White Plume Mountain

In the "World of Greyhawk" campaign setting for the "Dungeons & Dragons" roleplaying game, White Plume Mountain is the name of a lone, geyser-spitting mountain on the plains of the central Flanaess, north of the Nyr Dyv and south of Rift Canyon. "White Plume Mountain" is one of the most famous "Dungeons & Dragons" modules. [cite web |url=http://skewedperspective.com/reviewsgiants.html |title=Against the Giants by Ru Emerson |accessdate=2007-03-25 |publisher=skewedperspective.com] Along with Tomb of Horrors, White Plume Mountain is widely seen as one of the best adventures of the early years of the "Dungeons & Dragons" game.

History

The earliest known inhabitant of White Plume Mountain was the druid Aegwareth. In circa -800 CY, Aegwareth was slain by the wizard Keraptis, who took over the mountain with his gnomish servitors. Aegwarth now exists as a shade.

References

*Cordell, Bruce R. "Return to White Plume Mountain" (TSR, 1999).

*Wilson, Steve. "GreyChrondex 4.1" (2000). Available online: [http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tamerlain/Greyhawk/GreyChrondex41.html]

2 - White Plume Mountain

DnDmodule| module_title = White Plume Mountain
module_

module_code = S2
module_rules = AD&D (1st Edition)
module_character_levels = 5 - 10
module_campaign = Greyhawk
module_authors = Lawrence Schick
module_first_published = 1979
series = S1 S2 S3 S4
Return to White Plume Mountain

S2 - "White Plume Mountain" by Lawrence Schick is a module for the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game, published by TSR in 1979, occurring in the same location.

The premise of "S2 - White Plume Mountain" involves an evil wizard, Keraptis. Thirteen hundred years ago, Keraptis descended into the volcanic mountain with a company of gnomes, and disappeared. The adventure hinges on the theft of three powerful magical weapons: a trident named Wave, a war hammer named Whelm, and a sword named Blackrazor. The weapons' former owners each received a copy of a taunting poem, each sealed with the symbol of the all-but-forgotten Keraptis. The characters' goal is to rescue the weapons from Keraptis' lair.

"S2 - White Plume Mountain" is notableFact|date=October 2007 for its extensive art by Erol Otus; its bizarre, often puzzle-centric challenges (which include numbered flesh golems, a sphinx's riddle, and a levitating stream); the first appearance of Dragotha, the undead dragon; and the soul-devouring sword Blackrazor. Similarities between Blackrazor and Stormbringer, the soul-devouring sword in Michael Moorcock's Elric saga, have been noted.

The "S" series of classic TSR adventures are stand-alone, complete adventures with unique challengesFact|date=October 2007. The "S" stands for "special"; other adventures in the series include "S1 - Tomb of Horrors", "S3 - Expedition to the Barrier Peaks", and "S4 - Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth". These adventures are meant to be especially challenging and unique in the canon of early, first edition "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" products.

Critical reception

"White Plume Mountain" was ranked the 9th greatest "Dungeons & Dragons" adventure of all time by "Dungeon" magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game. British roleplaying magazine White Dwarf gave it a favorable review (8/10) and noted that the many features of the module, it's focus on solving problems rather than pure combat, made it a worthy addition to the "S" line of adventures. [cite journal |title=Open Box - White Plume Mountain Review |journal=White Dwarf |volume=40 |year=1983 |month=April]

Update

Wizards of the Coast have released a version of the module, updated to conform with v3.5 rules, as a free download on their website. The revised module is designed for characters of the seventh level of experience. Similarly, Return to White Plume Mountain has also received a v3.5 update and is likewise housed for free download on their website. In both of the revised modules, the classic weapons associated with them (Blackrazor, Whelm and Wave for White Plume Mountain, Frostrazor for Return to White Plume Mountain) have been converted into Legacy Weapons.

equel

Wizards of the Coast also released a sequel to the adventure in 1999, "Return to White Plume Mountain", as part of the TSR 25th Anniversary series of publications. The events in the sequel are assumed to take place 20 years following those in the original module.

References

References

*Cordell, Bruce R. "Return to White Plume Mountain" (TSR, 1999).

*Erik Mona, James Jacobs, et al. "The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time." "Dungeon" #116 (Paizo Publishing, 2004).

*Schick, Lawrence. "White Plume Mountain" (TSR, 1979).

External links

* " [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20051207a White Plume Mountain (Revised)] " at the WotC Downloads Site