First of all, I would like to thank Yog’du Games for sending us a review copy of Tomb of Immolation. It is a short but intense dungeon crawl with a multitude of puzzles, traps and role-playing challenges to engage and entertain players; it is designed for both D&D5e and OSR game systems.
This 96-page adventure includes pre-generated characters, the stats for monsters and the mechanics for overcoming various obstacles in the dungeon for both game systems. It offers two or three sessions of tension and action. The exploration of dungeons is the basis of many classic adventures, the most interesting ones are those that can be adapted to more systems; in this way they can be integrated into longer campaigns, but they are still playable as a single episode.
You can find it in three different editions on Drivethrurpg. The edition for the TinyD6 and Tiny Dungeon 2e system costs 12 dollars (about 12 euros) in the softcover version and 20 dollars (about 20 euros) with the digital copy addition. If, on the other hand, the PDF version is enough for you, it costs 8 dollars (about 8 euros). The price is the same for the 5e and OSR versions, which we will analyze in this review.
Since it is an adventure we will try not to make excessive spoilers in analyzing it.
A Modular Premise
The background is perfect for this type of adventure. A thousand years ago the region was a wild frontier patrolled by a brutal order of warriors led by a charismatic and deranged man, Teluthel. Over the years, the order has protected the people of that region while asking for a high price of gold and food in exchange for guaranteed security.
Saba Nocri was a well-known necromancer shaman, who settled in the region before the Knights of Teluthiel. The woman, while living in isolation, helped the inhabitants of the region with potions and magical healings. The knights disliked competition and Teluthel’s deranged mind devised a twisted plan to punish her forever.
So he built a tomb-prison to lock up her and her followers and buried them inside, making the entrance disappear under rocks and earth.
As we said at the beginning of this review, Tomb of Immolation is meant to be played both as a single adventure and to be included in a larger campaign. For this reason, the area outside the tomb is only vaguely described to allow it to be added to any ongoing campaign.
The authors go further and help the DM in a sensitive and evident way, including three narrative hooks to introduce the characters.
Tomb of Immolation‘s Narrative Structure
Unlike other adventures that feature a dungeon to explore, Tomb of Immolation is a one-way ascent through corridors and rooms within a totally dark environment.
Each zone has its own numbering (easily identifiable on the general map), encounters, puzzles, and treasures.
In order not to have to scroll from the general map to the reference section, each area of Tomb of Immolation has an enlarged reproduction of that portion of the dungeon.
The general description of the area is highlighted with an immediately recognizable box. All the text is written in bold type as well as any other description of the environment. The challenges related to the area are graphically highlighted and divided according to the game system used.
From this point of view, Tomb of Immolation is an adventure with simple and immediate management.
In this way the DM, even if not an expert, can have under control every narrative section with suggestive images and ideas for the tests.
To accompany the manual there are five pre-made character sheets in the double version, 5e and OSR.
The Dungeon
Tomb of Immolation‘s tones are decidedly dark and gothic. The adventure, as can be seen from this review, has a strong Sword & Sorcery mood, rather than high-fantasy.
The dungeon has a large selection of obstacles, including many environmental ones, designed for characters of at least fifth level. This structure is not suitable for a sandbox exploration and in fact the path between the various sections is almost linear; however, this isn’t definitely a boring dungeon.
Don’t worry, the whole adventure is a real challenge for the players!
The Aesthetics of Tomb of Immolation
Tomb of Immolation is illustrated by Michael Harmon, an extremely well-known artist who transmits the dark tones of an ancient tomb full of mysteries and dangers with vibrant ability.
The art alternate in color and black and white and embellishes the volume with sparse yet well-chosen illustrations. The DM can easily take a cue from the sharp and skillful traits of the images to complete the descriptions provided in the text.
In some ways, the style of this module can easily be compared to the one of Mörk Borg, of which you can find our review here. The Harmon trait has, in fact, that dark and metal aura of the game proposed by Free League.
Conclusions of Tomb of Immolation Review
As this review shows, Tomb of Immolation is a great adventure module if you want to add a gothic touch to your campaign. It is a solid dungeon, not too large but filled with well-thought-out traps and challenges, new monsters, and various magical items.
I also recommend this adventure to groups looking for a dip in dungeon crawling lasting a few sessions.