| The gypsies of lejend | Abilities and behavior | Group encounters | Gypsy fortune tellers | Gypsy noblemen |
| Two new spells | Generating gypsies | Gypsy fortune telling chart | Dragon 59 | Dragon |
A brightly painted caravan rolling
along an unending road: gypsies. A dark-eyed
lady with a tambourine, whirling
round the
campfire to a wail of violins:
gypsies. A crone hunched over a crystal
ball:
“Cross my palm with
silver,
dearie, and see what the future
holds in store.” The very stuff of
lejend: mysterious, romantic,
fascinating gypsies. Welcome
them to your AD&D™
campaign.
But, who are the real-life gypsies?
Where do they come from?
No one is sure exactly when they
came to Europe, but they may have
arrived in the Byzantine Empire in the
sixth century. After the fall of Byzantium
and the Turkish incursions into the Balkans,
the gypsies began to migrate westward.
Almost always viewed with a measure
of suspicion && prejudice, they
were often persecuted, and only occasionally
tolerated, by those around them.
The origin && history of the gypsies
prior to the sixth century is obscure.
They claim to be of Egyptian
origin,
often referring to a homeland they call
“Little Egypt.” The name “gypsy” is a
corruption of “Egyptian.”
Linguistic experts, however, connect
Romany, the language
of the gypsies,
with certain dialects found in northern
India.
Their history is mostly to be deduced
from their language. For example, the
dialect of one tribe in Wales reveals
words borrowed by their ancestors as
they traveled through Persia, Armenia,
Greece,
several Balkan states, Germany,
and France before arriving in England.
Greek is the strongest element in most
European gypsy dialects, indicating a
previous long stay in the Eastern empire.
Gypsies call themselves the Romany
Rye — the Roman people— though
their
language has no Roman (Latin) elements
per se. This is another clue that they
aligned themselves with Byzantium when
it was Constantinople — “New Rome.”
So much for the gypsies of history. It
is
the gypsies of legend that provide material
for an AD&D
game. They are always
accounted skillful thieves. They have
an
uncanny way with animals, especially
horses. And they are excellent — indeed,
bewitching — musicians.
Natural bards,
right? But wait! Gypsies
are even better known as fortune tellers.
They are credited with bringing playing
cards to Europe by their use of the Tarot.
So the crone with the crystal ball must
be a M-U. <Oracle>
The lejendary “Curse of the Gypsies”
(more rarely used by game characters than the “Blessing”) indicates some
clerical powers as well.
Of course, no sane DM
(if that isn’t a
contradiction in terms) will allow a NPC
class of bards with M-U
and cleric spell ability. What must be
done is to divide and limit these powers
in accordance with traditional lore about
the gypsies.
* First, the skills that fit into the bard
class are associated only with gypsy
men and the fortune telling (magic-user
<Oracle>
spells) only with women. With one exception:
All of the Romany folk — men,
women, and children — can function as
thieves.
* Secondly, the powers of the gypsies
are less than those of ordinary characters
or NPCs of similar classes. Gypsies
have no religion in the usual sense, and
there are no clerics per se among them.
Historically, they have conformed to the
established religion of the AREA in which
they were living. In a typical polytheistic
AD&D
scenario, this may not be particularly
important. What is important is that
the Romanies will hesitate to hassle with
clerics.
Gypsies can acquire certain druid
spells
through the special intervention of
Nature deities. In this respect, they
resemble
monsters with spell abilities. To
further limit their powers as a class,
assume
all gypsies to be illiterate. Scrolls,
spell books, and tomes are of no USE to
them, and their spells of all types are
learned by word of mouth. They are
good at languages, always having the
common tongue and the Thieves’ Cant
as well as Romany, their own language.
In addition to Romany, they use a sophisticated
sign language. In order to
learn either one, a character would first
have to gain the confidence of a band
of
gypsies and then live with them for
months or even years.
When rolling up an individual gypsy,
adjust to give him or her a better-than
average
CHA,
DEX, and CON.
Gypsies are always described as
sturdy, handsome people, and extremely
charming; this ought to be reflected in
their numbers. Though every Romany
chal or chi does function as a thief,
the
experience level of each individual in
a
group need not necessarily be high.
