III-24: The Natives Are Restless, Annotated

Page 24

 

Player/Character Support And Upkeep: how often should the 1% of XP gold piece cost be deducted? We went with weekly or any portion thereof spent within the town or city limits. 

Baronies: contains useful guidelines for setting up a barony, whether for a player-character or for the referee’s campaign. 

Tourism: we feel this choice would require some imagination for this not to feel like an anachronism. Fortunately, most referees have this in abundance. 

Angry Villager Rule: the threat of this is typically enough to keep players in line. We have never heard of anyone having to use this more than once. 

Other Worlds: contains suggestions for a creative referee to put to use in this paragraph.

IMC: Caitians & Saurids

Caitians put a lot of time into their manes and don't like having them touched. They agile, quick, but not as strong overall as the other PC races. 

 

Female Caitian

Male Caitian

Saurids are strong but not so nimble. The female has lighter coloration overall but there is little to distinguish the two sexes.

Saurid

III-23: More About Hirelings, Annotated

Page 23

 

Men-At-Arms: no hobbits or gnomes included. We have also wondered why elves do not have light foot and light horse. 

Obtaining Specialists & Men-At-Arms, and Rumors, Information, and Legends: they work the same way. The players ride into town, spread a bit of money around, and wait for results. Preferably at the local tavern. The only difference is the amount of money.

III-22: NPCs That Work For The Player-Characters

Page 22

 

Specialists, Alchemists: we quickly expanded the role of these in our campaign. They were able to function as auxiliary magic-users, not just for brewing potions but writing scrolls and researching spells and magic items.

III-21: Lost Castle Construction Lore, Annotated

Page 21

 

Barbican: on this page of illustrations, in every printing after the first and before the eighth, the barbican is smudged. The drawings in the first printing are different, though the items depicted are the same. 

Lost Lore: appearing in the first printing is a short table labeled Other Construction and Equipment Costs. Costs for moats, earthworks, palisades, and various siege machinery are listed; nine lines total.

III-20: Running Through The Woods, Annotated

Page 20

 

Evading In The Wilderness: as one may well expect, the bigger the party the more difficult it is for that party to evade pursuit. 

Pursuit In The Wilderness: if the party is in pursuit it incurs some hefty resting penalties. In addition, while resting the number of wandering checks increases to two per day. 

Construction of Castles And Strongholds: constructing a fortress is a substantial investment on the part of players.

IMC: Classes

Fighters: the best at fighting but with poor magic skills.

Magic-Users: the best at magic but with poor fighting skills.

Clerics: reasonably good at fighting and spell-casting.

Scouts: Greyhawk thieves of any alignment (including Law) and tracking skills.

Druids: Neutral nature priests, though NPCs druids are generally bad news.

III-18 & 19: Not All (Monsters) Who Wander Are Lost, Wilderness Redux; Annotations

Page 18-19

 

Wilderness Wandering Monsters: extensive tables based around the type of terrain and including specific chances of getting lost. There is up to a 50% of losing one’s way in mountains and swamps, and even in the city a 17% of getting off-track. 

With regard to city based wandering monsters: why so many undead? Any city encounter is 50% likely to yield an undead encounter, the other type of encounter will be man. It presents an interesting point to ponder with regard to city adventures. 

The “optional” encounter tables in particular have a large number of monsters the referee must fill out for himself: Barsoomian creatures, dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures such as cave bears and sabre-tooth tigers, etc. There are also “normal” insects, vermin, and animals listed though the referee is advised they will generally be of the giant variety … 

 

The NPC adventuring party has a pretty good odds of having at least a few useful magic items. Referees relying solely upon random generation of these items may inadvertently allow unbalancing items into his campaign.

III-17: Off The Beaten Path, Annotated

Page 17

 

Terrain Penalties: Outdoor Survival (OS) is referred to once again, and once again the rules are listed anyway. We questioned this the first time we read the rules, and recall it often when the criticism you need other rules to run it is levied against these rules. In truth the pertinent information is usually included. We wonder if perhaps Gygax was encouraging readers to use the resources listed (or ones like them) to come up with their own rules. 

 

Rest: dragons apparently wear themselves out flying. If their appetite matches their weariness (referee voice: heh-heh) then the surrounding countryside is in for it. A mob may come looking for the dragon’s rider to address restitution. 

Scale: 5 miles per hex is official but many referees, ourselves included, switched to 6 miles per hex to be easier to divide into movement rates. 

Turn: further obfuscating the usage of turn we have a wilderness turn being equal to a day.

III-16: Into The Wilds, Continued; Annotated

Page 16

 

Guards: besides the Lord or Lady of the castle, there will be a number of lieutenants and troops with whom the party must contend. 

