In the depths of the deepest jungles, there are secrets and horrors that thankfully remain hidden to those who do not seek them out. But once in a while, brave individuals will travel under those darkened canopies and put their lives in terrible danger. Will the intrepid explorers live to tell their tales?
Cinematic Adventures
Once in a while, either Hollywood or an independent studio will produce a film that is just begging to be converted into a Dungeons and Dragons adventure. I've thought this with such greats as the Predator, Aliens, Lord of the Rings, the Last Unicorn, the Dark Crystal, and countless others too numerous to name. This adventure book is an attempt to take three personal favorites that have at least partially a Mesoamerican flavor and use them for the Maztica Campaign setting. These adventures do not have world shaking consequences to them, but since they are based on movies with horror themes they are meant to scare the life out of your players. New monsters are at the center of each adventure and perhaps halfway through them, your players will recognize what a horrifying (but fun!) time they are in for.
The Ruins
The Ruins is based on the 2008 movie also known as The Ruins. It is a supernatural horror film directed by Carter Smith and it stars Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, and Bella Sana. The movie itself is based on the novel of the same name by Scott Smith, who also wrote the screenplay. The adventure tries to recreate many of the events that occurred in the movie, though the setup is different, and the ordeal that the players will have to go through is only designed to last for one day of adventuring. The adventure is balanced for four players who should be at 5th level. The main encounter itself can easily be adjusted to accommodate higher level parties, though lower level parties will require some reworking of the main monster. As it always is with magic, there are a number of ways that a party that is rich in magic could end up avoiding the encounter altogether. Flying magic in particular could end the adventure before it begins. Considering the party’s level, and the fact that the hook assumes that the party is traveling on foot through the jungle, this should not be a problem.
The Relic
The Relic is a short, site based adventure that gained its inspiration from the 1997 movie also known as The Relic. It is a supernatural horror film directed by Peter Hyams and it stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore and Linda Hunt. The movie itself is based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
The adventure utilizes the creature featured in the movie (known there as a kothoga but here altered to kothoggo) and tries to recreate events and the sense of horror that occurred in the movie. The setup is different however, and the ordeal that the players will have to go through is only designed to last for one session of adventuring. The adventure is ideally designed for four players who should be around 5th level. The main battle is a CR7 encounter.
AvY
AvY stands for "Anadjin versus Yagrel" which is a not so subtle allusion to the Alien vs. Predator film. AvP (as it was stylized) is a 2004 science fiction action film which starred Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen and Ewen Bremner and was written and directed by by Paul W. S. Anderson. In this adventure, the "predators" are creatures from the far off world of Anadia known as anadjin, and the "aliens" are a degenerate breed of illithid known as "yagrel." While the setting is certainly different than in the movie, there are some easily recognizable plot elements that should be fun to play with. This adventure is slightly more difficult than the other two and it is recommended that the PCs reach at least 6th level before tackling the terrors they will encounter here.
- from the publisher's blurb