Heart of Nightfang Spire

[IronWolf]

This is apparently one of WOTC's Adventure Path modules, which if you play all of them, are designed to bring character from 1st to 20th level. This is either the 5th or 6th, I think, and will bring 10th level characters up to level 13 at the end.

It's a 32 page book, and priced at $9.95. The interior is all black and white, and the margins are quite large (about 2 inches on the side, and 1 inch on the top). The cover unfortunately gives away one of the bigger combats in the module, and is actually pretty ugly (though it's one of their better artists). The illustrations inside are few, and when there, are rather ugly or plain, as are the maps. So, physically speaking, there's not much value here.

On to the content. Heart of Nightfang Spire is purely a dungeon crawl (or Tower crawl, in this case). It's obvious immediately from the layout of the module. You have a 1 page with the introduction, character hooks, and adventure synopsis, then it moves to the map keys on page 2. Not much of a plot.

Essentially, the plot of the module is that the PCs explore the tower. Why? Well, there's never really a good reason given. There are a few hooks, but most are unsatisfying. The best is that people from a local village are disappearing, last seen in the general direction of the tower, and presumably out of the goodness of the players' heart, they want to investigate.

The tower itself is something of an oddity. It's apparently 300 feet tall, but it's located in a 1500 foot deep canyon or 'defile'. This is quite a remarkable geological feature, and might take quite a bit of handwaving to fit into a campaign, at least depending on the local geography.

This is also something of a problem. It's possible that the PCs, depending on your players, might try to simply destroy the tower, or try to collapse the canyon walls, sealing the tower up, or try to flood it.

Anyway, supposing that your PCs do eventually try to explore the tower (which took me a lot of work and cajoling), it's not a bad dungeon crawl. Not great, but not bad. To sum up, they have to search the tower, find some keys, then use the keys to get to the bad guy at the heart of the tower (thus the name of the module). A bit cliched. Rather than detective work, the PCs found this info out from some semi-friendly NPCs.

It's easier to point out the flaws, than the good points. For one, a lot of the monsters in it are undead, so a cleric is vital. OTOH, more than 1 cleric or a Paladin or something like an Undead Slayer class can make the module much easier than planned. A lot of the encounters are fairly nasty traps, so a Rogue is a necessity. Without one, it could be tough.

Another thing, there are basically two tough fights in the module, one right at the begining (the scene depicted on the cover), and one at the end (the showdown with the bad guy). There is one tought fight in the middle, with an Elder Elemental, but it is optional or easily avoided. So, it might be a bit boring at times for players who like challenging combat. Also, the tough fight at the begining can give the impression that it wasn't a long adventure, just a side-trek, and killing that toughie solved the problem of the missing townsfolk (one of the hooks given to get the PCs to explore the place.)

Really, this module seems more suited to a computer RPG than pen & paper. It's a slightly above average dungeon crawl, no more, no less. I would give it a 3.5, but it's closer to a 3 than a 4.

With some tweaking, it might make a passable Deadlands d20 adventure as well. There is only 1-2 monsters that wouldn't fit into the Deadlands setting, and the tower could be set in the Badlands or desert (maybe even the Grand Canyon).

Also as a side note - this module has a fair amount of info about the Ashardalon dragon cult (and directly involves it). Apparently it's been mentioned in some of the previous adventure path modules, and some like that story arc. Those people might like this module a lot more than I did.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

The fifth adventure in a new era of Dungeons & Dragons adventures.

This is the fifth Dungeons & Dragons adventure strategically designed to hit the "highlights" of the D&D rules and move characters from the 1st to the 20th level.

In this adventure, an ancient vampire returns to his place of power and begins to build a bloodthirsty cult. Players face deadlier monster that have more advanced skills and abilities than those featured in previous adventures, requiring more advanced tactics and stronger teamwork. Heart of Nightfang Spire is a thrilling excursion in the tradition of The Sunless Citadel, Forge of Fury, The Speaker in Dreams, and The Standing Stone.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

This review is a playtest review from a player's perspective. After playing the adventure, I read it and made notes on certain areas. This review contains detailed information about the adventure. I usually DM, but as a player I like to create LN or LG characters. My personal preference is an adventure that has a developing plot and a good mix of roleplaying and melee. Our party started with a 10th level LN fighter, LG cleric, CG rogue, and NG sorcerer. While I am an avid fan of D&D, I did not care for this product.

