13th Age at Comic Toast in Harrisonburg VA

I'll be trying to get a group up for 13th Age tomorrow, Tues 19 Nove at 5:30 pm. Anyone availablr is invited. I hae dice and blank character sheets, as well as some pre-gens if you want to go that way. 13th Age is sort of a D&D clone with lots of dieeference.

Burning Suns - Looks Like a Great Board Wargame...

 

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/suntzugames/burning-suns?ref=category

Burning Suns is an intense tactical science fiction game set in an expansive universe, where you'll be competing for supremacy through technology, diplomacy, exploitation, and destruction.

Tactical 4X thematic action > Burning Suns is not a traditional 4X game. It takes the 4X actions and gives you complete tactical control. This means you'll have to adapt and improvise on the way to victory.

A strategy can only take you this far, in the meantime you'll have to rely on your abilities to analyse the situation and calculate the best possible moves ahead of you.

Being able to force, trick, and outmanoeuvre your opponents is key to success. Seize opportunities as they arise and don't wait for the perfect moment - because it doesn't exist! It's about being proactive and reactive according to your chances and the risk you're willing to take!

Create an Empire > You'll be able to create no less than 343 possible empires, using the 3 elements of Ideology, Race, and Structure. All with unique strengths and weaknesses.

Galaxies in motion > Galaxies can be created just as you see them fit. And they might evolve during a game.

Immediate actions > The order in which actions are executed will change every turn. All actions in Burning Suns are carried out immediately and players are therefore involved throughout the game - bringing downtime to a minimum.

Your empire, your strategy > In Burning Suns there are many ways to victory. Depending upon your empire, how you use abilities, leaders and agents, whether you choose to ally or conquer worlds and how you choose to engage your opponents with the many various units.

Probably one of the better board wargames with miniatures I've ever had the chance to look at.  Pledged enough to get a copy, and, since it's already funded, can't wait to see it in person.  Feel free to add your name to the list of supporters even though it's already funded.  Looks like a lot of fun...

...and another good author leaves us

Sad news...

Boing Boing is reporting that Author Ann Crispin has died. Ann, one of the founders of Writer Beware who published 23 novels writing as A.C. Crispin, is perhaps best known for her Starbridge series of science fiction novels, as well as several Star Wars novels (The Han Solo Trilogy) and Star Trek novels (Yesterday's Son). She also wrote 2 books in the Witch World series (Gryphon's Eyrie and Songsmith).

One of my favorite authors is getting ready for the final leap...

Ann Crispin is saying goodbye, farewell and thank you. The acclaimed author of her own, original StarBridge series and novels set in the Star Wars, V, Alien and Pirates of the Caribbean universes, as well as, of course, such beloved and bestselling Star Trek tales as Yesterday’s Son, Sarek and Time for Yesterday, has revealed that she’s nearing the end of a protracted battle against cancer.

“I've been hesitant to make this post, but it's time,” Crispin – whose pen name is A.C. Crispin -- wrote today on her Facebook page. “I want to thank you all for your good wishes and prayers. I fear my condition is deteriorating. I am doing the best I can to be positive but I probably don't have an awful lot of time left. I want you all to know that I am receiving excellent care and am surrounded by family and friends.

“I wish all aspiring writers the will to finish and a good contract. Please continue to monitor Writer Beware and be careful who you sign with. Victoria Strauss and Richard White are there to help.
“I've asked Michael to collect and read me your messages. As I don't know how things will proceed, I don't know if I'll have the strength to post on Facebook again.”

Giant Equipment List for Pathfinder

"Ultimate Equipment" by Jason Bulmahn and others,
published and distributed by Paizo Publishing.
ISBN = 978-1-60125-449-8.  PZO # 1123.

Quick Look-see:
01) Arms and Armor
02) Gear
03) Magic Arms and Armor
04) Rings, Rods, and Staves
05) Wondrous Items
06) Artifacts
07) Appendices
08) Index
09) OGL

Detailed Look:

Part 01 - Arms and Armor.  Covers Armor, Weapons, and Special Materials.

Part 02 - Gear.  Sections about Adventuring Gear, Tools, Animals and their gear, Clothing, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Lodging, Alchemical remedies, Alchemical Tools, Alchemical Weapons, and Poisons.

Part 03 - Magic Arms and Armor.  Armor Special Abilities, Specific Magic Armor and Shields, Weapon Special Abilities, and Specific Magic Weapons.

Part 04 - Rings, Rods, and Staves.  Sections about many rings, rods, and staves.

Part 05 - Wondrous Items.  Belts, Body, Chest, Eyes, Feet, Hands, Head, Headband, Neck, Shoulders, Wrists, and slotless items.

Part 06 - Artifacts and others.  Artifacts, cursed items, and intelligent items.

Part 07 - Appendices.  Section 1 - Treasure Generator, Section 2 - Gems and Jewelry, and Section 3 - Art.

Part 08 - Index.  A decent index for the book.

Part 09 - OGL.  The usual Open Gaming Licenses.

This is probably one of the best and most thorough collections of items for PC's and NPC's alike available.  It includes a section on firearms should you want to include them in your campaign.  The small drawings throughout, I believe, helps you visualize your tools of the trade.  No less than eight tables of slotless equipment - four pages of random item generation.  Altogether, 400 pages of crunch for both players and GM's.  There are almost too many to count pages of random items.  Each section includes a table of items and costs.  The book includes both a good Table of Contents and a comprehensive index.

This is another hardcover book from Paizo that should be indispensable for GM's, and close to indispensable for players.  One of my higher recommendations.

Not just about campaigns...

"Ultimate Campaigns" by Jason Bulmahn and others,
published and distributed by Paizo Publishing.
ISBN = 978-1-60125-498-6.  PZO # 1125.

Quick Look-see:

01) Character Background
02) Downtime
03) Campaign Systems
04) Kingdoms and War
05) Index
06) OGL

Detailed Look:

Part 01 - Character Background.  Everything from creating a background for your character, to Story Feats.  My favorite part in this chapter is the random background generator.

Part 02 - Downtime.  What =is= your character doing when they are not being currently played?  My favorite part in this chapter is the buildings and organizations section.

Part 03 - Campaign Systems. Covers a bunch of ideas including everything from your character's alignment to younger characters.  My favorite part in this chapter is the Magic Item Creator.

Part 04 - Kingdoms and War.  The two sub-sections are: Kingdom Building and Mass Combat.  My favorite part in this chapter is the whole section on mass combat.

Part 05 - Index.  A decent two page index to the book.

Part 06 - OGL.  The usual Open Gaming Licences.

