Of Sound Mind is a D20 fantasy adventure module for use with
Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition. Its contents assume that the PCs will be a quartet of 1st level characters, and that at least one of whom will be a psion or a psychic warrior.
Of Sound Mind is billed as a "psionic fantasy" adventure, and it does make heavy use of the new psionics rules that entered the System Reference Document recently, but playing a psionic character isn't necessary. (It does help greatly, as one would expect in a module like this.)
The 48 pages of content are up to Fiery Dragon's usual standards. The margins are small, so the text is thick and meaty. In addition to the scenario proper, there are three appendices and six pages of handouts. Stapled to the interior is a full-sized sheet of colored counters that are ready for use when the GM employs this module. The artwork, inside and out, is also of Fiery Dragon's usual quality; it's pretty, well-done and evokes a scene within the module with the aplomb that is now customary of Fiery Dragon's adventure modules. A better example of quality production isn't on the market. Already, I can confidently say that this module is classy, well-done and meaty.
Now, to see how it plays.
( WARNING! Spoilers aplenty from here forward!)
Of Sound Mind begins in the town of Bellhold. 50 years ago, this town suffered under the cruelties of Copperdeath. Copperdeath was a powerful dragon who's powers of the mind remain a local legend. Also a legend are the heroes who slew Copperdeath and then settled in Bellhold to become its champions. All was well until a few weeks ago when the populace suffered nightmares every time they slept, and then some of the local children went missing. The original heroes set out to find the children, but they're missing now and the nightmares go on. This is when the PCs arrive.
The adventure begins as the PCs approach Bellhold, where they meet a farmer tending to two horses who've become incorrigable recently. He asks the PCs to help him. This encounter establishes the adventure's theme from the get-go without being obvious about it; if the PCs are sufficiently skilled and perceptive, they will twig to the fact that the horses are dangerous beasts due to some sort of tampering. Should the PCs aid the farmer, he'll feed them and fill them in on the local history of the region- after which he sends them on their way into town.
I single out this initial encounter for one reason: this is the best use of cinematic convention in a D20 module to date. It sets the stage for the adventure, provides an opportunity to learn much more early on and doesn't look the least be obvious about it. Furthermore it is not indispensible because every clue available here can be had later on; it's like getting the BFG right away when playing a first-person shooter game. But I digress.
From here, the PCs arrive in Bellhold and learn most of what's going on. If they missed their chance to gain background information at the farmer's homestead, then they'll get it here without much effort. (One piece of information is rather cunning in its seeming unimportance; the town's tower bell can shatter glass when rung.) The people are irritable due to lack of sleep, so some friction is possible. At this point there are two other social encounters of note, both of which also serve to provide information to the PCs about the situation at hand- either directly or indirectly.
The PCs, in playtest, twigged to the unusual affairs right away. They got their information from the farmer, which was confirmed by others in town. While the PCs didn't discern anything out of the encounter with the insane villager, the town meeting did provoke a bit of action--Lidda and Jozan tag-teamed against the mayor, using a combination of social skills to argue him into actually doing something to aid his citizens--and provided a clue: the local wise woman prophesised that a solution would come soon. So, after the meeting, they went to see the old woman. She failed to slip away unnoticed due to Lidda's skill at spotting things, was quickly captured by Ma'varkith (the iconic psychic warrior) and compelled to reveal what she knew by Jozan and Lidda. (They're good at playing Good Cop/Bad Cop.) The old woman confesses, revealing that unless someone intervenes the town will be nothing by mindless drones under another's mind control within a week. Then she begged for mercy; she got it, after trading her wares--three magic potions--to the PCs.
The PCs, knowing that the farmer didn't suffer the nightmares, went back to his farm and made him a deal: they traded their aid for a place to sleep. The rest of the day and into the evening, they fixed his tools and patched his fence. At this point, Ialdabode (one of the iconic psions) became aware of another psionic nearby. It was he who discovered that the farmer's horses were actually awakened, evil and about to devour the farmer. (For he was in the stable to feed them.) He called to the others while he got the farmer away from the now-beligerant horses; combat ensued, and Ialdabode went down from a lucky roll. Fortunately, Jozan had a pair of spells left so he cast them to heal the psion. Meanwhile, Lidda and Ma'varkith dispatched the psionic horses quickly. (Note: This fight is in the module, but it's after the horses kill the farmer. The PCs' actions preserved the farmer's life.) They slept in shifts for the night; the next day they reported--with the farmer--the incident to the mayor. This got the PCs the task to check into the missing children.
While the PCs had no trackers, finding the path and following it to the foot of nearby Steeple Mountain--where Copperdeath laired in life--wasn't as hard as it seemed. The PCs were somewhat suspicious, but they nothing else to go. Wisely, they went back to down to gather supplies and report their findings. After lunch, the PCs (with a map of the area in hand), returned to the mountain and began the dungeon crawl.
The crawl through the dungeon was long and--at times--tedious. This isn't a flaw, but just the way that the playtest went. The screaming heads got a scare out of them, the zombie troglodytes were a serious fight until Jozan got off a lucky turn check and the cleric that created them proved to be a rather interest social encounter. (While Lidda talked, Jozan worked to patch up the group; it was somewhat tense.) Thus the early part of the crawl consisted of making a deal with an uneasy ally against a common enemy.
The rest went more easy overall, but it was a more brutal part of the adventure. The encounter with the dananshee went quick, mostly due to Ialdabode's sense that this fey wasn't your usual helpful type; the PCs drove her off, and the troglodyte cleric finished her off-screen. The assault upon the goblin-held area went better than it would've otherwise due to the cleric's minion: a new skeletal undead, called a bonetangle, that worked as a shock trooper. It went down here, but that was enough for the PCs to finish the job and slaughter the goblins. The PCs found the missing children, rescued them and then recovered the crystal that had Copperdeath's psyche within it. As agreed, the troglodyte cleric got to depart in peace while the PCs returned to town.
The real climax was a shocker of sorts, as the PCs had to face down the zombie-like mind-drones that became of the villagers. Fortunate for them was Ma'varkith's remembrance of the tower bell's shattering qualities. They beat a path to the tower bell and rang it until the crystal shattered. It hurt like hell, and Jozan ran out of healing spells during the encounter, but they did it just as Ma'varkith was about to collapse from subdual damage.
In conclusion, this was a rather good adventure. The psionic PCs got to show off, psionics in general got to show off, and the adventure has no structural flaws of note. Kudos to Kulp for his first effort at module design for coming through. It's a must-have, and I so look forward to the sequel.
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