Finally we talk to you about the new supplement For Dungeons & Dragons 5E based on theft: The Keys to the Golden Vaultpublished by Wizards of the coast. This is a collection of thirteen new adventures inspired by famous heist movies such as Ocean’s Eleven And The Italian Jobwhere each adventure features different locations and types of operations, from thefts of works of art to infiltrating dangerous places, such as a hellish casino or a city of crazed constructs.
The golden music boxes and the keys
The players in this collection of adventures are thieves affiliated with the Golden Vaulta secret association linked to metallic dragons having its headquarters in one of the external floors of good alignment. Not much is known about the association, and its operations are often outside the law, while still respecting the philosophy of greater good. Agents of the Golden Vault often monitor groups of adventurers, offering the most promising the chance to join the organization, and then assuming the role of mission leaders for novices. New members receive a golden music box which contains information relating to the shots, however its content for security reasons is limited to the use of keys provided by the organisation’s representatives.
The grand plan
The Adventures of the Keys to the Golden Vault are structured differently compared to the classic ones, encouraging the use of talents and classes related to infiltration and rewarding stealth, subterfuge and gab. The information contained in the music box together with that provided by the contact person allows players to organize an action plan to carry out the attacks, thanks to the obtaining of data, such as the presence of traps, the layout of the map, the positioning of guard shifts, or the presence of disturbing elements such as rival groups.
The game maps they are extremely detailed and enriched by the presence of a legend that shows the points of interest. The settings are based on introducing different types of shots different mechanics and ideas during a session. For example, the adventure entitled “Adventures on the Concordant Express” offers an interesting experience, where the map is not already defined, and is divided into instances that make up the carriages of a train, allowing the game master to customize the order and structure of the vehicle.
Hunting for MacGuffins
The Keys to the Golden Vault introduces new magical objects used as MacGuffin in adventures, or a narrative device represented by an event or an object used to move the plot forward (you know the briefcase in Pulp Fiction? ed.). In the adventures presented in the supplement, three magical objects also stand out: the Portrait of Constantori, the Xeluan Shard and the Solitary fragment.
The Portrait of Constantori it’s a sentient legal evil frameworkconnected to the adventure “Theft on Canvas“. The users of the portrait, after having become attuned to the object, can use it to eavesdrop on conversations and communicate telepathically with it, furthermore the painting has the ability to defend itself by spending one of its three charges to launch a magic missile. In Theft on Canvas the portrait represents both the object of the players’ desire and a complication, as the portrait is tied to the antagonist and will strongly resist attempts to steal it.
The Xeluan Fragmentintroduced in the adventure “the Fragment of the Accursed“, constitutes the only way to stop the Oztocan earthquakes.
This magical item provides two bonuses to those who are in tune with it: first one amplifies magical abilities of the bearer, allowing the shard to be used as a spellcasting focus and applying a +1 to spell attack rolls, and the other bonus adds four points to the strength stat, up to a maximum of 22 total points. However, the Fragment hides a terrible secret with every failed test with a score of 1 on the die roll… a curse randomly chosen from a table inside the manual.
Finally the Solitary fragment it is a gem present in the adventure”Party at Palazzo Paliset“, which contains an extradimensional rift, born in the anomaly caused by the union of two bags of holding. The gem confers various advantages, such as allowing the character to teleport, or consume up to 6 charges to cast different spells based on the type of gem.
A journey into fantasy
Inside the Keys to the Golden Vault heists will not always lend themselves to classic or already visited settings, such as the prison break of Revel’s End of adventure”Prisoner #13“, but they will take our gang of thieves to visit extraplanar trains, construct cities and even a casino of the nine hells. Each of the settings is characterized by varied branches both in resolution and in presentation minigames And secondary plots. The adventures capable of standing out most in these contexts are “Wild Gears” And “The Stygian move“.
The first of the two is characterized by an urban map based on a clock city. It is full of descriptive instances of the places of production and manufacturing of the constructs, which rage furiously in the streets, each of these equipped with optional developments capable of enriching the plot.
The second takes players into the heart of a hellish Las Vegas style casinocomplete with minigames based on the attractions of the premises and secondary missions linked to them, overall both adventures are capable of guaranteeing excellent longevity and repeatability of the sessions.
The theft of the century
The Keys to the Golden Vault by Wizards of the Coast introduces an excellent collection of adventures suitable for a large pool of players, from level 1 beginners to experts at level 11 and above, as a Game Master equipped with the monster manual can easily alter the pace and difficulty during the sessions. Each of the 13 adventures within the manual it is characterized by different action approaches, favoring mechanics not common to the classic D&D 5E sessions, concentrating the focus on infiltration, deception and above all teamwork. The maps they are incredibly detailed and have clear elements illustrated in the legends, furthermore it is possible to use them on applications that support official products such as Roll20. The new ones magical tools present in this collection not only constitute a good reward for the players’ efforts, but guarantee interesting narrative elements and complications during a campaign. Overall, most of the adventures with their different implications manage to guarantee an excellent gaming experience, especially recommended for groups of novice players.
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