Necropolis Book Club - Chapters 4 and 5
Chapter 4
So we come to the Pool of Hapy. Starting off reading this, I'm not totally sure... why the PCs are coming here? No matter.
What begins the chapter is interminable read-aloud, which is mostly just dry descriptions of the landscape. "Its flat portion is about 90 feet wide; it then inclines upwards another 60 feet on each side. This rise continues more steeply thereafter..." Wow. The adventure has never been higher. And I repeat, this is the READ-ALOUD, not just dry descriptions for the DM to use, although it has plenty of that too. You know what else it has? A MAP, which could easily describe all this information as needed. No matter.
Another oddity is the fact that it keeps mentioning that the demoncroc might attack here. Nothing about it specifically lying in wait at a bend in the river, or being part of random encounter check. Just a "maybe, if you want." I was confused at first, because the demoncroc lives in town and is supposed to attack the party there. But now I think This is implying that the whole reason the PCs are coming to the Pool of Hapy is that they have fought the demoncroc, which when, threatened with death, will swim upstream in the form of a huge carp. Because it heals quickly, it could then lie in ambush at the pool. This could have been explained better, or worked into some kind of random encounter. No matter.
Gygax also wants you to know that this is a POOL not an OASIS an OASIS is fed from an underground source, so it is a POOL goddammit.
The main thing here other than potential demoncroc encounters is Merha-Aptut, a potentially helpful priest. He offers magic services to proven good parties, and, if they manage to get the evil aftifact in the previous chapter, will give a bit of exposition and some magic items. This chapter isn't long, but is incredibly long for being the house of single priest with a few treasures. This easily could have been a "house" in chapter 3. No matter.
Chapter 5
This is a simple one. The book has a map and pretends that it's a more location based scenario, but really the ambushing bandits are quantum ogres that will appear at the first of any predetermined points along the road to the gorge. The combat scenario itself seems fine, and gives different starting states depending on how well the party scouts or rolls on spot checks.
Should some bandits flee, they can be tracked back to the lair. That's cool, and maybe necessary if the leader flees with his important macguffin. Guarding the lair is a giant sand monster. I like that it can be hit for special effects with various types of attacks. Water will slow it, wind will blow it away, fire/lightning will melt it into glass. Pretty cool.
And for a second, I get excited about an actual dungeon, a tower/gatehouse, but it is essentially unkeyed and has a single encounter in it. Oh well. The encounter's not bad, with some potential for social interaction which could set up "Anubis" to fight with his evil false worshipers.
And of course trying to fly or teleport around the gatehouse will sic some shadow demons on the party who dared to use their high level powers.
The next chapter does look like an actual dungeon, so fingers crossed it gets a little more exciting than town interactions and set-piece combat encounters. So far, the module's still a mess, but entertaining, and I can see a talented DM, while doing a lot of work and improv, be able to run a memorable campaign from this.