Another 'first' for me, this was the first issue of Dungeon Magazine I ever bought. And boy, was it a good one. There was a yuan-ti lair for mid-level characters, a destroyed wizard's tower for levels 1-3 starring an imp, a Celtic-style adventure hunting a dangerous beast, a side-trek starring some pet leucrotta...and The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb, a high-level (10-14) adventure that rivaled the Tomb of Horrors for player challenge and devastation. I absolutely love this adventure.
Seven or so centuries ago, a cult of magic-users who mixed water and earth magic into a bizarre style of sorcery that earned them the derisive nickname, 'mud sorcerers' from the more sophisticated practitioners of the magical arts. They were students of the long-dead, totally deranged, lunatic wizard-priest Jezule, and they were fanatical about secrecy. Therefore, little was actually known about them except their style of magic.
Oracles predicted the downfall of the cult, so their leadership came up with a plan to thwart this future. The leaders of the mud sorcerers would be entombed in huge, labyrinthine crypts in temporal stasis so as to await a time when their faithful followers would take advantage of the renewed chaos of society and awaken their masters. Unfortunately, a strong leadership rose to power in the region and hunted down the cultists with zeal and ferocity, purging them from the land through execution. Thus, the tombs of the mud sorcerers were forgotten for centuries.
Nice background, isn't it? Apparently, about 30 of these tombs have already been found and plundered, but there are quite a few more that are still hidden. And the lucky player characters get to find one themselves.
Like the Tomb of Horrors, there are some ground rules that will change the tactics of the players, such as wards that prevent spells like teleport and passwall, so the party can't skip ahead. Even blink doesn't work in here. Also, undead can't be destroyed, only turned, and even that is only hedging them out of a 10' radius circle. The Dark Side is strong in here. If the party is casting water or earth-based spells, there's a chance they'll summon a mud grue that will be laser-focused on killing the caster regardless of how many party members get in the way. And divination spells are hindered or reduced in power as well. So, this will be a bit of a slog. Enjoy.
If the party is smart enough to consult a sage before delving into this tomb, they'll get some helpful hints, like 'prepare for lots of poison', and 'expect traps even if you don't find them'. They'll also learn of the cult's predilection for using false sepulchers, which might help them avoid thinking they've cleared the tomb too early.
The main difference between this adventure and the Tomb of Horrors is that this one has more monsters to fight. There are hill giant mummies, a spirit naga, an annis hag, water weirds, a ghost, some clay golems, and more. There's also a neat little twist at the end if the party actually does get all the way to the end and find the actual mud sorcerer's hiding place.
All in all, this is a really fun and dangerous adventure that will test the party's abilities and the skill of the players. It's a great homage to the Tomb, with the addition of clues about an ancient cult that plans to return to wreak havoc on the world. Maybe the party will be inspired to seek out more of these tombs in the future.
Two left! My second-favorite adventure started the greatest campaign in D&D history. I'll tell you all about it next time.
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