Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Must have been a cloak because I don't think shields and bracers work together.
D&D General I'm a Fighter, not a Lover: Why the 1e Fighter was so Awesome
- Thread starter Snarf Zagyg
- Start date
Zardnaar
Legend
Not sure. Shields count as armor?
James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Ok, so I went over Bone Hill. No Gauntlets of Ogre Power, but wow, is this adventure stacked with magic items! Granted, I don't think the players are supposed to get most of the NPC's items (but at least one item is hidden behind a secret door, so I have to assume that some of them are intended as treasure). There's some trap items (cursed or don't work as intended) to stymie people who don't use Identify as well.
But there's still a lot of stuff here, and the loadouts of low level NPC's are crazy, with several Fighter 2's owning magic weapons and armor! Simply put, any attempt to use the rarities from the random tables as evidence of magic item distribution goes right out the window. Not only are there several Bracers of Defense and Cloaks of Protection, multiple Brooches of Shielding, but there are two Rings of Free Action and a total of six Rings of Protection in the adventure!
A few head scratchers as well, like an NPC who is using a quarterstaff and shield combo (if I had a gold piece for every time I've seen this in an adventure, well, I'd have 2 gp, but that's still pretty wild) and a Druid using a magic hammer (I thought they couldn't use these, but I didn't check).
And all this for an adventure for characters of levels 2-4! I love reading these old modules whenever I think about the people who tell me AD&D was "low-magic", lol.
But there's still a lot of stuff here, and the loadouts of low level NPC's are crazy, with several Fighter 2's owning magic weapons and armor! Simply put, any attempt to use the rarities from the random tables as evidence of magic item distribution goes right out the window. Not only are there several Bracers of Defense and Cloaks of Protection, multiple Brooches of Shielding, but there are two Rings of Free Action and a total of six Rings of Protection in the adventure!
A few head scratchers as well, like an NPC who is using a quarterstaff and shield combo (if I had a gold piece for every time I've seen this in an adventure, well, I'd have 2 gp, but that's still pretty wild) and a Druid using a magic hammer (I thought they couldn't use these, but I didn't check).
I know you're not supposed to fight the Clerics, but I've included their items for completeness.
Faldelac: Bracers AC 3, Ring of Free Action, Ring of Spell Turning, Amulet of Inescapable Location (ha!), Staff of Striking/34.
Quail: chainmail +1.
Telmar: quarterstaff +1. And has a shield included in his AC. What's with all this one-handed staff users in old modules?
Bald Hill Lair: short sword +1, potion of gaseous form, scroll of dimension door.
Tolvar: Bracers AC 9, Ring of Protection +1.
Gnoll Treasure-
Ogre: Brooch of Shielding/35
Potion of Extra-Healing, Shield +1, Battleaxe +1, Potions of Healing x2, Wand of Magic Missiles/7
Wolf Pack Lair-
Ring of Invisibility (Special: works 1 hour out of ever 24), Potion of Climbing, Scale Armor +1
Also, Masterwork Lock Picks that add +8% to picking normal (not complex or magical) locks.
Bone Hill-
Tolvar: Cloak of Protection +2, Wand of Fear/5
Bronze Horn of Valhalla, Boots of Elvenkind, Scroll: Spiritual Hammer, Detect Lie, Prayer, Tongues.
Potions: Healing, Extra-Healing mixed with Diminution, Hill Giant Control, Polymorph Self mixed with Vampire Control, Growth, Sweet Water, Gaseous Form mixed with Invisibility, Longevity mixed with Speed that requires 2 separate system shock rolls (somebody really likes the Potion Miscibility rules)!
Telvar's spellbook.
+1 darts x3.
Shield +1, Potion of Clairaudience.
Unique Staff: casts Dancing Lights, Light, Spark (2d10 or 2d4 damage), Lightning Bolt. 11 charges.
Mirror of Opposition (variant)
Crystal Ball of Hypnosis (you really want Identify for this adventure!), Shield +2
Libram of Gainful Conjuration, Long Sword +1 (Int 12, Ego 2, detects magic, LN), scroll of commune, scroll of cure critical wounds
Battleaxe +2, Shield +3, Ring of Elemental Command (need to fight a 7HD elemental to activate, Identifies as a Ring of Invisibility)
More NPC's you're not meant to fight-
Grellus: chain mail +2, shield +1, +1 flametongue sword, ring of shocking grasp
Fairwind: ring of protection +2, wand of magic missiles/12
Gelpas: chain mail +2, longsword +1
Relkin: longsword +1
Brilman: chain mail +1
Carlton: long bow +1
Weber: 2 x arrows +1
Villie: +1 leather armor. Gets to wear it while being an Elven Fighter/Mage, lucky him!