 

All in all, the wilderness takes form as a dangerous place and perhaps left for when parties have sufficient funds to hire men-at-arms or are at least mid-level. 

Movement Tables: include numbers for travel by land, water, and air. This list contains a good number of examples, useful for extrapolating movement rates for other types of conveyances. 

Large Party Movement: we do not recall running parties of 1,000 or more. Should one desire to do so, however, guidelines are given here.

III-15: Into The Wilds, Annotated

Page 15

 

The Wilderness: introduces us to the concept of the wilderness as an milieu much like the Underworld, as opposed to merely forests and caves, respectively. 

 

We have heard some gamers intimate the comparison of Blackmoor as a one-horse town to the city of Greyhawk as a subtle slur against Arneson. We feel this is not likely, as both descriptions are quite accurate and the two were still collaborating at this point in the game’s history. 

Last of all we are introduced to The Avalon Hill Game Company’s Outdoor Survival as an adjunct to running a campaign. The map is handy, but the rules themselves have some utility and can be adapted for use. 

Castles: there is an even chance encountering a castle means dealing with its inhabitants. Depending upon the alignment of the respective parties, it would seem the easiest a wandering party can get away from the encounter is by paying a toll of 100 to 600 gold pieces. There are chances of losing one’s armor, getting sent on a geas and having magic items removed from the party, paying a tithe of all their money and jewels, or being sent on a quest. Of course, there is also the possibility of battle with a hostile force.

III-12 thru 14: Cursing The Thoroughness of the Reader, Annotated

Pages 12-14

 

Example of Play: a very good, useful (if short) example of running a session. Even in this basket of gems there is a stand-out … REF: (Cursing the thoroughness of the Caller!) This may have fuled rumors to the effect early campaigns tended to be “player versus referee.”

IMC: Racial Drawbacks

Rather than level caps or class restrictions, we have used disadvantaged ability score rolls to offset the advantage score rolls accorded to non-human player-characters (roll 4d6, drop highest).

Disadvantaged Ability Rolls

• Human: none
• Caitian: STR
• Dwarf: CHA
• Elf, High: STR
• Elf, Wood: INT
• Gnome: STR
• Hobbit: STR
• Saurid: DEX

III-9 thru 12: Not All (Monsters) Who Wander Are Lost; Annotations

Pages 9-12

 

Underworld Monsters

 

Taken as one section since these pages all tie together rather neatly. 

Sighting Monsters and Surprise: a regular sighting takes place just out of melee range, a minimum of 20’; and at a maximum of 80’. Surprise greatly reduces the distance and therefore PC reaction time. At no place in the text does the surprise/complete surprise mentioned, though they become a part of the rules in later editions. 

Wandering Monsters: an excellent way to keep adventure parties moving. Every turn there is a 17% chance of something coming upon the PCs. While this may not necessarily result in combat, chances it will. Especially if a party is prone to hack-and-slash as opposed to negotiation. 

Monsters Determination And Level Of Monster Matrix

Note how the hit dice of encountered monsters is variable. Not just on the individual tables, but also according to a random die roll dictating an upper or lower table be used to generate encounter. 

Monster Level Tables: many of the creatures appearing are not actually detailed in Volume II: Monsters & Treasure. Examples from the various tables follow.

• Table 1: giant rats, centipedes, spiders
• Table 2: lizards, thouls
• Table 3: giant hogs, giant ants, giant snakes, giant weasels
• Table 4: giant beetles, giant scorpions, white ape
• Table 5: none
• Table 6: none

Historical note: centipedes, referenced in Table 1, are the first monster encountered in the first dungeon Gary Gygax ran. 

Tables include various PC parties, which some referees ran as homogeneous parties composed of the listed type of PC. Still others ran them as a higher level PC of the indicated type with various lower level hirelings of differing classes. 

Number of Wandering Monsters Appearing: advice for increasing number of monsters encountered based upon level of party. So even if higher Hit Dice monsters are indicated by the table on page 10, the encounter should still be altered based upon the party. This is reinforcing Gygax’s emphasis on altering results to suit the game, not just blindly doing whatever the dice and rules dictate. 

Hidden Rule: most referees would allow that hobgoblins are roughly human sized (1+1 hit dice). In the second section of this entry, appearing on the next page, we read […] how many [hobgoblins] can come abreast down a typical passage in the dungeons? Allow perhaps 3 in a ten foot wide passage, and the balance will either be behind the front rank or fanning out to come upon the enemy by other routes. We used this as a basis for a 3-man front line in a party while in 10’ corridor. Accurate? It worked, and we still use that ruling to this day. But looking back, we wonder if 3 armed and armored fighting men side by side in a 10’ corridor would actually work at all.

