Errata Revision 5.6 -- March 22, 1998.

What follows are rule corrections, clarifications, and suggested changes for the Rules Cyclopedia first published in 1991. For those unaware, this is a hard cover volume listing (almost) all of the D&D rules from the Basic, Expert, Companion, and Master boxed sets.

Yes, the Cyclopedia was discontinued in '96. D&D exists at present as a beige "Classic D&D" boxed set, which is a merger of the Basic and Expert sets.

Contact Information

If you spot further errors, or see errors in the errata itself, please send comments to me at: Jason.Mac.Innes@capcanada.com

WWW: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JustJay/dderr4.htm

Thanks go out to my players of the past several years. They've helped work out rule errors, and moan quietly when the changes have had negative effects on their characters.

Ray: A true role-player in every sense of the word.

Steve: The only man who can solve every problem with a violent solution.

Tony: A man who has tried hard to be chaotic, but has never had the heart for it.

Anna: An adventurer who's tried to hug every furry monster she's met.

Special Thanks to Shawn and to the dozen players who I have DMed for over the past 12 years for making all the games a memorable experience.

And of course: Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson for making a fantastic game!

And Aaron Allston and Frank Mentzer for taking the game to new heights.

Please keep in mind that I love Aaron's Cyclopaedia! For such a monstrous task, Aaron and the editors did an amazing job. All that follows are corrections, not criticisms. This book is fantastic and truly a must if you want to be a DM.

For these rule corrections I've used the following sources:

'81 Basic/Expert binder rules
'83 Basic/Expert/Companion/Immortal boxed sets
'94 Classic D&D boxed set

The following errata is in the order that they appear in my Cyclopaedia (I mean where I scribbled in the margins):

For the Front blank pages, here's the average Inn menu from "Dungeon Module B2: The Keep on the Borderlands" by Gary Gygax, page 10:

For a complete list of inn lodging prices, stabling costs, and house renting fees refer to the "Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia" boxed set.

Page 9:
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The open doors roll under the "Strength" column is fairly useless, since it's for stuck or jammed doors (also appearing on page 147). If you find yourself without a thief I suggest this new rule:

Use the chart on page 137 that lists the hit point and armour values for doors and walls. Have the character hack/bash at the door until the HP value reaches zero. This is useful for dramatic flights from monsters!

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There's space at the bottom of this page, which bears the column about hit points, where we can place the MISSING natural healing rule by Gary Gygax:

Each full day of complete rest (no fighting or travelling!) will restore 1 - 3 hit points. Roll 1d6: on a 1 or 2 they receive 1 hp back, on a 3 or 4 they get 2 hp, and on a 5 or 6 they get 3 hp. If those resting are interrupted during that day in any way, then no healing will take place.

Or, from the 1994 Edition (or the 1944 edition, if you see the copyright at the back!): Instead roll 1d4 and give the player the total of die back in hit points (1-4).

There's also a mistake on this page, in the third column under "Maximum Levels and Experience Points." Score a line through "and elves" that appears in the first paragraph. Elves can only attain a level of 10.

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Cleric titles: All level titles were omitted in the cyclopedia. However, in the cases of thieves and clerics, you may find them still to be of value. The cleric titles are:
Level / Title
1 » Acolyte
2 » Adept
3 » Priest
4 » Vicar
5 » Curate
6 » Elder
7 » Bishop
8 » Lama
9 » Patriarch

Turning Undead: Notice the "But don't forget, if the monster is turned, it hasn't been destroyed, it may decide to return soon..." Now that's nice and vague. From the Basic rule book: "They will stay away 1d10 rounds." To determine whether the monsters return when the turning wears off, "make a Reaction roll. If the result of the roll is 8 or more, the undead return."

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For Paladins, the last line in the 4th requirement should read:

"Therefore, a 16th or 17th level paladin can turn undead with the same ability of a 5th level cleric."

(Paladins start at 9th level in D&D! The Avengers column on the opposite side of the page has the correct values if you want to compare them.)

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There's an error in the Magic User Experience Table in regard to spell allotments. Mages don't receive 6th level spells until level 12, so cross out the last "1" in the level 11 row.

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Magi: Item one for the magi suggests that they can assist land-owning magic users will spell/item research "as described in Chapter 3." That topic is actually covered in Chapter 16, starting on page 250. However, nowhere in Chapter 3, 13 or 16 does it mention how a magus decreases time or increases chance of success. From the Companion rules: Any item or spell research can be completed in half the normal time and with double the chance of success. Also, the original item number two was removed from the list. It stated that the Magus, like the thief, has a chance (determined by the DM) of finding treasure maps, and hearing rare rumours of powerful magic items.

Thief titles:
Level / Title
1 » Apprentice
2 » Footpad
3 » Robber
4 » Burglar
5 » Cutpurse
6 » Sharper
7 » Pilferer
8 » Thief
9 » Master Thief

Experience levels: Some players may have noticed that the XP requirements for levels 4 and 5 are wrong. Well, that depends on whether you used to use the '81 edition and prior or the '83 boxed set series. If you used the latter, then level 4 is at 5,000 and level 5 is at 10,000.

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Languages: This applies to page 25 as well. The rules state the following point more clearly in other books. Dwarves and elves can speak the additional languages listed, just like the rules state. However, they can't read or write them. To do so they must expend their additional intelligence slots or general skills to pick those languages (as detailed in the '94 boxed set).

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The special abilities "Detection" description of Elves does not mention the exact rule (as the Dwarf area did on the previous page). Under the detection section in the third column note that it's a 1d6 roll, rolling a 1 or 2 for success. This rule is mentioned on page 147, but you'll find it more convenient if you scribble it here.

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Halflings: In the combat bonuses table, the plus one to individual initiative also applies to the group if they are comprised only of halflings.

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In the third column, at the end of the second paragraph place an asterisk, then scribble this missing rule somewhere:

If the caster loses initiative and takes damage or fails a saving throw, the spell is interrupted and lost.

In the "Reversible Spells" section, note that the caster must be at least fourth level to reverse spells.

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Under the section "Learning New Spells", you may wish to note: Clerics receive new spells directly from the power they serve, so they will be able to learn any spell on the clerical spell list once they gain enough experience to cast spells of that level. The DM may, however, have their immortal restrict certain spells.

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Resist Spells: For the spells Resist Cold and Resist Fire, I suggest noting that the minus one point per hit die be applied after the saving throw. Mathematically this is an important decision (it's better for the players this way). Although it is implied by their use of "Furthermore", it's not actually stated when to apply it.

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Create Food Spell: Originally, clerics/magic-users didn't have as many levels or spells, so they acquired higher level spells earlier and were able to cast a greater number per day. The authors forgot, however, to update a few of the spell descriptions. So, the second sentence should now read:

"For every level of the cleric above 10th, the spell..."

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Raise Dead: Again, this is an old rule not revised. The second paragraph should read:

"A 10th level cleric can raise a body that has been dead for up to four days. For each level of the cleric above 10th add four days to this time. Thus, a 12th level cleric can raise bodies that have been dead for up to twelve days."

Truesight: This error originates with the companion set. The duration should read either: "1 turn + 1 turn per level of the caster" or "1 round + 1 round per level for the caster." You can choose which you like better.

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Phantasmal Force: You may want to consider that this spell, in relation to its description and other spells, must be an immobile 20' cube. For example, you can create a flying monster, but it can't move outside the original 20' cube. Defining whether this is true or not will avoid arguments later.

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Confusion: Something to consider before the mage casts this spell, is that the effect slot states 2d8 creatures. But the description suggests it effects all creatures within the radius.

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Ice Storm/Wall of Ice: This spell, originally having only one effect, has two. This first line of the description states this, but then it states there are three effects. The effect "Icy blast" does not exist, and never did. So, the first line should read, "This spell may be cast in either of two ways: either as an ice storm, or wall of ice."

Polymorph spells: The D&D rules are never actually clear as to whether such spells, or related potions, change just the body or include the possessions. You may want to make a ruling on this before a player argues differently.

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Animate Dead: Of little importance here, but every time they use "Cleric" they obviously mean "Magic User." (The same is actually true of Hold Person on page 48 as well.)

Cloudkill: As noted in "Explosive Cloud", this spell creates a greenish gas cloud. Further, you may wish to consider whether the cloud is opaque or translucent.

Dissolve: The spell's range, as first noted in its description, is 120'. The second value mentioned later in its description, 240', is incorrect.

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Money: Okay, here the authors were trying to confuse you as much as possible. Scribble this down and you'll never get confused!

Weapons table; missing weapons:
------------------------------

For the sales of used equipment, just use half the listed price.

Here's a few thoughts: nonmagical weapons must be sharpened after every adventure, nonmagical armour must be repaired, and bow strings must be replaced. Decide on your own values for these services; I suggest 1/4 or 1/2 price of the new item or less.

Under the Weapons Special Effects table, note down that page 80 has the full tables -- you'll need them for reference during the game play.

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In the editions in the early 80's and the 94 edition, magical armour only weighed half the encumbrance of its normal counterpart, but this rule was omitted from the Cyclopaedia. In the Armour Table, create a "Magic enc." column. Here are the values that appeared in the Companion boxed set.

Another point, if you consider "Leather" to be "Hardened Leather" at AC 7, you can have "Padded Leather" at AC 8 (cost 15 GP). "Padded Fur" would also occupy AC 8 (in cold weather campaigns) for 10 GP.

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The last sentence in the fourth paragraph of the third column is wrong. The griffin's MAXIMUM is 7000, its half is 3500. You can confirm this on page 181. Score out 7000 and 14000 and replace it with the correct values. But take note that the prior logic the author was working through is no longer valid with these new values.

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For the "Adventuring Gear" table, here's a missing item:

Spell Book 200 cn (from page 43, last paragraph)

According to Fabrizio Paoli, Dragon Magazine issue #191 lists new adventuring gear for D&D. I can't verify this myself, but you may wish to check it out.

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The price listed for a Troop Transport (30,000 gp), is actually the price for the conversion of a sailing ship into a troop transport. Technically, the price should be 27,000 gp (which is closer to 1/3 of a large ship's price). However, to buy a Troop Transport off the shelf, so to speak, it costs 40,000 gp (from the Expert sets). The difference here is time: can the characters wait around to have their ship upgraded, or instead shop around for an available Troop Transport vessel.

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Jimmy Kerl has spotted an error under the "Troop Transport" section in the first column. The additional cost to convert a sailing ship into a troop transport actually costs 1/3 of the ship's listed cost, not 1/2. The cost is correctly listed on the chart's footnotes on page 71.

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Note that treasure encumbrance is handled in chapter 16, but if you want to use the simpler original '81 Expert edition rules you can write them down at the bottom of this page. Also included are missing values for other items:

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The weapon mastery system COMPLETELY unbalances the game! When your players have plus 9 or more to hit, you know something is wrong! I HIGHLY suggest using the system with one change: don't let any player get a weapon mastery above "skilled." With this restriction the rules do work very well. You can then move some of the higher level options to apply to the skilled level.

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Assuming you don't read the book straight cover to cover, you might miss a few rules under the "Riding Skill" section. It mentions restrictions if you DON'T have the skill (they should have been mentioned elsewhere in combat and travel).

Go to part two of this file.