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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition $6.99
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by James B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/20/2022 23:25:33

A collection of short adventures for D&D 5th Edition, leaning on both core material and material from Kobold's own Tome of Beasts. These are all pretty solid, with unusual and interesting adventure sites, and cover a nice range of character levels up to 15. Probably the highlights of the set are The Impregnable Fortress of Dib (a fun variation on the archetypal starting adventure with goblins), Upon the Icebound Terrace (stopping an interplanar invasion by ice mephits), The Burning Crater (investigate a crashed orb of fire that isn't what you'd expect), and The Obsidian Pass (defend a fey grove from a sorcerer's super-weapon). Definitely a handy supplement to have around if you need an adventure in a hurry. (Originally posted on Goodreads)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Jack S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/18/2019 22:10:24

excellent guide for running quick one shots for a DM new to 5the edition



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Monica G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/17/2018 21:47:15

Prepared! is a book of 12 encounters with a detailed backstory that are easy to fit into most campaigns or even easier to run as one-shot adventures. The encounters in this book cover from about 1st to 15th level. Though, it should be noted that they aren't long adventures, they're encounters that can fill up a game session of a few hours in length. This book is the perfect place to find a quick one-shot when you need to run a game in a pinch, such as when some of your players can't make it to your regular game, and you can't run the adventure you had planned, or if you need a quick adventure to run with your buddies next weekend. In those situations, you'll be able to find something here that's nice and easy to run for most player levels.

As for the adventures found in this book, there are some really creative and memorable encounters. Some of the adventures include a raid on a goblin 'fortress', a crawl through a mine that is actually the fossilized remains of a long-dead monster, a tomb that contains some clever traps and challenges, and an investiation into a secret tomb beneath a feast hall. These encounters all have interesting hooks that are easy to incorporate into a long-running game, and each provides questions that you, as the DM, can incorporate into future adventures that you write yourself if you chose to do so. As well, the authors also make it easy for DMs to prepare with a short list of the elements that make up each adventure alongside some really nice artwork and maps that set the scene. This really helps speed up preparation if you haven't read the adventure and you need to get caught up quickly. The only problem you may run into is that some adventures use monsters from Kobold Press' Tome of Beasts. This is a great book that we'll save for another review, but most adventures only require you to have your Monster Manual handy, and you can take a few mintues to swap out for monsters in the Monster Manual if need be.

Overall, this book is a huge help to dungeon masters who need to run an adventure right now, but don't have time to prep. Most players will find these adventures to be interesting, challenging, and engaging. This book is extremely useful for a quick one-shot, maybe after hours in the hotel lobby at a gaming convention or at a weekend retreat. Given the quality of the encounters, and fact that it offers adventures for many levels, it's a must-have for regular DMs.

Check out the whole review and other titles at Geeksagogo.com!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 07/14/2017 04:31:10

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This compilation of side-trek modules for 5th edition clocks in at 26 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 22 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Wait, before we go any further, one important note: You need the Tome of Beasts, Kobold Press' massive and gorgeous hardcover of 5e-monsters to properly use this supplement, as statblocks have not been reproduced herein.

Structure-wise, these encounters/sidetreks are pretty easy to grasp: We get a background and then the different Adventure Elements that make up each sidetrek - usually, but not always, 2 - 4. These can all be combined or modified - here, we can find fight choreography, mini-events to keep modules dynamic and complications. Basically the moving parts, which come, where applicable, with read-aloud text. The areas themselves are also covered this way and each of the respective sidetreks gets its own full-color map, with one of them being isometric. The maps sometimes have fitting annotations and graphical elements like scribbled symbols, blood-spatters and the like.

All right, this out of the way, let us take a look at the modules within! This, unsurprisingly, entails SPOILERS. Potential players should most certainly jump ahead to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still around? Only GMs here? Great!

The first mini-module herein would be "The Impregnable Fortress of Dib", intended for characters level 1 - 2. The eponymous "Dib" would btw. be a goblin who, with his buddies, has a penchant for wrestling. Goblins being goblins, this entailed copious destruction and thus, these guys were exiled from their clan, building a fortress (with pitiful, half-finished moat) from a tipped over, abandoned wagon. It is this "fortress" that makes the short adventure interesting, for the fortress behaves somewhat like a creature of its own, with initiative and attack/defense options - and from burning it down to tipping it over, the means to deal with it are nice. Oh, and below is a brief cavern-complex. All in all, a creative and fun sidetrek!

The second quest is for level 1 - 3 characters and is called "The Marrow Mines" - in it, the PCs explore, starting from a cavern, the skeletal wing of a titanic dragon, wherein the addictive marrow is mined by kobolds...and holds visions that may tie in to a greater plot.

For 2nd level PCs, the "Vault of Pallon the Pious", a pirate who turned lawful in his twilight years; ostensibly, this caused him to go mad and now his famous scales are still hidden there...but are they really magical? The module also sports the subtle humor we could see in the first module with the word "Wrongteousness" making for a key leitmotif. You'll see...

The "Claret Wellspring", for level 4 - 5 characters has the PCs follow strange lights to an oasis, where blood-red waters and arcane secrets of old await...and the mini-module is surprisingly atmospheric, focusing on the strange and wondrous...and the adventure sports a rather cool reskin for a monster. So far my favorite!

"The Room with 5 Corners" for characters level 6 - 7, deals with a streegang that has recently been taken over by a dread aberration, who is extracting the solidity from victims, rendering those that survive partially ethereal and unable to cast a shadow, with eldritch symbols awaiting...as well as a disquieting portal...but where does it lead? Can it be easily closed?

"Upon the Icebound Terrace", for characters level 6 - 7, pits the PCs against the machinations of an exceptional ice mephit, who plans to open a planar gateway to the plane of ice...and with the relatively complex terrain and the arrival of an unintentionally summoned dragon, things get even more complicated. Tactics-wise, this is one of the stars in the compilation, with the blizzard not helping in the assault, and it is certainly one of the more complex set-ups, though, much like before, it rewards smart players.

"In Its Horrid Wake" put 7th level characters in the aftermath of an attack on temple: The dread demon that compromised it may have moved on, but the gnolls that travel in the aftermath haven't - and they plan on finishing a ritual to receive the favor of a fang of Nikshi: The scavengers have to be defeated, lest more woe follow the stride of the grand demon.

"A Bad Night for Betting" puts level 8 - 9 characters in the remote village of Bleak Rock, where dog mole wrestling is pretty much the only form of viable entertainment...but unfortunately, the alchemical concoction sold to the owners of the beasts is about to result in some seriously lethal mutation...enter the players.

"The Burning Crater", for level 9 - 10 characters, has the PCs find a crater containing a strange metal object - and closer inspection reveals that it is hellshot - basically a cannonball that contains hellhounds...while the fire giants developing this artillery have obviously not perfected it, the arrival of the scout and mere existence of it should prove plenty of motivation for stalwart PCs, beyond the confines of the sidetrek.

"Atop the Mountain", intended for 11th level characters, centers on a fountain, once a planetar rewarded and transformed thus, which lies atop a mountain - the previously pure waters are spoiling, so it's up to the PCs to save the angel...but easier said than done, for careless spilling of the devilish blood of the corrupting fiends may well spell doom for the erstwhile champion of good's immortal soul...

"Under Reveler's Feet", for characters level 12th to 13th, has the PCs explore the basement under a very busy feast hall, and indeed, in the dark below, undeath looms while above, the party continues...

The final sidetrek, "The Obsidian Pass", is intended for characters level 14th to 15th and has the PCs help defend a fey village and resting place of a powerful artifact from the greedy hands of a sorceror, who is in the process of constructing an arcane siege weapon...and whose clockwork soldiers and golems are all too ready to attack....

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no serious hiccups. Layout adheres to a gorgeous two-column full-color standard and the pdf sports amazing full-color artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience. Cartography is amazing as well...though I am quite a bit sad that we don't get key-less player/VTT-friendly iterations of the amazing maps.

Jon Sawatsky's collection of 5e-sidetrek and encounters is creative, diverse and fun - pretty much every region and gaming group should find a worthwhile, instantly-prepared scenario herein that can be run on the fly. The options are diverse, the creature selection is fitting and the modifications of creatures with new abilities, the terrain hazards and the like all conspire to make this a worthwhile collection. That being said, the absence of player-maps, particularly considering the no-prep angle of these scenarios, hurts the pdf even more so than it would a regular module. Personally, redacting maps and/or drawing them myself is pretty much the worst timesink in my whole preparation routine (and I suck at it). Considering the gorgeous maps, it really hurt me to note that, quite realistically, my players would never get to see them. If you don't mind that, then consider this a 5 stars-offering. If you're like me and consider that an issue, detract a star. Ultimately, my official final verdict will clock in at a rating in-between: 4.5 stars. I'd usually round up, but considering the go-play mission-statement of the compilation and that, at least for me, it does not fulfill it perfectly, I'll round down instead.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Lawrence E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/20/2016 10:54:51

Very interesting love the format, I kind of dislike a lot of the newer 5e stuff because they're heavily leaning on SANDBOX gameplay. There's nothing more work intensive than a SANDBOX. I work to much to dedicate that level of time into something. I prefer structured modules to which I can ADD to if I want to get creative. I see a lot of people buying a lot of the newer modules unable to use them because they just don't even possess the ability to run a lot of those modules. Which is why I appreciate Kobold Press's use of just the simple format of DND, each room has descriptors, everything's set up and ready to go with a possibility of using it for further adventures.

The one thing I caught though as I'm just now reading through it is some formatting errors. The sections have nice BOLD text for NPCs or Monsters used in the section. I notice one section says a gibbering mouther appears through a portal (no bold also notice the lower case spelling). Thankfully I've played quite a bit and realized what they were talking about but gibbering is a word, so without any knowledge of what it is, is it an NPC that gibbers a lot? It also says its humanoid in form, which lends one to lean on some kind of NPC. Due to it being humanoid it just really throws you off cause the Gibbering Mouther is actually a mass of flesh an amorphous blob if you will that can sort of form shapes (I've never seen one described as a humanoid though) with tons of mouths and eyes.

I mean granted two seconds in the 5e Monster Manual clears it up, but it's just a strange formatting thing. Why bold all the other creatures but not this one?

Otherwise it's great, excellent even!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/04/2016 08:19:19

The worthy intention of this book is to provide an array of ready-to-go scenarios for when you are too busy to spend time preparing for the next game. Crammed into a scant 27 pages, there are a dozen scenarios, each containing background information, adventure elements, area descriptions, and some ideas for continuing the story introduced in the scenario. They are classified by level, and are suitable for dropping in to whatever's going on in your campaign.

To save space, monster stat blocks are not provided, it is assumed that you have access to the Monster Manual and to the Tome of Beasts published by Kobold Press. However, what is excellent are the maps and plans provided along with the notes about what the party will find and what is going on in each scenario. Eachone starts with two or more 'adventure elements' which outline something that is occurring in the situation presented, something with which the party can interact. Several areas are then detailed, creative annotation of the plans provides insight in a consise manner, and each entry concludes with some questions that ought to inspire a few ideas for taking the adventure further.

So, has this achieved its purpose? As glorified encounters, each scenario works well and (apart from having to hunt up monster stats) you can run them with no more than a single read-through to discover what is taking place and how to get your party involved in the action. All the scenarios present interesting and intriguing situations and should prove entertaining. One neat thing is that they are not pure combat - whilst those who are looking for a fight will not be disappointed, there are frequent opportunities for interaction and investigation as well. You might even choose to include one or more of them in your ongoing plot, but they are certainly worth keeping to hand for that day when the players turn up and you have not had time to prepare!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Prepared! One Shot Adventures for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by ES B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/16/2016 15:58:32

There are some cool things in this book. However, I am quite irritated that it REQUIRES the purchase of "Tome of Beasts." For the price, the creatures not described in the official monster manual should be included in the product.

1 star = So, in order to use some of the scenarios, I need to spend an extra $30 to get the stats.

If you already own Tome of Beasts, it is 4 stars.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
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