Zhalindor

User Summary

The Zhalindor campaign was a AD&D campaign which appeared in every issue of the British RPG magazine Tortured Souls!. There was always at least one scenario and often a feature on the lands or the people of the campaign.

User summary (collected from various articles)

The Zhalindor Campaign is a full scale campaign based in the empire of Zhalindor, and written for use by experienced players and DMs. Although the rules system used is based on the AD&D rules, there are several major modifications (see below) which give the Campaign an individual flavor. Modules for use with Campaign appear on coloured paper in the centre pages of Tortured Souls! magazine (the colour of the paper denoting the region of the Campaign World from which the module is taken), and there are occasional Campaign supplements giving additional background information.

Specific aspects :

• There is little treasure and less magical items in the modules than by AD&D standards.
• Only the basic classes (Clerics, Fighters, Magic-users and Thieves) are allowed. Limited abilities from other sub-classes may be granted if worshipping specific gods (i.e. druidical abilities fot nature-related deities).
• Alignement is not used in the campaign.
• Psionics are banned, but some psionic abilities may be acquired if specifically stated in a module.
• All spells are categorized and their effects vary (bonus/malus/special) according to geographical location in the Campaign World and the category they belong to. The players don't know in advance these effects.
• A new pantheon of gods is used, giving different abilities to clerics according to the deity they worship. It also defines which spells, weapons and armour are available to them, how are their clothing and holy symbols.

Tortured Souls! (Issue 3 - Mar 1984) contains a supplement giving DMs all the basic details needed to set up and run the Campaign - permitted classes and races, spell effects, politics, religions, economics and a brief guide to each of the Imperial Kingdoms. The issue also includes the Campaign World's map.

Tortured Souls! (Issue 4 - Jun 1984) contains the religions supplement, giving full details of the restrictions and bonuses of each religion, and linking clerical spells to deity worshipped.

Tortured Souls! (Issue 6 - Dec 1984) gives details of the barbarian tribes that inhabit the northern wastes of the Campaign World.

GameMaster Publications magazine Issues 1-3 each features a complete adventure with background information to adapt it to Zhalindor Campaign setting.

See Periodical Articles in the Linked Items sections thereafter