[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #7: Brotherhood of the Writhing Arm Part II

The latest venture has the characters lose a valuable member from their group, they nevertheless wait for the rest of the party to appear, while hiding the bodies inside some barrels at the backyard, so that they can all descend into the mysterious brotherhood's secret hideout. The problem is, the entrance to the hideout is nowhere to be seen. And none of the cultists seem to be around. Patience is a virtue, however, and while having decided to wait at the mead hall's common room, the characters notice a red-haired man limping to one of the back doors. Slowly following him, they end up in the same corridor that leads to the backyard. At that point, Caledon gets a feeling that a concealed door should be around and with a little searching, the group manages to gain access to a secret chamber, where red robes and black hood hang on the walls, for the initiated. The group decides to don the cultist robes and, disguised, start to infiltrate the hideout.

After walking the old, dimly lit corridors, the characters come upon an unholy meeting, where a score of hooded cultists listen to their leader's speech, inside the remains of an ancient shrine. While listening to the leader's rambling, the group witnesses in shock as one of the cultists, so-called "traitor", is stabbed multiple times and bleeds to death. Soon after, the ecstatic mass is over and everyone silently leaves the murderous scene. Investigating further, the characters discover another secret door, that leads away from the ancient shrine. On their way, they happen upon a cell, where a female elf is kept prisoner. After releasing her and taking her with them (the elf lady barely walking, with all the tortured she had suffered), they move forward to a door. Beyond the door, the group finds a strange scene: the body of an old man, lying on a pool of its own blood, and a crazed, middle-aged man pointing a bloodied sword against a younger man; they all bear the same colours and features. After a brief exchange of words, the crazed man rushes against the characters and mortally wounds Klag and Raven, before the rest beat him with might and magic. The young man thanks them profusely and explains the whole situation.

It seems the wealthy family of Pheray was behind the machinations of the Brotherhood of the Writhing Arm, a secret cult devoted to the ancient god Fruum, which also instigated all the sabotaging and attacking at the Red Lanterns. According to Wilfa, the only surviving member of the family who was rescued by the characters, the brotherhood's plans were two-fold: to crush the Red Lanterns who influenced the City Commander, a privilege they used to enjoy, and to explore the Black Mire in order to find Fruum's resting place and awaken him. As both father and older brother have met their demise, it befalls to the young brother to lead the family and the secret cult, who offers central roles in the cult's development and actions to the characters. Eager to have a wealthy and well-connected patron, the party agrees to Wilfa's offers.

Characters involved
Rirna, magic-user 1
Caledon, elf 1
Li, halfling 1
Raven, cleric 1 [KIA]

Klag, hobgoblin (retainer) [KIA]
Etaine, elf 1 (retainer)

This session concluded the module The Veiled Society. I have to say that, despite some issues with the adventure's weak plots and complex events that I'd like to discuss in another post (like why does the cult decide to assassinate the characters, when they worked for them the previous night), it was a blast for the players, as they felt most of the time they were driving the story. It was fun to see the party switching factions, from being employed by the Red Lanterns to having their own investigation to joining the Brotherhood, after breaking into their hideout. Nobody managed to gain a level, but they were very close, and would need a small adventure to go past level 1.

Infravision through the ages: WotC's darkvision

Previously, we talked about infravision and how it was implemented during TSR's reign. It went from a simple power of seeing in the dark to black-n-white visibility to colour thermal imaging with complicated mechanics. In the end, this ability served a variety of gamers, from casual to crunchy. Towards the company's end, TSR attempted to embrace both mechanics, even though the complex one would gain more popularity. This era is also the one I'm most well-versed and feel more comfortable, since Basic and 2e were my starting editions. Me and my early group went through the trouble of incorporating heat vision mechanics, but soon abandoned it in frustration.

When WotC came along and designed the next edition with unified mechanics and modular character customisation in mind, the ability received an overhaul that resembled less the messy, scientific explanation of its direct predecessors and more the traits of its old relatives. Perhaps its biggest change was its name; as it had nothing to do with infrared vision anymore, the term felt redudant and was dropped in favour of darkvision, a new, catchy term that was carried over to our day.

