Recaps & Roundups part 15: El Conquistador #12

Around Summer of 1975, after the publication of Greyhawk, Gary Gygax had several articles published in an issue of the fanzine El Conquistador. Apparently these articles were promised in exchange for a full-page D&D ad, at least according to Gary's hazy memory. One of these articles was about play-by-mail games, and not really of interest to this blog, but the other detailed a game session from Gary's Greyhawk campaign. It can be read here if you're so inclined.

Expedition to the Black Reservoir by Gary Gygax
In this story, four adventurers venture deep into the Castle Greyhawk dungeons, where they find a huge subterranean lake. There they inadvertently free a sea serpent, which they manage to kill, as well as fighting off some pterodactyls. Later, while unsuccessfully trying to locate the sea serpent's treasure, they spy a tower on an island. Inside the tower they find and capture a sorcerer, claiming his treasure chest. They try to take their captive with them but he escapes, and vows vengeance as the adventurers return to the surface.

There are lots of tidbits about the Greyhawk dungeons and campaign here, which I'll go through point by point below.

• The description of the lands around Greyhawk Castle is vivid, and I'm just going to reproduce it in its entirety: "To the east of the busy walled city of Greyhawk the land is forsaken, overgrown with thorns and thistles. Oozing marsh creeps slowly down. The copses are huddles of weird, bloated trees. The wiry grass seems to grasp at the feet of any who dare to tread upon it. In the center of this unwholesome place, on a rock-boned prominence, hulks the ruin of the grim Greyhawk Castle."
• Four adventurers and potential NPCs on this quest: Erac the Enchanter (a 7th-level magic-user); Londlar the Lama (a 7th-level cleric); Nulfyke (a 3rd-level dwarf fighter); and Ugubb the Acolyte of the Lake of Crystals (a 1st-level cleric). It's mentioned that Erac is a "paladin of law", but him being an actual paladin doesn't square with anything else in this story, so I'm just going to chalk it up as Gary using some flowery language to specify the character's alignment. Erac was able to cast knock, fireball and haste, and was in possession of a ray-firing device taken from a "quasi-human in another dimension". Londlar possessed a "great mace of holy power".
• The party entered the Greyhawk ruins through its fallen west gate (described as moldering), and then into the great central keep. From there they heaved open an inner door and proceeded down some winding stone steps to enter the dungeons proper.
• A door at the bottom of the stairs opened into an east-west corridor. The party turned east, then south at an intersection, then followed a branching passage heading southeast. This opened into a large cavern with glowing foxfire on the walls, floor and ceiling. This cavern was home to a score of elves, the "guardians of the eastern stairs". These elves bargain with the adventurers for a share of treasure and magic items should they pass this way on the way out. (Who gave these elves this task is left here as a mystery.) I'm happy to say that there are some similar elves in Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, although the map details don't match up at all.
• A short passage at the back of the cavern led to a long descent of uneven steps cut into living rock. At the bottom, the party tried heading north, but most of the tunnels were heading laterally. They made their way with much criss-crossing, until they found a narrow southerly passage with more stairs heading down. (At this point the adventurers debated the wisdom of going down, but a monster in the corridor persuaded them. A legitimate wandering monster, or Gary giving the PCs a deliberate nudge?)
• The bottom of the stairs opened into an area that was "seemingly boundless and cloaked with a murk of ebon vapors which allowed but feeble penetration by lanthorn or torch". Northward was a sudden drop of a few feet into a huge lake, with inky water of unknown depth. A few yards to the west was a raft moored to an iron ring.
• About 200 feet further west they found a flight of stairs wending upward, but the sudden emergence of a giant crab sent them scurrying back to the raft, which they poled out into the reservoir.
• The roof of the cavern was high enough to be lost in the murk. Hexagonal granite posts several yards in diameter rose from the lake to support the cavern ceiling.
• Some way north they came to some posts arranged in an oval pattern, too closely spaced to raft between. One of the pillars on the far side had a rusty lever, which took three PCs to move. Pulling the lever caused the pillar to descend, which released a hostile sea monster.
• The party fled to the western boundary of the lake, and then north, where they eventually found a raised stone ledge. Here they killed the sea monster and fought off some pterodactyls. On the northernmost extremity of this ledge they found a punt to replace their smashed raft (which I suspect via Gary's commentary that the kind DM put there for them at the spur of the moment).
• While searching for the sea monster's lair, the party spotted a slender tower on a stone island. The door of the tower was wizard locked. The inner chamber contained little furniture, but a stairway led up to a trapdoor. Beyond was a laboratory, where a black-robed, pointy-hatted wizard sat in a stupor, lost in the vapors arising from some "hellish censer". The wizard was easily bound and captured, and the party found a chest full of gold coins and gems. They also found his boat moored to the island.
• The party relocated the sea monster's lair, but upon diving into the water Ugubb found that the water was deeper than the length of the rope he was attached to.
• The wizard then escaped and fled, declaring himself to be the Sorcerer of the Black Reservoir (so, 9th level?). While the wizard vowed revenge, the PCs made their way back up to the surface.

Recaps & Roundups part 14: The Strategic Review #3

Issue #3 of The Strategic Review was cover-dated Autumn 1975. It kicks off with a bit of the old Gary Gygax invective, as he lets rip on a bad review of D&D that appeared in a rival publication. There is also some news at TSR, as Gygax becomes a full-time employee (which I'm surprised he wasn't already), and the manuscript for M.A.R. Barker's RPG Empire of the Petal Throne nears completion. Mention is also made of the upcoming D&D tournament at Origins I, and the horrible place in which participants will be adventuring. I believe this is the first oblique reference to the Tomb of Horrors.

