mark@mrstve.UUCP (Mark Smith) (02/24/86)
It seems that only about 5% of my intended readers received the "real"
copy of the Campaign Handbook, and about 99% received the "valley version"
which was intended as a joke, but since hardly anybody received the real one
they all though the valley version was the real one and I've been getting
"angry mail" for quite some time now. Confused? You should be. Anyway, here
is a re-posting of the REAL Campaign Handbook. I will also be sending copies
out by mail to those of you who need them.
Q U E S T f o r t h e E L F S W O R D
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C A M P A I G N H A N D B O O K
Version 1.0 Released 02/12/86
ENTERING THE QUEST revised 01/30/86
Anyone who has access to the net.games.pbm or knows someone who does can
enter the "Quest for the ElfSword" campaign. If you are not immediately
selected, you will be placed on a waiting list, then as openings arise in the
game, players will be selected from this list in the order of their original
request of entry.
Players should ONLY send in their characters after they have officially
been selected to play in the campaign. To be placed on the waiting list,
one only has to drop me a line with their name and mailing address. I will
confirm the receipt of all letters and the waiting list will be posted at the
end of each week so waiting players can see where they stand.
CHARACTERS revised 01/30/86
This section will tell you what to send in and what NOT to send in when
you finally are ready to send me your character.
You may choose from these classes:
Fighter Thief Ranger Paladin
Magic User Cleric Archer Illusionist
Druid Monk Samuri Assassin
You may choose from these races:
Human Elf Half Elf Dwarf
Hobbit Halfling Gnome Half-Orc
If you choose to be a Cleric or a Paladin you must choose a deity from
the GREEK mythos. All other class are not required to have a deity, but you
may feel free to choose one if you so desire.
You will be sent a character sheet to fill out with the necessary stats and
other information I will need to process your character. I will equip your
characters with suitable weapons and armor and provide him/her with a basic
adventurer's pack which contains the following:
Food Rations (Good Food) 1 weeks
Food Rations (Survival) 2 weeks
50' Rope w/ grappel
12 iron spikes w/ hammer
wooden cross (Clerics all get silver crosses)
12 Vials (un)Holy Water
razor, soap, etc
flint, tinder, etc
5 Torches or 1 Lantern (your choice)
3 Flasks of Oil (For lantern or Cocktails)
1 Bone Mapcase (contains 1 map of the Realm)
1 Change of Clothes (tailored just for you)
You are responsible for keeping track of what you have in your pack at all
times and replacing items which need replacing while you are in town.
When I send you your character I will also include your first installment
which will place you in one of the many cities or villages within the Realm.
EXPERIENCE POINTS revised 02/06/86
I assign experience points based on monsters killed, overcoming certain
obstacles, magic items and other factors. I do not give experience for
monetary treasure although gold does figure into your Score. My table of
progression is standard for all character classes.
Level Experience
===============================
1 0
2 2000
3 5000
4 9000
5 14,000
6 20,000
7 27,000
...and so on...
For those of you who started at 2nd level. You have 2000 x.p. I am
keeping track of everyones experience points, but it would be wise if
you kept a record as well. (just in case...)
FORMING PARTIES revised 2/14/86
It is desirable later on in the game to form small parties. You may either
join up with other active players or join with several NPC characters which
will be made available from time ot time. It is mandatory that all PC's have
at least two (2) companions before they enter into the second module of the
quest. Here are some brief guidelines about forming and running parties:
o There is no limit to the number of characters in a Party.
o There should be at least 3 characters in a Party before
leaving the first module.
o I will provide all addresses necessary so Party members can
communicate amongst themselves.
o If there are communication problems or you would rather not
receive mail, Party members may communicate through me.
o All Parties must elect a spokesman. You will then decide on a
course of action and the spokesman will be responsible for
sending me the move.
o Being in a party will not lessen your score. Everyone is scored
individually. All treasure will be divided equally unless there
is something which warrants greater shares going to one or more
characters (i.e. Two party members kill a monster while on guard
duty and the other three members are asleep. In this case xp.
and treasure would be divided between the two who did all the work)
THE GAMING PROCESS revised 1/30/86
Playing a Role Playing Game over the computer is not much different than
a normal campaign. The process of the players giving their commands and the
Game Moderator interpreting them and responding with the results of their
actions remains the same. The only difference is that the process is slowed
down considerably. To play this game effectively I am using this system:
Players send in ther "moves".
