Monsters of the Underworld by Andrew Cawood (@cawoodpublish)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was provided a review copy of this supplement for a full and honest review.

This is just a quick review with the intention to come back to another time in more detail.

This isn’t my first Cawood Publishing supplement, but it is my first of their mightily impressive “Monsters of” series, with this edition focusing on the eponymous monsters, but also the people and beasts of the underground and Underdark.

I have to say I’m absolutely blown away by the quantity, quality and vision that has gone into this bestiary!

Cawood’s ideas for the creatures and how they come through so clearly in the flavour and description texts, as well as the statblocks themselves are brilliant. There are a great mix of new creatures, adapted and changed creatures, greater specificity of creatures that fill this tome with everything you could possibly want to run a game underground or Underdark with far more flavour and surprise than what is available in the official manuals. But beyond the subterranean, there are many fabulous creatures and racial archetypes that have a much wider scope for populating your games above ground.

Hansons’s art is glorious! Their creature design is wonderful and full of flavour; there are comic tones (both book and humour), blended with the genuinely creepy and grim to create a truly original and arresting style that treads the line between visceral and whimsy.

Porter’s layout is great exercise in clean simplicity, letting the text, statblocks and artwork speak for themselves.

Monsters of the Underworld is perfect for unground adventures and campaigns, while also just being a bloody brilliant collection of creatures that give DMs so many wonderful new blighters to play with. Keeping players on their toes is great for everyone at the table.

There are many manuals on monsters available on the market, only a few of which are discussed in the same breath as the official Monster Manuals, Cawood’s Monsters of the Underworld most certainly should be one of them!

I can’t wait to delve into their Monsters of Feyland when I get the chance and I am ridiculously excited for their new Monsters of the City, Sins and Virtues Kickstarter, which I am backing and recommend you do too! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monstersofthecity/monsters-of-the-city-for-5e-rpg?ref=android_project_share

Credits

Written by Andrew Cawood (@cawoodpublish)

Illustrated by Travis Hanson (@TravsTheBean)

Layout and Graphic Art by Jeff Porter​

D&D Essentials Expanded: Martial Sidekicks by Amit Sarkar (@AmitSarkar0)

“10 new warrior sidekicks for the world’s greatest roleplaying game!”

“Whether you want to fill a group or need a hand with a solo adventure, these courageous companions are ready to join your Dungeons & Dragons 5e adventuring party! All sidekicks include instant-play statblocks for 1st level and full progression to 20th level. Never be without a full party again!”

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was provided a review copy of this supplement for a full and honest review.

Does your party lack a certain all-business and upfront warrior, or are you looking to play a squishy and more cerebral character in a duet? Or is your small group in need of a retainer with the power to protect and/or augment their own abilities? Then look no further than these fine fellows of the fist, bow, blade, and other fine forms of violence. As well as 10 paragons of pummelling, you’ll find new rules for morale and payment (funny how often are closely linked?), as well as all the tools you need to create and convert your own martial manhunters, bruisers and bodyguards.

The supplement opens with a thoughtful piece of prose with a character reflecting upon their interaction and observation of their Monk Sidekick.

Introduction

“This tome provides a diverse offering of new sidekick types that are ready to join any party. Each brings its own unique abilities to a group, and PCs should assess their current party composition to determine which type of sidekick would best aid them.” All using the Sidekick rules introduced in Appendix A of the Essentials Kit.

Archetypes

Each archetype is given a lovely looking two-page spread providing background information, personality traits, individual background, character artwork, and level 1 statblock on page one, with the character progression featuring level, proficiency, HP, features, and archetype-specific dice (where appropriate), as well as addition artwork, on the second page. These aesthetic pages are designed to be printed as easy to reference sidekick character sheets.

Name

The sidekicks in this supplement are templates with archetypal designations in need of their own personal names to elevate them into a character the players and/or DM can roleplay with.

Some helpful and tongue-in-cheek advice on names and suggestions are provided such as “Fancypants Twinkletoes” being “entirely too dainty for the hardy and gruff nature of dwarves”, while it would “be an apt name for an agile swashbuckler.”

Motivation

All sidekicks are characters in their own right and come with their own Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws to give them their own unique personality.

Stats

Each sidekick come with its own full statblock in the recognised format.

Race

Rather than setting out generic templates, the sidekicks are provided with an optimal race for each archetype, though a Racial Modifications table is provided in the back of the supplement to allow quick and simple generalising of each archetype.

Progression

Detailed information on the progression of sidekick from level 1 onwards is provided. The progression up to 20th level is also provided on the second page of each archetype.

Archetypes

Deepwood Sniper. Rapid-fire archer extraordinaire

The only primarily ranged of the archetypes in this supplement, Deepwood Snipers are accomplished in the art of the bow and putting down targets from long range with more than a few tricks in their quivers. Patient, professional and aloof, Deepwood Snipers are unlikely to become your bosom buddy, but you’ll feel a hell of a lot safer with them watching your back.

Frenzied Berserker. Enraged barbarian meat shield.

These frenzied barbarians live for the fight, losing themselves in the blood and carnage... conveniently keeping foes occupied with their fury and cleaving axes. Again, not likely to become your best friend and you would wish to stay on their good side, but if you are wanting to keep enemies occupied while you do your thing, look no further.

Golem Servant. Mindless mechanical minion.

These large constructs will carry out your every command, provided those commands are in the region of “get in the way and smash with your massive metal fists.” Due to their synthetic nature, Golem Servants don’t need to be fed, watered, or changed, and their lack of ego means they are unlikely to need payment or want a share of your spoils. Just be sure to duck if they go into a frenzy.

This was my partner’s instant first choice, as a sturdy guard for her decidedly squishy high elf wizard, based on her character’s interest in the arcane construct and having an obedient servant. As a solo player in particular, she wanted the support without the need for more roleplaying due to the intense nature of duets. In practice the big lug was very effective in combat, but not putting out enough damage to outshine a PC. Kalu, as my partner named her Golem, was good fun to roleplay with, despite her previous concerns, giving us a real good laugh as it did it’s best to clean up the mess it had made of a group of goblins and acted as a snow plough for her Elven Red Wizard, Elester.

Mystic Fist. Enlightened unarmed disciple.

The quintessential mindful martial artists. Possibly the most qualified and trustworthy bodyguard, as well as the least likely to turn on you, overcharge, or have disputes. There is the possibility of a personality clash with more materialistic and morally dubious parties.

Ogre Enforcer. Dim-witted brute hireling.

As long as the gold keeps coming, these big bastards will “smash em gud” with the ‘em’ being anyone who so much as looks at you the wrong way, which is unlikely due to how scary Ogre Enforcers are. There’s no other who can do what they do as effectively and look absolutely terrifying while doing it.

I particularly enjoyed the feature names on the levelling table for Ogre Enforcer such as, “bigger rok”, “nailz in da klub” and “swole up”.

Pit Fighter. Tactical & versatile mercenary cohort.

Pit Fighters make great allies stalwartly standing by their party and plying their bloody trade with hard-earned adaptability. Professional as they are resourceful, they can aid the party in combat, understanding teamwork, as well as the lawlessness of street fights.

This would be my pick for MVP simply for the all-round skills in combat, talents as a team player and most likely to be able to socialise with the rest of the party!

Ronin Retainer. Loyal & skilled samurai comrade.

These steadfast warriors of adept martial talent are positively covered in weapons, from the katana and wakizashi for up close, naginata for brute swinging and longbow for distance. There are few who can claim to be such a consummate fighter or to have such devotion to their principals and a true do or die mentality as these fighters. Ronin Retainers will always put the work in, but assaults, boss battles, and dungeons are where their devil may care determination for victory will shine. Again, there is the chance for a serious clash of morality and the finer points of honour.

Shield Knight. Valorous & honorable armored ally.

The Shield Knight is the tankiest tank that ever tanked, but due to their morality they are not in fact a tankie. Their Ideal is, “I am the shield against evil” but really, they are a living shield, which they literally become at level 20! This is your classic valiant knight of the protect the innocent and vanquish the evil variety. If you want someone you can you can really get behind, figuratively and literally, someone to take the brunt of combat and will do it with a smile, the Shield Knight is for you. Their binary morals could be a sticky wicket, but if you play your cards right you can have them so busy being a humanoid wall and so knackered on downtime, they won’t notice anything sketchy.

If I was playing a particularly pious character, Shield Knight would definitely be my go-to. I have an image of another melee character fighting shoulder to shoulder with them, and would enjoy throwing the huzzahs back and forth. The opposite could also make an interesting, if fractious, relationship for roleplay.

Stalwart Sentinel. Staunch support from the rear.

While the Shield Knight is the defence, Stalwart Sentinel is the offence...albeit from a distance, and if the Shield Knight is the babysitter of the group, Stalwart Sentinel is your buddy. They are swinging a halberd around like a helicopter, able to deal a massive amount of damage and maintain a perimeter of pain. This tactically thinking soldier follows orders and will work diligently for the party. Just remember, “Ye cannae touch this!”

Wardancer. Pure aggression & magic swords.

This humanoid whirling dervish literally has “Baneblades”, which are “special swords” that will tear through flesh, bones and bathtubs everywhere! Wardancers make the hacking and slashing of combat into an art form and will speak of its poetry at length of you allow them. Unfortunately, when you’re a sword everything looks like something to stab, so maybe don’t let the Wardancer be your lead negotiator.

Appendix

New Rules

Morale

“Sidekicks have feelings too, determined in large part by how well they’re treated by their leaders, employers, or masters.”

This nifty scale allows DMs to take note of the way a character and/ or the party treat their sidekick and give or deduct morale points. These begin at Indifferent, rise to Devoted and plummet to hostile with mechanical bonuses or penalties, possibly leading to your sidekick trying to kill you or working with your enemies at their lowest score. This is great simple system that reinforces the fact sidekicks are characters too and encourages players to treat them as such, learning their motivations and seeing the person behind the shield or spiked club.

