CAS

CAS

Friday, February 28, 2014

Wormy's World - Characters - Irving - #18



Wormy's World - Characters - Irving - #18

Irving


While Irving is busy counting his loot from the Dwarf-Burger racket he notices the trolls, Frank and Dudly, doing some strange things with the stolen bowling balls. Looks to him like the Trolls are playing wrong and have their game all mixed up. Irving thinks they are a pair of crazy trolls but the boys think any way that you want to play a game is okay, and that is when all hell breaks loose.



Thursday, February 27, 2014

Wormy's World - Characters - Frank - #18



Wormy's World - Characters - Frank - #18

Frank


Frank, as goalie, is ready for the line-drive from Dudly and gives the bowling ball and swings with all his might, sending the ball screaming with a "Krak" that fractures it and lets the little demon free.


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #18



Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #18

Dudly


Dudly and Frank are playing some strange combination of baseball, hockey, and golf, or maybe even something stranger, with Wormy's snooker balls that he stole from the dwarves (which were their bowling balls). Dudly sets up the ball on the table and takes a great crack at the it with a huge mallet, as if he is in some oversized croquet match, and sends it whizzing in a line drive straight at Frank. 


Wormy's World - Characters - Snooker Ball Demon - #18



Wormy's World - Characters - Snooker Ball Demon - #18

Snooker Ball Demon


Don't hit that ball! Too late, Frank and Dudly playing a combination of croquet and baseball manage to hit a home run and crack one of Wormy's stolen bowling balls. In a hiss of blue smoke the little demon appears.



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 18



The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 18

Location 16).

The southern door is locked and bolted. The door itself is of very sturdy construction but is heavily scarred by claw marks which have dug deep furrows in the wood of the other side Location (15.2). The lock can be picked in a normal way but three heavy bolts lock it closed as well. Destroying the door will be loud but shouldn't take a great deal of time with an axe. Swords and blunt weapons will take longer and piercing weapons will be ineffectual.

The room itself is large and sumptuously decorated. Large carpets and skins are spread across the floor. A massively big bed is against the north wall (big enough for 5) and the east part of the room has a table that can seat 20. There are several dressers against the south wall to the west of the door. Nothing seems to be disturbed except the bed linen is crumpled and the heavy cover blanket made from the skins of several white tigers is pulled to one side and partially under the bed.

NOTE: The contents of this room are extremely valuable but only to the right buyer. Most would get only a fraction of their value in the shops or from the merchants of hammlets, towns and even small cities. Only in larger cities would the characters be likely to find buyers and the merchants which sell such items are likely to offer very little to the characters, while the characters are unlikely to move in the upper class circles where they would find the buyers themselves. These are all high quality items, but many are bulky or delicate and are easily damaged and destroyed. It is also unlikely that the characters would recognize the real quality of what they are looking at. In general they are likely to get only 2 or 3 times the value of a normal item for such things as plates, goblets, clothes or rugs, if even that.

In each corner of the room are 2 non-functioning Manikens. They are armed with longsword and trunchion and wear half-plate. Each is 16hp and AC3 in their armor, but require activation to respond in any way.

The dressers (4 of them) contain expensive clothing and shoes cut for someone short and slim. The clothes are ornate and heavily decorated but masculine. Selling them outside of a large city might be difficult, but in a larger more civilized area they might go for more than scrap cloth prices. Hidden at the back of dresser #3 is a secret compartment. Inside the compartment is a locked iron door. It is spelled closed with both a Wizard Lock and Hold Portal spell. If a knock spell is used (twice) the door to the metal compartment will pop open and a thick steel plate will drop just behind the opening door. A small catch located in another secret compartment in dresser #4 must be pushed into place and a knob in a secret compartment in dresser #2 pulled out to stop the plate from falling. Once the plate has fallen it will need to be raised by some means (such as knocking down the stone wall around it, but otherwise it is jammed shut.

