The November issue of Dragon magazine seems to be showing up in mailboxes this week. With a very classic D&D cover featuring a blond, bow-wielding elf, the cover lines promise a big article on bows and crossbows, a piece on the demon prince Dagon, new info on Dungeon’s Savage Tide Adventure Path, and even—steel yourselves—an article on Final Fantasy XII. Looks like pen-and-paper RPGs and video game RPGs can get along after all. Culled from the EN World message boards, one enthusiastic reader’s detailed description of the issue’s contents and a preview of #350 are posted below. If you’re looking for more info about Dragon you can check out this issue’s website and other reviews right here.

Editorial: Paizo in the True Dungeon, by Erik Mona – Erik recounts the Paizo group going through the True Dungeon at Gen Con 2006.

Scale Mail – Letters this month include complaints about the incompleteness of isue #346’s Impiltur article, and love for that same article.

First Watch – I don’t usually note the First Watch section when I do these breakdowns, but this month’s article contains a special two-page section regarding Final Fantasy XII, which is even mentioned on the cover. The section about the game is done as a review, with no D&D-related content appearing.

Hitting the Bullseye, by Eric Cagle – This article covers a large number of new bows and crossbows, as well as new types of ammunition. Sidebars reprint the information on composite bows and firing crossbows.

Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Dagon, by James Jacobs – The Prince of the Darkened Depths is covered in all his gruesome detail here! The article opens with a recounting of the pre-history of the Abyss, and how Dagon was wise enough to avoid the fall of the obyriths. It then moves onto his stats, empowering him from his listing in the Fiendish Codex I to be a hefty CR 30. It then covers his goals, his cult, and the Thrall of Dagon prestige class before covering his minions, which gives us a kuo-toa with bard levels, and a new kind of obyrith, the uzollru (CR 16), and ends with covering his realm, the Shadowsea (the 89th layer of the Abyss). Sidebars cover the change to his stats from FC1, his few Stormwrack-based spell-like abilities and what to replace them with if you don’t have that book, and the obyrith subtype, as well as the Thrall to Demon feat and Dagon in the real world.

The Horde, by Edward Bonny, Brian Cortijo, and Laszlo Koller – A massive fourteen-page article covers the Hordelands of the Forgotten Realms! It has an overview of the Endless Waste before covering the peoples that live in the Hordelands. A full-page map precedes the gazetteer of the area which takes up most of the article, before ending with 3.5 stats for the dzalmus dragon (a true dragon). Sidebars cover where to get more information on the Hordelands (the 2E supplement on WotC’s website, and a web enhancement for this article on Paizo’s site), as well as the Taangan and Tuigan people, two new regions FR characters can choose (the Endless Wastes and the Lake of Mists), a timeline of the Endless Wastes, Tuigan sayings and superstitions, and two new regional feats (Horse Nomad and Raumathar Heritor).

The Ecology of the Ogre Mage, by Tim Hitchcock – This article covers the history of ogre magi, their phsiology, their psychology and society, advanced ogre mages, and gives stats for an ogre mage fighter 5/kensai 3. Sidebars cover Knowledge checks about ogre mages, ogre mages in the real world, and alternate ogre mages (altering their spell-like abilities for either psionics or shadow-based magic to bring them in line with other strains of ogre mage as per their creation myth).

Savage Tidings: Beyond Sasserine, by F. Wesley Schneider and James Sutter – This article covers the area around the city of Sasserine, going over the geography of the area, Sasserine’s holdings, local ruins, and nearby dungeons. A small map of the region is shown, and sidebars cover the Crimson Fleet (including rumors about them), and areas where replacement PCs (for PCs who’re killed) can come from.

Sage Advice, by Andy Collins – The Sage answers a bevy of questions regarding magic items this time around.

Class Acts

Adventurer: Poisonmaking Guide, by Amber E. Scott – This article reprints the rules for crafting poison from Complete Adventurer, and covers purchasing and harvesting the necessary raw materials. It also gives a new item, the poisoner’s kit, and has tables for things that increase or decrease the purchase DC, and the DC to create all of the poisons in the DMG.

Arcane: Psiotheurgy, by Tim Hitchcock – Eight new feats are given, all of which relate to mixing psionic power with arcane spellcasting: Hypnotic Focus, Cannibalize Spell, Cerebremetamagic, Chameleon Crafting, Mystic Focus, Mystic Stability, Psiomancer, and Psiotheurgist.

Divine: Animal Battle Gear, by William L. Cristensen – New mundane items (archery saddle, curative steaks, grotesque barding, ram helmet, spiked barding, and steel talons) to help out animal companions and special mounts are given. Tables cover their cost and weight, and also cover similar items from Dragon #334 and the Arms and Equipment Guide (it also briefly covers the costs for leashes and muzzles, from those sources, of other sizes).

Warrior: Law and Chaos, by Jonathan Drain – New variant class features (a la the PHBII) are given for barbarians and paladins. Barbarians have city brawler, dashing step, devil’s luck, fearsome gaze, relentless smash, and unshakable. Paladins have angel’s sight, aura of banishment, aura of sanctity, gaze of truth, hunter of fiends, smiting arrow, and sword of celestia. As with all variant class features, these require that another feature at a specific level be given up.

Comics – Nodwick, by Aaron Williams; Dork Tower, by John Kovalic; Zogonia, by Tony Moseley; and The Order of the Stick, by Rich Burlew.

NEXT MONTH IN DRAGON #350

Core Beliefs: Wee Jas

by Sean K Reynolds

Embrace the ways of Wee Jas and revel in the deepest mysteries of existence. Through her and her faith lies the path to magics untold, unearthly beauty, and ultimate death.

Legacy of the Ancients

by Eric L. Boyd

More planetouched races inhabit the forgotten realms than just aasimar, tieflings, and the elemental genasi. Four new planar-blooded races: the azerblood, celadrin, d’hin’ni, and worghest.

Magical Pollution

by Hal Maclean

Some arcane effects even dispel magic can’t clean up.

Creatures of Corruption

by Jake Manley

Discover what is spawned when magic goes awry.

Plus!

Sorcerers of Eberron, The Ecology of the Clockwork Horror, Class Acts, First Watch, Sage Advice, Savage Tidings, comics (including Order of the Stick), and more!

Thanks to Alzirus of the EN World message boards for his detailed and enthusiastic reporting!