A02: Devil of Dark Wood by Jonathan G. Nelson is a role playing game supplement published by AAW Games for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, although it is also statted for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. This is an adventure aimed at 4-6 characters of levels 2-3. It is also available in a Fantasy Grounds conversion and a version for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.
The supplement is available from DriveThruRPG as a 34-page PDF for $2.39, as a softcover print on demand book for $7.10 or as both PDF and softcover for $7.10. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a greatly reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one the front matter, one the Table of Contents and one the Open Game License.
Though it doesn’t appear to be explicitly stated anywhere, this adventure follows on from A01: Crypt of the Sun Lord.
Adventure Background gives history on the primary antagonist and the devils of Dark Wood, devils who were unable to return home and bred with humans, and then interbred, to keep their numbers up. The protagonist was fascinated with humans, which led to the death of his father and a lifelong pursuit of revenge. All this background is very interesting, but there doesn’t seem to be a way of the characters getting any of this. This leads up to the current situation, where the devil is enslaving werewolves in order to find the killer of his father. This section also has an adventure synopsis, a map of Serpent Lake and the Rybalkan Peninsula. There are some hooks to get the characters involved.
Chapter One has the characters arriving at the village of Rybalka. There are maps of a number of locations and details on how the characters can find information on the current problem, missing hunters and dead sheep.
Chapter Two has them finding out more about a missing hunter and about a break-in.
Chapter Three has them looking for the hunter in the woods, together with a stay at a cabin – which can be earned by doing some chores – where there are some details on healing items created from herbs.
Chapter Four has the characters reaching the antagonist’s cave, and there are details on scaling the final encounter. Experience and financial rewards are also given.
Following this are several pages of Pathfinder and 3.5 game stats, as well as maps of the final cave, including a player-friendly version.
A02: Devil of Dark Wood in Review
The PDF is decently bookmarked with major and minor sections linked, although it could be more thorough. The Table of Contents is not to the same level of depth, but is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column full colour format and a few minor errors were noticed. The supplement is extensively illustrated, with colour and black and white images, that may be a combination of stock and custom, and in addition has a good quantity of maps. Presentation is very good.
Rather oddly, the antagonist is said to have a strong interest in alchemy, but there is nothing in his stats to reflect this. His stats look a bit off; perhaps that’s because of years of part-devils being stuck on the prime plane. As mentioned, his backstory, whilst interesting, seems to serve no in-game purpose. Yes, it provides a motivation, but the characters are unlikely to discover this unless they stop and have a chat with him. There is a potential hook for adding another enemy controlled by the devil. This is a decent adventure, and frankly worth picking up the maps alone, but there is a feel that some possibilities have been missed. A02: Devil of Dark Wood can be found by clicking here.
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