E THING,

RPGA
ISTHIS
SOWHAT grams.and charactercreationinstructionsfor our main
Lwruccampaigns.
ANYWAY? . Morestuff that we did not haveroomfor on this pagel
E
We'rehappyyou'reinterestedin the RPGA@ Network,the
largestandbestrole-playingorganizationin the worid.The RPGA
Networkpromotesrole-playingin alLits formsandprovides
PLAYWITH
CAMPAIGN
F
activity centersfor membersto engagein this terrific
NETWORK
RPGA presentsadventures in two qpes, thosefor which
z
hobby.Members playthe best gameswith the bestplayers
charactersareprovidedandthosefor whichyou canbring
all aroundthe world. Throughthis organization,you can
your owncharacter.Adventureswhichallowyou to bring a
get in touch with others who shareyour interests in
characterarepart of a Lrvrwccampaignwhich allowmem-
z' ptaying,designing,and collectinggamesand adventures.
bers to develop charactersas in home roleplaying
Network membersadvocatethe spreadof role-playing,
FO campaigns.We have a variety of Lrvltlc campaignsto
renderserviceto the community,and teach role-piaying
of the hobby. choosefrorn,with morecomingalLthe time. GUILD-LEvEL
games to others,sharingtheir enjoyment in thesecampaigns; in
members havernoreopportunities
RPGAoffers two leveLsof membership,so you can
additionto adventures, there areLive-actiongamesT orga-
choose the onethat bestfits whatyouwantout ofthe roLe-
nizationsfor charactersto join, andother speciaL
activities
playingexperience.
that canhelp developyour character.
RPGAoffersLIVINGCITYTM, the world'slargestongoing
FEllowsutp-LEVEL" IP
MEMBERSH roleplayingcampaign.EnterRavensBluff, a hugefantasy
This level of membershipis FREEto any interested
city in the FoncorrswRrlrus campaign,whereyour AD&D
person.It is a greatwayto try out whatthe Networkhasto
charactercancut deals.fight evil-doers,find fameandfor-
offer and seeif you want to upgradeto the next level.
tune, and perhapslive to a ripe old age.Networkmembers
FELLowsHIP-LEVTL members can:
. Playor judge any sanctionedNetworkadventure.This playtheir owncharactersin LIvINGCItv eventsat conven-
tions aroundthe world. Morethan 3,000activeplayers
includesadventuresat conventions,retail store loca-

