DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump $7.00
Average Rating:4.9 / 5
Ratings Reviews Total
2 5
1 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump
Click to view
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Sean H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/19/2024 20:00:11

What a wonderful adventure! I ran this at an AL public drop-in game last night, and my table had an absolute blast. Prior to running the adventure I was a little apprehensive. I wondered how the players would go considering this is an exploration / puzzle-heavy module without heaps of combat. I also worried about how I would play the timeloop and whether that would work out ok. I needn't have worried. Although the module does not have a lot of combat, the players were constantly busy. I don't think I have ever run a game with quite as much group collaboration at the table, as the players shared ideas, hypotheses and strategies at resolving the challenges. They were initially suspicious of Hrafn, but then at the end it all clicked into place, much to everyone's satisfaction. There was a lot of laughter. The players also really loved the rewards.

My tips for running the game:

  • Print out the handouts and pictures, as these are great for player immersion.
  • I printed the dungeon map in full colour at 1 inch square scale for minis. Yes, the players could see the whole map from the outset; the funny thing is it only added to their intrigue without really spoiling anything. It also meant that they interacted with the dungeon more like a sandbox space rather than a linear 'story'. They went back and forth between the various rooms to effectively solve the puzzles. Using minis also made it easier for me to adjudicate the results of some area of effect surprises ;)
  • Trust the author's warning about the danger this dungeon presents to Level 1 characters. One player had a level 1 wizard who went down four times ha ha

In summary, kudos for a really excellent adventure.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Roxanne T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/28/2024 09:27:07

I'm always looking for less combat focused AL modules and this fits the bill. The puzzles are interesting and at my tables have found them to be in that sweet spot of difficult and satisfying. First run they failed to solve one puzzle and managed to brute force their way through and were loudly dissapointed they couldn't solve it, proving even AL tables enjoy solving a good puzzle. The time taveling giant was especially interesting to my players. They were super excited to see him in the timey wimey room and seeing him alive and well again at the end.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Thank you for the kind review, Roxanne. I appreciate the feedback. If you don't mind sharing, it would be helpful for future designs to understand which puzzle caused them to struggle. I have a suspicion about which one it may be, but if you could let me know the room number of the difficult puzzle, that would be fantastic. Again, thank you. Doug
pixel_trans.gif
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Martine B. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/23/2022 16:40:26

Tldr: It's a great adventure! Don't worry that it's puzzle based, you'll love it anyhow.

I've always enjoyed puzzles, but have found puzzle based adventures to be lacking. This one does not. I've recently both played and DMed it, and both times have been smooth sailing with two engaged parties. I was a little concerned since a couple of the players were combat focused, but I needed not have worried, there was plenty for everyone to dvelve into and enjoy.

While the introduction in the dungeon can feel a little intimidating, once you get started, more and more pieces will be solved as you move though. The way through is far from linear, at the same time, it was easy to DM. It had clear references and the details were highlighted and clear. Everything in there is placed for a reason, though the players might not discover everything. Even so, the replayability as a player is quite low. As a DM, though, I can run this multiple times, and something different will happen.

There are some clues on how to run this:

  • Be clear. Be very clear on the objective and the important details. Make sure the players register those, and don't be afraid to repeat them if needed.
  • Don't say too much. Once the players have heard the details, they need time to think and discuss amongst themselves. Many are used to turning to the DM for confirmation, but here, the DM should say nothing until the party makes an action to attempt to trigger an effect.
  • Remind the players that it's all right to not solve everything at first glance. It's all right to return to a room later.

All in all a well built, well thought out adventure. Best of all are the wonderful reactions by the party, as they make a realization and goes "Aaaaah!"



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by BRIAN B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/14/2022 09:22:24

This is a phenomenally well done adventure. It was so entertaining to go through the puzzles and experience the story of this adventure. This is definitely an adventure that everyone should play at least once. A lot of 4h modules follow the formula of "intro, small fight, small fight, big fight" and this one is a beautiful change from that. Thank you for writing this module!

And that's just the base module: it comes with such beautiful artwork and maps to make it easy for DMs to run with this. Bravo, truly, bravo!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
DC-POA-DOBU-01-01, Beneath a Stony Stump
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Mitchell T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/01/2021 16:35:41

This adventure was a super fun puzzly dungeon crawl, a great change from usual combat slogs.

Disclosure: I was a play tester for this module With that out of the way this was an amazing adventure, very old school dungeon crawl in the vein of Blue Alley or White Plume Mountain. It's chock full of puzzles with new twists on classics like "one of always lies, one always tells the truth" and the author put a lot of effort into the puzzle clues, coming up with an entire poem, like Acererak's warnings from the Tomb of Annihilation, as well as visual handout with even more clues.

From a DM perspective, the module is really well written; there are many different solution paths outlined in the module that I had no idea of when I was playing through it. The rooms are well laid out, and there are convenient descriptions of how they interact with other rooms in the dungeon. There's also provided original art that isn't the stock art Wizards provides for most CCC/DCs, which is a really great touch. Can't wait to run this one once DC-POA rolls to historic!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 5 (of 5 reviews) Result Pages:  1 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates