Let's read the entire run

Dragon Issue 307: May 2003


part 3/9


Monsters in the alley: Another article that feels like it was too late for the urban themed issue, making me wonder if Paizo is struggling to keep itself organised and read and edit everything submitted in good time. Even now they're throwing out all the fiction submissions unread, I still suspect they have fewer resources at their disposal than when they were a full part of the WotC offices. Still, even if it is a couple of months late, it is a James Jacobs one, and he rarely disappoints me when it comes to inventive monsters. Let's see if he can keep up his winning streak.

Dweomervores are little barbed-tailed dragons that eat magic, and reproduce asexually when there's a plentiful supply of it. Since they need to eat magical items, adventurers will likely wind up hunting them when some of their gear goes missing. At least it's a better excuse than the random mischief faerie dragons will inflict on you for kicks.

Splinterwaifs may or may not be the twisted remains of dryads who's trees were cut down and used to build stuff. Whether they are or not, they steal children and turn them into bushes before slowly eating them, which is a very interesting way to go that also makes it very hard to hunt them down, since there's no bodies. Better have your divination spells at the ready to figure this one out.

Trap Haunts are ghosts who were killed by traps, which means adventurers have way above average odds of becoming one. As if the tomb of horrors wasn't nasty enough, add a few of these and you'll never clear it out.

Wilora are shapeshifting birds that steal memories with their gaze and assume people's forms. The most mythological feeling of this collection, they don't seem to have much motivation beyond jumping into people's lives temporarily and getting up to mischief that the poor amnesiac has to deal with next morning. Well, it's a good alternative to dopplegangers or obliviax. If there's a substantial population of them in an area, people will be very superstitious about barring the doors and padding the walls at night.

Since none of these are really straight combatants, have good descriptions with some ecological thought in, and will all need some brains to deal with, I think this is another pretty good article from James. The important thing with new monsters is that they always need to be slightly different, otherwise why write them, and these fit that bill.


Risen dead II: It definitely seems like they're bringing out sequels to popular articles faster these days. Well, I suppose that fits with the overall tendency of faster edition changes and more instant communication with the public. If they're cutting months off finding out what worked and what didn't through forumwatching, and days off the process of transmitting and revising manuscripts via using email, then of course there's going to be some acceleration. Plus it helps if they're easy ones to write like this one. Yup, it's 4 more undead converted from regular monster types into templates. Bodaks, Ghouls, Ghasts and Sons of Kyuss get genericised for flexibility. The templates are exactly what you'd expect, but there are some amusing quirks in the examples. Bodak Hydra get to use the death gaze with all their heads, while kyuss infected ogre mages enjoy both regeneration and fast healing, which makes them an absolute nightmare to put down for good. So it looks like they've found another vein of easy to mine crunch to tap into, and hope it doesn't run dry too soon. Ho hum. What other monster types fit better as templates than existing creatures then?

Dragon Issue 307: May 2003


part 4/9


Heroes of Cormyr: Greyhawk may have moved out now, but the Realms is still getting multiple articles nearly every issue. Even individual regions get more detail than most other campaign worlds. So here we go again, showing what benefits you can get by swearing loyalty to a larger organisation, rather than just wandering wherever fortune takes you. Let's see if it feels worth it given the rules you'll have to abide by.

Battlepriests get full BAB, 2 extra domains, and a load of social effects that make them good for fighting in the frontlines and keeping the troops healthy and motivated. In this case, sacrificing a couple of spellcasting levels seems entirely worth it.

Council Mages are a short one for the high level wizards who get Vangerdhast's personal approval. With the ability to cast co-operatively to raise DC's, easy access to high level spells through their connections and a bonus to dispelling checks, they're definitely strong team players who can bring the strategy to a big party. Let's hope the player is as good a planner as the character should be.

Noble Adventurers have the interesting distinction of being the only 4 level prestige class I've ever seen. While they last, they're just plain better than regular fighters in nearly every way, so you want social status and power, you'd be dumb not to go for the classy option.

Moon Drovers have the really perilous job of harvesting catoblepas herds for death cheese. Fortunately, by 2nd level, they're immune to to their death gaze, but you'll need to survive a few levels of regular cleric before you get that. Still, since they keep full spellcasting, and there's people around who can raise you, I think a few months milking the warthogs is a worthwhile way to spend your summer holidays.

Royal Scouts are for particularly patriotic rangers, hunting down any monsters that enter the royal woods and serving as messengers the rest of the time. With lots of low skill requirements, you'll probably need to multiclass to get in, but once again, they're worth it. So this is a particularly twinky collection, appropriate for those who like to multiclass a lot to squeeze every inch of optimisation out of their character. Good thing they are region specific then.


Elminster's guide to the realms: A bridge as an adventure location? Haven't had one of those since issue 131. Another underused idea when you consider how good a flashpoint for dramatic encounters they make. Be there tolls, trolls, treacherous footing or stuff hidden beneath, getting across can definitely be a challenge for low-mid level adventurers. Of course Ed wants to create a persistent world, so this particular bridge is in no danger of collapsing anytime in the next few centuries. But it does have a regular problem with bugbear bandits, a whole load of little hidden compartments, triggered magic mouths that proclaim odd stuff to people crossing, and a really nasty marsh underneath to suck down people who try to go around it. If you're high enough level to laugh at all of those, there might also be an extradimensional gate to a dragon's lair if you touch the right stones in the right order. As usual, this is aimed at characters of all levels and the idea that you can cross multiple times and still find something new to keep it from being just another flavor encounter. Still, even if it is formulaic, at least he's found another real world thing that deserves more attention in game. I'm sure billygoats everywhere will thank him for it.

Dragon Issue 307: May 2003


part 5/9


3.5 Revision update: This time, we're getting out the nerfbat for the spells people have complained most about. Harm now not only requires a touch attack to hit, but also allows a saving throw on top of that and only does 10 points of damage per level. Hold allows a saving throw every single round to escape. And Haste and Polymorph are getting thoroughly weakened, because they're just ridiculously versatile. This is one area where they really caused their own problems in the first place. Removing the aging effect from Haste and System Shock roll from polymorphing turned them from really useful but risky effects to no-brainers. Refocussing the game from large parties where each person plays multiple PC's or has a load of hirelings to 4 person teams which don't have any slack if one member is taken out makes save or suck spells have way more impact, as does changing the save system so you're more likely to fail at high levels instead of less. And whinging about Harm is just silly when finger of death is lower level and more powerful. It just shows how trying to create a tightly balanced system where everything is interlocked is really difficult, and near impossible where flexible powers that can synergise multiplicatively are involved. While 3e fixed a lot of 2e's problems, it also created a fair number of it's own, and this is where they're coming home to roost. And trying to fix the problem by cutting down power and flexibility just sucks the wonder out of things. You know, it would have been way easier to set spell and monster DC's at 10 + ability modifier + 1/3 your level/HD, instead of all this faffing around with individual spells. (and kill scaling with spell level with fire, as all that does is leave your low level spells useless against higher level monsters) So it should be pretty clear that this is one set of changes 3.5 made I'm not keen on at all. They're greasing the squeaky wheels in a way that doesn't actually make the game better once the changes are made.


Silicon Sorcery: Shadowbane is another fantasy CRPG that puts a different spin on the familiar fantasy races, two of which are converted here. Shades are humans who's fathers die while they're still in the womb. They appear half in the grave themselves, with grey skin, solid black eyes and no hair, so they're very much an oppressed minority in human communities. Still, this has it's advantages in that they can freely see and interact with ghosts, so who ya gonna call? Their half-elves are different as well. The magical energy coursing through them leaves them mentally unstable, and they need special tattoos to maintain a modicum of control that also leave them instantly recognisable. Once again, they suffer pretty badly from discrimination by both sides of their parentage. Both of these are sterile, which means they'll never be anything more than a rarity. Still, they both have strong incentives to become adventurers, and gain some measure of self-worth and acceptance through heroism, so they fit in nicely to D&D. And let's face it, angsty outsiders are a perpetual bestseller in media. There have been many before, there will be many in the future. There'll always be a place in my game for them, especially as long as I fit that mould in reality.

Dragon Issue 307: May 2003


part 6/9


Good monsters: A second sequel in quick succession this issue. We've had two articles about transformative prestige classes based on evil monsters. Now here's one for the fans of good monsters. After all, there may not be as many as there are evil ones, but that just means we're more likely to remember the ones there are, especially as they're more intelligent and magically capable on average too. There's room for a few of these, and possibly ones focussing on lawful, chaotic and neutral monsters as well. Course, that all depends on the existing ones holding the public interest and getting follow-up submissions. Let's see if these can maintain their winning streak.

