This is one of the best purchases I've made for my roleplay! I have used elements from this book in every one of my campaigns, as both a player and DM. I can't overstate how useful it is. There's such a wealth of information packed into the pages, I use is about as much as TCoE or XGtE. I only wish there was a hardcover version of it. I'd love to get my hands on a physical copy.

Let me offer an example of how I use this book I have a PC wizard who started out as lawful evil, basically Ayn Rand with a spellbook(intended as a character flaw). They were just as much about business as they were adventuring. This character started out investing, buying properties and starting new businesses during downtime. By level 10, I was keeping a spreadsheet to track all the passive income. The party started investing in infrastructure and social programs to build their reputation and good will. My character also found a few love interests and moved into a cottagecore style house with them. Now they're working on a chain of book stores, one for each romantic partner. This became my retirement plan for that PC.

This book will give you what you put into it but the possibilities seem endless. It's really opened my eyes to a new level of roleplay.

while i still havent found the game or dm to allow me this, i am elated at the prospects this game has for me building a character with a loving family to reach out and take care of.

One of the best purchases I made, I highly recommend this book as it offers detailed alternatives to adventuring.

This is so adorable and inclusive and I'm so excited to implement this into my campaign.

So. I love this book. Really I do. The systems, the NPC's, THE SUBCLASSES... but there is a glaring issue for me here. There are times when I am reading over it that I see glaring editing problems. Specifically with grammar. Other than that. Amazing book. For sure a pick up!

After buying this a little over a week ago to look through and see if there was any content I wanted to add to my game, I must admit I spent the better part of a day obsessing over all the concepts the creators brought to the table for me to play with, and have been pointing other DMs to this title for their own games. The concept is so simple and beautiful: keeping your family invested in your characters' lives beyond the backstory or a sidequest? I'm now designing a campaign around protecting a resettled community and helping it to grow with war on all sides and political movers and shakers growing increasingly interested in using the displaced townspeople to their own ends, it inspired me so much.

My favorite additions to this book beyond the ability to take a family adventuring were the romanceable NPCs. I'm a sucker for romance, and some of the characters this team have created jumped out of the page at me. I want to help aloof Espial heal from the loss of his father and learn to let others into his confidences again. I want to be someone Nym the Corellon-blessed elf can respect and trust, and help Maeve finish her jobs on time. Genuinely, these NPCs are wonderfully written, and even if no one in your campaign sparks a romance with them, they're well worth adding. I've also started shaping my NPCs in a similar fashion to how this team created theirs (Mannerisms & Personality, Roleplaying Advice, How they are in a Relationship, Relationship Milestones and Related Quests & Encounters).

Another point in this book's favor are those wedding ceremonies. No joke: while I rarely see PC or NPC characters get married, I now want to have a wedding ceremony every few sessions just so I can show off how cool some of these are. I love that they're organized by class, profession and personality type. The Bondsfire Ceremony had me rolling: if your character is a party animal, they'll love getting a bunch of friends together to drink around a huge bonfire for this wedding and reception rolled into one. The attendees discard something old and unwanted into the fire to build it up high as the time to exchange vows approaches, and the betrothed face each other on opposite sides of the fire, sacrificing something important to them to the flames to show how serious they are about their union. This may or may not (depending on their preference) be followed up with each prodding the other with a red-hot brand to sear their union into each other's flesh before the party continues. Good thing the ale has been flowing freely all night, eh? There are tamer (and wilder, if you can believe it) ceremonies than that, and each feels like it belongs in a fantasy world.

To conclude this review, pick this book up. I will proselytize the Adventurer's Domestic Handbook for years to come, and hope to see more from this team. <3

Video review: https://youtu.be/JNIou4OVmt8 I reached out to Lydia, the author, about creating a video for the Adventurer's Domestic Handbook because I feel that this work fills a telling gap in Dungeons & Dragons. Way back, the game was about dungeon crawling, but from watching interviews and speaking with a lot of old-school veterans, we know that combat isn't what made people fall in love with the game. People wanted their heroes to survive the dungeons so they could enjoy life in a fantasy world and a build a home or a family! As D&D aged and grew to model the video games that were modeled after its combat system, roleplaying became less mainstream. Gradually, the hobby became more associated with a competitive, sometimes problematic gamer culture that shyed away from social connection. The lighter rules of fifth edition give roleplaying more room to breathe, but not much tangible support-- that's where the Adventurer's Domestic Handbook comes in. There's no wrong way to play D&D if everyone at your table is having fun, but if your group would have MORE fun with rich and dynamic characters that care for the people and places they defend from monsters, Lydia's book has your back.

• Bob World Builder

https://www.youtube.com/bobworldbuilder

I really love this book and I only have one problem with it. The weekly/monthly revenue for shops make no sense, especially when you compare them to the example on pg 27.

Please buy this book.

