Welcome back to the Role Playing Games PDF Spotlights column, where we look at some of the PDF’s that have been released in the past week that have caught my eye. From heavy hitter “The Imperial Zoo” for the Warhammer Fantasy RPG, to a host of 5th Edition titles, a fantastic collection of Cthulhu handouts and more!
All of the below were released in PDF between 5th-11th February 2022.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Sourcebook
By Cubicle 7 Entertainment
Frau Vera Warnicke — It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that I have at last received funding to commission the expeditions of which we lately spoke. Indeed, I expect that our patron should extend his largess to pay for not one, but three trips into the wild places of the Empire and beyond in pursuit of knowledge. I trust that those individuals you spoke of are available, and that they should be just as competent as you promised. I mean no mere foray into the hinterlands, to be back in time for supper in the University. These shall be true explorations of the deepest depths there are, for only the most impressive specimens could hope to excite those jaded academics of the Imperial Zoo.
The Imperial Zoo is a bestiary and travelogue of three daring expeditions into the Old World, ranging from the heights of Karak Kadrin to the city of Miragliano in the southern land of Tilea. It includes profiles for over 60 unique creatures, beasts and monsters of the Old World perfect to challenge even the most competent of adventurers. Also included are six new pregenerated Characters, each with their own skills, talents, and shady past, perfect to pick up and dive into a campaign focused on the truly mammoth threats that stalk the Old World.
The Imperial Zoo includes:
- A thrilling narrative following the exploits of a group of adventurers as they make their way across the Old World in search of knowledge, and less savoury glories.
- Dozens of creatures, including unique named beasts that threaten any who cross their paths, from the unusual but lethal Preyton to the devastating dragon Caledir, the Scythe of Fire.
- New creature traits to ensure every group finds a challenge in these pages.
- Rules for preserving and selling alchemical ingredients harvested from creatures, especially those touched by the winds of magic.
- A quick reference chart of creature traits, to keep gameplay flowing during combat.
- Six pregenerated characters, giving you everything you need to kick off your adventures right away.
The Imperial Zoo is a novel mix of bestiary and narrative, packed with ideas and in character commentary that illustrates how horrors such as Araknaroks, Chimeras, and Cockatrice are viewed by the denizens of the Old World. It is ideal to drop in to any ongoing campaign that could use some fresh encounters, or as a starting point for a group interested in tackling the horrendous beasts of the Old World for profit.
Mother of Monsters Player’s Guide
& Mother of Monsters GM’s Guide
5E Dungeons & Dragons Setting Books
By Legendary Games
Isles of Adventure Inspired by Greek Mythology!
The 64-page Mother of Monsters Player’s Guide brings your players insights into the politics and geography of their realm, alongside new player options to create heroes unique to the Kagari Islands. This spoiler-free resource has all the information your player’s need and nothing they don’t, including new races, classes, feats, spells, and even a custom language!
- 6 new player lineages, including galbiska, maegalin, centaur, minotaur, pikari merfolk, and the variant humans of the Kagari Isles.
- New class options for barbarians, bards, fighters, and monks.
- Expanded background options for the core 5E character backgrounds, as well as new backgrounds like Shield Daughter of Kamorra and Demigod!
- Over a dozen new feats and spells like Gigantism, Horned Warrior, thunder stomp, and zephyr movement!
Sinister Secrets for Epic Greek Adventure
The 40-page Mother of Monsters GM’s Guide brings you a wealth of insider information on the epic adventure opportunities to be found in the Kagari Isles. You’ll find lore about the hidden history of these lands and seas, from the Age of the Titans to the Age of Despair and the current Children of Maigara. You’ll likewise find and expansive gazetteer of the people and places of the archipelago, with beautiful maps, fiendish factions and organizations, and so much more! Plus, you’ll find new DnD 5E bonus material ijn this book too, like:
- New magic items like the shield of reflection and amulet of the tabiski.
- Ready-to-use NPC stat blocks like the amazon archer and naga-folk warlock.
