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Line 10: ''[[Tomb of Horrors]]'' is a module released for the original ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', written by the game's creator, [[Gary Gygax]]. In it, a group of adventurers travel to the titular tomb to fight the demilich Acererak and recover any loot found along the way. The only problem? The tomb is filled with dozens of deathtraps. Ridiculously hard to figure out and frustrating, ''Tomb of Horrors'' is one of the most infamous adventures for any campaign, and is called a "meat grinder" by many gamers for good reason. The original module is, of course, long since out of print, but an updated version for use with the ''D&D'' 3.5 ruleset is available as a free download from [https://web.archive.org/web/20060104080408/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd~~/oa/20051031a~~%2Foa%2F20051031a the Wizards of the Coast Web site]. This version has elicited strong controversy due to heavy reduction in the lethality, partly due to the differences in edition rules, primarily due to general [[Adaptation Decay]]; rather than a perfect replication under the 3.5 ruleset of the original super-lethal module, the official update is actually a standard, mostly-balanced dungeon crawl, aimed for level 9 characters. Not only are there few of the classic traps from the original left in, {{spoiler\|the Acererak encountered at the dungeon's end is actually a [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil\|CR12]] "fake demilich construct". This is because there is absolutely no way in 3.5 a true demilich could possibly be beaten by 9th level character without resorting to an obvious plot device that would itself destroy the challenge of the dungeon}}. The Tomb of Horrors is located in the ''[[Greyhawk]]'' setting, but can be adapted to almost any other setting with minimum fuss. There are two versions in Fourth Edition, one merely a conversion of the old tomb ([[Your Mileage May Vary]] on how deadly it still is) and the other a rather long campaign that is a sequel to Cordell's ''Return to the Tomb of Horrors''. In the Fifth Edition, it is reprinted with 5th Edition rules (along with many other classic modules) in the ''Tales from the Yawning Portal''. In 2020, ''Tomb of Annihilation'' was released as a ~~remake/sequel~~[[Adaptation Expansion]], placing the Tomb (now called the Tomb of Nine Gods) in a specific area of the [[Forgotten Realms]] and adding more of a plot and motivations, along with familiar NPCs. <big>'''Spoiler alert!''' Since [[Everything Is Trying to Kill You]] inside the tomb, many of the tropes below will spoil its traps.</big> Line 23: * [[Boring but Practical]]: At least one group of adventurers has made it through without a single casualty by having a team of dwarves [[Dungeon Bypass\|dig around the traps and obstacles]] with non-magical mining equipment over the course of several weeks. The writers planned for ethereal travel, melding into stone, magical defenses, teleportation, etc. but never expected an ordinary pickaxe and a group of patient, careful adventurers. * [[Collapsing Lair]]: {{spoiler\|Subverted. It's an illusion}}. * [[Complete Monster]]: As a "private" joke, Acererak kidnapped a kind and beautiful Siren, placed her under an enchantment, and trapped her in a cavern inside the Tomb of Horrors. Most players would assume that the Siren was just a trap or monster, and would try to slay her instead of rescuing her. Acererak is a twisted person indeed. ** Subverted in later editions of the quest; the Siren is swapped out for a common mook to fool veterans who had played the original quest. * [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]: [[Word of God\|Gary Gygax]], in the introduction to ''Return of the Tomb of Horrors'' tells the story of how at one GenCon, one team actually succeeded in the adventure by using one of the no-saving-throw instant death traps ''against Acererak''. "I put the crown on the demilich's head while my buddy taps it with the wrong end of the scepter." Made doubly awesome by the fact that ''the tournament's DM called in [[Gary Gygax]] himself for backup'', and Gary admitted that it would work, and ruled that Acererak instantly died. First prize! ** Heheh. [[A Worldwide Punomenon\|"Crowning" moment indeed!]] Line 49 ⟶ 47: * [[Mythology Gag]]: Acererak appears in the 3.5 Tome of Magic as one possible use for a [[Powers Via Possession]] based class. * [[Nintendo Hard]]: As [[I Wanna Be the Guy]] is to video games, [[Platform Hell\|this module is to dungeon crawls]]. * [[The Nudifier]]: There are several traps which teleport ''the target'' to the entrance and all their ''clothes and equipment'' to the demilich's lair. Traps that leave a victim naked, helpless, and humiliated was a trend in Gygax's works. * [[Obvious Rule Patch]]: In the 3.5 update, the crown cannot be removed from the chamber it's in. See the above entry for [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]. * [[Party Scattering]]: Acererak had the ability to teleport the [[PC]]s attacking him up to 600 miles away in random directions.