TASHA’S CRUCIBLE OF EVERYTHING ELSE Vol. 1 Brought to you by QL Games

This is my short sweet first take placeholder for when I am able to get into this more thoroughly.

“Tasha’s Crucible of Everything Else is a massive collaboration of over 25 talented creators, a two-volume product that delivers new subclasses, spells, items, Dungeon Master tools, races, and creatures ready to be used in any campaign.”

This truly is a crucible of EVERYTHING! • 30 Subclasses over 13 Classes • 29 Spells • 53 Magic Items • A plethora of Dungeon Masters Tools and Variant Rules • A New Expanded Backgrounds System: Preludes

There’s just too much here to for me to do justice right now, but it’s freaking epic, bloody beautiful and one of the most exciting projects I’ve seen in a while!

There are so many incredibly talented creators coming together to make a supplement crammed with so much of all of their awesomes that Tasha’s gonna need a bigger cauldron! 28 fine folx on the design team with playtests on six continents, which is mind-bogglingly impressive!

Tasha peers at someone unfortunate enough to stumble upon one of her arcane ceremonies on Rodgers’ (@TatteredDemalion) gorgeous cover that truly conveys the talent, beauty and professionalism bubbling away in the melting pot of a crucible of a cauldron. This book holds a 17th level created bonfire of a candle to the official Wizards release!

Credits Lead Designer: Andrew Welker Design Team: Mason Barnes, Zavier Bates, Jordan Carmichael, Nathan Doyle, Miłosz Gawęcki, Joe Gaylord, Heath Harris, Matthew Jarmak, Sean Lantz, Brandon Martin-Sinkus, Jesse McNamee, Mike Olson, Iam Pace, Taron Pounds, Valentin Prévost, Michael Rollins, Wyatt Trull, Anthony Turco, Tyson VanOverhill, Joseph Vargas, Sean vas Terra, Diana Voyer, Stuart Watkinson, Andrew Welker, Baden White, Caleb Willden, Landon Zea, Christian Zeuch Major Contributors: Zavier Bates, Joe Gaylord, Heath Harris, Matthew Jarmak, Taron Pounds, Valentin Prévost, Michael Rollins, Anthony Turco, Stuart Watkinson, Andrew Welker, Baden White, Caleb Willden, Landon Zea, Christian Zeuch Editor: Andrew Welker Assistant Editor: Landon Zea Art Director: Andrew Welker Graphic Designer: Andrew Welker Layout Consultant: Taron Pounds Layout Template Designer: Taron Pounds Cover Artist: Emmy Rodgers (You can fi nd more of her work at www.tattered-demalion.tumblr.com or on her Instagram page, @TatteredDemalion.) Interior Artists: Andrew Welker, DMs Guild Creator Resource Art Packs, Public Domain Version: 1.0 (November 2020) Special thanks to the dozens of playtesters whose feedback made this product more fun at every turn.

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/335830/Tashas-Crucible-of-Everything-Else-Volume-1?affiliate_id=1507682

Monsters of the City: Sin’s & Virtues by Andrew Cawood (@cawoodpublish)

I came upon the ‘Monsters of’ series with Monster of the Underground (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/290974/Monsters-of-the-Underworld?affiliate_id=1507682), which I relished reviewing and got me hooked on the series, after first getting to grips with Cawood’s work through his Treasure Hunts (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/287659/Treasured-Finds?affiliate_id=1507682), which I remember, get this, while waiting in line at the post office – like actually outside of the house with people (it’s been a long, long time grounded for many of us in the at risk category)... What am I talking about? How I never go into town, I mean city anymore – now we’re back in business! Monsters of the City (MotC) continues this wonderfully, original and inspiring series full of wonderful expansions of the familiar, the finest picks from myth and folklore and swathes original oddities with all new for monsters us to want to hide in our homes or run away to the country, because there are monsters in them there city! So when I saw the Kickstarter go up I couldn’t have backed it more quickly or been more excited to get my paws on this!

Introduction The Introduction opens on discussion of the City, these “worlds unto themselves” in adventures with an impressive amount of evocative portrayals of polis in one paragraph.

Game Master Advice An efficient breakdown of the different kinds of questions and situations DMs may face running a city, from purchasing a meat pie, mercenary or mansion to considering the local history and lighting situation in the avenues and alleyways, as well as some great Traditional Population sizes of small, medium and large conurbations. Did you know, “a square mile of settled land will support about 200 inhabitants”? That’s a fascinating factet.

Sins & Virtues A really cool concept Cawood has included in MotC are the personified legendary sins and virtues included in complimentary pairs at the beginning of each district section with the advice of using them as “powerful beings that influence the district through their minions”, having “a pair vying for control”, or running “a megacity that includes all of the sins and virtues.” However they are used, they are an awesome addition and inspiring NPCs to use in your games.

The Alliance of the Griffon Gemma Goldheart is a truth teller and member of the Alliance of the Griffon, a faction that unites characters from the previous Monsters of Manual. She is used as an example of how various elements can be pulled together to flesh out a character, including the Cleric Domain of Truth that can be found at the end of this supplement, along with the Paladin of the Heart.

City Adventure Hooks A whopping 40 adventure hooks are included from “the Alliance of the Griffon sends your party on a mission with the truth teller Gemma Goldheart” to the umbral urban “an unnatural darkness descends on the entire city” provide all manner of inspiration and jumping off points.

Districts. Monsters of the City is divided into seven districts from Castle District to the Sewer District, with the likely creatures and denizens, as well as the legendary sin and virtue found therein. Each district comes with relevant Themes, Authority, Factions, Landmarks, Stores, Inns and Taverns, Services and d20 random encounters.

Castle District This is the seat of power for most cities, home Pride, the “spiderlike” fiendish princess with devilish needles, and Humility, the humble, dishevelled celestial, as well as the unholy Anti-Paladin and Fallen King, along with all manner of courtly folk from Ambassadors of the classic fantasy origins, Friendly Ghosts and Armored Griffons, to the singular annoyingly foppish Royal Pain and the cold, calculating Sleepless Governess.

Wealthy District This is where the other half live, beside Gluttony, the oozing, multi-headed, cube birthing, demon, and the Celestially chilled, water-loving, Temperance, along with the flying food of Animated Feast, the gorgeous horseous, Daydream and the handsome hidden horror of the Rakshasa Lord, as well as among others, the glorious wordplay creations of the Duck of Many Things and Rich Lich.

Temple District This is where the pious pout and party, crashed by the apoplectic demon-rider, Wrath, and Patience always waiting in the wings. There is a veritable rogues and heroes gallery here, including the Cynical Sage of Old Age, wrathful Dracorians, Lost Souls channeling the Lost Boys, the outraged mob, sinister Red Robe and serene Saint.

Market District The eclectic, hectic hub of commerce presided over by the inscrutable devil, Greed, on his piles of gold, and bolstered by the joyous celestial, Charity. In the crowd you can pick out the demonic Beserk Butcher, the shameless Charlatan, the foul fey Death Scribe, the deluded ego of the Hollow Man,the terrifying killer in the kitchen, the Pieman, among others, and above them, watching the strange, stretched, shadow sentinels Stalker Walkers.

Docks District The docks are a busy district filled with the sights, sounds and, especially smells of the catch of the day and less savoury denizens. These poor, unfortunate souls have the intoxicating effects of Lust and the patient respect of Chastity. The docks are filled with all-manner of strange figures, from the famous pirate, Gray Beard, the tentaclular, aquarian crimelord, the Codfather, the schmoozing Handsome Devil, the enchanting gang-leader, Mesmerella, the famed adventurer and seeming amalgamation of David Bowie and The Shadow/ Darkwing Duck (but “Let’s get serious”, quite the opposite), Sirius Moonlight, and the bizarre conjoined undead, twins and needles with needles shooting out of one body and a bloody glaive the hands of the other.

Slum District “The Slum District is the poorest and the most populous area of the city. The majority of the peasants, the bulk of the population, live here” alongside the masked and demonically disturbing Envy, and the empathic wanderer, Kindness. Among the masses living in this district, the Anxious Apprentices, with their wild Spellcasting Chaos that could cause their spells to work backwards, turn them into a frog, or amongst others cause “the closest creature changes gender for a week”, which is somewhat problematic and something you would need to have an a firm understanding of your group and implementation of safety tools to even consider (might be best to re-roll this result), the terrifying fey Cradle Snatcher ripped from the pages of the darkest faerie tales, The Critic who holds a very real mirror to an aspect of myself, “a fraud whose outgoing personality hides [their] true self...an un-happy person caught up in the lives of others”, the Fagan-esque Lord of the Slums and our Truth Teller from the introduction, “vessels of wisdom” who teeter on the brink of being “profoundly present and genuine” and “taken over by ego”. The Slum District also houses the largest number of ‘traditional’ fantasy creatures with Goblin and Werewolf Spies, Satyr Brutes, among others.

Sewer District “The Sewer District is the most overlooked of any of the districts. The sewer system, catacombs, and other labyrinthian spaces make up the underground area”, home to the sorrowful sad hag that is Sloth and the-hardworking, toned Diligence with his utility belt of mediaeval tools. Other fellows of the flues are the enigmatic emperor, Cult Leader, the friend to rats, Druid of the Undercity, my personal second favourite creature and most loved work of wordplay, the Fowlbear (Press F to pay respects), the slacker, slothful sorcerer, Lothar the Lethargic, my actual most favourite creature, Quog, a society of a fungal humanoids who spit spores and look unbelievably adorable, almost like a combination of the fungi worm and madcap from Monsters of the Underworld, the “Underworld Boss”, the longsword waving, rat summoning Rat King, and the truly terrifying antithesis of the Easter Bunny, the Shadow Rabbit!

A sturdy city map clearly showing all the districts, free of labels, is provided to help make your own city.

Monster Lists The monsters are listed by challenge rating and again by creature type for ease of reference.

Player Character Subclasses

Cleric Domain of Truth “This cleric is born a truth teller. They are innately present and are wiser than most humanoids. High priests search the land for these blessed beings and help guide them along their challenging path. These clerics are destined to speak the truth and change the world.” These Clerics open themselves up to the world and see more and are wiser for it, allowing them greater awareness of the world around them, keener insights which they lend others and ultimately truesight.

Paladin Order of the Heart “This paladin has a deep connection to their heart and the collective heart in the multiverse. Everything they do comes from a place of love. These paladins are romantics, seeing beauty in everything. They feel their emotions intensely and act to make the world a better place.” These Paladins open their hearts to love, lending them greater awareness of evil and alignment, as they grow their crits also heal their companions and a loyal pegasus becomes their steed. Ultimately, those they call friend who fall before them have no fear of untimely death.

I...love these subclasses and that’s the...truth! But seriously, these add a lot of flavour and truly reward the pure of heart and mind.

City Events Tables Two d100 tables or city events are provided with all manner of events to spice up or inspire your games, from a “huge dragon flies by” to “a portal opens up”, to an “earthquake” or “tornado”. City Encounters and Location Tables A d100 table of creature/s from this book you might encounter is provided, as well a d100 city locations table from an “underground temple” to a “Wizard’s tower”.

