Tracy Hickman; a world renown best selling fantasy author with hundreds of thousands of works to his name(1), adventure game designer of such classics as ‘Ravenloft’ and ‘Dragonlance(2)’ which were created with his gorgeous, talented and XDM in her own rite wife, Laura Hickman. His award winning efforts in the gaming community have caused many to admire him both for his skill and his hygiene. He has successfully hunted dragons in Java, is an award-winning sailplane pilot, and a conductor of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders(3). His amazing talent for Dungeon Mastering has shaped the world as we know it(4). Anyway, what it comes down to is, he has written several books- including this one. He is also a 496th level XDM (a Grand Paladin-lord Horned Dragon(5)). Laura is a 99th level XDM (a Grand Lady Pegasus) for reasons which, we would think, are obvious.

(1) If you count individual words.

(2) These titles are copyright Wizards of the Coast just like almost everything else in role playing games or so they tell us. It is used here without their permission since it is a ‘statement of fact’ rather than an ‘infringement’. The truth is that we don’t have to put this foot note down here at all with this disclaimer except that we’re enjoying using these things without the permission of Wizards of the Coast and want to call attention to the fact.

(3) No, it’s true! I actually found and saw with my own eyes a Komodo dragon in the Surabaya Zoo in eastern Java; won the ‘flour-bombing contest’ at the age of seventeen in Heber, Utah while in a training glider and—being scared stiff at flying with the back window open—panicked and dropped the sack of flower, hitting the target out of sheer dumb luck; and once, as a stage hand at the Osmond Studios in Orem, Utah, lead the entire Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader squad from the rehearsal hall to the sound stage, promptly embarrassing myself by getting stuck in a backdrop curtain.

(4) If by ‘world’ you take it to mean five or more members of your local role playing gaming group.

(5) All XDMs have a numeric ‘Level of Mastery’ which indicates their proficiency in XDM craft. Each level is accompanied by a descriptive name usually taken from an mythic animal and often, at higher levels, combined with titles. You’ll find the XDM leveling system on page 20.)