An Endzeitgeist.com review

The 5e-version of this tavern tales-mini-adventure clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 2 pages for the adventure.

The module is intended for 1st level characters and is basically an expansion/tie-in of "Simon's Dinner Theatre", featured in the Tangible Taverns-series. It should be noted that you most definitely get the most out of this one when using it in conjunction with the aforementioned supplement. You do not, however, need it, since it does not take place in the establishment and instead begins when the tavern's musician Cerulean contacts the PCs...

...and this is as far as I can go sans SPOILERS. Potential players should jump ahead to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, only GMs around? Great! So, a show's approaching and Marlowe's nervous...but more so is Cerulean, who has forgotten his bag of shrooms at home...and, dude, they totally help him mellow out and see the music, ya know? Unable to leave, he hands the PCs the keys to his house and asks them to get his bag o' shrooms. Alas, Cerulean, while meticulous in some regards, is very forgetful and doesn't exactly know where he last had them...and his fully-mapped place, well, is not the safest, to put it bluntly.

Curious PCs may run afoul an awakened tree in the front yard, disturb a none-too-friendly family of raccoons...and may have to contend with a ochre jelly that has the false appearance of a shrieker...ouch. Cerulean totally forgot to check up on...the thing seems to have grown faster than anticipated... His scatterbrained nature similarly may bring the PCs in contact with intoxicating substances...The 5e-version states the effects of imbibing the mushrooms, just fyi.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to the no-frills, printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard of the series. The pdf sports a solid piece of b/w-art for the shrooms and its cartography in b/w is functional. No player-friendly version is included, but considering the simplicity of the house's layout and the PWYW-nature, that's okay in my book.

Kelly Pawlik's "What a Trip", structure-wise, is a low-level fetch-quest...and while that elicited some grumbling from my group, said grumbles quickly subsided during the exploration of Cerulean's house - the place has a delightfully quirky, playful atmosphere and as a bonus, crafty players can actually complete this little side-trek sans shedding any blood...ehr...sap.

It is pay what you want, creative and I'd encourage checking this nice mini-adventure out, even if you're not interested in Simon's - this one can easily be used in conjunction with a plethora of places. In direct comparison with the PFRPG-version, this holds up - the two iterations are pretty much on par with one another. My final verdict will hence clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This 5e-version of the Tangible Taverns-entry clocks in at 14 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1/2 page advertisement, 1 page of SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 9.5 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Situated in the dullest part of town, a corner lot with a perfectly manicured lot, there is a place with potted flowers and a little sign that reads "Simon's" - once you enter the place, you will be in a foyer and need to pay an entrance fee that includes a meal, a drink and entertainment - for beyond the foyer, there is a main room that features a stage. Started by a young playwright named Simon Marlowe (nice nod here!), the playwright has since then met his fate in an unfortunate carriage accident, but thankfully, his nephew Augustus took over...while his existence was nebulous at best prior to his arrival, he seems to be a capable playwright of his own...the show must go on, right?

Servers don't take orders, but ask for dislikes and everyone gets the same food at a given table and while the quality is superb, as a person (and by proxy, as a player), that would still elicit grumbling from yours truly. ;) A total of 6 brief rumors and 12 sample plays with small synopses can be found as well, adding a nice detail to the proceedings: "A Game of Crones" or "The Rise of the House of Winter" certainly got a chuckle out of me...

6 sample events, from ill actors that need a stand in (bard - step forward!) to an actor needing his trusty bag o' shrooms to act, the events are creative and nice.

Augustus Marlowe, just fyi, would be an NPC who gets a full statblock - he's basically a challenge 7 kinda bard (sans pretty much all abilities) with a full complement of spells...he actually has the spellcasting array of a lvl 15 bard! Speaking of playwrights: Finnley "Finn" McEwan, also gets a statblock - he may, as a reaction, increase his AC, 1/turn sneak attack (somewhat odd restriction) or use the Dash, Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action. (Here, a minor glitch can be found - a missing blank space.) He would be another individual whose plays regularly grace the stage - and yes, he actually knows what he's doing! Ina fantastic context, you can obviously expect more from a play than what we mortals on our good ole' earth are accustomed to - and it would be Flibbidus Starriwynckles task to provide just that: The gnome acts as the trusty illusionist that keeps the plays engaging and action-packed. His statblock nets him advantage on all saves based on mental attributes versus magic and his spellcasting prowess extends to 3rd level, a befitting range for his challenge 3.

Of course, the play does have actors as well - Corah Bousaid, Eldrin Semarantha, the platin-blonde tiefling Talia - these would be some of the fluff-only entries that paint a surprisingly diverse picture: Eldrin, for example, copes with her shyness by staying in character and actually is hinted to be bisexual. Kel Kellsen, a somewhat arrogant dwarf, but capable actor, makes for a nice twist of the self-proclaimed "lady's man" - trope...and he actually has a secret that is decidedly non-sinister for a change. Of course, plays do require music and Curulaeron Meadowpane ("Please call me Cerulean."), the elven musician does provide just that. His statblock presents spellcasting of up to 3rd level, just fyi. Cerulean's plant companion from the PFRPG-version, alas, has not found its way to 5e, even though the fluff still mentions it. Oh, and his predilection towards plants extends to growing his own sort of "entertainment" - you know, he likes his home-grown... cough means of extending his consciousness.

Now, in the beginning, I mentioned the spell - you whisper a question to an arrow or bolt, which then spins to point in that direction. I like the visuals, but at 2nd level, it may be a bit high - I'd have made that a 1st level spell or cantrip.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no hiccups. Layout adheres to Dire Rugrat Publishing's two-column b/w-standard and is pretty printer-friendly. The pdf's cartography of the tavern is solid, though I wished a bigger version for kind-of-handout use was included. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience and art-wise, this deserves special mention: Each character herein gets a nice b/w-mugshot - particularly cool considering the low asking price.

Ken & Kelly Pawlik deliver concept-wise in this tavern: Simon's is an unconventional, interesting place full of quirky characters and a nice change of pace from more traditional taverns/restaurants. There is quite a lot of adventuring potential to be had here and the characters feel dynamic, alive and interesting. That being said, compared to more recent entries in the series, one can see that this 5e-conversion was an earlier offering - the NPcs already have unique tricks, but from the little mention of a plant companion that fell by the conversion-wayside to the builds of the NPCs themselves, the 5e-version doesn't deliver on the same level as the Pathfinder iteration. If you have the luxury of choice, the PFRPG-version's the better one this time around. Hence, my final verdict will clock in at 3.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This tavern tales-mini-adventure clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 2 pages for the adventure.