Payment

This optional rule covers the expenses for sidekick who do not join the party for philanthropic reasons. While many do join for the fun of adventure and a share of treasures, others are pure mercenaries. This table provides a suggested percentage share of profits and cost per day in gold for levels through 1 to 20. Another effective and simple optional rule, enabling the party to actually take on sellswords.

Making Your Own

A step by step tutorial takes you through building your own sidekick, as well as advice on establishing their concept.

Step 1: Core Class Step 2: Ability Scores Step 3: Race Step 4: Proficiencies Step 5: 1st Level Features Step 6: Level Progression

An example “swashbuckling musketeer” is built using the process with examples at each step.

Racial Modifications

An explanation about the archetypes in this supplement being created with a race to make them ready for quick play, as well as a table containing each of archetypes with the ability score increase and racial features to remove to have the base archetype template.

Tokens

A token of each Sidekick is presented, enabling them to be printed and cut to use at your table. Separate digital files are included for use in virtual tabletop games.

Martial Sidekicks ends with the teasers for upcoming Expert, Arcane and Divine Sidekicks, all of which I am thoroughly looking forward to!

Conclusion

This is a thoroughly well put together supplement with great layout and art, which definitely make it aesthetically pleasing. I thoroughly enjoy each archetype, and can see them fitting well into many parties after a little more pow.

At first glance these sidekicks seem somewhat more powerful than some in previously released supplements. But this partly comes from the fact we are dealing with Martial Sidekicks, primarily built for offence and damage dealing. They also seem to have more abilities, or at least more useful and potent abilities available to them. This is not a bad thing in the least, in fact I believe their strength is the strength of this supplement.

Using sidekicks is still a relatively new thing for folks on either side of the screen, and there are a lot of different supplements out there. Martial Sidekicks stands out for its clear focus and the amount of fun to be had with the archetypes. It is both a specific tool for a specific job, as well as just a great collection of sidekicks.

If you’re looking for muscle, protection or someone to smash or slash your enemies, this is the place to come! If you have gaps in your party that can be filled by fists, blades and/ or shields step right up. I would caution that there is a chance that unexperienced, those players who don’t and/ or never use all their abilities, as well as the chronically terrible rollers may feel they are being outshined by these refined combat-focused sidekicks. Though I do not believe it is the fault of the balancing, but the inherent risk of making effective and fun sidekicks to play. Making sidekicks enjoyable to play is really important, and this supplement does it bloody well! The wealth of fun, interesting and helpful abilities elevate these sidekicks from another body randomly swinging into the wind to colourful characters with some serious moves that are actually a lot do fun to play. There’s a fine line between being helpful and overshadowing the players, which Martial Sidekicks accomplishes by toeing the line.

The two-page layout is beautiful with great use of design and artwork, which works well as simple, aesthetic character sheet that’s easy to read in game. I find the level progression table clear and easy to follow, preferring it to the various pages of different levels with additional level boxes so often used in sidekick supplements. Having everything there is so much cleaner and there’s no flipping backwards and forwards. The only thing I would suggest as an addition would be a character sheet for each archetype, which could sit over one or other of the pages with space for adding the abilities and amending scores.

The additional rules are interesting and definitely add something the sidekick experiences, and the Create Your Own and Racial Modifications table are clear and easy to use. The provided tokens are a great touch.

This is a straight forward quality supplement, well worth checking out!

Credits

Avatar Games Game Designer: Amit Sarkar Editors: Trevor Armstrong, Jeffrey Fischer Art Director: Amit Sarkar Artists: Geun Cheol Jang, Bob Greyvenstein, Dean Spencer, Critical-Hit, Faraz Shanyar Layout Editor: Amit Sarkar Graphic Designer: Nathanael Roux Game Design Consultants: Kayla Bayens, Stuart Broz, Jos Wijchgel

Midwinter Ghost Stories, Produced by Cat Evans (@perpetualgloom)

"In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan Eight haunting short adventures by authors of Uncaged, Eat the Rich, and the upcoming Book of Seasons."

Introduction

Opening with a warm, festive quote from Dickens, the introduction positively holds open a door to let you in from the scary, dark outside to the warm interior of the anthology’s well-kept Victorian home like a an old friend;" It’s cold outside, and the wind howls loud and long, but in here the logs crackle merrily in the hearth and there is mulled wine aplenty."

How to Use This Book

The Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas is discussed with this anthology being a continuation of that tradition, and where more appropriate than Ravenloft's Gothic Earth setting?

The adventures all follow the haunting of different members of the Lovelace family, "a noble house brought low by curses and misdeeds" over a period of 200 years or more. Each work as short, independent one shots with the family and the final adventure binding them all together. Advice is given for running and contextualizing an adventure on its own, as is the suggestion that a gaming group could alternate the DM responsibilities. Whether the fun of having different tale tellers or selecting a single adventure to explore, thrills and chills will be had. I also see this as a wonderful little campaign to inspire and scare while the dark and cold keeps us inside.

And Finally…

Due to the nature of the adventures, the use of Safety Tools and consent are strongly advocated for with links provided:

https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/tools-of-the-table.html html

https://www.montecookgames.com/store/ product/consent-in-gaming/

Playing in Gothic Earth

The setting and how that interacts with the regular aesthetic and rules of D&D are described and explained in brief, accessible chunks that allow the reader to get up to speed quickly and for easy reference. This include The Red Death and its effects on magic with a table of the standard and Gothic Earth amended casting times.

A stark, beautiful and informative family tree describes the Lovelace family generations.

"The first adventure in the book is particularly hard-hitting. Save it for a very dark night, with a group who completely trust one another to explore difficult topics."

Not quite night, but it's definitely dark and stormy outside, while I'm snug in bed listening to the wind scratching at windows, so I believe I shall begin with the first, with the intention to come back and review the further adventures another time.

The Haunted Manse of the Lovelace’s by Morten Greis (@MortenGreis)

"An adventure for 4-6 players with an average party level (APL) of 3."

"Content Warnings: References to and vivid, prolonged, depictions of infanticide, Murder, Hanging/strangulation/asphyxiation, Removal of agency (possession), Death by starvation/confinement"

Glad to see those content warnings. I genuinely got some goosebumps reading them, before I even started the adventure.

The Haunted Manse of the Lovelace’s is a fantastic take on the haunted house and gothic mystery with well-crafted horrors and macabre mystery aplenty!

I absolutely adore Farron Marie's (@NachosArt) portraits of the Lovelace family, with Captain Hackel Skjold Lovelace's being one of my favourites.

Adventure Hook

The party come to hear about Lovelace Manor, "a house so haunted it scared away at least one spiritualist who attempted to cleanse it, and whose owners are so frightened they dare not set foot in the house." They are challenged to spend one night in the macabre Manor, if they can get permission.

Adventure Background

I don't think I've ever read an adventure background that manages to pack so much cruelty, misery and woe as this does, with the Captain using a dark ritual to prolong his life at the cost of his sister's babies, resulting in the hanging of the accused maid in the attic and the sister being committed to an asylum. You can see why there are so many content warnings now!

Eventually the old Captain died, leaving behind an unsurprisingly extremely haunted house. Too haunted for a hired Spiritualist to cleanse, but can the party spend the night, learn of the tragedies, survive the ghosts and ensure the Captain stays appropriately dead?

Chapter 1 - On a Winter's Night

The Heirs

With the Old Captain's passing without children, the house went to a second cousin, but due to a fright from a female ghost they brought in a medium who fled without payment. Now she offers a significant monetary reward or the Captain's old boat for the party staying a whole night and driving out the ghosts, sending three servants along with them to run the house.

Chapter 2 - One Dark Night

Pieces of Family History

Clues to the Lovelace family history are dotted throughout the house in the form of journals, diaries, newspaper clippings and notes, as well as some information the provided staff can dispense. The broad strokes and rumours are clearly laid out in bullet points for easy preparation and referencing, and begin to tell the macabre tale of the told in the Adventure Background, while the more specifically located are covered in the corresponding room descriptions.

Exploring the Manse

The house is old, dusty, freezing and at the whim of the old Captain in the traditional creepy haunted manners; "floors creak when he wants, doors jam closed or glide open, fires or lamps go out, and branches scratch on the windows."

There are a number of rooms, each with their own horrors and mysteries to uncover:

The Dining Room has a terrible secret beneath the floorboards, Guest Rooms are provided for each PC, The Blue Room has more than a skeleton in its closet, the Master Bedroom harbors abhorrent truths if you hold the key, the Attic has a furious spirits lurking in its cobwebbed shadows, and the cellar hides a mummy who wants to be found.

These locations are provided with all relevant information, so that with the following ghosts and information you have all you need to spook your Scooby Gang all over the place.

The Ghosts of the Lovelace Manse

The ghosts in this haunted house have some understandable changes, making them hardier to expel, bound to return and unable to possess, all reflecting their strong emotional anchor to this place. They also have their own unique abilities and ways needed to banish them, both tied to their lives and deaths.

Captain Hackel Skjold Lovelace

Having done the unthinkable to prolong his life within his home, the Captain is intrinsically tied to the house, anchored through paintings where he can manifest, or if his shame is revealed...

He has the ability to drain life and actually age his targets, hurl fiery blasts and his ghostly form is immune to damage. Being so bound to his portraits, they are the onto way to truly harm him.

Ingrid, the Maid

Perfectly peaceful while blending in and pretending to be part of the staff, Ingrid flies into a murderous rage when found out.

In the attic she can compel a PC to hang themselves on the noose that ended her life, which is also one of the grizzlier ways to banish her.

Maude Lovelace

Dying of starvation attempting to sneak into the mansion through the coal chute, after escaping the asylum, Maude is bound to the borders of the house, appearing in windows and reflections mad with grief and rage.