D&D 3rd edition immediately presented this new term, and function, without too much of an explanation as to why. We did receive Sean Reynold's opinion on infravision, though, and why the previous system was such a mess that it begged for rewriting. Judging by the new edition's attempt to simplify and unify various rules and mechanics, I certainly see reason to this. Anyway, in Player's Handbook v3.5 (pg. 14 and 19), we read the following:

Dwarves [or half-orcs] can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves [or half-orcs] can function just fine with no light at all.

Returning to the roots of OD&D, certain creatures had the ability to see in dark just as if in normal light. D&D 3e went a step further, however, and also presented a new ability called low-light vision, that enabled a creature to see further than a human (twice, to be exact) in, you guessed it, low-light conditions. Most non-human PC races had low-light vision; only dwarfs and half-orcs had darkvision. Checking the Glossary of the same book (pg. 307), we get a line that denotes darkvision as an extraordinary ability that enables whoever possesses it to see in the dark. Extraordinary (Ex) would become one of the few categories of special abilities that were affected by certain abilities, effects and spells, so its definition as extraordinary wasn't chosen randomly. A similar description appears in Dungeon Master's Guide v3.0 (pg. 74-75), along with more details concerning invisible creatures and gaze attacks. For the first time, though, we get notified that the presence of light does not spoil darkvision, contrary to what held true with infravision. Also, we are presented with two neat images of normal sight and darkvision.

Lo and behold, darkvision, in all its glory

D&D 4th edition somewhat retains the ability of darkvision from 3e, but there's no definition as to how things are seen in darkness and, more importantly, up to how far. Moreover, rules in regards to light (or its absence) get crunchier. Now, we have three types of lit areas: brightly lit (daylight), dimly lit (shadowy areas, moonlight), and totally dark. What light condition you find yourself into may affect your character's abilities and functions, depending on which type of vision you employ. In Player's Handbook I (pg. 262) it is stated that only characters with darkvision can see in total darkness without penalty; by its wording alone, it is assumed that darkvision works as normal sight. What's interesting is that no core race now possesses darkvision; instead, they gain either normal or low-light vision, which has been changed to enable characters to see in dimly lit areas as if they were in normal light. That is quite a drastic change of rules, but one to accommodate the edition's new mechanics. Dungeon Master's Guide (pg 67) gives us a better, albeit brief, explanation of the three types of vision, which I quote:

Creatures that have normal vision see normally in areas of bright light. Areas of dim light are lightly obscured. Areas of darkness are totally obscured.

Creatures that have low-light vision see normally in areas of bright and dim light. Areas of darkness are totally obscured.

Darkvision lets creatures see normally regardless of light.

So a creature (not a character anymore) with darkvision can see normally in any light condition. Characters with normal vision can see fine in bright light, but have difficulties in dim light. Characters with low-light vision can see fine in both bright and dim light. All characters suffer penalties when in the dark, which necessitates the use of artificial light. Darkvision now isn't a special mode of vision that switches on whenever light fades away, nor is it hindered by any means of light (artificial or not). Creatures that use darkvision don't seem to notice any differences in light condition - now whether this adds a new twist that cunning adventurers can use to their advantage or not is beyond me, as I haven't yet found any info on such particular occurrence.

D&D 5th edition (the current, as of this writing) reverts back to D&D 3e in some way, regarding the way things are seen with darkvision. As for its function, it is once again overhauled, also adopting some of the rules for light conditions from D&D 4e. As we can read in Player's Handbook (pg 183-184):

Within a specified range, a creature with darkvision can see in darkness as if the darkness were dim light, so areas of darkness are only lightly obscured as far as that creature is concerned. However, the creature can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Darkvision gets limited in distance now, which implies that it's an ability activated whenever certain conditions are met. According to the rules, there are three types of light conditions: brightly lit, dimly lit (lightly obscured), and dark (heavily obscured). Creatures in heavily obscured areas cannot see a thing and thus are effectively blinded. Lightly obscured areas only seem to affect your Perception skill, and some abilities allow you to hide. Interestingly, there is no low-light vision any longer; instead, six out of the nine core races now possess darkvision.

