Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Creature Feature
The Water Phoenix
Frozen Fish
Ask Harpy
The Harpys
Advice for Gamers
A Magazine by and for Gamers
have been part of the roleplaying game hobby since its earliest
days. Throughout the years, I have watched it evolve from a niche
activity widely regarded as only for geeks to a near-mainstream
hobby enjoyed by families and communities all over the world. In
truth, you can find gamers everywhere, though sometimes you have
to probe for them a bit. When Skip and I moved to rural southwestern Wisconsin 5 years ago, I thought my gaming would be curtailed,
but I am gaming more now than I ever did in the cityindeed, more
than I did while working for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Our closest
neighbor turned out to be a gamer, as did one of the teachers at the
high school, who had agreed to sponsor a game club. Offering my
support to that club allowed me to get acquainted with many teens
who were interested in gaming, and a few of them had parents who
were also gamers. Now I run two tabletop D&D campaigns, plus a
third one online. The kid next door plays Magic: the Gathering, and
my Lunch Money game is a favorite at the high school.
It has been said that the tabletop gaming hobby is dying
out, replaced by electronic games. But I find gamers literally everywhere I go. I have long been
a supporter of the Bristol Renaissance Faire in
southeastern Wisconsin, and though I knew many
gamers who enjoyed attending it, I was surprised this
year at the number of gamers actually working there. Our
old friend, artist Jeff Easley of TSR fame, had his own shop
there, and we spent some time reminiscing. One of the players in
my local campaign had highly recommended a particular musician there, who had been writing and performing gaming songs for
some time. Looking him up brought Phoenix Lore Magazine its own
resident minstrel, Dan the Bard, whose music will soon be gracing
our website. Dan in turn introduced me to a team of gamers who
had just launched RenQuesta live event that fused an RPG experience with a RenFaire scavenger hunt and culminated in the slaying of
a dragon that belched smoke! I talked with one days winners of this
event, and yes, they too were gamers.
Thus our legacy is passed, as all great traditions are, from parent
to child, from friend to friend, and from expert to novice. And with
each transition come new ideas, new techniques, and new life. Yes,
many of these new gamers also play electronic games, but those have
not destroyed our hobby. Indeed, it is constantly reborn and revitalized as new people add their ideas and experiences to the body of lore
from which we all draw.
The twin themes of our inaugural issue are water and rebirth. So
browse through our pages and reincarnate your gaming with Phoenix
Lore Magazine.
Keep those dice rolling!
Penny Williams
Marketing/
Promotions Director Quentin Small (Crazy_Monkey1956)
Administrative
Assistant Roger Edwards (Tahler)
Staff Developer/
Interviewer Michael Mazur (Karrius)
Phoenix Lore is a publication for gamers, by gamers. We are always looking for contributions, and
we would like to hear from you! You may submit
your work by going to www.phoenixlore.com/, or
send email to:
submissions@phoenixlore.com.
Phoenix LoreTM Magazine is published bimonthly by Crystal Unicorn Enterprises, LLC. Copyrights for all articles and artwork belong to their respective creators, with the exception of material that constitutes Product Identity of a company or other entity, and the
works are used with permission. No part of this magazine may be reproduced (except for review purposes) without the prior written consent of the owner of the item. Material published herein may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Crystal Unicorn Enterprises,
its owners and patrons, or its contributors, who are not liable for opinions expressed herein. Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures, Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Magic: the Gathering, Battlesystem, Axis & Allies, RPGA, and Polyhedron are
registered trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Most other product names are trademarks owned by their respective publishers. Use of the name of any product without mention of trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.
Phoenix Lore is a trademark of Crystal Unicorn Enterprises, LLC. This issue contains no open game content, except that provided in the current version of the SRD.
In This Issue
4
7 Interview with Aeolius
10 Ask Harpy
14 The Goblin Gang Art & Stats Contest
Apprentice Workshop
16
18 Solo Campaigns
22 Disciples of the Flame
26 New Feats for Alternative Casters
30 Rifle Fire
Experiencing XP
34
40 Creature FeatureThe Water Phoenix
Quick & Dirty GM
by Paradox
10
22
40
52 Bloody Tarawa
54 Water Rules for D&D Minis
56 Frozen Fish 2008
Gen Con 2008
59
62 Constant Rebirth
64 Traveller Reborn . . . Again
by Paul Glasser (PMGlasser)
59
The Cover Uncovered
Our cover artist, Robert Friis,
has provided us with a lovely
and dangerous pirate queen
to go with this issues water
theme. You can visit Robert at
his website, http://xadhoom.
deviantart.com.
Vision
Rain can obscure vision just as much
as fog can. The heavier the downpour,
the shorter the distance a character can
see. Certain monsters may even prefer
to hunt during storms because the rain
conceals their movement. Part of this
concealment is due to rain getting in
characters eyes, while most of it is the
actual raindrops. Table 323 from the
DMG, correlates the type of rain with
the distance at which an opponent has
concealment (20% miss chance).
Rain also affects color vision. Whether the rain is heavy or light, gray skies
can make colors seem dim and muted.
Describing this effect is a great way to
create a dark and sinister mood, or to
add a sense of despair to your scenario.
When It Rains,
It Pours
Comfort
By Paradox Illustrated by Kurt Taylor (p4) and Corey Williams (Corjay, p5 & 6)
Its a dark and stormy night. A stranger enters the busy tavern, looks around, then
approaches your table. With a mysterious smile, he announces in a low voice that he
has a mission for you.
If youre like many GMs, the above
description about covers the extent of
bad weather in your campaign. In most
campaign worlds, sunny weather and
clear skies prevail until a well-placed
lightning bolt is needed for dra-
Gear
Mud
Mud is hard to containcreatures can
track or splatter it everywhere. Tracking becomes considerably easier if the
quarry has mud on its boots, feet, or
hooves, so extra care is needed to evade
pursuit. And consider the dramatic
effect you can add by letting the PCs
find muddy footprints leading into
their rooms, but not coming out!
Mud can also be used to conceal
characters or NPCs who are waiting
in ambush. Arnold Schwarzeneggers
character used this technique in the
film Predator. But the mud
must be thick enough to
coverwatery mud
wont do the job.
Further-
Puddles
Low-lying areas and depressions in
the ground quickly fill up with water
during a rainstorm. Kids might like to
jump into puddles, but adults know
that a puddle can be much deeper than
it appears. Indeed, a character can twist
an ankle or sustain any number of
other injuries by walking into an unexpectedly deep puddle. Furthermore,
puddles can provide concealment for
creatures, so as a canny GM, you may
want to ensure that the big puddle in
Floods
!
??
??
!
Phoenix Lore Magazine
Member Spotlight
In this issue, our Member Spotlight shines upon Daniel Craig, who goes by the screen name Aeolius in Phoenix Lore Magazines chatroom. Dan is well known there and elsewhere for his underwater campaigns and creatures.
PhL: Lets start with some personal information about
you, and how you came to join the community.
Aeolius: In the early 90s, after serving as a chat host for
an online community called LaPub, I joined TSRs online
chatspace on AOL and became a TSRO (moderator). I
followed TSR from AOL to its first venture on the internet,
and weathered the changes when Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and Hasbro entered the picture.
When I married my AOL sweetheart in 1993, I abandoned my interests in keeping reptiles and collecting
comics. But I discovered something infinitely more timeconsumingsaltwater aquariumsand I have kept those
ever since.
Over the past few years, my wife and I have adopted three
children from China, bringing our family to six children
ranging in age from four to fourteen. We live on several
acres of land, which has allowed us to accumulate quite a
menagiere of animal friendshorses, chickens, goats, and
more. Needless to say, I have learned to be creative with my
gaming time, trying out every venue from play-by-post campaigns to chat-based games.
PhL: I can only imagine. I have two children, and even
they produce a bit of a dent. Where does the name Aeolius come from?
Aeolius: Its a combination of Aeolus (the wind god of the
ancient Greeks) and aeolian (as in Aeolian harp, an instrument played by the winds). It was my first AOL screen
name back in 1985.
PhL: How did you get into gaming?
Aeolius: I started with the Basic D&D game back in 1979.
From there, my group and I moved on to Expert, then
to Advanced D&D, bringing our favorite PCs to level 19
before we went our separate ways. In college, I started a new
campaign called The Basement. It was mostly an on-thefly, impromptu affair, but it lasted for several years. After
Intervie
http://www.wizards.com/greyhawk/dndgreyhawkmysteriousplaces.asp.) That game would become known as Beneath the Pinnacles of Azoralq. LoBI had been an arctic
game, so I wanted to run something in a warmer clime,
and inspired by my saltwater aquariums, I decided to set
the campaign beneath the surface of the sea. In addition, I
started Penance of the Damned, a chat-based game set in
Hades, in which the PCs began as larvae.
PhL: Two friends of mine and I also submitted a campaign setting for that competition, but it was a bit too
dark (and derivative) to win.
Aeolius: If you ever get a chance to see my Night Hag Family Tree, youll know its not exactly the sort of thing one
would teach in elementary school.
PhL: Ugly.
Aeolius: No, just misunderstood.
PhL: It looks like you keep up with all the latest D&D
game offerings. Would you like to see more of anything
in particular?
Aeolius: Absolutely, though Id probably have to write them
myself. Id like to see Races of Water, The Hydronomicon, Waterscape, and Fantastic Locations: Turucambi. I
might as well add Hag Magic to that list too.
PhL: Hagfish!
Aeolius: Hagfish provide great inspiration for undersea baddies. Ever seen one? Heres one from Google: http://oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/hagfish/hagfish.html.
Ask
Harpy
By Monica Shellman (Elisandra)
Illustrated by Igor Kieryluk
10
Dear Harpy,
I GM one campaign offline and another
one online. Almost all my PCs in both
games have gone romance-happy.
In the offline game, the female rogue
was screaming for a husband, so I gave
her two nobles to choose from. It wasnt
my fault she didnt know they were twins,
was it? Youd think shed be happy.
In the online one, I have a female
halfling engaged to a grig, a paladin
whos just announced his engagement to
the NPC barmaid, a warlock madly in
Dear Harpy,
As long as were on the subject of romantic adventures, what should an adventuring bride wear to her wedding if she
expects it to be ambushed?
Dear Harpy,
Lets sayhypothetically of coursethat
a human warlock decided that the best
way to win acceptance into the community of his elf PC beloved was to
become a cleric of an elf deity. The elf
PCreally, the fairest maid in all the
worldhas something in her background
that makes her a special protector of her
people. A green dragon is involvedbut
I digress. The campaign isnt
all about us, of course. The
vicious GM
Bride-To-Be
Dear Bride,
Well, harpies dont mess with all this
wedded bliss stuff. We just eat our
mates when were done with them.
That way we dont have to worry about
11
Dear Harpy,
We all know that some gamers have that
ol troggy stenchand those who do are
immune to their own stench and that of
other troggies. The radius of this effect is
Dear Anonymous,
Four words: Right Guard goodie bags!
Alternatively, you could buy those
little tree-shaped air fresheners that
you charming people have in your
techno world and hang some around
your neck. One or two of those should
cancel out the Gamer Funk (yes, thats
its official name). If youre at a convention, you might have to hang three or
four on your person, plus slip a few
onto other people as well. (Note to self:
Rent a booth at Gen Con Game Fair
to sell little tree air fresheners. Also,
hire ghasts to man the booth, since
they are the only creatures that might
not be offended by Gamer Funk.)
Dear Harpy,
My husband and I game with my best
friend and her husband. Our games usually go great, but her husbands characters
and mine end up in romantic relationships a lot. We all know that it would
never go past the table, and lots of
jokes get cracked about it, but it
sometimes makes things a little
awkward. Is there a way to ease
the tension without changing
how we play?
...just do
the right thing
and eat your
males.
Romantic
Dear Romantic,
12
Dear Harpy,
Dear Harpy,
I game with
an idiot...
Dear Harpy,
Dear Harpy,
Dear Rival,
The so-called editor of this publication
tells me I may not suggest that you invite the GM out for pizza and shiv him
while he reaches for the crushed red
pepper. <long-suffering sigh> So. . . .
Real men dont bow out. They fight
for their women. But you have to be
sneaky about it, since the Game Master
is using his advantage unfairly. You
cant give her in-game goodies, after
all. So you have to be more suave and
interesting in real life. Try bathing
more often than the GM, for example.
Chicks eat that up. Take her to dinner
someplace where you dont have to yell
into a clowns mouth, and there is no
playland for the kiddies. And if nothing else works <looks around, sees the
13
Part 1
Several goblinsgreen-skinned, warty-nosed, and illtemperedsit around a sputtering campfire. The air is
heavy with moisture, and a few stars peek through fastmoving clouds on what promises to be a stormy night. For
now, though, its just humida fact that only adds to the
goblins general grumpiness over the quality of their stew.
And because theyre goblins, their body odors and the noises
they are prone to making are more than a little repellant to
anything else in the vicinity. But goblins never let the disapproval of other beings detract from their nightly entertainmentquite the contrary, in fact.
Aw, no. This is terrible. Terrible!
The leader, taller and better dressed than the rest, didnt even
bother to look up. What is? he asked.
Rat Face forgot the meat.
The leaders stick, hot from poking the embers of the fire,
waved trails of smoke in the hot, sticky air. So, we eat Rat
Face instead, he said, nonchalantly using the cooling end of the
smoky stick to point at the goblin with the longest nose.
Eat? Me? More than a little shaken, the sniveling runt of
the pack whimpered a little.
14
The other goblins laughed. One of them threw a rock the size
of a small pinecone, and everyone heard the hollow thump as it
hit poor Rat Face in the chest. They all laughed some more.
Rat Face sat dejectedly, hoping he wouldnt end up in the
stew. Goblins are notoriously hard to hear and persistently
jumpy, so no one was surprised when Clubber suddenly bounded through the brush with a snake wound partly around his
arm, wriggling to get freea sight that sent Rat Face straight
up into the air.
Got ourselfs a freshie, boss, said Clubber gleefully. Snakey
stew!
Thankfully, thought the boss, these guys have fairly solid
stomachs. He raised an eyebrow toward Clubber and nodded.
Somebody fish Rat Face out o the pot and make room for the
snake. He chose not to mention that the snake was mildly
poisonous, and that most of them would feel a bit woozy in the
middle of the night.
The other two goblins cheered, and one of them pretended to
haul a goblin out of the pot, which was already bubbling with
a pungent assortment of roots, leaves, and bugs.
And you, the boss pointed to the quieter of the cooks, get
out there and cover his tracks. He pointed a thick thumb
Winner!
at Clubber, who was using his right hand to beat the snake
around his left arm with a club.
Tracker nodded in quiet obedience and took off for the woods,
headed in what would have appeared to anyone else to be the
wrong direction. The boss, however, knew that it wasnt the
wrong direction, and that only Tracker would have known to
start where he did.