Maude attempts to terrify and drain the PCs reaching through windows and mirrors, which she can move swiftly between. Smashing the windows harms her, though she only wishes to be reunited with her children and will temper her rage for those who treat them with care.

The Twins

Their lives stolen before their first year, the Twins hold no malice, despite how perturbing their haunting may seem. They try to bring attention to clues and at night they scream and cry from beneath the floorboards. All they really want is their mother.

These varied apparitions will give the party more than enough to contend with, as they help, hinder and attempt to murder the PCs as they go about their staying the night and searching for clues.

Conclusion

The conclusion is gloriously optimistic best-case scenario with the party finding rest for all, besides the Captain, who must be banished from the portraits. We shall see how that goes.

Rewards

For staying the night, the party receive the cash or boat reward. There is a Black Tome in the Manor the party may wish to pocket, as well as the warm feeling of having helped lay some spirits to rest or damnation...

Author's Note

M.R. James and Arthur C. Doyle inspired this.

Author Bio

Morten Greis grew up near a haunted castle and ancient hill inhabited by elves. He has written many years for the Danish RPG scene. He blogs at rollespil.blog and can be found on Twitter @mortengreis.

The Haunted Manse of the Lovelace’s has the important job of setting the scene and beginning the tale of the woe begotten family line, and it does with ghastly and lurid aplomb! This adventure has a truly gruesome and macabre backstory, which may be a bit strong for some, but is perfectly suited to the Gothic Earth and bringing the bleak midwinter shivers to those safe and warm by the fire. Due to this it is essential to have frank and open conversation with the players about the sensitive content and safety tools, as advised in the anthology's introduction.

I do so enjoy an adventure that provides all the necessary information, setting, story and opponents, allowing for a far more off the cuff game more easily led by the players. This style works especially well with a mystery and an enclosed location like this, giving the DM all the tools they need to be more reactive to the players. With this approach the DM can choose the perfect time for ethereal hands to reach through windows or when the little, spooky pitter-patter of ghost babies hinting at clues. Another great aspect of this approach, particularly for this adventure is the use of ghosts not only a way of controlling and ratcheting up the tension, but as a way of having more control of the time. With no time constraints, the ghosts can be used to slowly tease, terrorise and toy with the party, keeping them on edge and busy when they start to put things together, or conversely the ghosts can be used more overtly to speed things up, particularly with the hints from the twins and the aggression of the captain.

All the party really need do is stay the night, survive and collect their reward, but each room has enough tantalizing tidbits of the ghoulish backstory to pique interest and have players scouring the manse for more morbid clues. With the ghosts played well, according to their backstory, unique abilities and drives, everyone will want to know more about the horrors the house provides with an appropriate level of terror and the more combat-focused players involved. There's so much to see, discover and experience that the night will not pass quickly or quietly, but rather be filled with thrills and chills in the best of ways.

The Haunted Manse of the Lovelace’s is a fantastic take on the haunted house and gothic mystery with well-crafted horrors and macabre mystery aplenty! With this fantastic opening adventure, I'm extremely excited to see how the further adventures of this unfortunate ancestry play out.

Midwinter Ghost Stories Credits

Producer: Cat Evans (@perpetualgloom) Writers: Morten Greis (@MortenGreis), Jessica Marcrum (@Miss_Jess03), Oliver Clegg (@deathbybadger), Lena Meier (@yakyuu_yarou), Alicia Furness (@AliciaFurness), Kristina Sisto Kindel, Liz Gist (@crit_liz) Original Interior Art: Farron Marie (@NachosArt) Art (portraits), Cat Evans (family tree) Cartography: Cat Evans Additional Interior & Cover Art: Adobe Stock, Envato Elements, Wikimedia Commons Layout: Cat Evans

https://www.dmsguild.com/product/297255/?affiliate_id=1507682

Dungeon Delve Monthly – January 2020 from Trevor Armstrong (@TheGrimPress)

“Releasing during the 1st week of each month, Dungeon Delve Monthly features up and coming DMs Guild authors writing alongside famous content creators! Five fully illustrated adventures every month, ready to be dropped into a long running campaign or run as a one-shot.”

Meet the January 2020 Authors: Chris Hopper (@chrishopper2): Tanager’s Trade Arthur Rouise: Mazzoth the Forgotten Jeffrey Fischer: Temple of the Khamsin Theodore Story: The Necromancer’s Sanctuary Jimmy Meritt (@Jimmymeritt): Madness in the Multi-Verse!!!

In the spirit of full disclosure I was provided a review copy of this supplement for a full and honest review.

PRODUCER’S NOTE

“The Grim Press is proud to be leading the Dungeon Delve Monthly series; each issue containing five short adventures and released on the 1st of every month. Bringing together new and experienced authors alike to contribute their stories, Dungeon Delve Monthly gives Dungeon Masters easy to run adventures with little preparation. Each adventure contains beautifully detailed player and DM maps, as well as art drawn by the extremely talented Bob Greyvenstein!”

Whilst very different in content and subject matter, the adventures in Dungeon Delve Monthly follow a unified format. I shall be going into great detail showing the layout and adventure structure of the first adventure, and giving an overview and review of the following adventures.

Tanager’s Trade By Chris Hopper

Preamble

“Tanager’s Trade is a short adventure for four to six characters of 2nd level, in which they enter a village caught between light and dark fey and must work together to protect the village from the dangers of both courts.”

Background

Goldthwaite village has a Fey problem. A Satyr moved in, blessing their crops, but I’d now partying too hard. Before Adventurers get word, some Quicklings came to cause chaos. This quiet village is now beset by revelling and wanton destruction.

Adventure Hook

Goldswaite could be somewhere to rest and explore, or rumours of the Fey-touched village could reach the party.

The Village of Goldthwaite

The village and setting are given a wonderful introduction that paints the scene vividly, capturing the magic that will become apparent.

Not only is this a fun fey foray, but a working village ready to drop in to your game.

Asking Around

A table of information the party may glean from the villagers provides a range that can fit any of the hooks and the way the DM and players approach the bizarre goings on.

The Bakers Table

The inn and tavern serves suspiciously sumptuous food somewhat at odds with the reserved owner.

The Old Homestead

An abandoned home that a clutch of Quicklings have taken up residence in on a mission to make mischief for the Winter Court. How the Quicklings defend their home and/or deal with the party are dependent on the time of day and make up of the party, which are lovely touches. The party can find clues about the previous owner’s by investigating.

The village also has a shrine to a non-specific harvest deity and an injured Displacer Beast skulking around that hunts at night, in keeping with the mysterious bounty and fey shenanigans, and adding an element of danger and combat necessary to keep the less Mystery-minded players on board.

The Windmill

The supernaturally pleasant warmth masks the desperation and exhaustion of the miller and the depressive revelry of their Satyr guest. A deal struck over the greatest sourdough has...soured, leaving all parties in an inescapable rut.

The quality of the writing and various elements truly come together to make Goldthwaite feel alive, and the rumours, information and checks provided in the text allow the DM to share that life with the players.

Running The Adventure

Great looking labelled DMs maps of the windmill and grain solo are provided with player maps for all the adventures provided in a separate zip. There’s something truly striking about the rustic fidelity of Mason’s cartography.

Adventure Layout

The details of the windmill and silo are laid out in dungeon format with descriptions of the areas, NPCs and other elements for both day and night.

The crux of the matter is dealing with the Satyr, whether by slaying them, the Satyr knowing very well how to use their environment and villagers to their advantage, or by convincing them to leave by discovering the elusive Fey Crossing and showing them the way.

I do enjoy an adventure that lays out all the working parts and leaves the players to decide how things will go down. Will they befriend the Displacer Beast or Quicklings and gain the respect on the Winter/ Unseelie Court. Will they kill the Satyr or help them find their way home? How much collateral damage will there be and will they be welcome after the adventure concludes, rewarding with a very handy broach?

Statblocks for all the creatures and NPCs, unique or otherwise can be found in the appendix.

This is a really interesting adventure, as we get the contrast of fey fun and human suffering, but also that the revelry on their own aren’t enough for the Satyr.

I have been thoroughly impressed and keeping my eye on Hopper since their epic Mapvember team up with Mr Valor (@mrvalorisalive), which saw them release an adventure and map everyday throughout November!

Mazzoth, the Forgotten by Arthur Rouiser

“an adventure for four to six characters of 3rd level”

CW: Body Horror

“The Temple of the Pristine Fountain has been defiled. Salazar, the leader of the monks, fell under the spell of a demon, Mazzoth, the Forgotten.” The former Monks are working profane rituals and sacrifices to open a portal to the Abyss. A dark pall hangs over the usually serene Yellow Fields, especially with the dead and missing town guards.

This is where the party come in. A young man needs help to find his brother who visited the temple, insisting on coming along as a Sidekick for the adventure.

Mason’s great map depicts a large temple spread across two cliffs connected by a bridge that spans the gap and river below.

This grand defiled temple dungeon is filled with demons and demagogues with ample healing for those who can find it. Everything culminates in an epic confrontation with the corrupted Monk leader and the eponymous Demon described in agonisingly exquisite detail, “Mazzoth is a horrendous, depraved, hideous atrocity. The fat demon has attached to its own self the bodies and limbs of the villagers. Mismatched arms, feet, and fingers branch out of its body. It is a repulsive sight.”

The grim detail truly gives this Demon an Abyssal feeling worthy of one of their status, elevating them from a grimy, horrible lesser Demon to something nightmarish and terrifying. The grisly accoutrements speak of the lives taken and souls absorbed, which are reflected in a brutal and aesthetically aberrant ability. What’s not to love about mouths appearing all over a body that wail a paralysis song?

Vanquishing the Demon and its cursed disciples grants insight into the fall of the monastery through the leader’s diary showing their regret and corruption, as well as a chance for the area to heal and start to move past this awfulness, though not without significant loss. I’m a sucker for the classic downfall diary!

This is a great clearing house dungeon with enough story and character to make it notable.

Temple of the Khamsin by Jeffrey Fischer

“an adventure for four to six characters of 6th level”

CW: Graphic Description of a Corpse Exploding

A deserted temple, once the centre of governance for disparate nomadic clans of the desert, has been taken over by renegade clan, though something far more sinister lurks within.

The adventure begins with the party most likely taken in by a ruse from the renegade clan, one of their number posing as the sole survivor of what appears to be a gnoll attack. This eventually leads to the entrance of the temple and the adventure proper.

Another great map from Mason depicts the chambers and antechambers of the temple.

The history of the temple is told through the murals on its walls, the bodies on its floors and the survivors, if any. The ideas around the dangers of opening sealed tombs, the spirits tied to them and cursed items are executed well with some wonders and wickedness among the treasures. I particularly like the exploding Necrotic Crystals that appear as emeralds.

The adventure culminates with a battle against a mummy of ancient royalty, ending an interesting dungeon delve. Unfortunately, I feel that some of the overarching story will not necessarily be conveyed adequately to the players and the adventure seemingly comes to an abrupt end, as written. I feel a spirit’s appearance and thanks or an illusory depiction on the murals could tell more of the events that lead to the undead infestation, and give a more satisfying ending. This would elevate this from good to great, but it’s still a fun ancient Egyptian flavoured adventure nonetheless.

The Necromancer’s Sanctuary by Theodore Story

“an adventure for four to six characters of 9th level”

A Necromancer “looking for solitude” has made their home on an island a ways away from the mainland. Unfortunately, their exploits have caused an insidious fog to creep out engulfing boats and their crew, salty dogs can be heard lamenting. They will get the party to the island if they deal with the issue and let them know the fate of their comrades.

A random encounter table is provided for populating certain areas of the island.

Helpful suggestions in the body of the text such as giving the players some time to come up with a plan when they Hear voices in the distance.

This is an island filled with undead, with potential for a lot of rolling random encounters, to explore and fight swathes of various dead and reanimated minions. The Necromancer turns out to be a CR11 Archmage Necromancer with a very cool Shadow Bat companion.

The links to story are there with potential for roleplaying before and after, as well as possibly with the Necromancer, but this is an unashamed necrotic meat grinder. A gauntlet combat-focused players and groups will lap up, and a quick and easy adventure to prep and run.

The reward is a very helpful pair of earring walkie-talkies.

Madness in the Multiverse!!!! By Jimmy Meritt

“Madness in the Multiverse!!! Is an adventure for 10th level characters, in which they pilot an interdimensional vessel through the barrier realm of the multiverse. In the first adventure, characters test pilot their ship, and then may answer a distress signal to explore the wreckage and discover the fate of another ship lost within the barrier realm.”

Great advice is given regarding preceding adventures, which could be in search of necessary esoteric minerals and components, as well as naturally establishing the concept of planes within the game. This is particularly important due to the “gonzo” and positively science fiction flavour to this traditionally fantasy game. I enjoy that whether the science holds water is up to the DM and thus, where the craft eventually can manage to travel to. It’s bold and different, and I am here for it!

Upon taking the mission the players will have to choose who of the party will fill the necessary roles on the ship, which most folx will be aware from shows like Star Trek. The party also have the honour of naming the ship, which could be a lot of fun...or take up half the session in debate. Planar McPlaneface?

Three of Mason’s most different and intriguing maps are included, showing the design of the party’s ship, another they encounter and finally, the ship of the pirates they must face in the end. There’s something classic, yet refreshing about these maps with their flowing, rounded layouts and symbolic elements. The different vibrant colours of each craft and the circuit board motifs are a wonderful touch.

The full statblocks for the party’s and the pirate’s vessels are included in the body of the text. The group vehicle checks are laid out clearly with specific checks for each station and an impressively simple and elegant system of a success at one station granting advantage to the next crew member “signifying the ship and crew working together well.”

A derelict ship contains a murder mystery, undead and an isolated cloud of a mist that may be familiar to some players and/ or characters. If successful in defeating the enemies, upgrades and a survivor can be obtained.

Eventually the party will come across a vessel captained by a mean Pirate Aberration native to the barrier realm and their diverse crew. Driven by visions of exploration and plunder, it’s unlikely contact with the Pirates will end peacefully. There is a significant amount of booty in gold and some new and very cool magic items, including a symbiote that “burrows into your head and attaches to your skull”, enabling limited spellcasting.

The adventure concludes with fantastic ideas for further shenanigans in the barrier realm, escalating to planar travel ideas as the party levels up, all the way up to multiverse travel, both within the official D&D universes and beyond!

It is not often that I am truly shocked and surprised by elements of adventures these days, but the revelation and possible inferences from a few of the aspects of the adventure really sucker punched me in the very best of ways. I was left open mouthed and grinning! Merritt is certainly bold and willing to put things out there, with the emphasis on the bordering nature of barrier realm. Some may find the assertions heretical, but I absolutely loved them!

The amusing and helpful writing style of Merritt is compelling and their tendency to offer suggestions and multiple ways things could play out is awesome, leaving room for more variety and improvised and/ or optimised moments. This is a relatively simple exploration mission, but the concepts and elements are so different and spectacular to make this a truly special and memorable adventure. The ideas for before and after the adventure are great, and the content and quality of the writing throughout is riveting. In an anthology full of great work they truly saved the best for last!

The appendix contains all statblocks for all creatures mentioned in the adventures in alphabetical order, including many quality original unique creatures and NPCs.

This inaugural issue of Dungeon Delve Monthly is an incredible collection of dungeons and adventures spanning a great range of content, concepts, settings and approaches. There’s something for everyone here, but I definitely found a lot to enjoy in each. The layout and approach of each adventure make them easy to work into your own games and be able to run them with little preparation.

The quality with which the whole the anthology is put together, with spectacular Greyvenstein art throughout, Mason’s awesome maps, and the great and varied writing of the authors, come together to create something awesome. I’m truly impressed and can’t wait for February’s issue!

CREDITS

Publisher: DMs Guild Project Oversight: Trevor Armstrong (Grim Press) Monthly Authors: Arthur Rouise, Chris Hopper, Jeffrey Fischer, Jimmy Meritt, Theodore Story Editors: Theodore Story, Trevor Armstrong Product Artist: Bob Greyvenstein Cartography: Justin Andrew Mason

Ravenloft Gazetteer: Making Monsters [BUNDLE]

Like a Vampire Prince Whilhelm Scream [Pronounced:. Aiiiiieeeee] holding his taloned hand out to you on his Magic Flying Rug of Smothering, Oliver Clegg (@deathbybadger)can show you a whole new world in a three stop trip around Domains of Dread.

Lamorida! Clockwork, Blizzards and Gloomstorms Tell me reader, when did you last refuse to let death decide?

Odiare! [oh-dee-AR-ay] You can never close painted eyes An eternal hell for Guiseppe Is this just Disney’s Pinocchio?

The Nightmare Court Lullabies and hushabyes Nightmares where you scream “No” Mullonga knows Jagged nails will have you screaming

Three Ravenloft Gazetteers full of creations, locations and lamentations for less than ten dollars. A blessing or a curse?

Ravenloft Gazetteer: Barovia [BUNDLE]

Whether you're planning a Curse of Strahd game, preparing to walk into the mists of Ravenloft, want to get to know Barovia better and have some fun doing, or simply have an eye for a bargain this is an opportunity to be missed

(I believe you can get an even deeper discount if you send Oliver Clegg (@deathbybadger) Dark Kween on the Domains of Dread an eye, be it yours or one you acquired...)

101 Ravenloft Encounters will keep you busy while he comes to claim the rest of you.

Mistkickers will keep you company in the dark, but beware they will not save you.

NSFW, well it's important you read a good book and have a laugh with the most ridiculous book club in Vallaki. Don't worry, when their done with you they'll leave you in a Gentle Repose by the mister.

Ravenloft Gazetteer: Barovia Volume 1. It's good to get to know the last place you'll see, and there's much more he can show you than even Vasili Von Holtz knows of the strange goings on, an extended quest and the dreaded ephemera. It simply gets everywhere.

Until the Cows Come Home shows it's not on Strahd and Clegg to fear in the Mists and elsewhere. Mother Haggle is here to make a mockery of the sombre tone, leading you into the Vampire's Domain dying...of laughter?

This is a ridiculous amount of awesome for half price. Escape the bleak, misty winter into the bleaker mistier, but also more ridiculous world of Ravenloft's capital, Barovia. Whether you’re planning a Curse of Strahd game, preparing to walk into the mists of Ravenloft, want to get to know Barovia better and have some fun doing, or simply have an eye for a bargain this is an opportunity to be missed

(I believe you can get an even deeper discount if you send Oliver Clegg (@deathbybadger) Dark Kween on the Domains of Dread an eye, be it yours or one you acquired...)

101 Ravenloft Encounters will keep you busy while he comes to claim the rest of you.

Mistkickers will keep you company in the dark, but beware they will not save you.

NSFW, well it’s important you read a good book and have a laugh with the most ridiculous book club in Vallaki. Don’t worry, when their done with you they’ll leave you in a Gentle Repose by the mister.

Ravenloft Gazetteer: Barovia Volume 1. It’s good to get to know the last place you’ll see, and there’s much more he can show you than even Vasili Von Holtz knows of the strange goings on, an extended quest and the dreaded ephemera. It simply gets everywhere.

Until the Cows Come Home shows it’s not on Strahd and Clegg to fear in the Mists and elsewhere. Mother Haggle is here to make a mockery of the sombre tone, leading you into the Vampire’s Domain dying...of laughter?

This is a ridiculous amount of awesome for half price. Escape the bleak, misty winter into the bleaker mistier, but also more ridiculous world of Ravenloft’s capital, Barovia.

I can't tell you how much I adore these two spectacular adventures, but I can have a go by linking my separate FIVE STAR reviews.

This is far too awesome to pass up!

Shore of Dreams

https://www.dmsguild.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=378522&products_id=232354?affiliate_id=1507682

Warriors of Sehanine https://www.dmsguild.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=338427&products_id=283029?affiliate_id=1507682

Fight Fire with Games Bundle – Adventurer’s League

My brain is melting and I keep trying to come up with an opening grandiose statement, but what I really want to say is...

I like big bundles and cannot lie! Even better when they’re for C-H-A-R-I-T-Y!

This is such an epic amount that they mobile site can’t even display them all, there’s just too many! Not too many, many, but many, many awesome Adventurer’s League adventures of many awesomenesses.

Over 30 because some of the adventure supplements have multiple adventures or are mini bundles themselves. This bundle has some many adventures that their supplements have got bundles and they have adventures. Like lotses. Did I mention mini missions, because it has them too.

(I don’t think anyone can tell I’m somewhat delirious with a chest infection, but moving on many...)

Work for a brewery, search for treasure and terrors in an ancient sunken city in Moonshaes in a full 3 part arc, investigate the mystery of the missing villagers where no one can hear you scream, explore a dark fairy tale with everyone’s favourite Hag (after Baba Yaga and Morgantha), Jeny Greenteeth, traverse a magic man’s magical mansions that magically reappeared magically, attend a dinner party at the top of a ziggurat in Zhent slums, delve into ancient ruins for a magical magic item to make the fanatics stop fighting, help a gold dragon fiend their old friend, go spelunking in caves that under an island because that sounds safe, discover who or what have been luring ships onto the rocks, an award nominated cursed hamlet in inclement weather, flora and fauna sounds line the place to visit, solve the mystery of magical going on in a moonrise orphanage, tackle organised crime with claws, stop a wayward son reviving a cult and getting his own Djinn, investigate fey in a Hillsfar sewer, reign in a magical tree ready to blow a whole in the plane, aid Zhentarim refugees and their burning ghetto, rescue a noble house’s heirs from a dungeon and assassins and other things, navigate a labyrinth and its prehistoric prisoner, be guided around hell by a helpful Imp, rescue a gnome scientist from a newly discoverer Underdark civilisation, do all sorts in a Hobgoblin fortress, attempt to thwart the Cult of the Heir in a Duregar psionic research outpost, and have multiple nightmares in Mulmaster!

So just a few things you can do in here then!

Fight Fire with Games Bundle – Wizards of the Coast

While this may not be the most jam-packed of the bundles, this is still a boatload of official Wizards of the Coast goodies at an absolutely ridiculous price!

You’ve got adventures, a dungeon, some adorable and ridiculous races. What more could you want!?

DDIA-MORD Rrakkma (5e) A 9th level adventure with pregenerated Gith characters defending their people against the dreaded Mindflayer invasion! How often do you get to kick Illithid ass-tentacles!?

DDIA-XGE Underworld Speculation An intro Adventure using goodies from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything that brings you to their sewers, so would certainly work on a Dragon Heist game!

Dreams of the Red Wizards: Dead in Thay (D&D Next) A love letter to killer dungeons...sounds like fun.

Locathah Rising (5e) In quite the opposite to the above, this is an adventure of fun, friendship and silliness as pregenerated Localth characters.

One Grung Above (5e) The official unofficial adorable poison-skinned Grung race that’s only for funsies or if you’re DM is cool. Plus the gang from the live event.

Hershel’s Holiday Handbook: Winter Lights, Seasons’ Sprites

This truly is a wonderful collection of creators coming together in the festive spirit to spread cheer, raise money for a good cause showcasing their talent and imagination!

Much like dogs, these spells and more are not just for Christmas! They may come with holiday cheer, but magic can last throughout the year!

“This book is a collection of the work of twenty-seven TTRPG writers who came together under the banner of the time of giving and joy to help bring some life and light to your table. And best of all, all the money we make from this project is donated directly to ExtraLife to help children’s hospitals across the globe.”

“So, what exactly do you get in this here book? Well, lemme tell you – fourteen spell reskins, forty-five new spells, some new class mechanics for the Battle Master, and four new magic items. So, we got plenty of goodies for you!”

Spell Reskins and Variants

This collection of 14 reskins have name changes and aesthetic changes to give them some holiday cheer and hilarity. I’ll pick a few that catch my eye to give you a few shakes of this gift box without taking the wrapping off:

Macy’s Parade of Floating Apparitions (Spirit Guardians) “...If you are good or neutral, their spectral form appears as a honey loving pants-less bear or a square sponge. If you are evil, they appear as a lasagne loving cat.”

What can I say? I absolutely love Spirit Guardians, and the idea of changing the ghostly apparitions to Macy’s Parade floats brings me so much joy! I’m all for more personal flavourful elements to spells that create an image or apparition! The use of Pooh Bear and Garfield for good and evil is glorious, as is the image of these balloon Guardians floating around the caster.

Grandma’s Christmas Sweater (Armor of Agyths) “A protective magical sweater surrounds you, manifesting as a yarn-made piece of...If a creature hits you with a melee attack while you are wearing the sweater, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or say “I’m sorry” out loud to the target.”

You can’t beat a Christmas jumper (sorry, sweater. My English is showing), and if you do you must apologise! The apology save is absolutely ridiculous in the best way, and has such potential for hilarity as some Humbug Bear gruffly apologises after stabbing the Wizard with a rusty carving knife. This also made me wonder if the jumper was knitted by Aunt Agyths...

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire (Scorching Ray) “You create three burning hot chestnuts and hurl them at targets within range...”

A fun seasonal reskin that evokes memories of tasty treated and burnt fingers.

Phantasmal Krampus (Phantasmal Killer) “You tap into the nightmares of a creature you can see within range and create an illusory manifestation of a half-goat, half-demon monstrosity, visible only to that creature...”

You just have to give it up for terrifying your enemies with horrific visions of Krampus. It’s an industry secret that creature’s nightmares when targeted by Phantasmal Killer are always of Krampus anyway.

These are a novel and amusing approach to existing spell to being more merry to your magic. You could have fun with these in a Holiday game and not tell the players about the changes until the cast the spells and see them marvel at the differences, as with the changes to spells in Curse of Strahd.

New Spells

This is huge collection of 45 new spells! To paraphrase the supplement; much like dogs, these spells are not just for Christmas! They may come with holiday cheer, but magic can last throughout the year!

As with the Reskins and Variants, I’ll pull out a bunch to talk about and then give a bit of an overview.

Missile Toe Cantrip “You fire a small, toe-shaped object out of your toe toward a creature in range...”

It’s impossible not to make this spell. It writes itself. Essentially, it’s a way for a Wizard to cast a shorter-range Fire Bolt doing piercing damage, but without the need for a verbal component, which is actually unique among the offensive Cantrips in the Wizard’s repertoire.

Fruit Cake of Bludgeoning 1st-level conjuration “Like most creatures, the weave is not a fan of fruit cakes. Seasoned spell casters can use their great powers to open up the weave so it can forcefully expel these rock hard, unwanted cakes to bludgeon whatever creature stands between you and your holiday quest...”

What’s more festive than bludgeoning your enemies to death with portal-activated magic fruitcake bazooka!?

Giblet Buster 1st–level necromancy (ritual) “This spell infuses a roasted turkey with necrotic energy creating an undead servant. Touch a roasted turkey and the spell raises as an undead creature known as a Giblet Buster. The Giblet Buster resembles a thanksgiving turkey walking upright.” (stats provided in the appendix)

For every Necromancer who wants to be the unlife of the party or the player who has watched too much Erazerhead.

Gather the Lads 1st-level conjuration (ritual) “Casting time: 13 days Components: S,M (1 Peg Leg, 1 Pint of Milk, 1 Pot, 1 Pan, 1 Bowl, 1 Doorknob, 1 Spoon, 1 Pair of Binoculars, 1 Sausage, 1 Chunk of Wood from a Doorframe, 1 Leg of Lamb, 1 Candle, 1 Cup of Yogurt, and 13,000 Gold pieces, which the spell consumes) Duration: 13 Years For the next thirteen years, the caster is imbued with the power of one of the Yule Lads, forgotten beasts of holiday terror rivalled only by the gods of chaos themselves. At the start of the Yule, the power of one of the thirteen Yule Lads shall imbue the caster...If 3 rolls of 1 are made within the space of 1 year, the Yule Lads are no longer happy with your actions. Your soul is ripped asunder and split between the 13 Yule Lads, to be forever used as fuel for their infernal powers.”

This spell combines many of my great loves; obscure Icelandic folklore, unwieldy casting times, duration and components, D100 tables, spells that take up so much space there’s no way they would fit on one scroll and the possibility of soul disembowelment!

Gift of Giving “You attempt to compel generosity from a creature within range. Target creature must make a WIS save against your spell save DC or be compelled to gift you any one nonmagical item in their hand worth less than 100gp...”

Because nothing is more festive and useful all year than compelled magical theft!

Flying Reindeer Harness “A shimmering harness manifests on a deer of your choice that you can see within range. A flying speed is added to the deer’s stat block (see Monster Manual), it grows until it is Large, it can speak the Common tongue, and it obeys your commands for the next 24 hours. During this time, you can use the deer as a mount without the need for saddle, barding, or other equipment...”

Most definitely useful all year round, but may lead to the party setting up a side business as seer poachers because once they’ve seen this, they will never want to be a than a few feet from a deer!

There are so many ridiculous and wonderful spells to enjoy that will definitely bring festive joy to holiday games, but many have uses all year round!

New Class Options

Festivus Battle Master Maneuvers

Airing of Grievances – reduce temporary hit points by stating your disappointment.

Festivus Feats of Strength – ridiculous wrestling fun

New Weapon: Festivus Pole “By choosing either of these maneuvers, you gain proficiency with an unadorned aluminium pole. It is plain looking, unencumbered by decorations, and relatively inexpensive. Very high strength-to-weight ratio.”

