TEXT:       I s s u e    9                   F e b r u a r y    2 0 0 3      
                                      
      
                 
               
   THE ORIGINAL DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FANZINE 
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  OD&DITIES
  29
  OD&DITIES 
  �  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2002
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  2
  ................................................................................
  Editorial
  My regular rant …  R. E. B. Tongue
  2
  ..........................................................
  Letters to the Editor
  The readers' comments.
  3
  ...................................................................
  Getting Started
  Our continuing series on starting a new OD&D campaign.  R. E. B. Tongue
  3
   ............................................
  Compendium of Characters
  Two exotic NPC's for your campaign.  R. E. B. Tongue
  4
  .................................................................
  Governing Gods
  A collection of deities with a difference.  Guy Robinson
  5
  ............................................................................
  First Strike
  Who goes first: the fighter or the Orc? Erin D. Smale
  6
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  Street of a Thousand Adventures
  A resting place for the sorcerous. Geoff Gander
  7
  ........................................................
  Some Enchanted Item
  The start of a new column on magical items.  Erin D. Smale
  8
   ..........................
  An Interview with Gary Gygax, Part I
  An interview with the unquestioned father of RPGs.  Ciro Alessandro Sacco
  15
   ........................................................
  Combat sans Matrix
  Streamlining combat in OD&D.  Erin D. Smale
  18
  ..............................................
  The World of Herol, Part I
  The first part of a new campaign world for OD&D.  Carl Quaif
  Dungeons and Dragons is owned by Wizards of the Coast and it’s use here is not intended as a challenge to their owner-ship of that copyright. 
  All materials are used here without their permission.
  All other material copyright© R.E.B. Tongue unless credited to another author.
  OD�DITIES
  THE ORIGINAL DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FANZINE 
   
  Editor
  Richard Tongue
  Layout
  Jesse Walker
  Contributors
  Richard Tongue
  Guy Robinson
  Erin D. Smale
  Geoff Gander
  Ciro Alessandro Sacco
  Carl Quaif
  Cover Art
  Jeremy Simmons
  Interior Art
  Jesse Walker
  Online
  www.tongue.fsnet.co.uk
  Issue 9
  February 2003
   THE ORIGINAL DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FANZINE 
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  Hi!
        First of all, let me present myself: I'm a
  28-years old italian RPG player. I'll play
  OD&D since the age of 13, which means
  that more than half of my life was devoted
  to this beatiful game.
        During these long years, I've obviously
  red, mastered and played many other
  RPGs - from AD&D (1st, 2nd and 3rd
  edition) to Tunnels & Trolls, MERP,
  Rolemaster, Stormbringer, Runequest,
  Chivalry & Sorcery, plus some other
  Italian-made games as Katakumbas or I
  Cavalieri del Tempio (Temple's Knights is a
  rough translation in English) which I think
  were never published in UK or USA. I've
  also enjoyed many solo adventure books
  (one for all, the Lonewolf series, or the
  wonderful Warlock of Fire Mountain) and
  some other fantasy boardgames as
  Talisman, Dungeonquest, Heroquest and
  Advanced Heroquest, Willow and Warlock
  of Fire Mountain. Now, finished with this
  boring list, I wrote to you just to make my
  compliments for your great work in keeping
  alive OD&D, which I simply consider the 
  best RPG ever made - both for his flexibility
  and simplicity. I must admit that I'm also a
  "collector" of OD&D material - I've almost
  all the material ever published (amongst
  the others the complete GAZ series, nearly
  all adventure modules, all boxed sets, plus
  the "legendary" white box and the first four
  supplements). I tried over the time to play
  some campaigns both using the Rules
  Cyclopedia and the Gazetteer series, and
  even the white boxed set - but unluckily
  here there is a great lack of players - to
  continue playing I'm literally forced to play
  D&D 3E (not too bad, but the atmosphere
  created by OD&D is another thing!) and
  some other minor RPGs (like Vampire or
  Mage, too bad!). I stumbled across your
  site and fanzine by sheer luck, and I enjoy-
  ed it very much - good articles, interesting
  reviews of products, playable adventures
  and very good rules and character class
  add-ons. In brief, I loved it - especially now
  that Dragon and Dungeon are completely
  (and sadly) entirely devoted to 3E.
        I blame WotC for letting OD&D die - it
  was the greatest mistake they can ever do.
  I know that now "new" players wants only
  World of Darkness and similar, but I think 
  that all those new games simply have lost
  the original spirit and flavour of OD&D
  game. This is why I try always to get my
  friends involved in an OD&D campaign
  play. If I find some time I will also like to
  submit some articles - I've created
  thousand of home rules in those years of
  playing and I wish to share it with other
  fans. Actually, I'm working for same Italian
  fanzines and submitting some material to
  Ken St. Andre (the creator of Tunnels and
  Trolls) who is getting published in this
  days. So, just keep up the good work and
  continue to keep high the OD&D vessel,
  there will ever be some "old time" fans like
  me that will appreciate your efforts. Sorry
  for the length of this letter and for my poor
  English, and thank you again.
  Tosatt Earp
  Thanks for the letter – most appreciated 
  as always! I think your English is pretty
  good. I certainly agree that there is a
  danger of the flavour of the older games
  being lost in new editions, that's why I
  began OD&DITIES in the first place, to
  help preserve it. I'm glad you like
  OD&DITIES, it's always great to hear that 
  it is being used. Feel free to send in your
  submissions, as many as you like.           
  �
  Editorial
  2
  OD&DITIES 
  �  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Editorial
        Well, welcome to the first issue of OD&DITIES for the New Year. Issue Nine. I think it is possible to say, without fear of contra-
  diction, that this is the best issue yet. The first half of an interview with Gary Gygax, the first part of a new campaign setting, this
  issue is packed full of goodies. The response this issue has been excellent, with more articles coming in that we could squeeze
  into this issue – but please, please keep them coming in! I would like to apologise to all of those whose articles simply would not fit
  in this issue – but they will all see publication soon, I assure you! At the moment, Issue 10 is planned for late March, deadline for
  the Tenth, so get those submissions in! Artwork too, please cover and internal – and thanks to the excellent Jeremy Simmons for
  the piece gracing this issue's cover.
        I would just like to apologize in advance for the necessity of publishing in two parts. It is not something I like to do as a rule –
  I'm sure it will prove a source of some frustration to our readers, I know it would for me. However, these two articles, the Gygax
  interview and the World of Herol, both struck me as perfect for OD&DITIES, but were just too long for one issue. Rather than hold
  one back, I decided to run them in parts. I would also like to apologize to Scott Casper, who was incorrectly credited as Scott
  Gasper in Issue Eight – sorry, Scott! 
        The Guild of OD&D passed a milestone recently – with a hundred members. It has really turned into an excellent list – I urge
  you all to take a look at it. A real community is building there, something that was not present a few years ago. It just goes to show
  that there is still plenty of life in OD&D.
        In other news, OD&DITIES is up for an award! We're in the nominations for the Origins awards this year, under Best
  Roleplaying Magazine. So please, please, register your vote at once. Right now! The issue will still be there when you get back!
  Seriously, please vote, and cross your fingers for us. More details to follow in Issue Ten.
                       ��������������
              Editor, OD&DITIES
  Letters to the Editor
  Please keep those letters coming in, as usual to Methuslah@tongue.fsnet.co.uk!
  
  R. E. B. Tongue
  Well, over the last few instalments we have
  created a campaign setting, and worked
  out the framework of an epic campaign.
  Epic campaigns can be excellent for both
  beginning and advanced players, and if
  they are successful, your players will be
  talking about them for years to come. If you
  are trying to introduce some new people to
  D&D, then this is an excellent way to do it.
  However, it must be said that having only
  the epic campaign theme can lead to a
  one-note campaign, a campaign fixed in
  one mould only. Players may come to
  expect the same plotlines every week (Not
  the evil Dark Lord/Evil Undead/foul Orcs
  again!).
        The simple way to combat this is to
  introduce sub-plots, and one-off advent-
  ures into the campaign thread, elements
  that do not contribute to the overall story
  but still add to the experience for the
  players. One-off adventures are the
  simplest to introduce, and can be on any 
  number of themes. A dungeon is discover-
  ed that the PC's are able to investigate, or
  a group of bandits starts operating in the
  woods, and the PC's are hired to remove
  them. These should not be a part of the
  campaign arc, but can contribute to it, and
  should draw from the progression of the
  campaign. For example, a group of PCs
  befriending a local lord will likely be asked
  to provide assistance with various
  problems faced by their new benefactor. 
        These one-shot adventures should be
  very specific in their nature, either tied to a
  location or a single person. Examples of
  this could include clearing out a small
  dungeon, curing the lycanthropy of the
  lord's wife, rescuing a kidnapped child from
  a tribe of wild elves, or exploring an
  enchanted mountain pass. Keep these
  plots simple to work out – they will form a
  break in the campaign for the PC's, and the
  players. It is advised that it should be fairly
  obvious that these are not connected to the
  main plot, as paranoid PC's will often see
  conspiracies wherever they go. 
        The sub-plot is a different type of
  animal completely. This is a continuing 
  thread throughout other adventures, either
  running through the whole adventure of just
  for a short time. These can be much more
  complicated and intricate. Whereas one-
  shots were connected to a specific location
  or person, these sub-plots should be
  connected to an individual PC, and should
  be much more story oriented. (As such, it is
  recommended that all of the PC's should
  have an individual sub-plot at some point.)
        These plots should involve either the
  background or the personality of the PC.
  Optionally, the player himself can be
  consulted with such elements. An example
  of this type of sub-plot would be finding a
  PC's long-lost sister, who was kidnapped
  by pirates many years ago. (As a twist, she
  is now the leader of the pirates, and the
  fact that she is the long-lost sister will not
  be immediately apparent.) Alternatively, the
  DM can come up with such elements on
  his own. For example, he can have a
  Magic-User PC learn of an ancient spell
  book of a long-dead wizard, which could
  lead to a long quest to find it, in between
  other adventuring. It can be as mundane
  as one of the PC's deciding to take over a
  local Inn, or as complicated as finding a
  lost golden dragon egg by the light of the
  new moon on the Plains of Gehenna. The
  idea is to engage the PC's on a different
  level, to promote greater individual
  role-playing than a group campaign will
  sometimes allow.
           
  �
  Getting Started
  3
  OD&DITIES 
  �  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  ���������������
  R. E. B. Tongue
        The characters covered in this issue's
  Compendium are strangers, represent-
  atives of other cultures. Although the
  practice should not be common, adding a
  representative of a culture not otherwise
  found in your campaign world should not
  be frowned upon, quite the reverse.
  Having, say, a 'Samurai' arrive at the castle
  of King Arthur could make for some
  interesting experiences, though it should
  be kept in moderation. The pair described 
  below could add such an exotic element to
  your campaign. Basic statistics and
  signature equipment are described, as well
  as notes on personality and background.
  Kirika
  4th level Lawful Fighter
  Str: 14, Dex: 18, Con: 13, Int: 9, Wis: 13,
  Cha: 12, HP: 22, AC: 3, Blowgun (6 poison
  darts, Save vs. Poison or die), Club,
  Leather Armour + 1 
        Kirika is a representative of a culture
  living in the jungles of a far-away land. He
  was a noble of his people, who would have 
  been the leader of his tribe. However, the
  local witch doctor despised him, and
  sought power for himself, and so Kirika
  was sold to a group of slavers. Upon
  arrival, he managed to escape by jumping
  over the side of the boat, and barely
  reached the coast. The strange new world
  he found himself in fascinated him, and he
  has decided to learn what he can from it –
  before returning home to seek vengeance
  and regain that which was stolen from him.
  Kirika is extremely inquisitive about all
  manner of things, but particularly crafts
  such as metalworking – he will seek to
  learn about metal tools whenever possible.
  His courage is unbounded, but he has a
  fear of magic, especially those that influe-
  nce people against their will. He is seeking
  money to finance a return to his land
  across the ocean, and also he seeks brave
  adventurers to accompany him. The PC's
  could be the ones who find him, and teach
  him of their land, or they could be hired by
  Kirika to return with him to his tribe. 
  Continued on page 27 ...
  Compendium
  of Characters
  
  government can make
  excellent themes from
  gods, especially if these
  gods are generally mortals
  before they became gods.
  Who better to deify than
  notable figures that brought
  about great changes,
  innovations or order in their
  lives? All references to real
  people living, dead or
  undead is completely
  accidental in this article,
  honest.
  Hearth
  Chaotic God of Families and Feuds
  A primal god of basic governance, Hearth
  laid down the principles that the only right
  of ruler-ship and justice lies in the family or
  extended clan. Followers believe that
  wrongs should be righted through the
  execution of feuds between the families of
  the offender and the offended. Hearth rites
  include the adoption of a stranger into a
  family or clan, marriages and formal
  declarations of vengeance and strife.
  Fief
  Neutral God of Feudalism and Oaths
  Said to be a son of Hearth, Fief is the god
  who set out the principle of feudal govern-
  ment while he was mortal. This shifted the
  focus from families to hierarchies of power,
  obligation and defence that start to define
  differing social classes. Feudal government
  has become the norm for many countries
  and Fief's rites are used to establish and
  maintain balance within these societies.
  Regal
  Lawful God of Monarchy
  As the first legendary king, Regal is the
  deified embodiment of the principles of
  kingship. He is said to have a daughter for
  each true kingdom and these figures of
  Sovereignty personally watch over the
  succession from one monarch to another.
  These kings and queens tend to head
  establish states, backed by Regal's
  authority.
        Royal capitals generally feature a
  temple to Regal as large and as prestigious
  as the monarch can afford. People seeking
  to become kings generally are wise to build
  such a temple and staff it with Regal's
  priests before proclaiming themselves so.
  Redken
  Lawful God of Socialism and Newts
  A relatively later god, Redken is a god
  whose priests can be found among the
  lower classes, as defined by the doctrines
  of other gods of governance. His role is to
  encourage people to support and strength-
  en these people and as such his priests
  are often involved in considerable works of
  charity. Socialist Paladins dedicated to
  Redken are often found, in times, of war
  supporting conscript units. In such a role
  they often restrict their armour and weap-
  ons to the median equipment borne by
  their units, excepting when they have
  potent magical items that could best be
  applied to the furtherance of the unit's
  military success.
  Demos
  Neutral God of Democracy and Rumours
  A less popular god, Demos seeks to
  advocate principles of democracy that are
  appropriate to the wealth, education status
  and population size of a government. They
  seek a balance – sometimes recommend-
  ing that democracy be scaled back until a
  country is ready for it. Generally priest of
  Demos seek to ensure that people who are
  fit to decide and express personally their
  own views influence government.
  The Iron Lady
  Chaotic Goddess of Commerce 
  and Choice
  A goddess popular with merchants and the
  rich, the Iron Lady stands for better govern-
  ment through freedom for all in the way
  they spend their wealth. This is held by her
  priests to benefit the whole of society, even
  the poorest that have the least ability to
  chose under such a system. She is also a
  goddess of rain, which her priests use as a
  metaphor of the benefit of wealth to all
  through the "trickle down" effect.
  Hatton
  Chaotic God of Revolution
  A god supported by those that seek
  change, Hatton is the god of revolution and
  violent changes. His priests travel through-
  out the land seeking to encourage populat-
  ion to seek a "better" form of government.
  Generally thought they always seem to
  advocate a form different to the one current
  one that is in place. They are unafraid to
  advocate war and espionage to further
  their goals, which are not coordinated at all
  – often drawing fellow priests into confront-
  ations with each other.
  �
  Governing Gods
  4
  OD&DITIES 
  �  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
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                                                                                  Guy Robinson
          hen people design     
          pantheons for OD&D
  people can often forget
  how different forms of
  �
  JW
      The Iron 
      Lady
  
  Introduction
        Determining combat initiative in the
  official OD&D rules is a straightforward
  matter: every round, each side rolls 1d6,
  and the side with the highest result goes
  first (RC/102). Optionally, the DM may
  allow for individual initiative using the same
  1d6 method, perhaps further granting that
  the die result is modified by the combat-
  ant's Dexterity score. Like most other rules
  in OD&D, the system is easy to learn and
  quick to use, but somewhat short on
  realism. Not that the system needs to be
  trashed, but it could stand the influx of
  some tension—something to make deter-
  mining initiative more than a simple back-
  and-forth routine of d6 tosses. This article
  suggests an alternative initiative system
  that maintains the random element of a die
  roll while making realistic allowances for
  combatant ability. In the process, the
  system allows a granulated view of the
  individual actions taken during an chaotic
  combat round.
  Determining Initiative
        As in the official rules, initiative is
  determined at the start of every combat
  round, but is arbitrated via 1d12 rolled by
  each combatant. In all cases, the d12
  result is modified by the combatant's
  Initiative Rating (IR), a relatively static
  modifier (see below) that reflects circum-
  stantial conditions such as Dexterity,
  weapon size, attacker size, and attack
  type. The actual initiative result, then, is the
  d12 roll plus the combatant's IR. 
        Once initiative is determined, combat
  actions may begin, starting with the
  combatant who possesses the highest
  initiative result, whose action is resolved
  immediately. The combatant with the next
  lowest initiative result resolves his action
  next, then the combatant with the next
  lowest initiative result, and so on. Because  
  actions occur in "real time" (i.e., they are
  resolved immediately in the order of high-
  est initiative results to lowest), it is possible
  for a slow combatant to be knocked out of
  a fight or incapacitated before he can act.
  Regardless of the actual initiative results,
  the numeric difference between initiative
  results of different combatants, or how
  many combatants are in the fight, all comb-
  at actions occur in the same combat round
  (unless an action chosen normally consum-
  es more than one round). Remember that a
  combatant may move up to his encounter
  speed and still attack (RC/103). While the
  system works best with individual initiative
  rolls, and individual PCs should always roll
  their own initiative, the DM may allow group
  initiative rolls if the number of PC foes is
  unwieldy. For example, if a party of four
  PCs encounters an ogre and five orcs,
  each of the PCs would roll their own initiat-
  ive and the DM could probably manage the
  six initiative rolls for the ogre and the orcs.
  If the same party encounters a pack of 14
  giant rats herded by 3 kobold guards,
  however, the DM would probably make
  only two initiative rolls: one for the rats and
  one for the kobolds.
   
