Dragon Magazine #373, Dragon
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ISSUE 373 | March 2009
A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
®
ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT
TM
CONTENTS
Features
24
By Robert J. Schwalb
Assassins lurk around every corner in some games. Now learn how
your character can master the art of the silent kill himself.
By Robert J. Schwalb
With
Player’s Handbook 2
on shelves this month, it’s time to re-
examine party composition, and see what your group really needs.
35
35
Code x oF Be tr ayal :
By Ari Marmell
This article details the archdevil Alloces, creator of some of the
Nine Hells most hideous—and useful—monstrous creations.
45
By Ari Marmell
The companion to this issue’s Codex of Betrayal features new
monsters created by the archdevil Alloces to supplement the armies
of the Nine Hells.
53
ColuMns
By Brian R. James
This classic monster of the Realms gets new treatment
as a monster for any D&D campaign, as well as
updates on the activities of sharn in the Forgotten
Realms.
4
editorial
62
design & develoPMent: raCes
By James Wyatt
D&D’s newest race from
Player’s Handbook 2
, is unveiled
and discussed in detail.
66
de s ig n & de v eloPM en t:
PriMal Power
By Mike Mearls and James Wyatt
Mike, James and other members of RPG R&D discuss the
primal power source.
70
ConFessions oF a Full-tiMe wizard
By Shelly Mazzanoble
Shelly continues her quest to become D&D’s first player
representative
75
d&d aluMni
By Bart Carroll and Steve Winter
A look back at D&D through past editions.
78
rPga rePort
By Chris Tulach
The Living FR campaign is in full swing. Learn more
about how to get involved!
on the Cover
Illustration by Jason A. Engle
81
aMPersand
By Bill Slavicsek
Bill previews another upcoming release, and discusses
more of the changes in store for D&D in 2009.
Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten realms, Eberron,
D
u n g e o n
,
D
r a g o n
, 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
TM
EDITORIAL
373
MARCH OF THE
Dr agon
March 2009
Editor-in-Chief chris Youngs
MONSTERS
Senior Art Director Jon Schindehette
Web Specialist chris Sims
18 Fortitude save or take 2d8 points of Strength damage. The save
DC is Constitution-based.
Web Production Bart carroll, Steve Winter
For her latest
Confessions of a Full-Time Wizard
column
, Shelly Mazzanoble interviewed several mem-
bers of R&D. Her takeaway, in part, was a realization
of just how long folks in R&D have been playing
Dun-
geons & Dragons
. In many cases, it’s been decades.
I share that longevity, extending back to 2nd grade.
For me, few things are as satisfying s f lipping through
the pages of a 1st Edition
Monster Manual
. Of course,
nostalgia reigns supreme. This is the edition I started
playing, so the illustrations have always resonated
with me, long after the mechanics themselves are a
distant memory.
A few years back, a few of us started a 0-edition
campaign to break out the original pamphlet rule-
books and see how the game first played… with no
small measure of difficulty and confusion, I recall.
Despite setbacks, a few (including Steve Winter) have
continued the campaign. I participated in a recent 1st
Edition campaign, run by folks who share fond memo-
ries of those immortal black-and-white rulebooks. But
while it’s always fun to get together with friends and
roll some dice, playing earlier editions of the game
also brought back memories of their rules issues.
Of course, I now also play and DM 4th Edition cam-
paigns. In one recent session, we faced a creature
going back to the game’s earliest days. Let’s see if you
can guess what it is from its description through the
editions:
They are hideous creatures that lurk in the deep caverns of the
world.
Graphic Design Bob Jordan, Breanne Miller
Again, once hit, players were forced to recalculate their
Strength scores and all dice modifiers dependent on
Strength—on the f ly. In my opinion, that’s the true damage
caused by a 3rd Edition roper: frustration around the table.
And heaven help you if, after re-calculating your Strength
once, the roper then hits you with a
second
strand. The
last thing any DM wants is for the table to grind to a halt
as rules need to be arbitrated and recalculations made.
Correction: The last thing any DM wants is for the table
to grind to a halt
for any reason
. Left with this, it may have
been easier to simply not use ropers in an encounter in lieu
of other monsters.
So, how did the roper play out in our recent 4th Edition
session? It beat the stuffing out of our party, actually. It
grabbed us, weakened us, drew us closer and bit us. It did
everything a roper was always designed to do, and it did
so without grinding down the game. I hadn’t faced a roper
since my earliest days of 1st Edition, and I loved it.
My sincere belief is that 4th Edition allows monsters to
be played more easily than ever before—without sacrific-
ing their core concepts. I’ve experienced this in multiple
4th Edition games, as “classic” monsters hit the table and
played true to their concept: ropers, stirges, bulletes. Even,
or perhaps especially, dragons. I’ve never had the privilege
of facing the tactical nightmare that is the beholder, but I
can’t help but believe they too play better than ever at the
table.
I think we always knew these classic monsters would
remain in the game, appearing in 4th Edition’s
Monster
Manuals
. To no small extent, they had to remain. It’s just
especially satisfying to see them back at the table as well.
So what are your favorite monsters from past editions that
Contributing Authors Bart carroll, Ed Greenwood,
ari Marmell, Shelly Mazzanoble,
These cigar-shaped monsters can stand upright in order to
resemble a pillar or stalagmite or f latten themselves at full
length upon the f loor so as to look like nothing more than a
hump.
robert J. Schwalb, Matthew
Sernett, chris Sims,Bill
Slavicsek, chris Tulach, Steve
Winter, James Wyatt
How long did it take you to guess that these descrip-
tions were referencing a roper?
Back in 1st Edition, here’s how the mechanics of
the roper played out:
Developers
Stephen radney-MacFarland,
Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert,
rodney Thompson
Editors Miranda horner
Cover Artist Jason a. Engle
The roper has six strands of strong, sticky rope-like excretion
which it can shoot from 2”-5”. A hit causes weakness (50%
from strength in 1-3 melee rounds), and the roper then draws
its prey into its toothy maw where it is quickly devoured. The
chance for breaking a strand is the same for opening a door,
but every round the roper will drag the victim 10’ closer. They
are unaffected by lightning, take half damage at most from
cold, but are very susceptible to fire (-4 on saving throw).
Contributing Artists John christopher, howard Lyon,
James Zhang, ryan Barger,
Eva Widermann
Web Development
Mark a. Jindra
D&D Creative Manager
christopher Perkins
Executive Producer,
D&D Insider
Ken Troop
Good lord. Strength damage occurring over time?
Then
it drags its prey? And you can break a strand, but
it still drags you closer? The roper is certainly a classic
monster, but mechanically… what exactly is happening
here, and when?
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
These yellowish-gray monsters appear to be a mass of foul
corruption.
In 3rd Edition, the roper’s strands were codified as
follows:
They are altogether evil and far more intelligent than most
people would judge by their appearance.
Weakness (Ex): A roper’s strands can sap an opponent’s
strength. Anyone grabbed by a strand must succeed on a DC
TH E KILL
O
By Robert J. Schwalb
Oblivious to the fact he was dead, the noble sucked grapes
from the stem and rested his feet on the back of a slave.
His killer, Rook, stood unseen in shadows cast by an
overhanging balcony. The bolt that would soon nest in the
noble’s neck sat in the hand crossbow held in Rook’s irm
grip, its black shaft green with venom.
Rook didn’t move, and his target remained blissfully un-
aware that in a moment Rook would quench his life’s lame
with all the concern of a lamplighter snuing a streetlight
at dawn. The noble laughed at a jest. The painted courte-
sans tittered. Rook’s inger kissed the trigger.
The crossbow made only the faintest sound as it re-
leased the bolt. A dark streak, a surprised grunt, a clatter-
ing goblet, a sharp intake of breath, and screams. It was
over. Rook vanished into a black pall, slipping through
his drow-born supernatural gloom to make good in his
escape. Another ofering to the Raven Queen—another
wretch silenced and sped to whatever lay beyond.
Free from the noble’s manor, Rook slipped between
two row houses. The streets came alive with shouts and
the whistle blows of the watch. Rook ran down a crooked
avenue. He remembered his companions, good and noble
souls all, awaited him at the Salty Mug. Their employer
was to meet with them at dawn to discuss their next
expedition. It wouldn’t do for his comrades to know about
his nocturnal adventures. They wouldn’t understand the
price exacted by his cold mistress and the penance he
must still pay for betraying her so long ago.
TM & © 2009 Wizards of the coast LLc. all rights reserved.
March 2009
|
Dragon 373
5
ART OF
illustrations by Jason A. Engle, John Tyler Christopher
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