Also included is a "comedy" article giving stats to various types of gamers, another detailing the Battle of the Ebro River for Napoleonic wargaming, and a parody song about a unicorn.

As for the D&D-relevant articles, here they are:

Creature Features: A sizable number of new monsters are introduced for the first time here, most of which are staples of the game.

• Yetis
• Shambling Mounds (aka Shamblers)
• Leprechauns
• Shriekers
• Ghosts
• Guardian Nagas
• Water Nagas
• Spirit Nagas
• Wind Walkers
• Piercers
• Lurkers Above

It's noted that Shriekers are a favourite food of Shambling Mounds and Purple Worms. Of more interest is the curious note that Ghosts are not true undead. They are said to be the spirits of humans who were totally evil, but I'm still puzzling out how they're different from other undead creatures. I wonder if they are perhaps just a naturally-occurring phenomenon, rather than the result of evil magic, or a curse? A look at the AD&D Monster Manual shows that Ghosts are considered undead by that point, so I might just ignore this reference. Perhaps its just that they can't be turned at this point, leading scholars to misinterpret their nature.

Gallery of Gunfighters part 1: This is a short art that gives some history and context regarding the art of gun-fighting in the Old West. This is intended for TSR's Boot Hill game, but given that there are rules in the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide for converting from Boot Hill to D&D, I will probably make it possible to access the Old West somehow.

Mapping the Dungeons: This article gives a round-up of what's going on with various campaigns around the country. The most interesting note here is a report from Dave Arneson about some of his Blackmoor adventurers travelling through a teleporter into Nazi Germany, and having a skirmish with the locals. These adventurers included The Great Svenny, Marty the Elf (who died), Richard the Hairy, and five berserkers (2 of whom died). They drive off the Nazis, just as their reinforcements arrived (3 magical-types and another 12 berserkers). A rematch was apparently set to happen soon after. I'll definitely include The Great Svenny and Richard the Hairy as NPCs in the Blackmoor area of my campaign.

  Gary Gygax notes that there was a similar battle in his Greyhawk campaign, but I won't get into that here because it gets reported on in greater detail in a later magazine.

Deserted Cities of Mars: This article discusses the nature of the many uninhabited cities on Mars, the setting of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter novels. It ends with some random tables for determining some of the features of these cities. This setting has already been mentioned in some earlier D&D books, and I know that Gary had some of his players travel there, so I will include it as a possible destination as well.

Recaps & Roundups part 13: Wargamer's Digest vol. 2 #8

This issue of Wargamer's Digest, published with a cover date of June 1975, features another D&D article by Gary Gygax. Anyone who wants to read the article can find it here, but I'll detail the most interesting parts of it below.

The Magician's Ring by Gary Gygax: The article is an account of a D&D adventure undertaken by Lessnard the Magician (6th level) and three hirelings (a veteran (1st level) fighter, an acolyte (1st level) cleric, and a medium (1st level) magic-user named - sigh - Floppspel. The quartet venture into the Greyhawk dungeons, battling some wights and a giant scorpion (which kills the cleric). Floppspel finds a ring of invisibility on the scorpion's tail, and there's some dispute as to who should claim it. On the way out, while navigating past a pool filled with giant crocodiles (which killed the fighter) via some boots of levitation, Lessnard is almost killed when Floppspel tries to extort him for the ring. The two escape after their altercation almost drops both of them in with the crocodiles.

This story isn't much to write home about, and the quality of the prose is bad even by Gygax's standards. Perhaps more interesting than the story is the bit at the end where Gygax details how the rules played into the various actions of Floppspel. Nevertheless, it does feature some interesting tidbits about the Castle Greyhawk dungeons.

• The ruins of Castle Greyhawk lie on a hill about a league to the east of the bustling City of Greyhawk.
• The countryside between the two has numerous strange tunnels and wells, which are entrances to the "fiendish maze of dungeons, pits, labyrinths, crypts, catacombs and caverns which honeycomb the hill and the rock far beneath it".
• Lessnard enters an outside entrance into a lower dungeon level, but finds the labyrinth beyond has been recently looted. Some stairs leading up a level bring him to a crypt and a trio of wights.
• From a four-way junction near the crypt, Lessnard heads 100 paces north and enters a large chamber where he is surprised by a giant scorpion.
• Somewhere between the stairs and the scorpion room, Lessnard had passed through a one-way door.
• Somewhere not far from the crypt, a narrow crack in the wall leads to a hexagonal chamber. A deep well filled with dark water and hungry crocodiles took up most of the chamber, with only a narrow ledge providing a way around.
• Lessnard, a 6th-level magic-user, and Floppspel, a 1st-level magic-user, will be included as NPCs in the city of Greyhawk. The cleric and the fighter seen in this story both died, and were eaten by crocodiles.
• At one point Lessnard swears an oath to "Crum and St. Cuthbert". I'm going to assume that the former is supposed to be Crom, and that Gary changed the name to avoid any legal troubles. Both Crom and St. Cuthbert will be deities in my campaign. Lessnard, if he's ever encountered, will inexplicably pronounce the former as Crum. (I'm not entirely sure, but this might be the earliest mention of St. Cuthbert that we've had.)

