Alzrius
The EN World kitten
And so it ends. The last issue of Dragon arrived today, and it's with a great sadness that I make my last report about this great magazine. But the Paizo people made sure that this great mag ends not with a whimper, but with a bang - not the least of which is the cover by Larry Elmore, honoring the first cover. Here's the last scoop:
Giant Poster - A huge double-sided eight-panel poster comes with the issue, commemorating the "Paizo Years" of Dragon and Dungeon. One side has the complete picture of the "Incursion" covers, while the other has (what I assume are all) the covers from Paizo's issues of the magazines.
Editorial: The Last Session, by Erik Mona - Erik reminisces about the last Ptolus session, and now the last Dragon, giving Jason Bulmahn, Mike McArtor, and F. Wesley Schneider all several paragraphs to say their own goodbyes as well.
Scale Mail - The letters column is packed with people sorry to see the magazine go.
The Top 10 Issues of Dragon, by Tim Hitchcock and Nicolas Logue - The best ten issues of Dragon are remembered here, covering not just their release information, but also their gp value, aura, cost, caster level, and notable articles. These are the issues that are widely considered to be the best of the best.
Unsolved Mysteries of D&D, by the Dragon and Dungeon staffs - The people who know D&D best set out to solve some of the game's greatest mysteries! What really caused the Mournlands? Who is the Lady of Pain? Whatever happened to Carl Sargent? These mysteries and more are explored by the people who know them best!
Time Dragons, by Mike McArtor - A new dragon for the last Dragon! These epic dragons are quite possibly the strongest dragons in existence (the dragon gods withstanding). These temporal-travelling dragons are incredibly powerful, being CR 24 as wyrmlings, and CR 90 as great wyrms! Along with a host of time-related powers, they can even travel through time itself, making them some of the mightiest creatures in D&D.
Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Apocrypha, by James Jacobs - The Demonomicon is a vast repository of demonic knowledge, but even if has apocrypha; bits and pieces that seem related, but still questionable. This article covers how the fell tome categorizes the denizens of the Abyss into six categories (including a new loumara: the CR 12 manitou), and then covers five new up-and-coming lords. Interestingly, while these new demon lords don't have stats per se, they're all given a base creature to refer to (along with a CR, and a few notable abilities), which should then have the new Demon Lord template applied. This makes it possible to fully stat out these new lords yourself. The five revealed herein are Ardat the Unavowed, Dwiergus the Chrysalis Prince, Lascer, Lord of the Shadow Shoal, Shaktari, Queen of the Mariliths, and Ugudenk the Squirming King. A sidebar covers where to find previous "Demonomicon" articles, and another has James's thanks to everyone who supported the series.
1d20 Villains, by Jason Bulmahn, James Jacobs, Mike McArtor, Erik Mona, F. Wesley Schneider, Todd Stewart, and Jeremy Walker - Twenty of the most nefarious names in D&D are covered here, from Meepo to Strahd von Zarovich and back again. Each covers their origins, current activities, and sources with more about them. Each also has a piece of associated new crunch, from Meepo's pump-action shotgun to Strahd's Skeletal Steed, and so much more! Several are nods to classics that fans of the game might remember, such as charon's claw, the Orcusword, or the left ear of Vecna. Great stuff!
Treasures of Greyhawk, by Gary Holian and Rick Miller - These are the magic items of Zagig and the Company of Seven themselves: heward's bell, heward's lyre of truth, keoghtom's spidery map, keoghtom's staff of purification, murlynd's hat, murlynd's rattlesnake whip, nolzur's orb, quaal's cloak, quaal's surreptitous armor of expedience, robe of the mad archmage, tasha's grinning idol, and yragerne signet. A sidebar covers using these items with Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk.
The Wizards Three, by Ed Greenwood - Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Rautheene meet again at Ed's place, and for the first time in a while, Dalamar joins them! The four of them have a merry time while Ed himself hides and hopes he's not discovered (in other words, it's business as usual).
Elminster vs. Raistlin, by Cam Banks, with Ed Greenwood and Margaret Weis - The powers and weaknesses of these two strongest mages are examined, as well as their tactics that they'd use to overcome each other. I won't reveal who the winner is, of course, but it's quite interesting to read about what they'd do in a duel.
Ecology of the Tarrasque, by Ed Greenwood and Johnathan M. Richards - The Monster Hunter's Society returns! Or at least, they serve as the open and closing to this ecology. The Tarrasque's history, physiology, and psychology and society are all covered, and we're given an advanced, CR 30 Tarrasque. Sidebars cover what you'd know about it with a Knowledge (arcana) check and Tarrasque-based plots.
