Planescape review: The Vault of the Drow
For the last three years, I've run a Planescape1 campaign through almost all of its modules. Now, after successfully finishing it, I want to look back and review these adventures, highlighting the pros and cons of each one.
Each module will be rated in three categories, up to 3 points in each:
- Presentation: how easy it is to understand and run the adventure.
- Openness: how open the adventure's scope is, regarding the freedom of choice.
- Quality: Overall quality of the adventure, including the originality and richness of its content, and players' enjoyment.
The full list of currently published reviews is available under the planescape tag.
The Vault of the Drow
- Designer: Monte Cook
- Source: Dead Gods:2 Out of the Darkness, Chapter VI
- Party: 4-6 characters of 6th-9th levels
- Play-time: 1-2 sessions
- Locations:
- Abyss / Plain of Infinite Portals (L1)
- Abyss / The Demonweb (L66)
- Prime / Oerth / The Vault of the Drow
Following one of the clues from the previous chapter, the characters must now find a way to get to the Vault of the Drow on Oerth.3 The shortest path to the subterranean realm starts in Sigil, with the merchant caravan of Quavois Faithminder. The weapon-laden procession departs to the gate-town of Plague-Mort, entering the Abyss, and then its 66th layer — the Demonweb Pits. The travel is mostly uneventful, with a short list of suggestions to the DM of what difficulties the characters can encounter on the Plain of Infinite Portals. The easiest way to embellish this part is to reuse the table of random encounters from In the Abyss.
The caravan safely passes through the Demonweb, accompanied by the drow priestess Declava, and emerges in the Fane of Lolth on Oerth. The adventure takes place long after the events of the G, D, and Q module series,4 an overview of which is presented briefly here, along with pertinent events of recent history. Currently, the Vault is in the midst of civil war between the followers of Llolth (houses of Despana, Noquar, Kilsek, and Godeep, supported by the mind flayers) and the followers of Kiaransalee (houses of Tormtor, Everhate, and Aleval, supported by the githyanki). Brief descriptions of all these drow houses are included in the module.
Starting their search for Erehe, the characters would quickly realize that he's on the opposite side of the conflict, being the consort of Verdaeth, ruler of the House of Tormtor. Thus, sneaking out of the Fane, the party must navigate the Vault in search of him. The following locations of the Vault are described in the adventure:
- the Fane of Lolth in the Egg of Lolth
- the eight noble houses of drow in the Upper Vault
- the besieged city of Erelhei-Cinlu
- the Lower Vault, including merchant villas, the Black Tower, bugbear caves, troglodyte tunnels, warehouses, and the Female and Male Fighters' Societies.
Sooner or later, the characters should manage to get to the battle of the Great Gate, where Erehe, Verdaeth, and three other Tormtor nobles could be found. Four possible approaches to the task are presented: talking, fighting, restoring lost memories, or helping in the war effort. As usual, the diplomatic solutions are encouraged.
After they get what they came for (or not, which is also a real possibility), they must find a way back out of the vault. Besides the portal they came from, five alternative possibilities are listed, but only the Demonweb path is described in detail. Even if the party fails to find the info on where the Wand of Orcus is hidden, they still have another chance, which will be reviewed the next time.
Presentation
🖋️🖋️ useable
The maps of the Vault and the Fane of Lolth (its first level) are almost identical to those presented in the eponymous D3 module,5 albeit somewhat simplified. The change from 240 yd hexes to 1000 ft squares is the most mystifying, since we have already seen plenty of hex maps in the previous Planescape adventures. In fact, you can use the D3 module as an additional source book for this adventure with minimal effort to amend the absence of encounter tables in the adventure.
Openness
☀️☀️☀️ open
Once the party gets to the Vault, they are free to roam it as they please. The only downside is, as noted above, the constraints of the limited space of the chapter and the absence of important hexcrawling info, which the DM must prepare by himself or borrow from D3.
Quality
★★ good
Overall, the adventure is good and enjoyable, granted you spend enough time expanding and embellishing the barebones info it presents.
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