Crystal Ball of Clairaudience (trapped with dust of sneezing and choking!)
Ring of Djinni Summoning
Fletcher: +1 long bow, 7 x +1 arrows
Smith: ring of protection +1
Falco: ring of protection +2, short sword +1
The Abbot: chain mail +2, mace of disruption
Colemack: plate +1, short sword +1, crossbow of speed (ok, there's a lot of F2's with magic gear in this adventure, but this guy takes the cake!)
Prellis: ring of protection +1
Zelmar: wand of magic missiles/7
Pelitar: cloak of protection +2, dagger +1/+3 vs. humanoids, boots of levitation, wand of lightning/11
3 x rings that can override Wizard Lock doors at 12th level magic use
ring of protection +2
chainmail +1, longsword +1
studded leather +2, ring of free action, broadsword +1, net of entrapment
two dog collars that provide resistance to sleep (immunity if Int 2 or less, 2% resistance and duration reduced to 1 round/caster level for others)
shield +1, staff of striking/11, mace +1
boots of elvenkind
potion of extra-healing
ring of feather falling
brooch of shielding/17
hammer +2 (can Druids even use hammers?), ring of Serten's Spell Immunity (only usable by NN)
Felwin: cloak of protection +2
Fountain of Good Health (obviously not going anywhere)
Sample PC's (figure this should count)
Fighter: long sword +1, potion of extra-healing
Thief: dagger +1/+3 vs. larger than man-sized
Ranger: chain mail +1, shield +1
Fighter: chain +1, wand of enemy detection/5
Druid: quarterstaff +1, potion of invisibility
Magic-User: bracers AC 7
Thief: short sword +1
Fighter: potion of heroism
Faldelac: Bracers AC 3, Ring of Free Action, Ring of Spell Turning, Amulet of Inescapable Location (ha!), Staff of Striking/34.
Quail: chainmail +1.
Telmar: quarterstaff +1. And has a shield included in his AC. What's with all this one-handed staff users in old modules?
Bald Hill Lair: short sword +1, potion of gaseous form, scroll of dimension door.
Tolvar: Bracers AC 9, Ring of Protection +1.
Gnoll Treasure-
Ogre: Brooch of Shielding/35
Potion of Extra-Healing, Shield +1, Battleaxe +1, Potions of Healing x2, Wand of Magic Missiles/7
Wolf Pack Lair-
Ring of Invisibility (Special: works 1 hour out of ever 24), Potion of Climbing, Scale Armor +1
Also, Masterwork Lock Picks that add +8% to picking normal (not complex or magical) locks.
Bone Hill-
Tolvar: Cloak of Protection +2, Wand of Fear/5
Bronze Horn of Valhalla, Boots of Elvenkind, Scroll: Spiritual Hammer, Detect Lie, Prayer, Tongues.
Potions: Healing, Extra-Healing mixed with Diminution, Hill Giant Control, Polymorph Self mixed with Vampire Control, Growth, Sweet Water, Gaseous Form mixed with Invisibility, Longevity mixed with Speed that requires 2 separate system shock rolls (somebody really likes the Potion Miscibility rules)!
Telvar's spellbook.
+1 darts x3.
Shield +1, Potion of Clairaudience.
Unique Staff: casts Dancing Lights, Light, Spark (2d10 or 2d4 damage), Lightning Bolt. 11 charges.
Mirror of Opposition (variant)
Crystal Ball of Hypnosis (you really want Identify for this adventure!), Shield +2
Libram of Gainful Conjuration, Long Sword +1 (Int 12, Ego 2, detects magic, LN), scroll of commune, scroll of cure critical wounds
Battleaxe +2, Shield +3, Ring of Elemental Command (need to fight a 7HD elemental to activate, Identifies as a Ring of Invisibility)
More NPC's you're not meant to fight-
Grellus: chain mail +2, shield +1, +1 flametongue sword, ring of shocking grasp
Fairwind: ring of protection +2, wand of magic missiles/12
Gelpas: chain mail +2, longsword +1
Relkin: longsword +1
Brilman: chain mail +1
Carlton: long bow +1
Weber: 2 x arrows +1
Villie: +1 leather armor. Gets to wear it while being an Elven Fighter/Mage, lucky him!
Crystal Ball of Clairaudience (trapped with dust of sneezing and choking!)
Ring of Djinni Summoning
Fletcher: +1 long bow, 7 x +1 arrows
Smith: ring of protection +1
Falco: ring of protection +2, short sword +1
The Abbot: chain mail +2, mace of disruption
Colemack: plate +1, short sword +1, crossbow of speed (ok, there's a lot of F2's with magic gear in this adventure, but this guy takes the cake!)
