Rating: [ 4.59 / 10.00 ]

Game Info

Title  The Punishing Passage
Author  Brian Patterson
Book Type  Adventure
Rank: [ 4886 / 5958 ]
Genre  Fantasy
Setting  Generic
Series 
Edition Info  Fantasy Flight Games (2001)
Stock: 26
ISBN: 1-58994-073-3
System  d20 3
Parent: [ Dungeons & Dragons ]

Game Summary

The Punishing Passage is a short adventure for 4 to 6 characters of levels 4 to 6, designed to be played in a single session. Series III, Number 8 in the Legends & Lairs Instant Adventure product line. Has a new monster (acid elemental) and two new magic items (amulet of poison perseverance, tome of trapsmithing). From the back cover:
The town of Hallows End seemed like the ideal spot to stop over for a night of rest on your long journey. The small farming village is known for good people and good ale. The only tavern in town, the Staggering Giant, seemed like the best place to get a little rest and gave a nice evening. That was until you walked through the door to hear a deep, grizzled voice yell, "No! I don't think you understand! You're gonna tell me where this passage is so me and my crew here can look into it for ourselves. You'll pay us whatever we ask for and if you can't pay in coin then we'll just have to take whatever we want to make up the difference. Even if that means we have to take it out of your lovely little wife here!"

That was when you noticed a young farmer in the grasp of a tall dark-haired man and his four companions wearing the tabards of the local militia. "I told you, you aren't the kind of people we're looking for. You're a pack of deserters, what makes you think I would want you anywhere near my land?" the farmer yells with noble, yet terrified, composure. As the farmer struggles to get free, his wife lies on the floor next to him, holding the side of her newly bruised face, tears running down her cheeks. She begs for someone in the small tavern to help them. "What are all of you staring at? Please! Someone do something! Help us!" she screams.

It looks like it's going to be one of those nights...

Game Editions

Notes on This Edition
Cover art by Andy Brase. Half-sized (4-1/4" x 11") saddle stitched softcover, full color cover, 16 pages, MSRP USD$3.95.

Game Editions

Edit Edition ]
# Title System Publisher Released Stock Status
1 The Punishing Passaged20 3Fantasy Flight Games 2001 26 ---

Comments & Reviews

Selected User Comments

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Rating User Comments
1 / 10SleeperStarting with a scene where the DM is advised to let the bad guys escape without providing any concrete advice or mechanics on how exactly to make it happen is not a good start, since it's basically a cop-out that throws it back on the DM.

The rest of the adventure is just a series of dull traps. Even when there are very good excuses to use something other than the rogue's overtaxed skills (like Knowledge [architecture and engineering] to notice the odd hinges on the door), it's still just Search and Disable Device ad nauseum. Why are only bards and rogues allowed to use Decipher Script? Even the opportunity to let the PCs notice the heavy undersmell of acid and poison under the perfume is missed (apparently, it's just there for the DM...). One particularly ludicrous trap can easily be a TPK unless all the players guess which way to swim and do it in unision (despite the inability of terrestrial humanoids to coordinate actions via speech when inconveniently underwater).

And why is the map scale 1 square = 3 ft? (All the descriptive text describes the rooms in 5-ft increments, which means it makes even less sense.) Why does a 4th-level ranger mercenary have the Extend Spell feat (which he can't use), no favored enemy, and no armor? Why do enemies ambushing the PCs while they're down a hole in the ground have no missile weapons, or at least some guidance (like Climb DCs or at least a solid description of the "passage") on how to handle a fight while climbing out of the pit? What's the size of the new monster's breath weapon? What is the acidic touch special attack? For that matter, can't an average DM just glance at the stats of a medium water elemental and create an equivalent monster in about 30 seconds?

The worst Instant Adventure I've seen. Not even worth stealing from.

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Main Series Listing

Overall Series Listing

Legends & Lairs:[ edit ]
# Title Rating Rank
1 Darkness & Dread 5.31 4470
2
Legends & Lairs Bestiary ("Lore") Sourcebooks:
Draconic Lore 5 9934
Elemental Lore 5 9836
Giant Lore 5.31 4494
Necromantic Lore 5 8160
Twisted Lore 5.1 6867
3
Legends & Lairs Character Class ("Path of") Sourcebooks:
Path of Faith 5 8830
Path of Magic 5 9517
Path of Shadow 5.16 5872
Path of the Sword 5.11 6436
4
Legends & Lairs Compendiums of Magic ("School" Series):
School of Evocation 5 9859
School of Illusion 5 8047
5
Legends & Lairs Design and Survival Handbooks:
Dungeoncraft 4.8 21824
Cityworks 5.15 6126
Wildscape 4.79 21852
6
Legends & Lairs Instant Adventures:
Instant Adventures Series I:
The Hidden Vault 5 10114
Darkwood's Secret 5 9620
Raid on Tonwell 5.16 5816
The Fifth Sepulchre 5.65 2528
Olenar's Heartstone 5 9712
Raven Mine 5 9270
The Broken Plain 5 9351
The Dragon's Wish 5 9340
Instant Adventures Series II:
The Tuggarth Gauntlet 5 8221
Lost Hunt 5 11371
The Dark Tribe 5 9399
The Black Stairs 5 8872
The Thief's Gold 5 9437
The Wreyland Serpent 5 9338
Voyage to Storm Isle 5 8016
Sign of the Skull 4.9 21533
Instant Adventures Series III:
Steam Dragon's Revenge 5 9602
The Sewer Fiend 4.57 22202
Darwell's Tower 5 8003
Daggers at Midnight 5.38 3976
Froderick's Tomb 4.79 21862
Spawn of Shurpanakha 5.04 7659
The Weeping Tree 5.09 7055
The Punishing Passage 4.59 22184
7
Legends & Lairs Sourcebooks of Deadly Machinations:
Traps & Treachery 5.58 2869
Traps & Treachery II 5.05 7402
8 Mastercraft Anthology 5 9103
9 Monster's Handbook 5 10376
10 Mythic Races 5.24 4966
11 Portals & Planes 5.15 6175
12 Seafarer's Handbook 5.1 6844
13 Sorcery & Steam 5.44 3635
14 Spells & Spellcraft 5.98 1359