Saga of the Shadow Lord
Encyclopedia
Saga of the Shadow Lord is a 1986 adventure module
for the Basic Rules
of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
.
s must get past the undead army of the Shadow Lord and infiltrate his haunted fortress, to retrieve the magical Elvenstar.
Saga of the Shadow Lord consists of two linked adventures as a mini-campaign instead of one continuous adventure. The first adventure, called Elvenstar, the player character
s try to steal a magic item
from the Shadow Lord to thwart his planned invasion of a peaceful neighboring kingdom. Encounters in this adventure include a village populated by adventurers, and a cloud giant
living in a small castle, before the party reaches the Shadow Lord's lair for the final encounter. In the second adventure, The Halls of Drax Tallen, the Shadow Lord returns, more powerful than ever. His undead
minions are searching for another magical item to give him immense power, and the PCs must find this item before he does. An appendix follows this adventure, giving details of four new magic items and three new monsters.
. The module features interior art by Mark Nelson
. The scenario was written for the Expert Rules
, for levels 5-9.
The module comes as a 64-page booklet wrapped in a three-section wraparound cover, with maps as well as monster and NPC
statistics on the inside of the cover. The middle eight pages contain more maps as well as eight pre-generated player character
s.
reviewed Saga of the Shadow Lord for White Dwarf
#89. He found that the Elvenstar adventure was "designed in a very old-fashioned style, with a series of fixed but random-seeming encounters along the way to a dungeon where the serious business takes place". He pointed out the "village packed with adventurers (of up to 7th level!)" and the "agoraphobic" cloud giant living in the "smallest castle [he's] ever seen", but felt that the "interesting encounter with the Shadow Lord's army lightens the otherwise fairly uninspiring zoo-dungeon journey until the adventurers reach the Shadow Lord's lair for the really serious dungeon-bashing". He noted some good aspects about the final encounter, particularly how the villains' tactics are outlined, as well as notes for the DM on what to do next based on whether the PCs win, lose, or even miss the object of their quest. Davis considered The Halls of Drax Tallen repetitive, with the encounters "no more inspired than the first lot", and found "nothing staggeringly inventive or exciting" about the new magic items and monsters. Overall, Davis was disappointed by the module, as it gave him "the impression that no developments had taken place in the hobby in the last few years", with its "simple plot, lots of encounters and plenty of action, all firmly rooted in the original tradition of the game". Still, he conceded that "it does what it sets out to do perfectly adequately, and if an action-packed blood-and-thunder adventure without too much emphasis on plot and justification is your kind of thing, Saga of the Shadow Lords is worth looking at".
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
for the Basic Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
Plot summary
In this scenario, the player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s must get past the undead army of the Shadow Lord and infiltrate his haunted fortress, to retrieve the magical Elvenstar.
Saga of the Shadow Lord consists of two linked adventures as a mini-campaign instead of one continuous adventure. The first adventure, called Elvenstar, the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s try to steal a magic item
Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the character in whose hands they fall into. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the...
from the Shadow Lord to thwart his planned invasion of a peaceful neighboring kingdom. Encounters in this adventure include a village populated by adventurers, and a cloud giant
Giant (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, giant is a type of creature, or "creature type." Giants are humanoid-shaped creatures of great strength and size.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
living in a small castle, before the party reaches the Shadow Lord's lair for the final encounter. In the second adventure, The Halls of Drax Tallen, the Shadow Lord returns, more powerful than ever. His undead
Undead (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, undead is a classification of monsters that can be encountered by player characters. Undead creatures are most often once-living creatures, which have been animated by spiritual or supernatural forces....
minions are searching for another magical item to give him immense power, and the PCs must find this item before he does. An appendix follows this adventure, giving details of four new magic items and three new monsters.
Publication history
X11 Saga of the Shadow Lord was published in 1986 as a 64-page booklet with an outer folder, and was written by Stephen Bourne, with cover art by Keith ParkinsonKeith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
. The module features interior art by Mark Nelson
Mark Nelson (artist)
Mark A. Nelson is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games and comic books.-Works:Mark Nelson has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1985...
. The scenario was written for the Expert Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...
, for levels 5-9.
The module comes as a 64-page booklet wrapped in a three-section wraparound cover, with maps as well as monster and NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
statistics on the inside of the cover. The middle eight pages contain more maps as well as eight pre-generated player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s.
Reception
Graeme DavisGraeme Davis (game designer)
Graeme Davis is a writer and editor. He has worked extensively in the gaming industry and was one of the original designers of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay....
reviewed Saga of the Shadow Lord for White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
#89. He found that the Elvenstar adventure was "designed in a very old-fashioned style, with a series of fixed but random-seeming encounters along the way to a dungeon where the serious business takes place". He pointed out the "village packed with adventurers (of up to 7th level!)" and the "agoraphobic" cloud giant living in the "smallest castle [he's] ever seen", but felt that the "interesting encounter with the Shadow Lord's army lightens the otherwise fairly uninspiring zoo-dungeon journey until the adventurers reach the Shadow Lord's lair for the really serious dungeon-bashing". He noted some good aspects about the final encounter, particularly how the villains' tactics are outlined, as well as notes for the DM on what to do next based on whether the PCs win, lose, or even miss the object of their quest. Davis considered The Halls of Drax Tallen repetitive, with the encounters "no more inspired than the first lot", and found "nothing staggeringly inventive or exciting" about the new magic items and monsters. Overall, Davis was disappointed by the module, as it gave him "the impression that no developments had taken place in the hobby in the last few years", with its "simple plot, lots of encounters and plenty of action, all firmly rooted in the original tradition of the game". Still, he conceded that "it does what it sets out to do perfectly adequately, and if an action-packed blood-and-thunder adventure without too much emphasis on plot and justification is your kind of thing, Saga of the Shadow Lords is worth looking at".