Bryan's Dungeons & Dragons Site

Author: Bryan Fazekas

  • Spells Books

    September 2006

    This page provides expanded rules and information regarding the size and cost of spell books. I collected information from various sources, included the DMG, Dragon Magazine, and my own invention, to assemble these rules.

    Spell Books

    Magic-user and illusionist spell books are normally of a standard size, i.e. 8 inches wide by 12 inches high. The covers must be of a durable material, usually dragon hide, and are a minimum of 1/8 inch thick each. The pages are normally made of the finest vellum, each sheet being 1/100 inch thick. Spells generally require space equal to 1 page per level of the spell, plus an additional 1d4 pages of general notes and comments. Cantrips are counted as first levels spells for space purposes. The standard number of pages, number of spells the book will hold, and the encumbrance for the different spell levels is listed in Table A1.

    Table #A1 — Spell Book Size and Weight

    Spell Level # Pages # Spells Encumbrance
    1 125 31 75
    2 125 25 75
    3 150 25 90
    4 150 22 90
    5 175 22 105
    6 175 20 105
    7 200 20 120
    8 200 18 120
    9 200 16 120

    To determine the thickness of a spell book, divide the number of pages by 100 and add 1/4 inch to include the covers. This is the standard size, while books designed to hold any number of spells may be constructed.

    All the books are made with the finest and most durable materials available, so the expense of a single book is quite high. The cost of enchanting a book so as to hold spells is also rather expensive, requiring an Enchant An Item or Major Creation spell, depending on whether the book is for a magic-user or illusionist. A book normally costs 1,000gp plus 500gp per level of the spell it is designed to hold. A traveling book (see below) costs 750gp plus 500gp per level of the spell. A book containing spells has the value of the book itself, allowing for condition, plus 100gp-300gp per level for each spell contained in it.

    Traveling Spell Books

    One of the most popular sizes is the “traveling books”, which are much smaller and easier to carry, but hold less spells. These books are normally 6 inches wide by 10 inches high and the number of pages, number of spells, and encumbrance of each is listed in Table A2.

    Note: Due to the smaller page size, travelling books require an additional 1d2 pages per spell, regardless of level.

    Table #A2 — Traveling Spell Book Size and Weight

    Spell Level # Pages # Spells Encumbrance
    1 50 10 25
    2 50 8 25
    3 50 7 25
    4 55 7 30
    5 6 22 30
    6 60 6 35
    7 60 5 35
    8 60 5 35
    9 60 4 35

  • Writings of Other Sages

    Following are other accounts written by lesser known or completely unknown sages.

    Panamon Creel

    Panamon Creel was born in the year 7866 ASNK, into a family of great prestige and hone, but little wealth remaining. Being of high nobility he spent much of his youth in the Palace of Refuge. He grew up close friends with Deley Porsupah, nephew of the king, Keken Miltoat.

    Training early together in the arts of war, they went to war against Nequat. In vicious fighting both showed great skill and courage. Each received battle field honors for their courage and skill.

    Upon completion of the war Creel returned home to find his father dead and the little remained of the estate gone to pay creditors. With no family or support he left Refuge for a life of adventure at the tender age of 22. His life away from Refuge is still largely unknown.

    Miltoat employed strict measures during the four years that the war with Nequat lasted. Becoming paranoid with age, Miltoat failed to repeal the measures imposed by war. In the following five years further measures were added to the already strict ones.

    A number of important and influential people spoke to the king, and when no results were gained, spoke openly. The most outspoken were imprisoned on trumped up charges, or no charges at all. When that did not quiet the noisy voices more arrests were made, and some executions.

    Among the arrests were his nephew Deley. Deley spent several years imprisoned when Creel returned to Refuge.

    This was not the Panamon Creel of old. He looked more worn that typically does a man of thirty, and his left had was replaced by a pike. Hearing of his friend’s plight he staged a lone assault on the castle and succeeded in releasing and escaping with Deley and other important prisoners.

    Miltoat believed the Assassins Guild was responsible and began a vicious war upon that organization. Three months later the war ended abruptly with the death of the king and his entire family. Gone also were the entire hierarchy of the Guild, a blow it never recovered from.

    His uncle dead, Deley emerged from hiding and assumed the throne. He released all surviving political prisoners and established a fair law system, repealing all the harsh measures implemented by his unlamented uncle. He has ruled since that time with Creel at his right hand.

    Author’s Note: This description was provided to the characters of my second campaign. This party included a paladin and (of course) was good aligned. They worked periodically for Creel (named for the Terry Brooks character) and became favorites of his.

    This character was an inside joke — VERY inside, known only to the DM (me)!

    After the destruction of the original assassins guild, Creel rebuilt it and became the guildmaster! Since Creel was a great actor and the paladin never thought to Detect Evil on his great friend and patron, things went on for years of game time with a paladin happily working for the Grandfather of Assassins! Most enjoyable was the look on the player’s face when I finally told him who his character’s mentor actually was! ROFL!

    DMs are the most sadistic and cruel people imaginable, aren’t we?

