Zienteck is an adventure from Judges Guild written for use with Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Unlike many of the adventures from Judges Guild this one specifies a level range for the characters who explore these dungeons. In this case the range of levels if 5th to 9th.
The Adventure is written by Mark Harmon (presumably not the guy from NCIS). The adventure is 32 pages long. About a third of these pages are maps. Both DM and player maps are provided. It was published in 1981.
This adventure takes place in the Black Angel Woods. Within those woods lies the stronghold of the wizard Zienteck. This stronghold was destroyed by dragons that were angered by the wizard. The wizard, himself, was killed during this attack. But his treasures have never been recovered. Many brave adventurers have tried to explore these ruins but none, as yet, have returned alive.
What I like about Zienteck
This is a basic greed adventure. There are no lofty goals here. This is strictly players trying to enrich their characters by exploring a place where treasures are known to exist. There are no railroads here. The adventurers are free to do as they will.
There are dragons here. Several of them. And some are quite powerful. And some are not so much. A bunch of valuable treasure can be taken from these dragons. But no magic will be obtained from them. For that the adventurers will need to explore the dungeon levels underground. But defeating all these dragons is no easy feat. Especially for characters in this level range.
At least two new creatures are provided in this adventure….the Black Angel….and the Fire Chameleon.
The adventure offers a few interesting tricks and traps. And there are several challenging monster encounters within the dungeon.
A few hints and clues are left in places around the dungeon that may allow the adventures to avoid some of the more dangerous hazards….if they pay attention to them…..
The maps are more detailed than most Judges Guild products. This is especially true of the overland maps which are excellently done.
What I do not like about Zienteck
There is very little magic to be found anywhere in the adventure. That is not necessarily a bad thing but it will likely disappoint players running through this adventure. There is, however, plenty of gold and jewels which is still a good thing to find.
At times the author thinks he is particularly funny in places where he really isn’t. I have seen that kind of thing before in some of the Judges Guild modules where the author is talking to the DM in the text of the dungeon in places but probably should not be doing so. It is not really necessary and takes away from the seriousness of the writing.
Would I recommend this adventure to others?
Yes, I would. This is a solid adventure for characters of this level range. Characters attempting to fight the dragons will find that this encounter kicks their ass. It should. But the rewards are great and this might be just a bit too tempting for some. A total party kill there is easily possible. But this is a risk that is up to the adventurers. The dungeon beneath the ruins is quite within the abilities of adventurers in this level range.
Would I run Zienteck with my own group?
I would. And I might. My current group is working through the Caverns of Thracia so they are not currently in the right level range for this one yet. But six months from now……who knows….
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Hi. I PMed you about a Judges Guild city book, #310, City of Lei Tabor. It is a Runequest Gateway. I am wondering what you know about it. I am thinking of convertng it to 2nd Ed. It is 96 pages long including several maps. I am going to have to convert everything to AD&D parlance.