High quality artwork on a GM screen packaged with an excellent starter adventure for Big Eyes, Small Mouth. This one gets two thumbs up from me.

Review Originally Published May 21st, 2001

GM screens invariably follow the same pattern: You’ve got a trifold or quadfold piece of cardboard with art on one side and relevant statistics on the other. This is almost certainly packaged with some sort of pamphlet, which is usually included in a vain attempt to convince people that the piece of cardboard is actually worth the exorbitant price which is being charged for it.

(You know, I can’t figure out why they don’t just package the GM screen with the character sheets.)

The Big Eyes, Small Mouth GM Screen certainly fits this pattern: Quadfold cardboard (with each fold having the same dimensions as the rest of the BESM product line), with an accompanying cross-genre adventure module: So, We Have… An Obelisk?

THE SCREEN

The screen itself focuses primarily on combat – at points seeming to go out of its way trying to find relevant charts (for example, half a page is spent detailing the differences between the six skill levels – which come down to the fact that skill level 6 has a -6 bonus and a skill level 5 has a -5 bonus). As a result, I feel that it overlooks other charts and information which would have been more useful. This is a fairly typical failure of GM screens, and one of the reasons I don’t generally like them – although the BESM screen at least avoids the silliness of including character creation rules (which you’re almost never going to have to reference during actual gameplay).

The art on the opposite side is a stunning piece of full-color fantasy art by Julie Dillon, an artist who should already be familiar to any BESM fan. Dillon’s art continues to impress me in its ability to conjure forth epic and awe-inspiring vistas with dynamic and varied characters. The quality of the art alone has probably earned this screen a place at my game table. (Oddly, I’ll probably end up using it for my upcoming D&D campaign, actually).

When I first saw the screen I was initially concerned about the decision to have it mirror the dimensions of the BESM books. The shorter height, at some game tables, will reduce the usefulness of the screen as a screen. But in actual practice I didn’t find this to be a problem except in the rare circumstance where the table being used was abnormally low compared to the players sitting around it.

THE ADVENTURE

Opening Scene: The PCs’ homeworlds are utterly destroyed and they die.

If nothing else, that’s certainly a catchy way of starting an adventure – and gives the players a great deal of flexibility in creating their characters (since it allows them to draw from any genre or setting they can conceive of and the GM is willing to approve).

Of course, shortly after they die they find themselves summoned by a disembodied voice, whereupon they appear upon a dusty, ruined road which runs along the edge of a tent village which has been raised in the shadow of a giant obelisk… just like the obelisks which led to the destruction of their own worlds.

Here’s what’s going on: In one of the many dimensions of the multiverse, a corrupt America has discovered the secret of draining other dimensions of their energy – granting themselves eternity and immortality, but robbing trillions of their lives. They accomplish this through the use of the obelisks. The PCs are faced with the difficult task of saving this world from destruction.

The tent village in which they have appeared has been formed at the command of the Teacher, a seeming messiah who preaches that the obelisk is a tool of the gods – sent to test their followers for their strength and faith. In truth, the Teacher is an agent of the dimension which controls the obelisks – and is using his position to complete the draining process on this world.

Assuming that the PCs can pierce through the Teacher’s facade and prevent him from bringing about armageddon on this world, they will find themselves teleported to the homeworld of the obelisks. There they have an opportunity to end this horrific interdimensional genocide forever – but not without a twist: They can end the genocide, but only by wreaking havoc on multiple worlds themselves. On the other hand, they can make a deal with a devil and see their homeworlds restored as new frontiers for the Empire.

The concept is bold and daring, and Jesse Scoble, the author, succeeds at investing it with memorable characters and powerful scenes. Every so often you get an adventure which makes you want to jump up and start gaming right away: In my opinion, this is one of them.

CONCLUSION

The screen’s content is of average quality. The screen’s artwork is stunning. The adventure included with the screen is excellent, and can easily serve as either an exciting one-shot or as the foundation for a highly memorable and entertaining campaign.

This one gets two thumbs up from me.

Style: 4
Substance: 4

Authors: Jesse Scoble
Company: Guardians of Order
Line: Big Eyes, Small Mouth
Price: $12.95
ISBN: 1-894525-12-4
Production Code: 02-102
Pages: 50

I never actually got a chance to run So, We Have… an Obelisk? I wasn’t well-positioned to run one-shots back in 2001, and my group ended up playing that D&D campaign I mentioned until half the group moved away a couple years later and the rest of the group broke up.

This review, though, definitely makes me want to double back and run the adventure now. If nothing else, Past Me was successful in selling Present Me on its virtues.

You may have noticed that the last several reviews were all originally posted on May 21st, 2001, and there’s a bunch more to come. This was Justin Bacon Review Week, a special celebration in which every review posted that week (20+ in total) were written by me. The instigation, if I recall correctly, was that the site had a bit of a backlog and so a number of reviews I’d written were sitting in the queue. Then, on top of this, I had a week or so with a lot of free time where I was reading and reviewing another huge swath of books.

Sandy Antunes, the founder of the site (and who was still running it at the time), reached out and thought it would be fun to celebrate my contributions to the site. I was incredibly honored by the gesture. It was the first time I’d received an official accolade like this, and it still means a lot to me even today.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

Go to Red Company of Magi

AREA 1 – ENTRY HALL

The white marble floor of the entry hall is perforated with dozens of tiny holes.

PRESTIDIGITATION HALL: Anyone stepping onto the floor of this room will have dirt, grime, blood, or other filth sloughed off their bodies due to a permanent prestidigitation effect. The filth disappears down the holes in the floor.

• GM Background: The paving stones of similar function in the Temple of the Ebon Hand were commissioned from the Red Company of Magi.

AREA 2 – MAIN HALL

A cross-shaped crimson carpet runs across the width and breadth of this large hall, with one leg crossing from Area 1 to Area 9 and the other leg running from a pair of double doors flanked by statues (leading to Area 6). On the wall opposite the statues, a golden disc has been inlaid in the floor.

CARPET OF SERPENTS: The red carpet is embroidered with four snakes which twist and twine around each other. Any Red Magi can speak a command word which will cause the snakes in the carpet to become animate as fiendish giant constrictor snakes.

Fiendish Constrictors: Use giant constrictor snake stats (MM 2024, p. 351) with the following abilities:

• Devil’s Sight: The fiendish constrictor has darkvision 60 ft. which is not impeded by magical darkness.
• Damage Resistance Cold, Fire; Nonmagical Attacks That Aren’t Silvered
• Magic Resistance: The fiendish constrictor has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Fiendish Fangs: Bite attack is considered a magical weapon.

STATUES: One statue is of a strong, muscular man and purports to depict Vladaam, the founder of House Vladaam. The other depicts a beautiful woman in swirling robes holding an orb which glows with a faint blue light. This second statue has a plaque naming the woman Flambara of Ossyr.

• DC 16 Intelligence (History): Ossyr is the name of what was once one of the small Sea Kingdoms.
• GM Background: Flambara founded the Red Company of Magi with Aliaster in 691 IA and was his mistress. She was assassinated in 698 IA.

GOLDEN DISC: This disc displays an embossed map of the Empire, including the Whitewind and Southern Seas.

• True Seeing: Anyone looking at the disc with a see invisibility or true seeing effect will see small, glowing points of light which indicate the physical location of anyone carrying the badge of the Red Magi. Anyone touching the disc and naming someone with a Red Magi tattoo can contact them as per a sending spell and receive a response in return. Use of the disc while casting scrying on Red Magi causes inflicts a -5 penalty on their Will save against the scrying.
• Inscription: Engraved in an elegant script of Draconic around the perimeter of the disc. “A gift from the Red Company of Surveyors to our Brothers in the True Pursuit. Let us hold and send forth the eye of all knowledge.”

AREA 3 – DINING HALL

A well-worn dining hall.

CABINETS: Contain dishes, glasses, and silverware. All of that is normal, but the cabinets themselves are magical: If they are opened, telekinesis effects will set the table with a number of place settings equal to the number of people currently in the room.

