more reviews
Here are my reviews of the current entries. My only entry is actually one of these. Anyone want to wager a guess at which one is mine?
<hint, I'm pretty hard on it in this review>
Put to the Sword (EL 2)
I don't quite see the appeal of this one. Sure, it's well written, and has a nice border, but the content just isn't there. It's good as a "side-trek" kind of thing, but once it's done, it's done. Most parties I've ever ran would just kill the lizardman without thinking about it, and then move on. It's an original idea, and not one that comes up very often. I would have liked to have seen a more interesting location here. Something like a sacred lizardman ruin where crocodiles nest or something. Also, I would have liked to have seen rules for increasing the EL - adding more crocs, etc. Nice statblock.
Catch As Catch Can (EL 3)
The idea here is an amusing one, but like the first one, lacks substance. It's good for consuming about 10 minutes of game time, and then it'd be done. Like mistwell, I think the location is devoid of any further use outside this encounter, and it's certainly not unique enough to even deserve a page of write-up on it. It's the bank of a river - what more do you need to know? Nice statblock, I would have liked to have seen something more done with the location - like the entrance to an underwater dungeon in the catfish's lair!
The Centaur's Very Bad Day (EL 6)
I liked this one. Sure, the location isn't very unique, but it does pose some interesting challenges to the PCs. It's kind of a "skill" challenge, where players have to use their brains and not rely on their character sheets as much. It's also a DM workout as he has to use rules that don't always come into play. I like the fact that it has plot hooks for future development also. I would like to know why the Centaur crossed at point C (in the gully) when the bridge isn't that far away!)
L'amour de Erinyes (EL 7)
This one is different. The story is fairly unique, but I have some concerns. First, as an El 7 encounter, I'd be reluctant to give the PCs a powerful devil as an enemy. Secondly, a 25,000gp treasure is probably a bit much, even if it is a cursed magic item. Third, if there is a paladin in the party, killing the Erinyes is a no-brainer, so the plot would pretty much cease at that point. There aren't a lot of plot hooks from here, and the inn as a location is mostly undefined. Nice statblock.
Harmonies in the Snow (EL 8)
This one is unique. The location is an interesting one, though the writer doesn't really explain anything about it (probably due to space limitations), and the NPC is an interesting, unique one. I do like the idea of a haunted forest which is actually someone just trying to keep something hidden. The old "Scooby Doo" ploy. I'd like to have seen more ideas for future storylines by the author here.
Bad Cats Day (EL 8-16)
This one is fairly interesting, but is missing something. I think the location is interesting, and the concept is a valid one. What I would have liked to have seen here is a more developed location, possibly the ruins of an ancient beast-lord or animal god (maybe Bath? [Egyptian]) Also, something that motivates Kaihus more, like he's guarding something - maybe a relic which could lead to future plots. Lastly, the stat block is quite hard to read, and could have been polished up more.
The Portal (EL 12)
I liked this one. It's a generic thing that could fit into any world. The concept here is a daunting one, and I personally would never try to do something like this in three pages. It suffers as a result, I think. If I were to use this, I'd toss out the NPC altogether, and use something more inately immortal like a golem, undead, or just some vicious puzzle trap. As it is, I'd like to have seen more angst from the NPC - a chance to free him from his servitude, his anger towards his former master, the ability to give the PCs some clues on where his master stored some treasure, etc. The NPC could have been more interesting, to boot. Something like an enslaved Dryad, or something acting against their will, but who is normally a good creature. That would have given good PCs more of an incentive to help the guardian, and not just slay them. Also, having the portal go to all the planes would have been nice. I would have liked to have seen something that made the portal shift based on astrology, or something. Would have given the players more to research once they got there, and not just hop in.
*Cough*, I Feel *Cough* Great! (EL 14)
I like this one. The concept is fairly unique, but as others point out, it does take some liberties that some DMs would probably be unwilling to allow, although the writer is quick to point this out. If a DM allows this broad interpretation of 'suggestion' used here, they'd have to allow their PCs the same freedom. I do like the moral dilemna here of having to face the peasants. This, as the writer suggests, would be a difficult encounter for a good party - just killing the goddess, despite being difficult, would draw the wrath of her "followers" and would create a moral nightmare for a paladin. I do like the plot hook development, and the stat block is the best I've seen. And, like Mistwell suggests, it looks like the writer struggled to get this all into three pages. Lastly, the location isn't very useful outside of this encounter. I suppose it could be used as a Sage's house, or a cottage somewhere, but it's not interesting enough that any DM worth their salt couldn't have come up with the idea of a cottage on their own.
An Unexpected Visitor Drops In (EL 18)
This one is certainly different. I'm probably biased against this one since I'm not a fan of psionics, so to that end, I would have liked to have seen it arcane-based, or at least have the writer mention that it could be changed in such a way. And, to nit-pick, this isn't a location so much as it is an artifact, but that's not that big a deal in my book. I would have liked to have seen more development surrounding the PC, like - what is he doing here? Where is he going? Where has he come from? Will he defend the egg if the PCs try to take it? (I assume such) This is a perfect example of how 1 page sometimes just isn't enough for a complicated NPC.
