RulesCyclopediaErrata&Companion v33

======================================================
Aaron's Rules Cyclopedia Errata and Companion Document*

======================================================
* Aaron Oliver, not Aaron Allston who compiled and developed the Rules Cyclopedia
itself.
April 7, 2010 -- Version 33
Distribute this document freely as long as it remains unaltered and no money is

exchanged.
Also feel free to print it out, even though you'll be using gobs of ink and lots of
paper....
I am not in any way affiliated with TSR or WotC, nor is this document in any way
official.
The intent of this document is to basically "complete" the Rules Cyclopedia....

There are
various contradictions, omissions, and errors in the Cyclopedia which need to be
fixed. There
are also instances where the rules don't quite cover some situations that may need
to be
addressed, or there are loose ends or holes in the rules that need patched. Also, I
have found
that in many places the Cyclopedia re-words certain descriptions and mechanics that
are taken
from the Mentzer-edited sets, and when enough care wasn't taken in doing so, the
rules were
changed from how they are supposed to function. This document will hopefully cover
most of
those things, so that other rulebooks won't need to be referenced when using the
Cyclopedia.
I try to avoid just coming up with a lot of "house rules," and instead I gather
rules from
whatever sources are available and try to adjust them, when needed, so that they
all work
together. In some cases, creating a few extra rules can't be avoided in order to
fix certain
problems or holes in the current rules. Where D&D lacks sufficient rules, I have
borrowed a
few rules from AD&D. And of course, I have also thrown in some suggestions which I
think are
good. I do try to refrain from including extensive unnecessary suggestions, but as
this
document has grown, I have included more of these suggestions where I feel they are
useful.
I suppose that in a grander sense, after all the time I've spent compiling this
Document,
it has become something I can leave behind as a small legacy. Something that will
perhaps live
on beyond my own limited years. A small mark I've left in the world. A scribble on
the wall
that says, "I was here" to show that I once existed....
And when you read my little mark on the wall, you should also take a moment to
remember the
life and legacy of Gary Gygax, 1938-2008. Without him, this game would not exist.
The sources I have referenced most are:
The 1983-1986 Mentzer-edited Basic, Expert, Companion, Masters, and Immortals sets
The 1991 D&D Game Rulebook
The 1979 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide by Gary Gygax
The 1979 Holmes-edited Dungeons & Dragons rulebook
The 2002 Unofficial D&D Rules Cyclopedia Errata
The 6/27/03 Wizards of the Coast 3rd Edition D&D FAQ
The 3/25/05 Wizards of the Coast D&D FAQ version 3.5
The 1985 Book of Marvelous Magic by Frank Mentzer
I have tried to cite my sources with page numbers when possible.
I would also like to mention the Classic D&D Forum at Dragonsfoot.org as an

excellent
resource. If you'd like to discuss any of the rules herein, Dragonsfoot would be
the best
place to go. You can even find Frank Mentzer there and ask him questions directly.
He's been
invaluably helpful in clarifying many things I've put in this document.
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=15
The most recent version of this document should be available at this address:
http://RCerrata.redirectme.net
That should redirect you to the current location:
http://web.newsguy.com/a_doom/RCerrata
If that location changes, the redirection should take you to the new address,
assuming the
free redirection service continues to function, and I modify it properly :) Failing
that,
you'll just have to check Dragonsfoot forums.
In most cases I have (improperly) capitalized things, such as spell names or

character
classes, in order to set them apart as game terms.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________
If this header doesn't look correct, please turn off Word Wrap or make the
window wider
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=============================
Page 6-7, Character Creation:
=============================
As stated on page 145, and worth making a note of here, a player can switch his
highest
score with the Prime Requisite of the class he wants to play (before any other
adjustments are
made).
Suggested Rules
---------------
I know everyone probably has their own house rules for creating characters, but
here is the
system I've come up with, if you need some ideas.
Roll 3d6 for each stat, in order. If you aren't satisfied with your first set of
stats, you
can have up to two more chances to roll a complete, new set of stats. If you don't
like your
second set of stats you can try one more time, but you can't go back to your first
set. If you
take your third chance and don't like the stats you roll, you are just stuck with
them.
I think many people just start characters out with maximum Hit Points, but that
takes away
a bit of the fun of rolling them up. And to make that balanced, you would also have
to start
monsters with maximum hit points for their first Hit Die....
Instead, a good alternate method, borrowed from AD&D Unearthed Arcana, is to
roll for your
Hit Points and apply any appropriate Constitution modifiers as usual, and then if
your
starting Hit Points are below the following minimum values for your Hit Die, raise
your Hit
Points to the minimum. This only applies to the very first roll of a new
character's Hit
Points, not further rolls after gaining more levels.
__________
Hit Min.
Die HP
----------
d4 3
d6 4
d8 5
__________
=======================================
Page 9, Adjustments for Ability Scores:
=======================================
High Wisdom and Saving Throws
-----------------------------
The bonus or penalty for Wisdom is always applied to Saving Throws vs. Rod,
Staff, or
Spell, but it can also apply to other Saving Throws too, such as vs. Magic Wands,
vs. Death
Ray or Poison, or vs. Paralysis or Turn to Stone if the attack is caused by a spell
effect or
a magic item which produces a spell effect.
Bonuses and Penalties

---------------------
The possibility exists for scores to be lower than 3 or greater than 18. For
example, some
monsters have Intelligence scores that can be higher than 18, or a character could
have his
Constitution reduced below 3 from magical aging attacks. If you want to determine
the
appropriate adjustments for such scores, you can use the table found in the
Players' Guide to
Immortals, page 30:
_______________________
Bonuses and Penalties

for Ability Scores
_______________________
Ability
Score Adjustment
-----------------------
0 -5
1 -4
2-3 -3
4-5 -2
6-8 -1
9-12 No adj.
13-15 +1
16-17 +2
18 +3
19-20 +4
21-23 +5
24-27 +6
...
_______________________
The table continues all the way up to 100, but that's far beyond the scope of this
document,
as there is no way for mortal Player Characters to ever have a score higher than
18.
==============================================
Page 10, Languages, Charisma Adjustment Table:
==============================================
Languages
---------
Despite what is indicated in this section, Alignment Languages have no written

form; this
is specifically stated on page 11. To make sense of Alignment Languages, do not
consider them
to be like mundane languages; they are more a result of the magical connection a
character has
to the Immortals of his Alignment, which in turn links him to all other intelligent
creatures
of that Alignment so that communication is possible.
For characters with a high Intelligence, look on page 258 to find a sample list
of extra
languages to choose from.
Charisma Adjustment Table

-------------------------
The Charisma Adjustment Table is inconsistent with previous editions. The

Charisma Reaction
Adjustments are different than the standard adjustments for ability scores;
reaction rolls are
made with 2d6, so the adjustments to them are not supposed to be so large.
The tables showing the previous adjustments can be found in the Basic Player's
Manual p.36
or 51, or the Master DM's Book p.3, or the Players' Guide to Immortals p.30 (which
includes
some additional numbers outside the normal ranges, just to be thorough):
__________________________________________
Charisma Adjustment Table

__________________________________________
Charisma Reaction Maximum No. Retainer

Score Adjustment Retainers Morale
------------------------------------------
1 -3 1 3
2-3 -2 1 4
4-5 -1 2 5
6-8 -1 3 6
9-12 No adj. 4 7
13-15 +1 5 8
16-17 +1 6 9
18 +2 7 10
19-20 +2 8 11
21-23 +3 9 12
...
__________________________________________
With that noted, it's probably fine to just use the standard adjustments to
avoid
complication, and Charisma doesn't need to be more of a "dump stat" than it already
is; if
someone has a 16 Charisma, let them have the +2 bonus....
=========================================================
Page 14, 18, Clerics/Avengers Turning/Controlling Undead:
=========================================================
There are a lot of holes that need to be patched in the description of Turning
Undead here,
and it needs to be altered to be in line with the Control ability of Avengers
(p.18, Avengers,
paragraph 4), which also needs to be balanced. The following is just taking the
actual rules
from various places and combining them all so everything works together, with a few
slight
changes to Clerics.
Holy Symbols
------------
First off, the third paragraph states that a Cleric does not need a Holy Symbol
to Turn
Undead, but this was not found in any of the Mentzer sets, and Frank has stated
that a Cleric
absolutely does need a Holy Symbol in order to Turn Undead.
Should a Cleric find himself without a Holy Symbol, he could fabricate a rough
one for
himself, but Frank suggests this will cause a penalty of -4 to any rolls involved
in Turning.
There is also the 5 gp "inexpensive Holy Symbol" found on the Adventuring Gear
Table in the
entry for page 69, which Frank suggests should inflict a -2 penalty to Turning
rolls. A
character with the appropriate General Skills could create these (e.g., Crafting,
Art,
Metalworking, etc.).
The high-quality 25 gp Holy Symbol would be something created by a Cleric's
church. As with
Holy Water, the specific creation process is never described, so is left up to the
DM (perhaps
it could be treated similar to creating Magic Items as described in Chapter 16).
Suggested Rules
---------------
Chaotic Clerics and Avengers cannot Destroy undead, but they may Control them,
ONLY on a D
result or better. For Chaotic Clerics and Avengers, if Control is not chosen (or in
the rare
case a Lawful Cleric chooses not to Destroy), treat D, D+, or D# results as T, T+,
and T#
(increasing the number of undead that are Turned).
Neutral Clerics may choose either Control or Destruction of undead, but must
continue using
the form first chosen, and are not free to change from one to the other.
I would disregard part of the last paragraph under "Turning Undead" about
failing to Turn
one specific monster, since Turning isn't a targeted effect; it affects groups of
undead. The
Basic Dungeon Masters Rulebook, p.21, says, "If an attempt at Turning Undead is
successful and
more Undead remain, the Cleric may Turn them again. Once a failure to Turn occurs,
further
attempts by that Cleric will have no effect." This applies to all undead that were
present
during the Cleric's failed Turn attempt, even undead of different types.
Speaking of which, the 1E AD&D DMG, p.65, has some guidelines for turning groups
containing
different types of undead. All weaker undead in the group must be Turned before the
stronger
ones can be Turned. This order should be determined first by the difficulty of the
actual Turn
attempt (working your way up the Turning Undead Table), and then by the HD of the
creatures.
The difficulty of the Turn attempt can vary greatly if the lesser undead are being
controlled
by some greater undead (see pages 217-218 about Lieges and Pawns). For example, in
a mixed
group of undead, a Cleric would have to Turn any free-willed Wraiths before he
could Turn
Skeletons which were being controlled by a Vampire, because the first Turn attempt
against a
Pawn is made as if it's against the Liege. Then, because they have fewer HD, the
Cleric would
have to turn the Skeletons before attempting to Turn the Vampire.
Range and Area of Effect:
These aspects of Turning are never mentioned, but the D&D FAQ v3.5 gives some
details that
can easily be imported. Page 30 of that FAQ indicates that Turning can potentially
affect any
undead within a 60' radius of the Cleric, as long as the undead isn't completely
shielded from
the Cleric by something solid (behind full cover), but otherwise, p.5 of the v3.5
FAQ states
that the visibility of the undead or the Cleric is irrelevant for successful
Turning.
Duration of Turn or Control:
On any successful result which required a roll (7, 9, or 11) the undead will be
Turned
(i.e., they will not touch the Cleric, and will flee as far away from him as
possible) for
only 1-10 rounds, after which time, the undead will return to the area if they make
a Reaction
Roll of 8 or higher on 2d6 (Basic DMs Rulebook, p.31).
For any automatically successful Turn (T or better -- a much more powerful
effect) the
undead will be Turned (or Controlled, for Chaotic Clerics or Avengers with a D
result) for one
game turn (10 minutes) per CLERICAL level (not the Avenger's actual level, as
stated in his
description). The same Reaction Roll applies afterward to see if the undead return
to the
area.
Also note that when the duration of Control ends, the undead flee as if Turned,
for a
duration as would be normal for the Cleric's level. An undead that is under any
kind of Turn
effect cannot be Controlled until the duration of the Turn effect ends.
Some undead get Saving Throws against Turning. Other than the ones specifically
mentioned
in the monster descriptions, also note that on page 218 it says that undead
spellcasters may
make a Saving Throw vs. Spells to avoid any T or D result entirely. Many types of
undead have
the potential to be spellcasters....
When an undead gets a Save against Destruction, it should be applied against
Control as
well. For undead that get a Saving Throw against T results, it should also apply
against non-
automatic Turning (i.e., successful rolls of 7, 9, or 11).
======================================
Page 16, Clerics - Choosing to Travel:
======================================
There are additional details in the Players Companion, p.11-12, for traveling
Clerics:
In civilized areas:
- The Cleric should gain experience points for helping those of the same
Alignment.
- Special adventures are frequent, as the problems encountered in other lands
often
require a great leader (the Cleric) for a successful solution.
- The Cleric often visits local rulers, and may gain special knowledge (rumors,
maps, etc.)
from them. However, conflicts with powerful land-owning Clerics may arise, and
they might
banish, exile, or imprison the traveling Cleric if their disagreements can't
be resolved.
- The Cleric gains fame, for better or worse. Tales of the Cleric's deeds will
remain after
the Cleric leaves, and those tales may attract other powerful characters --
and monsters
to the Cleric.
Additionally, in wilderness areas:

- The Cleric may discover a long-lost ruin or shrine (a new dungeon) to either
destroy or
sanctify.
- The Cleric may discover a new race or civilization.
- The tales of the wilderness Cleric's deeds are usually more distorted, so that
little
truth remains. Myths and legends about the Cleric may arise, for possible
misunderstandings at a future time.
======================================
Page 19, Magic-User Spell Progression:
======================================
After analyzing and comparing the spell progression tables from the Expert
Rulebook (p.10)
and the Rules Cyclopedia, I've come to the conclusion that the original progression
is better.
While the Cyclopedia table's progression is not bad, it makes alterations in order
to adjust
some minor patterns in the progression, but in doing so, it disrupts some major
patterns....
It turns out Frank Mentzer is admittedly a bit of a math freak, and the original
progression was quite well-planned; in my opinion it shouldn't have been messed

with in the
Rules Cyclopedia.
So I recommend using the original progression. Just be sure to make ALL of the
changes
below if you want to fix the Cyclopedia table:
At 6th level, 1st level spells = 3

At 9th level, 3rd level spells = 2
4th level spells = 2
At 11th level, 2nd level spells = 4
3rd level spells = 4
6th level spells = 0
Incidentally, I find it easier to write corrections in the table by placing a

hard CD cover
behind the page, and using a fine-tip mechanical pencil.
================================================
Page 20, Magic-Users - Higher Experience Levels:
================================================
Some additional notes from the Players Companion, p.19:
For land owning Magic-Users:

Most Magic-Users with dungeons visit them once each month (or more), gathering
any magical
treasures that remain. If too much treasure is taken from the monsters, they will
probably
move out. Occasionally, if done quietly and secretly, the Magic-User may capture
some of the
monsters for use in magical research and potion making. This must be done
carefully, lest the
remaining monsters be scared away.
For traveling Magic-Users:
- A magi has a chance (checked by the DM) to find treasure maps, and to hear
rare rumors
of powerful magic items.
==================
Page 21-22, Thief:
==================
Remove Traps
------------
Failure to Remove a Trap does NOT automatically trigger the trap. The Mentzer
Basic set did
not state that it did; see page 151 for the correct information. If you decide that
there's a
chance the trap will be triggered by a failed Remove Traps attempt, you could use a
mechanic
similar to how Pick Pockets works: a simple failure does not trigger the trap, but
if the roll
was greater than twice what the Thief needed for success (or 00 in any case), the
trap could
be triggered.
Climb Walls
-----------
Some additional details about this ability are found in the Master DM's Book,
page 53,
where it describes the Thief Abilities granted by Artifacts, noting, "Each of these
is
identical to the standard thief ability."
For Climb Walls it states, "The rate of climbing is 2 to 20 feet per round,
varying because
of the sheerness of the surface, available niches and cracks, etc."
Hear Noise
----------
The Master DM's Book, page 53, adds some details about this ability, "If the
attempt
succeeds, the user can pick out individual voices or sounds up to 120 feet away, or
half that
if there is an intervening barrier (door, curtain, etc.)"
Optional Thief Skill Adjustments

--------------------------------
To allow some variance for individual Thieves, and to give low level Thieves a
better
chance of actually succeeding with their skills, you can allow a Thief to perform
his skills
at +1 level of ability for each point of Dexterity bonus he has (e.g., a Thief with
a 16
Dexterity has a +2 adjustment, so he performs all his Thief Skills as if he were 2
levels
higher than his current level). This bonus should only apply to Thieves, and not
any other
class which gains the use of Thief Skills.
The same adjustment would also apply in a negative manner should a Thief ever
find himself
with a Dexterity below 9....
===================================
Page 25, Elf - Hit Dice, Detection:
===================================
Hit Dice
--------
The boxed text indicates that an Elf gains +1 HP at level 10. This was taken
from what I
believe to be a misprint in the Master Player's book, page 12, where the footnote
text said,
"add 1 hp at 10th level." However, all other sources in the Expert and Companion
set say that
the Elf gains +2 hp at 10th level. And note that the Class Details section of this
page says
that the Elf should gain +2 HP at level 10, as does the Maximum Hit Points table on
page 129.
So +2 should be the correct value.
Detection
---------
As noted in the Unofficial Errata, it was omitted here that Elves detect Secret
Doors on a
roll of 1-2 on a d6 (see p.147).
===============================
Page 26, Elf Spell Progression:
===============================
I would follow the advice of the Unofficial Errata and use the Elf spell
progression from
the Expert Rulebook (which is also found in the Master Players' Book). The Elf's
table in the
Rules Cyclopedia seems to have just been copied from the Magic-User section.... I
think the
progression in the Expert set is better, as it helps differentiate Elves by not
giving them as
many higher-level spells as Magic-Users who devote ALL their time to studying
magic.
Expert Rulebook, p.18 (or Master Player's Book, p.12):
_______________________
Elf Spell Progression

_______________________
Level Spells/Level
1 2 3 4 5
-----------------------
1 1 - - - -
2 2 - - - -
3 2 1 - - -
4 2 2 - - -
5 2 2 1 - -
6 3 2 2 - -
7 3 3 2 1 -
8 4 3 2 2 -
9 4 4 3 2 -
10 5 4 3 2 1
_______________________
===========================
Page 27, Halfling Language:
===========================
The list of common languages on page 258 shows that there is a Halfling
language, but the
description for Halflings never indicates they can speak any additional languages.
Apparently
in game accessory GAZ8, The Five Shires, it is explained that the Halfling language
is, in
fact, a "dead language" and is not commonly spoken by Halflings. Normally Halflings
will just
adopt the local "Common Tongue" from wherever they live for use as their standard
language.
===============
Page 28, Druid:
===============
The Druid class is quite underpowered as written. Druids take on heavy

limitations when
converting from Cleric, yet they don't really gain enough benefits to balance it
out.
Here are some simple suggestions that can be used to give the Druid the power
boost he
needs. These options will make the Druid MUCH more feared and effective in his role
as a
guardian of nature. Further, these modifications can make the Druid a viable class
through
lower levels; you can optionally allow Druid characters to start at level 1 rather
than
converting to Druid from a Cleric at level 9.
1. Allow some simple cutting/piercing weapons, such as flint Daggers, stone Hand
Axes, wooden
Spears, and thorn Blowguns (the Druid would need such tools when living in the
forest, so
allow stone in its natural form to be used, but still no refined metals. While on
the subject,
I think Druids would prefer using gems or gold as currency, as opposed to any
highly-refined
metal coins...).
2. Allow Scale Mail armor if it is entirely constructed from natural materials

(dragon's
scales, for example). The construction of such armor would likely be a long and
expensive
process (collecting the dragon's scales being no easy matter).
3. Allow Druids to have much more unrestricted use of poisons (they are a bit
outside of the
law as it is). They will logically have great knowledge of the plants used in
creating such
poisons and can take General Skills to reflect this (e.g., Alchemy), allowing them
to create
many different types of poison with effects ranging from paralysis, sleep, and
death (not to
mention the creation of antidotes for poisons and other natural cures for many
types of
afflictions).
4. Give Druids the Speak With Animals ability (p.31). Mystics gain this ability at
level 6;
Druids, who are supposed to be guardians of nature, deserve to have it too. If you
allow Druid
characters to start at 1st level, then this ability should be gained upon reaching
6th level
(perhaps requiring 1-2 months of meditation at that time).
5. Apply the rule in the last paragraph of "Higher Experience Levels" for Elves
(p.26) for the
Druid in his home forest. This should only be applied to 9th level Druids who have
set up
their home in an area of the forest which they will protect (and again requiring 1-
2 months of
meditation). As a side note, I think this would mean a Druid would have to travel
at least 5
miles away from his home when he's hunting animals for food... otherwise he'd be
killing the
animal friends who would be expecting protection from him. Actually, those animals
might even
help him hunt....
6. Allow access to some Magic-User spells (gained by the usual meditation). Also,
it seems an
anomaly that a Druid does not gain the 7th level Weather Control spell until he is
level 17,
but for Magic-Users it is a 6th level spell which may be cast by level 12. Nature
is supposed
to be the realm of the Druid, so I suggest dropping the level of Weather Control
for Druid
characters to 6th level. This will require several other weather-related spells to
be dropped
in level accordingly. Here are the suggested changes to the spell list, including
the
recommended Magic-User spells to allow:
1st level - Analyze (but not on any item with metal parts),
Ventriloquism (for making creepy forest noises to frighten away
intruders),
Sleep (outdoors only, accompanied by foggy mist or poppies
appearing...)
2nd level - Entangle, Web, Phantasmal Force (more creepy forest effects)
3rd level - Infravision, Clairvoyance (through animals only)

[add Control Temperature 10' Radius]
4th level - Growth of Plants, Hallucinatory Terrain (outdoors only),

Polymorph Self (into natural creatures only)
[add Control Winds]
[remove Control Temperature 10' Radius]
5th level - Cloudkill (death fog -- outdoors only, and is not absorbed by
vegetation),
Contact Outer Plane, Hold Monster
[add Summon Weather]
[remove Control Winds]
6th level - Invisible Stalker, Lower Water, Projected Image (still more
creepiness)
[add Weather Control]
[remove Summon Weather]
7th level - Charm Plant, Create Normal Monsters (natural creatures only),
Lore (nonmetal objects only), Shapechange (from 9th level; natural
forms only)
[remove Weather Control]
Higher Experience Levels

------------------------
The original intent for these ascension battles has been lost by the
Cyclopedia's re-
wording. It's more clearly described (though not in great detail) in the Players
Companion,
page 14, "When the character gains enough XP to reach 30th level, one of the Nine
must be
found and fought by unarmed combat. If the character loses, 30th level is NOT
gained (but a
new challenge may be issued every 3 months)."
Adding in a few more details, these battles are fought honorably; Druids view
this as the
natural way of things (survival of the fittest). So, spells may NOT be used; only
unarmed
combat. Magic items are not allowed, though Druids can wear normal armor if they
wish (and
each Druid might even have a set of ceremonial skins/armor that he wears during
these
battles).
A high-level Druid's XP total only indicates his POTENTIAL level; in order to
gain the
actual level, he has to prove himself worthy by winning one of these challenges. If
he loses
the combat, he does NOT actually lose any XP. If he wins the combat THEN he gains
the level,
and his opponent loses a level (and all the benefits of that level), but the
opponent does not
lose any XP.
The character could continue gaining XP even if his level progression is halted.
He could
still gain new General Skills and Weapon Mastery at the appropriate XP totals. Also
see the
entry for page 129 about Maximum Rate of Experience Gain, which applies when your
XP total
doesn't match your level.
============================================================
Page 29, Mystic - Prime Requisite, Minimum Scores, Hit Dice:
============================================================
Prime Requisite
---------------
Instead of basing the Mystic's XP bonus solely on Strength (just like a

Fighter), I
recommend basing it on both the Mystic's Prime Requisites: Strength and Dexterity
(just like a
Halfling). So if either of these ability scores is 13 or greater, the character
gains a 5%
bonus to XP earned. If both these scores are 13 or greater, the XP bonus is 10%.
Minimum Scores
--------------
The Masters set never mentioned any minimum scores needed in order to play a
Mystic. But
then again, it didn't even state the Prime Requisite for Mystics, and was only
presenting a
basic framework for Mystic characters, whereas the Cyclopedia fleshes them out more
and
integrates them as a fully-developed class. That said, I firmly believe setting
required
minimum scores of 13 in both Wisdom and Dexterity is inappropriate for Classic D&D.
As with
Demi-Humans, I recommend the character only be required to have scores of 9 or
better in the
appropriate abilities in order to play a Mystic.
Hit Dice
--------
In the Master's Set, Mystics actually got 16d6 Hit Dice, since they were listed
as
"monsters" with guidelines given to allow them as Player Characters. The Rules
Cyclopedia,
developing them more, followed the precedent of all other human classes by limiting
them to 9
HD, then adding a set amount of HP for each level after that. But only giving them
+2 HP per
level past 9 short-changes them from where they should be. I recommend instead
giving them +3
HP per level after 9, up to level 16. This will more closely follow the original
progression.
===================================
Page 30, Mystic - Multiple Attacks:
===================================
Another change from the Masters set, Mystics are NOT supposed to get their
listed number of
attacks when attacking with anything other than their bare hands. You can see this
by looking
at the description of the 7th level Mystic in the Monster section on page 195,
where the
number of attacks is listed as, "1 weapon or 2 hands."
Mystics ARE supposed to gain the Fighter's Multiple Attacks option, which does
apply to
attacks with weapons (but not their unarmed attacks) as described on page 104. This
will first
be available at 12th level when 2 attacks per round are available. Since Mystics
can't advance
past 16th level, they would never gain more attacks.... However, you could allow
them to
continue to gain more attacks as they gain more XP past their maximum level (as
Demi-Humans
do). A Mystic would gain more attacks at the same XP totals a Fighter normally
would (i.e., 3
attacks at 2,040,000 XP, and 4 attacks at 3,480,000 XP).
=====================================
Page 31a, Mystic - Finishing Details:
=====================================
Though the Rules Cyclopedia mostly does a good job bringing everything together
into a
fleshed out Mystic character class, the basic guidelines for doing so in the
Master's Set
concluded with, "Whenever developing a new character class, remember to keep the
abilities of
these new characters in balance with those of the other classes." As a "monster" in
the
Master's set, Mystics made potent allies or opponents for high-level characters,
but when
developing them into a character class, some changes do need to be made to keep
them balanced
against the other classes. The following section contains a couple of suggestions
in that
regard, along with several other finishing details.
Hand Attacks
------------
The Mystic's unarmed attacks are the main concern when balancing them against
the other
classes; at the higher levels they really get out of control. For example, the
average damage
a 20-36th level Magic-User can do with a Fireball is 70, and although it affects
multiple
targets, they each get a Saving throw for half damage. A 16th level Mystic can
inflict an
average of 78 points of damage every round with his bare hands! This can be brought
into
balance by placing limits on how the Mystic can make use of his multiple unarmed
attacks. Here
are my suggestions:
A Mystic may make up to his total number of unarmed attacks each round UNTIL he
scores a
hit. For example, a 9th level Mystic may make up to 3 unarmed attacks each round.
If he hits
with his first attack, he may make no further attacks. If he misses with the first
swing, THEN
he may make his second attack, and so on. Note that a hit is not actually scored if
the attack
is Deflected by the opponent (see Weapon Mastery and Deflect in the entry for pages
80-81).
However, as with the Fighter's Multiple Attack option, if the Mystic can hit his
opponent
with an attack roll of 2 (after all modifiers), then he may make up to his maximum
number of
attacks on that target even after scoring a hit.
In circumstances where the Mystic must give up a number of attacks during a
round, the
attacks are first taken from his maximum number of attacks. For example, using some
of the
fighting styles detailed in the next entry, a Mystic has to give up an attack each
time he
successfully Deflects. So if a 7th level Mystic (maximum of 2 attacks per round)
Deflected one
of his opponent's attacks, the Mystic would still be left with 1 attack available
when his
next attack step came up.
Also, when using his Martial Arts, a Mystic may make no other type of attacks
during the
round (he can't make an additional off-hand Strike attack, for example). The
Mystic's unarmed
attacks will not combine with the Fighter Combat Options either (e.g., Smash,
Parry, Disarm);
those are only available when fighting with weapons or normal unarmed Strikes.
With these changes, the 16th level Mystic will now do an average of 19.5 damage
each round
(much more balanced against other high-level characters), but will still have
vastly improved
changes of hitting, since he gets up to 4 swings.
I'd also suggest that a Mystic, when using his unarmed attacks, could choose to
inflict
damage as if he were any level lower. For example, a 16th level Mystic could choose
to inflict
only 1d4 damage with his unarmed attack (like a 1st level Mystic does), rather than
3d12
damage, in case he doesn't want to kill his opponent.
Acrobatics
----------
At the top of page 31, the Rules Cyclopedia offers the suggestion of simply
having the
Mystic make a Dexterity Check to use his Acrobatics ability. I recommend following
that
suggestion. Otherwise, someone who has taken the Acrobatics General Skill could
perform some
of the same things as the Mystic, but with a better chance of success. The Mystic
must take on
a hefty -20% XP penalty for his Acrobatics ability, and the formula given here for
Acrobatics
will practically always produce a chance that is lower than the Mystic's chance of
just making
a simple Dexterity check. The Mystic would be better off taking the cheaper General
Skill
instead!
The DM can always have the Mystic use the tougher Acrobatic Check if he deems
the
difficulty of the action calls for it, but for most Acrobatic feats, the Dexterity
Check
should be fine and is much less complicated.
I also offer some additional optional abilities available to Acrobatic Mystics,

to make
sure this ability is superior to the inexpensive Acrobatics General Skill. Some of
these are
based on abilities from the original D&D Blackmoor Monk and the Gremlin class from
PC2 Top
Ballista.
Jumping - No matter how fast a non-Acrobatic Mystic can move, he can jump no
farther than
the maximum distances achievable by other unencumbered characters with a 120'
movement rate
(see the entry for page 88 about Jumping & Leaping). An Acrobatic Mystic, however,
has special
training allowing him, on a successful Acrobatics Check, to make impressive jumps
based on his
FULL movement rate (encumbrance permitting). He can do flips, run along walls,
pole-vault off
a staff, or any other similar action needed to achieve such distances.
Tumbling - As with the Acrobatics General Skill, the Mystic can fall up to 10
feet without
sustaining injury. On a successful check, he can ignore the first 10' of a fall by
tumbling to
minimize damage to himself. As he gains levels, he can fall even greater distances
without
sustaining injury. At 5th level, he can ignore the first 20' of a fall. This
increases to 30'
at 9th level, and 40' at 13th level. The Mystic will be able to control his descent
by
catching, swinging from, or otherwise slowing his fall by using any nearby wall,
ledge,
branch, or other object.
Dodging - The Acrobatic Mystic has the same ability to Dodge as with the Dodge
General
Skill. He can gain a -2 bonus to his AC against up to 3 attacks per round by making
a
successful Acrobatics Check. As the Mystic gains levels, his Dodge becomes
effective against
more attacks each round. At 6th level the bonus is effective against up to 4
attacks per
round. This increases to 5 attacks per round at 12th level. All other aspects of
the Dodge
General Skill apply; see the entry for page 83-85 for details.
Thief Abilities
---------------
As I have seen suggested elsewhere, I recommend giving the Mystic the Hear Noise
ability
rather than Find Traps and Remove Traps. This seems more appropriate for Mystics,
and keeps
them from diminishing the usefulness of the Thief class.
Movement Rate
-------------
There's no mention of how fast an ENCUMBERED Mystic can move.... Extrapolating

from how
encumbrance affects other characters' movement rates, you can use this table,
multiplying the
Mystic's unencumbered MV by these factors:
_____________________________
Enc (cn) MV Multiplier
_____________________________
0 - 400 1
401 - 800 .75
801 - 1200 .5
1201 - 1600 .25
1601 - 2400 .125
2401 + 0
_____________________________
Blankout
--------
When using this ability, the Mystic is not just invisible; he's completely
undetectable.
Frank Mentzer has said that the Mystic should be considered utterly silent, and the
Master
DM's Book, page 33, notes that the Mystic cannot even be magically detected.
Higher Experience Levels

------------------------
The battles to gain higher levels are supposed to work in the same way as for
Druids (see
the topic about Higher Experience Levels in the entry for page 28 about Druids).
In these challenges Mystics may not use any of the Mystic Abilities (namely,
Blankout and
Gentle Touch). They may use all their unarmed fighting abilities though.
===================================
Page 31b, Mystic - Fighting Styles:
===================================
The Mystic's unarmed attacks can hold their own against basic weapons, but when
Weapon
Mastery is used, the Mystic will find that his unarmed attacks are quite inferior
through the
lower to mid levels, when he could just as easily be using a sword along with
Weapon Mastery
to gain many benefits.
The Cyclopedia didn't include the information, but the Master's set listed four
styles of
martial arts fighting for Mystics. The styles were only basically outlined, and
left for the
DM to develop.
Based on that information in the Master's Set, I've fleshed out the four
fighting styles so
that the Mystic's unarmed attacks become a more desirable choice even when Weapon
Mastery is
in play (though you can also use this option even if you're not otherwise using
Weapon
Mastery).
A Mystic must declare which style he is using during the Intentions Step. All
his attacks
that round must use the same style. If no other choice is declared, Offensive is
the default
style.
Most of the styles are based on a certain weapon (including a cheesy-sounding

name for each
style), and will use Weapon Mastery special effects of that weapon. These special
effects will
automatically function at a level of Mastery based on the Mystic's Experience
Level:
______________________
Mystic Mastery
Level Effect
----------------------
1 Basic
3 Skilled
7 Expert
11 Master
15 Grand Master
______________________
The Mystic may also cause Despair when using his Martial Arts, as described for
Weapon
Mastery on page 77.
The Styles:
______________________________________________
Offensive - Way of the Focused Fist

______________________________________________
Damage Special Effects

----------------------------------------------
Full Can damage weapon-immune creatures
______________________________________________
This aggressive style of fighting causes damage by striking blows with the hand,
foot,
head, elbow, and other parts of the body. Use of offensive style can break boards
and bricks.
The Mystic launches direct attacks upon his opponent, doing increasing damage as he
gains
skill. By focusing his chi into his strikes, the Mystic can even damage creatures
that are
immune to normal weapons.
- Use the standard hand attack table for this style. Also use the table on page
30 for
hitting weapon-immune creatures (and do not apply that table to the other styles
below, but
remember that many special effects below do not need to inflict damage on such
creatures in
order to affect them).
____________________________________________________
Wrestling - Way of the Binding Bola

____________________________________________________
lvl. Damage Special Effects

----------------------------------------------------
1 1d2 Strangle(20), Entangle
3 1d3 Strangle(20), Entangle, Save -1
7 1d3+1 Strangle(19-20), Entangle, Save -2
____________________________________________________
This aggressive style of fighting is used to incapacitate a foe through lock

holds (such as
half nelsons), counter leverage, and nerve pinches. The Mystic strikes at specific
pressure
points, sometimes attempting to grasp and hold on to his opponent. Some masters of
this style
may be able to paralyse a foe so that the victim need not be held further.
- The Mystic gains all the special abilities of the Bola (ignore the Secondary
target
information for the Bola), and inflicts the same damage as a Bola. The attack is
always made
against the standard AC of the target. The victim gets his usual Saving Throw with
bonus to
avoid special effects, as indicated in the Bola & Whip table. Special results will
only last
for one round unless the Mystic actively maintains the hold. This 'one round'
effect is the
result of a nerve pinch or pressure point attack from the Mystic, so cannot occur
if the
Mystic inflicts no damage. In that case (or when fighting creatures that may have
no pressure
points or nerves, such as a skeleton), the Mystic must maintain the hold to have
any special
effect.
For as long as the Mystic wishes to maintain a hold, he must continue using this
style and
must give up one of his attacks each round. A held victim may break the hold with
the usual
Saving Throw at the end of his Hand-To-Hand phase each round, however, as long as
the Mystic
is holding him, the victim suffers additional penalties (for full details, see
entry for page
113 about being Entangled).
A victim being held with an Entangle result is treated as Fully Entangled (-4 to
Saving
Throws, opponents get +4 to hit him).
A victim being held with a Slow result is treated as Partially Entangled (-2 to
Hit Rolls
and Saving Throws, opponents get +2 to hit him).
A victim being held with a Delay result will not be able to concentrate, but has
no
additional penalties aside from the loss of initiative each round.
These extra penalties will end as soon as the Mystic releases the victim or the
victim
breaks free.
If a Strangle result is achieved, the Mystic must give up all further attacks to
maintain
the hold until the victim is dead (unless the Mystic wishes to release the hold
sooner, in
which case the standard Paralysis occurs).
While maintaining any hold, if the Mystic is attacked by anyone he is not
holding, treat
the Mystic as if he is Prone against the new attacker (see page 150). If the Mystic
has no
more attacks available while he's maintaining a hold, he also loses his Dexterity
adjustment
to AC against the new attacker. However, if the Mystic does have enough attacks
available, he
can attack the new opponent while holding the old one, and might even score a hold
on the new
opponent as well.
_______________________________________
Defensive - Way of the Sweeping Staff

_______________________________________

---------------------------------------
1 Half -2 AC
3 (Round -2 AC, Deflect (1)
7 Up) -2 AC, Deflect (2)
11 -2 AC, Deflect (3)
15 -2 AC, Deflect (4)
_______________________________________
With this reactive style, the Mystic moves in continuous, flowing motions,
dodging or
blocking attacks and turning them aside. The Mystic becomes a difficult target, and
at higher
levels can Deflect many incoming attacks by making circular sweeps with his hands.
- When using this style, the Mystic gains a -2 AC bonus and the Deflect
abilities of a
Staff. This style, like a Staff, is Two-Handed; the Mystic will always lose
initiative to
opponents who are using One-Handed attacks (this style usually involves waiting and
reacting
to an attack, by dodging or turning the attack aside). The Mystic may still make
his usual
unarmed attacks, but will inflict only half normal hand damage (round up). If the
Mystic
successfully Deflects any number of attacks, then during his next attack step he
must give up
one of his attacks for each attack he deflected.
__________________________________________________________
Throwing - Way of the Hooking Halberd

__________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------
1 1 Hook, Disarm
3 Hook(Save -1), Disarm(Save +1)
5 2
7 Hook(Save -2), Disarm(Save +2), Deflect(1)
9 3
13 4
__________________________________________________________
This reactive style turns the momentum of the attacker against him by tripping,
pushing, or
throwing the opponent. As the Mystic strikes, he grasps at the opponent (or the
opponent's
weapon) and attempts to push, pull, or throw the opponent (or weapon) to the
ground.
Successful use of this style can allow a Mystic to Disarm, or leave the opponent
Prone and
unable to properly defend himself on the following round. The Mystic can also
occasionally
Deflect an attack by pushing it aside.
- The Mystic gains the special abilities of the Halberd. This style, like a
Halberd, is
Two-Handed; the Mystic will always lose initiative to opponents who are using One-
Handed
attacks (this style usually involves waiting and reacting to an attack, by using
the
attacker's momentum against him). When using the Hook attack, the Mystic will only
inflict
damage equal to his total number of hand attacks. If the Mystic successfully
Deflects any
number of attacks, then during his next attack step he must give up one of his
attacks for
each attack he deflected.
Martial Arts Matches

--------------------
When Mystics fight each other, the mechanics of Dominance come into play
depending on which
style each Mystic (secretly) selects during the Intentions step.
Offensive > Wrestling

Wrestling > Defensive
Defensive > Throwing
Throwing > Offensive
Offensive = Defensive
Wrestling = Throwing
If a Mystic has chosen the style dominant to his opponent's style, he gains +2
to hit. If
he hits, his opponent must make a Saving Throw vs Spells; if the Save fails, the
attack
inflicts double damage and the victim receives a -2 penalty to any Saving Throws
against that
attack (including Deflect attempts).
If a Mystic has chosen a style that is weak against his opponent's style, he
receives a -2
to hit. If he hits, his opponent gets to make a Saving Throw vs Spells; if the Save
succeeds,
the attack only inflicts half damage (round down) and the opponent gains a +2 to
any Saving
Throws against that attack (including Deflect attempts).
======================
Page 32, Spellcasting:
======================
Casting Spells
--------------
A spellcaster only needs one free hand to cast a spell. This was stated in D&D
Adventure
Module X12, Skarda's Mirror (by Aaron Allston), on p.29, and also on p.47 of the
D&D FAQ.
Thus, a caster can hold a dagger or staff or other weapon, and still cast his
spells. It's not
unreasonable, though, to say that very powerful (high-level) spells will require
that both the
caster's hands be free to gesture.
It's important to note that in order to target something with a ranged spell,
the caster
MUST be able to SEE the target, or at least some part of the target. Spells with an
area of
effect, on the other hand, can easily affect targets the caster can't see.
When casting a spell, to state it explicitly, the spellcaster must be able to

gesture and
speak freely, and he must stand completely still and may not perform any other
action that
round aside from casting the spell. Taking any damage that round, failing any
Saving Throw, or
even being shoved before the spell is completed will disrupt the spell. Compare
this against
activating a magical item (see entry for p.228).
Concentration
-------------
Ok, this really needs a clear definition, since the term is used all over the
place, often
with very different requirements.
Concentration will count as your action (often referred to as your "attack") for
the round,
but doesn't necessarily stop you from moving. The exception to it counting as your
"action,"
is for the Fly spell, in which case the concentration is used in place of your
movement
instead, and does NOT prevent you from taking an action (see p.114 about aerial
combat). This
can be applied to any other effect that requires concentration for movement, such
as
levitation or items that move you magically (e.g., Broom of Flying) -- instead of
the
concentration counting as your action, it replaces your normal movement.
Otherwise, the concentration counts as your action, and unless the description
for a
certain effect specifies that your movement is restricted (indicating that it's a
more intense
concentration), you can still move normally. Note that this does NOT include
running, because
after running you can't perform an action that round, including concentration. Also
note that
most effects requiring concentration will not be negated by a temporary loss of
concentration,
unless the description indicates otherwise (i.e., any interruption in concentration
will
disrupt a spell being cast, or cause the loss of control of an Elemental, but
taking a hit
while you are concentrating on activating a magical item usually won't prevent the
activation
of the item from happening).
Touch Range Spells

