A WORKING DESIGN FOR HEWARD'S MYSTICAL ORGAN
(or, "Play it again, Sam")
Steven Wiederhoft
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Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Magick Items - Dragon magazine The Dragon #29
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Making this highly powerful artifact into a system that is fair (but
extremely challenging) was quite a job. The section in Eldritch Wizardry
provides the rumors, legends and a hint of its great power. But practically
nothing on a design format. The organ is extremely popular with the
players (most of whom dream about rhinestone-studded suits, candelabras,
etc.). I have included the story of the characters’ search for the
Organ in my campaign to give you an idea of how truly deadly and
entertaining it can be.

“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.