From Baldur’s Gate to Evernight, Waterdeep to Akros, Sharn or any other urban environment and beyond, Monsters of the City has an absolutely phenomenal range of creatures, characters, districts, subclasses, seeds and locations that will flesh out and bring wherever your players are to life, as well as making up a colossal city full of flavour ready for you to put your own mark on and drop into your games!

A fabulous variety of over 100 creatures and denizens, as well as the individually inspiring characters and the big goodies and baddies to populate, inspire and add to your arsenal of intriguing challenges to set. Before your players!

Cawood’s writing and concepts continue to be truly inspired and Hanson’s art is spectacular as always, and with the introduction of McCaplin’s art direction and graphic design, the whole package comes together in a seriously splendid, aesthetically awesome and gosh-darn gorgeous supplement. This is by leagues the most professional and pleasing Monsters of Manual yet and I truly hope to see more of the Terrific Trio™!

I do feel the need to mention that gender roles, particularly with the Sins and Virtues, but also in a number of places throughout the supplement seem to conform to expectations, opposed to reality. I appreciate that these personifications, as inspired and tweaked as they are, are based on the archetypes of the original sins and virtues, but I do feel that in this day and age it would be better to move away from gendering such large and oppressive concepts, especially with those that reinforce stereotypes and misconceptions of femmes. This is something seek across the board with TTRPGs and D&D, shown most recently with Tasha of the Hideous Laughter, Cauldron of Everything and young girl’s sweet concept turned cruel, over-sexualised witch by Gygax, so this is not just a problem of this supplement, but the industry as a whole so I feel it is important for me to make my observations here, despite my otherwise thorough enjoyment of the supplement as a whole. A similar issue is also seen in the unfortunately named aquarian, Fishmongrel, whose name comes from the tongue-in-cheek wordplay seen throughout the supplement, combining fishmonger and mongrel, which does come with racial baggage when applied to a sapient humanoid/ amphibioid. Though, again, I am certainly not casting aspersions at Cawood and the playful use of language in this supplement, this is something we all need to be more aware of, especially when this character can bring to mind the decidedly racist Deep Ones of H. P Lovecraft’s Innsmouth.

On the whole I absolutely love this supplement thay absolutely bursts with flavour, inspiration and a whole toolkit of city splendours, urban delights and the darker underbelly.

I can never get enough of the Monsters of Manuals and I cannot wait to see what Cawood and the Terrific Trio™ do next!

Credits Designer/Editor/Project Manager: Andrew Cawood (@cawoodpublish)
Illustrator: Travis Hanson (@TravsTheBean) Art Director/Graphic Designer: Gordon McAlpin (@GMcAlpin)
Special Thanks to: Anders Aagaard, Chris Anderson, Sarah Bagshaw, Tim Broekhuizen, Toby B., Sarah Cheney, Leroy Dullemond, Justin DuPont, Oskar Eggertsson, Jeremy Esch, Nikki Ewart, Travis Fauber, William Hart, Keith Healey, Lucas Henderson, Jacky Leung, Sarah Mair, Susan Mair, Tim Mcdonald, Michael Mordor, Mittin, Daniel Niehsner, Montana Rosalle, Curse of Sebs, Frances Sinclair, Andrew Strobl, GM Tim, Doug Vehovec, Philip Vlummens, and Hanno Ziegler

About the Creators Andrew Cawood has written Monsters of Feyland, Monsters of the Underworld, The World of Myrr, and many other RPG books. Andrew lives with his wife and daughter in Vancouver, Canada.

Travis Hanson is an Eisner-nominated illustrator and the creator of the RPG comic Life of the Party, The Bean, and many other games and books.

Gordon McAlpin is a Filipino-American book designer, illustrator, and animator based in Somerville, MA. He wrote and illustrated the comic strip Multiplex from 2005 to 2017, after which he launched the award-winning animated web series Multiplex 10.

My Affiliate Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/327314/Monsters-of-the-City?affiliate_id=1507682

It Sleeps Beneath the Waves by Isaac Mandagie (@IsaacMandagie) & Cita A F (@dancingberry)

Content Warning: Suicide, Body Horror, Injury to Eyes, Sanity Mechanic, Infection, Deep Water Exploration & Narcosis, Teeth Falling Out

It’s freaking The Thing and Dead Space on a boat in D&D!

A nautical adventure with alien terror for 4th level characters. “Fortune’s Death was once known as one of the most infamous pirate ships/crew in the Sea of Swords. But things have changed since the death of her former captain. Now, in order to quell the unrest among the crew and bring the ship back to its former glory, her current captain leads them to the Trackless Sea, after receiving information about a treasure that might lie under the sea.

Too bad that YOU and your fellow crew members know only the surface, not what sleeps beneath the waves.”

First of all, I have to say how much I love Cita A F’s stylish and decidedly creepy cover with the mutated hand reaching out of the water as it to wave a flag for the cosmic horror coming your way (or rather nautical fantasy cosmic horror). From first seeing the covers of Mandagie’s When Madness Calls (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/322189/When-Madness-Calls?affiliate_id=1507682) and Cita’s I Wanna Go Home (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/322184/I-Wanna-Go-Home?affiliate_id=1507682), I’ve marvelled at her talent and range. With And When the Dogs Start Barking (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/327449/And-When-The-Dogs-Start-Barking-An-Icewind-Dale-OneShot?affiliate_id=1507682) from the Power Couple™ things went into some dark slasher horror vibes, but the artwork in here takes it to another level with beautiful busts of the characters, cosmic eldritch monstrosities and body horror that would make Cronenberg and Carpenter blush...and exploding eyes! These two make gorgeous, disgusting, beautiful, strange art together!

On the inside cover, the creators include an important note regarding safety tools with links to the TTRPG Safety Toolkit (https://t.co/qqth2hsWT0) due to the “difficult subjects and situations” included in this adventure. Frankly, the contents of this adventure are terrifying, horrifying and harrowing in the best of ways, but to make sure everyone has fun and can have to best time with it (or even not play it if the subjects involved wouldn’t be enjoyable for them), everyone needs to feel safe with communication and understanding key.

Introduction

Adventure Background Fortune’s Death was a highly respected and feared pirate vessel out on the Sea of Swords. The crew lived well off their infamy, until their rival sea dogs on The Runner assaulted them. Unfortunately, Captain Marsh didn’t survive his injuries and appointed his first mate, Ash, to succeed him. This went against the usual captain selection by moot, which would have seen the far more popular boatswain, “Ade”, take the helm. Ash to took Ade as her first mate, but it did little to allay tensions building on Fortune’s Death.

Feeling the pressure for a big score, Ash has come across information regarding an artifact the previous captain referred to only as “The Horror” in the logs, along with stark warnings to leave well alone. Unbeknownst to anyone, this artifact is from a beholder ship from another world containing an “organism [that] has the ability to attach itself to any living creature and assimilate itself perfectly...”

Adventure Overview The adventure comprises three parts: • Part 1: From the Depths. The characters begin on board the Fortune’s Death and dive for the artifact, witnessing an “alien scene, that will make them question their decision and own existence.” • Part 2: Crawling In My Skin. Things turn to chaos as the truth of try artifact is discovered and the characters must find who is “real” and who they can trust. • Part 3: The Horror. With most of the crew transformed into horrors it is a fight for survival. Can the characters beat the creature or simple survive?

A range of hooks are provided, which include being part of the Old Guard having been part of the Fortune’s Death crew for a long time and feeling tension with the New Recruits, or the converse. Both of which give a great grounding in the drama and tension between the emerging factions in the crew. Another is to just be out for Fortune and Glory and themselves between a rock and a hard place, as “sooner or later, the character(s) neutral stance might need to change, as they have to pick a side.”

Character Secrets Taking inspiration from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, this adventure includes Characters Secrets as a part of character creation. These include, having a secret relationship and personal knowledge of the captain or first mate, being a greedy mole for another ship, having a need for a midnight snack (this one speaks to me), being an unashamed cheat, a strange Deep Calling that comes with some aquatic benefits and a certain gill-ty appetite, a runaway from a previous fray found home on Fortune’s Death again, and having a wee bairn waiting for you back at the harbour, if you ever make it back... I think these add a great deal of personality and roleplaying opportunities, as well as working well to “form mistrust among the characters, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia that is appropriate for the adventure.”

Chapter 1 — From the Depths “In this chapter, the crew of Fortune’s Death have set sail to the Trackless Sea to retrieve an artifact at the bottom of the sea. The characters are preparing themselves to arrive at the destination in less than a day. They eventually learn the nature of the artifact and its sinister origin.”

The chapter opens with a full overview of the Fortune’s Death, describing the 17 areas from the deck to the cargo hold with a brief evocative overview and relevant information, such as the potions of healing in the sick bay. The maps themselves can be found in the appendix. This is accompanied with a stunning bust of Captain Ash.

The Old and the New The adventure begins on board the ship where tempers are flaring between the captain and first mate. However raucous things break out, the sight of another ship is a welcome break in the tension. Or is it?

The Runner The previously rival ship is empty, save for the bodies of a couple of the score or more crew, troubling blood trails, scribbled warnings. This is a good place to find some goodies, sow fear and can serve as an introduction to the specific infection and sanity rules used this adventure.

I’ll discuss the sanity and infection rules when we get to the appendix.

Beneath the Waves Equipped with magical items and 10 x 50 ft. ropes tied together (which feels safe and professional) to make the 500 ft. descent to acquire the artifact, with risk of “raptures of the deep (also known as narcosis) and air toxicity.” Not only is there a set of saves at regular intervals as the effect of pressure takes its toll on the humanoid physiology (going beyond the absolute limits of 300 ft.), but there are two random encounters to roll with all manner of dangers, from poisonous jellyfish and curious giant octopi to sharks and a giant Jurassic freaking plesiosaurus! This may not be for everyone, but the suffocating, maddening nature of deep ocean descent, even with potions of water breathing, is handled fantastically with just the right amount of tension ratcheting. With anything like this there’s a chance to scoot by, but there is a chance for things to get really scary and weird, even before things get really, really scary and weird, but this is a glorious transitional part and introduction to true strangeness with mood and mind-altering effects coming from a ‘natural source’, before things get otherworldly weird (otherweirdly?).

I just realised I’ve been holding my breath the while time I’ve been writing this part!

From Beyond The artifact is discovered, along with a strange vessel and beholder skull. There’s a chance savvy characters can get a feel for the otherworldliness of the bizarre scene on the continental shelf, or even from a true glimpse at the organism within.

Advice and things to consider are mentioned throughout, including noting the crew that may step on trail of goo the artifact leaves when back on the ship, as these will mutate and warp into Horrors later on.

Chapter 2 – Crawling In My Skin “This chapter is a series of events that culminates towards Chapter 3 – The Horror. Treat this chapter as a sandbox, where the characters can go and do whatever they wish. Events will be triggered, depending on what the characters do and what happens before.”