And you, continued the boss, pointing again with the stick,
get that stupid snake off Clubbers arm and into the pot. Im
hungry.
What do you think of when youre planning to have a small
pack of goblins ruin someones day? A scene such as the one
above might very well have been on the mind of our own
Phoenix_ArchMage (Richard L. Biggs) when he arranged
for a contest on the Wizards of the Cost forums that ran
from January to March of 2007. The first part was an art
contestboards members were invited to create a scene
showing a small handful of goblins doing whatever the
artist felt goblins might do bestthough as it turned out,
nobody thought that they might be making Snakey Stew.
Four judges rated the submissions from 1 to 5 on each of
15
Breaking into the game publishing industry is difficult. Editors (and, for that matter, art directors) get queries and submissions from
scores of potential freelancers. If your work doesnt stand out from the crowd, your chances of breaking through are significantly
reduced. So what can you do to get spotted? Here are four tips that should help you catch the editors eye.
Follow Directions
This piece of advice probably seems
rather obvious, yet its amazing how
many aspiring authors send in queries
and submissions that dont follow the
rules of their target company. Most
publishers make submission guidelines
available, so its in your best interest
to follow them. Sometimes guidelines
mention font or font size, or the
format in which a file should be
16
17
Conclusion
The key point in catching an editors eye is to make yourself seem like
a person who can follow directions,
produce quality manuscripts, and not
create excess work for the editor and
production staff. So check out submission guidelines and adhere to them.
Watch your word count and your
deadline, and stay in communication
with your editor. And allow yourself
plenty of time for a couple of proofing
passes. These key points will help you
to make the best possible impression
and become a trusted resource for the
company of your choice.
John Ling is a Staff Editor at Phoenix
LoreTM Magazine and a 13-time contributor to DRAGON Magazine. Hes also
worked with a variety of other publishers, including Louis Porter Jr. Designs,
0ne Games, Sword and Sorcery Studios,
and Goodman Games, for which he
co-authored the highly popular book GM
Gems. In October of 2006, John was bitten by a lycanthropic brassica, and he has
been growing things in his garden ever
since. You can learn more about John by
going to http://www.werecabbages.com/
members.
Solo Campaigns
18
19
20
21
Disciples of
the Flame
By Michael Mazur (Karrius) Illustrations by Igor
Kieryluk (p22) and Claes Sillberg (p24)
22
Phoenix
Entry Requirements
Skills: Heal 12 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 4 ranks,
Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks.
Feats: Diehard, Endurance.
Spellcasting: Ability to cast flame strike.
Special: The candidate must be good-aligned and worship
the Phoenix.
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis),
Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int),
Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int),
Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Class Features
All the following are class features of the disciple of the
Flame prestige class.
Spellcasting: At every level but 5th, you gain new spells
per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known,
if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a divine
spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the
prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other
benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you
had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming
a disciple of the Flame, you must decide to which class to
add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day,
caster level, and spells known.
Fire Resistance (Ex): As part of your devotion to the
Phoenix, you have trained yourself to withstand heat and
fire. Beginning at 1st level, you gain fire resistance equal to 5
+ your disciple of the Flame level. This fire resistance stacks
with fire resistance from all other sources.
23
Base
Attack Bonus
+0
+1
+2
+3
+3
+4
+5
+6/+1
+6/+1
+7/+2
Fort
Save
+2
+3
+3
+4
+4
+5
+5
+6
+6
+7
Ref
Save
+0
+0
+1
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
+3
+3
Will
Save
+2
+3
+3
+4
+4
+5
+5
+6
+6
+7
Hit Die: d8
Special
Fire resistance, renewing flames
Guard the righteous
Cleansing fire
From the ashes
Wings of flame
To ashes again
Cauterize
Rise again
Rekindled life
Rebirth
Spellcasting
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
higher spell you cast also receives a remove poison effect from
that spell. If the spell is 4th-level or higher, the ally also
gains a remove curse effect. If the spell is 6th-level or higher,
the ally also gains the benefit of a lesser restoration spell.
These effects stack, but the ally must take at
least one point of fire damage for this
ability to have any effect.
From the Ashes (Ex): When
you attain 4th level, no level
loss accrues to anyone
upon whom you cast a
spell that restores the
dead to life (such
as raise dead or
resurrection). If
the spell normally
would cause level
loss, the target
instead gains 1
negative level
that persists for 1
week, then is automatically negated
without the need for
a Fortitude save.
Wings of Flame (Su):
At 5th level, you can call
upon the Phoenix to give you
fiery wings, which allow you to
fly at a speed equal to your ground
24
up with those who share their goals and are happy to support good-aligned adventurers whenever possible.
Karrius is the magazines staff developer and is generally considered a lazy and horrible person by his peers. This assessment
is only half true. He spends most of his time playing RPGs and
computer games, reading cheap fantasy novels, and studying to
be a chemical engineer, in hopes of leaving a legacy topping the
Boston Molasses Disaster.
25
Complete Mage introduced new feats that draw upon the power inherent in a casters body and soul. Most utilize (though they dont
consume) energy from available spells to augment the characters already prodigious talents. This article expands upon the feats
given in that book, adding a few that are powered by the unique powers of characters who use alternative magic systemsin particular, psionics or the manipulation of shadow.
Each feats primary benefit is a supernatural ability that is usable at will.
Unless stated otherwise, it requires a
standard action to activate and does
not provoke attacks of opportunity. If
a saving throw is allowed, the DC is 10
+ the level of the spell or power + the
ability modifier applicable to its save
DC. For example, if a Charisma caster
with a +3 Charisma modifier and an
unused 3rd-level evocation effect uses
the Shadow Bolt feat, the target must
make a DC 16 Reflex save or take full
damage from the bolt.
In addition, each feat provides a
caster level boost to a certain category
of effects. This benefit applies at all
times, regardless of whether the character has any of the appropriate spells or
powers left to use.
The primary benefit can be activated
only if the caster has a spell or power
of the appropriate type (that is, of the
indicated school, subschool, or descriptor) available to cast. The definition of
available to cast depends on whether
the character prepares spells or manifests powers.
26
Feat Descriptions
The following feats can be used by
characters who meet the prerequisites.
Psionic Claw
You can use your psionic energy to
gain claws.
Prerequisite: Ability to manifest
2nd-level powers.
Benefit: As long as you have a
2nd-level or higher psychometabolism
power available, you can reform your
hands into claws, gaining two natural
Psionic Construct
27
Psionic Knowledge
You can use your psionic powers to
increase your knowledge.
Prerequisite: Ability to manifest
2nd-level powers.
Benefit: As long as you have a 2ndlevel or higher clairsentience power
available, you can gain a +2 insight
bonus on checks with any Knowledge
skill in which you have at least 1 rank.
This effect lasts for 1 round per level of
the highest-level clairsentience power
you have available to manifest. You
can use a standard action to gain the
benefit of this feat before making a
Knowledge check.
As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1
competence bonus to your manifester
level when manifesting clairsentience
powers.
Shadow Bolt
You can use your mysterious power to
create shadowy bolts.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 3rdlevel shadow-based spells.
Psionic Prediction
You can use your telepathy to
gain insight into your opponents next move.
Prerequisite: Ability to
manifest 3rd-level powers.
Benefit: As long as you
have a 3rd-level or higher
telepathy power available,
you can read the surface
thoughts of a designated
opponent. Doing so grants
you a +2 insight bonus to
AC for 1 round per level of
the highest-level telepathy
power you have available.