    Notes of the Strange Visitor

    Written by Sheen O’Fally, noted Halfling sage.

    Strange he was, though he appeared a normal human. He knew not any of the languages known to me (which are many) but learned the common trade tongue in but a week.

    He eventually managed to explain to me what he is and how he came to be here, though I was surprised at how much better I understood the latter than he. His world is a strange one, and he had to invent many words to describe things not of this world.

    After spending many months in discussions he decided to search for a way to his home. Having nothing nearly quite as interesting as this human, named Ecee, I decided to travel with him.

    We visited sages in many cities in search of a gate or other way to his home world, but success eluded us. Finally we received word of a possible nexus, or gateway to many places, and set off in search of it. Its location is reputed to be some where in the Krin-Hilmas mountains.

    I leave this journal in the case that I do not return. The trip is likely to have many dangers, and I might just go with him through the nexus, as other worlds will be far more interesting to me than this one.

    Author’s Note: This fragment of an obscure writing introduced the concept of the Nexus Portal to the first campaign I ran. It proved to be an interesting way to getting the party to hunt for the Nexus. While I didn’t do as much as I intended with the Nexus, it is proving to be an and crucial part of my current campaign in which my sons play.

  • Writings of the Archmage Kold-Robi

    Author’s Note: This pastiche was written regarding Gilmedya, one of the most powerful nycadaemons alive. I later restyled her as a shaxadaemon, as I replaced the daemons that Wizards of the Coast excluded from the Open Gaming License. While I publish under Fair Use, not the OGL, it seemed like a good idea and I produced what is, in my opinion, a better fleshed out monster.

    The major daemons have a “use name” which is often the first syllable of their full name, which is well guarded. By this convention, Gill is Gilmedya’s use name.

    The Lord Archmage Kold-Robi is most noted for possessing the Star & Sword that still bear his name. Although he did not create that matched set of artifacts, he retrieved them from the vaults of the Demon Prince Jxtl, and later lost his life defending his people from a force of undead.

    Kold-Robi was born approximately 2,700 years after the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms. He rose to power as a soldier and wizard and led a successful incursion into the domain of Jxtl, severely weakening the demon who had supplanted Jxtl when his material form was destroyed by the Archmage Ignatz. Jxtl later destroyed his weakened rival, but in typical demon fashion felt outrage that a mortal invaded his domain. It appears that Jxtl supported the undead incursion in which Kold-Robi cost his life.

    Diary of Kold-Robi, regarding Gill

    There she stood, Gill, a nycadaemon, arguing with an ultrodaemon that my life be spared. Her stock with the other daemons was such that soon others backed him, and me.

    The ultrodaemon at last lost his patience. He ordered Gill away. The nycadaemon grudgingly turned and left. When she was forty feet away the ultrodaemon attacked she who would dispute so vigorously his rulings!

    The ultrodaemon discovered to his dismay that for the last twenty minutes he had argued with an illusion, an image. Gill struck back the way she had been attacked: from behind!

    So as not to give the Supreme a chance to further use his spell abilities, Gill struck with her great sword. The ultrodaemon was not the warrior that any nycadaemon is and quickly went down.

    This short battle spawned a riot, as Gill’s supporters quickly attacked those who had supported the ultrodaemon!

    Gill grabbed me, all trussed up, threw me over her shoulder with the bag containing my Sword, Star, and armor, and fled. She outran the outraged mob and when she had sufficient distance, shifted us to Gehenna.

    She knew of a Gate that would lead to Trivana, and while she could not use it I could. Once there I used the last of my spells to bring her to me and we traveled to my home …

  • Writings of the Archmage Ignatz

    Author’s Note: I wrote this during a fit of creativity, planning to use the Demonomicon as the focus for several adventures. I didn’t go through with that plan, although I don’t remember why not.

    The Archmage Ignatz is mostly remembered for being a fool who thought he got the better of a demon prince. To his chagrin, which was short lived, he did not succeed. Ignatz is also remembered for his writings about the use of flowers in making potions.

    Ignatz was born over 2,000 years after the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms, and was believed to be nearly 150 when Jxtl killed him. The destruction of his material body cost Jxtl his position in the Abyss, which took him nearly 800 years to recover. He has been quoted as saying that Ignatz got off FAR too easily!

    Final Diary of the Archmage Ignatz

    And so the demon, Jxtl, left himself vulnerable to my spell. He was encapsulated in the urn and I simply transported him back to my home.

    Once there I picked his brain for magically related information. I little comprehended the import of what he told me, leading to my downfall. Having intelligence near to that of a god, far greater than my own, he quickly understood the exacts of the spell I used to trap him, and set about devising a way to trick me into freeing him.

    Over a period of nearly 50 years he fed me information related to that which might release him, and my own foolish experimentation with that I did not fully understand released the bonds I had so carefully woven.

    He attacked me from surprise, I not realizing I had revoked my own magic. My servitors strove to aid me but he quickly destroyed even the most potent of them. But they did buy me enough time to kills his material body, forcing him to flee. But I overextended myself and will soon perish.