Some adults in a typical group will act
primarily as fighters. Each DM may do
as
he or she pleases; I find it most sensible
to treat these adults as fighters with
some extra abilities, rather than as multiclassed
characters. Gypsies are limited
to the armor and weapons available to
bards. They are not aggressive and will
not attack unless provoked.
Gypsies are generally CN;
individuals may tend toward good or
evil. They have a good deal of loyalty
for
each other and for the Romany Rye at
large, but have little respect for gorgios
(non-gypsies) and their institutions.
As
one striking example, they are liars;
especially
will they lie to gorgios. In the
1600’s, the writer Cervantes quoted a
gypsy as saying, “When we see fit, we
make no difference between yes and
no.” This is partly self-protection, partly
contempt for gorgios, and partly just
for
the hell
of it — really chaotic.
A European
gypsy lejend makes them out to be
a little more lawful by explaining that
Jesus was crucified with only three nails
because a gypsy stole the fourth. Since
Christ was thus spared extra suffering,
the sins of theft && lying are
forgiven
the Romany people forever. Be that as
it
may, the DM may use their propensity to
lie to great advantage. <Lie: in theory,
I would make that a CHA check. Compare to the Bluff skill in 3e.>
Because the gypsies are such a lawless
lot, paladins
and other LG
characters do not get along well with
them. Thieves, bards, druids, and rangers
are generally on friendly terms with the
Romany folk, who will welcome a party
with any of these classes represented
in
it. Gypsies will avoid conflict with clerics,
especially those who represent the
Established Church of the surrounding
countryside. The gypsies’ reaction to
all
other character classes is neutral.
Gypsies are human.
Elves — particularly
the wood
elves, who are their great
friends — are well disposed toward them.
Halflings
are fascinated by gypsies, but
repelled by their rootless lifestyle;
the
two attitudes cancel out to neutrality.
Dwarves and gnomes rather distrust
them. Gypsies hate orcs
and all the goblin
races and will show antipathy toward
a party with a half-orc character.
A party of gypsies encountered in the
wilderness
may be as small as 2 or
3 individuals or as large as 30
adults. The larger the group, the greater
the chance of finding spell casters among
it. A typical wilderness encounter will
be
with a group of 10-15 adults and an equal
number of children. A group this size
will
travel in two or three small, two-wheeled
carts
and a larger (four-wheeled) caravan. <wagon>
When they pitch camp,
they will set
up small tents. They will have a string
of
saddle horses
and mules, in addition to a
number of draft animals equal to 1-1½
times the number of adults present. The
gypsies are famous horse-traders and
will be happy to sell or swap horses with
adventurers. But let the buyer beware....
The Romany band is at an advantage
in the forest. Gypsies move more quietly
than an ordinary group of this size would
be expected to and surprise on 1-4, as
do
nomads. They are friendly with forest
“monsters” — dryads,
fauns, treants,
and the like — with whom they often
exchange information.
The average Romany chal (man) even
below bard
level has special skill in
handling
and communicating with animals,
especially horses and related beasts.
A
nobleman (gypsy with bard abilities) usually
learns first those druid spells having
to do with animals, Iike animal friendship
or locate animals, to enhance and
take further advantage of this ability
with
animals.
Gypsies are excellent trackers.
When
they travel, they leave little trace except
their own distinctive trail, the patteran.
George Borrow, an eccentric nineteenth-century
English author who lived among
the gypsies and wrote several books
about them, described the patteran as
an arrangement of grass, leaves, and/or
twigs which the Romanies leave to guide
their fellows. A ranger
might recognize a
patteran, but not get all the information
from it that a gypsy would. Other characters
would not notice it.
Rarely, gypsies may be encountered
in gatherings of 50-100 adults, the numbers
of children and animals increasing
proportionately, encamped near towns
or cities. Their camp
then takes on the
aspect of a fair. There may be a performing
bear, jugglers, and fire-eaters. Remember
that gypsies have a special rapport
with animals, plus the use of the
appropriate druid spells and excellent
dexterity. Characters admiring these
marvels run a grave risk of having their
pockets picked. There will be other ways
to separate a party from its loose change.
How about the old shell game?
Roll d6; on a roll of 1, the mark will
spot the pea.
Larcenous DMs can run more sophisticated
scams. And no saves for INT,
please: <INT checks>
a smart person is said to be easier to
con than a stupid one.
