Official Game

Accessory

N EW B EGINNINGS
 Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter One: Creating Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter Two: Tips for Beginning Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter Three: Tips on Role Playing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter Four: What Would You Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter Five: A First Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Character Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Credits:

Design: Mark Acres Interior Illustration: Valerie Valusek

Editing: Michael Stern Cartography: David C. Sutherland III
Editorial Coordinator: Karen Boomgarden Typography: Tracey Zamagne
Cover Illustration: Jeff Easley Production: Sarah Feggestad

TSR, Inc. TSR, Ltd.

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ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, and DRAGONLANCE are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. PRODUCTS OF
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©
1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Permission granted to photocopy or

print this product for personal use.

2
 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to a challenging new realm of fantasy One without the aid of the DM to help them create
adventuring on the continent of Taladas in the a Taladas campaign character. The character must
DRAGONLANCE ® campaign world of Krynn! be approved by their DM for use in his or her
New Beginnings is specially designed to help game, however. New players should use Chapter
new players of the AD&D® 2nd Edition game begin One along with the DM to help them in the proc-
campaign play in Taladas. However, even experi- ess of creating Taladas campaign characters.
enced Dungeon Masters should realize that start- Chapter Two outlines many helpful tips for be-
ing any new campaign, especially with beginning ginning players. These include suggestions about
players, is a challenging task indeed. how to make gaming sessions more fun for every-
The players must assimilate a great deal of mate- one involved. The chapter covers advice on such
rial in a relatively short period of time, and unless important topics as equipping the character, gath-
that material is presented in a clear, organized ering information, and group tactics. Players may
fashion, new players may become discouraged. read this information for themselves, or DMs can
Using New Beginnings, DMs will find they can get share it with new players in an informal way.
new players started quicker, and with far less frus- Chapter Three helps new players “round out”
tration than would otherwise be the case. their newly created character, by adding distinc-
Experienced players and DMs should find that tive personality traits and personal goals for the
this module can still be quite helpful as they move character, and stresses the importance of good
their campaigns from other settings into Taladas, role playing. Like Chapter Two, it may be read by
where many things, including some game rules, the players alone or discussed by a group.
are different from the established norm. Chapter Four presents a series of “What Would
You Do?” encounters for individual characters
within each character class. These encounters
HOW TO USE THIS present typical situations that might normally con-
front a first level character on the continent of Tala-
MODULE das. Players decide what their character would do
in each situation, and determine the outcome.
Because New Beginnings helps players begin
campaign play on the newly-described continent Suggested courses of action and answers to rele-
vant rules questions are printed in boxes so players
of Taladas, it is assumed that readers of this mate-
can see how their own solutions measure up to
rial already own the Time of the Dragons boxed set
those of more experienced players (and how well
which contains the Taladas campaign setting itself.
they conform to the rules of the game).
Players who don’t have the boxed set will need to
Chapter Four also contains an interesting “dry
hook up with a group adventuring in the Taladas
run” encounter for an entire party. This is designed
setting in order to use this module.
to let players see how their different characters can
Further, this module uses the AD&D 2nd Edition
game rules. Players should have access to the interact to solve common problems and overcome
common obstacles.
AD&D 2nd Edition Players’ Handbook, and DMs
Lastly, Chapter Five contains a short capsule ad-
should have a copy of the AD&D 2nd Edition
venture that the DM can use to launch his or her
Dungeon Master’s Guide. Finally, it is recom-
Taladas campaign. The adventure has been de-
mended, although not necessary, that the DM have
signed so that the players can encounter many of
access to the DRAGONLANCE Adventures hard-
the differing races, cultures, and religions that
cover book.
make Taladas unique and challenging.
Most of the material in this module is for use by
both players and DMs. All of the text except that in
the final chapter may be read by players and DMs
alike. The text in the final chapter, and the maps
ABBREVIATIONS
marked “DM’s Map” are for the DM only. Throughout this book, standard abbreviations
New Beginnings is divided into five chapters. are used without further explanation. For exam-
Chapter One helps new players to create a charac- ple, “AC” means armor class, “hp” stands for hit
ter for campaign play in the Taladas setting. It in- points, and so on. All references to existing source
cludes a step-by-step review of the character materials are to the AD&D 2nd Edition books.
creation process, tips on choosing character races Common abbreviations used are:
and classes for a Taladas campaign, and a new PHB = Player’s Handbook
character sheet. Permission is granted for players DMG = Dungeon Master’s Guide
to photocopy the new character sheet for personal RBT = The Rule Book to Taladas
use only. Experienced players may use Chapter GBT = The Guide Book to Taladas

3
 C HAPTER O NE : C REATING C HARACTERS
As a beginning player of the AD&D® game, you dice to determine the character’s six ability scores.
are about to become someone new! This new per- Jot down the six ability scores on scratch paper.
sona is the character you will create and role play Don’t enter them on the character sheet yet; they
throughout the campaign. This chapter explains, may be modified.
in a simple, step-by-step fashion, the best way to 3. Choose the character’s race. This is an ex-
go about creating that character. tremely important decision. The choice is limited
only by the minimum and maximum ability scores
allowed for all races (humans are exempt from this
WHAT YOU NEED restriction). Players should consult “Table 7: Racial
In order to create a character, you will need the Ability Requirements” in the PHB and “Racial
following things: Ability Requirements for New Races” in the RBT.
1. Scratch paper and pencils; Also, see “Choosing The Character’s Race,” be-
2. A set of gaming dice, including at least one 4- low.
sided die (d4), one six-sided die (d6), one eight- 4. If the character is nonhuman (elf, dwarf, Ba-
sided die (d8), one ten-sided die (d10), and one kali, etc.), consult “Table 8: Racial Ability Adjust-
twenty-sided die (d20); ments” in the PHB and “Racial Adjustments for
3. A copy of the AD&D 2nd Edition Player’s New Races” in the RBT. Add or subtract the appro-
Handbook; priate modifiers for each ability to the scores ob-
4. A copy of The Rule Book to Taladas from the tained in Step 2.
Time of the Dragons boxed set; 5. If the character has a Strength score of 18, roll
5. A character sheet. It is strongly recommended percentile dice to determine Strength bonus as ex-
that players photocopy both sides of the character plained in the PHB.
sheet on pages 31 and 32 of this booklet for their 6. Enter the adjusted ability scores in the appro-
personal use. priate spaces on the character sheet.
New players should create characters only with 7. Consult Tables 1-6 of the PHB. Enter the infor-
their DM’s help and guidance. The DM needs the mation relevant to each ability score in the spaces
above materials, and a copy of the AD&D 2nd Edi- provided on the character sheet. For example, a
tion Dungeon Master’s Guide. A copy of character with a Strength of 9 would enter 35 for
DRAGONLANCE ® Adventures is strongly recom- “Wgt Allow,” 90 for “Max Press,” and so on.
mended, although not strictly necessary. 8. Enter the information on the character’s spe-
cial racial abilities and limitations in the spaces
provided. Each entry should be a brief note to help
B E F O R E S TARTING the player remember the ability during play. For
Before beginning the character creation process, example, under “Racial Abilities” for a half-elf
players must know which of the several methods for character, the following notes would be proper:
rolling basic ability scores their DM wants them to Resist sleep and charm-related spells, 30%.
use. Be sure to clear the method to be used with the Infravision, 60 feet.
DM who will be running your Taladas campaign. Spot concealed door, 1 in 6.
Throughout the process of creating a character, Find concealed, 1 in 3.
make all notations on the character sheet in pencil; Find secret door, 1 in 2.
almost everything you write will eventually need
to be erased and altered as the character pro- Special racial abilities are summarized in the
gresses through his or her life of adventure. PHB and the RBT. Limitations include maximum
Make all calculations needed in the character obtainable experience levels in certain classes
creation process on scratch paper; enter only the (available from the DM) and miscellaneous other
final results on the character sheet. restrictions in the race descriptions.
Finally, it would be helpful to read through this 9. Choose the character’s sex and enter this in
entire chapter once before beginning. the place provided on the character sheet.
10. Determine the character’s age, height and
weight and enter the information in the appropri-
C HAR ACT E R C R E A T I O N ate spaces on the character sheet. Consolidated
age, height and weight tables are included at the
STEPS end of this chapter. Do not determine the charac-
ter’s maximum age; this is for the DM alone to de-
1. Write or print your own name in the space on termine and know.
the character sheet marked “player.” 11. Consult the consolidated movement chart at
2. Using the method approved by your DM, roll the end of this chapter to determine the character’s

4
base movement number. Enter this number in the These notes are for the player’s own reference
space provide on the character sheet. during play. In the class abilities space, players
12. Choose the character’s class. Nonhuman should also record their scores for such things as
characters may be eligible to be multi-classed. thieving abilities (for thief class characters),
Class options available to a character are restricted spheres of access (for priest class characters),
by the character’s ability scores (Table 13, PHB) moon of influence (for Taladan wizards), and so
and race (as noted in the race description). Before on.
choosing a character class, see “Choosing the 17. Enter the character’s experience level on the
Character’s Class” below. When the choice is character sheet. All new characters begin at level
made, enter the information in the space provided one.
on the character sheet. 18. Enter “20” in the space for THAC0 on the
13. Choose the character’s alignment. See character sheet.
“Choosing the Character’s Alignment” below. En- 19. Together with the DM, determine what, if
ter the chosen alignment in the space provided. any, weapon proficiencies, secondary skills, and
14. Determine the character’s hit points, as ex- languages the character knows. Enter these, along
plained in the character class descriptions. Be sure with the appropriate ability score modifiers in the
to add any bonuses allowed for good Constitution space provided. (The DM must tell the players
scores. whether or not he is using the rules for proficien-
15. Consult “Table 60: Character Saving cies. He should also indicate to the players how he
Throws” of the PHB. Enter the numbers shown in intends to handle the question of languages. The
the appropriate space on the character sheet. In DM should consult the “Languages” chapter in
the space next to each saving throw number, note the RBT in particular concerning this question.)
any modifiers that might apply to some throws. For 20. In cooperation with the DM, players whose
example, paladins gain a +2 to all saving throws, characters can cast spells should determine what
while dwarves receive a saving throw bonus based starting spells are available to them. Wizards
on their Constitution score. should record these on a separate sheet of paper
16. Make notes in the spaces provided for any which will become their spell book. Priests should
special abilities or limitations of the character’s already have determined their spheres of access in
class. For example, a paladin character would earlier consultation with the DM.
have numerous notes under class abilities, such as: 21. Together with the DM, players should deter-
Detect evil intent—60 feet. mine their starting available money, and record
+2 all saving throws. this amount under “Current Funds.”
Immune to disease.

