A little horror... makes everything better

Recently I put a horror adventure in the DMG based on the story of "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and in a few days I plan to upload another one related to the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film and although I enjoy designing the modules, I realize that there are different difficulties to implement a terrifying environment in 5th edition D&D games, due to the tediousness of the combat and the multiple mechanical possibilities of the characters from level 3 onwards to solve the many problems they face, depending on the type of class, some characters are like Swiss army knives with legs. 

WotC is well aware of this situation, since it tries to make changes on the rules with the Ravenloft module brining really uncomfortable topics to the game table, otherwise, the game does not work effectively to generate a horrific atmosphere. And this happens even in its first edition, but due to the limited tools the characters had in the first edition, it was easy that the simple exploration of a tomb ended up becoming a horrific massacre.

Attracting that pressure to new editions of D&D tends to get a little complicated, so I love to dig into old modules, twist them and give them a macabre approach.  So in a future module I want to give a macabre twist to the classic "The keep on the borderlands" module as it was done in the Dungeon Craft channel. With the difference that although I want to give it a touch of dark fantasy and realism, I am more interested in focusing on the tropes of a more cinematic horror. So I can leave out the corrupt nobles, but I'll stick to the sinister traps and old edition monsters  in a mutant or demonic fresh version. 

I will respect the contributions made by Professor Dugeon Master, so I will look for plot twists to the classic module that are fed from other sources of pop culture. 

Personally I like very much the module of "Out of the Abyss", because of the idea of leaving the demon lords free in Faerun, but without having a full use of all their abilities, which makes possible a lot of conflicts in several cities and towns. So the main villain of my version of the caves of chaos will be one of the demon lords.

In order not to make use of the classic fortress at the edge of the civilized realm, I prefer to make use of the world of Faerun, so instead of the impenetrable fortress, I prefer to make use of the village of Phandalin which is close to the city of Neverwinter and has a lot of games available from the Wizards and the community at the DMG. Phandalin works perfectly, as it has different conflicts going on around it and has npc's that already have a certain relationship with the adventure group. Besides the fact that we have a group of mountains close to the village, where the new caves of chaos will be located and since the village it's famous, isn't complicated to have several replacement adventurers or reliable torch bearers without faces. 

THE VILLAIN:

It is vital to define the villain, because its nature can give us clues about the type of chaos that ended up invading the caves and therefore, the region around them. However, it is difficult because of the striking nature of each demon lord.

I want to avoid the violent Baphomet, because I feel that it would make the module too difficult, since its influence could easily end up perverting multiple npc's, to the point of transforming them into minotaurs...however, it sounds very cool that the village tavern owner can change his form at a time when the adventurers are drinking. 

The good Fraz-Urb'Luu I already used him once and although I like how villainous he is, since he gets stronger as more conspiracies and lies are waged around him, the truth is that it changes too much the essence of the original module, which focuses on exploration and strategy, leaving negotiation in a secondary level. Of course, negotiation is very valuable to make one group of creatures fight against another, but it is not a complex plot. I think the gargoyle will fall asleep. 

The Demogorgon, Well.. I'm not really inspired by it. Juiblex, being the god of the gelatinous cubes, invites you to get creative, because it invites you to imagine different acidic and gelatinous versions of the typical creatures, the same for their appearance and behavior. It would be easy to deduce that I arrive at the region infecting and making everything sick in its path.

Orcus and the Lord of the Gnolls are a bit simple for me, but both could work since they have servile and extremely violent hosts, but the truth is that I am more interested in the possibilities of the perverse lady Zuggtmoy, who by transporting her dark influence through mushrooms, could easily be present in the whole region, generating zombie mushroom creatures of the "Last of us" type, which could unleash a chaos that would invite the players to take action.

I still have to think about it, but at the moment I find myself between the lord of the beasts and the lady of the mushrooms, a group of organisms that can easily reach the lungs of the players and even though the queen was a cause for mockery in her first appearance, it would be good to give her some recognition.

This is just the beginning...

Fermentum Nigrum Dei Sepulti (LOFTP) Review

  A couple of nights ago I finished reading the module of "Fementum" edited by Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and I can say that in many aspects it is a classic D&D adventure but with a huge amount of random tables, which serve to generate an extremely violent and random start of the conflict. 

ART

The module has several finishes that refer to the typeface and religious documents of medieval times, which fits well with the type of adventure, which is based on the novel of the name of the rose and a series of experts on medieval brewing. It sounds a little strange, but everything is well explained and the images serve as a suitable background.

