Set 1 - Basic Rules Box Set

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® characters

Making up a new character Now find your highest Ability Score. CREATING A CHARACTER
If it is less than 9, you should roll all the 1. Roll for Ability Scores
After you are used to the rules of the Scores again. You may keep the charac- 2. Choose a Class
game by playing your Fighter, you can ter if you wish, but he or she probably 3. Exchange Ability Score points (if
try other characters by using the Charac- won't be suitable for dangerous adven-
ter Sheets included in this booklet. But turing! However, before you discard the desired)
remember that they are not usable in the character, ask your Dungeon Master 4. Roll for Hit Points
Solo Adventure! That adventure was what to do. Your DM might prefer that 5. Roll for Money
designed only for your first fighter. you play the character you rolled, es- 6. Buy equipment
pecially if you are an experienced player. 7. Figure out your:
Sooner or later you will want to make
up your own new character. Before you If two or more Ability Scores are less a. Armor Class
start, get a pencil and all the dice. You than 6, the character may have problems b. Hit Roll Chart
will also need a blank Character Sheet later on. This type of character should c. Saving Throws
(or a normal-size piece of paper) to keep also be discarded, unless the DM says 8. Note adjustments for Ability
track of the details. otherwise. Scores
9. Give your Character a Name and
If you are using a blank piece of You can adjust the' Ability Scores in Alignment
paper, copy the form of the Character step 3 (Exchange Ability Points), but first 10. Get ready to play
Sheet onto it — in other words, allow a you must decide what Class your charac-
space for your name and the character's ter will be. Each Class has a specialty. Fighters are
name at the top left, a place for Class, 2. Choose a Class strong, Magic-Users are intelligent, Cler-
Level, Armor Class, and Hit Points be- Each type of character is called a Class. ics are wise, and so forth. This specialty
low that, and so forth. Your first character's Class was Fighter. is called the Prime Requisite for the
You know now that there are other Class. For example, Strength is the
Your first try at creating a new charac- kinds of adventurers: clerics, magic- Prime Requisite for Fighters.
ter will probably take an hour or so. users, and thieves. You could play one of
Even when you are used to the pro- those, or even a character that's not If your character's Prime Requisite is
cedure, it will still take 10-30 minutes. human: you can be a dwarf, an elf, or a high enough, you will get a bonus on
You should not try to create a character short child-sized person called a halfling. Experience Points. That is why your first
after everyone gets together for a game. Each of these seven adventurer types is a Fighter got a bonus: your Strength, the
All the rolling, adjusting, buying, and so Character Class. Prime Requisite, was 17. You are allowed
forth should be done beforehand. to play a Fighter with any Strength score,
48 but strong fighters are better at what
Your Dungeon Master will be needed they do (and get more XP) than weaker
for part of the process, and should ones.
watch the creation of the character, in-
cluding all dice rolls. You should get You are not forced to pick a Class on
together with the DM before the game your highest Ability Score — but it
to work out the details. One good helps. If you have two or more high
method is to have all the players make scores, you may wish to consider a non-
new characters together, with the Dun- human character.
geon Master helping.
Look at the following chart, and com-
At the bottom of this page is a list of pare your highest Ability Scores with the
the steps to take when making a new Prime Requisites for the Character
character; each step is then explained in Classes. Then, if you are playing a
detail. Human character, pick one Class that
fits the Ability Scores you rolled.
1. Roll for Ability Scores (Constitution and Charisma affect all the
Classes, and are never Prime Requisites.)
Instead of just making up numbers for
your Ability Scores, you will roll dice to Prime Requisite Class
find each Score. This is done by rolling
the six-sided die three times, and adding Strength Fighter
the results. Or, if you have other six- Intelligence Magic-User
sided dice, roll 3 dice together. Wisdom Cleric
Dexterity Thief
For example, if you roll 1 each time,
then the total score is 3, the least possible.
If you roll all sixes, then the total is 18, the
highest you can have. You should finish
with six numbers, each between 3 and 18,
which are your character's Ability Scores.
Write the Scores down as you roll them,
next to the names of the Abilities.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® characters

out XP, you will add extra points. But if
your Prime Requisite is low, you will be
penalized, and must subtract XP from
the number awarded by the DM.

The amount of XP added or sub-
tracted is given in the following chart:

I'.XWIIM l-S: II \i>ui inaipi-nsri lu«

•in liui'llitfriii t- nl 11. iiui gel .in rxliii
1 \ P Jiir v\rr\ I'll) XP riwanlrd b\
i h e D M . It \ o i i r Kiwjhii-r li;is a
Siiciitiih ill fi. vuii niilv (jri HH XI' f"i
v\r\\ inn \ p .IH.III1I-CI.

Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings If you wish to play a non-human charac- 3. Exchange Ability Score Points
ter, you may pick one of these if you
Any human character can be any of the have rolled the minimum Scores given, At this point, it is possible to raise a
four Human classes, but non-human or if you can exchange ability points (see Prime Requisite by lowering other Abil-
characters are handled differently. It step 3) to meet the minimum Score(s) ity Scores. This is like practicing hard to
you wish to play a non-human character, for the Class. learn your Class, but at the cost of not
you must have high Ability Scores in developing another Ability at the same
certain areas. Whichever Class you pick, you should time. (For example, a Magic-User might
read the full description of the Class on study hard and neglect his exercise for a
Elves have abilities similar to both fight- pages 23 - 47 before you get to step 6. higher Intelligence, and end up with a
ers and magic-users, so they must have lower Strength.)
good Scores in both Strength and Intel- Prime Requisites
ligence. Both of these Ability Scores are If you rolled well and chose well, the The rules for exchanging Ability
Prime Requisites for Elves. Also, if your Ability Score of your Prime Requisite Points are:
character has an 8 or less for Intelligence, should be 9 or greater. But it can be fun to
the character cannot be an Elf. play characters with lower scores, too. 1. Your Prime Requisite (and only that
Imagine a poor dwarf who is perfectly score) goes up 1 point for each 2 points
Halflings have some fighting abilities, healthy (Constitution 16) but very weak that another Ability Score goes down.
and must have good Strength and Dex- (Strength 5); he does the best he can in
terity. Both of these are Prime Requisites combat, but doesn't do much damage. 2. Constitution and Charisma points
for Halflings. In addition, Halflings are The fun in the game comes from role can never be exchanged with others.
also very healthy. If your character has playing, and this could be a very interest-
an 8 or less in Dexterity or Constitution, ing character to play. Remember that you 3. Dexterity cannot be lowered (but it
the character cannot be a Halfling. can always start another character later. may be raised if you have a Thief or
Halfling character).
Dwarves are always healthy, too. If For a very high Prime Requisite Score,
your character has an 8 or less in Con- your character gets a bonus to XP (Expe- 4. No score can be lowered below 9. If it
stitution, the character cannot be a dwarf. rience Points). At the end of each adven- is already 10 or less, it cannot be
Dwarves specialize in combat, similar to ture, when the Dungeon Master gives lowered.
Fighters, so their Prime Requisite is
Strength. I W M P U - N : An ill li..» Inn-Hi-niii
.irid Mirni;lh Sum", nl 1'J. .ind .<
Class Minimum Scores Prime Requisites
Dwarf Constitution Strength only Wi-'itiin >it M. 1 hi* pl.ivcr ili'npti the
Elf Intelligence Strength + Int. \ \ isiltuii s u m 1 in J1 «ii 1 r.in tic ciddt'd
Halfling Constitution Strength + Dext. in Sircn^ih. ,md ilu-ii drop*, llie
Dexterity- Wis'lnin .IH.IIII. ••> '.'. anil .ul(l<> I In
49 liilc-lht>riin- I his u-Mills in Inli-l-
liuciuc .ind Siiriiirlli Siiui-s nl l.i
'until] cnoiiuli Im - .V? [II XPi. .mil
in .<il]UM(-il Wiidnm (it 'I

A Cleric with Strength and Wisdom
of 15 drops the Strength by 6 (to 9)
and raises the Wisdom by 3 (to 18).

If you want to exchange any Ability
Score points, you must do that now —
before you go any further in making the
character. No exchanges can be made
later.

DUNGEONS 8c DRAGONS® characters

4. Roll for Hit Points badly hurt, down to 2 hit points in your 7. Figure out your Armor Class, Hit
adventures? If so, you could have been Roll chart, and Saving Throws
Different Classes have different num- dead — but you were saved by the bonus a. Armor Class
bers of hit points. Fighters and Dwarves for your high Constitution! Armor Type
need many because they take damage in Your Armor Class is a combination of the
battle. Magic-Users and Thieves have Each time you gain a Level of experi- type of armor you are wearing, plus any
less hit points, and should try to stay out ence, you will roll for more Hit Points. adjustments due to Dexterity. First, find
of fights. Other Classes are in between, And each time you roll, you adjust the your armor type on the chart below:
and can fight if they must, but often roll according to your Constitution
avoid it if possible. score. ARMOR CLASS

Find your character's Class on the 5. Roll for Money
chart below, and roll one die to find your
starting Hit Points. Your character starts out with no posses-
sions except for normal clothes and a
Class Hit Point Dice little money, saved up over many years. Armor Type Armor Class
You will need to go shopping for equip-
Fighter Id8 ment, but first you must find out how LNeoatahremr or 9
Dwarf Id8 much money you have. Chain Mail 7
Cleric Id6 Plate Mail 5
Elf Id6 Roll 3d6 (the total of 3 rolls of a six- Shield 3
Halfling Id6 sided die), and multiply the total by 10. Bonus of 1*
Magic-User Id4 (For example, if you roll 12, the total is
Thief Id4 120.) This is the amount of gold pieces *If you bought a shield, subtract 1 from
that you start with. Write that on the your Armor Class number. For example,
Now find your Constitution Score on the back of your character sheet in the Chain Mail alone is AC 5, but with a
Bonuses and Penalties for Ability Scores "Money" box. shield it drops to AC 4.
Table below, and apply the bonus or Dexterity Adjustments to Armor Class
penalty to the number of hit points you 6. Buy equipment Find your Dexterity Score on the
rolled. But whatever the adjustments, Bonuses and Penalties Table and for
your hit points cannot be lowered to Now you can spend your money on the every +1 bonus, subtract 1 from your
zero; you will have at least 1 hit point for equipment you need to go adventuring. Armor Class and for every - 1 penalty,
each roll. There is a complete list of equipment in add 1 to your Armor Class.
the center of this book.
BONUSES AND PENALTIES FOR l-.XAMPLF.S: II >mi arc wearing
ABILITY SCORES There are restrictions on what items Chain Mail ,rad A <liield (AC •!). bin
you are allowed to have, especially on li.ivc a I)c\ri"rit\ Store of 1:"> ( - 1
Ability Score Adjustment armor and weapons. Before you go bonus), yoni Armor (-lass ruimbei
shopping, be sure you have read the full «i)fs donn. It) 3. If von are wearing
3 - 3 Penalty description of your Character Class Plate Mail and shield (AC 2) bin have
- 2 Penalty (pages 39 — 47). For Example, a Magic- a Di-Mi'rily Score of 5 (- 2 p<:n:ilt\).
4-5 - 1 Penalty User cannot wear any armor at all, and \iiui" Armor ("lass gm'S up to 4.
6-8 No adjustment can only use a dagger for a weapon! It
9-12 +1 Bonus would be a waste of money for this Class /;,•••, )•!_••_> i l n _ - k m r i i l u - \ ( i n i i i i l i c i ,
13-15 + 2 Bonus to buy a sword or shield; instead, money
16-17 + 3 Bonus can be saved or spent on oil, torches, and the harder you are to hit. A minus
18 other items. Thieves, on the other hand, (Penalty) to Armor Class actually raises
must buy Thieves' Tools to be able to the number, making you easier to hit.
(This chart is used for adjustments for Open Locks.
most of the Ability Scores, and you will If your AC is even better than zero —
refer to it later.) On a piece of scrap paper, write down for example, with a Dexterity Score of 18
You can immediately see the benefit of all the equipment you want to buy and and wearing Plate Mail and Shield —
having a good Constitution score. Your add up the cost. If it's more than you then "minus" numbers are used. In this
first character, the Fighter with a Con- have, you must put something back. case, the AC would be "minus one" ( - 1).
stitution of 16, had a + 2 bonus to hit When you can pay for your list of equip-
points. Therefore, your starting roll for ment, subtract the cost from your
that character would have been a 6 (out money, and write the equipment down
of 8 possible), plus a bonus of 2, for a on the back of the Character Sheet.
total of 8 hit points. Did you ever get
Be careful shopping! You may forget to
buy rope, for example, and suddenly find
a need for it during an adventure — and if
you didn't buy it, you don't have it. But
remember also that money can be saved
for buying expensive equipment later.
Only buy what you need.

50

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® characters

CHARACTER H I T ROLL TABLE CHARISMA ADJUSTMENT TABLE

Target's 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 Charisma Reaction Retainers
AC 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Score adjustment Maximum
Roll number Morale

3 -2 1 4
4-5 -1 5
6-8 2 6
-1 7
9-12 3 8
13-15 No adjustment 4 9
16-17 +1 5 10
+1 6
18 +2 7

b. Hit Roll Chart a magic spell, your Wisdom score may Languages can be important when you
Every starting character has the same cause an adjustment. Find your Wisdom are trying to talk to a monster, or talk in
chances to hit. You will not change the score on the "Bonuses and Penalties" private with another character.
chart until your character gets at least to chart, and write the adjustment down on Charisma
4th level. You may find magic weapons the Character Sheet. Your Charisma will affect the reactions
as treasures, which help your chances to of others, whether monsters or charac-
hit as well as the damage done. i.x.wiri i s . \ Mint uiiii.1 WIM1I.NI ters, when you are talking to them (but
not unless you are talking). If you try to
Copy the numbers below into the nt :"i iiiviN in !"!! A 17 m liiulu-i in hire retainers (bodyguards, assistants,
boxes at the bottom of the Character in.ikc j >i:iMiif> I h n m Lig:iin-»r .i spell. and so forth), your Charisma will deter-
Sheet (Hit Roll Needed): A (.In if wilh .i Wi-doni i>l IM nnl\ mine the number of them that you can
When you try to hit a monster, roll ld20. I It •< t Is .1 M>11 ill 12 ill lirllt-l hire, and how loyal they will be. Your
Adjust the roll for your Strength, and Dungeon Master will tell you if any
find the total on the bottom line of the 8. Note adjustments for Ability Scores retainers are available, and will play the
chart. You hit the Armor Class on the You should now have most of the adjust- roles of the retainers you find and (pos-
chart just above the roll. Announce what ments for Ability Scores noted on your sibly) hire.
Armor Class you hit, and the DM will tell Character Sheet. Your Strength,
you whether you hit or missed your Wisdom, Dexterity, and Constitution Find your Charisma Score on the
target. For example, if your total is 15, bonuses or penalties have been ex- Charisma Adjustment Table, and note
you say "I hit AC 4." If the target was AC plained in the steps taken so far. You the details on your Character Sheet.
4 or higher (AC 5, AC 6, etc.), then you should double-check to be sure they are Whenever you are talking to another crea-
have successfully hit. correct, using the Bonuses and Penalties ture in the game (whether monster or
Table. All of these adjustments (if any) character), tell the Dungeon Master what
If your adjusted total is 9 or less, then should be written on your Character your Reaction adjustment is. If your Dun-
you miss, whatever the target is. If your Sheet in the spaces provided for them, geon Master allows the use of Retainers,
adjusted total is 20 or more, then you hit, next to the Ability Scores. you will need to give your Maximum
whatever the target is — as long as it's number, as well as the Morale score (which
possible to hit it. (There may indeed be Using the chart, fill in the bonus or is a measure of loyalty and courage). You
things you can't hit; you will know this is penalty for your Intelligence Score. The will not need to adjust any of your rolls due
the case if your Dungeon Master says you Charisma Score uses a different chart. to Charisma; only the Dungeon Master
missed, even with a total of 20 or more.) will need the information.
Intelligence
The adjustments to the roll are based A character of "average" Intelligence (a LANGUAGES TABLE
on your Strength score, according to the score of 9-12) knows 2 languages: the
"Bonuses and Penalties" chart above. If Common tongue and an Alignment Intelligence Use of Languages
you have an adjustment, write it down tongue. The character can read and Score
now, next to "Strength," and remember write those languages.
to use it each time you make a Hit Roll. 3 Has trouble with
If the adjustment is a bonus, this is the speaking, cannot
c. Saving Throws number of additional languages the read or write
Your Saving Throws are based on your character can read and write. Your Dun-
Character Class and Level of Experi- geon Master will tell you what languages 4-5 Cannot read or write
ence. However, your Saving Throws will are available. You must choose your Common
not change until you reach 4th level (or added languages before you play the
higher, for some Classes). All of your character in a game. 6-8 Can write simple Com-
beginning Saving Throws are given in mon words
the description of your character's Class. If the adjustment is a penalty, then the
character has trouble either writing or
When making a Saving Throw against speaking, as given on the Languages
Table:

51

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® characters

9. Give your Character a Name and your first adventure, and is covered in not just the way the character should
Alignment detail on page 59. Select an Alignment, behave.
Names and write it on your character sheet.
Your character may have a normal Remember that Alignment is the way The other characters don't need to
name, like "Gary" or "Candace," or may you actually want to play the character, know what your Alignment is, but they
have a fantasy name like "Felonius," or should be able to figure it out by the way
just a nickname, like "Eagle-Eyes." Your you play the character.
Dungeon Master might have some hints.
For example, if your home town is in a 10. Get ready to play
forest, the DM may encourage fantasy
names like "Silverglade" or "Whisper- If your character can cast magic spells,
rain." you will need to select spells before
starting your adventure. Magic-Users
Choose a name carefully. It should get 1 spell to start. Clerics do not get
represent the character in some way, or spells until they reach 2nd Level. Magic-
at least be a name you like. If you give a User spells are explained on pages 39 -
character a silly name, you might regret 42, and cleric spells are explained on
it later. pages 26 - 27.
Alignment
Be sure you understand what Align- Your character will be adventuring
ment is; it was explained briefly during with others, so you should talk with the
other players to find out something
about their characters. Before starting,
you should understand how to play in a
group. This is explained on the follow-
ing pages.

Players are not characters! and the DM says "It hit you; save vs. character, but it is very important to re-
Poison, please!" then all the players member that the player is a different
It is important to remember that the know that the monster is poisonous. But person.
player and the character are two dif- the better players will ignore that in-
ferent persons. The more the two are formation. Their characters don't know This should not be used as an excuse
kept apart, the better your games can be. about the poison, and shouldn't use that for bad or selfish play. The DM should
"player information." The characters watch all the role playing closely to help
The most obvious example of this is the will probably find out after the battle, everyone have the most fun. Since the
dice rolls you make. All dice rolls are called when they talk to their wounded friend object of the game is to have fun by
"game mechanics," as are other details and discover that the wound "stung, like playing roles, stupid or weak characters
such as Armor Class, Hit Points, and so poison," or is discolored. (All of such can be as much fun as smart, powerful
forth. These things would not be part of a descriptions are left to the DM's imag- ones — if the roles are played well.
character's knowledge. The characters ination.)
would talk about armor, health, and at- The Dungeon Master may say, at any
tacks, but never about Ability Scores, Hit A question like "What time is it?" time in the game, "You don't know that!"
Rolls, or other parts of the game. Every- could be answered two different ways: in or "You wouldn't think of that." Good
one can usually tell whether the players "real time," which any player can find by players will learn to avoid this type of
are in the role of the characters or being looking at a clock, and "game time," of problem by keeping the character knowl-
themselves, handling game mechanics. which the DM should be aware, but of edge and player knowledge separate.
which the characters might only have a
If there is any doubt, the player general idea. The DM could reply, "Real
should clarify. time, it's 7:30. Game time, it's past noon,
but you are not sure exactly."
Suppose that a player has a Chaotic
character (unusual, but not impossible). When the players remember the dif-
The character will act wildly at times, but ference between themselves and their
the player should remain calm while characters, everyone can have more fun in
dealing with the others. If the player acts Role Playing. If a character has low Intel-
Chaotic, the game will become very con- ligence and Wisdom scores, for example,
fusing and less fun. and then does something stupid, the
player can honestly say "I was playing my
There are many ways that this can character," and others should remember
affect the game, especially when a play- not to get mad at the player. Their charac-
er knows something that the charac- ters may indeed get mad at the stupid
ter doesn't. For instance, if a character
starts to fight a new, unknown monster, 52

Playing in a group

How to Prepare see any maps made during the adven- Battles are always more complicated,
ture, the order of the figures (if used), and the DM should then take the time to
D&D games are the most fun with 2-6 and so forth. To avoid confusion, the check with each player, instead of han-
players plus one Dungeon Master. When table should be kept clear of other items. dling it all through the Caller.
you get a group together, each of you
can pick one of the characters included During the game, players should be You may have games without Callers,
in this booklet. All the different types allowed to refer to the PLAYERS MAN- if the Dungeon Master is willing to ask
are there, and each character is all ready UAL whenever they wish. They should each player what each character is doing,
to go, with Ability Scores, hit points, and not be allowed to see the DUNGEON and make notes to remember the ac-
Alignment. All you have to do is pick the MASTER'S RULEBOOK during the tions. But it's usually easier and more
one you want, think of a name, and game! The mystery and excitement of organized if one player acts as Caller.
select some equipment. unknown monsters and magic can be First steps to take
spoiled if someone looks up the details When all the players are together, with
ONE PERSON MUST BE THE DUN- during the game. characters ready, each player should take a
GEON MASTER. moment to think about the adventure to
If you only have two or three players, come. Some of these things apply to play-
Whoever that is, the person should the DM may allow the use of a few hired ers, and some apply to the characters.
read the DUNGEON MASTER'S non-player characters, retainers. The Who is your character, and who are the
RULEBOOK to see what is involved. rules for retainers are given in the DUN- other characters? Have you adventured
This must be done before a group gets GEON MASTER'S RULEBOOK. with them before, or not? Are any of
together to play. them friends — or enemies? Should you
Mapper and Caller keep an eye on any one character? Who
Remember that everyone will be Although each person will be playing can you trust completely?
learning together during your first the role of a character, the players Why are you going? Are the characters
group games. The DUNGEON MAS- should also handle the jobs of "Map- just out to explore, or is someone look-
TER'S RULEBOOK contains step-by- ping" and "Calling." Any of the players ing for a specific item? Are you out to
step instructions to help everyone learn, can be the "Mapper" or "Caller," what- rescue a prisoner, destroy a famous
but have patience. A module (separately ever their characters may be. monster, or some other goal? Games are
published adventure) should not be used usually more fun if a specific goal is kept
in your first games. The DM should use The mapper is the player who draws a in mind; if nobody is sure just what they
the dungeon in this set, which contains map of the dungeon as it's explored. want to do, you can waste a lot of time
many hours of entertainment and can One or more of the characters should be doing nothing.
be used for two or three games. The "B" making maps, but one of the players Where are you going? Nearby caves, or a
series of modules may be used after that. must make the actual game map. The castle, or some other dungeon? Have
map should be kept out on the table for you bought the equipment you need to
While you are using that adventure, all to see and refer to. Pencil should explore?
the Dungeon Master should review the always be used in making the map, in When are you going? Do you plan to
rules. The Additional rules may be case of errors and tricky passages. explore a dungeon at night, when more
added at some point, if desired. More dangerous creatures could be around?
adventures and dungeons may either be Mapping is an important part of Players: decide when the game will end;
created by the DM or purchased from imagining where your characters are. it's very easy to play longer than you
stores. Eventually, your characters will Sooner or later, all players should learn intended. Set a time for quitting, and
reach 4th Level, and you will want to to make maps. If you play often, take stick to it! Remember to leave some time
move on to the D&D EXPERT Set rules. turns at mapping; it is an important and for dividing the treasure found.
useful skill to learn. What are you going to do? Look for big
Setting Up monsters or small ones? Will you run
The caller is a player who announces to from danger, or face it? What can your
When your group gets together to play, the Dungeon Master what the group of party do, considering the abilities and
everyone should bring what they need, characters (the Party) is doing. The Caller special items available amongst the char-
including dice, pencils and paper, and must check with every player to find out acters?
characters (preferably on Character what all the characters are doing, and then
Sheets). Refreshments, if desired, are tell the DM (quickly and accurately) what
often brought by everyone, as a game they plan to do. The Caller does not tell
may go on for hours. the others what to do; the Caller merely
reports what is going on.
A table is normally used. The Dungeon
Master sits at one end, with the secret The Caller's first job is to find out the
information about the dungeon to be ex- "party order" — the way the characters
plored. The DM often uses an upright are lined up or grouped during normal
piece of stiff cardboard (called a "shield" travel. The Caller should also report the
or "screen"), to hide the description and movements of the group, such as "We'll
maps of the dungeon so they are not go northeast through the woods," or
accidentally seen by any of the players. "We'll turn right at the next corridor."

The players sit around the table, away 53
from the DM, where they can all easily

Playing in a group

Treasure the normal positioning of the characters Ending the Adventure
as they proceed down corridors. In
Before the adventure begins, all the empty rooms and after battles, party The end of a D&D game often comes
players should decide how the treasure members usually spread out to search when the party's resources have been used
will be divided after it is found. This is a for hidden treasure, but someone up — for example, when spell casters have
very important decision, as characters should be left to watch for approaching used most of their spells, or when several
earn more XP from treasure than from monsters. The DM will keep track of characters are wounded (having lost half
anything else. The method of division is who is doing what, in case a monster of their Hit Points, or more) and have no
left entirely to the players! appears. available magical cures.

The most common method is de- When creatures are encountered, Even if all goes well, the game should
scribed on page 55. You may use it if you Fighters, Dwarves and Halflings usually end 15-30 minutes before the planned
wish, or you may make up your own. move toward the encounter, while stopping time. The remaining time is
The method should be chosen before Magic-Users move back to avoid attacks, used by the DM to calculate and award
starting, to avoid arguments later. adding their magical powers to the bat- Experience Points, and by the players to
tles where needed. Thieves may also divide the treasure.
Marching Order move back, or may try to slip by the
encountered creatures if possible. A If characters are still in the dungeon
You should arrange your characters in a Thief can help turn the tide of battle by when they decide to end the adventure,
line, either singly or two-by-two, for a attacking a monster from behind (if the they must still find their way out and
"Standard Marching Order." If figures creature doesn't notice the Thief first). back home. When they have arrived at a
are used, the DM can easily see every- safe location, the adventure ends.
one's position; otherwise, write the Remember, however, that a clever DM
Marching Order on a piece of paper for may have monsters arrive at the rear of Most Dungeon Masters allow shop-
the DM's reference. the party, occasionally when other mon- ping after the adventures, so characters
sters are at the front. The rear of the may restock items used (such as oil,
You should have at least one Fighter party should never be left defenseless. torches, and so forth). If this is left for
in front, as this is where most of the Clerics can often fill the need for a the next game, players might forget to
action takes place. A short person (half- strong guard, as they can wear armor restock, and can find themselves short of
ling or dwarf) should also be in front of and fight well. supplies while deep in a dungeon.
taller folk. Those behind may still see
clearly, and are able to cast spells or If an encounter is peaceful, those Players must keep track of items used,
shoot arrows over the shorter characters' characters with high Charisma Scores and the DM should be strict about sup-
heads. should do most of the talking. If they are plies. However, everyone should re-
weak, negotiations should be made from member that the purpose of the game is
Weaker characters (Magic-Users and a distance (ten to twenty feet is fine). to have fun, not bookkeeping. The DM
Thieves, especially) should be in the should make allowances for beginners.
center of the Marching Order, protected When special needs arise, those best
front and rear by Fighters or Clerics. If equipped to handle them should move Characters who return to a safe place
this is not possible, the characters with to the scene, while the rest of the charac- resume their normal day-to-day lives.
the best Armor Class and/or Hit Points ters stay in the Marching Order. For Beginning players and DMs do not nor-
should occupy the outer positions. example, a Thief should move forward mally deal with this during games. The
each time a door is found, to search for "town business" that would naturally oc-
If you change the Marching Order traps and pick locks. After doing the job, cur can become an adventure in itself. If
during the game (if a front Fighter is the Thief should move back into posi- the DM has all the details of the Home
badly wounded, for example), be sure to tion. Thieves normally do not open Town available (either those given in the
correct the figure setup (or the DM's doors, preferring to leave that task to the D&D EXPERT Set or details made up
diagram) accordingly. stronger Fighters in case there is a mon- by the DM), town adventures can be
ster waiting on the other side! very entertaining. They do not normally
Tactics of Play involve much fighting.
54
When you are ready to go, your Dun-
geon Master will start telling you what
the characters see. In beginning games,
the characters often start at the dungeon
entrance; the DM then describes the
entryway, asking questions of the Caller
when choices can be made ("Turn right
or left?"). All the players should listen
carefully to the descriptions, and play
the roles of their characters as they react
to the situations that develop.