5
 ask himself are these: How well can I play the role
A DDITIONAL C HARACTER S H E E T of a character of this race? How much fun will it be
DATA to pretend to be of this race? Would I enjoy taking
The back of the character sheet provides space the role of a Bakali, or an ogre, or a dwarf?
to record equipment, weapons, armor, and magic A common mistake that new players often fall
items. The DM will determine how characters may into is devaluing humans. The nonhuman races
equip themselves. Usually, DM’s allow beginning generally have the ability to combine classes; for
characters to spend money from their starting example, an elf can be a fighter/mage/thief all
funds to buy equipment at standard prices. Some rolled into one. However, new players should real-
DMs prefer to wait, and let equipping the charac- ize that such multi-class characters tend to ad-
ter be a part of the first adventure. Certain Taladas vance in level at a m u c h s l o w e r p a c e t h a n
characters have their starting equipment already single-classed characters. Don’t forget that while
specified for them. humans have no special abilities, they have no
The back of the character sheet also provides special limitations either, a fact that can become
spaces to record the spells (if any) that a character very important as the campaign begins to develop.
currently has available. When the characters de-
cide what spell or spells to have prepared for the
first day’s adventuring, they should be entered
C HOOSING THE
here, along with any pertinent data about the spell.
There is a space on the front of the character
C HARACTER’S C LASS
sheet to record attacks allowed per round. The Like race, character class is an important deci-
DM should help the character fill in this space, sion. It really boils down to this question: How will
based on class, level, and the type of proficiency the character make his or her way in the world? If
rules (if any) being used. force of arms is the desired answer, the player
should choose the warrior class. If the mysteries of
magic are attractive, the player should choose the
CHOOSING THE wizard class. The priest and rogue classes each
have certain abilities that are very desirable as
C HARACTER’S R ACE well.
The race chosen for a character is extremely im- Again, the basic question is which class will be
portant. Race can effect the character’s choice of more fun for the player to play. A player who thrills
classes, advancement in the chosen class or to combat will probably do poorly as a kender
classes, alignment, background and personality. thief; a player who dreams of casting powerful
In the Taladas campaign, there are more races to magics would not be well suited for a warrior char-
choose from than those given in the standard acter.
AD&D® 2nd Edition rules, and even more than are In the Taladas campaign, however, there is much
included in the DRAGONLANCE ® Adventures more to choosing character class than in other
supplement! AD&D campaigns. The DM should take pains to
The DM should carefully review with new play- make the players aware of the many different types
ers their various choices of race. Particular atten- of characters that can be found in each class in Ta-
tion should be paid to giving players at least a brief ladas, as these are summarized in the player char-
acter kits provided in the RBT.
summary of background information about the
new PC races in Taladas. It is perfectly appropriate It is especially important for DMs to take note of
for the DM to state frankly that he or she has some the special rules that pertain to priests in the Tala-
preference for using or not using certain new PC das campaign. The DM should be familiar with the
information on priests in the DRAGONLANCE Ad-
races. For example, a DM could certainly tell the
players that it will be more difficult to work an ogre ventures book if possible, and most definitely with
or Bakali PC into the type of campaign he or she those rules outlined in the RBT. These new rules
has planned. However, a good DM will certainly should be made available to all players who are
even considering the priest class for their charac-
leave all options open to those players who want
to try them. ters.
For the player, the most important consideration Players who intend to play together as part of a
in the choice of character race should not be game group might want to consider group balance in
choosing their class as well. It is usually important
rules, mechanics, or even how relatively powerful
a given race seems to be. As new players become to have the special capabilities of all four major
more familiar with the game, they will see that the classes represented in a party of adventurers. For
game rules balance out the various special abilities example, a group of eight elven fighter/mage/
of the different races, so that no one race is really thieves might suddenly find themselves in desper-
more powerful than any other. ate need of a priest when confronted by a horde of
Instead, the real questions a new player should undead, or even when deeply engaged in a serious
battle. Magic is often needed to aid even the most
6
heroic fighter. The talents of a thief can turn the all, it is much more difficult to be a successful evil
tide in many cases, and sometimes help avoid an character in a well run Taladas campaign. While
unnecessary and costly fight. All the classes are there are certainly evil characters who thrive and
equally important to the success of a group, and prosper on the continent, all are governed by the
the success of the group is almost always important basic law of Krynn—the law imposed by the High
to the success (and survival) of the individual char- God. That is the Law of Consequence. While evil
acters. may be chosen, it is in the nature of evil to con-
sume itself; the consequences of evil will be visited
on the character sooner or later.
C HOOSING THE Players should not assume that their character’s
race automatically determines their alignment. In
C HARACTER ’ S A LIGNMENT Taladas, there are ogres, goblins, minotaurs and
Before players choose their characters’ align- many others who deviate from the natural ten-
ments, the DM should be certain that they under- dency of their races toward evil. In some cases, this
stand that the moral alignment they choose may need not even impede their relations with similar
greatly effect their courses of action in the future. beings. For example, a lawful good minotaur
While players are free to choose between a could champion the cause of justice (as he sees it)
good, neutral, or evil moral alignment, the choice in the arena, and become a highly respected
of an evil alignment is strongly discouraged. First of champion, even though the basic philosophy of
minotaur society is rooted in lawful evil.

7
 C ONSOLIDATED H EIGHT AND W EIGHT T ABLE
Height in Inches Weight in Pounds
Race Base* Modifier Base* Modifier
Dwarf 43/41 1d10 130/105 4d10
Elf 55/50 1d10 90/70 3d10
Gnome 38/36 1d6 72/68 5d4
Half-elf 60/58 2d6 110/85 3d12
Kender 32/30 2d8 52/48 5d4
Human 60/59 2d10 140/100 6d10
Bakali 70/68 2d12 160/120 6d10
Goblin 40/38 2d8 74/70 4d4
Minotaur 84/82 2d6 180/170 15d10
Ogre 104/98 2d8 230/220 10d10
* Format is male/female

CONSOLIDATED AGE TABLE

Starting Age Maximum Age Range
Race Base Age Variable (Base + Variable)
Dwarf 40 5d6 250 + 2d100
Elf 100 5d6 350 + 4d100
Gnome 60 3d12 200 + 3d100
Half-elf 15 1d6 125 + 3d20
Kender 20 3d4 100 + 1d100
Human 15 1d4 90 + 2d20
Bakali 14 1d6 100 + 5d10
Goblin 20 1d6 70 + 2d10
Minotaur 16 1d8 100 + 2d20
Ogre 25 1d10 50 + 4d20

CONSOLIDATED MOVEMENT TABLE

Race Base Movement Rate
Human 12
Dwarf 6
Elf 12
Half-elf 12
Gnome 6
Kender 6
Bakali 9 (Swim 9)
Goblin 6
Minotaur 9
Ogre 9

8
 C HAPTER T WO : T IPS F OR B EGINNING P LAYERS

Beginning players who are completely new sparks to start your campfire, but it isn’t very
to the AD&D ® game may feel overwhelmed at practical for use in combat. Fire has so many
first. This is only natural—it seems that there’s uses in a campaign that it is almost suicidal to be
a lot to learn. Rest assured that once you’ve without a source of fire—especially for charac-
played in a few gaming sessions, the rules will ters who lack infravision. Such characters will
seem like second nature to you. However, need some source of illumination. Lanterns are
there are several things you can do to make best, but expensive; a few torches or candles
playing the game more fun. Some of these are should always be packed along.
game related; others are of a more social na- Pack, sack or bag: Whether its a finely made
ture. backpack or a gunny sack, every character
needs something to put stuff in so he can carry

E Q U I P P I N G Y O UR it around without being badly encumbered.