Activities & Crew interactions This chapter begins with everyone having dinner and then gives the characters a chance to engage in various past times, before laying out the various named crew members with their busts and situations that arise, from Ash deciding to try Ade on the deck, Ade wanting Ash/ Marsh’s, the Boatswain wanting the slimy deck swabbed and more, before things invariably get weird when the crew starts transforming.

The crew are fascinating, featuring all manner of origins not regularly found in Faerun, but perfect for these inter-Planar sourced shenanigans. The Captain, Ash, is Tiefling, the First Mate, Ade, is human, the Boatswain, V’zarah, is githyanki, the Quartermaster, Barnabas, is giff, and the Cook, Beriel, is an elf. Each have a task or interaction that can play out during this chapter, depending on the characters’ affiliation and exploration, as well as having background, full personality traits and referenced or unique statblocks in the appendix.

The transformation is described in evocative and horrifically disturbing with a variety of elements from eyes popping from pressure to teeth clattering out onto the floor provided. This is full on body horror horribleness and I love it!

Advice on handling these initial encounters with the Horrors are provided, whether through combat or group checks.

Who Goes There? Now things have started to get strange and horrors emerging, tension will ratchet and previous issues will boil over, as accusations abound and the surviving crew and characters have to decide how to handle the situation. As with the rest of this chapter, the nature of this section is free-form and will be working off of things that have previously occurred and the secrets the player’s harbour.

“The Horrors are moving through the floorboards and the spaces between the walls. The Horrors will try to snatch the surviving crew members and take them down to be transformed with the artifact, until only the characters are left.” When it’s just the characters and prospective/ actual captains there’s a jolly ole blood curdling scream from the cargo hold.

Chapter 3 – The Horror “Chapter 3 is where the characters learn the truth about The Horrors and the artifact. The characters need to somehow destroy the dreaded “object”. This is where their trust, sanity, and fighting prowess will be put to test.”

The Cargo Hold Any Horrors slither away to the cargo hold to meld together, forming the True Horror...

Cita brings this nightmare to life in horrifyingly beautiful artwork. So many maws and eyes and teeth and tendrils and leggy arm claws! A mighty cacophony of twisted flesh and nightmares!

“...That shrieking. It pierces through your eardrums. Then the shriek turns to growls, as the abomination’s tendrils start to flail around.”

Conclusion Depending on the shenanigans across the adventure, the survivors (if any) and who did what, there are all manner of different outcomes the adventure lays out.

Failure, Due to Death of Infection If you all get deaded or fully become Horrors, you become one with the True Horror with your mind used to drive it on for Toril domination. This would make an epic follow up game where everything is awful. Imagine remixing other campaigns or adventures with True Horror.

Failure, Due to Insanity This is dark with implied suicide. I’ll talk more about the sanity rules, but this is something to handled delicately and respectfully.

Success, with Infection This is a really interesting and bleak possibility with some horrific surprises and hard choices. Potential for ramifications in future games.

Success, without Infection The ‘Good Ending’ “If the characters manage to destroy The True Horror and no one is infected, they successfully save the whole world from the infection of these otherworldly creatures.”

Ash Survived, Ade Died She gets out of the pirate life and becomes a fisher, living by the sea. “She might even invite a character whom she cares about the most.”

Ade Died, Ash Survived It’s a pirate life for Ade who starts a new crew.

The Fate of Fortune’s Death What becomes of the ship? Is it scuttled for safety and kept with no doubt about scuttling things still infecting it?

Appendix 1: Dramatis Personae This is a background, objective and full personality traits, as well as alignment, origin, statblock reference and pronouns for each of the five prominent members of Fortune’s Death’s crew.

Appendix 2: Creature Statistics This contains all 12 statblocks for creatures found in this adventure, including the three unique statblocks and various forms of The Horrors.

Appendix 3: Sanity Rules I first want to say that I understand there is much debate and strong feelings regarding sanity rules, and I do get it. In some situations and tables clear ableism and/ or making light and mocking mental illness can be found, even in the DMG. As someone who is neurodivergent and has experienced a variety of mental ailments (though I of course would never dream of speaking for anyone but myself), I believe this is something that can be tackled with care and a clear delineation between mental health and what I first saw E. R. F. Jordan (@ERFJordan) refer to as madness in her introduction to The Madness of Xoriat (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/304408/Madness-of-Xoriat-5e?affiliate_id=1507682):

“Though madness and mental illness share many traits, they are not the same thing. Madness effects...are supernatural in nature—the result of powerful psychic creatures altering the minds of those around them to further their insidious goals...madness and mental illness are not the same, and shouldn’t be treated as the same. A madness effect can be reversed by magical means, or through long periods of rest and introspection, and are the result of an evil presence in the world...”

Mandagie and Cita share sentiments with Jordan with their note preceeding the sanity rules in the appendix:

“Madness is a difficult topic to handle in roleplaying games. It can all to easily becomes a parody of mental illness and portraying it in a bad light. In this adventure, madness and mental illness are not the same thing, even though they share many traits. In here, madness effects are supernatural in nature, resulted by Far Realm influences. The DM should discuss with their players first if they want to include the sanity rules and madness effects to make sure they are comfortable with it. If they don’t, the DM should not implement the rules and simply ask the players to describe how their characters would react in the face of horrors, whenever necessary.”

I particularly appreciate the concession that sanity rules aren’t essential to play the game, with the players describing their reactions as an interesting compromise. This gives the control and agency to players not comfortable with sanity rules.

I would also note that I truly appreciate how open to receptive Mandagie and Cita have been to discussion regarding the sanity rules and including the needed discussion of the importance of safety tools addressing the importance of dealing with sanity mechanics “to depict the Lovecraftian horror elements” using rules “adapted (with several changes)” from Anthony Joyce (@Thrawn589) and Jeremy Forbing’s (@JeremyForbing) The Heir of Orcus: Verse IV (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/301681/The-Heir-of-Orcus-Verse-IV-CCCAETHER0201?affiliate_id=1507682).

These rules set uses “five levels of insanity”, which cover increasing instances: • Real-time (only happens during combat and lasts 1d10 rounds) • Short-term (lasts 1d10 minutes) • Long-term (lasts 1d10 x 10 hours) • Indefinite (lasts until cured) • Permanent (cannot be cured)

There are tables for each of these levels, which run the gamut from the regular conditions in combat through some perhaps too real symptoms that draw from obsessive compulsive disorder and the physical ‘ticks’, which I found a somewhat confronting blast from the past (and yet a reminder of how far I’ve come), to the form of quotes that act in the manner of new bonds, which are interesting, though “Hahahahahaha! Is it just me, or is it getting crazier? Hahahahaha!” may be a little questionable.

My feelings stay conflicted, though I do think there are interesting elements to explore and roleplay with these rules and effects. I’m still unsure of the correct nomenclature and rule wording we should be implementing to be appropriately respectful. This is an area being explored and the ‘best practice’ not yet standardised. However, with creators being open and responsive the conversation is hopefully moving forward. In the end it will come down to the DM and the players knowing and trusting one another, having honest and open conversation and the proper use of safety tools.

Appendix 4: Infection Rules This is another gradient rule that represents contact and infection of the Horror with interesting penalties and compulsions of the Horror inside, ultimately ending with an irreversible transformation into a Horror. There are means to attempt to contain the Horror with magic, with greater restoration being the only way to rid the infected, at which point “The Horror (using the crawling horror stat) springs out of the character’s body”, which is glorious and awful.

This is a diabolical rule set that adds to the drama and paranoia at the heart of this adventure. It’s just vitally important the players have fair warning and a fair chance to have some means to help themselves. It’s even more vital to discuss elements regarding infection with players to make sure this is something they are comfortable with during this ongoing global pandemic. With the possibility of unrecoverable, looming death, it’s also great to be sure players know their precious babies could become unspeakable horrors, and for the DM to have a plan for someone losing their character relatively early on. Perhaps they can take control of some Horrors to harass the party...

Appendix 5: DM Map/ Appendix 6: Player Map Some rather stunning maps of the various levels of the ship are provided.

Appendix 7: Magic Items The five items found within the adventure are included for reference. This is a morbid, monstrous delight that will be incredible amounts of fun with the right group and open communication. I continue to be amazed by the twisted brilliance of the Power Couple™. This really is a nasty, pulp, classic romp into the bowels of darkness and paranoid on the open seas, underwater and in the tendrillous, eye-filled mouth of madness! It’s freaking The Thing and Dead Space on a boat in D&D!

Acknowledgements Lead Designer: Isaac Mandagie (@IsaacMandagie) Creative Consultant, Editing, Design, Illustration, Cartography: Cita A F (@dancingberry) Map Assets: Dungeondraft Playtesters: Apoline, Rakha, Rion, Zubene “Thank you to Anthony Joyce for the suggestions and letting us adapt the sanity rules from his adventure module, The Heir of Orcus: Verse IV. Thank you to Thomas Tan for Deep Sea Diving DMsGuild supplement. Special thanks to our TTRPG and pop culture communities, The Archipelago and Rigor Mortis, for supporting our works.”

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/335420/It-Sleeps-Beneath-The-Waves?affiliate_id=1507682

Angela’s Deific Dictionary by Jack Weighill (@diceaveragejack) Content Warning: Spiders (Cornelia: The Court of Webs)

“Across the multiverse, one can find many that call themselves a god; most speak truth, but not all are known.

This book explores the mind of Angela, a powerful immortal and interplanar traveller who has spent much of her life moving across the multiverse, interacting with many a figure, some far higher than others.

Whilst the true number of deities across the realms is nigh impossible to determine, those of great import or intrigue have been well-documented by travellers; their tenets, dogma, faiths, cultural impact, and more. Such knowledge is stored within for your gain.”

This is a tome of gods and their artifacts staggeringly packed with lore and information, describing 20 gods in such detail and quality as to truly bring them to life with a layout and formula that makes this weight of knowledge accessible.

From Cornelia, The Blamed Lady, who “strikes her followers with brilliant ideas and bountiful luck, allowing them to climb from the lowest of depths to the highest of mountains” and counts fallen aristocrats who devote their lives and property to cultivating and feeding progressively larger spiders, to Wysra, Ink of Dreams, “a writhing creature, slithering in the darkness, drinking upon the failures and untruths of man”, through Deivial, Lord of Mercy and demon become god with a disparate set of sects and cults who are truly divided, Ethios, a former archangel turned “writhing mass of unknowable, twisting, screaming, horror” after a ritual to wipe out the lower planes went wrong, who did manage the impossible – an alliance of gods, devils and demons, united against the common cause of binding the Heart of Limbo before they could destroy EVERYTHING, and Pellaias & Luone, the lover-goddesses, kept apart for so long and now living out there beautiful, queer existence on the mountain, marvelling at the masterwork of earth and sky they created together, there are gods, sects for every possible setting, scenario or situation.

The Holy Formula “Each god holds a variety of truths, all of which up for interpretation for the mortals that worship them. These are represented in the following ways” Each of the 20 gods follows this same layout, which makes referencing them and getting to the pertinent information, so much easier, while also allowing for an incredible wealth data and flavour to be included without drowning the reader in walls of impenetrable text.

