Author: Malcon The Firebringer

Hello. Aandoran The Defiler again guest posting for my good friend Malcon. We go way back you know. Both of us are several hundred years old. Malcon invited me here to talk to you about artifacts. In my first article we talked a great deal about them in general. Now I want to discuss some specific items that beg for artifacts to be designed around them.

The first great source that I want to talk to you about is a great place to find inspiration on new objects that no one else has yet defined. Once you see this in action you can go and scour all the books that you own for the edition of Dungeons and Dragons that you are currently playing.

This great source it the 1st Edition Monster Manual. What? You say….Yes. The 1st Edition Monster Manual is an incredible source of potential items to use in your campaign. Not the monsters themselves. The pictures in the manual. Other editions Monster Manuals, Fiend Folios, Monstrous Compendiums, etc….. are also likely to be quite helpful in this cause.

For starters let’s talk about some close friends of mine. Arch Devils. These gentlemen have lots of potential for your campaigns.

Dispater

See the image above? That is the Arch Devil Dispater. He is holding two items which could easily be potential artifacts. Artifacts in Dungeons and Dragons are often items owned or used by gods, deities and legendary heroes. They are also, however, items owned or used by legendary villains. In some places in the 1E monster manual these items are even discussed. Granted. They are not detailed in depth. For some of these items you can find other later sources which may discuss the item in more depth. Or you can just develop your own version.

Dispater is holding a staff and a rod. There is a very short little paragraph at the end of the description of him on page 22 of the Monster manual that tells you that the rod has the powers of a rod of rulership and that he has a double strength staff of striking. That is all it says about these two potential artifacts. From the picture alone you can see that the rod he carries has a large diamond at the tip of it. The rod must be very valuable even discounting it’s magical properties. The staff has a nice little dragon head at the tip of it. Is it just a staff of striking? Or does it have far more dangerous properties?

And are these his only artifacts? He has an elaborate robe he wears. Does it have powers? I suspect that it would. And notice his left foot? Dispater has one cloven hoof where a foot would be for a human. It is his left foot only. His other is a human foot. Does it have a horseshoe or something on it? Wouldn’t that have magical properties?

Anyone gaining possession of any of his precious items is going to have one pissed off Arch Devil mad at them right? That is one major drawback to using an item once owned by an Arch Devil. But there are other possible drawbacks. Using these artifacts which were created for evil purposes would likely lead to the person using them slipping into evil alignment wouldn’t they?

As for powers….well you can imagine the possibilities. Arch Devils are nearly as powerful as gods in Dungeons and Dragons. Their possessions are likely to also have terrible powers. I say terrible because they are devils. They are not going to be interested in doing good things with their artifacts. Their artifacts are going to do devastating things instead. Earthquakes. Creeping Doom. Meteor swarms. That sort of thing.

Asmodeus

In 1st Edition Asmodeus was the big baddy of them all. He was the head honcho of hell. Later works seem to change that. But we won’t go there.

Asmodeus can be seen having several possible artifacts in this picture. He holds a rodf. He wears two rings which are visible in the picture. He wears a necklace or pendant. He wears a robe. Only the staff is discussed in the Monster Manual. Specifically on page 21 it is mentioned that this rod is worth over 1,000,000 gold pieces just due to the gem value alone. This is not counting the magical properties of it. The Monster Manual also says that Asmodeus rod is made of pure ruby. Powers mentioned for this rod include:

• It acts as a rod of absorbtion
• Causes serious wounds when touched to an opponent (cause serious wounds spell)
• It can shoot out a cone of frost on command
• It can shoot out a jet of acid on command
• It can fire a bolt of lightning equal to a dragon’s breath

The other items he shows in this portrait, however, are ripe for development. None are discussed in the book. Perhaps he might lose one of these items on his various travels through the planes. Perhaps one of your adventurers might find it. I am sure he would be grateful for it’s return. Or perhaps not.

Geryon

Geryon is another fine Arch Devil with an artifact shown in his picture. The horn is discussed very briefly on page 22 of the Monster Manual. All that is mentioned is that Geryon can wind this horn and summon 5-20 minotaurs. No other powers are discussed but it is kind of obvious that an Arch Devil like this will have many other powers accessible from this artifact. It is likely to be embedded with valuable gems and etched in the finest precious metals.

Baalzebul

No specific artifacts are mentioned for Baalzebul in the 1st Edition Monster Manual. But it would be unusual for the others to have such objects and a powerful Arch Devil like him not to have any. From the picture you can see that he has gauntlets on. He also has a robe. That robe is held together by a clasp. Do these things have magical properties? Are they artifacts? Quite possibly they are.

Artifacts in Dungeons and Dragons are Not Just for 1E

Other editions of Dungeons and Dragons have artifacts. Some are detailed. Many are not. Later editions were not as into demons and devils. This is partly because of all of the fruitcakes who thought that Dungeons and Dragons was just Devil worship back in the seventies and eighties. At least there are no pictures of the Arch Devils or Demon Princes in the Monster Manual. But there is no reason you cannot create versions of these items for your 5th Edition game as well.

Other Sources For Artifacts

Another great resource for finding potential artifacts is the biggest tome of Deities for 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Deities & Demigods listed a number of deities available for use with 1st Edition campaigns. There are many potential artifacts mentioned in the book and there are many pictures that suggest other potential artifacts that are not mentioned.

Deities &Demigods

Another great resource came from before 1st Edition. The book Gods, Demigods & Heroes was the predecessor to Deities & Demigods. And it also has descriptions of deities and possible artifacts that they might be carrying.

