Dungeon Backdrop: Onyx Prison of the Demon King (P1) by Bart Wynants 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 Backdrops is a standard piece explaining how to use this, that the backdrop is intended for use with the Duchy of Ashlar in the Gloamhold setting or, more precisely, just beyond Ashlar’s borders, but can be modified to fit elsewhere, that location descriptions only cover the basics and that treasure is only minor and level appropriate treasure needs adding.
Dungeon Background gives some details on the demon king Summanus who declared itself ruler of the night skies, only to be eventually cast down by the gods and imprisoned in black onyx. Dwarves later started mining the black onyx, only to abandon the place after realising the dangers and striking the hold’s location from their records. 40 years ago, the hold was discovered by adventurers. A sidebar suggests filling in the gap between 40 years ago and the present.
The Adventure Begins has three adventure hooks for directly getting the characters involved, or they could just stumble across the hold.
Whispers & Rumours has six rumours about the lost hold.
The Surrounding Locality has an overview of the area around the hold, followed by ten pieces of wilderness dressing and ten things to find. A sidebar has details on blackshard horrors, an acquired template for creatures killed by an embedded piece of black onyx.
Notable Locations at a Glance gives an overview of the important places in the hold.
Generic Dungeon Features covers the general appearance of the hold, followed by ten pieces of dungeon dressing and ten things to find. After this is a map of the hold.
The hold is then described, with each location covered in more detail. The pages have a two-column format, one column having some GM Notes but otherwise being mostly blank. A sidebar covers demon-tainted onyx and its effects.
Aftermath has ways to resolve the adventure by the different hooks and there are suggestions for further adventures.
Dungeon Backdrop: Onyx Prison of the Demon King (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.
Dungeon Backdrops are not complete adventures on their own; they need further input from the GM to make them into one. As such, they will not work straight to the table without some preparation; however, this also means the backdrop is easy to customise for different levels, making it more easily adaptable than a normal adventure. As this is an underground hold, it will also be easy enough to drop into other settings; there are some Ashlar-specific references, but these will be easy to change. Dungeon Backdrop: Onyx Prison of the Demon King (P1) can be found by clicking here.
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