Genial Jack: Volume 2 Review

While the first issue of Genial Jack gave an overview of the Godwhale and the society that dwelt on and in him, the second issue details the living dungeon inside him. The focus of issue two is all about his guts. The dungeon is designed for low level adventurers, but there are several really tough creatures found inside. 

Of course, like any good adventure we're given several adventure hooks. This is followed by 8 items that prove helpful to those braving Jack's entrails. 

A new druidic circle related to Jack's entrails is detailed. The Circle of the Gutgarden uses magic that's been blended with ancient technoscience to affect "animalcules" that surround living beings. The class grants gaseous related spells and abilities. It kind of reminds me of the Circle of Spores from The Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

There are some interesting rules for the perils of adventuring inside a giant Godwhale's intestinal track. A random encounter chart with 20 unique intestinal encounters follows the perils.

There are several pages of magical items, lost within the Godwhale. Some of these are unique treasures. Others are less rare. There are some cool items, some of which tie into the first issue, such as the Crown of Y's. 

The majority of the oversized zine is dedicated to locations within the small intestine, the wild town of Herniaheim, and the large intestine. There are so many unique places to explore. There are various ruins, wrecks, and monster lairs to keep characters busy for many levels. I like these locations because they are well organized and include sensory bits. For example, a location might mention the sound or smell of the area. They also include people, perils, or plunder you might find within. 

The zine ends with numerous stat blocks for important npcs and unique monsters found inside Jack's digestive track. I have to say, I had a good laugh at the sections name "Colonic Creatures."  My favorite of these is the True Vampire Squid. This undead leviathan is quite frightening. 

I was not let down by the second issue of Genial Jack. I'm pretty sure this release has cemented my resolve to run a nautical 5e game as soon as I can. You can get the pdf and print on demand versions here.