  Initiative Rating
        A combatant's Initiative Rating (IR) is a
  reflection of how rapidly he may act during
  a combat round. As such, IR reflects weap-
  on skill, size, Dexterity, and attack mode.
  Typical modifiers are shown on Table 1; all
  are cumulative:
        For convenience and easy look-ups,
  players and DMs should note beforehand a
  combatant's IR for size and dexterity. This
  way, the number is always handy as a
  "permanent" modifier to initiative rolls, to be
  further modified by attack type or combat
  action chosen.
        Below are some examples, using the IR
  modifiers above: 
  � Human Fighter with DEX 13 and Skilled
  mastery in the short sword: IR = +3 [+0
  (Medium attacker) +1 (DEX adj.) +0
  (Skilled mastery) +2 (weapon size) = +3] 
  � Human Fighter, as above, swapping his
  short sword for a halberd (BA mastery):
  IR = -6 [+0 (Medium attacker) +1 (DEX
  adj.) -2 (Basic mastery) -3 (weapon size)
  -2 (changing weapon) = -6] 
  Continued on page 28 ...
  First Strike
  5
  OD&DITIES 
  �  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Table 1: Initiative Rating
  - spell level
  Cast Spell
  -3
  Weapon Size: L
  var.
  Dexterity Adjustment
  0
  Weapon Size: M
  -1
  Magic Item Use
  2
  Weapon Size: S
  -2
  Changed Weapon
  3
  Weapon Mastery: GM
  -4
  Attacker Size: G
  2
  Weapon Mastery: MS
  -2
  Attacker Size: L
  1
  Weapon Mastery: EX
  0
  Attacker Size: M
  0
  Weapon Mastery: SK
  3
  Attacker Size: S
  -2
  Weapon Mastery: BA
  5
  Attacker Size: T
  -4
  Weapon Mastery: UN
  Modifier
  Condition
  Modifier
  Condition
  �������
  ������
  How to get the
  jump on initiative rolls
  in OD&D Combat
  Erin D. Smale
  
  his expansive, one-storey
  brick building sits at a quiet
  intersection. The establish-
  ment's tall, narrow windows
  are bracketed with brightly
  painted shutters, and beneath each one is
  a flower box filled with violets, pansies, and
  forget-me-nots.  The stout, oak door,
  painted a brilliant sky blue, is decorated
  with an ornate bell-pull (whose chimes
  were hand-crafted in Ochalea), but regular
  patrons know enough to just walk in.
        Inside, the wood-panelled walls have
  been stained to a honey-brown colour, and
  at regular intervals there are small, tasteful
  paintings of country scenes, and mounted
  shelves holding anywhere from one to four
  books, most of which show signs of use.
  Interspersed among the shelves are
  carvings of dragons, pegasi, griffons, and
  other fantastic beasts, all of which hold
  fist-sized glass spheres – these provide
  magical light after the sun sets, and their
  gentle golden glow produces a cheery
  atmosphere.  The floor of the main room,
  which takes up about half of the building, is
  covered with a great carpet, whose
  spiraling patterns are a veritable riot of
  colour (a gift from an Ylari emir).  Scattered
  throughout this room are numerous tables
  and chairs, all of which, though in good
  condition, show obvious signs of heavy use
  over the years.  At the far end of the room
  is a long counter and a handful of stools,
  behind which is a simple door.
        Martigan's Rest is open from 6:00 am
  to midnight, seven days a week.  The
  proprietor, an average-looking, fortyish
  woman who calls herself Martigan, decided
  to open a casual lounge where those of her
  profession – magic users – might
  congregate for tea, coffee, liqueurs, and
  other reasonably priced light fare while 
  sharing news, spells, and other
  information.  Non-spellcasters are of 
  course welcome (their money is as good as
  anyone else's), but those who know about
  Martigan's preferred clientele tend to stay
  away.  Martigan herself is a very pleasant 
  woman, who will think nothing of taking a 
  half hour or more to chat with newcomers
  about her business, sights to see in the
  city, and any rumours that she thinks they
  might be interested in hearing; her capable
  assistants, two young women named Aldea
  and Catherine, are more than capable of
  handling the patrons if their employer is
  occupied (they are both low-level magic
  users, though they will not reveal their
  abilities unless an emergency arises).
        Although Martigan does not advertise,
  her establishment is known to traveling
  mages far and wide, and most of what is
  said about her business is positive.
  Martigan's Rest is known as a comfortable
  rest stop, a place where wizards and their
  companions may relax for a few hours.
  There are only two rules that Martigan
  enforces – patrons must not duel on the
  premises, and they may not solicit
  business from other patrons, unless invited
  by that person to sit with them first.  Failure
  to comply with the first rule will result in
  banishment for life; violation of the second
  rule result in banishment for at least one
  year – no exceptions.  This is to ensure
  that those who wish to enjoy a few hours of
  safety and solitude will get it.  In all the
  years Martigan's Rest has been open,
  there have been no duels, and only one
  person was thrown out for soliciting.
        Martigan herself is a veritable fount of
  information about local history, and she
  traveled extensively in her youth, such that,
  if presented with a strange object, she has
  a fair chance of identifying it.  Also, the
  books in the main room may contain lore
  that might be of interest to the PCs –
  Martigan is more than willing to sell one of
  them, should she be asked about them.  In 
  this case, the DM should decide
  beforehand what the books are about, but
  some sample titles are below:
    "The Habitat and Customs of the 
    Green Dragon", by Thurmond Redbeard.
    "Alchemy Made Easy", by Giovanni Storti.
     
     "Legends of the Sea of Dread", by Julius  
    Severnus.
     "The Cult of the Black Worm", by anon.
     "The Rise and Fall of the Eastwind
     Dynasty", by Edwin Linton.
        The remainder of the building, which
  patrons are not permitted to see, consists
  of the kitchen (accessible through the door
  behind the counter), where Martigan and
  her employees prepare the food that is
  served, as well as living quarters for the
  three women (all comfortably appointed
  rooms), a small indoor privy, and a narrow
  staircase leading down to a root cellar.  In
  the cellar, Martigan keeps several sacks of
  potatoes, apples, and other perishables
  that can be placed in cold storage.  Hidden
  away in one corner is a small wine rack,
  containing vintages from around the Known
  World.
  Adventure Hooks
  �
  Martigan's Rest is a good place for
  adventuring parties to acquire information
  about legends, which may turn into
  opportunities for adventure. As mentioned
  above, Martigan herself is an excellent
  source of such information, and, provided
  the PCs behave themselves, she will
  provide it free of charge; frequent patrons
  will find her more forthcoming about such
  things, of course.  Regardless, polite PCs
  will find Martigan's Rest to be a convenient
  sanctuary, if only for a few hours.
  �
  Low- to medium-level PC magic users
  will also benefit from the informal
  spellcasters market that exists here; if
  invited to join another mage at his or her
  table, PCs may be able to buy, sell, or
  trade spells, and obtain information about
  new areas of research.  Prices, and what
  constitutes a "fair exchange", are best
  determined through reaction rolls, and
  roleplaying.  If a PC magic user plays his or
  her cards right, they may end up with a
  mentor for a time. 
  Continued on page 27 ...
  Street of a Thousand Adventures
  6
  OD&DITIES 
  �  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Street of a Thousand Adventures:
               ar   tigan’s         est 
                                                                                                                               
  �
  �Geoff Gander  
  �
  
  History
       Hither and Yon were commissioned a
  century ago by one Elbrolac, a cold,
  ruthless assassin for hire operating from
  the free city of Port Jansor. Elbrolac,
  known also as Jansor's Scourge, slew no
  less than three score minor nobles and well
  known politicians during his short but
  pestilent career. In what some posit a bid
  to incite war with neighbouring Nadoria,
  Elbrolac was hired to commit a wave of
  politically motivated slayings in which he
  wielded Hither and Yon with a deadly
  efficiency that culminated in the bold
  murder of Port Jansor's popular Lord
  Mayor. 
       The assassination incited unanticipated
  outrage, and Elbrolac, who sought to flee
  Port Jansor, was foiled through the
  renewed vigour of the local constabulary
  and his betrayal by other underworld
  figures who believed that Jansor's Scourge
  had finally gone too far. Within a week of
  the Lord Mayor's death, Elbrolac was
  rooted out and summarily sentenced to
  death. 
       The Silent Square within Port Jansor's
  Founding District is so named for Elbrolac's
  execution, for while he was set on a pyre
  fuelled by Elemental flame, he uttered not
  a sound of protest, spite, or agony whilst
  he burned, instead fixing his gaze firmly
  upon a rising sun of full, radiant glory.
  Elbrolac's ashes were left to wash away in
  the rain, and his fearsome blades were
  sequestered in the City Treasury. During a
  robbery some 25 years ago, the blades
  were stolen—amongst other treasures—by
  what most believe to be remnants of
  Elbrolac's now dormant sect. No account of
  their use has surfaced, and their present
  location is today unknown.
  Appearance and Powers
       Hither is a short sword +2 with a worn
  handle and nicked blade that radiates a
  faint crimson light when foes of the wielder
  are within 50'; its leather scabbard, worn
  and cracked, bears an Auld Common runic
  inscription: "Outward from Within doth this
  Death-ward blade flow." Yon is a throwing
  dagger of returning +1 that, as its
  companion, appears well used, but returns
  unerringly to its wielder if an intended
  target is missed. These respective powers
  function if either blade is possessed. If a
  thief of any alignment owns both and draws
  them in combat, the thief gains a +1 "to-hit"
  bonus on any backstab attempt as well as
  a +1 AC bonus from the automatic parrying
  effect of either blade in motion.
  Adventure Hooks
       The twain blades Hither and Yon may
  spawn any of the following adventures:
  � Elbrolac's sect is still active and indeed
  possesses the blades; it is possible that
  an encounter with the sect features the
  twain. If the PCs run afoul of the sect, it
  is certain that Hither and Yon will be
  used in an attempt on their lives, which
  may grant witness to some measure of
  the blades' powers (whetting, no doubt,
  the appetite of any PC thief).
  � News that one of the PCs owns the pair
  reaches Elbrolac's sect, which sends
  out some muscle to reclaim the blades.
  If these thugs are defeated, the sect
  sends progressively stronger bounty
  hunters to divest the PC of the pair.
  � One of the blades is stolen or lost, and
  the (N)PC owner naturally wants it
  returned (since both are required for full
  effect). While the PCs are hunting for
  the missing blade, the original thief
  attempts to steal the other.
  � The (N)PC owner of the blades is losing
  sleep, haunted by nightmares populated
  by the spirits of those slain by Elbrolac.
  At first, no obvious connection between
  the nightmares and the weapons exists,
  but the longer the owner possesses and
  uses the blades, the more alarming the
  dreams become. Eventually, the owner
  sees sad and angry spirits during wak-
  ing hours, suffering constant torment
  until the blades are either destroyed or
  the spirits are mollified.
  � As above, but the nightmares feature
  Elbrolac, who disapproves of the current
  owner. The nightmares and visions stop
  only after the PCs find the Elbrolac's
  tomb, constructed in the sewers benea-
  th Port Jansor's Silent Square by loyal
  sect members after Elbrolac's execut-
  ion. Of course, Elbrolac's undead form
  must be defeated to stop the visions.   
  
  Some Enchanted Item
  7
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Some Enchanted Item
  Hither and Yon: A mated pair of nefarious blades
  Erin D. Smale
  Some Enchanted Item features a unique magic item in each issue of OD&DITIES, complete with a loose
  historical context that may be adapted easily to any OD&D campaign and adventure hooks wherein the item
  itself can be central to game play. In our first instalment, we'll take a look at Hither and Yon, a mated pair of
  blades possessing a powerful punch and a dark past.
  JW
  Hither and Yon 
  
  An interview with Gary Gygax
  8
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Introduction by Ciro Alessandro Sacco     
        As many, many gamers around the world and especially Italian ones, I have always hoped to have
  the privilege to meet Gary Gygax, the co creator of Dungeons & Dragons and creator of the Advanced
  Dungeons & Dragons game. My hopes were at last satisfied when Gary Gygax came in Italy in 1999,
  for the Mod Con gaming convention: unfortunately, the large (and growing!) queue of fans eager to
  have their D&D products signed by him forced me to avoid any questions (nonetheless I have a D&D
  Basic Set and a B2 module signed by him!). Then this year on the excellent web site EN World
  (www.enworld.org) Gary Gygax started a long thread about himself, his projects and everything else
  that might be imagined by gamers. I was extremely pleased to see how easygoing, friendly and access-
  ible Gary is to his/her fans, so I gathered my courage and finally asked him for an interview, an inter-
  view that quickly grew in size to seven pages of questions(!) due to the long research in magazines as
  "White Dwarf", "Dragon", "Space Gamer", catalogues and Gary's biography and bibliography. I want to
  add that Gary and myself edited the interview. I'm really proud of this little cooperative effort with the
  Father of D&D/AD&D and one of the nicest, open and less pretentious people I have ever met in all the
  facets of life. The fact he accepted to spend so much time on the interview, despite his busy schedule,
  it's the best proof of this.
  Introduction by Gary Gygax
        Here I must insert my own introductory comment. The laundry list of questions that follow were not
  initially well received by me. What a chore, I thought, as I looked through the lot. Of course many of the
  inquiries need be answered in greater detail that has been furnished; but the fact is that I have to earn a
  living writing, so the time called for to respond fully is just not possible save by being taken in bits and
  pieces over a period of weeks. Although I have gone to some lengths in several areas to supply as full
  an explanation as possible, all things considered, I am not totally satisfied. While I enjoy communica-
  ting with my fellow gamers, there are limits to the extent I can do so in this sort of interview. If you find
  my answers incomplete or unsatisfactory, sorry: I did what time allows just now, as Ciro can't wait
  forever for my response. Contact him about this and possibly he'll compile another list. Then I will
  groan, grumble at him, and eventually answer those new questions too, most likely. Allow me to add
  that Mr. Ciro Alessandro Sacco has clearly spent a lot of time researching and preparing his questions.
  Because of that, I made a greater effort than usual to answer as fully as I was able. Be sure to thank
  Ciro for this, as he deserves lauds for his penetrating questions covering subjects seldom if ever
  touched on by other interviewers.
  Introduction by Richard Tongue
        I would just like to thank both Ciro and Gary for being allowed to publish this interview, which I think
  is the most complete one I have ever seen, and certainly the most interesting, in OD&DITIES. The
  interview will appear in two parts, the next slated for OD&DITIES Ten. Enjoy!
    An in t e r v i e w wi t h
  Ga ry
        Gyga x
    
     Introduction
  
  Gary Gygax, The Man
       Does that mean you think I have grown
  up? Wrong!
  Could you please tell us about
  yourself: age, hobbies outside gaming,
  how did you discover gaming in first
  place and so on?
       I was born 27 July 1938 in Chicago,
  Illinois. It was there that learned to play
  games: pinochle at age five and chess at
  age six. Of course, playing with toy
  soldiers, "ruleless military miniatures" if
  you will, occupied a good bit of my time
  then too, with blocks and Tinker Toys
  adorning the battlefield. My family
  removed to Lake Geneva in the summer
  of 1946. Later on there, various board
  games and chess variants were added,
  while in my teens we tried some simple
  rules, along with ladyfinger firecrackers
  fired from Britons cannons, to add some
  order to games with toy soldiers. That was
  not a success. Finally, in 1958 I came
  upon The Avalon Hill Company's board
  wargame, "Gettysburg". That sealed my
  fate, for thereafter I was a wargamer and
  eventually a gamer in the larger sense.
       Hobbies of the past include stamp
  collecting, tropical fish, small animal keep-
  ing, hunting, fishing, hiking and camping.
  Along with reading a fair number of books
  of fiction and non-fiction, listening to
  music (classical, blues, Spanish, and
  modern jazz the favourites), that pretty
  well covers my leisure time activities.
  I noticed a 'paranormal experiences'
  section in your biography: do you
  really believe in the paranormal? 
       Of course there is the paranormal. To
  deny it is to flout reason. There are things
  that happen that cannot be explained by
  any scientific means. Some of that is
  paranormal. Exactly what is paranormal,
  what isn't, I'll leave to those who worry
  about such things. I do know, for example,
  that things have happened to me that
  have no rational or scientific explanation
  and those I consider as outside the
  known: paranormal.
  Reading your biography, I noticed you
  did some work in the boardgaming
  field, especially for Avalon Hill. How
  this experience started? Was it an
  interesting one? Did you attempt to sell
  D&D to them?
        The game you speak of, "Alexander
  the Great", along with another board
  wargame, "Dunkirk" (the invasion of
  France and the Low Countries in 1940),
  were originally published by a small game
  company, Guidon, or which you have a
  question abut later on. When that
  company went out of business, Avalon Hill
  contacted me to secure an agreement to
  revise and publish the Alexander game.
  As I had been a fan, then became a friend
  of, Tom Shaw, then the V.P of Avalon Hill,
  and his assistant was Don Greenwood, a
  gamer I had known for some years via
  postal exchange and he being a member
  of association I had co-founded, the
  International Federation of Wargamers,
  working with them was quite pleasant.
       One of the most satisfying compl-
  iments I ever received was from one of
  the principals of Game Designer's
  Workshop, that laud in regards to the
  detail of the Order of Battle of the forces
  involved in the "Dunkirk" game. Since
  originally designing it, I have done more
  research, corrected some errors I
  discovered in the German OB, and one
  day I would very much like to see the
  campaign in play as a computer game.
       In the summer of 1973, before my old
  friend, Don Kaye, joined me to found
  Tactical Studies Rules, I did indeed call
  Avalon Hill and ask if they might be
  interested in publishing the game that was
  to be known as D&D. They laughed at the
  idea, turned it down. In 1975 Tom called
  back to ask if maybe they could take over
  publication. It was my turn to laugh. After
  that we laughed together about the whole
  affair when we met at various gaming
  conventions.
       One last thing. I did another board
  wargame, this one published by TSR. In
  1976 we released my "Little Big Horn"
  game, the tactical conflict between the 7th
  Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong
  Custer and the various 'Sioux' and allied
  Indian tribes. Two other small publishers
  likewise introduced their own like games
  at Origins that year, as it was the 100th
  anniversary of the battle. Of course, all
  three companies suffered sales-wise, as
  interested gamers were divided.  The LBH
  game was actually quite accurate, and the
  Cavalry had a fair chance to triumph, just
  as Custer had hoped — if they stayed
  together and had their pack train with
  ammunition with them.
       In the same biography I read: "Editor-
  in-Chief, Guidon Games (publisher of war-
  gaming rules and wargames)". What kind
  of company was Guidon Games? An am-
  ateur publisher or a professional one? Did
  Guidon Games pay you for your work?
  Guidon Games had a game shop, sold
  gaming via the mail, published a
  magazine and likewise printed and sold
  military miniatures rulebooks and
  boxed board wargames.They were
  small but certainly a legitimate
  company (I dislike using 'professional',
  as they professed nothing: they were a
  commercial enterprise). I was paid for
  the work I did for them, yes. Unfortunat-
  ely, sales volume did not make the
  income received thus sufficient to do
  more than supplement income from
  other work. I was asked to go to work
  for them full time. That would have
  required me to move to the state of
  Maine. Tom Wham did so, but I thought
  their new location was a poor choice.
  Furthermore, the company was not run
  in an aggressive and responsive
  manner. In my opinion there was no
  chance for growth and success as
  things stood and I said so to Guidon.
  Sadly, I was correct in my judgement.
  On the positive side, it was then (1972)
  that I determined I needed to start my
  own publishing company.
       At the time were your various efforts
  enough to support you and your family
  or were you forced to have a 'real job'
  outside the gaming field? 
       As noted, I had to do various other
  work after leaving the insurance under-
  writing and sales field late in 1970. In
  order to have a job where I could work at
  home, have as much opportunity as poss-
  ible to devote to game design and writing,
  I learned shoe repair, acquired the nec-
  essary equipment and began doing such
  trade from my residence. That was some-
  thing of a sacrifice, as the sand table in
  my basement had to move to make room
  for machinery, but that big table found a
  home in Don Kaye's garage.  It was not
  until the middle of 1975 that income from
  game-related work was sufficient to
  provide my entire income, that money
  needed to support myself and my family.
  How big was the gaming market in the
  '70s? I gather that Avalon Hill and then
  SPI were THE publishers of the age
  with a mainly historical line – the first
  efforts in the fantasy and SF field seem
  to start really with the publication of
  "Godsfire" by Metagaming... Is this
  correct?
       No accurate data regarding the size of
  the consumer audience for board
  wargames and military miniatures in the 
  An interview with Gary Gygax
  9
  OD&DITIES 
  