Gods, Demigods & Heroes

Another great reference is the tome written for 2nd edition regarding the deities of several races of humanoids. It is called Monster Mythology and covers deities of many of the most important humanoid races that your adventurers are likely to encounter. Many of these deities are known to have certain artifacts which are part of their lore. For example the Orc deity Gruumsh as known to have a great spear made of black iron. This spear is certainly an artifact.

Monster Mythology

For 5th Edition I have not found many good sources for information on Deities, Arch Devils and Demon Princes. At least none with pictures that you can use for inspiration for artifacts. I am sure there are some out there. I have just not found them yet. But ultimately the items I listed for the earlier editions should give you plenty of ideas for forming artifacts to use in your campaigns.

Melee weapons in Dungeons and Dragons are varied. Later editions of the game tended to thin out some of the many options. But 1st edition had quite a few. And many are pretty unfamiliar to those of us who do not spend a lot of time studying medieval history. This article is an attempt to familiarize people with just exactly what some of these weapons actually look like.

Pole Arms

Keeping your enemies at range was often a difficult but essential task during medieval battles. This is obviously true in a fantasy setting as well. Not everyone wants to get up close and personal in combat. The enemy might have horses where you might have none. Having a pole arm gives you a chance in such disadvantageous combat situations.

There were various pole arms used in the Middle Ages. I am going to try to show you what some of them look like in this article. I will begin with one of the favorites that I have seen players choose when selecting weapons at the early stages of the game. As most players tend to metagame, whether they realize it or not, they often choose the one in the books that does the most damage. For 1st Edition this was the Halberd. In most movies about medieval times you see guards wielding this big clunky weapons. They came in a number of varieties with different shaped blades. Some of them are in the picture below.

Halberds were not the most common pole arm. The age old spear has that honor. Spears have been around since the dawn of time. It is likely that they were among the very first weapons ever used. It is also likely that they were among the very first human tools ever used.

Okay. Now we have seen some of the more common pole arms. Lets talk about some less common ones that were in the 1st Edition game and possibly in some of the later editions as well. This one is kind of a hybrid between a halberd and a spear. It is called the Ranseur. The Ranseur could be used in 1st Edition to disarm opponents by rolling to hit an armor class of 8. See the table on page 38 of the PHB for discussion of this.

A very similar pole arm was called the Spetum. I suppose that what makes it truly different is the length of the blade. It is more like a sword on a long stick. This one folds as well for easy carrying. The Spetum could be used in 1st Edition to disarm opponents on a score required to hit Armor Class 8. See the table on page 38 of the PHB for discussion of disarming.

The next medieval pole arm is kind of hybrid between a pole arm and a hammer. It is called a Bec de Corbin. And yes….this one is also in the 1st Edition PHB as a player weapon option. I suspect that 5th Edition and other editions have forgotten about many of these varieties. But I present them anyway for you to see what they look like in case you want them in your games.

Another pole arm commonly used in medieval combat but rarely used in Dungeons and Dragons is the Military Pick. This particular one is called a Bohemian Ear Spoon.

The next one is called the Fauchard. This particular one is ornate as it was used by bodyguards of a cardinal.

The Fauchard came in another variety though. This one comes with a fork.

The next weapon is similar. It is called the Military Fork.

The next pole arm is another one with a French sounding name. It would appear that the French had lots of uses for pole arms in combat during medieval times. They seem to have the most varieties. This one is called the Guisarme.

The Guisarme came in two other varieties. The next is called the Guisarme Voulge.

And the next variety is called the Glaive-Guisarme.

And the next one is just a plain Glaive. This one looks like so many of the others. But there are subtle differences.

To me that one looks exactly like the Fauchard above. But it isn’t. And, no, I am not the one who says so. Both of the pictures came from a museum site that identified them.

The next weapon was technically not in 1st Edition but a variety of it was. This one is called the Pike.

And this variety is called the Pike Awl in the 1st Edition PHB. Wikipedia calls it an Awl Pike. But whatever the name it looks a little like some of the others. Again it is kind of a thin sword on a stick concept. Or perhaps it is just a long spear tip on a stick.

The next is also very similar to some of the others. This one is called the Partisan in the 1st Edition PHB.

And the next is called just a Voulge.

Another type of pole arm is called the Trident. The Trident was used in ancient times as well as in the middle ages. Those of you familiar with the movie Spartacus may remember the scene where Spartacus fights an Ethiopian gladiator to entertain the soon to be emperor at the gladiator training school. The Ethiopian gentlemen uses a Trident and a net in combat.

As you can see there were a ton of different pole arm options out there. Guards often used them. Infantry often used them against horse soldiers. When you need to have some range in melee combat reach for a pole arm.

Axes

Pole Arms were not the only melee weapons in Dungeons and Dragons. Other weapons included variations of the Axe. The Axe provides the melee combatant the opportunity to use a nice chopping action to slice into an opponent. The first one is the most commonly thought of when one is considering axes for fantasy combat. This one is the battle axe.

But there were other axes used in combat. This one is called the Bardiche.

Notice the really wide blade? Whoever used these apparently did not aim their swings that well.

Maces, Morningstars, Flails

Essentially these weapons are clubs with a metal tip or metal ball or sometimes a metal chain with a metal ball. These are weapons that any man at arms could use without a whole lot of training in combat. First up is the mace.

The next is very similar. The difference I suppose is that this one tends to have a lot more spikes in places that might connect when used. Some look kind of nasty.

The next variation is the flail. What makes a flail different than a mace or morning star is that it has a chain between the source of the pain.