nffiEsft?,mnn FORTH€FUTURT
ADV€NTURINq

participatein this campaign,and onLythe Networkbrings

tions, online, and anywhere else you find
you a campaign on this scale.
RPGA-sanctionedgames. IMhen you pLayin sanctioned
For thoselookingfor other options.the RPGAcomes
roleplaying events, you receive points toward an inter-
through.Checkout LIVING JuNGLxru, a humanoid-based
national roleplaying ranking which works similariy to
jungleAD&Dcampaign, wheretaboosandgarudaandenig-
classlevels in the D&D game. The more points you have, the
members can
maticwitch doctorshauntyour everystep.Experience
the higher your level. FELLowsHIP-LEVEL Setin the
gothicmysteryand horrorof LrvrwcDEATHTM.
rise as high as secondlevel.
1890s,this campaign usesthe RAvENLoFT@ Masqueof the
RedDeathworld.Journeyacross the globeasa memberof
MEMBERSHIP
Gurr-o-levgl* a secretqabaL fightingthe eviLofthe RedDeath.Runthe
The second leveL of membership is called GUILD-LEVEL
shadowswith VIRTUAL SEATTLE, Shadowrun'sLIvINGcam-
membership. All Network activities and privileges are avail-
paign. Street sams, wage mages, physical adepts,
able to Gurro-rrvEl membersfor a cost of US$20per year
assassins, shamans, deckers, andmoreawaityoujust out
(United States, costs elsewherevary and you should check
of sight. Takethe role of an outsiderwithout an official
the Branch office for detaits). For that payment, GUILD-
identity andtry to survivein VTnTUAL SEATTLI.
LEVEL membersreceive:
. AILbenefits ofFrrr.owstitp-rrvsL membership.In addi- This GameFairmarksthe iaunch of our newestLwItlc
campaign, LIVING VERGTTM for the ALTERNITY'
tion, GuILD-LIvELmembers can advance their player
Science-fictionRolepLaying Game.RPGA hasa star system
and judge rankings in the international ranking
in the Verge,the settingfor the SteR*DnIVx@ products.Try
system to any levei. SpeciaLadventures are available
this new game,and help contributeto building a whole
for Masters (3rd), Grand Masters (5th), and Paragon
(7th) level members, but you must be a Guttn-rrvrr star systeml
Nextyearthe RPGA will presentsharedworldcampaigns
memberto play them.
. One-year subscription to PoLYHEDRoN@ Magazine (cur- on a newscale,with our Lrvrtc GnTYHAwKTM campaign.The
rentiy 6 issues), the Network's own magazine.
entire world of Greyhawkhas been givento the RPGAto
is fitted with Network news, gaming arti-
developand ptay in. This campaignwill featureregional
PoLyHEDRoN
mappingof the world of Greyhawk,the coreAD&Dgame
cles, and announcements of conventions running
world, onto the realworld. Theopportunitiesarelimitless
Network adventures. Ed Greenwood of Foncorrew
for Gurro-rrvgrmembersto play.run games,and develop
REALMS'famewrites a regular column on the Border
the world of Greyhawk.
Kingdoms which you cannot find elsewhere. LIvItlc
campaign support can also be found within its pages.
You are hoiding a representative sample of what you can
CO M M UNI T Y
RPGA helpsyou enterthe communityof roleplayers. You
find in PorvuronoN in your very hands right now.
. A unique AD&D@adventure that is available only to have a regionaLdirectorassignedto help you whereyou
members for the current year. The adven-
live.Youcanfind othermembers andjoin their gamesby
GUILD-LEvEL
ture which premieresat the 1999 GENCotl' GameFair is
contactingyour regionaldirector.Network-sanctioned
clubsadd evenmoreto your membership, as clubsreceive
Wand of Archael by Mike Selinker and Penny Williams,
extrabenefitsand opportunities.
based on an original tournament by Robert Kindel.
. The opportunity to playtest TSR product as part of a Come bythe RPGAtower in the Wizardsexhibitbooth,or
Network Club
the RPGAeventsareain the Arena.We'llbe happyto set
. Membership Handbook, teltng you how to get invoLved. you up to enjoythe fun we haveto offer.
E The handbook contains information on all our pro-
z
 TOHELL
WELCOME
Nowthat we haveyour attention.we canrelieveyou by
sayingthat y.e meanthis in a positiveway. The RPGAs
themefor this yearis "TheInferno" by Dante,and we are
gearingup to showyou one hellaciousgoodtime. fu you
may lcrow, the theme of "The Inferno" is the journey
through heLtthat Danteundertookwith his guide,Virgit.
Justlike Virgit,wewill guideyou throughlayerafter layer
of our program,eachbuilding on the previousones.In a
sensewe are actuallyworking our way upward,but "fhe
Paradiso"just doesnot grab the attention the way hell
does.So thint hett ir reverse(getting better with each
layerratherthan worse),andyouwill be onthe right track.
Wealwaysty to bring you new and exciting everyyear,
andtlLisyearis no different.With over50tournaments,Live-
actionroiepiaying,andseveralchampionships, wearesureto
have somethingexciting for you. Plus we have partnered
with other programsthroughout the GameFair's busy
scheduleto bringyou high quality eventswhereyou maynot
expectto seeRPGA active.Sowatchyour step,andfollowas
we guide you through the many layersof the Networks
offering this year.Thereis not roomhereto Listall the tour-
gc[rwnnnfrAaitiufites
namentdescriptions,so you will haveto get the Grtl Cott
pre-regbookfromAndonUntimitedat 800-529-HPO.
B00TH
WIZARDS'EXHIBIT
1STLAYER:
Crossingthe RiverAcheron,we find ourselvesat the
lVrzARDs oFrHECoAsrexhibit booth. There,the friendly
RPGAstaff andvolunteerswill be running demonstrations
of the Arrrnttrv' Science-fictionRoteplayingGame,and
the MARvEL SuPER HERoEsTM Game.Thisis a chanceto learn
ArrsnNrrvbeforeplayingin our Lryrro VrRGEru events,or
playing for a little while in the Dungeonof Doom.All
GuILD-LEvELru RPGAmemb'ers will receivea special25th
anniversaryprinting of 16: Ravenloftjustfor being mem-
bers.in additionto all the othergreatbenefitsyou receive.
Visit the booth andpick up yours.
PLAY
TOURNAMENT
2NDLAYER:
Themainstayof the RPGAprogramis alwaysthe many
tournamentswerun. Wechoosethe besteventsby ourbest
writers,and find the bestjudgeswe can.RPGAeventsare
the bestroleptayingeventsat the show bar none.A com-
plete listing follows, and we are sure that you wilt find
enoughto giveyou pieasurefor the wholeweekend.For
RPGAtournaments,the Network will be awarding $5
couponprizesfor the winnersof all events.
AD&D@ Benefit, one-round adventure. Wandof
Archaelby MikeSelinkerand PennyWilliams,basedon an
original tournamentby RobertKindel. Greyisleis a land
battlegroundbetweentwo powerfulcartelsof wizards,the
FrA
ll, ltat) oo
Magesofthe RedCabalandthe Celestial0rder.A coupby IJ
g6
TU
gF
the Magesof the Red Cabalhas resultedin the ioss of
tuchael,chiefwizardamongthe Celestial0rder.TheOrder a=
wantsyou to recoverhis lost wandftom the RedMages,or u2
the 0rdercouldbe doomed.Thisadventureis a previewof z
the RPGAs 1999 annual adventure. Double RPGA 'z
.o
experience points.RPGAClubDecathlonevent.
::
AD&D Feature, three-round elimlnation. A Pirate's
::
lzle by Tim White, Daniel Lleweilyn,and Jeff Butl. The o
kingdomof Barengsuffersundera hideouslyevil rule. The
meansto put it to an endmaybe closeby, but to find them
you must seekout piratesand a missingprincess.Wiltyou
be readyto facethe evil of Bareng?Thefate of the whoie
Realmsmaybe at stake.StandardRPGA experience points.
AD&D lilasters, two-round elimination. Giftsof the
Heartby RembertParker.You'vearrivedafter the dragon
has been slain, but there's still a damselin extreme
distresslThisis the introductoryadventureto lhe Human
Equation, a series of adventuresthat mark Rembert's
return to RPGAevents.A two-roundAD&Dadventurefor
six totally humancharactersof level 3-4. RPGAmembers
3rdlevelandaboveonly.triple RPGAexperiencepoints.
AD&DGrandMasters, one-round adventure. A Fine
Specimenby GregDreherandSteveHardinger."Nowtake a
look at theseanimals.They'refine specimens, aren'tthey?
They were just brought in from the mountainsby an
associateof mine." "The mountains?With all those
maraudingorctribes?Wasn'tthat dangerous?" "0h, not at
all, not for my associate.""But aren'tyou worried about
the druids?Theymight confrontyou." "0h, I'm SURE they
level and
won't be doing anything...."RPGA members 5th
aboveonly.quadrupleRPGAexperience points.
AD&D Paragon, one-round adventure. Aw Dad by
Jason0lsen.Thewrath of Zeuscanbe terrible to behold'
for everyonebut his sonsthat is. But the irrationalityof
Zeusis famous,andthat is what getsyou into troublethis
time. Howto overcome Zeus'angerandyetstayaiive?From
1993.RPGA members7th level and aboveonly, quintuple
RPGAexperiencepoints.
AD&DReplay,one-round adventure. Parlynne's Lost
Gemby RembertParker.The bard Par\mnehas a simple
questleft undone:find the last gemthat fits in hermagical
harp.Shebelievesthat shecanrecoversomeelusivemagic
ofmusicfor the woridifthe harpcanbemadewholeagain.
Themissinggemleadsyou throughforestand into places
you did not expectto go. This eventlast playedin 1991.
StandardRPGAexperiencePoints.
AD&DSpeclal,one-lound advenfrte.The Rescue ofMaid
byRatty.Become
lvlan'an RobinHood oroneofhismerrymenin
this dashingadvenhue.Maid Marianis endangeredby the
Sheriffof Nottingham,and Robinand crewmust cometo her
rescue!StandardRPGA experience points.
IA
qP
u
o ta
AD&D LilIllG JUNGLE Feature, one-round
; adventure. Necromancer's Stone by Tom Prusa' The
u earthshakesget worse,and now the greatestheroesof
z points.
Malatracall you in to find the long lost Necromancer's
z Stone to stop them. This is an adventurefor builing
: courage,to bq sure. Everyoneis relying on you. An
z adventurefor low-level and mid-level heroes.Standard
I RPGAexperience points.
AD&D LIvIilG JUI{GLE Extreme, one-rould
: adventure. iYonkeyCifl by RobertWiese.A packof garuda
m
attacking the Huroolalead the heroesof Malatraon a
strangejourney of discoveryinto their past.lllhat secrets
wilt they find, and howwill thesesecretsaffectthe future
of Malatra? An adventure for mid-level and high{evel
heroes.StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
Dark Conspiracy Feature, one-round adventure.
ThoughERunilrildby GeoffSkellams'In the not too distant
future, socieSs valueshave collapsed.ltre rich live in
glittering towers while the poor live in the slums of the
decayingsuburbs.It's sobadthat eventhe paramedics need
weaponsto protectthemselveswhen they go out on the
streets.Sometimes,people'sminds don't copewith the
stressofmodernlife. Theyneedto getsomeserioushelpand
sometimes, you'rethe onewhohasto go out into the urban
wilderness to find them.StandardRPGA points.
experience
Earthdawn Threadsof Legend Feature, one-round
adventure. I\uisiting Througha Eountain'sScreamsby
SteveBach and Mary Zalapi.Join this latest episodein
Threadsof Legend,andbuildyour hero'sfameandgloryin
the realmof Barsaive.StandardRPGAexperience points.
ICE Run Out the Guns, two-round eliminatlon.
Brethrenof the CoastRaid-a-thonby ICEStaff. Comeand
join the Brethrenof the Coastfor anotheryear of raiding
and pittaging.Bring your existing Brethrencharacteror
createone on the spot (takesonly 15 minutes!).And the
best p.art,matey,is that you can play in as many first
rounds as you wish with the samecharacterlStandard
RPGAexperiencepoints.
RolemasterFeature,three-round team elimination.
Shadowin HopebyJohnCurtisIII. In secret,you havebeen
approached by two Councilmembers fromthe Cityof Hope.
It seemsthat the dwarvencouncilman's son (andheir) was
found dead.Yourdiscreetteamof dwarves,goblins,and a
humanmust discoverwhat happenedbeforeit is too late!
StandardRPGA experience points.
SAGA@DRAGoilLAI{CE@t FIFTHAGEoFeature, one-
round adventure. Hammer's.Fallby Nicky Rea. Carla
Hollar& JackieCassada. TheHeroesof Destinymusttravel
fromthe forestsof Qualinestito the minesof Garnet,where
they unlockthe riddlebehindthe MoonsteelSwordandits
companionpieces. One man can stop them: Angar
Moonsteel.Fifth in the Visionsof Destinycampaignfor
Dragonlance 5th Age.StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
SAGADnAGoxLANcE! FIFTHAGESpeclal, one-round
adventure. Sirine'sSong and Dragon'sBreath by Gteg
Detwiler.A groupof heroesis luredby the wilesof a group
of sirinesand must help them defendtheir homeagainst
"the biggestdragoneverto live." Thiswill take morethan
just the six heroes,and soa questacrossK4mnbegins.
SAGA ilAnvEt SUPERHERoESFeature, one-round
adventure. Pagesof Doomby RobertWiese,Dr. Doomhas
unleashedyet anotherplot againstthe FantasticFour.0r
hashe?Thistime, it seemsthat the archenemyof all that
is decentis workingonthe siddofthe angels.Butthen who
is behindthe kidnappingof Dr.StephenStrange? Standard
RPGAexperience points.
Shadowrun Vlrtual Seattle Feature, one-round
adventure. Stolenhoperty by StephenGabriel.A stolen
swordintroducesyou to the societyof the yakuza,the not-
so-secretsecretsocietyof criminalsftom Japan.IAIhyyou
werecalledin couldbeoneofthe mostinterestingmysteries
ofyour career.StandardRPGA experience
Shadowrun Virtual Seattle Special, one-round
adventure. BodyFcrm.Bodysnatchingdoesnot normally
comeinto your line asa shadowrunner. Makingbodiesout
of living beings,yes,but usua\ oncedeadyou canleave
them. Not this time. Ajourney into the dark undersideof
Seattle.StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
Star WarsFeature,one-round adventure.TheWayoJ
the Forceby Robertl/[iese.A strangeobeliskleadsyou to
Calamari,the homeworld of the Mon Cals.Deepbeneath
the seasof that planet is a devicewhich is linked to the
Force,and which attractedthe attention of the ancient
Sith lords. With it. the Emperorcould crushyou with a
thought.Youmustfind it first. But the pastcatchesuptoo,
and you are not alone in your searchfor this strange
artifactfromthe past.Partsix in the SayubLegend,a Star
Wars "lAlarriors of the Republic" bring-a-character
adventures.StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
3RBLAYER: INTEREST
SPECIAL
TOURNAMENTS
Someof our eventsfell into groupingsthis year.and so
if you havea specialgaminginterestyou might want to
checktheseout. Thatis, ifwe cangetpastCerberus...
LIVINGCITY*EXTRAVAGANZA
Ihis year's LIVINGCirY programis better than ever.
Tournaments andotherspeciaieventscombineto makethe
GameFairthe hightight of the yearfor Lnnuc Crrr players.
AD&D Llvlilc CIw Beneflt, one-round adventure.
The Witchof the Mistsby Ed Gibson,One of the more
unusualcallsfor assistance you haveencounteredduring
your careerasan adventurerin RavensBluffleadsyou to a
meeting of The Fellowshipof ExaltedAdventurers.The
Fellowshiphasfallenon toughtimesandyour assistance is
required to halt the declining membership,This is an
adventurefor heroes:mercenaries and other greed-driven
charactersare unlikely to enjoythe event. DoubleRPGA
experience points.
AD&DLwlllc CITYExclusive,one-round adventure.
Heir Un-apparentby Jefftey Scott Meyers.Chief Prelate
Relarn Dayspringsearchesfor heirs of the blood of a
famousLathandrianpaladin,andevil ftomthe paststirsits
headagain.Thiseventis a sequelto "DarkLord,Morning
Gtory''whichran at last year'sGameFair.StandardRPGA
experiencepoints.
AD&D LwIl{G CITYFeature, one-round adventure.
TheLacqueredChestbyLawrenceRamirez.Youhavebeen
summoned to the Celestial Gateway Emporeum to
investigate a strange antiquity, a lacquered chest of
ancieritKara-furandesign.l/tlillyour actionslead you to
honor or will you becomean affront to the ancestors?
StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
AD&D lulilc CITYilasters, one-round adventure.
Challengeof the Childrenby StephanieZuiderweg.Ihe
Children'sVocationalSchoolis havingproblems,andoneof
the children does not think that the investigation is
proceedingquicklyenough.Wittyoujoin her andseekout
thosewhoarekidnappingchiidrenfromthe school?Lotsof
roleplayirg.RPGA members3rdlevelandaboveonly.triple
RPGAexperience points.
AD&D UVII{GCrrv High-level Underdark Adyentute,
one-round adventure. The IsIe of the End by Dave
Sreniawski.Howthe mightyhavefatten.Youhavebeenput in

