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I am constantly on the lookout for tools and resources that can enhance the immersive experience for 5e and offer my players something a little different. Recently, I had the pleasure of diving into the Death and Bone Archetypes for Fantasy Grounds, and I must say, it's a treasure trove of dark and captivating content. Given where 5E is in it's lifecycle it's not always easy to offer innovative content which breaths new life (pardon the pun) into the game without seeming overpowering.
Each class option comes with its own unique abilities, spells, and features that not only fit thematically but also offer intriguing gameplay mechanics. Take, for instance, the Death Domain for clerics. With its arsenal of necrotic spells and the ability to manipulate life force, it opens up exciting roleplaying opportunities and strategic choices in combat. Similarly, the Bone Knight archetype for fighters introduces a chilling aura of death that strikes fear into the hearts of enemies while bolstering allies with dark resilience.
Moreover, the artwork and flavor text accompanying each archetype are evocative. Every image evokes a sense of dark allure, drawing players deeper into the grim and haunting atmosphere of their chosen path. Whether you're peering into the hollow eyes of a skeletal warrior or gazing upon the spectral visage of a deathly sorcerer, the artistry captures the essence of these archetypes with haunting beauty.
The only drawback to this product is that it does not have the effect coding built out for the user. However it is admittedly a problem with many products developed for Fantasy Grounds. If you are a DM with a little bit of coding knowledge it is certainly possible to overcome this limitation.
Whether you're a player seeking to embrace the allure of death or a game master weaving tales of necromantic intrigue, this pack is sure to breathe new life into your gaming experience without unbalancing your game.
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Ok, so I'm jumping the gun a bit here, because we haven't finished the quest yet, but...
This is so well written. I have gathered a lot of little bits and pieces from DMsguild over the years and i'm super impressed by how this is laid out. One of the best put together quests. It definitely achieves its intended purpose of giving the Rock of Bral a bit more dynamism in the context of the Light of Xaryxis module. The party LOVED Frictionless Dan. Awesome NPC. I really like the way it rewrites Hastain's motivation (which feels a bit tacked on in the official book) and i'm looking forward to that coming together. I'll add more to this review when we finish the quest, but yeah, I'm definitely going to try the other Spelljammer quests from this author, and I recommend people who are running the module look into this adventure because it will give your players a great time.
EDIT: Now that we have finished the material, i wanted to update this review and say, thanks again. Totally enjoyed how this went. The party had a blast. They managed to sneak their way to the boss fight, and then had to fight their way out of the dungeon, and it got close (a few downed party members, and Krux nearly died). Tension was high, but they made it in the end and we all loved it. I will be checking out the other Spelljammer adventures tied to Light of Xaryxis, because if they are as cool as this, it will defenintely add more fun to the campaign.
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really nice, comprehensive reference sheet with all sorts of data we all constantly forget about and much more.
no regular climbing information included which is weird but can be easily amended :D
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Fun and easy combat intensive completion to the trilogy. On paper, I thought it could go sideways easily, but a party of 6 APL14 got through easily so don't hold back. My first run took 3 hours without exploration. Plenty of room to make the scenery gloomy horror for a willing croud.
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Super useful set of maps if you are running the Spelljammer adventure.
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This is a truly clever subclass that makes grapples and shoves a far more exciting and dynamic part of the game. Without seeming overpowered or unbalanced, a Way of Control monk could easily make a dramatic difference in a combat situation by sidelining one or more enemy combatants. The 11th-level Ki-siphon and 17th-level spirtual doubles really up the ante by adding some uniquely effective mystical features that arise organically from the central premise of the subclass. This is definitely a distinctive sort of monk I'd be eager to play!
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As a follow-up to Rogue Heart (SJ-DC-NOS-02), this one was a bit dissappointing. The biggest issue was that there's a lot that is repetitive from Rogue Heart. You fight a lot of the same creatures with the same alterations (Purple Worms, Sacred Statues, cultisits, etc.), in a lot of the same locations. I like the parellels between the two time frames, but if you run this immediately after "Rogue" it's a lot of the same.
We made it work by combining the two adventures. I had the final fight in Rogue Heart get truncated by the ritual going wrong and sending the characters back in time accidentally, forcing them to find their way back. This played out a bit better then having them leave Nostia only to be called back and do it all over again.
They did like the Dragon encounter, but it can be pretty swingy if you don't spell out how they can "purge" the Dragon. It did present a real element of danger which was refreshing for a party that steamrolls a lot of encounters, so I appreciated it.
