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

Mastering the Elements. This supplement produced by Purple Aether Games (@PurpleAetherLLC), written and designed by Jacob S Kellogg (@JacobSKellog), opens with an earnest appeal to those players who want to be able to have all their spells on elemental brand and the DMs who want to arm their specific elemental cults with thematic spells. The mission statement of this supplement, "you can take your favorite elemental mage all the way from 1st to 20th level while remaining devoted to your concept, even if you’re dedicated to a single element" is backed up with a colossal collection 80 spells spread over ice, fire and lightning, covering all levels and cantrips, adding a veritable cornucopia of new spells for the frosty Wizard with ice in their veins, fiery-eyed Warlock bound to an infernal flame, Paladin of Thor in coruscating and/ or any player or DM wanting to broaden their magical horizons. These are listed in level order and then detailed in alphabetical order in separate ice, fire and lightning sections.

It's notable that there do mot appear to be any class tags on the spells, meaning they are open to anyone with the ability to cast spells of the spell in question's level. This is definitely a huge relief for those building a character or elemental order, as the entire spell smorgasbord is on the table everyone is invited!

I have to admit that, while I am becoming rather well-versed in the reviewing of adventures and supplements, spells are somewhat new for me to be reviewing, though I plan to give this the in depth treatment I give everything else, checking spells of the same level and trying to get a handle and reference of the appropriate power levels and abilities. To this end I shall go through each section picking around five that intrigue me the most, whether by name or mechanics, talking about those specifically (without giving too much away), before addressing this awesome collection of whizz-bangs, zaps and judders as a whole. Please be aware the spell descriptions are my own paraphrasing with details omitted.

Cold Spells. "Cold spells allow you to conjure solid ice, slow your enemies, hamper flames, and of course deal cold damage."

Agonizing Chill. This 5th level enchantment kicks things off with "a crippling cold that fills its entire body". This deals an automatic a potentially serious cold damage and forces a save or the target becomes Slowed, as in the 3rd level spell, and can repeat the save at the end of each turn, taking the rolling the same cold damage on a failure! A powerful way to begin things indeed! The image is rendered so vividly of a creature physically impaired by a blast of icy magic, a rime of frost covering their body and snot icicles dangling from their nose like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining. The automatic hit and damage is interesting, but with low number of high dice there's a wide range of possible damage, although it does repeat which could be killer, but a fifth slot for this and a single Slowed target seems a fair trade.

Cryostasis. This 8th level abjuration takes an hour and 1,000G diamond that is consumed in the casting. This creates a hardy cocoon/ sarcophagus of ice for a willing creature, placing them in unconscious and in suspended animation with time not passing for them on the inside. Oh, and unless it is difficulty dispelled or destroyed with fire, it lasts indefinitely. This seems like a great way to hide a character or creature or as a way to essentially send them into the future. I'm already thinking of so many fun ways this could be used to introduce a new character, villain or monster, as well as being a fascinating puzzle for a party to discover and try to understand. Could this contain one of the earliest elves, so much more ancient than any alive today, a primordial dragon unlike any in recorded history, or could this contain one of the first illithid to arrive in your setting, possibly vastly different with greater powers and technology? The narrative possibilities are endless!

Ice Blades. This 4th level conjuration summons snowflakes the size of saw blades that can be flung great distances, dealing slashing and cold action using bonus actions, somewhat like spirit weapon, but these babies come back to you, ready to throw again. The blades circle the caster when not being used and can any number can hurled at one of more targets. Beginning with a trio, the blades can be added to at higher levels. This is just a ridiculously cool looking, sounding and feeling spell that I'm aching to get it use. Definitely need to create a Mortal Kombat inspired mage as soon as possible.

Ice Warrior. This 3rd level conjuration creates a frozen friend to fight alongside you using the stats of a Veteran with limited arms and abilities. Additional ice warriors can be summoned at higher levels, up to a total of four at 9th level. With the restrictions, ice warriors can certainly be compared to and seen to as a more elementally specific conjure animals. Personally, I love spells that create allies, especially as I run a couple of duet games, as they allow you to feel a bit more like a conjuration mage from the Elder Scrolls, with more the merrier welcome. As a DM this can be daunting, but with the simplicity of acting after directly after the caster in initiative makes simpler. At the same time I love the idea of places being attacked by abominable assailants and this being traced back to a cold mage's ice cave, possibly with the ice warriors being formed around the frozen bodies of former victims for added horror and necromancy flavor.

Refreshing Chill. This evocation cantrip, described as a practice spell for cryomamcers, comes across as thematic combination of druidcraft and shape water for those of a colder nature. It certainly makes sense that magic users, particularly those specializing in an element would have access to a wide range of simple abilities, as with druids and their eponymous craft. I also thoroughly enjoy a flavored spell description that places it within the world and lives of the mage's that is it. This really is a nifty little flavorful cantrip.

Fire Spells "Fire spells are all about burning, but that doesn’t mean a pyromancer doesn’t still have a few tricks up their sleeve."

Detonate. This 3rd level evocation sets of a fiery explosion in a radius from the caster, forcing all creatures other than themselves to Strength save or take potentially a great deal of damage, get pushed back and onto their bottoms on a failure, or half and the don't move or get knocked prone, just standing there looking charcoaled like a cartoon character after the dynamite goes off -- only this time the caster is the Acme TNT! The big big badda boom moves loose objects and can be heard up to a long ways away, as with Thunderwave. In many ways this is the hot-headed big brother of Thunderwave who blows up and pushes your friends over in the playground. This makes me want to build a flaming Vengeance Paladin who runs in, Detonates with righteous fury, scattering enemies like bowling pins! Be careful when playing near friends!

Flame Body. This 9th level transmutation turns you into the humanoid torch! FLAME ON! You literally become a flaming form of yourself that can fly and send out fireballs without expending spellslots, as well as upping that damage die of any flame spells cast! Also, because you are fire you are harder to hit and if you are attack in melee or even stood too close the creature gets burned. This is just so many levels of awesome and just the kind of awesome thing you want to be able to do by the time you can cast 9th levels spells!

Flame Wreath. This evocation cantrip is the baby version of flame body, surrounding the caster in a vortex of flame and essentially being a fire-skinned word of radiance for those more fireous than pious. I always enjoy a reskin of a spell that makes it more thematic and useful.

Peer Through Flames. This 6th level divination consumes 500G of incense and charcoal (enough to find 50 familiars) and gives the caster the ability to become aware of all non-magical flames within a 100 miles, as well as being able to see, hear and speak through the flames, moving your attention between them with ease. When you speak, a flaming approximation of your face appears in the flames. I absolutely love this and I'm sorry, not sorry about all my references, but as soon as I read this I had images of Sirius Black from Harry Potter and Milisandre from Game of Thrones! This is an incredibly powerful, useful and thematic spell, as well as being a nice change from fire so often being purely destructive.

Servant of Flame. This 3rd level conjuration summons a group of magma mephits to fight at your behest, acting on their own group initiative and following the caster's commands. At higher levels you roll to see how many more are summoned, which is a nice touch with their fickle elemental nature. This is a simple and straightforward spell gaining the ability to conjure elemental minions, comparable to conjure animals, what's not to love?

Lightning Spells "Lightning spells allow you to stun your enemies, short-circuit other spells, and of course deal lightning damage."

Decimation Bolts. This 9th level evocation makes you Darkseid! You fire a ridiculous number of omega beams, I mean bolts of destructive elemental power in incredibly long lines forcing a Dexterity save, taking colossal zaps and getting stunned on a failure, half damage and only static mohawks on a success. These also dispel all magical effects or spells in the area of one or more of the bolts to boot! There's some just really, ahem, magical about 9th level spells and they are so hard to compare against anything when you have Wish on the table, but I really want to unleash this awesome power, and if I had to compare it's like doing a bunch lines of Meteor Swarm with a Dispel Magic chaser!

Enliven Corpse. This 2nd necromancy allows tithe caster to use an electric charge to animate a medium or small corpse like a lightning puppet, rather than an undead creature. Using your action you can puppet your lightning bloat, hitting with spell attacks and lightning damage. I have to say this is one of my favorites. The fantasy-science sense of it and the image of this possibly hovering corpse, jerking in a coruscating cage of impelling lightning is glorious. I cannot wait for my players to meet one of these lightning bloats™ coming down a dungeon corridor!

Lightning Army. This 5th level enchantment enhances up to four allies, charging them with lightning powers including the majority of the bonuses of haste, as well as additional lightning damage to attacks, being attacks and/ or ending your turn holding an enemy with your sparking hand-buzzer. I do so like a spell that can pump up the whole party, rather than having to pick a member or pay more. Plus I enjoy the concept of using lightning to get the party charged up and buzzing.

Lightning Speed. This evocation cantrip is a real nifty little move to charge your legs and get your gotta go fast on, enabling you to move with such abruptness that opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage for a round. Great for escaping and making you feel at least a little bit like Wally West...unless one of those attacks hits and you no longer feel like The Flash, but hey it's a handy bonus action cantrip.

Pulse Canon. This 7th level evocation turns the caster into a huge laser turret, firing a cone of massive lightning damage and stunning if the constitution save is failed. This can stick around for a good while and can be turned with a bonus action, so the potential for offence and defense are incredible! This is so freaking awesome and gives me some serious anime and old cartoon vibes, as well as thinking about how you could totally build a warforged mech or gundam with these abilities!