Oil: At least one flask of oil is highly recom-
CHARACTER mended. Nothing slows down a mob of pur-
suers like some oil poured over the floor of a
When it comes time to purchase the equip-
corridor and set on fire.
ment for your first character, you will quickly
Holy water: This is an absolute must for
discover that, just as in real life, you are on a
priests, as it is required for a bless spell. Other
limited budget—in most cases, a very limited
characters will find it extremely useful against
budget. With so many goodies to choose
the lower forms of undead (skeletons, zom-
from, how can you make the most of the few
bies, and the like).
silver pieces you have? Here are some sugges-
Food: DMs take a dim view of characters
tions for each character class:
who don’t think to eat. It always catches up
with you.
A LL P LAYERS Wineskin: Something for carrying water or
There are a few items that every PC should
have, simply because they have so many uses
in so many different situations.
Rope: Every PC needs a length of rope, at
least 50 feet or more if it can be easily carried
given your other gear. Rope has obvious value
for climbing, but it can also be used to bind
prisoners, string a way across an otherwise im-
passable chasm, set a trap for pursuers, lash
logs together to make a raft, and probably a
thousand other things that you won’t realize
until your next gaming session!
Dagger or Knife: Every PC (except those
priests whose religions forbid its use) should
have a dagger or at least a good, sharp knife.
This is one of the few weapons that can be used
when a foe is boxing or wrestling with you. A
good knife can also be essential to survival in
the wild. If nothing else, it gives you a good
quick way to adjust the length of your rope!
Flint and Steel: Modern matches don’t exist
in the fantasy world of Taladas. Rubbing two
sticks together may eventually give you a few

9
 wine. Going without water is worse than go-
ing without food. G ATHERING I NFORMATION
Iron spike or piton: An extremely versatile Some players think the AD&D ® game is a
tool for traversing difficult terrain obstacles, combat game, pure and simple. While it’s true
especially when used in concert with a length that combat provides much of the thrill and
of rope. excitement of the game, surviving combat
makes the game even more fun. One way to
W ARRIOR C L A S S increase the odds of survival is to gather infor-
Weapons: Don’t overload. Weapons are ex- mation.
pensive and their weight adds up quickly. Two Before you rush right out to that first
or three good weapons is usually plenty. At dungeon you hear about, ask some questions.
least one missile weapon (spear, bow and ar- What do the locals know about the area?
row, sling, etc.) can be extremely useful. What types of foes are you likely to encoun-
Armor: Starting out, you can’t afford the ter? What type of terrain will you have to cross
good stuff, so keep it simple. A shield is usually to get to where you want to go? Who is that
a cheap bonus to armor class, but don’t be mysterious fellow at the next table listening to
afraid to drop it if it gets in the way. Multi- you as you question the innkeeper?
classed characters and thieves must also be Many times the DM can be a gold mine of
careful about the miscellaneous restrictions information—if the players think to ask. Other
on them—such as no spell casting while wear- times, PCs must work harder to get necessary
ing armor (except elven chainmail). information. If you want to know what the en-
emy is up to, find people who are close to
PRIEST CLASS him. Do some favors, grease some palms, and
vital tips will start flowing your way. Remem-
Weapons: Given the choice between more ber that in almost any organization or society,
holy water or another weapon, take the holy there is someone who will talk if given suffi-
water (you’re much more effective with it). cient incentive.
Holy Symbols, mirrors, garlic: Can also be
effective against the undead. Always try to dis-
play your holy symbol prominently, so you G R O U P T A CTICS
won’t be fumbling for it when it comes time to Each group of player characters is unique,
dispel some threatening undead menace. with personalities and character capabilities
all its own. Thus, it is almost impossible lay
THIEF CLASS down hard and fast rules for group tactics
Lockpicks: Don’t forget to buy a set of while adventuring. There are a few general
thieves’ tools when you first equip your char- points, nonetheless, that you may find helpful.
acter. There’s nothing worse than not having First, try to protect the spell casters. Sure,
the right tool to do an essential job. they may seem useless at times, but there’s no
Armor and weapons: Try to keep these at a replacing that timely feather fall or cure light
minimum. Most all of your thieving abilities wounds spell when you need it. At low experi-
rely on being unencumbered. ence levels, wizards are particularly vulnerable.
When travelling, whether outdoors or in
W IZARDS dungeon environments, it’s usually a good
idea to arrange your walking order so that the
Armor and weapons: Don’t bother. Duck
spell casters are near the center of the group.
into the shadows or behind some hulking war-
This makes them harder to hit with missile fire
rior when a fight breaks out. Try to save as
and often protects them in the first round or
much money as you can. You’ll need it when
two of melee. During this time, they can cast
you get to higher levels for spells and magical
spells that may turn the tide of battle.
items.
Another rule to live by is to always post a
guard. Whether camping out, staying at an
inn, or having supper with the king of Armach,
10
have someone on guard. Remember to al-
ways expect the unexpected.
Along the same lines, try always to develop
some standard formations and procedures.
This is particularly useful in dungeon environ-
ments. Before opening the door to an un-
known room containing unknown dangers,
have the party arranged so that someone can
listen at the door, another can open it, while
still others provide cover, and spell casters are
ready to let fly their magics.
If you can help it, never waste time squab-
bling over petty matters: Many a first level
party has been wiped out while arguing about
who’s going to get the left over copper piece
from the treasure horde. DMs love to catch
unwary characters with their chain mail
down.
Lastly, when all else fails, run away! Unless
being true to her alignment prevents your
character’s fleeing, it is almost always better to
live to fight another day.

THE SOCIAL FACTOR way in all situations. Unless the DM has

Gaming sessions are social events in the real thrown the rule book away completely, try not
world, as well as adventures in a fantasy to worry about the rules. The real fun of the
world. Thoughtfulness for your fellow gamers game comes from the sense of drama, excite-
will go a long way toward making the gaming ment, danger, and adventure, not from the
session more fun for everyone. (It will also game mechanics.
make the other players more willing to risk Try not to laugh too hard when the other fel-
their characters’ necks to save your charac- low’s character dies, and it’s his own silly fault.
ter!) Nobody likes to feel foolish. Next time, you
Try to arrive on time. It is terribly annoying may be the one who forgets to bring the holy
to have five or six characters all fixed up and water!
ready to go adventuring, but feeling that they Encourage everyone to take an active role.
have to wait for the wizard to arrive. When one or two players come to dominate a
H a v e th e i t e m s y ou n ee d w i t h y ou . A s a group, play can become stale; everything is al-
gamer, you will need pencils and paper. Hav- ways done in the same style and manner.
ing your own dice is a good idea; sets can pur- Also, those who aren’t participating probably
chased in most hobby stores at very aren’t having much fun. Do what you can to
reasonable prices. Having your own copy of encourage the more shy players to join in
the AD&D® 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook freely.
and other gaming supplements is also ex- Last, but certainly not least, don’t take things
tremely helpful; you won’t have to interrupt too seriously. Remember, it’s only a game.
the DM all the time with rules questions. Even when your beloved character dies—
Try your best not to be a rules lawyer. No which may happen—remember that his or her
matter how carved in stone a rule may seem, funeral expenses will not be tax deductible in
no two DMs will run the same encounter the the real world. The purpose of the game is to
same way or interpret the same rule the same have fun.

11
 C HAPTER T HREE : T IPS O N R OLE P LAYING

The AD&D ® game is a role playing game. It character. Here is a list of a few such traits; you
isn’t a board game, or a video game, which of- will doubtless think of many more:
ten derive their life from the rules or the com- Grim
ponents. Rather, the AD&D game derives its Methodical
life, and its fun, from the interactions between Brooding
the players and between the players and DM. Cheerful, even in adversity
The more each player can make his character Zany sense of humor - a punster or joker
seem like a living, memorable human being Intellectual - always learning and teaching
(or gnome, elf, dwarf, or whatever the case Elitist - thinks he’s slightly better than others
may be), the more fun the game will be for ev- Scrupulously honest
eryone. Well intentioned but easily led astray
Hedonistic - addicted to “creature com-

P ERSONALITY T RAITS forts” like a warm bed, excellent food, etc.

Idealistic
At this moment, your new character exists Romantic
only on paper. As a player, your role in the Courteous
game is to make this collection of numbers Plagued by feelings of guilt
come to life. You do this by the way you make Taciturn - talks very little
the character think, talk, and act. Blabbermouth - talks all the time
It may seem that your choice of the charac- Contemplative - likes to think things over, ar-
ter’s race and class, along with his or her ability rives at cool, clear-headed decisions
scores, would be enough to dictate what per- Impulsive - makes snap decisions and
sonality traits the character will have. Actually, plunges blindly into action
this isn’t the case at all. As is noted in the AD&D Ruled by reason
2nd Edition Player’s Handbook, two characters Ruled by passions
with identical scores, race, and class could have Loves animals
very, very different personalities. Detests the outdoors
Consider two warriors, both young human Lazy whenever possible
males. One might come from a background Vain about dress or appearance
that has left him unsure of himself, and there- Slovenly
fore eager (perhaps overeager) to prove him- Well, by now you get the idea. To start out,
self. Such a character might be very careful pick just one or two traits to emphasize as you
not to appear to be afraid. This could be ex- act out the role of your character. Others will
pressed in different ways. The unsure charac- follow naturally.
ter might carry himself in a bold, arrogant way,
swaggering, speaking his mind, perhaps be-
coming a bit of a bully. On the other hand, the
C ASTING A GAINST T YPE
unsure character might be a grim faced youth, “Casting against type” is a common expres-
always serious, always careful and methodi- sion used by film and stage directors. It means
cal, yet always the first one into battle. to fill a role with someone of a personality type
A statistical “twin” to this first young warrior contrary to that of the character. You can use
might be a comical character—one who is delib- this to create a highly interesting and often
erately full of bravado and bluster, not because amusing personality for your AD&D game
he’s unsure of himself, but simply because he character as well.
and everyone else finds it amusing. Not all warriors need be brave and tough,
As you think about your own character, try nor all wizards wise and cultured. Try applying
to pick one or two definite personality traits a personality contrary to the stereotypical
and incorporate into your mental image of the norm of your character’s class or race. A

