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Message: <blockquote data-quote="demiurge1138" data-source="post: 4696584" data-attributes="member: 7451">DCC #15: Lost Tomb of the Sphinx QueenAn adventure for 14th-15th level characters.Thousands of years ago, the sphinxes were the dominant race on the planet, or at least over a significant chunk of it. Tasked by the gods to bring wisdom and learning to the mortal races, the sphinxes did so, and great monuments were built in their honor. But the immortal queen of the sphinxes, Ankharet the Blessed, slowly fell towards evil, impelled by her Shadowcrown. She began to prey on both men and sphinx alike, and eventually slew her draconic consort and framed the Empire of the Nagas for his death. The sphinx Khubsheth, gifted with prophecy, convinced his consort (and Ankharet’s half-dragon daughter) Meraph of this treachery, and they led a rebellion that destroyed the empire and imprisoned Ankharet inside a pyramid. As Ankharet could not be slain by any sphinx, they had to wait until mortal heroes proved themselves worthy of killing their wicked queen, and so settled down to wait. Millennia later, the PCs are those prophesied heroes. Khubsheth has waited for them and attacks them on sight, for only his life’s blood can open the tomb. Meraph is now Ankharet’s final guardian, although millennia of guilt and isolation have taken a hefty toll on her sanity. The tomb itself is a massive museum of the wonders (and dangers) of the sphinx empire, designed to ensure that the slayers of Ankharet learn the lessons of the past and reward the learned with the empire’s greatest treasures.What I liked: Sphinxes, man. I love sphinxes, and it’s cool to see a module that not only gives them some time in the limelight, but also a place in the world. As such, you could expect this dungeon to be full of riddles and puzzles, which it is. And they’re actually the sorts of riddles one could be expected to figure out. The fact that there are hints given for associated characters is a nice touch, although I’d only give out those hints to PCs who made Intelligence or Knowledge checks in an attempt to decipher it. This dungeon also has more of a tragic feeling than most I’ve seen. The sphinx empire is dead, and its last remnants are willing and eager to die to impel the PCs towards their destiny. But it’s not all sphinxes—nor is it all constructs and undead, which is a trap a lot of people designing Lost Tomb-type adventures fall into. And those treasures of the sphinx empire I mentioned? They’re all really neat. Utilitarian and flavorful, I wish more magic items unique to the DCC line were like them.What I disliked: Some of the puzzle traps, while flavorful, didn’t do it for me. The room filling with sand and full of earth elemental lions? It was alright, but I wish a Disable Device check could do something against the sand pouring into the room. The Journey to the Afterlife trap, though, annoys me muchly. In this room, the PCs find a boat, sitting in a river of acid. Only the hull of the boat is acid-proof, for some reason, and the ship is light enough that if the PCs pile in, it will sink. Unless! There’s a scroll in the prow of the ship with the details of the history of the Sphinx Empire, and if a PC reads it continuously, the ship will stay afloat and sail towards the key they need. Of course, there’s also a monstrous serpent living in the acid (and a flaming eagle, but I understand that symbolism less) to attack the PCs as they sail. So my question is: what 15th level player character in their right mind wouldn’t just use spells or magic items to fly over the river of acid to get the key? Especially since one of the other keys acts as a carpet of flying. And there’s a labyrinth, which I have never seen play well in all of my years as a DM.There’s also some (to be expected, sadly) rules-weirdness going on in this adventure. Like the encounter with the lamia—the authors do not seem to be aware that mind-controlling spells are hostile actions, and so would break invisibility. There are also references to flying dazed creatures falling instantly (which would depend on its maneuverability).Was it worth the $2? Yes. I’d tweak the traps a bit, but the flavor is fantastic and a lot of the fights look fun. I highly enjoyed Lost Tomb of the Sphinx Queen.</blockquote>

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