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  The Roleplaying Game of Heroic Adventure in the Mythic Age – Revised Edition 
   
   
  Legendary Games Studio
  Legendary Games Studio
  Legendary Games Studio
  Legendary Games Studio    
      
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  2 
  MAZES & minotaurs 
   
  THE ROLEPLAYING GAME OF HEROIC ADVENTURE IN THE MYTHIC AGE 
   
  BOOK TWO : MAZE MASTERS GUIDE 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Credits 
   
  Original Concept : Paul Elliott 
   
  Original Game Design : Olivier Legrand 
   
  Extra Material : Paul Elliott, Erik Sieurin, Luigi 
  Castellani, Guy Hoyle, John Marron, Reid “Reidzilla” 
  San Filippo and Carl David Quaif. 
   
  Revised Edition Supervisor : Olivier Legrand. 
   
  2008 Proofrading : Matthew Rees 
   
  Cover Art : © Luigi Castellani (d’après Ingres) 
   
  Interior Art : Diverse Hands.  
   
  Some illustrations © copyright Clipart.com  
   
  All text contents © Legendary Games Studio. 
   
  A Hearty Minotaurian Salute to the whole M&M 
  legion of faithful hoplites, especially (in alphabetical 
  order) Luigi Castellani, Hoplite Nomad, Guy Hoyle, 
  John Marron, Carlos de la Cruz, Lyzi Shadow, Carl 
  David Quaif, Jeff Rients, Emmanuel “Croquefer” 
  Roudier, Reid "Reidzilla" San Filippo, Erik Sieurin, 
  Matt Staggs, Garry “Doc” Weinberger, Joseph C. 
  Wolf and, of course, Paul Elliott. Additional special 
  thanks to Sergio Mascarenhas, game expert 
  extraordinaire (and very nice guy).  
    
  Original M&M Dedication : This game is dedicated 
  to Ray Harryhausen. The authors also wish to thank 
  Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson, Ken St-André, Greg 
  Stafford & Steve Perrin, Ian Livingstone & Steve 
  Jackson, Dave Morris & Oliver Johnson… and all 
  the other explorers of legends, without whom this 
  game would never have existed. What a weird and 
  wonderful odyssey it has been ! 
   
  Revised Edition Dedication : This new book is 
  dedicated to all the gamers on this planet who have 
  contributed to the whole Mazes & Minotaurs 
  experience by their talent, inspiration, dedication, 
  support or critical advice.  The original M&M rules 
  were written by a French gamer from an original 
  concept created by a British gamer. Since then, the 
  game has been enriched by creative contributions 
  from American, Italian, Swedish and Spanish 
  gamers and has sparked the interest of people all 
  over the world, from Portugal to Germany, Poland, 
  Israel, Canada, Greece…  making the Mazes & 
  Minotaurs odyssey a truly unique and international 
  experience. Gamers from all countries unite !!! 
   
  MAZES & MINOTAURS 
  Revised Second Edition 
   
  Book I : Players Manual 
  Includes full rules on character creation (with 12 
  classes !), combat and magic. 
   
  Book II : Maze Masters Guide 
  Includes chapters on mythic lore, creatures and 
  game mastering, background on the world of 
  Mythika and a catalogue of mythic items ! 
   
  Book III : Creature Compendium 
  Amazing collection of more than 150 folks, 
  beasts, monsters, spirits and other creatures, 
  including special variants and subspecies. 
   
  Coming Soon : M&M  Companion 
  Tons of new options for revised M&M, including 
  secondary skills, Homeric combat, influencing 
  NPCs, chariots and more ! 
   
   
  Legendary Games Studio 
   
  
   
  3 
  Second Edition Foreword 
   
  So here we are, in 1987…  Fifteen years (Holy 
  Zeus, 15 years !!!) have passed since the Mazes & 
  Minotaurs roleplaying game was first published by 
  a small company called Legendary Games Studio. 
   
  Since those early (and almost mythical) days, 
  roleplaying games have become a major hobby as 
  well as an established part of modern pop culture, 
  alongside with comic books, fantasy novels and 
  science-fiction movies.  
   
  Back in 1972, when Paul Elliott and I were working 
  on the original M&M game, a lot of people kept on 
  telling us how silly our idea was and how our game 
  would never get published because nobody would 
  ever be interested in some sort of unrealistic 
  “adventure wargame”… But our weird little game 
  finally got published and caught the imagination of 
  thousands of people around the planet.  
   
  Then, during the first years of the M&M odyssey, the 
  same oracles kept on telling that roleplaying games 
  were just a fad and would never survive the 
  eighties. Wrong again. The rolegaming community 
  prospered and here we are, 15 years after, with a 
  new, fully revised version of the M&M rules. 
   
  This second edition of Mazes & Minotaurs takes the 
  form of three core books : The Players Manual 
  (which you are currently reading), The Maze 
  Masters Guide and The Creature Compendium.  
   
  This basic trilogy will be followed by a fourth book, 
  the Mazes & Minotaurs Companion, which will 
  offer a variety of options to expand the basic game. 
   
  But why a new version, you ask ?  And what does 
  “revised” mean, anyway ? 
   
  First, a word to all M&M veterans : it is still the same 
  game ! Nobles and priests, centaurs and sorcerers, 
  cyclops and chimeras and, of course, mazes and 
  minotaurs, they’re all here ! The game system is the 
  same too – except that we have streamlined, 
  clarified and, well, revised a few things here and 
  there, not to change the game but to make it better.  
   
  This new edition also incorporates revised material 
  originally published in the first edition supplements, 
  from the venerable Men & Monsters and Myth & 
  Magic to the more recent Unveiled Addenda and 
  Herkatoteratos…  along with new, never-before-
  published stuff, including background material on 
  the world of Mythika (which shall be revealed in the 
  forthcoming Maze Masters Guide) ! 
   
  We also hope that this new edition will bring a whole 
  new generation of heroic gamers to the mythical 
  world of Mazes & Minotaurs…  Adventure awaits !  
   
  Let the Odyssey begin… again ! 
   
  Olivier Legrand 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Table of Contents 
   
  I : MYTHIC LORE  
   
   
   
  Gods & Goddesses  
   
   
       4 
   
  A World of Adventure 
   
   
       7 
   
  Geography (Mythika) 
   
   
       8 
   
  Map of Mythika   
   
   
       9 
   
  Languages of Mythika   
   
      10 
   
  Cosmogony (Mythika) 
   
   
      11 
   
  History (Mythika) 
   
   
      12 
   
  II : CREATURES 
   
  Creatures in Game Terms 
   
      15 
   
  Creatures & Combat  
   
   
      16 
   
  Special Abilities  
   
   
      17 
   
  Vanquishing Creatures   
   
      24 
   
  Non-Player Characters  
   
      25 
   
  III : GAME MASTERING 
   
  Creating Epic Adventures  
   
      26 
   
  Mysterious Island Generator  
   
      28 
   
  Temple Generator  
   
   
      30 
   
  City-State Generator  
   
   
      31 
   
  Adventure Plot Generator  
   
      34 
   
  IV : MYTHIC ITEMS 
   
  Magical Armaments  
   
   
      37 
   
  Potions & Consumables   
   
      39 
   
  Staves & Wands  
   
   
      42 
   
  Rings & Amulets  
   
   
      43 
   
  Garments & Accessories  
   
      44 
   
  Miscellaneous Items . 
   
   
      45 
   
  Unique Artifacts   
   
   
      48 
   
  Identifying Mythic Items   
   
      49 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  4 
  I : MYTHIC LORE 
      
   
   
  Gods & Goddesses 
   
  Who are the Gods ? 
   
  The gods rule the universe from the top of Mount 
  Olympus. There were originally twelve Olympians, 
  feeding off ambrosia and nectar served to them by 
  Ganymede the cup bearer.  
   
  Each god has his own palace and is engaged in 
  endless intrigues with the other Olympians for 
  power and influence. Many times has this august 
  assembly been at odds : in Greek mythology, the 
  Trojan War is a perfect example of such struggles. 
   
  At one time each god sponsored his favourite 
  heroes in glorious quests and bitter blood feuds on 
  earth, but nowadays their influence is mainly 
  achieved through their priests.  
   
  Religion and Worship 
   
  Each god has a host of temples scattered across 
  the civilized world. These temples are only very 
  loosely affiliated. In many cases each temple is 
  dedicated to a different aspect of the god.  
   
  Worship usually takes place at an altar outside the 
  front steps of a temple, but still within the sacred 
  precinct. Sheep or goats are sacrificed and burnt as 
  offerings to the god, then eaten as a sacred meal. 
  Wine can also be offered as a libation.  
   
  Each cult also has its specific ceremonies, which 
  may range from solemn celebrations to symbolic 
  rituals or more orgiastic feasts. 
  Major Deities 
   
  Aphrodite 
   
  The amorous goddess of love, beauty and sex, 
  married (in the myths) to Hephaestus.  
   
  She is fickle and passionate, and prone to initiating 
  liaisons and  romances. Young lovers pray to her, 
  as well as courtesans and, oddly, seamen.  
   
  Symbol : A seashell 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Courtesans, nobles, sailors, 
  some nymphs. 
   
  Apollo 
   
  A multi-talented god of sunlight, musicians, fortune-
  tellers and medicine. This bold and potent god is 
  also the protector of herdsmen, but it is his 
  association with the sun that is most strong.  
   
  Apollo’s deadly and unerring skill with the bow is 
  symbolic of rays of light but his typical symbol is the 
  lyre, the musical instrument of the Lyrists.  
   
  Many famous seers and soothsayers also claim to 
  have been given their powers by Apollo.  
   
  Symbol : The bow and the lyre. 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Lyrists, some nobles, some 
  nymphs, poets, archers, shepherds, soothsayers, 
  hunters, physicians.  
  
   
  5 
   
   
  Ares 
   
  A brash god of warfare, Ares is popular with 
  adventurers. Ares is invoked also for revenge. He is 
  not a subtle god of grand strategy but an up-front 
  believer in raw combat. 
   
  Symbol : Blazing torch and the spear. 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Soldiers, commanders, 
  warlike nobles, mercenaries. 
   
  Artemis 
   
  Artemis is the virgin sister of Apollo, and she is the 
  goddess of hunting and of wildlife. As a fertility 
  goddess Artemis is invoked by mothers as well as 
  more typically hunters. She also has a lunar aspect 
  and is well known as a great and deadly archer. 
   
  Symbol : A burning torch or a faithful hound. 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Hunters, women, dryads. 
   
  Athena 
   
  The virgin daughter of Zeus, Athena burst, fully 
  armed and armored, from her father’s head.  After 
  her birth she dispensed advice to Zeus.  
   
  Athena looks over artists, craftsmen, scholars and 
  other agents or protectors of civilization, which 
  includes doctors, actors, poets, students, soldiers, 
  nobles etc. As a warrior-goddess, she fights for 
  order, peace and righteous causes. 
   
  Symbol : The owl is her main symbol, but she is 
  also famous for the aegis, a shield emblazoned with 
  the terrifying face of Medusa. 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Nobles, soldiers, craftsmen, 
  scholars, defenders. 
  Demeter 
   
  This gentle goddess presides over agriculture, 
  fertility and the earth. The cult of Demeter is often 
  accompanied by wild orgies. Her temples, called 
  megara, are usually found in or near the woods. Her 
  daughter Persephone spends six months of the year 
  with Hades, symbolising the changing seasons and 
  the eternal cycle of life and death.  
   
  Symbol : The sheaf of corn. 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Farmers, country folk, earth 
  elementalists, some nymphs. 
   
  Hephaestus 
   
  The god of fire, smiths and craftsmen in general, 
  Hephaestus is a brawny, lame god. He is also 
  associated with cyclopes and volcanoes. In myth he 
  built many fantastic devices, some of which are 
  hidden about the world in labyrinths and on remote 
  islands. Much to his misfortune, Hephaestus’ wife is 
  the adulterous Aphrodite. 
   
  Symbol : Hammer and tongs. 
   
  Typical 
  Worshippers 
  : 
  Smiths, 
  armourers, 
  bronzeworkers, fire elementalists. 
   
  Hera 
   
  The matronly wife of Zeus, Hera is associated with 
  the sky and with the moon. Goddess of women and 
  of childbirth and marriage, she is rarely invoked by 
  adventurers. Hera punished many of Zeus' lovers, 
  and could be said to have also embodied jealousy.  
   
  Symbol : The peacock is her cult animal, her other 
  symbol is the pomegranate. 
   
  Typical Worshippers : House-keepers, stewards, 
  seekers of vengeance, defenders. 
   
   
   
   
  Stately Hera, wife of Zeus 
  
   
  6 
   
   
  Hermes, god of travellers, merchants & thieves 
   
  Hermes 
   
  The winged messenger of the gods, Hermes is also 
  the god of thieves, travellers and merchants. 
  Hermes also guides the spirits of the dead to the 
  underworld, and wayside marker stones are 
  dedicated to him. The great cults to Hermes are run 
  by the merchant brotherhoods to which they owe 
  their good fortune. Gamblers too, pray to him.  
   
  Symbol : Hermae, phallic pillars on street corners, 
  cross-roads 
  and 
  gateways, 
  winged 
  sandals, 
  caduceus (winged staff entwined with serpents). 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Traders, thieves, travellers 
  as well as some sorcerers. 
   
  Hestia 
   
  The goddess of the home and hearth. The family 
  and community are associated with her gentle cult. 
  Bakers also sacrifice to her.  
   
  Symbol : Fire, Protection 
   
  Typical Worshippers : Housewives, magistrates, 
  city officials, stewards. 
   
  Poseidon 
   
  Brother to Zeus, Poseidon is the god of the oceans 
  and seas, as well as earthquakes and horses. A 
  harsh and unrelenting god, the mighty Poseidon 
  shows his anger with spectacular storms, floods and 
  earthquakes. Sailors fear him.  
   
  Symbol : The trident (and the horse).  
   
  Typical Worshippers : Sailors, nereids, some 
  nobles, water elementalists. 
   
   
  Zeus  
   
  Zeus is the supreme ruler of the Olympian gods – 
  king of gods and god of kings. He is a powerful god 
  of sovereignty, mastery, government and victory in 
  warfare. He is also associated with storms, rain, 
  tempests and with thunder and lightning.  
   
  Zeus watches over the affairs of the mortal world 
  and is the supreme judge of divine quarrels. His 
  realm is the Heavens : Earth belongs to his brother 
  Poseidon and the Underworld is ruled by his other 
  brother Hades.  
   
  Symbol : The eagle and the thunderbolt.  
   
  Typical Worshippers : Nobles, leaders, soldiers, 
  some nymphs, air elementalists. 
   
   
   
  Never underestimate the power of divine decorum 
  
   
  7 
   
   
  Other Deities 
   
  Asclepius 
   
  The son of Apollo, the god of medicine and doctors. 
  Asclepius was once in trouble with Hades because 
  he was preventing the new intake of the dead from 
  arriving in the Underworld as they should have.  
   
  Symbol : Caduceus, the winged staff with a snake 
  coiled around it, snakes. 
   
  Worshippers : Physicians. 
   
  Dionysus 
   
  A god of wine, pleasure and revelry often invoked at 
  bars, banquets and orgies. Associated with wine 
  cultivation, he represents both the pleasures of wine 
  and its darker side of mad passions and abuse. His 
  favorite method of punishing wrong-doers is through 
  madness. His cult throws amazing orgies at which 
  respectable women dance wildly in the countryside 
  to the sound of raucous music.  
   
  Symbol : The thyrsus, a sacred pine-cone staff. 
   
  Worshippers : Actors, playwrights, entertainers, 
  vintners, drunkards, mad poets. 
   
  Hades 
   
  The grim and dark god of the Underworld who rules 
  with his wife Persephone. Hades is an incarnation of 
  Death and has no temples and no organized cult.  
   
  Symbol : Cypress tree, narcissus 
   
  Worshippers : Witches 
   
  Minor Deities 
   
  The Muses : Nine daughters of Zeus, goddesses of 
  music, the arts, science, dance, theatre and history. 
  Apollo leads the Muses. 
   
  The Greater Furies : Female demons serving the 
  gods. Daughters of Gaea, these monstrous hags 
  with canine faces and black wings hunt down 
  offenders and drive them mad with terror. The three 
  Furies are not vindictive, but impartial.  
   
  Morpheus & Hypnos : Two ancient gods of sleep, 
  often mistaken for one another. Hypnos rules sleep 
  in general, and Morpheus is the god of dreams. 
  A World of Adventure 
   
  Mazes & Minotaurs adventures can be set in mythic 
  Greece or in imaginary worlds with an ancient 
  mediterranean flavor. The following section details 
  such a setting : the world of Mythika.  
   
  Mythika is an imaginary world reminiscent of ancient 
  mediterranean Europe. It is centered around a 
  Middle Sea bordered by a civilized country called 
  the Land of the Three Cities, itself reminiscent of 
  mythic Greece. Mythika is a place of wonders and 
  perils, heroes and monsters, quests and odysseys. 
   
  The following pages present a brief overview of the 
  world of Mythika, divided into the following sections : 
   
  Geography (including a map of the world) 
   
  Languages (including nonhuman ones) 
   
  Cosmogony (how Mythika came to exist) 
   
  Mythic History (the three ages of the world) 
   
  Recent History (major events in the last century) 
   
  Maze Masters should note that various regions and 
  locations of Mythika have been covered in some 
  detail in the many adventure modules published by 
  Legendary Games Studio for M&M over the years, 
  as well as in the pages of Griffin magazine. 
   
   
  The Spirit of Mythika 
   
  Although it shares many similarities with (and was 
  inspired by) the world of Greek mythology, Mythika 
  is not ancient Greece – or even mythic Greece, for 
  that matter. It is an imaginary world, which owes at 
  least as much to adventure movies or modern 
  fantasy novels as it owes to classic mythology or 
  Homer’s epic poems.  
   
  Erudite readers will probably find many major 
  discrepancies between ‘real’ Greek mythology and 
  the imaginary mythology of Mythika… but such 
  discrepancies have been a full part of the M&M 
  spirit since the birth of the game !  
   
  The main goal of this game is to offer fun and 
  adventure to players, not to imprison them in a 
  web of scholarly references. Simply put, Greek 
  mythology is a source of inspiration for the game 
  but is not its focus nor its theme.  
   
  In keeping with this spirit, Maze Masters should 
  feel free to use their own knowledge of classic 
  myths and ancient history as a source of 
  inspiration, not as a source of restrictions. Maze 
  Masters and players should simply forget about 
  mythic orthodoxy or historical accuracy : despite its 
  pseudo-Hellenistic trappings, Mythika is a fantasy 
  world, with all the tropes of the genre. It is no more 
  (or no less) connected to ancient Greece than R.E. 
  Howard’s Hyborian Age was connected to ancient 
  Europe – and like Conan’s world, Mythika exists 
  only for two purposes : adventure and imagination. 
   
   
  
   
  8 
   
   
  Geography 
   
  The Land of the Three Cities 
   
  As its name implies, this rich and civilized coastal 
  country is divided into three independent (and rival) 
  city-states : Thena, Heraklia and Argos.  
   
  Each of these city-states is a major political power 
  with its own culture, economy and armed forces. In 
  the past, the strong rivalry of the Three Cities has 
  caused several wars but they have been in peace 
  for more than 100 years now, thanks to the efforts of 
  the Thenan monarchs (see History). 
   
  With the exception of Barbarians, Centaurs and 
  Amazons, most Mazes & Minotaurs adventurers will 
  come from the Land of the Three Cities. 
   
  The Middle Sea 
   
  This inner sea has three major islands : Seriphos, 
  near the coasts of the Land of the Three Cities and 
  home to Minea, the fourth major city-state of the 
  area, Proteus, an ancient island often identified as 
  the lost cradle of Middle Sea civilization, now a land 
  of monster-haunted ruins (and, some say, forgotten 
  treasures and wonders) and the eastern isle of 
  Tritonis, last remnant of the once mighty sea-
  empire of the same name, home to the decadent 
  and dangerous Sea Princes of Acharnia. 
   
  The Wild North  
   
  North of the Land of the Three Cities, past the 
  monster-infested Helicon Mountains, lies the 
  frozen land of Hyperborea, home to fierce tribes of 
  fur-clad, sun-worshipping Barbarians.  
   
  To the west of Hyperborea lies the land of Sybaris, 
  a former coastal colony of the lost empire of 
  Atlantis, now an enclaved kingdom ruled by half-
  human Sorcerers, full of ancient wonders and perils.  
   
  To the east of Hyperborea, past the Frozen Sea, 
  lies the half-legendary queendom of Amazonia, 
  homeland of the famous undaunted warrior-women, 
  with its surprisingly temperate climate. 
   
  The Unknown West 
   
  The western Umbrian Sea is bordered by the 
  ancient warlike kingdom of Umbria, which controls 
  the access to the Great Ocean.  
   
