Occasionally I find an absolute gem on Drivethrurpg. And this time I did. And I want to share it with you. And as it is a pay what you want file… you can have it too. For whatever you feel like paying. Tricks, Empty Rooms & Basic Trap Design is that gem.
It is written by Courtney C. Campbell from Hack & Slash Publishing. He also runs an excellent blog that has a great deal of other valuable information for dungeon masters of all editions. The blog itself is fantastic. While it may not have the color and flash of some other blogs. The information there is pure gold. You can find a link to the blog here at Hack & Slash.
The product itself has no great color images to use as my cover. Hence the rather plain looking cover to this article.
This product discusses an important subject in dungeon design. The empty room. Empty room? You say? Exactly.
The product goes on to point out that the random dungeon generation tables set out in the AD&D 1st Edition Dungeon Master Guide on page 171 makes a startling suggestion. It is a suggestion that most dungeon masters probably have ignored in designing their own dungeons. And I am equally as guilty. Table V. F. states that 1-12 out of 20 rooms in the dungeon should be empty. If one rolled a 13-14 it should have a monster only. On a 15-17 a monster and treasure should be present. On an 18 something special should be present or stairs up or down. On a 19 a trick or trap would be in the room. And on a 20 treasure alone should be present (but not necessarily in plain view).
Now obviously these tables were designed by Gary Gygax for random generation of a dungeon. But the meaning is kind of clear. Most rooms in a dungeon should be unoccupied.
So what is in all of these rooms? That is what this product is about. It also goes into great detail about trap design and trick design. There are extensive tables and lists to help you in creating ones specific for your dungeon.
What I like Tricks, Empty Rooms & Basic Trap Design
What don’t I like about it? In fact, I should change this, to what I love about this product. Because it is absolutely perfect in just about every way. The lists and tables provided are extensive. Using this product can only improve a dungeon master’s design.
Empty rooms are boring. How can one make them more interesting? Why should rooms be empty at all? These questions are answered and more in this product.
It is a pay what you want product. That means it is basically available to anyone who wants it whether they can, or are willing to, pay for it. Try it for free. Pay something if you love it. I suspect that once you read it you will fall into the latter category. And no… I had nothing to do with producing this fine work. I just found it be accident.
This product provides extensive tables and lists which can be used to make unique tricks and traps for your dungeon. These lists are far in excess of those lists provided in the Dungeon Masters Guide (for any edition). These ideas are not system specific. So you can easily use them in any edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
What I do not like about Tricks, Empty Rooms & Basic Trap Design
Very little. It could probably use a little more artwork. Like a fancy cover or something. There actually is a little art in it. But not a lot. Other than that I cannot think of a thing negative to say about it.
Would I recommend Tricks, Empty Rooms & Basic Trap Design to others?
Absolutely. I think every dungeon master (other than those perhaps that intend to use only modules for their campaigns) should get a copy and use it. And it is pay what you want. So try it now for free and then decide if you want to contribute something to the author. I think that you will once you read it. I do not know the author but if he produces products like this you cannot go wrong getting them if they are pay what you want files.
Would I use this product with my own players?
I intend to. I wrote a product a while back that incorporates many of these ideas called Malcon’s Tome of Treachery. But this product includes many things that I had not considered at the time of that publication. A link to this product can be found below:
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons have been around since the publication of the very first book for the game. It is an original class. The cleric began life as sort of a hybrid between “fighting men” and “magic users.” The cleric could wear armor and use some melee weapons in combat but could not use edged weapons. This was considered to be against their religious restrictions. This restriction was eliminated in later editions.
Interesting choice of weapons
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition
The cleric was a standard class in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition. It was one of the listed core classes one could choose from. The only races eligible to be a Cleric in 1st Edition as player characters were humans, half-orcs and half-elves. All other races could only be clerics as NPCs. The only race that could not be a cleric at all was the halfling. Some races, however, were only able to achieve very low levels as a cleric. Only humans would choose to be a cleric only as they are not limited in level. Other races would likely choose to multi-class with cleric as one of their class options.
She is such a true believer that her only weapon is her holy symbol
In 1st edition the cleric hit dice were improved to a D8 instead of a D6. A first level cleric could now cast one spell (instead of none at 1st level in Original D&D). Druids were considered a sub-class of the cleric in this edition. In 1st edition a high wisdom score gave the cleric additional bonus spells and a reduced chance of spell failure.
Later editions expanded upon the races that could play a cleric. Is this guy a dragon borne?
A cleric was required to have a minimum wisdom score of 9. With a greater than 15 wisdom score the cleric gained a bonus of 10% experience. A cleric in 1st edition could be any alignment except true neutral. This alignment was reserved for their sub-class (druids).
A dwarf cleric
The 1st edition cleric had no need for a spell book. Their spells were received from their deity after meditation and prayer. Edged weapons were still forbidden to the cleric. Shedding blood was still considered something that a cleric could never do.
Reading a prayer from his book
The primary functions of a 1st edition cleric are healing and turning the undead. Most of the spells available to clerics in 1st edition were healing related or defensive in nature. There were only a handful of damage dealing spells. However, the cleric could reverse many of the healing spells available to them to inflict damage. But alignment might restrict this kind of use of the spells.
An evil cleric?
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons Basic
Clerics were available as a standard class in Basic. A more limited spell book was available to them than in 1st edition but the other general rules were very similar.
A good one?
