Dwellers of the Forbidden City

Dwellers of the Forbidden City is an adventure module, or pre-packaged adventure booklet, ready for use by Dungeon Masters in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. The adventure was first used as a module for tournament play at the 1980 Origins Game Fair, and was later published by TSR in 1981 for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. The module was written by game designer David "Zeb" Cook, who partly ascribes his hiring by TSR to his work on this module. In the adventure, the characters are hired to find an object taken to a lost oriental-style city, which has been taken over by a cult of snake-worshipers, the yuan-ti, and their servants, the mongrelmen and tasloi.^[2] The module was ranked as the 13th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine for the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 2004.

Plot summary

The adventure begins when the player characters hear reports of bandits waylaying and attacking caravans in a jungle region. Most of the ambushed merchants and guards have been killed, but the few who have returned alive tell fantastic stories about deformed plants and deadly beasts in the jungle. The stolen goods taken from the caravans provide an impetus for the characters to enter the jungles in search of this lost treasure.

After a long and perilous journey, the player characters encounter some friendly native people and are invited to stay in their village. The characters learn from the village's chief about the dangers of creatures called the yuan-ti and their servants, the tasloi, and that these creatures recently kidnapped the chief's son, taking him into the jungle. The chief and village shaman tell the player characters about a "forbidden city" in the jungle which they believe houses the ghosts of their dead enemies, and they supply the characters with guides to show the party the way to this forbidden city.

The adventuring environment in this module allows for both action and intrigue. The player characters can recruit allies from the various power groups and factions within the city, namely the bugbears, mongrelmen, and bullywugs, or else help pit these factions against each other for their own benefit.

Publication history

Dwellers of the Forbidden City was first used in Dungeons & Dragons tournament play at the Origins Game Fair in 1980.^[2][3][4] The module was published in 1981 by TSR for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules, and consisted of a thirty-two page booklet with an outer folder.^[2] The module was written by David "Zeb" Cook, with cover art by Erol Otus and interior art by James Holloway, Jim Roslof, Harry Quinn, and Stephen D. Sullivan.

Dwellers of the Forbidden City is the first of the mostly unrelated and unconnected Intermediate series (I-series) of modules designed for characters at between 4th and 8th levels. The module was originally intended to bear the code S4,^[5] but the code was reassigned to Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth before Dwellers was published. As published, the adventure bears the code I1. It was one of the first adventures written by Cook, and he attributed an early version of the module to his being hired at TSR.^[2] Cook would become the lead designer for the second edition of the AD&D rules, which debuted in 1989, and years later, he became the lead designer on the City of Villains MMORPG.

The adventure was instrumental in introducing the yuan-ti as a new species of antagonists.^[3] Much like the drow from the Queen of the Spiders Series, the yuan-ti have been featured in a number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Edition books for the D&D game, and are one of the few species that Wizards of the Coast did not keep open for the Open Game License.^[6] The yuan-ti have also been expanded from their introduction in this module to other game worlds, in particular the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.^[7][8] Other new monsters introduced to the game through this module include the aboleth, bullywug, mongrelman, tasloi, and yellow musk creeper.^[9]

The module was set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, and was later used to add detail to the continent of Hepmonaland in Greyhawk supplements.^[10] In the Greyhawk accessory The Scarlet Brotherhood, by Sean K. Reynolds, the Forbidden City was named Xuxulieto, and the mountains wherein it lies are called the Xaro Mountains.

Reception

While Different Worlds described it as "a good buy",^[11] RPGnet gave it a slightly more favorable rating of nearly 6.8 ("Good").^[12] Latter day D&D writer James Wyatt described it as the first "Super adventure", and lamented that with another hundred pages of fleshing out, it could have been as memorable as the landmark Temple of Elemental Evil.^[9]

Jim Bambra of White Dwarf reviewed the adventure in the magazine's "Open Box" feature and gave it an overall rating of 5 out of 10, commenting that while presentation of the module was quite good (8/10), it seemed to be "hastily thrown together".^[13] Bambra gave the adventure playability and enjoyment ratings of 5/10, and skill and complexity ratings of 6/10. He felt the adventure was "very mundane" and "lacks any real cohesion". Bambra noted that parts of the adventure were created for tournament play. The tournament section deals with getting into the city, and he felt the rest of the module seemed to be tacked on to that. He did like the mini-campaign included in the adventure, and the ideas included on how to expand on it. However, he felt that any Dungeon Master who used Dwellers of the Forbidden City would have to expend so much effort to make it more than "just a series of encounters," that they were better off "starting from scratch".^[13] Bambra concluded that this adventure was "just not worth considering" with all the other better quality modules available from TSR.^[13]

Dwellers of the Forbidden City was ranked the 13th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine for the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 2004. Judge Eric L. Boyd described it as a "classic adventure" in which Cook created a "lost city jungle in the great tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs". The players "battle their way into the city through a labyrinth of traps and monsters or find their own way into the sprawling, jungle-cloaked ruins... Cook provides a host of backgrounds to motivate exploration of the city, but the map itself is motivation enough." Judge Wolfgang Baur, editor of Dungeon magazine, described the adventures thus: "This adventure may be best remembered for its monsters—it was from Forbidden City that D&D gained the Aboleth, the mongrel-man, the tasloi, and the yuan-ti. The aboleth that guarded one of the entrances to the city was worshipped by the local mongrelmen as a god."^[14]

See also

• List of Dungeons & Dragons modules

References

Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks and accessories   Original Dungeons & Dragons Core Dungeons & Dragons Chainmail Supplements Supplement I: Greyhawk Supplement II: Blackmoor Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods, and Heroes Swords & Spells   Basic Dungeons & Dragons Core Basic Set Expert Set Companion Set Master Rules Immortals Rules Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991) Rules Cyclopedia Supplements Creature Catalogue The Shady Dragon Inn Modules Adventures in Blackmoor Castle Amber Castle Caldwell and Beyond City of the Gods Combat Shield and Mini-adventure Curse of Xanathon Death's Ride The Duchy of Ten Earthshaker! The Endless Stair The Gem and the Staff Ghost of Lion Castle Horror on the Hill In Search of Adventure In Search of the Unknown The Isle of Dread The Jade Hare The Keep on the Borderlands The Kidnapping of Princess Arelina Legacy of Blood The Lost City Master Player Screen Mystery of the Snow Pearls Night's Dark Terror Palace of the Silver Princess Queen's Harvest Rahasia The Revenge of Rusak Sabre River Temple of the Frog Test of the Warlords The Tree of Life The Veiled Society War Rafts of Kron Where Chaos Reigns   Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Core Players Handbook Dungeon Masters Guide Monster Manual Supplements Deities & Demigods Dragonlance Adventures Dungeoneer's Survival Guide Empires of the Sands Fiend Folio Forgotten Realms Campaign Set Greyhawk Adventures Lords of Darkness The Magister Manual of the Planes Monster Manual II Moonshae Oriental Adventures The Savage Frontier Unearthed Arcana Waterdeep and the North Wilderness Survival Guide World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting Modules Against the Cult of the Reptile God Against the Giants The Assassin's Knot Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords The Bane of Llywelyn Beyond the Crystal Cave Blood of the Yakuza Bloodstone Pass The Bloodstone Wars Castle Greyhawk Conan Against Darkness! Conan Unchained! Danger at Dunwater Day of Al'Akbar Deep Dwarven Delve Descent into the Depths of the Earth Dragonlance modules Dragons of Despair Dungeonland Dwellers of the Forbidden City The Final Enemy The Forest Oracle Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun The Gauntlet The Ghost Tower of Inverness Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl Hall of the Fire Giant King The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords Isle of the Ape The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth The Lost Island of Castanamir Lost Tomb of Martek The Mines of Bloodstone Oasis of the White Palm Pharaoh Queen of the Demonweb Pits Queen of the Spiders Ravager of Time Ravenloft Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill Red Sonja Unconquered Ruins of Adventure Scourge of the Slave Lords The Secret of Bone Hill Secret of the Slavers Stockade The Sentinel Shrine of the Kuo-Toa Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Slave Pits of the Undercity Steading of the Hill Giant Chief Swords of Deceit Swords of the Undercity The Temple of Elemental Evil The Throne of Bloodstone To Find a King Tomb of Horrors Tomb of the Lizard King Treasure Hunt Under Illefarn Vault of the Drow The Village of Hommlet White Plume Mountain   Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Core Player's Handbook Dungeon Master's Guide Monstrous Compendium/Monstrous Manual Supplements Anauroch Arms and Equipment Guide Book of Artifacts The Code of the Harpers The Complete Book of Dwarves The Complete Book of Humanoids The Complete Psionics Handbook The Dalelands Demihuman Deities Draconomicon Drow of the Underdark Dwarves Deep Faiths & Avatars Forgotten Realms Adventures The Forgotten Realms Atlas Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting From the Ashes Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins Hall of Heroes Heroes' Lorebook Iuz the Evil Jungles of Chult Legends & Lore The Marklands Monster Mythology Old Empires Ruins of Undermountain The Shining South Tome of Magic Villains' Lorebook Adventures Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff The Bloodstone Lands Border Watch The City of Skulls Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad Die Vecna Die! The Doomgrinder Doom of Daggerdale Fate of Istus Five Shall Be One Gargoyle Greyhawk Ruins Halls of the High King House of Strahd Howl from the North Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure Night Below: An Underdark Campaign Patriots of Ulek Rary the Traitor Return of the Eight Return to the Keep on the Borderlands Return to the Tomb of Horrors Return to White Plume Mountain Slavers The Star Cairns Treasures of Greyhawk Vecna Lives!   Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition Core Player's Handbook Dungeon Master's Guide Monster Manual Supplements Arms and Equipment Guide Book of Challenges Book of Vile Darkness Defenders of the Faith Deities and Demigods Enemies and Allies Epic Level Handbook Faiths and Pantheons Fiend Folio Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Ghostwalk Hero Builder's Guidebook Living Greyhawk Gazetteer Lords of Darkness Magic of Faerûn Monsters of Faerûn Manual of the Planes Masters of the Wild Monster Manual II Oriental Adventures Psionics Handbook Races of Faerûn Savage Species Song and Silence Stronghold Builder's Guidebook Sword and Fist Tome and Blood Adventures City of the Spider Queen The Fright at Tristor Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil   Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 Core Player's Handbook Dungeon Master's Guide Monster Manual Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game Supplements Book of Exalted Deeds Cityscape Complete Adventurer Complete Arcane Complete Champion Complete Divine Complete Mage Complete Psionic Complete Scoundrel Complete Warrior Draconomicon Dragon Magic Drow of the Underdark Dungeon Master's Guide II Dungeonscape Elder Evils Expanded Psionics Handbook Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss Eberron Campaign Setting Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells Frostburn Heroes of Battle Heroes of Horror Libris Mortis Lords of Madness Lost Empires of Faerûn Magic Item Compendium Magic of Incarnum Miniatures Handbook Monster Manual III Monster Manual IV Monster Manual V Planar Handbook Player's Handbook II Races of Destiny Races of the Dragon Races of Stone Races of the Wild Sandstorm Spell Compendium Stormwrack Tome of Battle Tome of Magic Underdark Unearthed Arcana Weapons of Legacy Adventures Expedition to Castle Ravenloft Expedition to the Demonweb Pits Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk Fantastic Locations: Dragondown Grotto Red Hand of Doom   Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition Core Player's Handbook Dungeon Master's Guide Monster Manual Supplements Arcane Power Divine Power Dark Sun Campaign Setting Dungeon Master's Guide 2 Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons Eberron Campaign Guide Eberron Player's Guide Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide Forgotten Realms Player's Guide Manual of the Planes Martial Power Martial Power 2 Monster Manual 2 Monster Manual 3 Player's Handbook 2 Player's Handbook 3 Primal Power Psionic Power Adventures Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress Demon Queen's Enclave Keep on the Shadowfell King of the Trollhaunt Warrens Pyramid of Shadows Thunderspire Labyrinth   Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition Core Player's Handbook Dungeon Master's Guide Monster Manual Adventures Hoard of the Dragon Queen Rise of Tiamat Princes of the Apocalypse   General Dragon Dungeon