  Its tempestuous and perilous waters are inhabited 
  by numerous sea-serpents, sea-horrors and other 
  sea-monsters that none but the boldest adventurers 
  dare defy… for somewhere in the Great Ocean lies 
  the fabled island of Atlantis, once the mightiest 
  sea-empire of the world, home to a pre-human race 
  of savants and sorcerers, now only remembered in 
  half-forgotten legends… Who knows what wonders 
  and dangers await in these uncharted waters ? 
   
  The Perilous East 
   
  The east of Mythika is divided by the great 
  Thanatari Mountains, home to many strange and 
  dangerous beasts, such as Griffins and Manticores, 
  and to tribes of cannibal wildmen and troglodytes.  
   
  North of the mountains lie the land of Sicania, home 
  to the Centaurs, and the mysterious valley of 
  Arcadia, described by ancient tales as an idyllic 
  place… or as the true entrance to Underworld. 
  Many bold adventurers left their lands to discover 
  the true secret of Arcadia… but none of them has 
  ever returned to tell the tale – yet.  
   
  South of the Thanatari Mountains lies the fabled 
  Land of the Sun, with its burning sands, desert 
  ruins and golden cities… 
   
  The Mysterious South  
   
  The southern shore of the Middle Sea is dominated 
  by the nation of Midia and its capital Solus, a 
  centre of trade with a cosmopolitan population of 
  merchants, sailors and thieves.  
   
  East of Midia lies the savage land of Charybdis 
  with its lush jungles, strange beasts and tribes of 
  ebony-skinned warriors. 
   
  South of Midia lies the mighty Desert Kingdom, 
  with its great stone pyramids (also full of fabled 
  treasure), mystical dynasties of divine-blooded kings 
  and beast-headed gods…  
   
  Rumors also speak of a dark Stygian Empire 
  somewhere in the far south, ruled by Necromancers 
  and their legions of animated skeletons. 
   
  
   
  9 
   
   
   
  The World of Mythika 
   
  Map by Paul Elliott
  
   
  10 
  Languages of Mythika 
   
  The following section lists all the major languages of 
  Mythika, including the main nonhuman tongues. 
   
  Languages labelled (n) do not have a written form.  
   
  Languages labelled (w) have a written form and use 
  the same alphabet as Minean, which means that 
  characters who know how to speak one of these 
  languages will also know how to read and write it if 
  they already have Minean literacy.  
   
  Languages labelled (d) use a different alphabet : 
  learning to read and write such languages counts as 
  an extra language (in addition to its spoken form). 
  Thus, learning to speak, read and write Atlantean or 
  High Kemi will count as two languages. 
   
  Human Languages 
   
  Atlantean : The ancient language of Atlantis (d). 
   
  Borean : The language of Hyperborean barbarians 
  and Amazons (n). 
   
  Charybdian : 
  The 
  language 
  of 
  the 
  savage 
  tribesmen of the Charybdis jungles (n).  
   
  High Khemi : The aristocratic language of the 
  Desert Kingdom’s nobility and priesthood (d). 
   
  Low Khemi : The native language of the Desert 
  Kingdom’s commoners (n). 
   
  Midian : The tongue of the Land of the South (w). 
   
  Minean : The common tongue of the Land of the 
  Three Cities and the island of Seriphos, used by all 
  the civilized nations surrounding the Middle Sea. 
   
  Tritonian : The language of the once mighty empire 
  of Tritonis (d). 
   
  Umbrian : The native language of the ancient 
  kingdom of Umbria. (w) 
   
  Stygian : The ancient language of the Stygian 
  Empire… as well as the ‘native tongue’ of the 
  Underworld (d). 
   
  Nonhuman Languages 
   
  Aerian : The native language of Icarians, Hawkmen 
  and other aerial Folks (n). 
   
  Gaian : The native language of Nymphs, Centaurs 
  and other Folks tied to life and nature (n). 
   
  Merian : The common tongue of Mermaids, Tritons 
  and other speaking sea Folks (n). 
   
  Subterranian : The native language of Derros, 
  Obsidians and other underground Folks (d). 
   
   
   
   An Elementalist and a Priestess conversing in Minean 
   
   
  Characters & Languages  
   
  Starting Languages 
   
  For simplicity’s sake, all player-characters (yes, 
  even Barbarians and Centaurs) are assumed to 
  be perfectly fluent in Minean.  
   
  All player-characters are also assumed to be 
  literate with the exception of Barbarians, 
  Amazons, Nymphs and Centaurs, who are 
  illiterate but who speak a native language in 
  addition to Minean : Borean (for Barbarians and 
  Amazons) or Gaian (for Centaurs and Nymphs 
  except Nereids, who speak Merian).  
   
  Nobles and all magicians automatically know 
  two extra languages at character creation. 
   
  Learning New Languages 
   
  Characters who wish to learn new languages 
  during play can become familiar with the basics 
  of any one spoken language in 1D6+4 weeks of 
  study or practice. This time is reduced by a 
  character’s Wits bonus (if any) or increased for 
  characters with negative Wits mods. 
   
  Becoming fluent takes 1D6+4 months, modified 
  as above by the character’s Wits modifier. 
   
  Learning to speak like a native with no trace of 
  foreign accent actually takes 1D6+4 years, 
  again modified by the character’s Wits mod. 
   
  A new roll should be made for each new 
  language and each new degree of fluency. 
   
  Reading & Writing 
   
  Learning to read and write a language takes 
  1D6+4 years, modified by the character’s Wits 
  mod as for learning a new language (see 
  above), while having to learn a new alphabet 
  takes an equivalent number of weeks.  
   
   
   
  
   
  11 
   
   
  Mighty Zeus, Cyclopes, Giants and various Monstrosities in a spectacular battle scene from the War of the Titans 
   
   
  Cosmogony 
   
  The Birth of the World 
   
  In the begining there was only Chaos. Then came 
  Gaia, the Earth, and Ouranos, the Sky. Their union 
  produced twelve mighty children, the Titans, as well 
  as some misshapen ones, marked with the taint of 
  primal Chaos, among which were the first Cyclopes.  
   
  Those grotesque monsters offended Ouranos’ sight, 
  so he decided to drive them below the surface of the 
  earth, into the deepest recesses of Gaia’s womb. 
  This caused Gaia’s wrath and the irremediable 
  sundering of the two entities : from this moment of 
  anger, earth and sky were forever separated.  
   
  Gaia began to plot against Ouranos, trying to sow 
  the seeds of rebellion among her children… but 
  even the mightiest Titans were afraid of Ouranos. 
  Only the youngest one, Kronos, decided to act 
  against his father.  Using a magical golden sickle 
  given to him by Gaia, Kronos attacked Ouranos, 
  castrating him and wounding him mortally. Ouranos’ 
  blood fell to the earth, where it spawned another 
  generation of fantastic beings, including the first 
  Giants, the first Nymphs and the Greater Furies. 
   
  The Reign of Kronos 
   
  After the death of Ouranos, Kronos became the 
  supreme ruler of the universe upon which he 
  imposed his Law – which is called Time.  
   
  Kronos then imprisoned the Cyclopes and other 
  chaotic beings in the dark subterranean realm of 
  Tartarus. He then married his own sister Rhea but 
  ate his own children as soon as they were born, 
  fearing that they would one day try to destroy him, 
  just like he had overthrown and slain his own father. 
  Just before giving birth to her sixth child, Rhea went 
  into hiding and entrusted her newborn baby to the 
  Nymphs. She then returned to her husband-brother 
  Kronos and tricked him into eating a magical stone 
  simulacrum instead of her child… 
   
  This child was Zeus. Fostered by the Nymphs, he 
  soon grew into a young, mighty and clever immortal. 
  His mother Rhea visited him in secret and together 
  they decided it was time to overthrow Kronos.  
   
  Together, they tricked the Devourer into drinking a 
  specially prepared magical brew, which made him 
  so sick he regurgitated the five children he had 
  already eaten. Being of a divine nature, they had 
  survived inside Kronos’ gigantic belly. Those five 
  gods were Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera and 
  Hestia. As soon as they were free, they decided to 
  join their younger brother Zeus in his cosmic 
  struggle against their father Kronos the Devourer…  
   
  The War of the Titans 
   
  Thus began the War of the Titans (also called the 
  Titanomachy). With the help of the other Titans, 
  Kronos set out to crush his rebellious children.  
   
  At first, the War seemed to turn clearly to the Titans’ 
  advantage… but Zeus had a plan. He journeyed to 
  the caves of Tartarus where Kronos had imprisoned 
  the Cyclopes and other Chaos spawn and freed 
  them in exchange for their help in the War.  
   
  Assisted by his new allies and armed with the power 
  of lightning, Zeus returned to battle and quickly 
  vanquished the Titans. After his victory, Zeus exiled 
  most of the defeated Titans in Tartarus or in the 
  darkest recesses of the cosmic void.  
   
  Thus began the reign of Zeus, as well as the First 
  Age of History, also known as the Age of Myth… 
  
   
  12 
   
   
  During the Age of Myth, the Olympian Gods  
  often interacted directly with mortals 
   
  Mythic History 
   
  Since the defeat of the Titans at the hands of Zeus 
  and his allies, the world of Mythika has known three 
  great ages : the Age of Myth, the Age of Magic and 
  the Age of Heroes, also known respectively as the 
  First, Second and Third Ages. 
   
  The following section presents a general overview 
  of the three Ages of Mythiika and a more detailed 
  presentation of the most important events (so far) of 
  the Age of Heroes, Mythika’s current era.  
   
  The Age of Myth 
   
  The First Age of the world was a time of great 
  marvels and wonders. Also known as the Divine 
  Age, it (probably) lasted several millennia and was 
  dominated by the consolidation of the Olympian 
  deities’ position of supremacy. 
   
  The Age of Myth saw the birth of many second 
  generation Olympians (like Apollo, Hermes, Athena 
  and Artemis) and of other semi-divine entities, such 
  as Poseidon’s various monstrous offspring.  
   
  A few other immortals of a more obscure origin 
  (such as Dionysus and the mysterious gods of 
  Sleep and Dream) also became gods in their own 
  right (and the sovereigns of their own realms). 
   
  It was during the Age of Myth that many famous 
  events involving the quarrels and intrigues of the 
  Olympians took place.  
   
  The ruling gods also had to deal with various 
  attempts to challenge or even overthrow their divine 
  authority, like the time when a group of rebellious 
  Giants nearly managed to bring down Mount 
  Olympus (before being reduced to gigantic ashes by 
  Zeus’ wrathful lightning bolts). 
   
  The most serious challenge to Olympian rulership 
  came from Prometheos, an idealist immortal of 
  Titanic lineage who had sided with Zeus during the 
  War of the Titans…  
   
  For some obscure reason (which is still debated by 
  philosophers and mystics), Prometheos stole the 
  Secret of Magic from the gods and gave it to Man. 
  This naturally caused the anger of Zeus and the 
  other Gods, who promptly punished Prometheos for 
  his foolish arrogance by chaining him atop a 
  mountain cliff to have his ever-regenerating liver 
  eaten by birds for eternity…  
   
  But even the mighty Olympians could not reverse 
  Time and undo what Prometheos had done : the 
  Secret of Magic was now accessible to mortals and 
  the Age of Myth was over.  
   
  The Age of Magic 
   
  Before the transgression of Prometheos, the only 
  humans who could wield magic were Priests (who 
  draw their powers directly from the deity they serve) 
  and a few other recipients of divine inspiration, such 
  as Oracles and Lyrists. By revealing the Secret of 
  Magic to mortals, Prometheos created the first 
  Sorcerers and Elementalists – humans who could 
  work magic by the force of their own will.  
   
  These first Sorcerers and Elementalists, who were 
  at least as powerful as today’s mightiest magicians, 
  called themselves the Autarchs. They quickly 
  became the supreme rulers of the mortal world, 
  creating their own kingdoms which they ruled as 
  half-immortal tyrants.  
   
  During three centuries, these Autarchs ruled most of 
  the lands bordering the Middle Sea, subjugating 
  other nations by the might of their armies and the 
  power of their magic. The only human folks who 
  remained unconquered by the Autarchs were the 
  dauntless Amazons and the  fearless Hyperborean 
  Barbarians. Among the nonhuman races, Centaurs 
  also fought fiercely against the Autarchs’ hegemony. 
   
  So great was the arrogance of the Autarchs that 
  they eventually decided it was time for them to 
  conquer the greatest power of the universe : 
  Olympus itself. In a moment of aberrant hubris, the 
  Autarchs declared war on the Gods themselves.  
   
  This decision was the doom of the Autarchs. Having 
  decided that the joke had lasted long enough, Zeus 
  and the other Olympians destroyed the power of the 
  Autarchs, casting down their mighty towers of 
  sorcery by earthquakes, storms, floods and other 
  manifestations of their divine fury.  
   
  What the Autarchs had taken three centuries to 
  build, the Gods destroyed in only three days – three 
  days which are now known as the Days of Wrath. 
  The reign of the Autarchs was now over – and so 
  was the Age of Magic.  
   
  
   
  13 
   
   
  Two heroic Nobles getting ready for the Age of Heroes 
   
  The Age of Heroes 
   
  The Olympians gathered and decided it was time to 
  forge a new era : an age where mortals would be 
  led and inspired by just rulers, wise priests, eloquent 
  poets and valiant heroes, instead of enduring the 
  despotic domination of arrogant wizards.  
   
  Those rare Sorcerers and Elementalists who had 
  remained faithful to the Gods were spared from the 
  divine wrath of Zeus and were even allowed to pass 
  on their knowledge as long as they taught their 
  disciples to pursue Wisdom instead of Power. 
   
  Lastly, the Gods decided to extend a portion of their 
  divine favor to the four races who had refused to 
  bow down before the Autarchs : Amazons, 
  Hyperborean Barbarians, Nymphs and Centaurs.  
   
  Together with the forefathers of Minean civilization, 
  these folks were allowed by the Gods to play a 
  major part in the birth and consolidation of the Third 
  Age of Mythika : the Age of Heroes. 
   
  Recent History 
   
  The suggested setting for most Mazes & Minotaurs 
  campaigns set in the world of Mythika is the early 
  years of the fourth century of the Age of Heroes, 
  some 300-330 years after the Days of Wrath.  
   
  The fourth century of the Heroic Age is a time of 
  great wonders and high adventure, as well as a time 
  of conflict. No less than three major wars have been 
  fought during the last century, one of them is still 
  going on and a fourth one seems well on its way… 
   
  It is also a time of uncertainty, where the Land of the 
  Three Cities and its civilization is threatened by new 
  menaces and old enemies.  
   
  The Umbrian War 
   
  The first war fought during the last century was the 
  Umbrian war, which occurred some 100 years ago 
  and lasted 7 years.  
   
  It resulted from an attempt by the warlike kingdom 
  of Umbria to conquer the Land of the Three Cities 
  and the island of Seriphos.  
   
  Formerly divided and wary of each other, these four 
  states eventually managed to unite their military 
  forces as the Minean Coalition, thanks to the 
  resolute political efforts of the Thenan nobility.  
   
  The armies of Umbria were finally defeated by the 
  combined might of the Coalition during a series of 
  epic land and sea battles. 
   
  In the wake of the victory against Umbria, the 
  Thenan nobles tried to persuade the rulers of 
  Heraklia, Argos and Seriphos to consolidate the 
  military alliance of the Minean Coalition into a 
  permanent political federation of allied city-states…  
   
  But the diplomatic efforts of the Thenan nobles were 
  undermined by old commercial and cultural rivalries, 
  which soon escalated into a full-fledged war 
  between Argos and Heraklia…  
   
  The War of Two Cities 
   
  This war (usually called the Argosean War in 
  Heraklia and the Heraklian War in Argos) was a 
  bloody and exhausting conflict.  
   
  It started almost 20 years after the victory over 
  Umbria, dragged on for more than 20 years and 
  brought the two warring citiy-states of Argos and 
  Heraklia to the verge of economic collapse. 
   
  It was eventually ended by the bold intervention of 
  the Thenan armies.  
   
  Once again acting as unifiers and peace-keepers, 
  Thenan nobles managed to force their Argosean 
  and Heraklian peers to agree on a peace treaty, 
  which they have viligantly enforced ever since.  
   
  For more than 60 years, the Thenan Peace has kept 
  the Argosean-Heraklian rivalry strictly limited to the 
  cultural and economic fields, for the greater good of 
  everyone in the Land of the Three Cities.  
   
  But these six decades of peace have also enabled 
  Heraklia and Argos to rebuild their armies and some 
  war-mongering nobles from both sides seem to be 
  chafing impatiently once again…  
   
   
   
   
  Three Thenan adventurers have gathered to discuss the 
  latest news. (“Oh no ! Don’t tell me those war-mongering 
  morons from Argos and Heraklia are at it again !”) 
  
   
  14 
   
   
  The Centaur archers from Sicania use very long arrows 
   
  Centaurs vs Amazons 
   
  Some 20 years ago, another very different war 
  broke out in the vicinity of the Middle Sea : a war 
  between the proud queendom of Amazonia and the 
  impetuous Centaurs of Sicania, who apparently tried 
  to push west into the territory of the Amazons.  
   
  The war is still going on, as more Centaur raiders 
  from Sicania venture on the borders of Amazonia.  
   
  The wise Centaur sage Chiron has recently sent 
  several of his former pupils to the Land of the Three 
  Cities, in the hope of persuading  the noble rulers of 
  Thena to assist him in his peace-keeping efforts.  
   
  As if the situation wasn’t bad enough already, an 
  alliance of seafaring Barbarians from Hyperborea 
  has started to attack Amazonia on its west, hoping 
  to exploit the war against the Centaurs to invade, 
  plunder and sack the sacred queendom.  
   
  Flanked on both sides by equally ferocious foes, the 
  Queen of Amazonia has finally decided to send her 
  own emissaries to the Land of the Three Cities, in 
  the hope of enlisting the help of valiant adventurers 
  (preferrably female ones) against her enemies. 
   
  The Sybaris Situation 
   
  To the west, the fallen sea-empire of Atlantis seems 
  to have awoken from centuries of decay and 
  decadence and is apparently trying to re-establish 
  control over its former colony of Sybaris.  
   
  As war is brewing between the princes of Sybaris 
  and their former overlords, the rulers of the Land of 
  the Three Cities and Seriphos are still unsure about 
  what they should do : either intervene and help 
  Sybaris to push back the Atlantean forces, running 
  the risk of a full-fledged war with Atlantis (about 
  which so little is known nowadays) or stand back 
  and observe… running the risk of an Atlantean 
  victory, with potentially disastrous consequences for 
  all the nations of the Middle Sea.  
  Tritonis Rising 
   
  Another growing menace for the civilized nations of 
  the Middle Sea is the eastern isle of Tritonis.  
   
  Once the center of a mighty sea-empire, this 
  kingdom had, like Atlantis to the west,  lain dormant 
  for the past four or five centuries…  
   
  But now the Sea Princes of Acharnia have started to 
  rebuild a mighty fleet and are apparently trying to 
  resume diplomatic contacts with the Land of the Sun 
  and, according to some rumors, with the accursed 
  Stygian Empire ot the far south. 
   
  Could these events be the prelude to a great war 
  between the East and the West ? 
   
   
   
   
   
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  The World of Mythika 
   
  Ah, the glory that was Mythika…  
   
  Over the years, Mythika evolved from the very 
  brief overview presented in the original rules to 
  ‘a mythic tapestry of many colors’ (quote from 
  an unknown gamer from the Letters page of 
  Griffin magazine). 
   
  Every adventure module published by LGS 
  added an extra bit of depth, substance or 
  atmosphere (or just a few new maps) to the 
  ‘official’ M&M world… but the most important 
  contribution came from Griffin magazine.  
   
  From 1975 to 1982, the monthly Mythika 
  Gazetteer column detailed specific regions, 
  kingdoms, islands or cities of the mythikal 
  world. Most of these contributions came from 
  individual gamers, who eventually transformed 
  Mythika into the first pen & paper wiki RPG 
  setting. Back then, all-important concepts like 
  metaplots or official continuity were nonexistent.  
   
  Those were the days… Ooops, looks like I’ve 
  failed my saving roll against Nostalgia… again. 
    
   
  
   
  15 
  II : CREATURES 
   
   
   
  Creatures in Game Terms 
   
  Taxonomy 
   
  There are five broad categories of creatures : Folks 
  (sentient and speaking races), Beasts (natural 
  animals), Monsters (fabulous beasts, mythic beings 
  etc), Spirits (ghosts, otherworldly entities etc) and 
  Animates (artifically animated creatures). 
   
  Game Characteristics 
   
  The M&M rules use a simple system to define a 
  creature’s capabilities in game terms.  
   
  Creatures are rated in four general characteristics : 
  Size, Ferocity, Cunning and Mystique.  
   
  As detailed below, these four basic characteristics 
  are used to calculate the creature’s Melee attack 
  mod, EDC, Hits and other scores.  
   
  A creature’s Special Abilities may also increase 
  some of its scores, as detailed below. 
   
  Size 
   
  A creature’s Size category may be Tiny, Small, 
  Medium (man-sized), Large or Gigantic.  
   
