Holmes for the Holidays IV

 

The Maze of Peril (image recycled from last year)

Welcome to the fourth annual 'Holmes for the Holidays' where I send a present to a randomly selected reader. This year I am again giving away a brand new copy of Holmes' 1986 D&D novel The Maze of Peril.

Same system as before: if you are interested, add a comment in reply to this post within the next two days. The two days are the time limit before moderation starts on posts on the blog. After two days, I'll stop accepting entries and treat the list of comments as a table and roll randomly for the winner, using dice from a Holmes Basic set.

I'll cover postage (media mail) for any U.S. address. I can ship to other countries but I ask that you cover the difference (any amount over $4) in shipping by PayPal; so if you are overseas please only participate if you have a PayPal account and willing to chip in the extra. I'll estimate the exact shipping and refund the difference if I overcharge at all.

This is intended for folks who don't have a copy of the novel, so please don't post if you already have a copy. Last year we had about 45 entrants.

Update 

We have 40 comments, so I rolled a Holmes "d10" (a white d20 numbered 0-9 twice), with a d4 as a control dice. With this the d10 determines the "ones", and the d4 determines the "tens" (i.e., a 1 on the d4 = 1-10, a 2 on the d4 = 11-20, etc). My trusty dice elf took a few practices rolls and then I called for a winning roll:

The winner is comment #6...Kean Stuart! I have contacted him for his mailing address.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks for the many kind comments about my blog.
In the next few weeks I hope to finish the Holmes Manuscript analysis, and eventually put the whole thing together into one document.

Happy Holidays & New Year!

A Holmes Manuscript Auction

One of the auction photos, showing a map by Holmes

Over on Ebay, Billy Galaxy is auctioning one of the original copies of the final version of the  Holmes Manuscript. This is the same version that I have been analyzing here at the Archives, and in fact Billy is the one who last year kindly provided me with a scan of the document for review. So if you take a look at the auction photos (twelve in total) you can get a closer look at some of the actual pages. This is one of five copies of this version that Billy has, 3 of which he will be selling, per this post on the Acaeum. The auction ends on Sat Dec 20th. I have no financial interest in the auction.

For posterity, here is the auction text:
"A rare opportunity to own a genuine late stage manuscript of "Dungeons and Dragons for Beginners" which was to become what was known to most as the basic D&D game. This is one of approximately 10 copies that were made of the original typescript manuscript that were produced by Holmes for reference and use by TSR. Consists of 132 single sided pages. Please note that ALL copies of this version of the manuscript are MISSING page 67. These copies were produced at the University where Dr. Holmes worked at the time and were bound in covers that his widow described as "whatever the cheapest thing that we could find at the time" [I note a 49 cent price tag inside the back cover - Z]. The metal binding components have begun to rust, other than that this copy is in excellent overall condition. The last page (132) is bound a bit higher than the other pages as can be seen in the photos. Please feel free to contact our retail location directly with any inquiries regarding this item and do yourself a favor and check out the wonderful and expansive review of this item on the Zenopus Archives blog."

Part 43: "Zap! You're Dead!"

Part 43 of a comparison of Holmes' manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to page 40 of your 'Blue Book' (page 39 for the 1st edition) and follow along... 

Below the map of the "Sample Floor, Part of First Level" the manuscript text continues without a new title, so it's actually a continuation of the "Dungeon Mastering as a Fine Art" section rather than a new section (Holmes' Index has no other title for this section). Holmes continues with his coverage of material from OD&D, Vol 3, "The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures". Since this material is both greatly condensed from the source and supplemented with new ideas I'll go through each line. The manuscript text is in bold, my commentary is below each line, including changes to the published version.

"Each new room or area is given a code number and a record made on a separate page of what it contains, treasure, monsters, hidden items, etc."

This is not stated explicitly in OD&D Vol 3, but is obvious from the Vol 3 Sample Level and Key (pg 4-5). Also, OD&D Vol 1, page 5, says "the referee must ... people them with monsters of various horrid aspect, distribute treasures accordingly, and note the location of the latter two on keys, each corresponding to the appropriate level."

"Place a few special items first, then randomly assign treasure and monsters to the other rooms using the appropriate tables."

Vol 3, page 6, section "Distribution of Monsters and Treasure", says "It is a good idea to thoughtfully place several of the most important treasures, with or without monstrous guardians, and then switch to random determination for the balance of the level".

The published rulebook changes the end of the sentence to "using the selection provided in the game or the appropriate tables", indicating that use of the tables is not required.

"Many rooms should be empty. Roll a 6-sided die for each room. A roll of 1 or 2 indicates that some monster is there. Ochre jellies, green slime, black puddings, etc. are randomly distributed, without treasure, usually in corridors and passageways."

This comes from the top of page 7 in Vol 3, where a monster is only present in a room 33% of the time (1-2 in 6), and the same advice is given about the "clean-up crew" (as they are dubbed in Vol 2).

The second sentence was changed in the published rulebook to end "...usually without treasure, most often in corridors and passageways", seemingly to indicate that jellies and slimes could occasionally have treasure.

"Wandering monsters are usually determined randomly as the game progresses."

This is from Vol 3, page 10. Holmes put the rest of the material covering Wandering Monsters earlier in the manuscript, in the section he called "Traps, Closed Doors, Hidden Doors, Surprises, Wandering Monsters". Moldvay later moved this material, including the Wandering Monster tables, back to this section of the Basic rulebook.

"Traps should not be of the "Zap! You're dead!" variety but those which a character might avoid or overcome with some quick thinking and a little luck."

This is extrapolated from page 6 of Vol 3, section "Tricks and Traps", which mentions a "reasonable chance for survival" and examples of pits that are undesirable because they are too deadly.

"Falling into a relatively shallow pit would do damage only on a roll of 5 or 6 (1 die at most) but will delay the party while they get the trapped character out."

From the OD&D Sample Level, room 8 on page 5 of Vol 3, "Falling into the pit would typically cause damage if a 1 or a 2 were rolled. Otherwise, it would only mean about one turn of time to clamber out, providing the character had spikes or associates to pull him out, and providing the pit wasn't one with a snap-shut door and the victim was alone". The 1-2 in 6 for springing traps is also mentioned again, and applied more generally, on page 9 of Vol 3, "Traps are usually sprung by a roll of a 1 or 2 when any character passes over or by them. Pits will open in the same manner". Holmes also mentioned this in his earlier "Traps..." section referred to above.

In the published version, the parenthetical "(1 die at most)" is changed to "(1-6 hit points at most)", clarifying which die is meant.

"Hidden rooms, movable walls, teleportation devices, illusion rooms, dead ends, etc., make interesting variations."

In Vol 3, these features are either part of the Sample Level (pg 4) or mentioned in the list of "Tricks and Traps" (page 6). In particular the list includes the last three: "teleportation areas", "illusion rooms," and "sections which dead-end".

"Since the game (and the Dungeons) are limited only by the imagination of the Dungeon Master and the players, there is no end to the variations possible.

This is the start of the second paragraph in this section, and echoes OD&D Vol 1, page 4, "[The rules] provide a framework around which you will build a game of simplicity or tremendous complexity - your time and imagination are about the only limiting factors..."

In the published version the word "Dungeons" is changed to the lowercase, "dungeons", and the word "variations" is made singular.

"Try to keep the dangers appropriate to the levels of the characters and the skill of your players. The possibility of "death" must be very real, but the players must be able to win through with luck and courage, or they will lose interest in the game and not come back."

See page 6 of Vol 3, section "Tricks and Traps": "The fear of "death", its risk each time, is one of the most stimulating parts of the game. It therefore behooves the campaign referee to include as many mystifying and dangerous areas as is consistent with a reasonable chance for survival (remembering that the monster population already threatens this survival".

I've been busy this week, so I'll pause there for now.

Continue on to Part 44: "Knights Talk in Flowery Phrases"
Or Go Back to Part 42: "Sample Floor Plan, Part of First Level"
Or Go Back to Start: The Holmes Manuscript  

Maze of Peril is Most Popular

The Maze of Peril is currently on the 'Most Popular' list over at Noble Knight. I have no idea how they calculate this list, but by my count at least 20 copies sold in the last two weeks, and they re-stocked it (37 copies currently). Not bad for a book published nearly 30 years ago. Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy. (I have no financial interest in this book or Noble Knight). Noble Knight's Fall sale ends tonight, I believe, so after that the price will revert to $9.95 + shipping. For more info see my previous post.

The Maze of Peril on sale at NK

Noble Knight is having their annual Fall Sale, and they have J. Eric Holmes' 1986 novel, The Maze of Peril, in stock for $8.96 plus shipping. As of this post, there are 12 copies 0 copies available (now listed as being "on order"). They have been re-stocking the book periodically; I'm guessing by ordering from the publisher, Space & Time Books in NY, who as of a few years ago still had a few hundred copies left from the original printing of 1000.

For the uninitiated, this 147-page novel chronicles the first meeting and adventures of Boinger the Hobbit and Zereth the Elf, who had earlier appeared in the three short stories in Dragon magazine. The story grew out of Holmes' actual OD&D games with his sons.

For a great review of The Maze of Peril, see this 2011 post on Delta's D&D Hotspot.
See also my 2006 overview pointing out similarities to Holmes' Sample Dungeon.
See also this earlier post with links to more reviews, and info if you want to try to mail order it directly from the publisher.

I have a copy on order to give away in December, in my annual "Holmes for the Holidays". Stay tuned!

Part 42: "Sample Floor Plan, Part of First Level"

Part 42 of a comparison of Holmes' manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to page 40 of your 'Blue Book' (page 39 for the 1st edition) and follow along... 

SAMPLE FLOOR PLAN, PART OF FIRST LEVEL

In the published Holmes Basic rulebook, the Sample Cross-Section of Levels ('Skull Mountain') is at the bottom right of page 38 (1st edition) or 39 (2nd or 3rd edition). At the top left of the next page is the header "Sample Floor Plan, Part of First Level". This is followed by several paragraphs of DM advice:

This header never made sense to me because this guidance has no reference to a "part of first level". I thought it might possibly refer to the Sample Dungeon, but that begins near the end of the next page and has a complete first level map. Now, via the Holmes Manuscript, this header is made clear: it refers to an extra sample map that Holmes included in the manuscript right after the Sample Cross-Section. 

The bottom of page 109 of the Manuscript has Holmes' Sample Cross-Section, which was shown in the previous post. The top of the next page has the following map:

Click for a larger view

The map is then followed by the same text as in the published rulebook shown above. So TSR cut out Holmes map, but left unchanged the header that referred to it. TSR added a differently phrased entry in the table of contents: "Sample Floor Plan Outline" (Holmes had no entry for this page); perhaps they meant to change it here as well. 

Why did Holmes include this map? In the manuscript, the last sentence on the previous page reads: "There should be several levels and each level should have access above and below and be made up of interlocking passages, stairs, closed rooms, secret doors, traps and surprises for the unwary". The first part of this sentence, describing the levels, is illustrated by way of the cross-section. The second map is meant to illustrate the second part, and shows each of the mentioned features: interlocking passages, stairs, closed rooms, secret doors, traps ("Pit") and surprises ("Green Slime"). The header and location suggest that it is part of the first level of the cross-section, although to my eye the location of the staircases don't match up. TSR may have cut this map because the Sample Dungeon maps shows many of the same features, though it lacks any traps indicated on the map.

So this gives us another addition to the handful of maps by Holmes. The style is similar to his other maps, particularly the labeling of the rooms by letter rather than number, which is also done on the map for the Zenopus Sample Dungeon.

The Green Slime shown directly on the map fits with the advice given further down the page: "Ochre Jellies, Green Slime, Black Puddings, etc. are randomly distributed, without treasure, usually in corridors and passageways." This sentence is from OD&D, Vol 3, page 7, so Holmes is here following the original's advice. Holmes also mentions pits as a type of trap in the text below. Holmes had several pits in the dungeon in his novel Maze of Peril, which is based on his D&D games with his sons, including a large one that leads from the surface down through the first level to a lower cavern.

Untitled Map from Fantasy Role-Playing Game by J. Eric Holmes, 1981

This is another sample map by Holmes, from his 1981 book, with these same two features:  a large circular pit in the middle of a corridor (this one with green slime in it - yikes!), and a corridor with a different member of the clean-up crew - a gelatinous cube - drawn directly on the map. This map is also similar in that it shows part of a first level, with corridors leading off the page. The map is untitled, and there's no other references to it in the text, but it's been dubbed "Halls of the Lizard King". The scan is by austrodavicus on OD&D Discussion, where there's a thread for it here.

There's a scan of the other map by Holmes from the same book here on Grognardia. This one goes with the Sample Dungeon in the book, The Eye of Arzaz, which is accompanied by a brief introductory RPG. It also has a large oval pit in one room, and the rooms are again lettered.

Continue on to Part 43: "Zap! You're Dead!"
Or Go Back to Part 41: "Dungeon Mastering As a Fine Art"
Or Go Back to Start: The Holmes Manuscript

Part 41: "Dungeon Mastering as a Fine Art"

Part 41 of a comparison of Holmes' manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to page 39 of your 'Blue Book' (page 38 for the 1st edition) and follow along...

The next two sections in the manuscript come from the first page of content (page 3) in the third volume of OD&D, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures.

DUNGEON MASTERING AS A FINE ART

Holmes changes the title from "THE UNDERWORLD" to "DUNGEON MASTERING AS A FINE ART". I can think of two reasons for this change. First, Holmes' guidance is mostly limited to dungeons, with just a brief mention wilderness treks, so he no longer needs the original's separate headers for "The Underworld" and "The Wilderness". Second, Holmes' new title helps convey the significance of the work of the Dungeon Master, and that D&D is more than just a board game. Referring to a performing or practical art like acting or photography "as a fine art" is a long-standing tradition going back more than a century. Searching Google Books turns up numerous usages from the 19th century including books such as "Dress as a Fine Art" and "Walking as a Fine Art". In his 1981 FRPG book, Holmes later wrote that "The art of the creative storyteller has been with Homo sapiens since he first learned to build fire in front of his cave and gather around it with a few companions to while away the long winter nights in friendly excitement" (pg 46). 

Immediately after the title, the manuscript has a single paragraph adapting the very first paragraph of OD&D Vol 3. This is the original source material:

And here is Holmes' edit of this material:

The first edition of the published rulebook keeps these sentences unchanged (except for adding a comma between "passages" and "stairs") but adds an additional one at the end: "The geomorphic dungeon levels provided with this game contain many suggestions and will prove very useful", referring to the Dungeon Geomorphs Set One: Basic Dungeons included in the first edition of the Basic Set.

In the second edition (Nov 1978), the Geomorphs were replaced with the new module B1 In Search of the Unknown, so this sentence was revised to "The geomorphic dungeon levels (available from TSR or your retailer) contain many suggestions and will prove very useful", and a new paragraph was added referring to the module: "The Basic Set of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS includes the introductory module "In Search of the Unknown", which will be usable for initial adventuring as well as provide ideas for dungeon construction." This paragraph was left unchanged even in the third edition when the module B2 Keep on the Borderlands replaced B1.

SAMPLE CROSS SECTION OF LEVELS

In OD&D Vol 3, the same page continues with an uncredited illustration of a dungeon:

The published Holmes Basic rulebook features a new cross-section, the famous 'Skull Mountain' drawing by Tom Wham, discussed in my previous post. Wham's drawing retains certain features from the original, including a split 4th level (A and B), a cavern at the bottom, and stairs, slanting passages and chutes connecting the levels.

The Holmes Manuscript also has a cross-section, but one that is different from either the original or Skull Mountain:

The dungeon cross-section from the Holmes Manuscript

This was presumably drawn by Holmes himself, or possibly his son Chris, an artist. To my eye, the handwriting is similar to that found on the two maps in Holmes' 1981 book. A nice treat, since we have only a handful of maps from the hand of Holmes.

Holmes' cross-section shares some elements with the original, most significantly a split 2nd level connected by a slanting passage and stairs, and a cavern area at the bottom. Holmes changes the chutes of the original to ladders, and adds an outside area, a ravine  reminiscent of the Caves of Chaos, housing the entrances to the dungeon. One entrance is a mine that goes straight to the 2nd level, whereas the original had two staircases entering into 1st level. Holmes' cross-section is more evocative than the original by having features such as "Hill Side", "Mine" and "Mine Shaft" labeled, as well as drawings of the ravine and trees, and stalagmites in the cave. It's possible that Wham included features from Holmes' version as Skull Mountain also contains two entrances, a main one also labeled "Entrance", and a second one, "The Pit", a vertical entrance in the same approximate location as the Mine/Mine Shaft of the manuscript. However, we can conclude that Wham added the most distinctive features of Skull Mountain, including the skull-face entrance and the domed city in the water-filled cavern.

Holmes' most significant change to the original is to limit the cross-section to three levels, aligning with the scope of the Basic rules, which includes wandering monsters for only levels 1-3. The next page of OD&D Vol 3 states that "In beginning a dungeon it is advisable to construct at least three levels at once...", so Holmes may have kept to this guidance even when constructing a much smaller dungeon than suggested by the original ("no less than a dozen levels down"). While Skull Mountain is fantastic, and perfect for stimulating the imagination of new players, Holmes' original is more line with the limits of Basic. The Moldvay set would later return to Holmes' original idea by including a similarly limited cross-section, drawn by Erol Otus:

Haunted Keep dungeon cross-section by Erol Otus, from the Moldvay Basic rulebook, 1981

Continue on to Part 42: "Sample Floor Plan, Part of First Level" (a forgotten map by Holmes)

Or go back to Interlude: "Skull Mountain by Tom Wham"

Or go back to Part 40: "Acts Like a Cannon Blast on Walls" (Miscellaneous Magic Items)
Or go back to the Index: The Holmes Manuscript

Interlude: Skull Mountain by Tom Wham

The "Sample Cross Section of Levels", known colloquially as "Skull Mountain", is arguably the most iconic interior art in the Holmes Basic rulebook. No other details about this dungeon are given in the text, but many beginning DMs were inspired by the evocative picture to design their own version.

The work is unsigned, like most TSR dungeon maps, and the rulebook lacks credits for art or cartography, so for the past three decades it hasn't been clear who drew it. One of the other rulebook artists, Holmes himself or his son Chris, or someone else? I assumed David Sutherland as the most likely, because the bulk of the artwork in the rulebook is his, and he later worked on cartography for D&D modules and even drew a cavernous cross-section for the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide. Or perhaps Dave Trampier. 

But for some reason I never considered that it was by the third Holmes Basic artist, Tom Wham. Last May on Facebook, Benoist P. posted the above picture to which Tom himself responded, "The black & white image is something I drew back in the 70's for the Dragon Magazine." Obviously this piece was used in the Holmes rulebook rather than Dragon magazine, but looking at it with new eyes I thought - of course! A quick search showed that only Timrod had guessed this previously. Skull Mountain is not in Wham's typical style, but in retrospect the round eye of the skull is perhaps a clue, many characters in his art having round eyes.

Tom started work for TSR in the spring of 1977, with his work appearing as early as Dragon #5 (March 1977), and credited as a staff artist starting in Dragon #7 (June 1977). The Holmes Basic rulebook was published in July 1977, so his art for it was among his earliest TSR work. He has only one signed ("TW") artwork in the rulebook, which shows a typically Whamian wizard about to be ambushed by three gnolls armed & armored very similarly to Sutherland's gnoll in the Monster Manual:

A DF poster, Rhuvein, also reported that Tom claims the sword in the Magic Item section:

 
Late in 1977, Tom's work would also join the two Daves in the original Monster Manual. His beholder is probably his most well-known from that book, but he also illustrated the stag beetle, blink dog, herd animal, giant lynx, mind flayer, giant pike, and three of the four sphinxes. Each of these signed with a tiny "TW". There are possibly other drawings of his where the signature is obscured or cut-off. Some, like the giant lynx, giant pike and mind flayer are in his typical cartoon style, but others like the stag beetle, blink dog and sphinxes, are more naturalistic.

Tom didn't illustrate many other dungeon cross-sections, but he did illustrate many other cross-sections, often as boards for the games he designed. His second game published by TSR in Dragon #11, Snit's Revenge, featured a large cross-section of a Bolotomus:

Snit's Revenge board, original version from Dragon #11, Dec 1977

A cross-section of the spaceship Znutar from The Awful Green Things from Outer Space 
(a favorite of mine):

TAGTOS board, original version from Dragon #22, Aug 1979

Note that in both of these game boards the individual rooms are each lettered in comic-book-style block capitals, the same as in Skull Mountain.

Here's a rare magazine cover by Tom, for Polyhedron #29 in 1986, showing the cross-section of a tower filled with busy inhabitants:

And more than a decade after Holmes Basic, he included another underground cross-section as one of the boards in his Mertwig's Maze (1988, TSR), the "Caves of Congor":

  

See also Tom Wham's website, with lots of historical information about his games.

* * * * *

In my next post I'll look at the Sample Cross-Section in the Holmes Manuscript.

* * * * * 

This was an interlude during my series of posts on the Holmes Manuscript.

Continue on to Part 41: "Dungeon Mastering as a Fine Art" (DM Guidance, Sample Cross Section)

Or go back to Part 40: "Acts Like a Cannon Blast on Walls" (Miscellaneous Magic Items)
Or go back to the Index: The Holmes Manuscript

Part 40: "Acts Like a Cannon Blast on Walls"

Part 40 of a comparison of Holmes' manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to pages 36 and 38-39 of your 'Blue Book' and follow along... (pages 35 and 37-38 for the 1st edition)

Miscellaneous Magic Items

Nine out of the ten items in Holmes' list are from the original Miscellaneous Magic table in OD&D, Vol 2 (pg 25-26), presented in the same order as found in that table, with only the Bag of Devouring added from the greatly expanded list in Greyhawk. In the published rulebook three items are replaced, numbers 8 to 10 above. These are among the more powerful items in the original list, and are only found 1% (Horn or Mirror) or 2% (Girdle) of the time. TSR, probably Gygax himself, replaced these selections with a cursed item (the Helm of Evil/Good) and two less powerful and more common items (Rope of Climbing and the Gauntlets of Ogre Power) from OD&D Vol 2, except for the Rope, from Greyhawk.

Crystal Ball: The description in the manuscript is a rewritten version of the original description on page 36 of OD&D Vol 2. Most concepts are retained, but Holmes does not mention that lead will block vision. The published rulebook makes one minor change of  "long time" to "extended period" in the second sentence.

Medallion of ESP: Taken from the original description without much change, although  Holmes clarifies that it functions "like an ESP spell". No changes as published.

Bag of Holding: A straight re-phrasing of the original description. In the manuscript the first sentence ends, "an object 10 feet x 5 feet x 3 feet", and the published version adds "up to" and "in size" before and after these dimensions, respectively.

Elven Cloak and Boots: In OD&D Vol 2 these are together in a single entry both in the table and description, and the Holmes table retains this (see above), but in the Holmes description they are split into two entries. For the cloak, the original simply said that wearer was made "next to invisible"; Holmes quantifies this as "seen only on roll of 6 or a See Invisible spell". The published rulebook changes "See Invisible" to "see invisible", but keeps the non-standard spell name, instead of using "Detect Invisible". For the description of the boots, Holmes adds the note that the cloak and boots can be used by any character, which is in accord with Greyhawk.

Broom of Flying: Holmes converts the 24"/turn to 240 feet/turn. In the published version Gygax adds a new sentence at the end clarifying that "The command word should be magically engraved on the broom or otherwise distinguished but not impossible to obtain by the broom's owner". 

Helm of Telepathy: In OD&D Vol 2, determining the effect of the original is somewhat confusing: "Such suggestions will have a +2 effect in their likelihood of being carried out (see Vol. III for random actions of monsters). For characters in the game roll percentile dice adding 10% to the helm's wearer, and if the character fails to beat this score he will follow the suggestion" (pg 37). The table for Random Actions by monsters is found on page 12 of OD&D Vol 3, and is a simplification of the 2d6 reaction roll in Vol I. A result of 9-12 on this table gives a positive reaction, so a +2 on this table makes it more likely to gain a positive reaction (9-12 without the modifier). Holmes changes this to a saving throw, with a -2 for monsters, and a -1 for characters. Holmes also adds the idea that "an attack could be stopped once begun". No changes as published, so Gygax was okay with this for Basic.

Bag of Devouring: This is the only cursed miscellaneous magic item included by Holmes, and comes from Greyhawk, and which added many cursed magic items that resemble useful items. Holmes changes the original's "ultra-dimensional monster" to "extra-dimensional monster". No changes as published. 

Girdle of Giant Strength: This is the first miscellaneous item included by Holmes but cut from the published rulebook. The original description in OD&D Vol 2 is very short, simply that it "bestows the strength and hit probability (if greater than the wearer's own) of Hill Giant". Holmes reworded this and adds that such strength includes increased damage and rock throwing.

Helm of Evil/Good: In OD&D Vol 2 this is called "Helm of Chaos (Law)", so Gygax updates the name here to fit the expanded five-point alignment scheme. Some changes are made; the original turned a Neutral character to Lawful or Chaotic whereas here they become "totally self-seeking and do nothing to help anyone else in any way". The original required a Dispel Magic spell whereas here it is a "cleric's remove curse spell", which does not actually appear in Holmes Basic but is mentioned to be third level in the entry for the Ring of Contrariness.

Horn of Blasting: The second item cut from the manuscript. Holmes leaves out the reference to other texts from the original description ("has the effect of a double bombard (see Vol. III and CHAINMAIL)"), but otherwise includes all of the concepts from OD&D Vol 2.

Rope of Climbing: This replaced the Horn, becoming the only non-cursed magic item from Greyhawk that appears in the published rulebook. This has a very short entry in Greyhawk, so Gygax adds a few details here not in the original, including that it can support up to 10,000 gp in weight and only takes up as much space as a 10' rope when coiled up.

Mirror of Life Trapping: The third item included by Holmes but cut by TSR. The original has a very lengthy description for OD&D, about eleven sentences, and thus Holmes' entry is correspondingly lengthy. By my estimation he keeps all of the key concepts, just re-phrasing and re-arranging the text for readability.

Gauntlets of Ogre Power: This replaced the Mirror in the published rulebook, but can also be seen as a lesser powered replacement for the Girdle of Giant Strength. The original description was brief, just saying they give the "ability to strike as an Ogre and generally give his hands and arms the strength of an ogre. They do not necessarily increase hit probability however". In OD&D, Ogres do +2 damage (1d6+2, or 3-8) per hit, so the original Gauntlets clearly gave a +2 to damage, which is pretty significant in a game with no strength modifiers to damage. In Greyhawk, an Ogre's damage would be 1-10 if variable dice damage was being used, and this is used in the published Holmes rulebook. However, the Gauntlets in the Holmes rulebook "adds from 2-8 points to damage when striking with any weapon - doing 2-8 hit points merely with his fist". 

The OD&D entry also states that it does "not necessarily increase hit probability". Did this mean that they can in some situations increase your chance to hit - perhaps if your hit roll is less than an Ogres (4 HD)? The Holmes entry clears this up by saying the "gauntlets do not add to hit probability". The Dungeon Master's Guide changes this by having the Gauntlets give all of the benefits of 18/00 strength, including a +3 to hit and +6 to damage (which is fairly close to the average of 2d4 or 1d10).

Legacy: 

Moldvay Basic retains the same ten miscellaneous items found in the published Holmes Basic rulebook. Moldvay keeps the 1 in 6 chance of detecting a character wearing an Elven Cloak. For the Helm of Telepathy, Moldvay entirely eliminates the ability to force suggestions; a character may only send thoughts. 

"Note Regarding Magic Items"

In the published rulebook, this brief section (a single paragraph) follows the Miscellaneous Magic Items and warns against testing out magic items on hirelings. This section is entiretly absent from the Holmes manuscript, indicating it was added by someone at TSR, probably Gygax. I don't believe this material appears in the original OD&D booklets, although I may have missed it. It is in line with the "Loyalty" section in OD&D, Vol 1. In Moldvay Basic, this paragraph is condensed down to a single line in the paragraph on "Identifying Magic Items", which reads, "If a retainer does this testing, he or she will expect to keep the item". 

* * * * *

That's it for Magic Items, which means we've reached the end of the material that Holmes drew from OD&D Vol 2, Monsters & Treasure. In the manuscript he follows the order of the material in the three original volumes, so the remainder of the manuscript covers material from OD&D Vol 3, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures. 

Continue on to Interlude: "Skull Mountain by Tom Wham"
Or continue on to Part 41: "Dungeon Mastering as a Fine Art" (DM Guidance, Sample Cross Section)

Or go back to Part 39: "The Wand Produces a Fire Ball Which Will Travel" (Wands & Staves)
Or go back to the Index: The Holmes Manuscript

Fearsome Monsters

Text from some ads for OD&D and Holmes Basic in the mid-1970s

"The Dungeons are filled with fearsome monsters, fabulous treasures and frightful perils" - J. Eric Holmes, from the Introduction to the Holmes Basic rulebook.

For Halloween, a 'new' creature for OD&D and Holmes Basic... 

Fearsome Monster

Hit Dice	AC	Attacks	Damage	Move
1	9	1	1d6	60
2	8	1	1d6	60
3	7	1	1d6	60
4	6	1	2d6	90
5	5	1	2d6	90
6	4	1	2d6	90
7	3	1	2d6	90
8	2	1	3d6	120
9	1	1	3d6	120
10	0	1	3d6	120

The forgotten builders of the vast Underworld imbued it with the ability to create its own strange defenders. The earth and stone was imbued with the essence of chaos and attuned to interact with the subconscious mind. Thus, the fearsome monsters are unwittingly shaped by the very delvers who dare to enter the prehistoric corridors. And the deeper the dungeons, the more deadly the created beasts.

For each surface dweller entering the dungeon, one monster will be created at a time. The process takes 1d4 days, and brief periods of leaving the dungeon, such as overnight, will not halt it, and the monster will have hit dice corresponding to the lowest dungeon level reached during this time period. The monsters, once finished, will attack any intruders, although they will preferentially pursue their own creator. Adventurers may encounter monsters created by earlier trespassers, although these may be in the process of decaying, as the monsters slowly return to their original substance once their creator leaves the dungeon. If a monster is destroyed, another will begin forming after 1d4 days.

The monsters vary in form (roll on the table below), but all generate an unnatural aura of fear. When first encountered, each character must save vs Spells or flee in terror, dropping all items held in hand. The monster's pursuit will be slow but relentless. A character who fails a save must roll again the next time the monster is encountered.

Form (roll 1d10):
1. Tentacled Humanoid
2. Hopping Monopod
3. Flapping Thing
4. Cyclopean Construct
5. Crawling Fungoid
6. Cackling Primate
7. Floating Monolith
8. Oozing Insectoid
9. Mouldering Heap
10. Roll Twice, using the first adjective and second noun.
 
If the monster is defeated, it will rapidly decay back into to the substance of its creation, leaving a pile dirt, rocks and gems. There will be 1d6 gems per HD of the creature. Roll for value randomly on the Gems table. 

(The idea of the environment creating monsters from the mind is inspired by the mythagos of Mythago Wood by the late Robert Holdstock).

Part 39: "The Wand Produces a Fire Ball Which Will Travel"

Part 39 of a comparison of Holmes' manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to pages 36-38 of your 'Blue Book' and follow along... (pages 35-37 for the 1st edition)

Wands and Staves

Holmes has ten wands and staves in his list, all of which are found in the original list on page of 25 of OD&D Vol 2. Nine of these make it into the published rulebook, with only the Staff of Power being swapped out for the Rod of Cancellation from Greyhawk.

Descriptions

The introductory paragraph is adapted from the similar one at page 34 of OD&D Vol 2. One thing that I never noticed before is that OD&D specifically excludes Detection wands and certain Staves from having charges, and Holmes keeps with this by stating that "[w]ands that have projectiles or rays are considered to do six 6-sided damage and to have 100 charges or projectiles". Since the Detection wands do not have projectiles, they do not have charges.

Wand of Magic Detection: OD&D has the wand "reveal the operation of any form of magic", whereas Holmes limits it to magic items, and has these "glow or otherwise signal its presence". No changes as published.

Wand of Secret Doors and Trap Detection: OD&D has that the wand "when held will give warning of either thing when it is brought within 2" of it" [2" is scale for 20 feet] which Holmes renders as "gives warning or points to any hidden door, panel, trap etc." Since Holmes left out the range, the published version adds, "within 20 feet" to the end of the sentence.

Wand of Fear: Holmes closely follows the original description. The published version adds a new clause at the end of the second sentence: "dropping everything they are holding and running away at top speed for 1-3 turns". The effect of dropping held weapons is similar to how surprise is treated in OD&D (25% chance) and Holmes (on a roll of 6 on a d6).

Wand of Cold: Another which follows the OD&D description closely. No changes as published.

Wand of Paralyzation: In OD&D Vol 2 and Greyhawk this is spelled "Paralization"; Holmes corrects the spelling in the manuscript. The original nonsensically says "creatures take half damage if their saving throw is made". This seems to be a direct copy from the entry for Wand of Cold, and is clearly an error in view of Vol 1 stating that making a saving throw versus "paralization" means "no effect" (pg 20). This was not corrected in Greyhawk. Holmes corrects it by having a failed save result in paralysis for 6 turns (perhaps drawing on the duration of Hold Person being 6 + level of caster?). This is left unchanged as published, and is in fact incorporated into Moldvay Basic. The duration of paralysis was generally left unstated in OD&D and Holmes, fore example no duration is given for the paralysis caused by a Carrion Crawler, Gelatinous Cube, Ghoul or a Mummy. Most likely it was just assumed to last as long as the encounter did.

Wand of Fire Balls: The original just indicates that the Wand produces "a Fire Ball exactly like the spell of the same name". Since Holmes didn't include third level spell descriptions in Basic, including this wand means he needs to add the description here. He does this by adapting the text from the spell in OD&D Vol 1. Some text he includes directly, like Fire Balls "generally conform to the shape of the space", and other he rewrites while keeping the same concepts, "On activation, the wand produces a fire ball which will travel any distance up to 240 feet desired by the user and then then explode with a burst radius of 20 feet".
The published version keeps all of the text of the manuscript, but adds a brief "(so watch out!)" at the end after the sentence about the fire ball filling the area.

Staff of Healing: The original says that it acts as Cure Light Wounds, healing 2-7 points of damage. Holmes omits the mention of the spell, and instead says that it requires a touch, per the spell. No changes as published.

Snake Staff: Holmes follows the original, but adds a new sentence at the end that it can be commanded "by the owner to release its victim". He may have inferred this from the rest of the description as well as the spell "Sticks to Snakes", which produces snakes that will "perform as he orders" (OD&D Vol 1). No changes as published version, which retains "1 die + 1 points of damage", which of course means 1d6 + 1 damage.

Staff of Striking: Holmes uses the text from OD&D, Vol 2, but also adds that only a magic-user can use it. This is actually in contradiction to Greyhawk, which indicated that it could be used by a magic-user or a cleric (pg 43). Holmes leaves out the clarification from Greyhawk, pg 48, that each use of this Staff requires a charge. The published version changes "two dice of damage" to "2-12 hit points of damage"


Staff of Power (Limited): Holmes' original text for this reads:

"This magic-users' weapon will produce a fire ball, cone of cold, a continual light spell, or strike like a Staff of Striking. The fire ball and cone of cold have the same dimensions as those listed for wands, but they do 8 dice of damage. The staff can produce the Fire Ball or Cold Cone 200 times."

The original version in OD&D Vol 2 does not refer to the staff as "(Limited)", as Holmes does. I believe he uses this because his version is missing two of the powers of the original: Lightning Bolts and Telekinesis. I imagine he left these out because these powers are not described elsewhere in the rules, unlike the other powers, which duplicate other wands, staves or spells. The 8 dice damage and 200 charges come from notes on staves from the introductory text in OD&D Vol 2, page 34. 

Rod of Cancellation: Gygax/TSR used this in place of the Staff of Power, making it the only Rod in Basic (although the section is still just called "Wands and Staves"). It was described in Greyhawk, but there are two additions here: the length of four feet, and the +2 to hit that it gives. Neither of these bits made it into AD&D or B/X. 

Legacy 

Moldvay Basic (B/X) shortened the list to six, with five from the list in Holmes Basic. The addition is Enemy Detection, reintroduced from OD&D Vol 2. The others are all relegated to the Expert Set, with the Wand of Secret Door and Trap Detection being split into two separate Wands.A radical change in B/X is to charges - each wand, staff or rod contains 1d10 charges in Basic when found. Expert ups this to 2d10 for Wands, 3d10 for Staves, still far short of the 100 charges for Wands in OD&D and Holmes Basic, and 200 for Staves in OD&D. Expert also includes the Staff of Power, with all six original powers rather than the "limited" version of Holmes.

The Wand of Fire Balls is the only Wand appearing in the original version of B2 Keep on the Borderlands, by Gary Gygax. In the revised version for B/X this was changed to a Wand of Paralyzation, since the Fire Ball Wand was moved to Expert.

Holmes later made extensive use of a Wand of Fire Balls in his Boinger & Zereth novel, The Maze of Peril, which he was working on as early as 1979 and was published in 1986.

Continue on to Part 40: "Acts Like a Cannon Blast on Walls"
Or Go Back to Part 38: "Rings Can Be Used by Anyone"
Go Back to Start: The Holmes Manuscript