These are just a taste of the 80 spells with such a wide array of uses, and that feel so authentic and in tone/ in line with thy existing spells in D&D5e. This is something I will certainly be implementing in my games. This 24 page supplement is packed to the brim with quality spells with the subtle and effective design, layout and use of stock art.

As a player I thoroughly look forward to building a a static-bearded sorcerer dedicated to Talos, the Storm Lord, possibly named Tezl Van De'Graff. As a DM I'm already plotting a Sub Zero and the Lin Kuei inspired martial arts and magic cult holed up and plotting in the hollow bowels of a ice berg. There's something wonderful about a player's reaction when discovering a spell scroll or spellbook they've never seen before! There's something shining in their beady little serial killer eyes that makes them seem most like people... But seriously I am feeling so inspired by these spells to create so many different characters, NPCs, adventures and even campaigns! I'm definitely going to start introducing elements of these elemental into my games as soon as possible and just brace myself for my payer's reactions and excitement!

Kellogg has created a wonderful collection of spells, in-fitting with the game and taking ideas into some strange and wonderful places. This really is a nifty bunch of spells that will add some utility, flavour and excitement to your game, whichever side of the table you are, though be sure to check with the DM before adding these to your arsenal.

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

There are so many things that set S.J Twining (@VonCorellon)’s adventure, presented by Wandering Monsters, apart from many others published on DMs Guild. For one it is set on an island in the Eberron setting with deep knowledge of the history of the warring nations of Khorvaire, The Order of the Emerald Claw and The Blood of Vol, though it could quite easily be used in any setting with little difficulty Another is that there is the emphasis on survival, with the characters finding themselves at their most vulnerable and being hunted, rather than being valiant hunters, creating a relatively unique perspective that a number of players will not have experienced. One that certainly stands out is how it draws inspiration from the eponymous short story, also published under ‘The Hounds of Zaroff’ (a cracking writing prompt title in its own right!) by Richard Conell, first published in 1924 that has been hyperbolically (a word I know absolutely nothing about) called “the most popular short story ever written in English”. This is evident from the adorably aged classic covers like a well loved old paperback, the sidebar discussing the story and the framing story of the adventure itself.

In this world we live in of constant rehashing of movies that often do so little to change them to make the remake worth it in the first place, taking something pre-existing and transforming it into something else entirely is a wonderful thing! (speaking of things The Thing (1982) is a fantastic example of adapting a classic short story and transmographying it into something inspired!) I know there are some obvious ones out there, with the works of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P Lovecraft having a great influence on D&D and tabletop roleplaying games in general, as well as the Uncaged Anthologies re-working classic myths into adventures with a modern feminist twist, but I am surprised there aren’t more with such a goldmine of things to rework into fantastic adventures. So many stories out there have such potential to find a new life and inspiration by influencing and/ or becoming adventures. I’m feeling rather inspired myself and I really should finish my Barovian hamlet, Strikat, with a quest inspired by Patrick McGrath’s gothic short story, The Smell (1996)...but back to the adventure!

One element that made a strong mark on me, aside from the thorough survival and exploration aspects, was Vadim Zarrov, the villain and BBEG of this adventure. The in depth background information about their life experiences and atrocities in war, their motivation and personal philosophy, and their clearly erudite and knowledgeable, if extremely biased and pathological, nature create wonderfully rich and fascinating antagonist. While being a interesting character who suffered, before he created so much more suffering, let’s be as clear as the Twining:

“The horrors of war and the atrocities experienced in its course can traumatize and cause psychological harm that can last a lifetime. Yet, excuses cannot be made for murderous crimes and outright villainy”.

Please do not misconstrue my praise for Twining, and by extension Conell, in their creation of such a compelling, repugnant and engaging character for any support or sympathising with the cruel and twisted man. With Zarrov’s character being so dark, Twining reminds DMs to, “Keep the emotions and sensitivities of your players in mind as you roleplay Zarrov, who is quite mad and thoroughly evil.” The warped mind and corrupted nature of Zarrov are clearly evident in the extensive list of suggested phrases over supper, which are a great aid to the DM.

Zarrov’s name (though inspired by the short story’s Zaroff) and elements of his story and motives evoke another of D&D’s famous villains, Strahd Von Zarovich, from a land much darker, but equally dangerous. And while Strahd is a Dark Lord and extremely powerful vampire mage; the Ancient, the Land, Zarrov is but a man (See: Cult Fanatic) a CR2 serious handful for a small party level one party, and entirely deadly when his minions and hounds, the way the Zarrow stalks prey with his hunting party. Strahd is a CR15 legendary vampire with legions of minions and creatures at his command to create a spectacle, while Zarrov is a complex character but just a man; more than enough to be a deadly and a fantastic end to this potential campaign starter, one shot or the party themselves.

I asked Twining if making the decision to have Zarrov as mere human and a standard template creature (albeit with a huge arsenal at the chateau) was a comment on the fact that despite the former General’s self importance and delusions of grandeur, he is not actually special? Who stated “Yes I wanted to make him “human” and as mortal as the rest of us”. While speaking with the writer, I brought to his attention one of the insects referenced was omitted from the bestiary, despite being referenced, and was assured that this was planned to be addressed in a coming update. Recently a Castaways supplement was added to the adventure (which I discuss later), so it I good to see the author still interacting with and improving their already stellar work.

I would go so far as to be very clear with the players about what kind of game they are playing as well as making the themes and twisted philosophy clear before beginning the adventure, using safety tools to ensure no in game stress ends up causing real life trauma, and so you have an understanding of how far you can push the stress and evil, while having an agreed system to turn away from scenes that become problematic for your players. This is touched on by Twining when discussing Zarrov and his twisted menagerie of taxidermied sentient creatures, with the suggestions of basilisk-petrified sentients, simply Kharranathi war heroes, doing away with the entire menagerie if you feel this would be too graphic or distressing for your players.

I decided to read through the adventure before I read the short story itself due to not having come across it before, which does not reflect so well on my English and Creative Writing degree...because I wanted to go through the adventure fresh, and go back again and try to see the process of inspiration and conversion (and possibly steal its secrets for myself!)

I have to say I rather enjoyed the story and would recommend it for an interesting read, especially if your are running this adventure (though it is not essential), but the problematic nature of the way race is discussed needs be addresses and I warn readers of its racist content. I am in awe if the way Twining has kept the twisted heart and thrust of the story, mingling so many places and beats from the tale. The way he has taken the concept further and tells new tales in the lives and experiences of the creatures and NPCs included. The influence is clear and the further creation is inspired.

There are a number of pages detailing weather conditions, allowing for the natural weather of the setting of your game to be chosen, rolled and/ or given the extreme treatment. This includes scorching heat above 100°F, the icy depths of frigid water, strong winds with a chance of sandstorm and heavy rain, with tables to roll and/ or detailed descriptions with appropriate saves and difficulties, as well as rules for the walls of razorvines that litter the island. This section also discusses improvised weapons, which are far more important in a survival situation in which the PCs are without their starting gear. This includes advice on whether to be more lenient with improvised weapons that are functionally the same as regular weapons, such as table leg as a club, and allowing proficiency (if the character already has the equivalent), if you are feeling generous as they will need to use anything and everything if they hope to survive The Deadliest Game. Finally this section contains a table of Ship-Trap island rumours the players may learn on their adventure, which will give them food for thought as they mull over the prospective help, hints and further paranoia while they are endure the dangers of Ship-Trap Island.

The Hunt. The beginning of the adventure sees the party wash up on the beach on Ship-Trap Island, after their vessel has fallen prey the rocks and geographical anomalies that give the island its name. If they can find their way to the Chateau, they will find themselves welcomed, restored, fed and subjected to some sociopathic dinner table conversation... Waking drugged and bound (which at least gets them away from the table banter), the party are led out, given a six hour head start after which the hunt begins. Can the PCs survive three days of relentless hunting that begin at dawn or even earlier on the final day? Twining uses a modified version of the Drow Pursuit from Out of the Abyss with a pursuit level that increases of decreases in response to the PCs’ actions and encounters on the island. Information is provided with advice on ways to handle the pursuit, change of levels, eluding the hunt, facing the encounter and/or referring to the Dungeon Master’s Guide if a chase commences. This adventure does what a number of clever adventures do in giving you the tools, information and advice on running your game, while leaving it open enough for you and the players to make it up as you go along, which particularly works well with the frenetic and multiple-optioned nature of this adventure.

The adventure is broken down into 12 segments of the island with an detailed locations overview, quest goals, local features (relating back to the weather conditions), boxed text, map and keyed locations, including connections to other areas, encounters and options. This includes the characters washing up on the beach all but defenceless and facing a scuttle of giant crabs, only to be saved (if necessary) by a mysterious tabaxi with a magical shell horn, traversing bogs filled with insect swarms and something that hungers for more than bugs, swinging across a chasm on what could well be a vine blight (this made me smirk with evil DM glee), dodging erupting scalding geysers of geothermally heated water on kaleidoscopic scorched plains, traversing highly flammable tar pits to meet the tortles that reside nearby, and many other diverse and vibrant landscapes and settings.

That’s 12 separate locations for the actions to take place with a huge range of obstacles, options, encounters, possible allies and hiding spots for the party to explore and/ or run screaming through. The modular format with multiple entry and exit points for each location give the party many options and allows them (and the psychopath with baying hounds chasing them) control and pressure over where to turn, which help to ratchet up the tension, while the way the sections are laid out make it easy to move from location to location with the pertinent information readily available.

I have to say I felt enchanted by Twining’s writing and inclusion of such specific details as to being the world into a more tangible reality; an Owlbear-skin rug, relatively harmless flying snakes trying to nom butterflies, Kharranathi mushroom cakes and ved bread and so many more. The knowledge and care with which things are referred to and the craft of the writing are illuminating and evocative.

Just get a taste of this, and it’s not even box text!: "Insects buzz and swarm across The Marshes and peepers, frogs, and marsh birds join the droning chorus. The air here is thick with humidity and spores from pollenating flowers and mushroom glades. Snakes, snails, and turtles laze in the reeds, seagrass, and shallow pools, while waterbugs and lilypads drift in the verdant green algae collecting in the stagnant morass.morass.

Beautiful digital brush artwork and stylish maps, as well as what appear to be photos with the same effect, populate the pages throughout in keeping with the somewhat surreal, beautiful jungle and the bizarre dangers within...

The appendix opens with seven magic items featured in the adventure, including one new wondrous item and a very original and thematic take on a spellbook—This novel concept of how a spellbook can manifest has definitely inspired me to be more creative with their medium in. The future! Followed by an extensive bestiary containing statblocks for a great number of the creatures in the adventure and NPCs the party may happen upon, a whopping 28 in total, including one new for the adventure and a number of variants and less often seen creatures, as well NPCs with full class statblocks. The tactics, personality and the, often extensive, background and/ or history of the NPCs and creatures are included in the main body of the text in the section in which they are introduced.

The lari kenku, far more gull-like than their darker plumaged cousins, who “tendency to warble and screech raucous calls, rather than click their tongues against their beaks” are definitely a highlight for me, especially coupled the image of a screaming gull on the page that I found extremely amusing!

The book closes with a very thoughtful epilogue from Twining discussing his experience discovering the story and later teaching it to his students, along with some heart felt thanks to those that made this possible. Twining also discusses the toll war takes on the psyche, drawing parallels between the Great War and the Last War in Eberron, which truly is the dehumanising and corrupting force that drives the villains in both the story and this adventure.

Finally there are a whole host of maps of the island, the sections and the chateau with both labelled and blank versions.

In a recent update a second pdf containing castaways was added. This adds ten castaways to either use as PCs, giving the option of making this a self-contained adventure ready to go at the drop of a hat, or using them as NPCs and/ or Sidekicks if you are running a smaller group and want to even the odds.

All in all this truly is a sensational piece of work, so beautifully presented with a great depth of knowledge, understanding and love for adventure. This is a huge 114 pages introduction module that has the potential to be played as a one shot, or to truly take on a life of it’s own as a campaign introductory module of epic of exploration, interaction and survival. It truly stands among the very best the RPG Writer Workshop has produced.

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

I feel like this supplement is somewhat dishonest. The cover spells out, Treasure Finds: Save Hours of with this Collection of Organised Loot! Yes, it's going to save me a lot of time when it comes to sorting out treasure on fly or prepping dungeons and hauls, but, and I can't deny that this is a big but: This supplement is not going to save me time because this isn't an endless list of dry tables and treasures, but there are an array of extensive tables of goodies. There's something dangerous and more valuable than all the platinum, magic items and overpriced bodyguards in here combined in this supplement that is going to have me spending hours and hours coming back again and again...Ideas and inspiration!

I already have so many ideas spinning around my head right now that it's hard to think! This little beauty has all the tables and easy prepping good times, but there's some insidious creativity and thought that's gone into this, which even as I write this I'm plotting dungeons, placing booty under dragons, hiring minions for my guards and composing quests...but let's focus and go through this from the top.

This is 56 pages of goodness for $5.95 with writing by Andrew Cawood (@cawoodpublish), an awesome, evocative cover by Travis Hanson (@TravsTheBean) that makes me want a whole comic based around it and the characters in these pages (pretty please!) and, professional design and layout by Gordon McAlpin (GMcAlpin), making stock art work incredibly effectively and giving the whole thing a polished shine like freshly minted platinum.

How to Use This Handbook is an introduction explaining the single and horde categories that treasure is divided into in D&D5e, as well as noting the treasure chest and container tables, as well as the NPC Guardians, 5th and 10th level, divided by class, and the extra tables of even more items in the back.

The first tables themselves are divided into individual treasure and individual magic items with randomised D100 for 50 entries each for the span of challenge ratings (CR), 0-4, 5-10, 11-16 and 17+. There is a nice variance of a relative pittance to a healthy haul in each category and challenge rating, which can be rolled in the moment, while preparing or used as a guide and/ or chosen from.

This takes the baseline of suggested treasure tables in the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) that provides only five options, one for each denomination of coin, and a number of set dice with the average (ie. Individual Treasure CR 0-4 [D100] 01-30 5d6 (17)) , and gives you ten times the results all rolled for you in advance. The same is applied to the magic item tables, which are only supplied in horde tables in the DMG with D100 referring you to further tables to roll X amount of times on to get your results. Here there are magic item tables for the relative CR laid out in D100 format with 50 magic items with little besides various potions of healing appearing more than once on the same table.

The approach of laying things out in this manner, a single D100 role with 50 options, is where the hours of time will be saved in prepping and in the moment, allowing more time being creative and/ or in the moment.

There is a great deal of value and utility in the first tables, but the second set are where the creativity really starts to come in and the inspiration kicks in. The treasure hordes tables are organised into 8 treasure chests with their own individual style, lock, trap and a D20 table of 10 entries for each CR. It's incredible how adding these seemingly simple details brings the hordes to life. These chests have inspirational mass and exist on a creative plane, not to mention they contain some wonders I can only pray to Tymora one of my characters has the pleasure to come across.

Yes they are a ready made chest with random/ suggested contents, but they are seeds that can grow locations, dungeons and adventures. Why and where do these chests exist? Who created and stocked them? Why are the trapped and what mischievous mind came up with some of such defences for their booty? We start with a humble ancient dwarven cheat with a classic poison dart with a very low chance of being locked, and go on a journey through an ornate wooden elven chest with contact poison, and a heavily reinforced iron chest that locks the door and fills the room with water, to chests that trap you in the room with them or teleport their would be plundered away!

The chests themselves and their prospective contents can simply populate dungeons and reward your player's adventures, but I can't help but wonder at their stories and want to create them! But it is also totally possible to use their contents in any other container or location, and there ae more tables for that later!

Just getting to take a peak into those CR 17+ chests had me drooling and praying that one day I will have a character worthy of such wondrous riches and powerful magic items!

Following these are monster guardian tables using the D100 with 50 entries method for each CR ranging from a single flameskull, through a young red dragon or rashaka to a terrasque! And so many awesome suggestions along the way that can slot in anywhere, but send me off into rumination and reverie cogitating on who this group of thugs are? How a horde of mimics get together? What are the machinations of this cell of cultists? What's the name and history of the lich in its lair? To my inquisitive mind I see seeds everywhere and I'm pretty sure I can hear bugbears shouting at goblins who grumble at their wolves in turn. Secrets, deals and betrayals whisper to me from these pages...

So up until now I've been projecting my notions on more static items and creatures, but the next section are the NPCs Guardian Statblocks, two for every class, one 5th level and one 10th level, that's 24 NPCs with unique stats, bio with traits and background, and equipment! These range from hired muscle, through a devout defending a temple's treasury and an unflappable Hermit used to being alone with their broken heart, to a Lone survivor of a bandit raid trained by an evil sorcerer to be their castle guardian, and a faithful acolyte betrayed by the master, now zealously guarding their perfidious mentor's tower for themselves -- what happened there!? Each NPC is unique and their short but sweet bios truly imbue them with life and intrigue. Any one of them could be a villain or BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy) in a quest, adventure or campaign or simply be a booty guard.

If I was already scheming and coming up with plans for chests and creatures, my mind was positively begging me start planning things around these colourful characters with shady pasts, dark intentions, gluttonous greed, impious zealotry or hordes of their own minions on retainer. I cannot wait to introduce these folx to my games!

It also wouldn't take much work for these to become Sidekicks for your adventurers, especially evil parties and characters, but there's enough grey in many of them for them to possibly be swayed to the lighter or at least less evil side of things.

Finally there a have a plethora of miscellaneous D100 tables covering locations, containers, traps, tricks, weapons, armour, adventuring gear and three tables of mundane items. These give almost infinite options for packing all manner of weird and wonderful collections of anything into anything anywhere, taking this beyond treasure to a resource for populating buildings, dungeon, lairs or any place your players might find something with all kinds of miscellanea.

So there we have it! Treasure Finds gives you more time to prep the more creative aspects of your game or saves you time in the moment, but so much more than that, it provides chests full of style and substance. So much more than a series of tables, but it has all the tables you could want too!

I have to be honest, before I read this I would not necessarily picked up a supplement like this, misjudging it as a much drier product than this has shown to be. I'm 100% a convert, but the next treasure supplement I read has a ridiculously high bar set for it. Luckily, I can't see me needing anything more than this for my needs.

Sidekicks of the Guild

It's incredible and an absolute steal for the bundle price!

