have
electric-eye beams surrounding the more
valuable exhibits; these may be noted during
the day, since they are not hidden. In
addition, all display areas have ultrasonic
motion detectors scanning them. Due to
their superior hearing, gnomes have a 70%
chance of actually hearing the ultrasonic
pulses sent out twice a second by these
devices. Breaking a beam or moving too
quickly in the area of a motion detector will
have the same result as tampering with a
display case.

Note that motion detectors can be defeated
by moving slowly enough; they operate
by scanning the echo pattern reflected
from the area they cover and comparing it
to the pattern stored from the last scan. If
the two patterns vary by more than a certain
percentage, the alarm is triggered. By
moving slowly enough, the increments of
change in position can be reduced below the
detector?s alarm threshold. Exactly what is
slowly enough is up to the individual DM
and how difficult he wishes to make this
portion of the adventure.

At night, all alarms will also sound in a
nearby police station, resulting in the appearance
of 2-5 police cars with two officers
in each (identical in stats to security plainclothesmen)
in 5-8 rounds.

The museum security force consists of 40
men during the day (25 being 3rd-level
fighter equivalents with 19 hit points each,
and the remaining 15 conforming to the
general statistics given above). At night, the
museum contingent numbers 50 (35 3rdlevel
and 15 4th-level equivalents). Several
two-man teams constantly patrol the museum
after closing, armed with .38 revolvers
and billy clubs and carrying a walkie-talkie,
with which they communicate with the
security center; every fifteen minutes, such
a patrol will enter each room/area, examine
it for 1 round, and then depart unless their
suspicion is aroused or they are attacked.
The museum is constructed generally with
smooth walls and floors, so that the sounds
of a scuffle or combat may carry and have a
50% chance of attracting the attention of
another patrol. These will report in to the
security center, then investigate. If they do
not check back three rounds later, 5-10
more security guards, all of them armed,
will be dispatched to the guards? last reported
location.

At all times during open hours, there will
be from 3-30 people present in each room or
gallery, taking tours or just walking about
the museum on their own. All are O-level
characters with 1-3 hit points. There is a
10% chance that a professional thief (13thlevel
equivalent) will be present in the museum,
and will notice PCs as being ?out of
place.? He will surreptitiously follow them
and attempt to find out what they are planning
or doing.

Note that during open hours and for
some time afterward, the museum is
brightly lit. Commencing two hours after
closing, lighting will be reduced to roughly
the level of torchlight. Even so, there is no

limitation on radius of vision, since all
lighting comes from conveniently spaced
fixtures overhead or on the walls. There are
few shadows inside the museum that are
suitable for thieves? hiding abilities.
The following are standard descriptions
for several common room types found in the
museum.

Elevators (marked E on the maps): Each
of these is a chamber roughly 7? square,
with a sliding metal door. On the outside,
next to the door, is found a small plate with
two buttons of a horn-like material; one is
marked with an arrow pointing up, the
other with an arrow pointing down. Pressing
the button causes it to glow. After 1-2
rounds, the glow ceases and the door slides
open. The interior is wood-paneled, and to
one side of the door is another plate similar
to the one outside, except that the buttons
are marked ?1? and ?2.? The elevator
doors will close 3 segments after they open,
but unless a floor button is pressed, they
will not move for several rounds, at which
time they will go to the other floor to pick
up 1-8 museum visitors.
Closets (marked C on the maps): These
are irregular in shape and size, but all will
contain 1-4 each of the following items:
brooms, pails, mops, and buckets/bottles of
cleaning supplies. There is a 50% chance
that one of the following may also be found
there: large cartons holding paper towels
and toilet paper, a wheeled trash bin large
enough to hold two human-sized creatures,
or 1-6 partially full trash bags.

Offices (marked O on the maps): These
rooms each have 1-4 desks (depending on
floor space available), occasionally covered
with papers. For every desk, there will be
one computer terminal available. During
the day, an office will have double its number
of desks in people (all 0 level with 1 hp)
bustling about. If a PC enters an office, the
people therein will demand to know his
business with them. If the PC does not
answer, or answers incorrectly, he will be
shown the door and told the department
that he does want to see. At night, offices
will have no inhabitants and will be unlit.

Departmental offices: Six offices are
identified in the key as "departmental offices.
" Each one has from 6-10 desks, double
the number of desks in people working
there, and at least four computer terminals.
They will usually be decorated in a manner
appropriate to their department. Department
people tend to be busier than others,
but they will try to help if the PCs have a
problem related to their field.
Some doors on the maps are marked X.
These doors bear signs reading "Authorized
Personnel Only." Museum visitors will not
open these doors, although security and
other staff members regularly pass through
them. Anyone who is not a museum employee
and is found past these doors is told
by the nearest employee that they are in a
closed section and are kindly asked to leave.
If the PCs refuse, security guards will be
called and will appear in one round to escort
them to a public room.

Computer terminals will be found in
almost every office. They are the standard
video type, that is, having a keyboard attached
by a cable to a TV-like monitor, the
whole attached by another cable to a box
mounted on a nearby wall. If a PC is successful
in rolling on the modern artifact
table to understand the terminal, he may
then access any information desired. All
references to the Mace of Cuthbert refer to
it as a 12th-century mace with extraordinary
resistance to rust and corrosion ? and
link it with two nearby swords that possess
the same properties.
Note that most room descriptions following
are very vague. This is because there
are so many items in each room that describing
them would prove prohibitively
long. Outstanding items will be noted, but
it is suggested that the DM either research
appropriate furnishings or improvise as
needed. Unless otherwise noted, though,
room contents will generally have no
apparent
value to the characters, other than their
intrinsic beauty or appeal. In any case,
most items will be too distinctive to be
disposed of in London.

First floor

Note that many first floor galleries extend
upward to the roof and the skylights there.
Many of the second-floor areas are balconies
and walkways over these rooms. The
glass in the skylights is old and fragile, and
will shatter with any impact.

1. Entry Hall. This area, like the rest of
the museum, is floored with marble slabs. A
dome soars 50? overhead. Statues of Buddha
are seated in the corners of the hall,
and the finely sculpted staircases to the east
and west lead upward to the next floor and
down to the men?s and ladies? rooms. A
uniformed security guard sits in the center
of a circular desk just inside the main entrance
to the museum.

2. Central Hall. This is the center of a
long hall extending both east and west. It
arches up like a cathedral to form the roof
30? up; skylights punctuate this roof. Two
walkways cross this room immediately
overhead, and mezzanines can be seen to
either side. Here are found more Buddhist
figures.

3. West Hall. This long section is filled
with an eclectic collection of items, including
ornately sculpted fireplace fronts, doll
houses, architectural woodwork like
columns and balustrades, all finely done,
and the entire front of a house (dated 1500)
which looks like the latest in architecture
"back home."

4. East Hall. This gallery is filled with
examples of Italian and French architecture,
including a whole Italian chapel from the
fifteenth century. Its altarpiece has a painting
of a knight (St. George) slaying a green
dragon. Also, a number of sculpted busts
are found here. A walkway crosses overhead
50? from the eastern end of the hall.

