We were digging through the storage shed to find just the right box of Christmas decorations, when I should chance across the dusty stack of old Dungeons & Dragons modules I’ve had with me for… well, for a very long time. For all the GeekDads who have gamed, as I scan and read through these, I’ll post them for your enjoyment and comment, if you remember them.

Okay, nothing basic about this one, people. C2 – The Ghost Tower of Inverness very specifically states it “has been designed for experienced players, and the mistake of equating experienced characters with experienced players should be avoided.” In other words, if you’re going to play it, make sure you’re not surrounded by newbies who don’t know the difference between a saving throw and how to calculate critical hit damage for a flail. I mean, come on, ya know?

Seriously, though, C2 is another one of those modules adapted from a campaign written for a gaming con, so you know it’s hard core, and likely to have the kind of attention to sadistic detail only us geeks can love.

Know you that in the elder days before the Invoked Devastation and the Rain of Colorless Fire, when the ancient peaks of the Abbor-Alz still thrust skyward sharp at majestic, there existed between the Bright Desert and the mount of the river Selintan a great fortress called Inverness. Know you also that here was said to dwell the great wizard Galap-Dreidel at the height of his power and glory. Most grand and terrible of all Galap-Dreidel’s work was the keep’s great inner tower; for it was there that the wizard’s most prized possession, an eldritch jewel known only as the Soul-Gem was said to rest. Legend says it was like a great white diamond and that it glowed with the brilliance of the sun. Stories said that the light of the gem dragged the souls of men screaming from their mortal flesh and trapped them within. Galap-Dreidel, it was said, harnessed this power and used it against those that opposed his will. They also say that he who controlled the gem could call forth the stolen souls of men and make them do his bidding.

Long story/short? Your party is hired/coerced by the Lord of the land to go seek out the tower and see about obtaining the gem for his use in his benign despotism. Anything for a bit of fun, right? Just consider that the module recommends a party of 5-10 characters of level 5-7. That’s some serious firepower, there – meaning that casualties should be expected. This one is full of monsters, and full of interesting tricks and traps that will take their toll on even the most experienced group.

Things to remember in the Ghost Tower of Inverness:

• Walking across the Chess Room can be like shuffling your feet across a heavy shag rug and touching a metal railing: shocking! Having Ron Weasley, or anyone who was a member of the chess club, along might be helpful.
• Whoever wrote this one (Allen Hammack) was digging deep into the Monster Manual when he equipped the dungeon. A Hieracosphinx, a Pteranodon, and some Su-Monsters? The only thing missing is an Ixitachitl! Wait… room 32. Nevermind.
• If you take out the medusa, think about taking up gardening. The shrubbery needs pruning, and the coffer you’ll find might help you fund a small land war in Asia.
• In the end, its all about getting the Soul Gem, a multi-faced opaque white gem the size of a melon. The moment you enter the room, there is a 1-in-8 chance you’ll get hit by a blast from the gem. If you get hit, save versus petrification, or your skin, hair, clothes, and possessions will be bleached a ghostly white, and all magic items drained of all magic. Oh, wait, that’s if you MAKE the save. If you don’t, well, time to dig out the six-siders and start rolling up a new character!

In the end, this dungeon has some real consequences, and it’s easy to see why it suggests experienced players. If you didn’t have a passing familiarity with the ways to deal with little things like, say, resurrection, or anti-gravity, you’ll learn the definition of fail real fast. All in all, a rousing little adventure, though it would have been nice to find a few more magical weapons before the end. Oh well.

While I’ve slowed the pace on these, have no fear faithful readers, more are yet to come. See you next time!

[This series originally ran in December/January 2007/2008.]

We were digging through the storage shed to find just the right box of Christmas decorations, when I should chance across the dusty stack of old Dungeons & Dragons modules I’ve had with me for… well, for a very long time. For all the GeekDads who have gamed, as I scan and read through these, I’ll post them for your enjoyment and comment, if you remember them.

It’s back to the basics again, faithful readers: B4 – The Lost City. What could spoil the fun of getting lost in the desert and discovering the ruins of a great civilization vanished in the drifting sands of time? How about finding the remnants of that civilization living underground as a perpetually drugged populace divided into four fanatical factions of religious zealots? And hilarity ensues!

