Best of Dragon Magazine 04.pdf

s I

Best of

Lake Geneva, Wis.

Vol. IV

May 1985

TSR, Inc. Publications Division

DRAGON, ADVAMCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, and FIEND FOLIO are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

RUNEQGEST is a registered trademark owned by Chaosium Inc.

ISBN 0-88038-135-3

Contents

Part I. It takes all kinds

The bandit by Tom Armstrong and Roger E. Moore

The bounty hunter by Scott Bennie

The cloistered cleric by Lenard Lakofka

The death master by Lenard Lakofka

The duelist by Arthur Collins

The jester by Roger E. Moore

The scribe by Ed Greenwood

The smith by Ed Greenwood

Part II. Players' perspectives

Be aware, take care by Lew Pulsipher

It's a material world by Michael Dobson

Finish fights by Roger E. Moore

Two-fisted fighting by Roger E. Moore

The whole half-ogre by Roger E. Moore

Riding high by Roger E. Moore

Part III. Creative campaign

Five keys to success by Mike Beeman

A PC and his money by Lew Pulsipher

The care of castles by Katharine Kerr

Saintly standards by Scott Bennie

These are the breaks by John R. Shaw

Repair or beware by Arthur Collins

Wounds and weeds by Kevin J. Anderson

Runes by Phil Taterczynski and Roger Raupp

Runestones by Ed Greenwood

BEST OF DRAGON

Part I. It takes all kinds

Player characters in the ADVANCED

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game are

developed as members of special classes: fighters,

clerics, rangers, thieves, magic-users, and so forth.

Each character class is separate and distinct

from all others, having distinctive powers

and skills that give it a special appeal and

flavor.

But why should player characters have

all the fun? Non-player character classes for

the AD&D® game have been developed over

years by the readers of DRAGON® Magazine.

These NPCs are flexible enough to challenge and

assist player characters of any level, and they offer

much-needed variety to gaming sessions. Need a

new suit of armor? See Ed Greenwood's smith

character. Want to settle an old score? Talk to

Arthur Collins's duelist or Scott Bennie's bounty

hunter. Looking for a really dangerous opponent for

the good guys in your group? Lenard Lakofka's death

master fills the bill.

Some gaming groups may want to experiment /

with these classes as player characters. But,

both Dungeon Masters and players should be

forewarned that these classes have not been exten-^

sively tested for balance or playability as PCs; in

fact, they were designed exclusively for use as

NPCs, and some of them (the death master, smith,

cloistered cleric, and scribe) are, by their nature,

only usable in that fashion. The duelist, bandit, bounty

hunter, and jester might prove more adaptable as

player characters, though some adjustments may need tof

be made to better their playability.

However you use them, these variant classes were

designed to enrich the gaming campaigns of all AD&D

players. We hope they work well for you.

The bandit

A shifty non-player character

by Tom Armstrong and Roger E. Moore

From issue #63, July 1982

The bandit is a non-player character class containing aspects of

both the lighter and the thief classes. Bandits practice their profes-

sion of thievery by force, rather than by stealth as do normal thieves.

Bandits operate in the open countryside, making them similar in

some ways to rangers. Bandits develop wilderness survival skills and

certain thief-like abilities to enable them to further their ends. Ban-

dits art typically involved in highway robbery, raids on small villages

or isolated habitations, kidnapping for ransom, and similar sorts of

activities.

Humans, half-ores, and half-elves may become bandits. Humans

are unlimited in level advancement. Half-ores may advance to 10th

level. Half-elves may achieve 8th level if they have a strength of 18,

7th level with a strength of 17 or less, and 6th level with any lesser

strength.

A bandit must have minimum ability scores in four areas:

strength 12, intelligence 10, dexterity 12, and constitution 12. Ban-

dits with scores of 16 or higher in strength, intelligence, and dexter-

ity gain a 10% bonus to all experience points earned.

Bandits may be of any neutral or evil alignment. On rare occa-

sions and in special circumstances, neutral good bandits may be

found {in the tradition of Robin Hood), either as individuals or in

small groups.

