Queen of the Demonweb Pits
Encyclopedia
Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Q1) is an adventure module
for the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game written by David Sutherland
. The "Q" in the module code represents the first letter in the word "queen." This module is a sequel to the D series of modules. Queen of the Demonweb Pits was novelized in 2001 under the same title.
Queen of the Demonweb Pits is the seventh in an epic series of adventures set in the World of Greyhawk, starting with persistent raiding by local hill giants and other events described in the G1-3 Against the Giants
modules. The series continues from there on an odyssey into the Underdark
as described in the "Drow" series of modules: D1 – Descent into the Depths of the Earth
, D2 – Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, and D3 – Vault of the Drow. (D1 and D2 were later compiled into a single adventure, D1-2 – Descent into the Depths of the Earth). This module sends the player character
s to the demonic abyss
to defeat the evil demigod Lolth
, the demonic goddess of the drow.
, Demon Queen of Spiders, goddess of the drow elves and architect of the sinister plot described in the series involving hill giants, frost giants, fire giants, kuo-toa
, drow, and other creatures. Her realm, the 66th layer of the Abyss, is referred to as the Demonweb Pits
.
The player character
s are transported to another plane and cast into the labyrinth known as the Demonweb. In order to return home, the characters must find their way out of the web and then defeat the evil demigoddess Lolth in her lair.
The Q1 module was the first to offer a glimpse into the Abyss itself, home to the D&D race of Demons
. It features a map of the maze-like Demonweb Pits, a series of interweaving passageways constructed in a maelstrom of lost souls in the abyssal plane. Characters who venture off the path are most likely lost. Many spells work differently or not at all. In the maze, there are a number of portals to other worlds, somewhere Lolth is sending minions to try and invade, such as a winter world and a world of permanent night. This makes Queen of the Demonweb Pits an unusually open-ended adventure, as each "portal" could potentially lead to a massive area, from which the dungeon master
could, if he or she chose, launch an entirely new campaign.
As the adventure progresses, the player character
s make their way through Lolth's webs, where they are confronted by her minions, slaves, guards, and captives. At the very end of the module, the players face a final confrontation with Lolth, an exceptionally difficult challenge. Here lies a gargantuan mechanical spider, which Lolth can manipulate. The dungeon also introduced Lolth's handmaidens, the demonic Yochlol.
Queen of the Demonweb Pits was the tournament dungeon for the Origins '79 game convention. David C. Sutherland III
and Gary Gygax
designed the module, which was then published in 1980 as a 32-page booklet with a folder of maps. The module featured two outer folders with a cover by Jim Roslof
and interior illustrations by Erol Otus
and Jeff Dee
. Queen of the Demonweb Pits was intended to be the final adventure in a series of seven by Gygax.
The module was the sequel for the D-series, and was later republished as part of the Queen of the Spiders
supermodule (coded GDQ1-7), containing the entire saga. Queen of the Demonweb Pits was made into a novel of the same name by Paul Kidd for the Greyhawk Classics series. The novel was published by Wizards of the Coast
in 2001. In 2007, the module's setting was revisited in the Wizards of the Coast
adventure module, Expedition to the Demonweb Pits
.
At the time the module was released, each Dungeons & Dragons module was marked with an alphanumeric code
indicating the series to which it belonged. The "Q" in the module code represents the first letter in the word "queen".
#35 in 1981. She noted that players and the Dungeon Master
need to be fairly experienced, particularly because some spell effects have been altered: "It takes skill, courage, and ingenuity to make your way into (and possibly, if you're lucky, out of) the pits. A good challenge for experienced players." Barrington did complain that some of the spell alterations felt unnecessary, as some of the spells which were really useful under ordinary circumstances became almost useless given the alterations. She did note that the book contained "many excellent ideas", and that the artwork was "up to TSR's usual neatness and simplicity", but that overall the module was "Not one of TSR's best efforts, but a worthy try."
Dungeon Master for Dummies lists Queen of the Demonweb Pits as one of the ten best classic adventures.
Ken Denmead of Wired
listed the module as one of the "Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend". The module is intended for levels 10–14, but he commented that the module was published "before level-inflation had taken its toll on a weary nation. In year 2007 levels, that’s like 100!" He felt a number of aspects of the Abyss were psychedelic, describing the web's doors as similar to the "loony corridor scene from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band." According to Denmead, "This is one big, bad module, and if you make it to the end, well, there’s just one last monster to take care of. [...] You are, in effect, trying to take out a goddess. Good luck with that."
When combined as a single adventure
with the rest of GDQ series, this module was voted the single greatest adventure of all time by Dungeon
magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game written by David Sutherland
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
. The "Q" in the module code represents the first letter in the word "queen." This module is a sequel to the D series of modules. Queen of the Demonweb Pits was novelized in 2001 under the same title.
Queen of the Demonweb Pits is the seventh in an epic series of adventures set in the World of Greyhawk, starting with persistent raiding by local hill giants and other events described in the G1-3 Against the Giants
Against the Giants
Against the Giants is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1981 for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. It combines the G series of modules previously published in 1978: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, and Hall of...
modules. The series continues from there on an odyssey into the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
as described in the "Drow" series of modules: D1 – Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Descent Into the Depths of the Earth is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game coded D1–2. It was written by Gary Gygax, and combines two previously published modules from 1978, the original Descent into the Depths of the Earth and Shrine of the Kuo-Toa...
, D2 – Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, and D3 – Vault of the Drow. (D1 and D2 were later compiled into a single adventure, D1-2 – Descent into the Depths of the Earth). This module sends the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s to the demonic abyss
Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Abyss or more fully, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, used in the Planescape...
to defeat the evil demigod Lolth
Lolth
Lolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth , the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves...
, the demonic goddess of the drow.
Plot summary
At the conclusion of Vault of the Drow, the characters find an astral gate leading to the Abyssal realm of LolthLolth
Lolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth , the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves...
, Demon Queen of Spiders, goddess of the drow elves and architect of the sinister plot described in the series involving hill giants, frost giants, fire giants, kuo-toa
Kuo-toa
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the kuo-toa are fish-like monstrous humanoids that dwell in the Underdark, and in the sea.-Publication history:...
, drow, and other creatures. Her realm, the 66th layer of the Abyss, is referred to as the Demonweb Pits
Demonweb Pits
Demonweb Pits, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, is the 66th layer of the chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence known as the Infinite Layers of the Abyss...
.
The player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s are transported to another plane and cast into the labyrinth known as the Demonweb. In order to return home, the characters must find their way out of the web and then defeat the evil demigoddess Lolth in her lair.
The Q1 module was the first to offer a glimpse into the Abyss itself, home to the D&D race of Demons
Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demons are the most widespread race of fiends. The demons are chaotic evil by nature, and are native to the Abyss...
. It features a map of the maze-like Demonweb Pits, a series of interweaving passageways constructed in a maelstrom of lost souls in the abyssal plane. Characters who venture off the path are most likely lost. Many spells work differently or not at all. In the maze, there are a number of portals to other worlds, somewhere Lolth is sending minions to try and invade, such as a winter world and a world of permanent night. This makes Queen of the Demonweb Pits an unusually open-ended adventure, as each "portal" could potentially lead to a massive area, from which the dungeon master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
could, if he or she chose, launch an entirely new campaign.
As the adventure progresses, the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s make their way through Lolth's webs, where they are confronted by her minions, slaves, guards, and captives. At the very end of the module, the players face a final confrontation with Lolth, an exceptionally difficult challenge. Here lies a gargantuan mechanical spider, which Lolth can manipulate. The dungeon also introduced Lolth's handmaidens, the demonic Yochlol.
Publication history
After the publication of the first six modules in the series, there was a delay in this module's development and release. Gary Gygax reported he had found it difficult to conceptualize how to write it. David C. Sutherland proposed an outline which impressed Gygax so much he decided to use it.Queen of the Demonweb Pits was the tournament dungeon for the Origins '79 game convention. David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
and Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
designed the module, which was then published in 1980 as a 32-page booklet with a folder of maps. The module featured two outer folders with a cover by Jim Roslof
Jim Roslof
James Paul "Jim" Roslof was an American artist and graphic designer particularly well known for cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons...
and interior illustrations by Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
and Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. Based in Austin, Texas, he is a recognized figure in the role-playing game community and game industry...
. Queen of the Demonweb Pits was intended to be the final adventure in a series of seven by Gygax.
The module was the sequel for the D-series, and was later republished as part of the Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 and is a compilation of seven previous related modules, often referred to as a "supermodule." Together, the seven adventures form an integrated campaign that...
supermodule (coded GDQ1-7), containing the entire saga. Queen of the Demonweb Pits was made into a novel of the same name by Paul Kidd for the Greyhawk Classics series. The novel was published by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
in 2001. In 2007, the module's setting was revisited in the Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
adventure module, Expedition to the Demonweb Pits
Expedition to the Demonweb Pits
Expedition to the Demonweb Pits is a super-adventure module for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The adventure is designed for characters of levels 9–12...
.
At the time the module was released, each Dungeons & Dragons module was marked with an alphanumeric code
Alphanumeric code
In general, in computing, an alphanumeric code is a series of letters and numbers which are written in a form that can be processed by a computer....
indicating the series to which it belonged. The "Q" in the module code represents the first letter in the word "queen".
Reception
Elisabeth Barrington reviewed Queen of the Demonweb Pits as part of a review in The Space GamerThe Space Gamer
The Space Gamer was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the late 70s through the mid-80s...
#35 in 1981. She noted that players and the Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
need to be fairly experienced, particularly because some spell effects have been altered: "It takes skill, courage, and ingenuity to make your way into (and possibly, if you're lucky, out of) the pits. A good challenge for experienced players." Barrington did complain that some of the spell alterations felt unnecessary, as some of the spells which were really useful under ordinary circumstances became almost useless given the alterations. She did note that the book contained "many excellent ideas", and that the artwork was "up to TSR's usual neatness and simplicity", but that overall the module was "Not one of TSR's best efforts, but a worthy try."
Dungeon Master for Dummies lists Queen of the Demonweb Pits as one of the ten best classic adventures.
Ken Denmead of Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
listed the module as one of the "Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend". The module is intended for levels 10–14, but he commented that the module was published "before level-inflation had taken its toll on a weary nation. In year 2007 levels, that’s like 100!" He felt a number of aspects of the Abyss were psychedelic, describing the web's doors as similar to the "loony corridor scene from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band." According to Denmead, "This is one big, bad module, and if you make it to the end, well, there’s just one last monster to take care of. [...] You are, in effect, trying to take out a goddess. Good luck with that."
When combined as a single adventure
Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 and is a compilation of seven previous related modules, often referred to as a "supermodule." Together, the seven adventures form an integrated campaign that...
with the rest of GDQ series, this module was voted the single greatest adventure of all time by Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
External links
- Queen of the Demonweb Pits at the Acaeum.com
- Queen of the Demonweb Pits at the TSR Archive
- Queen of the Demonweb Pits at the Pen & Paper RPG Database