Note, there will be spoilers. If you plan to run these as a DM, feel free to read on. But if there's any chance you might play in them, skip this blog.
I'm listing them in the order that I liked them, and I've given each story a star rating of 1 to 5.
Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme (Level 4) *****
I covered this in an earlier blog, but it feels like one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes.
Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme (Level 4) *****
I covered this in an earlier blog, but it feels like one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes.
Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor (Level 7) ****
You find the diary of a servant girl, which gives clues to some unsolved murders. You befriend her ghost and try to track down the killer, who is about to perform an evil ritual.
A Deep and Creeping Darkness (Level 4) ****
You investigate a ghost town that was abandoned after a mining collapse. Following the disaster, the townsfolk experienced nightmares until they fled the town. This one has more combat potential than the earlier adventures, but the mystery is still pretty cool.
The Curious Tale of Wisteria Vale (Level 11) ****
The PCs are hired to rescue a bard from a demiplane. This tiny dimension was designed to emulate a peaceful village, populated by enchanted mannequins that look and act like townsfolk. It has shades of Pleasantville, WandaVision, and several episodes of the Twilight Zone. And that's not even the main plot, which involves a Beholder trying to make the dimension its own. I can't wait to run this one just to roleplay the NPCs. I might have given it five stars if not for a couple of unfair encounters toward the end, including a "save-or-die" item that only serves to punish the curious.
The Book of Inner Alchemy (Level 12) ****
Some pages are stolen from a book of martial arts and mysticism. Hired to recover the missing pages, the party must fight their way through a martial arts camp. It's a fun adventure, but I would only run this chapter if there was a monk in the party.
The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces (Level 1) ****
I think this is a great, low key introduction to the book. The PCs get trapped in a Magical Mansion spell, and have to solve a puzzle to get back. Short and simple, but fun.
The Price of Beauty (Level 5) ****
A book teleports you to a temple of Sune. It's a spa where people can have all their physical flaws corrected, but these treatments come with an unexpected cost. It's run by a trio of beautiful elves, who are secretly hags in disguise. It has elements that remind me of Dorian Gray, and the hags remind me of the newest Resident Evil game. I'm a sucker for Sune, so I really enjoyed this story.
Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion (Level 9) ****
This one is kind of crazy. A secret cult in Candlekeep attempts to launch one of the towers into space. It's also interesting because once the action starts, the PCs only have an hour to stop the countdown. So no resting between fights, or attuning to any treasures they find. The story has several possible outcomes, including the PCs getting trapped in outer space, so that could be interesting.
Lore of Lurue (Level 8) ***
The PCs enter a storybook and have to play their way through the tale. This one is kind of interesting because there's no real danger - if you die in the book, you are ejected back into the real world, where you can take a long rest before you jump back in. You're also unable to explore areas that are beyond the scope of the story, which reminds me of video games when you see messages like "You can't go that way." So it's kind of railroady, but somehow it works.
Alkazaar’s Appendix (Level 15) ***
A famous adventurer retired before he could complete his final quest. The PCs pick up where Alkazaar left off, on a mission to help a lost golem fulfill its destiny. Finding the golem is easy, but returning the golem to its master involves a trek through the desert, confronting a purple worm, helping a Dragon Turtle, and battling a Dracolich for possession of a powerful relic.
The Scrivener’s Tale (Level 14) ***
The PCs accidentally open a book that curses them. They have a limited amount of time to break the curse, or they are doomed. Also, the cursegiver speaks to PCs telepathically, attempting to mislead them. All in all, it's not a bad story, with a fairly epic boss battle at the end.
Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions (Level 2) ***
You have to track down some counterfeit books, which leads you to some jackalweres, who have problems of their own. You can help them with their problems, or bully them into making amends. I like that there's more than one way to complete the adventure.
Zikran’s Zephyrean Tome (Level 10) ***
A book turns out to hold a trapped djinni, who offers to grant the characters a wish if they agree to kill his master. Along the way they might put a couple of ghosts to rest, parley with a dragon, and explore the ruins of a Cloud Giant fortress. My only problem is that the villain, while of evil alignment, isn't given much opportunity to show that he deserves to be killed. It seems like the PCs pretty much agree to kill him just so the djinni will grant them a wish.
Xanthoria (Level 16) ***
A terrible fungal plague is spreading through the land, affecting both plants and animals. Infected humans act like zombies, chant "Xanthoria" over and over, and eventually collapse into a puddle of goo. It turns out that Xanthoria is the name of a Druid who went insane and became a lichen lich. I hope your PCs have strong stomachs, because this adventure hits them will all kinds of molds, fungi, spores, and the like. It concludes with a heartbreaking choice, as the only way to permanently defeat the lich is to destroy her phylactery - which is in the form of a living sprite, who must be convinced to sacrifice herself.
Book of Cylinders (Level 6) **
You have to help a tribe of frog people who have had their village taken over by yuan-ti invaders. It's an okay story, but nothing to write home about.
Book of the Raven (Level 3) *
A treasure map leads you to an old house where you meet some wereravens, and... that's pretty much it. I do like the atmosphere - it's really cool having PCs hear creepy noises (like children laughing) from other areas of the house. But there's not much of an actual story here. I'm afraid it would leave the players wondering if the adventure was actually complete. It would be a good jumping off point for another adventure, though.