5. Florentine sculpture, including
"Christ in the Sepulchre," "Christ Giving
the Keys of Heaven to St. Peter," and other
large pieces.

6. In the north end of this area is a Cupid
by Michelangelo, surrounded by his wax
models for other sculptures. A number of
paintings line the walls, along with an ornately
painted shield having a very complex
heraldic device indicating ten or more generations
of knighthood in the family. A
number of Italian medals are also displayed
in this area.

7. Ivories and crystal carvings. There are
20 of each on display, and each one is worth
from 200-2000 gp each, except for a finely
worked ivory casket worth 3000 gp.
8 to 16. A series of galleries displaying
English furniture and woodwork from A.D.
1300 to 1790. Entire rooms have been reconstructed
in painstaking detail throughout
this entire area, to better display the furniture
pieces in their original settings.

17. Departmental office of architecture
and sculpture. This office is decorated with
wooden cornices and columns, and it has a
number of small bas-reliefs of English and
Italian origin embedded in its walls. Much
of the south wall is a bookcase. Five turns of
searching this bookcase will uncover a book
on construction methods unknown but
usable in the AD&D game world, methods
so new and innovative that the book will be
worth 5,000 gp to the right buyer. However,
unless the character who finds this book has
some knowledge of the subject matter, it is
only 5% likely that he will recognize its
value.

18. Storage. This room is locked with a
modern cylinder lock. Inside will be found
several empty boxes, two crates holding a
porcelain set wrapped in straw (worth 5,000
gp if the entire set can be transported back
to the campaign world), and a small chest
holding what appear to be many carved
wands made of ebony. While worth perhaps
300 gp, these are not wands ? this is actually
a set of pickup sticks crafted for an
Italian duke?s daughter.

19. High-security storage. The central
room of this area always has two armed
security guards on duty, and the doors are
equipped with photo-electric beams. Room
19A is currently empty, but in 19B is a set
of gold dinnerware destined for display in a
month. Each piece in the set is worth from
20 to 100 gp, and the entire set of 120
pieces is worth 10,000 gp complete.

20. Corridor displays: A. Chinese and
Japanese lacquerwork and furniture; B.
Ivories and leatherwork; C. Chimney
pieces; D. Musical instruments; E. Plaster
casts (sculptures).

21. The Loan Court. Also known as the
Octagon Court. There are many varied
items on display in this room. The most
interesting are: a collection of ancient Far
Eastern pottery and bronzes; examples of
English silversmiths? work (45 pieces of
wrought silver jewelry ? determine value
as in the DMG, but none over 1,200 gp); a
collection of clocks, watches, sundials, and
astrolabes from the 16th and 17th centuries
(the watches and astrolabes will prove interesting
to sages and magic-users, but not of
great value); Greek embroideries; and a
Chinese tapestry worth 4,000 gp.

22. West Court. Rugs and carpets from
Europe, Japanese and Chinese furniture,
including the gold throne of the Emperor
Ch?ien Lung (worth 200,000 gp, but impossible
to move).

23. West Central Court. Chinese sculpture,
Japanese bronzes (including a 12?
sitting Buddha); early Mideast carpets ?
the Ardabil carpet, from Persia (c. 1540,
worth 1,200 gp), plus Persian silks and
velvets (value as indicated in the DMG, p.
27, for valuable commodities).

24. Souvenir and print shop. Guidebooks
to the museum are available here for only
4sh 3p, along with other printed material on
the various displays and collections, plus the
usual things you find in souvenir shops.
The shop is staffed by a young girl just out
of the English equivalent of high school,
who could easily fall for a handsome fightertype
(Diane MacKie, 0 level, AC 10, hp 2,
charisma and comeliness 16 each).

25. Tours. 25A is the office of the guided
tour service; every hour on the hour, a tour
leaves from here. The single desk in this
glass-fronted room is manned by a bored
young fellow who would welcome a little
excitement in his job. As it stands, he plays
"Adventure" on his computer most of the
time. If he sees the party involved in a
fistfight or other altercation, he is 80%
likely to join in just for some excitement on
a random side if it appears that the party is
not strictly breaking any laws, otherwise he
will join the side of the security guards.
Bored young man (Mark O'Dowd): 0 level,
AC 10, hp 6, STR 17. 25B is the lounge for
resting and off-duty tour guides. At any
time, 1-4 guides may be found here.

26. Central Court. Tapestry-maps of
England and other tapestries and carpets
are on display here.

27. East Central Court. Several Rodin
sculptures are found on the floor, while
tapestries line the walls: a Flemish "Siege of
Troy," a three-paneled "Triumphs of Petrarch,
" and a depiction of the Fates.

28. A large tapestry hangs here, but the
main items of interest are a collection of
musical instruments: lutes, dulcimers, lyres,
recorders, flutes, panpipes and more, dating
from about 1200 to 1750. One small lyre is
of particular quality and will catch the eye
of any bard who happens to glance through
this room. While not magical, it is of exquisite
craftsmanship and despite its age is in
excellent condition. Because of its quality, it
will add 5% to charm attempts by any bard
who plays it.

29. Square Court. Running the length of
the room overhead is a walkway which
seems to have pottery stationed along its
length. The room itself contains many
plaster casts. Some are obviously miniatures
of other works in the museum (some are
studies for the sculptures in 27), but most
are works in and of themselves, depicting
a number of different subjects, including
many Greek gods and goddesses.

30. Ironwork gallery. Much decorative
wrought-iron work is found along this hallway,
including fireplace implements, hinges
and bolts, cast iron firebacks and firedogs,
and locksmiths? work. Any thief carefully
studying the progress of locksmithing in this
hallway (which extends from a period contemporary
with AD&D lock technology to
about 1890) will start picking all locks,
modern or medieval, at two levels above his
old skill level, permanently. For this to
occur, one week of careful study of this
exhibit is required.

31. Casts of wrought-iron work are found
in the hollow of this stairwell, while books
are displayed on the landing. There is nothing
of any interest here.

32. The museum garage. This building
houses four compact automobiles and two
trucks belonging to the museum, as well as
the equipment needed to maintain them.
During the day, there will be one mechanic
(0 level, hp 5) on duty, and there is a 50%
chance per vehicle that it will be in use (i.e.,
gone). At night, the garage is locked and
dark, and is checked by the security patrols.
It is also hooked into the alarm system by
several motion detectors.

33. The Quadrangle. This is the open
courtyard in the center of the Museum. It is
set up to be a small garden, with paths
winding through the exotic foliage. There
are many plants not native to England, and
all are labeled with small signs at their bases
or on their trunks. Should the characters
search long enough (10% per round cumulative),
they will discover a young yew here,
suitable for making several bows. At the
north end of the quadrangle, there is a patio
with about twenty tables, each surrounded
by chairs. This is the outdoor dining area
for the restaurant at area 48.

