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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5143049" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Magazine Issue 178: February 1992part 5/6A swing and a hit: Some more fighting tricks for Top Secret this month. As with AD&D's OA, we haven't been short of a trick or two in this department. But like new spells and monsters, people'll always add a few more, even if they turn out to be just variants on already filled niches. So here's another 9. Choke holds, for killing people with when grappling. Crushing blows, letting you break bricks with a chop if you've built up enough strength. Disarming, always a favourite when the system doesn't make it more bother than just killing an enemy. Feinting, also a cool movie idea sometimes hampered by system. Cheap shots to people's vulnerable areas. What charming behaviour. Meditation as a means of making yourself more generally badass, which pushes at the bounds of supernatural capabilities. Attacking simultaneously with a weapon and doing unarmed MA stuff with the other hand, which pushes the bounds of cheese. Intimidating people with flashy displays of prowess, which is rather amusing. And steeling your body so it takes less damage from a blow. Rather a useful collection really, that'll offer quite an advantage to people using them. Watch players who want to introduce this one closely. Sage advice is still on a Dark Sun kick. You change the rules substantially, and of course you will get a substantial amount of questions: What levels and races are ranger's followers ( Mostly from the same races that become rangers )Can athasian characters have kits (If they're culturally appropriate. That means no samurai or swashbuckers, for sure. )Can water-finding be used in any terrain. Does it stack with Survival. (yes, and probably. This still may not be enough in Athas)Do half-giants get extra damage on their weapons. Do they need to eat and drink more (no and yes. They're big enough to be inconvenient, but not big enough to completely smash the rules and setting up.))Can thri-kreen use four weapons at once. (not unless they're specially trained. Claws are more natural than weapon weilding)How do gladiators advance ( slowly, while spinning something spiky. ) Can bards backstab (no, thank god)Do inactive characters get extra money when advanced (probably a good idea) Are enchanted weapons less likely to break? (Probably)How damaging are sandstorms (DM decision. Generally, death caused by sandstorm should be slow and lingering, as you are gradually flayed and dehydrated until nothing is left but your bones, to be buried underneath the shifting sands and forgotten.)What athasian creatures does speak with animals work on (not enough. This will seem stupidly arbitrary to the natives who have no idea that some creatures exist on other worlds, and others don't. )Why are there so few creatures in athas (ecological disaster. We're trying to engage in a bit of social commentary here. Art as moralising lecture on the evils of the real world and all that pretentiousness. Thiiissss iiis the 90's!!!!!!! )Why no mind flayers or beholders (Mind flayers can plane shift, and are waaay too smart to stick around a dump like this. Beholders were just never here in the first place. (no way I'm buying the other possibilities, given much wimpier creatures have survived here. ))Can I have a spelljammer crossover (no)Does athas have an underdark (Possibly)How much are thieves tools (relatively, a lot more expensive)Can you backstab twice if wearing two wrist razors (general rules still apply. Don't think that just because a new gameline is out, you can get around Skip by phrasing the same question with altered fluff. Get back to the back of the queue. ) Why can't high level people detect invisibility anymore ( They can. We just moved the rules. ) Where's the thief?: As we near the end of the issue, we get another little filler article.  Rules for sneaking around in the Battlesystem? I can see why some people would miss that capability and want to include it. So here's an efficient page and a half of conversions, allowing them to work as both individuals and units. I doubt I'll get to playtest them, but I still approve in principle of this add-on. Yet another useful but hardly mid-blowing delivery.</blockquote>

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