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Legend of the Veil
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2019 15:55:30

In Legend of the Veil, the party is drawn into a centuries’ old conflict. Every 1000 years, a veil sealing the passage to the Nine Hells is strengthen to prevent demons from coming out. This year, a dwarf called Boldar has been seduced by whispers beyond the veil and wishes to make it fall. He causes strife between his people and the elves and will try to unlock the veil. The party must gather clues and three keys and use these to strengthen the veil and stop Boldar, preventing the world from falling into chaos.

This adventure has a good deal of complex backstory and NPCs. It’s obvious the author has spent a lot of time in this world and fleshing out the conflict, doing their best to make sure that it’s suitably epic. However, the actual adventure doesn’t quite live up to the hype. The layout is inconsistent, and it’s hard to find information, and the players’ options aren’t fully fleshed out. The adventure is pretty railroad-y, and a lot of the space is dedicated towards telling players what’s going to happen, what chants they’re going to say, etc. The adventure doesn’t necessarily seem to encourage free or creative thinking, and it reads a little bit more like a story than an adventure.

In the future, I would definitely think a bit more about how the adventure can be played and what players and DMs might do or need. Doing so could improve the adventure, make it more inspiring, and help create that epic moment the narrative seems to be trying to construct.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Legend of the Veil
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A New Home
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2019 14:38:00

A New Home is an adventure for first level characters. In it, each PC is meant to have suffered some kind of genuine tragedy and want to go somewhere that isn’t nearly as painful for them. Thus, they decide to journey together to the hidden city of Aventus, passing through treacherous obstacles along the way. If they persist, they will make it to this magical land.

A New Home has some good bones, but I just didn’t quite like it as much as I’d hoped to. I’m unsure of why the PCs would want to go to Aventus and what they hope to accomplish there. I’m also unsure of how they found out how to get there. From the way the adventure is written, it seems like they just choose a direction and head towards it, easily finding the watchers. Then they get to Aventus and the adventure is over. It just seemed very disjointed, and I wasn’t quite as invested as I’d hoped to be.

However, there are some interesting elements. The watchers, whoever they are, are interesting and difficult, as are many of the encounters. I liked the puzzles overall too. I was just confused about the basic premise, and that hurt my enjoyment. In the future, I would make the why and objective much clearer. I would also give more information about Kae’lien and why anyone would want to go to Aventus. I don’t think the whole reason should be, “Because something bad happened to us and we’re upset.” It would be more compelling if there were multiple reasons to go to Aventus.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
A New Home
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Wedding Lights
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2019 14:22:12

Wedding Lights is a one-shot for level 3 – 4 characters. In it, the party finds themselves in Alcazar for the Festival of Lights, a yearly celebration that will be used as a marriage ceremony for the crown princess Oriana. However, Oriana is in love with another man and doesn’t want to marry her betrothed, a treacherous prince who only wants control of the region. Oriana’s handmaid Cadija is loyal to her even as the betrothed prince attempts to blackmail her, and on the opening night of the festival, Cadija transforms into a dragon-esque creature to try to kill the prince. The adventurers stop her and then are tasked with killing her. In the process, they will learn who Oriana truly wants to marry and have to choose between allying themselves with her or her father.

Overall, the adventure is fine. It has a little bit of action and intrigue, and players must make a difficult moral choice. However, it is also sometimes difficult to read and understand, and there’s quite a bit of repetition and blank spaces. The adventure also gets a bit confusing at times, and it’s unclear how players are meant to gather the information they need to make an informed decision.

The best part by far was the original art, which was beautifully done. The map was especially impressive, and it helped a lot in showing players and the DM what Alcazar looked like and where they could explore.

If you’d like an adventure with a lot of world-building for you to explore on your own, this could be a good option. There are quite a few NPCs and intrigue. However, the plot is light and a bit confusing. Personally, I prefer to use it as a skin for my own adventures.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Wedding Lights
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Creator Reply:
Hi Cindy, thank you so much for the review. We just published a major update to the the adventure with a full new layout, background content for the NPCs to help DM's to better play them, an extra rule to make the battle more interesting and cinematic and Traga is now a woman. As this was our very first adventure we do understand that it might feel light and confusing but we do promise to keep learning and do better next time. Thank you so much for your words :D !
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Procession of Possibility
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2019 13:21:52

If you would like a quick, straightforward one-shot that takes you to the Faerie/Feywild, give “Procession of Possibility” a try! In it, the party unexpectedly finds themselves in the Faerie before the court of the Summer Queen. One of her fellow monarchs has stolen a valuable artifact from her, and she asks the party to retrieve it for her. If they do, she’s willing to grant them a favor. Searching out this artifact requires navigating the Faerie and avoiding the wild natural obstacles in your path. However, the whole adventure is in good fun as both monarchies seem to be in on the trick.

