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<\/a>\nPrison of the Firebringer
\nBy Richard Baker
\nLevel 13<\/p>\n
Heh. \u201cOver the centuries he has come to hate Faerun \u2026 with a vitriolic ire \u2026.\u201d Preach it brother slaad!<\/p>\n
A fire cult, full of slaad, is trying to free a slaad lord (cr21.) It has the pretext of an investigation up front, with many words on several pages, but there is nothing very useful in it. This is really an adventure with a couple of pitched battles followed by two combat-heavy dungeon\/lairs. The first three encounters, an ambush, a beholders tower, and a old farm-like compound, fall into the set piece category. That\u2019s not exactly a criticism, but more of an observation. All three present an environment in which a large and ranging combat could take place. \u201cOh, the farm has seven rooms to describe \u2026\u201d No, it has seven places where combat can start. It\u2019s not an exploratory environment. I like a complex environment for a battle, crashing through floors, pulling down walls, setting hay on fire, etc. It\u2019s the seventeen pages it takes to get to the point that\u2019s more the problem. And that\u2019s just for those three encounters. After that the dungeon starts, which is really just an underground fortress stuffed full of things to hack. Unlike the dynamic 3-d environment above ground the dungeon area doesn\u2019t offer the height and open spaces and is less suited for the sorts of \u201cpulling agro\u201d combats \u2026 as anyone holding a doorway can attest. There are some advice sections on how the creatures react \u2026 but EVERYTHING is buried in text. How many creatures are there? Time to dig through the text. Key elements? Time to dig through the text. I really like the party coming up to a combat site, formulating a plan, attacking the farmhouse compound, and then the plan going to hell and chaos breaking out. Those sorts of wide-ranging things are conducive to creative play and fun. But endless combat after combat in the dungeon against an organized foe? Slog-fest.<\/p>\n
The Chasm Bridge
\nBy Desmond P. Varady
\nLevel 7<\/p>\n
Just another bullshit set-piece environment. There\u2019s a chasm in the underdark and a bridge with toll collectors. If you don\u2019t pay the toll you get attacked. If you pay the toll you get attacked. If you go around you get attacked. Not by different foes, mind you, but by the exact same groups. This is really just a side-trek. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Only two adventures and a shift to combat focused adventures does NOT bode well for my future state of mental well being … Prison of the Firebringer By Richard Baker Level 13 Heh. \u201cOver the centuries he has come to … Continue reading