T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil (1e)

Title: T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil (1e)

Code:T1–4

TSR product code: 9147

Rules required: 1st Ed AD&D

Character levels: 1–8

Campaign setting: Greyhawk

Author(s): Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer

Artist(s): Jeff Butler, Clyde Caldwell, Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Keith Parkinson, Dave A. Trampier

First published: 1985

DriveThruRPG

Rating: 4/5

Grab your sword, your brothers in arms, and come with me now to a time of legends as we go down to the temple, the Temple of Elemental Evil!

A sinister force, long thought destroyed, stirs from the black hole that spawned it. Like an ebony darkness it prowls the land and safety is but an illusion, for it watches from every shadow and ponders possibilities.

This module holds deep and dangerous memories for me, six year after the release of The Village of Hommlet we were led to this hell hole on Greyhawk. Total characters lost to this place another six 1st and 2nd level PC's. So personally I have strong feelings about this module. I loved this adventure in the 80's and constantly used the Village of Homlet, Nulb and the Wild Coast Surrounds of Greyhawk all through the 90's.

Finally I've read through this one hundred & twenty eight page monster in two days and its been a pretty interesting ride to say the least. The Temple of Elemental Evil is a monster of a campaign written by by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer Its also one of the most polarizing modules I've ever run across, folks argue over it constantly.

This module of pulpy sword and sorcery goodness was created under the gaze of the Blume brothers watch at TSR in 1985. This was one of the modules released in the super format "The 128-page book was 2 to 4 times the size of any of TSR's adventures to date, and it also included a 16-page map book that a GM could use to easily cross-reference locations with details. The format would continue to be used in the years afterward for TSR's most prestigious adventure releases." according to the blurb from D&D Classic's website. Shrugs, basically Temple of Elemental Evil dove tails into Greyhawk adventure path, which continues in two more super modules, A1-4: Scourge of the Slave Lords (1986) and GDQ1-7: Queen of the Spiders (1986). This can be both a bane or boon to the dungeon master because it affectingly hamstrings the dungeon master into those paths unless you ignore them in mid campaign mode.

The module is considered by many to be one of the greatest Greyhawk adventures ever released and possibly one of the most fun.  Alright enough of the introduction stuff, so you know I've got experience with this bad boy and a bit of post player syndrome with this mega dungeon location in Greyhawk's history. In fact its got such a huge chunk of history that Wiki has one of the better break downs for it; "

The temple referenced in the module's title is an unholy structure located in the central Flanaess not far from the city-state of Verbobonc. In 566 CY, forces of evil from Dyvers or the Wild Coast constructed a small chapel outside the nearby village of Nulb. The chapel was quickly built into a stone temple from which bandits and evil humanoids began to operate with increasing frequency.

In 569 CY, a combined force was sent to destroy the Temple and put an end to the marauding. The army included regular forces from the human kingdoms of Furyondy and Veluna, dwarves from the Lortmil Mountains, gnomes from the Kron Hills, and elven archers and spearmen.

This allied army clashed with a horde of evil men and humanoids, including orcs, ogres and gnolls, at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Men-at-arms from Furyondy and Veluna united with dwarves from the Lortmils, gnomes from the Kron Hills, and an army of elven archers to face the threat of the Horde of Elemental Evil, consisting largely of savage humanoids such as orcs, ogres, and gnolls. The arrival of the elves from the shadows of the Gnarley Forest turned the tide of battle, trapping the savage humanoids against a bend in the Velverdyva where they were routed and slaughtered.

After dispersing the Horde of Elemental Evil, the allied forces laid siege to the Temple of Elemental Evil itself, defeating it within a fortnight. Spellcasters loyal to the goodly army cooperated on a spell of sealing that bound the demoness Zuggtmoy (a major instigator in the Horde of Elemental Evil) to some of the deepest chambers in the castle's dungeons.

At some point in this battle, Serten, cleric of Saint Cuthbert and member of the Citadel of Eight, was slain. The Citadel was notable for its absence at this pivotal moment in the history of the Flanaess, and their failure to take part in the Battle of Emridy Meadows contributed to the group's decline and eventual disbandment.