12
rough, boisterous wizard might make for an Whatever gestures seem to coincide with her
interesting character, just as a squeamish voice will help to define the character even
dwarf warrior might make for an amusing one. more. Facial expression is important too.
Have fun with it, and try to be original. When your character is angry, does she turn
red-faced and bluster? Or does she coldly, qui-
E XPRESSING T RAITS etly, arch one eyebrow? Both can convey a lot
about the type of person the character really
Personality traits are expressed in thought, is.
word, and deed. In a role playing game, no
one can know your character’s thoughts un-
less you voice them or act them out. Through C HA RA CTER G O A L S
your character’s words and deeds you let oth- Just like real people in real life, PCs should
ers know how his or her mind works. have goals that they strive for. Some obvious
goals are imposed by the game system, such
LANGUAGE as staying alive and advancing in experience
level. But these are merely mechanical goals—
Try to create a characteristic pattern of
they don’t tell us anything about the charac-
speech for your character. Consider how dif-
ter.
ferent, and yet completely accurate, both of
A character’s race and class will obviously
the following statements are. See how much
have some influence on his goals, at lest his
they convey about the personality of the
professional goals. For example, it is natural
speaker:
for warriors to crave glory and great victories,
“Look! A couple of hobgoblins! Let’s jump
for wizards to constantly search for a better
’em!”
“Ahem, excuse me, good comrades. There spell, or for priests to wish to advance within
their hierarchy—if there is one. In simpler
appear to be two rather nasty looking brutes,
game terms these might translate into a war-
hobgoblins, I should say, quite near to us.
rior’s quest that for that perfect weapon, a
Might I suggest that we attack post haste?”
mage’s search for a particular artifact, or a
Notice that both of these characters are say-
ing the same thing, but in extremely different
ways. Those differences communicate more
than just the intended information; they also
tell us about the personality of the characters.

VOICE
Along with the actual words used, a charac-
ter’s voice can convey much about him.
“Voice” refers to a combination of accent,
pitch, and inflection. Is your character’s voice
high, medium, low, or downright guttural?
How does he pronounce his vowels? Does he
speak in short clips, a slow drawl, or a sing
song? Pick a voice for your character, and try
to stick with it. It will quickly become natural
for you to use that voice whenever you’re
playing the character, and will greatly en-
hance the game.

G ESTURES AND M ANNERISMS

If it suits your character’s personality, use
your hands when speaking as your character.

13
 cleric’s desire to erect a great temple to his or
her god.
There can be other goals as well, that char-
acters of any class could have. These might be
as mundane as owning a quiet inn in the coun-
try or as grandiose as changing the political
structure of a society. In any case, they are
goals that are not confined to any one class or
race.
Try to pick at least two, distinct, specific
goals your character will strive for throughout
her career as an adventurer. You might want
to link your character’s goals with the reason
that he or she took up adventuring in the first
place. After all, why would any sane person
choose to risk his or her neck on a daily basis?
For monetary gain alone? Perhaps; but doubt-
less there is more to the story than meets the
eye.

NPCs
Players often need to be reminded that
NPCs are people (at least most of the time),
too! A good DM will bring some NPCs to life
so vividly that the players will never forget T HE I MPORTANCE OF R OLE
them. But the DM can’t do that for every
farmer, merchant, pilgrim and hobgoblin the
P LAYING
PCs run into—there are just too many. Once you have been involved in even one
Often, as beginning characters gain some truly outstanding gaming session, you will un-
money, they begin to hire NPCs to perform derstand that good role playing, actually tak-
certain tasks or services for them. Eventually, ing on the role of the character, is the most
there may be hired, mercenary NPCs joining important and the most fun element in any
the characters in their adventures. The DM role playing game.
should take careful measures to make sure the Good role playing is more important than
PCs treat the NPCs like “real” people, but the the game rules. It is more important than vic-
players need to help in this as well. tories or defeats. It is what makes the game
For example, a PC warrior who hires some fun. It is what makes some of the adventures
mercenary soldiers can hardly expect them to that occur around the gaming table seem so
be the ones to open every dungeon door! real, so exciting, so funny, and so laden with
NPC hirelings and henchmen aren’t cannon p a t h o s t h a t yo u ma y st ill b e re me mb e rin g
fodder to be blown away at the PC’s discretion them and talking about them years into the fu-
or whim. If they are treated that way, the PC ture.
may find himself with serious problems: aban-
doned at the crucial moment, facing the con-
sequences of an alignment change, or even
worse, unable to hire anyone in the future be-
cause his reputation has preceded him!

14
 C H A P T E R F O U R : W HAT W O U L D Y O U D O ?
This chapter contains a sampling of encounters, Initial Questions:
or portions of encounters, designed for solo play. A. What would you estimate this man’s armor class
Players should use their newly created characters, to be? B. If your estimate is correct, what do you
fully equipped, to play these encounters. think you will need to roll to hit this foe (your
Each encounter begins with a description of the THAC0 number)? C. If he hits you, how much
basic situation faced by the player character. After damage will he probably do with his spear (ignor-
this, you will find one or more questions pertaining ing any strength or other bonuses)? D. Using the
to the encounter. The answers to these questions standard initiative procedure, how would the DM
are boxed underneath the questions. Players determine who gets to attack first?
should try to answer the questions, then compare
their answers to those provided. In this way, new
players have a chance to get familiar with both the
rules of the game and the capabilities of their new
characters.
The encounters are arranged in groups accord-
ing to character class. The first group is for war-
riors, the second for wizards, and so on. Players
should try the encounters in each group for which
their character is equipped; for example, an elven
fighter/mage/thief could try all of the encounters
except those for priests. For additional practice,
players can play all of the encounters, using the ap-
propriate characters.
PCs are assumed to have all of their hit points
and full equipment at the start of each of these
encounters.
If played with a DM, these encounters can be
embellished rather easily to add more life to the
NPCs and a hightened sense of drama. However,
in no way should these encounters actually count
as part of the character’s life. These are intended to
be “dry runs,” encounters that help new players
learn to play.
At the end of this chapter is one encounter for a
group of PCs. This encounter does require a DM,
but it should still be considered a “dry run.”

W ARRIOR E N C O U N T E R S Once you’ve taken a stab at the questions, why

not have a stab at the Thenolite? Here are the sta-
1. A S T A N D -U P F I G H T tistics you need to fight him:
Thenolite infantryman: AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp
Battle rages all around. To the left, right, rear and 5; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (spear); AL LE.
front, friendly forces are engaged in individual me- Fight a mock combat with the Thenolite. For
lees with ruthless Thenolite foes. For a brief mo- purposes of this combat, ignore weapon speciali-
ment, you find yourself unengaged, then, you see zation and proficiency rules, and use the standard
a Thenolite light infantry man raise his shield and initiative procedure. Don’t do anything fancy; just
spear. have your character and the Thenolite beat on
“C’mon, then, dog!” he shouts at you. each other until one or the other is defeated. This
The foe is only 10 feet away. He wears studded ought to give you a pretty good feel for how the
leather armor and a gleaming bronze helmet. He numbers work.
carries a large shield and a spear 9 feet long. On his If you think you’re comfortable with the basics,
belt, a longsword hangs in its scabbard. try these questions on for size:
E. Assume the DM is using the optional modi-
fiers to initiative. What modifiers, if any, would ap-
ply to the Thenolite’s initiative roll?
F. Assume the GM is using the optional

15
 “Weapon Type vs. Armor Modifiers.” What modi-
fiers would apply to your character’s attacks on the
Thenolite, and his on your character?
G. Assume you are a specialist with your
weapon, and the Thenolite is not a specialist with
his. How would this affect the combat between
your character and him?

Now, try the combat again, using weapon speed

to modify initiative and weapon type vs. armor
modifiers. When this is through, you will have an
even better idea of the fighting capabilities of your
character.

2. SURPRISE! Try taking the role of the DM, and make the surprise
checks for both your PC and the spider. If it is sur-
You are exploring an ancient tomb from the time prised, and your PC isn’t, go ahead and attack the spi-
of the old empire of Aurim. Advancing cautiously der. If your PC is surprised and the spider isn’t, it
down a narrow, stone passageway, you come to a attacks. (In this case, the PC loses any adjustments to
sharp right turn. Peeking carefully around the cor- AC for high Dexterity.)
ner, you find yourself staring directly into the eyes Huge spider: AC 6; MV 18; HD 2+2; hp 10;
of a huge spider! The beast flexes its powerful man- THAC0 19, #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA Poison (Type A); Size,
dibles in delight at the prospect of so healthy a M; AL N.
meal! Note: If the PC is bitten by the spider, he must make
a saving throw vs. poison with a +1 modifier. Failing
Initial Questions: the saving throw means the PC loses 15 hit points.
A. Will the DM check for surprise at the start of this After playing out the surprise round, roll initiative
encounter? and conduct a mock combat with the spider. Once
B. Who is more likely to be surprised, your charac- you’ve finished, (or been finished, as the case may be)
ter or the spider? try tackling these questions:
C. How will the DM determine if your character, the E: If the DM was using the “Weapons vs. Armor
spider, or both, are surprised? Type Modifiers,” how would they apply to this com-
D. If the spider is surprised, and your character is bat?
not, how will this benefit your character?

