DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Other comments left by this customer:
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
The Dread Laironomicon
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Badger [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/29/2024 10:18:13

This arrived today. The book is 222 pages. It has excellent binding. The paper weight feels very high quality. The art is black and white but nice and detailed. I have owned several of these modules [approx 50 of them] as they came out.

The articles are of such a quality that I have longed for a hardcover book option of them. There are 100 monster 'lairs' and the modules themselves follows a tried and tested method. The tables all have 10 options and are broken down into 7 sections. 01 Outside the lair 02 Whats going on? 03 Major Lair Features 04 Minor lair Features 05 insert monster name here's Appearance 06 Treasure 07 Trinkets + Treasure Below is an example from the Troll Cave Outside the Lair A rock barricade fortifies the entrance, making entry difficult for creatures man-sized or larger. Whats Going on? The troll is sifting through its treasure hoard. Major Lair Features The cave is rife with fungi; some is poisonous. Minor Lair Features Water oozing up from below has transformed a swath of floor into a sticky morass; the characters discover this, when they step into the affected area. Troll's Appearance The troll is obese and cannot see its feet (or bend down to pick things off the floor without great difficulty). Treasure A tightly wound woollen rug—decorated with geometric patterns—leans against one wall. The rug is wrapped around a sheaf of five throwing spears. Trinkets + Treasure A ripped and torn map shows the surrounding area. Obviously once a work of art as well as a map, now only scraps of dirty parchment survive. There is of course the option to not pick with what you rolled but any of the 9 others presented. Its been an excellent resource over the years, producing lair after lair. Its now an excellent resource, packaged into this book. I look forward to pulling the book of the shelf and having the complete freedom to create a lair on the hop. Because its really that good!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Dread Laironomicon
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Factions of Phandalin
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/28/2023 08:05:46

This is so much better than it appears in the preview.

Lets start with the price. £8.19 is a lot for a DMSguild supplement when you dont know what you are getting. Its often a gamble.

I am happy to say that value for money was achieved and exceeded. Please read on to see why.

I am not quite sure how you would market this product better but try because its great.

In my purchase I received the following:

The 136 page main booklet. A handouts folder containing all 10 missions as individual handout images to players and a pdf containing all of them. A handouts folder containing all 19 items as individual handout images to players and a pdf containing all of them. A maps folder maps of the locations mentioned. With a bonus map of the Sword Coast.

The artworked are very high resolution and should have no scaling issues when it comes to reproducing it for the table..

The maps have a DM and a PC version with the exception of the Sword Coast regional map of which there is no need to hide details from the players.

The supplement itself is a joy to read. Clearly laid out. Liberal use of good art [NONE of it was AI!! A great bonus!!]. Each faction sets out the same structure enabling a quick way to easily see the dufferences on a galnce.

Each faction gets and average of 15 or so pages, beoken down as follows: a double spread just about the faction. This includes a short introduction, how to join, goals, beliefs, contants, ranks and rewards. How to level up [gaining renown] in the faction. 18 or so side quests split up by 1-6, 7-13 and 14-20. Not sure why it wasn't by tier but its a minor [and possibly the only] flaw.

There are clearly written guidelines on how to progress through the ranks and how to tie in the LMOP and DoIP plot points to progressions. [a bonus if you are a new DM] There are also a sanctioned mission per faction. I think this is one of the underplayed / underadvertised things about this suuplement. Each sanctioned mission is its own one shot. Its not a one page dungeon either. The Emerald Enclave sanctioned mission is an 8 page fully fleshed out map with all rooms having a great set of descriptive notes.

Honestly these could have been made into separate supplments themselves. The dungeons not the factions. Each faction has a separate supplement priced at £1.64 per faction

There is barely any flannel to the product. I have bought some supplements that are 8 pages and only 2 pages of actual content. This baby is 136 pages of the main supplement. 1 is the cover, 1 is the Table of Contents and 1 is the OGL and acknowledgements. 3 in total.

In short, since dm'ing fifth edition, this is the faction guide I wanted for LMOP but never knew about. It will also act as a great springboard for me for my own factions at my tables [I currently run 5 separate campaigns a month]



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Factions of Phandalin
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Hey Badger, Thanks so much for the review, and I'm so happy you enjoyed it so much! To clarify a few points, The faction supplements sold for $1.99 each include the same content as this full supplement, focusing on a single faction with the background, mission, and necessary statblocks in case someone only wanted to buy a single faction to run. We also do not have any AI art in this product, currently. Our initial release used AI art for the cover, but it has since been updated to art from Ane Bonazza. We also used a number of edited stock images from Pixabay and images from DM's Guild to help give the product a professional look. Our upcoming products will also be made without any AI art, and we're working with Ane to find ways to include more handmade pieces of art to help improve our quality. Thank you again for the feedback, and if there's anything else you'd like to see improved in our future releases, please let me know. We are currently targeting a release in early October for a short adventure, I'm personally working on a similar supplement for the factions of Sigil, and we have a number of supplements over the coming months for the country of Amn just south of the Sword Coast including a setting guide that is currently looking to be over 300 pages.
pixel_trans.gif
The Dread Thingonomicon
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Badger [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/24/2023 18:08:30

This book is unbelivably helpful! Believe the hype.

B&W, hardcover, increible paper.

474 Pages of content, guaranteeing you'll never run out of content again. Ever.

Looking at 1000 Abnormal Mummies [p19]. You have 3 rollable tables.

01: Physical Description 02: Battle Tactics 03: Treasure each with 10 intricate descriptions for you to roll on.

Amazing book!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Dread Thingonomicon
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
The Secrets of Skyhorn Lighthouse
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/17/2022 17:21:15

What an amazing module

  1. It made very little assumption for the GM to run it.
  2. The artwork was incredibly.
  3. It was very well laid out.
  4. It reads incredibly well.
  5. It is self contained. [Everything you need to run it].
  6. Tight and enjoyable storyline.
  7. Mechanically great [good rules thoughts]

You might thing that adventures like this are common. Sadly they are not. This adventure should be used as the gold standard of things to include in a published adventure, how to write, the artwork, etc. It is worth getting this adventure to study it, just so as you can see "How its done"

Thank you so very much for such a great thing you have created!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Secrets of Skyhorn Lighthouse
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
The Secret of Strangelight Hall 5E
Publisher: M.T. Black Games
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/11/2022 21:20:42

I enjoy this person works I really do.

I dont know if its a culture thing but I have already asked him once to not solicit reviews for his products from me.

I have received other emails about other products soliciting reviews.

In the UK its not the done thing.

Please allow me to buy your stuff without getting me receiving emails from you to write reviews!



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
The Secret of Strangelight Hall 5E
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Hi Badger, I'm glad you enjoy my content and I'm sorry my email caused annoyance. I don't recall receiving an email from you personally about soliciting reviews, but it's possible you used a different name. DTRPG enables publishers to contact customers via email. I have no way of excluding or including individuals, it is done on a "mass" basis (e.g. all people who bought product x on date y). Emails such as "Did you enjoy product x? are pretty common on platforms like Amazon. If you'd prefer not to receive emails from me (or any other publisher), you can adjust the settings using this screen: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/account_contact_options.php. If people have not opted out of publisher contact, I work on the assumption that they are ok to receive emails. kind regards, MTB
pixel_trans.gif
Hi Badger, Just a follow-up. I looked back through some products and saw that we did indeed discuss review solicitation back in 2020, on the Darkhold product. I respectfully note that your suggestion was to "set the alert for like a fortnight/month after purchase," which I did in this instance. kind regards, MTB
pixel_trans.gif
Monstrous Lair #45: Hydra's Den
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/22/2021 03:10:34

This is a review for the book Monstrous Lair #45 Hydra’s Den. It's a 8 page book. Four pages are cover pages, patreon and so on. There is also the obligatory OGL that every supplement of this nature has to have.

The real meat of the document is to be found on the middle pages. It’s here you will find everything you need to create a truly unique lair each and every time you create one for your group. There are 7 tables in total! Each one takes you from outside the lair right up to and including the treasure in the lair.

I have included the author's reason for that table's inclusion and 1 example from each of the tables. That way you can see for yourself why I think these supplements will quickly become essential for you as the DM. Usually there is also a very nice line art drawing of the monster that the lair belongs to.

As with any tables you can just read the list and take the one you like the most or you can roll each table. As a tip when I use an entry, I make a notation for which party I used it with so I don’t use it again with them.

The Tables. The tables themselves provide you with a strong creative spark to add to your descriptions of each scene. There have been times where the table entry has provided me with the full narrative needed for that section of the lair.
You will quickly see from each example, the entries have been crafted by a gifted wordsmith, that or laboured over lovingly with dictionaries and a thesaurus. Either way you won’t find trite descriptions or generic throwaways here.

Table 1. Outside the Lair - Determine notable features outside the lair, using this list.

  1. Spiralling patterns of crushed bark show the hydra’s slithering passage through the trees.

Table 2. What's Going On? - Use this list, to determine what’s happening when the characters arrive.

  1. The monstrous hydra wallows in a small pond; its heads sway above the water’s surface like dancing serpents.

Table 3. Major Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair’s major feature(s).

  1. The hydra’s wild motion throws up clouds of choking dust from deep drifts scattered throughout its lair.

Table 4. Minor Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair's minor feature(s).

  1. A massive elk skeleton, complete with huge antlers, lies draped over a boulder.

Table 5. Hydra's Appearance - Use this list, to generate the monster’s appearance and other characteristics.

  1. The thick hide and scales of the hydra change colour like a chameleon as the beast moves around its lair.

Table 6. Treasure - Use these lists [tables 6 & 7], to add interesting incidental items to the lair’s hoard.

  1. This small gold ring depicting different coloured enamelled serpents twisting together provides its wearer with potent protection from venom.

Table 7. Trinkets & Trash -

  1. The lower half of a longspear’s shaft, decorated with carved serpents, has a crack down the centre.

    These are description that for me would take a lot of work because I don’t do this regularly enough. It’s going to take you several sessions / groups to fully plumb the depths of this resource and honestly, anything that allows me to prep less and enjoy more is a boon and that makes this [and many of the Raging Swan supplements] supplement a 'literal' gold mine.

At £0.62 [at time of writing] this is an absolute solid 5 stars from me.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Monstrous Lair #45: Hydra's Den
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Monstrous Lair #46: Basilisk's Den
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/22/2021 02:57:02

This is a review for the book Monstrous Lair #46: Basilisk’s Den. It's a 8 page book. Four pages are cover pages, patreon and so on. There is also the obligatory OGL that every supplement of this nature has to have.

The real meat of the document is to be found on the middle pages. It’s here you will find everything you need to create a truly unique lair each and every time you create one for your group. There are 7 tables in total! Each one takes you from outside the lair right up to and including the treasure in the lair.

I have included the author's reason for that table's inclusion and 1 example from each of the tables. That way you can see for yourself why I think these supplements will quickly become essential for you as the DM. Usually there is also a very nice line art drawing of the monster that the lair belongs to.

As with any tables you can just read the list and take the one you like the most or you can roll each table. As a tip when I use an entry, I make a notation for which party I used it with so I don’t use it again with them.

The Tables. The tables themselves provide you with a strong creative spark to add to your descriptions of each scene. There have been times where the table entry has provided me with the full narrative needed for that section of the lair.
You will quickly see from each example, the entries have been crafted by a gifted wordsmith, that or laboured over lovingly with dictionaries and a thesaurus. Either way you won’t find trite descriptions or generic throwaways here.

Table 1. Outside the Lair - Determine notable features outside the lair, using this list.

  1. Tall trees have wrapped themselves around a massive statue of a towering barbarian. The thick moss and vines growing over it cannot conceal the look of surprise and confusion on the man’s face

Table 2. What's Going On? - Use this list, to determine what’s happening when the characters arrive.

  1. With a rattle like a small landslide the basilisk defecates gravel-like faeces that stinks like rotten eggs.

Table 3. Major Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair’s major feature(s).

  1. A tangle of petrified people petrified while fleeing fills a narrow corridor, making progress difficult

Table 4. Minor Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair's minor feature(s).

  1. Petrified in front of a small statue of a halfling holding a mirror is a young basilisk caught by its own gaze

Table 5. Basilisk's Appearance - Use this list, to generate the monster’s appearance and other characteristics.

  1. Black and white stripes—like a tiger’s—cover this basilisk’s entire body. One of the creature’s eyes is blue while the other burns red.

Table 6. Treasure - Use these lists [tables 6 & 7], to add interesting incidental items to the lair’s hoard.

  1. These four arrows tipped with basilisk teeth encase their targets in stone for a short amount of time.

Table 7. Trinkets & Trash -

  1. A heavy stone shield, with its wielder’s arm still attached to the inside, lies against the wall.

    Great descriptions both detailed and rich. It’s going to take you a number of campaigns / one shots to fully plumb the depths of this resource. Honestly, anything that allows me to prep less and enjoy more is a boon and that makes this [and many of the Raging Swan supplements] supplement a 'literal' gold mine.

At £0.62 [at time of writing] this is an absolute solid 5 stars from me.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Monstrous Lair #46: Basilisk's Den
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Monstrous Lair #5: Harpy's Nest
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/22/2021 02:41:22
This is a review for the book Monstrous Lair #5: Harpy's Nest

It's a 8 page book. pages 1 - 2 and pages 7 - 8 are cover pages and so on. Page 6 is the obligatory OGL that every supplement of this nature has to have.

The real meat of the document is to be found on the middle pages. Its here you will find everything you need to create a truly unique lair each and everytime you create one for your group. There are 7 tables in total! Each one takes you from outside the lair right up to and including the treasure in the lair.

I have included the author's reason for that table's inclusion and 1 example from each of the tables. That way you can see for yourself why I think these supplements will quickly become essential for you as the DM. Usually there is also a very nice line art drawing of the monster that the lair belongs to.

As with any tables you can just read the list and take the one you like the most or you can roll each table. As a tip when I use an entry, I make a notation for which party I used it with so I dont use it again with them.

The tables. The tables themselves provide you with a strong creative spark to add to your descriptions of each scene. There have been times where the table entry has provided me with the full narrative needed for that section of the lair.
As you will quickly see from each example, the entries have been crafted by a gifted wordsmith, that or laboured over lovingly with dictionaries and a thesaurus. Either way you wont find trie descriptions or generic throwaways here.

Table 1. Outside the Lair - Determine notable features outside the lair, using this list.

  1. Stunted, broken bushes make going difficult.

Table 2. What's Going On? - Use this list, to determine what’s happening when the characters arrive.

  1. The Harpy is gnawing a partially decomposed leg when the PCs arrive. She uses it as a (missile) weapon at the earliest opportunity.

Table 3. Major Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair’s major feature(s).

  1. A thick layer of slime and congealed bodily fluids covers the floor. The smell is revolting.

Table 4. Minor Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair's minor feature(s).

  1. The heavy stench of death and decay hangs in the air.

Table 5. Harpy's Appearance - Use this list, to generate the monster’s appearance and other characteristics.

  1. Has beautiful red and blue plumage. She stands out from typical examples of its brethren.

Table 6. Treasure - Use these lists [tables 6 & 7], to add interesting incidental items to the lair’s hoard.

  1. Stained with soot and smeared on grim, this brass incense burner wobbles when stood upright

Table 7. Trinkets & Trash -

  1. This thick bundle of firewood tied together with several lengths of red twine. The wood is exceptionally dry and burns quickly.

    As you can see, the descriptions detailed and rich. Its going to take you a number of campaigns / one shots to fully plumb the depths of richness that this aid provides. Honestly, anything that allows me to prep less and enjoy more is a boon and that makes this [and many of the Raging Swan supplements] supplement a 'literal' gold mine.

    At £1.10 [at time of writing] this is an absolute solid 5 stars from me.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Monstrous Lair #5: Harpy's Nest
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Monstrous Lair #6: Minotaur Den
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/22/2021 02:18:06
This is a review for the book Monstrous Lair #6: Minotaur Den

It's a 8 page book. pages 1 - 2 and pages 7 - 8 are cover pages and so on. Page 6 is the obligatory OGL that every supplement of this nature has to have.

