Monday, October 26, 2020

[Found Treasures] Early TSR Correspondence

Proof that the Nerd is strong in this one... 

I am finally going through the pile of boxes that has been sitting in our garage for the last four years, and that were sitting in storage in one place or another for the last, um... eep... 16 years before that?

OK, so I am a pack rat. But sometimes being a pack rat pays off, as when I opened a box I had not opened in... um... 20 years, and amongst other things from my childhood and youth, discovered this letter...

Now, my memory is terrible. I KNOW I started playing D&D when I received the Moldvay Basic Set, which I THOUGHT I had received for Christmas in 1980, though the release date of it was not until January 1981, so... either the release date was early (Mom & Dad did get it from Toys R' Us, so maybe), or I did not get it and start playing until December 1981.

Which means from the dating of my letter of April 5, 1982, that I was bit by the game publishing bug within four months at the earliest (16 months at the latest if that set was available for Christmas 1980).

I have no memory of sending the letter or even of receiving the reply. Shame, that. The next time I would try corresponding with Gary would be when I was in grad school, in 1993. But that's another story...



Sunday, October 11, 2020

[New Spells] Trio of Magic-user and Elf Spells of Some Use in Combat

Here is a trio of magic-user and elf spells I worked up after watching a few episodes of the Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon. Enjoy!

Warrior’s Bane
Level
: 1
Duration: Instant
Range: 120’

With this spell the magic-user causes a target’s hand-held items – weapons, shield, wand, staff, sandwich, beer stein, whatever is held in hand – to fly away from them, 1d4x5’ each away in a random direction. Optionally, the caster may have the items fly to her, stacked neatly at her feet and/or into her open hands. The spell works against all kinds of classes and creatures, not just warriors or fighters. The target gets a saving throw versus Spells to avoid the effect. If any of the items held are magical, the target gains the highest bonus from the items to their saving throw. If the target’s save is a “Natural 1,” non-magical items held are shattered and destroyed. The caster may target an additional being at 2nd level, a third at 4th level, a fourth at 6th level, and so on.

Knight’s Bane
Level
: 2
Duration: Instant
Range: 120’

With this spell the magic-user causes a target’s clothing and armor (suit, not shield) to be destroyed, disappearing into thin air, leaving only such underclothing as the target might be wearing – if any. The spell works against all kinds of classes and creatures, not just knights or fighters. The target gets a saving throw versus Spells to avoid the effect. Magical armor provides its bonus to the target’s saving throw, and if it fails, it simply fades out for one turn per caster level. The caster may target an additional being for every two levels above 3rd – two at 5th, three at 7th, four at 9th, etc.


Wizard’s Bane
Level: 3
Duration: Instant
Range: 120’

With this spell the magic-user causes a target’s magic items – of whatever sort, whether held in hand, in a pouch or pack, or even tied down – and including a magic-user or elf’s spell books – to be pulled out from wherever they are stowed to fly away to the caster, stacked neatly at her feet and/or into her open hands. Items that are in a bag of holding or similar item remain in the bag, though the bag itself might be drawn by the spell. The spell works against all kinds of classes and creatures, not just magic-users. The target gets a saving throw versus Spells to avoid the effect; the effect is all or nothing, not based on individual items. If any of the items held or carried have a magical bonus to hit or to armor class, the target gains the highest bonus from the items to their saving throw. The caster may target an additional being for every two levels above 5th – two at 7th, three at 9th, four at 11th, etc. NOTE: There is a variant of this spell in which the effect appears in the form of flying monkeys that grab the items and take them back to the caster.