Been reading through this adventure to prepare for the next stage of our table's play through of "the Frozen Sick" in Wildemount. I'm going to set it as a fallen site in Aeor,so it'll lead in nicely

Dark, thematic, and looking like it'll be a challenge for my players and should prove a lot of fun

Pros:

• Interesting and thematic custom NPC statblocks and new magic items.
• Fantastic artwork with full page handouts.
• Full color, detailed dungeon map.

Cons:

• Frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing.
• Awkward dungeon design makes it easy to skip the actual laboratory room, or force an early boss fight.

THE VERDICT: NAMEIA’S LABORATORY LOOKS GORGEOUS, INCLUDING A FULL COLOR MAP, BUT I FOUND THE OVERALL DESIGN LACKING.

Full review: https://roguewatson.com/2019/11/27/dms-guild-review-nameias-laboratory/

Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0rktcZOsBs

I just ran this as part of a Curse of Strahd campaign for a group of 6 level 5 characters. The theme of this adventure fits perfectly into the world that has been built for the players. The blood magic and bloodhulks make perfect sense in a world ruled by a vampire. A vital component of one-shot adventures as plug-ins for a larger campaign is the power for the DM to alter aspects of the adventure to fit their narrative. The open-ended aspect of this adventure made that very easy and I was able to use most of the adventure 'as written' and make it part of the ongoing campaign.

The adventure is well formatted, and the artwork is evocative. I highly recommend it for any group looking for a dark/horror themed adventure. I do have some feedback for updates or future products with the same theme:

• The text needs some editorial work for grammar

• The art is great, but there is one piece missing, the Crimson Order Symbol as a standalone piece. I would have loved to be able to show my players the symbol.

• Consider placing the tagged map on a page by itself so it can be kept separately from the adventure book. The separate files are appreciated, but then it can be done in one print.

• Place simplified stat blocks on the same page as each encounter. It saves having to flick back and forth to look up creatures. This is especially useful when the creatures are homebrew.

• The piercing and slashing vulnerability of creatures, while thematic, makes them too easy to be defeated and reduces the threat. (I ignored this after the first encounter, and it made the creatures feel more like the stated CR level).

Overall, great work and I look forward to seeing the next instalment.

Nameia's Laboratory is a dark one-shot that will leave both you and your players wanting more! The concise and open-ended nature of this professionally-formatted and illustrated dungeon crawl makes it easy to prep for and drop into your Forgotten Realms campaign or homebrewed setting. The macabre magic items and creatures, the Crimson Order cult, and the emphasis on blood magic are sure to add an element of horror to your game that you can extend into future adventures.

• Bob World Builder https://www.youtube.com/BobWorldBuilder

Nameia's Laboratory

For transparency, I won my copy of this adventure in a Twitter giveaway.

This is a beautifully crafted and formated adventure of the higher end of production quality for DMs Guild with wonderful original cover and interior art by Alexandros Balatsouras, including a detailed dungeon map, as well as artwork for original creatures, magic items and NPCs.

It is clear from the extensive plot hooks and their relation to various factions, substantial lore for the Crimson Order, the NPCs and a thorough overview and rundown of the adventure this is well thought out and crated with passion. This lore and grounding the cult and its officers, as well as elements of the adventure lay the groundwork for further adventures and coild easily be the base for a full campaign. This is handy as the adventure does potentially end on a cliffhanger, but with the establishing details, being left wanting more only serves to drive and inspire further adventures. I look forward to further adventures from this design team, their characters and Forgotten Realms (or any really) compatible world.

The core of the adventure is rescuing kidnapped magic users, exploring the Crimson Order's Lair and the eponymous laboratory and facing new and rather horrific undead minions created within, before a final confrontation and an open-ended ending with suggestions of what to do next. Essentially it's a decent sized single floor dungeon crawl filled with fabulous flavour. Relatively short (depending on how your party approaches this sort of thing), but certainly sweet.

The appendices are extensive, containing five original thematic and powerful magic items, four original bloody undead creatures, five NPCs all with their own full statblocks, and two unique cultist variants. These are accompanied and complimented by seven quality illustrations, with the magic items depictions particularly standing out.

This is a great adventure at an extremely low price for the quality of the content. I would certainly recommend it and feel inspired to incorporate the adventure, Nameia and the Crimson Order into my game, as well thoroughly looking forward to the upcoming release of Nameia's Crimson Tome.

For me, prewritten quests are hit-and-go. I either like them or hate them - and Stratos has created one I definitely enjoy. With Nameia's Laboratory, Stratos fits into 19 pages what some people can't fit in 200, making and weaving a highly immersive adventure. From Nameia's secrets to the plight of the missing citizens, to the exploration through the dark and terrifying labratory, this quest offers strains of old horror and suspense pieces like Resident Evil, Event Horizon, Saw, and IT. The art is fantastic, the layout is awesome, and it is a perfect adventure that you could slip into an evening where someone might be missing or you might need a change of tone for a little bit. Plus you get some kickass new magic items that connect beautifully and thematically to the adventure. It is truly the attention to detail that Stratos has put together here, as this looks and feels like a full Wizards product - and that makes it truly even better.

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