This formula is broken down in great detail with examples in the beginning, but I didn’t think it was fair to copy great swathes out, so I have paired it back with some smaller quotes.

• Name and Title/s: Some have multiple with titles often revealing “what those worshippers truly see in their deity.” • Symbol: A pictographic representation of the deity/ icon of faith. • Domains: The main domains the god represents, which influence the bulk of their Clerics. • Alignment: The oft-ignored aspect in 5e with this insight on trying to get your head around it; “Much alike to mortals, alignment is not concrete in the gods, and is more of an ever-shifting spectrum than a concrete categorisation.” • Description & History: The nature and story of the deity, “[describing] the most important aspects of the known nature and history of each god contained within.” • Dogma: The general vibe of the faith or “mantra of aspects that the god in question embodies.” • Tenets: The holy word and law, “direct commands” from on high. • Allies & Enemies: Many find themselves in accord and discord, with “certain ideologies of gods and mortals” presented as aligned or against the deity in question. • Sects & Cults: The deity’s faithful. This is broken down further into: o Aliases: What the faithful call themselves, often with “one or more colloquial names spoken in passing by the general public.” o Alignment: “Organisations, unlike a single person, are very rarely bound to a single alignment, even tenuously.” o Prominence: The five point scale of “how well-known a faith is within a given area” or how actively secretive and hidden they are, from Common to Cabal. • Holy Days: The significant days of worship with the approximated Date, Décor and symbolism prominent on those days, the Purpose of the Holy Day, and the Traditions observed. • Champions: “What the god looks for in their champions,” along with an example of a significant champion of the deity. • Artifacts: The Holy toys and magic items most likely to be granted by the god or significant to their faith. In Part II there is a major artifact for each of the 20 gods included.

The fabulous helicopter views of deities and their faithful are accompanied by the insightful, inane and blind-sidingly foul-mouthed interjections of the eponymous Angela, which provide anecdotes and asides from the seer’s unique perspective. Additionally, a number of Sidenotes grant greater insight and explanation of elements mentioned in the main text.

Part II: Artifacts of the Gods Deific Artifacts “Artifacts shown below are powerful relics of an ancient past when the gods walked the earth. Each deity has an item of their own example artifact listed.” This is a staggering list of unbelievably powerful items, one for each of the 20 deities, from Stridas’ Aegis of Algidity, a “massive shield appears to be little more than a rough hunk of ice chiselled into the rough shape of a shield, yet it hides a grand power bestowed upon it by the frostwarden himself” with a sad history of Sacrifice to Whites and, created by a forgotten follower of Jirus, a “gorgeous silken shawl is embroidered with golden threads and pearl beads, speckled as if laden with sand” and my favourite being, Tome of a Thousand Lies, “A corrupted book of fate and knowledge, the tome of a thousand lies is Wysara’s greatest poison upon the world, a book that has altered the very fabric of reality with merely the words upon its page.”

Part III: Pronunciation Guide A full phonetic pronunciation guide for all the gods and their elements, which is an absolute mercy for DMs.

Absolutely heaving with incredible elements to inspire your own games or to insert in full, including such epic seeds for adventures, arcs and whole campaigns, such as visiting Efina in the Abyss to earn her favour by easing her loneliness even for a moment, a pirate captain wishing to slay the behemoth that leads their Bloody Coalition dedicated the Shark tooth, Makone, for their lack of faith and disregard for the faithful, Pellaias & Luone the lover-goddesses of the earth and sky, kept apart for a millennia and now living in each other’s loving embrace atop the tallest mountain, who could have all manner of chaos happening in their faith from inquisitions into assumed forces that kept them apart to those foretelling the goddesses have abandoned to their home above the clouds. There is just so much here to work with!

Weighill clearly has a wonderful understanding of the tropes and semiotics of deities, weaving the elements we see in gods of our own plane and history, as well as throughout fiction, with a deft hand to create both the new and familiar with fresh originality.

This is such a phenomenally well thought-out, fascinating and arrestingly written supplement that I simply could not put down. I’m positively buzzing with inspiration and know that I will be keeping this close to hand, whether I’m prepping or want to reference deities, mythology, factions or artifacts.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Angela’s Deific Dictionary goes straight into my pantheon of the highest quality, most enjoyable and infinitely usable TTRPG supplements of all time.

Credits Writer Jack Weighill (@diceaveragejack) Illustrator Artificial Jealousy Format Jack Weighill Additional Contributors Artificial Jealousy, Caitlin Smith, Ellie Tate, Joe Wilson
Testreaders Artificial Jealousy, Olivia Flett, Sean F. Smith Special Thanks Artificial Jealousy, Brandon Spence, Caitlin Smith, Diarmait Finch, Ellie Tate, Ethan Crooks, Finn Crooks, Fiona Lally, Jade Westaway, Joe Wilson, Lauren Smith, Matt Smith, Megan Freeman, Olivia Flett, Reuben Denton-Beasley, Rosemary Butler, Sam Potter, Tom Calcluth, and all Testreaders.

My Affiliate Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/334018/Angelas-Deific-Dictionary?affiliate_id=1507682

Epic Characters of the Guild from Jackson Lewis (@HoneyBadger3495)

It’s truly wonderful to see so many of the DMs Guild’s most exciting creators come together to create full 21-30 Epic Levels for their already epic classes! It’s…EPICNESS!

With Mythic Odysseys of Theros introducing the Mythic creatures/ encounters, Mythic Encounters from Fidler, Holmes and Jordan (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/315637/Mythic-Encounters?affiliate_id=1507682), Mythic Eberron from Fidler, Gregersen, Holmes, Jordan and Turco (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/329253/Mythic-Eberron?affiliate_id=1507682), and Lewis’ own Titans of the Ancient World (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/314317/Titans-of-the-Ancient-World?affiliate_id=1507682), not to mention the Archdevils, Demon Princes and the classics of the Terrasque and Tiamat, there are an increasing amount of Epic (big E) and epic (small e) creatures to face, as well as more level 20 and beyond adventures and one shots being posted on the Guild, there has never been a better time to keep the heroes’ journey going into the Epic or to begin your own tales of Epicness!

This is a smart and sharp looking supplement with additional background information and two new Epic Traits, which vary depending on the class, representing the experience you’ve gained and the effect it has had on you, for each class.

Just in case there is any confusion, this supplement only contains the epic levels for these classes, so you will also need whichever ones you are planning to play, though they are all wonderful classes in their own right and well worth checking out.

Credits Lead by Jackson Lewis (@HoneyBadger349) Writers Ashley May (@ashleymaywrites), Darren Kenny (@DeleniaCreation), Fil Kearny (@filkearney), Jackson Lewis, Sean Shannon (@Thaneses), Stratos Fotakis (@StratosF8) Editor: Isaac May (@icykindadicey) Layout Lydia Van Hoy (@LydiaVanHoy1)

Original Classes The Consort and The Jaeger by Jackson Lewis (@HoneyBadger349) • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/300313/The-Consort?affiliate_id=1507682 • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/271340/The-Jaeger-Compendium?affiliate_id=1507682 The Duelist by Darren Kenny (@DeleniaCreation) • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/254917/The-Duelist--A-5th-Edition-Class?affiliate_id=1507682 The Gunslinger by Stratos Fotakis (@StratosF8) • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/280463/Gunslinger-Class?affiliate_id=1507682 The Magus, Pugilist, and Scholar by Benjamin Huffman (@SterlingVermin) • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/200237/The-Magus-Class?affiliate_id=1507682 • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/184921/the-Pugilist-Class?affiliate_id=1507682 • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/270890/The-Scholar-Class?affiliate_id=1507682 Archetypes from the Greasemonkey’s Handbook by Val Syrene (@Valldoesdnd) • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/259520/The-Greasemonkeys-Handbook-Rules-for-piloting-Magitech-Steampunk-and-Sci-Fi-mechs-in-DD-5th-Edition?affiliate_id=1507682 Special thanks to Benjamin Huffman and Val Syrene for allowing us to include their creations.

My Affiliate Link: • https://www.dmsguild.com/product/334360/Epic-Characters-of-the-Guild?affiliate_id=1507682

Woof! Dogfolk Races: Retrieverkin by Transparent Games (@KonczakAnna) & Joe Gaylord (@LabLazarus)

Furrs things first. In the immortal words of Zeke Gonzalez (@FantasyEcology), “Oh Goddess… Wh-Why is he hot?

Galifax’s Guide to Everything Evil by Jay Davidson (@RollPlayJay1)

There has long been spirited discussion, at times rather spicy and heated, about the merits and nature of an evil campaign and evil characters. I firmly find myself in the, within reason there could be a huge amount of good clean fun playing an evil campaign as long as it doesn’t verge into the problematic and/ or become some kind of horrific colonial crusade camp. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, although calling someone actually evil for even considering is a bit much...

This tome absolutely contains everything you need to start building evil characters and evil campaigns with heart and story, as well as how to play evil or otherwise ungoodly characters in ‘good’ parties and games without making it a nightmare for all involved.

From discussion of Safety Tools and detailed advice on creating evil characters for evil or otherwise campaigns that can play well and ferment machinations together for good or ill, through example evil campaign concepts, lucky 13 excellent evil subclasses and 3 egregious evil backgrounds, a plundered trove of items, including an assortment of new tools, purloined poisons and an I’ll-gotten fortune of fabulously evil items, to detailed systems for maintaining minions and ingenious Infamy, infa-you, infa-everybody in the party...and bestiary. This is everything evil wrapped up and ready to go! Plus, because Davidson has crafted everything with such care, nothing here is one note evil evilness, so there is so much that will play in any game!

Before We Begin Great section addressing the need for communication and consent, even more so with evil characters and themes.

Tips & Tricks Some fantastic questions to ask ourselves before we play to encourage self-reflection and to be mindful of other players “Don’t forget to care for one another and happy gaming!”

Honor Among Thieves Wonderful advice regarding the running and playing of an evil campaign with various suggestions for why your merciless crew of cutthroat might choose to keep each other breathing.

“The most important thing to remember is that everyone at the table is there to have a good time playing together and tell a fun story. Being a thorn in everyone else’s side doesn’t help that. Try your best to be a part of the fun, not the reason nobody’s having any.”

Playing the Black Sheep Insightful takes on playing in groups with mixed alignment or an evil or good character in a party or primary good or evil, and making it work.

“Regardless of your party’s alignments or back-grounds, it’s important to remember this; every-one at the table is there to have fun telling a story together.”

Evil Campaign Types Five campaign types are outlined with the kind of stories that can be told and what can generally make up elements of an evil campaign. These are presented with three qualities; Combat, Role Play, and Complexity, which represent how combat-orientated the type may be, the emphasis they put on roleplaying, and the number of moving parts and potential complications.

These campaign types are: Swords for Hire, Servants of Evil, Ambitious Thievery, Dark Rulers, and Usurpers Of Good.

Evil Archetypes New subclasses for the 12 base classes, as well as the artificer, are provided with evil flavour, though they could find play in any game also.

Reanimator This artificer makes themselves a meaty friend to suit themselves with greater abilities and options as they progress, including the ability to augment themselves and others with their embalming tools and necromantic skills.

