Rockall (Stooshie & Stramash)
B/X adventure for four to six PCs of levels 5th-7th
I am reviewing these in the order they were submitted. For my review criteria, please check out this post. All reviews will (probably) contain *SPOILERS*; you have been warned! Because these are short (two page) adventures, it is my intention to keep the reviews brief.
This one is great. I mean it's really, really good.
Full of terms and words ("sea stack," "menhir") that I had to look up because I am just not nautical enough (curse me for a landlubber!), this is just a really great adventure site. Written for levels 5th-7th, you won't find much here that you wouldn't find in say, X1: Isle of Dread (another B/X adventure for the given levels), it's just tidier and more tightly themed.
Includes a new special monster: the sea hag, Morag. Perfectly done. There is, of course, no such monster in B/X, but here the authors give us a full stat block in the proper format, along with a solid description of her abilities (and a VERY brief note on her personality). That's all you need, folks.
Treasure is fine. I'm looking for something in the mid-90s range, and the site gives me just over 90K in loot...not the easiest thing to do with mid-level B/X play (which is why B/X isn't so great for long-term campaign play), but Stoosh and Stram make it work. Pretty light on magic-items overall (Morag doesn't own a single enchanted item? Are you kidding me? And neither do the mermen?) but profitable nevertheless.
Underwater stuff is tricky (one of the reasons you see so few of these types of adventures) but this one is really nice: an undersea sea shelf that can be reached through a rocky sea stack crowned with the nest of some VERY unhappy rocs. Under the water, PCs can explore/loot various sunken wrecks, blundering into all sorts of undead sailor types. This one is HIGH on danger, especially for a party this small (average five?), but by 6th level B/X characters can look beefier than the castellan in Keep on the Borderlands...I just worry there might not be ENOUGH bodies in the party to go around.
This is good, solid D&D. Easy four stars (****). Also, kudos for coming up with some simplified underwater rules and (rightly) noting that you won't find help in the B/X rules. Very well done.