Loving the Festivus flavour and silliness. Confession time: I never watched Seinfeld growing up. I attempted to watch it recently, but I really couldn’t get into it...

New Magic Items

Merry Mulled Wine – A wonderfully warming potion

Warming Wine – A more common slightly less wonderful warming potion.

Spy Elf (Elf on the Shelf & Arcane Eye) – A teleporting magic spy camera.

Bag of Cheer (Bag of Beans) – A particularly festively dangerous Bag of Beans.

To Whom We Wish Thanks “Many thanks to all of the authors and designers who put the time into helping to create this project. It has been a ton of fun to work on. ‘Tis the season to be jolly – so one might say – and I can say that we have all be very jolly in making this project and helping to raise the money that we are for ExtraLife. You can go to their website at https://www.extra-life.org/ and do your part to help support children’s hospitals. Imagination and creativity were born from the minds of children, and without them, this world would be a darker and more dismal place. “

This truly is a wonderful collection of creators coming together in the festive spirit to spread cheer, raise money for a good cause showcasing their talent and imagination!

Credits: Organizer, Management, Editing and Layout: Cameron Day (@daylightpub1066) Written By: KingSwede, Elise Cretel (@DNDElise), Chelsea Chapeliere, Kai Linder (@Paradoliak), Morgan Bates, Marco Michelutto (@marcomiki), Krish (@vistara_setting), Judith Neugebauer (@Writer_JuNe), The Tartan Dungeon Master (@TartanDM), Melissa Doucette (@MellieDM), Matt Standfast, Matthias Gildemyn, Matthew Whitby (@WhitbyWrites), Arthur Rouise (@pub_medieval), Noah Simpson (@Noah20243425), Stuart Broz (@zorbtrauts), Derek Gray (@RockymtnR), Drew Dawes (@DrewDwarves), James Welch (@tatoskok), Jamieson Mulash (@SuperJamoose), Griffin Fredette (@drthreeshoes), Bridie Dutton (@secretcatshop), Joe Sullivan (@JoeSullivanDM), RCG Harlow (@athenaltena), Evan Perlman (@StoriesColossal), Christopher M. Cevasco, Stephen Cinquegrano II, Chris Hopper (@chrishopper2), Rachel Savicki (@RWritesThings)

What's going on is awful. This, and by extension, the other bundles, are a beautiful thing that does some good. It raises money for a very worthy cause, as well as brining together so many wonderful creators and their spectacular goodies for you for an unfathomably low price!There's just too much in here for me to wrap head around. A bunch of things I've left in depth five star reviews of, Warriors of Sehanine and The Most Dangerous Game, come instantly to mind, as well as many more wonderful things I can't wait to get to like Uncaged Anthology 3! This is a bargain just for Uncaged 3 on its own! My mind cannot contain the awesomemess contained within and the fact it's for a good cause. In a dark world this is something truly gorgeous and wonderful. Don't forget to check the other bundles out too! This is a second Christmas and a chance to help a good cause! Treat yourself!

Phaskolar – A Koala Race for D&D 5e By James “Jarsofjams” Woltman (@JarsOfJams)

“The Phaskolar wander the rugged wilderness, following the path set before them in their dreams...”

“This Homebrew race was created in response to the ongoing bushfire crisis in Australia. All proceeds will be donated to a reputable charity supporting Koala conservation and aid. Help keep these beautiful creatures in our world by bringing the Phaskolar to life in yours!”

This supplement opens with a fascinating paragraph of lore describing the Phaskolar and their ability to hold visions and memories from the past, presence and future in their minds, and to commune with the” collective subconscious of the natural world.”

Hardy Wanderers

Phaskolar are short, secretive and simple adorable folk.

Searching with Purpose

Phaskolar spend their lives wandering until they find their true calling and devote themselves to it entirely.

Phaskolar Traits

Ability Score Increase

Phaskolar have a single fixed main ability score with a second one floating.

Age

Phaskolar begin their journey in their teens and some have claimed to be many hundreds of years old.

Alignment

The Phaskolar’s calling has the most effect on their alignment.

Size

Phaskolar are wee light climbers.

Speed

Phaskolars give up a little pace for their versatility.

Wanderer’s Iron Stomach

Phaskolar are adept foragers even where little is available and have a hardy constitution to go with it.

Pouch

Normally for babies, Phaskolar have a handy belly pouch to keep things in.

Dreamwalker

In deep sleep, Phaskolar can commune with nature, learning more of their surroundings.

Special Thanks

“A special thanks to my loving partner, Mouse, for helping proofread this and inspiring me to make it in the first place, and to nature lovers the world over.”

This is a genuinely fascinating and thoughtful race, which takes the base inspiration of the koala and adds some of the most inspired lore for a race I’ve come across in some time! There’s such a wonderful concept surrounding their journey, calling and their sleepy communion with nature.

With the varying and unique nature of where they end up and the journey there, I have so many different ideas for characters from the wistful, roaming teen Druid Hermit to the wizened, mindful Monk Folk Hero and so many in between.

This really is something special, inspired and for such a good cause! Get yourself some adorable and versatile furry friends and help find an important cause!

For more details on the inspiration and charities: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/ent9sd/homebrew_koala_race_donating_to_charity/

12 Days of Midwinter, Designed by Emily Smith (@EmilyJeaSmith)

Beautiful and magical cover from the always wonderful Gwen Bassett (@gwendybee)

Professional Layout and Graphic Design by Travis Legge (@TravisLegge)

So many wonderful creators came together to produce a truly spectacular anthology of Midwinter magic. 12 adventures, a new Midwinter Magic Surge Table, as well as new Midwinter Trinkets and Magic Items, make one bumper collection of awesomeness.

I wanted to choose one of the 12 days at random for my first review and asked partner to roll, but instead she just shouted 7 at me, so I’m beginning there. With further reviews being added when I can.

Mayhem at Midwinter by Andy Dempz (@AndyDempz)

Seven Swans to Slaughter

A striking image of a Drow with flowing white hair, black robes and a gleaming sword, stark against the grey of the temple and white of snow captures the deadly beauty of this adventure with its monochrome shades of grey.

“A celebration of peace is threatened both overtly and covertly. The adventurers need to unravel the threads of a sinister plot before blood is spilled.”

“A 4-hour adventure for 5th – 10th level characters.”

Adventure Primer

Advice on the running time of the advice “2-4 hours”, and how this may differ for more roleplay or investigation and combat-focused parties.

Background

This covers an inordinate amount of time and a number of races, Gods and factions, but manages to tell a compelling story and confer the great deal of information effectively. The use of bold and capitalisation of the important figures makes referencing the background much easier.

The Elves and their subterranean cousins, the Drow, are often and understandably a point controversy, as are the labelling of any one ‘race’ to be wholly evil, but it is heartening to see that there are different factions of Drow following different Gods, which promote different alignments.

Episodes

“The adventure’s story is spread over 3 Episodes that take approximately 4 total hours to play.”

• “Episode 1: Snowfall. The characters find themselves in Mornbryn’s Shield as a heavy snow interrupts travel on the roads. The followers of Eilistraee perform a dance to welcome the Midwinter season, but the local members of the church of Shevarash maintain their suspicions of the Drow. The High Revelmistress asks the characters to wait out the storm in Mornbryn’s Shield and to help keep the peace. This is the Call to Action.”

• “Episode 2: The Night Before Midwinter. V’rizzen uses mind spiders to cause the other Drow to carry out preparatory acts for his murderous Midwinter plans. The church of Shevarash encourages suspicion of the Drow against the wishes of Liira’s followers. The characters have to decide what to do in the middle of these simmering tensions.”

• “Episode 3: Mayhem at Midwinter. All of the fuses have been lit, and whatever plots the characters haven’t stopped threaten to explode. The mind spider-controlled Drow summon demons in the catacombs the Liiran temple grounds and they burst forth as a murderous distraction while V’rizzen tries to kill the High Revelmistress. The church of Shevarash and any new inductees turn on the Drow indiscriminately at the first sight of the demons. V’rizzen sends the mind spiders after the characters to capture some of their minds and turn them against each other.”

Evil Never Sleeps!

A box provides advice on the plotted nature of the adventure and how the actions of PCs may disrupt this flow, with suggestions of how to handle certain changes.

Content Advisement

A helpful box mentions the hedonistic nature of the followers of Liira which is implied in the adventure, rather than being in explicit detail, as well as bringing up the use of Safety Tools. It’s wonderful to see creators taking the time to mention these aspects, pointing DMs towards the X cards and promoting Safety Tools.

Episode 1: Snowfall (Call To Action)

“Estimated Duration: 45 minutes”

Each episode opens with a rousing and evocative quote that sets the scene and tone beautifully.

Scene A. Arriving in Mornbryn’s shield

The party seek shelter from the unseasonably heavy snowfall in Mornbyn’s Shield, while the villagers are preparing for Midwinter celebrations.

Each scene contains an Area Description covering the Dimensions & Terrain, Senses and Lighting, with wonderful, and truly immersive information such as this great line from the Senses of this scene, “The smell of roasting nuts is distinct among the smoke.”

Scene B. The Temple of Liira

The party are introduced to the impressive temple and the equally impressive decorating, singing and dancing of the worshippers. They are welcomed to join in, but the High Revelmistress tells them they may not carry weapons on temple grounds.

The Followers of Liira

A box provides details about the worshippers, including the modifications to the Priest statblock for the High Revelmistress, her personality and the general philosophy and statblock for the worshippers.

Events

Amid the evening’s revelry, a group of hooded figures reveal themselves to be Drow, claiming to be refugees, though one of their number is an assassin. A Sun Elf Ranger throws a tantrum about not relinquishing his weapons and storms out with his two accomplices. PCs can glean information about the Ranger from the congregation. Due to the social aspect of gaining information on the Ranger, the checks are a little different and use Charisma (Investigation), rather than Intelligence. This is covered, referenced and explained in a box.