The Marching Order will be used as

Playing in a group

Dividing the Treasure If all the characters in a party get a Law (or Lawful) is the belief that every-
The amount of treasure your characters permanent magic item, divide all normal thing should follow an order, and that
find is decided by the Dungeon Master, treasure equally, whatever the division obeying rules is the natural way of life.
who places the treasures and monsters of any temporary magic items. Lawful creatures will try to tell the truth,
in the dungeons. The DM is also respon- obey laws, and care about all living
sible for giving Experience Points to the If everyone gets a magic item but one things. Lawful characters always try to
characters at the end of the adventure. or more of the items are temporary, keep their promises. They will try to
each character with a permanent item obey laws as long as such laws are fair
The division of treasure is usually left gets Vi share of normal treasure. and just.
to the players, though some DMs have
their own rules for it, especially with If there are not enough magic items for If a choice must be made between the
well-developed fantasy worlds. There one to be gained by each character then Vt benefit of a group or an individual, a
are several methods for dividing treas- share of normal treasure goes to each Lawful character will usually choose the
ure, as both normal (coins, gems, and character with a temporary magic item, group. Sometimes individual freedoms
jewelry) and magical (potions, wands, but a character with a permanent magic must be given up for the good of the
etc.) treasures can be found. item gets no share of normal treasure. group. Lawful characters and monsters
often act in predictable ways. Lawful
As a rule, the division of treasure Finally, divide the total normal treas- behavior is usually the same as behavior
should not be based on the amount of ure by the number of shares (adding the that could be called "good."
work done by the different characters. number of V'i shares and full shares
Fighters will usually be more active than according to the instructions above), to Chaos (or Chaotic) is the opposite of
others, and thieves may have little to do; find the value of each SHARE. Each Law. It is the belief that life is random,
though the role may be played well, character then takes one share, Vi share, and that chance and luck rule the world.
there may be few traps and locks to deal or no share, depending on the distribu- Everything happens by accident and
with. But each character risked danger tion of magic items. nothing can be predicted. Laws are
in search of treasure, and each should made to be broken, as long as a person
have done special work as needed; it is This method is fair; those who receive can get away with it. It is not important
not the character's fault if few needs permanent magic items, which can be to keep promises, and lying and telling
arose. used in every adventure, get less treas- the truth are both useful.
ure.
Beginning players should use the fol- To a Chaotic creature, the individual
lowing method for dividing treasure. Character Alignment is the most important of all things. Self-
Other methods are discussed at the end ishness is the normal way of life, and the
of this booklet. But whatever methods Three basic ways of life guide the acts of group is not important. Chaotics often
are used, they should be decided upon both player characters and monsters. act on sudden desires and whims. They
before the party goes on the adventure, to Each way of life is called an alignment. cannot be trusted, their behavior is hard
avoid arguments afterwards. The three alignments are named Law, to predict. They have strong belief in the
Magical Treasure Chaos, and Neutrality. Each alignment power of luck. Chaotic behavior is usu-
Magical treasures are usually divided has a language that includes hand sig- ally the same as behavior that could be
first, as the results affect the division of nals and other body motions. Player called "evil."
normal treasure. characters always know how to speak
their alignment language in addition to Neutrality (or Neutral) is the belief that
Each character may pick one item any others they may know. If a monster the world is a balance between Law and
(each) from the magical treasure found. is able to speak, it will also be able to use Chaos. It is important that neither side
The order in which they choose may its alignment language. get too much power and upset this bal-
either be decided as a group or by ance. The individual is important, but so
random roll. If by random roll, each Players may choose the alignments is the group; the two sides must work
player rolls ld20; the player with the they feel will best fit their characters. A together.
highest roll picks first. If there is a tie, player does not have to tell other players
everyone rolls again. When all the magic what alignment he or she has picked, but A Neutral character is most interested
items have been taken, divide the nor- must tell the DM. Most Lawful charac- in personal survival. Such characters be-
mal treasure. ters will reveal their alignment if asked. lieve in their own wits and abilities rather
Normal Treasure When picking alignments, the charac- than luck. They tend to return the treat-
Count the number of shares to be given, ters should know that Chaotics cannot ment they receive from others. Neutral
using the following method. be trusted, even by other Chaotics. A characters will join a party if they think it
Chaotic character does not work well is in their own best interest, but will not
Some magic items are "permanent." A with other player characters. be overly helpful unless there is some
magic sword, for example, is never sort of profit in it. Neutral behavior may
"used up," but a potion is only good for The alignments give guidelines for be considered "good" or "evil" (or nei-
one use. A potion is called a "temporary" characters to live by. The characters will ther), depending on the situation.
magic item. try to follow these guidelines, but may
not always be successful. If a DM feels
that a player is not keeping to a charac-
ter's chosen alignment, the DM may
suggest a change of alignment or give
the character a punishment or penalty.

Playing in a group

Example of Alignment Behavior ter will try to save himself (or herself), even ognize when another alignment lan-
THE SITUATION: A group of player at the expense of the party. guage is being spoken, but will not un-
characters is attacked by a large number A Chaotic character might fight the mon- derstand it. Alignment languages are
of monsters. Escape is not possible un- sters or might run away. The character not written down, nor may they be
less the monsters are slowed down. will not care what happens to the rest of learned unless a character changes align-
A Lawful character will fight to protect the party. ment. When this happens, the character
the group, whatever the danger. The Alignment Languages forgets the old alignment language and
character will not run away unless the Each alignment has a secret language of starts using the new one immediately.
whole group does. passwords, hand signals, and other body
A Neutral character will fight to protect the motions. Player characters and intel- Note that playing an alignment does
group as long as it is reasonably safe to do ligent monsters will always know their not mean a character must do stupid
so. If the danger gets too great, the charac- alignment languages. They will also rec- things. A character should always act as
intelligently as the Intelligence score
shows, unless there is a reason to act
otherwise (such as a magical curse).

Adventuring Rules Time Movement
Time in D&D games is usually kept track
Here are some additional details you will of in turns of 10 minutes in "game time." A In D&D games movement is given as the
need at some point during your adven- turn is not a measure of real time, but is a number of feet a character may move in
tures. measure of how much a character can do one turn.
in the game in a given amount of time.
Using Your Equipment A single character moves up to 120'
Some of the standard equipment may be During encounters and combat, the per turn in a dungeon-like setting unless
new to you. The following items can be DM uses rounds of 10 seconds of "game, a lot of weight (such as armor) is carried.
used in various handy ways: time," instead of turns, and each charac- The movement speed may slow down to
ter can perform only one action during a as little as 30' per turn, depending on
Iron spikes and Hammer: These can round — a swing of a sword, a spell, the amount carried. Groups move at the
be used to wedge doors open, pro- some movement, or other action. A bat- rate of the slowest character. A character
vide grips for climbing, pry things tle normally lasts only a minute or two, wearing heavy armor moves at half the
loose, and so forth. but is counted as a full turn because your normal rate: 60' per turn.
Mirror: Some creatures can turn you characters rest afterwards, clean up their
to stone with their gaze. If you use a equipment, and do other assumed nor- Though 60' per turn may seem very
mirror to look around corners, exam- mal actions. slow, it includes many assumed actions
ine empty rooms, and so forth, you — mapping, peeking around corners,
might avoid a nasty surprise. In D&D games, it would take too long resting, and so forth.
Rations and Wineskin: Your charac- for you to describe each action your
ter food and drink. Standard rations character takes. Many actions are as- During encounters, movement is
may become moldy and unusable if sumed, and do not need to be talked much faster. Characters can move Vh
you stay in a dungeon overnight, so about — such as eating, resting after and their movement rate per round, up to
carry Iron (preserved) rations when- during travel, normal careful behavior, 40' per round during battles (20' per
ever possible. Standard rations are and so forth. The DM should decide round if in armor). In addition, you may
fine for long trips overland. how long any action takes. run away from creatures, at the even
Rope: This can be tied to an iron faster rate of 120' (or 60' if armored)
spike and used to climb up steep Time for you, the players, is called per round. However, you may only run
walls. It may also be useful in tying up "real time" to avoid confusion. A game for 20 rounds at most (5 minutes) before
captured prisoners, pulling doors, usually takes 2-3 hours of real time, but becoming exhausted. If you are ex-
open, etc. may last for days in game time. The DM hausted, you must rest for 3 turns (30
Wolfsbane: This herb is useful when may say, for example, "you take two minutes).
fighting werewolves and other ly- hours to walk to the dungeon, and . . . ."
canthropes. You may use it as a weapon On the other hand, it may take you half If you are forced to fight without rest,
— try it and see what happens. an hour of real time to play a battle that the exhausted characters are penalized
Wooden Pole: A character in front of lasts only a few minutes of game time. in combat. Monsters gain a + 2 bonus to
a party may sometimes avoid being their Hit Rolls, and you must subtract 2
surprised if a pole is used to tap on 56 from all your characters' Hit Rolls and
the floor ahead, poke into corners, Damage Rolls. (Any successful hit will
touch suspicious-looking items, etc. still inflict at least 1 point of damage.)

Playing in a group

Listening doorknob, and possibly a lock, either a found inside a lock, and may be poi-
You should always listen carefully while padlock hanging on a latch or a lock soned for many different effects (paral-
you are exploring a dungeon; you may inset into the door. Normal doors can ysis, damage, death, etc.).
hear noises that give clues about what often be forced or broken open, but a
lies ahead. To hear anything, all the strong bar of wood mounted on the If you wish to search for a trap, tell the
characters must stop moving and be other side will prevent this. DM where you are searching, and the DM
very quiet. Armor and weapons clank will roll to see if you find anything. You
and rattle when you move, spoiling your To open a normal door, just tell your might have no chance to find a small trap,
attempts at listening. DM that you are doing so. The DM will such as the type on a door or treasure.
assume that you are turning the handle, Thieves have a percentage chance at de-
To listen for noise, simply tell the DM pulling the ring, or pushing on it gently. tecting any type of trap. Dwarves have
that you are doing so. The DM will roll If it doesn't open, you may tell the DM better chances at finding large traps (such
to see if you hear anything. When listen- "I'll force the door." Your character is as pits) than other characters.
ing at closed doors, each character can then using Strength to open it, which
try once. Thieves have better chances may be successful if the door is merely It takes 10 minutes (1 turn) to search for
than other characters. Undead crea- stuck quite (quite common in dun- a trap in a small area, such as a 20' square
tures, like skeletons and ghouls, make no geons). If the door still does not open, it room or a 20' long section of corridor. If
noise at all. may be locked, barred, or closed mag- less time is spent, no trap will be found.
ically; or your attempt might have sim-
Light ply been unsuccessful, based on a dice Wandering Monsters
Most dungeons are dark. Be sure to roll. Try again! However, if a door is not You will usually encounter monsters in
bring a tinderbox, which contains wood opened on the first try at forcing it, any rooms, rather than corridors. But the
shavings, flint rocks, and a small piece of monsters on the other side will not be DM makes dice rolls to see if any Wan-
steel. (No matches or lighters in this surprised by your party. dering Monsters come by. This type of
medieval world!) A secret door does not look like a door. creature usually has little or no treasure,
It may simply be a section of wall that and is a dangerous nuisance.
You will also need something to light can be moved, or may be a small normal
with your tinderbox. A torch is cheapest, door hidden behind a curtain, rug, or Wandering monsters are often deter-
and will burn for 6 turns (1 hour). It some other furnishing. Any character mined by the type of dungeon. For
cannot easily be "turned off." A lantern is may look for secret doors, but they are example, caves could contain wandering
more expensive and uses oil. One flask of usually hard to find. Your DM will roll to animals. A castle ruin might contain
oil will burn for 24 turns (4 hours) in a see if you succeed, but you must tell the wandering skeleton guards.
lantern. The lantern must then be refilled, DM that you are searching for one, and
using another flask of oil. A lantern has where. Miniature Figures
shutters, which can be closed for tempo- As you try to imagine your characters
rary darkness, if desired. A torch or lan- KXAMPI.K: I'll .search for s e e m and the areas they explore, it is helpful
tern shines 30' in all directions. doors along the east wall of I lic- to use miniature figures to represent the
characters and monsters. Several types
If you are carrying a light source (a it takes 10 minutes (1 turn) of search- of miniature figures are available from
torch or lantern), other creatures will ing a 10' x 10' area to find a secret door. toy and hobby shops worldwide, made
probably see the light as you approach, Less time will mean automatic failure. of metal or plastic and suitable for paint-
and will not be surprised. Traps ing. You should be able to find figures
Dungeons often contain traps. Old ruins that look very similar to your characters.
Remember that you only have two usually have more traps than caves. The Official DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
hands. If you are carrying a light source most common trap is a hidden trap door, figures are available.
in one hand, then the other hand may which falls open as a character walks on it,
hold a weapon or a shield — but not both. dumping the character into a pit. There To keep track of the party marching
could be something in the pit — spikes, order, line up the miniature figures on
Dwarves and elves have Infravision, a deep water, or a monster. Beware! the playing table. You may use a large
special ability which enables them to see piece of graph paper to draw the rooms
60' in the dark by seeing heat. This Many other traps are possible. A chest and corridors found by the characters,
means that they can move and fight or treasure may be coated with poison; and simply move the figures around on
without light, but it's risky. They cannot deadly if touched, but easily removed by the paper. Several types of more perma-
see a pit in the floor, for example, unless rinsing with water. Some poisons are nent playing surfaces are available in
it is warmer than the air above it. They sticky, and can only be removed with wine. plastic and vinyl, and the rooms drawn
may also stumble over objects which are A blade trap may be found nearly any- on them can be easily erased.
the same temperature as the floor, un- where, and usually inflicts enough damage
less they are very careful. to kill a 1st or 2nd level character. Scale Movement: When using miniature
figures on a playing surface, a ruler is
Doors Doors may be trapped on the handles, used to determine distance moved. One
You will find two kinds of doors in locks, or surface. Small darts may be inch represents 10 feet. A movement
dungeons, normal and secret doors. rate of 60' per turn means that the
A normal door is made of wood, and 57 figure moves 6 inches each turn. Spell
often has metal reinforcing strips across ranges and other ranges are easily deter-
it. Some have metal hinges, a ring or mined when an accurate scale is used.

Playing in a group

Encounter Rules This is called Initiative. If you have the You may evade monsters if you can
initiative, you get to act first, before the move faster than they can and if you
Surprise monster. know where you are going — so once
again, a map becomes important. If the
There is more to an encounter than just In all of your group's encounters, you monsters are catching up, try dropping
walking into a room and seeing a mon- will roll to see who has the initiative. The things! Unintelligent monsters may stop
ster. For example, you might have DM rolls Id6 for the monsters, and one to eat food. Intelligent monsters may
sneaked up on the creature — or it of the players rolls Id6 for the charac- stop to pick up treasure. In each case,
might have sneaked up on you! You ters. It doesn't matter which player rolls. there is a 50% chance that the monsters
might turn a corner, and be completely Whoever gets the higher number wins will stop or slow down. Your DM will
surprised to find a monster right there. the initiative, and swings first. make all the necessary rolls.
But if the monster is surprised, too, then
you would both stop for a moment and When the party has the initiative, the ORDER OF COMBAT
look at each other. The mutual surprise characters may use the time to talk, A. Each side rolls for initiative, using
on both sides would cancel out, for no attack, move (fighters moving to the
effect except a short delay. front, for example), or run away. Some Id6.
monsters will also have similar choices, B. The side that wins the initiative
For example, let's look back at your but most will either talk or attack. Very
very first encounter — with the goblin. few monsters run away before anything acts first:
You entered the room, and the goblin happens. 1. Morale Check (monsters and
screamed and swung his sword at you,
but missed. You didn't get to do any- If a monster has more than one at- non-player characters only)
thing before he had swung, because you tack, it will get all of its attacks before 2. Movement (using speed per
were surprised. yours if it wins the initiative.
round), including Defensive
In the one-player adventure in this If each side rolls the same number, Maneuvers
booklet, surprise has already been then all the action happens at once; the 3. Missile fire combat (additional)
worked out. The description tells you actions are "simultaneous," and neither a. Choose targets
whether you or the monsters — or both! side wins the initiative. Attacking charac- b. Make Hit Rolls
— are surprised. ters can try to Hit, but whatever the c. Roll Damage for hits
result, the monsters may also make all of 4. Magic spells
In group adventures, you roll to see their attacks, even if you kill them with a. Choose targets
who is surprised, and by how much. A your first attacks' b. Make Saving Throws if nec-
six-sided die (Id6) is rolled for each side,
and the results are compared in the Pursuit and Evasion essary
following way: c. Apply results immediately
If either side decides to run away, the 5. Hand-to-Hand combat
You are only surprised if you roll a 1 or a other side may chase. Time is measured a. Choose targets
2; the same applies to the monsters. in rounds for as long as the chase occurs. b. Make Hit Rolls
The side running away is "Evading," and c. Roll Damage for hits
If both sides are surprised, neither side those chasing are in "Pursuit." C. The side that loses the initiative
can move or fight during that round. then completes all the steps given
The mutual surprise cancels out. For above.
the next round, either side might go D. The DM handles all retreating,
first, so another roll (on Id6 again) is surrender, and other special re-
used to decide. This is called rolling sults.
for Initiative, and is described below.
Combat Sequence
If one side surprises the other, the During a battle, the actions do not all
surprised side must wait during the happen at once. Your DM will use a
first round, while the other side acts. checklist to be sure that the battle is run
Those that can act might spend the properly. The list is also given here for
time attacking, talking, or moving — your reference.
even running away!
This Combat Sequence includes sev-
If neither side is surprised, the DM eral optional rules. If you are not using
must determine which side acts first the rule referred to (such as Missile
in the round, by checking Initiative. Fire), simply skip that step.

Initiative Repeat steps A through D as needed
until the battle is over.

When an encounter begins, you might
act first, or the monster might go first.

58

Additional rules

The following rules should not be used thrown, Strength bonuses are used in-
by beginners. They may be added after stead of Dexterity, and no adjustments
you have played two or three group are made for Range or Cover. A dagger
games. or hand axe may be thrown at an oppo-
nent within range. Each spins in the air
Missile Weapons hand-to-hand combat, or against targets striking with the blade forward.
within 5 feet.
You have learned what to do when your A spear is a long shaft of wood or
character gets into a fight, but so far, you A crossbow is similar to a normal bow metal with a sharp tip, and can be
have only used a sword or dagger. These (long or short), but is held horizontally thrown straight at an opponent. It has
are called "hand-to-hand" or "melee" and shot by pulling a trigger, which the best range of any thrown missile.
weapons (pronounced MAY-lay). Other releases the string. Holy Water: This is water which has
types, called "missile weapons," such as been specially prepared by a Cleric for
bow and arrows, are handled somewhat A sling is a leather pocket with long use against Undead creatures. It can be
differently. strings; the user holds the strings and used by any character. Holy Water must
puts a stone in the pocket. The stone is be kept in small, specially prepared glass
Missile fire is a type of combat used thrown by swinging it around and re- bottles (known as vials) for it to remain
when the enemy is too far away to fight leasing one string at the right time. A Holy. The effect of one vial of Holy
hand-to-hand — in other words, more sling is the only missile weapon usable by Water on an Undead creature is 1-8
than 5 feet away. Missile fire can be Clerics. (Id8) points of damage. For it to cause
affected by the distance to the enemy Thrown Weapons: A spear, dagger, or damage, it must successfully strike the
(Range), objects that the enemy can hide hand axe may be either thrown or held. target, thus breaking the vial. It may
behind (Cover), the attacker's Dexterity They are good weapons to use when the either be thrown (using missile fire
Score, and magic adjustments, if any. monsters are nearby, as the character rules) or used hand-to-hand (using nor-
can use any thrown weapon in hand-to- mal combat rules.
Not all missiles are actual weapons. hand combat. If the weapon is not Oil: Oil is carried in small bottles
Missile fire rules also apply when a char- (known as Flasks), and is often thrown as
acter throws something at a monster, missiles. It may also be spread on a floor.
such as oil or holy water. In either case, it will be slippery but not
dangerous until it is lit by flame.
The various types of Missile fire you
can use, and the ranges for them, are One flask of oil will make a pool 3' in
listed on the Missile Fire Table: diameter, which will burn out in one
turn if lit. Burning oil will cause 1-8 (Id8)
The first group of weapons are devices points of damage per round to victims in
that fire missiles; the second group are the flames, including any creature trying
missiles your character throws by hand. to cross a pool of burning oil. Oil thrown
at a creature will either miss (forming a
Whenever your character buys one of pool where it falls) or hit. If it hits, it will
these items, you should make a note of drip off in a few rounds; if lit, the victim
the ranges. For example, a Long Bow will take damage for 2 rounds at most.
should be listed as 70-140-210, the long-
est distances it can shoot in each Range Oil may be lit with any flame, such as a
category. torch. If a torch is thrown at a creature,
another Hit Roll must be made, but the
Device: A missile fire device is a weapon creature's normal AC is not used; the
that fires missiles, such as a bow or target of any thrown torch is treated as
crossbow. Devices cannot be used in AC 10, regardless of the actual Armor
Class of the target (but the roll is ad-
MISSILE FIRE TABLE justed as explained below).

Weapon Maximum Ranges (in feet) As with Holy Water, oil may be used
Crossbow (Lt) Short (+1) Medium (0) Long ( - 1 ) either as a missile or in hand-to-hand
Long Bow combat.
Short Bow 60 120 180 Missile Fire Hit Roll Modifications
Sling 70 140 210 Missile fire rules are used when the
Spear 50 100 150 target is 5' away or more. Normal com-
Oil or 40 80 160 bat rules are used if the target is within
20 40 60 5'. A missile fire device will automat-
Holy Water 10 30 50 ically miss a target within 5' unless the
Hand Axe target cannot move.
10 20 30
or dagger

59

Playing in a group

When your character tries to use any applies here. In your adventures, you Combat Maneuvers
type of missile fire, adjust your normal may discover magical missiles — arrows,
Hit Roll for the following things: crossbow bolts, and so forth — and The following special forms of defensive
bonuses from such magic also apply to movement are usable by any character in
1. Dexterity your Hit Roll. hand-to-hand combat. They may also be
2. Range used by monsters. If a player wants to
3. Cover Variable Weapon Damage use one of these maneuvers, he or she
4. Magic must say so before rolling for initiative.
Whenever you hit a monster in your These maneuvers may not be used if not
1. Dexterity: Include any bonuses or adventures so far, your character's declared before that roll.
penalties to your Hit Roll due to high or weapon inflicted 1-6 (Id6) points of
low Dexterity. You may have an adjust- damage. But if we consider the battle If a character is near a battle but is not
ment from - 3 to + 3 , depending on realistically, a dagger should do less fighting hand-to-hand, that character may
your Dexterity Score (as given in the damage than a sword (for example). move normally. The movement rate de-
"Bonuses and Penalties for Ability pends on the amount of weight carried, as
Scores" chart, on page 50). This advanced damage system allows explained in the section on Encumbrance.
different weapons to inflict different
2. Range: A weapon can only be thrown amounts of damage. The damage done Any monster or character using a
or shot to the longest distance on the by each weapon type is given on the maneuver explained hereafter is called
chart. This is called weapon's range. For chart below. the "defender." The opponent is called
example, you can't throw a spear any the "attacker."
further than 60 feet. Some weapons can only be properly
used with two hands. These are noted Fighting Withdrawal
Ask your DM what the range to the with an asterisk (*).
target is, in feet. The DM may prefer to If a defender is engaged in combat and
give you the general range instead of the The large amount of damage done by wishes to back up slowly whilefighting,the
exact distance, and may ask you which two-handed weapons is balanced by two maneuver is called a Fighting Withdrawal.
missile weapon you are using. penalties: the attacker cannot use a shield,
and will always lose the initiative, whatever The defender must have room to
If the range is short, you add 1 to your the roll may be. The lack of a shield will back up. In crowded situations, those
Hit Roll. If the distance to the target is reduce the character's Armor Class behind the defender will get in the way,
between the numbers given for short and while that weapon is being used (unless, preventing the maneuver from succeed-
medium ranges, there is no adjustment. If of course, no shield was used in the first ing! If room permits, the defender may
the distance to the target is greater than place). move at Vi the normal movement rate,
the number given for medium range, but or less. The attacker may follow and
still within the maximum range, you VARIABLE WEAPON continue attacking, but the defender
must subtract 1 from your Hit Roll. (The DAMAGE TABLE may attack in return.
bonus and penalty are noted on the
chart, as a reminder.) Id4 (1-4) points of damage: Retreat
Club
Thus, a crossbow can shoot farther Dagger If a defender wants to back out of a fight
than any other weapon, and an axe or Sling stone at more than Vi the normal movement
dagger can only be thrown at a nearby Torch rate, the maneuver is called a Retreat.
target.
Id6 (1-6) points of damage: The attacker gains a + 2 bonus on all
3. Cover: The enemy may be harder to *Arrow (long or short bow) Hit Rolls, and the defender's AC is cal-
hit because it is hiding behind some- Hand Axe culated without a shield. The defender
thing; this is called cover. Cover could be Mace may not attack in return.
gained by hiding behind a table or chair, *Quarrel (crossbow)
or a tree or boulder outdoors. A shield Short Sword r \ VMI'l \ H I I \ I I - \ i«-
does not provide cover. Spear
War Hammer in- |j].ni' m.iil .irniM and A shield i \ ( .
If cover is used, your DM should
mention that the monster has cover and Id8 (1-8) points of damage: '_'). H e i)|)i-Hs ;i <liii)i .iiuJ is .iritiikfil
will apply penalties to your chances to Sword (normal) In ,i •_;.! 1 tili\It. Hi- h a s ln-.llil ill.11
hit. You should always be told if the *Battle Axe i;.iri;iit U >. i J I I IIIIK h e 111' liv in-j.vii'
monster has cover, but you might not \\I;I|)I>MV ,iiid hi1 ti.ii mill iniriii.il
know how many penalties apply. These ldlO (1-10) points of damage: uiic-".. . \ [ llu- uiDiiifiiL. h e ii h l o i k i n i j
penalties are determined by the DM and *Pole Arm
range from — 1 for partial cover to — 4 *Two-Handed Sword tin- liuum.n lit- nirs in im- .1 Ii|r|u-
for full cover.
*This weapon requires two hands for IMI; uiiluliriw:il MI u i h r r
4. Magic: If you are under a magic spell use. Attacker may not use shield and i.in uc I m i " llic li;iiili.
which helps your chances to hit, that always loses initiative.
A" lie K II.II kina u p . ilif
h'HiMiK linn II.KIK. H e d<'i idc- in
r. .'•••!/ i n s u m \ f . I lit- i;.nyiivlc- .il
i.i' k» hiiii .i1- In* n i n i . i^.imitii; ,i • _'
l M l l l l » nil it"> ( l l . l f l i r t I " hll \ C ^
: | l . l \ k \ - \ C V II III Mil 'lili'lili

