Knowledge Arc an a 06

7/31/2019 Knowledge Arc an a 06

1/36

issue 6 | summer 2006 THe WiZArDs ONLiNe COmmuNiTY mAGAZiNe

plus magic, minis, and mORE!plus magic, minis, and mORE!

ExtRavaganza!ExtRavaganza!


2/36


3/36


4/36

K n o w l e d g e a r c a n aissue 6 | summer 2006

Publisher: -RasPechuelEditor-in-Chie: PennyWilliams

AssociateEditor: MonicaShellmanContentManager: BryceWhitacre(WizO_Sinister)ArtDirectorandMadman: JoseBoveda(WizO_Scion)

CommunityEditors:Fiction: MarsWhitacre(ImpoIdres)Hecatomb/Dreamblade: AnthonyBaxter(Mtalmuzican)AvalonHill: JonMayes(Der_Leiter)DDM: EricBaker(BalduranI)D&D: DavePaul(Vrecknidjx)MG: ChrisYork(Cyork)Duelmasters: ChristinaPage(Pojodmirl)SWM: MichaelBastian(Bastian)AAM: PatrickW.Rollens(PatrickWR)

KnowledgeArcanaisapublicationortheWizardsOnlineCommunitybytheWizardsOnlineCommunity.

Wearealwayslookingorcontributionsandwewouldliketohearromyou!Youmaysubmityourworkbygoingto

www.wizards.com/knowledgearcana ,[email protected]

cover art by: Julia bax

2006WizardsotheCoast,Inc.Dungeons&Dragons,D&D,Dun-geonMaster,d20system,thed20systemlogo,WizardsotheCoast,Duelmasters,Dreamblade,Axis&Allies,A&AMinis,andtheWizardsotheCoastlogoareregisteredtrademarksownedbyWizardsotheCoast,Inc.,asubsidiaryoHasbro,Inc.StarWarsisatrademarkownedbyLucaslm,Ltd.AllRightsReserved.d20isatrademarkoWizardsotheCoast,Inc.DistributedworldwidebyWizardsotheCoast,Inc.andregionaldistributors.Tismaterialisprotectedunderthecopyright

lawsotheUnitedStatesoAmerica.

t penny williamsarcane knowledge

I

ts summertime, and the gaming is easy. Its timeto plan trips to the big gaming conventions, andthe smaller onestoo. imeto visitthe game storeandcheckoutthenewreleases.imetoschedulea

ewextragamesessionswhilekidsandadultsareoutoschool.imetoworkonthedungeon,thenovel,andtheminiscampaign.

Whoarewekidding,anyway?Allthisextratimewewerelookingorwardtosuddenlyseemstobelledwithotheractivities.TekidswouldrathergoswimmingthanplayD&D.TedogateyourAAMminis.Halyourriendsareworking24/7atnewjobs,andtheotherhalarevisitingimbuktuorthesummer.Andiyoudohaveleisuretime,puttingtogetheragamewhenthewarmweatherbeckonscanseemtoomuchlikework.

Butdontdespair.Iyouneedawaytolureyourgroup

backtothegamingtable,checkoutGamingNightsWithStylein thisissue.OurveryownMonicaShellman(whobyanoddcoincidencehasthesameinitialsasacertaindomestic diva) tells you how to whip up a game nighteastandturnthoseold,worn-outgamingmaterialsintosnazzy decorations or your abode. Evan Hunt explainshowtoparleytheM:tGcardSilhanaLedgewalkerintoawinjust aboutevery time,and the diabolically creativemindsinRPGLivehaveputtogetheramonsterthatllgiveyourD&Dplayersnightmaresormonths!CheckoutthisissuesCreature Featuretoseewhatslurkinginthatreuse

pilebehindtheinn,andyoumaynevereelquitethesameaboutyourcompostheapagain.YousayyoureanA&AorAAMplayer?Well,thisis

theissueoryou.BryceWhitacreoersanewPacicrulesvariant orA&A, and JonMayesprovides arundownon

interestingAAMcombosromthemessageboards.Andasaspecialsurprise,JonhasinterviewedveteranmemberSSG_Hubleorthisissue.

BeenplayingNeopetswiththekids?Tenyoumay

havewhatittakestowinthenewNeopetscontestrighthereinthisissue.Tisonesorprizes,sobesuretogetinonitrightaway!

Looking or a story to relax with at the beach?Nevermore, the second-place prizewinner in the 2005UnConctioncontest,isasupernaturalsuspensethrillerthatwillhaveyougrippingtheedgeoyourbeachchair.Andorutureissues,ourbrand-newFictionCommunityEditor Mars Whitacre has plenty o great stories instore! I you havea story, be sure toseizeyour chanceor immortality in the pages o KA. Just send in [email protected] ,andshell

getintouchwithyou.Allinall,thisissueisullosurprises,startingwith

our cover and ending with lots o never-beore-oeredeatures,suchasgameroodrecipes.Ithatsnotenoughtobringyourplayersbacktothegamingtable...well,youmighthavetotakethedicebagandminisoutside,mixupsomecooldrinks,andenjoythewarm,balmybreezeswhilepursuingyouravoritehobby.

