''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' is an
adventure module
An adventure is a playable scenario in a tabletop role-playing game. These can be constructed by gamemasters for their players, and are also released by game publishers as pre-made adventure modules. Different types of designs exist, including l ...
for the
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
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...
game ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
'', set in the game's ''
World of Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''— Dave Arnes ...
''
campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...
. The module was published by
TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...
in 1985 for the first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' rules. It was written by
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
and
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin Mentzer III is an American fantasy author and game designer who worked on early materials for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. He was an employee of TSR, Inc. from 1980 to 1986, spending part of that time ...
, and is an expansion of an earlier Gygax module, ''The Village of Hommlet'' (TSR, 1979).
''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' is also the title of a related 2001 Thomas M. Reid novel and an Atari computer game.
''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' was ranked the 4th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by ''
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...
'' magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
Plot summary
In the module T1 ''The Village of Hommlet'', the
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
s must defeat the raiders operating out of a ruined fort nearby, and thereafter the characters can use Hommlet as a base for their adventures.
The adventure begins in the eponymous village of Hommlet, situated near the site of a past battle against evil forces operating from the Temple. The adventurers travel through Hommlet and are drawn into a web of conspiracy and deception.
The module is intended for first-level characters, who begin the adventure "weary, weak, and practically void of money".
They travel to a town with a reputation as having a great opportunity to earn fortunes and to defeat enemy creatures, but also to lose one's life.
While the town initially appears hospitable, the characters soon learn that many of its inhabitants are powerful spies for minions of evil.
The T1 adventure stands alone, but also forms the first part of T1–4. In ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'', the characters begin at a low level, and after establishing themselves in Hommlet, they explore the vast dungeons beneath the Temple, thereby earning experience.
T1 culminates in a ruined moathouse where agents secretly plan to re-enter the Temple and free the demoness Zuggtmoy, imprisoned therein. ''The Village of Hommlet'' module has been described as a beginner's scenario, which starts in the village, and leads to a nearby dungeon, while ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' continues the adventure.
preview
In the next section, T2, the adventurers move on to the nearby village of
Nulb to confront several nefarious opponents, including agents from the Temple. Based on the outcome of these encounters, the player characters can then enter the Temple itself to interact with its many denizens and test their mettle against Zuggtmoy herself.
History of the temple
The temple referenced in the module's title is an unholy structure located in the central
Flanaess
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
not far from the city-state of
Verbobonc
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
. In 566
CY, forces of evil from
Dyvers
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''— Dave Arneso ...
or the
Wild Coast constructed a small chapel outside the nearby village of
Nulb. The chapel was quickly built into a stone temple from which bandits and evil humanoids began to operate with increasing frequency.
In 569 CY, a combined force was sent to destroy the Temple and put an end to the marauding. This allied army clashed with a horde of evil men and humanoids, including orcs,
ogres
An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...
and gnolls, at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Men-at-arms from
Furyondy
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''— Dave Arneso ...
and
Veluna
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
united with
dwarves from the
Lortmils,
gnomes
A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its character ...
from the
Kron Hills, and an army of
elven archers to face the threat of the
Horde of Elemental Evil, consisting largely of savage humanoids such as orcs,
ogres
An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...
, and gnolls. The arrival of the elves from the shadows of the
Gnarley Forest turned the tide of battle, trapping the savage humanoids against a bend in the Velverdyva where they were routed and slaughtered.
At some point in this battle,
Serten, cleric of
Saint Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of ...
and member of the
Citadel of Eight, was slain. The Citadel was notable for its absence at this pivotal moment in the history of the Flanaess, and their failure to take part in the Battle of Emridy Meadows contributed to the group's decline and eventual disbandment.
After dispersing the Horde of Elemental Evil, the allied forces laid siege to the Temple of Elemental Evil itself, defeating it within a fortnight. Spellcasters loyal to the goodly army cooperated on a spell of sealing that bound the demoness Zuggtmoy (a major instigator in the Horde of Elemental Evil) to some of the deepest chambers in the castle's dungeons.
The site itself remained, however, and over the following decade rumors of evil presence there persisted. The Viscount of Verbobonc and the Archcleric of Veluna became increasingly concerned, and cooperated to build a small castle outside the Village of
Hommlet to guard against the possibility of the Temple rising again.
For the next five years, Hommlet gained in wealth thanks to adventurers who came to the area seeking out remnants of evil to slay. Things quieted down for another four years as the area returned to peace and normalcy, but in 578 CY evil began to stir again, with groups of bandits riding the roads. In 579 CY, the events in the T1–4 module occur.
''
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
''Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil'' is an adventure module written by Monte Cook for the 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting. It was originally pub ...
'' is set 12 years later, in 591 CY.
Publication history
The adventure module ''The Village of Hommlet'' was a 24-page booklet designed by
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
, and published by TSR in 1979.
The original printing featured an outer folder and a two-color cover; the book was reprinted in 1981 with a color cover.
''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' was originally intended to bear the module code T2 and serve as a true sequel to ''The Village of Hommlet''. Gygax began writing T2 soon after the publication of T1, but often stopped to work on other products, such as ''
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
''The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth'' is an adventure module for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1982 for the first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'') ru ...
'' (Gygax 1981). The T2 version was never completed, and no module bearing the codes T3 or T4 was ever independently published. Instead, the material for the sequel was combined in 1985 with the original T1 storyline and published as an integrated adventure bearing the module code T1-4.
The original printings of T1 featured monochrome cover art by
David A. Trampier
David A. Trampier (April 22, 1954 – March 24, 2014) was an artist and writer whose artwork for TSR, Inc. illustrated some of the earliest editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Many of his illustrations, such as the cover o ...
, who also contributed interior art along with
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III (April 4, 1949"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JT69-9Y8 : accessed 12 Feb 2013), David C Sutherland, 6 June 2005; citing U.S. Social Security Administra ...
. The 1981 and subsequent printings of T1 featured a new color cover painting by
Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. He was the youngest artist in the history of pioneering role-playing game company TSR when he began his work at the age of eighteen. He also designed the ''Villains and Vigilantes'' superhero gam ...
surrounded by a lime green border. The expanded T1-4 book from 1985 features cover art by
Keith Parkinson
Keith A. Parkinson (October 22, 1958 – October 26, 2005) was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book covers and artwork for games such as ''EverQuest'', '' Guardians'', '' Magic: The Gathering'', and '' Vanguard: Saga of Hero ...
and interior art by Jeff Butler,
Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell (born February 20, 1948) is an American artist. Self-described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters.
With his work at TSR in the 1980s, he is considered one of the arti ...
,
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley (born 1954) is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork for role-playing games, comics, and magazines, as well as non-fantasy commercial art.
Early life
Easley was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky in 1954. He spent time drawing as ...
,
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore (born August 5, 1948) is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines, and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Dragonlance'', ...
, Parkinson, and Trampier.
T1-4 ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' was written by Gary Gygax with
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin Mentzer III is an American fantasy author and game designer who worked on early materials for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. He was an employee of TSR, Inc. from 1980 to 1986, spending part of that time ...
, and published by TSR in 1985, incorporating T1 ''The Village of Hommlet''.
The module was a 128-page book with a 16-page map booklet, and featured a cover by
Keith Parkinson
Keith A. Parkinson (October 22, 1958 – October 26, 2005) was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book covers and artwork for games such as ''EverQuest'', '' Guardians'', '' Magic: The Gathering'', and '' Vanguard: Saga of Hero ...
and interior illustrations by
Jeff Butler
Jeff Butler (born February 26, 1958, in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American illustrator and comic book artist. Butler worked with the art department of TSR, Inc. for 5 years, illustrating products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role- ...
,
Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell (born February 20, 1948) is an American artist. Self-described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters.
With his work at TSR in the 1980s, he is considered one of the arti ...
,
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley (born 1954) is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork for role-playing games, comics, and magazines, as well as non-fantasy commercial art.
Early life
Easley was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky in 1954. He spent time drawing as ...
,
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore (born August 5, 1948) is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines, and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Dragonlance'', ...
, and
Dave Trampier.
The module includes descriptions of two towns, the Temple itself, and four large dungeon levels.
Although initially written as a stand-alone series, T1-4 was made to dovetail into A1-4 ''
Scourge of the Slave Lords
''Scourge of the Slave Lords'' (A1–4) is an Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons), adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published by TSR, Inc. in 1986. It combines the contents of four earlier modules, all set in ...
'' when these two campaigns were revised in 1986 as supermodules. The combined campaign then culminates with the GDQ series, incorporating modules G1-G3 ''
Against the Giants
''Against the Giants'' is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1981 for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It combines the G series of modules previously published in 1978: ''Steading of the H ...
''; D1-D3, which introduced D&D fans to
drow
The drow ( or ) or dark elves are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of Elf (Dungeons & Dragons), elves connected to the Subterranea (geography), subterranean Underdark in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. The drow have ...
elves for the first time; and finally Q1, ''
Queen of the Demonweb Pits'', in which the heroes fight against the spider demon
Lolth herself. These last adventures were also combined and republished as a supermodule bearing the code GDQ1-7, ''
Queen of the Spiders''.
