This may be the 'free' version but you get a lot for... well, nothing. It's a good way to take a look at the quality work Raging Swan Press does before shelling out your hard-earned cash for one of their adventures.

We start off with some humerous remarks from the publisher (who is also co-author) and the standard Raging Swan Press masterclass in the anatomy of an adventure (which is so good I'd say grab this even if you are not in search of an advenure right now, it will help you organise your own better!), then we move on to the adventure background. There's this strange sunken rock offshore, you see, and nobody's quite sure if it's natural or was constructed... and the background explains, for the GM's eyes, what actually is going on there and why it's so much of a threat right now.

Then it is explained that as the adventure involves exploring this sunken pyramid, as it's known, you can drop it pretty much into any suitable coastal area in your own campaign world - you can use a town there instead of White Moon Cove. However, with it being an underwater adventure, you'd better ensure that the characters have access to some means of breathing underwater, indeed, that they can swim! There's also an appendix on Underwater Combat that ought to come in handy. There are several plot hooks to get the party involved, or you can run an introductory encounter that takes place in White Moon Cove (or whatever settlement you are using in its place)... and there are even a couple of suggestions aimed at the more mercenary types who want to know what's in it for them if they undertake this dangerous exploration.

Next there is a timeline for the adventure, a neat device that gives the feel of events moving on irrespective of what the party is doing, and some quite extensive notes on sahuagin, some of whom will be encountered along the way. We then move on to White Moon Cove and there's sufficient detail for you to run that settlement... indeed all those little touches like completely unrelated rumours that serve to bring it to life. And a sketch map, so nobody need get lost.

Then the adventure begins, with the introductory encounter Night Raid. It's a bit of stirring action in its own right, as well as leading in to the adventure proper. To start with, of course, the party has to get to the sunken pyramid, which requires a sea-going boat. If they don't have one, arrangements are in place to have one turn up at a convenient moment (complete with a reason for the captain to cooperate). Once there, they need to swim down to it, some 30ft - a respectable SCUBA dive in the modern world, so you see the need for fantasy equivalents in the shape of spells or magic items. There's a neat cross-section of the pyramid to give you a feel for it, and the notes required to explore the uppermost level... if you want more than that, go buy the full version of this adventure!

As ever, a well-presented and resourced adventure. The one error I've spotted is that 'grizzly' is normally a term reserved for bears, when speaking of fates they are usually 'grisly'... but overall this is a good taste of what Raging Swan Press can do, so get it and have a look. Likely you'll be back for more...

Return to The Sunken Pyramid (Free Version) page.

Reviewed: 4 April 2016