Cleric’s Challenge (1993) is the last of the first series of one-on-one adventures. Like its predecessors, it’s designed to provide a player with experience and a unique history before joining a larger campaign. I have to say, while I am glad this Elmore painting made it onto the cover of a D&D adventure, it’s a little intimidating to have it front a low level, single character module! Ken and Charles Frank on the interiors—Ken is always such a treat.
This one works a bit differently than the last two. It pits the player against a throng of undead which is maybe just manageable, but non-undead challenges don’t seem so easily overcome, especially the final villain (a lamia). Because that makes the scenario more combat-oriented, the option of hiring or otherwise recruiting help is explicitly included (which shifts this to 1.5-on-0.5, in light of the fact that the DM has to run the NPCs) and I dunno how I feel about it.
Like the previous books, there is a well-developed town, a good deal of roleplaying opportunity and investigation, some wilderness exploration and event-based encounters. Beside the fighter volume, this one has the largest dungeon complex to explore. It all hangs together well, but it feels like it really wants to be a conventional party adventure rather than a one-on-one. Such is life as the support class, I suppose.
This is one of my favorite Elmore paintings of all time. He is always so great at creating a narrative in a single static moment. Though I’m guessing that there are no giants whatsoever in the module.
Ha no, not one! (This is also probably my favorite Elmore)
I can’t remember if second edition had level training. (I bounced off second ed. really hard when it came out. Even then, just not my style.) But the goal of these is to get a character to 4th? Is there time built in for leveling?
Man, think of the oceans of free time this presumes. That’s the biggest difference between the RPGs marketed to kids and trying to play as an adult — before JOINING a larger campaign, the DM takes each of up to four players through separate long adventures?!
Can I quit my job now?
If 2E had level training, we ignored it, so I have no idea what the RAW were. I am a little unclear what the real goal is here. In part, yea, an intro to get some leveling, but the way these are structured is very open and probably could fuel many sessions. So I wonder if it was meant as a PC hometown they could have downtime in when other players weren’t available?
But yea, the free time assumption here, any way you cut it, is really jaw dropping.