Wizards Three

The Wizards Three refers to a short-lived article series that ran in the pages of Dragon Magazine, which was centered around a short-lived alliance between powerful wizards from the three flagship settings of Dungeons & Dragons at the time; Greyhawk, Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms.

The article series ran for ten nonconsecutive issues, with a long delay between the eighth issue, the last of its Advanced Dungeons & Dragons-based works, and its abortive 2-issue revival in the era of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition.

The Basics

A long-running gag by Ed Greenwood in the days of TSR was that Elminster was a real person, who visited him on Earth and told him about the Forgotten Realms, which Greenwood then wrote about. In the pages of "The Wizards Three", he recounts a series of meetings between Elminster and wizards from other realms that he was allowed to spy upon, whereupon he recorded the things they discussed and then presented them to Dragon's readers. Aside from being entertaining fiction, these articles usually had new game content - mostly new spells, but sometimes other goodies as well.

Initially, despite the somewhat hoaxy premise, the article series told a fairly serious story as Elminster met with Mordenkainen and Dalamar to discuss news and events from their own worlds, a matter of some concern given the increasing rise of planeswalkers who traveled between. After Dalamar's departure from the group and his replacement by Rautheene, however, the articles shifted to a briefer length and a more comedic tone; Elminster and Mordenkainen's guffawing like schoolboys in table-slapping amusement at Rauthnee's gluttony-induced thunderous belch and subsequent coating of her face in deviled egg as she attempts to cover her mouth in embarrassment in Dragon #344 is a far cry from the grim discussions on evil in Dragon #185!

Dragon #185: Magic in the Evening

The founding of the issue series. In a cosy extraplanar nook (actually Ed Greenwood's rural home, unbeknownst to any save Elminster and Greenwood), Elminster summons Mordenkainen to discuss the idea of them meeting on a semi-regular basis to disuss news from their worlds, given the increasing rise in powerful magics, monsters, and planeswalkers.

Mordenkainen agrees, and suggests they include someone from Krynn as well, with the topic briefly turning to who that might be, since Fizban and Raistlin are both seemingly dead. They decide upon Dalamar, the replacement Master of the Tower of High Black Sorcery, noting that his unusual interest in worlds beyond Krynn makes him a perfect candidate, but his natural temperament means he needs... "guidance".

They discuss recent attacks upon the Circle of Eight, the Zhentarim's recent pursuit of spellfire and their meddlings amongst the Bedine nomads of the Anauroch desert, the doings of a mageling named Ilphara, and a recent clash between a mage named Tsunroon the Traveler and the Alhoon - this marking the debut of the dread Illithid Liches in D&D canon.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Curse of the Grinning Skull, Thundaerl's Universal Taster, Lesser Spelldream, Greater Spelldream
• Priest Spell: Moonweb
• Magical Item: Samander's Ring
• Monster: Alhoon/Illithilich

Dragon #188: The Wizards Three

Elminster and Mordenkainen convene in their "cosy spot" to discuss matters since their last meeting. Mordenkainen is in a foul mood, as the Circle of Eight has perished in battle with Vecna. Elminster offers him what comfort he could, before the arrival of Dalamar.

The initial meeting between the powerful, power-hungry and arrogant elf and the grieving Oerthian archmage does not go smoothly. Fortunately, Elminster is there to play peacemaker and soothe ruffled feathers.

After filling Dalamar in on the purpose of these meetings, Mordenkainen speaks first, warning his fellows of a powerful, malevolent wizard named Daunskul, once Ilighar of Teflamm, who has mastered both shapeshifting and transportation between worlds, and now regularly works his mischief upon Oerth and Toril, and may even be setting his sights on Krynn. He also comments on Daunskul's unique necromancy spells, including one that allows him to create a more powerful version of the common skeleton. This leads to a discussion on the use of undead guardians, such as a zombie with a powerful bomb crammed into it and deployed in tight confines, a spell that can reanimate two Walking Dead from the remains of one, and assorted variants of the Crawling Claw, most notably the Flying Fingers.