Days ago, your group of adventurers joined a desert caravan. Halfway across the desert, a terribly sandstorm struck, separating your party from the rest of the caravan. The second day after your water ran out, you stumbled upon a number of stone blocks sticking out of a sand dune. Investigation showed that the sand covered the remains of a tall stone wall. On the other side of the stone wall was a ruined city. In the center of the city towered a step-pyramid. On the south side of the pyramid, a ramp with stairs led from the ground to the top of the highest tier. A quick search of the ruins revealed no source of food or water, so you decided to climb the pyramid. In the side of the ramp, level with the floor of the top tier, you found a secret door…

So, instead of a dungeon crawl, we get a pyramid crawl. Each level of the pyramid is held by the adherents of one or another of the old gods of the ancient civilization who bicker amongst themselves even as they try to rebuild their civilization with their personal diety as big Kahuna. Plus there are various undead versions of the pyramids original honorees still lying in state, ready to party when your, er, party comes through. Interestingly enough with this module, things are clearly detailed to a certain point, and then the rest is left for the DM to “Expand the Adventure,” including a final confrontation with the evil “God” who helped bring down the civilization, and eventual discovery of the remnants of the people living a strange, drug-addled life of mushroom farming beside a subterranean lake. Fun for the whole family!

Things to remember in The Lost City:

• The Brotherhood of Gorm are the Jocks; the Magi of Usamigaras are the Nerds; the Warrior Maidens of Madarua are the Cheerleaders; and the Priests of Zargon are the Goths. Treat this whole module like high school, and you should do just fine.
• There are wererats in this adventure. Wererats. I mean, if you’re going to get bitten by a lycanthrope, pick wolf, or fox, or ferret – anything but rat, right? Pretty pathetic, if you ask me…
• The Cynidiceans – the descendants of the original civilization – are all just like that one buddy in college who discovered LSD and just, kind of, changed. Sometimes he was silly funny, sometimes he was just a little scary, sometimes he would scream about a monster with twelve tentacles and a horn coming out of his head. Unfortunately, that last bit comes true before the end of the module.
• For an evil god of the underworld, Zargon is a bit of a disappointment. AC 0, 12 hit dice? My grandma (the 12th level fighter/cleric, +3 mace of disruption) could take him in her sleep. But considering this was a module for characters level 1-3, okay, that’s bringing some nasty. So, be careful.

In the end, the party has the chance to bring a lost civilization out from under the influence of what is, in effect, a Go’a’uld, and then unite the remaining factions into a healthy, functional nucleus from which to recreate a great civilization. On the other hand, these people are starving for strong leadership. This could be the opportunity for members of your group to look into politics. Or, perhaps, divinity.

That’s all I’ve got for this holiday week, but I promise more to come soon. Oh, and did I mention we went back into the storage shed last weekend, and I found two more modules? “Top 10″ may hit 13 before we’re done. See y’all later!

[This series originally ran in December/January 2007/2008]

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• Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend Part 3 (Revisited) (wired.com)
• Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend Part 2 (Revisited) (wired.com)

Just so the folks reading these know, I think the list is going to go to eleven, in classic Spinal Tap style. And, my apologies to those who have been asking for it, but I don’t have Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. If I find it in the future, I promise I’ll come back and to a follow-up to this series.

First up this time, the second of the Saltmarsh series: U2 – The Joshua Tree. Um, no, I mean, Danger at Dunwater!

Recently, the town council of Saltmarsh, a small fishing town, hired a party of relatively inexperiences adventurers to investigate mysterious goings-on in the Haunted House, a decaying mansion on the cliff top near town. Having successfully routed a band of smugglers using the house as a base, the adventurers turns to the sea-going side of the operation and managed to board the smuggers’ ship Sea Ghost. They were able to defeat the smugglers aboard and could safely assume that the smuggling operation was quashed. However the unexpected presence of board of three lizard men, the perusal of some documents, and the discovery of a secret cache of arms and armor led them to deduce that the smugglers were running equipment to a colony of lizard men. The town council of Saltmarsh decides to hire the adventurers to scout out the lizard men, and return with information that should hopefully allow the townspeople to prepare themselves for whatever is to come.

Ahh, sequels! This one really needs to be run directly after The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, as it benefits from the earlier continuity. Plus, if your magic user picked up the Pseudo-Dragon from the last adventure, he might not get himself killed at the first sign of melee combat.

