ASC Review:Shrine of Kaliandra

The Shrine of Kaliandra (Grutzi)

AD&D adventure for four to six PCs of levels 4th-6th

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.

Well, well, well...I was wondering when we were going to see this entry. #28 on the list.

I've now had the chance to read/review a couple of Grutzi's adventures, and he does seem to have a particular style. Repeating themes appear to be: nefarious halfling con-men, some sort of money-making scheme involving infernal forces, and an inevitable comeuppance that leads to disaster right before the PCs enter the scene. Other stylistic repeats include third parties that also happen upon the place as well as an incurable inability to self-edit his burning need to cram as much as possible into the space allowed by the contest terms.

At least he kept in to 23 keyed locations. Likes to play close-to-the-edge.

He ALSO likes to play iffy with his level range. We'll get to that in a second.

This is a great concept for an adventure: yet another shrine that can be plopped down in any old hex that has something going on...in this case a hostile takeover by a demonic entity that has turned the whole place into a siege state with survivors locked in one section, monsters staking out another section (with occasional rovers), and one greedy-as-hell, just-can't-quite-when-he's-behind illusionist running around invisible with the idea of looting his erstwhile partner's vault before heading to the hills. That's fun, workable stuff.

And, yes, while it is nearly two dozen locations, and I have repeatedly said I feel that's TOO MANY for the scope of the contest, here it's...fine? It doesn't feel like all that many, because each batch of 4 or 6 or 9 or 3 encounter areas is its own section with its own "mini-theme" and everything tightly knit together. That's great stuff.

Now for the technical issues.

There's simply too much treasure for the given level range. Something this size, you're looking at 69-70K or thereabouts. Grutzi has included more than 130K in treasure. And that's including a damn spellbook which (if we're going with non-UA rules) should have ZERO value, not 6,000. Of course, if we DID use UA rules the spellbook in question would be valued at 40,000 (and probably has too many spells even to fit in a standard spellbook to boot).

Then there's the sword. No, sir, not good enough that we're including a +5 holy avenger in a side adventure designed for 4th-6th level characters (the party paladin might not even have his magic warhorse yet!)...no, we have to make this an UPGRADED avenger, worth 30K in sale value and featuring extra magic powers. Sure it points out that it has only two (2) added powers but one of these is:

b) When wielded by a paladin, it suppresses any demons' abilities of Teleport, Gate, Darkness and all spell-like abilities within 30 feet.

Um.

No.

And here's the main gripe: for all the 23 encounter areas (24 if you include the courtyard...still in the contest parameters though!) the total amount of danger is fairly limited. Sure, there is a major demon of unique design (I have no issue with the way the author's statted the thing, save that it should include a MAGIC RESISTANCE RATING as ALL TRUE DEMONS POSSESS)...but that guy only becomes dangerous if released (by removing the holy avenger from its paralyzed chest). The other baddies?

• Four "pseudodemons" hiding in a shrine hall (AC 4, HD 4, two claw attacks for 1d8 damage, and no special abilities/defenses).
• Another "pseudodemon" watching from a guard post.
• Two more "pseudodemons" that might be encountered as a wandering monster.
• The mutated halfling "Boss" pseudodemon...about on par with a boosted owlbear but including a 1 hp/round regeneration kicker.

Meanwhile, the PCs still have a host of potential allies in the form of the barricaded survivors, including an F3 and his five F2 body guards, six 1st level monks (and another who can be rescued), plus the 6th level illusionist running around who'd be happy to help for the right price.

Hell, the players can even find a book explaining exactly how to permanently destroy the greater demon without pulling the sword from its chest, thus allowing them walk away with a campaign-wrecking artifact weapon, scot-free!

*sigh*

This is playable D&D, but it gives far too much reward for far too little risk. Grutzi REALLY likes to find ways to help players succeed and survive his adventures. He's a really nice guy that way. I'm not. Three stars (***) is all this one gets, but if you adjust the treasure and danger dials, this one could be a real banger.

ASC Review: Scrotum's Monolithic Sanctuary

Scrotum's Monolithic Sanctuary (Szilard Dreska)

OSRIC adventure for three to five PCs of levels 4th-6th

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.

*sigh*

 25 encounter areas. Again, I will quote The Rules Of The Contest:

"...8-24 keyed locations, ideally a single session's content."

Everyone gets that right? 8-24? I mean, for my money that's waaay too much leeway for a "single session," unless you're still running eight hour sessions like we did back in high school. But it's Ben's contest, and he set the terms (even if he couldn't abide by them himself).