IMC: PC Classes & Races

Classes Allowed

• Fighter
• Magic-User
• Cleric
• Scout
• Druid
• Other (see below)

Other classes are subject to referee approval. Any pre-1983 class should be okay but please do not assume. Any custom class or multi-class should be written and presented to the Dungeon Master prior to play.

Races Allowed

• Human
• Caitian
• Dwarf
• Elf, High
• Elf, Wood
• Gnome
• Hobbit
• Saurid

High elves are those as presented in OD&D, wood elves are more rustic but far more commonplace in the Realm. Caitians are feline humanoids. They are quick and intelligent, but not very strong. Saurids are evolved bipedal saurid humanoids, they are strong and hardy.

Non-human races get no racial bonuses with the exception of ability score adjustments as below. All will speak their racial language, Common, and alignment.

Race & Class

Any race can be any class desired with no level caps, though some choices may elicit comment from the peasantry. Certain races prefer certain classes, these choices allow the 5% or 10% XP bonus, other choices do not. Preferred classes by race are:

• Human: Any
• Caitian: Magic-User, Thief
• Dwarf: Fighter, Cleric, Fighter/Cleric
• Elf, High: Fighter, Magic-User, Fighter/Magic-User
• Elf, Wood: Fighter, Druid, Fighter/Druid
• Gnome: Fighter, Cleric
• Hobbit: Fighter, Scout
• Saurid: Fighter

Ability Score Rolls

For certain abilities, races will roll 4d6 and drop lowest. Human do not gain this advantage, but they gain an XP bonus for prime requisite no matter their class and also roll saving throws with an advantage (roll two d20, use highest score).

• Human: None
• Caitian: DEX, INT
• Dwarf: STR, WIS
• Elf, High: INT, DEX
• Elf, Wood: WIS, DEX
• Gnome: INT, CON
• Hobbit: CON, DEX
• Saurid: STR, CON

III-8 & 9: It's A Move, It's A Turn, Both, Neither! Annotated

Pages 8-9

 

Unguarded Treasures: cautions us to against making unguarded treasure, presumably in response to bullet point #2 on the previous page, easily visible or obtainable. 

 

Maintaining Freshness: raises a point that may not occur to even experienced referees. A large, multi-layered underworld dungeon (mega-dungeon in modern gaming circles) need not, and arguably should not, be static. The denizens will alter areas to suit their needs or respond the PC party’s incursion into their domain. New areas and level may open up in response to various forces at work. 

 

The Move/Turn In The Underworld

 

We are introduced to the concept of movement based timekeeping. Moving so far causes a discrete amount of time to elapse; the turn. A turn is equivalent to 10 minutes of in-game time. This will help resolve the duration of spell effects and light sources, among many other aspects of the game. This section also introduces many other staples of a typical D&D session. 

 

• Mapping movement versus fleeing
• Rest
• Searching
• Melee and combat turns
• Secret passages, stuck doors, spiking doors
• Traps
• Listening at doors
• Light sources underground
• Fireballs and lightning bolts as “tactical nukes” that just may turn around and bite the caster

III-7: Stocking The Underworld, Annotated

Page 7

 

Distribution of Monsters And Treasure: 

 

• 33% of of rooms should have a monster. The text suggests use of the Monster Level Tables on page 10 is suggested for inspiration.
• Half of all rooms inhabited by monsters contain some kind of treasure.
• 17% of empty rooms will have treasure. This treasure will always have silver with chances of other types of loot being present as well, based upon the level beneath the surface.

III-6: Wrapping Up Tricks & Traps, Annotated.

Page 6

 

Other tips and traps are included beneath #8 and intended to be a part of the explanation for the sample floor plan. These include tips about access upward and downward, and on the other hand not making treasure too easy to get to. 

 

Tricks And Traps: the sample floor plan has some great ideas but this section includes even more tried and true gimmicks for the referee, all of which have become classic. This area also contains some more tips for setting up a dungeon. Study of this page will serve a neophyte referee well.

Hidden Rules, A Summary

I've collected all the rules I've called hidden rules whilst I was doing my annotations for OD&D. These are useful bits buried in places one would not expect to find them, thus "hidden."

Hidden Rule #1

Missile Fire Ranges: OD&D lacks any information regarding missile ranges. Or does it? My first hidden rules in the annotations contained these:

Volume II: Monsters & Magic p. 10, Manticores; the rules state (...) with the range (18”) accuracy and effect of a crossbow.

The Nixies listing on p. 15 of the same volume gives javelins a 6” throwing range.

Volume III, Miscellaneous Weapons states the range for thrown axes, war hammers, and possibly spears (depending upon how one parses the description) a thrown range of 3”. All ranges are considered Medium with regard to modifiers, no Short or Long ranges.

