Advanced Dungeons & Dragons | Magick Items | - | Dragon magazine | The Dragon #29 |
- | - | - | - | - |
“It all started with a treasure map showing where the Organ was to
be found. After much thought, discussion and preparing the greedy little
buggers set sail for Devil’s Island. After a long voyage (and eight
dead,
drowned or missing characters later), the party finally sailed into
the
cove off Devil’s Island. The remaining six characters then hit the
beach
and stormed the Tower of the Blue Death. Through luck and good
planning five characters made it to the Organ. The 1st character seated
himself, set the stops and started playing a Reversed 9th level spell
(Imprisonment) and immediately disappeared (entombed in the depths
of the earth). The 2nd character then sat down, set the stops the same
but played a different song (Reversed Gate) and was carried away by
an
irate Type 6 Demon. The 3rd character decided to try a different pattern
for the stops and played a 6th level spell (Invisible Stalker). Deciding
to
try other songs with the same stops produced a veritable army of stalkers
(many were dead due to Death and Disintegrate Spells), a totally glass
tower (using multiple Glassee Spells), a wrecked ship (via a Control
Weather Spell), a totally remodeled landscape (Move Earth spell) and
a
few other interesting things. A few variations in the stops provided
a
quick trip to the Abyss without the Organ (only quick thinking got
the
character back alive). The rest of the adventure I won’t relate to
you
except for one interesting fact. When they stumbled onto the 9th level
MU spells and discovered the Wish Spell, they made the following wish:
“I wish that this spell could never again be played on this Organ.”
It is an
idea for the DM to use that wish before he/she ever gives out the Organ.
I designed my Organ with 7 usable stops and 65 working keys (15
black keys and 50 white keys). For the stops I used the binary computer
language. Each stop represents a number, the number of possible
combinations for stop positioning is 128. This range is from zero to
127.
See the example given below:
I = the stop is in
O = the stop is out
64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
O | O | O | O | O | O | O | = | O |
I | I | I | I | I | I | I | = | 127 (64+32+16+8+4+2+1) |
I | I | I | I | I | I | I | = | 22 (16+4+2) |
O | O | I | O | I | I | O | = | 75 (64+8+2+1) |
O | I | I | I | O | O | I | = | 57 (32+16+8+1) |
Once the stops have been set you find out what the results are, if the
player set the stops as such: I O O O O O I = 65. Referring to
the stop result table indicates that 65 is a 4th level MU spell. The
user
then presses the white and black keys calling out white 1-50 and black
1 - 15. The following is an example:
white | 42 |
white | 17 |
black | 3 |
white | 36 |
black | 10 |
black | 7 |
- | ____ |
- | 1278 |
- | 53_____ | - | - |
24) | 1278 | - | - |
- | 120_____ | - | - |
- | 78 | - | - |
- | 72_______ | - | - |
- | 6 | = | the spell used |
The white keys are base numbers and the black keys are multipliers
(odd black multiply by 3 and even multiply by 2). To do the example
given you would add 42 + 17 = 59. Multiply 59 x 3 = 177. Add 177 +
36 = 213. Multiply 213 x 2 = 426. Multiply 426 x 3 = 1278. Since there
are 24 4th level MU spells you divide 1278 by 24 and take the remain-
der (which is from 1-24 — zero is the same as 24). The answer this time
was 53 with 6 left over. So you use the 6th spell on the 4th level table.
