D&D 5E (2014) Justin Alexander's review of Shattered Obelisk is pretty scathing

[pukunui]

Chris Perkins let something that bad go out? Yeesh.

Wouldn't be the first time. Personally, I think Perkins is overrated.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I would also ask why they excluded a map of the arena boss fight? Is there just nothing going on in this room?

It was not excluded. It’s just not given Room Keys cause it’s a single room.

 

[Remathilis]

His review to me in a nutshell...

 

[Sparky McDibben]

It was not excluded. It’s just not given Room Keys cause it’s a single room.

OK, but they keyed that room, right? And there's apparently a few things going on inside? Why not throw in a map of that room?

 

[Parmandur]

I would also ask why they excluded a map of the arena boss fight? Is there just nothing going on in this room?

There is a map. It is a battle map. It is not keyed, because there are not multiple areas, just a boss fight and treasure for one room all by itself.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

OK, but they keyed that room, right? And there's apparently a few things going on inside? Why not throw in a map of that room?

There is a map of the room.

 

[Parmandur]

Forming your own opinions is great, but not if you have to buy the product to get enough information to do so. The point of reviews is to help people decide if they want to spend their money on a thing or not. If you buy the book and then decide you don’t like it, that money was wasted.

Hence why being honest and not sloppy is fairly nice to have in a review.

 

[Sparky McDibben]

There is a map of the room.

View attachment 318974

That's interesting and clarifies my confusion. Thanks!

 

[mamba]

Interesting. Justin describes the crypt in question as having been sealed for centuries, which seems incompatible with there being an underwater connection to a wellspring from which a hydra could enter. Is it possible he was simply confused about the crypt’s “sealed” status?

The whole thing is in an abandoned dwarven city

"A few centuries ago, Talhundereth was abandoned by all but a few vigilant defenders. Mind flayers took advantage of Talhundereth’s depleted state to attack; during this invasion, a collapse rocked the temple and crypt alike. Both the mind flayer invaders and the temple guardians gave up Talhundereth as lost, though the mind flayers’ psychic stain remained.

Since that attack, various bandits and monsters have squatted in the abandoned temple. Sometime after the mind flayers’ reign, aspiring lore-seekers brought one piece of the shattered obelisk into Talhundereth’s chapel and another into its crypt, hoping that studying the pieces in close proximity might reveal more about the obelisk’s previous powers. That group was twisted by the psychic magic resonating in the crypt. The lore-seekers lost all interest in scholarship and abandoned the fragments.

The most recent faction to enter Talhundereth is a gang that calls itself the Cult of the Obelisk. These cultists were drawn to the broken obelisk, responding to a psychic call to serve a greater force. [...]"

The part this is about lies beyond a door that the hydra would not pass, but it is not inconceivable that others entered the room since then, everything that is needed is not that far away and the chars clearly managed to...

Here is the read-aloud text for the room with the hydra

"Most of this room has collapsed into a flooded pit. The dark water ripples and splashes strangely, as though something lurks deep within it"

and the rest of the room entry

"The collapse that occurred here long ago disturbed an underground wellspring, flooding the whole area.A hydra named Grandlejaw dozes in the water, keeping one or two heads alert for danger. The source of the splashing is a high-strung water weird named Kellikilli. After realizing Kellikilli is inedible, Grandlejaw grudgingly decided to tolerate the water weird. The water weird’s constant, frenetic motion keeps the water bubbly, which the hydra enjoys. Kellikilli likes fighting alongside a creature as tough as Grandlejaw"

and some stuff about what happens depending on what the chars do

Says nothing about when the hydra arrived, but at a minimum the collapse was long ago

 

[Parmandur]

The whole thing is in an abandoned dwarven city

"A few centuries ago, Talhundereth was abandoned by all but a few vigilant defenders. Mind flayers took advantage of Talhundereth’s depleted state to attack; during this invasion, a collapse rocked the temple and crypt alike. Both the mind flayer invaders and the temple guardians gave up Talhundereth as lost, though the mind flayers’ psychic stain remained.Since that attack, various bandits and monsters have squatted in the abandoned temple. Sometime after the mind flayers’ reign, aspiring lore-seekers brought one piece of the shattered obelisk into Talhundereth’s chapel and another into its crypt, hoping that studying the pieces in close proximity might reveal more about the obelisk’s previous powers. That group was twisted by the psychic magic resonating in the crypt. The lore-seekers lost all interest in scholarship and abandoned the fragments.

The most recent faction to enter Talhundereth is a gang that calls itself the Cult of the Obelisk. These cultists were drawn to the broken obelisk, responding to a psychic call to serve a greater force. [...]"

The part this is about lies beyond a door that the hydra would not pass, but it is not inconceivable that others entered the room since then, everything that is needed is not that far away and the chars clearly managed to...

Here is the read-aloud text for the room with the hydra

"Most of this room has collapsed into a flooded pit. The dark water ripples and splashes strangely, as though something lurks deep within it"

and the rest of the room entry

"The collapse that occurred here long ago disturbed an underground wellspring, flooding the whole area.A hydra named Grandlejaw dozes in the water, keeping one or two heads alert for danger. The source of the splashing is a high-strung water weird named Kellikilli. After realizing Kellikilli is inedible, Grandlejaw grudgingly decided to tolerate the water weird. The water weird’s constant, frenetic motionkeeps the water bubbly, which the hydra enjoys. Kellikilli likes fighting alongside a creature as tough as Grandlejaw"

and some stuff about what happens depending on what the chars do

Says nothing about when the hydra arrived, but at a minimum the collapse was long ago

So, that seems like it's pretty logical to infer that the Hydra slithered up from the depths, Nessie style. Not exactly game-breaking lack of logic.