Bruce Cordell

Bruce Robert Cordell (born 1968) is an American author of roleplaying games and fantasy novels. He is the winner of the Origins Award as well as several ENnies. He lives in Seattle with his wife and household of pets.

Biographical timeline

 * 1968 - born in Watertown, South Dakota
 * 1992 - received Bachelor of Science in biology from University of Colorado at Boulder, hired as a Research Associate by NeXstar (since bought out by Gilead)
 * 1995 - hired by TSR, Inc. (originally Tactical Studies Rules), the Dungeons & Dragons company, relocated to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
 * 1997 - hired by Wizards of the Coast, relocated to Seattle

Roleplaying work
Bruce Cordell's RPG work includes many scenarios and sourcebooks; many of which are directly or indirectly concerned with monsters of a Lovecraftian bent (particularly mind flayers and psionics).

Cordell frequently references certain characters, ideas, and organizations in his RPG works, creating a private continuity between various supplements. For example, The Illithiad references the character of Strom Wakeman and the organization known as the Arcane Order (an organization detailed heavily in another of Cordell's works, College of Wizardry). Wakeman was quoted occasionally in Planescape books by Cordell, such as A Guide to the Ethereal Plane, and was instrumental to the course of events in the adventure Dawn of the Overmind (books which were themselves also connected through a phenomenon called an ether gap). Meanwhile, the Arcane Order returned in Tome and Blood as a detailed organization and the basis of a prestige class.

Most of Cordell's work for Malhavoc Press has followed similar patterns, creating a sort of story arc across When the Sky Falls, If Thoughts Could Kill, and Hyperconscious, connected by the god-like Dark Plea and, to a lesser extent, the kureshim race. In an interview with Monte Cook, Cordell himself described his style as including "subtle story threads that connect seemingly unrelated projects".

2nd Edition AD&amp;D

 * Gates of Firestorm Peak (1996)
 * Evil Tide (1997)
 * Night of the Shark (1997)
 * Sea of Blood (1998)
 * Return to the Tomb of Horrors (1998)
 * A Darkness Gathering (1998)
 * Masters of Eternal Night (1998)
 * Dawn of the Overmind (1998)
 * The Shattered Circle (1998)
 * Return to White Plume Mountain (1999)
 * Die Vecna Die! (with Steve Miller, 2000)
 * Reverse Dungeon (with John D. Rateliff, 2000)

3rd Edition D&amp;D

 * The Sunless Citadel (2000)
 * Heart of Nightfang Spire (2001)
 * Bastion of Broken Souls (2002)

2nd Edition AD&amp;D

 * College of Wizardry (1998)
 * Dungeon Builder's Guidebook (1998)
 * Bastion of Faith (1999)
 * The Illithiad (1998)

3rd Edition D&amp;D

 * Enemies and Allies (2001)
 * Psionics Handbook (2001)
 * Epic Level Handbook
 * Tome and Blood (2001)
 * Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004)
 * Complete Psionics (2006)

Third-Party d20 System Sourcebooks
 * If Thoughts Could Kill (Malhavoc Press, 2002)
 * Hyperconscious (Malhavoc Press, 2004)

Bruce has written nearly 40 game products: a list of which can be found externally here: Amazon list of credits

Novels

 * Plague of Spells (Forgotten Realms Novel, #1 in series Abolethic Sovereignty), December 2008


 * Stardeep (Forgotten Realms Novel, #3 in series The Dungeons), November 2007


 * Darkvision (Forgotten Realms Novel, #3 in series The Wizards), 2006


 * Lady of Poison (Forgotten Realms Novel, #1 in series The Priests), 2005


 * Oath of Nerull (Writing as T. H. Lain), 2004


 * "Black Arrow", Realms of War, Forgotten Realm Compilation, due March 2008


 * "Not all that Tempts", Dragon's Return, Malhavoc Press, 2005


 * "Hollows of the Heart", Children of the Rune, Malhavoc Press, 2004