D&D Flashback: Shrine of the Kuo-Toa

D&D Flashback takes a look at old Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules from a modern perspective, [...]

By Christian Hoffer

D&D Flashback takes a look at old Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules from a modern perspective, pulling them apart to see what lessons modern DMs and players can learn from them.

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Naked lobster gods, Lovecraftian fish-men, and deep gnomes - Shrine of the Kuo-Toa is a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure that provides a bounty of lessons for modern Dungeon Masters. First released in 1978, Shrine of the Kuo-Toa is a continuation of the adventure started in Against the Giants and continued in the Descent Into the Depths of the Earths module. While Descent Into the Depths of the Earth was all about introducing the Underdark to both DMs and players, Shrine of the Kuo-Toa puts a spotlight on one of the many non-drow civilizations that live underground.

The Kuo-Toa are a race of strange fish-people inspired by the fish-men seen in various H.P. Lovecraft tales whose behavior is utterly foreign and weird. In this adventure, the players stumble across a massive ziggurat dedicated to the goddess Blibdoolpoolp, who takes the form of a naked humanoid woman with the head and arms of a lobster. Later versions of D&D would explain that Blibdoolpoolp was a cobbled-together idol "given life" by the collective worship of the Kuo-Toa, but here, she is presented as a strange and powerful goddess who resides in the Elemental Plane of Water. Blibdoolpoolp is a great example of how to create an instantly recognizable and memorable D&D moment - she has a ridiculous name and aesthetic, but she's also an all-powerful goddess that can either aid or hinder the party.

The biggest takeaway to Shrine of the Kuo-Toa is that it's the first published D&D modules that players don't have to fight through. In fact, when used in D&D tournaments, players were rewarded with the maximum number of points if they could find a non-violent solution to getting through the temple. After all, the Kuo-Toa aren't necessarily an enemy to the players - they'll grant them entry to their shrine and won't take any hostile actions against the party unless they expose themselves as non-worshippers of Blibdoolpoolp. In fact, the players share a common enemy with the Kuo-Toa, as they dislike the drow as much as the players do, and may even aid the party in their quest to attack the drow, or at least let them pass through without harm. A character with strong observational skills or the ability to quickly understand religious practices might be able to lead the party through the motions of making an offering to Blibdoolpoolp without inciting the nearly 200 (admittedly low-level) Kuo-Toa into a fight.

Complicating matters is the presence of several svirfneblin or Deep Gnomes that are observing the Kuo-Toa and have their own plans for temple. The Deep Gnomes have recently exhausted a vein of gems in the area, and are casing the temple for its wealth. If the Deep Gnomes make contact with the players, it probably won't be too difficult to convince them that the Kuo-Toa are evil and that they deserve to be put to the sword and have their gold taken.

The Deep Gnomes are one of the reasons why I like Shrine of the Kuo-Toa so much - they complicate an already interesting moral conundrum. In this case, the Kuo-Toa are presented as an "evil" group - they practice slavery and torture and sacrifice intelligent creatures to their god. However, there's an argument to be made that they also aren't the players' problem - they hate the drow as much of the players, pose no real threat to the above-ground kingdoms, and they won't take a hostile action towards the party if their customs are respected. Meanwhile, the Deep Gnomes (who are presented as neutral characters in this adventure and tend to be "Neutral Good" monsters in D&D) are basically acting as conquistadors, wanting to raid this temple for their own profit. Although this adventure assumes that the players will fight the Kuo-Toa, this adventure can be radically reinterpreted by a DM wishing to draw parallels to colonialism, or who enjoy presenting the players with a more ambiguous situation. Tweaking just a few elements of Kuo-Toa culture could turn this into an entirely different scenario. You can easily pull a "bait and switch" using the Deep Gnomes by having the Deep Gnomes present the Kuo-Toa as an active threat, only to discover that the Kuo-Toa just want to be left alone to worship their naked lobster woman goddess in peace.

Of all the D&D scenarios we've looked at in this column, Shrine of the Kuo-Toa is probably my favorite. It's one of the first adventures that has the potential to subvert players' expectations and gives them an opportunity to find a non-violent solution as they continue their trek through the Underdark. As with other early D&D adventures, Shrine of the Kuo-Toa is available to purchase on the DMs Guild.

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