D&D 5e Critical Hit and Fumble Charts Review

Pros

• Collection of fumbles and critical hit options for D&D 5^th edition

• Outcomes are well varied

• Fits on one page for easy reference

• Free!

Cons

• Bleeding effect ending not specified in the description (this could have still fit on the page)

• Too many options to remember (will need to use the one page reference mentioned above)

• If you've been playing a while, you've most likely developed your own table if you like the idea

Introduction

Fumbles and critical hits are a classic part of D&D. I remember the very first game I played had one. The idea of players expecting something awesome after they roll a natural 20 is an iconic part of the game. However, sometimes the fumble and critical tables we are used to don't exactly translate over well to a new edition. For those of us who need a new set of tables, there is the 5e Critical Hit and Fumble Chart.

The Details

The chart is quite nice and straight forward. Not every option is equally likely and instead ranges on a D100 are given. As you can imagine, some criticals are better than others so such a setup makes sense. If you like most of the table but take issue with a couple of areas, this table makes a great starting point. You can just cross out the one that is there and add your own at the now freed slot. I also like how the last page has the entire contents of the file fit on one page. This makes it work as a great reference.

There are a couple of nice options as well in order to make criticals or fumbles less common as well as provide advantages to some classes. I like having extra options provided and considered, as anyone who has read my item descriptions would know.

Issues

Some of the effects mention bleeding but the description itself does not mention how to stop the bleeding. A clever Dungeon Master can use rules similar to alchemist fire or to other bleeding effects. However, be aware that the Dungeon Master will need to figure out the specifics (maybe you want a certain DC to be met before it ends). For some people, it's best that way. If you are newer and wanted it all written, you'll consider it incomplete.

The table isn't the kind of thing you memorize. Since there are many options and uneven number ranges, you will need to use the last page as a reference. However, since the author had the foresight to provide such a reference page, it's really only a minor issue at most. If, however, you are the kind of person who prefers to do as little looking up as possible, you might prefer to use the default critical hit and critical failure rules.

Conclusion

If you need a critical hit and fumble table for the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons, this is a good place to start. It's easy enough to modify but is generally fine as is. Be aware that you might need to come up with your own way to end the bleeding effects specified in the document. The last page is also easy to print and use as a reference. If you want to make your own, you may also want to look at this one for inspiration.

Free Dungeons & Dragons Content Through D&D Website

Recently there has been a slew of free content provided for D&D on the official website. Quarantine? Time off? D&D? Sounds like my kind of time. I'm really happy to see this sort of thing, and free content makes it all the easier if you're new to the hobby or otherwise. Thanks again.That said, there's a few things that should be known. And they are...

What You Need
Basic rules 
SRD  Extras (Use with basic rules for things like more monsters, and more classes)

Manually Check
So, the bad news is that you have to manually check the page as far as I can tell. No email group so you can easily get them as they get posted. If you know otherwise, please point it out.

Mix Of Links
There's also a mix of stuff hosted right on the website, and others pointing to the Dungeon Masters Guild. Which means actually getting the free stuff can require you to log in, and others can be downloaded right from the link. Well, can't complain too much about free.

Some Expire
Some of the links expire, or have already expired. Get them quickly. That said, I really wish they'd update the expired links. Striking out expired offers or some other visual indicator would make combing through the page far easier. 

Wilderness Tower Map Review

Pros

• Nice looking map of a tower in the wildernes
• Marks denoting the bounds of squares are included
• Properly sized variant for battlemap use is provided
• Smaller version for reference is provided (I often like printing these kinds of things off and noting starting locations for creatures)
• Free!

Cons

• If you already have wilderness tiles, this is more wilderness tiles
• No internals of the tower are provided. If they were, even blank, it would make the set far more reusable. Hopefully that's the case in the adventure that served as the prototype for this map.

Introduction

I've talked about maps before. Dave Zajac's Wilderness Tower Map is another map that can be used in your games. While being quite small, it is properly scaled for use with miniatures. If you are always looking for new tiles and maps to use, it's worth a look.

The Map

The map itself is quite small and simple. It's made up of two pieces that can be printed and connected. However, you can create a rather large chunk of wilderness by printing that page multiple times, rotating the pieces randomly, and connecting them. For a better effect you can include other wilderness tiles of the same size. Trees and other features are included and provide some tactical options as well as using the tower itself for cover. Towers are a classic dungeon setting so you can get some mileage out of it. Compared to some other tower maps I've seen and adventures I've run, the dimensions are a little small. However, it's easy enough to add a giant basement or something else to make it bigger if needed while keeping its outward appearance.

