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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 8861578" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dungeon Issue 66: Jan/Feb 1998part 4/5Operation Manta Ray: Or maybe this is the cover story, since it's a second nautical one in the same issue. Yeesh, what was I saying about diminishing returns? Still, at least it's one that requires sneakiness rather than straight-up paladin style heroics. You get hired by the Sembian navy for a matter of top secret national security. You need to find your way into Immurk's Hold and rescue their spy in the pirate's midst before enemy forces blow his cover and subject him to unspeakable torture. A direct assault would be suicidal even at high level, as there's literally thousands of them, many spellcasters, plus gargoyles, malenti and magical wards that make entering from air or underwater no cakewalks either. It's time for a heist mission! If you already have a piratical background you might be able to talk your way in, particularly if you have the right kind of tattoos. (or at least know enough to fake them) Of course pirates are always looking for new fresh recruits, so even if you don't look the part you can get in on the bottom if you're willing to undergo the gruelling hazing of the Pirate's Run. However you get in, you'll then have to find your man by process of elimination and a passphrase, (without just going around saying it to everyone, which would raise suspicion pretty quick) which has the potential to lead to a whole bunch of side adventures. Then once you do, there's the additional complication that he's fallen in love with a pirate woman while undercover and doesn't want to leave her, but she's still loyal to the code and unless you have some pretty slick persuasive skills will rat you all out when she finds out her husband has been a double agent all along. This will probably lead to your escape being even more dramatic and perilous than your entry, but in a naturalistic way rather than an inevitable railroad. This adventure contrasts sharply with all the other ones in the issue, presenting a large, open ended, easily expandable scenario full of moral greys and then giving you fairly free reign to solve it yourself rather than having obvious proscribed good and evil solutions. You're probably not getting through it without getting at least a little grubby, but at least you'll be doing it in a way you decided of your own free will, not because your mind is being messed with by an evil magic item. It makes me really wish they were doing more decent sized sandboxes and fewer isolated prefab encounters, which they continue to get worse on as the years go by.The Petrifying Priestess: Chris was pretty fond of the idea of customising monsters with class levels as a freelancer, so it's no great surprise that he accepted this one, which does exactly what it says on the tin. A medusa which is also a mid-level cleric of Gruumsh, giving her a whole load of extra utility tricks that are particularly handy if she's surrounded by minions, which conveniently she will be unless you scout the area instead of just leaping in and choose your time of attack carefully. Facing her, her maedar boyfriend and her orc minions both living and undead will probably have you outnumbered unless you brought hirelings, and if you only brought one mirror it'll be easily smashed before you can get her to petrify herself. (plus if the boyfriend is still alive, he'll be able to easily turn her back.) A pleasingly tough and very 3eish feeling little scenario where the parts fit together effectively in combat, while still retaining enough 2e focus on their day to day lives and ecological effect that you could solve it in a more sneaky way. A quite forward-thinking bit of writing that I thoroughly approve of, this is easily my favourite adventure of the issue.</blockquote>

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