Inside the spelled-shut compartment is a small box. If it is removed without first pushing in a metal bar in a 3rd secret compartment in dresser #1, a guillotine-like blade slams down. This trap will cause 1d12 Dmg and sever any unprotected non-metallic item which moved the small box. This blade must be removed to access the interior of the compartment and the mechanism is set to drop a wedge in place so that it cannot be lifted. A saving throw will drop the damage by half and save the item or appendage from being severed.

The small box is wooden and the top lifts off. Inside is a still beating, warm and meaty heart.

On the south wall east of the south door is a cabinet. Inside are plates, very fragile and valuable, as well as knives, forks and spoons of silver, enough for 25 people. There is a carving set with the handles made from the bones of a hill giant. Crystal goblets are in the upper cabinet. The plates and goblets are fragile but only valuable in a large city; otherwise they are hard to sell and the silver worth only its value in the weight of metal.

The three large carpets are very fine, but the quality makes them hard to sell in a town what they might sell for in a city. The large fur rugs are the pelts of several griffons sewn together. The work is exquisite.

The cover sheet across the huge bed is made from the fur of albino bears. If the characters pull at the blanket it first appears to be stuck under the bed. Peeking under the bed will just show the wadded up end of the huge fur blanket. A strong pull by a combined 18+ strength will draw the blanket from under the bed and with it will come a short man dressed in red silk pajamas. He will immediately shout for the players to "leave!" and attack with a short sword. The blade is very fine, +2 to hit and enchanted to leave a scar that will not fade even with magical healing where it strikes. This Delmondo the justice of the library. It was he who passed sentence upon those caught committing crimes within the upper levels of the library and he who commanded the Maniken guards. In his left hand he holds a small box with a button and a dial. Currently the dial is set all the way to attack-kill and he will push the button as soon as he is pulled from under the bed. The 8 Manikens will immediately activate. 5 will respond to attack the characters. 2 will attack the other Manikens and 1 will attack Delmondo.

While Delmondo appears to be a living man, he is actually an advanced form of Maniken and Man combined. The real Delmondo died long ago but he was such an effective judge and security officer that his body was hollowed out and filled with the enchanted cloth of the Manikens. His brain was encased in a crystal skull that is impervious to damage and his heart was removed and placed in a small box; stored in the secret compartment in the back of dresser #3. Delmondo can be truly killed only when his heart is destroyed. He is a Ftr3, 24hp, AC6 due to Dex and regenerates at 1hp per combat round. If he is completely destroyed his skull will survive. It will turn to a blue gaseous form and reappear under the bed in this location only to reform again in Delmondo. He does not leaves this room and unless drawn out from under the bed or if anyone finds the secret compartments within the dressers he will remain under the bed.

The door to the north leading to Location (18.) is unlocked but it can be locked and barred though the key is missing.


The ventilation shafts run across the ceiling of this room on the east and west with small grated openings obscured by cobwebs.

Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1 - 4



Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1

4).

Dragon Magazine #1 Page 9
Artist: P.J. (Jaquays?)

I like this piece of art. It immediately starts me thinking of how I can use it in an adventure. There is a ghostliness present in the eyeless face, the creature at his shoulder, the blurred skull and books in the background, the skeletal fingers on the page...

Is this some mage with a demonic minion, the ghost of some tormented sage in a lost and decaying library, a vision granted to the characters of what may come or may have been?

For my game this will fit with the Lost Library of Q'Sh rather nicely. I can see it... the characters are in the First Stack area, a vast chamber lined with shelves. The bookcases are disordered, some overturned, many moved and they place is a maze. If they explore deeply into book-lined passages they come to a cul-de-sac where a table sits in the middle surrounded by bookcases piled haphazardly with books, skulls, scrolls, tankards and bottles, potions and leather pouches thick with dust. An old man sits with bowed head at the table. The light from a candle sitting in the neck of an old wax covered wine bottle casts dancing shadows across the books, illuminates his grey-white hair... He raises his head and where his eyes should be are blank pits, black, unilluminated, untouched by the candle's light. Something in the flickering light rises as well; the face of terror, a hell face that forms from shadow and candle flame resting upon his shoulder as if reading the book that is flat on the table and held upon by the eyeless man's claw-like hand.