16
 F: What happens if the PC suffers multiple poison-
ous bites from the spider?

3. DEATH OVER DISTANCE

To play this encounter, assume your character has Go ahead and stage the fight, with your PC using his
the following equipment: one melee weapon of your or her missile weapon and the goblins continuing to
choice, one long bow, (20 flight arrows), one carefully close. In the first round, the goblins will close to 140
scored flask of oil equipped with rag wicks, and flint yards; in the second round, they will close to 80 yards;
and steel. Assume your character is proficient with the in the third round, three (if that many are left) will
longbow, but not a specialist. charge, while the fourth (if left) will close to 30 yards,
You stand atop a low knoll in the midst of an open intending to join the fray next round.
field. Ilquar goblin war cries choke the air all around The first time through, have your PC use her bow
you. Suddenly, four of the menacing creatures scram- until the goblins have charged. The PC may use her
ble toward you, wielding their gnarled spears. They melee weapons in the rounds following the charge.
are about 200 yards away. Remaining calm, you pluck When the fight is over, ask yourself this question:
an arrow from your quiver and take aim. E. In game terms, what are the effects of a charge?
Goblins (4): AC 6; MV 6; HD 1-1; hp 5, 4, 4, 3;
THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 (Spear); Morale 12; AL LE.

Initial Questions:
A. What is the PC’s “to hit” number with the first ar-
row shot? (Ignore weapon type vs. armor modifiers.)
B. What modifiers apply to the attack roll for the first
shot?
C. How many shots is the PC allowed?
D. What modifiers apply to any shots after the first?

Now, play out the encounter again. This time, let

your PC light and hurl her flask of oil at one of the
charging goblins (if any live long enough to charge).
When you’re done, take a shot at these questions:
F. How far can the PC throw the flask of oil?
G. What modifiers apply to the attack roll?
H. What damage will the oil do if it hits?

17
 purchase and sale of the occasional minor magic item.
Being that they have yet to begin their adventuring ca-
reers, your PC’s party of adventurers is sorely lacking
in magic items.
Lastly, the merchant is also well-known as one who
corrupts local officials and deals in stolen goods; in
fact, the map itself was probably stolen.
Thus, for the greater good of your comrades (and
your purse), you have decided to try to steal the map
(and any magic items you might come across) from
the modest villa of the merchant Baldameris!

4. P REPARATION
You realize that such a major score perpetrated a
villa in the New City section of Kristophan is an ambi-
tious task for a first level thief.
In preparation, you casually “case” the villa during
daylight hours. The house has a high, two-story outer
wall with no windows and only one large gate. A
strange type of mark, like some weird lettering, adorns
this gate. An armed guard lets servants come and go
through this, the only entrance. At times, the barking
of a dog echoes from inside the interior courtyard.

Questions:
A. What further information might your PC want be-
fore attempting to burgle this villa?
B. Where might such information be found? How?

T HIEF E NCOUNTERS
These encounters are specifically designed for
thieves. Players whose characters are multi-classed
should use primarily their thief characteristics when
playing these encounters.
This series of encounters and questions is linked to-
gether to form a mini-adventure. Your thief PC has
learned that a moderately well-off minotaur merchant
in the great city of Kristophan has obtained a secret
map. According to your PC’s sources, this map shows
the location of a long-lost tomb of one of the great
rulers of ancient Aurim. Such a find could be worth
riches beyond imagining!
In addition, this merchant is known to dabble in the
18
 As far as a time when the villa might be empty is walking on. There is an entrance into the villa
concerned, it is common knowledge in Kristophan proper about 30 feet from your PC’s position.
that even household servants are given the day off Stop for a moment and ask yourself these ques-
when major cases are to be tried in the imperial tions:
arena... C. What is the first thing your PC must do?
D. Would it be better to try to sneak into the
5. T HE F IRST O BSTACLES house, or sneak up behind the guard to attack him?

Arena day arrives. Baldameris, his family, and

servants all leave the villa to attend to the bloody
trials. They will almost certainly be gone until late
in the evening. When night falls, and the Saiones
patrol has just passed, you make your move. The
first obstacle is the wall. It is a smooth, cracked ma-
sonry wall, slightly over 20 feet high. The gate is no
better for climbing. To avoid attention, you have
brought no rope.

Initial Questions:
A. What is your PC’s chance to successfully
climb the wall?
B. How fast can your PC climb the wall?

Roll to see if the climb down the wall is success-

ful. Failure not only means falling damage, but
noise as well, which will certainly alert the guard.
For purposes of this encounter, assume the roll was
successful. Now, the thief must move silently to
the door. Try these questions:
E. What is your PC’s chance to move silently?
F. What happens if he doesn’t?

Go ahead and give the wall a try. Roll percentile

dice. If the roll is greater than the percent chance
to climb the wall, your PC fails; he simply isn’t able Now, roll to see if your thief makes his silent
to climb this wall. Otherwise, the climb succeeds movement. If he fails, make a surprise roll for the
in one round. guard. As soon as the round of surprise ends (as-
Assuming the climb is successful, your PC is now suming the guard is still alive!) the guard rushes to
at the top of the wall. Peering into the courtyard, the attack, shouting for the Saiones as he does so.
he sees the armed guard carelessly strolling about Play out the combat, simply to see how well your
the garden, occasionally stopping to listen to the thief would fare, then go on to Encounter 6.
distant cheers of the arena crowd, sighing in his
displeasure at having to be on duty this night, then
19
 Guard, human (1): AC 5 (chainmail); MV 12;
HD 1-1; hp 5; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8 (S-M) or 1d12 (L)
(Longsword); THAC0 20; AL N.

6. MAKING THE PINCH

Inside the house, you move quickly to the room
where a bribed servant girl suggested that Balda-
meris might stash his valuables. It’s a large room on
the second floor of the villa with a balcony over-
looking the courtyard. Several large, curved
couches are scattered about the room, with small
marble tables adjacent to them. The back wall, Opening the chest, your character indeed finds
about 20 feet long, features marble shelves filled his or her heart’s desire! There, neatly folded into a
with all types of ceramics, small sculptures, and flat leather case, is the map! Also in the chest are
bric-a-brac. Carefully, you begin examining the several gemstones—two emeralds, five sapphires,
items on the shelf. After about three minutes, you and a diamond. Finally, there is a gold brooch, and
reach for a small statue and find that it slides a slender, tapered, white ivory rod about 15 inches
slightly on its base. A panel in the wall slides open! long. In retrospect, think about these questions:
The doorway opens onto an extremely narrow, E. What course of action would you have taken
dark staircase. Descending cautiously, you reach a had your character not been able to pick the lock?
room beneath the floor level of the villa. Fortu- F. What would have happened if your character
nately, you have flint and steel, and are able to light failed to spot the trap?
a candle you find on a small table in the room. The
room is quite tiny, and, aside from the table and
candle, contains nothing except a large wooden
chest with iron bands. The chest is 3 feet long and
stands about 2½ feet high.
The chest is locked.

Initial Questions:
A. What is your thief’s chance to pick the lock?
B. What should your thief do after picking the
lock?

Make the rolls to attempt to pick the lock. If suc-

cessful, make the rolls to find traps. (Notice that in
actual play, the DM would make the find traps roll,
and simply tell the player whether or not the char-
acter found a trap.)
Of course, the chest is trapped. If you found the
trap, your PC would know that as soon as the chest 7. E SCAPE ?
is opened, two tiny darts would spring out, up-
ward, into the face or chest of the person opening His goods carefully stashed in a small bag worn
the lid. The darts are probably poisoned. Now on a strap across his or her shoulder, your PC thief
what? snuffs out the candle and, attempting to move si-
C. Assume that your character made the rolls to lently, climbs back up the narrow, steep stairs.
pick the lock and then found the trap. Would it be Near the top of the stairs, he listens intently for any
best at this point to try to remove the trap? sound from the room above, but hears nothing. He
D. If your character doesn’t try to remove the passes back through the secret door, crosses to the
trap, what might he do instead? marble shelves, and twists the small statue, once

20
again closing the door. He turns to leave the room
PRIEST ENCOUNTERS
and, 10 feet away, in the doorway, sees the guard
walking toward him through the dimly lit corridor! The following encounters assume that the play-
Roll 1d10 for both the guard and the thief! On a er’s character is a priest of good, or at least neutral,
roll of 1-3, the party rolled for is surprised. If the moral alignment. Evil priest PCs are to be strongly
thief is surprised, and the guard isn’t, the guard discouraged by the DM. The two encounters that
moves to attack immediately (the guard gets one follow will help players of priest PCs learn the ba-
free melee round). Combat then proceeds by sics of spell casting, turning undead, combat, and
rounds, using the normal procedure. Play out the the strictures of alignment. These players will also
fight, then have a go at these questions: benefit from trying out the warrior encounters
A. Assume the thief is not surprised, but the above. Players of priest class characters will gain
guard is. What is the best course of action for the more experience later, when playing with a group.
thief? This is because many of the special things a priest
B. Assume neither character is surprised. What is can do, particularly at lower levels, are of great
the best course of action for the thief? benefit to other, allied PCs.
In the following encounter, it is assumed the
priest has a bless spell prepared, in addition to any
others he or she may be allowed.

8. C ONFRONTATION W ITH E VIL

Your PC has spent several days in the town of Jala
in northern Armach, very quietly doing what good
she could do. Word of your priest PC’s presence
has spread, however; and given current condi-
tions, especially the growing popularity of the cult
of Usa, you have deemed it best for your character
to move on.
As your PC leaves Jala, walking alone down a
crude trail, she sees in the distance, by the moon-
light, a furtive, human-sized form. The hooded figure
flits behind a low ridge at the edge of an open field.