    He will suffer in torment in the Abyss for centuries to come, but will eventually regain his power. In the end he has won, for I will be dust.

    My beloved also suffers a horrid fate, but at least she will survive the centuries. I have prepared, with my last strength, a place for her to rest where she will be safe and may in turn guard my treasures though the centuries to come. Most importantly, I leave a copy of my Demonomicon for her to guard, the other five copies destroyed so they might not fall into evil hands.

    Should any find her resting place I pity them. I have also left terrible guards to end the lives of interlopers.

  • Galafid’s Writings of Rendelshod

    updated 29 October 2006

    These pastiches were intended to give our group a feeling for the history of the First War of the Gods, also called the Wars of Rendelshod and the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms. Using this form let me provide information without too much detail. And since it’s hearsay from 8,000 years ago, the writings may be less than accurate.

    One of my tenets of world building is to not flesh out details until they are needed, as ideas can morph with experience. Plus, anything the PCs have not directly experienced is hearsay and may be wrong. This allows for fixing and molding things as we go.

    It also let me exercise creative writing, which was fun.

    Note: These pastiches are displayed in what is believed to be chronological order. All are attributed to Galafid; yet he supposedly died during the year that followed the Lords of Rendelshod’s defeat at the demon lord Jxtl’s hands.

    Aftermath of the Great Storm

    The Southern Seas are roiled and the corpse of many a creature, both of land and sea, lie dead on the beaches or lost forever in the depths. Our party came near such a fate but a friendly bit of land interposed itself between our ship and the deeps, and we are wrecked but alive on a fruitful shore. Where we be now I know not but those of us knowledgeable of such things believe our position to be the Island of Korpu, somewhere on a northern shore.

    Reaching Rary, northern most of the island of the Southern Kingdoms, I no longer believe possible. Whether they exist any longer, or no, I cannot say. Travel we did, not four hundred miles due south of the point south of Jakith, and there, where two hundred miles travel should have brought us to Rary, we found no land. As noted before the seas were rough, but a ship of our size, while not equal to a dromond, was still able to laugh at such waves.

    I take this time to now record and preserve my account, that such might outlast my pitiful self and be of value to some future generation. I am old and may not survive the coming rainy season, this spring of 6847, nineteen years after the beginning of the Great Wars of Destruction.

    On our eighty-first day out from the point south of Jakith the storm sprang up and put to an end our search for a place of refuge. The winds and high seas pushed us north at an incredible rate. From the First Mate’s calculations of our present location we traveled eleven hundred miles in a day and a half.

    Lost at sea are seventeen of our twenty-nine crew, including our Captain. Out of one hundred twelve passengers seventy-two remain, but seven are expected to die within the week from injuries sustained during our rapid travel. We no longer have a cleric of power to save them, even if our patron gods were accessible to us. Too, if permanent shelters cannot be erected and sufficient quantities of good gathered before Fall, many more shall perish.

    We have food enough to sustain our reduced numbers for three weeks, double that if strict rationing is imposed. Fortunately, fresh water is plentiful for there are three springs in the area. The rainy season will be bad, but some will survive and will be able to raise crops to prevent a second happening of famine. I despair I will not be among them.

    Of the Lords I cannot say. They sent myself and all other servants away some four months past. I speculate that the Great Storm sprang up at the time of a terrible battle between the Lords and the enemies of the Lands of Men. The result I may never know.

    The Doom of the Lords of Rendelshod

    Two centuries past the Lords of Rendelshod still held sway over many a desolate and formerly evil place. Many a king or prince felt envy, but no kingdom had the power to challenge the great Lords. Many a Lord died in the service of his Goddess, Epixenie, but always came another to replace his great predecessor.

    A tragedy it was that their greatness extended itself to their minds, for the truly great have no need of arrogance. Even more unfortunate it was that Epixenie herself drank of the deadly pride that infected us all.

    They battled devils, Greater and Princes, and a many it was they slew. But their short sightedness was their downfall, for they looked not at the dangers of the Abyss. So it was that Jxtl, Demon Prince of Deception, intervened on the behalf of the devils and struck the Goddess down through trickery. And So It Was Her End!

    Now demons, devils, and many evil creatures aligned themselves with the evil kingdoms and the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms began.

    For twenty years the Wars continued, and in that time the Keeps of the Lords of Rendelshod fell, one by one. In the year their last Keep stood unsacked the Lords made their decision. Sending away their lesser members and servants to help the remaining good forces, they left their Keep undefended and traveled to Jxtl to face their doom and avenge the death of their Goddess. Revenge they found not! Only unending doom!

    Defeated they were and doomed to un-Life everlasting. Their Blades were taken ‘way and left with false hope they returned to their homelands and dispersed.

    Jxtl spoke: “Your Blades I return to the land of men. When all are recovered you may try again your luck and then be doomed to an unending fate worse than that has already overtaken you. But before you leave on your separate ways I say this to you (as he held one Blade high): Until this very Blade is found none of the others will reach your hands!”