34. Leadwork and several church bells
are placed here under the mezzanine. None
have any value for the PCs. Besides, the
bells are heavy ? the lightest weighs something
close to 250 pounds, and the heaviest
is in excess of one ton. To prevent damage
to the floor, the bells are on stone blocks
about 1 1/2? high.

35. Monumental brasses are found in this
area, brassworks on a scale comparable to
the church bells in area 34. On display here
are brass cannon barrels and early brass
handguns. Other pieces include a cast-brass
battering ram head that was never used,
dated c. 1280, and massive brass candlesticks
over 8? tall and weighing well over a
hundred pounds each.

36. A display of Sheffield plate, that is,
silver work, is found here under the mezzanine.
There are seventy pieces on display,
all of significant quality, but none worth
over 5 gp each.

37. These areas hold what appear to be
hundreds of many different kinds of gold
and silver coins and ingots on display.
While there appears to be 7,500 gp worth of
precious metals here, these are all electroplate
copies of the actual coins (as anyone
bothering to read the identifying signs will
discover). All of these false coins, if returned
to the party's native world, can be
immediately detected by any coin dealer,
dwarf, or gnome who has the chance to hold
one.

38. In special recessed displays, built so
that only a small pane of glass is vulnerable
to breakage, a number of valuable pieces of
jewelry are visible. There are twelve pieces
or groups of pieces on display, totaling
17,000 gp. The glass covering them is
shatter-resistant, and a blunt weapon
wielded with a STR of 18(45) or better is
needed to break it. Note also that the displays
have vibration sensors, and motion
detectors scan this room continuously.

39. English silver is on display here, real
silver this time: ingots and wrought structures,
55 pieces worth 1-50 sp each.

40 and 41. South Court, west and east
halves. A walkway crosses this gallery,
supported by pillars which effectively divide
the room in half. Both halves contain essentially
the same types of exhibits, namely the
works of various types of metalsmiths:
candlesticks, censers, incense boats, altarcrosses,
cups, bowls, spoons, watches, rings
and seals, all of various precious metals. In
area 40 there is a book made of thin metal
sheets, enameled and illuminated, which
could be worth up to 15,000 gp to the right
buyer. In area 41, there is also a collection
of gems, 120 in all. However, only 15%
have a base value of 50 gp or more, and in
any case none are worth over 200 gp.

42. Chinese and Japanese enamelwork is
on display in this alcove. Sample pieces
include enameled metal plaques, vase and
bowls, plus other utensils.

43. Some thirty pieces of pewterwork are
on display here, all household items like
plates and pitchers. Each piece is worth no
more than 1 sp.

44. Similarly, leadwork is displayed in
this AREA. The majority of the items on
display are hand-crafted toy soldiers. About
a dozen figures are of a type similar to
gaming miniatures.

45. Pieces of Near East and Far East
metalwork line this hallway, including a
bronze mosque-lamp (an "Aladdin" -style
lamp) from Cairo, tinned copper, iron and
steel work including a ceremonial dagger
with a bone handle, more Buddha figures,
tall statues of mandarins and other Chinese
authority figures, and several 5? incense <>
burners, green with age.

46. The armor room.
On display in this room are examples of armor from all over
England and Europe. The central room,
which rises to a skylight 30' above, is
ringed with balconies and holds ten figures
of knights on horseback (positions indicated
on the map). The knights are in chain mail
and plate mail. All examples of barding on
display are plate mail. The center display is
of a knight in a full suit of plate on a rearing
horse, brandishing a lance. Note that all
this armor is about six inches too small for
most human characters (since medieval
Earth humans averaged that much smaller
than PCs), although elves could wear it if
they didn?t mind a little bagginess. The
alcoves on the perimeter of this room are as follows:
    A. Later, very ornate suits of English plate and chain.
    B. Spanish armor.
    C. Portuguese armor.
    D. French armor.
    E. Swiss armor.

47. The Computer Center.
The floor in
this room is not the usual marble; instead, it
is made up of slightly springy white tiles
about 1 1/2? on a side. The floor slopes up at
point A until it rises about 1?, then opens to
the rest of the room. A glass wall with a
door in its center divides the room into two
parts: to the west are a number of low tables
with computer terminals on them, twelve in
all, and mounds of long, wide paper with
green stripes and strangely formed lettering.
There will be from 4-16 people in this area
at any given time during open hours and for
two hours after closing. On the east side of
the glass wall are a number of blue and grey
metal boxes. Most are strangely constructed
wheels and disks that spin behind glass or
under cover; one spits out reams of the
green and white paper found outside. One
box has several small lights on its top, but
otherwise seems to do nothing. This is the
computer itself.
If a PC ventures past the glass wall, he
will be thrown out as quickly as possible.
However, if the PC manages to do more
than look at any of these boxes, he has a
percentage chance of crashing the computer
equal to 100 minus his intelligence score.
Crashing the computer will greatly anger
the 2-8 technicians here and will result in
the arrival of 2-8 security guards one round
later.

48. J. B. Wineberry's -- a restaurant.
This area is decorated with reproductions of
the more famous paintings in the museum?s
collection, and is dimly lit, to about the
brightness of torchlight. A waiter will appear
as soon as the area is entered, to escort
patrons to one of the twelve tables (each
seats four) inside. Or, as he will remind the
PCs, one may dine outdoors in the Quadrangle
on fair days. Prices are reasonable,
about £5, and the menu has a selection of
seven entrees. DMs are urged to take advantage
of all the possibilities for humor,
should PCs decide to dine here. (Culture
shock is a wonderful thing.)

49. Kitchen. Long preparation tables,
large ovens and stoves with boiling and
bubbling pots, stainless steel shelving,
gleaming utensils, pots hanging from overhead
racks, and a constant murmur of
activity as five waiters, two cooks and about
a dozen scullery kids rush around fill this
room so completely that PCs will find it
difficult to get in, let alone search it, during
the day. At night, it will be completely
empty.

50. The restaurant?s refrigerator. Frozen
foods of all descriptions. Characters staying
in here for more than one round will begin
to take 1-6 points of cold damage per round
until they leave ? if they can leave; the
refrigerator door does not open from the
inside, and there is a 5% chance (20% if

the door is slammed) that the outside latch
will fall into place by itself.

51. Dry goods. Flour, fresh vegetables,
bottles and cans of sauces, syrups, and
soups, and the like all will be found here in
abundance.

52. Men?s restroom.

53. Women?s restroom.

54. Oriental metalwork is on display
along this hall. By section there are:
A. Cast iron, bronze, brass and copper pieces.
B. Japanese weapons. Two katanas (longswords)
and a wakizashi (short sword) of
extraordinary quality are found in this case.
C. Sword-furniture (that is, accessory
pieces) and other fine metalwork. D and E.
Japanese and Chinese armor (Samurai
armor in particular ? there are three suits
on display).

55. English weaponry. On display here
are three longswords, a broadsword and a
two-handed sword, several assorted polearms,
a pair of battleaxes, two maces, and
three morning stars. Crossbows and longbows
hang from the walls, and a series of
prints beneath the bows show the process of
making arrows. A long, low table displays
many styles of daggers and other short
bladed weapons, along with two ?trick?
swords ? one with a spring-loaded dagger
in its hilt, the other with a well for poison.
Most of the weapons in this room are old
and fragile, except for those described below.
Should an attempt be made to use a
weapon found in this room, roll d100 vs.
the wielder?s strength the first time it hits its
target; 1 point of strength = 1 percentage
point, exceptional strength getting 1% for
every 10 points, rounding up, and 5% for
every point at 19 and greater. Should the
DM roll this number or lower, the weapon
shatters; if the roll is high, the weapon
remains intact and no further check is required
for the life of the weapon.
Two of the swords are of obvious, though
archaic, elven manufacture, and one of the
maces shows little wear and no marks indicating
that rust or corrosion were removed
(as do most of the other weapons). This
mace is the Mace of Cuthbert. Note that
this area is but 50? from Museum Security
?s headquarters. If the glass case holding
the Mace is smashed or moved enough to
trigger the alarm, it will take less than one
round for security personnel to arrive.

56. Steelwork other than weaponry. A set
of dioramas depicts the process of medieval
steel-making, and the many tools needed
are found in the glass cases of this room.
Also, ornate iron caskets, iron and steel
tools, torch sconces and lamps and lanterns
may be found here.

57. Metalwork departmental office. The
office is decorated with several more swords
(mounted on the north wall, surrounding a
shield in good condition), and a number of
decorative but functionally decrepit halberds.
Otherwise this area is similar in
contents and description to area 17.

58. Woodwork departmental office. This
office is furnished with pseudo-antique
desks and chairs, and has decorative wood
carvings in the corners and hanging on the
walls. It is otherwise similar to the previous
departmental offices.

59. Security headquarters. A cluttered,
almost homey-looking room, Security Central
has half a dozen desks, each with a
computer terminal, a pile of papers, and a
harrassed officer. Along one wall is a bank
of tell-tales and other indicators from the
assorted alarm triggers throughout the
Museum. A basic staff of ten will always be
found in this room, and the remainder
come and go as required by their duties.
The Chief of Security, whose desk is found
in the southeast corner of the room, is a
rangy man of about forty (6th-level fighter,
AC 9/7 with bulletproof vest, hp 49, carries
two .38 revolvers). He is on duty from an
hour before opening to three hours after
closing.

60. Very high security storage. This safe
(because that?s essentially what it is) has
3? -thick stone and concrete walls, and its
door has a complex combination lock that
subtracts 80% from a thief?s chance to crack
it (assuming he has any idea how), since it
is like nothing a thief will have ever encountered
before. The door is always locked, and
only the Chief of Security and his assistant
who takes the night shift (4th-level fighter,
AC 9, hp 25, armed with .38 revolver)
know the combination. It is currently
empty.

61. Main office of the museum. Another
bustling and homey place, this room is
constantly in motion during the day, as its

25-person staff carries on the daily business
of running a museum. At the time the party
is around, an ancient switchboard system is
being removed, and a more modern
intercom/phone system is being installed, so
this area will be even more hectic than usual
as 2-5 workers rush in and out per round,
carrying mysterious equipment and tools.
Each of the ten desks here has a computer
terminal. While harried, the museum staff
will try to be courteous and helpful to persons
seeking help and information, and will
try to direct those with questions that they
can?t answer (65% of all inquiries) to people
who can.

Second floor
(Again note that much of this level is
mezzanine or balcony. Wherever such is the
case, there will be a 3 1/2" railing of carved
marble.)

1. East Central Staircase. Pottery from
many different cultures is found on the
stairs and at their top. Generally Middle
Eastern in origin, the pottery is colorful and
distinctive in form.

2 through 10. Textiles and clothing.
Along this long set of galleries, one may
find the following: Near Eastern (Persian/
Arabic) ecclesiastical garments (this and all
such following will be recognized as clerical
robes and gowns, but of unknown type);
Continental religious garb dating from
A.D. 1100-1420; Turkish silks and velvets,
which are worth 1 1/2 times the rate given in
the DMG due to age and quality; English
ecclesiastical vestments; European and
Oriental silks, brocades, and velvets, also
worth one and a half times the going rate;
stuffs from Egyptian burying grounds:
embroidered hangings and other cloths, all
very beautiful but worth little; European
embroideries, including a Spanish rug
common enough in workmanship to be
worthless "back home," though very striking;
Greek embroideries; embroideries from
Algeria, Morocco, Palestine, Persia,
Turkestan and many other cultures. While
worth little if anything to the party, the wide
variety of styles and culture names on the
exhibits in this area should prove very
intriguing.

11. The Salting Collection. A miniature
museum in itself, this room contains everything
from Italian Renaissance bronzes of
sphinxes and an equestrian figure, to
worked leather caskets, to enamelwork, to
all forms of metalsmithing, including gold,
silver, and steel.

12. French Renaissance furniture. Delicate,
almost spindly pieces are on exhibit
here; all items of furniture are on open
daises, but are protected by motion detectors.

13. Miniatures (works 3" x 3" in size and
smaller). While curiosities, the paintings
and etchings by Durer, Lucas Van Leyden
and Rembrandt are seemingly too small to
be worth anything.

14. Glass vessels from all cultures, especially
Europe and Arabia. A set of chemical
glassware worth 10,000 gp to a sage, magic-
user or alchemist is found here.

15 and 16. Fine laces: Venetian point,
Flemish, English and French point. Worth
perhaps 15 gp per yard, the 40 + yards of
material here are too old and delicate to
survive any but the most delicate handling.

17. Costumes and clothing from the
Elizabethan age to the Victorian. Gloves,
shoes, lace, needlepoint, whole outfits are
displayed on a rotating schedule in the glass
cases found along the entire length of the
mezzanine in this area.

18. An exhibit of fans, valueless to PCs.

19. The balcony of the East Court. A
reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry (worth
no more than 400 gp), and linen damasks
(see DMG, p. 27, for value).

20. Balcony of the West Court. A technical
exhibit illustrating the printing and
bookbinding process. If the campaign world
does not have manufactured books, this
exhibit will prove incomprehensible except
to those characters with a 16 or higher
intelligence.

21. Illuminated manuscripts. The St.
Denis and Lesnes Missals, an Italian manuscript
of Pliny's Natural History (worth
5,000 gp for its scientific value alone),
volumes illustrating printing, decoration
and illustration of books, and miniature and
liturgical books.

22. The library. 160,000 volumes (noncirculating)
on fine and applied art. Assuming
a desired subject comes under these
headings, there is a 10% per turn (cumulative)
chance of locating 1-6 relevant volumes,
should one be searching. Entrance to
the library is by application at the museum's main office; whimsical or irrelevant
requests will be turned down.

23. Textiles departmental office. Glass
cases on all walls hold examples of
clothwork from civilizations ranging from
ancient Egypt to modern Europe.

24. Stained glass and ceramics departmental
office. Decorating this office are
stained-glass panels hanging upon the walls
and illuminated from behind. The passage
east of area 17, down the stairs, is a short
entry hall with glass-encased examples of
pottery and terracotta work through the
ages.

25. This gallery contains a collection of
military medals, all of which are very eyecatching
and splendid, but are worth very
little, as opposed to the mother-of-pearl
carvings which share the space: twenty
pieces with values of 2-40 gp each due to
their workmanship.

26. Gallery across the Square Court.
Exhibited here are examples of modern
English and Continental pottery work.

27. Manuscripts, including originals
from Dickens, are in sealed display cases
here, along with a number of very old
books. Among the works here are three
notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, which
would be priceless (well, worth at least
50,000 gp) to any number of sages in the
campaign world. The notebooks are written
in Leonardo's characteristic backwards
script, in medieval Italian and Latin, and
are incomprehensible short of the use of a
spell. Thieves who try to read these books
will get very bad headaches and nothing
else.

28. Two galleries of the graphic arts.
These areas contain paintings, drawings,
and etchings in abundance; Rembrandt
etchings, oils by 19th century French masters,
20th century watercolors, oils by modern
artists, even a fresco. A veritable
bonanza of color and light.

29. Engraving, illustration, design, and
painting departmental office. Prints of
famous works, engravings, and a few actual
works in oils hang on the walls here.
30 through 32. Dutch and Flemish glass
paintings are on display in these connected
rooms, glass paintings being works executed
with great delicacy and color on mirrors,
glass implements, and even simple plate
glass.

33. Art of the Theatre. Drawings and
designs of many of the great English theatres
since the Elizabethan period. Also
prints, sketches, and engravings of scenes
from performances.

34. Students' room. This room is open
during regular hours, and is for the viewing
of items from the Engraving and Illustrations
department which are not on display
(indeed, most of the collection is stored due
to lack of exhibit space). Access is through
the departmental office, and is not difficult
to obtain.

35. Candelabra in the form of nymphs
and fauns, clocks, and snuff-boxes from
17th and 18th century France.

36. China: Sevres, Chelsea and Meissen
porcelain in sealed glass cases overlooking
the quadrangle. The individual pieces are
so fine they that they are worth 1 gp each.<reset image to original size, if needed>

37. A French armoire from the 17th
Century stands here.

38. Lecture hall. A raised dais in the
semicircular north end of this room holds a
podium facing about a hundred seats. A
microphone on a gooseneck support tops the
podium. Switches found underneath the
podium raise/lower a movie screen behind
the speaker and turn the public address
system on and off. Two knobs brighten/dim
the lights in the room and raise/lower the
loudspeaker volume.

39. A finely decorated washstand (commode),
along with a dressing table (labeled
a "secretaire-toilette") originally belonging
to Marie Antoinette.

40. Another selection of oil paintings and
miniatures.

41. Three theatre models stand in glass
cases at this spot. The models are of Shakespeare's Globe and two more modern theatres.
All three are of cutaway construction,
showing the various levels and rooms in the
structures.

42. Stained glass from France, Germany,
Italy and other countries.

43. These galleries hold the museum's
collection of 18th and 19th century watercolors.
Of particular interest are the works
of Turner, including his scenes of the burning
of the houses of Parliament, done on the
spot as the buildings were gutted. Ash and
smoke from the conflagration are embedded
in the works.

44. This gallery is guarded by a standard
security guard at either end. It contains a
set of preparatory drawings by Raphael of
designs for tapestries now in the Vatican.
Unless one of the player characters has an
eye for art, these fading sketches will prove
uninteresting.

45. Two or three more sketches by
Raphael, plus a number of watercolor
works occupy this small room.

46. Gallery of oils. This is the major
collection of oil paintings in the museum,
including works by Gainsborough, Turner,
Constable, and the Old Masters, as well as
preliminary sketches and studies for some.

47. Carved and sculpted wood and
wooden furniture are exhibited in this area.

48. Library of illustrations and etchings.
The majority of the collection of these works
is kept in storage here, due to space limits
on the display floor. A librarian (0 level, AC
10, hp 1) is always on duty during open
hours, assisted by 1-3 college art students
on work study grants (also 0 level, AC 10,
hp 1). The librarian is patient to the point
of fault, helping to the best of his ability
even someone who just wants to browse.

49. Roof. All doors to the roof are locked
from the outside, although they open easily
from the inside to allow fire escape routes.
However, opening these doors sets off fire
alarms in their general vicinity, attracting
attention to whoever tries to go through
them. The roof itself is flat and uninteresting,
with only three ventilation ducts emerging
from it. The ducts are too small to
allow even a halfling or gnome to crawl
down them.

CLOSING
Once the Mace has been retrieved, what
then? Obviously, it must be returned to the
clerics of the Saint, and to do that, the party
must go through the gate once again. This
return will happen sooner or later for every
party, due to either the party's sense of
obligation or the weakening effect described
at the beginning of this module.

The decision may be an easy one to
make. But how easily will it be for that
decision to be carried out? That's up to you,
the DM. If the party has behaved itself and
generally kept out of sight, then there
should be no trouble as they head back to
Battersea Park -- that is, unless they happen
to meet up with the bobbie whom they
kept from carting off Charlotte. If the party
has been a little rowdy, then the entire
police force might be looking for them.
It is my recommendation that the DM
not allow the party to leave without a fight.
No matter how the party has conducted
itself in London, at one time or another it
must have done something to annoy someone
-- it's inevitable. Have some great final
battle between PCs and their various opponents
occur in Battersea Park as the characters
fight their way back to the gate. Use
this as the opportunity to bring to a head all
the conflicts that have established themselves
during the course of this adventure.
Exactly what conflicts there are will vary
wildly from campaign to campaign, and
there is no way to account for all the possibilities
a sufficient number of imaginative
players can develop over the course of playing
this module, so this must needs be but a
brief outline of them.

However it happens, the opposition must
be strong enough to keep PCs from merely
brushing it aside and continuing on. If, for
example, they encounter the police officer
who had been arresting Charlotte, this time
he will radio for backup aid and will fire on
the party to keep them from escaping.
Before he can be stomped by one of the
fighters, five or so police cars roar in, and
the battle is begun. Perhaps a street gang
whose leader was trashed by the party when
he was with only a few of his men has been
spying on them, waiting for the right opportunity
to attack with full force in the park.
Maybe a terrorist group is looking to gain
the party?s mysterious power. It may even
be an attack of conscience on the part of a
paladin, for helping in the theft of an object
(the Mace) from its rightful owners (the
museum), and he?s decided to return it until
it can be obtained lawfully.

Whatever conflict arises, the single most
important guideline to remember is that it is
there to climax the adventure, not to keep it
from successfully ending. If the PCs have
managed to get the Mace from the museum,
they have every right to take it back
home with them. Don?t make the last battle
in London a deathtrap, but make it challenging
nonetheless. Whatever it is, it must
prove to be difficult, but not impossible, to
overcome.