chargeof the RaveruDeepbeautificationdetachment.Our
newwirfrreblin ally, King DurgtewrathindaMurgieishenblin,
hasexpressed a desireto visit RavensDeepandhewili behere
in lesstlnn a week! He is bringing with him severalof his
ministersto negotiatea Tradeand Mutual DefenselYeaty.
Fietdl'{ars}ul Blackbeewants everythingshipshapeby the
tjme the King gets here. Howevet an unlikely messenger
arriveswith a toubting dispatch.Somuchof clean-updetail;
time to go back to work. This LrvrNGCrry adventureis for
charactersat least 7th level, and we recommend9th level.
StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
AD&D Uytx€ Crw High-level Planar Adventure,
one-nound adyentrre. ThreeCoinsin a Wellby Erich
Schmidt.This is the secondadventurein the high tevel
planarcampaignfor Lrwno Crr-y,and the campaignis so
new that at presstime we did not know completelywhat
this modulewouldbe about.Theplanarexpansionoffers
an alternativefor those charaderswho would not like to
adventurein the Underdark,and is for charactersat least
9th level.StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
LIVING DEATH*EXTRAVAGANZA
The Lrnrc Dnaru campaign coordinator, Claire
Hofftnan,has put together an exciting seriesof Lwtttc
Drarg tournamentsard an interactive. Lrwxc Dr-ErHfans
wili wantto playali eventsfor the completeexperience.
AD&DUVfilc DEATH Enigma,one-round adventure.
0n the TrailbyKeith Hoffman.Youheadto HongKongin
Augustof 1892,fotlowinga stolenartifact!A LrtnlloDreru
adventuefor heroesof any level.Third in the JadeLotus
Series.StandardRPGAexperience points.
AD&DUYIllc DEATH Feature,one-round adventure.
A Changeof Eeart by John Richardson.0nce again the
\4lhiteRosecallson you. Thistime you areto investigate
the disappearance of a womanin India. Is it an easily
explainedmisunderstanding or a moresinisterpiot? 0nly
you candeterminethis. A LIVING DrerHadventurefor mid-
to high-level heroes.Secondin the Jade Lotus Series.
StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
AD&DLryIxc DEATH Special, one-round adventure.
Missionto Chrnaby Keith Hoffman.It is late in the summer
of 7892,whenyou are sent on a secretmissioninto the
mysteriousFarEastlA LIvINGDretu adventurefor heroes
of any level. Fourth in the Jade Lotus Series.Standard
RPGAexperience points.
ALTERNITY LIVINGVERGELAUNCH
GrNCor'rmarksthe launchofthe LTVTNGVERGE campaign
for the AlrsntvlTy Science-fiction Roleplaying Game.
LrvntcVrnct is set in the Marybellesystemin the Verge.
part ofthe STAR*DRIVEru Campaignsetting.Members have
beenworkinghard on this campaign,and we think you'll
enjoythe differentexperienceof adventuringin this sci-
ence-fictionsetting.
Alternity LIvII{c VERGEPreview, one-round
adventure. Whirlwind Tour by Ramsey Lundock.
Weicometo Marybelle, arrivers. This introductory
adventureis the bestplaceto get startedin the Living
Verge.the Network'svery own Star*Drivecampaign!
This event premieredat Winter Fantasy,and has run at
conventionsthroughoutthe summer.If you missedit,
this is your chance to play the first LIVINGVERGE
adventure.StandardRPGAexperience points.
Alternity LIUII{G VERGEFeature, one-round
adventure. An out of the way surveytrip turns up more
than heavymetals.This adventuretakes charactersinto
the industrialspheresof the Marybellesystem.If you are
t2.a
trying to play these eventsin order,this one is the first
h,
-V
|l(.r\ l. @
after the preview.StandardRPGAexperience points.
Alternity Llvll{c VERGE Llghthouse, one-round
E69
OU
;
z
adventure. TheLighthouseis in Argosthis year! Doyou E
wantthe goodnewsfirst, or the badnews?TheLighthouse uzo
FO
is a spaceconstructdescribedin the ALTERNITY accessory oo
z.
of the samename,andpassesthroughthe Vergeoncein a 'z
.U
lifetime. Don't miss this opportunity.This event is the :::
secondin order for the LIVING VERGE eventsat GenCon.
StandardRPGAexperience points. Nmo
Alternity LIvII{c VERGESpeclal, one-round
adventure. Salvageby ThomasReid. A simple salvage
operation leads to complications.Standard RPGA
experiencepoints.
CALLOFCTHULHU MEGA.FEST
This year, the RPGANetwork and Chaosium,Inc. have
cometogetherto presentyou with a programof Call of
Cthulhueventsunlike anything we've ever donebefore.In
additionto the eventsbelow,wewill beawardingRPGA e;pe-
riencefor eve4rCallofCthulhueventsponsored by Chaosium,
Inc.All ofthem.Sogetyourfill ofCthulhuthis year,andstop
by an asylumonyourwayhometo getsomesanityback.
Call of Cthulhu Feature, two-round elimination.
GrayHouseon the H1IIby RobertHobart.Beinghardened
Mythosinvestigators,youyearnfor a restfromthe insanity
that you normally face every day. So when your friend
Vincent'sfather died, and he went hometo sort out the
fami$ affairs,you attdecidedtojoin him for somerest.But
the Mythosis everywhere, andrestis hardto find for those
whoknowthingsmanwasnot meantto know'
Call of Cthuthu Special, one-round adventure.
MythosFeastsof AncientRomeby GregDetwiler.Ancient
Rome is the setting for this expedition into Mythos
madness.Senator Lucien CeleresSextus has been
stunning the tolvn with the magnificenceof his parties
andlavishfeasts.Sostunnedis the uppercrustof Roman
society that they are not questioning certain
irregularitiesassociatedwith Sextus.
NASCRAG
NASCRAG and the RPGAtogether are proud to present
NASCRAGs rurmingAD&DtournamentsatGEN
2Ctthyearof CoN.
NASCMGAD&DFeature,three-round team elimina-
tiont Conspiracy111:Theoryand Practice. A secret
organizationsummonssix adventurers from differenttime
periodsto investigateoneof its agents.fum yourselfwith
your wit andyour humor!After all, it's a NASCMGeventl
Sostoppeeringoveryourshoulderandrememberthepass-
word,'Alsentme."
TOURNAMENT
4THLAYER:
CHAMPIONSHIPS
we enter Pluto's
Leavingbehindthe landsof Cerberus,
realmanddiscoverchampionship tournamentsto testyour
roleplayingmettle.Competebyyourselfor as a team,and
strivefor the fameandprizes.
NATIONAL ROLEPLAYING CHAMPIONSHIP
This year marks the first running of the National
Roteplaying Championship. Playersqualifiedfor this event
through excellencein Classictournamentplay, and it's
invitation only. It will all come down to one winner,
though, and the NationalRoleplayingChampionfor 1999
will receivea free trip to GENCoN2000,includingtrans-
portation. admission,and a hotel room at the Hyatt
Regenry (or simiLiaraccomdations).In addition, we'li
td
IA
u1t) a @
throw in a greattrophy to rememberthe experience,and
brandnewTSRproductto allowthe Champto stayin prac-
€a F
z z
in
tice. Thisyear'stournamentis And PearlsDo NotDissolve
d-
theMud by Cyndiand Brett Bakke.Three-roundelimina-
uz : tion. Invitation only,QuintupleRPGAexperiencepoints'
AD&DOPEN
Thisis the pinnacleofAD&Dteamcompetition.andyou
don't want to missit. Forma team in advanceor on the
spot, and go for the gold. Thewinning teammembersall
get a plethoraof newTSRproductandthe fameand glory
that gowith an A-D&D OPenwin'
[Jnd.era PaIeGreenSky by ReynotdsJonesand Ruth
Pinsky.Theprincehasbeencaptured'As his ftiends' it is
your duty to find him. Therecentassassinationofthe king
hasleft the land without a decisiveleader,andbaronsand
merchantsfight for control. Is the samepersonbehind
both the kidnappingand the king's death.or is someone
taking advantageofthe situation?Three-round teamelim-
ination.StandardRPGAexperiencepoints.
NETWORK CLUBSCHAMPIONSHIP
NetworkClubshavea chanceto shinein their owntwo-
round championship. This eventis opento clubsonly, so
makesureyou havea club formedbefore(or at) the con-
ventionifyou wantto getin on this action'Forthreeyears
in a rowthe Companyofthe FramedAdventurers hastaken
the crown.Canyou unseatthem?PlayBusinessasUsualby
GregDreher,andfind out. An RPGACtubDecathlonevent'
VIRTUAL SEATTLE PRIMERUNNER CHAMPIONSHIP
The RPGAand FASACorp presentthe Prime Runner
Championship, an in-character championship for
Shadowrun VrnruALSEATTLE characters'Quatifuby scoring
well in.theVrnruet,SEATTLEFeatureandSpeciai.ThePrime
Runnertournamentwitl beginSaturdayandcrowna cham-
pion throughin-characteractionsandroleplaying.Wewitt
Seattletour-
be usingthe last three roundsof the iUr'ssion:
namentseriesfor the championship,so if you've played
themyou'reout ofthe running(sorry).
BESTLIVING* CAMPAIGN PLAYER AND JUDGE
The playerand judge with the best averagescoresin
Lrvruc Crry,LrvrwcJuwelr, LIVINGDEATH, LWINGVERGE. Entera sportingcompetitionandtest your mettle.If the con-
Virtual Seattle,and Threadsof Legendeventsreceivea
selectionof brandnewFoacomsN Rrcus' productsplusa
trophyworthdisplayingto everyone who visits your house. aroundtheRealmsaswell.\Arhoknowswhatelseyouwi[ find?
You must play or judge six eventsto qualiff, in at least
three differentLtvINcCampaigns.
BESTOVERALL PLAYER ANDJUDGE
Theptayerandjudgewith the best averagescoresin all
RPGAeventswili be namedbest playerand judge in the
GameFair,and receivehuge largessein the form of TSR
productand trophies.Youmust participate in at least six looking for a rest in the year 2502.Anythingcan happen
eventroundsto get in the running.
LIVEACTION
sTHLAYER: PLAYING
ROLE
Disstandsaheadof us, but fust we stopto seelive-action
roleplaying.Forthe pastfewyearsthe RPGAhasflfutedwith
Live-actionRoleplayinggamesthrough ourLrvrNcCITYinter-
actives, and more recently through LIVINGDEATH
interactives.Thisyear,webreakthe moldin a big way.Ifyou
like roteplaying,givesomeofthese eventsa try.
AB&D FORGOTTEN REALMSLARP
A StrangeDdtenteby MelissaMaurer.Lord Thelmaran
thoughtthat his daysof excitementanddangerhad ended
alongwith his adventuringcareer.However.after inher-
iting a small keep in a politically contentiousarea, he
knowsthe truth: politicsaremoredangerous than a sharp
sword.Determinedto earn somepeaceand quiet, Lord
Thelmaranhas invited local dignitaries and old adven-
turing friendsaliketo his newlyrestoredkeepfor a party.
Well,maybeit wasn'tsucha goodideato haveadventurers
and dignitariesat the samefunction, but at least no one
cancomplainof boredom....
This eventwill involveplotting and schemingamongthe
dignitaries,a chanceto explorethe keepandperhaps find an
entranceto undergroundwarrens,contestsamongthe atten-
dees,and evensomefamouspersonalitiesofthe Realms'lhe
eventis continuousftom slot to slot, soon Fridayyoupick up
whereyou left offlhursday. A differenteventnumberapplies
to eachslot, to maximizeflexibiLity.ltrursday and Friday12
pm, Saturday8 amto 4Pm.LabYrinth.
LIVINGDEATHLARP
The ArchaeologicatSociety Annual Dinner by Claire
Hoffman.Theresultsof the Jasper-PetrieExpedition(from
the GEN CoN'98 advenixe IntriguemEqypt)witt bepresented
aswell as other papersand awards.Appropriatedinner cos-
tumeis preferred.A LIVING DEATH interactivefor heroesof all
levels.Thiseventoccursin conjunctionwith the RPGA dinner
in slot 4, Thursdayat 9 pm. MilwaukeePublicMuseum'
CALLOFCTHULHU LARP
Millenium Crisisby GregDetwiler.As the new millenium
dawns,nafural and political disaste$stike the planet. the
reformed Soviet Bloc. the United States,NAT0, and the
Chinesefactionsall vie with eachotherto solvethe problems
and gainthe upperhandin world.domination. Is this the pre-
dictedend of the world, orjust anothergrowingpain on the
wayto the worldof the future?Friday9 pm. Labyrinth.
LIVINGCITYINTERACTIVE
SummerFatival in Mossbidges.Join your friends in the
LrvtNGCITvforthe Summer FestivalinMossbridges.Takeyour-
seUtothe Wizard'sGuild,ClericalCircle,CityWatch,andmore.
testsaretoo tame,you canenterthe arenaandbattlefearsome
monsterswith your barehands.E:rpectsomesurprisesftom
Saturday5pmto 1am.HyattRegenryBallroom.
ALTERNITY STAR'*BRIVE LARP
"There'snothing reallyUkeit ... well, anywhere"saythe
travei guides.And with that ambiguousrecommendation
standing for it, you're welcometo "The Corner,"part-
wateringhole,part-casino, andpart-musicloungefor heroes
here,and it usual$ does.Itris eventis for all GENCoNatten-
dees,but LIVINGVERGE playerscan play their LIyiNGVERGE
characters. Costume is recommended. Saturday5 pm.
6THLAYER: ACTIVITIES
CHARITY
The RiverSty,<safelybehind us. we arrive somewhere
really important: the layer of raising moneyfor charity.
WrzARDs oFTHECoAsrhasdesignated the UnitedWayasthe
official charityofthe GameFair.Througha vastnetworkof
volunteersand communityserviceagencies,UnitedWays
throughoutAmericahelpmeetthe healthandhuman-care
needsof millions of peopleeveryday. UnitedWa5/s110-
year history s b';j1t on the proveneffectivenessof local
organizationshe''pingpeoplein their own communities'
TheUnitedlYays1'siem includesapproximately1,400com-
munity-based Umied Way organizations. Each is
independent.separatelyincorporated,and governedby
localvolun:ees. UnitedWayvolunteersensurethat every
groupreceivhgftnds is a non-profit,tax-exemptcharity.
Specifical$fcr o'r interests,UnitedWaysupportsLiteracy
and scienceed::cadonprogramsaroundthe country.Your
donations*d. i.elpbuitdthe future.
TheRPGA:a:ses rnoneyfor charitythroughbenefittour-
namentgames.auctions,and activitiesat the LrUNGCITY
interactive,Auctionsthis yearwill take placeat the RPGA
MembersMeed:g and the LrwNGCIrYInteractive.There
are pleng cf chancesto get involved, and your givirg