    And so he dispersed them, but his doom was the trickery that all else about him is, for the Blade remained with him in the Abyss so that the Lords’ torment would never end.

    The ruin of our world is complete. Gone forever is Caradin, the bright kingdom adorning Mount Thunder. Gone is Lepadillia, heart of the Elves, its great forests blasted to splinters and burned. Gone are the warrens of the Dwarves and Gnomes, the Kirik Mountains, shaken and crumbled by Hell. Sunk is the bright land of the Halflings, changed now to a deadly marsh.

    But, too, is destroyed Saracind, the heart of evil, shattered by its own greed, its mountain fastness now known as the Plateau of Death. Where lay horrid Jkith is now the Mithril Mountains, their evil cities shattered and buried. The cities of Rharhiky died in the creation of the Great Sandy Waste, consumption by sand a most proper fate.

    Only untouched are the Valley Elves, denizens of the Valley of the Mystical Mage. In the far frozen north, in a land of steam, this magical place remains as it was. To reach it one must travel past the Shattered Hills, once the Kariks, and travel to the gate …

    Fate of the Lords of Rendelshod

    This I write in the four hundred seventy-first year after the end of the Wars of Rendelshod. I am at the last castle of Rendelshod that still stands. The other seventeen are scattered in pieces or crumbled by ill-used forces of nature. Druids still curse those who would do such.

    My investigation of the burial crypt far below the castle first discovered strong enchantments upon it. I was able to discover that more than one spell has been cast. Good has protected the burial chamber for the former Lords with creatures of the Positive Plane. Evil has protected the eighteen biers of stone.

    The Lords never added those biers, so I know not why, for sure, the reason for their placement. I suspect, but may never prove, that when each Lord recovers his Cleaver he will be forced to rest upon one. Also, when each Cleaver has been found all the Lords are assembled a shift will take place — to the realm of Jxtl.

    Of course, this may never take place, as the Prince of Deception kept the Cleaver that is fated to be the first found. But I know a brave fool stole that fated Blade and escaped Jxtl’s realm. He later lost that Blade but told me the story afore demons caught and punished him.

    Think, I do, that Jxtl prepared for the possibility that the Lords might recover their Cleavers. Even with that Blade upon our Plane the eventuality of retribution is small.

    Searched I have for the other seventeen blades, but none could I find. I hoped that such help might gain the reprieve that the Lords desire and deserve, whether it would or not I shall probably never know. In the past four hundred and seventy-one years I have seen four of the eighteen Lords, and if they are rare, their Cleavers are rarer.

    Teroba Tur, Half-Elven Fighter & Thief

    Recorded by Galafid

    This is a brief account as told by Teroba Tur, a half-elven fighter and thief who raided the demon prince Jxtl’s treasure room. Tur did not survive much past telling this story to Galafid.

    Having cast a Change Self spell I simply walked through the palace of Jxtl, looking like a Type VII demon. I used a quick mind and found his treasure room, which was completely unguarded as no thing would DARE to enter it for fear of his wrath. HA!

    I had an idea of what I wanted, mostly jewelry and gems, things easy to carry. I knew magic deteriorated in that hellish place, so I planned on little, having gone for fame and wealth anyway.

    I changed my mind once inside. I saw the broadsword hanging on the wall, all silvery and gleaming. I HAD to have it!

    That idea changed when I pulled it of the wall. The shock nearly fried me clappers! I still wanted it so I wrapped it in cloth to shield me, grabbed a few items that appeared the most valuable, and lit out of there.

    I was almost back to the gate when the alarm sounded. I made it through by the skin ‘o me teeth. Once back I faded through the city and listened to a thousand people get croaked as a horde of demons poured through the gate. As soon as the coast was clear I got clean out of the city and came here …

    Teroba Tur’s Fate

    This short note was found with other writings attributed to Galafid. However, this one is clearly not one of his — the unidentified author’s writing does not match Galafid’s style of writing, although the piece is believed to have been written between 470 and 480 After the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms (ASNK).

    The thief Teroba Tur rambled an unbelievable tale in a drunken rant. He had much clinkers and was free with drinks, so like the other gats, I slurped free ale.

    But I’s smarter than the other gats — wanting some of that clinkers, I drank little while the others passed out, one by one. It was just Tur and me at the end. He told be a tale that sounded like the boasts of a soused idiot. Anyone with that much clinkers in his pockets had to be stupid to get drunk, especially after flashing it around.

    He bragged he breached the demon lord’s castle — I fears to even write the name, as names have power. Once inside, he stole a great sword and a bunch of easy to carry loot, like the gems he flashed around. Some demon worshiper had opened a gate in one of the Pahkian cities, and Tur snuck through to get to the castle.

    He was so full of it, the whites of his eyes were brown. Ain’t no one gonna do that, go to the Abyss! I didn’t call him a liar and he was drunk enough he didn’t know what I were thinking.

    He crowed that the alarm was sounded just before he got back to the gate, it sounded like bedlam. A horde of demons boiled through the gate. Not slowing down, he stole a horse and rode out of the city like his ass was on fire.

    Maybe he wasn’t so full of it. A gat like him ain’t gonna admit to running. But still?

    As much as he wanted to keep the sword, it was enchanted and didn’t like him. If he touched it without a pad, he got shocked hard. He showed me the scars on his left hand and arm where it looked like he was burned badly. Whatever happened, the wound was fresh, less than two weeks old. Something happened and it didn’t look like fire. Not that I’m an expert or nothing.

    Anyway, he sold the sword and kept riding south, intending to take passage to the Southern Islands. Said he was knew the demons was tracking him.

    Huh! The dumbass spent clinkers like it was water, leaving a trail a blind badger could follow.

    That said, he plunked face down on the table. I grabbed a handful of smaller stones and silver clinkers and took my leave. Enough to stead me for a year or two if I was smart, but not enough that he’d track me down. Figured he’d not wake up for hours and probably wouldn’t know he was short, any how. Not that I was counting on that.

    Months later I heared someone caught up with him early that following morning. The other fellows we drank with were torn apart like sabre cats got ’em, and Tur was shredded from the bottom up. Someone wanted to know something, I thinks. Sure, the guy that told the tale pulled it a bit, but I heared from another guy another story so I believe Tur died hard.

    As much as I thought he was full of crap, I heard that the Pahkian city Dar-El-Kas was sacked about the time Tur said. Word is demons slaughtered all’uns, but ya can’t believe that hooey.

    Also heard some ugly gat was asking about me, a guy that made people scared just to be near him. I thinks I’ll be booking passage to the Southern Islands quick like.

    Copyright Bryan Fazekas 2021

  • Writings of Galafid

    Author’s Note: The writing of Galafid were originally conceived for the background for my series of adventures involving the search for the Rod of Seven Parts. I scrapped the original background and used a mandate from a god to find the Rod so he could use it to avert a war between the gods.

    However, the Lords of Rendelshod proved too interesting to let die, so I used it to flesh out the back history of the World. This led to a non-party adventure in which our group played the eighteen Lords of Rendelshod after they reclaimed their Cleavers and hunted the demon lord Jxtl down. It was an interesting adventure for the party as they got to play the Lords, condemned to Skeleton Warrior existence by Jxtl, while letting me avoid the pitfall of letting players play regular characters that are undead. Given the ease with which eighteen Skeleton Warriors went through armies of demons, it reinforces the idea that undead are NOT player characters!

    I decided afterward that Jxtl was only slightly dead and he later recovered and rebuilt his power, although that took another 600 years of game time. While he was no longer a factor in that campaign or the two that followed it (nor my brother’s two campaigns), Jxtl is is a factor in the current campaign.

    Most surviving accounts of the Wars of Rendelshod, sometimes called the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms, were recorded by Galafid, the noted sage and adviser to Teroip Stemtarp *, the last Senior Lord of Rendelshod. This noted sage was believed to have been in Stemtarp’s service prior to the beginning of the Wars, stayed with him during the 20 years the Wars lasted, and was finally sent away with the other servitors just before the Lords of Rendelshod faced the Demon Prince Jxtl and lost.

    It was believed that Galafid, a human, died shortly after the Wars ended. Every evidence from that time, fragmentary as it is, points to this as a fact. However, accounts supposedly written by Galafid turn up, dated centuries later. An analysis of the age of the documents and the handwriting, as well as the writing style lead most authorities to believe that they are authentic. How this is so is unknown.

    Note:

    * In the language of that time, the “p” silent so the name Teroip Temtarp is pronounced tear-roy stem-tar.

  • Sword and Star of Kold-Robi

    Author’s Note: I had planned the Sword & Star as an artifact for Susafras, my brother’s Elven fighter/mage. Again, I can’t remember the details, but if I recall correctly I realized the combination proved FAR too powerful and would upset game balance. So the Sword & Star went into history instead of PC hands.

    In their place Susafras gained Kith-Kanae, which means Wyrm Slayer in old Elven. Somewhere I have the write-up on Kith-Kanae, but it’s essentially a long sword made from one of the fangs of a great wyrm in antiquity — imagine a wyrm with a 3′ plus fangs, if you will!

    I can’t find my index card with Kith-Kanae’s abilities — it may be that it’s in a box in my brother’s attic. One of these days I’ll prevail upon him to dig it out …

    In ages past the Elven fighter-mage Kold-Robi obtained from the demon lord Jxtl a pair of artifacts of great power. Weakened by the loss of these items Jxtl later lost a great battle and was imprisoned by the Archmage Ignatz. He later fought his way free and was forced to remain on his own plane for many centuries. Kold-Robi felt himself safe from the revenge and influence of the demon lord and rule a small kingdom for many decades.

