A review copy of “Forest in Twilight” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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

Designed by: Jeremiah Leppert

When it comes to D&D adventures, sometimes it’s helpful to get back to basics. Forest in Twilight is a straightforward mini-adventure set in the highly-trafficked area around Phandalin and Neverwinter Wood, for levels 1-2.

Strange plant-like monsters have been sighted at the edge of Neverwinter Wood. A circle of druids have come under attack by blights from a corrupted tree, and they’re in need of some help.

That’s about it for the story. It’s not bad, just very simple; a perfect little side quest that players can tackle while adventuring around the Phandalin area, such as during The Lost Mine of Phandelver or Dragon of Icespire Peak.

Several adventure hooks send party near the woods, from escorting a group of traveling halflings to following up on a quest to track down an expelled druid (it would also make a fine side quest for a druid player – maybe it’s their Circle that’s fallen under attack!).

The layout makes liberal use of headings, subheadings, and bullet points. It’s incredibly easy to read through and gather all the relevant information.

Scenes are organized into combat, exploration, and social encounters, which is very helpful for new DMs, and every combat scene includes a full color grid battle map. Nice!

On the other hand, the design swings a little too heavily toward mechanics instead of story and flavor. Too many adventures go overboard with lore building and backstory in their relatively short adventures (where the intricate backstory is rarely relevant), but I longed for a little more context here.

For example, there’s no rhyme or reason as to why a tree has become corrupted and is spawning evil blights. And I wanted more details on the expelled druid and how he factors into the story (why not make him the surprise villain?). The epilogue is particularly egregious, where the bullet points resemble a jokey flow chart (did the tree survive? If yes…, etc)

Despite these problems, I enjoyed the adventure. There are no random encounter tables, just well-designed, scripted scenes as the party explores the forest. The balance of combat, RP, and exploration is spot-on, and I’m always a sucker for full color battle maps. It’s easy to read, easy to run, and easily recommended to newer DMs.

Pros:

  • Excellent balance of combat, social, and exploration.
  • Well-organized and easy to run; integrates perfectly into 5e starter adventures.
  • Battle maps for all possible combat scenes.

Cons:

  • Not a fan of the abbreviated statblocks!
  • More epilogue please!

The Verdict: Forest in Twilight‘s easy adventure structure, intuitive layout, and perfect balance of combat, exploration, and role-playing opportunities create an ideal drop-in, forest-themed adventure for newbie DMs.

A review copy of “Forest in Twilight” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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