bringssui rer,;ards. Lastyearwe raised$13,000,and we
cando at leastaswell this year.
I-AYER
TTTI ANDWORIGHOPS
INARS
SEM
Anotherriver safelypassed,this time the Phlegethon.
we fird ourselvesin the land of learning.Whetheryou're
an aspiringauthor, artist, or gamemaster,nothing beats
our workshopseriesfor hands-oninstructionin your field
of choice.Registernowfor theseevents-space is limitedto
giveeachparticipantpersonalattention.Eachworkshopor
seriesis led by an establishedprofessional
in the field and
providesparticipantswith resourcematerialto takehome.
GAMEMASTER TRAINING
Friday,Saturday,and Sunday,2-4 pm
Neverrun a roleplayinggame?\rVe'llshow you how.
VeteranRPGAgane masterspresentthe basicsof running
roteptayinggamesand campaigns. Fromexplainingwhat a
gamemasteractuallydoesto showingyou the basics,we
guide you into the rewardingworld of gamemastering.
even giveyou practice.Completeall three sessions
\,fe'11
andreceivea RPGA GameMasterDiploma,andfreestarting
productsto helpyou start a campaignat homewith your
friends. Runningthe gamecan be more rewardingthan
playinga playercharacter.Thisis your chanceto learnto
getbehindthe screen.
SECRETS OFSF GAMEDESIGN
ThursdaythroughSunday,Noonto 1 pm
Whatmakesa winning sciencefiction roleplayingsce-
nario?Howcanyou playoutyourfavoriteSFmoviesandTV
shows-without yourplayersevergettingwise?Whatdoesit
taketo createa vibrantyet believablegamesetting?Learn
the secretsbehindatt thesesuccessstrategiesin our free
daily game-design workshop.Leadingeachworkshopis a
team featuring one of the RPGAsveterangamemasters
pairedup with one of our stellarguestauthors.Thesemi-
narswill be differenteachdaybecause the participantswill
be different.
THEFUNOFSCIENCE FICTION GAMES
Saturday,4-5Pm
Is the gamingscenestill new to you (or to someone
you're bringing to the show)?Wett,get the basicsftom
ScienceFiction Saturday."The Fun of ScienceFiction
Games,"cosponsored with the ScienceFiction Saturday
Program,coversthe gamutftom cardgamesto boardgames
to roleplayinggames.We know we can find the perfect
gamefor you! Ifyou enjoyreadingaboutSFworlds,then
try playingthemtoo.
LIVINGCAMPAIGN CHARASTER CREATION WORKSHOP
and
The RPGAhas a plethora of LivInc Campaigns,
sometimes it canbe a bit confusingto track what they
& @ o tr ii
eu
areabout,or to makea characterand get involved.So, :J
cometo our charactercreationworkshopand find out OU
&- L ::? .
what it is all about. Ourfriendly staff witt answerques- o5
g il
@o
tions and help you get ready for Lrvruc Campaign u zo .=
+Q
games.Advancingyour characterthrough convention oa
z.
playis a big attractionfor our Ltvtltc Campaign games, "z
.q
so don't missout. 8 am to 4 pm Thursday,Friday,and
Saturday.Arena.
N b O<a
8THLAYER: ACTIVITIES
SPECIAL
Geryoncarriesus swiftly to the 8th iayerof the RPGA
s
inferno and the special social events that crown the
weekend.ThesemakeGENCoNthe Network'sannualgath-
eringandparty.Maketime for theseactivities'
RPGAANNUALMEMBERS MEETING
Wednesday7 pm
Att RPGAmembersare invited to attend the annual
membership meetingin the HyattRegenryBallroombefore
the conventiongets under way. The meetingincludesa
stateofthe Networkaddress,a charityauctionbenefiting
United Way charities, information about the weekend
activities,and more. Meet RegionalDirectorsand other
memberstoo. Thecharity auctionincludesspecialgames
with celebrityguestssuch as Ed Greenwood' Volunteers,
judge coordinators,andmarshalswill meetat 6 pm.
RPGALATEDINNER
Thursday9 pm.
THeRPGADinnertakesplaceat the MilwaukeePublic
Museum,three blocks ftom the convention.The LIvING
DEArHLARPplayerswill be in costumeand sharingthe
ArchaeologicalSocietydinner while the rest of us share
eachother'scompany,listen to guestsentedainyou with
storiesofthe gamingindustry,andhelphonorthosemem-
berswho servesohardduringthe year.Thedinnerwill end
Dr.erngamewill continue.
by 10:30,but the LIVING
ICECREAMSOCIAL
Friday 9 pm
This specialeventis for GuIto-rsvrr RPGAmembers
only. Comehave free ice cream and socializewith
friends. We may even have a surprise or two planned'
Freeice cream... as long as it lasts in the Inferno of
memberswho will come' The ice creamwitl be in the
labyrinth underArenaRPGAHQ'
AWARDS CEREMONY
Sunday2 Pm
Theweekendculminatesaswe presentawardsto those
who havewon the championships, and thank those who
workedso hard to bring us all the fun we shared'Please
planto stayfor this final meeting,andcheerfor the people
who stroveandwon.
gTHLAYERT???
0n the final layer. there is only mystery. Truly, few
comethis far, but they are crucialto your enjoymentot
the weekend.Thosewho comeherehavetraversedall the
otherlayers,andacceptedthe aid ofAntaeus(whois here
in disguise).But evenifyou don't makeit this far, you
can find plenty to occupyyou and give you pleasureon
the previouslayers.Pick those activitiesthat you would
mostenjoyandjump in with both feet. Don'tjumpinto
the River Styx, though, as you may not rememberthe
weekendonceyou aredone.'.I
 Aa
t'it 1tu\ lf
-v Roleptayingelegantsocial situationsshould be more
U than just making an Etiquette proficiencyroll. As with so
E6 9
F
ou
d- z manysubjects,addingalittle practicalinformation canhelp
a6 providematerialfor manyhoursof enjoyablegaming'Tttis
ao
BZO
FO : article will providesomebasicand practicatinformation to
oo
z'
aclddepthto role-ptayingwine knowledge'Theinformation
'z
ru
provldedis drawnfromthe realworldandshouldbe consid-
i:. ereda placeto start with human-basedsocieties.
Nmo
WINEISMADE
HOW
Wineis usuallydefinedasthe fermentedjuiceof grapes'
which simplymeansthat the juice sugaris metabolized
into alcoholand carbondioxide gas by somebiological
agentsuchasyeast.Theprocessbeginsbytightly crushing
the grapes to releasetheir juices. The stereotypeof
treadingon the grapeswas meantnot to pressthe juice
ftom the grapesbut to crushthem so that fermentation
could begin. The crushedred grapesare initialty kept in
hugevatsmadeof cement.wood,or stainlesssteel'
Ihe juice at this point is calledmust. Theyeast cells
mtrkE'Emt[f,inE!
ROTaPLAYING
requiredfor fermentationarealreadypresenton the grape
skins.Asthe sugaris convertedto alcohol,coloranda sub-
stancecalledtannin arepulled from the skins. Tanninis a
natural preservativethat gives red wine the longevity it
needsto ageand develop.the amountof colorandtannin
desireddeterminehow long the skinsarekept in contact
with the must. A few daysresultsin a light rose' (blush)
with manyof the fruit flavorsremaining.Severalweeksin
contactwith the must can resultin a deepred wine with
lots oftannin andfar lessftuit.
Fermentationcontinuesuntil all the sugaris metabo-
lized or until the alcoholcontentreaches15 or 16percent,
at whichpoint the alcoholkills the yeastcells.Winesgen-
erally have between7 and 16 percentalcohol,with the
normbeing10to 14percent.
After fermentationis completethe winesaretransferred
to barrels.casks,or evenlargertanksto age.Redwinethat
drains fteely from the tanks is called ftee-run. The
remaindermust be pressedfrom the remainingorganic
matterand is calledpresswine. Presswine tendsto have
more body and color, but is usually harsherand more
tannic aswell.
Redwine maybe agedbeforebottling from a few weeks
to three years.Longeragingis almostalwaysdonein oak
casks,as the oak tendsto mellowthe harshtannins and
makethe wine more drinkable.Oak caskscan also add
hints of spice,vanilla, and toast. Newoak barrelstend to
givethe redwine a morepronouncedtaste.
l/llhitewine is madesomewhatdifferently. Becauseit
does not pick up color ftom the skins, it has less
tannin. Thisabsenceof tannin is the primarytaste dif-
ference between red and white wines. Slow. cool
fermentation of white wine imparts a fruity, fresh
taste. Whitewine is agedfor a much shorterlength of
time than red wine. Whenit is fermentedin oak the
wine retains an oaky, richer, more complextaste. If
aged in stainlesssteel. the wine usuaily acquiresa
creamy,smoothtexture. This is becausethe wine has
reactedwith the stainlesssteel and producedlactic
acid.the samekind of acidfound in milk.
TASTING THEWINE
ANDJUDGING
The first attribute of a wine is color. Wine should be
bright, ftee of any cloudiness.Winethat appearsduli,
especiallyif it is young, should be treated with suspi-
cion.Cloudiness shouldnot be confusedwith sediment,
which witt naturally falt to the bottom of the glass.
Sedimentis a naturalby-productof olderredwines,and
can be decanted to remove it from the wine before
serving.Thehue, or intensity,ofthe colorimpliessome
of the wine's character.Wateryor pale{ooking wine
probabtymeansa wine that won't stand up to age or
food.muchaswaterycoffeewon't standup to that first
SUN€C'I BYST€Y€
ANOT-SO.WELL-KNOWN
JAY
taste in the morning. To judge the hue of the wine,
don't look into the glass,asthe depth of the glasswill
affect its color. Tip the glass away from you and look
againstthe edgeof the wine againsta light sourceor
white backdrop.
The second attribute of wine is aroma. Aroma
givesyou a strong first impressionof its flavor. If a
wine has any serious faults. you can often tell
without evertasting it. Smellsof mold, sulphur,acid
or vinegar are strong warning signs that something
has gonewrong.
Finally,it is time to taste the wine. All wines have
varying degreesof sweetness,and everyone'sper-
ception of sweetnessvaries. Someoneused to very
sweet drinks may find a particular wine to be dry,
while someoneelse may describethe samewine as
sweet.Also, cold tends to reducethe sensationof
sweetness in wine.
Acidity (tartness) is essential in wine, especially
white wine. It aliowsthe wineto age.But there is a bal-
ance to acidity, just as there is a balancebetween a
acidityand sugarin lemonade.
I
Bitternessor an astringent,puckerishtastecommon
in young reds comesfrom an overabundance of tannins.
Sometimes this just means the red wine needs to age,
but a strong tannic taste could mean that the wine will
neverdevelopot mature.
Many of the sameconsiderationsgo with serving
wine to guestsas go with the servingof bread,so you
might apply someof the logic in the "MedievalFood
Fights" article when adding wine to your roleplaying
gamesituations.EnjoylI
 Thenn slippedpart its zenith as we madethe summitof
Storml,Iountain.Wesetup campon a grassyknolloverlooking
the ruinsof SplitRocf anancientdwarven
ourfinal destination:
hold.Thebettetpart of thedayhadpassed whileweclimbedand
noweyerpne uound megroanedand wincedas theypulled
tight booafrom swoAen feet and tendedto the blistersand raw
spotsthusrevealedEveryone,that is,exceptthegnomeBelger.
Thechubbylifre thief skippedaround,cheeily humming-
HUMMNG!- ashe unpackedcoolauare and ratiors,prepaing
hisownlidJefeasLAnnoyed,I commented 'Toumwt think it a
fine jofu to mdure s;r'ch
discomfort simplyto mockourpain."
Thenormallyjovial gnometurned to me with a look oJ
confisionand hurt. "I meantnojoke, goodranger.It is
just that I havebeensparedthe achesof the climb.How
t muchyou valuean enchantedbladeor spellcrafiedwand,
but neglectthe very things that carryyou into battle or
dungeonsdeep!"And with that he held his bootedfoot
aloft and pointed to it beforeturning backwith a huff to
hiscookfire'
- FR*MTH€ J.*RNALS 0F THE
RANG€R V€,LENOR FAIRWIND, DR 1352
tltttt'imag|Effiut MAGICAL
Themagicalfootwearnotedbelowis usableby any class
without restriction and wilt expand or contract to fit
anyoneftom browniesto giants.
BOOTS OFDUST
Thesemagicalbootsenabietheir ownerto passwithout
trace(asthe spellofthat name).A +1 bonusto surprise
othersis alsogainedand,if the weareris a thief or ranger,
is addedto the chanceto movesilently' XPvalue:
+25o/o
1,000,GPvalue:5.000.
BOOTS OFCOWARDICE
A pair of these boots will behavelike boofsof speed
until the wearersuffersdamagein battle. At sucha time
the bootsrevealtheir true nature.Theyforcethe wearer
to flee at fuil speed(2a") for one round, no savingthrow
allowed.Thereafter.the weareris entitled to a saving
throw vs. wandseach round to regain control of the
boots.Theboots' magicis reactivatedwheneverdam,age
is suffered.A successful removecursespellvs' 12thlevel
magicwill enablethe wearerto be rid of the boots'XP
value: Nil, GPvalue: Nil.
\ BOOTS OFSAFETRAVEL
r Thesebootsarehighlysoughtfor their protectivequaii-
ties by rangers,thieves,and scouts.Theygrant a bonusof
+10%to the distancea charactercanuavel eachday. By
settingfoot on a structure(i.e.bridge,treelimb, floor. etc)
andconcentrating for oneround,the wearercandetermine
whether the stucture can safely support the wearer's
weight.Lastty,wheneverthe wearerapproaches (knowingty
or unknowing$) within 10' of pits, snares,tripwires,or
evenquicksand,the characteris alloweda savingthrowvs.
spells.If successful, the wearerimmediatelydetectsthe
hazard.XPvalue:2,500,GPvalue:20,000.
BOOTS OFTRACKING
o @ o CI;i
gu
By placinga foot on a footprint (or hoofprint, etc), the
wearercan track the creaturethat left the print for the oL!46
d rra z
oc
next fult hour as if possessingthe tracking non-weapon 6a
5 '-)
azo.z
proficiencyat a rating of 19.Thetrack is lost if the quarry FO
