================================================================ || || || DRAGONQUEST Newsletter Summer 1999 || || || || Volume 5 / Number 5 || ================================================================ The DQ Newsletter is for discussions of the DragonQuest role- playing game. The key addresses you need to know are: Rodger Thorm (Editor, Article Submissions, Etc.) dqn@ntsource.com All articles are copyrighted property of their respective authors. Reproducing or republishing an article, in whole or in part, in any other forum requires permission of the author or the moderator. The DragonQuest Newsletter website is at: http://www.ntsource.com/~psproefrock/dqn.html [if you are typing it, note that the server _IS_ case-sensitive!] This site will be updated soon. It will contain the most recent issue of the newsletter as well as links to (ftp) archives and other DragonQuest related sites. I'm still working on this, but recently the DQN-list has been the priority. The DragonQuest Newsletter listserv information can be found at: http://www.egroups.com/list/dqn-list/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- C O N T E N T S [v5/n05] ================================================================= Editorial – DragonQuest.org Letters -- none Alertness and Surprise -- David Mason Cross-College Study Ritual -- John Carcutt Creatures: Tasloi -- Papyrus Advertisements DragonQuest URLs Survey URL ----------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: DragonQuest.org ================================================================= For those of you who don't know the news already, the DragonQuest Players Association (DQPA) has finally launched its www.DragonQuest.org website. This site is the same one that John Carcutt (aka Ax'l Adams) has been maintaining for some time now, but the name change is one more step forward in the whole process with the DragonQuest community. Things are moving forward as well with the organization of the DQPA. The DQPA main web page reports, "Acting President John Rauchert formed a committee of members to organize the first DQPA meeting. This POSSE (President's Organizing Subcommittee for Substantial Events) meet online and started discussion on defining the DQPA Offices. After some initial technical problems, the meeting went fairly smoothly, and progress was made. The next POSSE meeting has been set for Friday, so these guys are not messing around." More details about these developments will hopefully be coming from the DQPA leadership shortly. There were also a number of DragonQuest players who attended the Origins conference earlier in July in Columbus OH. Again, if any of the participants/attendees has anything to say about how those events went, we would be glad to hear about it. Rodger Thorm DQN Editor ------------------------_L_E_T_T_E_R_S_-------------------------- ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- ALERTNESS AND SURPRISE -- David Mason ================================================================= I use 5 levels of alertness, which are assigned based on party wishes and actions. When a party encounters another group, they roll a perception check. If they achieve a greater or equal level of difficulty, they are not surprised. Whichever group succeeds by the greater amount finds the other first. The levels of alertness are: 0 Unconscious, deeply asleep or otherwise incapacitated. (no chance) 1 In an area believed completely safe (such as one's own home or chamber) or normally asleep. 2 Normal daily life 3 Strange or conceivably dangerous or interesting. Most overland travel is at this alertness 4 High alertness. Probable danger in the area. Maintaining this level cost 1 fatigue per hour 5 Extreme alertness. This is the level of paranoia that people expecting attack any minute have. It is exhausting (1 fatigue each 10 min) Example A Party traveling through the forest cross paths with a band of Orcs. The party expect danger so their alertness is 4, the orcs are a hunting expedition with alertness 3. Both parties have alertnesses of 15 for all members (for simplicity). The party roll 44 (difficulty level 3 so succeed by 2 levels) the orcs roll 38 (also level 3, pass by 1 level). The party spots the orcs first and have the chance to act before being spotted. If their actions could affect the chance of the orcs detecting them, the orcs may need to make further perception checks. -- David Mason ----------------------------------------------------------------- CROSS-COLLEGE STUDY RITUAL -- John Carcutt ================================================================= (Author's Note: These rituals are organized similar to the counterspell rituals.) [32.5] A character may employ Ritual Magic to learn specific spells from colleges of magic other then his own. Using a ritual of Cross College Study, an adept may attempt to learn a spell from a college of magic other than his own. There are 24 rituals, one for each general and special knowledge section of each college. To employ the ritual for a specific college section, the adept must first know the ritual. Adepts are given the rituals that effect his college as part of the General Knowledge gained when entering the college. Adepts may learn the rituals for any other college with instruction from an adept of the college or from texts. Normal costs and time associated with learning new spells apply. To perform this ritual, the adept must know the appropriate ritual for the college and section the spell he wishes to learn is in and specify in advance which spell is to be learned. Also, the adept must have the tools necessary to learn the spell available during the ritual, either a text or an adept willing to teach the spell. This ritual is performed in a manner similar to other rituals and takes 8 hours to complete. Only spell