------------------
To clear up any possible confusion, and allow a bit more lenience for casting
these spells,
I suggest the following rules, adapted from the description of Touch Dispel (see
entry for
Page 48):
Upon casting any Touch Range spell, if the caster doesn't touch his target right
away, the
spell remains on the caster's fingertips (most likely on only ONE of his hands, not
both,
unless he decides otherwise) until a valid target object is touched (touching a
door won't
release a Cure Light Wounds spell, since a door is not a valid target of that
spell). Touching
any valid creature or object releases the effect; it cannot be suppressed (so don't
scratch
your nose after casting Cause Serious Wounds). The effect can be Dispelled if not
immediately
released. The spell effect vanishes from the fingertips in one Turn if not used
within that
time. The spell also vanishes if the caster casts another Touch Range spell (the
new spell
effect replaces the old one, even if the caster tries to place the new effect on a
different
hand). Other spells may be cast normally. Detecting Magic will most certainly
reveal a caster
that has a Touch Range spell prepared (glowing hand!).
Making an attempt to touch an opponent during the same round the spell is cast
can be
considered part of the standard process of casting the spell. On subsequent rounds,
if he has
not released the charge, the spellcaster can use an unarmed strike (see Unarmed
Combat, p.110)
to deliver the Touch Ranged spell to a target at the same time as inflicting damage
for the
unarmed attack (D&D FAQ p.48). The touch attack is always made against the target's
normal AC.
===========================
Page 33, Reversible Spells:
===========================
Whether or not you have to be of 4th level to Reverse spells has changed from
edition to
edition.
I would suggest that for the Rules Cyclopedia, because a level limitation isn't
mentioned
anywhere, you can just assume there is no level limitation. Then it will work the
same as in
very early editions of D&D, and allow low-level Chaotic Clerics to use the "evil"
versions of
their spells right away.
Adding to the notes on the next page (p.34) about spell reversal being
restricted by a
Cleric's Alignment, remember to apply this additional statement from the Expert
Rulebook, p.3,
"Neutral Clerics may choose to cast the normal or the reversed forms, but the
Cleric must
continue using the forms first chosen, and is not free to change from one to the
other."
I would treat each spell individually in regard to this. In other words, if a

Neutral
Cleric first casts Cure Light Wounds in standard form, then that is the form he
must continue
using. If later, that same Cleric first casts Remove Fear in reversed form, then he
must
always use the reversed form of that particular spell. If Neutral Clerics had to
choose either
standard or reversed form, and apply that to all of their spells, that would upset
the balance
of Neutrality by shifting them too far toward either Law or Chaos....
Note, however, that a few reversed Cleric spells are not "evil" versions of a
"good" spell.
For example, "Free Person" is the reverse of "Hold Person." The reversal of such
spells
probably shouldn't be restricted by alignment. These spells include Hold Person,
Quest,
Barrier, and Dispel Magic (see the entry for page 48 about Dispel Magic/Touch
Dispel), and for
Druids, the Dissolve spell (see entry for page 42).
==================================
Page 34, Cure Light Wounds, Light:
==================================
Cure Light Wounds

-----------------
Similarly to how this spell can cure paralysis or the effects of being stunned,
you may
also want to allow it to remove the effects of Exhaustion (see page 88). If used in
this way,
it won't also cure damage or remove paralysis, but will reduce the amount of time
the
character needs to rest by 2-7 turns. If this reduces the required rest time to 0
or less, all
effects of Exhaustion end immediately.
Note that these additional effects are not limited to the Cure Light Wounds
spell -- Cure
Serious Wounds or Cure Critical Wounds could also be used to remove paralysis, for
example.
Light (and Continual Light)

---------------------------
There are different modes of operation for the Light spells that may need
further
explanation.
First off, apparently there are NO SHADOWS in an area affected by this spell....
The last
paragraph in the description of a Halfling's Hiding ability on p.27 implies this.
It is more
strongly stated in the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, p.11, "Also, if someone casts a
magical Light
spell in an area where the Halfling is 'frozen' in the shadows, the shadows
disappear and the
Halfling's presence is automatically discovered."
However, since there are two ways to cast the spell (either on an object or as
an area
effect), and since a popular practice is casting a Light spell on a small object,
and then
covering that object when the light needs to be hidden (which wouldn't work if
there were no
shadows...), you can allow the two modes to operate differently.
When the spell is cast as a stationary area effect, there will simply be no
shadows in that
area, and the light will seem to exist without any light-casting source. Hiding in
the shadows
will obviously be impossible in such an area.
Whenever the spell is cast on a small object or at a creature's eyes, it will
cause a
bright glow to surround the object (if the object is not too large), or cause a
glowing ball
of pure light to be attached to the object at the target point. This light source
WILL cast
shadows as it illuminates the surrounding area. The object can be covered to hide
the light,
and this variation will not automatically ruin hiding attempts. However, I only
recommend
allowing this functionality for the Light spell, and not for Continual Light. If
Continual
Light is cast on an object or at a creature's eyes, it will still create the
brightly-glowing
light source as above, but consider this more powerful light to be of a highly
magical nature,
capable of penetrating solid objects as it illuminates them, leaving no shadows in
the area
and making it impossible to hide the light without magical means. I recommend this
because the
Continual Light spell has an unlimited duration and better range than Light. It
would make it
far too easy for anyone and everyone to carry around bright, everlasting light
sources that
remain easy to conceal, and which are freely created with a low-level spell.
As for the reverse of the spell, Darkness, notice that it mentions infravision
can
penetrate the area when cast as an area effect, but if cast at a creature's eyes,
it will
blind the creature (creatures with infravision are not excluded from this
blinding). Also,
it's not specifically stated in the spell description, but the functionality of
casting
Darkness on an object so that the spell effect moves as the object moves, can be
inferred from
reading the effect of the Onyx Dragon's breath on page 171.
So again, I would suggest allowing the different modes of the spell to work a
bit
differently. I offer the following suggestions....
When cast as a stationary area effect, it will function as stated.
When cast on an object or at a creature's eyes, it will create a tiny point that
absorbs
all light (even magical light) in the area around it. You might think of this as a
mini,
magical Black Hole effect; all light in the area will be gathered into that one
point, and no
light will escape outward from that point, so no light will be visible to anyone
within the
darkened area. If that point is attached to a creature's eyes, the creature might
see that one
bright point of light in a field of darkness. For creatures with infravision, that
point of
light would prevent the infravision from functioning, explaining why they are
blinded in this
case.
Whenever either of these spells is cast at a creature's eyes and the creature
makes its
Saving Throw, the spell "misses" and becomes an area effect version of the spell,
centered
where the creature was standing.
Read the individual spell descriptions of Continual Light and Continual Darkness
to note
some other differences in functionality (e.g., Continual Darkness blocks all
infavision, and
only the Cleric's version of Continual Light is as bright as full daylight).
Another issue that comes up is how the Light and Darkness spells interact with
each other.
Here are my suggestions:
If a Light spell is cast so that its volume contains the center point of an
existing
Darkness spell, both spells will be negated. The same applies to a Darkness spell
cast so that
its volume contains the center point of an already existing Light spell. This works
on a one-
to-one basis; each Light spell will only negate one Darkness spell, and vice-versa.
A Light spell cannot negate a Continual Darkness spell in this manner, nor can a
Darkness
spell negate a Continual Light. No spell is negated in these cases (or in such
cases where a
mobile Light spell passes through a Darkness area), and both spell effects will
remain active
for their usual durations, but one effect will temporarily overpower the other.
A Darkness spell will overpower a Light spell, sucking up all magical light
within the
Darkness volume. A Continual Light spell will overpower a standard Darkness though,
perhaps
being dimmed within the Darkness radius to the level of a standard Light spell. But
a
Continual Darkness spell will overpower even a Continual Light.
===========================================
Page 35, Protection from Evil, Hold Person:
===========================================
Protection From Evil

--------------------
The Cyclopedia has inconsistencies between the Cleric and Magic-User versions of
this spell
in regard to how the protection is broken against Enchanted creatures (check the
last
paragraph here and in the Magic-User spell on page 45). Actually, this aspect of
the spell has
changed in every edition of the game and has never been consistent from edition to
edition....
The Cleric version of the spell here describes the functionality I'd recommend
using, but the
wording is pretty messed up....
For both the Cleric and Magic-User versions of this spell, I recommend using
what is
written in the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, page 32, "If the caster attacks an enchanted
creature
during the spell's duration, the effect changes slightly. Enchanted creatures are
then able to
touch the caster, but the attack roll and saving throw adjustments still apply for
the spell's
duration."
I would chose this as the best revision, and it is also more consistent with the
10' radius
version of the spell.
Hold Person
-----------
The Basic DM's Rulebook, page 17, is more specific in noting that the spell will
not affect
any creature with 5 or more Hit Dice. However, I believe this is only meant to
apply toward
humanoid monsters, not humans or demi-humans. So a PC can be affected by this spell
regardless
of his level.
Frank Mentzer suggests that the reverse version of the spell, Free Person, will
remove any
form of magical paralysis (usually produced by spells, magic items, or spell-like
abilities),
but not paralysis that is based on poison (usually the result of attacks by certain
creatures,
such as a Carrion Crawler). Free Person has the same targeting limitations as Hold
Person; it
affects up to 4 humanoids with less than 5 HD, as noted above.
=================================
Page 36a, Remove Curse, Striking:
=================================
(see entry for page 50 for Remove Curse)
Striking
--------
The Players's Guide to Immortals, p.20, states, "This effect is limited in

application to
non-living objects, and cannot be used to give damage bonuses to to the attack of
any type of
creature (including those of the non-living variety, such as golems)." This also
indicates
that the target of the Striking spell doesn't strictly have to be a "weapon."
=======================
Page 36b, Animate Dead:
=======================
The rules for creating skeletons and zombies work fine when you are dealing with
normal-
sized humanoid corpses, but when you start trying to animate the bodies of very
large or non-
humanoid monsters, the results are not the same.
Some basic guidelines can be derived by taking examples from the Master DM's
book, p.44,
"Zombie Minotaur," and the 1986 Creature Catalog, p.84, "Undead Dragon," and also
by looking
at normal Skeletons and zombies.
Zombies Skeletons
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
AC: Usually 1 point better than the Usually 2 points better than
the
original monster. If the creature original monster. Same rules as
had special defenses (speed) or for zombies apply here.
natural armor (thick scales) that
is now rotting away, the zombie's
AC may actually be 1-6 points worse.
HD: 1/2 the HD of the original monster, 1/2 HD of original monster,

rounded
rounded up. Minimum of 2 HD, unless down. May be as low as 1/3 to
1/4 HD
monster is very small (rat zombie?). of original. Usual minimum of 1
HD.
Move: Typically the same as the original. About 2/3 of the original
creature's
Flight will usually be lost, however. movement, with a minimum of
60'(20').
Attacks: Zombies will have at least one claw Skeletons normally attack only
with
attack. Some natural attacks may weapons, but some natural
attacks
carry over, along with weapon use. may carry over.
Damage: Usually 1-8 per claw. Other natural Reduce damage to 1/2 or less
attacks may have their damage reduced for any natural attacks they
are
to 1/2 or less (rotting muscles). able to use (no muscles!).
Save As: Fighter of 1/2 the zombie's HD. Fighter of 1/2 the skeleton's
HD.
Turn As: (suggested) For every 2 HD above the standard HD (which is 2 for zombie,
1 for skeleton), bump them up 1 level on the Turning Undead chart:
Zombie of: Turns As: Skeleton of: Turns As:

----------------------- ------------------------
2-3 HD Zombie 1-2 HD Skeleton
4-5 HD Ghoul 3-4 HD Zombie
6-7 HD Wight 5-6 HD Ghoul
8-9 HD Wraith 7-8 HD Wight
10+ HD Specter 9+ HD Wraith
----------------------- ------------------------
These undead also gain the following characteristics:
Morale: 12
Intelligence: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Immunity to attacks that only affect the living (such as poison) and spells that
affect the
mind (sleep, charm, hold, discord, insanity, feeblemind, etc.)
Since it's not stated anywhere, you may want to impose a limitation on this
spell so that
it only affects once-living creatures that were composed of flesh and blood and
bones (this
will exclude insects and lowlife and plant monsters, etc.).
===================================================================================
Page 37, Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Create Food, Insect Plague:
===================================================================================
(for Dispel Magic, see entry for Page 48b)
(for Protection from Evil 10' Radius, see entry for page 49)
Create Food
-----------
This spell can first be cast at level 10 (not 8), so the description should say,
"For every
level of the Cleric above 10th, the spell creates food for 12 additional men and
mounts."
On page 125 we find that a mount consumes the same food as 2 men. The
functionality of this
spell would be more clearly stated by saying that the spell produces enough food
for 36 men,
and for each level of the Cleric above 10th, food for an additional 36 men is
created. Mounts
will simply eat as much as 2 men.
See the table on page 125 for a complete rundown of how much food is produced
according to
the level of the Cleric.
Insect Plague
-------------
This spell is very vaguely described in regard to what the exact effects are.
Along with
the description in the Rules Cyclopedia, you can use these effects which are mostly
from the
AD&D version of the spell:
When this spell is cast by the Cleric, a horde of creeping, hopping, and flying
insects
gather and swarm in a thick cloud. In an environment free of normal insects, the
spell fails.
The insects obscure vision, limiting it to 10 feet. Spellcasting within the cloud
is
impossible. Although the insects inflict no actual damage to creatures, their bites
can cause
much irritation and discomfort. Invisibility is no protection. All creatures with 3
or fewer
Hit Dice will automatically move at their fastest possible speed in a random
direction until
they are more than 120 yards away from the insects. This urge to flee is an
extraordinary fear
effect.
Heavy smoke drives off insects within its bounds. Fire also drives insects
away. For
example, a Wall of Fire in a ring shape keeps a subsequently cast Insect Plague
outside its
confines, but a Fireball spell simply clears insects from its blast area for one
round. A
single torch is ineffective against this vast horde of insects. Lightning, cold, or
ice are
likewise ineffective, while a strong wind that covers the entire plague area
disperses the
insects and ends the spell.
=================================================
Page 38, Raise Dead, Truesight, Barrier, Cureall:
=================================================
Raise Dead
----------
The Unofficial Errata points out that Raise Dead should read, "A 10th level
Cleric can
raise a body that has been dead for up to four days. For each level of the Cleric
above 10th,
add four days to this time. Thus, a 12th level Cleric can raise bodies that have
been dead for
up to twelve days."
Truesight
---------
"This effect also reveals the exact Hit Dice of those seen," - Players' Guide to
Immortals,
page 21.
Although the duration of "1 turn + 1 round per level of caster" may seem a bit
odd, Frank
Mentzer has verified that it is not a misprint.
Barrier
-------
Since this spell is meant to be a "barrier" rather than a direct attack spell,
it is
recommended that (as with other barrier-type spells such as Wall of Fire) this
spell cannot be
cast in a space occupied by another object or creature.
Cureall
-------
In keeping with this spell's stated effect of curing anything, it can be used to
restore a
petrified character to flesh.
Additionally, the Players' Guide to Immortals, p.19, states that this spell can
cure a
maximum of 6 Hit Points per level of the caster. So if cast by a 12th level Cleric,
it could
cure 72 points of damage at most, while a 36th level caster could use it to cure up
to 216
points of damage.
These notes also apply to the Heal spell.
I'd also recommend using 1d6-1 (0-5) HP as the amount that is left uncured, just
so the
possibility exists that the spell can actually "cure all" damage.
Frank Mentzer suggests that this spell will cure 100% of all damage for any
recipient with
up to 3 levels or Hit Dice.
===============================================================================
Page 39, Speak with Monsters, Earthquake, Raise Dead Fully, Holy Word, Restore:
===============================================================================
Speak With Monsters

-------------------
"If the creator of this effect attacks the recipient while conversing, the
effect ends
immediately." - Players' Guide to Immortals, page 20.
Earthquake
----------
The Players' Guide to Immortals, p.19, specifies, "The exact amount of crushing
damage
inflicted upon a creature engulfed by a crack is 101-200 points of damage (1d100 +
100) per
round."
Holy Word
---------
The effect of this spell on level 13+ creatures seems more harsh than its effect
on level
9-12 creatures. I recommend swapping those effects, but also including the Deafness
effect for
all lower level creatures too, as shown here:
_________________________________________________________
Holy Word Effects

_________________________________________________________
Victim's
Level or HD Effect
---------------------------------------------------------
Up to 5 Killed
6-8 Stunned 2d10 Turns + Deafened 1d6 Turns
9-12 Stunned 1d10 Rounds + Deafened 1d6 Turns
13+ Deafened 1d6 Turns
_________________________________________________________
Raise Dead Fully

----------------
Frank Mentzer has specified that this spell does affect a creature based on Hit
Dice, not
Levels. A 36th level character or Lich, for example, would have only 9 HD, so would
make the
Saving Throw at -4 if attacked with Obliterate or Raise Dead Fully.
Restore
-------
Restore is a bit more useful than indicated here, and can optionally be made
even more so.
This spell can be used to restore one lost sense (see Revener, p.202), but as
with
restoring lost levels of experience, the Cleric should temporarily take on the loss
himself
for 2-20 days! So this spell will probably not be the first choice to use in cases
where some
other spell can restore the loss (e.g., Cure Blindness, Remove Curse, Cureall).
You may optionally allow this spell to be used to restore 10 years of magical
aging (see
entry for page 143 about Magical Aging), but again, the Cleric will temporarily
suffer the
effects of whatever he restores.
Conversely, the reverse version of this spell should be able to inflict anything
that the
standard version can restore. So a Chaotic Cleric might use this spell to age a
victim 10
years, or to drain one of the victim's senses (refer again to Revener to find the
details of
this; and note that it's the only effect here that allows a Saving Throw). Although
a Curse
spell might be an easier way to take away someone's senses, the affliction would
not be as
easy to fix when cause by this spell.
As with the usual reversed version, casting any of these afflictions will not
adversely
affect the Cleric.
See the entry for page 154 about Energy Drain for further notes regarding this
spell.
==============
Page 40, Wish:
==============
See the entry for page 61 for additional notes about Wish.
==================
Page 42, Dissolve:
==================
For some reason, the Rules Cyclopedia has removed the ability for Druids to
reverse this
spell. The Master Players' Book, p.5, clearly shows that this spell is reversable
(as the 5th
level Magic-User spell is) for Druids, stating, "The reverse of this spell, Harden,
changes
the same volume of mud to rock, but permanently. A victim in the mud may make a
Saving Throw
vs. Spells to avoid being trapped."
==========================================
Page 43, Anti-Animal Shell, Creeping Doom:
==========================================
Anti-Animal Shell
-----------------
The Cyclopedia shouldn't have specified "animal intelligence or less" as

strictly "0-2"
here, because animals can have varying Intelligence scores, some higher than 2. The
same
applies to the Hold Animal spell on page 42.
Creeping Doom
-------------
Although it rightly should be quite powerful, Creeping Doom is really past the
point of
being unbalanced: it has a long duration, a potentially huge area of effect, is
mobile, and
does massive damage every round to everything in the area with no Saving Throw
allowed. I
suggest changing the functionality in a way that will balance it out nicely, yet
still allow
it to be powerful.
Namely, allow the spell, as usual, to do 1 point of damage for every 10 insects
in the
swarm (round to the nearest 10 insects), but this should be the TOTAL damage
inflicted each
round, and can be divided in any way the caster chooses among any creatures within
the area of
effect. This way the caster can even direct the insects to avoid attacking an ally
(or
himself!) who is within the area of effect.
During any round in which the caster is not directing the insects to attack in a
certain
way, the swarm will divide its damage as equally as possible among all creatures
within the
area -- though Small creatures should take a smaller percent of the damage and
Large creatures
should take a larger percent (more insects would naturally be crawling over the
larger
targets).
Example: a halfling, a human, an ogre, and a dragon walk into a bar filled with
a Creeping
Doom spell. The DM decides the halfling should take 1/2 a "share" of Doom damage,
the human
takes 1 share (standard), the ogre takes 1.5 shares, and the dragon takes 2 shares
(for a
total of 5 shares). Having been hit with some fire attacks, the Creeping Doom has
900 insects
remaining, so it can do a total of 90 damage this round. Divide the total damage by
the number
of shares, then multiply that result by the appropriate number of shares each
creature
receives to determine how much damage is inflicted. So 90/5 = 18, meaning the
halfling takes 9
damage, the human takes 18, the ogre takes 27, and the dragon takes 36. Of course,
if the
caster decides to command the insects to attack in a specific way, he could have
all 900
insects attack any one of the targets, or divide the damage in any other way he
chooses.
In regard to causing damage to the Creeping Doom, I suggest a straight "1 insect
killed for
each 1 point of fire damage dealt to the swarm." This means a Fireball spell will
no longer
kill a flat 100 insects. However, the Creeping Doom is not allowed to make Saving
Throws so it
will always suffer full damage from such fire attacks.
================================
Page 44, Scrolls and Spellbooks:
================================
Here is a clarification of how the rules work:
Scrolls are "magically charged" transcriptions of spells. They can be cast right
off the
scroll, releasing their charge and causing the spell to fade from the scroll. This
only
involves reading the scroll aloud, not actually casting the spell (i.e., no hand
gestures are
needed), so it's more like activating a magic item than casting a spell, so is not
interruptible in the same way as normal spellcasting (by loss of concentration,
taking any
damage, or missing any saving throw, for example).
When a Magic-User copies a spell from a scroll into his spellbook, he is
converting it into
a memorizible code. The process of copying a spell from a scroll requires the magic
to be
released from the scroll so that the Magic-User can reverse-engineer the formula
for it; this
causes the charge to be released and the spell to fade from the scroll. The new
transcription
in the spellbook will be "passive" and can no longer be cast just by reading it --
it must
then be memorized to be cast. Likewise, further copying of the spell will not cause
it to fade
from the spellbook, and the new copy will also be "passive."
Each Magic-User will have his own code for writing spells in his spellbook. Only
the Magic-
User who copied the spell into his spellbook is able to read it without the use of
a Read
Magic spell. With the help of Read Magic, another Magic-User can copy a spell from
someone
else's spellbook into his own, converting it into his own code so that he can then
memorize
it. I recommend that this process takes time and money, which makes it no simple
matter to
freely trade or steal spells from the spellbooks of other Magic-Users (see the
entry for page
255 about Spell Research).
Also see the entry for page 235 about Scrolls.
==================================================================
Page 45, Detect Magic, Light, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil:
==================================================================
(for Light, see entry for Page 34)
(for Protection from Evil, see entry for page 35)
Detect Magic
------------
The word "visible" was added to Detect Magic's description, but it is not found
in the 1983
Basic set or in the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, nor in any Clerical description of
Detect Magic. I
believe this was just sloppy editing in the Rules Cyclopedia, and by "visible,"
they actually
mean, "within the caster's line of sight," (see the example they give about a
magical item in
a treasure chest).
So yes, the caster will see a glow given off by invisible magic items and
effects.
Magic Missile
-------------
The duration of "1 round" is a misprint, carried over from the spell description
in the
Basic Player's Manual. The actual duration is supposed to be "1 turn," as you can
see on p.35
of the Basic Player's Manual, and also more specifically on p.38 of that book,
under the topic
"Types of Spells," where it says, "a Magic Missile spell creates a glowing arrow
that follows
the magic-user around, either until it is shot or until a turn passes (10
minutes)." Frank
Mentzer stated that this is the correct functionality.
The "1 Turn" duration is also found in an earlier edition of D&D.
But with that duration, I think Magic Missile will need some other stated
limitation in
order to keep it balanced. One option is to make the spell more like it was in some
early
versions, and consider it as summoning up some magical arrows for the caster to use
(the
Holmes-edited rules actually required a Hit Roll for each missile!). Everything
will work as
stated in the spell description (remembering to fix the "1 turn" duration error),
except the
caster can NOT fire all his missiles at the same time. The rules actually do not
contradict
this; it was just assumed that all missiles were fired at once because the duration
was
misprinted as "1 round." Early versions of D&D seemed to imply that multiple
missiles were
fired at once, but stopped just short of explicitly stating that was the case. A
standard rate
of fire would be 1 missile per round.... However, I would suggest allowing up to 3
missiles to
be fired each round, maximum, by concentration. This seems reasonable, and is still
fairly
powerful for a 1st level spell. Just as a comparison, the magical Sword summoned
when using
the 7th level Sword spell makes 2 attacks per round, for a maximum of 20 damage.
The Magic
Missiles still automatically hit, and do a maximum of 21 damage per round, if 3 are
fired.
As an option to smooth out the progression of gaining extra Missiles, you can
give Magic-
Users 1 extra Missile for every 2.5 levels of the caster, rather than making them
wait 5
levels to gain two Missiles at once. This will make the spell more useful through
the lower
levels, but it will keep the same overall progression. One new missile will be
gained at
levels 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, etc.
===============================================
Page 46, Sleep, Detect Invisible, Invisibility:
===============================================
Sleep
-----
Some additional details describing the effect of a Sleep spell are found in the
Basic DM's
Rulebook, p.21:
Undead are not affected, nor are magical or fantastic creatures (such as
gargoyle, medusa,
etc.).
A victim cannot be 'partially asleep.' For example, the spell is used against 5
Tiger
Beetles (3+1 HD). You roll 14 (on 2d8). Four of the monsters fall asleep while the
fifth
attacks the party. The 'extra 2 Hit Dice' rolled are not used.
If cast at a mixed group of creatures, the spell will affect the smallest ones
first.
Example: The spell is cast at a group of 3 bugbears (3+1 HD) and 2 ogres (4+1 HD).
You roll 12
on 2d8. All three bugbears fall asleep, but the ogres are not affected.
I think the part about "magical or fantastic creatures" not being effected was
just a broad
statement meant for the Basic level of play, since monster categories such as
Constructs (of
which the Gargoyle is one) aren't named until later sets. Frank Mentzer has
clarified that all
Planar Creatures -- those who originally come from Planes other then the Prime --
should also
be immune. The Medusa actually falls into this category.
Detect Invisible
----------------
The description here comes from the Basic Players Manual, page 41, so does not
include the
additional information about this spell that came from references in later sets.
The Truesight
spell (p.38) notes, "the Cleric can clearly see all hidden, invisible, and ethereal
objects
and creatures as with the Magic-User Detect Invisible spell." Page 263 notes that,
"An
ethereal traveler cannot see into the Prime Plane unless he uses a Detect Invisible
spell (or
similar magical effect)." Also see the Potions of Blending and Sight for some
additional hints
at the utility of Detect Invisible.
So Detect Invisible actually allows the caster to see into (or out of) the
Ethereal Plane,
thus allowing him to detect not only Ethereal creatures, but also creatures and
objects that
are not visible because they are hidden in darkness, for example. Frank Mentzer has
verified
that this is the intended functionality, and the AD&D version of Detect Invisible
also
functions similarly.
I visualize this as if the caster is seeing the area around him overlaid with
the image of
the Ethereal Plane, which appears as a ghostly white shadow image of the Prime
plane. An
invisible object or creature would stand out because the caster could see the
ghostly shadow
image of something that otherwise wasn't visible because of magic or darkness.
Invisibility
------------
Frank Mentzer has stated that any object picked up by an invisible creature will
also
become invisible.
He also suggests that in addition to attacking or casting a spell, using any
other magic
(including magic items) will cancel invisibility.
=============================================
Page 47, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, Web:
=============================================
Mirror Image
------------
The images are treated as actual "targets," and so can thwart spells that would
normally
never miss, such as Magic Missile. Even Touch Range spells will dissipate from the
caster's
hand if one of the images is touched (D&D FAQ v3.5, p.34-35).
Also, I would suggest placing a limit on this spell so that a caster can never
have more
than 4 images at a time, even if he casts the spell more than once.
Phantasmal Force
----------------
The Unofficial Errata brings up the possible confusion in this spell's effect.
My
interpretation is that the illusion has to fit within a 20' cube, but that cube can
move
around within the range of the spell. So illusionary monsters could be directed by
the Magic-
User to walk around within the 240' range, but if the caster were creating the
illusion of
more than one monster, those monsters couldn't be more than 20' apart, because the
spell can't
affect a larger area than that.
Also, I recommend that the caster should be able to walk at half normal movement
while
concentrating on the spell, just as with the Wand of Illusion on page 236.
Web
---
The exact effect of being caught in a Web spell is not really noted. Also, no
Saving Throw
is mentioned here, but that would make the spell too powerful. Apply the following
rule, from
the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, p.34, "Targets can make only one Saving Throw vs.
Spells to escape
a web. Once stuck, they must fight their way out."
The Player's Guide to Immortals, p.21, gives a more-detailed chart for how long
it takes a
creature to break free of the Web:
_________________________
Strength Time Required

_________________________
0 Spell duration
1-3 5-30 turns
4-8 3-18 turns
9-12 2-8 turns
13-15 1-4 turns
16-17 5-30 rounds
18 4 rounds
19-20 3 rounds
21-23 2 rounds
24-27 1 round
...
_________________________
For some specific effects that can be applied to characters who fall victim to
this spell,
see the entry for page 113 about the effects of being fully entangled.
A Web effect is normally going to block all Missile Fire through the area.
Note that if a creature is caught in the middle of this spell's area of effect,
it would be
pretty difficult for creatures outside the area to attack the trapped creature
without
becoming entangled themselves, unless they have very long thrusting weapons.
============================================
Page 48a, Fireball, Fly, Haste, Hold Person:
============================================
(for Hold Person, see entry for page 35)
Fireball
--------
The first sentence of Fireball in the Basic DM'S Rulebook, p.18, contains a few
extra words
that aren't found in other sources, but are actually rather important, "This spell
creates a
missile of fire which explodes into a ball of fire of 20' radius when it reaches
the desired
range or strikes a target." The extra few words (about the desired range) indicate
that a
Fireball doesn't actually have to strike a target to explode; it can also explode
in an
unoccupied location at a range the Magic-User chooses, within 240'. Most players
probably know
this, but there is the actual rule that states it.
Fly
---
The Basic Dungeon Masters rulebook, page 18, contains one additional note that
says the
exact duration of the spell is not known to anyone but the DM (who makes the roll
secretly).
As with the Levitate spell, you might want to state that a character can only
carry a
normal amount of weight while flying, or no more than 2,400 cn.
Haste
-----
See p.147 in the Rules Cyclopedia for more effects of being Hasted/Slowed, and
also see the
entry for page 147 in this document.
=======================
Page 48b, Dispel Magic:
=======================
Dispel Magic needs a revamp in order to bring all the different/contradictory

rules
together. For example, under "Spells of Variable Power Levels," p.252, the last two
sentences
say, "Also, when beginning to create magical items, become familiar with the Dispel
Magic
spell description (in Chapter 3). It describes what happens to permanent items when
struck
with Dispel Magic spells." However, on page 48 it just says, "Dispel Magic will not
affect a
magical item (such as a scroll, a magical sword, etc.)." But then on p.255, it
states under
"Dispel Magic Attacks" that a magical item (a magical flying ship, no less) CAN be
deactivated
for 1-10 rounds if a Dispel Magic spell successfully affects it.
So, bringing all these rules together, and mostly using the Dispel Magic/Touch
Dispel
description from the Master DM's Book, p.6, along with a little inspiration from
Anti-Magic
effects on p.143, here's my suggestion for the spell:
Dispel Magic
------------
This spell is an extremely powerful tool when used by high-level casters. Note
the
following guidelines for its use.
When a Dispel is cast, its impact on each spell effect within the area must be
considered.
Any spell effect created by another character of a level equal to or less than the
caster of
the Dispel is automatically and instantly destroyed. A spell effect created by a
higher level
caster might not be destroyed but the chance of the dispel failing is only 5% per
difference
in the casters' levels.
Special note: Dispel Magic cannot dispel Curses, Quests, or Geas effects.
Although Dispel Magic can't destroy magical items in its area of effect, it CAN
affect a
magical item's ability to produce spells or spell-like effects (a weapon's pluses
are not
affected). A magic item may resist the dispel effect equal to its inherent magic
level as
defined below. If the Dispel Magic is successful, the item cannot be activated for
1-10
rounds, although it remains magical. Also apply the rules below for a magical item
inside a
non-magical container; within a Dispel's area of effect, a magical item in a
backpack is less
likely to be affected than an item out in the open. You would normally only need to
check an
item if a character intends to use it within 10 rounds (so you don't end up rolling
for every
magical item a character is carrying). For any item to be affected, it must be
completely
within Dispel's 20' x 20' x 20' volume.
Note that Dispel Magic spells produced from a Ring of Spell Storage are treated
as if the
caster were 5th level (if a Magic-User spell) or 8th level (if a Clerical spell).
A staff of dispelling produces its effect as if a 15th-level caster. It has the
additional
power of destroying temporary magical items, and even temporarily deactivating
permanent
magical items, if it touches the object.
The DM may decide to optionally add this effect to the spell use. The caster
could then
cast Dispel Magic in concentrated form, so that it remains on the caster's
fingertips until an
object is touched. This altered form is called a Touch Dispel, and is treated as if
a reversed
spell, even though the effect is not the reverse. A Magic-User must memorize the
spell in this
special form for it to be usable in this way; a Cleric may alter the casting of any
Dispel
Magic already memorized.
Touching any creature or object releases the effect. The Touch Dispel cannot be
suppressed.
The effect can itself be dispelled if not immediately released. The spell effect
vanishes from
the fingertips in one turn if not used within that time. The touch dispel also
vanishes if the
caster attempts to cast another spell (both spells are negated).
Touch Dispel can affect only one magical item. If two or more items are touched
at the same
instant, the one affected is determined randomly.
Touch Dispel is subject to the same chance of failure as the normal form of the
spell (5%
per level difference against items made by higher-level casters).
Effects on Items
----------------
A Touch Dispel may destroy any temporary magical item or temporarily deactivate
any
permanent magical item. A magic item may resist the dispel effect equal to its
inherent magic
level as defined below.
A magical item within a non-magical container can be affected if the container
is touched,
but the container doubles the level of the magical item. Multiple non-magical
containers each
double the magical item's level. Touch Dispel can never be transmitted more than 5
feet
through such multiple containers. For example, a potion is normally found in a
vial. If the
potion liquid is touched, its listed value of 6th level is used, but if the vial is
touched,
the potion within is treated as 12th-level magic. If the vial is within a backpack
and that
backpack is touched, the magic is treated as 24th level.
If a non-magical container holds two or more magical items, only one item can be
affected
by a Touch Dispel applied to the container. The item affected is determined
randomly.
If a magical container is subjected to a Touch Dispel, it is the recipient of
the effect,
and any items it contains are not affected.
Specific Item Notes

-------------------
Potion: Treat as 6th-level magic. If the Touch Dispel succeeds, the magic is
destroyed,
leaving a flavored, colored, non-magical liquid.
Scroll: A scroll is given an effective level equal to the spellcaster level at

which the
highest-level spell contained may first he cast (but a minimum of 6th level; see
entry for
page 235 about Scrolls). Success destroys all the spells on the scroll, but not the
parchment
itself; failure means that no change occurs. Individual spells cannot be removed in
this way;
all the spells either remain or vanish.
Wand or Staff: These charged items are treated as 12th-level magic. If the Touch
Dispel
succeeds, the item is deactivated (becomes non-magical) for 1-10 rounds, AND a
number of
charges equal to the caster's level are drained from the item. If the number of
charges
reaches zero, the magic is gone, leaving a non-magical item.
Permanent Item: This category includes rods, rings, armor, shields, and weapons.
If the
item creator's level is known, that level is used. Otherwise permanent items are
treated as
18th level magic, unless the item description specifies otherwise. In addition, one
level is
gained per plus and per each additional power. If the Touch Dispel succeeds, the
item is
deactivated (becomes non-magical) for 1-10 rounds. The item's powers resume after
this
duration.
Miscellaneous Magic: If the item creator's level is known, that level is used.
Otherwise
treat it as a permanent item (18th level) unless the DM decides it is an ancient or
powerful
item (for example, Undersea Boat, Elemental Summoning devices, Efreeti Bottle,
Slate of
Identification, Wheel of Fourtune, etc.) in which case treat it as 36th-level
magic. If the
item has a number of charges, apply the procedure given for wands and staves,
above. If not
charged, it is a permanent item. If the item is destroyed in the course of its one
and only
use (such as an egg of wonder), it is considered to have one charge.
Undead: The description for the Animate Dead spell indicates that animated
Skeletons and
Zombies can be destroyed by Dispel Magic. If the level of the animator is known,
that level is
used as the creature's inherent magic level for the purpose of resisting the
Dispel.
Otherwise, Skeletons and Zombies should be treated as a minimum of 8th level magic
if animated
by a Cleric, or 9th level if animated by a Magic-User (these are the minimum levels
needed to
cast Animate Dead). Only animated Skeletons and Zombies are susceptible to Dispel;
more
powerful types of undead are unaffected.
Created Creatures: Any creatures created by spells such as Create Normal

Monsters, Create
Magical Monsters, Create Any Monster, or Create Normal Animals can be dispelled
like any other
spell effect. They can also be blocked by Protection From Evil or Anti-Magic Shell
spell
effects (see the last paragraph of the Create Any Monster spell, page 59).
Constructs: You might allow Dispel Magic to affect magically animated Constructs
as well,
since these are akin to "permanent magic items." As is usual, a standard Dispel
would only
prevent a Construct from activating spell-like abilities for 1-10 rounds, while a
Touch Dispel
could temporarily deactivate the Construct, causing it to remain motionless for 1-
10 rounds.
If the Construct creator's level is known, that level is used as the creature's
inherent magic
level. Constructs should be treated as a minimum of 18th level, or the HD of the
Construct,
whichever is greater.
The Undead Beholder is the only listed construct that should be immune to Dispel
Magic; see
the entry for page 253.
====================================================================
Page 49, Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Confusion, Dimension Door:
====================================================================
Protection from Evil 10' Radius

-------------------------------
There are some uncertainties in the wording of this spell, but Frank Mentzer has
given
clarifications as to how it should function.
First, for determining what creatures are affected, it works just like the
Invisibility
10' Radius spell (top of the same page); ALL creatures within 10' of the caster at
the time of
casting are protected. If a creature moves more than 10' away from the caster, he
will lose
his protection, and cannot regain it by returning to the area. Note that the "10'
radius" only
describes the area for determining who is protected by the spell; it's is not an
actual
barrier that prevents any enemies from entering the area.
Next, you should just disregard the statement that says the spell protects
against attacks
from monsters of a different alignment than the caster. That functionality was from
earlier
versions of D&D, and (based on Frank Mentzer's comments) was probably accidentally
slipped
into the Expert Rulebook by an editor, then carried over into the Cyclopedia. The
definition
of "evil" for this spell is much broader, similarly to the Detect Evil spell (i.e.,
from the
caster's perspective, any creature that wants to harm him is evil).
So, the -1 penalty to hit will apply to ALL attacks (as correctly stated later
in the
spell) made by non-protected creatures against those who are protected. The +1
bonus likewise
applies to all Saving Throws resulting from effects produced by non-protected
creatures, or
other environmental hazards.
Note that the spell will NOT protect any of the protected creatures from each
other. If an
enemy is inside the area of effect when the spell is cast, it becomes one of the
protected
creatures, meaning it can freely attack any of the other protected creatures
without penalty!
All other aspects of the spell remain the same (e.g., a non-protected Enchanted
creature is
prevented from touching the protected creatures, unless it is first attacked by one
of them).
Confusion
---------
The Unofficial Errata points out that, indeed, the description of the Confusion
spell is
very confusing!
A few mechanics can be borrowed from the Sleep spell. The DM should roll 3d6 to
find the
total number of creatures that will be affected. The spell will then affect that
many
creatures at a time, maximum, if they are within the stationary area of effect,
starting with
the lowest HD creatures. If creatures move into or out of the affected area, they
become
included/excluded from the spell's effect.
Dimension Door
--------------
The description of this spell may be a bit unclear, making it sound like a
limited version
of the Teleport spell, but the duration of "1 round" rather than "instantaneous"
indicates
that it functions differently. This can be explained by saying that it actually
creates a
small portal (a "Dimension Door," as the name states) that will remain open for one
round, or
until one creature steps through it.
When used on an unwilling recipient, the caster causes the portal to appear
right on top of
the target. If the target creature makes its Saving Throw, that indicates the
creature jumped
away before the portal fully formed. However, the portal will remain open for one
full round,
leaving the possibility that it could still be used.
The caster could likewise cause the portal to appear right on top of himself,
leaving no
chance for anyone to stop him from entering it once the spell is successfully cast.
The "1 round" duration also leaves the possibility that this spell can be made
permanent
(via the Permanence spell).
========================================
Page 50, Polymorph Spells, Remove Curse:
========================================
Polymorph Self, Other

---------------------
As the Unofficial Errata points out, the rules never specifically say whether or
not these
spells affect the equipment carried by the recipient. Taken from AD&D, "When the
polymorph
occurs, the caster's equipment, if any, melds into the new form (in particularly
challenging
campaigns, the DM may allow protective devices, such as a ring of protection, to
continue
operating effectively)." This can also be applied to any shape-changing spell or
potion
(growth, diminution, elemental form, etc.), unless the effect description
specifically says
otherwise (as with the Potion of Gaseous Form).
For some guidelines on what magical equipment might continue to function, see
the entry for
page 150b about Changing Form.
Also, the Polymorph Self spell doesn't state this, but you should borrow from
the
description of Shapechange, p.60, "The caster may change shape at will during the
spell's
duration; each change requires a full round of concentration." This can also be
inferred
because the potion of Polymorph Self likewise states that the user can change shape
once per
round.
Remove Curse
------------
The Player's Guide to Immortals, p.20, states that this spell is ineffective if
the creator
or caster of the Curse has (or had) more Hit Dice (or levels) than the caster of
Remove Curse.
==============================================
Page 51, Wall of Fire, Animate Dead, Dissolve:
==============================================
Wall of Fire
------------
The extremely limited duration of this spell makes it a rather undesirable

choice. It is
suggested that the duration be extended to "Concentration + 1 Turn." i.e., The
spell will last
for as long as the caster maintains concentration on it, and once his concentration
is broken
or stopped (for whatever reason), the spell will continue to function for 1 Turn
after that.
Animate Dead
------------
(See the entry for page 36.)
Note that the description for Animate Dead here was just copied from the Cleric
section, so
substitute "Magic-User" each time the description says "Cleric." Also keep in mind
that a
Magic-User wouldn't view animating the dead in quite the same way as a Cleric
would; the
Magic-User's Animate Dead spell in the Expert rulebook didn't contain the last
sentence that
applies to Lawful Clerics being careful about the use of this spell. That doesn't
mean a
Lawful Magic-User wouldn't have other reasons, such as respect for the dead or the
living
relatives, for being careful about the use of this spell, but he probably wouldn't
view it as
"evil" in the same way a Cleric might.
Dissolve
--------
From the Unofficial Errata, "The spell's range, as first noted in its
description, is 120'.
The second value mentioned later in its description, 240', is incorrect."
It's actually the Druid version of the spell that has a 240' range.
======================================================================
Page 52, Hold Monster, Telekinesis, Passwall, Wall of Stone, Woodform:
======================================================================
Hold Monster
------------
Frank Mentzer has stated that this spell, like the Hold Person spell, is
supposed to affect
up to 4 creatures when cast at a group (i.e., the caster selects the number of
creatures
affected, up to 4), not a random roll of "1d4" creatures.
Telekinesis
-----------
It is suggested that the duration of this spell be extended to "1 Round per
level of the
Caster," since "6 rounds" is too limited in comparison to the Ring of Telekinesis,
which,
although it isn't as effective, has an unlimited duration.
Passwall
--------
A character who gets trapped in a reappearing Passwall effect doesn't actually

die
instantly. Since the spell doesn't affect living matter, the stone reappears around
him,
trapping him in place. He will then suffocate normally, unless somehow freed (by
another
Passwall or a Dissolve spell, etc.).
To determine how long it takes the unfortunate character to suffocate, use the
rules for
drowning on page 89-90.
Also, the Player's Guide to Immortals, page 20, says, "Though this can never in
itself
inflict damage, this may cause a collapse of surrounding matter and the collapse
may have
damaging effects. The chance of collapse is equal to the percentage of the
supporting base
material removed by the effect."
Wall of Stone
-------------
The notes about Stoneform in the entry for page 54 apply here as well; this
spell produces
the same volume of stone.
Woodform
--------
Based on the "Wall, Wooden" listed on page 137, a structure created by a

Woodform spell
should have 30 Hit Points for each spell used. See the notes about Stoneform in the
entry for
page 54 for details (the Cyclopedia makes the same miscalculation here). Also see
page 115-116
for notes on damaging wood structures.
===================================
Page 53, Disintegrate, Lower Water:
===================================
Disintegrate
------------
If a creature is Disintegrated, its equipment is unaffected (D&D FAQ, p.56).
Lower Water
-----------
"The maximum depth of the 'hole' in the water is 500 feet." - Players' Guide to
Immortals,
page 19.
=================================================
Page 54, Stone to Flesh, Stoneform, Wall of Iron:
=================================================
Stone to Flesh
--------------
Everyone understands the use of this spell to restore a petrified character, but
what would
happen if you turn normal stone to flesh? I suggest that it simply creates an Ochre
Jelly
(p.198), which is described as a giant amoeba, which is a single-celled organism,
and a cell
counts as flesh. Of course, the Jelly will likely attack the closest living
creature... but
that's still a way to get past stone walls....
If the volume of stone is much less than a full 10' x 10' x 10', just use the
stats for the
smaller Jellies (in the case of a human-sized statue that was mistaken for a
petrified
character and became the recipient of this spell, for example).
See the entry for page 154 for further notes on petrification.
Stoneform
---------
The last paragraph should be mostly disregarded.... A wall does have an AC of

-4 against
missile attacks, and an AC of 6 against melee attacks, but to determine the Hit
Points, you
can't JUST look at the thickness of the wall... you have to consider the total
volume. The
Cyclopedia makes the mistake of saying that a stone wall will have 100 Hit Points
for each 1'
of thickness, but it is getting that information from page 137 by noting that a 5'
thick stone
wall has 500 HP.... HOWEVER, it is a 20' high wall that is 100' long that has a
total of 500
HP! A mere 10' section of that wall (20' x 5' x 10', which equals 1000 cubic feet
-- the same
volume of stone this spell will create) would have 50 Hit Points. So a Stoneform
spell should
create a volume of stone that has 50 Hit Points. When sections are joined together
with
multiple Stoneform spells each section will have 50 Hit Points. If you used 10
Stoneform
spells to create the same 100' length of wall as listed on page 137, it would
indeed have a
total of 500 Hit Points.
See page 115-116 for notes on damaging stone structures.
Wall of Iron
------------
The Players Companion book, p.21, states that the thickness of the wall should
be 2" not
2' (two inches, not two feet). Also check the Ironform spell (p.55) which uses the
same
dimensions.
The information about structural damage is actually on pages 115-116, not page
118,
however, there is really no information about damaging an iron structure. The
description of
Wall of Iron from the Players Companion, page 21, says, "The wall can only be
damaged by
battering. Giants inflict 1 point of battering damage per blow, and certain other
creatures
might damage it in other ways." This seems to indicate that all battering attacks
will only
inflict 1 point of damage per blow (including attacks from siege weapons, such as
rams or
catapults). Most other attacks and spells aren't even going to dent a wall of solid
iron.
The table on page 137 shows that a typical wall has an AC of -4 against missile
attacks,
and an AC of 6 against melee attacks.
====================================================================
Page 55, Ironform, Lore, Mass Invisibility, Power Word Stun, Statue:
====================================================================
Ironform
--------
The Fortifications Table does not actually give details about iron structures. I
would just
ignore the figures given here, and treat each separate Ironform spell the same as a
Wall of
Iron (see above), giving each section of a structure (i.e., each section that was
created by a
separate Ironform spell) Hit Points equal to the caster's level. The structure
takes damage
only from battering attacks, which do 1 point of damage per blow.
The table on page 137 shows that a typical wall has an AC of -4 against missile
attacks,
and an AC of 6 against melee attacks.
Lore
----
In the second paragraph, the number of days needed to complete the spell is not
supposed to
be rolled randomly on 1d100, but rather chosen by the DM. The Players Companion
book, page 22,
notes, "the spell may take 1-100 days to complete, depending on the number of
details already
known."
I would also suggest adopting restrictions such as from the AD&D spell Legend
Lore, "During
the casting, the wizard cannot engage in activities other than the routine: eating,
sleeping,
etc." Frank Mentzer also indicates that use of this spell (for things other than an
object
being held) often involves research at the library or other at information sources.
Mass Invisibility
-----------------
The Cyclopedia omits a small note from the The Players Companion, page 22, which
states
that a horse is treated as 2 men when determining the number of creatures affected.
Power Word Stun

---------------
In the Players Companion, page 22, there was an error in the listed "Duration"
of the
spell, saying "Turns" rather than "Rounds." The paragraph describing the spell's
effect,
however, stated the duration in "Rounds" twice. The Cyclopedia kept the error and
also copied
it into the description of the spell. Frank Mentzer has stated that the duration
is, in fact,
supposed to be in Rounds, not Turns.
Statue
------
"The AC -4 given for the statue form supercedes the character's Armor Class, for
better or
worse." - Player's Guide to Immortals, page 20.
The Cyclopedia is a little vague in the last sentence. The Players Companion,
page 23,
actually says, "The caster receives +2 to initiative when changing form."
Basically, if the
caster declares that he is changing form during the Intentions step (see entry for
page 102a
about Order of Combat), he gets a +2 to his initiative roll. Changing form does
count as the
players action for the round though, so he won't be able to suddenly change back
from statue
form and then attack in the same round.
Additionally, I suggest that certain effects from spells and equipment could
continue to
function even in petrified form; see the entry for page 150b about Changing Form.
==============================
Page 58, Polymorph any Object:
==============================
Completely disregard the last paragraph. It was not found in the Players
Companion book,
and as Frank Mentzer said, it wimps the spell out.
====================
Page 59, Gate, Heal:
====================
Gate
----
The name of a resident of the Plane is not needed when opening a Gate to the
Ethereal,
Astral, or Elemental Planes; it's only needed when opening a Gate to an Outer Plane
(Players
Companion, page 26).
Heal
----
See the entry for page 38 for additional notes about Cureall, which apply to
Heal as well.
=====================
Page 60, Shapechange:
=====================
As noted here, when the caster is in the form of a bipedal humaniod, he can cast
spells
from his memory. However, there was a phrase added, "he can't cast from scrolls or
his spell
book," which didn't appear in the original spell description from the Players
Companion. I
believe this to be the result of sloppy editing, and should be ignored for a couple
reasons.
First, you don't "cast" spells from scrolls or spellbooks at all. A scroll is a
magic item
that is used by reading it, which releases a magical charge. And a spellbook is
studied in
order to memorize spells; you can't cast spells directly from it.
Also (to paraphrase Frank Mentzer), if the Magic-User is able to cast spells
when in the
form of a bipedal humanoid, then he is considered a bipedal humanoid Magic-User.
This
indicates that he can still use magic items restricted to the Magic-User class,
including
scrolls.
==============
Page 61, Wish:
==============
Some of the information here was obviously copied from the Cleric version of the
spell. The
correct information for Magic-Users can be found in the Master Players Book, page
10. A Magic-
User must have an 18 Intelligence (not Wisdom) to cast Wish. And unlike Clerics, a
Magic-User
may cast Wish starting at level 33 (not 36).
The Rules Cyclopedia also left out some guidelines that were found in the Master
Players'
Book, "A Wish can be used, if the DM desires, to gain the use of a magic item for a
short
time. Generally, any magic item gained is borrowed from somewhere else, not
created. Artifacts
are beyond the power of Wishes. The caster may usually produce any item up to +5
enchantment.
The item will remain for only 1-6 turns."
Also, the paragraph that begins, "If one character casts a Wish to change
another's
character class," is supposed to be part of the preceding paragraph, and is
supposed to be
about changing another's RACE. There is no mention that it is possible to change
Class alone
with a Wish; it's only discussed as a side effect of changing the character's race.
It is also
noted, "Once a character's race is changed, two Wishes are needed to reverse the
effect, and
further changes each require double the previous number of Wishes used (4, 8, 16,
etc.)."
In regard to things that are normally unchangeable "even with a Wish," the
Master Players'
Book adds, "However, multiple Wishes may succeed (DM's choice) where one Wish would
not."
The Book of Marvelous Magic, page 2, also notes that a Wish can be used to
identify a magic
item, revealing all command words for the item at once. The true nature of a cursed
item,
however, will not be revealed (see notes about cursed items in the entry for page
228).
As an option, similarly to how Wishing for treasure costs the caster Experience
Points, you
might want to charge the caster like 5,000 xp (or more) for casting other powerful,
permanent
Wish spells (though it's probably not necessary for Wishes with temporary effects),
especially
in the case of allowing a spellcaster to use multiple Wishes to permanently raise
his ability
scores.... So, for example, if the caster wanted to raise a score from 14 to 15, he
could be
charged 5,000 xp for each Wish spell he casts in the process, for a total cost of
75,000 xp.
======================
Page 62-63, Equipment:
======================
Money
-----
The Unofficial Errata gives good advice here. The money conversion chart is not
as clear as
it could be. It's more clear if you write down these values next to the
abbreviations:
platinum pieces = pp = 5 gp
gold pieces = gp = 1 gp
electrum pieces = ep = 1/2 gp
silver pieces = sp = 1/10 gp
copper pieces = cp = 1/100 gp
Encumbrance
-----------
The Rules Cyclopedia kind of glosses over the explanation for encumbrance. The
Expert
Rulebook, page 21, says, "Note that the encumbrance of an item is not always the
same as the
weight. It includes how awkward the item is to carry. A 10' wooden pole, for
example
(encumbrance 100 cn), weighs about 40 cn but cannot be as easily carried as 40
coins."
Missile Fire Devices

--------------------
As stated in item "a" of the Weapon Table Notes on page 63, the encumbrance of a
standard
load of ammunition is included in the listed encumbrance of each Missile Device.
This was the
convention used, for simplicity, back in the Expert Rulebook, but it only makes
things more
confusing now, especially with the even-more-confusing Ammunition Table on page 63.
Separating
the weapon and ammunition encumbrance values and revising the Ammunition Table will
make
things easier to keep track of.
Additionally, the cost of a load of Arrows or Quarrels includes a Quiver, the
cost of a
Sling includes 30 stones, and the cost of a Blowgun includes 5 darts.... I'll
separate those
costs as well.
Also, the listed encumbrance of sling stones can't be correct.... A Sling plus
30 stones
weights 20 cn. According to the values given in the Ammunition Table, a load of 30
stones
weighs 6 cn, meaning the sling must weigh 14 cn.... I'll adjust these weights with
more
reasonable numbers.
For easy reference, here are the values that should be corrected in the Weapon
Table:
______________________________
Weapon Cost Enc.

------------------------------
Bow, Short 10
Bow, Long 20
Crossbow, Light 40
Crossbow, Heavy 70
Sling 1 3
Blowgun, up to 2' 2 5
Blowgun, 2'+ 5 14
_______________________________
And here's a revised Ammunition Table:
____________________________________________________________
Ammunition Table
____________________________________________________________
Cost Enc. Standard Load Load

Type Each Each Load Cost Enc.
------------------------------------------------------------
Blowgun Dart 2 sp 1/5 cn 5 1 gp 1 cn
Arrow 2 sp 1/2 cn 20 5 gp* 10 cn
Silver Arrow 5 gp 1/2 cn - - -
Quarrel 3 sp 1/3 cn 30 10 gp* 10 cn
Silver Quarrel 5 gp 1/3 cn - - -
Sling Stone 2 cp 1/2 cn 30 1 gp** 17 cn**
Silver Pellet 1 gp 1/2 cn - - -
____________________________________________________________
* Load Cost includes the price of a Quiver. A loaded Quiver only weighs 10 cn.
** Load Cost includes the price of a cheap Beltpouch, which also adds 2 cn to the
Load Enc.
=================================================
Page 62-66, etc. Fixing Weapon Size Restrictions:
=================================================
This is the most "house rules" type of thing I have put in this document (so
I've included
a detailed explaination too), but something is needed to fix a lot of
contradictions and
ambiguities in the restriction of weapons based on size for Demi-Humans.
I'll just state the recommended changes and new rules first, then give a
description of why
I've made these changes, and some examples of how they work.
-------------------
Remember that:
Humans and Elves can use any size weapon, up to Large.

Dwarves can use any size weapon up to Medium.
Halflings can only use size Small weapons.
Changes:
On the Weapon Tables, p.62, and the Weapon Mastery tables, p.78-79, change the
Spear and
Bastard Sword to size Medium weapons, and change the Short Bow and Javelin to size
Small
weapons.
Just to add credibility to these changes, the 1991 Dungeons & Dragons Game
Rulebook, p.13,
lists Spear as size Medium, and Short Bow as Small. And I'll cite AD&D as having
the Bastard
Sword as size Medium, which makes sense, because it is lighter and more balanced
than a two-
handed sword. I have no reference for the Javelin, but things will work out better
if the
Javelin is considered size Small, since it quite light, and usable by small races.
Weapon
"sizes" didn't even appear until the Master's set, in the Weapon Mastery table, and
aside from
limiting what race can use a weapon, the size of a weapon affects little else....
So these are
just minor changes.
New Rules:
One-Handed weapons that are one size larger than normally allowed for a race,
may be used
with two hands, and are treated as a Two-Handed weapon for that race (always lose
initiative
against One-Handed weapons).
Two-Handed weapons which are one size larger than normally allowed, may be used
as a Two-
Handed weapon with -3 to hit, and will lose initiative even against other Two-
Handed weapons
that are being wielded normally.
-------------------
With those changes, everything will work out. You can apply these rules to other
small
races as well, or even to humans that find Giant-Sized weapons.
Now, here are all the problems that these changes will fix....
A lot of the weapon restrictions for Dwarves and Halflings are ambiguous or
contradictory.
Examples:
RC p.26 says A Halfling can use any small melee weapon and may use Short Bows
and Light
Crossbows. It also says Halflings can Set Spear vs. Charge.
RC p.62 lists Spear as a Large weapon (Halflings can't use large weapons) and
also lists
the Bastard Sword as Large, but the note on p.62 for a Bastard Sword in 1H mode
says that
Halflings and other small creatures CAN use it. The short bow has the 2H note,
which says
Halflings can't use it.
RC p.64, the description of a Light Crossbow says that Halflings cannot use it.
RC p.66, the descriptions of a Bastard Sword says that Halflings cannot use it.
Likewise, a Dwarf is only supposed to be able to use Medium-sized weapons or

smaller, but
on p.65 in the description of Polearms (which are Large, Two-Handed weapons), it
says Dwarves
can use them... it also says Dwarves get a -3 penalty to hit with them.
Also remember a Spear is listed as a size Large weapon... which should prevent a
Dwarf from
using it, even though Dwarves can also Set Spear vs. Charge.
So... I tried to tie up these loose ends while changing as little as possible to
the rules,
and this system makes everything fit into place nicely.
Some specific weapon notes:
The Lance is a Large, One-Handed weapon, but can only be used from horseback, so
these
rules don't apply to it (see the page 64 entry for Lance).
For Small creatures, a Light Crossbow can be used Two-Handed, but reloads as a
Heavy
Crossbow (no -3 to hit for them though, because it normally can be fired One-
Handed, even
though it takes two hands to reload).
The Bastard Sword has two different modes of use. It's treated as two separate
weapons on
the Weapon Mastery table, so just determine which mode (1H or 2H) is being
attempted, and
apply the appropriate rule. A Bastard sword used by a Small creature in 1H mode
requires Two
Hands to use, but doesn't suffer the initiative loss penalty (this is a special
property of
the Bastard Sword, even in 2H mode). But if the Small creature shifts its grip and
tries to
use it in 2H mode (using more of the blade's weight in the swing) he gets the -3 to
hit and
loss of initiative penalties (This was partially inspired by some Sage Advice
columns from
Dragon Magazine about Small creatures using a Bastard Sword in AD&D).
For the former contradictions:

A Dwarf can use a Spear normally, no problem.
A Dwarf can also use Polearms the same as before, with the -3 penalty to hit
(the -3
penalty in my new rules was taken directly from the Dwarf's use of the Polearm).
A Halfling can use a Spear Two-Handed, and thus can Set it vs. a Charge. I'd
rule that he
couldn't throw it though, but he could use it One-Handed when mounted; basically,
the Spear is
now used like a Lance for Halflings (see entry for page 67).
A Halfling can use a Bastard Sword in 1H mode, using both his hands, and as
usual for a
Bastard Sword, he doesn't automatically lose initiative.
And a Halfling can use a Light Crossbow, but unless he has 18 Strength, he can
only fire it
once every 2 rounds (reloads Two-Handed, as if it were a Heavy Crossbow for him).
BUT, this does open up a few additional possibilities for Halflings and Dwarves
(and
Goblins, and Kobolds...):
A Halfling can use a normal sword as a human would use a Two-Handed sword.
A Dwarf could use a Two-Handed sword with a -3 penalty to hit, just as he uses a
Polearm.
A Halfling could use a Battle Axe(!), Two-Handed with a -3 penalty to hit
(Battle Axe being
a size Medium, Two-Handed weapon).
And a Dwarf could try to fire a Longbow, with a -3 penalty.
I don't have any problems with this... as it would still be very rare, I think,
and it's
not going to unbalance the game or anything.
Now the question may come up about Weapon Mastery. Demi-Humans get Basic mastery
with all
weapons that aren't restricted from their class.
So if a Halfling had no choice but to pick up a Battle Axe, or the Dwarf had to
try to take
a shot with a Longbow, what Mastery would apply?
Well, I don't have any problems with allowing them to still have their Basic
Mastery with
any weapon they can actually try to use....
When you think about it, even a Halfling lives twice as long as a human, so if a
human
Fighter were starting out at 1st Level at age 18, then a Halfling might be starting
out at 1st
Level at age 36.
It only takes one week to gain Basic Mastery of a weapon. It's pretty easy to
imagine that
during his 36 years, a Halfing may have taken 1 week to play around with a Battle
Axe, even
though he never expects to use it again. Surely there might be Halfling
lumberjacks? heh
Remember that these rules in no way apply to the class-based weapon restrictions
for human
classes, like Magic-Users and Thieves.
===================
Page 63, Blackjack:
===================
The third paragraph gives an example indicating that a character using a

Blackjack can
attempt to hit his opponent's head in combat by taking a -4 penalty To Hit. This
was not
stated in the Player's Companion, p.5, where it says the Blackjack must target the
head or
neck, but the attack is made against the normal Armor Class of the victim, so I
recommend not
using the -4 penalty. Further, the Companion set did not indicate that a metal helm
or low AC
would make a creature immune to the special effects of the Blackjack. A successful
Hit Roll is
supposed to indicate that the target's armor has been bypassed or overcome, and if
that
happens then the special effects should apply, so I recommend not using this change
either.
Next, since the Blackjack is almost a throw-away weapon when Weapon Mastery is
used (Weapon
Mastery choices are much better spent on other weapons, and a character can just
attempt to
make an unarmed Strike to knockout an opponent instead of spending training on a
Blackjack), I
recommend making a change. Instead of using the values given in the Weapon Mastery
table for
the increasing penalties to the victim's Saving Throw (ranging from -1 to -4 at
Grand Master
level), apply a penalty equal to the actual damage inflicted by the Blackjack,
including any
magical bonuses of the weapon, but not including the wielder's Strength bonuses to
damage.
For example, at Basic level the Blackjack will inflict 1-2 damage. This will
cause the
victim struck in the head to make his Saving Throw with a -1 to -2 penalty,
depending on the
damage rolled for the Blackjack. This value can even be doubled by a Thief's
Backstab....
Remember the victim will still get the standard bonus to his Saving Throw based
on his
level, as is usual for the Blackjack.
=================================
Page 64, Bola, Holy Water, Lance:
=================================
Bola
----
The Bola uses Non-Standard Targeting; see the entry for page 105 about Non-
Standard
Targeting. However, no damage can be inflicted if the Hit Roll is not high enough
to hit the
standard AC of the target.
From the Master Player's Book, page 17, "If the target of a bola attack gains an
Armor
Class bonus for cover, the bonus also applies to the victim's saving throw against
the bola's
effects, making it easier to avoid them."
"Bolas are awkward to carry and may become tangled. for each additional bola
carried, the
encumbrance of the bolas triples: first bola = 5 cn, second bola = 15 cn, third
bola = 45 cn,
etc."
Note how the Cyclopedia changed the wording of the last paragraph. An example of
the
correct interpretation (as verified by Frank Mentzer): if a character is carrying 2
bolas, the
first one counts as 5 cn and the second one counts as 15 cn, for a total of 20 cn.
Holy Water
----------
The Master Player's Book, p.19, indicates that Holy Water can also damage "evil
enchanted
creatures." It's the DM's option to decide what creatures might be included. Evil
planar
creatures such as the Malfera or Efreeti are obvious candidates for this, but other
common
evil enchanted creatures, such as a Gargoyle, probably wouldn't be included.
Lance
-----
The description of the Lance here gets a little vague in some places. Just
remember that:
A lance may normally ONLY be used from the back of a mount. It only requires one
hand to
wield when mounted.
The one exception is that it may be Set vs. a Charge while on foot. When used in
this way,
it should really be treated as a Two-Handed weapon.
In the case of a flying mount, the lance may either be attached to the saddle or
not
attached. If it is attached, you can't gain defense bonuses from it. If it's not
attached, you
can't let go of it without losing it....
==============================================
Page 65, Net, Burning Oil, Rock/Tossed Object:
==============================================
Net
---
The Net uses Non-Standard Targeting; see the entry for page 105 about Non-
Standard
Targeting.
Oil, Burning
------------
A flask of oil, when broken or poured out on the floor (intentionally, or as the
result of
a missed throw at a monster, etc.) will form a puddle 3' in diameter (or if poured
out
carefully, a total of 9 square feet in any shape). If lit by fire, it will burn for
10 rounds.
Anything standing in or attempting to cross the burning oil will take 1d8 damage
per round of
exposure. Also apply the Ignite rule from page 80. Yes, if you are wearing
flammable clothing,
you might burn for longer than the standard 2 rounds for being covered in oil, at
reduced
damage. Once the oil burns out though, if your clothes caught fire, the flames can
be
extinguish after one full round by beating at them or rolling on the ground.
These rules were pieced together from various sources.
Note that a flask of oil does not need to penetrate armor in order to be
effective; see the
entry for page 105 about Non-Standard Targeting.
Rock, Thrown
------------
Thrown Rocks (along with flasks of oil and holy water) fall under the category
of "Tossed
Object" in the Weapon Mastery table. I recommend broadening that category to
include all
miscellaneous objects that are used as weapons of opportunity. This could include
anything
that that a PC uses to attack with that isn't a proper weapon, ranging from rocks,
sticks,
mugs, table knives, frying pans, tools, torches (see the entry for page 66 about
Torches),
etc.
The damage for any of these objects should really be no higher than 1d2 (so
reduce the
damage listed for a Thrown Rock on the Weapons Table, p.62).
Since these aren't proper weapons, they aren't specifically restricted based on
character
class. For example, a desperate Magic-User could pick up a rock, walking stick,
torch, or
utility knife and fight with it. Of course, a Cleric still isn't allowed to use any
edged
weapons....
When using a miscellaneous object as a weapon, everyone is treated as having
Basic Mastery
(refer to the Tossed Object entry in the Weapon Mastery table, p.79), but note that
it is not
possible to train to higher Mastery levels with any of these objects.
Although the entry in the Weapon Mastery table says, "Tossed Object," these
items can also
be used to make melee attacks (which will probably happen more often than tossing
them).
Rocks, flasks of oil/holy water, or pretty much any such miscellaneous object can
be held in
the hand and used as a melee weapon, but not every one of these objects will make
an effective
missile weapon. For example, a utility knife used as a weapon would would fall
within the
"Tossed Objects" listing in the Weapon Mastery table, but it would not be properly
weighted
for effective throwing, so could only be used in melee.
If some object is large enough to do up to 3 points of damage (or is much larger
than size
Small), I would no longer allow it to fall within this category, and instead treat
it as an
actual weapon that is smaller than full-sized. For example, a broken chair leg that
is heavy
enough to do 1-3 damage should be treated as a small Club, and any knife that is
capable of
doing 1-3 damage would be a small Dagger.... Weapon Mastery would then apply, along
with
class-based weapon restrictions.
An exception to this would be a miscellaneous object that is large enough to be
wielded
Two-Handed. In this case just apply the rules for Nonstandard Weapon Use from the
last
paragraph on page 66 of the Rules Cyclopedia. A shovel, for example, might be
wielded with
both hands, doing 2-3 damage (1d2 + 1), but would incur the usual penalties for
two-handed
weapon use.
===========================
Page 65-66, Shield Weapons:
===========================
Shield Weapons shouldn't be treated as shields; they are actually weapons that
can give
Weapon Mastery defense bonuses to your Armor Class. This will help tie up some of
the lose
ends regarding Shield Weapons.
For example, normally a Thief can't use a shield, yet the description of Shield
Weapons
indicates that Thieves can use them. Mystics are not mentioned here, but I think
this was an
oversight because Mystics weren't an official character class in the Master's Set,
when Shield
Weapons were introduced. However, Mystics also normally aren't allowed to use a
shield,
because they rely completely on their discipline for protection. But because
Mystics learn to
use ALL weapons, Shield Weapons should be allowed, just as they are for Thieves,
with the
following addendums:
Thieves are restricted from using the Tusked Shield, because it is a Two-Handed
melee
weapon.
When wielded by a Mystic or Thief, a Shield Weapon must be used as the primary
weapon, not
as an off-hand weapon. These characters may not use another weapon while using a
Shield Weapon
(in the case of two-weapon combat).
When a Shield Weapon is being used as a character's only weapon and no off-hand
attack is
being made, the character may still make one extra attack per round if the Shield
Weapon has
at least 2 blades which haven't broken off -- a second blade is needed to gain an
extra attack
after the normal attack(s) with the Shield Weapon. This also applies to Tusked
Shields. A
Horned Shield used alone, though, won't get an extra attack per round, because it
only has one
spike.
A Halfling, as per the rules for Weapon Size Restrictions (see entry for page
62-66), must
use both hands to properly wield a Sword Shield because it is size Medium. He would
then get
two attacks per round (like human using a Tusked Shield) as long as there are at
least two
blades on the shield, as stated above.
Shield Weapons are also noted as being awkward. This makes them more difficult
to defend
with than a standard shield. And take note that on the Weapon Mastery table (p.77-
78) it is
indicated that a standard shield may not be used when using these weapons (they are
not marked
with the "star in a circle" symbol). It is possible to use two Shield Weapons at
the same time
though, but you would not be able to gain the AC bonus from both Shield Weapons
during a
round, and you would still gain only one extra attack each round (one attack from
each
weapon).
As with any other weapon, I would apply the suggested rule from the entry for
page 110 that
says when using any two weapons at the same time, one of them must be size Small.
This will
mean that when using the Sword Shield (size Medium), your other weapon will have to
be size
Small.
One thing to keep in mind is that since Shield Weapons are treated as weapons
rather than
shields, a Shield Weapon's defensive bonuses are considered Weapon Mastery defense
bonuses
rather than armor. So in the case of a magical Shield Weapon, the magical bonus
should not be
applied to the users Armor Class, but only to Hit Rolls and damage rolls with the
Shield
Weapon. The magical bonus is also added to rolls when checking for breakage, as
noted in the
third paragraph on page 66, though the last sentence of that paragraph should read,
"In
addition to magical modifiers, modify the roll by -1 per 10 points of maximum
damage possible
from the foe's attack."
If all the blades have broken off any Shield Weapon, any further breakage will
result in
the weapon becoming completely unusable, even for defending.
In the Master's Set, the number of blades on each Shield Weapon was specifically
listed in
the Weapon Mastery Table. For the most part, the number of blades on each shield
Weapon is
made clear in the descriptions in the Cyclopedia, but there may be some question
about the
Tusked Shield. It has a total of 1-5 blades (the center spike is treated just like
another
blade).
See the entry for page 110 about Two Weapons Combat and further notes about
Weapon Mastery
defense bonuses from Shield Weapons.
============================
Page 66, Staff, Torch, Whip:
============================
Staff
-----
Despite the statement that a Staff may be used by all classes, Thieves are
prohibited from
using any two-handed melee weapons, so may not use a Staff (the statement was
carried over
from page 19 of the Master Players' Book, which Frank Mentzer says was in error).
Torch
-----
I recommend ignoring the second paragraph, which states that Weapon Mastery with
a Club is
also Mastery with a Torch. The Torch weighs less than half of the Club's weight,
the Club is
size Medium while the Torch is size Small, and using an unlit torch as a bludgeon
only
inflicts 1-2 damage... so a Torch really isn't big enough to be considered a true
Club, it
wouldn't be used in quite the same manner, and it probably wouldn't stand up to
combat as well
(especially for deflecting blows).
Instead, I think the Torch should be placed into the category of a miscellaneous
object
used as a weapon, rather than being a true weapon. See the entry for page 65 about
Thrown
Rocks and miscellaneous Tossed Objects as weapons, and consider a Torch to fall
within that
category.
Note that when lit, a torch can be used inflict 1-4 points of non-modifiable
fire damage.
For example, Strength adjustments should not modify fire damage (but can still
apply to the
Hit Roll), nor should fire damage be adjusted, doubled, or halved by effects such
as Backstab,
Smash, etc. If the character prefers to use the torch as a bludgeon (doing 1-2
damage) rather
the trying to burn the opponent, then such adjustments can apply. If thrown, a
flaming torch
likewise does standard Tossed Object damage (1-2) rather than fire damage, but it
can ignite
flammable materials as well.
Whip
----
The Whip uses Non-Standard Targeting, but only when attacking to entangle; see
the entry
for page 105 about Non-Standard Targeting.
As with the Bola and Net, a victim who is Entangled, Slowed, or Delayed gets to
make a new
Saving Throw each round at the end of his Hand-to-Hand phase (see pages 80-81 for
further
details on these effects).
===============
Page 67, Spear:
===============
As an optional rule, a spear may also be used for the Lance Attack maneuver when
the
wielder is mounted (see entry for Page 104 about the Lance Attack). This would
allow a
Halfling to use the spear to perform a Lance Attack, since he is too small to use a
lance. If
you use this, then allow Halflings to use the spear with one hand while mounted,
like a lance
is used (see the entry for Page 64, The Lance), even though a Halfling will
normally need two
hands to use a spear (see entry for page 62-66 about Weapon Size Restrictions).
========================
Page 68, Armor, Barding:
========================
Note: any set of magical armor will weigh only half as much as normal (see entry
for page
242). This includes barding, but not shields.
I'd recommend that wearing Suit Armor should negate all Dexterity adjustments,
such as
bonuses to Armor Class or Missile Fire. This would include negating Dexterity
penalties to
your Armor Class or Missile Fire too, since your ability dodge is not even going to
come into
play when you are standing there in a sheath of metal, and you already get a -5
penalty to
Missile Fire when wearing Suit Armor (except when using a crossbow).
This next suggestion starts to go further into house-rule territory, but it's a
quick one,
so I'll throw it in.
Continuing with the above idea, as an option, you might decide to limit
Dexterity
adjustments for other heavy armor types too.... This will slightly offset the issue
where
Platemail armor is unquestionably the best for everyone who can wear it, and even a
suit of
magical Chainmail +1 is a throw-away item, because a normal suit of Platemail will
be better
in every case....
You can either limit just the Dexterity adjustments, or you can limit the
Dexterity score
itself (i.e., a person with a Dexterity of 16 or more will have his Dexterity
reduced to 15
whenever he's wearing a suit of Platemail).
Also included in this table are figures for how long it takes to put on a suit
of armor.
This can become important in situations where a character is in a hurry to get into
(or out
of) his armor, such as when being attacked in the middle of the night or needing to
shed armor
quickly when sinking in a lake.... The numbers I used follow the method given in
the AD&D
Wilderness Survival Guide, p.65, adjusted to conform to the armor system in Classic
D&D
(except Suit Armor, which is already covered on this page in the Cyclopedia).
_______________________________________________________
Armor Type Max Dex Adj. Effective Dex Time needed

+/- Min/Max to don*
-------------------------------------------------------
Suit Armor 0 9 12 2 Turns
Plate Mail 1 6 15 7 Rounds
Banded Mail 2 4 17 4 Rounds
Chain Mail 3 3 18 3 Rounds
Scale Mail no limit no limit 2 Rounds
Leather no limit no limit 1 Round
_______________________________________________________
* armor can be removed in half this time

_______________________________________________________
The Dexterity limitations work on the assumption that a heavy suit of armor will
somewhat
slow and restrict the movements of the wearer. That would include slowing and
restricting any
clumsy movements (we'll assume that if a clumsy person moves more slowly, he won't
fumble
around as much). So if a person with a very high Dexterity were wearing Platemail,
he could
only receive a +1 bonus for anything using Dexterity adjustments, and conversely,
if a person
with a very low Dexterity were wearing Platemail, he would, at worst, have a -1
penalty
applied. If you limit the Dexterity score itself, it will also apply toward
Dexterity checks
and the use of Dexterity-based skills, etc.
As you can see, for characters with very high Dexterity it becomes advantageous
to use
Banded or even Chainmail, which will also reduce their overall encumbrance. And
characters
with very low Dexterity will gain an advantage from wearing Platemail, which will
slow their
movements down enough to stabilize them a bit.
And while it might be reasonable to say that a person with a 5 Dexterity could
wear Suit
Armor and become more stable (gaining an effective Dexterity of 9) in typical
situations or
when making certain Dexterity checks (to avoid being Disarmed, thrown from a horse,
or losing
his balance on shaky ground, for example), remember that wearing such heavy armor
would cause
some Dexterity checks to be HEAVILY penalized (such as when trying to walk across a
tight-
rope).
Barding
-------
In the Sage Advice column from Dragon Magazine #123, someone asked what is the
point of
leather barding when a horse's natural AC is already 7. The sage suggested
decreasing the AC
value of each set of barding by 1 point. Frank Mentzer approves of this suggestion
as well.
Based on that, here is a revised table for barding, though I chose to leave
Joust armor at
its unaltered value, since AC 0 is already quite good.
____________________________
Barding Table
____________________________
Barding Cost Enc.

AC Type (gp) (cn)
----------------------------
6 Leather 40 250
5 Scale 75 400
4 Chain 150 600
3 Banded 400 1,500
2 Plate 500 3,000
1 Field 600 4,000
0 Joust 700 5,000
____________________________
Finally, contrary to what was stated in previous versions of this document, I

now believe
the numbers given in the barding example for how much a Griffon can carry are
correct. I
believe the error actually occurs in the monster description itself; see the entry
for page
181.
================================
Page 69, Adventuring Gear Table:
================================
Scrap that whole table, and use this one instead, taken from Dragon Magazine,
March 1993,
issue #191, and slightly edited by me.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________
D&D Game Adventuring Gear Table

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________
Item Description/Notes
Cost/Enc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Arrowhead For use when manufacturing arrows in the wild
1 sp/1
Backpack Capacity of 400 cn (40 lbs.)
5 gp/20
Backpack, explorer's Capacity of 800 cn (80 lbs.)
10 gp/80
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Backpack, waterproof Capacity of 300 cn (30 lbs.)
30 gp/60
Bandages Prevents further blood loss;
1 sp/1
enough for 1 character's wounds from 1 combat
Bedroll Heavy blanket and small pillow
1 gp/50
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Belt
2 sp/5*
Boots, riding Or swash-topped
5 gp/15*
Boots, plain
1 gp/10*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Bow strings, 10
1 gp/1
Candle Burns 1 hour; sheds light in 10' radius
1 sp/1
Chisel For chipping away stone
2 gp/10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Climbing hook Hand-held; Supports up to 250 lbs.
5 gp/40
Cloak, long
1 gp/15*
Cloak, short
5 sp/10*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Clothes, extravagant Tunic & pants; blouse & skirt; dress; robe; or equivalent
50+ gp/30*
Clothes, fine See above
20 gp/20*
Clothes, normal See above
5 gp/20*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Clothes, plain See above; characters start with 2 or 3 sets of plain clothes
5 sp/20*
Disguise kit Includes wigs, hair dye, makeup
20 gp/50
Drill, hand For drilling through wood or metal
10 gp/30
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Garlic Useful against vampires
5 sp/1
Grappling hook Holds up to 500 lbs.
25 gp/80
Gloves, heavy Prevents rope burns, assures better grip on slippery
5 sp/10*
items, protects against needle traps; impossible to
pick pockets or remove traps while wearing these
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Gloves, soft Protects against contact poisons and other things
1 gp/5*
that harm exposed skin; useless against needle traps
Hammer, utility Or Wooden Mallet. Does 1d2 damage if used as weapon
2 gp/10
Hat
2 sp/3*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Holy symbol At DM's discretion, may be needed to Turn undead
25 gp/1
Holy symbol, Inflicts penalty of -2 to Turning rolls
5 gp/1
inexpensive
Holy water Breakable glass vial
25 gp/1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Ink, vial of Enough to write 50 pages of simple text
1 gp/20
Iron spike One spike needed for each 5' of a sheer surface being
1 sp/5
climbed by a mountaineer. Can buy a bundle of 12 for 1 gp
Journal, blank With fifty 6" x 9" pages
20 gp/30
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Knapsack Capacity of 250 cn (25 lbs.)
3 gp/10
Knife, utility Does 1d2 damage if used as a weapon
1 gp/5
Lantern Burns 1 oil flask for 4 hours; 30' radius of illumination
10 gp/30
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Lantern, bullseye Burns 4 hrs. (24 turns) illuminates cone 100' long, 20' base
20 gp/30
Lasso, leather
5 gp/30
Leather, bulk One square foot for miscellaneous use
1 sp/5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Lockpicks Optional portion of thieves' tool kit;
15 gp/5
does not permit trap removal
Magnifying glass For studying fine details and fire-starting
3 gp/5
Map, explorers' Speculative map of unexplored territory
50 gp/10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Map, detailed Highly detailed map of explored territory
30 gp/10
Map, general General trail map of explored territory
10 gp/10
Mirror, hand Made of steel
5 gp/5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Musical instrument, Lute, mandolin, etc.
20 gp/100
stringed
Musical instrument, Flute, recorder, etc.
5 gp/30
wind
Oil, ceramic flask Breakable; can be thrown as a weapon with a wick inserted
2 gp/10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Oil, metal flask Unbreakable; can't be used as a weapon. 1 gp to refill
2 gp/20
Papyrus One 12" x 12" leaf
1 sp/1
Parchment One 10" x 10" leaf
1 gp/5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Parka For warmth in cold climates
5 gp/40*
Pole, Wooden 10' long, 2" thick
1 gp/100
Pot, cooking Two-quart capacity
1 gp/50
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Pouch, belt Capacity 50 cn (5 lbs.)
5 sp/2
Quill pen For writing
5 sp/1
Quiver Holds 20 arrows or 30 quarrels; (When full, weighs 10cn)
1 gp/5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Quiver, back Holds 50 arrows; prevents wearing of pack or knapsack;("25cn)
5 gp/20
Quiver, belt Holds 10 crossbow quarrels; (When full, weighs 4cn)
1 gp/3
Rations, iron Week's supply; stays fresh 2 months
15 gp/70
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Rations, standard Week's supply; stays fresh 7 days
5 gp/200
Rope, 50' length Supports 750 lbs.; for each 10 lbs. above this,
1 gp/50
give 5% cumulative chance of breakage
Sack, small Capacity 200 cn (20 lbs.)
1 gp/1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Sack, large Capacity 600 cn (60 lbs.)
2 gp/5
Salt, 1 lb. For preserving meat or monster parts for future use; one lb.
10 gp/10
of salt is needed for each 5 lbs. of organs being preserved
Scroll case Waterproof; Holds 1 map, 1 scroll, or 10 leaves of parchment
5 gp/20
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Sewing kit For repair of cloth/leather
1 gp/10
Shoes
5 sp/8*
Spellbook, blank 24" x 24" x 6"; holds 24 spells
100 gp/200
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Spellbook cover Waterproof
10 gp/30
Stake, wooden 18" long
1 sp/1
Tent, small 3' x 6' base, 3' peak; watertight
20 gp/100
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Tent, medium 6' x 6' base, 5' peak; watertight
30 gp/250
Tent, large 10' x 10', tapers to 8' x 8' at a 7' height, 10' peaked top
50 gp/1000
Thieves' tools Needed for picking locks & removing traps
25 gp/10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Tinder box Flint, steel, kindling
3 gp/5
Torch Burns 1 hour (6 turns); sheds light in 30' radius;
2 sp/20
can be bought in bundles of 6 torches for 1 gp
Twine, Supports up to 30 lbs.; for each 10 lbs. above this,
2 sp/10
100' ball of give 10% chance of breakage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Vial, empty glass Holds 1 pint (enc. 20 cn when filled)
1 gp/10
Water/wineskin 1-quart capacity (enc. 30 cn when filled)
1 gp/5
Wax For making impressions
3 sp/l0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Wine 1 quart, wineskin not included
1 gp/30
Whistle For signaling or bird calls
1 sp/5
Wolfsbane To ward off lycanthropes
10 gp/1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
* If this item is being worn, as opposed to being packed away as a spare, its
encumbrance is
considered to be 0.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________
On this page in the Rules Cyclopedia, the description of the Hammer (small
utility hammer)
says that it does 1d3 damage if used as a weapon, and can be wielded by anyone who
can use a
War Hammer.... I suggest just ignoring all of that. See the entry for page 65 about
Thrown
Rocks and miscellaneous Tossed Objects as weapons, and consider utility hammers
(along with
wooden mallets) to fall within that category.
Note that on page 62, the Cyclopedia states that new characters can be assumed
to already
own two or three sets of plain clothes, a pair of shoes, a belt, and a belt-pouch.
==========================
Page 71-72, Water Vessels:
==========================
This section is a bit messy. I never actually used any of this though. The
Unofficial
Errata gets a little confusing about the Troop Transport. I think the main things
you need to
know are:
Consult the individual vessel descriptions to get the correct capacities (most
of the
capacities in the table are wrong).
On p.72 the cost to convert a sailing ship to a Troop Transport is supposed to

be 1/3 of
the cost of the ship, not 1/2 (although if you use 1/2, then the cost of the Troop
Transport
in the table is correct.... but the Expert Rulebook says the cost is 1/3, and the
footnote in
this table says 1/3 too).
=========================
Page 75a, Weapon Mastery:
=========================
Weapon Mastery by Experience Level Table

----------------------------------------
I suggest scribbling down "Mystics/" next to Fighters in this chart (Mystics,

after all,
are constantly training to fight with and without weapons, so give them the same
starting
weapon slots as Fighters).
Also, "All Others" isn't really all others... Demi-Humans are different. You can
scribble
down "DH" in the right side of the chart and draw an arrow pointing to the
paragraph directly
to the right of it, where it says Demi-Humans train at levels 4 and 8 (and 12 for
Dwarves).
...
Ya know what? That chart sucks. I'm just gonna make a new one that will
hopefully be easier
to read :D
_______________________________________________________________
Weapon Choices Gained by Experience Level

_______________________________________________________________
| Other
Level | Fighter Mystic Human Halfling Elf Dwarf
------|--------------------------------------------------------
1 | 4 4 2 [Basic skill in all weapons]
3 | 1 1 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
4 | 1 1 1
6 | 1 1 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
8 | 1* 1 1
9 | 1 1 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
10 | *
11 | 1 1 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
12 | 1*
15 | 1 1 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
16 | *
19 | 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
23 | 1 1
27 | 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
30 | 1 1
33 | 1
------|--------------------------------------------------------
36 | 1* 1*
______|________________________________________________________
* Gain 1 choice every 300,000 XP after this level.

_______________________________________________________________
Notice that I've increased the amount of XP needed to gain new Weapon Choices
after maximum
level to 300,000. I strongly recommend making this change. Gaining new Weapon
Choices every
200,000 XP is far too easy, and will result in Weapon Mastery for Demi-Humans
getting really
out of control, since they reach their maximum levels so much sooner than humans.
Using
300,000 XP will work out almost perfectly, giving Demi-Humans approximately the
same number of
Weapon Choices as Fighters of comparable XP totals.
Misc Errata
-----------
Under "What to do with Weapon Choices," completely disregard the second

paragraph about
having to spend extra Weapon Choices to learn both modes of using a Bastard Sword;
this was
not found in the Masters set. Training with a Bastard Sword should result in equal
Mastery
when using it in either mode. The Bastard Sword is balanced against the other
swords because
it has the versatility of different modes, at a cost of doing less maximum damage
and having
poorer special abilities than standard swords. If you take away that versatility by
requiring
extra training to use both modes (treating it as two separate weapons), then the
Bastard Sword
becomes rather pointless (no pun intended!).
This should also apply to the Blowgun and Net as well; these weapons can come in
both 1H
and 2H varieties, but any weapon training should cover the use of both forms.
There are a couple places here where the Cyclopedia re-words things and loses
the original
intent (which can be found on page 15 of the Master Players' Book).
The first sentence under "Training" seems to indicate that Basic skill in a
weapon can be
automatically gained. This is only true for starting characters selecting their
starting
weapons. After that, gaining Basic skill of new weapons is not automatic, but has a
chance of
success as found in the Table on page 76.
On page 76, the section "Unskilled Weapon Use" gets the original intent muddled.
You do not
have "unskilled characters;" you have characters who are unskilled in specific
weapons.
============================================
Page 75b, Optional Weapon Mastery Variation:
============================================
This is a variation of Weapon Mastery training to keep things more balanced.
Many people think Weapon Mastery is overpowered, and it would be nice to have a
simple way
to tone it down and balance it out a bit. So here is an alteration I made that is
fairly
simple and short, and which I think works really well.
For the first change, to prevent players from reaching the hugely-unbalancing
higher
Mastery ranks so easily, and to promote more diversity in weapon selection rather
than
exclusively focusing on only one weapon (unless the player really wants that),
here's a
different way to allow training for new ranks.
At First Level, everything works basically same as the standard: Demi-Humans

have Basic
skill in all weapons they can use, Fighters and Mystics start with Basic Mastery of
4 weapons
of their choice, Magic-Users start with Basic Mastery of 2 weapons of their choice,
and I
recommend allowing Clerics and Thieves to start out with Basic Mastery of 3
weapons.
Then, for each Weapon Choice a player gains after that, he gains "2 weeks" of
potential
training time, rather than simply gaining 1 new weapon, or 1 new Mastery rank.
Use the "Training Times and Costs Table" on p.75 to see how long training to new
ranks will
take....
Here's the gist of it:
__________________________________________
Level of Weeks Cumulative

Mastery Sought Required Weeks Needed
__________________________________________
Basic 1 1
Skilled 2 3
Expert 4 7
Master 8 15
Grand Master 12 27
__________________________________________
So, for example, when a character reaches 3rd Level, he will gain 2 weeks of
potential
training to use however he wants. He could immediately spend each of those weeks to
gain Basic
Mastery of 2 different weapons he is Unskilled with, or he could spend both weeks
training up
to Skilled status for one weapon he already has Basic Mastery of. Or, he could save
up the
weeks for later training.... This might be useful in case he later finds a really
nice magical
weapon that he is unskilled with and otherwise wouldn't have chosen to train with.
Instead of
having to wait till level 6 to learn how to properly use it, he can spend one of
his saved
weeks of training to gain Basic Mastery of the weapon right away. So it can be a
good idea to
always keep 1 week of training time unused, but it can also be advantageous to use
the
training right away to gain better Mastery....
To continue with this example, say he used the 2 weeks he gained at 3rd Level to
advance to
Skilled status in one of his weapons. Then when he reaches 6th Level and gains
another 2 weeks
of potential training time, he decides to save them up for later.... Once he
reaches 9th level
and gains another 2 weeks, he can use all 4 of his saved weeks to do the 4 weeks of
training
it takes to gain Expert Mastery of his weapon.
Failing in a training attempt will not "use up" a player's potential training
weeks.... He
will lose the money and game time indicated, but he can attempt the training again,
as stated
in the rules for training.
You can further add some class-based balance to this system by altering the
number of
potential training weeks given to different classes whenever they gain a new Weapon
Choice,
instead of just giving everyone the same "2 weeks" of training (remember this does
not apply
to the Weapon Choices a character starts with at 1st Level, which are strictly "1
weapon at
Basic skill for each Weapon Choice").
And keep in mind that you aren't limited to just using whole numbers. You can
control the
rate of gain with this system so that it's right where you want it to be, by giving
fractional
weeks for each new Weapon Choice gained.
Here are some numbers I recommend as being good progressions to use:
Fighters/Mystics = 2.5 to 2.9 weeks of training time for each new Weapon Choice
gained
Magic-Users = 1.5 to 1.9 weeks of training time for each new Weapon Choice
gained
All others = 2 to 2.5 weeks of training time for each new Weapon Choice gained
========================
Page 76, Weapon Mastery:
========================
Applying Benefits
-----------------
A suggestion regarding damage: a Weapon Master should be allowed to deal damage

as if his
Mastery were of any lower rank he chooses. For example, someone with Expert Mastery
of a
weapon could choose to do damage as if he only had Basic Mastery. He could even
choose to do
damage as if he were Unskilled with the weapon (doing half damage), in case he
really wants to
avoid killing his opponent.
Opponent Type and Damage Bonuses

--------------------------------
In the second paragraph it states that a creature using a preloaded light

crossbow (one-
handed) would be considered target type H. I don't think this is correct. The
Master Player's
Book, p.16, states, "Opponents using weapons held in the hand and swung or thrown
(including
sling and bola, but excluding all other missile fire devices) ... are designated
'H' (Hand-
held)." A preloaded light crossbow can be fired as a one-handed weapon, but the
user should
still be considered target type M (Missile/Monster) when using it.
The third paragraph gives the example of a Wererat that could fit into either
target
category, and states that such a creature is treated as whichever target type is
most
favorable for the creature. Note that this does NOT apply to a human who could
alternate
between attacking with a weapon in one hand, and a bare-fisted strike with his
other hand. A
human is always considered target type H when using any hand weapon, and will only
be target
type M if using a bow or crossbow, or if he is completely unarmed.
Also note that as soon as a creature drops its weapon, the target type can
immediately
change, and the creature will also immediately lose any benefits from the weapon.
For example,
someone who is skilled with a Hand Axe gets an AC bonus from Weapon Mastery every
round. If he
throws the axe at an opponent, he immediately loses the AC bonus against any
further attacks,
and will probably change to target type M against those attacks, unless he's
holding a weapon
in his other hand....
Finally, I would treat any target that is incapable of defending itself

(paralyzed, asleep,
tied up, or being attacked by surprise from behind, for example) as whichever
target type is
most favorable to the ATTACKER; it shouldn't really matter if such a target is
holding a
weapon or not, since the target won't be able to defend against the attack anyway,
and the
attacker can take the time to use whichever mode of attack is most deadly.
Attack Roll Bonuses

-------------------
These are a bit too high. Getting Hit Roll bonuses for your Weapon Mastery is
nice, but I
would recommend halving these values to keep things reasonable. Also, the values in
the
Cyclopedia were slightly changed from those in the Master Players' Book, page 17. I
used the
Master Set values, though it only makes a very minor difference when halving them
(+2 instead
of +1 at Expert level vs. Secondary Target).
The revised chart would look like this:
__________________________________
Attack Roll Bonuses
__________________________________
Level of Bonus vs Bonus vs

Mastery Primary Secondary
----------------------------------
Unskilled -1* -1*
Basic 0 0
Skilled +1 +1
Expert +2 +2
Master +3 +2
Grand Master +4 +3
__________________________________
* applies to missile weapons only

__________________________________
========================
Page 77, Despair Effect:
========================
Under "When to Roll for Despair," I would make a note after the second item, and
clarify
that the weapon user has to deflect AT LEAST TWO attacks in one round to qualify
for this...
because it's not really all that impressive to parry a single blow....
=================================
Page 78-79, Weapon Mastery Table:
=================================
Change Bastard Sword and Spear to size Medium weapons, and change the Short Bow
and Javelin
to size Small (see entry for Page 62-66).
The Tossed Object Listing can include all miscellaneous objects that are used as
weapons of
opportunity (See the entry for page 65 about Thrown Rocks). Alter the damage for
the Stone in
accordance with this, making it 1d2.
In the middle column of the top page of the Weapon Mastery table, the Shield
Weapons and
Staff all have Primary and Secondary damage values listed, yet all these weapons
have no
Secondary Target Type -- they are all P=A weapons. I believe the Secondary Target
information
was included in error, and should just be ignored. Use the Primary Target damage
values in all
cases for these weapons.
Cestus
------
Something is wrong with the damage progression of the Cestus. When going from
Expert to
Master the damage does not increase, and for the Secondary Target type the maximum
damage
actually decreases! To smooth out the progression, these values are better:
___________________________
Cestus Damage Progression

___________________________
Lvl. Damage
---------------------------
BS 1d3
SK 1d4+1
EX 2d4
MS P:2d4+2 S:1d6+2
GM P:2d4+4 S:1d6+4
___________________________
Poleaxe
-------
I really recommend increasing the damage of the Poleaxe just a bit, because it
is, overall,
quite underpowered. Compare it to the Pike: the Pike weighs less, costs less, has
better
additional abilities, and still does more maximum damage than the Poleaxe.... This
can be
balanced out by giving the Poleaxe an additional +1 to damage at Skilled, Expert,
and Master
ranks (it already pulls ahead at Grand Master). This will make it, on average, the
most
damaging standard polearm, but it balances out by being the one with the weakest
special
abilities.
For convenience:
____________________________
Poleaxe Damage Progression

____________________________
Lvl. Damage
----------------------------
BS 1d10
SK 1d10+4
EX 1d10+7
MS P:1d10+11 S:1d10+9
GM P:1d8+16 S:1d8+12
____________________________
Knife Shield
------------
Though the Knife Shield is breakable and costs 65gp, it doesn't have enough
negatives to
offset its advantages. It is size Small and weighs less than a normal shield, but
it works
just as well, providing an AC bonus against all incoming attacks. And it grants a
free extra
attack (with no penalty) which does a good amount of damage.
To help balance that out a bit, I really recommend that the Knife Shield's
defense bonus
should only apply against a limited number of attacks each round, as with all other
weapons
but the Tusked Shield:
_______________
Knife Shield
_______________
Lvl. Defense
---------------
BS A:-1AC/1
SK A:-1AC/1
EX A:-2AC/2
MS A:-2AC/2
GM A:-2AC/2
_______________
War Hammer
----------
I believe the War Hammer should actually have a Primary Target type of M instead
of H. All
other bashing type weapons (hammers/axes/clubs) use P=M, and also the War Hammer
gains a
defense bonus against M.
Sword, Normal
-------------
In keeping with the other suggestions in this document to tone down Weapon
Mastery so that
it's not so unbalancing, I recommend decreasing the damage values for the Normal
Sword. I've
compared the average damage values to other weapons, and they do end up being just
a bit too
high -- though not as much as you might first think. The 1d12 at Skilled level is
actually
fine, since it averages out as the same amount of increase that most other weapons
get by
gaining a flat +2. Past that point, though, the average damage values do make a
larger jump
than what is seen in comparable weapons.
Don't worry about decreasing the damage values a bit; there will still be no
other one-
handed weapons that can do more damage than the Normal Sword... and it has great
defensive
abilities as well.
I recommend using these values for damage, which I arrived at by analyzing the
damage
ranges and average damage values in the progressions for the Bastard Sword and
Battle Axe, to
keep the Normal Sword "where it should be" in comparison:
___________________________
Sword Damage Progression

___________________________
Lvl. Damage
---------------------------
BS 1d8
SK 1d12
EX 1d12+2
MS P:1d12+6 S:1d10+5
GM P:1d12+8 S:1d10+6
___________________________
========================================
Page 80-81, Special Effect Descriptions:
========================================
Note that many effects from Weapon Mastery are meant to apply toward creatures
of about the
same size as the attacker or smaller. Creatures larger than an Ogre may not be
affected by
some of these special effects, even if not specifically noted.
Blowgun
-------
In the Special Effect Table for Blowgun, you can make a note that the loss of a
% of Hit
Points is the loss of that % of FULL Hit Points. They left out the paragraph that
describes
this effect. Player's Companion, p.3, states, "Percentage of Hit Points: The victim
loses this
percentage of original (fully healed) hit points. This may cause death if the
victim is
already damaged."
Deflect
-------
The Deflect ability is over-powered. It's too easy to do, and completely free to
use. You
can balance it out with these suggested rules, which give players the option to
decide whether
or not they want to try to Deflect any attack, knowing they might have to go on the
defensive
until they can get an opening to attack again.
First, a character must decide if he will attempt to Deflect as soon as an

opponent's hit
is rolled, before damage is determined. The incoming attack doesn't necessarily
have to be
targeting the character himself; a character could also be allowed to Deflect
attacks that are
made against others if they are within 5' of him. A character may only attempt one
Deflect for
each incoming attack. Failing in the Deflect attempt still "uses up" the Deflect.
If a character SUCCESSFULLY Deflects any number of attacks in a round, then

during his next
attack step he must skip his attack, and may only perform defensive maneuvers
instead, such as
Parry, Deflect, or Fighting Withdrawal.
If a character Deflects attacks from an opponent which he is capable of making
Multiple
Attacks against, then during his next attack step he must skip one of his Multiple
Attacks for
each attack he successfully Deflected.
"Multiple Attacks" here can include the second attack gained when fighting with
two
weapons. In this case, the character (if he successfully Deflects one attack) will
have to
skip his primary attack when his next attack step comes up (even if it isn't until
the next
round). Remember to apply the appropriate penalties to his second attack (see page
110 about
Two Weapons Combat).
A weapon used to Deflect might also break. When an attack is successfully

Deflected, damage
for the attack is still rolled -- against the Deflecting weapon. If the total
damage is over
10 points for a single attack, check for breakage as described in the entry for
page 145b
(this will be a Saving Throw vs. Normal or Crushing Blow, depending on the size of
the
opponent).
In the case of a Mystic Deflecting such high-damage blows with his bare hands,
you can opt
to have him make a second Saving Throw vs. Death Ray, applying a -1 to the Save for
each full
10 points of damage the attack would have inflicted. On a failed roll, the Mystic
must skip
one additional attack during his next attack step (if he has any attacks
remaining).
Delay
-----
As with the other entangling effects (Entangle or Slow), I recommend that a

Delay effect
caused by an entangling weapon (Bola, Net, or Whip) has a continuous effect until
the victim
makes a successful Saving Throw at the end of his Hand-To-Hand phase. Delay effects
caused by
other weapons only last for 1 round.
Disarm
------
The last sentence describing this effect says that for each level of Mastery the
attacker
has above Basic, the victim gets a +1 penalty to his Dexterity check. However, the
Weapon
Mastery table already lists the increasing penalties with each level of Mastery in
regard to
the Sword and Short Sword (and they don't follow this progression). The Halberd is
the only
other weapon with Disarm, and it does not show increasing values or any extra
penalties to the
victim's Dexterity check. So this progression of a +1 penalty for each level above
Basic
should only apply to the Halberd.
As noted on page 105, a Disarmed creature may either switch to a different
carried weapon
(suffering the loss of initiative for the next round), or may retrieve the dropped
weapon
(requiring a Retreat maneuver).
Entangle
--------
This should also cause the penalties for being Fully Entangled (see entry for
page 113).
Ignite
------
See the entry for page 65 about Burning Oil. You can usually beat out the flames
of an
Ignited item after one full round.
Slow
----
As with Stun, the victim gets a new Saving Throw each round at the end of the
Hand-to-Hand
phase. This effect should also cause the penalties for being Partially Entangled
(see entry
for page 113).
Strangle
--------
To clear up any possible confusion, the wording from the Players Companion says,
"If freed,
the victim remains effectively paralyzed for 2-12 rounds." i.e., the paralysis only
occurs if
the victim already failed his Save vs. Death Ray but was then freed from the Bola
by someone
else.
Stun
----
The Saving Throw made by a Stunned character each round is made at the end of
the Hand-to-
Hand Combat phase (Players Companion, p.3).
Note that this Stun effect is slightly weaker than the Stun effects described on
page 150,
which are typically caused by powerful monster attacks or magic (which cause 4
point penalties
to Armor Class and Saving Throws). The other standard effects of being Stunned
still apply
here though: the victim can't concentrate, cast spells, use magical items, or use
general
skills. Any Weapon Mastery above Basic is reduced to Basic.
========================
Page 81, Other Polearms:
========================
Many of the optional polearm variations are unbalanced. Some of them simply
function
exactly like one of the standard polearms, but with extra abilities added. That
just makes the
standard polearms obsolete.... I've made slight changes here and there to make sure
no polearm
is totally better than any other, but kept each distinct by giving them different
mixes of
abilities.
This table shouldn't be difficult to read, since it mostly follows the

descriptions of
these weapons in the Rules Cyclopedia. Also, this assumes you've increased the
damage for the
Poleaxe by +1 at Skilled, Expert, and Master levels, as recommended in the entry
for pages 78-
79.
Note that the polearms are numbered 1-10, which is handy if you need to roll one
randomly
(when generating a magical item, for example).
___________________________________________________________________________________
__
Other Polearms
___________________________________________________________________________________
__
Weapon Damage Defense Special

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
1. Bardiche Hal Hal Disarm(Hal), Deflect(Pik), Set
2. Bill Pax Pax Deflect(Hal), Hook(Hal)
3. Gisarme Pik Hal Deflect(Pik), Hook(Hal)
4. Glaive Pik Pax Deflect(Hal), Double Damage(Dag), Set
5. Lochaber Axe Hal Hal Hook/Disarm(Hal), Stun(Spe)
6. Partizan Pik Pik Disarm(Hal), Set
7. Ranseur Hal Hal Deflect/Disarm(Hal), Set
8. Spetum Hal Pik Deflect(Pik), Disarm(Hal), Set
9. Spontoon Spe Pik Deflect(Hal), Double Damage(Dag), Stun(Spe), Set
10. Voulge Pik+2 Pax Deflect(Hal), Double Damage(Dag)
___________________________________________________________________________________
__
Hal=Halberd Pax=Poleax Pik=Pike Spe=Spear Dag=Dagger

___________________________________________________________________________________
__
The weight and cost of these miscellaneous polearms are the same as for the
Halberd.
===================
Page 83-85, Skills:
===================
(Also see the Supplemental Skill list, available where you downloaded this
Document)
For Art, Craft, Labor, Science, and Profession, you can use the City Encounters
table on page
98 as a nice list of specific choices for these skills.
There is additional information about Specialists on page 133 which can also apply
to
characters with the appropriate General Skills.
Blind Shooting
--------------
First, I believe this should really be a Wisdom skill rather than a Dexterity
skill; it's
not about being nimble and quick, it's about being calm and perceptive.
Next, I'm just going to recommend that successful use of this skill provides a
+3 bonus To
Hit in situations where the character is blind or cannot see the target (this will
only
partially offset the usual large penalties suffered for those situations).
This skill could also be used for making melee attacks, not just "shooting." In
either case
I'd suggest that the use of the skill should at least require the character to give
up
Initiative while he listens for his opponent's position.
Endurance
---------
I recommend that the running speed associated with using this skill should be
limited to a
maximum of twice the character's normal Encounter Speed. A marathon runner has to
pace
himself, and can't just run at top speed for hours!
Escape
------
Since part of this skill emulates a Thief Ability (picking locks) I really
recommend that
this requires 2 Skill Slots to learn (to keep from devaluing the Thief class). A
successful
Skill Check could allow the character to then make a standard Open Locks roll as if
he were a
Thief of the same level (of course, this will require a set of lock picks).
Anyone who is already capable of picking locks (i.e., a character who has
already spent 2
skill slots to gain Escape, OR a Thief who already has Open Locks as part of his
class
abilities) may improve his skill at the usual cost of 1 skill slot, in which case a
successful
Skill Check could allow the character to make the % check for the Thief Ability as
if he were
3 levels higher. For example, any 4th level character who improved his Open Locks
ability by
taking this general skill (as noted above), may make his Open Locks % check as if
he were a
7th level Thief (assuming he passed his general skill check). Of course, characters
who
already have the general skill could instead choose to increase it normally if they
prefer,
gaining a +3 modifier to the skill, but no bonus levels when making the % check.
Healing
-------
DM's might want to impose a limitation and rule that to use this skill, a player
must carry
around a "doctor's kit" with the appropriate supplies. Check the Adventuring Gear
Table in the
entry for page 69, and have the player purchase a knapsack and fill it with such
things as
surgical tools (utility knife, hammer, & hand drill), plenty of bandages,
medicines/herbs
(substitute salt, garlic, wolvesbane, & holy water), a tinderbox & candles, a
waterskin with
clean water, wine for antiseptic, a belt for tourniquets, clean gloves, a
magnifying glass, an
iron spike for cauterizing, a sewing kit, some twine, etc. The kit should be rather
encumbering; it is meant to help balance the fact that this skill is really quite
potent.
Characters with this skill are basically doctors. When bandaging simple wounds, the
entire kit
might not be required, but make sure there is always some cost associated with
using this
skill.
Quick Draw
----------
This skill allows a player to nock and fire an arrow with a +2 to initiative
(and to be
clear, the term "nock and fire an arrow" would seem to exclude this skill from
applying to
crossbows). This doesn't actually indicate that it will negate the usual automatic
loss of
initiative when using a bow (because it's a two-handed weapon) against opponents
using one-
handed weapons. The bonus would apply when rolling for initiative against opponents
who were
also using bows or other two-handed weapons. Also see the Optional Order of Combat
in the
entry for page 102b, which lets all missile attacks happen before any melee attacks
are made.
Riding
------
The Unofficial Errata is good to point out that the description here notes what
happens to
riders who DON'T have this skill.... The important implication being that everyone
must make a
Riding skill check in order to attack with a weapon while mounted.... Characters
with this
skill who are riding an animal they aren't specifically skilled with make the roll
with a +4
penalty. Characters who don't have the Riding skill at all must make a Dexterity
check with a
+8 penalty, or they can't attack while mounted! So I'm guessing everyone is going
to want to
take the Riding skill now....
Stealth
-------
It would be simpler to just treat this skill as granting the Thief ability to
Move
Silently, at a cost of 2 skill slots. Handle this the same as the Escape skill (see
above),
including the options to improve the Thief skill.
Wrestling
---------
Instead of merely gaining the lame +1 to Wrestling Rating (which requires a

skill check), I
recommend that each Wrestling Skill a character takes will actually increase his
Wrestling
Mastery by one level (see page 113, and the entry for pages 112-114 in this
document). This
way, a character will gain not only a +1 to Wrestling Rating for each Wrestling
skill he takes
(this is already shown on the Wrestling Mastery table on page 113 -- just ignore
the skill
description here about getting a +1 on a successful check), but he will also gain
the other
benefits shown in the Wrestling Mastery table (increased damage and penalties to a
pinned
victim's Wrestling Roll).
Keep in mind that any character can use the Basic level of Wrestling without
taking this
skill. If a Character takes this skill one time, he will be at Skilled level on the
Wrestling
Mastery table. If he takes this skill twice, he is then an Expert, and so on.
(This following skill is adapted from PC3 The Sea People)
Dodge (Dexterity Skill)

-----
This skill can be used only by unencumbered characters (carrying 400 cn or

less). It allows
a character to dodge out of the way of an attack, effectively improving AC by -2 on
a
successful Check. A roll of 20 means that the character has dodged the wrong way
and will
automatically take double damage from an attack.
I recommend that this skill is only effective against up to 3 attacks per round,
though
only one skill check is needed during the Intentions step (when the character must
announce
that he is Dodging). If the check is successful, the character gains a -2 AC bonus
against the
first 3 attacks upon him that round. If the character rolls a 20, he will take
double damage
from the first attack that hits him that round.
To use this skill, the character must be able to move around freely, and can't
be entangled
or underwater, for example. Furthermore, since the character must react to his
opponents'
attacks, he must give up initiative during any round he uses this skill. The
character also
cannot apply the Dodge bonus against any attack that he doesn't see coming.
Improving this skill by spending an additional skill slot could give the
character a mere 1
point increase to his skill level, but could also allow him to Dodge against 1
additional
attack each round.
(I also created the following optional skills you may find useful)
Axe Proficiency (Strength skill)

---------------
The character is proficient in the use of axes and knows the proper techniques
to make
efficient, powerful axe cuts. Many Dwarves have this skill, as do warriors from
other cultures
which favor the use of axes over swords.
The character can use an axe to cut down trees or chop wood quickly and
efficiently. In
combat the character gets an automatic +1 to hit and damage when using any axe to
make Hand-
To-Hand attacks (this includes the Hand Axe, Battle Axe, and Pole Axe). On a
successful Skill
Check, the character can apply this bonus when throwing an axe as well. This does
not grant
the ability to throw an axe if the weapon cannot normally be thrown, nor does the
skill
provide any Weapon Mastery levels or allow a character to use a weapon in combat
that is
normally restricted.
Cure Spell Conversion (Wisdom skill)

---------------------
This is a special discipline practiced by some Clerics.

On a successful skill check, a Cleric may cast any memorized Cure spell without
it
vanishing from his memory -- instead, he must select another memorized spell of
equal or
greater level, and that spell will vanish from his memory as if it were cast.
On a failed skill check, the actual Cure spell that was cast will vanish from
the Cleric's
memory instead of selected spell.
The Cure spells this skill applies to are: Cure Light Wounds, Cure Serious
Wounds, and Cure
Critical Wounds, though use of this skill doesn't restrict them from being cast in
reversed
form.
Enlightenment (Wisdom skill)

-------------
By using this skill, a Cleric mediates for 1 Turn and petitions the power he
serves to
grant him knowledge a spell which he needs but does not have memorized. The
requested spell
must be of a level the Cleric is capable of casting, and the use of this skill
cannot give the
Cleric more spells of any particular level than he can normally have memorized.
The Cleric must sacrifice two spells of equal level as the spell he is seeking,
or one
spell of greater level. On a successful skill check, the Cleric's request is
granted and the
chosen sacrifice spells vanish from the Cleric's memory, while the requested spell
is
imprinted in his memory.
On a failed check, the Cleric's request is denied; no spells are gained or lost,
but the
Cleric cannot use this skill again until after he has engaged in his usual morning
meditations
to gain new spells.
If the Cleric takes at least 1 additional Turn to prepare beforehand, and
successfully uses
the Ceremony skill, he gains a -2 bonus to his roll when checking this skill (as
long as he
uses this skill within 1 Turn after performing the Ceremony).
========================
Page 86, Gaining Skills:
========================
Improving Skills
----------------
Gaining a paltry +1 for each additional skill slot you spend in order to improve
a skill
would be a ripoff, when you could instead spend the slot on a whole new skill. It
is suggested
that each additional slot you spend on a skill should give a +3 modifier to that
skill instead
of +1.
Just keep track of how many skill slots you've spent on the skill, and for each
one above
the first, you get another +3 to the skill. For example, if a character with a
Charisma of 12
took Leadership, he would have to roll a 12 or lower to use the skill. If he took
the skill
again, he would note "Leadership x 2" on his character sheet, and he'd get +3 to
his
Leadership skill, meaning he'd have to roll a 15 or less to use the skill. If he
took the
skill three times, he'd have "Leadership x 3," giving him +6 to the skill, so his
skill check
rolls would only need an 18 or less, etc.
Learning More Skills

--------------------
The calculations used in the table for Demi-Humans gaining more skills after
their maximum
level, are really not right.... They are based on the idea that once a Demi-Human
passes his
maximum level, he will start equating Attack Ranks to Levels, so it assumes a new
skill should
be gained every 4 Attack Ranks. The problem with that idea is that Attack Ranks are
much
harder to gain than standard levels -- generally about twice as hard. That's why
the table
lists such huge amounts, averaging 1 million XP, for Demi-Humans to gain new
skills. They
should really be gaining a new skill every 2 Attack Ranks instead of every 4.
Additionally, the table doesn't show how human classes will gain skills after
maximum
level, but it's actually pretty easy to figure out the progression by checking the
XP levels
of when they gain skills up to that point.
Here is the corrected and inclusive table:
_________________________________________________
New Skills After Maximum Level

_________________________________________________
After max Gains another Then another skill

level, a: skill at: for every gain of:
-------------------------------------------------
Cleric 3,000,000 XP +400,000 XP
Fighter 3,600,000 XP +480,000 XP
Magic-User 4,500,000 XP +600,000 XP
Thief 3,520,000 XP +480,000 XP
Mystic 1,200,000 XP +480,000 XP
Dwarf AR: D,F,H,J,L +400,000 XP
Elf AR: D,F,H,J,L +500,000 XP
Halfling AR: B,D,F,H,J +600,000 XP
_________________________________________________
==========================================================
Page 88, Exhaustion, Overland Movement, Jumping & Leaping:
==========================================================
Exhaustion
----------
Just a clarification, where it says, "the character must subtract 2 from all
attack damage
rolls," to be more clear it should say, "must subtract 2 from all Hit Rolls and
Damage Rolls"
(Basic Players Manual, p.56).
Also, I would apply a penalty of -1 level of Weapon Mastery to exhausted
characters (Basic
Mastery stays at Basic), and a -2 Penalty to Wrestling Rating as well.
If you'd like to vary the number of rounds a character can exert himself before
becoming
exhausted (rather than blanketing everyone with the same "30 round" limit), I'd
recommend that
a character can run, or otherwise exert himself (this could even apply to combat),
for a
number of rounds equal to his Hit Dice plus twice his Constitution score (Con x 2 +
HD) before
becoming exhausted. Remember that most characters, regardless of level, can only
have a
maximum of 9 HD.
A character's "exertion counter" is normally reset by resting for the remainder

of the Turn
after a battle; the Basic Players Manual, page 56, says, "A battle normally lasts
only a
minute or two, but is counted as a full turn because your characters rest
afterward, clean up
their equipment, and do other assumed normal actions."
If characters don't (or can't) take the time to rest in this manner, just keep
adding up
the rounds until they become Exhausted. If they are merely moving at their
Encounter Speed,
that doesn't count as exertion, but it also doesn't count as rest. Once they become
Exhausted,
they will have to rest for 30 minutes to get rid of the Exhaustion penalties.
Traveling Rates by Terrain Table

--------------------------------
Many of the numbers on this table are wrong and do not agree with the stated
method of
determining overland movement rates. You should probably just disregard the whole
table, along
with the statement on page 89 that says the DM should choose the one terrain type
that
dominates the party's travel and base the entire day's movement on that one terrain
type. The
method given on page 41 of the Expert Rulebook shows that movement should be
calculated for
each terrain type separately. I'll outline the entire procedure below.
Divide the normal speed (feet per turn) of the slowest party member by 5. This
is the
number of miles the party will travel per day in clear terrain. It might be helpful
to think
of this as the party's "movement points."
A party can move through several types of terrain as long as it has enough
movement to do
so. All movement should be rounded to the nearest mile.
As the party moves through different terrain types, subtract an amount of miles
from their
daily movement ("movement points") based on how far they travel in each terrain,
modified as
shown on the Terrain Effects on Movement Table, and stated more simply like this:
Travel on Trail/Road costs only 2 movement points for each 3 miles traveled.
Travel on Clear/City/Grassland costs 1 movement point for each 1 mile traveled.
Travel on Forest/Hill/Desert/Broken costs 3 movement points for each 2 miles
traveled.
Travel on Mountain/Swamp/Jungle/Ice costs 2 movement points for each 1 mile
traveled.
Jumping & Leaping

-----------------
This is not actually covered anywhere in Classic D&D, but I have found a need to
determine
how far or high a character can jump, and have arrived at some good numbers that
work out
well.
I recommend that:
A character can make a running long jump of a distance equal to 1/10th his
Running Speed in
feet per round.
If he does not have a run of at least 10', he may only make a standing long jump
of half
that distance.
A character can make a vertical jump of a height equal to 1/10th his Encounter
Speed in
feet per round.
If he doesn't have a run of at least 10', he may only make a standing jump of
half that
height.
So, for example, an unencumbered character with a Running Speed of 120 feet per
round could
make a running long jump of 12' or a standing long jump of 6' in distance. His
encounter speed
would be 40 feet per round, so he could make a running high jump of 4' or a
standing high jump
of 2' in height. These distances are the maximum most characters will be able to
achieve.
Note that these distances are always measures in feet; do not increase them to
yards for
outdoor movement!
================================
Page 89, Forced March, Swimming:
================================
Overland Movement Rates

-----------------------
The Unofficial Errata points out that the Forced March rule was omitted.
"Forced March: If necessary, you may increase the number of miles traveled in a
day by
using a Forced March. If you use this option, the characters move 50% further than
the normal
day's movement (24 miles per day increases to 36, 36 increases to 54, and so
forth). However,
the whole day after the forced march must be spent resting." - Expert Rulebook,
page 21.
By Swimming (and Drowning)

--------------------------
It's noted that a character carrying more than 400 cn encumbrance will sink.
Some specific
details about how fast he will sink can be found in Creature Crucible PC3, The Sea
People,
page 4, where it states that any creature wearing armor will sink a number of feet
equal to
its encumbrance penalty each round (using indoor running speed, since underwater
movement is
measured in feet). So for example, a human that can normally run 120' per round can
only run
90' per round when wearing Platemail (as long as he's not carrying even more weight
in
equipment), so he sinks at a rate of 30' per round (120 - 90 = 30).
It's also noted that any creature who is treading water suffers a -2 penalty to
all Hit
Rolls. This would apply to creatures swimming at the surface of the water while
trying to
fight; if they are fighting below the water, use the rules for Underwater Combat on
page 115.
==================
Page 92, Surprise:
==================
The information about evasion described under "One Group Is Surprised" is taken
from the
Expert Rulebook, page 41, but is supposed to apply only to WILDERNESS encounters,
not dungeon
encounters.
The Expert Rulebook notes, "Encounters in the wilderness are handled much the
same as those
in a dungeon. The main differences are in encounter distance and evasion. ..."
"Surprise: This is handled the same as in the D&D Basic set, except that if
either group is
surprised, the encounter distance is 10-40 yards. If three or more creatures
surprise a party,
they may have moved into a circle around the party."
"Evasion: Any group may always avoid an encounter if it surprises another
group."
In the wilderness, a surprise encounter can mean that you haven't even seen the
enemy,
because of the greater distances involved. In a dungeon, a surprise encounter can
mean walking
around the corner and getting caught completely off-guard by an enemy standing
right there. So
the information about automatically evading (with the surprised party not even
being aware of
the other group) should only be applied in the wilderness.
================================
Page 93, Encounters & Reactions:
================================
Encounter Distance Table

------------------------
Make a note by the dagger symbol footnote, that those distances are also used
for Surprise.
Monster Reactions Table
-----------------------
The table in the Cyclopedia is not really well-explained, and is improperly

weighted to
make the monsters attack. It is also inconsistent with previous editions.
Using the correct values from the table on page 22 of the Basic Dungeon Masters
Rulebook, I
created the following table to show how monster reactions are supposed to be
resolved:
_______________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| 2d6 | First roll | Second Roll | Third Roll |
|______|______________________|____________________________|____________|
| | | | |
| | Attack on a 2; | Attack; or if adjustment | |
| 2-5 | otherwise roll again | was positive roll again | Attack |
| | with -3 adjustment | at base chance | |
|------|----------------------|----------------------------|------------|
| | Uncertain; | Uncertain; | |
| 6-8 | roll again | roll again | Leave |
| | at base chance | at base chance | |
|------|----------------------|----------------------------|------------|
| | Friendly on a 12; | Friendly; or if adjustment | |
| 9-12 | otherwise roll again | was negative roll again | Friendly |
| | with +3 adjustment | at base chance | |
|______|______________________|____________________________|____________|
For "roll again" results, wait 1 or more rounds, and consider character actions,
the
speaker's Charisma, and the overall situation before rolling again.
All the other notes for adjustments still apply.
=================
Page 99, Evasion:
=================
Some corrections need to be made here.
First, note that a creature can't go to running speed (and so evasion is

impossible) if, at
the beginning of its Movement phase, it is within melee range of an enemy who is
capable of
attacking, in which case movement restrictions for combat apply (see page 103 about
movement
during combat). But remember if the enemy is chasing the character and has just
moved at
running speed, it won't be able to attack that round, so the character is still
free to move
away at running speed.
When one group decides to evade (excepting surprise situations in the wilderness
-- see the
entry for page 92), they will usually get a 1 round head start (at running speed)
before the
other group can react and begin pursuit (see Basic DM's Rulebook, p.16), unless,
for some
reason, the other group was already planning to go directly to running speed that
round.
In the Evasion Checklist, SKIP step 4. You do not check the Evasion Table except
as noted
in the last paragraph on page 99 (i.e., you only make an evasion check whenever the
evaders
are out of sight of the pursuers; otherwise you just jump straight to step 5 in the
checklist
and track each party's movement at running speed each round).
Remember to apply the rules for Exhaustion (page 88) after 30 rounds of running.
In the Evasion Table, the modifier for "Pursuers have scouts in place" is listed
as "-
15%." That contradicts what is said in the text to the left of the table, where the
modifier
is said to be "-10%." However, I think BOTH these are incorrect and this isn't
supposed to be
a modifier at all.... The Expert Rulebook, p.42, doesn't list this modifier, and
only states,
just as the Cyclopedia does, "If the pursuing group has sent out small groups of
scouts,
evasion is more difficult." This is only describing the fact that small groups of
pursuers
have a better chance of tracking a group of evaders (as already reflected in the
Evasion
Table), and as stated in this section, a large group of creatures can break up into
smaller
groups, with each group checking separately on the Evasion Table.
When determining if monsters decide to pursue or continue pursuit, the Rules

Cyclopedia
changes the "reaction roll" that was used in the Basic DM's Rulebook (which was
just a roll of
9 or more on 2d6), to now be a standard Morale Check for the monsters. I would just
advise
going ahead and playing it the way the Rules Cyclopedia has it.
The Basic DM's Rulebook, p.17, also listed additional modifiers to use for this
roll. But
note that the Cyclopedia, p.103, says that adjustments to a Morale Check should
never exceed a
bonus of +2 or a penalty of -2. The adjustments listed in the Basic DM's Rulebook
were much
larger, possibly because there was no additional adjustment for the monsters' own
bravery/cowardice when making the reaction roll of 9, as there will now be when
making a
standard Morale Check. You can still apply the adjustments if you want, but I have
decreased
each adjustment by one point, to fit in with the Cyclopedia method. Remember that
these
adjustments apply to the Morale Score itself, not to the dice roll:
When deciding to pursue:

-1 if any monsters have been slain.
0 if any monster has been hit but not slain.
+1 if no monsters have been hit.
+2 if the monsters are hunting the players.
You can also integrate the following information from Basic DM's Rulebook, p.17,
into the
paragraph entitled "The pursuers decide to give up the chase" (I've substituted
Morale Checks
for reaction rolls):
Length of Pursuit: If nothing is dropped to cause them to stop, monsters will

pursue for
any length of time, as determined by further Morale Checks. After each 5 rounds of
pursuit,
make a Morale Check and apply the same adjustments to Morale for wounds as
originally made (-
1, 0, +1). In addition, add +1 if the number of monsters is greater than the number
of
characters. If the adjusted Morale Check is successful, the monsters will continue
to pursue
(or search for) the characters. However, monsters will usually give up pursuit
after 1-2 hours
if the party has not been found, and will rarely continue searching longer than a
day (8
hours) unless some valuable item was stolen by the characters.
==================
Page 102a, Combat:
==================
Order of Combat
---------------
The first important thing to note, is that there should be an additional step at
the
beginning of the Combat Sequence Checklist. You can pencil it in at the very top:
"State
Intentions First!" (see Basic DM's Rulebook, p.3) This has been left out of the
Rules
Cyclopedia, but it's a crucial step. Before initiative is rolled, all players must
state what
their characters intend to do during the round. The DM should give an indication of
what the
monsters appear to be doing as well. This solves so many potential questions that
may come up,
such as interrupting spellcasting, Setting a Spear vs. Charge, getting in an attack
on someone
who is making a Fighting Withdrawal/Retreat, or allowing a Fighter who loses
initiative to
Parry, etc.
Note that the players don't have to be completely specific about their
intentions, since
choosing their targets doesn't happen till later in the round. They should just
state if they
are casting a Magic Missile spell, or drawing their sword and moving toward the
monsters, or
getting their bow and preparing to fire, or running and hiding in the shadows like
a sniveling
coward, etc.
One additional thing I would add here, is to apply any existing Area Effects at
the
beginning of the round, just after the Intentions step. Area Effects would include
such spells
as Barrier, Creeping Doom, Confusion, Cloudkill, or effects such as burning oil or
an Insect
Swarm, or automatic damage from being Swallowed by certain monsters. If a creature
starts his
round within an Area Effect, apply the effect to him before he can otherwise act
(notably,
this will make spellcasting impossible in most cases for someone taking automatic
damage each
round). Any creature not already in the Area Effect at the beginning of the round,
but that
later enters the area (or the area moves around him), will be affected at that time
(probably
during a Movement phase).
Movement during Combat