oog
leavesthe planeof existencethat the boot weareris on,
althoughthe wearerwill havea feelingof the planetrav- :::::
eledto or magicused.Thisrestrictionincludesextraplanar
transportationspells such as teleport, dimensiondoor,
N M O$
phaseshift,andothers.XPvalue:1,000.GPvalue:5,000. OB
CIRILAN'S SLIPPERS
SCALY
Namedafter the wizard who first createdthem, this
footwearappearsastightweightstipperscraftedftom sealskin,
sharkskin.eelskin,or someother aquaticleather.lfhen the
weareris immersedcompletelyunderwater, the siippersmagi-
cal$ transforminto flippers which enablethe characterto
swimat a rate of 18per round.Ttreduratjonof this effectis
untimited so long as the characterstays completelyunder-
water, howeverthe stippersdo not provide the meansto
breatheunderwater. XPvaiue:1,500,GPvalue:7.500.
CAMPAIGNBYGARYWATKINS
FORYOURAD&D@
BOOTS
SERPENT SLIPPERS
Serpentstippersradiatea strongauraof alterationmagicif
suchis detectedfor. Serpentslippersarealwaysfashionedout
of snakeskin.0nceper day,the wearercanput his or her feet
togetherand, by mentalcommand.tansform into a snake,
gainingthe creature'sphysicaltraits-armorclass,movement.
attack forms. and sensoryabitties. the characterretains
his/her ownhit points,savingthrows,andcombatrolls.Each
pair of serpentslipperscantransformthe wearerinto onlyone
typeof snake.andthe DMdeterminesthe typewhenthe slip-
persarefust discovered. Venomous varietiesarepossible.lhe
length andweightofthe snake form is dependenton its type'
andis not affectedbythe sizeofthe characterwhatsoever. lhe
tuansformationcanbe maintainedfor up to eight hoursat a
time.XPvalue:1,000,GPvalue:5,000.
SHOESOF MANYFOOTFALLS
lheseenchantedshoesenablethe wearerto alterthe sounds
of his or her footralls.Severaloptionsareavaflable,including:
mufftethe soundsoasto improvethe chanceto surpriseothers
by 1 on a d6, add20o/o to a thiefs or ranger'schanceto move
silently,causethe wearer'sfootstepsto recedeor approachin
whateverdirectionthewearerwishes(regardless ofthe direction
of tavel), or amplifyor mutethe volumeof the wearer'sfoot-
stepsto soundlike anythingfromthe soft paddingof halfling
feetto a horse'sclip-ctopping gaitto the thunderingstompof a
giant.Eachpowercanbeusedoneat atime,onceperround.
the shoesofmanyfootfallshaveoneotherpowerofnote'
0nce per week the wearer can create a shockwaveby
stomping.Theshockwave does2-16pointsof damage to any
creaturestanding within 30' of the wearer.Additionalty,
affectedcreafuresmustmakea successfulsavevs. paralyza-
tion or be knockedoff of their feet and stunnedfor one
round.Fortificationsin the areaof effectsuffer1 point of
structuraldamage.The shoes'wearetis immuneto the
shockwave's ill effects.XPvalue:1,500,GPValue:2500.I
l+,
€;,
l'\) o ofthe communi[r,but hewasnot wellliked because
; many bakerstook advantageof
= o
z
uz
::
":
Eatingduring the MiddteAgeswas very mucn a sus-
pense-filledoperation,and not merelybecauseso many
people-in particularthe peasantry-didnot knowfor cer-
tain wheretheir next meal was comingfrom. The very
natureof medievalsocietybroughtwith it a numberof sit-
uations that to our modern eyeswere quite novel, and
foodftglrE! R€LAT€D
FOOD-
ROI.E-PLAYNG
whichcanput PCsin situationswherethe strokeof a sword
or the casting of a fireball would be an inappropriate
response. Thisarticle seeksto detail someof thosepoten-
which canliven up a campaignthat places
tial adventures,
at leastsomeemphasison roleplayingandlocalintrigue.
THEBAKER!"
BUTCHER
"LET'S
The simpleact of preparinga meai, in particularthe
bakingofbread,takeson an entirelynew degreeof diffi
culty in medievaltimes,both in rural and urbansettings.
We'Ilhandlethe rural settingfirst because it's quickest.In
its simplestform, the problem is this: in a feudalsociety,
the peasantsnot only haveno ovens, but are absolutely
forbiddento bakebreadat home. even improvising with
suchinventionsasa coveredhole in the ground. The lord
had the only ovenin his teritory, and all peasants had to
take their flour (whichcouldonly be milled from grain at
the lord's ownmitt) to his castleto be baked.Needless to
say,they had to pay for this privitege,either in money or
simplya percentageof the ioavesthey baked. Thevittage
policeman,or reeve,wasconstantiyon patrol,and anyone
caughtbaking at home would be fined. ThosePCswho
manageto becomefeudallords or other rural landowners
will haveto spenda surprisingamountoftheir non-adven-
turing time strictly enforcingthe "no ovensfor peasants"
rule, andifthis soundstoo silly for you to wasteyour time
on, rememberthat you get paid for the use of your own
oven!Extortingmoneyftom the peasantryin this manner
maynot be asglamorousaslooting a dragon'slair, but it is
considerably safer.
In urban areas,peoplewould often go to the baker
either to buy somethingto eat or simplybring their own
foodin to bebakedin his oven.Thus,the bakerwasa pillar
far too
their positions to cheat
their customers.It was commonly noted that all the lazy
andincompetent people in a community tended to become
bakersbecausethat trade wasthought to be an easyone,
and this misconceptionoften showeditself in the quality
of their products.Howbad wasit? Considerthe following
medievalproverb:"In the ovenof a lazy bakerthe dough
freezes,"
0utright ftaud took manyforms,but the mostcommon
tactic was taking the customer'smoneyfor one product
and fobbing off cheapersubstituteson him' Spicemer-
chants,alongwith bakers,wereparticularlynotedfor this
tactic. Bringingyour own materialsin to be cookedby a
professionalwould seemto negatethis tactic, but alas,a
cleverif unscrupulouscookcouldevenfind a way around
this obstruction. For your edification, I give you the
exampleof the short-weightloaves.
7n 7327,a LondonbakernamedJohn Brid had a fair-
sized"waitingtoom",wherecustomerscouldsit with their
APPARTUNITI
R
D€TWII.E
€S BYGREGORY
doughwhile awaitingtheir turn with his oven.\{hile sit-
ting, their breaddough was placedon a molding-board,
whoselid lookedlike a solid pieceof wood (whichit was
supposedto be). However,in Brid's case-and we don't
knowhowmanyothers-a circularpieceof woodhad been
cut out of the board,to be replacedby a woodenlid. John
Brid hada servanthiddenbeneaththe motding-board, and
while the haplesscustomerwaited, this servantwould
removethe lid ftombelow stick his handthroughthe hole,
andtwist off a pieceof soft, freshdough.Thepile of bread
doughthus obtainedcouldbe bakedup and soldasBrid's
own bread,without his having goneto the trouble and
expenseof payingfor the ingredients.
0nce caseslike this were uncovered,the medieval
authoritiesdid what they couldto crackdownon ftauds,
but their abilitieswerelimited. For instance,somelocal
officialstried to uncoverthe would-beJohn Bridsof their
neighborhoodsby weighing eachloaf of breadthat was
baked.0n at leastone occasion,a quick-thinkingappren-
tice savedthe dayfor his masterby slippinga hunk of iron
into a sampleloafthat wasto betested;unfortunately,the
recordsdo not state whether it was slipped out again
beforethe loaf wasput on sale.
 All this mayseemlike smallstuff to playerswhosechar-
acterstake on everythingfrom wild animalsand enemy
soldiersto giaris and dragons,and it is, but by its very
nature,it is alsothe sort ofthing they arelikelyto run into
everydayof their lives.Alsoremember that little stuff like
this is not tiketyto lend itselfto the kind of gory punish-
mentsmostPCslike to meteout to thosewhowrongthem.
"But mylord, I hadto fireballhis bakery;he cheatedmeby
sellingme Lightweightloavesof bread,and madefrom my
owndough,tool" If saidbakerywasthe only onein town,
the localruler is mostunlikelyto buythis argument,espe-
cia\ if a number of nearbybuildings also went up in
smoke.Eventhe most kill-crazy"hack and slash"gamers
will haveto show someingenuity and makethe punish-
mentfit the crime.
Detectingfraudsmaynot be easy,evenif magicis (the-
oreticatly)avaiiabie,as spellcasters
are scarce,while the
demandson their time are numerous.For instance,in a
walledcity or town which must constantlybe vigilant for
any sign of attack,which is the local clericmostUkelyto
use detectLiefor: to find out if a newcomeris an enemy
spy,or to seeif the localbakeris steaiinga bit off the top
(or bottom)of eachloaf he bakes?
In wartime,mattersareexacerbated bythe fact that the
localauthoritieshavemanymoreurgentdemandson their
time. Whenthe humanoidhordesare campedoutsidethe
city, how manyconstablesor nobleswill havethe time or
inclinationto listen to complaintsabout incompetentor
dishonestbakers?Indeed, for all your charactersmay
know they couldsecretiybe in leaguewith them, reaping
a shareof their illegalprofits. Evenif only one official in
town is corrupt,the DM'squestfor adventureideasmakes
it a certaintythat this loneofficial will bethe oneyour PCs
complainto. This canleadto banishment,imprisonment,
or worse,dueto trumped-upchargesof spying,cowardice,
or treason,ali to keepthe official andhis attesfromlosing
their spotin the illegalgravytrain.
Whatsort of responsecanthe PCsmaketo this sort of
abuse?Findingsomeclevermeansof makingthe baker's
fraud aspublicaspossibleshoulddo the trick, aseventhe
mostcorruptpubUcofficialwill then turn on his partnerto
savehis own skin. A commonmedievalpunishmentof
erring bakerswasto dragthe scoundrelalongthe dirtiest
streetsof town, with a loaf of his ownbreadhung around
his neck. A public humiliation it was. but most bakers
learnedto put up with it as an inevitablehazardof doing
business.After all, they had a vital but dirty job that
nobodyelsewanted,leastofall the localnobility.soifthey
were"removed"onewayor the other,whowouldbewilling
to taketheir places?
Sabotagingthe bakeryin waysmoresubtlethan simply
castingafireballinsideshouldbehigh on anyvengefulPC's
agenda.Perhaps the bakeris only a dishonesttraderwith
the commonpeople,exertinghimselfto the utmostto pro-
videthe powersthat bewith the bestin goodeating.Ifyour
enemywashelpingto caterthe LordMayor'sbirthdayparty
or somesimilarfestiveoccasion,it wouldbe an extremeiy
inopportunetime for the wrongsort of ingredientsto get
mixedinto his food;say.a dessertwhere,for someinexplic-
r+r
t.!t
A
,1! o @
ablereason,largequantitiesof saltwereaddedin insteadof a
;
0 l: ..
sugar.Thiscouldbe accomplished by a reasonably nimble- z
fingeredrogue,or by a wizardwith accessto a spellsuchas o
telekinesisor teleport,or perhapsjust a simplecanfrip.
z
Priests,of course,cansimplycastthe reversibleversionof 1z
purifufood and drink. And ifyou cansomehowwranglean
invitationto the feast,or at leastgeta goodvantagepointto
::
seethe LordMayor'sfaceandthe baker'sreactionto it. do o s
OO
so;the resultswill bewellworth it.
Don'tthink your characters will haveto botherwith this
sort of thing? Thinkagain,particuLarlyin the earlystages
of a campaignwhen the PCsare iow-leveland relatively
poor. Playershate it when their charactersget ripped off
financially,and this is the sort of thing that can start a
seriesof adventuresagainst a long-term antagonist.
Naturally,it's not as thrilting as goingup againsta pow-
erful lord, wizard,or huge ancientdragon.but by way of
compensation. you havea greaterchanceof running into
multipleantagonistsofthis sort,to saynothingofthe fact
that suchan enemycanappearat the very start ofthe cam-
paign,without the risk ofimmediatelykilting offthe entire
party.Low{evelantagonisms makefor greatbackground,
at ieast in campaignswhere roleplayingis encouraged.
"Let's see, the Lord Mayor'sbirthday is tonight. Cani
sneakinto BakerBungler'splaceand'rearrange'his ingre-
dients in time to spoil the festivitiesbeforemeetingthe
restofthe partyto explorethat ancientcryptat midnight?"
An evilbakeror otherfoodsuppliermaynotalways.be so
harmlessa foe, particularlyif poison is available.This
threatis so obviousthat no moreneedsto be saidaboutit,
exceptthat if the enemy'singredientsget mixed up on
suchan occasion.good-aligned PCsmightwantto hetpthe
survivorsof any customerswho accidentallyget the poi-
sonedfood or drink that wasmeantfor them.
Somemagicspellsrequirespicesas a materialcompo-
nent,whilefine winemightbeneededto helpmix a potion.
In such cases,a dishonestsuppliercan get not merelya
singlecharacterkilled, but the entireparty.Ifyour wizard
or priest intends to brew up magic potions, take the
Herbalismproficienry;you'regoingto needit. 0n the non-
magicalfront, considerbringinga gift of fine foodsor rare
spicedwineto an importantNPC,be he a baronor a giant,
 a,
w o @ and alsoconsiderthe consequences of gettingthe wrong daily staff of life, and assuch,it hasa peculiarrole to fill
a
; ingredients.If the had
hero'Odysseus beenstuck with a whenevera banquetis beingheld. Mostgamesdo not give
-= =
,of
supply bad wine when he encountered the ryclops differenttypesof breadin the food sectionof their equip-
z
E Polyphemus. he would havebeenkilled at aimostthe very ment lists. In that case,we can assumethat the breadis
F
z
Thinkaboutit.
start of Homer's1dyssey. white wheatenbreaduniessthe gamebook itself specifi-
z cally statesotherwise.I/fhitewheatenbreadis the finest
z

