5E Mini-Dungeon: The Pententieyrie (5e)

This pdf clocks in at 2 pages and is a mini-dungeon. This means we get 2 pages content, including a solid map and all item/monster-stats hyperlinked and thus, absent from the pdf, with only deviations from the statblocks being noted for the GM. Oh, and the series now comes in an archive that also contains…*drumroll* a .jpg-version and a .tif-version of the map! Yeah, that’s pretty amazing! Something went wrong with the jpg and tif-maps, though: One sports the trap icons, but not the secret doors…and the other sports secret doors noted by the deceptive “S”…but not the trap icons. This makes neither the GM, nor the player maps work ideally.

Since this product line’s goal is providing short diversions, side-quest dungeons etc., I will not expect mind-shattering revelations, massive plots or particularly smart or detailed depictions, instead tackling the line for what it is. Got that? Great!

This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players may wish to jump to the conclusion.

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Still here?

All right!

Okay, beyond the pun-tastic title, this one is interesting – draw a rough image of the map – it should look like an Aztec glyph. The trail leads the PCs to a strange complex, shielded from dimensional intrusion and sporting a hard-to-reach locale -an hermitage, if you will. Within the complex, not only do strange wonders await – there is also a vrock. Yeah, a demon. Only, said demon actually is on the path of redemption! Yes, this may not necessarily be a combat encounter, but rather a module that could help bring unprecedented salvation to a being of pure evil, perhaps serving as a great launching point for PCs endeavoring to redeem a villain or similar foes/morally bankrupt characters. Have I mentioned the option for flight-training and some rather…let’s say, unique, properties and dangerous glyph-traps?

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to a beautiful 2-column full-color standard and the pdf comes sans bookmarks, but needs none at this length. Cartography is full color and surprisingly good for such an inexpensive pdf. The pdf does sport one nice piece of original full-color art – kudos! The cartography, with player and GM-VTT-maps, is nice.

Okay, this transcends being a mini-dungeon; this one is an AWESOME, unique set-piece – with special ways for avian/flight training and perhaps one of the most far-out potential mentors I’ve seen in a while, Stephen Yeardley’s mini-dungeon delivers more oomph and unique tricks than what one would deem possible within such a restrictive format.

At the same time, this mini-dungeon does lose a bit of its charm in Kyle Crider’s translation: It references subdual damage, which does not exist in 5e, and while the hyperlinks are well-made this time around, the lack of a direct flight-based skill in 5e takes a bit away from the complex’s unique original property. Add to that the hiccup in the VTTs and we have a conceptually strong pdf hampered by a couple of minor factors – still a good offering, though. My final verdict will clock in at 4 stars.

You can get this mini-dungeon here on OBS!

Endzeitgeist out.

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