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  
  1960s (when I became active) and in the
  early 1970s is known to me. My consider-
  ed estimate for the consumer audience
  the USA and Canada during that period is
  from 100,000 to 150,000, this including
  "Diplomacy" game players. Avalon Hill
  was far and away the largest publisher
  back then. SPI eventually moved into
  second place in the early 1970s.
        As for Metagaming Concepts, I don't
  recall them being active before 1975 or
  1976 (we sold/distributed their product
  line for a time). D&D was certainly the first
  fantasy game that achieved any success,
  and that was followed by "Traveller" (the
  first big sci-fi role playing game N.d.R.)
  from GDW. I think it was after the success
  of D&D that efforts to publish other fanta-
  sy, SF, and general RPGs were begin. Of
  course I am going back nearly 30 years
  and my recollection might be faulty…
  TSR and the birth 
  of D&D
       Actually, the D&D game was
  conceived and written about a year before
  we formed a partnership, had a company
  aimed at publishing it.
  Surely this question has been asked
  you a zillion times, but, for the benefit
  of our Italian readers, could you kindly
  tell it once more? How was D&D born?
        I wrote a 50-page manuscript that I
  titled "The Fantasy Game" late in 1972.
  Much of the content of the game was
  drawn straight from "Chainmail - Rules for
  Medieval Military Miniatures", the
  "Man-to-Man" and "Fantasy Supplement"
  portions that I had authored, to be exact.
  This manuscript was sent in the mail to a
  dozen or so of my wargaming associated
  around the USA for their play testing and
  feedback. The reception was
  overwhelming and all positive.   In the
  spring of 1973 I revised the material to
  150-page length — essentially what was
  printed as the D&D game's three rules
  booklets in January 1974. This draft of the
  game was sent out to about 30 people
  and the reaction was so intense that I was
  sure we had a winning game. As an
  aside, at that point I thought we would sell
  at least 50,000 copies to wargamers and
  fantasy fans. I underestimated the
  audience a little… It wasn't until the
  middle of 1975 that the true scope of the
  appeal of the "Dungeons & Dragons"
  game was understood by me.
        As to how I conceived and wrote the 
  game in the first place, that would take
  many pages to explain, so I won't go into
  it other than to say it was the culmination
  of more than 30 years of living and doing
  that enabled the process.
  In your FAQ you write "1973: Gary and
  Don Kaye form Tactical Studies Rules,
  an equal partnership" and then "1974:
  Brian Blume is admitted as an equal
  (1/3) partner". Did both of you admit a
  new partner to help financing the
  publication of D&D? 
       As an introductory explanation and a
  matter of possible interest to your
  readers, Don Kaye was a childhood
  friend. As a boy under age eight, I spent
  most of the summer in Lake Geneva. I
  met Don there when I was six years old.
  He was a friend of my usual playmate
  there, John Rasch, who lived next door.
  When my family moved to Lake Geneva
  permanently, when I was eight, Don was a
  year-round buddy. We bicycled, camped,
  gamed, and generally 'hung out' together
  from then on — with a lot of other lads of
  course. Unlike me, Don was a good
  student and he encouraged me, without
  much success, to pay more attention to
  studies. He is greatly missed…
       Don and I wanted to get the D&D
  game out as soon as possible. If we had
  waited until sales of our one set of military
  miniatures rules, "Cavaliers &
  Roundheads", generated sufficient funds,
  it would have been 1975 before we could
  publish.
  I know that 1,000 copies of D&D were
  initially produced, the fabled First
  Edition. Is it true that you and your
  partners personally assembled every
  copy and then shipped them to
  customers and distributors?
  It is absolutely true. We wet and stuck the
  front and spine labels on the boxes,
  collated the reference sheets, folded them
  and placed them in the box, then collated
  the three booklets, put them in, closed the
  box, and set the completed game on a
  shelf. That goes for the second printing in
  browns boxes also, 2,000 copies run in
  October of 1974. The next run of 3,300
  was sold in white wrapped pre-printed
  boxes, but hand assembly was also done,
  that in the basement of the house I lived
  in. In fact, I personally toted all the
  cartons of booklets, 9,000 in all, from the
  truck tailgate down into the basement
  storeroom. It was a hot June day in 1975
  that I remember well today.
        After that run we found a printer to do
  all assembly, ran 25,000 late that summer
  for delivery to the building we were in
  process of acquiring to house the
  business.
  Regarding distributors, what were your
  distribution channels at the time? I
  suppose that wholesalers were mainly
  in the historical gaming business –
  what was their reaction to this new
  weird game based on fantasy and with
  no board or counters? 
       At inception, Tactical Studies Rules
  sold direct to consumers, shipped to
  game shops and hobby stores and
  wholesaled only to three distributors.
  Interestingly, those three were all
  manufacturers of miniature figurines.
  Those "distributors" ordered in small
  quantities, 25s and 50s.  In 1975 we
  picked up one or two real distributors.
  Joining the Hobby Industry Association of
  America and exhibiting at their annual
  trade show in 1976, TSR Hobbies, Inc.
  then began to establish a regular network
  of distributors.
  How long did it take to sell these first
  1,000 copies? What was the feedback
  from gamers? Is it true that you
  received many phone calls during the
  night to clarify some obscure aspect of
  the rules?
       The first sale was an individual copy to
  a gamer and it was mailed off at the end
  of January. The initial print run of 1,000
  copies took seven months to sell out —
  February through September 1974. We
  received the second printing of the D&D
  game in October 1974, shipped those
  beginning in November. Those were out
  of stock by May and in June we received
  the print run of 3,000 copies noted above.
  Heritage Models did the printing, and their
  charge for the job was covered in their
  over-run of 300 copies, these they sold to
  shops. The arrangement worked well for
  us, as cash flow was always a problem.
        Parenthetically, photostat copies of
  the manuscript rules were made, and
  when the commercial game was
  published, fans not willing or financially
  unable to expend the princely sum of $10
  for the product did likewise, copying the
  material on school (mainly
  college/university) machines. We were
  well aware of this, and many gamers who
  had spent their hard-earned money to buy
  the game were more irate than we were.
  In all, though, the "pirate" material was 
  An interview with Gary Gygax
  10
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  
  more helpful that not. Many new fans
  were made by DMs who were using such
  copies to run their games.
  From the end of 1972 on I received much
  mail and many phone calls. Unlike my
  current schedule, in those days I did a lot
  of work late at night, and many a tele-
  phone call was received after midnight. I
  recall one enthusiastic young DM who
  "took me on a phone adventure" that
  lasted two hours, concluding well after 2
  AM, so he could test both his DMing
  ability and his material. Of course most of
  the calls were in regards to rules quest-
  ions or inquiries about how best to handle
  some aspect of game mastering. As the
  number of enthusiasts grew, I finally had
  to have my telephone number "unlisted,"
  or else I would have had to spend most of
  each day talking to DMs and players.
  Gary Gygax and Dave
  Arneson 
       Not a lot to say here, as it has been
  over 20 years since Dave and I had much
  to do with each other…
  What was exactly the role of Dave
  Arneson in the creation of D&D? In his
  www.castleblackmoor.com web site,
  Dave defines himself 'the father of role
  playing'.
       As Dave noted in his interview in
  "Different Worlds" #3, I wrote the whole of
  the D&D game.  Arneson contributed
  ideas for the D&D game. Also, some of
  the contents of the D&D Game
  supplement, "Blackmoor", contained his
  concepts and writing, as developed and
  edited by Tim Kask. As for paternal claims
  to roleplaying, well, if Dave wishes to call
  himself that, okay. That's his affair. He
  must be very old, though, because as far
  as I can tell, roleplaying began about the
  time children in past historical ages
  played "let's pretend" games…
       For my part I am satisfied with
  whatever credits others care to assign to
  me and I believe my work speaks amply
  for itself.
  Was Dave Arneson's role recognized
  by TSR Hobbies? How many times did
  he sue TSR Inc.? I remember hearing
  from Peter Adkison in 1997 that he had
  finally settled the last suit of Dave
  against TSR Inc.
       As to Arnesons's role in the creation of
  D&D, Tactical Studies Rules (actually me
  in this case) listed his name on the
  product, right? His name continued to be
  so shown when Tactical Studies Rules
  was acquired by TSR Hobbies, Inc.  He
  received royalties according to his
  contract. The "Blackmoor" supplement
  was published and promoted. That
  answers that question fully I should think.
       Only one legal action was filed by
  Dave against TSR. That never went to
  court, was settled.
       What Peter Adkison was referring to, I
  am sure, is the acquisition of certain
  remaining rights held by Arneson in the
  D&D game. There was no litigation
  involved, of that I am sure.  WotC made
  Dave Arneson an offer for residual rights,
  he accepted, and that was that. I speak
  with authority here, because thereafter the
  same process acquired the residual rights
  I held.
  What is your relationship with Dave
  Arneson now? 
       As far as I am concerned, one might
  characterize the relationship between
  Dave and me as distant but cordial. We
  are separated by distance and approach
  to gaming. We have no interaction in
  gaming or casual communication, but
  when we meet we enjoy a pleasant
  exchange. As a matter of fact, if Dave
  were to be running a miniatures game at a
  convention I was attending, I would make
  an effort to play in it.
  The facts about the
  recalled D&D module
       A bizarre affair indeed, that!
  The D&D module B3 Palace of the
  Silver Princess was published in two
  versions, one with an Orange cover
  (written by Jean Wells) and another
  one with a Green cover (rewritten by
  Tom Moldvay and published in Italian
  too). Legend has that you ordered the
  recall of the Orange version because
  you considered the artwork question-
  able in many cases and that the entire
  print run was destroyed, excluding for
  a box of 75 copies tossed in the trash
  (and quietly taken away in the night)
  and some unreturned employees'
  copies. This module is one of the most
  sought after by collectors and of
  course it can command very high
  prices. What is the truth about this
  module?
       You ask the man who decided on the
  'Amazon" and "Temptress" illos in original
  D&D, the "Eldritch Wizardry" supplement
  cover about something in the artwork in
  Jean Well's module being 'objectionable'?
  I am quite at a loss as to how to
  respond….
       Actually, it was Kevin Blume who
  literally pitched a fit about the product,
  demanded it be recalled. I had no input
  into the matter and I would have quashed
  his objection had I been able to do so.
  The fact is, though, that there were three
  persons on the Board of Directors of the
  company—Brian Blume, Kevin Blume and
  me. Similarly, while I was the President
  and CEO, Brian placed himself in charge
  of creative affairs, as President of that
  activity, while Kevin was President of all
  other operations. This effectively boxed
  me off into a powerless role. If a
  'President' under me did something I
  didn't like, my only recourse would be to
  take the matter to the Board of Directors
  where I would be outvoted two to one.
  The many faces of
  TSR
       From my perspective, those "faces'
  were all pretty ugly from about 1981 on…
  The first company you were partner in
  was Tactical Studies Rules but, as you
  write in your own FAQ "1976: Don dies
  of a heart attack in January. His wife is
  impossible to deal with. TSR Hobbies
  Inc. is formed, and this corporation
  buys out Don's widow". I remember
  reading that Don Kaye was instrument-
  al in the D&D publication, having
  cashed an insurance policy to have
  money enough for printing the first
  1,000 copies. Is this true? Do you think
  if Don Kaye had not passed on, things
  would have evolved in a different way? 
       Don Kaye borrowed against a life
  insurance policy he had, the sum drawn
  out being $1,000.
       There is no question in my mind that
  had Don Kaye lived, the whole course of
  later events at TSR would have been
  altered radically. Don was not only a very
  intelligent guy, a gamer, but he was also
  one who was not given to allowing the
  prospect of greater profits to cloud his
  judgement in regards the long-term
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  viability of the enterprise he co-founded,
  was so proud of.
  As it's written in your biography, from
  1976 to 1983 you were President of
  TSR Hobbies despite Brian and Melvin
  Blume having the 65% and then the
  70% of company's shares. Were the
  relations between you and the Blumes
  good or at least tolerable? Did they
  give you directions about the
  company's evolution and business
  strategy or did you set them by
  yourself?
       Melvin Blume was Brian's father. He
  purchased shares in the corporation.
  Then, at Brian's insistence, I agreed that
  Kevin, a younger brother of Brian then
  managing the accounting and fulfilment
  operations at TSR, be allowed to own
  those shares. They were duly transferred
  and then Kevin became a member of the
  Board of Directors.
       I have spoken earlier of the structure
  that the Blumes imposed on TSR in 1981.
  As another example of things before then,
  late 1979 or early 1980, I issued some
  instructions. When Brian heard what I had
  ordered he shouted loudly for all to hear:
  «I don't care what Gary said. I own
  controlling interest in this company and it
  will be done the way I say!». I should have
  parted ways with TSR then and there, but
  I still had a lot of loyalty to the company
  and the vision upon which it had been
  created. Anyway, from that point on, I had
  little control, and in general what I desired
  be done was ignored or the exact
  opposite was put in place.
  I know that in those first years D&D
  and RPGs enjoyed a phenomenal
  growth and TSR Hobbies experienced
  booming sales not only in the US but in
  various other countries too. At its peak
  TSR, Inc. (successor of TSR Hobbies)
  employed over 300 staffers according
  to The Space Gamer # 69 (May – June
  1984). The famous 'James Dallas
  Egbert III case' seemed to have a
  decisive role for the media coverage of
  the game and the booming of sales
  thereafter. Could you describe to our
  readers this case and its
  consequences?
       James Dallas Egbert III was a troubled
  young man who attended university in
  Michigan. I understand that he played the
  D&D game and possibly he and some of
  his associates might have explored some
  tunnels under the university to see if they
  might serve as a place to live roleplay. All
  of that was reported in the news media
  here, but the credibility of the news media
  is suspect.
       There came a time when Egbert
  disappeared from his school and his
  mother called in a private detective, one
  William Dear, to investigate. Mr Dear was
  imaginative, if nothing else, and he
  apparently seized upon the opportunity to
  sensationalize the matter, going so far as
  to suggest that Egbert was lost in the
  steam tunnels or that, because of D&D,
  some foul play might have occurred. The
  news media gave such wild speculation a
  lot of coverage. Then Egbert was
  discovered in Texas where he had gone
  to be with his father.
       Of course the continual press
  coverage of this, their mention of the D&D
  game and its 'dangers' caused sales to
  skyrocket. We couldn't print fast enough
  to fill orders. I had projected growth for the
  year to go from approximately $4.2 million
  to $8.5 million for that fiscal year.
  Because of the 'Egbert Affair', TSR
  grossed $16.5 million. Gross pre-tax profit
  was about $4.25 million. Immediately after
  those results, the Blumes took what was
  effectively total control of TSR. The
  corporation subsequently realized greater
  gross sales, but never thereafter did the
  profit margin come close to that. I did not
  believe in heavy borrowing and expansion
  beyond the means of the corporation to
  manage comfortably out of profits and the
  Blumes did.
       Staff size was also something the
  Blumes seemed to revel in. There were
  indeed over 300 employees in TSR in
  1983 and 1984. They oversaw all
  personnel - human resources as they
  preferred to call it—save for a small
  personal staff of my own doing special
  creative projects and assisting me with my
  duties. Although I did not have any direct
  control of operations, I was still seeing to
  the corporate 'face', directing advertising
  and promotion and generally in the
  forefront where business deals with large
  companies were to be conducted.
  Did you ever read "The Dungeon
  Master" book by Dear, the private
  detective that solved this case? What
  was the book's impact at the time and
  what is your judgement of it?
       No, I never read it. Undoubtedly those
  that did got a rather misleading impress-
  ion of RPGs in general and D&D in
  particular. Any impact that the book in
  question had was minimal in my judge-
  ment. It was the news media, particularly
  TV, which caused real harm to the repute
  of the game with their unfounded
  assertions and gross exaggerations.
  In 1981 you negotiated a distribution
  deal with Random House, the biggest
  US publisher. Did you approach them
  or vice versa? What was the result of
  this deal for TSR Hobbies?
       I was in process of negotiations with
  Simon & Schuster when the woman who
  was then the VP of Sub-rights Licensing
  at Random House telephoned me. Not
  surprisingly, this was instigated by her two
  sons, both of who were then avid D&D
  gamers. When she mentioned that we
  could conclude a deal speedily, get into
  book trade distribution in a matter of
  months, not a year, I immediately booked
  a flight to New York City. After a couple of
  days of meetings we had struck an
  excellent agreement, good for Random
  House and great for TSR, I assure you.
  Along D&D and AD&D, TSR Hobbies
  attempted to diversify publishing many
  board games, for example Divine Right
  (one of the most popular and still one
  of the most sought in the collector's
  market), granting Judges Guild
  licenses to publish products
  'approved' for D&D and AD&D, granting
  Grenadier Models to produce official
  AD&D miniatures and selling licenses
  for a coloring album, party items and
  much more. How many licenses did
  TSR Hobbies sell regarding D&D and
  AD&D? What was the most weird
  product carrying the D&D or AD&D
  logos? I'd go for the party items, but
  you could now better...
       You are lumping apples and oranges
  together here, so I'll divide my answer into
  separate parts.
       TSR did seek to broaden its base of
  games by publishing other RPGs and also
  board games.  Had any of the non-fantasy
  RPGs been properly supported, I an
  certain that each such game would have
  established a fan base and made a small
  but sufficiently ample profit so as to justify
  retaining it as an active line. Similarly, as
  you note, the "Divine Right" game was
  excellent, and had it been promoted and
  managed properly, it too could have
  become a standard title on the TSR
  backlist of games.
       Licensing is another matter entirely. It
  is generally a most desirable thing, as
  contracting with another firm to allow them
  to use trademarks and images to produce
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  OD&DITIES 
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  ancillary products, or place such marks 
  and likenesses on their products, is both
  "free money" and excellent advertising.
  The figurines license granted to Grenadier
  was the first given by TST, as I recall, and
  then a succession of others followed.  The
  license granted to Judge's Guild was,
  admittedly, a lot of work in that products
  had to be carefully reviewed for continuity
  with the AD&D and D&D game systems.
  This was not handled well at TSR, and
  eventually the license was withdrawn.
  Thereafter I strongly advocated arranging
  a licensing agreement with Mayfair Fames
  for their "Role Aids" product line, but I was
  outvoted in the board meeting considering
  the question. A bit later on I was actively
  promoting a merger with Games
  Workshop, but the Blumes managed to
  frighten off Steve Jackson and Ian
  Livingstone. Of course that merger would
  have given those two 25% interest in
  TSR, and the control of the company
  would no longer have rested in the hands
  of Brian and Kevin.  Such are the
  vicissitudes of corporate affairs.
       As for the most unusual product
  licensed, I suppose I'd have to vote for the
  green "Big Wheel" plastic tricycle with a
  dragon head on the front of the handle
  bars (Amazing! N.d.R.). My youngest son,
  Alex, surely did enjoy riding one when he
  was a tot though.
  Exactly, when and for what reasons
  your relationship with the Blumes
  started to degenerate in, forgive me for
  the expression, an all out war for the
  control of the company?
       This has been pretty well answered in
  various responses above. The motivation
  for the Blumes to want to assume control
  was, in my opinion, the money. My receiv-
  ing royalties, small percentages, but
  meaningful when sales volume was taken
  into account, and the recognition given
  mainly to me seemed to have clouded
  their perspective and affected their judge-
  ment most adversely.
  In 1982 TSR Hobbies decided to
  terminate the license to Grenadier
  Models and started producing its own
  AD&D Official miniatures and then a
  line of toys. There was an interview to
  Kevin Blume in The Space Gamer #63
  (May – June 1983) about this subject.
  He said: "We licensed part of our
  AD&D toy line to LJN, a large company
  in our field (...). We retained for
  ourselves anything else that might
  come from Dungeons & Dragons". Why
  TSR Hobbies embarked in such 
  operations in fields already having a lot
  of well-established manufacturers?
  Were such choices part of the reason
  of, I quote your FAQ, "TSR had
  accumulated $1.5 million debt that they
  [the Blumes and others managers]
  couldn't figure out how to pay"?
       Diversification into the manufacture of
  miniature figurines for use with
  role-playing and other games was not a
  bad idea in my opinion.  If the new
  undertaking had been managed properly,
  integrated with the publishing, the
  miniatures line could have been profitable
  and enhanced the corporation's market
  share. That publishing and figurine
  manufacturing, properly integrated and
  supported, function well is well
  demonstrated by the success of Games
  Workshop. That established, I do not
  believe that TSR did manage the matter
  well. However it was not a substantial
  factor in the debt position that the
  corporation found itself in 1984. To the
  best of my knowledge the following are
  the major contributing factors:
       
