?But ye?ve  done  swords before! There?re
more treasures to be had, ye know ? but
no, no, all that makes younglings? eyes
shine is blades, blades, and more blades,
the bloodier the better. Phaugh!? Elminster
spat into an innocent potted violet beside
his chair. Having no safe response, I said
nothing. ?Why not ask me about goblets,
or gauntlets of strange powers, or shields??
the sage grumbled.

He stopped and glowered when he saw
my pencil moving (I was scribbling hastily)
Dropping the pencil, I pushed a decanter
and glass toward him. ?Shields?? I asked
politely. ?You mean there are special magi-
cal shields??

?Of course, ye dolt! What d?ye think
stops all those swords of power? Else the
Realms?d be ruled by eternally warring
bladesmen, an? there?d not be enough men
in the lands to take to the field and fall in
the slaughter!?

I stifled an impulse to tell Elminster that
our earlier discussions about the Realms
had given me an impression very close to
just that. Instead I said, ?Yes, of course.
Are any of these shields famous, then, with
names and traditions??
 

?Aye, but not having quite the romance
of the swords, I?ll grant,? Elminster allowed
gruflly, nodding his head. Then he was off
and running, flicking from topic to topic
with the agility of a grasshopper, late into
the night. From his discourse I gleaned
news of six magical shields of the Realms,
whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
(Dungeon Masters should take note that
these shields are eminently suitable for use
by low-level parties who plan to take on
stronger foes.)


Dear Dragon,
A few things troubled me after reading the
article in issue #89 about six magical shields. Are
those shields considered relics in the sense of their
frequency and powers? Do they have side effects
or the like? And are there other shields similar to
them?

Benjamin P. Weiss
Delmar, N. Y.
(Dragon #91)
 

Likewise, each of 
the magical shields has an individual history and 
could be considered unique.  Or, maybe a wily 
wizard has figured out a way to simulate or 
duplicate the powers vested in these items to 
make other magickal shields (or perhaps something 
like a suit of armor with the properties of 
Dzance's Guardian).  They can be used on a one-shot 
basis, or you might not want them to be 
unique; that's a matter of preference.

-- KM
(Dragon #91)