AC11: The Book of Wondrous Inventions

AC11 "The Book of Wondrous Inventions" (1987) was the final supplement in the AC line of D&D game accessories.  Gnomes are referred to as "skilled mechanicians" (pg 28) in keeping with the emerging D&D perspective of gnomes as tinker-inventors.

The volume was released the same year as the first gazetteers, and includes references to GAZ1 "The Grand Duchy of Karameikos" (pg 89), GAZ2 "The Emirates of Ylaruam" (pg 61), and GAZ3 "The Principalities of Glantri" (pgs 86, 87, 92).

AC 11 "The Book of Wondrous Inventions" compiled by Bruce Heard.  Cover illustration depicting King Dorfin by Jim Holloway

Design Team:

On a recent Facebook post, Bruce Heard shared "I had a long list of general ideas which a number of freelancers grabbed and ran away with."*

*each contributor is listed alongside their entry or entries below, including some fairly well-known game designers.

The collection was edited by Deborah Christian

The cover and interior illustrations were by Jim Holloway

The Wondrous Inventions:

Entries are divided into appliances, constructs, dungeon devices, entertainment, home or business, practical services, structures, transportation, weapons & warfare.

Each entry contains a definition, history, description, construction, statistics, functioning, hazards, and staging possibilities for the invention.

A

Aldryk's Fire Quencher (Scott Haring; Austin, Texas)

The Animated Money Changing Machine (Bill Slavicsek; New York, NY)

Ardraken's Refreshment Simulacrum (Scott Haring; Austin, Texas)

B

The Barber's Aid (Deborah Christian; San Diego, CA)

Balthazar's Suite of Many Delights (Ray Winninger; South Holland, IL)

Beldane's Subterranean Borer (Ed Greenwood; Colborne, ONT)

Bladderwick's Human Catapult (Robin Jenkins; Lake Geneva, WI)

Blashphor’s Ever-Vigilant Baby Cradle & Nursery (Rick Swan; Des Moines, IA)

Borgora’s Inflatable Scare-Dragon (Bill Slavicsek; New York, NY)

Brandon’s Bard-in-a-Box (Deborah Christian; San Diego, CA)

The Clockwork Dragon of Mai-Faddah

C

Ch’Thon’s Astral Ball (Raymond Maddox; Slocomb, AL)

Castle in the Clouds (Sandy Petersen; Richmond, CA)

The Clockwork Dragon of Mai-Faddah (David E. Martin; Lake Geneva, WI)

D

Damos’s Ball of Bowling (Steve Gilbert and Robert Tuftee; New York, NY)

Darak’s Thaumaturgical Printing Press (Janet and Peter Vialls; Huntingdon, U.K.)

Death Engine (Scott Bennie; Abbottsford, B.C., Canada)

Disteron’s Dismal Disposal (Gary L. Thomas; Boise, ID)

The Train of the Dwarven Thane (Vince Garcia, with thanks to Dean Zook; Fresno, CA)

The Dreadnought (Stewart Wieck; Rocky Face, GA)

E

The Economy Super-Wash Laundromagic II (Graeme Morris; Cambridge, U.K.)

The Electric Cooker (Stephen Palmer; Egham, U.K)

Evem’s Mirror of Enviable Image (Greg Gorden; Chicago, 1L)

The Extra-Dimensional Safe (Helen Cook; Lake Geneva, WI)

Fleabottom’s Brick Mac

F

The Fiendish Exercise Machine of Bardolpho the Mad (Allen Varney; Austin, TX)

Fleabottom’s Brick Mac* (Robin Jenkins; Lake Geneva, WI)

*I used this contraption in a game, back in the day

G

Gnomish Submersible (Jeff Grubb; Home for the Mentally Woozy, New New Mistraven)

H

Honest Obie’s All-Night Armor Merchant (Scott D. Haring; Austin, Texas)

The Hot Air Balloon (Stephen Palmer; Egham, U.K.)

Hotspur’s Selecto-Staff (Stephen R. Bourne; Islington, Ontario, Canada)

House Vacuum (Helen Cook; Lake Geneva, WI)

J

Jaggar’s Transforming Gargantoid (Bruce A. Heard; Lake Geneva, WI)

K

Kruze’s Magnificent Missile (Ed Greenwood; Colborne, ONT)

L

The Levelmaker (Sandy Petersen; Richmond, CA)

M

Melrond’s Foolproof Dishwasher (Allen Varney; Austin, TX)

Moodarvian Rings of Emotion (David Ladyman; Austin, TX)

Morath’s Mobile Manor (John Nephew; Duluth, MN)

The Oddwaddle Centipede

O

The Oddwaddle Centipede (Robin Jenkins; Lake Geneva, WI)

Olaf Grunndi’s Stupendous Repository of Arcane Lore (Rik Rose; Cambridge. U.K.)

R

Rahn-Ko’s Ranger Fooler (John Terra; Randolph, MA)

The Rainmaking Machine (Thomas M. Kane; Farmington, ME)

Rumblebotty’s Flying Nightmare (Ray Winningcr; South Holland, IL)

S

Saonuihun’s Speeding Sphere Game (Michael DeWolfe; Victoria, B.C., Canada)

The Sultan’s Uncanny Ghost Ride (Janet and Peter Vialls; Huntingdon, U.K.)

U

Ungah’s Dungeon Cleaner (John Terra; Randolph, MA)

Volospin’s Dragonfly of Doom

V

Vanserie’s Wondrous Elemental Heater (Bruce A. Heard; Lake Geneva, WI)

Volospin’s Dragonfly of Doom (Bruce A. Heard; Lake Geneva, WI)

Appendices:

Dorfin's Little Shop of Horrors

The gnomes of Highforge (see GAZ1 — The Grand Duchy of Karameikos) are famous for their imagination and the number of devices the dwarves help them build.

All through their lives, they accumulate heaps of unused items. Added to this is a number of magical items they trade for or mysteriously find in their dungeons. Once their initial interest is gone, gnomes quickly forget their past inventions and get busy on others. Just recently, King Dorfin, the gnomish monarch, passed an edict allowing open sale of all unused inventions, as a way to clean up his ever-so-cluttered passageways. Thus was born Dorfin’s Little Shop of Horrors.

AC11 "The Book of Wondrous Inventions" (pg 89)

Creating Spells and Magical Items

This section was drawn from a similar section in GAZ3 "The Principalities of Glantri" (pg 64-7) and includes information on experience value for making inventions.