  
   the Blumes had acquired, without
  approval of the Board of Directors, a craft
  company called Greenfield
  Needlewomen. This company was owned
  by one of their relatives. While military/f
  antasy miniatures might be successfully
  integrated into a game publishing
  company, a line of needlecraft and
  associated products certainly could not.
       
  
   Kevin Blume had overprinted the
  previously successful multiple-path D&D
  adventure books, so that there were in the
  warehouse some millions of copies of
  these various books that could not be
  sold.
       
  
   over a million dollars of systems
  furniture had been purchased or leased,
  and it was sitting unused, unpacked for
  the most part, sufficient for hundreds of
  employees that did not exist.
       
  
   TSR was over-staffed, 300 plus
  employees, while operations needed less
  than 200. Furthermore, there was
  considerable nepotism involved.
       
  
   The corporation owned and leased
  over 70 automobiles.
       There were other egregious things
  contributing to the financial problems of
  the corporation, but the above are the
  salient ones.
  In the same interview, Kevin Blume
  states: "I mean, Mattel would
  desperately love to buy us [TSR
  Hobbies]" and this after 'debunking'
  rumours of you and Duke Siefried 
  leaving TSR Hobbies and forming your 
  own company and the Blumes selling
  remaining shares to Mattel itself. Was
  this true? Were there large
  entertainment and toy corporations
  interested in acquiring TSR Hobbies?
  Considering the company had enjoyed
  such an amazing growth in a few
  years, had some very successful
  product lines, very loyal fans and
  strong brands, the idea itself surely
  had a lot of merit in their eyes
  (especially for Mattel, I suppose).
       TSR had received inquiries about
  acquisition from other corporations for
  several years prior to 1984. As far as I
  know the Blumes were not interested in
  selling.
       I never considered forming another
  company, with or without Duke Siefried.
       As a matter of fact, though, I had been
  contemplating for some time the prospect
  of taking TSR public. When I encouraged
  employees to acquire shares in the corp-
  oration it was because I assumed that the
  company would move into the public
  arena. The Blumes opposed me in this.
       As for interest in acquisition, I offer the
  following factual account.  As the CEO of
  Dungeons & Dragons Entertainment
  Corp. I was meeting with Mr. Sid
  Shineberg, President of Universal in 1984.
  I had made the appointment to discuss a
  motion picture based on the game. In the
  course of that hour-plus long meeting, Mr.
  Shineberg said, and I quote as nearly as
  memory permits, the following: "We would
  like to acquire you (TSR/D&D
  Entertainment), joint venture with you, or
  engage in just about any co-venture you
  name."  Of course I was knocked back on
  my mental heels, but I think I kept a poker
  face. What an opportunity, I thought. Then
  the reality of the Blumes came to cloud
  the rosy vistas I had glimpsed. I thanked
  him, explained that I held only a minority
  ownership in TSR, but assured Mr.
  Shineberg that I would relate Universal's
  interest to the Board of Directors at its
  next monthly meeting. Even as I said that
  I knew there would be no positive
  response from the Blumes. That proved to
  be the case.
       As a positive, though, I took from that
  meeting a positive assurance that
  Universal would give D&D Entertainment
  a very positive look when it came time to
  present a major motion picture project I
  was working on.  Right after the meeting
  with Mr. Shineberg, I met with Orson
  Wells. He subsequently agreed to
  become a part of the project, take the 
  main supporting role. Not many weeks 
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  ater I met with Edgar Gross, then the
  Executive Producer for John Boorman,
  and after another meeting that was
  moving forward too, with a date to be set
  to meet with Mr. Boorman to present the
  script and see if he would produce and
  direct. With that done, all that remained
  was to take the package to Universal,
  meet again with Mr. Shineberg. A very
  strong prospect for getting a deal indeed,
  all that. Before I could go further down
  that road I had to return to Lake Geneva
  because of the financial crisis at TSR
  (1984). This you mention later on, so I'll
  speak no more of that at this point.
       Here I must again digress to provide
  the reader with the background that will
  enable a better understanding of TSR
  under the Blumes. After the
  reorganization where Brian and Kevin
  Blume boxed my position as president
  and CEO into a powerless role, they were
  evidently not completely satisfied. A part
  of that possibly stemmed from the fact
  that by sheer force of personality, along
  with occasional mutterings about leaving
  the company, I managed to stop some of
  their plans and even managed to get
  something I thought wise past them and
  into the works, so to speak.  A part of their
  dissatisfaction might have stemmed from
  their own self-doubts.  Whatever the
  reasons, the Blumes decided that TSR
  must join the American Management
  Association ("AMA"—thankfully now
  defunct).  This was done without my
  approval.  Soon the company was visited
  by their "experts," people who in my
  opinion were likely helpful to widget
  manufacturers and firms providing
  ordinary services. As a matter of fact
  these "experts" had no clue about the
  hobby game field.  That evident lack
  notwithstanding, the Blumes had the AMA
  people assess TSR operations, then give
  all employees 'training' in endless
  meetings, those for the upper tier of
  personnel at expensive resort facilities. I
  attended one only, and my judgement
  was that the whole of the program was
  farcical, nothing but waste.  As I was
  vocal in my opinion, it is likely that that
  solidified the Blumes in their commitment
  to the AMA.
       Their next step was to expand the
  Board of Directors to six, bringing in three
  'outside' directors, all members of the
  AMA. One was a lawyer from a large
  Milwaukee law firm. Another was a
  personnel officer from a Milwaukee area
  company. The third owned a company
  that made medical equipment. I was
  absolutely astonished at such a move.  Of
  course these three directors, brought in 
  and paid because of the Blumes, "suits"
  quite ignorant of hobby gaming and
  generally hostile to the culture I had
  originally created for the company, were
  solidly behind Kevin and Brian and 
  opposed to me.  That I referred to them as
  Moe, Shemp, and Larry likely didn't 
  endear me to them. That those three
  stooges of the Blumes sat on the Board of
  Directors for some two years and
  facilitated the mismanagement of TSR by
  the Blumes in undeniable.
       Whatever I brought before the board
  was likely to be voted down by a five to
  one margin.
       Not long after Williams gained control
  of TSR, she dismissed those stooges.
  They knew I was going to do that the
  instant I gained control, but I do believe
  that they thought Williams would not, as
  they supported her. That, of course is
  typical but very ironic to me, as under her
  management TSR came to far worse
  straits than had occurred under the
  Blumes, albeit it took more time for the
  collapse to occur. When it did, TSR had
  about $30 million in secured debt and
  what I believe was in the neighbourhood
  of at least two or three million of
  unsecured debt, possibly much more. I
  know the secured debt figure, because I
  was an unsecured debtor who was owed
  six figures from the settlement of the suit
  TSR brought against the Dangerous
  Journeys game. I also spoke with an
  author who was owed over a half million
  in royalties.
  The Space Gamer #65 (September/
  October 1983) announced a deep
  'reorganization' of TSR Hobbies  with
  the firing of 40 employees and the birth
  of four companies with the same board
  of directors (you, Brian Blume and
  Kevin Blume) on June, 24. We see the
  birth of TSR, Inc., TSR Ventures, TSR
  International and TSR Entertain- ment
  Corporation. The article refers to
  "financial setbacks in the first half of
  1983" as possible cause of this split.
  Why was this structure put in place?
  Was it effective? We know that TSR
  Entertainment was renamed D&D
  Entertainment Corporation and that it
  was instrumental, with your guidance,
  to the birth of the D&D Cartoon Show
  and that TSR Inc. was 'the' TSR for
  fans and professionals, but what
  happened to the other two companies
  of the group?
       Discharged employees were rehired or
  replaced all too soon. As to the rest, aside
  from the fact that there were six members
  of the BoD, that is essentially correct,
  although I am not quite sure of what '
  financial setbacks' means. As I recall,
  TSR's financial report for 1983 showed 
  over $32 million in gross sales, with a
  marginal profit — very marginal. That was
  not so much a setback as it was a
  demonstration of poor management.
       It might be worth noting that the sales
  manager in position in 1983 pushed a lot 
  of product into outlets that I knew would
  not be able to sell it.  I was vocal about
  this and what I warned against was
  ignored. When returns came in 1984, the
  sales manager had moved on to another
  position, his track record of 'sales
  success' at TSR likely adding much luster
  to his resume…
       I had virtually no input in or knowledge
  of TSR Ventures. I was kept in the dark. It
  was involved in production of plastics and
  toys in the Far East, but beyond that I
  can't say. TSR International was
  established to manage overseas
  business, distribution and sales there,
  licensing and production. When the
  chickens of the Blume mismanagement of
  the corporation came home to roost early
  in 1985, TSR Ventures was folded. Later
  on, when Williams was in control of the
  corporation the same thin happened in
  regards to TSR International and
  Dungeons & Dragons Entertainment
  Corp.
       I can also say that from what I recall
  Kevin and Brian saying, the separate
  corporations were aimed at keeping
  foreign income away from US
  taxation—they were envisioning millions
  and millions of dollars rolling in. The
  ownership of D&D Entertainment
  Corporation was held by the TSR Exempt
  Profit Sharing Trust and, as that trust
  covered in the main Brian and Kevin and
  me, it is likely that this corporation was
  seen as a more or less hidden income
  source by the Blumes.
       When I was instructed by the Blumes
  to move to the West Coast and head up
  TSR Entertainment, the first thing I noted
  out there was a distinct dislike of TSR,
  this from earlier contact with the Blumes,
  as far as I could ascertain. Thus I
  immediately requested the BoD for a
  name change, and I got my way without
  any real fight.  That is likely due to the fact
  that the Blumes considered the operation
  a good way to keep me out of their hair,
  and the name I asked for was a logical
  one considering the recognition factor.   
  
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  Introduction
        Combat sessions in my OD&D camp-
  aign are, no pun intended, a double-edged
  sword. For the players, it's a thrilling oppor-
  tunity to flex their fantasy muscles and
  overcome their characters' foes. For the
  DM (read: me), it's a potentially tedious
  time to consult combat matrices, add up
  modifiers, and umpire "to-hit" rolls. Don't
  get me wrong—combat is an important part
  of the game, and I like a hard-won fantasy
  rumble as much as the next guy. But let's
  not kid ourselves: combat can be a pain,
  because arbitrating it fairly is sometimes
  more work than play. Ironically, as the
  fastest-paced part of OD&D, combat
  probably slows down the game the most.
        Unfortunately, that's the way the
  original game designers paved that partic-
  ular road, and the "official" combat system,
  while largely suited to its task, has some
  serious speed bumps. The relationship
  between the attacking "to-hit" roll and the
  defender's armour class is among the most
  vexing in this respect, simply because it
  takes one of several various tables printed
  in small type to interpret the result of each
  toss of the combat die. If you've played
  OD&D for any length of time, you already
  understand how combat works. But you
  also have an idea of the time required to
  referee a single attack. For most attacks, it
  takes only a few seconds, but there is
  always that attack laden with a slew of
  modifiers, the attack that, for one reason or
  another, takes a disproportionate share of
  time to figure out.
         I don't advocate a complete overhaul
  of the official system, but I do think that
  ways exist to make combat easier to
  arbitrate. If you've every balked at the need
  for your character to roll "higher" to hit a
  "lower" AC numbers, or you've taken the
  time to deliberately memorise which pages
  of the rulebook contain the combat
  matrices, this article may provide a more
  intuitive solution.
  Armour Class
        The first task in streamlining combat is
  to make sense out of armour class values.
  Fundamentally, the idea of AC is good: it's
  a single number used to indicate the
  degree to which a combatant is protected
  from physical blows. As it stands in the
  official rules, however, AC is not exactly
  intuitive: for reasons not entirely known to
  this writer, the original D&D authors chose
  to present armour class in a puzzling
  manner: low AC values are better than high
  AC values. This requires alteration, since
  nearly every other aspect of the game
  promotes high values over low. Indeed,
  even enchanted armour is described with
  magical "plusses" such that, bafflingly, a
  suit of leather +2 provides more protection
  than a suit of leather –1, despite the fact
  that lower numbers are better than higher
  ones. 
         The new AC system described herein
  favours high values, comprised of a base
  AC figure augmented by modifiers that
  represent armour worn, the use of a shield,
  Dexterity adjustments, and other appropr-
  iate factors. The benefit of the system is
  that it accommodates, without the need for
  alteration, all of the existing AC modifiers
  extant within the rules. With little effort, 
  OD&D players and DMs can convert AC
  values from the official system, calculate
  new AC values within the new system, and
  quickly recognise the intuitive value of the
  switch.1
  Base Armour Class
        Base armour class is a being's AC
  value sans protection, or, put another way,
  a being's worst natural AC. In the official
  system, the worst value possible is AC is 9,
  and this represents the base AC for most.
  Those with natural armour (e.g., scales or
  a thick hide) or DEX adjustments possess
  better base AC values. For example, a
  character with a Dexterity score of 16 (a +2
  bonus) has a base AC of 7; a black widow
  spider (RC2/206) has a base AC of 6. 
        To set armour class back on the intuit-
  ive track, upon which high numbers are
  better than low, we need first to convert
  base AC values. Let's assume that there
  exists a deliberate correspondence
  between the d20 "to-hit" roll and the official
  armour class range: namely, that the
  current AC values occupy the d20's low
  side (i.e., 1 to 9). Since we're converting to
  high numbers, we'll look for new AC values
  on the d20's high side, or, more precisely,
  from 11 to 20. 
  Combat sans Matrix
  15
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Combat  sans Matrix
    A rapid "to-hit" arbitration system for OD&D combat
  Erin D. Smale
  JW
  