The real meat of the document is to be found on pages 3 - 5. Its here you will find everything you need to create a truly unique lair each and everytime you create one for your group. There are 7 tables in total! Each one takes you from outside the lair right up to and including the treasure in the lair.

I have included the author's reason for that table's inclusion and 1 example from each of the tables. That way you can see for yourself why I think these supplements will quickly become essential for you as the DM. There is also included a very nice line art drawing of the Minotaur too.

As with any tables you can just read the list and take the one you like the most or you can roll each table. As a tip when I use an entry, I make a notation for which party I used it with so I dont use it again with them.

The tables. The tables themselves provide you with a strong creative spark to add to your descriptions of each scene. There have been times where the table entry has provided me with the full narrative.
As you will quickly see from each example, the entries have been crafted by a gifted wordsmith, that or laboured over lovingly with dictionaries and a thesaurus. Either way you wont find trie descriptions or generic throwaways here.

Table 1. Outside the Lair - Determine notable features outside the lair, using this list.

  1. Spots of dried blood lead towards the lair.

Table 2. What's Going On? - Use this list, to determine what’s happening when the characters arrive.

  1. Loud snoring greets the characters—the minotaur is sleeping (or perhaps it sham sleeps).

Table 3. Major Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair’s major feature(s).

  1. A small field of red spotted mushrooms and fungus fills a yawning side-cavern. The minotaur fertilises its “garden” with the broken remains of its victims.

Table 4. Minor Lair Features - Use this list, to determine the lair's minor feature(s).

  1. Deep gouges in the rock show where the minotaur has hewn at the wall.

Table 5. Minotaur's Appearance - Use this list, to generate the monster’s appearance and other characteristics.

  1. A thick mane of red hair grows half-way down the minotaur’s back.

Table 6. Treasure - Use these lists [tables 6 & 7], to add interesting incidental items to the lair’s hoard.

  1. These knee-high black leather boots are in good repair.

Table 7. Trinkets & Trash -

  1. Dried blood covers the back of this torn, shredded leather backpack.

    As you can see, the descriptions really are first class. Its going to take you a number of campaigns / one shots to fully plumb the depths of richness that this aid provides. Honestly, anything that allows me to prep less and enjoy more is a boon and that makes this [and many of the Raging Swan supplements] supplement a 'literal' gold mine.

    At £1.10 [at time of writing] this is an absolute solid 5 stars from me.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Monstrous Lair #6: Minotaur Den
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Prepping the Adventure
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/27/2021 03:55:28

This is a series of notes on the Officially released module Curse of Strahd [CoS]. It started out as a series of web posts designed as an attempt to course correct the niggles and brick walls you face in this otherwise well written module.

This particular edition of the Fleshing out series covers the following:

Barovia's Background. Information regarding the cosmology and background of the module, including the Domains of Dread, Dark Powers, and the setting's timeline. At the time this supplement was written I found it very helpful. I dont know if it has been eclipsed by the release of the new Van Richten's book but I cant see how it cant have done. If so it would be a real shame and I urge you to read and delve this setion anyway as its quite rich in lore and information.

Adventure Flowchart. A more in-depth adventure overview and leveling guide for aspiring DMs. This flowchart on page 7, whilst not earth shattering, it really helped me to cacth a very good overview of what happens where and what to expect. Something that all the official modules fail at in one area or another.

Campaign Specific Tips and Tricks. Are there common pitfalls DMs should avoid in this specific campaign? Heaps of great advice, some of it common sense [however its not as common as you think it is, and as a result still valued their inclusion] others were real gems that I had not considered.

Advice to Get Started. What should DMs prep first? What areas and characters are most important? This single page and with only 4 tips [5 really but the 5th is on the next page also] on it could be easily overlooked. Dont its arguably the biggest time saver when prepping the campaign.

Incorporating Your PCs. How can DMs incorporate PC backstories into this campaign to make it more engaging narratively? 4 or so pages of really great advice of things you could easily share with your players without completing ruining the plot. A number of ways to better include them to complement the CoS story arc.

Expanding the Setting. What do Barovians eat? What does their culture include beyond fear? And, most importantly, how long exactly does it take for parties to get from Point A to Point B? A number of helpful things here too. A travel guide, table and map. Each with particular advice, that once digested became a great 'at a glance' reference tool. Some nice other snibbets in there like population sizes of the towns and races. Someone with a chef based class / cooking background for roleplay will love this chapter as its jam [poor pun] packed full of food / menu examples.

Including the Fanes. The Fanes of Barovia are mystical nature goddesses of the Barovian valley from past dnd editions. Let's resurrect them to add depth to the 5e campaign! The fanes were ignored in this edition and the way that they are dealt with here add a rich complexity to this campaign that really complements the story arc. Its a substantial addition to this guide [pages 25 to 34]. Tons of great advice.

Dealing with PC Lycanthropes. So your party has been infected with lycanthropy? Let's make this interesting! I have never dealt with lycanthropy in any of my campaigns yet as feared it would be just another cumbersome thing for me to manage as a dm. This little 2 page guide has me looking forward to someone getting bit now and its a section that will easily be lifted out to use in almost any other setting as a great DM guide for running lycanthropes.

Amended Magic Items: A few additions and edits to the magic items in the module. The changes made to the items are thoughtful. I particularly liked the change to the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Its the kind of change that made me wish it was the satndard module setting for that item. Its my standard now, for when I run it next time.

There is so much to like about this guide. I would encourage dms to consider this supplement essential reading. The number of pitfalls alone that are possible with this module, that this guide address makes it so valuable. It doesn't stop there either though and includes a great number of things that make you think deeper. I believe I can romise you that after reading this paricular supplement, you will be able to run a more consistent, memorable and enjoyable for the DM game than had you not read it at all.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Prepping the Adventure
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Death House
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/27/2021 03:20:09

This is a series of notes on the Officially released module Curse of Strahd [CoS]. It started out as a series of web posts designed as an attempt to course correct the niggles and brick walls you face in this otherwise well written module.

This particular edition of the Fleshing out series covers the following:

  • Adventure Overview & Flow. A rewrite of Death House's background that refocuses the adventure on narrative rather than dungeon crawling. The value of this publication for me is here. This is a thoughtful reimagining of the death house. How to introduce it, how to up the challenge. Advice as simple as renaming it from the Death House to Durst Manor. Which immediately changes the tone in the group approaching it. The rewrite offers many tweaks to the chapter as written that in my opinion significantly improve the experience of the house and resduce work for the DM and decrease teh frustration on players. The family crest they offered was significantly better than mine and in the official book you are only offered a description of it

  • Quick Reference Tables. Handy charts listing notable NPCs and all the loot within Death House. lthough this sounds surplus, It really is helpful having it all gathered into one location like that.

  • NPC Expansions. How do you get players to trust Rose and Thorn? How might you turn the nursemaid encounter in an RP event? I liked how both of these rewrites went and it gave the opportunity to take what could be a TPK and give it the chance to be a roleplay event. Your players will have to try hard to make this a murderhobo event from the rewrite.

  • Added Letters & Handouts. Extra letters for players to discover! These excellent additions were provided in aged scollwork versions and print friendly version. I found that I liked the look of the scroll work ones but on my eyes there were harder to read.

  • Battle Advice. What's the best way to approach the many battles in Death House? I liked a lot of the advice including the final 'boss' fight. It changed how a number of the fights went down and that is always a good thing to have more options just in case you judge these fights wrongly either way.

  • Walter the Flesh Mound. An alternate final battle that both locates the missing baby and completely rewrites the statblock. I didn't make that change in my campaign but it was thoughtful and thorough and raised a great point.

There is so much to like about this guide. Its excellently written and reads really quite well. I normally only get about 30% of good advice from suuplements such as these because of individual groups are ... well individual but I fleaned a whole lot from this that seemed to universally work for me.

My death house took my group 4 sessions to get through and so this supplement really helped me to round off and polish their experience of it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Death House
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Player Primer
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/27/2021 02:38:42

This is a series of notes on the Officially released module Curse of Strahd [CoS].

It started out as an attempt to course correct the niggles and brick walls in this otherwise qell written module.

This particular edition of the Fleshing out series covers the following:

  • Player Primer. Background information to help ready new players for their upcoming campaign and tables of player character backstory options to help them develop characters specific to the Curse of Strahd module. This document is spoiler free and player friendly!
  • Barovian Player Primer. This primer contains many of the tables found in the Player Primer, but rewritten to better suit a player character from Barovia. This primer is best used if you lose a player character to the horrors of Barovia and must introduce a new character to the party.
  • Character Options. 4 new race options suited to the Ravenloft setting: Dusk Elf, Vistani, Wereraven, and Werewolf.
  • Mysterious Secrets. 18 different secrets that can help integrate player character backstories into the Curse of Strahd adventure.

Its excellently written and reads really quite well. I particularly loved the primers and they bring to the front some of the considerations and details woven through the module for your consideration. The character options whilst excellent were not something I have used and so cant really speak to them. The mysterious secrets came too late to me for my campaign but I can see them being an excellent resource for session zeros for this module.

A well rounded supplement to the CoS module and dare I say an essential for any DM looking to have a content rich package the reduces some of the workload.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Player Primer
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Mordenkainen's Candlekeep Collectibles
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/16/2021 17:48:23

Nice big publication, weighing in at 59 pages and with minimal wasted on covers, adverts and disclaimers [just 4 pages]. The layout is really well done. The contrast is also nice meaning it made for an easy read. The art through the book was of an excellent standard. I loved the intro, it helped to really set the mood. Some new spellbooks [5]. One of which is really quite unsatisfying as it requires you to download another product in order to be able to use properly. This other product is currently Pay What You Want and as long as it stays PWYW, I guess that is fine. Its just a bit off colour to do that to a DM who has already paid out for this book [the PWYW book is excellent by the way just a poor way to use it]. 14 of the 21 magical items have art for them [a good ratio] making it easy to imagine and describe to your players. It is embedded though making it a chose to lift the art to make cards for your players. 10 new spells but the one that stood out to me was the ‘Create a Useful Robe Patch’, the rest I can see sparking off ‘interesting’ debates with DM’s about allowing their usage. Still I would like to see they played out to see how balanced they are. Shield of devotion for example level 1 spell reduces crits to normal hits AND gives 1d8 temporary hit points.

More archtypes, in this tome, barbarian, Cleric, Fighter & the Pale Master, [however, this one feels incomplete. No class table amongst others].

The main feature of this book seems to be the Libraricon. 6 100 book tables. Here is one from each table:- Table A Book 01 Dracinomica Written 10,000 years ago by an unnamed author, this book chronicles the early history of dragons in Faerun. It is bound in the hide of a red dragon. Table B Book 01 Cartwright's Trade Maps Tribec Cartwright, a caravan specialist, wrote this book detailing the main trade routes, ambush spots, navigation difficulties, and safe camping spots for bad weather Table C Book 01 Gorgomorz: Daggerford's Devil A book chronicling the balor Gorgomorz's stand against Daggerford and its Duke Edwin Daggerford. The young duke pinned the balor using a gate portcullis, drove his sword through the balor's heart, and banished it back to the Abyss, but he still died from his wounds. Table D Book 01 Libram of Lathintel This spellbook of Lanthinel contained a number of different spells. After his death, he ordered the spellbook to be donated to the library at Candlekeep. Table E Book 01 The Red Book of a Thayvian Mage Thaelrythyn of Thay wrote this book of unique thayan versions of several spells known throughout Faerun. Table F Book 01 Twenty Winters a War Wizard Written by Estimyra of High Horn, this book is the journaled collection of one war wizard's years in a Cormyte stronghold during several years of war footing and battles.

So as you can see from these 6 examples, there are a huge selection of books [600]. Each with very inventive descriptions and each consistently good. I just don’t know how I would ever use even a third of these, as enjoyable as it was to read the titles and ensuing descriptions. I will probably end up collating my own shortened list of the very best 100 books. 6 well thought out stat blocks in appendix A Friends and enemies, backstories, lore & some art.
6 high quality and well drawn maps. I have small niggles about the maps and that is :- I cant imagine these maps being floors below or above each other due to the changes in shape and / or orientation. This is my niggle I know but it just felt odd. Two of the maps seemed very cut and paste ‘schoolroom’ maps. I haven’t fully read up on the lore yet but they are also purple heavy maps.

The final page brings us to an advert where you can buy the full archtype the ‘Pale Master’. Disappointing really! I cant quite define it but it seems innately wrong referencing two separate and unique works that have to be purchased / donated [PWYW] to receive. It feels like cheap advertising or something.

Summary It’s definitely a very nice book and I enjoyed the volume of information in this book. There is a lot to like about it. However, there are some things wrong with this book. Hiccup #1 - 600 books. I know that we are talking about a great library but I honestly cant see myself describing 20 different books in any one campaign let alone 600 of them. I would have loved to have see 200 or 400 books and much more lore. Hiccup #2 – Putting partial content into the book and pasting a link showing where to buy the full item. I don’t know how to label this but I think as a publisher of reputation, you should have made the decision to include the item in full or not to include it. Hiccup #3 some of the maps looked cut and paste rather than the usual excellent quality I feel I have seen from Grim Press. Two in particular looks too purple and as a result a bit glaring to my eyes. I am hoping that when I read the official Candlekeep book, there will be a lore reason for it.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Mordenkainen's Candlekeep Collectibles
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Hi Badger, Thank you for your review! If you (or any of our customers) do use any of these spells in your personal games, we'd love to hear your feedback! Please join our community discord to engage with us directly ( https://discord.gg/N7MM93a ). Many of the spells have seen extensive playtesting, but may or may not be appropriate at your table. Regarding the 600 book-list, our intension was to have random book titles available if players enter Candlekeep & want to browse the archive - a DM can quickly roll on a random table so they dont need to try and come up with a dozen+ books on the spot. While we would have loved to add longer descriptions, even doing so for 200 books (as you suggest) would be a massive undertaking & could be its own supplement. For the maps, they were compressed in the optimized PDF version to keep the file size down (feedback we've received in the past). Note that the full-resolution maps (DM & Player versions) are included as an additional download with this project. Finally, I just want to touch on the Pale Master. This archetype was included as a bonus for those who also own our Disturbed Graves supplement, listed for sale on the DMsGuild. We like to have continuity between our products, and we included a discount code in the book for folks to check out that best-selling product at half price. If felt this was fair - but including the full class in this unrelated product would be doing a disservice to those customers who purchased Disturbed Graves. Again, thank you for the effort you put into your review, it is greatly appreciated and we hope you enjoy using this supplement at your table.
pixel_trans.gif
Baldur's Gate Visitor's Guide
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/16/2021 08:41:56

This is not a book as such and may be a little niche for most folks.
If you can think of this publication as a real world tourist type guide.
It contains a number of excellent pieces of information that you might have to trawl through page after page to find and track down.

Why I like it / bought it. It’s a single page document, which again for many would be a negative but for me it’s a huge positive. It contains a lot of information that is normally spread out across a few guidebooks totally condensed down for a quick bird’s eye view of the place.

I have bought many products from this seller. I hope they continue their high standard.

I would love to see reviews of the folks who marked it down. It would be nice to see what failed about the product for them.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Baldur's Gate Visitor's Guide
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Waterdeep Visitor's Guide
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Badger B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/16/2021 08:40:40

Of all the guides done so far this one is the crown jewel of them all.

This is not a book as such and may be a little niche for most folks.
If you can think of this publication as a real world tourist type guide.
It contains a number of excellent pieces of information that you might have to trawl through page after page to find and track down.

Why I like it / bought it. It’s a single page document, which again for many would be a negative but for me it’s a huge positive. It contains a lot of information that is normally spread out across a few guidebooks totally condensed down for a quick bird’s eye view of the place.

I have bought many products from this seller. I hope they continue their high standard.

I would love to see reviews of the folks who marked it down. It would be nice to see what failed about the product for them.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Waterdeep Visitor's Guide
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 15 (of 112 reviews) Result Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  [Next >>] 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates