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Time for some #OldSchoolDungeonsAndDragons! Today, we look at an infamously dangerous module: Return to the Tomb of Horrors (1998), by Bruce R. Cordell!
Return to the Tomb of Horrors was one of a series of nostalgic returns to classic modules published by TSR in its waning days before being taken over by Wizards of the Coast. This also included returns to White Plume Mountain and Keep on the Borderlands.
RToH, of course, focuses on the most infamous dungeon in all of D&D: the Tomb of Horrors, first published in 1978. The original tomb is a stunningly deadly deathtrap dungeon where players push to find the hidden lair of the demilich Acererak.
RToH takes place decades after the tomb was first presumably discovered, and multiple adventuring parties have met their doom within. But it is revealed that Acererak's tomb is only the first stage of a diabolical test to sift out the most powerful characters!
The adventure starts with the PCs hanging out in a tavern (of course). A fog descends on the town, filled with murderous undead, and the PCs learn that such outbreaks of undead are becoming more common. They pledge to track down and stop the source.
The trail inevitably leads them towards the original Tomb of Horrors. But on the way, they meet retired adventurers who were permanently scarred by their brushes with the Tomb, and those were the lucky ones. Some lovely mood-setting foreshadowing.
(A few general spoilers provided about the rest of the adventure, so mute if you think you might try and play it sometime.)
When the players arrive at the original Tomb, they find the area is no longer deserted. It has become a pilgrimage site for necromancers, and an elaborate "Skull City" has been built around it. The first challenge is to infiltrate this massive city and the Black Academy inside.
Then the kicker: the PCs learn that there is a secret path *beyond* the tomb that can be accessed directly from the entrance. However, to access, this secret path, they must traverse the *original* Tomb in its entirety to get the item they need to open this path!
The original Tomb of Horrors is reprinted in its entirety in the RToH boxed set, because the DM must run them through it. If they survive, and get the item they need, they can progress to the next stage of Acererak's deadly playground...
Did I mention how deadly everything is in RToH? There is a mix of combat and traps in this sequel, though both are exceedingly deadly, and merciless. One early encounter, for instance, has the PCs ambushed in camp by vampires. The vampires might kill 1/2 the party before stopped.
Past the original Tomb, the PCs end up in my favorite part of the adventure: The City that Waits (whose official name is Moil). Moil was an advanced but decadent city on a distant world that worshipped the demon lord Orcus.
The hubris of the Molians grew with their power, however, and they turned to worshipping the sun instead of Orcus. In retaliation, Orcus put the entire city under a magical sleep, where they would only awaken when exposed to the light of the sun...
... But in a demonic twist, Orcus then moved the entire city to the Negative Energy Plane, which produces undead. In its eternal night, the Molians all died in their sleep, and became unique and exceedingly deadly undead.
Acererak found Moil to be the perfect place for his second round of deathtraps, and magically preserved a number of towers to populate with terrors. The PCs must survive this area and unlock its secrets to move on.
Part of the diabolical brilliance of the adventure is that many of the puzzles and traps are instantly deadly, but they absolutely *must* be navigated in order to proceed. Wits and careful movement are essential to survive.
There are also many opportunities to do "good" things, such as acts of mercy. Some of these will be beneficial to the party, whereas others will blowback on them in a spectacularly horrific fashion. It is almost impossible to know which is which.
But The City that Waits is not a place for PCs to wait around. They will be stalked by the restless undead residents of that cursed realm, leaving them with little opportunity to rest or collect their thoughts. This is just one of the beasties that can wipe out a careless party.
Succeeding in The City That Waits allows players to move on to Acerak's final lair, the Fortress of Conclusion. There they find even more deadly traps (more like the original tomb), and find themselves the potential final victims in Acererak's latest diabolical scheme!
One of the great things about the ending: assuming the PCs survive the final battle (a big "if"): they are faced with a pretty difficult moral choice that has been implications for the future. Sort of Acererak's last laugh.
So RToH is almost *four* Tombs of Horrors altogether! Skull City, the original ToH, The City That Waits, and the Fortress of Conclusion. It would be amazing if a party managed to make it through this at all, much less intact.
A nice closing touch: all the book illustrations feature the same characters facing off against Acererak's horrors. The final illustration pays tribute to those who made it and those who didn't.
This would not be Acererak's last stand, of course. He would reappear again in the 4th edition sequel, Tomb of Horrors, and again in the 5th edition Tomb of Annihilation! Note the face of "The Devourer" on each cover. /END