Which is what the picture makes me think of when I see it.

Wormy's World - Characters - Wormy - #17



Wormy's World - Characters - Wormy - #17

Wormy

Arriving at the cliff-top back at his cavern entrance Wormy can see the crowd of Goblins that have gathered due to the Barbecue Dwarf-Burgers. Salting the ground under him with a little of the gold he stole from the Ogres Wormy decides to get rid of the riff-raff much in the same way he got rid of the Dwarves. With a mighty jump Wormy lands in an explosion of Goblin much to his surprise. Maybe it was the onions.




Monday, February 24, 2014

Wormy's World - Characters - The Goblins - #17



Wormy's World - Characters - The Goblins - #17

The Goblins


First these Goblins are getting rained on by Frank's gulping of his Troll's Choice beer then there is a down pour of gold. While they are squabbling for the falling giant gold coins they fail to notice Wormy jumping from the cliff-top over his cave. The trolls managed to survive the explosion of Goblins but at least one of the little grey fellows seems to have been blown aside as well.





The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 17



The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 17

Location 15.1) NOTE:

The ventilation shafts for this room run around the upper edges and have grilled openings at the top center of the east and west walls. The Little Green Men keep an eye on this area but find the Manikens disturbing so they do not enter.

Location 15.2).

This short passage is lined with destroyed Manikens. Something shredded them and tossed their cloth and wood bodies about to lie mangled across the floor. One Maniken is functioning intermittently. It is at (6) hp and missing one arm, but it will rise up slowly out of the pile of Maniken parts and bow slowly to the characters. Then remain still till the characters have passed and will then seek to follow the first character it sees and act as their guardian. It will only attack if that character is attached or threatened. It will not attempt to defend itself and if the players attack it the maniken will be at AC10 for that attack even though it is normally AC5.  The damaged maniken can regain 4hp if its rewrapped in the best lengths of cloth from the destroyed manikens but its right arm is destroyed for good (unless it is rebuilt and re-enchanted) and it cannot be repaired past 10hp.


Location 15.3).

Inside this room are two splintered benches, an overturned and broken cabinet, two wooden chests with their tops smashed in and a table on its side with the uppermost legs missing. There is old dried blood on most on the floor and fragments.

As the characters enter this room they will hear the moaning and experience the sudden chill that they probably experienced before. The dried blood is swept up in a small but powerful twist of wind which sprang from nowhere and while it moans across the walls of the room the dried blood begins to form into a face; a grinning fanged and hairy face (if the players have any reason to know, the face is that of a carnivorous ape). If allowed to from the face will give the characters and evil, leering grin, stick out its tongue and in an earsplitting shriek explode into a cloud of dried blood.

Sifting through this room of debris will take some time as the floor is also covered in torn paper and sharply splintered wooden fragments. Some coins are scattered about (12sp and 17cp), a whip and a shirt sword. Under the cabinet will be found the skeleton of an arm in dull red torn from a jacket as the arm was torn from the body. Near the skeletal hand is a round jewel that glows (in reality it is crystal powersource [The Little Green would be profoundly delighted in recovering the jewel.] which can be used to power several devices such as the control stick for the manikens.).

The door to the east has been torn violently from its hinges and is on the floor of the corridor outside.


The height of this room is 15ft as are most halls and rooms on the 1st floor of the library. The ventilation shaft has an opening near the south-east corner, obscured by cobwebs, and a Machine-Spider and Little Green Man are 75% likely to be observing this room. As with all Little Green Men this one will flee if the slightest sign of detection is given by the characters.

Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1 - 3



Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1 - 3

3).

