whats up with bargle?

[rossik]

firts time i read about him was in karameikos boxed set...

then, i read a little about other players adventures, and how bargle would betray them and so on..

but now, i just bought the basic box (the red one), and in the pre-made dungeon, here he goes again, as a 3lvl m-u.

so, is there a novel about him?
how much did he "powered up" from d&d to ad&d?

 

[EricNoah]

All I know is he was featured in the final issue of Dungeon Magazine in an adventured called "Kill Bargle."

 

[MrFilthyIke]

He started out in the Basic Red Box as a villain, then went on to be the wizard working for the guy in charge of the Black Eagle Barony (name fails me) in the Known World/Karameikos as a 15th level wizard.

He then makes his final appearance as a 7th level wizard in Dungeon #150.

He also killed Alena, for which most young men have never forgiven him.

 

[rossik]

He also killed Alena, for which most young men have never forgiven him.

oh gee! when (where) did this happen?

 

[Dioltach]

oh gee! when (where) did this happen?

Player's Manual (D&D Basic Set), p.6, bottom of centre column. A very sad moment. Although Aleena was at least 3rd level, and is killed with a single magic missile, so her good looks probably concealed a very weak constitution.

 

[rossik]

just found it!

i know little about basic d&d, as im re-starting now. but the elmore figure dont look like a magic misile, but a arrow instead. was there such magic? (or thats what magic missile looked like back then?)

 

[Ze]

thats what magic missile looked like back then

That.

 

[Fifth Element]

Player's Manual (D&D Basic Set), p.6, bottom of centre column. A very sad moment. Although Aleena was at least 3rd level, and is killed with a single magic missile, so her good looks probably concealed a very weak constitution.

Hey, this was basic D&D. No max hp at 1st level, and clerics only got a d6 hit die. So she could have only had 3d6 hit dice (average 10.5). And magic missile in basic is 1d6+1 rather than 1d4+1. So with a max damage roll by Bargle, and either crappy hp rolls for Aleena, or average hp rolls and a Con penalty, it makes sense.

But I think it was more for dramatic effect.

 

[frankthedm]

He also killed Alena, for which most young men have never forgiven him.

Her Spandex Chainmail helped endear her to many people, mostly male.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

how much did he "powered up" from d&d to ad&d?

Well, during the course of D&D, he went from 3rd level or thereabouts (the introductory module in the Red Box) to level 15 by Gazetteer 1: Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

Then he went (somehow) from 15 to level 28 by the time Poor Wizard's Almanac AC 1010 came around (about 13 D&D levels in 10 years- which seems a bit excessive, even if you consider that there was war going on in the Known World for much of that period).

In AD&D terms, he got translated from a level 28 wizard to a level 17 wizard. "Official" TSR conversion guidelines were at that time every 3 levels above level 12 D&D = 1 level AD&D, so that put him at about the equivalent conversion level.

The Paizo/Dungeon module (where he's level 7) is more or less a direct 3E conversion of the Red Box module (with fleshing out of lower levels that wasn't in the Red Box), so depending on when you run it, it can either be that early version of Bargle or someone else (per Gazetteer 4: Kingdom of Ierendi, Bargle has a nephew named Bargle that lives in the Ierendi Isles and is a shady character in his own right.)

In any event, he's a pretty interesting character. One of my favorites.