    Kold-Robi had not reckoned with the undead mind of the Arch-Lich Benra Sal Kee. From afar the lich watched the prosperity and happiness of the Elven kingdom; hatred and envy grew. Finally Benra Sal Kee, with a horde of evil and undead creatures, attacked. The countryside was laid waste and peasants were kills by the hundred, bolstering Benra Sal Kee’s army with new conscripts. Siege was levied upon the castle of Kold-Robi. Help was sent for but did not arrive in time to save the valiant defenders. The day before help arrived the castle fell, only a handful survived. Legends tell of the terrible battle between the two powerful spell casters, one Elven and one undead.

    The body of the mighty king was recovered, but not so his Sword and Star.

    Enraged by the slaughter the reinforcements carved the army of Benra Sal Kee to pieces. No quarter was offered even to the non-undead members of that army.

    Benra Sal Kee was tracked back to his lair and was believed destroyed. But the Sword and Star were never recovered.

    Stories persist that the Sword turns up from time to time, but no reliable sightings have ever occurred. Legends state that anyone can use the sword, but it’s full powers are available only to fighter-mages of Lawful alignment.

    The location of the Star is shrouded in mystery. Learned sages believe that Benra Sal Kee still exists and that the Star is in his possession.

    The Sword of Kold-Robi is a Long Sword +5 with Vorpal ability. It also has the following powers which are activated by the mental command of the possessor if the possessor is a fighter-mage:

    • 12 die Cone of Cold once per day, +1 on each die of damage, saves at -1

      • li>12 die Fireball once per day, +1 on each die of damage, saves at -1

    • Cure Critical Wounds 4 times per day, +1 on each die
    • Feather Fall at need

    There are two banes: All possessor saving throws are at -1, and none of the powers will work upon a lich or within 20′ of one, including the Prime power:

    One 24 HD Elemental can be conjured once per day. The conjuring takes 1 full round to accomplish and can be whatever type the summoner choose. The elemental has 192 hit points and is AC 0. It has two attacks per round for the same damage as an elemental of its type. It will cooperate fully with the summoner.

    Upon use of this power the user will age 3d10 years and the magic will be drained from one randomly determined item within 30′. If there is no other magic item within range the user will be aged a further 3d10 years.

    There is a 3% cumulative chance per use that the owner will be charmed by the Sword. A charmed person will not permit the Sword from his possession and will fight with no other weapon except where a dagger or hammer is necessary. In addition, the owner will attack any lich on sight and will fight until the lich is dead.

    The Sword has an intelligence of 21 and an Ego of 27. If the personality scores of the owner can overweigh that of the Sword the charm can be negated.

    The Star is a 7-pointed star 5 inches in diameter. At each point is a 5,000 gp ruby and embedded in the center is a diamond of 15,000 gp value. The Star and the chain it hangs on are made of platinum, and as a piece of jewelry it is valued at 100,000 gp. As an artifact it is worth well over 200,000 gp, as is the Sword.

    The following powers activate automatically:

    • Absorb up to 51 points of Magic Missile damage per day
    • Absorb up to 3 energy level drains or death rays per day
    • Saving throws are gained against spells that do not normally allow them (see Scarab of Protection)

    The following powers are activated by touching certain gems in a particular order. The numbers in parenthesis indicate which gems must be touched and in which order, starting with the bottom gem and going clockwise.

    • Teleport Without Error twice per day (1-4-5)
    • Cure Disease at touch at will (2-6-7)
    • Move at 36″ speed for 1 turn once per day (3-5-7)

    The preceding powers require 3 segments to take effect. In addition, there are two banes. The casting of spells that have a verbal component require that the caster shout. The second is that all dogs coming within 20′ will try to urinate on the possessor’s legs.

    The prime power of the Star is a Time Stop at 30th level spell use. This power takes 5 segments to activate. There is a 3% cumulative chance per use, maximizing at 24%, that the user will be Disintegrated at the completion of the Time Stop (1-3-5-7-2-4-6-D).

    The Star has an intelligence of 21 and an Ego of 22. If it is possessed by the same person as the Sword it will reinforce the charm.

    That the Sword and Star are a set is of little doubt. In addition to reinforcing the charm of the possessor, a third prime power is gained when both are possessed. Once per day the user may invoke a double-strength Power Word Kill, activated by placing the hilt of the Sword against the diamond of the Star. Regardless of the effect of the spell, the user must save vs. Death Magic or be killed.

  • Cleavers of Epixenie

    Author’s Note: The Castle Rendelshod and the Lords of Rendelshod are key items in the history of Trivana. They were the protectors of law and order across Trivana for nearly a thousand years. Their reign ended when the demon lord Jxtl slew their patron goddess, Epixenie. This triggered a war among the gods which ended twenty years later when, in close proximity in time, the war between the gods ended with the deaths of half the gods, a tremendous upheaval shattered the northern half of Trivana, and the Lords of Rendelshod fought Jxtl at his castle in the Abyss and lost.

    This era is called the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms, and time is recorded with the nomenclature After the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms (ASNK)

    In 7917 ASNK the PCs of my first campaign assisted the Lords of Rendelshod, who had been condemned to everlasting life as skeleton warriors, in re-grouping and having a second chance to kill Jxtl. This played out as a mind game for the players. Most of it took place off stage, although we did run a LONG game one night (started at 2PM and finished 3AM) in which the players took on the part of the Lords of Rendelshod and trashed Jxtl’s palace and killed him.

