#Lankhmar: Swords of the Undercity

[dndhistory]

438. Carl Smith, Bruce Nesmith and Doug Niles - CA1: Swords of the Undercity (1985)

After years without any new campaign settings in (A)D&D, with everyone playing in Greyhawk and the unnamed (later Mystara) world of D&D, campaign settings are coming out pretty frequently with the last couple of years seeing games set in Ravenloft, Hyboria, Dragonlance, Pelinore, Kara-Tur and now Lankhmar. 

Originally the setting for Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories, this world was a huge influence on Gygax and his imagining of Greyhawk (you only have to read Gygax's Gord the Rogue novels to see how influential it was), so it was only natural that the game would eventually incorporate the universe of Lankhmar into itself. 

With the prefix CA, standing for City of Adventure, this module is composed of three short adventures, each by a different writer, and a good selection of writers at that. A pretty good introduction to the world of Lankhmar with a seamless introduction of game mechanics into that world, this is a fun module with some great interior illustrations by Valerie Valusek. 

#adnd #dnd #ttrpg #ad&d #d&d #dnd art #dungeons and dragons #dungeons & dragons #Lankhmar #fritz leiber

[oldschoolfrp]

“The shree-kah are former humans who have been corrupted by exposure to the eye of the leviathan.”  They progress through 7 stages as they become more reptilian and sensitive to light while gaining enhanced aquatic abilities.  (Valerie Valusek illus, AD&D Lankhmar module CA1: Swords of the Undercity, TSR, 1985)

#D&D #Dungeons & Dragons #Valerie Valusek #Lankhmar #lizardfolk #shree-kah #shree kah #fafhrd and the gray mouser #Douglas Niles #lizardman #rat #dungeon #Swords of the Undercity #Lankhmar: Swords of the Undercity #TSR #Fritz Leiber

[vintagerpg]

The first edition Lankhmar adventure modules are a bit of a strange case. They walk a narrow tightrope between feeling like an old school D&D module and also feeling like a Fritz Leiber short story. In this case, that may or may not be thanks to the presence of a number of minor characters from said stories playing a major role.

CA1: Swords of the Undercity is divided into three parts. The first concerns an expedition to the Sunken Lands to recover a lost (and, unknown to them, cursed) treasure. The second involves getting drunk (and drugged) and losing said treasure. The final installment reveals a new threat from the sewers come to reclaim the treasure.

The notion of a fantastic treasure not being worth all the hassle is a theme well suited for a game based on Leiber’s stories and the creatures at the root of the problem – corrupted humans slowly devolving into fish – is delightfully Lovecraftian. If there is any problem with the module at all, it’s that it doesn’t embrace its comedy enough. Comedy in RPGs is pretty hard, though, so I’ll give it a pass.

#RPG #Tabletop RPG #Roleplaying Game #roleplaying games #D&D #dungeons & dragons #advanced dungeons & dragons #AD&D #Lankhmar #Nehwon #Fritz Leiber #Gray Mouser #CA1 #Swords of the Undercity

[bugbearbrothers]

Swords of the Undercity from 1985, is the first AD&D module for use with their Lankhmar – City of Adventure supplement, designed for 4-5 characters of levels 8-12. The module contains three connected Lankhmar scenarios "The Secret of Urgaan of Angarngi" describes the living tower of a mad sorcerer (and is based on a story by Fritz Leiber), "The Web of Mog" involves the player characters with minions of Lankhmar's Spider God; and "Claws of the Shree-kah" pits the characters against ancient horrors in the city's sewers.

#dungeonsanddragons #sword and sorcery #dndart

[bugbearbrothers]

Swords of Deceit, the second Lankhmar based adventure by TSR. The module contains three magazine-sized scenarios for the Lankhmar setting, the first of which is called "The Curse of Valinor". In this scenario, the player characters become involved in intrigue among Lankhmar's nobles. The second scenario, "Return of the Rats", is a continuation of Swords of Lankhmar, in which Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser go missing and the PCs are recruited to find them. The player characters are shrunk and sent into the Rat Kingdom of the Undercity to find them. The third scenario, "One Night in Lankhmar", begins in a gambling den. The scenario pits the player characters against gamblers, assassins, and illusions. This module features a cover, by Keith Parkinson, one of my favourite fantasy art pieces, and comes with a large, full-colour map of Lankhmar that graced my wall beside the map of Greyhawk and a Heather Locklear poster.

#lankhmar #fritz leiber #dungeonsanddragons #fafhrd and the gray mouser