Hidden Rule #2

Light Sources: as with missile ranges, nothing is stated explicitly in the section regarding illumination. With a bit of reading however, the light spells of the magic-user and cleric give us a starting point: cast light in a circle 3” in diameter. This is somewhat less than Dr. Holmes would give a torch in his Basic D&D "blue" book, he uses 3" radius, but it is a decent starting point.

Hidden Rule #3

Set Weapon versus Charge: under the entry for (magical) Spears we read [a]dditionally, if something impales itself upon the spear, damage will be double or even treble if the force is sufficient. This was often used as “set against charge” rule for any spear or polearm in many campaigns.

Hidden Rule #4

Partial Armor: how often does a monster strike at an unprotected head? On this page we find a guideline. It (the magic helm) does not protect in the same way as Magic Armor, so if it is worn in combat any hit upon its wearer should be given a 10% of striking the helm and smashing it (parenthetical comment added). With a little work this could be expanded into a house-rule for partial armors, if the referee so desired. 

Hidden Rule #5

Gaze Attacks: the description for looking into this item (a mirror of life trapping) and falling victim to it gives a very good guideline for any gaze attacks: If it is openly displayed there is a 90% chance an unsuspecting creature will look full within it and be trapped. There is only a 10% chance a knowing person will be unable to avoid looking into it. Stumbling upon Medusa unprepared gives a 90% chance of meeting her gaze, if you’re ready you have a 1 in 10 of meeting her eyes and getting “stoned.”

Hidden Rule #6

How many adventurers can fight side-by-side in a 10' corridor? Using this rule can lead to some good PC tactics, such as using narrow passages to ameliorate a enemy's superior numbers. 

Hidden Rule: most referees would allow that hobgoblins are roughly human sized (1+1 hit dice). In the second section of this entry, appearing on the next page, we read […] how many [hobgoblins] can come abreast down a typical passage in the dungeons? Allow perhaps 3 in a ten foot wide passage, and the balance will either be behind the front rank or fanning out to come upon the enemy by other routes. We used this as a basis for a 3-man front line in a party while in 10’ corridor. Accurate? It worked, and we still use that ruling to this day. But looking back, we wonder if 3 armed and armored fighting men side by side in a 10’ corridor would actually work at all.

Hidden Rule #7

Rowed Ships On The Open Seas: a nearly hidden rule allows the use of Viking longships on the open sea, as opposed to other types of rowed vessels because they were pierced high on the freeboard.

How It Begins & How It Ends

Reflections On A Revolutionary Game

Once upon a time, long, long ago ... 

I love the sense of wonder and "let's pretend" this phrase evokes. It was typed by a master story-teller named Gary Gygax, who was in turn inspired by the genius of Dave Arneson. It recreates childhood play sessions of knights fighting dragons, cowboys exploring the Old West, and Superman flying in to save the day. It was the perfect introduction.

Fight on! 

This tells us the story doesn't end here! Maybe a hero fell, perhaps this is the end and another will step forward to take his place. Or maybe, just maybe this is not the end for that hero but merely a setback. It's fantasy, anything can happen.



 

III: 4 & 5: Wicked, Tricksy, Trapsy Referee, Annotated

Page 4-5

 

The second map we are presented with is a sample level but we feel this is a misnomer. It is more of a map containing a sampling of … well … samples. It does illustrate some rather important principles, though these may not be explicitly stated. Numbers here correspond to the numbered points on page 5. 

 

1. A map-based puzzle maze. The only way to exit is to solve the puzzle. Only … how did the players end up there in the first place? A myriad of options present to the imagination, but none are listed in the text.
2. Another maze with a secret exit. Besides the threat of wandering monsters, a very real one as we will learn later, four ogres lurk in the heart of this maze.
3. An area specifically designed to confound mappers. As if the mazes were not enough. An interesting entry in light of the current mode of thinking regarding making the adventure as easy on the player-characters as possible. No, here we see the referee doing the opposite.
4. A slide trap to a lower level, and a room with corridors designed to funnel the players into an encounter with a basilisk.
5. A nasty set of traps and unless you’re out to get your players it is not suggested for actual use (emphasis added). This one includes an unnoticed trip to a lower level, a transporter to wherever the referee imagines such as the center of the earth, and a transporter creating the illusion of an endless corridor.
6. A clever shifting wall trap that may also be applied to staircases.
7. A nice modular area designed to give players and mappers fits.
8. Another encounter area leading to some evil man in one area and a true troll or two perhaps in another. We feel the original version of this area was bit easier to understand, having the tunnel more clearly delineated. Subsequent printings changed the white background to black and this detail was obscured in those printings (though it is mentioned in the text).