Things to remember about Danger at Dunwater:

• The Lizard Men aren’t bad, the were just drawn that way. Actually, if you think of them as sort of like Jar Jar’s people in Phantom Menace, you’ll see they’re just a simple folks, struggling to survive. Or, you’ll just want to kill them all, which would be fun, but would serious impact your alignment in the future.
• There is a Treasure Room. If you enter the Treasure Room without searching for traps, you deserve what happens. If you find the floor trap, get to the chest, and try to open it without checking for traps again, you not only deserve what happens, you should consider quitting pencil-and-papers RPGs altogether, and trying canasta, or cribbage. They don’t hurt as much.
• If you do end up killing all the lizard men and looting their lair, when you return to Saltmarsh, you’ll find out you just, in effect, killed everyone in Minas Tirith a day before the armies of Sauron arrive. Oops, sorry may not fix it.
• The module has extra credit! If you were dumb enough to kill some lizard men, but smart enough to stop and make a deal, an honor-debt will be required of you. The lizard men ask you to take care of a small pest problem they have. Something about a giant crocodile. And a small dragon. Nothing to worry about, really!

As with its predecessor, Dunwater is another module where the challenge is not what it seems, which is always fun. A little understanding and compassion can go a long way towards avoiding deadly combat. Sadly, you don’t always end up with as much loot that way, but… oh, whatever.

Read on for one more blast from the past!

[This series originally ran in December/January 2007/2008.]
It’s THREE, THREE, count them THREE MODULES IN ONE!

G1-2-3 – Against the Giants folded together three modules into one super-sized, epic adventure. First, there was The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief:

Giants have been raiding the lands of men in large bands, with giants of different sorts in the marauding groups. Death and destruction have been laid heavily upon every place these monsters have visited. This has caused great anger in high places, for life and property loss means failure of the vows of noble rulers to protect the life and goods of each and every subject – and possible lean times for the rulers as well. Therefore, a party of the most powerful adventurers has been assembled and given the charge to punish the miscreant giants.

Piece of cake, right? Just charge in, slap a few extra-large wrists, and all will be well again. Or not. While the Hill Giant Chief’s place is a pretty easy crash-and-grab, you learn quickly that the problem is a lot bigger (yeah, pun, who cares?) than anyone knew. Better head back to town and spend some of that loot on Gortex-lined chain mail, because next, you visit The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl:

Some dozens of leagues to the north and west, amidst the tallest mountain peaks, is the stronghold of Grungnur, Lord of Frost Giants. As frost giants have been amongst those who have been in the reaving bands, the party is to deal with them as the hill giants have been dealt with. Death and destruction are to be dealt out to the frost giants in the same measure they gave to the peoples below, but the party knows that their most important mission is to garner intelligence as to what or who is behind the unholy alliance of hill, stone, frost, and possible other types of giants as well. The evil root is deeply grown here, far worse than among the hill giants.

You know it’s going to be fun, when the wandering monsters include winter wolves, ogres, and yeti. One more giant complex, one more adventure filled with a lot of hard-core combat, and some really excellent treasure. But it’s never enough, is it? So, your party will want to go on – or will have discovered the secret passage that will magically transport them to the Hall of the Fire Giant King:

They are about to venture into the hot and smoking barrens which are in effect Muspelheim, the home of the fire giants. In the vast rocky halls of the fire giant’ doughty liege lord, the dread (pirate Roberts) King Snurre Iron Belly, they hope to find both the answer to the riddle of what or who is behind the strange alliance, as well as great treasure. Sure here in the stronghold of the fire giants will be encountered the evil genius – or genii – controlling the uprising and planning the well-executed attacks.

Third time pays for all, as they say. Fire Giants is the end-all, be-all of hack-fests, containing dozens of really, really, really brutal giants plus various hell hounds, chimerae, ettin, cave bears, trolls, gnolls, and other nasties. Amongst those that can be rescued are an elven princess, two centaurs, a female thief who will jack the party and run at first chance, and a Titan. Yes, a Titan. Please have a neutralize poison spell available when you find him. Please. It’ll make thing so much easier when you find Snurre himself.

