Adventure module P2 has often been praised as the best of the nine original 4e modules (H/P/E). I've still ignored it so far since I don't particularly care about drow. But since I now had an opportunity to get it at a discount, I finally bought it.
My first thought after reading Adventure Book One: Okay, that's all quite nice, but where's the adventure, what's the story? This is the first module that failed to give me a reasonable overview of the adventure. Apart from 'kill the wannabe Orcus Exarch lurking somewhere', there's nothing.
Also, all of the presented adventure hooks suck. Why are the heroes supposed to go there, again?
Anyway, so I started reading Adventure Book Two, thinking maybe it contained the information that was supposed to be in book one. After reading the first two encounters I had to stop reading because I was so annoyed.
These encounters are riddled with inconsistencies and logical errors!
In encounter U1 the heroes are expected to try a diplomatic approach after being charged by a drider and shot at by drow snipers? Yeah, I can totally see that.
The motivation for the drider's attack is given as 'he hopes to draw the heroes into the fight, so they kill the undead the drow have been fleeing from'. Brilliant idea!
For some inexplicable reason one of the wights is supposed to attack the adventurers. Why?! Wights are intelligent undead and their mission is clear: Catch and slay the drow!
Okay, on to the next encounter: L1 - A bridge guarded by a (hidden) huge spider.
First is has the most common error of WotC modules: A perception check with a DC of 18 is supposed to detect both the huge spider (Stealth +17) and a bunch of (also hidden) spidery abominations (Stealth +14) .
The latter are btw. only there 'because they're hungry and hope to feast on what's left after the huge spider is done with the adventurers'. Okay, so why are they attacking right away along with the huge spider?!
Funnily, after being reduced to 20 hit points, they're supposed to retreat under the bridge and fight to death there. Why?!?!?! If their sole motivation is hunger, they'd should long be off looking for easier prey at that point.
As the icing of the cake we have a 400' chasm (according to the map) with some kind of invisible floor after a drop of 100' (according to the tactics section).
If the adventure continues in this vain, I'll probably throw it into my garbage can (well, I'll keep the poster map, I think).
So, what is it again that makes this module one of the best WotC published for 4e?
My first thought after reading Adventure Book One: Okay, that's all quite nice, but where's the adventure, what's the story? This is the first module that failed to give me a reasonable overview of the adventure. Apart from 'kill the wannabe Orcus Exarch lurking somewhere', there's nothing.
Also, all of the presented adventure hooks suck. Why are the heroes supposed to go there, again?
Anyway, so I started reading Adventure Book Two, thinking maybe it contained the information that was supposed to be in book one. After reading the first two encounters I had to stop reading because I was so annoyed.
These encounters are riddled with inconsistencies and logical errors!
In encounter U1 the heroes are expected to try a diplomatic approach after being charged by a drider and shot at by drow snipers? Yeah, I can totally see that.
The motivation for the drider's attack is given as 'he hopes to draw the heroes into the fight, so they kill the undead the drow have been fleeing from'. Brilliant idea!
For some inexplicable reason one of the wights is supposed to attack the adventurers. Why?! Wights are intelligent undead and their mission is clear: Catch and slay the drow!
Okay, on to the next encounter: L1 - A bridge guarded by a (hidden) huge spider.
First is has the most common error of WotC modules: A perception check with a DC of 18 is supposed to detect both the huge spider (Stealth +17) and a bunch of (also hidden) spidery abominations (Stealth +14) .
The latter are btw. only there 'because they're hungry and hope to feast on what's left after the huge spider is done with the adventurers'. Okay, so why are they attacking right away along with the huge spider?!
Funnily, after being reduced to 20 hit points, they're supposed to retreat under the bridge and fight to death there. Why?!?!?! If their sole motivation is hunger, they'd should long be off looking for easier prey at that point.
As the icing of the cake we have a 400' chasm (according to the map) with some kind of invisible floor after a drop of 100' (according to the tactics section).
If the adventure continues in this vain, I'll probably throw it into my garbage can (well, I'll keep the poster map, I think).
So, what is it again that makes this module one of the best WotC published for 4e?