From there, the discussion moves to a new spell favored by Manshoon and his Zhentarim, and a Krynnish wizardess who has developed an arcane variant of a spell normally used by the clerics of Loviatar. Dalamar then brings up a strange Krynnish magic weapon, a flail that functions briefly as a powerful magical item but loses potency with each strike, interested to see if the likes can be found on Faerun or Oerth. They then discuss the ring of ESP and the cloak of healing, before Dalamar asks a question about a strange creature encountered by a world-hopping Black Cloak who traveled to Undermountain, which Elminster grimly identifies as a pregnant Death Kiss. They then part ways.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Blastbones, Double Spell, Whip of Pain, Manshoon's Xorn Talons.
• Magical Items: Ring of ESP, Cloak of Healing, Fleeting Flail +4
• Monsters: Flying Fingers, Champion Skeleton, Death Kiss Spawn.

Dragon #196: Three Wizards Too Many

In an ironic foreshadowing of what would come, Dalamar arrives at this congress in the guise of a beautiful woman. Mordenkainen, on the other hand, is in far less upbeat spirits, as the Greyhawk Wars are currently raging on Oerth. Elminster once again plays peacemaker and the three begin swapping queries.

Mordenkainen begins by asking after divination magics, prompting Dalamar to offer him a copy of a spell called "Barrier Reaver". The elf then asks if either of them can offer him some magical aid for improving rusted, damaged or otherwise mundane weaponry; Elminster obliges by giving him a magical relic called "Balacer's Hand", which can spend its limited store of charges to archieve a variety of weapon augmentation, then explains the varied means of restoring its power. A curious Dalamar asks where Elminster got it, and is shocked to learn that Old Mage of Shadowdale was actually familiar with Myth Drannor when it was at its height.

Elminster then gives Dalamar the treatise on Death Kisses and their spawning habits he promised from the last meeting, whereupon Mordenkainen gives the Krynnish archmage a Spell Mirror set to protect against Magic Missiles. Dalamar then muses on a memory of Firequench, a spell developed by the malevolent Fistandantilus, and is surprised once more to learn that he and his life-sapping Bloodstone visited Toril and Oerth in the days before Krynn's great cataclysm. In particular, Mordenkainen notes that he fought with the dark mage. Not to be outdone, Elminster notes he did likewise, and then shares a spell he used in his duel, one that lets the caster exhale draconic breath weapons.

Prompted that it's now his turn to share some spellcraft, Mordenkainen has a third hand emerge from his robes, holding a wooden case, though he quickly clarifies that this is a secret he's keeping to himself. He offers instead scrolls bearing a spell called "Bloodglass", which measures the amount of lifeforce a target has remaining, and conjures a vision of it being used to demonstrate. Dalamar is curious about the strange mushroom-thing scuttling after the wizard he watches, and Mordenkainen explains it as a pseudo-familiar called, simply, a "Friendly Fungus". Dalamar notes they have a unique familiar-like monster of their own on Krynn, a stirge variant called a Stelurge.

Before they pack up for the night, Dalamar displays a magical item called a Helping Hand, whilst Mordenkainen inquires after a spell he saw Elminster use once to violently fling a would-be assassin away. Elminster names the spell as Thultaun's Thrust, and promises to share spellscrolls of it in their next meeting.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Bloodglass, Fistandtilus's Firequench, Thultaun's Thrust, Barrier Reaver, Dragon Breath
• Magical Items: Balacer's Hand, Helping Hand, Spell Mirror
• Monsters: Friendly Fungus, Stelurge

Dragon #200: The Wizards Three: Once More the Three

Mordenkainen is in gloomy spirits once again, as conflict still ravages Oerth. Elminster suggests that they trade battle spells in this meeting, since they've had enough peaceful encounters to make something approaching a bond by now. They share their magics and discuss their differing approaches to spell combat, but the evening is interrupted when the Simbul decides to intrude. Dalamar is ready to attack the impudent witch, but is held back by Mordenkainen, who cautions him that she has power enough that she could probably best any two of them. Dalamar is rather pissed to encounter yet another super-powered mage from Toril, demanding to know if every Faerunian wizard is mightier than a Master of the Krynnish Conclave of High Sorcery. Still, after he has been humbled, the Simbul shares one of her spells and then leaves.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Shadow Bolt, Slowspell, Acid Bolts, Mordenkainen's Involuntary Wizardry, Bonebind, Bloodstars, Lightning Storm Almanther's Return, Tempestcone
• Dalamar also shares a copy of Acid Storm, but readers are directed to the Tome of Magic for that one.