Alignment is a major factor in determining how a particular ban-

dit or group of bandits operates. Those of neutral alignment (with

respect to good and evil) are most likely to allow their robbery or

kidnap victims to live, preferring to collect their possessions (or a

ransom) and then release the victims, avoiding a possible death

penalty for murder and, at the same time, leaving open the possibil-

ity of victimizing the same people all over again.

Evil bandits have no such reservations ahoul killing. Generally,

they will take fewer captives than neutral bandits, unless they are

sure that a victim is worth enough (in ransom) to make the trouble

and risk oi'kidnapping worthwhile. In such cases, they will usually

wait until after the ransom has been paid before killing their victim.

When neutral good bandits are found, this is frequently in the

territories of evil kings or dictators, where the bandits attack evil

persons and donate the "earnings" to the poor and needy of the

area, or to charity (but never to a player character).

Lawful bandits lend to operate in large groups; chaotic ones will

either form small bands or operate singly. No matter what size a

group of bandits is, the rule is "leadership by the strongest,"

Bandits roll different hit dice than do lighters or thieves, reflecting

the fact that, while not as good in close combat as regular fighters,

they are better than thieves in such respects. They use an eight-sided

die plus one point per level up to the 9th level. The hit-point average

for a bandit is very close to that of a fighter of equal level, but a ban-

dit's maximum number of hil points is lower than a fighter's.

BANDIT EXPERIENCE LEVEL TABLE

Hit

Experience

points

0—1,800

1,801—3,600

3,601 — 7,500

7,501 — 15,000

15,001—30,000

30,001—60,000

60,001—110,000

no, ooi— 200,000

200,001—300,000

300,001—450,000

450,001—650,000

650,001-900,000

Level title

Looter

Raider

Marauder

Highwayman

Outlaw

Desperado

Reaver

Brigand

Robber

Bandit

Bandit Lord

Bandit Lord (12th)

250,000 experience points per level for each additional level

above the 12th.

Bandits gain 2 hit points per level after the 9th.

Cover tracks percentage increases 3% per level to a maximum

of 98% at 17th level.

level

dice

(dS)

1 + 1

2 + 2

3 + 3

4 + 4

5 + 5

6 + 6

7 + 7

8 + 8

9 + 9

9+ U

9+13

9+15

Cover

tracks

50%

53%

56%

62%

65%

68%

71%

74%

77%

2. They can hide in natural terrain using camouflage techniques

and concealment as well as a thief of the same level can hide in

shadows. Bonuses for high dexterity and race also apply here. (For

instance, a half-elf bandit with dexterity of 17 has a 20% chance of

hiding in natural terrain at 1st level.) This ability is not usable

indoors or in subterranean environments,

3. Pits, snares, and other traps set outdoors may be detected and

removed by bandits with the same chance for success as a thief of

equal level has to find and remove traps. Again, racial and dexterity

bonuses apply to this ability. A bandit may only attempt to find and

remove any given trap once. This ability cannot be used indoors or

underground, and does not apply to traps on chests, doors, etc.

4. Bandits are adept at covering their tracks when passing through

the countryside. In some ways, this ability is similiar to the druid

spell pass without trace, however, the source of the bandit's ability is

not magical.

When this ability is used successfully, the bandit can pass through

any sort of terrain (grass, snow, ash, dust, sand) without leaving any

footprints or other visible evidence of the passage. To make the

ability work, the bandit must first reduce his movement rate to one-

half of his current normal rate. (He is presumed to be taking the

time to conceal or obscure his tracks as he goes.) Then a successful

dice roll (equal to or less than the required percentage) enables the

bandit to keep covering his tracks in this manner for a maximum

duration of 1 turn per level of experience per day. As many attempts

as desired can be made each day, as long as the total elapsed time of

all the successful attempts does not exceed the daily maximum. To

discontinue the covering of his tracks, all a bandit needs to do is

resume his full normal movement rate.

Special abilities

Bandits have no spell abilities or spell-like powers, but they do

have a combination of seven other sorts of special abilities:

1. Bandits can climb walls as a thief of equal level. Bonuses for

high dexterity apply.

BEST OF DRAGON

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