Gibbous Moon Collector’s Edition by Creighton Broadhurst and Jacob W. Michaels is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. 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 3rd level characters.
The supplement is available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG for $5.99, as a softcover print on demand book for $8.99 or as both PDF and softcover for $10.98. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. Two pages are the front and rear covers, two are ads, two the front matter, one the Open Game License, one the Contents and one the Foreword and About the Designers.
The Foreword talks about the original version of the adventure and how this is a short adventure intended for use as a side quest for running between, or perhaps during, another adventure.
Reading Stat Blocks is a standard page for the publisher explaining how to use these.
Using This Adventure explains how the encounters are laid out, how to read trap blocks and how to identify both magical and non-magical treasure.
Adventure Background explains how a necromancer got bitten by a wereboar, turned into a lycanthrope and killed his companions and eventually found a hermitage where he stays, stealing cattle so that he doesn’t kill anyone when he transforms. The nearby villagers are unhappy about their cattle going missing.
The Adventure Begins has three different adventure hooks to get the characters involved. A sidebar has information that can be found out and another is on the moon cycle.
Barlow starts with Barlow At a Glance. This covers two pages and gives a brief history of the settlement, together with demographics, notable folk, notable locations, marketplace and lore, together with a map of the village and general details on villagers.
Notable Locations is four pages and covers the main locations from the previous section. One NPC has stats given and there are two general stat blocks for human and dwarf villagers. Sidebars have whispers & rumours, how to gather information and a timeline of events.
Life in Barlow is half a page, with daily routine, law & order and a d6 table of events.
To Clear Water! covers travel to the hermitage, with travel time and a d6 table of woodland dressing.
The Hermitage at Clear Pool starts with tactics of the wereboar, general features of the area, some details on scaling the encounter, general dungeon features and short tables of discoveries and features. The various locations are then covered, with more details on scaling encounters.
Conclusion looks at tidying the adventure up how lycanthropy might be cured.
Further Adventures has several adventure ideas.
Pre-Generated Characters has six characters.
Gibbous Moon Collector’s Edition in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with everything but sidebars linked. The Contents is not as thorough and is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be almost free of errors. There are a number of stock black and white illustrations up to full page in size. Presentation is decent.
Though the main foe in this adventure is dangerous, and not very friendly, they are not evil and could be negotiated with if the characters encounter them in human form and offer a way of getting their lycanthropy cured. This means violence is not the only option. In comparison to the original adventure, this one has the village of Barlow added as well as the pre-generated characters; the village is of more general use than the latter, unless this is being run as a one-shot. Owners of the original will therefore find this less valuable. Gibbous Moon Collector’s Edition can be found by clicking here.
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