DCC #32 -- The Golden Palace of Zahadran

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JediOre
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DCC #32 -- The Golden Palace of Zahadran

Post by JediOre »

Persian flavor. What more can be said. (I am biased as I’m reading through Briant’s From Cyrus To Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire.)

Well okay, a wee bit more. For those who remember I3 -- Pharaoh, especially the Sunken City of Pazar encounters, this module is of that vein. I think a DM, armed with this module, should be able to make the players acquire a feeling they are treading where they shouldn’t be, in a world that has become alien.

If you like desert adventures or simply modules that touch on ancient, non-European cultures this is a nice module. Tough fights and unusual encounters abound as all DCCs must have. The end fight seems very nasty using something I’ve never seen in a module before. I’ll not spoil it except to say it involves the back cover illustration.

Of course plenty of undead. If your players don’t like undead, like one of mine (i.e. -- Ragnar1965) please keep that in mind. Me, I don’t mind. All of my friends know a module I run will almost always have undead.

To the author, Greg Oppedisano, good show.
gargoyle
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Post by gargoyle »

Thanks for the kind words. I enjoyed researching the module, i have a strong bias towards D&D with a bit of historical flavour - especially the non traditional (western european) topics.

I was very happy with the way the opening and ending battles worked out as i wrote the module.

If you happen to play the module with your group please let me in on the jagged little smoldering details...

Greg
Greg Oppedisano
Author: The Great City Campaign setting, PC Pearls, Sidetrek Adventure Weekly, GM Gems, DCC 48, DCC 49, DCC 43, DCC 32, DCC 29...
Contact info and bibliography in the WereCabbage patch: http://www.werecabbages.com/members.php?id=22
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JediOre
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Post by JediOre »

I will.
Promise.
kafkonia
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Post by kafkonia »

First post here.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up the Temple of Zahadran to run as the first adventure for a new 15th-level campaign. I thought it looked neat, and could be inserted into a world with a minimum of effort.

I ran into a small problem right off the bat, as it was decided that this would be an evil party -- we're playing it as a sort of break-from-normal-gaming excuse to goof off. This wasn't so bad, since I could adjust the adventure a bit; it doesn't take that much effort to make evil fight evil, after all. Greed and the desire for freedom can be powerful motivators. So this is the party I found myself faced with:

A Dread Necromancer
A Bard/ur-Priest
A Stonechild Fighter
A Monk/Drunken Master
A Sorceror specialised in fire

All five at ECL 15, along with an ECL 13 Fighter/Blackguard cohort for the Necromancer.

After getting them to the desert, I had them encounter Azi Dahak. He got off his breath attack, and the party began to fall. Except that half the party had rings of Feather Fall, and the other half had it cast on them. So the only person injured by the fall was Azi Dahak. Then the Dread Necromancer (or maybe the ur-Priest, I forget) goes, and casts destruction.

And Azi Dahak fails his save. *poof* No more BBEG.

Um...

Amazingly, the corrupted Saena tree later on took out two party members. Well, it killed one (the Sorcerer) actively, and then the Stonechild ate some of the berries after defeating the tree and failed his save.

I still think this adventure is quite cool, but it's not quite going how I envisioned. :)
gargoyle
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Post by gargoyle »

SPOILER ALERT

If it is any consolation - in my play test Azi died on round 3 by failing a disintigrate save.... High level D20 plays like that!

When he reappeared at the end of the module over a lake of molten glass at the head of a small army of deva the carnage really began...

I agonized over the balance for encounters, with all of the source books available and the spectacular powers availed the min maxer today it is a difficult balance as a writer and a DM to make or run a module over 12 level.

I think the evil party is fine and like the fact that you tweeked things to allow your party to keep their evilness... perhaps you could tweek the ending and allow them to cross the chinvat bridge to mount alburz and meet Angra Mainyu... make a deal with the devil as it were and continue campaigning!

I am glad you found the module cool!

Enjoy, and let me know how it turns out.

Greg
Greg Oppedisano
Author: The Great City Campaign setting, PC Pearls, Sidetrek Adventure Weekly, GM Gems, DCC 48, DCC 49, DCC 43, DCC 32, DCC 29...
Contact info and bibliography in the WereCabbage patch: http://www.werecabbages.com/members.php?id=22
kafkonia
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Post by kafkonia »

gargoyle wrote:SPOILER ALERT

I am glad you found the module cool!

Enjoy, and let me know how it turns out.

Greg
Unfortunately, after a second session we've decided to set the Evil Party of DOOM~! aside and start over at 1st level for the Shackled City. If I were the sensitive sort, I'd take it as an indictment of my DM'ing abilities, since I'm going back to the player's side of the screen for this, but I think everyone just realized being evil isn't as much fun when it's what you're supposed to do. :) Also, the AP was a gift the other DM received for Christmas.

I have another group I'm DM'ing for, though, and I hope to try more DCCs in the future!
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