Part 23.5: "There Are Many Kinds of Dragons"

In this post I cover material I didn't have the first time through:

Part 23.5 of a comparison of Holmes' manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to page 24 of your 'Blue Book' and follow along...

The Material from the Missing Page

As mentioned here and here, numbered page 67 is missing from all copies of the 138-page final version of the Holmes Manuscript. Which meant that I skipped the material as I went through the manuscript. Later, Billy Galaxy sent me photos of pages 62 and 63 of an earlier draft of the manuscript, which cover the missing material. The earlier draft has art by Chris Holmes drawn directly on the pages, so here we get to see his illustration of a dragon as a bonus. Chris writes, "Notice how I put the dragons’ leg behind the text. That would be clever except I didn’t think that they would reset the text in type. If we hadn’t done the drawings right on the manuscript they probably would have been lost."

Page 62 of an earlier draft of the Holmes Manuscript; art by Chris Holmes

Page 63 of an earlier draft of the Holmes Manuscript

After looking over Holmes' material from this earlier draft and comparing it to the published ruleboook, I think this page was missing from the copy(s) of the manuscript that Holmes sent to TSR. The published rulebook entries in the Monster List differ from Holmes' originals more than most other entries. Generally Gygax edited the manuscript simply by placing a new sentence or two at the end if additions or clarification were needed, but here the entries have been completely re-written.

Dopplegangers

Page 66 of the final version of the Holmes Manuscript has the title "Dopplegangers" at the bottom of the page; the rest of the entry was on missing page 67. But I presume this let TSR to know that Holmes intended to include Dopplegangers in Basic.
  
As you can see above, Holmes' write-up is two simple sentences, drawn from the original in the Greyhawk Supplement. Holmes omits the immunity to Sleep/Charm, and gives them a +2 save versus magic rather than a save as a 10th level Fighter. Looking at the Men & Magic Saving Throw Matrix, a 10th level figher should get a +4 over that of a 4th level fighter (which is what a 4 HD monster should save as).
 
In contrast, the published description for the Doppelganger is seven sentences over two paragraphs, much longer than what Holmes wrote. Some of the sentences are very close to the Greyhawk description, so it looks like the author went back and re-wrote/expanded the original entry. The later Monster Manual entry is of similar length although the specific text has been rewritten again. The published rulebook paragraph gives the correct saving throw values for spells and wands for 10th level fighter.

Dragons

The beginning of Holmes' manuscript entry follows the format established in OD&D:

OD&D, Vol 2: "There are six varieties of Dragons, each with separate characteristics
in particular and other things in common. The varieties will be dealt with first"

Greyhawk: "These additional varities of Dragons conform to the typical characteristics
of their species except where noted..."

Holmes manuscript: "There are many kinds of dragons described in Dungeons & Dragons and Greyhawk. Only four are covered here."

Published rulebook: Four additional introductory sentences, followed by "Of the dozen different kinds found in ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS only four will be covered here."

The wording here in the published Basic rulebook does echo that of the manuscript, so perhaps TSR/Gygax did read & edit this material, just to a greater degree than in other parts of the Monster List. It's hard to tell for sure.

In each case, these sentences are followed by a short table describing the different types of dragons. OD&D Vol 2 has six types, Greyhawk adds six more (including two unique), and the Holmes Manuscript and published rulebook each cover only four of these, a different set in each. Holmes drops Black and Green Dragons, and moves Red Dragons to the first line, resulting in Red, White, Blue and Gold. He otherwise keeps each of the columns of the Dragon table on page 11 of Vol 2. 

The published rulebook includes Black and Brass instead of Blue and Gold; the Brass dragon being from the Greyhawk Supplement. It also replaces the Chance of Talking and Chance of Sleeping columns with an Alignment column. For three of the dragons, it uses the interesting dual alignment format that appears in some entries in the Holmes rulebook (e.g. "neutral/chaotic good" for the Brass Dragon).

In the manuscript Holmes follows the table with two paragraphs on Breath Weapons which very closely follow the material in OD&D, Vol 2. He then make clear that the breath weapon damage is equal to the dragon's hit points, which was not made so clear in the original material. He condenses the "Age" category table to a simple d6 roll that gives a HD multiplier to determine HP; none of the age categories are named. He ends with a clarification that saving throws reduce damage by half. He omits the material on pages 12 and 13 of OD&D that covers Special Characteristics, Attacking Dragons and Subdual.

