No run at the Pool of Radiance . No rough - living accommodations . No diving event . Adventurers should not enter the Pool of Radiance alone , as it is hold by abronze dragonpossessed by the vicious emotional state Tyranthraxus . Children should not come in the Pool area either , no matter how many adults are accompany , because you will all be eat . And , above all , don’t pee in the pond — Tyranthraxus just hat that .
This is not the secret plan of Pool of Radiance , the 1989 novelization of the well - selling 1988 PC game of the same name , and the subject field of this instalment ofDungeons & Dragons & Novels . The Word ’s plot , as D&D publisher ’s own magazine Dragon states , is as follows : “ Five companions find themselves in the unenviable position of oppose the soon - to - be ghost township against a rival possessing unbelievable power . ” This is also totally awry , so let me be the one to clear it up : A female virtuoso named Shal , a state of war - priest name Tarl , and a ranger / stealer name Ren articulation violence at the town of Phlan , which used to be a much big city before it was infest by various monsters , who all helpfully divide it into decided sections / adventures for the trine to explore and conquer .
I never played the PC secret plan , but as far as I can tell , the premise is exactly the same . In the game , the player control their own party of adventurers as they ’re assigned to clear monsters out of the various , goliath - meet sections of Phlan , admit their inevitable boss villains . The heroes are initially assigned these missionary post by Phlan urban center councilman Porphyrus Cadorna , but somewhere along the way , the instrumentalist / company discovers Cadorna and Tyranthraxus are in cahoots together for some grounds , and attempt to vote down the devious duo . The claim refers to the glowy — well , beamy pocket billiards Tyranthraxus hang out around at the bottom of his den that yield him power . ( Sometimes . )
Inset of Clyde Caldwell’s cover to Pool of Radiance.Image: Wizards of the Coast
That cut across with the books , although Shal , Tarl , and Ren were create exclusively for the novel . They also only go to a few of the various game areas — Sokol Keep , Denlor ’s Tower , and Sorcerer ’s Island — before taking on the Cadorna and Tyranthraxus . In what I strike is also a deflection from the game , two - thirds of the Koran ’ protagonist are spell quite bizarrely . While Ren is fine , in the chapter Tarl is introduced and formally invest as a cleric of Tyr ( god of law and justice in the Forgotten Realms ) , they straightaway throw away the vastly knock-down artifact the Hammer of Tyr when some zombi and a vampire roll up to slaughter his religious sect . Shal is worse ; when her wizard master Ranthor is kill in Phlan under mysterious circumstances , she inherit : 1 ) A Coat of Many Pockets , which fundamentally contains anything she or the secret plan need ; 2 ) A Wand of Wonder , which basically can do anything she or the plot want ; and 3 ) A Ring of Wishes , which unequivocally can … you get it . Shal is carrying an infinite number of dei ex machinis ( that ’s the plural strain of deus ex machina , please let me use my geezerhood of Latin somewhere ) from the very kickoff of the novel . So there ’s zero tautness in the novel from start to finish , even when Shal unexpectedly and imbecilically uses her first two regard in chapter one . The first is to be firm enough to load up her new buck conversant , which modify her Strength stat from a 9 to a 17 ( I ’m surmising ) , along with her physical structure eccentric . In horror at what she ’s done to her original lithe descriptor , she wishes she had just gone to Phlan . So bonanza , she ’s in Phlan , literally weeping on the docks out how she accidentally hulked herself out .
And that pretty much wraps up the fiber developing for the book , alas . Ren has a few pangs because Shal - Hulk look like his dead devotee ; eventually determine to stop multiclassing as a Thief and return to being a Ranger . Tarl feel bad about lose the Hammer and has the hots for Shal . Shal is alarm that she is vainglorious and strong — not unattractive , mind you , just marvelous and muscle — until Tarl , without being asked , has a wrapper sent to her . When Shal puts it on , she has the unbelievable realisation that woman of different body type can be beautiful too , and that ’s about it for everybody . ( The book ends when Shal receives another completely unsolicited and undiscussed article of wear from Tarl — a wedding clothes . Whee ! )
So it ’s not a good book . It ’s not even a upright Koran in terms of setting a Dungeons & Dragons play school term down in textual matter , because there ’s no use - play plot narrative to be coiffe down . Pool of Radiance is essay to a select fortune of the video game into prose , without the welfare of a Game Master to deliver description or ambiance or mood or quality with any personalities or interesting motivations . Even watching a radical of factual D&D players run through the PC game as Shal , Tarm , and Ren certainly would have helped thing well .
Caldwell’s full cover art. Note: Since this was the cover to the PC game, it depicts a generic warrior, not one of the book characters.Image: Wizards of the Coast
What ’s weirdest to me about the Pool of Radiance novel — and if the same is genuine in the game , I ca n’t find it at all — is that the titulary Pool is power by four Ioun Stones . If Tyranthraxus evolve two more ( and what ’s that ? Why , there happen to be two in the pommels of Ren ’s dagger ! ) the possessed dragon get some vague ultimate - r world power . If this sound familiar , well , congrats , you ’ve been active for at least a tenner and a one-half or so . But what ’s weird is this is not what Ioun Lucy Stone do . At all . They are n’t Infinity Gems contribute unbelievable powers upon their owner . Instead , they each bid very simple , very clear-cut might yellowish brown to the fictitious character that fit out them . This could be as simple as +1 to a stat , excess shelter against a certain element , the ability to rest underwater , automatic featherfall , or whatever . You ca n’t stupefy an Ioun Stone of +1 Protection in a wall socket and tell me it top-notch - great power - up a nearby swimming syndicate , dammit .
This bugged the blaze out of me when I was 11 and had the AD&D Second Edition Players Guide , which very clearly stated what Ioun Stones were and were n’t , and apparently , it still bugs me more than 30 years later on , which is extremely uncheerful . So , frankly , I ’m unsurprised that Pool of Darkness roll a straightforward 4 — no bonuses , no penalties , just a bare , authentic failure . But , given that the video game version won prize and inspired multiple sequel , I have to imagine that Pool of Radiance the game must be an astonishing piece of work of m —
… oh .
Assorted Musings:
The only multitude who will likely understand what I ’m read here are the folks who read D&D and AD&D actor ’s guides back in the ‘ 80s and early ‘ 90 , but for you all : Remember how they ’d start with a myopic taradiddle about fibre going on a brusque dangerous undertaking , which would be cut off to excuse when player need to make their various bun for geographic expedition and combat ? The writing in Pool of Radiance felt like that except the narrator was n’t allowed to disturb . It was like an instruction manual of arms for how to play D&D , just without the instruction .
If you ’re curious , there were various item of cosmic power reverberate around the Marvel comics universe before they were codified as the Infinity Gems in 1977 .
Ren calls his sticker “ Right ” and “ Left . ” Just sayin ’ .
“ Yes … and he has two rush ! ” is a melodic phrase of dialogue which is treat as a major revelation .
I am not go away to tell you the year I finally got a PC in my life , but serve it to say I missed out on playing Pool of Radiance .
Next up : I urgently want to check up on those screwball kids fromAzure BondsandThe Wyvern ’s Spurof The Finder ’s Stone trilogy , so instead let ’s force ourselves to revisit Prince Tristan and Robyn and those knuckleknobs over inThe Moonshae Trilogyby reading the second volume , Black Wizards .
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