In a camp of this size, the chance of
finding any spellcasting nobility — or
even the King or Queen of the Gypsies
—is much greater than in a smaller gathering.
Concentrations of gypsies larger
than this group are unlikely to ever occur.
In standard AD&D MM
terms, their frequency is common
in
woods and around settlements of any
size, especially in the smaller groups;
uncommon in deep, uncharted wilderness
and in vast unsettled areas; and
very rare in dungeons or at sea.
As mentioned before, gypsies acquire
their spells in a slightly different way
from that of the standard spellcasting
classes, and the spells they learn depend
upon sex. One hesitates to make this sort
of distinction, but in the special case
of
NPCs
and for purposes of game balance,
perhaps it can be excused.
A Romany chi (woman) may function
as a thiefor,
more rarely, as a fighter. A
few women will take up the study of magic
in order to tell fortunes or, in Romany,
to pen dukkerin. When a gypsy woman
commences her arcane career, she ceases
to function as a thief or fighter. A beginner
will chose those spells that will
help her to fake an interesting seance,
such as unseen
servant, ventriloquism,
and magic mouth. If she has psionic ability,
she studies the appropriate disciplines
of animal
telepathy, clairaudience,
clairvoyance, ESP, telepathy, telepathic
projection,
and the like. Psionic ability is
necessary if a woman is to become the
Gypsy Queen, but not for lesser fortune
tellers. As they rise in magic-user levels,
fortune tellers learn the spells of ESP,
clairaudience, and clairvoyance. At 4th
level or above, they cast spells of object
reading, precognition, and telepathy,
which act as the psionic disciplines of
the same names. These bear the same
relation to these disciplines as the spell
ESP, for instance, bears to psionic ESP.
A gypsy fortune teller at even the lowest
level can tell dukkerin, using the accompanying
chart (page
20). Roll dice to
simulate a fortune told by palmistry or
a
crystal ball, or draw from a deck of ordinary
playing cards to read a fortune in
the cards. The DM may use the chart as
presented, or substitute any information
or misinformation he or she wishes to
convey to a player. The good or ill effects
suggested may not take place immediately.
Instead, the DM should guide the
adventure
so as to give the character the
chance to fulfill his or her dukkerin.
On a
roil of 00 or a draw of the ace of clubs,
the
gypsy chi will use any spells or artifacts
at her command to answer the question
truthfully. If she hasn’t the requisite
powers,
she may very well retreat into mystical
jargon — “The spirits work against
me. The way is dark.” — and so on, or
may refer the character to a gypsy with
greater powers.
Any Romany fortune teller has a ball
made of crystal and a deck of cards as
part of her stock in TRADE. A clear distinction
should be made between these nonmagical
items and the similar high-level
magick artifacts. the distinction need
be
clear only to the DM; if the gypsy is
faking
it, that is the players’ lookout. Probably
the only way to tell if a gypsy’s spells
or artifacts are genuine would be for
a
character to cast detect
magick — and
any such attempt would be, ahem, discouraged
by a Romany fighter’s stout
cudgel or something equally daunting.
The magical Crystal
ball or Deck of
Many Things described in the DMG
or other similar items are <see: Tarot of Many Things, Dragon 77>
the property of very high-level gypsy
women and are greatly prized. One of
the two aforementioned items, at least,
will belong to the Queen of the Gypsies.
When the fortune teller uses an artifact,
spell, or psionic discipline for a client,
the rules applying to this use are slightly
different. Instead of working under the
usual stipulation that a person or area
to
be scried must be known to the spell
caster, the gypsy puts herself in rapport
with her client or uses the client’s latent
psychic force by asking him or her to
rub
the crystal ball, shuffle and cut the
deck,
etc., and as a result can descry people,
places, and things known to the client
but not to herself.
Some say that the traditional “crossing
her palm with silver”
washes away
the baneful magic, and this is why most
fortune tellers insist on this ritual.
The
actual cost of a dukkerin is counted in
gold pieces. A simple reading, such as
the chart will give, costs as much as
a
good meal with wine in an inn. A full
seance, calling for high-level spells
and
the use of magical artifacts, costs hundreds
of gold pieces.
Fortune tellers are treated as standard
magic-users, with the difference that
they do not read at all and thus cannot
use scrolls, spell books, or tomes, and
cannot acquire “literate” spells like
read
magic
and legend lore. They do not develop
new spells or enchant items. After
ninth level, they rise much more slowly
than other magic-users. Add 100,000
points to the usual number of points
needed to advance for each level, cumulative,
from 10 to 12, and 200,000
points to the gap between each pair of
levels thereafter.
(Example: The “{distance}”
from 10th to
11th level is 475,000 points
for gypsies
instead of 375,000, so the
gypsy M-U
needs 850,000 points to
make 11th level.
The usual “distance” from
11th to 12th
level is also 375,000, raised
to 475,000 for
gypsies. Added to the 850,000
points she
needed for 11th level, this
makes the
gypsy’s 12th-level requirement
1,325,000
points. Higher levels are
achieved at
1,900,000; 2,475,000; 3,050,000;
and so
on, incrementing by 575,000
each time.)
There is but one Queen of
the Gypsies
at any time. She is not
married, or even
necessarily related, to
the King. She is
usually the highest-level
magic-user
among the Romany women.
She must
have psionics (a non-psionic
can achieve
high levels as a magic-user
but cannot
become Queen), and she must
possess a
magic item, relic, or artifact
which re-
lates to her art of fortune
telling (as noted
above).
If two || more women are of
equal rank and qualifications for the
position
when the reigning Queen dies,
they may duel for the office.
Romany noblemen function as bards,
but with some striking differences. When
a gypsy becomes a Burglar (T5), he
may become a fighter (reversing the usual
process for a bard). Between fifth
and eighth level, if he is found worthy
(which is to say, if he has the minimum
ability scores for a bard), he is ennobled
and becomes the equivalent of a “bard
under druidicial tutelage.” He receives
his instruction from a nobleman of (bard)
sixth level or above. He takes whatever
noble title happens to suite his fancy
—
Lord, Count, Duke, etc. —with no reference
implied or intended to level or the
number of people in the band that he
leads.
Gypsies have no titles or ranks among
themselves, except for their King and
Queen. When the gypsies of history began
to move into Europe, their leaders
found that a medieval ruler was not disposed
to take a commoner seriously, so
they adopted “meaningless” titles for
themselves, and this pleasant fiction
gave the gypsies a little political clout.
“Noble” is a term to distinguish these
bard-like gypsies from true
bards, just as
“fortune teller” distinguishes the women
from true
magic users.
Almost all the rules for bards
apply to
gypsy nobility, except that they are not
literate in magic || any language, nor
can they recognize any magic symbols.
None of the “lejend lore” material applies
to them. Also, they have their own
“bardic” instruments.
Gypsies, unlike true
bards, play violins
(or rebecs, depending on how much
anachronism one can tolerate in one’s
campaign). Their playing alone acts as
the “playing
and singing of a bard” detailed
in the PH for, of
course, the gypsy cannot sing while fiddling
(just try it!).
Instead of the
bardic instruments in
the DMG, gypsies have four magical
violins.
These viols are the exclusive property
of the gypsies and are never found
elsewhere in a campaign (as a crystal
ball might be). A real bard would know
something of their powers and would be
wise enough not to attempt to play them.
Three areLesser
Viols, having the following
properties when played by a nobleman
Sonnateer of the College Fochlucan (B3)
or above:
(A) Add +5% to the musician’s charm
percentage
per level up to 12th; thus, 3rd
level = +5%, 4th = +10%, and so on.
(B) Cast any three of the following
spells once per day: obscurement, snare,
call woodland beings, summon
equine
beings
(q.v.), control winds, weather
summoning, or animal summoning. The
DM decides which three spells are available
for a particular Lesser Viol.
The Great
Viol of Pharoah is the property
of the Gypsy King and the symbol of
his office. When he plays it, he has all
the
powers of the Lesser Viols (choosing
any of the listed spells, up to three
a day).
In addition, the Great Viol can cast,
once
a day, a dance spell similar in effect
to
the eighth level MU spell, Otto’s
irresistible
dance.
