Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 30 Nov 2001 to 1 Dec 2001 (#2001-330) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 02/12/2001, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 12 messages totalling 502 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Question (4) 2. Threshold (3) 3. Sentient Races of Mystara, 'T' (5) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:53:25 -0800 From: Chris Furneaux Subject: Question I own PWA's 1+2. I have the oppitunity to buy the PWA 3 and Joshuan's Alminac. My question is, is it worth it(they are in excellent condition/near new and about US$9..the PWA3 still has the map attached)? Also what happened to the acaeum? It's dissappeared! They also have a excellent condition copy of gaz5-elves of alfheim (which I had just bought a copy of the other week) which I could grab if anyone was interested in trading me for it/preferably down this end of the world (NZ). Apparantly someone brought in like 9 of the gaz's and I missed out. I want to know is who there is in wellington buying them. Chris. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Buy the perfect holiday gifts at Yahoo! Shopping. http://shopping.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 12:57:43 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Question Chris Furneaux wrote: > I own PWA's 1+2. I have the oppitunity to buy the PWA > 3 and Joshuan's Alminac. My question is, is it worth > it(they are in excellent condition/near new and about > US$9..the PWA3 still has the map attached)? Weeeell, I have them, but I suggest you to buy them only if you play/is interested in the Almanac Timeline. The info is very similar to those from the other two PWAs and the online almanacs, but in general the events are worse (especially those in Joshuana's). I am no huge fan of the Almanacs. If you are a completist, and they cost 9 USD each, well maybe you could go for that. Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 07:34:58 -0600 From: Stone Marshall Subject: Re: Question If I were you I would buy PWA3 and ignore Joshuan's Almanac. PWA3 gives stats for ADnD 2nd edition but otherwise follows along the same line as PWA 1&2. I own all of them and enjoy them. We use them for ideas in our campaign. J's Almanac follows a whole different setup and IMO is not worth the bother. They even try to say the Hollow World is made up! ;) Multizar the Mage > From: Chris Furneaux > Reply-To: Mystara RPG Discussion > To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > Subject: [MYSTARA] Question > Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:53:25 -0800 > > I own PWA's 1+2. I have the oppitunity to buy the PWA > 3 and Joshuan's Alminac. My question is, is it worth > it(they are in excellent condition/near new and about > US$9..the PWA3 still has the map attached)? > > Also what happened to the acaeum? It's dissappeared! > > They also have a excellent condition copy of > gaz5-elves of alfheim (which I had just bought a copy > of the other week) which I could grab if anyone was > interested in trading me for it/preferably down this > end of the world (NZ). Apparantly someone brought in > like 9 of the gaz's and I missed out. I want to know > is who there is in wellington buying them. > > Chris. > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Buy the perfect holiday gifts at Yahoo! Shopping. > http://shopping.yahoo.com > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:55:30 -0800 From: Rich Guth Subject: Re: Threshold I was merely wondering if anyone has supplemental information for Threshold that follows up the information given in the boxed set, or any thoughts on things that transpire through the storyline of the town. Since it is basically a starting point in the boxed set, my campaign is rather centered there with my characters coming and going constantly from the city. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 19:09:03 +0100 From: Agathokles Subject: Sentient Races of Mystara, 'T' Here is section 'T' of the Sentient Races list (next section, 'V'-'Z', is going to have only three entries, so we're pretty near to completion). I'm still looking for info on the following 'Q'-'S' critters, so if you know about any of them, please let me know: Qullan Sshai ====== Tabaxi This feline humanoids look much like Rakasta. They live in clans, often lead by a Tabaxi Lord--a sort of intelligent great cat, having some blood relation to the Tabaxi themselves. If used on Mystara, they could actually be a race of savage jungle Rakasta fallen under the sway of some dark power. The Tabaxi are mentioned in the Rakasta of Mystara article, so they are not entirely non-canon. References: Rakasta of Mystara, by B. Heard, Dragon Magazine 247. Tabi Tabi are small flying humanoids that look like monkeys. They have a certain affinity for magic, and are silent and dexterous, but have very short attention span, and a primitive technology level. They live in extended tribes in the jungles of northern and eastern Davania, but the Nagpa have conceived magics that allow them to summon and bind Tabi as familiars. References: PC2 Top Ballista, X4 Master of the Desert Nomads. Tasloi Tasloi are small, somewhat rat-like, humanoids. I don't think they are canon Mystaran monsters, but I seem to remember that someone put Tasloi in the Thanegioth Archipelago. They could also dwell in other jungle regions (e.g., in Skothar). Thoul A nightmarish mix of troll and ghoul over an hobgoblin frame, the Thouls are limited in numbers, but powerful in single combat, thanks to the natural abilities. Possibly due to the presence of undead blood in their makeup, Thouls reproduce slowly, and are not overly intelligent, even for goblinoids. Thoul are often employed by hobgoblin "Kings" as bodyguards, otherwise they live as outcasts in large hobgoblin hordes or in small, isolated communities. Titan A Titan is an Immortal being, a creature of status even higher than the Exalted beings, though not as powerful as a true Immortal. Titans are major servants of the Immortals, and should appear rarely, if ever, on the Prime. References: Wrath of the Immortals boxed set Tortle There are two races of turtle-like humanoids living along the Savage Coast, the pacifistic Tortles and the savage Snappers. Tortle Tortle are, rather unsurprisingly, intelligent, humanoid turtles. They have a limited technology (Stone Age, though this has changed where the Tortle lands have been colonised by the Baronial humans and the Lupins of Renardy), and are often looked upon by the more advanced races of the Savage Coast. Tortle once had an advanced cultural level, as testified by the mysterious monuments theri civilization left, like the Monoliths of Zul, but now they are just peace-loving primitives, living in the free, but resource poor, Tortle Tribelands, or peasants in the haciendas of the human Baronies. References: Savage Coast Campaign Book. Snapper Snappers are aquatic Tortles of evil disposition. They are even more primitive than their land-dwelling cousins, and their tribe are often dominated by powerful cläu-rin (intelligent but evil sea turtles). References: Savage Coast MCA. Treant These sentient plants look like large trees with humanoid faces, often bearded. They live in large forests, like Canolbarth in the Known World, sharing their territories with other woodland being. They form small clans, lead by the elders. References: PC1 Tall Tales of the Wee Folk, O2 Blade of Vengeance. Triton An highly civilized and magically powerful aquatic race, the Tritons have formed a large kingdom in the Sea of Dread, with a feudal structure. The Triton society has historically been divided along the wizards-priests line, so nowadays the King or Queen is always a wielder of both kinds of magic. Tritons are highly organized and even militaristic, probably due to their continuous struggle with the devilfishes. Looking at their language, it can be safely supposed that there have been, at some point in the past, heavy contacts between the Kingdom of Undersea and the Empire of Thyatis. It is also likely that these contacts ended badly (see the "battle of Aquapopulus" won by the Thyatians). References: PC3 The Sea Peoples, XSOLO Lathan's Gold. Troglodyte These cave-dwelling reptiles are considered a creation of the long lost Carnifex. They are not overly common, nor intelligent enough to form complex societies. Troglodytes are present in the Thanegioth Archipelago. References: X1 Isle of Dread. Troll Trolls are near mindless, ravenously hungry humanoids. They are considered descendents of the Beastmen, even though they are largely different from other goblinoids. Troll minds are too limited to understand concepts as complex as that of society. The Troll domain in the Broken Lands is actually in complete anarchy, since the "Queen" only controls what passes near enough to her to be eaten. Trolls are found in relatively large numbers in a region that goes from the Broken Lands to the Northern Reaches, but some can be found in other regions, including the Savage Coast, Norwold, and Alphatia. References: Gaz 10 Orcs of Thar, Gaz 7 The Northern Reaches. Scrag These are aquatic Trolls. I don't known whether they are present on Mystara. -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 23:48:16 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara, 'T' > > Sshai These are none others than "Invisible Stalkers". > Troglodyte > These cave-dwelling reptiles are considered a creation of the long lost > Carnifex. They are not overly common, nor intelligent enough to form > complex societies. > Troglodytes are present in the Thanegioth Archipelago. > References: X1 Isle of Dread. In last year's Mystaran Almanac there is a nation of intelligent troglodytes in North Western Brun (Klagorst). Ok, I admit it: I wrote that bit. Is it a problem? Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 19:34:48 -0500 From: Kevin Powers Subject: Re: Threshold > Anyone have any campaigns/adventures taking place in Threshold, or the area > therein? If so, what is the current take on Threshold since the Karameikos > boxed set and following storylines. > I am presently running a campaign set in Threshold circa 965 A.C., which will likely lead to the characters becoming involved with the genesis of the Grand Duchy Of Karameikos when it emerges. This allows for many of the more "wild lands" modules (particularly a lot of the generic/Greyhawk AD&D 1st Edition modules) to work well in the area of Threshold, because all of the towns are necessarily smaller (Penhaligon doesn't even exist, and that thread is just being introduced as the characters encounter the in cognito Penhaligon himself, scouting out land for Stephan) and the territory much more uncivilized. Since not all of the characters are Traladaran, they will eventually have to deal with the ramifications of the Karameikan Civil War which will take place in and around 970 A.C., when the territory is formally ceded to Stephan Karameikos. Right now, most of the modules are running the characters (still in their Basic experience point levels) through the northern part of the country, getting a feel for the land, etc. Anyone tried anything like this before? If so, how did it work out? Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2001 09:20:29 +0800 From: "Francisco V. Navarro V" Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara, 'T' Hail Mystarans, humans, demihumans and other sentient races! > Sshai The MYSTARA Monster Compendium explicitly states that the sshai are what invisible stalkers call themselves, while Mystaran natives call them invisible stalkers. Similarly the haoou are what the aerial servants call themselves. Kit Navarro ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 17:17:51 -0800 From: The Stalker Subject: Re: Threshold On Sat, 1 Dec 2001 03:55:30 -0800, Rich Guth wrote: > I was merely wondering if anyone has supplemental information for Threshold > that follows up the information given in the boxed set, or any thoughts on > things that transpire through the storyline of the town. Since it is > basically a starting point in the boxed set, my campaign is rather centered > there with my characters coming and going constantly from the city. > Well, it's a little difficult to say because all supplemental information is from the gazetteer era (AC 1000) which is twelve years before the Karmeikos boxed set. In AC 1000, there is additional information on Threshold in the old DM's book from the red box D&D set (though this is very little, IIRC, and not something to wonder about). I don't remember if the Kara gaz has more information than the boxed set, but there is additional AC 1000 information in both the B1-9: In Search of Adventure and B10: Night's Dark Terror adventures. For the AC 1012 era (where the boxed set is set), there is information on events in the PWAs (Poor Wizard's Almanacs). The major character in Threshold is Baron Sherlane Halaran, a Thyatian priest. Which Immortal he is loyal to is a source for great discussion. One adventure in the B1-9 adventure book has him send off the PCs to find an errant cleric and recover a stolen artifact of the Immortal Chardastes, which might suggest ties to Chardastes, but it's never said outright IIRC. Chardastes is definitely an Immortal of some worship in the town, however. B10 establishes that one or more tribes of aggressive gnolls live north of Threshold, mostly in the nearby Wufwolde Hills. - The Stalker ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 17:22:29 -0800 From: The Stalker Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara, 'T' On Sat, 1 Dec 2001 23:48:16 +0100, la Volpe wrote: >> >> Sshai > > These are none others than "Invisible Stalkers". > No, that's not my name, not even when invisible. Oh, you meant... Never mind then ;) >> Troglodyte >> These cave-dwelling reptiles are considered a creation of the long lost >> Carnifex. They are not overly common, nor intelligent enough to form >> complex societies. >> Troglodytes are present in the Thanegioth Archipelago. >> References: X1 Isle of Dread. > > In last year's Mystaran Almanac there is a nation of intelligent troglodytes in > North Western Brun (Klagorst). Ok, I admit it: I wrote that bit. Is it a problem? > I don't think troglodytes are rare monsters, and I never connected them with the Carnifex. It's true that they are not overly intelligent, though, which may be the reason for the reference to their inability to form complex societies, as troglydytes usually live by stealing what they need from others, i.e., preying on other societies. That's my take on it, at least... - The Stalker ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 22:41:27 -0500 From: Geoff Gander Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara, 'T' The Stalker wrote: > I don't think troglodytes are rare monsters, and I never connected them > with the Carnifex. It's true that they are not overly intelligent, though, > which may be the reason for the reference to their inability to form > complex societies, What Agathokles is referring to here, I believe, are some of my earlier writings (especially my history of Y'hog), in which I had created a lesser subrace of Carnifex who employed the troglodytes as a servitor race. I don't think there is any reference to it in the official materials, though there is an interesting sentence in PWA II mentioning that the lizard men of the Amalur Lowlands in Davania are served by troglodyte slaves - which implies a more organised society IMO. I would be inclined to incorporate this into what I have already written, and simply explain the lizard man society there as being an ancient holdover from the old Carnifex empire in Davania, except that a victorious horde of lizard men conquered that area, and then assumed the dominant role once occupied by the Carnifex. Might make an interesting storyline... :-)( Geoff -- Geoff Gander, BA 97 Cartographer/Game Designer/Government Peon Carnifex Loremaster au998@freenet.carleton.ca : www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/2091 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 23:05:49 -0800 From: Chris Furneaux Subject: Re: Question --- Stone Marshall wrote: > If I were you I would buy PWA3 and ignore Joshuan's > Almanac. PWA3 gives > stats for ADnD 2nd edition but otherwise follows > along the same line as PWA > 1&2. I own all of them and enjoy them. We use them > for ideas in our > campaign. J's Almanac follows a whole different > setup and IMO is not worth > the bother. They even try to say the Hollow World is > made up! ;) How do the character description sections compare? It seemed as if it might have more on indeviduals but less of them. Also it looked like it might have more on the key countries, how do the country description compare and what parts of the world are new in each? Chris. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Buy the perfect holiday gifts at Yahoo! Shopping. http://shopping.yahoo.com ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 30 Nov 2001 to 1 Dec 2001 (#2001-330) ***************************************************************