My major unusual "complaint" about this book is that it spends 195 pages of its 254 pages for character development.  Although characters are a vital, nay, indispensable, part of any campaign, DM's that pick up this book were probably looking for less about character development, and more about campaign development.  This info probably should have been in an "Ultimate Characters" book. 

"Character Development" is the area where GM's should consider putting things that link the character to their campaign world.  This should become an idea factory for things that can crop up during your campaign that affect a single character while providing adventures for all your other characters.

"Downtime" includes stuff like repairing and maintaining equipment, and resting to name two.  It even starts by going into building a single building, hiring managers to run your business while you are adventuring, and some ideas on random events that can occur in the city.

The "Campaign Systems" section has a lot that I don't consider part of campaign systems, as it is about single campaign development.  This is where I would like to have had more about building a world.  One of the better parts of this section is the "Companions" part.  There's also a really good section about purposely losing skills that you don't want anymore, and retraining that now empty slot for another skill, with ideas for all character classes. 

The "Kingdoms and War" section includes a really good part about building kingdoms, although it seems to me to be geared towards PC use.  But, it still is a really good idea factory for GM kingdom development.  But, for sheer usefulness to GM's, you can't beat the mass combat section.  There's a lot of info about building a single building and what they cost.  Buried in the K&W section is a great part about special abilities. 

Even including all that, though, this is another hardcover book from Paizo that should almost be indispensable for GM's, and close to indispensable for players.  One of my higher recommendations.

Dangerous Denizens

"Blackdirge's Dungeon Denizens" by Aeryn Rudel, published and distributed by Goodman Games.

ISBN = 978-0-9816663-8-9  GAG # 5224

This 144 page book includes many new monsters from the Goodman Games line of Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure modules up to slightly over DCC 50.  There are tables for monsters by keyword, monsters by type, and monsters by origin.  There are 64 different types of monsters, many of which have at least one, if not more, variants. The back of the book lists racial traits and monsters by level.  The monsters by level chart reveals creatures from the ordinary level ones all the way to level 30 (!).  Although there are a couple pages of advertisements, the vast bulk of the book consists of creatures that even jaded players have never encountered.  There's a short Preface and Intro, both of which are a single page. 

Although I generally do not use 4th Edition, the chance to pick up a bunch of new critters was hard to resist.  There were pictures for almost every monster.  Personally I'd usually rather convert these monsters into, well, let's just call it "3.75".  I found the stat blocks from each creature easy to read, and the creatures that exceed level 20 a good match for an well experienced party.  There are only 13 of these upper level creatures, including the evilest dragon I've ever seen.  I can't wait to pull a few of these monsters out of my hat to plague my players.  I recommend this book to GM's looking to spice up a campaign.

Finally! A "Cities of Fantasy" done right!

"Sheoloth" by Sam Witt, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.
ISBN = 1-9034577-20-2.  MAP # 5005.

Quick Look-see:
01) History
02) Overview
03) Life in Sheoloth
04) Powers of Sheoloth
05) Magic of the Drow
06) Darkness and Heresy
07) Ward Descriptions
08) Ashen Bulwark
09) The Blood Tithe
10) Burning Pit
11) Cabal Hold
12) Charred Gate
13) Crystalspine
14) Ebon Dock
15) The Foreign Ward
16) The Fungus Pits
17) The Glory Crypt
18) Granite Circle
19) The Hordes
20) The Leviathan Shield
21) Night Seal
22) The Noble Labyrinth
23) Outland Thieves
24) Roaring Gate
25) Rusted Vein
26) Shrieking Hive
27) Silver Street
28) Sun Gate
29) The Vault of Tombs
30) The Wailing Way
31) Web of the Dark Mother
32) Witch Daggers
33) Ward Summary
34) OGL

Part 01 - History.  Includes info on the Schism, The Benighted Age, The Reign of Karzai, The Nobles Rebellion, the War of Vengeance, Tears of Stone, The Second War of the Elves, The Coming of the Dark Mother, the War of Terror, and the Reconstruction.

Part 02 - Overview.  Layout of the City, including a cross-section map, Building Materials, Food and Water, The Powers of the City, and the Merchant Guilds.

Part 03 - Life in Sheoloth.  Disposable Slaves, Valued Slaves, the Fleshcrafted Slave, the Outsider, the Commoner, the Merchant, the Drow Noble, Clergy of the Drow, a look at Air, Food, Light, Waste, and Water, Law and Order, the Economy, the Military and Defences, and Holidays and Customs.

Part 04 - Powers of Sheoloth.  Religion, the Nobility, Criminals, Arcanists, and Merchants.

Part 05 - Magic of the Drow.  Necromantic Domination, the Secret of Domination, the Process of Domination, Fleshbuilding, and Virurgy.

Part 06 - Darkness and Heresy.  The Incabulos Heresy, and the Woven Mothers.

Part 07 - Ward Descriptions.  A quick look at how each ward is discussed, Building Types, and Business Types.

Part 08 - Ashen Bulwark.  A quick look at the Ashen Bulwark Ward, including four locations.

Part 09 - The Blood Tithe.  A quick look at the Blood Tithe Ward, including four locations.

Part 10 - The Burning Pit.  A quick look at the Burning Pit Ward, including three locations.

Part 11 - Cabal Hold.  A quick look at the Cabal Hold Ward, including two locations.

Part 12 - Charred Gate.  A quick look at the Charred Gate Ward, including two locations.

Part 13 - Crystalspine.  A quick look at the Crystalspine Ward.

Part 14 - Ebon Dock.  A quick look at the Ebon Dock Ward, including two locations.

Part 15 - The Foreign Ward.  A quick look at the Foreign Ward, including a location.

Part 16 - The Fungus Pits.  A quick look at the Fungus Pits Ward.

Part 17 - The Glory Crypt.  A quick look at the Glory Pit Ward, including two locations.

Part 18 - Granite Circle.  A quick look at the Granite Circle Ward, including two locations.

Part 19 - The Hordes.  A quick look at the The Hordes Ward.

Part 20 - The Leviathan Shield.  A quick look at the Leviathan Shield Ward, including two locations.

Part 21 - Night Seal.  A quick look at the Night Seal Ward, including two locations.

Part 22 - The Noble Labyrinth.  A through look at the Noble Labyrinth Ward, including several locations.

Part 23 - Outland Thieves.  A quick look at the Outland Thieves Ward, including three locations.

Part 24 - Roaring Gate.  A quick look at the Roaring Gate Ward, including two locations.

Part 25 - Rusted Vein.  A quick look at the Rusted Vein Ward, including two locations.

Part 26 - Shrieking Hive.  A quick look at the Shrieking Hive Ward, including a location.

Part 27 - Silver Street.  A quick look at the Silver Street Ward, including two locations.

Part 28 - Sun Gate.  A quick look at the Sun Gate Ward, including four locations.

