Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Part 1: Rules Book
- Part 2: Monsters & Treasures Book
- Part 3: Wizard's Spell Book
- Part 4: Cleric's Spell Book
- Part 5: Adventure Book (rules sections)
Part 1: Rules Book
Introduction
You have just entered a world of adventure and excitement! You have entered the world of fantasy role-playing games. This is the First Quest game. It is the simplest version of the world's most popular role-playing game, the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. If you have always wanted to know more about "that Dungeons & Dragons game," this is the perfect place to start.
Speaking of perfect places to start, have you listened to the CD yet? If not, put it in and play the introduction, starting with track 1. It will last for several tracks. Stop the CD when the narrator tells you to stop the CD player and read the Basic Rules in the Rules Book.
Contents of the Game Box
This box contains:
- This Rules Book
- The Monsters & Treasures Book
- The Adventure Book (for the Dungeon Master only!)
- The Cleric's Spell Book
- The Wizard's Spell Book
- One double-sided color map sheet
- The CD in its case
- The Dungeon Master's screen
- 6 player character cards, 1 player aid/character sheet card, and 1 town map card
- 6 plastic player character figures
- 7 dice
- A poster
What Kind of a Game is the AD&D Game?
The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game (usually called the AD&D game, for short) is about noble knights and crafty wizards. It is a game about brave heroes fighting dragons and rescuing kingdoms. You get to fight powerful monsters and defeat the mad plots of evil wizards. It is about the times of Merlin and King Arthur, when swords and magic ruled.
Most of all, the AD&D game is about imagination. You get to be the knight in shining armor or the noble, good wizard. The better you are at pretending, the more fun you will have with the game.
What is a Role-Playing Game?
There are all kinds of games: card games, board games, sports games, word games, and others. They all have several things in common. Games have rules that the players have to follow. Games end when a player or a team of players wins by the rules. Usually this means the winner or winning side has the most money or the most points.
Role-playing games are different. They are like no other type of game you have ever played. Role-playing games have rules, but not like other games. The rules can be changed or made up on the spot.
The best way to understand role-playing games is to watch one being played. We've given you a CD that lets you do that. You cannot see the players, but you can hear them.
How Do I Win?
A role-playing game does not end like other games. Nobody keeps score. Each adventure tells how the players can win it. Sometimes the players know right away how to win. Sometimes part of the adventure is figuring out what they have to do to win.
Unlike regular games, winning a role-playing game adventure does not mean the game is over. The brave heroes who won the first adventure go on to play another one. Anything that happened to them in that first adventure will affect what happens in the next one. For example, if a knight found a magical sword in the first adventure, he gets to keep it and use it in the next one.
How Do I Play?
Most board games have a playing piece that stands for you in the game. Usually it is a piece of plastic you move around on the board.
In a role-playing game, your playing piece is the character. There is a plastic pawn for the character, and a big card with his picture on one side. The game comes with six ready-made characters on cards. Take them out and look at them now.
Some of the numbers will not make sense just yet. When you get further into the rules, you will learn how to use the numbers. For now, do not worry about it.
In a role-playing game you are not limited to doing only certain things. Since you are pretending to be a person, not just a hunk of plastic, you can try to do anything a real person can do. However, just because you try to do it does not mean it will work.
The AD&D game can be played by 2 to 7 players. One of the players must be the Dungeon Master. He does not get a character card. We will talk more about what the Dungeon Master does later. The other players should all pick out character cards. The person who is going to be the Dungeon Master should read over some of the character cards too, to get used to what characters can do and what equipment they start with.
Player Characters
As you move around on the board, you will be moving your plastic playing piece. When you want to do something other than move, your character card tells you how to do it. Unlike in most games, in the AD&D game characters are supposed to be pretend people, not just pieces of plastic. Your character is not you. A character is somebody you pretend to be, kind of like a part in a play.
One of the most interesting and exciting things about characters is that they keep growing! Things that happened to a character the last time you played make a difference the next time you play. Each time you play, your character gets better and better.
To get ready to play you only need to do three things.
- Choose a Dungeon Master (a DM).
- Have everyone else pick a character card.
- Get some scratch paper and pencils.
Sounds pretty simple, huh? This game comes with six character cards. On the front of each card is a picture of the character and his game attributes. On the back is a description of what the character can do besides move. The description also covers what happens when the character advances in ability. Pick out a character card to look at while reading the rest of these rules. Don't worry about the back of the card for now. Just pick one with a picture that you like. You can change your mind about what character to play later.
After you have picked out a card, find the card called "Reading a Character Card." It tells you what all the numbers on the cards' fronts mean. Next, before you play your first adventure, the players and the DM only need to read the Basic Rules chapter. After the first adventure the DM should read the Expanded Rules. The players will also need to learn most of the Expanded Rules. The DM may explain the Expanded Rules to them, or they may read the chapter themselves.
Players will each need an extra sheet of paper to write down things that change frequently about their characters. A sheet can be found on the back of the "Reading a Character Card" card that you can photocopy. You can also just use a sheet of blank paper.
Character Class
The most important difference between characters in the AD&D game is character class. There is at least one card for each of the four character classes. Each class is good at something special. You should decide what character to play by looking at the things the character can do. Pick the one that is the most exciting to you.
Fighters: Fighters are big and strong. They are the best with a sword. They tend to fight first and think later.
Wizards: Wizards are smart but not very strong. They get to cast powerful and clever spells. They think before they fight.
Thieves: Thieves are fast and nimble. They are good at being sneaky. They can find traps and open locks.
Clerics: Clerics are tough and brave. They heal and protect with their spells. They are the second best in battle, next to fighters.
Humans, Elves, and Dwarves
All player characters have a class and a race. Characters' classes are sort of like their jobs. They are fighters or wizards because that is what they learned to do. Player characters are born to different races. The character is either born a human, an elf, or a dwarf.
Most characters in the AD&D game are human. If this is the first time you are creating a character, we recommend you do not use the elf or dwarf character cards. There are some advantages to being an elf or a dwarf. There are also some problems. The character cards for the dwarf fighter and the elf fighter/wizard cover what is different when dwarves play fighter-class characters and elves play fighter/wizard multiclass characters. The Player's Handbook to the AD&D game describes other classes dwarves and elves can be, and even other races a player character can be.
Elves: Elves live in forest cities and protect nature. They appreciate beauty and harmony, and get along well with the animals of the forest. They are often fascinated by magic.
Dwarves: Dwarves live in underground cities carved in precise detail from stone. They like gold and gems. They are powerful warriors and resistant to magic.
What's Next?
You need to read more of the rules before playing the AD&D game. The next chapter (the Basic Rules chapter) explains the basic rules of the game. In most cases, you can learn the rules as you play.
The player who is the DM will have to learn most of the rules before playing the game. Since the DM is in charge, the Dungeon Master must at least understand the basics of the rules.
The Dungeon Master
One of the things that makes the AD&D game different and exciting is the Dungeon Master, who is sometimes just called the DM. In most games, everyone is doing the same thing. In other words, all players are equal. That's not true in the AD&D game. The Dungeon Master has a special role completely different from the other players.
In the AD&D game, each player is pretending to be one of the characters on the character cards. Instead of just moving a plastic piece around on a board, the players are told what the place their characters are in looks, sounds, and smells like. The players pretend that they are their characters and that they are in the place described. Players can try to do anything that real people might do if they were there. Anything! Of course, trying something does not mean it will work.
That is where the Dungeon Master comes in. DMs know what the place looks, sounds, and smells like. DMs know what is hidden and what is in plain sight. The adventure book tells them. The DM is the one who tells the players what their characters see and hear.
When the monsters show up, the DM gets to play them. Most types of monsters are only interested in trying to eat the characters. Other monsters can think and talk. Playing those monsters can be a lot more fun. The DM talks for all of them, just as the other players talk for their characters. DMs decide what intelligent monsters do and what they say.
The Dungeon Master is also in charge of the rules. Dungeon Masters decide what happens each time the characters try something. DMs decide if an action works or fails, or if something weird happens. The rules in this book are there to help the DM.
Finally, the Dungeon Master gives out experience points to the characters at the end of an adventure. Characters use experience points to help them become more powerful. The Dungeon Master figures out how many points characters get for killing, defeating, or running from the monsters in an adventure and whether they deserve any experience point bonuses. The DM then tells the players what they each have earned.
Being a Dungeon Master is very exciting. It also takes more work than just being one of the players. Dungeon Masters have to know the rules. They do not have to have the rules memorized, but they should read through this Rules Book. DMs also have to read an adventure before sitting down to play it.
Before you can play the AD&D game, you have to pick somebody to be the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master does not have to always be the same person. The people in your playing group can take turns. The best person to choose for the DM first is the person who owns the game. However, everyone should take a turn sooner or later.
How Does the DM Win?
The Dungeon Master does not play to win. The other players are all trying to win the adventure. It is the Dungeon Master's job to help them do it, but still make it a challenge--otherwise the game is not fun. The DM is not trying to beat the other players.
More than anything else, DMs have to be fair. They are more like umpires or referees than players. When the other players say what they want their characters to do, a DM must decide what happens. Even if the DM does not like what a player is doing, if it should work, he has to let it work. When a DM is not sure, there are rules and die rolls in this book to help him.
Being a Good Dungeon Master
Being the Dungeon Master is a lot of fun, but it is also more work than just being a player. That is why we recommend that you and your friends take turns being the Dungeon Master. It gives everyone a chance to see what it is like, and gives you a chance to just be a player. Whoever is the DM, here are some tips that can help.
Be Prepared: The most important tip is to be prepared. Always read the adventure before inviting your friends over to play. It is a good idea to read the monster descriptions for all the monsters used in the adventure and all the magical item descriptions for magical items that show up in the adventure. This may sound like a lot of work, but most adventures do not have that many monsters or magical items in them. It should only take a few minutes to do the reading.
Fairness: Being fair is also important. Do not ever play favorites with the players. Just because you like one of the players a lot does not mean her ideas and actions are always right. She will make mistakes just like the other players, and should have to deal with the results. On the other hand, just because you do not like a player does not mean that all of her ideas are stupid. She will do some smart and fun things too. You have to let them work when she does.
Acting: Everybody in an AD&D game should do some acting. Pretending to be a character means talking and acting like him or her. The players should try to do what they think their characters would do, not necessarily what they would do.
Dungeon Masters have to do even more acting. They do not have just one person to pretend to be, but lots of them. As the DM, you should change your voice for each character. It does not have to be an award-winning performance. Just making your voice deeper or higher will do the trick most times. Think about cartoon voices you have heard on television and try to imitate one or two.
You can also change the way you talk. This works even better than changing the tone of your voice. For instance one monster might talk really slowly, while another talks quickly. One monster might say "yep" a lot, while another uses the word "great!" all the time. These tricks tell the players that each person you are pretending to be is different and will act differently. Don't be afraid to ham it up--the other players will love it!
Props: If you have the time, getting together some props always helps. For example, bring a piece of uncooked spaghetti to the game. When you have to play a farmer, put the spaghetti in your mouth as if it were a piece of grass that he is chewing on. Hats are another good prop to help make each character seem special. The best rule about props is to keep them safe and simple. You do not want to light real fires or do anything that makes a big mess. You also do not want to have your players waiting around for a long time while you change costumes or set up a complex prop.
Winging It: Sometimes an adventure gets off track. The players have their characters do something that is not covered in the adventure material. Rather than tell the players "you can't do that," go ahead and let them play it out. You just make up what happens.
Do not be afraid to call for a time out to think things over. It is better to break for a minute and let everyone get a drink or whatever, than it is to make a bad decision.
Always be ready to put the adventure back on track. Somehow, the DM has to find a way to get the players back into the regular adventure. This may mean changing something about the adventure. If the players had their characters go into the swamp, rather than up the mountain where the adventure site was waiting for them, move the location of the adventure site to the swamp. You may have to make up a new entrance, but the rest of the dungeon should work just fine.
Basic Rules
There are very few basic rules for the AD&D game. The main reason for this is that the Dungeon Master is in charge of the game and its rules. If something comes up while playing that is not covered by the rules, the Dungeon Master decides what to do. She might make up a die roll to decide what happens, or she might just decide what happens based on what would be fair or what would work best this time to make the adventure fun. Since one of the players is in charge of the rules, that means the rules can be fewer and simpler.
The basic rules include moving, fighting, casting spells, and getting experience (character levels). Everything else is extra. The first adventure can be played with just these rules. This chapter covers these basic rules. You need to read the rules in the next chapter (the Expanded Rules chapter) to play the other adventures.
Dice
This game comes with some funny-shaped dice. There are 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 20-sided dice. Take a moment to look at them. There is an extra 10-sided die that is marked with 10, 20, 30, etc. This die is used to roll numbers from 1 to 100. Pick up the regular 10-sided die and this special die. Roll the two dice at the same time. The two dice together give you a percent score. For example, if the special die reads 20 and the regular die reads 4, the percent score is 24. Pretty easy, huh? If the special die comes up 00, then the score is only what is on the regular die. If the special die comes up 00, and the 10-sided die comes up 0, that is a percent score of 100.
When we write about the dice, they are shown as d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d100. It is shorter to write them that way. If you need to roll more than one of them, an extra number is put in front. For example, 2d6 means roll two 6-sided dice and add them together.
One last note on dice. Sometimes you see numbers added on the end of a die roll, like 2d6+3. That just means to add 3 to whatever the die roll is. In this case, roll two 6-sided dice, add them, then add three.
Time and the Round
To keep the game simple, time is measured in rounds for fighting and casting spells. One round is one minute. A round is one minute for the characters. It usually is not a minute for the players. It may take the players more or less time to decide what to do in a round, but in the pretend world of the game, only one minute passes.
What makes a round special is that in one round, player characters can each try to do one thing. That can be making one attack, casting one spell, running, climbing a wall, or whatever players want their characters to do. Characters are allowed to move up to half their movement limit and still attack, cast a spell, or perform some other action in one round. After everyone has tried to do one thing, that round is over and the next one begins. The backs of the character cards list what each character can usually do in a round.
Moving
As we said above, player characters are more than just hunks of plastic on a game board. They are pretend people moving around in a pretend place. The map sheets used in the First Quest game have a scale of 1 inch for every 10 feet. So, if players want their characters to move 60 feet, they move their figures 6 inches on the map sheet.
Time and Movement
- 1 round = 1 minute.
- Characters move up to 120 feet per round (12 inches on the map sheet).
- Dwarf characters move up to 60 feet (6 inches on the map sheet).
- Characters can move half their total allowed movement and still make an attack in the same round.
The maps have squares marked on them, just like a regular game board. However, the characters (or the monsters) do not have to be "in" a square. The squares are only there to help measure how far away things are.
Each square is 1 inch wide. So if a character moves a male wizard 60 feet, the player just moves the wizard figure six squares on the map sheet. The wizard does not have to end up completely in a square. He can be on the lines, in a corner, or anywhere in the place shown on the map that a person could stand--wherever the player wants him.
Real people can only walk or run so far in one minute. Since the character is a pretend person, it makes sense that the character should not be allowed to move any farther in a single round. In one round, a character can move up to 120 feet, which is shown as 12 inches on the map sheet. This is written as just a 12 on the character card. Some things can slow a character down. Dwarves are slower because they have short legs. Also, the DM may decide at some point that some characters must move slower because they are carrying a lot of weight or are hurt. Eventually, you may play adventures without a map, just by imagining what is going on in your head.
Fighting
Fighting monsters is a big part of the AD&D game. Whenever a fight starts, there is a simple list of things to do each round. They must be done in order.
Order of Fighting
- DM secretly decides what the monsters will do.
- Players take turns each saying out loud what their characters are going to try to do.
- Roll for initiative.
- Whichever side won initiative rolls all of its attacks.
- Whichever side lost initiative rolls all of its attacks.
Deciding What To Do: After the players decide what their characters are going to do, they cannot change their minds later. When it comes time to actually do the action, it might not be possible, or it might be just dumb to do it. In that case players can always choose to have their characters do nothing instead of what they declared. They cannot have their characters do something different.
For example, a player says her female fighter will attack an ogre this round. However, the ogre wins initiative and surrenders before the character can attack. The character has only two options. She can attack, or she can do nothing. She cannot attack a different monster this round.
Initiative: Each side of a battle rolls for initiative. Initiative is just a fancy word for attacking first in a round. Each round initiative is rolled again to see which side attacks first that round.
Initiative is rolled on a 10-sided die. The DM rolls for the monsters. One of the players rolls for the heroes. The side that rolls the lowest number goes first. If there is a tie, reroll it.
How to Attack
- Roll a 20-sided die.
- Subtract the die roll from the character's THAC0 number.
- If the result is less than or equal to the monster's AC, the attack hits.
If the Attack Hits...
- Roll damage.
- Subtract the damage from the monster's hit points.
- Monsters die when they run out of hit points.
THAC0: If you look on a character card, you will see a line for THAC0 followed by a number (probably a 20). Some characters have different THAC0s depending on what weapon they are using or if they are attacking in a special way (like the thief's backstabbing ability). THAC0 stands for "To Hit Armor Class 0," but don't worry about that. All you need to know is that the THAC0 measures how good your character is at attacking. The lower the number, the better. Every character has a THAC0 of 20, except the fighter. Some characters get better THAC0 scores as they go up in level. Fighters always have the best THAC0.
Armor Class: The fronts of the character cards also have a line for Armor Class. Often Armor Class is abbreviated to just AC. Armor Class measures how hard it is for a monster to hit your character. Just like THAC0, lower numbers are better. A human being without any kind of armor has an AC of 10. An AC of 1 is fantastic!
Attack Roll: When it is time to attack, a player subtracts the die roll of a d20 from his or her player character's THAC0. If the result is less than or equal to the monster's AC, the attack hits. Let's go through an example:
| Male Fighter | Monster | |
|---|---|---|
| THAC0 | 19 | 17 |
| Armor Class | 4 | 7 |
The fighter rolls a 20-sided die, and gets a 15. The fighter's THAC0 of 19 - 15 (the die roll) = 4. The fighter hits Armor Class 4 or worse (numbers higher than 4). He hit!
In fact, any attack roll of 12 or higher would have hit the monster. Using the example THAC0s and ACs above, roll some attacks and practice figuring out the attack roll. Make sure to have the monster attack the fighter, too!
When monsters attack, they do exactly the same thing. The DM rolls a 20-sided die and subtracts the result from the monster's THAC0. If the result is equal to or less than the character's AC, the monster hits.
If monsters or player characters get more than one attack in a round, they roll a separate 20-sided die for each attack.
Damage: Once you figure out that an attack hits, you get to roll damage. This is how badly the monster was hurt by the attack. Each weapon has a die roll used to figure out the damage it does.
For example, a sword does 1d8 points of damage. That means that if a monster is hit by a sword, the player gets to roll an 8-sided die to see how much damage his or her character does. If a player's female cleric hit with her mace, it would do 1d6+1 points of damage, so the player would roll a 6-sided die and add 1 to the result to see how much damage her character did.
Hit Points: Player characters and monsters have hit points. This is how many points of damage they can take before dying. It does not take many blows from a sword or many bites from a monster to kill. When a monster has no hit points left, it is dead.
Player characters are not dead when they reach 0 (zero) hit points. Instead they fall unconscious. They do not die until they lose 10 more hit points. When characters reach -10 hit points, they are dead. Their players must start new characters.
Casting Spells
Wizards and clerics have the option to cast magical spells. Casting a spell is an action. This means that characters casting a spell cannot move more than half their maximum distance in the same round. They also cannot attack with a weapon or try anything hard, like climbing walls, in the same round.
Spells ignore THAC0 and Armor Class. Most of the time, the spell works automatically. Some spells give characters a chance to avoid their effects. Characters and monsters avoid spells in a completely different way than they avoid weapons. When a spell is cast, the target of the spell rolls a saving throw. In most cases, if the roll is high enough, the spell does not affect the target.
