Recommendations: X4 Master of the Desert Nomads and X5 Temple of Death

This post is tagged as “Recommendations” because I recommend the two modules named for anyone running an old school D&D game and because I will offer advice on how to use them well.

In my conception, the two modules comprise four main parts, none of which neatly fit together. This disjunction might be regarded a deficiency, but also offers more opportunities for customization. The first part concerns an overland journey, and is composed of a number of compelling encounters, roughly stitched together. Yes, these modules are very modular, and the rough stitching makes it easy to move the pieces around.

Perhaps my favorite element of the first part is the hook—the party is connected to an army with a mandate to repel mysterious invaders, led by an ominous “Master” before these invaders reach the civilized lands. But it’s not like a modern army with documented protocols, written orders, and a clear chain of command. And so the PCs get left behind. Thus the first part is all about the party trying to catchup with the “main army.”

But, when you give this hook some serious thought, there are some problems. A small group of PCs with magical advantages typical of their level should be able to easily catch up with hundreds or thousands of foot soldiers, camp followers, and a baggage train. The module provides a flimsy premise for traveling along a sluggish river, with the plan of meeting the army at a rendezvous point. My players had a large number of characters available so my solution was to split the party, with one group going overland and the other by barge. Each player had one PC with each group. This approach made it feel less railroady and we collaborated on reasons why each route had potential merits and why certain approaches made sense to each group. We settled on the need to deliver a message; splitting the party ensured that at least one group would reach the intended recipient.

And again, there were great encounters along the way. The barge made for a great setting with enemies on either side of the river. The overland group did meet with a large contingent of friendly soldiers and together fought an advance party of raiders.

One very interesting encounter that deserves additional thought is the “swamp curse.” It’s a very atmospheric trap with no enemy to fight, and only one “book” solution, which is to cast Dispel Magic. One of my frustrations with newer D&D is that it can feel like Magic the Gathering. (“Ok, the DM played X spell which is a fire type, so I need to counter with a water type.”) To my mind, magic should not be the main way to solve problems, but a fall back for when things go wrong. So, having PC survival depend on knowledge of the rulebook and being “right” about how the designer would interpret it (not to mention having a cleric of a high-enough level) is too much. If you don’t think this one out in advance, there will likely be an argument, followed by disgruntled hand-waving.

There are some other silly things to mention such as the plot coupon under a hydra. And there are also some more weird cool things like a unique buzzard-headed monster and tombs half-buried in the sand.

The final question about this part of X4 is what to do when the party successfully rejoins the army. In my case, the “message” was that the Master’s armies had found another way to attack the civilized lands and so the army should return to defend their homes. The published adventure uses another pretext for sending the party into the lands of the Master alone. As I describe below, I’d recommend delaying this final confrontation and all of X5.

The second part of X4 is the “Evil Monastery.” I ran this as a separate adventure, an interlude between invasions, without any direct connection to the X4/X5 campaign plot. Because even though a run-down mountain monastery inhabited by corrupted monks enhances the vibe, I couldn’t make sense of the supposed agreement between an evil genius and the buffoonish cannibals who were supposedly “guarding” the entrance to his domain. (He has an army, with juggernauts.) Among the library of moldering scrolls, I dropped some clues that the Master had been at work over centuries, harassing good people. So the monks were just a casualty of his past depravations.

Removing the direct connection provides a great stand-alone adventure. What makes the “Evil Monastery” component so good is the suspense—the gap between when the players have a hunch that something is amiss and the moment when the monks’ true nature is revealed. So plan to stretch out the suspense and then wrap things up quickly once the fighting starts.

I used the Evil Monastery together with some more recent “OSR” adventures* to draw out the war between the “Master” and the “Empire” that the PCs were defending. Some of these adventures involved repelling the Master’s lieutenants while others dealt with local troubles within the Empire. But the Master was always in the players’ imaginations, and always suspected (often wrongly) to be the one pulling the strings when things were going wrong, whether the trouble was bandits or a bad harvest. Anyway, when a map turned up that seemed to permit the PCs to confront the Master on his own turf, the PCs were ready.

