Coming out of the Kickstarter project of the same name which funded in 2022, The Shrouded Coast from Divination Illustrations (prev: Lenora’s Tiny Hut) is a 51 page supplement of Americana-inspired content for 5e. It contains 4 towns (one full of vampyres, maybe), wilderness encounters, 12 new subclasses, 10 magic items, a starter adventure, and more.
The physical edition is approximately the size of a magazine, saddle stitched, and printed on sturdy, slightly glossy paper. The bottom of each page is bordered with an illustration of an acorn, autumn oak leaves, and spiralling wood.
On the whole, The Shrouded Coast falls, for me, under “projects I am glad to have backed, and am probably never going to use.” I need to underscore that this isn’t speaking ill of the product at all – I think it is beautifully illustrated, with the cover and interior illustrations all done by Lenora McRoberts, and I was particularly keen on The Summer Spring, the level-one adventure included in this supplement. The setting itself, and the relationship between the various settlements, is interestingly woven with a host of shops and NPCs being introduced for each town. There are 14 new monster stat blocks to spice up your games, all of which are either directly tied to the adventured and possible (ill-advised) choices the party might make, or are directly referenced by the text in other chapters.
Player Options
The Shrouded Coast introduces Possumfolk,a humanoid species with curling fingers and toes, thick hair which grows from the head and back, ending at the base of the spine, and long, sharp nails. They also have prehensile tails, which can be used in as many ways as the player can be creative. Their species ability “Play Dead,” gave me a chuckle – it is exactly what it sounds like, requiring a deception check against enemies within a certain distance where, if successful, believe you dead and thus will not target you in combat. The last part, I think, is particularly important – this isn’t a situation where believing you to be unconscious they might come to finish the job, and I think there’s a lot of fun opportunity here not only for survival if you are, indeed, on your last hit points, but also creating sneak attack opportunities, to create distractions, etc.
In terms of subclasses, The Shrouded Coast provides 12 new options. Of most interest to me were the Godless Domain for Clerics, and The Pale Oak Patron for Warlocks. Both are tied to the setting in a way I found particularly compelling. The Godless Domain is mentioned when speaking about New Hope, the largest city on the Coast – their church is described as the first of its kind, with practitioners believing that through self-improvement and trying to be the best version of themselves, they can empower themselves and others. It’s the first time I’ve encountered a cleric subclass not tied to a deity/greater power in any way, and thought it an interesting concept. Did the Godless follow other teachings previously? Is there tension between them and other belief systems in New Hope? Is there much of a following outside of town?
Meanwhile, The Pale Oak ties directly to one of the other settlements on the Coast: Oakwood Crossing. An isolated community to the northwest of New Hope, it is one of the smallest villages of the region and its residents are widely understood to be witches. The community is built around the Pale Oak Tree, worshipping and nurturing it, and receiving boons in turn. To be a Warlock with this Patron is to protect the natural world, and seek out that which is unnatural and end it. It allows for an expanded spell list more associated with rangers and druids, and at 6th level allows you to heal an ally upon seeing them take damage once per short or long rest. It’s limited healing, but the wording makes it sound like a reaction and doesn’t specify it as a spell which is just… it’s free health! Always useful in game whose combat can swing quickly into deadly territory at the literal roll of the dice.
The Summer Spring
Intended for a party of four first level characters, this adventure sees the party learn about the sudden disappearance of the inhabitants/livestock of the entire village of Red Oak Retreat. Investigating the site, and surrounding area, they meet a giant moth, who transports them to the Realm of Fey where they learn more, and have the opportunity to restore Red Oak Retreat to its former state.
There are several adventure hooks provided, and the adventure is broadly divided into three sections. I would categorize it mostly as a social and skill check based encounter, with the vast majority of combat being entirely avoidable save any creature the party encounters on the road. Still, the adventure is written with adventuring parties who want to be Big Heroes and make ill-advised choices fighting creatures much stronger with them in mind, and outlines various resolutions for this. One of the potential resolutions I appreciated most was of a PC using the spell Command at a high-enough level that all PCs are instructed to surrender, ending combat and allowing the adventure to continue.
Generally, looking over the monster stat blocks, it’s pretty clear that no first level party should be fighting… most of the potential enemies in this book. But if, for example, a Player Character wants to fight Venona, the Summer Queen, they can – and she deals an average of 24 damage a hit, which would outright kill most first level characters. Personally, I appreciate the “play stupid games, win stupid prizes” of it all.
If successful, the village of Red Oak Retreat is restored, and with a harvest even more bountiful than any they’ve experienced before thanks to Venona’s help in the adventure’s conclusion. As additional adventure hooks as presented in the course of the adventure, it makes for a great jumping off point for parties intending to spend more time in The Shrouded Coast – and they’ll have an impressively powerful new magic item to join them on their travels.
Conclusion
While not something I see myself using, I like this supplement. I think The Summer Spring is an interesting adventure, and I enjoyed reading through it. Sometimes, when reading adventures, I am left going “okay, but what about XYZ?” and this adventure does a good job, I think, of getting ahead of those questions. I like that there are diverging paths depending on how the party decides to handle certain situations. Honestly, I think the book is worth picking up for the adventure alone.
There is interesting flavour and world-building implications to several of the subclasses. I additionally think the ones found in Hit Point Press’ Hexbound would provide a nice compliment to characters calling Oakwood Crossing home.
There are maps for each town, and the region as a whole, in addition to custom art for just about every monster and magic item. It’s a nice little volume, and think it worth the time to read if only to enjoy a brief sojourn into this misty region filled with adventure and intrigue, and meet the grounded people who call it home.
The Cozy Cauldron 