Third-level spells are included in the Cleric's Spell Book and the Wizard's Spell Book, even though the players' characters cannot use them. Some of the higher level wizard and cleric villains can use them. The players' characters can get 3rd level and even higher spells if they reach 5th level. Many more spells and the rules for how player characters can reach 5th level are contained in the AD&D Player's Handbook. The First Quest game, which provides an introduction to the AD&D game, only covers up to 3rd level character growth.
Saving Throws: The saving throw number for each character is found on the front of each of the character cards. The saving throw number for monsters is found in the adventure text or in the description of the monster in the Monsters & Treasures Book.
A saving throw is made by rolling a 20-sided die. If the number on the die roll is equal to or greater than the number on the card, the saving throw is successful. A successful saving throw can mean that a spell did not work at all, the character only took half damage, or sometimes something special. Read the spell descriptions carefully.
Some spells do not allow a saving throw. They work automatically. When this is true, the spell description in the Cleric's Spell Book or the Wizard's Spell Book will say "Saving Throw: None."
When characters or monsters fail a saving throw, the spell being cast on them always works.
Saving Throws
- Roll a 20-sided die.
- If the number is the same or larger than the saving throw number, the saving throw is successful.
- Look at the spell description to see what happens if the saving throw succeeds.
For example, a monster has a saving throw of 16. A wizard casts charm person on the monster. The DM rolls a 17 on a 20-sided die. Since 17 is larger than 16 the spell does not work. If the DM had rolled a 15, the monster would have been charmed.
Finding and Removing Traps
Several thieves' skills have a percent chance of working, depending upon the thief's level. Most of these are discussed in the Expanded Rules chapter. The most common thing thieves do is find and remove traps.
Thieves have a chance to find traps on doors, in halls, and on treasure chests, among other places. When a thief wants to search for traps, the DM rolls percentile dice secretly and sees if the number rolled is equal to or less than the thief's find/remove traps number (found on the front of the character card). It is important that the player not see the die roll. That way the player does not know if there is no trap there, or if his or her character just did not find it.
Once a trap is found, a thief can try to remove it. The same find/remove traps number is used to attempt to remove a trap. Thieves can make this roll themselves. If it works, the trap is gone. If not, the trap is still there. The thief was not able to get rid of it, but did not set it off either.
Thieves can only check for traps in one area or on one object once. After that check they cannot check the same area until they have gotten more experience by going up a level. The same thing goes for removing traps.
Money, Treasure, and Magical Items
Characters begin the game with no money. They have to go on an adventure to get some. In fact, one of the reasons characters adventure is to get treasures: gold, gems, and magical items to make them stronger, give them new magical abilities, heal their wounds, or protect them from being hit by monsters.
Since this is a fantasy world of knights and dragons, it uses gold pieces for money instead of dollars, pounds, yen, or any type of paper money. In their adventures characters will find copper and silver pieces as well as gold pieces. It takes 10 silver coins or 100 copper coins to equal one gold coin. To keep things simple, all buying and selling is done with gold pieces.
Exchanging Money: 1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper
The Monsters & Treasures Book talks about the many magical treasures characters can find. Many more can be found in the AD&D game Dungeon Master Guide. The Adventure Book also tells Dungeon Masters how to figure out a gem's value. The information in the Adventure Book is for the Dungeon Master to know and the player characters to find out slowly in their adventures. It would spoil your fun to know everything about all the treasure ahead of time, so wait until your character finds a magical item to find out about it.
Equipment
Characters carry a bunch of stuff around with them. Think of it like going on a camping trip. Instead of loading up on things useful for camping, the characters take things useful for exploring and adventuring. Your character already has some things that you will not need to buy for him.
A complete list of nonmagical equipment to use in the First Quest game can be found on the back cover of this book. As you buy equipment, write it down on a piece of paper that is kept with your character. Either use a photocopy of the AD&D Game Character Record Sheet on the back of the "Reading a Character Card" card or use a plain sheet of notebook paper. It is a good idea to write the player's and the character's names on the top of the sheet.
This equipment is only a small part of all the different things a character can buy in the AD&D game. The AD&D game Player's Handbook has a much larger list of items.
Character Levels & Experience Points
Characters have levels. The higher the level, the better the character. All characters start out at 1st level. This First Quest game introduction to the AD&D game only takes characters up to 3rd level. The AD&D game Player's Handbook takes characters from 1st level up to 20th level and above!
Every adventure that characters go on earns them experience points. Defeating monsters and doing smart things earn experience points. When characters get enough experience points, they gain a new level. The abilities characters get when they gain levels are shown on the backs of their character cards. Every character gets more hit points. Warriors get better at fighting, wizards and clerics can cast more spells, and thieves improve their skills.
Expanded Rules
In real life, people can do a lot more than just fight. Because the characters of an AD&D game are supposed to be pretend people, they can also do a lot more things than just fight. This chapter has rules for some of the more common and exciting things that players' characters can try.
It is impossible to make a complete set of rules for everything a person could do. The AD&D game does not even try. Instead, it has easy-to-use rules for the most common things a character might try to do while on an adventure.
You will not find rules for making chairs here. Adventurers are probably not going to do that in an AD&D game. Nor will you find rules for sharpening swords. While real knights needed to sharpen their swords all the time, it is not very exciting. Therefore we do not bother to have rules for doing it in the AD&D game.
The Rule of the DM
Whenever players try to have their characters do something weird, use the DM's rule. This just means that the Dungeon Master decides what kind of chance characters have of succeeding. It is completely up to the DM to figure out the percent chance of success.
The DM does not tell the players what she or he has decided on as the chance of success. The Dungeon Master rolls the d100 percentile dice secretly to see if the action worked or not. If the die roll is less than or equal to the number the DM picked, the action worked.
Whatever the result or whatever odds the DM decides on are right. Remember, this is only a game. It is not worth arguing about what the real chances of success of some different or strange action are.
DMs can change the odds even for those things that do have rules. DMs should only do this if they think there is a good reason. For example, the normal chance for being surprised is a 3 or less on a 10-sided die. However, if the characters are in an area that is noisy and full of shadows, the DM might decide that in this case they are surprised on a 5 or less.
Basically, if the game does not have a rule for something, a player's character can still try it. The DM has to figure out if it has a chance of succeeding, decide on what that chance would be, and then roll the dice to see if the action worked. The DM is always allowed to decide that a character's action automatically does or does not work.
Dungeon Masters should always be fair. They should make their decisions by thinking about what might really happen, not by what they want to happen.
Dungeon Master Rules
- DMs decide what happens. If necessary, they just make it up.
- DMs decide what percent chance an action not covered in the rules has of working. If a Dungeon Master's d100 roll is less than or equal to that number, the action worked.
- DMs are always allowed to decide that a character's action automatically does or does not work. DMs are always allowed to change a die roll if they think there is a good reason.
- Dungeon Masters should always be fair.
Example One: There are no rules for climbing out of windows. However, this is such a simple action the DM might decide it works automatically.
Example Two: Dale's fighter, Beldar the Brave, tries to find a window while blindfolded. There is no rule for finding things while blindfolded. Sarah, the DM, decides Beldar has a 20% chance this round to find the window. If she gets a 20 or less on the percentile dice, Beldar finds the window.
Example Three: Trent says his thief, Slinker, is going to try to jump through a very small window 20 feet away while blindfolded. The DM decides this is an impossible action and tells Trent that Slinker lands on the floor, completely missing the window.
Ability Checks
Any time a character tries something unusual, the DM can have the player roll an ability check to see if she or he succeeds. The character's abilities are those six numbers for Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The DM decides which ability makes sense. For example, lifting and pushing would use Strength; dodging and aiming would use Dexterity.
Making an ability check is very easy. The player rolls a 20-sided die. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the ability score, the check succeeded and the action worked.
For example, Beldar the Brave is trying to knock down a locked door. He has a strength of 17. If he rolls a 17 or less on the 20-sided die, the door flies off its hinges with a huge crash.
The Dungeon Master can always give out bonuses or penalties to the ability check. In the example above, if the door were made of iron, the DM might say that Beldar has a -4 penalty. This means the door is really hard to knock down. Beldar now has to roll a 13 or less on a 20-sided die to knock the door down.
Ability Checks
- The DM chooses which ability makes the most sense.
- The player rolls a 20-sided die.
- If the number rolled is less than or equal to the ability score, the check succeeds.
Finding Secret Doors
Some doors are cleverly hidden and cannot be seen unless they are specially searched for. These are referred to as secret doors, because they are a secret known only by the DM until a character finds them.
Characters have to say that they are searching for secret doors in order to find them. (They do not accidentally find secret doors.) When the players say that their characters are searching for secret doors in a particular place, the DM rolls a 6-sided die secretly. If the die comes up a 1, the door has been found. Roll once for each character searching.
Elves are twice as good as humans at finding secret doors. If the d6 roll is a 1 or 2, the elf found it.
Each 20-foot-long section of wall takes 10 rounds for one character to search. Each character can only search a 20-foot-long section of wall once. Secret doors can be located in other things besides walls (like bookcases or wardrobes), but about the same size space takes the same amount of time (10 rounds) to search.
Of course if there are not any secret doors in the area, the characters cannot find any! DMs should roll anyway, even if they know there is nothing to find. That way the players do not know for sure whether there are secret doors they did not find.
Moving (Special Movement)
Characters can move in many ways other than walking or running around. The three most common are described here.
Swimming: Characters can swim at half their normal speed. This is 60 feet a round for most characters (30 feet for dwarven characters). Characters in leather armor swim at one-third of their normal rate, which is usually 40 feet a round (20 feet for dwarven characters). Characters in metal armor sink; they cannot swim.
Climbing: Characters first have to roll to see if they are able to climb a wall. Thieves have the climb walls thieves' ability. This ability lets them make hard climbs without ropes. Everyone else has to have a rope.
With a rope, a thief can always make the climb. Other characters have an 80% chance of climbing successfully with a rope. If they fail this roll (they roll 81% or higher on percentile dice), they cannot make the climb. They never leave the floor.
All characters move 20 feet each round while climbing.
Riding on Horses: A character on a horse can move up to 180 feet each round.
Movement
| Type of Movement | Feet per Round |
|---|---|
| Swimming (half of normal speed) | 60; 30 (dwarves) |
| Climbing, not a thief (must have a rope) | 20 (if successful); 80% chance of success |
| Riding (on horses) | 180 |
Surprise
If the monsters set an ambush, they may possibly surprise the player characters. Of course, the characters can set ambushes too. If the characters are surprised, they do not get to attack for the first round. After that, the players' characters can attack and act normally. It works the same way when characters try to surprise or ambush the monsters.
To see if the characters are successfully surprised when the monsters try to surprise them, roll a 10-sided die. If the roll is a 3 or less, the characters are surprised.
Some monsters are better at surprising player characters than others and get a bonus to the surprise roll. (They are quieter or sneakier.) For example, duergar dwarves get a two-point bonus. So in a duergar dwarf ambush, the players' characters are surprised on a 5 or less. Some monsters are also hard to surprise, getting bonuses when the characters try to sneak up on them.
Dangers
Characters can get hurt many ways without getting into a fight with a monster. The two most common are described here.
Falling: Characters take 1d6 points of damage for every 10 feet they fall.
Poison: Many monsters have poison. Poison can be carried by a monster's fangs or stinger. Poison can be drunk or eaten. Poison can even be put on the weapons of evil monsters. When characters are poisoned, they must each make a saving throw. If their saving throws succeed, nothing happens. If their saving throws fail, the DM rolls 1d20+10 for each of them to see how many rounds go by before the poison hurts them. When the time is up, a poisoned character takes 15 points of damage.
Dangers
| Type of Danger | Damage |
|---|---|
| Falling | 1d6 per 10 feet |
| Poison | 15 points of damage (Poison takes 1d20+10 rounds to take effect.) |
Death
Characters do not die when they run out of hit points--at least not until they have lost 10 more hit points below 0 (zero). Until then, characters are unconscious. Clerics can cure characters back up above 0 hit points, but they remain unconscious for the rest of the day (while on an adventure). Back in town in between adventures, characters always spend the necessary time to heal up completely before their next adventure.
For example, Slinker is wounded to -7 hit points. He is unconscious. His cleric friend, Lordan the Pure, cures him back to 2 hit points, but Slinker is still unconscious the rest of the day. If the whole group of characters has come to the end of the adventure, its members can carry Slinker back to town. When they go on their next adventure, Slinker is automatically healed completely. If the group chooses to continue this adventure carrying the unconscious Slinker, he will wake up the next morning with 2 hit points, and Lordan will have to use a cure light wounds spell to help him out more.
Sometimes a character dies. When heroes face dangerous monsters and cruel traps, things like that can happen. A player with a dead character has two choices. The player's first option is to start a new character. The player's second option is to persuade the other players to have their characters take his or her character's body back to town. The temple will use magic to bring back the character for 1,000 gold pieces. The character loses 1 point of Constitution.
Characters can be raised from the dead until their Constitution reaches 0 (zero). Characters raised from the dead so many times that their Constitution is 6 or lower lose 1 hit point permanently each time they are raised. For example, Beldar the Brave has a Constitution of 7 (because he has been raised from the dead many times) and 10 hit points. He dies again. If the temple brings him back again, his Constitution will be 6, and he will have 9 hit points. His hit points will not go above 9 until he gains another level.
Death
| Character Hit Points | Effect |
|---|---|
| 0 or below | Unconscious |
| -10 or below | Dead |
Clerics' Powers
Clerics have the power to turn undead. This means that they tell an undead monster (or group of monsters) to go away, and it does. The monster can come back and attack again, but has to wait at least an hour. A cleric can try to turn a certain undead monster (or group of monsters) no more than once each hour. Turning undead monsters takes an action, just like fighting or casting a spell.
To turn undead, the player rolls a 20-sided die and looks up the number on the table below. The table is also on the cleric's character card. If the die roll is equal to or greater than the number on the table, the undead monsters are turned. If there is more than one type of undead present, look up the one roll for both monsters.
Turning Undead
| Monster | Cleric 1st | Cleric 2nd | Cleric 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skeleton | 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Zombie | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Ghoul | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| Shadow | 19 | 16 | 13 |
| Wight | 20 | 19 | 16 |
Example: Tamara the True, a 2nd-level cleric, meets some ghouls. After fighting them for two rounds, she decides to try turning them. She rolls the 20-sided die and gets a 14. The ghouls all run away, since the die roll was higher than 13. If the roll had been less than 13, Tamara would not have turned the ghouls. Two hours later she runs into the ghouls again. Since it's been more than an hour since she first turned them, she can try to turn them again. If she had run away from the ghouls because she failed to turn them the first time, she could also try again now.
Thieves' Powers
Thieves can take lots of special actions. One of them is backstabbing. If a monster is shaped like a person, a thief gets surprise, and the thief is behind the monster, the thief can try to backstab. Thieves can surprise a monster by successfully hiding in shadows or sneaking up on it. Thieves trying to backstab add 4 to their attack rolls and roll twice their normal damage. A thief can only backstab with a dagger or short sword.
Backstabbing
- Monster must be shaped like a person.
- Thief must: attack from behind; get surprise; use a dagger or short sword.
- Thief gets: +4 bonus on attack roll; x2 normal damage.
Several other thieves' skills have a percent chance of working, depending upon the thief's level. Whenever a player with a thief character tries to use one of these skills, the DM rolls percentile dice secretly and sees if the number rolled is equal to or less than the number on the table below.
If DMs want to, they can let thief characters roll to open locks, remove traps, and climb walls, as it will be obvious to thieves if they succeed or not. It is important that DMs roll if thieves try to pick pockets, find traps, move silently or hide in shadows. That way the players do not know if they fail or succeed. This prevents players from knowing if, for instance, their characters are hiding in shadows or if they failed to hide and the monsters are pretending not to see them so that they can trick the characters.
Thieves' Skills
| Thieves' Skill | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick Pockets | 30% | 35% | 40% |
| Open Locks | 25% | 29% | 33% |
| Find/Remove Traps | 20% | 25% | 30% |
| Move Silently | 15% | 21% | 27% |
| Hide in Shadows | 10% | 15% | 20% |
| Climb Walls | 85% | 86% | 87% |
Pick Pockets: This skill lets thieves take something from someone's pocket or backpack.
Open Locks: Opening locks lets a thief pick any type of lock (unlock a lock without its key).
Find/Remove Traps: The find/remove traps skill is discussed in the Basic Rules.
Move Silently: Thieves can only move 40 feet per round if they are trying to be quiet. Thieves may find out right away that they have been heard, or they may not find out until it is too late.
Hide in Shadows: When hidden the thief can't be seen by normal vision. Thieves can't move or attack and stay hidden.
Climb Walls: Only a thief can climb walls without a rope. All other characters must have a rope. Thieves climb at 20 feet a round.
Alignment
Alignment is just a fancy word for what kind of person a character or monster is. Alignments give the DM an idea of how nonplayer characters and monsters will behave. Non-player characters are characters that the DM plays who are fighters, clerics, thieves, or wizards, like the player characters. The monsters are described in the Monsters & Treasures Book.
Players can also pick an alignment for their characters to be after reading through these descriptions. (Or the DM can describe the alignments to them.) However, since they are heroes, they cannot be evil. All the evil alignments are reserved for monsters and nonplayer characters. In addition, thieves can never be lawful good.
There are two parts to alignment: lawfulness and goodness. A character or monster has one of each.
Lawfulness tells whether monsters or characters are organized and make plans, or if they do things on the spur of the moment, not worrying about plans. There are three options for lawfulness: lawful, neutral, or chaotic.
Goodness tells whether monsters or characters are selfish or care about other people. There are three options for goodness: good, neutral, or evil.
In the AD&D game Player's Handbook, alignments are discussed in more detail than here. They can affect many things about a character.
Alignments
- Lawful Good: These characters follow laws, make plans, and care about everyone else. This is the alignment of true heroes.
- Neutral Good: Taking care of people and doing what is right are more important than obeying laws or following rules. These characters or monsters follow good laws, but are willing to break others.
- Chaotic Good: These basically good people do not like to be told what to do. They dislike rules, laws, or making any plans.
- Lawful Neutral: Rules and laws are more important to these people than the consequences. They always plan ahead.
- Neutral: These people believe that everything must be balanced: good and evil, law and chaos. This is the alignment of animals since they don't care about these things.
- Chaotic Neutral: Chaotic neutral people make no plans in life. They do what they feel like, sometimes helping others, sometimes being selfish. They ignore rules and plans.
- Lawful Evil: These nonplayer characters or monsters follow rules and laws, but use them to help themselves and hurt others. They tend to make long-range plans to rule the world, or at least their corner of it.
- Neutral Evil: These nonplayer characters or monsters care only about themselves. They can work with others or by themselves. Plans and rules are only useful as long as they help these people.
- Chaotic Evil: Chaotic evil nonplayer characters or monsters are very selfish. They do whatever they feel like doing even if it hurts somebody else. They rarely make plans.
Normal Equipment
| Armor | Gold Pieces | Armor Class |
|---|---|---|
| Robes (no armor) | 1 | 10 |
| Shield | 7 | +1 bonus |
| Leather | 5 | 8 |
| Chain mail | 75 | 5 |
| Plate mail | 600 | 3 |
| Weapons | Gold Pieces | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Arrows, 24 | 1 | 1d8 |
| Battle axe | 5 | 1d8 |
| Bow | 100 | -- |
| Club | 0 | 1d6 |
| Dagger | 2 | 1d4 |
| Mace | 8 | 1d6+1 |
| Hand/throwing axe | 1 | 1d6 |
| Quarterstaff | 0 | 1d6 |
| Spear | 1 |
| Other | Gold Pieces |
|---|---|
| Horse | 75 |
| Saddle bags | 4 |
| Backpack | 2 |
| Chain, per foot | 3 |
| Chest, wooden | 2 |
| Candles | 0 |
| Fishing net | 4 |
| Fire starting kit | 1 |
| Food & water | 0 |
| Glass bottle | 10 |
| Grappling hook | 1 |
| Ladder, 10-foot-high | 1 |
All of the things on this equipment list were available in medieval times when knights in armor were common. Things like gunpowder and electricity had not been invented or discovered yet. The prices of the items show that, too. For example, the small telescope (also called a spyglass) is very expensive. They were hard to build back then.
