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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2009781" data-attributes="member: 18387">The Tomb of Abysthor is an adventure for characters level 2-8 ("and beyond", the module claims) by Necromancer games. It is primarily a classic "dungeon crawl", but it is also a wonderful example of just why a dungeon crawl can be so much fun. This particular dungeon has an ecological system of sorts, and a political situation with several factions in an uneasy standoff all seeking the little-understood secret that lay in the heart of the dungeon. It's an interesting premise - one that players are encouraged to explore. I've now run this module through twice with different groups. In one group, the players decided to start a war between the two largest factions, in an attempt to "thin out the ranks". There's a lot of stuff going on here, and chances to negotiate, roleplay, and engage in non-combat activities are high.As an "old school" module, the opportunities for "hack & slash" abound, but players who rely purely upon brawn rather than brains are very quickly going to quickly find themselves wiped out. The module itself is not incredibly difficult, but there are many encounters that will be too much for the PCs to handle if they rush in guns blazing. Careful thought, ambush, and knowing when to bypass potential fights entirely will really win the day here. There are also many intriguing puzzles, traps, and assorted mysteries to be found and dealt with in this module. The variety is generally quite high. The module is designed as something of a mini-campaign. Players are not expected to run through it from start to finish. If anything, it is really more of an area that gets visited periodically as the players learn more information about the secrets that lay within.Which brings us to the faults of the module. They are few but noticeable. One problem is that there is really no way for the party to fully "succeed" unless one or more PCs are of lawful good alignment. It would be nice if there were some alternate ways around the ending and some of the key parts of the module with a non-lawful party. The module also contains a few instances of spells and items from Sword & Sorcery's "Relics & Rituals" book, with little information on what the spells or abilities actually do. This makes it a little harder to use this module in a campaign where the DM doesn't have this book.Also, there are a lot of sections of the module (including the climax) that are really impossible to find without outside assistance. This is fine, except said outside assistance is really not covered in the module. The DM is left on his own to note these spots, and provide the clues the players need to finish the module. I'm not opposed to doing a bit of customization and homework to prepare a module, but these should have been more clearly noted with suggestions for the DM for introducing these "missions" to the players. Faults aside, this module stands out as one of the best modules and best bargains out there for D20. It stands out in my mind of what a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl SHOULD be - which is something far better than the old ritual of "kick the door down, kill the monster, take the treasure". It is a thinking person's dungeon, and should provide many sessions' worth of entertainment for the players and the DM.</blockquote>

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