    This reinforced the rule that undead are NOT player characters and showed that even a poorly played Skeleton Warrior is a deadly thing. I also gained understanding of why a good villain should never be killed, which is why Jxtl was only slightly dead and later regained his power.

    A thousand years before the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms the Lords of Rendelshod held sway in many desolate areas. They were originally lords of all races, of Chaotic Good alignment, who banded together in a common society. Each fought Evil the best he could.

    The Lords of Rendelshod knew they could not destroy all Evil and so fought on a limited scale. Vast areas came under their protection and they sought to extend their influence to even greater areas. For all their power they did not rule, they merely fought great sources of evil. The act of governing and of fighting lesser evils they left to others.

    At any one time there were eighteen of their fighting men. Each carried a great weapon, a Cleaver, gifts from their patron goddess Epixenie. These were weapons of great power, with many powers including intelligence. What was most feared was their ability to cleave in twain the bodies of their foes, much as does a Vorpal blade remove heads. Each had a special purpose to destroy Lawful Evil beings.

    Constantly on their guard, the minions of Lawful Evil including the greatest arch-devils could not destroy them or keep them from their duty. The Lords, however, failed to watch for other great sources of evil, their single-mindedness protecting them only from Lawful Evil.

    The demon lord Jxtl, the Prince of Deception, saw this weakness and waited. Finally, he saw his chance and began a web of trickery and lies that the Lords could not see through. The web was completed when the Lords were deceived into allowing their patron goddess to be killed.

    The Lords of Rendelshod then saw that their arrogance had paved the way for the betrayal of themselves. With Epixenie gone the castles of the Lords were sacked, one by one. Hosts of evil things advanced on the Last Keep of Rendelshod, the first and strongest of their order. This was the beginning of the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms.

    Seeing their doom, the Lords sent away all their remaining servitors and lesser members. The eighteen went to face down Jxtl and at least pay a little for their arrogance. They went to their dooms.

    After defeating them the Prince of Deception used his demonic powers and transformed them into Skeleton Warriors. He doomed them to wander the Prime Material plane until each of the 18 Cleavers, which he scattered, was recovered.

    His doom was a deception, for the first sword that could be recovered he kept in his possession so that the doom would be eternal. The rest he scattered about the Prime Material knowing that without the first none of the others would be found.

    Unfortunately for Jxtl a brave adventurer stole that fateful blade, not knowing what it was. The adventurer lost it shortly after and none no knows where that fateful blade now rests. The Demon Lord still searches for that Cleaver, knowing that if the Lords regain their swords they will regain their power.

    written by Galafid, adviser to Teroip Temstarp, the last First Lord of Rendelshod

    Each Lord is the equivalent of a 15th level fighter. Each has 138 hit points and has the human equivalent of 18 in all statistics except strength, which is 20.

    Any encountered will be wearing Chain Mail +4, carry a Shield +4, a magic weapon of at least +3 quality, and one item from each of the following tables: Rings and E1 through E5 (see DMG).

    In addition, each is 90% magically resistant and is immune to the following effects: Sleep, Charm, Hold, Cold, Insanity, Electricity, Enfeeblement, Polymorph, Slow, Haste, and Death Spells/Symbols. Attacks are 3 per round at +3 to hit and +8 damage (due to strength). If alignment is detected they will radiate Chaotic Neutral.

    A Lord will try to regain his Cleaver without violence, but if pressed will fight savagely. Upon gaining the sword the Lord will be teleported to the Castle Rendelshod to await the coming of his fellows in the crypt deep below the castle.

    A Cleaver has an intelligence of 18 and ego of 35. Each is capable of speaking human, all demi-human, and all humanoid languages. The sword is a Greatsword +3, +7 vs. Lawful Evil Creatures and Demons. Each has the following powers usable at will, one per round: Detect Alignment, Detect Secret Doors, Flying, Protection from Evil, and Telekinesis. Each also has the special purpose of destroying Lawful Evil creatures and the special purpose power of Disintegrate. On a natural 20 the opponent is dealt an additional 10d10 points of damage, and if this kills the opponent is cloven in twain.

    Author’s Note: I considered giving the swords different powers, but when writing this (1983?) I realized the players would never possess a Cleaver more than momentarily, so I didn’t waste the time.

    When each of the Lords of Rendelshod regains his Cleaver, all will be in the crypt below the Castle Rendelshod. From there they will Plane Shift to the domain of Jxtl and will seek to destroy him.

    Jxtl knows this and knows fear. He will do anything in his power to prevent they Lords from finding their Cleavers. He will not hesitate to destroy any and all who attempt to aid the Lords, regardless of whether the aid is direct or indirect, intentional or not.

