DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Other comments left by this customer:
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
Animal Adventures: the Faraway Sea
Publisher: Steamforged Games Ltd
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2024 20:02:31

I wanted to like this one, I really did. I enjoy the Animal Adventures miniatures, and while the last book had a few balance issues, I thought this one would have enough people working on it to make sure it's more properly balanced. However, there are some major flaws I can't overlook.

First, the positives! The Faraway Sea expands on the world-building of the Animal Adventures setting, introducing several new species, a few new classes and subclasses, and a whole new area of the world to explore with its own history. It's clear that a lot of thought went into the setting, which can easily be slotted into most homebrew campaigns.

The book even provides guidance for factoring in reputation and rivals, a list of friendly or unfriendly NPCs, and a bestiary. It also has a few adventures that can be run as one-offs, which I haven't had the chance to run but could certainly grab if I ever need a quick adventure for my players.

The artwork is also lively and full of personality. Several different artists worked on this book, but they all did a fine job bringing the setting and animal characters to life.

Now on to the negatives. I mostly wanted to check this out to see what character options it provided, and while it does have plenty, they are in serious need of work and balancing.

I think the biggest issue comes down to scaling, or lack thereof. Some features scale well, like natural weapons growing more powerful as the animals grow. Others either start off way too strong and keep growing from there (like the bear having two attacks that deal 2d6+str damage per round at level 1 or the Tinkermage getting two 2nd level spell slots also at level 1) or just use a flat number don't scale at all (like the goat's "Troll Terror" ability and the fox's "Rodent Rations" being a flat DC 12 at all times).

Sure, I can make these work with a bit of tweaking, but it's unfortunate that these blatant issues got through in the first place.

As for the classes, there's the Tinkermage and the Watcher. The Tinkermage, sadly, feels incredibly redundant with the Artificer, as they pretty much do the same thing; what is an item augmentation if not an infusion by any other name? The specializations are also pretty much direct parallels with artificer subclasses, like the Armoursmith Tinkermage vs the Armorer artificer.

Also, as previously mentioned, it has two 2nd level spell slots at level one. That's kind of ridiculous; there's a reason characters don't unlock higher level spells until they level up.

However, there are some ways that make it different from an Artificer which I do appreciate. It has specific rules for crafting magic items, and the Expanded Lore adds more flexibility to its spellcasting. The Inverse Augmentation is also a neat way to debuff the opponent too. I just think it needs more ways to differentiate itself from the Artificer, or it could even just become an Artificer subclass with its unique augmentations turned into new infusions.

Then there's the Watcher. Obviously this is supposed to be a reference to the Witcher, and I'm cool with that. I have far less issues with it than I do with the Tinkermage, but once again, scaling and redundancies are a problem here.

For instance, you start off with a silvered weapon - just given the value of silvering a weapon, that's pretty crazy for starting gear. Then at level two it immediately counts as magic for overcoming resistances (a feat monks don't get for their unarmed attacks until 6th level, for comparison).

Watchers also get extra attacks at the same rate as a Fighter, up to four attacks per round. While they may not get Action Surge, this still feels like it's stepping on the Fighter's toes. And while there are some unique fighting styles available to the Watcher, I'm concerned about the scaling and balancing for some of them.

I haven't exactly gone over this with a fine-toothed comb, and I've already let this review go on for far too long. So tl;dr - It's a great concept and world, but the species and classes need a major overhaul to be balanced and scale properly. I wish I could give it a higher rating, but I hope my review is taken in the spirit of constructive criticism it's meant in.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Animal Adventures: the Faraway Sea
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
PS-DC-BINGO-1 Lorem Ipsum
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/11/2024 14:06:43

I know three stars can feel a bit harsh, but I hope this review is taken in the spirit of constructive criticism it’s intended in.

This is an ambitious adventure, aiming for philosophical and metatextual exploration while still making things fun and entertaining for the players. When I saw it described as an “adventure of modrons, metafiction, and the multiverse,” I thought it sounded like something right up my alley.

While I applaud the intention and thought that went into it, the execution does leave a bit to be desired.