Part 29 - Vault of Tombs.  A quick look at the Vault of Tombs Ward, including three locations.

Part 30 - The Wailing Way.  A quick look at the Wailing Way Ward.

Part 31 - Web of the Dark Mother.  A quick look at the Web of the Dark Mother Ward.

Part 32 - Witch Daggers.  A quick look at the Witch Daggers Ward, including two locations.

Part 33 - Ward Summary.  Tables of merchants present in each ward.

Part 34 - OGL.  The usual Open Gaming Licenses.

This is the fifth and last in a short series from Mongoose called "Cities of Fantasy", although the Cities of Fantasy logo is not present.

Now, =this= is a city book.  In previous Cities of Fantasy, there was a shortage of material that covered the city.  But here we have a city book (Hardcover!) that has 256 pages of info for creative GM's.  This is the first of the series that I consider almost ready to "just drop" into a campaign.  The look at each ward within the city provides jumping off points for many adventures.  There are over 45 encounter locations, and it would be easy to add more. 

Although maps are present, and well done, it was hard to consolidate them all and really see what Sheoloth might look like.  But, despite the shortcomings, I'm giving it a strong four stars and might have gone to five stars if a really good map of Sheoloth was available.  Great for enterprising GM's that want to add a living Drow City to their world.  It has my recommendation for any GM - but not for players.

Complete Content an Illusion?

"Stonebridge" by Patrick Younts, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.
ISBN = 1-903980-82-8.  MGP # 5004.

Quick Look-see:

01) Introduction
02) History and the Present Day
03) Palazzo, Piazzo, and Sandstone Streets
04) Vineyard, Farm, and Villa
05) Dragons, Dreamers, and Builders
06) Stonebridge Adventures
07) Beasts, Magic, and Wondrous Machines
08) OGL

Part 01 - Introduction.  The intro includes a one page short story, and a short intro to the book.

Part 02 - History and the Present Day.  A good timeline, info on the citizens, Apprentices, Masters, and pursuit of genius, Science in Service, Guilds, Religion, Government and the Law, Military Service, and the Cycle of the Seasons.

Part 03 - Palazzo, Piazzo, and Sandstone Streets.  Stonebridge at a glance, Landmarks, the First Terzo, Ponte Sofferenza and the River Canyon, the Second Terzo, and the Third Terzo.

Part 04 - Vineyard, Farm, and Villa.  The River Canyon, its north side and south side, and several locations.

Part 05 - Dragons, Dreamers, and Builders.  Five important NPC's, four dragons (!), and a bit about the city watch.

Part 06 - Stonebridge Adventures.  Nine adventure seeds set beginning in Stonebridge.

Part 07 - Beasts, Magic, and Wondrous Machines.  One new critter, one new Prestige Class, six new Feats, seven new Spells, and eight new Magic Items.

Part 08 - OGL.  The usual open gaming licence.

This is the fourth in a short series from Mongoose called "Cities of Fantasy".  Mongoose has used almost every open space in this book for info on Stonebridge.  The map of Stonebridge is on the inside front cover, but on the inside back cover are advertisements from Mongoose.

Stonebridge suffers from the same 64 page limitations as its earlier predecessors, "Skraag", "Stormhaven" and "Highthrone".  I thought all of it could use a little bit more fleshing out - maybe even enough for a 128 page book.  There just doesn't seem to be enough info to "just drop" this city into your campaign. 

Having said that, though, I still think enterprising GM's could supply this city with enough detail to last a hundred adventures.  Only three stars from me, although I =might= have given it four if it had been even 80 pages.  Not for Players.

Doesn't Quite Reach the Clouds

"Highthrone" by Alejandro Melchor, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.
ISBN = 1-903980-43-7.  MGP # 5003.

Quick Look-see:

01) Introduction
02) Highthrone - Overview
03) Lay of the City
04) Valley of Crowns
05) The Terraces
06) The Mines and the Floating Islands
07) Factions and Players
08) Running Highthrone Adventures
09) Creatures of the Peaks
10) Magic and Secrets
11) OGL

Part 01 - Introduction.  The intro includes a one page short story, and a short intro to the book.

Part 02 - Highthrone - Overview.  Looks at the history of Highthrone.  There's a look at The Long Walk, the Voice of the Wind, the First Invasion, Unearthing Windsteel, the Second Invasion, the Coming of the Assembly, the Stormbreaker, Commercial Dominance, the Giant's War, the Growing City, the Mountainside, the Valley of Crowns, Flora and Fauna, Natural Resources, Weather, and Trade and Relations.

Part 03 - Lay of the City.  Government, the Armed Forces, Life Above the Clouds, Law and Order, and Religion.

Part 04 - Valley of Crowns.  Market Square, Forest of Sun and Wind, Ossuary, Shipyards, Warehouses, Longhaven, Arms Plaza, Condor Trail, and the Plazas.

Part 05 - The Terraces.  Terrace Features and Neighbourhoods.

Part 06 - The Mines and the Floating Islands.  The Mines and Clan Thorbrindas Holdings, a small map of Thorbrindas Holdings, and details on the various floating islands.

Part 07 - Factions and Players.  Six organisations, five well-wrote-up NPC's, and some generic city defenders.

Part 08 - Running Highthrone Adventures.  Details on using Highthrone in a campaign, including plots and story hooks, Altitude Sickness, Terraces, the Flying Ships, Skyships, and other flying devices.

Part 09 - Creatures of the Peaks.  Three new critters.

Part 10 - Magic and Secrets.  Three new feats, two new divine forces, and a description of Windsteel.

Part 11 - OGL.  THe usual Open Gaming License.

This is the third in a short series from Mongoose called "Cities of Fantasy".  Mongoose has used almost every open space in this book for info on Highthrone.  The map of Highthrone is on the inside front cover, but on the inside back cover are advertisements from Mongoose.

Highthrone suffers from the same 64 page limitations as its earlier predecessors, "Skraag", and "Stormhaven".  I thought all of it could use a little bit more fleshing out - maybe even enough for a 128 page book.  There just doesn't seem to be enough info to "just drop" this city into your campaign. 

Having said that, though, I still think enterprising GM's could supply this city with enough detail to last a hundred adventures.  Only three stars from me, although I =might= have given it four if it had been even 80 pages.  Not for Players.

Stormhaven - A city needing more info...

"Stormhaven" by Patrick Younts, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.

ISBN = 1-903980-22-4.  MGP # 5002.

Quick Look-see:
01) Introduction
02) Stormhaven - Overview
03) Upside - Castles in the Sky
04) Driftdowns - Pillars of Broken Dreams
05) Sailors, Soldiers, and Scoundrels
06) Sailor's Tales
07) OGL

Part 01 - Introduction.  The intro includes a one page short story, and a short intro to the book.

Part 02 - Stormhaven - Overview.  Looks at the history of Stormhaven, but leaves important background info for the GM to play with - if they want to.  There's a look at Stormhaven today, including local government, outside nations, the military, festivals, religion, and magic.

Part 03 - Upside.  A term sometimes used for Upside is "Castles in the Sky".  Upside includes a look at the "World Disk", "The Black Crown" - a place where scholars of the arcane of all types meet, The Staircase District, the Noble's Quarter, the Warehouse District, the Government District, and The Rat's Nest.

Part 04 - Driftdowns.  Far below the World Disk, lies the Driftdowns, a collection of less-fortunate souls.  Important Neighborhoods include: The Central Piers, the Dockyards, the Sailor's Sleep quarter, the Driftwood Kingdoms, and the Underdocks.

Part 05 - Sailors, Soldiers, and Scoundrels.  A few important NPC's are here, as well as five organizations, and some short info on Driftdown area guards.

Part 06 - Sailor's Tales.  This is a very short section on various rumors and legends, as well as 2 new feats, 2 new spells, and 3 new magic items.

Part 07 - OGL.  The usual Open Gaming License.

This is the second in a fairly short series from Mongoose called "Cities of Fantasy".  Mongoose has used almost every open space for info on Stormhaven.  The rather basic maps of both Upside and Driftdowns is on the inside front cover, and on the inside back cover are basic diagrams of Rat's Nest Rowhouses. an Embassy, a typical pub, a typical Driftdown Apartment building, a typical Driftwatch Storefront, a look at a basic rendering of a Fire Tower, and a diagram of Driftwatch Station. 

When they say in the intro that Stormhaven is "ripe for a game master's customization", they aren't kidding.  Stormhaven suffers from the same 64 page limitations as its earlier predecessor, "Skraag".  Some thought appears to have been given for this, but the solutions Mongoose found just aren't big enough for a book detailing a whole city.  I thought all of it could use a little more fleshing out - maybe even enough for a 128 page book.  There just doesn't seem to be enough info to "just drop" this city into your campaign.  Having said that, though, I still think enterprising GM's could supply this city with enough to last a hundred adventures.  Only three stars from me, although I =might= have given it four if it had been even 80 pages.  Not for Players.

Skraag - City of Orcs

"Skraag" by Wil Upchurch, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.
ISBN = 1-903980-15-1.  MGP # 5001.

Quick Look-see:
01) Introduction
02) City History
03) Government
04) Ecology
05) Daily Life
06) Commerce
07) Religion
08) Defences
09) City Tour
10) Movers and Shakers
11) Skraag in your Campaign
12) OGL

Part 01 - Introduction.  The intro includes a one page short story, and a short intro to the book.

Part 02 - History.  A look at the former inhabitants of Skraag, how they were driven out, rebuilding Skraag, what happened after the first rebuilding, and the present day.

Part 03 - Government.  The current leaders of Skraag, their opposition, a new Prestige Class, and penalties for various crimes.

Part 04 - Ecology.  Food and water supplies, and shelter.

Part 05 - Daily Life.  One new Feat, and a two page summary of daily life.

Part 06 - Commerce.  A one page summary of Skraag commerce.

Part 07 - Skraag Religion.  Including one church, one cult, two new Prestige Classes, one new creature, one new spell, and the former High Shaman of Skraag.

Part 08 - Defences.  The Orc Horde, and factions within it, four Skraag siege weapons, four new spells, and the Skraag guard forces.

Part 09 - Tour of the City.  12 major city attractions, two new creatures, and a generic map of Skraag.

Part 10 - Movers and Shakers.  Nine major NPC's, a look at the opposition forces, a few other NPC's, and another new Prestige Class.

Part 11 - Skraag in Your Campaign.  Campaign and scenario ideas, including a couple example scenarios.

Part 12 - OGL.  The usual Open Gaming Licence,

This is the first in a fairly short series from Mongoose called "Cities of Fantasy". Life is short and not very precious in Skraag.  This 64 page book is nowhere near big enough to squeeze in what probably needed to be there.  I felt that all of the sections could have been fleshed out a little better.  They really needed a better map of Skraag (look at what passes for a map on page 45). Putting Skraag in your campaign may require a little bit more tweaking.  However, there are some really good ideas on how a Orc city would operate without tearing each other limb from limb.  GM's should at least look at this book if possible, Players don't really need it.  Only three stars this time - I =might= have given it four if it had a much better map of Skraag.

"Undead" by various, published and distributed by Alderac Entertainment Group.

ISBN = 1-887953-39-6  AEG # 8504

Quick Look-see:

Introduction

Part 1 - That Which Cannot Live
01) The Land Beyond Death
02) Why Seek Undeath
03) The Hammer of Faith
04) Controlling the World

Part 2 - Hunters of the Dead
05) New Skill
06) New Uses for Old Skills
07) New Feats
08) 14 New Prestige Classes
09) Undead Hunter's Kit

Part 3 - Beyond the Flesh
10) Worshipping Death
11) Lords of Death
12) New Domains
13) New Spells
14) New Magic Items
15) New Artifacts

Part 4 - More than Flesh
16) Undead Archetypes

Part 5 - Beyond the Pale
17) Undead Campaigns

Part 6 - Secrets of Undeath
18) Liches
19) Mummies

Part 7 - OGL
20) OGL

The intro is a one page short story.

In Part One, is an overview of undeath, a few pages about why some seek undeath, a look at faith among the undead, and a couple pages about how to control the world from beyond the grave.

In Part Two, there is one new skill, Craft (Autopsy), and a few new uses for old skills. There are 14 new prestige classes, including Wastelands Druid, Unbeating Heart, Sacred Theurgist, Risen, Raider, Puppet, Paladin of the Pale, Knight of the Eternal Eye, Hunter of the Fallen, Faith Hunter, Exorcist, Dying, Chirurgeon, and Champion of the Dead. There's also a description of a basic undead hunter's kit.

In Part Three, there are two pages about the soul's journey and worshipping the dead, a bit about the Lords of Death, including the domains available from those deities, 13 domains and the spells available from each domain, 19 new spells, 12 new magic items, and 7 new artifacts.

In Part Four, there are 8 new archetypes, including The Avenging, Free Ghouls, Ghostly Advisors, Guardian Mummies, Mad Wraiths, Power Hungry Liches, Vampires, and Zombie Servitors.

In Part Five, this book looks at the possibility of having an entire campaign based solely of undead PC's.

In Part Six, there are many details of Liches and many details of Mummies.

In Part Seven, there is nothing except the usual Open Game License.

This 128 page book is jam-packed with info about many types of undead, and how to add them to a campaign.  With the exception of the 10 pages of unusual ideas about a PC based undead campaign, this book can serve up really detailed undead of various types.  The fourteen new Prestige Classes give quite a bit of flexibility to GM's hungry for more than the basic info on undead, and since most of the new Prestige Classes are meant to be monsters at worst, or evil NPC's at best, the section of new Prestige Classes gives many ways to beef up the usual horde of skeletons.  The larger section of info about Liches is very useful, as is the larger section on Mummies.  There are illustrations throughout the book.  All in all, I'd say that this is another great effort by Alderac - I bought one, and GM's should at least take a good look at it.  Four Star recommendation.

"Gladiators" by Matthew Sprange, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.

ISBN = 1-903980-05-4  MGP # 2001

Quick Look-see:

Introduction

Part 1 - Arenas and Campaigns
01) Overview of the Arena
02) Races of the Spectacle
03) The Arenas
04) The Gladiator Campaign

Part 2 - Gladiatorial Combat
05) Characters of the Arena
06) Gladiatorial Feats
07) Types of Matches
08) Fame, Mercy, and the Crowd
09) Chariots
10) Exotic Weaponry
11) Dirty Tricks of the Sands

Part 3 - Sands of Death
12) Sands of Death
13) Sample Gladiators
14) Designer's Notes
15) OGL
16) Rules Summary

The intro is a two page short story and a short bit about the book.

In Part One, they have an overview of the arena in general, another bit about why they are built, a few paragraphs about gladiators in general, another short section on Stable Masters (the controllers of the slaves), a very short look at managers and contracts, some info on the crew of the arena, another section on the crowd, and a bit about smaller arenas. Races of the Spectacle include: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, Goblinoids, Orcs, Half-Orcs, and other races.  Arenas include Pit Fights as well as larger outdoor arenas.  Outdoor arenas are split up into smaller and larger venues.  Finally, in The Gladiator Campaign section, there are thoughts about a gladiatorial based campaign, including a few plot hooks. 

In Part Two, they look at characters of the arena, including a new character class of Slave, the Gladiatorial Champion character class, the Beast Handler character class, and the Charioteer character class. Then there are new feats, info on types of matches, Sacrificial Games, blind fighting, and mounted entertainment, including Chariots and Jousts.  There's also a short section devoted to fame and mercy.  In addition, there are a few pages devoted to Chariots and how they operate, another couple of pages on exotic weaponry, and finally some dirty tricks Gladiators need to watch out for - or use.

In Part Three, they create a whole mini-game to use either in a regular role playing game campaign, or, believe it or not, as a stand alone product. There are rules for running "The Sands of Death", including some sample Gladiators. If you've ever had the desire to portray a "Stable Master", with gladiators under your control, this is the section for you. Finally there's the usual OGL, a rules summary, and a sample Stable Master's record sheet.

Although this is an 80 page book, I found the section on "The Sands of Death" almost useless, and it takes up 15 pages, including the inside back cover.  However, the sample Gladiators, of which there are 15, might be useful as either PC's or NPC's.  In addition, there are no diagrams or maps of any type of arena.  These two flaws, which I consider major, are the reason I'm only awarding this book three stars.  Had there been, maybe, even one good diagram/map of an arena, I =might= have give it four.  In this case, I'd say to stay away unless you =really= want to add Gladiators to your campaign.

What's =your= fate?

Hi!

Those of you who know me well, know that I usually do not accept advertising for my blog.  I'm just here to have fun and tell people about my adventures in the Gamers Circus.  But this time, I have a cause to parrot.  Evil Hat Productions, the current holder of the "FATE" rules for RPG's (a sub-set of the FUDGE rules)  is doing two Kickstarter programs for their company.  The first is to eventually release a hardcover book for the FATE core rules.  This Kickstarter has already completed, with an initial goal of only $3,000 and exceeded its goal by having $433,365 pledged.  With that kind of support, they went ahead and started a second Kickstarter for FATE dice.  The FATE dice Kickstarter is still going on (at this writing only 61 hours left!).  Although they have successfully exceeded their initial goal, two "stretch" goals remain, both of which I would like to own.  At this time, they are at $56,407, and need to get to $60K to "unlock" the "Leather and Brass" set, and need to get to $70K to got to the "Eldritch" set.  I would especially like them to reach both of these goals.  If you would like to pledge to this cause please use the following URL (=none= of which goes to me!):

Fate Dice™: Dice For Your Fate & Fudge Games

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/evilhat/fate-dicetm-dice-for-your-fate-and-fudge-games

Please, if you use either FATE or FUDGE, consider pledging enough to buy a set (or two...).  And with FATE Core coming out "real soon now", if you don't use FATE or FUDGE, you'll have a chance to look at it in the stores.  Then you'll have a reason to buy a set (or three...). 

Bruce Gray

Could this be the best RPG Atlas ever?

"Kingdoms of Kalamar Atlas" by various, published and distributed by Kenzer and Company.
ISBN = 1-889182-63-X  K&C # 1005

Quick Look-see:

Introduction
1) Brandobia
2) Kalamar
3) The Young Kingdoms
4) The Wild Lands
5) Reanaaria Bay
6) Svimohzia
Appendix A: Geographical Abstracts
Appendix B: Pronunciation Guide
Appendix C: Land Types
Appendix D: Languages
Appendix E: Geographic Features
Appendix F: Primary Population Centers

Introduction: Features of the book, a map reference, and a map symbol key.

Chapter 1: Brandobia: From page 7 to page 36, nothing but maps of the Brandobian area. Also includes a small stat block for each map.

Chapter 2: Kalamar: From page 37 to page 58, nothing but maps of the Kalamar Kingdom area. Also includes a small stat block for each map.

Chapter 3: The Young Kingdoms: From page 59 to page 76, nothing but maps of the Young Kingdoms. Also includes a small stat block for each map.

Chapter 4: The Wild Lands: From page 77 to page 94, nothing but maps of the Wild Lands. Also includes a small stat block for each map.

Chapter 5: Reanaaria Bay: From page 95 to page 114, nothing but maps of the Reanaaria Bay area. Also includes a small stat block for each map.

Chapter 6: Svimohzia: From page 115 to page 146, nothing but maps of the Island of Svimozia and surrounding area. Also includes a small stat block for each map.

Appendix A: Geographical Abstracts: A look at Trade Routes, Ocean Currents, Wind Currents, Precious Metal Deposits, Utilitarian Metal Deposits, Industry, Fishing Herding and Ranching, Grain Production, Military Deployments, and a strange map of the continent.

Appendix B: Pronunciation Guide: How to pronounce the weird names found in this book.

Appendix C: Land Types: Everything from mountains, to prairies, to tropical forests.