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition
Clerics in 2nd Edition were part of the “Priest” group of classes. Like in 1st edition they still could not shed blood and were required to use blunt weapons such as maces or flails. They could still wear heavy armor and engage directly in melee combat with more efficiency than magic users or thieves.
This dwarf cleric has a very worn looking prayer book with him and a very large hammer
Both 1st and 2nd edition suggest that religious orders such as the Knight’s Templar were the inspiration for creation of this class. The complete priest’s handbook takes the class into further detail.
This cleric is supporting his party in combat
Unlike in first edition the cleric in 2nd edition received spells according to the deity that he or she worshiped and what that deity’s philosophy was. A healing oriented deity would be more likely to grant healing oriented spells than damage dealing ones for example.
This guy has a crossbow….So he must be a later edition cleric
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition
In 3rd edition the cleric no longer had to worship a specific deity in order to receive spells. Unlike in prior editions the cleric no longer obtained these spells from their deity directly.
Wisdom was still a key attribute for spell casting. The cleric was required to choose two domains to focus their training on. These domains had spell lists associated with them for the cleric to prepare.
Clerics no longer had the restriction against edged weapons in this edition. They could use heavy armor and shields. They could not, however, use tower shields. They often chose to wield the signature weapon of their deity.
A cleric using the power of his divinity
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition
Like all classes in fourth edition the cleric a certain number of attack powers per level. The fourth edition PHB lists two possible builds for a cleric. One could play a battle cleric or a devoted cleric. The battle cleric focuses on offense. Prayers were strength or melee related. The devoted cleric was more of a support role.
A cleric using the power of her deity
Clerics in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
In 5th edition the cleric is one of the core classes offered. A cleric can choose from seven domains: knowledge, life, nature, tempest, trickery or war. Each of these domains gives different spell lists.
Life Domain values healing
Knowledge values learning and understanding
Trickery values deception and disrupting
Light values rebirth and renewal
Nature values protection of the natural world
War values fighting for one’s faith
Tempest values the power of the natural world
The fifth edition cleric channels the divine power of their deity. The power of their gods flows through them. They are the divine agents of their gods on this world. They often begin their adventuring life because their gods demand it.
Back damn you! Back I say!
Clerics Turning Away the Dead
One consistent aspect of the cleric through all editions is the ability or power to turn away the undead (and sometimes even demons or fiends). In the early editions of the game the cleric began with this ability. In later additions, such as fifth edition, the cleric gains limited ability to turn undead at 2nd level. The ability to destroy some undead is achieved at 5th level.
By the power of St. Cuthbert Turn Away!
In a sense the cleric was a kind of “Van Helsing” type of character. The cleric would display the holy symbol associated with their deity and use their faith in their god to force the foul creature of the night to flee.
Some clerics are powerful enough to turn the undead to dust
At higher levels the paladin could also turn away the undead in early editions. In fifth edition a paladin with an oath of devotion could use his divine faith to turn away the unholy. One who has taken the oath of the ancients could turn away the faithless. Paladins of other oaths could do neither of these. Unholy encompasses undead and fiends. Faithless encompasses fiends and fey.
This cleric is kinda screwed if she isn’t able to turn the undead away
Clerics as Healers in Dungeons and Dragons
In all editions of the game the cleric is often the provider of healing. All editions of the game provide some healing in the spell lists available for the class. Some editions provide paths for a cleric to take which might make the character less inclined to be the healer. But that is a matter of choice for the character in question.
She has more than just her faith to protect her….a large shield and a mace are also useful
Ultimately most adventuring parties need healing available to them in the course of an expedition into some dungeon or tomb. Without such healing the party is at great risk. Clerics have not always been the most popular class for players in Dungeons and Dragons. In many MMORPGs the Cleric class is so uncommonly chosen that other players are desperate to invite them to their groups. Healing (and turning the undead) are just not that exciting. As a result many Dungeons and Dragons groups chose to hire an NPC cleric to travel with (in the editions where this was possible).
This guy looks like an evil cleric. I love the choice of weapon
Clerics are a necessity in the dark places where adventurers go to explore
Without healing an expedition is often doomed to failure. Without the ability to turn away the undead a group is in severe danger in a tomb or crypt environment. In early editions of Dungeons and Dragons some types of undead had the terrifying ability to drain away the life force (experience levels) of characters that they could touch. Naturally having a cleric along to make these horrors flee was of paramount importance to success.
An evil high priest can be a terrifying foe
Ultimately any group can benefit from having a cleric with them. Healing spells and turning the undead are certainly helpful. And in later editions the cleric could become a successful damage dealer with their spells as well.
A flaming mace….nice
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I recently decided to do a few reviews of adventures written for publication after an request on Dragonsfoot for someone to read a new submission to that wonderful site. If you love old school Dungeons and Dragons then Dragonsfoot is a place you need to be. It is filled with old school gamers and free adventures. There are many other reviewers out there on the web. But I suspect there is far more material these days than there are people to review them.
The Hidden Tomb of Nephabti unfortunately is not available for free at that site. It is available, however, as a pay what you want file from Drive Thru RPG. You can find a link to it at Nephabti.
This adventure is from a publisher called Old School Rules. The author is Jeremy Reaban. It is an Egyptian themed adventure. There are lots of mummies, Egyptian gods and heroes in this module. It does not specify the suggested levels or numbers of party members as most adventures do. So one would likely want to read this adventure before deciding if it is appropriate for the characters in their own campaign. My personal opinion is that it is probably appropriate for six characters of around 7th to 10th level of experience. While the module does not specifically state this either….it appears to be compatible with OSRIC or 1st Edition AD&D.