I respond with the next "installment".
Repeat the process...
MOVES: A "move" consists of a player's commands. This command may be as
verbose as the player wishes. A "move" will very often include
more commands and information than a normal "in-person" FRP game
would. By having larger commands and "moves" we are able to make
up some of the lost time due to slower communications and make the
game playable.
INSTALLMENTS: An "installment" is my reply to your move. It will contain
the results of your previous actions and provide you with
sufficient information so you can formulate your next "move".
COMBAT: In order to speed up the melee process, I have devise a system in
which most combats can be resolved with only one "move". The combat
process works like this:
1. List the order you wish to wield your weapons.
The first weapon you list will be your primary
weapon and you will use the others only if you
are disarmed or if your weapon should break, etc.
(Only do this if you wish to change the order your
weapons are listed on your character sheet.)
2. Generate 20 random "to hit" numbers. (d20) Leave
this figure unmodified. I will add all "to hit"
and damage bonuses. You will not need to send in
your damage rolls since you will never know exactly
which weapon you might be wielding when you hit.
3. If you are casting a spell, just say which one you
are casting and at what level you are casting it at.
Also send in your % chance to successfully cast the
the desired spell. (See Spell Rules for more details.)
You will be instructed on how many spell points to
deduct from your total spell points in the following
installment.
This is an example of how the combat works. This was an actual encounter
between 8 Drow and a Ranger and Magic User. The following text was created
from the series of "to hits" numbers which the players provided me with.
Move Silently and Critical Hit rolls were made by me.
=============================================================================
You silently circle in on the Drow. Peeking between the dense bushes
you see 8 Drow. They are resting in the dark shade of a large tree.
CRACK!!! The sound of a twig snapping reverbrates like a rifle shot.
You look behind you and see Milton looking quite embarassed. The Drow
are now scrutinizing the surrounding area when one of them spots Milton,
who was unable to duck out of sight quickly enough.
"Mslakfjsd sdkfkd qooppxsd," mumbles Milton and 5 of the 8 drop to the
ground, snoring loudly.
Having already had your bow readied, you unlease your first volley of
arrows. MISS...HIT!!!
Milton fumbles for his dagger while you notch another arrow. Whiz...
ARRGGG!!!! CRITICAL HIT!!! One drow falls with an arrow protruding from
his skull. Yech!! Your second arrow goes wild and thuds into a tree.
Too late to notch another arrow...the Drow are upon you!!! Milton
wades into the fracus swinging his dagger madly. SLASH!!! A Drow falls
back with a nasty cut in his right arm.
You draw your sword, but the Drow get in their attacks. Only one of the
Drow has his weapon readied. He swings......and misses. Another one moves
in to wrestle you to the ground, but trips over his companion.
You swing you sword...HIT!!! You graze the previously wounded Drow with
a sweeping blow and he falls to the ground, unconscious!!!
Milton continues to swing his dagger and lands another blow, wounding the
same one as before. OUCH!!! Milton crumples to the ground unconscious; a Drow
standing over him with a large branch.
The Drow swings again and slices you across your thigh!! 2HP damage. You
return the swing but MISS...
The second Drow moves in wielding the large branch. He swings wild.....
and HITS HIS COMPANION soundly on the skull knocking him out cold. He pauses
for a moment, dumbfounded by the turn of events allowing you a free attack,
but in your excitement, you drop your weapon. The Drow regains his senses
and swings the branch, clipping you on the shoulder. You fall to the ground,
dazed. The Drow raises the stick high over his head, ready to finish you off,
but you manage to slip out your dagger and fling it up at the Drow. The
dagger....MISSES...but catches the Drow off guard causing him to miss also.
You retrieve your sword and regain your feet before the Drow can recover
from the wild swing. You now circle each other, waiting for an opening.
The Drow lunges and you fall back, but quickly respond with a lightning
thrust which pierces the Drow's midsection. He falls to his knees.
"I will spare you on one condition..." you say.
"I am honored to die in the service of my master, Lord Vlaad Tolinkov..."
With that he takes out a small vial and consumes its contents before you are
able to stop him. In a moment, he dies. You hurry over to the other Drow
who is (or was) unconscious, and find a similar bottle, empty, in the palm
of his hand.
SUMAMARY: ELDARION suffered 2hp
MILTON was knocked unconscious. No hp loss.
3 DROW were killed
5 DROW were slept.
GOLD TAKEN: 198
EXPERIENCE: 1400
TREASURES: 2 Mitheral Swords, 6 Silver Daggers, a piece of paper
5 vials of green liquid.
=============================================================================
This ends the combat...
As you can see, a lot can be extracted from 20 numbers. The above combat
used about 18 of the 20 numbers provided. If a melee should carry over to
the next "move" you will be instructed to send in some more combat figures.
SPELLS: revised 1/31/86
The campaign is running spells on a "spell point" system. Here is an outline
of how this system works:
_______________________________________________________________________
/\ \
|O\ The Tome of Magical Instructions \
\| |
| |
| First, the campaign will now be using a "spell points" system to |
| restrict the number of spells cast per day, rather than the book AD&D |
| system of having a limit on the spells you can memorize. You can cast |
| any spell that you know, but the higher level the spell the longer |
| the casting time and the more spell points it costs you. The cost of |
| casting a spell is 3 spell points per spell level if the casting is |
| succesful, and 1 point/level if the spell casting fails. |
| |
| In the campaign (this is John's private modification) the damage that |
| a spell does is NOT related to the level of the caster. A first-level |
| magic user can only cast a first-level magic missile, and this only |
| does 1D4+1 points of damage. A third level mage can also cast a |
| magic missile spell. In AD&D this is still a first-level spell, but |
| does 2D4+2 points of damage. Using this system the first-level spell |
| (costing 3 spell points) only does 1D4+1 points of damage. To get |
| the extra damage the spell must be cast as a second-level spell, |
| with the associated extra cost in spell points and casting time. |
| The chance of spell success is also related to the level of the |
| spell being cast and to the level of the caster (and also to the |
| particular spell being cast). |
| |
| Here are the basics of this new spell system: |
| |
| A Magic User has a certain number of spell points to start with, |
| and gets more spell points each time he/she goes up a level. |
| (We start with CON spell points, and go up by (CON+1d10)/2 per |
| each level of experience. |
| |
| A spell costs 3 points per spell level to cast successfully, and |
| one point per spell level if the casting fails. |
| |
| The percentage probability of a successful spell-casting goes |
| up by 5% per level of the spell caster, and down by 10% per |
| level at which the spell is being cast. |
| A mage with a high INT has a bonus on his casting ability of 5% |
| per INT point above 15. |
| |
| The base chance of a successful spell going off is 100% minus |
| 10% per level of the spell. Thus, the base chance of casting a |
| 1st level Magic Missile is 90%. This makes it progressivly |
| harder to cast the higher level spells. (as it should be) |
| |
| Spell points are regenerated automatically during a nights sleep. |
| Partial spell point regeneration occurs for a partial nights sleep|
| as follows: Nothing for the first two hours, and then one third |
| of the spell points per successive two-hour period. |
| If the night is interrupted by an encounter, then the night is to |
| be treated as two partial nights (i.e. if the night is interrupted|
| after 4 hours, a further 6 hours of sleep will be needed to get |
| back up to full strength). |
| |
| |
| Extra damage dice are only rolled if the spell is being cast as |
| a higher-level version of the basic spell. |
| |
| Spells that cost more than 6 spell points for a single spell casting |
| do not fully regenerate over one night. Only 6 of these spell points |
| come back the first night, a further 6 the second night, etc. |
| This if a magic-user cast a sixth-level spell and a fourth-level |
| spell during one day, then the next day he would still be down 12 |
| spell points, and down six on the day after that. Only on the third |
| day would he be back to full spell points. |
| [The purpose of this modification is to stop people casting six |
| sixth-level spells per day every single day, and is 'explained' |
| by saying that casting high-level spells really takes it out of |
/| the spell-caster, and he needs a lot of rest to recover] |
|O/ /
\/_______________________________________________________________________/
All Magic Users will receive their initial "spell points" when I return
their characters. As you increase in levels you will be instructed as to
the amount of points you may add to this figure.
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD Part I revised 1/31/86
This is a map of the known Elven Realm. While other areas have been
recently discovered, they are still uncharted.
M A P of the E L V E N R E A L M
1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6
+--------+----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5---+
| KEY |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~___^^^^^^^^^^^Foothills^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
| |~~~~~~~~~~Blue Moon Bay~~~~~~~_____/\/\/\^^^^^^^^^of^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
| /\/\/\ |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~______/\/E/\/\^^^^^^Cragsen^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
|Mountain|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o_________/\/\/\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
| ^^^^^^ 5__O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~___________~~.................................|
|Foothill|""""_____~~~~~~~~~____________##~~........Plains of DarkElf.........|
| ...... |"""""""""""""~O_###############~........^^......................o...|
| Plains |""Taphos"""""~_##Cathedral####~......./\/\/\/\^^^^^^^/\/\^^..#######|
| ###### |"""Swamp""~~~_####Forest###~~~....../\/\/F/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\##O#####|
| Forest10""""""""""~##############~~__..^^^_~~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\########~~~|
| """""" |""""""""""~~~~#########~~~##../\/\__~^^^^^^G^^^^^^^/\/\^^#####~~~~~~|
| Swamp |""o""""""""""~~~~~~~~~~~...^/\/\/\___~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^#O##~~~~~~~~|
| ______ |..""""""""........O....~~~~/\/o/\/\____~###########~#####~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Grass |.........................../\/\/\/\____##~####H####~###~~~Azul~~~~~~|
| ~~~~~~15.........................../\/\/\/\____###~######~~####~~~~~Sea~~~~~|
| Water |......Western Plains......./\/\/\^^_____o##~####~#######~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| o |.........................../\/\/\/\_______#~~##~######~~~~~~~~~~^^~~|
|Village |.........................../\/\/\/\_________#~~o###"""~~~~~~~~K^/\^~|
| O |........................../\/\D\/\___________##~""""""~~~~~~~~~^..^~|
| City 20.........................../\/\/\/\____________~""J""~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| |..O.....Ten...o.o.o.o....../\/\/\/\_____________~"""""~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| 1 char |........Tribes.o.o.o.o..../\/\/\/\_______________~~~"""~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| = 5 mi |..................o.o...../\/\/\/\_______I_________O~~"~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| |........................../\/\/\/\____________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| 25........##########~~~~~~/\/\/\/\_________________________~~~~~~~~~~~|
| |^^^#######o#####~~~~~~~~~/\/\/\/\__________O____________~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| ^ |^^^############~~~~~C~~~~/\/\/\/\__________________________~~~~~~~~~|
| | N |^^^^############~~~~~~~~/\/\/\/\_____________________________~~~~~~~|
| | |^^^^####A#########~~~~/\/\/\_______________________/\/\o\/\/\/\/\/\~|
| 30^^^^^################/\o\/\___________________/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
| |^^^^^^###o##########___________________/\/\/\/\Southern Peaks/\/\/\/|
| |^^^^^^^^^^######______________/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
| |^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^__________/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
+--------+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Cities (O) Villages (o)
3,5 Westpoint 3,12 Arkas
3,21 Valar 10,31 Sunwood
15,7 Seahaven 11,26 Northshire
19,13 Peradas Ten Tribes is Barbarian Clan which resides in the
44,26 Ashmire Western Plains. They never bothered to name their
52,23 Dark Odyssey villages and they move about frequently.
58,12 Illmar 24,30 Stoneridge
63,9 Eanor (Capital) 26,4 Moondale 48,18 Fairbourne
31,13 Rockpoint 56,29 Stoney Peak
41,16 Glendale 65,7 Ashwood
Unidentified Terrain Names Rivers
A. Silver Wood Forest 20,12 Rockcastle River
B. Foothills of Cavaran 48,19 White Elf River
C. Dragon's Eye Lake
D. Cloudwall Mountains Passes
E. Hellfire Mountain
F. Granerek Mountains 30,31 Dwarfgate Pass
G. Foothills of Granerek 35,10 Shadow Rock Pass
H. Forbidden Forest 47,8 Peryton Pass
I. White Elf Plains
J. Marsh of the Magic Mist Other smaller name have been omitted, but
K. Isle of Doom they will be provided as needed...
Here is a further breakdown of cities and terrain features:
Silver Wood Forest - This forest is a quiet peaceful place. It contains
two villages which are populated mainly by half-elves. While monsters
can often be found in this forest they are generally of the nicer sort.
Foothills of Cavaran - These foothills mark the southwestern boundry of the
Realm. No one knows what lies beyond them as fierce monsters roam the
hills in abundance.
Dragon's Eye Lake - This sparkling lake is said to have been made from the
tears of a Golden Dragon whose eggs were brutally smashed by evil
adventurers. Several rumors are associated with the lake. Wishes will
be granted if a platinum piece is thrown in on a night of a full moon.
Untold riches lie at the bottom of the lake 400' down. Dragons often
meet here for mating rituals. None of these rumors have been confirmed.
Cloudwall Mountains - This huge range of mountains separates the Elven
Kingdoms from the Western Plains. There are a number of passes which
lead to either side, but they are most treacherous. A couple of small
Dwarven vilages lie within the mountains and several mines are scattered
across the range.
Hellfire Mountain - Perhaps the most evil place in the realm, this still
active volcanoe is the home of Diablo, King of all Red Dragons. Rumored
to be well over 1400 years old, he has terrorized the Realm even before
the Great Elven Conflict. His treasure hoard supposedly has more wealth
than all the royal funds put together. Only one man has ever met this
vile beast and lived to tell of it. His name is Mordarken, the Black
Wizard, the most evil sorceror ever to live in the Realm. He is rumored
to command the Dragon to do his bidding but many think the Dragon is the
one doing the commanding. Diablo's lair is filled with terrible beasts,
traps, and a most impressive maze. No one has ever survived Diablo's
mountain lair, and only the strongest even venture near the volcanoe.
Granerek Mountains - The Granerek Mountains mark the northern boundary of
the Elven Kingdoms. There is only one pass through the mountains,
Peryton Pass, name for the frequent attacks of the Perytons which
inhabit the cliffs to either side. The tallest peak, Eagles Peak, has
several of the largest eagles known to man. Many an adventurer has
been literally swept off his feet only to find himself facedown in a
large nest with hungry hatchlings clicking their beaks together eagerly.
The raging White Elf River also originates from an underground spring
near the Western border of the range.
Foothills of Granerek - Feared as much as Hellfire Mountain, these foot-
hills have been cast in darkness for nearly 20 years now. The chaotic
Storm Giant, Bithor Thunderfists, has moved into the territory to
supervise the invasion of the Drow. Thunderfist is second in command
to Vlaad Tolinkov and rules his own army of undead. Black thunderheads
have been in the skies for nearly a decade, lightning, thunder, and
tremendous rain storms, keeping all but the bravest soul from venturing
into the foothills. The only thing more awesome than Thunderfists'
display of weather control is his magnificent citadel. (Any further
description of the citadel at this point would be detrimental to the
game further on...)
Forbidden Forest - Ranking right up there with Hellfire Mountain and the
stormy Foothills of Granerek, this forest is of a much more viler evil.
Undead swarm the forest which is so thick, night and day have no
distinction. Tolinkov has dispatched several garrisons of his fearsome
Knight Riders to patrol the forest (reason unknown). In addition to all
the undead, there is more than a fair share of other creatures who live
in the forest, including a deranged sorceror.
White Elf Plains - This large expanse of grasslands is one of the more
cheerful places in the Realm. Ashmire, a large Elven City is the heart
of the plains. Compared to other parts of the Realm, the plains are
rather a safe place to be.
Marsh of the Magic Mist - The swamp is plagued with a perpetual magic mist
which causes a variety of side effects. The marsh is also the lair of
the 3 Mystics, old hags who have untold power and knowledge. While
not entirely dangerous, they often like strangers for dinner. (You know
what I mean...)
Isle of Doom - Compile the evil from Hellfire Mountain, the Foothills of
Granerek, the Forbidden Forest, and the Underground Empire of the Drow,
and you have just started describing the evil on the Isle of Doom.
Home of Lord Vlaad Tolinkov (and other titles as mentioned above), this
island while small is the nexus point to Hades, the 666 levels of the
Abyss, and any other vile place you can imagine (yes, even Detroit).
The sinister Obsidian Peaks, is the lair of this Prince of Evil. He
also has constructed the infamous Black Dungeon of Death, a testing
grounds if you will, which all strangers must traverse if they are to
even seek an audience with his unholiness.
Cathedral Forest - This forest, comprised of towering cypress and palm
trees is the most peaceful place in the Realm. Protected by the gods,
most of the known temples are located in this forest.
Foothills of Cragsen - This area marks the northern boundry of the Realm.
Plains of DarkElf - Recently renamed due to the frequency of Drow sightings and Tolinkov's agents, the plains are seldom travelled.
Other names not mentioned have nothing special about them
CITIES
Listed by name with population, races, and major resources.
Westpoint - POP 6429 - Human, Half Elf
Seaport, Merchants, Military Training
Valar - POP 12578 - All
Merchants, Crime, Guilds
Seahaven - POP 7428 - Human, Half Elf
Seaport, Merchants
Peredas - POP 2191 - Halflings, Half Elf, Gnome
Distillery, Temples
Ashmire - POP 11892 - Elf, Gnome
Farming, Wine
Dark Odyssey - POP 4231 - All
Seaport, Magic Items
Illmar - POP 6762 - Elf, Gnome
Seaport, Merchants
Eanor - POP 34128 - Elf, Gnome, Halfling
Capital, Merchants, Military Training
Arkas - POP 325 - Half Orcs
Swamp Gas, Tar
Sunwood - POP 523 - Half Elf, Halfling
Elven Wine
Northshire - POP 621 - Half Elf, Halfling
Elven Wine
10 Tribes - POP varies - Human
self sustaining communities
Stoneridge - POP 359 - Dwarf
Diamond Mine
Moondale - POP 892 - Half Elf, Gnome
Seaport, Merchants
Rockpoint - POP 923 - Dwarf
Gold Mine, Silver Mine
Glendale - POP 683 - Elf
Farming
Fairbourne - POP 213 - Elf
Farming
Stoney Peak - POP 1324 - Dwarf
Platinum Mine, Jewel Mine
Ashwood - POP 856 - Elf, Gnome
Farming
WHAT THE CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT: revised 1/31/86
(the ultimate quest)
The Elven Realm as it is currently known, has been in existance for over 3000
years. About 1000 years ago, the elves were divided into two factions; the
Good Elves and the Evil Drow Elves. A great battle ensued and the Good Elves
drove their evil brother beneath the surface of the world. The Evil Drow
made several attempts to regain their surface homeland, but the Good Elves
were just too powerful.
The Good Elves knew that someday the Drow would eventually become as powerful
as themselves so they had the ancient smiths craft a fabulous sword, the
ElfSword, which would slay any Drow it came in contact with. They also had
the ancient elven wizards construct a powerful Rune Staff of Power which when
used in conjunction with the sword prevented the drow from even coming to the
surface.
The Drow soon became content with their existance in the underground caverns,
deep beneath the surface, until one day their prophet told of a great and
terrible earthquake which would destroy their cities beneath the surface and
destroy their race should they remain underground.
The Drow, knowing their time was short, tried several times to return to the
surface. Each attempt ended with the Drow vaporizing as soon as they came to
the surface. They realized the powerful relics of the king must be destroyed
so they joined forces with Lolth, Demon Queen of Spiders. They very nearly
succeded in obtaining the ElfSword, but their plans were thwarted by a heroic
band of adventurers.
With only one chance left, they sought the aid of Vlaad Tolinkov, Prince of
the Underworld, Ruler of the Dead, Master of Evil, and general troublemaker.
With his vast armies of undead, and his strategically placed power centers
ruled by mighty generals, they succeded in stealing the ElfSword, kidnapping
the prince, and breaking the spell which had been keeping the Drow beneath
the surface for nearly a milenia.
Now Drow roam the surface seeking revenge on their brothers. They desperately
seek the Rune Staff of Power. Once they have that artifact, there will be no
way which the King can restore the field which imprisoned them for so many
years.
With all the racial pressure, prejudices have become strong. Elves will
tolerate humans, halflings, and half-elves, but only if they have to. They
do seem to be fond of Gnomes though. All the other races tend to get along
although they tend to distrust elves since the elves distrust them. Many
cities are racially one-sided. Humans will almost never be found living
in and Elven city and an elf would rather be tared & feathered than take up
residence in a Human or Half-elf city.
The King has employed YOU, a loyal subject of the Realm to seek out the
ElfSword and do whatever is necessary to restore peace and harmony to the
Realm.
THE WEEKLY UPDATES: revise 2/10/86
Each Monday I will post an Update which will list all the active players,
their location in the Realm, current Installment, and other information which
might be helpful. There is also the Dungeon Gazette which has local and
Realm-wide headlines about the state of the nation and other hints which are
often helpful, but always cleverly concealed. There is also a Classified
section which players may use to post ads to other players. There is a 2gp
charge per week to place an ad in the Gazette.
Also found in the Monday Update is a section for Player News. This section
contains new rules and information which hasn't been published in the ElfSword
Campaign Handbook yet. Another section called Player Mail has selected pieces
of mail which could be of interest to all the players, or my replies to mail
which I didn't have time to reply to individually. I also will post letters
which have bounced back or don't seem to be getting through. There is also a
section called Rumors & Stories which is a forum for all sorts of legend lore
concerning the Realm and the Quest.
THE MONTHLY SCORE SHEET: revised 1/31/86
On the first Monday of each month I will post a Monthly Score Sheet for
the previous month's play. All active players will be listed with some of
the same information also found in the Player List in the Monday Update.
In addition to this information there will also be a score for each player
based on a formula which takes into account; installment number, gold or
worth of valuables, and a variety of other special factors which will remain
a secret. There will also be a column which shows the current module each
character is adventuring in.
MODULES: revised 2/13/86
(The Campaign Broken Down)
At this time I would like to outline the structure of the Campaign. It
is comprised of several modules (of my own creation) which are played
in a predetermined sequence. While the sequence may be altered, the
original campaign was designed using this order:
1. Invasion of the Drow
2. Diablo's Domain
3. Citadel in the Sky
4. The Forbidden Forest
5. The City on the Sea
6. Night of the Comet
7. The Isle of Doom
Each of these modules completes a specific part of the Quest. Special
bonus points will be awarded to the person or party who completes a
part of the quest. Additional points will be awarded to the first
player(s) who complete the entire quest. The campaign is scored,
tournament style, with points being awarding for certain accomplishments
plus killing monsters, gaining treasure, etc. Going to a module without
completing the previous one will NOT get you any more points, and you
probably won't know what to do, since all these are tied together with
strong sequential bonds, rumors, plots, etc.
HEROES: revised 2/14/86
Scattered throughout the campaign is a group of NPC characters. There
are 2-4 of these characters (known as Heroes) per module. While they are
NPC's to start with, once they have encountered a PC or party of PC's, you
will have the chance to adopt this character into your party as an official
PC. These NPC's are all of relatively high level and they all have some sort
of important information which is crucial to the completion of the quest.
These NPC's will be made available to the first person(s) who meets up with
them and who have compatible alignments. The quest can still be won without
the aid of these NPC's, but it will be more difficult. However, the ratio
of these Heroes is such that there should be at least one Hero for each party
in the quest.
MAILING: revised 2/14/86
The time it takes to send and receive mail varies greatly per player.
Some players can receive my installments with 20 minutes while some take
over 3 or 4 days. Mail which arrives on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will
not be replied to until Tuesday. Here is a schedule of how I work my mail:
Monday: Put final touches on Monday Update.
Post Monday Update.
Process Weekend Moves.
Tuesday: Process Moves from Monday and Tuesday.
Send Saturday - Tuesday Installments
Wednesday: Process Wednesday Moves.
Send Wednesday Installments.
Post Current Mailing List
Thursday: Type up the text portion of the Monday Update.
Process Thursday Moves and send Installments.
Friday: Post Current Waiting List
Process Friday Moves and send Installments.
Saturday & Devise new methods to torture my players.
Sunday: Let my fingers recover.
EXPIRED PLAYERS: revised 2/14/86
I allow a mail turn-around time of 3 weeks. This takes into account
most mailing problems and the fact that there is more to your life than
playing this game. (At least I hope so (:-)). If I have not heard from a
player after 3 weeks, that player will be placed on an Expiration List which
will be posted somewhere in the Monday Update. That player will then have one
(1) week to send me either a move or at least a note. If after that week I
have still not heard from that player, they will be removed from the campaign
and a new player will be selected from the Waiting List.
This ends the first release of the Quest for the ElfSword Campaign Handbook.
I am sure that there will be several appendages throughout the course of the
game. Please excuse any syntax errors. This was a "rush job" and it still
came out two days late.
--
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May the Quest for the ElfSword be
your ultimate goal in life...
Mark Smith
-|=======- GM "Game Master of a Higher Order"
ihnp4!pur-ee!pur-phy!mrstve!mark
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