To Stand On Hallowed Ground is Fiery Dragon's first product in its Bronze Medallion line of D20 adventure modules. The difference between the Silver and Bronze lines is in the accessories; the counter sheet is entire black-and-white, and it's not a cardstock add-on. For that matter, all of the interior artwork is black-and-white. Only the covers are full-color pieces, but they are far superior to those of the first two releases.
Otherwise, the quality is the same as Fiery Dragon's previous modules. The layout is still easy to use, the text is still easy to read, and the flow is easy to follow. Finding an entry is as easy as breathing, and the summaries of the modules' enemies are on the inside covers. Those tables also covers the Encounter Ratings, monster Challenge Ratings, needed statistics, and where those monsters are found on the map. Location maps are at the center, as are the expanded stat blocks for the NPCs and monsters. For those concerned, the legal text is also at the center. Don't change from this winning fomula, it works and it works very well.
And now, the adventures.
The Ghost Machine
This is James Bell's adventure, and it's the B side of the module. The cover depicts some sort of ghost standing amidst a nightmare of sinister black tentacles, storm-tossed countryside, and mysterious fog that bodes no weal for the viewer. It's a well-done piece, and a well-done piece of foreshadowing; I appreciate this sort of savvy use of artwork.
The Ghost Machine is a short adventure--a Side Trek, in the parlance of Dungeon Magazine--involving a reawakened horror from the days of a world-conquering Evil Overlord. It's meant for a party of four 5th level characters, but it scales upwards to 7th without much difficulty. The PCs come upon the problem at dusk, when they come upon a monk from the Brotherhood of Form (an order of monks who dedicate themselves to rebuilding castles, keeps, manors, etc. for its own sake). Said monk begs for their aid against an undead horde that they'd encountered, lest it spread and threaten the nearby folk.
At this point, the adventure comes to the PCs. The monk dies as he falls into a pile of dust, and six zombies emerge from the trees and attack. The PCs put them down--they're only zombies, and the PCs are suppossed to be 5th level--and then (likely) discover that Something Is Very Wrong as the zombies reconstitute themselves, get up, and go at the PCs again. Lather, rinse, and repeat until the PCs get the hint and decide that they ought to do as the monk asks.
The hook here is that the titular machine greatly empowers the undead, making it impossible to destroy corporeal undead until the machine is found and destroyed. Furthermore, the area influenced by the machine grows swiftly over time; those living who die under its influence are revived as zombies and join the ranks of the nigh-unstoppable horde, and there is a town not far from the site of the machine. Once the PCs realize that this machine allows for something straight out of Romero's zombie film trilogy (including the endings), they'll be out to stop the machine post-haste.
The rest of this adventure is a fight through the restored keep, the site of the machine, and its undead inhabitants. Until they find, identify, and destroy the machine's components they'll have to cope with monsters that won't stay dead, Cure (X) spells that work at half strength, and greatly empowered versions of known undead. (Do not get Mummy Rot; you are very likely to die from it.) Rooms here and there allow some breathing room, but not for long and certainly not long enough to rest and recover; this is very much an Evil Dead sort of adventure. Those rooms also contain some aids and clues as to what is the threat and how to take it down, so it's not all flailing in the dark (as it were). Some of the monsters can be avoided, or nailed in place, so as to not return at some later (and quite unhelpful) time.
The big fight at the end, at the heart of the machine, will either go short and severe (either way, depending on who's better prepared) or go long as mean (as both sides have to wear down the other to win). In either event, this is a one-night trek that ought to be remembered for a very long time. Parties that lack a cleric or a paladin should run, lest the sheer number of undead overwhelm the PCs; parties that rely too much on piercing weapons are also in trouble. The only thing I can see as a problem is if the PCs decide to just firebomb the place, watch it burn, nail down any who get loose, and then go forth to destroy what's left.
It's a good adventure, suitable for a night's gaming, and it's a great way to make monsters that most gamers don't fear at 5th level and put back that terror that Romero instill so long ago into moviegoers all over the world. Do check it out.
Swords Against Deception
Everything I said about the cover and charts on the inside cover are also applicable here. Furthermore, the chart tracking Alert Factor status makes its use very easy to employ. This sort of thing should be remembered by others.
This is the A side of the module. It's written by Mike Mearls, and it's the better of the two (damn good) modules. The PCs get involved in tracking down the truth of a new cult in the land, one that's captured the minds of the peasantry and the poor in the cities. As this threatens the foundation of society, the nobles and the temples are worried about revolution. Those the new cult hasn't done anything overt yet, the Old Guard knows better than to expect pacifist idealism from a new cult. Through one means or another, the PCs are ask to go to the location of the cult's new headquarters and get inside it to find out the truth. In the meantime, they have to pretend to be cult members on a pilgrimage. For a group of four 10th level PCs, this may not be so simple a task.
Getting to the site is easy. Getting on the island isn't so easy, and getting inside the castle where the information they're after lies is anything but easy. This isn't an adventure where charging into the fray is a bright idea. Aside from the thousand of pilgrims--yes, it is possible to die at the hands of several hundreds of 1st level Commoners--there are a tribe of mercenary minotaurs, two hydras, and plenty of other nasties come quickly to smash such stupid PCs into bloody corpses. Stealth and trickery are key; this is a Commando Raid, ala Where Eagles Dare, and so it should be run as such.
Reinforcing this feel is a new subsystem dubbed "Alert Factor", which tracks the amount of attention that the PCs draw upon themselves as they go about the adventure. As mentioned in the text, this subsystem is applicable to any similiar scenario and thus can be tweeked to fit with ease; put another way, it's not specific to this adventure and it can be exported without compability problems getting in the way.
The danger that the bad guys present should not be underestimated; the weakest foes (after the pilgrims and castle staff) are 2nd level fighters, and the cult attendants are 2nd level sorcerors. It gets much worse than that very fast, with five-headed hydras and the tribe of minotaurs that employ the beasts as guard dogs working for the cult as military muscle. The leadership consist of undead spellcasters, a monstrous assassin, and devils as otherworldly ambassadors to the cult leadership. If the PCs aren't at their utmost in caution and readiness, they're going to die. (I predict that Swords Against Deception will go on to become a classic over time due to this feel, much like the classics of AD&D 1st Edition.)
There are some new items here that are key to the adventure, but nothing else that's worth noting. It's a clean, clear adventure that is easy to set up and run. Conditions for success are clear (the PCs destroy the cult), as are consequences of failure. (Which are: the cult revives its true leader, who then reveals what the cult's true purpose is. The cult then goes on a rampage of killing, looting, burning, etc. that ends in the overthrow of the Old Guard and the establishment of Yet Another Evil Empire.) I love it, and I can't wait to run it. Buy Mearls a drink, please.
Conclusion
Get it, read it, run both. Good modules must be rewarded.
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