The two parts of X5 do work together. Part one is the land of Thule (which I renamed Hunza) where the Master’s people live rather normal “D&D land” lives. Markets, taverns, minstrels, puppet shows. But in place of the typically bumbling town watch, you have heavy-handed enforcers on the lookout for wrong-thinking. If you have something to say about global pandemics, misinformation, disinformation, or misinformation, here’s your soapbox. Also, learn what the robe colors mean, it will be important later. White robes are for peasant-level initiates. Yellow robes are for middle management. Red robes are for the “muscle” which doesn’t just mean fighters. Many wield magic. Likewise the purple-robed judges count some retired but capable warriors among their numbers.

The second half of X5 is the actual Temple of Death, which is the Master’s lair, and feels more like a palace, with a succession of ornate buildings, each having more restricted access. Most all of the occupants are robed humans who come in one of the four colors described above. There are also some monster guardians and other NPC villains. This is a well-organized cult headquarters, so combat should be limited if you value verisimilitude. I’d recommend having a plan for how the complex activates if the PCs become openly violent.

There are many ways to avoid open violence. Most will probably involve appropriating sets of robes from the peasants who work the fields around the palace and then trading up to the high-status colors. There are a number of short cuts to victory, which, to my mind, are fair game. Yes, PCs can defeat the Master by destroying his glass coffin, which is in plain sight. Yes, PCs can use the teleportation room to go directly to the Master’s chambers if they saw him in the magic mirror in X4. Yes, PCs can charm a high-ranking enforcer and ask him for an immediate private audience. Yes, PCs can exploit their opponents’ cultish groupthink to avoid combat. But sometimes shortcuts go wrong. Encourage your PCs clever ruses, but be ready for what happens when their plans hit a snag and the cult members realize they’ve been infiltrated.

OSR D&D is not like a video game and so the final boss fight might be a little anticlimactic. My party got the jump on the Master and took him down in one round. If he doesn’t get taken down at once, he has a number of escape plans. (Including the ability to return to life in a new body.) The module doesn’t really explain how the cult members will respond if the Master’s current body is destroyed so give that some thought as well.

I found this pair of shambolic modules a lot of fun to run, finding in their numerous gaps and a rather abstract villain, plenty of room to add additional material and create a long and multi-threaded story arc. Comments and questions are most encouraged.

* The OSR adventures that I used were Valley of the Five Fires and The Northland Saga Part 4 Blood on the Snow. Wow, in finding those links I realize those adventures are over 10 years old. And yes, the first is based on Mongols and the second on Vikings. X4 and X5 are stylized as West meets East. The campaign also works as Far East meets Central East. And Vikings are Mongols with boats and trashy blond hair.

The End of the Master (by Tetsukichi)

"In my latest adventure, l joined Bojing’s campaign against the Master. After witnessing the havoc wrought by his armies, our group resolved to tackle the Master in his home country of Hunza. After some disorienting encounters with the brainwashed population, we were taken by surprise by a young thief named HuFei. He had a great deal of inside information about the Cult of Knowledge and the Master and shared our desire to bring an end to both. With his help, we were able to make our way to the Master’s temple without attracting the attention of the watchful Guardians, who according to HuFei, were aware of our mission.

"The Temple of Death was under extremely close observation, but our party was able to enter either disguised in Guardian’s robes, invisible, or miniaturised. As we made our way through the Temple, Guardians questioned us suspiciously, asking us to dispose of the agricultural offerings we had brought as cover for our mission. Armed guards threatened us, but we managed to fight them off, with Mustapha’s shadow monsters serving as a distraction. We reached a large room referred to as the Hall of Law, which contained glass coffins of former Masters and their remains. Ryu and Bojing, who had researched the Cult of Knowledge, recognised the name of the current Master, Hosadas, on one of the coffins. This surprising development altered our view of the nature of our enemy. We were attacked again, but Bojing was able to use his special abilities to transport us to the Master’s lair.* Once there, most disconcertingly, we were confronted by a creature resembling a handsome young man. As we attacked him, he started to float away. HuFei grabbed his foot and then we were able to finish him off.