Appendix D: Languages: A complete list of languages spoken on the planet, an untranslated word, and the translation.

Appendix E: Geographic Features: A list of geographical features in the kingdom, and where they are, both in the Atlas and in the book(s) they appear in.

Appendix F: Primary Population Centers: In alphabetical order by town name. This reference chart shows the population, the country, the Atlas page number, and the latitude and longitude.  THis is the longest of the appendixes, as it covers even smaller villages.

Folks, here is almost a master work of Atlases.  240 pages of the entire Kingdom of Kalamar, and there's enough blank areas to fulfil any GM's desires for customization.  I use Kingdoms of Kalamar reference materials for my campaign.  (P.S.: Geanavue and Loona are on page 45. :-).  The map stat blocks provide names of included cities and population.  The trade route section shows both sea routes and land routes.  There's even some small pictures of the various land types.  If you play using Kingdom of Kalamar info, then you should at least look at the Atlas.  If you are a Kingdoms of Kalamar GM, this book is almost indispensable.  I don't give out 5 star reviews often, but this one deserves it.  One of my highest recommendations.

It's a feat just to have this many Feats

"Feats" by Jim Pinto, published and distributed by Alderac Entertainment Group.

ISBN = 1-887953-73-6  AEG # 8515

Quick Look-see:

Introduction
1) Background Feats
2) General Feats
3) Infernal Pacts
4) Magic Feats
5) Quest Feats
Appendix

Introduction: A single page overview for how to use this book, and why these feats were chosen.

Chapter 1: Background Feats: Covers feats from Academy through Wealth.  Includes many 'Bloodgift' feats which should only be given out one per player.

Chapter 2: General Feats: Covers such feats as Acrobatics through Zen Swordsmanship.  The largest section in this book.

Chapter 3: Infernal Pacts: These feats, covering a small range from Claws/Fangs to Wishes, are only made by making the infamous 'pact with the devil'.  Most are fairly powerful and should be limited, if used at all.

Chapter 4: Magic Feats: From 'Above the Law' (which isn't what you think), through Wyld Transformation, most of these are for various types of spellcasters.  Metamagic, Item Creation, and others are in this section.

Chapter 5: Quest Feats: These powerful feats should only be awarded at the end of a difficult quest.  These skulls include some from Absolute Faith to Weapon of Pride.

Appendix: There's only about half-a-dozen weird feats here, use only for a good laugh..... :-)

This compendium includes well over 1,000 feats, over 200 of which are brand new to this book.  As an example, there's over 100 feats just for spellcasters.  The Background, and especially the Bloodgift Feats can really help to flesh out character creation.  The large General Feats category does not have many class or race distinctions.  Some of the Infernal Pacts even require an XP cost to the player.  The Magic Feats category is the aforementioned one for spellcasters.  Quest Feats may even give a creative GM new ideas for further adventures.  Altogether, quite a reference source for any GM.

An Expert Look at Experts

"Experts 3.5" by various, published and distributed by Skirmisher Publishing.
ISBN = 0-9722511-9-7  SKP # 0502

Quick Look-see:

Forward by Gary Gygax
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1) Craftsmen
2) Entertainers
3) Professionals
4) Scholars
5) Tradesmen
Appendixes

Here, purports to be a through look at the often neglected Expert class, which is only briefly described in the DMG.  Let's open the book and see what we discover.

Forward: A two page praise for what Skirmisher has done with this book.

Acknowledgments: A two page list of thank yous for people helping with the book.

Introduction: A 10 page overview for how to use this book, including a new PC class: The Specialist.

Chapter 1: Craftsmen: Various details about Craftsmen, including: Armorer, Blacksmith, Brewer, Jeweler, Sculptor, Shipwright, Stonemason, Taxidermist, and Weaponmaker.  Many good facts about the craft-related jobs included.

Chapter 2: Entertainers: Various details about entertainers such as: Minstrels, Actors, Acrobats, Clowns, Courtesans, Opera Divas, Balladeers, Mimes, Skalds, Jongleurs, Poets, and Storytellers.  Specifics only given on Acrobat, Actor, and Courtesan, but there's a page detailing other types of performances.

Chapter 3: Professionals: Various details about Professionals such as: Barristers, Cartographer, Engineers, Architects, Navigators, and Physicians.  Engineers and Architects are grouped together.  There's also a short list of Medicinal Compounds.

Chapter 4: Scholars: Various details about Scholars such as: Alchemist, Archaeologist, Astronomer, Sage, and Scribe.  There's also a section on Alchemical Elixirs.

Chapter 5: Tradesmen: Various details about Tradesmen such as: Animal Trainers, Exterminators, Guides, Merchants, Millers, Miners, Sailors, Slavers, and Undertakers.  There's also a chart for value of slaves. 

Appendix 1: Prestige Classes: New Prestige classes for players include the Guildmaster, the Militia Leader, and the Spellcrafter.  The usual tables are given for each.

Appendix 2: New Skills: A large number of new skills, primarily intended for the Experts within this book.

Appendix 3: New Feats: A couple pages of new Feats, primarily intended for the Experts within this book.

Appendix 4: Sample Characters: 30 new people to populate your campaign with.

Appendix 5: New Magic Items: 21 new magic items, some of which might be found in the possession of an expert.

Appendix 6: Guilds: Some tables for local guilds and a short guide to guilds in game.

Appendix 7: Costs: A very general guide to costs, and a random cost table.

Appendix 8: Expert XP: One page guide to awarding NPC's some XP.

Appendix 9: Expert Work Areas: Some great ideas on where Experts would
work.

Appendix 10: Open Game License

This list isn't anywhere near as comprehensive as it could be.  Yes, there are a =lot= of appendixes.  There is a lot of material in the 10 appendixes that compliments the main material.  A good GM could also derive even more experts than the ones in the book.  Since this is the first book to expand upon the limited info in the DMG, I, for one, was glad to see this 176 page tome.  The New Skills appendix really helped me flesh out major NPC's.  It also could serve as a way to show newer GM's that their NPC's deserve XP, too.  The fully fleshed out NPC Characters show what would happen if somebody utilized the new Expert abilities.  Appendix 9 even has a couple maps that could be used in a campaign.  Altogether, a very worthwhile purchase for any GM.

Review: Pathfinder NPC Codex

Full of Opportunities

"NPC Codex" by Jason Bulmahn & friends, published and distributed by Paizo Publishing.

The very short introduction tells you how to use this book, and gives info on how the stats blocks will be laid out.

Part One, "Core Classes", breaks down each of the 11 Core Rulebook character classes into 20 examples, one for each level.  Some of them might make for good friends of the player characters, and some of them are better off as villains plotting against the players.  In any case, there are still plenty that are just plain NPC's that can be used in your game.  There's also the nice feature of being able to find out what each character class is capable of at =every= level.  From Barbarians to Wizards, there are portraits of each, and at least the same basic info you'd find in a Bestiary.

Part Two, "Prestige Classes", covers the 10 Core Rulebook Prestige Classes, with four good examples of each, from Arcane Archers to Shadowdancers.  Each has a character name and a short description of who they are, what to expect if in combat, and role-playing suggestions.  The major differences between each character point out that there is a wide diversity of choices for each class.

Part Three, "NPC Classes", only has the five Core Rulebook examples, but the 10 of each gives GM's many prospective city or country inhabitants.  They would also make for fine allies, friends, or enemies.  There are 10 example levels for each class.  From the first level Adept to the 10th level Warrior, these characters can help to really flesh out a world.

Part Four, "Iconic Characters", studies the same 11 core classes as part one, but instead of making each one different, this book assigns a single character per class.  For instance, we follow Amiri the Barbarian as she advances from 1st level to 12th level, with stats for 1st level, 7th level, and 12th level.  This was my personal favorite section, as it shows offensive abilities, defensive abilities, tactics, and a stat block.  This shows how a single character can develop.

There are three appendices: Animal Companions, Encounter Groups, and a class feature index.  The Animal Companion section details possible Druid and/or Ranger animal friends, and even how they might level up themselves.  The Encounter Groups section breaks down various bands of NPC's at low level, mid-level, and high level.  Great for that random encounter.  The Class Features section is merely an index to where the various features can be found.  There's also an index.

I'll start off by saying that originally I was not planning on purchasing a hardcover version of this book.  I usually take my laptop to gaming sessions that I run, and the fine Paizo PDF of this book was all I thought I needed.  But the PDF convinced me that the hardcover version was useful - especially when planning the next adventure at home.  I would like to urge Pathfinder GM's still sitting on the fence trying to decide if they want one to take a look at one and see what a great job Paizo is still doing, especially with their hardcovers.

Highly Recommended - especially for GM's.

Review: Tome of Horrors 1

 Extraordinary Collection of Creatures

"Tome of Horrors" by Scott Greene, published and distributed by Necromancer Games.

This massive 328 page sourcebook simply contains over 400 monsters for 3rd edition D&D.

The very short introduction has only three pages, a Credits page, a good Table of Contents, and a Preface.

One - The Monsters.  There's an entire menangerie of critters, from Adherers to Zombies.  Many were adapted from earlier editions of the D&D rules, most from first edition.  Altogether, they take up the vast majority of the bulk of this tome.  Everything from page 4 to page 285 is creatures.  That's 281 pages of crunchy goodness.  And almost all of them never appeared in other versions of D&D nil much later.  There's also a small drawing of each.

Appendix A - Animals.  These are just a few ordinary normal animals translated into 3rd edition.  There are only nine of these.

Appendix B - Templates.  There are only twelve of these, but they give creative GM's 12 different templates to apply to any other creature in the book. 

Appendix C - Snakes.  This small section gives a list of poisonous snakes and their stats.

Appendix D - Challenge Ratings.  Lists all the monsters in the book by Challenge Rating - not alphabetically.

All of the entries have a "credit" section which identifies the original creator and where the creature first appeared.  All entries are simply alphabetical, which means, for instance, that you needn't look for "Yellow Musk Zombies" under the letter "Z", but under "Y" for Yellow Musk Zombie.  All Giants and Golems are under "G".  This is the beginning of a three book set of Tome of Horrors.  I'm not even real sure of where they came up with enough creations to fill two more books, as I think this one is rather complete.  The only disadvantage to this book is that it uses D&D 3.0 stats.  There is a revised version using 3.5 stats, as well as a massive magnum opus of the "Tome of Horrors Complete Unlimited" that presents Pathfinder stats.

As it is, I wish I could give this more than the five stars possible.  It would serve any good GM as a powerful monster manual type reference.  Highly recommended.

Review: Lean and Hungry

Not So Lean After All...

"Lean and Hungry" by Chad Brouillard, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.

This 64 page adventure module is for characters from 4th to 6th level.

The Introduction includes the basics of what came before, customizing the module for your campaign, and a bit about the module.

Part One, "A City Besieged", includes getting to the city, getting in the city, some info about a local shrine, and heading into the adventure.

Part Two, "The Barbarian Raiders", includes the first encounter - composed of barbarian raiders, and a strange encounter with those nomads.

Part Three, "The Field of Combat", includes an encounter with terracotta soldiers, as well as a probable battle between the PC's and a new monster (or two - or few - or many).

Part Four, "The Ancient Kofun", includes a map of the pyramid the players will have to search, a curse that the players may be exposed to, and an encounter with an ancient alchemist.

Part Five, "And They All Lived", simply ties loose ends together (and leaves several more for GM's to fill out), and gives a rewards table.

Appendix One, "New NPC Classes", gives some info on a new NPC class called "The Criminal", and more info on a new NPC class called "The Faithful".

Appendix Two, "Characters", has module specific NPC's of both types - Villagers and Barbarians as well as Relic Seekers and a new monster.

The heavy Oriental/Asian flavor of this module may be difficult for GM's to place in their world if they do not already have an Oriental/Asian themed area on their world already, or if the PC's aren't anywhere near that area.  Filing off the serial numbers to create a non-oriental flavor would be daunting.  There are a few new magical items, new spells, new potions, and other things the GM may want to look at before using this module.  The two new classes are best used as NPC's.

I'd say this module deserves at least a look-see if interested - even if you're looking for a one shot deal.  Another good product from Penumbra.

Review: In the Belly oif the Beast

Trust is the Last Resort

"In the Belly of the Beast" by Mike Mearls, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.

This slim 32 page adventure module is for characters from 2nd to 4th level.

Part One, "Introduction", includes customizing the module for your fantasy world, and a bit about the module.

Part Two, "The Story So Far", has a cast of NPC's broken down into various groups and then some info on each group.

Part Three, "The Setup", includes the main module hook, as well as a couple alternate hooks, and the beginning of the PC's mission.

Note: Part three is divided by an eight page "tear-out" section with a map, a combat table, 11 cards containing details on various NPC's, and a 12th card of a note to the PC's.

Part Four, "Into the Beast", contains the "meat and potatoes" of the module, and has nine events that all take place "In the Belly of the Beast".

Part Five, "Loose Ends", has several ways for creative GM's to extend the adventure beyond a simple module.

Although there is an 8 page pull out of stuff, the remaining 24 pages have a great deal of secondary info which may be useful to a GM if planning further adventures in the area.  The Combat Table was a nice touch.  A small "rewards" block gives ideas on possible XP.  The weird thing about this module is the fact that the party ends up deciding that - well, I better not reveal the ending...

