ASC Review: The Cleft in the Crag

The Cleft in the Crag (J. Allen/Graveslugg)

OD&D for 4th to 6th level characters

Very impressive effort; this is the kind of adventure that makes me want to play OD&D.

For my review criteria, you may check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (three page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews short.

There is a reason OD&D has its proponents; Allen shows what can be done with the system without needing to go off the rails. In three pages, the author gives us a two level map of some 30 encounters containing multiple plots and factions in a cohesive whole...and without resorting to a microscopic font (no offense, Grutzi). Truthfully, it's difficult to classify this as an "adventure site," as it's large enough and involved enough to require multiple session delves...the author says as much in the intro/overview. But it would be possible to deal with the simple lizard man threat in a single evening. Maybe.

I have quibbles: it's a pretty beefy adventure. When I see "4th to 6th level characters recommended," my brain immediately translates this to 5th level average. And 5th level characters are likely to have difficulty with this this one, depending on the size of the party (note: no suggested party size is given; that's a knock in my book, BTW). For example, there's an encounter with multiple mummies...a curate (5th) can turn the creatures on a "9" (barely a one in four chance), but if he/she fails the character's not high enough level to have access to cure disease. Rough.  Of course, there's also the wandering gorgon and umber hulk, the 18 HD golems, the den of 40 lizard men, the three giant slugs in a cavern large enough to allow them to maneuver...yeah, some pretty beefy encounters for PCs of mid-range OD&D.

And is it worth the reward? Debatable. As I said, there's enough here to occupy a group's time considerably; when a dungeon hits 30 encounters, I'm generally looking for enough loot to advance the average party one level. This one tops out at barely more than 27K (less than half of what I'd expect) and while there are some VERY nice magical items to find the party is going to have to work VERY hard to get them. Yeah, the juice might be worth the squeeze, but the players (not the characters!) better be grizzled and experienced delvers, or this could turn into a frustrating death trap.

This is a tough one to grade. Danger and difficulty are high. Treasure is low (except for those great magic items). Theming and cohesion of design are quite good. And I love the maps and their interplay. 

For OD&D, I'm going to give this one four stars (out of five)...but just barely. It really shows what one can do with just three LBBs and Supplement I. It walks a tightrope of being almost too big, almost too dangerous, almost too stingy...but it never quite topples. Very good job, J. Allen.

****