Take heart, Lost Ones! It is the blessed time when the mysteries that plague your lives are answered! Let the mystic smoke begin to clear...but wait! This is not Elrond the Wise, with his twinkling eyes and knowing beard! Another takes his place! But stay your hand, strong warrior, for this is the beauteous sorceress Taliesha, clad only in sheer silks, and behind her beguiling smile she holds many secrets... 'Yes, draw close, mighty-thawed barbarians and crafty wizards, and let lovely Taliesha work her wiles and gaze into the Crystal Of Truth...'

Dear Elrond,

I am running out of monsters to use in my dungeons as my players have now killed everything in the Monster Manual, Rend Folio, Monster Manual, and Dieties and Demigods (the one with the Melnibonean and Cthulhu mythos). Do you have any ideas for new monsters as I really can't afford to Fork out the cash for all the Monstrous Compendium supplements?

Aha! While Elrond is off traveling between the planes, I, Taliesha Half-Elven, will answer for him. I have encountered many fearsome beasts on my adventures, far too many to list here, but will present here my favourite. A creature I myself designed back in 1976 and has since put terror into the hearts of many players...it has acidic blood, which causes 3d6 damage on contact. When fully grown it has armoured hide the equivalent of AC-s, and its claws and bite cause 6d10 damage each! Even worse, the spider-like earlier stage is able to impregnate a victim with an egg which turn into a flesh-eating larvae inside the body, causing 10d12 points of damage and necessitating a Save vs. Death or a painful and immediate end ensues!

I call it a Bug, and you are welcome to use it in your campaigns, as long as you always acknowledge its origins. I realise that none of you would ever take another's Ideas without their permission, but feel that I should point out that I know a professional banister personally.

Deor Elrond,

I've noticed a distinct lack of LRP coverage in Valkyrie and wondered why such a large section of the role playing hobby is being ignored. What are your Feelings on Live Role- Playing?

Elrond is a long-term member of the Dudley Warmasters, an experienced group of Live RolePlayers, and has spent many exciting weekends as Borothrax, his Lord level warrior and powerful psionicist. Live-Role-Playing (or LRP, as we prefer to call it) is great fun, and can be highly exhilarating. Care must be taken, however, not to upset members of the ordinary public (or 'mundanes'), for instance by suddenly leaping from bushes and screaming at them. Otherwise it is an enjoyable hobby, despite the occasional problem with Referees who do not have the experience or knowledge to realise that they are making ridiculous judgements. If a psionic talent has been previously agreed to work in a particular way, then that is the way it must work! Why must a player concern himself with game balance when that is quite plainly the province of the Referee?

Dear Elrand,

Do you feel that there should be a iower age Iimit on Role-Playing? We have had trouble accommodating young players into our club.

Why, certainly not! We were all that age once, you know, and the callow youth (or indeed young lady) of today may be the masterful gamer of tomorrow! Of course, some adjustments must be made - avoiding 'adult' situations (unless between married characters), for instance. If you allow youngsters to join in you'll soon find that when the blood begins to flow they gain just as much enjoyment out of hacking up a few goblins as the rest of us! Try not to use over-complex terms, nor to challenge their as-yet undeveloped moral stance, and above all, don't talk down to them! After all,they will soon be real grown-up people!

We will soon be publishing a new version oF FEARFUL TRAVELS, to be called SCARY WANDERINGS, ® written especially For Young Gamers, and you will see what I am talking about when you purchase it for your children. As previously mentioned, it will include the updated Critical Tables for combination crushing and spiked weapons against unarmoured or sleeping targets. These will become an official part of the rules with the new fifth edition of the grown-up game. SCARY WANDERINGS ® was written after many chats with the children of my friends in the Dudley Order of Gamers (I have no children of my own the pressure of work, I suppose!), and will be a revolution in Role-Playing!

As a further aside, a good blend of mine has entered the world of the electronic superhighway, and his Web Pap may now be found at the following address http://pages.prodigy.com/SFXG88D/ Infojava.htm Visit the great Qubrak Shatar, and quail! Seriously, he has many excellent and imaginative Ideas for AD&D, and his page is well worth 'reading'.

That Is the end of our time together, I am sad to say, for Tallesha must retum to her perfumed garden, there to weave her fabulous illusions. Next month Elrond will once more preside over this famed court, sharing with you the fruits of his inter-planar journeys. Until then, seek not the Black Sword of Thamocles, for its very touch is death and the Necromancers of the Forbidden Tower have claimed it for thelr own!