Some things are so cheap that it is not even worth counting them. Candles, food and water, and torches all have a cost of 0 gold pieces. If players try to have their characters buy too much of these sorts of things, DMs can give them a cost.
Oil: Oil can burn. It is a favorite tactic of player characters to throw oil into a place and then light it on fire. As the DM, you do not have to suggest this idea. Let the players figure it out for themselves.
One bottle of oil covers an area about 10 feet across (usually on the floor). Any monsters in that area of the floor when the oil is lit take 1d3 points of damage each. Oil on the floor burns for 1d6 rounds.
If the oil actually covers a monster and is lit, it does 2d6 points of damage the first round, 1d6 points of damage the second round, and then goes out. Oil can only cover a monster if the oil is thrown or poured onto it. Throwing oil onto a monster requires a successful attack. DMs will have to judge the situation carefully to see if the attack should have a penalty to hit, as most characters do not train to throw oil like they train to swing a sword.
Small Telescope: This lets the character using it see things as if they were 10 times closer.
Silver Weapons: A silver weapon has to be specially made. It costs 10 times the regular cost to make a silver weapon. Silver weapons are easily ruined. The first three times they hit, they are automatically undamaged. After that, there is a 20% chance each time a silver weapon hits that it will bend or break. Silver weapons can be repaired for twice the cost of buying a regular steel one.
(The back cover of the Rules Book repeats the Normal Equipment list without the Oil paragraphs.)
Reference Sheet (Player Aid Card)
The following is the reference sheet printed with the box; it repeats the rules above and adds the town services.
Ability Scores
- Strength: How much your character can lift or push.
- Dexterity: How graceful or clumsy your character is.
- Constitution: How healthy your character's body is.
- Intelligence: How smart and educated your character is.
- Wisdom: How wise and how much common sense your character has.
- Charisma: How well your character gets along with others.
Special Movement: Swimming 60 feet per round (half normal speed), 30 (dwarves). Climbing, not a thief: 20 (if successful), must have a rope, 80% chance of success. Riding (on horses): 180.
Dangers: Falling, 1d6 per 10 feet. Poison, 15 points of damage (Poison takes 1d20+10 rounds to take effect.)
Ability Checks: (1) Dungeon Master chooses which ability makes the most sense to check against. (2) Player rolls a 20-sided die. (3) If the number rolled is less than or equal to the ability score, the action works.
Time and Movement: 1 round = 1 minute. Characters move up to 120 feet per round (12 inches on the map sheet). Dwarf characters move up to 60 feet per round (6 inches on the map sheet). Characters can move half their total allowed movement and still make an attack in the same round.
How to Run a Battle: (1) Dungeon Master secretly decides what the monsters will do. (2) Players take turns each saying out loud what their characters are going to try to do. (3) Roll for initiative. (4) Whichever side won initiative rolls all of its attacks. (5) Whichever side lost initiative rolls all of its attacks. Repeat these five steps each round until the battle is over.
How to Attack: (1) Roll a 20-sided die. (2) Subtract the die roll from the character's THAC0 number. (3) If the result is less than or equal to the monster's AC, the attack hits. If the Attack Hits...: (1) Roll damage. (2) Subtract the damage from the monster's hit points. (3) Monsters die when they run out of hit points.
Death: 0 or below hit points: Unconscious. -10 or below: Dead.
Saving Throws: (1) Roll a 20-sided die. (2) If the number is the same or larger than the saving throw number, the saving throw is successful. (3) Look at the spell description to see what happens if the saving throw fails.
Secret Doors: DM rolls 1d6 for each character. On a 1, the secret door is found. Elves find secret doors on a 1 or 2. Each 20 feet of wall takes a character 10 rounds to search. Each character can only search a wall once.
Turning Undead, Exchanging Money, Backstabbing, Thieves' Skills: as given in the Rules Book above (1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper; backstabbing: monster must be shaped like a person; thief must attack from behind, get surprise, and use a dagger or short sword; thief gets +4 bonus on attack roll and x2 normal damage).
The Wizard's Tower
- For 1,000 gold pieces the wizard will tell the characters what a magical item is.
- The wizard will accept another magical item as payment instead of 1,000 gold pieces.
The Temple
| Temple Service | Minimum Donation |
|---|---|
| Heal hit points | 100 gold pieces |
| Cure poison | 100 gold pieces |
| Cure disease | 250 gold pieces |
| Remove a curse | 500 gold pieces |
| Restore a lost limb | 750 gold pieces |
| Raise a dead character* | 1,000 gold pieces |
* Elves cannot be raised. Being raised from the dead lowers a character's Constitution by 1 point.
The Store: Characters can buy things at the store for the price on the Equipment List in the Rules Book. The store buys things back for half that price. The store will make change (exchange 10 copper pieces for a silver piece, or 10 silver pieces for a gold piece, etc.). The store will accept gems instead of coins. The DM needs to determine how much each gem is worth.
Gem Value (roll 1d100)
| 1d100 | Gem | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 01-25 | Agate | 10 gold pieces |
| 26-50 | Quartz | 50 gold pieces |
| 51-70 | Garnet | 100 gold pieces |
| 71-90 | Topaz | 500 gold pieces |
| 91-99 | Emerald | 1,000 gold pieces |
| 00 | Diamond | 5,000 gold pieces |
Part 2: Monsters & Treasures Book
Monsters
Monsters are the most common enemy of the characters. In most adventures, the characters will fight horrible monsters and find rich treasures. The AD&D game Monstrous Manual has even more monsters.
For the most part, monsters have the same kinds of statistics as characters. There are a few new attributes that only monsters have.
Hit Dice: This number shows how tough a monster is. It represents the same thing as levels for player characters. A 2-Hit Die monster is about the same as a 2nd-level character.
Hit Dice are used to figure out how many hit points the monster has. All monsters use 8-sided dice. For example, a black bear with 3+3 Hit Dice rolls three 8-sided dice, then adds three more points to the total. Black bears have between 6 and 27 hit points.
No. of Attacks: Some monsters can attack more than once in the same round. This number shows how many times they can attack in a round.
Special Attacks and Special Defenses: These two lines list the special powers the monster has. Exactly how they work is in the description of the monster.
Intelligence: Some monsters can be smart or dumb. Below is a list of intelligence ratings for monsters, listed from dumbest to most intelligent. These words are broad categories for a range of numbers. The numbers are given next to the category. If player characters were rated with these categories, they would be anything from low to genius. Most would be average.
| Category | Intelligence Range |
|---|---|
| Nonintelligent | 0 |
| Animal intelligence | 1 |
| Semi-intelligent | 2-4 |
| Low intelligence | 5-7 |
| Average intelligence | 8-10 |
| Very intelligent | 11-12 |
| Highly intelligent | 13-14 |
| Exceptional intelligence | 15-16 |
| Genius | 17-18 |
Treasure Type: This is the row of the Treasure Types table on page 26 that the Dungeon Master (DM) should use to figure out what treasure the monster has.
Experience Points: This number is how many experience points the group of characters gets to divide among its members for successfully defeating the monster. Defeating a monster does not have to mean killing it. The DM decides when a monster is defeated, and what amount of experience points a group gets for partially defeating a monster.
If this entry reads "Experience Points: None," the monster is not meant to be fought or defeated by the characters. The monster is a potential friend, helper, or even someone that the characters should help, rather than someone who should be attacked. If the characters attack such monsters, they get no experience from the encounter.
Monsters on the Map
The First Quest game comes with six plastic figures for the heroes. As the heroes are moving around on the map, the players move the plastic figures.
There are no plastic figures for the monsters. Whenever the players run into a monster, the DM should show them the picture from this book. Most of the time the DM does not need to have anything out on the map. The only time it is helpful to have something represent the monsters on the map is in combat. At this time, a DM can use coins, action toys, small plastic toy animals, plastic pawns from other games, or anything else to show where the monsters stand. A handful of dice works very well. Each monster can have a different number face up.
The best thing to use are metal miniatures. You can find metal miniatures for all of the monsters in this game at most hobby shops. The miniatures are the perfect size for the AD&D game. They can even be painted to look right.
Role-playing Monsters
When the players' characters meet monsters, it is up to the DM to act out the monsters' parts. The monster descriptions include role-playing tips for all monsters that can talk. These tips tell the DM how to act like that monster.
Monsters that are only as smart as animals are the easiest to role-play. They usually want only two things: food and safety. If the monster is not hungry, it probably will not attack. If the monster thinks the players' characters are going to hurt it, it will attack to protect its territory.
Thinking and talking monsters are a little tougher. They usually want something, too, but it is not always food. They may want money, they may be acting on orders, or they may just be bullies. Try to figure out what the monster wants before role-playing it.
In all cases, monsters will try to save their own lives. No living thing wants to die. They usually surrender or run away first. They only fight to the death if there does not seem to be any other choice.
Monster Descriptions
Ant, Giant Warrior and Worker
| Warrior | Worker | |
|---|---|---|
| Armor Class | 3 | 3 |
| Hit Dice | 3 | 2 |
| THAC0 | 17 | 17 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 2d4 | 1d6 |
| Special Attacks | Sting for 3d4 | None |
| Special Defenses | None | None |
| Saving Throw | 17 | 16 |
| Movement |
Warrior giant ants are always found with 1d6x5 worker ants. The workers also fight to defend the nest. Whenever warrior giant ants successfully attack with their pincers, they also get to try to sting with their stinger. If they hit with their stinger, the target must make a saving throw. If the saving throw is successful, the target takes only 1d4 points of damage.
Wherever giant ants appear, there is always a large hole nearby. Hidden down the hole, at least 10 feet below the ground, is the queen and the treasure. It takes an hour to dig them up. There are dozens more workers scurrying around while the digging is going on. The queen has 45 hit points and cannot attack. She is always guarded by two more warriors.
Bat, Giant
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Dice: 1/2 (1d4)
- THAC0: 20
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d2
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: AC 5 vs. missiles
- Saving Throw: 19
- Movement: 3, Fly 18
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 3-foot body, 5-foot wings
- Experience Points: 35
Unlike normal bats, giant bats are carnivorous and will attack player characters. Their high-pitched squeaks act like sonar, allowing them to "see" shapes and movement (but not colors) in total darkness.
The giant bat must land, usually on its victim, to attack. On any round that it takes off to fly again, it cannot also attack.
The flight of a giant bat is so erratic that characters with a Dexterity of 13 or less have a hard time hitting these bats with missile weapons. Whenever such characters attack with thrown or fired weapons, the giant bat is considered to have an Armor Class of 5.
Bear, Black, and Bear, Brown
| Black | Brown | |
|---|---|---|
| Armor Class | 7 | 6 |
| Hit Dice | 3+3 | 5+5 |
| THAC0 | 17 | 15 |
| No. of Attacks | 3 | 3 |
| Damage/Attack | 1d3/1d3/1d6 | 1d6/1d6/1d8 |
| Special Attacks | Hug for 2d4 | Hug for 2d6 |
| Special Defenses | None | None |
| Movement | 12 | 12 |
| Saving Throw |
The black bear is smaller than the brown or grizzly bear. Bears do not attack unless provoked. They can be unknowingly provoked. Any character coming within 20 feet of a bear will provoke it. If there are three bears, the smallest one (the one with the least hit points) is a cub. In that case, anyone coming within 50 feet of the bears will provoke them. Attacking a bear always provokes it. Unprovoked bears wander away and do not attack.
If a bear hits its target with a paw (the first two types of damage listed are paw damage) and has rolled an 18 or higher on the attack die, it also hugs the victim. This hug is a bone-crushing squeeze that does extra damage.
Beetle, Giant Fire
- Armor Class: 4
- Hit Dice: 1+2
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 2d4
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Movement: 12
- Saving Throw: 17
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Small, 2 1/2 feet long
- Experience Points: 35
The fire beetle is the smallest of the giant beetles. Although they are called fire beetles, they have no fire attacks or immunity to fire. They are named fire beetles because of the two bright red spots above their eyes that give off a red glow. There is a third such spot near the backs of their bellies.
This spot can be cut out of a beetle's carapace and used as a light source for 1d6 days. It lights up a circle 20 feet across and gives off no heat. Each spot can be sold for 100 gold pieces, but only on the same day it is cut out.
Bugbear
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 3+1
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: By weapon
- Special Attacks: Surprise, +2 to damage
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: O
- Size: Large, 7 feet tall
- Experience Points: 120
Whenever possible, bugbears prefer to ambush their foes. They are so sneaky that the characters get a -3 penalty for surprise rolls.
Bugbears can use a variety of weapons. They carry small weapons, such as hand axes, hammers, or spears to throw at their victims. Then they draw their larger weapons to attack in close. Bugbears prefer battle axes, maces, and spears.
Bugbears are quite strong. They get a +2 bonus to all damage rolls, except from arrows.
Typical bugbear comments: "Gimme all yer loot." "Let's get 'em." "Boil that dwarf before you eat him."
Carrion Crawler
- Armor Class: 3/7
- Hit Dice: 3+1
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 8 or 1
- Damage/Attack: Special or 1d2
- Special Attacks: Paralyzation
- Special Defenses: None
- Movement: 9
- Saving Throw: 16
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: B
- Size: Large, 9 feet long
- Experience Points: 420
Carrion crawlers are caterpillarlike monsters. They can cling to walls and ceilings with the special claws on their many feet.
Carrion crawlers attack with their short, 2-foot-long tentacles. If any of their eight tentacles hits a victim, that person must make a saving throw or be immediately paralyzed for 2d6x10 rounds. The tentacles do not do any actual damage. Once their victims are paralyzed, carrion crawlers nibble at them, doing 1d2 points of damage per round.
The head of the carrion crawler (where its tentacles are) has an Armor Class of 3. The softer body only has an Armor Class of 7.
Centipede, Megalo-
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 3
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d3
- Special Attacks: Poison
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 18
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 5 feet long
- Experience Points: 175
The megalo-centipede is the largest of all the giant centipedes. They come in colors ranging from brown to reddish brown to grayish tan. These creatures can easily climb along walls and ceilings. Megalo-centipedes attack people on sight.
The pincer jaws of the megalo-centipede are not very fearsome, but they are poisonous. Each bite forces the victim to make a saving throw or take poison damage in addition to the 1d3 from the bite.
An experienced hunter can milk the poison from a centipede. It takes four centipedes to get one dose of poison to work on one manmade weapon.
Dragon, Ancient Copper
- Armor Class: -8
- Hit Dice: 20
- THAC0: 2
- No. of Attacks: 3 or breathe acid
- Damage/Attack: 1d6+11/1d6+11/5d4+11
- Special Attacks: Stream of acid
- Special Defenses: 40% magic resistance
- Saving Throw: 6
- Movement: 9, Fly 30
- Intelligence: Highly
- Alignment: Chaotic good
- Treasure Type: Hx10
- Size: Gigantic, 120-foot-long body, 95-foot-long tail
- Experience Points: None
This ancient copper dragon is not meant to be fought or defeated by the characters. The copper dragon is a potential friend. If they are nice to him, he might grant them a favor. He might ask them to perform a heroic quest for him. He will never attack the characters unless they completely ignore his attempts to talk to them.
The copper dragon can cast spells as a 5th-level wizard and as a 3rd-level cleric. Forty percent of all spells cast on him fail. He can spray acid from his mouth in a stream 70 feet long and 5 feet wide instead of using his three combat attacks. The acid kills whatever it touches.
Typical comment: "You small folk do get into some amusing predicaments."
Dragon, Hatchling Red
- Armor Class: 0
- Hit Dice: 9
- THAC0: 11
- No. of Attacks: 3 or breathe fire
- Damage/Attack: 1d10+1/1d10+1/3d10+1
- Special Attacks: Breathe fire for 2d10+1 damage
- Special Defenses: Immune to fire
- Saving Throw: 13
- Movement: 9, Fly 30
- Intelligence: Exceptional
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: A
- Size: Huge, 8-foot-long body, 9-foot-long tail
- Experience Points: 7,000
Red dragons are cruel, evil, and greedy. They can talk, and always try to scare characters by describing how tough they are. Hatchlings are the youngest and smallest of the red dragons, but even they are horrible. They are only a few years old. Bigger, older dragons rarely go into these dungeons.
This dragon can breathe fire up to once every 3 rounds. If it breathes fire, it cannot claw or bite that round. Everyone in a cone 90 feet long and 30 feet wide is hit by the fire and gets to make a saving throw. Those that do save only take half normal damage.
Outdoors these dragons can fly, but not in the narrow tunnels of the dungeon.
Dwarf, Duergar
- Armor Class: 4 (chain mail)
- Hit Dice: 1+2 or 3+6
- THAC0: 19 or 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d6 (hammer)
- Special Attacks: Invisibility, enlarge (level equal to HD)
- Special Defenses: Saving throw bonus
- Saving Throw: 13 or 11
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Average
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: F
- Size: Small, 4 feet tall
- Experience Points: 420 or 975
The duergar, or gray dwarves, are an evil race that lives deep underground. They hate other types of dwarves and will attack them. They are so sneaky that characters have a -2 penalty to surprise rolls. Duergar can wear other armor and use other weapons. When they do their Armor Classes and weapon damages change.
Duergar can cast enlarge and invisibility spells as often as they want. There is a 10% chance that any duergar the characters meet are riding giant spiders.
If four or more duergar are encountered, one of them is a 3rd-level cleric able to cast cause fear, curse, and silence 15' radius. He has 3+6 Hit Dice and a THAC0 of 18.
Typical comments: "Humans are soft and weak." "The only thing worse than a human is a hill dwarf!"
Elf, Drow
- Armor Class: 4 (chain mail)
- Hit Dice: 1, 2, 3, or 4
- THAC0: 20, 19, 18, or 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d6+1 (sword) or 1d3 (dart)
- Special Attacks: Spells
- Special Defenses: 50% magic resistance
- Saving Throw: 17, 17, 16, or 16
- Movement: 12
- Intelligence: Highly
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: O, R
- Size: Man-sized, 5 feet tall
- Experience Points: 420, 650, 975, or 1,400
Once normal elves, these evil creatures were driven underground. They hate other elves and will attack them.
Drow use small, handheld crossbows that fire poison-coated darts. The darts do 1d3 points of damage. The poison does no damage, but makes characters fall unconscious for 2d4 hours if they fail their saving throws.
Drow can cast darkness 15' radius, levitate, and detect magic each once a day. Any spell cast at them has a 50% chance of failing.
In bright light, drow have a -2 penalty on initiative and attack rolls. Characters get a +2 saving throw bonus against the sleep poison if the attacking drow is in light.
Gargoyle
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 4+4
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 4
- Damage/Attack: 1d3/1d3/1d6/1d4
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: Only hurt by magical weapons
- Saving Throw: 14
- Movement: 9, Fly 15
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Man-sized, 5 feet tall
- Experience Points: 420
Gargoyles can pretend to be statues because their skin looks just like stone and they are able to stand perfectly still for a long time. They try to surprise their victims by swooping down on them unexpectedly. When they swoop they get three attacks. They have to land to get their horn attack (1d4).
Each round, a gargoyle can attack with both claws, try to bite, and try to stab with its horn. Only magical spells or magical weapons can harm a gargoyle.
