Alzrius
The EN World kitten
I received Dungeon #129, the December issue, a little while ago. Here's the breakdown.
"Only a DM can kill a ninja" - Erik's editorial on the death of Mike McArtor's (Dragon's Assistant Editor's) ninja character in the Age of Worms campaign.
"Prison Mail"
"Murder in Oakridge" - An Eberron adventure for 5th-level characters, by Uri Kurlianchik. This adventure is a murder mystery, as someone is killing residents in a small district in Sharn. The PC's have to find out who and why. The adventure has several twists and turns, leading the PC's to quite a few false suspects before things finally become clear. The adventure is written in an event-based sequence.
"A Gathering of Winds" - An Age of Worms adventure for 11th-level characters, by Wolfgang Baur. The PCs must return to the Whispering Cairn, and defeating the black dragon there is only the beginning. They have to venture into the true tomb of the Vaati general Icosiol to rescue the sage Allustan, and to recover powerful artifacts that may help them strike a blow against the rising tide of the Age of Worms. In addition to giving us a few new artifacts and magic items, this adventure also has write-ups for two new monsters: the oculus demon (not tanar'ri though) and true ghouls (not the same as abyssal ghouls).
"The Twisted Run" - A Forgotten Realms adventure for 17th-level characters, by Will Upchurch. This sequel to "Forest of Blood" (Dungeon #103) has the PCs sent after the source of the blacktooth lycanthropy threatening Silverymoon. They're sent on a daring mission; to eliminate the threat at the source, by killing Anth-Malar, the Chosen of Malar! In addition to giving us two new minor artifacts (holy to Selune and Malar), we're also given the blacktooth lycanthrope template, and the template for the Chosen of Malar, as well as Anth-Malar's stats!
"Dungeoncraft - Winging It part 2: Preparing to be Unprepared" by Monte Cook. Monte talks about having things on hand in case the PCs or the adventure go off on an unexpected path.
"Campaign Workbook: Familiar Creatures with Unfamiliar Faces" by Christopher Wissel. This article gives us descriptive text of creatures, partnered with existing creatures from the MM, showing how a new description can make an old monster seem like something new.
"Campaign Workbook: Black Sheep" by Nicholas Logue. This article gives twenty-five family members any PC would be ashamed to be related to.
"Critical Threat: Malek" by Mike McArtor, F. Wesley Schneider, and James L. Sutter. This CR 13 critical threat ties in to the new movie Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God. The conjurer Malek was a worshipper of Juiblex, who would use a scrying pool to target young maidens that he'd then kidnap by teleporting in to abduct them for sacrifices. When he offended his demonic patron, however, he ended up dead by teleporting into a stone wall. Now, after one of his sanctums was invaded, Malek's evil spirit has raged enough to tear its prison free; Malek's ghost now animates the stone he was imprisoned in, and he again presents a threat to the world.
"Downer" by Kyle Hunter. Downer and friends flee from the grugach elves, finding sanctuary on a riverboat with a colorful captain.
And of course, the last page of the magazine is the unedited work of art that appeared on the cover. In this case, the Paizo characters face off against the black dragon at the entrance to the Whispering Cairn.
As for the next issue:
"Only a DM can kill a ninja" - Erik's editorial on the death of Mike McArtor's (Dragon's Assistant Editor's) ninja character in the Age of Worms campaign.
"Prison Mail"
"Murder in Oakridge" - An Eberron adventure for 5th-level characters, by Uri Kurlianchik. This adventure is a murder mystery, as someone is killing residents in a small district in Sharn. The PC's have to find out who and why. The adventure has several twists and turns, leading the PC's to quite a few false suspects before things finally become clear. The adventure is written in an event-based sequence.
"A Gathering of Winds" - An Age of Worms adventure for 11th-level characters, by Wolfgang Baur. The PCs must return to the Whispering Cairn, and defeating the black dragon there is only the beginning. They have to venture into the true tomb of the Vaati general Icosiol to rescue the sage Allustan, and to recover powerful artifacts that may help them strike a blow against the rising tide of the Age of Worms. In addition to giving us a few new artifacts and magic items, this adventure also has write-ups for two new monsters: the oculus demon (not tanar'ri though) and true ghouls (not the same as abyssal ghouls).
"The Twisted Run" - A Forgotten Realms adventure for 17th-level characters, by Will Upchurch. This sequel to "Forest of Blood" (Dungeon #103) has the PCs sent after the source of the blacktooth lycanthropy threatening Silverymoon. They're sent on a daring mission; to eliminate the threat at the source, by killing Anth-Malar, the Chosen of Malar! In addition to giving us two new minor artifacts (holy to Selune and Malar), we're also given the blacktooth lycanthrope template, and the template for the Chosen of Malar, as well as Anth-Malar's stats!
"Dungeoncraft - Winging It part 2: Preparing to be Unprepared" by Monte Cook. Monte talks about having things on hand in case the PCs or the adventure go off on an unexpected path.
"Campaign Workbook: Familiar Creatures with Unfamiliar Faces" by Christopher Wissel. This article gives us descriptive text of creatures, partnered with existing creatures from the MM, showing how a new description can make an old monster seem like something new.
"Campaign Workbook: Black Sheep" by Nicholas Logue. This article gives twenty-five family members any PC would be ashamed to be related to.
"Critical Threat: Malek" by Mike McArtor, F. Wesley Schneider, and James L. Sutter. This CR 13 critical threat ties in to the new movie Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God. The conjurer Malek was a worshipper of Juiblex, who would use a scrying pool to target young maidens that he'd then kidnap by teleporting in to abduct them for sacrifices. When he offended his demonic patron, however, he ended up dead by teleporting into a stone wall. Now, after one of his sanctums was invaded, Malek's evil spirit has raged enough to tear its prison free; Malek's ghost now animates the stone he was imprisoned in, and he again presents a threat to the world.
"Downer" by Kyle Hunter. Downer and friends flee from the grugach elves, finding sanctuary on a riverboat with a colorful captain.
And of course, the last page of the magazine is the unedited work of art that appeared on the cover. In this case, the Paizo characters face off against the black dragon at the entrance to the Whispering Cairn.
As for the next issue:
