LL AEC for four to six PCs of 5th-8th level
Another B/X retroclone...this time Labyrinth Lord (with the Advanced Edition Companion). The author also makes note that they adapted several creatures from the Fiend Folio. Map is by Dyson Logos.
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.
Another "pit" adventure, yet the map is much clearer. This one is also rather large (23 encounter areas), but it's rather light on encounters and dangers (traps and such). In fact, for an adventure aimed at parties of this level, the monsters herein are pretty darn weak. Sure there's a white dragon, but it's only got 42 hit points and it's bedraggled, weak, and restrained in magical chains (there's another smaller one that cowers in fear from fire and only has 14 hit points). Mephits? Encountered singularly? Really?
Sure, somewhere floating around the adventure is an efreeti. But he only appears as a wandering monster or if the party does something to trigger him showing up (like freeing the white dragon...in which case you have an ally to fight him!). Even in White Plume Mountain (an adventure for levels 5th-10th) efreet appeared in pairs. A single creature with a single attack per round isn't particularly challenging to a hearty group of mid-level slayers. Ha...he even "threatens and extorts before fighting." What a wimp!
Treasure should be in the 120K-150K range. Fat chance. Total treasure in the adventure is barely more than 50K, of which 35K is in the form of jewelry adorning the (chained) white dragon. If you help her you only get a bag of gems worth less than 11K. I mean...that's pretty paltry. Magic items are almost completely absent: a +1 scimitar and eyes of petrification (no save). Great.
This adventure is pretty lame. It's got a good map...but Dyson draws good maps. Two-thirds of one page is used to set up a whole backstory/history of the place and some conflict between Elemental Princes of Evil (from the Fiend Folio) that, while interesting, doesn't have any real impact on the scenario. It's frosting. Bland frosting.
There's just not much "adventure" here. And I can't, in good conscience, give it more than two stars (out of five). There's some puzzle-ly stuff, some creatures to interact with. But in the end, there's not much here...it's a precursor to a greater story. Which (since we don't have the greater story) is a waste of time. Maybe that seems unfair...but other folks have given more using the same contest parameters.
**
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