Dragon #211: The Wizards Three: A Night of Shadows

A brief bout of pranking nearly brings an end to the ever-tenuous truce between the Wizards Three, but disaster is averted. They settle in for a night of fine dining, sharing an assortment of new spells, but not before musing on the term "A Night of Shadows", which has appeared on all three of their worlds, but with different meanings; on Krynn and Toril it means "a frolic", whilst on Oerth it has far grimmer connotations.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Belsham's Mace, Falling Wall, Battlecurse, Argaster's Cloak of Shadows, Othnal's Spectral Dagger, Sphere of Eyes, Jonstal's Double Wizardry and Improved Double Wizardry, Valiancy

Dragon #219: The Wizards Three: Warmer than Expected

For once, Dalamar brings a guest to the meeting of the Wizards Three, in the form of Shaaan the Serpent-Queen... which naturally goes poorly for him, as it turns out that he has been deceived and beguiled by the sorceress, an old enemy of Elminister's. After a brief mage-battle, Elminster defeats her and the evening resumes. Naturally, they discuss the sorceress, whom Elminster describes as a master in contingency-type spells, and potentially more powerful than even himself. The evening then lightens as they summon Mordenkainen's three newest apprentices - all attractive young women - for a night of wizardly fun and gamies.

Material:

• Magic Item: Floating Helm of Tharados
• Wizard Spells: Handfangs, Farscry, Dauntra's Cloak, Translocation Shift, Temporal Freedom, Brainblaze

Dragon #238: The Return of the Wizards Three

Rather than Dalamar, this meeting between Elminster and Mordenkainen finds a new partner, in Rautheene, one of the unnamed apprentices who appeared in the previous article. The reason for this is explained as Dalamar being unable to reach them, due to great magical trouble currently enveloping Krynn. Still, Elminster accepts Mordenkainen's apprentice as a respected member of the table, and each agrees to share two spells with the group before they fall to amusing themselves with plenty of food.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Spell Echo, Scourge of Stars, Firedart, Turnblade, Backshift, Mystara's Unraveling

Dragon #242: Jest the Wizards Three

With Dalamar still mysteriously absent, Rautheene returns to join Elminster and Mordenkainen once more in their merriment. This time, they decided to focus on lighter, more playful magics.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Coinsharp, False Ioun Stone, Hither, Wizard Gong, Echo, Fingerblade, Nextremity, Sortil's Aqueous Transfer, Spy

Dragon #246: The Wizards Three: The Night it Wailed Wizards

Another short, almost fluffless article, the Wizards Three (well, Elminster, Mordenkainen and Rautheene) arrive in the midst of a terrible storm, which causes the young apprentice to lose control of her first flight spell. With the mysterious inability to connect to Krynn still weighing on their collective minds, they once again focus on entertaining themselves and swapping more basic spellcraft.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Beneath the Surface, Blade of Memory, Brester's Beam of Light, Onsible's Key, Runefinger, Smashing Strike, Standfast, Tanatha's Melt, Tentacled Visage

Dragon #344: A Dark and Stormy Knight: Another Evening with the Wizards Three

After confirming that Dalamar still remains out of contact, even if Krynn can finally be reached by planeswalkers again, the three mages settle down to stuff themselves before swapping some battle magics. This is the first and only article with material for 3.5.

Material:

• Wizard Spells: Battle Tentacles, Mailed Might, Wyrmcone

Dragon #359: Goodbye and Hello, As Always: One Last Evening with the Wizards Three

For the first time, Dalamar returns to a meeting of the Wizards Three along with Rautheene, and this first meeting is... rocky. After soothing tempers with scrumptuous feasting, Elminster accidentally lets the cat out of the bag that the host of their gatherings has been been following their antics when they gather. Ruffled by this news, the other wizards quickly bugger off back to their own worlds, refusing to share any magic this time.