D&D 4th Dragon Magazine #369 - November 2008.pdf - Dragon Magazine - Rat_Alcatraz

Contents

FEATURES

5 PLAYING MINOTAURS

By Robert J. Schwalb

Roll up your next D&D character—as a minotaur!

ASSORTMENT OF MAGIC ITEMS

By Kolja Raven Liquette

One of the authors of Adventurer’s Vault brings you even

more amazing magic items, each with a story to tell.

18 DEMONOMICON: BAPHOMET

By Robert J. Schwalb

What good are minotaurs without the Horned One?

Featured in December’s release Manual of the Planes ,

Baphomet’s goals, history, and allies are explored in detail.

THE DRAGONBORN

By Robert J. Schwalb

Once a grand city of Arkhosia, this now-ruined city of the fallen

dragonborn empire waits for adventurers to explore its mysteries

FEATURES

12 BIZAAR OF THE BIZARRE: A MOTLEY

31 IO’VANTHOR: LOST CITY OF

COLUMNS

40 CREATURE INCARNATIONS: GNOLLS

By Ari Marmell

More of Yeenoghu’s get are described in this article,

which supports the Scales of War Adventure Path

adventure, “Den of the Destroyer.”

4 EDITORIAL

53 CLASS ACTS: THE WARLORD

By Stephen Radney-MacFarland

New powers for your warlord.

56 RULING SKILL CHALLENGES

By Mike Mearls

Mike explores the ins and outs of the skill challenge

system, with examples of unique implementations.

46 DRAGON SLAYERS

By Ari Marmell

With the Draconomicon out, DMs have new tricks

to spring on unsuspecting PCs, so use this article to

fight back!

BARBARIAN AND BARD

By Logan Bonner and Mike Mearls

Logan and Mike talk about the creation of these two

classic D&D classes as the launch of Player’s Handbook 2

approaches.

ON THE COVER

Illustration by Arnie Swekel

61 CONFESSIONS OF A FULL-TIME WIZARD

By Shelly Mazzanoble

Shelly gives thanks for D&D for being able to teach kids

important life lessons, and wonders what her life would

be like if she’d started playing sooner.

65 RPGA REPORT

By Chris Tulach

The LIVING FR campaign is in full swing. Learn more

about how to get involved.

66 AMPERSAND

By Bill Slavicsek

Bill shows off more from Player’s Handbook 2.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, EBERRON, D UNGEON , D RAGON , d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their

respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries.

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is

prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events

No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more DUNGEONS & DRAGONS articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.

com/dnd

COLUMNS

59 DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT:

EDITORIAL

369

Thank You, Dungeons & Dragons

DRAGON

November 2008

Editor-in-Chief Chris Youngs

Senior Art Director Stacy Longstreet

It’s November, so it’s time to start thinking about

turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Oh, and giving

thanks, of course! This year, I’m thankful for a lot. But

right now, I’m especially thankful for the D&D game—

especially this year.

Of course, I’ve saved the best for last. We know that in

tough economic times, subscription services suffer the

most. Historically, magazine subscriptions drop signifi-

cantly when people start trimming their budgets. But

is there a better deal for a D&D fan out there right now

than Insider? You basically get a supplement’s worth

of gaming content and access to the D&D Compendium

for $5 a month. I was going to compare that deal to the

tired example of giving up one fancy coffee a month.

But you know what? You should take your laptop to your

local Starbucks, order that fancy coffee, and use the

free Wi-Fi to peruse the latest Dragon article or Dungeon

adventure. If you’re looking to trim your budget, I’d say

cancel the high-speed Internet and bum off your local

coffee shop.

Web Specialist Chris Sims

Web Production Bart Carroll, Steve Winter

Graphic Design Bob Jordan, Breanne Miller

Why is that? Well, with all the news about the economy

tanking, people are looking more and more for ways

to save money and still enjoy themselves. Retail sales

across the board are hurting right now as people tighten

their belts and prepare for a recession. With all the

doom and gloom, it’s good to take your mind off reality

for a while and do something fun. Finding a way to do

that, though, can be tricky. And that’s why I think the

D&D game is the perfect recession-time hobby.

