Beyond the Nightmare Gate Read Free Page A

and may, sometimes, impart misleading information.
    If you choose this Power, write ‘Psychomancy’ on your Action Chart .
Evocation

    Mastery of this Power permits contact with the spirit realm. A wizard wishing to speak with the dead, or to call up a form from the spirit world, must draw a magic pentacle and enter a trance, when the use of the correct spell-chant will reach out to the Spiritual Plane. Standing within the protection of a magic pentacle, a wizard may consider himself to be relatively safe from harm. If he wishes to speak with a corpse, especially one whose former life was good and righteous, then a wizard can expect help and advice. However, contact with those whose former lives were evil or selfish can be a perilous, and often fatal, experience. Evil spirits are reluctant to return to the realm of the dead and may try to trick a wizard into freeing them into the world of the living. All spirits, good and evil, will require some service of the wizard in return for their aid. Any failure to perform this task, however difficult may result in the wizard losing his life.
    If you choose this Power, write ‘Evocation’ on your Action Chart .
Wizard's Staff

    Your Staff is your most valuable possession. It looks and feels like an ordinary quarterstaff, yet it is stronger than any known metal. This is your main combat weapon, for you are untrained in the use of any other form of armed combat. It contains a potent force that is unleashed at will by the power of your mind, and causes a beam of destructive power to hurtle from its tip. Every time you unleash this power you must deduct 1 WILLPOWER point. 6
    In the event that your enemy survives such an attack or should you fall victim to a surprise attack, you will be forced to engage in close combat and must attempt to strike your enemy with the Staff. If your attack is successful, a bolt of energy will be released from the Staff that is capable of inflicting great physical harm. If you wish to increase the amount of damage that you inflict in this way, you must use more WILLPOWER points and multiply the number of ENDURANCE points lost by the enemy, accordingly. For example, if you chose to expend 3 WILLPOWER points on your attack, all enemy ENDURANCE point losses would be multiplied by three.
    If you enter combat without your Staff, deduct 6 points from your COMBAT SKILL . If you have no weapon at all, you must deduct 8 points from your COMBAT SKILL .
    [ 5 ] The wording of this section of the rules seems to indicate — if read literally — that you may choose your set of Powers again if you have completed a previous adventure. This is without precedent in other books. In order to preserve consistency with other books, you should not choose your Powers again. If you have completed at least one previous adventure, you may choose one additional Power from the list. If you choose Alchemy as your new Magical Power, you also receive a Herb Pouch with contents, as detailed in the Equipment section.
    [ 6 ] If your WILLPOWER falls to zero or below, you will not be able to use the magical properties of your Wizard's Staff until your score is again above zero. You can still use your Wizard's Staff in combat as a normal weapon, but you must deduct 6 points from your COMBAT SKILL .

Beyond the Nightmare Gate
by Joe Dever and Ian Page
    Equipment
    You wear the grey robe and hooded cloak of a Shianti Wizard. Your only weapon is your Wizard's Staff (note this on your Action Chart under Weapons). You wear a Backpack containing 4 Meals (note under Meals on your Action Chart ), and you have been given a map of the Shadakine Empire (note under Special Items on your Action Chart ), which you place inside your robe. 7
    If you have chosen Alchemy as one of your Magical Powers, then you will have a leather pouch for herbs and potions hanging from your belt. The Herb Pouch contains the following:
2 empty Vials for carrying potions
1 Vial containing Saltpetre
1 Vial containing