Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild by Ryan Hennessy (@rdotwrites)

What you have here is an entire mail, delivery and logistics guild with a storied history, ranks cut from a different cloth than your regular postal workers, august members and exploits across various planes, specialised equipment to ensure the job gets done right and a whole bundle of well thought-out, wittily named adventure seeds with advice and hooks that link them to various official campaigns, including a number for Rime of the Frostmaiden, as well as Lost Mines of Phandelver, Dragon Heist, Descent into Avernus and Curse of Strahd! They even have a professional logo!

This is a clearly a labour of love; so well designed and described as to be utterly ingrained in Forgotten Realms and Sword Coast lore as to have truly convinced me Palms Passing Parcels & Logistics Guild have always been in the canon, it just took this document to shine the light on their dedicated work!

Introduction

“The package takes priority no matter what and getting it to its destination requires a certain mentality.

By any means necessary. Do you have what it takes?”

We are introduced to the Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild who are a guild of postal workers, couriers, who travel the length and breadth of the Sword Coast (and have even made deliveries to the Underdark, Shadowfell, even the Elemental Planes, and lived to tell the tale) that “are known to deliver anything requested of them and when they say anything, they mean, any thing.” This means they operate by their own charter and they dedicated members with flaunt laws and do some park our to ensure things get delivered.

Humble Beginnings

The rich history of the guild established by Kartuffeus “The World Climber” Spritelson, in response to the need for the transportation and delivery of any and all things after the Spellplague necessitated the need for mundane means, entrenches the guild in the history and lore, as well as telling a fascinating tale of perseverance and tenacity.

Calling of the Courier Organization

The organisation and operation of the Guild is laid out in great detail, much of which could easily be cribbed and shared with the players as an in-world artefact due to the way it is presented.

Each rank presented with description, duties and examples, as well as notable members, director of the order, and delightful descriptions of the colours and patterns that denote them - From the Paisley Pageboys to the prestigious ranks of the Damask Deliverers who don’t flinch in the face of wartime communication and the Chinoiserie Channelers whose discretion would be legendary if their circumspection wasn’t beyond reproach.

Insightful DM tips are dotted throughout the supplement providing advice on everything from bringing the Guild to life, getting the players involved to creating quests and sowing seeds in seminars and assignments.

Principles of the Courier

The creed and operation are clearly laid out with the golden rule being to “ensure that the package is delivered in superb condition by any means necessary” with an insistence that “teamwork makes the dream work!”

Tools of the Trade

Eleven new items with the rank at which the guild makes them available to its members are included to ensure the job gets done, from the “Telescoping Ladder” which reaches a maximum height,"50 feet” and “can even be used as a makeshift bridge to cross over gaps and difficult terrain”, a “Vault Rig...for you, your friend and the other guy who will eventually travel your path” allowing the installation of a magical vault that is opened with the Command Phrase “By Any Means Necessary”, the “Egghead Monocular”, a fancy eyeglass that “allows the user to chart or survey their locations accordingly”, “Arrow Driver Pitons” when, “perhaps a delivery chit requires you to deliver a document discretely to a young noble in a highly secure compound unbeknownst to the prying eyes of his controlling parents? Now, no one is saying that you should scale the walls of their villa, circumvent the roving security guards and climb into the noble’s private bedroom via his balcony, but… by any means necessary, courier”, and many more with storied origins.

The Life of a Dungeon Master & Their Mailmen

“To breathe life into an occupation otherwise treated thanklessly in a world of god slayers and dragon tamers is quite the endeavor. I have no doubt that you will hit the mark every time - even though some couriers need to be reminded of what can be done to help their fellow guild mates!

There’s always another package, always another path undiscovered…”

Random Effects Tables

Four tables of d10 random effects for Forest, Snow/ Tundra, Jungle, and Desert, with all manner of fascinating encounters, including getting attacked by awakened trees that are" timid and attempt to hide as a tree”, connecting with operatives from the enclave for assistance, natural hurdles to master like a “600ft tall vertical sand bowl that stretches about 1 mile around, and signs from previous PPP&L peoples such as finding a “ rolled up parchment in a bottle reads, “Rest here, you’ll thank me later.”...signed by a Niloc Dawnstrong” under a particularly restful spot.

Adventure Hooks

Thirteen well thought-out, wittily named adventure seeds with advice and hooks that link them to various official campaigns, including a number for Rime of the Frostmaiden, as well as Lost Mines of Phandelver, Dragon Heist, Descent into Avernus and Curse of Strahd, with appropriate rank suggestions are provided.

Glossary of Terms

This is seriously something special, crafted with love and care that will only enhance your game with an entire guild and so much more. It’s rare to see this kind of supplement that adds something whole cloth and made of such fine material.

About the Author

Ryan Hennessy has been roleplaying since before he even entered double digits. From text-based forum roleplaying to MMOs and JRPGs, it was only a matter of time before he threw his first d20. It just happened to be a little later than most during 5th edition. Now, his life seems to have taken a different turn, finally embracing what he’s always wanted to do – creating great content for great games. When not writing like an absolute maniac or hanging with his super cool family, he and his friends have finally decided to take the plunge by streaming their D&D sessions on Twitch via their group, Ante Up! Bringing an especially different take to the world of streaming D&D while attempting to keep to the fantastic source material of WoTC and Ed Greenwood, Ryan and his friends are going to be doing this for quite some time. Might be a good idea to say you bought his first supplement now?