Returning to Gate Island may also prove
a problem. It is possible that buccaneers,
pirates, sahuagin, or other unfriendlies have
taken over any ships the characters left
behind. Other demons could have arrived,
or the ship's crew could have given up
waiting and sailed away.
Additional adventures may be set up
using the gate to London, though the
Dungeon Master may wish to close the gate
down at a future date to prevent excessive
transplanar contamination of his campaign
(unless this comtamination can somehow be
controlled).

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
The following are descriptions of the
three most important non-player characters
that the party will meet in London: the
street urchins.

Charlotte
Human child; 3rd-level thief
Height: 4? Weight: 70 lbs.
Hair: blonde Eyes: green
A C 6 15 hp
Alignment: Chaotic good
Weapons: Slingshot, 20 stones
Strength: 6 (-1 ?to hit?)
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 10
Dexterity: 18 ( + 3 with missiles)
Constitution: 15
Charisma: 16

Charlotte is a twelve-year-old girl who
has been living in the streets for most of her
life. She is loud, abrasive, and often insulting,
but she is loyal to friends and those
who do her a good turn. She moves quickly
and thinks even faster, and seems to possess
an unnerving cunning. She is sometimes
careless, though, when she thinks that no
one is around. Her one fear is rats ? she
was once bitten by a rat and was in mortal
fear of her life until the wound healed.
Despite her guttersnipe appearance,
Charlotte is a voracious reader, often stealing
books from merchants along the Battersea
marketplace. Hidden in a closet on an
upper floor of the house she shares with
Nicky and Rocco is her library: a rotting
cardboard carton holding dozens of books,
many of which are modern fantasy novels
(from which she gets some idea of who and
what the party is).

Nicky
Human child; 4th-level thief
Height: 4? 1? Weight: 80 lbs.
Hair: brown Eyes: blue
AC 7 18 hp
Alignment: Neutral good
Weapons: Slingshot, 12 stones, pocketknife
Strength: 9
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 11
Dexterity: 17 ( + 2 with missiles)
Constitution: 11
Charisma: 14

Twelve-year-old Nicky is the undeclared
leader of these three. His quiet manner and
tendency towards silence belie the influence
he has over his friends, but he by no means
controls them; most of the time he makes
suggestions that they may follow if they like
He does not venture often into the marketplace,
only as he and the others need to
for food and other goods. He is good with
his hands and is the one who made the
Bunham building habitable, tapping into
power lines for heat and light.
On the palms of both of Nicky?s hands
there may be seen terrible burn scars. He
will refuse to discuss these if asked about
them, and may become violent if the matter
is pressed. Charlotte and Rocco know a
little about them, but will not talk, either.
Nicky has a cache of maps and other
papers which he occasionally peruses.

Rocco
Human child; 3rd-level thief
Height: 4? 4? Weight: 75 lbs.
Hair: black Eyes: dark brown
A C 8 12 hp
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Weapons: Slingshot, 20 stones
Strength: 8
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 9
Dexterity: 16 ( + 1 with missiles)
Constitution: 11
Charisma: 12

Rocco is a black child of about eleven,
and Nicky?s best friend. They have lived in
the streets as a team for about two years
and together found the building in which
the three live. Rocco is very active and can
almost never be found in the house, except
when he is bringing back the fruits of his
latest excursion into the marketplace.
Rocco talks softly but constantly, and has
a lisp which is worsened by his protruding
front teeth. He is excitable and active, and
often takes risks to see what he can get away
with, although he will never knowingly put
his life in direct danger. He and Charlotte
occasionally team up to steal food from
barrows with a distraction/attack technique
that they have developed.

THE MACE OF CUTHBERT
The Mace of Saint Cuthbert, like all of
the artifacts and relics in the AD&D game
system, is a customizable magic item with
powers and side effects chosen by the individual
DM. In the course of running the
original incarnation of this adventure, I
found that the following version of the Mace
best fit the milieus of both the game world
and the modern world that held it hidden
for so long.
The Mace of Cuthbert is a lawful good
relic, being a mace that is + 5 to hit and
damage, with the disruption effects of a
mace of disruption. Only a lawful good
cleric with a strength of 18 can use the
additional powers inherent in the Mace.
The Mace has three minor benevolent
powers. It detects evil continuously when
held, casts light, as the cleric spell, seven
times a week, and renders the possessor of
the Mace immune to all forms of magical
fear when kept on one's person. The Mace
has two major benevolent powers, allowing
the user to heal, once per day, by touching
the Mace to the injured person, and the
possessor can cause fear with his gaze, at
will. However, if the user is not lawful good
in alignment, he will immediately change
alignment to lawful good upon touching the
Mace. This change cannot be reversed by
any means. Few people have handled the
Mace over the years in the London museum,
but those who did later recalled that
they changed to some degree in personality
afterwards. This effect has never been recorded,
of course, as it was not really considered
"scientific," and no one connected
their life change with touching the Mace.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I'd like to thank the following people for
their help in creating and playtesting this
adventure: the members of the Simulation
Games Union at Princeton University and
others from my campaign, namely Iain
Bason, Adam Frankl, Sean Fitts, Randy
Peters, Chris Cohen, Marian Pugh, Roger
Hain, and all the folks I can remember
clearly but whose names I?ve forgotten;
and, John Carr, John Gold, and Lyn
Tumlin, who role-played slightly different
versions of Rocco, Nicky, and Charlotte as
Charisma: 12 a favor to me.

*    *    *    *
THE FORUM

"The City Beyond the Gate" (issue #100) is an
excellent piece of work. However, the statement
in the closing about a paladin attacking his own
party for moral reasons has touched upon a
conflict in my mind: between the "good" of the
AD&D universe and the "good" of our world.

What I say is this: To retrieve the Mace of
Cuthbert, a lawful good relic, surely must be a
good and just quest in the eyes of the PCs. However,
stealing the Mace from its current owners
would not be a good act to us, those on the
"other side," or London. Here we have a conflict
of "goods," and the worst thing is, there is no
way around it. The paladin may suggest to take it
by lawful means, but that would mean convincing
the owners that the party and their world is
the rightful owner of the Mace.

You might say that even that could be accomplished
by a little showing off, proving that they
were from another world, but could you imagine
the extreme consequences of such an action if
some otherworldly adventurer were to prove that
he came from Neverneverland by showing us a
gate to that world? Our whole life would be
overturned if such a thing were to happen.

Then I would have to tell the players that, after
their characters had completed a quest for a good
object, their characters have gone through an
alignment change because they have committed
the crimes of stealing and destroying a whole
world's beliefs and way of life. Which good is
right: the good of the adventurers or the good of
our own world?

