Category: DMs Guild Review

DMs Guild Review – The Struggles of Stelmane

A Tier 2 urban mini-adventure features an illithid hunting one of the ruling Dukes of Baldur’s Gate.

A review copy of “The Struggles of Stelmane” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by: Matthew Whitby, with JVC Parry

The Baldur’s Gate 3 cinematic trailer got me super excited about illithids, one of the coolest of the classic D&D baddies, and criminally underused in Fifth Edition. The Struggles of Stelmane features an intriguing illithid threat in the city of Baldur’s Gate, though it’s over far too quickly and easily.

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DMs Guild Review – Songs of Aedragard

A role-playing heavy exploration of a haunted castle in the forest, for level 1.

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

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Designed by: Fernando A. Dolande

Songs of Aedragard is a first-level adventure set in the Kryptgarden Forest. The PCs are tasked with clearing out a ruined castle, but the ghostly occupants are more interested in talking than fighting in this refreshingly role-playing heavy adventure.

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DMs Guild Review – Baldur’s Gate: The Fall of Elturel

A level 1 mini-adventure that serves as an alternate introduction to Descent Into Avernus.

A review copy of “Baldur’s Gate: The Fall of Elturel” 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: Anthony Joyce, with Justice Arman

One of my biggest gripes with last year’s Descent Into Avernus 5e campaign was the introduction. Dragging an entire city into the depths of Hell is an awesome opener, yet the fresh party of PCs only witness the aftermath as refugees arrive at Baldur’s Gate.

Baldur’s Gate: The Fall of Elturel attempts to rectify this opening by introducing the cultists, the Hellriders, and the city of Elturel before its fiery plunge. The production values are impressive, though it doesn’t take its alternative opening as far as I’d like.

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DMs Guild Review – Jarlaxle’s Guide to Traps

Nearly 100 pages of traps and hazards, as well as DM tips on when (and when not) to use them.

A review copy of “Jarlaxle’s Guide to Traps” 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: R. P. Davis with Jeromy Schulz-Arnold, Ken Carcas, D W Dagon, Justin Handlin, Bryan Holmes, Hal Howard, and Noel Proulx

Everybody loves traps. Well, Dungeon Masters love traps a bit more than players. I’ve yet to see an entire supplement dedicated to trap designs, and at nearly 100-pages, Jarlaxle’s Guide to Traps has a number to choose from. Unfortunately I found the tone wildly inconsistent, and many of the mechanical traps aren’t particularly inventive.

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DMs Guild Review – Scourge of the Nightingale Part 1: A Song of Love

An AL-style mini adventure involving kidnapping goblins, stageshow plays, and a new villain that kicks off a trilogy.

A review copy of “Scourge of the Nightingale Part 1: A Song of Love” 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: Jeff C. Stevens

One of my favorite recent fantasy series is the Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch. The third book, The Republic of Thieves, includes an extended backstory with our group of rogues posing as theater performers in order to scam their patron.

A Song of Love, Part 1 of the Scourge of the Nightingale Trilogy, doesn’t quite take it that far, but does feature a fun in-universe play for players to perform in order to infiltrate a fort full of goblins.

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DMs Guild Review – The Corwyn Catacombs

Delve into ancient ruins of a precursor race in this single session level 4 adventure.

A review copy of “The Corwyn Catacombs” 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: Jake Bhattacharyya (Magnificent Creations)

The Corwyn Catacombs promises an intriguing dungeon delve into the ruins of an ancient civilization belonging to a precursor race, but mostly amounts to smacking around some goblins.

Despite the letdown, the self-contained adventure is well-written, and squeezes a good balance of role-playing, exploration, and combat into the tiny, linear dungeon.

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DMs Guild Review – Bard College of Percussion

Detailed player class supplement featuring new bard colleges, backgrounds, and magic items, centered around percussion.

A review copy of “Bard College of Percussion” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by: Chad M. Lensch

I was a band nerd throughout middle and high school, so I always have a soft spot for bards and bard-related stuff. My teenage years of marching band are paltry compared to Chad M. Lensch, designer of the Bard College of Percussion, and lifelong drummer and drumline teacher.

Lensch has channeled his passion into one of the most comprehensive and detailed player class supplements I’ve seen on the DMs Guild.

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