You can find their stream at https://www.twitch.tv/anteupdnd You can reach Ryan at his email rdotwrites@gmail.com You can reach him on Twitter as well under the handle @rdotwrites.

Special Thanks Special thanks to Rebecca, my partner in crime and the one who pushed me to finally take the dive into doing what I truly care about. Anthony, my best friend, who constantly put down everything he was doing to review and edit whatever I put in front of him. My brother, Colin and my mother, Regina, who constantly cast bardic inspiration on me when I roll less than ideal in life.

A little monkey named Lola helped me with the Random Terrain Tables too.

If anything goes wrong or I get sued because of this supplement, you can reach out to the four of them.

Special Credit Everything realized from my mental state to the page formatted is thanks to the geniuses over at Homebrewery.

Thanks for making this dream reality for me.

The cover art was created by the magnificent JLODESIGNS. You can find his work here: https://www.fiverr.com/jlodesigns?source=gig-cards

The Palms Passing Logo was created by the great USAMASALIM. You can find his work here: https://www.fiverr.com/usamasalim

Any additional art sources were pulled from stock images and creative commons I believe to be copyright free. If I have made a big-time no-no mistake, you can reach me at my email REQUEST From conception to realization, this supplement has taken a significant amount of time and effort to design, write and produce. I respectfully ask that all readers refrain from making it available online for free. The only legal market place to obtain this content is the DM’s Guild, where for the price of an old school Blockbuster movie rental, you can access all the information within. If you have been 1337 and enjoyed this guide without paying for it, please consider being super chill, going to the market place and paying the author his due, so that he can dedicate more time to rolling dice and making killer content than punching in at his job. You all are the best.

COPYRIGHT DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademark of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for the Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Ryan Hennessy and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Master’s Guild.

Any distribution, reproduction or unauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast and Ryan Hennessy.

© 2020.

My affiliate link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/328724/Palms-Passing-Parcel--Logistics-Guild?affiliate_id=1507682

Wonderful module with a unique system and really well thought out lore and mechanics. The type of thing that will absolutely flesh out your homebrew or official world to feel more lived in. Looking forward to running a mini-campaign based soley around this concept!

For only 20-something pages, I'm shocked at how much content the author was able to pack into this add-on! The new items are built very well, understanding 5e mechanics well and I feel very comfortable inserting them into a current campaign I'm running. The supplement is super DM and player friendly and affords a ton of customization options for characters and even campaigns with it's lore.

Buy it, you won't regret it! :)

They said it couldn't be done... to transform a mundane task into the potential for fantastical adventure. This supplement brings a unique quirk to those who may not want to play the battle-hardened warrior or spell slinging adept. What I love about PPP&LG is the simplicity of it's convention. In a universe inspired high fantasy, it reminds us that... well... packages still need to be delivered across the Material Plane and elsewhere, courier!

Mr. Hennessy has developed incredible lore to facilitate the concept of the courier player character (PC). This supplement allows for much flexibility for the various DnD campaigns so that DMs and PCs alike can seamlessly incorporate the mechanics of the courier lifestyle into any setting. The inventiveness of the Prestige ranking system and magical items had me chuckling as I read through their descriptions. It is clear that this was written with a passion we all share for the tabletop roleplaying universe that we all love. Can't wait to discuss with my DM implementing this supplement for our next campaign.

This is a very creative work that does something with the factions mechanic that I have not seen anyone do. Frankly, Dragonheist should have done this...but they didn't! Ryan Hennessy did. This is well worth the the money. Check out my blog at Lord Matteus' Ancient Tomes and Wondrous Items for more on this wonderful game supplement. https://lordmatteus.wordpress.com/

Was just rolling up a new character... guess who’s making a courier next? What an awesome idea for a backstory, let alone a system to make him grow? Can’t wait to climb all over the world with this guy!

This is a great supplement that adds well designed and fully fleshed out Guild. I have to say I love what Ryan has done here. The supplement takes a mundane concept, a delivery service, and makes it epic. With excellent lore, a clear progression system, and plenty of plot hooks, this is a great product for any GM who wants a helping hand with world-building. You can pick up this product, read through it very quickly, and have a great Guild added to your world in no time.

One really great thing about the product is the amount of lore it has ready-made for you. It begins with history about the guild and its founder, the world climber (Spoiler: The founder came from humble beginnings and his goal in life was to become a noble. To do this he founded the Guild. The Guild was very successful but before he could become a noble, he died of a fatigued heart. This brought a tear to my eye). The supplement then goes on to describe the organization of the Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild in great detail. It describes everything from getting paid, to gaining prestige (which lets you rise through the ranks of the Guild), to courier rankings. It also details the courier code and lists several great ‘tools of the trade’. Tools couriers use to traverse the wilds and ensure their packages arrive, by any means necessary.