As a secondary benefit, you
gain a +1 competence bonus to
your manifester level when manifesting telepathy powers.
Shadow Blink
You can use your mysterious power
to blink in and out of the Plane of
Shadow.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 4th-level
shadow-based spells.
Benefit: As long as you have a 4thlevel or higher transmutation spell
available, you can produce a blink
effect that lasts for 1 round per level of
the highest-level transmutation effect
Shadow Blink
28
Shadow Jaunt
You can use your mysterious power to
cross an entire room in a single step.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 4thlevel shadow-based spells.
Benefit: As long as you
have a 4th-level or higher
teleportation spell available, you can step through
the Plane of Shadow to
another location. You
can take along carried
objects up to your
heavy load weight,
but not other creatures
(except your familiar).
You can move a maximum
distance of 5 feet per level
of the highest-level teleportation spell you have available
to cast, but you can step only
to a location that you can see
(including one you are currently
viewing through magical means such
as Bend Perspective).
As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1
competence bonus to your caster level
when casting teleportation spells.
Shadow Mask
You can use your mysterious power to
wrap yourself in shadows.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 2ndlevel shadow-based spells.
Benefit: As long as you have a 2nd-
Shadow Vision
You can use your mysterious power see
things just before they happen.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 3rd-level
shadow-based spells.
Benefit: As long as you have a
3rd-level or higher divination spell
available, you can gain a +4 insight
bonus on Reflex saves. (You can use
the standard action before the event
29
Shadow Vision
Rifle Fire
30
trucks to hit and run, but theyre here in force, boy, and
now that they know were here, theyll be back.
Im betting that Capuzzos already taken, continued
the sergeant, motioning back toward the square. That fat
fool is about to get us all killed to impress his women with
his military prowess. Hes got us drawn up in a square, for
Gods sake! Who does he think were fighting, Somali tribesmen? He shook his head defeatedly, then looked straight
into Egidios eyes.
Ive got a boy a little younger than you back home
thats why Im telling you this. When the shooting starts,
I want you to fire off one magazine. You dont even have
to aimjust work the bolt and pull the trigger so you can
honestly say you fired. Then hunker in the bottom of your
hole until its over. Do you understand me?
Y-yes Sergeant, stuttered Egidio, now truly scared out of
his wits.
Good. Now back to your hole, boy.
Egidio scurried away, leaving his sergeant to study the
defenses and shake his head. Hed been back in position for
only a few minutes when a cry went up from the direction
hed just come. Out in front of him, Lieutenant Capobianco
apparently saw the same danger, and he waved for his tanks
to attack. Almost as one, the twelve machines on his side of
the square lunged forward and out of sight. A roar of accelerating engines told Egidio that those on the opposite side
had gone forward as well. One of the infantry officers raced
out in a futile attempt to stop them, but they couldnt hear
him yelling over the noise.
With shaking hands, Egidio checked the load in his Fucile
Modello 1891 rifle, ensuring that it held a full six rounds.
As he slammed the bolt home, the sound of firing broke out
from the direction the tanks had gone. The flat crack of 20
mm rounds was interspersed with machine gun fire and the
deeper boom of heavier guns. Occasionally a crash or rending screech gave evidence that a vehicle had been destroyed,
but from where he was, he could see nothing.
The battle continued off to his right for several long minutes before the artillery on the other side of the square began
to fire. A few rifles started to bark in the same area, and Egidio knew that the enemy must be pushing closer. Sweat that
had nothing to do with the heat ran down his face while he
waited for the inevitable clash. Then, almost before he knew
it, the battle was upon him.
A CV-33 trailing smoke limped past in front of his hole,
followed by another backing up steadily and firing its 20
mm cannon. But the latters protection was short-lived-after only a few shots, it burst into an expanding ball of fire
and steel. Down the line a bit, one of the men was hit by
shrapnel and reeled backward, falling limply to the ground.
Egidio was still staring slack-jawed when the killer rolled
into view a few moments later.
31
32
33
Experiencing XP
The D&D Experience 2008 from the Viewpoint of
a Judge and Spectator
By David J. Paul (VrecknidjX)
Dungeons & Dragons Experience is the premiere Dungeons & Dragons convention. Unlike its larger cousin (Gen Con Game Fair) D&D XP is
about 99% D&D game. Where Gen Con is filled to bursting with every game under the sun, XP is a distilled, concentrated D&D overdose.
on toast. Still, it was edible, it was fairly cheap, and it was
indoors. (It was cold that first day.)
I was more than happy to return to the hotel. Much to my
delight, I ran into a small pile of Dungeons & Dragons
Miniatures players Ive met at other cons, and we did a little
catching up. After a few minutes of small talk, we cleared a
table and set out to play a few hands of the Three-Dragon
AnteTM game. I explained that Id never played before, but
they would hear nothing of it.
Two completed flights later, I was significantly below zero.
We all had a good laugh, I learned how to play a great game,
and we were much, much closer to the start of the first slot
of events.
I headed over to the judges table and introduced myself.
A minute later, I was walking away with two red-and-black
RPGA Judge shirts and a much better image of the towering figure of David Christ (Wavester). Within the hour, I
had met most of the team of minis judges. Sparky, Dak,
Lee, Mark, and I were the minions, Jamie was the secondin-command, and Dwayne was the commander-in-chief.
On Friday, I met Bill Baldwin, and we had a nice little chat
about once holding the same position at a gaming community magazine.
My first slot on Thursday was free from commitments, so
I got in a little league play and had some fun with the new
rules before I got busy making judgment calls on them. The
afternoon found me running back and forth from the Dungeons of Dread pre-release (2.0 rules) and the Last Chance
Qualifier (1.0 rules).
Day 1
After waking at 6:30 a.m., I showered, dressed, and found
a terrible little greasy spoon for breakfast. I got something
that resembled coffee only by its high temperature and
dark color, and a sandwich that just barely passed as eggs
34
to open our boosters and assemble three warbands, ignoring the usual Constructed warband building rules. Once we
were finished, we would be assigned a table and an opposing
1. The captains roll off for first placement.
2. The winner places one player from the team at one
of the three pre-chosen maps.
3. The opposing captain seats a player across from
the first, and then seats his second player at one of
the two remaining maps.
4. The winner of the first roll then seats a player
against the newly seated opponent.
Day 2
Friday, like Thursday, was spent mostly between a pre-release and a Last Chance Qualifier. However, I also managed
to participate in an event titled OP Presents. This special
event was set up by Organized Play to try out a new format.
I must say that I rather appreciate this choice. Some wise
folks on Wizards staff decided to cull opinions from those
who frequently play the game at a competitive level. Rather
than design a new way to play and then thrust it upon the
players, they chose to design a new way to play and then test
out one option. Heres how it worked.
Participants formed teams of three, and each team named
a captain. We sat at tables by team, and the organizer
dropped six boosters at each table. We were then instructed
35
Round 2
Round 1
36
Day 3
As expected, the Saturday events were grueling. It was a
huge challenge to move from one table with a rules question
using one set of rules to another table using a different set of
rules. Still, the judges made it happen with very few erroneous calls. As the day wore on, we noted a few issues in both
major events.
37
Day 4
38
Conclusion
This was my first D&D XP, but it wont be my last. Ive
already volunteered to judge next years eventsthough Id
also like to get in a few sanctioned games.