60

Playing in a group

Paired Combat This can become silly, if allowed to If a character is wearing metal armor,
When you begin a battle, both sides roll continue. Your characters may even- whether Chain Mail or Plate Mail, and
for initiative. This one roll has applied to tually find vast dragon hoards of thou- carrying other normal equipment, the
everyone on each side. sands of coins, weighing hundreds of basic encumbrance is 700 en. The charac-
pounds, and the DM should not permit ter moves at 90'/turn, and may pick up
Your DM may choose, for small battles, you to pick it all up and walk out! 100 coins and still use that line of the chart.
to determine initiative for each monster or
character instead of the whole group. Encumbrance is the name for the A character carrying more than 2400
When this is done, each player rolls for amount of weight that your character is en (240 pounds) cannot move. Some-
initiative, adjusting the roll by Dexterity carrying. The more you carry, the thing must be dropped or given to other
bonuses or penalties as given on the fol- slower you move, according to the fol- characters.
lowing table. The DM will roll for each lowing chart. One new abbreviation is
monster involved in actual combat, adjust- used. One coin of treasure, whatever the Using Encumbrance
ing the roll if the monster is very slow or type (gp, ep, and so forth) weighs about Find the basic encumbrance for your
very fast. Most monsters have no adjust- Vm pound. Since coins are the com- character, as explained above, and write
ments to Paired Combat. One other initia- monest of treasures, the coin (not the it on the back of your character sheet,
tive roll may be needed for other monsters pound) becomes the simplest unit of under "Equipment." Remember to add
not in hand-to-hand combat, if any, com- weight. From now on, the weight of all to it whenever you pick up any treasure;
pared to a similar roll for characters not treasures, equipment, and so forth will your DM will tell you how many coins
engaged in battle. be measured in coins, abbreviated en. are found. A gem is counted as 1 en, and
other treasures (potions, jewelry, and so
DEXTERITY ADJUSTMENT Encumbered Movement Rates forth) are counted as 10 en each.
TO INITIATIVE "Normal speed" is used when your char-
(Optional) acters are walking through a dungeon. A more detailed system of en-
cumbrance, calculating the weight of
Dexterity Initiative "Encounter speed" is used whenever each piece of equipment, will be given in
Score Adjustment time is kept in rounds, such as during a the D&D EXPERT Set. But remember
battle. that the fun of the game comes from
3 -2 role playing, not bookkeeping, and your
4-5 "Running speed" is used whenever the DM may merely wish to use a simple
6-8 -1 party is running away from an encounter. system for determining encumbrance.
-1 Time is still kept in rounds, rather than
9-12 turns, and the party must rest afterward. Containers
13-15 No Adjustment (See Movement, page 56.)
16-17 +1 Basic Encumbrance Your character could not possibly carry
+1 If a character is wearing no armor, or even a few hundred coins unless they
18 +2 merely leather armor, and carrying the were placed in a sack or backpack. These
normal equipment taken on an adven- items will hold:
ture, the basic encumbrance is 300 en.
Encumbrance That type of character can pick up 100 Small sack 200 en
coins and still use the top line of the Backpack 400 en
There have been no rules in your games chart. If more treasure is carried, the Large sack 600 en
thus far dealing with the amount a char- rest of the table is used to find the
acter can carry. You have been allowed movement rate. Mules
to pick up as much treasure as you can Saddlebags may also be used if your DM
find, and take it home. allows mules to be bought. A saddlebag
will hold 1000 en. A mule normally
SPEED VS. ENCUMBRANCE TABLE moves at the same rate as a character,
120' per turn, and can carry up to 3000
Normal Encounter Running en while doing so. A mule can carry
Speed Speed Speed 6000 en at most, which cuts its move-
(Feet per ment rate in half.
turn)
Encumbrance (Feet per round) MULE ENCUMBERED
up to 400 en MOVEMENT RATES
401-800 en 120 40 120
801-1200 en 90 30 90 Encumbrance Normal speed
1201-1600 en
1601-2400 60 20 60 up to 3000 en 1207turn
2401 and more 30 10 30 3001-6000 en 60'/turn
15 5 15 6001 en or more
0
0 00

61

Playing in a group

Retainers name, Class, Level, race, Armor Vi the normal award, and is treated as Vi
Class, Hit Points, weapons and equip- character for the division.
A retainer is a person hired by a charac- ment carried, Money, Experience
ter to help on an adventure. Retainers Points, and any other information r \ VMI'I.t: .WO \1« air r a m a l \n "i
are sometimes called "hirelings." Re- you wish to remember. i hai ,u if) s ,iml 1 u-umiM iJiMtliiikj
tainers are never characters run by play- Using Retainers .">.">i> bv J*J (couriling the retainer a-. -:
ers; the DM always plays the part of any When you check your character to see if <h ii.itten. tin- it-Milt is 10(1 XI' i»i
retainers hired. They are called Non- you are ready for adventure, check the «M< h dijr.n if i. .ni'l V; \ P > • j urn rn.ilj
Player Characters, or NPCs. All the retainer sheet at the same time. Remem- tur rtu- irtJiucr.
people in any D&D game other than the ber that you must buy all the equipment
characters, are NPCs. that the retainer needs. You must keep track of the XP for
During the adventure, tell your DM your retainer, using the retainer sheet. A
Ask your DM if retainers are permit- whatever you want to tell the retainer; retainer may have a bonus or penalty to
ted in the game. You cannot use re- the DM will play the role of the retainer. the XP awarded, calculated in the same
tainers if there are plenty of player A retainer will not simply do whatever manner as XP for characters (explained
characters, or PCs to do the jobs. In a you want, though most reasonable in- in the DUNGEON MASTER'S
game with only one or two players, structions will be obeyed. The retainer RULEBOOK). In the example above, if
retainers are often used. might run away from danger, despite the retainer's Prime Requisite score was
your instructions. This is determined by 8, the retainer would only get 45 XP (a
If you want to hire a retainer, use the dice rolls made by the DM. 10% penalty).
following procedure: Your retainer does not normally get a
share of the treasure found on an ad- Your retainer may quit the job if
1. Find NPCs interested in working as venture. When you hire a retainer, be treated badly. Otherwise, the retainer
retainers. sure to clearly state the amount you will will stay either until dismissed by your
pay. If you find enough treasure to pay character or until gaining one or more
2. Tell them about the job, including the the retainer a bonus, that may make the Levels of Experience. For example, if
pay you offer, what is expected of retainer more loyal. In other words, the you hire a retainer for 1 month, the
them, and how long you intend to well-treated retainer will face greater retainer will probably leave at the end of
keep them. dangers without running away, and will that month. But if the retainer is close to
obey your instructions more often. gaining a Level, he or she may ask to stay
3. Some NPCs will turn down your of- When the DM calculates XP at the a bit longer. The decision will be up to
fer, but some will probably accept. If end of an adventure, the total XP you.
you find one that is acceptable, buy earned by the group is divided by the
all the equipment the NPC will need. number of characters. A retainer gets When your retainer quits, give the
retainer sheet to the DM. The DM can
4. Make a "retainer sheet" to be kept use that character, and you may meet
with your character sheet. This the retainer again later, in another game
should be similar to the character or in another town!
information, including the retainer's

The World of D&D Gaming

Finding Other Players There are many other ways to find most ready for the D&D EXPERT Set. It
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game other players. Your local hobby shop gives more spells, rules for character
is much more fun when played by may have a bulletin board where Dun- levels 4th through 14th, and everything
groups than when played alone. Show or geon Masters can post notices of regular you need to improve your games. The
lend this booklet to a friend, so you can games. Your school or library may also modules designed for use with these
quickly start playing in a group. Each have news about other players and DMs. additional rules are in the "X" series.
player can learn by playing through the Higher Level Characters
Solo Adventures, just as you did. The dungeons for your characters to The fun continues with the D&D
explore are often made up by the Dun- COMPANION Set, which covers charac-
You will probably be able to find geon Master. However, they can also be ter levels 15th through 24th.
others who already know how to play. purchased, ready to play! You can buy
Many of the best belong to the Official pre-made adventures called "Modules," Eventually you will be ready for the
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS club, called from TSR and some are designed specif- D&D MASTERS set, with rules for char-
the ROLE PLAYING GAME ASSOCIA- ically for use with this set of rules. As this acter Levels 25 and above.
TION™ Network. is called the "BASIC" set, the modules
that go with it are the "B" modules. The other modules you may find,
This is the only Official D&D Club, with many other letter designations, are
and offers a newsletter, special items, When your characters reach the 3rd not designed for these rules. They are
ways to find other players, and many Level of Experience, you should be al- for use with the ADVANCED DUN-
other services, for a small fee — less than GEONS & DRAGONS® game system.
the cost of this game!

62

Glossary

Other Player Aids Glossary gp — Gold piece. The basic unit of
As you can see, there is much more fun money in D&D rules.
waiting for you in the DUNGEONS & Here are the definitions of terms most
DRAGONS game system. And there is commonly used in D&D® games. Hit Dice — The number and type of
even more than games — a whole dice rolled to find how many hit points a
Hobby awaits! alignment — The behavior of mon- character or monster has.
Character Sheets: You will probably sters and characters.
want more Character Sheets when you hit points (or hp) — The amount of
start making up many of your own Armor Class — The armor worn by a damage a character or monster can take
characters. They are available in a sepa- character or the natural protection a before it dies.
rate pack of 16. Be sure to get D&D® monster has against attacks.
Character Sheets, not AD&D sheets, as Hit Roll — The lowest number
both are available. caller — The player who tells the DM needed to hit an opponent.
Dice: More dice can be purchased in what the party will do, based on what the
sets, called DRAGON DICE™ random other players tell him. infravision — An ability that lets a
number generators. Each package in- creature see in the dark.
cludes one of each type (four-sided, six- character level — see experience
sided, and so forth), plus a crayon to charge (magical) — The magical en- initiative — A die roll to determine
color the numbers with. ergy needed to use a wand once. who acts first in combat.
Miniatures: If you wish, you can pur- class, character — The type of char-
chase toy figures of your characters (and acter being played. key — Information used by the DM
monsters, too). These figures can help coin (or en) — A unit of weight. that describes what is found in a dun-
you imagine better, because they give concentration — A character putting geon and what the dungeon looks like.
you something to look at. Imagine a all his attention on a single object or
battle with seven characters, fighting ten action, and being unable to do anything lair — A monster's home or nest.
monsters! It's hard to imagine exactly else; any distraction will break his con- melee — Combat that occurs when
what everybody is doing, so we often use centration. within 5' of each other using hand-to-
figures to help keep track of where cover — Anything, except a shield, hand weapons or claws and teeth.
everybody is. that one hides behind to gain protection missile fire — Attacks using weapons
from a missile attack. that are shot or thrown from more than
If you wish to use miniature figures, cp — Copper pieces. There are 10 cp 5' away.
be sure to get DUNGEONS & DRAG- to one silver piece. monster level — A measure of how
ONS or AD&D miniatures. The other d # (d4, d6, d8, dlO, dl2, d20, d%) — tough a monster is, usually equal to its
game systems do not use the same char- A symbol showing a type of die. Hit Dice.
acters and monsters. Official figures are damage — The die roll to determine morale — The willingness to face a
available in both plastic and metal. how many hit points are lost. battle or run away.
demi-human — A human-like crea- NPC (or non-player character) —
If you wish to paint your miniatures ture that is also a character. Any character that is played by the DM.
with realistic colors, Official D&D paints, dungeon — Where characters adven- percentage dice (or d%) — Roll a dlO
colors and finishes are also available at ture; often in ruins and underground. twice to get a number between 1 and
better toy and hobby stores worldwide. dungeon level — This refers to how 100; the first number is read as the tens
tough the monsters found there are. and the second number is the ones.
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & The greater the dungeon level the player character (or PC) — A charac-
DRAGONS® Games higher the challenge. ter that is controlled by a player.
The AD&D® game system is different Dungeon Master (DM) — The referee pp — Platinum piece. One pp equals 5
from the D&D system, which you have who creates the dungeon and monsters. gold pieces.
now. It is also a fantasy role playing duration — The length of time an prime requisites — The ability most
game, but is much harder and more effect lasts. important to a given character class.
detailed. effect — The area and those objects quarrel — A shaft that is shot from a
and creatures within the space which are crossbow (also called a bolt).
There are currently six hardback affected by a spell or attack. range — The maximum distance at
books of rules for the AD&D system. encounter — A meeting between which an attack may be made or a spell
Since it is so much more complex than player characters and monsters. may be cast.
the D&D system, with established rules encumbrance — The effect of the retainer — A non-player character
for almost everything, it is often used in weight of equipment and treasure car- adventurer in the employ of a player
large tournaments, where accurate rules ried by a character. character.
are needed. ep — Electrum pieces. There are 2 ep saving throw (or saves) — A charac-
per gold piece. ter's chance (by dodging, luck,
Remember: you are not playing the evasion — Fleeing from a monster. willpower, etc.) to avoid or lessen the
more complex AD&D games with these experience level — Indicates the harmful effects of certain types of at-
rules. You are playing the original DUN- power and ability of a character. tacks.
GEONS & DRAGONS game! experience points (or) XP — Awards secret door — A door that is hidden
given to characters representing im- or disguised as something else, thereby
proved skills through adventuring. making it hard to find.
fighting withdrawal — Backing up sp — Silver piece. There are 10 silver
slowly while fighting. pieces to one gold piece.
spell level — A measure of the diffi-
63 culty and power of a spell.
turn (undead) — The ability of a
cleric to make undead monsters run
away by the power of the cleric's faith.

You have taken
the first step

into the wondrous
realm of fantasy

role playing games

And more thrilling adventures
await you in D&D Basic:

Dungeon Module Bl, "In Search of the Unknown" Player Character Record Sheets
An instructional aid for beginning players and Dungeon Designed for easy reference, this gaming accessory helps
Masters, this module is the first in a series for the D&D® you keep track of all important information for your char-
Basic Rules. acter during play.

Dungeon Module B2, "The Keep on the Borderlands" Monster & Treasure Assortment
Written by the co-creator of the D&D® game, this module is Dungeon Masters can improve their dungeons with this
an introduction to the game and includes legends, history helpful assortment of monsters and treasure. Tips on how
and background information. to place in your dungeon are also included.

Dungeon Module B3, "Palace of the Silver Princess" These and many more fine products from TSR.
Try to discover the fabulous treasure buried beneath the
palace of the silver princess. And when you are
Dungeon Module B4, "The Lost City"
Food, water and wealth await heroic adventurers inside an

ready for tougherancient pyramid ruled by a strange race of masked beings.
Dungeon Module B5, "Horror on the Hill"
Rumored to be teeming with vicious monsters, the Hill of

challenges, TSR isHorror taunts your party, tempting you to plunder its
riches, and discover its secrets. ready for you
Dungeon Module Ml, "Blizzard Pass"
Trapped by a storm, facing the ghastly horde of goblins,
can you survive the peril of Blizzard Pass? This solo adven-

with DUNGEONSture uses invisible ink and a special pen to reveal the mys-
tery as the player creates his own adventures with his

8c DRAGONS^choices.
Dungeon Geomorphs
A combination of ready-to-cut square and rectangular dun-

Expert Set!!geon levels makes planning a dungeon quick and easy.

RTOHLEEBPELSAT.Y WITH Magazine

DUJNoGinEtgOhaNemoSne&lcylDuoRbff.AicGiaOl NS The Official Fuel for Over 100.000 of the
Worlds Most Imaginative Gamers.
Thousands of gamers the world over agree that
our POLYHEDRON™ Newszine and RPGA™ For ordering information write:
network are the best way to stay in the arena with
the most avid role players. There are membership DRAGON" Magazine
cards and pins, new product releases and a two- P.O.Box 110, C204
way communication with the experts. For your Lake Geneva, WI 53147
membership application write:
I ) K A ( . O \ is a trademark of I S R Hobhios, Itu
RPGAHQ Box 509 C183 I W ISK Hobbies. Inc. Ml Rights RisirMil
Lake Geneva, Wl 53147

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and POLYHEDRON are trademarks owned by TSR A
Hobbies, Inc. RPGAjs a service mark owned by TSR Hobbies, Inc.
®1983 TSR Hobbies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

What would you call
the science fiction magazine
that has four-time Hugo
winner George Scithers
as its editor?

Simply

AMAZING™ Magazine is now TSR Hobbies, Inc.
produced by Dragon Publishing,
a division of TSR Hobbies, which STAR FRONTIERS'" and DUNGEONS &
is known for its creation of the DRAGONS® are trademarks owned by TSR
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Hobbies, Inc. ®1983 TSR Hobbies, Inc.
game phenomenon. Amazing.
That's what it is! All Rights Reserved.
For subscription information contact:
AMAZING™ Magazine Subscription Dept. C193
Box 110 Lake Geneva, Wl 53147

TSR Hobbiesjnc.

Products Of Your Imagination."
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a registered trademark owned by TSR Hobbies, Inc. "TM"

designates other trademarks of TSR Hobbies, Inc. ®1983 TSR Hobbies, Inc.
AM Rights Reserved.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS8 Character Record Sheet DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Character Record Sheet
NORMAL ITEMS
Player's Name Dungeon Master EQUIPMENT CARRIED
MAGIC ITEMS

Character's Name Alignment

Class Level

Armor Hit Character Sketch or Symbol
Class Points SAVING THROWS:

ABILITIES:

STRENGTH adjustment POISON or OTHER NOTES including places explored, people Ic monsters met
DEATH RAY

^M INTELLIGENCE adjustment MAGIC WAND
WISDOM adjustment TURN TO STONE c
•M PARALYSIS
DRAGON BREATH
DEXTERITY adjustment SPELLS or
adjustment MAGIC STAFF
MM adjustment
CONSTITUTION

HH CHARISMA

•••

I AMP.IIAr.FS.
SPECIAL SKILLS: Spells, Thief's abilities, Cleric's turning, etc.

MONEY and TREASURE EXPERIENCE

PP: GEMS: ROMIIS/PFNAITV-
GP: Needed for Fipiff level:
TARGET AC: 9 10 EP:
HIT ROLL 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 SP:
NEEDED CP:
TOTAL VALUE:

(This form may be reproduced for personal use in playing DUNGEONS & DRAGONS* GAMES.)
© 1980, 1983 TSR Hobbies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Door KEY Well Rock column
Double door Pool Stalactite
One way
secret door

Open pit

Secret door Covered pit Dais Stalagmite

• -1 •mOne way doorTrap Altar Rubble

False door Stairs Fireplace Crevasse

Revolving Stairs/ Table, chest Sinkhole
door slide trap Submerged
Concealed Spiral stairs o Bed path
door Subterranean
Archway Natural stairs Curtain passage
door Depression
Open Ladder Window Pool or lake
doorway Stream
Portcullis Slide Arrow slit Elevated ledge
or bars Natural
Trap door Statue IMM Railing chimney
in ceiling Pillar Illusionary
Trap door wall
in floor © Fountain Rock
Secret wall
trap door

Dungeon Masters Rulebook

by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson

© 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983 Table of Contents
TSR Hobbies, Inc.
All Rights Reserved INTRODUCTION 2 Effects of Charisma 24
Negotiation
Revised by Frank Mentzer Terms and Abbreviations 25
Illustrations by Larry Elmore, The Most Important Rule Combat 40
Jim Holloway, and Jeff Easley The Dungeon Master's Job Hit Chart 41
42
Preface The DM's Roles Saving Throws 46
This booklet will show you how to run a Reactions 3 Special Attacks 47
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. It will Running the Game Blindness 48
NOT show you how to play the game! Order of Events charts (3) Charm .... 48
4 Energy Drain INBC
You may play a DUNGEONS & DRAG- YOUR FIRST GAME Paralysis INBC
ONS® game either by yourself or with others. Pre-game checklist Poison INBC
If you want to play alone, use the Solo Adven- Adventure Record Sheet Descriptions INBC
ture in the PLAYER'S MANUAL. Name
Group Adventure 5 Armor Class
If you want to play a game with others, one DM Info Charts 8 Hit Dice
person must first learn how to be the DUN- Entries #1-#19 13 Move
GEON MASTER — the person who runs the Dungeon Level One 8 Attacks
game — and the others will be the players. You Map (LI) 8 Damage
must know how to be a player before learning Notes for the DM 11 XP Value
how to be a Dungeon Master. For now, if you Encounter Key #20-39 13 No. Appearing
only wish to play and not run games, then — Dungeon Level Two 11 Save As
Map (L2)
DO NOT READ THIS BOOKLET. General Notes 12 Morale
This booklet contains information for the Dungeon Level Three Treasure Type
Dungeon Master. You will have less fun playing Alignment
if you learn the information ahead of time! A Ending an Adventure 14 Description
big part of the game is the mystery and excite- Monster List A-Z
ment that comes from not knowing all the Gaining Levels TREASURE
answers. XP for monsters Random Treasures
Placed Treasures
Later, when you are an experienced player, PROCEDURES 15 Adjusting Treasure
you may wish to look up some details, or even Alignment Changes Treasure Types Chart 1
become a Dungeon Master yourself. And when Arguments
the time comes, everything you need is right Charm Person spells Treasure Types Chart 2
here. Clues Other Treasure Types
Complaints
If you have not read the PLAYERS' MAN- Creating Characters 16 Average Treasure Values
UAL, you will probably not understand most Deities Coins
of this booklet. But if you have played the Solo Demi-Humans (special abilities) Gems
Adventure, finished reading the rest of the Dice
PLAYERS' MANUAL, and want to become a Doors Jewelry
Dungeon Master, then — WELCOME! Equipment not listed
Evasion and Pursuit 17 Magic Item Subtables
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS* and D&D® Higher Level spells 18 General Table
are registered trademarks owned by Hit Points (low rolls)
TSR Hobbies, Inc. Languages Subtables a-h
This book is protected under the Listening
copyright laws of the United States of Magic-User spells Explanation of Magic Items
America. Any reproduction or other Mapping Identifying Magic Items
unauthorized use of the material or Morale Types of Magic Items
Multiple Characters 19 Using Magic Items
artwork contained herein is prohibited New Rules and Items
without the express written consent of Questions 20 Charges in Magic Items
Retainers Detailed Explanations a-h
TSR Hobbies, Inc. Sleep spells CREATING DUNGEONS....
Distributed to the book trade in the Thief abilities Types of Dungeons
United States by Random House, Inc. Timekeeping Good and Bad Dungeons
and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Transferring characters 21 Step by Step
Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby Turning Undead
List 1-6
trade by regional distributors. MONSTERS Details 1-6
Printed in the U.S.A. General Notes Random Stocking
Hit Dice Notes & Charts
First Printing — May, 1983 Dungeon Levels 22 Room Contents
Monster Levels
TSR Hobbies, Number of Monsters Traps
Reactions Specials
Chart Wandering Monsters
Character Actions Charts 1-3
REFERENCE CHARTS
Saving Throw Chart
Monsters' Hit Chart
23

Introduction

Read through this booklet from front to Level: A number indicating the power of and earning more powerful characters,
back, just as you did the PLAYERS' MAN- an adventurer or a spell. and the DM has fun playing the monsters
UAL. A vast wealth of information awaits and entertaining players.
you! Alignment: A term generally describing
the behavior of any creature — Lawful, For example, it's not fair to change the
In your adventures so far, you have met Neutral, or Chaotic. rules unless everyone agrees to the change.
many fearsome monsters — goblins, skel- When you add optional rules, apply them
etons, and even a Rust Monster. There are Saving Throw: A creature's chance to save evenly to everyone, players and monsters.
dozens of other monsters described in this itself from a special attack (magic, poi- Do not make exceptions; stick to the rules,
booklet. son, etc.). and be fair.

You have found treasures — coins of all Abbreviations The Dungeon Master's Job
types, gems, and a magical potion. There
are dozens of other treasures here. PC: Player Character A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is
NPC: Non-Player Character (run by basically a series of encounters, with other
You have visited a "dungeon" — some actions (such as movement and problem
caves near a town. There is a new dungeon the Dungeon Master) solving) between them. The dice are often
in this booklet! DM: Dungeon Master used to find results when choices must be
Str: Strength made. All the dice rolls are called "game
You will also learn how to put all these Int: Intelligence mechanics." The game consists mostly of
things together, make your own dungeons, Wis: Wisdom role playing, game mechanics, and strat-
run games for other players, and probably Dex: Dexterity egy.
have more fun than you ever imagined. Con: Constitution
Cha: Charisma During an Encounter, the players make
Terms and Abbreviations NA: Number Appearing the Hit rolls, damage rolls, and Saving
AC: Armor Class Throws for their characters. You, the Dun-
Let's review the most commonly used HD: Hit Dice geon Master, make similar rolls for the
terms in the game; they will often be used hp: hit points monsters, plus other rolls to find the mon-
in this booklet. d: type of dice sters' actions (such as reactions and mo-
D: Damage rale).
A character being run by a player is MV: Movement Speed
simply called a Player Character, or "PC." #AT: Number of Attacks The DM's Roles
The D&D games you will run are actually Save: Saving Throw Class & Level
stories about the PCs in a fantasy world, C: Cleric You will play the roles of all the monsters,
and you and your players will make up M: Magic-User townspeople, and other creatures encoun-
these stories together. You will play the F: Fighter tered. The best Dungeon Masters are able
roles of the Non-Player Characters T: Thief to play several roles at once — such as
(NPCs) and monsters. D: Dwarf when the characters meet another party of
E: Elf adventurers, all played by the DM!
Take a moment to review these terms H: Halfling
and abbreviations and become familiar NM: Normal Man However, your creatures are not as de-
with them: ML: Morale tailed as the PCs, and are easier to play.
AL: Alignment Their actions are often determined by dice
Definitions: XP: Experience Points rolls. One rule applies to all the creatures,
cp: copper pieces even though there are many different
Character: Any imaginary person (human, sp: silver pieces types: Imagine how the creature feels.
dwarf, elf, or halfling) in a D&D game. ep: electrum pieces
gP: gold pieces The actions of a creature are often de-
Player: A person who plays the role of a pp: platinum pieces termined by its Alignment or Intelligence.
character in a D&D game. For example, an animal is not very smart,
The Most Important Rule and will act very simply — hungry and
Adventurer: Any character which seeks hostile, neutral and unconcerned, or
adventure, daring to face monsters and There is one rule which applies to every- friendly. More intelligent creatures may be
dangers in search of fame and fortune. thing you will do as a Dungeon Master. It is thinking of many different things; food,
the most important of all the rules! It is treasure, home and friends, and so forth.
Class: The profession of an adventurer. simply this:
Party: A group of adventurers, gathered When an encounter seems likely, think
BE FAIR. about how the creatures feel, and how they
to share their talents for the good of all. A Dungeon Master must not take sides. might act. When the encounter begins, you
Monster: Any creature that is not a character. You will play the roles of the creatures will often roll dice to find the actual reac-
Normal Man: A typical townsperson, who encountered, but do so fairly, without tions of the creatures. The results should
favoring the monsters or the characters. be adjusted for the creatures' intelligence,
is not an adventurer. Play the monsters as they would actually habits, and other details.
Treasure: Any valuable item, usually a coin, behave, at least as you imagine them.
The players are not fighting the DM! Imagine how your creatures will react to
gem, piece of jewelry, or magic item. The characters may be fighting the mon- these dangerous, greedy characters stomp-
Dungeon: Any place where monsters and sters, but everyone is playing the game to ing around the caves! The monsters will
have fun. The players have fun exploring try to survive and be happy in their own
treasures can be found (including caves, ways, and will often fight to defend their
old ruins, and so forth). homes and treasures.
Dungeon Master: A person who runs a
D&D game, playing the roles of the
monsters.
Non-Player Character: Any character that
is run by the Dungeon Master instead of
a Player.