Play out the remainder of the action. If the thief

gets away down the wall, he will probably escape;
the gate can be opened from the inside, and the
guard will have to run through the house to get
back down to the courtyard level. The thief has
sufficient time to get away. Ah, but...
C. Where’s that dog?

21
 Your priest proceeds, slowly and cautiously, keep- all the undead horde attacking her. Before she
ing a careful eye on the area where this figure disap- does, ask yourself these questions:
peared. At a distance of about 150 yards, the D. What is your PC’s chance to turn the undead?
ridgetop is suddenly alive with movement. Against E. What are the results of success?
the backdrop of the pale moon, two disheveled hu- F. If the attempt fails, can another attempt be
man figures shamble forward awkwardly, flanked on made?
each side by four other figures—skeletons!
“Bring me her heart!” The command rings out
through the night air, and the skeletons deftly start
forward. The disheveled figures struggle to follow
and keep up.
Skeletons (8): AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 7, 7, 6, 4,
4, 3, 3, 1; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6; AL N; Size
M. Not affected by sleep, charm and cold-based
spells. Holy water causes 2-8 points damage.
Zombies (2): AC 8; MV 6; HD 2; hp 7, 9; THAC0
18; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8; AL N; Size M. Sleep, charm,
hold and cold-based spells have no effect. Always
attack last in round. Holy water does 2-8 points of
damage.

Initial Question:
A. What is your PC’s best course of action?

Now, roll initiative for the round. Roll for your

PC and the skeletons; do not roll for the zombies,
as they will move only after everything else has
happened (zombies always move last). If the skele-
tons win the initiative, all close on your PC; four
are able to actually attack. Resolve the attacks and
record damage to your PC (if any).
If your priest wins the initiative, or is still alive af-
ter taking four attacks, have her make the attempt
to turn the undead. (As you do, role-play your
character forcefully proclaiming, “Begone, foul
creatures of the night!” or some similar traditional,
heroic balderdash.) Note the results on scratch pa-
In this first run-through, assume your PC suc- per.
cessfully casts the bless spell on herself in the first Finally, continue the combat round by round un-
round. In this round, the skeletons close to within til it ends. Note that a PC with movement greater
30 yards, while the 2 zombies only come within 90 than 6 may have a good chance to run away from
yards. Now answer these questions: the zombies, as they are quite slow and always
B. Is there any chance the PC’s bless spell could lose the initiative.
fail at this point?
C. What are the effects of this spell?
9. F RIENDS C AN K ILL Y OU
Your PC is of lawful good alignment (at least for
purposes of this encounter). She accompanies the
rest of her group to a market place to buy supplies.
While there; she notices the thief in the party pick-
ing the pocket of a passerby. Hmm...
There are two questions that the player should
consider carefully. The answer to each effects the
answer to the other:
A. What should your PC do?
B. What might be the results of not doing any-
In the upcoming round, melee is possible—the thing?
skeletons attempt to close on your PC and attack.
In this round, your priest will certainly try to turn

22
 10. S NOOZE T IME
Your first level wizard PC is exploring an under-
ground dungeon. He is in the middle of a long cor-
ridor, a mere 10 feet wide and extending about 100
feet in either direction. Without warning, four
tough human bandits suddenly drop in, only 30
feet in front of him, through a trap door in the ceil-
ing! Luckily, the wizard is not surprised. He has
prepared one (your choice) of the following spells:
sleep or color spray. Before casting the spell, ask
yourself this:
A. How will the decision to use a spell affect the
initiative die roll?
B. What will happen if your wizard chooses to
cast the spell and loses the initiative?
C. What other options does your wizard have?

For now, let’s assume your PC wizard does de-

cide to cast his spell, and is lucky enough to win
the initiative. The spell is cast. Note that unless
these bandits are more powerful than they look,
WIZARD ENCOUNTERS they gain no saving throw against either of these
spells! In fact these are 1 hit die bandits. Sleep will
First level wizards can be difficult to play, espe- hit 2d4 of them; color spray will get 1d6 of them.
cially solo, because they have so few hit points (vir- Make the die rolls. Then let any unaffected bandits
tually any successful attack will kill them) and only close and make their one attack. (THAC0 20; Dmg
one spell with which to attack or defend them- 1d6). Now, what about that spell? Try answering
selves. Beginning wizards must often use their wits this:
and their ability to make themselves valuable to C. Assume that all the bandits were affected by
others in order to stay alive. On the other hand,
the spell. What is the possible outcome?
even a single first level spell can be tremendously
effective—if the wizard gets to cast it!

23
 Whether or not your wizard survived this mock
combat, you should now see that if the wizard
were part of a group that included one or two fight-
ers, he would be a powerful figure indeed! They
could protect him until the spell was cast.

II. S HOOTING B LANKS

Your wizard slays bandits in the above encoun-
ter and continues merrily on his way. He gets no
more than 40 feet, however, when two of the late,
lamented bandits’ best friends appear—one at
each end of the corridor. Yikes!
A. What would you have your character do?
How long will it be before the wizard can cast an-
other spell?

A GROUP ENCOUNTER
This encounter is for several player characters of
different classes. Running it requires a DM.
The encounter is quite simple. The PCs are
placed in a completely enclosed, very large space:
a room with stone walls, ceiling, and floor measur-
ing 100 feet by 100 feet with a 10 foot high ceiling.
The DM has a party of NPCs who are exact dupli-
cates of the PCs in every respect except clothing,
facial appearance, and, obviously, thought proc-
esses. Characters from only one group can leave
the room alive. The NPCs are lined up about 10
feet apart near the center of one wall; the PCs are
lined up identically near the center of the opposite
wall.
As DM’s are fond of saying, “What do you want
to do?”

24
 CHAPTER FIVE: A FIRST ADVENTURE
This chapter is for the eyes of the DM only. If you neighboring lands of the League.
plan to play a character in this adventure, do not These raids are being encouraged by Bishop
read beyond this point! Trandamere, who is ruler of the kingdom of Thenol
in all but name. Recently, Armach and the League

SETTING AND SYNOPSIS

have settled their own hostilities, and the League’s
border legions have been concentrated in defen-
sive positions on the Thenol frontier.
The PCs meet one another for the first time in the
small rural village of Boremium. This community is Trandamere, who is turning Thenol into a virtual
theocracy under the priests of Hiteh, finds it easy
located in High Vale in the League of the Mino-
to influence the priests of Usa in nearby Armach.
taurs, on the trail running south from Jalum. The
Having Armach raiders threatening High Vale may
village sits at the point where the trail from Jalum
intersects the trail to the Pathar Frontier, near a be reason enough for the League to withdraw
troops from the Thenol border. While the govern-
bridge over the Lenika River. The exact location
ment of Armach will certainly protest its innocence
can easily be found by comparing the DM’s maps
of any knowledge of such raids, the skirmishes
in this module to the map of the League and Ar-
mach in the Time of the Dragons boxed set. may have the added benefit for Trandamere of
driving a wedge between Armach and the League.
Boremium is alive with rumors and its citizens
are discontent. Most of the frontier garrisons of the
League have been removed to the threatened bor- T HE V ILLAG E OF B OREMIUM
der with Thenol. As a consequence, High Vale has Boremium was never more than a simple village,
suffered, as creatures once subdued in the New but until recently it was quite a prosperous one.
Mountains and the High Vale Range have returned The farmlands of the region are fertile; the forest to
to their old haunts and their old habits. the west is a good source of lumber, and the High
As the PCs are learning to know one another and
Vale Range did support considerable mining activ-
gathering information from the locals, a raid ity. Boremium’s location near the only major trail
sweeps through Boremium! A mixture of humans, and bridge across the Lenika River made it a natu-
goblins, and undead ride through the village, burn- ral center for industry and trade.
ing buildings, slaying innocents, and providing the The DM’s map shows the center of the village.
PCs with their first taste of actual combat. Because The imperial quarters, which serve as a residence
of the PCs’ intervention, the raiders quickly retire for visiting imperial officials, is a stone villa in the
toward the Darcika Woods to the west. minotaur style. The remaining buildings are made
The PCs are given the opportunity to set off into of wood, including the local arena, which consists
the forest, seeking the raiders’ base camp and at- of little more than a flat field surrounded by
tempting to gather information about them for the wooden bleacher style seats and a wooden wall.
imperial government. Further enticement for the The market booths are in a large wooden barn,
PCs is provided by legends concerning a long open on both sides, the barn divided into stalls
abandoned fortress from the time of Aurim hidden which are rented by merchants passing through
within the wooded boundaries of Darcika. the village to hawk their wares. The map shows a
The PCs can easily locate the site. It did serve as a
few individual businesses where the PCs might
base for the raiders, but most of them have since care to trade; prices here are only slightly above
dispersed. All that remain are a few priests of Usa average, but selection of merchandise is some-
from across the nearby Armach border, a special what limited.
guard, and a few of the undead commanded by The mining and lumber trades continue here, al-
the priests. though increased raids on work parties by bands of
If the PCs can defeat these villains, they can learn goblins, bandits, ogres, and other fierce mountain
the secret purpose behind the raid on Boremium, denizens are driving off the work force. As the
and gain a clue as to the location of a fabulous trea- work force shrinks, so does the trade on which the
sure hidden somewhere in the Conquered Lands... village depends.

