Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Alabaster Tower

Here is the Alabaster Tower for your perusal and use. Three pages. If you have time, I'd appreciate it if you downloaded it, looked it over, and left a comment.

I'm specifically interested in the amount of detail. There are no specified treasures, for example, and the one creature has no stats listed. Tell me if the detail is fine or if you'd like more. Other general comments would be appreciated too, of course.

I'll probably post a fatter version sometime in the week anyway, and you can compare to that, too. I have some ideas on how to make the tower a location in a campaign and a second version of the tower that can be encountered.

Thanks, hope you find it interesting.

Update: 6:28 pm. I fixed a few typos and cut out a little more detail.

Update 9:42 pm: I cut out even more detail and worked over the map so it won't use up so much ink if anyone wants to print it. I think I'll go post about this at the Swords & Wizardry forums now.

11 comments:

  1. Unusual. I like the way you've set out the 3 levels of text, the puzzles are good and justified by the backstory. For me, there's enough detail to work with, I can easily pick which potions/spells are found and stat up the creature.

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  2. Should, of course, be on one page. I like the style of the puzzles.

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  3. Thanks to both of you!

    @Sean: On the detail, that's sort of what I figured. Now I wonder if there are any people that *would* like more detail, what low level potions / magic items I developed, for instance.

    @Norman: I really tried :) I suppose there might be a little more detail I could cut out, like the particular passphrase for the door etc, but the puzzles take more space to explain than statting out some creatures.

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  4. Tele,

    I may be using this tonight. The only possible errors on the key, that I notice, are the word "form" for "from" in the entry area and the planters are not described as "canoe-like" anywhere but in area 2., which might throw off a newby DM like me. ("Canoe shaped? You didn't tell us they were canoe shaped!"

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  5. I don't see the first error. But, yeah, the second got cut when I was trying to trim all the fat. Bless you for trying this module. I hope it works and isn't too frustrating to your players. I realize this kind of puzzle heavy thing probably isn't the best design now. I'd love to hear how it goes either way.

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  6. "Magnetizing the short
    chain by contact with the meteorite will allow an iron key to
    be retrieved *form* the 1'' hole."

    My players didn't stop in a tavern yet, so they still haven't heard about it, but it will appear monthly outside town regardless.

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  7. Thanks a lot for this. I plan to fix the module as soon as I get some time to catch my breath.

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  8. FWIW, I think I may reintroduce the Alabaster Tower to my campaign. It will have appeared partly submerged in the ocean, and then reappeared infested with...stuff. Stuff from a nightmare I had many years ago and stuff inspired by some of the goings on in your Sodden Temple. BTW please do find the time to put your Sodden Temple up here, however bare-bones your notes are, when your players finish with it.

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  9. I love the idea of the linear tower becoming an interesting (or infamous) location. Thanks. I will post about the Temple. The secret is that the first level is just the Easy-Map dungeon keyed up. The second level is what I was developing for the second level of the ez-map but never finished/posted.

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  10. Hey, Telecanter. I just wanted to let you know that I really like the Alabaster Tower. I've run it twice now, and both times it was a success. The second time I ran it with my family, including my parents, so this was the module that introduced my parents to D&D. Thanks!

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  11. Wow, sweet. Thanks for letting me know.

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