B4: The Lost City

2022-09-18T19:29:59Z

2607:FB90:B22A:6CB4:AE52:1F2D:27B7:949E: /* Plot */

[[File:Dd2-b4-1st.jpg|thumb|The Last of the Iconic B Modules]]
'''The Lost City''' is an adventure module for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] BECMI, released in 1982. It centers around the Lost City of Cynidicea, and is in general one of the more [[Sword & Sorcery]]-themed adventures based in the setting.

==Plot==
Getting lost in the desert thanks to a sandstorm, the party stumbles across a massive ruined pyramid. Seeking shelter inside, they discover a decaying underground city, Cynidicea, still inhabited by a people who have succumbed to decadence and degeneration; they live in a perpetual drug-fueled haze, blitzed out of their mind on narcotic fungi. They wander around in drunken revelry, clad in ornate masks and elaborate costumes. The Cynidiceans were led to this state of ruin by a terrible god-monster, [[Zargon]], whose cult presides over the eternal debauch and sporadically selects victims to sacrifice them to Zargon's hunger.

Three different sects of Cynidiceans still maintain their sanity and oppose the cult of Zargon... but each is the remnant of the cult of one of the three former gods of Cynidicea; the Brotherhood of [[Gorm]] worships the God of Justice, War and Storms; the Magi of [[Usamigaras]] worship the God of Healing, Messengers, Thieves and Magic; and the Warrior-Maidens of [[Madarua]] worship the Goddess of Birth, Death and Seasons. As such, they waste their strength and time by squabbling with each other over religion rather than uniting to face the common foe.

It's up to the party whether they try and free Cynidecia from its monstrous overlord... or just survive long enough to get out of this crazy place and leave its mad denizens to rot.

==Playing Cynidiceans==
Although it's not focused on in any of the sources, almost all versions of the Lost City have mentioned that, mechanically, Cynidiceans use the same mechanics for their edition as [[human]]s, save for also having the Low-Light Vision and Light Sensitivity traits, much like a playable [[Goblin]]. Even the 4e version from the [[Dungeon Survival Handbook]] presents a Cynidicean escapee background, although without the mechanical impact of earlier editions. The obvious inference is that you could play a Cynidicean PC if you really want to.

[[File:Dd2-b4-1st-back.jpg|600px|thumb|Roll save motherfucker!]]

==Publication History==
The Lost City was written by [[Tom Moldvay]] and illustrated by Jim Holloway. It was published by TSR in 1982 as a 32-page book with an outer folder; the first printing was 3-hole punched. This module includes a cover folder with maps and a descriptive booklet with ready-made adventurers for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game. It also includes enough information to continue the adventure beyond level 3, using the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Game rules. This adventure was partially reprinted in the supermodule compilation B1-9 In Search of Adventure (1985), which included only the upper pyramid and was set in the [[Mystara]] campaign setting.

[[Dragon Magazine]] revisited the setting with "[[Mystara]]: Return to the Lost City" in issue #315, which basically adapted the adventure to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]].

The module was the inspiration for a 3rd edition D&D adventure, "Masque of Dreams," which was printed in Dungeon #142. The adventure was written by B. Matthew Conklin and illustrated by Michael William Kaluta.

Zargon and the Cynidiceans received a re-interpretation in the 3.5 edition product, [[Elder Evils]], which places the temple in the default, [[Greyhawk]]-like setting, though the book also includes short sections on how to adjust it for [[Eberron]] or [[Faerun]].

Yet another reinterpretation of Cynidicea, which presents it as a region in the [[Nentir Vale]] setting of [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition]], can be found in the [[Dungeon Survival Handbook]].

A reprint and 5e conversion for this module was released in 2020 by [[Dungeon Crawl Classics|Goodman Games]] under the title "Original Adventures Reincarnated #4 The Lost City."

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Modules]]
[[Category:Mystara]]
[[Category:Old school]]

X1: The Isle of Dread

2022-09-18T19:28:06Z

2607:FB90:B22A:6CB4:AE52:1F2D:27B7:949E: /* Goodman Games Remake */

The '''Isle of Dread''' is a primeval, monster-infested jungle island in the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] [[multiverse]]. It is loosely based on Skull Island from King Kong (though not to the same extent as the [[Isle of the Ape]]). A prime "pulp fantasy" location, it was the centerpiece of its own B/X module, "X1: The Isle of Dread", and introduced many unique monsters and races, such as the [[aranea]], [[phanaton]] and [[rakasta]]. It returned in subsequent editions and has become an integral part of the D&D lore, aided by the fact it was packaged as a free inclusion in ''both'' D&D Expert Sets, so anybody who bought that rules update in the early 1980s was exposed to the Isle of Dread. It was ranked the 16th greatest D&D adventure module of all time.

==The Module==
{{spoilers}}
Written by David "Zeb" Cook and [[Tom Moldvay]], the module X1 debuted in 1981, and was available both on its own and packaged into Moldvay's own Expert Set as an example of an outdoors-based adventure/setting. This original version is laid out in the style characteristic of early D&D adventures: it had no Dungeons & Dragons logo, a diagonal strip in the top left corner indicated which edition of the game it was for, and the back cover featured an illustration and a list of other D&D products of the time. A reprint was made in 1983; this second version was also packaged with Mentzer's revision of the Expert Set, and can be distinguished by its Timothy Truman cover art, the red-orange border on its cover, and its use of typical mid-1980s D&D layout elements: the game's current logo was prominently featured on the cover, the diagonal strip was replaced with a horizontal one across the top, and the back cover featured no illustration but did have a text description of the adventure. There are a few minor differences besides appearance between this and the earlier version, including the replacement of a few monsters, and a mapping error that makes part of the final temple appear to be completely inaccessible.

X1 came with a fairly detailed (for its time) map of a setting then called [[Mystara|the Known World]], showing at least fifteen distinct nations on the mainland to the north, as well as much of the Sea of Dread in which the Isle of Dread could be found. These nations each received a paragraph or so of description near the beginning of the module, making this the debut of several prominent Mystaran nations - Darokin, Ylaruam and Thyatis and so on. Thus were brought together Jean Wells' [[Phallus_of_the_Silver_Princess|princes of Glantri]] and Karameikos from the 1981 Expert Set.

Described as a medium to high level scenario, X1's plot was simple, even for the standards of the time. The characters somehow find a fragment from a ship's log, describing a mysterious island on which many treasures can be found, and set out to explore it. Typically, the characters will first make landfall near the more or less friendly village of Tanaroa and after possibly dealing with some troublesome factions in the village, set out to explore the interior of the island. In the course of their explorations, they may find a number of other villages of unfamiliar intelligent creatures, numerous hostile monsters and the treasures they guard, and a band of pirates. Many prehistoric creatures, including [[Dinosaur|dinosaurs]], are prominently featured, especially in the original printing of the adventure. Near the center of the island is a hidden temple inhabited by monstrous, mind-bending creatures known as kopru; the characters may stumble across it or learn that it is a source of problems for the other inhabitants of the isle, and the climax of the adventure typically consists of the characters exploring this temple, battling its inhabitants, and uncovering its secrets.

==Returning to the Isle of Dread==
The Isle is also a minor encounter area in the later adventure Lathan's Gold, and receives some further mention in several later D&D products such as the Poor Wizard's Almanac series.

Issue No. 114 of [[Dungeon Magazine]] features an update on the Isle of Dread as a [[Greyhawk]] setting, a remake-sequel to The Isle of Dread entitled Torrents of Dread, and a poster-style map of the island, as well some smaller surrounding islands. In this update, the island was located in the Densac Gulf, a region bordered by the Azure Sea to the north, the Pearl Sea to the south, the Amedio Jungle to the west, and Hepmonaland to the east. This large expanse of ocean contains several island chains, one of which is the Isle of Dread itself. The update details a kopru plot that destroyed the city of the original Olman settlers through the power of a giant black pearl imbued with the influence of Demogorgon, the demonic god of the kopru. The isle has become a mad collection of kopru, other aquatic races, demonic beings, dinosaurs, and savage Olman natives.

==The Savage Tide==
The Isle of Dread made a prominent return towards the end of 3rd edition, as it was the foundation for the first half or so of the [[Savage Tide]] adventure path. This version of the Isle of Dread is, like the earlier Torrents of Dread adventure, set in [[Greyhawk]] rather than the original's Mystara, but still retains some Mystaran roots, like the presence of the [[aranea]] and [[phanaton]] races.

==Across the Planes==
In 4th edition, the Isle of Dread is stated to be a planeshifting island, moving freely between the material plane and the [[Feywild]]. 5th edition retained this idea but [[wat|moved it to the]] [[Elemental Planes|Elemental Plane of Water]] instead... [[fail|which is a plane that consists of an infinite underwater expanse]]. Except this actually makes sense in 5e, because now the inner bits of the Plane of Water have a surface with islands. What happens as you go further out is anybody's guess.

==Goodman Games Remake==
Part of an ongoing relationship with Wizards of the Coast, Goodman Games (creators of [[Dungeon Crawl Classics]]) got the rights to reprint the Isle of Dread as well as do a full 5e conversion as part of their "Original Adventures Reincarnated" (OAR) line, joining [[B1: In Search of the Unknown|In Search of the Unknown]] and [[Keep on the Borderlands]] (and later entries [[The Lost City]], [[Expedition to the Barrier Peaks]], [[X2: Castle Amber|Castle Amber]] and [[Temple of Elemental Evil]]).

This conversion hews closely to the original, addressing a few issues here and there and adding a few adventure sites that were hinted at but not detailed as well. One notable inclusion was how Goodman Games worked in the 5e lore of the Isle being able to move between various worlds and the Plane of Water, introducing a rather dangerous quest to try and halt the planeshifting aspect of Isle once and for all.

Like their other reprints/updates, the 5e conversion keeps the veritable mountains of treasure from the classic module. If the characters from the first OAR game (Into the Borderlands) play through this remake, they should be wealthy enough to be buying small castles and hiring on adventurers themselves to go off looking for trouble.

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Roleplaying]] [[Category: Modules]] [[Category: Mystara]]

2d4chan - User contributions [en]

B4: The Lost City

X1: The Isle of Dread