One of the most important things for writing an adventure is making sure the information is clearly conveyed to the DM. They should be able to pick up the adventure, give it a read, and be ready to go. But as I was reading through this, there were many times when I audibly went “What?”

For instance, the first box text is presented not as a narration for the DM, but as a script. It also talks about phenomena surrounding the modrons, such as causality going awry, and doors suddenly sending the adventurers (or OUR HEROES as the module calls them every single time), but nothing is ever explained to the players.

The party is expected to “develop an affection for [the modrons], and cultivate a desire to protect and teach them about the multiverse and the various threats and mysteries within it.” How? Why? A good DM can certainly make the modrons endearing, but from the players’ perspective, they just suddenly find some lost modrons who ask for help, and then find themselves in random locations every time they pass through a door.

Apparently they’re supposed to learn lessons about free will and writing their own story, but I really had to nudge the players to that by having the modron ask them “What was the meaning of this?” each time they cleared an area.

The Unfinished Drafts is a great concept - I love the idea of exploring incomplete or somehow inverted versions of famous dungeons and adventures. However, they also feel random. At one point they go straight from White Plume Mountain to Le Morte d’Arthur, complete with the 15th century spelling of words - what’s the connection? What’s the lesson the modrons are supposed to learn from this?

At another point, a member of the Bleak Cabal guides the party to their Gatehouse. There’s no given explanation for this; no motivation, nothing to learn, no information about the Bleak Cabal or what their interest in the modrons is. They simply appear, give the party some items, and go on their merry way.

Then there’s a message written in the Tomb of Horrors draft that’s just in Latin, with no explanation. What’s the point? What’s it supposed to mean? It’s just there, if the players even bother to find it.

With that said, my players loved the order cancelation notice in the devil face, they got a big laugh out of that one. So props for that bit.

Similarly, I had a table of Dragonlance fans, and they recognized the “Knight and the Tower” scene pretty quickly. The only problem is, they had no idea how they were supposed to interact with it, and neither did I. Were they taking the roles of characters in the scenes? Watching from beyond? Interacting with the characters? The adventure says “there is no objective method to solve the scene,” but give us at least a little guidance on what this is supposed to look like; the Playing the Scene section helped a little, but not by much. And while I enjoy using various ability scores for skill checks, not all of the variations made sense. How is Charisma (Medicine) supposed to work when helping a blacksmith gain lances?

And then it just wraps up with “Okay, now that you’ve done all that buildup, you can choose your ending.” I get that it’s left intentionally undefined, but it feels so anticlimactic after the buildup, especially when it was presented as the players needing to guide the story towards the knight’s heroic sacrifice.

My players weren’t even sure what the point of the kobold scene was, when the kobold trying to cast Fireball was just complaining that he couldn’t. So instead of “eventually someone will kick things off” happening like the mod assumes, they just talked to the kobolds and politely asked to be guided out of the ruins. (I had the kobolds give them a guided tour of each of their traps, then asked for them to leave a review and tell their adventuring friends, because word of mouth is important for any good dungeon.)

Now, if this sounds like a lot of complaining, I’d like to reiterate that I do really like these ideas - the concept is great, it’s just that the execution is often confusing and in need of some editing. Looking at the credits, I’m not seeing any proofreaders or editors, and, respectfully, it shows. There’s a lot of areas where things could be explained better, given more detail, or just condensed to be made more clear.

For instance, you don’t need to tell us how you liken Sigil “to New Crobuzon in China Miêville novel Perdido Street Station.” That’s not helpful to anyone who hasn’t read it and, frankly, comes across as a little pretentious.

Keep it short. Keep it sweet. Keep it clear. I know you, as the writer, know exactly what you mean and want the mod to be like, but if it doesn’t come across to the DM reading it, they’re going to have a bad time.

With all that said, I still managed to work with it and my players had fun, but it was a challenge. Again, I hope this comes across as constructive as I mean for it to be. There’s a lot of great material, but without proper editing and proofing from a third party, it’s going to be difficult for DMs to work with.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
PS-DC-BINGO-1 Lorem Ipsum
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
The Fartherall Player's Guide - 5e
Publisher: Michael Mars
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/06/2022 12:27:51

Let me begin by saying: I hope you take this review as constructive, because while I will be pointing out a few problems, it's because I hope they can be addressed in updates and for the finalized printed product.