SERVING
"YOU'RE OF
TYPE
WHAT breadthere is, but it is not the only type that can be
BREAD?" baked-far from it. In fact, there is an entirespectrumof
breadwili bethe
In ali but the mostunusualcampaigns, breadsthat can be baked,ftom pure wheatenloavesto
N n €
breadsthat havethe wheatmixedwith cheapersubstitutes
such as barley.rye, and oats,to breadsmadeentirelyof
those lessergrains,to the very bottom of the rung with
grittybreadsmadeofbeans,peas,or bran'Ambitiousgame
mastersmaywantto comeup with a newpricescalefor the
entire group of breads,for this sort of thing is useful.
believeit or not, in rolePlaYing'
During the MiddteAges,all guestswere not created
equal,or treatedequallyby their hosts. Oneof the most
commonmeansof determininga guest'sstatuswith his
host was the q/pe of bread he received.White wheaten
breadwas given to the most favoredguests,and bean
breadorthe like wasservedto thosethe hostwouldjust as
soon seefatl off the edgeof the world. Thus.without a
wordbeingspokenor a singlegesturebeingmade.guests
at the banquettable could quickly and easilydetermine
their relativesocialstatus by comparingthe breadthey
wereservedwith that of their fellows.Quantitycountsas
well as quality. A favored servant who gets all the bean
breadhe caneatmaythusstandhigherin his lord'sesteem
than an unpleasantfeliow noblemanwho gets wheaten
breadbecausehe is a noble.but only a crust or so. Even
quality dependsnot merelyon the contentsof the bread,
but also its age.A piping hot, fresh-bakedloaf of white
wheatenbreaddeliveredto your plateis the ultimatecom-
pliment.By contrast,if you decideto crashthe party and
get a tiny crust of beanbreadwhoseodor rather shongly
announces its age.run, don't walk, for the exit.
Thissort of thing has potential.particularlyfor a live-
actiongamingsessionwhereroteptaying is atlthe rageand
combatseverelydiscouraged. Ifthe eventincludesa feast,
the organizersmerelyhaveto drop in at the local super-
market and gather bread ftom both the reguiar bakery
sectionand the racks of old stuff set out separatelyfor
quicksale.Makesurethe playersarebriefedonthe "bread-
as-status-symbol"aspectsof medievallife before play
commences, includingthe socialdesirabilityofthe various
types of bread,and set them down at the dinner table.
Serveout the breadas the first course,and without any
wordsor gestures.eachplayerwilt knowthe precisesocial
standingof his characterwith a singleglanceat his plate,
aswell as how helpedor handicapped he witl be whenhe
tries to wheeland deatwith his host--and everyoneelse,
for that matter.It is simple.cheapto prepareaspropsgo.
andoh, sosubtle!
Subttetygoesout the window,of course,if someloud-
mouth starts complainingaboutwhat he received,and if
your players(or their characters)want to makefools of
themselvesin public in this manner,then let them. If
nothing else,it could help let everyoneelseknow why