        To maintain consistency, we'll establish
  that each point below ten in the official AC
  system is counted as a single point above
  10 in the new system. Thus, the base AC 9
  in the official rules becomes a base AC 11
  within the new system. For those with
  improved armour classes, the same form-
  ula applies; a black widow's official AC is 6;
  under this system, base AC becomes 14. 
  Determining Actual AC 
        A combatant's actual armour class is
  determined by applying all normal AC
  modifiers to the base AC value. For
  example, a ring of protection +3 grants a
  +3 modifier to the wearer's base AC. A
  DEX adjustment of -1 modifies base AC by
  -1. A normal shield, which improves AC by
  1, provides an AC modifier of +1; a shield
  +2 provides an AC modifier of +3. Unless
  otherwise noted, all such AC modifiers are
  cumulative.
        Actual suits of armour, under the new
  system, no longer provide an overall AC
  value per se; instead, they modify one's
  base AC. For example, leather armour
  provides, in the official rules, an AC of 7,
  which is two points better than the typical
  base AC of 9. In the new system, then,
  leather armour provides a +2 AC modifier.
  A revised table of AC modifiers for official
  armour types is cited below and is
  suggested to replace that found on RC/67:
        Using Table 1, then, a character with a
  base AC 11 wearing leather armour has an
  actual armour class of 13. The same
  character with chain mail and shield has an
  AC of 16.
        A significant consequence of this
  system is that creatures with improved
  base AC values are better protected when
  they wear armour than in the official rules.
  For example, a hobgoblin's official AC is 6
  (RC/185). Under the official rules, if a
  hobgoblin wears leather armour, his AC
  remains at 6, since leather (AC 7) provides
  worse protection than the hobgoblin's
  natural AC. However, using the new 
  system, a hobgoblin (now with a base AC
  of 14) wearing leather will benefit from the
  armour's +2 AC modifier; such a humanoid
  has an AC of 16.
  Converting Official AC Values
        Astute readers will note that the fastest
  way to translate an official AC value to the 
  new system is to simply subtract it from 20.
  For example, an official OD&D character
  with plate mail and a shield +1 (AC 1)
  becomes AC 19 [20 – 1 = 19]. This simplifi-
  ed system is recommended for use only
  when converting opponents from official
  publications, since, as mentioned, combat-
  ants with an improved base AC may enjoy
  a better actual AC than in the official rules.
  Using the New AC Values in
  Combat
        With high AC values representing bett-
  er protection than low values, it becomes a
  simple matter to determine the outcome of
  a "to-hit" roll: Simply put, if the modified
  "to-hit" roll is equal to or greater than the
  defender's AC, the attack hits and damage
  may be rolled. If the "to-hit" roll is less than
  the defender's AC, the attack misses. 
        The time-saving result of this
  convention is that the existing combat
  matrices (RC/106-7) no longer need be
  consulted. If you want combat to go even
  smoother, though, you can dovetail the
  new armour class system with our THMod
  system, described below:
  THMod (To Hit Modifier)
        The THMod system is based loosely on
  xD&D's unofficial THAC0 (To Hit Armour
  Class 0) system. However, much of the
  math from even that easy-to-use
  modification has been removed. In
  conjunction with the revised AC guidelines
  above, the THMod system ensures that
  you'll never have to consult a combat
  matrix again. Within this revised "to-hit"
  system, each d20 attack roll is modified by
  its corres- ponding THMod, literally a
  cumulative total of all modifiers pertinent to
  that attack. As in combat described within
  the official rules, high "to-hit" rolls are
  desirable, so high THMod values are
  likewise sought. The nature of the THMod
  system allows that attack modifiers cited in
  the official rules may be applied to the
  THMod system without alteration. 
  Base THMod
        The base THMod for any attack is bas-
  ed on the attacker's class and level (or hit
  dice if a monster). As shown on the exist-
  ing combat matrices (RC/106-7), the most
  efficient attackers are monsters, followed
  by fighters, then clerics and thieves, and
  finally magic-users. As characters earn
  experience levels, and monsters grow in hit
  dice, base THMod values improve, using a
  progression derived from the official
  combat "to-hit" tables.
        While the base THMod values are
  summarised in the following matrices, it is
  worth noting that the values were
  determined by cross-referencing the
  attacker's class and level with an (official)
  AC of 0 on a d20 "to-hit" roll, then
  subtracting that value from 20. Thus, a
  7th-level fighter, who needs a 15 to hit an
  AC 0 defender, has a base THMod value of
  +5. A normal man, who re- quires a 20 to
  hit an AC 0 opponent, has a base THMod
  value of nil (or +0). By contr- ast, a 15HD
  monster has a THMod of +12.
        As shown, no base THMod value
  should be lower than zero, though other
  modifiers could render an attacker's overall
  THMod for a certain attack negative.
  Determining Actual THMod
        An attacker's base THMod is the
  foundation of any "to-hit" roll, though the
  actual THMod of individual attacks can
  vary. To determine an attack's actual
  THMod, one must apply all normal attack
  modifiers to the base THMod value. For
  example, a sword +2 grants a +2 THMod
  to any attack made with that weapon. A
  STR adjustment of -1 modifies all STR-
  based attacks by -1. Attacks from behind,
  which normally grant a +2 "to-hit" modifier
  (RC/108), provide a +2 THMod within this
  system. Unless otherwise noted, all such
  AC modifiers are cumulative.
  Base THMod Values by Class
  and Level
        Use Table 2 to determine the base
  THMod values for PCs and NPCs, as
  derived from the existing OD&D combat
  matrices (RC/106-7):
  Combat sans Matrix
  16
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Table 1: Armour Types 3
  Shield side of defender
  100
  10
  +1
  Shield
  Torso, Arms
  300
  30
  +3
  Scale Mail
  Torso, Arms, Legs
  500
  60
  +6
  Plate Mail
  Torso, Arms
  200
  20
  +2
  Leather Armour
  Head, Torso, Arms, Legs
  750
  250
  +10
  Suit Armour
  Torso, Arms
  400
  40
  +4
  Chain Mail
  Torso, Arms
  450
  50
  +5
  Banded Mail
  Body Location(s)3
  Enc (cn)
  Cost (gp)
  AC Mod
  Armour Type
  
  Base THMod Values by Mon-
  ster Hit Dice or Attack Rank
        Use Table 3 to determine base THMod
  values for monsters and demi-humans
  using attack ranks. As with the THMod
  values cited on Table 2, the figures on
  Table 3 are derived from the existing
  OD&D combat matrices (RC/106-7).
        Note that demi-humans use the Fighter
  Level column on Table 2 until reaching
  their level limit. For dwarves, this is 12th-
  level; for elves, this is 10th-level; and for
  halflings, this is 8th-level. After these levels
  are reached, high-level demi-humans use
  the attack rank on their respective level
  advancement chart (RC/24, 26, and 27 for
  dwarves, elves, and halflings, respectively).
  THMod Modifiers (General)
        A combatant's base THMod value is
  always modified by the standard attack
  modifiers outlined in various locations of 
  the official rules (weapon mastery
  modifiersare adapted from RC/76 while
  other attack modifiers are taken from
  RC/108). Unless otherwise noted, all
  modifiers noted on Table 4 are cumulative.
  THMod Modifiers in Combat
        During an attack, the player or DM
  need simply apply all relevant THMod
  modifiers to the standard d20 "to-hit" roll. If
  the modified result is equal to or greater
  than the defender's AC (as determined
  using the system detailed earlier), the
  attack hits and damage may be rolled. If
  the modified "to-hit" roll is less than the
  defender's AC, the attack fails. 
        For convenience and easy look-ups, it
  is recommended that a combatant's
  THMod with each weapon or attack type be
  noted on the character sheet or
  NPC/monster description. Below are some
  THMod examples: 
  � Pyrohydra with 11 hit dice, attacking
  from above: THMod = +11 [+10 (HD 11)
  +1 (attack from above) = +11] 
  � 4th-level fighter with Skilled mastery
  with the sword: THMod = +5 [+3 (4th-
  level fighter) +2 (Skilled mastery) = +5] 
  � 4th-level fighter, as above, attacking
  from behind in total darkness: THMod 
  = +3 [+3 (4th-level fighter) +2 (Skilled
  mastery) +2 (attack from behind) -4
  (total darkness)] 
  � Goblin warrior unskilled with the spear:
  THMod = -1 [+1 (HD 1-1) -2 (Unskilled
  mastery) = -1] 
  � 2nd-level thief with DEX 16 and Basic
  mastery of the long bow, firing at short
  range: THMod = +3 [+1 (2nd-level thief)
  +2 (DEX adj.) +0 (Basic mastery) +0
  (short range) = +3] 
  Conclusion
        This article provides a rapid method for
  resolving attacks by making "to-hit" roll
  results clear without the need to consult
  existing combat matrices. The beauty of
  this system is that it requires only slight
  effort on the part of DMs and players, who
  are otherwise free to use the armour class
  and combat modifiers as presented in the
  official rules without alteration. With a little
  preparatory work, the systems described
  above are suitable for any OD&D
  campaign; with all optimism, I hope they
  save you time and make combat resolution
  as exhilarating as it ought to be... 
        
   
  Continued on page 28 ...
  Combat sans Matrix
  17
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Table 3: Base THMod Values by Monster Hit Dice or Attack Rank
  +20
  —
  35+ and up
  +11
  G
  11+ to 13
  +19
  —
  33+ to 35
  +10
  F
  9+ to 11
  +19
  —
  31+ to 33
  +9
  E
  8+ to 9
  +18
  —
  29+ to 31
  +8
  D
  7+ to 8
  +18
  —
  27+ to 29
  +7
  C
  6+ to 7
  +18
  —
  25+ to 27
  +6
  B
  5+ to 6
  +17
  M
  23+ to 25
  +5
  A
  4+ to 5
  +16
  L
  21+ to 23
  +4
  —
  3+ to 4
  +15
  K
  19+ to 21
  +3
  —
  2+ to 3
  +14
  J
  17+ to 19
  +2
  —
  1+ to 2
  +13
  I
  15+ to 17
  +1
  —
  Up to 1 (inclusive)
  +12
  H
  13+ to 15
  0
  —
  Normal Man
  Base 
  THMod
  Attack 
  Rank
  Monster 
  Hit Dice
  Base 
  THMod
  Attack 
  Rank
  Monster 
  Hit Dice
  Table 2: Base THMod Values by Class and Level
  +20
  34 - 36
  —
  —
  +19
  31 - 33
  —
  —
  +18
  28 - 30
  36
  —
  +17
  25 - 27
  33 - 35
  —
  +15
  22 - 24
  29 - 32
  36
  +13
  19 - 21
  25 - 28
  31 - 35
  +11
  16 - 18
  21 - 24
  26 - 30
  +9
  13 - 15
  17 - 20
  21 - 25
  +7
  10 - 12
  13 - 16
  16 - 20
  +5
  7 - 9
  9 - 12
  11 - 15
  +3
  4 - 6
  5 - 8
  6 - 10
  +1
  1 - 3
  1 - 4
  1 - 5
  Base THMod
  Fighter Level5
  Cleric/Thief Level4
  Magic-User Level
  Table 4: General THMod Factors
  -3
  Missile Range: Long
  1
  Attack from Above
  -1
  Missile Range: Medium
  2
  Attack from Behind
  0
  Missile Range: Short
  8
  Weapon Mastery: GM
  +1
  Missile Range: Pt. Blank 6
  6
  Weapon Mastery: MS
  -2
  Partial Darkness
  4
  Weapon Mastery: EX
  -4
  Total Darkness
  2
  Weapon Mastery: SK
  +2
  Target Exhausted
  0
  Weapon Mastery: BA
  -2
  Attacker Exhausted
  -2
  Weapon Mastery: UN
  Modifier
  Condition
  Modifier
  Condition
  
  The Planet
        Herol is considerably smaller than
  Mystara, with a circumference of less than
  10,000 miles. It circles its sun in a much
  closer orbit than Mystara; the Herolian year
  is only ten months long, as Mystarans
  measure time. However, its slower axial
  rotation gives Herol a "normal" 24-hour
  day.
        Unlike Mystara, Herol is solid all the
  way through. Its incredibly dense core
  causes it to generate a gravitational pull
  equal to that of Mystara (and is what
  causes its slow rotation). Herol has an
  unusually thick crust which is all of a piece;
  due to this, earthquakes and volcanoes are
  all but unknown. Geological examination, if
  such a skill were available, would reveal
  that Herol itself is no more than 10 million
  Herolian years old.
        Herol has two major and one minor
  continental land-masses, plus numerous
  islands ranging in size from a mile or two
  across to almost sub-continental. Its poles
  are both frozen, landless conglomerations
  of ice. The most densely-populated
  continent, Draman, holds three main,
  humanocentric accretions of population:-
  �
  The Empire of Jael: The youngest and
  most dynamic grouping, the Empire
  has existed for many hundreds of years
  as a loose confederation of states und-
  er a nominal High King. It has under-
  gone a fairly rapid expansion in the last
  two centuries, conquering or absorbing
  every kingdom it has come across; it
  dominates the south-eastern corner of
  Draman. Showing no signs of slowing
  its growth, the Empire is now beginning
  to encroach on territories claimed by
  the outermost of the Old Countries.
  �
  The Old Countries: The original
  "cradle" of civilisation on Draman, The
  Old Countries are actually several doz-
  en small kingdoms clustered together
  in the south-west corner of the contine-
  nt. Although once far advanced in
  comparison to the rest of the planet,
  most of these realms have slipped into
  a "Dark Ages" period of non-develop-
  ment within the last thousand years,
  and show no signs of emerging any
  time soon. Most of their time is spent
  waging petty wars on each other and
  ignoring/turning their noses up at the
  young and vibrant civilisation encroach-
  ing on their outermost territories.
  �
  The One Thousand Cities: The
  north-western portion of the continent -
  up to the edges of the North Polar
  region - contain multitudes of fortified,
  independent City-States, each one
  claiming and vigorously defending a
  swathe of land around them against
  all-comers. [Note that "One Thousand
  Cities" is a poetic title, rather than an
  accurate tally of City-States.]
        The sparsely-settled, mountainous
  north-eastern segment is home to several
  dozen Dwarf Strongholds, and is the last
  bastion of the ancient Dwarfish culture. At
  one time, these were to be found all over
  the continent, but the burgeoning Human
  population has driven the elder race to the
  less-hospitable regions in the last few
  thousand years. [Many Dwarfs now live and
  work in Human lands; demographics
  suggest as many Dwarfs live in
  Human-controlled areas as in the entire
  Dwarf Territories.]
        The other major continent, to the
  south-west of Draman, is called Uran'Dar
  by its nomadic natives. It has been little
  explored by the Dramani - the small,
  north-eastern portion they have examined
  is scorched desert (where the
  aforementioned nomads dwell). The rest is
  unknown territory.
        Finally, the lesser continent is Gileme,
  far to the West, which is covered in thick
  forest and jungle. Knowledge of this land -
  commonly called the "Demi-Human
  Homeland" - comes from Elven and
  Halfling immigrants during the last 500
  years (Dwarves are the only Demi-humans
  native to Draman), and is sketchy at best. 
   
  The Solar System
        There are five major planets in the
  Heroli System, of which the innermost is
  Herol itself. The next world out is Galeia,
  which occupies an orbit slightly further from
  the Sun than Mystara does in its own sys-
  tem; this planet is mostly barren rock and
  ice, but a narrow temperate band, measur-
  ing 100 miles in width and bounded by high
  mountain ridges on either edge, does circle
  the planet's equator. Within that area, life
  proliferates; the majority of life-forms here
  are primitive, devolved races, the degener-
  ate descendants of long-ago settlers.
  However, this world also harbours powerful
  Wizards (émigrés from Herol, in most
  cases, although some "Wizards" instead
  rely on technology to produce their
  wonders), strange, unknown societies (de-
  scendants of those Wizards, and of their
  servants) and relics of both advanced tech-
  nology and powerful magic (from Herol's
  "Blackmoor" period, 100,000 years ago).
       After Galeia are Kromus and Derelion,
  both uninhabitable gas giants orbited by
  lifeless moons of frozen rock; and furthest
  out is Maybe, an extraordinarily-bright
  object of roughly-Herolian size, which
  ���������������������
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  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
    The World of 
  �����
     A new campaign world for OD&D, in two parts
  Carl Quaif
  
  appears to vanish and reappear from the
  skies at different times of the year. Herolian
  astronomers believe that Maybe possesses
  a large, dark satellite which blocks its
  radiance (actually, the planet is
  dimensionally unstable, and periodically
  slides out of normal space into the
  Nightmare Dimension and back. It is
  inhabited by Mujina, Malfera, and all
  manner of Nightmare denizens).
        Herol itself is orbited by a single moon,
  known variously as Ranya (in the Empire of
  Jael), Sialli (in the Old Countries), or Luun
  (in the One Thousand Cities). Equivalent in
  size to Matera (in relation to its primary), it
  influences the tides in a similar fashion.
  Calendars
        The Heroli year is 300 days long,
  divided into ten months of 30 days each.
  The starting point for each year varies
  according to which calendar is used. For
  details, see the chart below:-
  Notes on dating systems: The Old Count-
  ries' calendar is derived from that used by
  the Lost Empires.The Jaeli calendar begins
  in the month when Emperor Jael was crow-
  ned. The City-States' calendar is derived
  from the building-date of Jalakka.The
  Dwarfish calendar's origin dates from when
  Iroin first became their Patron. 
  Notes on month-names: The months of
  the Jaeli calendar are derived from the
  ancient Lerenaki counting system.The
  months of the 1,000 Cities' calendar are
  named for the apocryphal "12 Kings of the 
  North".The months of the Old Countries'
  calendar are given their ancient folk-
  titles.The months of the Dwarf calendar are
  named for the metals worked by different
  clans; Alloymont, the first of the year, signi-
  fies the melding of all clans into one nation.
  Timeline
        The following is a timeline for Herol as
  the Immortals know it. The dating system is
  that used by the Empire of Jael, since it is
  the most accurate of the calendars
  currently in use. "PE" is "Pre-Empire", the
  period before Jael the High King
  consolidated the disparate realms into an
  Empire; "GT" is "Golden Time", the period
  since that date.
  c. 10 million PE: The Heroli System forms
  from cosmic gasses; the Sun ignites. At
  this time, there are four main planets (later
  called Herol, Galeia, Kromus, and
  Derelion). Tiny, cold moons of rock and ice
  form around the gas giants Kromus and
  Derelion; Herol and Galeia lack satellites of
  any kind.
  c. 4 million PE: A cosmic rift to the Night-
  mare Dimension opens on the outskirts of
  the Herolian System. The bright planet
  later called "Maybe" by the Heroli slips into
  the universe and takes up an orbit far
  beyond Derelion. The rift closes only
  partially; the planet remains dimensionally
  unstable, sliding back and forth between
  the "normal" and Nightmare universes in a
  rough 13-year cycle. 
        Coincidentally(?), life (simple,
  unicellular organisms) begins to develop
  independently on both Herol and Galeia
  within a few thousand years of this event.
  1,500,000 PE: Both Herol and Galeia
  (along its fertile, temperate band) are
  occupied by small, warm-blooded, reptilian
  species; their development has been
  practically identical up to this point. 
        However, around this time, explorers
  and settlers from Maybe arrive (via
  enormous Gate magics) on Galeia and
  settle there, using their advanced magical
  powers to manipulate indigenous plants
  and animals.
  1,450,000 PE: The Berserker Wars. The
  Galeian settlers are wiped out by Berserk-
  ers, massive saurian humanoids bred from
  the now-extinct indigenous species to
  serve as gladiators and warrior-proxies, in
  just over ten years. The Wars devastate
  the fertile band, causing a long period of
  famine which eventually destroys the few
  surviving animal species. within 300 years
  only plant-life survives on Galeia.
        A few settlers manage to escape the
  slaughter by Gating to Herol, the nearest
  habitable world; they bring poor fragments
  of their magical technology with them.
  Attempts to manipulate the development of
  native Heroli lifeforms go poorly, as
  knowledge slips away from the refugees
  with each passing generation. Within ten
  generations, the refugees have reverted to
  a pre-Stone Age existence. The
  slightly-evolved test subjects, however,
  begin to thrive.
  400,000 PE: On the continent of Gileme,
  the alien settlers have evolved into precur-
  sors of the Elf-race; elsewhere, the far
  more numerous native creatures - primarily
  mammals, but including some residual
  saurian or lizardlike races -  have develop-
  ed into crude humanoid subspecies.
  Around this time, the Immortal Iroin takes
  an interest in the pre-Stone Age culture on
  the continent of Draman, and begins to
  steer their evolution to his own ends.
  350,000 PE: Due to solar flares, Herol
  goes through a "hothouse" period; the
  polar ice melts, raising the sea level. Native
  boat-building dwellers on the island chains,
  seeing their homelands swallowed up more
  and more by the sea each year, migrate to
  the continent of Gileme. Limited food-
  supplies and living-space have caused this
  subspecies to develop as small, light crea-
  tures - the precursors to the Halfling race.   
        The natives of Draman are developing
  as short, broad, powerful creatures,
  according to Iroin's design. Although most
  are still hunter-gatherers or primitive
  farmers, a few have begun to explore the
  rudiments of mining. On Uran'Dar, the
  native premen have evolved without
  interference, and are still at a simpler stage
  of development.
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  OD&DITIES 
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  Herolian Calendars
  * = signifies the first month of the year in that area.
  Alloymont*
  Cropharvest
  Sarrath
  Hamala
  Platinmont
  Sunbright
  Lerabath
  Dallala
  Brassmont
  Newleaf
  Veridath
  Velima
  Goldmont
  Whiteflower
  Wulath
  Nos'Akka
  Tinmont
  Greenshoot
  Eroth
  Akka
  Silvermont
  Earthiron
  Kavaloth
  Tarla
  Bronzemont
  Sundark*
  Duloth
  Ormaea
  Steelmont
  Whitecold
  Maloth*
  Jarra
  Ironmont
  Browngrass
  Corennath
  Keleia
  Coppermont
  Lightfall
  Zannath
  Perema*
  Northwestern 
  Territories
  Old Countries
  1,000 Cities
  Empire of Jael
  