Art

The art is generally nice. It could be a bit more photo-realistic but at the same time it is close enough that it didn't bother me at all. I think I've seen similar quality maps with prices instead of free. It really is quite nice. It's also nice that the smaller map is provided, allowing me to plan how I'll unleash my evil undead hordes upon my players. Other than that, there is no other art. I don't think there really needs to be more.

Conclusion

It's a nice map containing a chunk of wilderness and a tower. The wilderness chunk is easy to reuse. The tower chunk isn't as reusable, but seeing that towers are a common dungeon setting, you can still get some mileage out of it. If you need another wilderness tile or you are new and simply need some tiles to get started, this is a good one to have in the collection. It's not as flexible as some multi-tile systems that let you create whatever you want, but it is still effective for what it is. Being less flexible also means you can just grab it and slam it down when you run into a wilderness combat encounter. Go ahead, grab it. I don't regret doing so and even if you do, it didn't cost you a cent. That's the best kind of advertisement.

Devil's Rest Review

A look at Devil's Rest, a small adventure side trek available on the Dungeon Masters Guild. 

Pros

• Solid and complete package
• Good source of inspiration for a mini-quest
• Though references material specific to Hand of the Wychlaran, it can easily be converted
• Map included for the combat encounter
• Free!

Could Go Either Way

• Only 4 pages in length (on one it's hand short, on another that makes it a quick read and easy to run)
  
  

Cons

• A similar encounter can be thought up by a Dungeon Master without too much difficulty (it's more of a time saver than something truly innovative)

Introduction

There are a lot of very nice things about pre-written encounters/adventures. They tend to be playtested. They are a great source of inspiration (I enjoy seeing what other Dungeon Masters have done). They also just might have something that can be “reused”. Devil's Rest is one that I came across recently and felt was worth mentioning. It's short and simple but overall a nice package.

The Adventure

The adventure itself is quite simple and straight forward. However, it presents an interesting encounter that has multiple ways of being solved (including inaction). It can be used in place of a random encounter. It can also be used as a hint of things to come. Just because something is simple doesn't mean it can't be fun (it really can be, especially compared to a typical random encounter), and the fact that everything is included in this ready to go package is greatly appreciated. The idea of forcing players to try to keep something evil locked up is easy to come up with. However, having all of the details and specifics ready to go makes it far easier for new Dungeon Masters and less time consuming for experienced ones (we can modify it as we see fit and benefit from the time saved). 

The actual sealing part takes the form of a Dungeons & Dragons 4^th edition like skill challenge. This means that a fluke won't doom the party. The way it's presented and used here is fine, and people who missed Dungeons & Dragons 4^th edition might see something they can use. I'll be talking about skill challenges a bit more in a later post. 

It isn't the most innovative or unique encounter you'll ever read and with a bit of time you can come up with something similar. However, it's a nice overall package and while not being unique, it's the kind of encounter that comes up fairly often. A great deal of how much you like this one will come from your appreciation for the package and not expecting something you've never seen before. It's also not very long but can be a good starting point for something more. If you are new to being a Dungeon Master, it will be a good thing to see at the very least.

Art

MAP. It's sized for miniatures too. It's finally happened. All this time complaining has led to someone listening. Alright, there's no way that's the reason. However, if everyone included maps like this with their encounters and adventures, the world would be a better place. Thank you so much. A smaller map detailing the locations of enemies in a D&D 4^th edition style is also included as well as a drawing of the baddie. For something free, this is really nice. The map itself is generally well done and I could see myself reusing it. It probably won't be as exciting for people who already have a fair amount of wilderness tiles and maps.

Conclusion

I would grab this thing for the map alone. It's a rather short file and I'm sure you capable Dungeon Masters out there can think of something similar. However, new and old Dungeon Masters looking for an encounter can add this encounter to their game quite easily. The encounter is a complete package as well, requiring only a little bit of converting to fit into the desired setting (probably a few minutes at most). Even though I'm not new to this kind of thing, I appreciate when the details of an encounter are filled out like this. That way I can keep it to spring later. It includes everything needed so even if I forget, it's all here. It's also a good way to check out what the author is like before buying one of their full adventures.

