Red Hand of Doom
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| Red Hand of Doom | |
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| Code | 953857400 |
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| Rules Required | 3rd Edition D&D |
| Character Levels | (6-12) starting at 6th |
| Campaign Setting | Generic D&D |
| Authors | James Jacobs and Richard Baker |
| First Published | 2006 |
Red Hand of Doom is a large, 128-page, adventure for Dungeons & Dragons. It is designed to be used as a "generic" D&D adventure, which can be dropped into any campaign world, including a personal one. Instructions are given in the first pages of the module on where to place it in the worlds of Greyhawk, the Forgotten Realms, and Eberron, the three primary campaign settings of D&D.[1] The adventure is published as being for levels 6 to 12,[2] but the designers have stated that it is targeted to levels 5 to 11. It is also the first adventure to make significant use of designer notes.[2][3] The campaign is expected to take weeks - or even months - to complete.[4]
It has been ported to the computer game Neverwinter Nights.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The plot of Red Hand of Doom follows a group of adventurers who have entered the Elsir Vale, a thinly-populated frontier region. The party uncovers and then is placed in the position of stopping a massive hobgoblin horde, fanatically devoted to the dark goddess Tiamat and led by the charismatic half-dragon warlord Azarr Kul. To stop the horde, the players will have to muster the inhabitants of the Vale, battle hobgoblins, giants and dragons, and defeat an overwhelming enemy.
[edit] Publication History
Prior to the publication of Red Hand of Doom in 2006, no Dungeons & Dragons adventures had been published by Wizards of the Coast since early 2002, and only four adventures had been published for other systems in the intervening years. The publication of Red Hand of Doom marks something of a turning point, as it was the first of six Dungeons & Dragons adventures to be released that year - a publication rate that continued through 2007 and looks to be continued (at a slightly reduced rate) in 2008.[5]
Red Hand of Doom was also the first Dungeons & Dragons adventure to include Designer Notes - asides written by the authors to provide additional advice to players and to explain decisions made during the design process,[6] as well as incorporating downloadable content in the form of PDF "stat blocks".
The authors regard the adventure as being self-contained, and thus don't intend to continue the story in later publications.[6] After the release of 4th Edition on June 6, 2008, Wizards of the Coast revealed that the first Dungeon adventure path of D&D 4th Edition would be a sequel to Red Hand of Doom.
[edit] Critical Reception
Generally the publication has been well received, with reviewers rating it as one of the best adventures in many years[7] and comparing it favorably with both the The Temple of Elemental Evil and The Keep on the Borderlands in terms of both content and quality.[8] The inclusion of the Designer's Notes was well regarded by critics,[8] as was the provision of downloadable content.[9] The artwork featured throughout the publication received special attention, with Howard Jones describing it as "fabulous". [4]
The 'generic' nature of the campaign was seen as both a strength and as a limitation. While this permitted the material to be inserted into existing campaigns and game worlds,[10] it was acknowledged that this may be a difficult task, and that the publication lacked sufficient information to adequately support doing so - especially for non-standard campaigns.[7][8]
[edit] References
- ^ James, Jacobs; Richard Baker (2006-02-02). Red Hand of Doom Excerpt. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ a b Kushner, Joe. Staff review of Red Hand of Doom. EN World. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
- ^ Product Spotlight: Red Hand of Doom. Wizards of the Coast (2006-02-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ a b Jones, Howard Andrew (2007). "Red Hand of Doom". Black Gate (Summer 2007). New Epoch Press, Inc..
- ^ Dungeons & Dragons (Publications). Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
- ^ a b Carroll, Bart (2006-02-10). Red Hand of Doom: Designer Interview. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
- ^ a b Grigsby, John (2006-04-13). Red Hand of Doom Review. d20zine. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
- ^ a b c Wells, Daniel (2006-02-27). Red Hand of Doom: A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure. The Official Time-Waster's Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
- ^ Cooper, John. Review of Red Hand of Doom. EN World. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
- ^ Pook, Matthew (August 3, 2007). "Red Hand of Doom (for the d20 System)". Pyramid. Steve Jackson Games.