David Paul lives in lower southwestern Michigan with his
wife, sons, pets, a few hundred RPG books, and several thousand
little plastic miniatures. He currently provides editing assistance
for Rite Publishing, and previously edited for Pencil Pushers
Publishing, d20 Filtered, Silven, and Knowledge Arcana. When
hes not busy daydreaming or plotting the downfall of his own
D&D players, he teaches philosophy by night at a nearby university and mathematics by day at a nearby private high school.
Water Phoenix
By Penny Williams (Penny_Williams), David J. Paul (VrecknidjX), Michael Mazur (Karrius), and the Phoenix Lore Community, with
assistance from Skip Williams (Skip_Williams) Illustrated by Daniel Craig (Aeolius)
The monster for this issues Creature Feature was created by the Phoenix Lore Community at a Monster Builder Workshop conducted
by Penny Williams in Phoenix Lore Chat. The playtest was conducted with Penny_Williams as Elena, Karrius as Barbarosa, Phoenix as
Howard, ShadowGlade as David, and Skip_Williams as GM. All four characters were 15th level. The PhL staff also thanks all the folks in
the online community who participated in the creation of this creature.
Prologue
The heroes of our story are Barbarosa (a female dwarf barbarian), Elena (a female elf cleric), Howard (a male halfling
rogue), and David (a male gnome sorcerer). Elena, the only
non-chaotic member of the group, is neutral good. Barbarosa is chaotic good, and Howard and David are both chaotic neutral. The group has adventured together for years,
stumbling from one haphazard misadventure to the next,
held together more by Elenas good sense than anything else.
Like all such groups, these four have adjusted to each others
shortcomings, though they tend to focus on these a little
more often than is good for them.
Today they stand perplexed. Their most recent home,
Waterfall City, has recently been subjected to all manner
of bizarre weather and strange geographical disturbances,
including a river that has suddenly and without precedent
changed its course. In addition, magic seems to have hit a
snag, and the effects of spells and items havent been consistent. All told, times are dangerous and frightening, and the
local leaders have charged these four with speaking to the
Celestial Bureaucracy to get to the bottom of the situation.
40
thanks to her weighty armor. The others found the swimming to be a chore, even though they had no problem
breathing. Walking along the river bottom turned out to be
a bit more of a challenge than theyd wagered as well. Overall, walking seemed to be best for the group, so after some
heated discussions on the matter (which included Howard
frequently pointing out various incidents from their past for
which he was not to blame), the friends settled on a marching order and continued through the murky depths, walking
along the rocky bottom toward the drop-off where they
would find the dragons castle.
Why are they always underwater, or in a cave, or up in
the clouds? whined the gnome. Youd think that dragons
were paranoid or something. He continued grumbling in
his little bubble of magical air. The others could hear him,
but his voice was muffled, which seemed to them a blessing.
And why all the secrecy? he continued. The bureaucracy
is designed so that you cant even find the castle unless you
begin looking for it in the river? Come on. Who thinks of
things like this?
Elena tried her best to tune out the complaints. Sometimes the rest of the gang needed to be kept in check,
sometimes they needed to be advised, and sometimes they
needed to be ignored. At least ignoring him was relatively
easy this time, given the awe and wonder of all the fish, eels,
and swimming mammals that drifted by. They seemed quite
curious about the four bipeds walking along the bottom,
flailing their arms madly, and somehow managing not to
drown. For a moment, Elena wondered about just how
strange it wasnot just that she was looking into the huge,
round eye of a profoundly ignorant muck-eating fish, but
that it was looking into her eyes as well.
The gnomes complaining subsided after an indeterminate stretch of time, and he took instead to skewering fish,
presumably for later consumption.
Ya mind sharin some o those? asked the halfling, momentarily halting his tirade.
Maybe, said David. Whatll ya give me for em?
After about an hour of travel through the wet darkness,
the intrepid heroes stopped, mesmerized by the sheer immensity of the dropoff before them. Rare indeed was the
spectacle that could prevent Barbarosa from prattling on
about how some ancestor or other had battled a dreadful
foe over some similar circumstance, but Wow, was all she
could manage.
Indeed. The precipice is quite stark, Elena noted with
sagacity. Howard, would you go check out those lights
below? Well be right behind you.
Always send in the little guy, Howard observed, then
jumped into the void.
Elena and the others followed. After drifting downward
for a few moments, the heroes re-assembled in the long
41
shaft of water. The water seemed less dense, and it was much
brighter than it had beensurprisingly so, given how deep
they knew they were.
Dragon magic? suggested the gnome.
Elena nodded knowingly. She pointed to a large central
spire, surrounded by four smaller ones. Those must have
been the five lights we saw from above. Theyre why its so
bright here.
A little too bright, if you ask me, said Howard sourly.
Nah, easier to see what yer swingin at, remarked Barbarosa gruffly. Still, she observed, this place seems more
fittin for the likes of you all. You go on ahead; Ill take up
the rear.
Elena, Howard, and David headed for what they took to
be the door. But like any other dragons lair, this place was
heavily guarded. Many toothy fish swam about the perimeter and wove in and out of the spires. I think wed better
just knock, Elena suggested helpfully, starting forward.
Under the central spire yawned the enormous, very toothy
maw of some giant sea creature.
Inviting, Howard said, sarcastically. David warily eyed
the toothy fish that swam ever closer to him, while Barbarosa gripped her axe, waiting for the situation to turn sour.
Im going to head for that mouth. It looks like a way in,
Elena announced.
Dont these fish look rather like lions, when youre up
close? David queried. This is most distressing. After too
short a pause, he added, I wonder how they taste?
Barbarosa didnt waste any time. Thinking to herself that
she didnt want to be anywhere near a gnome who was dangerously close to turning himself into a meal, she quickly
followed the elf into the toothy maw doorway. Howard
followed suit. David, ever the comic, tried grabbing for the
dwarf s axe so as to spend less of his own effort swimming,
but to no avail.
Before the bold adventurers stood a huge door, apparently
constructed of mother-of-pearl. Beside it was a large hornshaped shell.
Maybe hes not home, suggested the elf in a worried
tone of voice.
Maybe he went on vacation and didnt tell anyone,
speculated David, as Howard moved cautiously forward to
take a closer look at the door.
42
43
44
45
Barbarosa cursed the bird for fleeing, but admired the tactic. Still, she intended to prove to the foolish creature that
avoiding a barbarian wouldnt be easy. Again she tore across
the cavern, screaming something rather frothy and incomprehensible, and ripped into the rippled fowl, axe first. But
the bird was more nimble than she had guessed, managing
to nab the dwarf with her beak as she engaged. The two had
a brief skirmish, each giving the other openings, and each
taking advantage of those opportunities.
Suddenly, a waterspout emerged from beneath the creature and pushed the dwarf aside, tearing away at her as it
did so.
Ya keep tryin to give me a bath! Yer worse than the elf!
howled Barbarosa.
Frustrated in his attempts to close with the beast as it
executed its dance of death with the dwarf, the halfling tried
once more to maneuver for position.
Wont sit still, eh? quipped the gnome to his friend.
Ill blast her again with my lightning! Another bolt arced
across the room, but this one fizzled without much effect on
the creature.
Damn, the gnome grumbled.
The four friends continued their pursuit of the creature,
attacking here and flying there. Elena granted herself the
freedom to move easily within the water, but it was to no
avail as an offensive gesture. As the fight grew longer and
most desperate, the dwarf began swinging more wildly.
Though she missed a bit more often than the others would
have liked, she hit hard when she did hit. A few blows later,
the watery bird began to stagger and sputter. Barbarosa,
though bloodied and full of scratches, was made of tough
stuff and would certainly heal.
