Lord of the Iron Fortress is a 52-page sourcebook by Andy Collins for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition released in January 2002. It is intended for 15th-level characters.
It is the seventh work in a series of eight linked modules unofficially referred to as the Sunless Citadel adventure path. It consists of The Sunless Citadel (2000), The Forge of Fury (2000), The Speaker in Dreams (2001), The Standing Stone (2001), Heart of Nightfang Spire (2001), Deep Horizon (2001), Lord of the Iron Fortress (2002), and Bastion of Broken Souls (2002).
Official synopsis[]
Great Danger Wrought in Secrecy
Legendary forgemasters now serve an evil warlord and his dark purpose. Their hammers ring upon anvils dedicated to remaking a terrible weapon that was destroyed in ages long past. As the very fate of the world is being shaped, only the strongest heroes can shatter the diabolical plan.
"Lord of the Iron Fortress" is a stand-alone adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons game, the seventh adventure in a series of eight designed to take players from the beginner to advanced levels of play (although no other adventures need be played to play this one). This adventure contains an additional 16 pages of content for the same price as earlier adventures. Designed to challenge 15th-level D&D heroes, it opens the perilous gateway to planar travel.
To use this accessory, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual.
- Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for a Dungeons & Dragons product.
Plot[]
Background[]
In an ancient age, a powerful efreet wielded the powerful Blade of Fiery Might until a band of heroes destroyed the artifact and shattered its parts across the multiverse.
Now, the half-dragon warlord Imperagon is reforging the weapon in the Iron Fortress of Zandikar on the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron. He has enslaved the spirits of the finest smiths in the multiverse to complete his project, and his plans may be only weeks or days from completion.
Synopsis[]
The player characters stumble upon clues leading them to Imperagon's plot, and head the planar city of Rigus. From there, a portal leads to the plane of Acheron. On this plane lies Kolyoral, the Lost Cube, and home to Imperagon's fortress, guarded by iron golems and steel predator constructs. Within, enslaved forgemasters are forced to work on the Blade. Unless they can defeat Imperagon, the warlord will become a force to be reckoned with across the planes.
Development and release[]
Development[]
The book was written by Andy Collins. Art was provided by Todd Lockwood, David Day, Wayne Reynolds and Todd Gamble.
Release[]
Lord of the Iron Fortress was released by Wizards of the Coast in January 2002 for $9.95 US, or $13.95 Canadian.[1]
On January 22, 2013, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $4.99.
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
Lord of the Iron Fortress won the 2002 ENnie Award for Best Art (Cover).[2]
Kevin Kulp praised this module's NPC and monster design, as well as the layout of the dungeon. He noted that the module includes several pages advising the DM on how to handle high-level divination spells, and suggested that it would make an excellent jumping-off point to further planar adventures. However, he was disappointed that, despite allowing players to visit the Great Wheel, it lacked the unique flavor of 1990s Planescape sourcebooks.[3]
In November 2020, Lord of the Iron Fortress was rated an Electrum best seller at on Dungeon Masters Guild. As of 2023, Lord of the Iron Fortress reached the rank of Gold seller on DriveThruRPG.
Influence on other works[]
Lord of the Iron Fortress is the seventh in a series of eight adventure modules: The Sunless Citadel (2000), The Forge of Fury (2000), The Speaker in Dreams (2001), The Standing Stone (2001), Heart of Nightfang Spire (2001), Deep Horizon (2001), Lord of the Iron Fortress (2002), and Bastion of Broken Souls (2002). The concept of a series of linked adventure modules taking a character from level 1 to 20 would be come to be known as an "adventure path", a term first used by James Wyatt to describe this series in an interview in Dragon #281 (Mar 2001). Dungeon Magazine went on to publish its own adventure paths beginning in Dungeon #97 (Mar/Apr 2003). Following Dungeon's closure in 2007, adventure paths formed a core feature of Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder product line, which at one point surpassed Dungeons & Dragons in sales.
The high-level planar adventure module The Iron Satyr, Dungeon #108 (Mar 2004), recommends using Lord of the Iron Fortress as a sequel.
The Blade of Fiery Might later appeared in Arms and Equipment Guide (3e) (2003).
External links[]
References[]
| Sunless Citadel series |
|---|
| The Sunless Citadel • The Forge of Fury • The Speaker in Dreams • The Standing Stone • Heart of Nightfang Spire • Deep Horizon • Lord of the Iron Fortress • Bastion of Broken Souls |
| Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 |
|---|
| Core rules |
| Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual • Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game |
| Supplements |
| Arms and Equipment Guide • Book of Challenges • Book of Vile Darkness • Defenders of the Faith • Deities and Demigods • Enemies and Allies • Epic Level Handbook • Fiend Folio • Ghostwalk • Hero Builder's Guidebook • Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Gazetteer) • Manual of the Planes • Masters of the Wild • Monster Manual II • Oriental Adventures • Psionics Handbook • Savage Species • Song and Silence • Stronghold Builder's Guidebook • Sword and Fist • Tome and Blood |
| Adventures |
| The Sunless Citadel • The Forge of Fury • The Fright at Tristor • The Speaker in Dreams • The Standing Stone • Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil • Heart of Nightfang Spire • Deep Horizon • Lord of the Iron Fortress • Bastion of Broken Souls • City of the Spider Queen |