Formatting-wise, bolding the creatures would be extremely helpful in determing which enemies to get ready with a quick scan of the page.
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Fantastic Adventure. My Characters had previously played "Lich Queen's Begotten" and had claimed the Titan's End ship as their Spelljammer (It's a large head, that was severed from a mechanical Titan eons ago). They've been asking to find other Titan parts to "Voltron it Up", and by serendipity I found this module, which worked perfectly!
5 of my Players had also previously played in my Dragon Heist campaign so they loved the callbacks, and in the end went and found their retired characters in Trollskull alley for a drink. Players had a fanatastic time, it was a lot of silly fun, which they needed as a break in the larger campaign.
Thanks for meeting all of our parties needs and giving us a great experience.
Some constructive cricism/caveats for buyers:
1) The scale in this one is huge. If you aren't using a VTT and are playing in person, then accounting for minis, battlemaps, and just the sheer size of everything compared to your character's miniatures will be daunting (the final battle has essentially ship-to-ship combat and indvidual combat happening at the same time on a rather large map). Be sure to prep accordingly and figure out logisitically how to run it. We had to handwave a lot of size issues like how everyone can start the combat in the Mega-Statue, but have it's base small enough to practical at the table, etc.)
2) If you really want to get the most out of these encounters, there is no way it runs in 4 hours. In the end we took approximately 9 hours, 3 of those for the final fight. Granted my players tend to noodle around a bit, but with all the moving pieces, be prepared to either trunacte a lot or allow for extra time. (My players had no problmes with this, but if you are in a time constraint scenario like a convention or game store, be aware that it may not fit nicely into the 4 hour slot).
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Genuinely find this to be a great addition to any game, each piece of armor comes with a very flavorful description, along with utilizing a cantrip that doesn't get to see much use and has it bring in much more utility. Most sets of armor come with some type of bonus that isn't just a flat increase to your Armor Class, which is very refreshing to see in homebrew.
While certain armors do have certain drawbacks that could disuade players, they are definitely the more powerful sets of armor and I feel that the buffs either outway or match the downsides enough that they are still wonderful options. Would love to try each of these in a game!
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What a fantastic book! The Artificer has felt second-class in 5e, and this book does a lot to promote it to the upper echelon. I ordered the hardback, and it was worth the cost. It looks and feels like an official WotC production, full of excellent formatting, fonts, and top tier artwork. The content itself covers a lot of ground, and from the beginning the author states that the rules are intended to be used a la carte, so you can ease into it if desired. If you've wanted to run an Artificer in 5e but didn't feel like it was worth the effort given the paucity of content, I strongly encourage you to grab this book and craft away!
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This is a solid, flavorful subclass that really turns the barbarian into a highly mobile melee menace. Think the Tasmanian Devil of Looney Tunes fame, but with a decidedly deadlier twist!
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The layout and detail were fantastic, and the prose was a pleasure to read. As mentioned in the description, the historical research that went into the document shines through. Perfect for the other three players or GMs out there that also miss Waterdeep’s Rat Hills.
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The writing is good and the art is fantastic but the balance... oof. Multiple concentration spells as a second level feat makes this a easy dip. The ability to hand out multiple inspirations at fourth level. Paladin's Devine Sense, only better. Mage's Find Familiar only better. Cleric's Guidance only better. Turn Undead only better. Upcasting spells for free. Screwing with Counterspell. And that doesn't even get into the sub classes, all of which have very powerful effects.
If you're running a table filled with min/maxed characters and over powered homebrew, this class will fit right in. If you're running a table of average characters from the core books, this class is going to stick out like a sore thumb.
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I have been following the works of this author in other medium. Much thought, consideration, planning, and quality goes into Mr. Tate's work. My favorite of this bundle (so far) is the Blood doman Cleric. Clerics and Paladins are among my favorite class to play in D&D and to see a new entry in a sorrowfully slim archetype of 'how a power is used denotes moral alignment,' I will be itching to use this darker take on a Cleric class- regardless the backdrop of good, evil, or in-between campaign. The rest of these classes I am eager to pour through and see how they are linked and again feel the excitement of inspiration of what class I want to play and the story that might evolve from the practices irrevocably maniupulated by the descovery that life as fuel may provide.
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I have just finished reading this and while I am pleased overall, I did notice a decently large amount of spelling and gramatical errors. Something I should not be seeing as far as I am concerned. At least not in this amount. Other than that I was pleased overall with the artwork (some was just a bit too simplistic). The layout was great, well organized and consistant. Even with it's faults, I would still recomment this product for lovers of Ravenloft.
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