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The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun
CodeWG4
Rules required1st Ed AD&D
Character levels5 - 10
Campaign settingGreyhawk
AuthorsGary Gygax
First published1982
Linked modules
S4 WG4

The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module bears the code WG4 and was published by TSR, Inc. in 1982 for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. Because it is one of the WG modules, it is a module intended for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

Plot summary

The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is set on the World of Greyhawk.[1] This adventure starts with an incident from The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.[2] The player characters follow a band of marauding norkers from the Caverns, discovering the Temple along the way.[3] They must search through the dangerous mountain passes to find their lair, inside the temple.[1] The adventurers are involved in the story by a gnomish community and travel to the temple. After battling their way in, the characters explore the temple chambers which contain mundane creatures and new monsters from the Fiend Folio.[2] This segment of the module is similar to many other of TSR's AD&D dungeon crawls including those of the S1-S4 series which precedes this module.

During their exploration the characters may reach the chambers of the temple in which religious rituals were performed, and risk insanity and death as they contact remnants of the worship of the imprisoned god Tharizdun. To progress further the characters must enact portions of the rituals of worship of Tharizdun, travelling into a dark and freezing underground subtemple, and magically opening an inner sanctum called the "Black Cyst." Having advanced this far the characters are likely to be driven insane, killed outright, or permanently trapped within the underground temple.

Publication history

WG4, The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, was written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1982 as a 32-page booklet with two outer folders; there are no modules with the codes WG1-WG3.[1] The adventure is a loosely connected sequel to module S4 - Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, and this module can be used with S4 or on its own.[3] It is a combined wilderness and dungeon adventure set in the Southern Yatil Mountains focused on a temple dedicated to the evil and insane Greyhawk god Tharizdun.[4]

The module was written by Gary Gygax with artwork by Karen Nelson.

The thematic elements of nightmare and insanity which are introduced when the PCs are exposed to the evil influence of Tharizdun's temple bring elements of Lovecraftian horror to Dungeons & Dragons, not for the first time. The concept of a trapped, malevolent god, intent upon the destruction of all that is, harkens to the dark and insane Great Old Ones. In his comprehensive article on the topic of Lovecraftian influence on D&D – "The Shadow Over D&D" – James Jacobs says of The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun and Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, "Tharizdun [...] obviously owes his pedigree to Lovecraft."[5]

A future work was promised to develop the plot from this adventure further.[3]

Reception

Jim Bambra reviewed The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun for White Dwarf, and gave it 9/10 overall. Bambra noted that "The Temple is brought to life excellently and contains plenty for players to think about, gaining entry requires good tactical play and an imaginative approach is needed to fathom out the Temple's hidden secrets."[3]

The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun was ranked the 23rd greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game. However, some have said that the final moments in the Black Cyst are anticlimactic.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 130-131. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
  2. ^ a b Livingstone, Ian (1982). Dicing with Dragons, An Introduction to Role-Playing Games (Revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN 0710094663. (preview)
  3. ^ a b c d Bambra, Jim (1983). "Open Box". White Dwarf (Issue 44). Games Workshop: 13. ((cite journal)): |format= requires |url= (help); |issue= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Gygax, E. Gary (1982). The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. TSR.
  5. ^ Jacobs, James (2004). "The Shadow Over D&D: H. P. Lovecraft's Influence on Dungeons & Dragons". Dragon (#324). ((cite journal)): Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Erik Mona, James Jacobs; et al. (2004). "The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time". Dungeon (#116). Paizo Publishing. ((cite journal)): Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
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