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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 2010831" data-attributes="member: 172">Plague of DreamsPlague of Dreams is an adventure written for 1st level characters in Malhavoc's Arcana Unearthed d20 variant game. It is published by Fiery Dragon, the first adventure publication in a long time. The adventure is written Monte Cook, James Bell, and Todd Secord.This review will assume some familiarity with the terms for concepts (races, classes, etc.) introduced in Arcana Unearthed. This book is not written as a generic D&D adventure and I will not approach it as such (and I believe those who have criticized it on those grounds are in error. I would as soon criticize a Spycraft or Mutants & Masterminds adventure for not being usable in D&D.)A First LookFormat: 64 page perfect-bound softcover book; $14.95.Art: Cover art by Kieran Yanner depicts a sibeccai warrior overlooking a darkened landscape. The interior art is black-and-white and includes work by Leanne Buckle, Brian LeBlanc, Claudio Pozas, Todd Secord, and Kieran Yanner. As frequent readers may know, I am not historically a fan of Secord or LeBlanc's work, but I saw nothing here that I would label as less than "good." That said, the size of most art is rather small, most of it being a third of a column or less.Cartography: Ed Bourelle and Mike Johnstone. Bourelle seems to have done most of the outdoor cartography, and it is up to his usual stylish high standards. The interior cartography does not have Bourelle's styling, but it simple and functional.Layout: A conservative body text font is used and line and paragraph spacing is close, making good use of space. The book uses a typical two column format. An attractive but someone bolder-than-optimum watermark is used, depicting writing and symbols.A Deeper Look(Spoiler Warning: This section contain some secret plot details.)The book is organized into an introduction, six chapters, and an appendix. The introduction provides summaries for the GM, plot hooks, and integration notes. The first chapter describes the town of Gahanis, where the adventure begins. The second through sixth chapters describe various stages of the adventure. The appendix contains statistics blocks for important NPCs and monsters, similar to the format of Fiery Dragon modules of old.The adventure is set in the Diamond Throne setting, the default setting for Unearthed Arcana by Malhavoc. The adventure does not require the Diamond Throne setting book (and in fact, that book is not out yet in print format at the time of this writing.) The adventure contains much of the pertinent information about the area, and the chapter on the town of Gahanis, in particular, provides some details about areas and personalities that may come in handy when doing roleplaying and investigation. However, the Diamond Throne setting might provide additional details that might be useful, shedding some light on the organizations, races, and cultures of the world of the Diamond Throne.Those who have the Diamond Throne or are otherwise familiar with the design philosophy behind it may be familiar with the ideal of characters who transcend good or evil. This adventure strives for that idea of moral ambiguity. The motivating powers behind the adventure all have their own motives. The players may sympathize with all, some, or none of them.The adventure is organized into multiple site based sections, though some of the sections have events and/or other investigation required to get them there.The adventure is, on the surface, your typical dingus hunt. The players are contacted by the Jaren, a powerful trade guild, but supernatural and mundane means. A book they were interested in was stolen in a caravan raid. Though the locals may have hired bounty hunters to take on the bandits, the Jaren are interested in the PCs discreetly looking for two specific bandits from the local populace (believed to be spies/traitors) and the book.The disappearance of the book was no accident. The Jeren desire it because it contains information on the true dingus of the adventure: an artifact called the Malus Morphaera, or the Sphere of Nightmares. An NPC that the PCs may have already bumped into is also seeking the sphere, and working with the bandits; he tipped off the bandits to the caravan to get the book. A final complication is that a champion of death nominally in the employ of the Jaren may see her own purposes for the sphere.Some investigation might reveal the ancient giant fortress called Battlehome to be a possible bandit hideout. Upon investigating, the will find the two bandit spies there, but they will have to face many dangers in the ruins of Battlehome and discover that the book is not here, but in another bandit lair somewhat distant. On the way to the bandit lair, the PCs may encounter some complications such as agents of the NPC in collusion with the bandits.Upon reaching the lair, things get complicated. The PCs will have to deal with the bandits, but the will have to face the Blue Knight, the champion of death with her own agenda.ConclusionThis adventure uses two classical D&D ploys: the bandits and the dingus hunt. The nature of the ambiguous faction behind them might be a fresh angle for some, but to be fair, I have seen such affairs in D&D games.Nonetheless, this is a decent adventure. It has some complications, but it probably not too difficult. The players may have to decide if the Jeren are worth trusting, but even if they are ambiguous about that decision, the Blue Knight in their face should wash away any indecisiveness at the end.As is normal for Fiery Dragon, the supporting village setting provides a nice backdrop with lots of possibilities, but it doesn't become more of a setting supplement than an adventure.Overall Grade: B- -Alan D. Kohler</blockquote>

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