DM’s B A C K G R O U N D GETTING STARTED

The raiders are followers of the evil god Usa, Set the positions of the moons of Krynn accord-
(known as Hiteh to the folk of Armach). The Usa ing to the instructions in the RBT. Have the PCs be-
cult, though driven underground, is growing rap- gin in the tavern room of the inn at Boremium. The
idly in Armach. It is now powerful enough to sup- time is dusk; the season is early summer. Chance
ply priests and men for pillaging raids into the

25
 has the PCs sitting close to one another; conversa- to the provincial governor himself.
tion among them should arise naturally. Have each The bulk of the customers are local farmers. Two
PC explain how he or she came to be in Boremium dwarves sit among a group of human miners; they
at this time. If some players have difficulty making are enjoying a brief holiday from their work in the
up a suitable background story, here are some sug- mines of the High Vale Range.
gestions: One man sits alone at the table nearest the east-
1. Warrior characters have heard rumors of trou- ern wall. He wears a plain brown cloak over a
ble in High Vale. It’s common knowledge that the white linen shirt, plain brown breeches, and sim-
garrison troops have all but been removed, and ple soft boots. This is Arnaulf, a priest of Mislaxa.
the imperial presence in the area is very weak. The Arnaulf is not as fanatical as the priestesses of Ilda-
activities of goblins, ogres and the like would natu- mar in nearby Armach, though he knows Mislaxa
rally draw young warriors, eager to prove their as the Earthspirit and worships her as such. Arnaulf
mettle, and anxious to turn a coin or two. politely but firmly declines contact with anyone
2. One or more wizards have heard a tale (al- who approaches him.
though false) that the fabulous spellbook of the PCs who listen to the conversation around them,
Third High Wizard of the old empire of Aurim lies or who engage the locals in conversation, can hear
in a ruin somewhere near this tiny village. How it the following rumors. Whether or not each of
came to be here is a mystery that dates back to the them is true is indicated after the text.
Cataclysm. 1. Goblins, hobgoblins, ogres, and other crea-
3. Thieves have heard that mining for iron ore tures, not identifiable, are raiding the mines in the
has decreased in the High Vale Range, while min- High Vale Range. Many miners have left the mines
ers turn their attention to a newly-discovered, po- for other work, and operations are suffering as a
tentially far more valuable mining opportunity. consequence. (True)
The combination of a possible gold or silver find 2. The lumber trade has slowed, for much the
along with the lack of imperial presence in the area same reason. (True)
should be more than enough to attract any sane 3. A huge dragon was seen winging high in the
thief. night sky not more than a week ago. It was headed
4. Priests have wandered here randomly, di- toward the High Vale Range. (Utterly false)
rected here by strange dreams, or simply felt a 4. A mad trapper from deep in the forests was in
vague “calling” toward this region, where there is the village a week ago. He said some hideous ritual
increased suffering because of the activity of evil was taking place among the ruins of the old Aurim
creatures from the mountains. fortress in the forest west of the village. (Partly
When the PCs have become semi-acquainted, true—there is an old fortress there, but no ritual.)
or when one of them asks more about their sur- 5. Business in the village is slow. (True)
roundings, provide a brief description of the vil- 6. It is said that the ruins of that old fortress con-
lage (they’ve seen it on their way in) and go to tain a fabulous treasure, though none of those who
Encounter 1. In the encounters that follow, boxed know the site well have ever found it. (False.)
text is to be read aloud to the players. The general atmosphere in the inn is friendly to-
ward strangers—even toward Balakas. This village
makes much of its living off of the travelers and
ENCOUNTERS merchants who come here, and it would be
against their best interests for the locals to treat
I. AT THE I NN anyone with anything but courtesy.
When the PCs have become acquainted and
The inn shows signs of fading prosperity. It is picked up some of these rumors, move on to
crowded enough, though most of the cus- Encounter 2.
tomers are drinking and eating lightly. The inn-
keeper, a thin man with a pinched look about
2. R AID !
his face, flutters from the kitchen to the main
room and back, constantly inquiring of the cus-
Suddenly, a thunder of hoofbeats can be heard,
tomers if everything is alright, and what more he
and seconds later, a mixture of guttural and
can bring them. The dishes, obviously once
shrill whoops and cries pierce the early evening
quite fine, are now chipped and cracked.
air. The front door of the inn crashes open
loudly. A man, who looks for all the world like a
screaming lunatic, stands in the doorway, a
In all, there are some 30 customers jammed into
bloody spear in one hand, and a flask of oil in
the room, not counting the PCs. One patron of note
the other!
is the huge minotaur who sits at the head of the large
table by the western wall, enjoying the fire and the
deference of his 4 well-dressed human companions.
This is Balakas, the local administrator, who reports

26
 Usa’s raid has hit town. The raiders are divided
into three groups:

Group A

Clerics of Usa (Human) (3): AC 5 (Scale mail and

shield); MV 12; C 1; hp 6, 7, 8; THAC0 20; #AT 1;
Dmg 1d8(S-M) or 1d12(L) (Longsword); AL NE; ML
13. Spells prepared - #1: bless; #2: curse; #3: pu-
trefy food and drink.
Usa Fanatics (4): AC 10; MV 12; F 0; THAC0 20;
#AT 1; Dmg 1d6(S-M) or 1d8(L) (Spear); AL NE; ML
11.
Skeletons (12): AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; THAC0 19;
#AT 1; Dmg 1d6; AL N. Not affected by sleep,
charm, hold, and cold based spells. Take half dam-
age from sharp or edged weapons. Holy water
causes 2-8 points of damage.
Zombies (4): AC 8; MV 6; HD 2; THAC0 18; #AT 1;
Dmg 1d8; AL N. Not affected by sleep, charm, hold
and cold based spells. Always attack last in round.
Holy water does 2-8 points of damage.
The 3 clerics and the 4 fanatics are mounted on
light horses, AC 7; MV 24; HD 2; #AT 2; Dmg 1-4/1-
4; THAC0 18; Size (L). The horses themselves do
not attack unless cornered.