The forces of good were victorious and the Horde of Elemental Evil was scattered. The Temple was then besieged and fell within two weeks, although a few of its leaders managed to escape.

The site itself remained, however, and over the following decade rumors of evil presence there persisted. The Viscount of Verbobonc and the Archcleric of Veluna became increasingly concerned, and cooperated to build a small castle outside the Village of Hommlet to guard against the possibility of the Temple rising again.

For the next five years, Hommlet gained in wealth thanks to adventurers who came to the area seeking out remnants of evil to slay. Things quieted down for another four years as the area returned to peace and normalcy, but in 578 CY evil began to stir again, with groups of bandits riding the roads. In 579 CY, the events in the T1-4 module occur." That's ton of history to throw into a campaign of your own design or Hyperborea or is it? Well over the years I've talked with friends about doing exactly this and the thought is to throw the temple inland in Hyperborea. The temple itself is a multi dimensional location. There are different versions of the village of Hommlet and because of the nature of the village's stats, this is easily accomplished.

There are three reasons to customize the Temple of Elemental Evil :

• There are factions that have lots of uses outside of the temple's setting and they're perfect foils for a sword and sorcery campaign. 
• This is too good of a setting to leave moldering in the mists of time on a shelf and it begs to be played and modified for your own games. 
• The Temple is a pivotal game adventure and can be used to enhance your own sword and sorcery games! Right now!  

Right off the bat there are several small side issues running this module, many of the high level 'good guy' NPC's aren't interested in helping the PC's. This kinda led to a bit of the Marvel Conan feel to running T1-4. The PC's are on their own and the powers of good are being dicks about the affair after all they can take care of the temple's evil and don't need the PC's help at all. Thieves take note about this. This adventure's dungeons can and will grind PC's into paste if they're not very, very careful.

Dungeon Master for Dummies listed The Temple of Elemental Evil as one of the ten best classic adventures, calling it "the grandfather of all huge dungeon crawls" and essentially it is. Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, says of The Temple of Elemental Evil, "If you like huge classic dungeon crawls, this is probably the best of the lot."  He and I rarely agree with one another but on this module I do agree with him.  As for the placement of the temple in a Dark Albion or dark mythic Europe for something like Lamentations of the Flame Princess, I would place the temple near the borders of France or Spain. The temple's evil in the past might have sparked the entire witchcraft panic of the thirteen and fourteen hundreds. The temple's dungeons are deep, abiding and very, very, dangerous for parties. Another thing is to make sure you use T1 the Village of Hommlet for a base for the PC's separate from T1-4. I'm sorry AD&D purists but that's my personal opinion.  T1-4 takes players PC's from levels one through eight but man that's a struggle and its meant to be.

Any campaign relies on the strengths of its NPC's and the archetypes that they represent, the Temple of Elemental Evil presents some very weird and twisted portraits of evil that should be brought to the forefront of running this mega adventure with a retroclone system such as AS&SH. The temple's cult should be encountered far and wide within the bounds of Hyperborea and should never be underestimated by PC's which is one of the problems should they actually make it through T1-4. Pull the cults out of Temple of Elemental Evil and flesh them out for your own version of said cults, make sure at least three different NPC's survive the events of the Temple to spread the evil and let it rise again.

Focusing on the dungeons themselves, I'm not going to go into too much details on the setting material and inner traps nor the methodology of the design of the dungeons of Elemental Evil. There are three simple reasons for this; one I have players who read this blog, two I don't really want to spoil any of the surprises in this mega module and three there's potential for lots of side adventures when it comes to Temple of Elemental Evil. That being said I'd like to take the time and whip around back to the moat house of Hommlet. This module's cults are not focused on the elements as you know them but the elements of Chaos and horror in equal measure. It illustrates how factions who hate each other came come together with a common goal in mind. Even coming from different directions of the same eight arrows of Chaos itself.

