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39-515: White Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , written by Lawrence Schick and published by TSR in 1979. The 16-page adventure bears the code "S2" ("S" for "special"). The adventure is a dungeon crawl where the players' characters are hired to retrieve three "notorious" magical weapons, each possessing its own intelligence. The adventure contains art by Erol Otus , and

78-425: A 16-page module. Encounters are varied and each presents its own challenges. Encounter seven necessitates characters jumping from platform to platform above a sea of hot mud whilst evading erupting geysers; this in turn leads to encounter eight and a room of permanent darkness where a vampire guards Whelm. Encounter 17 occurs in a giant but fragile bubble located above a boiling lake, with the players needing to defeat

117-519: A complexity rating of 7/10. He noted that the adventure focuses on problem solving, with "many interesting problems for players to overcome". Comparing it to the challenges in the previous S series adventure Tomb of Horrors , Bambra found White Plume Mountain "quite lenient." Where in Tomb of Horrors a wrong decision would leave the player's character dead, in White Plume Mountain it merely leaves

156-471: A copy of a taunting poem , instructing them that the weapons are located in White Plume Mountain. The poem is signed by the wizard Keraptis, who thirteen hundred years ago descended into the volcanic mountain with a company of gnomes and disappeared. The player characters ' goal is to follow the same path and retrieve the weapons from Keraptis' lair. The adventure is divided into 27 encounters across

195-536: A cover by Jeff Dee . A sequel, Return to White Plume Mountain , was published in 1999, and an updated version conforming to v3.5 rules was released online in 2005. The original was again updated for the 5th edition in 2017 as the fourth part of Tales from the Yawning Portal . White Plume Mountain was well received by critics. It was ranked the 9th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004. One judge, commenting on

234-490: A dome at the floor of a volcanic lake? Check. Reverse gravity water tubes with kayaking bad guys? Check. A completely frictionless surface, studded with pit traps? Check. White Plume Mountain was well received by critics. Dungeon Master for Dummies lists White Plume Mountain as one of the ten best classic adventures, referring to it as a "classic dungeon crawl." It was ranked the 9th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on

273-439: A few early limited edition modules, all Dungeons & Dragons modules until late 1994 were denoted with an alphanumeric code consisting of a letter and a number. The letter codes related to the product in some way, with the number indicating the order of release for the product in the series. Modules within a letter set were usually somehow related, either thematically or as a series of linked adventures. For example, Z1 may be

312-491: A game to be designed, a few years later Costikyan designed Toon as a full game with the assistance of Warren Spector . Dee was the youngest artist in TSR history when he began working for them at the age of 18. In 1997, with his partner 'Manda, Dee founded UNIgames, a publisher of role-playing, board , and computer games . Dee designed a new superhero role-playing game originally titled Advanced Villains and Vigilantes , which

351-429: A gaming session. The early format was a single booklet inserted, but not fixed, in a cardboard cover. As time went by the format and information included in module increased in variety. Dark Sun modules, for example, contained top-spiralbound notebooks. Eventually, the line blurred somewhat between what was an accessory or supplement and a module. Modules had a suggested character level , often displayed prominently on

390-428: A giant crab and retrieve Wave without damaging the bubble. Encounter 26 involves negotiating a magical ziggurat populated by various monsters (including sea lions, giant crayfish, giant scorpions, and manticores ) before encounter 28, a battle against an ogre mage who possesses Blackrazor. A final challenge on departing is an encounter with two to four efreet if the characters have succeeded in taking two or three of

429-534: A part of a larger accessory are often referred to as scenarios. The exact differences between the terms adventure, module, scenario, and accessory are hard to precisely define in Dungeons & Dragons terminology, as they all have been used in different ways. The first published Dungeons & Dragons scenario was "Temple of the Frog", included in 1975's Blackmoor Dungeons & Dragons rules supplement. This scenario

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468-510: A prologue to Z2. Or Z1, Z2 and Z3 may have the adventurers fighting a similar enemy such as beholders . Though related, most modules were stand-alone and could be played without playing any of the other related modules. TSR also used the module coding system on modules for several of non- Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying games including modules for (Advanced) Marvel Super-Heroes and the Conan Role-Playing Game . The module code

507-490: A v3.5 update and is likewise available for free download on their website. In both of the revised modules, the classic weapons associated with them (Blackrazor, Whelm and Wave for White Plume Mountain, Frostrazor for Return to White Plume Mountain) have been converted into Legacy Weapons . All four modules of the S-series were included as part of the Dungeons of Dread hardcover adventure collection, released on March 19, 2013. In