The character hooks leading the PCs to Nightfang Spire are brief and not very compelling. Unless the PCs are willing to travel to the Spire solely for a monster hunt, the DM will need to spice up the hooks to connect them in a stronger manner to the previous adventures. Furthermore, while the location of the Spire is certainly unique, I found a 300 foot tower in a 1,600 foot canyon a bit bizarre rather than awe inspiring.

Similar to the tower's location, I found the Ossuary very much out of place. Other than briefly fooling the PCs into believing that it was the entrance to the tower, it served no purpose. I believe the room deserves a CR higher than 5, as the Will Save DC 20 from the vine proved too much for 3 of our 4 PCs. The fighter ended up purposefully deafening himself with a Thunderstone in order to save the party. Perhaps this was just the result of bad luck on saving throws, but it nearly ended us right off the bat and we searched for several rounds believing that a door had to be somewhere inside.

After some debate and several lightning strikes from the Mooncalf, we realized that the only way in was probably from the top. Having retreated a short distance, our sorcerer summoned a Giant Eagle to carry us up. If it were not for that spell, we would have had to of climbed. With a 300 foot tower, the fighter was the only one with the skill to have made it without falling at least once. Any adventuring party that for one reason or another does not have access to some sort of flight could have serious problems getting past this hurdle.

Flying in from a distance and a high elevation proved problematic because it got us past the Mooncalf. Thus, once we were on the top level of the Spire we had to fight the Mooncalf and the Wights at the same time. This was nearly too much for the party and only the fighter was left standing at the end. Both the cleric and rogue were below 0 HP. The sorcerer was killed when the Mooncalf grappled him, flew back over the ledge, and then let him drop 300 feet. The 300 foot drop was one of the Mooncalf's most effective and obvious combat tactics even though it is not mentioned in the module.

Having had everyone nearly die, and losing one party member in the first two encounters, the party was pretty brow beat. We chose to Raise the dead sorcerer back to life rather than travel back to Dry Lake to recruit another. However, he was now 9th level which did weaken the party somewhat. Nonetheless, things progressed fairly smoothly once inside as most of the adventure is a combat-oriented, linear dungeon crawl.

If your party enjoys such an adventure, the tower will probably be fairly entertaining as the melee can be challenging if you do not use bottlenecks such as doorways to your tactical advantage. Jumping into the middle of a room can easily get you killed with the number of opponents in certain areas.

There were several areas inside the Tower, however, that could have been improved. I will comment on them briefly below:

1. Yesha Faulkin, the near dead sage was a drag of a roleplaying encounter. The information she had is pretty much all you need to know to put together what is happening inside the Spire. This leaves little storyline mystery to uncover later. Furthermore, the party felt compelled to escort her safely back to Dry Lake, which slowed down the adventure.

2. The Necromantic Seepage is unique, but a turn check to cleanse a victim was not a logical deduction. A Remove Disease spell seemed much more appropriate for the ooze.

3. Area 17 gives the PCs no clue that a trap awaits. The end result of this was that the fighter, who was leading the marching order, was shot out of the tower. Thus, the whole party had to retreat to retrieve him, and the rogue constantly searched for traps from there on. This really slowed down play, and the trap would have been better placed in an area that had some reason for a trap to exist.

4. Oggunon Sathaar's Crypt seemed unnecessary. Only a fool would send one member of the party down the tube to take on whatever lurks down there. We closed the valve and left. The tube itself also seemed out of place; why not just place the vampire behind the door to the chamber rather than in a tube?

5. Rhunad's Vault presented an uninteresting roleplaying opportunity. Why would anyone bargain with a CE demon? After taking care of Stitches, who presented a good fight, we killed Rhunad in one round before he had a chance to attack or flee. The information Rhunad had fleshed out some of the adventure's plot, but was not necessary for completing the finale.