- Sinister new monsters like the faelori giant and the unique laesuri – the “Dread Ones” like Onazoka, the Crawling Hunger and Ehura Sutara, the Slithering Darkness!
Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 Adveture
By Modiphius
A Race Against Time Versus the Enemy Within!
At the height of the Blitz, mysterious coded radio messages are drifting across London’s airwaves, and Section M’s analysts at Clemens Park want to know why.
With no front-line troops readily available, a group of more academically-minded agents are drafted in to investigate. The signals are traced to an anonymous North London terraced house and a daring raid reveals the presence of an ancient anti-monarchical cult, who are using the confusion of the Luftwaffe’s nightly bombing raids to further their own dark agenda.
So begins a desperate race against time, as Section M’s studious operatives trace radio signals to their source, employ code and cipher breaking, and embark on a desperate chase across London to piece together the evidence, which leads to the terrifying discovery that the cult intend to conduct eldritch rites in the capital itself.
As the Luftwaffe’s bombs start to rain down during another night raid, can the agents find the rite’s location, foil the plans of this sinister cult, and prevent the return of a native horror which has lain dormant down the ages?
Features
- Operation Wallace is a 29-page PDF adventure for 4-6 players in both standard and printer-friendly formats. It can be run as one-off adventure or easily incorporated into an ongoing campaign
- Comprises a thrilling domestic adventure made for less combat-oriented agents
- Explore the mysteries of London during the height of the Blitz
- Battle the malevolent order of Saint Cailtram and face an ancient horror from the long dark
When Winter Came To Skedemosse
Old School Essentials Adventure
By Christopher
When Winter Came To Skedemosse is an adventure written for traditional roleplaying games and is fully compatible with Old-School Essentials.
The scenario is a historical low-fantasy setting set on the island Öland, during the Scandinavian Iron-Age (the Vendel Period).
Within you will find 42 pages of Iron Age goodness! A hex description with many interesting places, monsters and people to explore and meet. Use them as is or break them appart and place in your own campaign. You can drop the whole hex into most any fantasy setting and have it work well as is!
The setting is a “low-fantasy historical” setting. Trying to mimic not how the Scandinavian Iron-Age really was, but rather how the world might have been perceived at the time:
- The gods were real
- There were things, sentient things, hiding in the wood, in the ancient barrows, in the mountains and under the waves
- Runes held real power
- Your ancestors did conspire to protect you
There are also notes on how to make your OSE experience more flavorful when playing in the Scandinavian vendel period.
Lady Spy Detective Adventure Scourcebook
By Total Party Kills
This adventure sourcebook for Lady Spy Detective presents 16 different scenarios for Game Masters to use for both starting and experienced characters, as well as two new international espionage organizations to include in your Lady Spy Detective campaigns!
A wide variety of mission types are outlined, reflecting all the types of agencies that Players can select from when making their own Lady Spy Detective. Plus stats for dozens of NPCs that Game Masters can make use of in their adventures.
This Sourcebook requires a copy of the Lady Spy Detective Action Noir RPG, and can optionally be used as resource material for Ghosts of the Shadow Zone.
Maps
By Rustymaps
Norfolk Village!
Perfect village map for a starting location for your campaign and more!
Tell the story with awesome graphic maps!
Campaign is taking place in Day, Night or freezing Winter?
No problem!
Map pack has all these options!