The module is intended for 1st level characters and is basically an expansion/tie-in of "Simon's Dinner Theatre", featured in the Tangible Taverns-series. It should be noted that you most definitely get the most out of this one when using it in conjunction with the aforementioned supplement. You do not, however, need it, since it does not take place in the establishment and instead begins when the tavern's musician Cerulean contacts the PCs...

...and this is as far as I can go sans SPOILERS. Potential players should jump ahead to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, only GMs around? Great! So, a show's approaching and Marlowe's nervous...but more so is Cerulean, who has forgotten his bag of shrooms at home...and, dude, they totally help him mellow out and see the music, ya know? Unable to leave, he hands the PCs the keys to his house and asks them to get his bag o' shrooms. Alas, Cerulean, while meticulous in some regards, is very forgetful and doesn't exactly know where he last had them...and his fully-mapped place, well, is not the safest, to put it bluntly.

Curious PCs may run afoul an archer bush in the front yard, disturb a none-too-friendly family of raccoons...and may have to contend with a mold slime Cerulean totally forgot to check up on...the thing seems to have grown faster than anticipated... His scatterbrained nature similarly may bring the PCs in contact with intoxicating substances...As a very minor nitpick: I would have loved to see proper drug-stats for Cerulean's shrooms instead of just using an effect of polypurpose panacea...but that is just me complaining at a very high level.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to the no-frills, printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard of the series. The pdf sports a solid piece of b/w-art for the shrooms and its cartography in b/w is functional. No player-friendly version is included, but considering the simplicity of the house's layout and the PWYW-nature, that's okay in my book.

Kelly Pawlik's "What a Trip", structure-wise, is a low-level fetch-quest...and while that elicited some grumbling from my group, said grumbles quickly subsided during the exploration of Cerulean's house - the place has a delightfully quirky, playful atmosphere and as a bonus, crafty players can actually complete this little side-trek sans shedding any blood...ehr...sap. It is pay what you want, creative and I'd encourage checking this nice mini-adventure out, even if you're not interested in Simon's - this one can easily be used in conjunction with a plethora of places. My final verdict will hence clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Tangible Taverns-series clocks in at 16 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page advertisement, 2 pages of SRD (which also contains a new spell...not the best decision to cram that in the SRD...), 1 page back cover, leaving us with 10 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Situated in the dullest part of town, a corner lot with a perfectly manicured lot, there is a place with potted flowers and a little sign that reads "Simon's" - once you enter the place, you will be in a foyer and need to pay an entrance fee that includes a meal, a drink and entertainment - for beyond the foyer, there is a main room that features a stage. Started by a young playwright named Simon Marlowe (nice nod here!), the playwright has since then met his fate in an unfortunate carriage accident, but thankfully, his nephew Augustus took over...while his existence was nebulous at best prior to his arrival, he seems to be a capable playwright of his own...the show must go on, right?

Servers don't take orders, but ask for dislikes and everyone gets the same food at a given table and while the quality is superb, as a person (and by proxy, as a player), that would still elicit grumbling from yours truly. ;) A total of 6 brief rumors and 12 sample plays with small synopses can be found as well, adding a nice detail to the proceedings: "Dungeon Crawl - a Satire" and its sequel "Total Party Kill" certainly look like adventurers may enjoy them... 6 sample events, from ill actors that need a stand in (bard - step forward!) to an actor needing his trusty bag o' shrooms to act, the events are creative and nice.

Augustus Marlowe, just fyi, would be an NPC who gets a full statblock - he's a bard (celebrity) of 15th level, so better don't mess with the playwright! Speaking of playwrights: Finnley "Finn" McEwan, an inspired blade swashbuckler 7 would be another individual whose plays regularly grace the stage - and yes, he actually knows what he's doing! Ina fantastic context, you can obviously expect more from a play than what we mortals on our good ole' earth are accustomed to - and it would be Flibbidus Starriwynckles task to provide just that: The gnome acts as the trusty illusionist that keeps the plays engaging and action-packed.

Of course, the play does have actors as well - Corah Bousaid, Eldrin Semarantha, the platin-blonde tiefling Talia - these would be some of the fluff-only entries that paint a surprisingly diverse picture: Eldrin, for example, copes with her shyness by staying in character and actually is hinted to be bisexual. Kel Kellsen, a somewhat arrogant dwarf, but capable actor, makes for a nice twist of the self-proclaimed "lady's man" - trope...and he actually has a secret that is decidedly non-sinister for a change. Of course, plays do require music and Curulaeron Meadowpane ("Please call me Cerulean."), the elven musician does provide just that. Pretty cool - he actually is no bard...no siree, he is a druid with a penchant for plants, including a fully statted carnivorous plant he dotes on to accompany his stats. Oh, and his predilection towards plants extends to growing his own sort of "entertainment" - you know, he likes his home-grown... cough means of extending his consciousness.

Now, in the beginning, I mentioned the spell - you whisper a question to an arrow or bolt, which then spins to point in that direction. I like the visuals, but at 2nd level, it may be a bit high - I'd have made that a 1st level spell or cantrip.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no hiccups. Layout adheres to Dire Rugrat Publishing's two-column b/w-standard and is pretty printer-friendly. The pdf's cartography of the tavern is solid, though I wished a bigger version for kind-of-handout use was included. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience and art-wise, this deserves special mention: Each character herein gets a nice b/w-mugshot - particularly cool considering the low asking price.

Ken & Kelly Pawlik deliver in this tavern: Simon's is an unconventional, interesting place full of quirky characters and a nice change of pace from more traditional taverns/restaurants. There is quite a lot of adventuring potential to be had here and the characters feel dynamic, alive and interesting. In the end, I will settle on a final verdict of 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for the purpose of this platform - an establishment well worth visiting.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This expansion-sidequest for The Angelic Imp tavern clocks in at 8 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page advertisement, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 3 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Wait, before we do: The Angelic Imp? Yep, that would be a pretty nice, high-class and discrete tavern/restaurant, perfect for romantic dalliances and secret business dealings - it can be found in Tangible Taverns: Trio of Taverns. While this module can work on its own (sporting the cartography etc.), it ultimately is intended as an expansion/ready-to-drop-in module for said place and I am going to rate it thusly.

This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still here? Great!

The PCs are hired by one Demetrius Flannigan, who is in the process of securing the business deal of a lifetime with Tarsis, an elf with crucial information - and said deal, obviously, will take place in the Angelic Imp. Alas and alack, the man's usual security's sick and he needs muscle to back him up...discretely. This is where the PCs come in. Will he need the PCs? You betcha!