The tomb is that of an Egyptian Paladin named Nephabti. She is not actually dead. Instead she is held in sort of stasis prison in this tomb. The goal of this adventure is to find her and release her from this situation.
What I like about Hidden Tomb of Nephabti
I do like the Egyptian theme. Mummies and new monsters are always a plus in an adventure and this has both. There are also some new magic items. Overall the adventure does keep up this Egyptian theme.
The map is simple and old school. It is white tile on black background. A player map is also provided which can be found during the adventure.
There are false burial chambers and false Nephabtis to confuse and confound the adventurers during their exploration of the tomb.
The adventurers can find and team up with a talking frog with some magical abilities of his own.
There were some interesting magical tricks in the adventure involving fountains and mirrors. One of my favorite aspects of dungeons involve these types of tricks. I probably use a few too many of them in my own adventures.
The setup and background information is very short. The adventure pretty much dives right in from the first page.
Things that I did not like about the adventure
It seemed a bit too free with the magic items. I try to keep a tight reign on magic given to my players during a campaign. I know that many other dungeon masters feel the same about this subject. To my mind magic items need to be earned. I do not allow magic items to be bought in my campaigns (although I will allow sale of them to NPCs). During this adventure a few of the magic items seem a bit too powerful for the level of challenge. Particularly I do not like giving away magical armor so freely. This adventure has a bronze plate mail +3 and a normal plate mail +1 as well as other things.
While I love a short setup and background….this adventure probably needs a little more than it has. No where that I could find does it specifically state the edition that this game is written for or the levels that it is intended for. These can easily be deduced but still. I think I would state it somewhere right up front.
Would I recommendHidden Tomb of Nephabti ?
Of course. It is pay what you want. If you do not like it….you are not required to pay anything for it. I write a lot of Pay What You Want adventures on Drive Thru RPG so I fully recommend that if you do like what you read that you give a little to the author for his work.
If you like Egyptian themed adventures this one is for you. If not…. It is still worth reading.
Would I play Hidden Tomb of Nephabti with my own group?
Probably not. I just do not see how it would fit with my current campaign. But that is not a knock on this adventure.
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Inferno is an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition module written for Judges Guild by Geoffry O. Dale. This is a 68 page old school adventure involving the planes of hell itself. It was first published in 1980.
Judges Guild produced many early Dungeons and Dragons and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventures. Some of these modules are classics. Inferno is one of these. Not because it so spectacularly written. It isn’t. And not because of the artwork. The artwork was okay for it’s time but by today’s standards is extremely low budget. But it is classic for it’s very subject matter.
At a time when Dungeons and Dragons was being attacked by religious leaders and parents about some ridiculous ideas of the game involving devil worship Judges Guild produces a module for the game involving……the Nine Hells…..
The adventure basically adapts the ancient poem “Dante’s Inferno.” It takes that poem’s descriptions of hell and makes them into a Dungeons and Dragons module. It attempts to faithfully follow the road map set out by Dante. The adventurers find themselves on the road to hell and must find their way out in this module.
Things that I liked about this adventure
It is hard. Following the path to hell and back is not going to be easy. Low level characters need not apply. There are lots of devils and arch-devils to be found in this adventure. Some of the devils described in this adventure were not even in the AD&D Monster Manual.
The module adds many new monsters. It adds a few new spells. And it adds new magic items and even artifacts.
There are few long descriptions of areas in this adventure. In typical Judges Guild fashion most of the encounters are not described in length. Instead they are set out in a manner that lets the Dungeon Master do the rest.
It is a fairly long adventure. Inferno is nearly 70 pages long. But little of this material is wasted space. Most of the text gets right to the point.
Things that I did not like about Inferno
It is incomplete. The story ends at the 5th circle of hell.
While I like the fact that Judges Guild adventures often get right to the point it would be nice, sometimes, if they gave us a little more description than they do.
Many of the new monsters are really just duplicate versions of ones already in the Monster Manual and add nothing new.
In one part of the adventure there is a demon. In Hell? Demons belong in the Abyss.
Sometimes the writer seems to ramble a bit. The text is not nearly as clean and clear as it could be.
Would I recommend this adventure?
Yes. I would. I think it would be fun to run a high level party through hell. I have considered doing so many times with my own players. And this module would greatly reduce the amount of work involved. But as I said….it is incomplete.
Would I run Inferno with my own players?
Probably not as is. It would require a great deal of revision and extra work before I would feel comfortable running it with my own group.
Unfortunately I do not have a link for you to purchase this module at this time. Should this change I will update this review. Thanks to a couple of the readers of this article I now have an active link for you:
The Underdark in Dungeons and Dragons is a place deep below the surface of the world. It is a dark place where evil things lurk. It is a dangerous place where terrifying creatures live in cities beneath the planet surface.
This is a volatile and dangerous place to visit
The Underdark in Dungeons and Dragons first made it’s appearance in a AD&D publication called “Descent into the Depths of the Earth” in 1978. This module was part of Gary Gygax’s Greyhawk Campaign. The D series of modules were an extension of the earlier G series (Against the Giants) modules. The uprising of hill giants, frost giants and fire giants was the result of instigation by the Drow. After the players defeat the fire giants in G3 they will likely find themselves in pursuit of a group of Drow which retreat down a tunnel deep into the Underdark. The D series then expands upon this new place with three modules that expand upon this wondrous place. The series comes to a conclusion with module Q1 “Queen of the Demon Web Pits.”
