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Mini-Dungeon #006: Abandoned Shrine
By Brian Wiborg Mønster
For 4-5 PCs of Levels 5-6
A century ago these subterranean chambers were used by a splinter group of assassins as a secret lair and shrine to their vile goddess. They were wiped out by a rival cult more than 70 years ago, and today the chambers should be unused and forgotten hidden behind the collapsed entrance tunnel. Recently however, an ogre named Hendor the Cursed accidently fell through the roof of one of the chambers. Today Hendor’s gang uses the chambers, although they have not been able to open all the secret doors within.
5E Mini-Dungeons are single page, double sided adventures for 5th Edition which are setting agnostic and are easily inserted anywhere in your campaign.
$1.99
5e, 5E Mini-Dungeons
Thilo Graf –
An Endzeitgeist.com review
This pdf clocks in at 2 pages and is a mini-dungeon. This means we get 2 pages content, including a solid map and all item/monster-stats hyperlinked and thus, absent from the pdf, with only deviations from the statblocks being noted for the GM. Oh, and the series now comes in an archive that also contains…*drumroll* a .jpg-version and a .tif-version of the map! Yeah, that’s pretty amazing! The dungeon’s number-less version of the map doesn’t sport any deceptive trap icons or traps – kudos, though the place where the secret doors are can still be gleaned by proximity…but if you conceal that part, it works well. In short: Full, proper VTT-support and help for guys like yours truly that can’t draw maps.
Since this product line’s goal is providing short diversions, side-quest dungeons etc., I will not expect mind-shattering revelations, massive plots or particularly smart or detailed depictions, instead tackling the line for what it is. Got that? Great!
This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players may wish to jump to the conclusion.
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Still here?
All right!
What formerly was a shrine devoted to a cult of assassins and their foul deity, now hosts an array of nasty gang members and their ogre boss. The complex itself is pretty straightforward and would be rather conservative in its own place. However, blending skeletal minotaurs and remnants of the cult with the new gang-inhabitants makes the dungeon feel interesting and less predictable. A modified gang member on the basis of ogre stats is nice and hyperlinking is generally consistent, though a decanter of endless water, for example, hasn’t been hyperlinked.
Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to a beautiful 2-column full-color standard and the pdf comes sans bookmarks, but needs none at this length. Cartography is full color and surprisingly good for such an inexpensive pdf. The pdf does sport one nice piece of original full-color art – kudos! The cartography, with player and GM-VTT-maps, is nice.
Brian Wiborg Mønster delivers an interesting little mini-dungeon, which, on paper, may look none too impressive. In play, the small dungeon felt more dynamic than I would have expected and the brief statblock modification shorthands render this one pretty much plug-and-play-ish, beyond even the other mini-dungeons. It is also a mini-dungeon that was converted well by Kyle Crider and one that, theme-wise, feels more fitting in 5e than in PFRPG – hence, my final verdict will clock in at 4 stars.
Endzeitgeist out.
badger burns (verified owner) –
This purchase was a dream. Its a mini dungeon so very limited time play. The price is perfect for that. The shopping system they have in place was fast and very complete. A true 5 star experience!!
Stephanie (verified owner) –
Great run! My players got a little tired of fighting the same ogres over and over in the first half of the dungeon, so I switched it up a bit. As we were far north in Forgotten Realms, I threw in a pet winter wolf, for example. But over all it was great! This was perfect for a little dungeon crawl in the middle of SKT long campaign. Thanks!
Tim B. (verified owner) –
Well thought-out; hot-links are super handy, and scale of dungeon is just right.
Laura Hall (verified owner) –
Erik S. (verified owner) –
NIall Smyth (verified owner) –
Spoilers:
If the “Gang members” are ogres this map is way to tight.
IE:The entrance room is 20×20 and guarded by 2 ogres and with a ceiling 10 foot high.
Once that is done are we to assume the ogres are squeezing though these narrow corridors.
And nearing the end they have 8 skeletons and 2 skeletal minotaurs in one room, That’s a really tight battle!
Good story, but mechanics will fail if using a map or VTT.