Dragon Magazine #369, Dragon
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TM
Contents
FEATURES
12
5
PLAYING MINOTAURS
By Robert J. Schwalb
Roll up your next D&D character—as a minotaur!
ASSORTMENT OF MAGIC ITEMS
By Kolja Raven Liquette
One of the authors of
Adventurer’s Vault
brings you even
more amazing magic items, each with a story to tell.
18
18
DEMONOMICON: BAPHOMET
By Robert J. Schwalb
What good are minotaurs without the Horned One?
Featured in December’s release
Manual of the Planes
,
Baphomet’s goals, history, and allies are explored in detail.
THE DRAGONBORN
By Robert J. Schwalb
Once a grand city of Arkhosia, this now-ruined city of the fallen
dragonborn empire waits for adventurers to explore its mysteries
31
FEATURES
12
BIZAAR OF THE BIZARRE: A MOTLEY
31
IO’VANTHOR: LOST CITY OF
40
COLUMNS
40
CREATURE INCARNATIONS: GNOLLS
By Ari Marmell
More of Yeenoghu’s get are described in this article,
which supports the Scales of War Adventure Path
adventure, “Den of the Destroyer.”
4
EDITORIAL
53
CLASS ACTS: THE WARLORD
By Stephen Radney-MacFarland
New powers for your warlord.
56
RULING SKILL CHALLENGES
By Mike Mearls
Mike explores the ins and outs of the skill challenge
system, with examples of unique implementations.
46
46
DRAGON SLAYERS
By Ari Marmell
With the
Draconomicon
out, DMs have new tricks
to spring on unsuspecting PCs, so use this article to
fight back!
BARBARIAN AND BARD
By Logan Bonner and Mike Mearls
Logan and Mike talk about the creation of these two
classic D&D classes as the launch of
Player’s Handbook 2
approaches.
ON THE COVER
Illustration by Arnie Swekel
61
CONFESSIONS OF A FULL-TIME WIZARD
By Shelly Mazzanoble
Shelly gives thanks for D&D for being able to teach kids
important life lessons, and wonders what her life would
be like if she’d started playing sooner.
65
RPGA REPORT
By Chris Tulach
The LIVING FR campaign is in full swing. Learn more
about how to get involved.
53
66
AMPERSAND
By Bill Slavicsek
Bill shows off more from
Player’s Handbook 2.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, EBERRON,
D
UNGEON
,
D
RAGON
, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their
respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is
prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events
is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2008 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more DUNGEONS & DRAGONS articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.
com/dnd
COLUMNS
59
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT:
TM
EDITORIAL
369
Thank You, Dungeons & Dragons
DRAGON
November 2008
Editor-in-Chief Chris Youngs
Senior Art Director Stacy Longstreet
It’s November, so it’s time to start thinking about
turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Oh, and giving
thanks, of course! This year, I’m thankful for a lot. But
right now, I’m especially thankful for the D&D game—
especially this year.
Of course, I’ve saved the best for last. We know that in
tough economic times, subscription services suffer the
most. Historically, magazine subscriptions drop signifi-
cantly when people start trimming their budgets. But
is there a better deal for a D&D fan out there right now
than Insider? You basically get a supplement’s worth
of gaming content and access to the
D&D Compendium
for $5 a month. I was going to compare that deal to the
tired example of giving up one fancy coffee a month.
But you know what? You should take your laptop to your
local Starbucks, order that fancy coffee, and use the
free Wi-Fi to peruse the latest
Dragon
article or
Dungeon
adventure. If you’re looking to trim your budget, I’d say
cancel the high-speed Internet and bum off your local
coffee shop.
Web Specialist Chris Sims
Web Production Bart Carroll, Steve Winter
Graphic Design Bob Jordan, Breanne Miller
Why is that? Well, with all the news about the economy
tanking, people are looking more and more for ways
to save money and still enjoy themselves. Retail sales
across the board are hurting right now as people tighten
their belts and prepare for a recession. With all the
doom and gloom, it’s good to take your mind off reality
for a while and do something fun. Finding a way to do
that, though, can be tricky. And that’s why I think the
D&D game is the perfect recession-time hobby.
Contributing Authors Logan Bonner, Kolja Raven
Liquette, Ari Marmell,
Shelly Mazzanoble, Mike Mearls,
Stephen Radney-MacFarland,
Robert J. Schwalb, Bill Slavicsek,
Chris Tulach
Developers
Mike Mearls, Stephen Radney-
MacFarland, Peter Schaefer,
Stephen Schubert
The cost of entry is incredibly low for the game, for
starters. Picking up a
Player’s Handbook
only costs what
it would take you to take your significant other out to
the movies for a night. But instead of walking away after
a couple of hours, maybe even feeling unsatisfied with
the dollars spent, you get hours of entertainment from
that single purchase.
So, despite all the grim news from the government, I’m
feeling thankful this month. Thankfu l for a great game,
thankful for a great job, and thankful for great friends
who enjoy my hobby with me. So keep playing, and get
your friends to check out
D&D Insider
, since there isn’t a
better way to stay engaged with the hobby. In fact,
this year, think about adding a new Thanksgiving
tradition to your family gathering, and break out your
dice and an adventure from
Dungeon
after dinner.
Editor Miranda Horner
Cover Artist Arnie Swekel
Contributing Artists Rob Alexander, Ryan Barger,
Jason A. Engle, Lars Grant-West
David Griffith, Robert Lee,
William O’Connor, Marc Sasso,
If you want even more opportunity for hours of enter-
tainment, pick up a
Dungeon Master’s Guide
. If you’re
willing to run a game, you’ll have no end of gamers
lining up to play with you. If you’ve never tried DMing,
and you’re looking for places to save some cash, give it a
shot. In my group, several players have recently tried a
hand at running a game, each time with great success.
John Stanko, Arnie Swekel,
L.A. Williams, Sam Wood
Cartographers
Robert Lee
Web Development
Mark A. Jindra
D&D Creative Manager
Christopher Perkins
Executive Producer,
Then, staying heavily involved in the game requires
only an occasional re-investment. Once you have a
character, our new print release plan informs you which
books you want to buy. Playing a fighter?
Martial Power
is for you. Wizard?
Arcane Power
is just around the
corner. And when
Player’s Handbook 2
comes out, you
can essentially double all your available options with
one more book. Can you think of another hobby that
brings good friends together, gets your brain creatively
engaged, and costs you so little?
D&D Insider
Ken Troop
Director of RPG R&D
Bill Slavicsek
Special Thanks
Richard Baker, Greg Bilsland, Logan Bonner, Michele Carter, Jennifer
Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, Jeremy Crawford, Rob
Heinsoo, Peter Lee, Julia Martin, Mike Mearls, Kim Mohan, David
Noonan, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Peter Schaefer, Stephen
Schubert, Chris Sims, Rodney Thompson, Rob Watkins, James Wyatt
Playing
Minotaurs
by Robert J. Schwalb
illustrations by Ryan Barger and Marc Sasso
MINOTAURS EMBODY the tension between civiliza-
tion and savagery—discipline and madness—because
the minotaurs stand in two worlds. Tugged toward
wanton violence but bound by conscience, numerous
minotaurs are driven to rise above their dark impulses.
Such a minotaur walks the labyrinthine pathways of
introspection, seeking the balance between the mon-
strous and refined. Like a deadly maze, this personal
journey has hazards and traps aplenty. Innumerable
minotaurs succumb to the wicked temptations stain-
ing their souls, whereupon they find themselves thralls
to the dread Baphomet, the Horned King. Minotaurs
must struggle to become more than the beasts they
resemble or succumb to demonic brutality.
Play a minotaur if you want . . .
✦
to be a mighty warrior possessed of incredible
strength and endurance.
✦
to be a monstrous adventurer struggling against
villainous tendencies.
✦
to be a member of a race that favors the barbarian,
fighter, and warden classes.
TM & © 2008 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved.
5
November 2008
|
DR AGON 369
Playing
Minotaurs
M
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