Adversaries & Allies Review

A look and review of the Adversaries & Allies package of NPCs for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. 

 

Pros

• Nice assortment of pre-created stats for Dungeon Masters to use for characters
• Consistent since it sticks quite close player creation rules
• 38 pages long
• Free (well, pay what you want)!

Cons

• Challenge ratings are often a bit off in my opinion
• Nothing exotic is included since it only contains player like characters

Introduction

I'm always on the lookout for things that make my job as the Dungeon master easier. As such, if I'm quickly drawn to new monsters I can unleash on my players as well as new characters. Adversaries & Allies caught my eye for that reason. It was also free (well, pay what you want), which meant I couldn't resist grabbing it.

What's Inside

It's a really nice collection in general. It's 38 pages of stat block after stat block. It's free (well, pay what you want) so I wasn't expecting any art, and that's just what I got. Although a Dungeon Master could make many of these stat blocks themselves by consulting the rules and making appropriately leveled characters (same rules players use to make theirs), having them already done is a nice time save. I find that many of the characters in a campaign tend to be more normal anyway and more like the players than an ancient evil lich. This makes the adversaries and allies provided quite useful. The author of this collection doesn't always adhere strictly to the player rules, adding further variety than if you just strictly used them. You still can do so but mixing the two together could make things more interesting as well as giving the Dungeon Master options. For me, it's also nice since some of the ones I created are a couple of levels off in either direction. Already made stat blocks like this also serve as an easy way to create more variations by trimming back levels (apply creation rules in reverse) and spell lists (spell list construction often takes me longer than any other part). The stat blocks also cover a nice variety of roles.

There are also some stat blocks, like the expert, that are made without using the player creation rules. Though these are probably the minority, they are extremely useful and far less likely to be come up independently. I personally like seeing these kinds of creatures and characters that Dungeon Masters come up with. They are also a great to use as is, as inspiration, or just to see how another Dungeon Master's mind ticks.

Issues

The main issue I have with this collection is the challenge ratings. As an example, let's look at the cleric. It's a challenge rating 2 while being a level 8 spellcaster, while the priest in the basic rules (also all other rules) is a level 5 spellcaster while also being a challenge rating 2. This also means that the experience for the combat encounter is not what it should be. Some of them I think are perfectly reasonable. Others, I think are might be slightly off but not by much (or might be made more powerful with a slight tweak to their spell list). In general I think they are solid. I also don't think challenge rating is a great representation of challenge, but it represents a starting point and translates to the amount of experience given. Experience is often also used to construct encounter according to the tables in the rules. If you are a new Dungeon Master, be aware that some of the stat blocks may not have the right amount of experience. Be ready to change the challenge rating and award experience accordingly. It's these kinds of things that tables like in Unearthed Arcana could help prevent. Since they are based around normal characters, some people may also find them a bit boring (in this case you can add a twist) and lacking in the exotic.

Note to New Dungeon Masters: Remember that like any other stat block, you are free to modify and not use them however you see fit. If you want to use the noble stats instead of ruler (provided in these rules) for a king, go ahead and do so. Not every ruler needs to be as tough as the stats provided here. Not all rulers need to be as weak as the noble. Some might be better with some form of mage stats.

Conclusion

I'd say grab the free PDF and use it as a resource (if you like it, throw some money at the author). It's really a nice collection that can easily be consulted along with the current Monster Manual. Just be aware that some of the challenge ratings are a bit off so be careful and adjust as you see fit. It's not consistent throughout so it needs to be looked at on a case by case basis (we might disagree on what a good challenge rating is anyway and challenge ratings are often not useful anyway).

Map Set Review: The Keeper of Realms

A review of the Black Scroll Games map The Keeper of Realms.

Pros

• Well draw and coloured maps
• Isometric visual aid images included
• Often used location (wizard's library is a popular location)
• Example story with visual aids and riddle included
• A PDF document broken up for printing as well as .jpg files are provided
• 1 inch grid size
• Free after signing up for the newsletter (for at least a year)

Could Go Either Way

• The adventure idea included is system neutral (more accessible but more work)

Cons

• The 3D style makes it difficult to combine with non-3D style sets unless they are used in their own separate sections (you need to commit to the 3D art style for at least some sections of your dungeon). You can still do so, but there will be an aesthetic break. 