----------------------
On page 102, the first paragraph says you can't RUN 20 feet and then attack....
That would
indicate using RUNNING speed, which is 3 times your normal encounter speed (you'd
have to be
encumbered with 1,201 cn or more before 20 feet qualifies as Running Speed
though... which is
not unlikely for heavily-armored fighters. The Rules Cyclopedia should have used
"120 feet" in
this example so it would have been more clear). It's important to differentiate
Running speed
from Encounter speed, because you CAN actually move your Encounter Speed and still
make an
attack, as stated correctly in the rules under "Movement" on page 103.
The second paragraph says a character can move up to 5 feet WHILE he is

fighting, and this
does not count as an action. It's saying that once you are ALREADY in hand-to-hand
combat, you
can move 5 feet (ONLY) without having to use a special maneuver. Moving more than 5
feet while
you are in hand-to-hand combat will require a Fighting Withdrawal or a Retreat (see
entry for
Page 104).
Consider this 5' step to be a free action that can be taken once per round as
part of
making a melee attack. It must be taken at the beginning of your Hand-To-Hand
phase, and only
if you are actually making a melee attack.
To set down a definition, for the purpose of determining if your movement is

restricted as
above, you are considered to be "in hand-to-hand combat" when you begin the your
Movement
phase positioned within 5 feet of one or more hostile opponents who are capable of
attacking
(opponents are considered "capable of attacking" even if they have already attacked
this
round, but not if they have just moved at Running Speed, for example, which
prevents them from
attacking at all during the round).
Also, if during your Movement phase you step within 5' of such an opponent, you
must end
your movement immediately, as you are now considered to be in hand-to-hand combat
with that
opponent. This does not apply if you are moving by use of a Retreat or Fighting
Withdrawal.
However, when using a Retreat, if you pass through and leave an area within 5' of
any such
opponents, you are then considered to be Retreating from those opponents as well.
Individual Initiative
---------------------
The Optional Dexterity Adjustment for Individual Initiative is different than

the standard
adjustments for ability scores (because getting a +3 bonus to a d6 roll is way too
much, and
even a +2 should be very rare).
From the Basic Player's Manual, p.61 (or Master DM's Book, p.3):
______________________
Dexterity Adjustment
to Initiative
______________________
3 -2
4-5 -1
6-8 -1
9-12 No adj.
13-15 +1
16-17 +1
18 +2
______________________
Note that if you use this optional rule, it is going to unbalance Initiative for
the vast
majority of monsters the players will face, unless you are going to go to the
trouble of
determining the Dexterity score for every single monster you meet. I would
recommend you only
use these modifiers in relation to other PC's to determine who moves first during
their turn
or when fighting each other. The adjustments could also be used when fighting an
NPC whose
Dexterity score is known.
Halflings, though, should get their +1 to Individual Initiative in every
circumstance,
because it is a racial ability.
====================================
Page 102b, Optional Order of Combat:
====================================
This is a revision to the Combat Sequence Checklist. This option is found on

page 11 of the
Player's Guide to Immortals, but it states that it can be used by mortals as well.
I really
recommend using this method; I consider it superior to the standard, basic combat
sequence
(though the basic method does work well enough if you aren't interested in having
better
strategic options, and want to quickly run a battle with many participants).
As the Immortals set describes, "This combat sequence separates swifter actions
from slower
melee combat, providing the possibility of disrupting spells by causing damage to
the
caster." Specifically, all Movement and Missile Fire will happen before any Spells
are cast or
Melee attacks are made.
To describe how this sequence works, we need to single out the "Swift" actions.
To do that,
we first have to divide the Magic step into two parts. So now, the main actions a
character
can take each round, revised from the current checklist, are:
2. Movement
3. Missile Combat
4. Magic
(I). Use Magic Items
(II). Cast Spells or use Spell-Like abilities

5. Hand-to-Hand Combat
Steps 2, 3, and 4(I) are Swift actions.

Steps 4(II) and 5 are slower actions.
The remainder of the Combat Sequence Checklist remains the same, including the
Intentions
and Morale steps; I'm just not counting them as actions for the purpose of this
explanation.
Using this method, the side that won Initiative performs all its Swift actions,
in order.
Then the side that lost Initiative performs its Swift Actions, in order.
Next, the side that won Initiative performs its remaining actions, in order.
Then the side
that lost Initiative performs its remaining actions, in order.
Frank Mentzer has mentioned that one further detail should be included: the
option to
"Delay" actions, so that you can see what others are doing before you act.
I've made this idea into the following rule:
The winner of Initiative may, at any point before completing some (or all) of
his Swift
actions, state that he wants to Delay them. His remaining Swift actions are then
completed, in
the appropriate order, along with his usual remaining actions later in the round.
A Delay can be useful in many situations. An archer might want to wait for an
enemy to move
into range. A Fighter will want to stay within melee range of his opponent, in
which case he
needs to move to the position his opponent ends at, not the position the opponent
starts at.
In fact, a Fighter in Hand-to-Hand combat who wins Initiative will almost always
want to Delay
his Movement until after his opponent has moved, in case his opponent makes a
Fighting
Withdrawal. However, in cases where the opponent starts out at a distance, it can
be better
for the Fighter to move first and close to melee range to restrict his opponent's
movement.
Movement Options
----------------
Since each creature's Movement is now going to happen before any Melee attacks
are made,
characters can be allowed to move around more freely without being unfair to one
side or the
other. I've created some options to allow this.
Unlike with the Basic Order of Combat, a character doesn't have to end his
movement
immediately upon coming within 5' of an opponent, and can also move normally during
his
Movement phase even if he started the round in Hand-to-Hand combat. However, unless
the
character is properly performing a Fighting Withdrawal or Retreat, he might trigger
a Parting
Blow or Misstep.
First, to set down a definition, a "Melee Zone" is any area within 5 feet of an
opponent
who is capable of attacking you this round.
Parting Blow
------------
If you exit an opponent's Melee Zone and you are not properly using a Fighting
Withdrawal
or Retreat, they have the option to make a Parting Blow against you. If they choose
to do so,
their Hand-to-Hand phase (including their usual 5' step) starts immediately --
early and out
of turn -- at any point they choose up until you finish your current movement.
Later in the
round when their Hand-to-Hand step comes up normally, if they have any unused
multiple
attacks, they can continue their Hand-to-Hand phase at that time.
Misstep
-------
Starting from the beginning of your Movement phase, if you move more than 5'
after being
within an opponent's Melee Zone (even if you are moving further into their Melee
Zone), you
have made a Misstep. You suffer the same penalties as if you are Retreating from
that opponent
(i.e., they may attack you with a +2 To Hit, you lose any defensive bonuses from a
shield or
Weapon Mastery, and you cannot attack them in return). This Misstep penalty does
not apply if
you are properly making a Fighting Withdrawal or Retreat, nor does it apply to
creatures that
are using a special form of movement such as riding, flying, or jumping.
Special Combat Movement

-----------------------
If a creature is riding a mount (or cart, or magical device) or flying (or

swimming
underwater, as this is similar to flying in 3 dimensions), the creature may make a
Pass at its
opponent instead of following the standard attack routine of Movement then Melee.
The attacker
moves any distance toward its opponent, then strikes and continues moving away. As
soon as the
opponent is within range, the attacker may make its normal melee attack(s) rather
than waiting
for its Hand-to-Hand phase to come up (by which time it will be out of range). A
creature with
multiple attacks may or may not be able to make all of its attacks against a single
opponent
while making a Pass (DM's judgement, depending on the creature and just what
attacks are being
used), but can often attack multiple opponents along its path.
Of course, each opponent will usually be able to make a Parting Blow as the
creature moves
by....
This is based on how the Lance Attack (p.104) and Aerial Combat (p.114)
function. Much of
the Aerial Combat information on page 114 regarding weapon length, missile fire,
and
spellcasting is also applicable when riding non-flying mounts.
==========================================
Page 103, Adjustments to the Morale Check:
==========================================
See entry for page 99 if you would like to use optional modifiers to the rolls
regarding
Evasion.
====================
Page 104, Maneuvers:
====================
The chart at the top of the page is wacked.

- Fighting Withdrawal and Retreat happen during the Movement phase.
- Lance Attack (and other Charge or Swoop attacks) should happen during the
attacker's movement phase.
- Set Spear vs. Charge gets its attack during the opponent's movement phase.
- Parry is in effect for the entire round.
Note that all these maneuvers are actually announced during the Intentions step
(see entry
for page 102a about Order of Combat).
Also, for the maneuvers in the chart with asterisks, it's useful to note, from
the Players
Companion Book, p.18 (with slight alterations):
Fighter Combat Options are useable by:
1. Name Level Paladins, Knights, or Avengers.

2. Name Level, Land Owning Fighters who swear fealty to a ruler.
3. Name Level Demi-Humans who become Knights within or outside of their clan.
4. Demi-Humans with enough experience points to have the required Attack Ranks.
5. Name Level Mystics.
Other human classes may not use these maneuvers (including Fighters who do not
achieve any
special status) because they require special study of the art of hand-to-hand
combat.
Fighting Withdrawal
-------------------
The rate of movement for a Fighting Withdrawal is, "up to 1/2 of your normal
Encounter
Speed," NOT "5 feet" (Basic Player's Manual, p. 60). Also I would note that you
don't have to
be completely withdrawing from all combat.... You could, for example, make a
Fighting
Withdrawal from your current opponent, and step within range of a different
opponent which you
could then attack, HOWEVER, you may as well have performed a Retreat, because you
will be
turning your back on your original opponent, which might give him the same
opportunity to
attack you from behind (+2 to hit, and no shield modifier to AC). On the other
hand, if you
did the same Fighting Withdrawal toward a different opponent (backing away from
your original
opponent toward a new one) and then didn't turn your back on the original one, then
the new
opponent could attack you from behind.... This maneuver is mainly ideal for backing
toward
your allies or an escape route.
Rather than following the guidelines here that state a Withdrawing character
gets to attack
at the end of the enemy's movement phase (assuming the enemy follows the
character), I
recommend instead following the Order of Combat from the Immortals set (see entry
for page
102b), in which case the Withdrawing character will have the opportunity to attack
on his
usual Hand-to-Hand phase.
Retreat
-------
By study of the Basic Player's Manual, p. 60, I think the bonuses gained when
attacking a
Retreating character should only be used by the opponent(s) that are actually being
Retreated
from (i.e., the opponent(s) that were in hand-to-hand combat with the Retreating
character --
but possibly including other opponents who are standing near them as well). Just
because the
character is Retreating from one opponent, that doesn't mean he's Retreating from
EVERY
opponent on the battlefield.... In fact, he could possibly be moving TOWARD a
different
opponent in the battle, and therefore still be able to make an attack during his
turn if he
comes within range of the new opponent (since he's moving no faster than his normal
encounter
speed). The Retreating character will NOT be able to attack any of the opponents he
was
Retreating from, however, even if they follow him (he's totally left himself open
and turned
his back to them, and they can easily stay at his flank).
Also note that the Retreating character, in addition to losing the benefit of
his shield,
won't be able to use any Weapon Mastery defenses against any opponent he is
Retreating from.
Remember to strictly enforce the qualifications for using these defensive

maneuvers (both
Fighting Withdrawal and Retreat): A character must begin the round in Hand-to-Hand
combat, and
(as noted in the Basic Players Manual, p.60) a character may NOT use these
maneuvers if not
declared during the Intentions step. This means you can't use a Fighting Withdrawal
if you
start the round 10' away from your opponent, even if you know he is going to move
to melee
range (if you have just successfully Withdrawn from him last round, for example).
Otherwise,
if using the Optional Order of Combat from the Immortals set (in which all Movement
happens
before Hand-to-Hand attacks, and the character with Initiative can Delay his
Movement until
after the opponent moves), it would become impossible in this situation to ever
attack an
opponent (Hand-to-Hand) who continually declares a Fighting Withdrawal. But if you
enforce the
qualifications above, then it all comes down to the Initiative roll; if the
character wins
Initiative he'll easily escape at his full movement rate. If he loses Initiative
his opponent
will move next to him, and Movement restrictions will kick in, leaving only the 5'
of combat
movement available.
Lance Attack
------------
The first sentence of the second paragraph is wrong, according to the Master
Player's Book,
p.16, which states, "Hit Roll Bonuses: The only weapon unaffected by ability score
modifications is the lance, the use of which is completely dependent on a mount."
Rather than strictly apply this to the lance, consider it an effect of using the
Lance
Attack maneuver, since a lance may also be Set vs. a Charge, or thrust like a spear
if the
mount hasn't charged 20 yards. In those cases Strength bonuses should apply, but
when
performing the Lance Attack, hitting and damaging really are more dependent on the
mount.
You may optionally also allow a Spear to be used for performing a Lance Attack,
in which
case this maneuver will also be available to Halflings (see entry for page 67 about
the
Spear).
Set Spear vs. Charge

--------------------
The description here is vague, muddled, and even redefines what qualifies as a
Charge
Attack. Gathering from various places in the Rules Cyclopedia and the Expert
Rulebook, here is
the actual definition of a Charge Attack:
CHARGE: If a monster with this special attack can run toward its opponent for 20
yards (20
feet indoors) in one round, it inflicts double damage if it hits. A monster cannot
charge in
certain types of terrain: broken, heavy, forest, jungle, mountain, swamp, etc.
A Set Spear vs. Charge can ONLY be used against that special attack (or against
the Lance
Attack), not against any monster that happens to be running toward you. The
required distance
of 20 yards/feet must be moved all in one round. Monsters only have the Charge
Attack if it's
listed in their description.
Remember that a Set Spear vs. Charge will replace your normal attack, so you
can't attack
again when your hand-to-hand phase comes up (the set Spear gets its attack during
the
opponent's Movement phase).
The other possible problem (having to declare your Set vs. Charge before your
opponent
moves) is cleared up if you correctly use the Intentions step which was omitted
from the Rules
Cyclopedia (see entry for page 102a about Order of Combat). The DM should indicate
during the
Intentions Step that the monster is about to charge.
Multiple Attacks
----------------
The phrase, "In melee combat," is used in the second paragraph, but then the
third
paragraph indicates that Multiple Attacks can apply to thrown weapons as well. The
other
allowed attacks are the Lance Attack and the Disarm maneuver.
Smash
-----
I agree with the Unofficial Errata; when this move is performed, the character's
Weapon
Mastery should be counted as no higher than Basic level, since this is a brute
force attack.
I also really recommend that whenever a character is employing the Smash
maneuver, it must
be his only attack for the round; he must give up all multiple attacks including
any
additional off-hand attacks.
And take note that the Strength score is added on as bonus damage on top of the
base damage
for the weapon; such bonus damage is never multiplied because of effects that cause
double
damage (on page 105, steps 7 and 8 in the Attack Roll Checklist clearly state
this).
Parry
-----
... Oh my gosh, this maneuver doesn't have any errors!! ;)
New Maneuver - Shove

--------------------
I wanted a nice way to allow creatures to shove each other back or out of the
way, so I
came up with this system. It's based around the Open Doors mechanic. You could also
easily
adapt this system for use when opening doors as well, to give larger creatures a
better
chance, and smaller creatures less chance, of forcing a door open. A typical stuck
door has a
Resist rating of 5 with this system.
A Shove replaces a creature's normal attack, and is counted as a Two-Handed

attack
(incurring the standard loss of Initiative penalty), but the hands don't
necessarily have to
be empty since this can take the form of a kick or ram. The attacker will not be
able to
otherwise use any objects he's holding though, so will lose any defensive bonuses
from a
Shield or Weapon Mastery.
The Shove attack can be made either during the attackers Hand-to-Hand Phase, or
at the end
of his Movement Phase. The attacker must make a Hit Roll against the defender, not
counting
the base Armor Class of any armor worn by the defender (all other modifiers such as
shield,
magic, and Dexterity still apply).
If contact is made, no damage is inflicted. Instead, the attacker then rolls a

die based on
his size, and must achieve a result based on the defender's size. Modifications
apply. Base
numbers are shown below:
_____________________________________
Shoving Table
_____________________________________
Size Attack Resist

-------------------------------------
Tiny (under 2') d2 1
Small (2' to 4') d4 2
Medium (4' to 7') d6 3
Large (7' to 12') d8 4
Giant (12' to 25') d10 5
Immense (over 25') d12 6
_____________________________________
The Strength adjustment of the attacker is applied to his roll.

Give a +1 if the attacker runs at least 10 feet before hitting.
The resistance value of the defender is calculated as follows.

- Start with the Resist number from the table based on the size of the defender.
- Add 1/2 the defender's Hit Dice (round up, but creatures below 1/2 HD count as 0
HD).
- Apply any adjustments for the defender's Strength.
- Give +1 if the defender is on more than 2 legs or is prone/crawling.
If the attacker rolls this number or higher, he may move to the position the
defender was
standing, and may shove the defender 5 feet away. The attacker may choose the
direction he
shoves the defender, and can even pull the defender backwards at an angle (not
straight into
himself), though if the attacker had a running start, the direction of the shove
must be
mostly forward. Any spellcasting or concentration by the defender will be disrupted
at this
point. If the shove occurs during the defender's Movement Phase, then that Movement
Phase is
immediately ended (this can happen when using the Optional Order of Combat
described on page
102b).
If the attacker rolls double the required number, then he can push the defender
10 feet,
and the defender must also make a Saving Throw vs Paralysis at -2 or fall down
(prone).
Rolling 4 times that number results in a 15' shove and -4 to the defender's
Saving Throw.
New Maneuver - Guard (for Basic Order of Combat only)

-----------------------------------------------------
While the Optional Order of Combat allows for more strategic options, I
recognize that the
standard Order of Combat can be faster to use, especially for large battles. But
there are
trade-offs when using the basic method, as some situations won't seem to work out
right.... So
here is an optional maneuver to help fix some of those situations (again, this
should only be
allowed when using the standard Order of Combat).
A character who wins initiative has the option to perform a Guard, if he

declared his
intent to make a melee attack during the Intentions step. Rather than attacking
during his
hand-to-hand phase (in case no opponent is within range then), he Guards his
current position
and waits for his opponents to move. Then, if an opponent moves within range, he
can attack it
at the end of the opponent's movement phase. Only melee attacks may be used for the
Guard, and
this maneuver may not be used if the character is otherwise restricted from making
an attack.
This is basically the same as how the attack works after a Fighting Withdrawal
if the
opponent follows the Withdrawing character.
Anyone familiar with the old Gold Box AD&D Computer Games (Secret of the Silver
Blades,
etc.) will recognize this maneuver....
On additional note I would add, when using the standard Order of Combat the
winner of
Initiative (only) should be allowed to voluntarily give up initiative for strategic
reasons,
if desired.
==========================
Page 105, The Attack Roll:
==========================
The rule here that says, "A natural roll of 20 always hits," is not accurate, if
you go by
the Mentzer-edited rules. That rule as stated in the Rules Cyclopedia (a 20 ALWAYS
hitting)
was present in some earlier editions of the game, and is probably a very popular
"house
rule," but it does not appear in that form in the 1983-1986 D&D rules which the
Rules
Cyclopedia was derived from (or in 1E AD&D for that matter).
The Expert Rulebook, page 29, describes it like this:
"Unless the target is invulnerable to normal weapons, or a number greater than

20 is needed
and there are no bonuses, a roll of 20 will always hit, and a roll of 1 will always
miss.
"A natural 20 without bonuses will not hit creatures that require a Hit Roll of
greater
than 20."
To state it clearly, even if you have penalties to your attack roll, a natural
roll of 20
will always hit any Armor Class that doesn't require a roll higher than 20 on your
Hit Roll
chart. In order to hit Armor Classes that require a Hit Roll greater than 20, you
will need
bonuses to your attack roll.
Also remember that the number 20 repeats 5 times on the Hit Roll charts, so a
natural 20
can still hit 5 Armor Classes better than a 19 without bonuses. In fact, for almost
every
situation, handling this rule either way will have the same results.... It will
only make a
difference in very rare circumstances.
Note on Double Damage/Half Damage

---------------------------------
There are many effects in the game that result in "Double Damage." While this
mechanic was
never explicitly explained in the previous editions, the wording of some magic
items implied
that ONLY the damage for the WEAPON is doubled, and not any other damage bonuses
(using terms
like "double normal damage" or "twice the amount rolled"). The Cyclopedia is more
specific in
indicating that only the normal damage for the weapon is doubled, and then any
additional
damage modifiers (e.g., magic or Strength bonuses) are added to the total. On page
105, steps
7 and 8 on the Attack Roll Checklist clearly state this. For more examples, read
the
description of Backstab on page 23, and Lance Attack and Set Spear vs. Charge on
page 104.
The procedure is the same for Half Damage. The "1/2" is considered a multiplier
that is
applied to the damage roll before any damage bonuses are added on. Also, it states
in the 3rd
paragraph under "Special Defenses" on page 27, "When modifying sustained damage,
always round
fractions down. If the result is 1/2 point of damage or less, the character takes 1
point of
damage." This is the case in every Half Damage example given in the Cyclopedia, so
should be
applied in all cases where it doesn't specifically instruct you to round up.
Non-Standard Targeting
----------------------
There are situation where, rather than trying to hit and damage an opponent, you
just need
to make solid contact. This applies, for example, if you're trying to entangle your
opponent
(with a Net, Whip, or Bola), douse him with oil/holy water, or touch him with a
Torch after
dousing him in oil. In these situation you don't need to get past the target's
armor for the
attack to be effective.
For those type of attacks, ignore the standard Armor Class of any armor the
target is
wearing (this will usually result in a base AC of 9, but not always; consider a
Mystic or a
monster wearing Barding...). Apply all the other usual adjustments to the AC of the
target.
The usual adjustments include: any magical bonuses of the armor being worn,
shield bonuses,
other magical bonuses from protective magical items or spells, Dexterity
adjustments, and
Weapon Mastery defense bonuses (which can include the use of Deflect). If a Missile
Attack is
being made, then include all the usual modifiers for that too (e.g., Cover).
Note that even when using non-standard targeting, if the Hit Roll is high enough
to hit the
standard AC of the target as well, then normal damage can also be inflicted in
addition to
other effects. Example: if you shoot a flaming arrow at a target that is doused in
oil, you
only need to hit the non-standard AC to ignite the target. If you also roll high
enough to hit
the standard AC of the target, then you also inflict standard arrow damage.
A different method is also needed in cases where you want to target an item
possessed by
your opponent. Some common examples might include attacks by such things as a Rod
of
Cancellation, Staff of Dispelling, Touch Dispel, Rust Monster attacks upon
equipment, or
simply trying to break an item being carried by an opponent (in which case, consult
the entry
for page 145 to find rules for item breakage). The Disarm maneuver, however,
targets the
opponent himself rather than his weapon....
The only guidance I found in the Cyclopedia in regard to this is for the Rod of
Cancellation, p.237, which says, "The target is treated as having an Armor Class of
9. The DM
may adjust the Armor Class of an item if it is being used in combat (such as when
trying to
hit a sword)."
So consider any item being targeted to have a base AC of 9, then apply all the
usual
adjustments (listed above) except as noted below:
__________________________________________________________
Hitting an Opponent's Items

__________________________________________________________
Target Base AC Do not adjust for:

----------------------------------------------------------
Armor 9
(Worn)
----------------------------------------------------------
Shield 9 Normal shield bonus (a)
(Wielded) Magic armor bonuses
----------------------------------------------------------
Weapon 9 That weapon's Mastery defenses (b)
(Wielded) Magic armor bonuses
----------------------------------------------------------
Other item 9 (c) Magic armor bonuses
(Worn/Carried)
__________________________________________________________
(a) But DO adjust for the shield's magical bonus, if any.
(b) This includes the Deflect ability. In fact, if the opponent made a successful
Deflect with
the weapon you are targeting, that would still indicate a successful hit on that
weapon. So
it's probably a bad idea for anyone to try to Deflect attacks from a Rust Monster
that is
targeting his metal weapon. However, if the opponent uses a different weapon (an
off-hand
weapon) to Deflect, that doesn't necessarily indicate the off-hand weapon was
"hit," since it
wasn't being targeted by the attack....
(c) As a rule of thumb, this assumes an item of at least 9 inches in length or

width. For each
inch smaller, the item will be 1 AC lower. So an item that is 3 inches in length
would have a
base AC of 3. A tiny object of less than 1 inch in length (an earring, for example)
might have
a base AC of 0. Additional penalties will apply if you're using Missile fire to hit
such an
object (see the entry for page 108 about Missile Fire Size Adjustments).
========================================
Page 106-107, Alternate Hit Roll System:
========================================
This is a plug-in system for removing all the charts and tables from Hit Rolls.
The Hit Roll vs. Armor Class Charts are bulky and cumbersome and time-consuming
to
reference when in the middle of a battle. I also never liked the mental math that
was involved
when using the THAC0 vs. Armor Class method. So I've come up with the following
system to
calculate Hit Rolls. It replaces all the Hit Roll vs. Armor Class tables (for every
character
and monsters in the game) with one simple chart and a few easy formulas. It also
looks at
Armor Class in reverse, so that the higher your Armor Rating, the harder you are to
hit; it
seems more intuitive that way. This system takes more words to explain because you
don't have
all the charts to look at, but once you ditch the charts and start using this
system, things
flow very quickly and easily in combat.
I know other people have come up with similar systems; however, I believe mine
to be the
only one that completely covers all possibilities and correctly correlates to the
Hit Roll
charts at all levels of play. In fact, even the THAC0 method breaks down at the
high and low
ends of the Hit Roll charts....
The advantages to this system are that you don't have to reference any charts or
make many
calculations during combat (other than adding all your bonuses to your Hit Roll),
and also,
since it's a plug-in system, you don't have to change any of the current rules; you
still
determine your Armor Class as usual. All you need to do is just keep track of two
new numbers.
I'll call them Armor Rating (so as not to actually replace Armor Class) and Hit
Roll Modifier
(which replaces the need to use a Hit Roll vs. Armor Class chart).
AR (Armor Rating) is basically AC, only expressed as the actual number you need
to roll in
order to hit.
To get your AR, just subtract your AC from 20, and make a note of it on your
character
sheet next to your AC. The same applies to Monsters: to find their AR, use 20 - AC.
To get your HRM (Hit Roll Modifier), you can just subtract your THAC0 from 20
(but at high
levels, be sure you're using your correct THAC0 and not just reading straight from
the Hit
Roll chart). Make a note of your HRM on your character sheet too.
For Monsters up to 10 HD, it's simple to determine their HRM: just use their HD.
If they
have a '+' after their HD, then their HRM = HD + 1.
Or, to accurately find anything's HRM, use the following table:
_____________________________________________________
All-Inclusive Hit Roll Chart

_____________________________________________________
Magic- Cleric/ Fighter/Mystic/

User Thief Demi-Human Monster HRM
_____________________________________________________
Normal human +0
1-5 1-4 1-3 up to 1 +1
---------------------------------- 1+ to 2 ----- +2
6-10 5-8 4-6 2+ to 3 +3
---------------------------------- 3+ to 4 ----- +4
11-15 9-12 7-9 A 4+ to 5 +5
-------------------------- B ----- 5+ to 6 ----- +6
16-20 13-16 10-12 C 6+ to 7 +7
-------------------------- D ----- 7+ to 8 ----- +8
21-25 17-20 13-15 E 8+ to 9 +9
-------------------------- F ----- 9+ to 11 --- +10
26-30 21-24 16-18 G 11+ to 13 +11
-------------------------- H ---- 13+ to 15 --- +12
31-35 25-28 19-21 I 15+ to 17 +13
-------------------------- J ---- 17+ to 19 --- +14
36 29-32 22-24 K 19+ to 21 +15
-------------------------- L ---- 21+ to 23 --- +16
33-35 25-27 M 23+ to 25 +17
--------------------------------- 25+ to 27 --- +18
36 28-30 27+ to 29 +19
--------------------------------- 29+ to 31 --- +20
31-33 31+ to 33 +21
--------------------------------- 33+ to 35 --- +22
34-36 35+ and up +23
_____________________________________________________
Once you have your AR and HRM, it's easy to determine if you hit in combat. You
make your
Hit Roll and apply all the usual adjustments, then add your HRM to the total. The
final total
tells you what AR you hit (and of course, you hit any lower AR too).
--------
Example:
An Ogre attacks a Fighter in Platemail:
Ogre is 4+1 HD, so its HRM = +5
Platemail is AC 3, so AR = 17 (a quick 20 - AC)
So the Ogre hits if it rolls a 12 or higher (12 +5 = 17)
Fast and simple, and no charts required.
--------
It's important to calculate all other adjustments to your Hit Roll before you
add your HRM,
because that total is adjusted as follows:
If your Hit Roll + adjustments = 1 or less, you get a -4 penalty to the total.
If your Hit Roll + adjustments = 20 or more, you get a +4 bonus to the total.
In extreme circumstances, your Hit Roll + adjustments might even total 30 or

higher. In
that case, you get an additional +4 bonus (for a total of +8). The bonus for
getting a 20 does
NOT count toward getting a 30 though; you have to reach the 30 with just your Hit
Roll +
standard adjustments.
Like the hit Roll tables, this pattern can (even though it's really unnecessary)
be
extrapolated indefinitely, adding another +4 bonus for every 10 points.
--------
Example:
A 5th level Fighter (+3 HRM) with a +1 Strength bonus and a +2 sword.
He makes a hit roll of 18; after adding his Hit Roll bonuses, he comes up with
21.
Since he reached 20 (or higher) before adding his HRM, he gets +4 bonus points.
So after adding his HRM to that, his total is 28, meaning he hit AR 28 (equal to
AC -8).
You can check the Hit Roll charts and see that's correct.
--------
Next, to correctly account for the "natural 20" rule according to the Expert Set
(see entry
for page 105 above), use the following rule:
On a natural roll of 20, despite the presence of any negative modifiers, you
will always
hit at least an AR equal to your HRM + 24
Also remember that a natural roll of 1 will always miss, no matter what.
Finally, we need a way to account for the "Extra Damage" option explained on
page 108 (if
you choose not to use the extra damage rule, just count any attack with a final
adjusted total
of 1 or less as a miss).
To calculate extra damage, you'll need to keep another number in mind. I'll call
this your
Overpower Level, or OL. It represents being so skilled that you can completely
overpower any
AR of that level or lower. Your OL is equal to your HRM - 4.
If any target has an AR equal to or less than your OL, you miss only on a
natural roll of
1, and you do bonus damage equal to your OL - AR of target (with a maximum of +10
bonus
damage).
--------
Example:
A 30th level Fighter, from the chart, has a +19 HRM, so his OL is 15 (HRM - 4).
He attacks a Kobold that has a 13 AR (AC 7).
That AR is equal to or below his OL, so he will always hit unless he rolls a
natural 1.
Additionally, he'll do 2 points of bonus damage: 15 (his OL) - 13 (Kobold's AR)
= 2.
--------
In extremely rare circumstances, even more bonus damage can be attained. When
really
vulnerable targets are hit by really powerful attackers, a second Overpower Level,
or OL2, can
come into play. Your OL2 is equal to your OL - 14. If a target has an AR lower than
your OL2,
you can do additional bonus damage equal to your OL2 - AR of target. Again there is
a maximum
of +10 additional bonus damage, but this is added to the +10 points of bonus damage
you got
from your first OL (for a maximum of +20 bonus damage at this level).
And again (but absolutely unnecessary), this pattern can be extrapolated
indefinitely, with
each progressive OL being 14 points below the last, and each granting an additional
maximum of
+10 bonus damage.
Some of this may seem a bit complicated because I'm allowing for every situation
that is
covered (and implied) by the original Hit Roll tables, however, the basic things
you need to
know in order to use this system are actually pretty simple. I'll summarize them
below, but
first I want to include this paragraph from the Master DM's Book, p.11, because
it's important
to apply adjustments in the proper places, especially with this system.
Modifying Hit Rolls or Armor Class
All adjustments to attack ability should be applied to the Hit Roll of the
attacker, but
any defensive effects should cause adjustments to the Armor Class of the target.
Strength,
Dexterity, magic, range to the target, and other factors may affect the Hit Roll.
Armor,
cover, magic, etc. affect the Armor Class of the target. Whenever an adjustment
could be
applied either way, apply it to the Armor Class of the target.
Here's the basic summary of everything:

---------------------------------------
You don't have to change any game mechanics; you just look at the numbers in an
easier way.
You determine your standard AC number as usual, and still keep track if it on your
character
sheet. Just also make a note of your Armor Rating and your Hit Roll Modifier.
AR = 20 - AC
HRM = 20 - THAC0 (or use the chart)
In combat:
Hit Roll + standard adjustments + HRM = AR you hit
Before adding HRM:

If Hit Roll + adjustments = 1 or less, you get a -4 penalty
If Hit Roll + adjustments = 20 or more, you get a +4 bonus
A natural 20 will always hit at least an AR equal to your HRM + 24
For optional extra damage, note your Overpower Level:

OL = HRM - 4
You will hit any AR equal to or lower than your OL unless you roll a natural 1
You do bonus damage equal to your OL - AR of target (maximum of +10 damage)
================================
Page 108, Attack Roll Modifiers:
================================
Attack Roll Modifiers

---------------------
In the Attack Roll Modifiers Table, "Larger than man-sized monster attacks
halfling" should
be -2, not -1 (this error was probably copied from the same error in the Basic DM's
Rulebook,
p.16), though technically this is an adjustment to the Halfling's Armor Class, not
to the
attacker's hit roll.
There is also room in the chart just above that to pencil in: "Blind -6"
For the footnote in the table regarding attacking from behind, not only do you
ignore the
opponent's shield, you also ignore any Weapon Mastery defense bonuses he might
have.
Missile Fire - Cover Adjustments

--------------------------------
There are two problems here.... The first is that the numbers given for Hard
Cover in the
table become too high. The second is that if you account only for cover and not for
the size
of the target, things get weird.
Here's an example to illustrate this. A 10' tall Ogre is standing beside a 3'
tall
Halfling. The Ogre is standing behind a 5' tall boulder, giving him 50% Hard Cover,
while the
Halfling is standing on top of the boulder. Using the table here, anyone trying to
hit the 5'
of exposed Ogre with Missile Fire would be at -4 to hit, but anyone shooting at the
3' of
Halfling would have no penalty to hit.... The part of the Ogre that is exposed is a
much
larger target, but for some reason is much harder to hit....
This can be fixed by first reducing the modifiers for Hard Cover. The table here
was
inherited from the Master Players' Book, p.17, which is in disagreement with the
original
rules for Cover in the Basic Players Manual, p.60, where it's stated that cover
adjustments
range from -1 to -4, which represents Full Cover. Keeping close to those numbers, I
find the
best-written rules for handling cover are from the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, page 26:
An attacker suffers a -1 penalty to hit for each quarter of the target's body
that is
protected by cover. If the attacker's missile weapon cannot penetrate the cover,
subtract an
additional -1. If the target's cover adjustment totals -5 points, the target is
completely
hidden behind something the attacker's missile weapon cannot penetrate. No attack
is possible.
If a character who is completely hidden chooses to use a missile attack, he must
expose at
least a quarter of his body to attack.
Expressed as a table, it now looks like this:
_______________________________________
Missile Target Cover Table

_______________________________________
Target has: Soft Cover: Hard Cover:

---------------------------------------
1/4 cover -1 -2
1/2 cover -2 -3
3/4 cover -3 -4
Full cover -4 Can't hit
_______________________________________
Missile Fire - Size Adjustments

-------------------------------
The second part of the fix is to add an adjustment to Missile Fire based on the
size of the
target. I found some base numbers to work with in the 1979 Holmes-edited rulebook,
page 19,
where it lists adjustments based on target size which were used when throwing
flasks of oil...
but the same principle can be applied to all forms of Missile Fire.
_______________________________________
Missile Target Size Table

_______________________________________
Target Size Example Adj.

---------------------------------------
under 1' Bat -3
1' to 2' (Tiny) Pixie -2
2' to 4' (Small) Halfling -1
4' to 7' (Medium) Human 0
7' to 12' (Large) Ogre +1
12' to 25' (Giant) Giant +2
over 25' (Immense) Dragon +3
_______________________________________
Generally, a cover adjustment will outweigh a size adjustment. So an Ogre with 1/2
cover (-2
total adjustment) would still be slightly harder to hit than a Halfling with no
cover (-1
adjustment) -- the Ogre has the option to quickly duck behind the cover as he's
being shot at,
while the Halfling is stuck out in the open.
Targets Within 5'

-----------------
Note that it specifically refers to missile DEVICES here, which seems to

indicate that
hand-hurled weapons CAN actually be thrown effectively at targets within 5'. The
notes about
Missile Fire in the Mentzer sets also seem to support this interpretation.
Partial Targets (Optional)

--------------------------
In my opinion, this is not a good optional rule to use. Even though a round is
10 seconds
long, it only takes a few seconds to actually launch a missile attack; the target
doesn't need
to be visible for the entire 10 seconds in order to be effectively targeted. Just
stick to
using a Cover modifier of -1 to -4 in situations like this, at the DM's judgement.
A good optional rule can be derived from here though; you could allow any Cover
modifiers
to apply toward appropriate Saving Throws. For example, If you are 3/4 shielded
behind solid
cover when a Dragon uses a breath weapon on you, you could gain a +4 bonus to your
Saving
Throw. Note that most magical effects will be at full strength if even part of the
target is
visible... so the DM must decide if Cover will offer any protection in each case.
=============================
Page 110, Two Weapons Combat:
=============================
Two weapon combat was only rudimentarily mentioned in the Master Players' Book
(page 19).
The Rules Cyclopedia has expanded the rules, stating them in terms of "first
attack" and
"second attack," and saying that the attacker can decide each round which weapon he
uses first
and which he uses second. However, this results in things becoming complicated when
describing
how Two Weapon Combat interacts with Multiple Attacks and Weapon Mastery, because
effective
Weapon Mastery ranks can change during each round of combat depending on which
weapon is used
first....
I believe things can be much simplified by instead basing Two Weapon Combat on
the use of a
character's Primary Hand and Off Hand (a player may, if he wishes, specify that his
character
is right or left handed).
This way you only need to state that any off-hand attack will suffer a -4
penalty to hit
and -1 level of Weapon Mastery (excepting those weapons which suffer no off-hand
penalty). A
character can make one off-hand attack in addition to his primary attack(s). A
character
holding a weapon in each hand can swap which weapon is held in which hand by giving
up
initiative for the round.
Now it becomes much easier to keep track of Mastery levels and to describe how
Two Weapon
Combat interacts with Multiple Attacks (instead of taking up half a page, as it
does in the
Cyclopedia): A character with multiple attacks can make up to his allowed number of
attacks
with his primary weapon, and may also make one off-hand attack, as usual.
Now some specific notes on using Two Weapon combat.
I strongly recommend that when attacking with two weapons at a time, at least
one of them
has to be size Small (either the primary weapon or the off-hand weapon; it doesn't
matter
which).
Also, I recommend that a character who attacks with two weapons at a time should
be treated
as if he's using a Two-Handed attack (i.e., he will lose initiative against
opponents who use
one-handed attacks). I think this follows the reasoning behind other 2H attacks:
you are able
to inflict more damage, but this is balanced because you have a slower attack
routine.
This even applies when making extra attacks with weapons (or unarmed Strikes)
that suffer
no off-hand penalties (e.g., Shield Weapons or Cestus). However, it does not apply
if you
aren't actually making both Primary and Off-Hand attacks in a round, such as when
using a
Shield Weapon only for defensive bonuses, or when attacking with an off-hand weapon
instead of
the primary one (the player must state during the Intentions step if he's planning
on making
such attacks or not).
Furthermore, I recommend that the -1 level of Weapon Mastery penalty SHOULD be

applied even
if the character only has Basic Mastery of his off-hand weapon (the guideline here
that says
"Basic stays at Basic" wasn't given in the Master's set). This will mean that a
character with
Basic Mastery of his off-hand weapon will only inflict half damage with it (as if
using it at
Unskilled level). This won't apply to the weapons that don't suffer off-hand
penalties, but it
will otherwise help keep Two Weapon fighting from becoming overpowered.
Defense bonuses and special abilities of the weapons being used should not have
cumulative
effects. The player must chose which weapon's defense bonuses or special abilities
to use
during a round. Though he could, for example, use the AC bonus from his off-hand
weapon along
with the Disarm ability of his primary weapon; he just can't combine abilities that
are
present in both weapons.
In other words, using the example given of a character attacking with Expert
Mastery for
his primary attack with a normal sword (H:-2AC/2, Deflect 2, disarm save +1), and
Skilled
Mastery for his off-hand attack with a short sword (H:-1AC/1, Deflect 1, disarm
save +1), he
would not get H:-3AC/1, nor 3 Deflects, nor Disarm with a +2 to save, or any other
combination
thereof. If he uses a defense bonuses or special ability from one of his weapons,
he can't use
the same defense bonus or special ability from his other weapon that round.
Generally, a player would chose to use the defense bonus of the weapon with the
higher
effective Mastery, but that may not always be the case when the off-hand weapon has
bonuses
against a certain target type and the primary weapon does not.
This should also be applied to Shield Weapons (see entry for pages 65-66 about
Shield
Weapons); the wielder of a Shield Weapon may either use the defensive bonus of the
Shield
Weapon or that of his primary weapon, but not both during the same round. Shield
Weapons
should be treated as weapons, not as shields, because they basically provide a free
second
attack and have no off-hand Weapon Mastery penalties, so limiting them in this way
seems
appropriate.
=======================
Page 111-112, Striking:
=======================
The first small section about Unarmed Combat (starting on p.110) is the simple
method from
the Expert Rulebook, which says unarmed attacks do a base of 1 point of damage.
This can be
used if you don't want to bother with the more complex rules for Striking and
Wrestling that
follow. If you use the complex rules, just keep in mind that the base damage for
Striking is 0
rather than 1.
You could also allow the players to choose which type of strike they are making
each time
they attack unarmed; they could choose to make a basic damaging attack (with the
base of 1
damage and no other effects), or they can go for the more skillful Striking attack
(base of 0
damage, but with special effects and Mastery potential).
Restrictions
------------
I would allow Stun results (but not Knockout) even if the attacker if only half
the size of
the victim (but no smaller than that). This way a Halfling can Stun a human; a hard
kick to
the shin or punch to the gut (or other sensitive area within reach of a Halfling!)
could
certainly Stun a human for a time.
Stun Effects
------------
Since the Stun result for Striking is more like a Weapon Mastery effect, I
recommend using
the lesser (2 point) Stun penalties as listed on page 81. Otherwise, the Stun from
being hit
with a bare fist would be more powerful than the Stun from being hit with a
Blackjack or Two-
Handed Sword....
Optional Rules for Striking