A gargoyle's treasure is usually hidden under a stone or in a small hole in a cavern wall. A wizard will pay 250 gold pieces for a gargoyle's horn.
Typical comments: "Humans are so soft and squishy." "Let's hurt them."
Gelatinous Cube
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Dice: 4
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 2d4
- Special Attacks: Paralyzation
- Special Defenses: Surprise, spell immunity
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: O, V
- Size: Large, 10x10x10-foot cube
- Experience Points: 650
This slimy monster travels slowly down dungeon halls. It fills a 10-foot-wide tunnel completely. A gelatinous cube is transparent, and characters get a -3 penalty on surprise rolls when it attacks, because they often do not see it.
The cube attacks by lunging forward to touch its victim. If hit, the character must make a saving throw or be paralyzed for 5d4 rounds. The cube sucks a paralyzed character in the next round. Anyone sucked into the cube automatically takes 2d4 damage every round.
Gelatinous cubes are immune to lightning bolt, fear, hold and sleep spells, and to paralyzation.
There is only a 30% chance of each treasure type (O or V) being inside the cube.
Genie
- Armor Class: 4
- Hit Dice: 7+3
- THAC0: 13
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 2d8
- Special Attacks: Whirlwind
- Special Defenses: Spells
- Saving Throw: 13
- Movement: 9, Fly 24
- Intelligence: Highly
- Alignment: Chaotic good
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Large, 11 feet tall
- Experience Points: None
A genie is always found in a sealed bottle. A freed genie will perform one service (not a wish) for the characters.
The genie can create things out of thin air. Things made of cloth or wood last forever. Metals like steel or gold only last an hour.
Genies can turn into a whirlwind (a small tornado) in 10 rounds. The whirlwind only lasts one round and does 2d6 points of damage to everything it touches. Genies can also turn invisible, turn into air, and make illusions as often as they want.
Genies act friendly and do as they are told, but will always try to trick the characters if possible.
Ghoul
- Armor Class: 6
- Hit Dice: 2
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 3
- Damage/Attack: 1d3/1d3/1d6
- Special Attacks: Paralyzation
- Special Defenses: Spell immunity
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: B
- Size: Man-sized, 5 feet tall
- Experience Points: 175
These disgusting undead monsters eat dead bodies. They hate living things and will attack them. Anyone killed by a ghoul becomes a ghoul the next day.
Ghouls attack with their claws and teeth. A successful hit means the character must make a saving throw or be paralyzed for 1d6+2 rounds. Elves are immune to a ghoul's paralyzing touch.
Ghouls are immune to sleep, hold, fear, and charm spells. They can be turned by clerics. For this reason, ghouls attack clerics first.
Typical comments: "Fresh meat!" "Kill the living!" "Rot their flesh."
Giff
- Armor Class: 6 (3 in plate mail)
- Hit Dice: 4
- THAC0: 17 (14 with sword)
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d6+7 (fist), or 1d10+7 (2-handed sword)
- Special Attacks: Head butt (2d6 damage)
- Special Defenses: 10% magic resistant
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Lawful neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Large, 9 feet tall
- Experience Points: 420
Giff are very strong hippopotamus people that love a fight. They are only found in wildspace. They are usually hired as soldiers by anyone that can afford them. Giff are not very smart, but are very brave and tough in a fight. Giff are generally good guys, but will work for evil villains if the money is good enough.
Whatever weapons giffs use, they get a +3 attack roll bonus and a +7 damage bonus for their tremendous Strength of 19 (except for arrows). Giff like big weapons, such as two-handed swords. A giff can charge a character with its head for 2d6 points of damage.
Typical giff comments: "When do I get to fight?" "I love a good fight to the death!"
Gnoll
- Armor Class: 5 (chain mail)
- Hit Dice: 2
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: By weapon
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: D
- Size: Large, 7 1/2 feet tall
- Experience Points: 35
These evil hyenamen hate humans and elves. They work with orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears and ogres.
Gnolls are bullies and not particularly brave. They continue to attack only if they are winning. If the battle turns against them, they flee.
Gnolls can be armed with long swords (1d8 damage), battle axes (1d8 damage), or morning stars (2d4 damage). There is a 15% chance they have long bows and arrows.
Typical comments: "Roast human for dinner!" "Hey shorty, put down that sword before you hurt yourself!" "I dare ya to fight me barehanded."
Gnome
- Armor Class: 7 (leather armor)
- Hit Dice: 1, 2, 3, or 4
- THAC0: 20, 19, 18, or 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: By weapon
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: Saving throw bonus
- Saving Throw: 14, 14, 13, or 13
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Very
- Alignment: Neutral good
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Small, 3 feet tall
- Experience Points: None
Gnomes are shy, friendly, strange creatures. When encountered, they are most likely hard at work on some strange project, or they may be celebrating merrily. Gnomes are loved by all burrowing animals, like badgers, rabbits, and hedgehogs. They hate kobolds and goblins, and get a +1 attack bonus against them.
Gnomes use short swords (1d6 damage), war hammers (1d4+1 damage), and short bows and arrows (1d6 damage) in combat. Large-sized creatures have a -4 attack roll penalty to hit them. If there are 10 or more gnomes in a group, one is a 3rd-level wizard with spells.
Typical comments: "Why would you want to do that?" "Humans are weird." "Let's dance!"
Goblin
- Armor Class: 7 (leather armor and shield)
- Hit Dice: 1-1
- THAC0: 20
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: By weapon
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 19
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Small, 4 feet tall
- Experience Points: 15
These evil little creatures are cowards. They hate gnomes and dwarves. They attack only from ambush or if they outnumber their opponents.
Goblins hate bright sunlight and have a -1 penalty to their attack rolls in it. They are most fond of maces (1d6+1 damage), spears (1d6 damage), and short swords (1d6 damage). They have been known to use hand axes and short bows and arrows (1d6 damage).
There is a 25% chance that 1d3 goblins are riding on worgs (see the wolf description). Ten or more goblins will have a hobgoblin leader (see the hobgoblin description).
Typical comments: "Run away," "Clumsy human oaf!" "You dwarf friend!"
Gray Ooze
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Dice: 3+3
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 2d8
- Special Attacks: Eats metal
- Special Defenses: Immune to fire, cold, and spells
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 1
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Large, 8 feet wide
- Experience Points: 270
This slimy horror looks just like wet stone or rock. It cannot climb walls or ceilings, so it slides, drips, and oozes along the ground.
The gray ooze strikes like a snake and eats metal. It can devour a weapon in one round. Chain mail is ruined in one round, but plate mail takes two rounds. Each magical plus of magical armor adds a round to how long it takes to eat it. The ooze can be scraped off in one round to save the metal, but anyone scraping cannot attack.
Weapons do normal damage to gray oozes, but metal ones are dissolved in one round. Electricity and lightning bolt spells do normal damage.
Hobgoblin
- Armor Class: 5 (chain mail)
- Hit Dice: 1+1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: By weapon
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Average
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: D
- Size: Man-sized, 6 1/2 feet tall
- Experience Points: 35
Hobgoblins are constantly at war with other races, such as humans and dwarves. They especially hate elves and always attack them first. They are sometimes found leading goblins or orcs.
Hobgoblins use halberds (1d10 damage), morning stars (2d4 damage), or long swords (1d8 damage). There is a 20% chance that they also have long bows and arrows.
If there are 10 or more hobgoblins, one is a leader, with an Armor Class of 3 and 16 hit points. The leader gets +2 to his damage rolls (except on arrows). If the leader is killed, there is a 50% chance the rest will flee.
Typical comments: "Elven boot licker!" "I'll rearrange your face!" "Human worm!"
Kobold
- Armor Class: 7 (leather armor and shield)
- Hit Dice: 1/2 (1d4)
- THAC0: 20
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d6 (short sword)
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 19
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Average
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: O
- Size: Small, 3 feet tall
- Experience Points: 7
Kobolds are cruel and cowardly. They especially dislike gnomes and will attack them first. They can usually be bribed fairly easily.
Kobolds always use traps and ambushes. They never start an attack by risking themselves. Only after the trap or ambush has been sprung do they get close enough to the characters to be attacked. As soon as the kobolds no longer outnumber the characters, they flee.
Kobolds use hand axes, javelins, and short swords, all of which do 1d6 damage. These small weapons are quite large to the kobolds.
Typical comments: "I'll gnaw your kneecaps!" "Run away!"
Lammasu
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 7+7
- THAC0: 12
- No. of Attacks: 2
- Damage/Attack: 1d6/1d6
- Special Attacks: Spells
- Special Defenses: 30% magic resistance
- Saving Throw: 13
- Movement: 12, Fly 24
- Intelligence: Genius
- Alignment: Lawful good
- Treasure Type: R, V
- Size: Large, 4 1/2 feet at shoulder
- Experience Points: None
These flying man-lions help and protect all lawful good creatures. They are generally kind and friendly to all creatures, unless the creatures have attacked them first.
Lammasu will always enter a fight to protect good creatures or anyone that is weak and innocent. They can become invisible at any time and teleport to anywhere they can see. All evil creatures within 10 feet of a lammasu have a -2 penalty to their attack rolls and saving throws, and all good creatures within 10 feet have a +2 bonus to their saving throws. Lammasu can cast four 1st level, three 2nd level, and two 3rd level cleric spells a day. Any magical spell cast on them has a 30% chance of failing.
Typical comments: "Let's all be friends." "You have my solemn word."
Lizard Man
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 2+1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 3 or 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d2/1d2/1d6 or by weapon
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 6, Swim 12
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Neutral evil
- Treasure Type: D
- Size: Man-sized, 7 feet tall
- Experience Points: 65
Lizard men like the taste of humans, although they eat almost anything, including plants. They will attack most people unless they are outnumbered.
Lizard men normally attack with both claws and a bite. However, they can use weapons. They prefer bastard swords (2d4 damage), spears (1d6 damage), and tridents (1d6+1 damage). When using a weapon, they cannot use their claws or bite.
If 10 or more lizard men are encountered, there is a leader with maximum hit points with them (17 hp).
Typical comments: "Kill them first; then eat them." "Soft-bellied land walker!"
Neogi
- Armor Class: 3
- Hit Dice: 5
- THAC0: 15
- No. of Attacks: 3
- Damage/Attack: 1d3/1d3/1d6
- Special Attacks: Slowing poison
- Special Defenses: Spells
- Saving Throw: 14
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Highly
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: R
- Size: Small, 3 feet tall
- Experience Points: 650 (1,400 with spells)
Neogi are evil monsters only found in wildspace. They look like a cross between a mean, furry eel and a spider. They fly ships that look like giant spiders. They hate all people who are not neogi and try to make slaves or dinner out of them.
The bite of a neogi causes 1d6 points of damage and is poisonous. The poison does not do any damage, but acts like a slow spell for 1d8 rounds. Some neogi are 3rd-level wizards with the appropriate number of wizard spells, and are worth more experience points.
Typical comments: "You can be my slave or my dinner--it doesn't make much difference to me." "Whatever that is, it's mine, and I want it now."
Ogre
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 4+1
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d10 or 1d8+2 (club)
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: B
- Size: Large, 9 feet tall
- Experience Points: 270
Ogres are big, ugly, and greedy. They consider elf and dwarf flesh to be particularly tasty.
Ogres normally attack with huge clubs made from large tree branches that do 1d8+2 points of damage. Those that are unarmed strike out with their meaty fists doing 1d10 points of damage.
Ogres are not very smart. They are commonly used as soldiers and guards by powerful evil creatures. If armed with other weapons than clubs or their fists, they gain a +2 bonus to their damage rolls (except to arrows).
Typical comments: "Whut's that?" "Smash it, then search it." "I'll squash you like an orc."
Orc
- Armor Class: 7 (leather armor and shield)
- Hit Dice: 1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: By weapon
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Average
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 15
Orcs are constantly at war with humans, dwarves, elves, goblins, and even other orcs. They occasionally have hobgoblin leaders. Typical clan names for groups of orcs are Vile Rune, Broken Bone, Evil Eye, and Bloody Blade.
In combat, orcs prefer battle axes (1d8 damage), hand axes (1d6 damage), and pikes (1d6 damage). Those with pikes will have short swords or hand axes for close-in defense (1d6 damage each). There is a 20% chance that the orcs also have short bows and arrows (1d6 damage).
Typical comments: "I'll cut yer heart out!" "They scream more if ya pops their arms off first."
Piercer
- Armor Class: 3
- Hit Dice: 1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d6
- Special Attacks: Surprise
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 1
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Tiny, 2 feet tall
- Experience Points: 35
Piercers cling to the ceilings of natural caves, looking just like small stalactites. If the characters are not actively looking for piercers or traps on the ceiling, they will not find this monster. Even if they are specifically looking for piercers or traps, they only have a 25% chance to spot them.
Piercers attack by falling on their victims. The characters get a -7 penalty on their surprise roll for the attack. (Because of the way they attack, piercers almost always attack from ambush.) If the piercer misses, it is completely vulnerable and can be killed without an attack roll. If the piercer hits, it begins to eat its victim. It does 1 point of damage a round until it is removed from the character.
Rat, Giant
- Armor Class: 7
- Hit Dice: 1/2 (1d4)
- THAC0: 20
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d3
- Special Attacks: Disease
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 19
- Movement: 12, Swim 6
- Intelligence: Semi-
- Alignment: Neutral evil
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Tiny, 2 feet tall
- Experience Points: 15
Giant rats travel and attack in packs. They do not attack people unless they outnumber them by more than two to one. Even then, there is a 50% chance that the giant rat pack will go away to find an easier meal.
Each rat bite has a 1 in 20 chance (5%) of infecting its victim with a serious disease. The victim is allowed a saving throw to fight off the infection. If the victim fails the saving throw, infection sets in. The disease will not affect characters until after they are out of the dungeon. Infected characters cannot heal or go on further adventures until they are cured. The temple charges 500 gold pieces to cure this disease.
Scorpion, Large
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 2+2
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 3
- Damage/Attack: 1d4/1d4/1
- Special Attacks: Poison stinger
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: D
- Size: Small, 2 feet long
- Experience Points: 175
These vicious hunters are large versions of the normal scorpion. The air in places they have stayed in for a long time smells bitter. There are other known breeds of scorpions that get a big as 6 feet long.
A scorpion attacks any creature that comes within 30 feet of it--even other scorpions. It attacks with its two claws and its stinger. If a claw hits, the character is trapped. On future rounds the claw automatically does 1d4 points of damage, and the stinger automatically hits. It takes a successful Strength check to get out of the claw. If a target is not trapped in a claw, the stinger has to make a successful attack roll to hit.
The stinger does only a single point of damage, but it injects poison into the scorpion's victim.
Shadow
- Armor Class: 7
- Hit Dice: 3+3
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d4+1
- Special Attacks: Drain Strength
- Special Defenses: Hurt only by +1 or better magical items or spells
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 12
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: F
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 420
A shadow is an undead spirit that exists only in an area of darkness, looking just like a normal shadow. They are 90% undetectable in anything except extremely bright light, like a continual light spell. They can be clearly seen if a continual light spell is cast in the area they are in.
In addition to the chilling damage (1d4), the touch of a shadow drains 1 point of Strength. The drained character's Strength returns in 2d4x10 minutes. Characters reduced to 0 Strength instantly become shadows themselves. Such characters are lost forever.
Shadows are immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells. They are also immune to cold. They can be turned by clerics.
Skeleton
- Armor Class: 7
- Hit Dice: 1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d6
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: See below
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 12
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 65
Evil wizards and clerics make skeletons to guard treasures and to be their undead soldiers.
Skeletons always attack with rusty weapons, such as swords or spears. However, they always do 1d6 points of damage, no matter what weapon they carry.
Edged and piercing weapons, such as swords, axes, and spears, only do half damage to skeletons. Blunt weapons, such as maces and staves, do normal damage.
Skeletons are immune to sleep, charm, hold, and fear spells. They take no damage from cold, but can be burnt by fire. Skeletons can be turned by clerics.
Snake, Constrictor
- Armor Class: 6
- Hit Dice: 3+2
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d3 or 1
- Special Attacks: Squeeze
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 15 feet long
- Experience Points: 175
Constrictor snakes hide in tree branches or other concealed places up high. They drop down on their victims suddenly and silently. If this first attack succeeds, the character is wrapped up in the snake's coils. Every round after that the character takes 1d3 points of damage. The snake also can bite for 1 point of damage, but only does so if it cannot wrap up its victim.
A trapped person can escape with a successful Strength check, but has a -2 penalty to the roll. Anyone attacking the snake has a 20% chance of hitting the wrapped up character instead of the snake. (Roll percentile dice after the attack roll succeeds to see who was hit.)
Snake, Poisonous
- Armor Class: 6
- Hit Dice: 2+1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1
- Special Attacks: Poison
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 15
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Small, 5 feet long
- Experience Points: 175
Poisonous snakes hide in small crevices and holes, usually down low. Early in the morning, they sometimes lie on sunny rocks or other warm places to make themselves warmer. When hunting, these snakes slither about looking for their prey. Otherwise, they stays in their dens.
The snake only attacks if it is disturbed or cornered. Unfortunately, characters sticking their hands into a snake's hole disturb it. Sometimes a character just walks too close to a poisonous snake, triggering an attack as well.
While the bite of the snake only does 1 point of damage, the victim must make a saving throw or take damage from the snake's deadly venom.
Snake, Giant Poisonous
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 4+2
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d3
- Special Attacks: Poison
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 15
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 12 feet long
- Experience Points: 420
These snakes are larger versions of the poisonous snake. They are more aggressive and attack anything that comes near them. Unlike smaller snakes, when they are hunting they will make unprovoked attacks on smaller humanoids, like dwarves and gnomes. Unfortunately, these snakes do not realize they cannot swallow such characters until after they have already bitten them.
While the bite of the snake only does 1d3 points of damage, the victim must make a saving throw or take damage from the snake's deadly venom.
Spider, Large
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Dice: 1+1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1
- Special Attacks: Poison
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 6, Web 15
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: O, V
- Size: Small, 2-foot body
- Experience Points: 175
All spiders are extremely aggressive hunters. Large spiders build strong, sticky webs. They lurk in nearby holes, out of sight, until something wanders into the web. Anyone stuck in a web can get out with time. It takes one round for anyone with a Strength of 18/01 or above. It takes two rounds for a person with a normal 18 Strength, and an extra round for each point of Strength below 18.
These spiders attack any entangled characters with a +4 attack roll bonus. The entangled characters cannot attack at all. The bite of the spider only does 1 point of damage, but bitten characters must make successful saving throws or suffer poison damage.
Spider, Giant Trap Door
- Armor Class: 4
- Hit Dice: 4+4
- THAC0: 15
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d8
- Special Attacks: Poison
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 14
- Movement: 15
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Large, 12-foot body
- Experience Points: 975
Giant trap door spiders do not build webs. They hide in camouflaged tunnels and holes. They wait to leap out at their victims, who get a -6 penalty to their surprise roll. They can leap as much as 30 feet through the air at their victims.
Giant trap door spiders usually hunt alone, although they have been known to hunt in small packs. The evil duergar dwarves sometimes ride these spiders as mounts. The spiders will not tolerate a saddle, but do allow them to use reins.
The bite of the giant spider is a vicious wound. Even worse is the poison they inject into it. Bitten characters must make a successful saving throw to not get hurt by the poison.
Sprite
- Armor Class: 6
- Hit Dice: 1
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d4 (sword) or 1d3 (arrow)
- Special Attacks: Sleep poison
- Special Defenses: Invisibility
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 9, Fly 18
- Intelligence: Very
- Alignment: Neutral good
- Treasure Type: C
- Size: Small, 2 feet tall
- Experience Points: None
Sprites hate all evil and ugliness. They are very willing to fight for their principles. Sprites will befriend the characters if they are treated nicely. They are hard to bargain with. They rarely keep their promises, simply because they forget about them. Sprites love to play practical jokes.
