This 40' by 40' room is marked by a plaque on the north side of the passageway, and it reads, simply, "Reversal." The room's walls and ceiling have a wide metal mesh bolted to them, much like chain-link fencing. Held four inches from the room's basic stone construction by red-hot copper bolts, the mesh crackles and spits with tiny but violent lightning strikes. The odor of ozone hangs heavy in the damp still air. Exactly in the center of the room, a two-foot wide, four-foot tall stone pillar, upon which rests a golden dagger. There are no apparent exits to this room. GameMaster The plaque to this room says, "Reversal," and it's a cinch that someone is going to try for the shortcut by reversing the plaque. While this serves no real purpose, it does show creative thinking on the part of the player. If the plaque is tested for secret mechanisms, it will be found to be mounted on a swivel. It may be flipped over so that its other side may be viewed. The other side says, "Not correct, but good thinking anyway." just beneath this message are a pair of brass clips holding a white feather. The room of Reversal is just that, in a very literal sense. The powerful electricity arcing from the mesh on the walls is illusory. The ozone smell, however, is not. That odor is coming from the (apparently safe) supercharged floor. That which appears dangerous is safe. That which appears safe is lethal. Any objects placed on the floor; bits of cloth, wood, metal, rope and flesh, will fry and die almost instantly. The metal meshwork along the walls and ceiling is quite safe to climb on - strenuous though it may be. The room's center pedestal is not charged. The pedestal itself can only withstand 25 lbs. of pressure before sinking rapidly down to floor level. This action opens the secret door across the room, and sets up a potentially comical situation. If the character is now too short to reach the ceiling, the GameMaster may have some fun watching the character traverse the electrified floor by dangling from the legs of some charitable strongarm. Some of the problems with this mode of transport include: tired hands, sagging meshwork and flimsy cloth robes being torn forcibly off by the weight of desperately clinging, former pedestal jumpers. It could be amusing. Ability checks should abound. When the players retrieve the dagger, inform them that the words, "This knife cuts only gold," are inscribed on the blade. It's true. The golden dagger does cut gold as though it were butter - but it does a pretty good job on flesh too. Characters will very likely discover exactly how well the knife cuts flesh in the room of Trust. Score Chart +5 For testing the walls and floor for electricity ... safely, that is. +5 For player retrieving the golden dagger. -8 For destroying the dagger on the electrified floor. -10 For dying in this room. +7 For best role player. More Code of the Rats Introductory Fantasy Adventure Introduction Adventure Set Up 1. Entry Room 2. Room of Abstinence 3. Room of Peace 4. Room of Forethought 5. Pit Trap 6. Wolves and Sheep 7. Dank and Dark 8. Room of Humor and Wisdom 9. Room of Caution 10. The Lone Plaque 11. Hall of Consistency 12. Mud-Filled Room 13. Room of Questioning 14. The Portcullis 15. Room of Reversal 16. Room of Trust 17. Room of Power 18. Room of Disunity 19. The Darkened Hallway 20. Room of Mindlessness 21. Room of Acceptance 22. The Rotating Tunnel 23. The Refreshments 24. Lemmings Leap 25. If Left is not Right 26. Room of Day 27. Room of Cogitation 28. A Locked Door 29. Room of Illogic 30. Room of Dishonesty Epilogue Map of the Dungeon Back to Shadis #21 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com