----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO METALLICA FOR FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMES "You know it's sad but true." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Welcome to The Rock. If you're not insane when you come, you will be when you leave." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT (C) 1997 All trademarks of products, company names, logos, phrases, service names, and/or slogans are trademarks of the respective companies, artists, and/or individuals, where applicable. The following guide is the property of its authors, who hereby states that they retain the copyright except for where noted. You may distribute it at will, provided that nothing in the guide, this notice, or any of the credits are altered in any way; and that you do not make a profit from it. This document is not for sale and is made available for private game use only. *** DISCLAIMER *** All contents of this guide are presented for game purposes only. Advice oriented information is not to be taken as legal consultation or legal service, but as suggestions and examples of real-world or hypothetical models. Always consult a lawyer for legal and lawful guidance. The opinions and views contained in this guide reflect those of the individual authors. The opinions, content, and organization of this document are in no way connected with the faculty and staff of any educational institute where this guide was found. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE METALLICA: THE METAL THE ROCK BELL TOWER THE CAVERNS DAMAGE, INC. DAMAGE, INC. RECREATIONAL PARK HALL OF JUSTICE THE HOUSE JACK BUILT THE KEEP OF THE METAL MILITIA THE LAKE MEMORIAL HILL METALLICA MINING COMPANY MINE THE PIERS SANITARIUM TEMPLE OF THE GOD THAT FAILED THE TOMB OF A BOY KING OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST THE INSANE METALLICA: THE MUSICAL GROUP QUASI-DEITIES THE FOUR HORSEMEN MONSTERS OF ROCK SPELLS MONSTERS OF ROCK FESTIVAL HOLIDAYS, FESTIVALS, AND EVENTS OF THE ROCK FOOTNOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PREFACE As some self-righteous Christians claim role-playing games are inherently evil. This evil also branches out into heavy metal music and without a doubt the best metal music is from Metallica. This guide brings together role-playing games and Metallica into the most unique campaign setting a person could get for free. The town of The Rock can be placed in any campaign setting. The only geographic requirement is a small lake (around one mile long). This guide is filled with insane people. It is recommended that GMs get a copy of The Complete Guide to Sanity as this guide has a wealth of information on the use of sanity in an RPG. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- METALLICA: THE METAL Metallica is one of the most rare and powerful metals found. It is more mighty than mithril, adamantite, and elven steel. Unfortunately, the power that comes with Metallica also comes with misfortune. The only place that Metallica has been found is in the mines near the small mining town called The Rock (named after a rock in the small lake). Exposure (i.e. being in close proximity) of Metallica will cause a person to go insane. What constitutes exposure is left up to the GM as player's may try to find loop holes in which they can use Metallica to their advantage but limit their exposure to it. In general, if a character has a weapon made of Metallica and he uses while adventuring, he should be affected by it even if he stores it far away from his person at nights or while not adventuring. Put simply, Metallica has great strengths and nobody shall abuse those strengths without suffering the weaknesses. Put simply, if the character wants to use the power of Metallica, he will eventually go insane no matter what little tricks he does to get around it. In game terms, being in close proximity Metallica will cause a person to lose one Insanity Point (see insanity attribute) per week (or 4 per month). Thus, a person with a Sanity score of 9 and Sanity points of 34 will go insane in 8.5 months. One bizarre side-effect of Metallica, is a condition which refers to it's recipients as Spastic Children. One out of every 10,000 children who live in The Rock suffer from this ailment. Unlike an insanity, this actually causes physical damage to the mind which makes the inflicted child spaz. It is believed that all members, past and present, of Metallica were Spastic Children. In fact, it is believed that this is affliction is a pre-requisite for a good rock band. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ROCK It all began when an evil Phantom Lord joined the various factions of humanoids into one army. He wanted to control the land. He wanted civilized people to fall to their knees for him. Clad in leather and wielding a sword in his hand and a whip at his belt, the Phantom Lord led his army into war thus began the Humanoid Incursion. When they came, the sound was almost deafening as they made it known that they were here. Victims were chained crying death pains. The Phantom Lord never failed. A castle was created many years ago along a small lake once the Humanoid Incursion began. Cropping out of the lake was a large rock which is there today. The castle was dubbed Castle Rock. The leather and iron clad soldiers that were formed at Castle Rock were called the Metal Militia, and the soldiers of The Rock are still called this today. Many battles took place around Castle Rock, and the lord led the armies well against the humanoid invaders. The last battle was the biggest battle which took place on the hill now referred to as Memorial Hill. After the humanoids were driven back, a feudal town crept up around the castle. The town was dubbed The Rock after the large stone in the lake. The Rock never grew mainly because residents seemed a little odd. Their oddity was due to the large quantity of Metallica that the town was built on. Eventually, Metallica was found and the town began to prosper as a mining town. The feudal lord of the castle (who was now insane by the Metallica which was deep in the earth) declared himself king of all the land. Unfortunately, he was later stripped of power and everything he owned. Because the Metallica is deep in the earth, the effects of it are lessened on the residents of the town. However, living on top of a load of Metallica still affects people. In game terms, the Metallica will cause a person to lose one Insanity Point (see insanity attribute) per month (or 12 per year). Thus, a person with a Sanity score of 9 and Sanity points of 34 will go insane in 2.83 years. Once the ill effects of Metallica became known, the mining operations declined. The Rock lost it's income and prosperity left the town. Eventually, clever businesses brought the music festival. The festival is the salvation of the town and it's people. Phantom Lord from Kill 'Em All ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BELL TOWER During the Humanoid Incursion, a bell tower was erected to warn people outside the castle walls of dangerous humanoid activity. Now the bell is rung twice a day: once at noon and once at midnight. Also, the bell tolls for a person who has died. After the battle on Memorial Hill, the bell tolled for weeks. For Whom the Bell Tolls from Ride the Lightning ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CAVERNS Caverns exist below the earth mainly alongside the lake. In fact, a person could dive into the lake and follow a conduit and come up into a cavern. The caverns have not been thoroughly explored or documented. Damage, Inc. Cavern One seaside cavern is "owned" by Damage Incorporated with a secret passage to allow access into the inn. They use this cavern for storage of important articles like contraband. Also, this cavern has accommodations so it may be used as a hideout by members when necessary. The Caverns of Hell In the depths of the earth below The Rock is the fiery home of a devil. There is a job to be done; to get people to enter hell. He is a recruiter for hell. The Recruiter is a horned devil (greater) - AL lawful evil; AC -5; MV 9 / 18 fly; HD 5+5; HP 40; #AT 4 or by weapon; DMG 1d4 per claw, 1d4+1 bite, 1d3 tail, by weapon; SZ large (9' tall). The Recruiter hates anything stronger than him and fears stronger devils accordingly. When armed, he carries a two-tined fork which causes 2d6 points of damage and a barbed whip which causes 1d4 points of damage plus a stunning effect for the same number of rounds unless a dexterity check is made. The tail attack is poisonous and will cause an additional 1d6 points of damage if a save vs. poison is failed and the person will suffer a -1d4 penalty to dexterity for 1d4 turns. The Recruiter exudes a 10' radius of fear. He can detect magic and detect alignment. He can create pyrotechnic as the spell once a day. He can create a 10 foot wall of fire at triple strength (3d8 points of damage) once a day. He can create a 10 ft. radius ring of darkness around him at once a day. He can teleport three times a day. He may summon disciples to search, to fight, to work, and they always shall obey. He can gate in 1d4+2 devils of less than 4 hit die. His personal preference is to summon Spined Devils. With hell in his eyes and with death in his veins he lives to lure people into hell. In most cases, he searches for weak individuals who want or need more out of life. When he finds such an individual, he creates a contract in which the person gives up his soul at death for great rewards in life. The person gets the "good" life that The Recruiter lives. Thus, as the victim's new life goes on, he slowly turns evil as the devil. The Recruiter's favorite line, "Follow me now my child not the meek or the mild; but do just as I say." The Recruiter prefers to put a clause in the contract that allows him to have the person alive for a few years before their soul goes to hell. He gets homesick and misses having beings around to "play" with. He really loves to pull people down into the pit for some "fun". When the end is closing in for the person (within six minutes of death), The Recruiter chimes a magical bell. When the person dies, his soul is summoned by The Recruiter. The person can actually hear the bell before he dies. In fact, anybody within a six foot radius can hear the chimes. Those that hear the bell are overwhelmed with a "feeling" to join the sinful kind. Of course it is the player's choice if the character is tempted; but if the character is tempted then The Recruiter will appear to make a deal. Sometimes a person tries to get out of the contract. On a successful save vs. death (+5 penalty), the person gets a chance. Whether dead or alive, the person who