Prellis: ring of protection +1
Zelmar: wand of magic missiles/7
Pelitar: cloak of protection +2, dagger +1/+3 vs. humanoids, boots of levitation, wand of lightning/11
3 x rings that can override Wizard Lock doors at 12th level magic use
ring of protection +2
chainmail +1, longsword +1
studded leather +2, ring of free action, broadsword +1, net of entrapment
two dog collars that provide resistance to sleep (immunity if Int 2 or less, 2% resistance and duration reduced to 1 round/caster level for others)
shield +1, staff of striking/11, mace +1
boots of elvenkind
potion of extra-healing
ring of feather falling
brooch of shielding/17
hammer +2 (can Druids even use hammers?), ring of Serten's Spell Immunity (only usable by NN)
Felwin: cloak of protection +2
Fountain of Good Health (obviously not going anywhere)
Sample PC's (figure this should count)
Fighter: long sword +1, potion of extra-healing
Thief: dagger +1/+3 vs. larger than man-sized
Ranger: chain mail +1, shield +1
Fighter: chain +1, wand of enemy detection/5
Druid: quarterstaff +1, potion of invisibility
Magic-User: bracers AC 7
Thief: short sword +1
Fighter: potion of heroism
And all this for an adventure for characters of levels 2-4! I love reading these old modules whenever I think about the people who tell me AD&D was "low-magic", lol.
Zardnaar
Legend
I went through KotBL. There's 30-40k worth of loot iirc and a lot of magic items.
I've been running a few last couple of years.
Specialty Priests were in a weird place in 2e, because the guidelines in the PHB were basically "Uh, I dunno, make something up and try to make it kinda balanced?" So the results of official specialty priests were eventually all over the place, with the Complete Priest's Handbook making them all weaker than clerics and something like the later Faiths & Avatars making them stronger. Another issue is that some priesthoods can't fulfill the cleric's core mission of healing and condition relief – from a worldbuilding perspective that's fine, but it means that that priesthood can't fulfill the cleric's role in the party.
If I was redoing the 2e priest class group within the structure as-is, I'd expand the All sphere to include all healing and condition relief, as well as adventure-enabling spells like plane shift. I wouldn't go as far as 3e did in creating a single massive list with domains as spice on top of that, but it'd be a step in that direction to make sure priests can fulfill priestly duties in the party. I'd also expand the other spheres to include cool other spells – a priest with the Elemental sphere maybe shouldn't have fireball, but they should have some sweet offensive elemental spells. Other than that I'd probably use something like the structure in the Complete Priest's Handbook but recalibrated to make the standard cleric have Medium fighting rather than Good (it would still have the same weapons/armor, but "good armor and mediocre weapons" would be considered Medium rather than Good, with Good meaning they get both good armor and access to some actually good weapons like bows or swords).
Flying Toaster
Explorer
I am not sure if it was here or on RPGnet, but I read a long forum thread in which somebody noted that in 1E RAW 75% of XP was supposed to come from treasure, both monetary and magic, and they were curious about how that system would work with published TSR modules.
They went through the classic mega-module GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders and tallied up all of the treasure. Even if you assume that no party could ever grab it all, the magic items alone added up to a massive hoard. Henchmen and hirelings would probably not be too keen on venturing into the unknown for the “D” series, but after completing the “G” series you would probably have enough extra magic items to sweeten the pot considerably. Even after the PCs keep all of the best stuff for themselves, there would probably be enough leftover +1 and +2 items to offer several followers a full panoply of magic swords, daggers, shields, and light armor.
Once a party gets into the Underdark there are many possible encounters with dark elf patrols that need to be avoided or taken out. Drow NPCs were kitted out with pseudo-magical items that had been infused with mysterious subterranean energies, and the PCs might collect quite a few of those. If brought back to the “Overlight” these items eventually degrade unless they are periodically brought back to the Underdark for a top-up of weird radiation, so over the long term they would not be terribly useful or valuable topside.
In the underground city there are random encounters with gangs of disaffected young men of various races, not only dark elves but also half-elves, half-orcs, etc (the module doesn’t say what their other half is... human?). They are not necessarily of CE alignment and are enemies of the Lolth cult and the noble houses. Clever PCs might parley with those guys, and arm them with all the drow gear in exchange for information and backup. Even if the PCs do not trust the renegades enough to fight side by side, they could just urge these motley crews to run amok and attack the powers that be however they see fit, as a diversion from whatever goals the party decides to pursue.
“Here you go guys, knock yourselves out and go have some fun. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!”
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