Keepthosedicerolling!Penny williams, editor-in-chief


5/36

on the cover

cover art by Julia bax

OK,pretendyoureanartist(Idothiseveryday).AlsopretendyoureaanoKA(youdothiseveryday).You,anart-loving,arcana-readingmaven,getanemailromadashingyetdastardlyartdirectorDastardly director asks i you could do a coverdepicting the events o Pearl Harbor. Dastardlydirector stresses the importance o historicalaccuracyintheillustration.

Tenhesayssomethinglikethis:Great,butcouldyou throwin some dragons? Not just anydragons,though.Americandragons.FightingtheJapanesewiththeirerydragonbreath.

Hersilencewastelling.Still,asyoucansee,

thisWizardsotheCoastmemberhitoneoutothepark.Anddespitedecliningtobearmychildren,shellbereturningtothepagesoKAquitesoon.

WhoisthisBrazilianbelle?Checkoutpg.34wherewehaveherullbio,orjustcheckoutherwebsiteatwww.juliabax.com.

Inamad,madworld,scion

in this issue

f e a t u r e s

17 which combo would you like?byJonMayes(Der_Leiter)

20 a&a pacificvariant rules for a&a Pacific

byBryceWhitacre(WizO_Sinister)

22 nevermorebyMeaghanHope

(Myst_the_Moonscout)

24 gaming nights with stylebyMonicaShellman(Elisandra)

28 the bad guys

villains in neoPetsbyCarolEllzey(SqueesMainSqueeze)

andA.H.(Kirbyrockz)

30 l ife from the ledgebyEvanHunt

c o l u m n s

6 quick & dirty dm

tiPs for warmongeringbyWizO_Paradox

9 monstrous librarybyM.L.Myers,-RasPechuel,

andMonicaShellman

10 creature featurethe ember sPawn

ByPennyWilliams,MonicaShellman,DavePaul,andtheWizardsotheCoastCommunity,

withassistanceromSkipWilliams

32 member profilessg_huble

Answer or last issuesMagic Mastermind:

decree of Justice


6/36

b y w i z o _ P a r a d o x

No antasy campaign is complete without the massdestructionolandbroughtaboutbywar.Butjustsettingupalarge-scalebattlecouldtakequiteawhile,letalonerunninganentirewar.Andletsbehonestnoteveryonehasthemillionorsominiatureguresneededtoactuallyrunsuchabattle.(SobesuretorunrightoutandpickupsomeD&Dminiaturestoday!)

Seriously,though,awarcanadddepthandavortoyourcampaignworldlikenoothersingleelementcan.Itdoestakealotowork,buttheshortcutspresentedherecanhelpturnanarduoustaskintoaeweveningsworthounoryouandyourplayers.

t h e b a t t l e v s . t h e w a rTetermswarandbattlearenotinterchangeable.Awaristheentiretyoaconict,encompassingdozensorperhapshundredsobattles,plusespionage,diplomacy,embargoes,and other methods o inconveniencing the enemy. Abattle is a specic armed conict in which the PCs canparticipate.Inmostcases,theoutcomeoasinglebattledoesnotmandatetheoutcomeothegreaterconictthatis,evenithePCsarevictoriousonthebattleeld,theirsidemaystilllosethewar,andviceversa.

the warAsDM,therstdecisionyouhavetomakeiswhowillwinthewar.

Whoa,what?DontthePCsactionsmatter?Suretheydo,butthePCsconstituteonlyahandul

othethousandsocharactersinvolvedintheoverallwar.Furthermore, most battleeld situations in which PCs

yeah, you and what

ARMY

knowledge arcana | summer 200


7/36

become involved are either one-on-one combats orgroupsocharactersghtinggroupsoNPCs.Tus,theycantseethewholewarorevenawholebattle

romonhighthewaytheirplayersdo.AllthePCscanreasonably inuenceare individual battlesand theiraermaths.

Soromacampaignviewpoint,thePCsmaybeabletoinuencetheoutcomeoabattle,butthenalresolutiono the war isyour decision. Aer all, theoutcomeoa warcanhavea signicanteectonthedirectionothecampaign,sothedecisionaboutwhowinsrightlyallsintoyourpurviewasDM.

Mechanically,designingawarworksmuchlikedesigning an adventure. You come up with villains,decide the details o their plots and plans, then

introduce the situation to the players, who decidewhatactionstheircharactersshouldtaketoinuencetheoutcomeintheiravor.