makes the save doesn't have to answer the summon. The person may flee, re-negotiate, or fight. Fighting is the best solution as The Recruiter fears those that are stronger than him and if a person can sufficiently hurt him, he will no longer pursue the person. Those that flee are stalked as prey by the Recruiter. He feels that it is a person's fate and he won't hesitate to take a person by force. He gets his victims voluntarily or by force; either way. The Recruiter's favorite meal is the minds of man and occasionally will feed on a dead body. When he can't these delicacies, he settles for basic underground creatures. Sooner or later, a person (or soul) will come down to The Recruiter's home. His home is a a hellish cave complex deep beneath The Rock. His main cave is known as The Pit. The fiery pit here has a gateway to the planes of hell. This is where the souls he has recruited enter their eternal hell. So come on, jump in the fire... Sometimes The Recruiter heads back into the hells. He has been known to grab the hand of a soul and walk him through the land on a little "hell tour". An interesting feature of the pit is that the hell-fire of the pit glows brighter as souls pass through. If The Recruiter doesn't keep a constant supply of souls passing through, the pit will eventually go out, the gate will close, and he will be doomed to live his life on the Prime. The Recruiter is in competition with Master of Puppets for victims. Since The Recruiter is very weak in comparison, he steers clear of The Master. If The Master wants The Recruiter to back off, The Recruiter backs off. There is plenty of room for both at The Rock. Ice Cavern The most well known seaside cavern is the cavern of ice. No matter what the season or temperature outside, this cavern remains cold enough to maintain its layers of ice. The only "resident" of the cavern is a man who is believed by the local populace to be a dead body frozen in the ice. In fact, the ice man is alive and under a terrible curse that by fate has him trapped under the ice. He is crystallized in a cryonic state. Wrapped up tight, he cannot move and can't break free. He tries to scream but his cries cannot be heard. He is frozen down to the core but cannot die. The only thing he can do is stare and think. He may sleep (months at a time in fact) but every awakening is torture as he remains locked in this icy shell. He believes that if the ice is broken away then his curse will end. The GM must decide on exactly who the ice man is and how he may be freed. No doubt that it should be difficult to free him. Also, to be punished in such a manner would suggest that he has done great evil which may apply great power so releasing may be a big mistake. Metal Militia Cavern As most places at The Rock, The Keep of the Metal Militia has a secret passage to a seaside cavern owned by the militia. The cavern contains "get-away" supplies like rations, rope, weapons, clothes, etc.. Only a few members of the militia know the existence of the cavern or it's secret passage. As the leader can change annually, it isn't required knowledge for that position. When a crisis occurs where this information is necessary, those that know will inform the leader. The Thing That Should Not Be Caverns Some of the larger caverns are home to the local lake monster, The Thing That Should Not Be Cavern. They contain centuries' worth of treasure (or at least "treasure" to him). Trapped Under Ice from Ride the Lightning The Thing That Should Not Be from Master of Puppets Jump In The Fire from Kill 'Em All ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DAMAGE, INC. Damage, Inc. is the name of the local inn. It is affectionately named after a retired adventuring group. Damage Incorporated was one of the toughest group of adventurers ever seen. Now only two of the original Damage Incorporated remain: Reid "Razorback" and Scott "Bosco". Reid and Scott are often referred to as The Boys. They are the proprietors of the inn. Before a person can understand the inn, he must understand Damage Incorporated, the old adventure group. Their battle cry was: Blood will follow blood Dying time is here Damage Incorporated The group worked as one. They dealt out the agony they had within. They charged hard without giving in, never cried submission. They fought with a steamroller action crushing all. They were like jackals ripping right through their enemies. They knew just how to get what they wanted. They would die for honesty. They never conformed to society. They follow their instincts and not a trend. They went against the grain and they always will till the end. They had no regrets. Their philosophy towards their enemy: We chew and spit you out We laugh, you scream and shout All flee, with fear you run You'll know just where we come from You'll feel our hell on your back Blood follows blood and we make sure Life ain't for you and we're the cure Victim is your name and you shall fall All's fair for Damage Inc. you see Step a little closer if you please Today, The Boys are more docile and enjoy life. They own property throughout the lands but they call The Rock home (as far as the Prime; they keep special pocket demi-planes for personal use and protection). They chose The Rock because of its nice location and decided to spend some of their fortune and build an extravagant inn. Since they've retired, The Boys enjoy their leisure time and they enjoy entertainment. Their mornings tend to focus on fishing. Their afternoons are centered around sports. Their evenings are spent in entertainment from games to musical concerts (a specialty at the inn). The Boys' strengths are unknown but they are indeed powerful. The best example is that it is believed that they are centuries old; and immortality is quite powerful. Also, they seem to have knowledge of many planes, dimensions, and time itself. It is believed that they have entrepreneur ventures in many strange lands and The Rock is a mere novelty to them. The Boys aren't gods and they have their allowance of problems. Mainly, The Boys have their share of insanities. The biggest problem they have is that their consumed with having sex with woman. Reid has had his share of women problems. Once he was in love with a vampiress. Although he didn't fall victim to vampirism, he did have a child with her. Another love of his was a werewolf who did inflict him with lycanthrope, which he no longer suffers from. About a dozen women have dumped him leaving Reid a bitter man at times. One of the most interesting parts of his life was when he was transformed into a woman. He made the best of it and became a Lesbian Warrior Queen. Now, Reid is obsessed with women who are in their upper teen years in age. Scott has been though many wives all of which eventually went insane (although it is rumored that they were insane long before Scott met them). Now, Scott is obsessed with preforming third-input sex on women. The Boys love games of all types and are fascinated with creating new games or perfecting old games. Any new person to the inn will be amazed by the obsession with sports and games. Damage Incorporated is still used as the name for adventurers. The Boys have licensed the name to those adventurers who they deem worthy. If a person is considered worth of membership into Damage Incorporated, he must pay a initiation fee of 100 silvers. Each year he must pay 100 silvers and 5% of all treasure (the person undergos various lie detections about the 5%). Besides usage of the prestigious name (which in itself is a lot), a member of Damage Incorporated gains a lot. First, he may use many of the facilities throughout the country owned by Damage Incorporated. He also benefits from the knowledge of previous and current members. Best of all, he gets 5% discount on everything at the inn. Among other talents, Reid is a master architect. He has written may books on plumbing and waste disposal techniques. Also, he has many magical tomes of architecture. The inn is made of stone, solid like the adventuring group was. Reid has used his magical skills to create sound damping walls, perfect lighting, etc.. A person in Damage, Inc. has some protection from the insane effects of Metallica. It seems that the mortar used to bond the stonework of the inn contains bits of the rare metal Albus Ater Ante Magicus Metallum. This metal was dug up while forming the cellar and dungeon levels and was used to help strength the mortar. Effects of Metallica are quartered. Instead of losing one Insanity Point per month, a person only loses a quarter of an Insanity point per month (3 per year) if he remains in the inn. Since most people would be inside for only around 12 hours a day (give or take depending on the season), GMs should raise the loss to half an Insanity Point per month for simplicity. This would mean that a person living a normal life from the inn would lose half an Insanity Point per month (6 per year). Note that other magical effects are lessened as well. Any magic used in the inn should be taken on a case by case basis. Generally, GM's should lower magic-items' and spells' range, duration, area of effect, etc. by a quarter (divide all by 4). First Floor Tavern - first floor The tavern is the coolest place to hangout at in The Rock. It opens at 4:00 PM to 12:00 (2:00 AM on the weekends). The tavern part of the inn is on two levels one of which is in the cellar. The first floor has a huge oak bar that spans the room and various size oak tables to accommodate various groups of people. The focal point of the tavern is a fountain containing a variety of strange fish collected by The Boys over the years. This floor of the tavern is known for its various games. There are six billiard tables available to play. Also, one wall contains a few dart boards. Reid has a tinker gnome working on a mechanical contraption for the inn that will be called a Pinball Machine. Besides a wide variety of beers, ales, meads, and liquors; a person can order from a limited menu of snacks and grilled food (as there is a grill behind the bar). Restaurant The restaurant is one of the best places to eat in the country. It opens at 8:00 AM and closes at 8:00 PM. Kitchen Off the restaurant is a full kitchen that not only allows normal cooking, but also permits baking, grilling, brewing, wining, and preserving meats and such. Cellar Level The first basement level is referred to as the cellar level. Tavern - Cellar Level This floor of the tavern has a bar as well so patrons do not need to hike up and down stairs. This floor is known for its big games. One end of the tavern has six bowling lanes for people who enjoy the sport of bowling. Because of the large demand for use, the inn charges three silvers per game. Bowling ball usage is free. GM's are encouraged to use The Blue Ball Bowling System (Appendix C of The Alcohol Guide) to really enjoy bowling in RPGs. The Arena Pit One of the grand features of the inn is the arena pit where creatures battle it out usually to the death. The pit's floor is stone with saw dust thrown atop it to absorb the blood of battle. The stone wall around the pit is eight feet high. Surrounding the arena are four levels of wooden bleachers where fans can watch the action in the pit. The ceiling above the pit is open and barred so that people in the tavern upstairs may view action in the pit below them. A tunnel from the pit leads roughly 1000 feet away to the cages where the area beasts are kept and cared for. A flag hangs on the wall of the pit arena. On the flag is a coiled snake under which is the phrase "Don't Tread On Me", the motto of Damage Incorporated. Typically small creatures are used. Good creatures are never used unless they are intelligent and have made a choice to fight in the arena. The typical combatants ares small evil creature that are captured by adventurers. When the stock of combatants are low, the inn resorts to the classic cock fights or dog/bear fights. Of course, some of the patrons of the inn enjoy the occasional bout in the pit. The prized fighter of the house is the pet snake Viper [neutral; AC 5; MV 15; HD 4+1; HP 45; THAC0 16; #AT 2; DMG 1d6+4 (bite), 1d4 (constrict); SA constriction, poison, spit; SD nil; MR nil; SZ small (5' long) to medium (15' long); XP 500]. She is undefeated and the home town favorite. The famed pet snake of the inn is odd indeed. It is a magically engineered crossbreed of a boa constrictor snake, rattle snake, and cobra. The snake is called Viper. It is unknown how the Boys got Viper. Most speculate that Reid created her in one of his many "hobbies". Viper's scales shine with brightness. Quick is her blue tongue, forked as lighting strike. Her eyes glow and never seem to close, emblem of vigilance always on surveillance. Viper has the neck of a cobra (i.e. the skin of the neck can expand to form a flattened hood). Viper has the tail of a rattlesnake (i.e. a series of dry, horny rings at the end of the tail). If provoked, she will rattle. Viper has the ability to triple her size. Typically she does this to use her boa constricting ability more efficiency (i.e. she coils around and crushes her prey). Once a hit is successful, the victim is constricted automatically, suffering damage every round. Constricted humanoid creatures can escape the coils with a successful open doors roll (at a -1 penalty). Anyone who attempts to free a captured being by hacking at the constrictor has a 20% chance of striking the victim instead (roll damage as usual and apply to the victim's hit point total). Viper has deadly fangs. Her bite does 1d6+4 points of damage. Also her bite is poisonous. A creature bit by Viper must save vs. poison (+3 penalty) or be knocked unconscious for 1d6+4 turns. If the save is made, the victim becomes ill and loses 1d2 points of Strength, 1d2 points of Dexterity, and 1d2 points of Constitution for 1d6+4 turns. Note that subsequent bites will require the save and any affects to ability scores are cumulative. Viper also has the ability to spit her poison up to 25 feet away. On a successful hit, the poison has the same effect as above. However, it takes 1d4+6 rounds for the poison to be absorbed by victim. Viper never begins the fight. Once engaged she never surrenders, showing the fangs of rage. She settles the score. Liberty or death, what so proudly hailed. So be it. Wagering Niche A favorite pastime of the inn is gambling and with the wonderful competition at the arena, one would have a hard time not placing a bet on the matches. The niche off the arena consists of five walk-up windows with steel bars. At the window is a teller who takes the bets. The person who makes the bet will receive a ticket to be used in collection of any wins. On the wall of the niche is slab of slate ion which the bookie of the inn lists the nightly bouts and the odds for each. Dungeon Level Torture Chamber The torture room is more of a novelty than anything else. However, there may be a time when Damage Incorporated will need to use these facilities. For now, it is a collection of torture devices that The Boys has been collected over the years. Occasionally one of them might drag one of the devices up to his suite for a little fun with a female companion but that's about the extent use. Prison The dungeon level contains four cells. The cells' walls are built out of Albus Ater Ante Magicus Metallum. This prevents any magic inside the cell. Also, the prevents magics from passing through the cell walls. Thus, a person cannot teleport, dimension door, etc. in or out of a cell. Damage, Inc. from Master of Puppets Don't Tread On Me from Metallica ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DAMAGE, INC. RECREATIONAL PARK As mentioned previously, The Boys enjoy sports especially the outdoor variety. So with some of their wealth, they purchased some nearby farmland and built a recreational park. (Actually, it began when Scott started having insightful dreams, see below). With one of the major problems of the town being depression, outdoor sports are a nice way to lift people's spirits. The Baseball Dream (Field of Dreams) One day Scott had a dream. In the dream, he saw a triangular field with one side bowed outward. On the field, uniformed men were playing some type of sport. The dream was so realistic that it was as if Scott was actually there sitting in the stands. The next day as if insanity finally got the best of him, Scott mowed down a large section of a corn field to create what was in his dream. Over a few months, Scott had more dreams on this sport and what it would take to play it. Eventually, he deemed the sport baseball. He finished construction of the baseball field with bleachers for the fans and "dugouts" for the teams. He spent lots of money to develop special equipment which is required to play: bats, gloves, bases, baseballs, and protective equipment. He had visions on how the game of baseball is played and he recorded it all. Eventually, his field of dreams was complete and that night he had his last dream. In it, he was told to wait. For a month Scott did nothing but sit in the bleachers and stare at his field and then it happened. Uniformed men emerged from the corn stalks that made the border of the outfield. They were the men in his dream and they proceeded to play a game of baseball on the field. For seven months of the year, baseball player ghosts play baseball on this field. They don't play everyday and nobody seems to know the schedule but if a person waits, he will get to see a baseball game. A variety of ghost teams visit the field. They seem to be in a baseball league dubbed Phantasma League. The ghosts seem to be dead baseball players from 20th century and 21st century Earth although a fantasy character would not recognize any of them. Not everybody can see the ghosts. Those that can't often wonder why people are staring at an empty field unbeknownst to them that a ghostly baseball game is going on. When not in use by the Phantasma League, the field is often used by the residents of The Rock. In fact, there exists a few baseball leagues of living people in The Rock. There is a Major League (for men over the age 18), Little League (for boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18), and Pee Wee League (for kids under the age of 12). Also, Scott developed a variation of baseball called softball. This developed a Major Softball League (for adults over the age of 18) and Women's Softball League (for women over the age of 18). All leagues are comprised of teams from nearby towns and villages as they caught on to the idea of baseball. Most leagues play ball for a few months during the summer. Of course, the field is often used for good old pick-up games where its just a bunch of people playing ball without really worrying about the regulations the leagues have. Basketball Courts Reid developed a outdoor court based on various games played by savages. The main game he developed to be played on the court he called Basketball. Since then, he has developed many variations (mainly number of players and scoring) of the game, however they all keep the same general rules. Swimming Pool A large stone pool of water was built as an alternative to swimming at the lake. Track A nice, clay, two-mile track exists about the recreational facility. The main stretch of the track cuts through the corn field. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HALL OF JUSTICE The Hall of Justice is the courthouse of The Rock. The building was painted platinum, gold, silver, and copper: the color of money. A symbolic gesture by a person(s) who was found guilty by the judge no doubt because the judge was bribed. Steps lead up to two large doors. On each side of the steps are pedestals upon which are carved statues of wolves. It is as if the power wolves beset the doors. Local lore has it that these power wolves will one day come to life and stalk the unjust of the town pleasing their appetite by devouring those that deserve it. Judge (Patient 42) is the local magistrate. Unfortunately, his judgement has a price as money talks. Those that are ultimate in vanity, exploit their supremacy and bribe the judge. It is hard to believe that people will lie and pay a price to avoid the punishment they deserve for their crimes. They may believe that they are free, but nothing can save them. With a corrupt judicial system, justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone. Luckily, The Rock has enough magical talent to detect the lies. Thus, if an accused person is guilty or innocence is learned without question. Those that are guilty (especially of heinous crimes) are punished by local vigilante groups (typically the Metal Militia or Damage Incorporated). Whenever great injustice occurs a Truth Assassin appears. The Truth Assassin is an avatar of the deity of justice. A Truth Assassin is a robed female ghost - AL lawful good; AC 0; MV 9; HD 10; HP 80; THAC0 11; #AT 1; DMG 1d8 (one-handed bastard sword) or age 1d4x10 years; SA backstab; SD special; MR nil; SZ medium (6' tall); XP 7500. Besides the powers of a ghost, the Truth Assassin has the abilities of a 9th level assassin. A Truth Assassin remains until justice is served. If the Truth assassin is killed, another appears to finish the job. Once a victim is killed, the victim's lips are sealed with red tape and olives are spewed about. ...And Justice for All from ...And Justice for All -----------------------------------------------------------------------