Anyone struck by a sprite's arrow must save vs. poison or fall asleep for 1d6 hours. The sprites move sleeping victims far away and take away all of their weapons.
Sprites can become invisible and detect good/detect evil at any time. While invisible they get a +2 attack roll bonus and a +4 Armor Class bonus. When they attack, they become visible. They must use the next round to become invisible again.
Toad, Giant
- Armor Class: 6
- Hit Dice: 2+4
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 2d4
- Special Attacks: Leap
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 6, Hop 6
- Intelligence: Animal
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 5 feet long
- Experience Points: 120
When hunting, giant toads remain motionless in some concealed place until they see something to attack. Characters get a -3 penalty to their surprise rolls because of these surprise tactics. Giant toads will attack almost anything man-sized or smaller, preferring dwarves, gnomes, and the like.
These toads can jump up to 60 feet. The height of the jump is a third of the distance. On a 60-foot jump the toad rises 20 feet. It can attack flying creatures in mid-air or anything on the ground next to where it lands.
The skin of a giant toad can be made into hide armor. Hide armor provides an Armor Class of 6. A leather worker can do this for 10 gold pieces.
Wasp, Giant
- Armor Class: 4
- Hit Dice: 4
- THAC0: 17
- No. of Attacks: 2
- Damage/Attack: 2d4 (bite)/1d4 (stinger)
- Special Attacks: Poison
- Special Defenses: None
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 6, Fly 21
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: R
- Size: Man-sized, 5 feet long
- Experience Points: 420
These giant insects live in immense hives. Their hives are made of thick, gray, paperlike stuff. One hive usually fills an entire room of a cave.
Giant wasps bite and sting when they attack. The sting forces the victim to make a saving throw. If the saving throw fails, the poison will do its damage after the normal onset time. However, the poison also immediately paralyzes the victim. As soon as a wasp has paralyzed a person, it will carry that person off to the hive to become food for the newly hatched eggs.
Smoke and flame drive away wasps. Wasp wings burn easily, making wasps unable to fly. Giant wasps never get surprise, since their buzzing wings can be heard far away.
Werebear
- Armor Class: 2
- Hit Dice: 7+3
- THAC0: 13
- No. of Attacks: 3
- Damage/Attack: 1d3/1d3/2d4
- Special Attacks: Hug for 2d8
- Special Defenses: Only hurt by silver or +1 or better magical weapons or spells
- Saving Throw: 13
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Exceptional
- Alignment: Chaotic good
- Treasure Type: R, V
- Size: Large, 9 feet tall
- Experience Points: None
Werebears are good creatures that will befriend the characters if treated nicely. A werebear has two different shapes it can choose between. It can be a human or a black bear. It takes a full round to change shape.
In human form, werebears use battle axes (1d8+2 damage) or spears (1d6+2 damage). In bear form, if both paws hit in the same round, a werebear can try to hug for 2d8 more points of damage. On all future rounds it can automatically squeeze and do hug damage.
Werebears can summon 1d6 brown bears, which arrive in 2d6x10 minutes (see the bear description, earlier). A werebear has the power to cure disease.
Werewolf
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 4+3
- THAC0: 15
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 2d4
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: Hurt only by silver or +1 or better magical weapons or spells
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 15
- Intelligence: Average
- Alignment: Chaotic evil
- Treasure Type: B
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 420
Werewolves have three different shapes: wolf, wolfman, and normal-looking human. See the wolf description later for that shape. It takes a full round to change shape.
Anyone bitten by a werewolf has a 1% chance per point of damage done of becoming a werewolf. Roll this after the adventure. The temple in town will cure the character for 5,000 gold pieces. If left uncured, there is a 25% chance per adventure of the character turning into a werewolf and attacking the party.
Werewolves can can use weapons in human form. They almost never use weapons in wolfman form. Werewolves and werebears hate each other.
Wight
- Armor Class: 5
- Hit Dice: 4+3
- THAC0: 15
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d4
- Special Attacks: Energy drain
- Special Defenses: Hurt only by silver or +1 or better magical weapons or spells
- Saving Throw: 16
- Movement: 12
- Intelligence: Average
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Treasure Type: B
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 1,400
Wights are perhaps the most fearsome of all undead creatures currently known. A successful attack by a wight automatically drains a level of experience. The character's experience points are lowered so that they are halfway between his current level and the previous one. He must then roll his Hit Die to see how many hit points are lost. All other abilities based on the character's level are changed immediately. Lost levels are gone forever. Anyone killed by a wight becomes a wight immediately.
Wights are immune to sleep, charm, hold and fear spells. They cannot be hurt by cold, poison, or paralyzation. They can be turned by clerics.
Wolf
| Wolf | Worg | |
|---|---|---|
| Armor Class | 7 | 6 |
| Hit Dice | 2+2 | 3+3 |
| THAC0 | 19 | 17 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 1d4+1 | 2d4 |
| Special Attacks | None | None |
| Special Defenses | None | None |
| Saving Throw | 17 | 17 |
| Movement | 18 |
Wolves travel in packs. There is a 25% chance that the pack has recently fed and will not attack. Wolves will continue to attack so long as there are more of them than there are of whatever they are hunting. Wolves do not often attack people unless they are charmed or diseased.
Giant wolves, called worgs, are often used as mounts by goblins, but are sometimes encountered in packs of their own. These horrible wolves are smart and evil. Worgs even have a primitive, barking language of their own. They attack people without provocation and relish the taste of human and humanoid flesh.
Zombie
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Dice: 2
- THAC0: 19
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d8
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: See below
- Saving Throw: 17
- Movement: 6
- Intelligence: Non-
- Alignment: Neutral
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 65
These mindless, moving corpses take orders from the evil wizards or clerics who made them. These undead monsters are like robots and cannot think for themselves, which makes them very slow. The rotting stench of zombies can be smelled up to 100 feet away.
In a fight, a zombie always loses initiative and acts last. Zombies cannot use weapons. They attack with their fists. Zombies keep attacking until they are destroyed or told to stop by their masters.
Zombies are immune to sleep, charm, hold and fear spells. Cold, poison, and paralysis cannot hurt them either. A cleric can turn a zombie.
Zombie, Ju-Ju
- Armor Class: 6
- Hit Dice: 3+12
- THAC0: 15
- No. of Attacks: 1
- Damage/Attack: 1d10+2
- Special Attacks: None
- Special Defenses: Hurt by only +1 or better magical weapons or spells
- Saving Throw: 14
- Movement: 9
- Intelligence: Low
- Alignment: Neutral evil
- Treasure Type: None
- Size: Man-sized, 6 feet tall
- Experience Points: 975
These living corpses take orders from the evil wizards or clerics who made them using special, extremely evil and difficult processes. They have simple minds, full of hate and anger. The rotting stench of ju-ju zombies can be smelled up to 100 feet away.
Ju-ju zombies can use weapons, even bows and arrows. They can climb walls like thieves, with a 92% chance of success. They are immune to sleep, charm, hold, fear and magic missile spells. Cold, electricity, poison, and paralysis cannot hurt them. Blunt and piercing weapons, like maces and spears, do half damage to them. Edged weapons, like swords and axes, do normal damage. A cleric cannot turn ju-ju zombies.
Treasure Types
Treasure Types (each cell gives the percentage chance, then the amount if present)
| Treasure Type | Copper Pieces | Silver Pieces | Gold Pieces | Gems | Magical Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 25%, 1d3x1,000 | 30%, 2d10x100 | 40%, 1d6x1,000 | 60%, 1d4x10 | 30%, Any 3 |
| B | 50%, 1d6x1,000 | 25%, 1d3x1,000 | 25%, 2d10x100 | 30%, 1d8 | 10%, Armor or weapon |
| C | 20%, 1d10x1,000 | 30%, 1d6x1,000 | None | 25%, 1d6 | 10%, Any 2 |
| D | 10%, 1d6x1,000 | 15%, 1d10x1,000 | 50%, 1d3x1,000 | 30%, 1d10 |
Individual and Small Lair Treasures
| Treasure Type | Copper Pieces | Silver Pieces | Gold Pieces | Gems | Magical Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O | 1d4x10 | 1d3x10 | None | None | None |
| R | None | None | 2d10 | 2d4 | None |
| V | None | None | None | None | Any 2 |
The Treasure Type table is used to find out what kind of treasure a particular monster has. To use it, first find the treasure type for the monster. These are given in the descriptions of monsters earlier in this book. Then look the treasure type up in the first column of the Treasure Types table above.
The rest of the columns in the table list what different kinds of items a monster's treasure can be made of: copper pieces, silver pieces, gold pieces, gems, and magical items. Under each of these columns is a percentage chance that that kind of item is in a monster's treasure.
Roll the percentage chance for each kind of item. If the roll is less than or equal to the percent, that kind of item is in the treasure. The die roll below the percentage chance shows how many of the items are there.
For example, werewolves have treasure type B. There is a 50% chance that there are copper coins in the werewolves' treasure. If so, there are 1d6 times 1,000 copper pieces present.
It is possible for a monster to have no treasure if all of the percentage die rolls come out too high. The next time this type of monster is fought by the player characters the monster's treasure will be different because the Treasure Types table gives different results each time it is used.
The individual and small lair treasures don't have a percentage score for the kinds of items. The kinds of items with die rolls listed under them are automatically there. Just roll to see how many of each kind there are. In the complete AD&D game, there are more treasure types, one for each letter of the alphabet.
Treasure Generation
| 1d100 | Type of Magical Item |
|---|---|
| 1-20 | Potion |
| 21-35 | Scroll |
| 36-40 | Ring |
| 41-45 | Staff or wand |
| 46-60 | Miscellaneous magical item |
| 61-75 | Armor |
| 76-85 | Weapon |
| 86-100 | Unusual weapon |
| 1d8 | Potion |
|---|---|
| 1 | Elixir of health |
| 2 | Fire resistance |
| 3 | Flying |
| 4 | Giant strength |
| 5 | Healing |
| 6 | Invisibility |
| 7 | Poison |
| 8 | Speed |
| 1d8 | Scroll |
|---|---|
| 1 | One wizard spell |
| 2 | Two wizard spells |
| 3 | Three wizard spells |
| 4 | Four wizard spells |
| 5 | One cleric spell |
| 6 | Two cleric spells |
| 7 | Three cleric spells |
| 8 | Cursed |
| 1d8 | Ring |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clumsiness |
| 2 | Feather falling |
| 3 | Fire resistance |
| 4 | Free action |
| 5 | Invisibility |
| 6 | Protection |
| 7 | Shocking grasp |
| 8 | Weakness |
| 1d8 | Staff or Wand |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fear |
| 2 | Fire |
| 3 | Illumination |
| 4 | Lightning |
| 5 | Magic missiles |
| 6 | Paralyzation |
| 7 | Staff of curing |
| 8 | Staff of the serpent |
| 1d20 | Miscellaneous Magical Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | Boots of dancing |
| 2 | Boots of elvenkind |
| 3 | Bracers of archery |
| 4 | Bracers of defenselessness |
| 5 | Carpet of flying |
| 6 | Cloak of elvenkind |
| 7 | Cloak of protection |
| 8 | Crystal ball |
| 9 | Dust of appearance |
| 10 | Gauntlets of fumbling |
| 11 | Gauntlets of ogre strength |
| 12 | Gloves of missile snaring |
| 1d6 | Type of Armor |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Shield |
| 4 | Leather |
| 5 | Chain mail |
| 6 | Plate mail |
| 1d8 | Type of Weapon |
|---|---|
| 1 | Arrows (2d6) |
| 2 | Battle axe |
| 3 | Bow |
| 4 | Mace |
| 5 | Hand axe |
| 6-7 | Long sword |
| 8 | Spear |
| 1d8 | Combat Bonus or Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | -1 |
| 3-5 | +1 |
| 6-7 | +2 |
| 8 | +3 |
| 1d8 | Unusual Weapon |
|---|---|
| 1 | Axe of hurling |
| 2 | Mace of disruption |
| 3 | Short sword of quickness |
| 4 | Sword of berserking, cursed |
| 5 | Sword +1, flame tongue |
| 6 | Sword +1, luck blade |
| 7 | Sword +4, defender |
| 8 | Sword of wounding |
Treasures List
The magical items listed in the Treasure Generation tables are explained here. DMs should feel free to make up their own magical items using these as examples. The AD&D game Dungeon Master Guide describes hundreds more magical items.
Potions
A potion comes in a glass bottle. The liquid inside can be any color or thickness the DM wants to make it. For the potion to work, the character has to drink the whole thing. Unless it says otherwise, the potion lasts for 1d4+4 rounds.
Elixir of Health: This elixir cures blindness, deafness, disease, insanity, mental weaknesses, infection, and rot. It also gets rid of parasites and cures poison if the poison has not caused any points of damage yet. It does not get back hit points lost for any reason.
Fire Resistance: Characters drinking this become immune to normal fires. They get a +4 saving throw bonus against damage caused by magical fire, like fireball spells, and all damage caused by magical fire is reduced by 2 points on each die of damage rolled.
Flying: This works the same as the wizard's fly spell.
Giant Strength: This potion only works on warriors. The warrior gets a Strength of 19! He gets a +3 bonus to attack rolls and a +7 bonus to damage rolls.
Healing: Drinking this potion heals 2d4+2 hit points of damage immediately.
Invisibility: This works the same as the wizard's invisibility spell.
Poison: Drinking this forces characters to make a saving throw or lose 15 hit points. Characters know immediately that they have drunk poison, but do not have to make the saving throw (or take the damage) for 1d20+10 rounds. The poison can be smeared on a sharp weapon to do the same thing to a monster.
Speed: This works the same way as the wizard's haste spell, but only on the person drinking it. It lasts 5d4 rounds.
Scrolls
Scrolls are found in fancy tubes called scroll cases. Most scrolls have wizard or cleric spells on them. Only wizards can read wizard scrolls, and only clerics can read cleric scrolls. Roll 1d3 for each spell on a scroll to see what level it is. To see which spell of that level is present, roll 1d12 for wizard spells or 1d10 for cleric spells. If the spell has a reverse form, there is a 50% chance the reverse form is substituted for it on the scroll.
A read magic is needed to identify the spells on a wizard scroll. If read magic is used by a wizard on a cleric scroll, it tells the wizard that the spells are cleric spells. Clerics can always identify the spells on a cleric scroll by scanning through it. Once identified, spells can be read at any time from a scroll to cast them. Once the spell is cast from the scroll, it is gone forever.
Cursed Scroll: The curse on the scroll happens as soon as it is read, even if it is with a read magic spell. Roll on the table below to see what kind of curse is on the scroll. A remove curse spell will undo the scroll's effects. The temple in town also removes curses for 500 gold pieces each.
| 1d6 | Curse |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bad luck, a -1 penalty on all die rolls. |
| 2 | Reader's Strength score is cut in half. |
| 3 | Reader becomes blind. |
| 4 | Reader must make a successful saving throw every time she or he sees a monster, or else flee in terror. |
| 5 | Reader loses all memorized spells. |
| 6 | Reader is turned into a mouse. |
Rings
Rings must be worn on fingers. A hand can have no more than one magical ring on it.
Clumsiness: This ring has the power of another type of ring as well (roll again to see which one). However, anytime it is used in combat against an enemy, its curse takes over. The wearer's Dexterity is cut in half. Thieves' skills are cut in half. Spells can only be cast if the wearer makes a successful saving throw first. Only a dispel magic lets the wearer take off the ring. The dispel magic spell makes it a normal, unmagical ring forever.
Feather Falling: Any time the wearer falls more than 5 feet, the ring instantly casts a feather fall spell (same as the wizard spell).
Fire Resistance: The character becomes immune to normal fires. The wearer gets a +4 saving throw bonus against damage caused by magical fire, like fireball spells, and all damage caused by magical fire is reduced by 2 points on each die of damage rolled.
Free Action: The wearer is immune to hold person and slow spells. She or he can move at full speed in mud, snow, webs and underwater.
Invisibility: The wearer can become invisible any time she or he wants, just like the wizard invisibility spell.
Protection: The wearer gets a +3 bonus to Armor Class (AC 5 would become AC 2) and to all saving throws.
Shocking Grasp: If the wearer touches a monster as an attack, it takes 1d8+6 points of damage. After three successful attacks, the ring must rest and recharge for 10 rounds before it can cause damage again.
(The Weakness ring in the Ring table has no description in the printed booklet.)
Staves and Wands
A staff is a thick, wooden stick about 5 or 6 feet long. A wand is a thin, wooden stick about 1 foot long. Both have charges. Staves have 1d20+5 charges. Roll 1d100 for the charges of a wand. (A wand always has at least 20 charges, so increase the number to 20 if you roll less than that.) It costs one charge to use a staff or wand once. Some things that staves and wands can do cost extra charges.
Wand of Fear: It shoots out a cone of yellow light that is 60 feet long and 20 feet wide at the far end. Anyone in the area of the light must make a successful saving throw or run away in fear. Clerics or wizards can use this wand.
Wand of Fire: This wand can shoot out a fireball up to 160 feet away. It costs two charges to do this, instead of the normal one charge. The fireball acts just like the wizard fireball spell, but it does 6d6 points of damage. Only wizards can use this wand.
Wand of Illumination: This wand can cast light or continual light spells. The light spell is the wizard version and is cast as if by a 6th-level wizard. The continual light spell is the same as the cleric continual light spell. Casting continual light takes two charges. Anyone can use this wand.
Wand of Lightning: A touch of this wand in combat does 1d10 points of damage with an electrical shock. The target gets no saving throw. Ignore the target's armor if it is metal (but count its magical pluses, if it has any). Treat nonmetal armor normally, as well as other magical protections.
For two charges, the wand will cast a lightning bolt spell. Only wizards can use this wand.
Wand of Magic Missiles: One charge creates one magic missile (as the wizard spell). Two charges creates two missiles. No more than two missiles can be fired in a single round. Anyone can use this wand.
Wand of Paralyzation: A blue light shoots out up to 60 feet from the wand to strike a creature. The creature gets to make a saving throw to avoid the beam of light. If the saving throw is failed, the target is paralyzed for 5d4 rounds. Only wizards can use this wand.
Staff of Curing: A charge from this staff can cure blindness, cure insanity, cast a cure disease spell, or cast a cure light wounds. It can only be used once each day on any particular person. Each function can only be used twice a day total. Only clerics can use this staff.
Staff of the Serpent: Only clerics can use this staff. It acts as a quarterstaff +2 in combat. If the cleric throws the staff on the ground, it turns into a 15-foot-long constrictor snake (just like the one in the Monsters chapter of this book, but with 26 hit points). The snake has full hit points every time the cleric changes the staff to a snake. The snake becomes a staff whenever the cleric orders it to. This staff does not have or use charges. However, if the staff is killed in constrictor snake form, the staff is destroyed.
Miscellaneous Magic
These unusual items come in all shapes and sizes. Each is unique and unrelated to the others.
Boots of Dancing: These cursed boots will magically stretch or shrink to fit anyone. When the wearer gets in a fight (even if he is trying to run away from one), the boots begin to dance. The wearer cannot move or attack. He has a -4 penalty to his Armor Class and a -6 penalty to all saving throws. Only a remove curse spell will allow him to take the boots off.
Boots of Elvenkind: The wearer never makes any sounds with his feet while he is wearing these.
Bracers of Archery: The wearer gets a +2 attack roll bonus with any type of bow and a +1 bonus to his damage roll with arrows fired from a bow.
Bracers of Defenselessness: These seem to improve a character's Armor Class by two until the wearer is attacked by a creature that is really trying to kill him. At that time, the character's Armor Class becomes a 10, and all shields and magical items that improve Armor Class are ignored. Only a remove curse spell will let the character take the bracers off.
