A review copy of “Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: Ryan Hennessy

A faction made up of delivery persons may not seem like the most exciting organization, but what is The Lord of the Rings if not one big delivery quest? The awkwardly named Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild is a mouthful, but it’s also a well-designed group patron that can be used for the whole party or just a single courier interested in traveling the world delivering important goods.

The most surprising thing about Palms Passing Parcels is there’s nothing surprising about it. No secret demons. No hidden cults or rigid tenants. They really are just a legitimate delivery organization, albeit cloaked in neutrality and willing to take on contraband and dangerous products.

Joining the guild is as simple as showing up with a willingness to deliver the goods, and pay 40% of the earnings to the guild. Players begin as the lowly Paisley Pageboys, but can advance through the ranks by successfully completely deliveries, with more dangerous and far-reaching deliveries offering bigger payouts and more prestige. Ultimately a courier could advance to become a Chinoiserie Channeler to specialize in urban delivery, or a Damask Deliverer for navigating across rugged terrain.

Reaching a new rank doesn’t result in any immediate awards, but new purchasable tools become available. The Tools of the Trade section details nearly a dozen high-powered utility items that would make Batman drool, like the Telescoping Ladder, Arrow Driver Pitons (grappling hook), True Night Shades (200ft Darkvision), and Ghillie Morph Cloak (perma-Pass Without Trace).

Many of these items cost thousands of gold, which is a bit much. But it’s nice to see powerful, yet non-magical utility items that specifically help players get around and explore, as befitting an experienced courier!

paisley pageboys

The supplement also includes four d10 tables of environmental hazards and other complications. Most of these aren’t combat-related, which I find refreshing, such as a graveyard of poison ivy, a frozen pond with special hit point-healing fish, or the unyielding heat of the desert sun. Definitely missing an urban table, however.

Finally, we’re given a list of over a dozen Adventure Hooks with sample quests and story ideas. Even the simplest quest – delivering a package from one of of town to another, includes a shakedown by the Lord’s Alliance. Several of them tie into official 5e campaigns like Lost Mine of Phandalin and Rime of the Frostmaiden (in fact, about half of them tie into RotF).

Adventure Hooks include delivering packages and letters to prisoners at Revel’s End in Icewind Dale, bringing life-saving medicine to a plague-ridden Waterdeep, traveling across the Anauroch desert to deliver supplies to a dragonborn tribe, and rescuing captured couriers (and their stolen cargo) from a pirate crew near the Mere of Dead Men. A fun and satisfying variety.

While Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild satisfies most of my checklists for a Group Patron, it’s completely lacking in NPCs. The history section includes information on the now dead founder, but the current Board of Directors are only given a single sentence each. I’d like to know more about them, as well as some sample couriers out in the field, and the NPCs that players and parties will be working with directly. It’s not a proper quest-giving faction without some faces and personalities to work with.

Pros:

  • Palms Passing is presented as a full-fledged Group Patron, with multiple ranks to advance through.
  • Over 10 advanced tools for travel, concealment, and infiltration.
  • Four d10 tables of environmental hazards and traps.
  • Over a dozen adventure hooks from aspiring to veteran couriers.

Cons:

  • No info on the guild’s NPCs.
  • Teeny tiny font!

The Verdict: Palms Passing PArcel & Logistics Guild is a prime implementation of a group patron, with advancement ranks, custom gear, and interesting adventure hooks.

A review copy of “Palms Passing Parcel & Logistics Guild” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.