As a DM, if you have ever wished to provide your players with a magical item that had more backstory to it than 'Sword +1' or 'Wand of Something, 3 charges', then Vastral's is the product for you. This extensive collection of magical oddities is about to have its third volume published, I already have the first two volumes and will soon have the third.

So What makes these collections of magical items stand out from the many products available i hear you ask? Well, firstly there is the variety, Armour, Weapons, Wands, Transportation, Animal Companions, Furniture, Vastral's has you covered, there are even cursed items whose effects could come as a massive shock to your players. But, its more than that, each magical item has a history, some of the details can be easily worked into ongoing campaigns, such as previous owners, the items creator and alot of these items can level up with the player with the Heirloom system included in the books.

But wait, there's more, these items can come to the players damaged, either by age or by misuse, and to regain full power, the item has to be repaired, and the material used for the repair has massive implications on the magical effects the item has. I personally have written an item into a campaign where the players have spent several sessions locating the materials to repair the damaged item and are now seeking someone with the skills to do the repair work.

So to wrap up, this is more than just a list of magical items, although you can use it that way. This collection can be used as adventure hooks, as loot rewards, as the Big Bad Evil Guy's reason for doing what he does...so many possibilities. Each time i have recieved one of this titles i have read it cover to cover immediately. Grab this sample, see what you think.

Happy dice rolling.

Damon

This little excerpt shows off a range of weird and interesting items that are just dripping with play potential. What's more, each item is detailed with a background explaining it (which can be used, edited, or ignored by the GM), rules for how it changes if damaged, variants (including lesser-powered versions for lower levels), and general advice for the kinds of locations you could put them for the PCs to find. It's actually a lot more than I expected, and I will now be taking a closer look at the full products.

Good stuff!

This was very helpful and creative. I like the writing even if it does get a little crowded by images and sometimes with the stretch of the pictures.

This is a fun, useful and entertaining addition to my collection

Stephen,

I'm lovin' this series. The Fantasy City was very good, but Coastal really got me where my RPG heart lives. Growing up in the land-locked American Midwest, I never saw an ocean until I was twelve years old.

In the summer of 1966 my oldest brother was about to head with his Navy batallion to Viet Nam. My dad, knowing that war meant this might be his last chance to see his oldest son, packed up the family for a road trip from Minnesota to New England. (Jim did make it back, although he's one of the many victims, both Vietnamese and American, to suffer from exposure to Agent Orange.)

What that has to do with DMAP #2 is the visits we made to museum ships from Boston to Norfolk along the East Coast.The best of those was (and remains) the Mystic Seaport Museum. It's one of those "community re-enactment" places, having display shops set up with goods as they existed during the 18th- and 19th-century whaling heyday.

Once I started running RPGs, seaside sites became my favorite type of locale for starting my groups out. Over the years, I've accumulated sources for information on tides, storms at sea, and the like.

DMAP #2 ties these together in as nice a package as I've seen, both compact and useful. All that, and more of your wonderful NPCs!

Here's hoping you and your family remain safe and healthy, and having some fun, too.

Michael

This edition-neutral D&D product is just what I was looking for. The NPC's are orginal ideas, thoughtfully created and usable as "regular" folks for my player characters to interact with in a wide variety of ways. i used the cover NPC, Clorinda, last night, and it nearlqy resulted in a bar fight when a random NPC objected to her, stood down by PC Intimidation - yeah!

Also, I like how the author thinks about half-orcs, as being more than a threat.

This series of 20 Quick [fill in the blank] are wonderfully realized snapshots that have proven easy to drop in to a scene. Thank you!

great resource to have handy in your DM binder when the players start takling to NPC's you hadnt prepared for. lots of great detail to give them a fleshed out character to interact with.

I enjoyed this tip sheet and definitely feel it was worth my money. I'm a beginning GM and improvisation is the thing I am the most worried about and the area I feel I need the most improvement in. This was like sitting down for half an hour with someone reassuring and experienced in the subject. I got a few concrete, valuable tips, and a lot of encouragement and room to explore my own ideas. It's short, but it's cheap, too. Probably not for someone already experienced, but for a newbie starting out, I don't regret the purchase.

This is a good reference and also makes me want to see what the 100 goblinoid t&t contains

I really enjoyed it! Through the writings of Roger and his big brother Hal, we get a look inside a world populated by these cool monsters. Their journey introduces us to a variety of new and interesting creatures that force the players to adapt and try new strategies. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to spice up their swamp campaign with some fun and unique monsters!

A nice collection of fun, aquatic-themed items to present to your players the next time they ask "What do we find?"! :)