With one more blow from Barbarosa, the dying bird froze
suddenlyand literally. The water of its body had lost all
its heat, and so it froze into a solid piece of ice. A shudder
ran through the crystalline figure, then it exploded in flying
shards of glistening ice. The razor-sharp field of flying debris
tore through the gnome and dwarf, but Howard and Elena,
for all their inability to keep up, were spared this explosion.
Ouch! the dwarf yelled. That hurt!
David swore to no one in particular and looked around
for Elena, since he knew he needed healing.
Will ya look at that! Howard pointed at the pool.
The icy shards had melted within the pool and coalesced
into a form much like that of that of the creature they had
just slain. Entirely restored and quite pristine, the majestic
46
water bird rose from the pool. The insanity, it appeared, had
been completely removed.
My thanks, said the bird, bowing respectfully. You have
restored me, and for that I am quite grateful. Please do not
fear me, and approach that I may heal the wounds I should
never have caused.
The four friends complied, a bit apprehensively at first.
Once it became clear that this in fact was the birds true
nature, and that the angry, vengeful marauder that had
just been present was gone, the heroes relaxed. The water
phoenix used its healing tears on each of the four, saving
her most powerful ability for the dwarf, who had risked the
most and had, through that risk, helped the most. Barbarosa
bowed with respect as the healing surged through her stout
form. Many thanks, she said, sincerely.
After healing everyone, the phoenix retreated, bestowed a
few more kindnesses, and then reminded them that she had
many wrongs to right and much work to do.
It has been our pleasure to assist you, Elena remarked.
Wheres the treasure? the halfling, looking around. But
the bird only seemed to smile.
David was busy pulling squirming treats out of his bag
again and had gone back to ignoring everyone else.
Shall we join hands and return to Mr. Chiin, now that all
has been set right? Elena suggested.
David shrugged as he pulled some fishy tissue from between his teeth. The dwarf gave the gnome a disapproving
glance. You eat more than my brothers! she said.
Maybe Mr. Chiin will pay us, said the halfling in disappointment. Lets go!
And so, their work done, the four joined hands. Somewhere, somehow, the immense gold dragon knew that they
had succeeded and were ready to return. As hed promised,
he brought them back to his chamberto provide them
with suitable rewards, to offer his gratitude, and to suggest
that they consider new and more dangerous tasks, now that
theyd proven themselves so capable with this one.
Water Phoenix
A magnificent teal bird with silvery-tipped wings bursts forth
from the water in a rainbow-hued spray of magically enhanced
water droplets. Though large, it flies gracefully, leaving the water without no apparent break between swimming and flying.
Behind it, a shimmering curtain of opalescent droplets persists
for a moment or two, then fades.
Sample Encounter
The water phoenix is usually encountered alone, typically
as the guardian or savior of a good creature, or as a force for
driving evil from an area. In either case, the encounter tends
to be rather short-lived, and the creature does not encourage
leisurely conversation after the fact. Because of the brevity
and rarity of these encounters, more mysteries than truths
surround the water phoenix.
Ecology
The water phoenix is a solitary and magical beast, so not
many descriptions exist of its ecology or its niche. Though
it is reclusive, the water phoenix doesnt necessarily shun
contact with other sentient, good-aligned beings.
Existing reports include descriptions of male and female
individuals, but since no one has ever encountered more
47
CR 15
than one water phoenix at a time, its not clear whether both
genders existor even whether more than one exists. No
one has ever reported seeing an egg or a juvenilein fact, all
reports describe the water phoenix as quite wise, suggesting
that all individuals encountered may be quite old. If so, the
species ages well, since those who encounter a water phoenix
invariably describe it as remarkably graceful and strong.
Given the reports of its ability to re-birth itself, sages have
suggested that the creature may be both ageless and always
in the prime of life.
Environment: The water phoenix is almost always spotted rising from a body of water (typically a lake or sea). This
habit suggests that the creature lives deep underwater. A few
people, however, have reported seeing a water phoenix in
flight, trailing huge swaths of vapor behind it while moving
from cloud to cloud. No one has seen a water phoenix rise
from a pond or river, and no one has ever spotted one in an
extremely cold climate or at mountainous elevations.
If the water phoenix has a long-term lair, it is far more
secretive about that location than most other creatures are
about theirs. Though the water phoenix often comes to the
aid of others, it never brings those in need of help to its lair
for aid or comfort. Instead, it dispenses its aid in the field
and retreats before any sort of attachment is made.
Typical Physical Characteristics: A water phoenix is
about the size of a typical rowboatperhaps 15 feet long
from beak to tail. Though its wings are rarely extended
fully because of the way it flies, estimates suggest that its
stretched wingspan might be three times its length.
In extreme circumstances, the water phoenix can undergo
a transformation similar to the fiery phoenixs immolation.
The sole surviving report of such an incident described an
iridescent explosion of water that seemed to come from
the creature itself. The eruption created a halo of frozen
shards around the bird to a diameter of about 15 feet, which
appeared to finish off its assailants. Almost immediately
thereafter, a new water phoenix was seen rising from the sea
directly beneath the explosion. It is not known whether this
effect can take place without water nearby.
Typical Treasure
The water phoenix does not accumulate treasure, but it
sometimes protects valuable items that could play a signifiContinues on next spread
Phoenix Lore Magazine October 2008 Issue #1
48
49
mere near Suzail, and even as far south as the Great Sea. No
records exist of simultaneous (or even near-simultaneous)
sightings, suggesting that the water phoenix may be a
unique creature in this world.
Result
Knowledge (Arcana)
DC
50
51
Bloody Tarawa
The Landing
This scenario uses the template from the Beachhead Tournament Map Pack to
recreate the fierce fighting on Red 1 Beach on Tarawa in the Central Pacific
Campaign (November 20, 1943).
After coming ashore on Red 1 Beach,
the Marines of K and L Company, 3rd
Battalion, 2nd Marine Division huddle
behind a log wall, preparing for battle.
More than 3,000 fanatical Japanese
defenders housed in thick, concrete
bunkers are prepared to defend this
vital airfield to the death.
Combatants
The following pieces constitute the attacking and defending forces.
Elements of the 7th Sasebo Special
Naval Landing Force (98 points)
2x Type 1 ATG (14)
2x Bunkers (4)
1x Honor-Bound Hero (7)
2x Type 92 MG (14)
2x Type 89 Mortar (18)
4x SNLF Fanatics (28)
1x Imperial Sergeant (9)
1x Type 97 ATR (4)
1st Platoon, Company C, 1st Marine
Amphibious Corps (21 points)
1x Sherman M4A1 (21)
K Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd
Marine Division (77 points)
2x Amtrack (22)
1x M2 Flamethrower (5)
2x BAR Gunner (8)
1x Thompson (4)
6x Marine Rifleman (24)
2x Red Devil Captain (14)
Background
As the Amtracks moved toward the
beaches of Tarawa on November 20,
1943, the guns of the Japanese garrison were silent. Navy destroyers had
pummeled the gun emplacements,
and fighters had strafed the beaches
in preparation for the landing of the
2nd Marine Division at 0900 hours.
However, the landing craft made their
final approach without the benefit of
air support and had to close the last
3,000 yards under heavy fire.
Although the naval barrage had
killed a number of gunners and
knocked out several batteries, most
of the Japanese guns were housed
in bunkers built out of reinforced
52
Aftermath
Together with the two surviving Shermans, the men of K and L Companies
managed to advance about 300 yards
off the beach before encountering an
antitank ditch. Fire from gun pits and
one of the Japanese garrisons Type 95
light Ha-Go tanks damaged the turret
traverse mechanism of one Sherman,
forcing it to retire.
