ASC Review: Ilthog the Twisted

Ilthog the Twisted (Joseph Griesel)

"1E adjacent" adventure for "four plus" PCs of levels "7+"

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.

Appears this was written for use with the Hyperborea RPG which I don't know and don't care to know. I'll review this as a AD&D (until it breaks down) and judge whether or not it's "compatible" and playable.

Let's see...four or more PCs of levels 7+. So, then, this thing would be appropriate for eight or 10 or 12 adventurers using 10th or 14th or 20th level characters? Exciting!

Oh, I see...it's a nine room "lich lair."

[*read*read*read*]

Okay, this isn't terrible. The flameskull trap is pretty good (author credits this to Justin Todd). Damage could be upped on the pulverizing trap, but still okay (that's credited to Anthony Huso). The Type IV demon, "matter reconstitution chamber," "becoming nook," and false tomb are all pretty good.

Author credits Huso with bone golems, but these look directly cribbed from the Cook/Marsh Expert set (except in B/X bone golems are tougher: HD 8 and AC 2...use those instead, man).

The PROBLEM is the lich itself. Unless the Hyperborea RPG is radically different from AD&D (i.e. disqualifying it from the competition), a lich is a minimum level 18 spell caster. Firetrap in the alchemy lab? Needs to be upped. Lich's hit dice and spell abilities? Too paltry.

And treasure is WAY too low...about 40K total which wouldn't even be close if this place only expected four 7th level characters (90K). And, no, you don't get to say an intelligent sword of wounding is worth 30K. They're worth 22K...intelligence in a magic item is a mixed blessing (at best) and doesn't boost the price.  And what kind of suckers would invade a lich's sanctum just for a sword of wounding? Maybe a vorpal blade or holy avenger.

This one only gets ** but it gets a "+" for actually having a pretty swell little sanctum/adventure site with tight themes. A bit of clean-up (including designing FOR a specific group and level range) would go a long way toward making this a solid high-mid level adventure site. Yeah, there's potential with this one. Good use of larva, too, by the way.