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Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Q1)
The Queen of the Demonweb Pits represents the conclusion of the Giants and Drow collection of modules, all of which have been previously reviewed over the past year. It is produced in a stock-standard early TSR style with a 32 pages inner booklet and two cardstock covers providing maps. The cover art by Roslof is a band of adventurers combating various arachnids and a rather silly depiction of Lolth herself; it is pretty average at best. The inside booklet features a far superior cover art by Erol Otus features a shapely Lolth in humaniod form flanked by a salivating Type II demon (Hezrou) and Type III demon (Glabrezu). The internal art is of average quality, with the visual of Maldev being quite impressive. The layout of the maps is good, and the text is in the usual sans-serif font, with "just enough" white-space to ensure both readability and keep the word-count per page at a higher level.
The module starts with a preface from Gary Gygax explaining that Dave Sutherland "deserves all the credit", and that his contribution to this module is limited as he was behind schedule on the Dungeon Masters Guide and what he'd completed for this module was too similar to the Temple of Elemental Evil (which, incidentally, wasn't published for another five years). The introduction is thankfully briefer that those in the proceeding modules, explaining the general prior sequence of events and has the great opening line "How different things seem now from when you undertook the crushing of a few rebellious hill giants." Play starts on in the Great Fane of Lolth (module D3) which has a funnel-web tunnel extending to another plane. In this version however in addition to the above the original nobles who hired the PCs (and threatened to kill them if they didn't engage in the expedition, we may remember - perhaps they are in league with the demon queen after all!) appear and provide a platinum egg a "gift" from Lolth, which eventually contain teleportation keys (a pyramid, a sphere, a star, a cube) to rooms in the Web.
Stepping into the amber pool and through the funnel-web mural, the doughty venturers are transported to one of the 666 planes of the Abyss, consisting of three interwoven levels floating upon a fourth level. The text then moves to four pages of descriptions on how various magical spells and items are altered whilst in the demonic plane. Clerics have a particularly hard time with only 1st and 2nd level spells capable of recollection (old spells are retained). Some of the spell alterations are particularly thematic and imaginative, others are not. For example, casting regeneration may result in demonic or insectiod body parts and a raise dead may cause a demonic soul to inhabit the body (cool, eh?). However we are told insect plague will not work as there are no insects in the Abyss, although presumably there are spiders which should, as a running motif, do in a pinch, surely?
The Web is itself is a 20' wide an appears to be made of polished stone, but close examination shows the faces of distorted humans, presumably fallen souls. Surrounding the web is a billowing, greyish repugnant fog, which cross-cross each other in a woven pattern apparently based on a ... placement owned by the author. Effectively one ends up with is mostly a long corridor that's a pain to map. The brief 'wandering monster' table is populated entirely from the new creatures in the back of the module, a variety of giant arachnids and drow/spider crossbreeds. All of these creatures are quite suitable and appropriate to the setting, although they're hardly exciting fare. Each level of the Demonweb also has a number of set encounters, a large number of which seem quite out-of-place, and mundane. This includes encounters with trolls, gnolls, minatours, bugbears, a mad cleric with werewolves, ogres, jackalweres, zombies and ghasts. Whilst such beings are quite appropriate for generating a sense of wonder among low-level characters, such as those who venture forth to The Keep on the Borderlands, when venturing forth in a plane of the Abyss ruled by a demonic spider queen they seem quite anachronistic. In a more positive sense there are a couple of encounter areas with opponents which are vaguely relevant to the setting; drow and demons, with the former group being particularly tough. Overall however, a DM may find that they need to rewrite substantial sections of the demonweb if they don't want to bore their players - and their characters - with prosiac opponents.
The fourth level of the demonweb consists of gateways to alternate worlds on the Prime Material Plane, which will please Clerics no end as they'll actually be able to regain their spells. The first world is ruled by Neutral (Evil) elves, which includes a forested region which Lolth is using as a base to invade the world. The second is a frozen mountain chain ruled by Lolth and used to launch campaigns against human lands in the in warmer climes; after all, we all know that spiders just love the cold. The third is an oceanic world where Lolth is recruiting ixitxachitl, lacedons etc to defeat the local humans (again). The fourth is a minimally described swampland, and the fifth is a labyrith used by Lolth to breed spiders. The sixth world is entitled "Maldev" where Lolth is about to launch war against a Dwarven city. The seventh alternate world is that of "Vlad Tolenkov", a gloomy castle ruled by a (go on, guess) a Vampire with numerous undead to help him out. The eight is Lolth's prison, on a desert plain.
These somewhat disconnected worlds are described in less an a page each and serve very little in terms of developing the plot. At best they are a device to allow the PC clerics an opportunity to step into a the Prime Material Plane and connect to their higher beings for more spells, or to suggest to the PCs that the works of Lolth are truly galatic in scale. With a significant amount of work it is indeed possible that a DM could flesh out each of these encounter worlds into an elaborate master plan for domination by the spiderqueen and as alternate campaign worlds, however the descriptions give virtually no hints in this regard.
The final portal is significantly different; this is the one that leads to the Spider Ship of Lolth. Yes, you read that right, a Spider Ship. If the idea of science fiction intervening into your fantasy universe puts you on edge, you're not going to be happy at all. I didn't like it, but some people from all accounts completely hate this. The random encounters on the Spider Ship are are quasits, manes and random changes to the physical universe due to Lolth's imperfect control over the chaos of the Abyss (you would think her home would be the first place where she showed some semblance of control). The Ship consists of seven decks, inhabited to a variety of - again - largely inappropriate creatures for the setting. This includes a bureaucratic demon, ropers, bugbears, ogres, hill giants, a black dragon, a white dragon, gargoyles, chimera, ettins, harpies and animated statues. A boring zoo does not begin to describe it. Perhaps more appropriate are the salamanders who act as engineers ion the fiery lower decks. Also there are a few encounters which denizens which fit in, such as driders, giant spiders, and Lolth's demonic handmaiden's the Yocholol and to a lesser extent the succibi who act as operators. You may note the complete lack of Drow on the ship.
Finally of course, there is Lolth herself. Apart from being a demonic lesser goddess with all the various powers associated with such a role (although this is described as optional in the module), and the various abilites associated with being a dual classed 16th level Cleric/14th level Magic User and a powerful psionicist (if you bother), she also has a number of additional interplanar escape routes and a couple of extremely annoying defenses (e.g., Unholy Word). Indeed, played properly Lolth could make very short work indeed of a party of the nominated strength for the module; played poorly a party could finish her off reasonably quickly and wonder what all the fuss is about. Indeed, the latter point is quite important - we never find out exactly what Lolth really wants.
The Queen of the Demonweb Pits is a very disappointing conclusion to the GDQ series. In many ways the sheer chaotic collection of monsters that bare no correlation to the setting is comparable to modules like White Plume Mountain (S2) and the science fiction elements of Escape to the Barrier Peaks (S3). The web itself isn't bad, but would have been better if it was more weblike, although I've had a great deal of fun with the woven motif as well (using Arachne from Greek mythology). In terms of a balanced challenge, the module is a bit questionable in that regard as well - the opponents are generally very tough, or well below the confrontational standard of the PCs. Indeed, most encounters are downright boring and more than a couple are just plain silly. In many ways I am very surprised that Gygax and TSR let this product be used as the conclusion of what was their flagship series.
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