A bridge over an Underdark chasm
A Vast Subterranean Realm
The Underdark is massive. It is deep beneath the surface. And it is so large that many entire cities of different races live in these dark places. It is a dark and dangerous place. The creatures that dwell there tend to have the ability to see in the darkness. But those from the surface may not have this natural ability. There are alien things in this underground world. There are fungus and lichen which may give light. Some of these things might even be eaten. But some may very well be poisonous instead.
Water sources beneath the surface may not be readily available to a surface dweller traveling in the Underdark. One can be certain that the creatures that live there will know where water can be found and will have it well guarded from others who might wish to use some of it. Food sources might be equally as scarce.
This alien world is massive
The Underdark in Forgotten Realms
Greyhawk was not the only published campaign to have elements involving the Underdark. The Forgotten Realms also included this mysterious place. The Forgotten Realms actually expands upon the Underdark and divides it into three areas. The Upper Dark is closer to the surface. There are many tunnels leading to and from the Underdark and the surface at this level. The creatures here are less dangerous, generally, than deeper levels. The Middle Dark is more dangerous. Great cities of Drow and other creatures are believed to be located here. And the Lower Dark is a virtual mystery even to many of those who live in the Underdark. What lives at this lowest level is unknown. It is believed that cities of some of the most dangerous Underdark dwellers may be found there.
Drizzt Do’Urden
The Underdark in Literature
R.A. Salvatore wrote about the Underdark extensively in his series involving the Drow hero Drizzt Do’Urden. This character was then included in the Forgotten Realms campaign as an important Non Player Character. Drizzt furst appeared in the Icewind Dale trilogy. He is an unusual Drow. Unlike his brethren he is not evil. In fact he is against the evil tendencies of his race and becomes an outcast from his people. He ends up traveling to the surface and living in the light.
A Drow City Beneath the Surface
Who lives in the Underdark in Dungeons and Dragons?
Who lives in this underground world? Who would even want to live there? There are creatures in Dungeons and Dragons that prefer darkness to light. And some that prefer to dig beneath the surface rather than create structures above ground for dwelling. Naturally all of these types of creatures can be found in the Underdark:
Aboleths
Beholders
Derro
Driders
Drow
Duergar
Dwarves
Fomorian Giants
Gnomes
Hook Horrors
Kuo Toa
Mind Flayers
Myconids
Troglodytes
Many other subterranean races
Some of these creatures have built massive cities beneath the surface. Most of them are evil. A few are not. All live in competition there in this world beneath the surface. Wars are fought for space and resources in this dark place.
An Angry Group of DerroGray Dwarves (The Duergar)
Dwarves in the Underdark
There are three types of Dwarves living in the darkness below. Good aligned Dwarves have cities that the have built here and have fought to protect for centuries. Duergars are known as the Gray Dwarves. They are an evil aligned group that dwells under the land. Derro is another evil race of Dwarves that lives here. Dwarves are natural miners and diggers. To find them in a place like this is to be expected. But they often must fight with other races to protect their homes and resources from others.
You do not want to stumble upon this guy in the Underdark
Beholders in the Underdark
Beholders in all of their many variations can be found here. The massive Eye Tyrants often lead cities deep beneath the surface. This species is highly intelligent but also highly aggressive. They do not work well or play well with others in the Underdark. They have fought wars against the Drow and others in this place.
The Underdark is an alien and mysterious place
Gnomes in the Underdark
Deep Gnomes known as the Svirfneblin live in the Underdark. These deep gnomes have the ability to listen to the earth and stone. They do not communicate with it but they learn many things from it. Unlike other gnomes this race tends towards neutrality.
I’d bet these two wished they had not visited this dangerous and hostile place
Mind Flayers in the Underdark
The Illithid have massive cities beneath the planet surface. They sometimes cooperate with other races below but often merely dominate those other races. They have sometimes fought wars against other races that did not wish to accept their rule. It is said that Elder Brain Mind Flayers rule massive cities of the Illithid. These terrifying creatures have powerful psionic abilities as well as tentacles that can rip the brain out of a victim’s head for devouring.
Fomorian Giants playing with a new friend
Giants
A few giants are known to be found in the Underdark. Fomorian giants, stone giants and even fire giants might be found here.
A Drow city in the Underdark
The Drow
The Dark Elves are known to have many cities beneath the surface. Many of their great houses have become incredibly powerful and compete for control of their society. Some worship the Demon Princess Lolth. Others do not. But all are generally evil with very few known exceptions.
The Drow rule their lands with an iron fist
The Nature of the Underdark
The Underdark in Dungeons and Dragons is a place filled with caverns. But these are no ordinary caverns. These are massive. And these caverns follow an enormous tunnel descending steadily deeper into the earth. Entire cities are carved out of these tunnels and caverns at different places along the way.
There are few sources of light in this world. Some fungi and luminous rocks give off a little light. Most of the creatures dwelling beneath the surface have little need for it. Most have infravision or ultravision. Surface dwellers traveling in this world must bring their own sources of light or find themselves at a severe disadvantage in combat.
Strange fungi give off light in some places in the Underdark
The temperature of the Underdark is typically chilly or clammy. But thermal activity beneath the surface can make some parts of the Underdark quite warm.
