Iss sue 6

TABL LE OF F CON NTEN NTS

TrollsZ Zine! is a Trollbridg T ge Production

T Trolls Delve e by Dan Hembree H S Standing in a Corner by b David S. Moskowitz M E Eating for Adventurers A by Stefan Jones J H Henchmen for Solo Del lvers by Dan D Hembree e M Meszmyr Heldaer by Paul Ingrassi ia N Night Walk in the Wild d Woods (T& &T solo) by b James Falllows T The Tooth Pick P vs. the Broadsword d by Mark Thornton R Rubus the Redneck R Ho obb by E.P P. Donahue O Old Kramm by Roy Cr ram S Soul Survivo or (T&T solo) by Sid Orpin O A Armor Altern natives by y Justin T. Williams W I Ice Exile (T T&T GM Ad dventure) by b Mark Tho ornton T Troll Links 6

Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 9 Page 1 11 Page 1 13 Page 2 22 Page 2 23 Page 2 24 Page 2 29 Page 4 40 Page 4 47 Page 5 55

C Credits s
T Tunnels and Trolls T is a trademark t of Flying Buffal lo Inc., and is s used with pe ermission. Fo or more inform mation on T Tunnels and Trolls T produ ucts visit www w.flyingbuffalo o.com. F First edition of this magazin ne published by b Dan Prentic ce and Kevin Bracey in July y 2010. A All rights reser rved. 2010 Trollbridge T T TrollsZine! Lo ogo 2012 M. M E. Volmar & Simon Lee Tranter T C Cover Layout Design 201 12 M. E. Volm mar & Simon Lee L Tranter C Cover Illustrat tion 2012 Patrick P Crusiau u A All visual and textual conte ent has been contributed c by y the individu ual authors an nd artists cred dited in this pu ublication. T The copyright ts for the con ntents of the magazine are e the property y of the indiv vidual contrib butors, who h have given p permission for r their work to o be published d within Trolls sZine! on a no ot-for-profit b basis. T The contents of this publi ication canno ot be reprodu uced elsewher re without the e express con nsent of the respective c copyright hold ders; however r, you may fre eely print the contents of t this publicatio on for your pe ersonal enjoym mentwe h hope you do!

E Editing g Credit ts
E Editor Dan Hembree C Compilation, Interior I Layou ut and Design Dan Hemb bree C Copy Editing Dan Hembr ree, Val Kelso on, Dan Prenti ice

A Art Cre edits

S Submitted Ar rt D Darrenn E. Ca anton: p. 7 A Alexander Coo ok: p. 3, 24, 26 6, 29, 31, 33, 36 3 P Patrick Crusiau u: Cover, p. 4 E E. P. Donahue e: p. 22, 23 James Fallows: p. 13, 15, 16, 18-20 J. Lambert: p. 56 S Simon Lee Tra anter: p. 11 D David Ullery: p. p 9, 10, 47, 49 9-54 S Stock Art Jeff Freels: p. 2 P Public Doma ain Art p p. 34, 37, 42, 43, 4 45, 46

T Trolls s Delve
W Welcome to TrollsZine! T #6. This issue of TrollsZine! is s f focused on de elving, which is what Tunn nels & Trolls is s a all about. In these pages are a two solo adventures, a G GM adventure e, and a shor rt GM scenari io fresh from m t the creative minds m of the T& &T communi ity; more than n e enough to kee ep you busy fo or quite some time I would d t think. There are plenty of o opportunit ties for your r c characters to die horrible eI mean obtain o wealth, , g glory, and im mmortality. With W these ad dventures are e s several article es to help support s your r beleaguered d d delvers and ha arried game masters. T This issue includes a nice mix m of T&T authors both h o old and new. David D Moskow witz, author of o Amulet of the e S Salkti, gives us s an interestin ng game scena ario to test the e w wits and inge enuity of an adventuring party. Stefan n Jones, author of Dark Temp ple, has come up with some e e excellent rules s on challenging players to provide their r c characters wit th the basic necessities of f life. Finally, , R Roy Cram, author of many m T&T articles and d a adventures inc cluding Mistyw wood and Gamesmen of Kasar r, p provided this issues piece e of short fi iction with a s slightly differe ent take on tro olls. Its wond derful to have e s such notable members of o the T&T T community y c contributing to t TrollsZine!. Among the newcomers n is s James Fallow ws who wro ote the ente ertaining and d c challenging solo Night in the Wild Woods. As A a side note, , James provide ed the illustra ations for the solo as well. Y You can find another one of James so olos online at t H Hobb-Sized Ad dventures. I loo ok forward to o seeing more e f from James in n the future. Sid S Orpin, au uthor of many y o of my favori ite recently published p sol lo adventures s in ncluding Raps scallion, Devoti ion to Duty, an nd Formication, h has provided another solo guaranteed to t leave your r c characters cow wering in fear. Did someone e say demons? ? M Mark Thornto on, the creati ive mind beh hind the Gems s a and Giants blo og and author of the uniq que new solo o P Pressure Drop, has provid ded a giant-infused GM M a adventure thro ough which he ran the Tro ollgod himself, f, K Ken St. Andre e. Paul Ingrassia, the power behind Troll ll H Hammer Press, presents us with w an intere esting Wizard d N NPC sure to make m a valuabl le ally or cunn ning adversary y f for your next t game. Of course c it just t wouldnt be e T TrollsZine! wit thout an article by the prolific p Justin n W Williams. This s issue he pr resents an excellent set of f a armor elaborat tions for all yo ou gear heads out there. B Bringing all of o this writin ng to life are the inspired d c contributions of many art tists including g Darrenn E. C Canton, Alexa ander Cook, Patrick Crusiau u, E. P. T TrollsZine! Page 3 Issue 6 nahue, James Fallows, J. Lambert, Si imon Lee Don Tran nter, and D David Ullery. I am con ntinuously impr ressed by the e quality of w work that these artists prod duce and free ely contribute e to TrollsZin ne!. Patrick Crus siau provided the trollish i illustration fe eatured on the cover of this s issue. The featured trolls appear er benign, d dont they? Ju ust a father and son rathe trave elling together r on a bright t and sunny day; what could d be more ple easant? ope you enjoy y this issue of f TrollsZine!. A As always, I ho magazine dep pends on your r contributions. If youd this m like t to see TrollsZ Zine! thrive, th hen please get t involved. Visit t the TrollsZin ine! thread at the TrollBri idge T&T discu ussion forum to learn how y you can contr ribute. w, lets get delv ving! Now Dan Hembree

Sta anding g in a C Corne er

By David S. Mosk kowitz
T This is a con ntrived encou unter, designed to test the e p players ability y to act like ch haracters rathe er than actors s r rolling dice an nd revealing they've been n intellectually y c crippled by conventions in electronic e gam mes. irrita ating exposed d skin but otherwise ca ausing no dama age. If inhaled d, however, th he fog does on ne point of dama age to CON N per minute, at which time the chara acters must a also make a s saving roll on n CON at their r level minus one to avoid being blinded d. The fog is als so flammable. Any contact t with fire wil ll turn the room m into a toxic c inferno at w which point d damage for inhallation become es three CON N points per m minute and the llevel of the sa aving roll aga ainst blindness s becomes playe ers' level plus o one.

S SETUP P
A generically powerful p potential employer says, Look, , if f I didn't thi ink you could d fight, I wo ouldn't bother r t talking to you. I want to se ee how you th hink and work k t together befor re I decide what w of mine I should risk k le etting you tak ke with you. Your goal is to get out. P Poof. They're teleported into a round ro oom, 20 yards s in n diameter an nd 30 yards high, h with a sin ngle door. As s s soon as playe ers are inside there will be e an ominous s m mechanical sou und from beh hind the door leading l out. I In the center of o the room is i a single rou und table with h t three objects positioned as s vertices of an equilateral l t triangle: A glass jar with w a pair of moth wings flying around d in nside. At the jar's base is a small golden mallet. The e ja ar is enchanted to be imm mobile and in nvulnerable to o a anything but the mallet which w will eas sily shatter it. A candle as colorful c as the e moth wings are drab. It is s u unlit, but at it ts base is a sm mall wand wi ith which any y c character can cast a Call Flame spell of negligible e d damage. If yo our world has more munda ane items like e c cigarette or ba arbecue lighte ers of some sort, use them m in nstead. A carved ram m's horn, clea arly made for blowing, cold d t to the touch. E Embedded in the center of the table is a palm-sized d r red button. Fe eel free to write Reset on n it or, if you u p prefer a bit mo ore subtlety, use u an appropr riate symbol.

Ho ow Things s Work
The Door: When n the players f first enter the room, the emplloyer's minions barricade the other side of the door r with enough h force to ens sure that the characters cann not break through. After the e characters' fi first testing of th he door, the minions will remove the barricade. The door is no l longer locked d, just stuck. The same rt that failed previously w will work, reg gardless of effor what t's happening in the room. All of the m mechanical soun nds coming fr rom the door r are actually produced by t the employers s minions d doing their best sound effec ct work to foo ol players. The Giant Red B Button: This i is indeed a res set button. ushed, all of the room's c contents rever rt to their If pu initia al state, insta antly and sile entlyexcept t there is a repla ay of the afor rementioned sounds from the door. Lost t CON and ex xpended WIZ are not refres shed, but

T The Game's Afoot t

T The players sh hould have a minute or tw wo to explore e t the room befo ore jets in the e floor start fi illing it with a g greenish fog. The T fog will ri ise at six inche es per minute, T TrollsZine! Page 4 Issue 6

c characters that t were blinded d, however, ca an see again. T The Horn: Bl lowing the horn will cause it i to discharge e a ray of cold that t will freez ze anything up p to ten yards s a away, with no saving roll ne eeded or allow wed. The first t t time a delver commits c to bl low the horn, , the GM may y a allow others in n the way to make m a SR on n IQ or LK to o r realize that the ey need to mo ove. T The Candle: Lighting the candle will turn t it into a R Roman candle e of unlimite ed duration. Any A character r t that gets in its way is hit t with the eq quivalent of a B Blasting Powe er spell and rec ceives 5D+10 0 damage (and d t the player wh ho pointed it t at his or her h teammate e s should get a re eal-world smac ck in the head d). T The Wings: Once freed, the moth wings w grow to o tw twenty feet across and fly y around the room. Their r f flapping cause es sufficient turbulence t in the room to o k kick up the ca austic fog so it now hits players p in the e f faceand any y lit flames. If f the candle is lit, the wings s s stay close enou ugh to the tab ble to be froze en. Otherwise, , t they fly out of f range of the horns h ray.

The path of no h harm... o ignore eve erything but the door. ...is of course to yers should ac ct immediatel ly, lighting Barriing that, play the candle, then breaking the e jar and fre eezing the gs, which will fall to the gr round and sh hatter. The wing room m gives no signs of suc ccess; no ligh ghts, bells, whis tles, or openi ing of the do oor. No sugge estion that e done anyt thing right o or wrong. the players have haps delvers can learn em mployer's true e name is Perh Gno otehfeckingexb bawx or some ething similar.

En nd Game
The reward for su uccess? Cheese, of course. If you're sed, provide extra calcium m and protein n for STR pleas and C CON. If not, maybe it will act as a whisk ker-variant of Th That's A Natty B Beard. vers who spen nd time trying g multiple com mbinations Delv of a actions should d receive sligh htly more AP Ps for the eal than those who don't lose sight of the e goal; but orde bonus should pale in compa arison to the e equipment the b the E EMPLOYER trusts them w with.

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Issue 6

Eating for Adventurers

By Stefan Jones
Most T&T adventures are not the sort of errands where characters need to be bothered with trivial details like eating, or keeping track of rations. However, on extended quests the challenge of staying fed can add to the fun rather than being an exercise in tedious bookkeeping. Below are a set of suggested rules for dealing with buying food, foraging, and staying fed.

Meals at an Inn
Virtually every inns and tavern serves meals to their guests. The quality varies with the type of inn and how much the guest is willing to pay. The quality of a meal doesn't affect a character's health unless the GM makes a special ruling; but meals could affect an adventure in other ways. A potential employer might look down her nose at adventurers who are seen eating boiled turnips, for example. On the other hand, a fancy meal might make a nice bribe for an official whose favor the adventurers are trying to curry (Mmmmm, curry!). Eating an especially rich and fancy meal could have consequences as well, ranging from being a bit slow or having gas. Meals at an Inn Miserable Meal Ordinary Meal Fancy Meal Sumptuous Feast 5 cp 12 cp 3 gp 10 gp

Well Fed, Hungry, and Starving

To be in tip-top shape for adventuring, characters need at least two square meals a day. The quality doesn't matter; a meal could be a feast, a piece of hard tack and a bit of sausage, or a couple of handfuls of bugs, berries, and roots resulting from foraging. A character that eats two or more meals is well fed and suffers no penalties. Characters that eat just one meal per day are hungry. Hungry characters take twice as long (twenty minutes) to regain a lost point of Strength (STR) or Wizardry (WIZ). They also heal damage to Constitution (CON) at half the normal rate (1/2 point a day). Characters that go without a meal for more than a day are starving. Starving characters regain lost STR and WIZ at one-sixth the normal rate (one point every hour). They not only do not regain lost points of CON through normal healing, but they also lose one point of CON each day. This damage cannot be healed by magic or potions, but is "healed" immediately after eating two hearty meals and getting a good night's sleep. Eating just one meal returns a character to hungry status; the hunger damage then starts to heal at "normal" hungry rate of a half point a day.

Miserable meals consist of poor peasant fare like porridge, hard black bread, and thin fish soup. Ordinary meals include dishes like stew, good bread and butter, cheese, sausage, and greens. Fancy meals include chops of fresh meat, roast fowl, vegetables with sauces, and good wine. Sumptuous feasts are rarely found outside of the homes of nobles and inns that serve the high-born; they include fancy roasts, soups, sauces, and pastries. The basic price includes some kind of drink, ranging from cheap ale to a goblet of fine wine. Extra rounds might add 20% to the price of the meal.

Buying Food
Meals can be served up at an inn ready to eat, purchased in the form of raw materials for cooking, or bought in the dried or salted form for eating on the road or underground. Players should feel free to have their characters bargain for better prices!

Raw Ingredients
If the campaign deals with the characters' lives between adventures, they will want to know what it costs to stock their cupboard. Page 6 Issue 6

TrollsZine!

Raw Ingredients Miserable Me eal Fixings Ordinary Meal Ingredients s Fancy Meal Makings M

Meal 2 cp 5 cp 12 cp

Week 3 sp 8 sp 2 gp

Coo oking Gear Me ss kit Coo oking tripod Big g pot Cau uldron Cam mp cook's kit

Cost 10 0 gp 2 gp 3 gp 18 gp 10 gp

We eight 20 w.u u. 40 w.u u. 50 w.u u. 800 w w.u. 100 0 w.u.

R Raw ingredien nts need a kitc chen and a cook to become e a meal! Most t people can make a mis serable-quality y m meal; fancy feasts requ uire someon ne with the e a appropriate Ta alent.

's kit has every ything require ed to prepare a big meals cook's for a dozen or mo ore people.

M Meals on the t Go
Rations Field Rations s Dungeon Rat tions Cost 5 sp/day 1 gp/day Weight 30 w.u. 20 w.u.

Foraging
Anyo one can try to o find edible i items in the w wilderness. This requires a L1 1SR on Intelli igence (INT) i in a fertile area or a L2SR on n INT in a bar rren waste. A successful means the ch haracter finds enough root ts, berries, roll m wild greens, and grubs to ma ake one mea al for one on. Foraged fo food keeps for r two days. perso A ch haracter can m make one forag ging roll while e traveling at a n normal pace, t two rolls if tre ekking throug gh the land at ha alf normal pa ace, or four r rolls if staying g put and work king from a ca amp. aging can be taken as a ta alent! A skille ed forager Fora finds s two meal's w worth of food instead of one if the roll s succeeds.

F Field rations are e used on the e road. They include i things s li ike rolls, saus sage, cheese, and dried fru uit. They keep p f fresh for abou ut a week. A ra ation consists of two meals. F Field rations can be eaten as-is, but ca ampfire cooks s w with a pot an nd tripod can turn them in nto something g m more appealing. D Dungeon rations s (which are also a used aboard ships) are e s sturdy, spoil-re esistant foods s like jerky, pe emmican, and d h hard tack. Th hey can keep for many we eeks. A ration n c consists of two o meals. M Miserable meal fixings (gr rains, dried fish, fi and root t v vegetables) can n be brought on the road or stored in a s ship's hold. Two T meals wo orth weighs about 40 w.u., , a and keep for a week; however, the supplies must be e c cooked.

C Cooking Gear G
I In a rough-an nd-ready medi ieval world, anyone a with a k knife, some wood, w and a wa ay to start a fire f could turn n s small game or fish into a tasty roasted d meal. More e e elaborate mea als require som me gear. The prices below w a are for new ite ems; used gea ar can be had very cheaply, , o or salvaged fr rom ruins, battlegrounds, or monsters' d dens. A mess kit is a modest ind dividual cookin ng set, which h d doubles as a bowl. b A cooking g tripod is used d to suspend a b big pot or cauld dron over a fire e. Two tripod ds can be used d t to hold a sturd dy spit for a la arge piece of game. g A camp T TrollsZine! Page 7 Issue 6

A party of adv venturers is on the march through the Drebat t W Woods. Two of the t characters de ecide to forage as they go in hopes s of extending the eir food supply. They can mak ke one roll each. . O One character has an INT of 13; she makes her L1SR and d r rolls a 6, not eno ough to find a meal's m worth of forage. The second d c character is a Ranger R with a Foraging F talent of 16. He also o r rolls a 6, but it is enough for a successful SR and a he finds two o m meals worth of nu uts and berries. S Shomol the Ar rcher has escape ed from a slav ve galley and is s m making his way up a desolate coastline. c The on nly foraging he's s d done is picking berries b as a kid. Because he is tr raveling slowly he e c can make two foraging fo rolls a day. d But with an a INT of only y 1 11, he must rol ll a 14 or bett ter on each roll l to find enough h p pickings for a sin ngle meal.

A tr trapping kit i includes snar res, fish hooks, little apping kit spear rheads for ga affing fish and d frogs. A tra allow ws a character r to make one additional tra apping roll per d day. ark the Reproba ate is hiding out in a small, fertil le valley. He Laza spend ds his day tickli ing fish and try ying to catch rab bbits with a snare e made from his s shoelaces. Sinc ce he is staying put he can e two trapping ro rolls. He doesn't have the trappin ng skill, but make does h have an INT off 18. On a part rticular day he ro olls a 7 and a 5. The first roll a and Lazark's INT totals 25 5, enough to e a L2 SR and d thus gather tw wo meals worth of fish and make game.. Gann nert the Ranger is patrolling the barren frontier wastes. Her slow p pace would norm rmally allow her r to make one t trapping roll per d day, but she has a trapping kit so she can mak ke two rolls. Gann nert is a skilled trapper, meanin ng she only need ds to make a L2 S SR versus her T Trapping talent of 16 to succeed d. Gannerts player r rolls an 8 and an 11. The s second roll is a L2 success, earnin ng Gannert two meals.

T Trapping
I Instead of for raging, a chara acter can try to t catch small l a animals. This takes more time and is a little more e d difficult, but wields w richer rewards on success. s Food d f from trapping keeps for one e day after it is s caught. A character traveling at half pace ca an make one e t trapping roll per p day; a char racter staying put can make e tw two trapping rolls. r Trappin ng requires a L2SR L on INT T in n a fertile area a, or a L3SR on o INT in a barren b area. A s successful L2S SR yields two o meals. For each level of f s success above e L2, the ch haracter obtain ns two more e m meals worth of o game. Trapping can also be taken as a t talent. A talen nted trapper may reduce the difficulty y le evel of the tra apping SR by one. o Trapping Gear Trapping Kit t Cost 2 gp Weight 20 w.u.

