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Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition
Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
An anthology of thirteen stand-alone adventures set in wondrous lands for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.
Journeys through the Radiant Citadel is a collection of thirteen short, stand-alone D&D adventures featuring challenges for character levels 1–14. Each adventure has ties to the Radiant Citadel, a magical city with connections to lands rich with excitement and danger, and each can be run by itself or as part of an ongoing campaign. Explore this rich and varied collection of adventures in magical lands.
Through the mists of the Ethereal Plane shines the Radiant Citadel. Travelers from across the multiverse flock to this mysterious bastion to share their traditions, stories, and calls for heroes. A crossroads of wonders and adventures, the Radiant Citadel is the first step on the path to legend. Where will your journeys take you?
Thirteen new stand-alone adventures spanning levels 1–14, each with its own set of maps
Introduces the Radiant Citadel, a new location on the Ethereal Plane that connects adventurers to richly detailed and distinct corners of the D&D multiverse
Each adventure can be set in any existing D&D campaign setting or on worlds of your own design
Introduces eleven new D&D monsters
There’s a story for every adventuring party, from whimsical and light to dark and foreboding and everything in between
For use with the fifth edition Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide
Journeys through the Radiant Citadel is a collection of thirteen short, stand-alone D&D adventures featuring challenges for character levels 1–14. Each adventure has ties to the Radiant Citadel, a magical city with connections to lands rich with excitement and danger, and each can be run by itself or as part of an ongoing campaign. Explore this rich and varied collection of adventures in magical lands.
Through the mists of the Ethereal Plane shines the Radiant Citadel. Travelers from across the multiverse flock to this mysterious bastion to share their traditions, stories, and calls for heroes. A crossroads of wonders and adventures, the Radiant Citadel is the first step on the path to legend. Where will your journeys take you?
Thirteen new stand-alone adventures spanning levels 1–14, each with its own set of maps
Introduces the Radiant Citadel, a new location on the Ethereal Plane that connects adventurers to richly detailed and distinct corners of the D&D multiverse
Each adventure can be set in any existing D&D campaign setting or on worlds of your own design
Introduces eleven new D&D monsters
There’s a story for every adventuring party, from whimsical and light to dark and foreboding and everything in between
For use with the fifth edition Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide
224 pages, Hardcover
First published July 19, 2022
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August 1, 2022Like any anthology, a mixed bag. Which is all to the good! My general philosophy with RPG books, be they settings or adventures, is to take what you can make work for you and your group, and leave the rest behind. And there's plenty in here that I think is worth using.
Like last year's adventure anthology, Candlekeep Mysteries, this book presents a central location, the titular Radiant Citadel, and then 13 adventures that... well, they don't really have anything to do with the citadel, and frankly I could have done without the framing device entirely. Once I was past the first section of the book, which describes the citadel itself, and into the adventures, I kept forgetting that the citadel existed. Indeed each adventure gives alternate locations it could be set, be it in the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Eberron, etc.
The Radiant Citadel is a semi-utopian city hidden in the ethereal plane. I've long had a problem that I have no idea how to describe the ethereal plane to players; it seems to lack a clear visual or identity. This book doesn't help with that and doesn't purport to, I only mention it as sort of clouding my biases against this new city setting, which is fine. It's fine. I'll never use it, but that doesn't mean nobody will.
More interesting is that each adventure essentially provides its own setting, containing a gazetteer for the city or nation the adventure is set in, with a map, local landmarks, cultural and historical features of interest, tips on building a character from there, and adventure hooks. These are all rich settings, detailed and vivid, drawing on cultures outside the norm of Tolkien-descended European fantasy. Any of them could sustain short or even longer campaigns set within them. There's even two bonus ones at the back that don't have adventures, so citadel included, there are 16 settings in here. An absolute steal, imo.
Anyway, on to the main draw and most of the pagecount, the adventures! At the outset I'll say there's a trio that are definitely my favourites, Between Tangled Roots, Shadow of the Sun, and Orchids of the Invisible Mountain, but below I'll repost the notes I took as I was reading through, edited barely at all. Spoilers ahoy, if that's something you're watching for.
Salted Legacy: this is so thinly constructed. "Investigators who use magic also reveal nothing out of the ordinary." why? the incidents are literally being caused by invisible fey creatures. if that's not magical, what is? the market games are fun enough, but gating plot points behind them is odd
Written in Blood: not bad. I'm maybe a bit tired of festivals, but the later horror sequences of this are well done, though I've a few quibbles with the way it handles friendly NPCs and assumed reactions to them
The Fiend of Hollow Mine: another festival? come on, man. despite the same basic structure as the previous adventure, the mine is nicely jaquaysed. wait I take it back the Night of the Remembered is a very cool festival. by the end this won me over, the emotional core is solid, the environments are cool, and there are interesting decisions to make
Wages of Vice: okay do these all just have festivals? am I being punked? oh great set-up though! "The characters currently have no way of knowing" - don't they though? speak with dead, just off the top of my head. but bonus points for a rumour table, love a rumour table. this is a good adventure but the end doesn't seem like the end? the fallout, particularly if the villain isn't killed, sounds potentially as interesting or more interesting than the adventure itself. I suppose "this adventure could lead to further adventure" is more of a compliment than a criticism, it just felt like it stopped too early. idk, maybe it's a pagecount thing
Sins of Our Elders: okay so there's fully a festival theme that I was not informed of, cool cool [editor's note: there isn't]. if you're playing these in sequence, just maybe be aware of your players getting festival fatigue. I've noticed this in some of the other adventures, but there's a reluctance here to name real things. some NPCs in this play Go, it's clearly Go, but they call it "baduk" instead. I do not understand this decision. this isn't a bad adventure, though, putting an angry spirit to rest is a classic, but the structure is a little too video-gamey for me, in the sense of "you must acquire X number of macguffins to proceed"
Gold for Fools and Princes: one of those adventures (like most really) where there are multiple factions and your players are going to give more of a damn, if any at all, if they're already in one of the factions before you start. adventurers are so often outsiders, but being locals gives you such a greater stake. having finished this one, making the PCs locals wouldn't fix this, because there's a bigger problem here (and a surprisingly common one), in that it's a story about some NPCs, and the players are just... there. also this one does not have a festival
Trail of Destruction: very cool volcano imagery, but it feels like a straight line and I think I'm going to struggle to remember it
In the Mists of Manivarsha: after two non-festival adventures, we're back with some contests, which are close enough. oh but the characters show up just as it's over and someone else has won? hmm. hmmmmm. the flood is a good hook or opener, though. this adventure, like many of the others, has a helpful NPC show up just when they're needed. this time it's a river guide, when I'd be more inclined to give the players some options or have them look around for a guide and make their own decisions, rather than just hand them one on a plate. nevertheless, love a swamp, and the climax does indeed involve player decision, and an interesting one
Between Tangled Roots: oh this is a good one. seems on the surface to be pretty straightforward, but there are interesting player decisions tucked in there, and the scenery is incredible. the bridges! even the final combat has multiple decisions in it. very cinematic, very cool, one of the top three adventures in the book
Shadow of the Sun: presents two factions to join and then immediately introduces a third, cooler "villainous" faction. that said, the back and forth between those two factions, the possibility for betrayal and acting as double agents, is fantastic. also contains a flying carpet chase scene, illegal theatre performances, and a breakout from a sky prison, so this is great, another one of the top three
The Nightsea's Succor: wasn't sure why I don't really like this one, despite its aesthetics pushing my buttons. but then there's a bit during one of the political faction arguments where it says "the characters are unlikely to have strong opinions one way or the other" and like... that's it, there's your problem
Buried Dynasty: an otyugh pretends to be three ghosts. five stars (actually I have some concerns about players following the "correct" path in this one, but all things considered it is quite a good path)
Orchids of the Invisible Mountain: the third of the top three. feels epic, and delightfully strange. so much packed in, the feywild and the far realm, but it all still feels human and grounded at the same time, the emotional stakes never lost
Like last year's adventure anthology, Candlekeep Mysteries, this book presents a central location, the titular Radiant Citadel, and then 13 adventures that... well, they don't really have anything to do with the citadel, and frankly I could have done without the framing device entirely. Once I was past the first section of the book, which describes the citadel itself, and into the adventures, I kept forgetting that the citadel existed. Indeed each adventure gives alternate locations it could be set, be it in the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Eberron, etc.
The Radiant Citadel is a semi-utopian city hidden in the ethereal plane. I've long had a problem that I have no idea how to describe the ethereal plane to players; it seems to lack a clear visual or identity. This book doesn't help with that and doesn't purport to, I only mention it as sort of clouding my biases against this new city setting, which is fine. It's fine. I'll never use it, but that doesn't mean nobody will.
More interesting is that each adventure essentially provides its own setting, containing a gazetteer for the city or nation the adventure is set in, with a map, local landmarks, cultural and historical features of interest, tips on building a character from there, and adventure hooks. These are all rich settings, detailed and vivid, drawing on cultures outside the norm of Tolkien-descended European fantasy. Any of them could sustain short or even longer campaigns set within them. There's even two bonus ones at the back that don't have adventures, so citadel included, there are 16 settings in here. An absolute steal, imo.
Anyway, on to the main draw and most of the pagecount, the adventures! At the outset I'll say there's a trio that are definitely my favourites, Between Tangled Roots, Shadow of the Sun, and Orchids of the Invisible Mountain, but below I'll repost the notes I took as I was reading through, edited barely at all. Spoilers ahoy, if that's something you're watching for.
Salted Legacy: this is so thinly constructed. "Investigators who use magic also reveal nothing out of the ordinary." why? the incidents are literally being caused by invisible fey creatures. if that's not magical, what is? the market games are fun enough, but gating plot points behind them is odd
Written in Blood: not bad. I'm maybe a bit tired of festivals, but the later horror sequences of this are well done, though I've a few quibbles with the way it handles friendly NPCs and assumed reactions to them
The Fiend of Hollow Mine: another festival? come on, man. despite the same basic structure as the previous adventure, the mine is nicely jaquaysed. wait I take it back the Night of the Remembered is a very cool festival. by the end this won me over, the emotional core is solid, the environments are cool, and there are interesting decisions to make
Wages of Vice: okay do these all just have festivals? am I being punked? oh great set-up though! "The characters currently have no way of knowing" - don't they though? speak with dead, just off the top of my head. but bonus points for a rumour table, love a rumour table. this is a good adventure but the end doesn't seem like the end? the fallout, particularly if the villain isn't killed, sounds potentially as interesting or more interesting than the adventure itself. I suppose "this adventure could lead to further adventure" is more of a compliment than a criticism, it just felt like it stopped too early. idk, maybe it's a pagecount thing
Sins of Our Elders: okay so there's fully a festival theme that I was not informed of, cool cool [editor's note: there isn't]. if you're playing these in sequence, just maybe be aware of your players getting festival fatigue. I've noticed this in some of the other adventures, but there's a reluctance here to name real things. some NPCs in this play Go, it's clearly Go, but they call it "baduk" instead. I do not understand this decision. this isn't a bad adventure, though, putting an angry spirit to rest is a classic, but the structure is a little too video-gamey for me, in the sense of "you must acquire X number of macguffins to proceed"
Gold for Fools and Princes: one of those adventures (like most really) where there are multiple factions and your players are going to give more of a damn, if any at all, if they're already in one of the factions before you start. adventurers are so often outsiders, but being locals gives you such a greater stake. having finished this one, making the PCs locals wouldn't fix this, because there's a bigger problem here (and a surprisingly common one), in that it's a story about some NPCs, and the players are just... there. also this one does not have a festival
Trail of Destruction: very cool volcano imagery, but it feels like a straight line and I think I'm going to struggle to remember it
In the Mists of Manivarsha: after two non-festival adventures, we're back with some contests, which are close enough. oh but the characters show up just as it's over and someone else has won? hmm. hmmmmm. the flood is a good hook or opener, though. this adventure, like many of the others, has a helpful NPC show up just when they're needed. this time it's a river guide, when I'd be more inclined to give the players some options or have them look around for a guide and make their own decisions, rather than just hand them one on a plate. nevertheless, love a swamp, and the climax does indeed involve player decision, and an interesting one
Between Tangled Roots: oh this is a good one. seems on the surface to be pretty straightforward, but there are interesting player decisions tucked in there, and the scenery is incredible. the bridges! even the final combat has multiple decisions in it. very cinematic, very cool, one of the top three adventures in the book
Shadow of the Sun: presents two factions to join and then immediately introduces a third, cooler "villainous" faction. that said, the back and forth between those two factions, the possibility for betrayal and acting as double agents, is fantastic. also contains a flying carpet chase scene, illegal theatre performances, and a breakout from a sky prison, so this is great, another one of the top three
The Nightsea's Succor: wasn't sure why I don't really like this one, despite its aesthetics pushing my buttons. but then there's a bit during one of the political faction arguments where it says "the characters are unlikely to have strong opinions one way or the other" and like... that's it, there's your problem
Buried Dynasty: an otyugh pretends to be three ghosts. five stars (actually I have some concerns about players following the "correct" path in this one, but all things considered it is quite a good path)
Orchids of the Invisible Mountain: the third of the top three. feels epic, and delightfully strange. so much packed in, the feywild and the far realm, but it all still feels human and grounded at the same time, the emotional stakes never lost
June 15, 2023
Good idea but poorly executed. I was surprised to see no section for new magic items.
August 12, 2022
This is WotC's first 5th edition attempt to do fantasy based on non-European cultures. They do this by getting 13 different authors who are persons of colour to write an adventure based on their culture. The whole thing is connected through the Radiant Citadel which is a utopian refugee community. The book is an attempt to treat these cultures without being accused of racism, quite frankly. They in fact do a good job of that. The cultures depicted do not include either Arabian or Japanese cultures and I suspect that this book is an attempt to treat non-European cultures in a warm up for setting books on those cultures.
Now to the good and bad of the book. The central home base ultimately does not work very well. It is hampered by the fact that it is depicted as a utopian multicultural society of refugees. It works fine as a place for a home base. You can buy stuff there and get things raised, but they are scared about depicting anything negative about the setting. Utopias are not conducive to adventures and ultimately it is not a place that lends itself to adventure. It's a little bit dull, quite frankly, but it looks cool and that's something. However, none of the adventures take place there.
The remaining 13 adventures vary a lot in quality. Some of these are very very good, others are a little dull. At least half of these I found to be exciting, in particular, Written in Blood, Fiend of Hollow Mine, and Orchids of the Invisible Mountain are special. Without any doubt, Shadow of the Sun is a model of what a short adventure can be and one of the best short adventures that I have read. It is a truly great adventure, with interesting and sophisticated hidden commentary about contemporary Iranian society.
Whether the Anthology is worth buying depends upon how you want to use it. If you want to run it as a continuous campaign, cover-to-cover, I'm not sure that it works that well. It can be repetitive (there are a lot of festivals) and does not really cohere that well and the home base is boring. If you are like me and raid these books for adventures to fit into a custom campaign, then this is top notch. It has several very good adventures and all the adventures would work as a refreshing change of pace in almost any campaign. So if you are looking for a source for adventures, buy it, if you are looking for a campaign, probably most of the other books are better. In this case, the parts are greater than the whole.
Now to the good and bad of the book. The central home base ultimately does not work very well. It is hampered by the fact that it is depicted as a utopian multicultural society of refugees. It works fine as a place for a home base. You can buy stuff there and get things raised, but they are scared about depicting anything negative about the setting. Utopias are not conducive to adventures and ultimately it is not a place that lends itself to adventure. It's a little bit dull, quite frankly, but it looks cool and that's something. However, none of the adventures take place there.
The remaining 13 adventures vary a lot in quality. Some of these are very very good, others are a little dull. At least half of these I found to be exciting, in particular, Written in Blood, Fiend of Hollow Mine, and Orchids of the Invisible Mountain are special. Without any doubt, Shadow of the Sun is a model of what a short adventure can be and one of the best short adventures that I have read. It is a truly great adventure, with interesting and sophisticated hidden commentary about contemporary Iranian society.
Whether the Anthology is worth buying depends upon how you want to use it. If you want to run it as a continuous campaign, cover-to-cover, I'm not sure that it works that well. It can be repetitive (there are a lot of festivals) and does not really cohere that well and the home base is boring. If you are like me and raid these books for adventures to fit into a custom campaign, then this is top notch. It has several very good adventures and all the adventures would work as a refreshing change of pace in almost any campaign. So if you are looking for a source for adventures, buy it, if you are looking for a campaign, probably most of the other books are better. In this case, the parts are greater than the whole.
June 11, 2024
This is just plain bad. The adventures are designed to make the players feel more like bystanders to the events happening instead of active participants. Also, there's a lack of maps and illustrations in general. About half the NPCs in an adventure won't have an illustration, and the map provided is a small portion of the large area being explored.
November 16, 2022
Book overall
Exactly what I want from DnD these days - expanding our imaginations beyond LOTR. Lots of creative settings, all clever adventures that go beyond dungeon crawls, all include a lot of solid RP op and pay homage to the cultures they come from, giving region back story to make it easier to imagine npcs. Many of them seem like they could be one or two shots even for higher level characters, which is pretty rare. I appreciated the hooks into Eberron and several of them could work well for an Ixalan setting, another past favorite of mine.
Radiant Citadel itself - 2/5
Feels like a brighter version of Sigil but I'm kind of left wondering "why this one over Ravnica or Sharn?" it's more creative and diverse than Waterdeep but that doesn't take much. As many before me have pointed out, the adventures aren't directly connected to the Citadel and it's only minimally inspiring for a GM to get started building it out as a world. I'd perhaps smash it up with another universe - or it could be really good for a kid who has a lot of time and imagination and just needs a Kickstart. What are the mysteries? The tensions? The interconnected stories? Also the crystals feel kinda like Taric from LOL meets Naropa in Boulder. I guess Astrology and Tarot folks are a big audience for D&D now. Come to think of it replace the transit crystals with Spelljamers and flavor it as an outpost and I think it works there.
Salted Legacy - 5/5 - good lighthearted premise, easy to hook into, lots of market maps and assets - a classic starter locale that's a far more interesting level 1 sourdough starter than a bar or killing vermin. The mystery isn't very complicated - a series of clues and connection webs would be fun - but playing games to win respect feels like a solid way to have some fun and keep it short.
The game challenges are a stupendous alternative to dungeon combat and rife with RP options. Spicy peppers are could have even more effects, the starter ones feel balanced. Meal prep challenge can absolutely be a parody on any number of contemporary TV shows. Hide and seek should be more than a skill check. Instead maybe an I spy visual or just invite creativity to stir them up. All of the challenges seem like they could invite creative and collaborative solutions. Are there alternative ways to win renown? We should invent some, like helping, bribing or intimidating or connecting vendors to one another.
Overall this feels like just the right amount of complexity to be a satisfying one shot. Brand new GMs might need more structure or support but those with some experience will knock this one out of the park. The fluff on the world is fun but I wish the market were in the Citadel and we got more on the city surrounding it. It could be rigged to help fill out vendor characters more authentically - maybe like the little cards in Witchlight.
Written in Blood - 2/5 - Horror is less my jam as a setting. This adventure could have jump scares and ramp up and the gazetteer here is actually useful because the characters travel through the lands to get to their destination.
The monster should have a ton of crawling hand minions all over the house in hiding or doing creepy things and with it for the final fight. There should be clues about how it was defeated once before but came back and how the heroes can defeat it once and for all.
Fiend of Hollow Mine - 5/5 - possession in Peru. Neat that it's an innocent that's been taken, and that the players can encounter sentient undead and its basically a who is the werewolf bit, which is fun. Okay and I love that they get to search for them during a day of the dead festival. This is the kind of fantastic horror I can deal with, rather than drawing out details like the previous adventure. And there's a chase an potential to make for a puzzle, a hard moral choice - this one is solid. Likely more than a one-shot, however.
Wages of Vice - 4/5 - starting to get some familiar themes here: festivals wrecked by disasters, murders or mysteries to solve, bargains with fey, ghosts or demons... Usually promising children? Characters being blamed for a murder is an interesting drop-in though. Skimmed this one but it looks colorful and capable of being a mostly-contained one-shot.
Sins of our Elders - 3/5 - lvl6 one shot Miasaki film - with a different setting and motive and all that but another mystery. I feel like RP'ing skeptical witholding villagers endlessly would be more annoying than fun.
Gold for fools and prince's 5/5 - North Africa or Middle Eastern hell yeah - rescue trapped miners, uncover plot in university, feels easy to draw on Aladin even if I know I shouldn't. Pcs may want to go riiiight to the dungeon fight and university later but I like their order even if railroaded. Could make it harder to discern what professor is working on, he could give decoys instead of saying rats. Mislead Pcs by making runes seem like they're graffiti of some rebel group. Maybe monster bodies vanish eventually, not immediately. All these checks should just be resolved by RP moments. I love the mine rescue set, there are ways to have run away cart tracks and pitfalls and so on. The resolution could be ramped up to be an affair in a royal court. I wish there was more art for setting scenes!
Trail of destruction - 5/5 - nothing like dropping the characters into a disaster or ambush to galvanize them. Feels somewhat Aztec, somewhat Pacific Islands - could work for a Sun Empire setting in Ixalan! I like the Bard who could tag along with them, slipping out exuberance and drama here and there. Spaces for simple Wilderness encounters is good - I want them to have clues or character development. Tower disaster is a great place for a phased battlemap to build tension. I want the giant to be more than an information barrier. Maybe something like a puzzle or strength of character trial - what would they sacrifice to go to the gate of illumination - prove to them they're not thieves. Similarly the Gate could take art or song or dance or ideas instead of perishables. The puzzle feels more reasonable because it's a contraption to fix. Why plant the hurt Salamander, have the players rescue them. The bbg could have Salamander minions too so the action economy doesn't wreck it. I like that there's a way to resolve it peacefully as well! I like that perhaps Tletepec could be a volcanic region of Ixalan.
Mists of Manivarsha - 4/5 okay its Spirited Away this time! Sina Una compatible also likely works for Ixalan setting. Natural disaster interrupt and trials can makes for fun heroic moments. Why choose from 6 possible encounters when you can have allllll of them at the same time! 😮 Feels like one too many river encounters, could we have a vision sequence or puzzle instead? Maybe a challenge to win the respect of Tinjhorna? Also definitely longer than a one shot. I want there to be a twist other than the guide having a secret, the final confrontation is just a boss fight. I'm confused why it details the Riverine stats if they're not a foe?Boss needs minions and/or traps at this level.
Between Tangled Roots - 4/5 - interspecies relationships, disaster rescue, sky bridges connecting islands with their own themes, understand the bbeg instead of kill - all good thematic items here. As with many I'd select encounters rather than roll for them, and have them develop the core story. This feels like more of a mystery in linear stages, which is more comfortable to me as a GM. Destroying the blisters doesn't feel like much of a choice? I like that they have to be discovered during the fight and that the hunters might conflict with them. I wonder if I could remix this to Ravnica where the undead are in Golgari rot farms and the sky bridges are connections between Zonots - Bakunawa then being a serpent?
Shadow of the Sun - 5/5 - Might work in Kaladesh?? Conclave vs Inventor rebellion. Definitely could happen with Ravnica, with Azorius/Boros and Rakdos/Izzet, with Gruul staging destruction? Silent Roar might be Golgari, Orzhov or just the unguided? I clearly already like the premise from the get-go. Discovering theft is creative, magic carpet chase even more so :) love the complications, feels very classic middle eastern market movie. Oh and disguises and informants and double agents yesh! Open sesame and Djinns and of course traps and banned media. Pegasus vs Mantacore rescue?
Night Seas Succor - 4/5 - Could swap some concepts in for Blackmist/throne, which at face value seem unrelatable, to make it work with Ixalan, making the peoples the Sun Empire and River Heralds. Opener is solid, though seems odd the characters would be regaled as important coming into it. The choice between concerned academics and chaotic revolutionaries is a familiar choice - submission to fear vs thrill seeking, but feels redundant with yet another choice between sides in the underwater city - could these be collapsed into one? The adventure provides many places to play with the mood with images and ambiance, I think a steampunk gnomish submarine journey would be more fun than just magic items and lots of swimming - I'm not sure why they detail the travel times so much. Why did they choose the Aboleth as a bad guy here? The control of the undead part feels mismatched with it, vs the sea creature manipulating the rifts in the city to some evil end. Likewise the powers of Blackmist/throne could instead be exaggerated elements of each opposing ideology from the beginning, with the ultimate solution being a harmony between each. It doesn't specify that the characters can teach or bestow these abilities so it's unclear how they might relate to the larger story.
Buried Dynasty - 5/5 - The setup for this one feels pretty straight forward, though a world ruled by immortal nobles might be hard to match to other settings. It feels somewhat traditional dungeon-ey which I actually really like - it has some significant variance and imagination in the encounters and ample opportunity for RP or GM-inserted traps or ideas. The rest of it has so many fun components - double-cross, death traps, rescue, dramatic appearance on stage during a performance, determining the will of well-intentioned but askewed BBEG - it's a lot to fit in! There are also supported to help make sure the story ends up where it should along the way. This one feels long but well-contained, perhaps my favorite yet.
Orchids of the Invisible Mountain - 4/5 - Any time we've got planar realms like the Fey Wild involved I'm excited. The premise for this one feels like my kind of high fantasy. Saving folks from a disaster is always a strong opener, the travel time and perils along the way allow for some healthy RP. The Thri-Kreen encounter feels entirely arbitrary and a Griffon is really no challenge - it doesn't advance the story at all really? It could have been connected to the Thri-Kreen intervention later. Parrot guide = totally clutch yo' - I like it when dungeons are things like ancient temples that are more open, rather than dark, dank things under ground. The one in the adventure here feels like an interesting blend of ambush, discovery, hazards and more - the crashed airship makes it even more interesting, perhaps like this world could fit with Eberron. This is 2-3 adventures, definitely not a one-shot, and could fit into the Spelljammer universe too!
Exactly what I want from DnD these days - expanding our imaginations beyond LOTR. Lots of creative settings, all clever adventures that go beyond dungeon crawls, all include a lot of solid RP op and pay homage to the cultures they come from, giving region back story to make it easier to imagine npcs. Many of them seem like they could be one or two shots even for higher level characters, which is pretty rare. I appreciated the hooks into Eberron and several of them could work well for an Ixalan setting, another past favorite of mine.
Radiant Citadel itself - 2/5
Feels like a brighter version of Sigil but I'm kind of left wondering "why this one over Ravnica or Sharn?" it's more creative and diverse than Waterdeep but that doesn't take much. As many before me have pointed out, the adventures aren't directly connected to the Citadel and it's only minimally inspiring for a GM to get started building it out as a world. I'd perhaps smash it up with another universe - or it could be really good for a kid who has a lot of time and imagination and just needs a Kickstart. What are the mysteries? The tensions? The interconnected stories? Also the crystals feel kinda like Taric from LOL meets Naropa in Boulder. I guess Astrology and Tarot folks are a big audience for D&D now. Come to think of it replace the transit crystals with Spelljamers and flavor it as an outpost and I think it works there.
Salted Legacy - 5/5 - good lighthearted premise, easy to hook into, lots of market maps and assets - a classic starter locale that's a far more interesting level 1 sourdough starter than a bar or killing vermin. The mystery isn't very complicated - a series of clues and connection webs would be fun - but playing games to win respect feels like a solid way to have some fun and keep it short.
The game challenges are a stupendous alternative to dungeon combat and rife with RP options. Spicy peppers are could have even more effects, the starter ones feel balanced. Meal prep challenge can absolutely be a parody on any number of contemporary TV shows. Hide and seek should be more than a skill check. Instead maybe an I spy visual or just invite creativity to stir them up. All of the challenges seem like they could invite creative and collaborative solutions. Are there alternative ways to win renown? We should invent some, like helping, bribing or intimidating or connecting vendors to one another.
Overall this feels like just the right amount of complexity to be a satisfying one shot. Brand new GMs might need more structure or support but those with some experience will knock this one out of the park. The fluff on the world is fun but I wish the market were in the Citadel and we got more on the city surrounding it. It could be rigged to help fill out vendor characters more authentically - maybe like the little cards in Witchlight.
Written in Blood - 2/5 - Horror is less my jam as a setting. This adventure could have jump scares and ramp up and the gazetteer here is actually useful because the characters travel through the lands to get to their destination.
The monster should have a ton of crawling hand minions all over the house in hiding or doing creepy things and with it for the final fight. There should be clues about how it was defeated once before but came back and how the heroes can defeat it once and for all.
Fiend of Hollow Mine - 5/5 - possession in Peru. Neat that it's an innocent that's been taken, and that the players can encounter sentient undead and its basically a who is the werewolf bit, which is fun. Okay and I love that they get to search for them during a day of the dead festival. This is the kind of fantastic horror I can deal with, rather than drawing out details like the previous adventure. And there's a chase an potential to make for a puzzle, a hard moral choice - this one is solid. Likely more than a one-shot, however.
Wages of Vice - 4/5 - starting to get some familiar themes here: festivals wrecked by disasters, murders or mysteries to solve, bargains with fey, ghosts or demons... Usually promising children? Characters being blamed for a murder is an interesting drop-in though. Skimmed this one but it looks colorful and capable of being a mostly-contained one-shot.
Sins of our Elders - 3/5 - lvl6 one shot Miasaki film - with a different setting and motive and all that but another mystery. I feel like RP'ing skeptical witholding villagers endlessly would be more annoying than fun.
Gold for fools and prince's 5/5 - North Africa or Middle Eastern hell yeah - rescue trapped miners, uncover plot in university, feels easy to draw on Aladin even if I know I shouldn't. Pcs may want to go riiiight to the dungeon fight and university later but I like their order even if railroaded. Could make it harder to discern what professor is working on, he could give decoys instead of saying rats. Mislead Pcs by making runes seem like they're graffiti of some rebel group. Maybe monster bodies vanish eventually, not immediately. All these checks should just be resolved by RP moments. I love the mine rescue set, there are ways to have run away cart tracks and pitfalls and so on. The resolution could be ramped up to be an affair in a royal court. I wish there was more art for setting scenes!
Trail of destruction - 5/5 - nothing like dropping the characters into a disaster or ambush to galvanize them. Feels somewhat Aztec, somewhat Pacific Islands - could work for a Sun Empire setting in Ixalan! I like the Bard who could tag along with them, slipping out exuberance and drama here and there. Spaces for simple Wilderness encounters is good - I want them to have clues or character development. Tower disaster is a great place for a phased battlemap to build tension. I want the giant to be more than an information barrier. Maybe something like a puzzle or strength of character trial - what would they sacrifice to go to the gate of illumination - prove to them they're not thieves. Similarly the Gate could take art or song or dance or ideas instead of perishables. The puzzle feels more reasonable because it's a contraption to fix. Why plant the hurt Salamander, have the players rescue them. The bbg could have Salamander minions too so the action economy doesn't wreck it. I like that there's a way to resolve it peacefully as well! I like that perhaps Tletepec could be a volcanic region of Ixalan.
Mists of Manivarsha - 4/5 okay its Spirited Away this time! Sina Una compatible also likely works for Ixalan setting. Natural disaster interrupt and trials can makes for fun heroic moments. Why choose from 6 possible encounters when you can have allllll of them at the same time! 😮 Feels like one too many river encounters, could we have a vision sequence or puzzle instead? Maybe a challenge to win the respect of Tinjhorna? Also definitely longer than a one shot. I want there to be a twist other than the guide having a secret, the final confrontation is just a boss fight. I'm confused why it details the Riverine stats if they're not a foe?Boss needs minions and/or traps at this level.
Between Tangled Roots - 4/5 - interspecies relationships, disaster rescue, sky bridges connecting islands with their own themes, understand the bbeg instead of kill - all good thematic items here. As with many I'd select encounters rather than roll for them, and have them develop the core story. This feels like more of a mystery in linear stages, which is more comfortable to me as a GM. Destroying the blisters doesn't feel like much of a choice? I like that they have to be discovered during the fight and that the hunters might conflict with them. I wonder if I could remix this to Ravnica where the undead are in Golgari rot farms and the sky bridges are connections between Zonots - Bakunawa then being a serpent?
Shadow of the Sun - 5/5 - Might work in Kaladesh?? Conclave vs Inventor rebellion. Definitely could happen with Ravnica, with Azorius/Boros and Rakdos/Izzet, with Gruul staging destruction? Silent Roar might be Golgari, Orzhov or just the unguided? I clearly already like the premise from the get-go. Discovering theft is creative, magic carpet chase even more so :) love the complications, feels very classic middle eastern market movie. Oh and disguises and informants and double agents yesh! Open sesame and Djinns and of course traps and banned media. Pegasus vs Mantacore rescue?
Night Seas Succor - 4/5 - Could swap some concepts in for Blackmist/throne, which at face value seem unrelatable, to make it work with Ixalan, making the peoples the Sun Empire and River Heralds. Opener is solid, though seems odd the characters would be regaled as important coming into it. The choice between concerned academics and chaotic revolutionaries is a familiar choice - submission to fear vs thrill seeking, but feels redundant with yet another choice between sides in the underwater city - could these be collapsed into one? The adventure provides many places to play with the mood with images and ambiance, I think a steampunk gnomish submarine journey would be more fun than just magic items and lots of swimming - I'm not sure why they detail the travel times so much. Why did they choose the Aboleth as a bad guy here? The control of the undead part feels mismatched with it, vs the sea creature manipulating the rifts in the city to some evil end. Likewise the powers of Blackmist/throne could instead be exaggerated elements of each opposing ideology from the beginning, with the ultimate solution being a harmony between each. It doesn't specify that the characters can teach or bestow these abilities so it's unclear how they might relate to the larger story.
Buried Dynasty - 5/5 - The setup for this one feels pretty straight forward, though a world ruled by immortal nobles might be hard to match to other settings. It feels somewhat traditional dungeon-ey which I actually really like - it has some significant variance and imagination in the encounters and ample opportunity for RP or GM-inserted traps or ideas. The rest of it has so many fun components - double-cross, death traps, rescue, dramatic appearance on stage during a performance, determining the will of well-intentioned but askewed BBEG - it's a lot to fit in! There are also supported to help make sure the story ends up where it should along the way. This one feels long but well-contained, perhaps my favorite yet.
Orchids of the Invisible Mountain - 4/5 - Any time we've got planar realms like the Fey Wild involved I'm excited. The premise for this one feels like my kind of high fantasy. Saving folks from a disaster is always a strong opener, the travel time and perils along the way allow for some healthy RP. The Thri-Kreen encounter feels entirely arbitrary and a Griffon is really no challenge - it doesn't advance the story at all really? It could have been connected to the Thri-Kreen intervention later. Parrot guide = totally clutch yo' - I like it when dungeons are things like ancient temples that are more open, rather than dark, dank things under ground. The one in the adventure here feels like an interesting blend of ambush, discovery, hazards and more - the crashed airship makes it even more interesting, perhaps like this world could fit with Eberron. This is 2-3 adventures, definitely not a one-shot, and could fit into the Spelljammer universe too!
September 15, 2022
Incredible adventure, I've started running it and my players are loving it so far as well!
February 24, 2024
A really solid collection of modern D&D adventures. There are a few misses in this collection of adventures, but I think, even when an adventure doesn't land or just doesn't make sense as it is framed, there are a great set of ideas to be mined or modified within the various gazettes. The main issue is that each place is, by necessity, restricted by word count. Some ideas just don't get the space they deserve - which is, of course, part and parcel of being a DM. But sometimes you pick up a book like this to save yourself extra work. Of course, it never works out that way - which is part of the fun.
My favourite adventure as it is written must be either "Written in Blood", "The Nightsea's Succor", or "Mists of Manivarsha", as they each had thematic ideas I found appealing, and seemed easy to run as-is.
The adventure that feels the most "odd" is "Shadow of the Sun", wherein players come up against rebellious forces, striving to oppose Atash, a repressive angel-king who imprisons people in a sky-prison. The adventure often seems to assume that players (and the DM) will encourage players to join up with Atash's forces, the Brightguard. While there is a path through to rebel, the adventure's tone feels a bit strange because of how Atash is treated as a potentially good figure, when he feels like he should be fairly unambiguously a force to oppose. I guess my issue with this one is just the tone - but I would like to rework the adventure and the setting to suit a longer campaign, rather than a one-off adventure.
There's also "Buried Dynasty", about an immortal emperor who doesn't know he's about to run out of his life-extending potion. This is another great framing for an adventure, but one that presumes the players will want to preserve the emperor's life. I guess this is stuff that's hard to get across in a one-shot adventure, but it would be cool to build up the figure of the emperor as one who maybe has some conflicted reputation, and actually allow the players to side with forces opposing the emperor, rather than presuming they will just want to help him out. Again, I suppose, a similar problem to the Atash adventure.
My favourite adventure as it is written must be either "Written in Blood", "The Nightsea's Succor", or "Mists of Manivarsha", as they each had thematic ideas I found appealing, and seemed easy to run as-is.
The adventure that feels the most "odd" is "Shadow of the Sun", wherein players come up against rebellious forces, striving to oppose Atash, a repressive angel-king who imprisons people in a sky-prison. The adventure often seems to assume that players (and the DM) will encourage players to join up with Atash's forces, the Brightguard. While there is a path through to rebel, the adventure's tone feels a bit strange because of how Atash is treated as a potentially good figure, when he feels like he should be fairly unambiguously a force to oppose. I guess my issue with this one is just the tone - but I would like to rework the adventure and the setting to suit a longer campaign, rather than a one-off adventure.
There's also "Buried Dynasty", about an immortal emperor who doesn't know he's about to run out of his life-extending potion. This is another great framing for an adventure, but one that presumes the players will want to preserve the emperor's life. I guess this is stuff that's hard to get across in a one-shot adventure, but it would be cool to build up the figure of the emperor as one who maybe has some conflicted reputation, and actually allow the players to side with forces opposing the emperor, rather than presuming they will just want to help him out. Again, I suppose, a similar problem to the Atash adventure.
May 12, 2023
A guide to the Radiant Citadel, a planar hub connecting various cultural centers of different worlds, with one adventure set in each, and information on how to expand into further adventures in those locales.
So far, this is probably my favorite collection of D&D 5e adventures. The settings are interesting, descriptions good, and there are multiple chances to role-play or find creative ways to problem solve. Different cultures and beliefs are explored with sensitivity, and with enough details to let DMs and players immerse themselves in these worlds.
I think I've got only two problems. The first is, straight up, some choices were baffling. In the very first (level 1) adventure, if the characters successfully get through 3, easy, low-stakes events, they level up. Boom. That feels, to me, far, far, too easy. On top of which, you could fail one of those events by a single really bad dice roll, and I sure hope your PCs don't find out that they missed a level because one party member messed up. NOT the way to instill party unity! You'll probably get that level, and there's even ways you can resolve the whole adventure non-violently. And if you're still level 1, you better hope you do... which brings me to the next problem. Through power-creep, over-confidence, or bad math, many of these adventures (especially the low-level ones!) are over-powered for the character level they're designed for. If the party is level 1 at the end of that first adventure, the final encounter will cream them. Even at second level it would be a challenge.
The first adventure is especially head-scratching, but throughout the book there are similar encounter issues and weird choices. Given these choices, plus the in-depth cultural backgrounds, DMs will need to really read the chapters carefully and make thoughtful choices. Which isn't a terrible thing! If you want to really try new, novel directions, and don't mind prepping with care, this could be a really fun book for your and your D&D group.
So far, this is probably my favorite collection of D&D 5e adventures. The settings are interesting, descriptions good, and there are multiple chances to role-play or find creative ways to problem solve. Different cultures and beliefs are explored with sensitivity, and with enough details to let DMs and players immerse themselves in these worlds.
I think I've got only two problems. The first is, straight up, some choices were baffling. In the very first (level 1) adventure, if the characters successfully get through 3, easy, low-stakes events, they level up. Boom. That feels, to me, far, far, too easy. On top of which, you could fail one of those events by a single really bad dice roll, and I sure hope your PCs don't find out that they missed a level because one party member messed up. NOT the way to instill party unity! You'll probably get that level, and there's even ways you can resolve the whole adventure non-violently. And if you're still level 1, you better hope you do... which brings me to the next problem. Through power-creep, over-confidence, or bad math, many of these adventures (especially the low-level ones!) are over-powered for the character level they're designed for. If the party is level 1 at the end of that first adventure, the final encounter will cream them. Even at second level it would be a challenge.
The first adventure is especially head-scratching, but throughout the book there are similar encounter issues and weird choices. Given these choices, plus the in-depth cultural backgrounds, DMs will need to really read the chapters carefully and make thoughtful choices. Which isn't a terrible thing! If you want to really try new, novel directions, and don't mind prepping with care, this could be a really fun book for your and your D&D group.
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September 17, 2025The connective tissue and managerial coordination in this collection of short adventures is pretty bad, but the adventures (each written by a different author) are generally quite good. The intended ‘hub’ location is blandly utopian after a hamfistedly contemporary political image, and the project manager should have noticed and then intervened before publishing a book where half of the 13 adventures rely on the same ‘you’re at a festival celebrating the unique culture of the featured land’ scenario. Even though several of those adventures are good, you couldn’t run them back to back because the festival premise would get monotonous. Aside from that, though, most of these adventures have fun plots, cool encounters, interesting themes, and enticingly developed fantasy versions of real world cultures written by authors from those cultures. There’s a lot to like here if you ignore or massively rework the titular radiant citadel hub (whose connection to each adventure could not be more lazily written: ‘you get dropped off a little outside town x13) and avoid running too many festival modules in a row.
March 14, 2024
Doing this on my phone so I’ve already lost the first draft. You’re really missing out, it was great.
In summary; this supplement does a great job of providing unique new game settings with all sorts of diverse people. It gives the prospective GM plenty of details and deep NPCs to make the setting come to life without resorting to stereotypes.
Many modules presented. Some are better than others but none are awful.
I look forward to using this source material in my games.
In summary; this supplement does a great job of providing unique new game settings with all sorts of diverse people. It gives the prospective GM plenty of details and deep NPCs to make the setting come to life without resorting to stereotypes.
Many modules presented. Some are better than others but none are awful.
I look forward to using this source material in my games.
August 14, 2025
A very fun series of adventures! I loved taking my party through such a diverse set of worlds. I have just two wishes. 1 would have loved if each world stated plainly what culture/part of the world it was based on. 2 I would have loved art of all of the Dawn Incarnates.
but those aren't complaints. I loved the new monsters, the subtle horror of the haunting stories, the diversity of adventure plots, and the maps.
but those aren't complaints. I loved the new monsters, the subtle horror of the haunting stories, the diversity of adventure plots, and the maps.
November 16, 2025
I think this book’s weaknesses are well-known—the combat is for sure too simple. However, what this book is fabulous at that other dnd books struggled with is the worldbuilding. There are fourteen distinct lands in here that could have entire campaigns. I think making combats are easy, especially with the encounter calculators you can find online, but accurate and consistent worldbuilding is my weakness, so this is supremely helpful.
December 16, 2022
Garbage book made by racist far left lunatics! These people judge people by group identity instead of judging people as individuals!
Evil far left racist garbage!!
Evil far left racist garbage!!
March 24, 2023
Such a great example of worldbuilding - any good GM would be able to make something of these interesting adventures and adventure hooks.
April 4, 2023
A fun adventure set. A great jumping off place for new players.
October 10, 2023
Some fun adventures that I am definitely looking forward to running with my players. I would have liked some more information on how to tie the adventures together and some through running NPCs.
April 23, 2024
This is rad, if you dm get this. Doesn't seem like it's written by white guy number 4.
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