As can be plainly seen, darkvision went a long way from when, as infravision, it was just the dividing factor between seeing or not seeing in darkness. It also gained a plethora of mechanics; especially in the two latest editions, light conditions received their distinct set of rules that would affect actions in any given situation. This matches with the perception of post-2000s editions being more technical and precise in their descriptions, most probably to avoid any misconceptions, vagueness, and of course rules abuse. One could notice that the ability of seeing in the dark has changed substantially over the editions but still persists as a trait for various nonhumans that gives them an extra advantage in the absence of light, over humans. Some find it too unrealistic an ability to exist at least amongst the playable races; others fully embrace it as either a gaming or narrative perk (or even both). Whether players like it or not, however, it serves a two-fold purpose: to better manage one's powers and abilities in an otherwise tricky situation (crunch) and to add to the mystifying and exotic nature of nonhumans (fluff). That's also the only common theme that can be perceived throughout all the editions.

Infravision through the ages: TSR's infravision

As if there weren't enough "[insert D&D term] through the ages" on the internet, I decided to add my own by doing some research on a topic mainly prompted by Jeff's recent blog post on infravision.

In case one is not in the know, infravision in short lets a character see in the dark, albeit up to a limited distance. The term was used extensively during the TSR era, then WotC switched it to darkvision (they also used low-light vision, which is a different thing). Trying to explain this ability scientifically proves more problematic, as it raises all sorts of questions regarding what can be seen through infravision (there's half a page on that at least in 2e DMG). In my group, we just rule that infravision allows you to see in total darkness, period. And that any type of light blocks your infravision. This proves really handy with nonhumans venturing underground, as view is extended at 60 feet, compared to a torch's 30 feet; unfortunately, there is always a human in our party, so we end up resorting to artificial light.

However, has infravision always worked as intended in the first place, like what Gygax envisioned back in the mid-seventies? Interestingly, there are plenty of variations and vague rules, as it turns out, but it's better to read each edition's iteration of said ability (on writing this, I happened on Daniel's blog post, which discusses almost the same thing - I couldn't help but feel unnecessary, but I kept on writing it nevertheless).

* For an explanation of following abbreviations, I recommend Wikipedia's article on D&D editions.

OD&D has a few things on infravision, or rather the ability to see in the dark. By checking Book II: Monsters & Treasure (pg. 5), we read the following:

Special ability functions are generally as indicated in CHAINMAIL where not contradictory to the information stated herineafter, and it is generally true that any monster or man can see in total darkness as far as the dungeons are concerned except player characters.

This edition refers to its predecessor, so we need to consult CHAINMAIL rules for that. On its 3rd edition, Appendix D, there is the Fantasy Reference Table (pg. 43) which includes an interesting footnote:

The ability to see in normal darkness as if it were light

Access to this special ability is granted to, amongst others, dwarfs and gnomes, goblins and kobolds, elves and fairies, orcs, wizards etc. There is no special term; the ability is simply footnote B, but is clearly what would later become the main divider between humans and nonhumans. That unnamed ability would be seen again in D&D Supplement I: Greyhawk (pg. 5), where it gains its all-too-familiar term:

[dwarves and elves] have infravision and can see monsters up to 60' away in the dark.

This is possibly the very first instance of the term infravision that we see in a D&D book. There are no exact rules as to how this is done, only that dwarfs and elves are able to discern monsters in the dark. This, however, doesn't imply that they can see normally in darkness, only monsters within range, which leaves room for fanciful interpretation. Since the word is related to infrared radiation (IR), one would assume that it functions as such.

D&D Basic (or Holmes) again mentions infravision, but does no effort in explaining what exactly it is, only that it allows certain creatures to see in the dark. From the rulebook (pg. 6 and 9):

[Dwarves] have infravision and can see 60 feet in the dark. [Elves] have infravision; like dwarves, they can see 60 feet in the dark.

Elves and dwarves can see 60 feet in the dark, as can all monsters [...]

Generally, as an introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, it makes sense that no further explanation was needed for infravision; apparently, the term was taken from Supplement I and if one needed more information on that, the multitude of suggestions to turn to the AD&D books were more than enough.

AD&D 1st edition is the first to expand on the rules of infravision. Reading the relevant entry in the Players Handbook (pg. 102):

As previously mentioned, infravision is the ability to see into the infrared spectrum. Thus heat radiation becomes visible and differences in temperature allow infrared sight. Warm things are bright, cool things grey, very cold things are black.