Sound in the Underdark is often absent. These tunnels and caverns are almost tomb like in many places. There are often miles of empty tunnel before encountering any group of dwellers in this land.
You do not want to get lost in this place
In some places the air beneath the surface is stale and nearly unbreathable by surface dwellers. Gasses may build up in places from geothermal activity. Sometimes these gasses pool up in tunnels (particularly those tunnels trapped by water). Sometimes these gasses might even be explosive.
Getting lost in the Underdark is quite easy for surface dwellers who are not familiar with these lands. One would do well not to get lost in this alien world. For to do so would invite tragedy.
A map of the Forgotten Realms Underdark
Who rules the Underdark in Dungeons and Dragons?
No single government or entity rules the entire Underdark. But there are many powerful groups there that control significant parts of it. Wars are fought constantly beneath the surface for control of geography and valuable resources. Water and food are scarce. And there is always conflict over control of such things.
There are many city-states beneath the surface. Each of these entities rules itself. But there are alliances of these cities and states which prevent others from taking total control over an area.
Many of these races are not even ruled by one single ruler. There are competing cities of Drow. There are many cities of beholders and mind flayers and dwarves. No single government or king rules all of them.
The Underdark is a hostile place to visit
The Underdark in Dungeons and Dragons is a grim and dreary place for those that live there
But for players and dungeon masters it is a fantastic world to adventure in. This place is so alien and different to the surface that a great deal of time could be spent exploring it. But clearly this is not a place to be visited by some low level adventurers. It is a dangerous and volatile place. Even without the races and monsters living there the environment itself is hostile to survival of surface dwellers traveling there. One should use great caution before embarking on any expedition to this dangerous place.
Even some dragons may be met beneath the surface of the world
If you would like an excellent reference on the Underdark which is not system specific you might try this product:
This fine book was written for 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons but contains no system specific statistics. It is an extremely detailed guide to every detail that a dungeon master might want to know in order to create an Underdark adventure for players. It is available on Drivethrurpg for download (or printing).
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Warren of the Withered Worm is an adventure module written for 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons by RC Pinnel. It will be available for free download at Dragonsfoot later this week.
Warren of the Withered Worm is about dragons. RC Pinnel takes the 1st edition dragon a little further than what the Monster Manual provides. He extends the table of dragon ages by two to create a new, stronger, type of dragon called the immortal. This dragon age has more hit dice, more breath weapons, greater intelligence and more spell casting power.
This adventure is a huge maze of caverns ruled by a single immortal red dragon. She is a powerful creature and this adventure requires powerful adventurers to succeed. The module suggests characters of 10-14th level of experience. This is a pretty powerful dragon. It will take characters of those levels to defeat her. Some of the other creatures in her caverns are also pretty dangerous.
One of those other creatures in the caverns is a new monster called a Blast Spore. Blast spores are a cousin to the Gas Spore. Only when they are struck they do far more damage than their cousins. And there are other possible negative effects to those who are unfortunate enough to be close when this occurs.
Things that I liked about this adventure
There are a number of points that I enjoyed about reading this adventure. The first thing I will say is that the initial background information and setup is short. One thing that often irritates me about reading adventures for the first time is having to read six pages of background information and history which neither I nor my players are going to care much about. This adventure keeps that stuff to about a page.
It is a fairly high level adventure. There is always a shortage of those for 1st edition. This one is for 10th to 14th level. My own group is in that level range right now which makes this adventure especially interesting to me.
This adventure is about a dragon lair. There are not many published adventures specifically about dragon lairs. I wrote one myself and did a bit of research on others of the same kind. There are plenty of modules that have dragons in them. There are just not that many that are solely about the lair of a dragon.
Warren of the Withered Worm offers a new monster. That is always a plus. It also offers an updated version of the dragon. Which is also nice. It also offers an extension of the age table from the Monster Manual which is a bonus to dungeon masters who might like to design other dragons stronger than those available in the Monster Manual.
It provides pregenerated characters. This makes it easy to use for a one shot if a DM does not which to include it in their campaign but still wants to play it.
It is a short adventure. It is only about ten pages long. The format is clean and easy to read. There is no boxed test to read but the area descriptions are not extremely long. One can easily describe the rooms to the players from the first few lines of each area description.
Did I mention that it is free? Everything on Dragonsfoot is free to download. It is the best free source for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventures out there.
Things that I did not particularly like
While I like having a new monster the Blast Spore is kind of a gotcha trap type of monster. It does an enormous amount of damage as well as doing two other negative effects to the adventurers encountering them. While I realize that characters of 10th to 14th level would hardly be affected by a normal gas spore exploding nearby the amount of damage these blast spores do is 18-108 plus two other negative effects on top. That seems a bit like overkill to me. I know my players would think so.
One of the premises of this adventure is that a gas spore queen has made an agreement with the dragon to have these things populate the caverns for defense. I do not see how this could be possible. Gas spores are non intelligent as per the Monster Manual. I can certainly see such creatures being present in the caves and perhaps left alone by the inhabitants but I do not see them as capable of intelligent action or making agreements. Perhaps there could be one intelligent queen but that would not make her other gas spores intelligent enough to avoid harming the guardians of the caves.
One other issue involving the gas spores and blast spores is this. Since there are no beholders in this adventure it is likely that the first time the players encounter one of these in the caverns they are likely to believe all of the others that they encounter will be the same or similar.
