(Dave Morris (compiled by Brock))

First published by Dave Morris, and reprinted here with his kind permission, are questions asked about the Dragon Warriors game along with his replies.

Dragon Warriors harkens back to a simpler time where all the rules you needed were included in the “combat” chapter. If we bolt on dozens of new rules then what we have is a clone of one of other fantasy games. The essence of Dragon Warriors isn't in the rules; it's about standing alone in the dark, shivering with cold and fear, while something terrible lurks just out of your flickering torchlight waiting for you to turn your back.

That's not to say we don't encourage you to create your own additions to the rules, in fact, if that is what you love to do, please do go crazy! But, please don’t expect official rules covering every single situation… if you want this kind of detail in your game there are some very fine products on the market that do this very well already.

Nope, a Sorcerer needs his tongue to chant, as do Warlocks and Elementalists to a lesser degree. Mystics don't require gestures or chanting so they can cast without a tongue.

Sorcerer and Warlock finger gestures require all fingers, and are akin to sign language, replacing words in the Arcane tongue that are impossible to pronounce for a humanoid mouth. A Sorcerer who loses fingers must relearn to cast his spells using modified gestures requiring fewer fingers. This process is difficult; treat it as learning a simple language with a tutor. At the GM's discretion, a Warlock may actually need a tutor (any Sorcerer or other character who knows Arcane will do), since Warlocks don't actually understand the gestures they make. Elementalist gestures can be cruder, and therefore only require part of the hand to be intact, since Elementalist spells are primarily cast by force of will.

Nope, as long as he can see it, he can hit it.

The Sorcerer needs to be able to see both targets fairly clearly, so both must be within a 90 degree arc, as seen from the sorcerer's perspective. That gives a maximum distance apart of around 57m.

If a Bastion hides you completely, like hiding behind a wall, then you can't be targeted by a direct spell. You could Teleport through a Bastion since a Teleport skips the intervening space.

Yes, it blocks outgoing attacks. It is completely impregnable.

As the core rules are written, yes, but see the optional fix from the Players' Guide.

No, all the points must come from one pool, corresponding to the elemental power desired.

EVASION is a passive defence; it requires no action to be taken. EVASION represents both your ability to get out of the way and your situational awareness. You do not need to be aware of any individual attack to evade it. You can use EVASION whilst Surprised. Unless the rules specify otherwise (e.g., the Assassin's Shock Attack), or the GM rules that the circumstances are similarly exceptional, EVASION always works.

It is magic and works on every surface.

They reappear at the location they were banished from. It is not a means to sneakily transport a comrade into the queen's bedchamber.

It moves with the caster.

You need to see your target fairly clearly in order to cast a spell. If you could point them out, that is enough. Dim lighting won't stop you from pointing someone out, but utter blackness or being 100% hidden behind a wall would. I can cast Dishearten if I can see your arm sticking out from behind a door. I can cast Dishearten if I can see you through a hole in the wall. I can't cast the spell if you are 100% hidden behind a solid object.

Because it is magic; it is mysterious and powerful and breaks the laws of nature. The sword is just too strong to be stopped.

The effects are not identical, just similar.

Yes.

You need to track their path from a location, passing objects they touched etc. It's about as accurate as a really good sniffer dog. Otherwise, it's too easy to follow folks.

Mystic Blast and Thunderclap are not visible but the direction from which they come is usually pretty obvious. A logical guess at the point of origin could be made.

For a swarm of insects, the smallest category of swarm as outlined under killer bees should be used. If a flight of birds of prey are summoned, this should consist of 8 birds with the following statistics:

ATTACK 11 Peck (d2,1) DEFENCE 9 Armour Factor 0 MAGICAL DEFENCE 2 Movement 2m (Flying – 25m) Health Points 1 STEALTH 16 Rank-Equivalent 1 PERCEPTION 16 (normal)

The caster cannot move. The rules describe what can be done in a round on page 71. The only action that can be taken after moving (a quarter of maximum distance) is a melee attack. The caster can defend as normal.