But what's one extra encounter area, JB? It's only 25. Sure. But then, why not 26? That's only one more than 25. Heck, why not 27?  or 28? It's all just guidelines, right?

Wrong. Disqualified. Again.

But everyone hates that, so here's the review of this unfortunately named adventure.

[yes, it's unfortunately named. Sorry. I can tell from the author and play-testers' names that these are probably Hungarians, but to the English-speaking world you might as well be calling this "Penis's Monolithic Sanctuary." And reading about how Scrotum's name "was slowly forgotten" just made me think, yeah right pal, ain't no way I'm forgetting that.  Trust me on this. I'm the guy that once made the mistake of creating a PC with the name of "Balzak" and having to suffer through jibes for weeks thereafter]

This is a three level dungeon that has almost nothing going on. Ostensibly written for PCs of levels 4th to 6th...well, it's really not. It's way too light on treasure (should be something like 75K and it has less than a third of that) and only five of the 25 encounter areas contain monsters; which are:

• 6 skeletons
• 2 "breathstealers"
• 2 "mechanical scorpions"
• 2 juju zombies
• 1 spectre + 1 shadow

[there are also a couple rooms that have a heightened chance of random encounter; however the encounter is always 1d3 giant rats...not much threat to 5th level PCs]

The author notes that "breathstealers" are not found in the OSRIC rules and that the creature is borrowed from a Gabor Lux adventure; he provides a stat block of the creature (published with permission). Great.

How about the mechanical scorpions? Those aren't in my copy of OSRIC. 

There's a lot of missing/left out information. Ability scores are reduced via traps willy-nilly with no stated duration...these are permanent? Can they be cured? How does the mechanical scorpions electric sting work? Is there a saving throw to reduce damage? Can breathstealers be "turned" by a cleric since they are undead? What should they be turned as?  A red lotus plant makes anyone examining it go berserk on a failed saving throw...for how long? Forever? Until the dude is put down like a dog by his fellow PCs?

Why the heck do we need a magic devil painting casting charm monster spells on the party to get them to fight the juju zombies? Have D&D players EVER needed a reason (let alone magic domination) to  exterminate zombies with extreme prejudice? What is this...some poor excuse to shoehorn "roleplaying" into the adventure?

There are only TWO magic items in this three level, 25 encounter dungeon: a +1 scimitar and a cursed +1 dagger that inflicts cannibalism on its wielder after first use. Some might call this "mudcore."

This one ain't good. Low two stars (**-), even if it wasn't disqualified.

ASC Review: Rockall

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 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.

ASC Review: Mystery Of The Floating Rock

The Mystery of the Floating Rock (Adam Szabo)

B/X adventure for four to six PCs of levels 3rd-4th

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.

So, I'm currently in the process of developing my own "floating dungeon" scenario, and when I saw this entry on the docket I thought, hey, maybe this will work for me and I won't have to put in the blood, sweat, and tears of writing my own!

No such luck.

This two level dungeon is "only" 18 encounters, but it feels larger and is positively crammed with stuff, necessitating all manner of odd and nonsensical abbreviations and nomenclature which makes it difficult to parse.  What does "VO:9" mean? How am I supposed to interpret the note "a chest contains 1d100 pcs?" Pieces of what? And what in God's name are "at" and "et" as relates to the value of treasure?

This claims to be written for B/X. This is not B/X. B/X monsters do not have an "attack bonus" like some WotC-era version of D&D. It doesn't make any sense with regard to descending AC (which the author uses). And it's not used consistently! A 3HD harpy and a 4HD white ape do NOT use the same column of the attack matrix, so even if this attack bonus somehow translates, it should not be the same. 

The premise here is of a wizard who has created a floating dungeon/fortress/lab from which to genetically engineer perfect monsters for conquest. The "wizard" is 5th level. His most potent spell is a 5d6 fireball. He also knows the spells stinking cloud (not a B/X spell) and repair (not a spell in any edition as far as I'm aware). No, this is not how B/X runs magical research. This is just making up something "cool" for low-level players.

A spellbook is not "loot" in B/X by the way, and has no value (not that a value was given).

Several magic items are non-B/X and non-described. No such thing as a wand of telekinesis (and no charges provided), no such thing as a potion of self-transformation. No idea what a lightning crystal staff is (and no description provided of its abilities). What is a "power rune" and how is it activated? I grok that the mutagens carried by servants are some kind of potion or consumable, but a little more explanation on how they work would have been helpful and appreciated. As it is, this "nice idea" requires a bit of "winging" on the part of a DM trying to use the adventure.

There are more things I could pick out that are problematic: storm elementals (again, how is this being summoned by a 5th level magic-user?), brownies (not a B/X monster), projectile protection (huh?). The bottom line is that it's non-functional as written. Meaning: if I am a B/X Dungeon Master armed with a copy of the B/X books, I will not be able to run this effectively.

Low two stars (**-).

ASC Review: Wavecrash Maze

Wavecrash Maze (LouisJo)

OSRIC for five to seven PCs of levels 4th-6th

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.

I'm not going to lie: this one is a difficult one to parse. I'm guessing English is not the author's first language.

However, it's not just idiosyncratic writing...the layout is a bit confusing. 

Let's get down to it: this adventure is like a fever dream...like the designer spent a long weekend playing D&D, then fell asleep, had a crazy dream, woke up, and used it as inspiration for this thing. Except that, rather than actually DRAW a map, he went to mazegenerator.net (literally...he credits this site on his cover page) to randomly create the labyrinth that would fit the idea that came from a dream.

I won't bother to detail the thing. It's weird. It's wild. It was (apparently) play-tested by eight players. Is that two different sessions? Unclear.

The only treasure in this thing is a wand of ice (undigested in the belly of a giant adder), five "altar plaques" worth 300 g.p. each, and a 450# "melted platinum blob" worth 11K. No. This is not The Way.

I know OSRIC is pretty close to AD&D. This is NOT close to AD&D. One (*) star.

ASC Review: Monastery Of The Fallen Star

The Monastery of the Fallen Star (armitage)

S&W (OD&D) adventure for four to five PCs of levels 2nd & 3rd

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.

All right...finally. 

Here we go: an honest-to-goodness adventure site in the form of a local, abandoned monastery that is now the HQ of some gnollish bandits. 12 keyed locations (really just 10 with some 'added color') with multiple entrances and lots of "stuff" going on.

Treasure is good for its level range: 4,600 (expected is 3,600-5K), and not unreasonable; magic items are of the expendable type typical for low-level adventures. Danger is good: six encounters plus a trap. Gnolls are no joke, but there are few enough that they shouldn't be an issue. Some nice whimsy here with the shadow librarian and "Pickles" the owlbear (great use of her cave/second entrance).

The obsidian egg could be tightened. How does one "chip away" adamantite? How many suits of magic armor can one make? If this was AD&D, I'd point out that this is not how you get enchanted gear, but it would make a good source of "special material" for a wizard working such an enchantment.  But all that's a minor gripe.

This is solid D&D. Easy ****.

ASC Review: Prophet's Spiral

The Prophet's Spiral (Ben Gibson)

AD&D adventure for PCs of levels 3rd-5th

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.

Why, Ben? Why are you doing this to me?

Gibson's adventure site is too big for an adventure site, exceeding the parameters of HIS OWN CONTEST, which (based on precedent already set in prior entries) should disqualify him. From his own contest. Sheesh.

But there are other issues. Let's talk about those.

An adventure for PCs with an average level of 4th. No number given though the author credits five play-testers. So...four to six? Maybe?

Which would mean an expected treasure take in the 40K to 50K range. And the thing DOES have 46K and change but despite its abundance it feels...mudcore? Statues worth 2K that are actually petrified priestesses (bad precedent, as it invites gaming petrification monsters for treasure creation). A half-ton of silver plates and junk worth 5K. A ceramic urn filled with olive oil that is worth 300 g.p. A pile of 15K electrum coins. An ivory throne and an alabaster altar (no weight given but presumably pretty hefty). No magic items to speak of save for a couple scrolls of cure light wounds and three scrolls with permanence?

And just what are we doing here anyway? 

This site is so odd. It's something like a temple with an oracular cyclops chained in the basement. There's a bunch of weirdness: a "mystic cyclops" priest, his giant-blooded consort, a medusa that donates her hair to make cat-o-nine-tail lashes (that petrify instead of poisoning? Um...ok). And a bunch of acolytes just waiting to be slaughtered. I mean, nothing's overtly hostile here except for the wandering ghost that won't attack "unless angry" (but is described as vengeful and demanding the death of descrators...ok)...which is a pretty beefy monster for 4th level characters.

This thing is off the rails. I guess it's worth *** because players could decide to raid the place, but the denizens aren't going to put up much of a fight except for Una and his Consort. This is playable, but I don't like it, and it doesn't feel much like AD&D to me (see the MM2 for cyclopskin). Sorry, Ben.