6. While not a comment about any specific room, our sorcerer did get quite bored in the Spire. Many areas provided too tight of quarters for popular spells such as fireball and lightning bolt. Thus, he primarily kept busy trying to magic missile people to death while the fighter stood in the doorway, the cleric healed and lobbed spells, and the rogue fired arrows. Once inside the Spire, I think the party probably would have done better with two fighters (or paladins), a cleric, and a rogue. An arcane spellcaster would have been most useful with protective or enhancement spells throughout most of the tower, but did not seem necessary.

The Catacombs seemed a welcome relief from the spiraling trip down the Spire. The Tombstone Golem was a great new monster, but I have no idea why it was listed as an EL 8?! It was based off of a Stone Golem, which is a CR 11, but its Slow ability was replaced with Slay Living. I believe this justifies a revised CR of 12 or 13, though I could be biased since my fighter died from the Slay Living ability on the first punch thrown, leading to a hasty retreat by the rest of the party.

Redbone and his gang were also a challenging surprise that seemed to always catch us off guard. We only managed to defeat him on the third run in. He did kill our rogue in a surprise attack from the back of the party, but he was a worthy adversary to be slain by.

The Girallon Watchers in Area 52 are the largest critique I have of the entire adventure. All throughout the Spire our PCs fought the rending Girallons. Then in Area 52 we were supposed to somehow know that we should parley with them? Given that Girallons are CE, have an average intelligence of 3, and are in general ravaging wild lunatics this was most illogical. Furthermore, this area led to a very tough, dynamic combat with Girallons seemingly pouring into the room to kill us. The fight went on and on until the fighter was dead and the other three were not far behind, at which point the DM was forced into the awkward position of destroying the party or bringing in Thiff to calm the beasts and parley. Luckily he chose the later. Thiff seemed quite out of place as well. She was the leader because of her intelligence score of 8. But Girallons are an alpha-male society based on chaotic brute force, not brains. I really felt that this was a poorly placed roleplaying opportunity that didn't fit with previous experience or the description of Girallons in the Monster Manual.

The finale probably could have used more than just Gulthias in the room. Also, the ceiling hatch in Area 75 to reach the final chamber was more of an unnecessary obstacle than an interesting challenge. Because the party was so used to tough combat, we were well prepared going in. Gulthias was quickly put on the defensive and defeated in almost an anti-climatic encounter. The Heart was readily dispatched with a Blade Barrier spell.

In conclusion, Nightfang Spire presents a hack-n-slash dungeon delve with little plot or opportunity for roleplaying. The combat is tough and I would recommend taking two fighter types, a cleric, and a rogue that can fight reasonably well with ranged weapons. If you enjoy a melee based adventure that requires tactical discipline, then this adventure is for you. However, it certainly was not my favorite. Due to the well drawn maps, good cover art, and difficult melee, I'm giving this adventure a 2.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

This is the 5th adventure of 8 in the Adventure Path series from WoTC, this one is for a group of 10th level players.

One thing to say, LOTS OF UNDEAD, really showcasing the paladins and clerics for this adventure.

The story is solid, the beginning hook was not, again a complaint of my 8 player party.

A tower, once the home of a dragon worshipping cult, has been raised by a vampire lord, Gulthias, as a new home to evil. The players go there, make there way to the top (the only entrence to the tower), then make their wway down several stories into the "heart" of Night Fang Spire.

A few high points were the many maps, the very cool array of undead villains, and the use of top start dungeon crawl to the depths of this neat tower. Very cool villains like a mummy monk, tombstone golems, girrillion slaves, half dragon flesh golems, vampires, and more! Excellent dungeon crawl and hack slashing adventure galore, with or without clerics turning every other encounter. Even a mini quest in the catacombs to find and assemble a key that gives you access into the "heart" of the spire. Of course the key is in many pieces and you must quest for them all.

The low points were a lack of flushing out of encounters as you move deeper into the heart (like the catacombs especially, about 20+ rooms or encounter areas with no encounters, you fill in the blanks). A lack of options or hooks to get your players involved in the story from the start. And a smallish battle to end the game, the vampire wizard Gulthias was tough, but not tough enough, even with Redbone and some henchmen to add in. As is the case with most of these adventure path modules, your toughest fights come somewhere in the middle fo the adventure, not at the end, bad climax points in my opinion.

