October 1982 saw the release of Dragon Vol. VII, No. 5, Issue #66 with Editor-in-Chief Kim Mohan at the helm.
It’s another strong issue from the ‘Below 100’ club, with great content for D&D [like Gary saying gun powder doesn’t work in AD&D], a counterargument piece by authors John Sapienza & Bruce Murphy where they debate the use of weapon restrictions by class, a look at Elfquest if the characters were from D&D, Gary’s take on the Jann, Dao, and Marid. New illusionist spells [later put into Unearthed Arcana], useful ways to employ Phantasmal Force, Speaking Thieves’ Cant, and a piece on annoying low level monsters.
The magazine has a cover by artist Paul Sonju, who does an admirable piece concerning some type of lizardmen, treasure, and adventurers. I like the piece, especially since it looks to be acrylic instead of standard oil. There is always a different feel there that takes me back to the ‘First Four.’
Otherwise, we’ve got some Jim Holloway art [as usual] and then nothing else that jumps off the page at me.
In all, a fine issue for gaming content and a decent enough [if not totally inspiring] artistic take on the subject matter at hand.
Artistic Rating: 3 [out of 5]
