Dragon Issue #32 Fell Pass

The Heretic

Should be playing D&D instead
Look at that, a fun Christmas themed cover by Phil Foglio. That's nice. Hmm, the date is harder to find though. December 1979, found it! Hey wait a second. So this thing wasn't monthly at first? Shows what I know.

Dragon Issue #32 - Fell Pass by Karl Merris (winner of the International Dungeon Design Contest)

Oof, this is a long one. Already it's starting off on the wrong foot. "...the dungeon master is reminded not to reveal more to the players than their characters can reasonably perceive for themselves." You don't say?

The dungeon itself is rather intriguing, maybe even with the OD&D feel that Bryce loves. There are rooms with strange coloured mists that might or might not do bad things to you when you pass through them. Weird stuff like a gigantic hand that grabs you and casts a heal on you if you're good but will crush you if you're evil. An old lady floating in spherical crystal that tells you secrets or lies if you sacrifice things to her.

The monsters are all over the place. The first area is filled with ogres lead by an evil intelligent warhammer (via it's weilder, Vlog). (No, not that kind of vlog). Another spot has a nasty well armed orc with plate +1 and a scimitar +2. Alas he's still just a 2 HD orc, squish him for phat loot. Then there's an area filled with gargoyles who work for a beholder. Not sure what level this thing was meant for.

Two other encounters are of particular note. The first is a trapped sword that forces a fighter that grabs it to fight an invulnerable flesh golem naked until the fighter dies, only to have the fighter reappear in the original chamber alive and with a 50% chance (modified by the fighter's level if above 4th) of renouncing the fighter class forever because of his horrid experience with the flesh golem! I dunno, that sounds like a bit much. The other wonderfully bizarre encounter is with a 10th level cleric wandering a winding passage. She's cursed to forever go around the place in circles. She's neutral and she offers to join you (hoping that you'll lead her out), but if you accept you're stuck with the curse too until you get rid of her. That allows for some interesting roleplay at least. Poor sister felicity grace!

The treasure here is mostly mundane (especially the magical treasure), but there are some interesting treasures to be had, like 12 skeins of rare wild spider silk.

This one is worth seeking out. I'm not sure how table-ready or runnable it is, but it certainly has a lot of imagination. I bet Bryce would give it a No Regerts.
 

The Heretic

Should be playing D&D instead
Thanks! Man, it's exhausting. I can understand now why Bryce is so angry all the time. The next one is going to be a doozy. I had to stop reading it last night because it was giving me a headache.
 

The Heretic

Should be playing D&D instead
Wow, the Sage Advice questions in this one are intense!
Question: I have a female character who has gotten herself pregnant. How should I handle this? <whoa, what are you guys doing in your game?>
Question: I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for several months, to the point where I have challenged
Asmodeus and won! Is Asmodeus in a lemure state now, until he can regain his former status, or is Baalzebul in charge? <uh>
Question: I am having a romance with a god, but he won't have anything to do with me until I divorce my present husband. How do I go about divorcing my husband?
Answer: I was kidding when I told my mom I was going to be the Dear Abby of D&D players. Oh, little did I realize . . .
<obviously I've been playing D&D wrong all this time!>

Seriously, these old issues of Dragon magazine are almost worth it just for the Sage Advice columns by Jean Wells!
 
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