You see, Deloris Franz (somewhat unfortunately named - Franz is a German first name only used for guys and almost never as a family name), a local celebrity and business rival, has heard about the deal and 3 thugs are already waiting close to the Imp to get to Demetrius. So if the PCs didn't think about guarding him en route...that's already an issue. Being dressed inappropriately...similarly problematic. In order to make sure the business deal goes according to plan, the PCs will need to be vigilant indeed - and prevent a lover's quarrel from escalating and souring the mood, for example.

Things become more problematic, as Deloris arrives with an bodyguard (under the pretense of a date) and proceeds to run interference and employ brawlers outside, doing her outmost to sour the deal. A complex array of modifications, depending on the PC's actions and lack thereof influence the deal and how it goes down...and yes, their payment.

The pdf also provides further adventuring possibilities, just so you know!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no glaring hiccups. Layout adheres to a no-frills two-column b/w-standard and the pdf sports some solid stock art. The cartography of the tavern is functional. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Kelly Pawlik's Troubleshooters is an EXCELLENT little module: It makes great use of the tavern and its clientele; it has a unique and creative premise; it allows for degrees of success or failure and it is rewarding to play. This is most definitely a pdf you should download right now and leave an appropriate tip for it. This can be a pretty fun and evocative little module and shows the potential of this series. Considering the PWYW-nature, I can't find any reason to not rate this 5 stars + seal of approval. Were this a commercial venture, I'd suggest more diverse skill-checks - this is pretty Perception and Sense Motive-heavy, but that is really just me reaching for something to complain about. Get this!

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This 5e-conversion of the expansion-sidequest for The Angelic Imp tavern clocks in at 8 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1/2 page advertisement, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 3 1/2 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Wait, before we do: The Angelic Imp? Yep, that would be a pretty nice, high-class and discrete tavern/restaurant, perfect for romantic dalliances and secret business dealings - it can be found in Tangible Taverns: Trio of Taverns. While this module can work on its own (sporting the cartography etc.), it ultimately is intended as an expansion/ready-to-drop-in module for said place and I am going to rate it thusly.

This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still here? Great!

The PCs are hired by one Demetrius Flannigan, who is in the process of securing the business deal of a lifetime with Tarsis, an elf with crucial information - and said deal, obviously, will take place in the Angelic Imp. Alas and alack, the man's usual security's sick and he needs muscle to back him up...discretely. This is where the PCs come in. Will he need the PCs? You betcha!

You see, Deloris Franz (somewhat unfortunately named - Franz is a German first name only used for guys and almost never as a family name), a local celebrity and business rival, has heard about the deal and 3 thugs are already waiting close to the Imp to get to Demetrius. So if the PCs didn't think about guarding him en route...that's already an issue. Being dressed inappropriately...similarly problematic. In order to make sure the business deal goes according to plan, the PCs will need to be vigilant indeed - and prevent a lover's quarrel from escalating and souring the mood, for example.

Things become more problematic, as Deloris arrives with an bodyguard (under the pretense of a date) and proceeds to run interference and employ brawlers outside, doing her outmost to sour the deal. A complex array of modifications, depending on the PC's actions and lack thereof influence the deal and how it goes down...and yes, their payment. In case you're wondering, btw. - particularly characters adept at Wisdom (Perception) and (insight) will have some serious chances to shine here -though Charisma (persuasion) will also be useful.

The pdf also provides further adventuring possibilities, just so you know! The 5e-iteration also goes one step beyond, providing a full write-up for Deloris, who clocks in as a challenge 2 adversary who is VERY adept at enchanting others and a properly worded reaction ability to get out alive of nasty situations - kudos for going the extra mile here and providing a memorable antagonist beyond the generic, linked SRD-stats!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no glaring hiccups. Layout adheres to a no-frills two-column b/w-standard and the pdf sports some solid stock art. The cartography of the tavern is functional. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Kelly & Ken Pawlik's Troubleshooters is an EXCELLENT little module: It makes great use of the tavern and its clientele; it has a unique and creative premise; it allows for degrees of success or failure and it is rewarding to play. This is most definitely a pdf you should download right now and leave an appropriate tip for it. This can be a pretty fun and evocative little module and shows the potential of this series. Considering the PWYW-nature, I can't find any reason to not rate this 5 stars + seal of approval. Were this a commercial venture, I'd suggest more diverse skill-checks - this is pretty Perception and Insight-heavy, but that is really just me reaching for something to complain about. The fact that we get a pretty cool NPC-adversary to supplement the module is just the icing on the cake - if you have the luxury of choosing PFRPG or 5e, the 5e-version's better this time around. Anyways...Get this!

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This 5e-version of the supplemental sidequest for Tuffy's Good Time Palace clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 2 pages of content, so let's take a look!

What's Tuffy's Good Time Palace? Well, it is a nice little tavern released in the Tangible Taverns-series before. While you can use this module as a stand-alone, it is primarily intended to add some additional oomph to the place and provide a solid go-play addition. The 5e-iteration is kind of remarkable in that the NPC-conversions are pretty lovingly done, adding some serious character to the place.

This being an adventure-review, the following will contain SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, only GMs around? Great! Well, remember that "former" establishment of Tuffy's? Well, the "Endless Knights", a group of a-hole adventurers, figured that the shady clientele inside would warrant burning the old place to the ground...including the patrons. Yeah, how they maintain CN as an alignment, I have no idea. Their statblocks are found via hyperlinks on the SRD. Tuffy is NOT happy they're back in town and they waltzed right in, poured dwarven spirit on the bar and set it ablaze. In the ensuing chaos (Tuffy had learned to keep sufficient water to extinguish the flames), the Endless Knights make their escape, but not before adding insult to injury by filching a prized bottle of dwarven spirits Tuffy wants returned. Note that, as written, the PCs are not supposed to be present here - if you elect to go the more interesting route and throw a good brawl their way, you'll have to improvise. Pity that the book does not provide some guidance here.

Anyways, Tuffy tries to hire the PCs to deal with the knights and they have taken a warehouse for themselves. Odd: Killing them/starting a fight may provide trouble with the authorities, while the knight's behavior is ignored...sure they authorities don't like Tuffy...but arson has traditionally been punished harder than murder due to the threat to the cities...

Beyond this logic bug, the little module with its b/w-cartography of the hide-out of the rival adventurers is solid apart from one of the traps lacking a Wisdom (Perception) DC to spot. The DCs of the 5e-version have been properly adjusted and the wall scythe trap in the PFRPG-iteration has been replaced with a poison dart trap. Traps are hyperlinked to a SRD, as are the stats of the rival adventurers.