A big problem as I see with using this module with Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea is the way that the monsters in AD&D first edition are portrayed as almost walk on monsters and they're dovetailed into the setting itself or is this really a problem? Well, if we look below the surface of the astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers game  then we see that the orcs and non humanoid races are tied into the forces of Chaos as well. To bring it back around a place like the Temple of Elemental Evil might actually be part of the source of such evil. Think about it for a second, in sword & sorcery books of the Thirties thru  Sixties and into the Eighties adventure settings were always the source of tainted evil. So is it true with the Temple of Elemental Evil itself. A place with that much history is like one big toxic waste dump of foulness in a campaign setting.

The Temple of Elemental Evil is as vital a mini campaign setting today as it was when it first hit the stands back in Eighty Five if you as a DM want it too be. There are going to be many, many detractors and naysayers but once again you are your own OSR. If you and your players are excited by the adventures that you are running at your table then your doing it right in my opinion. There are issues with T1-4 but its a fun adventure setting even if it marks a time of strife and a different direction for TSR back in the far forgotten days of yore. Ultimately this was and is one of the classics and one that you should give a whirl perhaps over the holidays.

MrGone's Character Sheets

 

I've been playing White Wolf's World of Darkness games for over 3 decades now, and if you also play classic or new World of Darkness, you probably already know of this great site for character sheets. If you don't know, or are new to playing World of Darkness, then you should come here for all your character sheet needs.

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's I worked to develop a number of character sheets in Excel, but the sheets that MrGone provides are far superior to anything I've ever made. I highly recommend using these sheets and supporting MrGone.

Scalped Vol 3: Dead Mothers

Title: Scalped Vol 3: Dead Mothers

ISBN: 97810401219192

Price: $17.99

Publisher/Year: Vertigo, 2008

Artist: R.M Guera, John Paul Leon, Davide Furnò

Writer: Jason Aaron

Rating: 3.5/5

Two murders are central to the events of Scalped. One occurred way back in the 1970s Red Power movement. The second is a character important to three men: Dashiell Bad Horse, Lincoln Red Crow and the enigmatic Catcher. It’s a catalyst for events on Prairie Rose, but how Jason Aaron makes it all unfold is what makes the series so good.

Dead Mothers consists of three stories written by Aaron with three different artists. ‘Dreaming himself in to the Dream World’ leads the series off on a more mystical tangent. Dash has nightmares every night, caused by the stress of his secrets. Then one night he has a ‘spirit dream’, one that spells both hope and warns of danger. Illustrated by John Paul Leon it is spine-tinglingly good, differing very little from R. M. Guéra’s art. Title story ‘Dead Mothers’ is by series artist Guéra himself. Dash has to investigate two murders, both mothers though with different backgrounds. 

Aaron provides a heartbreaking and gripping character driven story. Guéra’s style employs far more shadows here to give every character a darkness. The grimy texture nails both the violence and environs of the Rez. ‘Falls Down’ focuses on Tribal Cop, Falls Down. He’s the only honest cop on the entire Rez and usually a thorn in Red Crow’s side. Now he’s the only person Red Crow trusts to investigate the murder of an old friend. Davide Furnò takes over artistic duties and differs from Guéra’s series default style, a bit softer and employing lighter textures. He captures the mystical elements of the story as both men re-evaluate their lives. Using an array of colors, Furnò creates an oasis of hope in the desolation of Prairie Rose.

Aaron uses Dead Mothers to explore the effects of abject poverty on the reservations. This isn’t romantic or something easily dismissed. Grief is visible, and loss resonates in the pages, with anger, regret and pain leaving a discernible mark. Aaron rails at injustices committed against America’s Native Peoples, his righteous indignation simmering under the surface. While an excellent crime story, it is also social commentary. Aaron is clearly pissed off, but it doesn’t spoil the story. It’s honest, but not preachy. It adds marrow to the noir, gives it a granite edge, and is messy, unsettling and bloody brilliant.

Scalped Vol 2: Casino Boogie

Title: Scalped Vol 2: Casino Boogie

ISBN: 9781401216542

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Vertigo, 2007

Artist: R.M Guera

Writer: Jason Aaron

Rating: 3.5/5

It’s the opening night of the Crazy Horse Casino. Dashiell Bad Horse ponders his return to Prairie Rose and his connection to FBI Agent Nitz. Dino Poor Bear wants a better life for his daughter. Gina Bad Horse wants to see an innocent man set free. Diesel Engine endures insults for not being pure Sioux, and wants acceptance, to prove he is a brave worth fearing. The drunken scholar Catcher is on a mission from the Thunder Beings. Lincoln Red Crow has done what it takes to be the boss, now he must face his sins. This is life and death on the “Rez”.

Scalped is being developed for TV and the bar is set very high. Is it even possible to match the same intensity on the small screen? Aaron’s like a poker player, only ever revealing his hand a bit at a time. He lets you think you know what’s happening only to reveal something else. Everything and everyone is connected somehow, Aaron painstakingly drawing connections between his cast. Casino Boogie is drenched in misery yet Aaron excels at capturing fleeting glimmers of hope. Like fireflies in a bottle – sometimes it is released, sometimes it dies.  

Characters come alive on the page, weaved into a saga of life and death. Some situations are of their own making. Others are a result of abysmal policies enforced on Native Americans by church and state. It’s well researched and told even better. Thought provoking with an edge of mysticism, this is crime noir but not because it follows the rules. It’s noir because Aaron takes the true reality of everyday life on the Rez and portrays it guts and all. Criss-crossing back and forth over time Aaron draws it all together. It’s brutal and tense, imaginative and realistic in equal proportions.

Artist R.M Guéra continues his great work from Indian Country. Garth Ennis calls the style “dry-as-dirt” and Guéra captures the barren and harsh terrain well. It’s like the dust falls off the page, interiors making up in edgy violence and despair what they lack in dust. It is intrigue and revelation from start to finish.

Scalped Vol 1: Indian Country

Title: Scalped Vol 1: Indian Country

ISBN: 9781401213176

Price: $9.99

Publisher/Year: Vertigo, 2007

Artist: R.M Guera

Writer: Jason Aaron

Rating: 3.5/5

Vertigo will go down in history as one of the greatest comic book imprints of all time, and while it was sad to see it go in January of 2020 (serving as an appetizer to what would turn out to be an incredibly crappy year) it is understandable. Vertigo was originally created in 1993 to create mature comics for adults in a space where that was a new and novel idea, and the sad truth of the matter is that nowadays there are plenty of comic book publishers who are doing just that.

Dashiell Bad Horse has come home to the reservation armed with a set of nunchucks, a hell-bent-for-leather attitude and a dark secret. But nothing has changed-except for the glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime. Includes sketch material by artist R.M. Guera.

“Scalped” is a crime drama set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in South Dakota, a place that is as harsh and brutal as the landscape and a land that, while technically is its own sovereign nation, is dirt poor and dependent upon an American government that is perfectly content with leaving its residents to waste away and die of alcohol poisoning. Into this mess steps Dashell Bad Horse: a tough as nails, hell for leather, punch first and ask questions later cowboy who was raised on the reservation and hated every minute of it. Unfortunately, he’s dragged back because he’s actually an undercover FBI agent under the thumb of Agent Bayliss Earl Nitz, who has a long standing hatred of the man in charge of the reservation: crime boss Chief Lincoln Red Crow, who is currently working to build and run a casino on reservation land.

“Scalped” comes courtesy of writer Jason Aaron, and if that name sounds familiar to you it’s probably because he’s been kicking a tremendous amount of butt over at Marvel the past decade, along with some fantastic independent comics as well. What makes Aaron’s writing on “Scalped” so good is the moral complexity of each of the characters. Dashell Bad Horse may be a self destructive cowboy who appears to only care for himself, but his rough family life and falling out with his family provide a clear and heartbreaking motivation for his tough as nails exterior. Lincoln Red Crow may be a violent, sadistic, and selfish man who runs a network of meth labs and a private army like an old school Mafia crime lord, but he cares deeply about the well being of his people and wants to construct something positive out of his legacy of blood and murder. Meanwhile, Agent Nitz plays the overbearing boss who has a vendetta against Red Crow and isn’t afraid to sacrifice Bad Horse in order to bring the crime lord down, but it’s later revealed that Nitz and Red Crow have a long standing history that has something to do with the shooting of two FBI agents on the reservation back in the 70’s.

All of this would be fantastic on its own, but Aaron goes even further. We don’t have the time or space to talk about Bad Horse’s activist mother Gina, Red Crow’s drug addled daughter Carol, the one incorruptible cop on the reservation Officer Falls Down, the stern and noble Granny Poor Bear or the countless supporting characters that all blend together in a rich tapestry of violence and betrayal. Suffice to say, “Scalped” is a tangled web of organized crime, family drama, past mistakes, and present desires set in a desperate race where the winner gets to live and the losers either wind up in prison or dead.

A book that is this well written deserves fantastic artwork and artist R.M Guera doesn’t disappoint. The story is set in the Badlands of South Dakota, a place that is boiling hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, and somehow manages to be completely desolate and hauntingly beautiful at the same time. Guera captures the natural beauty of the setting and mixes it with an atmosphere of poverty and despair that hangs over the reservation like a cloud. It’s the land that God and time forgot, where the only ways to escape are to either cook meth or drown your sorrows in hard drugs and alcohol and the only people with any sense of power and wealth are the corrupt politicians who drive in Mercedes while the people starve and fight amongst themselves.

Also, for an artist who is not American, Guera has a very keen grasp of the Western and American gangster genres. While Dashell’s swagger and hard as nails worldview is brought to life through Aaron’s writing, Guera’s art is incredible at conveying emotions without words. Dashell has a certain swagger with a twinge of self hatred and self destruction to him that makes him feel dangerous and ready to go off at a moment’s notice. In fact, that’s kind of what everyone else in the book feels like as well. Everyone looks so tired and beaten down, ready to snap at a moment’s notice and go out with guns blazing under an unforgiving sun.

“Scalped” is a harsh, ugly, and nasty piece of art that is as violent and at times as painful as the act that gives the book its title. It’s a world where nobody is the good guy, nobody ever makes the right decision, and the only thing anyone ever really wants is some form of justice that will never happen. It’s a world where everyone is at the absolute bottom of the grave and they somehow find new and terrible ways to dig themselves even deeper.

In short, it is a brilliant, beautiful, and haunting book that you owe it to yourself to read.

D&D Beyond

 

As of this writing, I have been playing TTRPG's for just over 40 years. As my loyal readers know, I also prefer physical media over digital media. I think Stan Lee expressed it the best when asked about digital comic books.

My apologies to anyone offended by this.

Over the past couple of years, I have been playing in a face-to-face Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition game. We are using the free D&D Beyond accounts for our character sheets, and one of our former players shared his entire collection of books he had available through D&D Beyond as well. This has been an invaluable resource, but I still prefer the physical books and have most of them in my collection.

I have been toying with the idea of running my own campaign after several years of not being a DM/GM/ST because of burn-out. I see all the digital advancements that make our D&D sessions enjoyable, and I would like to be able to provide that for my future players.

However... while I have purchased all the books physically, I only have access to them in D&D Beyond through the collection that was shared with me. I don't have the kind of extra money to be able to purchase all the books digitally, and was hoping that I might be able to still access the books that were shared with me, and also share them with my future players.

Of course this means that I would be upgrading my current subscription from the free version to the Master Tier.

Does anyone happen to know if this would be possible? Like I said, I can't afford to re-purchase all the books digitally, but I want to be able to give my players the same type of enjoyment that I'm experiencing in the game that I am a player in. Also, having the VTT and digital tokens would be a wonderful addition as well as I have never invested in a large quantity of physical miniatures. I do have a sizeable collection of Heroclix, but they're not the fantasy story of minis that I would want for a D&D game. I have been collecting a few of the pre-painted minis from WizKids, but not nearly enough to support running an entire campaign with.

I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences and opinions on what I can do to bring my hopes of getting back into running a D&D campaign to life.

Declined for ECCC

 

Yesterday, I unfortunately got word that my application for a press pass at Emerald City Comic Con was declined.

While being rejected is disappointing, this week is actually becoming fairly packed with other obligations and I had forgotten that I was already planning on attending the Washington State Toy Show on that Saturday.