Savage Tidings: Demon Days, by Wolfgang Baur - The last Savage Tidings recaps each of the previous Savage Tide adventures to examine how the characters got where they are. It also covers possible allies (or even replacement PCs), as well as what could come after Demogorgon is defeated.
Volo's Guide: Myth Drannor, City of Song, by Eric L. Boyd - This (spoiler-filled regarding recent FR material) article covers contemporary Myth Drannor, including a map of the city, and a city stat block.
Dragonmarks: Echoes of the Mourning, by Keith Baker - This article examines possible causes of the creation of the Mournlands, what happens when you travel through it, and a new feat, Mourning Mutate, which you can have if you lived through the Mourning.
Sage Advice - This last Sage Advice covers, appropriately, topics relating to death. There's also a sidebar covering how long the column has continued, and that it continues still online. Also, the little mouse that's been the column's recent mascot waves goodbye (I really love that little guy - kudos to artist Andrew Hou!).
Class Acts
Adventurer: Body Modification, by James Lafond Sutter - This covers several non-magical surgical modifications you can make to yourself, such as embedding small weapons into yourself, making an internal pouch, or using your own flesh for a spellbook (though this takes the new Skincaster feat).
Arcane: Wizard Guide, by Amber E. Scott - This article covers all of the basic information about wizards, putting all of their tables as well as a list of choice feats and PrCs in one place.
Divine: Forgotten Faiths, by F. Wesley Schneider - Presented here are six esoteric gods from the history of D&D: Ezra, The Guardian of Dead Gods, Kanchelsis, Mellifleur, The Queen of Air and Darkness, and Raxivort. Each has their divine level and alignment, several paragraphs of description, and a listing of their portfolio and domains.
Warrior: The Universal Key, by Jeremy Walker - Can't unlock a door? Bust it down then! Here are several new pieces of equipment designed to bring down barriers in your way, as well as a new magic item, the skeleton key, and a new feat, Fine Flaw. It also quickly covers existing items that bypass or destroy locks from other books.
Finale: Arcane Lore Abilities, by Monte Cook - Monte himself presents eight new feats for arcane spellcasters, each specially designed to have atmosphere to go along with their crunch: Countenance of the Mage, Ears of the Mage, Eyes of the Mage, Footsteps of the Mage, Hands of the Mage, Name of the Mage, Presence of the Mage, and Voice of the Mage.
Comics - Nodwick, by Aaron Williams; Dork Tower, by John Kovalic; The Order of the Stick, by Rich Burlew; and What's New? with Phil and Dixie, by Phil Foglio. All of these classic comics say goodbye to Dragon in their own way.
The End.
Giant Poster - A huge double-sided eight-panel poster comes with the issue, commemorating the "Paizo Years" of Dragon and Dungeon. One side has the complete picture of the "Incursion" covers, while the other has (what I assume are all) the covers from Paizo's issues of the magazines.
Editorial: The Last Session, by Erik Mona - Erik reminisces about the last Ptolus session, and now the last Dragon, giving Jason Bulmahn, Mike McArtor, and F. Wesley Schneider all several paragraphs to say their own goodbyes as well.
Scale Mail - The letters column is packed with people sorry to see the magazine go.
The Top 10 Issues of Dragon, by Tim Hitchcock and Nicolas Logue - The best ten issues of Dragon are remembered here, covering not just their release information, but also their gp value, aura, cost, caster level, and notable articles. These are the issues that are widely considered to be the best of the best.
Unsolved Mysteries of D&D, by the Dragon and Dungeon staffs - The people who know D&D best set out to solve some of the game's greatest mysteries! What really caused the Mournlands? Who is the Lady of Pain? Whatever happened to Carl Sargent? These mysteries and more are explored by the people who know them best!
Time Dragons, by Mike McArtor - A new dragon for the last Dragon! These epic dragons are quite possibly the strongest dragons in existence (the dragon gods withstanding). These temporal-travelling dragons are incredibly powerful, being CR 24 as wyrmlings, and CR 90 as great wyrms! Along with a host of time-related powers, they can even travel through time itself, making them some of the mightiest creatures in D&D.
Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Apocrypha, by James Jacobs - The Demonomicon is a vast repository of demonic knowledge, but even if has apocrypha; bits and pieces that seem related, but still questionable. This article covers how the fell tome categorizes the denizens of the Abyss into six categories (including a new loumara: the CR 12 manitou), and then covers five new up-and-coming lords. Interestingly, while these new demon lords don't have stats per se, they're all given a base creature to refer to (along with a CR, and a few notable abilities), which should then have the new Demon Lord template applied. This makes it possible to fully stat out these new lords yourself. The five revealed herein are Ardat the Unavowed, Dwiergus the Chrysalis Prince, Lascer, Lord of the Shadow Shoal, Shaktari, Queen of the Mariliths, and Ugudenk the Squirming King. A sidebar covers where to find previous "Demonomicon" articles, and another has James's thanks to everyone who supported the series.