Recaps & Roundups part 12: The Strategic Review #2

The second issue of The Strategic Review features several D&D articles, as well as some additions to Cavaliers & Roundheads, Panzer Warfare, and - most notably - an in memoriam for TSR co-founder Don Kaye. Kaye was a close childhood friend to Gary Gygax, and he died of a heart attack in January 1975, just 36 years old. It's impossible to know what influence he might have had on D&D had he lived, but his death started a long chain of events that had huge implications for TSR. His one-third share in TSR passed to his wife, and was eventually bought out by Melvin Blume, father of TSR's other co-owner, Brian Blume. This gave the Blume family a controlling interest in the company, which was one of several factors that led to Gygax's ouster a decade down the line.

The following D&D articles are also featured in this issue:

Questions Most Frequently Asked About D&D: This is one of the most important early articles for clarifying and expanding the original D&D rules. It deals with the following:

• It's recommended that the "alternate system" of combat in OD&D be used for combat with "principal figures" and stronger monsters.
• It's clarified that normally creatures get one attack per round, and deal 1d6 damage per attack. This has already been superseded by the rules in Supplement I: Greyhawk.
• An example is given where an 8th level fighter gets 8 attacks per round (1 per HD) against normal men or creatures of similar strength (kobolds, goblins, gnomes, dwarves, etc.). Whether this bonus applies to anyone other than fighters isn't said, but given later rules in AD&D I would think not.
• Initiative is said to be a simple d6 roll for each side, rolled every round, with the higher number acting first. In the combat example, this roll is modified by the lone PC's Dexterity.
• The combat example provides grappling rules, with both sides rolling 1d6 for every Hit Die involved.
• Monsters roll saving throws as fighters of equivalent Hit Dice. Those with magic resistance may save as magic-users.
• Morale is said to be up to the referee, although the 2d6 system from Chainmail is suggested.
• XP rewards for finding magic items are introduced.
• The "Vancian" spell-casting system is explained and clarified.

Creature Features: The Roper: The Roper is introduced for the first time.

Rangers: The ranger class is introduced as a sub-class of the fighter. They are heavily based on Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, and I plan to introduce them in a similar fashion: as the descendents of ancient kings that lurk on the fringes of society and protect it from evil.

Medieval Pole Arms: This isn't strictly a D&D article, but Gary Gygax has a long history of being obsessed with pole arms, and this will bleed through to the game eventually. This is his first stab at classifying and explaining the various kinds. Introduced to Chainmail here are the following:

• Voulge
• Bardiche
• Guisarme
• Glaive
• Fauchard
• Guisarme-Voulge
• Glaive-Guisarme
• Bill-Guisarme
• Partisan
• Spetum
• Ranseur
• Lucern Hammer
• Pole Axe
• Lochaber Axe

Recaps & Roundups part 11: Europa 6-8

I had promised earlier to intersperse Gary Gygax's earlier D&D articles into this series where appropriate. This time around it's an article from Europa, a war-gaming fanzine created by Walter Luc Haas of Switzerland. This issue is cover-dated April 1975, so I've placed it after Supplement I: Greyhawk. This may not be strictly accurate. The article indicates that Greyhawk is upcoming, so at the very least the article was written before Greyhawk was published. Whether it was published before or after is a mystery. Any comic fan can tell you that cover dates and publication dates rarely match up, and I doubt that fanzines are any different. Anyway, it says April on the cover, so that's where I'm slotting it in lieu of more accurate information.

For those who want to check out this article (and the complete fanzine in which it saw publication) the link is here.

How to Set Up Your Dungeons & Dragons Campaign - And be Stuck Referring it Seven Days Per Week Until the Wee Hours of the Morning! by Gary Gygax

The first thing that should be noted is that this is part II of a series. According to Falconer in this thread, the other two parts are shorter and less interesting. The first covers the origins of the game, and the third covers the game's future, with the release of various supplements. I'd still like to see them, but it's nice to know that I'm not missing a great deal.

Gygax sets out everything that the referee should so to set up a D&D campaign. It's info that should have been included in the original rules, let's be honest.  He outlines five broad steps that must be taken:

1. Deciding on the overall setting of the campaign
2. Mapping the countryside of the immediate area
3. Mapping the dungeon where most adventures will take place
4. Mapping the nearest large town
5. Outlining the entire world, including other times and dimensions if required

Step 1 is simply figuring out what type of world the adventures will take place in. Gary gives a few examples, including Teutonic/Norse mythology, medieval European folklore (including King Arther and Holger the Dane), the Hyborian Age, Fritz Leiber's Nehwon, Indian mythology, and the lost continents of Mu or Atlantis.

For step 2, Gary recommends mapping the wildernes on hex paper, with a scale of 1 mile per hex.

Step 3 requires mapping the dungeon, and Gary recommends having a theme for each level. Some sample themes given are: a level with large open areas swarming with goblins; a level where the basic pattern of corridors seems to repeat endlessly; and one inhabited by nothing but fire-dwelling or fire-using monsters.