I absolutely loved the sheer amount of tools this supplement gives to dungeon masters. It adds random effect tables for travel. These are great and could be used even if you don’t have a player being a courier. It’s common knowledge that exploration is one of d&d 5e’s weak points. These tables are a great tool that a DM can use to spice up any bit of traveling that the party might be doing. It also adds loads of adventure hooks which is always great. Many of these adventure hooks come with ties to prewritten adventures, something really useful to DMs, especially newer ones.

I’m happy to say that I genuinely have very few critiques of the product. One thing that some will see as an issue with the product is that it does not follow the official WotC style guide. I don’t think this is a major problem, but it is something that does need to be pointed out. There are also a few grammar errors, a missing common here and there but nothing that makes the product hard to read. The one thing that I think a DM should be aware of is that if only one player becomes a courier it could be potentially problematic. For example, they may have to deliver a parcel in Waterdeep, but the rest of the party wants to go to Neverwinter. I don’t think this is ever going to be a major issue because the player could just choose to deliver parcels to where the party is going, but just something to be aware of. Another thing is that there are several more obscure terms used throughout the supplement (chit, yeoman, etc). The supplement comes with a great glossary at the back of the product, but someone might not realize this until after they’ve read through the entire thing. I think moving the glossary to the front would be a great idea.

As mentioned earlier, this product is an excellent tool to help with worldbuilding. Even if you don’t have a player be a courier, at some point a player is going to want to post something to someone. Now I know exactly where the player has to go and how much it’ll cost them. Really help makes the world feel alive and real. Another great use for the material within the supplement is to help create more detailed NPCs. By making NPCs couriers you give them more fun and interesting backstories for the PCs to learn about. This could in turn encourage a PC to become a courier. Then you can send them on fun quests exploring the wilderness!

So to conclude, this is an excellent product, ready to be picked up and plugged into your world with very little work from your side. I feel the only potential major issue is not adhering to the WotC style. However, I personally don’t mind so it doesn’t majorly affect my view of the product. The amount of inspiration that this provides is just awesome. It accomplishes what it set out to do extremely well and I feel it is reasonably priced at $4.99. 5/5 You can pick it up here

This is an amazing supplement in so many ways...I could go on and on, but I'll boil it down to my two favorite things:

1) First, as a DM, sometimes all you need is a little inspiration to jump-start your worldbuilding. This supplement provides that and more. It provides enough specific lore for a DM to build out their world, BUT it also provides the flexbility to adapt that lore to whatever setting the DM desires. The best examples of this are the random encounter tables. Sometimes, it can be difficult to brainstorm a large quantity of unique encounters by yourself. Every encounter in this supplement is unique and contains the perfect balance of detail and flexibility. I particularly love the forest encounter with the druid Erdan of the Emerald Encalave...what an interesting character! I can imagine so many different outcomes for his interaction with the courier! The encounters are detailed enough that the DM won't have to think too much about implementing them on the fly, yet they still offer enough wiggle room to adapt the encounters to the setting at hand.

2) The lore. Wow. Amazingly well-written. The author applies couriers to a fantasy setting in a way that makes the job seem surprisingly exciting, providing a framework for interpreting courier work as a unique opportunity for exploration and adventure. The guild can be implemented seamlessly in any setting. For example, one of my characters in an ongoing campaign had job from a client to acquire weapons in Oakhurst and send them to a location in Iriaebor. Palm's Passing would be perfect for this job, and I'll definitely recommend it to my DM. Situations like this occur quite often in D&D sessions. Now, instead of improv'ing a random traveler or merchant to deliver a package, you can put a courier from Palms Passing with interesting lore, history, and motivations into you campaign.

There's much, much more in this supplement, including new courier items and prestige ranks (both of which offer great flavor for a potential courier PC). There is truly something for everyone in this supplement, and it is clear that the author put a great deal of work and creativity into its creation. As a D&D player, I appreciate the author's hard work above all else and love to see someone create such unique and interesting content to help build the roleplaying world that we all love.

First, let me start by saying that this supplment is very unique. I enjoy race, class and magic items supplements as much as the next DM, but this provided some fresh inspiration that allowed me to enjoy D&D in a different way. This writer has a unique style and I'm interested to see what else they produce. The items here are pretty cool and the terrain tables are useful not just in the context of the courier's job, but can be transformed and used elsewhere.

Second, this supplement works well with beginner players/DM's as well as advanced players/DM's, which emcompasses pretty much everyone I know that plays table-top RPG's. The adventure hooks were the highlight for me as the DM, and I already plan on integrating Palms Passing into Avernus. There are a lot of new avenues to explore here, and this inspired me to create guilds of my own to flesh out the world my characters traverse to really provide an immersive experience like no other. Well done.

Ok, so let me just say that if you are looking for something new and exciting and an amazing direction to take your game play in, you've found it! The concept here is so cool and has so many potential directions to take it in. The creation of this new guild feels like an open door to so much more - I am so excited to play this with my group and if it goes as I expect it will, I seriously hope there will be even more content to come from this guy!! Really well-written and immersive. Loving this!