1d20 Villains, by Jason Bulmahn, James Jacobs, Mike McArtor, Erik Mona, F. Wesley Schneider, Todd Stewart, and Jeremy Walker - Twenty of the most nefarious names in D&D are covered here, from Meepo to Strahd von Zarovich and back again. Each covers their origins, current activities, and sources with more about them. Each also has a piece of associated new crunch, from Meepo's pump-action shotgun to Strahd's Skeletal Steed, and so much more! Several are nods to classics that fans of the game might remember, such as charon's claw, the Orcusword, or the left ear of Vecna. Great stuff!
Treasures of Greyhawk, by Gary Holian and Rick Miller - These are the magic items of Zagig and the Company of Seven themselves: heward's bell, heward's lyre of truth, keoghtom's spidery map, keoghtom's staff of purification, murlynd's hat, murlynd's rattlesnake whip, nolzur's orb, quaal's cloak, quaal's surreptitous armor of expedience, robe of the mad archmage, tasha's grinning idol, and yragerne signet. A sidebar covers using these items with Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk.
The Wizards Three, by Ed Greenwood - Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Rautheene meet again at Ed's place, and for the first time in a while, Dalamar joins them! The four of them have a merry time while Ed himself hides and hopes he's not discovered (in other words, it's business as usual).
Elminster vs. Raistlin, by Cam Banks, with Ed Greenwood and Margaret Weis - The powers and weaknesses of these two strongest mages are examined, as well as their tactics that they'd use to overcome each other. I won't reveal who the winner is, of course, but it's quite interesting to read about what they'd do in a duel.
Ecology of the Tarrasque, by Ed Greenwood and Johnathan M. Richards - The Monster Hunter's Society returns! Or at least, they serve as the open and closing to this ecology. The Tarrasque's history, physiology, and psychology and society are all covered, and we're given an advanced, CR 30 Tarrasque. Sidebars cover what you'd know about it with a Knowledge (arcana) check and Tarrasque-based plots.
Savage Tidings: Demon Days, by Wolfgang Baur - The last Savage Tidings recaps each of the previous Savage Tide adventures to examine how the characters got where they are. It also covers possible allies (or even replacement PCs), as well as what could come after Demogorgon is defeated.
Volo's Guide: Myth Drannor, City of Song, by Eric L. Boyd - This (spoiler-filled regarding recent FR material) article covers contemporary Myth Drannor, including a map of the city, and a city stat block.
Dragonmarks: Echoes of the Mourning, by Keith Baker - This article examines possible causes of the creation of the Mournlands, what happens when you travel through it, and a new feat, Mourning Mutate, which you can have if you lived through the Mourning.
Sage Advice - This last Sage Advice covers, appropriately, topics relating to death. There's also a sidebar covering how long the column has continued, and that it continues still online. Also, the little mouse that's been the column's recent mascot waves goodbye (I really love that little guy - kudos to artist Andrew Hou!).
Class Acts
Adventurer: Body Modification, by James Lafond Sutter - This covers several non-magical surgical modifications you can make to yourself, such as embedding small weapons into yourself, making an internal pouch, or using your own flesh for a spellbook (though this takes the new Skincaster feat).
Arcane: Wizard Guide, by Amber E. Scott - This article covers all of the basic information about wizards, putting all of their tables as well as a list of choice feats and PrCs in one place.
Divine: Forgotten Faiths, by F. Wesley Schneider - Presented here are six esoteric gods from the history of D&D: Ezra, The Guardian of Dead Gods, Kanchelsis, Mellifleur, The Queen of Air and Darkness, and Raxivort. Each has their divine level and alignment, several paragraphs of description, and a listing of their portfolio and domains.
Warrior: The Universal Key, by Jeremy Walker - Can't unlock a door? Bust it down then! Here are several new pieces of equipment designed to bring down barriers in your way, as well as a new magic item, the skeleton key, and a new feat, Fine Flaw. It also quickly covers existing items that bypass or destroy locks from other books.
Finale: Arcane Lore Abilities, by Monte Cook - Monte himself presents eight new feats for arcane spellcasters, each specially designed to have atmosphere to go along with their crunch: Countenance of the Mage, Ears of the Mage, Eyes of the Mage, Footsteps of the Mage, Hands of the Mage, Name of the Mage, Presence of the Mage, and Voice of the Mage.
Comics - Nodwick, by Aaron Williams; Dork Tower, by John Kovalic; The Order of the Stick, by Rich Burlew; and What's New? with Phil and Dixie, by Phil Foglio. All of these classic comics say goodbye to Dragon in their own way.
The End.
Last edited:
Nice one.