At this point, we get what is probably the most detailed description of "Old Greyhawk Castle" yet to see print. It's said to be 13 levels deep, and goes as follows:

• Level 1 was a simple maze of rooms and corridors (which Gary deemed to be interesting enough for those who had never played such a game before).
• Level 2 had two unusual features: a Nixie pool and a fountain of snakes.
• Level 3 features a torture chamber and many small cells and prison rooms.
• Level 4 was a level of crypts filled with undead.
• Level 5 was centered around a strange font of black fire, and was inhabited by gargoyles.
• Level 6 was a repeating maze with dozens of wild hogs in inconvenient spots, backed up by appropriate numbers of wereboars
• Level 7 was centered around a circular labyrinth and a street with masses of ogres.
• Levels 8 through 10 were caves and caverns, inhabited by trolls and giant insects. They also had a transporter nexus, guarded by an evil wizard with a number of tough associates.
• Level 11 was the home of the most powerful wizard in the dungeon, and his balrog servants. Martian White Apes populated the rest of the level. There was also a system of sub-passages underneath the corridors, which was filled with poisonous creatures with no treasure.
• Level 12 was filled with dragons.
• Level 13 (the bottom level) contained an inescapable slide which took the players "clear through to China", from which they would have to return via the wilderness.
• A series of slanting passages began on level 2 and led to the bottom level, but apparently the chance of stumbling downwards was greater starting from levels 7-8.
• Side levels include a barracks with warring clans of orcs, hobgoblins, and gnolls; a museum; a huge arena; a giant's home; and a garden of fungi.

Gygax has given some contradictory information about Castle Greyhawk over the years. No doubt some of that is due to the ever-evolving nature of the dungeon, but I'd chalk some of it up to memory and the passage of time. Given the vintage of this article, I'd expect everything here to be fresh in Gary's mind, and quite accurate.

Step 4 involves mapping the town and Gary says that the place should resemble something from the Conan or Fafhrd & Gray Mouser stories. Strange towers, a thieves' quarter, and temples to horrible deities are given as features to include, as are factions such as the thieves' guild, a society of evil clerics, and a brotherhood of lawful men.

Step 5, outlining the world, is said to be something the referee doesn't need to tackle right away. Visiting other worlds is mentioned as a possibility, with the option of flying a magic carpet to the moon given as an example.

The rest of the article is given over to some brief tips on creating PCs, and a bit about how someone wanting to play a Gold Dragon should be handled. None of it's concrete enough to be of much interest to this project. Certainly it's not a patch on the solid gold Castle Greyhawk details given above.

Recaps & Roundups part 10: Supplement 1 - Greyhawk

In The Strategic Review #1, it was noted that the first of a series of D&D supplements was on the way. Supplement I - Greyhawk would be published in March of 1975. Written by Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz, it was heavily drawn from material used in their home campaign. In many ways, it's probably the most historically important D&D product outside of the original boxed set; so many of the new rules and game elements introduced here become integrated into the core game that it's almost unrecognisable without them. Dungeons & Dragons, as the vast majority of its players would recognise it, is born here.

New Rules Introduced

• Strength now provides bonuses to attack and damage for Fighting-Men only.
• Strength now affects encumbrance, and a character's chance to open doors.
• Exceptional Strength for Fighting-Men.
• Intelligence now affects a Magic-User's chance to learn a spell, how many spells they can learn, and the highest spell level they can learn.
• Dexterity now provides an AC bonus for Fighting-Men only.
• Constitution now grants higher hit point bonuses.
• A limit is imposed on the number of times a PC can be resurrected, based on Constitution.
• Character classes now have differing Hit Dice, and monsters roll 1d8 per HD.
• NPCs now suffer a loyalty penalty when working for Chaotic characters.
• A different method of calculating XP is introduced.
• NPCs working for PCs now earn 50% XP.
• Weapon Type vs. AC
• Ranges and range penalties for missile weapons.
• Attack bonuses for whacking someone who is lying prone.
• Varying damage by weapon type, and varying monster attack damage
• Magic armor and shields now stack all their bonuses
• Rear and right flank attacks now ignore shields
• Cleric spells of 6th and 7th level, and Magic-User spells of 7th to 9th level.
• New Monster Level Tables replace those in D&D Vol. 3.

New Classes Introduced

• Thief
• Paladin

New Races Introduced

• Half-Elves
• Dwarves are split into Hill Dwarves, Mountain Dwarves, and "Burrowers". "Burrowers" seems to be another term for Gnomes, which suggests a relationship between these two races.
• Elves are split into Wood Elves, High Elves, and Meadow Elves (otherwise known as Fairies).

New Spells Introduced

Magic-User Level 1

• Shield
• Magic Missile
• Ventriliquism (sic)

Magic-User Level 2

• Darkness, 5' radius
• Strength
• Web (previously seen as an ability of the staff of power, in D&D Vol. 2)
• Mirror Image
• Magic Mouth
• Pyrotechnics

Magic-User Level 3

• Explosive Runes
• Rope Trick
• Suggestion
• Monster Summoning I

Magic-User Level 4

• Ice Storm
• Fear
• Monster Summoning II
• Extension I

Magic-User Level 5

• Monster Summoning III
• Extension II

Magic-User Level 6

• Legend Lore
• Repulsion
• Monster Summoning IV
• Extension III

Magic-User Level 7

• Delayed Blast Fire Ball
• Reverse Gravity
• Limited Wish
• Power Word - Stun
• Phase Door
• Charm Plants
• Mass Invisibility
• Simulacrum
• Monster Summoning V

Magic-User Level 8

• Mass Charm
• Clone
• Power Word - Blind
• Symbol
• Permanent Spell
• Mind Blank
• Polymorph Any Object
• Monster Summoning VI

Magic-User Level 9

• Meteor Swarm
• Shape Change
• Time Stop
• Power Word - Kill
• Gate
• Wish
• Astral Spell
• Prismatic Wall
• Maze
• Monster Summoning VII

Cleric Level 2

• Silence, 15' r.
• Snake Charm

Cleric Level 3

• Prayer
• Speak With Dead

Cleric Level 6

• Animate Objects
• Find the Path
• Blade Barrier
• Word of Recall
• Speak With Monsters
• Conjure Animals