Dragon #1 Page 5
Artist: Unknown


This lightly drawn and small illustration was the banner top for Tim Kask's editorials. While there isn't much to it the drawing does manage to depict the cauldron that was used as the title of the editorial column. I don't particularly like it and it seems something of a throw away picture unfortunately. The kettle is oddly drawn, I've never been sure what the black smears on the surface are meant to represent and the runes beneath the mantel are an odd combination that look to me as if they were just added to give the image some kind of magic-icity. A thumbs down for me. It seems like the last thing anyone would want in the very first issue of their brand new magazine is bad art, but so far that seems to be the direction that was chosen back then.

Wormy's World - Characters - Frank - #17



Wormy's World - Characters - Frank - #17

Frank


Busy guzzling Trolls Choice bear Frank is suddenly distracted by the fall of giant gold coins bouncing from his head and all around him. Luckily for Dudly he glances up and sees that it is Wormy at the top of the entrance to his cave dropping the coins and he is on his way down, fast. With a blurringly fast dive Frank knocks Dudly aside just as Wormy lands in an explosion of goblins (even wrecking Irving's barbeque sign). Frank is a little worried that Dudly might have been hurt but he gets off lightly with just the loss of his eyebrows.






Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 16



The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 16

Location 15.1)

This passage is framed around Location (15). and other than the 10ft section which connects the fractured secret door from that location to the northern door which leads to Location (15.2) it is 5ft higher than the other floors on t Map (A1). A set of short stairs to the east and west of the secret door lead to this raised area.

On each corner of the room is a manikin made of wood and covered in cloth. There are 4 total and they wear a red uniform with black piping down the legs and black colors. Each carries a truncheon at their belt and a bag of 20 crossbow quarrels (light). In their hands are light crossbows. Currently they are inactive. When the library was constructed they acted as bailiffs who assisted the security force with those who committed crimes within the library.

Manikin

Frequency: Uncommon
No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 5
Move: 12"
Hit Dice: 2
% in Lair: N/A
Treasure Type: N/A
No. Attacks: 1 bludgeon or by Weapon Type
Damage/Attack: Bludgeon 1d6 or By Weapon Type
Special Attack: Nil
Special Defenses: Immune to piercing weapons. Blunt Weapons do 1/4 Dmg.  Any spell requiring a sentient victim such as charm or sleep has no effect on a maniken. Note: Fire does double damage to manikins.
Magic Resistance: 10%
Intelligence: Non
Alignment: N/A
Size: M
Language: Manikins can understand only languages that were added to them during their construction.

Description:  Manikens appear as normal humans in regard to size and shape, but their 'flesh' is simply painted cloth. They are normally dressed in uniforms. They may be armored.

Ecology: Maniken's are magical constructs formed from a skeleton of wood with enchanted cloth carefully wrapped around them in the appearance of flesh. They can be constructed to respond to simple commands but have no intelligence or sapience of their own. Though they require a skilled mage to enchant they are relatively cheap and easy to be constructed and are normally built 4 at a time. Their greatest weakness is fire.


Around the walls facing Location (15.) are hidden firing slots about 5ft from the floor [10ft from the floor of Location (15.)]. If activated the manikins last command was to fire upon moving creatures within Location (15.). They have 90% cover if attacked from Location (15.).

4 Manikens. 12hp, 2HD, AC5 1 attack. Light Crossbow (20 bolts). or 1 attack Club (their truncheon).

The north door to the room has a massive lock but is relatively easy to open and anyone attempting to pick the lock gets a 10% bonus.


The door to the east Leading to Location (15.3) has no lock.

Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1 - 2



Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1 - 2

2).

Page 2
Artist: Dave Sutherland


This is for the TSR game Battle of Five Armies. The large eagle is done very well, but the smaller figures lack definition, perhaps because of the process used to reduce the image for the ad or some other reason. I think it is effective in giving an idea of Tolkien's great battle in the The Hobbit. It could be useful in giving players an example of what they might be seeing if someone ran the Battle of Five Armies or something similar, but it is a forgettable piece of work.

Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #17



Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #17

Dudly


While Dudly and Frank are dawdling in front of Wormy's cave after the dwarf-burger barbecue Dudly spots giant gold coins raining down from above and dives for them. Frank spots Wormy at the top of the cliff jumping down from above and slams Dudly out of the way. In the explosion of Goblins Dudly isn't hurt but he has lost his eyebrows.




Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon Magazine #1 - 1

Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon #1



Dragon Magazine Art - Dragon Magazine #1 - 1

1). Artist: Bill Hannan

I've never liked this cover. To me it seems blocky and rough with the body, especially the wings, out of proportion. The background colors are just smears of red and orange to me. Not sure if they are meant to be anything, like a sunset behind the Dragon or simply a bit of contrast to the dark green of the flesh.


Looking at it closely I really hate this picture and it has always seemed odd that it is what they chose for the first issue of the magazine.

Wormy's World - Characters - Irving - #13



Wormy's World - Characters - Irving - #13

Irving


Irving behind his Barbecued Dwarf-Burger stand serving an eager customer.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 15



The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 15

Location 15).

The southern door to this room is locked. It is thick and bound with iron, but the wood is rotted and a good shove will break the entire thing to fragments. The west, east and south walls are lined with benches. There is a metal cage at the center of the room facing a small dais with a large overturned table resting against the secret door.

The cage is large and heavy and bolted to the floor. It has a small door on its south face. The bones of some large creatures are inside scattered about. If they are removed it will be found that they are from several creatures. The bones are polished smooth and the ends are carved and notched. There are a dozen long bones from legs and forearms as well as 2 pairs of hands that have been wired together with silver wire and one huge, jawless skull.

If the bones are examined it will be noticed that they fit easily together and form a kind of arbor such as might be found at the entrance to a garden. To assemble the bones correctly the characters must roll lower than their Wisdom on a d20 with a -6 modifier (a character with 6 Wisdom would have no chance to assemble the bones). It takes 3 turns to assemble and characters can make an attempt once per hour.

Once assembled the skull fits nicely at the top held between the skeletal hands. When it has all been clicked into place it forms a freestanding arch. Between the spaces of the arch the air becomes still and black; the smell of damp earth pervades the room and a slight cold wind comes from the opening.

The assembled bones form a gate and the gate leads to a point 5 miles from the south entrance to the library. The area is in a small ravine cut by a cold river. The river descends from a waterfall 30 yards to the northwest and runs into a 50ft high wall of stone to the south-east. No matter when the gate is entered it exits at midnight of the following day. The gate is one way. Once through there is no return. There is an old narrow path that leads up the high walls of the ravine, but it has not been used in a long, long while.

The gate of bones will fall to pieces 30 minutes after being assembled. They can be gathered and carried by two M sized creatures or 1 L sized especially if they can be lashed together, bagged or boxed. The loose bones are difficult to carry. The gate will always lead to the ravine. Characters who enter the gate on the same day before the stroke of midnight will find themselves appearing one after the other at exactly the coming midnight, but should one character step through the gate 1 minute after the will not appear in the ravine till the midnight of the next day.


The secret door to the north is cracked. The corner of the large table has gouged a mark down the wall and was moved or thrown with such force that it dislodged the door from its frame. To open the door will require it to be removed, broken in or dismantled.

Wormy's World - Characters - The Goblins - #13



Wormy's World - Characters - The Goblins - #13

The Goblins


The Goblins are the first customers at Irving's Barbecued Dwarf-Burger stand. Pull up a barrel and enjoy.

Wormy's World - Characters - Frank - #13



Wormy's World - Characters - Frank - #13

Frank


At first Frank seems a little miffed that Wormy hadn't just flamed the dwarves but then the thought of all that squashed dwarf just lying around got him salivating. Then the smell hit him, wild onions or frying dwarf. Turns out it was both with Irving setting up shop to sell some dwarf-burgers.









Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #13



Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #13

Dudly


Dudly and Frank are wandering within smelling distance of Wormy's cave when Frank detects the smell of dwarf and onions. Dudly is a bit sour on the whole idea of peeling chainmail off of his lunch, but the boys discover that Irving has done it for them and opened up a dwarf-burger franchise. Frank did smell onions.