But remember — although the monsters
may be fighting the characters, you are not
fighting the players. If you try to entertain
them, they will entertain you. Play the roles
of the monsters, but forget them when
they are slain. Their only purpose, in the
long run, is entertainment.

Reactions

When an encounter begins, you may find active role, becoming more aware of the so should the DM keep the "monster
the actions of monsters by making Reac- actions of each character. The players have knowledge" completely separated from the
tion rolls. The results are a guide to play- a more limited choice of actions as they "DM information." This challenging task is
ing the monsters' response to the arrival of confront a monster or NPC. The DM plays further complicated by the need to keep
the characters. the roles of each of the creatures encoun- the game running smoothly at the same
tered, and decides their actions while con- time!
An encountered creature might attack sidering those of the characters. Game
automatically. The ghouls in your first time passes in "slow motion," as the DM The following checklists can be used to
adventure, for example, will always attack carefully considers the round-by-round ac- make sure that everything is handled
anyone entering their area, because the tion (10 seconds at a time) and announces smoothly during normal play (ORDER OF
description of this monster says so. Most the results. EVENTS IN A GAME TURN), during an
monsters do not always attack, so be sure to encounter (ORDER OF EVENTS IN AN
read the descriptions carefully. An experienced Dungeon Master can ENCOUNTER), and during an encounter
play the roles of several monsters at once. that results in combat (ORDER OF
Many creatures can be friendly or un- It can be very hard to do this fairly, without EVENTS IN COMBAT). You may concen-
friendly, depending on the situation. Their favoring the monsters or the characters. trate on the roles of the monsters, using
reactions can sometimes be determined by Just as players should keep "player knowl- these lists as reminders of the necessary
the actions of the characters. If a fighter edge" and "character knowledge" separate, game mechanics.
has a sword out and charges at a goblin,
the goblin is not going to think the fighter ORDER OF EVENTS ORDER OF EVENTS IN COMBAT*"
is friendly! The goblin might attack and IN AN ENCOUNTER 1. Intentions: The DM asks each player
might run away, but probably won't try to 1. Number Appearing: determined by the
talk. DM (page 22). what the character intends to do in the
2. Surprise: DM rolls Id6 for each side coming round.
More often, however, the characters will (monsters and party) (page 58 of the 2. Initiative: Each side rolls Id6. The side
wait and "see what the monsters do" before Player's Manual). that wins the initiative acts first.
they start anything. Likewise, most mon- 3. Reactions: DM rolls 2d6 for the mon- 3. Actions, side that wins initiative:
sters will usually wait to see how the charac- sters' first reactions (page 22). a. Morale checks, if needed (page 19).
ters act! When this type of encounter be- 4. Results: If — b. Movement (and optional combat
gins, you should make a Reaction Roll for a. both sides talk, continue reaction
the monsters, using 2d6. Up to 3 Reaction rolls, negotiation, etc. as needed. movement, page 56 of the Player's
Rolls may be needed to finish the encoun- b. one side runs away, the DM handles Manual).
ter. Evasion and Pursuit (page 16). c. Missile fire (page 59 of the Player's
c. one side attacks, continue with Manual).
Whenever the characters attack the ORDER OF EVENTS IN COMBAT. d. Magic spells and magic items used
monsters, stop rolling for reactions. The (such as wands).
monsters will fight to defend themselves, e. Hand-to-hand combat.
and might run away (depending on their 4. Actions, side losing initiative; follow steps
Morale score, as explained on page 14). a through e above.
5. Results: If —
Reaction Rolls are explained in detail on a. all the monsters are defeated, the
pages 22 - 23. Read that section before combat (and game turn) ends; re-
starting your first group game. turn to ORDER OF EVENTS IN A
GAME TURN.
Running the Game ORDER OF EVENTS IN A b. one side runs away, the other may
GAME TURN pursue, and the fleeing side may
During most of a D&D game, the Dungeon attempt to evade (page 16).
Master leaves the decisions to the players. 1. Wandering Monsters: DM rolls Id6 (Nor- c. the combat continues; return to the
The DM presents the setting — describing mally checked every 2 turns) first step in the ORDER OF
what the characters see, offering choices of EVENTS IN COMBAT and repeat
actions, and so forth. But the course of the 2. Actions: Caller describes all party actions all the steps.
game is determined by the actions of the (movement, listening, searching, etc.)
party, as decided by all the players. The
DM can almost relax and enjoy the charac- 3. Results: U —
ters' progress as they explore, make maps, a. a new area is mapped, the DM de-
solve puzzles, and so forth. scribes it.
b. an encounter occurs, skip to ORDER
The DM usually deals with the charac- OF EVENTS IN AN ENCOUN-
ters as a group, rather than the individuals. TER.
However, when an encounter begins, a c. something is discovered (secret door,
change occurs. The DM takes a more item, etc.), the DM announces the
results.
d. no encounter occurs, the game turn
ends; return to # 1 .

Your first game

The following adventure is designed for using initials, and note which end is the lem-, with monsters, ,\ml i( ,un lmk in
use by a beginning Dungeon Master. It will front to avoid confusion. i lie ne.uhv mills. ihrv std\ then- 'like
tell you what to say to the players, when icspea.thle monsters should" r.veij
and what to roll, and includes page refer- The rest of the sheet may be used for night, however, he cjief ullv loc ks up ail
ences for additional information. keeping track of time, the details of mon- Ins Jtiimals.
sters encountered, treasure found, and any
Before you start, you should look other notes you wish to make. "Altei bidding him a good iiav. \ou
through the rest of this booklet, to see what (onnniie toward the ruin As you ;IJJ-
information is given. One section called When you are ready, turn the page and |HII.K1I,\OII sec thai I lie walls aif jugged
"Procedures and Rules" (pages 14 - 21) start reading, following the instructions .ind full ol small holes, and a lev, largr
gives details on handling most situations. given. Mour liltH ks h.nc tumbled to the earth,
Retainers should not be needed if there Living scincrcd around the ruins.
are 4 or more players, but if you use them, Group Adventure
be sure they are properly handled (page "A giiteu.iv in tile ieiitei ot ihe fiout
20). The Order of Events checklists will be Start: Read the following to the players' w.ill viands i-mptv. .ind the massive
helpful during the game. "Many years ago. this part of the Realm of nuu-i ditois now l.iv lotting nearbv.
Man was ruled by a magic-user named I his K.ilewj\ seems to IK- the easiest
Monsters and treasures are explained Oygar, a man of great and mysterious i-iiti.uin.- through ihe wall. A 10' Hide
afterwards in separate sections. All the powers. He ruled the lands from hi* K.ipmg Imli is in the wall nit to voui
details on the monsters and treasures mighty castle Mistamere, located at the li-lt. .did toiild he jiiiithei cnu.inar.
found in this adventure are fully explained foot of the mountains IXJ die north.
here, and you will not need to refer to "Gygar died after a long and peaceful '"Sun dn in>i see .inv (ither (nuances:
those sections. rule, but no successor was named. Ovei the irsl nt the wall Is (l umlilinc, hut few
tlit: years, the unclaimed castle fell into wide hule- lu\e opened. lTn> OUIL-I
Before you start the game, make sure all ruins. .HIM has no other interesting te.uuiei.
the pre-game details have been handled, '"Now, centuries later, the outline ol \ si iff i i lit I. the Lite nl ,i unmnMin,
using the Pre-game Checklist. the broken towers can still be seen from uses ,II tin- HIM ill cdtif i if tin-
the lown. ever beckoning to seekers ot
PRE-GAME CHECKLIST danger, fame and fortune. DM: Now read the next section to yourself,
"You have gathered around a dinnei i nd then continue with #1.
1. Do all the players know how to play? table in the Gold Dragon Inn, in ih<' DM Information
Have they played the Solo Adventure in renter of town, to discuss your plans
the PLAYERS' MANUAL? 1 he Inn is busy, tilled with ruddy-lac cil 1I: ind #1 on the map on this page; that is
townsfolk and other adventurers, who le location of the characters at this point.
2. Have you read this book up to this point? <Jre eating, drinking, laughing, and ha\ I hey have approached from the south
Have you looked through the rest of this ing a splendid time. Irom the bottom of the map), heading
booklet? "You have all heard the talcs told bv i orth (towards the top of the page).
others, tales of monsters lurking within Assume that the walk from town took
3. Do you and the players know the "Who- the ruins and guarding rich treasure- • >out 1 hour, and that the time is now 8:00
Why-What-Where-When" of the adven- None of you have been there, but afiei i m. Note this near the top of your Adven-
ture? an evening of discussion, you decide t< • i i <re Record Sheet, and keep track of the
trv your lui k in the castle i uiu, and plan | • issage of game time from now until the
4. Are all the characters ready to go, in- to meet at dawn for the short journcv. adventure ends.
cluding equipment? "One special note: the lown rulers The Hit roll charts and Saving Throws
have offered a reward of 1,000 gp fin that you will need during the adventure
5. Have the players chosen a Caller and a the tapLurc of Bargle, the renegade are given here, for your convenience:
Mapper? Do they have a piece of graph magic-user! The death of Aleena. a
paper and a pencil, to map with? well-known ilerir, was the "last straw." HIT CHART
They want to slop this danger one e and
If any answer is "No," stop and fix the toi all, so keep vour eyes open!" Monster's Character's Armor Class
problem. Hit Dice 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
DM: Stop a moment and make sure that all
In this adventure, you will find many the characters are ready to go. Then con- up to 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
sections to be read to the players. Listen to tinue reading: 1 + to 2 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
them while you are reading; they contain 2 + to 3 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
information for you, too! "It's morning, and \ou're off to the 3 + to 4
castle. It lies only 3 miles from town, 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Whenever you find a paragraph that just a healthy walk past a local farinci 's
starts with "DM:" it contains information fields. As you follow the dirt road past Saving Monster Saves As:
for you only. Stop for a minute and read it. the farm, you greet the workers lending Throws Normal Fighter
The DM Information contains instructions the crops. It's a lovely summer's da>, Poison
on how to run the coming encounter, or and all seems peaceful. Magic Wand Man 1-3 4-6
how to handle a new situation. Paralysis 14 12 10
Adventure Record Sheet "The land owner himself sils atop a Dragon Breath 15 13 11
Using a blank piece of scrap paper, make a wagon, watching his men, and chats 16 14 12
list of the details you will need during the with you before you continue onward, Sped 17 15 13
adventure. Near the top of the page, write lie mentions that he has had no prob- 18 16 14
the name of each character, making a list.
To the right of each name; write the class
of the character. To the right of the class,
write the Armor Class of the character.

Ask the Caller for the party's marching
order. The characters would normally
travel in single file or in pairs. Write the
marching order below the character list,

Your first game

1 Read the following: for the carrion crawler. If the player's roll is DM: If the monster climbed out to attack
"The path ihrough the rubble passes higher, allow the party to move or attack the party, skip to #4. Otherwise, continue:
the tailen door. As you carefully ap- first.
proach, you notice some slight move- ''You don't sec anything moving, but die
ment beneath it. You stop, warv of Be aware of the actions of the other glint of treasure lies below! However, the
danger. characters, but do not allow any of them, to body of the monster block>> the opening.
attack in the first round unless they are Do you want to pull it out of the way?"
DM: Encourage the players to send some- next to the victim. If any Missile Fire
one forward to examine the door. They attacks are desired, tell the players "You DM: The huge door is too heavy to be
should do so, to be sure their path will be must move around for a clear shot, to moved, and it would take hours to dig
safe. If they don't investigate now, a hid- avoid hitting your friends. You may fire another hole through the rubble. • If the
den monster could surprise the party as next round." characters cooperate, they can grasp the
they pass by. The following encounter is a body of the monster and pull it out of the
"warm-up" for both you and the players to If any of the carrion crawler's attacks hit, hole. Its tentacles are not dangerous after
practice playing in a group. the character must make a Saving Throw death, and the creature may easily be
vs. Paralysis (one per hit) or be paralyzed. pulled out of the hole. Read #4.
Find out which characters are examining If any Saving Throw is failed, tell the
the door closely, and which are keeping victim "You fall over." Tell the rest of the 4 Read the following:
watch for other dangers. Then read the players that they see the victim fall, but do
following: not, say whether the character is alive or "With ihe body out of ihc way. >ou can
dead. clearly see a pile of < oins at the bottom
"Suddenly, the ground along one edge of the hole, jfmut 8' down. Do you want
moves, and a hole appears. There's After the first round of combat, ask each to just go in arid get it, or does anyone
something under the door!'' player for actions for the coming round. If want to search for traps first?"
DM: If the characters closely examining the first victim is paralyzed, the monster
the door, select a fighter or dwarf (if will attack the next closest character. If no DM: In the future, you should not remind
possible), or randomly pick a character, to characters are nearby, it will crawl out of its the players about traps. But in this "warm-
be the victim of the coming attack. Do not hole and attack the nearest. up encounter," try to help them decide
tell the players what you have done! what to do. There are no traps or other
Ask the players, one by one and starting If more than one character moves in to unusual features to be found, but the
with the victim you have chosen, what their attack the monster, the 8 attacks will be characters should always check.
characters intend to do. Remember what divided among the two closest opponents.
they say, and make notes if you wish. Then Anyone hit must make a Saving Throw or A skeleton will be found at the bottom of
read the following: fall over, paralyzed. the hole, mostly covered by the treasure.
"You see a large worm-like monster Close inspection will reveal that it is the
stick its head out of a hole under the Continue running the battle as long as skeleton of a short man-like creature
door. It has eight long tentacles in a necessary. The party should be able to kill whose head is smiliar to a dog's. It does not
circle around its mouth. It doesn't come the carrion crawler fairly easily. Any para- move, being merely an old skeleton of one
all the way oui — just far enough to lyzed characters will recover in 3 turns {lA of the carrion crawler's past victims. Read
attack you —'' (name the victim). hour), unharmed. The party may wait in the following:
You will need the following details about the outer ruins (this area) while their
the monster. Copy them onto your adven- friends are recovering, or may drag them "This looks like the remains of" another
ture Record Sheet: out to the edge of the fields (an even safer creature you've heard about, called a
move). Whichever they choose, be sure to koljold. Kobolds act and live much like
CARRION CRAWLER keep track of the passage of game time, goblins, but arc a different race.
counting the battle as 1 full turn.
Armor Class : 7 2 The carrion crawler is put to sleep by a ''You carefully gather the treasure,
Hit Dice: 3+1 magic-user or elf spell. When it goes to putting it into sacks and dividing it
Move: 120' (40') sleep, it merely stops moving, and its tenta- among yourselves to balance the load.
Attacks: 8 cles slump to the ground. Any character Ihc coins are all copper and silver,
Damage: Paralysis with a sword or dagger can kill the monster about a thousand of each, and two gems
with one blow, and without waking it up. — garnets — are uncovered near the
Save as: Fighter: 2 When the monster is killed, read #3. botiom of the pile. You also find a small
Morale: 9 leather bag, almost rotted away. It may
Hit points: 10 3 The carrion crawler is killed. It slumps to ha\e belonged to the dead kobold."
Align: Neutral the ground, motionless. Read the following:
XP Value: 75 DM: The garnets are worth 100 gp each. If
"Looking at the dead creature, you see a dwarf examines them, the value will be
If the monster is put to sleep by a Sleep that it is about 9' long and lias man* discovered; otherwise, they must be identi-
spell, read #2. If the monster is killed, small legs, like a centipede. You have fied in town. The bag contains 15 cp and a
read #3. heard talk of such a creature, hack in brass key.
town. They called ir a carrion crawler.
The carrion crawler will use all 8 of its You peer into its hole under the door, to On your Adventure record, under the
tentacles to attack the single victim you see if anv others are still hiding there.'' carrion crawler information, make a note
have chosen. Tell that player to roll Id6 for of all the treasure found.
initiative, while you roll Id6 for the mon-
ster. If your roll is higher, make 8 Hit rolls Anyone may take parts of the carrion
crawler or kobold skeleton if they wish, but
they are useless and have no value. When
the players are ready to continue the ad-
venture, read #5.

Your first game

l\l III Ml' |l ill! |||_ arul the lubble is statteml ihioughout are merely V2 Hit Die creatures. Each
the c m m aid. kobold carries a small leather bag contain-
"AsjSu, gather the treasure, voti hear a ing 3-18 cp, but no other treasure.
tYou'see that the nuin "You see a giuup of creatures hiding
gedr.AlfeougU (he hage in the »hrfduw ot the wall, avoiding the A Sleep spell cast at the kobolds will
t bere, retting; a pak of open sunlight, fhey are kububis.' There automatically put them all to sleep. If this
lit*. They have been seenis to be about 10 of them, but \ou occurs, stop (regardless of what is happen-
ice is. new the 10' (.aii»ot <*-c them cieaiJv enough tu dr- ing at the time) and read #16.
»fcafein die wall, off u> the lett Uirnint* their exact numbers m theu
if]uipnie]it tarried' Read the following to the players:

t snapping, Each square on Uw
iper represents an atea 10'
e gateway, now dosed. is> 4U' DM M 1 I mi I In 'in.
I i Ii Ii II I I I i n . ihi i_| I • in | i
e; fnfftkjtt tmu the bottom uf >mn
man,totltc center. The wall to the riuht il I . ' h i' 1 i I lii

of a«r UICWRV is 1»H' long, 't he wall to I I- I I I' I I i ,| | I DM: Find the planned actions of each
the left goes 1110', then has -a 10' vur»r- N ll • character, one by one. If they want to talk
hole, djen tnntimjes west another JO' Ii I • lli h I | i ' l| i about the situation, rounds of time will
M' l III I'I- pass, and the kobolds will keep firing. For
entire south wall, counting the I II I I I . each minute of real time the players spend
talking, count off one round of game time,
IfKI*? 300'king 50r high, and \a\ "Thr outer wall is 10' thick. A |iatliHa\ and make one round of Hit rolls for the
wall is aboux leads through the lubble \Ln ting at ihr kobolds! Treat any part of a minute as a
Any dirobing mighr pull some giitewji and leading «KI' noith to a pan full round. The characters should take
Hocks loose, and thr> tould kill tou if ot doors in the middle of ihr souili wall cover before they start talking, and you
the> hit Mm." »t the Laatle ruin lhcwc doors aie 20' may remind them of this.
wide Thf i-aitlr Mall extends SO' to
DM- M , l . . i n , i l , , I| ,,, , 1 | , ,, rach side ol the doors e.ist .n>d wert Missile fire is featured in this encounter.
Jhe Mile wjlls ol the <as»J«: aie rvirh The kobolds begin firing as the party
• I I III | i I I i M l ' I U i "l I I I I i ' .thnut Hill long, icathme; ncirth to t]it- enters through the hole in the wall. The
face of the mountain's nigged (KIT."' battle could result in the following situa-
I K I II I II l i ' l l l . • M l I I I , . I l I III I'll tions:
DM: If the party decides to enter the hole a. The characters respond with missile fire
fallen doors if you wish. in the wall, read #10. If they go to the
Offer the players the following choices of closed gateway, read #8. Mark off another of their own, and do not approach the
turn of time for discussion and some kobolds. Some characters may take
action. If they pick one, turn to the entry movement, back to the outer ruins in front cover behind boulders. If this occurs,
number given. If they insist on actions not of the wall. read #12.
given in the list, do the best you can. b. One or more characters move towards
the monsters, and are fired upon sev-
Examine fallen blocks 6 8 DM: The party decides to go to the eral times. If this occurs, read #13.
Peek into holes in wall 7 closed doors at the front gate. When they c. The characters move cautiously towards
Go to the closed gateway 8 get there, they may try to open the doors, the kobolds, using boulders for cover. If
Enter the gaping hole 9 but will have no success. Give them the this occurs, read #14.
options listed in #5. d. One or more characters remain inside
6 Read the following: the hole entrance, keeping the attention
"As you prowl around the rubble, you 9 DM: If the characters did not look of the kobolds while the others circle
find several large blocks of stone, a p through the holes in the wall, roll Id6. If around. If this is done, the kobolds will
parently fallen from the decaying waits. the result is 1-3, the kobolds gain surprise: be busy with missile fire, and the party
Anotheritohold skeleton lies under one In the coming battle, each kobold will get may break in. If this occurs, read #15.
of the blocks, but no treasure is visible, one free missile fire attack before the party e. The characters all go back out, circling
and the block is too heaw to move." can act. If the result is 4-6, no free attacks around to enter by the gateway. They
will occur, but the kobolds will attack any- will still not be able to get in, and must
DM: Allow the players to choose from the way. Read #10. return to the hole in the wall (or go
list of options given in #5. Mark off 1 turn home).
of time for examining the fallen blocks.

7 Read the following: 10 DM: The kobolds in the courtyard are KOBOLDS
•*¥cm -carefully move up to the wall, guards. They have been ordered to not let
looking for holes to look through, hop- anyone enter the ruin. Seeing the party, Armor Class: 7
ing to discover some clue about what they have closed the front gate, and will Hit Dice:
lies an the othei side. But all of the hold it shut if the party tries to break in. Move: 90' (30')
holes are too high to reach. You cau- At(traacnkgs:e 50/1001/1s5w0o)rd or 1 arrow
tiously explore a bit more, and find These kobold guards are the biggest in Damage: 1-4 or 1-6
some! other holes along die east nail, to their tribe, and have maximum hit points Save as: Normal Man
the right. Some are near ground level, (4 each). They are armed with short bows, Morale: 6
and you. carefully peer through. arrows, and short swords. Each kobold has Hit points: 4 each
"You see a large courtyard inside the 2 quivers of arrows (20 per quiver), so you Align: Chaotic
wall, and the remains of a castle. The will not need to keep track of their equip- XP value: 5 each
castle ruin is old and cracked, but not as ment. A hit from a kobold arrow will inflict
badly as the outer wall, where you are 1-6 points of damage, but the short sword
now. Only one storv of the castle still attack of these weak creatures causes only
stands: the upper parts have ciumblcd. 1-4 points of damage. Use the "up to 1 Hit
Die" line of the Hit roll as chart, kobolds

Your first game

11 DM: The party attacks the kobolds You must carefully keep track of the Keep track of time! A character in metal
hand-to-hand. If possible, each monster exact position of each character during this armor (moving 20' per round) will take 6
will attack a different character. You may encounter. As characters move, the missile rounds to get to the doors. During this
choose opponents, or pick targets ran- fire range will change. Characters in metal time, the kobolds will all keep firing at
domly. armor move 20' per round; in leather their targets by the hole in the wall. If no
armor, 30' per round; unarmored, 40' per characters are firing back at them or mov-
In each round of combat, remember to round. ing toward them, 3 kobolds will stop firing
ask each player for actions, make an initia- and hold the doors.
tive roll, and then run the action. When the party first enters, the kobolds
are hiding behind some rubble next to the When characters try to break into the
When the first kobold is killed, roll 2d6 path inside the gateway. They are 110' front gate, roll Id6. Modify the result as
to check morale. If the result is 5 or less, away from the party, so their first missile follows:
the kobolds will try to run away, toward the fire attacks are at long range ( - 1 penalty
castle ruin. They are slow creatures, how- on each Hit roll). These attacks may be Subtract 1, because the doors are locked.
ever, and can be caught by anyone not aimed at any characters, either selected or Add the Strength adjustment of the
wearing metal armor. If any kobold is randomly determined. strongest character forcing the door ( + 1
caught, they will all stop and fight to the for 13-15 Strength, etc.).
death. During the first round of movement, the Add 1 for each additional character
approaching characters move into medium helping to force the door, whatever their
If all the kobolds are dead or gone, the range (no range adjustment). All the mis- Strength scores (+1 for 2 characters forc-
encounter ends. Stop keeping track of time sile fire is aimed at the approaching char- ing the doors, + 2 for 3 characters, etc.).
in rounds. Count the entire battle as 1 turn acters. The kobolds ignore those charac- Subtract 3 if kobolds are holding the
of time, and read #18. ters taking cover. doors closed.
If the adjusted total is 5 or 6, the doors
12 DM: One or more characters start Carefully keep track of both the posi- are broken open. If the total is 4 or less, the
firing missiles at the kobolds. The range is tions of the characters and the passing of doors hold fast. Characters may repeat the
110'. If a character uses a long bow or each round of game time. Remember to attempt once per round.
crossbow, the range is medium, and no roll for initiative each round, to see if the If the doors are broken open, the char-
range adjustment is used. The range is characters move before or after the acters may move in while the kobolds draw
long if a short bow is used, for a - 1 kobolds fire their arrows. their swords. No free attacks are gained by
penalty to each Hit roll. The range is too either side. Read #11 to run the hand-to-
great for a sling to be used, or if hand- When any character gets within 20' of hand combat.
hurled weapons are thrown. Remind the the kobolds, all the monsters will drop
players to keep track of the arrows or their bows and draw their swords. They 16 Read the following:
quarrels shot! If they run out of missiles, will all attack immediately; read #11. "A* you cast the Sleep spell, you bee all
they cannot continue firing. the koholds stop and fall over."
14 Read the following:
The kobolds are under cover, and the DM: Stop keeping track of time in rounds;
characters may also take cover. The "You see that the hail of arrows is the battle is over. The characters may ap-
kobolds will fire at those characters firing dangerous, ami approach with caution, proach the kobolds or do whatever they wish.
back at them. When firing at any target taking cover behind boulders and mov-
completely under cover, a — 4 penalty ing from rock to rock." The characters may kill all the sleeping
should be applied to all Hit rolls. Thus, the kobolds easily. However, if they keep one
kobolds need a Hit roll of 20 to hit a DM: Using this strategy, the characters will or more as prisoners, binding them with
character in plate mail armor (since a 20 have cover, but will move at half normal ropes, read #17. Otherwise, read #18.
always hits unless the range in too great). A speed. Keep track of the positions of each
character needs a Hit roll of 16 (instead of character, from round to round. Apply a 17 Read the following:
the 12 normally needed to hit AC 7), unless - 2 penalty to all the kobolds' Hit rolls 'You tie the kobold securely; vou have a
a range or Dexterity adjustment applies. when attacking the approaching characters prisoner. Do you want to wake him up
that use this strategy. Read #13 to handle and talk to him?"
The kobolds will keep firing until most the missile fire, but remember to use
are dead. When only 3 (or less) kobolds are DM: If the players do not wake the kobold,
left alive, the survivors will run for the (a) half normal movement rate for char- read #18. If they wake him, continue:
door to the inner castle ruin. Characters acters, and
may fire for two rounds while they run. The kobold awki-ns ami luok*.
The running kobolds do not have cover, (b) a - 2 penalty to all kobold Hit rolls armind in panic He struggles a Ini but
and are AC:7. The characters are too far for missile fire. timls himsrlf *miFrlv tied Inaauange
away to catch them. If any survivors get to dug-like \tnce, he growls. Whai do rnu
the door, they will go inside, close and lock 15 Read the following: wantf"
the door behind them, and go downstairs
to Dungeon Level Two. "You dreidc to "splir up yimeone Niays
>K the hole in Ihc wall keeping the
13 DM: Look at the range of the kobolds' kubukh' attention, while untie of you go
short bows: 50/100/150. The distance be- luck uut uwrrfle atourtrtro the honr
tween the kobolds and their targets is
101-150 feet, the range is long, and Hit rolls DM: Other than using a Sleep spell on the
are penalized by - 1 . At 50' range or less, kobolds, this is the best possible strategy.
the range is short, for a +1 bonus to Hit The kobolds will keep firing at the charac-
rolls. Any distance in between (51-100 feet) ters by the hole in the wall.
is medium range, with no adjustment.

