Dragon Warriors FAQ
Below is a list of frequently asked questions about Dragon Warriors: the books, the history, the game-system and the world. If you have a question of your own that’s not answered here then we’ll do our best to answer it: click here to email us.
BOOKS
Are there going to be PDF editions of the Dragon Warriors books?
Yes, we have PDFs of all the new books available exclusively from DriveThruRPG. They are all properly bookmarked, cross-referenced and indexed, and all outstanding errata have been corrected in them. They’re also substantially cheaper than the print versions.
Can I print out copies of these PDFs?
Yes, you can, as long as the print-outs are only for your personal use. The pages are formatted for US Letter-sized paper, so will look out of proportion on A4, and the pictures and maps are not encoded at print-quality—they’ll look fine on screen, but will be blurred on the page. (That’s not an anti-piracy thing, it’s to keep the file-size down.)
WEBSITE
Can I subscribe to the Magnum Opus news releases as an RSS feed?
Yes: the URL is http://www.magnumopuspress.com/?feed=rss2
CHARACTER CREATION
What are the correct Magical Attack and Defence values for a starting Warlock? In one place the book says 12 and 5, in another 13 and 6.
It’s Magical Attack 12 and Defence 5. This and many other minor points are covered in the errata sheet for the print rulebook, which you can download by clicking on the link below:
Dragon Warriors Rulebook errata sheet (PDF).
COMBAT
Can my Sorceror use a two-handed sword? If so, are there any penalties to Attack or Defence?
Yes, he can use a two-handed sword. There are no penalties beyond his already-low scores in those abilities, so he’ll be just as inept with a greatsword as with any other weapon.
My character carries a shield and is attacked by a Goblin Archer. Does the shield count as cover? (providing penalties to the Goblin’s Attack). Also, assuming the arrow hits my character do I get to roll 1D6 to check if the shield absorbed the damage?
Shields don’t count as cover. However, as long as your character is facing the direction the arrow is coming from then your GM may let you make a 1D6 shield roll to block it.
Can a Warlock use a shield? If so, can he cast the level 4 spell Aegis and thus roll 1D6 twice to see if he absorbs any given blow?
Any character can carry and use a shield. Warlocks can use one in conjunction with an Aegis spell, in which case they roll 1d6 twice, with the blow being blocked on a 1.
However, Warlocks must use at least one hand to perform the gestures needed to cast spells, and cannot do that while wearing a shield. They can, however, put down their shield, cast the Aegis spell (or any other spell) and then pick the shield up again. This extra action takes an additional Combat Round.
In Fright Attacks, can the creature just do it repeatedly each round?
Once a character has survived a particular creature’s Fright Attack they do not need to check again for that creature.
USING MAGIC
Are magic users able to cast any of the spells of the levels they have access to provided they have the magic points to cast them?
Yes.
ADVANCEMENT
On p.130 of the rulebook there is a chart that shows the progression bonuses for all professions. Most of these charts stop at 10th Rank. Do ranks continue above that, with bonuses to abilities, or do they stop at 10th rank?
There is no “maximum” rank in Dragon Warriors. If you wanted to continue to these higher levels then just extrapolate the higher levels from the information already given. Bear in mind, though, that a 10th-rank hero is already a renowned figure and may want to move onto fresh challenges like leading an army or plotting the downfall of tyrants.
GENERAL RULES
Why do some things need a d20 roll, and others 2d10?
Because they do! Dragon Warriors isn’t an integrated, one-roll-for-everything game system. The two different dice mechanics have a very different feel: a d20 gives a flat probability, while 2d10 produces a bell-curve with an average roll of 11. If you look at the places where the different mechanics are used, you should start to understand why this is important, how it affects the results, and how that changes the feel of that particular test. You’re much less likely to roll the highest or lowest results (spectacular successes or catastrophic failures) with a 2d10 roll, for example.
Thanks to the denizens of RPG.net, particularly Bulya, Marius B and Skywalker, for providing the genesis of this document.