IM1 - The Immortal Storm

System: Dungeons & Dragons

Code: #9171

Type: Adventure

Levels: 36+

Author: Frank Mentzer

Year: 1986

Publisher: TSR

Format: 40-page book w/tri-fold cover

IM1 - The Immortal Storm

IM1 The Immortal Storm is the first module for the D&D Immortal Campaign set. The first thing to note is that this is no longer D&D. The Immortal Rules are, in reality, a new gaming system. They continue previous adventures, but they are not the same. I'll save the analysis for the Immortal Rulebook page. Suffice it to say - this isn't your typical D&D anymore. Having made that distinction, let's take a look at the module.

Introduction - Player's Background

Starting out, an infinite-sized storm has shown up at the very edges of the multiverse. Of course, it threatens to destroy all living creatures. A riddle has been presented that must be decoded, then executed. The characters in this adventure are all new immortals. The heads of the various spheres have summoned them to decode this message. Then they are to follow the instructions contained therein. And hopefully, they will save the multiverse. You know, the usual immortal fare.

The Immortal Storm Part 1 - The Storm In The Eye

Part 1 presents the puzzle that the players will have to decode. It discusses various strategies for decoding the puzzle. And ultimately what the solution means. In short, the characters will have to travel the multiverse and collect 5 essences. Each essence corresponds to a sense. The collection can happen in any order, and the players can deliver the 5 essences all at once or one at a time. Traveling through the ethereal plane and the astral plane will be necessary. And there are several random encounters in those planes of existence.

The Immortal Storm Part 2 - A Star Is Born

In part 2 the characters must travel to the elemental plane of fire to collect the essence of sight. There are several random encounters with various fire creatures. The encounters include elementals, helion, firedrakes, and salamanders. Eventually, the characters interact with the 120-foot tall elemental ruler. The elemental rule then summons the immortal Firemaster. The Firemaster is sympathetic to the character's mission. So he has them hunt a Phoenix to get the materials needed to capture the essence of Sight from a newly formed star. Easy right?

The Immortal Storm Part 3 - The Sound Of Music

In part 3 the characters must travel to the outer planes. They must visit the home plane of a race known as Tonals. Here, they need to get the essence of sound. This is a very foreign plane and very easy to get lost in. But they are immortals. And they get the help of a resident tonal to lead them through the plane. Finally, the players manage to get the attention of one of the high-ranking Tonals. This high-ranking tonal needs help in rooting out a maverick tonal. Once the characters complete that mission, they receive the essence of sound.

The Immortal Storm Part 4 - An Odd Notion

In part 4 the characters must again travel to the outer planes. This time they visit the home plane of the Notions. Here they hope to find the essence of taste. The party enters this plane and is immediately beset by a group of playful notions. Next, they help out a Djinni. This Djinn knows the Notions pretty well. He returns the favor by taking the party to find the Notion who can help them with finding the essence of taste.

The Immortal Storm Part 5 - Master Of The Earth

In part 5 the characters must travel to the Plane of Earth. Here they must seek an audience with the Elemaster of Earth himself, the Earthlord. It seems the Earthlord has the essence of touch they need for their quest. After arriving at the plane, the characters must find and enter the home planet of the Earthlord. After finding the planet, navigating the planet proves very challenging. The citadel of the Earthlord is deep within the planet. And the party discovers that travel spells are useless. Oh, and there are thousands of miles of tunnels to wander through before reaching the citadel. Finally, the enterprising party makes it. As it happens, the Earthlord needs some help with an insurgent creature. Once finished with that, the Elemaster rewards the characters their essence of touch.

The Immortal Storm Part 6 - The Smell Of Victory

In part 6 the characters must travel to a "backward three-dimensional plane". This plane is devoid of magic and relies on technology to function. Here they must find the essence of smell. It is a dire and drab world. And it also happens to be a parallel world to our own. When the characters enter, they in fact enter via a gate from the astral plane into a subway station in New York City. They must learn to navigate this foreign world without magic. They then have to find a place known only as Skokie Illinois. They then have to somehow find the essence of smell. And they have to do it all without revealing their identities or altering the course of history. The target is a perfume company. Apparently, this company has accidentally created something amazing. And it can only be described as the essence of smell. There is a large section in the module dedicated to interaction in this world. There is also great detail about how the characters can go about obtaining the essence.

The Immortal Storm Part 7 - Fight For Honor

At this point, the characters have obtained all 5 essences. It is now time to use these essences to dissipate the growing storm on the edge of the multiverse. Unfortunately, the leaders of the 5 spheres are having a problem. They can't agree on which one of them gets the honor. So they decide that the characters will all fight each other to the death in one big battle. Since they are immortals so they won't actually die. The winner earns their sphere's leader the honor of destroying the storm. And thus the world is saved.

My Random Notes, Thoughts & Reviews about The Immortal Storm

The worlds where the characters have to travel are definitely not your normal D&D worlds. It almost seems to me that the writers put a lot of effort into creating never-before-seen worlds. And, in my opinion, they missed out on developing a deeper storyline.

There is a very extensive section at the end dealing with handing out experience points. As usual, characters earn experience points based on their activities. One thing I would definitely do is award experience at the end of each part, rather than waiting until the very end. But that is how I always DM.

There are many random encounter tables for the various planes that the players visit. The astral plane, the ethereal plane, the elemental plane of earth, and the elemental plane of fire. I like those encounter tables, and I would use those as a base and further expand them. Someone could come up with the outline for a hundred different encounters in each of the planes. And with corresponding adventures for each one. That is something that I thought of as I looked over those encounter tables. Due to space constraints that wouldn't be possible in the module itself. But come on DMs - make it happen!

What the hell was behind the storm? We have no idea. Maybe we'll find out in a future module. But as it stands, no one knows, and as far as the contents of the module, no one seems to care. Just your average giant cloud storm threatening all existence. But really, what the hell was that?

The Immortal Storm In Conclusion

I have always felt underwhelmed with this module. I always thought they put too much effort into creating fantastical adventure settings. And I think that the actual module suffered. I never cared for the execution that much. If I wanted to play a game set in New York City, I would not play D&D. And the other realms, I don't know, I never got into any of it. But hey - to each their own.

I should probably look at this as a great starting point. A good DM can take this module and turn it into something that could last for many gaming sessions. And the developers are delving into an entirely new level of player power. So there is that.