  110,000 PE: Modern Man is now
  widespread across Uran'Dar; the first
  civilisations have formed, and are
  beginning to develop the arts of war.
  Pre-existing Immortals are garnering
  followings amongst the various peoples;
  the first Herol-native Immortal, the
  now-forgotten Gur'Midal, will ascend to
  Immortality within the next few years.
  Explorers from Uran'Dar discover Draman
  around this time, coming into contact with
  the indigenous Dwarfs (who at this stage
  call themselves "Iroin's People", which is
  wrongly translated as "Ironfolk" by the
  explorers; partly because of the Dwarfs'
  superior metalworking skills, the name is
  retained). 
        Numerous settlers will travel from
  Uran'Dar to Draman as their homeland
  becomes more crowded during the next
  few centuries, adopting and adapting the
  Dwarvish technology, eventually far
  outstripping their native continent in
  development.
  100,000 PE: The Age of Legends: Herol
  has reached a technological Golden Age,
  comparable with the civilisation of first
  settlers on Galeia, so long ago.
  Interplanetary travel has become
  sufficiently advanced to send explorers to
  Galeia, whose fertile band is now a verdant
  realm. Many settlers relocate there over the
  next century. In addition to technological
  wonders, the art of Magic has grown to
  unprecedented heights amongst
  humankind, permitting the greatest
  Wizards to perform miracles of a type
  never seen before (or since). The art of
  Branding, a minor, hedge-wizard skill, has
  its beginnings around this time.
  95,000 PE: Mortal magic has rivalled the
  power of the Immortals themselves for
  thousands of years, and mighty spells,
  which tap into the power of the planet itself,
  are almost commonplace. Most people can
  use magic, either directly or via Immortal
  worship; those few who cannot do so
  employ Branding to let them touch the
  power. Considerable numbers of mortals
  have attained Immortality in the last few
  millennia. Due to ideal living conditions and
  lack of dangerous diseases or predators,
  population growth has spiralled during the
  last two thousand years; overpopulation is
  now a serious problem. The mightiest
  Mages and Clerics on Herol meet in
  council, and decide to combine their
  powers to create a massive extra-Planar
  Gate, through which they will drag one or
  more inhabitable planets to occupy the
  "trojan points" of Herol's orbit, thereby
  providing unlimited living-space. After
  much searching, a small, verdant world is 
  found in a nearby alternate Prime Plane.
  The Council decides to use this planet as a
  test for its process.
        The plan fails disastrously. Attempting
  to pull the planet into this universe drains
  the already-overtaxed magic of Herol to
  dangerously-low levels, robbing the
  populace of their powers. Passage through
  the Gate strips the captive planet of its
  biosphere, killing millions of life-forms.
  Unable to control the new world's motion,
  the Council watch it slip into close orbit
  around Herol, which causes massive
  earthquakes and tidal waves around the
  world, slaying billions. Civilisation is all but
  destroyed, except in certain protected (or
  extremely lucky) locations. Less than one
  in ten thousand people survive the
  cataclysm, and those that do are mostly
  saved by luck or the Immortals (who drain
  their power greatly to prevent total annihil-
  ation; many Immortals are themselves slain
  in the effort, Gur'Midal among them).
        The magical energies of Herol are
  drastically - perhaps permanently -
  depleted by this event. The Immortals
  determine that the power might eventually
  regenerate, however, and decide to limit
  mortal access to magic, in order to both
  prevent a recurrence of this tragedy and
  give the planet a chance to recover. They
  decide to bind all magical use into the art
  of Branding and its derivations; now,
  no-one can access magic - either mystical
  or divine - unless they sacrifice some of
  their health or ability to receive a Brand.
  Certain Immortals teach chosen subjects
  the skill of Branding in their dreams; these
  first few awake with the black circle of the
  Overbrand magically imprinted upon their
  foreheads.
        Civilisation is all but wiped out by this
  event; the planet enters a Dark Age, from
  which it will not emerge for many, many
  millennia.
  c. 45,000 PE: A Branded Mage named
  Derelion ascends to Immortality in the
  Sphere of Thought; he has the distinction
  of being the first new Immortal to emerge
  since the cataclysm.
  10,000-5105 PE: The Age of the Lost
  Empires. During this period, the Southwest
  region of Draman becomes the home to a
  succession of large, powerful Empires; that
  portion of the continent becomes either a
  centre for learning and enlightenment, or a
  vicious and corrupt realm of slavers and
  warmongers, depending on which Empire
  is in power. This period marks the first
  resurgence of true civilisation since the fall
  of the Age of Legends. Circa 9,000 PE,
  emigrants from the Empire of that period
  head North and found Amaron, the first of
  the One Thousand Cities. 
        The last Empire, called "the Realm of
  the Undying Sun" in the few surviving texts,
  finally falls in 5105 PE due to plague,
  famine, and riots. Many people escape to
  the East, eventually forming the Eastern
  Kingdoms. Both the Northern and Eastern
  Diaspora displace the Dwarfs who have
  lived on the land for millennia - Iroin's
  careful shepherding of his people has
  allowed them to bloom during the dark
  times, but they choose to give way to the
  more militaristic Humans rather than force
  a conflict. This pattern will be repeated,
  time and again, until the Dwarf realm is
  reduced to the inhospitable north-eastern
  segment of the continent. 
  The World of Herol
  20
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
       The solar system is formed ...
  
  c. 8,900 PE: A powerful Mage-turned-
  Merchant named Lomor ascends to Immor-
  tality in the Sphere of Time, having created
  Amaron, a small mercantile Kingdom, far to
  the North; his realm will endure (in one
  form or another) for millennia, eventually
  evolving into the City-State of Jalakka.
  3,500 PE: Govenai, a Master of Brands
  living in what is now called "the Old Count-
  ries", dies and is reanimated as Herol's first
  Vampire. Within 50 years he has ascended
  to Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy; this
  marks the beginning of the slow spread of
  Vampirism across the continent.
  407 PE: The Treaty of Three Kingdoms.
  The three Kings of Lerenak, Baer and
  Voros - warring, neighbouring nations in
  the south-eastern corner of Draman -
  agree to elect a High King to oversee
  disputes between their lands. The High
  King will have a estate to rule at the
  epicentre of the three lands, but no real
  power; his purpose will be as arbiter and
  final judge in their disputes. The High King
  is selected by lot from landless nobles in
  the three Kingdoms; Lord Geranda of
  Lerenak wins the title. 
  300 PE: The forested continent of Gileme
  is discovered, far to the West of Draman,
  by the ragtag survivors of a lost trading
  convoy. Exploration parties come across
  both friendly, burrow-dwelling Halfling
  farmers and mysterious, tree-worshipping
  Elves. They form treaties with nearby
  communities, and manage to obtain help in
  repairing their ships. A few members of
  each race return with the repaired and
  reprovisioned ships; many more follow, in
  ships of their own design, over the next few
  decades.
  47 PE: Jael, a nephew of High King Forien,
  is born in the Kingdom of Lerenak. A
  comet, clearly visible in the night sky,
  passes overhead on the night of his birth.
  This is taken as a good omen for the
  babe's future.
  35 PE: The young Jael, while at sword
  practice, is inexplicably struck by a light-
  ning bolt from out of a cloudless sky. He is
  unconscious for an hour; upon awakening,
  he is consumed with a message he appar-
  ently received from the Immortal Kromus -
  what Jael calls his "Dream of Empire". 
  27 PE: Jael enters the military and rises
  through the ranks at meteoric speed,
  earning the respect of all who come under
  his command. Many feel him to be
  "touched by the Immortals", and there is
  much wrangling to be assigned under him.
  10 PE: Jael, now a renowned and very
  successful General, is named Heir to the
  High King, by an overwhelming majority of
  votes. Six months later, Forien dies of a
  massive heart attack; Jael, in the midst of a
  Summer campaign, is immediately recalled
  to take up his duties.  
  7 PE: Merelith, a powerful Cleric of
  Kromus, ascends to Immortality in the
  Sphere of Energy - one of only a handful of
  mortals to do so since the Age of Legends
  ended.
  6 PE: Determining that what the squabbling
  Kingdoms need is strong leadership, Jael
  begins to consolidate his power base,
  placing his own loyal men in charge of the
  various national armies and seeding the
  Royal advisors with those sympathetic to
  his own ideals. His hold over the three
  Kingdoms grows firmer every year.
  0 GT: Jael the High King forces the Kings
  of Lerenak, Voros and Baer to sign over
  individual control of their realms to him; his
  Dream of Empire is complete. The Empire
  of Jael is born. The modern system of
  dating commences from this point.
  3 GT: In the new Empire of Jael, a powerful
  Fighter-Thief named Horelle ascends to
  Immortality in the Sphere of Time. She
  adopts the name Ranya (the name given to
  the moon in the Jaeli regions), and
  becomes the Moon-Immortal for the
  Empire. At about the same time, Merelith
  debuts as Sun-Immortal; the pair are
  quickly declared to be twin sisters by their
  respective Clerics.
  105 GT: The Fiend known as Szthonda
  "the Burning Dark", Patron of a small
  kobold tribe, appears to a group of human
  exiles in the Northern wastes and
  commands them to build her a temple to
  manifest in. The City-State of Deremond
  springs up around the temple.
  200 GT: The present day.
  The Nature of Magic
        As per most human-occupied worlds
  throughout the multiverse, magic is divided
  into two forms - divine (provided by
  powerful, Immortal beings in response to
  worship) and mystic (shaped and
  controlled by the will of the individual).
  What makes Herol so different to other
  worlds is the specialised way in which
  these powers are accessed. Heroli practice
  the art of creating magical Brands, tattoos
  which provide some power or capability to
  the bearer. Herol's Clerics, Druids and
  Magic-Users all rely on a Brand - usually
  granted at childhood - to allow them to
  access their class-related powers. High-
  level spellcasters may, in turn, learn the
  skill of Branding, creating new designs with
  unique or variant powers; unlike the
  Masters of Brands (see below), this does
  not require them to take on an Overbrand.
        In addition to standard spellcasters,
  there are guilds of Brand Masters found all
  over Herol. These are skilled artists, select-
  ed in childhood to wear the Overbrand,
  which allows them to create Brands without
  needing to reach high levels of spellcasting
  expertise - but which severely limits their
  ability to progress in any class. Brand
  Masters of varying skill are found all over
  the known world, although their abilities
  and portfolios vary greatly.
        Dwarf followers of Iroin, dwelling in the
  Strongholds of north-eastern Draman,
  practice the art of creating Forge-Marks,
  carved Brands which empower items with
  magical power; this skill is also practised
  by some humans, and in certain parts of
  the continent has been subsumed into
  Brand Master lore, but few have the skills
  of the Dwarf artisan.
        Elves on the continent of Gileme (and
  their recent descendants) practice the art
  of beseeching the mindless spirits of wood
  and water to enter into objects worked from
  natural substances - particularly wood -
  and imbue them with power. These Embo-
  diment rituals are a last, degraded remnant
  of the vast magics once possessed by the
  Elves' off-worlder ancestors. 
        The Halflings of Gileme long ago
  developed a variant practice, based on the
  Elvish form of worship, involving the
  calling-upon of "Ancestral Guardian-Spirits"
  (actually nature-spirits of a specific type) to
  temporarily infuse prepared totemic objects
  - like Gri-Gris or totem wands - with
  spell-like powers. This skill, called Ritual
  Enchantment, has been preserved by
  emigrant Halflings, and combines well with
  the powers of Branded Magi. 
        There are humanoid (and even human)
  Shamans on Herol; these lack spellcasting
  powers, relying instead upon direct inter-
  vention by their Patron Immortals, which is
  invoked and beseeched by prayer and by
  sacrifice of both animals and (if necessary)
  intelligent creatures. The majority of these
  tribes worship Entropic Fiends, rather than
  true Immortals, who are summoned by
  their followers to perform their wonders in
  person. Most such tribes practise the skill
  of ritually tattooing themselves; occasion-
  ally, an Immortal Patron might be prevailed
  upon to empower these crude designs,
  granting true powers to the recipient.
  The World of Herol
  21
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  
  DM's note: the demi-human and
  humanoid systems of magic are
  probably best restricted to NPCs and to
  PCs of at least name level. In the latter
  case, the forms may be learnt as skills,
  at the DM's option.
        The reason Herol's magic is so
  restricted is unknown by any mortal now
  living. Some Sages theorise that the
  Immortals, or at least those prevalent in the
  distant past, restricted magic to slow the
  ascension of new Immortals who might
  supplant them. Others suspect that, at
  some point in the planet's history, Herol's
  magic was freely available; but some
  cataclysmic event reduced its potency so
  much that now it can only be tapped
  through the medium of the Brands.
        The truth lies somewhere in-between;
  Herol's magic was permanently denuded
  by the mighty spells created and cast
  during its Age of Legends. The Immortals,
  fearing a permanent loss of all magic,
  stepped in to place artificial limits on
  mortals' ability to draw on its power. These
  remain in place even today, and will most
  likely do so for all time.
  DM's note: mortals dwelling on Herol's
  sister-planet Galeia do not require
  Brands to utilise magic - Galeia never
  experienced the loss of magic suffered
  by Herol. Should Galeian spellcasters -
  or those from other Prime Planes - arrive
  on Herol, they will be able to cast spells
  as normal, as the planet's magical
  potential has (at least partially) replen-
  ished itself over the last 200,000 years.
  Character Classes
        Most of the standard oD&D character
  classes are available on Herol, but only
  one - the Fighter - is possible for unBrand-
  ed natives. Details are given below:- 
  Fighters: The majority of Heroli (above the
  "Normal Human" level) are Fighters, since
  they do not require Branding to advance in 
  this class. Fighters may Dual-Class if they
  can acquire a Brand, and have sufficiently
  high Character Statistics (see below). A
  Fighter may decide to take on trainees at
  any time, charging a rate commensurate
  with their skill. 
  Mages: Most potential Magi are chosen for
  apprenticeship between the ages of eight
  and fourteen, and given the Warlock Brand
  at the beginning of their last year of
  training, granting them the powers of a 1st
  level Mage (before this Brand is applied,
  their training is devoted to the theoretical
  side of Magecraft). Magi may take on
  apprentices at 11th level - the earliest level
  at which the Branding skill may be learnt by
  a non-Brand Master. There are no
  Specialist Mage-classes on Herol, but any
  individual Mage can choose to specialise in
  the magic he chooses to practice.
  Clerics: Young novices are taken in at
  between nine and twelve years of age, to
  be trained in the rituals and traditions of
  their church. Like Mages, above, they
  receive the Priest Brand in their last year of
  training. A Cleric may induct Acolytes into
  the church at 12th level, when the Branding
  skill becomes available. Certain Immortals
  (Merelith, in particular) offer their followers
  the opportunity to become Druids, instead;
  Druid-Acolytes receive similar training as
  Cleric-Acolytes. Because of the
  Branding-restriction, the concept of Druids
  as "self-taught wilderness-Priests" is
  unknown on Herol; those who follow this
  route become Hermits, instead -
  nature-dwelling, spell-less wise men who
  (DM's choice) advance as Fighters, if they
  advance at all.
        In addition, many Immortals grant
  extra, minor abilities to their devoted
  Priests (see Immortal Worship, below).
  Thieves: The standard "Thief" class is
  unknown on Herol; there is no single Brand
  which supplies the skills and abilities of this
  class, as with Clerics and Mages, above.
  However, any class can choose to receive
  one or more Brands which provide limited
  Thief-skills (the Moon-Touched Brand, for
  example, provides Hide in Shadows ability,
  while the Hands-in-Shadow Brand grants
  Pickpocketing skills), and plough some of
  their experience (xp) into improving or
  developing those additional skills. The PC
  may place whatever portion of his earned
  xp he chooses into each Branded ability,
  retaining the rest for his primary class;
  each Brand has its own "experience level"
  chart (see Brands, below). The most
  common Thief-variants are simple
  Fighter-Thieves, since - unlike Magi or 
  Clerics - they do not need to sacrifice hp or
  attribute points for their primary class, but
  Mage-Thieves and Cleric-Thieves are not
  unknown.
  Dual-Class: Since all classes (bar the
  basic Fighter) require the acquisition of one
  or more Brands to advance, those with
  some experience in their chosen class may
  wish to add the Brand of another class at a
  later date; a Fighter may choose to add
  Clerical or Magical abilities to his
  repertoire, for instance, or a Mage might
  wish to advance in the Church. This
  involves the acquisition of the specific
  class-related Brand, which grants the
  powers of that class at 1st level; most who
  do this do not advance in the class,
  however. To improve the abilities granted,
  the adventurer must plough all xp gained in
  a particular adventure (decided on a
  case-by-case basis) into the Branded
  class, gaining nothing in his primary
  vocation. Although an individual might
  acquire several class-related Brands, only
  one can be improved in this fashion - no
  individual may Dual-Class in more than two
  adventuring professions, nor may they
  advance beyond 1st level unless their
  attributes are sufficiently high. 
  Demi-Humans: The majority of
  demi-humans (in particular, those Elves
  and Halflings still dwelling on the Continent
  of Gileme) are Fighters, due to the scarcity
  of Masters of Brands amongst them,
  although they do have the advantage of
  racial abilities (use the standard Dwarf and
  Halfling character classes, plus the
  non-spellcasting Elf-Warrior class from the
  Hollow World boxed set). Those who dwell
  on Draman have a greater range of classes
  available to them. There are no level limits
  for Heroli demi-humans.
  �
  Dwarfs may be Fighters, Fighter-
  Thieves, Clerics (of Iroin, if born in the
  Dwarf Territories, or of any local
  Immortal if born elsewhere), or Druids
  (of Merelith in the Empire, or Varalle in
  the Old Countries). Dwarfs generally
  distrust magic - a race-memory
  holdover from the cataclysm, so long
  ago - so a pure Dwarf Mage is unlikely,
  although Fighter-Magi might be found
  in cosmopolitan areas. Other
  Dual-Classed Dwarfs are possible, but
  rare. Dwarf NPCs may be Masters of
  Brands. Stronghold Dwarfs also
  practice the art of enchanting metallic
  and gemstone items - such as
  weapons - with specialised Brands
  (called Forge-Marks), as taught to them
  by the Immortal Iroin.
  �
  Elves may be Fighters,
  Fighter-Thieves, Clerics (if born in
  Draman, or converted; the Gileme
  Elves serve nature-spirits, rather than
  Immortals), Druids, or Magi.
  Dual-Classed Elves are possible, and
  more common than for other
  Demi-Humans; Fighter-Mage is a
  popular choice among those Elves with
  sufficiently-high attributes. Elf NPCs
  may be Masters of Brands. Gileme
  Elves also practise the art of charging
  wooden bows, arrows and other
  The World of Herol
  22
  OD&DITIES 
    The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  
  weapons with the power of the
  Nature-Spirits (a practice known as
  Embodiment), granting them a form of
  magical enhancement.
  �
  Halflings may be Fighters, Fighter-
  Thieves, Clerics (in Draman; Gileme
  Halflings practice Ancestor-worship), or
  Magi. Halflings rarely become Druids,
  since the Halfling mindset is more
  focused on cultivating the land, rather
  than living in harmony with it. Dual-
  Classed Halflings are almost unheard
  of. Halfling NPCs may be Masters of
  Brands. Gileme Halflings also practice
  the art of calling upon Ancestral
  Guardian-Spirits to temporarily infuse
  prepared totem objects, granting them
  power (called Ritual Enchantment).
  NB: because of their wide evolutionary
  divergence, interbreeding between
  Humans and the Demi-Human races is
  impossible; the races are infertile with
  each other, so Half-Elves, half-Dwarves,
  etc. are unknown.
  A Note on Ageing: although Herol's year
  is only ten (Mystaran) months in length, the
  maximum age-ranges for each species
  should be considered equal their Mystaran
  equivalents; the native races evolved and
  developed according to this world's life-
  cycle. For example, a Heroli boy of ten will
  be of equal development to his Mystaran
  equivalent, even though the latter would be
  twelve by Heroli terms. Should a Heroli
  journey to Mystara, he will age at a rate
  approximately one-sixth faster than a
  Mystaran native; conversely, Mystarans on
  Herol age one-sixth slower than the native
  populace. Inhabitants of Galeia - many of
  whom are descended from transplanted
  Heroli - age at the same rate as their
  ancestors, despite the longer year on their
  world.
  Immortal Worship
        The number of Immortals known to be
  worshipped on Herol is far smaller than
  Mystara's broad Pantheon; since the
  cataclysm, which cost the lives of most
  native Heroli who had previously reached
  Immortality, only a handful of mortals have
  managed to ascend to that level of
  existence. As a consequence, certain
  Exalted beings (in particular, the Fiends
  and Demons of Entropy) have been
  adopted by certain tribes or communities
  as pseudo-Immortals. The Empire of Jael
  worship a small Pantheon of Immortals,
  who (according to their religious texts) all
  belong to the same "family", despite their
  differing Spheres. The One Thousand
  Cities each have a City Patron whose
  church is the sole permitted "established"
  religion in that City-State - in some cases,
  the Patron is merely an Exalted being
  (such as a Titan or Fiend) who may or may
  not have access to a spell-granting Artifact.
  Few Immortals actively support more than
  one City-State, unless it has been conquer-
  ed by another, although the same Immortal
  might be worshipped under different names
  in various Cities.
        In the Old Countries, different King-
  doms worship separate groups or single
  Immortals; some of these have widespread
  follower-bases, covering many Kingdoms,
  while others are limited to single towns or
  small regions.
        The following entities are among the
  best known of Herol's Immortals:-
  Empire of Jael
  Kromus (Warfather, Lord of the Skies):
  Im32 (Heirarch), Matter. The chief Immortal
  of the Empire of Jael, Kromus is one of the
  eldest Immortals - his mortal origin, if any,
  is long forgotten - and one of the best
  known; ancient civilisations gave his name
  to one of the bright "wandering stars" in the
  night sky. Generally depicted as a
  powerfully built, black-bearded man in late
  middle-age, Kromus' statues either have
  him wearing plate armour (in his aspect as
  Father of War) or a flowing, wind-swept
  cloak over regal clothing (as Lord of the
  Skies). Kromus is also revered in the Old
  Countries as a Storm-Immortal, and is
  Patron Immortal of the City-State of
  Ohriman.
        Clerics of Kromus in his "Warfather"
  aspect are permitted to wield a longsword
  from 1st level, and to gain levels of mastery
  in its use. Those who follow his "Lord of the
  Skies" aspect gain the ability to Predict 
  Weather (as per the 1st level Druid spell)
  once per day at 1st level. This is in addition
  to their normal complement of spells.  
  Senyanna (Lady of Battle, Comforter of
  the Slain): Im30 (Eternal), Thought. In the
  Jaeli Pantheon, Senyanna is considered to
  be Kromus' wife and partner; like him, she
  is an advocate of war. The Jaeli believe
  that Senyanna comes for those slain in
  battle, carrying them away to an afterlife in
  Paradise. Her worship has grown with the
  Empire; two centuries ago, she was merely
  the Patroness of Women Warriors (a role
  she still retains). Senyanna appears to be a
  pale-skinned, black-haired warrior in
  black-lacquered armour.
        The exclusively female Clerics of
  Senyanna in her "Lady of Battle" aspect
  gain the ability to cast Maiden's Might (see
  below) on themselves only, once per day,
  at 3rd level. This is in addition to their nor-
  mal complement of spells. Those (of both
  sexes) who follow her "Comforter of the
  Slain" aspect gain Healing as a bonus skill.
  Merelith (The Bright Lady, Empress of
  the Sun): Im16 (Empyreal), Energy.
  "Daughter" of Kromus and Senyanna, and
  elder "twin sister" of Ranya, Merelith is the
  Sun Immortal, and Patroness of Nature.
  Depicted as a golden-haired, amber-eyed
  young woman of flawless beauty, wearing
  dazzling white robes. She is served by both
  Clerics (Sun aspect) and Druids (nature
  aspect, as "the Bright Lady"). Merelith's
  mortal origins lie within the Jaeli
  settlements that eventually became the
  Empire, where she was a Cleric of Kromus
  who was encouraged, possibly by Kromus
  himself, to pursue Immortality in a different
  Sphere. She achieved Immortality a little
  over 200 years ago. Merelith more closely
  resembles her "uncle", Derelion, than
  either of her "parents"; long-suppressed
  rumours place Derelion as her father, with
  Kromus fathering her twin, Ranya. This tale
  is now considered rankest heresy, and
  spreading it is punished severely - the Sun
  Priests are particularly sensitive about the
  tale's implications. 
        Clerics of Merelith in her "Sun
  Empress" aspect are able to Turn Undead
  as if one level higher than normal when the
  Sun is in the sky; since many Undead are
  not light-sensitive, this gift is more useful
  than might be readily apparent. Druids who
  follow her "Bright Lady" aspect may cast
  the Faerie Fire spell once per day, starting
  at 1st level. This is in addition to their
  normal complement of spells.  
  Ranya (The Moon Queen, Lady of the
  Night): Im15 (Empyreal), Time. "Daughter"
  of Kromus and Senyanna, and younger
  "twin sister" of Merelith, Ranya closely
  resembles Senyanna, with midnight-black
  tresses and moon-pale skin. Her eyes are
  fathomless pools of blackness. Ranya
  wears light-drinking robes of black velvet.
  As a mortal, she was a Jaeli Fighter-Thief
  named Horelle (Ranya was the name she
  acquired when she became Moon Queen,
  after the Empire's name for Herol's sat-
  ellite) who followed Senyanna's teachings
  in her own fashion. She achieved Immorta-
  lity in the Sphere of Time a decade after
  Merelith reached it in Energy, so their
  respective followings appeared more or
  less simultaneously; the pair have been
  considered sisters ever since. Served by
  her exclusively female Priesthood, called
  Moondaughters, Ranya is also worshipped
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  by creatures of the night, such as Lycanth-
  ropes or the occasional non-evil Vampire...
  and of course, by Fighter-Thieves like
  herself. 
        Clerics of Ranya in her "Moon Queen"
  aspect are able to see perfectly at night
  while outdoors, so long as the moon is
  visible in the sky; the range is 90', or 180'
  on the three nights of the full moon. Those
  who serve her as "Lady of the Night" may
  cast the spell Darkness with double the
  normal duration. This must be memorised
  normally, as part of the normal complement
  of spells.
  Derelion (Winged Lord, Brother to
  Eagles): Im21 (Celestial), Thought. The
  "younger brother" of Kromus, Derelion is
  one of the eldest Immortals to still
  remember his mortal existence, which he
  left behind long before the first of the Lost
  Empires were built. Like Kromus, his
  worship comes originally from the region
  that became the Old Countries - he, too,
  has a planet named after him - but, unlike
  his "brother", Derelion retains most of his
  original attributes. Patron of all things that
  fly, and of those who study the magic of
  Air, Derelion is depicted as being a
  beardless youth with bright, golden hair
  and shining white wings. His garb varies
  depending on where he is worshipped.
        Clerics of Derelion are able to
  memorise the Mage-spell Levitate as a
  2nd-level Clerical spell. This is part of the
  normal complement of spells. In addition, a
  Cleric of Derelion who chooses to add a
  Warlock's Brand does not have to sacrifice
  additional Attribute points or hit points to
  acquire it - a gift from the former Mage to
  his followers - and may advance jointly as
  a Cleric-Mage. Such duallists, known as
  "Wind Children", make up roughly 10% of
  Derelion's clergy.
  The Old Countries
  Varalle (The Lady of Trees, The
  Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter Queen):
  Im19 (Celestial), Time. One of the most
  widespread female Immortals in the Old
  Countries, Varalle is depicted as a
  beautiful, Dryad-like figure with leaf-green
  hair and bark-brown skin, dressed in robes
  dyed in nature's colours. Druids (and the
  woodland-dwelling communities) worship
  her as Lady of Trees; her following is
  larger, in some places, than that of Kromus
  (who is variously considered her husband,
  her consort, or her lover by those commun-
  ities who follow both Immortals). Varalle is
  also worshipped as the Queen of the
  Seasons, with Clerics serving her either in
  that role or following one seasonal aspect
  of her being - a single town might have
  individual Shrines to the Summer Queen
  and the Winter Queen, for instance, with a
  separate Priest for each. In life, Varalle
  was a Nature-Priest of a long-forgotten
  Immortal, who lived in tune with the
  rhythms of nature; she hates and despises
  Undead, who exist outside the natural
  world, and encourages her followers to
  destroy them when possible.
        Druids of Varalle in her "Lady of Trees"
  aspect may cast the Detect Danger spell
  once per day, starting at 1st level. This is in
  addition to their normal complement of
  spells. Clerics who follow her various
  seasonal aspects gain different powers, as
  follows: 
  �
  Spring - any one Cure spell may be
  cast for maximum effect, once per day.
  �
  Summer - may cast the Light spell
  once per day, starting at 1st level. This
  is in addition to their normal
  complement of spells.
  �
  Autumn - may pray for the 1st-level
  Mage spell Sleep as part of the normal
  complement of spells, starting at 2nd
  level.
  �
  Winter - may use a Chilling Touch
  effect (equivalent to Cause Light
  Wounds) once per day, starting at 1st
  level. The power is ineffective against
  cold-using creatures. This is in addition
  to their normal complement of spells.
        Followers of her general "Queen of the
  Seasons" aspect do not receive any of
  these bonus powers; instead, they may
  Turn Undead as if one level higher than
  normal.
  Govenai (The Everlord, The Undying,
  The Dark Redeemer): Im14 (Empyreal),
  Entropy. Open worship of this evil Immortal
  has been banned in most civilised nations,
  but secret cells of his followers have been
  found in most major centres of population
  across Draman. In life, Govenai was a
  native of Jerek'Ha, in the Old Countries; he
  was a Master of Brands who grew more
  and more afraid of death as he grew older.
  In a desperate attempt to stave off death,
  he created the Vivicant Brand, which
  reanimated him as Herol's first Vampire -
  an act which earned him the right to seek
  Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy,
  despite his limited "level". Govenai is the
  patron of his "children", the Vampires (and,
  by extension, of all intelligent, corporeal
  Undead, although certain types deny any
  link to him), as well as those living
  followers who seek "immortality" through
  Undeath. He is depicted as a tall, pale
  figure in flame-coloured robes, his chest
  bared to reveal the Vivicant Brand burning
  bright upon it.
        Clerics of Govenai - the living ones, at
  least - cannot Turn Undead; instead, they
  may control Undead, as if an Undead
  Liege, with the same results per level (i.e. if
  a "normal" Cleric can automatically Turn a
  Skeleton, a Govenai Cleric can automatic-
  ally control it. Destruction-level Turning
  either operates as normal, or allows control
  of double the HD of Undead).
  One Thousand Cities
  Lomor (Merchantfriend, Wealth-Bringer):
  Im12 (Temporal), Time. Patron of Jalakka,
  the oldest (and one of the wealthiest) of the
  City-States. His people are tradesmen and
  merchants, although the City produces and
  welcomes a large number of adventurers -
  who tend to bring in vast quantities of trea-
  sure, and spend it freely. Lomor is depicted
  as a middle-aged, brown-haired man
  dressed in fine clothes and dripping with
  jewels, with a broad, insincere smile on his
  face. In life, Lomor was a powerful Mage,
  born during the time of the Second Empire,
  whose adventuring exploits made him fairly
  wealthy; his genius for trade expanded that
  wealth into a vast fortune. Due to clever
  trade agreements and treaties with other
  City-States, Jalakka has never been
  attacked successfully, nor has it seen an
  invading army for over two centuries.
        Clerics of Lomor gain Appraisal as a
  bonus skill at 1st level.
  Szthonda (The Burning Dark): Exalted
  Fiend, Entropy. Patron of one of the
  Northernmost City-States, Deremond, the
  Fiend Szthonda (who resembles a grossly
  fat female Goblin with shiny black skin and
  eyes of incandescent white flame) has
  ruled over her domain for nearly a century.
  Deremond was founded by exiles and
  outcasts, driven from their homes into the
  blasted North. Szthonda was then the
  "Patron" of a small tribe of kobolds who
  dwelt in the frozen lands. Seeing a chance
  to increase her power on the Prime Plane,
  Szthonda whispered into their minds and
  souls, convincing the outcasts to build a
  massive obsidian temple to her. Once the
  temple was complete, she taught them a
  ritual which summoned her to inhabit it,
  and has ruled over them ever since. The
  city, which grew up around the temple, is
  bleak and ugly, filled with the dregs of
  humanity, as well as a goodly number of
  kobold slaves. Szthonda's "priests" are all
  Mages (she cannot grant Clerical spells)
  who serve her directly and oversee the
  frequent sacrifices which slowly increase
  her power - Szthonda's plan is to amass
  enough power to eventually reach true
  Immortal status - as well as acting as her
  eyes and ears in the city and beyond;
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  Szthonda is bound to the temple proper,
  and cannot leave without considerable
  preparation.
        As noted above, Szthonda has no
  Clerics, only Mages. The Magi, however, all
  wear Szthonda's Mark (a special, Entropic
  Brand provided by the Fiend; it resembles
  a stylised image of the Fiend's own visage,
  picked out in black and crimson) upon their
  chests; by calling out an activation-phrase,
  they can cause themselves to explode in a
  burst of black flame (equivalent to a
  Fireball spell, centred on the Mage in
  question) which kills the Mage while
  causing severe damage to those around
  him. The more fanatical members of the
  coven believe that to die this way is to
  serve Szthonda eternally in the afterlife.
  Galgallan (The Warrior, The Bloody
  Sword): Im7 (Temporal), Matter. Patron of
  Al'Sudera, one of the more Southerly
  City-States. Galgallan was a warrior
  Sponsored to Immortality by Kromus,
  achieving it less than a century past; his
  first worshippers, a troop of Fighters from
  the Empire of Jael, conquered Al'Sudera
  55 years ago, ousting its resident Patron
  and installing Galgallan in her place.
  Al'Sudera is geared around its massive
  warrior-population, who hire out as
  mercenary troops each Summer to bring in
  money to the city. Galgallan is depicted
  much as he was in life; a tall, powerful
  warrior in blood-red armour, wielding a
  Greatsword (a two-handed sword) coated
  with blood. His hair is red, and stands up in
  blood-caked spikes. Galgallan's Fighters
  and Clerics likewise coat their hair with
  blood before battle as a homage to their
  Immortal. Incidentally, despite their
  overlapping portfolios, Galgallan's and
  Kromus' followers have never met in battle
  - Galgallan deliberately had his 
  worshippers conquer a City as far from
  Kromus' City of Ohriman as possible,
  precisely to avoid such a conflict (which he
  would be unlikely to win).
        Clerics of Galgallan may use any
  bladed weapon, without penalty, from 1st
  level. Few, if any, Clerics of this Immortal
  are known to use blunt weapons. 
  Others
  Iroin (Earth Father, Masterminer): Im28
  (Eternal), Matter. The chief Immortal of the
  native Dwarf population, Iroin was once the
  most widely followed Immortal on the
  continent, before the population explosion
  of Humanity over the last few thousand
  years drove his most faithful worshippers to
  the inhospitable reaches of north-eastern
  Draman. Iroin's worship is almost 
  completely restricted to the Dwarf
  Territories now, with a few thousand
  die-hard followers scattered about the rest
  of the continent. Iroin is depicted as a
  squat, broad, muscular Dwarf in the prime
  of life, with his long beard twisted into three
  plaits - one black, one red, and one blond -
  representing the three original Dwarf
  subraces. Like Kromus, he does not
  remember his mortal existence, and is
  believed to have created the Dwarven race
  in his image many thousands of years ago.
        Dwarf Clerics of Iroin may learn the
  Forge-Mastery Skill (see below) at 9th
  level; they require only two skill slots to
  learn it, rather than the normal three.
  Non-Dwarf Clerics (there are a few) instead
  gain an additional skill slot at 9th level, to
  allocate at will.
  Brand-Makers
        The designers and appliers of Brands
  fall into two broad categories: Experienced
  spellcasters who have chosen to learn the
  skill, or Masters of Brands, who are trained
  from childhood in the art. 
        The former (PC or NPC) must be
  capable of casting 6th-level spells - which
  precludes Mages of less than 11th level, or
  Clerics/Druids of less than 12th, from
  employing the skill, even though they can
  learn it at any time. 
        The latter (NPC only) receive a special
  Brand when apprenticed - a black circle on
  the forehead, called an "Overbrand" -
  which allows them to create Brands, but
  precludes them from ever taking on a
  character class (DM's option; a Master of
  Brands might be able to advance to 5th
  level as a Mage on the strength of his
  Overbrand - see the NPC description of
  Ledendran, below - but no further). 
  Brands
        Herol's native magic, no matter its
  source,  is tied up in the creation of
  magical Brands, tattoos placed on certain
  parts of the body, which imparts some form
  of power to the Branded being. The
  process of Branding is akin to the
  tattooist's art; it requires special dyes,
  created using expensive and difficult-
  to-obtain ingredients, and a fine needle of
  solid gold to prick the skin and implant the
  dye beneath it. Once the tattoo is in place,
  an extensive ritual (equivalent to a 6th-level
  spell, and memorised in a suitable slot -
  each different Brand requires a separate
  ritual, which must be taught or researched)
  is performed to enchant the Brand. An
  individual can bear any number of Brands,
  if they can take the strain, although certain
  Brands preclude the adding of others.  
        Brands detect faintly as magical to a
  Detect Magic spell; they can be removed
  only by a Dispel Magic cast by a Mage of at
  least five levels higher than the Brander
  (those created by a Brand-Master being a
  special case; Dispel Magic at no less than
  12th level is needed to affect a Brand
  made by such a person), a suitably-worded
  Wish, or by physically removing the Brand -
  and the skin it lies beneath - from the body.
  The creator of the Brand (only) may dispel
  the Brand's powers by reversing the
  original ritual, although this leaves the
  bearer with a non-magical tattoo.
  Branding does not come without cost:
  the recipient of the Brand must sacrifice a
  portion of her life-force, or physical/mental
  prowess, to help empower the magic. Each
  Brand received costs the recipient either
  one attribute point from their Prime
  Requisite - if there is more than one PR,
  the highest score is used - or 1d4 hp,
  deducted permanently from their total
  (DM's choice). The only exceptions to this
  rule are Attribute Brands (see below),
  which draw 1 point from an opposing
  Attribute, or Slave Brands, which deduct hp
  from the Brand-maker instead.
        Brands fall into certain broad categor-
  ies, outlined below:-
  1) Class-Related Brands. 
        On Herol, the only character class
  available to the unBranded is Fighter; the
  following Brands are required to pursue
  other careers.
  �
  The Warlock Brand: a crimson
  5-pointed star, placed on the right
  cheek. This Brand grants the recipient
  the spellcasting abilities of a 1st-level
  Mage; any spells must be found and
  learnt separately, however. On Herol,
  this Brand is used to grant Mage-
  potential to likely candidates. The
  recipient has the potential to improve
  her abilities through training (and the
  acquisition of experience points), as
  per a normal Mage; if a 0-level human,
  she will progress normally as a Mage. If
  the recipient is already trained in anoth-
  er Class, however, she has the potent-
  ial to become split-classed; to progress
  as a Mage, she must donate all XP
  received in any particular adventure
  into the Mage-class. No split-class
  character can progress in both classes
  at the same time, although she can
  alternate freely. Receipt of the Brand
  also permits usage of Mage-specific
  magical items as if a Mage of that level.
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  �
  The Priest Brand: a silver-grey birdlike
  shape, placed on the left cheek. This
  Brand grants the recipient the Turning
  powers of a 1st-level Cleric. As per the
  Warlock Brand, above, the recipient
  may advance as a split-class; however,
  he must ally with an Immortal or Ethos
  to do so - the initial Turning power is
  fuelled by the Brand itself. The Priest
  Brand allows the recipient to use
  Cleric-specific magical items, unless
  they are restricted to Clerics of
  particular Immortals.
  �
  The Druid Brand: a brown, treelike
  silhouette, covering mouth, nose and
  eyes. This Brand grants the recipient
  the powers of a 1st-level Druid,
  functioning as per the Priest Brand
  above; however, 1st-level Druids
  cannot Turn Undead, so the only
  immediate advantage is the use of
  Druidic items. To advance, the Druid
  must ally with a suitable Immortal -
  Merelith and Varalle are the usual
  choices - or bond with a living forest as
  its guardian (not advisable for
  adventuring druids, as forest guardians
  cannot  leave their forest).
        The Thief Suite - there is no single
  Brand which provides the range of skills
  attributed to Thieves; those who wish to
  acquire those skills must pick and choose
  from the following selection. To improve in
  these skills, the Branded person must
  allocate portions of his earned XP to the
  relevant Brands. The Thief Suite Brands
  have their own advancement table, which
  is equal to roughly 15-20% of the normal
  "Thief" experience requirements for each
  Brand. The bearer can choose which Bra-
  nds to improve, and which to leave undev-
  eloped, at the end of each adventure.
  �
  The Moon-Touched Brand: a black
  crescent moon, placed on the
  forehead. This Brand grants the
  recipient the ability to Hide in Shadows
  with the same chances, initially, as a
  1st-level Thief.
  �
  The Hands-in-Shadow Brand: a black
  silhouette of a grasping hand, placed
  on the underside of the left wrist.
  Grants the ability to Pick Pockets as a
  1st-level Thief.
  �
  The Night-Slayer's Brand: a black
  dagger, placed on the underside of the
  right wrist. Grants the ability to
  Backstab, with the same chances as a
  1st-level Thief. 
  �
  The Monkey Brand: a black spiral -
  reminiscent of a curled monkey's tail -
  placed on the base of the spine and left
  buttock. Grants the ability to Climb
  Walls as a 1st-level Thief.
  �
  The Lockpick Brand: a thin,
  curiously-uneven black mark along the
  underside of the right index-finger.
  Grants the ability to Detect/Remove
  Traps as a 1st-level Thief.
  �
  The Brand of Silent Tread: a black
  cat's-head silhouette, placed on the top
  of the right foot. Grants the ability to
  Move Silently as a 1st-level Thief.
  �
  The Trumpet Brand: a cornet-shaped
  black mark, placed on the neck just
  behind the left ear. Grants the ability to
  Hear Noise with the same chances as
  a 1st-level Thief.
  NB: Because of the high cost in HP or
  attribute points, few Fighter-Thieves
  acquire the entire Thief Suite;
  consequently, the abilities of this
  sub-class vary widely.
  �
  The Overbrand: a 2"-wide black circle,
  placed on the forehead. This is the
  Brand worn by a Master of Brands (an
  NPC Brand-maker). It provides the
  ability to create and apply Brands
  without first having to be able to cast
  6th-level spells. Application of the
  Overbrand prevents the bearer from
  pursuing a character class (which is
  why it is only suitable for NPCs),
  although a Brand-Master can reach the
  equivalent of a 5th-level Mage on the
  strength of this Brand.
  2) Brands granting unique
  abilities or skills. 
        While most skills may be learnt the
  normal way, certain Brands circumvent the
  normal learning process, providing the
  ability without the need for training. In
  addition, certain special powers may be
  granted through the application of a Brand.
  �
  The Brand of Prophecy: a pair of blue
  zigzags covering the lips. This Brand
  grants the ability to perceive the future,
  both in dreams and visions. The power
  is not under the recipient's control,
  however, and occurs randomly (i.e. at
  the DM's convenience). Prophets on
  Herol are highly regarded for the most
  part, often taking positions of great
  importance amongst their people. In
  the Empire of Jael, citizens will often
  consult a Seer before embarking on
  any important task; in the Old Count-
  ries, wandering Wisefolk are treated
  with reverence whenever they visit.
  �
  The Beastmaster Brand: a dun-brown
  representation of a curved animal horn,
  placed over the left eyebrow. This
  Brand grants the knowledge and skills
  of Animal Empathy and Animal Training
  to the recipient, but only for one
  particular type of beast (horse, dog,
  etc). A second such Brand may be
  placed over the right eyebrow if
  desired, to grant Skill with another
  beast type, but two is the limit. This
  Brand usually grants Skill with normal
  domestic animals, although wild beasts
  or even magical creatures (DM's
  decision) might be possible.
  �
  The Tale-Weaver's Brand: a
  red-orange representation of a leaping
  flame, placed on the palm of the left
  hand. Tale-Weavers - men and women
  who make there living as wandering
  storytellers and historians - are regular
  and much-anticipated visitors to the
  villages and hamlets of the Old
  Countries; where the majority of the
  populace are illiterate, such people are
  the primary source of historical
  information, cautionary tales, and also
  gossip. This brand allows the
  Tale-Weaver to manipulate flame - a
  campfire, or a log fire in an inn - and
  create images which illustrate the
  stories he tells. An experienced
  Tale-Weaver can utilise this Brand to
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                                                                   JW
  Beastmaster brand
  
  make fires flare up or die down, or even
  to light or extinguish small
  (candle-sized) flames. The Brand is of
  little help in combat, however. 
  �
  The Vivicant Brand: see Undead, in
  the "Monsters" section, for details of
  this family of Brands.
  3) Spell-related Brands. 
        Unlike the Warlock, Priest and Druid
  Brands, above, these provide specific
  spell-effects, spell-using capabilities, or
  magic item talents to the bearer.
  �
  Brands of Holding: appearance and
  location vary, but usually a complex
  geometrical design. These function in
  the same manner as Rings of Spell
  Storing; they are designed to hold a
  single Magical or Clerical/Druidic spell
  of a certain level - the higher the level,
  the more complex the pattern. Most
  such Brands may hold any spell of the
  requisite level, which may be cast into
  the Brand by a suitable spellcaster.
  This remains until cast by the will of the
  bearer. A few of these Brands have
  spell-regeneration capabilities; they
  hold only one, unchangeable spell,
  which recharges itself for reuse after a
  certain period of time has elapsed
  (usually 24 - 48 hours).
  �
  Brand of Recovery: a dark grey
  chain-link design, circling the bearer's
  neck. This rare, powerful Brand
  provides the bearer with the powers of
  a Ring of Regeneration, allowing her to
  automatically 1hp of damage per Turn.
  In addition, the Brand makes the 
  bearer immune to a Ghoul's paralysing
  touch, and provides a limited degree of
  protection from the ageing effects of
  some Undead - a flat 35% chance to
  ignore the attack completely (normal
  saving throws apply if this fails). The
  bearer cannot use this Brand to resist
  natural ageing, however. Few Brand
  Masters can reproduce this design
  now, although it was almost common a
  few hundred years ago.  
  �
  Slave Brands: These are
  individually-designed sigils, created by
  each Brand Master for his or her own
  use; they are placed on the subject's
  chest. The Brand Master must first
  place a Master Sigil on her own chest,
  twice the size of the Slave Brand, and
  costing one Intelligence point.
  Thereafter, each Slave Brand costs 
  the Brand Master (not the Branded
  target) 1d4 hp from her permanent
  total. The unfortunate recipient of the
  Slave Brand obeys the Master as if
  Charmed, 
  with the notable addition that he or she
  will actually kill, or lay down his/her own
  life, if so ordered. Permanently
  enslaving others in this way is frowned
  upon by many Heroli; it might even be
  considered an Evil act (DM's decision).
  4) Potency Brands. 
        Only one example-group of these is
  known:-
  �
  Attribute Brands: simple circles of
  different colours, representing each of
  the Attributes, placed on various parts
  of the body (the palm of the hand for
  Strength, for example, or the forehead
  for Intelligence). These boost the level
  of the chosen Attribute by one;
  unfortunately, as noted above, any
  such gain will require the sacrifice of
  one point from another Attribute. No
  Attribute can ever be raised by more
  than one point, using this method.
  Should the Brand be Dispelled or
  destroyed, the raised Attribute reverts
  to its former level; however, the
  sacrificed point is not regained. 
        The above selection are only a small
  sample of the thousands of possible
  Brands; DMs are encouraged to create
  their own, as are PCs (with the prior
  approval of the DM, of course). 
           
  !
  The World of Herol
  27
  OD&DITIES 
  "  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  Compendium of 
  Characters
  ... Continued from page 3
  Virindi
  3rd level Neutral Elf
  Str: 12, Dex: 13, Con: 8, Int: 16, Wis: 13,
  Cha: 10, HP: 12, AC: 4, Normal Sword +1
  Ethereality, Chain Mail Armour, Dark-tinted
  Glasses. Spells: Light, Detect Magic, Web
  Virindi's tribe of Elves have lived
  underground for millennia, ever since the
  Sundering, when their forest collapsed into
  the earth. His people have been isolated
  since then, with only legends about the
  surface world. They have changed subtly to
  fit in with their subterranean existence –
  their eyes are sensitive to light now, and
  they have better infravision (double normal
  range). Virindi was found unconscious by a
  group of adventurers and taken back up to
  the surface. Taking him to a local tribe 
  of elves, they left him to make their way.
  The Elves recognized the mistake at once,
  but it was too late. When he recovered,
  Virindi attempted to find his way back to his
  people, but failed. Resigned to a life on the
  surface, he now has one desire – to find
  and kill the adventures who took him from
  his people. Virindi is single-minded about
  his desire, and is ruthless when it comes to
  his 'quest'. He knows nothing about the
  surface world, and cares even less – he
  makes no effort to fit in, simply is. Arrogant
  even for an Elf, he has a tendency to
  infuriate people with his stubbornness. In a
  fight, though, he is a devil, and underneath
  his exterior he is a loyal companion. The
  PC's could meet up with him at any time,
  and join him either in tracking down his
  'enemies' (with a moral dilemma when they
  find out the truth) or in a return to the
  caves, in an attempt to find his people.     
  !
  Street of a Thousand 
  Adventures
  ... Continued from page 6
  #
  Martigan herself may become a signifi-
  cant NPC, too. Originally from Ierendi, she
  adventured for almost 50 years (thanks to
  several potions of longevity) before decid-
  ing to settle down and help those who, co-
  mparatively speaking, are just starting out.
  She is a powerful magic user (at least 20th
  level) who prefers to keep a low profile and
  take the time to enjoy life, but she will try to
  conceal the true extent of her powers if at
  all possible. As such, she could become a
  valuable resource person for the PCs.
  #
  All of this, however, is dependent upon
  whether or not they get along with the other
  patrons, and behave appropriately. PCs
  who come off as being boorish, or
  threatening, may very well be attacked later
  on by irate patrons, once they are on the
  road again. 
            
  !
  
  Combat sans Matrix
  ... Continued from page 17   
  Point Blank range is considered within ½
  short range of a missile (e.g., a hand axe
  (range: 10/20/30) has a point blank range of
  5. Short range is from 6-10; medium and long
  ranges are unaffected)    
  $
  6
  Mystics, if allowed in the campaign, use the
  base THMod values of a fighter up to
  16th-level.
  5
  Druids, if allowed in the campaign, use the
  base THMod values of a cleric of equal level.
  4
  The Body Locations column indicates which
  of the wearer's body parts the armour covers;
  this has no game effect and is used simply to
  provide some aid to visualisation.
  3
  Rules Cyclopedia, 1991, TSR, Inc.
  2
  D&D co-author Dave Arneson's website
  (http://castleblackmoor.com) notes that the
  original combat rules were inspired by some
  naval combat game wherein lower numbers
  represented better armour, but this scant
  explanation still does nothing to justify the
  origin of this obtuse convention. Apparently,
  someone at sometime thought this made
  perfect sense; lacking clear evidence as to
  why, I am open to further enlightenment on
  this point.
  1
  OD&DITIES
  28
  OD&DITIES 
  %  The Original D&D Fanzine
  Issue 9 - February 2003
  OD�DITIES
  THE ORIGINAL DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FANZINE 
  Issue 9 - February 2003
   First Strike
    
  � Human Fighter, as above, drinking a
  potion:IR = +0 [+0 (Medium attacker)
  +1 (DEX adj.) -1 (magic item use) = +0]
  � Human Magic-User with DEX 16
  casting magic missile:IR = +1 [+0
  (Medium attacker) +2 (DEX adj.) -1
  (1st-level spell) = +1] 
  � Human Magic-User, as above, casting
  Wall of Fire from a spell scroll: IR = -3
  [+0 (Medium attacker) +2 (DEX adj.) -4
  (4th-level spell) -1(magic item use) = -3]
  � Ogre warrior with DEX 8 and Expert
  mastery in the long bow:IR = -5 [-2
  (Large attacker) -1 (DEX adj.) +1
  (Expert mastery) -3 (weapon size) = -5]
  � Troll with average Dexterity:IR = -3 [-3
  (Large attacker) +0 (DEX adj.) = -3]
  Conclusion
        Admittedly, this system of 
  determining combat initiative does require
  a bit more bookkeeping than the method
  described in the official rules. However,
  with some use, the Initiative Rating
  modifiers for various attackers and their
  combat actions becomes easy to
  calculate. The end result is a more
  realistic mode of initiative resolution, with
  the added benefit of garnering a clearer
  view of exactly what happens during a
  fight, and when. If you're looking to inject
  a bit more tension into OD&D combat, I
  encourage you to give this initiative
  method a try—you may be surprised to
  see who gets the first strike.
  $
    How to get the jump on initiative rolls in OD&D Combat
   ... Continued from page 5   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/3rd Party/Original D&D/OD&Dities/ODDITIES 09.pdf