Thicker Than Water

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Thicker Than Water is a 16-page short adventure module for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition released on December 27, 2002. It is suitable for player characters of 12th level.

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for an adventure module.

Official synopsis[]

Blood is thicker than water, as they say. But what happens when people use ties of blood to exploit others?
You may run into this problem in Monte Cook's new miniadventure, Thicker Than Water. In this module suitable for four 12th-level characters, one PC discovers a distant relative seeking help to complete a prophecy. Of course, things are never that easy -- particularly if the PC doesn't want to help?
Adventure Preview
Migos Fehr is the son of Charad, a mysterious air elemental creature somehow related to the Prince of Evil Air Elementals, Yan-C-Bin. Charad descended upon the material world about a century ago and, in the guise of a suave and dashing human, produced offspring with a number of mortal women, then he did the same thing again 30 years ago. Migos and his siblings all retain the traits of their supernatural father. Migos seeks the remaining carriers of Charad's bloodline. While he has found those from Charad's more recent visit, he also seeks those who descended from his actions long ago. He believes that people of his bloodline have a destiny (he calls it a "holy destiny") and that they are generally superior to others.
Specifically, he wants to fulfill an obscure prophecy called the Presage of Forms. This prophecy, originally spoken by the seer Talla 900 years ago, states that when six examples of the perfection of form gather together, they can unlock something called the Power Universal and gain access to its limitless might.
As it happens, Migos is completely wrong in thinking that the prophecy refers to his brethren, and he's made other mistakes as well, which you will discover later in this adventure. But, of course, he does not know this. (He wouldn't accept the notion of his errors even if someone told him or offered him proof?he's that convinced.)
Character Hooks and Running the Adventure
This is an event-driven adventure, as opposed to a site-based one. Refer to the Dungeon Master's Guide, page 98, for a description of the difference. Basically, you can find here a number of events, all linked, to place in your campaign. You can space these events apart, with other encounters, events, or even whole adventures taking place between them. The amount of time between events depends mostly on the character hook used to get the PCs into the adventure and how much setup time you have...

Plot[]

Background[]

Synopsis[]

Development and release[]

Development[]

The book was written by Monte Cook. Art was provided by Cynthia Fliege and Sean Glenn.

Release[]

Thicker Than Water was originally released for free on the Wizards of the Coast website on December 27, 2002, as part of its Original Adventures series. It remained online until around 2014.

On June 28, 2016, it was re-released on digital sale. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $0.99.

Reception and influence[]

Critical reception[]

As of 2023, Thicker Than Water reached the rank of Silver seller on DriveThruRPG.

Influence on other works[]

External links[]

References[]

Original Adventures 3e web series

The Alchemist's Eyrie • Bad Light • Bad Moon Waning • Base of Operations • Black Rain • The Burning Plague • Cave of the Spiders • The Crumbling Hall of the Frost Giant Jarl • A Dark and Stormy Knight • Desert Sands • Dry Spell • Environmental Impact • The Ettin's Riddle • An Eye for an Eye • The Eye of the Sun • Fait Accompli • Fallen Angel • Fang, Beak, and Claw • Force of Nature • A Frigid Demise • Frozen Whispers • The Ghosts of Aniel • A Harvest of Evil • Hasken's Manor • Haunting Lodge • House of Harpies • An Icy Heart • Ill Wind in Friezford • Into the Frozen Waste • Jungle Secrets • The Kopru Ruins • Legend of the Silver Skeleton • Lest Darkness Rise • Lochfell's Secret • Luck of the Draw • Manifesting: A Tale • Matters of Vengeance • The Ministry of Winds • One Last Riddle • A Question of Ethics • Road to Oblivion • The Sea Witch • The Secret of the Windswept Wall • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? • Sheep's Clothing • Shoals of Intrigue • Shrine of the Feathered Serpent • Something's Cooking • Start at the End • Stone Dead • Tarus's Banquet • The Temple of Redcliff • Test of the Demonweb • Thicker Than Water • The Thunder Below • Tiger's Palace • To Quell the Rising Storm • Tomb of Horrors • Tower in the Ice • The Tower of Deception • The Treasure of the Black Veils • The Unwavering Path • The Vessel of Stars • War of Dragons • White Plume Mountain • Wreck Ashore

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