The Sinister Spire
From: Wizards of the Coast
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
The Sinister Spire is a new Campaign Adventure from Wizards of the Coast.
The sequel to the Barrow of the Forgotten King (previously reviewed), this adventure picks up where its predecessor leaves off, chasing after stolen items from the tomb of the forgotten king, most important of which is his bones. The items also include a cache of magic items that obviously are going to be the pull into this and other adventures along this campaign path. If the party has not played Barrow, it of course allows for that. The party is to chase after minions of the now dead Xeron who have stolen the items and bones and gone deeper underground. This leads the players into the Underdark and into the lair of something even more sinister. It is handy to have the Forgotten Realms Underdark supplement, but it is not required. Although this adventure involved the Underdark, it is not billed as a Forgotten Realms specific adventure.
PLEASE NOTE: This review is intended for the GM only. Players may find a few spoilers in the review.
Plot: The adventures basic plot is to chase down the magic items and bones of a once great king. A prophecy among the townsfolk says that one day this king will return at a time of great need, but this prophecy cannot come to pass if his bones are missing. Picking up where the Barrow of the Forgotten King left off, this adventure has the adventurers follow a servant of the now dead Xeron further into the barrow and into something called an earth node.
This earth node teleports those that use it to the Underdark, just outside the lair of the primary villain. They find themselves in the Great Grotto, a huge cavern complete with a underground sea, a few islands and lots of denizens, friendly and unfriendly. The adventure leads the party over the underground sea, through encounters with the illusionary powers of an aboleth and its skum slaves, and into the former magically-plagued Pedestal, through its haunting and aging streets. They also are given two quests that take them to an island of floating fungus and into a secret lair of an insane drow matron. Once the quests are completed, they are directed to the haunted Necomancer’s Spike – a huge natural stone pillar with a series of chambers carved in it. All along the way, they can find interesting bobbles, magic items, and NPCs and evil creatures like the plaguelost of Ash Doom. In the end, the party faces off against their main foe, and battles for the possession of the artifacts they seek.
Tactically, the adventure has 17 encounters, ranging from EL 6 to EL 8. These are all described in the second half of the booklet, all in terms useful for those that use D&D minis in their game.
From the back cover : “Delve into the Darkling Depths”
Villain: The villain is Fadheela, an agent of the conspiratorial group known as the Vanguard of Sertrous. She is an “unholy progeny of medusa and yuan-ti.” She is a rather formidable CR 8 creature that mixes the worst of two very nasty baddies. Her and her minions face off with the players in the end of their journey through the Grotto. She is also the keeper of the first item of the collection of lost items.
Locale: The major locale for this adventure is the Great Grotto, a dark and sinister cavern in the Underdark. What I have found among D&D fans with respect to the Underdark is that they can take it or leave it. Inside the Great Grotto is a sad and decrepit plague city of Pedestal. This city has a distinct post-apocalyptic feel, D&D-style. The city is fairly inspiring but might be a little dark for the traditional D&D player.
Within the city is the Necromancer’s Spike – a huge natural column. Carved within the column is a fortress once inhabited by a necromancer. Now, it serves as Fadheela’s lair and the heart of the adventure. Finely detailed out on the cover, this local has perils at each of the 5 levels. It too is an inspiring location.
From the back cover: “The waters of a sunless sea meet a pebble-strewn shore, beyond which opens a wide Underdark vista shimmering with pale cave-light.”
Minions: Minons range from the giant cockroaches to aboleth in the Sullen Sea; from mutated plaguelost in the streets of Pedestal to Fadheela’s grimlock thugs. They are varied and interesting but also make sense for the encounter. There are not any minions that seem out of place. There are some semi-original ideas presented in the encounters as well, something called a Desiccator – an undead thing left wandering the halls of the necromancers sanctum.
Reward: Of course the reward is one of the lost artifacts as well as clues to the location of the others and the lost bones. The next adventure furthers their quest to gather the artifacts and eventually the bones.
Layout: The layout is on par with the quality of other WotC products – which is always very good. The cartography is fantastic and, of course, one can download the maps from the web site. The art is also well done. The tactical encounters are very detailed and should be thoroughly read before going into it in game.
In conclusion, like its predecessor, this is an adventure I would want to run. It is a little dark, but what adventure isn’t when journeying through the Underdark. It has magically mutated creatures and an epic setting. It has challenging encounters and a few moments of roleplaying. It is quintessential D&D.
For more details on Wizards of the Coast and their new Campaign Adventure “The Sinister Spire” check them out at their website http://www.wizards.com, and at all of your local game stores.
The Sinister Spire
From: Wizards of the Coast
Type of Game: Campaign Adventure
Written by: Bruce R. Cordell, Ari Marmell
Edited by: Chris Sims
Cover Art by: Steve Prescott
Additional Art by: Wayne England
Number of Pages: 64
Game Components Included: One softback adventure booklet with detachable cover with maps
Game Components Not Included: D&D d20 Core Books
Retail Price: $ 19.95 (US)
Retail Price: $ 24.95 (Can)
ISBN: 9780786943579
Website: www.wizards.com Reviewed by: Ron McClung