Things to remember when going Against the Giants:

• Going against the Hill giants is like the seven minutes of shadow practice you get before league bowling starts; you always rolls some strikes, and feel good, but it hasn’t really prepared you for anything.
• The frost giants don’t have just one white dragon, but two. And, if you can beat the remorhaz in the dome of ice, there’s a really handy ring of three wishes and (maybe better?) a +2 giant slayer.
• Once you get to the fire giants, well, remember Bambi Versus Godzilla? You’re Bambi (though hopefully Bambi with AC -2, and a Thac0 in the single digits).
• Don’t look into the eye. If you do, there is an 8% chance each that one of the following will happen: death (bad), insanity (still bad), rage (attack own party – really annoying), fright and weakness (pain in the patoochie), or age 1-20 years (remember not to use the 20-sider you once affectionately nicknamed “old crit” when making that role).

And in the end, is it the giants’ fault? Nope, not really. Let’s just say Drizz’t’s got some ’spainin’ to do. Yes, the Drow were behind the whole thing, and as with so many great stories, there’s more to come if you decide to turn the trilogy into tent-pole franchise, and head on to the D series modules. Seeya next time!

We’re onto the third set now, and this time we’re going for a little depth. Not necessarily the flashy, famous modules, but fun ones that we probably all played at least once on the way to something bigger. First off, U-1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh.

Four miles east of Saltmarsh, just inland of the old coast road and looking out to sea, stands the Haunted House. Until twenty years ago it had been the residence of an aged alchemist/magician of sinister reputation, and even then had been shunned by reason of its owner’s mysterious occupations. Now, two decades after the sudden and unexplained disappearance of its occupant, the house had acquired an even greater air of evil and mystery with the passing years.

This was, to put it succinctly, the Scooby Doo episode of D&D modules. Instead of a good old dungeon crawl, players got to explore a big old spooky house, and deal with all sorts of annoying wandering monsters, as well as traps and illusions. And then, if they made it though? Ghost Ship! All it needs is a glowing guy in a deep-sea divers suit, and a chase-sequence with a cute pop-song!

Things to remember about the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh:

• There are three important books in the Library, two by Tenser, one by Nystul. Those are names from the spell lists in the Player’s Manual, so, hello, can we say eBay?
• Ned is a nice guy, and totally trustworthy. No, really! Would I lie to you? Or, better question, would Ned?
• The Laboratory has some nice things in it. Why they had been left by the new users of the house is an open hole in the plot. Of course, what really matters are the gps, so let’s not ask silly questions.
• At the end of the main story, if you try to pull a mask of anyone, you’ll be disappointed. Especially if you try it with the Gnolls.

But wait, there’s more! Once you solve the secret, you get hired by the town council to go on a lovely sea cruise. The best thing to get out of your raid on the Sea Ghost is, if you can figure out a way, talking the Pseudo-Dragon into becoming your magic-user’s familiar. I mean, Pseudo-Dragon, people! Hello!

Alright, that was fun, but click through for one more blast from the RPG past.

[This series originally ran in December/January 2007-2008]

C stands for Challenge, and that’s good enough for me!

C1 The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan was created as a tournament module, and actually has scoring rules to it, but that’s not important now. What’s important is cool Mayan-influenced mythology, letting us all play Indiana Jones with swords and spells.

Your party is lost! You should never have abandoned the ship and struck out into the marshes, but your pursuers were closing in on your trail, and it seemed the only way. A full moon rises, sending moonbeams and ghostly shadows to flicker through the branches. Ahead in the woods a light glows and seems to beckon – perhaps a shelter for the night. Though thorns tear and impede your progress the source of illumination is reached at last. Before you is a clearing. There is an ancient ruin- a worn and overgrown pyramid fills the courtyard, shining in the moonlight, seeming almost brighter than the moon itself. A refuge? Perhaps; tomorrow with daylight the party may explore, but tonight you must have rest.

As a tournament module, it has a very specific set-up, and pre-rolled characters in the back. Of course, if a DM wanted to run a group of existing characters through, that could work as well. The whole thing was only supposed to take two hours to finish, but come on- it usually took us longer than that to agree on the pizza we were ordering.

Things to remember in the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan:

• If you beat Tloques Popolocas (wasn’t he the zany cabbie on Taxi?), you can have his axe. However, the axe’s nickname could be “bad penny,” so think twice before picking it up.
• When you get to the Court of Cemanahuac, just consider this: the module has “drowning rules” for this room. ‘Nuff said.
• The game of handball really isn’t worth it, but would probably be pretty funny if acted out.
• Naked woman in the water: usually good in a Cinemax movie; usually bad in an ancient, evil temple.

Basically, the whole dungeon is trap-o-palooza, and it’s really important to listen, pay attention, and always assume that when something looks too good to be true, you’re probably dead already, so go ahead and grab it. And now, more pictures!

For the second round, I’ll do a couple that have already been mentioned in the comments. Let’s start with the follow-up to In Search of the Unknown, B-2: Keep on the Borderlands.

The Realm of mankind is narrow and constricted. Always the forces of Chaos press upon its borders, seeking to enslave it populace, rape its riches, and steal its treasures. If it were not for a stout few, many in the realm would indeed fall prey to the evil which surrounds them. Yet, there are aways certain exceptional and brave members of humanity, as well as similar individuals amog its allies – dwarves, elves, and halflings – who rise above the common level and join battle to stave off the darkness which would otherwise overwhelm the land.

Ahh yes, the Keep – a small piece of civilization, set on the edge of chaos, eager for peace, but ever ready for conflict. It’s a place of refuge, and an excellent base from which to sally forth into the Realm. Or, you could just try to rip off the Castellan’s Chamber, and make off wit all the nice goodies there, but you will likely have to face him, which won’t be easy (6th level fighter with +1 plate mail, +1 shield, ring of protection +1, and a high dexterity, plus a whole bunch else that should give a party of low-levels a rather challenging time.

Outside the Keep, there’s plenty to do. Lizard men, giant spiders, raiders, mad hermits, and those are just the random encounters! Wait until you get to the Caves of Chaos!

Things to Remember in Keep on the Borderlands:

• The Amory in the Caves has a bunch of really nice mail and weapons.
• When you get to the labyrinth, be ready for a challenge that’s full of bull.
• First, there’s a Shrine of Evil Chaos, then a Chapel of Evil Chaos, and finally a Temple of Evil Chaos. If you make it that far, remember not to look at the shadows on the western wall. That would be bad.
• And the “scantily clad female” in the cell? Well, let’s just hope someone remembered a mirror…

Okay, click through below for one more blast from the past!

[Ed. Note: This series originally ran in December/January 2007-2008]

Alright, somebody mentioned it, so here you go – S1: Tomb of Horrors! No easy-peesy basic set, this one was for hard-core RPGers with characters who’d made it into the double-digits, level-wise. It was actually an adventure written for and run at the first Origins con, in 1975. The plot was simple:

Somewhere under a lost and lonely hill of grim and foreboding aspect lies a labyrinthine crypt. It is filled with terrible traps and not a few strange and ferocious monsters to slay the unwary. It if filled with rich treasures both precious and magical, but in addition to the aforementioned guardians, there is said to be a demi-lich who still wards his final haunt.

Demi-lich? Holy Hannah! That’s some nasty undead-fu, my friend! Things to remember in the Tomb of Horrors:

• When you feel the floor of the entrance tunnel shift slightly, and the DM starts counting, MOVE!
• When the three-armed statue speaks, look for something you cannot see in the broken arm.
• Another Chapel of Evil! Zoinks! Just be really careful of that Archway of Glowing Orange, unless you plan on buying a whole new wardrobe with your treasure.
• Don’t touch the skull. No, really, I mean it. Did you hear me? Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

This one’s a classic, folks, though not really all that long. But the best part is, it came with pictures! For a little boost in your trip down memory lane, here are a few of the illustrations included in the module.

We were digging through the storage shed this weekend to find just the right box of Christmas decorations that were needed to make things perfect before the party, when I should chance across the dusty stack of old Dungeons & Dragons modules I’ve had with me for… well, for a very long time. For all the GeekDads who have gamed, as I scan and read through these, I’ll post them for for your enjoyment and comment, if you remember them.

Here’s the first, B1: In Search of the Unknown – the module that came with the boxed Basic Set, and was the first adventure that many new gamers played, setting out to find and explore Quasqueton, the abandoned dungeon complex of famed (but now, sadly, dead) adventurers. It’s a classic dungeon crawl for beginning characters. The key things to remember:

• If you’re quiet, and put out your lights, the bats won’t bug you.
• There’s no treasure in the “Treasure Cave.” There are, however, two magical berserkers.
• If you place a chip from the Magical Stone in you mouth, something really good (like granting a Limited Wish), or something really bad (permanent loss of 1 point of intelligence) will happen.
• Don’t confuse the Magical Stone with the bat guano.