The text goes even further; infravision now is spoiled if a light or heat source is close to the viewer, and there are also rules for thieves on how to hide from such an ability. Dungeon Masters Guide gives us for the first time a glimpse of what it is like to see through the infrared spectrum, along with more explaining on the ability (pg. 59).

Visualisation sample of infravision in DMG

D&D B/X (or Moldvay/Cook) would carry on the rules detailed in AD&D 1e. The Basic Rulebook (pg. B21) has the following on infravision:

Infravision is the ability to "see" heat patterns. Most living things give off heat. To infravision, warm things are bright, cool things are gray, and cold things are black. Infravision is useless in normal or magical light. Infravision cannot be used to read without light. All non-human monsters have infravision.

Not much different, except for the part where reading in the dark is concerned, something that I don't think was addressed in AD&D 1e (but then again, that edition was huge on rules and explanations of all sorts, so I might have missed it somewhere).

D&D BECMI (or Mentzer), strangely enough, changes some of its function. In Players Manual (pg. 45 and 46 of the Basic Set), the entry for dwarfish and elfin vision reads as follows:

With infravision, warm things seem red, and cold things seem blue. For example, an approaching creature could be seen as a red shape, leaving faint reddish footprints. A cold pool of water would seem a deep blue color. Even items or creatures which are the same temperature as the surrounding air (such as a table or a skeleton) can be dimly seen by infravision.

If up to B/X, infravision was limited in shades of black and white, BECMI now introduced colour to our sight (sort of coloured thermal imaging). According to this website on thermal cameras, devices that depict temperature in colour may be lacking on detail, and infravision's new twist mentions that, even suggesting that characters with such vision should take extra care not to fall into pits and other natural hazards (pg. 57 of the same book).

AD&D 2nd edition goes back to simpler times, where ability descriptions were kept to a minimum. Well, kinda; the Glossary in Revised Player's Handbook (pg. 14) gives us this entry:

Infravision - the ability of certain character races or monsters to see in the dark. Infravision generally works up to 60 feet in the darkness.

Any other information pertaining to infravision directs us to DMG. There (pg. 160 of Revised Dungeon Master's Guide), we actually get two types of infravision: the standard, which allows the characters and monsters to simply see in the dark as in normal light; and the optional, giving a much more detailed description, combining the extended analysis of AD&D 1e and the function of BECMI (AD&D 1e infravision, now in colour). In its attempt to clean up the mess its previous edition left, I can't help but feel 2e strove to embrace both types of infravision, to cater for different tastes.

D&D Rules Cyclopedia would follow in the steps of BECMI, adding a few more details, as shown below (pg. 24):

Characters with infravision can even see items or creatures the same temperature as the surrounding air (such as a table or a skeleton) [...] Until they move, they will be very faint to the eye; once they start moving, they become blurry but very obvious light-blue figures. [...] Infravision isn't good enough to read by. A character can use his infravision to recognize an individual only if they are within 10' distance [...]

From what we can see, RC attempted to address any issues that were raised with BECMI concerning infravision, and to better clarify the latter's definition. Probably this, and AD&D 2e's optional method, would be the most popular way of interpreting infravision during TSR's last years, and the one mostly associated with the term; it was also the one I was immersed in and while me and my group in our early years tried to emulate that thermal vision, we eventually settled down to the standard method. That is, before WotC took over and changed things, once again.

Next: New name, new mechanic for infravision

[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #6: Brotherhood of the Writhing Arm Part I

As the characters recuperate at their hovel, they decide to look more into the recent events and their current situation. Strangely, a wanted poster bears their description so it'd be better to lay low for a while at least. Two of their party go on their own private business, while the rest are contacted by an street urchin (the same who was seen the night before the attack on the statesman) to urgently meet the orator and instigator of last night's riot. Maybe he's got some info about them being framed all of a sudden, something probably perpetrated by the Brotherhood. When they arrive, however, at the meeting point, their contact is already dead, killed by a crossbow bolt. At the same time, the characters are being ambushed by a crossbowman, who furiously cranks his weapon for a shot. Luckily, they act fast and Rirna casts her sleep spell to disable the attacker.

As they search the body, the characters find a note that mentions a meeting tonight at Blue Water Mead Hall. A slap in the face, and the crossbowman wakes up to be interrogated by Grom, the party's muscle. Before he talks, however, an arrow pierces his heart, and another volley of arrows are aimed at the party. Bowmen attack the characters, who expertly evade them and start rushing towards them, calling for a chase scene. The bowmen run like mad, quick-paced Rirna follows along and shoots her daggers at them, while the rest, being heavily-armoured, lag behind. Plenty of obstacles and navigation through the maze-like streets later and two of the bowmen lie dead while the third one is wounded and captured in the middle of a crowd fleeing the various riots around the city. He confirms what the note says and only knows that he was paid to ambush any group that arrives at said location. Taking advantage of the panic in the streets, Grom crushes the bowman's head.

With the location of the Brotherhood's hideout known, the characters inform the other two members of the party and head to the Mead Hall, where they get into a bloody conflict with two guards at the backyard. Even though they manage to get past them rather swiftly, the battle isn't without losses, as Grom leaves his last breath, severely injured from the enemies' steel. The two surviving characters then decide to wait for the rest to arrive, before venturing further into the Brotherhood hideout.

Characters involved
Rirna, magic-user 1
Caledon, elf 1
Grom, fighter 1 [KIA]
Klag, hobgoblin (retainer)

This session felt a bit railroady, but was quick-paced and action-oriented, with the chase taking up most of the gaming time, so the players didn't mind. The Brotherhood's double-crossing had its impact on the players, who immediately jumped at the opportunity to investigate this mysterious cult and possibly punish them for their troubles. Two of the group couldn't make it, so their characters went off to someplace else. Problem is, had they been present, the last battle might have not ended badly for the fighter. It was a risk the players already knew and opted to face.

Classes of The Dungeon Part II: Non-humans

There has been enough of a discussion for this topic, Basic D&D's take on races as distinct classes, which for this particular type of gaming, I'm all for it. Apart from sake of simplicity, there are interesting explanations of why one should consider incorporating the race-as-class mechanic in their fantasy games, amongst them Erin's view, Courtney's thoughts, and Jonathan's take, to name a few. Overall, the concept of race-as-class is based on three assumptions:

1. The world is dominated by humans, while the rest of the races are in decline or a minority.
2. Non-human (or more officially, demi-human) societies are totally alien to human minds. What we take for granted isn't necessarily true for those races.
3. The rarity of a race and its distinctiveness from human classes fit perfectly with sword and sorcery settings.

Taking those assumptions into consideration, I attempted to design the three non-human classes as distant to humans, but as close to their B/X counterparts, as possible. Truth be told, I was heavily inspired by what James presented as dwarfs and elves in his Dwimmermount setting (some would say I shamelessly ripped them off; I don't blame you, they're the most creative works on non-humans I've seen so far). Halflings, however, are designed totally from scratch (or so I think, at least; I fail to recall any inspirations).

Dwarf

Dwarfs are rock elementals that bear all features of a typical fantasy dwarf but for a single fact that they're living constructs who gain life through a long and costly ritual, as their "creators" carve them out of a slab of rock, enriched with precious metals and gemstones. As long as the ritual is successful, the newly-born dwarf acquires the shape and abilities of its sculptor-progenitor. While anatomically male, dwarfs have no such notions of age and sex in their lives and the only indication of growing old is their skin reverting back to its original material, that of stone. This is a slow process that takes several centuries and also a sign for the dwarf to head back to its stronghold and prepare for its "funeral".

So far, the only function humans are aware of dwarfs is their need to tirelessly labour at their workshops, and collect precious stones and metals in order to "carve" their offsprings, who will carry on with their chores. This looks like the only logical motivation for dwarf adventurers. Like elves, dwarfs are few in numbers, and constantly decrease, due possibly to their slow and arduous procreation, but dwarfs don't seem to seek any alternatives, as if embracing their impending doom. Some also claim their hivemind mentality which remains firmly rooted in dwarfish ancient traditions and refuses to acknowledge any evolutionary inventions.