"The Master’s lair contained magical items, which we gathered up and shared between us.** Next, we returned to the Hall of Law to destroy the Master’s remains. I wore the Master’s platemail armour, so the Temple acolytes naturally assumed that I was the Master. As we were closing in on the Hall of Law, Bojing started to behave oddly, as if he were someone else entirely, claiming to be the Master! Salt used her magic missile to raze the coffin and instantly Bojing dropped dead! It turned out that the spirit of the Master had co-opted Bojing, asking if he wanted to become the new Master. From the moment he accepted this role, Bojing effectively ceased to exist. Miraculously, Bojing came back to life sometime afterwards and is fortunately himself again, not the Master, although much more subdued in disposition.*** So the Cult is finally destroyed and Hosadas is defeated."

* "Tetsukichi is unsure of the exact nature of these powers, but he is grateful for them." (In fact, this was not a matter of any special powers belonging to Bo-Jing. The part found a secret room that facilitated teleportation to any place that was known and named. Bo-Jing remembered seeing the Master through a magic mirror. Playing D&D with Stuffed Animals: Master of the Desert Nomads Part 6: Invitations (dndstuffedanimals.blogspot.com). Bo-Jing remembered the room in which the Master was standing, and named this as the place he wanted to go.

** Bojing chose the levitation boots, Tetsukichi the platemail armour and magical war hammer, Salt and Nekhil got an intriguing ‘room of requirement.’

*** Bo-Jing had previously done a great service for the "King of the East"-- rescuing the demi-god's daughter and also returning to him the magical coin that bore his visage. Playing D&D with Stuffed Animals: The Most Fortunate Khatun (dndstuffedanimals.blogspot.com) As Bo-Jing accepted the offer from Hosadas, the King of the East intervened, warning him that there are no short cuts to righteousness. Bo-Jing's life was restored, but his horror at his mistake left a mark. Gone was the easy confidence that he had known since birth and that had been only been enhanced by his many successes. He came to know that he was fully mortal and vulnerable to the same temptations as anyone else. While he lost the aura of invincibility, there were a few who appreciated his new depth and sense of humility. 

Taking the Fight Home to the Master

After a short season of rest and a long season of starting to set things in order within Banua and the lands of the Naran horde, Bo Jing realized that he was approaching an important decision, and invited his closest friends to join him in consultation regarding what to do about The Master.  His invitation was answered by a diverse number: Salt, Tetsukichi, Bangqiu, Hyamsam, and Nar Nuteng—though the warrior maiden refused to participate when she learned that the outlandish sorceress (Salt) had also been included.

They all agreed that The Master was unrelenting in his attacks on the Empire.  Defeating the beastmen had not undone the damage they had done to the lands of the Five Fires. Khazad Kala had been destroyed and the great of lake of Kala polluted with ash.  The lands once belonging to Nergui horde had been scoured. The clans of the worm and eagle had also suffered losses.  And the people of trees, based on Bo Jing’s expedition had proved to be illusory allies at best.  Remnants of the beast cult lurked in tombs and caves, sometimes attacking small clans and stealing lifestock. The proud warriors of the Naran horde had stood up to the beastmen, but even Banua was in need of rebuilding.  The Master’s armies, based on what they had seen in Paranyama, would sweep through the Lands of the Five Fires without serious impediment.

But, based on Ryu’s research in the Monastery, they could take the fight to The Master.  They had maps, information about his strange mountain kingdom and the “Temple of Death” that lay at the heart of it.  If they could bypass his armies and engage him directly, they would likely prevail.  All chronicles escribed him as godlike figure within his realm, with a lifetime that had already spanned centuries, and no plan for succession, no system of government beyond his personal edicts.