their statusis aslow asit is. After all, taking revengewill
be hinderedby the innocuousnatureof the offense.How
manyplayersthink their PCscouldget awaywith chopping
their host's head off or turning him into a toad merely
becausehe servedthem rye breadinsteadofwheat?
Ifyou're playingthe hostin a roleplayingsession,either
live-actionor a table-top game.then you have a minor
nightnare on your handsasyou piay the masterof cere-
monies.After all, howyour guestsreactto you dependsin
largepart on whattype ofbreadyouservethem,soyou will
haveto makeintricate calculationson what to serveeach
basednot merelyonthe
individual,with thosecalculations
NN
typeof breadbeingserved,but alsoits quantityandage.If lr,
ar
*A
Ut\ o @
you makea mistake,or the servantsservingthe foodmake = ;
=6 0 F
a mistake,the resultscouldbe disastrous. OU
2 z
Mistakeswill be forthcoming,and not entirelyof your E
uz o z
ownmaking.PCsin all campaigns tend to acquireenemies, i
z
ail of whomwouldlike nothing betterthan to seethe PC ,z
fall flat on his or her face due to some social gaffe. '9
Infiltrating henchmenor hirelingsinto your kitchenstaff
to serve,deliberately.the wrongtype of breadto one or I
moreguestsis a threatthat cannotbetakenlightly. Failing
that, your foe couldattemptto turn one ofyour own ser-
vants againstyou via bribery, coercion,seduction,or a
simplecharmpersonor suggestionspell. Giventhe hot-
bloodednatureof mostnoblemen,a miscalculation in who
getswhatkind ofbreadat an importantbanquetcaneasily
leadto violence.andthe PCsmaylook backon "TheGreat
BeanBreadWar"with wonderand amazement long after
the campaignhascometo a close.
Insult an important NPCat the very first banquetyou
canaffordto throw. andyou might wind up makingyour-
seHoneofthoselong-termenemies.Pridebeingwhatit is,
your fictim" might makeattemptsat revengeout of all
proportionto the slightin anyoneelse'smindbut his own.
Thethemeofthis part ofthe campaigncouidwellbe"Make
one mistake,and pay for it the rest ofyour iifel" Ifyou
don't think a loaf of breadis worth all that trouble,I sug-
gest you sit down somequiet non-gamingeveningand
readLesMiserables.
Ifthe breadwasdeliberatelyswitchedat the banquetby
a treachetousservant,then you real$ havetwo long-term
enemiesin the campaignfrom this event.Thatbeingthe
case,you couldspendmuchof your time trying to expose
the fellow,not merelyto punishhim, but to get the other
guy off your back, No morememorableconclusionto the
campaigncanbeimaginedthan foryou to placeyourselfin
lethaljeopardyexposingthe true villain ofthe piece,only
to be rescuedby the suddenly-penitent foe who hasbeen
gunning for you for yearsof game-worldtime. And if he
getshimsetfkiiled in the processand begsfor forgiveness
with his dying breath,there may not be a dry eye at the
+^ L l ^
9- -d*ir -r ^r u r g L d u L E.
As you eat your famed "daily bread" at your next
meal. I suggestyou rememberthe complications that
your medievalpredecessors went through to do the
samething. Thosecomplications considerablyenlivened
their lives, and similar ones can do the samein a role-
playinggame,whetherfor a singlenight'ssessionor for
the entirecampaign.
REFERENCE
Fastand Feast:Eood in MedievalSociety;Henisch,
Bridget Ann; 1976;PennsylvaniaState UniversityPress;
[IniversityParkandLonilon.Henisch'sbook couldwell
be titted "Everything You Wanted to Know About
MedievalMeals,and a WholeLot Morel" It has chap-
ters coveringeverythingfrom the numberof mealsto
the probiemsof Lenten fasting, bakeries,table set-
tings, and of coursethe food. I
 2,
til
au
Ltu\
-\t/
lf @
e
RUSALKA
E69
ou
F
ANDCARLAHOLLAROFARCFELLOWSHIP
EYBARBIRAR.TYSINGER
z z
= CLIMATEIERRAIN: Riverbanks/Shorelines
uzo z Uncommon
FO FREOUENCY:
ORGANIZATION: Sotitary
ACEVIY CYCLE: Any(Usuatty at dawnor dusk.or
in foggyor ctoudYconditions)
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Hish(13-14)
TREASURE: W(x Rusatka's agein Years)
ALIGNMENT: ChaoticNeutral- ChaoticEvit