Dwarfs have the same abilities as shown in the B/X rulebook. A player once proposed to use Golem and Yiddish names for dwarfs, and it has stuck since.

Elf

Elves are a race shrouded in mystery; nothing is known about them, apart from fragmentary observations surrounding their secluded communities. Their claim of living for millennia (in human years, their life cycle is too complex for the mortal mind to even comprehend), no apparent signs of age and lack of children in their camps have led many to believe that elves had once made a dark pact with the Lords of Chaos for eternal youth and beauty - as humans consider the soul to be interwoven with life and procreation, elves must be soulless. This is further confirmed by their immunities against certain undead attacks as well as their inability to return or be contacted from the dead. This belief is quickly dismissed as tell-tale, as elves don't sport any of the weaknesses common to the undead (holy water, cleric turning, aversion to light, etc.). Interestingly, though, when an elf dies, it slowly turns into ash.

Part of human history speaks of a mighty elfin empire that collapsed centuries ago. Elves never talk about their tragic story, but one can notice a bitterness in their eyes. Nonetheless, elves stand proud and detached, as if emotionless. One thing is certain though: they are drawn towards magic like moths to fire. Their passion for collecting spells and magic items could be linked to their dark past, although nobody says with certainty that magic is the key to their eternal curse. Of last note, and adding to their mystery, is that even though elves are encountered bearing two distinct sexes, this is not their true nature and they're simply imitating human anatomy.

Elves are immune to undead paralysis and energy drain, but are vulnerable to fire, taking an extra point for each die of damage (1d6+1, 2d6+2 etc.). Out of all their normal abilities, indicated in the rulebook, they don't have infravision. As noted earlier, elves cannot be raised or magically contacted from the dead. So far, there are no known naming conventions for elves.


Halfling

Halflings have been found alongside humans ever since the latter walked the lands. While more accepted than the other races, halflings do claim an eerie nature. Shady figures, they appear sober, cynical, and secretive; it is often believed that they are creatures of the night, spies of powerful vampires who live under the cities, and they feed on the blood of their victims. Even though such rumours are usually dismissed as false, they all share a common theme: that halflings are creatures of the Shadows. As one can note from their uncanny ability to hide in shadows, halflings seem to have an intimate relationship with dimly lit spaces, while they express an aversion to bright light. Legend has it that halflings are born from the shadows of the mortal folk. Natives to the Shadowlands, where the spirits of the dead reside, halflings emerge as personifications of dark secrets and thoughts, inexplicably drawn towards the shadows of humans which, is said, act as magical portals between the mortal world and the world of the dead.

Halfling communities are secluded and introvert. Their most common occupation is pipeweed farming and woodcrafting, but they also fancy secrets of all sorts - halflings are known for collecting information about people, locations, and objects. "Ask a halfling" goes a saying, and not a few of the shady folk can be found in the service of spy networks and other information-gathering groups.

Halflings retain all of their abilities, per the rulebook, and only their hiding ability is modified, to accommodate for their expertise in indoors sneaking, as shown on the following table:

Halflings don't have any naming conventions but usually employ simple names, often with one or two syllables. Puck, Kull, Reggo, Anouk, Rapha, Tell are good examples.

Classes of The Dungeon Part I: Humans

Part of my slow world-building has been the introduction of the D&D classes in a minimal way that my group could take advantage of and craft their own takes. Needless to say, it didn't turn out as I hoped it would, and I ended up building much of the classes' backstory. Perhaps this had to do with my players being happy enough to be handed a general overview of the world and its classes, and build from there, instead of having the freedom to weave their own narrative into The Dungeon.

Whatever the case, I wanted to consult various sources before I could work on my version for each class. Out of the seven classes, I believe only the halfling is an original work. The rest are either slightly modified versions of existing B/X classes, or inspired/borrowed from well-known settings. This post will deal with the human classes, while non-humans will be included in a later post.

