D&D 5e Adventure Review: A Night in Seyvoth Manor

Few people in the village of Ravenshire spoke of the manor atop the hill to the north, and even fewer dared approach it. After the horrific events that happened there so many years ago, many believe the mansion and the estate grounds to be cursed, haunted by the restless dead. Some of the village residents swear they’ve seen movement and lights coming from the seemingly abandoned mansion. Throughout the years, the village has had its share of disappearances; most of them had been blamed on the harsh environment of the surrounding forest and the natural dangers of the world we live in, but recent evidence leads to the doorstep of the Seyvoth estate. And when the two young daughters of a prominent noble go missing and the village sends out search parties to the surrounding area, two separate search parties passed through the iron gate at the entrance to the estate and have yet to return. Now a local mystic warns of the danger looming in the manor, how the noble’s two daughters will soon be led towards the darkness and turn against the village they once called home. Are you brave enough to step through the gates and seek out the missing search parties and the two noble daughters? Are you willing to unravel the mysteries of Seyvoth Manor, even if it means risking your own life?

A Night in Seyvoth Manor is an adventure for 6th level characters written by David Flor. The adventure plays as a giant mashup of classic monster movies as the players venture into a large old manor and attempt to tame its horrors. Spoilers follow. If you are planning on being a player, read no further, just know you should pick this up for your DM.

The adventure is an adaptation from David’s 4th Edition adventure of the same name, and it serves as an incredibly dangerous dungeon for those not prepared. Not only is it particularly deadly, it also has a points-scoring system and a real-world timer, making it perfect for tournament play at a convention. If you’re incorporating it into your normal campaign, there’s no need to score the adventure, but beware of the danger your players face.

As I shared in with the introductory text of the adventure, two girls have gone missing. As the players approach the large house, they have no idea what lays inside.

Players have exactly four real-world hours to find the girls before they are transformed into terrible monsters. This puts the players on their toes, and also works to fit right into a single game night.

Every place in this manor has a tactical map for it, meaning you’ll get to see, in detail, every bit of this place. From the entrance in the courtyard to the library, laboratory and grand ballroom it’s all there. As the book points out, just because it’s a tactical map doesn’t mean there WILL be a fight in every room, but it will keep players on their toes, leaving them guessing where the next threat is coming from.

The book also features small sidebars explaining the inspiration behind many different locations and creatures, which can help you determine how you will present each area.

So, let’s look at the adventure!

 

I’m not going to spoil many of the details here. Each room is carefully laid out, with a ton of detail and interesting choices to make. The graveyard features a haunting scene which descends into chaos as you are attacked by both a ghost and a Graveyard Golem. I’ve been wanting to do an encounter with a Graveyard Golem for a while, ever since seeing the one by Reaper, so this is the perfect opportunity, and a beautiful and terrifying encounter.

Encounters with werewolves and grotesque carrion golems follow. In the laboratory, you find a massive body stitched together, but missing its brain. On the shelf are rows of brains. Choosing the correct one will provide you with a Frankenstein’s Monster-like ally. Choosing the wrong one will cause it to awaken, turn violent, and fight the players. The way you figure out the right one is quite ingenious.

As you venture through the manor, you learn of its history and tragic downfall, leading to the final confrontation with Count Syvoth himself.

The adventure contains a ton of cards as well. Tons of new magic items to find within the house, rumors (both reliable and unreliable) as to what lies within the house, and even a deck of cards for a small mini-game to find your way through the hedge maze on the grounds of the manor.

I definitely recommend picking this adventure up. It’s the perfect adventure for a single session to really get the feeling of a classic monster movie. You can pick up your copy here.

Darklight Interactive was kind enough to send along a copy of A Night in Seyvoth Manor for Dice Monkey to review.