  As shown on Table 6A next page, a creature’s Size 
  affects many of its key physical capabilities, 
  including its Hits Total, the damage it inflicts in 
  combat and its basic Movement rate. 
  Ferocity 
   
  This reflects the creature’s natural aggressiveness, 
  physical power or trained fighting ability : 
   
  Peaceful 
   
  0 
   
  Aggressive  
   
  +1 
   
  Dangerous  
   
  +2 
   
  Deadly   
   
  +3 
   
  Cunning 
   
  This represents the creature’s innate shrewdness 
  and survival instincts :  
   
  Average 
   
  0 
   
  Alert  
   
   
  +1 
   
  Clever   
   
  +2 
   
  Crafty   
   
  +3 
   
  Mystique 
   
  This reflects the creature’s presence, aura or innate 
  affinity with the forces of fate and magic : 
   
  Normal   
   
  0 
   
  Weird   
   
  +1 
   
  Eldritch  
   
  +2 
   
  Unearthly 
   
  +3 
   
   
  
   
  16 
  Table 6A : Creatures & Size 
   
  Size                   Basic Hits      Hit Factor 
  Movement        Size Bonus       Damage             
   
  Tiny     
          1  
        1                       30’         
         0                  1pt                    
   
  Small                      2  
        2                       45’          
         0                  1d3                   
   
  Medium    
          4         
        4 
                    60’    
         0                  1d6        
              
   
  Large     
         12  
        6         
       90’          
        +2         
      2d6                  
   
  Gigantic   
         20                   10      
     120’                    +4                   3d6                   
   
  Basic Hits & Hit Factor : These are used to calculate the creature’s Hits Total (see next page). 
   
  Size Bonus : This is used to calculate the creature’s Melee attack modifier (see below). 
   
  Movement : The number of feet the creature may move during a battle round. As for characters, this is doubled if 
  the creature is doing nothing else. It may be modified by various special abilities. 
   
  Damage : This is the creature’s damage in melee combat, whether it uses natural or melee weapons. 
   
   
  Combat Scores 
   
  A creature’s Size, Ferocity, Cunning and Mystique 
  are used to calculate its basic combat scores, which 
  may also be modified by certain Special Abilities. 
   
  Initiative = 10 + Ferocity + Cunning 
   
  Melee = (Ferocity x 2) + Size Bonus 
   
  Defense Class = 12 + Mystique 
   
  Hits Total =  Basic Hits + (Ferocity x Hit Factor) 
   
  Thus, a creature with a Large size, a Dangerous 
  level of Ferocity, an Alert Cunning and a Weird 
  Mystique would have the following scores : Initiative 
  13, Melee +6, Defense Class 13 and Hits Total 24.  
   
  Saving Rolls 
   
  Creatures have three saving roll modifiers, which 
  are calculated as follows : 
   
  Detection = Cunning x 2 
   
  Evasion = Cunning x 2 
   
  Mystic Fortitude = Mystique x 2 
   
  Evasion has the same uses as a character’s Danger 
  Evasion, except for Detection rolls which use a 
  distinct modifier. Both rolls are based on (Cunning x 
  2) but may be modified by different special abilities. 
   
  Creatures do not have a Physical Vigor modifier 
  because they do not need one : a creature can 
  always continue to fight until it is reduced to zero 
  Hits, at which point it is automatically killed.  
  Creatures & Combat 
   
  Size Matters 
   
  As shown on Table 6A, a creature’s Size category 
  determines many of its combat characteristics. 
   
  A creature’s Size also determines the maximum 
  number of opponents it may attack during a single 
  round. Normally, a creature may only attack one 
  opponent per battle round. This number is doubled 
  for each category of Size in its favor.  
   
  Thus, in a single round, a Large creature may attack 
  up to two Medium-sized opponents, while a Gigantic 
  one will be able to attack up to four !   
   
  This also applies to characters (who are all Medium-
  sized) : thus, a character will be able to attack up to 
  two Small or up to four Tiny beings per round. 
   
  As shown on Table 6A, a creature’s Size category 
  also determines its the damage it inflicts in combat, 
  whether the creature uses natural attacks (such as 
  claws, fangs etc) or melee weapons (since such 
  weapons are matched to the size of their wielders). 
   
  Lastly, a creature’s Size may affect its vulnerability 
  to missile fire. The smaller a creature, the harder it 
  is to hit with a javelin, arrow etc. Conversely, larger 
  targets are easier to hit. In game terms, this takes 
  the form of a modifier to Missile attack rolls. 
   
  If the target is bigger than the attacker, each Size 
  category over the attacker’s Size gives him a +2 
  attack bonus. This is reversed if the target is smaller 
  than the attacker. Thus, a human archer will get a 
  +4 attack bonus when firing at a Gigantic target but 
  will suffer a -2 penalty when firing at a Small target. 
  
   
  17 
   
   
   
   
  A brave adventurer facing a fearsome creature 
   
  Creatures In Combat 
   
  Creatures 
  cannot 
  normally 
  use 
  the 
  special 
  maneuvers and tactics detailed in the Combat 
  chapter of the Players Manual unless they have a 
  special ability that allows them do to se (such as the 
  Charge into Battle ability, described below). 
   
  Some creatures may be equipped with shields, 
  breastplates and helmets, in which case they gain 
  the same defensive bonuses as characters. 
   
  As noted earlier, all creatures may continue to fight 
  until their Hits Total is reduced to zero… but some 
  of them may find it safer to run away if their life is 
  seriously threatened.  
   
  Folks will usually try to run away when they have 
  lost more than half their original Hits, unless they 
  are cornered, fanatical or desperate – or if they are 
  fighting under the command of a charismatic leader 
  or intimidating, superior creature. 
   
  Beasts will usually try to run away when they have 
  lost more than half their original Hits, unless they 
  are cornered, enraged, defending their lair or their 
  young etc. Some animals (like Boars or Bears) will 
  always fight to the death once they are wounded. 
   
  Monsters will always fight to the death. 
   
  Animates (who are usually Mindless beings) will 
  always fight until they are dead or “out of order”. 
   
  Spirits usually behave like Folks, unless otherwise 
  specified in their description. 
   
  Special Abilities 
   
  Aquatic 
   
  The creature can swim with no reduction of its 
  Movement allowance. Most creatures with this 
  special ability can also breathe underwater for 
  extended periods of time or with no time limit at all. 
  Note that, in most cases, aquatic creatures cannot 
  move on land, unless they are Amphibious.  
   
  Breath Weapon 
   
  The creature can breathe fire or acid. This counts as 
  one regular attack and does the same damage as 
  the creature’s other attacks. This takes effect during 
  the missile phase, according to the creature’s 
  Initiative score and has a maximum range equal to 
  1/3 of the creature’s basic Movement allowance.  
   
  This attack does not require an attack roll, making 
  armor and shields pretty useless against it but a 
  target may dodge with a successful Danger Evasion 
  roll (target number 15), avoiding all damage.  
   
  A creature may only make one such attack per 
  battle round (unless it has multiple heads with this 
  power), instead of one of its regular melee attacks.  
   
  Camouflage 
   
  This special ability allows the creature to « blend 
  in » like a chameleon in its immediate surroundings. 
  All creatures with this ability also have the Stealthy 
  ability. When hiding in their natural terrain, creatures 
  with this special ability add 4 to the target number of 
  their opponent’s detection rolls. 
   
  Charge Into Battle 
   
  The creature may use the Charge into Battle special 
  maneuver (see the combat rules in the Players 
  Manual) with an Initiative and Melee Attack bonus 
  equal to +1 for Small creatures, +2 for Medium 
  ones, +4 for Large ones and +6 for Gigantic ones.  
   
  Winged creatures may have a similar ability called 
  Dive into Battle, giving the same bonuses. 
   
  Crushing Damage 
   
  This ability can only be used by creatures that can 
  Grapple (see below). It may represent a bear-like 
  hug or some other form of physical constriction.   
   
  Once the victim has been grappled by the creature, 
  he will automatically take the creature’s usual 
  damage (ie 1d6 if Medium-sized, 2d6 if Large etc) at 
  the end of each round during which he remains 
  immobilized, unless he manages to break free, as 
  per the usual wrestling rules. This ability cannot be 
  used against creatures with a greater Size category. 
   
  
   
  18 
   
   
  Beware, I’ve got the  Crushing Missiles special ability ! 
   
  Crushing Missiles  
   
  Only Gigantic creatures may have this special 
  ability. The creature may throw huge boulders, 
  uprooted trees etc at its opponents. In game terms, 
  this special attack form cannot be used with any 
  other attack form during this round ; it requires no 
  attack roll but may be avoided with a Danger 
  Evasion roll against a target number of 15. 
   
  A Crushing Missile has a maximum range of 60 feet 
  and does the same damage as the creature’s melee 
  attacks (3d6 Hits for Gigantic creatures). 
   
  Entangle 
   
  The creature has tentacles or other appendages it 
  may use to entangle its victims. This ability may also 
  reflect the power to create spider-like webs. 
   
  An entangle attack counts as one of the creature’s 
  normal attacks and is treated as a missile attack 
  with a maximum range equal to 5’ for Small 
  creatures, 10’ for Medium ones, 20’ for Large ones 
  and 30’ for Gigantic ones. 
   
  This attack does not require an attack roll so armor 
  and shield are useless against it – but the chosen 
  target may avoid being entangled with a successful 
  Danger Evasion roll against a target number of 15.  
   
  An entangled character cannot move but may 
  continue to fight with an Attack and Initiative penalty 
  of -4. This also applies to all subsequent Danger 
  Evasion rolls the victim may have to make.  
   
  The victim may try to break free using the same 
  rules as for wrestling, rolling against a Might of 12 
  for Small creatures, 16 for Medium-sized ones, 20 
  for Large ones and 24 for Gigantic ones.  
  Fearsome 
   
  The sight of the creature causes fear in the hearts of 
  most NPCs and lesser creatures. Player characters 
  and NPCs with levels are unaffected. This ability 
  also adds +2 to Initiative and Defense Class. 
   
  Gallop 
   
  Only quadrupeds (and creatures with more than four 
  legs) may have this special ability. When a creature 
  with this special ability uses the full movement 
  option, its movement is not doubled (as per the 
  usual rules) but quadrupled.  
   
  Some Aquatic beings have a similar ability called 
  Cruise which increases their underwater movement 
  in the same proportion. 
   
  Grapple  
   
  The creature can make wrestling attacks. These 
  attacks use the creature’s standard Melee modifier 
  and are resolved using the standard wrestling rules. 
    
  Grappling attacks always take place at the end of 
  the melee phase, as per the usual wrestling rules. 
   
  Victims who try to break free must roll against an 
  hypothetical Might score which depends on the Size 
  of the creature : 16 for Medium-sized creatures, 20 
  for Large ones and 24 for Gigantic ones.  
   
  Creatures who have immobilized their opponent will 
  have to forfeit their attack (or, in the case of bigger 
  creatures, one of their attacks) in order to keep their 
  victim immobilized.  
   
  Thus, a Large creature (which can normally attack 
  two men-sized opponents per round) will still be 
  able to make one attack per round while keeping a 
  Grappled victim immobilized. 
   
  Creatures that also have the Crushing Damage 
  special ability are able to inflict actual physical 
  damage to their immobilized victims. 
   
   
   
  Wait a minute ! Is this a regular Grapple attack ? 
  
   
  19 
  Insubstantial 
   
  The creature is an ethereal being, with no physical 
  body. It cannot be harmed by standard physical 
  means but is vulnerable to magic.  
   
  Conversely, insubstantial beings cannot affect 
  corporeal beings in a physical way and have to rely 
  on supernatural attacks to harm their opponents.  
   
  Having no real body, these beings cannot have any 
  special ability associated with physical resilience, 
  such as Supernatural Vigor, Tough Skin, Natural 
  Armor or Invulnerability. Insubstantial beings simply 
  cease to exist when their Hits total drops to zero.  
   
  Invulnerability 
   
  This is an improved, supernatural form of Natural 
  Armor (see below) which gives +8 to Defense Class. 
   
  Life Energy Drain 
   
  Creatures with this special ability may drain the life 
  energy of their victims with their bite or touch. A 
  creature with this special ability can only use it once 
  per round, during the melee phase of the round, 
  according to its Initiative score. 
   
  Bite attacks are resolved as normal melee attacks.  
  Their damage is equal to the creature’s usual 
  damage plus 1d6 Hits for the Life Energy Drain. 
   
  Touch attacks occur at the creature’s usual Initiative 
  score. They require no attack roll and can be 
  avoided with a Danger Evasion roll against a target 
  number of 15. They cause 1d6 Hits of damage. 
   
  In all cases, the d6 damage from Life Energy is 
  added to the creature’s current Hits, allowing it to 
  recover from the injuries it may just have suffered. 
  This form of vampiric regeneration cannot take the 
  creature’s Hits total over its usual maximum.  
   
   
   
                - It’s Life Energy Drain time ! 
   
   
  So, hero, here is my riddle : what’s big, with a pair of 
  wings, a woman’s head and a fondness for human flesh ? 
  Bonus clue : it also has the Lightining Fast special ability. 
   
  Lightning Fast 
   
  This special ability gives a +4 bonus to Initiative and 
  Evasion 
  and 
  increases 
  the 
  creature’s 
  basic 
  Movement allowance by one-third. 
   
  This Movement increase will also affect other 
  movement-based abilities (such as Gallop or 
  Winged) but will not change the maximum range of 
  special abilities like Breath Weapon or Entangle.  
   
  Magic Resistance 
   
  This ability gives +4 to Mystic Fortitude.  
   
  Marksmanship 
   
  See Missile Weapons below. 
   
  Mindless 
   
  Creatures with this ability have no consciousness or 
  soul of their own. This makes them immune to the 
  effects of fear, pain and all mind or emotion-based 
  magic, which includes all Sorcery and Poetic Magic 
  powers, as well as some Nature’s Gifts. 
   
  Whatever the circumstances, Mindless creatures 
  always fight until reduced to 0 Hits. The Cunning of 
  a Mindless creature cannot be higher than Alert. 
   
  Missile Weapons 
   
  Creatures with this ability are able to use missile 
  weapons (javelins, bows, slings etc) with a Missile 
  mod equal to the sum of its Ferocity and Cunning, 
  with an extra +2 if it has the Marksmanship ability.  
   
  A creature’s missile weapons are matched to the 
  user’s size : their damage is equal to the creature’s 
  normal weapon damage and their range is modified 
  as follows : Tiny 1/6, Small 1/2, Large x1.5, Gigantic 
  x3. For javelins, assume a basic range of 120 feet. 
   
  
   
  20 
   
   
   
  The classic three-headed Chimera  
   
  Multiple Heads 
   
  Each head beyond the first adds one opponent to 
  the creature’s maximum number of opponents it can 
  attack during the same round.  
   
  Each extra head adds +1 to its Initiative and its 
  Detection modifier. 
   
  Thus, a seven-headed gigantic hydra will be able to 
  attack up to ten different man-sized opponents 
  during the same battle round : four for its gigantic 
  size and one more for each extra head. Such a 
  heptaphalous creature would also get an Initiative 
  and Detection bonus of +6.  
   
  Natural Armor  
   
  This upgraded version of Tough Skin (see below) 
  gives +4 to Defense Class.  
   
  Petrification  
   
  The creature’s gaze can turn its victims to stone.  
   
  To use this terrifying power, the creature must make 
  eye-to-eye contact with its victim within a maximum 
  range equal to 20 times its Mystique in feet.  
   
  This special attack counts as one of the creature’s 
  regular attacks but requires no die roll. It takes 
  effect during the missile phase of the battle round, 
  according to the creature’s regular Initiative score.  
   
  The only way to avoid this gaze is to make a 
  successful Danger Evasion roll (with a +2 bonus if 
  using a shield). This Danger Evasion roll is made 
  against a target number of 15. 
   
  If this roll is failed, the victim is still entitled to a 
  Mystic Fortitude roll against a target number of 20 to 
  avoid being turned to stone… permanently. Only 
  Divine Intervention can restore these statues to life.  
  Poison  
   
  The creature has a vicious poisonous sting or pair of 
  fangs coated with a venom that either kills the victim 
  or causes paralysis (depending on the creature).  
   
  A creature with this special ability may only make 
  one poison attack in a single battle round, instead of 
  one of its regular melee attacks.  
   
  This poison attack is resolved like a regular melee 
  attack and requires a successful Melee attack roll. 
   
  If the attack is successful, it does normal damage 
  and the victim must immediately make a Physical 
  Vigor saving roll against a target number of 15. If 
  this roll fails, the victim is affected by the venom.  
   
  This venom may cause one of the following effects : 
  instant death, death (in 1d6 battle rounds) or 
  paralysis (totally unable to move, act, speak -  but 
  not to use magic) for the next 1d6 minutes. 
   
  Psychic Powers 
   
  The creature has mental powers similar to Sorcery 
  spells (see Players Manual). It can use the full 
  repertoire of Sorcery powers with a Psychic Gift 
  equal to the sum of its Cunning and its Mystique. 
   
  The being’s Mystic Strength is equal to (12 + its 
  Psychic Gift) and its Power points total is equal to 4 
  times its Psychic Gift bonus. 
   
  Thus, a Crafty (+3) and Eldritch (+2) creature with 
  Psychic Powers will have a Psychic Gift bonus of 5, 
  a Mystic Strength of 17 and 20 Power points. 
   
  Regeneration  
   
  At the end of each round, the creature automatically 
  regains a number of Hits which varies according to 
  its Size : Medium = 1, Large = 2, Gigantic = 3. This 
  power cannot bring the creature’s current Hits Total 
  above its starting maximum and ceases to function 
  when the creature’s Hits are reduced to zero. Tiny 
  and Small creatures cannot have this ability. 
   
   
    ARE YOU STARING AT ME ??? 
  
   
  21 
   
   
  A Majestic Griffin 
   
  Sharp Senses  
   
  This ability gives +4 bonus to Detection rolls.  
   
  Sixth Sense  
   
  This ability gives +4 to Detection and +2 to Evasion.  
   
  Stealthy  
   
  Creatures with this ability excel at sneaking and 
  hiding. Such actions do not require a die roll but be 
  countered by detection rolls against a target number 
  of 12 + (Cunning x 2), modified by its Size (Tiny +4, 
  Small +2, Large -2, Gigantic -4) and its other 
  abilities (Insubstantial +4, Uncanny Agility +2). 
   
  Supernatural Vigor 
   
  This ability increases the creature’s Hits Total by a 
  number equal to its Hit Factor. It also makes the 
  creature completely immune to all natural  poisons. 
   
  Tough Skin  
   
  This ability adds +2 to the creature’s Defense Class.  
   
  Trample 
   
  Only creatures that are able to Charge into Battle 
  may have this ability. It cannot be used against 
  opponents with a bigger Size. Thus, Medium beings 
  cannot Trample Large or Gigantic victims. No more 
  than one victim may be Trampled in a single round. 
   
  After a successful Charge attack, the creature may 
  Trample its victim. This does not count as an attack 
  and requires no roll. The victim suffers an extra 
  damage roll based on the creature’s Size (1d6 if 
  Medium, 2d6 if Large, 3d6 if Gigantic), unless he 
  makes a Danger Evasion roll (target number 15). 
   
  A creature with this ability may also Trample those 
  who stand in its way while it is using full movement. 
  Uncanny Agility  
   
  This special ability adds +1 to Melee and +2 to 
  Initiative, Evasion and Defense Class. It cannot be 
  possessed by Gigantic creatures. 
   
  Vocal Entrancement 
   
  This supernatural power allows the creature to 
  charm its victims with its entrancing voice. It takes 
  an entire battle round to use.  
   
  All living, conscious beings within 100’ will be 
  affected. Each victim must succeed at a Mystic 
  Fortitude roll or be unable to take any action during 
  the next battle round. The target number of this 
  saving roll is equal to 12 + (Mystique x 2). 
   
  If the creature wishes, it can also cause one 
  entranced victim of its choice to advance in its 
  direction during the movement phase of the battle 
  round (at half his usual movement rate), even if this 
  puts him in direct danger (falling in a chasm, into the 
  sea etc) – but if it is the case,  the chosen victim is 
  allowed a last chance Mystic Fortitude saving roll. 
   
  The creature cannot directly attack an entranced 
  victim without breaking the spell – except with Life 
  Energy Drain or Psychic Powers. 
   
  Wallcrawling  
   
  The creature can walk or crawl on walls (or other 
  vertical surfaces) at its normal Movement rate, 
  without having to make climbing rolls. 
   
  Winged  
   
  The creature can fly. When using full movement, a 
  flying creature’s movement rate is quadrupled, it 
  cannot be hit by Melee attacks and all Missile 
  attacks against it are made with a penalty of -2. This 
  ability also adds +2 to the creature’s Evasion. 
   
   
   
            Yahoo, Silver !  Let’s ride ! 
  
   
  22 
  Building Creatures 
   
  The Creature Compendium (third book of the 
  Revised M&M rules) will give you the characteristics 
  of more than 100 creatures - but to illustrate how 
  these rules work in practice, let us build two sample 
  creatures from scratch : the Satyr from Greek myth 
  and the dreadful Crawling Gorgon ! 
   