Bo-Jing asked Batu, a baghatur from the Worm Clan who had joined his household,  to govern Banua in his absence, exhorting him to call on the Khatun Narantsetseg for all matters affecting the Naran horde, referring him to his own kinsmen for issues that would affect the lands of the five fires, and advising that --if things became so dire that he believed he should warn the governor of Blue City or the Emperor-- he should also send a messenger to Beatriss in Happy Valley.

Following the maps they’d discovered, the company traveled north into the mountains that marked both the extent of the lands of the five fires and the furthest reach of the Empire.  It was summer, and the mountain meadows provided for an easy journey with moderate weather, an abundance of wild fruit and small game, and countless streams of clean water, many brimming with fish.

After nearly a month of travel, the Company reached Hunza, the realm of The Master.  Ryu had warned them, based on his research, that it would be a strange place.  The Master’s edicts prescribed modes of dress and what people were allowed to eat and drink.  When to wake up and when to sleep.  No gods were worshipped as people were instructed to trust the Knowledge of The Master in all things. The existence of other civilizations outside its borders were barely acknowledged-- except as sources of dangerous misinformation that could dissuade the weak-minded from trusting the Knowledge—and, more practically as the places where the pursuit of Active Defense Knowledge demanded a steady supply of sending food, ore, able-bodied young men, and other resources.

All of these things seemed very much true.  And yet, Hunza was not the miserable place they imagined.  The people they met recognized the Company as outsiders and congratulated them on finding their way to the land of freedom.  They shared food and helpful information.  Conversations often turned to informal exams regarding current Knowledge, with the most Knowledge citizens instructing the half-ignorant who, in turn, instructed the foreigners.  While unusual, these instructive conversations had a tone of levity about them made the Knowledge seem more and more palatable.  When they were alone, the Company made a point of reminding each other of their own experiences with The Master and the horrible things that his armies had done. And also how strange it was to hear people speak of their lost sons without any bitterness.  For as a rule, the pursuit of Active Defense Knowledge seemed to be a lifeterm commitment.

As the Company moved from the fields and forests of Hunza into its larger settlements, their tour became more complicated. The citizens were less friendly, and their questions about the Knowledge more like test with real consequences.  In was in a small, orderly market town that the company first encountered Guardians of the Knowledge, a group of men and women wearing layered robes whose questions were less about The Knowledge and more about the company’s reasons for being there.  Where they came from.  Which way did they travel.  Who sent them.

Bangqiu, relying on his magic ring was able to persuade the Guardians that they were nothing more than lost travelers. The Guardians, still skeptical, sent them to a House of Welcome.  After making a show of following the Guardians advice, the Company fled the town and continued their travel.  They spent the rest of the day in the forest, and then traveled at night, with Bangqiu and Hyamsam scouting the way in bird form.

Despite their best efforts, the party was surprised in camp by a single young man, wearing a tattered and soiled Guardians robe.  “They know you’re here,” he said.  “They’ve been following you.  And if you continue the way I think you’re going, then you’re headed for an ambush.”

A tense conversation followed-- with deep distrust, tempered by respect—on both sides. And in time, both sides admitted a common understanding of the truth about the Master and Hunza.  And also a shared understanding of what to do about it, but with one sticking point. “I want to be there when you kill him.  You have to take me with you.”

The young man’s name was Hu-Fei.  He was clearly brave, and in a manner capable.  But he carried no weapon and seemed nearly incapable of using one.

Brave, generally capable.  A good start. Also stubborn. That won the day. “Your old map won’t show you the secret route to the Master’s Temple. I will.”

Once they had accepted Hu-Fei’s help, the young man was eager to gain their full acceptance.  By his “connections” in the towns, he was able to find them horses and provisions that made their travel through Hunza feel like a pleasure jaunt once again.

They allowed him to show them his secret route, which would involve passing though a series of underground caverns and mountain passes.  The entrance, he warned them, was guarded by a group of die-hard soldiers, who had the unusual distinction of being sent to fight in foreign lands and returned alive.