Path of the Maw Content Warning: Cannibalism These Barbarians are touched by the Abyss and fight with bloodthirsty abandon, able to shrug off deadly wounds and choosing bonuses for consuming the flesh of their fallen goes.

College of Horror These bards revel in the macabre and laugh in the face of fear, telling haunting ghost stories and unnerving lullabies that manifest their enemy’s greatest fears and weaponises it against them. They later gain the ability to literally. Scare you to do with a well-timed boo!

Void Domain These cosmic horror Clerics are tapped into some unknowable entity or power, a source of chaos from the beyond. A glimpse of your ‘deity` can render your enemies catatonic and through this power, these anarchic clerics (anarchlerics?) become dark angels!

Circle of Calamity These Druids are one with the destructive elements of nature and can use their Wild Shape to embody these calamitous forces, as well as eventually learning to unleash destructive forms of localised weather.

Warlord These Fighters are master tacticians and well-studied in getting the most from their allies who they can command and bolster. This insight grants them greater defence and assures they are no slouch at the commencement of battle.

Way of the Striking Serpent Much like Number 2 in the Five Deadly Venoms (great old kung-fu film btw), these monks have studied snakes and incorporate their wily movement, camouflage, poisonous bite and dazzling glare in their fighting style.

Oath of Corruption These Paladins are as close to being an Antipaladin as makes no difference. They revel in evil and actively seek out as subdue good, using their insidious influence to turn ally against ally and ultimately being searing anathema to purity.

Monster Conclave These monstrous Rangers feel a kinship with monstrosities, which allows them a relationship akin to that which many other rangers share with beasts. This affinity also confers them adaptations allowing them to transcend their own flesh for a time.

Torturer Honestly, I thought I was going to have a problem with this one and honestly, I don’t like the name or connotations, even within an evil context, but Davidson has created a subclass that centres on inflicting more damage with more precision and a studied eye in combat, opposed to taking it anywhere problematic. The Torturer’s Tools are a step to far for me, personally. I would rename the class and swap out the tools for use in my own game.

Cursed Bloodline These Sorcerers manifest their ancestral misfortune by mitigating their own difficulties and manipulating others through cursed means. This really makes me want to finally play my first sorcerer!

Shadow Patron Warlocks with the otherworldly Shadow Patron are one with the darkness, using its cloak to hide their misdeeds, trapping enemies with tendrils of darkness and moving freely within their Patron’s umbral domain.

School of the Mind Thief Like the great Mentok the Mindtaker, these Wizards use other people’s minds as crystal balls and can draw energy along with memories, including replenishing slots from snuffing out the spells of their enemies. Where the Divination Wizard looks outward to the mysteries the Mind Thief looks inward to secrets. This also gets the Finley nod of approval, which is something as they only ever play Wizards.

Evil Backgrounds “Every good villain has a backstory.”

Heretic “You once belonged to a religious order that centered around some creed or deity.” This is a brilliant alternative to acolyte for the less...commonly pious with so much flavour in the personality. A solid choice for evil or any other questioning alignment.

Monster Breeder “The world is full of things that creep and crawl in the dark.” Let your true Sokhbarr out and become one with the beasts and monstrosities, taking one to truly become an expert.

Graverobber “You’ve had to scrounge and scrape to get your hands on what you’ve needed to survive, even if I was once in the hands of someone else.” Not the cleanest way to make a living, but it certainly has its perks.

All three of these come with so much flavour for backstories and potential adventures and campaigns.

Evil Items

Weapons
“Perfect items of death-dealing for any scoundrel, cheat, assassin, or thug”, including the classic Assassin’s Wrist Blade!

Poisons “Diabolical concoctions in easily-hidden-from-guards sized packages” in an interesting variety of danger and flavour, including a true answer that takes the choice out of “cake or death” and a Demon Elixir steroid boost.

Special “Cheating requires finesse, skill, and a bit of creativity”, including take chance into your own hands or keeping things secret and safe with the installation of Hidden Compartments.

Tools “Every job requires the right tools, especially the dirty ones.” All the new tools associated with the new player options are included here, including Grave Robbing Kit and the Torturer’s Tools, which are a bit too much for me personally.

Magic Items A large vault of “vicious magics for the villains who want them” of so many awesome items of all rarities, including a Flesh-Eating Cauldron that solves the problem of body disposal and what to do for lunch, a Banshee Music Box whose mournful song causes a palpable terror, making their victim’s all the more pulpable, a legendary Suit of the Dread Lord, which protects and helps make an appropriate entourage for such a dedicated follower of fashion, a Jasper Scorpion Figurine of Wondrous Power, and a Reliquary of the Damned, which collects and transfers souls to its owner’s evil deity for spectacular bonuses.

Optional Rule Systems “There’s a lot to do in order to become a successful evil villain.”

Recruiting Minions “Whether you’re a paranoid tyrant with enemies around every corner or the wealthy leader of a thieves guild, every ambitious evil character needs a group of minions at their beck and call.” This is a seriously impressive comprehensive, yet simple to apply system to build and maintain a range of minions to do all manner of tasks for you.

Infamy “The truly vile forces of evil leave their mark on the world long after they have left.” This ten-tiered system offers increasing benefits and motivation for building a reputation in infamy. The concepts, bonuses and connections made to other factions and entities make this system work as a spine for an evil campaign on its own. Well thought out and guaranteed to enrich a campaign.

Bestiary Seven creatures are included that will benefit any game, but make fantastic, goodie-two-shoes enemies for the evil campaign. Unless, they could be turned to your cause? From the righteous guardian of the Divine Sentinel, through the holy rollers of the Archpriest, Holy Warrior, Crusader, Squire to the defenders of nature in the Verdant Protector and Verdant Redeemer.

This book is filled the gills with tonnes of stylish and freaky original artworks throughout the book, along with wry annotations from the eponymous Galifax.

I already believed that evil could prevail without corroding the game and tainting the players before reading this, but I just wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it, but this has made me a convert working on becoming an alignment wonk. I believe this could convince goodly holdouts and get them join your Legion of Doom or Evil League of Evil.

This is truly a monumental and sensational work covering so much ground and brining so much to the table!

If you have an evil bone in your body, you need this. If you’re good, come to the Dark Side – we have cookies!

Credits Written & Edited by Jay Davidson (@RollPlayJay1) Artwork & Design by Inferential Studios (@EyeEnEffStudios)

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/332705/Galifaxs-Guide-To-Everything-Evil?affiliate_id=1507682

Creatures of the Tomb by The Grim Press (@TheGrimPress)

Content Warning: Horror Themes, Body Horror, Gore

“They are the scuttling sounds lurking just beyond the dim flicker of torchlight within an ancient crypt. They are the otherworldly beings that lurk in the shadows at the edges of perception. They are the skeletal remains of long deceased beings that loathe the very thought of the living and seek nothing more than to feast upon their flesh. They are the creatures that dwell deep within hidden grottos or long forgotten depths of the sea. They are the wizened ancient beings whose thirst for power and greed for knowledge led them down the path of the damned. These are the Creatures of the Tomb.”

The Grim Press are back at it again with another incredible supplement that will enrich your games. This time a veritable treasure trove of creepy cool Creatures of the Tomb covering all manner of spooky ooky undead to creep, crawl, stalk, shuffle and stumble through the tombs, dungeons, graveyards, shadows and mists. Building on their phenomenal Adaptable NPCs series, which have already added so much helpful and truly inspirational characters rich with lore and potential, they have turned their inimitable style and substance to creatures.

From the Angel of Decay “Nightmarish burlesque angels that haunt dreams of the living” to the Yuan-Ti Befouler, a Yuan-Ti Abomination can “become even more unnerving in undeath” through profane ritual and zombies in swarms and hordes, there is something for every DM and prospective necromantic overlord.

Between the Baelnorn Lich, an “extremely rare undead beings...elves who chose a path of prime duty to serve beyond death”, a range of vampires and the cover model themselves, lord of the crypt, which “holds dominion of all manner of undead creatures within its haunting catacombs”, there are all manner of nemeses, bosses and BBEFs.

Amongst so much more the over 150 pages a boast a range five of new, terrifying dragons, as well as a zombie dragon template, expanded ghouls, ghosts, mummies, revenants, skeletons and zombies, as well as bringing cerberic occultists, corpsehounds and the deep-dwelling dead of the depvir to the table.

On top of this there are 7 new on them NPCs, expanding the Grim Press’ incredible library of fully flavoured and beautifully depicted NPCs, as well as 10 battlemaps to unleash these charnel critters upon, each one themed to a creature, from “Cerberic Cultist’s Summoning Alter” to “Teihai’s Swampen Retreat”, and of course, “Crypt Lord’s Catacombs”.

In the introduction Armstrong makes the intention for this supplement clear: “The ultimate goal of this supplement is to provide a wide variety of options for your storylines, be it exploring long forgotten catacombs or delving into the depths of the Underdark. Surely something sinister and mysterious lies within.”

The rich lore and huge catalogue of creepy creatures, NPCs and epic thematic battlemaps certainly provides all that and more! I’m ridiculously excited to unleash these on my party currently in the Shadowfell and I’m feeling very inspired for creatures of the Underworld, the god of the dead and the returned in my Theros game, as well feeling a real itch to return to Ravenloft and even my short-lived game set on Innistrad with all these dead and dastardly creatures in tow. You don’t even need to be playing in an explicitly horror-based setting, as there are always unquiet dead waiting in the wings in any game.

I will mention that, while it is in line with the official D&D wording, I find the use of phylactery for a lich’s soul jar problematic due to the anti-Semitic connotations. This is an issue frustratingly baked into D&D at its creation and something I only became aware of myself in recent years, so I’m certainly not casting any aspersions at Grim Press. Discussion and research can be found here https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/25154/what-is-the-origin-of-a-phylactery-as-a-soul-jar and definitively laid out by Brian Cortijo, TTRPG designer, in this twitter thread https://twitter.com/briancortijo/status/994609909831491584?s=19.

Credits Publisher: DMs Guild Product Oversight: Grim Press (@TheGrimPress) Authors: Trevor Armstrong (@Grim_DM), Jeffrey Fischer Editor: Justin M. Cole Artists: Tsaber, Bob Greyvenstein, Bradlyvancamp, Kingkostas, Nibelwolf, Aaron Nakahara, Katarzyna Zalecka, Ramon Miranda WotC Inspirational Works: Libris Mortis (3.5e), Open Graves (4e), Ravenloft Setting Special Thanks: Vall Syrene, Max Hickson, Aaron Gentry

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/333608/Creatures-of-the-Tomb?affiliate_id=1507682

Previous Grim Press releases I’ve reviewed:

Adaptable NPCs 2 https://www.dmsguild.com/product/299072/Adaptable-NPCs-II?affiliate_id=1507682

Adaptable NPCs of the Guild https://www.dmsguild.com/product/319815/Adaptable-NPCs-of-the-Guild?affiliate_id=1507682

Dungeon Delve Monthly #1. 01 https://www.dmsguild.com/product/299293/Dungeon-Delve-Monthly-101?affiliate_id=1507682

Dunwood Demons, Druids & Danger from Joe Raso (@_Joe_Raso)

I’m constantly blown away by the vision and quality of works on the DM’s Guild, but this is something else! Raso and their phenomenal team have created a marvel that transcends official and unofficial supplements, elevating the quality of game by simply existing.

Introduction

The Introduction provides a great overview of the lands of Dunwood, the demon-infested forest, including the history and groups currently active in the region, from the Druid Circle of Leth, Grand Council of Impiltur and Knights of the Triad to the demon-worshipping cultists of the Fellowship of Thoras, the various goblinoid tribes of the Giantspires and the mysterious Crow Witch, through the Elagieros Elves and the Nar human descendants of the ancient empire of Narfell. This snapshot of the area, history and the neighbouring regions of Impiltur, Damara, Narfell and Ashanth, are everything you need to get a handle on this immensely fascinating region, laying the foundation for everything to come. This was my introduction to this storied section of the Forgotten Realms and made me feel orientated and confident going forward, so have no fears if this darkened woods and its surrounds are new to you too, we’re in good hands.

Demonlords and Dunwood.

“For centuries, powerful demon lords have affected the course of events within these woods” – Eltab, Lord of the Hidden Layer stuck stewing on his machinations and building an army in a demon cyst below the ground, Fraz-Urb’luu, Prince of Lies and possible cause of the fall of the Narfell empire, Graz’zt, the Dark Prince with a hand (and who knows what else) in centuries of the Narfell empire, Lolth, Queen of the Demonweb Puts and the Dark Elves of Narathmault, before the “Fall of the Drow” sent them underground, and Orcus, Prince of Undeath, who had the Nar construct Dun-Tharos in his name, beginning the Narfell dynasty.

Each Demonlord is presented with background, including history and current involvement in the area, as well as advice for using them in your Dunwood adventures, with references to adventures and NPCs included in the supplement where relevant.

An Excerpt from The Grand History of the Realms by Brian R. James and Ed Greenwood is included depicting the history Narfell Empire and just how direct the influences of the demon Lords truly were.

Chapter 1 – the Great Road

“Running the length of the Great Dale, this merchant road is never far from the branches of Dunwood.”

The locations along the road that runs parallel to the Dunwood, from Uthmere to Kront and the Great Barrow are detailed with an overview, including type, population, makeup, government, defence, commerce and organizations.

Encounters on the Great Road A table of folx you might meet on the in a flavourful table d12 denizens, including monks on a pilgrimage from the Monastery of the Yellow Rose and cultists of the Fellowship of Thoras.

Threats of the Great Road Along with references to tables in existing publications Fort the appropriate terrain, a d100 table of random threats specific to the area is provided.

Beast of Bezentil By Zeke Gonzalez (@FantasyEcology)

“The legacy of the Rotting Man threatens the village of Bezentil” in this tier 2 encounter designed for five 5th-6th level characters.

A child is lost in a haunted ruin that holds a remnant of the Rotting Man’s taint in the form of a spectral blightlord and their horrific effects on the flora and fauna.

This is a fantastically flavoured adventure with various hooks and seeds with potential to be a simple sidequest or the bittersweet beginning of something much more insidious.

I’ve been very excited about the unholy, blighted form I can’t help but see as a warped version of What-A-Mess, artwork from Paul Paloma since it was teased a while back, and the haunting art from Daniel Comerci and brilliant battlemap from Chad Lensch are something else!

The Lost Druid by Andrew Bishkinskyi (@jaysNdragons)

“Thralls of a demonic power look to infect the land, turning all they encounter into their servants” in this Tier 2 adventure designed for five 5th- to 10th-level characters.

The party come upon Wychlaran Feldarra, a Rashemi witch, as she battles Red Wizards of Thay, and quickly become e. Broiled in the conflict with the Red Wizards being intent on leaving “no witnesses”. This combat encounter comes with a great deal of balancing advice and helpful DM tips.

Feldarra requests the party’s aid to check on her druid friend Ivellos, travelling to his home in the Dunwood and searching to his whereabouts. Clues lead them to druid who is in need of serious help against a Scion of the Queen Abiding and their corrupted beasties that come with a very easy to implement template for the Queen Abiding’s abyss-tainted creature.

This is a great adventure introducing the Queen Abiding and her influence with space to expand it with encounters to fit your ongoing narrative due to the distance travelled, although this isn’t necessary.

Terrifying artwork of a black-eyed Scion of the Queen Abiding by Paul Paloma and another stunning Lensch battlemap.

Toxins and Tinctures by Karl Resch (@ArtificerAlf)

“A talonite grows in strength as she distributes her tainted teas to the unsuspecting” in this Tier 2 encounters designed for five 7th-level characters.

Presented as a series of encounters that cover a number of DM and party approaches that come together as a mini campaign, this adventure does something that so many quality tales in D&D do – take existing concepts, melding and morphing them beyond their RAW presentation.

Centring on Korva, a disciple of Talona and Spores Druid with a penchant for poisoned tisanes and tainted teas and steeping these in the surrounding settlements...and then sending their unique bone and fauna zombies, dregs, to bring the victims to her Cathedral of Rot to ultimately become her own tainted wood woads. This makes a very clear case for flavourful modifications and how they can enrich lore and inspire awesome adventures!

Chapter 2 – Forest Blood Dale

“The once-abandoned dale that surrounds the Forest Blood River is now a hub of activity. The influx of settlers must contend with the dangers of waiting within.”

From the Dismal ruins to Fort Charity, Forest Blood Dale has had a tumultuous history and, while the demonic activity that left so much of the area deserted has lessened and people are returning, life here is not a walk in the park.

A table of d12 Denizens of Forest Blood Dale encounters has flavourful fare from locals and settlers at loggerheads to cultists on the back from a night out, hag agents looking for abled bodies and drunken druids on giant elks.

This is followed by the d100 table of locally sourced threats.

Fort Charity by Chad Lensch (@ddsDnD)

“An enemy within endangers an Order of the Triad outpost” in a Tier 1 encounter designed for a party of four characters of 1st level, which will bring them to 4th level.

A wealth of information on Fort Charity and the Triad are included in the adventure, including a Fort Charity Mini-Gazetteer with annotated map of the keep with notable locations and all manner of NPCs in and related to the settlement.

This three-part adventure sees the party come to the aid of the Triad’s Fort Charity, beset by a blight of cultists. Investigating these cultists reveals their camp around an awakened tree, Elmshadow, who directs the cult murmured proclamations in Abyssal. The Muttering Tree Cult and their eponymous leader defeated, a high-ranking leader of Fort Charity is fiendish plant of the...fiendish plant.

This is a fantastically written and rich adventure, which serves as a great campaign starter or the skeletal structure to a full campaign with milestones included.

Veluuthra Reclamation by Jean Lorber (@jlorber4)

“Some within Forest Blood Dale wish to expunge civilization’s taint” in a Tier 2 encounter designed for five 5th-level characters.

The Eldreth Veluuthra, a militant elven faction who oppose humanity on Faerûn, have committed an atrocious act, killing innocents and tainting the land with foul ritual. Druids of the Circle of Leth have come upon the extremists and their taint who are determined to leave no witnesses. It’s up to the party to uncover the truth in this dark and dangerous adventure.

The Dismal by Jeff C. Stevens (@Jcorvinstevens)

“An ancient evil relic threatens all who visit an abandoned village” in a Tier 2 adventure designed for five 5th-level characters.

Arriving in the ruins of Dismal, the party find a place drained of flavour and life – a tainted place that will grow stronger, even as they become weaker, as something forgotten and profane leeches life and waits to unleash unspeakable evil. They must find clues to the source of this draining demonic force and battle the foul creatures it manifests.

This is a whole ruined village to explore with bags of lore and backstory, haunting aid and harrowing realisations, as well as being an adventure that can be an aside, lay groundwork for a larger story or simply end with a significant ‘what now?’, which is always fun for everyone at the table to work on. I adore the way relevant, thoughtful lore is woven into the area and adventure.

Chapter 3 – The Depths of Dunwood

“...Savage evil still clings to the dark recesses of this forest. Places of safety and respite are rare and treasured, and mostly known as fabled locations few have found. The wise and prudent stay out of Dunwood’s depths—only the brave or foolish risk venturing beyond the outer boughs of the wood.”

This is a dark and dangerous region, from Clymph Tower and much storied Dun-Tharos where demons climb from the Abyss and roam with impunity to the Darahk Hills where a dragon has made their home and Denderdale, home of the mysterious Crow Witch, nowhere is safe.

A d8 table of Denizens of Deep Dunwood encounters, Including the possibility of teaming up with an awakened dire wolf, a sole survivor who is oni joking, and elves and treants with understandable trust issues with humanoids.

A terrifying table of d100 localised threats reinforces just how dangerous this area is.

The Armanite Lance by Shawn Merwin

“The new leader of a band of Nar seeks to recover a weapon of power from a lost demonic temple” in an adventure designed for 5 characters of 5th level.

Battle demon boars in the wreck of a timber camp, make find an unlikely ally in a murder at a price, battle barlgura and maws in a booby-trapped body on and bridge, and take the fight to cult leader in a crumbling temple to ensure a demon-bound weapon is kept out of the wrong hands.

Revenant by Steve Fidler (@VorpalDicePress)

“The grip of demonic corruption taints the spirit of someone who once watched over the land” in a Tier 2 encounter designed for five 5th-level characters.

Battle waves of interestingly generated demonically-twisted creatures up and down the great oak that makes up the druid dwelling of Nighthawk Tower, while searching for clues to this fiendish parade, and battle the blighted revenant of the previous druid to allow them and everyone else some much needed peace.

Gorgeous maps of the various levels of the tree from Lensch.

The Flesh Webs of Sinew Forest by Emily & David Harmon (@emilyjeaharmon & @dharmon202)

CW: Gore/ Body Horror

“An ancient druid remains trapped in a battle of wills with a powerful demon” Tier 3 adventure designed for five 14th-level characters.

First of all, congratulations on the most disturbing adventure title ever! Also, the art of the firbolg-nabassu hybrid with Eldath’s Light by Mircea is truly breathtakingly gorgeous and the epitome of creepy cool.

Travelling to the deepest, most remote part of the Dunwood the party must overcome the almost impossibly tacky flesh webs that pose a serious challenge just getting in and travelling through them, face giant gooey spiderdemons with the chance of befriending a spider-man, before facing a gloriously epic boss with a duality for rich and amusing roleplay and a serious combat double threat (plus evil ghosties). Can the heroes save the day and bind the demon in the magical gem, Eldath’s Light, and save the ancient druid or will they be flies trapped in Xarhalia’s sinewy webs?

This is an incredibly icky (ichory?) and dark adventure with some of the most unsettling descriptions and imagery, as well as a heart-breaking backstory. I don’t think I’ve encountered such a disturbing and shudder-inducing setting and BBEF reveal before, which is impressive.

Chapter 4 – Threats and Personalities

“Dunwood is a vast and ancient forest. Hidden beneath its boughs are countless threats and personalities to test adventurers exploring the eastern Realms.”

The Goblinoids of Kagiskz by R P Davis (@KabouterRPG)

This fascinating account of the Kagiskz goblinoids and their exploits includes a Spellscarred Template that can be applied to any goblinoid for added local flavour, adding wild fiery danger and the chance to wrinkle even the Most astute lore buff’s brow at the mention of contemporary Spellscarred.

Larnaeril Darakh, “the Fiendwitch” by Joe Raso (@_Joe_Raso)

This undead mother, not mummy though entombed by her son, is back with a vengeance, Orcus’ blessing and an army of living and dead Creel to do her bidding.

Ptur’rk by Joe Raso (@_Joe_Raso)

This demon searches for their master Eltab, bending goblindom to their sway and siring hordes of half-demon goblinoids in the process. A half-fiend goblinoid template and a half-fiend statblock are included, along with the Ptur’rk’s.

Scions of the Queen Abiding by Andrew Bishkinskyi (@jaysNdragons)

The Queen Abiding is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, but their warped scions are of one purpose, “to corrupt others and to bring to the Queen any who are powerful enough to become Scions.” A complete descriptive and mechanical template is provided.

Vultomendaxius by Joe Raso (@_Joe_Raso)

‘Big V’, as he is affectionately known by me, is a copper dragon under the corrupting influence of the insidious demon lord Fraz-Urb’luu through a cursed legendary amulet the dragon wears. The effect of this corruption is that Big V lures good heroes to his challenge to find the ‘worthy’ to battle an abyssal cataclysm they believe is on the horizon, only to end up murderising them

Appendix

Monsters from the Great Dale includes 12 stat blocks for creatures originally published in the Great Dale Campaign Guide that fit the Dunwood, including humanoids, fiend, giant, plant and undead with some sharing types.

The appendix also includes details on the whole project team.

This is a truly spectacular and infinitely fascinating supplement about the demon-infested Dunwood and the surrounding areas on the Great Road, which does the heavy-lifting of what could have been a number of different supplements, but work so spectacularly together to provide detailed information and lore, area specific encounters, many adventures with rich roots to grow into ongoing games and exploration of this dark and twisted area, along with a who’s who of the threats and personalities with more detail on groups, NPCs and statblocks. Demon Lords and the cults that serve them stalk the woods, while elves, humans and goblinoids try to carve out their lives in their shadow, and druids and knights strive to combat the darkness. Colourful lore breathes life into their tales, while quality adventures give you a direct in to the action, and encounters, factions, personalities and unique statblocks are absolutely everything you could possibly want to make this weird, wonderful place breathe. The gorgeous and gruesome artwork and cartography raise the already breath-taking quality of this supplement beyond the material plane.

Breathtakingly beautiful and twisted cover by Nicula Mircea depicting “an amalgamation of an ancient firbolg druid and a nabassu demon hold an enchanted gem as they struggle for control. This is the final challenge facing adventures in Emily and David Harmon’s adventure “The Flesh Webs of Sinew Forest”” This is the crowning jewel of this aesthetic masterpiece, which has a glorious layout, spectacular original art and great use of stock art, as well as stunning cartography. It’s seriously impressive to see so many artists coming together under Raso’s wonderful direction.

I also have to say that I love that each piece being credited for easy reference, counter to the general WOTC practice of making it seemingly impossible to determine specific interior artists.

I’m constantly blown away by the vision and quality of works on the DM’s Guild, but this is something else! Raso and their phenomenal team have created a marvel that transcends official and unofficial supplements, elevating the quality of game by simply existing.

Credits Lead Designer: Joe Raso (@_Joe_Raso) Designers: Andrew Bishkinsky, Emily & David Harmon, Jean Lorber, Jeff Stevens, Karl Resch, R P Davis, Shawn Merwin, Steve Fidler, Zeke Gonzalez Editors: Christopher Walz, Alan Tucker Layout: Anna Urbanek Art Direction: Joe Raso Cartography: Chad Lensch, Dyson Logos, Jean Lorber, Joe Raso Cover Art: Nicula Mircea Interior Art: Blake Davis, Christine Cain, Daniel Comerci, Daniel F. Walthall, Dean Spencer, Earl Geier, Eric Lofgren, Fez Inkwright, Gary Dupuis, Henriette Boldt, Jacob E. Blackmon, Jeremy Mohler, John Latta, Leonardo Lambrecht, Louis Porter Jr., Maciej Zagorski, Matt Morrow, Matthew Richmond, Nastya Lehn, Nicula Mircea, Paul Paloma, Penny Mayes, Petar Penev, Rick Hershey, The Forge Studios, William McAusland, Adobe Stock (chainat, Daniel, denzorr, grandfailure, Maclej), DMs Guild Creator Resources (courtesy of Wizards of the Coast), Wikimedia, Pixabay (openclipart-vectors, TheDigitalArtist-PeteLinforth)

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/333652/Dunwood--Demons-Druids--Danger?affiliate_id=1507682

Dalliance’s Monster Compendium Ghosts by Kayla Bayens (@JustThinkingKay)

Spirits, ghosts and ghouls aren’t just for Halloween, though these will inspire and enrich Halloween games, these are a brilliant bunch of things that go bump in the night and put the might into Fright!

“Spirits are great for your low level players before they get magic weapons or items.

They are dangerous and a challenge and have that certain zing only an incorporeal can have. However enter the after of the players receiving their first magic weapons and the spirit might as well be hot air. Now in my opinion this is a disservice to the incorporeal, but fixable. Please allow me to offer to you this day my humble musings on the matter in the form of some very scary ghosts and spirits.”

This is a collection of eight spirited creatures ranging from CR 4 to CR 21 filled with ghostly lore and ghastly delights, as well as art from Syrene (@Valldoesdnd) that ranged from the spookily sublime to the ridiculously terrifying, which will ensure that the living maintain a healthy fear of the undead, regardless of their level and ability.

Grim

“...A strangely shifting black cat sitting on a headstone with bright yellow eyes. A black dog pacing the fence line. A swirling black cow lazily grazing between graves...”

These unrestful souls, depicted as ghostly black cat, are protectors of the graveyards they find themselves tied to. They retain their original size and shape, but are granted great necromantic power, making them formidable guardians of the grave, able to call the dead to serve and lay the restless to down as needed. This makes them an intriguing choice as an NPC that could aid the party and/ or become a an ongoing questgiver, as well as formidable foe.

With access to true resurrection, they could be the party’s only hope and the DM’s solution to reviving a PC. Perhaps, the party must beseech the Grim of a desecrated graveyard that requires they force a local cult of necromancers to leave graves alone in return for their assistance.

Minyak

Content Warning: Child Death/ Eating of

“Out of the shadows appears a tall and lanky form, their body made up of almost a black oily substance.

No face is visible, but their long fingers with curling claws and gaping toothed maw catch attention.”

These sickly, slender shadow stalkers hunt in the dark, which aids them in their wicked endeavours – searching for snacks, particularly children which they “sometimes being so excited as to gobble them up right away.” The night envelopes their victims and masks the predation of these nightmares that sap their victims of strength and impart curses with their touch.

Freaking creepy. Freaking cool!

Myardos

“Myardos steal people’s lives. They take on their appearance and do evil deeds to sow disaster and feed off of the hurt, emotions, and chaos it causes.”

These cruel doppelgangers are masters of manipulation, both physical and mental, which they use to mimic their victim and take control of their mind. There are few fiends more adept in the art of inducing anguish and uncovering the darkest fears. It’s one thing to be torn asunder by an enemy, it’s quite another to broken from within, throttled by your own nightmares. Gorgeous evil magic mirror representation of the Myrados. Pathfinder

“... A gnarled hand reaches out from a very tight well-hidden tunnel to gesture your party to follow. You can just barely squeeze through in a single file... Just a distant glowing lantern floating ahead...leads you through twisting tunnels before you finally empty out on the side of a mountain.”

Not all undead are evil and not all of them wish you harm. These amorphous beings sometimes appear as elderly femmes with lambent guiding lights. As Charon and Athreos guide the dead, Pathfinders guide the living and find...paths. Lost in the mountains and desperate to get past? If you are incredibly lucky you might find a helping hand that could give you the mean to pass through the mountains.

I can’t help but imagine evil Pathfinders leading lost adventures into twisted tunnels resulting in something like The Enigma of Amigara Fault (Manga) by Jun Jilto...

Poltergeist

“When a place is so purely a person’s their soul can become fused with the place in such a way that, in their death, it becomes a living location...Poltergeists aren’t always malevolent in nature, but trying to change or destroy their location will cause them to go into a frenzied rage against those that dare disturb them.”

This is a far more robust and gooier poltergeist, not to be confused with the Variant spectre in the Monster Manual with greatly expanded abilities, lair actions, regional effects and a “Heart of the Haunt”. This item is the connection that keeps the poltergeist tethered to the location, meaning that if this item “isn’t destroyed, a destroyed poltergeist gains a new form” after a time and reappears in the house.

With the arsenal at this new and improved poltergeist comes, this is not an entity you want to mess with!

The voluptuous viscous artwork is glorious and appears to have butt teeth!

Spiritual Guardian

“...They look like the knights from books your mother read to you as a child. You can see through them and their feet don’t seem to be touching the ground even as they stand...” These ghostly knights are chivalrous protector caught between life and death that appear to keep the worthy protected with abilities to diffuse or decimate any situation. An older sibling to Guardian of the Faith with far more control and the ability to bring their other spiritual guardian biddies, which is such a glorious image!

Tanmeaclu

“Thoughts are powerful things, more powerful than most know. When enough people believe, and feed their psychic energy into something, it takes on a life of its own...”

Evoking Jafar’s genie form from the end of Aladdin and, of course, Return of Jafar, the Tanmeaclu does seem to have phenomenal cosmic (or at least spiritual/ mental) power, though their living space does not seem to be constrained. Folx should indeed cower at the power in their pinkie because it is literally exhausting to attack them, and their thumb is number one on every list because they can use it to snatch souls like cheap wigs in a back alley lip-sync battle.

Terrifying undead soulflayers (quintilithid?)

Vyctobol

“To come into the world you need strength, the quickest path to strength is to steal it. Vyctobol live in cursed objects and latch onto the person who take possession of it. As it grows in strength it takes on a wavering mirror form of the victim for brief bursts of time...”

The final creature of this compendium is a life and body vampire, an ephemeral, malignant undead trapped in a cursed item. The very worst lamp to rub! This is not genie! In some ways this reminds me or the dybbuk, but this is undead, while the dybbuk is a fiend, and the vyctobol is a soulless essence trapped in a cursed item, the dybbuk is a demonic jellyfish, otherwise their modus operandi has a lot in common. However, when push came to shove, the vyctobol’s possessed body would stomp a mudhole on the dybbuk’s and find a way to Stunner the jellyfish. But, a weird, fiendish jellyfish is not a haunted copy of Volo’s Guide to Ghosts.

This is a really interesting and diverse range of creatures that most certainly succeed in the mission statement regarding making ghosties and undead that will put the fear of the grave back into higher level heroes! There are some truly nasty and powerful creatures that will lead to some epic combats and fascinating encounters.

On the other hand, there are also a few kindly and thoughtful creatures that have wonderful potential to act as guides when things are taking too long and the party are lost beyond the point of fun and those able to bolster their ranks or being characters back to life.

All have a wonderful depth of lore that will inspire all sorts of antics and adventures, as well as giving DMs a new range of creatures to play with. There are potential questgivers and allies with utilities to bosses and nasty things to come up against.

The stylish art from Syrene fits the creatures and the dark, ethereal tone of this supplement superbly.

I like the way Bayens mind works and thoroughly look forward to future compendiums!

Credits Designer: Kayla Bayens (@JustThinkingKay) Artist: Vall Syrene (@Valldoesdnd) Layout: Scott Gladstein

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/330446/Dalliances-Monster-Compendium-Ghosts?affiliate_id=1507682

Ravenloft Character Options [BUNDLE] by Jeremy Forbing (@JeremyForbing)

This is an absolutely phenomenal bundle of awesomeness at a ridiculous price!

Help out an incredible creator in this incredibly difficult and dark time, and snag yourself a staggering amount of quality content!

Just so much incredible content that truly add so much more to any Curse of Strahd, Ravenloft, Shadowfell or any Halloween, horror game or beyond!

A jaw-dropping amount of quality subclasses and a fabulous selection of new classes, as well as a look at the origins/ ancestry unique to Ravenloft and the Shadowfell.

Epic amounts of lore to help expand your knowledge of the Mists, Domains and beyond Barovia.

The Ravenloft Archetypes were the first real DMs Guild supplements I put money down on all those years ago and after buying one I bought the other moments later because the quality was so mind blowing! They are also the first things I reviewed on here, long before I became the Werebear of Hype and became a regular reviewer, again because I was compelled by the quality and awesomeness!

• Heroes of Ravenloft: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/320467/Heroes-of-Ravenloft?affiliate_id=1507682

“Heroes of the Ravenloft: 13 subclasses, plus feats and other character options, all designed for the dark gothic horror of Ravenloft!”

• Alchemical Archetypes: Created & Creators: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/203926/Alchemical-Archetypes-Created--CreatorsMy?affiliate_id=1507682

“Alchemical Archetypes: Created & Creators provides new character options and DM tools for campaigns featuring player alchemists, constructs, and creators of artificial life, as well as new construct monster types and more for any D&D setting, including Ravenloft and the Forgotten Realms. This product also includes several new class archetypes, new spells, and new races, including the alchemically augmented half-golem, with four subraces: Click the preview to see the whole table of contents and more”

• Ravenloft Archetypes I: Nightmares of Barovia: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/176799/Ravenloft-Archetypes-I-Nightmares-of-Barovia?affiliate_id=1507682

This is a phenomenal tome of fascinating and exciting material that I cannot wait to input into my game. There is a wealth of information in here from many archetypes to the fantastic new class, feats and spells.

If you are planning to run a game using Curse of Strahd, set in Ravenloft or any gothic and/ or horror-based game I cannot urge you more strongly to check this out, as well as the second volume.

...

Full Review:

https://www.dmsguild.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=195092&products_id=176799

• Ravenloft Archetypes II: Core Domains Adventurer’s Guide: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/186278/Ravenloft-Archetypes-II-Core-Domains-Adventurers-Guide?affiliate_id=1507682

This is an absolutely exceptional guide with absolutely boatloads of information that has been put together with a serious amount of thought and passion.

I absolutely love Curse of Strahd and never wanted to leave the misty borders of Barovia, but with the information provided in this absolutely huge tome, I am excited to take my game all over the Domains of Dread and experiment with all the weird and wonderful things this supplement provides.

...

If you are running Curse of Strahd, anything Ravenloft or any kind of Gothic and/ or Horror themed game, then I implore you to check this out! The amount of archetypes, spells, feats and variant races are worth picking this up alone, whatever you are playing. I’m going to be running a game set in the M:tg plane of Innistrad and I found myself restricting certain classes and races for the setting, and this has given me so much more to offer my players when we get to our session 0.

...

Full Review: https://www.dmsguild.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=195093&products_id=186278

My Affiliate Link for the Ravenloft Character Options [BUNDLE]: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/332108/Ravenloft-Character-Options-BUNDLE?affiliate_id=1507682

This is a phenomenal tome of fascinating and exciting material that I cannot wait to input into my game. There is a wealth of information in here from many archetypes to the fantastic new class, feats and spells.

If you are planning to run a game using Curse of Strahd, set in Ravenloft or any gothic and/ or horror based game I cannot urge you more strongly to check this out, as well as the second volume.

I'm going to be running a game set in the M:tg plane of Innistrad and I found myself restricting certain classes and races for the setting, and this has given me so much more to offer my players when we get to our session 0.

I don't often spend more than a few bucks on here for material from creators, but I am extremely glad I took the plunge on this!

Thank you. Good hunting and happy gaming :)

Woof! Dogfolk Races: Poodlemen by Transparent Games (@KonczakAnna) & Joe Gaylord (@LabLazarus) This is a beautifully put together and well thought out supplement with a great concept, rich lore and wonderfully realised poodlemen people.

Dogfolk

“The various races of dogfolk were once fey beings tasked with guarding the animals of the Material Plane. They came to admire dogs, seeing them as mortal creatures with emotions as pure as the fey themselves. So, they begged the gods of the Feywild to let them live as dogs. The gods gave them their wish, but only in part. They were made into the dogfolk, humanoid dogs, scattered into the world as servants to the other mortal races.”

This is such a wonderful concept for the creation of the various dogfolk, and based on this first supplement I’m very excited to see more, even if the line “servants to the other mortal races” doesn’t sit particularly well with me.*

Poodlemen

The Poodlemen set themselves apart from the other dogfolk and seem more likely to expect servants, rather than the other way around, being that “they see themselves as natural parts of the aristocracy, distinguished by their nobility and entitled to lives of luxury.” These courtly canines pursue “the gentle arts of music and philosophy and the less gentle arts of swordplay and politics”, which is a glorious image and makes me desperately to make a Noble Bard Poodlemen based on King George III of England – the Hugh Laurie from Blackadder the Third, somewhat less than the “cerebral aristocrats” they envision themselves to be.

Incredibly rich and evocative lore, which does a spectacular job of realising this dogfolk and giving them roots in D&D lore. Their skills, attributes and proficiencies very much make them Renaissance folx, as ready to express themselves through the arts, the slash of a rapier or an even sharper wit.

I was already thoroughly enjoying this supplement, the binary of naming conventions aside*, but when I saw an ability called “Boop” that allows the Poodlemen to “gain awareness to [the] emotions” or a humanoid they touch, I truly fell in love with these very good bois, gals and non-binary pals.

This is a beautifully put together and well thought out people with an interesting origin, rich lore that gives a great deal to work with on top of an amusing and rather adorable concept and design. Truly gorgeous and adorable cover and artwork by Kam Thayne (@Kam75772216) truly capturing the Poodlemen mien!

I’m loving the layout and art design, as well as the fresh and unconventional perspective Transparent Games are bringing to the table.

*Kończak has been extremely receptive and open to my comments. I now understand the intention and explanation of the reference “servants” as something of going through a language and cultural barrier, Kończak and Gaylord are Polish and Italian, respectively, and generally have a greater grasp of the language that hails from the country I happen to find myself born in. The intention is more that these fey wish “to aid and support not serve” and the creators have discussed how to address this in future releases. With regard to the gendered names this is something they “will change in future dogfolk” releases.

Responses and openness like this from creators is truly heartening and important as the industry moves forward. I truly appreciate Kończak for being so thoughtful and candid (as well as canid) with me.

Credits Project Lead: Anna Kończak (@KonczakAnna) Writer: Joe Gaylord (@LabLazarus) Editor: Matthew 'Regitnui' Booth (@Matt_Regitnui) Art Director and Graphic Designer: Anna Kończak Template used as basis: Nathanaël Roux (@freeners), https://barkalotdesigns.com Cover and Interior Illustrator: Kam Thayne (@Kam75772216) Art assets used: Muddy Paws- Dog Lover Graphics by Twigs and Twine, Unsplash: Phillip Glickman, Sigmund, Adobe Stock: princhipessa

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/333207/Woof-Dogfolk-Races-Poodlemen?affiliate_id=1507682

Manor of Dread by Walter Srebalus

This is a place holder review and I thoroughly look forward to getting into greater detail in the future.

“Content Warning: If this adventure were a movie, its movie rating would be PG-13. It includes depiction of abuse, body horror (mutations), domestic violence, gore (blood), and graphic death scenes.”

I would also add a baby that has been experimented on and the BBEF using mentally dominating magic. However, there is a great discussion about safety tools and the importance of communication and consent, always yet even more so when dealing with horror and the themes involved.

The are many, many haunted house adventures and stories. It is a tough crowd to hang with and to get recognition, but Manor of Dread is a brilliant example of how to do this with style! Something I often find myself reflecting on after reviewing so many adventures that doing something simple well is often the best way to go, and Manor of Dread does this exceptionally well as a thoroughly entertaining and engaging haunted house with a necromancer ‘m*d’ scientist flavour.

Through haunting imagery, some really interesting takes and use of horror movie and ghost stories using D&D creatures and mechanics, a decent balance of snooping and booping with rooms to explore and a variety of combat encounters, including new flesh golems and an optional entire new spider-humanoid hybrid with player race and example included too.

This will definitely add some creepy cool to a Halloween game, one shot or worked into an ongoing campaign, and could be set anywhere on the material plane or even in the Shadowfell or Ravenloft with the appearance of the Mists.

Credits Lead Designer: Walter Srebalus Addition Designers: Phil Weasley, Sebastian Yūe Editor: Sebastian Yūe Art Direction & Graphic Design: Phil Weasley Interior Illustrator: Phil Weasley Cartography: Walter Srebalus Play Testers: Alex Tomarelli, Jay Dennis, Brad Riegner, Mathew Fish, Phil Ruf f , Cheryl Trate, Split (Luis Gonzalez), VenomSlinger, Amythic, Andor

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/332528/Manor-of-Dread?affiliate_id=1507682

This is just a place holder until I catch up and post my in depth review

From the terrified and spirited preface of the dangers of owning this profane tome, through the macabre parade of spirited subclasses, the masterwork of the deathly, wild and monstrous classes, including what might just be the definitive Death Knight, an octet of fancy feats for all and a titanic range of racial feats of monstrous magnificence, an octet of singular spells, a pound of magic items from the ridiculous to the sublime, remarkable rule remedies to remedial rubrics, keen insights into what it means to be evil, you know you’re in good hands, even if they might be slimy, skeletal or rotting…

There’s something about Gildemyn’s writing that makes it clear they have autopsied, exorcised, exhumed and reanimated this game. From start to finish they write with an incredible amount of care, forbidden knowledge and dark dedication far beyond what is often seen

My Affiliate Link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/332670/Soths-Accursed-Journal?affiliate_id=1507682