Lances

The horsemen of the medieval world had an ace up their sleeves. The charge was often the most effective tactic for men on horseback. To charge effectively one needed a ranged melee weapon to strike their enemies with before they could be struck themselves. The Lance did the trick.

Swords

And the last category is the most commonly used category in virtually all flavors of Dungeons and Dragons. Any article about melee weapons in Dungeons and Dragons would pretty much be lacking if it did not talk about the varieties of swords used in medieval combat. First Edition included many types. Later editions have pared it down to but a few.

The first I will mention is one of the least used varieties in 1st Edition. But in medieval movies it is often the one depicted most. It is the Broadsword.

Next is the most commonly used in 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons. It is called the long sword. The long sword has a narrower blade than a broadsword. It is also quite a bit lighter.

Next is the weapon most commonly used by thieves in 1st Edition. It is the short sword.

The next variety is seldom found in 1st Edition but does exist. It is called the Bastard Sword.

This one is often called the Great Sword in other versions of Dungeons and Dragons. In First Edition it was referred to as the Two Handed Sword. It is a favorite among aggressive fighter types as it does the most potential damage per swing. But it requires the fighter to go without a shield. The trade off may seem worthwhile to some.

Another version of the Two Handed Sword was used in other parts of Europe.

The many different sword options give the player choices to make when equipping before an adventure.

The Many Types of Melee Weapons in Dungeons and Dragons

As you can see there were many different types of melee weapons for a medieval man at arms or knight to employ in combat. Most of these weapons were included in the early versions of Dungeons and Dragons. Later editions have thinned out the number of weapon types available.

For More Information on These Weapons

TSR put out a wonderful guide to arms and equipment for 2nd Edition. Obviously this supplement is useful for any edition of the game. You can find it at:

Arms and Equipment Guide

Sages are discussed in depth in the 1st Edition Dungeon Master Guide on pages 31-33. But in 5th edition and other editions they are not discussed much if at all. Granted….sages are just a Non Player Character. It can be assumed that such individuals exist in the realms of these later editions even if they are not discussed much. For development of a sage for these later editions you could go back and use the 1st Edition Dungeon Master Guide for creation. Or you could find another source such as this one:

Sage D&D Wiki

This site gives you some tables for development of a sage for 5th Edition.

What Use Are Sages?

Sages have different purposes in Dungeons and Dragons. Sometimes Characters need answers to questions that they cannot find. A sage might have them. Or he might be able to find the answer. Either way he will expect to get paid handsomely for his or her efforts.

Sages have lots of expenses. They need books. Lots of them. And books are expensive in the medieval and fantasy worlds. They tend to be reclusive. This requires servants to keep them fed and keep them from falling over dead after they are up for fifty hours researching some obscure and arcane point.

Sages often not the most sociable individuals. They like their books far more than they like other people. They do not like interruptions in their research. This is true even when they have read their entire library fifty times.

Sages Love Books

Sages know a little about a lot. But they know a lot about a little. Each has a specialty. Adventurers who find books about this specialty will likely find a sage quite willing to pay handsomely for it. Sages like books so much that they might even commission adventurers to seek out some obscure and ancient lost library in order to find a tome that the sage has learned of from other research. These journeys could be perilous for the adventurer but profitable in the end.

if a sage does not already know the answer to a question it is quite probable that he or she can find it given time to do so. Such efforts will require hours of research. Perhaps even days or weeks of research will be required.

All kinds of writings can be valuable to a sage. Maps. Scrolls. Writings on some statue in a dungeon. Sometimes taking a sage along with the group might be necessary in order for him to see the writings and hieroglyphics and then render an answer.

Sages Do Not Always Live in the City

While most big cities in fantasy worlds will likely have at least one sage it is also quite probable that sages who are experts in strange and rare subjects might be located in far flung places. Perhaps a long and dangerous journey is required to find such a sage. A high mountain top or a dark forest might be home. Sages are always close to a library of some sort but usually they have their own. They do not like sharing books with others.

Libraries of Sages

Sages love libraries of course. The love the books in them. And they have their own libraries. Such places are filled with rare and dusty tomes. Most are about specific subjects that the sage is interested in. The sage has devoted his or her life to studying certain subjects and considers themselves to be the foremost authorities on these subjects.

Obviously a sage will protect his prized books from potential thieves. Precautions will be taken to avoid losing a single tome.

Sages are Not Wimps

Sages in 1st Edition had some magical abilities in their chosen fields. These abilities came from studying these fields in great depth. A sage who was an expert in botany would be likely to have Druid spell casting knowledge. A sage who is an expert in the arcane would likely have Wizard spell casting knowledge.

They are also likely to have armed servants to protect them when needed. Sages are not stupid. They know that their books are valuable. And they know that others may want them. They will defend them to the death if necessary.

Sages in Dungeons and Dragons are Good Adventure Hooks

Sages in Dungeons and Dragons can provide many adventure and role playing opportunities. The adventurers often need answers. Sages often need things as well. Sages and adventurers can feed off of each other. Things found in their rare tomes may tell of legendary items, creatures and places that adventurers would have interest in. Virtually all forms of knowledge in the fantasy world are likely to be written down somewhere. Sages can often find it.

Artifacts in Dungeons and Dragons can be both a boon and curse for adventurers who encounter them. As the most powerful Lich in Zanzian history I am an expert on such matters. But there is someone far more knowledgeable than I am. And I want to introduce you to him. For those of you familiar with Joseph Mohr’s adventure entitled “The Castle of Aandoran the Defiler” you might remember this gentleman. He is an Ancient Vampire. He is the oldest known vampire on the continent of Dunar and makes his home in the Dark Forest in northeast Zanzia near the border.

Aandoran is a lonely vampire. He has a massive castle in the forest but few come calling. Those who do visit rarely stay for long. Aandoran plays his pipe organ night and day in that dark castle. The pipe organ itself is a powerful artifact. It can create armies of undead as colored smoke rises from the pipes of the organ while it plays. One who learns and masters the keys and pedals of this organ can create a nearly invincible army of undead to serve him. Of course one needs to be evil to control this device. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made.

Aandoran agreed to do a series of guest posts on this blog to discuss his second favorite subject. Obviously playing music is his first love. But artifacts are a close second. Without further ado I hand it over to Aandoran.

Guest Post From Aandoran The Defiler

Welcome friends. I am so glad to make your acquaintance. I am here today to discuss a subject of paramount importance for adventurers and dungeon masters. The subject is artifacts. Sometimes they are referred to as relics. Artifacts and relics come in many forms in Dungeons and Dragons. And they existed in the game from the very beginning. Original Dungeons and Dragons had several of them. Many of these carried over into first edition. Some of the artifacts in these early editions still exist in the 5th edition of this fantastic game. Sometimes they appear to be normal objects. Other times it is readily apparent that they are valuable and rare.

Sources of Artifacts

The first edition Dungeon Master Guide has several pages regarding artifacts. Pages 155 to 164 cover the subject of Artifacts and Relics in 1st Edition. Tables are provided for the Dungeon Master to personalize these items to make them unique to their own campaigns.

Second Edition, however, put out an entire book on the subject. This book is well made and expands greatly upon the information provided in the earlier works on the subject. This book has detailed coverage of several major artifacts from Gary Gygax own campaigns as well as other prominent early Dungeon Masters.

Presumably the image shown on the cover of that fine book is the orb of power. Who the hand belongs to that is offering to the adventurers is unknown. Perhaps it is some undead minion of mine……

Book of Artifacts

Other Sources of Artifacts

Many other publishers have offered works on the subject of artifacts. They are presented here for your enjoyment should you wish to research the subject further.

Arcane Creations – AKA Artifacts of the Arcane Volume One

Artifacts of the Arcane Volume Two

Artifacts of the Arcane Volume Three

Artifacts of the Arcane Volume Four

Artifacts of Legend

Tome of Artifacts

Legendary Artifacts

And there are many other works out there. I could not possibly describe all of them for you in one article. But there is nothing that says you cannot create your own artifacts for use in your campaigns. And well be talking about that a bit later in this article.

One other work I should mention was written by my good friend Malcon the Firebringer. It is more general than just the subject of artifacts. His covers magical items unique to the land of Zanzia and includes discussion of many Zanzian artifacts.

Malcon’s Tome of Magic

The Good and Bad of Artifacts in Dungeons and Dragons

Artifacts are powerful magic items. And they are unique. No two are ever alike. And while their powers are amazing and even earth shattering it is not all peaches and cream. Using artifacts does not come without risk. Great risk.

For a Dungeon Master to put magical items in their campaigns that are all super powered and have no negative effects is to invite total disaster. Magic items come without a price. Artifacts always come with a price. Using an artifact must have severe consequences or else the player with the artifact is going to steamroll every monster he or she meets from that point on.

The writers of the early books understood this all too well. Great discussion was made on the subject of side effects, minor malevolent effects and major malevolent effects. The idea was simple. Every time a major power, minor power, primary power or whenever the artifact is even held there is a risk of some powerful adverse side effect. Using artifacts needs to be dangerous every single time they are used. There must be a risk of something truly awful occurring or the player will use the thing every encounter thereafter.

More Sources for Artifacts

There are many other sources for artifacts. Mythology is a great source. Many of the normal magic items from the early editions of Dungeons and Dragons came from mythology. But there are more out there.

But some of these early Dungeons and Dragon core books are a wonderful source of creating new ones that have not been detailed elsewhere. We will be discussing that in great deal in my next installment.

Creation of Your Own Artifacts

Creating artifacts for your game is not that difficult. You need to select some basic history for the item. After all…..it is legendary….

It needs to have some powers. And it needs to have some major drawbacks and risks to using it. Ultimately those risks and drawbacks need to be harmful enough to make the user wonder if it is really worth using at all. It is also a good idea to decide upon a method of destruction of the artifact. In Lord of the Rings the One Ring had to be thrown into the lava in Mordor in order to destroy it forever. Every artifact should probably have it’s own unique method of destruction. And that method should not be easy. It should take an epic adventure or herculean effort to destroy an artifact. We will talk about that subject more in a later article as well.

Artifacts Can Be Evil

Just because it is an object does not mean it has no personality of it’s own. My organ, for example, is surely an evil artifact. Who but someone evil like me would want to play an organ that creates undead. Undead are evil like me aren’t they? Well most are.

Artifacts Can Be Adventure Hooks

Rumors about the discovery of an artifact is a major potential adventure hook. But finding one can be as well. Once found it may have a mind of it’s own. It may need to be destroyed. It may need to be used in order to prevent some major calamity. It is quite possible that adventurers may discover something that they are unfamiliar with and cannot identify by normal means.

This can create adventures that would not otherwise be considered by the players. They find an object. They know it is magical. But they do not know what it does exactly. And they will desperately want to find out. They may visit a sage. They may need to go on a journey to some ancient oracle. They might need to complete some minor quests in order to find the knowledge or to satisfy payment to the sages and oracles.

Artifacts in Dungeons and Dragons Are Legendary

Artifacts tailored to your own campaign give your game world a flavor all of it’s own. These artifacts are legends. The people have heard of them. The bards in the taverns sing about them every night. The urchins in streets of the city tell stories to each other about them. Sages and scholars do research about them. And your adventurers may discover them.

This iconic image from the 1st Edition Dungeon Master Guide is a classic reminder that adventurers are not always to be trusted. Sometimes the adventurers need to be reminded that there are others out there who want the treasures, the power, the magic and the glory. Sometimes those people are closer than the adventurers might believe.

Sometimes people within your own party can be a danger. Perhaps something was found that they want for themselves? Perhaps someone travelling with your group was not well vetted? Perhaps they are a thief or assassin in disguise! Or perhaps they hid their evil ways from you at the outset.

Sometimes Your Friends Are Not So Friendly

In a game about killing creatures and stealing their treasures can anyone be totally surprised when one of the other adventurers does something totally in their own interests instead of the interests of the party as a whole? It is human….and almost certainly humanoid….nature to look out to one’s own personal interests. Adventurers are at best a band of mercenaries. Even those with basically good intentions are still out looking to get rich on the destruction of others.

Big Plots Mean Big Problems

Depending upon the theme of your campaign it is likely that villains have big plots. Kings and gods probably do too. All of these plots and plans and machinations are frequently at odds with someone else’s.

Sometimes betrayal may be encountered at the group level as in the picture from the Dungeon Master Guide. But sometimes it involves palace intrigue. Assassinations. Politics. Ruthless greed for power. These things also can be encountered in the game and can lead to epic adventures.

Sometimes You Don’t Get to Choose Your Companions

Not everyone travelling with a party on an adventure is someone that the adventurers chose for themselves. Sometimes a quest giver might insist that someone accompany them. A king may want an adviser along for the ride. Or perhaps the adventurers are short a man or two and decide to hire some fellows from the local tavern. Are they trustworthy?

With Power Comes Others Who Want It

Ask any king who they are most afraid of. If they will admit fear at all they will not point to their neighboring kingdoms. They will point to the gallery of nobles around them. They will point outside the windows into the streets around the palace. The people most dangerous to a king are those closest to him.

Palace intrigue provides excellent opportunities for introducing betrayal into your campaign. Some disgruntled palace seer might want to gain the throne for himself. Some trusted adviser may backstab his king and then steal the crown. Perhaps the captain of the palace guard is sleeping with the queen when the king is not around. Perhaps he has decided to do the old man in and take her for himself.

Being a king is a lonely job. Just ask the guy in the picture above. I bet he felt lonely when is companion stuck a sword in him.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries were part of the medieval world. Hiring others to do things that seemed a bit distasteful was not unusual activity. Nobles and kings did this from time to time. But could those men be trusted? Were they even competent at what they were being hired to do? And would not anyone willing to fight for money be willing to not fight for even more?

Villains of course would also be likely employers of such men. Such men have little loyalty to anyone. Who can trust such men?

Allies Don’t Always Stay Allies

Kings surely understand that allies are necessary to maintain power. But such allies also look to their own interests. When interests are not in alignment….betrayal happens.

Villains, however, understand that driving a wedge between allies can create chaos in a kingdom. This creates opportunities for the Dungeon Master to create adventures that involve villainous plots to break apart the alliances that keep the king in power. Large scale thinking is required for such adventures. Who are the allies? Why are they allies? Who are they allied against? Kings have important enemies. Who are they?

Wars often begin with a major betrayal from an expected ally. One side sees an advantage to be gained when the kingdom or realm loses it’s allies. And then they strike hard.

Kings Want to Stay in Power

Sometimes it might be the king himself that should not be trusted. When adventurers become so powerful that they are building their own castles and keeps the king is going to wonder how long it will be before they come for his throne. A king’s biggest fear is not the enemies outside of his realm. He is far more concerned about the potential enemies within the realm.

Betrayal in Dungeons and Dragons

Potential sources are everywhere for Betrayal in Dungeons and Dragons. Friends become enemies when their interests begin to diverge. Kings and patrons become enemies when the adventurers begin to become rich and powerful. Envy may cause others to want what the adventurers have. And big scale betrayals can lead kingdoms to fall. All of it is perfect for creating memorable adventures for your players.

Treasure maps are a treasure to both the Dungeon Master and the adventurers. Yet they are barely mentioned at all in either 1st or 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. The only reference that I could find in 1st Edition is in the treasure tables at the end of the Monster Manual. Treasure option W offers a chance to find a map as part of a treasure hoard. 5th Edition mentions treasure maps not at all as far as I can find. Why?

Large Scale Maps

A large world map offers the adventurers a long journey and no certainty as to whether they will actually find what they are hoping to when they arrive. Such a map is merely a tease. Perhaps another smaller scale map will be found. Or perhaps the adventurers must travel to the spot and question the local inhabitants and search for clues to find out where exactly the treasure is.

Smaller Specific Maps

Small and specific maps can give the adventurers exact information. But these come at a price. The price is that the adventurers may not know the starting point to reach in order to follow the map. Assuming that the Treasure Island map above represents a Dungeons and Dragons treasure then one must find the island itself. Perhaps the island itself is not called Treasure Island on any world map or local government or realm map. Perhaps it is uncharted entirely. One might have to go on a long quest for more information or seek out sages for possible leads to it.

The Perfect Hook

Treasure Maps in Dungeons and Dragons serve the Dungeon Master by giving you the perfect hook with which to draw your adventurers into an adventure. They can find the map in town. Some beggar might offer it to them in a city for some coins. Perhaps a dead body might be found with the map on him. Or perhaps a treasure hoard in the dungeon will contain a scroll tube with this map inside of it. It might be lead in to the next great adventure.

Best of all. It relies on one character trait that almost all players have. Greed. Greed for more coin. Greed for more magic items. Greed for greater experience and personal power for their characters.

You won’t have to offer them any buildup. You won’t need to create any elaborate villain or story. All you need is a treasure somewhere. And some nasty things to guard it. The adventurers will supply the rest.

A Map With Little Information Creates a Quest

Give an adventurer a map like this one above and you will cause your players to pull out their hair. There is so little information in it. Where is this island. What is it called? What is hidden there? These questions will have to be answered. And the adventurers may go to great lengths to obtain it.

Finding treasure is an adventurer’s primary goal in life. Treasure makes the world go around. That scene in the Arnold version of Conan the Barbarian is an epic example. After raiding the tower of the snake god Thulsa Doom the thieves blow all of their money at a local tavern until they are caught and brought before the local King. That is what adventurers do. They raid dungeons and then they go to town and live the high life for a while before returning back to the field again once more.

Drop a map in with a treasure hoard some time in your games. See what the players are more interested in. The coins. The gems. The magic sword. Or the map. I suspect the map will create more intrigue. They will want to know all that they can about that map.

The Map is the Treasure

Putting a map in your game will be worth more than most single treasures to your adventurers. They will see that map as a promise of great riches or powerful magic. Somewhere out there is a hidden treasure. And now we have to find it!

Decisions….Decisions

As the Dungeon Master you will need to make many decisions once you put a treasure map into your game. Where will the map lead? What will be found when the adventurers get there? What other information will the adventurers need to find in order to use the map? Who will be guarding this treasure once the adventurers use the map? Will the treasure be buried? Or will it be in a guarded fortification or dungeon? Who drew this map? Some salty pirate? Or a professional? Is it accurate? Is it a red herring?

Why did someone make this map in the first place? Do they want the treasure to be found? Do they suspect impending death? Do they suspect impending betrayal? Are they stranded or imprisoned? Are they mere lackeys hoping to lead their masters back to the treasure?

Treasure Maps From Various Publishers

As a Dungeon Master you can easily make a quick little map for use with your adventures. It could be a map to some place within the same dungeon. Or it could be a map like one of the images above in this article. Either is plausible. There are, however, many products out there from various publishers which provide pre-made treasure maps. Some have adventure suggestions that go with them. None of these are necessarily system specific. You can fill in the details to make them appropriate for your adventurers.

Book of Treasure Maps (Judges Guild)

Book of Treasure Maps II (Judges Guild)

Blank Treasure Maps (Cobra Games)

Trove of Treasure Maps (Kentzer & Company)

Dungeon Crawl Classics: Book of Treasure Maps (Goodman Games)

There are many more out there if you look for them.

Treasure Maps in Dungeons and Dragons

Whether you decide to make your own maps or use some publisher’s product the treasure map is a fun diversion for your players. It may provide hours of play as the adventurers seek to build upon the knowledge that this map provides them. The quests. The journeys to sages. The travel to the map site itself. These things could all provide adventures of their own. Others might even try to steal this map. And in the end….will the adventurers find treasure? Or will it already have been looted? Or perhaps there was never any treasure to be found at all. Or perhaps the map maker considered some personal heirloom to be a valuable treasure. Who knows?

Surprise in Dungeons and Dragons can be a critical element to success or failure in a combat encounter. Gaining the opportunity to make that critical first move may be all the difference in success or defeat. If you are on the side of the surprised then you might end up like these guys…..

The treatment of surprise in 1st and 5th Edition are far apart. In 1st Edition surprise can give an extreme advantage to one side or the other. In 5th Edition it is a little less of an advantage but it is still a good thing to achieve.

Surprise in Dungeons and Dragons 5E

Page 189 of the Player’s Handbook indicates that the Dungeon Master determines surprise. If neither side is trying to be stealthy then neither side will be surprised. Otherwise the DM will compare the Dexterity (stealth) checks of anyone hiding in ambush with the passive (wisdom) of each creature on the opposing side to see if they are surprised. Anyone who does not notice the threat will be surprised at the start of the encounter.

The effect of surprise is that you cannot move or take an action on the first turn of combat. And you cannot take a reaction until the end of that first turn. One member of a group could be surprised even if all of the others in that group are not.

Surprise in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition

Surprise in 1st Edition AD&D was a lot more brutal. Page 61-62 of the Dungeon Master Guide explains the mechanics of surprise. Either party could be surprised. Both parties could be surprised. Or neither party could be surprised.

One who is surprised might find themselves as screwed as the guy in the picture above. A party might be surprised for one or more segments. A segment is considered six seconds in 1st Edition. During those six seconds many choices of actions could be made and completed. One could parley. One could choose to avoid or flee the encounter entirely. One might choose to wait and see what the other side does and give up the advantage. One could let loose a flight of arrows to greet their new acquaintances. Some spells with extremely short casting times might be used.

Each side rolls a six sided dice. A 1 or a 2 indicate surprise. The difference between the two rolls indicates the number of segments of surprise (maximum of three). But here is the kicker. A close reading of the fourth paragraph on page 62 states the following:

“Because the party surprised is (relatively) inactive, the surprising party will be able to attempt telling blows during each segment of surprise as if the segment were an entire round! That is, a fighter able to attack twice during a normal round of combat will be able to do so twice during each surprise segment, so dice are rolled for hit determination accordingly.”

So you can see….surprise in 1st Edition could easily turn into an outright slaughter. You do not want to be on the receiving end of a surprise encounter with creatures that can attack multiple times per round. Imagine being surprised by a gargoyle that strikes five times in one round. A three segment surprise round gives him fifteen potential shots before he takes any. That is pretty nasty stuff. Naturally it pays for monsters to lay ambush for the delvers raiding their lair.

Surprise in Dungeons and Dragons is Deadly

Depending upon which edition of Dungeons and Dragons you play surprise can be deadly. But clearly it is more deadly in 1st Edition than it is in 5th. But regardless of which edition you play….you better take care….or you might end up in something like this…..

Combat can be a scary thing. People dying to the left and right of a person can make them feel a little unnerved. Dungeons and Dragons understands this. That is why they made rules for morale. Both 1st and 5th Edition have rules regarding morale. Specifically these rules apply to non-player characters and monsters. It is assumed that the adventurers themselves are brave and foolhardy enough to stay on the field when everyone else has fled. Adventurers are a cut above.

Of course….sometimes they do flee. But usually the circumstances are a bit different when this happens. The adventurers may see a dragon or a ghost for the first time. Or perhaps some magical means of causing the adventurers terror has been used.

Fight or flight. It is basic instinct. Creatures will fight for their lair, for their young, for their master and sometimes for their pride. But fighting to the death is another matter entirely. Most creatures want to live. And they will do what they have to in order to continue living.

Morale in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition

In AD&D 1st Edition the rules involving morale are discussed in two places. On pages 36-37 of the DMG the morale of henchmen and hirelings is discussed. Presumably these guys are all slackers and might easily bolt the moment that an arrow is knocked. You just cant get good help any more.

It then discussed the matter again on page 67. This time, however, it is discussing the morale of monsters and non player characters. Various morale modifiers are offered along with a morale failure table. The base morale check of an intelligent monster is put at 50% with a modifier of +5% per hit die over one and another +1% per hit point over hit dice (in 1st Edition sometimes monsters and characters have a number of hit dice plus a guaranteed number of hit points beyond those hit dice…for example a fighter at 10th level has 9 hit dice +3 hit points.

A failed check then results in rolling on the morale failure table to see if the fall back, flee or surrender.

Morale in Dungeons and Dragons 5E

Morale in 5th edition is a bit simpler. Fifth Edition does not really discuss henchmen and hirelings much. So morale for them is not really an issue. Morale itself is considered an optional rule for 5th Edition. Presumably if the Dungeon Master does not want anyone fleeing the field then everyone is going to duke it out to the end.

Page 273 discusses the optional rule for morale. It says that a monster might flee if:

• The creature is surprised
• The creature is reduced to half of it’s hit points
• The creature has no way to harm it’s opponents

or a group of creatures might flee if:

• The group is surprised
• The group’s leader is reduced to zero hit points, incapacitated, taken prisoner, or removed from battle
• The group is reduced to half of it’s original size with no losses on the opposite side

The Dungeon Master will roll a DC 10 wisdom check to determine if the morale check succeeds. For a group the leader is the one rolling the wisdom check. if the opposition is overwhelming this roll is made at disadvantage (take the lesser of two D20 rolls). If the leader is unavailable to make this check then use the creature with the next highest charisma score make the check.

On a failed save the affected creature or group of creatures will flee by the quickest route possible. If escape is not possible then they will surrender. If the surrendering creatures are attacked then they will resume fighting again.

Just because a monster flees does not always mean that the party makes out well. The fleeing creatures may warn others or raise the alarm. They may be fleeing the battle but that does not mean they will run forever. They may choose to make a last stand somewhere else more advantageous.

The party is trapped. A large pack of zombies faces the party in the chamber that they just entered. Behind them is an even larger party of skeletons that chased the party into this room. There is no where else to run. Things are about to get ugly…..

And then…… that useless dwarf with the mace and the beads steps up and holds his holy symbol up forcefully…..and says “Begone damn you! back to the dark pits of hell with you! Begone in the name of ……”

Suddenly the zombies part. The holy symbol seems to shimmer with magical energy. The zombies seem to be unable to even look a the symbol. And with the zombies moving away from the cleric the party notices for the first time the concealed door behind that old tapestry on the far side of the room……

Turning Undead in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition

The Clerics ability to turn the undead is their primary function in the early editions of Dungeons and Dragons. Healing is a secondary function. Of the other classes only the Paladin can turn undead and their chance of doing so is more limited than that of a cleric.

Turning undead is covered in several places in both the Player’s Handbook and in the Dungeon Master Guide. Specifically pages 65-66 is the primary point of discussion on the subject. An evil cleric can potentially compel undead to serve him for a time.

The rules specifically state that only one attempt may be made by a cleric to turn undead. But if there are multiple clerics (or a Paladin) then they may also try to turn the undead away. If there are multiple types of undead present the cleric may attempt to turn those as well but if he fails at some point he may not attempt to turn any others. If one member of the mixed group of undead is far more powerful than the others and this one fails to turn then the DM may refuse to allow any of the undead to be turned.

Turning does not specifically make all the undead flee from the cleric. What it means is that the creatures are held at bay by the holy symbol. They cannot advance towards the cleric. And they will move away from the cleric to keep distance from the holy symbol. It does not mean that all of the undead just magically disappear. Except…..

A quick look at the tables on page 75 of the DMG shows that higher level clerics can actually destroy some lower forms of undead rather than turning them. Skeletons and zombies, for example, may turn to dust rather than be turned.

Evil Temples and Shrines in 1st Edition

First edition also brings up the possibility that certain areas are so unholy that turning undead in them is nearly impossible. The chance to turn undead in these areas is reduced substantially. This effect, however, could be ended by desecrating this unholy place. Destroying the altar or pouring holy water over everything might destroy this effect and allow the undead to then be turned by the normal means.

On lower planes, however, a good aligned cleric may be totally unable to affect undead at all.

A good aligned temple or shrine might have a similar effect against an Evil Cleric attempting to turn a Paladin. Yes. In 1st Edition a Paladin could be turned by an Evil Cleric presenting her unholy symbol. This is discussed on page 66 of the DMG very briefly.

Turning Undead in Dungeons and Dragons 5E

In 5th Edition turning the undead appears to be less a part of the game. It does exist. But it is mentioned only on page 59 as a part of Channeling Divinity. It is also mentioned for Paladins on page 86 under turning the unholy. In neither place is it discussed very much.

Making it Harder to Turn Undead

Naturally as an evil LIch…I find all of this very unsatisfying. Undead should not be so easily turned. In 1st Edition a high enough level cleric could even…..turn me! And this is unacceptable.

My suggestion is that if an evil area can reduce the chance of undead being turned then the presence of a powerful undead such as a Lich or a Vampire might totally exclude the possibility of turning undead until that leader type has been dispatched. Certain artifacts might also give the master undead the ability to keep his soldiers on the field of battle. One or two published modules from TSR also provided options. In Keep on the Borderlands (granted it was for Basic and not AD&D) the zombies had amulets that made it difficult to turn them. I totally approve of this and highly encourage you to have such amulets when you really want your adventurers to have to fight something instead of wielding their holy symbol and waving goodbye.

Turning Undead is an Essential Job for Clerics

Clerics suck. Many players choose to play anything but this class. But they have uses. Someone has to heal the party. And someone needs to be able to keep the undead at bay. Yet it is not a popular class to play. Go to any MMORPG which is D&D related. See how easy it is to find a group if you choose a healer class. Everyone wants one. But few want to play one. Be kind to your clerics. They might be the only thing between you and this guy……

Or you might end up like this……

Plague in Dungeons and Dragons can be an epic event in your campaign. It gives you the opportunity to create a critically important crisis in your adventurer’s realm that involves no villain at all. Now don’t get me wrong. I love villains. After all…..I am one. But sometimes you just need a change of pace. And a devastating plague can be just the ticket for high adventure.

Someone has to find a cure for this plague right? Or it is going to burn through the population of the land like wildfire. The cities will be overflowing with bodies to be collected. The temples and hospitals (if there are such things in your campaign) will be overflowing with the sick and the dying and the dead. Some heroes will be needed to go out into the wild and bring back the necessary components to create a cure. Some rare herbs or plants will likely be needed. Perhaps that crazy old witch that lives out in the dark forest may have some answers. Or maybe that sage or oracle that lives up on the highest mountain may know of a cure.

Disease In 1st Edition AD&D

Plague itself is not technically mentioned in the 1st Edition Dungeon Master Guide. Instead pages 13-15 cover a range of potential infections and diseases that were common to the middle ages. This segment gives a table that covers occurrence and severity of certain potential conditions. Each of these conditions has a very small description of each.

Disease in 5th Edition D&D

Plague is specifically mentioned in the 5th Edition Dungeon Master Guide. Pages 256-257 of the DMG covers diseases and gives some suggestions for types that might be encountered in the game. One of those types is called Sewer Plague which sounds a lot like the Black Death that burned through Europe during the Middle Ages.

Plague in Dungeons and Dragons

Whatever edition of this game that you choose to play a plague can be one of the biggest potential crisis that can occur. In some ways it might be bigger than almost any villain. Something will have to be done or the kingdom or realm is going to collapse. It gives a Dungeon Master lots of options for questing for a cure.

As for which type of Plague to use it really does not matter how accurately you describe it. The people who live in a middle ages type realm are going to see it as the scariest thing in their lives to this point. Their friends and neighbors are dying. Their king or government will appear to have lost all control of it. They will become desperate for help. Some may blame things on witchcraft and be looking for scapegoats.

Even the mechanics of your disease are not really that important. What is important is that people are dying from it in huge numbers and a mere cure disease spell seems to be totally ineffective to stop it. This sets the adventurers up to do something truly heroic. They can save everyone. No one else can!

Go back up to the top of this post. Check out the dude on the left in the picture. Notice that torch in his hand? I wonder what he plans on doing with that? Desperate people do desperate things. In a big medieval city that could have disastrous consequences. Especially if someone decides that fire will purify the city.

What Plague Should You Use?

Well. Since everyone is familiar with the Black Plague….. it will do as well as any. Or some variation of it. Rats are a common problem in big cities even in a fantasy realm. They are a common disease carrier. And they are everywhere to be found. Why not use them again? But…you could make the plague a part of a curse instead. Perhaps the city offended some gypsies that were passing through? Or maybe they angered some dark wizard that used to live in town. Or perhaps that old hag that lives down river from the town is tired of the tanner’s chemicals floating towards her home…..

In any event. Pick something. Make it fatal and painful and widely spread. Make sure that new people are coming down with it in large numbers. And then set the table for your adventurers to solve the problem by going on a heroic journey to find the cure. This could easily be a low level or a high level adventure.

Plague in Dungeons and Dragons is a rarely used villain. But it is a good one. It is an indiscriminate killer. And your players may enjoy it as a change of pace.