Carpet of Flying: This rug is 9 feet long and 6 feet wide. It can hold up to four people and flies with a speed of 24.
Cloak of Elvenkind: The wearer is completely invisible when he is in the forest or outdoors. In other dark or dim places, he has a 90% chance of not being seen. Even in brightly lit places he only has a 50% chance of being seen.
Cloak of Protection: This cloak gives its wearer a +3 bonus to his Armor Class and saving throws. It works with other magical protection devices and leather armor. It does not work if the wearer has magical leather armor or any kind of magical or nonmagical metal armor.
Crystal Ball: Only wizards can use a crystal ball. This ball can be used to look at any place or find an object or person. The wizard must know or have seen the person, place, or thing that he is trying to see in the crystal ball. If the wizard knows the subject very well, he can call it up without any problems. If he does not know it very well at all, he has only a 50% chance. The crystal ball can be used a lot, but only once a day for each subject. It only shows a picture of where the person, place, or thing is. It will not show how to get there or tell the wizard the name of the place.
Dust of Appearance: This dust cancels invisibility, mirror image, and any other spell or magical item that hides the true location of an object or creature. This includes the cloak of elvenkind. It comes in a tube that can blow dust in a cone 15 feet wide and 20 feet long.
Gauntlets of Fumbling: These gauntlets look like gauntlets of ogre power. When they are put on, the character's Dexterity goes down by two points. Also, he has a 50% chance each round of dropping something he is holding. It takes a remove curse spell to get the gloves off.
Gauntlets of Ogre Power: These metal gloves look like normal armor. However, the wearer is super strong, getting a +3 attack bonus and a +6 damage bonus with weapons (except arrows shot from a bow). The wearer can lift almost 500 pounds. However, he can only carry up to 330 pounds.
Gloves of Missile Snaring: The wearer can catch anything small that is thrown at him or shot at him. This includes arrows, hand axes, daggers, rocks, and even spears.
Horn of Fog: This horn looks like a trumpet made from an animal's horn, capped with a silver mouthpiece. When blown, a thick cloud of fog comes out. Each round of blowing makes a 10x10-foot square of fog. The cloud lasts 2d4 rounds after the horn stops.
Ioun Stone: These colored stones look just like gems and jewels. The stones come in all sorts of colors. When a character holding a stone opens his hand, the stone flies up and begins circling his head. The stone keeps working until it is grabbed and taken away. If the stone itself is attacked, it has an Armor Class of -4 and 10 hit points. Ioun stones do many things, including improving a character's attributes. Character attributes cannot go any higher than 18.
| 1d12 | What the Ioun Stone Does |
|---|---|
| 1 | Add one point to Strength. |
| 2 | Add one point to Dexterity. |
| 3 | Add one point to Constitution. |
| 4 | Add one point to Intelligence. |
| 5 | Add one point to Wisdom. |
| 6 | Add one point to Charisma. |
| 7 | Creature does not need to breathe. |
| 8 | Creature heals 1 hp every 10 rounds. |
| 9 | Gem absorbs 2d6 spells. |
| 10 | +1 Armor Class bonus. |
| 11-12 | Dead and useless ioun stone. |
Necklace of Adaptation: Whoever wears this necklace adapts his breathing to any environment. He can breathe water, ignore poisonous gas, and even live without air for up to a week.
Portable Hole: This is a circle of black cloth 6 feet across. It is very thin and light, and can be folded up small enough to fit in a pocket. If it is laid against a solid surface, it makes a magical hole 10 feet deep. It does not make a hole through a door or wall. Characters cannot put it on a door and walk through to the room on the other side. The hole goes away when it is picked up. Anything in the hole when it is picked up is trapped until the hole is spread open again. The air in the hole runs out after 10 rounds.
Rope of Climbing: This 60-foot-long rope only weighs three pounds, but is strong enough to support 3,000 pounds. It will move in whatever direction the user tells it to. It moves 10 feet each round. It can be told to tie itself to an object, and then later told to untie itself. It can even be told to make climbing knots every foot. Climbing knots shorten the rope to 50 feet. It cannot be used to attack a creature.
Rope of Constriction: This rope looks like a rope of climbing. However, when commanded to act, it loops around the neck of the user and up to 1d4 other creatures within 10 feet. Each person must make a saving throw or be strangled for 2d6 points of damage. This damage keeps happening each round until all the creatures are dead, the rope is hacked to pieces, or until a dispel magic spell is cast on the rope.
Anyone caught in the rope cannot attack or cast spells. Other people can attack the rope. The rope is Armor Class -2 and has 22 hit points. Only sharp weapons can cause damage to the rope.
Stone of Good Luck: This looks like a cheap gemstone. The owner gets a +1 bonus to all die rolls and saving throws (+5% bonus for thieves' skill checks), except attack rolls and damage rolls.
Stone of Weight: This stone looks like a stone of good luck. While carrying it, the user moves at half his normal rate and feels like he is carrying a heavy pack. It can only be gotten rid of by the clerics at the temple. They charge 500 gold pieces to get rid of it.
Armor and Weapons
First, roll on either the Type of Armor table or the Type of Weapon table to see what kind of armor or weapon has been found. Then roll on the Combat Bonus or Penalty table to see what the combat bonus or penalty is. Armor always has an Armor Class bonus. For example, a suit of chain mail normally gives its wearer an Armor Class of 5. If it gets a magical +2 bonus, it now gives its wearer an Armor Class of 3.
Weapon combat bonuses are for both attack roll and damage. For example, Melissa's fighter, Beldar the Brave, is using a spear +2. Normally she would roll 1d20 for an attack roll. Since the spear has a +2 bonus, she rolls 1d20+2, and then subtracts the total from her THAC0 to see what Armor Class she hit. She hits her target, an orc. Spears normally do 1d6 points of damage. However, Beldar's +2 version does 1d6+2 points of damage to the orc.
Any weapon or armor that has a -1 penalty is a cursed item. It actually makes the attack roll, damage, or Armor Class worse. When tested in non life-threatening situations, the armor or weapon seems to have a +1 bonus. Only when it is used for real does the -1 penalty happen.
It takes a remove curse spell to get rid of cursed armor or weapons once they are used in real combat. Until then, the armor or weapon can be dropped at any time.
Unusual Weapons
Most of these weapons do not use the Combat Bonus or Penalty table. All of their abilities are covered below. The combat bonuses are added to both attack rolls and damage rolls, just like ordinary magical weapons.
Axe of Hurling: Roll for the combat bonus of the weapon normally. If a -1 penalty is rolled, it becomes a 0. This means the axe gets no bonus for attack rolls or damage rolls, but no penalty either.
The axe can be thrown up to 180 feet away. It automatically returns to the thrower right away, whether or not it hits. It can be thrown again next round. When it hits, it does 2d6 damage, plus the combat bonus. If it is not thrown, it only does 1d6 plus the combat bonus.
Mace of Disruption: This is a mace +1 with an extra power to hurt undead creatures. Skeletons, zombies, ghouls, shadows, and wights are instantly destroyed if hit by a mace of disruption. This mace is so good that any evil creature trying to pick up or use the mace takes 5d4 points of damage.
Short Sword of Quickness: This blade has a +2 combat bonus. Whoever uses it always goes first each round, no matter which side wins the initiative roll.
Sword of Berserking, Cursed: This seems to be a regular long sword +2. However, when the user gets into a real fight, he goes berserk. He automatically attacks the nearest creature to him. He keeps attacking until nothing is left to fight within 60 feet of him. He will even attack his friends. The owner can only get rid of this sword with a remove curse spell. If he tries to use another weapon, he drops his other weapon and draws this sword after the first round of combat.
Sword +1, Flame Tongue: Whoever uses the sword can turn it on or off. When it is "on," flames surround the blade. The flames can set fire to webs, paper, wood, or anything else that burns easily. It has several combat bonuses for different types of creatures.
| Bonus | Type of Creature |
|---|---|
| +4 | Undead creatures |
| +3 | Cold-using or easily burned creatures |
| +2 | Creatures that can regenerate |
| +1 | Any other type of creature |
Sword +1, Luck Blade: In addition to its combat bonus, this sword gives the user a +1 bonus to all saving throws.
Sword +4, Defender: Each round the user can divide up the four combat bonus points this sword has any way he wants. He can have some or all of them used as bonuses to his Armor Class, and the rest used as bonuses to his attack rolls and damage. For example, a fighter might choose to use +1 for attack and damage rolls, and +3 for Armor Class. Next round he could change it to +4 all on attack rolls and damage.
Sword of Wounding: This blade has a +1 combat bonus. However, any wound made by this sword cannot be healed by magic or be regenerated. The victim must wait and heal normally at 1 point per full day of rest.
Also, any wound made by the sword gets bigger each round, for up to 10 rounds. The victim takes 1 extra point of damage each round from each wound. If a wound is bandaged, it stops growing and the extra damage stops.
(The back cover of the Monsters & Treasures Book repeats the Treasure Types tables.)
Part 3: Wizard's Spell Book
Wizard Spells
Each wizard spell described in this booklet has four things listed at the top: range, duration, area of effect, and saving throw. Below that is the actual spell description. Many of these have values like 3 rounds per level. This means that number is multiplied by the level of the wizard. In this example, a 2nd-level wizard would have 6 rounds.
Some spells have two names, such as knock/lock. This means that the spell can be memorized two different, usually opposite, ways. Knowing one spell means automatically knowing the other. However, wizards must choose which one they are memorizing before the adventure begins.
Range: This is how far away a wizard can cast the spell. It usually refers to the center or beginning point of the spell. Parts of the spell might go past the range. Wizards must always be able to see the place where they are casting a spell (exceptions to this rule are shown in the spell description).
A range of "touch" means the wizard has to touch the creature or object. If the creature does not want to be touched, it takes a successful attack roll for the wizard to touch it.
Many more spells of these levels and higher can be found in the AD&D game Player's Handbook.
Duration: This is how long the spell lasts. Any spells with an "instant" duration are over in the same round that the wizard cast them. Spells that have a die roll for duration are rolled by the Dungeon Master (DM). The DM keeps the actual duration secret from the players.
Area of Effect: This is the space the spell takes up when it works or the number of creatures that the spell works on. Most spells are listed in 10x10-foot squares. It is assumed that the squares are also 10 feet high.
Saving Throw: Most spells allow their targets a saving throw to avoid being affected. This entry tells what happens when targets make their saving throws.
First-Level Spells: 1 Charm Person; 2 Detect Magic; 3 Enlarge/Reduce; 4 Feather Fall; 5 Hold Portal; 6 Identify; 7 Light; 8 Magic Missile; 9 Read Magic; 10 Shield; 11 Shocking Grasp; 12 Sleep.
Second-Level Spells: 1 Darkness, 15' Radius; 2 Detect Evil/Detect Good; 3 Detect Invisibility; 4 Flaming Sphere; 5 Invisibility; 6 Knock/Lock; 7 Levitate; 8 Magic Mouth; 9 Mirror Image; 10 Stinking Cloud; 11 Web; 12 Wizard Lock.
Third-Level Spells: 1 Clairvoyance; 2 Dispel Magic; 3 Explosive Runes; 4 Fireball; 5 Fly; 6 Haste; 7 Hold Person; 8 Infravision; 9 Lightning Bolt; 10 Slow; 11 Suggestion; 12 Water Breathing/Air Breathing.
Wizard First-Level Spells
Charm Person
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: 1 day
- Area of Effect: One person
- Saving Throw: Spell does not work
Victims of this spell think that the caster is a trusted friend. Wizards cannot control charm person victims, but might be able to talk them into doing certain things. Victims will not attack their friends, nor will they do anything stupid or dangerous to themselves. Non-player character humanoids who are victims do not change their opinions of any other characters in a group except the spellcaster, and will probably attack them unless they are convinced not to by the casting wizard.
The spell only works on people, not monsters or animals. For this spell, a person is any humanoid-type creature that is small or man-sized. This includes humans, dwarves, duergar, drow elves, doppelgangers, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, lizard men, orcs, sprites, and werebeasts.
Detect Magic
- Range: The caster
- Duration: 2 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 10-foot-wide path, 60 feet long
- Saving Throw: None
The area of effect goes wherever the wizard looks. Any magical object or spell effect in that area glows, but only the wizard sees it. People with charm person spells on them glow. Powerful magic glows brighter than weak magic. It takes a full round to look over a 60-degree arc (from 12 to 2 o'clock on a clock).
Enlarge/Reduce
- Range: 15 feet per level
- Duration: 5 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: One creature or object
- Saving Throw: Spell does not work
The target of this spell gets 50% bigger and heavier. If the spell is cast on an object, the object must be less than 10x10x10 feet before the spell is cast. The Strength of a person who is the target of the spell increases 5 points, but only for Strength checks. Attack rolls and damage bonuses remain the same. Everything the person is carrying is also enlarged. This includes weapons and armor. The die roll for damage is increased by 50% (rounded up). This is also true for natural weapons like claws and teeth. So if an enlarged warrior hits with a long sword and rolls a 5 for damage, it becomes an 8. Then his normal damage bonus is added to the 8.
The reduce spell makes the creature or object half its normal size. Strength is cut in half. The die roll for damage is also cut in half (rounded up).
Feather Fall
- Range: 30 feet per level
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 10x10x10-foot cube
- Saving Throw: None
If this spell is cast on the same round that the target fell, the target takes no damage from the fall. If the fall lasts longer than a single round, it is possible to cast it anytime the target is still in the air. The spell only affects objects or creatures that are falling straight down. Arrows and flying creatures are not affected.
Hold Portal
- Range: 60 feet per level
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 1 door or entrance
- Saving Throw: None
The door is now stuck shut. It can still be broken down, but will not open normally until the spell runs out. Monsters with 4 or more Hit Dice can automatically break down the door.
Identify
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 1 item per level
- Saving Throw: None
This spell takes eight hours to prepare. After casting it, wizards must rest for eight hours before doing anything else. Usually identify is only cast while a wizard is in between adventures back in town, and rarely in a dungeon.
Wizards casting identify on something must hold or use the item normally. For example, a ring must be placed on a finger, a sword must be held by its hilt, etc. Wizards casting the spell have a 50% chance to learn what the magical item does and how it works. If they fail, they can try again only when they go up another level.
Light
- Range: 180 feet
- Duration: 10 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 20-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: Spell is fixed to the area
A light spell can be cast on a creature, an object, or a place. Creatures get a saving throw. If the saving throw is made, the spell is fixed to the place where the creature was, but not on the creature. If the spell is put on an object or a creature, it moves around as the target moves around. If it is cast into a darkness, 15' radius spell, both are canceled.
Magic Missile
- Range: 180 feet + 30 feet per level
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: One creature
- Saving Throw: None
A glowing bolt of energy flies out from the wizard's finger and automatically hits the target. The wizard must be able to see the target to hit it, but the missile curves around any obstacles to get to the target. The magic missile does 1d4+1 points of damage. First- and second-level wizards fire one missile. Third- and fourth-level wizards fire two missiles. Fifth-level wizards fire three missiles. All missiles must be aimed at the same target.
Read Magic
- Range: The caster
- Duration: 2 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: Magical writing
- Saving Throw: None
The wizard can read magical writing at a rate of one page per round. Reading the writing does not activate it, unless it is a written trap, like explosive runes or a glyph of warding. When the text has been figured out once, the wizard is able to read it again without the spell.
Shield
- Range: The caster
- Duration: 5 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: The caster
- Saving Throw: None
This spell creates an invisible barrier in front of the wizard. The shield spell automatically stops all magic missiles. For other attacks from the front, wizards using a shield spell are Armor Class 3. They also get a +1 bonus for saving throws against attacks from the front. Attacks from the side and from behind are not affected.
Shocking Grasp
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: One creature
- Saving Throw: None
The wizard's hand becomes supercharged with electricity. Anybody he or she touches gets zapped for 1d8+1 per level points of damage. For example, a 2nd-level wizard would do 1d8+2 points of damage. To touch a monster, the wizard has to make a regular attack roll.
Sleep
- Range: 90 feet
- Duration: 5 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 15-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: None
Within the area of effect, 2d4 Hit Dice of monsters fall asleep. Start with the smallest creatures in that area and work up to the ones with the most Hit Dice. No monster with 4+3 Hit Dice or more can be affected by this spell.
Noises do not wake up the sleeping creatures, but shaking or attacking them does. Shaken or attacked monsters spend that entire round waking up and cannot attack. If the player characters are involved in a fight in the area of a sleeping monster, the monster can be automatically hit and takes normal damage. It spends the round it is hit waking up (if it does not die from the damage). If the wizard and other player characters are not busy dealing with a fight, a sleeping monster is automatically killed.
Wizard Second-Level Spells
Darkness, 15' Radius
- Range: 30 feet per level
- Duration: 10 + 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 15-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: None
A circle with a 15-foot radius is filled with darkness. Absolutely nothing can be seen inside this area, even by monsters with infravision. A light spell cancels this spell. People and creatures fighting in the dark have a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, assuming they can even find their opponents.
Detect Evil/Detect Good
- Range: 180 feet
- Duration: 5 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 10-foot-wide path
- Saving Throw: None
Wizards must concentrate in the same direction for a full round to use this spell. Only evil monsters or characters within 360 feet are detected. The spell also shows monsters or people to be evil if they are plotting against the wizard using the spell. Such monsters or people must have at least a low intelligence. Animals kill for food or to protect themselves, and if they are about to attack, it is not a evil act. Traps and other simple objects, no matter how dangerous they are, are not detected by this spell.
The detect good spell does the same thing for detecting good-aligned creatures.
Detect Invisibility
- Range: 30 feet per level
- Duration: 5 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 10-foot-wide path
- Saving Throw: None
The wizard sees all invisible creatures and objects in the path of the spell. The spell also reveals partially concealed or hidden creatures (in bushes or shadows, etc.). The spell does not reveal illusions or allow the caster to see through solid objects.
Flaming Sphere
- Range: 30 feet
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: Not applicable
- Saving Throw: No damage from sphere
Wizards casting a flaming sphere spell make a flaming ball appear anywhere they want within 30 feet of them. The ball is as tall as a human (6 feet in diameter). The ball rolls around on the floor wherever a wizard points, moving up to 30 feet each round. It can roll up and over anything less than 4 feet tall.
It automatically sets wood and cloth on fire. If the sphere is aimed at one or more creatures, they each make a saving throw. If the saving throw is successful, it means they dodged the sphere and take no damage. Anyone touched by the sphere takes 2d4 points of damage. People or creatures within 5 feet of the sphere take 1d4 points of damage.
Invisibility
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 day or until the wizard attacks
- Area of Effect: Creature or object touched
- Saving Throw: None
People that wizards cast this spell on become invisible. (Wizards can cast this spell on themselves.) All the equipment that they are wearing when the spell is cast on them becomes invisible, too. They can still talk and make noise, and animals can still smell them. If they drop something they are carrying, it becomes visible. Invisible people or creatures that attack other creatures immediately become visible. They get a +4 bonus for that first attack. Spells that affect another creature are considered attacks.
Knock/Lock
- Range: 180 feet
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: One door or entrance
- Saving Throw: None
This spell unlocks, unbars, unjams, or in some way opens a door. Whatever is holding the door shut is undone, even if it is nailed or welded shut. The knock spell permanently cancels hold portal spells, but only cancels wizard lock spells for 10 rounds. After that time the wizard lock spell takes effect again.
The lock spell closes the door, and throws all normal bars and locks. It does not magically seal the door like hold portal or wizard lock.
Levitate
- Range: 60 feet per level
- Duration: 10 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: One creature or object
- Saving Throw: Spell does not work
Intelligent targets of this spell can make themselves float up or down at a speed of 2 feet per round. If levitate is cast upon an object or unintelligent animal, the wizard who cast the spell controls the motion. Creatures, and objects held by a creature, get saving throws to avoid the spell. Objects and creatures being levitated must weigh less than 500 pounds.
Magic Mouth
- Range: 30 feet
- Duration: Until the mouth speaks
- Area of Effect: One object
- Saving Throw: None
A mouth appears on the target object. The wizard gives the mouth instructions for when to talk, and what to say. The mouth can say no more than 25 words. When it has delivered its message, the magic mouth disappears.
The instructions for when to speak can be as complicated and detailed as the wizard wants. However, the magic mouth can only "see" and "hear" normally. For example it could be told to speak when "an old woman carrying a sack of blue dragon eggs sits cross-legged on a stork within one foot of you." However, it could not be told to speak when an invisible person walks by, because it cannot see invisible things.
Mirror Image
- Range: The caster
- Duration: 3 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 6-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: None
The spell creates illusory copies of the wizard. First- and second-level wizards get 1d4 mirror images. Third- through fifth-level wizards get 1d4+1 mirror images. When someone or something makes a successful attack roll on the wizard, the DM should roll randomly to see if the wizard is hit or an image. If an image is hit, it vanishes. The images move around in such a confusing way that even if the real wizard is hit one round, it is impossible to figure out which one is the real wizard the next round.
Stinking Cloud
- Range: 90 feet
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 20x20-foot square
- Saving Throw: Creature is unaffected
Any person or creature caught inside the cloud must make a saving throw or else be unable to attack. The victim remains unable to attack for 1d4+1 rounds after leaving the cloud. A new saving throw must be made each round a person or creature remains in the cloud.
Web
- Range: 15 feet per level
- Duration: 20 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: Eight 10x10x10-foot cubes
- Saving Throw: Creature dodged webs
The web is made of thick, sticky ropes. It must be stretched between two places that hold it up (floor and ceiling, left wall and right wall, etc.). It is impossible to shoot arrows or other missiles at anything trapped in webs. The webs burn easily, going away in a single round. Everything in the webs takes 2d4 points of damage when they are burned.
If a creature makes its saving throw, but has nowhere it could have dodged, it is only partially trapped in the web. It can move at twice the rate given below through the webbing.
Man-sized creatures can move through the web at one foot per round. Large creatures can move two feet per round. Anything bigger than that moves 10 feet per round through the webs. Small creatures, or characters with a Strength of 12 or less, cannot get themselves out of the webs.
Wizard Lock
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Permanent
- Area of Effect: 1 door or entrance
- Saving Throw: None
This spell keeps a door magically closed, even if it does not have a normal lock. The wizard who cast the spell can open the door at any time, but it locks again behind him or her. A knock spell temporarily opens the door. The only other way to open the door is by breaking it down, which removes the spell.
Wizard Third-Level Spells
Clairvoyance
- Range: Special
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: As far as the wizard can see
- Saving Throw: None
Wizards who cast clairvoyance place their minds at any single place they know, place they can see, or an obvious location. In their minds, they can see everything they would be able to see if they were really there. For example, they could cast the spell to see what is behind a door. The location behind the door is obvious and they know where it is, even though they cannot see it right now.
The spell does not let wizards see in the dark. It does not let them move their view around. Their mental vision is fixed in the place they chose.
Dispel Magic
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: 1 item or 30x30-foot square
- Saving Throw: None
This spell has a 50% chance of removing spells and other magical effects. It can also destroy potions. Roll separately for each spell, magical effect, or potion in the area of effect.
If the spell is cast directly on a single magical item, it automatically stops working for 1d4 rounds. If the item is held by a creature, the creature gets a saving throw to block the dispel magic spell.
Explosive Runes
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Until read
- Area of Effect: 1 book, map, scroll, etc.
- Saving Throw: No saving throw or half damage
The wizard can add magical letters and runes to anything that already has normal writing on it. Anyone reading the normal writing triggers the explosive runes. Thieves and other wizards have a 5% chance per level of detecting the runes before they go off while reading them.
Everyone within 10 feet of the runes takes 6d4+6 points of damage. Everyone except the reader gets to make a saving throw to cut that damage in half. The object the explosive runes was written on will probably be destroyed in the explosion unless it is made of a very tough material, like steel or rock.
Fireball
- Range: 30 feet + 30 feet per level
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: 20-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: Half damage
The entire area of effect is filled with roaring flames. If there is not room for a 20-foot radial blast area, the fireball pushes into the available space until it fills 12 10x10-foot squares. Everything in the area takes 1d6 points of damage per level of the caster. For instance, a 5th-level wizard does 5d6 points of damage to everyone in the fireball.
Fly
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 10 rounds per level + 1d6x10 rounds
- Area of Effect: One creature
- Saving Throw: None
The target is able to fly at a speed of 18. The flying creature can hover or move slowly, while attacking or casting spells normally.
Haste
- Range: 180 feet
- Duration: 3 rounds + 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 40x40-foot square
- Saving Throw: None
The wizard can affect one creature per level in the area of effect. A hasted creature moves twice as far each round and attacks twice as many times. Spellcasting is not affected. A wizard or cleric can still only cast one spell per round. If there is a hasted creature in the group, the group gets a +2 bonus to its initiative roll.
Hold Person
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: 2 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 20x20-foot square
- Saving Throw: Person is not paralyzed
This spell paralyzes 1d4 people in its area of effect. The caster gets to pick which people are affected. A paralyzed person cannot talk, move, attack, or cast spells.
People include humans, dwarves, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, lizard men, orcs, sprites, etc. Any creature that is humanoid in appearance and is size small or man-sized is considered a person for this spell.
Infravision
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 2 hours + 1 hour per level
- Area of Effect: One person
- Saving Throw: None
This spell lets a person see in the dark up to 60 feet away. It does not allow the person to see invisible things.
Lightning Bolt
- Range: 120 feet + 30 feet per level
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: 5x80-foot path, or a 10x40-foot path
- Saving Throw: Half damage
The wizard can begin the bolt of lightning at any point within range. The lightning bolt must shoot directly away from the wizard. Everything in the area of effect takes 1d6 points of damage per level of the caster. For instance, a 3rd-level wizard does 3d6 points of damage to everyone in the lightning bolt. The bolt shatters up to 1 inch of wood, or a half inch of stone. If the bolt reaches a wall before it has reached its full length, it bounces. The bounce may take it in a new direction or back along its previous path. Anyone getting hit twice because of a bounce must make two saving throws (keeping the worst of the two), but only takes damage once.
Slow
- Range: 270 feet + 30 feet per level
- Duration: 3 + 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 40x40-foot square
- Saving Throw: Creature not slowed
The spell affects up to one creature per level of the wizard in the area of effect. So, a 5th-level wizard can only slow up to five creatures in the 40x40-foot square. Creatures nearer the caster are affected first. The creatures affected move at half their normal speed and make half their normal attacks. Usually this means they make the normal number of attacks, but they only attack every other round. They have a -4 Armor Class and attack roll penalty.
Suggestion
- Range: 90 feet
- Duration: 1 hour + 1 hour per level
- Area of Effect: One creature
- Saving Throw: Spell does not work
Wizards casting suggestion tell their victims to do something; in other words, they make a suggestion. A wizard must keep the suggestion short--a few words or phrases, no more than a sentence or two. The wizard can even put conditions on the suggestion, such as, "Your leader is a traitor. When he enters the room attack him." In this example, so long as the leader enters the room before the spell ends, the suggestion works.
Whatever wizards suggest to their victims must seem reasonable. In the example above, just saying "attack your leader," would not work. It is not reasonable to expect people or creatures to attack their leader for no reason. However, if they already believe their leader is a traitor....
Water Breathing/Air Breathing
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 hour per level + 1d4 hours
- Area of Effect: Creatures touched
- Saving Throw: None
Wizards casting water breathing can touch as many creatures as they want on the round they cast this spell. However, the duration for each of creature touched is divided by the total number of creatures the casting wizard touches.
The spell allows the target to breathe water as if it were air. The opposite of this spell, air breathing, allows creatures that normally breathe water to breathe air.
Part 4: Cleric's Spell Book
Cleric Spells
Each clerical spell described in this booklet has four things listed at the top: range, duration, area of effect, and saving throw. Below that is the actual spell description. Many of these have values like 3 rounds per level. This means that number is multiplied by the level of the cleric. In this example, a 2nd-level cleric would have 6 rounds.
Some spells have two names, such as knock/lock. This means that the spell can be memorized two different, usually opposite, ways. Knowing one spell means automatically knowing the other. However, clerics must choose which one they are memorizing before the adventure begins.
Range: This is how far away a cleric can cast the spell. It usually refers to the center or beginning point of the spell. Parts of the spell might go past the range. Clerics must always be able to see the place where they are casting a spell (exceptions to this rule are shown in the spell description).
A range of "touch" means the cleric has to touch the creature or object. If the creature does not want to be touched, it takes a successful attack roll for the cleric to touch it.
Many more spells of these levels and higher can be found in the AD&D game Player's Handbook.
Duration: This is how long the spell lasts. Any spells with an "instant" duration are over in the same round that the cleric cast them. Spells that have a die roll for duration are rolled by the Dungeon Master (DM). The DM keeps the actual duration secret from the players.
Area of Effect: This is the space the spell takes up when it works or the number of creatures that the spell works on. Most spells are listed in 10x10-foot squares. It is assumed that the squares are also 10 feet high.
Saving Throw: Most spells allow their targets a saving throw to avoid being affected. This entry tells what happens when targets make their saving throws.
First-Level Spells: 1 Bless/Curse; 2 Combine; 3 Cure Light Wounds/Cause Light Wounds; 4 Detect Evil/Detect Good; 5 Detect Magic; 6 Endure Heat/Endure Cold; 7 Light/Darkness; 8 Protection from Evil/Protection from Good; 9 Purify Food & Water; 10 Remove Fear/Cause Fear.
Second-Level Spells: 1 Aid; 2 Augury; 3 Detect Charm/Undetectable Charm; 4 Find Traps; 5 Fire Trap; 6 Hold Person; 7 Know Alignment/Undetectable Alignment; 8 Produce Flame; 9 Silence, 15' Radius; 10 Slow Poison.
Third-Level Spells: 1 Animate Dead; 2 Continual Light/Continual Darkness; 3 Cure Disease/Cause Disease; 4 Dispel Magic; 5 Glyph of Warding; 6 Locate Object/Obscure Object; 7 Prayer; 8 Protection from Fire; 9 Remove Curse/Bestow Curse; 10 Speak with Dead.
Cleric First-Level Spells
Bless/Curse
- Range: 180 feet
- Duration: 6 rounds
- Area of Effect: 50x50-foot square
- Saving Throw: None
All creatures friendly to the cleric in the area of effect feel braver. They make their saving throws against fear-creating spells or creatures with a +1 bonus. They attack with a +1 bonus to their THAC0. Only one of these spells can be cast on a person at a time. It must be cast upon characters not already in combat. The spell does not work on characters who are already fighting.
The reverse of this spell, curse, does the opposite. The victims save against fear-creating spells or creatures with a -1 penalty and attack with a -1 penalty.
Combine
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Concentration
- Area of Effect: 3, 4, or 5 clerics
- Saving Throw: None
The cleric casting the combine spell stands in the middle. The other clerics form a circle around him or her, holding hands. So long as all the clerics in the circle concentrate and are not attacked or disturbed, the spell keeps working. If the central cleric is attacked or disturbed, the spell is not ruined.
Each cleric in the circle adds one to the level of the cleric in the center. The central cleric cannot rise more than four levels. When the central cleric tries to turn undead or cast spells, this new, higher level is used. Central clerics casting combine do not get extra hit points or an improved THAC0.
Cure Light Wounds/Cause Light Wounds
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: None
The cleric restores 1d8 hit points to the creature she or he touches. This spell does not stop poison, cure diseases, or cure other magical illnesses. It will cure the damage caused by poison.
The reverse of this spell, cause light wounds, does 1d8 points of damage to the creature touched. The cleric must make a successful attack roll to touch the target.
Detect Evil/Detect Good
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 10 rounds + 5 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 10-foot-wide, 360-foot-long path
- Saving Throw: None
The cleric must concentrate in the same direction for a full round to use this spell. Only evil monsters or characters within 360 feet will be detected. It will also show monsters or people to be evil if they are plotting against the cleric. Such monsters or people must have at least a low intelligence.
Animals kill for food or to protect themselves, and if they are about to attack, it is not a evil act. Traps and other simple objects, no matter how dangerous they are, are not detected by this spell.
The detect good spell does the same thing for detecting good-aligned creatures.
Detect Magic
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 10 rounds
- Area of Effect: 10-foot-wide, 90-foot-long path
- Saving Throw: None
The area of effect goes wherever the cleric looks. Any magical object or spell effect in that area glows, but only the cleric sees it. People with charm spells on them will glow. Powerful magic glows brighter than weak magic. It takes a full round to cover a 60-degree arc (from 12 to 2 o'clock on a clock).
Endure Heat/Endure Cold
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 1/2 hours per level
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: None
The target of this spell is unaffected by extreme cold or extreme heat. The temperatures must be within the range of normal weather (-30 degrees to 130 degrees Fahrenheit). Anything beyond that does 1 point of damage for every hour the target is in it.
Magical fire or magical cold will end either version of the spell. However, the character takes 10 fewer points of damage from the attack.
Light/Darkness
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: 1 hour + 10 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 20-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: None
A light spell can be cast on a creature, an object, or a place. Creatures get a saving throw. If the saving throw is made, the spell is fixed to the place where the creature was, but not on the creature. If the spell is put on an object or a creature, it moves around as the target moves around. If it is cast into a darkness or darkness 15' radius spell, both are canceled.
The reverse of this spell, darkness, creates a pitch-black area of darkness. Creatures with infravision can see in it, but all other creatures are blind.
Protection from Evil/Protection from Good
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 3 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: None
The target of this spell is protected from evil creatures. Evil creatures have a -2 penalty to their attack rolls when attacking the target. Any attack by an evil creature that forces protected characters to make a saving throw allows these characters a +2 bonus to their saving throw.
The reverse of this spell, protection from good, protects evil monsters and people from the forces of good.
Purify Food & Water/Putrefy Food & Water
- Range: 90 feet
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: 10x10-foot square
- Saving Throw: None
This spell makes rotten or poisoned food and water become pure and healthful. The reverse of this spell, putrefy food & water, rots food and makes water undrinkable. It does not create poison in either the food or water.
Remove Fear/Cause Fear
- Range: 30 feet
- Duration: Instant, 10 rounds
- Area of Effect: 1 creature per 4 levels
- Saving Throw: None, spell does not work
Any frightened or terrified creature is calmed by this spell. The fear is gone until a new experience with whatever frightened the creature brings it back. The spell also grants a +4 bonus to any saving throw against fear-creating spells or creatures for the next 10 rounds.
The reverse of this spell, cause fear, makes creatures frightened enough to run away. This version of the spell allows these creatures a saving throw.
Cleric Second-Level Spells
Aid
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 round + 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: None
Target of this spell gets a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws, just like in the bless spell. They also get 1d8 extra hit points. Any wounds they take use up these extra hit points first. When the spell ends, the extra hit points go away, but so do any wounds against the extra points.
Augury
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 1 round
- Area of Effect: One action in the next 30 rounds
- Saving Throw: None
Clerics who cast augury get to ask the DM about an action that their companion player characters may try in the next 30 rounds (half an hour). There is a 75% chance of getting a useful answer.
The DM must tell the characters if the action will be good or bad for them. The DM should talk like a prophet, saying things like "Pain and destruction await!" or "Gold and glory are found on that path." If the action will bring both good and bad things (for example, a tough monster and a big treasure) the DM might say something like "Great risk brings great reward."
Useless answers, which happen 25% of the time, would call for the DM to say something like "Beware! Heroic deeds await you." Such answers do not tell the characters anything, but sound impressive.
Detect Charm/Undetectable Charm
- Range: 90 feet
- Duration: 10 rounds
- Area of Effect: One creature per round
- Saving Throw: No charm is detected, even if there is one
This spell tells the cleric if a creature is being affected by a charm person, a suggestion spell, or some other kind of magical control. It does not tell the cleric what kind of control is in effect, only that the creature is being controlled.
The reverse of this spell, undetectable charm, makes a creature immune to the detect charm spell for one full day.
Find Traps
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 30 rounds
- Area of Effect: 10-foot-wide by 90-foot-long path
- Saving Throw: None
The cleric sees all traps, both magical and normal, in the area of effect. This includes alarms, warning devices, and any teleport areas meant to harm or confuse the characters. The spell does not detect ambushes by creatures, nor does it detect natural hazards like avalanches or floods. The spell allows the cleric to see that there is a trap, but not what the trap does, how it is triggered, or how to disarm it.
Fire Trap
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Until set off
- Area of Effect: An entrance or an opening
- Saving Throw: Half damage
This spell can be cast on doors, lids, book covers, bottle tops, etc. (All of these things can be opened and closed.) When the enspelled object is opened, the fire trap goes off. It does 1d4 points of damage, plus 1 point of damage for each level of the cleric. In other words, a 5th-level cleric's fire trap spell does 1d4+5 points of damage. The item that is trapped is not hurt by the flames.
The cleric who cast the spell can open and close the object without setting off the trap. Thieves have only half their normal chance to find or disarm a fire trap.
Hold Person
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: 2 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 20x20-foot square
- Saving Throw: Person is not paralyzed
This spell paralyzes 1d4 people in its area of effect. The caster gets to pick which people are affected. A paralyzed person cannot talk, move, attack, or cast spells.
The spell only works on people, not monsters or animals. For this spell, a person is any humanoid-type creature that is small or man-sized. This includes humans, dwarves, duergar, drow elves, dopplegangers, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, lizard men, orcs, sprites, and werebeasts.
Know Alignment/Undetectable Alignment
- Range: 30 feet
- Duration: 10 rounds
- Area of Effect: 1 creature per round
- Saving Throw: Creature's alignment stays secret
Clerics are able to tell the exact alignment of creatures with this spell. They must concentrate on a single creature for a full round to determine its alignment.
The reverse of this spell, undetectable alignment, protects one creature from a know alignment or detect evil/detect good spell for 24 hours. The target does not have to make a saving throw.
Produce Flame
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: One creature
- Saving Throw: None
A flame appears in the cleric's hand. For the duration of the spell, the cleric is able to throw flames, 1 per round, up to 120 feet away. The cleric must make an attack roll to hit a monster. The monster takes 1d4+1 points of damage. The flames set anything that burns easily on fire, provided they successfully hit.
Silence, 15' Radius
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: 2 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: 15-foot-radius sphere
- Saving Throw: None
A silence spell can be cast on a creature, an object, or a place. Creatures get a saving throw. If the saving throw is made, the spell is fixed to the place where the creature was, but not on the creature. If the spell is successfully cast on an object or a creature, it moves around as the target moves around. Within the area of effect, no sounds can be heard or made. This makes spellcasting impossible.
Slow Poison
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 hour per level
- Area of Effect: One creature
- Saving Throw: None
This spell slows the effects of being poisoned by any means, but it does not get rid of poison in a character. So long as the spell is going, the poison does not start hurting (causing damage to) the character. If the character can get out of the dungeon before the slow poison spell ends, the temple will get rid of the poison for 100 gold pieces.
Cleric Third-Level Spells
Animate Dead
- Range: 30 feet
- Duration: Permanent
- Area of Effect: 1 body per level
- Saving Throw: None
Used only by evil clerics, this spell brings bones to life as skeletons and dead bodies to life as zombies. (The DM should use the monster descriptions for skeletons and zombies found in the Monsters and Treasures Book.) If there are nothing but bones left of the body, a skeleton is made. If there is still flesh on the bones, a zombie is made. Ju-ju zombies are not made this way.