Procession of Possibility is quite light and fun and good for anyone that enjoys Faerie-based adventures. The layout is unorthodox and occasionally difficult to read, but the game instructions are clear. However, adding in more encounters and at least the perception of danger would likely making the whole adventure more engaging. As it is, it’s a fun little adventure with limited danger or consequence.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Procession of Possibility
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The Mourning Outpost of Cyre
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2019 09:28:27

The Mourning Outpost of Cyre is an Eberron-specific adventure for level 3 – 5 characters. They have been contacted by Pendergast d’Cannith, a middle-ranking official that hails from House Cannith. Pendergast requests the party return to the Cannith Outpost in the Mournland, a magically-destroyed/altered portion of the country, to find if there’s anything left. Doing so will gain House Cannith’s gratitude and give the party additional access to other officials, adventures, and more.

When the party arrives at the Cannith Outpost, they find a fortress ravaged by the Mourning, the magical backlash. Creatures are warped and strange, and the outpost has very little within it. However, within the vault they find two damaged warforged and a few other items. Doing so draws in Mourning-altered creatures to the outpost, and the party must then either run away before being attacked or hunker down for the siege before returning to Pendergast.

This was a great little adventure. It’s quite short and to-the-point, but it provides a good introduction to Eberron/the Mourning and gives your players a jumping off point to learn more about these, get introduced to society, and start using Eberron: Rising from the Last War. It’s also well-organized and points you towards any additional information you might want/need to access, and it’s quite easy to run. My only suggestion would be to add more overt rewards to draw in the party, especially if they don’t know much about Eberron and why favors are important.

If you’d like a quick Eberron-based adventure with an interesting climactic battle, give the Mourning Outpost of Cyre a try! I think you’ll like it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Mourning Outpost of Cyre
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Hidden Cove
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2019 08:56:32

Hidden Cove is an extensive one-shot for level 5 – 10 characters that sends the party in search of a mysterious ghost ship and the crew and cargo it has picked off over the last several weeks. The party will discover that this ghost ship is the work of a crew of marauders that has partnered with a necromancer. The marauders bring down cargo ships and transfer the crew and cargo to an icy cove connected by underground tunnels and give them to an undead entity. The adventure potentially connects to a larger world and an ice fortress, but the written adventure ends if the party can return any surviving crewmembers to the harbor town of Hulburg.

This is a really good adventure! It’s well-organized, well-described, and easy to implement. I really liked all the different locations, especially the icy tunnels and the cold/exhaustion mechanic that kept the danger level high. Since this was a rescue mission, players really had to think about what they wanted to do and how they were going to accomplish it, and that was quite difficult at times. I’m not sure if this creator has actually written the second part of Hidden Cove (where the party can investigate the icy fortress they saw in the distance), but I hope they do! This is a cool side quest and extension of the DnD world plus a fun and difficult adventure. Definitely recommend!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Hidden Cove
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The Proving Glade
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 15:48:21

The Proving Glade is a one-shot adventure for level 4 – 6 characters in either duets or small parties. It encourages using Sidekicks as established in the DnD Essentials Kit.

In this adventure, the party arrives at the town of Quaervarr as it’s undergoing a crisis. For weeks now, people have been leaving in droves because game has almost completely dried up and people are getting turned around in the neighboring forest. Secretly, a hydra has moved into the area and is devouring prey. Any animals it doesn’t eat are driven away by Alseiad, a powerful fey that is trying to mitigate the hydra’s damage and keep people safe. In the midst of this is Daelin Hoofbane, a ranger that recently lost his partner to the hydra’s attack. The party must go into the woods and assist Daelin in figuring out what happened to his life while also defeating/driving out the hydra.