546-600: Is currently used by the game's publisher Wizards of the Coast . In early editions of the game these publications were commonly referred to as modules , which stems from the term dungeon module , used to refer to the earliest adventures published by TSR , with other variations on the module name appearing on latter adventures. The term module continued to be popular among players of the original Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons even after newer publications were labeled adventure . Adventures that appear as

585-466: The A-Team or The Equalizer : "You've been hired to help when no one else has been able." He felt that while the sword Blackrazor was a "blatant ripoff of Elric ", it was "still way cool". Denmead commented on several of the adventure's encounters. He felt the cavern with boiling mud, hanging disks, and geysers, was "just cruel". Concerning the permanently dark room that houses a vampire, he commented on

624-505: The 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game. Judge Mike Mearls commented on the ingenuity required to complete the adventure, describing it as "the puzzle dungeon to end all puzzle dungeons". Further, when speaking to why it is one of the top adventures ever, he said that while it lacked the "sheer brutality" of Tomb of Horrors , it made up for it with "crazy, over the top, pure fun". Another Judge, Clark Peterson , said that he liked

663-542: The Barrier Peaks , and Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth . White Plume Mountain is set in the World of Greyhawk , a campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons . The module is a dungeon crawl , precipitated by the theft of three magical, sentient weapons: a trident named Wave , a war hammer named Whelm , and a sword named Blackrazor (all three were introduced in this adventure). The weapons' former owners each received

702-472: The Hill Giant Chief , used as a tournament module for Origins '78 . Later in 1978, Steading of the Hill Giant Chief became the first stand-alone Dungeons & Dragons module actually produced and published by TSR. TSR Hobbies published a series of six adventures in 1978 that had been used previously only in tournaments. The company initiated its practice of assigning a code to each module published at

741-423: The cover, and from the late 1980s prominently display the logo of the campaign setting they were set in. Some modules were reprints or revisions of modules used at gaming conventions before being published. All early modules are now out of print, though some have been reprinted in revised form. As such, many early modules are now highly sought-out collector items, particularly the earliest printings. Except for

780-416: The ease with which one player's character can easily hit that of another in the gloom. He describes the room where a giant crab guards the trident Wave as "basically a bubble inside a tank of boiling water", noting the crab knows not to pierce the walls and asks, "Are you that smart?" Also, if the players end the adventure with the magic weapons, they need to "bribe" their Dungeon Master to allow them to keep

819-456: The foreword, Schick wrote that "unlike Tomb of Horrors , the challenges in White Plume Mountain were designed to make players think, work together as a party, and ultimately win through and feel successful. Players liked that." In 2017, Wizards re-released White Plume Mountain updated to 5th Edition rules as part of the Tales from the Yawning Portal collection. A battle against a giant crab in

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858-475: The history of pioneering role-playing game company TSR when he began his work at the age of 18. He also designed the Villains and Vigilantes superhero game. He was a co-host on The Atheist Experience and Non-Prophets atheism advocacy podcasts. In the late 1970s, while Dee was still a teenager, he and Jack Herman created Villains and Vigilantes , the first complete superhero role-playing game. The game

897-456: The ingenuity required to complete the adventure, described it as "the puzzle dungeon to end all puzzle dungeons." A review for British magazine White Dwarf gave it an overall rating of 8/10, noting that the adventure focuses on problem solving. It is also the favorite adventure of Wired magazine's Ken Denmead, who described it as the "amusement park of dungeons". Other adventures in the S series include Tomb of Horrors , Expedition to

936-475: The items. Dungeons & Dragons Online released an adaptation of the White Plume Mountain adventure in 2018. It includes many of the original encounters, challenges, and monsters from the original module. The rewards for defeating this dungeon include the three sentient weapons, Blackrazor , Whelm , and Wave , though the last is depicted as a quarterstaff, as the game doesn't include tridents.. Adventure (Dungeons %26 Dragons) The term adventure

975-403: The magical weapons. The original White Plume Mountain adventure was written by Lawrence Schick , and was published by TSR in 1979. It features interior art by Erol Otus and David C. Sutherland III , calligraphy by Darlene Pekul , and a front cover by Sutherland. The module includes a 12-page booklet and an outer folder which featured a two-color cover in the original printing; the module

1014-469: The module while applying for a job with TSR. He took what he felt were the best parts from his previously created dungeons and put them together to create White Plume Mountain . After looking at it, TSR hired him and published the module without making any changes. Looking back in an interview, Schick said that he was "a little embarrassed to this day by Blackrazor, inasmuch as it's such a blatant rip-off of Elric's Stormbringer ; I would not have put it into