In one treasure area the writer places the ancient artifact “The Wand of Orcus.” He suggests that you might substitute some other item which has benefits and drawbacks. I personally would never drop an artifact like that in a treasure hoard…..not even an Immortal Dragon….. unless the adventure itself was specifically about finding this relic. A relic like that deserves much more in my opinion.
The map for the adventure is fine….except….there are no exit tunnels. There is one way in and one way out. An intelligent dragon of this sort is going to have a way to escape. While she does have many places in the caverns to retreat to it seems unlikely that she would not have a tunnel or two to the surface in case she needed to flee entirely. A dragon does not make it to the age that she is without having taken precautions of this sort.
Would I recommend Warren of the Withered Worm ?
Of course. It is free. Did I mention that before a few times? Why not download it and read it? You can always modify it to your tastes. The writer of the adventure even suggests that you do in several places.
Would I run the adventure with my own group?
In a word….maybe. The adventure is in the level range of my own players characters. So I will definitely consider it. I would probably modify the map as mentioned to give the dragon options for escape. I would remove the Wand of Orcus. I might adjust the damage of the Blast Spores. And I would probably remove or change a few of the magic items given (duplicative with my own campaign).
The adventurers continue exploring the cave and underground lake in search of the strange blue fungus needed for the potion that the sage Remacle intends to make which may weaken the Tarrasque. The last time the adventurers explored the cave they fought off some kind of strange underwater tentacled beast that was grabbing them and dragging them down into the water.
This time the adventurers explored the cave itself further and found a large cache of treasure which they collected. But in the process they were engaged by a large group of trolls. After defeating the trolls the adventurers proceeded into the water.
Only three of the adventurers had water breathing magic so the other two stayed above. This turned out to be a near disaster for the party.
Kopoacinth
After defeating some giant gar and an eye of the deep (lake variety) they were engaged by a group of Kopoacinth along with more tentacles from the unseen creature and the real threat in this lake…..an Aboleth Savant.
This battle did not go well. The tentacles began pinning the adventurers as the other creatures did damage to them. The Aboleth Savant did take a bit of damage but then healed herself. The adventurers smartly broke free and got back to the surface and escaped with their lives.
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons were first introduced in the 1975 Greyhawk Supplement. The character class was a fan created one. While it is clear that Gary Gygax, and the others involved in the early Dungeons and Dragons creative effort, had ideas regarding a thief class they did not include it with the first classes available. But a dungeon master who was playing the early game, by the name of Gary Switzer, had been using a home brewed version with his own group. He then shared this information with Gary Gygax over the phone and it was included with the Greyhawk Supplement. Unlike the later version of this class it began with only a four sided hit dice.
Escaping with the goods
The class was immediately popular. It has been included in virtually ever edition of the game since. In third edition the thief class was renamed as the rogue. But the concept is still the same. The thief is a burglar. A scoundrel. Or a rogue. The thief is not a melee fighter. She wants to stand in the back of the party or backstab someone from the shadows.
Trusting your fellow thieves is not wise
One of my favorite images of the thief class is the Malak character from Conan The Destroyer. He is the guy prying gems out of the wall while the others are reading hieroglyphics or are looking for a way out of the tomb. He is the guy who uses two small daggers to backstab a warrior attacking Conan. And he is the one who throws a small dagger at the sleeping god when it has Conan in it’s embrace.
A thief skulking away quietly
Thieves in Other Movies and Literature
Some of the inspirations for the thief class finally included in the Greyhawk Supplement were Bilbo Baggins from the Hobbit, Fritz Lieber’s Gray Mouser and Jack Vance’s Cugel the Clever. But movies and literature have provided many other examples of the thief class. In my earlier discussion of Conan the Destroyer I mentioned Malak. But in the earlier Conan movie (The Barbarian) Conan himself identifies as a thief. As does his two companions. Most of us would see Conan himself as being a warrior but clearly he sees no distinction between the two.
A 5th edition thief showing her teeth
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition
The thief was a standard class in 1st edition. Unlike the previous edition the thief now had a six sided dice for hit points. Unlike other classes the thief class had an extremely low barrier for entry. The only required statistic was a dexterity of 9. Virtually anyone could become a thief. And that was the point. The thief was the catch all tomb robber, adventurer, grave robber, thug, pickpocket and burglar.
Lurking in the shadows can be beneficial to the thief looking for easy pickings
The thief had special skills. These skills were also available (in more limited form) to some other classes in 1st edition including the monk, bard and assassin. But the thief did them better than anyone else. These special skills were:
Picking pockets
Picking locks
Finding traps
Removing traps
Moving silently
Hiding in shadows
Listening at doors
Climbing
Back stabbing
Reading languages
Watch out for that little halfling with the blades
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition could be any race. Unlike other classes non-human thieves could rise to unlimited levels with the exception of Half Orcs which were restricted to 8th level. Different races were better at different thief skills. Some gained significant bonuses to certain skills as a racial bonus.
At 10th level the thief could even read and understand some magical writings. They could even cast spells from scrolls (excluding clerical).
The class was further modified in Unearthed Arcana to include a thief acrobat class. This class had more restrictions than the normal thief class but gave the character more gymnastic type abilities than the normal thief class.
Sneaking away with the goods
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons Basic Edition
In basic Dungeons and Dragons (in it’s different incarnations) the thief was required to be human. Individual races that were not human were considered their own class for purposes of this edition. An elf was just an elf. A dwarf was just a dwarf. Like AD&D the thief can read languages and even use scrolls at higher levels.
A den of thieves
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition
In Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition the thief is included as part of a rogue group. Later it is greatly expanded upon in the Complete Thief’s Handbook. That was one thing that 2nd edition did which was really rather cool at the time. They came out with a separate book which expanded upon the rules of each of the available classes. This allowed one to develop their character further than ever before.
Sometimes the target resists having his money taken…..a pity
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition
In 3rd edition the thief was renamed the rogue. They were still the class that could find traps and pick locks. They were still the class that could sneak up and stab someone from behind. This edition removed the percentage rolls needed in earlier editions for the thief to succeed in their special skills. Now there was a “Difficulty Class” check which has been included for nearly everything in later editions. The sneak attack for 3rd edition replaced the backstab attack from earlier editions. This type of attack recognizes a flank attack as being something that a rogue could achieve. This type of attack resulted in a potential critical hit instead of a damage multiplier from earlier editions.
Some thieves are willing to do what needs to be done
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition
Fourth edition continues with the rogue class but later re-added a thief class as well. The thief and rogue are more skirmish fighters in this edition. Each rogue has the ability to specialize as either an artful dodger or a brutal scoundrel. Which path is chosen determines the special types of abilities that are gained later.
Some guards should be more attentive
Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
This edition goes back to the generic rogue as a standard character class. The player can choose one of three paths to follow to develop their character:
Thief
Assassin
Arcane Trickster
The thief focuses on stealing. Skills involving climbing and sneaking are developed. The Assassin focuses on killing and murder. Skills involving poison and disguise are developed. Arcane trickster focuses on magic.
Sometimes it pays to get a good view of the city to find targets of opportunity
Other supplements provided two more paths one could follow. These include:
Swashbuckler
Inquisitive
The swashbuckler was a swordsman. The Inquisitive was more like a detective.
The thief makes his approach……
Thieves are an essential class in Dungeons and Dragons
The thief, or rogue, is a necessary class in some editions. Without the thief one has great difficulty finding traps or opening doors. In later editions this distinction is blurred. Other classes can perform some of those skills so the thief is no longer as essential.
In the earliest editions the thief was the easiest class to qualify for. The implication was that a party might have multiple thieves but only one cleric or wizard might be with the group.
She has some climbing to do to get to work
Even the iconic cover of the First Edition Player’s Handbook seems to support this idea. If you look at the great demon idol picture you will notice several people doing different things in the image. A wizard stands near a fighter who is sharpening his sword. Two more fighters (or perhaps one is a cleric) are looking at a map. Behind them two thieves are stealing the gems out of the demon idol while their friends seem to not notice what they are doing. On the back cover two more thieves are carrying off a treasure chest (one of these might be a fighter). Another thief is dragging a lizard man away. And another thief is rolling a barrel away. This party seems to have about half thieves and the other half are other classes. None, strangely, appear to be demi-humans.
In any case what is clear is that the thief, or rogue, class is an essential class for Dungeons and Dragons. Every edition has included it. And more than likely so will the next edition if there is one.
Looks like no one is home….time to work….
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My high level adventurers once more embark on an epic adventure. After exploring the mysterious castle of Tiamat which appeared near the capital city of Zanzia the adventurers were hoping for a little down time to retire to their keeps. But this was not to be the case. For a new threat to the kingdom, and even to their individual keeps, arrived swiftly.
The Legendary Tarrasque has been spotted nearby. It has destroyed towns and villages in the kingdom and appears on a collision course with the capital of Zanzia and the keeps of the adventurers themselves. It is only a matter of time before the beast arrives and destroys everything in it’s path.
The king summons the adventurers and tells them that a reclusive sage one escaped the Tarrasque as a boy. He has been studying this creature ever since and is the recognized expert in the kingdom on the subject of the beast. Perhaps this reclusive sage might have ideas on how the creature could be defeated.
The adventurers begin an expedition to the dark forest of Zanzia and locate this sage named Remacle. Remacle tells the adventurers that there is but one hope. A special weapon might be created to temporarily reduce the resistances of the legendary creature for a short time. This could potentially give the adventurers a short window in which to destroy the creature.
But the task will not be easy. In fact….defeating the Tarrasque itself might be easier. For this weapon is a potion which must be thrown upon the creature. The potion requires special ingredients which will be very difficult to obtain. These ingredients are:
Dust from the skull of a Demi-Lich
Egg from the largest Roc in Zanzia
Ink from the largest Kraken in Zanzia
Special Mold from the bottom of a nearby lake cavern (Owned by an Aboleth Savant)
Central eye from an undead hive mother
Egg from the worm tunnels of Zanzia
Any one of these tasks might be fatal to most adventurers. All of them together is a nightmare. But despite these risks the adventurers accept this task and begin with an expedition to the cavern nearby with the lake.
Shriekers wailing
Things begin quickly. The cave has an alarm system of shriekers. These begin wailing the moment the adventurers arrive and bring a large pack of trolls to investigate. A large battle ensues.
Angry trolls
After this battle the adventurers find themselves set upon by dark tentacles reaching out of the water. Some of these begin grabbing adventurers and dragging them down into the brackish water. After a very long battle these tentacles are finally driven off back down into the depths of the lake. Before this occurs 39 of the tentacles lay on the cavern floor.