There, that is the crux of my entire review. I’ve put it at the start so that I can feel a little better about the amount of stuff I’m about to write, because I have a lot to say about this book both as a DMs product and also from a personal standpoint. To start, let me just say that this book is one that is a cornerstone for me as a DM. It is a book that I come back to time and time again, to take things from or reference or sometimes just to read. However I want to be fair and not only base this on my own personal experience, so I will start with the technical things.

The layout for this book is superb, it is very easy to read and very simple to navigate. I find that the font and colour choices for accents and headings draw the eye in whilst not being garish or glaring and there is never a point where you are unsure where you are or what you are reading about. I think that this is an amazing job by the editor as well because nothing feels too long or too wordy whilst always giving you enough to get your teeth into. I really appreciate how each section feels both fleshed out and succinct in equal measure, a very impressive achievement. The chapters themselves are logical and follow on well from each other but are also independent enough to easily reference. Personally I find that the language is wonderfully worded, there is never a point where it feels patronising or oversimplified and it is written with a level of care that I personally find astounding.

In a book made almost exclusively of highlights, the art really did stand out to me as well. The full page chapter intros are gorgeous and fit the theme. They add a luxury feel to the PDF that really adds to the enjoyment of reading it. The character art of the NPCs is great, each one feels a little quirky and completely unique, capturing the very essence of the NPC and very much also my heart. You will fall in love with all of them and the art is a big reason why. It is also worth mentioning that most of the pages have some art on them, even just small pieces, and all of them are well chosen. There isn’t a piece of art that I felt was jarring or out of place at all.

Before I talk about the writing and the things that meant a lot to me personally, I will give a quick rundown of the sections. A lot of this book is about family and relationships, fairly obvious given the name. The sections on romance are robustly written and tackle sensitive topics such as seduction with a wonderful sense of grace. There is also a brilliantly written section about boundaries at the start and the meaning and importance of different types of family which also includes a thoughtful piece about characters with toxic familial relationships or no family as well. It is this sort of intricate and delicate writing that underpins the brilliance of the whole book, it is a book about inclusivity.

The sections on owning a home and running a business are great, with lots of interesting mechanics and ideas for DMs to take and adapt. I especially liked the section on Atmosphere in the house chapter, I felt it was really innovative and it is something I have used in my own games to give a real weight and sense of comfort to being at home. I also found the section on apprenticing really useful, especially for games where some players have younger characters or there are younger NPCs. I thought all the subclasses, backgrounds and feats were super flavourful and well thought out. Some of the mechanics of the subclasses don’t lend themselves to particularly rules heavy or crunchy games but the feats were innovative and interesting evolutions from the sections on romance and family. I would also like to give a shout out to the homebringer background, which adds a very tender touch to an adventurer’s camp and long rest.

Finally we come to the NPCs. I’m sorry it took such a long, rambling time to get here. The NPCs feel like the heart and soul of this book and they are honestly the most amazing, well-written and inclusive NPCs I’ve ever seen. I am a gay, disabled man and this is the first time I have felt truly seen by writers in such a positive and open way. The NPCs come in all shapes and sizes, all gender identities, sexualities and a mix of abled and disabled but they are so much more than that. These are not NPCs that feel like stat blocks or just a list of likes and dislikes, they feel real and lived in and loved. I have said on Twitter before that I cried with happiness the first time I read this book and the NPCs are the reason why, with these NPCs I felt seen, included and proud. They are written with such joie de vivre and care behind them that it is simply breath-taking. Each NPC has a story, a unique feel and different things that make them get closer or pull away, whether in a platonic or romantic relationship and each one comes with side quests related to their story or their situation and it adds a whole new aspect to NPCs that I completely adore. This book changed how I approached NPCs as a DM and it has made my games richer and better for it.

I would like to give a particular shout out to Neri, the goblin florist with mobility difficulties and chronic pain. The way she is written feels so true to life, so honest and yet with none of the normal hold backs or tropes of disabled characters. However it is not just the one NPC that is important, you will fall in love with all of them for different reasons. Their humour, their troubles, the struggles they have been through or the strength they show. They are all portrayed as real people with a real gentleness of writing.

I cannot say enough how much the inclusivity, welcoming nature and thoughtful writing of this book means to me. There have been times where I have felt alienated or forgotten or directly pushed away by this hobby, times where the fact that I am gay or disabled or both have made me feel unwelcome. I am sure many people reading this review have felt the same way, even if our individual struggles are different. This book made me feel connected again. It made me feel like I was a part of a caring community that opened its arms out to me. This book made me fall in love with role playing again, with DMing again and with characters again. It is not just a book about love and relationships and inclusivity and care, it is written with it too.

In short, please buy this book.

The rules part is a bit of pick-and-choose, depending on what you and your players are comfortable with, but I fell in love with every single NPC in this book immediately. Even if romance is not for your players, the flavour and personalities they add are absolutely glorious. They are layered, diverse (in all senses of the word), fun, and have plot hooks to incorporate them deeper into your game.

I was a bit skeptical about what a compendium about marriage, romance, and home ownership might add to my games, but I was blown away by both the quality of the material and the enthusiasm with which my table reacted to its introduction.

In just one session of my hinting at the additional systems and ideas presented in the book, I've got one party member wanting to further roleplay the business she owns in her backstory and also wanting to take in an apprentice from our most recent session. I've also got those who had built beloved family members into their backstory suddenly seeing ways that those relationships can better connect with their lives of adventuring due to the optional spells and magic items included in the book.

Add to this the subclasses, NPCs, and well-written sections on potentially prickly topics like seduction and romance, and you've got a recipe for a must-have addition to any roleplay driven table.

Oh hot damn has this book come into my life at a point where I needed it! And you're gonna need it to because there is always ONE player that wants to have a romance. Or your players will get unseenly rich and you'll have to figure out a way to have them spend the money. This book will be your best friend.

Check out my full review here: https://bit.ly/TheAdventurersDomesticHandbook

I cannot tout this book enough - I have followed the work of the women who made up this team for quite some time, and oh my FREAKING gawd, they have knocked it out of the park once again with The Adventurer's Domestic Handbook. This is a book that in today's increasingly virulent (I know I spelt that wrong but oh well) and violent society - both in the real world and unfortunately in our own TTRPG community - could not have come at a better time. I want to share a quote from the introduction of this 153-page beauty: "For all our caution, romance and familial relationships are an aspect enjoyed by a growing population of players, and for good reason. They can be emotionally cathartic, a breath of fresh air in a story of turmoil, or a route to peace, healing, and growth. If your loneliest player’s character finds a family through the course of a year’s campaign—through every boss battle, every mishap, every triumph, every mistake—then you have almost assuredly improved the life of that player both at and away from the table, and your group may feel much closer by the end." That. That is what I LOVE about this book - I am a storyteller at my table, I am not a mechanics guy as many folks know, and this book is the entire core of what I want to see happen in a game when adventurers decide to hang up the swords and staffs for a while. I greatly admire and champion the team who made this book, and I cannot stress how much I want this to get a POD option so I can put it on my shelf next to all my other RPG books. At the Day game table, this product will become a mainstay for years to come. I am honored to award The Adventurer's Domestic Handbook the Comics, Clerics, & Controllers Golden d20 Badge.

This is a great supplement to pick up if your party has any interest in romance or domestic matters. It starts with a thoughtful section about boundaries when roleplaying relationships and how to handle the awkwardness that can come from them, which is much appreciated. It then dives deep into a wide variety of domestic topics, and includes just about everything you could want. It has a clean layout and a lot of beautiful art too.

The romanceable NPCs included are colorful and well thought out. I’m not the type to take NPCs from supplements and add them to my game—I like making my own too much—but I still found the section useful. The profiles of romanceable NPCs, with associated side quests and a table of relationship milestones, are a good template to use when making your own. Whether you want romanceable NPCs to drag and drop into your game or guidance on making your original NPCs romanceable, this book has plenty for you.

The thing keeping this from a perfect score from me is the subclasses, which should be approached with caution. They’re flavorful and have a lot of fun ideas, but some are mathematically wonky or have mechanics that are hard to reconcile with standard D&D. For example, the landstrider ranger’s Trailblazer feature lets an 4th level 14-Wisdom ranger with proficiency in Perception and the Observant feat to have 38 passive perception whenever they’re moving. That’s enough to spot a level 20 max-Dex stealth-expertise rogue who rolled a natural 20 to hide (20 + 17 = 37). And what “while moving” means is left ambiguous and will be up to DM interpretation a lot of the time. Many other abilities have similar quirks.

For RP-focused tables that play loose with the rules anyway, this might not be an issue, and you’ll have fun with these flavorful subclasses. But if your table likes crunch or if mechanical balance is important to you, you might want to skip them. There’s a lot here that munchkin players can abuse.

If you are a crunch-lover, this book still has plenty for you! I’m particularly impressed with the sections about running a business. The rules for buying or renting land, calculating profits, and handling employees are detailed and robust, but not so complex that it’s impossible to use. There’s a table for everything from employee wages to land cost per square foot to how the puns on your signage impact your sales numbers. If your players are interested in starting a shop, this is a must-have resource.

Overall: Lots of useful content for all types of games, great NPCs, fantastic mechanics to handle running a business, and it’s beautiful to look at. Subclasses are flavorful, but need mechanical rebalancing.

This isn't just "The Lover's Handbook vol. 2" but a comprehensive guide that feels like multiple thorough books all in one. You have everything you'd want to know about raising a family, a thorough and impressively technical guide to running business, and much more. The subclasses are great and on theme. The romanceable npcs are diverse, well-thought-out, and NUMEROUS. Unless you're a hardcore domestic type, this book probably has more info and detail than you need, but that's better than the alternative, since you can always pick and choose. With how much is in this book, it's quite likely at least a few sections will be a very useful find for your games. Overall, very professional book, absolutely dominating a specific but fruitful niche.