Page 41 - Dungeon Master's Guide

·arfare in a fantasy world is rife \.Vith opportunities cultural origins. An alternati>e name changes none of
-adventure. A war campaign isn"t generally concerned the weapon's properties as they are described in the
- i.be specifics of troop movements, but instead Player's Handbook.
_ --es on the heroes whose actions turn the tide of
- e. The characters carry out specific missions: CROSSING THE STREAMS
_ ·ure a magical standard that empowers undead
The renowned paladin Murlynd, from the world of
·e . gather reinforcements to break a siege, or
Oerth (as featured in Greyhawk novels and game
_ -- ough the enemy's flank to reach a demonic
products), dresses in the traditional garb of Earth's
-mander. In other situations, the party supports
Old West and wears a pair of six-shooters strapped
- larger army by holding a strategic location until
to his waist. The Mace of St. Cuthbert, a holy weapon
_:orcements arrive, killing enemy scouts before
belonging to Greyhawk's god of justice, found its way
_ can report, or cutting off supply lines. Information
to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1985.
_ --~ring and diplomatic missions can supplement the
Somewhere in the Barrier Peaks of Oerth, the wreckage
combat-oriented adventures.
of a spacefaring vessel is said to lie, with bizarre alien
- e War of the Lance in the Dragon lance Chronicles
lifeforms and strange items of technology on board. And
-;: - and the War of the Spider Queen in the novel
the famous wizard Elminster of the Forgotten Realms
of the same name are prominent examples of has been said to make occasional appearances in the
-s in D&D novels. kitchen of Canadian writer Ed Greenwood- where he is
sometimes joined by wizards from the worlds of Oerth
::XIA
-------------------------------- an,d Krynn (homeworld of the Dragon lance saga).
-~n a sensei disappears mysteriously, her young Deep in D&D's roots are elements of science
em must take her place and hunt down the oni fiction and science fantasy, and your campaign might
rizing their village. Accomplished heroes, masters draw on those sources as well. It's okay to send your
· ·eir respective martial arts, return home to free their characters hurtling through a magic mirror to Lewis
ge from an evil hobgoblin warlord. The rakshasa Carroll's Wonderland, put them aboard a ship traveling
'er of a nearby monastery performs rituals to raise between the stars, or set your campaign in a far-future
- led ghosts from their rest. world where laser blasters and magic missiles exist
-.campaign that draws on elements of Asian martial- side by side. The possibilities are limitless. Chapter
- movies is a perfect match for D&D. Players can 9, "Dungeon Master's Workshop," provides tools for
"" e the appearance of their characters and gear exploring those possibilities.
·er they like for the campaign, and spells need only
- - flavor changes so that they better reflect such a WUXIA WEAPON NAMES
- g. For example, when the characters use spells Weapon Other Names (Culture)
::;>ecial abilities that teleport them short distances,
Battleaxe fu (China); masakari (Japan)
_ actually make high-flying acrobatic leaps. Ability
Club bian (China); tonfa (Japan)
to climb don't involve careful searching for holds
Dagger bishou, tamo (China); kozuka, tanto (Japan)
· .e characters bounce up walls or from tree to tree.
-· ·ors stun their opponents by striking pressure Dart shuriken (Japan)
-· . Flavorful descriptions of actions in the game Flail nunchaku (Japan)
-change the nuts and bolts of the rules, but they Glaive guandao (China); bisento, naginata (Japan)
·e all the difference in the feel of a campaign . Greatclub tetsubo (Japan)
.=..:ni!arly, a class doesn't need new rules to reflect Greatsword changdao (China); nodachi (Japan)
~ ural influence; a new name can do the trick. A Halberd ji (China); kamayari (Japan)
· -onal Chinese wuxia hero might be a paladin Handaxe ono (Japan)
-'las a sword called the Oath of Vengeance, while a
Javelin mau (China); uchi-ne (Japan)
- e e samurai might be a paladin with a particular
Lance umayari (Japan)
--of Devotion (bushido) that includes fealty to a
Longbow daikyu (Japan)
-:. daimyo) among its tenets. A ninja is a monk who
Longsword jian (China); katana (Japan)
-::"•es the Way of Shadow. Whether called a wujen,
" ·ai. or a swami, a wizard, sorcerer, or warlock Mace chui (China); kanabo (Japan)
· :acter works just fine in a game inspired by medieval Pike mao (China); nagaeyari (Japan)
n cultures. Quarterstaff gun (China); bo (Japan)
Scimitar liuyedao (China); wakizashi (Japan)
:-xiA WEAPON NAMES Shortbow hankyu (Japan)
ing players refer to a tetsubo or a katana rather than Shortsword shuangdao (China)
,. atclub or a longsword can enhance the flavor of
Sickle kama (Japan)
_tia campaign. The Wuxia Weapon Names table
Spear qiang (China); yari (Japan)
·""" alternative names for common weapons from
Trident cha (Ch ina); magariyari (Japan)
- PJayer's Handbook and identifies their real-world
War pick fang (China); kuwa (Japan)

CHAPTER 1 I A WORLD OF YOUR OWN
4-I