Big g Game
course, charac cters can go a after bigger game, be it Of c deer,, boar, wild cattle, giant bipedal birds s or small dino saurs. Huntin ng of this sort is really an ad dventure in itself f, requiring t the GM to determine ra anges, the num mber of hits o of damage a beast can ta ake before ring, and whe ether the prey y can fight bac ck! Unless expir the p party runs int to a prey crea ature by chan nce, they'll need d to make SR Rs on INT or an appropr riate talent such h as Hunting o or Tracking or r Survival to fi ind one. hunt is succes ssful, a single deer or boar c can supply If a h doze ens of meals s. Game will l keep a day y without prep paration; smok king meat is a major operati ion (taking east a day) bu ut results in the equivalen nt of field at le ratio ons.

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Issue 6

Hench H hmen fo or So olo De elvers

By Dan D Hembre ee
L Lets face it, being b a solo de elver is tough. Not only do o y you have to be b prepared to o face ravenou us beasts, vile e u undead, slaver ring monsters, spike-filled d pits, poison n n needles, and ancient magic c but youve got to carry y e everything. Not just the good g stuff lik ke gold coins, , je ewels, and magic swords but b extra wea apons, arrows, , t torches, oil, ro ope, water, an nd food. Plus youve got to o h hold your ow wn torch or lantern, l so fo orget using a s shield or secon nd weapon wh hen you go so omeplace dark k (w (which is the typical workp place of delve ers); unless of f c course someone was nice enough e to lea ave a light on n f for your plun ndering convenience. Then lets say you u d do kill that giant ogre that was te errorizing the e c countryside an nd his great horde of tre easure from a li ifetime of sac cking and loo oting is yours; how are you u g going to carry it all back hom me yourself? T Thats where henchmen come c in. No o, theyre not t p professional delvers, they ar re simply hired d hands. They y c come from all l walks of life, but they are all desperate. A After all, they yre agreeing to some pret tty dangerous s w work. Maybe theres t a farm mers son who didnt get his s f fair share of the familys land, l a merch hant who lost t e everything to fire, flood, or r gambling, a sailor who is s n now afraid of water, or even n a disowned and disgraced d n nobleman tryin ng to survive in the real wo orld. Their job b is simple. They carry back kpacks, sacks s, chests, and d t torches. They make sure th hat your hand ds are free to o d deal with the dangerous st tuff while the ey hang back k w well out of the e way. They most m certainly do d not engage e in n combat, sco out ahead for trouble, t open doors, chests ouch anything g first for tha at matter. The ey are not or to cann non fodder (but accidents d do happen). T That being said, they do come e in quite hand dy.

Rulles For H Henchmen

The following rul les are for us sing henchme en in solo entures. In a adventures ru un by game e masters, adve henc chmen may c certainly play a greater ro ole. These rules s are intended d to preserve a sense of f fairness to solos s while still allowing th he solo delv ver a few comp panions. A ch haracter with a Charisma of f 12 or less ma ay hire one henc chman at a t time. For eve ery point of Charisma abov ve 12, a chara acter may hav ve one more h henchman (e.g.,, a character w with a Charism ma of 15 may h have up to three e henchmen a at one time). en you hire a h henchman, rol ll 3D6 and mu ultiply that Whe num mber by 100. This is the carrying abili ity of the chman. henc chmen have no other attr ributes. They may wear Henc no a armor nor ma ay they carry y any weapon ns of their own;; they are strict noncombatants. They al lso cannot be us he way, solve p puzzles, test fl loors, pick sed to lead th locks s, force down n stuck doors, , open chests, , doors, or wind dows, or any o other kind of d delving related d task.

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Issue 6

chmen may n not engage in combat; how wever, that Henc does s not mean th hat your oppo onents will res spect their combatant rol le. For every 6 that an adve ersary rolls nonc in co ombat (scorin ng spite dama age in 7th ed dition) roll 1D6 . If another r 6 is rolled d, that mean ns that a henc chman got cau ught in the m middle of the fight and has b been killed. If f using spite d damage, this effectively abso orbs that point t of spite. en the going g gets tough, he enchmen may y not want Whe to st tick around. At these tim mes a Morale Check is requiired. Whenev ver the delver r loses CON N (but not from m Spite dama age), runs fro om a fight, o or another henc chman is kille ed make a Sav ving Roll on Charisma. The Saving Roll starts at Leve el 0 (requires a roll on le check is req quired and 2D6 >3) the first time a moral incre eases by one for each subs sequent check k. A failed Savin ng Roll means s that one of y your henchme en has fled along g with everyth hing he/she w was carrying. If f you have more e than one he enchman, det termine which h one fled rand domly. Note th hat a failed Sav ving Roll does not reset the S Saving Roll lev vel progressio on. course, hench hmen dont w work for free e; they do Of c expe ect to get som mething out of this dange erous job. Each h henchman should recei ive a 5% cu ut of any mon netary treasure e (coins, gem ms, jewelry) w won in the cour rse of the adve enture. pe that you c can see how v valuable henc chmen can I hop be to o a solo delve er. While you may not need them or be alllowed them in n all solo adve entures (if you u start as a priso oner for exam mple), they can make life a lo ot easier in exch hange for just a little gold. After all, eve ery warrior or w wizard worth h his salt should d have a trust ty sidekick or tw wo. You dont t want to carr ry all that stuf ff yourself, do yo ou?

H Henchmen ca an carry whatever the delv ver wants, but t t the delver mu ust provide containers such as packs and d s sacks for most t items (food, oil, torches, rope, r treasure, , e etc.). Henchm men could als so carry spare e weapons in n b belts, bows, quivers q of arrows or extra shields slung g o over their sho oulders or across their backs, or larger r w weapons such h as spears or r pole arms in n their hands s ( (they just cann not use them to t fight). A Another excel llent use of a henchman would w be as a t torch or lanter rn bearer, givin ng the solo de elver two free h hands in dark environments s.

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Issue 6

Meszmy M yr He eldaer
A T&T NPC P Portrait
By Paul P Ingrass ia

M Meszmyr Heldaer H
D Dark Elf 5 5th Level Wiza ard S STR: 17 C CON: 17 D DEX: 39 S SPD: 17 I INT: 21 W WIZ: 56 L LCK: 27 C CHA: 22 A ADDS: +52 T Talents: Alch hemy, Magical Lore, Gem Trader T W Weapons: Sta aff Ordinaire, Poniard, Bl lowpipe/darts s w with stone-fish h poison D Description: Meszmyr is about a 5'8" tall l and 170 lbs. w with deep pur rple eyes and a jet black tu uft of hair on n t top of his hea ad. He has a long, narrow, , pointy nose, , p pointy ears, an nd dark tan, leathery skin. . His ears are e p pierced multip ple times, and he wears an enchanted e ring g o on each of his s hands. The ring on the ri ight hand is a R Ring of Dis-S Spell; the one e on the left is a Ring of f P Protective Pentagram. P Each E leeche es half the e a appropriate kr remm amount t from him wh hen he uses it. M Meszmyr has two small fangs f protrud ding from his s b bottom jaw, and a his fingers and toes end e in sharp, , p pointy nails. T The Dark Elf f wears volum minous robes s in a motley y a assortment of f earth tones - deep green, , brown, gray, , a and black, all held closed with w a belt. He e favors black k le eather sandals s on his feet. Meszmyrs hat h is a heavy y b burlap-like ma aterial, long an nd pointy, wit th chin straps s (w (which he never fastens). The hat dro oops over his s e eyes, and the tip t ends in a sort of tassel th hat causes the e h hat to pitch fo orward. The 'tassel' ' is actu ually a magical l e eyeball. It is cl losed when inactive, but at will, w Meszmyr r c can make it open, o and then n he is able to t cast Detect t M Magic, Oh Th here It Is, Ca ateyes, or Om mnipotent Eye e s spells one at a time, without t any kremm cost. c T TrollsZine!

zmyr carries a 7' staff o ordinaire crow wned with Mesz bull's s horns, with a tiny skull (h hobb, gnome or dwarf, most t likely) strun ng between t the horn poin nts, and a smalll corked jar h hanging from the base of t the horns. The skull is magic cal and grants s him the equ uivalent of points of armo or when he is s holding the staff. The 10 p jar is s always filled d with a potio on, the type d dependent on w what Meszmyr rs needs may be for the ad dventure at hand d. Meszmyr kn nows all 1st le evel spells, and d a variety of hiigher level spells, which I w will leave for each GM to de etermine base ed upon their own unique needs. He also has a variety of magical, en nchanted, and d bespelled item s hidden away y in his tower. . kground: Me eszmyr was bo orn Tarr Orili in, a green Back eyed d, blonde haire ed, Noble Elf f of Khazan. H His father, Torr r-ah Orilin, w was a rich alchemist with powerful influ uence in Khazan. His mothe er, Kahla Oom mpah, was the d daughter of a another influe ential noblem man of the city. Tarr, to the chagrin of his s snooty father, , was quite Issue 6

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a mischievous lad. However r, he also displ layed a strong g m magical aptitu ude, so his father fa enrolled d him at the e W Wizard's Guild d. Torr-ah hoped his son would w learn to o u use his magica al gift, and tha at the regimen n of the Guild d w would curb his s troublesome e ways. O Only a few we eeks after arriv ving, while sne eaking around d e exploring the Guild hall after hours, Tarr passed d t through a ma agical portal that brought t him into a d demonic worl ld for 666 ho ours. Tarr ne ever spoke of f w what happene ed in the de emon portal, but the boy y w would never be b the same. His eyes had d turned dark k p purple, his ha air black, and d his skin ha ad become a le eathery, dark tan. He declared his name from then on n w would be Mes szmyr Heldaer r, and that he e would never r b be referred to as Tarr Orilin n again. Meszm myr had also r returned with a new compan nion, Ghor, a Demonosaur r h hatchling. Alm most immediat tely, his mischievous nature b began to morp ph into a quiet t, brooding cu uriosity and an n in nsatiable thirs st for power. A Although Me eszmyr was in constant trouble for r d disobeying Gu uild rules, he excelled at hi is studies and d w was at the top p of his class, a class which despised him m f for his sadistic, pompous personality. p His H classmates s a also feared th he ever-growi ing, and high hly protective, , D Demonosaur always a by his side. Meszmy yr was a loner r a and spent near rly all his time e at his studies s. U Upon graduati ing from the Guild, G Meszm myr, with Ghor r b by his side, set t out to build his power an nd fortune. He e b became obsess sed with gems s and jewelry, so decided to o a apprentice wit th a gem trader. He learned d quickly, but t h his personalit ty clashed with w his mas sters, so the e a apprenticeship p was short-liv ved. He decid ded to set out t o on a life of ad dventure and exploration, and his focus s b became the accumulation of f magic and ge ems. A After many years of ad dventures, Meszmyr M had d a amassed a gre eat amount of f wealth and unusual u magic c it tems. He dec cided to settle e down, so he h captured a t tower by sla aying the res sident wizard d, and began n c constructing a dungeon be eneath it. Fro om within his s t tower he started a busines ss as a gem trader, and a b black market business as a potion and poison p dealer. H He also indulg ged his other passion, p magi ic and magical l lo ore, by build ding an exten nsive library and a series of f la aboratories within w his dungeon, d a never-ending g b building project that was be ecoming quite e an extensive e n network of tun nnels and room ms.

m time to time e, Meszmyr an nd Ghor still go out on From adve entures to ac cquire more w wealth, or to o chase a speciial magic item m he may have learned abou ut through his st tudies in Mag gical Lore.

Gh hor the Demonos saur (Me eszmyrs Fam miliar)

216 (22D + 108) MR 2 ors MR is equ qual to the tot tal of all of M Meszmyr's Gho butes, and inc creases/decrea ases with his maximum attrib attrib butes, not his current attr ributes. If M Meszmyr is killed d, Ghor will im mmediately try y to avenge hi is masters death h, and then w will die after rwards. The c creature is feroc cious in com mbat, and has s a Talent in n Tracking equa al to Meszmers INT + 4. The Demonosaur r stands about t 4'10" and lo ooks like a giant t ball of flesh and muscle c covered in dul ll, grayishgreen n reptilian sca ales. Ghor has only two sh hort, thick, stron ng legs, but ha ous tail that is almost as as an enormo thick k as his body is tall. It tape ers to a thick, , blunt tip, and a row of horn ns runs down n the back to the tip of tail, where the e horns end i in a cluster. I It also has the t three e horns acros ss the top of its face. Gho ors face is flat a and takes up the entire fro ont of its body y. Most of its m mouth is filled with razor sh harp teeth and d two huge tusks s extending fr rom the botto om jaw. Ghor has a tiny nose e (actually two o nostril holes s) and two sm mall, beady black k eyes topped d with bony ridges. Gho or wears a magiical 'armband'' type of ring around his rig ght mouth tusk that grants hi im 20 points o of armor prote ection.

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Night Walk W in n the W Wild W Woods s

A T&T 5th Edition So olo Adv venture
By James Fallow ws
T This adventure was w written usin ng the T&T 5t th Edition rules s a and designed to be b playable by characters ch of any y level. Any time e t that the text ins structs you to make m a Saving Roll, R you should d m make it at your characters level. (e.g., if the text t instructs you to o m make a Saving Roll on Luck, if you are 1s st level, make a L L1SR on LK, if 5th level then you must make m a L5SR). . L Lower level char racters ought to be careful not to t roll unluckily y n nor enter into co ombat indiscrim minately. Higher r level characters s t that feel that th heir mettle will not be put to the test may be e a assured that ther re are plenty of opportunities ah head for them to o b be arbitrarily kil lled. Thus is bal lance achieved! Any A gender, type, , o or kindred of ch haracter may be used. For reaso ons of space and d s simplicity, option ns for magic use have not been given, g so you will ll n need to use your judgment to det termine the outc come of any spell ll c cast. Your char racter is betwee en adventures, travelling to a d distant city. So far, fa the journey has h been uneventf tful ded over by re eaching branc ches, it looks as dark as Shad any tunnel in the e ground. The e forest is a f forbidding ence, and you u are not sur re whether yo ou wish to prese spen nd the night w within it. You pause to con nsider your optio ons. If you w wish to press a ahead, and ha ave means (mec chanical, magi ical or natura al) of lighting your way, read d 20. If you w would prefer instead to fin nd a small hollo ow somewher re off the roa ad and set up camp for the n night, read 30 0. 2 A diisembodied h head floats above the fores st floor. It regar rds you with a cold, blank stare and add dresses you in se epulchral tone es: Stranger! Kneel befor re me and hear my tale of w you kneel as requested, woe! Will y perh haps bowing your head a and baring y your neck kly for good measure? Rea ad 16. Take a swing at meek this loathsome sp pecter with yo our weapon? Read 29. Apollogize that, m much as you would be de elighted to hear the heads ta ale of woe, y youd much ra ather hear the little pigg gies that trav velled to a the story about t ly wizards f flying hat? magiical kingdom in a friendl Read d 37.

Introductio on
Y Your journey has been lon ng and lonely y. Arriving at t H Hulgars Fort, , you are enc couraged to learn l that the e f fabled city of Ghometh G lies just a few da ays ride to the e W West, across Black B Oak Heath. Madame Shakasha, a t trader of som me renown, will soon be b taking her r c caravan by tha at road. But for f now she is s awaiting the e a arrival of a shipment s of cabbages from m the goblin n f farms at Jabb bersnatch Gu ulley. She of ffers you the e o opportunity to o earn a hand dful of silver by b enlisting in n h her guard for the journey. Your Y business in Ghometh, , h however, is pressing p and the prospect of even one e n nights delay holds h no appea al, particularly y if you would d n need to ma ake the rem mainder of your y journey y a accompanied by b the pervas sive stench of f Jabbersnatch h c cabbage. So you y decline th he offer and instead strike e o out alone on the t broken, deep-rutted d road that winds s u up onto the bleak b moors of o Black Oak Heath. Now w r read paragrap ph 1. 1 I It is late in the e day, and you u are weary, ha aving travelled d m many long miles. The sun sets s amidst cr rimson clouds s o over the dista ant mountains s. The road ahead a enters a g gloomy forest of gnarled oa aks and leaning g pines.

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3 Ouch! You lose 1 point of CON. It certainly seems that you are awake, however strange your surroundings. Perhaps you should follow the path? Read 6. Or would you prefer to settle back down to sleep, hoping that you will awaken in better circumstances? Read 13. 4 You slay your doppelganger. As its corpse slumps to the floor, it blackens and crumbles to dust along with all of its possessions. With a mighty rumble the room beyond the mirror collapses, and the tree roots around you twist and writhe. You decide that you had better get out of here as quickly as you are able. Read 18. 5 You press on into the forest. Make a LUCK Saving Roll. If you fail, read 25. If you succeed, read 17. 6 The path twists and turns through the woods, and you are soon completely befuddled about which direction you are heading. As doubts plague you, you are distracted by the noise of something approaching. You have been disturbed by the occurrence of a Random Encounter. Read 49. If you survive the encounter read 32. 7 The runes are of some lost language unfamiliar to you and broken in many places by the protruding tree roots. However, you find them strangely fascinating, and a sense of their meaning begins to grow in your mind. Make an INT Saving Roll. If you fail, read 21. If you succeed, read 43. 8 Unless you are somehow immune to all forms of poison (in which case there is no effect, and you may continue, following your snack, to 35), that was a particularly bold (or foolish) decision! The glowing toadstool is indeed virulently toxic. Make a CON Saving Roll. If you fail, read 13. If you succeed, read on. You choke on the foul tasting fungus. You lose 5 points of CON. If this is sufficient to kill you, read 13. If you still live, then read on further still. You drop to the floor in a convulsive spasm, and are afflicted by a striking auditory hallucination, in which it appears that the very woods around you speak: Stranger, your lack of sense in the face of obvious dire danger does you credit! What is more, it indicates that you may be the one we seek. Our name is Fafahlfahal, and we are afflicted by Ghrlkhutt TrollsZine!

Bhaeghoar, Eater of Souls! Fight him in our name, and naught he does may harm you! Should you perchance find yourself in combat with an incarnation of Ghrlkhutt Bhaeghoar, Eater of Souls at any time in the near future, you may say Fafahlfahal and indeed suffer no damage from Ghrlkhutt Bhaeghoar, Eater of Souls attacks, whilst inflicting your full damage against him, until the demon is slain. At length, the vision passes, and you are recovered. As you come to your senses, though, you fear that something fearsome approaches you through the trees. Read 25. 9 You are glad to leave the sobbing and the blackened oak behind you, but fear that you are hopelessly lost in these confounded woods. Make a LUCK Saving Roll. If you are successful, read 23. If you fail, read 25. 10 You take great delight in mocking your weeping reflection. This enrages your double it jumps to its feet, takes a couple of steps back, and launches itself once more at the glass! This time (read 14) 11 You! the horned rider declares in a voice as deep and strong as the very woods themselves. Will you flee as fast your little (or big, whichever) legs will carry you? Read 19. Or stand and fight? Read 22 12 The water is refreshing. Regain 5 points of lost CON. Drinking it also cleans your mind and suggests an idea you could follow this stream, as surely it must eventually lead you out of this forest. If you wish to do this, read 33. Otherwise, strike back out in what you hope was the direction you were originally headed (read 35). 13 Alas, that was not one of your better ideas. There are terrible things that lurk in dark places, and it seems that one such has brought about your untimely demise. For you, the adventure ends here. For your shade, an eternity of torment lies ahead, haunting these cursed woods. The hours arent good, the pay is lousy, and the prospect of career progression nonexistent but all that said, at least its a job 14 The glass shatters into a thousand pieces. Your reflection is no longer weeping but smiling. It is not one of those friendly, light-hearted smiles that you like to think give you quite a winsome appearance, but a Issue 6

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s sickening, twis sted leer. Th hank you, it says, s and then n le eaps to attac ck! The mirro or creature which w you are e f fighting is a form f of Dopp pelganger. It has the same e a attributes and same equipm ment that you carry c yourself f. A Any tactic, spe ecial item, spe ell, or ability th hat you might t c consider to employ e against it, it will also employ y a against you. If f you defeat your y Doppelga anger, read 4. . I If your Doppe elganger defea ats you, read 34. 3 15 5 Y You are overw whelmed by a primal panic, and turn and d r run to escape from this un nwholesome wood. w Make a D DEX Saving Roll. R If you fail l, you stumble e on a root as s y you flee and lo ose 3 points of CON C . If this is i sufficient to o k kill you, read 13. If you sur rvive this dam mage, or if you u m make the Savin ng Roll, read on. o Y You run along g the winding path, and you u run, and you u r run, and you run. In fact, you y realize with w a growing g s sense of horro or that you ha ave run for a much greater r d distance than you originall ly travelled on o this forest t r road. Perhaps in your con nfusion you have h only run n d deeper into th he forest or perhaps you are subject to o s some kind of enchantmen nt? Standing momentarily y c confused and unsure, you see three fig gures in long g h hooded cloak ks approachin ng you with swift, certain n s strides. Will yo ou strike off into the trees to escape this s n new menace? Read 32. Draw D a weapo on and boldly y a attack? Read 44. As confid dently as you are able, hail l t the new arrivals and ask for directions? Read R 42.

