Giuseppe Carugno
We continue our excursions into the vast world of Menagerie Press publications through a review of Tomb of Palu for D&D5e.
This adventure for 1-2 level characters was created by Austin Conrad and is available on DriveThruRPG in both digital forms for $11.99 and full-color print version in softcover for $13.99.
If you appreciate their publications, you can also find here on No Dice Unrolled the reviews of The Dream Prison, Goblingrief, Adul, City of Gold, Clash at Kell Kreen, The Waxwyrm Bounties and The Black Lotus of Thalarion.
Aesthetics Review of Tomb of Palu
Before we delve into the content analysis, let’s take a look at the technical realization of the manual in its PDF version. The classic double-column layout dominates, and the work is divided into well-organized chapters and paragraphs. The good realization of the informational tables about various aspects of the adventure is noteworthy too: you can find both random encounters and sensory descriptions of certain sections of the maps. There are also suggestions for increasing or decreasing the difficulty of some specific encounters. It’s certainly a great help for novice masters.
The graphics are nice, quite vanilla, but they get the job done. Within its 28 pages, the manual contains quality illustrations of different styles that help the reader delve into the atmosphere. The maps of the areas are clear and precise, with numbered references to link them to their respective paragraphs.
The (Spoiler-Free) Plot of the Adventure
Unfortunately, I must express my first perplexity about this module. There’s a clear difference between the premises prompted at the beginning and the suggested character level. On the one hand, in fact, the story is based on the awakening of an ancient deity; on the other hand, we have level 1 adventurers who, with their deeds, will (according to the manual) go on to change their world forever. Although Tomb of Palu avowedly presents itself as an adventure that can be included in any campaign, the premises seem to disagree with the author’s own expressed intentions. Especially considering the various possible “endings” that will affect the entire world.
Our heroes will be called to aid the small village of Pine Bend. This has suddenly been cursed, after the start of some archaeological excavations in the nearby cemetery. All its inhabitants are ageing at an unnatural speed!
This module immediately gives us many narrative hooks for the characters to be interested in the quest; they are all varied and compelling. The village is presented through a few NPCs which are delineated just enough to make them interesting and to be reused with little effort in any setting. Each NPC has their own motivations and behaviour for trying to convince the adventurers to help her.
The village of Pine Bend is thus framed as a kind of safe haven to which our heroes can return at any time; here they can find everything they need to take a rest, heal and re-equip while they face the real heart of the adventure. I’m talking about the dungeon that lies below the archaeological excavations.
The Dungeon’s General Setting
Like the most classic D&D5e adventures, Tomb of Palu has a very nice dungeon. That is also the tomb of the deity called Palu. This deity is examined in a dedicated appendix but, like many other things, is modifiable and adaptable. There is also plenty of suggestions about the most proper domains for him.
Here comes my second doubt, which is related precisely to the nature of the deity. As we will see soon, this dungeon has a very interesting feature that actually can create a lot of roleplay. There will be times when events within the tomb will change the age of the PCs. It can be said that there is a magical influence in the dungeon that makes time flow unnaturally.
The problem is the following: Palu is presented and characterized as a natural deity, thus linked to the domain of nature and the succession of seasons; to “cyclical time,” as it is specified within the book. In short, more related to the concept of Nature, rather than Time. It is therefore strange that its influence goes to alter Time instead of having an effect on Nature. But let us put this lore detail aside and return to the dark and deadly dungeon.
Key Elements of Exploration
Very detailed and clear descriptions, and maps make venturing into this ancient tomb quick and smooth for the master. The structure hides a fair amount of secrets and rewards, great for spurring players on. I enjoyed both the treasures hidden behind roleplay and interactions with NPCs and the ones obtainable through exploration and environmental puzzle.
Proceeding in the exploration, you will come across intriguing situations and combat that are always well contextualized. The presence of notes in the paragraphs, containing ways to increase or decrease the difficulty of confrontations, will make the adventure adaptable to the needs of the masters. Or it is possible to safely rely on the manual and leave them as they are to offer a considerable degree of challenge.
Definitely a Ruthless Environment
Analyzing deeply the dungeon, it may be a bit too challenging. Considering that the characters will all be level 1, some environmental hazards and combats seem to me too deadly. Almost TPK-like, for a party of that level.
Here comes my third and final criticism of the conceptual implementation of the module. We understand that the tomb is a place where the age of the characters can change considerably. So much that, in fact, there is a special note to assign malus to PCs who should unluckily grow too old. The problem arises when the same table specifies when one becomes old. This is because in D&D5e there is no rule indicating when the various races get old. Unless therefore borrowing homebrew mechanics from online guides, it will be up to the master to decide whether and when to apply aging effects to characters.
And this is unfortunate for two reasons. First because it leaves such a defining and central aspect of the adventure without adequate mechanical insight; second because it entrusts a big decision-making weight to narrators who may be novices, considering the stated level of the adventure.
In addition, the further you continue exploring the dungeon, the more you will encounter areas that will have additional effects on the characters. Effects that will often be added to those already suffering from previous events. Certainly, a factor that adds variety and surprise to the whole adventure but requires from the master a remarkable attention to detail; as well as further raising the overall difficulty of the adventure.
Final Considerations about Tomb of Palu
As I hope it is clear from this review, Tomb of Palu is a well-characterized adventure; it has the potential to keep the players entertained for at least a couple of sessions. Most of the NPCs are characterized just enough to give them an identity. Dungeon exploration then can provide fun and intense planning. In addition, the module is full of aids and references for the master; they are quite useful for customization and indexing purposes.
Last but not least, the deity’s lore and proposed moral choices make the adventure interesting from a roleplay perspective. But I cannot overlook that everything is on level 1 characters’ shoulders, the deadliest level in D&D5e. A level that is almost always used to introduce novices to the game. Certainly not to throw them into such a deadly adventure with planetary consequences.
Therefore, given also the complex aspects mentioned above, I conclude my review recommending Tomb of Palu especially to players who already have some experience with D&D5e!