Two fantastic adventures, which I have previously posted thorough reviews of and thoroughly enjoyed (now updated with Sidekick leveling suggestions), and enough Sidekicks to choke a dozen terrasques!

Perfect if you want a wide variety of Sidekicks and/ or adventure ready NPCs for any and all settings, themes, parties and/ or duets and what a wonderful bunch of folx they are! (Sidekicks and creators)

Songs of Aedragard

At a glance, this is an impressive 62 page campaign starter module with wonderful, professional design incorporating art from various sources, including a number of stock packs, to great effect, in keeping with the tone of the adventure by the writer themselves, Fernando A. Dolande. An Avernus of a lot for $7.95, or the incredibly kindly included financial hardship price of $2.95 (which is what I paid for the module after being offered a review copy, but still wanting to support the creators). This is by far the most ambitious and jam packed of all the #RPGWriterWorkshop I have come across so far, and all have had their own unique property that marks them as some of the best TTRPG work I've ever had the pleasure of reading, so I was oh so very excited to sink my teeth into this beast!

The introduction begins with a Content Warning (CW) for allusions / refences to child death, so please be aware of that going forward.

The synopsis, hook and adventure background, speak of Aedragard, a long forgotten and much woe betide Dwarven Stronghold whose name some have translated as “Despair’s Garden” or “Castle of Fear” which your party are hired to locate and secure by a wealthy descendant, unaware of how great a test getting there, gaining access and discovering the dark magic and trapped souls at its black heart will be. This is the kind of introduction and detailed lore that make me excited to run an adventure. The writing is of such a rich and evocative quality. Just from reading this the setting already seems so real, with its layered tragic and intriguing history that I couldn't wait to read on and think about prepping for my own adventures!

There is a fantastic dramatis personae incorporating all important NPCs with great detail, especially with regard to their descriptors, backgrounds and wants, many of which have their unique statblocks in the appendix. This style of laying out the vibe, personality, relevant history and desires, really creates a vivid image of the characters, their core and motivations accessible, making getting into their heads and thinking about how to roleplay them nice and simple, while still conveying great depth. Not only are the NPCs full of character, there are quite a few and what an interesting array of folx they are from a green dragon wyrmling, to an astute tribe of kobolds trying to protect their eggs, through a strange, witty construct, a small ogre goat farmer, to spirits, insane and otherwise, and a stubborn mountain dwarf.

The dramatis loci details the key locations in the adventure from Kryptgarden Forest, so beautifully described as, "growing at the foothills of the Sword Mts., as mold on bread" with a table of atmospheric and creepy sightings, to the desolate ruins of Aedragard and the dilapidated Knight's Hospice in the stronghold's lightless dungeons, all with keywords and flavour applied to them, which are repeated at the beginning of each relevant chapter, to really set the tone.

A fascinating new rule for the adventure is Conversation, which includes assuming each encounter begins in dialogue rather than combat ("Golden Rule: The Opposition Doesn't Shoot First"), unless it is warranted or you are herding murder hobos, and using Insight/ Deception to determine the Wants of NPCs to enable the PCs to interact, roleplay and further their relationships with the NPCs, if they see fit. This is an elegant system that will allow for some far more interesting and rewarding encounters, especially with the monstrous races and creatures that have been given a greater personality and purpose than the standard template. This is great to see and definitely something I believe we should be working towards, especially in light of the conversations about the races and creatures we are beginning to have. The example of the situation includes an adorable encounter with some goblins who just need to be loved and freedom from a mean bugbear, which melted my heart.

The Song's Structure and the overview of the adventure, again show the diligence and care with which this adventure has been crafted with the explanation of the different types of scenes and how choices made within those scenes may refer the DM and the players to other particular scenes, an in depth look at the time frame in which the story and scenes take place, the suggested milestone leveling system, and a thoughtful array of extra starting equipment for the party.

Chapter One: The Kryptgarden opens with a serious scene flow chart and advice on using the wolves in this chapter as a barrier of teeth and claws between the party and escape, plunging them ever forward without hope to turn back. In some ways this reflects a more furry version of the Mists of Ravenloft in Curse of Strahd.

The flowing of the scenes makes me nostalgic for Choose Your Own Adventure books I read as a kid, only this time it's the players' doing the choosing. The thought and layout that has gone into this makes prepping sessions and anticipating the ramifications of player choices so much easier, saving time and helping things run as smoothly as the players allow...

This chapter contains six inter-connected scenes with a nice balance between combat, exploration and roleplay, as the party traverse the Kryptgarden, explore it's somewhat abandoned locations, meet and possibly ingratiate themselves with a few of the unique and fascinating NPCs covered in the dramatis personae, and get to fight wolves, a giant spider and their babies, and a foul tempered dragon wyrmling who takes umbrage with the party's trespassing in their domain.

Although brief, the text boxes are written beautifully and extensive information about the elements and results of the scene, giving the DM the knowledge and confidence to handle each scene, allowing them to add their own descriptions and flavour or run them as written.

Chapter Two: The Ruins of Aedragard opens with a great looking Dyson Logos map and key, depicting the ruins of the dwarven stronghold and relating where certain scenes take place. You can never go wrong with a Dyson Logos map, they always find the line between stylish and functional.

This chapter contains six scenes that can be played out in whichever order the party decides to explore the ruins. The majority of the scenes are unsurprisingly exploration and excavation based, as they traverse the fallen stronghold, discovering all sorts of magical, profitable and even divine things amid the detritus. All of the exploration comes with its own interest and/ or tasty treat, so despite some backbreaking labour on the characters' part, the players should be engaged and in good spirits throughout.

This chapter also allows for a great moment for characters to interact and roleplay with one another and any NPCs they may have gained along the way. It's encouraged characters share some of their backstory and even goes so far to have a wonderful table of thought-provoking questions to ask your players if they need a jump start. Another chance for roleplay is with possibly my favourite NPC in this adventure (that I won't spoil) with a sad tale and potential for hilarious and ridiculous interactions (or sigh the party just might straight up kill them...).

Chapter There: The Knight's Hospice opens with another classic Dyson Logos map and key with a creepy note about the constant sounds of a violin playing a thoroughly detailed song, relating to one of the more prominent NPCs.

This chapter contains six scene that take places as the party explores the ancient hospice. There is a greater emphasis on exploration and roleplay as the party meet, aid or even fight with the various ghosts. There's opportunity to play, discover tales of woe and ultimately perform a joyous festival to cleanse the ruins and help the ghosts move on, or to take out their frustrations on a meddling spirit desperate to see them fail, leading to less cheerful endings. Along the way there are opportunities for each character to use their skills as well each NPC having something to aid with the festivities.

There is also a scene connecting to one in the first chapter, allowing the jump to this chapter and/ or leaving chapter two for later. This is a lovely scene with an opportunity for the party to be heroes...or watch something truly grisly occur.

There are three separate epilogues, each with their own seeds for further adventures, from success, get paid, profit, to the party's soul becoming trapped within the Darkheart, awaiting adventurers to set them free, and a true awakening of darkness and dread. This last darkest timeline outcome does allow the party to still get paid (but at what cost!?) and can set up a potential BBEG down the line as well as a reason to return to now more maudlin and macabre ruins. As a DM I usually find myself hoping for one, preferably positive, outcome to an adventure, though whether they get it or not is up to the players, but there are such interesting potential moving forward from each ending that I want to experience all three!

Possible fates are provided for each of the NPCs that may have joined the adventure. These account for the positive or negative endings and range from the gaining of a sidekick, adorably happy times to death and horror. I definitely got the feels reading through these, getting covered in goosebumps and realising how attached to the NPCs I have become just from writing this review.

The Appendices are extensive, beginning with creatures and NPCs. This includes six unique statblocks with more combat details on a pair of prominent creatures, followed by the statblocks for the standard creatures. This is followed by Magic Items and the details of their introduction in the adventure, which includes a pair of standard items, a unique and rather upbeat item, and the deliciously grimdark background and sensationally powerful abilities for the cursed Darkheart Crystal Arefact. There's enough flavour in this flash gem for many further adventures and complications, especially if the players get the not so good ending. Seriously, this is dark obsession and power made solid and the mind reels with the possibilities for ongoing adventures either against those in its thrall, characters working to escape its grasp, or even an evil adventure as minions of the Darkheart.

Next we have a wonderful and bleak handout in the Knight Commanders Diary that can be discovered in the hospice, followed by extremely helpful advice for adapting the adventure for campaigns including, Lost Mines of Phandelver (Starter), Dragons of Icepeak Mountain (Essentials), Curse of Strahd, Princes of the Apocalypse and Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, as well as thorough deconstruction of the themes and elements that make up Songs of Aedragard, to aid fitting it in to any campaign or setting.

The depth of flavour, detail and lore that this adventure has been marinated in are sensational! The love and craft with which every detail of this supplement is crafted is evident on every page; the story is layered and thematic, the locations and NPCs are well thought out and feel alive, the quality of the writing is utterly incredible, and the whole design and use of artwork are of the highest order.

Each adventure from the #RPGWriterWorkshop I've had the pleasure of reviewing has impressed me with their own unique quality, but this is something else! This is a whole introductory module with roots and seeds to grow into your own campaign. There are many fantastic starting adventures out there, but there are very few as well thought out and thoughtful as Songs of Aedragard. With the advice for adding it to other games and the nature of the roleplay and focused adventuring, this is an adventure that could also be easily scaled for any level, simply by modifying the combat scenes.

I'm often impressed, I live in a state of perpetual hype, but it's not often that I a moved by am adventure. This really is a triumph!

What is there to say?

This is a humongous amount of quality goodies at an absolutely minute price and for a good cause!

There is so much value, and so many great titles that can add to your games in many fun, inspirational and random ways.

Treat yo'self, your table and a great cause!

This is just a quick review to say that this bundle is absolutely crammed with everything from dark and spooky Ravenloft horror fun times to ridiculous and beautiful silliness and much in between.

By buying this you are actually supporting Oliver on getting a new computer, after his has become fried due to the creative madness, angst and joy funnelled into it by its tortured artist owner.

Want more dark and lighthearted goodies from Oliver? Then buy his stuff!

Take advantage of one man's grief, twisted mind and kaput computer by literally stealing his life's work at a fraction of the cost!

Don't forget previously paid for elements are taken off the cost so you're not paying for things twice!

Check out my reviews of Killer Kobolds from Outer Space and Bearthazar's House of Familiars, and keep an eye out for upcoming reviews of many of these wonderful adventures and supplements as I work my way through them for more details

First of all I have to say how much I have loved the combat bot on the cover since seeing updates on this, while keeping up with the #RPGWriterWorkshop. To me that is one beauty of what has always been (in my mind) a steam powered piggy tractor waving a pitchfork. How do you not fall in love with that bad boy!? Sebastian (Great name BTW) Barford (@SebEpic) has done a spectacular job with the combat bot art, truly capturing the ramshackle cartoon fun of this whole steampunk-fantasy-clockwork-Robot-Wars-for-a-good-cause madness Drew Dawes (@DrewDwarves) has wrought.

The second thing you notice when you open this supplement are these words: "100% of the profits from the sale of this title go directly to Extra Life.Thank you for helping heal sick kids! This one-shot adventure is designed to encourage donations during charity events. Compatible with characters of any level." So we're already off to a great start with funtastic art and the fact that this adventure gives everything, encourages donations and works with any character level. This alone already marks this as shining beacon of awesomeness and ultriusm, and we haven't even made it past the contents page!

The introduction lays out the joyous premise of this supplement, the gnomish celebration of their god, Garl Glitter, with the Communion of Laughter, "a day of jokes, pranks and storytelling". The rock gnomes are taking their turn to organise the festivities in their favoured manner, building and bashing clockwork combat bots! Clearly this is the blueprint for a fun and lighthearted session, suggested as a pallete cleanser after a rather intense chapter in an ongoing campaign, a good time one shot, or as an organised charity event/ stream with the rules and #Glittergold for raising money along the way. The introduction so provides references for further reading on the gnomish pantheon, where to find NPCs in the official books, advice on handling the number of bots and extra drivers to fit your party size and a trio of tantalising and easy hooks to get your players chugging along.

The NPCs you players will be competing with are laid out in the VIP List, and a varied and adorable bunch they are with cute, expressive portraits by Witch Planet (@witch_planet). Equally as bright are the magical technicolor stalactites that light the small caverns filled with hundreds of spectators eager for the games and the Glitterbrights, the hosts and collectors of charitable donations for the church.

The Gizmo Expo introduces the party to the festivities and the plethora of bizarre Rube Goldberg machines that are the pride and joy of the rock gnomes. Coins are paid to operate them, inspiring onlookers and invoking the blessing of the goddess of invention, Nebelun. Here they meet the Fun Size Crew, another adventuring party taking respite at the festival, the antagonists and possible new friends along the way. Pranks and pies are plied and the the sweetest of mephits are birthed in creamy communion, which could inspire players getting creamed in person for a good cause...oh and one of the doodads could explode in a Fireball, so that's fun!

The Scrapheap provides the backdrop of mechanical detritus to a tale of the ultimate feud and pranks between Glittergold and the kobold deity, Kurtulmak. With the aid of a magical prankster the party finds themselves Seeming to be kobolds themselves, providing another opportunity for fun and fundraising with the now kobold-looking party members donning painted masks or facepaint to really get that kobold look down. This is also where the party discover a patron willing to mentor and enter them into the competition as the Kobold Crew.

Build-a-Bot Workshop and the corresponding appendix give the player's all they need to create their own battle bots using the easy to use and varied series of tables to customise them to their own liking using various Bodies, Materials, Wheels and Weapons. At a quick glance I came up with a tin-bucket-continuous-track-crumbler-roller-steam-whistle battle bot that I've named Cookie. Example battle bots, the easy to follow rules for battling said battle bots and the battle bots of the Fun Size Crew can also be found in the battle bots, I mean Appendices. This section also allows for making sure that no feelings were hurt with previous pranks and a chance for the PCs to get their own back with some good natured (See: non-harmful) pranks of their own, which are another opportunity for #Glittergold fundraising!

The Cavern Arena contains two wonderful maps by Cara Dawes (@thecaradee), the first a beautiful rendering of all the various caves and caverns in this supplement with light grid and really...grounding the underground setting and the mountains above, and the second is a battle map of the the Arena itself, complete with the various dangers and traps the PCs' combat bots will face. These hazards, as well as blessing from #Glittergold are detailed in the appendix, along with suggestions for how to use these for maximum effect and randomness, as well as another great way for folx to interact and donate during a charity event, even suggesting putting out requests for even more wicked dangers and radiant blessings.

After a chance for side bets and pranks, the games begin in a battle bot royale of madness, twisted metal and the roar of cheering fans! Magical goodies are to be awarded the victor and much smashy smashing fun to be had by all.

This is a wonderful, festive and fun adventure/ event presented in a thoroughly professional and stylish manner with layout by Anna Urbanek (@2xproficiency, www.doubleproficiency.com), editing by Cara Dawes (@thecaradee), and gleeful writing by Drew Dawes (@DrewDwarves).

This really is the perfect for a palette cleanser, just for fun or a good cause with everything you need to bring the fun of battle bots into your game! 15 pages, brimming with joy and laughter at $3.95 all for a good cause!? I know I'm the Werebear of hype, but I heartily recommend this and thank Drew for bringing more joy and laughter onto the world!

With regard for full transparency, I was asked if I could take a look at this system and give it an honest review, after I had already planned to and purchased this myself.

It's important to note that this is a working prototype that is being actively updated and responding to praise and criticism. While some things will change, the quality of the concept of the cold, black heart has been evident from day one. I look forward to watching this grow and emerge the horrific monster of a game it clearly is. If you like horror and delving into the macabre madness and desolate darkness, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot.

Reading the concept gave me a genuine wicked smile at the sheer wretched darkness of the game! There is something wonderful about inflicting horrors and trying to survive maddening my serious monstrosities when you are but a simple soul, rather than a her; lacking might and having a far greater fear of the unknown. This emphasis on "hopelessness, dread, darkness, and inhumanity" really set a wicked tone that definitely caught my attention, and doesn't that just sound like the ingredients for a pleasant afternoon?

It should be noted that this is a game of extremes horror and dread, and even more than others will need to be discussed and understood by the Players and Overseer (Game Master). This is not for the faint hearted and I would thoroughly recommend using Safety Tools and having ways out of scenes and topics/ things that are off the table (this is addressed directly in the Overseer section of this supplement), so everyone is playing with sheer, oppressive doom for fun and not to trigger a breakdown. To be clear it's not actually malicious, harmful or obscene, but when you're dealing with psychological and spiritual trauma in game, you don't want to be stoking anyone's issue out of game. This is covered in detail in the Overseer section on Session 0.

Please note that my understanding of the rules may not be entirely correct and I apologise to the author and any reader if I have gone off at a tangent and end up blathering about nonsense. But I will endeavour to go through, explain and review to the best of my abilities. It's also worthy of note that while I have played a bunch of different systems, I'm most offay with and currently playing D&D5e. I can see myself being drawn into comparisons and understanding the game through that lens, for which I apologise for, but I can only do what I can.

This is just a simple bugbear of mine as a non-binary person, but in the Glossary the Overseer (GM) is referred to as "he". It would be preferable to have a gender neutral 'they' or 'the one' for greater inclusion. This is more of an issue with games and rules as a whole and not the sole issue of this -- This has been addressed by the author as something that will be rectified in later drafts and is the result of translation.

A comprehensive script of an example game with some creepy cool descriptions, which I'm sure will be very helpful, but being before the rules there was some confusion on my part - - This made a whole lot more sense and was really illuminating after reading the rules!

The rules:

I absolutely love the idea of the Dramatic Roll (DR), the main rolling of four dice to perform an action or reaction in the game, rolled against the appropriate Aptitude (Skill). Only one success is needed, equal or lower than the Aptitude used, with further successss allowing the player to expand on their action, with an additional sentence of description/ explanation and the the Overseer (GM) using Complications (failures) to hinder or complicate the action, but not negating them.

This is huge and the inspirational black heart of this game! Every time you roll the bones there are organic opportunities for the Players and Overseer to elaborate and enhance the action/ story in bizarre and interesting ways. This truly fosters and encourages the collaborative storytelling, which is the radiant soul of tabletop roleplaying games! The conversation and back and forths sprout from the dice in a variety of ways as the Players and Overseer add their elements of Successes, and the scene plays out. I think this is something that takes something like a skill check from D&D5e, which are often presented as a question from the Player and an answer from the DM with more or less occurring/ being divulged, etc depending on DC, with extreme caveats for critical successes and failures, and naturally builds more smaller caveats into every roll with the answers coming from both the Overseer and Player; the onus on both of them to describe the scene together. Rather than question and answer, there is more of a flowing dialogue with the Player given greater agency and engagement with their actions.

This is something that from now on I will definitely be thinking more about no matter the game I'm playing, even if I can't mechanically work it in, it's still a great prompt for Players and Overseers/ GMs to bring the world and action to life together.

I found the wording a little confusing, but I understand that Successes and Complications can cancel each other out, with the player using a success to negate a Complication, but failing the action if there are more Complications than Succeses/ Successes used to cancel out some but not all Complications. In the books words: "The player can decide to negate one Complication with one Success, that way it’s possible to fail an action and get a negative outcome." I'm taking this to mean, if I roll 3 Cs and 1S for reaching up to a creepy portrait by standing on a rickety library ladder, I could spend the 1S to remove 1C, hopefully mitigating the risk by one level. If I understand correctly, this puts the decision in the Player's hands; do you want to take one success, perhaps noting the tortured artist's signature, with the possibility of the 3Cs, losing balance, falling off the ladder and getting buried in an avalanche of books or tearing the portrait of the wall and landing with your head piercing the canvas, becoming one with the macabre masterpiece.

The Aptitudes work as a combination of Attributes and Skills paired back into five Aptitudes, each encompassing a number of ways they can be used, my favourite being Larceny, because why not!? With an average and max human score. This Aptitude covers all physical crimes, from stalking to stealing and beyond and encapsulates more and simply has a more fun name that Sleight of Hand.

The difficulty (DC) of Dramatic Actions undertaken using Aptitudes are judged by the Overseer and applied using the Character's deemed Proficiency. This system determines whether additional, automatic or contingent Complications are to be applied to a Dramatic Role. The Proficiency can be mitigated by the Character's Traits, which are the advancement system I will discuss later.

The nature of the game, set up in Arcs, self-contained story akin to a chapter, containing several Scenes, and these Scenes being broken up between Narrative and Dramatic scenes, is another clear expression of the baked in collaborative story telling. Narrative scenes progress the story "at the whims of the players" truly giving them agency over the story in a new and dramatic way. Dramatic scenes on the other hand, action, combat, etc shrink into every action and reaction requiring a Dramatic Roll as things come thick and fast. The pacing between these varies, but there's something enjoyable about a lugubrious, meandering narrative, suddenly becoming an intense encounter where every action needs care and speed.

The Actions and Order of the Dramatic Scenes will be familiar to those with TTRPG experience, with your move, run, ready weapon, parry, etc. One thing I did particularly note is a Reaction can be used after other Character's Actions, allowing for greater interaction between players as they try to con ke together a plan and build they story.

The survival/ Living elements of the game cover the Character's radius of Sense, the effects of Lighting, as well as very simple but specific rules for eating, drinking and sleep. These elements, particularly the need for sustenance and rest bring an extra dimension to the potential suffering and stress, as the Characters have to see to their needs in the midst of the horrors they find themselves in.

Health and Damage are handled in a graded a three tiered system of wound severity and negative effects acquired against a Character's three separate health elements: Physical, Mental and Spiritual. This potential for Pain, Panic and Corruption portent threats to the Characters more often than not, beyond the mundane, attacking their minds and spirit as well as their physics being.

Healing these various types of wounds can take anything from simple bed rest, counseling, and meditation and purification rituals, meaning different wounds will last until the downtime can be found to check yourself into hospital or spa. This means the wounds suffered will be longer lasting and weighing down the Characters and effecting the in many malevolent ways over the course of an Arc, adding to the desperation and hopelessness. The super hero of yore, your character is not, you will feel the pressure and pain of these malignancies adding to the tension an horror.

Morality is handled in a similar manner and marked off on the severity of the Character's actions, which was can cause them to lose their very humanity. I can see a great deal of fun and diabolical deeds, not least of which because the Statuses caused by damage, making them act in various bizarre and wicked ways. Will the damage to your mind, body and spirit lead you down a path of destruction and callousness, damning your tattered soul on the way to the grave? It will certainly be 'fun' to find out.

Combat alway takes place during a Dramatic Scene and is a frenetic fare of Melee, Unarmed and Ranged attacks. Unarmed and weapons have symbols denoting the damage they deal, the potential damage it can be raised with additional Successes and the damage type. This quick and easy system allows for speedy combat and easy referencing of the damage types.

For a greater expression of the Character's Health, beyond the damage levels, Statuses/ conditions gained from taking damage "describe the character's health in a better detail then Health does". These range from Pain to Dehydration and Damaged Limb/s, and effect everything from applying more complications to Dramatic Rolls, taking a character out of a scene as the konk out and need some Zzzs or taking damage from hunger and thirst.

Character creation is explained thoroughly with examples and prompts at every stage, along with the recent addition of an example Character to make the process as simple as possible. I just want to touch on a few of the elements that make characters in this game so unique and twisted. I just want to touch on a few of the unique elements that really stood out to me, Goal, Chains, Fear, comfort and Darkness, which are the core of a Character in Domains.

Goal: This is the personal goal of the character, which will often and is encouraged to be at odds with the rest of the party. I love the conflict and strain the Characters in Domains have on them and this Goal is another stress, their guiding purpose, pulling them away and isolating them fekmtnhe party. From the manual, "This goal will make the character stray away from the group."

Chains: These are the Character's reasons for remaining in the setting of the game and staying within the 'story'. It's encouraged with examples to make these reasons interesting and real. In many way these are a much smarter and natural way to lay tracks, but have no need to actually 'railroad' Players (as an aside I'm not particularly convinced about railroading, there's merits to a GM/ Overseer preparing an session/ Arc and wanting Players to play it, while also letting players have agency and so their own thing. This is for another time...). With the Arcs and Scenes being set in smaller, more Claustrophobic, settings in Domains, it's important to have a reason for the Character to not run screaming as far away as possible, and they will want to! This adds another stress and additional feelings of hopelessness as the Characters are Chained to their places of torment.

Fears: This is so loving described as, "what makes the character’s heart race faster, his palms sweat, last meal of noodles spewing out of him once the horror starts." Fear is the main thing that causes...fear in the characters, a central all-consuming dread, that should be something that will be encountered often enough in the campaign, with lots of interesting suggestions that give the impression of phobias. It's actually recommended that the Overseers tailor the game around these Fears to keep the Characters unsettled.

Comfort: This is something to let off steam and work out some of that stress and can be anything from kittens to drinking and violence, so don't say the game doesn't give you anything nice to play with...

Darkness: Now this is the crux of a Domains Character and something that sets both character apart from many others, described as, "a disturbing personality quirk." This is something that caused the character to have an innate tendency to act in some inhuman way, whether it be a hankering for a little human flesh, collecting macabre trinkets or venerating some ancient, unspeakable entity, there are many ways for a Characters darkness to manifest. This sounds so much fun and rather cathartic to be honest, but this is another area where frank and open discussions are had to keep to trauma to the table.

There are different ways to spend attributes and kit out your Character, but the above are the character creation and options that I wanted to get into for the moment.

Character progression is handled using a Growth system consisting of points awarded to each Player by the Overseer at the end of each session. These come from attendance, furthering individual or group Goals, as well as the opportunity for each Player to make a case for their Character learning something significant relative to their Attributes, and finally, the Overseer has the option to hand out points for Characters making good use of their Aptitudes. I like that this system rewards Players turning up (we all know how hard that is) and playing using the significant aspects of their character. Adam Koebal has been using a system not too dissimilar for this in his D&D5e Jace Beleren Must Die campaign to great effect. Having this end of session review and reflection can really shine the light on motives, intentions and things that are missed.

Points can be spent to gain Traits, which are capabilites that aid Characters in their hellish excursions. These Traits are split into, Survival, covering physical and bodily elements Awareness, covering navigation and perception, Larceny, for the shady and criminal, Knowledge, both academic and practical, Social, helping Characters seem less sociopathic, and finally, Universal Traits, unrelated to any specific Aptitude.

After certain number of points are collected Abiltites can be obtained, these are nifty actions and reactions. Abiltites are divided into Determination, aiding survival, Eldritch, granting some cool magical abilities including whispering to spirits for information, Story, enabling "cheats" in the form of having a hunches and gaining clues or exerting their will on NPCs and being able to tell if they're being told fibs, and finally Corruption, which allow a greater edge in Aptitudes, but a dark price, such as morphing your body into weapons and armour or tearing the life force from another to maintain physical health at the cost to your mind. and/ or soul.

I think the Growth system certainly seems sounds and I look forward to trying it out, but I personally find understanding advancement more clearly when tables and/ or diagrams are included, and I think this might make things a bit easier to comprehend for some.

There are an extensive array of items, clearly referenced and expanded upon, with everything you might need for exploring, investigating and surviving.

The spells, rituals and artefacts contain a number of well known examples, as well some strange and creepy cool toys, including a sickle that injures the Spirit as well as the body, and has the potential to split limbs and release a Character's Darkness.

The Overseer section outlines and details their responsibilities for the game, beginning with an in depth look at Session 0, emphasising discussion with the group and catering the game to their Character's Fears. As mentioned before, this is a game of extremes and the considerations for things that Players may find too uncomfortable in the game are handled deftly by the concept of Lines and Veils. Lines are things the party agree will never be discussed or a part of the game and Veils are things that will agree to be aluded to in the game, though not roleplayed. This is a much needed and I think rather simple, thoughtful and elegant way of discussing and ruling out problematic topics, situations, etc.

The Overseer section goes on to discuss the Tone and Theme of the game, beginning light and ratcheting up the tension, being sure to know the Characters, knowing what makes them tick and how to bring their Chains, Fears, Comforts and Darkness into the game for maximum effect. This is followed by taking the Overseer through using a pregenenrated world or creating their own with areas of various levels of risk, generating Threats relative to the number of players and how to introduce them, and Complications for the various activities Players can get up to and how to bring them to life. NPCs and Monsters, and the handling thereof as active elements in the game, as well as passive elements of placing the Characters in harms way by using Perils to damage the mind, body and soul, if things are going to well and the game needs a quick injection of stress.

There are comprehensive instructions and advice about running the game, NPC and Monster creation. Monsters come with an extreme warning: NOTE: MONSTERS ARE INTENDED TO BE OVERPOWERED AND CHARACTERS CANNOT WIN AGAINST A MONSTER IN A STRAIGHT UP FIGHT. THIS SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHEN THE OVERSEER DESIGNS MONSTERS IN THE FIRST PLACE! Monsters have three Aptitudes of their own in their ability to Slaughter, Manipulation and Darkness. These being the ability to cause Physical, Mental and Spiritual damage, as well as a whole range of nasty abilities, interesting Traits and foul Gifts, allowing for a veritable menagerie of foul creatures to stalk the Characters, rend their flesh, tear at their sanity and eviscerate their soul.

All in all this is an incredible and truly horrible (in the best of ways) game and system for some truly unique and horrifying games. I am blown away by the quality of the mechanics and the emphasis on collaborative storytelling, while constantly putting the Characters and hopefully the players under tremendous amounts of stress and distress in the most fun and rewarding way. There is room for some improvements in editing and the addition of more art and content in the form on introductory and example adventures, but these criticisms are already being noted and addressed by the author, with a clear plan for updating and implementation.

The fact that this is a crowd funding release of the full system at an incredibly low price point with the clearly stated intentions for exactly what the money will be used for and that by buying this version of the game, you will be getting updates when they are available all the way up and including the full release of the game, is an absolute steal. During the course of writing this review an updated version was posted and I have been given a sneak peak at the beginnings of the introductory adventure, which has me excited and confident about the future of this game.

I have thoroughly enjoyed going through this system and can't wait to actually get to play it. I look forward to more updates and enough people giving this a try and seeing for themselves that this is something special, a truly horrific horror roleplaying game with a heart of darkness and a system so clearly worked on with Infernal love and eldritch craftsmanship to bring the ultimate experience of dread. Now doesn't that sound fun!?

This is a quirky, thoughtful adventure, exploring a magical forest and investigating missing villagers threatened by something dark at the forest's heart, presented in a thoroughly professional manner with beautiful watercolour page features that suit the mystical and sombre tone and nature of the adventure perfectly.

You don't often see Wood Woads, so it's awesome to discover in the synopsis that there are eleven in play!

The prologue contains a run down of the dramatis personae, including the villagers, locations and rumours for the village of Redvale, presented in a paired-back and easy to reference manner. Along with the hooks, there are many ways for this to fit into your game, as well as enough seeds and background information for you to either expand on the village or to make it easy to plough on into the forest of adventure

The first box text of chapter one sets the tone for the adventure, both in the eerie silence and the evoking quality of the writing throughout. It sets the scene and vibe so vividly in a so few lines. This is hardly surprising for a fantasy author, but I certainly want to read more of Beth's literature from these tantalising snippets.

The first encounter could be difficult for the party, but have no fear as extensive "DM Encounter Tactics Notes" are provided to help balance or save the party from dying so soon. This, along with the Sidekicks in the appendix, are features designed to aid one-on-one and smaller groups, allowing for more flexibility of play and less reworking for DMs.

The random encounters with the various denizens, from the majestic to the unsettling and dangerous, along with the curse that effects the character's sight, truly bring the forest to life and add some real flavour to the trek into the woods. They also provide a moral question of whether the party are more shoot first, ask questions later or more respectful of the local fauna. Choices made here have ramifications later, which is a lovely way to give random encounters mode weight.

The second chapter contains a wonderfully atmospheric introduction of an important NPC, and possible ally, in the form a strong willed Druid, Adelle. Her personality, motivations and information are detailed here, and the full statblocks for her and her Grove can be found in the appendix. This allows for the less diplomatic and more kill all the things characters who are the reason we can't have nice things, as well as the possibility of gaining an ally and/ or more favourable terrain to fall back to if the final battle gets too hot. There are also multiple possibilities for how things can and/ or will turn out in the night, adding to the drama, randomnes and/ or options for the DM.

The final chapter chapter brings you to the heart of the forest and the canker that resides within it. We are introduced the the BBEG and discover more about our possible ally and their connection...see some revealing gruesomeness before the final battle. The full character and history of the functionally immortal Dark Phoenix Druid, Eranya, are laid out, as is an offer so magically beneficial to give the party pause for thought and discussion...although some players will do the maths that they could kill the BBEG and take all their goodies.

The fate of the forest and the village still hang in the balance with there being many different ways this encounter/ adventure can be resolved, far more than kill or not. Magic binds the forest, the village and the Sorceress' bloodline. How the party handles things could leave a variety of situations that could lend the benefit of shadows or rhe threat scouring fire in their further adventures.

The appendices contain a beautiful battle map of Eranya's glade, full statblocks for Adelle and Eranya, with unique features of their two separate Circle of the Phoenix Druid class, and the latter's optional devastating Lair Actions. Also included are the statblocks for Adelle's Blackwood Grove with some handy actions and ways to make a woad, I mean load of friends, an Archer NPC, Wood Woad and Minor Phoenix and two unique magic items. Finally, the Archer and Adelle are both detailed in the Sidekick format.

This is by no means the longest supplement, coming in at 17 pages including appendix, but there is a true heart this adventure in the care and quality of the writing and presentation worth more than its $2 price tag. Every story needs something unique and the thought that has gone into this one, to give the player's pause, ramifications to their actions and hard decisions, sets this apart as something special.

The moment you get your hands on this supplement you get the idea of what you are in for; a great understanding of devils and their lore, alongside an earnest wish to create something for DMs to get some actual use out of in their games, filling one of the Nine Neiches. Just one look at the insidiously good cover by Gwen Bassett (@gwendybee), the hellishly smart layout by Anna Urbanek (@2xproficiency), various dastardly interior arts, and the eloquent and humble preface by the author, Justice Arman (@justice_arman) you know you are in talented, bloodstained talons.

(Loch's Logbook: You know. I don't know what the big deal is. I got my ship and my crew back. Plus that bastard Frost Giant is now an, agonised, living figurehead. For half my life? I'm laughing...)

Have no fear if you aren't not a legal beagle, as the terms are clearly explained and the main components of the contract are described in detail with examples and random tables for generating enough contracts for all your friends, family and pets, whether for yourself or on behalf of an Arch-Devil.

(I'm only writing this review as part of a bargain to shave a few life-years off a contract. I'm getting on and my sea legs ain't what they were, and I only had to put my soul on the line! What a sucker! Wait a minute...)

These explanations and examples cover every aspect from the reasons for and benefits of contract, through the clauses, stipulations and fine print, all the way to collection any foolish or brave (see: foolish) attempts to break or renege on the contract and its terms.

(This is a joke, right? I was joking. Who signs their soul for a few life-years reprieve? Be reasonable!)

The considerations of how pressing the situation the contract is drafted and signed in, the level of the character being offered the contract and the appropriate denizen of the Nine Hells to facilitate the transactions, as well as the quality of the boon on offer, are all laid out and detailed so you can create the righgcontract for any and all characters, no matter their experience or the predicament they find themselves in.

(You know what, why don't you just make the rest of The Lawful Good dead again? I never did like that Torr much, anyway. I know his real name! He's wanted by the Red Sashes! Wait...)

What really matters in a roleplay game is combat. Lots and lots of combat, and while this could be an option (see: foolish), roleplay is key and an extremely important part of the process of drawing up the contract. This supplement has you covered, with ways to consider the Devil/ DM's approach to different characters and their alignment, as well as ways in which even the more lawful and pious characters can be tempted. Did you know making a deal with an evil entity for your soul can actually be a selfless act for the greater good? Marvelous! There is also a table of various ways a character's personality could be affected by bargaining their soul, from cavalier to apathetic.

(Doppelganger, I know right!? Okay, okay. What about the Dwarf? Can't hit the ugly side of an otyguh! Imagine what Marster would bargain for a deadeye? I could have phrased that better...)

There's clear advice in how to layout and create your own contracts for your game, props or otherwise, taking you through the process, as well as tables to determine the medium and devilish quirks for the contract and its administrator. Could you be signing your life away on an ancient Hag's wooly jumper, while the devil's hair swipes and snaps at insects like a Venus Flytrap? These and more eventualities are covered.

(take the fork out and put the eye back in! Okay. Okay. Breathe. What about Vey? She's all snug asleep in the arms of the Harpers. Ever taken the soul from an incapacitated Cleric from Zendikar? How much more fun does that sound...)

In the appendix we find the three new Devils mentioned, complete with description, full statblocks and some creepy cool illustrations, as. Well as Latin phrases and Infernal symbols to give your contact some flare, the ritual to summon an Infernal Ally and a complete level by level table of the new friend you can make and how long you get to play together, if that's a part of your contract, and a great looking example contract to give you clear idea of what they can look like.

(Just stop waving that fork around for a minute and listen! I know. I know! Voulan's new and noone would miss her anyway. Plus she's an Elf! Think of all those extra life-years of servitude...)

The amount of information provided in such an accessible and thoroughly amusing way that has been packed into 24 pages is no mean feat. The care, quality and panache in this supplement are seriously impressive, and a thoroughly entertaining read on its own. If you are planning to involve devil's and their contracts, especially with Descent around the corner, then this is an absolute must.

(I'm not going in the bag. I think I can see my dentist dressed as a clown in there. That's it! I'm not going without a fight...[see: foolish])

It's an absolute delight to read and now I have a mighty need to tempt and enslave my players with tantalising offers that will surely lead to their doom! It just sounds like such fun and some hellishly hilarious opportunities for roleplay, I simply can't wait for.

(sounds of breath weapons and swords getting slowly more faint as they are drowned out by the guttural braying of a pack of Bloodhounds and maniacal laughter of a Handler)

IPurr-Suit of Happiness

The setting begins in a desert, moving to a forest, and is surely to brighten up any sandy adventure as an oasis of joy, but it could just as well fit into any setting.

Wonderfully diverse and thoroughly described NPCs, which will broaden many reader's (including my own) knowledge of garments.

The suggested hook contains an adorable avian messenger creature, which really sets the tone for fun and frolics. Following this the suggested random encounters on the road are varied, colourful and can allow for the more martially minded players/ characters a chance to hit some things, as well as leaving hints of things to come and/or give flavour that could be expanded upon.

Once arriving at the temple complex there is a wonderful opportunity for the players to explore, with the DM improving or rolling on a number of tables, or having a more pointed and specifically prepared experience using the suggestions and tables. This variety allows the Temple Complex to feel alive, offers great variety, as well as allowing for a more organised affair - all of which are accounted for and addressed by the author.

The tables have all manner of encounters, flavours, items and more from the sublime, through silly and spicy, all the way to ridiculous, providing a wonderful framework for generating and/ or inspiring unique moments that really bring the world to life. Some parties may barrel through these scenes (though it would be wise to acknowledge how roleplay and fun heavy this adventure is before the offing), but as player and a DM situations and moments like these can be some of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of playing. As provided, you could spend as long as you want exploring and experiencing the festivities, and with your own input, this part of the adventure could become a multiple session extravaganza - provided you and your players are so inclined.

The catalyst for the main action of this adventure is a dramatic falsehood, which sets the party on the path to experimenting, exploring and getting creative to make an artefact befitting of the temple's multiple limbed and headed deity. This takes the form of taking three elements, light, smell and colour, all of which have their own tables for suggestion, randomness and the possibility for some wonderful, thought-provoking conversation and design, and combing them into the much needed artefact. The shops, characters and opportunities to be playful are so splendid, I instantly wanted to dive into the world and play myself. You can make a scent using your character's memories for goddess' sake. How awesome is that!?

The final encounter with the mystic mirage of the goddess is an illusory battle with skill checks, as a dramatic way to end the adventure and being the festivities. There are two ways this encounter can go, but both ultimately end in revelry and thanks for the characters for playing the goddess' game.

Before the party really gets started, the players are rewarded with a magic item equal to the points they earned during the shopping and making period. These are a selection of wondrous and whimsical items that will be sure bring many a smile to player's and character's faces.

There is a truly unique and seemingly (to my somewhat uncultured mind) authentic South Asian cultural influence to the adventure, which brings something special and different to anything I have previously encountered in 5e, and I have to say I have absolutely loved it. Coupled with the sublime layout and design of this adventure, which surpass some from the Wizards of the Coast themselves in there attention to detail and pattern, this really is an incredibly accomplished, professional adventure that truly stands out for it's originality and beauty, both in the concept and the execution.

There's just something about reading an adventure that feels alive; that feels like you are reading a lovely short story and is so much fun to read. The writing and concepts are great, and are just a gods damned lot of fun to read.

I cannot be more clear that this is a truly one of a kind, so clearly imbued with love, care, whimsy and just plain old wish to have a good time. This is perfect for a fun session to perhaps break the ice with a new group, act as a palette cleanser after an intense arc or character death, or simply for the fun of running a sumptuous and silly adventure.

This is really something else, and I think it's the wonder and positivity emanating from every pore of this adventure that makes it so special!

How all this joy fits into 18 pages and how a first released one shot can be turned out in such a glorious manner I will never understand. They truly make magic and inspire greatness in the RPG Writer Workshop.

These are smart, simple sheets that do the job. I will definitely be using these in future.

The touches to the fillable sheets, resizing and scrolling are great as an alternative to D&D Beyond and/ or in conjunction with it to give yourself a clean overview/ for use with Homebrew and other material not on D&D Beyond or if that's not something you and your group don't want to use.

The printable sheets, the same paired back simplicity, I am especially looking forward to using with new players or players coming back to the game aftwe many years, like a home game I am planning for the future.

If you want a super clean, simple, functional character sheet, this does exactly what it says on the tin.

This a relatively short adventure, coming up at 14 pages, but the amount of content, possibilities and depth it packs into those pages is incredible!

There is a great introduction discussing the possibilities of running this adventure for groups or duets, as well as a nice adventure synopsis, emotional background lore and a few different hooks to let this adventure begin or easily slot in to your games.

The main NPC Sidekick is a fully fleshed out hunter with heart/ hart, and character motivations and secrets with roots in the tragic catalyst for the events as they unfold.

One aspect I particularly loved was that in almost every situation there are many different suggestions for you and the players to allow a great deal of flexibility, inspiration and variation, while still giving answers to multiple different questions. This not only helps you handle the player's actions, give appropriate ideas to certain characters, but also lends this adventure to great variety and replayability.

The first chapter has the party find themselves headed to a town in which news of strange activity in the woods begins and/ or encountering the Sidekick NPC sharing their story and setting off with them or running into them in the woods that at first seem peaceful and normal, but soon become more magic and dangerous.

There is exploring and forging on to be done, as well as well thought out random encounters that make for interesting finds, fights and seeds that could be spun out into more lengthy encounters. Who doesn't love a Will-o-Wisp luring the party to a Shambling Mound?

Eventually the party will come afoul of some fun fey tricksters whose pranks are classic and always good for a laugh. There is an element of messing with facial hair, which made me think this would be a great place to add a Beardling to the proceedings.

(The Beardling is a fun, hairy creature/ encounter I really need to get around to including in a game and reviewing. I think it would work really well in this adventure and can be found here: https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/262367)

The second chapter is a glorious proving of diplomacy, helpfulness, honesty, self-love and a highly amusing relationship between an Ettin and their fey neighbours. I won't say what it is, but the Ettin has a noisy condition that literally made me laugh out loud as I am a Werebear who also has the same condition.

Can the party bring peace between the odd neighbours and open themselves up for helping and sharing?

The final chapter takes the party into the depths of the forest where they meet an Alseiad who has been keeping track of their comings and goings. There are great knowledge and boons to be gained from this fey and possible friend for the final battle to come. This encounter is entirely dictated by the actions of the party from the moment they entered the forest with a nifty points system to see whether they Proved themselves worthy of the ultimate challenge in the Glade.

I love choices and consequences, especially when unnecessary combat is not rewarded as much as negotiation, roleplaying and fun times. There's gonna be a big fight, there's almost always a fight, so it's nice to see diplomacy, lending a helping hand and going along with some silliness get its due rewards.

Finally, we have the epic confrontation with the Hydra, with the Sidekick NPC for maximum pathos, and the possible boons from the Alesiad who can even swoop in to help the party in an emergency if you are feeling friendly.

Can the massive monster be vanquished and can anything meaningful or shiny be recovered?

The appendices have the full statblocks for the Sidekick NPC, the Alesiad and two good looking maps.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this adventure with the writing style, the story and characters truly gripping me and thoroughly entertaining me all the way through. There is a thoughtfulness and reflection upon our actions seeped into this adventure, which delves into some heavy emotions, balanced by some outright ridiculous silliness. Not bad at all for 14 pages!

I have definitely got this planned to run for an upcoming group and I am so excited!

The author is one half of https://dndduet.com and https://groveguardianpress.com which are packed with great stuff and deep discussion about playing in a duet (DM and one player). Their Patreon is great too with adventures, maps, creatures, lore and more.

Just to be clear, I haven't been asked to review this and I'm promoting their other work because it's great on it's own merit. I feel like I really shouldn't have to say this, but I'm just being genuinely passionate and enthusiastic about fantastic work, sharing my thoughts on them and getting people to check them out so everybody wins and gets to revel in the adventures and awesomeness...because that's how I feel and what I want to do!

Nameia's Laboratory

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

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

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

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

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

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