The Dungeon Master is going to take a look at the third Adventure Pack that crossed his desk, this being The Sharn Syndicate for DDO, a pack that is for characters around level 4.
This pack has six adventures in it, each revolving around the local crime organization The Sharn Syndicate. It starts off slow, with the player defending a bar from low-level thugs. The slow start is deceiving, leading one to believe it’ll be a run-of-the-mill adventure, but it ends in an all out warfare in the streets of Stormreach where the player will have a hard time getting away. Many players argue that the end rewards for this adventure pack are a must around level 4. I agree to that only if the player can actually use any of the weapons they give at the end. The weapons are, Greatsword, Heavy Mace, Kama, Longbow, Longsword, Scimitar and Shortsword and all of them have an energy type on them doing an extra 1d6 of damage.
A boss in deep thought
I enjoy championing good game design, so let’s start with the good things of this adventure pack. The adventures go by at a decent pace, keeping the player interested till the end. As I said earlier, it starts a bit slow with the defense of the bar but what’s a story without a good double cross. Oh, how the plot thickens. The pace picks up and the player takes the fight to The Sharn Syndicate at this point. The end loot is certainly worth it if the player can actually use it. Let’s not forget about the favor the player gains, all for the Coin Lords. One of the most important factions for favor, since the player can earn an extra bag slot at the top.
I would love to say I have no issues with the adventure but that would be a lie. I have said it twice now but that start is slow. So slow, that I believe many groups may not progress past it. That is not the only issue I have. In one of the quests the players has to rescue some people but they can actually be killed before the player gets to them. It’d be an interesting mechanic if the group actually knew this from the beginning, but there’s no timer or indication of the risk. These people are also suicidal, running into battle with no weapons or armor, so there’s that.
The pack costs 350 Turbine points, but it is definitely worth it for both the weapons and the favor. You’ll never get over the extra bag slot.