Versions:
– Day
– Night
– Winter
– Winter night
– Old Paper Sepia and Color
Handouts for 1920’s-1940’s Roleplaying
By Cultist Armoury
The Cthulhu Handouts Bundle is an interactive handouts bundle with more than 250 handouts for Horror or Lovecraft-based roleplaying games. The props, documents and artwork in this pack are inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft but do not refer to any specific game system, and are useful in any game situation where a period item from the 1920s – 1940s is needed. It includes the following handouts:
– 10 x Arkham City Handouts
– 24 x Vintage Book Handouts
– 4 x Post Card Handouts
– 4 x Telegram Handouts
– 4 x Driver Licence Handouts
– 7 x Espionage Handouts
– 30 x Law Enforcement Handouts
– 20 x Medical Form Handouts
– 11 x Miskatonic University Handouts
– 28 x Newspaper & Magazines Handouts
– 32 x Notes & Notebooks Handouts
– 29 x Misc Handouts (Tickets, Business Cards, Letters, Hotel Registration)
– 70 x Vintage Photos
– 1 x Cultist Armoury Font (10 Typefaces)
SideQuests: The Train Between Planes
5E Dungeons & Dragons Adventure
By SideQuests
All aboard! There is legend of a phantasmal locomotive that carries itspassengers to-and-from the realms of the living and dead —with all manner of improbably stops in between! Obeying the directives of the Gods of Death themselves, this otherworldly express can signal a one-way trip to the afterlife, or an incorporeal shortcut between indescribable stretches of the world. The Train Between Planes is now boarding.
Who constructed this strange contraption? Where does it lead? This adventure takes your player through a gamut of esoteric locations or encounters that are all up to you! The Train Between Planes also gives you a brand new ruleset for using the Otherworld Expressas a fast-travel system for your campaign.
SideQuests are a collection of short adventures designed for Fifth Edition. These one-shot style campaigns are designed to be compelling standalone stories that can be implemented, played through, and completed in just a few sessions. Whether you’re using them as a filler adventure between major story arcs, as a continuation of your own adventures, or just because you forgot to plan the session last Wednesday… SideQuests are an invaluable tool for any DM!
Neon Road Adventure
By Micro RPG
MISSION EXPANSION 1.1
It seems something is going down at Dr. Velentine’s Heartbreak Bar in the scum ridden sector of the city. An anonymous tip clues you in that some illegal activity might be going on behind the scenes. Considering you don’t have anything going on this Valentine’s Day, you decide to check it out.
Add more story to your Neon Road Campaign with Story Missions such as this one!
These Chapbook expansions are two pages packed with new gameplay! Simply print off the page on a single sheet of paper, double sided, and then fold in half to create a Chapbook.
5E Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Anthology
By Crimson Terrain
This supplement is a collection of scalable Horror-themed adventures for your favorite tabletop roleplaying game. Inside you will find five one-shot adventures for you to drop into your campaign, run on their own, or build a new campaign around. A mysterious group patron, the Riddlehouse organization. Tons of new Magical oddities including, diseases, spells, equipment, potions, artifacts, poisons, traits, and various Magical Curiosities. 35 creatures to challenge your players with including 7 scalable monsters. New and improved rules systems have been included to enhance your games. An improved madness system, system for scaling encounters and monsters to best fit your party composition, G.O.A.L. Intelligent NPCs system included along with roleplaying cards utilizing this system for NPCs encountered in the book. All this and more awaits you in this first installment of Riddlehouse.
Also included with the book is a collection of related printable handouts that you can use to further impress your players and improve their immersion. Including business cards, letters, missing posters, flyers, messages, TPK-1020 forms, letterhead, and more! Multiple file formats for each item.
Additionally, a full color highly detailed set of maps has been included as well as several variants for each map and print files to allow you to easily print and use the maps at your table. Oh and I almost forgot there are also universal VTT files included for each map and several variants.
5E Dungeons & Dragons Adventure
By Frog God Games
Winter is Coming Here!
Something strange is happening at the warm and cozy Sunnyslope Inn: Winter has arrived early … several months early! The ground is thick with snow, clouds hide the sun, and Winter’s deadly grip is closing by the minute. What’s an adventurer to do?
It’s another Yule-themed scheme by Orcus’ Claws, of course, and it’s up to our intrepid heroes to solve the riddle of the untimely winter before they — and everyone at the inn — are frozen solid. As the cold and danger grow, the party must face Orcus’ Claws’ icy minions, including the diabolical Crueltide elves who sing jolly carols of mayhem and whose tasty candy canes are stained blood red!
Even after the chilly adventurers literally face the murderous claws of Winter, they still find themselves on Orcus’ Claws naughty list, and he’s ready to leave coal in all their stockings. So pass out the cookies, serve up some piping hot cocoa, and get ready to once more face the wrath of Orcus’ Claws in this lighthearted, holiday-themed adventure for a party of Tier 2 characters!
