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Message: <blockquote data-quote="IronWolf" data-source="post: 2008071" data-attributes="member: 21076">The world of "The Standing Stone" adventure feels real somehow. Literary talent of Mr. Rateliff (easily comparable, within context of gaming material, to that of Carl Sargent or Hickman/Weis), his believable NPC's and evocative sense of history create a lifelike setting that is sadly rare in the published adventures. What makes this adventure wickedly funny from the DM point of view is that the PC's are expected to make asses of themselves by interacting with this setting with all the legendary subtlety of the dungeneering crew. Assuming the cliches, failing to pay the attention to details and fighting before thinking are true dangers in this adventure and demise (or an ignoble failure) for the party are almost guaranteed for those groops who play on autopilot (or on BG script)The sole fact that PC's are required to think and be actively engaged if they are to avoid being duped and/or killed alone makes the adventure a pleasure to DM and (or at least it should) source of real pride to have finished succesfully. Moreover, contrary to the most "cerebral" modules this adventure is fast paced, perhaps even more so then the regular dungeon romp, and is laced with some of the best tactical combat I have ever seen in DnD, utilising the 3ed rules to their fullest. The adventure depicts the conflict between two powerfull NPCs with PCs in a position to be decisive factor one way or the other.On one side the Villian is a Tiefling Sorcerer with some diabolical aid and on the other is a Paladin allied with local elves and forest creatures. The catch is that Paladin has been killed (by Sorcerer) and now continues his struggle from beyond the grave and that Elves have been thoghuraly antagonized by Sorcerer and his crew (whome they believe to be human) including the slaughter of their elders who came for the parlay. This all mean that sorcerer will in a fact be hireing the PC's to help him save the village from the Undead Horseman and the genocidal elves and if DM plays his cards right it is likely that PC's will not discover his deception till much later in scenario and only then with effort (it is very much possible that the PCs will go through the entire adventure without noticing the subtle hints as to who the real villian is - that is the autopilot I was talking about) and end up fighting the fey and the paladin in one of the DnD's better (if tragic) combat setups. The adventure involves (possibly but not necessarily) another dungeon with an interesting non-evil undead NPC that PCs have just enough hints to avoid fighting and that can make their lives either somewhat easier if they are respectfull or realy miserable if they attack.Final combat with the Sorcerer is another very well designed combat but not as hard as the final showdown with the fey. There is another subplot explaining original motivation of the sorcerer which is interesting but easily interchangable to fit the campaign as well as some realy good history of the place where adventure take place (a village built completly within the inner ring of the ancient druidic stone circle) providing both the in-game reason for such location and one of the plot elements (paladin as an undead can not enter hallowed grund of the Druid Sanctuary).</blockquote>

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