Customer Reviews

Master of the Desert Nomads (Dungeons & Dragons module X4)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In X series of D&D, the most famous and popular one should be the Desert Nomads series (consists of X4, X5, and X10). X4 is the first module that let you leave the Eastern Countries behind and venture into Great Waste. Here lays a endless desert, a vast wilderness, and more perilous ememies. Highly recommended!! It is best to play with X5, a sequel of X4.

If you are running a campaign, it should be put on future timeline (AC1005, according to Wrath of Immortals Boxed Set and subsequent Mystara products.) Nevertheless, if you don't ready to play X10, it is still suitable to put it at present time. (AC1000)

This is a really great module. A classic. It says lvls 6-9. It stands all by itself but really screams for the next in the series as there is a "master" villain constantly mentioned but never actually defeated until following modules.

Warning (Spoilers)

The quest includes many outdoor travels through deserts and snowy mountainous regions. There are wonderful opportunities to role play and handle diplomacy and subterfuge with different groups, such as the caravan leaders, bandits, holy desert warriors. The adventure runs smoothly no matter who they make friends with or piss off. PC's can even impersonate troops of the master and infiltrate a huge army encampment where they can be discovered at any second, it comes across as a very precarious situation. There are a few tight situations that require problem solving to escape. The battles are quite well thought out as well. Near the end they are invited to stay at an abbey of monks high in the mountains who are not quite what they seem. The atmosphere created by the abbey where the PC's should feel at home but then dark things start happening at night makes for a great adventure.

If there ever was a D&D adventure that could be made into a movie, this would be it. The first of the incredible Desert Nomads trilogy, this adventure is full of intrigue, incredible encounters with deadly enemies, awesome battles, and a true feeling of epic scope that is very rare in D&D modules. No other module did a better job of immersing you into an epic story of empires at war. You really feel like major players in a war that will decide the fate of the world. This module challenges the players in every way possible..from roleplaying, to subterfuge, diplomacy, and of course all out conflict. The encounters range from confronting huge armies in the desert to evil monks in a monastery who are not who they appear to be. And the genius of it all is how well structured the storyline is and how all the encounters tie in beautifully with each other. And the presence of the Master...the mysterious uber villain who is hinted at, but not revealed until the later modules, is felt throughout. All this adds up an epic quest that is truly unique in its cinematic and spectacular presentation. It's a true adventure every D&D gamer should experience!