Crypt of the Sun Lord
Crypt of the Sun Lord is an epic fantasy adventure for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game written by Jonathan Nelson and published by Adventureaweek.
By Venus De Coy
Learn more about Crypt of the Sun Lord here
Purchase Crypt of the Sun Lord here
Find other Adventureaweek products here
Reviewers Note: I have done my best to keep spoilers down to a minimum. But if you plan on playing this adventure, please do not read this review to prevent the terrible curse known as “meta-gaming”.
CONTENT
This 28 page adventure has quite a lot going on in it. This is the first adventure that was ever formally published by the company and it set quite a nice precedent for the company. Here’s what you get:
- Exclusive locations in the Adventure-A-Week Campaign Setting fleshed out in great detail and accompanied with high resolution maps
- Maps and Illustrations by 3x ENnie Award winning Cartographer Todd Gamble
- An appendix of creatures that will help the GM when they get to certain parts in the adventure.
- The Life Ring a new magical item which bestows the wearer with extra HP
- A new minor artifact with hidden powers which unlock as the PCs increase in level
OVERALL
This is my first adventure review, and when I do reviews about adventures I make sure to cover all my bases, for both players and GM’s who are interested in choosing the adventure. I am happy to report that this is an adventure worth investing in. However, there are some elements that those who plan on prepping this adventure should be prepared for.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 9 out of 10
Presentation of Layout: The presentation of the adventure is definitely of high quality! One of the biggest things I like is that all the special stat blocks needed for the adventure are at the end of the book instead of in the adventure so that the adventure takes precedence and not the stat blocks. I always find that incredibly annoying when I have to navigate through stat blocks. The artwork isn’t quite what I had expected, but being an adventure publisher myself I take into consideration that the first adventure is not always the most perfect go around. You learn lots during the process and it has shown itself in their publications since.
Ease of Mobility: The file is easy to navigate and read through. Now it’s a little harder to upload via email to Kindle since there is an attachment limit and the file is just a little bit over. But that’s nothing Google Drive can’t fix. Apple products should not have a major problem as they are good with bigger files. The bookmarks are nice, and great if you plan on running it through your computer.
Maps: What lacks in artwork, is made up in cartography. The maps are something you only see in high-end publishers like Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing. The maps are quite lovely and incredibly detailed. Now it’s a little weird that some of the maps are structured in a leveled format, but they are still quite impressive.
Storyline: 9 out of 10
Plot Development: The adventure is very straight-forward. Start here, go here and reclaim something lost, get there and get it back. This is a classic dungeon crawl if there ever was one. The downside is, with the exception of the very beginning of the adventure, there isn’t a lot of room for deep, meaningful roleplay opportunities. But that is usually the case for all dungeon crawls in which the roleplay opportunities usually come through party dynamics and actions during combat.
Pacing of Story: The pacing of the story is good and moves in a very smooth and linear format. This is a very A-B-C adventure which makes it great for those who have 5-6 hours to play, but you can also go deep and play every detail which can make for a 8 to 10 hour game. It all depends on your group and your play speed.
Desire to Play: 9 out of 10
NPC Interactions: The NPC interactions are a little flat, but it is the consequence of dungeon crawls sometimes. NPC’s are often sacrificed for the sake of the adventure, but it does not mean the NPC’s can’t have some deeper meaning if you have GMs/Players that like to make them reoccurring characters.
Encounters and Rewards: The encounters in this adventure are top notch and CR appropriate. They allow for danger if the players aren’t properly prepared, but at the same time, allow for a challenge for those that are prepared. The rewards are also quite new and interesting, the Ring of Life and the Special Artifact, a very special dagger, are nice additional touches, and when carried on into other adventures, will be quite helpful indeed.
Overall: 9 out of 10
For Players: Players will be put right into an traditional dungeon crawl that is a lot of fun and is a great introduction to the campaign setting of Adventure A Week Publishing. Although you will want more, like an addiction, this is a great introduction to adventures in which you and your fellow players will grow and expand.
For GM’s: This is a great adventure for getting people into a campaign and from there the possibilities are completely endless. Now if you are a subscriber of Adventure A Week, then you have plenty of material, but if you are looking for a starter adventure, you definitely have a great start to a campaign of your own! Although the artwork and initial roleplay is lacking, it’s a gateway into a publishing group and gaming community that is definitely something to look forward to.
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