When a Star Falls is an journey that I solely know by fame. There’s a narrative that advanced that Hickman’s adventures like Ravenloft and the Dragonlance collection moved D&D away from this authentic playstyle in the direction of a extra narrative focus. Nonetheless, I do know the UK collection of adventures have a fame for being extra plot-oriented than the US-developed adventures.
I can’t converse to what might have been modified as a result of I don’t have my very own copy of this journey. At finest, I’ve completed some analysis that tells me that the construction of the journey, and the highlights, all appear to be current. Because it’s been tailored for Fifth version, this journey is designed for 4th stage characters.
Unique Credit for When a Star Falls (1984)
Storyline: Phil Gallagher, Tom Kirby, Graeme Morris
Manufacturing/Modifying: Jim Bambra, Phil Gallagher, Tom Kirby
Design: Paul Cockburn, Kim Daniel
Artwork: Jeremy Goodwin
Cartography: Paul Ruiz
Art work
There are about 17 items of paintings on this chapter. Six of those items are maps of encounter places current within the journey, together with the general map of the area displaying the relative places of these encounters. We get the usual thematic picture of what the doorway resulting in this journey on the Limitless Staircase seems like.
Different items embrace photos of places just like the Tower of the Heavens, encounters like an murderer’s ambush, and numerous character research of the NPCs that seem within the journey. One in all my favorites within the chapter is the enormous eagle nest, with the picture of the titular star falling within the night time sky.
The Framing System
The want that Nafas is decoding on this introductory materials is from Shalfey, the chief of the Tower of the Heavens, wishing that the entourage that he has despatched will discover the falling star they’re in search of. Nafas asks the PCs to assist the entourage ship the fallen star to Shalfey. I feel you’ll be able to argue that possibly, simply possibly, this takes a little bit little bit of the allure of the journey’s introduction away from it, but in addition, typically you do want to verify your opening hook is effectively set.
The beginning hooks for these not utilizing Nafas are fascinating as a result of one has the PCs investigating murders within the area, however the different appears to ship the PCs on to the Tower of the Heavens as an alternative of encountering the inciting incident earlier than the remainder of the journey. The recommendation for placement in current settings consists of Eberron, Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk. I do know no product has infinite wordcount, however this does make me marvel how the designers picked the three settings they focus on for every of those adventures.
Journey Overview
We’re about to enter some spoilers for this journey, so if you wish to be shocked, or it’s possible you’ll be a participant on this journey, it’s possible you’ll wish to want for another content material to devour whilst you skip the subsequent a part of this put up.
The easiest way I can describe the start of this journey is that you just get a bunch of huge arrows pointing to completely different spots on the map, however not all the context on why to go there, or in what order. You stumble throughout some folks which have been killed by a reminiscence internet, and after defeating the monster, the PCs get flooded with reminiscences drained from the fallen.
From the gear the NPCs are carrying, the PCs get the next clues:
- Search for somebody named Derwyth
- Here’s a map of the area
From the reminiscence internet, the PCs get these extra hooks:
- The key phrase utilized by folks employed by the chief of the Tower of the Heavens
- The significance of the fallen star relating to prophesy
This enables the PCs to move to an NPC that may contextualize what’s occurring, giving the PCs some extra context on how, why, and when to do numerous duties. The PCs can head somebody on the map that isn’t the most effective place to go first, they usually’ll discover one thing there, however they could have to fill within the particulars on what they realized as they discuss to different NPCs.
This construction jogs my memory lots of how Infinity Engine video games like Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale work. It’s fully doable to see one thing at a location, assume, “that’s acquired to be essential, however I don’t know why,” after which within the subsequent city, somebody sends them to that location to analyze it.
What’s actually occurring is that the chief of the Tower of the Heavens, who has a set of books full of prophesies, wants the fallen star to commerce with a gaggle of deep gnomes who’ve the subsequent quantity of prophetic books. Whereas the chief of the tower is ready for his emissaries to seek out the fallen begin, there’s a coup on the tower, and the usurper tells everybody the previous chief is useless. The star itself has been stolen by a band of derro, who’ve additionally been murdering locals and turning them into zombie servants. The gnomes are being harassed by a purple dragon, with which anybody visiting the gnomes might want to contest.
Along with all of those places, there’s a druid that exams the PCs to see if they’re worthy of her assist, who might give them context and materials assist, and there are some touring hunters that will give the PCs a head’s up on the disappearances and ask the PCs for details about the state of affairs, which they’ll convey again to the hunters as soon as they encounter the derro and determine the place all of the lacking individuals are going.
There are additionally guests staying on the hostel on the Tower of the Heavens, and servants of the chief of the Tower, who might assist the PCs if they are often satisfied the chief remains to be alive or that the brand new chief acted in opposition to them. The PCs may work together with some large beavers that may perceive frequent, however not converse it, and a few large eagles, who can talk with them.
Ideas on Chapter 3: When a Star Falls
The extra I describe the journey, the extra it appears like the identical construction that the Infinity Engine video games have utilized. That appears like a reasonably robust advice for somebody who’s a fan of these video games. The journey has a main objective, however nothing is maintaining the PCs from going off in a distinct path than is assumed, which makes a reasonably linear journey into one thing that feels much more open.
I’m as soon as once more reminded that if I had encountered the fitting adventures at sure factors in my early RPG profession, I’ll have been much more prone to have used revealed adventures earlier than I did. I’m undecided if the unique When a Star Falls is as clearly laid out, but when it’s related, I’d have understood that construction and function so significantly better than the adventures I first encountered.
Seeing how the NPCs are portrayed, together with the speaking animals and the sensible NPC testing the PCs value, are portrayed, it appears like it is a completely different paradigm than NPCs in adventures I’ve learn from this period from the US. There’s nearly extra of a respect of the pastoral or whimsical, versus a barely more durable edge to NPCs and the way the world treats them within the US adventures. Take this with a grain of salt, this might simply be my impression.
That purple dragon goes to be tough for Fifth-level characters. As written, the dragon retreats if they’re diminished to 50 hit factors or much less, however I’d be a little bit extra beneficiant, and possibly change this to 89 hit factors, which is half the entire hit factors, which can give the PCs an additional spherical of survival.
I’m appreciating this chance to take a look at some traditional adventures that I haven’t had the chance to expertise up up to now, and to place among the issues I’ve examine these adventures in context.
If you’re serious about trying out the unique model of this journey, and also you don’t thoughts sending some game-buying funds my manner, you should use the affiliate hyperlink under. Thanks!