Overall, I would like to give this a 4, but becuase of the lack of art, the lack of a great climactic battle, and lack of details in the end, I can only give this a 3. No roleplyaing opp's either and without a cleric or pally, your party is going to struggle something fierce I believe. So, my real rating of 3.5 shifts to a 3 for this review.

It is a fun adventure with a good moving pace, lots of battles, and a neat dungeon crawl, but it is lacking something here and there to make it stand out as special. More fun than some of the previous path modules (although I have rated them over all higher due to complete content and such) but oevrall still just a big battle after the next big battle. Enjoy!

Arreon, King of the Dragon Slayers
Sean McDaniel

 

[TrizzlWizzl]

You keep citing a lack of plot hooks as some kind of huge drawback. How can an author possibly know what will tempt your players to explore the Citadel? That's what a DM is for.

 

[Kenmis]

As of last Friday, my group finished WotC’s Heart of Nightfang Spire by Bruce R. Cordell. Overall there were five character deaths and an average of three levels gained per PC. My players had a great time running through this adventure, and some of the scenarios presented within will stick in my mind as some of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had.

Production: Standard Adventure Class production quality here; soft back, fairly large borders, decent art, and maps that worked very well for the most part. The cover art was pretty cool, though it does give away one of the more interesting encounters in the module.

Content: In the hands of a capable and intelligent DM, this is one tough dungeon crawl. There is a very high number of undead, and most that are killed are replaced within 3 days. Many of these undead are incorporeal and have stat-draining abilities, and the tight spaces of the first few levels make for some nasty tactical situations for players. On top of all that, the master of the Spire is an intelligent and well-prepared villain, and can spy on the PC’s at many points. He will use this advantage to harass players while they sleep, set up ambushes, alert nearby monsters, and generally make life difficult.

There is a very nice variety of unique monsters scattered throughout the dungeon, including some crazy uses of templates. My jaw dropped when I read about the Gibbering Mouther Vampire. My players were horrified as well.

My biggest complaint is there aren’t much in the way of character hooks (though if you took your players through the Sunless Citadel, there’s a very easy hook) and once inside the dungeon, there are very few options for roleplaying. Mindless and horrifically evil undead usually aren’t much for debate or conversation. There is one minor option later, but most parties will probably miss it if they have a Paladin in their party or have been having trouble with the Girillons found earlier in the adventure (my party had both of these things, heh).

Overall, this adventure is a great deal for 10 bucks. It’ll make your players think tactically, give them a few good scares, and there are some very exciting fights to be had here. If you’re looking for a strong story or intrigue, I can’t really recommend it. As far as the adventure path series goes, this is far and away the best one.

 

[Vanuslux]

I truly appreciate people who review adventures after actually having run or played them.

 

[Shayd3000]

[No message]

 

[Shayd3000]

Nice review. I'm still in the process of running this module, my group has one corner and the core left to go. I've had great fun DM'ing this one, and my group has enjoyed it as well! I can say the Girrallon episode wnet a bit differently for my group, and they have a Paladin as well, but they also have a Diplomancer (Eldritch Might 2), that could have made the difference. One thing that has impressed me, is there is some variety, so that even a Social character got to shine at least once.

 

[Kenmis]

My players tried something really crazy on me that drasticly changed the flow of the adventure, but made for one crazy couple of days, as well.

After two days of trying to get through the first level of the Spire, the players were getting frustrated. They couldn't rest for fear of nasty random encounters, and the stat/level draining was really beginning to take it's toll. At first the cleric was going to consecrate an area so they could rest, but then he rememberd the spell Hallow.

So the players set about trying to make the majority of the Spire holy ground. It was an interesting challange, because the casting time on that spell is ONE DAY, so they had to protect the cleric for an entire day, he couldn't be hit ONCE or the spell would fail.

Well, they almost made it. In the end, an improved-invisible Gulthias shot a fireball into the room, and the cleric failed his concentration check. It was a LOT of fun to play, especialy all the crazy preparations the players made.

Granted, an encounter like that wasn't within the scope of the adventure, but it was easy and a lot of fun to think up how Gulthias would react to such a ploy, and that whole thing is what really made this adventure so much fun.