As part of my campaign to improve the website, I am rewriting some of my oldest posts, focusing on reviews first.
This was originally posted on June 1st, 2016. Depending on what happens to the party, I might make this module my 2027 series. B2, X2... S2 seems to track.
I can't believe I've been doing this for that long.
Code: S2
Author: Lawrence Schick
Rule Set: D&D
Year: 1979
Pages: 16
Number of characters: 4-10
Levels: 5-10
Rating: ★★★★☆
White Plume Mountain is part of the Special series of modules. It is meant for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and expects a large number of characters at relatively high levels. Interestingly enough, the scenario spells out that many adventures into the dungeon will be required and may cause a rotation of adventurers through many sessions. That is a nice touch. I like the long-term play and replayability, similar to what I did with B2 and X2.
Written by Lawrence Schick and published in 1979, this standalone module plunges players into the subterranean maze of a volcanic dungeon located in the Shield Lands. The story kicks off when three legendary magical weapons named Wave, Whelm, and Blackrazor were brazenly stolen from the vaults of richie-rich collectors in Greyhawk. When the owners received a mocking poem signed with the symbol of the wizard Keraptis, they tempt a party of plucky heroes to brave the volcanic tunnels with promises of cash and prizes.
I love this style of play. Early failures and setbacks to the player characters are muted by the ability to retreat to the complete safety of the nearby town. This is very different from most dungeon crawls where characters must hoard limited resources. Instead, players find themselves on a quest to obtain those 3 magical weapons at all costs. Monsters and puzzles and challenges protect them. Backtracking enables inspired progress along with resupply and fairly realistic gameplay. Players can leave their horses at a local village or hide them in a natural cave before entering the south-facing Wizard's Mouth cave. This adventure takes the learning curve for games and makes it a positive. White Plume Mountain is more like The Moonshot than D-Day.
The dungeon itself is a masterclass in puzzle-box design. It forces players to combine brains and brawn to overcome hazards that cannot be solved by simple violence. Navigating the complex requires dealing with everything from a gynosphinx offering riddles to terrifying environmental death traps. Razor-sharp blades and a heat-induction chop and wear the party down. Players must carefully manage their character's resources as they tackle distinct branches to recover the stolen artifacts.
The Heroes encounter a wild array of off-theme challenges. Wave, the trident, is protected by a watery monster inside a force field under a boiling lake. The warhammer, Whelm, is protected by a crazy waterpark gone wrong with a resident vampire. Blackrazor, the mythic sword is protected by a friendly hobbit. Even if a party manages run these gauntlets and collect the weapons, they face a final twist at the exit. Powerful efreet named Nix and Nox attempt to intercept them and herd them toward Keraptis' final trap.
This module also features wonderful artwork. My personal favorite is the fighter on page 6. It isn’t the best, but it captures the character's reaction so perfectly. The fighter’s confused look is classic. Who jumps platform to platform over hellishly hot mud? Everything in fighter school trained me not to do this. This illustration perfectly highlights the terrifying suspended disk challenge where heroes must leap across chains above boiling mud while dodging active geysers. The images for Blackrazor and the Mountain itself and Keraptis are iconic of classic Dungeons and Dragons.
You can find this as part of a set, S1-4. DriveThru RPG also has Dungeon Tiles and a new version for 3.5 Adventures to supplement your collection.
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