The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Hall of the Rainbow Mage By Patrick Lawinger Necromancer Games/ Sword and Sorcery Studios 92 pages

Hall of the Rainbow Mage is an adventure for 4-6 PCs of level 7 or higher. A good mix of magical aid and combat prowess are going to be required. The use of 4th or possibly even 5th level spells will be quite helpful to the party, and a rogue with excellent Search ranks is imperative.

Hall is a multi-site based dungeon crawl, based on some detective work done by the PCs to discover the whereabouts of Londar Brightrain, the Rainbow Mage.

The interior is black and white, with the skull banner margins common to Necromancer products. Interior art is done by Brian LeBlanc, and I was quite surprised to see nude (but tastefully done, and appropriate) artwork inside. Cartography was done by Rob Lee and maps are provided for the wizard’s home, wilderness, and the temple of Horgrim.

The adventure itself is around 68 pages, with 23 pages of NPCs, new monsters and a new template, new items, spells, and a new feat as well. 2 new gods are outlined (Arn, lesser god of the Sun, and Horgrim, god of War and Magic) as well.

I found the tables and sidebars to be in logical and easy to use placement, and special items have there descriptions in sidebar-type boxes close to where they are needed.

Spoilers contained below

The Hall of the Rainbow Mage can be started in several different ways, and several hooks are given to get the PCs involved. What is the fixed situation is the disappearance of Londar Brightrain, and several individuals want to find him, for different reasons. Thus, the detective work by the PCs. Depending on who they work for, Londar is wanted for different reasons. The PCs will start out in the town of Hampton Hill, and discover clues as to what happened to Londar. From information gathered in town, the PCs will discover they must travel through a wilderness setting, to Londar’s home some distance away.

Londar’s tower is a standard “Wizard’s Tower” situation, and was not inspiring. The parties rogue will be important for the rest of this section. While there is the possibility of combat through Londar’s mansion, most can be avoided if the party really wants to. The mansion, tower, and caverns beneath are heavily laden with traps, and these simply must be dealt with. Beneath the mansion is where Patrick begins to show his creativity. With several caverns holding various beings, the PCs will not know what to expect, and the seemingly boring adventure takes a turn for the interesting. Towards the end of the catacombs, is where the PCs find Londar’s body. It is also where some of the relics needed to continue the adventure are stored.

If the PCs return the body of Londar to Hampton Hill, the adventure could be concluded right there. And that would truly be a shame, for the real excitement is about to come. Depending on the way the PCs start the adventure, they will be asked to find the murderer of Londar. It is also where the plans of Londar come to light. He needs certain relics (most of which he has) to complete a ritual. One relic is still in the temple at Arn’s Mountain. If the PCs decide to continue looking for the person who did this, they will eventually come to Arn’s Mountain, which holds Horgrim’s temple.

It is in Horgrim’s temple that the PCs find the inspired dungeon crawl that makes this adventure so worth getting. I liked this temple to a “mini Tomb of Horrors”, in that there is some combat, but the traps involved are the real security, in my opinion. I found this complex to be very well done, and quite creative in its multi-part defenses. It is in this temple that the adventurers must find the last piece of the puzzle Londar was looking for.

The conclusion of this module can be left open to the DM’s desires for how to incorporate it into the campaign. It is entirely possible (and likely) that Londar will be raised for the Dead, and he will be very unhappy about his plan being ruined by the PCs. Various other well-rounded NPCs have their own motivations for gaining the relic pieces, or stopping the PCs. This is a very flexible adventure, and can be molded to fit into an existing campaign quite easily.

I have to admit, when I started reading this adventure, I was lukewarm at best. I wasn’t all that impressed with the premise of a “Wizard’s Tower” situation. But, as the adventure progresses, it gets better and better. I would happily give this adventure 3.75 out of 5.

Hall of the Rainbow Mage
Hall of the Rainbow Mage Capsule Review by skeetyrbug on 09/06/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) this adventure really picks up in the middle and ending. Give it a chance. Product: Hall of the Rainbow Mage Author: Patrick Lawinger Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Necromancer Games Line: Cost: Page count: 92 Year published: 2002 ISBN: SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by skeetyrbug on 09/06/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	Hall of the Rainbow Mage By Patrick Lawinger Necromancer Games/ Sword and Sorcery Studios 92 pages Hall of the Rainbow Mage is an adventure for 4-6 PCs of level 7 or higher. A good mix of magical aid and combat prowess are going to be required. The use of 4th or possibly even 5th level spells will be quite helpful to the party, and a rogue with excellent Search ranks is imperative. Hall is a multi-site based dungeon crawl, based on some detective work done by the PCs to discover the whereabouts of Londar Brightrain, the Rainbow Mage. The interior is black and white, with the skull banner margins common to Necromancer products. Interior art is done by Brian LeBlanc, and I was quite surprised to see nude (but tastefully done, and appropriate) artwork inside. Cartography was done by Rob Lee and maps are provided for the wizard’s home, wilderness, and the temple of Horgrim. The adventure itself is around 68 pages, with 23 pages of NPCs, new monsters and a new template, new items, spells, and a new feat as well. 2 new gods are outlined (Arn, lesser god of the Sun, and Horgrim, god of War and Magic) as well. I found the tables and sidebars to be in logical and easy to use placement, and special items have there descriptions in sidebar-type boxes close to where they are needed. Spoilers contained below The Hall of the Rainbow Mage can be started in several different ways, and several hooks are given to get the PCs involved. What is the fixed situation is the disappearance of Londar Brightrain, and several individuals want to find him, for different reasons. Thus, the detective work by the PCs. Depending on who they work for, Londar is wanted for different reasons. The PCs will start out in the town of Hampton Hill, and discover clues as to what happened to Londar. From information gathered in town, the PCs will discover they must travel through a wilderness setting, to Londar’s home some distance away. Londar’s tower is a standard “Wizard’s Tower” situation, and was not inspiring. The parties rogue will be important for the rest of this section. While there is the possibility of combat through Londar’s mansion, most can be avoided if the party really wants to. The mansion, tower, and caverns beneath are heavily laden with traps, and these simply must be dealt with. Beneath the mansion is where Patrick begins to show his creativity. With several caverns holding various beings, the PCs will not know what to expect, and the seemingly boring adventure takes a turn for the interesting. Towards the end of the catacombs, is where the PCs find Londar’s body. It is also where some of the relics needed to continue the adventure are stored. If the PCs return the body of Londar to Hampton Hill, the adventure could be concluded right there. And that would truly be a shame, for the real excitement is about to come. Depending on the way the PCs start the adventure, they will be asked to find the murderer of Londar. It is also where the plans of Londar come to light. He needs certain relics (most of which he has) to complete a ritual. One relic is still in the temple at Arn’s Mountain. If the PCs decide to continue looking for the person who did this, they will eventually come to Arn’s Mountain, which holds Horgrim’s temple. It is in Horgrim’s temple that the PCs find the inspired dungeon crawl that makes this adventure so worth getting. I liked this temple to a “mini Tomb of Horrors”, in that there is some combat, but the traps involved are the real security, in my opinion. I found this complex to be very well done, and quite creative in its multi-part defenses. It is in this temple that the adventurers must find the last piece of the puzzle Londar was looking for. The conclusion of this module can be left open to the DM’s desires for how to incorporate it into the campaign. It is entirely possible (and likely) that Londar will be raised for the Dead, and he will be very unhappy about his plan being ruined by the PCs. Various other well-rounded NPCs have their own motivations for gaining the relic pieces, or stopping the PCs. This is a very flexible adventure, and can be molded to fit into an existing campaign quite easily. I have to admit, when I started reading this adventure, I was lukewarm at best. I wasn’t all that impressed with the premise of a “Wizard’s Tower” situation. But, as the adventure progresses, it gets better and better. I would happily give this adventure 3.75 out of 5.