16 Ala as, begins the as once a mo ost foolish e head, I wa adve enturer, and fe ell prey to a Ra avening Fiend d Head Perh haps there is m more to the tale, but sadly y you will not hear it, for the narrativ ve is interrup pted. You erience a sudden, decapitatory sensation expe e region betw some ewhere in the ween the base of your skulll and the top o of your should ders. Read 13 3. 17 As y you proceed w warily into the e woods, your r attention is ca aught by a patch of tall l, luminous toadstools grow wing at the bas se of an ancien nt pine. There e are some bite marks in one e of the toadst tools, and the e shriveled form m of some de ead squirrel-l like creature curled up besid de it. You feel l a curious co ompulsion to t take a bite out o of the unwho olesome fungu us. Will you ig gnore such fooliish thoughts a and quickly m move on? Rea ad 35. Or indullge your stran nge whim and taste the eeri ily glowing thing g? Read 8. 18 The chamber of f runes has a altered someh how. You e that the po ower which o once dwelt he ere is now sense gone e. On the flo oor in its cen nter is a small golden statu uette of a rath her hideous, m many-limbed, cylindrical mon nstrosity. Com mmon sense w warns you to leave the unplleasant thing well alone, , but somet thing else pels you to pi ick it up and place it in you ur pack. It comp is qu uite heavy for r its size (weig ght 20), and c could well be w worth hundred ds of gold piec ces to the right buyer. Once e you have a ascended the spiral stairca ase to the open n air, you notice anoth her welcome e change. Dayllight is break king through the dense co overing of bran nches overhe ead. The forest has lost its holesome cha aracter, and tr rills of birdso ong fill the unwh air. A Able to see b better in the g growing light, , you note that the paths whi ich diverge aro ound the blackened oak trunk k soon join a again, in a roa ad which head ds steadily westw tward. You f follow the ro oad, and to y your great relief f, find that be efore too long g the trees beg gin to thin out, and the road d proceeds o once more across open moo orland. Read 5 50.

19 ject terror, y your mind c completely You flee in abj inged by fear r. Unfortunately, you neve er recover unhin your r senses and whatever yo our fate may be, your adve enture ends he ere. If it is an ny consolation n, though, whils st you are redu uced to a gibb bering loon, you are not slain n by foul crea atures, and do o not becom me a shade eternity. I destiined to haunt this accursed place for all e T TrollsZine! Page 15 Issue 6

h hope that help ps. Kind of depends d whether you are a g glass half full or glass half f empty kind of person, I s suppose. 20 0 Y You decide to o proceed int to the gloomy y forest. It is s e eerily quiet. After A a few tw wists and turns s of the road, , t the last circle of daylight is s left behind you, and you u a are deep in th he murk. You u feel a grow wing sense of f u unease there e is something g very unnatu ural about this s p place, and you u sense that hidden dange ers lurk here. W Will you turn and flee as qu uickly as you can, c to get out t o of this place before b ill bef falls you? Rea ad 15. Or are e y you made of sterner s stuff, and in no wa ay deterred by y t the imminence e of peril? Rea ad 5. 21 A As you trace your fingers over the run nes, unfamiliar r w words form on o your tongu ue, and you feel f a growing g p pressure in yo our skull as though the contents c were e a attempting to force their way w out. You drop to your r k knees in agon ny! You lose 5 points of CO ON. If this is s s sufficient to ki ill you, read 13. If you live, read on. T The pain is suc ch that you alm most black ou ut, but you are e a aware of a ha arsh, rhythmi ical chanting which you u s suddenly reali ize is your ow wn voice, speaking words s t that you do o not under rstand. Then n unwelcome e k knowledge daw wns on you: something s stand ds behind you, , a looming pre esence. You have h stopped chanting, and d g gag, as there is s a thick, chem mical odor in the chamber. E Every sense you have screa ams at you to o run for your r li ife! Will you flee in blind panic from m the terrible e p presence? Rea ad 19. Or will you defy your fears and d t turn and face it? i Read 31. 22 2 Y You fight th he Wild Hun ntsman! (MR R80). If you u r reduce the Hu untsman to a MR of 40 or less, he will l b blow another blast on his horn, h summon ning a pack of f F Foul Wolves. Roll 1D6 to determine e how many y w wolves are sum mmoned. Eac ch wolf has MR20 M and will l f fight against you togeth her with th he wounded d h huntsman. I If you defeat the t Huntsman n, you may tak ke the horn as s y your prize. The T horn can n be used once o per day y a anywhere abov ve ground in the wilds. It will work for r y you exactly as it has for the e Huntsman summoning g 1 1D6 worth of MR20 Foul Wolves to aid you. H However, you u will discover r that a side-e effect of using g t the horn will be that you will w grow irre emovable stag g a antlers out of the t sides of yo our skull (part ticularly

emba doe/female). This will arrassing if you are a d perm manently redu uce your Ch harisma to 5 amongst hum mans and other r judgmental s species. If you u are slain, forgot to ma ake a note o of the paragr raph from or f when nce you arrive ed, read 13. 23 ly through th he strange for rest. Soon You trudge waril ction. You you fear that you have lost all sense of direc not even sure if you are fol llowing a path h at all, or are n just wandering ai imlessly betwe een the trees s. Looking ut in growing panic, you n notice a small spring of abou fresh h looking wat ter. Do you w wish to drink k from the strea am? Read 12. . Or press on n and try to g get out of this p place? Read 3 32. 24 You try to speak t to your reflect tion, but abso orbed in its own misery, it pay ys you no atte ention. Then y you notice that beyond it, a d dark, monstro ous shape with h three red ion of weavin ng limbs is app proaching. eyes and a profusi quickly, but th here is no such h thing on You turn around q r side of the mirror. Your r doppelgang ger shrinks your nst the glass, w wailing, its sorrow now ove ertaken by again abjec ct fear. Will you wait to watch what happens? Read d 39. Smash the glass to free your un nfortunate ction? Read 14. Or get ou reflec ut of here as quickly as you a are able? Read 19.

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25 Your apprehensions are realized! Something terrible approaches! Consult the Encounter Table at 49. If you survive the encounter, read 35. 26 Congratulations! You have found the Lost Scythe of Yang-yi! It has 26 dice and 17 adds. Furthermore it allows you a free strike at the start of any combat, inflicting full damage against up to six opponents. Shouldering your newly found weapon, and laughing at your great good fortune, you proceed merrily on your way. Read 13 27 You are in a small circular chamber beneath the forest. Roots protrude from the ceiling and walls. There is a stone staircase leading up, and a single corridor exiting the chamber. A mournful sobbing echoes down the corridor from somewhere ahead. The walls of the chamber are inscribed with ancient runes. Do you wish to head down the corridor? Read 36. Or would you prefer to first make a closer examination of the ancient runes? Read 7. 28 You push your way into the room and stand before the mirror. You see your reflection looking back well, almost your reflection, for the face in the mirror is twisted in grief, and crying out in wordless anguish! You stagger backwards in surprise but your reflection lunges forward! It crashes against the glass which shivers at the impact, but doesnt shatter. How do you wish to respond? Try to speak to this thing beyond the mirror to find out how it/you came to be trapped there? Read 24. Use a weapon to smash the glass and free your reflection? Read 14. Jump up and down and pull moonish faces to mock the mirror being in its torment? Read 10. 29 You attack the Ravening Fiend Head (MR70)! If you defeat this foe, you will be pleased to discover that it wore a pearl earring, which your inner pawnbroker whispers is worth a good 50 gp from any (semi-) respectable booty dealer. You may also wear it yourself if you wish, it is most fetching. If you do not defeat this foe or if you cannot remember which paragraph you were supposed to return to following your encounter, read 13. 30 The ground rises to the north of the highway, and there you find a little hollow, shaded from the road by TrollsZine!

a growth of stunted bushes. It seems to be a discreet spot to make camp. The evening is warm and you have hard cheese and stale bread, so decide not to risk a fire in case of drawing unwanted attention. Helping your sparse meal down with a few gulps of sour Brannish wine, you settle down on a bed of ferns, pulling your travel cloak over you, and soon drift into a troubled sleep. You dream a most peculiar dream. In it, you are floating above the ground, looking down on your own sleeping form. Tendrils of mist are rolling out from the forest, and these reach your body like so many gaseous tentacles. The limbs of mist wrap themselves sinuously about you, lift you into the air, and draw you within the dark, forbidding woods. You awaken with a start, reaching instinctively for your weapon and your pack, which you are relieved to find straight away. But although you have grabbed your belongings, you cannot see them, or anything, for you are in pitch blackness. What is more, you feel a pressing presence around you that you instinctively know to be the old forest. Was your dream true, or did you wander here, sleepwalking? You are about to scrabble in your pack for the means to light your way, when you notice that you can see your hands before you, and the ground, and the trunks and branches of trees. Everything seems to be lit with an eerie luminescence that your eyes grow increasingly accustomed to. You seem to be in a small clearing of sorts (though branches still cover over head), with a single path winding out amongst the trees. Will you follow the path to see where it leads? Read 40. Or should you pinch yourself hard to see if you yet dream? Read 3. 31 You turn and behold the thing behind you and your heart almost freezes in shock at what you behold! Make a CON save! If you fail, read 13! If, however, you succeed, read on. The thing is huge, quite filling the small chamber and blocking you from reaching the stairway. It is a great cylindrical mass of rubbery, luminescent flesh, from which dozens of jointed limbs extend and weave ominously. At the center of the mass is something of a face three small deep red eyes regard you balefully; beneath them is a long vertical fissure lined with hundreds of irregular, razor sharp teeth. A thin purple tongue protrudes from the mouth, snaking slowly towards you. Do you turn and flee, screaming Issue 6

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in ncoherently down d the corri idor behind yo ou? Read 19. W Will you draw your weapon and fight? Re ead 48. Or do o y you believe th hat it would be b folly to do anything but t s stand your gro ound and see what w befalls yo ou? Read 46. 32 2 Y You are lost in the trees, , with no sen nse of which h d direction to go. Striking out, you push p through h u undergrowth and fallen br ranches, and to your great t r relief find that t you are back k on the fore est road. Your r r relief is sho ort lived, however, h as it is soon n o overwhelmed by growing an nxiety and doubts. There is s s something ver ry wrong in these woods. Read 35. 3 33 A As you follow w the stream, it i grows wide er and swifter, , a and its merry rhythm match hes your own n rising spirits. M Make a LK Saving Roll. If yo ou fail, you ha ave been beset t b by some wan ndering beasti ie. Go to 49 9 to discover r e exactly what, making m note to t return to this t paragraph h (33) if you should s surviv ve the encou unter. If you u s succeed in the t LK Savi ing Roll or survive the e e encounter, rea ad 38. 34 4 Y Your mirror self has trium mphed! This leads to the e u unusual situa ation where you may continue c this s a adventure as your twisted, evil mirror self. If your r c character was already twist ted and evil then you will l h have to work k out for yo ourself exactly y what being g d double twisted and evil means. m You may m loot the e c corpse of you ur former self f. Note that all a belongings s a and treasure, including i any y ridiculously over-powered d m magical items s gained on previous ad dventures, are e d duplicated in your doppelg gangers posse essions. There e is only one cat tch, which is that t hencefort th, in this and d a any future que ests, you shou uld only choos se actions that t a an evil doppelg ganger of you urself would ta ake. Delighted d a at your triump ph over your foolish and weak w original, , y you set off ba ack down the e corridor to the room of f r runes. You are ent entirely sure whether you y are in the e m mirror world or its original l, as both app pear identical. R Read 18. 35 5 T The road that you are follo owing dwindle es as the trees s p press in, until it is soon little e more than a narrow path. B By the blacken ned shell of a lightning-blast l ted oak trunk, , t the path splits s at a fork. With the tree es pressing in n m menacingly clo ose, both rout tes seem equa ally uninviting. Y Your attentio on is caught by faint, mournful m sobs s e emanating from within the dead tree. Do o you wish to o in nvestigate the e sobbing? Read 45 Or will you ignore it

and press on dow wn the left for rk (read 6) or r the right d 9)? (read 36 The corridor leads s to another chamber, whic ch to reach h and squeez ze past more and ever you have to push ker tree roots. To one side of the chamb ber, almost thick conc cealed by the roots, is a larg ge, gilt-edged mirror. If there e are other fu urnishings in o or exits from the room, they cannot be se een owing to the thick entanglement of ro oots. The so obbing appear rs to be com ming from beyo ond the mirro or. Do you w wish to enter the room and look into the mirror? Read 28. Or does ething (call it common sen nse) warn you to get out some of th his eerie hole i in the ground d as quickly as s possible? Read d9 37 The head seems s surprised at yo our request. Really? it ns, oh, very y well. Once, there were t three little groan piggy ys Althou ugh the circu umstances are e unusual, you find the fam miliar story of f your childh hood most sooth hing. You recov ver 10 points of f CON and gain n 50 AP for this experience. No to the parag graph you ow return t rded before rolling on t the random encounter recor table e, or, failing th hat, read 13. 38 It is a long march h through a seemingly end dless night. After r a while, you u notice that y your surround dings have taken n on an incre easing and un nfamiliar lum minescence. To your great relief and against yo our worst ectations, you u realize that the trees are e thinning expe out, and that the luminescence e is the natur ral light of early y dawn. The woods aroun nd you have lost their maca abre aspect, an nd are slowly coming alive with trills of biirdsong and o other morning g noises. Finall ly, you are out o of the forest!

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Y You stumble up u a rise, and beyond it yo ou see another r r road; a better one than the one you we ere following, , w which must le ead to Ghom math. A sleepl less night has s le eft you weary, but you hop pe to get some e miles behind d y you and hopef fully find an inn i where you u can rest and d r recover. You carry a lin ngering doub bt that some e m mystery of tho ose haunted woods w has rem mained behind, , u unresolved, but that is no ot enough to o lessen your r g gratitude for the t life blood d which still flows f through h y your veins. S Something or someone has s been watch hing over you! T Take 50 AP and increase your Luck by b 1 for your r e experience. If f this feels somehow unear rned and you u p prefer to head d back to the e forest and spend s another r n night there, then go ahead and a read 13 in nstead. 39 9 Y You watch and see what w happens s, when the e o otherworldly demon d devour rs someone who w looks very y m much like you u. When it has s finished, the demon looks s u up at you, and d then moves s forward, passing through h t the glass as th hough it were e not there. You Y turn and d r run! Read 19. 40 0 Y You follow the path, you ur heart racin ng, the blood d p pounding in yo our ears. Read d 25. 41 S Something la arge is crash hing through h the woods s t towards you! You Y draw you ur weapon an nd prepare for r it ts approach. There T is the blast b of a hunt ting horn, and d a horse rears up u before you, bestridden by b a huntsman n w wearing the antlers a of a stag. Will yo ou attack this s s strange rider? Read 22. As sk, What is it i you hunt, o h horn-headed one? o Read 11. Or decla are: By Saint t L Langfords Ho oly Bones, be gone and tro ouble me not, , t thou hoary misbegotten trop pe! Read 47. 42 2 Excuse me, you ask in a quavering q voic ce, but could d o one of you fine fellows direct me as to o the shortest t r route out of th his confounde ed place? Well, says th he first Grim Spectral Warr rior, in a voice e li ike rusted stee el scraped ove er wet stone, Im tempted d t to give you th he rather obvio ous and termi inal answer to o t that question T The second Grim G Spectral Warrior W lets ou ut a long sigh, , li ike foul air escaping from m a newly opened o tomb. Thats you all l over, he com mplains, always going for

obvious. Get ts mighty tedi ious after, oh h, say four the o millen nnia now. The third Grim S Spectral Warr rior chuckles at this (a ckle like we ell, take 30 A AP if you can think of a chuc suitab bly morbid simil ile to insert here) ), which great tly offends the f first. He shov ves the third i in the chest, and in no time at all, all t three are bra awling like street girls ting over coppers in the g gutters outside e the Blue fight Frog g Tavern. Whi hilst the three are thus occu upied, you back k away, then tu urn and run. R Read 35. 43 As y you trace you ur fingers ove er the runes, unfamiliar word ds form on y your tongue, a and you feel a growing press sure as thoug gh the conten nts of your s skull were attem mpting to for rce their way y out. With a supreme ment tal effort, yo ou force you urself to stop p reading, wren nching your gaze away from the invidious mark kings! r head spins a and you feel n nauseous (yo l lose 3 points Your of CO ON), but you u feel that you u have escape ed a much wors se fate. It seem ms to you th hat the markin ngs on the walls s are runes of f binding, and that something unseen lurks s here, beyond d the thin, stra aining walls of f reality. Is this the cancerou us heart of th his woods str rangeness? r thoughts are e interrupted by hearing th he sobbing Your from m down the c corridor ren newed, and lo ouder than befo re. Will you n now investigat te this unsettl ling noise? Read d 36. Or is it t time to get ou ut of this hole and as far from m this place as quickly as possible? Read 9.

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44 4 Y You find yourself in combat with three Grim G Spectral l W Warriors! Ea ach warrior is MR30. Out of an n e exaggerated se ense of fair pl lay, they will only o fight you u s singly if your character is less l than 3rd level. If your r c character is so o proficient th hat the three pose you no o t threat at all, they t will polit tely suggest that t you fight t t them at a sui itable handica ap (one hand d tied behind d y your back, bar re-handed, bli indfolded, wh hat-the-heck n naked), and you y may hum mor them if you wish. At t w whatever level l of experienc ce you are in n such a case, , y you ought to be able to work w out the details. d If you u s slay the warrio ors, you will be b pleased to discover that, , t though their forms crum mble to dust, each leaves s b behind a silve er GSW broo och, probably worth 15 gp p a apiece. You may m proceed to t 35. Should d the warriors s t triumph they will w offer you ur corpse a fin nal salute, and d y you will read 13. 1 5 45 W Warily, you peer p within the tree tru unk. To your r s surprise you find a ston ne spiral stai ircase, lit by y p phosphorescen nt mosses, tw wisting down into i the earth. T The sobs are echoing up fr rom down be elow. Will you u d descend the st taircase to inve estigate furthe er? Read 27. O Or would you prefer to get as far from here h as quickly y a as you can, by travelling eith her the left (re ead 6) or right t (read 9) forks? ? 46 6 Y Your beliefs, however h well-founded, are e of little help p in n this situation n. Read 13. 47 7 Y Your words are most ef ffective and fill the Wild d H Huntsman with an overwh helming sense e of his own n r ridiculousness. He throws down his ho orn and rides s o off. You may take the Horn n of the Wild Huntsman. If f y you ever cho oose to blow it, in this or o any future e a adventure, ref fer to Parag graph 22 to discover its s e effect. You ma ay instead cho oose to sell it, in which case e it t should fetch h 150 gp fro om an honest t trader. Now w r return to the e paragraph from whenc ce you came e ( (before rolling g for this ra andom encou unter). If you u f failed to properly make not te of it, make e a note to be e m more careful in n future, and instead i read 13 1 . 48 8 Y You have deci ided to take on o Ghrlkhutt t Bhaeghoar, , E Eater of Sou uls (MR250) in combat. Although A the e E Eater of Souls s has untold powers which h it could call l u upon to resolv ve the situatio on, it is perha aps impressed d b by your pluck k, and decides to give you a fair fight in n o one-to-one co ombat. If you u triumph, rea ad 18. If you u T TrollsZine!

defeated, you know the dr rill. (If you do ont know are d the d drill, read 13.) ) 49 Rand dom Encoun nter Table Roll 2D6, and find d the result on n the table be elow. Most of th he encounters will require y you to engage in combat with some foul sp pirit or beast o of the woods, , but some n which you m must go to resullts are special encounters in the li listed paragrap ph number to o resolve. You u may only enco ounter each of these once per adventure if you roll t that result ag gain, treat it a as no encount ter. Lucky you! Whether you u roll a specia al encounter or one of monsters, if yo ou survive the e encounter y you should the m retur rn to whichev ver paragraph h you made a note of befo re reading thi is section. If y you are defeat ted by the ounter, or if y you simply for rgot to make a note of enco the p paragraph you u came from, r read 13.

Roll l 2,3,4 4 5,6 7

Resu ult Read d2 Shad des of Mist (y you face one for e every level of your c character, each a at MR25.) Tran nsient Wight t (Make a DE EX Saving

8,9 10,11 1,12

Read d 41

Roll t to avoid its touc ch: fail and you u take 1D6 damag ge to your CON N per level of you ur character. Either way, the Wigh ht then fades awa ay). Foul l Wolves (You u face 1D6 wol lves, each at MR 2 20)

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50 0 T The forest is far behind yo ou, and the ro oad improves s a and straighten ns with ever ry passing mile. m You are e u utterly weary after your exp periences of the t night, but t f find the stren ngth to push on, and hop pe to reach a t tavern or inn where w you can n safely rest. S Sometime afte er noon, you happen to lo ook back over r y your shoulde er, and not tice the dus st of riders s a approaching along a the road d. The forest is already lost t t to sight over intervening i hi ills and rises. You strain to o s see the riders s better, having some silly y notion that t s some unspeak kable thing fro om the wood ds might have e v ventured this far, even in broad b daylight t, to draw you u b back. But you u see that bey yond the rider rs are wagons s b by the dozen: : Madame Sh hakashas cara avan. Curious, , a and thankful for the oppo ortunity to res st, you take a s seat by the roa ad and wait for the merchan nt to arrive. T The heavily-ar rmoured Trol llish guards ey ye you warily, , b but riding amo ongst them is Madame Sha akasha herself, f, w who merrily bi ids you a good d day. Tell me, you u ask, how is i it that you and this train n m managed to pa ass through th hat accursed fo orest? Forest? she replies, wha at forest? I da aresay, in spite e o of the name, th here hasnt be een a tree grow wing on Black k O Oak Heath sin nce before the reign of the Jade J Kings. Y You recount your adventu ures of the night before. C Clearly, the Madame does not n believe a word w of it, and d y you feel bound d to prove her r wrong.

u think I lie? you ask, ver ry well. But pe erhaps you You woulld be intereste ed in buying th his it should d be worth a wag gon or two of f your stinking g cabbages! And from your pack you withd draw the gold d statuette. Exce ept that it is snt made of f gold any lo onger, but carve ed from blac ck wood. Madame Shaka asha turns ashen n-faced, and d draws back in revulsion. Put t that thing aw way, she croa aks in a hoarse whisper, and without a sin ngle word mo ore gallops ba ack off to join her wagons. The guards g glower menac cingly, but pay them no h heed. you p carving. It is a truly repuls sive thing. You look at the c And yet you run one fin nger down it ts smooth ace and stran nge angles, finding it in nexplicably surfa comp pelling. Perha aps you will keep it your rself, as a mem mento. Surely n no harm can c come of that? ************************** ************* ********* **** This adventure is at an end. Yo ou may take a reward of ur experience e, and the c carving of 500 AP for you lkhutt Bhae eghoar, Eate er of Souls. It could Ghrl come e in handy as a paperweigh ht or bookend d. Feasibly, it m may one day prove to h have other p properties: whet ther for good or for ill, time e alone must t tell.

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The Toot thpick vs. the Bro oadsword

A T&T T Combat C E Examplle
By Mark M Thorto on
G Gustov Vynd strolled into o town. Altho ough it was a r rough town, Gustov G was confident in both b his savvy y a and his prowe ess with a sw word. Hed se een a lot and d k killed even more. Gustov had hacked his h way up to o t third level and d his attributes s were rising nicely. n Gustov v m made his way towards the Gutrot Inn, but b before he e m made it throu ugh the wood den swing doo ors imprinted d w with the mark k of many sore e heads, he was w stopped in n h his tracks by a gob of spit th hat landed on n his left boot. T The boot was made of expe ensive Nesstlehaven leather. H He looked at the man who o had spat in n his direction n a and weighed him h up as ave erage; althoug gh average the e m man most cer rtainly was no ot. Gustov sho oved the man n h hard in the chest, thinking to t pitch him a a over t into o t the horse tro ough handily placed for sobering and d b bathing rather r than for equine e libation ns. The man n s stayed on his feet, however r, the first sign n that Gustov v h had not been as a savvy as he thought he was. w P Prokta had curly c hair; ha ad, in that he e had lost it t r recently when he had stuck k his head into o a crawl way y t that turned ou ut to be hiding g a baby drago on at the other r e end. Good thi ing it was only y a baby, but it i had left him m in n mourning fo or his beautifu ul ginger barn net and he was s in n a sour moo od (that spittle certainly wa as not sweet). H He was a very y experienced rogue; hed made m it to fifth h le evel and his adds were ni icely mountin ng. He hardly y b bothered with h magic as his s INT caused d him to miss s t too many sav ving rolls, but t his phenom menal accuracy y m more than com mpensated. T The confronta ation soon developed d into o a fight and d g gathered spec ctators. Gustov drew his s broadsword d f from its scabb bard. As a L3 warrior w he got 6D6+4 with h h his favorite weapons w (hou use rule!) and his personal l a adds were a meaty m +22. He felt gooood! His opponent t s somewhat quirkily prod duced a toothpick and d b brandished it at a Gustov. He e got just 1D6 6 for the little e w wooden poke ey thing, but his combat adds were a c colossal +62! Surely the outcome o was obvious, the e o onlookers tho ought, expecti ing much blo ood to flow t the broadswor rd is mightier than the toothpick. Surely y t the outcome is obvious, you, y the expe erienced T&T T p player may thi ink Gustov will roll 21 on n average and d g get a combat total t of 47 with h his adds wh hile Prokta will l T TrollsZine!

and average co ombat total of f 65. The diffe erence of get a 18 is s more than enough to g get through th he leather armo or that both co ombatants fav vor. But how can a man with a toothpick really beat a man skilled w with a big, p sword? sharp In f fact, as it h happened, Pr rokta elected d to leap back kwards out of f danger as Gu ustov sliced a at him. He made e a SPD SR and got hims self out of ha arms way. Gust tov jumped a at him again, but Prokta choose to vault t over the wa arrior, spin an nd stab him in n the back of th he head (unpro otected) with his toothpick. He made SRs on both D DEX and ST TR and exec cuted the euver perfectl ly now the jab from the little stick mane woulld surely finis sh Gustov! Not soGusto ovs player appe ealed to the G GM that a tooth hpick just wou uldnt kill Issue 6

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h him and the GM G agreed. He e wasnt going g to stand still l w while he was pierced and the toothpick k wasnt long g e enough or stro ong enough to o get to the br rain. It did not t d do 65 points of o damage. Th he GM allowed d just 1D6. A And so the fig ght went on with Gustov moving in to o a attack and Pro okta stunting his h way out of f trouble while e lo ooking for opportunities o to deal nasty y little pricks. H How would it end? Proba ably someone would fail a c critical saving roll; there is a one in eig ghteen chance e a and on averag ge the 1 and 2 would come e up half way y t through the sequence of eighteen, e so perhaps p at the e n ninth critical saving roll so omething unf fortunate and d d deadly would occur. o A Actually, Gust tovs player eventually e poi inted out that t P Prokta should have to make e a LK SR to avoid a tripping g

over the spectat tors feet an nd he failed. . Proktas acter then cla aimed Gustov v would need to make a chara LK S SR to have enough room to decapitate e him with the b broadsword he too failed d and slashed into some poor r man whose e wife who w was rooting fo or Prokta. Prok kta then made e SRs on both h DEX and SP PD to leap on t top of the nonplussed Gustov and d perform acup puncture on b both of his ey yeballs. It wa as still not enou ugh to kill him m, but Proktas player appea aled to the GM to require a current CON N SR for Gust tov not to pass out in agony y. The GM ag greed and Gus stov failed reupon the st till sour Prokt ta throttled th he warrior wher and left the too othpick (which was made e of stout boomian khau auriwood) pro otruding from m the dead Khab mans nose. He e even made a l little flag to p put on the end of it (the too othpick, not the nose) and d then he t off home wit unate spectato ors wife. went th the unfortu

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Old d Kram mm
By Roy Cram
L Long ago in a faraway land d called Valesi ia there was a f forest. Over time a little town had gr rown up near r t these woods. Around the town were a number of f s small farms where w hard working w men and women n r raised families s and suppor rted themselv ves by raising g g grain, vegetab bles, and anim mals. Life wa as good here e b because it was s far from the e kings tax collectors, c and d t there had been n peace in the land for a lon ng time. E Eight-year-old d Lars Olavso on, and his el leven-year-old d b brother, Peer, lived on one of the farms and a their little e h house was qu uite near the forest. It was s autumn and d m most of the harvest h work had been do one. The boys s h had done all their t chores so o after lunch their mother, , O Olga, told them m to go outsi ide and play so she and the e n new baby, Kat tina, could tak ke a nap. But," she to old them, do on't go into the woods. I d dont want Old d Kramm to carry c you off!" " O Old Kramm was w the local boogey man that mothers s u used to scare their t kids into good behavio or Be good, or the t Troll will come c tonight and carry you u o off and cook you y for breakf fast in his big pot! p S Stories from the early sett tlers told of a mysterious, , h huge creature that would come c on fogg gy nights and d s steal the axes and saws peo ople had used d to cut down n t trees in the for rest. This was the reason th hey referred to o t the forest as th he "Trollwood d." T The area wher re the forest met m the clearin ng was a good d p place for the boys b to play their t favorite game g of hidea and-seek. Neit ther boy really y believed that t trolls existed d s since they had d never seen one. o So they dared to hide e a and hunt for each e other in the t bushes and d brush at the e f forests edge. N Now Peer, as s some older brothers are wont to do, , li iked to annoy y his younger brother. Soon n he began to o t tease and taun nt him about how boring it i was to play y w with someone e who was so o easy to fin nd. Each time e P Peer found Lars, L he moc cked him aga ain, and Lars s q quickly becam me angry wit th this irritati ing badinage. W When Peer be egan to go dee eper into the woods w to hide e e each time and Lars complain ned, the older r boy mocked T TrollsZine! Page 24 Issue 6 aid of Old Kra amm. him for being afra That t really irritate ed Lars, and h he resolved to o show his older r brother tha at, not only was he not afraid of imag ginary monste ers, but he could hide so well that even n Peer could n not find him. So, on his ne ext turn to hide,, Lars ran deep rest and did su uch a good p into the for job o of hiding tha at Peer was in ndeed unable e to locate him. Unfortunatel ly, when Peer called for him m to come o far that he e went the out, Lars was in the woods so ng way, and so oon found him mself complet tely lost. It wron was llate in the afte ernoon and it was hard to s see the sun for th he thick foliag ge in the deep per parts of the e wood. ods as he dared, calling Peer went as far into the woo r Lars. But, a at last, as the e shadows and searching for an to lengthen n, Peer realized d that he had to go and bega tell h his father Ola av that Lars h had gone deep p into the wood ds to hide and d had not com me out again. F Frightened and hungry, Peer hurried abou ut seeking the way back to th he clearing an nd swearing th hat if he foun nd his way safely ly back home he would nev ver misbehave again.

P Peer got his ears e boxed for not taking better b care of f h his younger brother. b After r Peer and his h father had d c called in vain at the edge of o the forest for f Lars, Olav v r ran the short distance d to the little towns tavern to ask k t the men there e to go with him h into the Trollwood to o h hunt for his boy. b But it wa as now sunset t and the men n w were very reluc ctant to do so o in the dark. T Then a strang ger who was staying s in the tavern spoke e u up. His name was Bjorn and d he was a hu unter by trade. H He was passin ng through on n his way to another a town. B Bjorn said tha at he would go g and find the t boy for a r reward. Olav, very concern ned, offered th he man all he e c could afford. Bjorn quick kly accepted for he was s r running low on n cash and tho ought that thi is would be an n e easy way to fa atten his purse e. He asked the t other men n w why they wou uld not go int to the forest at night, and d t they told him that they fea ared the Troll who guarded d t the woods. It was said to co ome out at ni ight to punish h a anyone who dared d to trespa ass among his s trees and do o t them harm. T The hunter asked if anyone e in the town had ever seen n t the Troll and they admitte ed that none of them had. B Bjorn was amu used now; he had never see en a Troll and d d did not believ ve that they existed e anywh here except in n t the overactive e imaginations s of country bumpkins b and d c children. But he was also very v glad of the t chance to o p pick up a little e extra cash as s he still had a long way to o t travel. S So, Bjorn got together his crossbow and d several large e b bear traps from his gear th hen went with h Olav to the e e edge of the woods w where the t boys had been playing. H He made him mself several to orches, lit on ne up, and set t o off into the da ark woods to find f the missin ng child.

y. He climbed d up onto a bo oulder there a and sniffed body the e evening breeze es. Now Troll ls have very la arge noses and ears so they smell and he ear very well. They can the dark too, , though their r eyes are also see well in t ison with the eir other feat tures. Old smalll by compari Kram mm inhaled de eeply and imm mediately pick ked up two distu urbing scents i in the evening g breeze: there e were two hum mans in his wo oods, not far away, and on ne of them fire! Fire in hi had f is forest! Old Kramm had seen what fire c could do to a forest, and a low growl ru umbled in his h huge throat. H He would have e to deal with h that. Old Kram mm closed up p his cave, clim mbed down th he hill, and set o off through th he trees to fin nd these fooli ish people who trespassed in his beloved w woods.

p was the was dark and p past his bedti time, but sleep It wa farth hest thing from m young Lar rs mind. He had never been n comfortable e in or even near the woo ods in the daytiime. In the g gloom of the e night, the f forest had beco ome very scary y indeed for t the eight-year r-old child. Lars knew that he e had to get out of this aw wful place n for Olga had d told him tha at Old Kramm m came out soon at niight to look for bad child dren to boil in his big cook king pot. Then n, to add imm measurably to his terror and misery, he h heard, not far r away, the h howling of ves. Barely ab ble to hold bac ck his tears, L Lars turned wolv and r ran as fast as he could, sw wearing and pr raying that if he were allowed d to live he wo ould never go into these ul woods again n. awfu

D Deep in the he eart of the old d forest there stood a rocky y h hill. There was a cave in th he hill, its entr rance blocked d b by a large slab b of stone. In nside the cave, , Old Kramm m t the Troll lay on o his simple bed of piled branches and d le eaves. He cou uld sense that the sun had set, and so he e g got up, stretch hed, and wen nt to add a fe ew faggots of f w wood to the fire f under his big cooking pot. p When he e w was satisfied th hat it was hea ating properly y, Old Kramm m w went to his door d and easil ly slid back the t huge rock k t that served as a door. Old Kramm went t out into the e c cool of the ni ight and again n stretched his ten-foot-tall l T TrollsZine!

Bjorn also h heard the wo olves, and Not far away, B ped to cock his crossbow w. This was a serious stopp thing g, for while w wolves would seldom attack k an adult man with a weap pon, an unarm med little boy would be pting and easy y prey for the e beasts. He n needed the temp rewa ard Olav had promised him m. Bjorn lit h his second torch h and then hu urried in the d direction of th he howling wolv ves.

his way to find d the people w who dared Old Kramm, on h g fire into his s woods, pass sed near the cottage of bring the C Crone whom he allowed to o live in his f forest. The old w woman had l lived in her l little cottage i in a small clear ring there for many years. E Each winter so olstice she had a always left him m a bowl of porridge, and h he had no Issue 6

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q quarrel with her. h Normally he would sto op and drop a li ittle dead woo od for her he earth fire, but he heard the e c calling of the wolf pack, an nd knew they y were on the e t trail of some prey. p He also knew now th hat one of the e p people in his woods w smelled d like a child. O Old Kramm doubled d his pace p and his long l troll legs s c carried him sw wiftly towards the intruders.

ly believe he w was still alive. H He looked Lars could scarcely ut to see who o it was who o hurled the stone and abou drive en off the bea asts. In that m moment, had the worst mom ment of his sh hort life, for h he found hims self staring into the small re ed eyes in t the huge fac ce of Old mm. That was s the last straw w; Lars fainted d, and slid Kram down n the rock int to the shovel like hands of f the Troll. Old Kramm stare ed at the boy f for a moment t. Then he hed aside his big rock doo or and placed d the child push insid de. Closing the e door behind d him he then n set off to deal with the othe er human, the one who dar red bring a h into his fore est. torch

L Lars could hear the wolves s howling clos se by and ran n t terrified throu ugh the dark k woods. Then he found d h himself before e a big stone that t lay agains st a rocky cliff f ju utting up fro om the ground. Realizing that t he could d n not outrun th he wolves, Lar rs clambered frantically up p t the rough surf face of the big g rock to its to op. Unable to o c climb further, Lars turned and a watched with w horror as s s several dark sh hadows emerg ged from the nearby brush h s sniffing at his trail leading up u to the rock k on which he e s stood. The wolves looked up and grow wled. Looking g d down, Lars co ould see the moonlight m refl lected in their r e eyes below. They T crouched d to leap, La ars closed his s e eyes and praye ed, and sudde enly, BAMM!! ! A large rock k li iterally explod ded against th he side of th he big slab of f s stone on whic ch Lars stood d. With a yelp p, the wolves s f fled. When the ey reached the e shelter of the surrounding g t trees and bush hes, they turned, barking an nd howling in n t their anger and d frustration.

n heard the w ng in the dist tance, and wolves fussin Bjorn stepp ped away from m the bear tr rap he had ju ust set. He adva anced with torch in one hand and the crossbow, cock ked and ready,, in the other. He quickly ar rrived in a smalll clearing and d saw a huge s slab of rock a against the side of a stone h hillside. Then n, suddenly, s something huge e loomed up b behind him. H He spun ready y to shoot, but b before he cou uld take aim, a huge hand sw watted the cross sbow from hi is grasp and s sent the bolt f flying into the b bushes. The second hand d of the gian nt creature reach hed out and,, grabbing th he flame of t the torch, snuff ffed it out lik ke a man wou uld pinch out t a candle flam e.

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B Bjorns mothe er had not ra aised any fool ls; the hunter r t turned and ran for his life. . He fled bac ck the way he e h had come, and was just be eginning to hope he might t e escape alive, when w the jaws of the bear tr rap he had set t a and covered with w brush sna apped shut on n his own leg! H He yelled with h pain and sp prawled there, caught like a r rat. W With great ef ffort, Bjorn managed m to painfully p turn n h himself over. Then he saw w the wolves staring s at him m c close by. Bjorn n whimpered and drew his hunting knife e o out, but knew w it would onl ly delay the in nevitable. But t t then, the wolv ves scattered, yelping and barking b again. T The giant wh ho had disarm med him and d snuffed his s t torch came striding up an nd stopped before b Bjorn. B Beside himself f with fear, Bjorn dropped the knife, and d c cringed away from the tow wering monste er above him. O Old Kramm studied him briefly and then reached d d down with both his huge ha ands. Bjorn cl losed his eyes, , w waiting for th he giant to tea ar him to pieces, and then n s screamed in pain p as the Tr roll forced th he jaws of the e b bear trap apar rt freeing his injured leg. Like L Lars, the e h hunter had had h all he could tolerate, and merciful l u unconsciousne ess claimed him. A short time later, l Bjorn woke w up. He was w in the hut t o of the Crone e who was washing w and dressing his s w wounds. How did I ge et here? he stammered, T The old lady shrugged, T The Old On ne must have e b brought you. Someone S kno ocked on my door. d When I o opened it, I fo ound you lying g there on my threshold. S So Bjorn, worn out by the e adventures of the night, , f fainted once ag gain.

night t to even wee ep. The troll w walked by him m and went to th he end of the cave where th he big pot sim mmered on ed of coals. T its be The giant crea ature reached down and picke ed up a big ch hopper. Lars f felt like he wa as about to faint t again, but th he Troll simpl ly reached into o a bin by pot and pulle ed out some beets and tu urnips. He the p bega an to chop the em up with hi is large knife a and added them m to his pot. H He stirred it a and after a wh hile tasted the b broth. Then th he troll filled a large stone bowl with the t thick soup an nd placed it n near the boy w with a big wood den spoon. L Lars dared to o breathe agai in, as Old Kram mm filled an nother bowl for himself, sat down heav vily on his gr reat bench, a and began to eat. Lars realiz zed how hung gry he was now and sniffed d the soup. Find ding no eviden nce of any meat in it, he h hazarded a taste e and was soon n eating his fil ll.

d the small cr reatures of Old Kramm had always loved specially their r babies. The e unhappy forest and es the f man child broug ght back to him a floo od of old mories of his T Trollwife and T Trollkins who o had once mem lived d here with hi im in a time so long ago. How long had it been sinc ce they had, at the comin ng of the hum man kind, gone e back down into the cavern ns and the Trolll Warrens in t the deep place es of the Eart th? But he had s stayed here, just a little wh hile longer he e said, and the s seasons had s stretched into centuries. Su uddenly he knew w that it had b been too long and his big h heart ached to se ee his kin again n and be near r to his own fa amily once more e. A little Troll tear ran dow wn his big nose and fell into his soup bow wl. He quickly y wiped his ey yes on his tatter nk the last red sleeve and d picked up th he bowl to drin of hiis meal. Now, what to do w with the man c child?

L Lars woke up in the dimly lit big cave. There was a h huge table and d bench there made of crud de, unfinished d lu umber and a bed b of branch hes, leaves, and d pine needles s a against the far r wall. But th he most distur rbing thing in n t the cave was the t big iron co ooking pot sit tting on a bed d o of coals at the e end of the ca ave opposite the t door. The e T Trolls dreaded d soup pot! Lars L felt himse elf grow weak k w with fear again n. T Then the huge e rock slab that served as a door ground d o open and Old d Kramm cam me inside. He e slid the big g r rock back into o place blockin ng any hope of o escape. Lars s s sat, too exhaus sted now by th he stresses of this awful T TrollsZine!

was very early y in the mor rning, at least t 2 hours It w befo re sunrise, when Lars woke up h his family poun nding on the door of the house and y yelling. He was embraced with joy and re elief by his m mother and er, but got hi is ears boxed by dad after rwards for fathe the a anxiety he had d caused them m. They y all scoffed at t him when h he told them h his story of his a amazing adve entures of how w the old Tr roll of the wood ds had rescue ed him from th he wolves, fed d him, and brou ught him safely y home. at stories child up to try to g get out of dren make u Wha troub ble!

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B Back in the fo orest, Old Kr ramm sat on a boulder on n t the side of the rocky tor th hat had been his home for r t the last thousa and years and d thought abo out the events s o of the night. How things were chang ging now. He e r recalled now the t early days of his own yo outh, when he e li ived with his own parents s deep in the Earth below w a and how the war w with the little people, the Dwarves, , h had driven him m and his kin to ever higher levels of the e w world until th hey finally re eached the su urface of the e E Earth itself. He H remembered d the beauty and a wonder of f t the forest and all the new th hings that so enchanted e him m a and won his heart h with its almost a magical l beauty. Here e h he had lived with w his wife and here his children had d b been born. But B the hum mans had co ome in ever r in ncreasing num mbers and th he other Tro olls, who had d n never been a warlike w people e, went back down d into the e d deep places of f the Earth ag gain until he alone a was left t b behind to watc ch over the wo ood and prote ect it from the e h humans. But there t seemed, every day, to o be more and d m more humans s. It seemed to him that he was done e h here. There was w little more one old Trol ll could do to o s stop the men from coming here. He kne ew they would d c cut down his trees t and clea ar the brush aw way and soon n h he would not be b able to pre event it any longer. How he e n now missed his old crabby Trollwife and d his children. A second tear r ran down his h nose and dropped d onto o h his lap. T Then, as the first deadly rays r of the su un tickled the e h horizon, Old Kramm, last of the wood trolls, got up, , w went slowly in nto his cave, and a slid the boulder b firmly y s shut behind hi im.

A few ew days later, the hunter Bjorn hobbled back into town n on a home-m made crutch. He claimed th hat he had battl ed the wood toll to a stan ndstill and th hen had to stop in the Cron nes house to o get treatmen nt for his nds. Olav, af fter much arg gument, gave him some woun mon ney to pay his bill at the In nn. Then Bjorn n hobbled out o of town as q quickly as his damaged leg would let him, anxious to p put some dis stance betwee en himself the vanquishe ed troll of the e woods. and t

Ten years later, a full grown L Lars who now w had his arm, made ano other trip into the small own family and fa rvested for part of the forest that had not yet been har ber or firewoo od. He made e his way to the center lumb wher re a rocky hil ll jutted up fr rom the grou und. It did not t take him long g to find the b big slab of roc ck that had serve ed the troll as a door, but it t took his a lo ot of effort using g a large tree b branch as a lev ver to open it up. had apparentl ly been so But the cave was empty, and h me. for a long, long tim Lars returned d home, sad ddened that s something So L speciial had depart ted from the w world of men. . But as he made e his way hom me to his wife e and children n, he knew he w would always s remember his wild nig ght in the Trolllwood when he sat in a c cave and ate soup with Old Kramm.

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Soul Surv vivor

A T&T 7th Edition So olo Adv venture
By Sid Orpin n

Introductio on
Y Your entire li ife you have heard from the t men who o w work the cara avans across the t East Brah hm Mountains s b between Solih har and Khell l of the terro ors that haunt t t the high passe es. Stories to frighten children you had d a always though ht; or the com mbination of a weak mind d a and too much h ale perhaps s. All of the tales though, , m make mention n of demons and a souls bein ng dragged to o t the netherworl ld by their Pri ince, Baclitax'l l. T This day those e tales have been b proved true t to you in n n no uncertain fashion f as, following your capture while e m making the mountain m cro ossing, you are a forced to o w watch as some e of your trav velling compan nions are torn n a asunder by de emons and he ellhounds from m your worst t n nightmares. Is s there any wa ay you can av void the same e f fate and escape from their foul f clutches? _ ___________ ____________ ___________ ___________ S Soul Survivor is a solitaire adv venture for us se with Tunnels s & Trolls 7/7.5 edition rules. Any characte er type of 1st

or 2n nd level with no more tha an 30 combat adds may brave ns, but magic users will dis scover that e these cavern there e is limited o opportunity to o use their su upernatural powe ers here where our world and the dem mon realm conjo oin. Combat t spells are permitted; c check the Com mbat Spell Table located at the end of f this solo when n you cast one to see if the incan ntation is succe essful. A Po oor Baby spe ell will always s work, as long as the appropriate INT Sa aving Roll (SR R) is made essfully. For the purpose es of recover ring WIZ, succe each h new paragr raph visited allows 1 poi int to be regaiined. The demons will l have stripp ped you of y your main pon(s), but fo ortunately you ur dagger (any y sort, but weap no e enchanted typ pes please) wa as hidden in y your boot, plus you still ha ave any arm mor you were e wearing ximum 10 po oints protect tion). The us sual T&T (max conv ventions apply y and, as alwa ays, keeping tr rack of the parag graphs you ha ave visited is a jolly good idea. h minions will l be trying to t track you Bacliitax'l's devilish down n at all times w while you wan nder the caves s and

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passages of this projection of the demon realm into your reality. Every time you leave a cavern or room with the exception of the main cavern where you start, you must roll 1D6. If the result is odds, you meet one of these horrors and must roll on the Rampaging Demon Table at the end of this solo to determine which one. Also, if you return to a place you have visited before, unless instructed otherwise, you will find it empty of everything you saw before except a Rampaging Demon. Roll on the Rampaging Demon Table to see which one it is. Finally, should you die during combat at any point, go to 72. Now, go to 1 to start. 1 You are huddled with a crowd of your fellow captives in the center of a large cavern. Huge hellish hounds, the size of small horses, surround you guarding against any attempt at escape. In front of you, the Demon Prince Baclitax'l has already plucked out the hearts of two other prisoners and thrown the corpses to his minions for sport. You have seen strange translucent clouds leave the bodies; surely the souls of the dead being forced into the demons' foul realm. Your turn cannot be too much longer in coming. As you contemplate your own demise, one of the other prisoners, a dwarf, makes a run for one of the exits. The giant dogs immediately leap after him and in moments they have run him down and start to tear him apart. In the confusion that follows, you have a brief opportunity to make your own escape attempt. To just run for the nearest exit, go to 42. To try to hide in one of the shadowy areas at the edge of the cavern, go to 24. You could try to leap on the back of one of the demon dogs and ride out of here by going to 50. Or you could wait for a better opportunity to flee by going to 68. 2 You perform brilliantly. Baclitax'l applauds warmly baring his fangs in a fierce grin into the bargain. He vanishes, but rewards you by raising the level attribute of your choice by 2 points. The west door springs open while all the others fade away. Exit this way to 51. 3 You find a length of the chain that was used to tether the hellhounds that were guarding the prisoners. It will make a serviceable weapon, scoring 3D6+2 and requiring a STR and DEX of 6 to use. Return to 17.

4 You have defeated the Prince of Demons in single combat. Truly a heroic effort! You earn 150 APs and can now step safely through the fire curtain to 66. 5 Attempt a L2SR on LK. If you succeed, go to 22. Otherwise, return to 45. 6 You cup the weird black fluid material into your hands. It has the consistency of quicksilver running in globular aggregations over your palms back into the pool. Do you really want to ingest this netherworld concoction? To drink it down, go to 37. Otherwise, return to 45 and make a new choice. 7 You turn quickly to check on those chasing you. Fortunately, they are not near enough for you to see them yet, but as you turn back to continue your flight, you slip. You find yourself falling towards the inky blackness of the chasm. Attempt to make a L1SR on DEX. If you succeed, you manage to regain your balance and can continue on to your destination paragraph. If you fail, you drop over the edge and fall to your doom; go to 72. 8 In order to release the scimitar from the skeleton's death grip you have to pull so hard that the remaining articulated bones collapse in a heap and instantly turn to dust. When the cloud has settled, the ring and helm are gone. The sword is ancient and battered, but perfectly serviceable. It will score 4D6 in combat. Now, leave here by returning to 21. 9 Attempt a L2SR on CHR or a Singing talent if you have one. Success leads to 2, while failure means you should visit 70. 10 You have got past the Prince of Demons and just have the fire curtain left between you and the outside world. You cannot wait to time your jump; you will just have to leap and trust to luck. Roll 2D6. If you roll doubles, you are caught by the flames and take direct CON damage equal to the number you just rolled (2, 4, 6...12). If you are still alive, go to 66. If your CON drops to 0 or less, go to 72.

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11 1 Y You are in a small squarish cavern with h exits to the e n north, east, and a south. The T moment you enter, a n number of gh hostly apparitio ons appear an nd start to fly y a around and even through h you. As their t number r in ncreases, you u notice a sh harp hissing whisper that t e echoes off the e grey stone walls and int to your mind. T The speech re eaches an int tensity that st tarts to cause e y you pain while e your vision starts to blur r. You are on n t the verge of collapse. c Make e a L1SR on CON. If you u s succeed, you can c leave safe ely by heading g north to 17, e east to 27, or r southwest to t 41. If you fail, you fall l u unconscious and a suffer CON damage equal to the e n number by which you mis ssed your SR. Should your r C CON remain above 0, yo ou awake feel ling cold and d d disorientated but b can now depart. d If you ur CON drops s t to 0 or below, go to 72. 2 12 T The object of your in ntense scruti iny suddenly y t transforms in nto a living skeleton co omplete with h b bejeweled eye and tooth sockets. You are too close to o b be able to flee e, so you will have to fight t this creature e o of the undead. It has a MR of 26 and can n regenerate 5 p points of dam mage each com mbat turn. You u will have to o r reduce its MR R to - 5 or less to destroy it. Every 4th h c combat turn another a of the e mounds will l spring to life e a and join the battle. b A max ximum of 6 skeletons will l a appear in tota al. If, at any point, p you do o not have an n o opponent to fi ight, you can head h to 69.

13 The giant dog flin ngs you into th he air. You sa ail in a less than graceful arc across the cavern and ou ut through and doing 1D D6 + 1 in one of the three exits. You la ct CON dam mage. If you remain consc cious, roll direc 1D6 . 12 you hea ad southwest to 65; 34 so outh to 36, 56 southeast to 1 11. If your CO ON drops to 0 or below, o 72. go to 14 ore 50 or mor re, go to 4. Roll your full attack. If you sco erwise, go to 25 and conti inue the battle e with the Othe demo on. His CON N will obviously be reduce ed by your comb bat total. 15 Refe er to the table e to see what happens. Ret turn to 55 when n you have fin nished here an nd continue th his strange game e of hop-scotc ch. R Roll 2 4 6 Out tcome Fiery bla ast. 1D6 direct t CON damag ge if you fail L1SR R on DEX. You are teleported dir rectly to 51. Magical b blast. 1D6 dir rect CON dam mage if you fail L L1 SR on WIZ Z. Lightning g blast. 1D6 d direct CON da amage if you fail L L1SR on SPD D. Freezing g blast. 1D6 di irect CON dam mage if you fail L L1SR on STR R. Move on n 2 lines safely y.

1 10 1 12

16 In o rder to releas se the ring fro om the skelet ton's dead finge er you have to pull so ha ard that the remaining articu ulated bones collapse in a heap and inst tantly turn to du ust. When the settled, the sci imitar and e cloud has s helm m are gone. T The ring is e enchanted. Th he wearer receiives double hi is/her DEX a adds versus th he undead (note e this does no ot include demons); but ev very fight, even n if successful,, leads to a pe ermanent 1 po oint loss of CON N. Now leave here by going g to 21. T TrollsZine! Page 31 Issue 6

17 You are back in the cavern where you started this adventure. Fortunately, the Prince of Demons and his hellish horde are not in residence. The only thing left is the large rock upon which Baclitax'l sacrificed your compatriots for his own devilish ends. If you want to have a look around for anything useful, go to 53. Otherwise, you can leave by heading southeast to 27, south to 11 or southwest to 65. 18 The passageway you enter slopes downwards quite steeply and you slow down in order to take care with your footing. Unfortunately, after just a couple of steps, you start to skid down slope as if you were walking on ice. You cannot slow your decent, but you can try to remain upright by making a successful L2SR on DEX. If you fail the roll, you fall taking the number you missed by in direct CON damage. Remember whether you managed to remain on your feet or not and proceed straight to 61. 19 Attempt a L2SR on INT or a Poetry or similar talent if you have one. Success leads to 2, while failure means you should visit 70 20 In order to grab something from the pile of treasure and still keep moving as quickly as you can away from the demons and hellhounds chasing you, you must attempt to make as high a SR as you can on SPD. If you fail the roll, one of the demons catches you. Roll on the Rampaging Demon Table to discover which one. Should you survive this encounter, you may gather treasure as if you had made a 1st level SPD roll successfully. If you succeed at 1st level, you grab 5D6 in GPs. If you succeed at 2nd level, you grab 10D6 in GPs, 1D6 gems worth 10 to 60 GPs each. If you succeed at 3rd level or better, you grab 10D6 in GPs, 2D6 gems worth 20 to 120 GPs each, plus an item that you can find at 48. When you have finished collecting treasure return to 65 and leave here. 21 You are in a large rectangular cavern with exits to the northwest, southwest, and south. If you have been here before, go to 38. Scattered at irregular intervals across the floor, though concentrated at its center, are TrollsZine!

half a dozen or so piles of pale grey dust or dirt. To examine the nearest mound, go to 58. If you prefer to keep moving along, you can stride amid the mounds to your chosen exit via 44 or you can skirt around the edge of the cave at 69. 22 You find a secret door in the east wall of the pool chamber. It leads to 41 if you choose to go that way. Alternatively, you could return to 45 and decide on a different course of action. 23 You bend to look at the moss when suddenly a large cloud of purple matter erupts into your face. You start to cough. You gasp desperately trying to draw air into your lungs but you cannot. You collapse and roll on the floor your lips and tongue turning blue as you suffocate and die. Go to 72. 24 The pandemonium created by the dwarf's escape attempt dies down and your absence seems to have gone unnoticed. Attempt a L1SR on WIZ. If you succeed, go to 47. If you fail, Baclitax'l's demonic horde discovers your hiding place and drags you before their leader where your heart is ripped out. Go to 72. 25 In a straight fight you are unlikely to defeat such an opponent. You need some sort of strategy to tip the odds in your favor. Attempt to make a L1SR on INT. Success leads to 59, otherwise fight for all you are worth. You may attempt this roll again during the heat of battle should you fail first time, however, the level of difficulty rises by one for every combat turn the fight has lasted (e.g., after the first combat turn L2SR, after the second combat turn L3SR, and so on). What you are up against here is obviously not the demon Baclitax'l, but merely a projection of some part of him into the mortal realm. He has a CON of 50 and MR of 52. If you are defeated, go to 72. If you are the victor, you should head to 4. 26 You drop into the strange dark pool. Immediately, you feel your strength and will being sapped. You sense you need to get out as quickly as possible. Attempt to make the highest level CHR SR you can. If you make the roll at L3 or higher, you escape in 1 combat turn. If you make the roll at L2, you escape in 2 combat turns. Issue 6

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u make the roll at L1, you u escape in 3 If you combat turns. u fail the roll l, you escape in 4 combat t If you turns.

F For each com mbat turn you are in the Pi it of Despair, , a attempt a STR R SR, starting g at L0 and in ncreasing by 1 le evel for each additional roll. Any failure es temporarily y r reduce your STR S by the am mount that yo ou missed the e S SR for the nex xt 6 different paragraphs yo ou visit before e it t returns to normal n levels. If your STR drops to 0 or r b below at any y time, your spirit fails and a you sink k b beneath the su urface into obl livion. Go to 72. When you u m manage to dra ag yourself out t onto the side e, go to 45. 27 7 Y You are in a narrow n cave with w exits to the northwest, , s southeast, and d west. As yo ou try to dec cide in which h d direction you should head d from here, a humanoid d f figure approac ches from the shadows. In a few seconds s t the creature is i upon you. It is clearly y a zombified d d dwarf wearing g chain mail armor (11 hits) but carrying g n no weapons. He H has a MR equal to the total t of your 3 h highest attribu utes. Your cho oices are to sta and and fight. I If the zombie e dwarf score es more than n 4 spite hits s a against you, you y will mutate into zomb bie form. You u c can try to do odge past him m by making g a successful l L L1SR on DEX X. Failing this s roll means that t the dwarf f g gets to attack k you withou ut retaliation for a single e c combat turn. If your battle e extends to a fifth combat t t turn, a demon n turns up and d joins the fig ght; go to the e R Rampaging Demon D Tabl le to see whic ch one. Once e y you have avoid ded your opponent in what tever way you u c can, the north hwest tunnel le eads to 17, the e southeast to o 2 21 and the east t tunnel to 11.

28 As y you leave the C Cavern of Sac crifice, you are e suddenly awar re that you are e crossing a na arrow rocky b bridge with the im impenetrable d dark of a likel ly bottomless chasm on eithe er side of you.. The sounds of pursuit gro ow louder. If yo ou decide to l look behind a at your pursue ers in case they are so close that you have e to stand and d fight, go keep your hea ad down and hope you to 7. If you just k can k keep ahead of f them, go to 5 56. 29 roll evens, go to 39. If you roll odds, Roll 1D6. If you r on; go to the e Rampaging g Demon you meet a demo Tabl le to discove er which on ne. If you su urvive this enco ounter, you en nd up at 21. 30 You will have to a attempt a L2S SR on SPD to o get to an exit b before the dem mon prince ca an react. If yo ou fail, one of B Baclitax'l's fien ndish cohorts descends upo on you; go he Rampagin ng Demon T Table to disco over which to th one. If you succe eed, you can l leave and hea ad west to 51, n northwest to 6 65, northeast t to 11, or east t to 46. 31 Ring of Solace: This s enchanted o object has the e power to make e any of the e demons, ex xcept Baclitax'l himself, leave e your presenc ce and forget w e. For it to where you are work k, all you nee ed do is make e a successful l WIZ SR startiing at L0 the f first time you use it and inc creasing by one llevel on each subsequent a attempt. It will l be worth 150 G GPs if you esc cape from her re. 32 alize that the e mounds ma ay pose a You suddenly rea at to you and bolt for one of the exits. A As you do threa so, t the pile that y you had been n looking at t transforms into a living skelet ton complete with bejewele ed eye and tooth h sockets. No ow go to 44 an nd try to leave. 33 You are gripped i in the enormous jaws of o one of the hellh hounds and to ossed around like a rag doll l. Attempt a L1 1SR on LK. If you are successful, g go to 13. Othe erwise, you ar re torn apart b by the giant ca anine; your attem mpt to escape e has quickly ended in you ur demise. Go t to 72. 34 You discover a ter rbutje-like weapon hidden i in the dirt. It co onsists of a b bamboo pole with vicious s 3" claws attac ched to it. It s scores 4D6+2 2 and requires s STR and DEX X of 10 to use e. Return to 17 7 and leave he ere.

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35 5 Y You will need to try to mak ke L2SRs on both b SPD and d D DEX to bypa ass the Princ ce of Demon ns. Failure to o m make either ro oll means tha at you take th he total(s) you u m missed the ro oll(s) by in di irect CON da amage before e y you have to fight f him by going to 25. If you make e b both rolls succ cessfully, you nip n by him to 10. 36 6 Y You are in a small circula ar cave. You have entered d f from the east and there is another exit to the south. T The floor is covered c in a thick carpet of moss that t g gives off a fain nt purple luminescence. To o just head off f f from here at top t speed, go to 60. If you would like to o t take a closer lo ook at this glo owing botanical mass, go to o 2 23. 37 7 T The black liqu uid has an od dd consistency y and virtually y n no taste. Wit thin seconds of swallowi ing, you feel l y yourself fadin ng. You have e crossed into o the demon n r realm. You ar ren't dead, bu ut you don't really get to o e enjoy all that normal mortality has to offer. o Trapped d b beyond hope of rescue or the t deliveranc ce afforded by y d death, your adventure has en nded. 38 8 Y You are back in the cavern n that had the e dirt mounds s in n, though the ey have now disappeared. You need to o m make a L1SR on LK to av void meeting a Rampaging g D Demon. Go to o the Rampag ging Demon n Table if you u f fail the SR. If f and when the t time com mes, northwest t le eads to 27, south to 46, or southwest to 71 7. 9 39 T The thin pieces of materia al have subtle e veins within n t them and a waxy w warm su urface. They begin b to pulse e w with a silvery light l at your ap pproach; slow wly at first, but t w with increasing frequency. The T effect is hypnotic and d y you find yourself feeling tir red suddenly. This place is s t the Well of Sp pirits and the evil presence here is trying g t to steal your so oul. Use the sum s of your WIZ W and CHR R a as if it were a MR to pro oduce dice an nd adds. The e c creature here has a rating of o 3D6 + 20. Run a spirit t b battle using th hese ratings as if it were an ordinary o T&T T c combat but without w spite hits. h If your ra ating drops to o z zero or less at a any time, your y soul has s been stolen n a away from you ur earthly she ell and you ha ave died. This s m means that yo ou cannot be reincarnated, r so your life is s w well and truly y over. If you are victoriou us, you gain 3 t times your opp ponent's ratin ng in APs. If the t creature is s d defeated, all of the flaps dr rop to the cav vern floor and d m merge to form m an opening g to a narrow w passageway y t that leads to 51 1. You could, of course, tur rn around and d T TrollsZine!

d back northea ast by going to o 38. head 40 blind the dem mon with a h handful of You manage to b w either rush past him to 10 or you dust and may now pportunity to attack him while he can take this op not retaliate at 14. cann 41 You are in a large e rectangular h hall with ordin nary doors in th he east and w west walls plu us two other rs heading north hwest and no ortheast. The ere is a raised d wooden platf form against t the south wa all with an orn nate highback ked golden c chair at its c center. The Prince of Dem mons, Baclitax x'l himself, is sitting on th his throne leaniing forward an nd looking in your direction n. He leers at y you and ann nounces in a voice dripp ping with male evolence, "W Welcome pun ny humanoid d to my Cham mber of Entertainment. If you can amus se me in a way that befits m my station, I m may allow you u to leave r options are e to try to do as he here alive." Your er sing a son ng (at 9), danc ce (at 54), requ ests and eithe e an epic poe em at (at 19), or tell a jok ke (at 49). recite Othe erwise you cou uld try to mak ke a dash for o one of the availlable exits by y going to 3 30. Finally, y you could mple of demo onic royalty to o a duel by challlenge this exam going g to 67. 42 You bolt for one of the 3 exit ts and immedi iately hear the h heavy footfall ls of one of th he hounds ap pproaching you r rapidly from t the rear. Attem mpt a L1SR o on SPD. If you s succeed, go to o 63. If you fa ail, go to 33. 43 our attempt t to retrieve the e helm, you m manage to In yo knoc ck the visible e parts of the e uruk skeleton to the floor r. The bones s collapse int to dust and when the cloud d has settled, the ring and scimitar are g gone. This piece e of armor ap ppears entirely y unremarkab ble. If you decid de to try it on n, it looks abo out your size, , go to 62. To le eave here now w without the helm, go to 21 1.

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44 As you stride across the cavern, one of the mounds transforms into a living skeleton complete with bejeweled eye and tooth sockets. It has a MR of 32 and can regenerate 5 points of damage each combat turn. You will have to reduce the MR to - 5 or less in a single turn to destroy it. If you manage to survive the ensuing battle, you can head to 69. 45 You are in a small chamber on the edge of a pool that contains an odd blackness. Up close to this strange pond you feel more on edge, as if your hope of escape and confidence is being sucked from you. All in all, it is an uncomfortable place to be. There is only one exit through a doorway leading south. Do you want to leave here straight away by heading that way? If so, go to 51. If you would like to drink some of the dark liquid, go to 6. You could also search the area around the edge of the pool by going to 5. 46 You are in a narrow hall that runs east-west. There are large wooden doors in the north wall at the east of the hall and in the west wall. The whole place is beautifully decorated with rich, gold-embossed wallpaper, delicate plaster mouldings along the ceiling, and a highly polished marble floor. Approximately two thirds of the floor is taken up by a checkerboard pattern of red and white squares; 3 squares wide and 8 squares long. When you look closely at the squares, you can see subtle images appearing and disappearing at short, but irregular, intervals. To leave here via a door you did not enter by, you will have to step on some of these squares. If you wish to turn around and head back the way you came, return to the paragraph that sent you here in the first place. To press on, go to 55. 47 The demons perform their dreadful rite on the rest of your compatriots and then drift away leaving you the chance to slip out quietly. Go to 63. 48 Roll 1D6 to see what you have found. 1 - 2 Go to 31. 3 - 4 Go to 52. 5 - 6 Go to 73. When you have retrieved your treasure, return to 65 and leave here. 49 Attempt a L1SR on LK or a Comic or similar talent if you have one. Success leads to 2, while failure means TrollsZine!

you should visit 70. 50 You leap onto one of the hellhounds and grab hold as tightly as you can. The beast starts bucking and thrashing around trying desperately to dislodge you. Attempt a L1SR on STR. If you are successful, you manage to stay on board your canine mount. Eventually, the dog runs into the cavern wall and knocks itself out so that you can leap off to 63. Failure means you fall to the stony floor. Before you can react, however, Baclitax'l's demons are upon you. You are torn apart in a frenzied attack. Go to 72. 51 You are in a wide north-south corridor. South of you, beneath a high granite archway, a curtain of fire leaps and crackles. Sometimes the flames reach as high as the ceiling. Beyond this inferno, through the arch, you can see blue sky and glimpses of the East Brahm Mountains. It looks like you have made it to the gateway out from this demon-infested hole. Just as you start to contemplate the possibility of escape, Baclitax'l himself appears blocking your escape route. He bares his fangs and reveals his sharp claws all the while fixing his orange lidless eyes upon you. You must get past him to gain your freedom. Do you try to dodge and run around him by going to 35, or do you decide to attack him before he attacks you by going to 25? 52 Sword of Sanity: This is just an ordinary looking short sword (3D6) except that it will protect the wielder from any spite damage inflicted by any enchanted or other worldly creature (demon, zombie, living skeleton, balrukh etc.). 53 Attempt to make a LK SR. If you fail, return to 17 and leave. If you make a L1SR, go to 3. If you make a L2SR, go to 34. If you make a L3 or higher SR, go to 64. 54 Attempt a L2SR on DEX or a Dancing talent if you have one. Success leads to 2, while failure means that you should visit 70. 55 In order to get across the hall you need to cross 8 lines of checkerboard tiles. For each line of the checkerboard you step on, roll 2D6. Each time you roll doubles, make a note of the die roll, and go to 15. Issue 6

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Y You can attem mpt to jump over lines of f tiles and so o r reduce the nu umber you act tually step on n by making a D DEX SR at a level equal l to the num mber of lines s ju umped + 1 (e e.g., to jump over o 1 line req quires a L2SR, , 3 lines a L4SR R). Should you u fail your Sav ving Roll, you u f fall and take direct CON damage equa al to half the e n number you fa ailed by (round d up). You als so slide across s 2 lines of squa ares. Roll 2D6 6 and go to 15; use the table e t there as if yo ou had rolled d doubles of f each of the e n numbers you rolled (e.g., if f you roll a 4 and a 2 you u m must accept th he consequenc ces of rolling double d 4s and d d double 2s). If you manage to t get to the far f side of the e h hall, the exit to o the north le eads to 21 and d the west one e t takes you to 41 1. 6 56 Y You safely pass the bridge across the ch hasm and can n c continue on to o your destination paragraph h. 7 57 T The skeleton appears a to be that of an uru uk. As well as s t the battered scimitar, there e is a silver ri ing sporting a y yellow jewel on o the index fi inger of the ri ight hand and d a an unusually shaped open n-faced helm on the floor r b behind the sk keleton. To pry p the sword d from those e lo ong-dead fing gers, go to 8. If you like th he look of the e r ring and want to remove it, go to 16. Or you y can take a lo ook at the hel lm at 43. If yo ou have a bad d feeling about t t the uruk and his possessions, you could d examine the e w walls and thei ir strange flap ps at 39, or you y could just t t turn around an nd leave by go oing to 29.

59 You notice that th he floor of the corridor is c covered in ashes s. If you coul ld throw it in nto the demon n's eyes, it could d buy you pre ecious time. Y You will need to make a L1SR R on DEX to o hit your targ get. YOU WIL LL ONLY GET T ONE CHA ANCE, SO D DO NOT WA ASTE IT! Now w return to 25 5 and have at it. If you do m manage to blind d Baclitax'l du uring your batt tle, go to 40. 60 As y you stomp a across the ca avern your steps send plum mes of violet dust up into o the air. Yo ou end up walk king through c clouds of oddl ly glowing particles and your r throat bec comes sore. You start to cough unco ontrollably. At ttempt to mak ke a L1SR on C CON. If you fail, you lose e CON point ts equal to th he number R by; armor w will not help. If you are you missed the SR conscious, he ead to 18 and leave here go oing south. still c If yo our CON drop ps to 0 or less, go to 72. 61 Haviing slid more than 20 feet d down the slop pe, you see you are rapidl that y ly approaching g what looks l like a pool of so omething blac ck. If you lost your footing during the slide , you will be d deposited into o the sable poo ol at 26. If are still on you ur feet as you u descend, you u can jump you a over the pool by making a L2SR on STR, w which will you fail, then go to 26 anyw way. take you to 45. If y 62 This is Hadron's H Helm. Any wh ho don it are e instantly sformed into an uruk. You ur attributes, skills, and trans other are unaltered. . This transformation is r knowledge a for llife whether t the helm is w worn or not. The helm gives s the standard d 2 points of p protection. No ow, return to wh whichever para agraph you we ere at when yo ou decided to pu ut the helm on n. 63 You manage to get to one of the exits from the rn. Roll 1D6. If you roll 1-2, you head southwest caver to 65 5; 3-4, south t to 36; 5-6, sou utheast to 11. B But before you g go to any of th hese paragrap phs, visit 28 fir rst. 64 You unearth a gl lowing green gem. As soo on as you pick it up, you are e transported t to 51.

58 8 A As you approa ach the small hill h of fine-gra ained soil, you u s spot what look like a few small s jewels am mid the heap. A Attempt a L1S SR on INT. if i you are suc ccessful, go to o 3 32. Otherwise, you continue to examine the mound at t c close quarters at 12. T TrollsZine!

65 You are in a smal ll, roughly circular cave wit th exits to the n northeast, sou uth, and west. A large pile o of treasure inclu uding coins, ar rtifacts, and ev ven a few jewe els rests in the m middle of the e floor. To tr ry to grab som me of the loot,, even though you are suppo osed to be fleeing from Issue 6

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t the demonic horde, h go to 20. Otherwise, you can dash h t through one of the exits. Northeast heads to 17, s southeast to 41 1, and west to o 36. 66 6 C Congratulation ns! You have escaped from m the demon n n netherworld back b to reality y. By good fo ortune or the e in ntervention of the gods, yo ou are found wandering w the e E East Brahm Mountains by b a caravan en route to o S Solihar. You are a suffering from f exposure e and are near r t total exhaustio on, but your rescuers r soon n tend to your r im mmediate physical need: warming w you, feeding you, , a and healing yo our wounds. Whenever W you u tell your tale e o of the demon host of Bacl litax'l, they all l give you the e s same incredulo ous look that you y once rese erved for the t tellers of simi ilar stories; bu ut that apart, you are well l lo ooked after. In less than a week, you u are back at t h home. F For surviving this adventur re you receive e a bonus 250 0 A APs in additio on to those you y earned for r combat and d S SRs throughout. In additio on, your exper riences in the e c caverns on the boundary between b this world w and the e d demon world have given you y a special understanding u g o of the creatures that dwell in such place es. From now w o on, for every battle you too ok part in tod day, you get a b bonus comba at add when fighting dem mons or any y c creatures of th he undead (e.g., you had 4 fights today, , s so you now get 4 bonus co ombat adds). You can now w m move on to ne ew adventures s. THE END D 67 7 B Baclitax'l hesit tates while exp pressions of su urprise, mirth, , a and even cont tempt cross his h face. He be egins to laugh h a and while his s guffaws ech ho around th he room, you u s slowly lose con nsciousness on nly to reawake en at 51. 68 8 Y You have was sted the boun nty that fate had h given you. B Before you re ealize what is happening, you y are placed d o on the crude stone alter and the Prince e of Demons s t tears out your r heart. As yo our life ebbs away, a you are e v vaguely aware e of your eter rnal soul bein ng dragged to o s some other place. p You ar re dead. Wor rse than that, , b because your soul has been b lost you u cannot be e r reincarnated. Your Y adventur re is over. 69 9 Y You skip arou und the edge of the caver rn and get to o y your chosen exit e unmoleste ed. To head northwest, n go o t to 27, while south s leads to o 46, and sou uthwest takes s y you to 71.

70 Bacliitax'l looks b bored through hout your per rformance and when you ha ave finished h he lets you kn now in no ertain terms how poor y your efforts were. He unce vanis shes but leav ves you to face one of his giant Hellh hounds (MR3 30), a great sla avering brute a as big as a pony y. If you survi ive, you can le eave heading w west to 51, north hwest to 65, n northeast to 11 1, or east to 46 6. 71 ll, round cave ern with one e exit to the You are in a smal heast. The w walls are cover red in multipl le roughly north trian ngular flaps of f silvery green n material. The e ceiling is very low and yo ou have to s stoop slightly to avoid hittin ng your head. A humanoid skeleton is bu uried up to its w waist In the m middle of the sandy floor. It has an ancie ent bronze sc cimitar in its left hand. To o examine the w walls with thei ir odd append dages, go to 39. To take a clo oser look at th he skeleton, go o to 57. If you u decide to turn around imme ediately and leave, go to 29. 72 r life on this plane of exis stence is over r. As your Your earth hly vessel suc ccumbs, your soul is ripped away to the r realm of demo ons where it w will suffer an e eternity of neve er ending ago ony. Not on nly have you failed to surviive this adve enture, but yo our essential spirit has been n stolen away and you can never be rein ncarnated. Your r time here is over. 73 ld of Sanctity: This is an o ordinary-looki ing round Shield shielld (5 points s protection) ), but it g gets triple ection on com mbat turn 1 an nd double protection on prote comb bat turn 2 of a any battle.

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Rampaging Demon Table

You have been discovered by one of the demons that inhabit this place. Roll 2D6 and consult the table below to find out which of these devils you encounter. If your roll was a double (e.g., 1, 1 a meeting with Adal'meb) you should go to the Demonic Powers Table and roll 1D6 to see what special ability your opponent has. If you ever roll the same opponent again, they will have an increase in MR of 5 for each subsequent encounter with APs for victory increased by the same amount.

Demonic Powers Table

1 = Leaching Gift: drains 1 CON every combat turn unless opponent makes L1SR on WIZ. 2 = Gift of Inertia: slows opponent down, halving combat total every combat turn, unless a L1SR is made on SPD. 3 = Gift of Spite: scores double spite damage. 4 = Gift of Invisibility: halves opponent's combat total every combat turn unless a L1SR is made on LK 5 = Gift of Draining: reduces opponent's STR by 2 each combat turn and adds it to MR unless a L1SR on CON is made. 6 = Gift of Spite: scores triple spite damage.

1st D6 2nd D6

Odd

Even

1-2

Adal'meb Vin'Crex A great blue demon with 2 pairs of A small red-brown demon with 2 pairs of arms and a black tongue at least 3 feet wings and a single horn on his head. long. MR 28. Armor provides 4 points of protection. (30 APs) MR 30. Armor provides 6 points of protection. (40 APs) Cal'Plax A black demon with 2 pairs of eyes and 3 rows of razor sharp teeth. MR 34. Armor provides 6 points of protection. (40 APs) Gol'Mab A large demon in the shape of a flying reptile. MR 32. Armor provides 2 points of protection. (35 APs)

3-4

5-6

Ust'Mek Hellhound A great horned demon with huge claws The hounds of Baclitax'l are great slavering on his 7-fingered hands. brutes as big as a pony. MR 30. No armor protection. (30 APs) MR 36. Armor provides 4 points of protection. (40 APs)

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Comba at Spell T Table

Y You may only y attempt to cast spells that t either do o d direct damage to an oppon nent (TTYF, Call C Fire, Call l W Water, Blastin ng Power) or that improve your weapon n a attack rolls (V Vorpal Blade, , Whammy). Don't forget t t that you need to make a suc ccessful INT SR S to cast any y s spell. By some e strange effe ect of this par rticular corner r o of reality, no account a need be taken of the t difference e b between WIZ values of each h combatant. Just roll 1D6 to discover wha at effects the e demonic neth erworld has o on your incant tation. Spell has half effect. 1=S 2=S Spell has full e effect. 3=S Spell has no e effect. 4=S Spell has no e effect. 5=S Spell has half effect. 6=S Spell has full e effect.