The second surviving Sherman
destroyed the Japanese tank and
continued to support the Marines in
their advance until it too was hit. The
tank started to burn, but the fire was
extinguished and the vehicle was used
as flank protection throughout the
night. Poor communications and insufficient support continued to plague the
Marines on Tarawa.
The reefs that had disrupted the
initial landings hampered attempts to
land artillery and reinforcements on
the beaches. Furthermore, the remains
of dozens of tanks and Amtracks now
littered the waters surrounding Tarawa.
So many of the landing craft had been
hit that it became difficult to supply
the Marines with ammunition, water,
and plasma.
As darkness fell, the Marines tried to
consolidate their defensive positions
and form a cohesive perimeter. They
anticipated a nighttime counterattack, but none materialized. The naval
bombardment had destroyed most of
the enemys communications equipment, so the Japanese had resorted to
using runners. This breakdown in communications was later blamed for the
Japanese inaction.
53
The Victory
More than 4,500 Japanese soldiers
were killed at Tarawa, along with hundreds of Koreans employed as forced
labor. Only one officer, 16 Japanese
enlisted men, and 179 Korean laborers
survived the engagement. Approximately 2,300 Marines were wounded,
and 1,000 were killed.
Spectacular as the battle was, the
news of the victory on Tarawa was not
well received. The number of casualties
incurred in less than 76 hours was hard
for many on the home front to accept.
However, the conflict did provide valuable experience for future amphibious
operations, such as Peleliu and Iwo
Jima. It also demonstrated the need for
better logistical support immediately
following landings and highlighted the
benefits of close air and naval support.
Strategically speaking, Tarawa was
the first step in a path that included
the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, and ultimately Japan itself.
Paul Glasser works as a political
journalist in Kentucky. He holds a BA
in History from Purdue University and
spends most of his free time reading and
writing about military history. Paul
writes and edits freelance articles for a
number of online publications.
An essential element of most fantasy worlds, water is a dangerous and often deadly medium in which mysteries and horrors abound.
Its only natural that D&D Miniatures players would want to get their feet wet when the game already features so many denizens of the
deepnot to mention creatures whose role-playing game incarnations know how to swim.
The DDM game contains many
aquatic-flavored creatures, including
the kuo-toa (also known as fishmen),
the sahuagin, and of course, water
elementals. Amphibious creatures such
as bullywugs, giant frogs, and chuul
round out the roster. In addition, monsters such as black dragons have swim
speeds in their RPG stats to represent
the fact that they can easily move in a
watery environment, even if they dont
dwell there all the time.
Resources such as Stormwrack tempt
GMs to put aquatic minis into play,
whether for encounters on the surface
or deep in the Underdark. Bringing a
Editors Note: This article was written
before the release of the fourth edition
Dungeons & Dragons game and
the rules update for the Dungeons &
Dragons Miniatures (DDM) game. In
the interim, DDM has undergone many
important changes, one of which was the
inclusion of maps containing the soughtafter aquatic rules in the newly released
Starter Set. Nevertheless, this article
provides opportunities for home play and
remains an excellent piece for all players
of the DDM game. The original text has
been modified slightly to accommodate
the changes.
Mixing Aquatic
with Normal Skirmish
Rules
Adding an aquatic set to the regular
series introduces the possibility that a
player can automatically win or lose
on a bad map initiative roll. Imagine
bringing a land-based warband to a
game and losing map initiative to an
aquatic warband. Your figures now
move at half speed or worse (and we
all know how important speed is in the
skirmish scene), while your opponents
figures have full movement.
Maps that are half water and half
land dont solve the problem. Imagine
two final opponents in a game, one
aquatic and one land-based. The player
in the lead would be smart to play
keep away until the bitter end. But
while point denial may be a valid strategy, its not a lot of fun when its always
the obvious killer closing move.
54
Swim
This creature can swim in deep and
shallow water and is not slowed by
either terrain. The speed entry on its
stat card has an S prefix. The creature
can charge through water terrain (deep
or shallow) but must otherwise follow
the rules for charging.
Shallow Water
Shallow water is treated as difficult
terrain for all creatures without Swim.
This terrain also grants a creature cover
from attacks made by non-adjacent
creatures. Shallow water does not block
line of sight or line of effect.
Deep Water
Deep water is treated as difficult terrain
for all creatures that do not have Swim.
Creatures without Swim cannot end
their turns in deep water. If a player
moves a creature into deep water but
the creature cannot cross, the piece is
returned to the last legal square it occupied (or, in case that square becomes
occupied during its move, the nearest
legal square).
Creatures with Swim can move in
this terrain as if they possess flight.
Attacks of opportunity are triggered
only by leaving the first square, and
these creatures can pass through enemy
squares freely. Also, creatures in deep
water are treated as though invisible to
all non-adjacent creatures. (Creatures
without Blindsight cannot trace line
of sight to them.) One square
of deep water between creatures blocks line of effect
between them.
If a creature is moved
to a deep water square
during another creatures
turn, that square is
treated as a pit (see the
rules for pits).
An Entirely
Underwater Option
The rules outlined above still leave
some monster types high and dry.
What about those fiendish octopi and
sharks, dire or otherwise? Want to play
a celestial killer whale? Its not likely to
happen in a surface-based game where
water is one of many terrain types.
What deep water combat really
needs is a completely separate rules
set. But an entirely underwater game
format would have its own advantages
and disadvantages.
On the plus side, it would employ
completely aquatic miniaturesfrom
sharks, whales, and merfolk to those
classic D&D aquatic foes that could
never see the light of day in a mixed or
surface game.
In a purely underwater environment,
Swim movement could be translated
into the equivalent of flight in landbased games. But its not a perfect fit.
Because every creature (or almost every
one) should have three-dimensional
movement, difficult terrain, spike
stones, and similar obstacles would lose
their punch. What difficulty do these
present when a figure can just swim
over them?
Other types of terrain could also
be adapted for underwater play. Kelp
and seaweed beds that slow a creatures
movement, for example, could represent Forest terrain. Smoke or fog could
be converted into large areas of silt and
muck projected along underwater jets.
Pits could be huge undersea trenches
that swallow up figures that either cant
swim or have lost that ability.
Regular minis such as orcs, gnolls,
humans, elves, or dwarves could be
included on the assumption that they
are under the benefits of spells or other
powers that grant the ability to move
through water. However, this arrangement generates its own set of problems.
Perhaps the new aquatic rules set
can co-exist with the regular game,
55
Building a deck thats both fun to play and competitive can be a real challenge if youre on a tight budget. But with the advent of Lorwyn, you can play mono blue without needing a lot of expensive rare cards. With the right combination, you can play both of the classic
strategies offered by the classic mono blue decks of the past: board control and aggression.
Long ago, the mono blue Fish deck
was very popular. Featuring Lord of
Atlantis and sixteen to twenty other
cheap Merfolk, the deck was further
energized by a few highly aggressive
cards, such as Unstable Mutation.
These days, thanks to an ocean full of
new Merfolk from Lorwyn, the Fish
deck lives again, and it isnt too expensive to build.
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57
Sideboarding
Blue has never been the best color
for removal spells, but the four copies of Boomerang in your main deck
owners hands. If you need more control against your opponents deck, you
can bring in four Rune Snags to help
back up or even replace your Familiars
Ruse cards.
