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Product Spotlight
Wizards of the Coast: Tell us a little about The Sunless Citadel. What's the premise? Bruce Cordell: The technical premise is that it’s an adventure balanced for 1st-level characters of the new D&D game. From my privileged position ensconced in the heart of Wizards Roleplaying R&D, I was able to create an adventure true to the rules, and one that provides simple explanations for many of the situations that crop up during the course of the adventure. Things like attacks of opportunity, flanking, and partial actions are endemic to the game but possibly new to Dungeon Masters for the time being. The story premise involves a once-proud fortress that fell into the earth in a long-ago past. Rechristened the Sunless Citadel, its echoing, broken halls now house nefarious races and malign creatures. Evil has taken root at the citadel's core, which lies deep within a subterranean garden of blighted foliage. Here a terrible tree and its dark shepherd plot in darkness. Wizards: You were working on this adventure while the new D&D rules were still being finalized. Was this difficult? How did you keep abreast of late-breaking rules changes? Bruce: Well, as I mentioned, I’m right here in the heart of the core group, which allowed me to keep close tabs on the state of the rules. Plus, I had more time on this product than is generally assigned to a 32-page product, which allowed me to incorporate many of the changes. Ultimately, however, the lion’s share of the changes brought about by rules fluctuations were handled in a heroic manner by Miranda Horner, the editor of the project. Of course, managing editors David Eckelberry and Kim Mohan also were called upon to make changes in the proof stages, as yet more rules solidified into a final form. They deserve my heartfelt thanks for their efforts. Wizards: You’ve written a lot of adventures in the last few years. How does The Sunless Citadel differ from your earlier D&D modules? Bruce: I had to give a lot more thought to utilizing the rules. Second edition didn’t have specific rules for several situations commonly encountered in a dungeon scenario, but new D&D does. Thus, the average time for writing an adventure for new D&D is greater. But, in the end, this creates an adventure much more friendly to the DM, easier to run, and hopefully, more fun to play. I used to put classed monsters in my 2nd edition products, but I wasn’t following any rules but my own. Now, it’s all laid out for me in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Wizards: As the designer of the first published 3rd edition D&D adventure, what design goals did you have for The Sunless Citadel? Bruce: It’s no secret that I’ve long been a big fan of the idea of "commonality of experience" in the player base. Way back in the dawn of the D&D era, only a few modules existed, and thus everyone who played D&D played these modules. It wasn’t hard to predict that Return to the Tomb of Horrors would be popular, since such a large community of players is familiar with it. We have the chance to build that same commonality of experience with the first few modules we produce for new D&D. Since I have the honor of writing the first paper, stand-alone adventure directly supporting D&D, I hope this module becomes one that many thousands of players will play, remember, and discuss for years to come. Wizards: What was the biggest challenge in writing it? Bruce: Incorporating the new rules was the biggest challenge … and the biggest satisfaction. Wizards: You're known for writing some "killer" adventures in the past, such as Return to the Tomb of Horrors. Does The Sunless Citadel have a hefty death toll? Bruce: Nope, this is not a "killer" adventure. It is an adventure suitable for 1st-level characters, playtest balanced for the four iconic PCs [Mialee, Tordek, Jozan, and Lidda]. If you play through The Sunless Citadel with at least three other characters, and you play smart, there is no reason to believe you’ll perish. Unless, of course, you try to open the stone door -- but I’m sure you wouldn’t do that, would you? Wizards: What will your fans see in this adventure that is trademark "Bruce Cordell?" Bruce: I have a hard time answering that. If I have fans, I assume they appreciate an adventure that contains exploration and discovery, dangerous interludes, roleplaying bits, faintly humorous bits, potential allies, enemies to hate, and a scary finale where the truth of the storyline becomes suddenly apparent in all its terrible clarity. So, readers can expect something like that in this adventure. Wizards: What else can they expect? Any new monsters or magical items you can tell us about? Bruce: The twig-blight is a new monster, which I had pretty much fleshed out before I saw the movie Blair Witch Project, though when I saw that movie I realized how, if played right, a twig-blight (or five) could be true terrors of the night. There are a few new magic items as well, including a sword called Shatterspike and a crystalline whistle called Azun-Gund, which is dwarven for "night caller." Wizards: From your volume of work, it’s hard to believe that you haven’t always been a game designer. Tell us a little about your earlier background. Bruce: I have a degree in biology, which emphasizes environmental and applied ecology, but also touches on molecular and cellular biology. I worked for almost four years synthesizing DNA at a biotech company in Boulder, Colorado, before TSR offered me money to make stuff up. I didn’t think twice about making the jump. Wizards: Do you use your scientific knowledge in game design? Bruce: I’d have to say, sure, anything a designer knows comes to eventual use, either consciously or subconsciously. Habits of research and report writing put me in good stead in designing an adventure and all the components that go with an adventure, but I’m sure my experience coding online MUSHs helps as well. Wizards: What gaming do you do in your spare time? Bruce: Monte Cook runs a complex campaign involving two different groups on different nights. I play my elven "archer" Chanticleer (a fighter maxed out with bow-related feats and high Dex) and his cohort, an elven cleric Quilaembril. Wizards: What's next on your schedule to design? Bruce: I’ve mostly finished the Psionics Handbook and am currently working on another 32-page adventure for 10th- to 13th-level characters, with the working title of "Heart of Nightfang Spire." I anticipate working with Monte Cook on an upcoming sourcebook involving arcane spellcasters. For more on Bruce’s upcoming Psionics Handbook, check out our latest Playtest Group of the Month!
Co-Design Credits
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This
month sees the release of the first official D&D adventure
for the new edition of the game: 
