The Crawling Maw of Malakor (Frederic Roelandts)
AD&D adventure for five to seven PCs or 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.
A play-tested adventure from the Belgian contingent of the OSR; I had the pleasure of meeting Frederic (aka DangerIsReal) at Cauldron, where he sat in on at least one of my games...as did one or two of the named playtesters. Good, pleasant people.
I'll try not to let that color my judgment here.
Crawling Maw, at first pass, seems to be an EXCELLENT adventure site. The premise is terrific. The map is great. The scope and scale (12 keyed areas) is just about perfect for an "adventure site," while still making good use of verticality with multiple levels. Monster use is quite good: tightly themed use of book monsters (especially MM2) that don't see all that much action...I didn't even remember they were book monsters, till I saw the reference numbers in the module's text. Yeah, the goblins are pretty dumb, but I'm okay with dumb goblins (and/or a manipulative shaman). Good stuff here.
But...there are problems.
Expected treasure take for a site this size for an average of six 4th level PCs should be in the ballpark of 19K to 20K. Instead, we've got a total yield of nearly 115K. That is, quite simply, way too much...players walking home with 5X what they need to level up? After 15 encounters?
Not that they aren't DANGEROUS encounters...perhaps even too dangerous. The stegocentipede is a VII monster. So is the guardian familiar. There are also a crap-ton of monsters in here with poison attacks, including the goblins themselves (who use a paralyzing poison agent on their blades)...against a party of 3rd-5th level PCs who have no access to the neutralize poison spell? There are AT LEAST 13 creatures with poison attacks in the module, not including the 1-in-6 chance of d3 giant centipedes climbing out from under a rock. Rough.
ALSO: goblins can't be clerics. Grubnak can be a SHAMAN (see DMG p.40)...that's not the same as a classed adventurer.
Sorry, Frederic. This one is over-stuffed with both treasure and danger for the level range given. I cannot, in good conscience award it higher than ** (with a "+" for some really good stuff...the concept, the map, the theme, the application of the theme). Boost the level range up to 6th, and we're probably bringing that score up to 4-stars. As it is, this should end up in a TPK unless the low-level party is already fielding a Monty Haul level of magical gear.
Hi Jonathan . No offence taken here :) . As you mentionned, the treasure are high because the risk his high. I was also in doubt but a group of level 4-5 sucesfully clear out the place in 2 delves. Grubnak is indeed a tribal spellcaster Shaman. See you in october !
ReplyDeleteHaha! Well there is the proof, I suppose!
Delete; )
Just out of curiosity, how many L4s and how many L5s? I can't see an average group of seven 3rd levels surviving this, even over multiple delves (surviving goblins would reinforce their defenses, non?).
Perhaps 6th level would be too high for the thing, but I tend to run for groups of four and five where one loss to poison can really put a crimp in their capabilities.
See you in October!
: )
Average was more to level 5. First, they exterminated the whole tribe of Goblins. One pc died to poison but they catch grubnak juste before he could release the Centipede. Second delves was the lab. It was smooth. The guardian was a grind but he do not pursuit. I agree level 3 is too low. Should be 4-6.
ReplyDelete