  • Rod of Seven Parts

    Author’s Note: The search for the Rod of Seven Parts kept my first campaign VERY busy for about 6 months real time. Originally, I planned to let one of the characters keep it, but decided, after much consideration, that the Rod was FAR too much for a character to have. So Ptah got the rod, trashed his opponents, and generally stopped a major war between the gods. Then he broke the Rod up and scattered it across the multiverse and that was that.

    I later put other artifacts into my campaigns, but these were less powerful and more balanced. In this case the party never got to use the full powers, so it kept things in balance while teaching me a valuable lesson as a DM.

    The Rod of Seven Parts was created by the Wind Mages of Karik for the High King of the Gnomes, Gonklyn. It was a gift to repay a favor done, the details of which were unknown even at the time. The Rod was passed down the line, from father to son, as each in turn grew too old to maintain the throne.

    The Rod was lost during the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms, the High King at that time being Mengon IV. It was buried with him when the city Marnio was destroyed in the cataclysm that marked the end of the Sack, also known as the Wars of Rendelshod.

    The Dwarven Lord Bolo sought and found the Rod in the ruins of the once great city and returned with it to defend his remaining people from a force of Black Elves and Subterranean Orc mercenaries. Bolo returned at the height of the final battle and used the Rod to defeat the enemy forces.

    Upon the end of the battle the Rod of Seven Parts broke up and scattered across the Planes. Since that time different pieces have shown up, but quickly disappeared back into obscurity.

    No two sections of the Rod were ever joined until the Lord-Mage Susafras led the Council of Rendelshod across the Planes in finding the pieces. He gave the Rod to his patron deity Ptah, who used it to end a major war between the Gods. Upon using it thus the Rod broke up and is again scattered across the Planes.

    Part

    Powers
    1 & 2 touch kills any plant or plant like creature, no saving throw
    2 & 3 possessor immune to Charm and Hold spells
    3 & 4 cast Audible Glamour 3 times per day
    4 & 5 cast Lightning Bolt twice per day (at level of holder)
    5 & 6 cast Wall of Fire 2 times per day
    6 & 7 cast Fireball twice per day (at level of holder)

    The possession of any part causes the possessor to eat 6 times normal amount.

    When all parts are joined the following powers and effects are gained:

    • Cast Levitate 3 times per day
    • Cast Hold on any creature once per day
    • Possessor’s hair turns bright blue
    • Possessor gets acne on face

    In addition, the following prime powers are gained:

    • Magic resistance of 40%, which adds onto any existing magic resistance. Duration is 1 turn and can be used once per day.
    • Total immunity to mental and psionic attacks, having a 1 turn duration, usable once per day.
    • Improves armor class by 5 points whenever held.
    • When used as a quarterstaff, acts as a Staff +6, striking for 10d10 points of damage.
    • All basic powers are available at will, and the holder can use any one each round.

    Whenever a prime power is used all friendly creatures within 20′ radius suffer 2d8 points of damage, and there is a 15% chance that the Rod will break up and scatter.

  • Nine Steel Horns of Valhalla

    Author’s Note: I cannot remember what I intended to do with this. It may be that this was simply my first stab at creating artifacts and that having completed my fit of creativity, I shelved it. I’m guessing this was my first stab at creating an artifact, as the bane for using one of a differing alignment is over the top.

    I recall fleshing out the Neutral horn, but lost the description.

    The real value of this one to me, at the current time, is the history of the horns as those NPCs were important figures in their times.

    In the distant past, long before the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms, nine horns were fashioned of the finest steel by the greatest of the Dwarven smiths, Gallahend. The human Archmage Tuamin enchanted each of these horns into the most powerful of all the Horns of Valhalla. Nine warriors of Neutral alignment were each given a horn to better balance the effects of Law and Chaos, and of Evil and Good.

    For centuries this quest carried on, each Horn passing from father to son as each warrior was slain or grew too old to continue. Sadly, with the passage of time the descendants of the original nine lost the zeal that their forefathers possessed. They drifted apart and the belief of Neutrality became muddled.

    Eventually the Horns shifted and each became aligned to one of the nine ethos. During the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms they passed out of knowledge and were lost. From time to time one turns up, and it is believed that eight of the Horns bear heavy banes, although the single horn still aligned with Neutrality is said to be a greatly desired item.

    Each Horn can only be possessed by a warrior of the same ethos as that of the Horn. Any creatures of any other alignment attempting to use a Horn will suffer 10d10 points of damage, will be Feebleminded, and must save vs. Magic or lose 1d8 levels.

    Each Horn is capable of summoning, once per month, a berserk Lord of 13th level, having 102 hit points, 18/00 strength, 18 in all other statistics. Each wears Plate Mail +3, carries a Shield +3, and wields a Broadsword of Defending +5. Once summoned a berserker remains for 13 rounds or until slain. When the berserker’s duration ends through time or death, he fades away along with all items he arrived with.

    The Neutral Horn has the following powers/effects:

    • 3x I
    • 1x III
    • 1x V
    • 1x VI

    The other eight Horns have the following powers/effects:

    • 3x I
    • 2x III
    • 1x IV
    • 1x V
    • 1x VI