Tus,itpaystostartwitharoughideaowhereyourcampaignisgoing.Whenyouretryingtodecidewhowillwinawar,considertheollowingquestions.Aerthewarisover,shouldthePCsbeonthewinningsideorthelosingside?Willtheykeeptryingtoghtthewar,eitherontheirownorinconjunctionwithsomekind o underground movement? Will the populacehailthemasheroesorrevilethemasinvaders?

the battleToughwhoeventuallywinsthewarisuptoyouasDM,theplayerscanhelptodecidetheoutcomeothe

battles in which theyparticipateand perhaps evensavethedayortheirside.

AsDM,yourjobistopulltheplayersromabovethebattlematdowntothelevelotheircharactersbydescribingwhattheycanseeandonlywhattheycansee.ItthenbecomesthePCsjobtoghtthegoodght,rallythetroops,andhelpboostmorale.TetrickistoconveytheatmosphereoahugebattlewhilekeepingthePCsbusywithsmallskirmishes.Letslookataewmethodsoaccomplishingthatgoal.

Keeping the ension High: One way to model thechaos o a battleeld is to send wave aer wave o

combatantsagainstthePCs.Butdoingsoonlyensuresthattheywilleventuallyalltotheenemy,consideringthat a single encounter balanced usingthe CR/ECLsystemissupposedtouseup25%otheirresources.Realisticallyspeaking,armiesconsistohundreds,orperhaps even thousands o troops, so the PCs cantpossibly hope to take them on all by themselves.Furthermore,thekillasoldier,moveontothenextroutine is likely to get boring rather quickly. Whiletheplayersmightbethrilledatrsttoseebunchesotroopsalltotheirreballs,theirelationwillquickly

,

summer 200 | knowledge arcana


8/36

turn to dismay when their spells run dry and theenemyjustkeepscoming.

Butwherearetheirallies?ItshighlyunlikelythatthePCsareghtingaloneortheirside,andcertainlytheir allies should be able to take on their share oenemiestoo.Butbroadeningthescopeothegametorunthosealliesrealisticallyisagoodwaytobogdownplay.Noonewantstowaitwhileyourollorhundredsoalliedattacks,andkeepingtrackoeveryNPChitpointistediousbookkeepingthatserveslittlepurpose.

Tus,its best tospotlight the PCs and let therestothebattletakecareoitsel.oensurethatyoukeepyourocusnarrowed,trynottogivethePCsanoveralllookatthecombatwhenyoudescribeabattlescene.alkaboutthechaoticghtingallaroundthem.Mentionthescreaming,thepain,andthesmokeromresstartedbyamingarrowsandmagic.Youdontneedtogetanymorespecicunlessagivencharacterwants to pay particular attention to one areaanddoingsomightverywellmeanhesatadisadvantage

againsttheenemysoldiersinrontohim.Meanwhile,youasDMmustgureouttheenemytroopmovementsandtheoptionsyouwillallowthePCs.Isanotherenemyregimentwaitingjustoverthehill?Arethecharactersinactinpositiontocutotheenemysupplylines,orwouldtheybewalkingintoatrap?Isanotherorceatthismomentsneakinguponthecharactersposition?Techaractersand theirplayersarentlikelytondoutsuchinormationuntiltheyseetheenemychargingatthem.

Enemy actics: Face it, NPCs dont usually care tostand toe-to-toe with obviously well-equipped oes.

Tus,soldierstargetingthePCsarelikelytorunaerthem,takeaswingortwo,thenrunotoseekeasierpreywhenthecharactersdontimmediatelyall.

Te One-Hit Rule: TetypicalNPCopponentshouldalltothegroundaeronlyonehit,evenitheblowdidntdropitshitpointsbelow0.Invokingthisrulenotonly saves you considerablebookkeeping,but italsoallowstheplayerstoeelasitheircharactersareghtinghundredsosoldierswithoutusingupsomucho the partys resourcesthough the accumulateddamagerommanysmallerhitsmightstillbringthemdown.

Anyallyghtingalongsidethecharactersshouldalsoallaeronehit.TisruleshouldmakeplayersthinktwiceaboutlettingNPCalliesdoalltheghtingorthem.

Everynowandthen,youcanalsoslipinamorepowerul NPC enemya veteran o the art o war.TesespecialNPCshelptodeterminetheowothebattle.ItheplayersdeeatsuchanNPCwithinsightootherghtingtroops,theirvictoryservestoboostmoraleortheirside,andanytroopsalreadyontherunareinspiredbythePCsheroicstoturnaroundand

ghtoncemore.Ontheotherhand,ithecharacterslosetheghtwiththeNPC,theirsidemayverywellturntailandrun.