This was a really nice adventure. The NPCs and background was complex enough that you could sink into them and enjoy the world, and the motivations suitably tugged at the heart/purse/honor-strings. I especially liked that Alseiad was testing the party with the pixies and ettin as they tracked the hydra, and I thought those two elements added some nice levity to the adventure. Although I didn’t like the NPCs re-introduced at each of their sections in the adventure proper, I overall really liked this adventure. It was easy to understand and implement, interesting, and fun. Well worth purchasing and playing!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Proving Glade
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The Laureate Trials
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 14:46:47

The Laureate Trials is a puzzle-based one-shot in which PCs compete in trials of dexterity, wit, and strength to see if they have what it takes to join the Laureate Guild, a famous adventuring guild that can help fast-pass people into a life of wealth, prosperity, and excitement! The party competes against NPCs and can use fantastic items to better their odds. If they survive until the end, they’re in, but, if they don’t, they might not make it out alive.

Overall, I quite liked this adventure. It has different trials that would allow almost anyone to accomplish at least one task easily, and if you cooperate or ask for help, you can do even better. The tasks are appropriately difficult, even the one for wit, and it’s a neat way to get into an adventuring guild. I always like having to do some kind of trial, and this is pretty fun and light-hearted. The organization and layout of the adventure are also quite crisp and clear, and it was easy to skim and implement. Basically a DM’s dream.

I think this is a great little adventure that players and DMs alike will enjoy. It’s fun and even-paced, and being in the guild could offer players a wealth of different opportunities. Well worth the buy!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Laureate Trials
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Treachery and Forgotten Sins
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 13:12:47

Treachery & Forgotten Sins is an extensive one-shot for characters level 4 – 8. The town of Daghuidin has recently come under more and more bandit attacks, each of which seems more pointed and effective than the last. This has driven many to seek shelter in the town which, its supply routes disrupted, is now facing a food and water shortage. The leader of the town, Baroness Daghui, requests that the party seek out the invaders and, if necessary, light the beacons in the land to raise an army to drive the invaders off. What she doesn’t know is that her lord the Duke Terseten is actually dissatisfied with her and wants to remove her from power. He has sent the bandits, and he knows that the beacons will summon a horde of undead that will target the baroness and others who feel like her. The party must therefore either uncover and prevent this attack or save the baroness from the undead attack. It’s a race against time, a siege, the dead, and so much more.

The central idea behind Treachery & Forgotten Sins is actually quite interesting, and the NPCs and lore are complex and engaging. The party finds itself in the middle of political turmoil and intrigue, and they could unwittingly kill a noble woman. The numerous combatants and locations are also quite exciting and do truly keep you on your toes.

However, there is something lacking in the execution of this adventure. If you were intimately familiar with this world and its characters, you would probably be able to use this adventure more easily than I did. Much of it is summarized, and there are broad directions to follow as well as a few handy maps. However, the blocks of text and instructions also made it difficult to scan, and, as a DM, I felt like I was forcing my players do so something very specific rather than allowing them to dictate the story. It also felt like I had to skim through a lot of words to get to specific actions and outcomes. The race against the clock at the end was intense, but I still felt like that I had to make up a lot on the spot to get it to work.

Overall, this is a decent adventure. The world building and characters are excellent, and it has a lot of different mechanics and pieces to be excited about. However, organizationally it was a bit difficult to follow and use. In the future, I would recommend making the text larger and the page background paler, the read aloud text easier to skim and find, and the narrative instructions shorter and more concise. Doing so will more clearly convey the adventure and its instructions and outcomes.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Treachery and Forgotten Sins
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Welcome to Badhollow
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 12:53:01

Welcome to Badhollow is a straightforward one-shot that introduces players to the forthcoming Vorrow’s Collection, a group of adventures centered on the eccentric mage Vorrow. In this adventure, the party finds their way to Badhollow, a decrepit trading town in the middle of the forest. Most people there have attempted to work for Vorrow, journeying out into the world to procure pieces of magical animals for a monetary reward. However, the work is often incredibly dangerous and many either die or, having come too close to death, choose to stop working for him. The party continues forward to Vorrow and sign a contract with him to go get pieces of a manticore. They are then transported to a far off jungle where they encounter several kinds of monsters and ultimately the manticores.

The adventure is straightforward and doesn’t allow for any deviations from the storyline. If the PCs don’t agree to Vorrow’s terms or don’t want to get into a contract with him, the adventure is essentially over. I have players that like to make my life difficult, and it was trying to steer them towards Vorrow. They would have rather explored the town or the jungle and didn’t seem to like Vorrow that much.