Your first game

DM: Play the role of the kobold prisoner. Dungeon Level One and this is the only entrance. The doors
He will not say anything about the rest of are not locked, and will open easily.
the dungeon, but will reveal that he is one Notes for the DM
of the guards, placed here to prevent any- The first level of this dungeon may be used If anyone climbs the walls outside, they
one from entering the ruins. for two or three group games. It was will discover that the first floor of the castle
designed using the guidelines given on remains intact, but the upper stories have
The kobold will offer to give money if pages 46 - 47. Treasure is placed accord- fallen completely apart. The rubble in the
the party will let him (and any other surviv- ing to the frequency given. Of all the area is all that remains.
ing kobolds) go. He asks to be untied to rooms, Vi are empty, Vs have monsters, Vfc
show the party where the treasure is. If the have traps, and '/6 are "Specials." When the doors open, the characters see
party unties him, however, he will run for the first room inside the castle. Read the
the door to the ruined castle, and get away! One room (#27) contains dangerous following to the players:
monsters and a difficult situation, and
If the party insists on keeping a rope tied should not be entered by beginning char- are missing. A' normal-door t» ai the
to him, he will lead them to a pile of rubble acters (nor run by an inexperienced DM!). middle ofttttsorth wa8-. Tfe room
by the east tower ruin. After digging for a Its doors are specially locked to prevent contains some train and rubble; but not
minute, he will pull out a small iron box, first level characters from entering. When enough to conceal a creature."
which is not locked. The box contains 100 any character reaches the 2nd level of DM: As the party enters the room, sunlight
gp and a black gem (onyx, worth 50 gp). experience, the room may be entered. will brighten the area, but the rooms to the
sides will remain dark. Ask the characters
If the characters want to kill the kobold The second level of the dungeon is left what their light sources are, and make
after getting the treasure, remind the law- for you tofill!A map is given, along with a notes of which characters light torches or
ful characters that they would keep their list of possible monsters. No Wandering lanterns. Everyone does not have to have
part of the bargain, and let the kobolds go. Monsters are encountered on Level One, their own light source.
If released, the kobolds will all leave peace- but they should now start appearing occa- The party should search this area before
fully. After thanking the party, they leave sionally on levels 2 and 3. Dungeon level 3 continuing, but nothing of interest remains.
by the front gate and run away to hide in is left entirely for you to create, and you The party can choose to go north, to the
the mountains. may add lower levels if you wish. next door, west to room 22, or east to room
23.
When all the kobolds are gone, read The characters should be able to leave 21 Wrong way:
#18. the dungeon at any time, whenever they DM: You should not be reading this to the
18 Read the following: need rest and healing. Since the dungeon players. As the party approaches a num-
is near to their home town, they should not bered area on the map, find that number
"You gather the treasure from the have to spend a night inside. Other dun- in this Encounter Key and use the infor-
kobolds, and find a totalof 80 cp in their geons may be so far away as to make the mation given. There is no #21 on the map.
sacks. You also get 8-quivers, of arrows, return trip to town nearly useless. A brief Look carefully at the map, find the party's
with 10 in each quiver. Thar short swords stay overnight in an unoccupied room may location, and turn to that number.
are not wefl-made, and are worthless* allow spell casters to relearn their spells, 2 2 West hall:
DM: Now stop the game. Tell the players curing any badly wounded characters in This 30' x 30' room has doorways in the
about each of the possible strategies given the morning. A dungeon may thus be east and west walls. It contains the remains
in #10. You may either read each section to easily explored for a few days, or until a of 3 chairs and 2 small tables. Afireplaceis
the players, or play each one, as if it full load of treasure is found. in the middle of the north wall.
actually happened! If you play them, treat If they search carefully, the characters
them as practice only. Remember what the Some standard features of this dungeon will find 3 old silver teaspoons, worth 10 sp
characters' hit points and equipment are (which may be told to the players) are: each, and a small bag of dried-up peas.
now, so they can be returned to "normal" If they search the fireplace, they will see
after the practice. All walls, ceilings, and floors are that the chimney is clogged with old tim-
When you are ready to continue the made of stone. bers. If they search the chimney, read the
game, read #19. following:
19 DM: To run the rest of this adventure, All walls are 10' high (inside).
use the following Encounter Key for de- All areas are dark; characters must
scriptions of each area of the dungeon. carry light sources.
Keep track of the location of the party on All room descriptions include the fol-
your map. When they approach a num- lowing information, in this order:
bered location, find that number in the 1. size, measuring north to south,
key, and read the description. then east to west
Remember to keep track of time. The 2. exits
party's movement rate per turn is equal to 3. contents
the movement rate of their slowest charac-
ter (probably 60' per turn). Encounter Key: "You look up die chimney, poking.
Use the Order of Events checklists to be Dungeon Level One around to see if anytfcfegc*\atefcshight
sure you are running each turn and en- be hidden there. Suddetty, ariitfiter of
counter properly. If you have any prob- 2 0 Entrance: rubble comes down on you, and a large
lems, remind the players that you are still dark shape coniesflyingout!"
learning, find the explanation of the situa-
tion in this booklet, and read it. The path through the rubble leads from
the main gate to the doors of the castle
ruin. The walls of this castle are still firm,

Your first game

1 GIANT BAT Somehow, the moldy bed looks very 5 on each side and one on each end.
comfortable. The first two characters to Hie end chairs and two chairs on each
Armor Class: 6 enter the room must each make a Saving side ate occupied by .skeletons, 6 in all.
Hit Dice: 2 Throw vs. Spells! If successful, nothing They are all dressed in rags, apparently
Move: 180' (60') happens, but if failed, the victim(s) will che remains of fine dinner clothes, for
Attacks: 1 bite walk over to the bed, lie down, and take a both male and female. rhey are sitting
Damage: Id4 nap. The victim may sleep for years, but up, bill d<> not move.
Save As: Fighter: 1 will not age nor need food or drink.
Morale: 8 'On the table in front of each chair
Hit points: 9 A victim can only be awakened from this sits a golden dinner plate, with a dusty
Align: Neutral magical sleep in one of three ways: glass goblt't on each plate and dull
XP value: 20 silverware to either side. The table is
A Dispel Magic spell will remove the bare wood, with no tablecloth."
The movement rate given is only for fly- enchantment (available in town for a
ing. The bat flies out and attacks the price). DM: From any doorway, the party cannot
character disturbing it. If the bat is hit, roll see into the fireplace. There, lurking in the
2d6 to check morale; if the result is 7 or A normal pea placed under the mattress shadows, are two harpies.
less, the bat will fly off through the west will cause the victim to awaken imme-
doorway, landing on a chest in room 28. If diately, but with a sore back (— 2 on all Hit 2 HARPIES
an 8 or more is rolled, the bat will fight to rolls until a good night's rest is had).
its death. Armor Class: 7
If placed on the bed in room 26, the Hit Dice: 3*
One of the pieces of rubble shaken loose victim will wake. Tickling the victim (with a Move: 60' (20')
by the bat is an onyx gem, worth 50 gp. feather, for example) has no effect. The or Flying: 150' (50')
However, it will not be found unless char- room contains nothing else of interest. Attacks: 2 claws/1 weapon + special
acters examine the fresh rubble carefully. 2 6 Bedroom: Damage: 1-4/1-4/1-6 + charm
2 3 Hallway: This room looks exactly the same as room Save As: Fighter
This 30' x 20' area has doorways (without 25, but with two doorways in the east wall Morale: 7
doors) in the east and west walls. Normal and one to the west. The bed is completely Hit points: 15 each
wooden doors are in the north and south harmless, and even helpful. If a sleeping Align: Chaotic
walls. The room contains some trash but victim of the bed in room 25 is placed on XP value: 50 each
nothing of interest. this bed, the victim will wake in 3 minutes,
2 4 East hall: completely unharmed by the experience These horrible creatures are feared by the
This 30' x 30' room has empty doorways and refreshed by the nap. kobolds and all other creatures in the area,
in the east and west walls, and the doors and are avoided. They, in turn, stay in this
are missing. A fireplace is in the north wall, If the victim is tickled while on the bed room, feasting on the victims who wander
and the room contains the remains of 4 (with a feather, for example), the entire in. The skeletons are all that remain of
chairs and one small table. bed will magically sneeze. This sneeze will their past meals.
cause the mold in the room to fly into the
An old pillow stuffed with feathers will air, and everyone in the room must make a When any door is opened, the harpies
be found if the characters search the room. Saving Throw vs. Spells or start sneezing start singing a duet. Every character must
There is also one loose brick inside the themselves, unable to do anything else! make a Saving Throw vs. Spells. The song
chimney of the fireplace. However, the This sneezing lasts for 4 rounds, and at- of the harpies is enchanting; if the Saving
chimney is filled with old fallen timbers. If tracts the monsters in room 35, which Throw is failed, the victim is Charmed
a character searches the chimney, some arrive 1 round after the sneezing starts. (fully explained on page 23), and hears
timbers fall, and a Saving Throw vs. Wands The monsters and the sleeping victim are beautiful music.
must be made. If failed, the character takes not affected by the mold.
2-5 points of damage from falling timbers; If the door is closed immediately, the
if successful, 1 point of damage is still This bed may also be used to cure the characters will be able to drag their
inflicted. The loose brick is automatically deadly choking effect of yellow mold (see Charmed comrades away from the room.
found while the chimney is searched. A room 27). The Charm may be removed by a Dispel
finely made silver dagger is hidden in a 2 7 Dining hall: Magic spell (available in town, for 100 gp),
niche behind the loose brick. It is not Special Note: The doors to this room can or by placing the victim on the bed in room
magical, but may be sold in town for 75 gp. only be opened by a character of 2nd Level 25 (causing sleep) and then on the bed in
or greater. You should read this entire room 26 (waking the victim and removing
2 5 Bedroom: encounter description before starting to run the Charm).
This room is 30' x 40', with two empty it. When you are ready, read the following
doorways in the west wall and one in the to the players: If the door is not closed, the victim will
east wall. The doors are missing. A large walk into the room, circle the table, and
fireplace is in the south wall. ' I his larqr "I)' x hi)' mum h.ts I'm: continue toward the fireplace. If the Sav-
diHIII. tvuj in tlir IMMI .UKI west %jlls .uui ing Throw is successful, the harpies' song is
This area was once a fine bedroom, but one in the- mutdlr oi the vouih wall \ heard to be screeching noise, and has no
its once-rich furnishings — the canopy l.nUt- marble fm'|il.i<e is in the rnulilK- effect. Only one Saving Throw must be
bed, plush chairs, tables and rugs — are iff rhi* north nail. made for the song of the two harpies.
now tattered, moldy, and worthless.
"A lunjf HfKid table. 10' wide and 40'
long, fills the u-ufi-i til the nxirn. It is
sun i HIM led l>v 12 plain ttuodru chair"..

Your first game

If a cleric tries to Turn the skeletons, found in the carrion crawler pit will fit the watching for intruders. They will only be
make the rolls normally, but there will be lock! The chest is not trapped. encountered if the party starts down the
no effect. The skeletons are not animated steps.
monsters. The harpies' treasure box contains: a
few more dinner outfits, all moldy and 4 KOBOLDS
If any character attacks the harpies, the ragged (worthless), 2,000 sp, 2 pairs of
monsters will fly around the room and turquoise earrings (value 500 gp per pair), Armor Class: 7
over the table, avoiding combat as much as and two potions of healing. In addition, Hit Dice:
possible. They will not land on or disturb the 12 sets of silverware on the table are Move: >/2
the table, however. If cornered by two or worth 5 gp per set. The goblets are only 90' (30')
more characters, a harpy will fight. worth 1 gp for all 12, and will probably Attacks: 1 sword
crack on the journey to town. The tin Damage: 1-4
If any character touches a gold plate or plates are corroded and worthless. Save As: Normal Man
climbs onto the table to attack the flying 2 8 Storage: Morale: 6
harpies, a terrible thing may occur. The If the giant bat in room 22 flew away from Hit points: 3 each
"gold" plates are actually tin, covered with the party, it will be found here. Read the Align: Chaotic
yellow mold! following to the players: XP value: 5 each

•YELLOW MOLD This nKHfttaSG xOT/wKhdoorways When encountered, roll 2d6 to find the
m the tt>«&*id>«atf wtfq ttK'dofes reactions of the monsters. If friendly, they
Armor Class: — are missing, The num » fifed with will warn the characters not to proceed
Hit Dice: 1* bran aod craves trf mmf shape* and down the steps to the dangerous Second
Move: 0 st/rs, andfoolcsftkea stoiage area " Level of the dungeon. If they Negotiate,
Attacks: Spores DM: All the boxes are covered with a thick they will want payment of at least 10 gp to
Damage: 1-4 plus special layer of dust, and have not been disturbed reveal the same information.
Save As: Fighter: 1 for a long time. None of the boxes can be
Morale: Not applicable moved, opened, or damaged in any way! Each kobold has a bag containing 5 cp,
Hit points: 4 each If the searching characters tap on any and no other treasure or equipment except
Align: Neutral box, a deep voice will come from a larger for their crude short swords.
XP value: 15 each one in a corner, saying: "Who's there?" 31 Trap room:
Whatever the characters say, it will respond This room is 30' x 30', with doorways in
These molds are smaller than normal. For with "Is Bargle with you?" Again, whatever the south and east walls (but no doors).
each plate touched, roll Id6; if the result is the characters say, it will finish with "Oh —
1-3, the mold releases a small cloud of well then, never mind!" It will not speak A large log is in the center of the room.
spores, catching only the character disturb- again. One end is on the floor, but the other end
ing the plate. The victim takes 1-4 points of 2 9 Closet: is held up by a strong rope, which runs
damage and must make a Saving Throw This small 10' x 30' room has doorways in through hooks in the ceiling, wall, and
vs. Poison or start choking, unable to do the south and east walls, but no doors. A floor. It is tied to a large chest, which is on
anything else. A choking victim will die in 6 dusty old round hatbox is lying on the the floor directly below the upraised log.
rounds unless taken to, and placed in, the floor in the northwest corner.
bed in room 26. The hatbox is tied with a string. If the If the rope is cut, the log falls, smashing
string is cut, the hatbox can be opened the chest and scattering its contents.
Anyone climbing onto the table will dis- safely. But if the large bow knot on top of
turb 2 plates, which may both produce the box is untied, the character untying it The lid of the chest is not held shut by
clouds of spores (roll for each), inflicting must make a Saving Throw vs. Poison or the rope, and can be opened easily. It is not
1-4 points for each cloud but only requir- take 1-6 points of damage, from poison trapped. Inside the chest are 500 sp, 50 gp,
ing a single Saving Throw. placed on the string. and one citrine gem (value 10 gp).
A woman's red hat, now faded and
Yellow mold can only be harmed by fire. moldy, is in the box. The hat itself is The kobolds and other monsters in the
The touch of a torch will automatically de- worthless, but if removed from the box, a dungeon have avoided this area, believing
stroy the mold on one plate, but a roll must hatpin will be found beneath it. The hatpin it to be a deadly trap. It is harmless unless
be made for each such touch to determine is solid platinum, and worth 100 gp. the rope is cut.
whether a spore cloud is released. 3 0 Stairs: 3 2 Statue room:
This 20' x 30' room has doorways in the This room is 20' x 20', with a normal door
If one harpy is killed, roll 2d6 to check north and east walls, but no doors. A in the east wall and a doorway (without
the morale of the other. If the total is 6 or stairway by the south wall leads down to door) in the west wall.
less, it will surrender, offering to give all its Dungeon Level 2. There is a fireplace in
treasure to the party in exchange for its the northwest corner of the room. Lurking In the center of the room stands a statue
freedom. If the party accepts, it will pull a on the stairway are 4 kobolds, who are of a short dog-headed man, clad in leather
long flat chest out from under the table. armor and apparently swinging a short
The chest is locked, but the harpy has a 10 sword (a kobold).
key. It will open the lock and the chest, and
then leave (if the characters permit) by the If the statue is touched, the center por-
door in the south wall, continuing outside tion of the statue (from chin to waist) spins
to flee into the mountains. in a complete circle. The stone sword will
hit the character touching the statue unless
If questioned after it surrenders, the a Saving Throw vs. Wands is made, but
harpy will tell of a magic-user who came with a penalty of - 2 to the roll. If failed,
one day and took charge of the dungeon. the character is hit for 2-8 points of
This man lives below, on a lower level of damage; if successful, the character jumps
the dungeon, and the kobolds serve him. out of the way in time.

If the harpies are slain, a search of the
room will reveal the harpies' chest. The key

Your first game

This trap may be made harmless if a 35 Closet: 3 8 Statue room:
small button on the belt buckle of the This small 10' x 30' room has doorways in This 20' x 20' room has an empty doorway
statue is pushed. This button will not be the south and west walls, but no doors. It is in the east wall and a normal door in the
found, however, except by a thief's search piled with trash and rubble. There are 4 west wall.
(normal Find Traps roll). Once the button zombies hiding in the room (5 if the zom-
is found, the thief may automatically "re- bie from room 34 joins them). In the center of the room stands a statue
move" the trap by pushing the button; no of a short dog-headed man, clad in leather
Remove Traps roll is made. 4 ZOMBIES armor and apparently swinging a short
3 3 Closet: sword (a kobold). The statue is completely
This small room is 10' x 20', and has only Armor Class: 8 harmless.
one entrance, the normal door on the east Hit Dice: 2 3 9 Closet:
wall. The room contains piles of rags and Move: 90' (30') This 10' x 30' room has one entrance, the
trash. Hiding in the pile are 4 giant rats, Attacks: 1 sword door in the west wall. It contains some
which will attack if the room is entered. Damage: 1-8 trash, but nothing of interest.
Save As: Fighter: 1
Morale: 12 END OF DUNGEON LEVEL 1
Hit points: 10 each
Align: Chaotic Dungeon Level Two
XP value: 20 each
4 GIANT RATS ~" General Notes:
These monsters have been waiting for visi- The map of this level is given, see inside
Armor Class: 7 tors for years. They cannot surprise any- front cover, but is left for you to fill with
Hit Dice: >/4 one entering, and will always lose initiative monsters and treasures, using the guide-
Move: 120' (40') in combat (no roll needed). lines given on page 47. The following
Attacks: 1 bite monsters may be included:
Damage: If Turned by a cleric, the zombies will
Save As: 1-3 either go into room 36 to wait by the 1 kobold lair (20-40 witih chieftain, di-
Morale: stairway (if the cleric Turning them is by vided among 4-10 rooms)
Normal Man the south door) or to room 34 (if the cleric
enters by the west door). 1 Crab Spider lair (avoided by the
8 kobolds)
Hit points: 1 each If anyone starts sneezing in room 26,
Align: Neutral diey will go there to attack the intruders. If Beetles and Centipedes
XP value: 5 each then Turned, they retreat to this room. Rats (Normal and Giant)
Wandering monsters may include:
The rats will fight to the death, but there is A forgotten bracelet (worth 500 gp) lies Kobolds
nothing of value in the room. under the trash in this room, and will be Beetles and Centipedes
3 4 Storage: found if the characters search carefully. The Gelatinous Cube
This 30' x 30' room has doorways in the zombies' swords are rusty and worthless. Undead (skeletons, zombies, ghouls)
north and west walls, but no doors. It is
identical to room 28,filledwith boxes of all 3 6 Stairs: Dungeon Level Three
shapes and sizes. These boxes, however, This 20' x 30' room has doorways in the
can be moved and opened, but they are all north and west walls, but no doors. A This area is left entirely for you to design.
empty. All, that is, except for one, a large stairway leads down to Dungeon Level 2. It should include the lair of Bargle (Cha-
box at the bottom of one pile. Inside the Trash and rubble is scattered about the otic magic-user Level 5-7) and his guards
box is a zombie, which will stand and attack floor, but nothing of value or interest re- (Charmed ogres), plus his wandering de-
with a sword if the box is opened. It mains. (If the zombies in room 35 are coys (Living Crystal Statues dressed like
surprises the character opening the box on Turned, they may be found here. If Bargle), and possibly some Dopplegangers
a roll of 1-4 (on Id6), gaining one free Turned again, they will retreat to room 35 as well.
swing. or room 37, depending on the location of
the cleric Turning them.) You may also include a small tunnel
leading to a large cavern, the lair of a small
1 ZOMBIE 3 7 Kobolds: dragon. Such a cavern should have a large
This room is 30' x 30', with doorways in exit leading outside in the nearby moun-
AHritmDoriceC:lass: 8 the west and south walls (but no doors). tains, and the dragon should not be part of
2 The room contains some trash and rubble. the "normal" dungeon. You may make this
Move: 90' (30') cavern known to Bargle, and the dragon
Attacks: 1 sword Standing in the center of the room are 5 might be a friend of his. The cavern could
Damage: 1-8 kobolds, who are looking around the dun- provide an escape route for Bargle if the
Save As: Fighter: 1 party is conquering the dungeon.
Morale: 12
Hit points: 12
Align: Chaotic 5 KOBOLDS

XP value: 20 Armor Class:
Hit Dice:
AMtotavcek: s: 90' (30')
The zombie will climb out of the box as it Damage: 1 sword
attacks. If Turned by a cleric, it will either Save As:
go to room 35 to join its comrades (if the Morale: 1-4
Turning cleric enters by the west door) or Normal Man
to room 24 (if the cleric enters from the
north). 8
Hit points: 3 each
There is nothing of value in this room. Align: Chaotic
XP value: 5 each

11

Ending an adventure

Before any game begins, the DM and as a result of the XP earned in an adven- XP for Monsters
players should set a time for the game to ture, you should watch the roll made for The Experience Points for Monsters
end — and stick to it. An adventure might additional hit points. If the character is a Table may be used to calculate the XP
end before that time (if the characters magic-user or elf, you should privately tell awards for monsters created by the DM, or
become severely wounded, use up all their the player what additional spell is put into for variations of the given monsters. The
spells, are fully loaded with treasure, etc.). their spell book. If the character is a thief, XP awards in the monster descriptions are
They may be allowed to "go home, rest a remind the player to change the Percent- calculated using this chart. The Special
day or two, and return" if time permits age chances for the special abilities (PLAY- Ability bonus is multiplied by the number
further adventuring. ERS' MANUAL, page 44). of asterisks given with the monster's Hit
Dice, and added to the Base XP value.
At the end of an adventure, you an- A character cannot gain more than one
nounce the total treasure found (and kept) level of experience in one adventure. Be- EXPERIENCE POINTS
by the party, so the players can divide it. ware if this occurs; it is a sign that you are FOR MONSTERS
The method of division should have been giving out far too much treasure. If it does
decided before the adventure began. Some occur, some XP should not be counted! Monster's Special Ability
methods are described in the PLAYERS' The character's XP total stops just short of Hit Dice Base bonus
MANUAL, on page 55. the amount needed for the second level of
experience that would have been gained. XP value
While the players are dividing treasure,
you may spend the time calculating the F.XAMP1<E. A beginning first level up to 1 5 1
Experience Points earned during the ad- Oghon <0 XP)findsa gem wrtb 10,000 1 10 3
venture. An electronic pocket calculator is gp during an adventure At ihe «nd of 1+ 15 4
helpful. the adventure, thefighterhas 3,999 XP, 2 20 5
jnd no more — m« xhorf of the 2+ 25 10
You should have records of all the crea- amount needed tut 3rd le»eJ. Only one 3 35 15
tures defeated by the party on an adven- knd of experience is gained Tht light- 3+ 50 25
ture Record Sheet. If not, take a few er moves up fmrni first tevrt to *a.otid 4 75 50
minutes to remember the creatures en- fcvd. and roll* M« tor additional fait 4+ 125 75
countered. If necessary, ask the players to punLs nnodif)ing (he result tor -Coti- 5 175 125
remind you — and remember to keep a stuuuot) IMMUS, ifany). The «ata 5.001 5+ 225 175
record next time. XP (plus anv otttcr gdjnol during the 6 275 225
6+ 350 300
In each monster description, an "XP h «ire ru« remitted! 7 450 400
value" is given. This is the number of 8 650 550
Experience Points to be awarded for each
monster of that type. Multiply the XP
value by the number of monsters defeated
to find the total XP award for that encoun-
ter. Note that a captured monster is
counted as "conquered" for XP awards,
even if released. This does not occur often;
the monster must usually surrender (as the
result of a morale check) or be magically
caught (by a Hold Person or Web spell, for
example) for this situation to arise. Mon-
sters that run away are not counted unless
they are caught or defeated later.

Add all the XP awards for all the en-
counters to find the total XP for the adven-
ture. Find the number of shares in the
party. NPC retainers count as Vi share for
XP division; each character counts as a full
share. Finally, divide the total XP by the
number of snares to find the XP per share,
and announce that total. A retainer will get
l/2 the amount you announce.

Remind the players to adjust that award
for high or low Prime Requisites ( + 5%,
+10%, or a penalty). They may ask you to
help calculate it. You should also remind
them that they get 1 XP for each 1 gp of
treasure. As treasure is divided by the
party, without your interference, they must
make such calculations themselves. Their
bonus or penalty (for high or low PR score)
also applies.
Gaining Levels
If any character gains a level of experience

12

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Procedures and rules

This section explains what you, the Dun- may respond to unfairness by refusing to (d) fantastic creatures (such as gargoyle,
geon Master, should do in several common play in your game. medusa, thoul, etc.)
game situations. The situations are listed in
alphabetical order, for easy reference. You If a change of alignment occurs due to The human-like creatures in this set
should refer to these descriptions when- the effects of a magic item (such as a Helm which are subject to Charm Person are:
ever the situations arise, until you are of Alignment Changing, or a curse), no
familiar with the details of each. penalty should be applied. Take the player High Intelligence: pixie, sprite.
aside and explain the situation. A good Average Intelligence: gnome, goblin,
The following situations covered are: player will cooperate, playing the new hobgoblin, kobold, troglodyte.
alignment well, resulting in more fun for Low Intelligence: bugbear, gnoll, lizard
Alignment Changes all. The original alignment should return man, neanderthal, ogre, ore.
Arguments after a period of time (after the curse or
Blindness Helm is removed). Humans (including Bandits, Berserkers,
Charm Person spells and Normal Humans) and demi-humans
Clues Arguments (dwarves, elves, and halflings) may have
Complaints Low, Average, or High Intelligence. If the
Creating Characters If an argument starts during a game, stop exact score has not been determined, you
Deities the game for a moment. Listen to both may select or roll for an Intelligence score.
Demi-Humans (special abilities) sides, and make a decision. Then continue Elves always have Average Intelligence or
Dice the game as soon as possible. Do not allow better, and magic-users normally have
Doors an argument to continue for long. Explain High Intelligence. A score of 3-8 is Low,
Equipment not Listed that everyone is trying to have fun, and 9-12 is Average, and 13-18 is High.
Evasion and Pursuit that the argument can be settled after the
Higher Level Spells game if necessary. Some lycanthropes can be Charmed
Hit Points (Low rolls) when in human form, but this is nearly
Languages Charm Person Spells useless. Only werewolves and wereboars
Listening can be Charmed, and the Charm will auto-
Magic-User Spells Whenever a magic-user or elf casts a matically be broken when the creature
Mapping Charm Person spell, the player will ask you assumes animal form!
Morale for the effect. This spell will only affect
Multiple Characters certain creatures. The beginning player NOTE: Some other creatures given in the
New Rules and Items will try it on many different monsters, and EXPERT and COMPANION Sets may also
Questions learn its effects by trial and error. be Charmed. They are listed in each set.
Retainers
Sleep spells Generally, the creatures affected by a Clues
Thief Abilities Charm Person spell are those which are
Timekeeping "normal" human, demi-human, or human- Beginning players often need help in
Transferring Characters like creatures, which have some sort of learning to play. When running a game for
Turning Undead society. You may decide the exact creatures beginners, the DM should encourage them
affected, or you may use the list below. by saying such things as "Do you want to
Alignment Changes search for secret doors?" or other sugges-
Once a victim fails the Saving Throw tions. This should not be continued once
Alignment is the way a player wants to play against the Charm, the creature will re- the players have experience with the game,
a character, either Lawful, Neutral, or main Charmed for at least 24 hours, and but such clues can be very helpful to
Chaotic. Sometimes a player forgets (or often longer. The victim may make a new beginners.
ignores) the alignment of his character, Saving Throw to break the Charm after a
and plays the adventurer incorrectly. You given duration. This duration is deter- You may wish to allow some "automatic
should talk privately with the player about mined by the victim's intelligence: success" situations to encourage the play-
the problem, and encourage the proper ers. Those who never find secret doors will
play of alignment. Never .threaten or tease High intelligence: 1 day soon stop looking for them.
a player during a game; deal with the Average intelligence: 1 week
problem in private. Low intelligence: 1 month When the players gain experience with
the game, they may start asking questions
If the problem continues after you have EXAMPLE A hnhgohhu '.iveragt') ir- like "Do we find any traces of passing
warned the player more than once, you rnanis Charmed foi at least rate \tu& creatures?" or "We don't know which way
may tell the player to change the alignment Ai the end of tiiiit week. \nu niQ an- to go from here. Are there are clues?" You
of the character to the different alignment other Savinc Thnnt, tf <tuct'cs«tull thr may offer descriptive information that
actually being played. A penalty may be Charm is broken, oiherwue, the players will have to determine what it
applied at this time, such as the loss of one holiijohliR lttiuims (.harmed tor an- means. For example, "some footprints lead
level of experience, a valued item, etc. ntlicr werk off to the left, but you're not sure what
made them." Such clues may help to steer
If you penalize alignment changes, you If you wish to make your own list, the the party in the right direction within a
should also reward good alignment play creatures which should not be affected by dungeon. You may insert clues as part of
(for example), by increasing experience this spell are the room descriptions.
awarded, treasures or changing monsters
to make them easier to defeat. (a) animals
(b) undead
Be sure that you are playing the align- (c) any creatures with 6 or more Hit
ments of monsters correctly! The players
Dice
14

Procedures and rules

Clues should be given when the party is If a player wants a certain Class of realize that there is nothing there to find.
approaching a deadly area, especially on character but rolls another type, you may But if you roll — and possibly say the same
the first or second level of a dungeon. allow a switch. Just switch the scores of the things! — the players realize that the item
Clues, such as, awful smells or bones of Prime Requisite for the desired Class with might be there, still undiscovered.
earlier victims. Extreme danger with no the Prime Requisite for the rolled Class. For Dwarves
warning is not very fair. example, a fighter is rolled, with 17 Strength Because of their mining experience,
and 9 Intelligence, but the player wants to dwarves can sometimes recognize special
Higher level characters are more accus- have a magic-user. Just put the 9 in dungeon features made of stone or wood,
tomed to great dangers, and deeper dun- Strength, and the 17 in Intelligence. such as
geon levels may indeed contain sudden-
death situations. Vague or misleading clues Switching more than once should not be (1) sloping passages
may be provided by treasure maps found allowed. And players are not allowed to (2) shifting walls
or purchased, or by slight hard-to-find decide; only a DM may switch Ability (3) new constructions
indications in the dungeon areas. In gen- Scores. (4) traps
eral, when the players become more expe- The traps a dwarf can find are those
rienced, the clues may become fewer and Deities involving large dungeon features, such as a
more subtle. falling ceiling, floor pit, and so forth. The
You may choose to add flavor to your traps a dwarf may discover does not refer
Complaints games by adding mythological deities. The to all traps. For example, a dwarf would have
characters would be followers of such no chance at detecting a small dart trap on
If a player complains about the way you beings, and a cleric could serve a specific a chest; this could be detectable only by a
are handling something in the game, try to deity. However, all such activities are as- thief.
listen to the objection. Be reasonable! If sumed, and should not influence play or Roll Id6. If the result of the roll is 1 or 2,
the problem can be fixed by changing a change the rules in any way. No deity the attempt is successful — if there is
procedure, try to work out a reasonable would react to the actions of any individual anything there to find. The attempt takes
compromise. For example, if a player says character, nor offer any special help. about 1 turn per area (up to about a 30' x
"You keep killing characters with poison!", 30' area, or die DM's choice). You may
you might try using the optional damage The deities of the game characters may wish to change this to less or more time. If
system for poison (page 24). be similar to the mythological gods and the player says "I'll check for all those
goddesses of days long past. The ancient dwarven things," remind the player that it
Be careful not to change rules that could Greeks, for example, worshipped many will take 4 turns (1 for each of the 4
overbalance the game in favor of the char- gods — Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, and so abilities), and ask the party if they want to
acters. The game system is carefully bal- forth. According to legend, these gods do anything while the dwarf is searching.
anced to provide fun for all while challeng- would grant favors to their worshippers, You may change this to 1 turn for all 4
ing the characters. and that is one way to explain the magic abilities if in a smaller area or single room.
spells a cleric character can cast in the Elves
Some complaints may be caused by game. An elf character has a special skill at find-
greed. It should not be too easy to get ing secret and hidden doors. This is be-
treasure or experience; these things should The DM should be careful not to need- cause elves have very keen sight. They
be earned slowly, using the guidelines lessly offend players, and current beliefs have become more skilled at finding hid-
given. Beware of the "giveaway game"! should be avoided. den things than are other characters.
Your players may quickly become bored The search for a secret door takes about
with easy riches, and their characters will Demi-Humans 1 turn for each 10' long section of wall (or
easily overpower most monsters. floor or ceiling) being searched. An elf
All the demi-human classes have special discovers a secret door on a roll of 1 or 2 on
If you are not sure how to handle a abilities. When the player wants the charac- Id6, If the player says "I'll search the room
situation, just tell the players! Everyone has ter to use one of these abilities, you will be for secret doors," figure out the total
to learn, and learning a game like this can asked for the result. amount of time needed to search all the
be a slow process. Your players will under- room, and tell the player. The rest of the
stand if you explain that you made a Whenever the character is searching for party may wish to do odier things while the
mistake. When you admit your mistakes something, the player must describe the elf is searching.
and try to correct them, you and your exact area being searched. Each search
players will have a better game in the long takes about 1 turn. If a player says "My
run. character is looking for . . ." and names
one of die special abilities, roll Id6. You
Creating Characters should always roll, whether the item is
actually there or not. If you merely reply
When a newly created character has all low "You don't find anything," the players will
scores, the player should discard it —
unless you, the DM, say that it should be Class DEMI-HUMAN SPECIAL ABILITY CHANCES Dice Success
kept. Dwarf Abilities Id6 1-2
Elf Find new construction, slope, shifting wall, stone trap Id6 1-2
You should allow beginning players to Halfling Find secret doors Id6 1-2
use characters they like! It's hard to have Hide indoors ldlO 1-9
fun playing when you are forced to use a Hide outdoors
poor character, with no score above 9 or
two scores below 6. If the character is
reasonable, then the player should keep
the character.

15

Procedures and rules

Halflings flanlagv1 — bill ignuri'i the u-sult. ;iml Secret Doors
A halfling character has special skills at •mnouuirs th.it )i points uf <l.itn.it;c Any character may search for secret doors.
hiding. This is because of the halfling's Merc dom*. Ihv ihai.iiici iirriMis.mil The player must describe the exact area
small size and ability to "freeze," or hold the game (cuitmiic-s. being searched. This takes about 1 turn for
very still, not moving, for short periods of Ranges (low and high numbers, such as each 10' x 10' area searched. If a player
time. A halfling is also harder to hit when 1-6 and 2-20) are given throughout this says "My character will look for secret
attacked by any creature larger than man- booklet, most common in the MONSTERS doors," roll Id6. You should always roll,
sized. and TREASURES sections. The DM may whether a secret door is there or not, to
Hiding select any number given in the range for keep the players guessing. If there is a
If a player says "My halfling will hide," you Number Appearing, Damage, and so secret door and the result is a 1, the secret
should roll to see if the attempt is success- forth, depending on the situation. The door has been found. Elves find secret
ful. If outdoors, roll ldlO. If the result is dice to roll for a random result may be doors with a roll of 1 or 2. Once a secret
1-9, the attempt is successful. Only a roll of easily calculated from the given range. door has been found and its exact location
0 (10) will indicate failure to "freeze" prop- Some guidelines are: noted on a map, anyone reading that map
erly. The attempt at hiding assumes that 1. If the first number is one, the second can find the secret door later (no roll
the character has crawled into some nearby necessary). A secret or hidden door may
underbrush, and is not merely standing gives the type of die to roll. Examples: not be opened until it has been found.
somewhere. 1-8 = Id8. 1-100 = d%.
2. If the first number is two, two dice are Special Doors
In a dungeon, a halfling may attempt to (usually) used. If you divide the second Some doors may be made to open only in
hide if some cover or shadow is nearby. number in half, the type of dice is given. one direction. Such doors may not be
Cover could be furniture (table, barrel, Examples: 2-8 = 2d4; 2-12 = 2d6; forced open from the wrong side, but will
etc.), a nearby corner or large niche, or 2-24 = 2dl2. open normally if a Knock spell is used
even another character (if the other char- 3. If the first number is more than two, it (from either side).
acter cooperates and does not move). If a may indicate the number of dice, by the
halfling tries to hide within a dungeon, roll method given above. Equipment Not Listed
Id6. The attempt is successful if the result 4. If these methods do not identify the
is 1 or 2. type and number of dice, subtract 1 or Beginning players should not be allowed to
more from each number. The re- purchase equipment other than the items
A halfling trying to hide will always mainder will be a simple dice range. given on the list (PLAYERS' MANUAL,
believe that he has succeeded, but only the Examples: The range 3-13 is 1 more page 29) unless you decide otherwise. Al-
DM knows for sure. Failure to hide might than 2-12, so 3-13 = 2d6+l. 5-10 = lowing "invented" equipment can lead to
be revealed when a monster suddenly at- ld6 + 4; 4-10 = 2d4 + 2. problems, and should be avoided.
tacks. If a monster sees a halfling and With a little practice, you will quickly
approaches the character, you may say "It learn the combinations of dice for the In the D&D EXPERT rules, the players
seems to be coming right at you!" or some- given ranges. have many more items to choose from,
thing similar. including wagons, horses, boats, and more
Dodging Doors weapons. But those items should not be
In combat against creatures larger than allowed until you and the players are ready
man-sized, halflings gain a bonus to their Doors are common in most dungeons. for them.
Armor Class. Due to their small size and Many doors are locked, and most doors are
skill at dodging, remember to penalize all stuck. If locked, a door cannot be opened Evasion and Pursuit
attacks from creatures larger dian man- until a thief unlocks it or until a magic-user
size by — 1. You may wish to ask the player casts a Knock spell upon it. Any unlocked Monsters may try to run away from the
to remind you each time. door can be easily opened by any monster. characters, as determined by a morale check
After a door is opened, it will usually slowly (page 19) or the DM's decision. The charac-
Dice swing shut unless a spike is used to wedge ters may try to run away from the mon-
the door open or it is held open. sters, a decision left to the players.
The dice included in this set are all you
need to play DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Forcing Open Doors When characters are either fleeing or
games. Whenever two or more events If not locked, a stuck door can be forced chasing, no mapping is possible. The DM
could occur and a decision is needed, or open by any character. If a player says "I'll should keep careful track of where the
whenever a variety of results is possible, open the door," roll Id6. If the result is 5 or characters and monsters are each round.
dice may be used to randomly select a 6, the door is successfully forced open. Unmapped areas may be described very
result. Experienced Dungeon Masters may This roll should be modified by a charac- generally, without accurate measurements.
select results instead of rolling dice. ter's Strength score adjustment, but a roll It is quite possible for the characters to
of 6 should always open a stuck door. become lost, or to encounter other crea-
EXAMPLE: A character with 3 hit tures during the pursuit.
points is hit by a monster with a normal The attempt may be made once per
sword (damage 1-8). Death could easily round per character. However, if the first Monsters Flee
result — through no fault of Lhe attempt fails, any monsters on the other When the monsters first start to run away,
player's, merely a random result of the side of the door cannot be surprised, hav- ask the characters whether they want to
Hit roll. To keep the character alive as ing heard the noise. pursue. If the answer is no, the monsters
long as possible, the DM rolls for get away. If yes, the chase begins with the
16 monsters 1 round ahead of the party.

Procedures and rules

Find the monsters' movement rate per terest the monsters. Unintelligent mon- Explanation of
round to find the number of feet between sters may stop to eat dropped food, and Second Level Clerical Spells
the groups at the start of the pursuit. intelligent monsters may stop to pick up
dropped treasure. If any character drops Bless*
Next, compare the movement rates of something which could cause the pursuing Range: Touch
the individual characters. Unarmored monsters to stop, roll Id6. The monsters Duration: 6 turns
characters will move faster than the others. will stop, and give up pursuit, if the result Effect: All friends within 60'
In this case, you should ask the players is 1, 2, or 3.
whether they want their characters to stay This spell raises the morale of all friendly
with the party or to continue ahead of the Mindless or magical creatures, such as creatures in range by +1, and gives a
rest. Undead, Living Statues, and so forth, do bonus of +1 to all their Hit and Damage
not stop to pick up anything, and might rolls. It only affects those not yet in battle.
Compare the movement rates of the pursue characters for a very long time.
fastest party members (or, if the party stays Length of Pursuit Hold Person
together, the rate of the slowest character) If nothing is dropped to cause them to Range: 180'
to the movement rate of the fleeing mon- stop, monsters will pursue for any length Duration: 9 turns
sters. If the monsters are faster, they will of time, as determined by further reaction Effect: 1-4 persons (cleric's choice)
get a\vay, unless trapped or stopped in checks. After each 5 rounds of pursuit, roll
sbme way. If the characters are faster, they 2d6 and apply the same adjustments for This spell will affect any human, demi-
will catch up to the monsters unless the wounds as originally made ( - 2, 0, or + 2). human or human-like creature (such as
monsters evade. The difference in move- In addition, add +2 if the number of bugbears, gnolls, gnomes, hobgoblins,
ment rates is the number of feet the pursu- monsters is greater than the number of kobolds, lizard men, ogres, ores, pixies or
ing characters gain, per round, on the characters. If the adjusted result is 9 or sprites). It will not affect undead nor crea-
fleeing monsters. greater, the monsters will continue to pur- tures of 5 Hit Dice or more. The victim(s)
sue (or search for) the characters. How- must make a Saving Throw vs. Spells or be
The fleeing monsters may stop tofightif ever, monsters will usually give up pursuit paralyzed.
they see only one or two characters in after 1-2 hours if the party has not been
pursuit (though the others may arrive found, and will rarely continue searching This spell may be cast either at a single
shortly thereafter). You may simply decide, longer than a day (8 hours) unless some creature or at a group. If cast at a single
based on the situation, or make a reaction valuable item was stolen by the characters. creature, that victim must make a Saving
roll to determine the monsters' actions. Throw vs. Spells with a - 2 penalty to the
Higher Level Spells die roll. If cast at a group, it may affect up
If the monsters are familiar with the to 4 creatures, but no penalties apply to the
area (have a lair nearby), they may be able The following spells are only for the DM's Saving Throws.
to evade the party by rapidly turning cor- use when developing NPCs of an experi-
ners, closing doors behind them, and so ence level higher than 3rd. The spells Silence 15' Radius
forth. The DM must decide whether the given are not the only spells of these Range: 180'
evasion is successful, as determined by die higher levels. A full list of higher level Duration: 12 turns
situation. spells is given in the D&D EXPERT SET. Effect: A spherical volume 30' across
For now, the DM should use these as the
Characters Flee only higher level spells available to NPCs. This spell will make the given area totally
If the party runs away from the monsters, quiet. Conversation and spells in this area
the monsters may decide to pursue them. Higher level spell casters will never go will be prevented for the duration of the
Make a reaction roll (2d6), adjusting the on adventures with player characters. They spell. This spell does not prevent a person
roll as follows: may be encountered as part of an NPC within the area from hearing noises made
party, but make very dangerous enemies, outside die area. If cast at a creature, die
- 2 if any monsters have been slain. and should rarely be used. victim must make a Saving Throw vs.
+ 2 if no monsters have been hit. Spells, or the silence will move along with
+ 3 if the monsters are hunting the These spells might also be found on the victim! If the Saving Throw is success-
characters. magical scrolls (treasure). The DM should ful, the spell will remain in the area to
No adjustment if any monster has been be very careful when allowing this, as lower which it was cast, and the intended victim
hit but not slain. level characters should not become as may move away from it.
If the adjusted result is 9 or greater, the powerful as these spells permit.
monsters will pursue. Compare the move- HIGH LEVEL MAGIC-USERS
ment rates of each group. The characters AND ELVES
have a one-round "head start," as de-
scribed under "Monsters Flee." HIGH LEVEL CLERICS Level Spells
If the party is faster, they automatically
evade the monsters unless they are Level Spells 4 2 First Level, 2 Second Level
stopped or trapped (or unless they stop too 5 2 First Level, 2 Second Level,
soon; see Length of Pursuit, below). If the 4 2 First level, 1 Second level
monsters are faster, they will catch the 5 2 First level, 2 Second level 1 Third Level
party. 6 2 First Level, 2 Second Level,
Delaying Pursuit
The party can slow down pursuing mon- 2 Third Level
sters by dropping things which might in-
Second Level Cleric Spells Third Level Magic-user Spells
1. Bless*
2. Hold Person 1. Dispel Magic
3. Silence 15' radius 2. Fire Ball
Fly

17

Procedures and rules

Dispel Magic a. No — all characters must start with the If any player says "I'll listen for noises,"
Range: 120' hit points rolled. roll Id6. You should always roll, whether or
Duration: permanent b. If the result was 1 or 2, roll again. (You not there is anything to hear, to keep the
Effect: A volume 20' x 20' x 20' might choose not to apply this to magic- players guessing. If the result is a 1 (1-2 for
users or thieves, who would roll 1-2 a dwarf, elf or halfling), any noise being
This spell will automatically destroy other more often than others, as they use made is heard, if conditions permit success.
spell effects within the given volume. It Id4.)
cannot affect magic items, but will remove c. Don't roll — all characters start with A 1st or 2nd level thief has the same
any spell effect created by a magic-user, elf, maximum hit points for their class, plus chances to Hear Noise as a demi-human.
or cleric of a level equal to lower than the Constitution bonus, if any. (A fighter or As more levels are gained, the thief be-
spell caster. It may fail to remove magical dwarf starts with 8, a thief and magic- comes more expert at hearing noise.
effects created by a higher level caster. This user with 4, others with 6 hp.) Roll for Giving Magic-Users Spells
chance of failure is 5% per level of dif- hit points normally starting with 2nd When a player starts a magic-user or elf
ference between the spell casters. A mon- level. character, the player will ask you what
ster's level is its Hit Dice, ignoring any spells the character has in the spell book.
"plusses." For example, a 5th level elf trying Languages The magic-user's teacher is a higher level
to dispel a Charm Person cast by a 7th level NPC magic-user, and the spells come from
magic-user has a 10% chance of failure. the teacher. The "spell book" assumed in
A human character with Intelligence of 13 the game can simply be a list of spells kept
or more knows how to speak and write on the character sheet. You may play the
Fire Ball additional languages. You, the DM, must role of the teacher if you wish, but this may
Range: 240' decide what languages are available. also be assumed.
Duration: instantaneous
Effect: A spherical volume 40' across In most D&D games, there are about 20 This system for spells allows you, the
different languages used by monsters and DM, to keep control of the spells used in
characters. You may select languages from die game. For example, you may wish to
This spell creates a missile of fire which the List of Common Languages, or you avoid Charm Person spells. You can avoid
explodes into a ball of fire of 20' radius may allow the player to choose. Or if you it simply by not giving it to the characters.
when it reaches the desired range or strikes wish, you can make up more language
a target. The Fire Ball inflicts 1-6 (Id6) names if you think they will be used in The first spell given should always be
points of fire damage for each level of the your games. (It is not necessary to actually Read Magic. This allows the character to
spell caster. Each victim within the area of make up the languages themselves!) For read scrolls found, and would be a basic
effect takes full damage unless a Saving example, if you read the "Monsters" sec- part of the character's training.
Throw vs. Spells is made. Even if the tion carefully, you will discover that a Rock
Saving Throw is successful, the victims take Baboon communicates with simple The second spell given to a beginning
half the rolled damage. For example, a Fire screams, and you may decide to allow this magic-user character should be fairly
Ball cast by a 6th level magic-user explodes "language" for player characters. Remem- powerful. You should avoid giving Detect
for 6-36 (6d6) points of damage. If the ber that the Undead do not have lan- Magic, Light, or Protection From Evil as
total roll is 24, all within the area who make guages. the second spell, as these are nearly the
their Saving Throws take 12 points of fire same as the cleric versions (easily acquired
damage. by a 2nd or higher level cleric).
LIST OF COMMON LANGUAGES
You may give any "second spell" to a
Fly 1. Bugbear 11. Harpy beginning elf character. The elf's many
Range: Touch 2. Doppleganger 12. Hobgoblin talents keep that character class balanced
Duration: Id6 turns +1 turn per level of 3. Dragon 13. Kobold with the others, whatever spells are known.
the spell caster 4. Dwarf 14. Lizard Man The player of an elf can feel useful in
Effect: Any one living creature 56.. EGlafrgoyle 15. Medusa many ways; the spell is an additional
7. Gnoll 16. Minotaur bonus, not the character's only specialty. A
17. Ogre or Giant magic-user character is different. The
This spell allows the caster (or a person 98.. GGonbolmine 1189.. OPirxeie magic-user has only one specialty — spells
touched) to fly. The spell will permit move- 10. Halfling 20. Other human — and suffers from low hit points, poor
ment in any direction and at any speed up Armor Class, and severe weapon restric-
to 120' per round. It will also allow the tongue tions.

person to stop at any point (as a Levitate For magic-user characters, good "second
spell). The person the spell is cast on has spells" are Charm Person, Magic Missile,
control over the flying. The exact duration Listening Sleep (all useful attack-type spells), and
Shield (a valuable protection).
is not known to anyone but the Dungeon Any character may listen for noises. This
Master. For example, a 5th level elf may fly, occurs most often at doors, but may occur
using this spell, for 6-11 (ld6 + 5) turns. anywhere. When an attempt at listening is

Hit Points made, the area must be quiet to result in
any success. At a door by a waterfall, for
example, listening is nearly impossible. If
A player who rolls a low number of hit the area is quiet, all the characters must
points for a beginning character may ask also be quiet to have any success. This
"Can I roll again?" means that everyone must stop and wait
There are three possible answers. What- while one or more characters listen, be-
ever system you use, apply it to all the cause armor, weapons, and other items
players fairly. make noise when moving.

18

Procedures and rules

The Floating Disc, Hold Portal, read 3. Set a standard description at the start of For all Morale Scores from 3 to 11, a
Languages, and Ventriloquism spells are the adventure for corridors, rooms, Morale Check is made twice after Combat
useful; however, the player of a beginning walls, and other typical features. For begins. For a single creature encountered
magic-user may feel useless in an adven- example, if you start by saying "A stan- alone, a Morale Check is made:
ture if "miscellaneous" spells (which in- dard corridor is 10' wide and 10' high," 1. When the creature is first hit (taking 1
cludes Read Magic) are the only ones you can simply say "standard corridor"
known. These spells make good "third instead of describing it each time. Stan- or more hit points of damage)
spells," when the character reaches second dard walls might be "made of stone 2. When the creature is reduced to Vt of
level. blocks, each 2' long and 1' tall, mor-
tared on all sides," and no further wall its starting hit points (damaged for 3/4 or
You may wish to give one spell to one description is needed unless it differs more)
beginning magic-user and a different spell from the Standard. 3. Groups of creatures, a Morale Check is
to another beginner. This increases the made for the entire group:
number of different spells available to a 4. When you design your own dungeons, 1. When the first death on either side
party. However, be sure to give spells fairly. use straight corridors and square rooms
Try to give one powerful spell to each, to at first. You may try other shapes and occurs (either a monster or charac-
avoid complaints of unfairness. twisty corridors when you and the play- ter)
Lost Spell Books ers are more experienced — but even 2. When half of the monsters are not
If a magic-user or elf character loses a spell then, it will still slow down the game. free to act — killed, magically asleep
book, the character has a big problem. or controlled, etc.
Nobody would allow the character to use a
borrowed book, and without a book the Morale (Optional) Retainer's Morale
character has no spells to memorize! You Morale is a measure of a creature's cour- A retainer's morale is determined by the
should always offer some method for the age, loyalty, and high spirits. It is optional employer's Charisma score, and is not
character to find a lost book or gain a new in your first games. The beginning Dun- checked for every situation occurring in
one. This should not be easy; it may in- geon Master should not use Morale until all the description above. Instead, a retainer's
volve paying a large sum of money (or an the other game mechanics have been morale is only checked during an adven-
unbreakable promise to pay in the future), learned. Morale should be added after ture if:
a special service or journey, dangerous everyone, both DM and players, has par- 1. The employer orders the retainer to
adventure, or some other method. Re- ticipated in 2 or more group games.
member that the character is heavily penal- endanger himself (or herself) while die
ized by die loss of the book, and the player In combat, any creature may try to run party is in less danger; or —
will probably not have much fun until it is away or surrender. A character may do 2. The retainer is damaged, and down to
recovered. this, but this is the decision of the player. V* of die original hit points or less
No PC can be forced to surrender or run if (damaged for % or more).
Mapping the player doesn't want to. Adjustments to the Morale Check
Mapping a dungeon is one of the biggest The DM may decide to adjust a Morale
problems for beginning players. You can To determine whether an NPC or mon- Check by a penatly of +2 or +1, no
make it easier by following some simple ster wants to surrender or run away, the adjustment, or a bonus of — 1 or - 2. For
guidelines: DM uses the creature's Morale Score, given example, if the monsters have slain a PC, a
1. Describe areas clearly and accurately. If with die monster's description. Good Mo- Morale Check is made, but widi a bonus to
rale (a high score) indicates a willingness to the roll; if no monsters have been killed, a
you make a mistake, tell the players keep fighting; bad Morale (a low score) — 2 bonus is applied, or - 1 if they have
right away, and make necessary correc- means that the creature may panic and try lost one or more of their group at the same
tions. to get away from combat. The Morale time. If die party is using a lot of magic
2. Use die same terms in descriptions, and Score is used when the DM Checks Morale against the monsters, the Morale may be
try to describe room details (size of the at certain times, by rolling dice. penalized, due to fear.
room, exits, creatures, other contents) How to Check Morale Results of the Morale Check
in the same order each time. If the When a Morale Check is necessary, the DM If a creature (or creatures) fail to make die
players become familiar with certain rolls 2d6: Morale Check, it (or they) will try to get
often-used terms, they can map more away from the battle. This could be a
easily. Some common terms for corri- If the result is greater than the creatures' Retreat or Fighting Withdrawal (see the
dors are: Morale Score, the creatures will try to stop Additional Rules section of the PLAYERS'
the fight or get away from it. MANUAL) or, if neither of those is possi-
Side passage (or Sideroad): A cor- ble, a Surrender. If an intelligent creature
ridor branches off to one side, but If the result is less than or equal to die Surrenders, it will usually offer treasure
the main corridor continues. Morale Score, the creatures will continue (from its lair or friends) as payment for its
to fight. life.
Four-way Intersection: Corridors When to Check Morale
branch off to both sides of the main A Morale Check is not made for any crea-
corridor. ture widi a Morale Score of 2 or 12. A
Morale of 2 means that the creature will
T-Intersection: The main corridor not fight. A score of 12 means that the
ends at an intersection where corri- creature will not quit, once it has begun to
dors continue left and right. fight.

19

Procedures and rules

Surrender: Though a creature may offer and so forth. This is not recommended for ready to go. Make up a retainer sheet, and
to surrender, the opponent (whether mon- beginners. The entire game system is care- start the game.
ster or character!) does not have to accept fully balanced, and a too-powerful item is
the offer, nor even stop fighting long very hard to get rid of, once it has been put If you AND THE PLAYERS decide to
enough to listen. The DM should play the into the game. When you start to include make the finding and hiring of retainers
role of a surrendering monster with care; your own creations, make them similar to part of the game, you should be ready for
remember that even non-intelligent crea- the things in this book, at first. Magic items the following situations:
tures will usually act reasonably and run usually have charges, monsters and charac- 1. The character will search for retainers.
from hopeless battles. ter classes all have strengths and weak-
nesses, and spells have definite uses, di- You should be ready to describe the
Multiple Characters vided between the two types. More items "local tavern" in town, or some other
are also given in the EXPERT and COM- location where retainers can be found.
You should not allow beginning players to PANION Sets. 2. Many "Normal Men," unsuited for ad-
play more than one character at the same venture, would apply for the job.
time. It can be hard enough to play the Questions Among them should be one or more 1st
role of one character; two or more can be level NPCs of the types sought. The
very confusing. However, when the players If you don't understand how something is details of the Normal Men need not be
are more experienced, you may consider done in the game, look carefully for the specified, but you should be ready to
this as an optional system. rules. Many answers can be found by re- describe them generally if the player
If you have two towns in your fantasy viewing all the rules after playing a few asks.
game world, you may allow each player to games. 3. The details of the NPC hired may be
have a character in each town. This can be Some of your remaining questions are made up, instead of rolled. You can
more interesting, and allows the players to answered in the D&D EXPERT Set, which assume that an NPC fighter would have
try different classes. gives rules for outdoor adventuring, NPC above-average Strength, for example.
specialists (such as Armorer and Spy), and Personality traits, such as "miserly" or
New Rules and Items many other situations. "hates elves") can add flavor to a game,
You may also find answers from other and help make the NPC memorable —
more experienced players in your area. and more fun for all.
During the play of the game, a player will Millions of people play D&D games, and Retainer Reactions
eventually try something not explained in you may find others at hobby shops, When the rate of pay is offered and thejob
these rules. schools, libraries, and other places. described, you should roll 2d6 to see if the
retainer accepts the job. You may adjust
If a character wants to do something that If you can't find an answer to your the roll by + 1 for good pay, or by - 1 for a
could be based on an Ability Score, a test of questions, you may write to the creators of poor offer. Charisma adjustments should
that score could be used. For example, if a the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. also apply.
huge boulder blocks the corridor and a Please enclose a self-addressed stamped en- If the characters are too poor to afford
Fighter says "I'll try to move it," this action velope, and print or type all your questions. the proper pay of a retainer, you may allow
is based on Strength. Two ways a DM Send them to: the retainer to accept a half-share of treas-
might decide to handle this are: D&D BASIC Questions ure found. With such an offer, add 3 to the
following die roll.
1. If the Strength score or less is rolled on TSR Hobbies, Inc.
ld20, the attempt succeeds. Penalties P.O. Box 756 RETAINER REACTION TABLE
for heavier objects are decided by the Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Dice Retainer
Roll Reaction
DM by adding a number to the roll. Retainers
2. If the Strength score or less is rolled on 2 Refuse, insulted*
3d6, the attempt succeeds. More or 3-5 Refuse
different dice are used for heavier ob- Be sure you are familiar with the rules for 6-8 Roll again
jects (4d6, 5d4, 3d8, 5d6, and so forth). retainers (PLAYERS' MANUAL, page 62). 9-11 Accept
If there are 3 or more players, no retainers 12 Accept, impressed**
Be sure to write down any rules you create, should be needed. However, if only I or 2
and apply them fairly to everyone. players are available, many dungeons may *Insulted: Reactions of other potential
These are only suggestions; you are free be too difficult for their characters alone, retainers in the area are penalized by —1.
to make up any reasonable rules and apply and you may allow them to find and hire
them as needed. However, remember that retainers. **Impressed: Retainers morale is high,
more rules are given in the D&D EXPERT This will only be necessary if there are for +1 bonus.
set, and even more in the COMPANION very few players and if the player charac-
and MASTERS sets. If you create a rule ters are not powerful enough to do well on Retainer Morale
and then find a different rule for the their own. Fighter characters can usually The morale of a retainer is a measure of
situation in one of these sets, the rule do well alone, as can clerics, dwarves, elves, the NPCs willingness to follow the PC in
should be changed to the official one. Just and halflings. the face of danger. If the morale score is a
tell the players that there is a change, to be First and foremost — if you want the high number (good morale), the retainer
fair to them. characters to take one or two retainers, go will stand fast, but if it is a low number (bad
ahead and do it. Don't worry about the morale), the NPC may run away in a
New Items and Monsters retainer reactions, pay rates, or other de- dangerous situation. The morale score is
tails. Assume that a retainer (or more if
Experienced Dungeon Masters often make you wish) has been found, hired for a price
up their own monsters, treasures, spells, (just tell the player the amount), and is

20

Procedures and rules

determined by the employing character's Ask the player what the Percentage Turning Undead
Charisma score (PLAYERS' MANUAL, p g e chance is for the skill used. If you keep
51). It may be adjusted due to PC actions, records of the characters (in addition to the Whenever a cleric character tries to Turn
rewards, and so forth. Retainer morale character sheets — such as index cards), be undead monsters, the player will roll 2d6
should be checked after each adventure, and sure that the thief's percentages are in and compare the total to the Turn Undead
may be checked during adventures. your records. Roll the Percentage dice. If chart (PLAYERS' MANUAL, page 25). If
the result is less than or equal to the chance the attempt at Turning the undead is suc-
Morale is an optional rule, fully ex- of success given, the attempt succeeds. cessful, the player will then ask you how
plained on page 19. Retainers should not many monsters are affected.
be used without also using the Morale A failed attempt will often simply have
rules. no result. The thief will know, for example, To determine the number at random,
that the lock has not been opened, that no roll 2d6. The result is the number of Hit
Sleep Spells traps were found, that the wall was not Dice of Undead affected. An easy refer-
climbed, and so forth. However, a failed ence chart is given.
Whenever a magic-user or elf casts a sleep attempt at Remove Traps may set off the
spell, the player will ask you for the effect. trap (DM's decision), or may leave it to be Optional: You may decide on the number
This powerful spell will affect any "nor- triggered when a certain action occurs of Undead Turned, without rolling, if de-
mal" creature with 4 + 1 Hit Dice or less. (opening the chest or door, lifting the item, sired. For example, you may place 15 skel-
There is no Saving Throw against its etc.). etons in an area, and give the cleric an
effects. Undead are not affected, nor are automatic maximum (12) Turned, leaving
magical or fantastic creatures (such as Attempts to Move Silently or Hide in 3 for the party to fight.
gargoyle, medusa, etc.). Shadows will always seem successful to the
thief. Only the DM knows for sure, based MUnodnesatedr HietacDhice (Optional)
To randomly determine the number of on the result of the roll. Skeleton MTauxrimneudm
creatures affected, roll 2d8. The result is Zombie 1
the number of Hit Dice affected. Ignore You may decide on any result without Ghoul 12
any additions or subtractions to the Hit rolling. For example, if a party is being Wight 2 6
Dice, and use the first Hit Dice number chased by an unbeatable monster and a WMuramitmh*y* 2 6
alone. For example, Lizard Men (2 + 1 Hit locked door stands between them and the 4
Dice each) are treated as 2 Hit Dice crea- exit, you may automatically allow an Open 3 3
tures. Goblins (1-1 Hit Dice) are treated as Locks attempt to succeed, to make the 4
1 Hit Die each. game more fun by allowing the party to 2
escape — possibly after fighting the crea- 5+1
A victim cannot be "partially asleep." For ture for a short time.
example, the spell is used against 5 Tiger *These monsters are explained in the D&D
Beetles (3 + 1 Hit Dice). You roll 14 (on Timekeeping EXPERT Set. They cannot be Turned by low
2d8). Four of the monsters fall asleep, level clerics, but are included here for use with
while the fifth attacks the party. The "extra You should keep a careful record of the higher level cleric NPCs.
2 Hit Dice" rolled are not used. time used by characters during an adven-
ture. Many spells have given durations, Higher Level Clerics vs. Undead
If cast at a mixed group of creatures, the movement is based on time, and your rolls
spell will affect the smallest ones first. for Wandering Monsters are based on Cleric
Example: The spell is cast at a group of 3 time. You may simply, make notes on the Level Wight Wraith Mummy
bugbears (3 + 1 HD) and 2 ogres (4 + 1 time used during an adventure, or you can
HD). You roll 12 on 2d8. All three bug- create a system (check marks, boxes to 3 9 11
bears fall asleep, but the ogres are not cross off, etc.) for keeping track. 47 9 11
affected. 5T 7 9
Transferring Characters 6T T
Optional: If you wish, you may select the 7T T 7
number affected instead of rolling dice. For A player may come to your game with a
example, you might place 7 Carrion character created somewhere else. If this T
Crawlers (3 + 1 Hit Dice) in a room and occurs, examine the character sheet care-
allow a maximum (5) to be affected by this fully. In general, you may allow the charac- A wraith looks like a shadow which flies,
spell, leaving 2 for the party to fight. ter to "transfer" into your game unless: and drains levels as a wight. A mummy
does not drain levels.
Thief Abilities (a) it is of a higher level than the other
characters in the game A monster cannot be "partially Turned."
All DMs should be familiar with the special For example: A cleric Turns some wights (3
abilities of thieves. If you are not, turn to (b) more or better magic items are HD each), and your roll is 8 (on 2d6). Two
page 44 of the PLAYERS' MANUAL and owned than by other characters wights (6 Hit Dice) run away; the 2 "extra"
read the descriptions. Most dungeon de- Hit Dice are not used.
signs include several traps for only thieves (c) if the money owned is more than
to (hopefully) find and remove, locks for 50% greater than the amount owned If an attempt at Turning Undead is
them to open, and sheer walls for their by any other character in your game. successful and more Undead remain, die
special climbing skills. cleric may Turn them again. Once a failure
Any one of these problems may be cor- to Turn occurs, further attempts by that
When a player says "My mief character will rected, simply by changing the details on cleric will have no effect.
try to . . . " and names one of these abilities, the character sheet. But if allowed to re-
you must roll to determine the success of main unchanged, any one of them can The Turned monsters will leave the
the attempt. Hear Noise is checked by ruin your game! If any changes are neces- area, but may return. They will stay away
rolling ldo; all the other abilities are sary, you should talk about them with die for 1-10 rounds (roll or choose a time).
checked by rolling Percentage dice (d%). player, in private, before the game. After the Turning "wears off," you may
decide whether the monsters return, or
make a Reaction roll. If the result of the
roll is 8 or more, the undead return.

21

Monsters

General Notes EXAMPLES: A Fire B m l e has 1 + 2 Hit If a monster is encountered on an upper
Dice; it has $-H> hit points (idS+2). A (easier) level of the dungeon, the number
Many types of monsters are listed on the Bugbear fcaj S + l Hll »«*;•» bat 4-25 encountered should be less than the number
following pages in alphabetical order. Mon- CSdS+libiijwvwt AGobSaiasJ-I Hit given. For example: Gnolls have 2 Hit Dice;
sters may be friendly or unfriendly, wild or Dice; it has 1-7 (M8-1) hit points, When they are second level monsters. On dun-
tame, normal animals or fantastic. The DM rolling for a Goblin's hit points, a result geon level 2, 1-6 (Id6) should be encoun-
uses these monsters as the friends and op- of 1 OR 2 would indicate I hit point. tered (the number given in the description).
ponents of the player characters. However, on dungeon level one, the num-
Dungeon Levels ber should be less; 1-4 (Id4) might be found.
Infravision
Many non-human monsters have infravi- Dungeons are often more than just a few If a monster is encountered on a lower
sion, in addition to normal sight. Infravision caves. In your first group adventure, the dungeon level than its Hit Dice, the number
is the ability to see 60' in the dark by seeing ruins of a castle were explored. The cellar appearing should be more than the number
heat (and the lack of it). Normal and magi- below that floor of the castle is left for you given. For example: On dungeon level three,
cal light makes infravision useless. Fire and to fill with monsters and treasures. This is 2-8 (2d4) gnolls might be encountered. On
other heat sources can interfere with in- called the "second level" of the dungeon. level 4, 2-12 (2d6) might be encountered —
fravision, much as a bright flash can inter- or more.
fere with normal vision for a short time. The least dangerous (easiest) level of a
dungeon is always called the "first level" of The DM may change the number appear-
To infravision, warm things seem red, the dungeon, or "dungeon level one." A ing as desired. These guidelines are not
and cold things seem blue. For example, a dungeon may be any number of levels deep. rules, but are offered to help in creating
party of characters hiding in darkness could In general, the deeper you explore in a good, fair dungeons. If low level characters
be seen as a group of reddish shapes. Some dungeon, the more dangerous it becomes. encounter tough monsters on the first and
bodies would seem a faint pink (armor), Tougher (higher level) monsters are dis- second levels of a dungeon, they might be
while others — an unarmored magic-user, covered — but the treasures should also be overpowered. Even using these guidelines,
for example — would be a brighter red. A larger. Dungeon levels and designs are ex- they might encounter dangerous monsters,
cold pool of water would seem a deep blue plained in more detail on pages 47 - 48. but in very small numbers. For example,
color. Even an item or creature which is the The Number Appearing for Bugbears is 2-8
same temperature as the surrounding air Monster Levels (2d4). Eight Bugbears can destroy a low-
(such as a table or a skeleton) can be dimly level party; using these guidelines, only 1-3
seen with infravision. A monster with 1 Hit Die is called a "first should be encountered on dungeon level
level" monster. A monster with 2 Hit Dice is
Note that a character (such as a thief of a "second level" monster, and so forth. Any Reactions
halfling) in complete darkness cannot hide "plusses" are ignored; for example, "2 + 1"
from a monster with infravision. Some light Hit Dice are treated simply as "2" for this Monsters may have nearly any reaction to
source must be nearby to interfere with the purpose. the appearance of a party, unless the mon-
monster's infravision, while casting shadows ster description says otherwise. To find the
in which the character could hide. Monsters are encountered most often on monsters' reactions, roll 2d6 and find the
the dungeon level equal to their level. For total on the left side of the Monster Reac-
Hit Dice example: A Goblin has 1-1 Hit Dice; it is a tion Chart. Use the chart to find the mon-
first level monster. sters' actions and any further rolls needed.
A monster's size and "toughness" is mea-
sured by its hit points. A monster's hit Therefore, most of the Goblins encoun- MONSTER REACTION CHART
points are determined by rolling eight-sided tered by a party will be found on the first
dice. The number of dice used to determine level of a dungeon. Goblins will be encoun- First Reaction
the monster's hit points is called the mon- tered less frequently on other levels of a Roll
ster's "Hit Dice." dungeon.
2 Immediate Attack
The more Hit Dice a monster has, the If encountered elsewhere in a dungeon,
bigger and tougher it is, and the more XP the difference between the monster's level 3-5 Possible attack, roll again*:
(experience points) it is worth. and the dungeon level is usually no more 2-8 Attack
than 2. 9-12 Uncertain, roll again*:
EXAMPLES A skeleton has 1 « i t Die; it 2-5 Attack
has 1-f* (MB) fan points. A Runt McxiMrr KXAMPIIA. Gobhn\ ha\c 1-1 Hit Dm 6-8 Leave
has •> Hit Dice; it hM 5-40 (5d»> hit Ihi*v aie most romnumlv found on the 9-12 Friendly
pninn * red draunti has I« Hit Dice, it lit Ifvrl of & duDKcou, but aic ijie\\
has W-W (lGd8.hu points found auv deeper than k \ U thrct. Bug- 6-8 Uncertain, roll again*:
lied! <• \u\e 3 + 1 Hit Dice Flit-v *i< RIONI 2-5 Attack
' M l l l l l l l l l * i l l ! I l l D l I I I I 1 I I i 1111 _• o h m (mind on dungeon Icul 3, hut nui Negotiate, roll again*:
bt t-nmunteml on level 1 Ihev are 6-8 2-5 Attack
penalty included, as a minus or plus num- idicK found lower than (luugcrm lr\rl "i
ber. This makes some monsters a little more 6-8 Leave
or less powerful than their Hit Dice would Number of Monsters 9-12 Friendly
indicate. 9-12 Friendly
The number of monsters normally encoun-
This number is added to or subtracted tered is given in each monster description as 9-11 Possibly friendly, roll again*:
from the total hit points rolled on all the Hit "Number Appearing." These numbers are 2-5 Uncertain, roll again*:
Dice. For example, 2 + 1 Hit Dice means "the used when the monster's level is equal to the 2-5 Attack
total of two eight-sided dice, plus one dungeon level. The Number Appearing 6-8 Leave
point," or 3-17 hit points. In monster de- should be adjusted if the monster's level is 9-12 Friendly
scriptions, the Hit Dice may be listed as 1-1 different from the dungeon level on which 6-12 Friendly
("one minus one"), 1 + 2,3 + 1, and so forth. they are encountered. The following guide-
Every creature has at least 1 hit point, line should be used: 12 Immediately Friendly
regardless of any subtractions.
22 *Wait 1 or more rounds, and consider character
actions, the speaker's Charisma, and the overall
situation before rolling again (as explained be-
low).

Monsters

Character Actions wants to get killed, and if the party looks or rolls and damage rolls are made the same
The actions of the PCs may affect the mon- acts fierce, many creatures can be scared way for both monsters and characters. The
sters' reactions. The characters may talk away or forced to surrender — although Monsters' Hit Table, however, is different.
(negotiate), or may use hand motions if the large and tough monsters probably won't In general, the bigger or tougher the mon-
creatures don't understand the PC lan- scare very easily. ster, the easier it hits.
guages. Your Reaction Roll may include an
adjustment to account for the actions of the You may find more information on the To find the Hit Roll needed by an attack-
characters. Adjustments from PC actions reactions and behavior of animals and other ing monster, find the monster's Hit Dice
could be a - 2 or - 1 penalty, or a + 1 or + 2 "normal" monsters at your local library. (always given in the description) on the
bonus, or no adjustment. chart. The Hit Chart for that monster is the
Effects of Charisma Combat line of numbers next to the Hit Dice. Part of
If the monster or NPC encountered can the chart is given here; the entire chart is
understand what is said by the PCs, the Running a monster in combat is usually given on page 49, for easy reference.
bonus or penalty due to Charisma is applied easier than running a player character. Hit
to the result, in addition to bonuses or penal-
ties due to Charnrtri \i tions Monster's MONSTERS' HIT TABLES
Hit Dice
up to 1 Defender's Armor Class
1+ to 2 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
2+ to 3 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ?0 20 20 20 20
3+ to 4 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20 20
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20

Negotiation Saving Throws sion. Some forms of "blindness" do not
Uncertain monsters may try to talk or Ne- involve sight! The bat and giant shrew, for
gotiate. If they can communicate somehow, When a character casts a magic spell at a example, "see" using sound, and may be
through words or hand motions, the mon- monster, the creature has a chance to avoid "blinded" by the cleric spell Silence 15'
sters may suggest that some sort of agree- the effects, just as characters do. Similarly, radius. The rule given is simply "the victim
ment be made. monsters have the same types of Saving of blindness may not move or attack." How-
Throws as characters — vs. Death Ray or ever, you may use the following optional
For example, a monster might fear the Poison, Magic Wands, and so forth. system if desired.
party, and offer to pay them if they will go
away! In exchange for its friendship, a Monsters' Saving Throws are found on A blinded creature may attack, but with a
hungry creature might ask for food. (A the Characters' Saving Throw Charts. In - 4 penalty on all Hit rolls. Anyone attack-
hungry animal might lick its lips, obviously every monster description, a Character ing a blinded creature gains a + 4 bonus to
hungry but apparently not wanting to at- Class and Level will be given for the DM to all Hit rolls, since the victim cannot properly
tack the characters.) A more intelligent find the creature's Saving Throw. This is defend itself. A blinded creature may move
monster might want a bribe, threatening to noted as "Save As: . . . " A full chart is given at xh normal speed, or up to % normal
attack unless the characters give it some- on page 49, for easy reference. speed if guided or led.
thing. This process of making offers and
discussing them is called Negotiation. In general, monsters make Saving A character cannot normally attack an
Throws as the character type to which they invisible opponent. However, if the magic-
A Chaotic monster will not necessarily are the most similar. Unintelligent monsters user spell Detect Invisible is used, the caster
keep its promises! Chaotics are not depend- make Saving Throws as if Fighters of a level may guide others, by words or actions,
able. There are many Chaotic monsters. equal to one-half of their Hit Dice. making attacks possible. The characters at-
tacking the invisible creature may be treated
A Neutral monster will usually keep its Special attacks as if blinded, using the guidelines given
word, especially if it could be risky to break above.
it. It will do what is best for itself. More Many monsters have Special Attacks, which Charm: Some monsters can enchant a char-
monsters are Neutral than either of the are mentioned in the descriptions. A char- acter so that the character is confused, be-
other Alignments. acter can usually avoid the effects of a lieving that the monster is a friend. If a
Special Attack if a Saving Throw is suc- character is the victim of a Charm attack
A Lawful monster will always do what it cessfully made (though Energy Drain has (from a Harpy, for example) and fails a
has promised; its word is as good as a no saving throw). Read the following expla- Saving Throw vs. Spells, the character is
written contract. However, there are very nations carefully, and refer to this section immediately Charmed. (Bargle, the magic-
few Lawful monsters. whenever Special Attacks are used in a user in your first adventure, Charmed your
Reactions can make the game much more game. fighter.)
fun than having fights. With some careful Blindness: In the Basic game, blindness
thought, a good DM can keep everyone may result from certain spells or actions, or A Charmed character is confused and
interested and challenged by the situations when fighting in the dark without infravi- unable to make decisions. The Charmed
that can arise. Remember that no creature character will not attack or harm the
23 Charming monster in any way, and will obey
simple commands from the creature if they
both understand a language (whether the
alignment tongue or some other language).
If the Charmed character does not under-
stand the monster's speech, the character
will still try to protect the monster from
harm. Charmed characters are too confused
to use any spells or magic items which
require concentration.