Introduction

In keeping in the tradition of me looking for free maps wherever I can find them, I've recently stumbled upon Black Scroll Games and their maps. In particular, The Keeper of Realms set is currently provided for free when you sign up for their newsletter (when I asked, I was told it would be this way for at least a year).

The Map

There are two main maps included, though that isn't really telling the whole story. The PDF files make use of layers so that there are options included for things such as background colour and grid style (classic square grids or rounded grids, since the library itself is circular). The main map is the large, 9 page library. Within the centre of the library, after solving the included puzzle, there is a secret chamber that is also provided. This secret chamber is made further more useful by providing an alternate empty version. It's missing the details such as tables, but it means it is much easier to customize for your own personal games. The ability to remove the details easily in the lower chamber section allows the placement of 3D props without conflicting with already present details. The story included with the map has a part where a spiral staircase to the lower chamber is revealed. In the set a tile with this opening is provided allowing you to visually show the event to players by placing this tile over the previous one. I really liked this added detail. Sound like too much work for too little gain? It's in its own .pdf file. Just don't print it.

An optional adventure is presented along with a riddle and adventure aids. These aids are handouts that are meant to be given to the players (a riddle in a code/dead language, the code/dead language itself and a drawing) and isometric depictions of the areas. The riddle isn't too difficult but it's fine for its purpose (you typically don't want riddles your party can't ever figure out). 

Libraries are a common feature in tabletop role-playing games and when they are featured, they usually belong to wizards. As a result, this map is quite reusable. It is easy to rework into a homebrew though it is probably not enough for a complete adventure on its own. With a little bit of work to flesh out the process of finding the library, it can make for a decent one-shot. It is very easy to convert it to something else entirely as well. If your players need to find some kind of scroll, chances are you can recycle at least part of what is found here.

Art

It looks really nice. The map presented is detailed and has a perspective that shows off the details and height of the library in a way that isn't otherwise possible in a flat map. In many other maps you only see the top edge of the wall. In these maps, you get to see the angled face of the wall as well. As a map on its own, it looks really nice. However, this perspective choice makes it naturally harder to combine with other sets that don't go for this 3D approach because of the presence of the two different styles. In such cases, you can still use what is found here to create a room. When the 3D tiles are placed together with 3D tiles the issue is avoided. I also find it far less jarring to have flat style tiles lead to a 3D style room than a mixture of both styles in the same section. I've run adventures like that and my players didn't mind but some people might prefer to stick to either all 3D style art of to all flat style art. All of this isn't a problem if mixing art styles together doesn't bother you. In some similar maps I've been concerned that 3D props don't work well. This is because they don't completely cover up the art (for example, in the case of the book shelf). In this case, part of the library is raised. This means that if you have 3D prop miniature bookshelves and place them on the map, they will now be higher than the raised part of the library. For this reason, I'd suggest running the library itself without props. Without them, thanks to the 3D art style, it looks almost as if you had recreated the entire thing using 3D terrain and props. However, it's easier to set up than tiles and 3D props. If you really like going for full 3D, you'd need to build the raised section (this would require you to carefully cut out the raised section).

The isometric aids are very nice looking and the lighting in particular is very nice. They aren't an essentially but they are a really nice addition to the package. It also means that even if prefer theatre of mind play, you can still find something of use from this package.

Conclusion

It's a very nice map. The location itself, a wizard's library, is very easily reusable and comes up often in play. The library map in particular has a good sense of height. The visual aids give a nice alternate view of the area and allow for use even in theatre of mind play. A possible adventure idea and puzzle are provided with the adventure. For the puzzle and adventure idea, visual aids are also presented in order to enhance the experience. These take the form of a dead language/code, a riddle written in the dead language/code, and a drawing. As a map it is very nice and all of the extras, from visual aids to adventure elements, are just icing on the cake. The lower chamber part also allows you to remove details, further enhancing its reuse. It has just about everything you could want from a map. I hope I see more packages in the future that have so many elements for Dungeon Masters. The adventure isn't the most developed but it is system neutral. The 3D art style works best with maps and tiles that also have a 3D art style. It can still, however, be used to make art style consistent rooms even if you use mostly 2D style tiles. Doing so is less jarring but some might prefer a consistent 2D or 3D art style. For now it's also free. If you think you'd like it based on what I've said, go ahead and check it out. I've always liked the no risk and informative approach of samples and demos.  

