So you finally slew the Kobald Lich and her minions who have been harrying the kingdom for more than a year. Bloodied but satisfied you and your companions wander over to her pile of loot and start sifting through the valuables. You find a bag full of books; apparently Ashrital, Scourge of the North was a reader. Fortunately, so are you and your eyes alight with the possibility of what strange tomes may lie within. Welcome to the DMs Guild Round Up! There has been so much material created for the Dungeon Master's Guild since its inception, so we want to spotlight some of the great works being produced. Some days it will be Random Loot (like today) and some days it will be a theme. So let's get started and dip our hand into the hoard and see what tomes await.
Well, the first leather bound treasure we take from the bag is a feast for all you Alienists out there, a beautifully formatted tome by Toby Lowther named Eldritch Expansion. It is clear a great deal of work was put into this book and it pays off. Just the layout alone is worth the price and inside you find exactly what you need from a book like this. General information on the Far Realms is included and this adds a nice bit of flavor. The optional rules are nice, making use of Sanity rules from the DM's Guide and are the start of some solid content. Magic items are presented and they stick well to the theme, some of them being pretty potent. The race and class options are also good and certainly appropriate for a campaign set mostly in the Far Realms. Finally the additional spells and creatures round out a pretty interesting and enjoyable read. A worthy addition to your own book hoard.
Now here is an interesting one, a tome that speaks of the lands far to the east. Heroes of the Orient is an extensive update of information from previous editions of Dungeons & Dragons, drawing on older information and updating it for 5e. The lead designer is Marc Altfuldisch. Part 1 of the book focuses on background and information mostly relevant to the DM. Setting information, including background on society and history, provides a nice update to those previous editions, making changes as is needed. Players will of course get something out of it too, but it is Parts 2 - 5 that focus on information relevant to creating an Orient themed character. A few races from the old days make an appearance, (Hengeyokai and Spirit Folk) and there is a new class (Shogun) that is not anything I had seen before. I liked the backgrounds and the supplement is rounded out with Feats and Spells. All in all a nice update/throwback to those older 5e supplements.
Apparently, Ashrital the Kobald Lich is a fan of D&D Adventure League, for in her bag of books is a set of maps for DDAL 7-03: A Day at the Races. These are fantastic color maps for a fun adventure and if you run AL regularly, it is well worth your time take advantage of author Gail D's hard work. Your players will definitely be impressed by playing on these fine maps.
Next book out is by one of the DMs Guild Adepts, Cindy Moore. Ruins of Matolo: Discovery is an adventure in the Jungles of Chult, for characters level of 5-10 (Tier 2). The adventure is meant to go with and support the Tomb of Annihilation supplement for 5e. RoM fits pretty nicely into a home campaign following the ToA story or supplmenting with the DDAL Season 7 modules. The adventure itself is pretty tight and short, with a nice mix of role playing and combat, as well as other challenges including the jungle itself. If your group enjoys adventures in Chult, then this is a must have adventure.
Our last piece of loot for today is a weighty tome appropriately titled The Comprehensive Equipment Manual. Randal Right of Wraith Wright Productions is not kidding with this title either. A few pages are dedicated up front to talking about how to use the product and hints for the DM (and others). From there the lists of equipment begin, ranging from updated and expanded arms and armor, to the use of different materials and changes based on race or class. There is a lot of information here, broken up by the occasional small piece of art, which I really loved. The illustrations evoke an old school feeling to the work in both the color and black and white versions (a nice touch I think). The Comprehensive Equipment Manual is a must have for those who want more depth to combat and a bit more texture to the equipment they are using in their 5e game.
Well that is enough books for one day. Tune in next time to see what other treasures we see in the ole DMs' Guild bag o' books.
contributed by Sean Hillman
Well, the first leather bound treasure we take from the bag is a feast for all you Alienists out there, a beautifully formatted tome by Toby Lowther named Eldritch Expansion. It is clear a great deal of work was put into this book and it pays off. Just the layout alone is worth the price and inside you find exactly what you need from a book like this. General information on the Far Realms is included and this adds a nice bit of flavor. The optional rules are nice, making use of Sanity rules from the DM's Guide and are the start of some solid content. Magic items are presented and they stick well to the theme, some of them being pretty potent. The race and class options are also good and certainly appropriate for a campaign set mostly in the Far Realms. Finally the additional spells and creatures round out a pretty interesting and enjoyable read. A worthy addition to your own book hoard.
Now here is an interesting one, a tome that speaks of the lands far to the east. Heroes of the Orient is an extensive update of information from previous editions of Dungeons & Dragons, drawing on older information and updating it for 5e. The lead designer is Marc Altfuldisch. Part 1 of the book focuses on background and information mostly relevant to the DM. Setting information, including background on society and history, provides a nice update to those previous editions, making changes as is needed. Players will of course get something out of it too, but it is Parts 2 - 5 that focus on information relevant to creating an Orient themed character. A few races from the old days make an appearance, (Hengeyokai and Spirit Folk) and there is a new class (Shogun) that is not anything I had seen before. I liked the backgrounds and the supplement is rounded out with Feats and Spells. All in all a nice update/throwback to those older 5e supplements.
Apparently, Ashrital the Kobald Lich is a fan of D&D Adventure League, for in her bag of books is a set of maps for DDAL 7-03: A Day at the Races. These are fantastic color maps for a fun adventure and if you run AL regularly, it is well worth your time take advantage of author Gail D's hard work. Your players will definitely be impressed by playing on these fine maps.
Next book out is by one of the DMs Guild Adepts, Cindy Moore. Ruins of Matolo: Discovery is an adventure in the Jungles of Chult, for characters level of 5-10 (Tier 2). The adventure is meant to go with and support the Tomb of Annihilation supplement for 5e. RoM fits pretty nicely into a home campaign following the ToA story or supplmenting with the DDAL Season 7 modules. The adventure itself is pretty tight and short, with a nice mix of role playing and combat, as well as other challenges including the jungle itself. If your group enjoys adventures in Chult, then this is a must have adventure.
Our last piece of loot for today is a weighty tome appropriately titled The Comprehensive Equipment Manual. Randal Right of Wraith Wright Productions is not kidding with this title either. A few pages are dedicated up front to talking about how to use the product and hints for the DM (and others). From there the lists of equipment begin, ranging from updated and expanded arms and armor, to the use of different materials and changes based on race or class. There is a lot of information here, broken up by the occasional small piece of art, which I really loved. The illustrations evoke an old school feeling to the work in both the color and black and white versions (a nice touch I think). The Comprehensive Equipment Manual is a must have for those who want more depth to combat and a bit more texture to the equipment they are using in their 5e game.
Well that is enough books for one day. Tune in next time to see what other treasures we see in the ole DMs' Guild bag o' books.
contributed by Sean Hillman
