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DDAL07-14 Fathomless Pits of Ill Intent $3.99
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
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by Ian P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/20/2018 11:09:06

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

This was easily my favorite season 7 mod to play when it released. I played it at GaryCon X with Eric GMing it. The first time through I felt accomplished figuring out the riddle answers, the Up & Down Trap/Puzzle was as compelling as it was complex, and the Water trap was hilarious and frightening. With that being said, the fight in the upper levels does feel too easy; Eric had the moster point towards the entrance which could easily split a party if done properly and make the fight MUCH harder, but the mechanic that makes the fight dynamic feels clunky in practice and I have yet to see anyone actually have it used to their detriment.

The main puzzle was hilarious once I realized what it resembled, and the red herring was great, it threw us off for about a minute in total. What I will say more than anything else is that the character of the mod was sold by Eric in a way that differentiates playing this with the author from playing it with GMs who haven't run it with the author - the taunting by [redacted] via the statues, the [redacted] taunting you in the upper level fight - it really makes you want to beat these villains. I will say that running it with other GMs has made the mod feel a little hollow as a result, and more like a pile of traps than a Saw-like adventure with real and dangerous consequences.

The final fight was incredibly compelling, and I would recommend that any GM who runs it do two things: Strongly consider having your party play "up" to Strong or Very Strong, especially if there is an on-demand flight source in the party as the room effects are very well mitigated by these abilities, and make sure that you are paying attention to the legendary/lair actions in the room. The fight is nearly trivial if you ingore them, and proper use of them can be both surprising and challenging to PCs that aren't expecting the effects. And given that [redacted] is the one doing them, it should be satisfying to have them taunt the party, especially if any of them have played 00-02f.

All in all, this mod is what I think Redemption of Kelvan should have been, a difficult and compelling trip through quirky and dangerous puzzles and traps, with a short list of memorable combats. I have sent feedback to Eric on updates for a 1.2 version, and the only other suggestion that I would make would be giving explicit XP values for parties that are methodical in approaching the traps versus overcoming them with spells or class abilities as I feel that approach should be encouraged by a module like this.

Thanks!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL07-14 Fathomless Pits of Ill Intent
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