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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2009854" data-attributes="member: 18387">Bruce Boughner, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack and Co-host of Mortality Radio Caution: This review contains adventure spoilers...Sizing Up the TargetThe Root of All Evil is a 68-page softcover adventure published by Kenzer & Co.  The author is Andy Miller.  The cover is done by Hung Vinh Mac, interior art is by Storn Cook, Arnie Swekel and Brad McDevitt and is available for $12.99First BloodWhen Kalamar first came out, I was ecstatic, here was the first ‘official’ world published by a non-TSR/WotC company since Judges Guild folded and Mayfair lost the licensing.  I mean after all, they do Knights of the Dinner Table!  But sadly I was disappointed with their Kingdom of Kalamar book and turned away from their products (except for Hackmaster).  Having received this one I decided to dig in and see if I was in error.The Root of All Evil is a beginner’s adventure for up to six characters first level characters, ok so it’s a starting point module.  One of my biggest complaints is that there are not enough beginning or high-level adventures on the market. And it promises to take your characters from first to third level.  It is based in the Reanaaria Bay area of Tellene and is part of a trilogy with Forging Darkness and Coin’s End.The story starts with the legend of the Falling Star, many sought it out but few ever returned from their quest for it.  After a hundred years, it has become legend on its way to myth until a sage proves that stars are made from mithril. A badly wounded man was found recently, claiming to have found the star, guarded by wizards and monsters, he had a map, handed down form father to son, now buried with him. He was found with pieces of a silvery material that no smith could forge. A retired wizard, Veoden, has learned of the legend and the map and seeks hardy souls to search it out. Now the hunt is on once more!Veoden hires your party to first, seek out the map of Dairoo in a cemetery haunted by undead and then find the Fallen Star.  Investigating a mysterious valley (impact crater) with a large boulder in the center and a shack emanating a mysterious glow.  The glow is from the Alchemist, Arowain, who lives in the shack, a wizard, Daresh, is forcing him to create a powerful artifact, The Coin of Power. Daresh kills Arowain, who tells the party that only the wizard Halaan can destroy the coin now.  In order to find Halaan, Veoden sends them to Zoa to seek out the wizard/sage Geolain for more information.Geolain’s price is of course a quest in and of itself, to retrieve a book that is to be destroyed by the secret cabal called the Sentinels of the True Way.  Uponing securing his price, Geolain informs the group Halaan went on an expedition to the Reelio Jungle months before and has yet to return.Given a map of Halaan’s probable location, the group must set out to find not only him, but, the ingredients necessary to construct another Coin of Power to destroy the first.Several adventure hooks are given to draw reticent or headstrong players into the fray.  The text of the module is interspersed with sidebar pieces of artwork or pertinent information.The adventure runs the gamut of encounters, undead, goblins, pirates, oceanic undead, thieves and pickpockets. The last half of the booklet is given over to detailed NPC and encounter descriptions, encounter charts and some well-done illustrations and maps to show to the party during the adventure.Critical HitsThe Root of All Evil is a definite good first adventure for low-level characters and I must admit that I was selling Kalamar short.  The adventure does flow well and is fast paced with a goodly number of hazards for the party to face along the way.Critical MissesThe text is very hard to read given the font type.  This is probably why I had such a hard time with their world book.  It strained my eyes and made me sleepy.  Recognizing this I will go back over the campaign world book one more time and re-evaluate it.Coup de GraceThis is a starter for a new party.  With a little work it can be adapted into your own world or take your adventurers to Kalamar.To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to Fast Tracks at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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