Fortunately, this module came in a bundle with some other useful content, but I found absolutely nothing of use with this module. Maybe someone else will, but I doubt it. The included information is essentially 10 goofy, childish, forgettable NPCs that a group might find at Candlekeep. However, none of them are any more compelling or interesting than what even a sub-par DM could produce in a half hour.

I also rolled my eyes when I saw that the authors wasted content space discussing 'safety' tools and included pronouns in the descriptions of the NPCs. Sorry, the people that do this are so incredibly tone deaf to the 'real' world it would do them a lot of good to get away from Twitter so that they might actually see that the bubble they live is no more representative of real life than the Marvel Universe is.

As always, Grim Press did a good job with the conversion but that's the only high point that I could find.

1/5

I think my expectations for this product were too high when I backed the Kickstarter because I found the material pretty basic. It's not bad per se, but it feel like something almost any half-decent DM could come up with in a weekend.

The layout is fine, there are scaling options for newer DMs, and the material is straightforward.

You could definitely do worse, but this is the definition of average.

I'm currently running a game that is entirely in the Underdark and, in my opinion, the region has always had a lack of creatures so the content of this supplement coupled with the the historical quality of Grim Press' products made this an auto-purchase for me.

I wasn't disappointed.

In fact, it exceeded my expectations. Because, to be frank, I didn't thoroughly read what the product offered. So, I was quite surprised by the sheer size of it (~250 pages) and the fact that magic items (appropriate to the creatures they're embedded with) are sprinkled throughout the book. However, as many of us know, it's not particularly difficult for a creator to throw together a bunch of uninteresting, unbalanced stat blocks, but Grim Press didn't do that. The vast majority of the creatures are interesting, balanced, and cover a wide spectrum of combat ratings. Lastly, the artwork is fantastic.

In sum, if you are (or plan to) run a game that sets foot in the Underdark, you'd definitely find a lot of use in this product.

Lots of content, some good, some fair, some poor. The biggest issue is that too much of it is unbalanced as is often the case for 'homebrewed' content. Though there are strong pieces, much of the art is overly-cartoonish, whimsical, and poor. I'm sure it appeals to some, but it's not my style. Some of the optional rules are interesting and could spice up a table looking for a slightly grittier 5e game. Despite the obvious talent, time, and hard work put in to this project I simply cannot get behind it.

So, so many of us are completely done with having politics and activism shoved down our collective throats through games. TTRPGs are an opportunity to get together with friends and escape the drudgery of reality for a few hours. The last thing we want is for it to turn in to a lecture. The "awareness" mantra is absolutely laughable. Who, in 2022, isn't aware of the message that BLM (and similar) organizations preech?

Lastly, I refuse to support an organization that has absolutely no accountability. Each week, more and more stories are coming to light about how BLM has stolen the vast majority of the tens of millions of dollars that have been donated. Furthermore, the watch dog groups that rate non-profits give BLM a failing grade. Don't take my word for it, investigate it yourself. As of March 2022, BLM has 60 million dollars of completely unaccounted for donations.

It's your perogative if you want to support corrupt organizations, but I refuse.

I want to write a comprehensive review, but there's honestly just too much to cover so all I can say it read over the description and after doing so, understand that there is an absolute mountain of information in each of the categories which gives DM and players A LOT of content to add to their games. The price tag may seem a little high for the platform, but it's genuinely worth. Not only is the amount of content enourmous, it's also well thought out and written.

If I have anything negative to say, it's that I'm not sure what this product contains in relation to the authors other products. In truth, my comment isn't really negative. In fact, I want more of the author's work, but I don't want to purchase something I already own so more clarity would be extremely helpful.

If you're a Fantasy Grounds DM that enjoys creating your own NPCs or monsters, you're doing yourself a disserice if you don't buy this extension. It saves A LOT of time buy allowing you to effectively fill-in-the-blank for your creatures. Futhermore, it will allow you to use monster templates that will do most of the work for you if you only have a few tweaks that you'd like to make to an existing monster. 5E Giants are a great example. As written, they're pretty boring, but with this extension you load the Giant template of your choice, make a couple changes, and voila, you've got the much more interesting Giant to use in your game.

