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Deathright
I received this module free from Kenzer - in a review promotion. It is a larger than normal module set in the Kalamar campaign world.
Physical Details
Deathright is an 80-page module and utilizes both inside covers. It was written by Robert J. King and Mark Plemmons. The module retails for $15.99, which seems high for a module, but is very appropriate for the size and extras contained in this one.
The cover art was done by David Day. It is functional but somewhat reminiscent of 2nd edition D&D.
The interior is black & white. The interior art ranges from average to the occasional excellent character sketch. The maps are comparable to many other d20 publishers, which is to say that they could be much better.
Summary
The module is excellent, I suffered great agony trying to choose between a 4 star or a 5 star rating. The premise of the adventure is flawless. A Queen devoted to her people forsakes love, but is forced to consent to at least trying to find a suitable mate. She falls madly for the man who wins a contest designed to turn away suitors. He promptly dies and the Queen is driven to the black arts to rejoin her lost love. The players become involved hundreds of years later and have the chance to put her soul to rest.
The dungeon part of the module could have been done better. The backstory includes mention of a near impossible, but not fatal, obstacle course. This is what I was expecting in the dungeon; instead it was a high caliber dungeon, but a dungeon nonetheless.
All of the NPCs are well done. Many of them have stories of their own. The town and region would make for a great home base for many PC groups. The creatures and NPCs are not generally on the cutting edge of character creation. This is a good thing. You can only have so many half dragon NPCs before they get boring. Instead, the authors took great care in making plain ole humans fun and interesting. They avoided the lazy gimmick trap - thank you.
The module has high portability, a few name changes is all that required to add it to most standard fantasy worlds. The magic is not overdone.
The Appendices are an example to all other publishers. This is something to strive for. There is an excellent section on the books found in the module. The information on the Darklight Codex is inspired. 2 PrCs, which are of average quality. The real treat is a card trick that may be done in game. I can't say enough about how wonderful it is to have the "little extras" like that.
This module excels in so many places that I feel compelled to reiterate: while there are some problems, they are minor when taken as part of the larger work. Some of the mechanics are wrong. In several places characters may be spotted on a % roll - without noting their own spot. The module frequently uses Wisdom or Intelligence checks when a skill check would have served better. I thought that in many cases the DC for skill rolls were very high.
Conclusion
9/10. I will be looking into several other modules by K&C. If they are all of this quality, I fear that I won't have as much money to spread around the d20 pool. K&C will be getting the lion's share.
Randy Madden
I received this module free from Kenzer - in a review promotion. It is a larger than normal module set in the Kalamar campaign world.
Physical Details
Deathright is an 80-page module and utilizes both inside covers. It was written by Robert J. King and Mark Plemmons. The module retails for $15.99, which seems high for a module, but is very appropriate for the size and extras contained in this one.
The cover art was done by David Day. It is functional but somewhat reminiscent of 2nd edition D&D.
The interior is black & white. The interior art ranges from average to the occasional excellent character sketch. The maps are comparable to many other d20 publishers, which is to say that they could be much better.
Summary
The module is excellent, I suffered great agony trying to choose between a 4 star or a 5 star rating. The premise of the adventure is flawless. A Queen devoted to her people forsakes love, but is forced to consent to at least trying to find a suitable mate. She falls madly for the man who wins a contest designed to turn away suitors. He promptly dies and the Queen is driven to the black arts to rejoin her lost love. The players become involved hundreds of years later and have the chance to put her soul to rest.
The dungeon part of the module could have been done better. The backstory includes mention of a near impossible, but not fatal, obstacle course. This is what I was expecting in the dungeon; instead it was a high caliber dungeon, but a dungeon nonetheless.
All of the NPCs are well done. Many of them have stories of their own. The town and region would make for a great home base for many PC groups. The creatures and NPCs are not generally on the cutting edge of character creation. This is a good thing. You can only have so many half dragon NPCs before they get boring. Instead, the authors took great care in making plain ole humans fun and interesting. They avoided the lazy gimmick trap - thank you.
The module has high portability, a few name changes is all that required to add it to most standard fantasy worlds. The magic is not overdone.
The Appendices are an example to all other publishers. This is something to strive for. There is an excellent section on the books found in the module. The information on the Darklight Codex is inspired. 2 PrCs, which are of average quality. The real treat is a card trick that may be done in game. I can't say enough about how wonderful it is to have the "little extras" like that.
This module excels in so many places that I feel compelled to reiterate: while there are some problems, they are minor when taken as part of the larger work. Some of the mechanics are wrong. In several places characters may be spotted on a % roll - without noting their own spot. The module frequently uses Wisdom or Intelligence checks when a skill check would have served better. I thought that in many cases the DC for skill rolls were very high.
Conclusion
9/10. I will be looking into several other modules by K&C. If they are all of this quality, I fear that I won't have as much money to spread around the d20 pool. K&C will be getting the lion's share.
Randy Madden