The center action also lagged a bit because, while PCs could have random encounters, some of those weren’t interactive and so it was just my players waiting for me to narrate something. It would have been good if the players had to use the compass, if they could have been drawn elsewhere by failing to use it correctly or had it stolen by someone/something else, or if something stalked and ambushed them.

Ultimately, this adventure felt like a small side quest that you could insert into a game if PCs desperately needed money. Otherwise, it wasn’t especially compelling or exciting. Allowing the players more agency and inducement would help make them want to interact with Vorrow and do things for him. Otherwise, it’s just a simple “Kill monsters, get money” game. That in itself isn’t bad, and the adventure was fairly easy to understand and implement, but it did require quite a bit of waiting and railroading, which my players didn’t always like. I’d be interested in seeing what the rest of the collection is like and if there’s going to be an underlying conflict or plotline. I think that could help make the whole series more compelling.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Welcome to Badhollow
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The Stone of Skarð
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 10:35:35

The Stone of Skarth is a level 5 one-shot that draws PCs into the High Forest village of Skarth. It is well off the beaten path and frequented by few, but word has reached the PCs that it is plagued by a disease. The Black Ash fills the villagers’ lungs, and most have fallen to it. Legend has it that a magical stone can cure them – if it can be found. Within Skarth is a young warlock named Sigund who has been seeking the stone and appears lost. In reality, she stumbled upon a coven of hags who had recently pinpointed the stone’s location and are seeking to reveal it, causing the disease in the process. PCs must find Sigund, gain her trust, defeat the hags, and retrieve the stone.

Overall, I quite like the setting of Skarth. It’s atmospheric and chilly and really seems like a village in the wilderness. The NPCs, especially Sigund, are also quite arresting, and I like the idea of fighting hags and stopping a disease. However, the adventure seems incomplete at times. It’s initially unclear how either the hags or Sigund uncovered the location of the stone, as is why Sigund is hiding and not asking her sister Thea for help. The stone’s properties are not fully explained even though the adventure says that it has additional properties. There is also quite a bit of off-screen action such as Sigund finding the hags, stealing their eye, and then destroying it, which takes away some of the players’ agency, and there’s not too much to investigate in either the village or surrounding forest.

In general, it’s not a bad adventure, but it does seem incomplete and as though it could use a little more editing to truly make it as good as it could be. Still, if you’d like a straightforward adventure with strong female characters, I would give this one a try. It could be a nice side quest for your longer campaign and a good way to jump into the High Forest setting.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
The Stone of Skarð
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your thoughtful review - I appreciate your feedback on the things you mentioned! Definitely notes for next time.
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Betrayal at Bendworth Manor
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 09:41:47

Betrayal at Bendworth Manor is a horror-based one-shot in which the players are drawn to Bendworth Manor, a now ruined mansion previously built and occupied by a pair of adventurers. However, one of those adventurers, the sorceror Gargorast, was tricked by a night hag into cheating on his wife Irael and subsequently haunted by his guilt and her and her sisters. In time, he became more withdrawn and cruel, eventually refusing to allow Irael to leave the mansion, where they both died. The ghost of Irael is desperate to leave but, until she knows why her husband changed, she cannot. Gargorast cannot leave until his soul is released from the hag's soul bag. Players must then enter the mansion, overcover the mystery, exorcise the ghosts, and, if possible, root out the coven of hags.

Betrayal at Bendworth Manor is atmospheric, and the portrayals of the NPCs and mansion contribute to a genuine feeling of sadness and horror. The mansion is suitably difficult to navigate, and there are quite a few combatants and clues for the players to uncover. The adventure itself is not quite as well organized as I would prefer. For example, NPCs are introduced in their sections instead of in a list at the beginning, and the narration is quite long. There also isn't a map which, while not prohibitive, nonetheless requires the DM/players to draw their own. Typically, if I'm exploring a closed area like a dungeon or large house, I prefer a map and my players do too. We started out by playing in theater of the mind and eventually just drew our own map -- it made things easier to contextualize.