Free Maps: 10 Dungeon Maps with Seed Ideas

Pros

• 10 Maps
• Story seed ideas

Could Go Either Way

• Overall features aren't very detailed (this gives the Dungeon Master an easier time to twist it into what they want but also means more work)
• Too small to print for battle map use (you'd need to use your own tiles)

Cons

• Maps are so small it's hard to add details to the rooms by hand
• No legend for scale (makes tiles harder)

Introduction

Maps are good. Maps are fun. You can also never have enough of them. Naturally, I couldn't resist looking at 10 free maps when I saw 10 Dungeon Maps with Seed Ideas on the Dungeon Master's Guild. If you need some maps, I'd say it's worth taking a quick look.

The Maps Themselves

The maps are quite simply drawn and aren't big enough to use as a battle map. You can scale them, but it's easier if you just use some tiles that you already have. This simplicity is a strength and a weakness. Don't except to be able to run people through the map after simply placing an item they need to retrieve. The rooms are generally barren and need to be filled. I really do mean barren because the map itself only includes staircases, doors and rooms.

There is no grid or scaling on the map. This makes replicating the rooms through dungeon tiles harder than it really should have been. The rooms themselves are quite small too, meaning adding the missing details is hard to do by hand. The easiest thing to me seemed to take the maps as given, make changes with a pen, and then number the rooms. Having the map set up this way, I could then on another piece of paper write quick descriptions of the rooms along with sketches of the layouts of the room. You only really need to do this for rooms that have features that influence tactical combat. Otherwise, a description is good enough. The good side to this is that it meant the drawing of the room is right beside its description when you are done. The downside is that it takes a significant amount of time. Remember, none of the features of the map (light, sounds, etc.) are filled out so you will need to do so. You are really creating the entire dungeon based on a vaguely drawn map. For a lot of people I know (especially those who like making maps), it just wouldn't be convenient enough because of the changes required and difficulty of adding features.

If you use grid maps usually (or print tiles and tape them together for one time use), converting the maps in this pdf pack is just as much work as creating your own map and then filling it. In these cases, these 10 maps are really just a source of inspiration. You might see a couple you really like and want to mostly keep intact, but it becomes far less valuable in this case and far less of a time saver.

Other Stuff

The story seeds are a couple of sentences that help inspire an adventure. They are not nearly enough for a story and often times don't even have a goal. Don't expect the adventure to write itself. You will need to populate the dungeon and come up with the adventure yourself.

Conclusion

The best way to describe the maps here is making your own dungeon with a bit of help and inspiration. If you aren't a good artist and see a map here that you generally like, it gets one of the more time consuming parts of creating dungeons out of the way. Even if small changes are needed, you can quite easily do so. However, if a lot of changes are needed it simply isn't worth it. Due to the small sizes of the rooms on the map, populating them with features and with tactical choices by drawing them on the map isn't very practical. If the room has features elements that contribute to combat, you will probably want to sketch it beside the description you write for it on another page. This is all well and good if you play using theatre of mind, but not if you draw out the entire map on sheets of grid paper. In that case, you could draw a map you liked on your grid paper (possibly inspired by one in this pack) just as easily as populating the dungeon and sketching out the rooms. The result is that it's less useful for grid paper maps. For people who prefer to lay down tiles as the group walks through the dungeon, you will probably want to do the same as for theatre of mind but lay down tiles as you go through the dungeon. Since it's free, it's at least worth a quick skim if you are in need of maps or are new to tabletop role-playing and the idea of coming up with your dungeon from scratch is daunting (in this case, don't be afraid to make changes or add rooms).  

Free Adventure Review: Madness of the Rat King

Pros

• Interesting take on rats
• Varied enemy design
• Maps, including grid maps that can be printed
• Quick combat encounters
• Puzzle situations with open ended solutions
• Almost everything to run the adventure is included except per-generated characters (including creature and magic item stats)
• Free! (Well, pay what you want)

Could Go Either Way

• Might not be “epic” enough for some people, especially for a first game, but could be a plus for those that prefer lower key games.
• It's really a single dungeon delve, but it has a lot of room to expand into much more
• Cthulhu similarities that not everyone may approve and makes customizing it into a introduction adventure for a campaign a bit trickier

Cons

• Cover and other battlemap elements are a bit lacking (though not completely absent)
• Some of the specific details will be lost to those new to D&D that don't know the lore

Introduction

Now that the Dungeon Master's Guild has been launched, there is a lot of content coming out for Dungeons & Dragons 5^th edition. As such, I'll be looking at content that I think is worth mentioning. I'll be starting with the free adventure Madness of the Rat King. The adventure features colour maps, new creatures, some new items, and a new dungeon delve.