Cleric Level 7

• Earthquake
• Aerial Servant
• Wind Walk
• Holy Word
• Astral Spell
• Symbol
• Part Water
• Control Weather
• Raise Dead Fully
• Restoration

New Monsters

• Druids
• Tritons
• Bugbears
• Ogre Magi
• Storm Giants
• Shadows (previously mentioned in D&D Vol. 3)
• Titans (previously mentioned in D&D Vol. 2)
• Will o' Wisps
• Liches
• Harpies
• Brass Dragons
• Copper Dragons
• Bronze Dragons
• Silver Dragons
• The Platinum Dragon
• The Chromatic Dragon
• Lizard Men
• Dopplegangers (previously mentioned in D&D Vol. 3)
• Wererats
• Lammasu
• Salamanders (previously mentioned in D&D Vol. 2)
• Beholders
• Umber Hulks
• Displacer Beasts
• Blink Dogs
• Hell Hounds
• Phase Spiders
• Rust Monsters
• Stirges
• Giant Ticks
• Owl Bears
• Carrion Crawlers
• Gelatinous Cubes (previously mentioned in D&D Vol. 2)
• Giant Slugs
• Homonculous
• Flesh Golems
• Stone Golems
• Iron Golems (previously mentioned in OD&D Vol. 2)
• Rot Grubs (alluded to only, not given stats or named)
• Ettins (alluded to only, not given stats or named)
• Carnivorous Apes (mentioned in the Monster Level Tables, possibly as a replacement for Martian White Apes)
• Fire-Breathing Hydras (mentioned in the Monster Level Tables)

Magic Swords Introduced

• Swords +4 and +5
• Sword +2, Nine Steps Draining Ability
• Holy Sword +5
• Sword of Cold
• Dragon Slaying Sword +2
• Sword +1, Cursed
• Dancing Sword
• Sword of Sharpness
• Vorpal Blade

Miscellaneous Weapons Introduced

• Magic Arrows +2 and +3
• Arrow of Slaying
• Magic Crossbow Bolts +2
• Crossbow of Accuracy
• Crossbow of Speed
• Crossbow of Distance
• Axe +2 and +3
• Mace of Disruption
• Cursed Spear of Backbiting

Armor Introduced

• Shields +4 and +5
• Armor +4 and +5
• Shield of Missile Attraction
• Armor of Vulnerability
• Armor of Etherealness

Potions Introduced

• Extra-Healing
• Oil of Slipperiness
• Super-Heroism
• Oil of Etherealness

Rings Introduced

• Protection +3
• Shooting Stars
• Contrariness

Rods Introduced

• Rod of Cancellation
• Rod of Beguiling
• Rod of Absorption
• Rod of Lordly Might
• Rod of Rulership
• Rod of Resurrection

Miscellaneous Magic Introduced

• Crystal Hypnosis Ball
• Medallion of ESP (3" and 9" ranges)
• Medallion of Thought Projection
• Amulet of Inescapable Locating
• Scarab of Enraging Enemies
• Scarab of Insanity
• Scarab of Death
• Bag of Tricks
• Bean Bag
• Bag of Transmuting
• Bag of Devouring
• Censor of Summoning Hostile Air Elementals
• Luckstone
• Loadstone
• Brazier of Sleep Smoke
• Bowl of Watery Death
• Boots of Dancing
• Flask of Curses
• Jug of Alchemy
• Decanter of Endless Water
• Beaker of Plentiful Potions
• Animated Broom
• Helm of Brilliance
• Rug of Smothering
• Drums of Deafness
• Horn of Collapsing
• Horn of Valhalla (Silver, Bronze and Iron)
• Horn of Bubbles
• Gauntlets of Swimming and Climbing
• Gauntlets of Dexterity
• Gauntlets of Fumbling
• Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity
• Necklace of Missiles
• Necklace of Strangulation
• Cloak of Protection +1 to +3
• Poisonous Cloak
• Mirror of Mental Prowess
• Mirror of Opposition
• Trident of Warning
• Trident of Commanding Water Creatures
• Trident of Submission
• Trident of Yearning
• Eyes of Charming
• Eyes of Petrification
• Gem of Brightness
• Gem of Seeing
• Jewel of Attacks Upon the Owner
• Bracers of Defense AC 6, 4 & 2
• Bracers of Defenselessness
• Rope of Entanglement
• Rope of Climbing
• Rope of Constriction
• Dust of Appearance
• Disappearance Dust
• Dust of Sneezing and Choking
• Talisman of Lawfulness
• Talisman of Chaos Supreme
• Talisman of the Sphere
• Javelins of Lightning
• Arrow of Direction
• Saw of Mighty Cutting
• Mattock of the Titans
• Spade of Colossal Excavation
• Wings of Flying
• Cube of Force
• Portable Hole
• Horseshoes of Speed
• Sphere of Annihilation
• Chime of Opening
• Pipes of the Sewers
• Lyre of Building
• Figurines of Wondrous Power (Ebony Fly, Onyx Dog, Marble Elephant, Golden Lions, Ivory Goats)
• Wizard's Robe
• Robe of Blending
• Robe of Eyes
• Robe of Powerlessness
• Manual of Puissant Skill at Arms
• Manual of Gainful Exercise
• Manual of Bodily Health
• Manual of Stealthy Pilfering
• Manual of Golems
• Manual of Quickness of Action
• Book of Exalted Deeds
• Book of Vile Darkness
• Book of Infinite Spells
• Libram of Silver Magic
• Libram of Gainful Conjurations
• Libram of Ineffable Damnation
• Tome of Understanding
• Tome of Clear Thought
• Tome of Leadership and Influence
• Deck of Many Things

