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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e) $3.99
Average Rating:4.2 / 5
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Roger M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/16/2023 11:13:19

An okay combat module with a story that is shoehorned into season 5. One player told me they wanted more puzzles than mostly combat. But even with me maxing out monsters, they are going to get stomped. I did change the opening so Hsing was stealing SEER magic items and giving them to the party.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Marinella L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/28/2022 21:23:01

The adventure could draw on a bit too long with the exploration, but it's engaging enough to not feel like it's too much of a slog to get through. Would run again!



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Ryan M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/03/2022 09:10:45

This is a great adventure! Very interesting encounters in a dynamic setting. It's definitely heavy on combat, but since underwater combat more of a unique experience it prevents it from getting old.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Jon K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/25/2018 01:22:38

While the rewards are amazing, for better and worse, underwater combat can pose a challenge, especially for martial characters not prepared for it. Still, encounters are not as challenging as they could be. The bonus fight is also underwhelming. That NPC as a boss, at least for us, was a real push-over.

It gets 4 stars cause the rewards are hard to ignore and it is a change of pace =D



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Jordan C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/19/2018 00:36:25

The combats were interesting, but felt tedious for the players as opposed to enjoyable due to the underwater mechanics. Overall the plot was good and it led on well to the follow up. There was a few nice RP interactions to play off too.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Mathieu P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/06/2018 10:27:09

I think Tier4 modules are hard to write. This one is great.

Story : excellent, great follow-up of the Baron Rajiram story that started in T3 modules.

Difficulty : Easy. DO NOT FORGET THE UNDERWATER COMBAT RULES. But my party had 3 casters out of 5 so they were not penalized by the underwater. If you have more of melee weapon and range weapon fighter, the fights will be harder.

The last fight is a nice challenge for the DM. You have a mix of spellcasters and non-spellcasters to control, there are like 5-6 different stat blocks (at least only one spellcaster type). Be ready and try to memorize most if the stat blocks or else you will kill the momentum.

The multiple psychic damage trap were really cool too! You can DM this in a way that can be really confusing (but fun!!) for the players.

Also, no whining over magic items... like Oprah would say : ''you get a magic item! you get a magic item! EVERYONE GET A MAGIC ITEM!'' Just beware, there are many options from which the player can choose and my players took like 10 minutes to choose. This can be quite annoying in a limited-time setting.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Derrick C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/22/2018 13:50:04

The excitement of a new T4 module made this super fun when it was released. Since then, it has not matured. The module is combat drive, and the underwater combat is tedious. The story is ok. Overall, easy T4



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Anthony V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/16/2018 08:17:11

Mysterious Isle is an easy tier 4 that hasn't aged well. It was ok when it came out as t4 should be story driven but the story wasn't that good. As more t4 comes out this will sink lower and lower into the bog. But do check out 5-19 its the same with easy combat but the story picks up and makes it a better experience for the players! I would DM it again but only for people wanting the full experience with 5-19, I wouldn't DM this on its own. -DM Ace



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Remington A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/04/2018 18:20:06

This module provides a great story and setting for characters. In combat, however, it lacks the challenge that tier four players would expect. A good module for anyone interested in the season 5 storyline.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Blake J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/04/2017 08:53:09

I thought overall, it was a fun module with great opportunities in it - I loved being able to talk to sea elves and see a different version of SEER and time travel it was fun. I didn't feel like the module was very challenging, and the travel mechanic to the island was not the greatest. It felt like it was just to fill time and that isn't very enjoyable. OVERALL, I loved playing in it. My character (who played all the giant related content) had an amazing time here as a scholar of magic.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Joshua N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/19/2017 16:28:12

Recommend Purchase: Yes. XP Range: 18750-25000

The Season 5 Hardcover (Storm King's Thunder) is an amazing sandbox that spans the entire northwest Swordcoast. Unlike seasons 1-3 these storyline modules actually occur in the same area and mesh well with the hardcover. This is the first season to include the digial certificate for permanent magic items.

Before running any Season 5 module, you should download the following content from DMSGUILD and read it fully:

  • Season 5 Narrative: Parnast, Stagwick, & Beregost Sadly this was released only AFTER the season was over :(

  • A Guide to the Factions of Faerun Lots of Faction stuff in Season 5, so your players should be engaged with the Faction they've chosen.


Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Christopher L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/01/2017 15:32:30

Did not feel like I was able to challenege my party. It had a qunique setting, a decent story, but in terms of both combat and role play, it was lacking.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by David H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/30/2017 00:05:00

Game design is an art onto itself, which means, game designers will sometimes make creative decisions that run counter to the conventional wisdom. This adventure is one of them. Let me explain.

Remember back when you DM'd level 1 characters? They were fighting goblins and kobolds, kobolds and goblins, on and on — and as the PCs advanced in levels, the goblins disappeared. Where did all the goblins go? Now they're fighting demons and dragons. Everything scales, so that everything is just the right amount of hard. The problem, of course, is that the characters never truly get to feel like badasses at the higher levels. (I mean, can you imagine Lost Mines of Phandelver for a level 17 character?) For most 5e players, this module will be their first taste of tier 4, and the game designer made a creative decision. Let's treat the players like the world-beaters they are. Yes, other reviewers will say DDAL05-18 is a cake walk, and they aren't wrong. But where they may see as a flaw, I see as a creative decision. In context of the MUCH HARDER DDAL05-19 "Eye of Xxiphu" that accompanies the "Mysterious Isle," it can almost be seen as a clever trap. Lure the players with a false sence of confidence, and then crush them. SPOILERS AHEAD, OF COURSE.

Part 1. Oh SEER, you minx, so good to see you again and again and again. As DMs, I know we play that tedious game in the first chapter where the players must ask the "right questions" to get the various bulleted information. But some of the stuff simply shouldn't be skipped. Of course, SEER will explain Xxiphu to them. Don't leave your players in the dark.

Here. Have a magic item. (Your players are going to love this.) SEER is giving away magic items because "the situation is so dire," and the players can each pick one. I totally get the metagame reason. Some tier 4 players got the short end of the stick when it came to magic items during their earlier adventures. A rogue has a +1 great sword he/she can't do anything with. A wizard ended up with all the wands, and it's just not as fun as it sounds. The paladin would really love a +3 shield, but never found one. Welcome to tier 4. Membership has its privileges.

Typo warning: Listed as Horn of Valhalla (Iron) on page 6, and listed as Horn of Valhalla (Bronze) on page 17. I'm assume since everything else is "Very Rare" that the author meant to give out the bronze one. But his mistake is your player's gain if you're feeling generous.

Warning: Please, please, please try to disuade your characters from a scenario where they ALL grab a Horn of Valhalla. Can you imagine a boss battle with 20d4+20 berserkers running around? I can, and it sounds horrible.

Flying on dragons. Sharing stories of past deeds. Cute.

Part 2.

On page 8, "We'd be disintegrated before getting to the isle." This is D&D. Do not use the word "disintegrate" unless you LITERALLY mean disintegrate. Your players are going to get tripped up on the idiomatic expression.

Two giant sharks. Yawn.

Magic disruption with limited teleportation seems to be a theme at higher levels in D&D.

Players can pick their poison: underwater, surface, or air, each with their own random encounter table — but ultimately, everything leads to the underwater. And the underwater aspects of this campaign get tedious for both players and DMs.

Part 3.

Wonko the Magnificent, the visions and confusion, elemental portals, purple crystals formed by a manifestation of the Far Realm (?!)... it's all pretty cool — and can be potentially confusing to your players. Role with it.

The "Save the Princess" encounter is your big battle for this module — and it shouldn't be too difficult for tier 4 players who know how to manage a slug fest. I do love that the designer says to toss in a dragon turtle for an additional challenge.

Conclusion (not the alternative conclusion). This is easily my favorite part of the entire mission. I love it! The characters arrive to meet SEER a full tenday before they first met her. Time travel in D&D! Have fun with this. Of course, it segues nicely into "Eye of Xxiphu." Imagine these characters informing SEER about all the stuff that SEER later informs the characters about. Knowing that this will happen, the best DMs will find a nice way to call back the original meeting. ("Oh, that's why SEER said what she said.") It's fun to think that the characters will tell SEER to go find them for this mission. ("And can you find for us these magical items...?")

Treasure: An ivory knife worth 25,000 gp? (Typo: On page 14, it's a "platinum knife.") I don't even know how this is possible. But whatever, I will accept it and move on.

  • Design error on my pdf: Unlike the other DMs Guild downloads, the display of the titles on this one is all wonky on Preview (Mac).


Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Jasmine L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/12/2017 04:31:23

So, this module is, like, just really easy. And I feel like that's, like, intentional? Like the module is designed to be stomped in order to make the overpowered players appreciate just how overpowered they are. Which is...I mean, okay, sure, but there's no challenge. It's too easy!

In the first section of the module, I found it tough to convey exactly the scale of the battle that's supposed to be raging around the island. It looked really good in my head, but I had trouble getting the image and the atmosphere across to the players. Maybe it needed a gimmick, like rolling for an event or encounter every X minutes of real-time. I don't know. I'm not sure how to do it without making the module run too long.

I do love Wonko the Magnificent. He is amazing.

Anyway, there's some cool stuff in this module. But I think I didn't do a very good job of getting the players to appreciate it. There are some really strong setpieces and story moments, which were awesome, but it didn't translate all that well into gameplay. I found myself really wanting illustrations to show to my players, to take some of the burden off of our collective imaginations. I wish I could have done it more justice.

I ended up adding Slarkrethel the Kraken as an end boss, just to spice it up a little. (He is thematically appropriate, after all!) And I didn't allow the players any rests at all for the entire adventure. That added some challenge, at least. Of course it also made us go about an hour over the expected runtime. >_>

Anyway, overall, this felt like it tried really hard to be epic, but didn't quite get there, and I'm not sure if it's the module's fault or mine? I'll probably never run it again (because it's practically impossible to find players with T4 characters in Adventurers League), so, like, I guess we'll never know? It's not bad, it just fell short of my expectations for a T4 mod.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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DDAL05-18 The Mysterious Isle (5e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Barry Z. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/30/2017 11:31:29

Not a very fun or exciting adventure for Tier 4 characters. Throwing at most CR5 monsters with stupidly easy to avoid encounters. For a Tier 4 adventure this was very lack luster. Trying to challenge Tier 4 characters I understand can be hard since players bring crazy shenanigans at that high a level. The fear of death should be hanging over head most of the time at this level. The idea of the Eye is amazing, just need a harder challenge than a stupid Dragon Turtle for a boss fight. Kraken Society and no Kraken? Come on, not even trying at that missed opportunity.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
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