Heart of Nightfang Spire is the fifth of the Adventure Path modules,
designed for four 10th-level characters. Completion of the module
should yield enough experience for them to reach 12th or 13th level.
The author is Bruce R. Cordell, who wrote the original module (The
Sunless Citadel) which was generally well-received. That module was a
dungeon crawl with diverse elements and a slam bang fight at the end.
Nightfang Spire shares many elements of the Sunless Citadel, perhaps too
many.
Spoilers
The following review contains a detailed discussion of this module,
including secrets not immediately known to players. Read at your own
risk.
Design and Artwork
Let's begin with the design and artwork. This module features the by
now standard setup of the Adventure Path modules. The inside covers
feature well-designed, textured maps by Todd Gamble. They are a
pleasure to use and refer to, and I believe are superior to other d20
publishers' efforts. The interior layout makes use of small text:
thankfully, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) has returned to the smaller
fonts of the first three modules after the larger ones of the Standing
Stone, giving us more content in the same 32 pages. There is also very
little white space, and the margins are not large. The boxed text is
easy to distinguish while still being easy to read, lacking any of the
distracting backgrounds favored by companies like Atlas Games.
Important information is contained in sidebars set off from the text.
This is frequently useful, as I have found myself flipping back to
sidebars to reread them as I read through the module. This design is
clean and functional, and it works well. It deserves high marks.
The artwork, unfortunately, isn't as good. The cover picture by Jeff
Easley shows three adventurers hovering (by various means) over a tower
while being attacked by a scrubbing bubble with two long tentacles and
bat wings. (The module notes inside that the creature is the horrific
mooncalf, an otherworldly monster from the far side of the moon.) I'll
grant that it looks like a very angry scrubbing bubble, but it still
didn't remotely strike fear into my heart. It's also unfortunate that
the adventuring party has traded in the reliable Krusk and replaced him
with Quasimodo, although the scrubbing bubble is putting him out of his
misery. All of this action takes place miles above the earth, which is
only faintly seen below the massive paralyzed worm that sticks bolt
upright from the bottom of the painting. Oh, by the way, the sky is
filled with strange swirling colors that don't seem to make a lot of
sense. Click here to
see the cover. (If anyone has a larger image of the cover, I'd
appreciate it if they would mention it in the forums. This small one
really doesn't do the cover justice.)
Aside from aesthetic issues, this cover also has a major problem. In
the module, the mooncalf lies in wait just inside of the tower to spring
an ambush on the players. Any player who sees the cover is going to
expect an attack from a scrubbing bubble at the top of the tower. It
pretty much ruins the surprise value of the monster, which is intended
to be a very shocking initial encounter for the players. I think this
kind of cover shouldn't be used in the gaming industry precisely for
this reason. Willie Walsh wrote in about the cover on Dungeon #12 on
this very issue many years ago, and Dungeon doesn't have blatant covers
like this anymore. I wish the module design team of WOTC would follow
suit.
As a side note, for some reason the prerelease covers of these
adventures are usually better than the final version. Take a look here
and see if you don't agree with me.
The interior art is by Dennis Cramer. I usually like his artwork and
this module is no exception. The vignettes and character drawings are
evocative and very useful to show to players. I particularly like the
picture of Redbone. The poison dripping off her claws is a great detail
to show the players and should raise everyone's blood pressure. Another
nice detail is the diagram showing how the parts of the dragon key fit
together. The big exception is the full page of artwork on page 26
showing the center of the Spire. The big heart is well done, but I'm
not sure what the tentacle shaped thing is, though I surmise it is
supposed to be a catwalk. The bigger problem is that Gulthias, the
master insane vampire, has entered this module after a stay in a glam
rock band from the 80's. It's jarring for an insane, power-mad vampire
who likes to brood with only a large organ for company for weeks and
weeks on end. I don't think this picture sets the right tone at all.
This is by far the biggest scene in the module and shows the climax, so
it weighs badly on the art as a whole. Overall, the art in the module
doesn't aid the roleplaying experience or the feel of the adventure as
much as it should have.
Return of the Madman
Many of those who read the Sunless Citadel wondered about the origin of
the Gulthias tree. The questions are answered nicely in this adventure,
where the vampire Gulthias has escaped his staking and returned to
torment the world. He has returned to prepare his undead cultists to
expand the power and reach of the worship of Ashardalon, the great red
dragon. Characters must penetrate Nightfang Spire and destroy Gulthias
and the nightmarish heart of the dragon Ashardalon or Gulthias and his
undead cohorts will grow more and more powerful.
The module is divided into essentially three parts. The first part
consists of the approach and the physical spire itself. A variety of
lesser undead and remnants of the cult populate these levels, along with
an imaginative gibbering mouther and an unlikely demon "ally". The
second part of the module covers the catacombs beneath, where characters
battle more powerful undead and girallon servitors to assemble the four
parts of the dragon key. The PCs then use the key to enter the Core and
battle Gulthias and destroy the heart.
