Updated: Fri, 16 Jun 2000
version 7.10 by Hervé Musseau <[email protected]>
The latest version of this document can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/hmusseau/Mystara/mystfaq.txt
Table of contents:
Introduction to Mystara. (no updates)
Geography and History of Mystara. (no updates)
Personalities and Immortals of Mystara. (7.9 fixed a typo, 7.10
changed Dragon article URL)
Miscellaneous. (7.7 added Mystara chat link, 7.8 added French
Mystara Mailing List link, 7.10 changed all TSR links, 7.10
changed MML subscription procedure and archive link)
Spoiler warning: This FAQ contains information that is for the DM's eyes only. If you are a player in a Mystara campaign, by reading further you may spoil the fun of having to figure things out (especially if you read most of section 3 and part of section 4). If you intend to read the FAQ nonetheless, I advise you do not read the answers before asking yourself whether you should know the answer in-game or not, and skip it if need be.
Introduction to Mystara.
Q: What is Mystara?
A: Mystara is an imaginary world created by TSR as a campaign world
for roleplaying games using the rules of Dungeons and Dragons.
Q: What is a roleplaying game?
A: Roleplaying games are games in which people play the role of
imaginary fantastic characters like warriors or wizards and try to
complete an adventure under the guidance of a game master.
Q: I never heard of Mystara, but I know a setting called the Known World which looks pretty the same. What's the difference? A: Mystara got a name as a world only recently; before that, it was often referred to as the Known World, although Mystara is more than just the Known World.
Geography and History of Mystara.
Q: So, what's Mystara? The Known World and what else? A: Mystara is basically composed of 2 main parts, the Outer World and the Hollow World, plus 2 moons, and some other exotic settings.
Q: A Hollow World?
A: Yes. Mystara, unlike our earth, is hollow, an empty sphere. It
has an internal sun that lights the interior world, making it
inhabitable. It holds old civilizations that are now extinct on the
Outer World, placed there by the Immortals with strong magic
preventing them from evolving much or dying away. The only entrances
to the Hollow World are through underground passages between the two
worlds, and through the holes that stand in place of the north and
south poles.
Q: And the Outer World?
A: The Outer World is mostly like our Earth. It comprises:
Also, some products bearing the label First Quest are related to Mystara.
Q: Blackmoor? I know a Blackmoor, but it's part of Greyhawk, isn't
it?
A: Blackmoor was, like Greyhawk, the campaign world of one of TSR's
founder, Dave Arneson. It was later placed in both Greyhawk and the
Known World (as a past kingdom in the later), effectively making
three Blackmoors exist. It seems there is no further relation
between the two Blackmoors of Mystara and Greyhawk, however,
although some people made the assumption; on the other hand, Judge's
Guild's Blackmoor likely has much in common with Mystara's, as the
DA series for the Known World was also written by Dave Arneson (so
that JG First Fantasy Campaign is considered Mystara-relevant).
Q: Where is it located?
A: Blackmoor was a techno-magical kingdom that blew itself up a few
millennia ago. The event shifted the planet's axis and Blackmoor is
now the north pole.
Sources are contradictory as to where Blackmoor stands; some place
it on Brun, some on Skothar. Arguments in favor of Brun are the
position of the Inn Between the Worlds and the Nucleus of the
Sphere, and the fact that the Known World stands there; this is the
solution proposed in some Gazetteers.
Arguments in favor of Skothar are its sort of canonical status, and
the feeling that all civilizations should not systematically come
from the Known World; this is the solution proposed in the Hollow
World box. Note that, if you consider the Hollow World solution to
be the truth in your campaign, the map in the box does have a typo :
the names of Blackmoor and Thonia have been reversed (Blackmoor was
north of the Empire of Thonia according to all other sources).
Bruce Heard's opinion on this matter :
"Blackmoor -- the travelling legend. If there were archaeologist on
Mystara, they would have a devil of time figuring where the darn
place was really located. Officially, it's supposed to be up there
by the Thonian Marches. Unfortunately, conflicting info has crept
into several products, getting in the way of the Thonian theory. The
best thing is to assume evidence of Blackmoor's presence elsewhere
is the result of later colonizations and outposts. Other communities
were also magically displaced (such as a certain ancient tavern in
the Broken Lands of the Known World).
Definitely a messy development of the World of Mystara! :)"
So officially the answer is Skothar.
Q: Ok, and now what's Red Steel?
A: Red Steel is a setting that is part of Mystara (west of the Known
World), although it was released as a stand-alone setting.
Personalities and Immortals of Mystara.
Q: I have a player of the Church of Karameikos, and I want to give
him an Immortal, I suppose that it's a church with many Immortals
(like the Greek / Latin church) but in Gaz 1 I didn't find any list
of Immortals...
A: These are the immortals of the Church of Karameikos, as told by
Bruce Heard in an old Dragon Magazine:
Asterius (Eternal of Thought), Leader
Kagyar (Eternal of Matter)
Ilsundal (Hierarch of Thought)
Valerias (Hierarch of Matter)
Vanya (Empyreal of Time).