NO.APPEARING: I
ARMOR CLASS: 0 (8)
MOVEMENT: 9
HITDICE: 7
THACO: 15
NO.OFAITACKS: 0
DAMAGE/AITACK: n
SPECIALAITACKS: controIwater
Embrace,
SPECIALDEFENSES: Seebelow
MAGICRESISTANCE: 5lYo
SIZE: M
MOMLE: Champion(15-16)
LEVEL/XPVALUE: 1,000

cessfulsavingthrow vs. breathweaponis made.the mur-

Therusalka(pluralrusalki)is the spirit of a drowningvictin,
derermustmakethis savewith a -3 penalty'Thevictim may
usually a woman,who was murdered.Most rusalki desire
be revivedif removedftom the rusalka'sembrace(and ftom
revengeon their murderer,and wilt do all in their powerto
the water)andsomemeansof resuscitationis appliedwithin
gainthis revenge.fhis is not alwayseaqysincethe spirit of avoid
five roundsofbeing drowned.Thosewho successfully
ihe rusalka is tied to the body of water in which it was proficiencycheckor
in its questfor revenge, the embrace mustalsomakea swimming
drowned.Ifthe rusalkais successful
a strength checkto breakfree. lhe savingthrow vs. breath
it will ceaseto be boundto the PrimeMaterialplaneandwill
weaponmustbe repeatedeachrounduntil the victim either
be releasedto rest in peace'As time passesthe rusalka's bythe rusalka.
breaksfree,is pulledunder.or is released
alignment shifts further and further toward ChaoticEvil'
Rusalkican conbol waterwithin 10feet; they canuse
Ilrus. a recentlymanifestedrusalkawill retain someof the
wavesto slowmovementto 1/4 normalandincreasechances
memories ofits formerseU.but a rusalkaoflong standingis
Evil,whoseonlythoughtsare of drowningby 10%.
abeingof almostpurelyChaotic
Assoonasthe rusalkatakesanydamage,it will release
revengeonthe onewhoput herhere'Malerusalkiaresome-
any embracedvictims, disappearback into the water, and
timescalledVodyanik.
they had in reappearagain 15 feet further out into the take. Any who
Rusalkiretain the generalappearance
foltowwilt be subjectto the contol waterattack.Thosewho
life, and anyonewho knewthem in life shouldbe ableto
follow areslowedto 1/4 normal movement.Theymust also
recognizethem. Theyusualiyappearto be dressedin the
makea swimmingproficienry checkat -2 eachround or be
clothing they werewearingwhen drowned,althoughthe
pulledunderthe water.
colorsarewashedout to a faded,waterygreen.Theyhave
IlVhena rusalka'shit pointsdropto 5%ofits total, the
pale complexionswith a greenishtint and long greenish-
rusalka will withdraw to the EtherealPlane.where it will
blondto greenhair,whichmayappearto havewaterplants
remainfor 1 year gatheringenoughenergyto re-manifest
woveninto it.
in the PrimeMaterialPiane.If the rusalkais pursuedinto
Combat All rusalkiwill attemptto lure their victimsto
the EtherealPlaneit can be "killed" there, but the spidt
their deathswith sirensongs,or tanglethe netsof fishermen
thus releasedbecomesa true, ftee-rangingghost,and as
and overturn their boats. drowning them in a watery
such,it will do ail in its powerto seekout and destroyits
embrace. Thesongofthe rusalkais enticing,andtheir forms
originalmurderer.
arebeautifulandwelcoming,but neithertheir songnor their
Habitat/Society:Rusalkiarefoundin anyclimateor
appear:mcehave any magical allure. All those seeing a
or region capableof sustainingopen bodies of water, but
rusalka,exceptfor the murderer,maychooseto approach
seemto be more commonin ponds, streamsand smalt
to avoidthem of their olvn freewill. If the murdererof the
lakes of the more temperateclimates.Rusalki usually
mortalwhohasbecamea rusalkaseesthe rusalka.he must
appearwithin 5 feet of the shoreline,nearthe spotwhere
savevs. spellor be drawninto the rusalka'sembrace.
they weremurdered,but may appearanywherein "theif
Rusalkibecomesemi-materialupon contactrdth air,
body of water.Theycannotcomeonto dry land. but can
assuminghumanform. Theymustbein this form to embrace
manifestin waterasshallowas1 inch deep,thus the occa-
their victims. RusalkiareAC0 while semi-material,and can
sionalreportsof rusalkiwho "walK the shorelineor who
only be struck by magicalweapons(futt damage),or by
sit by the edgeof the water.
normal or magicalfue (haUdamage).Rusalkican also be
Ecology:Rusalkidonot contributeto the environment
attackedon the Etherealplane,wherethey areAC8. Rusalki
in any way.Variouscoinsand items ofjewelry can often be
can be turned like regular ghosts,but holy water has no
found submergedin the shallowsor coveredwith a layer of
effect on them.
sedimentnear placeswhere rusalki are known to appear.
Anyonewho touchesor is touched by the rusalka is
andas
Theseitemsareall that is left ofthe rusalka'svictims,
subjectto its embrace,the rusalka'sembracepulls its victim
such,increase with the passingofthe years.I
beneaththe water, causinga victim to drownunlessa suc-
 *A
q2 o @
It
E'

RUSALKA= a
J ;
f U

BYMARKTEMPLETON
OFOSOUIP I z
Lesser
Rusalka Greater Rusalka =
CUMAIEfERRAIN:Temperateshores Temperateshores z

FREQUET{CY: Rare Rare =i z

ORGANIZATION:Pack Pack
ACIMTYCYCLE: Constant Constant
DIET: Nit Carnivore
:
INTELLIGENCE: Low(5-7) Average(8-10) N o
TREASURE: 0 MxZ,X
AIIGNIIIENT: NeutraIEviI NeutralEviI

N0.APPEARING:1-8 L
ARl.l0URCLASS: 8 6
MOVEltf
El{T: 9, Sw72 9, Sw12
HTTDICE: 3
THACO: 77 75
N0.0FATTACKS:3 (ctaw/cLaw/bite) 3 (cLaw/cLaw/bite)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 7d3/ td3/ 1d4+1. 7d4/7d4/7d6+7
SPEGATAITACKS: Seebetow 5eebelow
SPEGAI-DEFENSES:
+2 savevsfire +2 savevsfire
MAGICR6ISTANCE:Nit Nit
SIZE: M M
M0M[E: Fanatic(17-18) Fanatic (17-18)
XPVALUE: 250 500

Rusalki arefema[eundeadwhohauntbodiesof waterin at the edgeof the water.Thosemalesnot atready

temperate regions.A lesserrusatka is created whena charmedmustmakeanothersavevs spett,with a -2
fematehumanor demi-human is drowned by either pena[ty,or be charmedas wetl.If unaffected by the
varietyof rusalka. Thisnewrusalkais then underthe charms,the viewerseespastthe illusionand retains
controIofthe packteader(a greaterrusalka. or the freewi[[.Thosecharmedmustfotlowthe greater
lesserrusalkawiththe mosthit points).A newrusalka rusalkainto the water.Whenthe victimis waist-deep,
retainsthe physicaI charaCteristics shehadin life. For the lesserrusatkisurfacebehindthe victimand
exampte, an e[f wou[dbe havea Lightbuil.dandpointed attack.Astheir first attack,both varietyof rusa[ki
ears.a dwarfwouldbestoutandhavea beard.In wit[ attemotto overbear the closestvictimsand ho[d
undeath, the rusalka'sskinbecomes pa[e,btoatedand them underwater untiI they drown.If this fai[s,they
slightlyscaled.Hermostnoticeabte featureis hereyes, wi[[ usetheir gazeattacksand engagein regular
whichburnwith greenfire. me[ee.Thegazeattackof the greaterrusalkihasthe
Foreverypackthereis an 80%chance that oneof effectofthe spetleyebitecastby a 5th [eve[mage
the rusalkawill bethe greatervariety,If a greater usingthe sickenoption.Thegreaterrusalkicanuse
rusatka is present,shewit[aLways be pack[eader. 1nher their gazeattack3 timesper day,thoughmuttiple
trueform.a greaterrusalkaappears much[ikeher useson the sametargethaveno effect.
lessercompanions, but withtougherskinanda more If a femalehumanor demihuman drownsin the
intensefire in hereyes.Thetrueformof a greater handsof a rusalka, shewit[riseasa lesserrusalka in
rusatka is rarelyseendueto a permanent itlusionsur- sixturnsunlessa remove curseis caston the body.If a
roundingher.Thisitlusioncauses the viewerto seean fematediesby meansotherthan drowning, sheescapes
imageof the fairestpossibte fematethat hisor her the horribtefate.Thepackleadereatsa[[thosewhodie
mindcanconcoct, cladin onLya robeof mist.True anddo not riseaslesserrusalki.inctudinga[[ males.
seeing,a gemof seeing,or a robeof eyeswi[[atlowthe Lesser rusatkicanbeturnedas5 HDundead.Greater
viewerto seethe greaterrusalka's trueform. rusalkicanbeturnedas9 HDundead.
Combat: Thetacticsof the rusalkivarydepending on Habitat/Society:Rusalkiareorganizedinto packsof
whetheror not thereis a greaterrusalkain the pack.If lesserrusalkitedby a greaterrusatka. Shou[dthe
the packconsists entiretyof Lesser rusatki,theywitl greaterrusatka die,the lesserrusatka withthe mosthit
hideon [andcloseto the water.Theretheywi[|.wait pointstakesthe ro[eas leader. Theya[[watkontodry
untiIsomeone passes nearby,at whichtimetheywi[[ landandawaita victim.Thefirst humanoid to havethe
attack.Thejrfirst actionwit[beto usetheir gazeattack misfortune of comingacross themis attacked. Thecar-
on onecreature with whichtheyareengaged in me[ee. cassis thenfedto the packleader.Afterfinishingher
Theycanusetheir gazeattackonceperday,withthe mea[.the packleaderwit|.begintransforming into a
effectof rayof enfeeblement as castby a 3rd [eve[ greaterrusalka.Nonebut the packleaderis allowedto
mage.Theywi[[then proceed to attackwiththeir sharp eatat this strangeritua[.
nai[sandteeth. Ecology:Noone knowswherethe rusatkimenace
If a greaterrusatkais in the pack,shewi[[ [urevic- c am ef r o m .T h em o s tp o p u t atrh e o r yi s t h a t s o m eg i r [
timsinto the wate rwh eret he ot her shidein wait ing. [ on ga g oi n s u l t e da g o d .T h i sg o dc a u s e d t h e g i r [t o
5hedoesthis th rou ghth e us eof an audioi[ [ us ion.a fat[ into a riverand drown,Shewasthen cursedto
singingvoiceso sweetit woutdput an elvenminstrel returnas an undead.Thegirt washorror-stricken and
to sham e.Th isso ngch arm s( s av ev s s pet [t o negat e) s hea p p t i e dt h e s a m ep u n i s h m e nt ot a n y o n ew h os a w
humanoidinto s a pp roa ch ing it s s our c ef r om up t o 30' her,thus passingthe cursea[ong.Whatever their ori-
away.Whenthey comeinto viewofthe greater gins,r u s a l k ai r e u n n a t u r aaI n da r e n o t a p a r t o f t h e
rusalka,th eyse eh er (or rat hert he i[ [ us ion)s t anding naturaIecotogy. I
 you'tl lovethe RPGAI
statusshoutdnotbeconstrled as a chaltengeto5uchstatus. Ifyou love
''4onkeys,