from the front matter:
The Seven Voyages of Sinbad,” “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” “Aladdin and His Magic Lamp”— these and other classics fill the pages of the Arabian Nights. Each story is told by a very wise and beautiful young woman called Scheherazade, who reveals them night after night to a king with a murderous heart. The first of the thousand-and-one tales is Scheherazade’s own...
These are the words that first introduced us to TSR’s Arabian Adventures, a product that took a radical departure from the culture portrayed in most fantasy products. The AL-QADIM® Campaign Setting allows players to experience the mythical beauty of the Arabian Nights fantasies. This setting lives on, long after its scheduled demise, in the hearts of those who simply couldn’t bear to let something so wonderful fade away into nothingness. We’re few in number, but loyal. What lies ahead for AL-QADIM®? The same thing that any conquered nation faces: adapt or perish. Adapting may see a rebirth, of sorts, for our beloved setting by allowing new players of the D20 rules system to experience AL-QADIM®.
This manual has been designed to help DMs and players make the transition to the D20 rules. The published [typesetting=529] Campaign Setting material, the 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons® Players Handbook (PHB), and the 3rd edition Dungeon and Dragons® Conversion Manual are required to use this document.