If you are facing a slow control
deck, you can accelerate your already
fast deck-milling strategy by bringing in four copies of a new card from
Shadowmoor: Drowner Initiate. The
Initiate is a 1/1 Merfolk Wizard costing 1 blue mana that lets you mill two
cards off the top of a players library to
his graveyard. This ability costs only 1
colorless mana and can be used whenever any player plays a blue spell.
Finally, your sideboard has three copies of Tormods Crypt, just so that an
opponent playing a graveyard reanimation strategy doesnt laugh at you for
helping him by milling cards into his
graveyard. Play one of your Crypts and
then mill away. Dont sacrifice it to
remove your opponents library until
he plays a card targeting one or more
of the cards in the graveyard.
Summary
Frozen Fish lets you have fun while
exploring both traditional control and
aggressive mono blue strategies. If you
find that you would prefer better control or a more aggressive strategy, you
can easily alter its focus by changing
out a dozen cards either way. A more
controlling version of this deck almost
certainly needs at least one more land,
but other changes are possible as well.
So try out Frozen Fish and see how it
works for you.
Jeff Zandi is a seven-time veteran
of Magics Pro Tour. Besides playing
and writing about Magic, Jeff is a
level II DCI judge. His team, the Texas
Guildmages, has been together for ten
years and has participated in almost every Pro Tour to date. You can write to Jeff
at jeffzandi@hotmail.com, or find him as
Zanman on Magic Online. Or you can
stop by the Phoenix Lore message boards.
58
A Brief Report
Day 1
59
Day 3
Someone said that GenCons motto should be The Fastest Four Days in Gaming!
Day 2
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Day 4
Its amazing how quickly GenCon
ends. On Tuesday the next week, I
remarked to a bunch of friends on an
email list that its motto should be The
Fastest Four Days in Gaming! Sunday
morning found me dazed and unprepared to check out before arriving at
the convention center. Still, we did
what we needed to dofilled the van
to the ceiling with luggage and loot
and headed back to the convention
center for one final day of fun.
Young Green Dragon from the starter set, repainted by Andrew Weyandt (Generic Fighter).
61
Conclusion
We talked about our favorite moments
all the way home, reassessing our
daring choices in the D&D Championship, reliving the competition in
the Rock Band and minis contests,
recounting all the new and interesting
people wed met, and discussing the
costumes wed seen and the fun wed
had. Gen Con has always signaled the
end of summer for me, and theres a
tinge of sadness at each conventions
close. But D&D Experience is just
around the corner, and in the meantime, I know that my group will get
in a dozen or more D&D sessions and
friendly miniatures skirmish games.
Nothing matches the magic of Gen
Con Game Fair, but the months
between this one and next will be
punctuated with happy memories.
David Paul lives in lower southwestern
Michigan with his wife, sons, pets, a
few hundred RPG books, and several
thousand little plastic miniatures. He
currently provides editing assistance for
Rite Publishing, and previously edited for
Pencil Pushers Publishing, d20 Filtered,
Silven, and Knowledge Arcana. When
hes not busy daydreaming or plotting the
downfall of his own D&D players, he
teaches philosophy by night at a nearby
university and mathematics by day at a
nearby private high school.
Constant Rebirth
The Name of the Game in M:tG
By Jeff Zandi (TheZanman) Illustrated by Claes Sillberg
One of the unique characteristics of a phoenix is the way it returns to life from the ashes of its previous form. Constant rebirth is
quite an amazing concept, to say the very least. It also just happens to be the name of the game when it comes to the Magic: the
GatheringTM game. For fifteen years, this game has stayed fresh and new by continuously reinventing itself with new expansion sets
and exciting new ways to play. Something is always going on with Magic: the Gathering, and its a thrill to share it all here in the
pages of Phoenix Lore Magazine.
The Magic coverage in this new online
publication isnt just for the hardcore
tournament playertheres far more to
the game of Magic than competition
play. The Magic: the Gathering game is
about freedom and creativity, and so is
Phoenix Lore Magazine.
In these pages, youll find plenty
of new decks to buildwhether for
tournaments or just for fun. Well also
discuss cards from the newest sets and
fun new ways to play the game. Its
difficult to burn out when creative
minds all over the world keep thinking
of fresh ideas for the greatest collectible
card game of all time. Of course, if you
do happen to burn yourself out for a
time, you can always come backjust
like the phoenix.
62
it appears by tapping two of your creatures that share a color with the spell
played. Persist lets the associated creature return to play after it has gone to
the graveyard. Specifically, if a creature
with Persist that has no 1/1 counters on it goes to the graveyard from
play, you can return it to play and put
a 1/1 counter on it. Shadowmoor
offers several ways to get rid of a 1/1
counter, so a creature with Persist can
be pretty hard to get rid of.
Shadowmoor, by its mere existence,
represents a new way of thinking with
respect to the creation and release of
new sets. Normally, a large expansion
set arrives in September, followed by
a small expansion set the following
January, and another in April that
Eventide
Shadowmoor now has a small expansion set of its own called Eventide that
just premiered in worldwide prerelease
events. In this way, the 20072008
Magic release season is unique. Most
Booster drafts in
Lorwyn called for two Lorwyn packs and one Morningtide pack,
but Shadowmoor drafts began with
three Shadowmoor booster packs. In
other words, when it comes to limited
play, Shadowmoor stands alone from
Lorwyn and Morningtide; the three
sets do not mix. Block constructed,
however, involves both the Lorwyn and
Shadowmoor mini-blocks.
Eventide was added to the block
constructed season at the beginning of
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promises that its newly released Traveller is based on the classic original and
updated for the new millennium. So
lets see whether the new game accomplishes that goal.
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Combat &
Encounters
Combat now involves
various types of actions.
The expanded options This is the map from the Deluxe Edtion box released in 1981
include some details on
Adept, and Psi-Warrior). The Psionics
comms, sensors, cover, and so forth,
system allows for Telepathy, Clairplus a section on vehicle combat.
voyance, Telekinesis, Awareness, and
The Encounters section is close to
that presented in Classic Traveller Book Teleportation.
3 (Worlds and Adventures), with the
Random Animal Generation Tables. A
Planetary Quirks Table has been added
Overall, Mongoose Publishing did
as well.
a good job of keeping the feel of the
Classic Traveller game while adding
more to it. The core rulebook contains
Youll find plenty of familiar equipenough material to populate an entire
ment in the new version. The game
sector with animals native to individual
features some of the items from Classic
worlds, create ships to travel among
Traveller Book 4 (Mercenary), such as
them, and generate endless adventures.
high-energy weapons. New additions
Some of the available pages could have
to the list include robots and drones.
been put to better use, but Traveller
Spacecraft design is pretty close to
players should find plenty to use here.
the Classic Traveller version. Most of
As an interesting side note, the book
the same components are featured,
appears to have had a separate printing
plus drones, electronics packages, and
for the U.S. market, but the text was
different types of armour. The system
not adjusted to match U.S. spellings.
allows for construction of spacecraft up Players in the U.S. may need a bit of
to 2,000 tons, whereas Classic Traveller time to get used to this aspect.
Book 2: Starships allowed up to 5,000.
Screens and bay weapons (previously in
Andrew James Alan Welty is thought to
Classic Traveller Book 5: High Guard)
be a bot in the chat channels he frequents.
have been added as well. Finally, the
Only his editor knows the truth.
system includes details for a variety
of spacecraft and small craft complete
with deck plans.
Conclusion
Psionics
The first version of Traveller was released in
1977. This Deluxe Edition was released in
1981.
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