New This Week On DM’s Guild and DriveThru RPG : 5-6-2020
There’s sky pirates, friendly gelatinous cubes, and a big bag of cursed treasures on this week’s look at DriveThru RPG and DM’s Guild
Other realms are the theme of this week’s batch of releases from the DM’s Guild and DriveThruRPG. Whether it’s the Spelljamming amazingness that is Captain Basil Starshot and his vessel setting down in a town to square off against space pirates, forests full of fae, or wild magic for every class, there’s a ton out there to dig into. Check it out!
The Visitor From The Maelstrom
“Surprised townsfolk saw a growing shadow fall over the marketplace. Their first thoughts were of a storm brewing. Then the Peregrine Falcon broke through the clouds and crash-landed in the middle of the small town. Onlookers flew into a panic as the flying clockwork bird-ship nearly crushed the roof of the local tavern. However, the uproar was cut short when a figure emerged and fired a thunderous warning shot…
A fun 5-page Spelljammer inspired adventure seed featuring Basil Starshot, captain of the Peregrine Falcon enlisting your aid to confront the pirates of the Crystal Eclipse and retrieve his captured crew.
VISITOR FROM THE MAELSTROM has plenty of elements to use with whatever solo roleplaying oracle/emulator you might prefer:
– Story setup
– First scene
– The Peregrine Falcon
– The Rock of Mirth
– Dwarven Starforge
– Plot suggestions
– Plenty of questions to answer during play”
Fantasy steampunk adventures will always pique my interest and this one looks positively captivating. Sky pirates and high adventure fill this short game start as the Peregrine Falcon takes you to strange and incredible places. Solo RPGs are never easy, but Visitor from the Maelstrom will work hard to make it a joy for you.
Mansions of Madness
“Who Knows What Happens… Behind Closed Doors.
Mansions of Madness Vol. 1 contains five scenarios for use with the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set or the 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook. It includes two fully updated and revised classics, along with three brand new adventures, and all can be played as standalone adventures, used as sidetracks for ongoing campaigns, or strung together to form a mini-campaign spanning the 1920s. Suitable for up to six players and their Keeper, each scenario should take between one and three sessions to play through, and are an ideal next step for those who have already experienced the horrors contained within the scenario collections Doors to Darkness and Gateways to Terror.Here are the five scenarios:
Mister Corbitt
Does a seemingly shy and retiring local businessman hide a terrible secret? Can the investigators solve the riddle and save the day?The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse
Long considered to be a cursed place by the folk of Gamwell, it seems the Fitzgerald Manse has finally escaped its sordid past. But, no one’s seen the new owner, Arthur Cornthwaite, for quite some time. Is history repeating itself?AdvertisementThe Code
Summoned to the home of Dr. Kenneth Connolly by an urgent telegram, can the investigators make sense of the bizarre events afflicting Wellington Manor?The House of Memphis
World-famous magician Memphis the Great has not been seen for weeks. Has he merely gone off on another of his legendary magic-hunting trips, or is there a more sinister reason for his disappearance?The Nineteenth Hole
Renovation work at Thistledown Golf Club has not been running smoothly. First, there were tales of illnesses, then ghostly sightings, and now no one can find the owner. Dark shadows fall over Scotland and all is not what it seems.”
With five inspired and attention drawing game scenarios, Mansion of Madness gives you multiple ways to encounter the great old ones and other unknowable terrors in the Call of Cthulhu system. Each scenario is good for up to three sessions (and depending on your luck, as many characters), making this volume hours and hours of anxiety inducing fun. Whether you’re already a fan of Call of Cthulhu or need an accessible way to get into it, pay a visit to the Mansions of Madness. You’ll probably walk away just fine.
Forest of Fairies
“This adventure uses terms and game mechanics created for the Witchcraft: Magic of Hereva supplement. In that supplement you can find rules to to create characters from the class Witch of Hereva, inspired by the Pepper & Carrot comic web by David Revoy. To use this adventure you will need that supplement.
AdvertisementForest of Fairies is an adventure compatible with any system based on the 5th edition of the SRD of the world’s most popular role-playing game. In this adventure, players will meet two villages of fairies fighting against each other, on an island that floats on top a giant dinosaur in the middle of the sea. Will defend the colossal creature from another monster and will save both village taking them back to their home forest.
The world of Hereva is a world of magic, inhabited by fantastic creatures and brave adventurers. The world itself is so magical that it doesn’t have a static map, it changes so fast that people need to update their maps every once in a while. In this world, everybody is capable of manifesting magic in small ways, but there are few as proficient in magic as the Witches of Hereva.
Pepper & Carrot is a web comic created by David Revoy, about a young witch called Pepper and her mischievous orange cat Carrot. In the comic, Pepper learns about how to be a witch from her three teachers, who despite not being like teachers in other magic schools, always teach her good lessons in their own way.
In Hereva, magic reaches everywhere, all people can do at least a little magic, even animals and places have magical aspects in them.”
Most fantasy games have an element of magic, but in this one magic is everywhere. Based in D&D and the world of Hereva, Forest of Fairies is a game that will feel both familiar and entirely unique. If the idea of a shifting map, ever present magic, and jumping into the world of Pepper and Carrot is as intriguing to you as it is to me, check this home-brew and supplement out. And if you haven’t checked out the comic yet, at least take a peek at the art. It’s very pretty.
Adventure Sidekicks: Out of the Abyss
“Do you want to play Out of the Abyss, but you don’t have enough players? Do you want reoccurring allies and creatures to level up throughout your Underdark campaign? Do your players regularly invite NPCs and beasts they meet along for the ride? Do you just love sidekick options? Then this is for you!
In this supplement, you’ll find seven 1st- to 15th-level sidekicks ready to fight the the Demon Lords with you. The sidekick options include:
- Glabbagool, a friendly gelatinous cube;
- A hook horror, starts adorable and grows to horrible;
- Topsy and Turvy, twin deep gnomes with a lycanthropic secret;
- Underdark mage, a template for a Blingdenstone Stoneheart, Buppido, Grin Ousstyl, and a Sloopbludop whip;
- Underdark priest, a template for an Eilistraee battledancer, a Gauntlgrym war priest, Shuushar, Stool, and an Underdark shepherd;
- Underdark scoundrel, a template for Eldeth Feldrun, Jimjar, a Mantol-Derith merchant, a Menzoberranzan assassin, Yuk Yuk and Spiderbait; and
- Underdark soldier, a template for a Gauntlgrym veteran, a Gracklstugh guard, a Neverlight explorer, Prince Derendil, Ront, and Sarith Kzekarit.”
Whether you need extra NPCs to fill out a party or your players just really enjoy inviting extras along for the ride, Adventure Sidekicks has weird, cool, and fantastical characters for you to chose from. I was pretty much sold at “friendly gelatinous cube,” but werewolf gnomes, any underdark character you could think of are also very very good. Every game needs interesting NPCs, why not make them full sidekicks?
Wild Magic For Ever Class
“Shouldn’t every single player character have a way to introduce dynamic magical chaos into their playstyle? Wild Magic for Every Class is a new feat and accompanying set of Wild Magic Surges that answer this question: “BY VIOLET LIGHTNING, YES!”
Included in this Pay What You Want PDF, you’ll discover 600 new surges spread over 12 tables – one for each core class in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. Will your Fighter sprout suction cups from their fingers and go on an unstoppable grappling spree? Will your Paladin get a terrifying false reading from their Divine Sense? Will you catch the money bunny!? Each surge provides a whimsical disruption of the status quo, a unique mechanical outcome to react to, or both!
AdvertisementEvery party is unique, and as always this supplement is written with that in mind. Also included are variant rules and play advice to help ensure that introducing more randomness doesn’t mean detracting from other folks’ fun. Whether you want to integrate Wild Magic as a story element from the start or simply add some spice to an existing character, you’ll find a solution. Both social and in-character guidelines are provided, and the hundreds of surges listed can be easily replaced piecemeal or even remixed if you write your own!
If you or someone you know are the kind of player that can’t get enough of those hectic d100 Wild Magic rolls, then this is your time to shine. But even if not, Wild Magic also works as a great temporary effect caused by an enchantment, a curse, or a magically unstable environment. This supplement fits any setting with an unpredictable source of magic, and any character with or without an available feat slot.”
Have you ever thought about how your game needed more chaos and randomness? Have you ever said, “Why SHOULDN’T a fighter have wild magic surges?!” Do you enjoy the rush of leaving the fate of your character to a dice roll and an outcome table? Well might I suggest adding Wild Magic for Every Class to your campaign. Does this concept both intrigue and frighten me? Yes. Do I sort of want to wreck my artificer with it anyhow? Also yes!
“A treasure trove of items for seafaring adventurers!
Adventures on — or even under! — the high seas present Dungeon Masters and players alike with opportunities to explore an alien world without venturing too far from home. This collection of sea-themed magic items is equal parts conversion from Stormwrack, a supplement for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and original works. I hope they find a place in the next sunken hoard or pirate cargo hold in your game.
Included are 32 magic items: 5 armors and shields, 9 weapons, 3 rings, 2 rods and staffs, and 13 wondrous items.”
There is a lot of ocean on the world and your adventurers could be exploring it! Whether you’re encountering merfolk, trying to find a very specific dragon, or minding your own business on a sailboat, you have an opportunity to find or use any one of these items. This supplement is written for 3E.
Cursed Curios
“Cursed Curios describes 50 cursed items for players to find! Examples include:
- Charlatan’s Dice
- Kalathar’s Kris
- The Sword of A Thousand Truths
- Hero’s Armor
- Wispy Will-o-Wisp”
I’m going to be honest with you here, I took out the descriptions of these items when I copy/pasted the caption over because there was a lot. But do yourself a favor, go to the page yourself, and read them right now because they are wild in the best possible way. Armed with a helpful player boost and a curse each of these items is imaginative, interesting, and will add a lot of something special to your game. Not to mention how immanently plot-hook-able cursed treasures are.
Are you picking up anything new this week? Is there anything on my list that’s speaking to you or did you opt for something else? Are you more of a module person or a home-brew classes and items person? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!