The adventurers retire and camp in the woods nearby where they fight off two random encounters with little difficulty.
The Intellect Devourer in Dungeons and Dragons is an unusual looking creature. It’s very appearance is terrifying. It looks like a brain with legs. And it’s abilities are equally frightening.
The Intellect Devourer in Dungeons and Dragons made it’s first appearance in in the Eldritch Wizardry supplement for Original Dungeons and Dragons in 1976. It has been present in most of the later editions including second, third, fourth and fifth.
These creatures are chaotic. And they are very evil. They are masters of psychic powers and often dominate their enemies by controlling their minds. They could consume an opponent’s mind and then use their body as a host.
These claws are only part of the danger
The Intellect Devourer in Combat
These foul creatures are able to attack with their claws if they choose to do so. But their primary form of attack is with psionic energy. In fact they live off of this energy. And they consume this energy from their victims.
In early editions of Dungeons and Dragons, which include psionic combat and abilities for player characters, this creature was a danger to those with psychic powers. The creature could sense the use of psionic abilities nearby and would stalk the user of them. The creature would wait for an opportune moment to attack such as when the user was engaged in combat with something else. It would then attack by surprise. It would leap upon it’s victim and tear with it’s claws while simultaneously using psionic attacks such as ego whip or id insinuation. The Intellect Devourer would then insert itself into the body of the victim and make them it’s host. Using this new body it would look for new victims to devour in the same manner.
In fifth edition the creature has changed. Psionics are not a part of the core of this edition of Dungeons and Dragons but the creature has been included nevertheless. So the nature of the beast has been modified for this edition. Instead of using a psionic attack it makes an attack on the intelligence of it’s victim. Anyone that the devourer sees that has a brain is potentially a target. This target must make a DC 12 intelligence saving throw or take 2D10 psychic damage. Additionally the victim must roll 3D6 and if this number exceeds their intelligence score than the intelligence score is reduced to zero. The target remains stunned until regaining at least one point of intelligence. The fifth edition Intellect Devourer can initiate an intelligence contest with an incapacitated humanoid within five feet of it. If it wins the contest it will devour the target’s brain and then teleport itself in it’s place.
These creatures are highly intelligent and very dangerous
The Host of the Intellect Devourer
When the creature places itself into the body of a victim it is safe from the dangers of the outside world. It’s host will take the damage from anyone attempting to attack it until the host is reduced to zero hit points. At this point the creature must leave the body of it’s host and is again at risk.
While in a host body the Intellect Devourer in Dungeons and Dragons gains the knowledge of the person it has taken over. It knows their spells and languages (in fifth edition at least).
Psionic powers are the most dangerous aspect of these beasts
The Intellect Devourer in Dungeons and Dragons likes places in the dark
These creatures lurk in the shadows in places deep beneath the earth. They are inhabitants of places like the Underdark. Different forms of Dungeons and Dragons have stated different things about the origins of these creatures. The Fifth Edition Monster Manual states that they are creatures of the Illithids. This edition holds that the Mind Flayers breed these creatures .
In Advanced Dungeons and Dragons First Edition these creatures were found in other places. The Monster Manual for this edition mentions nothing about any connection to the Mind Flayer. Instead it says that the Devourers often travel the ethereal and astral planes.
The Intellect Devourer had special abilities involving darkness in 1st edition as well. The creature had the natural ability to hide in the shadows as a 10th level thief. Normal weapons could not hit the creature. One had to use a magical weapon of +3 or better to hit the creature and do damage. When struck with one of these weapons they would take only 1 point of damage. But bright light would drive them off.
This one is looking for a new host……is it going to be you?
Killing an Intellect Devourer in Dungeons and Dragons
These special defenses made the 1st edition Intellect Devourer difficult to kill. But certain spells would harm it nevertheless. A fireball would do it no damage but the brightness of it would scare the creature away. A lightning bolt would do only one point per dice of damage. A death spell would work against the creature 25% of the time. But a power word kill would instantly slay them.
The Fifth Edition variety is considerably weaker. They are only a CR 2 creature. They have none of the special defenses that First Edition gave them other than protection from normal weapons.
They look similar to the Intellect Devourer
The Ustilagor
The Monster Manual II for 1st edition added a variant of the Intellect Devourer called the Ustilagor. In fact these creatures are not really Intellect Devourers at all. But their appearance makes them look rather similar. The Ustilagor is a fungi that appears to be a brain like growth with coral like appendages.
These creatures existed in first, second and third editions of Dungeons and Dragons but was not included in the later editions.
Like the Intellect Devourer they could attack psionically but only with id insinuation. They could only be psionically attacked in turn with psionic blast.
The Ustilagor could be physically attacked and had a rather high armor class (bad in first edition). It’s psionic abilities made it immune to most magic.
This one had it’s nails done apparently….
The Intellect Devourer in Dungeons and Dragons was a creature of nightmares
These creatures live the dark and hide in the shadows. They find a victim and stalk that victim until an opportune moment and then pounce. When they do attack they will attempt to do so by surprise. They will prefer opportunities when no one else will be aware that the attack has taken place. They will take over the body of their victim and will use this new host as a place to launch their next attack. Obviously the early edition versions of the Intellect Devourer were more dangerous. But even the Fifth Edition Intellect Devourer is capable of causing serious harm. One should be careful traveling the dark places beneath the earth for one of these creatures might be lurking just a little too close.
The First Edition Version
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