CHEST OF SUSTENANCE: A simple cantrip on the large chest under the window on the south wall keeps food placed within it fresh.

AREA 4 – SUPPLY CLOSET

Contains alchemist’s supplies and spell components.

SPELL COMPONENTS: A generous supply for any spell of 5^th level or below, including:

• 100 gp pearls for identify (x12)
• lead-based ink for illusory script (100 gp worth)
• diamond dust for stoneskin and nondetection (1,500 gp worth)
• gold dust for arcane lock (300 gp worth)
• ruby dust for continual flame (600 gp worth)
• jade dust for magic mouth (100 gp worth)
• gilded skull for summon undead (300 gp)
• crushed black pearl powder for circle of death (1,000 gp worth)

AREA 5 – KITCHEN

A perfectly ordinary, well-stocked kitchen.

CELLAR DOOR: Trap door in the floor leads down to Area 24.

GM Background: The Red Magi keep trying to convince Madame Hammala (their cook and housekeeper) to let them “improve” the kitchen with various magical accoutrements. She refuses.

AREA 6 – GUILDHALL

A life-size jade statue of Kharos, God of Magic stands at the end of the hall before several rows of pews. It holds a tri-forked wand in his left hand and cradles a silver cat in the crook of his right arm. A crackling disc of blue energy three feet across stands directly in front of the statue. A basin stands in one corner of the room.

• DC 15 Wisdom: The cat is actually made from mithril and is worth 10,000 gp.

DISC OF BLUE ENERGY: A permanent floating disk on the floor in front Kharos’ statue. Anyone stepping on the disk will cause it to float 3 feet into the air.

• GM Background: Guild members will step onto the disk and become elevated while they speak to their fellow Red Magi.

BASIN OF WATER: A small basin filled with crystal clear water stands in the corner of the room. The basin is formed from the open mouth of a gaping, stylized dragon. It will purify any water placed within it, as per a purify food and water spell.

• GM Background: During guild meetings, members will ceremonially wash their face and hands at this basin before taking their seats.

AREA 7 – ARCHMAGE USTALLO

A long workbench stands along the western wall next to a low-slung divan with a hookah stand beside it. Several chests sit below the curve of the wall opposite. Two long bookshelves meet in the corner of the room beneath two paintings — one depicting a black dragon; the other a white dragon.

HOOKAH: Has 6 doses of abyss dust.

• GM Background: Ustallo is not yet addicted, but he does enjoy it.

PAINTINGS: DC 14 Intelligence (History) to recognize them as the work of Hashi, a very popular painter in the 620’s. They belong to a longer sequence known as the Chromatic Lightning, which features depictions of every type of dragon, each flying in a thunderstorm. Each painting is worth 500 gp.

BOOKS: An extensive research library on humanoid physiology. Grants advantage to diagnostic Heal checks.

SEARCH – DC 18 Wisdom (Perception): To detect a section of the wall brimming with magical potential. Pressing firmly against this magical potential causes a section of the wall to transform into a large, comfortable bed. Pressing the wall above the bed’s headboard causes the bed to re-merge with the wall.

GM Background: Archmage Ustallo also works as Guildmaster Arzan’s personal assistant.

AREA 8 – GUILDMASTER ARZAN

ALCHEMICAL LAB: A bubbling array of glass, copper, and alchemical concoctions are arrayed across two tables which fill the far wall of the chamber.

• There are notes detailing an effort to create an improved antitoxin (which would grant advantage to saving throws against poison for 1 day) based on a synthesis of chemicals found in the sting glands of a wyvern.
• DC 25 Intelligence (Alchemist’s Supplies): The entire approach is inherently flawed and was first tried by the Master Alchemist Tirnet Kal several centuries ago (although this is only detailed in obscure partial quotations from the Observations of Alchemical Reductions and the Deductions Therof, a book that was lost several centuries ago). (This check is made with a +10 bonus if the character has studied a copy of this lost work, which is available in the Complex of Zombies.)

DESK: A massive, curved desk with a high-backed chair of red velvet topped with a gold-gilted dragon stands before a broad window looking out across the front lawn of the manse.

• On the desktop are Reports from the Researchers on Crossing Street.
• SEARCH – DC 12 Wisdom (Perception): A false bottom to one of the drawers contains an iron lockbox (DC 16 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools)). It contains 60 gp, an alexandrite (300 gp), a chrysoprase (20 gp), a white opal (6,000 gp), a red-brown spinel (80 gp), a moss agate (11 gp), and a violet garnet (800 gp).

FIRETHORN BONSAI: On a decorative table in the corner near the window, there is a bonsai tree with small, dark red fruits. This is a firethorn bonsai. At night, the fruits have the appearance of being on fire.

• GM Background: This tree was taken from a cutting of the firethorn tree on the front lawn of the manse.

SEARCH – DC 18 Wisdom (Perception): To detect a section of the wall brimming with magical potential. Pressing firmly against this magical potential causes a section of the wall to transform into a large, comfortable bed. Pressing the wall above the bed’s headboard causes the bed to re-merge with the wall.

AREA 9 – RESPITE UNDER THE STAIR

A circular table with a scarred surface and several equally well-worn chairs are gathered in the corner of the open room at the base of some stairs heading up. A silver pitcher with a mouth formed like the head of a swan sits in the middle of the table, surrounded by some wooden cups.

SILVER EWER: Magically enchanted so that it is always full of a sweet, strawberry-tinted mead.

BROKEN BOOKCASE: Stored back behind the stairs.

AREA 10 – THE LOWER TOWER

Several large crates have been stacked at the base of a spiral staircase of white sandstone.

CRATES: Contain three set of alchemist’s supplies and 20,000 gp worth of material for creating magical items.

Go to Part 13C: Magi Guildhouse – 2nd Floor

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Go to Table of Contents

The Red Company of Magi is a wizard’s guild directly under the control of Aliaster Vladaam. Although relatively small by some standards, in the shadow of the Inverted Pyramid, the Red Company of Magi is one of the largest groups of organized spellcrafting in Ptolus.

The group is ostensibly dedicated to research, but the junior members of the company are deeply enmeshed into the illegal activities of the Vladaam family (providing arcane might where and when it’s necessary). The company’s dedication to research is not entirely a sham, however: The senior members of the company – referred to as “Archmages” – are often pursuing arcane research.

IMPERIUMS

Any Archmage (including Aliaster) can issue an “imperium” to a junior guild member which they must obey.

This concept, however, is also a broader invocation of the lines of authority that exist within the guild: One who has “imperium” over another in either a specific field of study; their mastery of the arcane arts; or within the guild hierarchy itself. It’s a core philosophical underpinning of the Red Magi which dates back to Flambara.

GUILD MEMBERSHIP

GUILDMASTER ARZAN

ARCHMAGES (7)

• Verack (out of town)
• Cretai
• Ustallo
• Tiant
• Imogen
• Aldyck
• Arawa (keeps a house in Rivergate)

VLADAAM MAGES (15)

• 4 at Red Company of Magi
• 3 at Curse Dens
• 1 at Red Company of Fletchers (Part 10: Dreadwood Grove)
• 2 at Red Company of Goldsmiths (night guards)
• 3 on Slave Trade Ships
• 2 at Slave Trade Warehouse

VLADAAM RESEARCHERS (8)

• 4 at Red Company of Magi
• 4 at Oldtown Apartments

DENIZENS – RED COMPANY OF MAGI

GUILD GATHERING: 10% chance that the entire guild (+5 Vladaam Mages, +2 Vladaam Researchers) are present in Area 6 for a guild meeting.

¹ Any given archmage has a 75% chance of being present.
² 50% chance that Archmage Cretai is intoxicated on abyss dust.
³ 25% chance that Archmage Arawa is present.

Vladaam Mage: Use mage stats, MM 2014, p. 347.

Vladaam Researcher: Use acolyte stats, MM 2014, p. 342.

Archmages: See Volo’s Guide to Monsters.

GUILDMASTER ARZAN

Guildmaster Arzan: Use archmage stats, MM 2014, p. 342.

• Lawful Evil
• AC 15 (18 with mage armor)
• Languages: Common, Old Prustan, Draconic, Elvish, Elder Elvish, Orcish
• War Caster: Arzan has practiced casting spells in the midst of combat. He gains advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell when taking damage. He can perform somatic components of spells even when he has a weapon or shield in one or both hands. When a hostile creature provokes an attack of opportunity from Arzan, he can use his reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. (The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.

Combat Equipment

• potion of healing (superior)
• wand of magic missiles
• scrolls: cone of cold (7th level), dispel magic, polymorph, wall of ice

Other Possessions: bracers of defense, ring of protection, cane, hand crossbow (20 bolts), scroll case, diamond dust (250 gp), 100 gp pearl (x2), 100 gp, Vladaam deot ring, Red Magi tattoo

Oldtown
End Street – C8

EXTERIOR

The view from the guildhouse is beautiful, directly off the edge of Dalen’s Cliffs and out across the vast expanse of southern grasslands.

MANSE: The manse itself is built of pale blue stone.

YARD: The yard is planted with ghost grass – a pale, translucent grass of remarkable strength. (A shirt woven from properly treated ghost grass is as protective as a chain shirt.)

JADE ROSES: The path leading from the street to the front of the manse is lined with jade rose bushes. (Jade roses are a dark green in color and the petals of the bloom are as hard as the stone from which they take their name.)

FIRETHORN TREE: A single tree stands a few dozen paces from End Street (as shown on the street map). At night, the small, dark red fruits of the tree had the appearance of being on fire (due to the magical evolution of the tree itself).

FRONT ENTRANCE

The front doors, located beneath an upper balcony (Area 15), are flanked to either side by a pearl golem. Each golem has the appearance of Guildmaster Arzan, except that the face is a flat, blank, polished plane.

GUILDMASTER’S EYES: These golems are synced with the current guildmaster. By uttering a command word, they can look through either or both of the golems’ eyes. When he does so, his features replace their blank faces.

Go to Part 13B: Magi Guildhouse – 1st Floor

Pearl golems are one of the legendary jewel golems of Shandrala.

Although many think of pearl golems only in hues of cream and white, their birthing gems can be fashioned from a wide range of pearlescent colors — pink, blue, grey, aubergine, chocolate, and lavender, among others.

And in Greater Numbers. Among those who know the secrets of their creation, pearl golems are particularly popular constructs, in part because they are cheaper to create than most other golems. While they lack the magical enhancements of other jewel golems, they are more likely to appear in groups and will use their quick wits to coordinate their actions.

Iridescence. Pearl golems have some magical influence over the pearly iridescence of their “skin.” They appear to use this ability to silently communicate with each other in a mysterious visual language.

CONSTRUCTING PEARL GOLEMS

The birthing gem of a pearl golem must be a pearl worth at least 750 gp. This pearl must be polished and enchanted, but does not need to be cut. Preparing the pearl, therefore, requires a Spellcraft check (DC 10). The golem costs 20,000 gp to create, which includes the cost of the birthing gem.

PEARL GOLEM
Small construct, Unaligned

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Armor Class 17                                                 Initiative +3 (13)

Hit Points 60 (20d6)

Speed 30 ft.

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STR 20 (+5), DEX 16 (+3), CON 18 (+4), INT 10 (+0), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 10 (+0)

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Skills Athletics +7

Immunities Necrotic, Poison; Blinded, Exhaustion, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft.; passive Perception 12

Challenge 3 (700 XP; PB +2)

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TRAITS

Magic Resistance. The golem has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Spell Immunity. Pearl golems are immune to all spells except those which affect the quality of the air, such as cloudkill. Such spells deal either double damage or 2d6 damage to the pearl golem, whichever is higher.

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ACTIONS

Multiattack. The pearl golem makes two Slam attacks.

Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 12 (2d6+5)  Bludgeoning damage.

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Pearl golems appear in The Vladaam Affair.