First off, this does a great job taking aspects of Fartherall, as seen in The Gamers and Journeyquest, and giving them all D&D mechanics. It's also great that some of the profits are going to support those series. As a longtime fan, I'm impressed by all the effort and thought that went into this. It's clear that a lot of work went into it, drawing from the material shown on screen as well as the published material that expands on the world.

With that said, it really could have used another set of eyes, because just perusing it I found several issues that I hope can be addressed before the physical copies get printed.

And I completely understand that there were a lot of difficulties along the way, including a Pathfinder-to-5e converter just disappearing on you. So none of what I'm about to say is meant to say "this book is bad and you should feel bad," just pointing out some things I caught while looking through it, because hey, these things happen and I hope this feedback can be of help.

  • Right off the bat, there's a typo where it should say "Welcome to Fartherall." It says "Welcome to Fatherall" instead.
  • The backgrounds as written don't match up with how 5e backgrounds work. D&D backgrounds are supposed to give two skill proficiencies, a tool or language proficiency, a background feature, and some starting gear. These ones either give one to two skills OR a mechanical trait and the starting gear, which makes them objectively weaker than existing backgrounds by virtue of what they lack. With that said, I do like how several backgrounds are race-dependant, creating more of a connection to the cultures and societies they come from.
  • Is the new class Alchemical Hybrid or Alchemical Demon? Because first the book refers to it as hybrid, then demon.
  • The Knight of Melancholy paladin refers to features, like an alignment aura, that exist for Pathfinder paladins and older editions, but aren't a thing in D&D 5e.
  • The concept of follower feats for deities is really neat, and I like it in theory. I'd just recommend giving the feats actual names instead of "First evangelist boon" so it's easier to mark them down on character sheets and recognize what they do. (But that's pretty minor overall.)
  • There are references to weapons that don't exist in 5th edition. For instance, the Sword of Ogre Decapitation is a bastard sword, which is just a type of longsword in 5e. Similarly, falchions are mentioned, but they're not specific weapons in 5e either.
  • Two Moon Elf requires having a score of 18 in an ability at level 1, which is impossible for anyone using point buy or standard array for stats, since those would cap out at 17 at the very most
  • Each of the races gives a +2 to two different stats, whereas 5e typically gives +2 to one stat and +1 to another. That's in addition to the Fartherall races just generally having a lot more racial traits than 5e races tend to get, even if it's average for Pathfinder.
  • I don't mind too much that there are a few races in here that are just different takes on ones that exist in the D&D player's handbook; they can be viewed as Fartherall-specific variants of the usual versions. But I'd suggest comparing them to their existing versions for balance; for instance, the Fartherall gnomes have a slower walking speed (20 ft vs 25 ft) but a WHOLE lot more abilities.
  • Dark Half-Elves have an incomplete section. Under "Seducer," it says "You also can cast the charm" and then ends right there.
  • Occasionally it'll refer to saves that don't exist in D&D 5e, like Will Save instead of Wisdom Save.
  • Just for the sake of organization, the list of spells under the certain keys should probably be a bullet list instead of just listing them out separated by commas. Easier to read and search that way.
  • Conjure Milk is missing the rest of its "At Higher Levels" text.

And that's just from a quick skim through. I think this could really benefit from another once-over from an editor who's experienced with the mechanics of D&D 5th edition, because you don't want this to go to the printer as it is. Still, I'm looking forward to bringing more of the Fartherall flavor to my campaigns, and if these issues can be fixed, I'll be beyond happy to change my review to 5 stars.

Again, while I am pointing out a lot of issues, it's not out of spite or to shoot this down. I truly hope that this feedback is helpful, because I want to see this book succeed, and I completely understand that circumstances beyond your control made things like conversion from Pathfinder to D&D more complicated than they needed to be.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
The Fartherall Player's Guide - 5e
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
The races are meant to be used entirely divorced from the standard 5e races and we're designed to be more powerful. I know that covers only a few points, but I will do my best to address the rest of them. Thank you so much for your review!
pixel_trans.gif
Animal Adventures: Secrets of Gullet Cove
Publisher: Steamforged Games Ltd
by Robert P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/23/2021 19:58:00

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, but I went with 4, because overall this is a good product. There are just several issues that I needed to address.

Let's begin with the good! First of all, I love the concept of Dungeons & Doggies and Cats & Catacombs. I've bought all the miniatures sets, and the designs are great. I like how they worked them in to D&D mechanics and a world of adventurers. The character types let you turn any kind of dog or cat into a proper character by use of the different sizes and racial traits players can choose, so there's some great character flexibility.

Gullet Cove itself is a location with a lot of thought put into it. Everything from the design to the setting to its inhabitants are well thought-out and developed, and there are a ton of great characters. I'm particularly fond of the Witcher-inspired dog.

Also, the artwork is fantastic. There are more than a few different artists, but every single animal that appears is adorable. I could just flip through, look at a random image, and smile.

The book also contains a few small adventures DMs can use to get their players invested in Gullet Cove. I look forward to running them as one-shots for my friends and building on this world.

Now for the criticisms. While it's great from a worldbuilding perspective, mechanically there are several issues.

Sometimes it's a matter of terminology, like talking about "tests" instead of "skill checks" or providing mechanical benefits for a skill check that doesn't actually exist in the rules as written. Sometimes it's just a matter of wording, like "nominating" a character to get advantage on a certain check instead of just using the Help action for one of those skill checks. While these are easily adjusted, consistency with the game rules is important.

There are also issues with balance. I feel like some of the race and class features were chosen with more of a focus on how they work thematically than mechanically. For instance, there's a cat racial trait that lets you add your proficiency to any charisma-based skill. So does that automatically grant proficiency in four skills (which is a lot for a racial trait just by itself), or if you're already proficient does it add the proficiency again, like Expertise? What if you have Expertise in a charisma-based skill - does that mean you add your proficiency all of three times?

Similarly, there's a first level cleric feature that just grants advantage on all charisma-based skill checks. No limit, just infinite advantage at level 1. There is no reason for any and every bard to not take a single level in that cleric class to gain advantage on every single charisma check they make from that point out.

I'm aware that these are the same in the Dungeons & Doggies or Cats & Catacombs rules, but I had the same concerns when I read them then.

There are also a few magic items that need revisions. For instance, there's one or two that talk about using charges to cast spells but don't specify how many charges each spell takes. Others seem entirely underwhelming, like a sword with legendary rarity that... deals an extra 1d6 damage on every other attack.

So while I do like the D&D/C&C world, and Gullet Cove itself is very well designed, I feel like this could have benefitted from an extra set of eyes looking over everything in terms of gameplay, consistency, and balance.

I hope you do not take this as an attack on the book, because overall I like it and wish you success. These are just issues that I noticed and wanted to bring up so they can be taken into account for future work. I hope my feedback has been helpful.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Animal Adventures: Secrets of Gullet Cove
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL09-12 The Breath of Life
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robert P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/22/2020 13:17:51

I seem to be in the minority here, but I ran this adventure twice and both times my player enjoyed it greatly.

Keep in mind that this is a roleplay-heavy adventure. If you're the type of DM to just speed-read through the narrative content and try to rush into combat, this is not the adventure for you. And frankly, I wouldn't want to be a player at a table like that anyways.

The players will have to choose who they talk to, what they ask about, and how they pull off the heist. Be prepared to improvise - let them roleplay, bring the NPCs to life, and be ready to work with whatever plans the party comes up with. It's important that the players learn all the information they need, but in an organic way; don't infodump, but let them converse with the NPCs to get the info out of them. Knowing how to nudge players in the right direction without railroading them is important.

If you have a party that enjoys the roleplaying elements and planning out a heist, you'll have a great time. Be prepared for things to go wrong, then let the players respond accordingly. If they're clever, they can pull it off.

With that said, I still can't give it five stars due to the bonus objectives. The first one gives a debilitating story award that can only be avoided by making some major character sacrifices that no one would be willing to do, while the second is a chase scene, which I'm simply not fond of. In fact, it often feels like the price for any deal is too high for players to even consider.