Contributing Authors Logan Bonner, Kolja Raven

Liquette, Ari Marmell,

Shelly Mazzanoble, Mike Mearls,

Stephen Radney-MacFarland,

Robert J. Schwalb, Bill Slavicsek,

Chris Tulach

Developers

Mike Mearls, Stephen Radney-

MacFarland, Peter Schaefer,

Stephen Schubert

The cost of entry is incredibly low for the game, for

starters. Picking up a Player’s Handbook only costs what

it would take you to take your significant other out to

the movies for a night. But instead of walking away after

a couple of hours, maybe even feeling unsatisfied with

the dollars spent, you get hours of entertainment from

that single purchase.

So, despite all the grim news from the government, I’m

feeling thankful this month. Thankfu l for a great game,

thankful for a great job, and thankful for great friends

who enjoy my hobby with me. So keep playing, and get

your friends to check out D&D Insider , since there isn’t a

better way to stay engaged with the hobby. In fact,

this year, think about adding a new Thanksgiving

tradition to your family gathering, and break out your

dice and an adventure from Dungeon after dinner.

Editor Miranda Horner

Cover Artist Arnie Swekel

Contributing Artists Rob Alexander, Ryan Barger,

Jason A. Engle, Lars Grant-West

David Griffith, Robert Lee,

William O’Connor, Marc Sasso,

If you want even more opportunity for hours of enter-

tainment, pick up a Dungeon Master’s Guide . If you’re

willing to run a game, you’ll have no end of gamers

lining up to play with you. If you’ve never tried DMing,

and you’re looking for places to save some cash, give it a

shot. In my group, several players have recently tried a

hand at running a game, each time with great success.

John Stanko, Arnie Swekel,

L.A. Williams, Sam Wood

Cartographers

Robert Lee

Web Development

Mark A. Jindra

D&D Creative Manager

Christopher Perkins

Executive Producer,

Then, staying heavily involved in the game requires

only an occasional re-investment. Once you have a

character, our new print release plan informs you which

books you want to buy. Playing a fighter? Martial Power

is for you. Wizard? Arcane Power is just around the

corner. And when Player’s Handbook 2 comes out, you

can essentially double all your available options with

one more book. Can you think of another hobby that

brings good friends together, gets your brain creatively

engaged, and costs you so little?

D&D Insider

Ken Troop

Director of RPG R&D

Bill Slavicsek

Special Thanks

Richard Baker, Greg Bilsland, Logan Bonner, Michele Carter, Jennifer

Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, Jeremy Crawford, Rob

Heinsoo, Peter Lee, Julia Martin, Mike Mearls, Kim Mohan, David

Noonan, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Peter Schaefer, Stephen

Schubert, Chris Sims, Rodney Thompson, Rob Watkins, James Wyatt

Playing

Minotaurs

by Robert J. Schwalb

illustrations by Ryan Barger and Marc Sasso

MINOTAURS EMBODY the tension between civiliza-

tion and savagery—discipline and madness—because

the minotaurs stand in two worlds. Tugged toward

wanton violence but bound by conscience, numerous

minotaurs are driven to rise above their dark impulses.

Such a minotaur walks the labyrinthine pathways of

introspection, seeking the balance between the mon-

strous and refined. Like a deadly maze, this personal

journey has hazards and traps aplenty. Innumerable

minotaurs succumb to the wicked temptations stain-

ing their souls, whereupon they find themselves thralls

to the dread Baphomet, the Horned King. Minotaurs

must struggle to become more than the beasts they

resemble or succumb to demonic brutality.

Play a minotaur if you want . . .

✦

to be a mighty warrior possessed of incredible

strength and endurance.

✦

to be a monstrous adventurer struggling against

villainous tendencies.

✦

to be a member of a race that favors the barbarian,

fighter, and warden classes.

November 2008 | DR AGON 369

Playing

Minotaurs

D&D 4th Dragon Magazine #369 - November 2008.pdf

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