The Lost Library of Thoth by Alex Riggs and Jason Nelson is a role playing game supplement published by Legendary Games. The supplement is published for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and, as such, is covered by the Open Game License and therefore parts are considered to be Open Game Content. This is one in Legendary Games’ Adventure Path Plug-In series which are intended to create extra content for Paizo’s official Adventure Paths, in this case, the Mummy’s Mask path, #79 to #84 (referred to as the Egyptian Adventure Path in the supplement due to IP issues). This is a small dungeon adventure with an Egyptian theme for 6th to 8th level characters intended to be run as a complement for #80 or #81 of the adventure path, although it can just as easily be run as a standalone.
The supplement is available from RPGNow as a PDF for $4.99, a premium heavyweight softcover colour print on demand book for $11.99, PDF and premium heavyweight for $12.99, standard heavyweight softcover print on demand book for $10.99 or standard heavyweight and PDF for $22.99. The PDF is the version reviewed, which was purchased at the reduced price of $3.49.
This is a 20 page bookmarked PDF. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one page is the front matter, one page is about the Adventure Path Plug-Ins series, one page is the Contents, one page covers what can be found inside, one page is an unlabelled map for players and one page is the Open Game License.
The first two pages give adventure background, what can be found by researching the lost library, a map of the inside, a description of the outside and a sidebar on deciphering hieroglyphics. The primary intention for the library, which is dedicated to the Egyptian god of knowledge, is to acquire knowledge. Or it can simply be looted for the valuable texts.
Eight and a half pages cover the adventure itself. This is a small, seven location dungeon set in a pyramid. As befits its Egyptian setting, this has the usual trap tropes seen in Egyptian pyramids, of the fictional type at least. There are several monsters and various puzzles that need solving correctly. No mummies however.
The final one and a half pages have five new spells, which can be found in the library. This section also references other sources of knowledge which could be included, from other supplements published by Legendary Games, Tomes of Ancient Knowledge and The Sepulchral Swaths of Tanoth-Gha. These two supplements, and many others, are compiled in the Gothic Campaign Compendium.
The Lost Library of Thoth in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with the various sections linked. The Contents cover a similar level of detail and are also hyperlinked. Navigation, while it could be slightly improved, is very good for a supplement of this length. The text follows a two column format and is mostly error free; there was one section that appeared to be missing several words. As well as the colour, thematic page backgrounds, there are a number of other appropriately themed illustrations. The overall appearance is above average. Some of the stats are also hyperlinked to external sites, rather than being included.
The Library, as is actually stated in the text, is not truly lost. It can be found quite easily. It’s lost in the sense that no-one has returned alive from it in some time, and it can only be entered into once per lunar month. And if they get stuck inside for a month, they will probably not survive.
The actual dungeon itself, whilst small, is rather thematically suited. The various tests are linked to the different aspects of Thoth; players who know more about this will do better. The various traps are largely triggered through making mistakes, rather than being pure death traps, which does add to the flavour. Players who think their way through will probably find it easier than those who behave more like hammers for whom the whole world is a nail. If the dungeon isn’t used for looting, it can be used as its true intention, to provide missing knowledge; especially useful for players who may have missed some important information in the Adventure Path, or other adventure, for this could be used without too much difficulty in a similar setting.
The extra magic spells are also interesting and linked to Thoth too. This is a well put together small adventure that provides a useful way of getting information to players, without outright handing it to them on a plate. The Lost Library of Thoth is a great little addition to an Egyptian-themed campaign and it can be found by clicking here.
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