New Adventure Comics #16

Most WWII-era stories follow the familiar narrative of history -- we know who the bad guys and the good guys were from countless stories.  But what's really interesting is to see writers in 1937 trying to guess how things were going to play out in Europe and Asia. Here, in the Monastery of the Blue God serial, we get hints of Russian intrigue in China, and more interesting still is the casting of Poland and Sweden as bad guys!

The adaptation of Haggard's She continues. Here, She administers a Potion of Healing (though one with an apparent onset time of 12 hours), followed by casting what appears to be a new spell. Aging Touch would be a powerful spell -- perhaps a 5th level spell! -- that would cause 1 recipient touched to age 3-30 years permanently.

When Steve Conrad is done monkeying around, he has to tangle with a giant vulture. Giant vultures got statted for H&H in Supplement I: National.

Here's an early example of a whip being used as a weapon, albeit not a very useful one. It seems clear here that a whip should be treated as a melee weapon, despite its length.

(Scans courtesy of Comic Book Plus)

New Adventure Comics #14

Captain Jim knows that being caught in the path of a stampede is bad news. Rather than roll to hit for every horse in the stampede, I would require a save vs. plot to avoid falling in the path of the stampede and needing saving, followed by a save vs. plot to avoid death by trampling.

I just recently had a Hideouts & Hoodlums-related discussion of what people carried in their wallets circa 1940.  Sure enough, they carried business cards!

Detective Sergeant Carey and his co-worker know to come to a hideout prepared; one has a flashlight and the other has a hat -- good for sticking through doors and seeing if they get attacked (save vs. plot for mobsters to avoid getting fooled by that).

The most atmospheric stuff you can put in a scenario to make it spooky is the stuff you can't just fight. In the Gold Dragon, someone is clearly going around lighting candles in rooms behind their backs. Letting players worry about who they are and how many of them are doing it could be scarier than actually running into a gold dragon.  Or not...

This is from an adaptation of She that takes some liberties; I don't recall Haggard's She having actual magic powers, but She's definitely a Magic-User in this version.

Overcome Death must be a pretty powerful spell -- I would consider 7th level. You would never die from natural aging or grow old naturally if protected by this spell.

It's unclear what else she's casting. It seems like a powerful version of Crystal Ball, but maybe the reflection in the water is just a Phantasmal Force?

It seems pretty clear that She is casting Hold Person here; the nature of the spell being a gaze attack is likely flavor text.

In Federal Men, we see that disarming shots can be attempted even by half-pints.

(Scans courtesy of Comic Book Plus)