Stand or Run? Layingsiegetoacastleisalong,drawn-out process, but battles are swi, hard, and painulaairs.Tetidecanturnquickly,andwhenitdoes,thecharactersmustbereadytochangetheirtactics

accordingly. In particular, characters involved in abattlemustalwaysremainawareotheirpositions.Itrytotheyretreattobettertacticalpositions,theirNPCalliesmightthinktheyrebeingroutedandrun.And ithePCsreallydo decide theyvehad enoughand choose to retreat, their allies dont question it;theyjustollowtheirleaderstosaety.

Afermath: Oncethebattleisover,thecleanupbegins.Tewoundedaretended,andthedeadaretakenromthebattleeld,consecrated,andburiedorcremated.Winningthebattlemayormaynothelpinwinning

thewar, but anotherbattle isalways waiting orthePCs. Characters may receive rewards i they actedheroically,ortheymaybepunishedorcowardiceitheyran.

m a K i n g m a s s c o m b at e a s yBecause the Quick and Dirty DM articles are aboutshortcuts, no hard and ast mechanics existor thissystem.Teideaistokeepthecombatmovingandnotallowtheplayerstotaketoolongtodeterminewhattheirnextactionswillbe. Dont let them bogdownindetailsorplanning.Forthemostpart,theyshouldhavejustenoughtimetousethemosttime-honored

battletactic:Putthepointyendoyourswordintotheopponent,thenmoveon.

Oneexceptiontotheaboveruleisrouting.Tenumberounitseachsidehasactslikeahitpointtotalorthatarmy.Keeptrackoit,andwhenonesidereaches50%oitsstartingtotal,itmayberouted(50%chance).IthePCssidestartstorun,itsuptothecharacterstoinspiretheirregimenttostaytogetherandkeepghting.Itheysucceed,theirarmymustmakeanothersuchmoralecheckeverytimeitlosesanother5%oitstroops.Youdontwanttokeeptrackoeachindividualcombatswing,especiallyorallthe

NPCsinvolvedinthebattle,butsincebothsidestakedamageeachround,youcansimulateitbykeepingtrackothePCshits.Foreachenemythecharactersdispatch, take 1 point o the opposing armys hitpointtotal.

osimulatelosseselsewhereinthebattle,rollad20oreachsideandsubtractthatnumberromeacharmyshitpointtotal.Youmayalsoaddmodiersdependingonhowwellthecharactersaredoingincombat.

Te side that remains standing on the eld,whetherbyeliminationorbyrouting,wins.

knowledge arcana | summer 200


9/36


10/36


11/36


12/36

Tat comment got my attention. I turned toseethatthedwarhadstrippedoallhisarmorandclothingandwasailingaboutlikeamaddenedbehir,screamingItgotonme,Iknowitgotonme!Findit,Lidda!Dontjuststandthere!Findit!

Howcanyouexpectmetondanythinginallthat hair? said Lidda, crossing to the dwar. Wellprobablyhavetoshaveyou.

ordekstoppedhisailingandxedthehalingwithaglare.Idrutherdie,hesaid.

Oh,thereitis!criedLidda.Rightthereonyournose!Whap!Withoutwarning,thehalingwhackedordekacrossthenosewiththeatoherdagger.

OWWW! howled ordek, clapping a handoverhisbruisedproboscis.ByMoradinsbeard,lass,Ineedthatnose!

Pressing a cloth to herwoundedscalp, Mialeemuttered,Why?Itsnotlikeyoucansmellwhenyouneedtotakeabathoranything.

I wondered how I had oended Pelor, that he

wouldpunishmebychargingmewiththecareothisparticularock.IdecidedthatIwouldaskHiminmyprayerslater.

Liddastartedtowardthedwaragain.MaybeIshouldgive itanother thwap orgood measure, sheoered.

ordek backed away. Nay lass, let Jozan takecareoit.Hesabitgentlerwithhishealing.

I handed Mialee a pot o healing salve or herhead, then went to examine ordek. Hold still! Icommanded.

Icanthelpit,saidthedwarthroughchatteringteeth.Imcold!

Well, you are naked, I reminded him gently,probingthroughhisbeard.

Imcoldtoo,saidMialee,diggingthroughherpackoracloak.Howdiditsuddenlygetsochillyouthere?

Lidda looked rom one to the other. Are younuts?sheaskedincredulously.Itslikeasteambathouthere!

Youreright,Lidda,Isaid,suddenlyconcerned.Its quite steamyhere, andeven with very little on,neitherothemshouldbethatcold.

Just then, a ash o movement under ordeks

bronzed skin caught my eye. Catching the movinglump between two weapon hilts, I crushed it, thenprobedgently.Te spotelthotto thetouch,buttheesharounditseemedcuriouslycold.

AeveredgleamenteredMialeesalmond-shapedeyes.Weshouldcaptureoneothesecreaturesalive,shesaid.Teacademywillbemostinterested.

Lidda waved an arm at the mudpits. Be myguest,shesaid.Imsureyoucanndanotherhundredorsooeminthere.Maybeyoucantakethembackinyourace.Youdlookcutewithyourcheeksallpuedoutlikeachipmunks.

Mialeeglowered atthe haling. Lets just ndtheeggwecameor.Tenwecantellthewizardsattheacademywhatwehaveseen.

Terestagreedwiththatsentiment.Aerordekhadputhisarmorbackon,weprobedcareullyaroundtheedgesothemudpits,usingmyshieldandordeksto protect ourselves rom splashing mud.Eventually,weoundtheeggatthearendotherightmostpit.

riumphant,wewrappedtheegginclothsandset o or town. Our employer, pleased that we hadreturnedsoquicklyandwiththeeggintact,paidustheagreed-uponpriceplusasmallbonus.

Jural o Jza, Crc o Per, 14th dy o wintr

Butallwasnotwellwithourgroup.Mialeeandordekbegantoeeltiredandrundown,hadsevereheadachesandbothsueredromchillssoseverethattheyreusedtocomeoutotheirroomsattheinn,preerringtostayhuddledundertheirblankets.

Teirsymptomsbaedme.Icouldthinkonoknown malady that would aect them this way, butitseemedtomethatadiseasewasthelikelyculprit.SoIsentwordtomyoldmentorAnsworth,whowasskilledwiththestudyandtreatmentodiseases.Uponexamining the pair, Answorth declared that he hadnever seen such symptoms beore, but he promisedtodo what he could or them.Aer several daysotreatment,hepronouncedbothcured.

Mialee went straightaway to the wizardsacademytospeaktohercolleaguesabouttheproblem.

Eventually, her investigations bore ruit in the ormoanold,blindwizardnamedStergos.Iknowemwell, said Stergos, aer settling Mialee comortablyinhislaboratory.Tosecrittersarewhatcostmemyeyesnighontotwentyyearsagonow.Emberspawn,theycallem.Teyweremadebyapackooolswhothoughttheycoulduseelementalrewithleechestocuremagicaldisease.Leavediseasetotheclerics,Isay.

Youhadmorethanoneotheminyou,mygirl,hecontinued.Yourclerickilledone,buttherewerestillsomeunderyourskin.Iyouhadntgottencuredwhenyoudid,theywouldvecomeburstingoutthroughyoureyeballs.Mialeeshivered,thankedthewizard,andle.

Butitwasseveralhoursbeoreshecouldbringherseltotellusallthattheoldwizardhadsaid.

12 knowledge arcana | summer 200


13/36

The ember spawnTis creature lives lie like the ames that spawned ithot and ast.

Created by unortunate researchers at the CollegiaArcanica,aprestigiousinstitutionomagicalresearch,these oul creatures were originally intended to betools o healing. Several wizards rom the college,whileonanextendedsojournontheElementalPlaneoFire,soughttoinuseleechlikecreatureswiththestuoelementalretohelpincauterizingwoundsandhealingmagicalinjuries.Buttheresultinghorrorsquickly inested their creators, who carried thembacktotheMaterialPlaneintheirownbodies.Fromthere,thecreaturesescapedintothecitysslumsandghettoes,creatingaterribleplague.

ember m aggot (larval form)A disgusting orange maggot, approximately 1-1/2 incheslong, leaps rom a pile o warm mud, landing on a dozeneshy legs. Numerous darker nodules dot its body, andbluish-red veins writhe beneath its skin. Its eyes aresmall and dark, but the slashing mandibles anking itsmouth overpower the rest o its head.

Colloquiallyknownasanembermaggot,thelarvaoanemberspawnisamazinglyast.Asacreatureore,itishighlysusceptibletocold,especiallyinitseggorlarvalorm.Tus,ithasevolvedinsuchawayastominimizeitscontactwithcoolerenvironments.

strategies and tactics

Te ember maggot is not a particularly dangerouscombatantits threat lies in its ability to producediseaseinaninestedhostanditsexplosiveexitromthat hosts body aer it has matured into its adultorm.

ypically, two to six ember maggots assaultahostatoncetomaximizethechanceoinestationandensurethecontinuanceothecreaturesliecycle.Larger inestationsare rare,sincethe presenceosixember maggots lowers the hosts body temperatureenoughthatthecreaturecannolongerbesensedasapotentialhostbyothereggs.

samPle encounterowering garbage heaps and etid cesspools arecommon in large humanoid settlements. In warmweather,the decompositiono thewasteproductsinsuch areas creates sufcient heat to incubate emberspawneggs.

Agroupoeighttosixteenlarvaemightbeoundina large citys garbageheaporcesspool, occupying

an arearom 5 eet by 5 eet to 225 square eet.Anencounter with this many ember maggots rangesromEL4toEL6.Emberspawnposelittlethreattocharactersabove4thlevel,buttheycanbeasignicantproblemorcommonersandlower-levelcharacters.

ecologyEmberspawnprogressthroughourstagesolie.Teeggs,whicharelaidinnaturallywarmlocations,hatchout into orange, multilegged larvae. Tese maggotsleap upon unsuspecting warm-blooded hosts andburrow beneath the skin,sheddingtheirlegs inthe

process.Aerincubatinginsidethehostinpupaorm,the ully-developed adult ember spawn erupt romthehostseyesandyawayinsearchoahotplaceinwhichtolaytheireggs.

An adult ember spawn lays clutches o eightto sixteen eggs at a time inhotsprings, warm mud,blisteringdesertsands,orcityreusepilesandcesspits.Teseeggsgestateduringthewarmermonths,buttheydonothatchuntiltheysensetheapproachoasuitablehost. Clutches o eggsare usually well hidden, sincedragonsndthemadelicacy.

When a suitable host comes within 5 eet oan egg,it hatches explosively, propelling themaggottowardthepotentialhost.Ithemaggothitswiththisleaping chomp attack, it immediately attaches to itshostwithitslongmandibles,whicharecoatedwithananestheticsecretionthatnumbsthepainoitsbite.Teollowinground,itautomaticallyburrowsintoitshostseshthroughthewoundithasmade,sheddingitslegsasitslidesbeneaththeskin.Teselegsquicklymeltintoashinwarmweatherorreezesolidinacoolerenvironment.

Tecreatureswimsbeneaththehostsskinor1week,duringwhichiteedsonthehostsbloodandbodyheat. Tenit assumes pupa orm andbecomes

inertor3moreweekswhileitmetamorphosesintoitsadult orm.At thatpoint, itburstsorththrough thehostseye,ruiningitandcausingableedingwound.

Teadulteedsonwarmorganicmatter(animalor vegetable) until it has reached its nal adult size(about6inches).Atthatpoint,itmates,andtheemaleiesawaytolayhereggs.Minutesaermating,themaleburstsintoameanddies(itheweatheriswarm)orreezesintoahunkoice(icold).Shortlyaerlayinghereggs,theemalemeetsthesameate.

1summer 200 | knowledge arcana


14/36


15/36

Attach (Ex): If an ember maggot hits with its leap-ing chomp or bite attack, it uses its razor-sharpmandibles to latch onto the opponents body. Anattached ember maggot is effectively grapplingits prey. The ember maggot loses its Dexteritybonus to AC and has an AC of 14, but it holds onwith great tenacity. An ember maggot has a +20racial bonus on grapple checks (already guredinto the grapple modier above). An attached

ember maggot can be struck with a weapon orgrappled itself. To remove the creature throughgrappling, the opponent must achieve a pinagainst it.

Disease (Ex): Infestation by ember maggots pro-duces a malady known as re chills. Once anember maggot has successfully used its eshburrow to get inside the hosts body, the hostmust immediately make a Fortitude save (DC 14+1 for each additional ember maggot already in-side the host). Success indicates that the hostsbody has fought off the infestation and the em-ber maggot that just entered has died, though

any others already within the hosts body areunaffected. Failure means the new maggot sur-vives and begins feeding. Thereafter, it is treat-ed as a disease.

The incubation period before damagebegins to accrue is 1 hour. Thereafter, thehost must make a Fortitude save at the sameDC each day or take 1 point of Constitutiondamage, 1 point of Charisma damage, and1d2 points of nonlethal cold damage for everyember maggot within its body. A character whotakes any nonlethal cold damage is fatigueduntil it heals. The cold damage heals normallyonly while the character is bundled up or neara heat source; otherwise, healing is suspendeduntil the character dons warm clothing or sitsbeside a re. During the rst week of infestation,the hosts body temperature is constantly belowhealthy levels and he constantly feels chilly, butmotes of high temperature (the individual embermaggots) oat around his skin disconcertingly.Two successful Fortitude saves in a row indicatethat the character has fought off the infestationand all the ember maggots within his body aredead.

During this period, the ember maggotcan be removed with a successful DC 15 Heal

check, which kills the maggot. Alternatively, themaggot can be cut out of the hosts esh witha successful attack roll using a dagger or otherslashing weapon. In this case, the ember maggotis considered to have concealment (20% misschance).

If 7 days pass and the victim is stillinfested, the ember maggots stop feeding on thehosts blood and assume pupa form, taking upresidence in his sinus cavities. The Constitutionand Charisma damage cease, but the nonlethalcold damage continues to accrue each time

the character fails a saving throw. The save DCduring this period increases by +5 to reect thehardiness of the pupa form. In addition, thevictim suffers from constant, terrible headaches.The ember maggots remain in pupa form for 3weeks, then emerge from their pupa cases asadult ember spawn and immediately exit fromthe hosts eyes (see Explosive Exit, below).

Explosive Exit (Ex): After incubation, each adult

ember spawn exits through the hosts eye sock-et (or other orice, if it has no eyes), dealing1d6 points of damage and 1 point of Constitu-tion damage. Creatures immune to critical hitsare immune to the Constitution damage dealtby this ability. In addition, the host is perma-nently blinded in the affected eye. If only oneeye is blinded, the host takes a 2 penalty onSpot and Search checks. If all eyes are blinded(that is, if the host was infected with at least asmany ember spawn as it has eyes), the host ispermanently blinded, though the usual methodsof curing this condition still apply.

Flesh Burrow (Ex): If the ember maggot begins itsturn attached to a host, it automatically burrowsinto the esh through the wound made with itsmandibles, shedding its legs in the process. Themaggot then swims beneath the hosts skinuntil it dies or assumes pupa form, appearingoccasionally as a wormlike, fast-moving lump(Spot check opposed by the ember maggotsHide check, which gains a +5 circumstance bo-nus while it is inside a host). The appearance ofthese creatures writhing beneath a hosts skin isrepulsive in the extreme.

Heat Sense (Ex): The ember spawn can automati-cally pinpoint the location of any heat source (in-cluding a warm-blooded creature) within 60 feetof it, even if it is currently within a higher-tem-perature heat source than the one approaching.The presence of six ember maggots inside thesame host lowers that creatures body tempera-ture to the point that it no longer triggers theheat sense of any other ember spawn eggs.

Leaping Chomp (Ex): When a warm-bloodedcreature comes within 5 feet of an ember spawnegg, it hatches explosively, propelling the embermaggot toward the target. This attack deals bitedamage. If it hits with a ranged attack roll, itautomatically attaches to the target (see Attach,

above). If it misses, the ember maggot may at-tempt the leaping chomp again if it makes asuccessful DC 20 Jump check toward a target nomore than 5 feet away.

Skills An ember maggot has a +8 racial bonus onClimb and Jump checks, and it uses its Dexteritybonus instead of its Strength bonus for both ofthese checks. It can always choose to take 10on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.



16/36

becomesmore leatheryandtakesonadeeperbrowncolor, though the underside remains bright orange.Wingsgrowbeneaththeupperportionothecarapace.Teadult spawnemerges rom its hostat roughly 2inchesinlength,butitcontinuestogrow,reachingalengtho6inchesbeorenallylayingitseggs.

tyPical treasure

Becausetheyareunintelligentvermin,emberspawndo not collect treasure. However, items o valueare sometimes ound in reuse pits where eggs areincubating.Ingeneral,thevalueothetreasureromanencounterwitheggsorlarvaeshouldbecoinsandmundanegoodsorweapons.Ianadultemberspawnisoundnearadeadbody,thatpersonspossessionsbecomethetreasureortheencounter.Tetreasureshould be a mix o equipment and silver and goldcoins.

advanced ember sPawnEmberspawn cannot gain class levels, but their liecycle provides or an advancement o sorts. Mostencountersarewithemberspawnin thelarvalstage,butPCscanencounteradultemberspawnaswell.Inthiscase,usethealternativestatisticsprovidedortheadultemberspawn.

ember sPawn in eberronEmberspawncanbeoundinmanyplacesthroughoutEberron,butaewlocationsaremoreavorablethanothers. Te populous and poor regions o RhukaanDraal are ideal or a durable inestation, and theShadow Marches, where the druids dont oen go,

couldalsoharboraesteringplague-at-theready.TesewersanddepthsoSharnareidealplacesoremberspawntospreadtheirparticularormopestilencetocitydwellers.

ember sPawn in faernEmber spawn can appear virtually anywhere inFaern,andtheirpresencecantieineasilywiththeDMs overall campaignplans. For example, in someothelargercities,suchasWaterdeep,aninestationcould be part oa larger adventure,butthosesamelarge cities would probably have plenty o powerulindividualswhocouldeventuallyeliminatethethreat.

I youre interested in making the ember spawn aconsistentthreattosomearea,itwouldbebettertoplacetheminaregionwithewerpowerulclerics.Ingeneral,thepoorerareasoporttownsmakeexcellentbreedinggroundsoremberspawn.

Monica Shellman lives in southern Caliornia with allher gaming stu and some kid who calls her mom andmakes her eed him. She has previously been published

in the prestigious surlagolHerold . It is not her aultyou are too uncool to have ever heard o it.

Penny Williams joined the roleplaying game industry asGame Questions Expert or SR, Inc. in the 1980s. Sincethen, she has served as RPGA Network Coordinator,POLYHEDRON Newszine editor, and Senior Editor andCoordinating Editor or the RPG R&D Department atWizards o the Coast, Inc. Now a busy reelancer, Pennyedits or several game companies. When not enhancingthe cruelty o designers creations, Penny puts up jam,does jigsaw puzzles, and works as a substitute teacher

or all grade levels.

David Paul lives in lower southwestern Michigan with hiswie, two sons, two dogs, our cats, a ew hundred RPGbooks, and several thousand little plastic miniatures. Heedited or Pencil Pushers Publishing, d20Filtered, andSilven beore joining the sta o Knowledge Arcana.When hes not busy daydreaming or plotting the downallo his own D&D players, he teaches philosophy by nightat a nearby university and high school mathematics byday at a nearby private high school.

1 knowledge arcana | summer 200

e m b e r s P a w n l o r e

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) orKnowledge (nature) can learn more about emberspawn.Whenacharactermakesaskillcheck,theollowingloreisrevealed,includingtheinormationromlowerDCs.

dc result

12 An ember spawn is a magically createdvermin with an afnity or heat and avulnerabilitytocold.

17 Telarvalstageothiscreatureisthemostdangerous. Tose who wear armor or candodge attacks especially well have thebest chance o avoiding a painul parasiticinestation.Tecreatureseggsareoundingroups oroughly a dozen, usually hidden

beneathsomewarmsubstance.

22 Magicthatcuresdiseaseremovesanemberspawninestation.Apersoninectedbyemberspawnlarvaeeelscoolerthannormal.


17/36

b y J o n m ay e s ( d e r _ l e i t e r )


wehrmacht oberleutnant + ss-Panzergrenadiers

Member Lotus was the rst to respondwith this combinationone o hisavorites since the release o Set II. TeOberleutnant provides good antitank

support,butmoreimportantly,itgivesyoursoldiersaccess to Angri, which allows them to move andthenattackwitha+1bonus.With5/5deense,theSS-Panzergrenadiersaredifculttostopwithdeensivere,andtheyattackwith10diceagainstsoldiersand

7againstvehicles,hittingonaresulto3orbetter.Tesevaluesareenoughtodamagemostunitsinthegame,butwhatmakestheSSevenmoredeadlyistheirRuthlessability.ItheyuseAngriagainstadisruptedunit,theyhitonanyresultexcepta1!Lotuscorrectlypointsoutthatthiscomboworkswellorsupportingyourtanks,especiallyasadeterrenttokeepenemyunitsromapproachingtooclosely.

Member RaidingParty suggests using SS-Stormtroopers instead o the SS-Panzergrenadiersbecause o their extra close assault and inantryattackdiceupclose.SinceAngriallowsattacksonly

againstunitsinthesamehex,theStormtroopersbecomeevenmoreeective.

AsaJapanesevariationonthistheme,RaidingPartysuggests the Imperial Sergeant and SNLF Fanatic as acombo.TeSergeantsBanzaiChargeisthesameasAngri,butonacheapercommanderthantheOberleutnant.TeSNLF Fanatics are deadly with Hand-to-Hand 12 andHardCharger.EvenideensiverepreventstheFanaticromenteringtheenemyshex,HardChargerremovesthedisrupted counter beore combat. With Hand-to-Hand12,theFanaticshouldbeabletocleavethroughenemy

opposition.Predator666addsthatthiscomboalsoworkswellwiththebasicArisakaRieacheaperalternativetotheFanaticthatstillhasthesamepowerulHand-to-Hand12ability.ButsincetheylacktheHardChargerability,theArisakasworkbestimachinegunsorotherrangedanti-inantryunitssoenuptheoppositionbydisruptingtheenemyinantryrst.

In addition, members Frogslayer and Predator666pointout that throwing a Panzeraust 30orPanzershreckinto themix with eitherthe Oberleutnantor the ImperialSergeant provides some better antitanksupport, since theregularsoldiersmightnotbeenoughtotakeonheaviertankssuchastheM26Pershing,ChurchillCrocodiles,orIS-2s.

EversincetheAxis& Allies MiniaturesBase Set came out, playershaveunderstoodthatcertainunits

havegreatsynergytogether.ObviouscombinationsaboundsuchastheM1GarandRieandaCommandertoharnessitsStarsandStripesabilitybutother,moresubtleorcomplicatedoptionsexistaswell.

f av o r i t e s f r o m t h e f o r u mPosing the question, Whats your avorite AAM combo and why? on theAxis & AlliesMiniatures orum netted some interesting replies. Some o these may seem obvious and othersdevious,butallareuseulintherightcircumstances.


18/36


19/36


20/36


21/36


22/36


23/36


24/36


25/36


26/36


27/36


28/36


29/36


30/36


31/36


32/36


33/36


34/36


35/36


36/36

Knowledge Arc an a 06

Documents

Transcript of Knowledge Arc an a 06