The musician need not touch
his victim, but the victim must be in
normal
hearing range. A particular victim or
victims may be selected from a group;
all
will hear the music, but only those designated
by the violinist are affected by
the magic. The gypsy may play for four
rounds plus one round per level above
12th, up to a maximum duration of eight
rounds. After six rounds of dancing, the
victim is exhausted for 1-6 rounds. After
dancing for a full eight rounds, the victim
must sleep for 1-4 hours. Roll on the
appropriate
die and adjust for exceptionally
high or low constitution. An exhausted
creature cannot fight or cast spells.
There is only one King of the Gypsies
at any time. He is a noble, usually a
Master Bard of Canaith (B12) or above.
When he dies, he is
succeeded by the winner of a three-way
duel between the noblemen possessing
the three Lesser Viols. The victor becomes
King for life. He takes the title of
Pharoah and becomes the owner of the
Great Viol. He
then bestows his Lesser
Viol on whichever noble he pleases.
There are two unique Romany spells.
The first is Summon
Equine Beings, a
“‘druid” spell which may be cast by nobles
of third level (bard) or better, or by
any of the magic viols. The spell is similar
to call woodland beings but brings to
the aid of the gypsies one type of the
following equine or quasi-equine beings:
4-16 ponies,
burros, or donkeys
4-16 horses or mules
4-8 centaurs
1-4 hippogriffs/pegasi/hippocampi
1-2 unicorns
The likelihood of attracting hippocampi
is extremely rare, but if the spell is
CAST on the seashore or in a boat, they
have as good a chance of being affected
as any other equine being.
The number of beings summoned is
doubled when the spell is cast by the
Great Viol of Pharaoh.
All wild equine
beings save at -5; domestic horses,
mules, ponies, etc., at -4; warhorses
and
other trained steeds (pegasi, etc.) at
-1. A
paladin’s warhorse saves normally. Gypsies
are always on good terms with any
creatures summoned, so no loyalty
check applies.
The other spell exclusive to gypsies,
Curse
(Blessing) of the Gypsies, is available
to any spell caster — magic-user <witch?>
(female) or bard (male) —of fifth level
or
higher. This spell is very rarely used,
and
usually in response to a character’s action
toward a band of gypsies rather than
toward an individual. Saves vs.
magic apply, the caster must touch the
recipient, and the spell requires six
segments
to cast. The curse is spoken in the
Romany language and translates as:
“Horsefold will hate you; bad luck will
follow you; the Romany mark is placed
on you!” The effects are as follows:
(A) The victim emits a peculiar odor,
repellent to all equine or quasi-equine
beings (listed in spell
description). Riding
horses, etc. refuse to carry the cursed
character on percentile dice rolls of
01-
50. On rolls of 51-75, the character can
force the animal to carry him or her,
but
with such difficulty as to cut the animal
&
speed by half. If 76-00 is rolled, the
animal will fight. Draft animals will
balk
and refuse to pull a vehicle the character
is riding in 50% of the time. Similarly,
pack animals will refuse to carry the
character’s property or anything he or
she has handled 50% of the time. If 01-50
is rolled, draft and pack animals refuse;
51-90, they will submit and act normally,
but on 91-00, they will fight. Equine
creatures
of greater than animal intelligence
will be hostile toward the victim; they
will
flee (75%) or attack (25%).
(B) Bad luck will follow the victim.
Once a day, as he or she attempts a feat
such as spellcasting,
melee combat,
lockpicking, whatever — depending on
his or her class — the DM will roll d20.
Unless a natural 20 (no modifiers) is
roiled, the attempt will fail miserably.
Later attempts to cast another spell,
strike another blow, etc., are unaffected.
(C) The Romany mark will appear on
the victim’s forehead. Druids,
bards,
rangers, and thieves recognize this mark,
although recognition does not necessarily
prejudice them against the character.
Magic-users can identify the mark by
casting read magic and clerics by detect
charm. All gypsies recognize the mark
instantly — and will harass or attack
the
character, pursuing if he or she flees.
A
cleric can cause the mark and the ill
effects
to vanish with remove curse, but
most lawful ones will refuse to do so
unless
the victim makes restitution to the
offended gypsies.
The Blessing of the Gypsies is the reverse
in language and effect. Equine
creatures are well disposed toward the
character. He or she can quiet
restless
horses,
etc., and such animals will work
to the limit of their endurance if kindly
treated. Once a day, the DM rolls d20
for
good luck, which renders any attempted
action instantly successful unless a natural
20 is rolled. The “blessed” mark will
put any gypsies encountered at the
character’s service.
