very fun got to scare alot of my players very fun to run

This is a brutal short adventure that is not for everyone, the tone is very dark paying homage to Hellraiser is the best way i can describe it. Can it be played in one session? probably but will more than likely take 2-3 depending on how the characters play.

There is a disclaimer and a warning at the start of the adventure and really it is up to the dm to judge the table and warn them before hand that the scenes described are not for those who are not a fan of horror. The dm can change up what they like but as an avid horror fan i explained this to my players and they wanted the full monty and were still like wow thats different.

Aside from that the adventure is pretty tough on the players with the fact that there are some brutal traps and with healing and resting not exactly the best option you really have to be on your toes when playing. I wouild also suggest to your players to use the point buy or what ever you decide as a way of assigning stats, my players all decided to roll a standard 4d6kh3 and all rolled pretty bad which made things even tougher....did i mention already that this is pretty brutal? well when you have players who are all below 70 points on rolling then it makes it a bit more intreresting.

The first level is tough but a lot can be avoided with only a maximum of 3 fights with 1 being easily avoided, the other 2 are not exactly too hard and really shouldnt cause too many issues (famous last words) unless again like my party were having a rough time of it but have made it through.

The second level is where the most gore happens and the good thing is that it is a replica of the first level in the way of layout and depending on the party and how they play only really have 1 fight...if they are murder hobos then there will be a lot more which can make for some interesting fights but may also come back to bite them later, remember you dont always need to fight or kill things there are other options.

Overall its a pretty good adventure with some excellent loot that can be found and using madness and lingering wounds can really make the game a lot more interesting and should be used to make give the players the experience that should make them feel a sense of accomplishment when they get out while reminding them that there are things that go bump in the night out there. Suitable for a halloween scare or for players who want something with a little bit darker of a tone.

I feel like it goes without saying but before I begin spoiler warning for the entire adventure!!!

Also, I need to give proper warning that some of the themes/events of the adventure may be triggering to some people. To quote the author the main themes of the adventure are ‘horror, suspense, and sadism. There are some very twisted and sick scenes’ throughout the adventure. I was very shocked by some of these scenes. Some very bad and nasty things happen to people, including children. I’m not saying this is bad, the author was writing a horror adventure and the use of these scenes helped accomplish that goal. However, I do need to give due warning. With that out of the way, let us begin!

This is a horror one-shot adventure for level 5 characters who will reach level 7 by the end. Easily dropped into any setting there are several great adventure hooks to help guide your players to the story. In the adventure, a newly freed vampire spawn, named Morklav, has entered the servitude of a demon called Maraxax. Morklav lures unsuspecting victims to a dungeon in the woods. Some he tortures before feasting on their blood, others he sends through a portal to Maraxax’s domain.

The adventure begins with the characters going to investigate a ‘butcher in the woods’. There have been several disappearances along a certain road and the party is hired to investigate. Once they arrive at the forest and begin exploring several creepy events happen. For example, they discover the half-eaten corpse of a dead young girl, or they are plagued by ghostly figures. Eventually, they will discover an entrance to an underground dungeon. They will explore this dungeon, face Morklav (who has a slightly altered stat block from that of a vampire spawn) before going through a portal to face Maraxax in ‘Maraxax’s Domain’. Maraxax is already a powerful demon and beating him will be difficult. However, within Maraxax’s Domain, healing magic has no effect, make this an extremely challenging feat. Upon competition of the quest the characters escape the dungeon with a hefty amount of loot, that is if they can survive…

In short, I really like it. However, I think it is definitely not for everyone. That’s not saying it is a bad adventure, but as I already mentioned it above but there are some pretty horrific scenes. If you’re a DM, make sure your group is ok with these sorts of themes before running it. If they are okay with these themes, then you’re in for a great time. If everyone is invested in helping create the atmosphere with some dim lighting and spooky music this adventure will make for a thematic horror story. For example, before the party enters the dungeon there are some encounters that I mentioned above. These are excellent at setting the mood which can be continued throughout the entire adventure. There is excellent read-aloud text and descriptions of more shocking gruesome imagery throughout the adventure.

Be aware that as written it is a very difficult adventure, especially with the no healing in ‘Maraxax’s Domain’ rule. However, I don’t think this is a bad thing. You never really face a big bunch of enemies, it’s more a single strong enemy. This is good because it makes the enemy feel very deadly and there is a very real threat of character death. For a player, that is scary. Another benefit of having these single deadly monster encounters is that the game isn’t bogged down by big long drawn out combat encounters. Short and sweet is good for keeping the tension that you will be working hard to create.

The layout of the text is very well done. It is aesthetically pleasing which makes reading the adventure easier and more enjoyable. A must-have for any D&D supplement in my opinion.

I briefly mentioned the adventure hooks above, but I just want to mention them again as they are really good. They are simple yet effective and tie in smoothly with the adventure.

One thing to note is that there are several spelling mistakes/grammar errors throughout the adventure. It’s nothing that makes the text difficult to read but I felt I should mention it.

The adventure comes with an excellent map of the dungeon (I am a big fan of DungeonDraft). One of the cool things about the adventure is that the two dungeons use the same map. When you go through the portal to Maraxax’s domain you reach a mirrored hellscape of the dungeon you were in previously on the material plane. In this hellscape, everything that was already pretty horrific on the material plane is ten times worse. Exploring this mirror domain as a player would be very fun.

Another great thing about the adventure is that it includes some great artwork. This always helps make reading the adventure more enjoyable as a DM.

With the right DM and the right group, this would be a really great horror adventure, perfect for your Halloween oneshot! 5/5

This was my first contact with 5Edition as a player and im not a big fan of Dungeons and Horror tematic campaigns or adventurers. That's said, this adventure is pure gold: horror, action, space to roleplay the characters, awe and tricks that defy either the player and the character...

In a few words, its sure a well done work, congratulations Christian Zeuch.

very immersive adventure! the ever-present tension between the players at my table! Congratulations!

Its a very good adventure, however there are not a lot of fights in the first part of the adventure. Any DMs should add a few fights, maybe a mimic or something to level up the players or to make it not just details and more gameplay. Otherwise players love it and were very scared! (Sorry if grammar is wrong. English is not my first language.)