Whitehorns are devoted to unicorns, completely unsurprisingly. They get to heal by touching people with the horn that grows from their forehead, but don't get unicorn's dimension door, weirdly enough. With full BAB, they seem best aimed at rangers rather than Druids, who would gain all that healing power and more if they just progressed their spells normally.

Followers of the Skyserpent want to be Coatl. This means they get to use poison freely despite being lawful good, and the usual wings and tail you'd expect from a transformative prestige class. They're also good at social stuff too, so they've got good odds of catching the right people when hunting evildoers. The ends can only justify the means if you don't screw up in the judicial process.

Treefriends act as an information network for Dryads, keeping them in touch with each other and protecting forests as a whole. A definite case where the creature needs them as much as they need it, since staying in one place your whole life must be pretty boring for something that smart, and they can't take the fight to the big logging companies before they arrive. They're another one that can't really do anything druids can't, but make up for it with full BAB. Plus a boost to your charisma score is pretty tempting for the vain out there.

The Artists Vengeance is a secret society of Bards that venerate Lillendi, and are obsessed with eliminating any attempts to censor or destroy their work. They mostly just progress their bard abilities as normal, but also gain a tail and wings at higher level. (and I'd like to see how they explain that when making public appearances promoting their work) Let all those who give bad reviews beware their might. That's sufficiently funny that I can definitely give respect to this article. Good still needs to be fun, and they've got that, even if they don't have ultimate power.


The saga of Westeros: For some reason, they're putting the themed stuff near the end of the issue instead of the start. That's unusual. Do they think a big chunk of their readerbase won't be interested or something? Or is it just the amount of adverts they got and needed to structure their features around. That's caused formatting mess-ups before. in any case, this first article definitely falls into the category of unimpressive warm-up, being just a very very abridged and spoiler light synopsis of the books' plot so far. They're going to gradually build up to the epicness then? At least, I hope that's what they had in mind. Let's move on from this little bit of fluff then.

I remember thinking that the Moon Drovers were particularly nifty. I think death cheese is a great idea, just the kind of fantasy that I like.

Dragon Issue 307: May 2003


part 7/9


The ice wall campaign: There's plenty of room in Westeros for D&D style roaming bands of adventurers at the edge of civilisation. If you've broken the law and want to leave your old identity behind rather than hang or rot in jail, you can sign on with the wall guards that keep barbarians and monsters from invading the southern lands. If that's still not enough excitement, from there it's a simple step to disappear into the frozen wilderness full of wolves, wights, dragons, and mysterious winter fae. And that'll probably be all the excitement you can handle without wizards and clerics to fill out the party and make things less inexplicable. There's still a fair amount left open here, presumably because it hasn't been properly detailed in the books, which means the DM has plenty of leeway to decide what else is out there, but won't be able to get away with being lazy and sticking strictly to published material. Still, like the overview of mystara in X1, it's enough to go on for now, and does contain some genuinely evocative elements. So far, so playable.


The clash of kings: Our second campaign idea is of course going right to the centre of the empire and immersing yourself in political struggle. Course, if you aren't from one of the great houses, the deck is stacked against you. Still, with 5 of them, there's plenty of room for making alliances and marrying into power that might let you claw your way up if you have something to offer. And let's face it, there's a good deal to fight for. This is organised by houses and the territories they command, with details of NPC's and adventure seeds for each. So it doesn't feel as detailed and cohesive as the icewall campaign, but it does have more scope to it. You have a much greater number of cultures and terrains to deal with, and the chance to assemble armies and amass riches in a way a band of wandering miscreants couldn't. Mind you, plenty of emphasis is put on how magic low Westeros is compared to a standard 3e campaign, so even at 20th level you won't be rocking a full regalia of +5 gear and unleashing meteor swarms on a daily basis. But if the characters are born to that world, they won't know that. And what's important to in feeling rich is that you're better off than your neighbours, not that you're objectively well off. There's plenty to fight for and win here, and the challenges will remain challenging at all levels (and don't get complacent even if you do win, because political manoeuvring never stops, and winter is coming. ) I think this article manages to successfully convey how big the world is and how easily you could run an entire campaign set there. When you've got strong material to work with, everything else looks much easier.

