The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
| The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | |
|---|---|
 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, cover art by Erol Otus | |
| General information | |
| Type: | Adventure |
| Code/Abbr.: | S4, TSR9038 |
| Edition: | First edition |
| Creators | |
| Author: | Gary Gygax |
| Editor(s): | Edward G. Sollers |
| Cover artist: | Erol Otus |
| Interior artist(s): | Jim Holloway, Erol Otus, Jeff Easley, Stephen D. Sullivan |
| Publishing info | |
| Series: | S series—S4 / WG4 |
| Publisher: | TSR, Inc. |
| Publish date: | 1982 (1976) |
| Misc | |
| Pages: | 32 + 32 illustration booklet |
| ISBN: | 0-935696-72-5 |
| Class: | Officially published content |
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth is a first-edition D&D adventure set in the[[[Yatil Mountains]], in the Flanaess. It was written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR, Inc. in 1982. The 64-page adventure bears the code "S4" and is set in the World of Greyhawk. Module WG4 - The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is a loosely connected sequel to S4.
It is designed for 6 to 8 character of levels 6-10
Blurb
[edit | edit source]"In the Yatil Mountains south of Perrenland there is rumored to be a magical hoard of unsurpassed value, a treasure of such fame that scores of adventurers have perished in search of it. Find the perilous Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and you may gain the hidden wealth of the long-dead arch-mage—if you live."
Plot
[edit | edit source]The characters must travel into the Yatil Mountains south of the Greyhawk realm of Perrenland to investigate rumors of a lost treasure that scores of adventurers have perished attempting to find. The treasure is a remnant of the wealth amassed by the archmage Iggwilv, former ruler of Perrenland, prior to her presumed death at the hands of the demon Graz'zt.
Notable individuals
[edit | edit source]| Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | |
|---|---|
 Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, cover art by Jodie Muir. | |
| General information | |
| Type: | Adventure |
| Edition: | Fifth edition |
| Creators | |
| Author: | Justice Ramin Arman |
| Editor(s): | Judy Baur, Hannah Rose |
| Cover artist: | Jodie Muir |
| Interior artist(s): | Stephen Andrade, Mark Behm, Zoltan Boros, Adrián Ibarra Lugo, Arash Radkia |
| Publishing info | |
| Publisher: | WotC |
| Publish date: | 2024 |
| Misc | |
| Class: | Officially published content |
Pregenerated characters
[edit | edit source]PCs only in orginal adventure
[edit | edit source]- Hockerbrecht (male half-elven fighter 4/mage 4/thief 5)
- Arocken (female human ranger 6)
- Benedict (male human cleric 6)
PCs in both adventures
[edit | edit source]- Cathartic (female human cleric 9)
- Dunil (female halfling rogue 9)
- Ethelrede (male human fighter 9)
- Flemin (male hill dwarf monk 9) (or fighter 6)
- Weslocke (female tiefling warlock 9)
PCs only in 2024 adventure
[edit | edit source]Publishing history
[edit | edit source]The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth is a revised and expanded version of The Lost Caverns of Tsojconth (sic), a tournament adventure that Gygax wrote for WinterCon V, a gaming convention sponsored by the Metro Detroit Gamers (MDG) in 1976. MDG also made a version of the tournament (an 8-sheet packet in a plastic bag) available for purchase at the convention, making Tsojconth the second stand-alone, commercially available adventure for Dungeons & Dragons, but was the first by TSR. (The first commercial adventure, Palace of the Vampire Queen (published by Wee Warriors), preceded Tsojconth by mere months.)[1]
The original Lost Caverns adventure was a "dungeon crawl" taking place entirely in an underground environment, written for the 1974 version of the Dungeons & Dragons rules with schematics partly derived from Rob Kuntz's El Raja Key of 1972/73. [2]
In 1980, Gygax began rewriting the adventure for first edition AD&D, expanding it to include outdoor encounters. The redevelopment of The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth was one of the major delays in the completion of The Temple of Elemental Evil (Anon 1981, Gygax 1981).
Both versions of the adventure are noteworthy for introducing several new monsters to the published Dungeons & Dragons canon. The monsters introduced in the original unpublished version were updated for AD&D rules and included in the first edition Monster Manual. Monsters developed and introduced specifically for the S4 published version (including the demon princes Baphomet, Fraz-Urb'luu, Graz'zt, and Kostchtchie) later reappeared in the original Monster Manual II.
In 1987, The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth was revised yet again and included in TSR's "superadventure" Realms of Horror (ISBN 0-88038-486-7).
In 2007, the classic Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth adventure was reimagined and expanded for edition 3.5 of the Dungeons & Dragons game by Ari Marmell, Edward Albert, and C.A. Suleiman for the online version of Dungeon Magazine. In this version, the destinations of several of the caverns' portals were changed and the identity of Tsojcanth was revealed.
In 2024, two adventures relating to the Lost Caverns were published.Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (2024) was published as a free download on DnDBeyond.com in July 2024.[3] It serves as a prequel to the Quests from the Infinite Staircase anthology (2024). The adventure "is designed for four to six 9th-level characters."[4] It is set in the "Lesser Caverns", and revolves around finding the entrance to the Greater Caverns. It is set up as a "tournament" adventure, like the original, and is given a time limit to complete when used in tournaments. Also like the original, pregenerated characters are provided for players to use, though only five of the original eight pregen PCs reappear in this version, and a new character is introduced.
The Quests from the Infinite Staircase anthology (2024), updates The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, bringing it forward into fifth edition.[5]
Index
[edit | edit source]Creatures
[edit | edit source]- Bat
- Behir
- Bodak
- Cave Cricket
- Cave Morey
- Cooshee
- Crystal Ooze
- Dao
- Demi-lich
- Demon (Alu-Demon)
- Demon (Bar-Igura)
- Demon (Chasme)
- Demon (Dretch)
- Demon (Rutterkin)
- Derro
- Dracolisk
- Elf, Valley
- Formorian
- Gorgimera
- Marid
- Marlgoyle
- Olive Slime
- Pech
- Pudding, Deadly
- Troll, Marine
- Slime Creature
- Wolfwere
- Xag-Ya
- Xeg-Yi
Events
[edit | edit source]Locations
[edit | edit source]Reception
[edit | edit source]The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth was ranked the second greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
External links
[edit | edit source]Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
- The Acaeum: S4.
- Greyhawk's "Lost" Dungeon Levels: S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.
- The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth at the TSR Archive.
- The Lost Caverns of Tsojconth (sic) at the TSR Archive.
- Tsojcanth - Tsojconth Encounters Comparison at Grodog's Greyhawk.
References
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]Citations
[edit | edit source]- ↑ “S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.” Supplements, www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/modpages/s4.html. accessed February 9, 2019.[1]
- ↑ Grohe, Allan. Grodog's Greyhawk. Greyhawkonline.com. Spetember 30, 2016, accessed February 9, 2019. [2]
- ↑ Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: Claim Your Free Copy Today! (Blog). DnDBeyond.com. WotC. Retrieved on 28 July 2024.
- ↑ Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. DnDBeyond.com. WotC. Retrieved on 28 July 2024.
- ↑ Bernier, Mike (March 21, 2024). Quests from the Infinite Staircase: Six Remastered Adventures from D&D's First Edition. DnDBeyond.com. WotC. Retrieved on 6 April 2024.
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]- Anonymous. "RPGA Interview with... E. Gary Gygax." RPGA News #2. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1981.
- Gygax, Gary. "From the Sorceror's Scroll: More 'Meat' for Greyhawk." Dragon #55. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1981.
- ———. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1982. ISBN 0-935696-72-5
- ———. The Lost Caverns of Tsojconth. Detroit, MI: Metro Detroit Gamers, 1976.
- Marmell, Ari, Edward Albert, and C.A. Suleiman. "Iggwilv's Legacy: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth." Dungeon #151. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. Available online [3]
- Moore, Roger E. "Gates in the World of Greyhawk." Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Originally appeared in TSR's America Online folder, later moved to its website. Available online:[4]
- Mona, Erik, James Jacobs, et al. "The 30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time." Dungeon #116 (Paizo Publishing, November 2004).
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iggwilv's legacy: the lost caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatil, | Dungeon magazine #151 | |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | Dragon magazine #059 | 6 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | Dragon magazine #067 | 10 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | Dragon magazine #225 | 49 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | Dragon magazine #241 | 43 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | Dragon magazine #339 | 59 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess | 73 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | Return of the Eight | 56 |
| S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) | 30 |
| WG3 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth | Adventure | Reference | SEE S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth |