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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2009464" data-attributes="member: 9860">Beware! This review contains major spoilers. There are also spoilers to the prequel of this adventure.This is not a playtest review.The Witch Of Loch-Durnan is a chance for heroes to return to the hamlet of Loch-Durnan in the sequel to the Pit Of Loch Durnan (though advertised as being able to be run standalone too). The adventure is designed for characters of levels 5-7 and is designed to be used outside of the Hunt: Rise of Evil setting as well as for it.At $13.95 for 72 pages, this is above average for its size and type. Space usage is average, with some small blocks of white space, average font size and good margin size. The internal mono art by three different artists runs from mainly from poor to average, with a couple of good pieces. The cover art is only slightly better. Maps are poor - though the graphic is OK, only three of the seventeen maps have a scale on the map, and only one has compass direction. Writing style is average, whilst editing is poor with regular, minor errors including forgetting to change XX's to numbers and suchlike.The adventure's plot is reasonably dependent on the happenings in the previous adventure, the Pit Of Loch-Durnan. Previously, a crystal (imprisoning a devil that had nevertheless corrupted the inhabitants of Loch-Durnan) had been buried in a cave collapse. The crystal became cracked in its fall through the floor of the original cave into a deeper cave system, and the crack has allowed the influence of the devil to corrupt the area (the crack is also a Dream Rift in the H:RoE campaign setting). This corruption has taken two forms - it has mutated animals, plants and insects in the area to form a paranoid and aggressive threat to the hamlet as the mutants scout the surrounding area for dangers to a hive queen. In addition to this, the cave collapse opened up an ancient tomb of an elven king and his retainers. The bodies have risen as undead under the malign influence of the devil. To complicate matters, a fire-and-brimstone priest has come to the hamlet, a reaction of the church to the corruption that took place here only a short time ago. The priest's aim is to ferret out any more evil and acts as an Inquisitor against the villagers. This has created tension within the village, which has been exacerbated by an influx of new inhabitants who are pious followers of the inquisitorial church.The adventure begins with some history and overview for the DM, along with some hooks for players who have and have not played the Pit Of Loch-Durnan. Some NPCs of note and their motives are also described.Act 1: The Heroes Welcome, gives some information on villagers reactions to the PCs dependent on their actions in the Pit Of Loch-Durnan. There follow some rumours, and a guide to the hamlet of Loch-Durnan itself location by location. A number of possible side events are offered to enhance the roleplaying aspect of the adventure or take the adventure down a slightly different route for a time.Act 2: Attack On The Bekford's Place, requires the PCs to react to urgent news that a nearby farm is being attacked by the mutants and the section gives stats for these. This attack is similar to others that have occurred in the area recently.Act 3: Witch Hunt, details the attempts by the inquisitors to stir the villagers to form a mob to find a local white witch and kill her as the suspect for the brains behind the mutant attack. Whatever the party's influence, the villagers will set off into the woods in the fog to attempt to find the perpetrators of the insect attacks. The villagers come across more than they can handle and must retreat from the woods in defeat. The PCs get a chance to battle foes in the forest.Act 4: Of Men And Monsters, is a fairly complex undertaking for the GM. It involves a large and spread-out assault on the hamlet by organised groups of giant mutants. There is a useful table to help the GM organise the battle, with information given on the aims of each group involved over 5 minute periods. This includes information on NPCs and creatures killed unless the PCs change the course of events through their actions. Some basic advice is given on dealing with changing circumstances due to PC actions.Act 5: Retribution, deals with the party's attack on the lair of the mutants and the attempt to destroy the crystal. They are informed by the white witch of the location of the lair, and proceed through the caves to deal with the creatures, the crystal, and the elven undead, whilst avoiding various traps.Act 6: Aftermath, gives various options dependent on PC actions in the adventure.Appendix 1: NPCs and Creatures, gives stats, background and personality for the main NPCs. It also has a throrough section on all the mutants including the Brood Queen, Brood Father, and the Ware, a mutated otter guardian. Other mutants include those mutated from fungi, bats, fish, leeches, cockroaches, lampreys, lizards, mosquitos, snakes, wasps, and worms. In addition to these, a number of nasty experiments on animals by a mad sorcerer corrupted by the devil in the crystal have left a legacy of beasts such as goatmen and scorpion dogs in the area, and these are also detailed.Appendix 2: Alternate Adventure Locations, details the McAlister Manor which is the major building of the hamlet and has been taken over by the inquisitors after the owner died in the Pit Of Loch-Durnan. Also covered is Longtoes Valley, the home of a halfling ranger who is protecting the white witch of the title.Appendix 3: Mutant Generator, are a set of randomised tables for creating mutant animals, plants and vermin. There is an example to show how the tables are used to create these creatures.Conclusion:The adventure is a bit of a mixture. Mediocre art, sloppy editing, average writing, a good open plotline and a complex running mass combat which demands the GM is on her toes. I'm not a great fan of mutant horrors in fantasy, and most of the monsters in the module are of this ilk. If that's your cup of tea, you'll likely love this adventure, since the mutant generator tables also allow you to create your own homebrewed mutants. I did like the ambiguous moral issues raised by the existence of the inquisitors and the village mob in Chapter 3, and it ties in logically for those who ran the Pit Of Loch-Durnan very well. The adventure itself does not need a great deal of work to run stand-alone, and does not require the Hunt:Rise of Evil Campaign book to run this either. I would have liked to see ELs for each encounter, which were not listed.Really, your interest in the adventure will probably rest with how comfortable you feel with mutated creatures in your fantasy campaign and whether the concept behind the adventure outweighs the mediocre presentation.</blockquote>

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