This module has a lot of different things in it, so I'd like to cover
some of the elements in it step by step.
Character Hooks and Motivation
First of all, the character hooks to begin the adventure are weak. The
characters are essentially expected to just enter the dim defile for
some reason and stick around to explore the tower. There isn't really
any specific reason for the PCs to explore the tower besides curiosity.
Once they get to the tower, it is completely self-contained -
essentially the perfect dungeon. Almost all of the action happens
inside the spire, with a very few exceptions, which I will discuss
below.
As the characters progress through the tower, there also isn't much
reason for them to keep going besides Gulthias' attacks. This doesn't
really contribute to the dramatic tension. In addition, the characters
don't really have any clue about what is going on in the tower. The
only way they find out things is by having the denizens tell them things
in a fairly transparent manner. For example, the mooncalf will mention
Gulthias before dying, just so that the characters know that someone
named Gulthias is behind the whole thing. In the spire proper, there is
a caged demon who will spill the beans if freed. Instead of the
characters learning what is going on through their own experiences, they
just get told everything in the first third of the adventure. If the
characters bypass this demon or don't listen to him, they'll never
really know what is going on. I think a definite way to improve this
module would be to foreshadow the events much more clearly. One could
have reports reach the players that the Sunken Citadel has been
disturbed and an empty coffin found where the Gulthias tree once stood.
Maybe rumors of Gulthias returning could crop up in the adventure ahead
of time. In addition, since the night hags forage for food, the
characters might encounter one of them going about its grisly business.
As it is, the module seems a little too mysterious, and the attempts to
circumvent this a little too blatant.
Finally, at the end of the adventure, there isn't really a clear next
step. Other modules in the series have had fairly obvious jumping-off
points, even if they weren't always the best. Looking for Ashardalon or
other members of his cult seems like an obvious next step, but the
sidebar on this and the cover of a later module in the series make it
clear that the players won't fight him until the eighth module when they
are something like 18th level. The spire is almost completely
self-contained and doesn't have many references to new locations or
opponents. Since the next module is based in the Underdark, I presume
the PCs are supposed to use the rebellious girallons' food and escape
passage to enter the Underdark, but there is no clear reason to go down
there presented in the module. The module lacks motivation at both
ends, really.
Denizens of the Tower
Bruce Cordell makes excellent use of the flexibility of third edition
(3e) in designing the possible opponents of the PCs. The PCs'
assailants are in general imaginative and sometimes very clever. Every
major villain has an interesting twist to them that shows the care and
thought that went into this module. Examples range from a gibbering
mouth vampire with a unique backstory to an assassin wight who coats her
wasted hands with poison. Every important monster encountered in the
adventure has some interesting twist that should surprise the PCs.
All the monsters act intelligently in combat and when dealing with the
players.
The mooncalf is the new monster in this adventure. While the monster
itself is reasonably interesting, very little background on its
motivations or goals is given, neither in the general description nor
pertaining to the specific individual in this module. I can't really
figure out what it is doing here besides being new and cool. Perhaps it
is designed to tie in to the insane sorcerers of the Speaker in Dreams,
but this is just supposition. A little more background or motivation
would have made this encounter more interesting to run, with the monster
taunting the characters telepathically while it fights.
It's also refreshing to see a possible ally for the PCs in the form of
the rebellious girallons. This introduction of Diplomacy and
role-playing is always welcome in any adventure, especially when it can
be adequately justified, as it is here.
Gulthias and his Works
Gulthias is a vampire wizards who seeks to revitalize his cult through
the addition of undead cultists. He believes that if his cult grows
large enough, Ashardalon will return. Through his connection to the
heart, he has unparalleled undead abilities and can grant minor powers
to his minions. He also can view 10 different sites in the spire and
catacombs. His tactics are presented as him shadowing the PCs and
directing his troops to attack the PCs at the most inopportune moments.
I think this approach works well, and shows very good design. I like
the idea of the reclusive head monster who strikes from the shadows and
feel it works well here.
Essentially, Gulthias is a religious fanatic, willing to do whatever it
takes to bring Ashardalon back. His primary method is through growth of
the cult. For me, this doesn't make him a very interesting head
villain.
Realistic Dungeon
One minor point that I appreciated seeing in this module was the attempt
to more realistically module life in the dungeon. The rebel girallons
have access to a passage to the Underdark where they can obtain food and
water. In addition, specific mention is made of two night hags who
provide the servitor girallons with sustenance. While I think this is
still a little impractical, it does represent a big improvement from the
Sunless Citadel, and I'm glad that the author took the time and effort
to put these little details in. They make the module stronger and
create additional options for playing the adventure.
Dungeon Crawl Aspects
This module is a dungeon crawl in the traditional mode. The players
enter a mad wizard's tower and must battle his minions, assemble a plot
device (dragon key), and then use the key to enter the villain's lair
and defeat him. I have to admit I groaned when I came to the dragon's
key. Why in the world would a wizard make it possible for people to
enter his inner sanctum? Since he can assume gaseous form or travel
through the gazeway, why doesn't he just keep the key in the core?
