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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tuerny" data-source="post: 2008331" data-attributes="member: 674">Originally appeared on www.Atfantasy.comThe Crucible of Freya, an introductory d20 adventure for level 1 and 2 characters, is the first product of Necromancer Games under the Swords and Sorcery banner. Written by Clark Peterson and Bill Webb, it is made to easily be connected to their free on-line module, the Wizard's Amulet, though its use is not necessary. Presentation: The Crucible of Freya is a forty-eight page booklet with a laminated card-stock cover stapled along the spine. The internal layout is composed of two column pages, with narrow margins, and a compact, but readable, font. The cover artwork is a piece by John Masse. While being not comparable to the likes of Brom or DiTerlizzi, it is still a quality piece of work that fits the module's focus well. The internal artwork is both well placed and appropriate. In many cases this is perfect for holding up to show the players what they see. The maps, which are placed at the center of the module, are generally informative and well done. The only exception is one problem with the map of the ruined keep, which lacks a measurement grid. Overview: The module itself is divided into four parts: Areas of Adventure, the Crucible of Freya, Supplemental Information, and two appendixes.Areas of Adventure provides the setting for the adventure. The information about Fairhill is extensive enough to use for adventures after the module's completion. It explains the wilderness surrounding Fairhill, with particular detail focused on a series of monster lairs (such as a troll, ettin, owlbear, and a mated pair of manticores), the village itself, and the ruined keep that is called home by Tavik, a half-orcish priest of Orcus. The description of Fairhill contains an overview of how the town, how it operates, and details of NPCs. Adding to the thoroughness of the module, the NPC detals include physical descriptions, workable personality descriptions, and numerous adventure hooks. The Ruined Keep is also outlined in this section, with the standard numbered area-by-area description.The Crucible of Freya section provides the actual meat of the adventure, providing it's main plotline, which is at its base rather simple. It involves the recovery of the namesake of the adventure, the Crucible of Freya, from orcish raiders under the command of Tavik. It is divided into a prologue, detailing the PC’s arrival in Fairhill and their wanderings around, and four acts. These four acts cover the theft of the Crucible, the pursuit to recover it, the assault on Tavik's ruined keep, and the conclusion. Each of the sections is thorough, explaining what is going on in each of the acts, and covers most of the possible directions that the players may head in.The Supplemental Information section provides several other possible storylines that can be used within Fairhill, as well as a trio of adventure hooks that can be used to provide further adventures after the end of the Crucible of Freya. The Appendixes cover monster stats for all of the creatures whose stats were not mentioned in the main text, such as those found in a random encounter. A copy of version 1.0 of the Open Gaming License, including an overview of which content within the Crucible of Freya is considered Open Content is also presented here.The Good (i.e. what I liked): Overall, I found the Crucible of Freya to be an excellent, well done adventure. The comprehensiveness of it makes things easier for the GM, something all modules should do. Another appreciated item within the module is that all of the NPCs, even the inconsequential ones, contain personality profiles and physical descriptions, items that are often lacking in modules (even those by WotC.) Fairhill itself is an excellent setting for the beginnings of a campaign, having enough adventure hooks and potential things to do that it can be used even up to fourth or fifth level. The Bad (i.e. what I disliked): Even though I thought, overall, that the module was excellent there were a few things that I had issues with. The most jarring of these was the flavor text's frequent declarations of the player's actions and emotions. If I was playing I would protest this severely. I definitely know that my players would not stand for it. Also of concern is the presence of powerful monsters, such as the troll and the owlbear, in the immediate vicinity of the town that can result in the deaths of an adventurous group that decides to wander. A question that also arose was why Eralion, the shadow-Mage, chose to stay in his crypt. Being incorporeal allowed him to wander through the walls if necessary and there is no stated reason for him to want to stay in the crypt. It may be nit-picky but the stats presented in the Appendix were not entirely accurate in some cases. Several of the characters were missing a feat or had incorrect attack bonuses. Conclusion: Overall, the Crucible of Freya is an excellent module that I would easily recommend to anyone who was looking for a module for low level characters. It easily ranks among the best introductory d20 and D&D modules of all time and serves as an excellent campaign starter. If this is any indication of what future Necromancer Games products are going to be like, then the line will definitely have my patronage for some time to come.</blockquote>

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