Do you always have to kill the monster?

The Book of Seasons: Solstices is the first part of a two-part anthology of D&D adventures.

There are 20 original adventures, for Tiers 1 through 4, each one accompanied by unique art and with either a summer or winter theme.

If if you enjoyed the Uncaged Anthology then you’ll know what to expect and many of that collection’s authors and game designers have contributed to the Book of Seasons. In fact, Ashley Warren produces the forward.

The adventures are available at the DM’s Guild for $19.95 as a download. The impressively plump 178-paged collection is also available as a hardback.

One of the considerations contributors to the Book of Seasons had was about whether they could help DMs integrate queerness into the games. That’s not a requirement, no rule forces you to do so, but if that’s something you’re considering as a DM to represent your players better than these authors wanted to help.

An angle on that was whether or not “adventures” always had to end with death and destruction. In short, do you always have to kill the monster?

That challenge was put to some of the writing team, and Geek Native got more than a dozen alternative ending possibilities suggested.

Thanks to A. Kelly Lane, Alison Huang, Allen Johnson, Andrew Ferguson, Cat Evans, Chai Power, Jennifer Peig, Jessica Marcrum, Kari (yutrio) Kawachi and Luciella Elisabeth Scarlett for their ideas.

Don’t kill the monster…

1. Deal with the people who labelled them a monster in the first place.
2. Date the monster
3. Befriend the monster. It’s lonely.
4. Find out what the monster wants and come to a mutually agreeable solution
5. Accept that bigotry/the patriarchy were the real monster and who you’ve been told is a monster is merely someone who looks different trying to go about their life
6. “Monster” is just a name people give to others with different motivations or those who are standing in their way
7. The “monster” could be protecting those at risk or the environment from the dangers of a harsh society
8. Murder is a boring solution. Teamwork is difficult but ultimately more worthwhile
9. The monster is a stand-in for a greater wrong and might not even know what they’re doing is regarded as monstrous
10. The monsters have their own agency and desires. They don’t just exist to give XP.
11. Feed the monster. It’s resource-starved.
12. Consider if the party is actually the villain and the monster is in the right.
13. The monster has something to teach the party that the townsfolk don’t want anyone to learn
14. The monster is acting out of pain. Help them heal.
15. Treat the monster like any other person

The Book of Seasons: Solstices is out today, and the official blurb doesn’t give any clues as to whether you’ll be able to date the monster or slay instead, but it does suggest three quirky lines of adventure!

• Attend a music festival with a sasquatch
• Be devoured by a fashion-obsessed cat
• Look out for bees, fires, and so many mephits!