1053-467: The original (for collecting purposes). Wizards of the Coast also released a sequel to the adventure in 1999, Return to White Plume Mountain , as part of the TSR 25th Anniversary series of publications. The events in the sequel are assumed to take place 20 years following those in the original. It was made into a novel of the same name by Paul Kidd for the Greyhawk Classics series . Schick wrote

1092-401: The player frustrated. The adventure's tests are "designed to stretch a party to its limits, not deal death at every opportunity". Ken Denmead of Wired says that White Plume Mountain is his favorite adventure, if not necessarily the best. For him, it was the "amusement park of dungeons". He describes the story arc, where the adventurers are hired to retrieve three magic items, as similar to

1131-505: The player having been hired to get them back, with only a cryptic poem to help. He found the module well organized and its content more believable than most, and despite its shortness he stated, "This on the whole is a very good module. There are no real flaws." Jim Bambra reviewed White Plume Mountain for the British magazine White Dwarf , and rated it favorably at 8/10 overall. He gave playability, enjoyment, and skill ratings of 9/10, and

1170-404: The scenario if I ever thought it might be published." Schick later admitted that it was gratifying to have his adventure published as-is, "but also a little embarrassing, since the adventure was really just a sampler of clever ideas that were never fully fleshed out. Its central conceit, a 'funhouse' dungeon full of tricky obstacles designed to challenge adventurers for the amusement of a mad wizard,

1209-484: The three magical weapons: Wave, Whelm, and Blackrazor. To Peterson, just the inclusion of Blackrazor makes White Plume Mountain a "classic". The editors of Dungeon felt that the adventure was defined by the ziggurat and its monsters. Kirby T. Griffis reviewed the adventure in The Space Gamer #37. Griffis found the background interesting, namely Keraptis having stolen the magical weapons from prominent dealers, and

White Plume Mountain - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-423: The time, assigning the "G1" code to Steading of the Hill Giant Chief . TSR's practice of coding modules into various series would continue into the 1990s. The standard adventure is essentially an adventure kit including a backstory, maps and one or more objectives for the players to fulfill. Some include numerous illustrations. A Dungeon Master could purchase these pre-made adventures and use it or parts of it for

1287-401: Was already a cliché even at that date." In 2005, an online version of the adventure was released as a free download, updated to conform with v3.5 rules (Wizards of the Coast periodically alters the rules of Dungeons & Dragons and releases a new version). The revised module is designed for characters of the seventh level of experience. Return to White Plume Mountain has also received

1326-474: Was de-emphasised in the late 1980s, which also saw the campaign setting logo become a main feature of the cover. The code was dropped altogether by the end of 1993. In 2008, the adventure code was reintroduced with the release of the 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure: H1 Keep on the Shadowfell . Jeff Dee Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer . He was the youngest artist in

1365-605: Was described as a "Dungeon Masters Kit" rather than a "module" or an "adventure". Also in 1976, the adventure Lost Caverns of Tsojconth was distributed by Metro Detroit Gamers as the tournament module for the gaming convention Wintercon V, but was not published for general distribution at the time. The adventure was later re-written for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules and published as module S4 – The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (TSR, 1982). Additional unpublished adventures were distributed at gaming conventions during this period, including Steading of

1404-516: Was expanded to 16 pages and rereleased with a full-color cover by Jeff Dee in 1981. The adventure was included as part of the Realms of Horror abridged compilation produced in 1987. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 1999, a reprinting of the original adventure was made available in the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition boxed set , with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from

1443-512: Was later developed into the stand-alone module DA2 – Temple of the Frog for the D&;D Expert set rules (TSR, 1986). The first stand-alone Dungeons & Dragons adventure module, Palace of the Vampire Queen , was published in 1976 by Wee Warriors . Although TSR did not produce this module, the company did distribute the first three printings on behalf of Wee Warriors. The adventure

1482-400: Was published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1979. Dee and Herman persuaded Scott Bizar to produce a second edition, which was published in 1982. Dee came up with the idea of creating a role-playing game based on cartoons when he, Greg Costikyan , and other designers were discussing which genres had no role-playing game systems yet; although they agreed that it would be impossible for such

1521-412: Was ultimately published as Living Legends in 2005. In 2009, he co-founded Nemesis Games, developers of an MMO named Gargantua . Dee has long been an advocate for the role-playing game industry. In addition to his artistic and game-related work, Dee is an outspoken atheist and transhumanist . He has been the host of a bi-weekly Internet podcast called The Non-Prophets and a former host of

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