Details and conjecture relevant to the Ultimate Sandbox

• Dwarves are split into two sub-races: Mountain Dwarves and Hill Dwarves.
• Gnomes are related to Dwarves, and sometimes referred to as "burrowers".
• Elves are split into three sub-races: High Elves, Wood Elves and Meadow Elves (also known as Fairies).
• There are Dwarven and Elven clerics that do not venture outside of their homelands.
• Strictly by the book, it can be interpreted that demi-human PCs can all become paladins. In the interests of compatibility with AD&D, I'm going to interpret it so that only humans can become paladins.
• Odin, Crom, Set, Cthulhu, the Shining One, and other unspecified demi-gods are mentioned as beings that might be summoned by a Gate spell. The Shining One might refer to the Greyhawk deity known as Pelor, but it's more likely to be a reference to the entity from A. Merritt's novel The Moon Pool.
• Mars and Talos are also mentioned as a possible monster encounter.
• The Astral Plane is specifically mentioned for the first time, as a place a spellcaster may travel in their astral form.
• Hell is mentioned, both in the Astral Spell description, and the name of the Hell Hound.
• Flubbit the Wizard is mentioned in the spell description for the magic mouth spell. Being a Wizard he (or she I suppose) should be at least 11th level. I'll add the character as an NPC somewhere around Greyhawk city, or in the dungeons.
• Vampires from the "Middle East" are mentioned, as are"Japanese" Ogres and "Sumatran" Giant Rats. The last of those is no doubt a reference to Sherlock Holmes, but all of them point to Oerth having similarities to Earth, and having regions culturally similar to those listed.
• Druids are a type of neutral priest, attuned to nature. Their followers are mostly barbaric fighters.
• Bugbears are said to be "goblin-giants".
• The Platinum Dragon is the King of Lawful Dragons. He lives in a palace behind the east wind, and is served by a host of seven gold dragons. His main goal is to oppose the Dragon Queen.
• The Chromatic Dragon is the Queen of Chaotic Dragons. She lives in a stupendous cavern far beneath the earth, and is accompanied by one of each type of Chaotic dragon. Her main goal is to spread evil.
• Displacer Beasts hate Blink Dogs, and vice versa.
• A bunch of items can allow a PC to become ethereal, and Phase Spiders can do so as well. It's the first hint of the Ethereal Plane, though it's not specifically mentioned.
• Armor with a +4 bonus is said to me made from "mithral", while +5 armor is made from a strange alloy known as "adamantite".
• Valhalla is mentioned, as a place from which berserk warriors can be summoned.
• All of the magical tomes appear to be identical, which indicates that they were all created by the same culture, or that something about the process of creating them makes this inevitable.
• There's a long list of tricks and traps near the back of the book. Given the name of this supplement, I'll try to squeeze them all into Greyhawk Castle.
• The "Living Room" is a specific room in Greyhawk Castle, where "furniture is animated to trip, confine, and smother (rugs and carpets) or move about and hug and kick (stools, chairs, divans) or blinds and throws down (tapestries and wall hangings)".
• The 2nd level of Castle Greyhawk's dungeon had a fountain which issued an endless number of snakes.
• As well as tricks and traps, there are a load of special monsters and monster combinations that should be found in Castle Greyhawk.
• The Great Stone Face, also known as the Enigma of Greyhawk. This is a giant head, similar to the heads on Easter Island, that can be found in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk.

• The following image shows a weird pumpkin-headed Bugbear, which I attribute to them wearing carved pumpkins as ceremonial battle masks.

Recaps & Roundups part 9: Chainmail 3rd edition

After Guidon Games folded in 1973, TSR were able to acquire the rights to Chainmail. In early 1975 they republished the game, making some minor updates to the rules for its 3rd edition. There's not a lot to discuss, but I'll quickly go over the additions that were made.

• Hobgoblins are added at the end of the Goblin entry, but nothing is said about them except that they are stronger in battle than regular goblins.
• Rangers are mentioned for the first time in a D&D-related product, in a single sentence at the end of the entry for Heroes. They are simply Heroes with a +1 bonus. No other description is given, so one has to assume that the reference here is to Tolkien.
• Seers are added as the lowest level of Wizard, below Sorcerers, Warlocks and Magicians.
• Eight new spells are added: Levitate, Slowness, Haste, Polymorph, Confusion, Hallucinatory Terrain, Cloudkill, and Anti-Magic Shell. All of these are based on spells in the D&D boxed set, and any differences in implementation can be chalked up to specialist battle magic.
• An optional rule is added for spell complexity. Spells are given a complexity between 1 and 6, which corresponds to the spell's level in D&D. Now when a spell is cast, 2d6 must be rolled to determine if the spell will be cast immediately, delayed, or ineffective. The introduction of this rule will be explained by the destructive nature of battle magic; with it being used frequently, reality has become strained and the spells are harder to cast.
• An entry is added for Giant Wolves, which includes Wargs and Dire Wolves. They are said to be able to carry Goblins into combat.
• Zombies are added at the end of the Wight entry.

I'm not sure if that's comprehensive, but it should cover most of the changes to the Fantasy Supplement. I didn't go through the medieval rules, but they're of less relevance to this project. Most of these additions I will introduce to any mass battles at around the same time as I bring in the material from Supplement I: Greyhawk (which is the next post.)

