Enchanted Ammunition: 101 Alchemical Arrows And Booming Bolts a great collection of magic ammo to enhance ranged combat in your game. As someone who has practiced archery on-and-off since he could pull a plastic bow with suction cup arrows, I’ve been waiting for a supplement like this to come along! The author takes care to mention the importance of only doling out a few epic arrows at a time to balance their inclusion and to make their use a special moment. Plus there are tables regarding the crafting time, price, rarity, and availability of such magic items. My main critique is that many of the effects are strikingly (pun-intended) similar to pre-existing spells, but this mirroring makes the contents a great introduction to D&D’s somewhat complex magic system for new and/or younger players. The layout is professional, the art is high quality, and the price is unbeatable. I highly recommend this supplement!

Bob World Builder https://youtube.com/bobworldbuilder

[Video Review: https://youtu.be/WQINBcjW_4M ]Hellbound Heists is a fantastic collection of upper tier diabolical adventures! If this is your first delve into the Nine Hells of the Forgotten Realms, fear not, the introduction includes a wealth of information summarizing each layer, explaining how a party may enter and leave the hells, and how the environment weighs on a party’s moral endurance through a corruption mechanic. Plus, the new background and faction provide simple pathways for players to weave their characters into the setting. The adventures range from literally railroaded (yes, there’s a train) to a sandbox masquerade -- my favorite quest! The layout is professional, and while the art ranges in quality, I particularly enjoy the pieces harkening back to the classic, inky black and white D&D art style.

Disclaimer: The project manager did send me a complimentary PDF copy for use in my video review (link above), but I still may buy the book because I know I’ll be more likely to run these adventures if I can leisurely read them in print!

Bob World Builder https://youtube.com/bobworldbuilder

Second Black Dawn is a fantastic alternative to long-form beginner adventures like Lost Mine Of Phandelver, Waterdeep: Dragonheist, and even my beloved Dragon Of Icespire Peak! Not only does this module ride classic D&D themes, but it also includes a section of DM advice complete with music suggestions!

This darker, more mature module includes recommendations for adding it to the Forgotten Realms, and it can easily be adapted to your own homebrew setting. The Black Hand, an evil cult of Bane, has allied with necromancers, goblins, and a royal traitor to complete a fiend-summoning ritual. There's even a zombie dragon! It's hard to get more D&D than this module.

The layout is professional, and while the art and maps range in quality, the quantity is impressive. Likewise, my only critique is that the heavily descriptive nature of the story will require a lot of DM homework, but it will be worth it!

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

Blood War Bestiary is a great collection of fiends, abberations, and even celestials to enhance the infernal flavor of your campaigns! Each creature's CR is indicated in the index, so you can quickly skim the list for the right monsters. Right out of the gate, the Avernian Leech is a great low level bloodsucker to give your tier one party a break from Stirges; Aschimu-demons' drive to ruin all things beautiful could make them the center of a destructive whodunnit; the Filth Imp is a perfect new name for my cat; and the Infernal Attorney is a fantastic concept in a world of diabolical contracts! More than a bestiary, this supplement includes some villians and lairs to inspire a hellish adventure, and NPC stat blocks to bring your fiendish campaign to life.

Unlike most compendium products featuring numerous artists, the range of styles work well together because of the grayscale palett (though the lack of full-color images could be a turnoff to some readers), and I appreciated the artists being credited for their individual pieces, as well as the about-the-author snippets. The formatting is professional and consistent with the infernal theme. My only critique is that I can't get a print copy to keep next to Mordenkainen's Tome Of Foes!

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

Torzael's Guide To The Insectfolk is a great bundle of races for your campaign. The supplement begins with why the insect-folk have only just appeared after a long dormancy in the Forgotten Realms: their Chithuld kingdom exposed by a tectonic shift of unknown cause. This explanation can be easily mapped onto a homebrew setting, with the upheaval's origin even being the first signs of a greater evil.

The five "most common" insectfolk races included in this supplement are inspired by fleas, moths, ants, beetles, and ...scorpions. Each is thoroughly described with an art piece, physical details, and lore, without this information overshadowing your ability to implement them in your own setting. I appreciate their short-lifespans, and the variety of racial ASIs: Flutterkin have +2 Wis, something we currently only see in the Firbolg (and a super cool birdfolk race by yours truly), Liftkin get Strength and Wisdom bonuses, Puncturekin get Constitution and Charisma, and Underkin get Strength and Intelligence. They have impressive yet balanced racial features like burrowing, pheromones, and natural weapons, and I'm excited to introduce them to my games! 4 stars only because I would love to see a more thematic layout.

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

[Video overview/gameplay: https://youtu.be/eKFkAYMX0OA ] To Hell And Back Again breaks the mold of what a D&D adventure can be. Yes, it's a collaborative storytelling game, but if you're struggling to get a group together, or if you want an immersive way to learn the finer points of D&D's mechanics, this adventure is the answer. Its choose-your-own-adventure style allows for replayability, and it can also be run for small parties or larger ones with a little tweaking. The module's writing, art, and formatting are all top notch. My only critique is that DMs who do want to run this for a party will probably have to summarize much of the "flavor text," but the description-heavy nature of the story is what makes it excellent for solo play, so it's a fair tradeoff. I highly recommend this adventure! Check out my overview and gameplay of the first chapter linked above!

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

Attack On Avernus: The Wrath Of Tiamat begins with an almost sardonic explanation of what lies within: neither mystery nor "courtly intrigue," but battle! This adventure gives your group the chance to finally try out tier four play by taking on a right hand acolyte of Tiamat, Azyldain. He has assembled five chromatic crystals that will grant power equal to his draconic god-queen.

The book is professionally formatted and loaded with great illustrations; it includes several level-20 pregenerated characters, tons of maps and handouts, and will provide a truly taxing gauntlet even for high-level PCs. However, my one criticism is that it looks like the principle set of challenges in the adventure -- the deadly 9-layered, 9 Hells-mimicking Admantine Hourglass -- can be bypassed if the party planeshifts to Avernus rather than taking the offered mode of travel, but please take that with a big grain of salt because your party is definitely going to opt for the large, golden, celestial, flying mounts!

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

Gloria's Gambit is a thorough and challenging starter adventure for your level one party! Like other Rampaging Snail adventures that I have reviewed, this module provides plenty of background information as well as location and situational details that new and experienced DMs will find incredibly useful, though some off-the-cuff dungeon masters may see the dense writing as a little tedious for a level one module.

The adventure itself has the party clearing goblins out of a small abandoned mine, only to find that the quest-giver has a more nefarious plan for them! This classic objective and twist make the modue a great introduction for new players and experienced ones who love these D&D tropes. My only critique is that some of the traps seem forced, as they will be nearly impossible for level one characters to avoid. Finally, the format and layout are both clear and professional -- a great step up from earlier RS modues, of which the creators should be proud!

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

[Video: https://youtu.be/kK85IRp-Qlo ] Sidekicks Essentials is exactly what it claims to be: a much-needed expansion on the official sidekick rules presented in the D&D Essentials Kit.

The core sidekick classes - warrior, spellcaster, and expert - are great for brand new players and DMs using strictly the included basic rules. When you’re ready for a taste of the Players Handbook options, or if you have more experience with the game, these new sidekicks provide the perfect level of specialization without overshadowing the player characters’ abilities.

The medic sidekick stands out as a much more effective alternative to the spellcaster-healer, and this class would be great to include if there’s no cleric in the party. Similarly, classes like the archer and the berserker provide support from the background or the frontline to give small parties an edge when they would otherwise be outnumbered.

For a complete overview of these classes, check out my video review linked above!

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

Depth, empathy, and humanity are a few elements provided to you and your players by Friends, Foes, And Other Fine Folks. Each entry in this fantastic collection of characters is a story of someone faced with challenges they did not choose, and narrative explanations of how they have chosen to express their true nature through their work and personal connections. While they do not include specific plot hooks, many of the characters come with details upon which to build adventures. Designed as NPCs, these characters make excellent personas for your players to adopt, so they may explore the very real difficulties portrayed by the authors of this heartfelt book.

Friends, Foes, And Other Fine Folks has a clear, polished format, and my only critique is the wide variance in art style and professionalism, though I appreciate that nearly every character is depicted.

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

"It boils down to this: you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours. Really, really hard." - Devil's Advocate, pg 10 Obligation

For characters desperate enough to make deals with fiends, Devil's Advocate provides everything you could want to devise diabolical contracts that your gaming group will not soon forget! This supplement is beautifully formatted with fiendish notes, quotes from infamous Forgotten Realms characters, full color paintings, classic black ink sketches, and snippets of infernal lore.

Each "consideration" from memories, to bloodlines, to one's very soul could be drawn into character story arcs and provide lasting consequences for the people of your campaign world. If your game is typically bound to the material plane, several sections like Fine Print and Collections can be easily adapted to deals with crime families, thieve's guilds, and other nefarious organizations. Finally, this supplement will obviously be a great tool for any DM running Baldurs Gate: Descent To Avernus this fall. May all your contracts be as fair as infernally possible!

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

*The Ripper class supplement begins with a content warning regarding the dastardly acts that such characters could commit, and a reminder for DMs put respect for their players first.

As a frequent reader/listener of horror tales, I was hooked by the narrative snippets in the opening section, and Oskar’s writing shines throughout this dark text.

Note: “[Rippers] are murderers, not adventurers...Rippers tend to commit cowardly acts and for good reason. Most Rippers are solitary beings and don’t work well with others.” from Why Humanoid Targets, page 5. Based on the note above, their established lairs, and this supplement’s subtitle “A Villainous Class For Dungeons Masters” this class is best designed for DMs who want to run a calculating and sadistic bad guy.

The base “Murderous Techniques” - vaguely similar in their mechanics to Fighter Battle Master Commands - and the 3 subclass variations provide plenty of options to customize the perfect villain for your campaign. I can see myself introducing a Ripper Nemesis at low level (a few murders in the countryside, or the “bad part” of a big city), and hoping my players ignore the problem until the Ripper starts hunting them! The Study Of Murder feat makes some class features accessible for PCs, and the awesome magic items are another way to include murderous themes in your game: the Book Of Dead Names, Cursed Marionette, and the punny-named Pointy Dagger (directing the user to whomever’s blood is on it) are all adventure-steering artifacts. The final section, Rippers In Your Games, expands on how to handle the subject matter with your group, and includes DM inspiration for how you can incorporate the Ripper in your campaign.

The layout by Nathanael Roux speaks for itself. I highly recommend picking up this class!

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

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

[Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVed-D00WIA ] Intelligence is widely recognized as an underwhelming ability in Dungeons & Dragons 5e. Wizards need it, and thematically it’s fun to play a bookish character, but that's about it. The Slayer is a martial class that relies heavily on intelligence by mixing the survivalist expertise of rangers with the deadly nature of rogues. It has five subclasses, mainly based on targeting specific creature types, and the new fiendhunter archetype is perfect for hellish adventures like Baldurs Gate: Descent to Avernus! You can see more of this class in my video review!

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

Venger's Guide To Random Encounters is a great compilation of theory and application tips for enhancing this integral part of long-term D&D campaigns. The document's conversational tone makes it an easy read compared to many dense DM Guides; it is more reminiscent of an engaging video from Matt Coleville or Cody from Taking 20.

At times the material seems redundant, but overall it is a thorough walk through for employing random encounters. One great takeaway I got from this guide was to have players roll for the encounter! It's a simple way to give them more influence on the game. As a PWYW title, it's absolutely worth picking up if you would like to better your game!

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