A paranoid alchemist? A deadly laboratory? Let’s welcome October with something brewing!

Trouble Brewing: A single session adventure by Joshua C. Kelly is a 5E adventure aimed at 6th-level characters and parties of 4, and is a silver best seller! But what does a single session mean? It is a module you can drop into your campaign and customise it according to your needs.

_{As some of you might know, I play World of Warcraft, and right now there is a Brewfest event going on. So, I thought, what better timing to pick this review?}

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

The scenario

The party is resting at their favourite tavern when someone turns into a juice monster and attacks one of the characters. The reason behind this transformation is a potion called owlbear juice, which is supposed to enhance the user’s strength and make them fearless, but not without horrifying side effects. The potion’s creator and the villain of this story is a dwarf alchemist called Yorren Outgust, who rests in his Sandcastle. His potion is sold everywhere in the city, and it’s the party’s mission to stop it before it’s too late. It will take you about 90 minutes to 3 hours to complete the scenario, and there are guiding lines along the way. For example, if the tavern incident didn’t tickle your players’ Sherlock side to investigate more, the whole city will become full of rampaging monsters. And if they still don’t want to join the brewfest, an NPC will step up and hire them to do so.

Encounters

The adventure mixes investigation, combat and roleplay in a way that keeps players on their toes. Negotiation with NPCs, lead chasing in alleys and even coming face to face with an orb launcher, a diy weapon crafted from none other than Yorren, that appears as a heavy crossbow but fires orbs. As for the orb effects? Well, the names speak for themselves: acid splash, fireball, confusion, shrapnel, silence, smoke and last but not least, web. And as if that wasn’t enough, when Yorren’s hitpoints are reduced to 0, he transforms into Yorren’s Monster. All hail boss phase part 2.

Layout & Art

The adventure is presented in a clean and functional two-column layout, with headers, appendices and tips making it easy to run, although it is missing a table of contents. Boxed text is present in two forms: a clear box text is used for read-aloud text, while greyish boxed text provides notes for the GM, an effective distinction to keep everything organised.
The 2 maps included feature the sandcastle and are simple and clear, giving you a general idea of how the castle is staged. There are also descriptions for each room, setting the scene for smoother navigation when running the story.
As for the art, except for the cover and the maps, no art is present here.

Extras

What about extras? The module comes with 3 helpful appendices to aid every GM in many ways.

• Appendix A contains stat blocks for encounters and Yorren(and Yorren’s Monster) himself that aren’t in the Monster Manual.
• Appendix B introduces you to the orb launcher, with the rules of its how-to. A memorable weapon, I dare say.
• Appendix C explains how to adjust the module to fit weaker or stronger parties. There, you will find instructions on determining your average party level and party strength, as well as adjustments to encounters, which I consider helpful, especially if you are looking for a quick filler for a large campaign.

Final Thoughts

Trouble Brewing: A single session adventure is a well-crafted, compact adventure spiced up with alchemical horror. It’s not just about hack-and-slash, it can be easily tailored to your style, and it is fast to set up. I believe that it is a nice break between bigger arcs, or even as a one-off session if you want to try something light, but memorable. It’s definitely worth brewing in your campaign.

Stay crafty and join the brewfest,
Your new favourite author.

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