There is some mention that the key is used to sanctify various regions
of the catacombs, but this makes no sense to me. (Of course, it doesn't
have to make sense, because Gulthias is mad, see?) It seems to be there
purely as a plot device for characters to get into the core, and as such
suffers from the flaws of all such plot devices.
As another traditional element of the dungeon crawl, there are many
traps littering the area. Of special note are the traps that trigger
when characters attempt to take the parts of the dragon key. Three of
the four keys are trapped in one way or another, so the resident rogue
in the party must defuse the trap before the characters can proceed.
It's all very predictable and in keeping with a very traditional dungeon
crawl.
Another thing about this adventure is that it is in some ways very
simple. The characters just have to kill everything in the dungeon
besides the girallons (and even they can be killed without real
consequence) and gather the keys, finally killing Gulthias. It's pretty
much unrelenting slaughter all the way through, because the monsters are
all undead and can't be reasoned with. To top it all off, the head
monster is insane, and no provision is made for playing him in any way
except seeking the total extermination of the players.
The other traditional element of this adventure is the final climactic
battle with the boss monster at the end. The characters must fight
Gulthias, who takes full advantage of his various abilities. And the
heart just sits there. I believe the qualities of the heart are
underutilized in the climax of this adventure. Using it as Gulthias's
coffin is somewhat imaginative, but all it does in the battle is hover
there, and after Gulthias is dispatched, it falls and hits the ground
with a splutch. And that's it. No climactic explosions, no holy light
from on high, nothing. Just a lot of mummified tissue on the ground.
Game Mechanics
Like the previous modules, this adventure utilizes the 3e mechanics
well. I noticed no clear errors in the rules, and care was taken to
anticipate the spells that players might utilize to overcome various
obstacles. Also, this module contains a fair amount of treasure, much
more so than was available in previous modules. Without a lot of
calculation, it seems roughly commensurate with the amount expected for
a treasure of this level. There are several powerful armor and weapons
(of 2 and 3) and several miscellaneous magic items as well. Of
course, this assumes the characters do the standard dungeon crawl thing
and sift through the trash and ground of every room they come across.
In addition, at several points in the module it tells the DM to roll for
magic items on a specific DMG table. I really don't like this advice
much - I mean, what am I paying for this module for if it just tells me
to roll for items in the DMG?
Also, this module is hard. If your 10th level characters do not have a
good grasp of tactical combat and do not work as a well-oiled machine,
they are going to get slaughtered. There are just too many combatants
with too many special attacks. Also, the hit and run tactics of
Gulthias will wear the players down. This module is probably more
appropriate for 11th or even 12th level characters.
Relation to Previous Modules
This module continues the arc of the previous modules, relating directly
to events in the Sunless Citadel. Its relation to the Forge of Fury is
weak, and the only relation to the Speaker in Dreams is a possible link
through the mooncalf. The relation to the Standing Stone is clear,
since it was the druids who eventually drove off the dragon Ashardalon.
One problem I have with the module is that it seems too similar to the
Sunless Citadel. Both modules involve old fortresses sunk into defiles.
They both have a small group the players can befriend fighting a larger
group allied with the head bad guy. They both have this insane head
monster directing things from a place of power allied with an artifact
associated with the natural world. The insane head monster wants to
rule the world, but he spends all his time hiding away. They also both
end with a climactic battle with the head monster. In some ways, the
Sunless Citadel comes off better. There is much more motivation to
explore the Sunless Citadel, and these motivations are addressed
throughout the module. There are also more power factions there (rats,
kobolds, goblins, Belak and his minions) than there are in the Heart of
Nightfang Spire. I also believe the final battle with Belak and the
servants of the tree is more interesting and varied than the final
battle with Gulthias.
This is in some ways a real problem, because you would expect that as
the characters go up in level and power that the combats would get more
exciting and varied, but it doesn't happen in this case for the final
battle.
In addition, the modules themselves don't seem to be getting more
complicated. Of course, the modules are limited to 32 pages, so they
can't create detail without limit, but perhaps the design constraints
are just too stringent on this project. This is the third dungeon crawl
we've had out of five modules, and the Speaker in Dreams might as well
have been a dungeon crawl for all the control players had over events.
I would like to see more variety in the design and goals of these
modules.
Conclusion
This is a very competently done dungeon crawl. It has interesting
elements and good use of the new flexibility of the d20 rules, but
motivation is lacking and it has some of the traditional flaws of the
dungeon crawl as well. There doesn't seem to be any real effort to
break away from the mold of the traditional dungeon crawl, and that
worries me, because the characters for this module should have a variety
of skills and approaches. It would be nice for the core modules to
cater to as many of these skills and approaches as possible.
If you want a good dungeon crawl for this level, then by all means pick
this up. If you don't want a dungeon crawl, I would avoid this. There
aren't enough elements that can be cribbed to make the purchase of this
module worthwhile if you aren't going to use the Spire itself.
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