Dragon magazine 232

Dragon issue 232 was released in August of 1996. Its theme was all manner of weapons. It contained the following articles related to the Forgotten Realms:

A Flurry of Swords

 * By Gregory W. Detwiler. Artwork by James Holloway. pp. 29–32

A number of sword variants for the 2nd edition, drawn from a variety of Earth's cultures.

Weapons
Abbasi &bull; Chinese bastard sword &bull; Chinese war sword &bull; Double swords &bull; Dusack &bull; Epee &bull; Persion falchion &bull; Falx &bull; Franc-taupin &bull; Glavelot &bull; Hegyester &bull; Khyber knife &bull; Klewang &bull; Kora &bull; Regimental kukri &bull; Machaira &bull; Manchu broadsword &bull; Mel puttah bemoh &bull; Rapier &bull; Saddle sword &bull; Long seax &bull; Sica &bull; Tachi &bull; Tai chi sword &bull; Talibon &bull; Yataghan

Wyrms of the North: Balagos, the Flying Flame

 * By Ed Greenwood. Artwork by Storn Cook. pp. 80–87

This article describes Balagos, a very powerful, aggressive, and megalomanic male red dragon.

Magic item
Energy drain chain

Spell
Choking claw