Stop Results Table
1. | 5th level cleric |
2. | user killed instantly |
3. | 3rd level MU |
4. | 1st level MU |
5. | Organ plays itself |
6. | 7th level MU reversed |
7. | 1st level Clerical |
8. | 6th level Druid |
9. | Table 4 monster |
10. | 2nd level |
11. | POWER RECHARGE |
12. | 3rd level Clerical |
13. | 7th level Clerical reversed |
14. | 3rdl level Illusionist |
15. | Organ plays itself |
16. | Table 6 monster |
17. | 5th level illusionist |
18. | user loses 1 level |
19. | 1st level MU |
20. | 6th level Clerical |
21. | Table 3 monster |
22. | POWER RECHARGE |
23. | Table 2 monster |
24. | 4th level Illusionist |
25. | 1st level Clerical |
26. | Table 1 monster |
27. | 5th level MU reversed |
28. | 7th level Illusionist |
29. | Table 5 monster |
30. | Organ plays itself |
31. | 3rd level MU |
32. | 6th level Clerical reversed |
33. | 2nd level Clerical |
34. | 6th level MU |
35. | user shrinks 12" |
36. | 3rd level Druid |
37. | 2nd level MU |
38. | user polymorphed |
39. | 4th level MU |
40. | 1st level Clerical reversed |
41. | Table 4 monster |
42. | 7th level Clerical |
43. | POWER RECHARGE |
44. | 1st level MU |
45. | Organ plays itself |
46. | 4th level Illusionist |
47. | 3rd level MU reversed |
48. | users CHA -10 |
49. | 2nd level Clerical |
50. | 8th level MU reversed |
51. | 7th level MU |
52. | teleported to ice lake |
53. | 10-80% users money gone |
54. | 4th level Clerical |
55. | 1st level Illusionist |
56. | POWER RECHARGE |
57. | 5th level MU |
58. | 6th level MU reversed |
59. | Table 4 monster |
60. | 2nd level Illusionist |
61. | Gas cloud (roll type) |
62. | 6th level MU |
63. | 1st level Clerical |
64. | Table 3 monster |
65. | 4th level MU |
66. | teleport to other plane |
67. | Organ plays itself |
68. | 5th level Clerical |
69. | random teleport |
70. | 3rd level Clerical reversed |
71. | 2nd level Druid |
72. | Table 4 monster |
73. | 5th level MU |
74. | POWER RECHARGE |
75. | creates 1 magic (1/wk) |
76. | 3rd level MU reversed |
77. | 4th level druid |
78. | user takes 3-36 shock |
79. | 2nd level MU |
80. | 3rd level Clerical |
81. | Table 5 monster |
82. | 6th level Illusionist |
83. | user takes 3-24 shock |
84. | 9th level MU spell reversed |
85. | 9th level MU spell |
86. | 1st level Druid |
87. | user gets 1-8 jewels (1/wk) |
88. | Table 6 monster |
89. | 7th level Druid |
90. | Organ plays itself |
91. | user takes 6-36 pts. shock |
92. | 3rd level Druid |
93. | 5th level MU |
94. | 2nd level Clerical reversed |
95. | Table 3 monster |
96. | 2nd level MU |
97. | Table 2 monster |
98. | 1st level MU |
99. | 7th level MU |
100. | Organ plays itself |
101. | 1st level Druid |
102. | 4th level Cleric reversed |
103. | user gets 1-8 jewels (1/wk) |
104. | 4th level MU |
105. | 2nd level Illusionist |
106. | Table 5 monster |
107. | 6th level Clerical |
108. | Organ goes back to Devils Island |
109. | 3rd level illusionist |
110. | 4th level MU reversed |
111. | 5th level Clerical |
112. | user teleports to spaceship |
113. | 3rd level MU |
114. | user loses 2-5 hit pts. perm |
115. | POWER RECHARGE |
116. | 4th level Clerical |
117. | Table 7 monster |
118. | Organ plays itself |
119. | 8th level MU |
120. | 1st level Illusionists |
121. | 6th level MU reversed |
122. | 2nd level MU |
123. | 5th level Druid |
124. | loses 1 ability pt. |
125. | 6th level MU |
126. | 5th level Clerical reversed |
127. | 127 & 0. attacked by 1 type 6, 2
type 5, 3 type 4, 4 type 3, 5 type 2, 6 type 1 demons. |
NOTES:
Power Recharge means the Organ draws in all Magical, Clerical force
in a hex. No magic can be used for the rest of the day. Swords and Armor
not
affected (rings, rods, scrolls, etc. must save vs electrical shock
or be gone.
Reversed Spells are to be used as if a hostile was directing them at the user.
The stops that produce teleport are to places in my own campaign. Replace them with locations to fit your campaign.
Where a Table monster is indicated use the dungeon monster tables. The
attack is with surprise from behind.