Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil

From Greyhawk Wiki
(Redirected from RttToEE)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is about the adventure Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. For the Temple itself, see Temple of Elemental Evil. For other uses, see Temple of Elemental Evil (disambiguation).
Greyhawk Source
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Cover illustration, art by Brom.
Type: Adventure
Code/Abbreviation: 11843 or RttToEE
Edition: Third edition
Author(s): Monte Cook
Editor(s): Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, & Duane Maxwell
Cover Artist(s): Brom
Interior Artist(s): David Roach
Series: The Temple of Elemental Evil
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Princes of the Apocalypse
Publisher: WotC
First Published: June 2001[1]
Pages: 192
ISBN: ISBN 0-7869-1843-8
Class: Officially published content
Setting date: 591 CY

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil is an adventure published by Wizards of the Coast in June 2001 for third edition D&D, and is set in 591 CY. It was written by Monte Cook, and is a sequel to adventure T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil (TSR, 1985). It features cover art by Brom and interior art by David Roach.[2][3]

The plot of the module pits the player characters against the third iteration of the cult of the Elder Elemental Eye and the power of their Temple of Elemental Evil, first introduced in the original module. The events of Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil occur nine years after the previous module as the adventurers attempt to prevent cultists of Tharizdun from harnessing the power of four elemental nodes in order to release their god.

Plot summary

The player characters must foil the plan of the cultists of Tharizdun who have again occupied the temple. The cultists are attempting to restore each of four elemental nodes and release the Princes of Elemental Evil to bring destruction and chaos to the surrounding area. By doing so, the Princes would weaken Tharizdun's bonds. To summon the Princes, Tharizdun's followers operate within the cult of the Elder Elemental Eye.

Cover blurb

"Evil Never Dies

Years ago, brave heroes put the denizens of the Temple of Elemental Evil to the sword. Now, dark forces whisper again in the shadows of the once-deserted temple - forces far more insidious and dangerous than any sane person could dream. Evil has risen again to threaten the village of Hommlet.

Characters battle the power of darkness in Hommlet and beyond, forging their way through hundreds of dire encounters before reaching the fiery finale. Designed as the backbone of a full campaign, Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil takes characters from 4th to as high as 14th level. This deluxe adventure builds on the groundwork of the original Temple of Elemental Evil (1985), as well as other classic adventures. However, none of those products are necesary to enjoy this one.

To use this adventure, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual"[4]

History of the temple

The temple was originally established 25 years prior to the events of the module by worshipers of the gods Lolth, Zuggtmoy, and Iuz. Cultists of Tharizdun manipulated them into constructing it over a source of great power intended to release their imprisoned deitiy Tharizdun. Zuggtmoy and Iuz then created the Orb of Golden Death, which could draw power through elemental nodes from the four elemental planes. Three years after construction, however, the monsters and villains it attracted were defeated by neighboring armies at the Battle of Emridy Meadows and temple was sacked for the first time, but the deeper layers of the temple were not destroyed.

Nine years later, cultists of the Elder Elemental Eye occupied the temple again and began gathering an army, only to be overthrown once again by adventuring bands based out of the nearby town of Hommlet. This time, the adventurers destroyed the Orb of Golden Death, banished Zuggtmoy, and sealed the underground levels of the temple, cutting off access to the cult's elemental nodes, and returning peace to the land for the next fifteen years.

Synopsis

The player characters begin in the village of Hommlet, where rumors lead them to the nearby abandoned moathouse inhabited by cultists to the Elder Elemental Eye. It leads them to the village of Rastor, where another temple is hidden the nearby Crater Ride Mines. Next, they return to the original Temple of Elemental Evil, leading to a climactic fight against the fire archomental Imix, Prince of Elemental Evil.

The course of the adventure

At the module's beginning, the cult of Tharizdun has begun to gather force once more at a new temple called the Temple of All-Consumption. They aim to excavate the collapsed lower levels of the Temple of Elemental Evil in order to restore the elemental nodes that would release the Princes of Elemental Evil. Their activities have gone almost completely unnoticed by local leaders and military forces, so they have been operating unopposed.

The adventurers begin in the town of Hommlet, which near "the moathouse", an active excavation site where the cult is working to restore a shrine. Investigating the moathouse, along with discovering the presence of cult spies undercover in the town of Hommlet, gives them clues to visit the ruined, original temple in the nearby abandoned town of Nulb. These two encounters point the way to the Temple of All-Consumption, which is near the hamlet of Rastor. Investigation of this temple occurs in three increasingly difficult stages: the Crater Ridge Mines, the Outer Fane, and the Inner Fane. After reaching the interior of the Temple of All-Consumption, the adventurers return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, which by then has been fully restored by the cultists, to stop their final plans.

Publication history

Development

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil as written by Monte Cook, who had previously worked on the core rulebooks for third edition. The cover illustration was by Brom, with black-and-white interior art by David Roach and cartography by Todd Gamble.

The idea of returning to classic adventures had previously been explored by Return to White Plume Mountain and Return to the Keep on the Borderlands.

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil is based heavily on the AD&D adventure module The Temple of Elemental Evil, itself an expansion of The Village of Hommlet. It also draws on the classic modules Hall of the Fire Giant King and The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. It takes place fifteen years after the defeat of the Temple by adventurers.

In Dragon Magazine Annual #5[5], cartographer Rob Lazzaretti described meetings discussing the maps needed for the module, and anticpated around thirty maps—an enormous amount of work, and twice as many maps as the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide combined.

The module's development was mentioned in Dungeon #275[6], in which it was described as scheduled for release in mid-2001 and taking characters from 3rd level to as high as 15th; the final release would range from 4th to 14th. Its release was announced in Dragon #283[7] and Dragon #284[8], describing it as a "D&D Super Adventure" and listed as a July release, at the incorrectly listed price of $17.95. It appread in the correct in the previews in Dragon #285[9], which included two tie-in magazine articles.

A preview of the module was given at the Winter Fantasy convention in January 25-28, 2001. A group of convention judges led by guests of honor Monte Cook and Andy Collins marched into the exhibit hall where the Hommlet moathouse was to be run, chanting "six men enter, no men leave!"[10] A second adventure in the Temple took place at Origins 2001, in July 5-8 of that year.[11]

Release

A tie-in novel, The Temple of Elemental Evil by Thomas M. Reid, was published in May 2001.

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil was released by Wizards of the Coast in June 2001 for $29.95 US, or $45.95 Canadian.[12]

A web enhancement for the module was released on July 13, 2001, titled Caves of Ancient Secrets. It adds 22 additional encounter areas to Chapter 5: The Crater Ridge Mines.[13]

On January 24, 2013, it was re-released in digital format for $11.99 on OneBookShelf website DnDClassics, which later was replaced by Dungeon Masters Guild, where it continued to be available.

The module was published by Wizards of the Coast in 2001 for the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons rules[14][15] as an updated, revised, and expanded sequel to the AD&D adventure The Temple of Elemental Evil. The publication was inspired by earlier revisions of other classic adventures by the company TSR, such as Return to White Plume Mountain and Return to the Keep on the Borderlands.[15]

The book is 192 pages long, including four appendices. The main section consists of 3 parts and 8 chapters. Part one covers the town and Hommlet and the surrounding landscape, including the Temple of Elemental Evil while still in a state of disrepair. Part two details the Temple of All-Consumption, including the hamlet of Rastor, Crater Ridge mines, and the inner temple. The third part revolves around the final stages of the cult's plans, set in the Temple of Elemental Evil after the cult restores it, and the fire node where they are attempting to summon an elemental prince.

Appendix 1 provides the details of magic items and monsters specific to the adventure. Appendix 2 fleshes out the abilities and effects of Tharizdun's followers. Appendix 3 provides the details of the adventure's non-player characters, and appendix four consists of documents the adventurers will discover during the game, which provide information about the cult's intentions.

Expanded lore

The original Temple of Elemental Evil module was centered around the gods Zuggtmoy and Iuz, and there was some confusion over their connection to the powers of elemental evil. In order to explain their origins, Monte Cook re-centered the cult around Tharizdun, who was originally created by Gary Gygax in The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. Cook's sequel tied the newly introduced god to the gods of the Temple of Elemental Evil by making the Elder Elemental Eye from that module an aspect of Tharizdun. This revelation was inspired by Gygax's original notes on the prequel, which originally included the Elder Elemental Eye as a secret force behind Zuggtmoy's power. Additionally, Cook included the Prince of Evil Fire Elementals, Imix, as another tie to elemental sources of power.[16]

Production credits

Role
Author Monte Cook
Editors Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, & Duane Maxwell
Cover illustration Brom
Interior illustration David Roach
Cartography Todd Gamble

Reception

Reviewer Alan Kohler stated that "the material is well written and consistent with the D&D rules" but that he doesn't consider this to be Monte Cook's best adventure. The three main concerns he cites are the possibility that the extensive dungeon-crawling the adventure requires might become tedious for players, that the adventure does a poor job of providing reasons that the characters should care about defeating the cult, and that advancing in the plot depends on the party finding a few, easily overlooked, clues. He does, however, praise the expanded material the book includes, saying that it is "an immense adventure with tons of usable material".[14]

Product historian Kevin Kulp also praises the amount of included material, along with the adventure's "epic and nefarious" scope. While he finds the encounters to be well-designed, he recommends removing some during play to avoid a "combat slog" style of game.[17]

Matthew Pook, in his review, stated that one problem with the adventure "may be in getting the party to the starting point ... to begin the campaign". He stated that the adventure "is a large and detailed dungeon bash" and it "resemble[s] the onionskin model exemplified by many of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu campaign packs".[15]

In her book, The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games, Jennifer Grouling Cover cites both the original Temple of Elemental Evil module, along with Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, as an example of how setting and narrative may change between different medias and publications.[18]

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil was ranked the 8th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.[19]

Dungeon Master for Dummies lists Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil as one of the ten best 3rd edition adventures.[20]

Reception

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil was ranked the 8th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

Reception and influence

Critical reception

In "The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time"[22], Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil was rated 8th. Mike Mearls described it as a worthy successor to the original Temple of Elemental Evil, packing more action into 4 pages than others do in 32. It was the highest rated third edition module on the list, although it was defeated by the original Temple of Elemental Evil, which appeared on this list at 4th.

Kevin Kulp described Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil as a good adventure, fun to read and exciting to run. However, he felt that the module had minor pacing issues caused by a continuous challenging combats, and recommended removing or modifying some combat encounters. In November 2020, the module was rated 4.8 out of 5 by Dungeon Masters Guild users.

In Dragon #320[23], Andy Collins cited Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil as his favourite D&D third edition book. In Dungeon #115[24], Erik Mona, a playtester on the module, desecribed that it masterfully weaved new and old material, a truly great adventure module full of iconic and memorable scenes.

Utreshimon, the blue dragon appearing in this module's moathouse, appeared as #9 in [25].

By 2023, Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil reached the rank of Platinum seller on DriveThruRPG.

Influence on other works

Magazine articles linked to or inspired by this module include: "Four in Darkness: A Guide to Elemental Evil",[26] "Spawn of Elemental Evil",[27] "Temple of Elemental Evil: Big Fish in a Tainted Pond",[28] "Princes of Elemental Evil",[29], and "Scripture of Elemental Evil",[30].

The Doomdreamer prestige class and a temple to Tharizdun appeared in "The Cradle of Madness" Dungeon #87.[31]

The Temple of Elemental Evil Board Game (Aug 2015) and the sourcebook Elemental Evil Player's Companion[32] borrow their name from this module and its ancestors.

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ Product page. Wizards.com, via Web Archive.
  2. ↑ Monte., Cook (2001) Return to the temple of elemental evil, Renton, WA⧼colon⧽ Wizards of the Coast ISBN: 0786918438. OCLC: 47293118.
  3. ↑ Gary., Gygax; Mentzer, Frank. (1985) The Temple of elemental evil, Lake Geneva, Wis.⧼colon⧽ TSR ISBN: 0880380187. OCLC: 13056216.
  4. ↑ Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (2001).
  5. ↑ "All Over the Map:Making D&D Maps the Wizards of the Coast Way".  Dragon #A5 (Annual 2000), p.53-54.
  6. ↑ "Profiles: Monte Cook".  Dragon #275 (Sep 2000), p.10.
  7. ↑ Dragon #283 (May 2001), p.82.
  8. ↑ Dragon #284 (Jun 2001), p.18.
  9. ↑ Dragon #285 (Jul 2001), p.20.
  10. ↑ "Heart of the RPGA".  Polyhedron #146 (Mar 2001), p.63.
  11. ↑ Polyhedron #148 (Oct 2001), p.62.
  12. ↑ Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Wizards.com product listing.
  13. ↑ Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Wizards.com web enhancement archive, July 13, 2001.
  14. ↑ a b Kohler, Alan D.. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (Review). RPGnet, 2001-11-07.
  15. ↑ a b c Pook, Matthew (2001-07-20). "Pyramid Review: Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (for Dungeons & Dragons)". Pyramid (Online). Steve Jackson Games.
  16. ↑ The Return of Elemental Evil. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (3e) - Wizards of the Coast | Dungeons & Dragons 3.x | Dungeons & Dragons 3.x | DriveThruRPG.com (in en). www.drivethrurpg.com.
  18. ↑ Cover, Jennifer Grouling (2014-01-10) The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games, McFarland ISBN: 9780786456178.
  19. ↑ (November 2004). "The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time". Dungeon (116).
  20. ↑ (2006) Dungeon Master For Dummies, For Dummies, pp. 320 ISBN: 978-0-471-78330-5.
  21. ↑ Backstab #033 , 2001.
  22. ↑ Dungeon #116 (Nov 2004), p.The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time
  23. ↑ Dragon #320 (Jun 2004), p.32.
  24. ↑ Dungeon #115 (Oct 2004), p.6
  25. ↑ "Top 10 Most Wanted Dragons in D&D".  Dragon #356 (Jun 2007), p.18.
  26. ↑ "Four in Darkness: A Guide to Elemental Evil".  Dragon #285 (Jul 2001), p.44.
  27. ↑ "Spawn of Elemental Evil".  Dragon #285 (Jul 2001), p.72.
  28. ↑ "Temple of Elemental Evil: Big Fish in a Tainted Pond".  Dragon #321 (Jul 2004), p.58.
  29. ↑ "Princes of Elemental Evil".  Dragon #347 (Sep 2006), p.28.
  30. ↑ "Scripture of Elemental Evil".  Dragon #347 (Sep 2006), p.76.
  31. ↑ "The Cradle of Madness". Dungeon #87 (Jul/Aug 2001), p.49
  32. ↑ Elemental Evil Player's Companion.

Bibliography

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the D&D Lore Wiki— (Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil).
This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil Adventure Located in: Verbobonc, Dragon magazine #292 95
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil Adventure Located in: Verbobonc, Living Greyhawk Journal #4 2
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (D&D 3.0e) Adventure Located in: Verbobonc, Caves of Ancient Secrets: RttToEE Web Enhancement, D&D 3.0e 1, 11
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (D&D 3.0e) Adventure Located in: Verbobonc, Dragon magazine #347 34
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (D&D 3.0e) Adventure Located in: Verbobonc, Dragon magazine #356 18
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (D&D 3.0e) Adventure Located in: Verbobonc, Into The Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, D&D 4e 111
Retrieved from "https://gateway.greyhawk.city/greyhawkwiki/index.php?title=Return_to_the_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil&oldid=94957"