''Assassin Mountain'' is an accessory for the second edition of the ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

, published in 1993.

''Assassin Mountain'' contains three adventures where players oppose a group of vigilante clerics. These are the holy slayers (

assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...

) of

Zakhara Abeir-Toril is the fictional planet that makes up the ''Forgotten Realms'' ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting, as well as the Al-Qadim and Maztica campaign settings and the 1st edition version of the Oriental Adventures campaign setting. T ...

. The first adventure is a robbery. Another features an assault into the slayers' mountain fortress, Sarahin (and wind up in its nightmarish Pit of a Thousand Voices); and a third is a sequel nine-day murder mystery set in Sarahin, where the PCs must discover who killed the slayers' leader, the Old Man of the Mountain.

Publication history

''Assassin Mountain'' was designed by

Wolfgang Baur Wolfgang Baur (born 1968) is an American game designer, best known for his work with '' Dragon'' magazine. He designs role-playing games and is known for his work at Wizards of the Coast. Baur is also the founder of Open Design LLC, later known ...

Reception

Gene Alloway reviewed the module in a 1994 issue of ''

White Wolf A white wolf or Arctic wolf is a mammal of the ''Canidae'' family and a subspecies of the gray wolf. It may also refer to: Organizations * White Wolf (band), a Canadian heavy metal band * White Wolf (band), white power oi band from the USA * Whi ...

''. He rated the game at 2 of 5 for Complexity, a 3 for Concepts, Playability, and Value, and a 4 for Appearance. He stated it was limited in scope but enjoyable, giving it an overall rating of 4.

Allen Varney Allen Varney (born 1958) is an American writer and game designer. Varney has produced numerous books, role-playing game supplements, technical manuals, articles, reviews, columns, and stories, as well as the fantasy novel ''Cast of Fate'' ( TSR, ...

reviewed ''Assassin Mountain'' for ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine #219 (July 1995). He called the sourcebox "inventive", noting that Baur was involved in many

Al-Qadim Al-Qadim is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game which was developed by Jeff Grubb with Andria Hayday for TSR, Inc., and was first released in 1992. Al-Qadim uses ''One Thousand and One Nights'' as a theme and is ...

supplements, and that '' Secrets of the Lamp'' was much more characteristic of his work than ''Assassin Mountain''. Varney states in his conclusion of the review: "The approach in ''Assassin Mountain'' is unique in the Al-Qadim line. Eschewing a barrage of colorful magic, Baur develops a claustrophobic atmosphere of paranoia and intrigue. Character interactions drive the plot, and the occasional fire elementals and

gibbering mouther In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, "monsters" are generally the antagonists which players must fight and defeat to progress in the game. Since the game's first edition in 1974, a bestiary was included along other game man ...

are tools to develop the narrative. These morally ambiguous adventures, modern takes on classic Arabian settings, require and reward good role-playing. Several scenes here will put role-players through the wringer, and they'll love it. But the plots also assume highly pragmatic PCs. If you or your group wouldn't feel comfortable allying with assassins, steer clear. I have trouble with this idea myself, and though ''Assassin Mountain'' is an accomplished work, it's not what I think of as the stuff of Arabian adventure."

References

Al-Qadim supplements Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1993 {{D&D-stub

Contents

Publication history

Reception

References