5th Edition Adventure Reaping Bones by Jason Vey is a role playing game supplement published by Troll Lord Games for use with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. This is an adventure for 3-5 4th-6th level characters and is also available in a version for Castles & Crusades.
The supplement is available as an 18-page PDF from the Troll Lord Games store for $8.99 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one the front matter and one the Open Game License.
The opening paragraphs explain that the adventure is set in the Tar Kiln region of Aihrde, but can easily be moved to another part of the setting, or to another world if desired.
The Introduction explains that a local nobleman, Brian of Helliwell, has always ensured he gives and takes no more and no less than his oath requires. His young king asked him to send all men of serviceable age to fight in battle, and Brian refused to send anyone but himself and his knights, because his people were not bound to the king in such a way. The king then sent mercenaries to steal Brian’s young son. However, these mercenaries were waylaid and killed by the faithful of an ancient god.
There are various rewards that can be used to entice the characters to participate, and some hooks to get them involved, including suggestions for a convention game. This is followed by a list of random encounters for the Tar Kiln. The characters will travel the region, with several encounters on the way, including a very unpleasant inn and tavern, before finally reaching the temple.
On completion, there are suggestions as to further adventures.
Appendix A: New Spells has two new spells.
Appendix B: New Monsters has two new monsters.
5th Edition Adventure Reaping Bones in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough that these would have been useful. The text maintains a two-column format and a number of errors were noticed, including one of the descriptions for the new monsters terminating partway through it, the remainder lost. There are a couple of black and white illustrations that appear to be reused, as well as a map. The map would be expected to be of the temple and caves. It isn’t. The caption details it as being the Lower Halls of Aufstrag and it appears to be the wrong map from a completely different supplement. Though it is possible to run the adventure without the map, this is a pretty big error.
Dropping the supplement into other areas can be done easily enough. The motivations of the mercenaries for kidnapping Brian’s son can easily be changed; it doesn’t have to be because of problems with a king, it could just have been done for ransom. As such, the adventure can easily be placed in other settings and locations, especially as there isn’t even a map of the wilderness. 5th Edition Adventure Reaping Bones isn’t a bad adventure and it’s pretty straightforward but it’s let down by a couple of major proofreading errors.
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