  Sample Creature n°1 : Classic Satyr 
   
  Satyrs are the classic man-goat hybrid from myth. 
   
  Taxonomy : Satyrs are Folks. 
   
  Size : Even though their height tends to be slightly 
  shorter than the human average, Satyrs are clearly 
  Medium-sized beings. 
   
  Ferocity : Satyrs are Peaceful (if lusty) creatures. 
   
  Cunning : Satyrs are usually quite Clever (+2). 
   
  Mystique : Their hybrid morphology as well as their 
  connection to the primeval forces of nature give 
  Satyrs a Weird Mystique (+1). 
   
  Special Abilities : Satyrs are often noted for their 
  Uncanny Agility and Supernatural Vigor. These 
  creatures are also Lightning Fast (which raises their 
  basic Movement allowance to 80’). They are also 
  able to Grapple or use Missile Weapons such as 
  javelins, slings or even bows. 
   
  These various characteristics and abilities give our 
  horned, hooved friend the following scores : 
   
  Initiative : The Satyr’s Ferocity (0), Cunning (+2), 
  Lightning Fast speed (+4) and Uncanny Agility (+2) 
  give him a final Initiative score of 18 – which makes 
  him very quick on his feet. 
   
  Melee : His Peaceful Ferocity (0) and Uncanny 
  Agility give the Satyr a Melee attack modifier of +1. 
  Since neither their hooves nor their horns really 
  qualify as natural weapons, Satyrs have to use 
  melee weapons (usually spears) to fight. 
   
  Missile : Satyrs can use missile weapons, with a 
  Missile mod equal to the sum of their Ferocity and 
  Cunning modifiers (+2). 
   
  Defense Class : His Weird Mystique (+1) and 
  Uncanny Agility (+2) give the Satyr a final Defense 
  Class of 15. This could be increased by a shield or 
  breasplate, but Satyrs do not normally wear such 
  items (since it would encumber them too much). 
   
  Hits Total : Their Medium Size (4 Basic Hits, Hit 
  Factor 4), Peaceful Ferocity (0)  and Supernatural 
  Vigor give Satyrs a final Hits Total of 8. 
   
  Detection / Evasion : His Clever Cunning gives the 
  Satyr a basic Detection / Evasion of +4. His Evasion 
  is increased by his Lightning Fast speed (+4) and 
  Uncanny Agility (+2), for a final mod of +10. 
   
   
  Well, I couldn’t make it as a character class in the Revised 
  rules… but at least I get to be Sample Creature n°1 . 
   
   
  Mystic Fortitude : His Weird Mystique gives the 
  Satyr a Mystic Fortitude modifier of +2. 
   
  Sample Creature n°2 : Crawling Gorgon 
   
  Crawling Gorgons are similar to regular Gorgons, 
  except that they have the lower body of a giant 
  snake and often use bows against their enemies (in 
  addition to their petrifying gaze) : you can see one 
  of these creatures masquerading as Medusa in the 
  movie Clash of the Titans. 
   
  Taxonomy : Crawling Gorgons are Monsters. 
   
  Size : Even though her serpentine half makes her 
  quite large (or, more properly, quite long), her upper 
  humanoid body clearly qualifies the Crawling 
  Gorgon as a Medium-sized creature. This gives her 
  a Hits Factor of 4, a damage roll of 1d6 and a 
  Movement allowance of 60 feet. 
   
  Ferocity : The Crawling Gorgon is Deadly (+3). 
   
  Cunning : The Crawling Gorgon is Clever (+2). 
   
  Mystique : Her hybrid body, petrifying gaze and 
  supernatural origins make the Crawling Gorgon 
  more than Weird : Unearthly would probably be too 
  much, so we rate her Mystique as Eldritch (+2).  
   
  Special Abilities : Fearsome, Grapple (with her 
  snake-like tail), Invulnerability, Missile Weapons, 
  Petrification (20’ range), Poison (sting, death in 1d6 
  battle rounds), Sixth Sense, Stealthy and, of course, 
  Supernatural Vigor. 
   
  Her various characteristics and special abilities give 
  the Crawling Gorgon the following scores : 
   
  Initiative : The Crawling Gorgon’s Ferocity (+3), 
  Cunning (+2) and Fearsome looks (+2) give her a 
  total Initiative score of 17. 
  
   
  23 
   
   
   
  A valiant warrior facing our Sample Creature n°2 
   
  Melee : Her Deadly Ferocity (+3) and Medium Size 
  give the Crawling Gorgon a final Melee mod of +6.  
   
  Missile : The Crawling Gorgon may use bows or 
  javelins, with a Missile mod equal to the sum of her 
  Ferocity and Cunning modifiers (+5). 
   
  Defense Class : Her Eldritch Mystique gives the 
  Crawling Gorgon a basic Defense Class of 14, 
  which is raised by +2 for her Fearsome appearance 
  and +8 for her Invulnerability, giving her a final, quite 
  amazing Defense Class of 24. 
   
  Hits Total : The Crawling Gorgon’s Ferocity (+3), 
  Basic Hits of 4, Hit Factor of 4 and Supernatural 
  Vigor give her a final Hits Total of 20. 
   
  Detection / Evasion : Her Clever Cunning gives 
  her a basic Detection / Evasion mod of +4, which is 
  increased to Detection +8 and Evasion +6 by her 
  Sixth Sense ability. 
   
  Mystic Fortitude : Her Eldritch Mystique gives the 
  Crawling Gorgon a Mystic Fortitude mod of +4. 
   
  Customizing Creatures 
   
  One of the major advantages of M&M’s definition of 
  creatures in game terms is the extreme flexibility 
  and adaptability of the system, which allows a Maze 
  Master to build weird variants or special versions of 
  existing creatures in a matter of minutes.  
   
  This also makes it very easy to fine-tune the overall 
  power level of a creature according to the strength 
  of the party, as shown by the following examples. 
  Example 1 : Making Better Satyrs 
   
  A particularly devious Satyr could be given a Crafty 
  Cunning, raising its Initiative to 19, Missile modifier 
  to +3 and Danger Evasion to +10. Individual Satyrs 
  could also be given additional abilities such as 
  Marksmanship, Sharp Senses or Stealthy.  
   
  Example 2 : Adjusting the Crawling Gorgon 
   
  There are several ways to make this creature more 
  dangerous. Raising her Cunning from Clever to 
  Crafty, for instance, would bring her Initiative to 18, 
  Missile mod to +6 and Evasion / Detection to +10.  
   
  Our Crawling Gorgon could also be given extra 
  special abilities, such as Lightning Fast (+4 to 
  Initiative and Evasion, Movement 80’), Magic 
  Resistance (raising her Mystic Fortitude to +8), 
  Marksmanship (raising her Missile mod to +7), 
  Regeneration (which would be quite consistent with 
  her ophidian nature) or even Uncanny Agility (+1 to 
  Melee, +2 to Initiative, Defense Class and Evasion). 
  If we really wanted to go over the top, we could also 
  give her Psychic Powers… 
   
  If, on the other hand, our objective was to make the 
  creature a bit less formidable, we could reduce her  
  Cunning from Clever to Alert (lowering Initiative, 
  Melee, Missile and Detection / Evasion) or even her 
  Mystique from Eldritch to Weird (slightly lowering  
  Defense Class and also reducing Mystic Fortitude).  
   
  On the special abilities front, we could downgrade 
  her Invulnerability to Natural Armor or even Tough 
  Skin or remove her ability to use Missile Weapons.  
   
  Example 3 : Making a Flying Gorgon 
   
  Let us now suppose that, for some mysterious 
  reason, we want to devise a Flying Gorgon.  
   
  Such a strange creature could easily be defined in 
  game terms using our Crawling Gorgon as its basic 
  framework : simply remove Grapple (no ophidian 
  lower body), add Winged and voilà – enter the 
  Flying Gorgon ! 
   
     
   
   
   
  Yes, we even managed to find an illustration for THAT 
   
  
   
  24 
   
   
  Mr Maze Master, how many Glory points is THIS worth ? 
   
  Vanquishing Creatures 
   
  Defeating creatures may bring Glory, Wisdom or 
  Experience points (see Character Advancement). 
  The Glory award for killing or defeating a creature is 
  calculated with the following formula : 
   
  Glory Award = Menace Rating x Size Factor 
   
  A being’s Menace Rating is calculated as follows : 
   
  MR = (Fer x 10) + (Cun x 5) + (Mys x 5) + A + E 
   
  Fer = Ferocity, Cun = Cunning,  Mys = Mystique  
   
  A stands for Special Abilities. This is the sum of 
  the specific Glory awards corresponding to the 
  creature’s Special Abilities (see Table 6B).  
   
  E stands for Equipment (if any) : each piece of 
  protective equipment that adds +2 to EDC (shield, 
  helmet or breastplate) also adds 5 to the creature’s 
  MR. Creatures that use two-handed weapons (+2 to 
  Melee Attack) also add 10 to their MR. 
   
  If the creature is a Monster, double its final MR. 
   
  Size Factor : Tiny = 1/10, Small = 1/5, Medium = 1, 
  Large = 2, Gigantic = 5. Round up all fractions. 
   
  Glory awards must be divided between the victors. 
  A creature’s Glory award also gives its Experience 
  worth for Hunters (double for Beasts). 
   
  Vanquishing some creatures will also bring Wisdom 
  points to magicians. Unlike Glory, Wisdom does not 
  have to be divided among the members of the group 
  and can be fully gained by any magician who 
  actively contributes to the creature’s demise.  
   
  The Wisdom Award for a creature is simply equal to 
  the sum of its Special Abilities awards (see Table 
  6B). This Wisdom award is doubled for Spirits. 
   
   
   
  Table 6B : Abilities & Awards 
   
  Special Ability  
  Glory 
       Wisdom 
   
  Aquatic  
   
      -   
             - 
   
  Breath Weapon  
    20 
            20 
   
  Camouflage 
   
     5 
             - 
   
  Charge Into Battle 
     5 
             - 
   
  Crushing Damage 
    10 
             - 
   
  Crushing Missiles  
    10 
             -  
   
  Entangle 
   
    10                   - 
   
  Fearsome 
   
    10 
            10 
   
  Gallop  
   
      - 
             - 
   
  Grapple   
   
     5 
             - 
   
  Insubstantial 
   
     20 
             20 
   
  Invulnerability 
   
     20 
             10 
   
  Life Energy Drain  
     10 
             20 
   
  Lightning Fast 
   
     10 
             - 
   
  Magic Resistance 
      5 
             20 
   
  Marksmanship 
   
      5 
             - 
   
  Mindless 
   
      5 
             10 
   
  Missile Weapons  
      5 
             - 
   
  Multiple Heads 
   
     10* 
             10* 
   
  Natural Armor  
   
     10 
             - 
   
  Petrification  
   
     40 
             40 
   
  Poison   
   
     10 
              - 
   
  Psychic Powers   
     20 
           200 
   
  Regeneration  
   
     10 
             10 
   
  Sharp Senses  
   
      5 
              - 
   
  Sixth Sense  
   
     10 
             10 
   
  Stealthy   
   
      5 
              - 
   
  Supernatural Vigor 
     10 
             10 
   
  Tough Skin  
   
      5 
              - 
   
  Trample  
   
      5 
              - 
   
  Uncanny Agility   
     10 
              - 
   
  Vocal Entrancement 
     10                  20 
   
  Wallcrawling  
   
       - 
              - 
   
  Winged   
   
      5 
               - 
   
   
   
   
  * per extra head (ie a three headed creature would be 
  worth +20 Glory and Wisdom. 
   
   
  
   
  25 
  Non-Player Characters 
   
  In M&M, non-player characters (NPCs) are divided 
  into two broad categories :  
   
  Major NPCs include the most important enemies 
  and allies of player-characters. Such characters 
  have a fully defined personality and the same game 
  characteristics as player-characters, including a 
  class, a level and individual attribute scores.  
   
  Minor NPCs include ordinary people, faceless 
  guards, nameless thugs as well as most henchmen 
  and followers. In game terms, such NPCs are 
  treated as zero-level and are divided into two broad 
  categories : fighters and non-combatants. 
   
  Non-combatants represent the majority of civilians, 
  peasants and other common people. They cannot 
  attack and only have 4 Hits. 
   
  Fighters represent the majority of soldiers, sailors, 
  thugs and other fighting personnel. They can attack 
  and have the following combat characteristics :  
   
  Initiative = 11 
   
  Melee mod = +2 
   
  Missile mod = +1 
   
  EDC = 12 + equipment bonus 
   
  Hits Total = 8 
   
  Fighters make all their saving rolls using an 
  unmodified D20. Non-combatants always fail their 
  saving rolls. These rules reflect Minor NPCs’ lesser 
  importance in the grand mosaic of Fate and makes 
  them far more vulnerable to danger, magic and 
  hardships than major characters. 
   
      
   
   
  Two Minor Non-Player Characters 
   
  Can you tell the Fighter from the Non-combatant ? 
   
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  Revising Creatures 
   
  Despite what occasional malicious rumors implied, a 
  lot of thought went into the revising of the rules on 
  creatures. The two biggest (or, at least, most 
  obvious) changes from the original M&M rules were 
  the way a creature’s Melee attack modifier and Hits 
  Total were calculated. 
   
  In original M&M, the Melee attack mod was based 
  on Ferocity as well as on Cunning; since Small and 
  Tiny creatures tended to have higher Cunning than 
  the bigger ones, these creatures also tended to 
  have surprisingly high Melee attack bonuses, 
  especially when compared to the biggest creatures. 
  Somehow, this didn’t seem quite right and the “killer 
  mouse syndrome” became one of the favorite topics 
  of discussion (especially between over-obsessive 
  Maze Masters and ex-wargamers). The Revised 
  rules solved the problem by taking Cunning out of 
  the equation and adding a Size-based Melee bonus 
  for Large and Gigantic creatures – without applying 
  an equivalent penalty to Small and Tiny beings, who 
  thus retained some of their fighting ferocity. 
   
  The change in Hits Total calculation was probably a 
  more important issue, since it made quite a few 
  creatures significantly tougher, especially Medium-
  sized nasties with Supernatural Vigor, such as 
  Gorgons (“Oh no, not these Gorgons again !”). 
   
  On the special abilities front, a few abilities were 
  modified or streamlined (like Life Energy Drain or 
  Psychic Powers), a few others were dumped and a 
  few new ones were added (such as Vocal 
  Entrancement, which quickly became a Maze 
  Masters favorite). Lastly, the Lifeless / Mindless duo 
  was finally clarified (which caused a sigh of relief - 
  or was it regret ? - among rule lawyers everywhere). 
   
  These revised rules heralded the third book of the 
  Revised Mazes & Minotaurs trilogy, the Creature 
  Compendium, which compiled the revised stats of 
  more than 100 creatures (taken from the original 
  M&M rules, Men & Monsters and the unspeakable – 
  in all senses of the word - Hekatoteratos). Heralded 
  as “the biggest RPG bestiary ever published”, the 
  Compendium was saluted as “a graphic triumph” by 
  some (slightly over-enthusiastic) gamers since each 
  of the 100+ creatures it described had its own 
  individual illustration – something that, even to this 
  day, few RPG bestiaries have managed to achieve. 
   
  Anyway, 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  the 
  Creature 
  Compendium did not prevent Griffin magazine and 
  various RPG fanzines from publishing myriads of 
  new creatures – or new variants of mythic creatures, 
  in the grand M&M-esque tradition of Albinotaurs, 
  Pyrotaurs (fire-breathing minotaurs) and Twinotaurs 
  (bicephalous minotaurs) – and let’s not forget the 
  much dreaded, mind-warping Psychotaur… 
   
  
   
  26 
  III : GAME MASTERING  
      
      
  Entertaining his players is one of the Maze Master’s primary responsibilities – so beware of overlengthy lyrical interludes  
   
  Creating Epic Adventures 
   
  Mazes & Minotaurs is a fantasy roleplaying game 
  that draws most of its inspiration from the heroic 
  tales of Greek mythology as well as from modern 
  adaptations of these tales, such as the 1963 movie 
  Jason and the Argonauts.  
   
  A typical M&M adventure will involve daring fights 
  against horrible monsters, exploration of caves and 
  labyrinths deep underground and, of course, a 
  couple of fiendish traps or puzzles.  
   
  Basic M&M adventures can be grouped into three 
  broad types of scenarios, which are detailed below : 
  Monster Hunts, Artefact Quests and Heroic Wars. 
  Most M&M scenarios will also involve quite a lot of 
  travel and adventurers will often explore or visit 
  strange or unknown locations such as Mysterious 
  Islands or even sections of the vast Underworld… 
   
  Gathering the Heroes 
   
  But before play begins, the  Maze Master and the 
  players should decide where, how and why the 
  heroes begin their adventures. Here are a few 
  typical possibilities : 
   
  Defend the City : You are the brave lords and 
  warrior heroes of a famous city (choose one). The 
  people, the priests and the royal family look to you 
  to defend the city from curses, gods, monsters, 
  tyrants and other dangers.  
  Follow A Leader : You are the loyal friends of a 
  lord or king who has been exiled and now wanders 
  across the world trying to find some way to regain 
  his throne. As his closest allies, you carry out all 
  kinds of dangerous quests and heroic challenges to 
  aid him in this daunting task.  
   
  The Gods Command It! : You have been chosen 
  by a god (or Zeus, king of the gods himself) to carry 
  out a series of quests and challenges. You cannot 
  refuse. Perhaps the heroes have angered the god in 
  the past or committed a crime. Sometimes the god 
  selects an earthly king to hand out the god's 
  requests and orders. Sometimes the god appears to 
  the heroes in-person between adventures.  
   
  Monster Hunts 
   
  The Monster Hunt is a common story in Greek myth. 
  The monster may be the Hydra, the Chimera, the 
  Gorgon or any other suitably perilous creature : 
  whatever it is, it needs to be slain. Sometimes the 
  monster is just a large and more dangerous version 
  of a normal animal (like the Caledonian Boar) and 
  the hunt really is a proper hunt rather than a 
  perilous raid on some underground lair.  
   
  There are many reasons to kill a monster. Perhaps 
  the hellish creature is terrorizing a whole area or 
  perhaps it is guarding some valuable treasure. The 
  death of the beast itself might actually be the prize : 
  perhaps some part of its body is in itself the 
  treasure - think of the Hydra's poisonous blood, the 
  Nemean Lion's hide or the Gorgon's head.  
  
   
  27 
   
   
  All in a day’s work for a true mythic hero. 
   
  Monster hunts are usually short and simple tasks 
  (as most of Heracles' were) since the location and 
  the nature of the beast are often common 
  knowledge. Monster hunts are best mixed in with 
  other types of adventures.  
   
  Artefact Quests 
   
  The archetypal Greek adventure. Find the Golden 
  Fleece, the Golden Apples of the Hesperides, the 
  Pegasus, the One Eye of the Three Witches, the 
  Girdle of the Amazon Queen. The steps to finding 
  these artefacts can be many and varied. The quest 
  will often involve travelling to distant parts of the 
  world, to exotic locations, mysterious islands, lost 
  mountains, and strange lands. There may be many 
  stages to such epic quests : information to discover, 
  guardian monsters to defeat, puzzles to solve, 
  enemies to battle and traitors to uncover.  
   
  Often the heroes set out to recover the artefact but 
  must sail or march to a person or oracle that can 
  send them in the the right direction. Often this 
  source of information demands that the heroes 
  perform a task before it will help them on their way. 
  They must travel to an island or distant land and 
  recover another object or defeat some terrible 
  creature before that information is freely given. 
  Quests within quests. Adventures piled upon 
  adventures. The idea began here in Greek myth.  
   
  What will the artefact be used for ? Is it symbolic ? 
  Will it bring order to a ruined state ? Will it help a 
  king recover his kingdom ? Is it a healing boon ? 
  Will it give power over death ? Will it provide 
  protection ? Or is it an aid in yet another quest - 
  perhaps to kill some monster that requires such an 
  exotic and powerful artefact (Perseus' mirrored 
  shield, or Bellerophon's Pegasus).  
  Heroic Wars 
   
  Wars are common in the world of Mazes & 
  Minotaurs, and the most famous war of them all, the 
  Trojan War, happened in this era. Heroes can get 
  embroiled in warlike adventures very easily.  
   
  They are the elite troops, the leaders, commanders 
  and commandoes of any battle that they take part 
  in. During the whole of Homer's Iliad, only one 
  regular soldier is mentioned by name (Thersites) : 
  all the important, meaningful action is carried out by 
  heroes like the player characters.  
   
  Where is the war? Why is it occuring? Who are the 
  participants? Who are the allies? Are there any 
  crucial situations that may arise in the fighting to 
  turn the tide? How do you stop them or encourage 
  them? What are each side’s weaknesses, and can 
  they be exploited or protected?  
   
  Heroes may be following a leader into the war, or 
  fighting for their city or even their god. Lesser folk, 
  spear-armed commoners, can follow the heroes' 
  lead, and 'mop up' afterwards.  
   