With their special abilities, gypsies are
a powerful breed. DMs ought to choose
very carefully the qualities and characteristics
of the gypsies they place in their
campaigns, instead of relying on random
dice rolls. This is especially true of
the spellcasters. As a very rough rule
of
thumb, consider an average band of
eight men and seven women. Of the
twenty-five children, ten are old enough
to be zero-level thieves. (A zero-level
thief subtracts 5% from each function
listed on the “Thief
Function Table” on
page 28 of the PH. Use d4
to determine hit points.)
Five of the men are thieves
of 2nd-5th
level; two are fighters of 3rd and 6th
levels.
The 3rd-level fighter has ability
scores suitable for a bard, and has the
hit
points acquired up to 5th level as a thief.
He aspires to the nobility. Their leader
is
a 2nd-level noble (bard).
Five of the women act as thieves
of the
1st-5th level. One is a Swordswoman (F3).
The seventh woman is a fortune teller
at
the 4th level. The thieves are armed with
cudgels or slings and daggers; they wear
no armor, but consider the possible AC
bonuses for dexterity. The fighters wear
leather armor and use short swords,
slings, and daggers. The nobleman has
the spells animal friendship and entangle.
The fortune teller has charm
person,
ventriloquism,
unseen servant, ESP, and
audible glamer. The spellcasting ability
is better balanced for this hypothetical
group than is necessary for running a
Romany band. Again, each DM knows
best what is needed for his or her campaign
and players.
SPADES
| Die roll | Card | Fortune |
| 01-02 | Two | a journey |
| 03-04 | Three | a journey over water |
| 05-06 | Four | a journey underground |
| 07-08 | Five | beware of orcs |
| 09-10 | Six | beware of snakes |
| 11-12 | Seven | a tall, dark stranger |
| 13-14 | Eight | lucky in love (+1 charisma) |
| 15-16 | Nine | unlucky in love (-1 CHA) |
| 17-18 | Ten | trust no one |
| 19-20 | Jack | trust a stranger |
| 21-22 | Queen | trust a woman |
| 23-24 | King | trust a man |
HEARTS
| Die roll | Card | Fortune |
| 25-26 | Two | trust an elf |
| 27-28 | Three | don't trust a stranger |
| 29-30 | Four | don't trust a woman |
| 31-32 | Five | don't trust a man |
| 33-34 | Six | disaster |
| 35-36 | Seven | important news |
| 37-38 | Eight | important news from a hobbit |
| 39-40 | Nine | important news from a man |
| 41-42 | Ten | important news from two women |
| 43-44 | Jack | a dwarf befriends you |
| 45-46 | Queen | good health (+1 to constitution) |
| 47-48 | King | poor health (-1 to constitution) |
DIAMONDS
| Die roll | Card | Fortune |
| 49-50 | Two | success with money |
| 51-52 | Three | a spendthrift |
| 53-54 | Four | search to the east |
| 55-56 | Five | search to the west |
| 57-58 | Six | search to the north |
| 59-60 | Seven | search to the south |
| 61-62 | Eight | fair weather |
| 63-64 | Nine | foul weather |
| 65-66 | Ten | a gnome befriends you |
| 67-68 | Jack | use your gifts wisely |
| 69-70 | Queen | a fair woman |
| 71-72 | King | a wealthy merchant |
CLUBS
| Die roll | Card | Fortune |
| 73-74 | Two | the full moon is lucky |
| 75-76 | Three | beware the waning moon |
| 77-76 | Four | news at the new moon |
| 79-80 | Five | warning |
| 81-82 | Six | a dark lady |
| 83-84 | Seven | favor of the gods (+1 to wisdom) |
| 85-86 | Eight | the gods frown (-1 to wisdom) |
| 87-88 | Nine | misfortune |
| 89-90 | Ten | a handsome man |
| 91-92 | Jack | gifts |
| 93-94 | Queen | beware gifts |
| 95-96 | King | DM's option |
ACES
| Die roll | Suit | Fortune |
| 97 | Spades | death |
| 98 | Hearts | love |
| 99 | Diamonds | treasure |
| 00 | Clubs | answer a question |