Once the monsters are made, they obey the verbal commands of the cleric that created them. Without directions they keep doing what they were told to do last or stop moving (the DM picks). They defend themselves if attacked. The skeletons and zombies are not affected by dispel magic. They must be destroyed by combat.
Continual Light/Continual Darkness
- Range: 360 feet
- Duration: Permanent
- Area of Effect: 60-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: None
This spell is a lot like the light spell. However, the light it makes is as bright as sunlight. A continual light spell can be cast on a creature, an object, or a place. Creatures get a saving throw. If the saving throw is made, the spell is fixed to the place where the creature was, but not on the creature. If the spell is successfully cast on an object or a creature, it moves around as the target moves around. If it is cast into a darkness, continual darkness, or darkness 15' radius spell, both are canceled.
The reverse of this spell, continual darkness, makes a pitch-black area of darkness. Creatures with infravision cannot see in it.
Cure Disease/Cause Disease
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: None
This spell heals all kinds of diseases, both magical and normal. It takes no fewer than 10 rounds and no more than 10 days for the target creature to finish healing. The cleric only needs to touch the target for a round to get the spell going. Exactly how long it takes to cure a disease is up to the DM. Strange or magical diseases should take at least one full day. Normal, nonlife-threatening diseases should take less than a day. The lycanthropy of a werebeast's bite cannot be cured by this spell.
The reverse of this spell, cause disease, is only used by evil clerics. The victim gets a saving throw to stop the infection. It takes effect immediately if the victim fails the saving throw. A cure light wounds spell will not heal any damage so long as a character is diseased. Each month diseased characters lose 2 points of Charisma. They die in 1d6 months. The temple in town will heal diseased characters for 500 gold pieces. A cure disease spell will also cure them.
Dispel Magic
- Range: 180 feet
- Duration: Instant
- Area of Effect: 1 item or a 30x30-foot square
- Saving Throw: None
This spell has a 50% chance of removing spells and other magical effects. It can also destroy potions. Roll separately for each spell, magical effect, or potion in the area of effect.
If the spell is cast directly on a single magical item, it automatically stops working for 1d4 rounds. If the item is held by a creature, the creature gets a saving throw to block the dispel magic spell.
Glyph of Warding
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Until set off
- Area of Effect: 5x5-foot-square area
- Saving Throw: Half damage, or spell does not work
Clerics casting glyph of warding write a magical symbol on the area being protected. When they are done, the writing becomes invisible. Anyone crossing in front of where the glyph is drawn, opening the door it is drawn on, or lifting the lid where the glyph was written sets off the glyph. Thieves have half their normal chance to find or remove a glyph of warding trap.
The glyph can have almost any type of effect. If it is set to do damage, it does 1d4 points per level of the cleric. Clerics can pick fire, cold, electricity, or any other type of damage they can think of. If not set to do damage, the glyph can cause disease as the spell, paralyze, blind, deafen, or anything else clerics can think of. Only Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game clerics of much higher level than are discussed in First Quest can cast a glyph of warding that instantly kills someone setting it off.
Locate Object/Obscure Object
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 8 hours
- Area of Effect: 180 feet + 30 feet per level
- Saving Throw: None
The cleric can only pick one object to locate. Once it has been found, or when 8 hours have passed, the spell ends. The object must be something the cleric has seen before and knows well. It can be part of a place, like a stairway, as long as the cleric has seen that particular stairway before. The spell cannot locate creatures.
The cleric only knows what direction the object is in, but not how to get to it. This is a straight line direction. The cleric may have to go around obstacles or even backward to find an open path to the object.
The reverse of this spell, obscure object, hides an object from the locate object spell and even from crystal balls. The cleric must touch the object to obscure it.
Prayer
- Range: The cleric
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Area of Effect: 60-foot-radius circle
- Saving Throw: None
The prayer spell gives the cleric and all of the cleric's friends special bonuses. All attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws get a +1 bonus. All of the cleric's enemies get a -1 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws. Damage rolls always do at least 1 point of damage.
Protection from Fire
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 10 rounds per level
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: None
Clerics who cast this spell on themselves cannot be hurt by regular fire (torches, oil fires, etc.). The first 12 points of damage from magical fires (dragon breath, fireball spells, etc.) are ignored. After the protection of the spell is gone, and the spell ends.
If a cleric casts the spell on another creature, that creature cannot be hurt by regular fire. Against magical fires, the creature gets a +4 bonus to all its saving throws. The creature only takes half damage from magical fires.
Remove Curse/Bestow Curse
- Range: Touch
- Duration: Permanent
- Area of Effect: Creature or object touched
- Saving Throw: None, or spell does not work
This spell can remove simple curses from creatures or objects. It cannot remove the curses found on most magical items like swords of berserking or cursed magical -1 weapons. However, it allows people to get rid of items that are cursed so that they cannot be gotten rid of. These items remain cursed, but characters are no longer tied to them.
The reverse of this spell, bestow curse, is usually cast by evil clerics. It can be used to reduce an attribute (Strength, Wisdom, etc.) to 3, lower the target's attack rolls and saving throws by -4, or make normal items break when the target handles them. The bestow curse spell allows the victim a saving throw to avoid the curse.
Speak with Dead
- Range: Touch
- Duration: 1 round (2 questions)
- Area of Effect: Creature touched
- Saving Throw: Spell does not work
The cleric can get answers from the body of a creature that has been dead a week or less. The corpse uses the saving throw it would have had in life. If the creature in life had exactly the same alignment as the character and did not have more levels (or Hit Dice) than the cleric, it automatically fails its saving throw.
The dead creature cannot lie, but this does not mean it necessarily knows answers. "I don't know" is a valid answer. Even when the dead creature does know, its answer should be given so that it is hard to figure out. For example, a cleric might ask, "What kind of monster killed you?" The dead creature might answer, "A cruel man-eater." It is up to the DM to decide how much information the dead body gives in its answers.
Part 5: Adventure Book (rules sections)
About Adventures
This book contains adventures--the heart of the AD&D game. The First Quest game Rules Book tells you how characters do things in the game. This Adventure Book tells you why the characters want to do anything.
In the First Quest game Rules Book you learned that role-playing games are not like board games. Instead of moving pieces around a board, a First Quest game adventure is like a story where the players get to control the actions of the main characters. Will the brave knight charge into battle? That is something you must decide for your character. What is the knight fighting? What happens if he wins--and what happens if he loses? These answers are part of the story. In role-playing games, each story is called an adventure.
When you and your friends sit down to play a First Quest game, you are playing an adventure. One of you, the player who is the Dungeon Master (the DM), knows what might happen in the adventure. The DM knows the goal of the story, what dangers the characters might face, and what rewards they might gain. It is a DM's job to build the story the characters are in. The DM does not tell the other players what to do--the DM tells them what their characters see and gives them choices.
Adventures are divided into encounters--the places, people, and monsters that make up the story. Every encounter has a description in the adventure. Some of the information the players learn when their characters begin the encounter. The characters enter a room (beginning the encounter), and the DM describes what the characters see, hear, and maybe even smell.
However, some information in an encounter is secret from the players and their characters. The DM tells the players, "Your characters see a goblin." Will the goblin attack, run away, or talk to the characters? How tough is he? The answers are given in the encounter the DM has read to himself, but the players don't get to find out until their characters do something.
I'm the DM, What Do I Do?
For the DM, playing a game is called running an adventure. That is because the DM is in charge of the story. Before the players sit down to play a game, the DM reads the adventure. A DM knows what could happen--the other players do not. It's the DM's job to make the story come to life, but what does she or he actually do when it comes time to play? The steps below will help you be a DM.
- At the start of the game, read the introduction to the other players. This gives an event or problem the characters must explore or solve. The CD introduces the first two adventures in this book.
- When the characters have an encounter, read the description to the players. Descriptions that are to be read to players are in boxes in this Adventure Book. Do not reveal any secret information to them! Here the CD will help you through the first two adventures.
- After you describe the encounter, ask the players what their characters will do. Now is the chance for the players to make decisions for their characters.
- Use the rules and the secret information in the encounter to decide what happens.
- Act the part of any monsters or people in the encounter. The descriptions say how these people will act, but you must bring them to life. If the monsters talk, you decide what they say. If they fight, decide things like who they will attack. You may even have them run away or surrender. The CD will help you do these things at first.
Setting Up
When it comes time to play, take the DM's screen and set it at one end or side of the table. This is where the DM sits. The DM keeps the Adventure Book, the Monsters & Treasures Book, a pencil, and some blank paper behind this, so the other players won't know what is about to happen. The inside of the screen has most of the game rules on it, so the DM doesn't have to always look at the Rules Book.
Next lay the map used in the adventure in the center of the table where all players can reach it. Set the dice out on the table. (Both the players and the DM will need to use the dice, so be ready to pass them around.) Everything else you need to play is in this Adventure Book. Go ahead and have some fun!
Using the Adventures
There are four adventures in this booklet. The first two use the CD, and the last two do not. The adventures should be played in order, starting with "The Tomb of Demara" and ending with "Under Mount Dread." Playing them in order is important! The adventures are meant to take 1st-level characters and advance them to 3rd level by the end of the last adventure. If you start playing with the second adventure, "The Ghost of Harrow Hill," or the third, "Across Wildspace," the monsters and problems are too tough for new characters.
The adventures also help new players and DMs in the same way. "The Tomb of Demara" and "The Ghost of Harrow Hill" have many notes and tips to help new DMs run the adventures. For players things are kept simple at first, until they learn the ropes. The later adventures give the DM more responsibility, since by then the DM knows how she or he is supposed to do.
Using the CD
This box includes a special aid to help you learn and run your first role-playing adventures--the First Quest game CD. This CD begins with an introduction to role-playing. It also contains tracks of adventure dialogue combined with special sound effects to help you run the beginning adventures in this book.
Just like music, the CD is organized into tracks. From time to time you'll see a special track number symbol. This symbol tells you the encounter uses the CD. The number is the CD track used. You should use the CD controls or remote to cue up the right track (have the numbered track ready). When you reach the spot in the encounter where you should play the track, you will see a play symbol. The play symbol is usually combined with the track number symbol. When the track is finished, you will hear a bell-like tone to remind you to stop the CD.
Sometimes you will be asked to pause the CD while your players react to what they've heard. This is marked by a pause symbol. The text will tell you exactly which words to pause after. Push the pause button again when you are told to resume the CD.
To help you remember what is heard, each CD encounter includes notes about its track in the adventure text. What monsters and other important characters say is written out completely, in case you need to check what was said. These notes are placed in the narrow column at the edge of the page.
IMPORTANT: After you play a track, remember to stop the CD so that it doesn't continue on to the next track.
Campaign: A series of adventures with the same characters and Dungeon Master.
Symbols
To help find things in the adventures quickly, there are symbols in the margins that alert you to important facts and things to do in the adventure.
- Read this section out loud to the players.
- The monster talks to the characters and says what is listed here.
- The players have to make a decision here. The DM should stop and ask the question given.
- This is an important point that the DM should not overlook.
- There is something hidden here. If the characters search, they might find it.
- There is a trap here.
Monster Summaries
Throughout the adventures, each area includes monster descriptions that contain all the numbers you will need for each monster. They may look crowded, but all they are is a short way to include the information about each monster provided in the Monsters & Treasures Book so that it's always right in front of the DM.
Below these numbers are the hit points for each monster. It's okay to write in this book when the characters hit the monsters. Use a pencil (so it can be erased) and write the hit points of damage done to each monster next to its hit point total.
The Story of the Adventures
The four adventures in this booklet are more than separate stories. The four adventures can also be connected to each other to form a campaign. The campaign takes place in the magical world of Mystara. What joins all the adventures together doesn't have to be fancy or complicated, it just has to explain how the player characters get from one adventure to the next. (The booklet then summarizes the premises of the four adventures: "The Tomb of Demara," "The Ghost of Harrow Hill," "Across Wildspace!" and "Under Mount Dread." Those narrative summaries are not transcribed here.)
Leaving and Coming Back
One great thing about role-playing games is that the characters do not have to finish the adventure all at once. Suppose the player characters are badly hurt early on. Unless there's a reason--like in "The Ghost of Harrow Hill"--the group can leave the adventure and go back to town. There they automatically heal and get new spells. Back at full strength, they can go back to the adventure location and try again.
Of course, monsters get to rest too. Any monsters that were injured heal while the characters are in town, but dead monsters don't come back to life.
Sometimes it takes three or four tries at an adventure, clearing out a couple of rooms with each trip, before everything is finished. When the player characters look like they're really beat up, the DM might suggest a timely retreat to the players.
Experience Points
Every time the characters defeat a monster they earn experience points. When they get enough experience points, the characters go up one level. With each level the characters get new powers and become tougher.
The experience points for the monsters are shown in the adventure. They can also be found in the Monsters & Treasures Book.
When the characters go back to town, add up the experience points for all the monsters they defeated. Give each character the total experience points.
In the AD&D game Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master Guide, the total experience points are divided evenly between the characters at the end of the adventure. However, the characters also frequently get bonus experience points for other things they do in the adventure. This does not happen in the First Quest game.
The Town
Characters can't adventure all the time. Even though they're just pretend people, they eat, sleep, and do the things many real people do. The only difference is these things are skipped over because they are not exciting.
When characters are not adventuring, they are in the town. The town doesn't have a name (but you can name it) and does not have the same room-by-room descriptions as the adventures. It is just an ordinary little medieval town in the land of Karameikos, which is a country in the world of Mystara.
When the characters are in town, they rest and prepare for new adventures. The rest heals wounds. Characters can buy new weapons, armor, and gear. They can also learn what newly found magical items do. These services are available at three special places in town: the temple, the store, and the wizard's tower.
Townspeople: The three characters below can be used for more role-playing in town. Player characters could haggle over a price with Gart, for example. This is not necessary, though, since the town is not really part of any adventure.
- Farrish the Priest is a quiet young man who is a good judge of character. He knows everyone in the town and knows the most about the town's history.
- Gart Stonenose is a grumpy ex-adventurer, now blind in one eye. He loves gold and gems. He never sells anything cheap, but he is always honest.
- High Wizard Nethril is a kindly old fellow. He is very powerful, but is too old to go adventuring anymore.
The Temple
The temple is run by Farrish, a powerful cleric. Farrish can heal wounds, cure diseases and poison, and even bring a character (except an elf) back from death. However, he does require a donation for any service. He takes either gold or any magical item.
| Temple Service | Donation |
|---|---|
| Heal hit points | 100 gold pieces |
| Cure poison | 100 gold pieces |
| Cure disease | 250 gold pieces |
| Remove a curse | 500 gold pieces |
| Raise a dead character* | 1,000 gold pieces |
* Elves cannot be raised. Being raised from death lowers the character's Constitution by 1 point.
The Store
The store is run by Gart Stonenose, a dwarf. Weapons, armor, and general equipment can all be bought and sold here. The selling price for equipment is on the table in the back of the Rules Book. Gart will buy an item for half the same price.
Money-Changing: The store can exchange copper and silver coins for gold coins. Gart will also buy gems the characters bring him. The DM has to roll for each gem to figure what it is worth. Use the table below for that.
| 1d100 | Gem | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 01-25 | Agate | 10 gold pieces |
| 26-50 | Quartz | 50 gold pieces |
| 51-70 | Garnet | 100 gold pieces |
| 71-90 | Topaz | 500 gold pieces |
| 91-99 | Emerald | 1,000 gold pieces |
| 00 | Diamond | 5,000 gold pieces |
The Wizard's Tower
The tower is the home, library, and lab of the High Wizard Nethril. The players can go to Nethril to have the archmage figure out how a magical item works. It costs 1,000 gold pieces to have him identify a magical item. If the characters don't have 1,000 gold pieces, they can give him a magical item instead. The archmage is always interested in magical items and will gladly take things the characters don't want.
The characters cannot buy or sell magical items here. Nethril never sells items, even the ones he gets from the characters. Magical items are too rare to sell, nor does the archmage have enough money to buy items from the characters.
Making Up Your Own Adventures
Having come this far, you're already well on your way to creating new adventures. All an adventure really needs is a story, a map, and a key.
The story can be as involved or as simple as you want it to be. It can have a goal like "The Tomb of Demara." It can be a problem the characters are thrust into, like "The Ghost of Harrow Hill," or a challenge like "Across Wildspace." The story can be just be a place with a colorful history like Azazabus's dungeon in "Under Mount Dread." All you have to do is come up with what the heroes are supposed to do and why they are supposed to do it. The heroes explore an ancient tomb on the edge of the mountains because they heard it is filled with great riches. That's enough to start an adventure right there.
Once you know what the adventure is about and where the adventure is located, you've got lots of choices for what to do next. Some people like to draw a map first. (You can get graph paper with predrawn squares at many stores.) That way they know what rooms need monsters and where are good places for traps. Other people pick out the monsters they want to use and then put them in a place that fits their choice. Other people do it all at once--they draw part of the map, choose monsters for that part, and then draw some more of the map.
When you make your key, you don't have to give lots of details for every room. In fact, if you know what you want sometimes all you need is a room name, monster listing, and treasure. It doesn't hurt to copy down the important monster information--AC, THAC0, damage, saving throw, and hit points at least. That way you won't waste time looking them up in the middle of a game. When you run the adventure, you can use your imagination to fill out the details for the other players.
The key to a simple orc fort might look like this:
- Front gate, 4 orc guards--sleepy, AC 6, THAC0 19, damage 1d8, saving throw 17. Hit points 4, 3, 3, 1.
- Guard room. Orc captain playing dice with another orc. Hit points 8 (capt), 3. 50 gold pieces in pouch. Captain has a long sword +1.
- Pit with ladder down to orc dungeon. 3rd rung on ladder will break when stepped on.
- Orc barracks. 6 orcs eating food. Smelly and gross. Hit points 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1. 100 gold pieces hidden in bedding.
See, it wasn't even necessary to write down the statistics every time! Of course, there's a lot for you to fill in. When your players ask you what a room looks like, you'll have to give them a description on the spot. If they capture an orc, you'll have to decide what he will say and how he will act. None of these things have rules--they are just parts of the adventure where you have to be the referee. There's a lot of "winging it," but don't worry. Be excited about what you're doing and let yourself have fun, and your players will have a good time.
Beyond the First Quest Game
The First Quest game provides an introduction to the AD&D fantasy role-playing game, but where do you go from here? There are a whole host of AD&D products out there--campaign settings, adventures, and additional rules. What is the next step into this wider world?
First of all, while you can play in the Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure campaign setting with the First Quest game rules, we strongly recommend that you pick up a copy of the AD&D game 2nd edition Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master Guide. These two volumes provide all the rules needed to play the complete Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. They contain many more character classes, character races, spells, and magical items than the First Quest game includes. If you are interested in more monsters to outwit, fight, and bargain with, the Monstrous Manual describes hundreds of creatures and is illustrated in color, so you can see what every creature looks like. And if you want to explore more of the places in the land that the First Quest game is set in, you should pick up a copy of the Karameikos, Kingdom of Adventure campaign setting box.
Karameikos
The kingdom of Karameikos, in the world of Mystara, is what is called a campaign setting. It is a rich starting place for your AD&D adventures. A campaign setting takes you beyond the walls of the standard adventure into a world where your character can rise in power and respect among others, eventually becoming a mighty wizard, a powerful clerical leader, a landed lady or lord, or the master of one's own band of roguish adventurers.
Karameikos is a frontier kingdom. Its cities are built on or near ancient ruins of forgotten civilizations. Its caravans are raided by marauding orcs and gnolls. Its forested heartlands are the home of dragons, were-creatures, and darker, more dangerous beasts. It is a country in a world of nonhuman nations, merchant-princes, wizard-kings, and savage barbarians. The Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure campaign setting can be played using the First Quest or the full-fledged AD&D game rules. There's a world of adventure beyond First Quest game, and Karameikos is the first step.