The published version also includes the descriptions of Breath Weapons. Some changes are made to the source material. OD&D & the Holmes Manuscript use a 2d6 roll to determine how the dragon attacks (breath on a 7+), whereas the published rulebook replaces this with a 1d6 roll (breath on a 4+). OD&D & the Holmes Manuscript have cone-shaped breath weapons originate with a 5' diameter, whereas the published rulebook uses a 2' diameter.

OD&D mentioned that 20% of dragons were "small" and 20% "very large", which presumably referred to the HD distribution for each dragon type; for example, a Red Dragon has HD 9-11. In the manuscript, Holmes includes the variable HD but leaves out the percentages. The published rulebook alters the chances to 25%, using a d8 roll, and explains that it relates to the sex of the dragon, with a 1-2 small (female), 3-6 medium (equal male or female) and 7-8 large (male). The published rulebook further expands the OD&D age chart from 6 ages to 8 ages, adding new "Young Adult" and "Ancient" categories. This allows the eight ages to track the eight pips on the d8 now used for Hit Dice.

The published rulebook goes on to include several more paragraphs of material that Holmes left out of the manuscript, covering subdual, dragon intelligence, treasure, the special breath weapons of the brass dragon (sleep & fear).

The Monster Manual would later include all twelve dragons from OD&D & Greyhawk, while Moldvay Basic would stick to the original six from OD&D, Vol 2.

Continue on to Part 24: "Winged Beasts of Hideous Aspect"
Or Go Back to Part 23: "Shy and Beautiful Female Tree Sprites"
Or Go Back to Start: The Holmes Manuscript

Chris Holmes Interviewed by Save or Die!

The latest episode of the Save or Die podcast has an interview with Chris Holmes, son of J. Eric Holmes. Chris discusses the forthcoming Tales of Perils compilation, the origins of Boinger and Zereth, Pellucidar, Weresharks and more!

Part 54: "An Ape in an Iron Cage"

Part 54 of a comparison of the Holmes manuscript with the published Basic Set rulebook. Turn to page 45 of your 'Blue Book' (page 44 for the 1st edition) and follow along...
 
Room S2
 
The final area of the Sample Dungeon, this is the second floor of the thaumaturgist's tower, home to "the wizard's study". As with S1, this area is above Room S in the dungeon, and so is not shown directly on the map.
 
In size and shape, the room is similar to the one below. Access is from a trap door in the floor from the room below. There is a third spiral staircase around the way to the ceiling, in this case leading to a a trap door to the roof. There's no further description of the roof area, but this implies the roof is flat. Perhaps the M-U studies the stars at night...
 
The study is furnished as we might expect for a wizard's study: tables, lamps, chemicals, skulls, loose pages of parchment, mystic designs on the floor and, importantly, "two giant volumes of magic spells". Presumably his books of First and Second Level Spells, they should at a minimum have the spells he has memorized in his description in Room F. While the Basic rulebook doesn't explicitly state that each level is in a separate book, this is implied by the names "Book of First Level Spells" and "Book of Second Level Spells" on page 15, as well the references to "magic books" (plural) on page 13. The description of "giant volumes" here explains Holmes' rule that M-Us "can not bring their magic books into the dungeon with them" (pg 13); it's because the books are too heavy to lug about.

Carnivorous Ape by Dave Trampier, from the Monster Manual (1977)

S2 also has at least one occupant, described in the next paragraph, an ape locked in a iron cage. There is no explanation for why the ape is here, just that it hates the cage and "has been waiting to get even". Ironically, the ape doesn't realize that "the key is in the lock of the cage door". If released, the ape may attack the wizard or someone else and then escapes out a window and "off through the city streets" of Portown. In the Portown Rumors I wrote up recently I had the ape be the captured pet of a merchant in town, who is willing to pay a reward for his return.

As I wrote previously, "Kveldulf suggested in this DF thread that the ape in the wizard's tower is reminiscent of the ape kept by the Red Priest Nabonidius in the Conan story Rogues in the House (1934). Also, in the Conan story the Tower of the Elephant a sorcerer keeps a captive creature (not an ape) in the upper room of a tower. Going back further, in Edgar Allen Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) a sailor keeps an orangutang captive in Paris. A common theme throughout these, including the Holmes scenario, is the hatred of the captive primate for its master."

Also, the Planet of the Apes film series was a big presence in the popular culture in the earlier half of the 1970s. And a remake of King Kong came out in Dec of 1976, just around when Holmes was working on the Basic rulebook.

As with most of the non-standard monsters in the Sample Dungeon, the Ape gets a minimum of stats: 2 HD and AC7. But this is more than apes were given in the OD&D rules. "Apes" appear as one of 12 animal types on the "Basic Animals" table in the Wilderness Wandering Monster tables on pages 18-19 of Vol 3 of OD&D. "White Apes" also appear in that section in the "Optional Arid Planes" table (all Barsoomian encounters); the Level 4 dungeon table (pg 10); and as castle guards for Evil High Priests (pg 15). But as with most other animals, no specific stats are provided.

In Greyhawk, the 4th level apes are now "Carnivorous Apes". In Eldritch Wizardry, "Apes" again appear, in the "Jungle-Like" table. Again, no stats provided.

The first product which provides any stats for "Apes" is the first Monster & Treasure Assortment (1977), included in the first three printings of the Holmes Basic Set as well as being sold separately. In the Assortment, "Carnivorous Apes" appear as entry 19 on the 1st level table, and entry 45 of the 3rd level table. Apes would finally get a full description in the Monster Manual as "Ape (Gorilla)" and "Ape, Carnivorous", and in Moldvay Basic as the "Ape, White". Each of these versions has at least twice as many HD as our Sample Dungeon Ape, and a better AC.

The room has two major magic items hidden in it, described in the third paragraph, a wand of petrification and a hidden scroll that can reverse it. 

The wand is a non-standard magic item, appearing neither in the Holmes rulebook or in the previous OD&D books. However, it's a fairly natural extension of the various other D&D monsters, spells and magic items that can turn characters to stone.

Holmes writes that the wand "turns flesh to stone if he makes a hit with it", which indicates that using it requires a to-hit roll. As I wrote previously, "The thaumaturgist's wand of petrifaction is similar to the wand wielded by the White Witch in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe of the Chronicles of Narnia. It requires a to-hit roll, which may imply it is a touch-based attack similar to the wand of the White Witch (thanks to Lemunda's Brother for pointing this out in this Knights & Knaves Alehouse thread). On the other hand, the Holmes rules require a "to hit" roll for Magic Missile so the wand could also be interpreted as having a ray-based attack".

In the manuscript, Holmes names it a "wand of petrification". As published, this is changed to "petrifaction".  From what I have read, the term "petrifaction" was more common used prior to D&D, now "petrification" is more common. Prior to this rulebook, Gygax used "Petrification" in Greyhawk ("Eyes of Petrification"), and again later in the DMG. Interestingly, the Medusa entry in the Monster Manual also uses "petrifaction".

The wand is hidden in a secret compartment in the table. Here we have a change to this room as published. The rulebook adds a parenthetical chance for finding the wand's compartment: "(only 5% chance of locating this compartment)".

The scroll is hidden among parchments on the table, and is simply described as "a scroll which reverses this spell, but only for 1 person and only once." As published, "this spell" is changed to "the wand effect".  The spell on the scroll is not further described, but is presumably the sixth level OD&D spell, Stone to Flesh. 

Finally, there's a brief mention that the M-U will be found here if not in Room F. This ties back to his actions in Room F where it states, "If he can get out the door he will put a wizard lock on it and run up the stairs to his tower ... He will use the wand on anybody entering his hideway".

Coda

Following Room S2 there is a single paragraph coda to the adventure:

"By the time the adventurers have worked their way through this, the Dungeon Master will probably have lots of ideas of his or her own to try out. Design your own dungeon or dig new passages and levels in this one. What lies in the (undiscovered) deeper levels where Zenopus met his doom? Do the pirates have other treasure troves hidden in the sea caves? What inhuman rites are practiced deep in the ghoul haunted passages beneath the graveyard? What are the townspeople going to do when they discover that our friends are tampering with Things Better Left Alone?"

There are no changes to this paragraph as published. It's a flavorful wrap-up to the adventure that gives many of suggestions to new DMs for expanding the adventure.  
There's a clue that Zenopus met his doom on a lower level. Chris Holmes & Eric (who played Murray) have no specific memories of any lower levels that Holmes designed.

There might be other sea caves with pirate treasure. The tunnel from Room P might be expanded to passages beneath the graveyard with ghouls and "inhuman rites" (cultists?). Finally, the people of Portown might not like what the adventurers discover.

And that's the end of the manuscript! All remaining material in the rulebook, including sections on "Using the Dice"*, "About the Editor" (starting in the second print), the product catalog and the reference sheets are not in the manuscript, and thus were presumably added by TSR.

I'll have a few more posts in this series, however. The Manuscript is missing one page (mostly covering dragons), which I skipped at the time. Billy Galaxy later sent me a scan of the missing material from an earlier draft, so next I will go back and cover that.