  Mysterious Islands 
   
  A staple of Greek voyages is the mysterious island. 
  There are many known, inhabited islands - some of 
  them large and important like Rhodes and Crete.  
   
  There are also hundreds of unknown islands, 
  mysterious locations that may hold treasures, clues, 
  monsters, allies or enemies. There may be secrets, 
  plots, traps, witches and tyrannical kings.  
   
  A single island might form the focus of the 
  adventure, as Crete did in the story of Theseus and 
  the Minotaur, or it can simply be a stopping point or 
  episode on a longer quest (as the Cyclops Island 
  was for Odysseus). 
   
  This chapter contains a set of tables provided  
  which will allow Maze Masters to create all sorts of 
  perilous and mysterious islands with a few die rolls. 
   
  Underworld Journeys 
   
  In Greek myth, the Underworld is the realm of 
  Hades and is inhabited by the shades of the living, 
  by ghosts and spirits. It is a frightening Otherworld 
  of palaces, fields, forests, magical rivers, strange 
  monsters and other creatures. Many heroes made 
  the perilous journey into the Underworld (Heracles, 
  Odysseus, Theseus, Orpheus) and there were 
  entrances to it scattered all across Greece (if you 
  knew where to look).  
   
  In the context of a game like Mazes & Minotaurs, we 
  can postulate the existence of many different 
  Underworlds, beginning in caves and tunnels near 
  the surface, connecting with others and (ultimately) 
  with the Great Underworld of Hades, guarded by 
  Cereberus and Charon, the ferryman of the dead.  
  
   
  28 
   
   
  - Excuse me, is this the entrance to the Underworld ? 
  (asked Clebos the clueless Lyrist). 
   
  The Underworld is a dreamland or otherworld 
  distinctly apart from the mundane world of everyday 
  existence. This Underworld environment should 
  bear 
  an 
  omnipresent sense 
  of 
  strangeness, 
  otherness and lurking, inexplicable, unease - even 
  horror. Beyond the mundane details of monsters 
  and traps and the subterranean environment itself, 
  every Underworld should have a plethora of weird 
  and creepy details to constantly remind the heroes 
  that "we're not in Kansas anymore".  
   
  Weird abandoned temples and shrines, relics of the 
  Golden Age of the Gods and lost civilizations, 
  strange and inexplicable enigmas that will haunt and 
  confuse the players and cause their expeditions to 
  be motivated not just by a desire for power and 
  treasure (tangible reward) but also by a desire for 
  knowledge and understanding, to get to the bottom 
  of the mystery (intangible reward).  
   
  Having said that Underworlds are strange and 
  frightening otherworlds, the more internal logic and 
  consistency your Underworld has the better. Set it 
  up as a living environment with at least a touch of 
  common sense to placement of monsters and traps 
  etc. (i.e. don't put monsters that would obviously 
  kill/eat each other in adjacent caverns, monsters in 
  caves they couldn't possibly get into and out of ...).  
   
  Remember also to make sure some of the caverns 
  are empty - no monster, no trap. This might seem 
  like too much, that the players will get bored going 
  from empty cave to empty cave, but because they 
  won't know the caves are empty they'll constantly be 
  fearing monster ambushes, hidden traps, or hidden 
  treasure they might miss.  
   
  In an Underworld adventure, as many of the 
  encounters should be with 'wandering monsters' in 
  tunnels and empty caverns as with 'set' encounters 
  in their lairs. Fleeing from the sounds of 'slithering' 
  or 'footsteps' from around the corner or the other 
  side of the door should become a very common 
  occurence and should keep the heroes on their toes 
  and the tension level high.  
   
  They'll be expecting death around every corner, 
  whether it's actually there or not. Of course it goes 
  without saying that you should also include 
  'seemingly empty' rooms that do contain hidden 
  monsters, traps, and treasures, to keep your players 
  from getting too lax and careless.  
  Random Generators 
   
  The following sections present several collections of 
  tables and charts that allow Maze Masters to create 
  mysterious islands, temples, city-states and even 
  adventure plots with only a few dice rolls. 
   
  Mysterious Islands 
   
  This set of tables may be used by Maze Masters to 
  generate perilous islands (complete with local 
  monsters, special features etc) to use as adventure 
  settings when creating a scenario but may also be 
  used as an emergency tool during play to spice up 
  an unexpected sea journey. 
   
  What is the Coast Like? (1d6) 
   
  1-2 = Ringed by reefs 
   
  3 = Ringed by smooth, sandy beaches 
   
  4 = Ringed by high cliffs 
   
  5-6 = A variety of coastline exists 
   
  Is it Inhabited? (1d6) 
   
  1-3 = No settlements; uninhabited by humans 
   
  4 = Small villages 
   
  5 = Town with some surrounding villages 
   
  6 = Powerful city ruling an island Kingdom 
   
  If Settled, What’s Going on ? (2d6) 
   
  2 = At war with another island nearby 
   
  3 = Sage or magician is protected by the islanders 
   
  4 = Pirates regularly plunder this island 
   
  5 = The inhabitants live in harmony 
   
  6 = Islanders regularly attacked by a cruel monster 
   
  7 = Gruesome secret. Is a god involved? 
   
  8 = Peculiar population (eg. no children, no adults,  
  no men, no women etc). Why? 
   
  9 = Under sway of evil god/witch/goddess 
   
  10 = They have never seen outsiders ! 
   
  11 = Island is the property of a minor or major god 
   
  12 = There are athletic Games currently underway 
   
   
   
   
  - Hey, you there in the ships !  Guess what type of 
  Monstrous creatures inhabit this Mysterious Island ? 
  
   
  29 
  Interesting Places (3d6) 
   
  3 = Natural fountain 
   
  4 = Waterfalls 
   
  5 = Statues 
   
  6 = Forests full of nymphs 
   
  7 = Large caves 
   
  8 = Ancient mines 
   
  9 = Old Road 
   
  10 = Ruined fortress 
   
  11 = Secretive tower 
   
  12 = Remote temple 
   
  13 = Territorial markers (skulls etc) 
   
  14 = Chasm and rope bridge 
   
  15 = Island just off the coast 
   
  16 = Carved mountain 
   
  17 = Witches cave or glen 
   
  18 = Two of the above 
   
  Creatures (1d6) 
   
  Aside from common beasts and possible human 
  population, which kind of creatures inhabit this 
  island ? Roll 1d3 times on the following table : 
   
  1-2 = Folk 
   
  3-4 = Monster 
   
  5 = Spirit 
   
  6 = Animate 
   
  Then roll on the appropriate subtables. 
   
  Folks (1d20) 
   
  1 = Apemen 
   
  2 = Atlantean Nobles 
   
  3 = Bee-folk 
   
  4 = Centaurs 
   
  5 = Derros 
   
  6 = Hyenakins 
   
  7 = Leonids 
   
  8 = Lesser Cyclops 
   
  9 = Lycans 
   
  10 = Myrmidons 
   
  11 = Ogres 
   
  12 = Satyrs 
   
  13 = Scorpion Folk 
   
  14 = Serpent Men 
   
  15 = Stygian Lords 
   
  16 = Sylvans 
   
  17 = Titanians 
   
  18 = Tragos 
   
  19 = Troglodytes 
   
  20 = Wildmen 
   
  Monsters (1d10) 
   
  1-2 = Roll 1d6 on subtable A 
   
  3-4 = Roll 1d6 on subtable B 
   
  5-6 = Roll 1d6 on subtable C 
   
  7-8 = Roll 1d6 on subtable D 
   
  9-10 = Roll 1d6 on subtable E 
  Monsters (A) 
   
  Monsters (B) 
   
  1 = Cerberus  
   
  1 = Giant Boar 
   
  2 = Chimera  
   
  2 = Giant Bull 
   
  3 = Cockatrice  
   
  3 = Giant Eagles 
   
  4 = Dragon  
   
  4 = Giant Ram 
   
   
  5 = Giant  
   
  5 = Giant Scorpions 
   
  6 = Gigantic Cyclops 
  6 = Giant Spiders 
   
  Monsters (C)  
   
  Monsters (D) 
   
  1 = Gorgon  
   
  1 = Minotaur  
   
   
  2 = Griffins  
   
  2 = Moon Spawn   
   
  3 = Harpies  
   
  3 = Pegasus  
   
   
  4 = Hydra  
   
  4 = Phoenix  
   
   
  5 = Lamia  
   
  5 = Pterodactyls   
   
  6 = Manticore  
   
  6 = Roc  
   
   
  Monsters (E) 
   
  1 = Sirens  
   
   
   
   
  2 = Sphinx  
   
   
   
   
  3 = Stirges 
   
  4 = Swamp Horror  
   
   
   
  5 = Tyrannosaurus  
   
   
   
  6 = Unicorn  
   
   
  Spirits (1d10) 
   
  1-2 = Cacodemon 
   
  3-4 = Empusae 
   
  5-6 = Ghosts 
   
  7-8 = Hags 
   
  9-10 = Shadows 
   
  Animates (1d10) 
   
  1 = Bronze Bull   
   
   
  2 = Bronze Colossus  
   
   
  3 = Iron Warriors   
   
   
  4 = Minaton  
   
   
   
  5 = Mummies  
   
   
   
  6 = Skeleton  
   
   
   
  7 = Stone Titan   
   
   
  8 = Stygian Hound  
   
   
  9 = Vines of Tantalus  
   
   
  10 = Wood Titan   
   
   
  Let’s imagine we need to create the twin islands of 
  Paxos and Skaros. Using the tables given above, 
  we get the following results : 
   
  Paxos has a variety of coastline, and a town and 
  surrounding villages. It is ravaged by a monster and 
  has a ruined fortress. We roll on the Creatures table 
  and find out that Paxos is home to a Chimera.  
   
  Skaros is ringed by inhospitably high cliffs and has 
  no inhabitants. On Skaros are ancient mines, which 
  we decide were used by the god of smiths, 
  Hephaestus. Since such things need guarding we 
  add extra monsters, placing a Bronze Colossus 
  outside the mines along with some Lesser Cyclops 
  (who were Hephaestus' iron and bronzeworkers). 
  We also roll up a Dragon… a whole load of extra fun 
  for our bold adventurers !  
  
   
  30 
   
   
  Temples  
   
  This set of tables may be used to determine the 
  nature, importance and peculiarities (if any) of any 
  temple the characters might encounter during their 
  travels and adventures. 
   
  Deity  
   
  First roll 1d6 to determine if the temple is dedicated 
  to a god (1-3) or to a goddess (4-6), then use the 
  tables given in the Players Manual (chapter II) to 
  determine the identity of the deity. 
   
  Size  
   
  Roll 1d6 to determine the overall size of the temple :  
   
  1 = shrine 
   
  2-3 = small temple  
   
  4-5 = standard temple  
   
  6 = large temple.  
   
  This size affects all the other characteristics of a 
  temple : its material riches, the number of resident 
  Priests and the number of mythic items (if any). 
   
  Size 
      Total Loot 
  Priests     Items 
   
  Shrine         1d6  
      0 
         0 
   
  Small 
       1d6 x 5 
      1 
      1d3-1 
   
  Standard    1d6 x 10 
    1d3 
      1d3 
   
  Large  
       1d6 x 50 
    1d6 
      1d3+1 
   
  Total Loot : This represents the total value in gold 
  coins that can be plundered by sacking the temple. 
  This loot may take many forms, from actual money 
  to statues, jewels, vases, ornaments etc. 
   
  Priests : Roll 1d6 to determine the level of each 
  Priest. Each resident Priest will also have a number 
  of zero-level acolytes equal to his level. 
   
  Mythic Items : Roll 1d6 to determine the general 
  category of each mythic item:  
   
  1 = Magical Armament 
   
  2 = Potions & Consumables 
   
  3 = Rings & Amulets  
   
  4 = Staves & Wands 
   
  5 = Garments & Accessories 
   
  6 = Miscellaneous Items 
   
  Inside this general category, the Maze Master will 
  have to select the item that seems the most 
  appropriate to the deity. Note that Unique Artifacts 
  can only be found in randomly generated temples 
  as a special feature (see below). 
   
  Special Features 
   
  Roll 1d6 to see if the temple has any special 
  feature : this will be the case on a roll of 6 for 
  shrines, 5-6 for small temples, 4-6 for standard 
  temples and 3-6 for large temples.  
   
  If the temple does have a special feature, roll the die 
  again and consult the following table : 
   
  1 = Local Oracle 
   
  2 = Secret Chamber 
   
  3 = Guardian Statues 
   
  4 = Favored by Deity 
   
  5 = Unique Artifact 
   
  6 = Roll twice (ignore this result thereafter) 
   
  Local Oracle : The temple is inhabited by an Oracle 
  who delivers predictions and auguries. 
   
  Secret Chamber : The temple has a secret 
  underground chamber with a treasure hoard full of 
  gold and jewels (roll as per Total Loot) and 1d6 
  extra mythic items. 
   
  Guardian Statues : The temple is guarded by a 
  number of animated statues. Their number depends 
  on the size of the temple : 1 for shrines, 2 for small 
  temples, 3 for standard temples and 4 for large 
  ones. The nature of the guardians is determined 
  with a d6 roll : 1-3 = 1 Bronze Colossus, 4-5 = 
  1d3+3 Iron Warriors, 6 = 1 Titanic Statue. 
   
  Favored by Deity : Priests who perform religious 
  rites and ceremonies in this temple regain 1 extra 
  Power point per hour. 
   
  Unique Artifact : The temple holds a well-guarded 
  Unique Artifact associated with its deity. The exact 
  powers and properties of this item will be 
  determined by the Maze Master (who can also 
  choose to ignore this result and replace it with 
  another of his choice). 
   
  Plundering Temples 
   
  Treasure and mythic items may be too much of 
  a temptation to some covetous adventurers… 
  but all player-characters should be reminded by 
  their Maze Master of the consequences of 
  stealing from a temple. 
   
  Sacking a temple is an act of desecration and 
  will always attract the deity’s anger in the form 
  of a permanent loss of 1d6 Luck points   
   
  Stealing a mythic item from a temple also 
  attracts a similar divine punishment. 
   
  
   
  31 
   
  City-States 
   
  Adventurers often visit cities and large towns during 
  their travels. The following tables enable Maze 
  Masters to define the main characteristics of these 
  settlements with a few dice rolls, giving each city its 
  own distinctive flavor and features. 
   
  In game terms, a city’s profile is summarized by the 
  following seven elements : 
   
  1) Size (how big is the place ?) 
   
  2) Renown (what is it famous for ?) 
   
  3) Regime (who rules it ?) 
   
  4) Peace (how peaceful - or warlike - is it ?) 
   
  5) Prosperity (how wealthy is it ?) 
   
  6) Happiness (how happy is the populace ?) 
   
  7) Justice (how just are the local laws ?) 
   
  1) City Size 
   
  D6 
  City Size 
   
  1-2  
  Small 
   
  3-4  
  Average 
   
  5-6  
  Large 
   
  2) Renown 
   
  Roll 1d20 once for a Small city, twice for an Average 
  one, three times for a Large one. 
   
  D20 
  Famous Thing 
   
  1 
  A special temple. 
   
  2 
  A sacred place that is not a temple.  
   
  3 
  An oracle. 
   
  4 
  A sorcerer or other magician. 
   
  5 
  A famous noble. 
   
  6 
  A famous non-noble warrior. 
   
  7 
  A famous artisan, sage or philosopher. 
   
  8 
  A monument/public work of art. 
   
  9 
  Local games / arena. 
   
  10 
  A curse from the gods.  
   
  11 
  A blessing from the gods. 
   
  12 
  A prophecy of doom for the city. 
   
  13 
  A prophecy of a great future for the city. 
   
  14 
  A haunting. 
   
  15 
  A spirit guardian. 
   
  16 
  Plagued by robbers. 
   
  17 
  Plagued by monsters.  
   
  18 
  Plagued by non-violent thieves. 
   
  19 
  A local dish / wine/ specialty. 
   
  20 
  A non-human minority.  
  3) Regime  
   
  Roll 1d6 (-1 for Small Cities, +1 for Large ones) and 
  consult the following table : 
   
  2 or less  = Democracy 
  All free men of property meet at the agora to 
  determine policy or pass judgement. 
   
  3-4 = Monarchy 
  A hereditary King rules the city. 
   
  5 or more = Oligarchy 
  A council of Noble houses rules the city. 
   
  Once the general political regime has been defined, 
  roll 1d10. If the result is 10, the regime is modified 
  by special conditions, determined by a new d10 roll : 
   
  1-2 = Matriarchy 
  The ruler(s) of the city are female, not male, due to 
  ancient traditions or divine decree. Democracy: Only 
  free women of property have any say in the rule of 
  the state. Monarchy: The ruler is always a Queen. 
  Oligarchy: The Noble houses are led by females. 
   
  3-4 = Magocracy 
  The ruler(s) are magicians of some kind, due to 
  ancient traditions or their own power. Democracy: 
  Only people with any kind of magical power have 
  any say in the rule of the state. Monarchy: The king 
  is a magician of some kind. Oligarchy: The heads of 
  the ruling houses are all skilled in magic.  
   
   
   
   
  As you can see, one of our city’s most notable wonders is 
  its myriads of random tables – each with its unique entries. 
   
   
  
   
  32 
   
  5-6 = Theocracy 
  The city is ruled by its temples and priesthoods. 
  Democracy: All temples rule the city together by a 
  council of its priests and priestesses. Monarchy: A 
  single divine king or queen, chosen by the divine 
  patron of the city, rules. Oligarchy: A council of 
  priests or priestesses serving the divine patron of 
  the city rules it. 
   
  7-8 = Allegiance  
  The city is a colony or client of another, more 
  powerful city. 
   
  9 = Barbarian Rule 
  Barbarians have somehow conquered or influenced 
  the city. Democracy: A ruling caste of barbarian 
  tribesmen who once came here rule, and no one 
  else owns property. Monarchy: The royal family 
  descends from a barbarian warlord. Oligarchy: The 
  nobles of the state are descended from barbarians.  
   
  10 = Nonhuman Rule 
  A Nonhuman Folk has somehow conquered or 
  influenced the city. As per Barbarian rule, but 
  change the Barbarians for one group of Folk 
  (chosen by the Maze Master). 
   
  4) Peace  
   
  Roll 1d6 (-1 for Small Cities, -1 for Matriarchies or 
  Magocracies, +1 for Large Cities, +1 for Barbarian 
  or Nonhuman Rule) and consult the following table : 
   
  1 or less = Very Peaceful 
  No war with their neighbours in living memory. All 
  First Reaction rolls are made with a +4 bonus since 
  peace is the way of life.  
   
  2 = Peaceful 
  No war with their neighbours for a generation. 
   
  3-4 = Average 
  No war right now but there was one recently. 
   
  5 = Warlike 
  At war with one of their neighbours. 
   
  6 or more = Very Warlike 
  At war with all their neighbours. First Reaction rolls 
  are at -4 since anyone can be a spy for the enemy, 
  but the Reputation effect is doubled since the 
  populace  are impressed by adventurers' skills. 
    
  5) Prosperity  
   
  Roll 2d6 (-1 for Small Cities, -1 if Very Peaceful or 
  Very Warlike, +1 for Large Cities, +1 if Peaceful or 
  Warlike) and consult the following table : 
   
  2 or less = Very Poor 
  Roll twice on the Fiscal Misfortune Table. Double all 
  prices. No luxury goods (like jewels, artwork or 
  perfumes) will be bought or sold at all. 
    
   
   
   
  Very Peaceful, Very Prosperous and Very Happy City… 
  Damn, I wish I could be as lucky with my own dice rolls. 
   
  3-5 = Poor 
  Roll once on the Fiscal Misfortune Table. 
    
  6-8 = Normal 
  Roll once on the Fiscal Misfortune and once on the 
  Fiscal Fortune Table. Contradictory results cancel 
  each other out. 
   
  9-11 = Rich 
  Roll once on the Fiscal Fortune Table.  
   
  12 = Very Rich 
  Roll twice on the Fiscal Fortune Table. 
   
   
  Fiscal Misfortune (1d6) 
   
  1 = Bad Communications 
  All goods cost 10% extra, since import and export 
  are so hard. 
   
  2 = No Mines 
  All goods made of metal or stone cost 20% extra, 
  since the materials must be imported.  
   
  3 = Missing Artisans 
  One kind of craftsman or artisan is missing, and all 
  goods made by them cost double. Roll 1d6 on the 
  Craft table below to determine the missing craft and 
  category of goods. 
   
  4 = Low Population 
  No mercenaries or servants can ever be hired. 
   
  5 = Meagre Vineyards 
  Wine costs three times as much.  
   
  6 = Barren Fields / Rare Cattle 
  Food costs twice as much. 
  
   
  33 
  Fiscal Fortune (1d6) 
   
  1 = Good Communications 
  All goods cost 5% less, since import and export are 
  greatly facilitated. 
   
  2 = Rich Mines 
  All goods made of metal or stone costs 10% less. 
   
  3 = Master Artisans 
  One kind of artisan is especially skilled (or common) 
  in the city, and all goods made by them cost 20% 
  less than usual. Roll 1d6 on the Craft table below to 
  determine the favored craft and category of goods. 
   
  4 = High Population 
  Mercenaries can be hired for 10% less than usual. 
   
  5 = Lush Vineyards 
  Wine costs 50% less than usual. 
   
  6 = Bountiful Fields / Abundant Cattle 
  Food costs 50% less than usual. 
   
   
  Craft Subtable (1d6) 
   
  1 = Weaponsmith (all weapons) 
   
  2 = Armorer (armor and shields) 
   
  3 = Wainwright (carts, wagons and chariots) 
   
  4 = Shipwright (ships) 
   
  5 = Horse trainer (all horses, draft, riding or battle) 
   
  6 = Blacksmith (all non-weapon metal goods) 
   
  6) Happiness 
   
  Roll 2d6 (-2 if Very Poor, -1 if Poor, +1 if Rich, +2 if 
  Very Rich ; -2 if Very Warlike, -1 if Warlike, +1 if 
  Peaceful, +2 if Very Peaceful) and consult the 
  following table : 
   
  4 or less = Very Unhappy 
  The city is ruled by tyrant(s) or angry mobs. All First 
  Reaction rolls are at -1, but it is easy to hire 
  mercenaries (+1 to loyalty checks) since they 
  desperately want out of here.  
   
  5-6  = Unhappy 
  There is unrest and conflict in the city. 
   
  7-8 = Indifferent 
  There is conflict among the rulers, but the populace 
  are rather content. 
   
  9-10 = Happy 
  On the whole, the populace is content with its fate. 
   
  11 or more = Very Happy 
  The populace is very satisfied with its lot. All First 
  Reaction rolls are at +1, but it will be more difficult to 
  hire mercenaries (double rates) since they don't 
  want to leave.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  I say, Pyros, it’s the LAST time we ever stop for a rest at a 
  Very Unhappy city ! Let’s sail away from this place – quick. 
   
   
  7) Justice 
   
  Roll 2d6 (-2 if Very Unhappy, -1 if Unhappy, +1 if 
  Happy, +2 if Very Happy) and interpret the final 
  result on the following table : 
   
  2 or less = No Justice 
  Courts and officials are actively corrupt. They will 
  always accept a bribe. 
   
  3-4 = Weak Justice 
  Courts and officials are easily bribed or swayed. 
  They will accept a bribe on a Neutral or better result.  
   
  5-9 = Indifferent Justice 
  Some judges or officials may be corrupt, but most 
  are reasonably honest. They will accept a bribe on a 
  Trustful or better result. 
   
  10-11 = Strong Justice 
  Courts and officials are very hard to bribe, sway or 
  threaten. They will accept a bribe on a Friendly or 
  better result.  
   
  12 or more = Adamant Justice 
  Courts and officials are absolutely impossible to 
  bribe, sway or threaten. 
   
   
  J  
   
   
  
   
  34 
    
   
  Welcome to the World-Famous Forest of Doom Adventure Location. 
   
   
  Adventure Plots 
   
  Having a game session tonight and desperately 
  stuck for an idea ? No need to worry anymore !  
  With our easy-to-use Random Plot Generator, an 
  adventure synopsis can be cooked up with only a 
  few dice rolls, in a matter of minutes ! 
   
  Basic Plot Format 
   
  All the adventure plots generated by these tables 
  basically follow the same single-sentence structure :  
   
  The adventurers are asked by (A) to venture 
  through (B) in order to (C) but (D). 
   
  A = Adventure Patron, B = Main Location, C = Main 
  Goal, D = Complications. Simply fill in the blanks by 
  rolling 1d6 on the appropriate tables.   
   
  Table A : Adventure Patron 
   
  1 = A god or goddess  
   
  2 = The local king or queen 
   
  3 = A noble person or a noble family 
   
  4 = The populace of a village, town or city 
   
  5 = A wise man or sage 
   
  6 = A nymph 
   
  If God/Goddess or Nymph is rolled, Maze Masters may 
  use the deities and nymph tables given in the first chapter 
  of the Players Manual to specify the identity of the Patron. 
   
  Table B : Main Location 
   
  1 = Deep caverns 
   
  2 = Ominous ruins 
   
  3 = A mysterious island 
   
  4 = A dangerous forest 
   
  5 = Perilous mountains 
   
  6 = A sinister swamp 
   
   
   
   
  Table C : Adventure Goal 
   
  1 = Recover a lost or stolen Mythic Item from the 
  dangerous denizens of the Main Location. 
   
  2 = Defeat a Mythic Monster (preferrably Large or 
  Gigantic) or some other supernatural menace, such 
  as a hostile spirit, a powerful sorcerer etc. This 
  entity is a direct threat to the safety or interests of 
  the Patron and must be destroyed or banished. 
   
  3 = Prevent a disaster (earthquake, flood, famine, 
  war etc) from occurring, either as the intentional 
  result of a villain’s actions or as a form of divine 
  punishment, in which case the goal of the 
  adventurers’ deeds is to apease the deity involved.  
   
  4 = Deliver something or escort someone into 
  safety. In this case, the Main Location is not the final 
  destination but a place that must automatically be 
  passed through to arrive at the journey’s end.  
   
  5 = Rescue important captive(s). These may be 
  held for ransom, torture, religious sacrifice or other 
  reasons. Their captors will usually belong to the 
  Beastmen category of Folks, but there are of course 
  other possibilities. 
   
  6 = Defeat a horde of hostile creatures which are 
  a direct threat to the safety or interests of the 
  Patron, be they Folks, lesser Monsters, minor 
  Spirits, Animates or a mix of all this. 
   
   
   
   What ?  You mean all this was actually randomized  ? 
  
   
  35 
   
   
  Mmh, that’s weird… I don’t seem to recall the Adventure 
  Plot Generator mentioned anything about naked Nymphs 
  dancing around trees… wait – is this a Plot Complication ? 
   
  Table D : Complications 
   
  1 = Foul Play. The Patron was not entirely honest 
  with the player-characters and has secret goals of 
  his/her own. Depending on this patron’s identity, this 
  may mean anything from using the adventurers as 
  pawns to manipulating or even betraying them. 
   
  2 = Two Parts. There are two different Main 
  Locations for this Adventure (roll again on Table B) 
   
  3 = Far Away. The journey to the Main Location is 
  very long and perilous, with many dangers and 
  encounters en route.  
   
  4 = Combined / Conflicting Motives. There are 
  actually two different Main Goals for this Adventure 
  (roll again on Table C). 
   
  5 = Competition / Obstruction. The adventurers 
  must either compete against a rival group of 
  individuals (or single powerful being) who has the 
  same goals (but wants to get all the Glory or 
  Wisdom for himself) or cope with the unexpected 
  interference of a third party that has nothing to do 
  with the adventure in itself. 
   
  6 = More Complications ! This Adventure is 
  actually very complicated : roll again twice on this 
  table, ignoring subsequent rolls of 6.  
   
  Exempli Gratia 
   
  For the more skeptical among you, here is a short 
  example on how these wonderful tables may be used 
  to spark or aid a Maze Master’s creativity. 
   
  The Maze Master makes four d6 rolls : 2, 4, 3 and 2. 
  These rolls translate as : the adventurers are asked by 
  the local king or queen to venture through a dangerous  
  forest in order to prevent a disaster from occurring but 
  the adventure will also take them to another location : 
  we roll 2 (ominous ruins). How can this be transformed 
  into a reasonably original, working Adventure Plot ?  
   
  Let’s start with the two locations. The forest-ruins 
  combination leads to a fairly obvious interpretation : the 
  ruins are the proper destination of the adventure but 
  the adventurers will have to cross the forest to get 
  there. The conjunction of ‘ruins’ and ‘disaster’ strike a 
  light in the Maze Master’s mind : this disaster could be 
  tied to some eldritch curse laid on an ancient city, 
  which was destroyed a long time ago by a disaster 
  similar to the one our heroes are now trying to prevent. 
  The Maze Master decides to go for a plague.  
   
  So the same plague that wiped out the inhabitants of 
  the ruined city on the other side of the forest would now 
  threaten the kingdom where the adventurers are 
  currently staying… but why ? And how could a journey 
  to the ruins avert the new plague ?   
   
  First, let’s concentrate on the why : curses are not 
  random, gratuitous occurrences and always have some 
  sort 
  of 
  justification. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  of 
  brainstorming, the Maze Master comes up with the 
  following story : the inhabitants of the original city were 
  a very rich and refined people, so proud of their 
  advanced culture that they eventually decided to 
  abandon the worship of their Olympian patron deities 
  (Apollo and Artemis) whom they now considered as 
  ‘grossly primitive abstractions’. This of course caused 
  the two deities’ divine wrath – who decided to go for a 
  good old-fashioned plague because it not only wiped 
  out the entire population but also made them extremely 
  ugly during the last days of their lives – a fitting 
  punishment for such vain and arrogant mortals.  
   
  This is a nice backstory, but how on Mythika could a 
  journey to the ruins of this accursed city enable our 
  fearless heroes to save another city from a similar 
  plague ? The Maze Master ponders over this repetitive 
  pattern and comes up with the following idea : the 
  inhabitants of the city have begun to became as vain 
  and arrogant as the long-dead plague victims… but this 
  time, Apollo has decided to be merciful and to give 
  them a single chance to apease his divine wrath : a 
  chosen group of heroes will have to journey to the ruins 
  of the ancient city (which are, of course, haunted by 
  various malevolent spirits, including ghosts of plague 
  victims etc) and bring back the crown of its last king (as 
  a token of their quest) before seven days have passed.  
   
  Of course, this crown is ferociously guarded by an 
  army of ghosts and other fell creatures have settled in 
  the ruins. And to make things more challenging (and 
  entertaining to watch), Artemis will plant various 
  encounters and perils along their way through the 
  forest (it is, after all, her own sacred domain). The 
  adventure is now taking shape… 
    
  
   
  36 
   
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  Random Tables 
   
  The Mysterious Islands tables were probably one of 
  the most beloved features of the original M&M rules 
  – and were left unchanged in the Revised rules. 
  How many times have these wonderful tables saved 
  the day of uninspired Maze Masters worldwide ?  
  With a few die rolls and a reasonable spark of 
  common sense, you could cook up a whole 
  adventure in only a few minutes. Some hardcore 
  improvisers even used them during play, rolling up 
  creatures and situations as the characters sailed 
  from island to island – a style of play which 
  eventually became known as « random odysseys ».  
   
  First 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  Unveiled 
  Addenda 
  supplement, the City-State and Adventure Plot 
  generators proved very popular with Maze Masters 
  – but also contributed to the infamous « Table 
  Trend » of the 80s. Soon, every issue of Griffin 
  magazine included at least one new table of some 
  sort – Seasonal Weather Charts, Sleep Quality 
  Table, Random Daily Events, Random Banquet 
  Food Generator,  Random This, Random That… 
  The overdose point was probably reached with a 
  Random Activity Between Adventures table in which 
  your character could actually gain Glory points, find 
  treasure, benefit from Divine Intervention or even 
  DIE as a result of a single D100 roll.    
   
  Fanatics & Fallacies  
   
  Noticed the short paragraph on desecrating temples 
  in the Random Temple Generator section ? Well, 
  this is probably where the strange notion that RPGs 
  had something to do with desecrating churches 
  comes from – which is a bit ironic, considering the 
  blatant paganism of the M&M world.  
   
  Remember the Big Anti-RPG Crusade of the 80s 
  when pressure groups such as WAMM (Worried 
  About Mazes & Minotaurs) or the so called Moral 
  Majority tried to have RPGs banned in the USA ?  
  Those were the same born-again bigots who heard 
  subliminal satanic messages in heavy metal songs 
  or thought that The Beauty & the Beast  actually 
  encouraged lycanthropy – not to mention ‘invisible 
  mind control mantras’ hidden in solo gamebooks…  
   
  This wave of anti-RPG propaganda reached its 
  climax 
  with 
  the 
  hilarious 
  Maleficious 
  Mazes 
  illustrated pamphlet, in which a Maze Mistress who 
  looked like a S&M dominatrix initiated influenceable 
  teen-agers into the « dark dianic mysteries » by 
  playing M&M…  while we all know that, in those 
  days, most Maze Masters actually looked like 
  overweight satyrs in Bermuda shorts. Panels of this 
  memorable piece of bigotry & disinformation are 
  reproduced here for our readers’ enlightenment and 
  enjoyment (not to mention the esthetic epiphany)… 
   
  MALEFICIOUS MAZES ! 
   
   
   
   
  I am your Maze Mistress  
  and you must obey me ! 
   
   
   
  Mike - No, not Pyros ! I’m going to die ! Don’t cast me out 
  of the game ! Somebody save me - or I’ll kill myself out of 
  frustration and spiritual helplessness !  
   
  Fran - Get out, Mike ! You’re dead ! You don’t exist any 
  more for us, you pathetic whining loser !  Oh, and one last 
  thing : it was simulation all along. 
   
   
   
   
  Marcie – Gee, Hank, you saved my soul… 
   
  Hank – See ? I told you Jesus had all the answers !  Now, 
  let’s go to the backyard and burn all those evil Mazes & 
  Minotaurs books – and then we’ll burn this Maze Mistress 
  you told me about… 
   
      
      
  
   
  37 
  IIIIVVVV    : MYTHIC ITEMS
  : MYTHIC ITEMS
  : MYTHIC ITEMS
  : MYTHIC ITEMS    
      
  Categories of Items 
   
  Over the course of their heroic careers, adventurers 
  may acquire mythic items of varying degrees of 
  power, either as loot or as divine boons. This 
  chapter details many mythic items, presented in 
  seven categories : Magical Armament, Potions and 
  Consumables, Staves and Wands, Rings and 
  Amulets, Garments and Accessories, Miscellaneous 
  Items and Unique Artifacts. 
   
  Unless otherwise specified, mythic items have an 
  effective Encumbrance of zero.  
   
  Magical Armament 
   
  Acheronian Arrows  
   
  These magical arrows can be used to wound 
  insubstantial creatures. 
   
  Aegis  
   
  This magical shield adds +4 (rather than +2) to its 
  wielder’s Defense Class. It also grants a +2 bonus 
  to Danger Evasion and Mystic Fortitude. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Arrows of Plague  
   
  Created by Apollo, usually only 1-3 will be found at 
  a time. Anyone struck by a Plague Arrow who fails 
  their Mystic Fortitude roll will sicken and lose 1d6 
  Hits per day until they die or they receive magical 
  healing. Arrows of Plague disappear after use. 
   
  Arrows of the Sagittarius 
   
  These magical arrows, made by the legendary 
  Centaur Chiron, grant a +1 bonus to the archer’s 
  Missile attack and damage rolls.  
   
  Boar Helmet  
   
  This barbaric helmet is shaped in the form of a 
  boar’s head. It has the same properties as a helmet 
  of Ares (see below), except that the bonus used is 
  the Might modifier. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Bow of Apollo  
   
  This magical bow can only be used by archers of 
  great skill (ie characters with a positive Skill 
  modifier). Every arrow shot from this bow adds the 
  archer’s Skill bonus to its damage roll. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Bow of Artemis  
   
  This bow can be used at no penalty while moving 
  and has twice the normal range (600’). (Enc = 1) 
  Bow of Herakles  
   
  This bow can only be used by extremely strong 
  individuals (ie characters with a Might of 13+).  
   
  Its user adds his Might bonus to his Missile attack 
  and damage rolls. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Breastplate of Apollo  
   
  This ultra-light breastplate can only be used by 
  extremely handsome male heroes (ie male warriors 
  with a Grace of 13+).  
   
  Its wearer adds his Grace bonus to his EDC (in 
  addition to the usual +2) as well as to his Mystic 
  Fortitude and Danger Evasion rolls. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Breastplate of Ares  
   
  This breastplate provides twice the usual protection 
  (+4 instead of +2 to Defense Class) for the same 
  encumbrance value. It also grants a +2 bonus to 
  Mystic Fortitude. (Enc = 3) 
   
  Cestus of Pugilism  
   
  Magical leather strips wrapped around each hand. 
  Allows the wearer to inflict (1d3 + Might mod) Hits of 
  regular damage using only his fists. Such attacks 
  are delivered as regular pugilistic attacks, with all 
  the usual restrictions (see the Players Manual). 
   
  Dagger of Aphrodite  
   
  This magical dagger can only be used by persons 
  attractive enough to gain Aphrodite’s attention (ie 
  characters with a positive Grace modifier).  
   
  It grants a damage bonus equal to the wielder’s 
  Grace bonus when used against beings of the 
  opposite gender.  
   
   
   
  You need to be extra-careful with this Dagger of Aphrodite 
  
   
  38 
   
   
   
   
   
  Magical helmets have always been one of our most popular adventuring items – don’t leave home without them ! 
   
  Helmet of Ares  
   
  This magical helmet grants victory and protection in 
  battle but can only be used by characters with a 
  Skill of 13+. In game terms, its wearer adds his Skill 
  bonus to his Melee rolls and to his EDC (on top of 
  the regular +2 helmet bonus). (Enc = 1) 
   
  Helmet of Athena  
   
  This magical helmet grants wisdom and protection 
  in battle but can only be used by characters with a 
  Will of 13+. In game terms, its wearer adds his Will 
  bonus to his Initiative score and to his EDC (on top 
  of the regular +2 helmet bonus). (Enc = 1) 
   
  Helm of Hermaphrodite 
   
  A bronze helmet of Thracian design, it appears 
  perfectly normal to every test…until worn. Named 
  after the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, whose body 
  was melded with that of a Nymph, creating a being 
  of both sexes, the Helm is a cursed item; when 
  placed on the head, it transforms a male wearer into 
  a female of the same species, and vice versa.  
   
  Once used, the Helm loses all power, and cannot be 
  used to reverse the effect. The curse can only be 
  broken by Divine will, and will usually require a long 
  and difficult quest to earn the Deity’s help. (Enc = 1) 
   
   
   
  A bold Spearman exhibiting his magical armament 
  (including a very stylish Helm of Hermaphrodite) 
   
  Javelin of Destiny  
   
  This javelin has twice the normal range, grants a +1 
  Missile and damage bonus and always comes back 
  to the hand of the thrower if it misses. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Lightning Bolt  
   
  This is a true lightning bolt solidifed by magic and 
  usable as a javelin. It does 2d6 damage per strike 
  and has full effects against insubstantial creatures.  
   
  Its range is half that of a normal javelin (in other 
  words, Might x 5 feet). (Enc = 1) 
   
  Quiver of Artemis  
   
  The user of this magical quiver never runs out of 
  arrows. Furthermore, all arrows taken from this 
  quiver have a +1 bonus to damage. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Sling of Fortune  
   
  When used by a character with a Luck of 13+), this 
  sling adds the character’s Luck bonus to its damage 
  rolls. Its range is also twice that of a normal sling 
  (300 feet instead of 150).  
   
  Spear of Athena  
   
  This spear may only be used by the most skillful 
  fighters (ie warriors with a Skill of 13+). Its wielder 
  adds his Skill bonus to his damage rolls. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Spear of Casting  
   
  This weapon looks like a normal spear with small 
  wings at its neck. It can be thrown once per day out 
  to three times the normal range of a javelin, with a 
  +3 attack modifier. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Spear of Conquest  
   
  These spears were carried by ancient kings and 
  princes and give a +1 Melee attack bonus – or +2 
  when used by Nobles. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Spear of Defense 
   
  This spear provides a +2 bonus to EDC and has an 
  indestructible shaft. (Enc = 2) 
   
  
   
  39 
  Spear of Striking  
   
  This magic weapon grants +1 on Melee attack, as 
  well as a +4 bonus for one attack, once per day 
  (whether you hit or miss). (Enc = 2) 
   
  Spear of the Dragon 
   
  The heads of these spears are carved from the 
  teeth of a great dragon slain many centuries ago by 
  a legendary hero.  
   
  Dragon spears have a +3 to Melee attack but 
  cannot be used against a dragon or hydra – ie the 
  spear itself will not physically touch the hides of 
  these creatures. Once per day the head of a Dragon 
  Spear can erupt into flame for 6 rounds, causing an 
  additional die of damage. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Spear of Vigilance 
   
  The tip of this spear glows in the dark, providing 
  illumination in a radius of 20 feet. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Stargold 
   
  Back in the ancient days, this wondrous bluish metal 
  (of meteoritic origin ?) was mined and used by the 
  Derros and the Atlanteans, who have apparently 
  lost the secret of its crafting.  
   
  Items forged in stargold as are indestructible as they 
  are light. A stargold blade will never break or grow 
  dull and gives a +1 bonus to damage.  
   
  A piece of armor gives +3 to EDC (instead of the 
  usual +2) and reduces its usual encumbrance value 
  by 1 (ie 2 for a breastplate and 0 for a helmet). 
   
  Sword of Ares  
   
  This sword may only be used by the most skillful 
  fighters (ie warriors with a Skill of 13+). Its wielder 
  adds his Skill bonus to his damage rolls. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Sword of Ruse  
   
  This sword can only be used by especially clever 
  and astute warriors (ie with a Wits score of 13+).  
   
  It has a knack for finding the weakest spot in an 
  opponent’s defense, allowing its wielder to add his 
  Wits bonus to his Melee attack rolls. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Sword of the Underworld  
   
  This magical sword can be used to wound 
  insubstantial creatures. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Weapons of Hephaestus  
   
  These weapons are said to have been forged by 
  Hephaestus and his Cyclops assistants.  
   
  They can only be wielded by the mightiest warriors 
  (Might of 13+) and give a damage bonus equal to 
  the character’s Might modifier. (Enc = usual) 
          
   
  Sipping a rare vintage from Arcadia 
   
  Potions & Consumables 
   
  Aphrodite’s Venom 
   
  A single dose of this rare magical poison can be 
  coated on a blade, arrowhead or spearpoint. Male 
  creatures (including men) wounded by this weapon 
  will take 2 extra Hits of damage.  
   
  The poison loses its effectiveness in 1d6 hours or 
  after three wounds (whichever comes first).  The 
  recipe of this poison is only known to the heiresses 
  of the royal Amazon bloodline. 
   
  Apollo’s Water 
   
  This crystal-clear water is one of the only known 
  remedies to the effects of Lethe Water. A single 
  dose will also immediately awaken a Lyrist who has 
  drunk too much Mead of the Muses.  
   
  When found, Apollo’s Water usually comes in a 
  small phial or flask containing 1d6 doses. 
   
  Cocytus Water 
   
  Must be kept in a fireproof flask, which can be 
  hurled or spilled, doing 1d6 Hits of damage to a 
  single target for 1-3 consecutive rounds.  
   
  Cocytus Water is generally found in small phials 
  containing 1d3 doses. 
   
  Dust of Hypnos  
   
  Each pinch of this sparkling dust can plunge a 
  person (or creature) into a deep enchanted sleep 
  from which nothing can awake him for the next 1d6  
  hours. To work, the dust must be dropped or blown 
  into the victim’s face. The victim may make a 
  Danger Evasion roll to avoid the soporific effect. 
  Failure means he falls immediately asleep.  
   
  This dust is generally found in the form of small 
  bags containing 1d3+3 pinches. Mindless creatures 
  are immune to its effects. 
  
   
  40 
  Golden Apples  
   
  These rare magical apples can only be found on 
  special magical trees - which only grow on a few 
  magical islands.  
   
  Each time a character takes a golden apple from its 
  tree and eats one of these wonderful fruits, he 
  receives one of the following gifts. The gift must be 
  chosen by the character himself – but the same gift 
  can only be received once in an entire lifetime.  
   
  Strength : Gain 1d3 points of Might. 
   
  Dexterity : Gain 1d3 points of Skill. 
   
  Cleverness : Gain 1d3 points of Wits. 
   
  Fortune : Gain 1d3 points of Luck. 
   
  Willpower  : Gain 1d3 points of Will. 
   
  Comeliness : Gain 1d3 points of Grace. 
   
  All attribute gains are permanent and cannot bring 
  an attribute over 18.  
   
  These fruits lose their magical power once they fall 
  from their tree. When such trees are met, there will 
  be 1d6 trees, each holding 1d6 edible apples. 
   
  Hydra Head Potion 
   
  When the user imbibes this rare and costly potion, 
  extra heads sprout from his shoulders. One extra 
  head is grown per dose consumed, which lasts for 
  one hour.  
   
  Each head beyond the first adds one opponent to 
  the creature’s maximum number of opponents per 
  round. Each extra head also gives +1 to the 
  character’s Initiative score and detection mod, 
  making him more difficult to surprise. 
   
  A pair of human shoulders cannot support more 
  than 3 heads. Each dose taken beyond this limit will 
  simply inflict 1d6 Hits of damage to the drinker.  
   
  Also note that each extra head gives a -4 penalty to 
  Personal Charisma (and makes it impossible to 
  pass incognito). 
   
  When found, Hydra Head Potion usually comes in a 
  a small bottle containing 1d6 doses. 
   
  Hyperborean Beer  
   
  Each cup of this thick, golden-brown beer restores 1 
  Hit to the drinker, up to his starting Hits total.  
   
  Each time a character drinks a cup of hyperborean 
  beer, roll 1d6. If the result is 6, he suffers heavy 
  intoxication and immediately loses 1d6 Hits – and 
  will be unable to drink more Hyperborean beer for a 
  number of days equal to the number of Hits lost.  
   
  Barbarians are immune to this unfortunate side-
  effect and can swallow unlimited quantities of this 
  liquid (of which they are usually quite fond).  
   
  This beer is generally found in barrels that contain 
  the equivalent of 24 cups. 
   
   
  Hydra Head Potion in Action ! 
   
  Lethe Water 
   
  Drinking a single dose of this magical water will 
  cause the immediate loss of one class level (and all 
  related bonuses and benefits) unless a Mystic 
  Fortitude roll is made.  
   
  Level 1 characters cannot be reduced below their 
  current level but will suffer complete amnesia, 
  forgetting all details about their personal lives 
  (friends, family, their own names).  
   
  Lethe Water is generally found in small phials 
  containing 1d3 doses. 
   
  Mead of Poseidon  
   
  Each dose of this greenish brew gives the ability to 
  breathe and speak under water for the next hour.  
   
  Multiple doses will increase duration accordingly.  
   
  This drink is generally found in the form of small 
  amphoras that contain the equivalent of 6 doses. 
   
  Mead of the Muses  
   
  This magical, beer-like, honey-tasting brew can help 
  a tired Lyrist to refresh his poetic inspiration – but it 
  is also extremely intoxicating.  
   
  Each cup of the mead restores 2d6 Power points to 
  the Lyrist, without exceeding his regular total – but if 
  the rolled points do take the character’s Power 
  above its maximum, he will immediately collapse 
  and fall into a deeply enchanted sleep for a number 
  of hours equal to the number of points in excess.  
   
  Moreover, each hour of this enchanted, Mead-
  induced sleep will cause the loss of 1d6 Power 
  points, as the Muses take back what they have 
  given to the hapless poet…  
   
  When found, the Mead of the Muses usually comes 
  in a small phial or flask containing the equivalent of 
  1d6 cups. If drunk by a character other than a Lyrist, 
  the Mead will have the standard effects of alcohol. 
  
   
  41 
   
   
   
   
  Deluxe containers for magical potions 
   
  Medea’s Ointment  
   
  Each application of this body lotion grants a +2 
  bonus to a character’s EDC and makes him totally 
  immune to fire damage (natural or magical).  
   
  Applying the ointment requires approximately one 
  minute and the effects of the ointment last for a 
  number of hours equal to 4 plus or minus the 
  character’s Luck modifier.  
   
  This wonderful ointment is generally found in the 
  form of small flasks that contain the equivalent of 6 
  full applications. 
   
  Oil of Aphrodite  
   
  The effects of this sweet and perfumed body lotion 
  are left to the Maze Master’s discretion and will 
  have to be adjusted according to the age of the 
  players around the table : suffice it to say that the oil 
  is an extremely potent ointment.  
   
  This oil is generally found in the form of small flasks 
  that contain the equivalent of 6 full applications. 
   
  Olive Tree of Athena  
   
  This tree produces a crop of olives once a month as 
  long as appropriate sacrifices to Athena are made. 
  Note that cuttings from this tree produce robust but 
  normal olive trees. 
   
  Potion of Celerity  
   
  Each dose of this potion adds 50% (60’ for humans) 
  to a character’s basic Movement allowance for the 
  next 4 hours.  
   
  While under the influence of the potion, characters 
  also gain +2 to Initiative and Danger Evasion.  
   
  Multiple doses do not have cumulative effects.  
   
  This potion is generally found in the form of small 
  phials that contain the equivalent of 3 doses. 
   
  Potion of Healing 
   
  Each dose of this potion immediately restores 1d6 
  Hits to the drinker (up to his original Hits total).  
   
  This potion is generally found in the form of small 
  phials that contain the equivalent of 3 doses. 
  Potion of Remembrance 
   
  This potion is one of the only known cures for the 
  amnesia induced by Lethe Water (see above).  
   
  When found, potion of remembrance usually comes 
  in a small phial or flask containing 1d6 doses. 
   
  Potion of Strength 
   
  Each dose of this potion adds +1 to a character’s 
  Might modifier (which affects his Melee modifier and 
  Hits total, as well as his chances to accomplish 
  spectacular feats of strength) for the next hour. 
  Multiple doses can be taken for increased effect.  
   
  This potion is generally found in the form of small 
  phials that contain the equivalent of 3 doses.  
   
  Styx Water 
   
  One dose of this liquid sprinkled on any malignant 
  Spirit (shadow, ghost etc) will immediately banish it 
  to the Underworld unless the creature makes a 
  Mystic Fortitude roll. Sprinkling a Spirit counts as a 
  melee attack but requires no attack roll. Styx Water 
  is usually found in small phials of 1d3 doses. 
   
  Wine of Dionysus  
   
  A very heady, thick and almost black wine said to be 
  made from the god’s own personal vineyard.  
   
  Mortals who drink this wine immediately succumb to 
  the “madness of Dionysus”. These effects last for 
  one hour for each cup taken.  
   
  The exact effects of the madness of Dionysus are 
  left to the Maze Master’s discretion and will have to 
  be adjusted according to the age of the players 
  around the table.  
   
  Nymphs are immune to this effect : for them, each 
  full cup of this wine restores 1d6 Power points (up to 
  the Nymph’s original total).  
   
  The Wine of Dionysus is usually found in the form of 
  wineskins or amphoras that contain the equivalent 
  of six full cups. 
   
   
  Wine of Dionysus, anyone ? 
   
   
  
   
  42 
   
   
  - 
  Stop right here, you spear-toting imbecile, or tremble before the eldritch might of my Staff of Power ! 
   
   
  Staves & Wands 
   
  Beta Ray Wand 
   
  This wand can shoot beams of green energy that 
  causes damage to all creatures but is especially 
  harmful to Animates.  
   
  It has a range of 20 feet, requires a Missile attack 
  roll to hit and does 1d6 Hits of damage (or 2d6 if the 
  target is an Animate). Each wand contains enough 
  energy for 1d10 shots. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Caduceus  
   
  This mythic item of wondrous healing powers 
  appears as a small staff or rod decorated with two 
  coiled serpents.  
   
  When used by a Priest or Priestess of any deity, it 
  doubles the number of Hits restored by their Divine 
  Vitality power. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Rod of Lightning 
   
  This magical rod throws lightning bolts. Each bolt 
  does 2d6 damage and has full effects against 
  insubstantial creatures. These attacks have a range 
  of 10 feet and require a Missile attack roll.  
   
  Each individual rod will contain enough lightning 
  energy for 1d20 bolts. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Staff of Command  
   
  A Sorcerer holding this magical staff will only have 
  to spend half the normal Power points when using 
  his Compelling and Enslavement powers. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Staff of Earth 
   
  This item can only be used by an Elementalist 
  skilled in the power of Earth.  
   
  When the magician uses any Earth power while 
  holding this staff, its Power cost is reduced by half 
  (ie equal to the Magnitude of the power). (Enc = 2) 
   
   
   
  Staff of Light 
   
  This staff can be used to emit a zone of bright light 
  (equivalent to daylight), with a radius of 10 feet.  
   
  This light can be switched on and off at will by the 
  holder of the staff. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Staff of Power  
   
  This magical staff can be used by Sorcerers to store 
  extra Power points.  
   
  Unlike the Sorcerer, the staff does not recover its 
  Power points once they are spent and will have to 
  be “refilled”. Each individual Staff of Power may 
  store up to 1d6+6 Power points. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Staff of the Serpent  
   
  This cursed staff looks like a potent magical artifact 
  but turns into a deadly venomous snake as soon as 
  it is firmly held by a hand. The character holding the 
  staff will have to make a Danger Evasion roll to 
  avoid being bitten on the wrist by the snake. If the 
  roll fails, he will die within 1d6 rounds. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Staff of Water 
   
  This item has the same effects as a Staff of Earth 
  but its properties apply to Water Elemental magic. 
   
  Wand of Air  
   
  This item can only be used by an Elementalist 
  skilled in the power of Air. When the character uses 
  his Swirling Winds power (Magnitude 1), the wand 
  doubles its duration as well as the maximum 
  number of individuals it can affect. (Enc = 1) 
   
  Wand of Fire  
   
  This item can only be used by an Elementalist 
  skilled in the power of Fire. When the character 
  uses his Dart of Fire power (Magnitude 1), the wand 
  simultaneously shoots a second Dart at the target of 
  his choice (at no additional Power cost). (Enc = 1) 
  
   
  43 
  Rings & Amulets 
   
  Amulet of Aphrodite 
   
  This amulet gives a +4 bonus to Personal Charisma 
  with persons of the opposite sex. 
   
  Amulet of Artemis  
   
  This amulet gives its wearer “fortune of the 
  huntress”, in the form of a +4 bonus to the 
  character’s stealth and detection rolls. 
   
  Amulet of Dreams 
   
  This magical amulet brings very pleasant dreams to 
  its wearer. Sorcerers who wear it recover Power 
  points twice as fast (ie 1d6 per hour of sleep). 
   
  Amulet of Health  
   
  This amulet doubles its wearer’s healing rate. 
   
  Amulet of Protection  
   
  This magical amulet adds +1 to the wearer’s EDC, 
  Danger Evasion and Mystic Fortitude scores. 
   
  Amulet of the Merfolk  
   
  This amulet gives the power to breathe (and speak) 
  underwater for unlimited periods of time. 
   
  Amulet of the Nereids  
   
  The bearer of this fine marine ivory amulet can 
  communicate with all undersea Folks and Monsters. 
  Note that these creatures may not have anything 
  interesting to say.  
   
  Armlet of Janus 
   
  A copper armlet, worn on the bicep; it is engraved 
  with a two-faced head. The eyes of the faces – two 
  in total - are inset with precious gems (an emerald 
  on the left, a sapphire on the right). 
   
  This truly marvellous Armlet reflects Janus’ status 
  as the god of doorways. The wearer can, by 
  touching the emerald eye and speaking a word of 
  command, vanish from his present location and 
  instantly reappear up to 60’ away.  
   
  The destination must either be within plain view or in 
  a place the wearer has been before (within range). 
  By touching the sapphire eye and speaking the 
  command word again, the wearer is returned to the 
  exact spot he originally left from – but only if he is 
  standing at the spot where he first materialized, 
  otherwise the power fails to operate. 
   
  The Armlet’s power operates only once per day in 
  each direction, and the emerald’s power cannot be 
  used again unless the sapphire’s power has been 
  employed (or at least attempted). If either or both of 
  the enchanted gems is removed, the Armlet will not 
  function until they are restored to it. 
  Armlet of the Dioscuri  
   
  A copper armlet, worn on the bicep; it is engraved 
  with a two-faced head, and is often mistaken for an 
  Armlet of Janus (q.v.). The eyes of the faces – two 
  in total - are inset with black pearls.  
   
  The Armlet reflects the dual nature of the Dioscuri, 
  Kastor and Polydeuces – the former was mortal; the 
  latter, immortal.  
   
  Once per day, the wearer may call on the Armlet to 
  briefly emulate the power of Polydeuces; the next 
  time the player has to make a Danger Evasion roll, it 
  will automatically succeed.  
   
  Each time the Armlet is used, there is a 5% chance 
  (cumulative) that one of the pearls crumbles into 
  dust. The pearls cannot be replaced. Once both are 
  destroyed, the Armlet becomes forever powerless. 
   
  Ring of Good Fortune  
   
  The wearer of this ring receives a +1 bonus to his 
  Luck modifier, which will affect his EDC, Missile 
  Attack, Danger Evasion, Mystic Fortitude and all 
  other Luck-based scores. Cursed versions (called 
  Rings of Bad Luck) exist, with the opposite effects. 
   
  Ring of Invisibility  
   
  This magical ring grants the same power as a Cloak 
  spell (see Sorcery in the Players Manual) restricted 
  to its wearer. This enchantment is permanent but 
  can be turned on or off at will. 
   
  Ring of Mystic Lore  
   
  This magical ring adds +4 to a character’s Magic 
  Lore bonus (see Magic Lore at the end of this 
  chapter for more details). 
   
  Rings of the Elements 
   
  There are actually four different types of Elemental 
  Rings (one for each element). Only Elementalists 
  can use their magical properties, which vary 
  according to the magician’s elemental repertoire. 
   
  If the character does not master the element of the 
  Ring, wearing it gives him access to the three 
  powers of this element (in addition to the powers of 
  his two chosen elements). 
   
  If the element of the Ring is already mastered by the 
  character but is not his primary element, wearing 
  the Ring allows the character to benefit from his 
  Elemental Affinity bonus when using the powers of 
  this element, effectively giving him two primary 
  elements (his regular primary element and the 
  element of the Ring). 
   
  Lastly, if the element of the Ring corresponds to the 
  magician’s primary element, wearing it doubles the 
  character’s Elemental Affinity bonus. 
   
  Rings representing opposite elements (Fire and 
  Water, Earth and AIr) are mutually exclusive and 
  cannot be worn by the same character. 
  
   
  44 
  Garments & Accessories 
   
  Cloak of Concealment  
   
  This has the same effects as a Ring of Invisibility.  
   
  Fillet of Piety  
   
  This headgear adds +2 to a Priest’s Spiritual Aura. 
   
  Girdle of Protection  
   
  This belt adds +2 to the EDC of its wearer. 
   
  Girdle of Strength  
   
  This belt adds +2 to the Might modifier of its wearer. 
   
  Girdle of Teiresias 
   
  Legends are confused about this handsome, jewel-
  inlaid girdle, which once belonged to the famed 
  blind seer Teiresias, greatest of all Oracles… but 
  the truth is obviously more complicated, since this is 
  NOT a Unique Artifcat.  
   
  Some say that this girdle will endow anyone who 
  wears it with astounding prophetic abilities. Others 
  say that the wearer will be struck blind, or have the 
  ability to speak to snakes or will have its gender 
  changed forever. The truth is that the Girdle can 
  accomplish all this, but on a random basis. 
  Whenever a character puts it on, roll 1d6 and apply 
  the corresponding result : 
   
  1 = Oracular Sight  
  The character gains the ability to use the Divine 
  Vision ability (as per the Divine Prodigy of the same 
  name, described in the Players Manual) three times 
  per day (at no Power cost).  
   
  2 = Ophidian Affinity  
  The character gains the ability to speak to snakes 
  (including Giant Snakes) and understand their 
  secret, hissing language. Note that this does not 
  give him any command or control over them – nor 
  does it guarantee that these creatures will have 
  anything interesting to say. 
   
  3 = Blindness  
  The character is struck blind. 
   
  4 = Sex Change  
  The character’s gender changes. 
   
  5 = Oracular Blindness  
  Apply results 1 and 3. 
   
  6 = Oracular Sex Change  
  Apply results 1 and 4. 
   
  These effects last as long as the Girdle is worn… 
  and once it has been put on, it cannot be removed 
  except by Divine Intervention.  
   
  To reflect the uncertain and confusing nature of the 
  Girdle, a successful Magic Lore roll will only reveal 
  one of its true properties, rolled randomly on the 
  table given above.  
   
   
  These are Laurels of Glory. You ARE level 6, aren’t you ? 
   
  Laurels of Glory 
   
  This magical crown of laurel can only be worn by 
  Nobles, Spearmen and other fighters who have 
  reached level 6. It gives the character a +4 bonus to 
  Personal Charisma and makes him permanently 
  immune to Sorcery, Fear and Petrification.  
   
  Any character of level 5 or less who puts these 
  laurels on becomes guilty of hubris and immediately 
  loses his current class level, falling to the next lower 
  level (with the minimum amount of Glory). 
   
  Laurels of Wisdom  
   
  This magical crown of laurel has the same effects 
  as the Laurels of Glory for magic-using characters. 
   
  Leggings of Speed  
   
  This pair of metal leggings increase Movement by 
  one-third and add +2 to Initiative, with an effective 
  encumbrance value of zero. 
   
  Masks of Thespis 
   
  This is a set of two masks similar to those worn by 
  actors : one is happy and the other angry.  
   
  A character wearing the happy mask enjoys the 
  same immunities as if he was affected by a Song of 
  Freedom (Poetic Magic magnitude 2) and will also 
  benefit from a +2 bonus to Personal Charisma. 
   
  A character wearing the angry mask will be 
  absolutely immune to Poetic Magic – but will suffer 
  a -2 penalty to Personal Charisma. 
   
  These effects apply as long as the mask is worn. 
   
   
   
   
  Masks of Thespis : can you guess which is which ? 
  
   
  45 
   
   
  Sandals of Hermes : top speed & top style ! 
   
  Sandals of Hermes  
   
  This pair of magical sandals has the same effects 
  as Leggings of Speed, with which they can be 
  combined for increased speed (add +4 to Initiative 
  and increase Movement by two-thirds !). 
   