magic may be learned though this ritual. Talent magic and Ritual magic may not be acquired using this ritual. Spells learned through this method count as 2 spells when determining the number of spells an adept may know at rank 5 or below. The maximum Rank an adept may achieve with a spell from a college other than his own is equal to his MA. Exp. Multiple: 300 EP for General / 500 EP for Special Base Chance: equal to the base change of the specific spell to be studied. The following modification are made to the casters chance of successfully performing the Cross College Study Ritual: The caster and the target spell are: in aligned colleges of magic +15 in opposed colleges of magic -15 -- John Carcutt ----------------------------------------------------------------- CREATURES: TASLOI -- Papyrus < anslpar@aol.com > ================================================================= Name: TASLOI Natural Habitat: Woods Frequency: Rare Number: 10-100 Description: Long legged, flat headed goblinoids. 2'- 3' tall, their skin is a lustrous green and is thinly covered with coarse black hair. They have long prehensile feet and gold colored cat- like eyes. Talents, Skills, and Magic: Surprise 1-4(d6). Hide in shadows 75%. Infravision. Attack at -5% in daylight. Beast Mastery skills with giant spiders (1-6, 60%) and giant wasps (2-8, 20%). Wasps may be ridden great distances. Movement Rates: Running: 100 In Tree: 300 PS: 7-10 MD: 14-20 AG: 15-20 MA: None EN: 6-8 FT: 10-13 WP: 8-11 PC: 7-12 PB: 7-9 TMR: 2/6 NA: Skin absorbs 1 DP. Weapons: Small shield, javelin, club, short sword, net and lasso at up to Rank 5. Comments: Prefer humanoid flesh. Walk like chimps on the ground, arboreal by nature and design. Lair will consist of 1- 6 large trees with 2-24 platforms 50'-100' from the ground. All the trees will be connected by vines and ropes. Reference: Monster Manual II page 118 -- Papyrus ================================================================= v5n04 SURVEY RESULTS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the new DragonQuest Newsletter website (http://www.eGroups.com/group/DQNewsletter/info.html) for more information about surveys and feedback. ------------------------ADVERTISEMENTS--------------------------- ================================================================= DQN Subscriptions –- If you aren't on the list, send email with your name and your email address to: dqn@ntsource.com ================================================================= ONLINE GAME NOTICE (1) Hi, if anyone is interested, check out my DragonQuest page at http://user.icx.net/~ssclark/dq.htm and read about a "classic" online DQ campaign that will be starting soon. Also, read about a new "lost" DQ supplement called Arcane Wisdom. Anyone interested in the classic DragonQuest game, please stop by and check my page out. -- Stephen Clark ================================================================= ONLINE GAME NOTICE (2) I am in the process of starting a new online DragonQuest camapign using a pseudo-Arabian Nights setting. The emphasis is on character and role- playing. I am more interested in having characters who can help develop interesting story lines and plot twists than I am in players maximizing their stats and playing the numbers. (I also tend to do a lot of things arbitrarily, when it suits the story, rather than always relying on just the dice to figure things out.) I encourage creativity, imagination, and interesting play, since that makes things more enjoyable for everyone involved. I don't look at it as a system of GM sets 'em up and players knock 'em down. If you would like to see how it works (if it works at all, that is) we usually meet (if two meetings so far can be called 'usually') in WebRPG's online gaming area on Monday nights, starting at about 7 pm Central time and going until 10 or 11. The game will (probably) be the only DQ game there. Look for 'Thorm' and 'DragonQuest' in the name & description. Password will be 'vermin' to keep unwanted lurkers from dropping in and delaying us. Lurkers are also welcome to stop by and watch. Players with an interest in the camapign, but unable to make the time commitment are encouraged to lurk anyhow and perhaps play an occasional NPC. Additional information about the campaign can be found at the camapign's website (http://www.egroups.com/group/thormdq/info.html). There are also some support links, a (very) preliminary map of the land and some messages from the initial discussions about setting up the campaign. There will also be (coming soon) a section of DragonQuest "miniatures" for use in WebRPG, as well as other DQ-related WebRPG tools. Other campaigns using WebRPG are welcome to use these materials. Rodger Thorm thormDQ-owner@egroups.com ================================================================= DragonQuest URLs: The best site for DragonQuest-related links is now at the DragonQuest Players' Association Website (http://www.dragonquest.org/DQSites.html). This information will also be mirrored on the soon-to- be-opened new and improved DragonQuest Newsletter webpages. ----------------------------------------------------------------- SURVEY v5n05 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Please go to the surveys section of the new DragonQuest Newsletter web pages (http://www.eGroups.com/groups/DQNewsletter) to fill out survey responses for this issue. Your feedback helps us determine what items to include in forthcoming DragonQuest Newsletters, as well as providing feedback to the authors and creators of this work. Please take a minute to show your appreciation and let them know what you think. ############################################################# ### End of DragonQuest Newsletter v5/n05 – Summer 1999 ### #############################################################