By way of criticism, it seems to me that some of the illustrations are in the way or are larger than they should be, unnecessarily extending the length of the book, which seems to be a one-shot but reaches 100 pages, a situation that in the 90's was considered the norm, but now seems to me to be a bad use of space.

And although art achieves its mission of transporting us to a specific moment in history, it totally fails to generate repugnance or surprise, almost all the illustrations are plain and most of them work.

STRUCTURE

The structure is largely efficient, since all the information is distributed in a sequential way, where the information you may need at the moment is easy to locate, the beginning of the adventure is in the first pages and the end in the last ones, the information is clear and the skills of the creature (one of the best points of the module) are well explained. But the problem is that in some parts the information is a bit excessive, especially in relation to certain tools, which are important, but I feel that it would have been better to summarize the information in a compact format where the main ideas are indicated.

The story is not at all complex, the adventurers must visit St. Christopher's Abbey, they may have some encounters on the way, but once they arrive at the temple, they will have to use all their skills to solve the random conflicts or escape with life, carrying the slight illusion that they are not making the situation of the small world they inhabit worse. Throughout the module there is a historical context of the place, the castle, preparation of the beer, labors and beliefs of the monks locked up in the abbeys. In the same way, the events that happened weeks before the adventure began are detailed, as well as the nature of the creature and a great number of tables that will define part of the events, many of which do not need the presence of the players to be carried out. 

CONCLUSIONS

Although I don't feel the purchase of Fermentum Nigrum Dei Sepulti is mandatory, the truth is that the module has everything necessary to generate a somewhat frenetic and exciting game experience, which can be better if you have the full cooperation of the players and a good reading of the whole module. This is not just another adventure, as it has its unexpected twists and that bizarre/loftp touch, but it lacks it. I like it, but it lacks more personality or interesting npc's.

As an introduction a REVIEW

Greetings. I'm Mexican Dice

I hope you enjoy my content related to tabletop RPGs, at the moment I'm designing material for the Dungeon Master Guild and I opened this blog to have a way of contacting with al interested people in doing so, with nothing more to say.

The F... review!

A few months ago the adventure "Big Pupet" was published and I was surprised not to find a specific review of this book published by Lamentations of the Flame Princess, although after reviewing the material several times I admit that it's  hard to review it without falling into spoilers.

ART

The strongest point of "Big Pupet" is found in its artwork section which accompanies and shapes the world that is presented to us, since almost all the pages have images similar to those of the cover in a collage style, which surprises and generates repulsion in equal parts. The quality and abundance of the images has a clear sense and although they do generate some displeasure it's well done.

The weak part in this section is related to the illustrations of the maps since they are extremely simple and break with the style presented throughout the module. Likewise, it is strange that there is no image where it is possible to observe the whole city where the conflict takes place.

STRUCTURE

The adventure in this section has another weak point, because although it begins by explaining in a general way what the game is going to be about, soon it get lost and start by detailing information about the antagonists, then go to the locations and other important elements for the plot, while constantly reversing between themes and this happens for more than half of the book.

Although it may seem very complicated what is happening, it bothers me to know that everything could be solved with some boxes dedicated to point out the details of vital importance, because in the middle of a session it can be very annoying to find a relevant piece of information.

But not everything is negative, inside the module there is a section dedicated to provide a basic guide on how to use this module, but that make obvious the author's incapacity's. In itself, it is not complicated what is happening, the players are invited to a theater, they begin to notice strange things that happen in the city and act as they wish, that is the essence. The hard part starts when they are confronted with the antagonists, since the results can be very varied. This module needs an experienced narrator.

But undoubtedly the antagonists are a great asset to the story, because although they do not have a complex background, being divided into factions, they can generate interesting interactions with city dwellers and players. 

CONCLUSIONS

Big Pupet is a mess, but I'm looking forward to a one-shot of the strange module, in general I don't think the described facts will last for more than three games, so in my opinion it's a short game. The creature's features and abilities are meant to be used with Loftp and other games from the OSR, but with some imagination they can be used in whatever system the narrator likes. In short, this module requires a certain amount of effort on the part of the master of ceremonies.

I recommend this adventure for people who like to role play because they enjoy the strange and exciting ways in which a group of players can resolve conflicts, no matter how bizarre. Similarly, the manual is full of art that can be uncomfortable and is not suggested for children under 18.