H2 Thunderspire Labyrinth is the second heroic-tier adventure for D&D 4th edition by Wizards of the Coast, and a loose sequel to H1 Keep on the Shadowfell. The adventure takes place in the Labyrinth beneath Thunderspire Peak, once the capital of a minotaur kingdom, but now inhabited by many different groups of humanoids and monsters. An enclave of traders in the Seven-Pillared Hall operates under the watchful eyes of the Mages of Saruun, providing a meeting place between the surface world and the Underdark.
This adventure is presented in two books. Adventure Book 1 (32 pages) provides an overview of the adventure, four suggested hooks & quests for the PCs, a description of the likely home base for the PCs during the adventure - the aforementioned Seven-Pillared Hall - five new monsters, and a collection of illustrations. Adventure Book 2 (64 pages) contains the encounters of the four "dungeon" areas of the adventure. These booklets are contained in a cardboard folder which also has a double-sided poster map for use with miniatures that depicts three combat areas.
Thunderspire Labyrinth may be run in one of two fashions, depending on the desires of the Dungeon Master. The first is as a fairly linear quest, with hooks in each adventure area leading onto the next. This way of running the adventure begins with the "Investigate the Bloodreavers" or "Slave Rescue" hooks, where the PCs are sent to rescue villagers taken by a group of hobgoblin slavers. After dealing with the slavers ("The Chamber of Eyes"), they need to find the duergar that have bought the slaves ("The Horned Hold"). Two further slaves were bought by gnolls and must be rescued ("The Well of Demons"). Finally, the PCs might choose to brave the hold of a renegade mage who has been proving troublesome for them ("The Shrine of Vecna").
The second fashion, which needs more work from the DM, allows the PCs to go where they will in the Labyrinth, perhaps taking on quests from the inhabitants of the Seven-Pillared Hall; several such quests are suggested in the adventure. If this method is chosen, it's likely the DM will need to design additional areas in the Labyrinth. Help for doing so is given in the adventure, as well as in Dungeon #156.
This adventure is another fairly good one from Wizards. It is somewhat heavy on the combat, but the adventure areas get more and more interesting as you progress through the adventure. The "Well of Demons" has a number of interesting tricks and traps that require at least some problem-solving ability on the part of the players. There is a great deal of role-playing potential in the Hall of Seven Pillars, with a number of pre-existing rivalries detailed, along with quite a number of NPCs to interact with. Some of the dungeon areas also permit role-playing as an alternative method of bypassing encounter or at least of making them easier.
Splitting the adventure into four smaller sections (as well as a couple of interludes) is also a good way of keeping things managable. There are 28 encounters described in all (not counting random events or interactions in the Seven Pillared Hall), which will take the average group about 5-7 four-hour sessions to play through.
One problem in the adventure comes from "The Horned Hold" section, which describes a duergar stronghold. At eight encounter areas, it is exceedingly likely that a party will be unable to clear it out in one attempt, but very little mention is given of the tactics the duergar will use if they come under repeated assault. How quickly do they replace fallen allies? How do they redistribute their forces? This isn't completely ignored (the entry room gets restocked), but I would have preferred more discussion of what occurs here, as well as the reaction of the duergar trading post in the Seven Pillared Hall if they're not dealt with first.
Physically, the booklets are on a much superior quality of paper than was used in H1 Keep on the Shadowfell, and have been holding up pretty well to their recent usage in my campaign. The way information is presented in the books is also done very well, with a short overview of each adventure area before the details of the encounters therein. Again, the tactical format is used in this adventure.
Overall, I'm fairly pleased with Thunderspire Labyrinth, although it doesn't quite hit the heights of great adventure design. There's plenty of opportunity for the DM to make it his or her own and expand on the material that is already here. In many ways, it hearkens back to old-school design; despite the ability to run it as a mostly linear adventure, you can also run it as a much more free-form adventure. A good, solid adventure.
This adventure is presented in two books. Adventure Book 1 (32 pages) provides an overview of the adventure, four suggested hooks & quests for the PCs, a description of the likely home base for the PCs during the adventure - the aforementioned Seven-Pillared Hall - five new monsters, and a collection of illustrations. Adventure Book 2 (64 pages) contains the encounters of the four "dungeon" areas of the adventure. These booklets are contained in a cardboard folder which also has a double-sided poster map for use with miniatures that depicts three combat areas.
Thunderspire Labyrinth may be run in one of two fashions, depending on the desires of the Dungeon Master. The first is as a fairly linear quest, with hooks in each adventure area leading onto the next. This way of running the adventure begins with the "Investigate the Bloodreavers" or "Slave Rescue" hooks, where the PCs are sent to rescue villagers taken by a group of hobgoblin slavers. After dealing with the slavers ("The Chamber of Eyes"), they need to find the duergar that have bought the slaves ("The Horned Hold"). Two further slaves were bought by gnolls and must be rescued ("The Well of Demons"). Finally, the PCs might choose to brave the hold of a renegade mage who has been proving troublesome for them ("The Shrine of Vecna").
The second fashion, which needs more work from the DM, allows the PCs to go where they will in the Labyrinth, perhaps taking on quests from the inhabitants of the Seven-Pillared Hall; several such quests are suggested in the adventure. If this method is chosen, it's likely the DM will need to design additional areas in the Labyrinth. Help for doing so is given in the adventure, as well as in Dungeon #156.
This adventure is another fairly good one from Wizards. It is somewhat heavy on the combat, but the adventure areas get more and more interesting as you progress through the adventure. The "Well of Demons" has a number of interesting tricks and traps that require at least some problem-solving ability on the part of the players. There is a great deal of role-playing potential in the Hall of Seven Pillars, with a number of pre-existing rivalries detailed, along with quite a number of NPCs to interact with. Some of the dungeon areas also permit role-playing as an alternative method of bypassing encounter or at least of making them easier.
Splitting the adventure into four smaller sections (as well as a couple of interludes) is also a good way of keeping things managable. There are 28 encounters described in all (not counting random events or interactions in the Seven Pillared Hall), which will take the average group about 5-7 four-hour sessions to play through.
One problem in the adventure comes from "The Horned Hold" section, which describes a duergar stronghold. At eight encounter areas, it is exceedingly likely that a party will be unable to clear it out in one attempt, but very little mention is given of the tactics the duergar will use if they come under repeated assault. How quickly do they replace fallen allies? How do they redistribute their forces? This isn't completely ignored (the entry room gets restocked), but I would have preferred more discussion of what occurs here, as well as the reaction of the duergar trading post in the Seven Pillared Hall if they're not dealt with first.
Physically, the booklets are on a much superior quality of paper than was used in H1 Keep on the Shadowfell, and have been holding up pretty well to their recent usage in my campaign. The way information is presented in the books is also done very well, with a short overview of each adventure area before the details of the encounters therein. Again, the tactical format is used in this adventure.
Overall, I'm fairly pleased with Thunderspire Labyrinth, although it doesn't quite hit the heights of great adventure design. There's plenty of opportunity for the DM to make it his or her own and expand on the material that is already here. In many ways, it hearkens back to old-school design; despite the ability to run it as a mostly linear adventure, you can also run it as a much more free-form adventure. A good, solid adventure.
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