The High Revelmistress can offer further information and requests the party stay and keep the peace and watch for further confrontations.

The Drow

Amendments for the Assassins’ statblock, the equipment carried and “sociopathic” personality and intentions are laid out in a box. Also, contained in this box are the amendments, equipment and bios of the actual Drow refugees.

The church of Shevarash

The amended statblocks and information for the angry Sun Elf and his two companions are laid out in a box.

I’m in two minds about amendments to existing statblocks or creating new unique statblocks. Sometimes the latter is easier to understand, especially if the former has so many amendments. Regardless, the information for each important character is given their references statblocks, amendments and personality and/ or motives.

Episode 2: The Night Before Midwinter

“Estimated Duration: 90 minutes”

This is a chance for the party to investigate and surveil the two interesting parties, with the first scene pertaining to the Drow and the Second on the Sun Elf and company.

Scene A: Spiders in the Night

Information regarding the basic layout of the temple and the congregations coming and going are noted, with a reference to the full temple and catacombs details on the appendix (more on that later).

Order of Events

The creepy crawly control the Assassin wields over one of the other Drow and the nefarious deeds he has the do are listed in ordered bullet points. These are the events that will play out without party interference, though they may well make things more complicated. It’s handy to have every laid out like this, including the outcome of the PCs getting involved.

Scene B: Back at the Camp

The party follow the Sun Elf and company to their rustic camp. There they can debate with the trio, with the Sun Elf trying to recruit the party to their cause against the Drow.

Information about the camp, opinions, details and checks are all provided for this largely roleplay scenario.

Scene C: Snowblind in the Sun

The sun shines bright on the snow keeping the Drow inside, but that doesn’t stop the Assassins scheming. He will attempt to control a worshipper to pick up disconcerting supplies from town. Again, all the information and checks are provided.

Scene D: Twas the Night Before...

The Assassin steps up his game, attempting to control one of the other Drow and one of the party or a member of the Sun Elf’s group. If things go according to plan the Assassin will be armed and the ritual, he has put in motion will be nearly complete.

Crowd Combat

Rules regarding cover, hiding and firing into a crowd. I’m picturing some kind of shootout with all the worshippers are dancing, throwing shapes and doing their thing in the middle, oblivious.

An astoundingly beautiful portrait of the Assassin is included here. He’s all cheekbones and angst, and I love it!

Episode 3: Mayhem at Midwinter

“Estimated Duration: 90 minutes”

If the Assassin’s “hasn’t been stopped yet, his plans bear bloody fruit.”

Scene A: Revels

The worshippers dance, feast and indulge in every manner, with the Drow joining in as much as they can. The Sun Elf’s party will act depending on the PCs’ previous interactions with them, likely stashing weapons.

Scene B: Swords Cast Down

The beautiful and symbolic ritual of throwing weapons down and having magical grow over them is taking place, while elsewhere the Sun Elf inducts on of his party into the church of his God of Vengeance whose dour order have a rather amusing tenant: “Vows will be made to not laugh until vengeance is delivered upon Lolth and all her followers.” No laughing until you’ve completed genocide and deicide is a gloriously ridiculous rule and I love it. Definitely not an order I could join.

If the Assassin’s plans come to fruition, he succeeds in summoning Demons and gloopy servants of Lolth who attempt to summon more, filling the catacombs with abominations. Finally, attempting to slay the High Revelmistress and “sow as much senseless death as he can before his soul is sent to Lolth in the Abyss.”

Concluding the Adventure

There are many threads and factions to resolve dependent on their success and the party’s actions over the course of the adventure, which could lead to all manner of further forays. Some particularly interesting ideas for continuing the adventure are provided, including the suggestion the summoning circle could lead to the Underdark for further subterranean adventures and vengeance on the followers of Loth, as well as whether the Assassin was a puppet for a new BBEG for the party to track down. I do so love the optimism in the last line: “Perhaps everything wrapped up as nicely as a Midwinter present!”

Adventure Rewards

Experience

Specific XP rewards for vanquishing the Assassin and demons are provided, as well as a couple of non-combat rewards, including calming the Sun Elf’s party.

Magic Item

The new Mind Spider Ring worn by the Assassin is detailed here, and is decidedly creepy cool.

Author’s Note

“The inspiration for this adventure was a simple collision of some of Faerun’s Midwinter rituals. The mixture of one ritual dedicated to pacifism and another to vengeance seemed obviously explosive. From a design standpoint, I wanted to make a scenario that would respond to the players’ choices and unfold unpredictably. On a more personal note, Faerthurin was my first 5e character, and he took a dark turn after nearly being killed in the streets of Phandalin by the Redbrands.” I absolutely love it when creators include their own PCs and NPCs in their adventures! Author Bio

“Andy Dempz was gifted the D&D Red Box by a winter Eladrin as a child, and though he took an extended sojourn in these human lands to play guitar in hardcore punk bands (though he would never claim to be a bard), study martial arts on multiple trips to Japan (nor a monk), and work as a master automotive mechanic (nor a... tinker gnome?), he has returned to the magical lands of ice and snow that he explored in his youth. The seeds for his written adventures are often sown in the multiple overlapping campaigns he DMs in his home of Ann Arbor, MI.”

Appendix

While the map of the ground floor and courtyard are included in the body of the adventure, the full dungeon layout and room descriptions, using the same format of details and aspects as in the adventure, are detailed in the appendix along with the map of the catacombs and the Brazier Trap defending the Fane of Lolth. Player Maps are also included.

The appendix also contains the statblock for the Mind Spider and the details for the Mind Spider Ring.

This is an epic and unfolding drama of merriment mystery and murder!

I love the concept of bringing these different factions together for this festival, all with very different intentions, and the way the characters, plans and events are laid out works perfectly with the mystery. Everything is laid out for the DM to work with, so when the party interacts with it in all different manner of weird and wonderful ways, they have the information they need to react and build on.

This is one of those adventures that can go so very many different ways and take very different amounts of time depending on the type of group you have. There is potential for all sorts of roleplaying, including political persuasion, festivities to partake in, the mystery and investigation, and the inevitable epic combat, however or whenever it goes down. This has so much potential for replayability, with no two groups likely to have the same combination of proclivities and results. I thoroughly look forward to seeing and hearing about people’s experiences and the carnage that ensued.

Also, this adventure is so good that is certainly not constrained to Holiday fun, which it does work for, but this could be worked for any time of year and related festival or ritual.

This is something a bit different, well thought out, fascinating to wonder the many different ways it could play out, and a lot of fun, despite the dark twist and Demons. There is real heart, excitement and more than enough ideas and intrigue to fuel further adventures or to serve as a campaign starter.

How the Kami Stole Snowtide by Cindy Butor (@babble_drabble)

“A winter-themed adventure for level 6-8 characters”

Due to the time constraints of the Holidays and winter soon being on their way, I will be reviewing the first of the four released parts covering the quarter of the adventure supplement in detail and summarising the other parts, with the intention to return for the full review when I can.

Part One: Adventure Summary

Synopsis

The party are in a village of the God, Kami no Mura, the premier place to celebrate Snowtide, but this year something has been stealing everyone’s decorations. The villagers ask the PCs to track down and stop the pilfering humbug.

Adventure Hook(s)

A Town in Distress sees the party overhearing the misfortunes of the village from complaining merchants who are heading home.

Throughout the adventure Butor includes DM Tips, providing insight and inspiration such as the first one, which prompts a specific check for some particular information about the village.

A Merchant’s Curiosity finds the party in the region capital and meeting a friendly NPC who has information and will pay for the danger in the forest’s surrounding Kami no Mura. I do enjoy a hook that expands on the area, lore and NPCs and this one has definitely piqued my interest, especially with the DM Tip giving the chance for additional knowledge and small quest for a Paper Charm of Protection from a village on the way.

Free tickets has the party having won tickets for some much needed downtime in the hot springs in Kami no Mura, which promises to be a memorable trip...

Adventure Reward(s)

While the main reward is good will and helping a village get their merry back, charms and magic items can be provided from the village artificer, as well as a gold reward for those aiding the curious merchant.

Adventure Background

The Village of God, Kami no Mura, is the Holiday destination with hot springs, glorious decorations, renowned end-of-year Snowtide celebrations and to revive the blessing of its guardian spirit, Omomo-sama. As the village’s popularity has grown, so too has its commercialisation and veneration of Omomo-sama has decreased to the point the Kami’s shrine was damaged when it was moved from its place of honour and damaged it transit. This dishonour angered Omomo-sama so much she split into a benign Spring Eladrin and a vengeful Winter Eladrin. Where the former has tried to warn the villagers, the latter is stealing away the festive accoutrements and will become a vengeful yuki-onna, leaving the village to the mercy of the elements and dark spirits.

I’m just paraphrasing and condensing, but even so you can see how deep the lore goes and the thought gone into the preceding events.

All About Snowtide

The joyous holiday and festivities are described in some detail, again reiterating the villagers disturbing lack of faith.

Setting

The setting is agnostic, though specific advice is given for changing the named locations for those in Faerun, Greyhawk and Eberron.

A DM tip describes why the village need the adventurers and how certain NPCs will be instrumental in achieving success, especially as the villagers themselves will be essential in truly resolving the issue.

Important Characters

Seven important NPCs are laid out with their pronouns, alignment and brief character and physical descriptions.

A DM tip discusses the chronology of events in the adventure with the advice to be flexible with the events in reaction to the party, with the emphasis on fun.

Part Two: The Adventure

Chapter One: The Party Arrives at Kami no Mura

Entering Kami no Mura

The party enter the village and meet Momokono, the benign aspect of the Kami in the form of a young Elf, who can give them clues and point them in the right direction. All information she can provide is set out in bullet points, before vanishing the moment the party looks away.