Trying to reason with the Endless Knights yields pretty much nothing, so if the PCs want to succeed in getting the arsonists to Tuffy for a little roughing up, they'll need to take them in alive...which, in Pathfinder, makes for an at least somewhat tweaked challenge. In 5e, it's basically written per default into the system and as such, takes a bit away from the module for me.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are solid, with no too grievous glitches. Layout adheres to a no-frills, printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard and the pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length. Cartography is functional (though it has no scale - assume 5-foot-squares per default) and while there is no player-friendly version of the map, at this length I don't necessarily expect one.

Kelly Pawlik's "It Starts with a Barroom Brawl" is a decent sidetrek - while the eponymous brawl is intended to be pretty much absent from the module per default, it is the aftermath here that is the meat of the mini-module. As a means of further fleshing out Tuffy's, it does a decent enough job; as a standalone, it loses some of its charm and becomes a rather generic endeavor. That being said, at the same time, this is a PWYW-product and as such, it deserves a bit of slack. It's not a module that'll be remembered for ages to come, but it deserves being checked out as a bonus if you already have Tuffy's. Hence, my final verdict will clock in at 3 stars - if you have the luxury of choice regarding system, this time around I'd consider the PFRPG-version slightly superior to the 5e-version, unlike quite a few of the tavern-supplements.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This supplemental sidequest for Tuffy's Good Time Palace clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 2 pages of content, so let's take a look!

What's Tuffy's Good Time Palace? Well, it is a nice little tavern released in the Tangible Taverns-series before. While you can use this module as a stand-alone, it is primarily intended to add some additional oomph to the place and provide a solid go-play addition.

This being an adventure-review, the following will contain SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, only GMs around? Great! Well, remember that "former" establishment of Tuffy's? Well, the "Endless Knights", a group of a-hole adventurers, figured that the shady clientele inside would warrant burning the old place to the ground...including the patrons. Yeah, how they maintain CN as an alignment, I have no idea. Their statblocks are found via hyperlinks on the SRD. Tuffy is NOT happy they're back in town and they waltzed right in, poured dwarven spirit on the bar and set it ablaze. In the ensuing chaos (Tuffy had learned to keep sufficient water to extinguish the flames), the Endless Knights make their escape, but not before adding insult to injury by filching a prized bottle of dwarven spirits Tuffy wants returned. Note that, as written, the PCs are not supposed to be present here - if you elect to go the more interesting route and throw a good brawl their way, I'd suggest getting Raging Swan Press' "Barroom Brawl"-supplement.

Anyways, Tuffy tries to hire the PCs to deal with the knights and they have taken a warehouse for themselves. Odd: Killing them/starting a fight may provide trouble with the authorities, while the knight's behavior is ignored...sure they authorities don't like Tuffy...but arson has traditionally been punished harder than murder due to the threat to the cities...

Beyond this logic bug, the little module with its b/w-cartography of the hide-out of the rival adventurers is solid apart from one of the traps lacking a Perception DC to spot. Diplomacy yields pretty much nothing, so if the PCs want to succeed in getting the arsonists to Tuffy for a little roughing up, they'll need to take them in alive, which is at least a slightly unconventional task.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are solid, with no too grievous glitches. Layout adheres to a no-frills, printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard and the pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length. Cartography is functional (though it has no scale - assume 5-foot-squares per default) and while there is no player-friendly version of the map, at this length I don't necessarily expect one.

Kelly Pawlik's "It Starts with a Barroom Brawl" is a decent sidetrek - while the eponymous brawl is intended to be pretty much absent from the module per default, it is the aftermath here that is the meat of the mini-module. As a means of further fleshing out Tuffy's, it does a decent enough job; as a standalone, it loses some of its charm and becomes a rather generic endeavor. That being said, at the same time, this is a PWYW-product and as such, it deserves a bit of slack. It's not a module that'll be remembered for ages to come, but it deserves being checked out as a bonus if you already have Tuffy's. Hence, my final verdict will clock in at 3 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review of the revised version

This pdf clocks in at 8 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/foreword, 1 page advertisement, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 3 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Dire Rugrat Publishing's 5e-conversions are a joy to behold in that they add unique abilities to the respective NPCs. Alas, the original iteration of this pdf failed pretty nastily in the depiction of these unique abilities out of context. However, not one company to be dissuaded by harsh feedback, the dire rugrats have revised the book and now begin this pdf with a section on how to properly use the respective abilities included. The abilities are now codified in an easy and concise manner, sporting refresh conditions, if applicable, in brackets behind the name. Furthermore, and this is perhaps the most significant improvement here from a structural point of view, the respective abilities now actually provide a Challenge Rating-modification. While usually 5e-statblocks speak of "challenge" instead, challenge rating is actually referenced in the Monster Manual, so the CR-abbreviation gets a pass here, in spite of being more commonly used in PFRPG's rules language. Anyways, the inclusion of these ratings now allow tighter control for the GM and a better guideline of the challenges the addition of these abilities result in. Where applicable, such abilities have a save DC equal to 8 + proficiency bonus + relevant Ability modifier. The second important aspect would be that the abilities featured herein have now been properly codified as passive and active abilities and reactions.

A total of 8 passive abilities are included herein for your convenience. Barroom Brawler lets you ignore difficult terrain generated by bars and grants advantage when trying to grapple/shove foes. Below the Belt nets a foe that suffer from a variety of negative conditions disadvantage on saves to overcome the condition if you hit it. The previously wonky ability has been completely cleaned up.

Close-quarters melee shooting is very strong, allowing for shots in melee-range sans disadvantage. With a helpful familiar, you may have spells originate from the familiar, but only if the critter is within 30 ft. Inflicting more damage versus grappled or restrained foes makes sense and I like the peg-leg drawback...though Sea-legs, which grant 20 ft. climbing AND swimming speed AND advantage on Strength (athletics)-checks to climb slippery vertical surfaces or gain distance in water feels too strong for just CR +1/2.

A total of 6 active abilities are next: Using verbal jabs to dishearten foes hit with sneak attacks is nice and now features a scaling DC. Motivating minions (which are concisely defined!) to inflict more damage depending on the master's HD as a bonus action is neat. Gaining an increased, bonus action-based movement when swinging from rigging makes sense for pirates. Reloading pistols or crossbows as a bonus action can be pretty strong, depending on the pistol rules you're using...so take that one with a bit of salt. Personally, I think 3/day poisoning weapons feels more like something gained from equipment than strictly an ability, but I'm nitpicking here.

The pdf also features four reactions, particularly suitable for BBEGs - swapping places with minions to let them take the hit is nice, though it lacks the "you may use your reaction"-wording-component. Considering the header, it is pretty clear how it's should work, it can still be a bit odd. Another option is a reflexive teleport combined with invisibility both make sense. Counterattacks in melee and using a Dexterity saving throw versus DC 15 or damage caused, whichever is higher, to potentially negate damage kind of makes sense. The pdf offers nice designer's commentary on a couple of these abilities and also provides a nice Proficiency-bonus by challenge and challenge/XP-table for the GM, adding some serious usefulness there and avoiding undue bookflipping.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no formal glitches that would gall me. The rules language in the revised edition is significantly more precise. Layout adheres to a printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard with a solid piece of color art and the pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Kelly & Ken Pawlik's collection of advantageous abilities for 5e-NPCs has been vastly improved in its revised iteration; where before, the pdf had next to no use in my book, sported several glaring hiccups and issues, the team has come together to streamline the pdf into an actually useful, fun little book. And yes, new content is included! The revised edition not only actually works, it is also easier to navigate, sports more content and is, over all, a worthwhile addition for a 5e-GM's toolkit to customize NPCs. While not absolutely perfect, the low price does its share to render this a valid purchase. My final verdict for the revised edition will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 for the purpose of this platform - well done!

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review of the revised edition

This pdf clocks in at 8 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/foreword, 1 page advertisement, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 3 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Dire Rugrat Publishing's 5e-conversions are a joy to behold in that they add unique abilities to the respective NPCs. Alas, the original iteration of this pdf failed pretty nastily in the depiction of these unique abilities out of context. However, not one company to be dissuaded by harsh feedback, the dire rugrats have revised the book and now begin this pdf with a section on how to properly use the respective abilities included. The abilities are now codified in an easy and concise manner, sporting refresh conditions, if applicable, in brackets behind the name. Furthermore, and this is perhaps the most significant improvement here from a structural point of view, the respective abilities now actually provide a Challenge Rating-modification. While usually 5e-statblocks speak of "challenge" instead, challenge rating is actually referenced in the Monster Manual, so the CR-abbreviation gets a pass here, in spite of being more commonly used in PFRPG's rules language. Anyways, the inclusion of these ratings now allow tighter control for the GM and a better guideline of the challenges the addition of these abilities result in. Where applicable, such abilities have a save DC equal to 8 + proficiency bonus + relevant Ability modifier. The second important aspect would be that the abilities featured herein have now been properly codified as passive and active abilities and reactions.

So, what do we get here? In short, we get abilities you can add to specific NPCs to grant them a more unique flavor, some tricks to set them apart, if you will. A total of 9 passive abilities are provided: Distracting Allure, for example, lets you add your Charisma bonus to Dexterity (sleight of hand) checks. As a minor nitpick, it does imply attraction and lacks a caveat to represent other critters - RAW, it would apply to creatures not attracted to the character like sentient oozes or worse. Being a local celebrity has its perks - and now the opaque "city" employed in the rules-language is properly codified. Being hard to persuade and various forms of advantage when interacting with certain demographics also are included here alongside a betrayal's first strike when you drop the charade and put the knife in your foes. As a minor complaint - the reputation-based abilities that feature a fixed DC would have imho been served better by a scaling DC. "Hang in There" leaves me puzzled: When a companion is frightened, the creature can cause the companion to ignore the condition for Charisma modifier rounds, with the rounds counting towards the duration of the effect. So far, so good...but this does not look like a passive ability. In fact, I'd honestly consider that a kind of reaction...at least for as long as it has no range and requires neither sight nor audible means of contact. A total of 5 active abilities are part of the pdf as well: Fearful Insinuation allows the character to deliver threats without seeming threatening. If successfully intimidated, the creatures suffers disadvantage on the next attack roll or saving throw. The ability also lacks a means to notice the intimidation while observing it. Enhancing an ally's Charisma (Deception) proficiency bonus times/day is interesting. Similarly, I love the ability that lets a creature move with a grace that renders targets incapacitated on a failed save, provided they have a clear path towards the target. I assume activation action here being just an action, but am not 100% sure, since the pdf does not state it explicitly, unlike in all the other abilities here. There are nice ones here as well, including the means to thwart all manner of social relationships - discord is thy name....

Speaking of reactions: 4 are provided. Most lack the "you may use your reaction"-wording-component and though, considering their header, it is pretty clear how they should work, it can still be a bit odd: "When it fails a Wisdom saving throw, this creature may immediately make a second Wisdom saving throw and add its Charisma modifier to the result." - see, this does not READ like a reaction; it reads like an always-on passive ability. Functional...yes. But unnecessarily confusion in the context of actually using it. Getting a Charisma save versus frightened or stunned at a fixed DC ( as opposed to the original DC) still feels wonky to me. There is also a short rest healing ability that lacks a range and now interacts with maximum healing based on HD or spell - 1/2 its HD, rounded down. Fun fact: This one employs the proper reaction wording. Odd...Finally, swapping targets of an attack once again is interesting.

The pdf closes with a nice Proficiency-bonus by challenge and challenge/XP-table for the GM, adding some serious usefulness there and avoiding undue book-flipping.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting on a formal level are nice, but on a rules-level, there still are some inconsistencies to be found. Layout adheres to Dire Rugrat Press' two-column b/w-standard and the pdf has a solid b/w-artwork but no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Kelly & Ken Pawlik's second collection of advantageous abilities has significantly improved in the revised edition - while not all of the abilities are 100% perfect, they now provide sufficient guidance for GMs and generally can be employed in game sans creating an undue assortment of question marks. The added codification according to CRs and tables alongside also help improving the value of this little pdf. In the end, this revised iteration does offer some nice content for the very low price point and thus is worth a final verdict of 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The 5e-version of the first of the Tavern Tales mini-adventures clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 2 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Wait, before we do: This mini-adventure can be pretty easily employed on its own, but its intention is to be run in conjunction with one of the taverns featured in Tangible Taverns: A Trio of Taverns, namely Blackberry Bill's. In case you're not familiar with it: Think former, gruff dwarven adventurer obsessed with blackberries who has a hidden location where they grow like crazy. The cast of characters, while depicted in sufficient detail to work on its own, is significantly enhanced if you do have the Tangible Taverns-installment, since the characters receive significantly more detail there.

Speaking of which...it's time to dive into this one and, this being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump ahead to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still here? Great!

The PCs become witness to a little dispute, as famous eating champion Pie-Eating Pete is rebuffed by the server Braybin and blackberry's stern gaze - once the pies are out, they're out. The bully consequently storms off. The next day, Braybin finds the preserves missing from the tavern and, barring trails of a break-in, she suspects that someone has stolen her keys. This section feels a bit too autopilot/railroady for my tastes - who not let the PCs discover that themselves?

Anyways, Braybin has two obvious suspects, the local scoundrel, her ex or Pie-Eating Pete, who has been hanging out with a local thug named Clyde. Pete's room indeed contains one of the respective jars, but not the preserves, which, to me, makes no sense. If you move the preserves, why keep the jar after it's emptied?