Continue on to Part 55: "Summary of Changes"
or Go Back to Part 53: "The Room Contains a Giant Snake" (Rooms S and S1)
or Go Back to the Index: The Holmes Manuscript

* 2021 Update: The "Using the Dice" section recycles text from an earlier TSR advertisement for dice; see this post.

Portown Rumors in Brief

Here's a shorter table of the Portown Rumors, done in the style of the rumor tables in B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 The Keep on the Borderlands. "F" denotes a false rumor. See the original post for more details on each rumor.

1.       A wizard in Portown once dug tunnels under his tower in search of ancient treasures.

2.       Portown was built on the ruins of an ancient city of unknown origin.

3.       A bottle of whiskey for an old man will buy a tale about the wizard he once worked for.

4.       A group went into the old ruins last year looking for treasure and never returned!

5.F     A mad wizard's gold is hidden under a hill, guarded by his vengeful ghost!

6.F     The old dungeons have nothing but empty tunnels and dangerous vermin.

7.       Bandits have been attacking caravans bringing up goods from the south.

8.       A merchant ship plying the Northern Sea is hiring guards to protect it from pirates.

9.       The best men-at-arms can be hired from Ajax at Warrior-For-Hire.

10.     The Guild is hiring extra guards to stop the nightly break-ins at the warehouses.

11.F   A magician on the west side of town is a dependable employer of adventurers.

12.     A drunk was fished out of the harbor after wandering into the sewers one night.

13.     The sea caves along the base of the sea cliff might hide pirate treasure.

14.     Merchants are complaining that their stolen goods keep reappearing in town.

15.F   The Lord's heir Lemunda the Lovely ran off with a band of adventurers!

16.     Fisherman have gone missing while checking crab pots to the west of the harbor!

17.F   The catacombs of the city hide many coffins filled with coins.

18.     A widow is offering a reward for an investigation of the scratching noises in her cellar.

19.F   Grave-robbers have been plundering coffins at the cemetery!

20.     A merchant is offering a reward for the return of his missing pet ape.

Update: These rumors, along with the longer versions, are now available as a Portown Rumors pdf. 

Portown Rumors

Here are twenty random rumors that characters might hear while spending time and money at the Green Dragon Inn in Portown. Or for a quickstart game, simply give each character one randomly rolled rumor to start the game with. Each rumor is followed by notes indicating the basis for it in Holmes' Sample Dungeon (aka the Tower of Zenopus).

I've marked the rumors True or False like the ones listed in the B1 and B2, although here the "False" rumors are generally partially true, with some misinformation involved.

1d20 Portown Rumors:

1. "An old story has a wizard with a tower on one of the hills to the west of town, out past the graveyard near the sea cliff. I don't know much, but supposedly he dug tunnels in the hill, looking for treasures from the past. Then he disappeared, and now it's a ruin, supposedly haunted. But if you are brave maybe there is still treasure to be found there."

True. From the first two paragraphs of the Background, including "Rumor has it that the magician made extensive cellars and tunnels underneath the tower" and "was said to excavate his cellars in search of ancient treasure".

2. "I've heard the sage Ethbran holds that Portown was built on the ruins of a forgotten city. On the hills west of town you can still find some stones from the ancient structures, decorated with odd, unsettling symbols."

True. From the Background that the "town is located on the ruins of an older city of doubtful history" and "the reputed dungeons lie in close proximity to the foundations of the older, pre-human city". I've added the sage; he will buy old treasures found in the dungeon and may identify magic items for a price.

3. "Don't believe a word of it, but for a bottle of whiskey that crazy old drunk Zadok will tell you a tale about a doomed wizard he says he worked for in his youth. It's good for a laugh."

True. Zadok's tale is true as he was one of Zenopus' "human servants who escaped the holocaust, saying their master had been destroyed by some powerful force he had unleashed in the depths of the tower". For 10 gp bottle of whiskey Zadok will tell the full tale of Zenopus; read the first four paragraphs of the Background to the players. (A character named Zadok Allen serves a similar role in H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth).

4. "There are some old ruins in the hills to the west of town, but if you are wise you'll stay away. Last year a group of reckless youths went in there looking for treasure and were never seen again. Even if you make it back alive, folks here don't take kindly to strangers poking about with things that should be left alone."

True. Drawn from the Background: "townsfolk continue to shun the ruins" and "the few adventurous souls who have descended into crypts ... have failed to return at all"; and the coda: "What are the townspeople going to do when they discover that our friends are tampering with Things Better Left Alone?" If the players openly enter the ruins they may encounter hostility from some locals. The DM could add a reward for evidence of the missing youths; perhaps the old bones & armor in the rat's nest in Room G.

5. "Keep your voices down. I've heard that the hill to the west of town is full of a wizard's gold, but it's also guarded by his vengeful ghost".

False. There is treasure there, but it's not the wizard's gold or guarded by his ghost. From the Background: "Whispered tales are told of fabulous treasure and unspeakable monsters in the underground passages below the hilltop".

6. "Now don't tell anyone, but as youths some friends and I snuck into a dungeon in the old ruins west of town. It's easy to get in; the entrance is a set of wide steps going down. We found nothing but empty tunnels and dangerous vermin. I think it was all cleaned out long time ago. You'll have better luck earning some coin by finding a job here in town."

False. There is still plenty of treasure to be found; the teller is either lying or simply didn't find anything. From the Background: "The entrance to the old dungeons can be easily located as a flight of broad stone steps leading down into darkness, but the few adventurous souls who have descended into crypts below the ruin have either reported only empty stone corridors or..."

7. "Bandits in the hills have been attacking caravans from the south bringing up spices and other goods. The Guild is seeking to hire scouts to find the bandit's hideout."

True. Based on the "caravan routes from the south" (from the Background) and "a trip apt to be punctuated by attacks by brigands" (from Holmes' DM guidance). Use a group of 30 bandits with a 4th level fighter leader per the Bandit entry in the Monster List. The Guild can be the same organization from B2 The Keep on the Borderlands, Area 16 of the Keep.

8. "The Swift Merman, a merchant ship, is paying well for fighting arms to protect it while plies the Northern Sea to deliver spices from the south leaving Portown enroute for other towns up the coast."

True. Based on the "the merchant ships that dare the pirate-infested waters of the Northern Sea". Per the Holmes Manuscript, Buccaneers and Pirates are treated as Bandits regarding numbers, so a single ship might have 30 pirates with a 4th level fighter leader.

9. "If you need an extra sword arm, try hiring a man-at-arms from that big fellow Ajax at the shop "Warrior-For-Hire". Pricey, but he hires only the strongest and most dependable."

True. Background: "If only one player is taking his or her character into the dungeon,
the Dungeon Master should recommend employing one or more men-at-arms. These non-player characters can then be "rolled up" and hired out for a share of the treasure." Ajax is based on Holmes' Warrior-For-Hire. They require an equal share of the treasure.

10. "The Guild is hiring extra night watchmen to patrol the warehouses down by the harbor. Robbers keep evading their current guards and stealing goods, mostly food. Street urchins are suspected since small footprints were found in spilled flour in one break-in."

True. But the "urchins" are actually the goblins from Room A, sneaking into town for food. If confronted, they will try to escape unless cornered, in which case they will fight until half their number is killed, and then surrender. To evade pursuit a goblin may even throw a vial of sleep gas as per their trapped chest. As above the Guild can be the same group as in B2.

11. "Looking for work? There's a hardworking magician who lives in a short tower on the west side of town who is said to be a dependable employer".

False. While this magician will hire the characters for certain jobs, he is actually the evil thaumaturgist from Rooms F and S in the dungeon, with his tower above Room S. This rumor assumes he is one of the "other magic-users [that] have moved into the town" from the Background. The thaumaturgist is "trying to take over the dungeon level" so this work could even lead to a job clearing out a dungeon room such as the Giant Spider. Obviously, he will betray the party at some point. 

12. "That old drunk Otus was recently fished out of the sea to the west of town, half-drowned. He says he last remembers wandering into the sewers beneath town, looking for a warm place to sleep and fell in a river. But then how did he end up out in the sea?"

True. Otus fell in the underground river that goes through Rooms H, K, L and M, and was swept out to sea, amazingly surviving. Inspired by Lovecraft's The Festival, where the protagonist is swept out to sea by an underground river.

13. "Looking for lost treasure, eh? Try those sea caves beneath the high cliffs west of town, if you dare. I've always heard that pirate treasure is buried there! But watch yourself getting in or that surf will dash you to pieces against the rocks at the base of the cliffs."

True. One of the sea caves is the entrance to Room M. Others should have pirate "treasure troves hidden in the sea caves" per the coda of the adventure. Perhaps a d10 random table of sea cave encounters, one of which is the entrance to Room M.

14. "Merchants are complaining that stolen goods have been turning up in town. Smugglers are suspected, but it isn't clear how they are getting the goods past the town guards. The Guild will pay for information."

True. The sea cave in Room M is "used by smugglers and pirates" to hide out while they bring stolen goods into town.

15. "The town is abuzz due to the disappearance of Lord Leomund's heir and eldest daughter Lemunda the Lovely. She has been missing for a day and the Lord is offering a reward for her return or any information on her whereabouts. The word is that she ran off with a band of adventurers on a quest for treasure".

False. Lemunda has disappeared, but was kidnapped by pirates and is being held in Room M, a sea cave.

16. "Several fisherman have gone missing while checking crab pots to the west of the harbor. Their boats were found floating, abandoned. One corpse was found with strange marks on its skin. A sea creature is suspected, and a group of a fisherman are offering a reward for proof of its destruction."

True. The Large Octopus described in Room M is responsible. If killed, the pirates will hear of the party and recognize them as a possible threat. 

17. "I've heard stories that kings were buried in the ancient catacombs of Portown in huge coffins filled with coins. If only I knew where they were!"

False. Room N is part of the catacombs, but the ancients were buried with jewelry and arms rather than coins.

18. "The Widow Dannick is frightened of the scratching noises she hears coming from her cellar and would like someone to investigate. In return she offers the gear of her deceased husband, a retired adventurer, which is stored in the basement."

True. Rats from Room RT have tunneled into her basement and are nesting there. The PCs will find that the tunnels lead to Room N, providing a possible entrance to the dungeon.

19. "Grave-robbers recently struck the cemetery. Ol' Gozef the caretaker says that a grave collapsed into a large hole in the ground, with no trace of the coffin that should have been there. He wants to catch the robbers if you are interested in a job."

False. The coffin was stolen by ghouls rather than more mundane grave-robbers. This rumor is based on the "ghoul haunted passages beneath the graveyard" mentioned in the coda to the Sample Dungeon, and Room P with ghouls and smashed coffins. The ghouls  dig out the graves from underneath, hence the collapse. A stakeout could lead to a confrontation with one or more ghouls. An entire underground complex could be designed, perhaps with a ghast leading the ghouls. The coda also references, "inhuman rites in the tunnels", which suggests cultists are also involved with the ghouls. 

20. "The Merchant Amev was known for walking about town accompanied by his beloved  ape companion Thak. But the ape ran off one evening and never returned. Amev is distraught and is offering a hefty reward for the ape's return or information leading to such."

True. The evil thaumaturgist has captured the ape and is keeping him in a cage in Room S2. The ape "hates the cage and has been waiting to get even". See also Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue and Howard's Rogues in the House (where the name Thak is from).

Notes:

Most of the proper names are sourced from the Holmesian Random Name Generator.

Some of these rumors will result in the PCs approaching the dungeon from a different entrance, or meeting one of the encounters out of context. They also were designed with the idea of making the Portown setting more of a mini-campaign area. If you need a map of Portown, I suggest the one by Paleologos.

Feedback is appreciated. I'll put these on a one-page reference sheet after a time. 

Update: If you don't have a copy of Holmes' Sample Dungeon that describes Portown, it's still available as a free download from the Wizards website. 

Update #2: These rumors, along with the briefer versions, are now available as a Portown Rumors pdf. 

Holmes Panel at NTRPG Con 2016

If you are going to the North Texas RPG Convention (NTRPG Con) this June, registration begins tonight at midnight in the Texas time zone (Central Standard Time).

I'll be going to this con for the first time this year, and will be participating in a Holmes panel/reading/seminar/Q&A with Chris Holmes and Allan Grohe (aka grodog on various forums). The event is listed as part of the NTRPG Con schedule, Saturday June 4th at 9 AM. There doesn't seem to be a direct link, but I've posted a screen shot of the listing above. If you go to the Event List and search for "Holmes", you should find it.

I'll be playing in a bunch of games at the con as well, and hope to meet some other Holmes fans while I'm there.

Character Creation Worksheet PDF

Character Creation Worksheet for Holmes Basic

(direct download link)

After a bit of delay, here is the promised downloadable pdf of the Character Creation Worksheet for Holmes Basic. You can also get to it via the Holmes Ref page.

I tweaked the sheet a bit more, but not much. I moved the Prime Requisite adjustment from step #2 to its own step (#3), so there are ten steps now. Note that Holmes omits any mention of elves from the section on Adjusting Ability Scores.

Please let me know if you spot any errors.

Previous posts about this sheet can be found here and here.