A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Pages from the Lost Grimoire – Riveting Rumors / Bones to Pick

Pages from the Lost Grimoire – Riveting Rumors / Bones to Pick by Dan Coleman is a role playing game supplement published by Dan Coleman Productions for use with Dungeons & Dragons Fifth 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 the tenth in a series of supplements that follow a standard format; new content followed by a short encounter or mini adventure using it.

The Pages from the Lost Grimoire series is funded through Patreon and this is available as a Pay What You Want supplement from RPGNow. This edition contains a ten page PDF, with one page of this being the front cover, one the front matter, one a thanks to patrons and two the Open Game License. Also included are five PNG files. One is the imp used as an illustration and the other four are maps of the encounter area, which come in day and night versions, each of which has a map with a grid and one without.

Riveting Rumors is the first section. This consists of five different rumours, each of which follows a standard format. There is a description of what is going on followed by some sample dialogue for NPCs. This is then followed by three development options, each of which gives different ways the rumours could be developed.

In Bones to Pick, effigies made from animal bones have been cropping up around town. In Dancing Spirits, creatures with drab gowns and colourful faces dance through the streets at night. In Growing Concerns a hooded woman occasionally gives children saplings as gifts and those who plan the trees tend to behave erratically. In Return of the King a symbol used by an executed master thief starts turning up where valuables have been stolen. In With on the Hill an old crone lives outside town on a remote hilltop.

Bones to Pick is the mini adventure and is based on one of the options from the first rumour. The adventure is designed for characters of 6th to 7th level. It starts with a standard chart showing the difficulty level based on party size and average level.

In this adventure, the characters have to first spend some time investigating the appearance of the bone effigies, questioning the town’s NPCs. There is an eight day timeline of related events and various clues to find. Once the characters put it together, they can confront the creature placing the effigies, an encounter that is far more dangerous than it initially appears.

Pages from the Lost Grimoire – Riveting Rumors / Bones to Pick in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and, at this length, doesn’t really need them or they would have been appreciated. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two column format and no errors were noticed. The layout is full colour and there is a custom illustration as well as the various maps, including a GM’s map of the final encounter. Presentation is very good for the size.

Rumours are always a useful think to have to flesh out a campaign setting, whether they be simple flavour to make the setting more alive or potential adventure hooks, such as these. Having three different potential reasons behind the rumours is also good and the way they can be developed is variable. The mini adventure included is a bit different, as there is an investigation required before the confrontation, although some groups may not enjoy that as much as others. Pages from the Lost Grimoire – Riveting Rumors / Bones to Pick is a good entry in the series and it can be checked out by clicking here.