Also, although Chardastes is a native Traladaran Immortal, he is
venerated through the auspices of the Church of Karameikos, not the
Church of Traladara. This is extrapolated from info in B1-9 In
Search of Adventure.
The Immortals of the Church of Traladara are:
Halav
Petra
Zirchev.
Q: You spoke of Immortals, what are they? Are they Gods? Powers? A: Mystara has a different pantheon when compared to other D&D settings. Most notably, it has no gods, but beings called Immortals. Immortals are mortals who, through their deeds, have reached a higher status granting them more power than mere mortals. Basically, however, Immortals are not very different from Gods of other settings.
Q: Is Jaggar von Drachenfelds the Star Dragon?
A: No. According to Bruce Heard's article in Dragon #170
http://dnd.starflung.com/immguard.html
he became the Star Dragon for a brief period but relinquished the
title for absolution.
Q: Is Rad gone after Wrath?
A: No, he's been absorbed into the Radiance, and some of his life
force was used to lessen the drain of the artifact on Mystara's
magic (thus there is only a Day of Dread each year, and not a week
as in Wrath). Rad is not dead though, but he has been put into a
slumbering state to reflect on his deeds (and hopefully change).
This is covered in detail in the module Mark of Amber.
Q: So is Rad back after Mark of Amber?
A: The outcome of the module may vary from campaign to campaign, as
the actions of the PCs decide his fate. The module's three outcomes
are: 1. He returns as a mortal with no chance of being sponsored
back to Immortality and no access to the Radiance (failure); 2. He
returns as a mortal but can become an Immortal again sometime
(normal success and most likely outcome); 3. He returns as a full
Immortal (complete success).
Later products avoid the issue, and the general consensus is that he
should return but be left in the background, keeping low profile for
some time, either rebuilding his following (if an Immortal) or
attempting to reach Immortality again (if mortal). Few favor him
becoming a mere mortal as most love him as an NPC.
Q: Does the Radiance draw from Energy or Entropy after Wrath? A: In Wrath, the Radiance is altered to draw from Entropy instead of Energy. Yet in Glantri: Kingdom of Magic, the rules for the Radiance are exactly the same as in Gaz3, stating that it drains from Energy. This is a mistake in G:KoM; the authors overlooked that event in Wrath and forgot to update the info from Gaz3. Thus the new rules for the Radiance are undefined, as are the effects of Entropy-draining. Various suggestion have been made on the MML, though.
Q: Where is Teldon? Is he dead?
A: This is a short excerpt from Dragon Magazine #207 about Teldon's
fate:
"One of the attractions of the Magicians' Guild, its location in
Karameikos' largest city, was its downfall. Such a collection of
powerful (and often egotistical or secretive) mages in one location
created great potential for conflict. The final straw was the
creation of a mechanical beholder by one of the more advanced
apprentices, powered by an Immortal's artifact. The resulting
creation was turned loose in downtown Specularum, leveling a good
section of the South End. The creation was defeated by the head of
the Magicians' Guild, Teldon, but at great cost. Both mage and
monster disappeared in a pure white ball of fire, and while they are
assumed to have both been destroyed, they may instead have been
teleported to some far-off location. The fact remained that the
Magicians' Guild proved itself too dangerous to remain in
Specularum, and lost one of its most valuable supporters."
Q: And Bargle, where is he?
A: After the fall of the Black Eagle Barony, Bargle is an itinerant
villain that pops up here and there. He can easily be used as a
recurring villain who the PCs bump into way too often (to their
taste). He has been spotted in various place, including Esterhold
and Serraine (always helping the evil guys, of course), but can have
business just anywhere you wish. Well, good ole Bargle.
Q: Is Kol a Shadow Elf or a Kobold?
A: Earlier sources always presented Kol as a kobold who, using the
rules from Gaz10, could cast spells. In Glantri: Kingdom of Magic,
he is said to be one of the deformed shadowelf babies raised by the
humanoids, thus explaining both his high intelligence and
spellcasting abilities under the AD&D rules. It is both an
interesting plot, and a disappointment to many, as it removes
again the humanoids any glint of chance that they can achieve
something by themselves. Many people ignore that sentence in G:KoM
(or ignore the box altogether, preferring good old Gaz3), and some
love the potential of that plot. As always, use whatever version
suits your campaign and your taste best.
Miscellaneous.
Q: You mentioned something about D&D not being AD&D. What does that
mean?
A: Mystara was the world designed to be used with the rules of D&D
(often called OD&D to better distinct it from AD&D and from the
generic term D&D which could mean both; OD&D stands for Old D&D or
Original D&D - note that some few people call it BD&D for Basic D&D
to distinguish it from even older rules).
It appeared in the old boxed rules: the Expert box, the Companion
box and the Master box. Most of the earlier modules designed for D&D
were set in this world. Recently, however, Mystara has been
converted to AD&D (along with Red Steel), but many people who play
in Mystara do it with the old rules (or their reediting, Rules
Cyclopedia).
Q: When I read stuff about Mystara I keep seeing acronyms I cannot understand like WotI or PWA. What do they mean? A: There is a list of Mystara relevant acronyms at http://www.geocities.com/hmusseau/Mystara/acronyms.html
Q: I heard that the Mystara line was canceled. Is this true? A: It is unfortunately true. And Red Steel is canceled too. Some novels pertaining to Mystara may be released as part of the First Quest line, and modules may be part of the Odyssey line. AFAIK, there is no such products in preparation however, though Wizards of the Coast (which bought TSR) has expressed its willingness to publish material for dead worlds, but never namely mentioned Mystara. D&D3 may do Mystara good, or not. Keep faith. Joshuan's Almanac was the last product of Mystara (to be precise the novel "The Black Vessel" has been released after, and to be even more precise it deals with the Savage Coast) and the Savages Baronies the last of Red Steel (except for online exclusives).
Q: But I saw in TSR's 97 preview that there would be Red Steel modules released as online exclusive. What does this mean? A: TSR has released these modules for free on its site at http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDDownloads.asp. Several other Mystaran and non-Mystaran files are available there as well.
Q: So, if TSR has dropped the line, how can I get new material for
Mystara?
A: There are many people on the web who love Mystara and have taken
upon themselves to keep Mystara alive (and well alive).
There is a mailing list dedicated to Mystara (MML) where people
discuss together about it, exchanging ideas, points of view, and
more. To subscribe, send e-mail to [email protected].
In the body, have the single line: subscribe Mystara-L . It has 278
people, as of June 99. As a comparison, there are 395 people on the
Realms list, TSR's flagship world (April 98).
There is a French Mystara Mailing List (FMML) too, to join go to
http://www.mystara.com.bi/ put your email in the designated area
and you're on.
There is also the TSR Mystara Message Board (MMB) at
cipher.wizards.com (usenet) where discussion revolves mostly around
alternate Mystaras.
There are also many pages around the net dedicated to Mystara,
sometimes with lots of interesting materials. Some of these pages
are organized into a Webring, check
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/2967/mystring.html for
info about the Mystara webring.
Now more than ever you should express your views on how Mystara
should be brought back at http://CWSpot.com/Mystara/SaveMystara
or join the SaveMystara Writer's Group whose goal is to get as many
adventures and articles to the periodicals as we can.
Q: Where can I find the old messages of the Mystara mailing list?
A: The digests are collected at
http://209.67.104.4/archives/mystara-l.html, the older ones at
ftp://ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND/Worlds/Mystara/MailingListArchive/
and the oldest ones (prior to 1998) can be found at
ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/mailing-lists/mystara-digest/
However for your convenience the most interesting articles the list
has come up with are collected and sorted on Shawn's page at
http://dnd.starflung.com
Q: Where can I find the old messages of the Mystara message board? A: There is no archiving of the board. However for your convenience the most interesting articles the board has come up with are collected and sorted on Shawn's page at http://dnd.starflung.com
Q: Where can I find a complete list of the material published for
Mystara?
A: The most complete lists to my knowledge is at
http://dnd.starflung.com/prodlist.html
It includes rulebooks and modules published by TSR, Mystara-relevant
Judge Guild supplements, a list of various magazine #s that contain
adventures, rules or world description pertaining to Mystara,
novels, TSR net resources, and Clark Ashton Smith stories related to
Averoigne. All of these are ranked according to compatibility with
Mystara (explicit, implicit, compatible, etc.) and the type of
product (campaign source, rules supplement, adventure, etc.).
The list of the Dragon magazines that mention Mystara, including the
Voyage of the Princess Ark series, can be found at
http://dnd.starflung.com/dragon.html .
Q: And where can I buy those products?
A: Since the Mystara line is out of print, it is difficult to find
them. If you're lucky you can find them in any shop that sells RPG
stuff, or buy second-hand books. Some places where you can find
Mystara stuff on the web:
http://www.dragontrove.com/listing.html
http://www.titan-games.com/
http://www.hitpointe.com
http://www.eskimo.com/~darkh/
http://www.ida.net/users/groverm/sleeping.dragon/sdh.html
http://www.djhobby.com/catalog/index.html
http://www.sagesguild.com/
http://www.crazyegors.com/
http://www.sentrybox.com/
http://members.aol.com/aleeder454/
http://www.cyberdungeon.com/store/catalogue/dungeon.html
the newsgroup rec.games.frp.marketplace
and I got a special page for all Mystara books at Amazon.com:
http://www.geocities.com/hmusseau/amazon.html
Q: Where can I find the FAQ for the Mystara mailing list? A: Check at http://www.lesbois.com/members/malacoda/mmlfaq.htm or http://www2.crosswinds.net/~malacoda/mmlfaq.html AFAIK there is no plain text version of this FAQ.
Q: Is there a Mystara chat?
A: yes: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/travelersofmystara .