Two shopkeepers are closing up their stalls and discussing one’s stolen food and a missing child. Though nervous of outsiders in this troubled time, they can provide information on the strange things that have been happening, as well as directing the party to the mayor who is organising search parties to find the lost child.

A DM Tip provides advice on how to handle the party deciding to begin with exploring the village, rather than searching for the lost child, directing the DM to the next chapter and noting which areas will be closed or deserted due to the rescue efforts.

Interacting with Momokono

Due to the curse from Sumomokono, Momokono’s malignant half, she can only be seen by the village story teller, children and outsiders, and then she can only be recalled with a wisdom save. This curse also stops Momokono from revealing her true nature for fear of an icy death, until someone has seen and remembered both halves and returned to her.

Searching for Hachirou

Leaving the Village

Villagers congregate in front on the mayor’s home setting up search parties. People are afraid and cagey, but can provide some information to the party.

A D20 table of 7 rumours that can be overheard are also provided containing some interesting clues and insights.

Potential NPCs

Some information about the makeup and disposition of the villagers and tourists is provided, along with 10 additional NPCs are provided for ease with the search parties and populating the village.

A DM Tip provides advice on how to handle the party not electing to search for Hachirou right away, with the ramifications, other ways of obtaining information and how successful the search is without the party.

Entering the Forest of Lost Paths

The checks needed to find Hachirou are clearly laid out along with a table of different possible results of their search, depending on the number of successes, as well as a table of seven random encounters. These varying results really show just how difficult and dangerous searching a snowy forest can be.

The number of successes is tied to set encounters that include, an Owlbear and it’s their owners who can’t wait to have the party over for dinner, coming across a Ranger on their own errand who can help find Hachirou, and actually finding the boy. These encounters are impressively linked, have their own developments and all lead to the eventual rescue of Hachirou. The time it takes and whether the party gets the honours are dependent on their survival skills, but if they do make it there is an interesting and dangerous magically warded shrine to overcome, which gives clues to what must be done to save the village and. It’s Kami.

Returning to the Village

The disposition and actions of the villagers upon the party’s return depends on when they arrive and who with. Descriptions of three different scenarios are included, along with developments, exploration and possible patrolling of the village.

Appendix A

The extremely useful magic item for the first, is included.

End of How the Kami Stole Snowtide Part One

How The Kami Stole Snowtide Part Two

Part Two contains details of the village that bring it to life, with tables of shops and shopkeepers, random events, including a witch flying by on a broom and pelting the party with acorns and central plaza booths, as well as details of the bath hose, it’s healing properties and the secret polymorphed Ancient Gold Dragon who owns it.

The party also formally meet and become hired by the mayor for some rather epic privileges, and the Artificer for access to magical items and more. They can explore warehouses, which hold the moved broken Shrine, and investigate the broken rope boundary, which leaves the village unprotected, with a table of random encounters caused by the vulnerability, including my new favourite acorn pelting and scheming witch.

The appendix contains two new magic items and the unique or amended statblocks for three NPCs, you hope in case they need to make checks, but also handy if the players get out of line.

Butor builds on her ability to bring life and spice to a location to make it feel vibrant, busy and varied from her previous RPG Writer Workshop adventure, In Purr-suit of Happiness, and gives the DM and players a great deal of interesting things to deal with.

How The Kami Stole Snowtide Part Three

Part Three sees the coming of the first night and with it Sumomokono, the malign aspect of the Kami, and her Ice Children minions to steal away the decorations, most likely provoking combat. Butor covers almost every possible eventuality. After meeting Sumomokono, the party can now speak to Momokono and finally gain an understanding of what is going on. What they do with the information is up to them.

The previous magic items and NPCs are included in the appendix, along with the Sumomokono’s minions.

How The Kami Stole Snowtide Part Four

The party confront the angry spirit, but if they’re not up for it right off the bat Butor has a number of ways to guilt, bribes and/ or persuade them.

The confrontation occurs in a random area of the village with Sumomokono, arriving with a while host of minions to distract everyone, while she goes for the presents. The fight inevitably leads to a chase with a fun and dangerous table of complications.

The final confrontation has a number of ways of ending, with Momokono desperately trying to get the party to appease Sumomokono with offerings of magic items (a tough sell for many parties).

Failure results in a devastating description, figuratively and literally, and the box text really hit me in the emotions. But it also sets up further potential adventuring. Success is sweet, profitable and comes with flying Ice Babies returning the gifts. There are two ways of achieving a version of the good and bad endings.

The new magic items and NPCs from the previous section are in the appendix, along with the statblock and details of Sumomokono.

This is another vibrant and stylish adventure from Butor with a wonderful Holiday story, a detailed village to explore, and emotional weight. There is always a rich and tangible nature to her writing and the elements she creates.

While this is a holiday adventure, it could be effectively used at any time of the year.

How the Kami Stole Snowtide was originally released in four separate parts as part of the RPG Writer Workshop, and judging by the layout and sheen Butor had in her absolutely previous spectacular RPG Writer Workshop adventure, In Purr-suit of Happiness, I previously reviewed https://www.dmsguild.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=344698&products_id=284840?affiliate_id=1507682), I wouldn’t be surprised if the layout is updated and artwork added in the future, especially with this being quite the holiday epic to complete by the workshop’s deadline.

For now, it’s an extremely high 4/5, but it’s a 5 everywhere it really matters. As soon as this gets an updated layout, I’ll be right over to amend my rating! “Additional updates, including a consolidated simple text version, B/W printer-friendly version, a prettified version, and maps (!!!) will be available shortly, but you now have access to the full adventure. As these files are added, the price will increase slightly, so if you’d like to purchase this item at a discounted price, do so now!” I thoroughly recommend getting it at this ridiculously low price!

DMs Guild Creators D2020 Charity Calendar

It's January, time for a new Calendar and what better calendar to have in the year of the double crit!?

What can I say? As soon as I saw this idea going round on twitter, I was ridiculously excited and WOW, this does not disappoint!

It's wonderful to see some of the faces of the creators that you don't normally see when reading their awesome works.

"100% of creator royalties are donated to the Roleplaying Game Creators Relief Fund!'

What’s In It?

This 13-month calendar, presents 13 creators who can usually be found publishing supplements on the Dungeon Masters Guild posing as 13 iconic D&D5e classes and looking awesome!

Each creator comes with a full statblock, so this is a collection of 13 NPCs on top of having a calendar and seeing these stunning folx. The NPCs have a variety of different CRs, posing the questions how Oliver Clegg's Wizard...Oliver Clegg, clocks in at a measly CR0 and Cameron Day's Barbarian, kamryn, Daylight's Bane, is rocking a mighty CR9? I like to think they held some kind of brutal battle royale on the DMs Guild Demiplane to see who fared best.

The statblocks are weird and wonderful, reflecting each creator with some highlights of them being the Justice Arman's Writer's Block Reaction, Anthony Joyce's Devilish Good Looks (obviously), Val Syrene's, Clueless and Tough Git, and Oliver Clegg's, Ok. "Oliver literally does not care. Oliver cannot be truly defeated. Even when seemingly defeated, Oliver persists. If asked how he survives apparent destruction, he replies with a shrug." and his Homospellcasting (obviously). These are seriously fun and I genuinely can't wait to use DMs Guild Creators as NPCs, heroes and villains!

Artificer: Isaac May @iceykindadicey

Barbarian: Cameron Day @daylightpub1066)

Bard: Justice Arman @justice_arman

Cleric: Drew Dawes @DrewDwarves

Druid: Lydia Van Hoy @LydiaVanHoy1

Fighter: Matthew Lee Myers @XPMatthewLee

Monk: Ashley May @AshleyMayWrites

Paladin: Anthony Joyce @Thrawn589

Ranger: Jarrod Taylor @SoraKell

Rogue: Vall Syrene @valldoesdnd

Sorcerer: StickyHunter @TheStickyHunter

Warlock: E. R. F. Jordan @ERFJordan

Wizard: Oliver Clegg @deathbybadger

"This calendar is provided both in PDF format as well as individual 8”x10” PNG images for easy photo printing."

About the Charity

"We are donating 100% of our creator royalties directly to the Roleplaying Game Creators Relief Fund, an amazing 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded to provide financial assistance to tabletop roleplaying game creators suffering hardship due to medical emergencies, natural disasters, and other catastrophic situations. These are creators, much like us. As they experience times of crisis, we’re glad for the chance to support them with this calendar."

Credits

Producer: Laura Hirsbrunner (@laura_hirsb) Stat Block Designers: Justice Arman, Will Brolley, Oliver Clegg, Drew Dawes, Bryan Holmes (@FallenWyvern), E.R.F. Jordan, Anthony Joyce, Ashley May, Isaac May, Matthew Lee Myers, Vall Syrene, Lydia Van Hoy Editors: Laura Hirsbrunner, Bryan Holmes Layout: Brittney Hay (@FNDungeonMom), Nathanael Roux (@freeners) InDesign Template: Nathanael Roux Cover Designer & Photo Editor: Laura Hirsbrunner Photos Courtesy Of: Elise Droste (Fighter), Samantha Cubbage (Bard), Stephanie Bart (Paladin), Ayla Canning (Rogue), Cleo Starr (Monk & Artificer), Oliver Clegg (Wizard), Stephanie Farrow (Sorcerer), Lydia Van Hoy (Druid), Erin Crane (Ranger), E. R. F. Jordan (Warlock), Jen Davis Photography (Cleric), Bri Gilman (Barbarian) Muses: Anne Gregersen (@AnneofManyNames), Brittney Hay, Laura Hirsbrunner

This is a labour of love from so many wonderful people putting their time an effort into a good cause, so I cannot urge you more strenuously to pick this up, and pay as much as you can afford for it. Even if you can't afford it now in the after Holidays slump, pick it up for free and pay it back when you can!