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Message: <blockquote data-quote="olshanski" data-source="post: 2010723" data-attributes="member: 7441">The criteria I use to evaluate a d20 adventure includes the following:1.  Interesting and varied encounters:  I look for unique encounters, allowing for a variety of role and roll playing. There should be opportunities for many different classes to excel or use their abilities.2.  Motivations for NPCs and Monsters: or some detail of how they interact with their environment or neighbors.  3.  Logical: the adventure should obey a sense of logic that clever players can use to their advantage.4.  Writing Quality: this includes foreshadowing, mystery, and descriptions that bring locations and NPCs to life.5.  Ease of DMing:  Clear maps, friendly stat blocks, skill check numbers, player handouts and illustrations, balanced rules, appropriate treasure and EL.MY OPINIONS AND PREJUDICES:I also believe that Dungeons and Dragons is not a contest of Players vs the DM, but rather the Players are trying to "conquer" a scenario with the DM acting as supporting cast and providing impartial decisions. I do not like adventures in which the DM is expected to adjust room content, monsters, and treasure on the fly. I do not like adventures in which players are rescued or helped by divine intervention or the intervention of powerful NPCs.THE BASICS: (not exactly spoilers)The adventure is 32 pages long + 2 both inside covers used for maps. Cover price of $8.95 American3 pages of credits/legal/advertising1 page of introduction11 pages: Adventure #19 pages: Adventure #28 pages: Adventure #3The three adventures are site-based adventure areas. The 3 adventures claim to be designed for high level characters (9+). As other reviews have mentioned, the adventures are VERY difficult, with monsters, traps, and puzzles all appropriate for much higher level characters. My estimate is levels 14+, but I haven't run enough high-level games to be a fair judge of difficulty at this level. The adventure is written for 3.0. Since demons and devils received a big overhaul in version 3.5, you might want to be prepared to use the MM to update the stat blocks. The opponents all have good motivations and combat techniques that should translate easily to 3.5, although this may push the difficulty even higher for the climactic encounters. The encounter breakdown follows:Very few role-play encounters... Several opponents talk with PCs, but its usually a prelude to a sneaky assault.Adventure 1: about 8 combat encounters and 9 trap/trick encounters (Several very devious)Adventure 2: about 3 combat encounters and 7 trap/trick encounters (several puzzles)Adventure 3: about 3 combat encounters and 3 trap/trick encounters... though an an adventure seed is planted with additional encounters that plays out as the DM desires.BONUS: there is a 21 page <a href="http://www.necromancergames.com/prod_support.html" target="_blank">Supplement</a> of wilderness encounters available at the publisher's website.The adventures are setting neutral. The adventures have a feel similar to the 1st edition module S1, Tomb of Horrors. Demons and Devils shows a stronger attention to internal logic and devilish mindset than the Tomb of Horrors, however the danger level and concentration of traps and tricks is similar.THE SPECIFICS: (Some Spoilers Follow)1.  Interesting and varied encounters: (4/5)  Every encounter is unique. Almost every trap has a little something extra... most combat encounters happen with an environment, trap, or trick that puts an extra twist on things. My first instinct was to give this a 5/5... and that's what it would be for pure monsters, tricks, and traps. I'd like to see more opportunities for characters to use social skills, negotiation, and conversation. There needs to be a few more role-play encounters for me to give this a 5/5.2.  Motivations for monsters and NPCs: (5/5)  The villains were exactly as devious, untrustworthy, and dangerous as you would expect from powerful, intelligent demons and devils. I would even say they were inhumanly devious.3.  Logical: (4/5)  There was good attention to the effects that dangerous encounter areas would have on the outside world. The overall plots were very logical. Unfortunately for the players... demons and devils are tricky, methodical, and dangerous. I think that a few puzzles are a little bit out of place, but sometimes this cannot be helped when designing challenges for high level characters. 4.  Writing Quality: (5/5)  The writing was entertaining and clear. There are excellent bits of advice to DMs, monster motivations, trap descriptions, creative uses of environment and spells, and monster and characterization. An early encounter with an Eyrines stands out, as is an encounter with a celestial and a holy sword.5.  Ease of DMing: (?/5)  I believe that any characters at the suggested level will be quickly obliterated by the traps and monsters. The traps are very well described and easy to run. One showpiece puzzle in adventure 2 might be too difficult, especially for younger players. One major trick in adventure 3 could be a campaign-ending disaster, depending on how it is role-played. Not that this is bad... adventures for high-level characters aught to have high-level stakes. If your players want a simple monster-smash/booty-grab, they are in for a serious shock. I think that a DM would need to look at monster stats, possibly revised for version 3.5, and then look carefully at the PCs to make sure the levels are appropriate. FINAL WORD:This series of adventures is almost a must-have for a high level campaign. Even if you don't run a high-level campaign, there are brilliant trap and trick ideas that can be mined for your own home-brew adventure. I've looked at some encounters upgraded for 3.5, and this is my assessment of the difficulty:Adventure 1 is appropriate for level 12 characters, but an (updated for 3.5) EL 19 climactic encounter may need to be scaled back.Adventure 2 is appropriate for level 14 characters.Adventure 3 is appropriate for level 14 characters (An encounter that would previously be EL 18+ actually becomes EL 14 since vrocks have been scaled back from CR 13 to CR 9)The free supplement is a must have and makes this adventure well worth the price (assuming you can still find it in any store).<a href="http://pub123.ezboard.com/fnecromancergamesfrm32" target="_blank">Errata</a> is also available online, though the errata was written for version 3.0.</blockquote>

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