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Armor Alternatives and Elaborations

By Justin T. Williams
Since before the dawn of recorded history, man has sought to protect himself from the malice of his enemies. From the first humble hide shield to the most elaborate suit of Maximilian articulated plate, warriors both rich and poor have used the best defense they could find. Armor and shields of all varieties, styles, and of a dazzling array of materials have highlighted mans innate inventiveness and desire for protection all over the world and throughout history. Please find below a sample of some of the amazing diversity of protective gear from around the world. I designed this armor table so players and GM's could use the amount of detail that they are interested in using. So you can simply use the "Hits Taken" like regular armor in T&T or the DEX Modifier to add to the difficulty of Maneuvering and Movement SRs when wearing restrictive armor, or "Missile Hits Taken" to add a little realism, or you can use the "Blunt /Slashing /Piercing Hits Taken" to make each kind of armor truly distinct, or all of them together or any combination you see fit. Use and abuse the table to your hearts content. I hope it adds something to your game. Also, give my new shield rule for Warriors a spin; its about time for shields to take the active part in combat that they deserve. from the wardens of Finder's Keep. Running across a rooftop, Roarick spies a coach and team of four horses below. His player decides to try and leap into the drivers seat and grab a ride out of town. The GM decides that a 1st Level SR would normally be called for to complete this maneuver, however, Roaricks suit of plate and mail gives him a +1 DEX SR modifier bringing the needed DEX SR to 2nd Level. Roarick rolls doubles twice and is off with his new coach while the wardens curse him from the rooftops. HT (Hits Taken): The basic amount of hits taken by a specific armor type. If using the Missile Hits Taken statistic, HT should be used as the base number of melee hits taken. MHT (Missile Hits Taken): The amount of hits taken from fired, thrown, or launched missile attacks, such as arrows, spears, sling bullets, bolts, thrown daggers or knives, boomerangs, etc. B/S/P (Blunt/Slashing/Piercing Hits Taken): The different hits taken by the armor when attacked by blunt, slashing, and piercing weapons. Blunt: Damage from crushing and blunt force trauma inducing weapons such as clubs, maces, staffs, hammers, etc. as well as certain polearms. Note: Some blunt weapons like the warhammer, some maces, and some clubs include a spike or multiple spikes that can be used to inflict piercing damage. Some polearms, like the poleax and halberd, can be used as blunt, piercing, or slashing weapons. Slashing: Damage from edged weapons such as axes, most swords, and large knives. Note: Many swords, daggers, and knives can also be used as piercing weapons. Many single-bladed axes include a hammer on the reverse side that can be used to inflict blunt damage or a spike that can be used to inflict piercing damage. Some polearms, like the poleax and halberd, can be used as blunt, piercing, or slashing weapons. Piercing: Damage from pointed weapons like spears, thrusting swords (gladius and estok), bec de corbin, ankus, sickles, daggers, and most knives. Note: Some piercing weapons like the estok can also be used as a blunt weapon. Some polearms, like the poleax and halberd, can be used as blunt, piercing, or slashing weapons.

Shields and Warriors

For members of the Warrior type, all shields are considered to be 1D6 weapons (unless they are already listed as doing more damage) in addition to their protective values.

Table Description
STR (Strength Needed): The minimum needed Strength score to use the armor without exhausting the wearer. DEX (Negative Dexterity Modifier): Modifier to Maneuvering and Movement SR's (i.e., 2nd level basic SR becomes a 3rd level). Example: Roarick the Bold is decked out in a suit of plate and mail and is currently fleeing TrollsZine!

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Armor Table
Name Articulated Plate Plate Field Plate Plate & Mail Half-Plate Bronze Plate Brigandine Splint Mail Chain Mail Japanese Lamellar Lamellar Scale Mail Ring Joined Plate Greek Hoplite Cuirbolli Leather Linothorax Studded Leather Fiber Disc or Tri-Disc Reinforced Cloth Feather Mantle* Layered Hide Wooden Bamboo Rope or Cord Quilted Cotton Quilted Silk Soft Leather Paper STR* 12 11 10 14 10 14 10 11 12 08 06 07 04 10 05 05 05 08 03 04 06 08 08 02 06 03 02 03 06 DEX* +1 +1 +1 +1 +0 +2 +0 +2 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +1 +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +0 +0 +0 +1 HT* 18 14 13 13 09 12 12 11 11 10 10 08 07 08 06 05 05 05 03 04 03 05 04 04 04 03 03 03 03 MHT* 18 14 10 10 06 10 09 08 07 10 09 07 04 06 04 05 03 03 02 02 07 02 02 01 01 01 04 01 05* B/S/P* 18/18/18 14/14/14 13/13/11 12/13/10 09/09/09 12/10/10 10/12/09 10/11/08 08/11/07 07/10/10 09/10/09 07/08/07 05/07/05 08/08/08 06/06/05 05/05/05 04/05/03 04/05/03 03/02/02 04/04/02 04/03/01 05/04/02 04/04/02 03/04/01 04/03/01 03/03/02 03/03/03 02/03/01 02/03/03 Weight 1000 1100 1000 1500 900 1300 900 1000 1200 800 900 750 300 800 200 150 120 200 85 115 350 300 200 200 250 150 100 60 150 Cost Special 500 450 350 300 300 250 200 300 500 400 80 100 250 60 55 50 40 32 40 325 35 40 30 30 35 100 30 30

Shield Table
Name Tower (Scutum) Pavise* Greek Kite (Knights) Large Round Target Buckler Lantern* Tarch* Irish Targe* Madu* STR* 06 06 07 05 05 05 01 06 10 05 01 DEX* +1 +1* +1 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +2 +0 +0 HT* 06 05 06 05 05 04 03 04 03 04 01 MHT* 10 10 10 08 08 06 03 06 02 06 01 B/S/P* 06/06/06 05/05/05 06/06/06 05/05/05 05/05/05 04/04/04 03/03/03 04/04/04 02/04/02 04/04/04 01/01/01 Weight 550 500 600 450 400 300 75 325 350 450 15 Cost 100 50 120 65 60 35 10 95 95 90 20

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Issue 6

Armor Descripti ions

l armor includ des an appropr riate helmet or r Note: All skullcap. Articulate ed Plate: Ar rticulated pla ate is custom m made for the wearer and a will coun nt as plate to o even some eone of a sim milar size. The e construction n of articula ated plate tak kes months an nd meticulous s fitting and d refitting. The T cost shou uld be in the e many th housands" ran nge. Much of f its fantastic c strength comes from m curves and fluting, , ng the stren ngth of the metal while e maximizin keeping th he armor light. Plate: Int terlocking plates with mail l covering the e joints and forming a sho ort skirt to cov ver the groin. ate: Interlocki ing plates wi ith an arming g Field Pla gambeson n (quilted cotto on) instead of f mail to make e the plate lighter and ea asier to wear for extended d periods. M Chain mail m with a br reast and back k Plate & Mail: plate, brac cers and greav ves. te: Breastplat te with paul ldrons, thigh h Half-Plat guards, ga auntlets and a helmet. Th he rest of the e body is co overed with thick t leather clothing or a light gamb beson. Bronze Plate: P Heavy bronze armor such as the e "Dendra Panoply. Bulky B bronze e plates that t rom the chest and shoulde ers to middle e overlap fr thigh. Th he arms and legs are pr rotected with h bracers an nd greaves. ne: Brigandin ne consists of plates of f Brigandin metal sow wn between tw wo layers of cl loth or leather r with sleev ves or bracers covering the arms, a short t kilt coveri ing the groin, and chain ma ail and greaves s covering the t legs. Splint Mail: Splint mail m consists of o long metal l strips sow wn vertically onto a mat terial backing g (either lea ather or cloth) ) with greave es bracers and d chain ma ail protecting g the joints and a skirt t covering the t groin and upper u thighs. M A flexibl le garment of interlocking g Chain Mail: rings cove ering the chest t, arms, and th he legs with TrollsZin ne! Page 42 Is ssue 6

lowe er legs are prot tected by brac cers and greav ves. Gree ek Hoplite: G Greek Hoplite e armor consi ists of a hea avy bronze br reast and back k plate, an arm mored skirt,, and bracers and greaves t to protect the e arms and llegs. ale mail con nsists of row ws of e Mail: Sca Scale overllapping scales s of metal sew wn onto a clo oth or leath her backing. S Scale mail cov vers the torso and legs to the knee es, with greav ves protectin ng the er legs and eit ther full lengt th sleeves or elbow lowe lengt th sleeves and d bracers prote ecting the arm ms. Ring g Joined Plat te: Ring joine ed plate consi ists of sever ral pieces of f floating plat tes joined by y (you gues sed it!) large rings. A larg ge plate cover rs the dle of the chest which hangs from m the midd pauld drons (the ar rmor that co overs the sho oulder) and leads to a co ouple of rings s from which h hang ets (small plat tes that prote ect the upper legs). tasse Adde ed to this are e light bracers s and greaves and a light open helm or turban w with or with hout a skulllcap beneath. rbolli Leathe er: Cuirbolli l leather is hardened Cuir in b oiling water and sealed w with wax or oil. It sists of a breas st and back p plate with paul ldrons cons ering the shoulders and upper arms s. An cove armo ored skirt wit th thigh plate es and bracer rs and greav ves protect th he lower arms and legs. othorax: The Linothorax i is made by qu uilting Lino or g gluing multipl le layers of l linen at altern nating angle es to increase its strength. L Linothorax co onsists of a breast and ba ack plate with pauldrons cov vering shoulders. An n armored ski irt and bracer rs and the s greav ves protect th he lower arms and legs. dded Leather r: Also known n as "bezainte ed" or Stud "ring g-enhanced le eather," studd ded leather co onsists of a knee length jacket of thick k leather with metal beve els, squares, d discs, or ring gs sewn onto it to prov vide more pro otection again nst slashing at ttacks. Stud dded leather e either has ful ll sleeves or elbow th sleeves and d bracers to pr rotect the arm ms and lengt greav ves to protect t the lower leg gs. er: Constructe ed from plate ed coconut fib ber or Fibe other r fibrous plan nts, this armor r covers the w wearer from m head to toe.. It consists o of full length pants, shirt t, a reinforced d breastplate, w et, and woven helme Is ssue 6

k length sk kirt or a thigh h length skirt t either a knee and chain leggings. This s covers chain n, double mail, , and bar mail. m Japanese Lamellar: Ja apanese Lamel llar armor has s timized for ease of mo ovement and d been opt protection n from arrows s and other mi issile fire with h small shie elds mounted d on the sho oulders and a wide brim mmed helmet for better pro otection from m missiles. : Lamellar arm mor consists of o small plates s Lamellar: which are e laced toget ther in parall lel rows, but t unlike scale armor, do d not have e a backing. Lamellar covers the chest and upp per arms and d h skirt. The forearms and d ends in a knee length TrollsZin ne!

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a back plate that extends over the wearers shoulders to just above the head. The back plate serves to protect the user from missile attacks from behind. The islanders that most commonly wore this armor where accompanied into battle by the women of their tribes, who hurled rocks and other missiles at the opposing forces; the back plate served to protect the wearer from friendly fire. Disc or Tri-Disc: Consists of one large or three smaller bronze discs attached to the front, middle and upper chest, a broad armored belt, and a small bronze or reinforced leather skullcap. Reinforced Cloth: Reinforced cloth consists of a knee length jacket of thick quilted cloth with metal bevels, squares, discs, or rings sown onto it to provide more protection against slashing attacks. Reinforced cloth either has full sleeves or elbow length sleeves and bracers to protect the arms as well as greaves to protect the lower legs. Feather Mantle: Multiple layers of large feathers mounted on a wicker or cord framework covering the wearer from the neck to below the knee. The resplendent feathers that make up the mantle are rare and expensive; the feather mantle was a sign of high prestige and wealth. Although awkward, the mantle is surprisingly effective at blocking missile fire; the multiple layers of thick and slippery feathers serve to either deflect or trap incoming projectiles. Unfortunately, the feathers making up the mantle are delicate and easily damaged, especially in melee combat. *Special: If the mantle takes more than three times the base protection from a single melee hit, it loses a point of protection until it can be repaired. Layered Hide: A primitive armor made by layering tanned or untanned animal hides. It covers the torso, shoulders and hangs to the middle thigh. Furs are also wrapped around the arms and legs to provide a modicum of protection. Wooden: Popular in parts of Asia and with many Northern American native tribes. The basic armor is a thick leather or hide jacket that extends to below the knees and with sleeves to the wrists. The torso is covered with a series of vertical wooden slates tied together in much the way of TrollsZine!

splint mail. A wooden full helm completes the armor. Occasionally wooden splint bracers are also used. Bamboo: Bamboo armor covers the torso with an ankle length skirt and full sleeves. This is worn over a quilted cloth ankle length garment that provides protection from blunt attacks. The bamboo itself is tied together in short segments vertically and is worn in much the same way as splint mail. Rope or Cord: Found mainly in China, this armor is constructed of rings of sturdy rope or cordage sown together into a vest with or without pauldrons. A separate two piece kilt of the same material protects the upper legs. A reinforced leather or metal skullcap and occasionally leather bracers complete the armor. This armor was particularly popular with pirates because the armor, after being lacquered or coated in pitch, has a positive buoyancy and does not drag a wearer flung from a ship under the waves. Quilted Cotton: Quilted cotton or quilted linen armor consists of a knee-length jacket. Quilted cotton either has full sleeves or elbow length sleeves and bracers to protect the arms and greaves to protect the lower legs. Quilted Silk: Quilted silk consists of a knee length jacket. Quilted silk either has full sleeves or elbow length sleeves and bracers to protect the arms and greaves to protect the lower legs. Soft Leather: Soft leather consists of a knee length jacket. Soft leather either has full sleeves or elbow length sleeves and bracers to protect the arms and greaves to protect the lower legs. Paper: Paper armor is made by gluing multiple layers of paper at alternating angles to increase its strength. Paper armor consists of a breast and back plate with pauldrons covering the shoulders. An armored skirt and greaves protect the legs and bracers the arms. *Special: Paper armor is extremely ablative to arrow and bolt fire. Once paper armor has taken three times its protection rating in damage from arrows or bolts, it is considered ruined. This also happens if the armor is drenched for a prolonged time and the wax or lacquer coating is overcome.

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Issue 6

Shield Descriptions
Tower (S Scutum): The e tower shield (also called d the door of war) is a large rectangu ular or oblong g t reaches from m the chin to the t ankle with h shield that a large me etal central bo oss and rimme ed with either r metal or hide. h T pavise is a crossbowma ans or archers s Pavise: The shield that t can be strap pped to the back b or set up p with a fork to take cove er behind whi ile reloading a bow or cr rossbow. It ha as no boss, bu ut can be used d by the set of arm straps in melee. *Sp pecial: the DEX X nly when used as s a normal shield ld in melee. penalty is on Greek: A very large round shield d faced with h bronze, co overing the us ser from chin n to knees and d without a boss. ights): A larg ge oblong shie eld tapering to o Kite (Kni a point, co overing from the shoulder to just under r the knee, rimmed with metal or hide e, and bearing g m boss. Th he kite shield was designed d a heavy metal to be wie elded from th he back of a horse and to o cover the leg while ridin ng. ound: A Viki ing and Saxon design that t Large Ro covers fro om the chest to t just above the knee and d bears a he eavy metal bo oss. While us sually rimmed d with meta al or hide, som me warriors us sed unrimmed d shields lik ke sword brea akers (see T& &T rules) but t after one use u the shield is considered a buckler. ty of shields, round, r square, , Target: A broad variet or kite shaped covering g from the sh houlder to the e waist, eith her with a hea avy boss and rimmed with h metal or hide h or made completely c of metal. ular or square shield with a Buckler: A small circu very heavy y boss coverin ng either from m the hand to o mid-forear rm or simply the hand and d wrist. Good d for infight ting where a large shield is a hindrance e and can al lso be treated d like a metal boxing glove. Very much h in favor where fencing with w sabers and d rapiers is common as s it does not restrict the e g swords. dexterous use of fencing t includes an internal l Lantern: A shield that ore spikes or r shuttered lantern and one or mo he internal can ndle lantern is s blades for infighting. Th mounted in a cage with w a reflecto or backing to o TrollsZin ne!

incre ease the radian nce cast by th he candle; how wever, unlik ke a torch, t the light of the lantern shield exten nds in a cone ahead of the wielder so un nless it is aim med it will no ot illumine be ehind or abov ve the user.. Many histor rical examples s have a thick k glass pane e or pane of thin horn to provide addi itional prote ection from drafts or swift movements gutte ering out the e candle. Spe ecial: 1) Blindi ing: In darke ened in close fig ghting, the lante ern shield is cap pable of delive ering a directed b beam of radiance e dazzling an op pponent and lleaving them ope en to attack. Th his reduces the p personal adds of any foe capab ble of being blinded by one half ff for one at turn. Agains st MR enemies, this requires a L1SR comba on D DEX by the shie elds wielder. Ag gainst stated opp ponents, it is a L1SR on D DEX or IQ by the opponent to o avoid g blinded. This t trick is only effe fective once per c combat. being Night Target: W When used in the dark with the lantern 2) N cover withdrawn, th he lantern shiel ld negates any missile comba at penalties agai inst the user as i it is a dead givea away of their position. 3) Pu unch spikes or blades: To ma ake the rn shields infig ghting abilities, many most of the lantern rical examples have one or m more blades or spikes histor exten nding from the edge or boss of f the shield for use in melee. e. These provide and addition 2 2D to the comba at total of the e wielder. Tarc ch: The Russi ian tarch shiel ld consists of shield witho out a boss th hat encircles t the wearers e elbow. An attached arm mored sleeve covers from m the w to a gaunt tlet with a p projecting two o foot elbow blade e. The circum mference of the e shield is suc ch that the w wearer is inc capable of low wering their shield arm, cutting of much of the e arms latera al and vertiical movement. The forward d vision is

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restricted so much that t a keyhole opening in the e he shield allow ws limited sigh ht through the e edge of th shield in battle. Suppo osedly used mainly m during g ecial: the two foot punch blade provides p 2D+3 3 sieges. Spe in melee com mbat. Irish Targe: A round variety of the e target shield d faced with h leather or hide h and sporting an eightinch spike e attached to the boss for use both as a weapon and a to help control you ur opponents s weapon when w parrying. Special: The ta arge provides 2D D in melee com mbat. w two long g Madu: A small round metal shield with antelope horns protru uding from the top and d f the shield. Special: S More a weapon than a bottom of shield, the madu m provides 1D D+3 in melee combat. c

botto om of the shi in to the top o of the knee an nd are foun nd in many typ pes of armor. ast and Bac ck Plate: The breast and d back Brea plate e comprise the e torso protec ction in rigid armor and o often form th he basis for co onnections to other piece es of armor su uch as the tasse ets and pauldrons. ldrons: Pauld drons or shou ulder guards cover Paul the s shoulder, arm mpit, and in s some cases ov verlap the b breast and bac ck plate. Tass sets: Tassets or upper leg guards hang g from the b breast plate a and are either r singular pla ates or form m lobster taile ed segments covering from m the uppe er thighs to th he knee. Shie eld Boss: The e shield boss is usually rou und or conic cal and form ms a convex m metal guard i in the cente er of the shiel ld where the m main grip is lo ocated. It ser rves the dual r role of protec cting the hand d while form ming the hard point of the s shield that allows it to ag ggressively pa arry incoming attacks and l launch direc cted shield-bas sed attacks in turn.

A Sho ort Armor Glossary

B or arm m guards cove er and protect t Bracers: Bracers the forear rm and are found in many m types of f armor. eg guards pro otect from the e Greaves: Greaves or le

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Ice e Exile e
A T&T GM G Ad dventure e
By Mark M Thornt ton

Genera al Instructions
This adventure can be played with either e the 5th h or 7th edi ition T&T rul les. While it is s designed for r two or mo ore Fire Gian nts, there is no reason why y you cant add other cha aracters in if you y want; you u ust need to consider in ncreasing the e would ju monster ra atings of the opposition. o nts can be rol lled up with the following g Fire Gian modifiers: W LK, DE EX x 2, INT T STR and CON x 10, WIZ, R x 5, SPD x 1 x 1, CHR Remembe er SPD is a measure of reaction time e rather tha an sprinting speed, but if you need the e latter you could average e STR and SPD D. Height? I think about 15. words (10D6) ) Fire Giants are armed with flame sw bestos jerkins (4 hits). They y and wear fire-proof asb oaks. also wear tunics and clo nts naturally know k two spells which all l Fire Gian Fire Giant ts know once their INT an nd DEX reach h 10: T 1D6 6 per 20 STR of the Giant, , Burning Touch costs 1 WIZ W to cast but no INT T saving roll l required. me costs 6 WIZ, W no INT SR S required. Call Flam There are other Fire Giant G spells su uch as Sauna, , P Lava Boost, Heart t of the Sun, , Oxy by Proxy, Great Bal lls of Fire, Blood B Boil, and External l Combustio on but these two youths do not know w them (yet) ) I imagine them t unfoldin ng in the mind d when INT T and DEX ar re high enough h as they do

specialist mage es. You can decide what they do, for s t they cost, e etc. if you wa ant to use the em or what inven nt your own;; the idea of f different kin ndreds havin ng their own natural spell lbooks is on ne that appe eals to me.