Alas, this also extends to other components here - it is intended for the PCs to try to break into the Clyde's place, which alerts the guards...which poses an issue. One, why not just ask the guards to check? Two: PCs are notoriously capable, so why is there no chance to evade setting off the guards?

Inside the flat, only a nice (and sensible trap). Whether or not the PCs turn over Pie-eating Pete to the local authorities, his stats have been provided (commoner 7, just fyi!).

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are decent on a formal level; there are some typo-level hiccups like "intimated" instead of "intimidated", "track" instead of "trap", "Pie Eating Pete" once with hyphen and without...you get the idea...the like. In contrast to the PRPG-version the 5e-version's DCs are more consistent, though there is still an example where the respective check is not noted properly. Layout adheres to a printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard and the pdf has no artworks, but needs none at this low price-point. The pdf has no bookmarks, but also needs none - it's only 2 pages, after all. If you want the cartography of the tavern, you need to get the Tangible Tavern-installment.

I Like Kelly Pawlik's story here. It could conceivably easily be run for kids and the change of tone from the usual fare is refreshing and nice. As a stand-alone, it does lose a lot, though not all of the charm the tavern evokes - in either way, plot-wise, it is a nice diversion. Let me correct that - I like the idea of the story here. Additionally, the conversion of the main antagonist and general checks/DCs have been done well...however, this does nothing to make the module flow better.

At the same time, from a narrative point of view, this, alas, fails. The module tries to cram an investigation in two pages, which is hard; while AAW Games has successfully done this before, this pdf, alas, does fall into the trap that came from the obvious lack of space...excessive railroading.

The actual investigation is basically taken care of for the PCs. There is nothing to be uncovered and, much like small kids eating pie, they are spoon-fed each detail; the two suspects are there from the get-go, really obvious and make the module, alas, feel like the equivalent of one of those annoying busy-work quests from computer roleplaying games: Walk to A, talk. Walk to B, talk. Stuff C happens. Challenge. Done. There is no internal variation and no player-agenda here, it's a railroad in the worst sense, one that will make some players just say "Do it yourself!" to the NPCs. After all, they just have to walk over there and already know what's up!

The charming component of being a rather wholesome module further exacerbates the issue: When it could have been a light-hearted diversion, it instead feels like mundane busywork...even for kids.

When used in its intended way as a companion piece to the tavern, it is a passable, railroady sidequest...though honestly, I can improvise a better, more open structure than what this offers. Ultimately, the use of this mini-adventure lies in its supplemental character for GMs who didn't have time to prepare. The low price point also helps salvage this at least somewhat. Still, considering the high standards to which I have held similar mini-adventures in the past, I cannot go higher than 2 stars for this.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The first of the Tavern Tales mini-adventures clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 2 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Wait, before we do: This mini-adventure can be pretty easily employed on its own, but its intention is to be run in conjunction with one of the taverns featured in Tangible Taverns: A Trio of Taverns, namely Blackberry Bill's. In case you're not familiar with it: Think former, gruff dwarven adventurer obsessed with blackberries who has a hidden location where they grow like crazy. The cast of characters, while depicted in sufficient detail to work on its own, is significantly enhanced if you do have the Tangible Taverns-installment, since the characters receive significantly more detail there.

Speaking of which...it's time to dive into this one and, this being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump ahead to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still here? Great!

The PCs become witness to a little dispute, as famous eating champion Pie-Eating Pete is rebuffed by the server Braybin and blackberry's stern gaze - once the pies are out, they're out. The bully consequently storms off. The next day, Braybin finds the preserves missing from the tavern and, barring trails of a break-in, she suspects that someone has stolen her keys. This section feels a bit too autopilot/railroady for my tastes - who not let the PCs discover that themselves?

Anyways, Braybin has two obvious suspects, the local scoundrel, her ex or Pie-Eating Pete, who has been hanging out with a local thug named Clyde. Pete's room indeed contains one of the respective jars, but not the preserves, which, to me, makes no sense. If you move the preserves, why keep the jar after it's emptied?

Alas, this also extends to other components here - it is intended for the PCs to try to break into the Clyde's place, which alerts the guards...which poses an issue. One, why not just ask the guards to check? Two: Pcs are notoriously capable, so why is there no chance to evade setting off the guards? Similarly, the mini-adventure mentions that " a handful of coin and a successful Diplomacy check" can be made to convince Clyde to talk...but not the DC for the latter.

Inside the flat, only a nice (and sensible trap). Whether or not the PCs turn over Pie-eating Pete to the local authorities, his stats have been provided (commoner 7, just fyi!).

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are good on a formal level, though there are some typo-level hiccups like "intimated" instead of "intimidated"... However, at the same time, the way in which skill uses are mentioned in the pdf is pretty inconsistent. Once, you get a DC and no skill; once you get a skill and no DC. Layout adheres to a printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard and the pdf has no artworks, but needs none at this low price-point. The pdf has no bookmarks, but also needs none - it's only 2 pages, after all. If you want the cartography of the tavern, you need to get the Tangible Tavern-installment. Statblocks for non-unique NPCs/traps have been hyperlinked.

I Like Kelly Pawlik's story here. It could conceivably easily be run for kids and the change of tone from the usual fare is refreshing and nice. As a stand-alone, it does lose a lot, though not all of the charm the tavern evokes - in either way, plot-wise, it is a nice diversion. Let me correct that - I like the idea of the story here.

At the same time, from a narrative point of view, this, alas, fails. The module tries to cram an investigation in two pages, which is hard; while AAW Games has successfully done this before, this pdf, alas, does fall into the trap that came from the obvious lack of space...excessive railroading.

The actual investigation is basically taken care of for the PCs. There is nothing to be uncovered and, much like small kids eating pie, they are spoon-fed each detail; the two suspects are there from the get-go, really obvious and make the module, alas, feel like the equivalent of one of those annoying busy-work quests from computer roleplaying games: Walk to A, talk. Walk to B, talk. Stuff C happens. Challenge. Done. There is no internal variation and no player-agenda here, it's a railroad in the worst sense, one that will make some players just say "Do it yourself!" to the NPCs. After all, they just have to walk over there and already know what's up!

The charming component of being a rather wholesome module further exacerbates the issue: When it could have been a light-hearted diversion, it instead feels like mundane busywork...even for kids.

When used in its intended way as a companion piece to the tavern, it is a passable, railroady sidequest...though honestly, I can improvise a better, more open structure than what this offers. Ultimately, the use of this mini-adventure lies in its supplemental character for GMs who didn't have time to prepare. The low price point also helps salvage this at least somewhat. Still, considering the high standards to which I have held similar mini-adventures in the past, I cannot go higher than 2 stars for this.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review of the revised edition

This installment of the Tangible Taverns-series clocks in at 26 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, 2 pages of advertisement leaving us with 20 pages of content, so let's take a look!

After a brief introduction, we dive right into the first tavern of the trinity, the Angelic Imp: Dim, yet romantically lit, with red candles and vases of red and white roses, the tavern utilizes a romanticized aesthetic oscillating between the reds of passion (associated with blood and sin) and the purity of white - this is the place to go when you're looking for a prime spot for a discrete candlelight dinner with excellent accompanying food - from grilled swordfish to saffron-tomato seafood stew and jasmine rice, the food did make my mouth water a bit; while the pdf does not sport menues with sample prices for the dishes, the tavern itself is fully mapped in a player-friendly little, functional map. The angelic imp, as such, has a reputation for privacy and rumors (4 of which are provided in pretty nice detail) are usually something you'd stumble across outside of the establishment. The 6 sample events provided deal with the obviously exquisite and delicate nature of the place; with customers being enraged at the prices of the bill, an artificial wine shortage and love and lust reciprocated or denied, the events fit well within the context of the tavern. Bellamy Brook, the establishment's owner, receives the full NPC treatment with statblock - including the means to make fast friends, while his striking server Malena is provided as a detailed write-up, including a unique ability that bespeaks her more than impressive grace. EDIT: A layout glitch has been eliminated.

There is also a love-triangle/jealousy-story waiting in the wings, with Albright Ansuer, son of a self-made man and bored and spoiled aristocratic debutante Jenna Saunderville featuring fluffy write-ups and quite some potential for intriguing scenes. EDIT: Where we had an advertisement before, we now get a new piece of art - kudos!!!

But perhaps the PCs aren't the biggest fans of romance. Well, then Blackberry Bill's may be what their looking for - small and cozy, with a focus on pastries and the like, the tavern is run by the eponymous Blackberry Bill...whose pugilism expertise was translated to 5e with rather creative abilities...and yes, they extend to cover the reputation he has a being somewhat short-fused in social environments. I really like how the series translates the spirit of the NPCs to 5e here - this is NOT a hackjob, but a lovingly crafted conversion...so kudos!

The grizzled dwarf is indeed a former adventurer and those stuffed heads on the wall...they're not hanging there for nothing. Famous for his jams and massive infatuation with blackberries, Bill may not have the best people skills, but his food makes up for that. His waitress, Braybin Mockingson, a speckled and energetic halfling seems to make up for that in energy and impulse. A total of 6 rumors, from tall tales about Bill's adventuring days to how in fact his blackberry creations reached their level of deliciousness, are provided. Now Bill, obviously, is relying on a secret patch of blackberries and hence, his obsessions with the fruits feature in the sample events: From experimental dishes to the quest for ever more blackberry recipes, thefts, customers bringing a cockatrice into the shop or kids gone missing near the patch...the adventuring potential is there and diverse/creative.

The third of the taverns featured herein would be the Pattering Platypus - and unlike the previous two, this one has an explicitly stated menu that changes by weekday, though it sports no prices. Much like the previous two taverns, the tavern comes with detailed and well-crafted prose depicting the owner, Titus Muldoon as well as Devon Winterhall and a local celebrity bard. Devon, just fyi can make for an interesting bouncer - originally a maneuver master, her background story and occupation have been translated with care to the context of 5e. Kudos!

It should be noted that the food here is pretty much diner fare - with burgers in all but name, delicious fried chicken - and before you start complaining about anachronism here - there are reliable accounts on frying practices in the 17th century and considering that magic and our default setting come closer to the early modern period than the middle ages, I am fine with that. The rumors featured here deal mostly with the NPCs mentioned before and patrons misbehaving; in direct contrast, these are the weakest among the rumors/events herein - they aren't bad, mind you - just not as diverse.

Now, the pdf also has more people to add to the respective taverns -we have an amethyst-eyed punk-aesthetic gnome sorceress looking for thrills and fun and her gruff, practical and realistic elven friend. EDIT: Where a previous, unique ability had some issues regarding its strength and wording, that has been cleaned up - kudos! I do like her prestidigitation-expertise, though! The gnome's elven friend is a rather adept hunter and her efficiency when using hunter's mark etc. is pretty cool.

You can also encounter Dizzy Izzy, disheveled-looking and rather successful mesmerist/conman/information-broker - and my favorite NPC-conversion in the book: Originally a mesmerist in PFRPG, his means to enforce assistance via post-hypnotic suggestions, his gaze and the means to redirect attacks of foes make him a truly cool character.

There is also the charming, intelligent Harding von Orcson, gentlemen trader; you can try to best local legend Pie-eating Pete (fully statted, has a gullet of holding in 5e!) or you may well encounter an eccentric, but harmless pretend-noble. Finally, there is the powerful guard captain Ervyn Blackwall. Ervyn would be my second favorite conversion here - originally a cavalier, he now gets the option to quickly cuff trouble-makers as a bonus action, which fits perfectly with the guard captain trope; however, it should be noted that his mount gets no 5e-stats herein; arguably due to the decreased emphasis on pets/mount stats and their power-growth in 5e, but still something you should know. Ervyn also always a likely source of employment for adventurers or a powerful foil for less scrupulous forces. So yes, adding these beings to taverns (or just scavenging them for other purposes) increases the conflict/adventuring potential for the respective places by quite a bit!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are tight in both formal criteria and rules-language departments - I have no complaints here. Layout adheres to a printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard and the pdf features b/w-artworks for EVERY SINGLE NPC herein. Unless I am sorely mistaken, I have seen none of these before as well; for the more than fair price point, that is quite a feat and yes, even the fluff-only NPCs/non-combatants have their mugshots. Kudos! The cartography in b/w is nice and does its job well. EDIT: Dire Rugrat Publishing's crew listens - the pdf now features a page that collects all the tavern maps in player-friendly iterations: Just print it out, cut it up and use it as a handout. There you go! Awesome!

Kelly & Ken Pawlik's trio of taverns is a supplement well-worth getting; I am also pretty enamored with the 5e-conversions featured herein. Due to a discrepancy in system-age and focus, Pathfinder has a lot of classes and minutiae that does not translate well to 5e; instead of just shrugging and converting the basics, this pdf takes the concepts, distills them to the less rules-intense 5e-context and provides unique signature abilities for the NPCs, making them work in spirit as in PFRPG sans Pathfinder's complexity. Arguably, to me some of the 5e-characters indeed do their job/theme better than in PFRPG and this is indeed something I love seeing. Similarly, this supplement does not fall in the pitfalls seen in some 5e-conversions...so yeah, kudos indeed!! To me, the 5e-version of this trio of taverns edges the supplement slightly over its brother and, considering how ALL of my previous gripes have been eliminated, this one does now get an upgrade to 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review (for the improved version)

This installment of the Tangible Taverns-series clocks in at 26 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, 1.5 pages advertisement leaving us with 20.5 pages of content, so let's take a look!

