Theros Campaign Handbook: A D&D 5e Product Review

This review is sponsored by the author, Travis Gray. The product can be found at the Dungeon Master’s Guild by clicking this link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/337896?affiliate_id=1395702.

This review has actually been overdue for quite some time, and I sincerely apologize to Travis for the delay! In the same vein as my previous 5e product review, we’re once again visiting my favored D&D/MtG setting of Theros with the aptly titled Theros Campaign Handbook. Planning to kick off a Theros adventure, but one of your players wants to try out an Artificer? Or perhaps you’re hoping to start a campaign in the city of Akros, but find the details provided in Mystic Odysseys of Theros lacking?

If any of these sound familiar, you’ll probably be looking for a product like the Theros Campaign Handbook to flesh out your game. Keep reading to see if this book is right for you!

The Three Cities

As a DM, “Chapter 1: Exploring Theros” is where you’ll likely get the most bang for your buck; it enhances Akros, Meletis, and Setessa by expounding on locations briefly mentioned in MOoT while adding new points of interest and persons of note for aspiring heroes to experience. The Ram’s Forge, for example, is a new locale in Akros where PCs can earn coin and glory in a secret fight club or perhaps put an end to horrific (and illegal) gladiatorial fights to the death. Each location and event is left vague enough for DMs to determine how they best fit into your adventure, which always gets a thumbs up from me.

Another feature I enjoy is the Rumors list found in each city. These tables offer 10 thrilling adventure premises per city for a total of 30 rumors overall. As with the cities themselves, these tables blend materials found in MOoT with new ideas, making this a fantastic resource for making Theros’ most notable locations feel like living, breathing places.

The biggest suggestion I can think of here is likely the most obvious (and also a great topic for a future supplement): more details about the settlements surrounding the three cities. Mystic Odysseys of Theros only provides the most basic details about these locations, making them the perfect candidates for the level of treatment seen in the Theros Campaign Handbook. I’d even love to see new villages in the areas surrounding Setessa and Akros, especially considering how difficult it is to enter Setessa in the first place. However, these are musings for improvements and not a slight against the Handbook overall.

The supplement also comes with a map of each polis, which you can use directly at your table and as a reference while you read about each of the noteworthy locales.

Character Options

This section comprises almost half of the entire 40-page supplement, so there’s a lot of ground to cover here. The Theros Campaign Handbook offers suggestions for incorporating Artificers into your Theros campaigns, five new subclasses (three for Artificer, one for Fighter, and one for Sorcerer), more supernatural gifts, and a slew of backgrounds players can use to make their characters feel right at home in any part of the setting. If you found any of those options in MOoT to be lacking, this Handbook aims to rectify that!

Unfortunately, this is also the section of the supplement I feel needs the most refinement. With the exception of the Asclepiad and Automaton Savant subclasses (the former a retooling of the Alchemist and the latter an artificer’s take on the Beast Master), I feel like none of the other subclasses have that defining feature that captures my attention. Let’s take the Argonaut, the new Fighter subclass, for example. When compared to the Battle Master’s Maneuvers or the Cavalier’s Unwavering Mark, what does the Argonaut have? Enhanced swim speeds, climbing speeds, and damage resistances until 15th level. These features aren’t bad, they’re just all effects I could gain with various magic items (like the slippers of spider climbing) and don’t encapsulate what it means to be an Argonaut. Like, what if you could now use your reaction to gain a +2 bonus to AC against an attack made against you once per short rest, reflecting how your movements instinctively emulate the undulations of sea waves?

Beyond this, the supernatural gifts and backgrounds are inspired additions to the options made available in Mystic Odysseys of Theros. With the inclusion of the Hagborn in the upcoming Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, it might be worth comparing them with what’s offered in the Hag-Marked supernatural gift to see if the latter can glean some more potent abilities beyond freely casting detect magic once per long rest. However, DMs and PCs will have much to enjoy with what’s currently offered in the Theros Campaign Handbook.

There really isn’t much to say about the backgrounds except they’re neat connections to the ancestries and organizations of Theros and will serve PCs well in addition to the standard options available in the Player’s Handbook.

O Falcon, Where Art Thou?

The final section of this supplement, “Alternate Rules,” adds rules for buying and training a falcon to perform tasks like scouting, aid you in combat, and speak to you in a limited capacity. Though the book does well to couch these mechanics in the setting, I don’t think I need an excuse to have a pet falcon flying around with me!

My only concern with these mechanics is that if your falcon ever dies, it’s permanently gone. Though the death itself is sad enough, my mechanical concerns are two-fold.

1. There’s no stat block provided for the falcon. Are we supposed to use the block provided in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist or use the eagle stat block provided in the Monster Manual? This is important if we’re to judge the falcon’s AC and hit points.

2. If your falcon-bro meets an untimely end, you’ll have to spend a minimum of 87 days retraining the new falcon all of the commands. For adventures that move at a quick pace, or for those untrained in Animal Handling, this may not be feasible.

That concern aside, I like the inclusion of rules for trained pets that aren’t a mount or Beast Master companion!

Final Thoughts

The Theros Campaign Handbook provides a wealth of information for DMs and Players alike interested in using the Theros setting for their next adventure. I’m really excited to put the extra content for Akros, Setessa, and Meletis to good use! That said, I think the subclasses could benefit from another review with a focus on finding a defining feature for each that isn’t only a collection of passive buffs. And how can I say no to falcons?!

The book is currently priced at $12.95 USD, so be sure to check out the DMG link at the top of the article and look through the preview provided to see if this is what you and your group need to take your Theros campaign to the next level.

Until next time,

Matthew Wulf

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