Product Name: Dark Oak
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
Author: Creighton Broadhurst, Steve Hood
System: Pathfinder
Setting: The Lonely Coast
Series:
Theme: Epic Fantasy
Type: Adventure
Link: http://themysticalthrone.com/?p=29961
Dark Oak is the latest adventure module from Raging Swan Press taking place (loosely) within The Lonely Coast setting and designed for Pathfinder characters of 5th Level. Dark Oak refers to a tribe of lizardfolk led by a now evil druid dwelling within a fairly massive cave lair (along with the other tribe members). The adventure is a fun little “dungeon delve” into a large cave network filled with lizardfolk of the Dark Oak tribe. While the adventure is written as a fairly standard adventure, it can also be used as a sourcebook for the Dark Oak lizardfolk tribe.
To add to the value of the adventure module, it also comes with pre-generated PCs, a beautiful map of the lair, and a couple of magic items. Overall, the adventure is well-detailed and written all for a great price!
CONTENT
There’s very little to say about the adventure without posting spoilers, so this will be fairly brief. The adventure is written to cover all aspects of GM’ing starting with the background and summary. The basics is that the tribe dwells within a set of caverns and are being lead by a somewhat fanatical druid.
The area around the dwelling each area within the dwelling are all fully described in detail including all applicable in-game mechanics (such as difficult movement). A map accompanies this description allowing the GM (and players) to visualize the area inside and out. There is a scattering of creature characters and standard creatures that combine in various ways to create the actual encounters. Raging Swan Press has gone the extra mile and presented the encounters with scaling options. That’s about all I will cover as much more may spoil the outcome!
OVERALL
Dark Oak is more than just an adventure module, it’s a deeper look into the Dark Oak tribe including a few creature characters and a number of creature stat blocks. The adventure is written very simply to allow GMs to use it in multiple ways. There are lots of little bonuses contained inside including scaling and a great-looking, hand-drawn map.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 10 out of 10
Raging Swan Press always produces high quality products. With a fantastic layout and presentation and plenty of great looking illustrations, Dark Oak does not stray from that standard. There is always a great amount of valuable content presented in a way that is easy to read and visually appealing.
Storyline: 8 out of 10
There is a definite storyline leading throughout the background of the adventure module and the adventure itself has a purpose, or at least a direction. However, there is very little storyline throughout the actual adventure and the ending is loosely defined. This method of development allows a GM to place the adventure within the midst of an ongoing campaign or as part of a longer adventure. The background defines why the creatures and creature characters are there and why the PCs would need to face them. The rest of the story including why the PCs are needed is left up to the GM. As a side note, the adventure doesn’t always need a storyline as it can be used simply as a one-night game session.
Desire to Play: 9 out of 10
I like the way the adventure module is written and it’s a great quest taking on all the different Dark Oak tribe members. It’s reminiscent of old-school dungeon crawls but with a bit more definition and purpose other than hack-and-slash and gather the treasure. The majority of the adventure is focused on combat and exploration of the caverns. This may not be ideal for all gaming groups but should appeal to those looking for this type of gaming experience.
Overall: 9 out of 10
Dark Oak is a great, short adventure module for Pathfinder. It can be easily used as a side quest, inserted in-line with a series of other adventures, or even an integral part of the storyline by using the given background and the Dark Oak tribe. It’s filled with options and lots of source material besides being written as just another adventure module. Unless you’re looking for a role-playing focused adventure or one with little combat, I recommend letting your PCs run through these caverns.
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