Dungeon Crawl Classics #69: The Emerald Enchanter by Joseph Goodman and Jobe Bittman is a role playing game supplement published by Goodman Games for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics. 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 contains two adventures.
The supplement is available as a 28-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $6.99 and is also available in printed form from sites such as Amazon. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one page is the front matter, a fraction of a page is the Open Game License and one page is an ad.
The first page of content is a full-page handout for the first adventure.
The Introduction explains that the first adventure is aimed at 8-10 level 2 characters, as it has many dangerous opponents. The Background explains that the emerald enchanter lives near a small village and has perfected a process of animating statues made from emerald. This is followed by the standard list of encounter types and some details on magic item activation.
The characters will head to the emerald enchanter’s fortress. Initially, they will be attacked by emerald things; statues carved from emerald, emerald flying skulls and people who have been turned into emerald statues, which is particularly nasty. (The emerald statues turn into mostly unusable powder when slain; evidently the fact that even powdered gemstones are valuable has been ignored.)
The fortress consists of the upper level and two dungeon levels before the final confrontation with the emerald enchanter himself. The enchanter, despite not having a true combat spell above 1st level, is no pushover, especially as they have minions. This is a mad scientist’s lair, and a mad scientist of a rather nasty type, making for a grim adventure.
The Emerald Enchanter Strikes Back is the second adventure and is also designed for 8-10 2nd level characters. Whilst the first adventure involved going into a mad scientist’s lair, the sequel is, to say the least, rather different.
The characters hear that the, supposedly dead, emerald enchanter is wreaking considerable havoc, including in a region first visited in Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5: Doom of the Savage King. Most of it is a hex crawl, where the encounters are the damage caused by the emerald enchanter in his gigantic emerald war titan. Yes, he is, in true supervillain style, destroying the countryside in a giant robot. To say the feel of this second adventure is different from the first is an understatement.
Dungeon Crawl Classics #69: The Emerald Enchanter in Review
The PDF is bookmarked but not very thoroughly with only major sections linked. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two-column black and white format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a variety of custom black and white illustrations, from the pull page handout and maps to smaller ones. Presentation is very good.
The primary adventure and its sequel are, as mentioned, pretty different in style. The first adventure is a pretty grim and dangerous exploration of the home of an enchanter who is not a very nice person. The second is battling a giant magical warbot across the countryside. The mood shift is substantial, and the second adventure, despite the destruction and nastiness encountered, feels rather lighter in tone. Dungeon Crawl Classics #69: The Emerald Enchanter is an interesting duology of adventures and it can be found by clicking here.
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