Portals of Torsh is the first installment of a series of three Judges Guild adventures written for use with Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Each of these adventures involves a portal to some alien world where the normal rules no longer apply.
This adventure was written by Rudy Kraft and was published in 1980. It is fifty pages long.
The general premise of this series is that dungeon masters often use “portals” in order to connect adventure modules in their campaigns. That is the view of the author of this module anyway. Whether that is true in your campaign I do not know. It certainly has not been true of any of my own campaigns. But anyway the idea is that there are these magical portals everywhere and that adventurers might stumble upon them and be taken to a new and totally different place.
In this particular world the adventurers will discover a place in which lizard people are the most advanced forms of life. And humans are second class citizens (at best) and food sources (at worst).
What I like about Portals of Torsh
This adventure brings us a new and totally upside down world in which lizard men are the ruling class and humans are just workers (or food). There are laws regarding humans carrying certain prohibited weapons. This is certain to snare a visiting party of adventurers to this world. And dwarves and elves are unknown on this world.
A couple of new artifacts are offered which are specific to this world.
A description of the history and economics of this world is given. Prices are different on these worlds as different metals are rarer on them. A lot of maps are provided along with random encounter tables and notable non player characters.
Dinosaurs. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons has dinosaurs in the Monster Manual but how many adventures really include them? Or even have much reason for them to be in the adventure? In this world lizards are king. It would be only natural for dinosaurs to roam here as well. And they do.
It has a high level NPC illusionist! How often do you see that in published adventurers for AD&D? Not often.
What I do not like about Portals of Torsh
There are no real dungeons or adventuring places described in this product. Like many Judges Guild products this one describes vast areas of land and has descriptions of what might be found in those hexes. But there are no real dungeons set out. There are a couple of towns though.
Like the other products in this series there is little guidance on what the adventurers are really doing on these worlds. It is kind of a huge sandbox. I suppose anything could be done here. Dungeons could be drawn up and then when the players tire of it they could find a new portal to another (or to home).
Would I recommend this adventure to others?
It would make a good change of pace if the dungeon master spends a little time developing some areas to be explored such as dungeons, caverns, etc. I am not sold on the need to have portals everywhere in my own campaign world but I do understand the motivation to through new things at players to keep them interested. This might do well in that regard.
Would I run Portals of Torsh with my own players?
Perhaps. My players certainly have seen just about everything in the standard Dungeons and Dragons universe. Showing them something new once in a while is always a plus.
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