Dungeon Crawl Classics #70: Jewels of the Carnifex*, as the name indicates, is part of a long line of DCC adventures. As most OSR adventures it is roughly compatible with other OSR games (and, to some extent, other versions of D&D). Here is the blurb:
A Level 3 Adventure for DCC RPG
At the end of a forgotten back alley, in the weird and otherworldly marketplace of faiths known as the Bazaar of the Gods, stands the ruins of a forgotten chapel. Once the cult of the Carnifex was celebrated throughout the City of a Thousand Gates. But a band of holy warriors rose against the cult of executioners and torturers, casting down her signs and scattering her devotees to the winds. The fate of the cthonic goddess, and – more importantly – her fabled jewels remains a mystery…until this night.
Set amid the sprawling decadence of Punjar, Jewels of the Carnifex offers low-level adventurers a chance to plumb the mysteries beneath the city’s soiled streets, explore forgotten crypts lavished with weird artifacts, and – for the quick and daring – claim the lost Jewels of the Carnifex!
Lost In The Briars:
BONUS ADVENTURE! This module also includes the bonus adventure Lost in the Briars, by Brendan LaSalle! It's an exciting romp through the woods — woods controlled by an evil treant intent on completing a diabolic ritual!
Why did I buy/read this? I've read a lot of good DCC RPG adventures, and then I've bought a lot more on sale, and then I've decided to read some of them on a whim. If you enjoy this review, I will review more adventures in the future.
This is a well written adventure. The flavor is top notch; it packs lots of awesome ideas in a small space.
The art is good as you would expect from DCC modules (including art by OSR luminaires like Peter Mullen, Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Doug Kovacs, Russ Nicholson, and Stefan Poag). It maintains consistent themes throughout the books, although it does include some "random" elements to keep things fresh.
Structurally, is is well designed; it has two competing factions (plus some "free agents"), neither being "the good guys" (even in a "Law vs. Chaos" environment), but both willing to parlay. Reminds me of REH's classic "Red Nails".
As a dungeon, it has multiple entries and enough paths to keep interesting, although it becomes a bit linear in the end. Both the traps and the enemies can be dealt with in multiple ways, which is obviously a plus.
It is worth mentioning that this is a "killer" dungeon, in the vein of Tomb of Horrors, full of deadly traps and powerful foes. I did not run it, but, by reading it, it seems incredibly difficult. I have a hard time seeing how even 6-10 3rd level characters can survive this; in fact, some will fall to their deaths before entering the dungeon itself if they roll badly.
The dungeon's denizens are often ready to fight (although they've been there for decades) and, when parlaying, always planning to betray the PCs (which I don't particularly like, but makes sense within the adventure). Defeating them might be possible by playing the factions against each other, but even then it will be a challenge. Well, if you want a "hard" adventure, this is it.
However, this is not exactly unfair; there are lots of treasures inside the dungeon (although find buyers will prove difficult). It is basically a "high stakes " expeditions - the PCs will probably die but the ones who survive will become rich.
Overall, I'd recommend this adventure for experienced players looking for a challenge. I'd say it might take a couple of sessions to complete (maybe 5-6 hour total?), since the PCs should be extremely careful in order to survive.
In addition, there is a "bonus adventure", unrelated to the first one. "Lost In The Briars" is a small but very cool adventure about fighting a corrupted treant in dangerous woods. It has some incredibly fun ideas (I love treants throwing snakes and bears against the PCs!), and I could see running this one in two or three hours.
Useful? Yes. I'd run both adventures.
Inspiring? Yes. Lots of awesome ideas and flavor; never pedestrian. The NPCs and story are really cool.
Bloated? The book is wordy. I'd prefer if the writing was a bit more focused and terse in the first part, but it is worth it for the flavor.
Tiresome? Not at all.
Clear? Yes. The writing is clear, the maps are good (and good looking).
In short: A couple of good DCC adventures if you're looking for them!
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