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Designed by: Lucas Anderson, Jack Weighill, Joe Wilson, Ukulele Bard, Basil Wright, StickyHunter, V.J. Harris, Matthew Jarmak
Drizzt’s Travelogue of Everything was one of my favorite DMs Guild products of 2022. It featured some truly excellent new subclass designs, in addition to an all-new player class.
Drizzt’s Travelogue of Everything Volume 2 is more of the same — which means more well-designed subclasses, a new class (with six subclasses), and for the first time in the series, new ancestries and spells.
The first chapter adds four new ancestries. (Races? Lineages? Species? We really need to figure this terminology out! For the record, ancestry is definitely one I prefer.): mastar, robo, virdas, and gnolls. Basically dog-folk, literal robots, plant-folk, and, well, gnolls (the hyena dudes).
I know warforged are a thing in Eberron but the robo are far more…roboty, with extendable arms, a built-in dash (limited uses) and a build-in multi-tool hand. Pretty neat, but I imagine most DMs would balk at the inclusion. The plants and dogs fit a little more smoothly, and all the new ancestries have useful and thematic abilities.
Over half the 100-page book is dedicated to the new class options in chapter 2: over 30 subclasses for each class, including Volume 1’s Tactician and Volume 2’s new class, the Alchemist.
There’s tons of great ideas, and once again I’ll focus on my favorites, such as the Puppeteer Artificer, a somewhat creepy take on a pet-build using wooden dolls.
Building off a Druid’s wildshape, the Green Warden Ranger transforms different parts of their body into animal forms, gaining cool new attacks and abilities.
Finally, the right to bear arms!
Self-heal by taking and dealing damage with the Path of Pain Barbarian. Paint uniquely colorful battlefield conditions with the Bard College of Colors. Create bubbles of extra-planar energy with the Druid Circle of the Planes. Wield an oversized JRPG-style weapon with the Titanslayer Fighter, and summon entire storm clouds with the Cloud Stepper Ranger.
The new Alchemist class builds on a simple concept: turn any spell into a magic potion. The Alchemist uses the variant spell points rules in place of spell slots, and a potion takes time to craft, making it appropriately all about the prep work.
Any creature can use the Alchemists’ potions, but the spells scale off their Intelligence, balancing out the ease of passing out higher level spells.
I’m also impressed with the variety and themes in the subclasses. Pursuit of Longevity is a Monk-hybrid frontline fighter, while Necrosis unlocks the ability to apply potions to weapons and ammunition. The Pursuit of Creator uses a golem-like creature that later earns special abilities.
Our very own Edmond in my Rime of the Frostmaiden live play campaign would’ve loved Pursuit of the Transmuter, an Alchemist subclasses that alters and reshapes the ground, creating sinkholes, pits, or even miniature land mines!
The Alchemist spell list uses many new spells added in Volume 2 that are specifically designed for the new class, such as healing vapors, confetti bomb, lich wine, nausea, and smoke bomb. You can probably guess what most of those do, although lich wine is just a poison.
More impressively are the revised spells. The designers looked over nearly 30 underused spells from the Player’s Handbook and gave them a proper buff. These are welcome changes without needlessly overcorrecting, mostly freeing up the players’ actions.
The oft-maligned witch bolt, for example, is changed to only require a bonus action to re-apply the damage in subsequent rounds (assuming you’ve maintained concentration!), after the initial action of casting the spell.
The nearly useless true strike cantrip now no longer requires concentration, and the next attack you make gains advantage regardless of when you attack.
Crown of madness has been opened to include all creatures (not just humanoids), and you no longer have to spend your action maintaining the effect every round.
The final chapter includes tables for thematic cuisines in different regions, options for training mounts, and an interesting optional rule called Mythic Heroes.
Mythic Heroes are inspired by the Mythic boss monster variants from Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Beginning at fifth level, once per level, a PC could choose to activate their mythic trait rather than dropping to 0 hit points.
Dozens of traits are provided, several for each class, and all represent a thematic super saiyan mode. A druid could instantly summon a powerful beast, or reshape the land, while rogues and monks gain extra debuffs with their sneak attacks and ki-strikes respectively.
It’s a neat system, and one with an interesting risk: if you fall to 0 hit points again while under the effect, you automatically accrue a failed death save!
Drizzt’s Travelogue of Everything was comprehensive enough not to need a sequel, but after reading Volume 2, I’m very glad we got one.
Pros:
- New Alchemist class, with 5 subclasses.
- Over 30 subclasses for all 14 classes (including Tactician from Volume 1).
- Over a dozen new Alchemy-themed spells
- Nearly 30 revised and rebalance spells.
- Interesting Mythic Heroics optional rules
- Beautiful character art with professional layout, plus Drizzt’s fun commentary.
Cons:
- None!
The Verdict: The rare sequel that’s just as good, if not better, than the original, Drizzt’s Travelogue of Everything Volume 2 compliments its older brother with even more interesting subclass options, smartly updated spells, and the all-new Alchemy class.
A review copy of “Drizzt’s Travelogue of Everything Volume 2” 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.
RogueWatson 