I think I have said before how much I love magazines. Not just gaming magazines but magazines in general. Still gaming magazines have an exalted place in the realm of magazines. I have tried to get an example of all the different magazines I run across. I in many cases have tried to complete runs and in the case of Heroes this was something that could be done.
Heroes was the house magazine for Avalon Hill. It ran articles on the four role playing games they had at the time. These were James Bond, Lords of Creation, Powers & Perils and lastly RuneQuest. I know there is a reason to have a magazine dedicated to your games specifically but this limits your audience. I still prefer the older Dragons & White Dwarf magazines that ran articles on everything under the sun.
The articles in Heroes are great for the games that they support though. Since the print run on the magazine was only ten issues i have been able to go through all of them. Issue number fives stands out in my mind as being my favorite. I would have used the word best in place of my favorite but other issues are just as good. It is just that the content in issue five seems to be more portable than others.
Issue #5 had a total of ten articles and a special pull out section in it. It is the pull out section that sold me on the issue. The pull out portion is the Royal City of Donara. Donara is set in the Powers & Perils game but as in any city except for stat blocks they can be easily ported. I won't say this is a fully detailed city as the section is only nine pages in length. It would better be described a well sketched out city. It has twenty six neighborhoods and twenty two places of note described along with some history, policies, laws and statistics as well as important people described. It will not beat the Irilian offering from White Dwarf but it comes in second from what I have found.
The issue also has some other articles that make it worthwhile. There is an article on Powers & Perils magic items and then a larger companion piece on magic item creation in the game. There is also a piece on gambling for RuneQuest that could be ported. There is also an interesting piece on swordsmen from history and cinema. Finally there is the entry on the History of the Lunar Empire which I have a soft spot for fantasy history pieces.
It will not be for everyone and there are other issues that may be just as good but this one has stayed in my mind throughout the years. If you have not had a chance to check out Heroes magazine you might want to give at least one issue a try. You can usually find it fairly prices on eBay and I have even seen them in places like Half Price Books on occasion.
Spell:
Dodge
Level: Fifth
Range: Touch
Duration: Special
Ares of Effect: Creature Touched
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: None
With the casting of this spell the magic user causes the recipient to become impossible to hit for a period of time. The spell will grant the recipient a level of agility that will allow them to dodge any attack unerringly.
The recipient will be able to dodge any number of attacks per round. They will still be able to attack the standard number of times in the round as well. The ability to dodge is not due to a speed increase though that will appear to be the case as a result of the ability to dodge so many attacks. There is no speed increase and the movement rate and attack speed stay the same.
The dodge ability will extend to both missile and melee combat. The recipient is even able to dodge attacks that normally can not be dodges such as missiles from the Magic Missile spell. The recipient will even dodge attacks they cna not see such as surprise attacks from behind.
The spell will remain in effect for a different period of time depending who it is cast on. If it is cast on the magic user then it will last one round for every two levels. If it is cast on anyone else it drops to one round for every three levels.
The material component of this spell will be a mixture of dragonfly wings and essence from a will-o-the wisp. The mixture will cost no less than 200 gp to make. The mixture is not used up in the casting buy will ony remain fresh for a period time. It will remain viable for 3-6 months before it must be refreshed.
Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.
"Go to the sign of Marvel's Axe, a dubious inn on the edge of the Thieves Quarter, in the City of Greyhawk, and look to your own wrist. If you perceive a bracelet and dangling dice, watch for the next throw in the war between Law and Chaos and be prepared to follow the compelling geas." -Signal
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1 comment:
Oooh! I like "Dodge."
Thanks for sharing. I've never seen Heroes -- yeah, just weird that way.
But now I'll have to check it out.
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