Dungeons & Dragons has always been fueled by imagination and adventure, and nowhere is the stage more apt for such things than the illusive Feywild. Drawing inspiration from the legends and folklore, the Feywild runs parallel to the Prime Material Plane while also existing within the same space. Adventurers either eagerly anticipate visiting this fantastical realm, or dread traversing the distorted mirror's reflection of the eerily familiar.
For years, many Dungeon Masters have found solid content for this realm as difficult to unearth as the Feywild itself. Many DMs simply make things up as they go along, drawing from their own knowledge of the fey and its portrayal in various works of fiction. However, Elise Cretel and her team at Dungeon Master's Guild have been working hard to provide easy to access Feywild content specifically designed for Fifth Edition. Now, the second book in their Feywild-inspired series, Through the Veil: Treasures of the Feywild, introduces an abundance of new items to potentially lead players straight to the realm of the Fey.
Several of the unique items introduced in Treasures of the Feywild come with intriguing backstories that provide seeds for further adventure. The "Heart of Frost" longbow, for example, was born from the frozen heart of a devastated prince, whose queen was killed in battle with the Formorians. In his grief, he crafted a weapon powerful enough to protect the beloved of the wielder and bring retribution against those who'd dare to harm them.
Then, there's "Flit's Cloak of Gratitude," which was crafted by a gnome who'd been trapped in the Feywild by an old elf after she chose sustenance over wisdom when seeking his aid. In her 101 years trapped in the Feywild, she designed a cloak from which she freely offered gifts to all she met in hopes of teaching the Fey that kindness was its own reward -- but anyone who knows the Fey can easily imagine that was not a lesson easily learned. Giving these items backstories makes them feel like the are truly part of a dynamic world, but they are flexible enough to fit in all kinds of campaigns.
Drawing from a wealth of lore, Treasures of the Feywild even has a section for consumable items like potions, tonics, poisons and faerie wines. Perhaps most refreshing is the "Potion of Consent," which puts a modern spin on the Charmed condition, granting the drinker immunity to charm and sleep. On the flip side, this potion gives as much as it gets, keeping the drinker in line by causing 1d6 psychic damage any time they attempt to charm, coerce, manipulate or take advantage of another during the potion's hour long duration.
The magic of the Feywild is mysterious and often steeped in as many lessons as it is lore; the creators of this compendium put obvious efforts into ensuring the magical items in this tome fall in line with those expectations. Whether players discover the items outside the Feywild or DMs are looking for a way to draw them toward one of the mysterious crossings leading into the land of the Fey, there are adventure seeds to plant in nearly every one of the items inTreasures of the Feywild.
Published by the Dungeon Masters Guild, Through the Veil: Treasures of the Feywild is available now on the DMsGuild website. A review copy was provided by the publisher.