Journey through Malebolge Book One

The full and complete description of the Nine Circles of Hell is presented in three Books.  This module completes and expands the 1980 Judges Guild module, Inferno.  Book One describes means of entry into Hell by portals, from the wilderness, and through a dungeon; it also describes an area of Gehenna above the Great Pit, the Gates of Hell, and Outer Hell, consisting of Circle Zero through the Fifth Circle.  More than thirty encounter areas are described, including the Shining Hill, Vile Forest, Gates of Hell, Noble Castle, the River Archeron, Cave of Tantalassus, Minos’ Palace, the Garden of Succubi, Cerberus’ barn, and the treasure caves of Plutus, the swamp Styx, Phelgyas’ Tower, the Walls of Dis, and the City of Burning Tombs.  Important denizens include Valara, Charon Boatman of Archeron (Diabolic Earl), Diabolic Earl Minos Judge of the Dammed, Cerberus, Diabolic Earl Plutus, Phelgyas Boatman of the Styx (iabolic Earl) and the seeress Erictho.  Information is provided about important denizens of each Circle, the sins and torments, weather, specific rules pertaining to the physical challenges faced by mortals in crossing each Circle, and random encounters.

‘Inferno: Journey though Malebolge’ shares common campaign background material with Spellbook Games’ ‘Gazetteers of Hell,’ and describes the same geography at a larger scale.  Additional background material about the conditions in Hell is found in Spellbook Game’s Gehenna Primer and Codicil of Maladies.  Information about the Devils and other unique monsters appearing in Journey through Malebolge can be found in Spellbook Games’ ‘Inferno: Bestiary.’  Information about the enchantched items found in Hell is found in 'Inferno: Treasury.'

Journey through Malebolge is written for the Spellbook Games RPG rule set, ‘Portal to Adventure,’ but is usable essentially ‘as is’ with Advanced Dungeons and Dragons or any similar rule set with very little adaptation. A Games Master using Dungeons and Dragons versions 3.x, 4, or 5, or any similar rules, will require additional preparations.

Inferno: Journey through Malebolge is a finalist for the 2015 Three Castles Game Design Award, award at the North Texas RPG Convention