Dragon Issue 307: May 2003


part 8/9


A song of dice and fire: Unsurprisingly, we finish off with an interview of George R. R. Martin himself, getting some insights into his working methods. And it does have to be said that he doesn't seem to be the most efficient of writers, not keeping many notes, and sometimes having to backtrack and rewrite big chunks of story when they turn out not to fit the larger scale plot. It's a good thing he is now in a financial position where he can take more than 5 years between instalments to give attention to all the many many characters and subplots, and it would be a shame if the wheel of time got finished posthumously, but this series never does. But with the morbid stuff out of the way early, we get to find out all sorts of cool stuff about his own roleplaying experiences. His primary poison of choice is GURPS, and his main long-term campaign is a fairly realism heavy one set in ancient rome. Which isn't to say he hasn't done some pretty serious min-maxing and blowing stuff up in the past. But in general, he's a fan of keeping the wondrous elements sufficiently rare that they stay wondrous. Which does put him somewhat at odds with the current D&D writers. But then, if you're the type of person who likes to explore a single world for decades at a time, you don't want a system that causes you to level up to game-breaking degrees in less than 2 years and then start again. This is a pretty strong reminder there are a big crop of fantasy readers who aren't really catered for by what D&D does, and it'll be interesting to see how the D20 version of ASoI&F handled that. Can they strip the fantastical elements back just the right amount so they stay special when they do come up? In any case, this interview shows just how many fantasy writers are or were also gamers these days, and that that has had an influence, whether they're taking those ideas they saw in the games, or reacting against them. No escaping it these days, I'm afraid.


DM's toolbox: While they may be nerfing many spells next edition, they're still pretty big on the idea of letting you play any monster you like, especially now the ECL system causes you to probably be weaker than a regular PC unless your class complements your racial abilities. So here we go with a load of advice on how to integrate them into a campaign, and the challenges they're likely to face. In most campaigns, they will face suspicion from the public when they go into towns, and it's not impossible that they'll have problems getting into and sticking with the rest of the party. The more their body shape differs from humanity, the more frequently you'll find yourself making special allowances for them that can take over the game. While obviously shorter, I think this may actually be better than the similar advice in the complete book of humanoids, with plenty of ideas on how to make a game filled with exotic PC's work, rather than just obstacles to throw in their way make up for their racial powers. With the problems of 3e really coming out of the woodwork this issue, it's important that we take the time to remember the many things it does do better than previous editions, and this is one of them.


The play's the thing: Mike's contribution this month is a whole bunch of fun spell synergies that you can use to make the most of your powers. Never underestimate the utility of your basic flasks of oil and 10 foot poles. Also don't underestimate the power of illusion combined with a real threat. And especially don't underestimate how much dropping heavy stuff on people from a great height hurts. I find it very ironic that they're putting an article like this in the same issue which just nerfed a whole load of spells, and just shows how pointless a task it is. As long as wizards and clerics have access to hundreds of spells at higher level, there's always going to be ways you can combine them that are disproportionately effective. So individually, this article seems fun and inconsequential, but combined with the rest of the issue is a reminder of the multiple masters they're trying to serve. They actively tried to encourage charop at the beginning of 3e, and now they're starting to crack down on it again, closing up loopholes that players discovered, which means a chunk of the gaming population will once again be left behind trying to play the game the old way. It's very interesting indeed to see these shifts in the writer's attitudes, and who is first and last to change their minds.

(un)reason said:

And it does have to be said that he doesn't seem to be the most efficient of writers, not keeping many notes, and sometimes having to backtrack and rewrite big chunks of story when they turn out not to fit the larger scale plot.

Click to expand...

And absolutely no-one was surprised when reading this.

At least now Benioff and Weiss generally know how the series is going to end, so the whole thing isn't just in George's head.

I remeber back when I started playing Dragon was fairly new but I was more into Dungeon myself. I just recently got a gob of the older issues on PDF and was starting to read them

I remember back when I started playing Dragon was fairly new but I was more into Dungeon myself. I just recently got a gob of the older issues on PDF and was starting to read them. some of it is a total flash back