AD&D 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.
*sigh*
When it comes to these sites, Scott_M seems to have a particular style, really attempting to “push the envelope” rather than simply “letting the game come to him;” I saw this in last year’s Owlbear Hill. This year, he’s going hard with the pulp S&S “snake man jungle” vibe which is, of course, a delightful trope of hack-n-slash D&D (didn’t I write my own Snake-Demon-Goddess temple a couple years back). Here, though, it causes him to stumble.
Writing for AD&D is not particularly hard, as the author shows…a good treasure count and distribution plus appropriately themed and coherent monster placement that doesn’t defy or insult when it comes to challenge is all one really needs. There are some nitpicks…extra word count is devoted to discussion of architecture and incense, but nothing at all said about the illumination/lighting of the temple area (a rather pertinent fact to AD&D adventurers who prefer encounter locations to be VISIBLY described). One can always make assumptions but, yes, this is a nitpick.
However, the true downgrade comes from the manifesting demon-god of the snake-men, the entire “story/plot” of the adventure. Sure, we’ve seen this before (H2 anyone?) but here we have a wholly invented godling that grants clerical spells (not really part of the ophidian ecology) summoned by a ritual outside the standard spell-craft of AD&D (this is not how AD&D magic works…and non-humans do not, generally, have access to such power), in order to summon a 10 HD scratch “demon” that exists solely as a stat block and visual description.
Sorry but this is not how we do “AD&D.” Demons have a hierarchy…is this a Prince? What is its relationships with other demons. Is it a god (it appears to grant spells)? Then why is it so weak in comparison to other gods? What are the ramifications of it being manifested on the Prime Material Plane? What are the consequences of it being slain? The idea of a the snake-man priest is divorced from the description of the ophidian monster as it appears in the MM2, and seems to contradict the description of them being a servitor, "non-independent" species.
So, not good as it goes against some basic AD&D assumptions. This would be MOSTLY playable, if not solid D&D…but the appearance of this Asthask'ss thing (which seems mainly present in order to ape the style of trope-pulp S&S) is sadly lacking. ** with a “+” for being otherwise okay.
EDIT: bumped up to *** after discussion with the designer. Not quite 'elegant in execution,' but playable. See the comments section on this post.
(this didn't seem to submit properly first time around, so I tried again)
ReplyDeleteI always find it interesting how your reviewing differs from Commodore and the others, and how you don't mince your words. Do you have any Dutch ancestry in you? :-)
I think you've been a bit harsh in some of your stated reasons for marking down. My impression from what you've written in the first part of the review was that the author was struggling to fit their concept into the page count. Fair enough to mark down for that, but clerical spells such as snake charm, speak with animals, slow poison, neutralise poison and sticks to snakes seem to me to fit quite well with ophidian ecology.
I dug into my clippings scrapbook and found a random demon generation article by Jon Pickens which gives clerical spells as demon powers. DMG Appendix D creatures of the lower planes has no classification into types.
I also see rituals as a form of uncodified magic, as that is consistent with S&S fiction.
Ha! No Dutch ancestry. Mostly English with some Scotch-Irish and Austrian mixed in.
DeleteThe spells you mention do seem suitable for a snake-themed villain. Those are not the spells given to the priestess (none of the ones you list are on her spell list). However, when I talk about monster "ecology," I'm talking about this bit from the MMII:
"It is unusual for ophidians to be in a self-determined group. They are usually servents of spirit nagas or similar creatures." These ophidians are nothing if not 'self-determined;' they have their own schemes, their own leader, their own plans/strategies for kidnapping people and summoning their demon god into the world (for no given motivation). Nothing in their write-up suggests they even have spell-casters among their number.
The DMG does indeed provide rules for scratch nether planar creatures, but this one would be particularly weak for such a being (AC 5? All but the very weakest demons have an AC of at least 0, including ALL randomly generated demons in Appendix D). However, this is not just ANY demon...this is, apparently a GOD being worshipped by the ophidians (their cleric being granted spells by this being "from the void"). And the PCs are supposed to fight a demon god.
At 6th level of experience.
Nope. I'll stand by my "harsh" rating. This flies in the face of standard AD&D play expectations.
I don't think your review is "harsh" but it does make some assumptions that seem a bit unforgiving in terms of expectations.
DeleteThough it is "unusual" for ophidians to be in a self-determined group, that doesn't mean they *never* are. More to the point, I thought it was obvious that these snake-men cultists serve Asthask'ss (who is comparable to a spirit naga, which served as a template for the demon's design). In the midst of their drugged undulations, the ophidians presented here don't have much independent agency which seems fairly on-point (to me, anyway).
Also, I indicated that the snake-man priestess was different from the ophidians (her stat block, for example, does not point the DM to the MM2, and I describe her as "a voluptuous, human-seeming woman"). I also never state that she receives her spells from the demon (who is not an actual god, but a figurative "god" to the snake-men, which I felt should be obvious from its tough but normal stat block). Which god *is* granting her spells? Who cares? My players didn't when they killed her.
In any case, I've never felt an obligation to adhere to AD&D's implied cosmology and don't consider that material essential to writing an AD&D adventure. Being WotC's IP, I wouldn't want to veer too far in that direction for publication, anyway. But I get where you're coming from in your criticism, even if I disagree with your conclusions.
I consider you an AD&D pro so I'm disappointed in the score, obviously, but I appreciate your viewpoint as always. Rock on, man!
Ah, now, if you had simply made Ashthask'ss a 10 HD spirit naga that the ophidians served and worshipped, the adventure would have made sense game-wise, as well as been thematically "tighter." Even a re-skinned naga (or Type III demon or similar)...I don't object to the ophidians serving some powerful demonic force. What I DO object to is the whole "we're-summoning-our-Dark-Lord-from-beyond-time-and-space-and-the-players-must-intervene" trope. For multiple reasons:
DeleteA) it's unnecessary...you just want a Big Bad for the PCs to fight? Have a big bad monster lording it over them. Why the summoning shtick?
B) it's tired...we've seen this used in cinema, literature, and game modules upteen tmes.
C) if this IS some sort of 'dark god' (which I'd say is definitely implied by the adventure), um, yay, we kill a god at 6th level. What are we going to do at 7th level? Or 10th? Or 12th?
Regardless of whether or not you feel the need to adhere to AD&D's cosmology, there are basic assumptions and expectations baked into AD&D play. The more you dismantle those assumptions and expectations, the less the players can trust and rely upon the rules of the system they hope to operate within and eventually master.
Class and level restrictions are a "thing" in AD&D to represent a certain balance of power between the various species. Humanoids have "tribal spell-casters" (see DMG p.40); new monsters from the FF and MM2 note their spell-casting capabilities AND their limitations as they fit into this order (see, for example, Githyanki, Githzerai, Duergar, Derro, etc.). Having an ophidian with the clerical abilities of a 5th level shaman is NOT unreasonable (a 3HD bugbear can have such a spell-caster), but I would call it such and NOT treat it as a classed character (with extra hit dice and combat ability), nor suggest that is in any way an adventurer-type NPC.
All that being said, I've reconsidered and WILL revise my rating. Given that Asthask'ss should be treated as a "master" creature, equivalent to a spirit naga, etc. and already existing on the Prime Plane (the sacrifices simple brought to slake the creature's thirst for blood), and the "priestess" not a cleric so much as a "boss ophidian" with tribal spell-casting ability...well, it's a little clunky, but it's playable. Treasure is a bit on the "high" side (six-figures and I'm looking for sub-100K at this level/size), but it's not exorbitant. Stocking is good overall, map's "all right." Okay...you talked me into it.
I appreciate the reconsideration, but I wasn't fishing for a higher grade... just offering some additional insight to your critique because I respect your opinion as a designer.
DeleteIf you're at all interested in the thought process or assumptions behind the adventure, I wrote a blog post about creating it: https://thegloomyforest.blogspot.com/2025/11/ophidian-temple-2025-adventure-site.html
Haha! No, it's fine...I've been known to change an opinion or two in these contests, especially when I've been provided more insight from the author.
DeleteI'll check out your blog post when I have a chance. Thanks!