Review: Tomb of Black Sand by Jacob Hurst (w/ bonus Necromancer's Candle magic item!)

Here we go! Many years late, let’s see what an OSR guy thinks of the current, most modern edition of D&D. Sure, it came out like 6 years ago and most of you have probably already played it. And, like me, you probably prefer OSR games of the B/X flavor, because you’re reading a fucking LotFP blog. Also, spoilers, I’m still an OSR guy through and through- 5E hasn’t won me over so far, and it likely won’t, as it’s quite an uphill battle for the wordy, bloated, and kinda generic style of 5E to replace the weird-as-hell, nasty, fucking metal OSR in my black fucking heart. But Jacob Hurst, author of the Hot Springs Islands books, brings the Tomb to 5E but OSR innovation and style are all over it.

I'll give a fairly in-depth look throughout several posts. This post will give my impressions of its physical production, layout, and an overview of the content. Future posts will give more specific (spoilery) observations as well as pointing out comparisons between 5E and OSR along the way.

So if you haven’t seen the book in physical form yet, here’s what to expect: it’s nicely made. The cover is thick and seems sturdy, the text is printed in silver and looks awesome, and the graphic inset on the cover is awesome and very Appendix N. The paper is nice and thick, which is good but the actual binding into the spine feels a bit weak. I’ve read through it several time and I’m currently running it at the table, and I feel like the binding might be starting to break. Considering the overall quality of the book, though, hopefully this won’t be the case.

High Points:I love the art in the book. From setting eyes on the cover onward, this adventure makes an impression, visually. The maps and portraits inside are fantastic as well. The “Plugs & Sockets” section with suggestions on how to run the adventure and drop it into your campaign is fantastic, as are the 1-shot vs extended adventure advice. The narrative of the adventure is awesome as well, striking a fine balance between high fantasy most players will be more or less used to with darker and more obscure touches. 

Nitpicks: The text in the book is in a very serif-heavy typewriter font, which is hard on the eyes over the course of a whole page. Details are bolded or bracketed, but it can still be a bit hard to pick out. The endpapers, a prime location for oft-referenced information, are dedicated to a key of the map in the front, but to the names of KS backers in the back. This space could have been much better used on any of the following:

• Sights & Sounds table
• Important info on p 14-16  (sand suffocation, candle effects, sacrifice flow)
• Hex map of Brighton, with maybe a rumor table (there isn’t one, although the adventure hooks somewhat fill that niche)

Verdict: I was immediately taken by the adventure due to its presentation and the way it lays out the adventure’s setup so clearly. I think it does a fantastic job of hooking the DM and making them want to run it. It reminds me of DCC’s Doom of the Savage Kings in that regard, in that it makes a setting seem alive and offers a DM a lot of support in how to run the town and NPCs. This is high praise, as I love Doom of the Savage Kings and have run it several times. 

I would absolutely recommend this as an adventure to buy if you’re looking for something for 5E. It’s gorgeous, cleverly designed and written, and has had some attention paid to how it should run at the table, which is much more than can be said for most 5E products in my experience. It’s not perfect, with a few hangups in design, but still head and shoulders above most adventures.

555/666 (blessed by Satan)

Bonus Gameable Content

Necromancer's Candle
Value: 1,000 sp ea.
These candles are of incredible rarity. They are used by necromancers to prepare, preserve, and secure their "materials". The candle does not need a supply of oxygen to burn, although it will consume it at a rapid rate. Rather, it is fueled by souls, and consumes them from those nearby, living or dead. When lit, a candle will immediately begin to consume the oxygen in a room at a rate of 10' x 10' x 10' per minute. This will quickly deplete the air in enclosed spaces, and cause a vacuum if ventilation is not available. A moaning or wailing sound will accompany the wind as it flows towards the vacuum. 
While the candle burns, it inflicts Level Drain on living creatures within a 50' radius at a rate of 1 level per exploration turn (10 mins). The only way to prevent this effect is to willingly sacrifice others to the candle by inflicting 8 damage (one full HD) of damage on them, granting temporary immunity for 1 exploration turn. 
 All drained life energy is contained within the candle for 1 hour per level drained, which may be used to immediately convert bodies into one or more undead of any type with HD equal to levels drained. These undead will be loyal to the Necromancer, but also to those who sacrificed them whether they remain alive or undead.