Obvious Mimic Press
The Crystals of Z'leth - An Extended 5e Solo Adventure (PDF + Epub)
The Crystals of Z'leth - An Extended 5e Solo Adventure (PDF + Epub)
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The Crystals of Z’leth is a solo adventure of exploration, discovery, and survival that works with Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition.
- Six chapters and an epilogue
- 575+ story sections, notes, encounters, and extras
- 7 new magic items to collect
- Many monsters to battle
- 55+ original works of art
The jungle holds many secrets. It will do anything to keep them.
You are part of an expedition to the ancient city of Z’leth. Few who have found the city have ever returned. Those that did make it out alive talk of a lost civilization, ancient secrets, and crystals of great power.
But all may not be as it seems, and there are secrets beneath secrets. Solve puzzles, survive ancient defenses, and manage your limited resources to uncover the mystery of the crystals.
Pick your own path. Play your own 5e character. No DM, maps, or minis required.
We are making this for you if you want more of your favorite TTRPG and would rather play than DM yourself in the downtime between sessions. The Crystals of Z'leth is designed for characters between levels 1 to 4.
- Play your own 5e character. Made however you usually make one. The story is crafted so that all characters can succeed - or fail.
- Take your own path through an interactive story where your decisions have consequences.
- Fight monsters, cast spells, and find treasure within an original story.
- Make progress with loot and experience that you keep in a regular tabletop game.
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What Is a Solo 5e Adventure?
A solo 5e adventure is a single-person interactive story that uses the game mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition to play through a story as the hero.
- Play your own 5e character made however you usually make one. The story is crafted so that all characters can succeed - or fail.
- Take your own path through an interactive story where your decisions have consequences.
- Fight monsters, cast spells, and find treasure within an original story.
- Make progress with loot and experience that you keep in a regular tabletop game.
The experience allows players to be a lone hero solving problems and overcoming challenges without a DM or party.
However, each solo adventure more than a single-player game. Each story is designed to work with existing D&D 5e games as either a downtime activity between sessions or a way to add flavor to a new character prior to their appearance.
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How the Game Works
As you take your journey through The Crystals of Z'leth, you will have a chance to do all the things you probably love about TTRPGs, including rolling dice and choosing your own path through the adventure.
- Interact with NPCs and your environment
- Use your skills and abilities to overcome challenges
- Cast spells, use magic items, and activate your class features
- Fight monsters and other evil-doers
All this works by following on-page prompts within the story and applying off-the-page effects to improve your character's chances of success.
The game mechanics will be familiar to anyone playing D&D 5e. From skill checks and saving throws to attack rolls and spell damage, everything about The Crystals of Z'leth is designed to give you the same thrill as a session at DM's table but whenever you want to play.
Plus, re-play the adventure to explore different options. Every choice you make in this solo adventure has some kind of consequence, so take each new character down their own path.
I currently DM a 2014 rules game and have been playing various solo adventures with 2024 character options to begin to get a feel for that rule set. I've enjoyed the solo adventure experience from a few different angles. I get to play characters that I have thought about but likely will never get to play another way. Trying to adapt those characters to the solo campaign setting gives me an opportunity to flex some imagination and story telling. Locations and NPCs and maps and art from the game all are ideas that I can borrow for the games I DM.
Solo adventurers are on rails, similar to the Chose Your Own Adventures of old (e.g.,Lone Wolf), and some hide the rails better than others, making you feel like you really were making decisions that guided the adventure outcome. With Crystals of Zeleth, you get high production value in terms of layout and art, and a story and setting and NPCs that I could adapt to a multiplayer game that I DM. The biggest flaw of this particular adventure is the last chapter or so really felt almost purely narrated in a deus ex machina kind of way, where NPCs just took over the story, and my character became a spectator rather than a protagonist. The second biggest downside to this adventure, which is true of the other Obvious Mimic adventures, is the price. There are lower cost solo adventures out there, like half the price or less, that also connect with my imagination. They tend to feel more like a homebrewed product than a published product, and that probably says something about RPG culture than it says about Obvious Mimic
Both the solo play and party module versions of this adventure are solid, good work, with great art and well-keyed dungeons.
I bought a few of these so far, and this was the first one I did. It's a lot more fun and reminds me of those Choose Your Own Adventure Books from my childhood but even better somehow! It gives a surge of creativity if your stuck in a slump, and I definitely recommend it if you want to give one of these a try.
This book felt comparable to a 1st attempt at writing a solo adventure. T’was soulless, and player choice doesn’t feel all that important to the stories scripting.
I recommend Paul Bilmer’s solo adventures, the Eight Petal Argent (EPA) series [though it seems it won’t continue, and The Test of High Sorcery solitaire-style solo adventures for a real understanding of this style D&D/TTRPG gamebooks. Though, if you’re here, you likely know these adventures.
This is an excellent adventure with plenty of tiers of play and plenty of magic items to whet your desires! Get this!!