In 2001,
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
published a novel by
Thomas M. Reid
Thomas M. Reid (born December 23, 1966 in Fort Collins, Colorado) is an author and game designer who grew up in Arlington, Texas. Reid attended the University of Houston where he minored in Creative Writing. Subsequently, he got a job at Wizards ...
also bearing the title ''
The Temple of Elemental Evil
''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' is an adventure module for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', set in the game's ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting. The module was published by TSR, Inc. in 1985 for the first edition ' ...
''.
Wizards of the Coast also published a sequel to the T1-4 adventure in 2001, the 3rd Edition module ''
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
''Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil'' is an adventure module written by Monte Cook for the 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting. It was originally pub ...
''.
Wizards of the Coast published a remake of ''The Village of Hommlet'' adventure for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th Edition and released it through the
RPGA
The RPGA (also called the Role Playing Game Association and the RPGA Network at various times), was initially part of the organized play arm of TSR, Inc and later of Wizards of the Coast. From 1980 to 2014, it organized and sanctioned role-playing ...
.
The original TSR product code for module T1 (bluetone and full color cover) is 9026.
Reception
Kirby T. Griffis reviewed ''The Village of Hommlet'' in 1981, in ''
The Space Gamer
''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...
'' #35.
Griffis found it a very playable module, noting that the module could be very fun if run by a good
DM. Griffis commented: "Players 'get into' their roles, the thieves stealing from the revellers at the inn, the fighters getting drunk under the table."
He also found the map to be well-keyed, and noted that important buildings have floor plans mapped out. Commenting on the imbalance of power, he noted that "some of the evil spies are entirely too powerful for the party to tackle, and the local high level good characters are hardly ever interested in aiding the adventurers."
Overall, Griffis found ''The Village of Hommlet'' to be a very good introductory adventure, and recommended it as an introduction to ''D&D''.
Legacy
''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' was ranked the 4th greatest ''Dungeons & Dragons'' adventure of all time by ''
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...
'' magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game.
''Dungeon Master for Dummies'' listed ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' as one of the ten best classic adventures, calling it "the grandfather of all huge
dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinth environment (a "dungeon"), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. Video games an ...
s".
Lawrence Schick
Lawrence Schick is a game designer and writer associated with role-playing games.
Early life and education
Schick attended Kent State University in Ohio.
Career
Schick, as the head of design and development at TSR, brought aboard Tom Moldvay ...
, in his 1991 book ''Heroic Worlds'', says of ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'', "If you like huge classic dungeon crawls, this is probably the best of the lot."
Computer games
In 2003 a
computer game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
, ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'', based on the original T1-4 module was released. It was developed by
Troika Games
Troika Games was an American video game developer co-founded by Jason Anderson, Tim Cain, and Leonard Boyarsky. The company was focused on role-playing video games between 1998 and 2005, best known for '' Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscur ...
and published by
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
. It remains the only ''D&D'' related computer game set in the original ''Greyhawk'' setting.
In an update to the game, ''
Dungeons & Dragons Online
''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Turbine for Microsoft Windows and OS X. The game was originally marketed as ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach''. Upon switching to a h ...
'' has made an in-game version of the adventure. In the same month that DDO's update went live, the online D&D game ''
Neverwinter'' also released an in-game version of the Temple of Elemental Evil.
References
Further reading
*
Cook, Monte. ''Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2001).
*
Gygax, E. Gary
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created a ...
. "More 'Meat' for Greyhawk." ''
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 ...
'' #55 (TSR, 1981).
**
Gygax, E. Gary
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created a ...
. ''The Village of Hommlet'' (TSR, 1979).
*
Gygax, E. Gary
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created a ...
and
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin Mentzer III is an American fantasy author and game designer who worked on early materials for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. He was an employee of TSR, Inc. from 1980 to 1986, spending part of that time ...
. ''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' (TSR, 1985).
Review: ''The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine'' #4 (1986)
External links
*
T1 - The Village of Hommlet' at The Acaeum
*
' at The Acaeum (includes information on T1–4, A1–4, and GDQ1–7)
*
' at the TSR Archive
*
' at the TSR Archive
*
The Village of Hommlet' at Pen & Paper
*
The Temple of Elemental Evil' at Pen & Paper
(#1)
(#2)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple Of Elemental Evil, The
Greyhawk modules
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1985