Mark Permann
San Antonio, Tex.
(Dragon #102)
 

London paradox
Dear Dragon,
I really enjoyed ?The City Beyond the Gate?
(issue #100). I did notice, however, that one
minor detail was not included. Since it must be
admitted that the AD&D game exists in London
on June 1, 1985, and it is readily available, it is
not possible for PCs to find and read AD&D
products such as the Players Handbook? This
would definitely result in confusion, fear, or
identity crisis. A very touchy situation indeed!
Please comment.
    Matthew Morse
    St. Paul, Minn.
    (Dragon #102)

Okay. . . . If the PCs decide to make a side trip
to the nearest game store, roll percentile dice and
consult the following table:
 

01	The AD&D game is so popular that all the rule books are sold out.
02-00	Either roll again, or forget you ever read this letter. -- KM

*    *    *    *

Module mistakes
Dear Dragon,
Robert Schroeck?s ?City Beyond the Gate?
(issue #100) was inventive, original, and probably
the best example of consecutive blunders I have
seen in your magazine for a long time. Frankly,
Mr. Schroeck would have been well advised to set
his module in a country which he knows something
about. His idea of London had more in
common with a cross between Charles Dickens
and Manhattan Island than the city I know.
 

Firstly, his ideas of British currency are curiously
dated and even in the long gone days when
we did use shillings and pence, there were twenty
shillings to the pound and twelve pence to the
shilling.

His next mistake was to do with the British
police (rarely known as bobbies today and never
known as ?woolies?). These policemen (known
as cops, fuzz, or the Bill), unlike their U.S.
counterparts, do not carry firearms on duty. In
addition, there are no SWAT teams in this country
(at least not under that name) nor the numbers
of urchins which seem to have been liberally
sprinkled across one of the most upperclass areas
of London. That sort of thing went out with
Oliver Twist.

His minor slipups included the price of a tube
ticket (40p, or about 55 cents) and the fact that I
have never yet seen either a horse-driven beer
wagon or hackney cab outside a museum.

My advice to DMs who wish to play London as
it should be played is to remove all firearms from
both the security forces and criminals. Secondly,
all traces of Victorian England should be removed.
London is, after all, a 20th-century
capital city. Thirdly, the currency should be
corrected. There are 100 pence to the pound, and
shillings don?t exist.

An unarmed police force should not be a
problem for a good DM. Just remember that they
are not as vulnerable as they appear and most
intelligent people do not cross them. They can
call on virtually unlimited (restrained) force.
Player characters who indulge in mayhem should
be made to regret it!

With the exception of these minor gripes, it
was a very good scenario and I congratulate Mr.
Schroeck for his good work.
    Andrew Price
    West Sussex, England
    (Dragon #104)

After we received this letter, we sent a copy to
Robert Schroeck and asked him for a response;
following are the pertinent excerpts from his letter
back to us. Before we give him the floor, however,
we have to take some of the ?credit? for one of
the shortcomings that Andrew pointed out. We
should have double-checked the statements about
the monetary system, but we didn?t. As for the
other ?blunders,? Robert does a good job of
explaining why they exist. Also, it?s been pointed
out to us that we neglected to designate the offices
on the maps of the museum. In general, assume
that any small, unidentified enclosures (such as
the row of rectangles on the right-hand edge of
the second floor) are offices. And now, here?s
Robert. -- KM

Robert's response
. . . I?ve been waiting for a British player to
trip me up. Actually, I was aware of some of the
?blunders? in the module; some were intentional,
some not.

I must admit that my view of London has been
influenced by both Charles Dickens and my
proximity to New York City. But the primary
flavor to be found in ?my? London comes from a
pair of extraordinary books, The Borribles and
The Borribles Go For Broke, by Michael de
Larrabeiti (published in paperback by Ace
Books). They present the adventures of a band of
mutated children with elflike characteristics in
and about London. The city, especially the neighborhoods
of Wandsworth and Battersea, is presented
in a dark, foreboding manner throughout,
with plenty of decay and despairing tomes, abandoned
buildings, and evil adults. It is very Dickensian
in that sense. The other Dickensian touch,
the street urchins, also comes from these books.
The urchins were, in the original version of the
module, members of the various tribes of Borribles,
as were the urchin NPCs (who were three of
the main characters from the books); because I
was unable to secure permission from Ace Books
to use de Larrabeiti?s material, I adapted the
Borribles into street urchins, and changed the
names of the NPCs, in order to use them as a
band of potential allies for the PCs. The term
?woolie? for the police also comes from the
novels ? I had assumed it was a common term.

I dispute Mr. Price?s contention that unarmed
police officers could stand up to a well-armed
party; even at the generously high levels I
granted to individual officers, they would not be
much of an obstacle to a party that lacked the
ingrained British respect of the police. I armed
some of them to provide more of a challenge, and
besides, if you?re going to be playing in the
modern world, you?ve got to use guns somewhere,
if only for shock effect. SWAT teams are
called that simply because I don?t know what the
British equivalent is called.

My sources never mentioned that the shilling
had disappeared with the decimalization of British
currency. I was aware of the old ratios of
pound:shilling:pence, and I assumed that the
shilling had become the equivalent of the American
dime. The price of an Underground ticket
was based on my recollection of the price of a
Paris Metro ticket (about 20-25 cents, as of my
last visit).

I regret any severe distortion of London. I
could have avoided this by setting the module in,
say, New York, but that would have been too easy
for my players and the readers; in choosing a
locale unfamiliar to them, I had to choose one
equally unfamiliar to me.

Before I close, I have my own correction to
add. On the map of the Island House, the room
labeled ?E? is not keyed in the text. It is the
jakes, an indoor outhouse flushed by water from
the same spring that cools the coldbox.
    Robert M. Schroeck
    Jersey City, N.J.
    (Dragon #104)
 

Beware of guns
Dear Dragon,
In issue #100 in The City Beyond the Gate, I
think the weapons section wasn't fully explained.

First, if a character took a .357/.38 revolver
and stuck it in a person's ear and fired, would the
character he dead? After all, the bullet would
shatter the eardrum and enter the brain and do
brain damage. If the character lived, what would
be the damage? Would there be hearing loss and
a drop in intelligence?

Second, would these weapons affect creatures
that can only be hit by magical weapons? If silver
bullets were purchased, would a shot from the
pistol above greatly affect creatures like Gargoth?
    Peter Upitis
    Stockton, Ill.
    (Dragon #107)

Questions like these demonstrate how difficult
it is to incorporate firearms into an AD&D® game
world. The game system isn?t designed to handle
weapons with an instant-kill capability nor does
it generally take into account the specific location
of a wound (except for special items such as a
vorpal sword). Firearms and other forms of
modern technology don?t really fit in the system,
although they can be accommodated in special
cases (such as the module in #100) ? provided
that the DM is willing to compromise on reality.

Compromising on reality generally takes the
form of limiting what a gun-toting character can
do with his weapon. To get around the problem of
point-blank discharges, you can simply rule that a
gun cannot be used except at a distance ? an
arbitrary ruling, but a necessary one. If a player
insists on having his character stick the muzzle of
a .357 in someone's ear, he might discover that
the gun misfires, or that it has suddenly run out
of ammunition. And even when a gun is used
against a target at a distance, a player character
should have an extremely tough time hitting what
he aims at. You could double, triple, or even
quadruple the normal non-proficiency penalty ?
not only is the PC obviously not proficient with
the weapon, but it is so alien to him that his
chance of using it successfully is much smaller
than normal. You can also boost the armor class
adjustments for a gun used at medium or long
range, and build in an adjustment for short range
as well. The effect of these modifications should
make it clear to any PC that swinging a sword or
shooting an arrow is going to produce the desired
result much more often than pulling a trigger.