  Siren’s Comb 
   
  A decorative hair-comb, made from bone, with 
  mother-of-pearl inlay. It carries the image of a 
  woman-headed bird.  
   
  This item is especially enchanted to resist a Siren’s 
  power of Vocal Entrancement ; while worn in the 
  hair, it grants the wearer – and only the wearer - 
  complete immunity to the Siren’s enchanting songs.  
   
  Any Siren who sees one of these combs in the hair 
  of her prey will become enraged, and physically 
  attack the wearer; it is suspected that the bone from 
  which the comb is made comes from a Siren slain 
  for that purpose. 
   
  Tunic of Fortune  
   
  This garment adds +1 to the Luck mod of its wearer. 
   
  Tunic of Nessos 
   
  This cursed tunic appears as a beautiful reddish 
  piece of clothing. Any character who puts it on will 
  autiomatically suffer 1d6 Hits of damage per battle 
  round until he is dead or the tunic is taken off. The 
  victim is so wretched in pain that he cannot remove 
  the tunic himself, unless he makes a Danger 
  Evasion roll (one try at the end of each round). 
  Miscellaneous Items 
   
  Amphora of Preservation  
   
  Liquids stored in these fabulous jars do not spoil. 
  Poisonous or tainted liquids will be purified if stored 
  within it for 1d6 days. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Ariadne's Ball of Twine 
   
  This ordinary-seeming ball of plain, non-descript 
  twine can be used to find the exit to any labyrinth. 
  Upon the utterance of the command word, the ball 
  of twine, when dropped to the floor, will roll towards 
  the nearest exit, leaving a trail of twine behind it.  
   
  The twine will not be able to pass through or over 
  obstacles; instead, it will take whatever detour is 
  necessary to reach the exit. Only if there is no way 
  around an obstacle will the ball of twine stop rolling. 
   
  There doesn't seem to be any limit to the amount of 
  twine wrapped around the ball, but any twine cut off 
  from the main line is just plain twine. Once the exit 
  has been found, repeating the command word will 
  cause the twine to re-wrap itself around the ball. 
   
  Arrow of Infernal Direction  
   
  This magical arrow will point the way to the nearest 
  underworld entrance (within 100 miles).  
   
  Atlantean Wargalleys 
    
  These powerful warships are decorated with bronze 
  dolphins and fierce statues of Poseidon. They are 
  powered by a magical wood-burning copper boiler 
  that turns 120 bronze oars. The crew of an 
  Atlantean galley can be a minimum of three : one 
  steersman, one captain and one engineer. Sails are 
  not needed. Each galley is fitted with three large 
  catapults. These require their own crews. Atlantean 
  galleys can row against the wind.  
   
  Bag of Winds 
   
  Each of these magical bags holds 2d6 points of 
  Wind. Everytime the bag is opened by someone 
  who knows its properties, the character will have to 
  decide whether he wishes to spend 1, 2 or 3 points 
  of Wind, depending on the desired effect.  
   
  When used on purpose, each point of Wind spent 
  duplicates the equivalent magnitude level of Air 
  Elementalism : thus, causing Swirling Winds costs 
  1pt, Talons of the Wind 2pts and Gale Fury 3pts.  
   
  These winds affect all characters and creatures in a 
  radius of 20’ and their effects last for 1d6 battle 
  rounds. All Danger Evasion rolls must be made 
  against a target number of 20. 
   
  A single point of Wind can also be used to propel a 
  galley at top speed for 1d6 days.  
   
  If the bag is opened wide by an unsuspecting 
  person, it will loose 1d3 points of Wind per battle 
  round until it is closed or emptied. 
  
   
  46 
  Bridle of Taming  
   
  This bridle enables its possessor to tame (and ride) 
  a Pegasus or Griffin.  
   
  Passing the bridle around the creature’s neck 
  requires a special Melee attack roll using the 
  creature’s Initiative (rather than its EDC) as the 
  target number and inflicting no damage. 
   
  Bronze Bull Statuette 
   
  This small (Enc 1) bronze statuette representing a 
  bull can be turned into a live Bronze Bull (see 
  Creature Compendium) once per day by pressing 
  the small gem located between its horns.  
   
  The Bronze Bull will remain in existence for 1d6 
  battle rounds and will obey the mental commands of 
  the character who pressed the gem. It will then 
  become a statuette again for the next 24 hours.  
   
  Chains of Prometheus  
   
  Not as cosmic as their name might imply, these 
  magical iron chains forged by Hephaestus himself 
  may nonetheless prove extremely useful. 
   
  Chains of Prometheus are absolutely unbreakable 
  (except by direct Divine Intervention) – and can be 
  used to chain absolutely anything, including the 
  most gigantic monsters (once they have been 
  subdued, of course). 
   
  Complete Works of Homeros 
   
  These seven scrolls of unmatched poetic grandeur 
  collect the complete odes, songs and versified epics 
  of Mythika’s greatest poet and storyteller, the 
  legendary (and long-dead) Homeros.  
   
  Any Lyrist reading these masterpieces will reach 
  unsuspected heights of knowledge and inspiration in 
  the form of  100 Wisdom points per scroll for the first 
  four and 200 points for each one of scrolls V to VII.  
   
  Reading (and appreciating) the Complete Works 
  take approximately a week per scroll. 
   
  A given library, tomb or treasure room will contain 
  1d10 such scrolls, in numbered order (thus, a roll of 
  4 means scrolls I to IV).  
   
  Flute of the Shepherd  
   
  This small magical wooden flute may only be used 
  by characters with a very strong connection to the 
  forces of nature : Hunters, Nymphs, Centaurs as 
  well as Priestesses of Artemis or Demeter.  
   
  Playing the flute requires no specific skill and allows 
  the user to duplicate the effects of a Lyrist’s Song of 
  Soothing (see Poetic Magic in the Players Manual). 
   
  The power of the Flute has an effective Mystic 
  Strength of 20, has a range of 20’ and can affect a 
  maximum number of creatures equal to 4 plus the 
  user’s level. Its effects last as long as the character 
  is playing the flute. 
   
   
   
  Playful flute-playing Thief trying to prevent a solemn  
  Lyrist from using his Harp of Poetic Insight 
   
  Harp of Poetic Insight 
   
  This magical lyre can be used by Lyrists to store 
  extra Power points.  
   
  Unlike the Lyrist himself, the harp does not recover 
  its Power points once they are spent and will have 
  to be “refilled”. A Harp of Poetic Insight may store 
  up to 1d6+6 Power points. (Enc = 2) 
   
  Pipes of Chaos  
   
  The sound of this instrument produces the same 
  effects as a Confusion spell (Sorcery magnitude 
  level 1) affecting everyone who hears its demented 
  music (except the player himself) in a 20’ radius.  
   
  Victims are allowed a Mystic Fortitude saving roll 
  against a target number of 20. Mindless creatures 
  are immune to this effect.  
   
  Seven Scrolls of Thessalia  
   
  These scrolls of eldritch lore are an extraordinary 
  source of wizardly knowledge. They are identified by 
  their numeral (I to VII). Any Sorcerer reading them 
  will gain 100 Wisdom points per scroll for the first 
  four and 200 points for each one of scrolls V to VII.  
   
  A given library, tomb or treasure room will contain 
  1d10 such scrolls, in numbered order (thus, a roll of 
  4 means scrolls I to IV). (Enc = 1 for each scroll) 
   
  Silveroak  
   
  This magical wood can be used to make virtually 
  indestructible ships.  
   
  A ship with a hull made of Silveroak will have double 
  the usual amount of Hull points. Silveroak only 
  grows at the heart of the most ancient forests, in 
  remote parts of the world full of strange wonders 
  and perilous monsters.   
   
  Strings of Orpheus 
   
  When installed on a Lyrist’s harp, lyre or similar 
  instrument, these unbreakable magical strings will 
  enhance the power of the Lyrist’s songs, doubling 
  their effective duration.   
  
   
  47 
   
   
  Watch out for this Sunstone Special ! 
   
  Sunstones  
   
  This nut-sized yellow-orange gem emits a zone of 
  bright daylight (10’ radius) even in complete 
  darkness (underground etc). Multiple stones do not 
  increase the lighted area.  
   
  Sunstones can also be used as slingshot, in which 
  case they burst on impact, causing 2d6 damage 
  (but being destroyed in the process). 
   
  Tablets of Binding  
   
  These enchanted lead tablets act as the Sorcery 
  spell Enslavement cast by a Sorcerer with a Mystic 
  Strength of 20, but can be used by anybody who 
  knows how to write.  
   
  The binder describes the person he wants to 
  enslave in some detail, and the result that he wants 
  to achieve. Typical examples include making 
  someone fall in love with the binder, causing an 
  athlete to lose against the binder's favorite, keeping 
  the target from speaking ill of the binder etc.  
   
  The binder must bury the tablet in a graveyard or 
  into a deep spring or pool during a full moon, where 
  it will take effect the next dawn. If the tablet is found 
  or destroyed within the year, the effects are 
  dispelled; otherwise, they are permanent.  
   
  The victim is, of course, allowed a Mystic Fortitude 
  roll to resist these effects (target number 20). 
   
  Treasures of Autolycus 
   
  Autolycus was a master thief of legendary fame. 
  Amongst his most prized treasures were the 
  wonderful tools with which he plied his craft : 
   
  Mask of Autolycus  
   
  Once donned, this woven mask allows the wearer to 
  appear like a completely ordinary person, not worthy 
  of attention, unless he does something to attract 
  attention (like attacking a sentinel, walking into a 
  lady's private chamber etc). Anyone who knows of 
  the mask's abilities can attempt a detection roll 
  (against a target number of 20) to detect the wearer. 
  Pigments of Autolycus  
   
  This canister of paint, suitable for coloring 1d6 
  Medium-sized beings, can be used to completely 
  disguise someone or something. The fluid changes 
  color to match the vision of the user, allowing him to 
  conceal the identity of (for example) a stolen cow.  
   
  Large creatures require twice as much paint and 
  Gigantic ones four times as much ; conversely, 
  reduce quantity by half for Small creatures (50%). 
   
  Staff of Autolycus 
   
  A short metal rod (Enc = 1) with several small studs 
  or buttons along its length. When pressed in the 
  appropriate combination, the rod unfolds and 
  extends in various configurations, becoming : 
   
  1) A climbing pole up to 30' long, with spokes 
  protruding for aid in climbing (+4 to climbing rolls), 
  and a spike for planting securely in the ground. 
   
  2) A 6' long spike, which can be used as a spear 
   
  3) A long pole suitable for pole-vaulting 
   
  4) Can be used to force open doors and similar 
  feats of strength as if it had a Might of 18, provided 
  it is braced properly. 
   
  5) Can be used as a pogo stick 
   
  6) Can be flung as if it was a javelin, and always 
  returns to the same place it was thrown from. 
   
  If the proper combination is not known, an effect 
  may be rolled randomly, using 1d6. 
   
  Wings of Daedalus 
   
  The wings of daedalus allow the user to fly at 240' 
  per round… but the character must make a special 
  flying roll every ten minutes of flight or fall from the 
  sky, suffering 1d6 damage per 10 feet fallen.  
   
  Flying rolls are resolved exactly as swimming rolls, 
  using the character’s Athletic Prowess modifier and 
  with a target number equal to his Encumbrance. 
   
   
   
   
  Crash-testing the new Wings of Daedalus 
  
   
  48 
                  
   
   
  - You will never have the Sacred Crucible of Morphetic Counsel, you treacherous grape-wearing charlatan ! 
   
  - 
  Ah ah !  I, Xanthos the Green, care not for your divine baubbe, stupid woman – the Bowl of Serendipity is mine !  
   
  Unique Artifacts 
   
  Unique Artifacts are mythic items of tremendous 
  power, often made or given by the Gods 
  themselves, such as the Golden Fleece or the Harp 
  of Orpheus. As their name implies, Unique Artifacts 
  are one-of-a-kind mythic items.  
   
  Most (if not all) of them are of divine (or at least 
  semi-divine) origin and can never be found by 
  chance or as part of a treasure hoard. These items 
  can never be found by chance and can only be 
  obtained as the final reward of truly epic quests, 
  after many perils and obstacles have been 
  vanquished – and many Glory, Wisdom or 
  Experience points have been gained.  
   
  Here are three examples of Unique Artifacts from 
  the world of Mythika :  
   
  The Chess Pieces of the Gods 
   
  This is a set of 32 huge chess pieces which were 
  crafted by Hephaestus himself.  
   
  They belonged to Zeus himself and have been used 
  by the King of the Gods on numerous occasions to 
  play destiny games against his wife Hera (or, more 
  rarely, against another Olympian), where each 
  move on the chessboard causes a corresponding 
  event in the material world. 
   
  After an especially humilating defeat, a furious Hera 
  tossed the 32 playing pieces through the windows of 
  his cloudy palace in a moment of divine anger.  
   
  They eventually landed on a mysterious lost island, 
  where they lost their fate-affecting powers but 
  retained some of their magical essence. Meanwhile, 
  in Olympus, Zeus simply ordered Hephaestus to 
  make new chess pieces and eventually forgot about 
  the whole incident… 
   
  Each playing piece appears as a beautifully crafted 
  statuette that appears to be made of ivory or ebony 
  and has the same properties as a Bronze Bull 
  Statuette, except that the creatures stay animated 
  as long as their master wishes (or until they are 
  ‘killed’ – see below) and that each type of piece 
  corresponds to a specific type of Animate : 
   
  The set includes 2 x 8 Pawns (Iron Warriors), 2 x 2 
  Rooks (Bronze Bulls), 2 x 2 Towers (Bronze 
  Colossus), 2 x 2 Bishops (Minatons), 2 x 1 King 
  (Titanic Statue) and 2 x 1 Queen (Titanic Statue). 
  Pawns have an Encumbrance of 1/4, Rooks, 
  Towers and Bishops have an Encumbrance of 1 
  and Kings and Queens have an Encumbrance of 2.  
   
  See the Creature Compendium for the game 
  characteristics of these various Animates. 
   
  If a mortal was to come into possession of the whole 
  set, he would have a small (and portable !) army of 
  Animates at his command. If one of these beings is 
  reduced to zero Hits, it transforms back into a chess 
  piece, ready to be re-animated and commanded by 
  the next person who picks it up and wills it to live. 
   
  The Golden Fleece 
   
  This is the fabled item that was once recovered by 
  the great hero Jason and his Argonauts – before 
  being lost again…  
   
  It appears as the golden fleece of a huge ram, 
  complete with the scalp and horns of the beast. 
  Legends remain quite hazy about the true properties 
  of this unique artifact – but all agree on their 
  extraordinary magnitude.  
   
  In game terms, a character who claims the Golden 
  Fleece as his prize will immediately gain 1000 Glory 
  or Wisdom points (depending on his class) as well 
  as 1d6 Luck points (up to a maximum of 20). 
  
   
  49 
   
   
   
  The Head of Orpheus, lost in its dark meditations  
   
  The Head of Orpheus 
   
  This is the severed head of the demigod Orpheus, 
  first and greatest of all Lyrists (and an Oracle too). It 
  appears as a normal-sized human head made of an 
  indestructible metal akin to bronze but much darker, 
  with uncannily vivid eyes…  
   
  The Head is able to talk : it can also sing, tell stories 
  and make prophecies. In game terms, the Head has 
  the same powers as a level 6 Lyrist with an Orphic 
  Voice bonus of +10 and a Mystic Strength of 30.  
   
  It can also use the Divine Vision Divine Prodigy at 
  the usual cost of 2 Power points per use.  
   
  Lastly, the Head can add +6 to any Magic Lore roll 
  (see below), at the expense of 1 Power point. 
   
  The Head can hold up to 100 Power points… but 
  since it is no longer really alive, it cannot recover its 
  Power points as mortal magicians do.  
   
  The Head of Orpheus can only be « recharged » by 
  any magician with his own Power points, at the rate 
  of 1d6 points per full hour of mental symbiosis 
  (during which the recharging character can no 
  nothing else). When found, the Head of Orpheus will 
  have 1d100 Power points left.  
   
  Moreover, listening to the Head’s stories, poems 
  and prophecies can bring Wisdom to any Lyrist, at 
  the rate of 1 Wisdom point per full hour devoted to 
  this activity… but beware, for the Head’s Wisdom is 
  also tainted with echoes of madness and despair.  
   
  Everytime a Lyrist gains 100 Wisdom points in this 
  manner, he must make a Mystic Fortitude roll 
  against a target number of 20 or fall into a deep 
  state of dark melancholy.  
   
  A Lyrist affected by orphic melancholia will be 
  absolutely unable to recover Power points or to gain 
  new Wisdom points (including from the Head itself) 
  as long as he remains in this state – which can only 
  be cured by Divine Intervention. 
  Identifying Mythic Items 
   
  Most mythic items are not readily identifiable for 
  what they are : it may be pretty difficult, for instance, 
  to tell a Helmet of Ares from a Helmet of Athena 
  since both look like… well, helmets.  
   
  Of course, the Maze Master may simply inform the 
  players of the item’s properties when it is found 
  (« Okay, so this looks like a Sword of Ares – this 
  adds your Skill bonus to damage rolls… ») but some 
  Maze Masters may prefer to add an element of 
  mystery and uncertainty to the discovery of mythic 
  items by using the following optional rules. 
   
  Whenever a character examines a mythic item, he 
  may recognize, guess or otherwise identify its 
  properties by making a Magic Lore roll.  
   
  This roll must be made in secret by the Maze 
  Master, using 1D10.  
   
  If the result is 7 or higher, the character immediately 
  identifies the nature of the item, as well as its 
  magical properties.  
   
  A roll from 2 to 6 means uncertainty, while a roll of 1 
  means the character make wrong assumptions 
  about the properties of the item or mistakes it for 
  another item with a similar appearance. 
   
  Characters from a magic-using class add their level 
  to this roll. Thus, a level 3 Sorcerer, Priest or other 
  member of a magician class will add a +3 bonus to 
  all his Magic Lore rolls.  
   
  Note that this Lore bonus entirely eliminates the risk 
  of making a mistake but leaves room for uncertainty. 
  Only level 6 magicians will be able to identify a 
  mythic item with no risk of error. 
   
    
   
   
  Level 6 Sorcerer - I say, this is a Harp of Poetic Insight ! 
   
  Level 1 Thief – You stupid old man !  It’s a magical shield !
  
   
  50 
   
   
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  Mythic Catalogue ? 
   
  By old-school standards, the list of mythic items 
  described in the M&M rules was fairly modest, 
  especially when compared to the ones found in the 
  earliest imitations of the game – remember the 921 
  magic items from Warfare & Wizardry ? 
   
  Silly Jokes 
   
  The Bag of Winds was, of course, the subject of 
  various gross jokes (sometimes with all-too-vivid 
  sound effects) by unsavory players - but never in 
  the presence of female gamers, as noted by an 
  anonymous Maze Master in his letter to Griffin 
  magazine, which listed the « 20 Good Reasons to 
  Get Girls in a Gaming Group ».  
   
  Unique Artifacts  
   
  Ah, the Head of Orpheus…  
   
  The quest for its recovery was the central theme of 
  my first truly epic M&M campaign as a player.  
   
  It sent us into a series of wild adventures across the 
  Middle Sea, with myriads of perils and monsters 
  (including a homebrew creature called the Hekkarax 
  - don’t ask) and a rival group of Atlantean Nobles 
  who wanted to use the Head as part of some 
  nefarious (and pretty confused) master plan.  
   
  After a dozen sessions (and a few deaths !), we 
  eventually found the Head and brought it back to a 
  secret shrine – but not before my own Lyrist 
  character Eurybiad had (of course) overdosed on its 
  Wisdom, sinking into a state of dark melancholy. He 
  was cured by the Divine Intervention of the Muse 
  Calliope herself - but, hey, that’s another story… 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  YEAR OF THE MINOTAUR 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1972-1987 
   
  15 Years In the Maze ! 
   
   
   
   
   
  COMING SOON FROM 
    
   
   
   
   
  CREATURE COMPENDIUM 
   
  Book Three of the Revised M&M Rules 
   
  The ultimate Mythic Bestiary, detailing over 150 
  creatures from the original Mazes & Minotaurs 
  rulesbook, Men & Monsters and the Hekatoteratos, 
  with fully revised and expanded game stats ! 
   
  M&M COMPANION 
   
  Book Four of the Revised M&M Rules 
   
  Who said trilogies couldn’t leave room for a fourth 
  book ?  This final volume of the Revised M&M rules 
  will include all sorts of optional systems and variants 
  to expand and customize your Mazes & Minotaurs 
  campaign !  Including : Background Talents 
  system for characters ! The return of the Homeric 
  Combat charts !  Chariots and Taming Creatures ! 
  Plenty of Great Stuff, including some never-
  published-before material ! 
   
  1986 was the Year of the Tiger… 
   
   
  1987 will be the Year of the Minotaur ! 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Mazes & Minotaurs (osr) [multi]/2nd edition (1987)/Mazes & Minotaurs 2e Maze Masters Guide.pdf