Masque of the Worms, 1st-Level One Shot (5E - PDF)

First time DM here and I can not sing the praises enough for Masque of the Worms and the Arcane Library. This module was easy to follow and run. Lots of great interactions with fantastic action set pieces. This was spooky and creepy in all the right ways and there is even a genuine mystery to solve. Love it!

Background story could be somewhat confusing, especially for inquiring players, but generally it's a very solid work with impressive horro atmosphere.

I had to DM a one shot for new players and impulse bought this. It fit like a glove. Such an easy module to prep but so much amazing detail and depth. They almost died, they slew a beast right as it was about to devour them and they loved it. I’m going to run it two more times for other groups and tweak somethings. Also it made me re-read Poe. In all sincerity I came in with little to no expectations and was blown away.

Players enjoyed the Poe references and being swallowed by worms. There were a limited number of horses remaining in the stable to bring loot back with them, and they decided to take a barrel of amontillado instead of bringing the count to justice. As I should've expected from them, I suppose.

As a GM I liked:
- the what and why of each area clearly and succinctly stated
- ditto for the NPCs and creatures
- easy to find information
- easy to fit into an existing campaign with lots of further hooks
The players liked:
- a fun story uniquely presented
- lots of little non-combat challenges (dealing with the horses, the environment, and NPCs)
- memorable NPCs, creatures, and mechanics

This adventure is great for GMs and players, veteran or new. The descriptions and motivations of the characters and creatures are written so as to be easily adaptable to any existing world and any RPG system.
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