Personally, I?d take the hard line on Peter's
second question. Guns are not magic weapons, so
they can't hit creatures that are immune to nonmagical
attacks. Theoretically, I suppose you
could hit Gargoth or some other devil with a
silver bullet -- but if I were Gargoth, I?d get
around the problem by continually teleporting (a
couple of feet this way, a couple of feet that way,
and so on...), which would make it virtually
impossible to score a hit with any sort of projectile
weapon.

These suggestions are just that -judgment
calls, representing one way of handling a problem
that no doubt has many other solutions. The
important thing is to restrict the use of firearms
for the sake of maintaining game balance. If you
let characters use guns the way they could use
them in the real world, your campaign will be
shot full of holes sooner than you can say ?Bang,
you?re dead.? -- KM
 

I would like to make some comments about
your reply to Mr. Upitis concerning guns in
AD&D gaming (“Beware of Guns,” DRAGON
issue #107).

First, it seems to me that by labeling guns as
“instant-kill” weapons, you have implied that
non-firearms are somehow not “instant-kill”
weapons. I found this misleading in the sense that
guns really aren’t any more of an “instant-kill”
weapon than most human-powered weapons. I
seriously doubt there is any real difference between
sticking a .357 revolver or a heavy crossbow
in someone’s ear and pulling the trigger. I
think the real question here is not whether or not
a particular weapon is “instant-kill” or not, but
rather how to deal with any “instant-kill” situation.

I would define an “instant-kill” situation as
one where a normal human (or any creature) is
incapable of preventing a lethal wound due to
circumstances. (We’ll ignore the question of being
resistant to things that would normally kill, such
as creatures that can only be hit by magic, etc.).
These situations can range from cutting the
throat of a bound man to having a 10-ton weight
fall right on top of someone.

Now I don’t want to argue the “realism”
aspect of the AD&D combat system, and I don’t
want to argue the properness of having guns in
an AD&D universe, but I do think the question
of “instant-kill” situations should be addressed in
an unbiased manner. Guns, on the surface, seem
to be qualitatively different than hand-powered
weapons. But this does not mean that they can’t
be simulated under the AD&D system, just as
long as it is realized that guns are inherently
more lethal. Because of this increased lethality, it
is much easier to put someone in an “instantkill”
situation with a gun. I don’t find firearms
particularly destabilizing (as long as everybody
has the same chance of getting them) so much as
I find them out of character for fantasy worlds.

As to the suggestions offered by the editor on
how to control guns (misfires if put in one’s ear,
etc.), all of these seem to avoid the real question
— do you allow guns into your campaign? If you
do, then play guns as more lethal than other
weapon types, otherwise don’t allow guns into
your game. I object to artificial limitations when
they are applied to correct something that would
be best left out of a campaign altogether.

As to handling “instant-kill” situations, this
must be handled with care by the DM. It is the
unequal application of rules between NPC and
PC that leads to problems of play balance. Player
characters should always be aware that things
that they do may be done to them. If player
characters cut the throats of helpless people, or
drop 10-ton boulders on people, player characters
should be reminded by the DM that they could
find themselves in the same situations and
shouldn’t complain if they die because of it.

Remember, in “instant-kill” situations the real
ability to survive is not really in how many hit
points an individual has, but in not getting into
the situation in the first place.

Fritz Freiheit
Torrance, Calif.
(Dragon #109)
 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nagora
Just glancing at Dragon 100 (the only issue I always have to hand) reminds me of the very silly London scenario - how we laughed! Horse-drawn hackney cabs and street urchins on the same encounter table as punk-rockers? It was a nice idea but designers of "real-world" scenarios should avoid cities they've never to, especially if they have a readership there.

London is a great and fascinating city. The second time I was there we were wandering around, and I said to Gail, "I've been here before." Sure enough, I spotted Veriswami's Restaurant and there was Bond Street. We picked up a great Camel's sweater and a matching muffler for Gail in one of the shops.

A few years earlier, the first time I visited London I recall being in Trafalgar Square enjoying the sights, wearing my levis, cowboy boots and a wide belt with a buckle that was a smiling full moon. A young Brit came by, eyed me up and down, and nodded his approval of my garb. I was most amused.

The last time we visited I made the error of staying at the Berkley Hotel for the evening rather than getting a room at The Duke's. The place was superb, a five star hotel for certain, but what a cost and cash only. Luckily I was planning on doing some shopping at Herrod's so I had the 650 pounds sterling to cover the one-day stay there 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan
True, but speaking as another Brit. that scenario stank to the stinkiest degree. I had a run of Dragons from issue 30ish, lots of scenarios, mostly passable, some excellent. I stopped buying soon after 100. it was made worse (in the UK) because if I remember right TSR UK had been set up back then. If anyone at Dragon had thought to pass the scenario by TSR UK I'm pretty sure that the head guy (Ed Turnbull?) would have said 'It stinks.' It had policemen with guns too, and the currency was wrong. I'm old, I'm grumpy, and I have much hate for that scenario.

Don turnbull was heading up TSR UK back then. I had urged him to do a British Edition of The Dragon, but he insisted on a whole new magazine, Imagine.
Had he been amenible to my suggestion, that scenario would never have appeared.

Bobbies with firearms indeed 

How I loved the old English monetary system with its farthings, ha'pence, pence, shillings, florins, half-crowns, crowns, pounds, and guineas--really confusing until one learned it, and so I patterened the AD&D monetary system on it.

Someone likely older and grumpier than you, but one that loves real ale and English cusine 

Cheerio,
Gary
 

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan
Even in the seventies, the key to the only gun cabinet in the police station (and not all stations had gun cabinets) was kept locked in the station safe.

When you start sticking the slang terms for currency, like tanner & bob that really cionfuses the young 'uns 

IIRR, a bob is a shilling, but I haven't heard of a tanner. None of my english chums ever used the term. Do tell, what is it?
 

Hi Nagora,

A sixpence, eh? How jolly! 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
Tut tut. Easily enough explained away, if one needed to keep such details:
-- Special Branch. Anti-terrorist police are armed, as needed.
-- MI-5 undercover as bobbies.
-- UNIT or Torchwood Institute from Dr. Who undercover as the Met. (Indeed, the Torchwood Institute is much newer than the Dungeon adventure, but nonetheless).
-- Alternate universe. Perhaps Jerry won the war?

Nod, this proves the adventure is set pre-1974. I suspected AD&D money was British, but the 20:1 ratio of sp to gp makes sense in old silver dollars and $20 eagles too.

Theory: Like our founder, all D&D players appreciate good English pubs and/or exhibit other minor habits of pro-Britishness, if only dwarves with bad Scottish accents. Debate.

All I can say is: that's really stretching it...and if Germany won WW II there would be Polezi and Gestapo walking about, not Bobbies 

And to think the Brits gave up their proper system of measurement for a French kickshaw.
Only the USA won't give an inch in that regard!

Gary