After a brief introduction, we dive right into the first tavern of the trinity, the Angelic Imp: Dim, yet romantically lit, with red candles and vases of red and white roses, the tavern utilizes a romanticized aesthetic oscillating between the reds of passion (associated with blood and sin) and the purity of white - this is the place to go when you're looking for a prime spot for a discrete candlelight dinner with excellent accompanying food - from grilled swordfish to saffron-tomato seafood stew and jasmine rice, the food did make my mouth water a bit; while the pdf does not sport menus with sample prices for the dishes, the tavern itself is fully mapped in a player-friendly little, functional map. The angelic imp, as such, has a reputation for privacy and rumors (4 of which are provided in pretty nice detail) are usually something you'd stumble across outside of the establishment. The 6 sample events provided deal with the obviously exquisite and delicate nature of the place; with customers being enraged at the prices of the bill, an artificial wine shortage and love and lust reciprocated or denied, the events fit well within the context of the tavern. Bellamy Brook, the establishment's owner, receives the full NPC treatment (expert/sorceror multiclass, just fyi), while his striking server Malena is provided as a detailed write-up, including stats. There is also a love-triangle/jealousy-story waiting in the wings, with Albright Ansuer, son of a self-made man and bored and spoiled aristocratic debutante Jenna Saunderville featuring fluffy write-ups and quite some potential for intriguing scenes. EDIT: The ad that was here before is now gone, replaced with a nice piece of b/w-artwork. Kudos!

But perhaps the PCs aren't the biggest fans of romance. Well, then Blackberry Bill's may be what their looking for - small and cozy, with a focus on pastries and the like, the tavern is run by the eponymous Blackberry Bill...who is btw. a brutal pugilist with some serious class levels - the grizzled dwarf is indeed a former adventurer and those stuffed heads on the wall...they're not hanging there for nothing. Famous for his jams and massive infatuation with blackberries, Bill may not have the best people skills, but his food makes up for that. His waitress, Braybin Mockingson, a speckled and energetic halfling seems to make up for that in energy and impulse. A total of 6 rumors, from tall tales about Bill's adventuring days to how in fact his blackberry creations reached their level of deliciousness, are provided. Now Bill, obviously, is relying on a secret patch of blackberries and hence, his obsessions with the fruits feature in the sample events: From experimental dishes to the quest for ever more blackberry recipes, thefts, customers bringing a cockatrice into the shop or kids gone missing near the patch...the adventuring potential is there and diverse/creative.

The third of the taverns featured herein would be the Pattering Platypus - and unlike the previous two, this one has an explicitly stated menu that changes by weekday, though it sports no prices. Much like the previous two taverns, the tavern comes with detailed and well-crafted prose depicting the owner, Titus Muldoon as well as Devon Winterhall and a local celebrity bard. Devon, just fyi, does get full stats and is a maneuver master monk that can make for an interesting bouncer. It should be noted that the food here is pretty much diner fare - with burgers in all but name, delicious fried chicken - and before you start complaining about anachronism here - there are reliable accounts on frying practices in the 17th century and considering that magic and our default setting come closer to the early modern period than the middle ages, I am fine with that. The rumors featured here deal mostly with the NPCs mentioned before and patrons misbehaving; in direct contrast, these are the weakest among the rumors/events herein - they aren't bad, mind you - just not as diverse.

Now, the pdf also has more people to add to the respective taverns -we have an amethyst-eyed punk-aesthetic gnome sorceress looking for thrills and fun and her gruff, practical and realistic elven friend. You can also encounter Dizzy Izzy (full stats included), disheveled-looking and rather successful mesmerist/conman/information-broker or the charming, intelligent Harding von Orcson, gentlemen trader; you can try to best local legend Pie-eating Pete (fully statted), encounter an eccentric, but harmless pretend-noble. Finally, there is the powerful guard captain Ervyn Blackwall and his mount (again, full stats included); always a likely source of employment for adventurers or a powerful foil for less scrupulous forces. So yes,a dding these beings to taverns (or just scavenging them for other purposes) increases the conflict/adventuring potential for the respective places by quite a bit!

EDIT: In a REALLY cool service for the customers, a plaer-friendly collection of all maps can now be found, all collected on one page - kudos!!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are tight in both formal criteria and rules-language departments - I have no complaints here. Layout adheres to a printer-friendly two-column b/w-standard and the pdf features b/w-artworks for EVERY SINGLE NPC herein. Unless I am sorely mistaken, I have seen none of these before as well; for the more than fair price point, that is quite a feat and yes, even the fluff-only NPCs/non-combatants have their mugshots. Kudos! The cartography in b/w is nice and does its job well and EDIT: now, the maps are collected on a player-friendly handout page: Print out one page, cutit up, there you go. Two thumbs up!

Kelly & Ken Pawlik's trio of taverns is a supplement well-worth getting; for a more than fair price, you get some nice builds, NPCs and places to drop in your campaign. While the absence of prices for the food and beverages is a minor detriment in my book, the places indeed capture the imagination, with the first two outclassing the third in my book; after the quirky and creative first two taverns, the third did feel a bit more common in direct comparison. That being said, this is still a great little supplement. Considering the slightly improved layout, new art, minor fixes and collated maps in player-friendly versions, my final verdict is upgraded to 5 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this product.

Grippli: Playable Amphibians is an 8 page product with 4 pages of content for one of my favorite non-core races. The formatting is professional, and there is some colored art of adventurous Grippli that could easily be used to make tokens for those playing on a Virtual Table Top.

The fluff in the product is in point, detailing Grippli society values and structure, as well as their overall relationships with core races most likely to be their allies.
Each subrace comes with a potential adventure hook, which can serve as inspiration for a grippli character, or a good way for a DM to not only introduce Grippli into his campaign but also have the players excited to interact with them.

Regarding the crunch in the product, my favorite aspect is how Grippli are excellent explorers. All Grippli are talented swimmers, and while only one subrace is a natural climber, all Grippli are capable of astounding leaps. They are also gifted on the other side of the exploration coin, naturally competent at scouting and tracking.

There are three subraces, each represents adaptation to a different environment (bogs, rivers/lakes, and jungle). Their specialized abilities include using their long tongues as another hand (with reasonable limits) and a potent poisonous sweat which can be applied to weaponry.

My only quibble is that one subrace gets an extra ability stat point which makes it overlap with the other subraces, but overall I'd be happy to use this product at my table.