However, if you'd like a creepy one-shot to play this month (or any month), Betrayal at Bendworth Manor is a good option. It has lots of things to explore, good atmosphere, and hags, which are always awesome. It's definitely worth trying.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Betrayal at Bendworth Manor
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the thoughtful review! I really appreciate it!
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Everlasting Frustration
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 09:24:42

Everlasting Frustration is a short one-shot intended for 1st level characters. In it, players are drawn into the woods by a mysterious older woman, the druid Dahlia, whose children are too busy bickering to get rid of the green dragon wyrmling that has recently invaded their forest. PCs are charged with finding the children, mediating their argument, and defeating/driving off the wyrmling. Along the way, they can explore the woods and have various random encounters.

Everlasting Frustration is straightforward and generally well laid-out. The NPCs are clear as are the objectives, and the encounters are suitably level appropriate. While the creator recommends PCs already know each other when they enter the forest, I thought this was a good adventure to help PCs/players get to know each other in a fairly low-stakes encounter. I think it's especially good for younger players as an introduction to D&D, the rules, etc.

If you'd like a short one-shot for level 1 characters, this a good option. It's easy to understand and execute, and it has a good mix of diplomacy and combat.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Everlasting Frustration
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I Am Your World
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/18/2019 09:10:43

I Am Your World is a complex, psychologically-driven one-shot adventure in which the PCs find themselves in a mysterious village with no recollection on how they got there or who they truly are. Thanks to some behind-the-scenes sabotage by an NPC, they know that something is wrong, but they're not quite sure what. Players will have to interact with the other prisoners and see through their captor's duplicity. Unbeknowst to them, their captor, the mindflayer Mr. M, is working with a neogi colony to collect humanoid emotions, which he can then use to fuel his descent (ascent?) into lichdom. The players are the only ones in the village not completely cowed by Mr. M and thus the only ones capable of seeing through the illusion, investigating the ship beyond, and returning everyone's memories/defeating Mr. M. It is a complex and roleplay-heavy game with lots of investigation opportunities.

I Am Your World relies heavily on gaslighting since Mr. M is manipulating all the PCs and NPCs and using extraction devices and other magical means to make them docile and forgetful. The creator spends time explaining what gaslighting it, how to roleplay it, how to spot it IRL, and who to ask for help IRL. It's a sensitive and at times subtle approach that in game genuinely makes you uncomfortable.

Overall, this is a well laid-out and interesting game with lots of exploration opportunities. Combat doesn't happen until closer to the end, but it is possible if your players are more stabby stab. However, since players spend most of the game not being their own characters, I did have to warn them beforehand. Even then, not all of them were happy or comfortable with the change, and I got a couple complaints that I shouldn't have even asked them to make their own characters. Some of my players also had difficulty with the roleplay aspect and frequently meta-gamed their way around or through obstacles, especially while they were in the village. This is definitely the kind of game you'll want to play with more experienced characters, and you'll probably need to remind them not to meta-game. Nonetheless, my players were intrigued by the prospect and really had to be creative during the first half of the adventure. The end devolved into a brawl in which they barely got out alive, but they still enjoyed themselves.

If you'd like an intense, roleplay-heavy one-shot featuring mindflayers and extra-planar creatures, I recommend you give I Am Your World a shot. It can be a little difficult at times, but it's interesting and rewarding enough to make it worthwhile.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
I Am Your World
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Amphibious Offerings
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Cindy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/17/2019 13:03:12

In Amphibious Offerings, your party sets out to rescue a young noble that has mysteriously disappeared during the night. Following clues, you find a massive temple complex in the caves near the sea and encounter a civilization of banderhobbs with the young noble in their midst. If you can transform the noble back, you can take him home, but, if not, he'll remain stuck down there.

Amphibious Offerings seems to be a general overview of the adventure, complete with random encounters, items, offerings, and maps. The rooms of the temple are sketched out but not definite, as are the encounters and ways to find the young noble. Turning the noble back into his human self provides the most concrete information, and the creator, Megan, states that she deliberately wrote the adventure this way to allow DMs and players to customize the adventure. Overall, it works, but as a DM, I always appreciate just a little more guidance. If I'm picking up a game, I would rather not have to write down the narrative beats myself, so I did find myself becoming somewhat annoyed. However, I love tables, so, really, it all evened out.

Overall, Amphibious Offerings is a good side quest and offers a path into a subterranean world that you can use to make a larger campaign. Personally, I prefer to use it as a supplement to an adventure rather than the adventure proper, but it is definitely worth keeping in your back pocket for a fun, light one-shot.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Amphibious Offerings
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