I've been using this extension for months and it's absolutely amazing. However, when used in conjunction another extension it becomes absolutely next level by allowing me to have NPCs that 'drop' their treasure when they die.

Furthermore, Troy is a great guy who strives to continually make his work better and better while also taking care to resolve conflicts that arise through Fantasy Grounds patches or issues with other extensions.

I love the Al-Qadim setting from D&D 2e and I couldn't wait to purchase this once I saw it released. Not only did I buy the Fantasy Grounds version, I also bought the hardback and I can't recommend them enough. Traditional European fantasy settings are great, but if you're a fun of middle-eastern-based lore and adventuring in the burning sands of vast deserts, exploring the tombs of ancient god-like pharohs-, freeing the oppressed from warmongering tribal leaders, and interacting with many of the classic, celebrated creatures like the Djinn, this is the product for you. The book is filled with lore, class options, creatures, incredible detail for many cities in the region; including politics, trade, etc.

If you love(ed) Al-Qadim, you'll love this! It can definitely be used to expand on that line of supplements.

5/5 stars!

I'm a huge fan of Jarlaxle, and to be honest, that was enough to get me to purchase this supplement, but WOW...I'm glad I did. I'm currently running a campaign in the Underdark and the information inside fit perfectly alongside what my players are experiencing. However, it's not exclusively for the Underdark; it's 120+ pages of class options, magic items, spells, hazards, and geographic/lore information.

The work is on par with the professional level stuff you see from big publishers.

5/5 stars

At some point when players get to the higher levels, they're going to want to build a Keep, a Temple, run a Thieves guild, or even rule over a kingdom. Unfortunately, none of WoTCs official material really covers any of that. Thankfully, this supplement provides a ridiculously in-depth framework for all of that.

The supplement is well laid out, informative, and easy to follow/understand. If you and your players want this type of gameplay to your table, you won't go wrong with Balduran's Guide.

5/5 stars.

First, I'd like to say that JVC (the author of this work) is a fantastic writer. That said, Dragon Relics was originally several separate modules, but those modules have been seemlessly pieced together to form a classic, epic campaign adventure.

I don't want to spoil anything, but if your players love Dragon-centric adventures, you won't regret this purchase.

5/5!

This review is 100% honest and unbiased. I only point that out because I want people to not miss out on this supplement because it is truly one of the absolutely best supplements you can add to your game. Non-magical weapons and armor in 5e leave A LOT to be desired. Once your character buys his/her chain mail and longsword, bang, upgrades are over until you get lucky enough to find a magic weapon and/or armor, but this supplement changes ALL OF THAT. The Armorer's Handbook offers a TON of additional non-magical properties that can be added to weapons and armor that improve them significantly. Not only do you not have to rely on getting lucky with loot, this handbook also makes skills like blacksmithing, weaponsmithing, armorsmithing, leatherworking (you get the idea) FAR more interesting and valuable to your players.

The supplement is about 50 pages long (the PDF version that is), but there is no wasted space. It is packed with information and it is absolutely one of the very best supplements available for D&D 5e. My players would lose their minds if I decided to stop using the optional rules inside.

Buy it, buy it now. You won't regret it.

Are your players getting a little tired of combat or just not in the mood to interrogate an NPC? Well, if you're like me and not fantastic at designing cool puzzles or interesting non-combat situations, then this supplement is for you.

Your players will be excited to be challenged in different, but interesting ways. I've used several of the scenarios in my game already and my players have loved them, but I never plan on telling them I didn't come up with the content on my own!

If your players are interested in harvesting monsters (what player doesn't want to take a Dragon's scales, teeth, claws, blood, etc!?) and crafting magic items and/or consumables with the items they harvested, then you need this supplement! I have the first three or four pieces of the 11 or 12 that exist and as my budget allows I plan on buying all of them.

Seriously, this adds another layer to the game.

I mistakenly purchased this thinking it was for Fantasy Grounds but, despite the error, I absolutely love this pdf. The art is fantastic, the creatures are challenging and interesting, and the layout is great.

Great work! 5/5 Stars!!