5E Dungeons & Dragons Sourcebook
By Scoundrel Game Labs
Fey Encounters is a collection of 60 random encounters set in the Fey Realm for fifth edition fantasy. These encounters are designed to capture the whimsical yet dangerous atmosphere the Fey are known for. This is an ideal companion for a campaign based in the Fey Realm.
Systemless Fantasy Setting
By Rat Knight Games
Welcome to the city of Kahlgorn! A trading post on the edge of the wilderness, her streets are plied by barbarians and civilized men alike under truce of mutual profit. But such a truce cannot guarantee perfect harmony. The city, though generally peaceful, is host to many conflicts between law and crime, civilization and barbarism, between faiths, and between individuals.
Being on the edge of the wilderness, the city is a convenient base of operations for adventurers known locally as “tomb robbers” seeking fortune and glory in the ruins of long forgotten civilizations that once called the now-wilderness home. And such adventurers cannot help but get caught up in the intrigues playing out in the city from time to time.
This tome lays out the details of Kahlgorn, a bustling river city on the edge of the barbarian wilderness, for use with any fantasy role playing game. Some effort will be required by a game master to express the characters, locations, and adventures outlined herein in terms of the rules being used. Sixtynine city locations are detailed and seventeen of those locations are fully mapped. Nineteen key personalities are presented with detailed backgrounds and numerous other personalities are presented in brief, typically in association with various locations. Six adventures are outlined to provide a game master with a starting point for running adventures in and around the city of Kahlgorn
They Came From Camp Murder Lake!
They Came from Beyond the Grave Sourcebook
By Onyx Path Publishing
You run as fast as you can, but there he’ll be, right behind you whenever you look over your shoulder.
You can hide under the bed, and it might be the last place she checks, but I promise she’ll check.
You can riddle their body with bullets, gouge at their flesh with blades, run over them with your car, but they’ll be lurching back to life as soon as you’re out of shot.
The creatures, the entities, the killers, the slashers from Camp Murder Lake and elsewhere will never stop their spree.
But maybe, just maybe, you might be the sole survivor at the end of the movie.
They Came from Camp Murder Lake! is a sourcebook for Players and Directors wanting to embrace the thrills and horrors of the 1970s and 1980s slasher movie genre, when arguably, it was at its peak.
This game presents everything you need to play a terrifying horror movie in the style of Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and every other favorite of the slasher set.
They Came from Camp Murder Lake! includes:
- Five new playable Archetypes and a multitude of new Origins and Ambitions!
- New Cinematics, Quips, Stunts, and a new mechanic: The Twist!
- A panoply of dread-inducing slashers, including cannibals, dream stalkers, evil children, killer clowns, homicidal hitchhikers, chameleonic stepfathers, and many, many more!
- All the guidance a Director needs for running games filled with suspense and scares, including variant styles of gameplay beyond the expected slasher movie arcs and a thorough presentation of potential settings!
- A full scenario you can run straight from the pages of this book! Get murdering!
The Stonehewn Legacy 1: The Many Facets of the Diamond City
Pathfinder Adventure
By Samurai Sheepdog
An ancient slab has been discovered in the mines of Inframundo that will lead the dwarves to their lost history far to the west. Adventurers flock to the diamond city of Daiomeanlaidir to assist in the expedition, but the council of nobles have decided that they can only spare one caste’s resources towards the archeological journey. Eager to make history, the caste leaders try to prove their group’s superiority by hiring the adventurers to collect data and impress the noble council. Will the adventurers be able to survive assasination attempts, a notorious gang, and courtly politics to prove themselves worthy of recovering the dwarven people’s past?
The Many Facets of the Diamond City is the first adventure in The Stonehewn Legacy adventure path, which explores the secretive people and hidden landscape of Theia’s underground region of Inframundo. It is designed for 1st- through 4th-level adventurers on a moderate track for experience.
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Voices From The Pulpit 