With those issues aside, I still liked this module a lot. I enjoy adventures that are more RP-driven than combat fests, so this kind of adventure is just my style.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL09-12 The Breath of Life
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
NBDD01-02-DX Where Else Can She Be? The Expansion Pack
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Robert P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/17/2020 15:00:15

A fantastic (unofficial) expansion for the module. If your players haven't spent enough time around the Moonsea, or you've run Where Can She Be so many times it's getting old, this adds on some great new stops along the way that maintain the spirit and structure of the adventure. There are some gags in here I wish I'd thought of when writing the original adventure; highly recommend.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
NBDD01-02-DX Where Else Can She Be? The Expansion Pack
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-18 Turn Back the Endless Night
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/06/2018 20:11:11

Overall an enjoyable mod, with a few small hiccups.

First of all, I love the variety of options for the rooms players can encounter. It helps keep things fresh each time and lets the DM alternate between exploration, social, and combat as they see fit.

With that said, a few of the rooms were less than grand. I like the idea of the room with all the pools in them, but there's nothing that would possibly knock a player into one and no reason for them to touch any of them, just a bunch of floating rocks. Needs more of a hook.

As for the room with Ubtao's aspect of anger, he was a lot of fun to roleplay. Definitely enjoyed bringing him to life. But what if the players don't have any wishes, or they wish for something like a bunch of candy? It also needed to be made more clear that leaving there undoes all the wishes, otherwise jerk players may create some bad blood.

With that said, there were some great ones too. Elisande is back and trying to get a giant goat? Now that's a great one.

I also like how the previous adventures do come into play in providing the players with tools they need to succeed, and how the time they take has a clear effect. Making everything a step in a lich's plan was good, and I was tempted to have him reveal the facade early on just to taunt the players with the fact that they HAD to do it or else the world would end.

The final battle against the Red Wizards is way too crowded, though, between the wizards, their multiple zombies, all the different ongoing spell effects to remember, the teleporting sigils, and the damaging glow each round. It got bogged down by all the various things to track. (And I know the maps are really just there as a guideline for the DMs, but boy is this one just sketched out.)

Fighting Dendar is great, though, if the players don't seal the gate in time. It definitely made them struggle, moreso than previous challenges too. So even if they don't seal the gate in time, they're gonna have fun.

Lastly, I feel like there should have been a better reward. Best-case scenario, they get a magic item and a story reward that reminds them how they got used by a lich. Most parties will be permanently drained of at least a few hit dice too. There's a big sacrifice and they saved the world from ending, couldn't they get at least something more for their troubles?

With all that said, I did enjoy this adventure, in spite of all my critiques. It's imperfect, yes, but still provided a lot of entertainment for my players, and is a great conclusion to the season. So I hope my criticism feels constructive, as it's intended to be, because it's still good.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-18 Turn Back the Endless Night
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-17 Cauldrons of Sapphire
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/17/2018 02:23:17

One of the better tier 4 modules I've run. The fact that Dagon is the boss is a fantastic addition, and he gave my players a run for their money even at their levels, so that's always good at higher level play.

If the players know or figure out how to bypass most of the encounters, they'll clear it in well under the four hour timeframe; my players got it done in two and a half at most, thanks to plenty of Greater Restorations and the occasional bribe. Though I did find that the encounters that are easiest to bypass are also the ones they'll bother fighting because they can clean them up so quickly.

I mean, we have adventurers who can and have stabbed gods in the face, a few Nalfeshnee mean nothing to them.

But the saves and skill checks were high enough difficulty to give them some trouble, and the stacking exhaustions were pretty nasty. The final battle also proved fittingly epic, with Ubtao granting them a magic item to battle against Dagon.

Fantastic choice for a magic item, by the way. I made sure to print out a high quality cert for my players just because it's that worthwhile.

Overall, good challenges, good mission, great magic item and final boss; the only thing keeping this from five stars is the lack of threat from the 3/5 of the demonic forces to encourage players to think smart about bypassing them. But this is definitely a worthwhile t4.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-17 Cauldrons of Sapphire
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-16 Pools of Cerulean
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/23/2018 01:35:02

It's a pretty linear adventure, with a simple concept. As far as the overarching tier 4 story goes, it's another step ahead with no shocking twists but a good build towards the eventual conclusion.

However, the challenge levels are simply too low for any tier 4 party not just hitting their stride. A large quantity of low-challenge saves (banshees, heat exhaustion, etc) can't compare to a few high-challenge saves, and with a paladin or two in the party, the DCs are negligible. Similarly, most of the combat encounters don't take much time or effort at all; even the final boss wasn't all that high a challenge; if they roll low on the initiative, they're pretty much dead in the first round if the players drop some high level spells on them.

That said, the way the corruption causes mutated creatures to attack is neat, and some of the environmental challenges are decent. If the players DO get into combat with the bosses without getting an early kill, it could be more fun (watch out for those 20s).

Not the worst tier 4 adventure, but still needs to work on providing more of a challenge. Still, it works as far as the story goes.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-16 Pools of Cerulean
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-15 Streams of Crimson
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/13/2018 14:12:35

This was my first time running a tier 4 mod, and after experiencing the crazy way players can overcome obstacles in tier 3, I went in a little nervous, but left feeling pretty pleased with how it went.

The dungeon itself is pretty straightforward, but being able to dip in and out of the ethereal plane made things more interesting for the players, who'd search each room twice. Not too much in the way of obstacles, but the combat went well enough.

Turns out Polymorph + Divine Word can be a really scary combo.

The Orrery proved more time-consuming than challenging, but the golems being healed each turn still added a good level of challenge and urgency. The save DCs for the other effects were a bit low, though.

The Red Wizards have some cool abilities, and the Thayan Knights give them more survivability, but in the end they still died really quickly, since the players were smart enough to focus-fire and had three characters capable of counter-spelling. But while they died too quickly, the true final boss gave them a run for their money, thanks to how quickly it can eat them.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with how my first foray into tier 4 went with this mod.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-15 Streams of Crimson
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-14 Fathomless Pits of Ill Intent
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/21/2018 21:13:09

A few spoilers ahead.

Overall a good adventure to wrap up the tier 3 series. Plentiful traps and a decent boss fight, plus I could finally put that Beholder mini to use. A few thoughts:

  • Some very fun traps in there. I feel like the gravity-reversing spiked ceiling one needed a little more explaining as to the order in which everything goes off and what triggers it, but my players found a way around it anyways.
  • The riddles were really not tricky at all; I could figure them out before I was even done reading them during my prep.
  • It's good that things were placed far enough away that Mage Hand couldn't reach it, but players who can fly and cast Mage Hand had no such difficulties, which I suppose is fair
  • Nice lair and legendary actions in the final fight; actually killed a player with the lair action, so that's fun.
  • Loved the Portals. 'Nuff said there.

Definitely one of the better tier 3 mods this season. Good job!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-14 Fathomless Pits of Ill Intent
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-13 Old Bones and Older Tomes
Publisher: D&D Adventurers League
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/16/2018 22:09:28

When the mod recommends you read through and prep thoroughly, it's not kidding. This is one of the more complex adventures to come out this season, and the first tier 3 to actually take the full four hours, if not more.

Some of the puzzles and traps are rather good, taking a little clever thinking to figure them out. Although the players might need more of an indication that they'll have to find the books first then go back to the lower floors, and that they can't leave until everything is disabled.

One thing it could benefit from is a little flowchart of what the players will need to do in what order, for the DM's sake to guide them properly. Otherwise it might be a bit unclear at first.

Overall, though, it posed a good challenge to my players, and nearly even got them a TPK from too many traps before combat. Which is good.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-13 Old Bones and Older Tomes
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL00-04 Winter's Flame (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/19/2017 13:41:57

Overall, a fun, holiday-themed adventure. It's mostly roleplaying a skill-check heavy, but the one combat encounter it has really packs a punch against lower-level characters. And since it's free, I absolutely can't complain; it's a great holiday gift from the AL team, so thank you for that!

A few pros and cons:

Pros:

  • The narrative really sells the holiday theme, even in Chult. The characters it introduces are likable, and the description of the Snowmens' uniform is an amusing touch. I love the lumps of coal acting as animated rocks, as well as Slab's friendship with Smoll.
  • The Midwinter games provide plenty for players to do outside of combat, which is always appreciated. They offer a wide variety of skill checks, so pretty much everyone will be able to do something.
  • Common magic items, yay!

Cons:

  • Could have stood a bit more proofreading. We're supposed to narrate "as the characters pass through the gates," at one point it asks for a Diplomacy check instead of Persuasion (which, I admit, I still sometimes ask my players for; I blame 3.5 and Pathfinder)
  • Feels a little like an extended cutscene at times; DMs who or those with players who dislike lengthy narrations may want to abridge a lot of it.

Other: Setting a Midwinter-themed mod in the tropical Chult is an interesting choice; one would typically go with a northern, frozen town, but it makes it work. Good job tying the holiday theme into the current AL season!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL00-04 Winter's Flame (5e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL06-02 The Redemption of Kelvan (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/15/2017 03:14:19

Spoilers ahead

I was hovering between three and four stars, but I decided to go with four, if just because it gives a lot of something previous mods have been lacking: actual puzzles.

One of my players described this as "the dungeoneist dungeon he'd ever dungeoned." That's because it's pretty much nothing but puzzles, traps, trapped puzzles, and traps with puzzles in them. One room leads to the other, and each one has a new puzzle to solve.

The difficulty varies from room to room, but some of them (particularly the one with the scrolls carved on the walls) need to give the players a little more in the way of clues for what they need to do; the few hints they're given are way too subtle, even if they can translate the Ancient Netherese clues. There were also many times when the players came up with a solution the mod didn't anticipate, and I honestly had no idea if it was supposed to work or not.

I like Kelvan as a character, and his way of talking made for some fun roleplaying; I ended up giving him a Russian accent, but that's neither here nor there. Except... "mwahaha," really? There are several more dramatic ways to shift to the reveal, rather than just bursting into the most cliched villainous laughter in the books. That's my only complaint about him, though.

Yet I must raise another point, as this is supposed to tie into White Plume Mountain, yet instead it really just connects to the Epic. That's all well and good if you get to play the Epic, but that's a pleasure many of us will never get to experience, thus making the whole story with Kelvan just... end abruptly. Other players experienced the Epic before this mod even came out, so they're playing it completely in reverse.

Of course, players will want to chase after him immediately into White Plume Mountain, but that story has nothing to do with Kelvan himself, and instead requires searching for three legendary weapons. The mod doesn't set up those weapons at all, nor the mission to retrieve them for the players' factions, so anyone who does try to play this as a lead-in to WPM will want to rush in after Kelvan and find themselves stuck in a completely unrelated adventure.

Overall, there's plenty that I enjoyed about this. I liked the Clockwork Wyverns, the rooms had plenty of nice puzzles, traps, and challenges outside of mere combat, and it's fine story-wise. There are just a few things that made this less than a five-star adventure for me.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL06-02 The Redemption of Kelvan (5e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDAL06-01 A Thousand Tiny Deaths (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Robbie P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/04/2017 15:35:05

Everything flows together well (the players didn't need any nudging by me to immediately follow the map and search for traps), and the quantity of kobolds plus their hit-and-run tactics are just enough to keep the players on edge and challenged without overwhelming them. Facing a boss with Fireball while in tier 1 can make the last fight dangerous for low-level characters, but I see that as a plus, so long as the DM doesn't go for a 2-turn kill.

The item it gives is a very nice one as well for tier 1, my players were quite pleased with it.

On the downside, the different cavern rooms did get a little repetitive; fight kobolds, they flee, search for traps, repeat. I'm fairly certain my players have had their fill of kobolds, winged and otherwise, though it does make perfect sense from a story standpoint, since it is a kobold's cavern, and I honestly can't think of how one would mix that up aside from the different types of kobolds it offers.

I'd have liked it to connect a little more to Forge of Fury, rather than "This is what happens on your way to it," since it is billed as a lead-in adventure.

Overall, though, it ran smoothly and my players enjoyed it, so as far as low-level mods go, there are worse ways to go.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL06-01 A Thousand Tiny Deaths (5e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 15 (of 18 reviews) Result Pages:  1  2  [Next >>] 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates