A collection of steampunk-themed options for D&D 5th Edition games. The material provided is wide-ranging, including:

• One new background (Fortune Teller) and one variant background (Apothecary, a variant Guild Artisan). The Fortune Teller relies on the Charlatan background for their characteristics, which is functional but a bit of a shame. As for the apothecary, I don't know about providing an actual mechanical benefit - background features are generally limited to roleplaying benefits.
• A listing of armor for a steampunk setting, including some new armors. These include the combat robe (a lightweight armored robe for wizards which doesn't require Light Armor proficiency - seems like a cheat to be honest), the assassin outfit (with a Stealth bonus and extra pockets), "gearplate" and "mech" armor (plate armor with some of the disadvantages removed), a buckler (simple and welcome addition), and the "parasol shield" (which collapses into a parasol).
• A listing of weapons for a steampunk setting, with numerous new additions. These include not only firearms, but also brass knuckles (which add +1 to unarmed damage), a bola, a boomerang, a cane sword, a chain whip, a chainsaw (which jams on 1s and crits on a 19), gun blades and gun axes, and a sawblade launcher. They also (quietly) include a variant whip which can be used to knock enemies prone.
• A listing of steampunk adventuring gear, including a compass, lighter, camera, and watch. They also list binoculars here, but unfortunately neglected to provide rules.
• A listing of steampunk tools, including tools for the two backgrounds and investigator's supplies. Shame the latter wasn't tied to an investigator background. (The listing also accidentally duplicates some of the gear from the previous section.)
• Three new feats: Firearms Expert, which seems fair; Nimble, which boosts your AC when you're lightly or not armored; and Tinkerer, which gives any character the core rock gnome's Tinker feature. Of the three, Nimble seems to have the most general usefulness.

Although some of the mechanics feel slightly un-5E, and there are some minor formatting hiccups, overall this is a worthwhile "booster pack" of material, and not only for steampunk games.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This pdf clocks in at 14 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page inspirational reading list, leaving us with 10 pages of content, so let's take a look!

We begin this pdf with a new background, the fortune teller, who gains proficiency in Insight and Deception as well as one type of fortune teller's tools. They also get one language of choice and the aforementioned tools, set of a traveler's clothes, a costume and a 15 gp-pouch. The fortune teller can decide or roll a specialty from a list of 10 - face reading, astrology - a charlatan's paradise. Fortune tellers can earn money almost everywhere and those that have their fortune read usually want to believe you, which nets you advantage on the Insight or Deception check made to BS them. The fortune teller employs, fittingly, the charlatan background's table. There also would be a variant guild artisan, the apothecary, whose skill proficiencies include Investigation and Medicine, with Herbalism kit and apothecary's tool as tool proficiency. Starting equipment-wise, we get a herbalism kit, merchant's scales, traveler's clothes, a diploma/certificate and 15 gp. They may either choose the standard guild artisan features or a new one, "The Right Medicine.", which decrease the recuperation periods of poisons and diseases and grant advantage on the Con-save for those that receive the proper treatment.

Next up would be an arsenal of different weapons and armor: interesting: An assassin's outfit conveys advantage on Stealth checks, while scrap plates and higher impose disadvantage. And yes, the assassin outfit, beyond cultural stigma, also is balanced by the non-existent AC-improvement. Regarding weaponry, we have batons/truncheons, brass knuckles, canes...and chainsaws, which may smash foes prone on a failed contested Dex-check. We also have chain whips which threaten a critical hit on a 19 and 20 (pretty potent), swords and pistols hidden in canes, boomerangs, gunblades and gun axes, blunderbusses (which can fire 15.-ft. cones at short range) and lightning damage causing alternate pieces of ammunition.

Beyond these deadly tools of the trade, we do get adventuring gear, from goggles and hats (and, as a goth, I can attest to the Steampunk-crowd's obsession with these...) to lighters and ink cartridges. Proper supplies for investigators and apothecaries as well as herbalists complement an overall potent and well-crafted item-section.

The pdf also contains 3 feats: Firearms Expert nets firearm proficiency and prevents disadvantage when firing firearms in close combat and bonus action attacks with firearms when attacking with a one-handed melee weapon. Nimble increases Dex by 1, to the cap of 20 as well as +1 AC when wearing light or no armor. Thirdly, Tinkerer increases Int by 1 to the cap of 20, proficiency with artisan's tools (tinker's tools) and allows you to create Tiny clockworks that temporarily work unless you maintain them -up to three may be active at a given time. The devices may be clockwork toys, fire starters or music boxes.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no serious glitches. Layout adheres to Tribality's unique, photo-style standard in full-color, with the picture of the clockwork bird on the last page being my favorite. The pdf has no bookmarks, which constitutes a minor comfort detriment. The pdf does come with a second version for mobile devices that is significantly smaller in size.

Shawn Ellsworth's steampunk adventures represent a nice basic toolkit to add a sprinkling of steampunkish goodness to your game. The new items are concisely presented and, while potent, should not unhinge a game. Now, there obviously is a LOT, LOT more that I'd consider mandatory regarding steampunk rules; gadgets, magic, class options, etc. - but this pdf costs 2 lousy bucks and provides some great, fun basics. While this left me wanting more, it provides a surprising amount of content and covers a lot of the standards. As such, this is well worth getting as a starting point, though GMs obviously should not expect to get a complete steampunk toolkit/setting. If you engage this pdf as intended, it delivers some fun options and is well worth a final verdict of 5 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.

A nice supplement full of useful elements for a steampunk/old west/20's era game. It kind of makes me wonder what Tribality might do if they tried to do Occult-style material. I was pleased with the array of weapons, especially the chain saw, cane weapons, many guns, and riding crop. The Assassin's armor is great and its nice to see the buckler, but I feel like the Masterwork Coat was a missed opportunity, being more expensive, but lighter, than leather isn't really all that great. I'd suggest making it an action to don and doff like PF's armored coat. The Backgrounds are ok, though the features could be better worded. Adventuring Gear such as photographic cameras and wristwatches are nice flavorful items to have, but I wish there was more there (corset, typewriter, bicycle, ballon/dirgible).

Oddly, steamer trunk, tool/utility belt, and wristwatch are listed at the bottom of the Tools table. Of the feats Firearms Expert is good and necessary with the array of guns made available, but Nimble (filling the absent space of Light Armor Mastery from the PHB) is both strong and boring (a speedy don/doff would be good here too, or advantage with Acrobatics as you use the padding to your advantage) and Tinkerer is just boring (granting someone the unloved rock gnome Tinker racial ability... really?) I understand why it may have been done, most steampunk is human only, still... I'd have liked to have seen some stronger-flavored anachronistic feats featuring technology like the adventuring gear made available above, vehicles (dirgible, motorcar), or the horror and discovery themes so common to the (sub)genre.

Through his monocle he could see the flaming airship lost in the cavern. With a grin, the Tiefling adjusted his collar and patted the dust off his forearms. "Well chaps, it seems our work here is done" declared with his -usual- pompous tone and headed to the horses.

Nothing but a toy soldier was on the floor. At least it seemed so. The orc slavers entered the dimly lit room with their cutlasses in hand, their eyes moving nervously in all directions. Like a whisper a hand shot out, once, twice, thrice, the orc slavers' bodies hitting the floor. The Elf Assassin wiped the bloody dagger on one of her victims' clothes, hid the dagger in one of her sleeve pockets and the toy soldier in the other and silently as death left the room.

Bursting through the valley, the train looked like a beast from hell. Dar'rgurn new, this IS a beast from hell. He counted his heartbeats as soon as the human contraction passed the Bloody Boulder. On the count of five Dar'rgurn fired his cannon, the lead ball hitting the train engine at the side, the explosion that followed rocking the valley some more. The humans should not pass through here, not any more.

The latest Tribality Publishing product gives us the tools and equipment to create Steampunk flavored characters. There are three major parts of the product are:

Backgrounds Equipment Feats Plus an Appendix

In the Backgrounds section we find the Fortune Teller background, a really thought of background that uses characteristics found in the Charlatan background of D&D 5e PHB. I do not know if this is too much steampunk, as we can find a fortune teller in pretty much any setting and this is a good thing. Also, we find a variant Guild Artisan, the Apothecary. As also with the Fortune Teller, you can very easily adjust the Apothecary to many settings.

The Equipment section is the biggest of the publication and one can find a lot of arms, armor and equipment to really flesh out a proper Steampunk themed character. You can find really unique stuff here, like the Sawblade Launcher and the Assassin Outfit or some more mundane ones that could as well be in the 5e PHB but are not, like the Sabre. Additionally, there are some found in 5e PHB that get a slight twist, like the Whip. There are a couple more that are common with 5e PHB and they have no changes whatsoever, I guess they are included so as the list provided can act like an easy to use list of steampunk flavoured equipment, rather than a list of purely new equipment.

The Adventuring Gear and Tools provided assume the appropriate level of technology, we are talking steampunk here after all, so we even get wristwatches and matches. In any case, a nice assortment of equipment.

The Feats presented are three, but they are nicely done. We get a couple that play around with the ideas already presented in the publication plus a more general one (Nimble) that I’m surprised that wasn’t already in the 5e PHB.

The Appendix provides us with Inspirational Steampunk Material. We get a really helpful list of books, comics, TV shows and movies so as to be able to immerse to a steampunk-flavored world. The icing to the cake I’d say.

All in all, another really quality product from Tribality Publishing and Shawn Ellsworth. The format keeps up with the norm already presented in the previous publications, the ideas are there, the price seems a steal. Finally, the low-res version of the pdf is a nice touch, although a printer-friendly version would be much better.