Recaps & Roundups part 8: Early D&D Articles by Gary Gygax

In addition to recapping the various D&D products that I've covered so far, I wanted to use this series to slot in some other products and related articles in their proper chronological place. Well, I was bound to miss something. Early D&D is nothing if not disparate, and Gary Gygax's writings about it were printed in a lot of different sources. I'll try here to cover all of the articles that would have seen publication before Supplement I: Greyhawk.

"Battle for the Brown Hills", from Wargamer's Newsletter (March 1971, just as Chainmail was being first published)

This article is a play report from an early Chainmail scenario that Gary moderated. The forces of Chaos have invaded the Meadowlands of the Great Kingdom, and the forces of Law have rode out from Great Keep to meet them in the field. The battle was won by the forces of Chaos, but not decisively enough for them to take the field; the end result was that both forces retreated to lick their wounds and gather reinforcements, with another battle soon to come. The whole account can be read here.

This article is perhaps one of the most detailed descriptions we have of Gygax's original campaign setting. I'm just going to reproduce the opening here in full:

"East of the Desert of Sorrow stretches the nearly unbroken barrier of forbidding mountains. Furthest south, dipping into the place where the Gnyxyg Sea meets The Ocean, they are called Mountains of Bitter Cold. At the place where the Broken Land joins them they become known as the Home of Dragons, and it is somewhere within their vast area that is hidden the Cave of Shifting Runes. Furthest north they are known as the Giant Mountains, due not to the stature of their peaks - albeit this is undiminished, but rather for the creatures who inhabit the labyrinthine caverns therein. A spur of the chain first turns eastward, then circles north again, to enclose the hidden and unwholesome valley of Lake Iuz. The lesser peaks of the spur are the Dwarfrealm.

On the coast north of the Giant Mountains are the lands called Drearshore, and the peninsula of Lands End. It was from here that Chaos armed its host, swarmed into the Valley of Iuz, and began to harry the Dwarves, causing them to flee southwards into the Brown Hills and bringing news of the massing evil to the men of the Old Kingdom. From the town of Yon to the city of Hither the news travelled, and the paladins at Great Keep were called forth by the Count of Aerll. All of Law was to meet in solemn council at the hamlet of Lea. In a short time the men of the Meadowlands were joined by a band of the warlike elves from the wood near the Cairnstones, as well as a large band of horsemen from beyond the Silent Forest, the eastern border of all the land.

The encampment of the Count was made in the Cloverfields, between Lea and the Brown Hills. It was here that intelligence reached them that the Horde of Chaos had debouched from the pass at the headwaters of the Darkling River, skirted the Marshes of Oozing Slime, and now were only a few days from him. Despite the fact that only three-quarters of his forces had been marshalled, the Count marched at once due west across the narrow waist of hills, and took up strong position to await the enemy."

That is a lot to take in, and as with much of Gygax's writing it's not the most straightforward. Looking ahead somewhat, I can see that it doesn't match up with the published World of Greyhawk maps, although there are some familiar names in there. Dave Megarry, inventor of the boardgame Dungeon!, has made available a map of Gary's original world from circa 1971. It's hard to say if it matches that either, because we don't have a lot of geographical detail to go on.

For the moment, I'm content to say that the above map represents the World of Greyhawk as it was, and that some cataclysm or event will reshape the land into its configuration as seen in official TSR products. As such, it looks like the Battle of the Brown Hills will be one that was fought in the ancient past. The article mentions the forces of Chaos invading the "remains of the Old Kingdom", so it's possible this might be set after the fall of the Great Kingdom.

The forces of Chaos were led by the Warlock Huldor ap Kree, and the Giant King Verdurmir. They were also comprised of Ogres of Iuz, human troops from Lands End and Drearshore, and a number of Orc tribes. The tribes given are the Orcs of the Mountain, Orcs of the Vile Rune, and Orcs of the Longspear. The first was one of the example tribes given in Chainmail,

The forces of Law were led by Count Aerll (a super-hero), and the Magician of the Cairn. In addition there were knights and other men from the Meadowlands, horsemen from the lands to the east, and elves. Both Count Aerll and the Magician of the Cairn were slain in battle, the latter by a randomly passing dragon. The count's magic sword was lost on the field of battle, and it's fate is unrevealed.

A map of the battlefield is below:

"The Giant's Bag", from Great Plains Game Players Newsletter #7 (April 1974, a few months after D&D is first published)

This article relates a wilderness adventure that was being DMed by Rob Kuntz, with Ernie and Gary Gygax as players. In this adventure, the sorcerer Nestre (played by Ernie, I assume, given the anagrammatical name) and some fighter henchmen were following a map to some treasure hidden in the wilderness southeast of the walled city of Greyhawk. They encountered a giant, who accompanied them through the greenwood and along a turgid river, to a bank infested with giant crabs. The giant helped them smash the crabs, and retrieve a treasure chest from the river bed.

Following that there are some hi-jinks where the giant inadvertently tricks the players into diving into the river to retrieve some "round things" (actually worthless rocks), and claims most of the treasure himself. The greedy Nestre tries to get a look inside the giant's bag, and in doing so loses a crystal ball and two valuable gems, only to find that the bag is full of worthless junk.

It's a mildly amusing tale, with perhaps a few anachronisms too many for my taste. It's greatest value is the insight that it gives into the tone of the original Greyhawk campaign. I'll keep this giant around as an NPC perhaps, and have Nestre as one of the previous generation of adventurers in and around Greyhawk, with these events as just one of the tales about him.

Addendum: I see that Gary asked Jeff Talanian to include a Hill Giant of similar temperament to this in Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works. I might make it the same giant.

"Swords & Sorcery in Wargaming" from Wargamer's Digest #7 (May 1974, a few months after D&D is first published)

This article begins (which can be read here) with a very brief over-view of fantasy wargaming, before launching into an account of a D&D session played by Gygax (and presumably run by Rob Kuntz). It follows Mordenkainen (said to be a 13th level wizard) and his one-time apprentice Bigby (11th level), as they explore the 4th level of a dungeon. In a previous adventure they had descended some dozen levels, and found a key and some lines of verse; after some research and divination, they were now searching level 4 for the door that the key would unlock.

Somewhere north and east of the entrance to the level, past a portcullis that crashed behind them, they found a room with four chests and a disembodied voice telling them to "choose from the four chests before you". One chest held a hydra (which they polymorphed into a slug), and the other granted them a wish of limited power. They used the wish to get directions to the door, which was past some iron portals to the east, and then north to the gates to the Great Hall.

There they found three granite thrones, upon which were seated three iron statues. One held a dagger, and one held a broadsword, but the central one was an iron golem wielding a poisonous sword and a whip of cockatrice feathers, and possessed of a fiery breath. It defeated an efreeti that the wizards summoned, and turned Mordenkainen to stone with its whip, forcing Bigby to retreat to Mordenkainen's stronghold.

Bigby quickly returned with Lords Yrag and Felnorith, as well as the Bishop Raunalf. After restoring Mordenkainen to flesh, they looted the weapons from the two statues and used them to destroy the golem. Unfortunately, Bigby was now turned to stone, and Yrag was killed by its poisoned sword, but the others were able to loot the statues, which were hollow and full of gems, and also to find a tiny coral miniature of the surrounding dungeon. Presumably the two felled characters were later restored.

This golem was mentioned in D&D Vol. 3: The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, and the adventure recounted above was from Kuntz's El Raja Key dungeon. It appears in altered form in dungeon WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, in what is now Castle Maure. In order to make both adventures viable, I might have it that Castle Maure is one of those dungeon that periodically changes its layout, much like Castle Greyhawk.

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That brings me up to date with roughly March of 1975, which sees the approximate publication dates of Supplement I: Greyhawk and Chainmail 3rd edition. I have a number of other early D&D articles by Gygax, and I'll intersperse them with the regular posts in the series

Recaps & Roundups part 7: The Strategic Review #1

In early 1975, TSR launched its first magazine, The Strategic Review. It was intended not only to support Dungeons & Dragons and TSR's other game lines, but also to cover the wargaming hobby in general. The first issue is only six pages in length, so it shouldn't take too long to cover. I'll tackle it article by article, ignoring those that have no relevance to D&D.

TSR News: It's noted that TSR has just acquired the rights to Don't Give Up the Ship, Tractics and (most importantly to this blog) Chainmail. A third edition of Chainmail is said to be arriving soon.

Supplements for D&D are also said to be a high priority, and the first will be arriving some time before GenCon (held in August). Supplement I: Greyhawk is believed to have been first printed in March, so they made the date handily.

Creature Feature: The Mind Flayer makes its first appearance.

Castle & Crusade by Gary Gygax: Gary defends to ineffectiveness of the spear in Chainmail with some historical context. He also promises a more detailed breakdown of polearms.

Solo Dungeon Adventures by Gary Gygax (with special thanks to George Lord): This is a series of random tables for creating solo dungeon adventures. I may use this in the Ultimate Sandbox as a dungeon that is always random, or perhaps a cursed demi-plane that is one huge, ever-shifting labyrinth.

Recaps & Roundups part 6: D&D Correction Sheet

The second printing of the original Dungeons & Dragons set - released in January of 1975 - included a sheet with some corrections to the rules. It was also present in the third printing, released in April 1975. Mostly it clears up some typos, but it also makes some rules changes and clarifications that I thought I'd note.

• In the first printing, the sleep spell affected 1d6 creatures of 4 Hit Dice. It's changed here so that it now only affects a single 4 HD creature.
• The Hit Dice for skeletons and zombies were unclear in the first printing. They were shown as having HD 1/2, which could have meant two things: either both creatures had half a Hit Die, or skeletons had 1 and zombies had 2. It's changed here so that skeletons get half a Hit Die and zombies get 1.
• Balrogs in the first printing did just 2d6 damage with their flaming bodies. It's corrected here so that they can now do 3d6 or 4d6 depending on size.
• It wasn't mentioned in the first printing that gargoyles can only be damaged by magic weapons, but that rule is added here.
• Similarly, a rule is added here so that lycanthropes can only be damaged by silver or magic weapons.
• Elementals are changed here so that only magic weapons can damage them as well.
• In the first printing, all spell scrolls are for magic-users. This sheet changes the rule so that a quarter of scrolls will feature clerical spells.
• In the first edition, the potion of heroism was quite literal, in that it transformed a normal man into a Hero (a 4th level fighter). This sheet adds some lines so that the potion is useful for characters of levels 5+.
• This sheet clarifies that a spell written on a scroll can only be used once before it disappears, something that wasn't mentioned in the first printing.

I usually try to rationalise these kinds of rule changes for this project, but in this case I'm going to treat them as exactly what they are: errata. These are all things that should have been in the rules in the first place, so I feel no need to explain them.