This review was sponsored by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by: Valan De Gaelin, Stormcrow Dreamscapes

From the designer of excellent Faerun sourcebook Halflings & Hops: Gazetteer of Luiren, comes a more bite-size offering.

Valan’s Guide to Ormpetarr focuses on a single city in a relatively quiet region southeast of Cormyr.

Ormpetarr was devastated by the Spellplague, then taken over by an evil order. But the city persevered after a successful revolution, and has transformed into a rather pleasant urban utopia.

Ormpetarr borders a lake called the Nagawater (filled with friendly nagas!). The city is known for its lively coffeehouses, The Great Bazaar, and literally thousands of cats.

It feels like an idealistic Greek or Roman city, with every major facility and building devoted to the appropriate god or goddess. The bazaar is run by clerics of Waukeen, the Halls of Justice venerate Tyr, the pyramid-cemetery is devoted to Kelemvor, and Tempus rules over the Battle Hall.

Citizens are weary of magic, and the Arcana Security Tower makes every spellcaster register with the city.

That’s about as dramatic as things get, however.

I found Ormpetarr’s utopia a bit too boring. There are no corrupt politicians, evil cults, monster-infested sewers, or dueling factions.

Over 20 encounters are included in an appendix, which is nice, but many of them are too generic (wild animal, city patrols, pickpockets, etc) and don’t reflect on Ormpetarr’s uniqueness (and if anything, highlight its lack thereof).

ormpetarr

On the plus side, the sourcebook looks great, and Valan is a damn entertaining scribe. “Valan” is an-universe half-elf bard, but the entire book is literally written by him — not just the foreword or sidebars.

It’s a tricky line to walk, but the designer does it well, with just the right amount of personal anecdotes and playful observations, sewn into informative breakdowns and history lessons.

Valan also includes a number of intriguing sidebars sprinkled throughout. These sidebars feature possible story hooks or adventure ideas, inspired by different locations and rumors.

Examples include a possible hidden thieves guild, an innkeeper who grows anxious during a full moon, a sealed chamber within the pyramid, and a merc group that may or may not be led by a shapeshifted bronze dragon.

These sidebars almost single-handily save the book for me. Without them, Valan’s Guide to Ormpetarr is a well-written but hopelessly boring location for a D&D adventure, lacking any meaningful quests or exploration.

Pros:

  • Valan’s voice shines as friendly, knowledgeable, and full of nice anecdotes.
  • Sidebars tease possible story hooks and adventure ideas around the city.
  • Over 20 urban encounters.

Cons:

  • Ormpetarr is a little too utopian, and thus boring.

The Verdict: Ormpetarr isn’t the most interesting city in Faerun, but Valan is an excellent storyteller and historian, and helps make Valan’s Guide to Ormpetarr an enjoyable and informative read.

A review copy of “Valan’s Guide to Ormpetarr” 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.