dms guild – Eric Watson

DMs Guild Review – Malar: The Beastlord Compendium

A 100-page sourcebook all about the lord of the hunt, including history, cultists, and tons of new player options.

DMs Guild Review – Cormyr: Land of the Purple Dragon

A review copy of “Cormyr: Land of the Purple Dragon” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by: Matthew Lee Myers

Like many folks who really didn’t start playing Dungeons & Dragons until Fifth Edition, most of my lore knowledge when it comes to D&D is centered firmly on the Sword Coast. There are multiple fantasy universes that D&D has used in the past, including Greyhawk, Eberron, and Krynn, but 5E-era D&D is myopically focused on the Forgotten Realms, and even then almost entirely on a single region.

Cormyr, located several hundred miles east of the Sword Coast, is a traditional high fantasy kingdom with rugged lands, lakes, forests, swamps, and mountains, and a violent history of razing dragons and war wizards. Cormyr: Land of the Purple Dragon is a staggeringly comprehensive sourcebook along the same style as the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, providing detailed lore, culture, and history of the region, along with new encounters, magic items, player character options, and more.

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DMs Guild Review – Vault of Magic

Over 50 magic items and over a dozen new spells.

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

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Designed by: Marco Bertini and Marco Fossati

We can always use more magic items, particularly on the lower end of the power spectrum, the commons and uncommons. Vault of Magic includes over 50 magic items, along with a little over a dozen new spells. The artwork and overall visual presentation is excellent, but the actual content left me wanting more.

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DMs Guild Review – Hellbound Heists

Nine heist adventures, one for each layer of Hell.

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

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Designed by: Bryan Holmes, Chad Lensch, Christian Eichhorn, Steve “Jaspor” Orr, John PArker, Jos van Egmond, Justice Arman, Ryan Langr, and Zavier Bates

At first glance Hellbound Heists appears to be a collection of adventures for Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus, and their close release dates and obvious similar themes might suggest the tie-in. Hellbound Heists is actually far more encompassing when it comes to Hell, however, featuring one heist adventure for every single layer of hell – that’s nine adventures altogether.

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DMs Guild Review – Saltmarsh Encounters

A collection of 60 nautically-themed encounters for ship-bound (or ship-adjacent) adventures.

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

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Designed by: M. T. Black, with Ashley Warren, James Haeck, James Introcaso, and Rich Lescouflair

Ghosts of Saltmarsh gave us an excellent reason to dive into a nautically-themed adventure. But every adventure, no matter how detailed, is going to need some encounters to fill those long sea voyages. “Saltmarsh Encounters” provides 60 Tier 1 (levels 1 – 4) encounters that fit perfectly within a sea-worthy campaign.

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DMs Guild Review – Gunslinger Class Revised

A full level 1-20 player class focused entirely on guns.

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

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Designed by: Stratos Fotakis

I’m not a big fan of guns in the real world, but in a fantasy setting I think they’re fun as hell. I’m often drawn to the sharpshooters and dual pistol-wielders in any game or world that offers it. In D&D, adding guns to the mix raises some obvious balance concerns.

Thankfully “Gungslinger Class Revised” does an excellent job creating a balanced new class based entirely around guns for levels 1-20, including seven archetypes and lots of fun trick shots to perform.

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Tabletop Review – Beastlands’ Maelstrom of Monsters

A procedurally generated monster manual with nearly 300 monsters.

A review copy of “Beastlands’ Maelstrom of Monsters” was provided by the publisher. Find more Tabletop Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by: Todd Otto

“Procedurally generated” is a common buzzword (buzzphrase?) in gaming. It basically means content that is more intelligently randomly generated, involving parameters, settings, and algorithms.

“Beastlands’ Maelstrom of Monsters” is a procedurally generated monster manual. The 285 enemies within aren’t even generated until you purchase the PDF, creating a uniquely bizarre concoction of mad-libs Frankenstein monsters that I don’t see any DM wanting to actually use.

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