Gia ants of Tr rollworld

his manifestat tion of Trollw world, giants a appear In th frequ uently as large e ogres that t is, as hill gia ants but G Giants (with a capital G) are extremely y rare. Thes se Giants are e much large er and much more powe erful when fully grown n. The perio od of adole escence is lon ng by human m measuring. Th hey are also beings of a m magical nature e, not bound by all the llaws of physic cs as we know w them today y, and so t their height does not n necessarily lea ad to prop portional weigh ght.

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There are a number of offshoots from the Giant tree. Those known to the Wizards Guild of Trollworld include Fire Giants, Ice Giants, Cloud Giants, Storm Giants, Ocean Giants, and Sand Giants. There is little in the way of reputable lore regarding these true Giants. They mostly keep to themselves and are able to keep lower life forms from intruding on their demesnes, standing aloof above all others in the rich tapestry that is Trollworld. Certain esoteric knowledge has been gained of them by other kindreds. The Dragon People tell stories that may have a few grains of truth mixed with the grit of invention and some ancient wizards who outgrew their mortal peers have passed their wisdoms as heritage tomes. It is within these dusty, near indecipherable pages that we learn hints of the task upheld by these Giants, a task that seems to foreshadow a change in the hegemony of Trollworld, a world in which humans play the dominant role. Snippets and tantalizing references lead some (self-appointed, all too often) authorities to suppose that these Giants are the custodians of races to be groomed to surpass humankind in ways as yet impenetrable, akin to kindergartners ensuring a safe and provoking environment for their wards to learn and extend within. Of these Giants, the only genus which has been associated with anything close to fact in living memory is that of Cloud. One example cannot be claimed to prove an entire thesis, but the reports of angelic beings known as the Feigh at least lend credence to the old beliefs that have never quite gone away. In fact, it is only the Ice Giants and the Cloud Giants who have remained alert and attentive to their ancient charter, with their brethren becoming forgetful and dreaming for centuries passed. The wards of the Fire, Storm, Ocean and Sand Giants are lost to history, perhaps irretrievably. Of late, even the lofty Cloud Giants, those lordly aristocrats of languor and lyre, have neglected their purpose and allowed unworthy powers to displace their charges. It is to this backcloth our Fire Giants enter the world of the Snow People, the apparently timeless protges of their Ice Giant cousins. How much of this the Games Master chooses to reveal to the players is up to you. If the players adopt Fire TrollsZine!

Giants as their characters, it would seem that much would naturally be known to them, although surely little regarding the Snow People. If the characters are not Giants, then it is a very different matter and they will have much to learn about the world they thought they knew. Bear in mind that the Fire Giants I am suggesting your players take up are young and therefore are not figures to dominate Trollworld. As for the Snow People, the infant kindred given as wards to the Ice Giants eons ago, they are innocent beyond compare. They are noble savages with the will to ever strive for more, yet often ready to hear the other and to work for their people, not exclusively for the one. This would be more than they could comprehend, for they see the one and the whole as undivided. They are not hippies or socialists nothing so glib. The one will challenge the other when the other seems unworthy. Their evolution is very slow indeed as they cease to be beings of matter and the boundary between matter and energy, matter and thought becomes as nothingness. These people have no knowledge of the outside world, to such an extent have they been sheltered. If it were only a matter of the physical, doubtless they, just as those natives of Pacific Islands confronted with the tall ships of the European navigators, would simply not see the Giants, their brains deleting this irrelevant optical information. However, kremmcharged beings are seldom invisible and unfelt. The Ice Giants long ago arranged for a food source for the Snow People a creature that they can hunt and so nourish their spirit as well as their bodies. These pteredon are drawn in sufficient numbers to the moss on the roof of the huge ice castle that confines the yeti-like people. They alone are able to pass through the mists than surround the edges of the Snow Peoples world, their tightly-knit village with its naturally stable population. These mists keep both the Snow People in and others out. Even the Ice Giants make very few incursions and so are legendary, mythical beings to their wards. The Giants intervene only when absolutely necessary, the sole arbiter being the appointed Guardian. Much more could be written, but make more or less of it as you will, for each manifestation of Trollworld is as to its own. Issue 6

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Scene One The Fea ast of the e Everlas sting Flam me

Two youn ng Fire Gian nts, rogues by b profession, , have bee en selected as sentries at tonights s gathering for the Feast of the Everla asting Flame onor. The Chi ief is at the hi igh table with h a great ho his Flame e Witch, a wizard w of hig gh order, and d revered guests g from other o clans. The T mood is s merry but t underscored d by the sole emnity of the e awaited rit tuals and cerem monies. The good d order of the gatherin ng is rudely y shattered by the arriva al out of th hin air of a learly a wizard d. As he raises s his hands to o human; cl indicate his h peaceful in ntent, the Chie ef motions to o warriors to escort the Flame Witch to where the e now disgr raced keepers s of the watc ch stand, still l unaware of o their failure e and the intr rusion. Whilst t the wizard d presents his s case and su ues for peace, , without debate or a wh hiff of clemen ncy, the Flame e Witch banishes the novice n gatekeepers with a single wor rd of flame-force. cene up and allow lots of f You can build this sc ear through it t; I made our r character building or te vel PC wizard, House Elf, the visitor, highest lev

ch leads on to o another adve enture so the world whic is yo our oyster!

Sc cene Two Ice Exille

The two Fire Gia ants find them mselves stand ding in d with a bit tter wind ho owling an iicy wasteland inces ssantly. Snow w immediately y begins to pile up aroun und them eve en though the eir life-flame melts the s snow as it sett tles. At first th hey can see no othing but then, as the weak sun b breaks throug gh the nderheads abo ove them, they y catch a glimp pse of thun some ething glinting g ahead, barel ly perceptible in the half-light. They h have nowhere e else to go. They t approach th he only sign of anything other must than the winds, ice e, and gloomy y, cloud-laden skies. As they stumbl le, hearts he eavy, feet a already mbing, they cat tch a distant w whine on the w winds. num rows gradually y louder as th hey take bitte er step It gr after r bitter step an nd their froze en memories finally recog gnize it as the ey hunting call l of wargs. The glinting begi ins to reveal itself as a h huge n by giant stan ndards bloc ck of ice, som me 30 even time s taller than t the Fire Giant ts. They can s see no ure whatsoeve er on the pristi ine face of thi is ice featu mon nolith, but still l there is nothi ing else for th hem

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here and still the call of the warg g pack grows s ith a sickening g rush, they be egin to realize e closer. Wi that they are much wea aker now th heir STR is at t half normal level. en miserable minutes m to walk round the e It takes te massive ic ce block and ten t more fearf ful minutes as s the wargs draw near to o get to the opposite side e oulder can be seen. As they y where an enormous bo t are able to t make out a approach the boulder, they m just be en nough time to o door behind it. There may ving to deal with the wargs w in this s avoid hav weakened state if the boulder b can be b rolled away y nough a ST TR SR at a level of your r quickly en discretion is called for. If they have e to fight the e s your call to make it clos se but not an n wargs, its automatic disaster. The pack might well w number 6 ould be reason nable. and a MR of 50 each wo

Sc cene Thr ree Inside Ha arnak

klu utri

The door can be opened by rea ading aloud a word Giantish inscri ibed on the d door. It simpl ly says of G Harn nak klutri (fo ortress of ice or the ice mans fortr ress in the common tongue e) , but becau use the diale ect is strange e it takes a L2SR on IN NT to erstand the w writing. The d door can be b barred unde from m within. Once e inside and safe from the w wargs, the F Fire Giants fin nd their stren ngth has gone down by a another 1D6.. They can u use Call Flam me to resto ore 1D6 STR R but it will l not go bac ck up beyo ond 50% of base STR an nd every time e they exert t themselves they again lose 1D6 STR. They shou uld be able to o balance this s by Calling F Flame. Stres ss how cold a and miserable they feel; ban nished as th hey are to this place of unen nding cold. From m the door, a 10 wide 20 high passage winds throu ugh the bloc ck of ice, gr radually ascen nding. After r 2 minutes, they hear he eavy footstep ps and enco ounter a shag ggy yeti-like c creature, a cr ryoril. This beast lives h here and gets fed, but it is often gry. It is extre emely anti-soc cial, having no o need hung for c company, and d will defend i its patch to th he hilt. The cryoril is of very low i intelligence a and is natur rally belligeren nt it gives a blood-curdlin ng cry and a attacks withou ut second tho ought. Make it ts MR in th he vicinity of 200 if you all low the Fire G Giants to fig ght side by sid de, less if you u prefer to rul le that there e is only roo om for one giant to figh ht the creat ture at a tim me; you want a reasonably y even fight t. Remember t to make the g giants STR dr rop by 1D6 each combat t turn. Althou ugh not fight ting is often n the better r route to take, here it is the e only way. After r dealing wit th the cryori il, the Fire G Giants follo ow the passag ge as it winds round and u up for anoth her 10 minu utes (it is slippery and going quick kly will drain more STR) u until they find d large piece es of canvas s-like materia al hanging on n the walls s. There are 1 10 of these ca anvases and th hey all have e metalloid rin ng holes in th he corners and two in th he centre, with h a cord of u unknown subs stance runn ning through t the six ring h holes in a figu ure of eight t.

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As they se ee the canvases they also hear h a rushing g noise ahead, rapidly gr rowing loude er. Very soon n they reach h the end of f the passage; ; it ends in a chasm wh hich would tak ke a L15 SR on STR for a Fire Giant t to leap acros ss. You may need n to adjust t the SR lev vel as it is not desirable for them both to o be able to o make the lea ap. If they loo ok around, the e Fire Giant ts see that a prodigiously p strong s wind is s blowing out o and across s the chasm from fr a hole in n the roof of o the ice tun nnel just befor re the chasm. On the fa ar side of the chasm, they can c just make e out what is i the start of another passa ageway. In the e center of the chasm th hey can see a small column n sing up out of f the misty co oldness below. of rock ris Sitting upon the colum mn of rock is a metal chest. f the column is i big enough for both Fire e The top if Giants to stand upon easily, but if th hey attempt to o jump to it t a L3SR or L4SR L on DEX X would be in n order to not n simply pitc ch off the othe er side. The canva ases can be used u as glider rs requiring a L3SR on LK L to catch th he wind right followed by a L1SR on INT to figu ure out how to steer. The e s cords are fire (and ice) resistant but the canvas is hey really need d theses glide ers and dont t not. If th work out what they might m be used for, maybe a pictogram m on the back k if they take e one off the e wall. This is how the Ic ce Giants crossed to get to o le beyond th he chasm. Lev vel 20 magic c the Peopl precludes the casting of o Fly Me, Wi ink-Wing, and d Blow You u/Me To spells.

The iron box co ontains 100 m more of this stout d, but 30 seco onds after the e box is open ned an cord ice g ghost will begin to form m. After 30 more secon ghost will be solid enough to do nds, the ice g 2D6 CON damag ge per turn. It does not attack Ice nts, of course e, but others are exactly w what it Gian has b been left here e to target. T The ice ghost has a CON N of 150. It c can be harme ed by fire or m magic, but n not weapons.. If the ice g ghost takes da amage shou uld the Fire Giants attack k it (from fi fire or magiic), it will fl loat out of r reach, reducin ng its dama age attack to 1D6 per tur rn. Plenty of scope for S SRs on most a attributes here e.

Sc cene Four The Snow Peop ple

The passage bey yond the cha asm winds its s way nd and slowly upwards. The e cold is intens se and roun shou uld lead to mo ore suffering a and possibly d doubts abou ut continuing. There is no will attribute e, so I woulld consider u using the ave erage of CHR R and curre ent CON for a saving roll h here interesting if one wants to turn n back and ha as to be conv vinced by th he other to pre ess on. After r 20 minutes of hard slog g, they will em merge into a vast caver rn surrounded d by thick sw wirling mists s. It must be measured in a acres. This is w where the Snow People e, the People e given to th he Ice nts to nurture,, eke out their r existence on n their Gian slow w journey of ev volution. The Snow Peop ple will be going about their ness. There ar re perhaps 12 20 of them. Aspects busin to in nclude for the players could be: Reconnaissance First enco ounter langu uage barrier Hunting pteredons (M MR100 plus, DEX g hit) SR to hit or avoid being Befriendin ng the Chief ( (CHR SR) Yak herdi ing/milking Confrontation with th he Second in the hierarchy Exchange e of cultur re e.g., coo oking, materials,, describing t the outside w world, painting, songs Chief cha allenged by t the Second Fire Giants ch hosen by the Chief as his standins for ch hallenge of hun nting pteredon ns Teaching children

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When I ra an this adventu ure with Ken St. Andre and d my son, Charlie, ther re was no battle b at the e beginning and much was w made of the language e nd the cultur ral exchanges. . Songs were e barrier an created an nd shared. Then the Fire Giants were e invited to try their han nd at pteredon n hunting and d found it a challenge. The T Snow People can leap p prodigious sly, not so th he Giants. Th hen came the e anger from m the Secon nd at feeling displaced by y beings tha at had no pla ace in the Pe eoples society y and ultim mately his chal llenge (I knew w we had all l recently watched w the John J Carter movie and I drew from m this). This was triggered d by the Fire e Giants fai iling to take down ptered dons, but still l finding fav vor with the Leader L because of their new w ideas and novelty. ed attributes for f the Snow People, these e If you nee might be reasonable: r STR and CON 3D6 x 8, WIZ, LK, INT, SPD x a DEX x 2 1, CHR and c to yetis s I picture them as tall and sturdy, closer n but with more m elfin feat tures. I think k than men working out o what they y look like for r yourself and d describing g them in deta ail is good for r you and the e players an nd will lead to t better gam me play you u have to put p some refle ective time in n here so you u can dream m it! The Snow w Peoples rea alm is surroun nded by mists s that they are hard-wire ed not to pass through. In n m will cau use no harm to t the Giants s fact, the mists but have a fear ench hantment wh hich hits the e here is a tunn nel in the high h roof to their r People. Th world thro ough which come c the pter redons, drawn n by the ric ch moss whic ch grows there and offers s them a food source e (could be other small l l there to oo if you like all this has s creatures living been cont trived by the e Ice Giants to provide a sustainable e environmen nt for their war rds.) re (wherever you y like) thro ough the mists s Somewher the Fire Giants G will find d a passage on n through the e ice, leadin ng round an nd upwards as a before. It t wasnt har rd to get my players to wa ant to explore e beyond th he mists, but if i you need to o give yours a push in th he right directi ion perhaps gi ive the People e a legend about a the Gua ardian to share. I think that t would suf ffice nicely eno ough.

Sc cene Five The Gu uardians L Last De eed

The Guardian is about to pass s over to the other side and hand the torch on; he h has served his s time, e this mortal plane becau use no but cannot leave acement has b been sent. He has had no ne eed to repla take a hand in th he lives of the e Snow Peop ple for sever ral generation ns, but is aw ware of their lives, their r developmen nt, and their e encounters. H He will know w what has transpired b between the Snow Peop ple and their F Fire Giant visi itors. The Gua ardian is sle eeping deeply, enveloped in n thick frost. anyone or any ything other th han an It is not easy for a Giant to get t to the Guardi ian, deliberate ely so. Ice G The passage quick kly ends after n no more than 50 at mmense stairc case of alterna ate black and white an im steps s. Each one is some 10 0 high, far from insur rmountable f for a Giant and not ac ctually enou ugh to deter d determined hu umans and th he like. The stairs might r remind some of a piano perhaps. They y are carved f from ice, as i is natural here e, and the c color differen ntiation between black and white ice m may have been n augmented f for effect.

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The black k steps, which like the white e are some 10 across, are e each trigger red by weigh ht of anything g more than n a leprechaun n, rising like pistons p to the e ceiling to smash the lif fe out of any ything unwary y o walk onto on ne. A L2SR on o SPD would d enough to seem right t to retreat in time if one sets off one of f the piston n-steps. Perha aps some last minute stunt t might be possible to avoid a being crushed c if the e victims re eactions are too t slow; but t there would d still likely to be injury from f the fall at a least, which h could be from f as high as a 100. There are 20 of these steps in total and a at the top p mpty round chamber c with h three doors, , lies an em none of which w are lock ked. Behind each is a short t passage an nd at the end d of each pas ssage the Fire e Giants wil ll find the follo owing: Left The e twisting passage is except tionally cold drop 1D6 6 STR each turn. t It leads to a flowing g stream of f blue lava. . This would d do serious s damage to o any non-ice e creature wh ho consumed d anything more than a taste say y 10D6. It is s e to Ice Gia ants and the Guardian in n sustenance particular. In the even nt that a new w Guardian is s d, should they y consume th his lava (and d appointed they surel ly would), th his will give a permanent t boost to both b STR and CON of 50% %. T is the ab bode of the Guardian G . The e Center This large wel ll-appointed chamber is essentially a library. Those spendin ng considerab ble time here e th INT SRs, learn l a variety y of spells and d might, wit there are also many histories an nd books of f folklore. The T Ice Giant t Guardian is almost frozen n solid and will not easily y stir. Howev ver, he can be e awed out and when he spea aks he will be e gently tha confused and frail he h has been here h too long. What he wants, w of cou urse, is a new w Guardian to o volunteer so that he can n dissolve and d move on. If f t accept the task, he will l there is a willingness to offer a gre eat gift chan nging the new w Guardian so o that he or she is half Fire Giant and half h Ice Giant t g to give stats for the old Guardian n (Im not going because he is too frail to t fight if a hybrid Giant t ty of scope fo or struggles to o is created there is plent t two halve es, the learning of basic Ice e reconcile the Giant spel lls and so on. Companions s will be Blow w You Tod their choice of destination n. If none will l e task, they ar re on their ow wn for getting g accept the out of he ere! If someo one accepts and a the other r wants to go g home but is afraid, off fer a Scroll of f TrollsZin ne!

Forg giveness which h can be read d to the Fire Giant Chie ef or to the Fla ame Witch - th hen it burns. en the Guardi ian is woken or threatened d (see Whe below w), the Defender will ver ry quickly com me to him. This should not lead to combat unless the playe ers are determ mined on this c course. ht At the en nd of a straigh ht passage of f some Righ 100 there is a small cham mber housing g the Defe ender, a huge e, intimidating g warrior clea arly of any iicy nature. He e stands stock k still and wil ll only respo ond or move if attacked, di irectly or indi irectly, or if dian calls or is woken. I If the f the Guard Guar rdian is woke en, he will go immediately to his room m and either defend the Guardian or r take instru uction. The Defender ha as a MR of 8 800, giving hi im an ctive WIZ o of 80. His S SPD is 50. Other effec attrib butes can be d decided upon n if necessary as the GM wishes. As s stated above, there really s should not be a fight w with this warri ior, but some etimes ers just insist. If they do, th hey should be made playe to be e sorry!

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Wrap Up U
t Fire Giants returns to the t Fire Giant t If one of the Hall, the GM could ea asily play out this scene. If f w to provid de for the new w Guardian to o the GM wants receive an n annual visit or some such h, so be it. An n enterprisin ng GM migh ht even wor rk through a meeting between b Fire and Ice Gia ants with any y number of f outcomes po ossible. yers come thro ough all of the e five scenes I If the play would awa ard a total of 650 APs with h a bonus 200 0 to the new w Guardian, but b GMs may well settle on n different numbers n to su uit their camp paigns. In my y thinking, the scenes ge enerate 50, 100, 100, 100, , 200 and 10 00 APs respec ctively. ayers and GM Ms alike find much m to work k I hope pla with and enjoy e here and d it adds to the e rich tapestry y that is Tro ollworld.

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