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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5582855" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Magazine Issue 236: December 1996part 3/8The ruin of adlersberg: Looks like we're getting a lot of setting specific articles this month. Now it's birthright's turn again, with this rather nice little adventure location. With plenty of setting specific details tied into the larger history of the place, and stat conversions so the things mentioned interface with the domain systems, the location doesn't feel spurious at all. And there are some rather clever bits. Undead that only arise on specific days of the year, so there's a good reason for the challenge to vary substantially between parties and the place to be near impossible to completely clear out. Bickering humanoids that add a secondary threat before you even get to the main location. And an additional threat that the Gorgon might decide to come back, push on through to attack the lands beyond. This scales in and out very well indeed, and also has quite a nice writing style that packs in plenty of information. And it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to adapt to another setting either. I think this definitely counts as a success on most levels. Arcane Lore: Still doubly in theme here, with a whole load of spells specifically for demihuman priests. Some are even exclusive to individual gods, just to give them a little more niche protection. Guess they get a little more spotlight from the magazine that birthed them. I quite approve, as long as they don't fall too deep into comedic racial stereotyping. Weapon of the Earth lets you turn a bit of rock into your god's favoured weapon. And somehow I doubt you'll be short of those when you're a dwarf underground. Choose the material components to your spells wisely, for it makes a big difference. Mark of Brotherhood let you give someone a secret sigil to show they're part of your gang. Betrayers will be automatically expelled and made very obvious. Then you can join Caine and wander the earth angsting. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> Abbathor's Greed lets you figure out how valuable an item is. Course, given the nature of this particular god, he might decide to step in and take your hard-won valuables for himself. And when you're his priest there's not a lot you can say to that apart from pass the lube. Life's a bitch when you serve an evil god. Crypt Ward is the source of a lot of those dwarven zombies defending their tomb. Course, they don't call them zombies, but you say construct, I say potato. The difference is immaterial to everyone except the clerics that try turning them. Berronar's Favor lets a dwarven community in dire straits get a handout from said god. PC's on the other hand can forget about it. No free money for you. Don't know why they bother listing this stuff. Animal Animosity moves us onto elven specialities. And if there's one thing they enjoy doing, it's being more connected to nature than you. This is no exception. Get ready to deal with lots of cranky animals. Faith Arrow essentially gives elven clerics their own automatically hitting Magic Missile variant. Wearing full armor while casting spells, and now their clerics stepping on their wizards. They just keep breaking the normal niche protections, don't they. Probe Enemies invites slashfic cracks like there's no tomorrow. Tee hee. Still, spotting which enemy is the most badass is a useful skill for the arrogant fighter. Death or glory! Assume Gaseous Form is one that really ought to be in the corebook, given the frequency which the corresponding potion shows up. At least this version lets you take your clothes with you. A little dignity is a precious thing. Faerie Flames looks like faerie fire, but actually burns you, and is about as hard to put out as phosphorus or sodium fires. Very nasty, especially if you've encountered the regular variety plenty of times before. Garments of Elvenkind let you create a temporary set of boots and cloak for if one of your buds needs to get stealthy. Well, despite how it seems to adventurers, not every elf can afford multiple magical items as a matter of course. Sejogan's Armor moves us onto the gnomes. It lets you make a suit of armour out of plants and iron filings.  That'll be a bit trickier to assemble in a hurry when trouble knocks on your door. Burrow gives you a dig speed, completely unsurprisingly. Badger badger badger badger mushroom mushroom. Yawn. Analyze Contraption, also unsurprisingly, draws upon the tinker side of the gnome heritage. Find out exactly what the complicated and stupid devices other people have made do, if they're worthy of love, fame, or just a quick merciful smashing. Shades of Rhontang makes your hammer flaming, just like your god's. Don't let it criticise your choice in footwear. Mantle of Baravar helps you see through illusions. A deceiver should not be fooled by the lies of others. Perfectly standard stuff, really. Reed Staff turns a blade of grass into a quarterstaff. A nice bit of sympathetic magic I could see coming from actual mythology. Yoink. Weapon Shift is rather more boring, due to it's strong limitations on what weapon can be turned into what. A little more fantasticality would be nice. Stealth of Brandobaris lets your priest steal the thief's role for a while. If they're not multiclassed already, as clerics of this god often are. All you really need in your group are speciality priests and multiclassed bards <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> Call Hounds is of course for Urogalan's priests. Two big sinister black doggies at your beck and call. Not to be used for playing fetch on a sunny day. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /></blockquote>

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