The Canopic Being (Level 13) *
There's a book that describes a dark ritual involving Mummy Lords and organ transplants, and the PCs' names are included on the list of future participants. I'm not much into Divination magic, and this adventure is full of it. Plus it's got some rooms that are hard to visualize, and some important items hidden in places PCs aren't likely to look. Overall, the adventure just didn't work for me.
You find the diary of a servant girl, which gives clues to some unsolved murders. You befriend her ghost and try to track down the killer, who is about to perform an evil ritual.
A Deep and Creeping Darkness (Level 4) ****
You investigate a ghost town that was abandoned after a mining collapse. Following the disaster, the townsfolk experienced nightmares until they fled the town. This one has more combat potential than the earlier adventures, but the mystery is still pretty cool.
The Curious Tale of Wisteria Vale (Level 11) ****
The PCs are hired to rescue a bard from a demiplane. This tiny dimension was designed to emulate a peaceful village, populated by enchanted mannequins that look and act like townsfolk. It has shades of Pleasantville, WandaVision, and several episodes of the Twilight Zone. And that's not even the main plot, which involves a Beholder trying to make the dimension its own. I can't wait to run this one just to roleplay the NPCs. I might have given it five stars if not for a couple of unfair encounters toward the end, including a "save-or-die" item that only serves to punish the curious.
The Book of Inner Alchemy (Level 12) ****
Some pages are stolen from a book of martial arts and mysticism. Hired to recover the missing pages, the party must fight their way through a martial arts camp. It's a fun adventure, but I would only run this chapter if there was a monk in the party.
The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces (Level 1) ****
I think this is a great, low key introduction to the book. The PCs get trapped in a Magical Mansion spell, and have to solve a puzzle to get back. Short and simple, but fun.
The Price of Beauty (Level 5) ****
A book teleports you to a temple of Sune. It's a spa where people can have all their physical flaws corrected, but these treatments come with an unexpected cost. It's run by a trio of beautiful elves, who are secretly hags in disguise. It has elements that remind me of Dorian Gray, and the hags remind me of the newest Resident Evil game. I'm a sucker for Sune, so I really enjoyed this story.
Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion (Level 9) ****
This one is kind of crazy. A secret cult in Candlekeep attempts to launch one of the towers into space. It's also interesting because once the action starts, the PCs only have an hour to stop the countdown. So no resting between fights, or attuning to any treasures they find. The story has several possible outcomes, including the PCs getting trapped in outer space, so that could be interesting.
Lore of Lurue (Level 8) ***
The PCs enter a storybook and have to play their way through the tale. This one is kind of interesting because there's no real danger - if you die in the book, you are ejected back into the real world, where you can take a long rest before you jump back in. You're also unable to explore areas that are beyond the scope of the story, which reminds me of video games when you see messages like "You can't go that way." So it's kind of railroady, but somehow it works.
Alkazaar’s Appendix (Level 15) ***
A famous adventurer retired before he could complete his final quest. The PCs pick up where Alkazaar left off, on a mission to help a lost golem fulfill its destiny. Finding the golem is easy, but returning the golem to its master involves a trek through the desert, confronting a purple worm, helping a Dragon Turtle, and battling a Dracolich for possession of a powerful relic.
The Scrivener’s Tale (Level 14) ***
The PCs accidentally open a book that curses them. They have a limited amount of time to break the curse, or they are doomed. Also, the cursegiver speaks to PCs telepathically, attempting to mislead them. All in all, it's not a bad story, with a fairly epic boss battle at the end.
Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions (Level 2) ***
You have to track down some counterfeit books, which leads you to some jackalweres, who have problems of their own. You can help them with their problems, or bully them into making amends. I like that there's more than one way to complete the adventure.
Zikran’s Zephyrean Tome (Level 10) ***
A book turns out to hold a trapped djinni, who offers to grant the characters a wish if they agree to kill his master. Along the way they might put a couple of ghosts to rest, parley with a dragon, and explore the ruins of a Cloud Giant fortress. My only problem is that the villain, while of evil alignment, isn't given much opportunity to show that he deserves to be killed. It seems like the PCs pretty much agree to kill him just so the djinni will grant them a wish.
Xanthoria (Level 16) ***
A terrible fungal plague is spreading through the land, affecting both plants and animals. Infected humans act like zombies, chant "Xanthoria" over and over, and eventually collapse into a puddle of goo. It turns out that Xanthoria is the name of a Druid who went insane and became a lichen lich. I hope your PCs have strong stomachs, because this adventure hits them will all kinds of molds, fungi, spores, and the like. It concludes with a heartbreaking choice, as the only way to permanently defeat the lich is to destroy her phylactery - which is in the form of a living sprite, who must be convinced to sacrifice herself.
Book of Cylinders (Level 6) **
You have to help a tribe of frog people who have had their village taken over by yuan-ti invaders. It's an okay story, but nothing to write home about.
Book of the Raven (Level 3) *
A treasure map leads you to an old house where you meet some wereravens, and... that's pretty much it. I do like the atmosphere - it's really cool having PCs hear creepy noises (like children laughing) from other areas of the house. But there's not much of an actual story here. I'm afraid it would leave the players wondering if the adventure was actually complete. It would be a good jumping off point for another adventure, though.
The Canopic Being (Level 13) *
There's a book that describes a dark ritual involving Mummy Lords and organ transplants, and the PCs' names are included on the list of future participants. I'm not much into Divination magic, and this adventure is full of it. Plus it's got some rooms that are hard to visualize, and some important items hidden in places PCs aren't likely to look. Overall, the adventure just didn't work for me.
