A review copy of “Fate’s Clouded Gaze” was provided by the publisher. Find more reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Grim Press
I don’t throw around the term “mega-dungeon” lightly, but Fate’s Cloud Gaze is exactly that: a massive void temple dungeon that spans five levels and over 100 areas, for 3rd level parties in D&D 5e.
A doomsday cult called the Foretellers has recently set up shop in a temple outside a small town. People and supplies have begun disappearing, and it’s up to a group of adventurers to investigate the cult.
And that’s pretty much the extent of the story. There’s a bit of background on a generic ancient evil that’s ready to break through into our world once again, but it’s all very generic and frankly tiresome.
The only interesting twist is that the Foretellers aren’t the bad guys here. They’re far from altruistic, and in fact may be causing the void monster beneath them to quickly regain its power by their recruitment and stockpiling of resources. But they’re victims of the horrors beneath them as well, and I appreciate that the first level of the temple focuses more on socializing and exploration over kicking down doors and kicking ass (which is still always an option!).
As the party delves deeper into the dungeon, the Foretellers’ presence gives way to locked doors, powerful traps, and dangerous undead monsters.
In other words, the dungeon’s ecology actually makes a lot of sense!
Surprisingly, there are not a lot of monsters or combat opportunities, even in the lower levels. Instead the dungeon focuses primarily on the exploration pillar of D&D: secret doors, mysterious puzzles, hidden traps, and thoughtful clues.
There are a lot of clever ideas, such as doors that open and close each other (like an airlock), word tumblers that create different effects (such as revealing secret door or setting off traps), and a hallway of increasingly frightening images.
Not to mention all the killer trapped statues. My goodness, every statue is out to get you, from flame breaths to ice rays to teleporting you into a room with a black pudding. Seeing a statue in an empty room is always a red flag for the veteran D&D player, and this module certainly proves that wariness!
The already-huge dungeon is densely packed full of content. Every single room or area has an in-game description, and almost everything has something for the players to interact with, whether it’s a monster to fight, a secret to uncover, treasure to find, or just a locked door.
It’s A+ dungeon design, though the lack of sidebars, especially NPC details or story notes, makes reading through dozens of pages of room-by-room breakdowns more exhausting than it should be.
I was disappointed that the temple biome never really changes, despite a void portal lying at the very bottom. Other 5e mega-dungeons such as the Tomb of the Nine Gods and Undermountain break up the monotony with different tilesets and themes, but this temple look and layout never get any more interesting than the first floor.
The full color maps are a big thumbs up, however, and come with GM, gridded, and non-gridded player versions. As a VTT-user I’m a big fan of maps, and I have nothing but praise for the map quality (cartography credited to Riche Deth).
The good news is that most of the problems with Fate’s Clouded Gaze are fixable with a good GM willing to create an interesting story and NPCs – or simply pick and pull various levels, rooms, and ideas for your own dungeon designs.
Pros:
- Mega dungeon features 5 levels with over 100 areas.
- Each room has something interesting (and read-aloud descriptions).
- Full color maps for each dungeon level, including GM, gridded, and non-gridded versions.
- Void traits modify existing monsters.
Cons:
- Bare-bones story.
- No NPC notes or story development.
- Densely-packed layout is a chore to read.
The Verdict: Though it fails to tell a compelling story, the sheer magnitude of the five-level, densely packed mega-dungeon of Fate’s Cloud Gaze is impressive and full of cool ideas and interesting puzzles.
A review copy of “Fate’s Clouded Gaze” was provided by the publisher. Find more reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 