This is going to see a lot of use at my table. "What do I do with my gold now?" hands players these sheets Well done!

I’m writing this review is to help draw attention to it. Everyone’s always wondering what to do with their gold in D&D 5E. Here is a clean, simple easy-to-understand guide to letting PC’s construct , maintain and improve their own guildhall. In just a few pages it gets to the meat of the situation without going into pointless minutia or micromanaging. I am going to print this out and keep it in the back of my DMG to hand to ambitious players. Well done!

Unfortunately I deleted it after giving it a good once over. It's got good ideas but the numbers on nearly every stat block are completely off and don't follow the DMG rules. Con bonuses not added to hit points, Challenge 5 dragonrider with +0 to attack, and much more. A shame.

The stat blocks are clear and mimic MM entries. The research into these is top-notch. Lots of favorites from all editions of D&D. So great using the WotC art to jog the memory of the original critter. Great work, well worth it.

This tome is pretty useful, and overall formatting is very clear and easy to read. It contains a number of monsters not yet converted to 5E that look challenging and bring back good memories. The Spells don't really entice me but the magic items are flavorable and fun and well designed. Overall a 3.5-4 so I'll give a 4 because more than just a stat block dumped on you, the flavor text is clear and concise.

There were some initial issues with minor formatting and a few Challenge numbers that were off but I will leave them in the comments area so this review doesn't reflect poorly on any updates which may be provided to an overall good offering. I like the work done here.

With all the rich history Mind Flayers have enjoyed in the game’s lore, I had always hoped someone would take the reins and expand the offering in the MM with more varied creatures like the “illithilich”. Here it is!

The layout is clear; the history and background sections were good refreshers of the lore surrounding these beasties. The stat blocks are well done and will offer greater higher- level challenges for any party exploring the underdark.

It’s nice to know when you plunk down a dollar or two here you do sometimes find your $ well spent for a work the author did real work on and didn’t just ‘throw together’. Great job.

This is a straightforward, entertaining dungeon crawl with a good premise. The layout is great and clear; all monster stat blocks are provided making it a breeze to prep for. For those always wishing there were more good one-shot adventures this is the ticket. Wish I had this when I ran Hoard of the Dragon Queen.

Have to be honest, I was expecting more. The description says what you are getting and that's fine. But this really feels like the same orc stat block copied a few times with very minor tweaks anyone could make up on the fly in 5e. I would have like to have seen one-shot special talents to give them more interest.

I purchased this for an underdark campaign I am running. Three things stood out:

1) Nice variety of creatures and challenges. Many of them have 1-shot unique abilities to make them stand out. I appreciate the work put into those.

2) Crish, clear layout and easy to read as well as easy on the printer ink.

3) No art, but descriptive text with purpose for each creature.

So I advised a buddy of mine running Rage of Demons to check it out. Good work here.

I make one of these for each new campaign I start. Always keep it handy behind the screen to prevent the slip up of "the farmer's daughter is named...Beek", the Tavern of the "Haypile Drink" or "there are those who call me...Tim". Good names here, good job.

Print this, slip it in a page protector and you've got a campaign's worth of improvisation help at your fingertips.

Disclaiming preamble: I know the author, we’ve worked together and I consider him a friend. I still proudly bought this product; it was not a promo copy.

The product page has a description, so you already know you’re getting a monster book with hundreds of NPCs, dozens of intersecting plotlines and a sandbox campaign area to explore. What you need to know is it for you and your group. I can help with that.

Let me start by saying I didn’t know I wanted this, or that it even existed. I went trolling social media for a big, meaty campaign to run D&D 5e through, as there was little official material at the time (note this campaign is system-neutral with no rules). As 5e is more about story then rules, I loosened my restrictions and was eventually lead to King for a Day. When I got it, it appeared overwhelming. It is a huge volume or work, and contains a ton of useful, entertaining information.

And that’s the key. Once I started reading (and I didn’t right away) I couldn’t stop. Even when comparing the best adventures some can play well but not all read well. There is so much mystery and juicy bits to process I always had a notepad and pen with me while reading because I would have questions, sometimes write my own answers, and just jot down encounters that came it me. The writing is inspirational, and never preachy. So, like a good book, I always wanted to know more.

Do you want a challenge as a DM? This is it. It’s not for the weak of heart but for those that aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and do some work to make it their own. I needed to make encounter tables, cross-reference the NPCs to ensure I knew which ones were connected to others, and pick out the monster and NPC stats I wished to use (there are cheat-sheets included with the campaign grouping the NPCs by group and region with a space for notes). I’m on my 12th session, and it is easily worth all the time I invested. You’ll get out of it what you put in. The players, all gaming veterans, admit this is one of the creepiest, unique campaigns they’ve ever played.

Do you want to REALLY challenge you players, a dedicated lot who’ve come to expect the best from you? Those types of players deserve this. It doesn’t hand –hold them through it. It doesn’t lead them by the nose, and for the love of Pete it is NOT an “adventure path”. It’s all sandbox. It gives you all the tools you need (the ingredients if you will) to play out a big, detailed campaign with horrifying foes, then gives some suggestions on how to cook and serve it, but it never gives you the actual recipe, that’s up to you.

Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a very strong and compelling story to the campaign, it’s up to you and your players how it plays out. There are dozens and dozens of specific locations detailed and yet there is still plenty of room to drop in your own encounters so you can run it with monsters or just orcs and goblins and the like. Want to run it low-magic and gritty? Great. Want to allow magic and play more traditional? There’s advice for that too. Anything the players want to do is allowed, any NPC they want to interact with, befriend or kill, it’s their game.

The best part is I recall the genesis for this entire work. The author had asked me years before to suggest to him a campaign to run old-school D&D players through. I suggested “The Night Below” by TSR, a huge campaign that gave good memories. The author here has reimagined it, reworked the horror and social consequences, and turned up the creepy factor through the roof. In short, if you liked The Night Below, you’ll be very pleased to see it done, in my opinion, way more justice in King for a Day.

The Sunken Pyramid is an 88 -page underwater adventure/sourcebook for 7th level characters. In general I judge an adventure on two factors, a satisfying feeling after reading (akin to having a good meal) and the joy of the details in playing it. While I didn’t have time for the latter the former left me full indeed, read on.

Within these 88 pages is a detailed primer on running the adventure (including some great advice prepping for an adventure of this type), a mini source-section on the sahuagin race, a detailed gazetteer of the coastal town of White Moon Cove, and the adventure itself comprising of an underwater mountain of sorts with mysterious origins. As with all Raging Swan adventure material this one is built to make it as easy to run as possible for the GM, from the clear layout and detailed complete monster stat blocks, to helpful hints all throughout including random sights, monsters and discoveries. Because it’s an underwater adventure mainly, there’s a super 2-page section any GM running this type of adventure should have – every underwater rule collected in one place (from drowning to underwater combat, casting, depth dangers, etc.)

I appreciated the sahuagin write-up because part of the adventure is dealing with the absolute evil of these beings. We are treated to a primer on their society, religion, outlook on life and a nice note regarding their language. This goes a long way in portraying them in battle.

The home base of this adventure is White Moon Cove, a small seaside town with good folk. This is also a backdrop piece by Raging Swan but is included in this PDF in its entirety. A very complete and detailed description of the town is provided (with map). There are lots of named and personalized inhabitants and their motivations and role, and the current rumors and goings-on. The fact that the writers took the time to make it feel like a living place will go a long way in garnering sympathy from the characters, especially when a number of townsfolk are captured in a daring raid by sahuagin! They’re not the only ones with concern either; a merchant ship’s captain comes into port with news some of her crew were also taken! A number of possibilities to getting the PC’s out to the adventure location are provided (including the ship that is in port), and then it’s diving time! At first I was a little concerned the PCs would feel whatever they do they can’t prevent folks being taken, which is pretty much the case, but careful working by a GM will have a few taken into the sea as the characters wake up to the sounds of attack.

The adventure itself is the meat of the book and provides both a great glimpse into a sahuagin fortification and living space. After a little investigation reveals the entrance at the near top, they make their way down through four levels inside encountering more dangerous things as they go. Clearly labeled cave maps provided and each encounter has full stats (meaning everything the GM could want to know regarding the inhabitant or combatant). If this is your first Raging Swan adventure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all the details provided in each section, magic items aren’t just detailed, but all auras, knowledge DC’s and the like are given. Tactics for each area are sound if not basic, and sidebars help a GM run a section when a general alarm goes up. By the time the PCs get toward their goal of rescuing the prisoners (of which there are many), they uncover the full nature of the insidious plot and why captives were taken alive in the first place.

I did notice the same CR2 sahuagin stat block show up a lot early on, meaning some repeated combat rooms I’m likely to edit out when I run it. The layout of the caves does lead one to believe the party may wind up fighting a running battle with multiple rooms at once if they are very loud and chaotic to their approach. Luckily, there is occasional advice to determine what a foe will and won’t do with an alarm. Many of the creatures are already engaged in their own activities the PCs can take advantage of – it’s described very much as a living place, not just a static locale. There are also allies within that can aid the party, and a divided, tense political situation between some of their foes the PCs can take advantage of, and yet still I think this adventure is extremely challenging thanks to the nature of underwater adventuring. The story climaxes against a terrible foe that has become the focal point of this sahaugin tribe’s religion: a huge devilish shark that is much more than an ‘eating machine’, it speaks and has its own devious plots to weave.

The book ends with a nice section of new rules including monsters (including the aforementioned big bad) and magic items (including a sentient trident!). There are even six complete 7th level pre-generated characters provided!

Conclusion: I have to admit I went in a little skeptical, as underwater adventures have had a difficult time impressing me. This was soon allayed as I read sections that answered all my nagging questions: How do the sahuagin transport air breathers to their caves? What effects do I need to be aware of when running the adventure? What makes this more than a hack fest? All these are answered and dealt with. White Moon Cove is a great town that’s sure be a spot the characters can revisit again and again. The adventure is a little combat heavy early on but eventually boils down to a design involving moral choices, demanding tactics and smart play. The best part is it feels complete. Grab the core rulebook and play, this adventure has everything you need to run it successfully. Very well done. I was provided a full version copy for review, but I will easily find a way to insert this in my Razor Coast campaign.

OK, so back when 3.5 first hit, someone put out a little 4-page PDF that circulated for free that condensed most of the more important charts into little cheat-sheets. And my group has used that ever since.

SORD takes that concept and expands and better organizes the charts providing links, all rules under a heading to one page and a lot of thought put into font and type presentation.

It says it will speed up combat by up to 10-15 minutes. My group already plays out 3.5 combats fast and easy, and yet even I found a few charts in here I remember still having to page-flip to discover during a session.

So for those of us still playing (and continue to play) the 3.5 version fo the World's Most Popular Roleplaying Game, for 2 bucks this is a complete steal and well worth checking out.