---------------------------
1. Punching: You may want to further specify that knockouts can only be achieved
from strikes
to the opponent's head (and see the restrictions mentioned in the entry for page
63). Also,
the opponent will only suffer the longer-duration stun if he fails the usual Saving
Throw vs.
Death Ray at +4. As with knockouts, characters with less than 4 HD cannot achieve
the longer-
duration stuns.
In regard to Two Weapon Combat (see page 110), I would also make sure to specify
that any
non-punching attacks (head-butt, kick, elbow, etc.) must be treated as the
character's Primary
attack. "Off-hand" kick attacks, for example, should not be allowed, and a
character can't use
his primary weapon's Mastery options when he's making such an attack (he'll be
using the
Mastery options for Striking as his primary attack instead). Of course, off-hand
punches are
allowed if the character has an empty off hand, but this suffers all the usual
penalties for
Two-Weapon fighting.
2. Tough Opponents: This should only apply to MONSTERS with more Hit Dice than the
attacker,
because there's no reason a 4th level Fighter couldn't knock out a 5th level Magic-
User.
5. Objects in Hand: There is no down side to using this tactic, so everyone would
be using it
freely, all the time.... So I recommend a -2 penalty to Hit when Striking with an
object in
hand. The 'object' could include a typical weapon, such as when a character punches
someone
while holding sword in the same hand.
7. Fighter Combat Options, Smash: This also incurs the usual loss of initiative
penalty. I
also recommend that it must be the character's only attack for the round; he must
give up all
multiple attacks including any additional off-hand attacks.
Boxing Mastery Table

--------------------
The Boxing Unarmed Combat Mastery Table values for damage need some alteration.
First off,
the base damage for Striking at Basic Mastery is supposed to be 0, as stated in the
Striking
Procedure Checklist on page 111 (just as in the Companion set). The following
modified
progression works better for Striking (based mostly on the way damage for the
blackjack
progresses). You can treat this damage as "bonus damage" and allow the attacker to
use all or
none of it, as described in optional rule #3 about "pulling the punch."
____________________________
Striking Damage Progression

____________________________
Lvl. Bonus Damage

----------------------------
BS 0
SK +2
EX +3
MS P:+5 S:+4
GM P:+6 S:+5
____________________________
Also, I really think the Primary Target Type for Striking should be M (which
includes
unarmed humans) rather than H (weapon-users). Boxing should be more effective
against an
unarmed opponent rather than one swinging a sword....
========================
Page 112-114, Wrestling:
========================
Initiative, Armed vs. Unarmed

-----------------------------
This rule is rather vague and doesn't work well, and should probably just be
ignored. Just
remember that Wrestling is a "2H" attack, and will always lose initiative against
opponents
who use 1H attacks.
Preparing for Wrestling

-----------------------
In the Wrestling Rating Checklist, step 1 should actually say "Divide the
character's Hit
Dice by two, rounding up," (as indicated in the last paragraph under this section).
This is a
revision in the Cyclopedia, since the Companion set said to use the character's
Level, but I
agree with this revision; using HD keeps things more balanced.
And note that for step 3, the unmodified AC is always counted as 9 for Mystics.
Also, the next-to-last paragraph in this section is not quite right where it
says,
"Remember, magic bonuses and Dexterity adjustments do not apply to Wrestling
Rating."
Dexterity adjustments DO apply to your Wrestling Rating; they just don't apply
when finding
your unmodified Armor Class.
I also suggest that any special penalties to a creature's Armor Class should be
applied in
reverse to the creature's Wrestling Rating. For example, a Stunned creature suffers
a +4
penalty to his AC. This should cause a -4 Penalty to his Wrestling Rating. Note
that being
Prone or Entangled won't affect Wrestling Rating because they don't affect AC; they
instead
give opponents a bonus to their attack rolls.
Wrestling Procedure
-------------------
Important: it states here that if a character is doing something other than

Wrestling, he
does not get to add his Wrestling Rating (WR) to his Wrestling roll when defending
against a
Wrestler. This was not stated in the Companion set and I think it should be
ignored. And keep
in mind that unintelligent creatures will always use their natural attacks rather
than try to
Wrestle.... If this is the case, they will never add their WR to their Wrestling
roll, meaning
they will always be easily defeated by Wrestling, no matter how big they are (it
would be as
if they didn't even have a WR). A creature's WR is an indication of how difficult
it is to
Wrestle whether or not it is actually attempting to Wrestle in return, so its WR
should always
be added to its Wrestling roll.
That said, I think the idea behind this rule (someone who is not focusing on
Wrestling will
be easier to overcome) is a very good one. What I recommend is to use the same
modifier as
listed on page 113 under "Wrestlers Being Attacked." It shows that if a character
is trying to
do something else (in this case, hold on to a different person) when a wrestler
attacks him,
he gets a -4 penalty to his WR when defending against that wrestler. This -4
modifier to WR
could apply to any creature that is doing something other than Wrestling when it's
defending
against a wrestler.
Wrestling Effects
-----------------
There is a change here saying that a pinned character may continue to Wrestle
with a -3
penalty to his Wrestling Rating. The Players Companion, page 7, simply stated, "A
Pinned
character can do nothing." Here I recommend sticking with the Companion set
information. The
Pinned creature is at the mercy of the pinner, and only has a chance to escape (by
rolling a
natural 20) if the pinner attempts to inflict damage. Of course, the pinner also
cannot do
anything else while holding the victim.... Though another person could, for
example, tie up
the pinned creature while the pinner holds it.
However, if the pinned creature has multiple attacks, and all of its attacks
have not been
disabled (see Optional Rule 3, below), then it could still choose to Wrestle with
the -3
penalty rather than making its remaining normal attacks. This penalty can increase
depending
on the Wrestling Mastery of the pinner.
Wrestling Mastery Table

-----------------------
The Wrestling Unarmed Combat Mastery Table has messed-up values for damage. It
looks like
it was mostly just copied from the Striking Table, which is really odd. The second
paragraph
of the middle column on page 113 states (as in the Companion set) that a pinning
character can
inflict 1-6 points of damage, at the "Basic level" of Mastery. However, I'm going
to recommend
that the damage at Basic level should start at 1-4 points (already the same as
stabbing
someone with a dagger), plus Strength adjustments.
I've created a new damage progression for Wrestling to fit with this, but first
I want to
say that I don't think Wrestling should be included with true Weapon Mastery.
Wrestling is
completely different from all other attacks used in Weapon Mastery (even unarmed
Striking is
basically the same as a standard melee attack).
What I'm suggesting is that Wrestling should be a General Skill only. The
standard (Basic)
level of Wrestling can be used by anyone, but to train to higher ranks you have to
take the
Wrestling General Skill (see entry for pages 83-85 for details on this).
Now, to fix the Mastery table for Wrestling, first change the "Primary Target
type" to "A"
(All), since it doesn't at all make sense to have wrestlers deal different amounts
of damage
based on whether or not the pinned victim is holding a weapon....
The following table creates a smooth progression, increasing the average pinning
damage by
1 point for each step along the way (most weapons typically increase their average
damage by 2
points for each step, but again, Wrestling shouldn't really follow the same pattern
as a
weapon -- especially when treating it as a General Skill).
____________________________
Wrestling Damage Progression

____________________________
Lvl. Damage
----------------------------
BS 1d4
SK 1d6
EX 1d8
MS 1d10
GM 1d12
____________________________
Multiple Wrestlers
------------------
There is a problem here with the rules for Group Wrestling; basing the bonus to
the group
Wrestling Rating completely upon comparative Hit Dice of the members of the group
can produce
strange results. Instead, I recommend that each member of the group simply adds 1/2
of their
WR (but a maximum of +5 added for each wrestler) to the leader's full WR to get the
group
Wrestling Rating.
In cases where the defending creature decides to wrestle back (rather than just
defend
against the group of wrestlers) and actually scores a grab upon one member of the
group, then
that member of the group is no longer considered part of the group. The defender is
now
wrestling against one person and one group (even if the group is now reduced to
only two
creatures).
Wrestlers Being Attacked

------------------------
Next, the second paragraph under "Wrestlers Being Attacked" wasn't covered in
the Companion
Set, and I recommend changing it a bit. I suggest that any character who is
actively Wrestling
(whether he's the grabber or the grabbed) should be treated as if he is Prone (see
page 150)
against attacks from people he is not Wrestling. And as stated here, his Dexterity
adjustment
is not applied to his AC as long as he chooses to focus on Wrestling.
In the case of a creature who is only trying to defend against a wrestler and
not Wrestle
in return, he will instead incur the standard penalties for being grabbed, taken
down, or
pinned (see the entry for page 113, below).
Additionally, you can allow a Wrestler who has grabbed, taken down, or pinned an
opponent
to attempt other actions and attacks without fully releasing the opponent he's
holding (e.g.,
if he's grabbed someone from behind then wants to slit their throat... or if he
wants to try
to keep hold of his victim while fighting off another opponent). The following
should apply:
- He's still basically treated as a Wrestler (for Initiative purposes, etc.).

- If he's Pinned a victim, that victim automatically reverts to being merely Taken
Down.
- The only actions available to him are the same actions which are currently
available to the
victim he's grabbed or taken down (as described in Wrestling Effects).
- He gets the standard bonus to hit his held victim (see Effects of Being
Restrained, below).
Or he may attack other opponents, but is treated as if he's Prone against them,
as usual.
- Since he's not focusing on Wrestling, he gets the usual -4 penalty to WR. If he
wins
Wrestling Rolls against his victim, it only means he maintains the current hold.
The victim
gets its usual defensive Wrestling Roll at the end of its Hand-To-Hand phase to
try to
escape, no matter what other action it may be taking that round (though it will
also suffer
the -4 penalty to WR if it's doing something other than Wrestling).
Optional Rules for Wrestling

----------------------------
3. Opponents with Multiple Attacks: I would allow each pinner to negate TWO attacks
instead of
just one; a pinner would usually disable both of his opponent's arms, for example.
If a pinned
opponent still has some multiple attacks available, rather than using those attacks
it could
instead try to Wrestle with a -3 penalty to WR (as stated above under "Wrestling
Effects").
======================================
Page 113, Effects of Being Restrained:
======================================
Many effects in the game might cause some kind of entanglement/entrapment, but
there are
never any standard rules to apply to characters in such conditions.
While a better place for this information might be the Special Character
Conditions section
on p.150, I'm putting it here since the effects of Wrestling are described here,
and they are
a good base to start with.
To come up with these numbers I looked at similar conditions, such as being

Prone, Stunned,
or Paralyzed -- conditions which indicate a loss of mobility. Also, several
monsters in the
Creature Catalog have attack forms which bind or hold a character, and they all
pretty much
give the same standard -4 penalty to the victim's attack roll, so that's a good
number to work
with.
So, the following effects can be applied when such situations come up and no
other specific
penalties are stated. These extra modifiers should also be applied to creatures who
are being
Wrestled, in addition to the effects already listed.
If someone is partially entangled, or grabbed by a wrestler, in addition to the

other
effects stated for being grabbed, he receives a -2 penalty to all Attack Rolls and
Saving
Throws, and opponents gain a +2 bonus to hit him. Weapon Mastery suffers a penalty
of -1 level
(but reducing it no lower than Basic). If movement is even possible, it will be at
1/3 the
normal rate.
If someone is fully entangled (by a Web spell for example), taken down by a
wrestler, or
held in some form of binding attack by a monster (such as a continuous tentacle or
hug
attack), in addition to the other effects stated for being taken down, he receives
a -4
penalty to all Attack Rolls and Saving Throws, and opponents gain a +4 bonus to hit
him.
Weapon Mastery suffers a penalty of -2 levels (but reducing it no lower than
Basic). Any
movement will likely be impossible, which will also negate the character's
Dexterity
adjustment to AC (for better or worse).
If someone is completely bound/tied up, or pinned by a wrestler, he will

basically suffer
penalties as if he were if Paralyzed. Page 150 describes the effects of Paralysis.
Note that
monsters with multiple attacks might still be able to use some of those attacks
when pinned
(see optional rule 3 on p.114), in which case, apply the above penalties for being
'taken
down' to those attacks.
Some of the effects for Wrestling may not apply to all forms of entanglement.
For example,
if a character is not actively being entangled/grappled by some creature, and he
can manage to
get one hand free, he would be able to cast spells and activate magical items; when
there is
some creature actively grappling with or binding a character, that prevents the
needed
concentration.
========================
Page 115a, Naval Combat:
========================
The last paragraph under Naval Combat says that "attacks inflict 1 point of hull
damage for
every 5 points of normal damage." This should be changed to "1 point of hull damage
for every
2 points of normal damage." The 1 point per 5 was just the simple rule from the
Expert
Rulebook, which was used before more detailed rules were given in the Master's set.
It should
now be changed to be in line with the more-developed rules which are found under
Siege Combat
on pages 115-116 of the Rules Cyclopedia. Ships are not as strong as stone (which
takes 1/5
damage), and should be treated as wooden structures, taking 1/2 damage. You can
also apply all
the specific rules for special attacks that are listed in the Siege Combat section.
Also, the Unofficial Errata points out that the roll for ramming damage by a
small galley
against a ship should be 1d4+4 x 10.
=============================
Page 115b, Structural Damage:
=============================
The Cyclopedia left out some important information about creature attacks.
Master Player's Book, p.26:
Creature Attacks
Any creature may attack a wooden target, but wooden structures take only half
damage from
any physical attack. If the creature can eat wood, full damage is inflicted.
Only creatures equal to or larger than an Ogre may inflict damage on stone
constructions
through physical attack. Stone constructions take only 1 point of damage for every
5 points
inflicted, rounding up. If the creature can burrow through stone, full damage is
caused. Any
creature who cannot burrow through stone and is not using a weapon, takes 1-6
points of damage
each time it attacks.
Missile attacks are effective only against wooden and stone structures when
fired by a
siege weapon or thrown by an ogre-sized or larger creature.
The very last paragraph on page 115 about Structural Damage should probably be
ignored; it
could cause confusion because it seems to indicate that damage ranges for some
attacks are
listed by how much structural damage they inflict, but as the first paragraph under
the bold
topic "Structural Damage" states, all listed damage ranges (including for siege
weapons) are
for attacks against creatures; to do damage against structures, the damage is
reduced
according to the same formulas above (and on page 116 in the Special Attacks
Checklist).
... Ok! We've made it out of the Combat Section!
==================================================
Page 125, Clerics and the Create Food Spell Table:
==================================================
Despite what was written in a Sage advice column from Dragon Magazine (issue
#187, page 41)
which I had cited in previous versions of this document, the Create Food Table on
this page in
the Cyclopedia is completely correct.
Confusion arises because of the wording of the Create Food spell (see the entry
for page 37
for clarification).
================================================================
Page 129, Maximum Rate of Experience Gain, Paths to Immortality:
================================================================
Maximum Rate of Experience Gain

-------------------------------
Frank Mentzer has offered some great comments on this situation:
"It produces the Bofanork Paradox: You have to go do some adventuring to be

allowed to
train to the next level, so the simplest method is to go boff an orc.
"Ah, but what makes Bofanork a Paradox? This: when you need a one-orc encounter
to level
up, the DM always decides to stick to big, complex, epic stuff. You can't find a
low-level
one-shot encounter of any sort. It's almost as if the DM knew you only needed 1
XP...
"In this special situation I'd recommend that the DM permit the PC to acquire
normal XP for
such an expedition, and then return and train for the next level... etc. etc. until
the level
and XP match up once again."
So in special situations where a PC acquires enough XP to gain 2 levels or more,

you can
optionally allow to him to keep all of that XP (rather than stopping him 1 XP short
of the
next level) as long as you strictly enforce the rule that a character can only gain
1 level
per adventure.
Paths to Immortality
--------------------
Although the second paragraph states that you can attempt to gain immortality
after
reaching level 26 or greater, this section was copied from the Player's Companion,
p.2, and is
incorrect by the later revisions in the Master's set (the Companion set only ran
characters up
to level 25). You can find the revised rules in the Rules Cyclopedia, p.222, where
it states
that characters much reach level 30 to be a candidate for immortality.
=========================================
Page 130, Creating High-Level Characters:
=========================================
Step 2: Generate Ability Scores

-------------------------------
The Second Method given here (60+5d6 points to assign as desired) does not
generate the
suggested range of 60-90 points, and will give an average total which is slightly
higher than
the expected average for that range. Since this is already a very liberal method of
generating
powerful characters, I recommend using 54+6d6 instead, which will produce the
proper range and
average. I'd also suggest that this method should only be used for very high-level
characters,
such as level 15 or higher.
The First Method is more conservative, and probably better for generating
characters of
lower levels, such as levels 3-8.
Here is a more moderate method for generating characters around levels 9-14:
Roll up a
character by the normal method (generating stats by rolls of 3d6 in order), then
make one more
roll of 3d6 to get a number of additional points the player can add to whichever
stat(s) he
chooses.
Step 6: Find Total Hit Points

-----------------------------
The boxed text says that an Elf gains +1 HP at level 10, but he should actually
gain +2 HP
(see the entry for page 25).
Step 8: Find Magical Equipment

------------------------------
I've developed the system here a bit more so that rare, powerful items are going
to have a
higher price....
In step A, you get the item's base price, which is basically the low number on
the Weapon
Item Prices Table on the next page. Then adjust the base price according to the
item's rarity
(as indicated by how difficult it normally is to roll the item as treasure):
Check each step that would be needed to randomly roll up that item.
For each step where a 2% chance is needed to roll the item, double the base price.
For each step where a 1% chance is needed to roll the item, triple the base price.
Here's an example. Say you wanted a Ring of Protection +2 for the High-Level
character you
were creating. Looking at the table for rings on p.229, you see that it only takes
a roll of
46-48 on the d100 to get that item, so it's not considered rare. The base price
from the table
on p.131 for a ring is 10,000. So the total cost after adding the base price for
each plus,
would be:
10,000 + (10,000 x 2) = 30,000
But if you want a Ring of Protection +3, that requires a roll of 49-50 on the
Rings
Table.... That's only a 2% chance, so the item is rare, and you have to double the
base price.
The cost would be:
20,000 + (20,000 x 3) = 80,000
There is only a 1% chance of rolling a Ring of Protection +4, so the base price
is tripled,
making the cost:
30,000 + (30,000 x 4) = 150,000
The multiplications to the base price are cumulative for each step along the way
too... If
you wanted to get a two-handed sword +5 with Slicing: you have a 1% chance of
rolling the +5,
and a 2% chance to roll Slicing on the talent table, so the base price alone would
be (5,000 x
3 x 2) = 30,000.
Also, in step C, for permanent items that produce spell effects, if the effect is
usable:
Once per round, add base price x 5 to the cost.

Once per turn, add base price x 4 to the cost.
Three times per day, add base price x 3 to the cost.
Once per day, add base price x 2 to the cost.
Less than once a day, add base price x 1 to the cost.
======================
Page 131, Spell Books:
======================
Note that the last paragraph under this topic indicates that when using
scrolls, Elves
have a 10% chance of failure if the spell is of a level the character is not
capable of
memorizing. The Master DM's Book, p.5, contains a further statement in regard to
this, saying,
"The same rule should apply to Magic-Users."
====================
Page 132, Retainers:
====================
Hiring Retainers
----------------
For step 4, the Basic Dungeon Masters Rulebook has additional information:
"When the rate of pay is offered and the job described, you should roll 2d6 to
see if the
retainer accepts the job. You may adjust the roll by +1 for good pay, or by -1 for
a poor
offer. Charisma adjustments should also apply."
"If the characters are too poor to afford the proper pay of a retainer, you may
allow the
retainer to accept a half-share of treasure found. With such an offer, add 3 to the
die roll."
In step 5, the so-called "hiring bonus" seems to be an invention of the Rules

Cyclopedia.
The Basic Players Manual, page 62, makes it clear that the characters have to buy
and provide
the equipment the retainers will need, but has no indication that this equipment
becomes the
property of the retainer. I would consider it part of the negotiations for the
retainer's
wages as to whether or not he gets to keep the equipment.
Retainers and Experience

------------------------
In previous editions, NPC Retainers only got 1/2 a share, not a full share, of
the XP
awarded for an adventure (Basic Dungeons Masters Rulebook p.12, and Basic Players
Manual
p.62). But the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook p.19, like the Rules Cyclopedia, indicates
that
Retainers get a full share. I would probably recommend following the previous
editions, and
give Retainers 1/2 a share, since the game focuses on the PC's and their actions
and
decisions; Retainers are only there as supporting cast....
If the PC's, though, are being aided by a major NPC character who is playing a
large part
in the adventure, the NPC might receive a full share of the XP. However, on page
140, at the
top of the third column, it says, "Note that the experience points earned by NPC's
are always
half the amount given to PC's, whether from adventures, rulership, or other
activities." So if
the NPC takes a full share, he might still only gain half that amount for himself.
Also see the entry for page 262 for a short overview of dividing XP.
==========================
Page 140, Dominion Income:
==========================
As the Unofficial Errata points out, the example given in the middle of the page
is wrong,
because it basically has each family working as BOTH miners AND animal herders at
the same
time. Each family can only work one resource at a time, and each resource in an
area must be
worked by at least 20% of the families there.
Also, there is one additional note found in the Master DM's Book, page 6,
"Adventuring
Rulers: A PC does not gain full XP from rulership during any month in which the PC
goes out on
an adventure. The XP earned is a percentage equal to the amount of time spent on
rulership and
administration."
============================================
Page 143, Magical Aging, Anti-Magic Effects:
============================================
(see the entry for page 155 for notes regarding Anti-Magic)
The rules for magical aging attacks, such as from a Haunt or Staff of Withering,
are not
very good and are a bit vague (e.g., just stating that Elves may ignore the first
200 years of
aging, but after that, they are apparently affected as if they were humans...).
I've put
together some more-detailed rules, based on the Haunt's aging attack.
A magical aging attack will age the victim in 10 year increments (typically 10
years, but
the powerful Haunt's attack can cause aging of up to 40 years in one hit!). Points
of
Constitution will also be lost based on the lifespan of the race (it works out to
be 1 point
of Constitution for each 10% of the typical total lifespan aged).
Halflings live twice as long as humans, Dwarves live four times as long, and
Elves live
eight times as long. So 1 point of Constitution will be lost:
Every 10 years of aging for Humans.

Every 20 years of aging for Halflings.
Every 40 years of aging for Dwarves.
Every 80 years of aging for Elves.
As you can see, magical aging is quite lethal to humans, but much less so to
Elves.
If a victim's Constitution drops to 0, the victim dies permanently, and cannot

be raised
(and will probably crumble into a pile of dust!).
A potion of Longevity or a Wish can be used to remove 10 years of magical aging

for each
application, and will restore the lost points of Constitution at the appropriate
times. For
example, say an Elf was aged 90 years from fighting a Haunt. He takes a Potion of
Longevity to
remove 10 years of aging, meaning he now has 80 years of magical aging... meaning
he's still
suffering the loss of a point of Constitution. If he takes another Potion of
Longevity,
leaving him with only 70 years of magical aging, he then restores the lost point of
Constitution. He'll still be carrying around the 70 years of magical aging though
(If you're
keeping track of a character's age, be sure to note magical aging separately, since
it causes
the loss of Constitution, but can be restored).
For some more options to remove magical aging, see the entry for Page 39 about
the Restore
spell, and the entry for page 237 about the Staff of Withering.
===================================
Page 144, Arguments and Complaints:
===================================
The first sentence should read, "Shut up! I'M the Dungeon Master!"
===========================
Page 144-145, Charm Person:
===========================
Charm Person won't affect any creature with 6 or more Hit Dice (Basic DM's
Rulebook, p.14).
However, I believe this is only meant to apply toward humanoid monsters, not humans
or demi-
humans. So a PC can be affected by this spell regardless of his level.
==============================
Page 145a, Climbing & Falling:
==============================
Climbing
--------
Based on the sketchy suggestions for climbing given here, I put together a quick
system
that adjusts the chance of success based mainly on Encumbrance rather than merely
the type of
armor worn.
While Encumbrance is the main consideration, the Chance of Success in my table
is listed
according to the character's Normal Movement Speed, which is, of course, limited by
Encumbrance, but can also be affected by other factors that would also affect the
ability to
climb.
Remember that this applies only to common situations of climbing (such as
climbing a tree,
steep hill, or a rope), and is not the equal of the Thief's Skill at climbing sheer
surfaces.
___________________
Climbing Table
___________________
Normal Chance of
Speed Success
-------------------
120' 17
90' 14
60' 11
30' 8
15' 5
___________________
A character's Strength AND Dexterity adjustments are applied to the Chance of

Success. The DM
can also apply other modifiers for the situation, such as penalties if the surface
is wet, or
bonuses from the use of knotted climbing ropes, etc.
The modified number or less must be rolled on a d20. Failure could indicate a fall,
or simply
that no progress is made from the start.
Climbing speed is equal to Normal Speed divided by 5, and can be read as feet per
round if
indoors, or yards per round outdoors in ideal circumstances.
A Thief, if it gives him a better chance of success, can always choose to use his
Climb Walls
ability instead of climbing normally, but his climbing speed outdoors will likely
be much
slower when doing so (20' per round at most -- see entry for pages 21-22).
Falling
-------
Here are some more thorough rules for falling damage. I've included a table
which covers
everything....
For falls under 10', the progression is determined by noting that page 22 says,
in regard
to Thieves, "Falling during a 10' climb will inflict 1 point of damage." Remember
that a Thief
always slips at the half-way point of a climb, so this actually indicates a fall
from 5'.
For falls from great heights, I used Creature Crucible PC2, Top Ballista, where
they note
that the standard rule of thumb (1d6 per 10' of fall) works well at short distances
and for
pit falls, etc., but that something different is needed to handle falls from
extreme heights.
The PC2 table has mistakes in its calculations for distance fallen based on
acceleration,
though....
Working with some corrected values, the full table looks like this:
_____________________________________________
Distance Damage
Fallen Time Taken Taken Optional
---------------------------------------------
5' < 1 second 1 -
6' < 1 second 1-2 -
7' < 1 second 1-3 -
8' < 1 second 1-4 -
9' < 1 second 1-5 -
10' < 1 second 1d6 -
15' 1 second 1d6+1d3 -
20' < 2 seconds 2d6 -
30' < 2 seconds 3d6 -
40' < 2 seconds 4d6 -
50' < 2 seconds 5d6 -
60' 2 seconds 6d6 -
70' < 3 seconds 7d6 -
80' < 3 seconds 8d6 -
90' < 3 seconds 9d6 -
100' < 3 seconds 10d6 -
110' < 3 seconds 11d6 -
120' < 3 seconds 12d6 -
130' < 3 seconds 13d6 -
140' 3 seconds 13d6 -
150'-240' 4 seconds 14d6 -
250'-360' 5 seconds 15d6 -
370'-500' 6 seconds 16d6 Save vs. Death
510'-650' 7 seconds 17d6 Save -1
660'-800' 8 seconds 18d6 Save -2
810'-970' 9 seconds 19d6 Save -3
980'-1140' 10 seconds 20d6 Save -4
_____________________________________________
After the first 10 seconds, rate of fall will be a constant 174' per second
(1740 feet per
round), but maximum fall damage stays at 20d6.
Optional rule from PC2: Average fall damage above 980' is 70 points; some
fighter-types
with decent Constitution could survive this with a good degree of probability. For
such
extreme falls, the DM is entitled to have a PC make a Saving Throw vs. Death Ray at
-4 to
avoid being killed outright (I've created a gradual progression for the Saving
Throw, building
up to the Save at -4).
A fall from 100' or more might give a character enough time to activate a magic
item to
save himself, if he has the item ready and its activation is by simple means, such
as a
command word.
A fall of 360' (5 seconds) or more might give the character enough time to
perform a more
complex action before hitting the ground.
Remember that a character's items will also have a high risk of being damaged or
destroyed
by falls from extreme heights!
===================================
Page 145b, Damage to Magical Items:
===================================
The system the Cyclopedia presents here is a bit sketchy, so I recommend

borrowing what is
printed in the First Edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide, p.80, which is a much
nicer and
more-developed system which can be used for magical and non-magical items. I've
simplified a
few parts, filled in some notes, and added a modifier based on the Shield Weapon
breakage
rules.
An item may or may not be completely destroyed if breakage is indicated. Refer

to the last
paragraph in this section in the Cyclopedia.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Saving Throw Matrix for Magical and Non-Magical Items
___________________________________________________________________________________
Cru Nor D Fir Mag Nor F Lig E
A B B i F B F F r B l
c l l s a a i i o o e
i o o i l l r r s l c
d w w n l l e e t t t
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item Description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bone or Ivory 11 16 10 20 6 17 9 3 2 8 1
Ceramic 4 18 12 19 11 5 3 2 4 2 1
Cloth 12 6 3 20 2 20 16 13 1 18 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crystal or Vial 6 19 14 20 13 10 6 3 7 15 5
Glass 5 20 15 20 14 11 7 4 6 17 1
Leather or Book 10 4 2 20 1 13 6 4 3 13 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liquid (a) 15 0 0 20 0 15 14 13 12 18 15
Metal, hard (b) 7 6 2 17 2 6 2 1 1* 11 1
Metal, soft or Jewelry (c) 13 14 9 19 4 18 13 5 1 16 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mirror (d) 12 20 15 20 13 14 9 5 6 18 1
Parchment or Paper 16 11 6 20 0 25 21 18 2 20 1
Stone, small or Gem 3 17 7 18 4 7 3 2 1 14 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wood or Rope, thin (e) 9 13 6 20 2 15 11 9 1 10 1
Wood or Rope, thick (f) 8 10 3 19 1 11 7 5 1 12 1
___________________________________________________________________________________
(a) Potions, magical oils, poisons, or acids while the container remains intact.
(b) Can include most metal melee weapons and metal armor.
(c) Includes pearls of any sort.
(d) Silvered glass. Treat silver mirrors as "Metal, soft," steel mirrors as "Metal,
hard."
(e) Can include wooden weapons such as bows which aren't meant for melee.
(f) Can include hardened wooden melee weapons or wooden shields.
Those items which do not exactly conform to item descriptions above can be
interpolated.
* If exposed to extreme cold then struck against a very hard surface with force,
saving throw
is at -10!
All items gain +5 on saving throws against attack forms in their own mode, i.e., a
blow vs.
shield or armor, a Fireball vs. a Ring of Fire Resistance or Wand of Fireballs.
Magical items gain +2 on all saves, and a further +1 for each plus of enchantment.
For each full 10 points of damage actually inflicted by the attack, you can apply a
-1
modifier to the Saving Throw.
Other adjustments can also apply. The Strength adjustment of a creature trying to
break an
item would be a penalty to the saving throw, while bonuses from a Ring of
Protection or a
Protection from Evil spell could also extend to the items a character is carrying,
providing a
bonus to the save.
Attack Forms
1. Acid
2. Blow, Crushing
3. Blow, Normal
4. Disintegration
5. Fall
6. Fireball (or breath)
7. Fire, Magical
8. Fire, Normal (oil)
9. Frost, Magical
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Electrical Discharge/Current
1. Acid: This assumes a considerable volume of strong acid (black dragon or giant
slug
spittle) or immersion for a period which would affect the item.
2. Blow, Crushing: This assumes that the item is struck by a weighty falling abject
or a blow
from an ogre's or giant's weapon, for example. Another example would be a (ceramic)
flask of
oil or a (crystal or glass) vial of holy water hurled against a hard surface. A
piece of cloth
can be ripped or torn by a crushing blow.
3. Blow, Normal: This assumes an attack by a normal-strength opponent or only

fairly heavy
object which strikes the object. This also applies to a (ceramic) flask of oil or a
(crystal
or glass) vial of holy water hurled against a tough, but slightly yielding,
surface.
4. Disintegration: This is the magical effect.
5. Fall: This assumes the item falls at least 5' and comes into contact with a hard
(stone-
like) surface. A softer surface (wood-like) gives a +1 on the saving throw, and a
fleshy-soft
surface gives +5. Aside from any penalty for actual damage inflicted by the fall,
there is an
additional penalty of -1 for each d6 of potential fall damage (the rule of thumb is
1d6 for
each 10' fallen, so -1 to save for each full 10' fallen -- but see the entry for
page 145
about falling from extreme heights).
6. Fireball: This is the magical Fireball, Meteor Swarm, (red) dragon breath, etc.
7. Fire, Magical: This is the magical Wall of Fire, flaming sword, Fire Elemental,
etc.
8. Fire, Normal: This assumes a hot fire such as produced by a blazing wood fire,
flaming oil,
and the like. The item in question would have to be exposed to the fire for an
amount of time
sufficient to have an effect, i.e., paper or parchment for but 1 melee round, cloth
for 2,
bone or ivory for 3, etc.
9. Frost, Magical: This is the magical frost or cold such as a white dragon
breathes or spells
such as cone of cold or ice storm.
10. Lightning Bolt: This is magical attack from lightning called from the sky, blue
dragon
breath, etc.
11. Electrical Discharge/Current: The "shock" of an electric eel, magical items,

traps, etc.
======================
Page 147, Haste Spell:
======================
A few optional rules that make good sense:
If a character is one speed level faster than his opponent, he gains a +1 to

initiative,
OR, if he's using a Two-Handed weapon and his opponent is not, he does not suffer
the
automatic loss of initiative.
If a character is two speed levels faster than his opponent, he gains a +2 to
initiative,
OR, if he's using a Two-Handed weapon and his opponent is not, he gets a +1 to
initiative and
does not suffer the automatic loss of initiative.
Note that a character doesn't necessarily have to be Hasted himself to gain

Haste's
benefits -- the benefits could also apply if the character is moving at normal
speed against
an opponent who is Slowed. If he is Hasted against an opponent who is Slowed, he
would
basically gain the benefits of being double Hasted.
Expanding on the warning in the last paragraph about Haste becoming unbalancing,
you can
limit it by only allowing one Haste effect at a time (i.e., no double Hasting). I
really
recommend this to avoid abuse.
I also recommend carefully tracking the number of rounds the character exerts
himself to
determine when he will become Exhausted (see page 88, and the entry for page 88 in
this
Document). Remember that the character will likely be exerting himself twice as
fast; if he
makes two attack routines in one round, that counts as 2 rounds of exertion for
him.
===========================
Page 148, Lost Spell Books:
===========================
The stern warning about losing a spellbook must send shivers through every
Magic-User in
the Realm... but has any player you've known ever actually lost their spellbook?
Heh. Here's
an additional paragraph from the Expert Rulebook, p.26: "A rough guideline is 1,000
gp and 1
week of study for each spell level replaced (3rd level spell = 3,000 gp and 3
weeks). This
should require all the character's time, leaving none for adventuring."
========================================
Page 150a, Special Character Conditions:
========================================
Exhaustion is covered page 88.
See the entry for page 113 for effects of being Restrained/Entangled/Wrestled.
While most penalties listed in this section have cumulative effects (e.g., being
Blind,
Prone, and Stunned would inflict a combined penalty of -12 to Saving Throws), the
penalties
for being Paralyzed, Prone, or Entangled will not combine with each other, as they
are all
indicative of various levels of being unable to move. Only use the harshest
applicable
penalties if more than one of these conditions apply. This will still be cumulative
with other
penalties from this section though, such as from being Stunned or Blind.
Blindness
---------
I suggest Weapon Mastery above Basic is reduced to Basic.
Invisible Opponents
-------------------
I suggest Weapon Mastery above Basic is reduced to Basic when fighting an

invisible
opponent, but remember that for most invisibility effects, as soon as the invisible
opponent
makes an attack he loses his invisibility, meaning the normal Weapon Mastery
defense bonuses
could immediately apply (though it's likely the attack would come from behind, so
that's
moot).
Also, there's an error in the first sentence; it should be a -4 penalty to hit
an invisible
opponent, not -6. This is assuming you have some way of determining where the
invisible
opponent even is, so that you can make an attack on it (e.g., because it is making
a lot of
noise, or you are receiving instructions from someone who can detect invisible
things, or
because the invisible creature just attacked you... which would give a pretty good
indication
that it is right beside you).
Paralysis
---------
I recommend a -6 penalty to Saving Throws (because it's worse than being Prone).
When being attacked by missiles, a Paralyzed character could still get magical
bonuses to
his Armor Class (but no Dexterity bonuses).
If it works out better for the attacker, rather than using a base AC of 9, just
use the
victim's standard AC and give the attacker a +4 to hit for having a stationary
target (based
on a rule from the 1979 Holmes-edited rulebook, page 19), because a Paralyzed
creature whose
AC was already 9 should be even easier to hit.
Prone
-----
I recommend a -1 level of Weapon Mastery penalty (reducing it no lower than

Basic).
I would also suggest that the penalties for being Prone are mainly meant to
apply toward
Melee attacks; a Prone creature would likely be HARDER to hit with Missile Fire,
depending on
the range involved. The Prone creature could potentially receive a Cover modifier
against the
attack rather than giving the opponent a bonus to hit. A character might even be
Prone behind
some cover, and still be able to fire his own missile device at no penalty.
Sleep and Unconsciousness

-------------------------
I'd apply a -12 penalty to any Saving Throws (basically, it's the same as being
Prone,
Blind, AND Stunned), but this is not cumulative with any of the other penalties in
this
section.
The same rules for ranged attacks apply as for Paralysis.
Note that the rules here are meant to apply toward characters and other Medium
or Small
creatures. But a dragon, for example, cannot be killed instantly when it's asleep;
the only
bonus gained against a sleeping dragon is +2 to hit (which I assume is the same
bonus gained
by attacking from behind). This should apply to other giant-sized monsters as well
-- probably
to any creatures larger than an Ogre.
Stunning
--------
Note that Stuns resulting from Weapon Mastery effects only cause 2 point
penalties to Armor
Class and Saving Throws (see page 81), rather than the 4 point penalties given
here, which are
used for all other types of Stuns (from magical effects or monster attacks, for
example).
Starvation Table
----------------
The last line in the Starvation Table at the bottom of the page (the 75%-99%
line) should
have a Movement Rate of 1/4, not 3/4. I would also apply a cumulative -1 level of
Weapon
Mastery penalty for each step down the chart past the first (i.e., 0%-24% = -0;
25%-49% = -1;
50%-74% = -2; 75%-99% = -3), but reducing Mastery no lower than Basic.
=====================================================================
Page 150b, Options - Changing Form, Natural Healing, Zero Hit Points:
=====================================================================
Changing Form and Magical Effects

---------------------------------
When a creature changes form as a result of various magical effects (e.g.,

Polymorph,
Petrification, Statue spell, Elemental or Gaseous form, etc.), spell effects with
durations
will continue to function as long as the new form is a valid target for the spell.
For
example, if a character who is under the effects of a Charm Person spell is
Polymorphed into a
non-humanoid creature, the Charm spell would end, since it only effects humanoids.
If he were
under the effects of a Haste or Fly spell, those effect would not end when he
changed form.
Magical equipment that becomes part of the new form might also continue to
function, as
long as the effect is produced automatically or was previously activated, and the
equipment
was functioning when the creature changed form. Magical bonuses from armor or a
Ring of
Protection which becomes part of the new form would continue to apply, since they
function
automatically, but bonuses from a magical Shield would not apply, since a Shield
does not
function automatically and must be properly wielded.
Once the creature changes form, a magic item that becomes part of the new form
cannot be
activated. However, if the item was previously activated it might continue to
function for its
normal duration. For example, if a character is using Boots of Levitation when his
form
changes, the levitation effect will continue to function for the usual duration
(i.e., for as
long as the character concentrates on levitating), but once the duration ends, the
item cannot
be activated again until returned to its normal form.
Usually, any magical transformation will end upon the death of the transformed
creature,
whereupon the creature (and its equipment) will return to its natural form.
Natural Healing
---------------
Most of the following rules for healing and dying are adapted from the 1E AD&D
DMG, p.82,
but I simplified the healing rules and blended in some ideas about dying based on
the "Keeping
Characters Alive" and "Nonlethal Combat" optional rules from the Rules Cyclopedia
(p.266-277).
Complete bed rest (doing nothing but lying in bed) will heal 1-4 Hit Points per
day (this
is from the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, p.28). This is generally used when the
character is
severely wounded, and being cared for at a hospital or similar place.
The more typical form of resting can include any non-strenuous, day-to-day
activities, such
as going to town, buying things, hanging out in the tavern, studying at the
library, etc. Any
combat, spell using, or similar activity does not constitute rest, so no hit points
can be
regained. For each day of normal rest, a character will regain 1 hit point.
Whichever form of rest is being used, the rate of recovery is adjusted according
to the
character's Constitution score:
_______________________________________
Constitution Adjustment to
Hit Points Recovered from Rest
_______________________________________
3 -1 HP the first day of every 3

4-5 -1 HP the first day of every 4
6-8 -1 HP the first day of every 7
9-12 No Adjustment
13-15 +1 HP every 6th day of rest
16-17 +1 HP every 3rd day of rest
18 +1 HP every 2nd day of rest
________________________________________
So a character with a penalty for poor Constitution will recover no Hit Point
for the first
day of normal rest, and characters with a Consitution bonus will recover additional
Hit Points
after continuous days of rest.
Regardless of the number of Hit Points, 4 weeks of continuous rest will restore
any
character to full health.
Zero Hit Points

---------------
When any creature is brought to exactly 0 hit points, it is unconscious but not
dying. It
will stay at 0 hit points for 2d6 turns (unless healing is administered sooner),
then wake up
with 1 hit point. A blunt attack will not reduce someone below 0 hit points unless
the damage
from the blow reduces them to -4 or lower (this only applies to conscious
opponents; once they
are already at 0, any further damage is going to send them into negative Hit
Points). Note
that any non-blunt weapon can hit as blunt (with the pommel or the flat of the
blade) by
taking a -3 penalty to hit, in case the wielder would rather knock the opponent out
rather
than strike lethally.
When any creature is brought below 0 hit points, it is unconscious and dying. In
each of
the next succeeding rounds, 1 additional (negative) point will be lost until -10 is
reached
and the creature dies (optionally, for creatures/players whose Constitution score
is known,
you can use negative Constitution score as the point of death, e.g., -15 for a
character with
a 15 Constitution). Such loss and death are caused from bleeding, shock,
convulsions, non-
respiration, and similar causes. It ceases immediately on any round a friendly
creature
administers aid to the unconscious one. Aid consists of binding wounds, starting
respiration,
administering a draught (spirits, healing potion, etc.), or otherwise doing
whatever is
necessary to restore life.
At this point, the character is stabilized, but still at risk of dying. Taking
any more
damage will again cause him to start losing a Hit Point each round, though he can
be
stabilized again by administering aid as above. If the character is not healed to 0
or more
Hit Points, he will have to make a Saving Throw vs. Death Ray after every game Turn
(10
minutes), with any failure meaning he starts to slip again, losing 1 more Hit Point
every
round until dead. Only actual healing will help after this point, not just binding
the wounds
or starting respiration, and the character cannot be stabilized again unless he is
healed up
to 0 or more Hit Points. A Healing Skill check at a -5 penalty can restore a dying
character
to 0 hit points (unconscious, but not dying).
Any character brought to less than 0 hit points and then revived will remain in
a coma for
at least 1-6 turns. Thereafter, he or she must rest for a full week, minimum. He or
she will
be incapable of any activity other than that necessary to move slowly (half speed)
to a place
of rest, and eat and sleep when there. The character cannot attack, defend, cast
spells, use
magic devices, carry burdens, run, study, research, or do anything else. This is
true even if
cure spells and/or healing potions are given to him or her, although if a Cureall
spell is
bestowed the prohibition no longer applies.
If any creature reaches a state of -6 or greater negative points before being

revived, this
could indicate scarring or the loss of some member, if you so choose. Far example,
a character
struck by a fireball and then treated when at -9 might have horrible scar tissue on
exposed
areas of flesh -- hands, arms, neck, face.
Note that these rules only apply to dying as a result of sustaining damage, not
from
effects that cause instant death. In those cases (and effects that previously
caused Hit
Points to drop instantly to 0), Hit Points should instead be dropped to -10 (or
-Constitution
score), unless the DM is being really nice, in which case those Death effects can
reduce the
character to -1, and then let him die slowly over the course of 10 rounds (or his
Constitution
score in rounds). In that case, dying from effects such as poison can not be
stopped by
standard healing (though you might allow healing magic to still restore Hit Points,
and thus
keep the character alive a bit longer, but he'll still be losing 1 HP each round
until dead or
until the poison is neutralized), but conveniently, the Neutralize Poison spell
says it can
revive someone who died by poison if cast on them within 10 rounds of the poisoning
(or
optionally, for this system, their Constitution score in rounds), so that works out
perfectly.... Just remember that neutralizing poison will also restore the
character's Hit
Points to the amount he had before being poisoned, and he won't suffer the same
debilitating
effects as someone who was reduced below 0 Hit Points as a result of sustaining
damage.
Oh yeah, remember to apply these rules to monsters as well (handily, a non-

humanoid
monster's Constitution score is twice it's Hit Dice, as noted in the Striking
Checklist on
page 111). But hey, killing off the unconscious wounded is half the fun, right?
Speaking of
killing the unconscious... the current rule says that anyone can kill a
sleeping/unconscious
character with one melee attack from an edged weapon. To fit with these new rules,
change it
so that a melee attack from an edged weapon against an unconscious character will
instantly
reduce him to 0 Hit Points (if he's not already there or lower), and then do
maximum damage
for the weapon (that should be plenty deadly). Further edged melee attacks also do
maximum
damage.
Note that this this shouldn't apply to giant-sized creatures larger than an Ogre
-- see the
note about killing Sleeping characters in the entry for page 150a.
===========================================================
Page 151, Omitted Information - Infravision, Poison, Traps:
===========================================================
Here is some good information that was not included in the Cyclopedia.
Infravision
-----------
Basic DM's Rulebook, page 22:
Many non-human monsters have infravision, in addition to normal sight.

Infravision is the
ability to see 60' in the dark by by seeing heat (and the lack of it). Normal and
magical
light makes infravision useless. Fire and other heat sources interfere with
infravision, much
as a bright flash can interfere with normal vision for a short time.
To infravision, warm things seem red, and cold things seem blue. For example, a
party of
characters hiding in darkness could be seen as group of reddish shapes. Some bodies
would seem
a faint pink (armor), while others -- an unarmored magic-user, for example -- would
be a
brighter red. A cold pool of water would seem a deep blue color. Even an item or
creature the
same temperature as the surrounding air (such as a table or skeleton) can be dimly
seen with
infravision.
Note that a character (such as a thief or halfling) in complete darkness cannot
hide from a
monster with infravision. Some light source must be nearby to interfere with the
monster's
infravision, while casting shadows in which the character could hide.
There are some additional monsters listed in the Cyclopedia that should be
assumed to have
infravision even though it's not stated in their description. Such creatures
generally live
primarily underground or are noctournal, or were listed in AD&D as having
infravision.
I recommend the following creatures should be assumed to have infravision:

Beholder,
Dragon, Hobgoblin, Orc, Revener, Shadow, Thoul, Troglodyte, Troll.
Dopplegangers could gain infravision by assuming the form of any creature that
naturally
has the ability!
All lowlife, animals, and animal-like creatures will generally have superior
senses that
allow them to navigate fine in darkness or near-darkness, even without infravision.
For such
creatures that normally rely mainly on sight, their other sharp senses could give
them a +3 To
hit when they are in complete darkness or can't see the opponent (basically, treat
them as if
they have the Blind Shooting skill -- see entry for page 83-85; this will only
partially
offset the usual large penalties suffered for those situations).
Constructs and Undead of all sorts should probably be assumed to be able to

"see" in
darkness (even magical darkness) as well as living creatures can see in light.
Though it isn't
actually infravision, a nearby light source will interfere with this ability as
well, and
these creatures can still be "blinded" by magical means.
Poison
------
DM's Companion Book, p.22:
Poison is a dangerous tool. If characters are permitted to use poison, monsters

should be
able to do the same. And there are far more monsters than characters...
A potion is the most common form of poison. Its effects when used on blowgun
darts are
recommended as the maximum for use on any weapon.
You may wish to make poisons of lesser power available, lacking the strength to
kill, but
able to paralyze, intoxicate, sleep, and/or inflict slight damage.
Many natural plants are mildly poisonous, and saps or boiled leaves could yield
poisons
usable on weapons. However, poison preparation is not common knowledge, and the
chance of
error is high (including the accidental poisoning of the maker).
The use of poison is evil, and may cause alignment problems. Local and regional
laws may
punish poisoners.
Traps
-----
The following is from the Basic Players Manual, p.57, (and it's a shame the
Cyclopedia left
this out, as it's both informative and colorful):
Dungeons often contain traps. Old ruins usually have more traps than caves. The
most common
trap is a hidden trap door, which falls open as a character walks on it, dumping
the character
into a pit. There could be something in the pit -- spikes, deep water, or a
monster. Beware!
Many other traps are possible. A chest or treasure may be covered in poison;
deadly if
touched, but easily removed by rinsing in water. Some poisons are sticky, and can
only be
removed with wine. A blade trap can be found nearly anywhere, and usually inflicts
enough
damage to kill a 1st or 2nd level character.
Doors may be trapped on the handles, locks, or surface. Small darts may be found
inside a
lock, and may be poisoned for many different effects (paralysis, damage, death,
etc.).
If you wish to search for a trap, tell the DM where you are searching, and the
DM will roll
to see if you find anything. You might have NO chance to find a small trap, such as
the type
on a door or treasure. Thieves have a percentage chance at detecting any type of
trap. Dwarves
have better chances at finding large traps (such as pits) than other characters.
It takes 10 minutes (1 turn) to search for a trap in a small area, such as a 20'
square
room or a 20' long section of corridor. If less time is spent, no trap will be
found.
The important thing to note is that any character can search for traps. The
types of traps
that could be detectable by non-Thieves might include pit traps, trip wires,
swinging blades,
and other large traps. The chance of success is 1 in 6 -- the same as for detecting
secret
doors. When the trap involves large dungeon features, Dwarves have a 2 in 6 chance
to detect
it.
If it is one of these larger types of traps that other characters have a chance
to detect,
a 1st or 2nd level Thief should get the same chance as a standard character (1 in
6) rather
than his Detect Traps percentage, because at 1st or 2nd level his chances are less
than 1 in
6. If it's a small trap that other characters can't detect, then he should use his
usual
percentage. Once he reaches 3rd level though, his detection ability with all kinds
of traps
will be better than 1 in 6.
=======================
Page 152, Monster Size:
=======================
The addition of a Size category for monsters was something new in the Rules
Cyclopedia.
This makes it easy to determine which monsters to apply a Halfling's -2 AC bonus
against, for
example. However, I think some of the monsters were listed with an incorrect Size
(these will
be noted throughout the next sections). The Descriptions of the Size categories are
also quite
vague, so I adapted the Size classifications from 2E AD&D (with some slightly
altered names):
___________________________
Size Categories
---------------------------
Tiny smaller than 2'
Small 2' to 4'
Medium 4' to 7'
Large 7' to 12'
Giant 12' to 25'
Immense larger than 25'
___________________________
Most creatures are measured in height or length; some are measured in diameter.
Also
consider the overall bulk of the creature. For example, Dwarves are right around 4'
in height,
but are rather bulky, so are considered size Medium (roughly man-sized).
Note that classifying a creature as a size smaller than Small or larger than
Large isn't
going to make any difference by the standard rules, but I use those categories for
Missile
Fire Size Adjustments (entry for page 108) and the Shove Maneuver (entry for page
104).
===================================
Page 153, Monster Type - Enchanted:
===================================
Remember not to confuse Enchanted creatures with Weapon-Immune creatures; not
all Enchanted
creatures have Weapon Immunity, and not all Weapon-Immune creatures are Enchanted.
Creatures
with varying types of Immunities are marked with a '*' by their name. If a creature
is
Enchanted, it will say so within the Monster Type.
The confusion can arise because some creatures are classified as Enchanted
BECAUSE they
have powerful Weapon Immunity.
The 1991 D&D Game Rullebook, p.64, states it fairly clearly:
Enchanted: Any creature that is magically summoned, animated, or controlled (as

with a
charm spell) or one that can only be hit by a magical weapon. Creatures that can be
hit by
silver weapons are not enchanted.
I would also add that creatures which can be harmed by normal fire do not
possess Immunity
strong enough to classify as Enchanted.
=============================================
Page 154, Monster Special Attacks & Defenses:
=============================================
Breath Weapons
--------------
See the information about Breath Weapons in the entry for pages 168-171 about
dragons. That
information could apply to several other creatures that have Breath Weapons which
function in
the same manner.
Charge
------
A few extra words need to be added to this description to make it clear:
If a monster with this special attack can run toward its opponent for 20 yards
(20 feet
indoors) in one round, it inflicts double damage if it hits.
Charm
-----
As the Unofficial Errata points out, this effect does not actually work the same
as the
spell of the same name. From the Basic DM's Rulebook, p.23, "Charm: Some monsters
can enchant
a character so that the character is confused, believing that the monster is a
friend. If the
character is the victim of a Charm attack (from a Harpy, for example) and fails a
Saving Throw
vs. Spells, the character is immediately Charmed. A Charmed character is confused
and unable
to make decisions. The Charmed character will not attack or harm the Charming
monster in any
way, and will obey simple commands from the creature if they both understand a
language
(whether the alignment tongue or some other language). If the Charmed character
does not
understand the monster's speech, the character will still try to protect the
monster from
harm. Charmed characters are too confused to use any spells or magic items which
require
concentration. If the Charming monster is killed, the Charm effect disappears." A
Dispel Magic
spell can be used to break the Charm without killing the monster. Failing that, use
the
Duration of Charm table on page 145.
Energy Drain
------------
The rules are rather vague about restoring lost levels due to Energy Drain. I
recommend
that a Restore spell will only work if applied before the character regains the XP
he lost,
and the spell will restore the exact amount of XP that was taken from him (even if
that
exceeds his previous total), rather than simply restoring "one full Level" (see the
Restore
spell, p.39). This will give the character a reasonable amount of time to seek out
a Restore
spell while he continues to gain XP normally -- he won't have to worry that the XP
he's
gaining will be wasted just to "fill in the hole," since he has time to get a
Restore spell
and regain all the XP that was removed. Once a character reaches the XP total he
was at before
getting Drained, he no longer has the option of getting a Restore for that Energy
Drain.
Players will have to keep track of each Energy Drain upon their character,
including the
exact number of XP lost, the XP total before the drain, and any resulting Weapon
Mastery
ranks, General Skills, or Hit Points that were "revoked" by losing a level. Count a
double
Energy Drain (such as from a Vampire) as two separate Energy Drains, applying one
right after
the other. When using the Restore spell, you must restore the most recent Energy
Drains first.
Each application of Restore will restore the amount of XP lost from one Energy
Drain only, and
the Cleric casting the Restore spell will suffer the temporary loss of that amount
of XP,
rather than "one full Level." This will make it rather easy for a Cleric to restore
lost
levels to low-level characters, but when restoring high-level characters, it's
really going to
drain him.
When a character has lost Weapon Mastery ranks, General Skills, or Hit Points
from being
Drained, he will instantly get those things back as soon as he gains enough XP
(either
naturally or by the Restore spell) to support having the things he lost (e.g., he
won't have
to go through training again to regain his skills -- he only has to regain the XP
that was
required in order to get the skill in the first place).
For better calculations as to exactly how much XP is lost (rather than always
dropping a
character to the midpoint of the previous level), for characters up to 9th level,
just cut
their XP total exactly in half. This will place them at the same relative position
in their
new level as they were in their previous level.
For characters above 9th level, subtract an amount of XP equal to the amount it
took them
to go from the beginning of their previous level to the beginning of their current
level. This
can apply to characters who have reached their maximum level too, providing them
with a
certain amount of "buffer" to Energy Drain attacks if they have gained a lot of XP
past their
maximum level.
An additional note from the last paragraph: Mystics or people attacking with
unarmed combat
will still have to be careful hitting some creatures that don't have to make a
conscious
effort to make a touch attack, such as slimes or cockatrices. Just coming into
contact with
them can be hazardous.
Gaze
----
There isn't actually a general description of the Gaze ability anywhere; there
are just
different examples scattered around in various creature descriptions, some of which
are a bit
vague. To help avoid confusion and perhaps answer any questions that might arise,
I've come up
with this comprehensive and unified description of Gaze abilities based on all the
individual
descriptions.
A creature with a "Gaze" ability might be more accurately described as having a

"Magical
Visage" that can affect opponents who look upon it. If the actual eyes or visage of
a creature
with a Gaze ability are not visible to an opponent, the Gaze cannot affect that
opponent.
Seeing the reflected visage of the creature will not be harmful. Unless noted
otherwise, the
maximum effective range for a Gaze ability is 120 feet.
There are two main variations of the Gaze ability:
Automatic: This type of Gaze ability functions automatically and continuously,

whether the
creature wants it to or not (this can be dangerous to the creature's allies).
Anyone looking
upon the creature's visage risks being affected by the Gaze, and any number of
opponents can
be affected simultaneously each round.
Activated: Some creatures must make a conscious effort to activate their
"Magical Visage."
Activated Gaze abilities can be directed toward only one opponent at a time. The
creature's
visage can otherwise be looked upon with no adverse effects, and is only dangerous
when the
creature is actively focusing its Gaze ability upon the viewer.
There is one additional property that applies to some Gaze abilities: First
Sight. This
type of Gaze will only function ONCE against each opponent during an encounter,
regardless of
whether or not the opponent's Saving Throw is successful. Any Gaze ability that is
specifically stated as causing any form of "fear" will function in this manner.
Usually, a creature with a Gaze ability will be immune to similar Gaze abilities
of other
creatures, and also to its own reflected Gaze, unless stated otherwise. Normally,
only
creatures of low intelligence will have a chance of accidentally seeing their own
reflection
in a mirror; intelligent creatures who are susceptible to their own reflected Gaze
will be
smart enough to avoid looking in a mirror accidentally, but might be tricked into
doing so. If
such a creature is confronted with a large-enough mirror being directed at it, the
creature
will have to take the same steps that a character normally does to avoid being
affected by a
Gaze.
A character in combat against a creature with a Gaze ability has to put a much
effort into
averting his eyes in order to avoid seeing the "Magical Visage" and suffering the
effects.
Imagine that a light is shining forth from the creature's eyes, and if that light
enters your
eyes, even from the side, you will suffer the effect. So a character, to be safe
from the
Gaze, basically can't look at the creature at all, and must even be careful not to
catch it it
in his peripheral vision.
This will cause a -4 penalty to the character's Hit Rolls against that creature,
and the
creature will gain +2 bonus to hit the character. Also, the character's Weapon
Mastery is
treated as no greater than Basic level against that creature.
If the character uses a hand mirror to view the creature while he fights, he
only suffers a
-2 penalty to his Hit Rolls, but the area must be lit, and the character must have
a free hand
to hold the mirror. Any Weapon Mastery is penalized by -1 level, but reducing it no
lower than
Basic. The creature still gains a +2 bonus to hit the character.
Of course, the character can choose to fight normally, but will usually have to
make a
Saving Throw against the Gaze every round.
Gaze abilities produce magical effects, but the Gaze itself cannot be blocked by
anti-magic
barriers (e.g., Anti-Magic Shell, Scroll of Protection from Magic), unless the
barrier is
specifically designed to block Gaze attacks (e.g., the blue layer of a Prismatic
Wall).
However, if the target is standing within a field of anti-magic (e.g., a Beholder's
front eye
ray), the magical effect cannot occur, therefore any creature within an area of
100% anti-
magic cannot be affected by a Gaze. A Gaze could, however, "pass through" an anti-
magic area
and effect a victim on the other side, just as it could affect a character standing
on the
other side of a glass window.
Petrification
-------------
As a rule of thumb, a petrified character is about 2.5 times heavier than normal
(from the
D&D FAQ, p.61). Remember to multiply the weight of all equipment carried as well.
At some point, a petrified character might come under attack. Rather than
considering the
victim to be a normal piece of stone, remember that he's still a character as
stated in the
D&D FAQ, p.54, "A petrified creature is mindless and without senses, but is still a
creature.
For all intents and purposes, a petrified creature is an immobile construct, and
magical
effects applied to it function as they would if used on any other construct."
Remember that even though the character is petrified, he's not dead (though a
Construct is
not considered to be "alive," it's still a creature), and is still allowed to make
Saving
Throws. I'd recommend a -4 penalty to his Saving Throws, though, since he's
immobile
("Paralyzed").
When a petrified character comes under attack, he can be treated as if he is
using the
Statue spell (p.55-56). This means he will have a base AC of -4 and will be immune
to normal
weapons and all fire and cold-based attacks (see the Statue spell for other
details, and also
the "Immunity to Normal Weapons" section below). In order for an attacker to
destroy or
dismember the "statue," he'll have to reduce the petrified character to 0 or fewer
Hit Points.
Magic items that are petrified along with the character will become part of the
petrified
form, so they can't be separately destroyed unless the character himself is killed,
as above.
Some magical effects from those items may continue to function as part of the new
form; see
the entry for page 150b about Changing Form.
Petrification, though a magical effect, is not supposed to be easily

Dispellable. For the
purpose of resisting Dispel Magic, treat petrification as a 36th level effect,
regardless of
the level of the caster or the HD of the creature that produced the effect. A
Cleric's Cureall
spell, however, should be able to restore a petrified character to flesh (this was
suggested
by Frank Mentzer, who also gave an informal nod of approval in regard to setting
the level of
effect at 36).
As with a Flesh to Stone spell, I would specify that Petrification only affects
living
creatures (so undead or Constructs are not affected).
Swoop
-----
The following table for the Swoop attack was omitted from the Cyclopedia; it can
be found
in the Expert Rulebook, page 45:
_______________________________
HD of Victim
Monster Size
-------------------------------
3 HD may lift a halfling
6 HD may lift a man
12 HD may lift a horse
24 HD may lift an elephant
_______________________________
Be sure to check each monster's description though; some flying monsters can
lift larger
victims than indicated here.
Gaseous Form
------------
Based on the various descriptions of Gaseous Form found throughout the Rules
Cyclopedia,
and some ideas imported from the d20 System Reference Document, and helpful
information from
Frank Mentzer, here are some unified mechanics to use in any situation where a
creature
assumes Gaseous form.
A living being who assumes Gaseous form remains a living being even while in
that state.
Similarly, an Undead being is still Undead while in Gaseous form, so may still be
Turned.
The Gaseous creature will keep control over his body and will remain
approximately the same
Size as his normal form, appearing as a cloud of smoke or mist. He cannot use items
or cast
spells, but can fly at 180' (60'), and can move through small holes in walls,
chests, and so
forth. He cannot move through liquids, as he will rapidly float to the surface.
The Gaseous creature will gain a base AC of -2, with his Dexterity adjustment
still
applying. Protective spells and other enchantments also still apply (e.g.,
Protection from
Evil, Bless, Fly -- allowing faster movement), as do some magical protections or
effects from
equipment which becomes part of the cloud (see the entry for page 150b about
Changing Form).
A Gaseous creature needs no food, water, or air, and is immune to poison for as
long as he
remains Gaseous. He cannot be harmed by nonmagical weapons. Furthermore, each blow
from a
magical weapon inflicts only the magic damage ("plusses"), ignoring normal weapon
damage and
Strength bonuses (e.g., a sword +4 would inflict 4 points of damage per hit).
Spells will affect the Gaseous creature normally, as long as a Gaseous creature
is a valid
target for the spell (e.g., Hold Person only effects humanoids, so it could not
target a
creature in Gaseous form).
By concentrating for one full round without interruption and without moving, a
Gaseous
creature can expand its body to a much larger size and become virtually invisible.
In this
state the creature may only move at a rate of 60' (20'), but it is immune to all
weapons and
damage-causing effects such as fire, lightning, or cold. The creature cannot be
targeted by
spells, but is still vulnerable to area effects that do not cause damage. Only
creatures able
to detect invisible will be able to discern the Gaseous creature's presence in this
state. In
order to return to a solid form, the creature will first have to spend one round to
condense
down to normal Gaseous form.
A Dispel Magic effect can force a Gaseous creature back to its normal form,
though
creatures with the innate ability to become Gaseous can usually resume Gaseous form
after 1
round.
Immunity to Normal Weapons

--------------------------
Here the Rules Cyclopedia lacks a rule to account for monsters hitting each
other despite
weapon immunities. Can a dragon hit a werewolf despite the lack of a silver weapon?
Of course
it can.... So monsters need a system similar to the Mystic's, which will account
for the
attacking monster having innate magical properties or just enough sheer size to
harm the
opponent.
The following is similar to the system from the 1E AD&D DMG, p.75, but altered
to follow
standards from PC4 Night Howlers, which contains information regarding weapon
immunity which
is more pertinent to D&D rules.
This applies only to monsters and not characters of any sort.
_______________________________________________________
Creatures Immune to Normal Weapons

_______________________________________________________
Attackers with or that are hit can hit opponents

Hit Dice of only by weapons of that require
-------------------------------------------------------
-NA- -NA- normal weapons
4+1 or more silver silver weapons
8 or more +1 or better +1 weapons
_______________________________________________________
Such attackers can hit and inflict full damage against opponents as indicated, and
can also
hit and inflict half damage against opponents of one category higher.
If the attacker is not using natural attacks (e.g., claw, bite, fist), and is
instead using a
non-magical weapon (melee or missile) the attack is treated as one category lower
on the
table.
Example: A Manscorpion (8 HD) attacking with its tail stinger inflicts full damage
against
opponents that require a +1 weapon to hit, and half damage against opponents that
require a +2
weapon to hit. When attacking with a weapon, the Manscorpion can only inflict full
damage
against opponents that require a silver weapon to hit, and half damage against
opponents that
require a +1 weapon to hit.
You can also allow normal fire to do half damage against creatures that are
vulnerable to
silver weapons, unless the creature is non-corporeal. This functionality was found
in earlier
editions of D&D, but was specifically stated as applying toward undead. It could,
however, be
applied to lycanthropes and other creatures as well.
The following option is also adapted from Night Howlers.
Weapon-Immune creatures might, at the DM's discretion, also be affected by

massive normal
damage. For example, any attack that causes more than 15 points of damage at once,
injures a
lycanthrope. The lycanthrope's immunity to normal weapons absorbs the first 15
points of any
single normal attack, but any damage beyond that gets through.
Multiple attacks in one round will also do damage. The lycanthrope sustains
injuries if the
total amount of normal damage done in a single round exceeds 30 points -- even if
no single
attack does more than 15 points. Total the damage from all normal attacks in a
single round,
then subtract 30 to find the amount of damage the lycanthrope suffers. A
lycanthrope hit by 40
arrows in one round won't escape unscathed!
I've scaled this system up to include other Weapon-Immune creatures, and this
form of
Damage Resistance can also apply toward damage from falling.
___________________________________
Normal Damage Resistance

___________________________________
Creatures Resists Resists

only hit by per hit per round
-----------------------------------
Silver 15 30
+1 or better 20 40
+2 or better 25 50
+3 or better 30 60
+4 or better 35 70
+5 or better 40 80
____________________________________
=========================
Page 155, Spell Immunity:
=========================
Creatures that have magical immunity to spells of certain levels can, at will,
disable
their spell immunity so that they can receive beneficial spells, such as Cure
Wounds, Haste,
Invisibility, etc. Of course, as long as a creature has its immunity disabled, it
is
vulnerable to any detrimental spells too. As soon as the creature stops willing the
immunity
to be disabled, any magic affecting it (of levels it is immune to) will immediately
be
negated, including any beneficial magical effects with durations.
This functionality is how Spell Immunity was intended to operate, according to
Frank
Mentzer. This also applies to radiated Anti-Magic effects, as noted in the Players'
Guide to
Immortals, page 9.
============================
Page 157, Adaptor, Ant, Ape:
============================
Adaptor
-------
Adaptors are noted as being "skilled at swordplay." Rather than just applying
the listed +4
to hit and damage, you can give them a Weapon Mastery rank of Skilled with a sword.
This will
decrease their bonus to hit and damage, but they will gain other abilities, like
deflect,
disarm, and AC bonuses. Adaptors with an intelligence of 16 or higher could be
given a rank of
Expert with the sword (this is based on the Mastery Limits for Weapon-Using
Monsters Table on
page 81).
Ant, Giant
----------
The Giant Ant has a '*' by its HD indicating a special ability, and it has an XP
value that
reflects this, but it has no special ability.... Remove the '*' and change the XP
value to 75.
You could also make two classes of Ant, using the corrected values above for a
Worker Ant,
and the values as written for a Warrior Ant. The Warrior ant will have a poison
sting in
addition to its bite (as it does in AD&D). If a Warrior Ant scores a successful
attack with
its bite, it will try to sting. Damage for the sting could be an additional 2d6,
halved with a
successful Saving Throw vs. Poison.
Ape, Snow
---------
The Snow Ape has a powerful continuous damage hug attack, and should have a '*'
by its HD
to reflect this. The XP value should be adjusted to 75.
====================
Page 159, Bat, Bear:
====================
Bat
---
The stated 25' wingspan for the 2HD Giant Bat was not found in the Basic Set,
and in my
opinion it simply cannot be correct. I recommend a wingspan of 8-10 feet -- the
same as the
Small Pterosaur.
Bear
----
A Black Bear should really be size Medium; most won't be bulky enough to
classify as Large.
=================
Page 160, Beetle:
=================
At only 3' long, an Oil Beetle should be size Small.
==========================
Page 161, Undead Beholder:
==========================
The ranges aren't stated for several of the Undead Beholder's eyestalk attacks.
The Dispel
Magic and Telekineses rays should have a 120' range (the same as the spells), and
Frank
Mentzer said the Energy Drain rays should have a 60' range.
=============================
Page 164, Chimera, Crocodile:
=============================
Chimera
-------
The Chimera has two asterisks ('*') by its HD, indicating that it has two
special attacks,
and has an XP value indicating such, but only one special attack (the breath
weapon) is
mentioned in the description. The missing special attack could likely be the Charge
Attack,
which the Chimera could use in conjunction with its goat head butt (the 2d4 damage
attack).
Crocodile
---------
The XP value for the Giant Crocodile should be 1,650 (check the table on page
128). The
Master DM's Book revised the progression for XP awards based on monster HD to
account for
higher-level monsters. Many of the monsters from earlier sets needed their XP value
recalculated to fit in with the new system. The Rules Cyclopedia fixed most of
those monsters,
but this one must have slipped through.
====================
Page 165, Devilfish:
====================
Since they can be harmed by silver weapons, Devilfish shouldn't be classified as

Enchanted.
==================
Page 167, Dolphin:
==================
Frank Mentzer has stated that the average score for a Dolphin's Intelligence
should be 11,
not 15. Some of the most exceptional Dolphins could have a maximum of 15
Intelligence though
(see Monster Intelligence on page 214).
=====================
Page 168-171, Dragon:
=====================
The tables on page 168 are kind of reversed in regard to "attacks." On the
ground, dragons
are supposed to get up to 6 attacks each round. A dragon's attack options vary a
lot,
depending on if it's in air-to-air, air-to-ground, or ground-to-ground combat, and
then
depending on the position of the opponents and the Size of the dragon.... Page 170
explains
the details of this in the section "Physical Attacks." However, as noted above,
dragons on the
ground are supposed to get up to 6 attacks each round, not merely 3 as stated in
the 4th
paragraph there. The limit of 3 attacks per round was not found in the Companion
set, and if
you look at the Dragon Rulers on page 172, you can see that they get up to 9
attacks each
round, which is specifically spelled out in their description. There is a small
error though,
where it says, "Each Dragon Ruler can attack up to nine times per round (with two
bites, two
claws, two wings, two kicks, and two tail)." It should say, "one tail." Only the
Great One
gets to make 2 tail attacks each round, giving him a total of 10 possible attacks.
While I'm pointing out errors, the Dragon Rulers should be classified as
Enchanted
creatures.
Now, just because the standard dragons can potentially make up to 6 attacks per
round, that
doesn't mean they will always be able to do so; see the section "Dragon Tactics" to
determine
what attacks are available to each Dragon based on its Size and the position of the
opponents.
And it might be reasonable to say that a dragon can't make more than three attacks
in a round
against any single man-sized opponent....
Spellcasting
------------
It's noted that talking Dragons can cast Magic-User spells. AC10, Bestiary of
Dragons and
Giants, adds, "The spell casting ability of dragons requires no books or scrolls to
work. It
is similar to a cleric meditating for his spells, but the dragon gains spells from
sleeping."
The Cyclopedia also notes that a Dragon's spells are usually selected randomly.
Frank
Mentzer suggests that the randomly-selected spells are basically treated as the
Dragon's
"spell book," and the Dragon may choose which of those spells will be memorized
when he
sleeps.
Breath Weapons
--------------
It is a bit of an odd mechanic to have a Breath Weapon do damage equal to the

dragon's
current Hit Points, causing the Breath damage to decrease as the dragon is wounded.
My main
gripe with this mechanic is that it's a dead giveaway, telling exactly how many Hit
Points the
dragon has left, which is something the players shouldn't know. While there are
some
reasonable explanations as to why it could function this way, Frank Mentzer has
said that he's
not quite sure why this functionality was put into classic Dungeons & Dragons,
since the
founding personalities of D&D always played it so that Breath Weapons did damage
equal to the
dragon's FULL Hit Points, even if the dragon was wounded.
So it's certainly acceptable to play it that way if you prefer. Yes, this will
make dragons
tougher, but I think that's as it should be -- they are supposed to be among the
most fearsome
opponents, because, as Frank pointed out, Dragons are fully Half the Name of the
Game.
Another option would be to randomly roll 1d8 per HD of the dragon to determine
the Breath
Weapon damage each time it is used.
Subduing Dragons
----------------
The rules for subdual are widely considered to be rather poor in regard to the
odd
mechanics used.... It is suggested that the first paragraph just be ignored. You
can still
allow subdual (if the characters give the dragon the opportunity to surrender)
based on Morale
checks (adjusting the roll based on how badly the dragon is doing) and the fact
that a dragon
will do everything possible to save its own life. Just consider things like the
Alignment of
the dragon, and how honorably it thinks the characters acted in defeating it. The
other
information about Subdual still applies.
Final Details
-------------
Just in case anyone wonders how large a dragon might be, you can probably say,
based on the
range of the wing attack on the previous page (3' per HD), the dragon's total
wingspan would
be 6' per Hit Die when the wings are fully outstretched. We'll assume that a
dragon's wings
are large in proportion to its body, and that the tail isn't exceedingly long, so
that a
dragon's total length from nose to tail tip will also be 6' per Hit Die. This would
give a
Small White Dragon (6HD) a total wingspan and length of 36 feet. A Huge Gold Dragon
(22 HD)
would be 132 feet long.... Keep that in mind the next time you design a dragon's
lair.
Roughly 1/3 of that total length is going to be the dragon's head and neck,
another 1/3
will be the body itself, and the last 1/3 will be the length of the tail.
========================
Page 173, Dragon Turtle:
========================
The Dragon Turtle should not have a '*' by its name; it can be hit with normal
weapons.
The damage for the bite attack is supposed to be determined by a roll of 10d6,
not 1d6x10
(verified by Frank Mentzer).
I also recommend changing the damage for the claw attacks, since 1d8 damage
seems too
little for such a massive creature. The Dragon Turtle could be compared to the
Diamond Dragon
(both have 30 HD) on the opposite page in the Cyclopedia, with a claw attack that
does 2d8+4
damage. This is a good value to use for the Dragon Turtle's claw attacks as well.
================
Page 174, Dwarf:
================
Dwarves are considered size Medium, or roughly man-sized.
=========================
Page 177, Elf, Gargantua:
=========================
Elf
---
Elves are size Medium. Also, the XP Value for an Elf should be 13.
Gargantua
---------
Being only 2 times the height of a normal creature just does not properly convey
the
"incredible size" a Gargantua is supposed to be. As they have 8 times the Hit Dice
and inflict
4 times the damage, I recommend that a Gargantua should be 6 times the height of a
normal
specimen.
===================
Page 178, Gargoyle:
===================
Gargoyles should be size Medium. AD&D lists them as being up to 6' tall.
================
Page 179, Giant:
================
Cloud Giants should Save As a Fighter of level 13 to match their HD of 13.

Previous D&D
sets had Cloud Giants at 12+3 HD. The HD was upgraded to 13 in the Mentzer Expert
Rulebook;
the Saving Throw information likewise should have been altered, but was overlooked.
================
Page 180, Golem:
================
In addition to its weapon immunity, the Mud Golem has a continuous damage hug
attack, and
should have an additional '*' by its HD to reflect this. Adjust the XP value to
1,750.
==========================
Page 181, Gorgon, Griffon:
==========================
Gorgon
------
The Gorgon has two special attacks (Breath Weapon and Charge Attack) but only
one '*' by
its HD, so its XP value is incorrect for having two special attacks. Other
creatures with the
Charge Attack, such as the Elephant and Triceratops, originally did not have their
XP adjusted
for it in the Expert Rulebook, but were revised in the Rules Cyclopedia to now have
the
correct values. Following those examples, you should add the extra '*' next to the
Gorgon's
HD, and change its XP value to 1,750.
There are several other creatures which could be given the Charge Attack as
well; just
remember to adjust their HD and XP accordingly.
Griffon
-------
The Griffon is supposed to be able to carry off a horse-sized creature at half

normal
flying rate (the Expert Rulebook further notes, "Griffons are very powerful"), but
the load
values listed here would not allow that (horses weigh more than 700 pounds). I
believe the
correct values for for the Griffon's carrying capacity are actually the ones listed
on page 68
in the barding example: up to 7,000 cn at full speed, 14,000 cn at half speed
(other powerful
flying creatures such as Dragons and Rocs use this same formula of 1,000 x HD to
get their
normal load cn).
===============================
Page 182, Hag, Halfling, Haunt:
===============================
Hag
---
Since the Sea Hag can be hit by silver weapons, it shouldn't be classified as
Enchanted.
Halfling
--------
A Halfling is size Small.
Haunt
-----
The Unofficial Errata says that Haunts should save as Fighters of equal level
(it was
omitted from their description).
The rules for the Haunt aging attack are just not very good here.... See the
entry for page
143 for some better rules to handle magical aging.
====================
Page 184, Hellhound:
====================
The Unofficial Errata brings up the question about the range for a Hellhound's
breath
attack. From the 1979 Holmes-edited rulebook, p.29, "Range of the fire breath is
only 5 feet,
and is treated as a blow on the combat table..."
==============================
Page 187, Insect Swarm, Kryst:
==============================
Insect Swarm
------------
The Insect Swarm should not be classified as an Enchanted creature; even though
it is
immune to weapons, it can be hurt by normal fire (just like Green Slime, Ochre
Jelly, etc.).
The description here gets vague, so I borrowed and adapted some effects from the
AD&D
version of the Insect Plague spell (see entry for page 37-38):
Heavy smoke drives off insects within its bounds. Fire may be used to damage the
Insect
Swarm or ward it away. For example, a Wall of Fire in a ring shape keeps an Insect
Swarm
outside its confines, and a Fireball spell could potentially kill the entire swarm,
if enough
damage is dealt and the swarm's full area is within the blast radius. A torch may
be used to
damage the insects, but not during the same round it's used to "swat." Lightning or
non-
flaming weapons are ineffective in damaging the swarm. Cold-based attacks or strong
winds that
cover the entire swarm will cause the insects to disperse or become inactive, but
1-4 rounds
after the effect ends, the swarm will reform.
Kryst
-----
The Kryst should be classified as Enchanted; it is only vulnerable to magical

attacks.
======================
Page 188, Leech, Lich:
======================
Leech, Giant
------------
At 3'-4' long, most Giant Leeches should be size Small.

The Leech also has a continuous damage attack, and should have a '*' by its HD
to reflect
this. The XP value should be adjusted to 500.
Lich
----
This is not mentioned in the description, but a Lich, being an undead

spellcaster, may make
a Saving Throw vs. Spells to avoid any successful Turn attempts (see page 218,
next-to-last
paragraph).
The Lich's fear effect easily fits within the rules for Gaze abilities (see the
entry for
page 154 about Gaze).
==========================
Page 190-191, Lycanthrope:
==========================
Lycanthropes should not be classified as Enchanted creatures. Read the various

Protection
from Evil spells, which clearly state, "A creature that can be hit only by a silver
weapon --
a Werewolf, for example -- is not an Enchanted creature."
The Wereboar was originally from the Basic Set (before the Charge Attack was
introduced),
so it should be given this special attack (the normal Boars on page 162 have it).
Add a '*' next to its HD, and adjust the XP value to be 275 to account for this.
======================
Page 192, Medusa, Mek:
======================
Medusa
------
The Medusa is the only creature that has an Automatic Gaze ability which can
affect only
one opponent per round... which seems a bit odd to me. You can keep it that way if
you wish,
or you can decide that a Medusa's Gaze can affect any number of opponents each
round, like all
other Automatic Gaze abilities can (see the entry for page 154 about Gaze).
Mek
---
The Mek shouldn't really be classified a a Construct or Enchanted creature...

although they
can be if the DM wants them to be magical creations (keep in mind this would make
them
susceptible to certain spells); Frank Mentzer said the Mek are deliberately left
open-ended to
suit your campaign.
It seems to me the Mek are meant to be rather mysterious and alien things (note
the
Intelligence is listed as "Not ratable"), and they might be more like technological
creations
or something completely different. The Monster Type should perhaps be listed as
"Unknown."
The damage for the Mek's attacks is supposed to be determined by rolls of 6d10,
not 1d6x10
(verified by Frank Mentzer).
==========================================
Page 195, Mujina, Mummy, Minotaur, Mystic:
==========================================
Mujana
------
The Mujina isn't stated as such, but it actually has a fear-causing, Automatic
Gaze ability
(it's automatic when he's not hiding his true face). See the entry for page 154
about Gaze.
Mummy
-----
The Mummy also has a fear-causing, Automatic Gaze ability.
Additionally, because it is vulnerable to normal fire, I don't think it should

be
classified as an Enchanted creature.
Minotaur
--------
The Minotaur was first listed in the Basic Set, before the Charge attack was
introduced,
but the Minotaur could be allowed to use the Charge in conjunction with its gore
attack.
If you make this change, add a '*' next to its HD, and adjust the XP value to be
500.
Mystic
------
From the Unofficial Errata: "Mystic: The leader should save as Mystic 7 and all
his thief
abilities are wrong, refer to the thief at level 7. (There was confusion here
whether the
leader was level 6 or 7). Also remember the level 4's have hands that act as silver
weapons."
===============================
Page 196, Nekrozon, Nightshade:
===============================
Nekrozon
--------
The Nekrozon is stated as having a Gaze ability, but this is not correct. It has
a unique
ability that was just casually referred to as a gaze. The beast actually shoots a
Death Ray
out of its eyes(!) which has has an identical effect as a Finger of Death spell
(reversed
Raise Dead).
Deliberately looking directly into a Nekrozon's eyes will cause instant death,
but this is
another unique ability, and the standard rules for Gaze abilities do not apply here
either.
Nightshade
----------
Take note that a Nightshade, to be able to use its spell-like powers of

Invisibility and
Haste upon itself, has to deactivate its Spell Immunity for as long as it wishes to
gain the
benefits of those effects (see the entry for page 155 about Spell Immunity).
============================================
Page 201, Pterosaur, Purple Worm, Giant Rat:
============================================
Pterosaur
---------
With an 8-10 foot wingspan, the Small Pterosaur should be size Medium. Its
carrying
capacity is unlisted, but I'd recommend 500 cn at full speed, 1,000 cn at half
speed (same as
the Giant Bat).
The Medium Pterosaur should have a wingspan of up to 30' (based on comparison to

a Dragon
of equal Hit Dice) and should be size Large. Since they are supposed to be able to
carry off
man-sized creatures, their carrying capacity should be upgraded to 5,000 cn at full
speed,
10,000 cn at half speed (other powerful flying creatures such as Dragons and Rocs
use this
same formula of 1,000 x HD to get their normal load cn).
The Large Pterosaur's wingspan could reach up to 60', and since it's supposed to
be able to
carry off a warhorse, its carrying capacity should be upgraded in the same manner
to 10,000 cn
at full speed, 20,000 cn at half speed.
Purple Worm
-----------
The Purple Worm has both a swallow attack and a deadly poisonous sting, so
should have an
additional '*' by its HD. Adjust the XP value to 3,750.
Rat, Giant
----------
The Treasure Type for the Giant Rat is supposed to be C (as shown in both the
Basic DM's
Rulebook, p.36, and the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, p.50).
=======================
Page 202, Rust Monster:
=======================
Rust Monsters should be size Medium. AD&D lists them as being up to 5' long.
The Rust Monster uses Non-Standard Targeting (see the entry for page 105), and
will
probably go after the largest metallic items first (usually this would be armor or
shield,
then weapons).
================
Page 203, Shark:
================
At 8' and 12' long, the Bull and Mako Sharks should be size Large.
=================================
Page 205, Spectral Hound, Sphinx:
=================================
Spectral Hound
--------------
Since it can be struck by silver weapons, the Spectral Hound shouldn't be

classified as an
Enchanted creature.
Sphinx
------
Pencil in the missing asterisks by the Sphinx's name -- it is immune to normal

weapons. It
should also be classified as an Enchanted creature because of this.
========================
Page 206, Planar Spider:
========================
Note that only the 5 HD Planar Spiders should make Saving Throws as a 5th level
Fighter;
those with more HD should make Saving Throws as Fighters of equal level. However,
Planar
Spiders who are Magic-Users or Clerics might instead Save as members of those
classes.
An extra sentence explaining the Planar Spider's combat behavior from the Master
DM's Book,
p.41, was left out of the Cyclopedia. It states, "If a character gains initiative
for a round,
he may wait until the spider appears and attack before it shifts." With all the
information
considered, I believe the shifting ability should work as follows.
If the Spider is doing nothing but shifting, it will automatically gain
initiative and
usually be able to shift during its movement phase before anyone can attack it.
If the Spider is attacking and it wins initiative, non-hasted opponents will
only have a
25% chance to be able to attack it before it can shift away at the end of the
round.
An opponent who wins initiative will always get to attack the spider before it
shifts away,
but he may have to delay his action until the spider appears, meaning the spider
will get to
attack first.
=================
Page 207, Spirit:
=================
Druj
----
As an eye, hand, or skull, a Druj cannot be more than size Small.
The Skull Druj's fear effect doesn't list a duration.... It looks as if it's
only supposed
to last one round though, and can be treated as an Activated Gaze ability (see the
entry for
page 154 about Gaze).
Odic
----
An Odic's Size could be anything from Small to Large, depending on the size of
the plant it
possesses.
============================
Page 209, Rock or Cave Toad:
============================
For Attacks, instead of "special" it should be "Gaze" (it's an Automatic Gaze

ability). And
for Damage, instead of "charm" it should be "Paralysis."
============================
Page 210, Troglodyte, T-Rex:
============================
Troglodyte
----------
A Troglodyte should be size Medium. AD&D lists them as being up to 6' tall.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
-----------------
The T-Rex has a swallow attack, so should have a '*' by it's HD. Adjust the XP
value to
4,175 to account for this.
===========================
Page 211, Unicorn, Vampire:
===========================
Unicorn
-------
The Unicorn could easily be given the Charge Attack. If you wish to allow it,
add another
'*' next to its HD, and adjust its XP value to be 175.
Vampire
-------
To clear up any questions about functionality, the Vampire has an Activated Gaze
ability
(see the entry for page 154 about Gaze).
=============================================
Page 212, Weasel, Whale, Wight, Wraith, Wolf:
=============================================
Weasel, Giant
-------------
The Giant Weasel has a continuous damage attack, so should have a '*' by its HD.
Adjust the
XP value to 200 to account for this.
Whale
-----
The average Intelligence scores for Whales were omitted from the Intelligence
listing in
the Master DM's Book (page 17), so it is uncertain where the values given in the
Rules
Cyclopedia came from. Frank Mentzer says they should actually be as follows:
Killer Whale = Int 9

Great Whale = Int 12
Narwhal = Int 10
Also, the Great Whale was previously known as a Sperm Whale in the Dungeon
Masters
Companion, page 38.
Wight & Wraith

--------------
Since these creatures can be struck by silver weapons, they shouldn't be

classified as
Enchanted creatures.
Wolf
----
A normal Wolf should be size Small, as they aren't as large as a human (AD&D
lists them as
being between 3'-4' long), while a Dire Wolf should be size Large (AD&D says they
are 7'-12'
long).
======================
Page 213, Yellow Mold:
======================
Yellow Mold should have a '*' by its name since it has some weapon immunity.
=====================================
PAge 214, Monster Intelligence Table:
=====================================
The table from the Master DM's Book, page 16, contains a bit more information
for monsters
with very high Intelligence scores:
______________________________________
Monster Intelligence Table

______________________________________
Average Maximum Die Roll (1d6)

Int. Variance 1 2 3 4 5 6
--------------------------------------
...
18-19 2 0 0 1 1 2 2
20+ 1 0 0 1 1 1 1
______________________________________
======================================
Page 217-218, Undead Lieges and Pawns:
======================================
In the table at the bottom of the page, the "4" entry for the "Hit Dice of
Liege" should be
"3-4" to account for Wights (3 HD). But note that under normal circumstances, a
Wight will
only be able to attempt to control Skeletons, since every other type of undead will
have more
than half the Wight's HD.
Ghouls (2 HD) are also not accounted for as potential Lieges in the table, but
as with
Skeletons and Zombies, I would just consider standard Ghouls incapable of
controlling other
undead.
The first paragraph under "Procedure" indicates that a would-be Liege may gain
control of
an undead that is already being controlled by any means, by making a control check
at -4. In
cases where the control would normally be automatic, consider the base chance to be
2 (even
though a ROLL of 2 will always fail), then with the -4 penalty it will basically
amount to a
required roll of 6 (although other modifiers may apply).
Any potential Pawn that is currently under a Turn effect could be included in
that, so a
would-be Liege could make a control check at -4 to gain control of a Turned undead,
and force
it back into battle (being Turned is different than failing a Morale check, as
described
later).
Borrowing a mechanic from Turning, if a would-be Liege attempts to gain control

of an
undead and fails, any further control attempts by that would-be Liege to control
that undead
during that encounter will automatically fail (but control attempts against
different undead
in the same group can still succeed, since this ability targets one creature at a
time).
Following the example of the Vampire, undead spellcasters should be bumped up

one level on
the chart (if its creature type doesn't normally cast spells, that is), making it
harder to
control them. As with Turning, you might even allow spellcasting undead to make a
Saving Throw
vs. Spells to avoid any successful control attempts.
It seems that if control is gained over a spellcasting undead, it will lose its
spellcasting ability until it regains free will. That would include losing all the
benefits it
gains from its spellcasting status (Saving Throws vs. Turning, +2 to control
attempts, etc.).
Just a note: the fourth paragraph under "Benefits to a Liege" contains an

incorrect
calculation in its example. A Specter (6 HD) can control up to 12 HIT DICE of
undead, not 12
Wights (3 HD each). The Specter could control 4 Wights which could each control 6
Skeletons.
Under "Duration of Control," to account for Lieges that can have Pawns of the
same type
(meaning an energy drainer whose victims rise up as his Pawns), assume that any
Pawns which
the Liege created will NOT be freed as usual on the night of the full moon, because
once
freed, it will be impossible for the Liege to renew control of them (because the
Pawns will
have more than half the Liege's HD), and those Pawns often increase in power when
they gain
free will. When they do gain free will, for whatever reason, treat it the same as
if the Liege
had been slain, as described in the section that follows about Energy Drainers.
Skeletons and zombies have no will of their own, so when they are freed from
control, they
will probably just go back to the default of obeying the orders of whoever animated
them.
===============================
Page 226-227, Gems and Jewelry:
===============================
The tables here for determining the worth of gems and jewelry (originally from
the
Companion set) give values that are way, way too much for low level characters,
even if you
apply the suggested -10 to the roll for characters under 9th level.
I strongly recommend using the methods from the Basic Dungeon Master's Rulebook,
p.41, if
the average party level is less than 5:
_______________________
Gem Value Table

_______________________
% Roll Value
-----------------------
01-20 10 gp
21-45 50 gp
46-75 100 gp
76-95 500 gp
96-00 1000 gp
_______________________
For jewelry, just roll 3d6 and multiply by 100, for a total value of 300-1800
gp.
Once the characters reach 5th level, it will probably be fine to use the tables
in the
Cyclopedia, applying the -10 to the roll until they are 9th level.
========================
Page 228, Magical Items:
========================
Magical Items
-------------
The book of Marvelous Magic, page 2, has some good guidelines for getting magic
items
identified. I will paraphrase here to the extent that it applies to magic items
found in the
Cyclopedia.
A Slate of Identification can be used to learn the command words for other
magical items.
The Slate should become a part of every campaign by belonging to a powerful NPC
Magic-User,
who sells its services to others. For a stiff fee (usually not less than 1,000 gp
per word),
the NPC identifies the command word(s) of most items.
The NPC should keep the Slate's existence secret and offer only the service.
This avoids
attempts at theft.
A Wish used to identify an item always reveals all its command words. The true
name and
nature of a cursed item, however, might remain secret.
You may, of course, invent other items for reveling the names and command words
of magical
items, but try never to simply give them away; always require thought, ingenuity,
or cash for
their discovery.
Using Magical Items

-------------------
Note what is said in the third paragraph under this topic: In order to activate
a magical
item, the user may not move, cast a spell, or take any other action during that
round. And
although it says concentration is required, it does not indicate that disturbing
the character
will prevent the magic item from being activated, as it would with spellcasting
(items are not
as difficult to activate). Many effects, though, specifically say that
concentration is
prevented, which would obviously prevent a character from activating a magic item
that
required any concentration, and would even prevent the use of some items that don't
specifically require concentration. For example, even if an effect prevents

concentration, a
Potion could still pretty easily be drank, but reading a scroll would be very
difficult, and
even remembering and correctly speaking a command word might be prevented....
Most magic items don't seem to fall within the above general method of
activation. For
example, Scrolls are read, Potions are drank, many miscellaneous items are
activated by
command words or various other methods, and magic sword talents are specifically
noted as not
requiring any concentration (probably meaning activation is by command word).
Activating those
items will usually count as your action for the round (although some sword talents
are usable
even after making an attack), but won't restrict your normal movement.
Each item's description needs to be checked to determine if the item is
activated
automatically, by command word, by concentration, or by simply using it as an item
of
equipment.... If it isn't specified, then assume the general method is used,
meaning no
movement or other action may be performed during that round, or if you prefer,
assign a
command word.
The Book of Marvelous Magic adds the following information regarding command
words.
"Since command words are spoken, a Cleric's Silence 15' Radius spell (or similar
magical
effect) always prevents the use of such magical items.
"A character with an Intelligence score of 6 or less may have trouble
remembering a command
word, or might not pronounce it properly. The chance of such errors is left to the
DM's
discretion, but should be based on a single dice roll and easy to apply during a
game. For
example, a 6-sided die could be rolled for each attempted use of a command word; if
the result
is equal to or higher than the character's Intelligence score, the attempt fails.
Such a
failure should count as one round's action. The command words for certain powerful
items, or
several command words for a single item, may require a similar check using 1d8,
1d10, 1d12, or
even 1d20! Whatever procedure is used, apply it equally and fairly to all
characters."
Cursed Items
------------
The Book of Marvelous Magic, page 2, states that curses basically lie dormant
and
undetectable in magic items, and cannot be removed until they actually take effect.
I think
the information is quite good and applies even to items not found in the Book of
Marvelous
Magic, so I'll quote it all here.
"Nearly any magical item found can be either normal or cursed -- and there is
absolutely no
way to tell the difference. Any cursed item will appear to be a normal one,
whatever the means
of identification (libram, slate, etc.). The curse will become apparent when the
item is used
or, in some cases, touched. You should never mention that an item is cursed, until,
perhaps,
after the curse takes effect. Any curse can be removed, though some are harder to
affect than
others. However, most curses cannot be prevented, and must be lifted after they
take effect; a
Remove Curse spell applied to an unused cursed item will have absolutely no effect.
A Wish is
the only means powerful enough to absolutely 'cleanse' an item without coping with
the
hazards.
"The curses mentioned in this book may be one of four types; each can be removed
by a
Remove Curse or Dispel Evil spell, but differ in that the spell caster must be of a
given
level or greater. A minor curse can be removed by any level of caster. A second
type of curse
can be removed by any caster of 15th level or greater; a third requires a caster of
26th level
or higher. The most powerful (and most rare) curses require a caster of 36th level
for their
removal. Any Wish used to remove a curse is treated as if produced by a 36th level
caster and
thus will remove any curse."
It would be handy to make a note of the chances of getting a cursed item here,
rather than
having to go digging through the item descriptions to find them. The thing is, the
Rules
Cyclopedia has reduced the chances of an item being cursed.... I would go by the
previous
chances, which can be found in the Basic DM's Manual, p.42-43, and also in the 1991
D&D Game
Rulebook, p.58:
________________________________
Chance for an item to be cursed

________________________________
Sword - 3/20
Armor or Shield - 1/8
Misc. Weapon - 2/20
________________________________
I would assume that missile devices and missiles could be included as "Misc.
Weapons," so
don't forget to check them too. If you're feeling really evil, you might also want
to apply
that to any other Miscellaneous Magical Items found, and even rings, potions,
wands, etc.,
since any magic item might contain some kind of curse....
Also be wary; the Cyclopedia has added in specific numbers that weren't found in
any of the
previous sets as to what level is needed to remove a curse from entire classes of
items. Page
245 says that a 26th level caster is needed to permanently remove a curse from a
sword, and
page 242 states that only a 36th level Cleric can permanently remove a curse from
magical
armor! Not only were these number never stated in any other set, but they are far
too powerful
to apply to every cursed sword or suit of armor found. Please ignore those blanket
statements,
and instead just go by the guidelines outlined above from the Book of Marvelous
Magic, and
those found on page 229 of the Cyclopedia.
Magic Item Subtables

--------------------
It's probably worth noting that Elves can normally use any item that is listed
as usable by
a Magic-User.
==================================================
Page 229, Spell Scrolls, Magical Item Encumbrance:
==================================================
Spell Scrolls
-------------
The table in Basic DM's Rulebook, p.42, allowed spell scrolls to contain 1, 2,
or 3 spells
each. The Expert Rulebook, p.36, allowed scrolls to contain 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 spells
on each
scroll. The table in the DM's Companion, p.44, omitted any information regarding
how to
determine the number of spells on a scroll. It seems the Rules Cyclopedia has
reverted to the
Basic standards of only allowing 1, 2, or 3 spells per scroll, and it contradicts
itself in
the method of determination; the table here shows a roll of 1d100 to determine if
the scroll
contains 1, 2, or 3 spells, but the footnote says to roll 1d3 for the number of
spells....
I recommend ignoring both those options, and adapting something more in line
with the last
"good" method presented (from the Expert Rulebook) for determining the number of
spells on a
scroll. You can easily use the table here for determining the LEVEL of Cleric or
Druid spells
to also determine the NUMBER of spells on any scroll (Magic-User scrolls included).
This will
result in 1-7 spells on each scroll, with a rapidly decreasing chance to roll the
higher
numbers. It ends up working quite well.
Magic Item Encumbrance

----------------------
The weights for many different items can be penciled in beside their names here.
Some items
have a set weight already, and some can be determined by looking at similar, non-
magical
items. When that fails, I referenced the item in AD&D.
Potion = 10 cn
Scroll = 1 cn
Wand = 10 cn
Staff = 40 cn
Rod = 20 cn
Ring = 1 cn*
Boots = 10 cn*
Broom = 40 cn
Crystal Ball = 130 cn (includes Ball:100 cn, Base: 20 cn, and Wrap: 10 cn)
Egg = 3 cn
Cloak = 15 cn*
Gauntlets = 20 cn**
Girdle = 10 cn*
Helm = 30 cn**
Horn = 30 cn
Nail = 1 cn
* If this item is being worn, as opposed to being packed away, its encumbrance is
considered
to be 0.
** Encumbrance is considered 0 if this item is being worn along with a set of

armor, in which
case, its weight is already included in the total encumbrance of the armor.
Also, you can pencil in, "1/10 = 5' Rad" next to the Ring of Protection +1,
because 10% of
these rings are the 5' Radius version. This was omitted from the item description
in the Rules
Cyclopedia, but can be found on p.53 of the Expert Rulebook.
====================================
Page 230-231, Magical Weapon Tables:
====================================
In Table 6, "Armor and Shields," if the roll for the size of the armor indicates
"Giant," I
suggest instead generating a set of magical barding (because characters would have
a very hard
time finding a use for a giant-sized set of armor...). If a shield is included with
the set of
barding, it should be a normal-sized shield for the rider. A result of a lone
giant-sized
shield should just be re-rolled, unless you want to give out a giant, two-handed
shield....
When rolling for the armor bonus, the Cyclopedia has "Banded, Scale, or Leather"
all in the
first column, but this is incorrect as a result of improper formatting of the
original table
from the Companion set. Frank Mentzer says "Scale, Banded, or Chain" should instead
go
together in the second column. He also says that magical Suit Armor "is suitable
for greater
enchantment due to its generally higher quality & craftsmanship. Thus, use the
Shield column"
when determining the bonus for Suit armor (not the Plate column as shown in the
Cyclopedia).
Any set of magical armor will weigh only half as much as normal (see entry for
page 242).
This includes barding, but not shields.
In Table 7, "Missile Weapons and Missiles," for the ** footnote, at the end you
can pencil
in, "& 1/2 # found." This was omitted from the Rules Cyclopedia. It's from the DM's
Companion,
p.56, which basically says that if a Talent is present, divide the number of
missiles found by
2 (rounding up). All the missiles will have the same talent.
For the Chance of Additional Modifiers on Tables 8 and 9, the procedures from
the DM's
Companion, p.57, were omitted. It works like this: IF an additional modifier is
present, you
check again to see if another is present. Miscellaneous Weapons can have up to 2
additional
modifiers/talents, so they stop there. Swords can have up to 3 additional
modifiers/talents,
so if 2 are present, you check for one more.
You might also want to rule that once a weapon has a modifier against an
opponent type, any
other modifiers for the weapon will automatically be talents. Otherwise, if you
rolled a sword
that had 3 additional modifiers, it's likely you'd get something like a Sword +1,
+2 vs.
reptiles, +3 vs. undead, +2 vs. giants....
When rolling up Miscellaneous Weapons, you can either use the incomplete table
on the left,
or the incomplete table on the right (but there's no such thing as a Returning War
Hammer...),
OR, you can use my table, which actually includes EVERY miscellaneous weapon
available,
including a standard Rock (p.65, "Rock, Thrown," or Tossed Object on the Weapon
Mastery Table;
A Rock could also be held in the hand as a melee weapon...). Hey, why not?
Primitive cultures
might create magical rocks.... And then you might roll up some cool bonuses for it,
like a
Flaming Rock +3, +5 vs. Bugs. A Torch is available too.... A magical Torch could be
used as a
weapon (see entry for page 66 about the Torch), plus it would be very durable and
might burn
as long as a lantern (4 hours) for each flask of oil poured over it.
_____________________________________________________________
Table 9, Miscellaneous Weapons

_____________________________________________________________
|
1d100 Weapon Class | 1d100 Weapon Class
------------------------------|------------------------------
1-6 Axe, Battle C | 63-64 Pike D
7-12 Axe, Hand B | 65-66 Polearm, Other D
13-14 Blackjack C | 67-68 Poleaxe D
------------------------------|------------------------------
15-17 Bola B | 69-70 Rock B
18-19 Cestus C | 71-72 Shield, Horn C
20-22 Club C | 73-74 Shield, Knife C
------------------------------|------------------------------
23-31 Dagger B | 75-76 Shield, Sword C
32-33 Halberd D | 77-78 Shield, Tusk D
34-39 Hammer, Throwing B | 79-84 Spear B
------------------------------|------------------------------
40-45 Hammer, War C | 85-90 Staff D
46-49 Javelin B | 91-93 Torch C
50-53 Lance D | 94-97 Trident B
------------------------------|------------------------------
54-59 Mace C | 98-00 Whip C
60-62 Net B |
______________________________|______________________________
All Class B weapons have 1/4 chance to be Returning weapons.
Finally, in the Additional Weapon Modifiers Table, "Enchanted monsters" should

really be
"Weapon-immune monsters" (see entry for page 247).
==================================
Page 234, Potion of Super Healing:
==================================
If you don't want to have to look up the Cure Critical Wounds spell to find
this, you can
just pencil in "3d6+3" as the amount this potion heals.
============================
Page 234-235, Spell Scrolls:
============================
You can draw an asterisks on p.235 by "Spells," then make a footnote at the
bottom of the
page: "* Level of effect = lowest level needed to cast (minimum 6th level)"
The level of effect of Spell Scrolls is never specifically discussed in D&D, but
it can be
inferred from looking at the rules in several places. The rule on p.228 says, "If
the range
and duration of the effect produced by a magical item is not given, treat it as if
it were
cast by a 6th level caster." Also, in the rules for Dispel Magic from the Master's
set (see
entry for page 48), a scroll is given an effective level equal to the lowest level
needed to
cast the most powerful spell it contains. AD&D uses an almost identical rule for
scrolls.
The results of this are important. A Fireball Scroll would cause 6d6 damage. A
Magic
Missile Scroll would fire 3 missiles. A Delayed Blast Fireball Scroll would be cast
at 15th
level, for 15d6 damage. A Dispel Magic from a Magic-User scroll would be cast at
6th level,
but if it were a Clerical Dispel Magic scroll, it would be cast at 8th level.
Note that scrolls are treated as Magical Items rather than actual spellcasting.
Page 234
indicates that a scroll only needs to be read to release its effect, and doesn't
indicate that
any concentration is required... so a scroll could still be used after taking
damage in a
round, for example.
Similarly to other magical items, a Magic-User spell scroll has to be properly

"identified" before it can be used. A Magic-User does this by use of a Read Magic
spell. Once
the Magic-User has "identified" a particular scroll, he can later use any spell
from it
without using Read Magic again, or he may copy the contents of the scroll into his
spellbook.
Clerics and Druids can read their scrolls without any magical aid. Other
character may find
the names of the spells on a Clerical/Druidic scroll by use of a Read Magic Spell
(as stated
in the DM's Companion Book, p.51).
Thieves could be treated similarly to Magic-Users in needing to "identify" a
scroll before
it could be used. Once a Thief reaches 10th level, his Read Languages ability could
be allowed
to apply toward identifying Magic-User spell scrolls, and he must first
successfully determine
the contents of the scroll before he can use it (he has an 80% chance; see p.23
about the Read
Languages ability).
Just like with Thieves using scrolls, Elves and Magic-Users have a 10% chance of
failure
when using a scroll, if the spell is of a level the character is not capable of
memorizing
(see the entry for page 131).
Finally, in the section, "Casting the Scroll Spell," the last sentence says that
each
scroll may only be used once, but it should say each SPELL on the scroll may only
be used
once.
=============================
Page 235, Protection Scrolls:
=============================
The scrolls that protect against a variable number of creatures in different

categories do
not protect against all the categories at the same time. In other words, the
Protection from
Lycanthropes scroll will not protect against 1d10 Wererats AND 1d8 Werewolves; it
protects
against 1d10 Wererats OR 1d8 Werewolves each round. This works fine as long as you
only meet
groups of similar Lycanthropes. Should a mixed group of Lycanthropes be
encountered, it
becomes more difficult to determine which are blocked and in what number.... Some
ways to
handle this are detailed below.
Creatures should be blocked in the order they attempt to attack. Once all the
protection is
used up in a round (by blocking attacks from the maximum number of creatures or HD
rolled),
any further attacks will bypass the barrier. A creature cannot be "partially
blocked." If a
creature would be partially blocked, it is considered fully blocked (e.g., if only
1 HD of
protection remains for the barrier this round, it will still block at least 1
creature before
the barrier fails).
Protection from Lycanthropes

----------------------------
Because the Lycanthropes don't have a wide spread of Hit Dice, and they are
grouped
together closely on the table by HD, this works out really well if you just ditch
the table
and have it block 3d10 Hit Dice of Lycanthropes each round. The number of creatures
blocked
will end up being very close to what is given in the table, and mixed groups will
be easy to
handle.
Protection from Undead

----------------------
The Undead have a much wider spread of Hit Dice, so attempting to set a number
of HD to
block just won't work out right. However, since each listed category basically cuts
the number
of affected creature by half, the following system works well.
Roll 2d12 to determine the total number of creatures blocked each round.
Blocking more powerful Undead will count as blocking more than one creature:
Each blocked counts as
-------------------------------------------
Skeleton, Zombie, or Ghoul 1 creature
Wight, Wraith, or Mummy 2 creatures
Spectre or Vampire 4 creatures
Phantom, Haunt, or Spirit 12 creatures
A non-standard Undead will be blocked as if it were the same creature it "Turns

as."
You may notice that the number of blocked Phantoms, Haunts, or Spirits was not
listed in
the Cyclopedia. The number that will be blocked (1-2) is actually a suggested
update from
Frank Mentzer (because the original Protection from Undead scroll was listed in the
Basic set,
before the really powerful Undead were introduced). He also states that this scroll
will not
block any Undead more powerful than a Spirit; such creatures are completely
unaffected by the
scroll. However, he offers us another option: the Scroll of Greater Protection from
Undead.
The following item is based upon his suggestions.
When any Protection from Undead Scroll is found, roll 1d6. On a 1, the item is a
Greater
Protection from Undead Scroll. This item will not block as many total Undead, but
it is
capable of blocking a few of even the most powerful types of Undead, as follows:
_______________________________________
Greater Protection from Undead Scroll

_______________________________________
Creature Type # blocked

---------------------------------------
Skelitons, Zombies, Ghouls 1d8
Wights, Wraiths, Mummies 1d6
Spectres, Vampires 1d4
Phantoms, Haunts, Spirits 1d2
Nightshade, Lich, Special 1
_______________________________________
Unlike the standard Protection from Undead Scroll, this one WILL block all the
listed
categories at once. In other words, it will block 1d8 creatures from the first
category AND
1d6 creatures from the second category (and so on) each round.
========================
Page 236, Wands, Staves:
========================
Wand of Metal Detection
-----------------------
As with the other wands that detect mundane things by pointing at them (i.e.,
secret door
detection & trap detection) a charge should only be spent if the detection is
successful.
Wand of Negation
----------------
Well, this one is certainly vague and leaves some serious questions as to timing
and
duration.... I would suggest handling it in one of two ways:
1. If the user is holding it in hand, it will automatically negate the effect of
any wand
or staff that would affect him (using one charge each time, and only one charge may
be spent
each round). Additionally, the user may expend a charge to negate, with a 120'
range, any non-
instantanious effect generated by a wand or staff. The negation is permanent, but
the wand or
staff that was negated can, of course, be used to re-create the effect.
2. Or, if you just want to handle it in an easier fashion, it simply casts
Dispel Magic as
a 6th level caster (using one charge each time), and may also be used for a Touch
Dispel (see
entry for page 48 about Dispel Magic).
Wand of Polymorphing
--------------------
The Unofficial Errata points out that the range is 60', as with the spell.
Staff of Dispelling
-------------------
The effect of this staff can just be treated as a 15th level Touch Dispel (see
entry for
page 48 about Dispel Magic). Notably, this will change the duration of the effect
from "1d4"
to "1d10" rounds.
=================
Page 237, Staves:
=================
Staff of Striking
-----------------
The damage of 2d6 breaks down to 1d6 of normal staff damage (which can change
based on
Weapon Mastery), and 1d6 of magical striking damage if a charge is expended.
Staff of Withering
------------------
(See the entry for page 143 to handle magical aging attacks.)
Since there aren't many ways to remove magical aging, you might optionally allow
this staff
to also be usable in reverse, removing 10 years of magical aging per application,
costing 1
charge each time. This will not remove natural aging.
================
Page 238, Rings:
================
Ring of Protection
------------------
I really recommend that multiple Protection rings should not be allowed to have
cumulative
effects. Use the following rule from the 1E AD&D DMG, p.130, "More than 1 Ring of
Protection
on the same person, or in the same area, do not combine protection; only one -- the
strongest,
if applicable -- will function..."
Ring of Seeing
--------------
Since the duration of "3 Turns" far exceeds the duration of very powerful
Truesight spell
on which the ring is based, it is suggested that the duration of the ring's effect
be reduced
to only "1 Turn."
Ring of Telekinesis
-------------------
The Unofficial Errata points out that the speed at which objects can be moved is
20' per
round (taken from the Telekinesis spell on p.52).
Note that the ring is more limited than the spell, since the range is only 50'
and it can
only affect inanimate objects.
===========================================
Page 239, Magical Bags, Boots, & Gauntlets:
===========================================
Bag of Holding
--------------
The Unofficial Errata is good to point out that a bag of holding will weigh as
much as its
contents x .06
You may want to apply this, and the other functionality of the Bag of Holding,
to a Bag of
Devouring too, so that players will have a hard time telling them apart.
Magical Boots & Gauntlets

-------------------------
The Book of Marvelous Magic -- which contains tables for rolling up all the
standard
Miscellaneous Magic Items listed in the Cyclopedia along with many new ones --
states on page
19 that all magical boots enlarge or shrink to fit any humanoid foot, from that of
a pixie to
that of a giant. And page 35 of that book states that magical Gauntlets will change
size in a
like manner to fit the wearer.
Boots of Speed
--------------
These boots could also allow a character to make impressive running jumps (but
not standing
jumps). See the entry for page 88 about Jumping & Leaping.
====================================
Page 242, Magical Armor and Shields:
====================================
I would disregard the sentence that says a Halfling shield offers no protection
to a
normal-sized character; it could still be used as if it where a Target or Buckler
(p.67).
I also suggest that any giant-sized armor should be replaced with barding. A
lone giant-
sized shield should just be re-rolled.
The DM's Companion, p.55, had a table which listed encumbrance values of magical
armor
based on each different size category for each type of armor. This seemed a bit
overly-
complicated to me. Asked about alternate ways of handling this, Frank Mentzer said,
"If you're
going to change it, then Magical Armor of any sort should have a weight of one-half
of the
non-magical variety." This should include barding, but not shields.
I find this method to be much more streamlined and easy to implement.
Reflection
----------
The description of how this special power interacts with Gaze abilities gets a
bit
uncertain. Basically, the armor or shield is very reflective and mirror-like, so
the wearer is
actually treated as if he's wielding a mirror (see the entry for page 154 about
Gaze
abilities). When in combat against a creature with a Gaze ability, the wearer can
just watch
the creature's reflection in the armor or shield instead of looking directly at the
creature,
and is able to do this so easily that he may attack without penalties.
==========================
Page 243, Missile Talents:
==========================
Curing
------
The given example is wrong. Curing missiles will heal 2d6 damage, plus 2
additional points
for each magical bonus of the missile. Therefore a Curing Arrow +2 would heal
2d6+4. So if a 5
was rolled on the dice, the Curing Arrow +2 would heal 9 points, not 7.
===================================
Page 245, Designing Special Swords:
===================================
The Unofficial Errata misquotes the section from the Expert Rulebook about
Special Swords.
Not just any sword with a 12 Ego and Intelligence will have those potent additional
powers --
only special swords do, and only when used for their special purpose.
Expert Rulebook, p.60:
Special Swords
--------------
Special Swords are created by powerful beings for definite purposes. These
swords are then
carefully placed where they will be found and eventually put to their special use.
The
following special purposes are suggested; the DM may create others. No Special
Sword is ever
created for more than one Special Purpose.
1. Slay a character type (such as Clerics)

2. Slay a monster type (such as gargoyles)
3. Slay a specific being
4. Slay a race type (such as demi-humans)
5. Defeat a specific Alignment
Every Special Sword has a score of 12 for both Intelligence (see chart for
languages and
abilities) and Ego. Each Special Sword gains the following abilities, determined by
the
sword's alignment, when used for its special purpose:
- A Lawful sword will paralyze a Chaotic opponent struck unless

the victim makes a Saving Throw vs. Spells.
- A Neutral sword adds +1 to all of the user's Saving Throws.
- A Chaotic sword will cause a Lawful opponent struck to
make a Saving Throw vs. Turn to Stone or be Turned to Stone.
=========================
Page 246, Primary Powers:
=========================
The Dwarven detection abilities "Detect Shifting Walls and Rooms" and "Detect
Slopes" are
not as useful as the other Primary Powers for an intelligent sword, especially when
split into
two separate abilities. I suggest that if either of these results are rolled, the
sword should
be given a wider range of Dwarven Detection abilities, so that it can detect
sliding walls,
sloping corridors, and new construction. This will still only count as one Primary
Power.
====================================
Page 247, Weapon Bonus vs. Opponent:
====================================
"Enchanted monsters" should really say "Weapon-Immune monsters." The description

indicates
the bonus is meant to apply toward monsters that can not be hit by normal or silver
weapons
(although creatures with this level of Immunity ARE classified as Enchanted, not
ALL Enchanted
creatures are Weapon-Immune; see the entry for page 153). If this bonus were to
actually apply
to all Enchanted monsters, it would cover too huge a cross-section of creatures,
including
practically all undead, constructs, and planar monsters (which each have their own
entry in
this section), along with any other creature that is summoned, controlled, or
charmed.
===============================
Page 250, Making Magical Items:
===============================
Upon analysis, I came to the conclusion that the magic item creation rules in
the Rules
Cyclopedia are not well-written, the examples given aren't easy to follow, some of
the example
don't even seem correct, the chances of success are abysmal, and the prices
produced were all
wonky.... So I created my own rules for this, which are based on ideas from the
Rules
Cyclopedia and the Expert Rulebook guidelines for magic item creation.
Those rules should be available separately where you downloaded this Document.
====================================
Page 253, Making Magical Constructs:
====================================
In Chapter 3, the Create Magical Monsters and Create Any Monster spells indicate
that they
are used in the creation of magical Constructs. They each have a sentence saying,
"Chapter 16
contains more rules for enchanting magical items (including constructs), and has
suggestions
regarding nondispellable constructs." However, these "suggestions regarding
nondispellable
constructs" were never given....
I think, though, the Undead Beholder can be used as an example of a
nondispellable
Construct. The reason being that it is both a Construct AND an Undead creature...
(and is
meant to be a truly powerful monster that shouldn't have an easy-to-exploit
vulnerability). So
if a Magic-User wishes to make some new form of construct that is nondispellable,
he will have
to bind an Undead spirit to it during the creation process. The DM will have to
determine the
method of doing this, which will probably incur many extra costs.
This will cause the Construct to no longer be treated as merely a "permanent
magical item"
which is susceptible to Dispel Magic (since the Undead spirit is powering the
Construct,
rather than pure magical energy), but the creature WILL be vulnerable to Turning by
Clerics,
or other effects that target Undead. Also, the creature will likely be more
intelligent than a
typical mindless Construct.
=========================
Page 255, Spell Research:
=========================
The method for researching spells uses the same formulas that are used for
creating magic
items, which, as noted in the entry for page 250, I do not like. I have redone this
process as
well, and will include it here since it is much shorter than my process for
creating magic
items (which is available in a separate document).
Any spellcaster of any level can research spells, though a spellcaster can only
research
spells of a level he is capable of casting.
Magic-Users can research commonly-known spells to add to their spellbooks, or
can do
research to create their own custom spells from scratch. Spell research will often
require
access to a large library. Magic-User guilds would likely have copies of most
common spells
within their libraries, or another Magic-Users's spellbook can be used as research
material
for any spell contained in that book. Each Magic-User must work out his own unique
magical
formula, and cannot just memorize and cast the same formulas that are in someone
else's
spellbook. If a Magic-User does not have a copy of the spell he is researching
(even a common
spell), he must use the procedure for building a spell from scratch. Spell research
also
requires the use of spell components to help work out magical formulas. The costs
for common
components are included in the calculations below. If the Magic-User wishes to
create a new,
unique spell, the DM may require him to go on a quest for rare components.
Clerics never need to research common spells, since they automatically have
access to all
such spells which they are capable of casting, but they can do research and
meditation to gain
access to unusual spells, ancient lost spells, or even to create their own unique
spells....
For Clerics, this process might involve studying ancient scriptures, sacrificing
valuable
items, and long hours of meditation (at the same cost and time requirements for
Magic-Users).
Once a Cleric has successfully researched a new spell, he (alone) will always have
access to
it through the usual meditation. Clerics use their Wisdom score instead of
Intelligence in the
formulas below.
Researching a spell from scratch

--------------------------------
1000 GP and 1 Week per spell level
Chance of Success:
(Int x 4 + Spellcaster Level) - (Spell Level x 3) = % Chance
Research an existing spell using a copy

---------------------------------------
400 GP and 4 days per spell level*
Chance of Success:
(Int x 4 + Spellcaster Level) - (Spell Level) = % Chance
* If the spellcaster wants to burn through more components, he can get his research
done
faster; for each extra 100 GP he spends on components, he may subtract 1 day from
the required
time (to a minimum of 1 day). Or if he wishes to take more time and be careful with
his
components, he can use less of them to save money; for each extra day taken,
subtract 100 GP
from the cost (to a minimum of 100 GP).
Any roll of 95 or higher is always a failure.
If a spellcaster fails in his research, and if he takes no more than a week off
before trying
to research the same spell again, he may do so with a cumulative +10% Chance of
Success and a
cumulative -20% applied to the cost and time required for each successive attempt
he makes
(round research times up to the next full day).
====================
Page 258, Languages:
====================
In the Moldvay edition of the Basic D&D set, page B13, it's noted, "Any monster
with its
own language has a 20% chance of also speaking Common."
==============================
Page 262, Ending an Adventure:
==============================
The actual rules for dividing XP at the end of an adventure seem to have been
omitted from
the Rules Cyclopedia. They should have appeared after the last paragraph in this
section.
From the Basic Dungeon Master's Rulebook, p.12:
Add all the XP awards for all the encounters to find the total XP for the
adventure. Find
the number of shares in the party. NPC retainers count as 1/2 share for XP
division; each
character counts as a full share. Finally, divide the total XP by the number of
shares to find
the XP per share, and announce that total. A retainer will get 1/2 the amount you
announce.
Remind the players to adjust that award for high or low Prime Requisites (+5%,
+10% or a
penalty). They may ask you to help calculate it. You should also remind them that
they get 1
XP for each 1 gp of treasure. As treasure is divided by the party, without your
interference,
they must make such calculations themselves. Their bonus or penalty (for high or
low PR score)
also applies.
At this point you should also announce any individual or miscellaneous XP awards
from
Chapter 10.
I would recommend that characters who died during the adventure should still
receive their
share of the encounter XP. This is in case they are to be later raised from the
dead. If the
character died very early in the adventure, he could optionally only get 1/2 a
share, unless
he contributed quite a lot before he died....
Even if the character is not going to be raised from the dead, he should still
get his share
of the XP rather than letting the surviving characters profit from his death (they
are already
going to get his share of the treasure), and also, the dead character's XP total
can be used
in determining the starting level of a replacement character for the player. A good
house rule
is to take the XP total of the dead character and cut it in half, and use that for
the
starting XP of the replacement character the player rolls up. In an ongoing
campaign, this
allows the new character to be of approximately the same level as the existing
characters, but
he'll be set back a level or so as a penalty for dying.
If the characters are getting to the point where their replacement's starting
level is more
than 2 or 3, you can follow the rules from page 130 about creating high-level
characters in
order to determine starting equipment and magical items.
========================
Page 266, Variant Rules:
========================
I feel I should mention that I really don't recommend using any of the optional
rules
presented in this section, and most certainly not the ones allowing Demi-humans or
Mystics to
advance up to 36th level. Many people might look over this and think, "Hey,
removing the level
limits for Demi-Humans... good idea." However, if you actually look at the numbers
used here,
you'll find that Demi-Humans will be far worse off than if you just use the
standard Attack
Rank progression (Mystics, on the other hand, will become far too powerful).
Halflings, especially, get terribly penalized by these rules. The main problem
is that
these XP charts were built by looking at the Attack Rank progressions, and equating
each
Attack Rank to one level of experience. However, Attack Ranks are more difficult to
gain than
a standard level, typically requiring around twice as much XP, so the numbers on
this chart
become overinflated. Charging a Halfling 300,000 XP for every level between 9 and
18 will set
him back terribly from where he'd normally be, and giving him the hit rolls of a
Cleric rather
than a Fighter will mean his hit rolls are going to be far, far worse than if you
just use the
standard Attack Rank progression. Using the progression here, a Halfling reaches
level 18 at
3,000,000 XP (when a standard Fighter reaches level 32) but will only be hitting as
if he were
a Fighter of level 13-15. Normally he'd be hitting as a fighter of level 22-24 at
that XP
total. The benefit of 10-15 extra Hit Points by then just doesn't balance it out.
In summary: Don't use these optional rules for Demi-Human advancement; the
standard rules
for Attack Ranks work fine.
However, I will throw in an optional rule here, because, in truth, Demi-Humans

do need some
revision to handle the very high levels... though not as much as one might think.
The Demi-
Humans' one fatal flaw as compared to humans is their very limited Hit Points at
high levels.
I recommend letting all Demi-Humans gain +2 Hit Points for each Attack Rank they
gain after
maximum level (this is similar to a human gaining +1 HP per level, as a Cleric or
Magic-User
does). It's a small tweak, but the extra Hit Points will really help keep them from
falling
too far behind at high levels.
One additional option regarding Hit Points which applies to every character
class: whenever
rolling for Hit Points at any level, a roll of 1 can be re-rolled. This was just
something
Frank Mentzer mentioned that he does in his game, and while not an official
suggestion or
anything, I think it's a good option.
Death in the Campaign

---------------------
You could simply place a limit on the total number of times any character can be
brought
back from the dead, equal to the character's Constitution score (e.g., a character
with a 12
Constitution can only be brought back from the dead a total of 12 times).
===================
Page 273-288, Maps:
===================
The scale for the detailed area maps on these pages is not mentioned in the
Rules
Cyclopedia, but it is apparently 8 miles per hex. It's important to note this since
the
Dominion rules use calculations based on 24-mile hexes.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________
2004-2010
For any complaints regarding the content of this document, refer to the entry for
page 144.
"Aaron was here"

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________

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======================================================

Aaron's Rules Cyclopedia Errata and Companion Document*

April 7, 2010 -- Version 33

Distribute this document freely as long as it remains unaltered and no money is

The intent of this document is to basically "complete" the Rules Cyclopedia....

The sources I have referenced most are:

I have tried to cite my sources with page numbers when possible.

I would also like to mention the Classic D&D Forum at Dragonsfoot.org as an

That should redirect you to the current location:

In most cases I have (improperly) capitalized things, such as spell names or

Bonuses and Penalties

Bonuses and Penalties

Despite what is indicated in this section, Alignment Languages have no written

Charisma Adjustment Table

The Charisma Adjustment Table is inconsistent with previous editions. The

Charisma Adjustment Table

Charisma Reaction Maximum No. Retainer

Range and Area of Effect:

Duration of Turn or Control:

Additionally, in wilderness areas:

progression was quite well-planned; in my opinion it shouldn't have been messed

At 6th level, 1st level spells = 3

Incidentally, I find it easier to write corrections in the table by placing a

Some additional notes from the Players Companion, p.19:

For land owning Magic-Users:

For traveling Magic-Users:

Optional Thief Skill Adjustments

Expert Rulebook, p.18 (or Master Player's Book, p.12):

Elf Spell Progression

The Druid class is quite underpowered as written. Druids take on heavy

2. Allow Scale Mail armor if it is entirely constructed from natural materials

3rd level - Infravision, Clairvoyance (through animals only)

4th level - Growth of Plants, Hallucinatory Terrain (outdoors only),

Higher Experience Levels

Instead of basing the Mystic's XP bonus solely on Strength (just like a

I also offer some additional optional abilities available to Acrobatic Mystics,

There's no mention of how fast an ENCUMBERED Mystic can move.... Extrapolating

Higher Experience Levels

Most of the styles are based on a certain weapon (including a cheesy-sounding

Offensive - Way of the Focused Fist

Damage Special Effects

Wrestling - Way of the Binding Bola

lvl. Damage Special Effects

This aggressive style of fighting is used to incapacitate a foe through lock

Defensive - Way of the Sweeping Staff

lvl. Damage Special Effects

Throwing - Way of the Hooking Halberd

lvl. Damage Special Effects

Martial Arts Matches

Offensive > Wrestling

When casting a spell, to state it explicitly, the spellcaster must be able to

Touch Range Spells

I would treat each spell individually in regard to this. In other words, if a

Cure Light Wounds

Light (and Continual Light)

Protection From Evil

The Players's Guide to Immortals, p.20, states, "This effect is limited in

HD: 1/2 the HD of the original monster, 1/2 HD of original monster,

Zombie of: Turns As: Skeleton of: Turns As:

These undead also gain the following characteristics: