These creatures (full name Gens Magica, or "magical men") are rare and powerful Constructs both like, and unlike, the more commonly-known Golems and Living Statues of Mystara. Like, in that they are created by magical processes, do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and cannot reproduce themselves; unlike, in that they are grown alchemically rather than built, and have bodies which resemble, at least superficially, living flesh. The best-known creators and users of Magen are residents of the Principality of Nouveau Averoigne, in Glantri; it is suspected that the secret processes used to create the Constructs were brought to Mystara by the d'Ambreville family and their intimates, in their great exodus from the alternate world of Laterre. However, the knowledge of their creation has since spread across the Known World and beyond; Magen may now be found wherever there are Mages powerful enough to build them.

The creation of a Magen - of any type - is very expensive in terms of research and creation time, in cost, and in magic. The creator must have a high level of Alchemical knowledge and experience before even attempting to create one (Alchemy Skill +2, Intelligence of 16+, and Experience level of 9 or greater required; additional requirements as the DM chooses. If using the Glantrian Secret Craft of Alchemy, the creator must be at least 3^rd Circle). Among the main items needed for creation are a mould (to provide the shape and appearance of the Magen), a well-equipped laboratory (with expensive, hard-to-obtain chemicals and chemical equipment) a large vat (for mixing the enchanted goo which constitutes a Magen) and some kind of power-source - magical lightning is sometimes used for this purpose, although a more reliable generator is preferable. Since much of this equipment can be reused, the overall cost of creating Magen goes down slightly if more than one is produced.

Individual Magen of all types appear to be identical (with the notable exceptions of Bowwer and Hebe Magen - see below), and cannot easily be distinguished from each other until and unless they use their individual powers. Most Magen are tall (6'), slim figures with hairless bodies and dull, lifeless eyes; however, it is not unheard-of for a Mage to pattern his creations' appearance after himself, or some other known being. A Magen is usually mute, unless its creator chooses to expend additional cost and effort to provide it with a voice, but is intelligent enough to both follow complex orders and to perform actions of its own will, so long as these do not conflict with its master's wishes. If slain, most Magen dissolve into acrid, multi-coloured smoke - those who do not are noted below in their individual entries.

There are many different Magen "breeds" in existence; apart from the four best-known Magen types (Caldron, Demos, Galvan and Hypnos - see the Creature Catalog or Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix for details), the following Constructs have also been encountered from time to time:

	Nodh	Raston	Twizel	Tarba	Bowwer
Armour Class	7	0	5	3	7
Hit Dice	4*	6**	4+2*	5**	1*
Move	120' (40)	360' (120')	120' (40')	120' (40'), climb 60' (20')	120' (40')
Attacks	Special	4 darts or 2 weapons	2 punches	1 hug	1 weapon
Damage	Sleep	1d4/1d4/1d4/ 1d4 or by weapon	1d6/1d6	2d6	1 hp
No. Appearing	1d4 (0)	1d4 (0)	1d4 (0)	1d3 (0)	3d4 (0)
Save As	Magic-User 2	Fighter 5	Fighter 4	Fighter 4	Fighter 2
Morale	12	12	12	12	12
Treasure Type	0	See below	0	0	0
Intelligence	9	9	9	9	10
Alignment	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral
XP Value	125	725	200	425	20
Monster Type	Construct	Construct	Construct	Construct	Construct

	Vizhen	Darque	Embr	Hebe
Armour Class	5 (but see below)	4	3	7
Hit Dice	4+1**	5*	6*	3+2*
Move	120' (40')	120' (40')	120' (40')	120' (40')
Attacks	1 punch	1 weapon & special	2 touches or 1 hug	1 bite
Damage	1d6	By weapon, Darkness	1d4/1d4 or 1d8	1 d2, Poison
No. Appearing	1d2	1d2	1d2	1d4
Save As	Fighter 3	Fighter 4	Fighter 5	Magic-User 2
Morale	12	12	12	12
Treasure Type	0	0	See below	See below
Intelligence	9	9	9	9
Alignment	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral
XP Value	275	300	500	75
Monster Type	Construct	Construct	Construct	Construct

Nodh: The weakest Magen presented here, Nodh are the only Magen habitually provided with a voice, albeit a very simple one. Each Nodh can hum softly, a soothing sound which generates a weak Sleep effect - those within 30’ must Save vs. Spells at +2 or be affected as if by a Sleep spell. A new saving throw is required for each round that the Nodh continues to hum. A Nodh can hum for up to 1 Turn per day, split over as many rounds as required. If damaged, the Magen stops humming for one round.

Nodh cannot wield weapons or otherwise enter physical combat; their magical attack is the only offensive function they have. Nodh are often used as personal servants and guards.

