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Monster Mythology
''Monster Mythology'', published by TSR in 1992, is a sourcebook about non-human deities that can be used in fantasy role-playing games using the second edition rules for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D''). Description ''Monster Mythology'' is a 128-page leatherette-bound trade paperback written by Carl Sargent, with interior artwork by John and Laura Lakey, Keith Parkinson, and Terry Dykstra. It was the fourth book in the ''Dungeon Master's Guide Rules'' series that was created for the second edition of ''AD&D''. The purpose of the book is to detail non-human deities, which, to that point, had not been described for this edition of ''AD&D''. As author Shannon Applecline points out, "Though the book is putatively a 'monster' mythology, it actually contains deities for demihumans, humanoids, and monsters alike." It contains detailed information on the societies, cultures, myths, and deities of several non-human pantheons, including those of the elves, dwarves, gnomes, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Sargent
Carl Lynwood Sargent (11 December 1952 – 12 September 2018) was a British parapsychologist and author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels, who used the pen name Keith Martin to write ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebooks. Early life and education Sargent was schooled in South Wales and the West of England. He then attended Churchill College, Cambridge, majoring in the natural sciences, and graduated with honours in psychology in 1974. He received a PhD in 1979 for a work which bore on parapsychology, and went on to undertake post-doctoral research in parapsychology at the Psychological Laboratory of the University of Cambridge. Sargent was the first parapsychologist to obtain a Cambridge doctorate. He taught psychology at the same university. Many of his experiments were made using students from the science and geography departments opposite the Psychology department on the Downing Site, paying £2-3 per experiment; the main task would be to guess the colour or value ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures. Most versions of the game feature a system in which players make two choices for characters. One is the character's views on "law" versus "chaos", the other on "good" versus "evil". The two axes allow for nine alignments in combination. Later editions of ''D&D'' have shifted away from tying alignment to specific game mechanics; instead, alignment is used as a roleplaying guide and does not need to be rigidly adhered to by the player. According to Ian Livingstone, alignment is "often criticized as being arbitrary and unreal, but... it works if played well and provides a useful structural framework on which not only characters but governments and worlds can be moulded." History ''D&D'' co-creator Gary Gygax credited the inspiration for the alignment system to the fantasy stories of Michael M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairies. Etymology Oberon is derived from Alberich (from Old High German ''alb-'' "elf" and ''-rîh-'', "ruler", "king"), the name of a dwarf from Germanic mythology. In the ''Nibelungenlied'', a Burgundian poem written around the turn of the 13th century, Alberich guards the treasure of the Nibelungen, but is overcome by Siegfried. In Old French, the name Alberich evolved into ''Alberon'' and then ''Auberon'' and ultimately into ''Aubrey''. French heroic song The name Oberon (as Auberon) is first attested to in the early 13th century entitled , wherein it refers to an elven man of the forest encountered by the eponymous hero. Huon, son of Seguin count of Bordeaux, passed through the forest inhabited by Oberon. He was warned by a hermit no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titania (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Titania () is a character in William Shakespeare's 1595–1596 play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. In the play, she is the Queen of the fairies and wife of the Fairy King, Oberon. Due to Shakespeare's influence, later fiction has often used the name "Titania" for fairy queen characters. Origins In traditional folklore, the fairy queen has no name. As such, Shakespeare took the name "Titania" from Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'', where it is an appellation given to the daughters of Titans. Role in the play Shakespeare's Titania has a major role to play in one of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream's'' subplots. Titania is a very proud creature and as much of a force to contend with as her husband, Oberon. She and Oberon are engaged in a marital quarrel over which of them should have the keeping of an Indian changeling boy. It is this quarrel which drives the plot, creating the mix-ups and confusion of the other characters in the play. Due to an enchantment cast by Oberon's servant Puck ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the " Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. He remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted. Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna Hall, Susanna, and twins Hamnet Shakespeare, Hamnet and Judith Quiney, Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White Wolf Magazine
''White Wolf'' is a game magazine that was published by White Wolf Publishing from 1986 to 1995. History While still in high school, Stewart Wieck and Steve Wieck decided to self-publish their own magazine, and Steve chose the name "White Wolf" after Elric of Melniboné. ''White Wolf'' #1 was published by their White Wolf Publishing in August 1986 and distributors began to order the magazine a few issues later as its print runs continued to increase. In 1990, Lion Rampant and White Wolf Publishing decided to merge into a new company that was simply called "White Wolf", and in an editorial in the magazine Stewart Weick explained that the magazine would remain independent despite the company's interest in role-playing production. With issue #50 (1995), the magazine's name was changed to ''White Wolf: Inphobia'', but the magazine was cancelled by issue #57. Reception ''White Wolf'' won the Origins Award for "Best Professional Adventure Gaming Magazine" in 1991, and again in 1992. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark Sun
''Dark Sun'' is an original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. ''Dark Sun'' featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take on traditional fantasy role-playing. The product line began with the original ''Dark Sun Boxed Set'' released for D&D's 2nd edition in 1991, originally ran until 1996, and was one of TSR's most successful releases. ''Dark Sun'' deviated from the feudalistic backdrops of its Tolkienesque pseudo-medieval contemporaries, such as ''Greyhawk'' or ''Forgotten Realms'', in favor of a composite of dark fantasy, planetary romance, and the Dying Earth subgenre. ''Dark Sun''s designers presented a savage, magic-ravaged desert world where resources are scarce and survival is a daily struggle. The traditional fantasy races and character classes were altered or omitted to better suit the setting's darker themes. ''Dark Sun'' differs further in that t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragonlance
''Dragonlance'' is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job interview. Tracy Hickman met his future writing partner Margaret Weis at TSR, and they gathered a group of associates to play the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, a series of novels, licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures. In 1984, TSR published the first ''Dragonlance'' game module, ''Dragons of Despair'', and the first novel, ''Dragons of Autumn Twilight''. The novel began the ''Chronicles'' trilogy, a core element of the ''Dragonlance'' world. While the authoring team of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the setting's central books, numerous other authors contributed novels, short stories a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson's ''Blackmoor (campaign setting), Blackmoor'' campaign predated it by over a year—the world of Greyhawk closely identified with early development of the game beginning in 1972, and after being published it remained associated with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' publications until 2008. The world itself started as a simple dungeon under a castle designed by Gary Gygax for the amusement of his children and friends, but it was rapidly expanded to include not only a complex multi-layered dungeon environment, but also the nearby city of Greyhawk, and eventually an entire world. In addition to the campaign world, which was published in several editions over twenty years, Greyhawk was also used as the setting for many adventures published in support of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, Greenwood brought the setting to publication for the ''D&D'' game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, as have various licensed products including novels, role-playing video game adaptations (including the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game to use graphics), comic books, and an upcoming film. Forgotten Realms is a fantasy world setting, described as a world of strange lands, dangerous creatures, and mighty deities, where magic and supernatural phenomena are quite real. The premise is that, long ago, planet Earth and the world of the For ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magic Item (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magic powers that inherit it. These items may act on their own or be the tools of the character possessing them. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the original edition in 1974 until the modern fifth edition. In addition to jewels and gold coins, they form part of the treasure that the players often seek in a dungeon. Magic items are generally found in treasure hoards, or recovered from fallen opponents; sometimes, a powerful or important magic item is the object of a quest. Development 1st edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' In the first edition, all artifacts are classed as miscellaneous magic items, even ones that are weapons, armor, or rings. Each artifact has a certain number of Minor, Major, and Prime Powers, and of Minor, Major, and Side Effects which trigger when the item is acquired, or its Major and Prime Powers are used. The po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beholder (Dungeons & Dragons)
The beholder is a fictional monster in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It is depicted as a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and many smaller eyestalks on top with powerful magical abilities. The beholder is among the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' monsters that have appeared in every edition of the game since 1975. Beholders are one of the few classic Dungeons & Dragons monsters that Wizards of the Coast claims as Product Identity and as such was not released under its Open Game License. Beholders have been used on the cover of different ''Dungeons & Dragons'' handbooks, including the fifth edition ''Monster Manual''. Publication history Unlike many other ''Dungeons & Dragons'' monsters, the beholder is an original creation for ''D&D'', as it is not based on a creature from mythology or other fiction. Rob Kuntz's brother Terry Kuntz created the ''Beholder'', and Gary Gygax detailed it for publication. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974–1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