Group B door with 8 skeletons and the 4 zombies. As soon as

the man withdraws, the clerics will direct the undead
Group B consists of 20 Usa fanatics (as above).
inside to slaughter all they can reach. If at all possible,
cleric #3 will enter the inn long enough to cast his pu-
Group C
trefy food and drink spell.
Goblins (20): AC 6; MV 6; HD 1-1; THAC0 20; #AT Meanwhile, cleric #2 with 4 skeletons is break-
1; Dmg 1d6; AL LE; Size S; ML 11. ing in the window of the back guest room and
working his way systematically down the hall, kill-
The leader of the raid is Eran, a cleric of Usa: AC ing anything in his path.
4 (banded mail); MV 12; C 3; THAC0 20; #AT 1; The mounted fanatics of Group A are to guard
Dmg 1d8 (S-M) or 1d12 (L) (Long sword); STR 11; the front of the building and help the clerics to es-
DEX 10; CON 9; INT 13; WIS 15; CHR 14. Spells cape, if need be. Neither they nor anyone else
prepared: (1st) bless, curse, putrefy food and drink, cares what happens to the skeletons and zombies.
detect snares and pits; (2nd) aid, silence 15’ radius. While the attack on the inn takes place, Groups
B and C are simultaneously striking their objec-
Eran is mounted on a light horse. He rides be- tives. Group B is to cover the withdrawal, particu-
tween Group B and Group C. larly of the goblins, who are on foot.
Of the people in the inn, all will panic and at-
Group A’s task is to set fire to the inn and stables, tempt to escape, with the exception of Arnaulf.
randomly slaughter a few people, and withdraw. Most run upstairs, trying to either reach the roof, or
Group B’s task is to set fire to business buildings, even jump out a window. Arnaulf tries to move
deface the imperial quarters if possible, and cover himself to safety, and at the same time carefully ob-
the withdrawal of the other two groups. Group C’s serves the actions of everyone else. His chief con-
task is to torch the local arena and randomly cern is to keep himself from being revealed as a
slaughter villagers. priest. As a last resort to protect himself, he will at-
Group B entered the village, whooping and tempt to turn undead, use his prepared spell, and
screaming, only after Groups A and C were already then enter combat, even though he has no
well into the heart of town and in position to strike. weapon.
When the encounter begins for the PCs, one of the
fanatics with Group A has dismounted and entered Arnaulf: AC 10; MV 12; C 1; THAC0 20; #AT 1;
the inn. He intends to hurl his oil, step outside, and Dmg 1-2 (unarmed combat only); AL NG; STR 11,
remount. Clerics #1 and #3 are just outside the inn DEX 9, CON 10, INT 11, WIS 13, CHR 9. Spell pre-
pared: bless.
27
 The PCs may take whatever actions they desire; offering for information and prisoners. The PCs
however, with everyone else trying to escape, they can then volunteer for the job.
will have to either attack the escaping villagers Arnauf will come to visit the PCs shortly after the
(treat them as zero-level NPCs) to clear a path for raiders leave. If any were wounded in the fighting,
themselves, or turn and face the raiders. If they can he will offer 1 potion of healing. He will also urge
fight their way outside, they may well come into the party to take up Balakas’ offer of a reward. Fur-
contact and combat with other groups of raiders. ther, if the potion of healing is not used after the
In all, the raid will last only 15 rounds. If the raiding first encounter, he will let the PCs have it anyway,
force has not fled prior to that because of failed provided they undertake Balakas’ mission.
morale checks, they voluntarily attempt to with-
draw at the end of that time. 4. To TH E R UINS
The raiding force will retreat out of the village,
across the trail, and head due west into the forest, To the west of the village, the ground rises in a se-
making for the ruined fortress. ries of low hills with rocky outcroppings, marked
Any goblin prisoners taken by the PCs will gladly by several high ridges. For several hundred yards,
talk in exchange for their lives, or a reasonable be- the forest is somewhat sparse, having been repeat-
lief that they will be spared. The goblins know lit- edly harvested. However, at a distance of about
tle, other than that their little band was sent down 600 to 800 yards, the forest becomes much more
from the mountains by the headman of their vil- dense, the underbrush much thicker, and ground
lage to aid in the raid. They came mainly for the rises more steeply. Still, it is less than a mile to the
promise of whatever booty they could lay their ruined fort, and no encounters should occur dur-
hands on, which was not much. Human fanatic or ing the journey.
priest prisoners will sooner die than give any infor- The raiders left a trail that is not too difficult to
mation. follow. However, while all of the undead and gob-
The goblins have an average of 8 silver pieces lin tracks stop at the fortress, all of the hoof prints
each on them. None of the other raiders carry any continue on past it.
money. Should Eran have been slain in the com-
bat, PCs can find on his body, in addition to his ar- 5. E RAN’ S B AND
mor and sword, a scroll of protection from undead
(carried as a last resort in case he failed control his When they plunged into the woods, the survi-
undead servants). vors of Eran’s band of raiders divided into two
groups. Surviving priests, goblins, and undead
made for the ruined fortress; surviving fanatics ac-
3. A FTER THE R AID companied them to the fortress, then made their
way to their homes in Armach. Eran and his small
What happens after the raid depends largely on crew don’t even need their horses; the goblins
what the PCs did during the raid. If they actively have agreed to supply their short term needs.
fought the raiding force, they will be sought out by Unless the PCs followed hot on the heels of the
Balakas the Minotaur as soon as the fighting is raiders (difficult, since the PCs probably lack
over. horses) only the survivors of the goblins, undead
Balakas is in a deep fix. He cannot send for impe- and clerics will be at the ruins when the PCs arrive.
rial troops to pursue the raiders; at the moment, Surveying the fortress, the PCs will see that the
there are none to spare. On the other hand, failure term “ruin” indeed applies. The great fortress,
to respond will weaken the prestige of the govern- built before the Cataclysm, is barely standing at all.
ment (and the minotaur race) in the eyes of the vil- The fortress was once a triangular-shaped stone
lagers. Complaints might be sent up the chain of structure some 40 feet high and 100 yards long on
command; Balakas might be made to look bad. each side. Each corner of the triangle had a high
Balakas’ solution lies with the PCs. What he tower with battlements. Now, the towers and most
needs is information about the raiders, and per- of the walls lie in heaps of stone rubble. Vegetation
haps some prisoners. If the PCs agree to provide has overgrown the interior of the ruin. In places, it
this, he will reward them handsomely. Balakas will seems as if the earth itself is determined to destroy
begin by offering the equivalent of 500 gp in steel the ancient structure, for huge blocks of granite jut
(he can be bargained up to 1,000 if the PCs try). up from the ground at odd angles beneath and be-
This is a lump sum for the party, not for each PC! tween the tumbled blocks.
If the PCs are slow to figure it out, Balakas will If the PCs carefully search the ruins, they will
even suggest that the raiders might have based eventually discover, at the spot marked on the
themselves in the ruins of the abandoned fort, in DM’s map, a small cavern opening. This is so small
the woods to the west of the village. Any man of that human size or larger characters must crawl to
the village can give general directions to the ruin. enter it. The passageway slopes down very gradu-
If the PCs did not try to fight the raiders, or be- ally, but after about 20 feet, it opens onto a stone
haved in some other, equally disgraceful way, Ba- stairway.
lakas will publicly announce the reward he is
28
 The stairway is of new construction—built within 3. Eran’s Quarters: These are the unfinished quar-
the last 10 years. Any dwarven characters in the ters for the high priest of the temple, currently be-
party should be able to recognize this. ing used by Eran. Here the PCs can find a decent
At the foot of the stairs stand two large wooden bed, several changes of common clothing, and a
doors, covered with bronze plating. The doors are bag containing 600 gp worth of steel. Also here are
extremely heavy, but not locked. Behind the doors Eran’s armor, sword, dagger, and the scroll of pro-
lies the first temple to Usa ever built within this re- tection from undead. There is also a small writing
gion. table with quill, ink, and vellum. Lying beneath the
The following descriptions are keyed to the DM’s plain papers on the table is a brief letter. The text
map: reads:

1. Main Temple Room: As soon as the doors My Dear Son Eran:

swing open, the PCs are confronted by all of the re-
maining undead from the raid on Boremium. Eran I call you a son in the faith, for he whom you
has posted them here as silent sentinels. Their in- know as Usa I too know well.
structions are simple: they are to attack anyone or Your efforts on behalf of our friends in Armach, I
anything that attempts to enter. They cannot be know well. May Usa reward you generously!
surprised, since they have nothing to do but watch And, I think he will. Once your work in High
for the doors to open. If the PCs somehow man- Vale is complete, you must visit me. I have ob-
aged to destroy all of the undead from the raid, the tained information concerning a great discovery in
room is empty when they enter. (It is a just reward the Steamwall Mountains, and would reward your
for a job well done.) fine work by allowing you to take part in a small ex-
The main temple room is not yet complete. The pedition I am planning.
walls are of bare stone, devoid of decoration. May the blessings of Usa-Hiteh be with you.
However, at the far end of the room is a statue of Trandamere
Usa. Priest class characters will immediately recog-
nize this god, not as Usa, but as Hiteh. An empty 6. F INAL N OTES
altar stone lies before the statue, but is perfectly
clean, as it has not yet been used for any sacrificial The discovery of Trandamere’s letter ends the ad-
rites. venture within this module. Calculate experience
Three rounds after the PCs open the doors, or on points for each of the player characters, and let
the first round after the undead are defeated, a bel- them divide up the spoils as they see fit. Several
low of rage sounds from the area marked as room 2 loose ends are left deliberately, so the DM can
on the DM’s map. From behind the blue silk cur- have several things to develop in his own cam-
tain a minotaur emerges, a huge axe gripped paign. These include:
tightly in his hands. He wastes no time in charging 1. The continuing problems in the area from the
at the PCs, seeking out obvious spell casters as his High Vale Range to Boremium. Many adventures
preferred targets. could be set here, simply cleaning up the area,
This minotaur is a former arena fighter, one of given the lack of imperial troops.
the few of his race to convert to the new faith. 2. The PCs report to Balakas. What they do (or
Now, he serves the priesthood of Usa however he don’t) report to him could make for an interesting
can: in this case, as guardian of this new, secret relationship, now and in the future.
temple. 3. This newly-constructed temple is obviously
not yet finished. Eran is not sufficiently powerful to
Minotaur guard: AC 4 (bronze plate mail); MV be building it, therefore who is? What further plans
9; F 5; THAC0 16; #AT 1 (3/2 if specialization is does this higher priest of Usa have for this region?
used); Dmg 1d8; Size L; AL LE; STR 17; DEX 10; 4. What of Trandamere’s expedition? What more
CON 13; INT 9; WIS 10; CHR 8. could the PCs learn of it?
As the minotaur charges, any remaining priests 5. Other directions that the players will probably
from the raid, including Eran, also enter the battle. suggest to the DM.
Their spells are as listed in Encounter 2, minus any
used in that encounter which they have not had
time to regain. As all these NPCs are fanatical fol-
lowers of Usa, they fight to the death.

2. Priests’ Quarters: This large, unfinished room

contains little of interest. There are four cots used
by the three priests and the minotaur, trunks con-
taining common clothing, and the combined trea-
sure of the priests, which amounts to only 87
pieces of silver.

29
 GENERIC CHARACTER SHEET
Character Player

Class Race Level Alignment

Sex Homeland

ABILITIES Movement SAVING THROWS

P/P
Hit Points R/W/S
Armor Pet/Poly
Breath
AC Spells

Proficiencies Modifier Skills Languages

THAC0 Attacks/Round

Age Ht. Wt.

Racial Abilities Class Abilities

Racial Limitations Class Limitations

Current Funds
Equipment, General Weapons Speed Damage How Carried

Magic Items

SPELLS
Current Level Limits:

SPELLS PREPARED and/or Scrolls

Name Schl/Sphere Ran Com Dur Time Area ST Damage

©
1991 TSR, Inc.
 Scale: 1 square = 20 feet

DM’s Map Boremium Village Numbers on buildings show height of structures in stories
 BY MARK ACRES

It is a continent of raw beauty New Beginnings includes a

and wondrous magics—of ma- simple, step-by-step character cre-
rauding hordes and avenging ation outline which new players
champions—it is Taladas, the can use without the help of a
forgotten continent of Krvnn Dungeon Master. Also, it presents
first revealed in the essential tips on
b e s t - s e l l i n g equipping and play-
®
DRAGONLANCE ing your new charac-
supplement Time of ter in the Taladas
the Dragon. setting, and sample
Now, this incredi- encounters which al-
ble setting is brought low you to test your
to life and made character’s skills
ready for adventur- without risking
ing with New Beginnings. This them in actual play. Finally, a
essential adventure provides all complete mini-adventure helps
the information necessary for to begin your Taladas campaign
new players to begin adventuring by thrusting the player characters
in the Taladas campaign setting. right into the action.