Raston: The fastest of all Magen - and among the most difficult and costly to create - Raston move as if affected by permanent Haste enchantments; they can attack four times per round, and always gain initiative. Although able to use normal weapons - a Raston can fight with two normal swords, short swords or daggers, one in each hand - this Magen prefers to attack using its inbuilt weaponry. A Raston can fire up to four darts per round, two from each wrist, which cause 1d4 damage each if they hit. An individual Raston usually contains 2d20 darts; when these are used up, it must resort to more conventional weaponry.

A Raston may "reload" itself by swallowing fresh darts; these must be specially made to fit the Raston’s internal firing units, and cost 10% - 30% more to manufacture than normal darts. It is not unknown for a powerful Mage to provide their Raston with magical Darts +1 or +2, although these can cost up to twice as much as normal magical darts.

If destroyed, a Raston dissolves into mist; however, its remaining missiles do not, and may be collected and thrown as normal darts.

Twizel: Based on the more common Caldron Magen, the Twizel can also stretch its arms and legs to considerable distances - in this case, to about 10' in length. Unlike its earlier prototype, Twizel's limbs are spring-loaded, not elastic; it cannot wrap its arm about a target's neck, for instance, but it can punch creatures up to 10' away with considerable force. The first time it does this in combat, the Twizel strikes with surprise, since its attack is unexpected; thereafter, the hit rolls are calculated normally. If a Twizel hits the same target twice in the same round, it is considered to have gripped the target firmly, and can pull him towards it when its arms retract. The target must roll his Dexterity or less on 3d6 to retain hold of his weapon if this happens, otherwise it flies from his hand, leaving him unarmed. Twizel, fortunately, do not have a hug-attack.

A Twizel's legs are as springy as its arms, allowing it to make mighty leaps once per round, up to 10' in height and 30' in length (equivalent to a pair of Boots of Travelling and Leaping or Boots of Striding and Springing, if you are using the AD&D game system). A Twizel can both leap and attack in the same round.

Tarba: These Magen have the ability to make their bodies incredibly adhesive; a Tarba can easily climb the sheerest surface, and cling to walls and ceilings for as long as desired. Indeed, it is not uncommon for Tarba to position themselves overhead, wait until their targets are beneath them, then drop from the ceiling to attack with surprise.

Any weapons which strike a Tarba will stick fast to it; a strength of 17+, plus 1 round of tugging, is required to remove a stuck weapon, during which time the character is vulnerable to the Tarba’s own attack. A Tarba attacks by hugging its victim, causing 2d6 hp damage per round; it can only be made to release its target if the Magen is dealt 10 hp or more damage in a single round. Note that the damage rating given above is for a Tarba with no "captured" weapons; any blades caught in the Magen’s body will add 1-2 hp damage to the total, due to slicing damage, when the Construct hugs.

If destroyed, a Tarba melts into a puddle of adhesive goo, equivalent to thick tar or strong horse-glue. This substance cannot easily be collected for later use, although a particularly clever party might find some method of doing so, if they wish to take the trouble.

Bowwer: The smallest Magen, Bowwer are no more than 6 inches tall. Despite their diminutive stature, these Constructs can leap up to 6’ straight up or across (their legs are constructed similarly to those of a Twizel), once per round. Due to their small size, attackers suffer -3 on their "to hit" rolls when attempting to strike a Bowwer.

Bowwer carry miniature swords, with which they can attack once per round, causing 1 hp damage per successful hit. While this may not seem like much, it should be noted that Bowwer are among the cheapest of all Magen to manufacture - they are normally made in batches of six or more - and they almost always attack en masse; consequently, a single target might take anything from 6 to 12 or more hp damage per round, every round - a total which soon mounts up...

For the most part, Bowwer are used as messengers or spies; an individual can remember, in perfect detail - and later transcribe, in small spidery script - practically any message or conversation of up to a turn in duration (the limit of their photographic memory). For greater recording duration, it is advisable to send additional Bowwer to take over when the first is "full". A few of the miniature Magen are created with voices, and can relay a conversation using the same timbre and intonation of each speaker, but these are horrendously expensive (even by Magen standards) and extremely rare.

Any Bowwer can learn to recognise particular individuals, releasing a message only to the one who should have it, which makes them excellent go-betweens in military (or other) situations.

Vizhen: This Construct is particularly difficult and expensive to create, as it exists partly in the Ethereal Plane, and can slip between the Ethereal and the Prime Planes at will.

Vizhen attack with a single punch per round; after attacking, they automatically become utterly intangible and immune to attack for the rest of the round - so only those who gain the initiative can harm a Vizhen, unless they possess a weapon capable of harming Ethereal beings. Vizhen can turn immaterial whenever they desire, for up to one round at a time, and can pass through any solid object (except thick stone, or lead) at will. If caught wholly or partially within an object when it shifts back, however, the Vizhen is destroyed.

As a consequence of their ghostly state, a Vizhen can survive a fall from any height, by phasing out and in once per round - all drops are considered to be no more than 10’ in height for the Magen, and cause no damage. A Vizhen cannot carry more than 100 cn in weight when it turns immaterial, however.

If destroyed, a Vizhen dissolves into mist, as normal - but anyone breathing in that mist must make a Save vs. Spells or be enchanted with the ability to float safely down from any height (as per the AD&D Feather Fall spell) for 1d6 Turns. Those who know of this beneficial effect can choose to fail their Save, if they wish.

Darque: This is a combative breed of Magen, used primarily as guards or warriors. Darque fight with a weapon in hand, usually a sword or dagger. In addition, twice per day a Darque can "exhale" a cloud of inky darkness from its mouth, which expands to fill an area equivalent to that of a Darkness spell (centred on the Magen itself). The cloud takes one round to form, during which the Magen can perform no other action. Darque can see perfectly in natural or magical Darkness, and will always attempt to employ this power before entering combat, if given the opportunity.

Those who choose to fight a Darque within its dark cloud will suffer a +4 penalty to Armour Class, -6 to attack rolls, and -4 to saving throws; even Infravision will not help, as these Magen give off no heat, and are therefore "invisible" to infrared. The Darkness effect can be Dispelled as if a 1st-level Mage spell, however, and disperses naturally after 2d4 rounds has passed.

If slain, the Darque explodes, causing 1d6 damage to all within 10’ and creating a double-range Continual Darkness effect, centred on the spot where it "died". Certain Undead Magi in Glantri (and elsewhere) have developed the Darque Magen as servants capable of providing a brief measure of protection from the effects of sunlight. Consequently, Darque - while still rare - are amongst the most common of the Magen presented here.

Embr: One of the few Magen to appear obviously different from its "kin", the Embr burns with internal flame, which is visible as a flickering, red-orange glow through its eyes and mouth. Those within 10’ of an Embr can feel the intense heat radiating from its skin.

Embr attack by touch, causing 1d4 hp of heat damage per successful strike; they may attack twice per round. If the same target is struck twice in one round, then the Embr has succeeded in hugging that target (strength 18+, or 18/25 in AD&D terms, required to break free), inflicting 1d8 hp heat-damage per round until either the victim breaks free or the Embr is destroyed.

If slain, an Embr dissolves into a 5’-wide puddle of flaming liquid, which causes 1d4 damage per round if touched, like acid; it must be washed off with wine or vinegar to stop the damage. An Embr killed while hugging coats its unfortunate victim with the liquid, causing 1d8 hp damage per round. If this fluid is collected in an airtight, ceramic vessel, it may retain its efficacy for up to 3d4 days; otherwise, contact with air neutralises it within 1 hour. A maximum of 1d4-1 doses may be recovered from the remains of one Embr.

Hebe: These Constructs are unique among Magen; instead of being hairless male figures, they are instead designed to resemble attractive women (or rather, one particular woman - the late wife of their original Wizard-creator, in fact). They are the only Magen to have hair, in the form of long, luxurious tresses attached to their heads - this is attached after creation, and may be of any colour found in nature.

Hebe are most often employed as servants or handmaidens. They cannot use weapons, and do not usually fight, although they do have an attack-form - quite a powerful one, in fact. A Hebe’s incisors can be lengthened into fangs whenever it desires, letting it deliver a painful bite (1-2 hp damage) and injecting a unique venom which has one of the following effects (roll 1d6, or DM's choice):

1. Victim experiences loss of co-ordination and muscular spasms (identical in effect and duration to the bite of a Tarantella spider - see the Rules Cyclopedia for details - but does not affect onlookers).


2. Victim suffers 1d4 hp damage per turn until dead or Cured by some means.


3. Victim loses 2 points of Strength for 2d6 hours (cumulative effect with each additional bite).


4. Victim is drained of all willpower for 1d2 days - obeys commands from any source as if Charmed.


5. Victim is rendered permanently blind unless Cured.


6. No effect. The Hebe’s poison reservoir is either empty or blocked in some way.

A Hebe can use its bite-attack once per round, and contains enough venom for 1d4 injections - this reservoir replenishes itself overnight. Hebe tend to be dressed in fine clothing and wear jewellery of lesser or greater value, provided by their masters (total value varies from 1-6 cp value at the bottom of the scale, to 1-300 gp at the upper end); these items remain after the Hebe is destroyed.

Magen of all types are usually found as servants to powerful Wizards; those who are not are often found dwelling in the ruined homes of their former masters, tirelessly performing whatever tasks they were last given - or waiting, patiently, for new orders which never come.

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Copyright © 2000, Carl Quaif, based on material copyright TSR/WotC, Inc. All rights reserved. Webmastered by Jennifer Guerra.