Cleric

Clerics have a two-fold role in human societies: on one hand they serve as guides, leaders and teachers in both peace and war times; on the other hand, they wander the world as zealots and holy warriors to vanquish the opponents of their patron deity. This two-fold role can be also seen in their composition of abilities, both martial and magical. Trained in Orders or Cults (Lawful and Chaotic, respectively; Neutral clerics are almost non-existent), clerics are chosen by the cosmic forces of Law and Chaos as their mystical champions, divine agents who bear the essence of the very force they so fiercely advocate and with which they gain their supernatural abilities. Aspects of each cosmic force appear as deities to humans and function as conduits between the cleric and the cosmic force, but they are not the ones who will judge their proponents by their acts. Instead, it comes upon each cleric to better understand the teachings of Law and Chaos and act accordingly. This is the ultimate trial from which true defenders of the cosmic forces emerge.

The class of the cleric was mainly inspired by Anders's take on the cleric as a mystical champion, namely the gish. Lawful clerics are required to wield blunt weapons (symbols of human dominance: club, mace, war hammer, sling) and seldom use reversible spells, while chaotic clerics must use bladed weapons (double-edged side of Chaos: dagger, short sword, hand axe) but have free access to reversible spells.

Fighter

Fighters are not just fighting men and women, but humans expertly trained in the arts of war. Able to defend themselves with powerful armour and wield whatever weapon they have in hand against their enemies, fighters make for a sure choice when peaceful methods fail. Kingdoms depend on armies of fighters and cities seek them out for their defence and order. Together with dwarfs, fighter can withstand blows that would prove fatal to others. It's therefore easy to assume fighters fill so many positions in conflict-centred human society, from the lowly thug to the grand general of the army.

The class of the fighter hasn't changed much. Along with the dwarf, the elf, and the halfling, fighters can fight while blinded, albeit with a -4 penalty to their attacks. At 5th level, fighters gain an additional attack when fighting, which may be with the same weapon or a different one.

Magic-User

Magic-users are mystifying folk, entwined with possibly the most powerful and dangerous power: magic. How mankind came into possession of such a power is lost in the ages, what is known though is that magic manifests into different facets and sources, where magic-users draw and empower their spells, from alchemical formulae to philosophical ideas, ancient texts of invocations to the Lords of Chaos, even dark pacts with creatures outside the known world. Magic-users do not serve any special role in human society, so they tend to be loners, their knowledge however is invaluable and can offer their skills as alchemists, scholars, physicians or prophets/astrologers in various communities. Even though magic is considered a product of Chaos, and some hunt it down, magic-users can differ and embrace any side of the cosmic struggle.

The class of the magic-user has no special modifications, other than flavouring. Magic-users can use alchemist's supplies (25 gp, 10 cns) to brew minor potions and antitoxins. At the start of each day, they can attempt to read signs and omens, rolling 2d6. A roll of 2-3 indicates bad luck for the party (-1 to all rolls for the rest of the day); a roll of 4-9 shows no remarkable signs; a roll of 10-12 shows favourable signs to the party (+1 to saving throws for the rest of the day). Along with elves, they gain more starting spells equal to 1 plus their Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). It is strongly recommended one of the starting spells is Read Magic.

Thief

Thieves consist of a special class in the human society, bringing forth a range of skills to aid them at their job. Weak in combat like magic-users, they specialise in bypassing obstacles towards their goal, which may be hidden behind traps, locked doors, cliffs, backs of guards and pockets of nobles. While thieves are called many names (scoundrels, gamblers, treasure hunters, bandits, scouts etc.), their methods are in many ways the same. They may be deemed as parasitic in human societies, but everyone sooner or later enlists their skills to find and obtain a certain target, either living or not.

The class of the thief has its skills been revamped, incorporating Dyson's 2d6 thief skill system. Skill were bumped a notch (generous by some) to have better chances of succeeding in any of its skills. As one pointed out some time ago in The Piazza, a thief with a measly 15% to open locks would be kicked out of any thieves guild instantly. Increasing the chances at 1st level between 30% and 40% gives the thief character more incentive to gamble on risky situations.

All thief skills, except for Hear Noise, are tested by rolling 2d6 and adding the thief's Dexterity modifier. If the result is equal to or higher than the number indicated, the thief has successfully made the check. Hear Noise requires an unmodified 1d6 roll. As for Pick Pockets, if a thief fails by 4 or more, then is being caught in the act!

The Campaign Thus Far [Challenge of the Frog Idol]

This post (and subsequent ones) will record the (mis)adventures and exploitations of our intrepid party in the region of the Black Mire and the city of Coruvon. Thus far, we have run five sessions, the summary of which I shall present here.

In Session #1: Ill Met in the Dungeon Part I, after a long journey from the north, the characters (Rodderic of Tyria, thief; Rodric, cleric; Dragnuk, dwarf) arrive with the last caravan at a waystation just before Coruvon. Just as they prepare to rest, the innkeeper introduces them to the mysterious owner of the waystation who promises them riches; this is all a facade, though, and under vile witchcraft, the characters end up prisoners in the Iron Overlord's dungeon. Their incarceration is brief, as they deceive their rather dull captors (a hobgoblin and a bandit) and break free. Exploring a little further, they also collect their equipment, and now can brave the dimly lit dungeon complex.

In Session #2: Ill Met in the Dungeon Part II, exploring the dungeon complex lead the characters into clash with bandits and lackeys of the Iron Overlord, who quickly betrayed their master, when things looked sour for them. A rather brief interrogation revealed that the Iron Overlord is behind a network of slavery, with the city's arena the main client. After finding the exit from the dungeons, the characters decided to avenge their incarceration and give an end to their captor's slave business. But the master of the dungeon and head of the slavery network is the mysterious owner of the waystation and also a potent magic-user, who trapped the characters and punished them for being "unruly slaves".

The first two sessions lead to a TPK but served as an introductory adventure for the players to be immersed in the decadent and dangerous lands they were about to explore, and also to better grasp the fluff and crunch of D&D B/X. I used a mix of a dungeon from D&D 5e Starter Set (particularly the Redbrand Hideout) and the Black Box (Zanzer's Dungeon).

In Session #3: Welcome to Coruvon Part I, new adventures (Rirna, magic-user; Blade, thief; Puck the Whisperer, halfling; Caledon, elf) step foot in Coruvon, also known as the Swamp Arena. Right at their arrival, they notice the city has more issues than shown: abandoned buildings, corrupt guards, and seemingly a conflict between the Red Lanterns and the City Garrison. Soon after, the characters are being approached by two factions: a broad-shouldered man with scarred hands, who claims to be working for the matrons of the Red Lanterns, and a mysterious person accompanied by a group of hooded men and women. Both want to employ the characters for the next days, without giving out any details.

In Session #4: Welcome to Coruvon Part II, a seemingly simple investigation of "demons" under a house plunges the characters into a complex of recently-dug tunnels, with undead hiding beneath rubble, hobgoblins and slaves digging underground passages, and hooded folk trying to bury a corpse that belongs to an officer of the city garrison, murdered under mysterious circumstances. Their investigation reveals a lot about the culprit and the crime, but the motives remain unknown and danger lurks everywhere down there - two of the four adventurers left their last breath in these dark passages (Blade and Whisperer), and the third (Caledon) had the Lords of Chaos smile upon him and survived an otherwise fatal combat. A hobgoblin they captured talked about the involvement of the Iron Overlord and a wealthy family with various members in high-ranking positions in the city; still, the characters are perplexed by how all these are connected.

In Session #5: Murder, She Said, the hobgoblin helps the characters find their way out and escape in their temporary lodge, only to be arrested and interrogated by the city garrison a few hours later. The clues imply that members of the Red Lanterns were behind the assassination, even though the characters are skeptical. News of the officer's murder spread around the city, and a general turmoil emerges, with hot heads speaking against the crimes of the Red Lanterns, as the characters are being joined by more people (Raven, Grom, Koulian) and trying to piece out the puzzles behind the murder and the involving factions. Accidentally or not, the characters are being charged as the instigators of a riot in the city's market, which is violently suppressed by the city garrison. The person who first ignited the upheaval is being chased down and after a brief meeting with the characters, where he claims he is one of the Brotherhood, he directs them to a location where more hooded people enlist them so they can get rid of a statesman.

By fifth session, we had grown our group to five players. These three sessions served as an introduction to the city of Coruvon and the power struggle between its two main factions, the Red Lanterns and the City Garrison. I chose to run The Veiled Society, modified to suit the factions involved and the setting, since I feel it's a rather easy urban adventure for low-level characters with enough mystery and little combat and perfect to show the intrigues of Coruvon.