Dungeon Backdrop: Cursed Tower of the Astromancer (P1) by Creighton Broadhurst is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available as a 17-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $3.75 but was purchased at a reduced price in a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, two are ads, two the front matter and Contents and one the Open Game License. The PDF comes in two versions, one optimised for print and high-end devices and the other for low end devices and mobile.
Using a Dungeon Backdrop is a standard piece explaining how to use this, that the backdrop is intended for use with the Duchy of Ashlar but could be dropped in elsewhere, that location descriptions only cover the basics and that treasure is only minor and level appropriate treasure needs adding. There is also a note that the backdrop is in the town of Dunstone, with its location, and that using it with Dungeon Backdrop: Ruin of Bleak Hill requires that there is a nearby range of ruin-infested rugged hills.
Dungeon Background has some details on the tower and its owner, the self-styled Astromancer. This tower is also covered in the mini-eventure, Visiting the Tower of the Astromancer, a Patreon exclusive supplement that may well be incorporated into another supplement at some point. There is therefore some duplication of content.
Folk of the Tower has details on the two occupants.
The Cause of the Curse has three possible alternatives for why the tower is now considered cursed.
Adventure Hooks has three different hooks to involve characters.
Whispers & Rumours has six rumours about the astromancer and the tower.
The Surrounding Locality looks at the street it’s located on, with d8 daytime encounters and d8 nighttime ones. There are also d8 odd effects associated with the tower.
Notable Locations at a Glance gives an overview of the important locations in the tower.
Generic Dungeon Features gives a description of the general features along with ten pieces of dressing and ten things to find, followed by a map of the tower.
The tower is then described, with the notable locations from earlier covered in more detail. The pages all have two columns, one with the descriptions of the area and the other mostly blank but with some GM Notes consisting of suggestions and details related to the location.
Aftermath wraps things up, has some more details on Ruin of Bleak Hill on a possible further adventure following this, details on resolving the adventure hooks and more suggestions on how the astromancer could be involved with the characters in the future.
Dungeon Backdrop: Cursed Tower of the Astromancer (P1) in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked and only sidebars missing. The Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. The text maintains a two-column format and appears to be free of errors. As well as the map, there are some stock black and white illustrations. Presentation is okay.
Like many of this series, this does have a default setting, though as the location is just a building, dropping it into most settings shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Also like the others in this series, this isn’t an adventure as such; it’s a framework for an adventure and can’t be used out of the box as-is. The GM will need to do some preparatory work first, though this does mean that the adventure can be tailored to specific levels. The supplement may cause some issues with Visiting the Tower of the Astromancer, however. Dungeon Backdrop: Cursed Tower of the Astromancer (P1) can be found by clicking here.
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