Other Information

At the time of writing this, I've read through and run the adventure. Almost everything needed to run the adventure besides pre-generated characters is here. The exception is such things as weapon and armour tables. I like seeing the items and creatures included with the adventure like this and wish that every release did something like this (though doing it in a separate booklet, like previous D&D 5^th edition released, is also fine).

The Adventure

New Monsters

All kinds of new rat creatures are presented here for your use as a Dungeon Master. They are generally well balanced and amusing from what I saw. As the name of the adventure suggests, there are a lot of rats. However, the way they are done was appreciated by me and my veteran players. The creepiness and weirdness of some of them should also work quite well on new players as well.

New Items

The stand out new items here, in my opinion, are the ring of alertness and Storm's Herald. Both items have interesting features to them. In the case of Storm's Herald, it is one of those items that can act as an iconic campaign item. It also allows for a story to be formed around the item, though it is not told in the adventure. It scales with level so it isn't too good for a level one party but stays relevant as the party levels up. The other items aren't too powerful, so there isn't much of a concern of having the party steamroll the next published adventure (you could always adjust things if it made the party too powerful and if it was your own adventure).

The Adventure Itself

The adventure takes the form of a dungeon delve. Where it rises above that kind of standard adventure is in some of the details surrounding the delve. The different types of rats, for example, have a charm to them that was appreciated by my players. The items and back stories had their moment of charm as well. The few characters that get speaking roles are one of my favourite parts, and I had a lot of fun with them.

Information is displayed quite well. The presentation of combat groups, their intended difficulties and options for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd level was appreciated and well done. The adventure was generally easy to read and had very few typos (the ones present didn't influence the meaning).

The map itself can also be re-appropriated for a different adventure if needed by the Dungeon Master. It's rather small but fit quite nicely into a single quick session, especially with role-play before and after arriving at the location. They are also provided on multiple sheets for printing purposes, but this also lets you, as the dungeon master, easily connect them however you like with tunnels if you wanted to reuse them.

I mentioned the item Storm's Herald earlier, and the encounter to get it is really quite nice and required some problem solving. This encounter and room, by itself, could be lifted into a custom game with little issue and work very well. There are also some other riddle situations present in the adventure and also opportunity to role-play with the 2 big characters of the adventure.

There are multiple Cthulhu like details in the adventure, and this can go both ways. If you like that, the details fit together very well. However, it makes it harder to convert the adventure to something else without making many more changes to the adventure. It can be done, but the Mark of the Deep in particular becomes a bit trickier to convert while keeping the same flavour. In the case you try to change it to a death cult, for example, coming up with a curse that has roughly the same effect is tricky. Otherwise, it's mostly a straight forward change and almost all of it still fits (demon, and devil would be a similar change).

The Art

There is no art here besides the maps. For a free adventure, I think this is perfectly acceptable. The maps are quite well done as well and are far more important to actual play. They feature the areas well and provide a grid layer if you want to print them and use them with miniatures. I've seen free map packs with worse maps than this. I've seen priced adventures with worse maps too. 

Summary

I'd say that if you are looking for a level 1 adventure, you could do worse than Madness of the Rat King. It features a well drawn map that could be reused, if nothing else. I feel it also has some charm and generally, my players enjoyed it. There are also some puzzle situations that allow for creative solutions (the adventure provides some suggestions, a few of which are intended, but leaves room for the players to come up with their own). Players that are expecting a more “serious” threat than rats and are less knowledgeable about the lore may be disappointed though. By lore, I mean the at times hilarious reliance on rats in low level adventures. Many of the rooms seem to also be lacking elements that would allow for creative use of terrain, though this can be fixed by the Dungeon Master. However, my overall verdict is that it's worth a look, even if only to reuse certain elements in your own home games. If you like it and can afford it, throw some money the author's way too.