Monsters

If the Charming monster is killed, the failure to a number of hit points of mined by the weapon type.
Charm effect disappears. (A higher level damage. The failed Saving Throw may No. Appearing (Number Appearing): The
spell, Dispel Magic, can be used to break still cause death from damage, but often first range of numbers given here shows the
the Charm without killing the monster.) will not, and the game may continue. A number of monsters normally found in a
Energy Drain: This is a dangerous attack regular system of damage — such as 1, 2, dungeon room. If "0" is given, the creatures
form, with no Saving Throw allowed. If a 3, or 4 points per hit die of the monsters are not normally found in a dungeon. The
character is hit by an Energy Drain attack — is recommended. second range (in parentheses) gives the
(by a wight, for example), the character number found outdoors, in wilderness.
loses one Level of Experience! (A monster Monster Descriptions This is also the suggested number of mon-
would lose one Hit Die from this effect.) sters in a dungeon lair. In the wilderness
The Energy Drain removes all the benefits Each entry on the following pages has a lair, 5 times this number is suggested. If
of that Level — hit points, spells, and so description of the monsters, often including "(0)" is given, the creatures are not normally
forth — as soon as it occurs. The victim's notes on their behavior. A list of details is found outside of dungeons.
Experience Point total drops to the midpoint given above each description. These details
of the new level. are called the statistics for that monster. If a monster is found on a dungeon level
They are always given in the same order. different from its level (Hit Dice), the Num-
A 1st level character hit by an Energy Name: If the name of a monster is followed ber Appearing should be changed. This is
Drain attack is killed. There is normally no by an asterisk (*), then a special or magical explained fully on page 22, in the "Number
way to cure an Energy Drain. The character weapon is needed to hit that monster. You of Monsters" section.
can only regain the Level through normal should use these monsters with caution; Save As: The Saving Throw numbers for
adventuring and earning the Experience they are very dangerous to low-level charac- monsters are the same as those for character
Points all over again. ters. classes. The Saving Throws for all classes,
Armor Class: This number is based on including higher level characters and "Nor-
t'X \MPJ i. An adept with 2SO0 \ f sees several things, including the toughness of mal Men," are given on page 49.
i Wight, and \ti-ps tortvard in an attempt the creature's skin, its speed or agility, and Morale: This number is the suggested mo-
10 Turn ir Hie aneinpt fails and iht armor worn (if any). The DM may adjust rale of the monsters. Morale is an optional
ihaiacter i« sirmk bv the wight, l h e the AC for special situations. For example, a rule (explained on page 19), which is used in
.idq)t immedutfU heroines an aiolytc. hobgoblin is normally AC 6 (probably wear- combat to determine whether the monsters
with 7,'itl \'P In ttic fuilcntinif round of ing leather armor), but may be changed to run away, surrender, or fight to the death.
lumlwt tin' wight sitikw (lit: thiratter AC 2 if plate mail armor is somehow found Treasure Type: To find the treasure
and used by the creature. guarded by the monsters, compare the let-
aft-un, .tnd the .ILMKU- is kjllt-d bv tin." Hit Dice: This gives the number of eight- ter given here to the letters on the Treasure
sided dice (d8) used to find the monster's hit Types Chart (pages 40-41). Complete in-
Micro Dram points. Read the full explanation of Hit Dice structions for using the chart are given on
In the ll&D COMPANION' set, a high on page 22 to be sure you understand the that page. "Nil" indicates no treasure.
term.
lf\cl (K-rit spill can rctim a level lcwt If a Treasure Type is given in paren-
In I1 m 11{\ iii.mi If an asterisk (*) appears next to the Hit theses, it is the treasure carried by the
Paralysis: This effect "freezes" a character. Dice number, the monster has a special monster. If two Treasure Types are given,
If a character is hit by a Paralyzing attack ability (given in the description). Two or the first (in parentheses) is the treasure car-
and fails the Saving Throw vs. Paralysis, the three asterisks may be given, one for each ried, and the second is the treasure in the
character is unable to do anything. The special ability. Special abilities affect the
character is not dead, and a character cannot number of XP earned for defeating the monster's lair. If no parentheses are used, the
die from mere paralysis. monster, as explained on page 12. monster carries no treasure.
A paralyzed character remains awake, Move: This gives the movement rate for the
aware of what is happening, but cannot do monster. The number of feet the monster Alignment: Monsters may be Lawful, Neu-
anything that requires movement (includ- moves in one 10-minute turn is given first, tral, or Chaotic. Animals are usually Neu-
ing speaking, spell casting, and so forth) followed by the movement rate per round tral. A good Dungeon Master always consid-
until the paralysis ends. All attacks on a (for encounters). ers alignment when playing the role of a
paralyzed creature will automatically hit; only monster. Only intelligent monsters can
a roll for damage is made. Paralysis itself Some monsters have a second movement speak an Alignment language.
has no permanent effects of any kind. It rate. The first is the rate when walking, and XP value: The Experience Points to be
lasts for 2-8 turns (unless a different num- the second is a special form of movement, awarded for the defeat of ONE of that type
ber is given in the monster description). such as swimming, flying, or climbing. of monster are given here. However, the
The cleric spell Cure Light Wounds can be Attacks: This gives the number and type of DM may give more XP for monsters in
used to remove the paralysis, but will not attacks which the monster can use in one "tough" encounters, such as an attack on a
cure any damage when used for this pur- round. well-defended lair. See page 12 for more
pose. details on XP awards.
Poison: Poison is a danger to all characters.
If a character is hit by a poisonous attack (by Damage: If a monster hits a target, damage Description: A general description of the
a snake, for example) and misses the Saving is inflicted; the amount is given here as a monster's habits is given below the statistics,
Throw vs. Poison, the character will usually range. When a monster has more than one including details of any special abilities or
die. (In the D&D EXPERT rules, poison can attack in a round, the attacks and damages behavior. The following terms may be used:
be cured with a magic spell.) are given in the same order. "By weapon"
Poison Damage means that the monster always attacks with A Carnivore is a creature that prefers to
(Optional): Since "instant death" by poi- a weapon. The damage is either 1-6 or, if eat meat, and does not usually eat plants.
son can swiftly remove the fun of a Variable Weapon Damage is used, deter-
game, the DM may change the effect of

24

Monsters

An Herbivore is a creature that prefers to herbivores, looking for fruits and vegetables male. They are ferocious and have vicious
eat plants rather than meat. at night. If creatures approach their lair, the tempers. They do not speak a true lan-
apes will threaten them. If their threats are guage, but use simple screams to communi-
An Insectivore is a creature that prefers ignored, they will attack. They may throw cate warnings and needs.
to eat insects, rather than plants or red one stone per round for Id6 points each.
meat. White apes are not intelligent and are some- Bandit
times are kept as pets by Neanderthals
An Omnivore is a creature that will eat (Cavemen). Armor Class: 6
nearly anything edible. Hit Dice: 1
Baboon, Rock Move: 90' (30')
A Nocturnal creature is normally active Attacks: 1 weapon
at night, sleeping during the day. However, Armor Class: 6 Damage: By weapon
dungeons are often dark as night, and a Hit Dice: 2 No. Appearing: 1-8 (3-30)
nocturnal creature may be awake during Move: 120' (40') Save As: Thief: 1
"daylight hours" if found within a dark Attacks: 1 club/1 bite Morale: 8
dungeon. Damage: 1-6/1-3 Treasure Type: (U) A
No. Appearing: 2-12 (5-30) Alignment: Chaotic or Neutral
A monster's home is called its lair. Most Save As: Fighter: 2 XP value: 10
monster lairs are in dungeon rooms or Morale: 8
outside, hidden in the wilderness. Most Treasure Type: U Bandits are NPC thieves who have joined
monsters will defend their lairs fiercely. Alignment: Neutral together for the purpose of robbing others.
XP value: 20 Bandits will act as normal humans so they
Monster List can surprise their intended victims. Treas-
Rock baboons are larger versions of normal ure Type A is only found when bandits are
Animals, Normal and Giant: see Ape, Ba- baboons, and are more intelligent. They are encountered in their wilderness lair. Ban-
boon, Bat, Bear, Boar, Cat, Ferret, Rat, omnivores, but prefer meat. They do not dits may have an NPC leader of any human
Shrew, or Wolf. make tools or weapons but will pick up character class, who is one or more levels of
bones or branches to use as clubs. Rock experience greater than the bandits.
baboons form packs, each led by a dominant
Ant, Giant

Armor Class: 3 Bat
Hit Dice: 4*
Move: 180' (60') Giant Normal
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2-12 Armor Class: 1/4 (1 hit point) 6
No. Appearing: 2-8 (4-24) Hit Dice: 9' (3') 2
Save As: Fighter: 2 Move: 120' (40') 30' (10')
Morale: 7 (and see below) Confusion 180' (60')
Treasure Type: U (and see below) Flying: Nil 1 bite
Alignment: Neutral Attacks; 1-100 (1-100) 1-4
XP value: 125 Damage: Normal Man 1-10(1-10)
No. Appearing: 6 Fighter: 1
Giant ants are black ants about 6' long. Save As: Nil 8
They are omnivores, and will devour any- Morale: Neutral Nil
thing edible which lies in their path (no Treasure Type: 5 Neutral
reaction roll). Once engaged in combat, Alignment: 20
they will fight to the death, even trying to XP value:
cross flames to reach their opponents. The
nest-lair will always be guarded by 4-24 Bats are nocturnal flying insectivores. They Giant Bats: Giant Bats are carnivores and
giant ants. There are legends of giant ants often live in caves or abandoned buildings, may attack a party if extremely hungry. Five
mining gold, and there is a 30% chance that and find their way about by echo-location (a percent of all giant bat encounters will be
a lair will contain 1-10 thousand gp worth of type of radar using hearing and echos to groups of giant vampire bats, far more
nuggets. locate objects). Since they have very weak dangerous creatures (XP value 25). The bite
eyes, spells which affect sight (such as Light) of a giant vampire bat does no extra damage
Ape, White do not work on bats. However, a Silence 15' but its victim must make a Saving Throw vs.
Radius spell will effectively "blind" a bat. Paralysis or fall unconscious for 1-10
Armor Class: 6 rounds. This will allow the vampire bat to
Hit Dice: 4 Normal Bats: Normal bats will not attack feed without being disturbed, draining 1-4
Move: 120' (40') men but may confuse them by flying points of blood per round. Any victims who
Attacks: 2 claws around their heads. There must be at least die from having their blood drained by a
Damage: 1-4/1-4 ten bats to confuse one character. Charac- giant vampire bat must make a Saving
No. Appearing: 1-6 (2-8) ters who are confued have a — 2 penalty on Throw vs. Spells or become an undead
Save As: Fighter: 2 their Hit Rolls and Saving Throws and creature 24 hours after death. (If D&D
Morale: 7 cannot cast spells. Normal bats must check EXPERT rules are used, this may be a
Treasure Type: Nil morale each round unless they are con- vampire.)
Alignment: Neutral trolled or summoned.
XP value: 75

White apes have 1ost their col
years of living in caves. Thei

25

Monsters

Bear

Black Grizzly Polar Cave

Armor Class: 6 8 Armor Class: 6 5
Hit Dice: 4 5 Hit Dice: 6 1
Move: 120' (40') 120' (40') Move: 120' (40') 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite
Damage: 1-3/1-3/1-6 1-8/1-8/1-10 Damage: 1-6/1-6/1-10 2-8/2-8/2-12
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-4) 1 (1-4) No. Appearing 1 (1-2) 1-2 (1-2)
Save As: Fighter: 2 Fighter: 4 Save As: Fighter: 3 Fighter: 4
Morale: U 10 Morale: 8 9
Treasure Type: Neutral U Treasure Type: U V
Alignment: 75 Neutral Alignment: Neutral Neutral
XP value: 175 XP value: 275 450

Bears are well-known to all adventurers. If ing food. They are especially fond of such regions. They usually eat fish, but often
any bear hits one victim with both paws in treats as fresh fish and sweets. attack adventurers. These huge bears are
one round, the bear hugs its victim and good swimmers, and their wide feet allow
inflicts 2-16 points of additional damage in Grizzly bear: Grizzly bears have silver- them to run across snow without sinking.
that same round. tipped brown or reddish brown fur and
stand about 9' tall. They are fond of meat Cave bear: A cave bear is a type of giant
Black bear: Black bears have black fur and are much more likely to attack than grizzly bear which lives in caves and "lost
and stand about 6' tall. They are omnivores black bears. Grizzlies are found in most world" areas. It stands about 15' tall and is
but prefer roots and berries. A black bear climates, but are most common in moun- the most ferocious of all the bears. Though
will not usually attack unless it is cornered tains and forests. it is an omnivore, a cave bear prefers fresh
and cannot escape. Adult black bears will meat. It has poor eyesight but a good sense
fight to the death to protect their young. Polar bear: Polar bears have white fur of smell. If hungry, it will follow a track of
They have been known to raid camps, seek- and stand about 11' tall. They live in cold blood until it has eaten.

Bee, Giant Giant Bees are foot-long giant bees with There will always be at least 10 bees with
very nasty tempers. They often attack on their queen in or near the hive. At least 4 of
Armor Class: 1/2* (1-4 hp) sight, and will always attack anyone within these bees will have 1 Hit Die each. The
Hit Dice: 150' (50') 30' of their underground hive. If a giant queen bee has 2 Hit Dice and can sting
Move: 1 sting bee attack hits, the bee dies, but the creature repeatedly without dying. Giant bees make
Attacks: 1-3 + special stung must make a Saving Throw vs. Poison magical honey. If the honey of an entire
Damage: 1-6 (5-30) or die. The stinger will continue to work its hive is eaten (about 2 pints), it has an effect
No. Appearing: Fighter: 1 way into the victim, inflicting 1 point of like a half-strength potion of healing, cur-
Save As: 9 damage per round, unless a round is spent ing 1-4 points of damage.
Morale: See below pulling it out.
Treasure Type: Neutral
Alignment: 6
XP value:

Beetle, Giant

Fire Tiger Oil beetles that sometimes burrow under-
ground. When attacked, an oil beetle squirts
Armor Class: 4 4 3 an oily fluid at one of its attackers (a Hit Roll
Hit Dice: 1+2 2* 3+1 is needed; the range is 5'). If the oil hits it
Move: 120' (40') 150' (50') raises painful blisters, causing a — 2 penalty
Attacks: 120' (40') 1 bite + special 1 bite on the victim's Hit Rolls until cured by a
Damage: 1 bite 1-6 + special 2-12 Cure Light Wounds spell or until 24 hours
No. Appearing: 2-8 1-8 (2-12) 1-6 (2-8) have passed. If the spell is used to cure
Save As: 1-8 (2-12) Fighter: 1 Fighter: 2 blisters, it will not also cure damage. Oil
Morale: Fighter: 1 8 9 beetles can also attack with their mandibles
Treasure Type: 7 Nil U (horned jaws).
Alignment: Nil Neutral Neutral
XP value: Neutral 25 50 Tiger Beetle: Tiger beetles are 4' long
15 giant beetles with a striped carapace (a shell-
like covering) which looks like a tiger's skin.
Fire Beetle: Fire beetles are 2W long the back of its abdomen. These glands give They are carnivores, and usually prey on
creatures often found below ground. They off light in a 10' radius, and will continue to robber flies. They have been known to
are nocturnal, but may be active under- glow for 1-6 days after they are removed. attack and eat adventurers, crushing them
ground at any time. A fire beetle has two with their powerful mandibles.
glowing glands above its eyes and one near Oil Beetle: Oil beetles are 3' long giant
26

Monsters

Berserker Carrion Crawler This scavenger is a 9' long, 3' high many-
legged worm. It can move equally well on a
Armor Class: 7 Armor Class: 7 floor, wall, or ceiling. Its small mouth is
Hit Dice: 1 + 1* Hit Dice: 3+1* surrounded by 8 tentacles, each 2' long,
Move: 120' (40') Move: 120' (40') which can paralyze on a successful hit unless
Attacks: 1 weapon Attacks: 8 tentacles a Saving Throw vs. Paralysis is made. A
Damage: By weapon Damage: Paralysis tentacle hit does no actual damage. Once
No. Appearing: 1-6 (3-30) No. Appearing: 1-4 (0) paralyzed, a victim will be eaten (unless the
Save As: Fighter: 1 Save As: Fighter: 2 carrion crawler is being attacked). Unless
Morale: 12 Morale: 9 magically cured, the paralysis will wear off
Treasure Type: (P)B Treasure Type: B in 2-8 turns. Carrion crawlers are not nor-
Alignment: Neutral Alignment: Neutral mally found outside of dungeons.
XP value: 19 XP value: 75

Berserkers are fighters who go mad in Cat, Great
battle. Their reactions are determined nor-
mally, but once a battle starts they will Mountain Lion Panther Lion
always fight to the death — sometimes at-
tacking their comrades in their blind rage. Armor Class: 6 4 6
When fighting humans or human-like crea- Hit Dice: 3+2 4 5
tures (such as kobolds, goblins or ores), they Move: 150' (50' 210' (70') 150' (50')
add + 2 to their Hit Rolls due to this fero- Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite
city. They never retreat, surrender, or take Damage: 1-3/1-3/1-6 1-4/1-4/1-8 2-5/2-5/1-10
prisoners. No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-4) 1-2 (1-6) 1-4 (1-8)
Save as: Fighter: !2 Faighter: 2 Fighter: 3
Boar Morale: 9
Treasure Type: OQ o U
Armor Class: 7 Alignment: Neutral
Hit Dice: 3 XP value: Nueutral uNeutral 175
Move: 90' (30') Sabre-tooth Tiger
Attacks: 1 tusk 50 75
Damage: 2-8 Tiger
No. Appearing: 1-6 (1-6)
Save As: Fighter: 2 Armor Class: 6 150' (50')
Morale: 9 Hit Dice: 6 2 claws/1 bite
Treasure Type: Nil Move: 150' (50') 1-8/1-8/2-16
Alignment: Neutral Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite 1-4 (1-4)
XP value: 35 Damage: 1-6/1-6/2-12 Fighter: 4
No. Appearing: 1 (1-3) 10
Wild boars generally prefer forested areas, Save As: Fighter: 3 V
but can be found nearly everywhere. They Morale: Neutral
are omnivores, and have extremely bad Treasure Type: q 650
tempers when disturbed. Alignment:
XP value: ZJ

Nueutral

275

Bugbear The "Great Cats" are normally cautious and forests, and open shrub lands. They are
will avoid fights unless forced by extreme extremely quick and can outrun most prey
Armor Class: 5 hunger or when trapped with no escape over short distances.
Hit Dice: 3+1 route. Though they may be found in a
Move: 90' (30') relaxed or even playful mood, they are Lion: Lions generally live in warm cli-
Attacks: 1 weapon subject to rapid and violent changes of mates and thrive in savannah and brush
Damage: By weapon + 1 temper. They often develop a fondness for lands near deserts. They usually hunt in
No. Appearing: 2-8 (5-20) one type of food, and will go out of their groups, known as prides.
Save As: Fighter: 3 way to hunt that type of prey. The Great
Morale: 9 Cats rarely go deeply into caves, and usually Tiger: Tigers are the largest of the com-
Treasure Type: (P + Q) B remember a quick escape route to the out- monly found Great Cats. They prefer
Alignment: Chaotic doors. Despite their shyness, they are very cooler climates and wooded lands where
XP value: 75 inquisitive, and may follow a party out of their striped bodies offer some degree of
curiosity. They will always chase a fleeing camouflage, useful when hunting. They
Bugbears are giant hairy goblins. Despite prey. often surprise their prey (on a roll of 1-4 on
their size and awkward walk, they move Id6) when in woodlands.
very quietly and attack without warning Mountain Lion: This tawny-furred spe-
whenever they can. They surprise on a roll cies lives mostly in mountainous regions but Sabre-Tooth Tiger: Sabre-tooth tigers are
of 1-3 (on Id6) due to their stealth. When also inhabits forests and deserts. They will the largest and most ferocious of the Great
using weapons, they add +1 to all Hit and wander further into dungeons than any Cats. They have oversized fangs, from
Damage rolls because of their strength. other species of Great Cat. which they get their name. Fortunately,
sabre-tooth tigers are mostly extinct, except
Panther: Panthers are found on plains, in "lost world" areas.

27

Monsters

Centipede, Giant Dragon
Armor Class:
Armor Class: 9 Hit Dice: White Black Green
Hit Dice: 1/2 (1-4 hp) Move: 3 2 1
Move: 60' (20') 6** 7** 8**
Attacks: 1 bite Flying: 90' (30') 90' (30') 90' (30')
Damage: Poison Attacks: 240' (80') 240' (80') 240' (80')
No. Appearing: 2-8 (1-8) Damage: 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite
Save As: Normal Man No. Appearing: 1-4/1-4/2-16 2-5/2-5/2-20 1-6/1-6/3-24
Morale: 7 Save As: 1-4 (1-4) 1-4 (1-4) 1-4 (1-4)
Treasure Type: Nil Morale: Fighter: 6 Fighter: 7 Fighter: 8
Alignment: Neutral Treasure Type: 8 8 9
XP value: 6 Alignment: H H H
XP Value: Neutral Chaotic Chaotic
A giant centipede is a foot-long insect with Armor Class: 725 1250 1750
many legs. Centipedes prefer dark, damp Hit Dice: Blue Red Gold
places. The bite does no damage, but the Move: 0 -1 -2
victim must make a Saving Throw vs. Poison g** 10** 11**
or become violently ill for 10 days. Charac- Flying: 90' (30') 90' (30') 90' (30')
ters who do not make their Saving Throws Attacks: 240' (80') 240' (80') 240' (80')
move at xh speed and will not be able to Damage: 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite 2 claws/1 bite
perform any other physical action. No. Appearing: 2-7/2-7/3-30 1-8/1-8/4-32 2-8/2-8/6-36
Save As: 1-4 (1-4) 1-4 (1-4) 1-4 (1-4)
Doppleganger Morale: Fighter: 9 Fighter: 10 Fighter: 11
Treasure Type: 9 10 10
Armor Class: 5 Alignment: H H H
Hit Dice: 4* XP Value: Neutral Chaotic Lawful
Move: 90' (30') 2300 2300 2700
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1-12 Type Where Found Breath Weapon Range
No. Appearing: 1-6 (1-6) White Length x Width
Save As: Fighter: 8' Black 80' x 30'
Morale: 8 Green 60' x 5'
Treasure Type: E Blue 50' x 40'
Alignment: Chaotic Red 100' x 5 '
XP value: 125 Gold 90' x 30'
90'x 30750' x 40'
These man-sized shapechanging creatures Type Cold region Cold Spells (by level)
are intelligent and evil. A doppleganger is White Swamp, marsh Acid 123
able to shape itself into the exact form of Black Jungle, forest Chlorine Gas 3
any human-like creature it sees (up to 7' Green Desert, plain Lightning 4 ——
tall). Once in the form of the person it is Blue Mountain, hill Fire 3 3—
imitating, it attacks that person. Its favorite Red Anywhere Fire/Gas 4 4—
trick is to kill the original person in some Gold 333
way without alerting the party. Then, in the Breath Chance Chance of 4 44
role of that individual, it attacks the others Shape of Talking being Asleep
by surprise, often when they are already
engaged in combat. Sleep and charm spells Cone 10% 50%
do not affect dopplegangers and they make Line 20% 40%
all Saving Throws as Fighter: 8 due to their Cloud 30% 30%
highly magical nature. When killed, a dop- Line 40% 20%
pleganger turns back into its original form. Cone 50% 10%
Cone/Cloud 100%
5%

Dragons are a very old race of huge winged Weapons, have a great love of treasure, and
lizards. They like to live in isolated, out-of- will do everything possible to save their own
the-way places where few men are found. lives, including surrender. Breath Weapons,
Though the color of their scaly hide makes treasure, and surrender (subduing a
dragons look different, they all have quite a dragon) are all explained in the following
few things in common: they are all hatched description.
from eggs, are carnivores, have Breath

28

Monsters

Many dragons live hundreds or thou- Saving Throws: Each victim within a exceed 1,000 gp per hit point. The dragon
sands of years. Because of their long history, dragon's Breath must make a Saving may be forced to serve the characters who
they tend to think less of the younger races Throw. This is always the Saving Throw vs. subdued it. If a subdued dragon is ever
(such as Man). Chaotic dragons might cap- Breath, even if the breath is similar to ordered to perform a task which is appar-
ture men, but will usually kill and eat them another type of attack. If successful, the ently suicidal, the dragon will attempt to
immediately. Neutral dragons might either victim takes only '/a damage from the escape, and may try to kill its captors in the
attack or ignore a party completely. Lawful Breath. Dragons are never affected by the process.
dragons, however, may actually help a party normal or smaller versions of their Breath
if the characters are truly worthy of this Weapons, and automatically make their Sav- Age: The statistics given are for an average-
great honor. When playing a dragon, a DM ing Throws against any attack form which is sized dragon of its type. Younger dragons
should keep in mind that, because of its the same as their Breath Weapon. For exam- are smaller and have acquired less treasure;
pride, even the hungriest dragon will pause ple, a red dragon will take no damage from older dragons are larger and have acquired
and listen to flattery (if no one is attacking (and usually ignores) burning oil, and will more. Dragons generally range in size from
it, and if it understands the language of the always take only Vi damage from a fire-type 3 Hit Dice smaller to 3 Hit Dice larger than
speaker). magic spell, such as a Fire Ball. average. For example, red dragons could be
found having 7 to 13 Hit Dice, depending
Dragons are extremely powerful mon- Talking: Dragons are intelligent, and some on their age.
sters and should be used with caution when dragons can speak the Dragon and Com-
encountered by low level player characters mon tongues. The percentage listed under Treasure: Younger dragons may have col-
(such as those found in the D&D BASIC "Chance of Talking" is the chance that a lected as little as 'A to Vi the normal listed
rules). It is recommended that until charac- dragon will be able to talk. Talking dragons treasure; older dragons may have as much
ters reach the fourth and higher levels of are also able to use magic-user spells. The as double the listed amount. Dragon treas-
experience (see the D&D EXPERT rules) number of spells and their levels are given ure is only found in a dragon's lair. These
that only the youngest and smallest dragons in the chart. For example, "3 3 —" means lairs are rarely left unguarded, and are well-
be used. that the dragon can cast 3 first level spells hidden to prevent easy discovery.
Breath Weapon Damage: All dragons have and 3 second level spells, but no third level
a special attack with their "Breath Weapon" spells. Dragon spells are usually selected Gold Dragons: Gold dragons always talk
in addition to their claw and bite attacks. randomly. and use spells. They can also change their
Any dragon can use its Breath Weapon up shape, and often appear in the form of a
to 3 times each day. A dragon's first attack is Sleeping Dragons: The percentage chance human or animal. Gold dragons may
always with its Breath Weapon. The num- given under Chance of Being Asleep applies breathe either fire (like a red dragon) or
ber of points of damage any Breath Weapon whenever a party encounters a dragon on chlorine gas (like a green dragon), though
does is equal to the number of the dragon's the ground (flying dragons are never they still have a total of 3 Breath Weapon
hit points. Any damage done to a dragon asleep). Any result greater than the percent- attacks per day (not six). The type of Breath
will reduce the damage it can do with its age means that the dragon is not asleep used should be chosen by the DM to fit the
Breath Weapon. (though it may be pretending to be!). If a situation.
dragon is asleep, it may be attacked for one
After the first Breath attack, a dragon round (with a bonus of + 2 on all Hit Rolls), Dwarf
might choose to attack with claws and bite. during which it will awaken. Combat is
To determine this randomly, roll Id6: handled normally for the second and fur- Armor Class: 4
ther rounds. Hit Dice: 1
1-3: the dragon will use its claw and bite Move: 60' (20')
attacks; Subduing Dragons: Whenever characters Attacks: 1 weapon
encounter a dragon, they may choose to try Damage: By weapon
4-6: the dragon will breathe again. to subdue it rather than kill it. To subdue a No. Appearing: 1-6 (5-40)
dragon, all attacks must be with "the flat of Save As: Dwarf: 1
Shape of Breath: A dragon's Breath the sword." Thus, missile weapons and Morale: 8 or 10 (see below)
Weapon appears as one of three different spells may not be used to subdue. Attacks Treasure Type: (Q + S) G
shapes: cone-shaped, a straight line, or a and damage are determined normally, but Alignment: Lawful or Neutral
cloud of gas. this "subduing damage" is not real damage. XP value: 10
The dragon will fight normally until it
A cone shaped Breath begins at the reaches 0 or less hit points, at which time it Dwarves can also appear as NPCs, usually in
dragon's mouth (where it is 2' wide) and will surrender. The subduing damage does clan groups or as war or mining expedi-
spreads out until it is 30' wide at its furthest not reduce the damage done by the tions. For every 20 dwarves there will be one
end. For example, the area of effect of a white dragon's Breath Weapon. leader (level 3-8) who may have magical
dragon's Breath is a cone 80' long and 30' items. To check for possible magical items,
wide at its far end. A dragon may be subdued because it multiply the leader's level by 5. The result is
realizes that its attackers could have killed it the percentage chance for that leader to
A line-shaped Breath starts in the dragon's if they had been striking to kill. It therefore own a magical item from any one particular
mouth and stretches out toward its victim in a surrenders, admitting that the opponents subtable. Roll separately for each type (sub-
straight line (even downward). Even at its have won the battle but saving its own life. table) of magic treasure. Check all the subta-
source, a line-shaped Breath is 5' wide. bles except the Scroll subtable and the
A subdued dragon will attempt to escape Wand/Rod/Staff subtable. As long as their
A cloud-shaped Breath billows forth or turn on its captor if given a reasonable leader is still alive and fighting with them,
from the dragon's mouth to form a 50' x 40' chance to do so through the party's actions. dwarven morale is 10 rather than 8.
cloud, 20' tall, around the dragon's targets For example, a dragon left unguarded at Dwarves hate goblins, and will usually attack
directly in front of it. night, or who is ordered to guard a position them on sight.
alone, would consider these "reasonable
chances." A subdued dragon must be sold.
The price is up to the DM, but should never

29