I'd say this module deserves at least a look-see if interested - even if you're looking for a one shot deal.  Another good product from Penumbra.

Review: A Splintered Peace

A City Torn Asunder

"Splintered Peace" by David Chart, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.  Let's take a more detailed look at the book.

There's a three page short introduction to the book and its contents called "Welcome to Marchion".

The book is divided in two parts, "A Guide to Marchion", and "Marchion in Crisis".

Part One, "A Guide to Marchion", contains four chapters.

Chapter One, "History", contains, of course, a history of the city of Marchion, as well as several adventure seeds.

Chapter Two, "Politics", deals with politics within the city, and info about an annual festival.

Chapter Three, "Important People", contains a NPC summary table and 31 prominent citizens.

Chapter Four, "Gazetteer", gives finer details of the city broken down quarter by quarter, and includes short details of local deities.

Part Two, "Marchion in Crisis", contains seven chapters.

Chapter Five, "Running the Crisis", gives some info on the various troubles both within and outside of the city.

Chapter Six, "Signs of the Storm", has some ideas on beginning the crisis.

Chapter Seven, "Attitude Rules", details the various people's attitudes towards other races, and includes an attitude summary table and a chart to copy to keep track of those attitudes.

Chapter Eight, "Fighting the Orcs", shows the major current threat to the city, including 20 tribes of Orcs, a new Orc deity, the current leader of the tribes, and his assistant, and has a small map of their hideout.

Chapter Nine, "Reacting", If racial tension continues in Marchion, the town becomes segregated (at least) and may possibly flare up into riots and rekindling of old racial hatreds.

Chapter Ten, "Acting", details how the reactions of the city inhabitants can be cooled, and how the mayor (if still alive), the community leaders, various public works projects, and the annual festival can be used to do this.

Chapter Eleven, "Aftermath", is =very= short - only a half page of details on what happens if the players succeed, and what happens if they don't.

There's a map of the city on the inside front and inside back covers.  Although this book claims to be a campaign sourcebook, it really feels more like a very large (112 page) module for 8th level (or better) characters.  However, should the players succeed in both averting the Orc threat and restoring at least a "Splintered Peace" to the town, it would serve as an excellent base of operations, and at least a temporary home to return to.  Rebuilding the city and surrounding area from the Orc attacks, the adventure seeds, protecting caravans both leaving and entering the city, and others would give many days of adventure.  Another good product from Penumbra.

Review: Sacred Ground II

Review: Another Sourcebook of Holy SItes

"Sacred Ground II" by Adam Bank, Chris Jones, Rick Neal, and James Maliszewski, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.

This second 112 page sourcebook for Holy Sites contains four areas for you to place in your own campaign.

There's a two page short introduction to the book and its contents.

One, "Hai Shen Gong", contains 30 pages of details on the sea spirit temple, some NPC's, a new prestige class, 5 new deities and 2 new domains, and the temple guardian.

Two, "Earthblood Grove", contains 28 pages of details on the Druid grove, another new prestige class, a sample druid grove creature encounter table, a new creature, and the grove's guardian.

Three, "Creche Hospice", contains 26 pages of details including a few great new traps, some NPC's, and some info on a "Divine Energy Nexus" and what it can do, and a list of hospice services provided.

Four, "Oracle of Sumura", contains 23 pages of details including yet another new deity and domain, a new template, a new feat and a new skill, and a new item.

There are numerous NPC's detailed, as is a two page map of each site.  Finally, there's an index to new D20 material.  The layout is good and makes it easy to find what you might be looking for.  There's even a couple of adventure ideas for each site, as well as alternate versions.  They are all unique enough to give players food for thought.  Another good product from Penumbra.

Review: Sacred Ground

Review: A Soucebook for Holy Sites

"Sacred Ground" by James Maliszewski, Rick Neal, and Chris Jones, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.

This 112 page sourcebook for Holy Sites contains four areas for you to place in your own campaign.

There's a three page short introduction to the book and its contents.

One, "Gabriel's Aerie", contains 29 pages of details on a floating shrine to the four winds, including a new deity and a new domain, a few NPC's, a couple new rules, and a chart for random aerial encounters.

Two, "Summer's Barrow", contains 25 pages of details on the hidden site, another new deity and domain, a few NPC's, and some details about the underground vault and tomb.

Three, "The Necropolis", contains 26 pages of details on the chapter house, yet another new deity and domain, a few NPC's, a new magic item, and even a new monster - such as it is.

Four, "Retreat of the Warrior Saint", contains 24 pages of details on the retreat, new weapons, some NPC's, another new deity, some info on the herb garden and winery, and even a tournament to participate in.

There are numerous NPC's detailed, as is a two page map of each site.  Finally, there's an advertisement for the sequel and an ad for their Fantasy Bestiary.  The layout is good and makes it easy to find what you might be looking for.  There's even a couple of adventure ideas for each site, as well as alternate versions.  They are all unique enough to give players food for thought.  Another good product from Penumbra.

Review: Adventurer's Armory

A Small Treasure Hoard for your campaign

"Adventure's Armory" by various, published and distributed by Paizo Publishing.

This very slim 32 page addition for the Pathfinder Campaign Setting primarily adds new weapons to your Pathfinder campaign, and is easily adapted to most Fantasy Role Playing Games.

There's charts for weapons on the inside front and inside back covers.  Inside, of course, there's a large section on Weapons, Armor, and Adventuring Gear, and small sections on combat, faith, magic, an NPC in the Persona section, and social info.

This book is a supplement to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.  The regular weapons pages gives info on everything from Aklys to Wooden Stakes.  There's a very small bit about armor and shields.  There are great new Adventuring Gear items, from Area Maps to Wrist Sheaths.  Even more special substances like Alchemical Grease or a Water Purification Sponge.  There are tool kits and spell kits, Clothing, Food Drink and lodging, mounts pets and gear, Entertainment items, what's available on the Black Market, and converting Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting items. 

Then comes the charts you will need in order to introduce all these things to your campaign.  There's also a quick overview of Equipment Tricks, Channelling Foci, Alchemical components, and Equipment traits and new feats.  Then there's Arayam Bismut, an alchemist for hire, who has an interesting back story, and a number of kinfolk.  He might make a great NPC when GM's go looking for adventure seeds.

Although you might think the small size of this book limits its focus, I believe that it is chock full of useful gaming facts.  My players use it all the time.  Highly recommended.

Review: Paths of Prestige

Many paths to choose from

"Paths of Prestige" by various, published and distributed by Paizo Publishing.

This slim 64 page addition for the Pathfinder Campaign Setting adds 30 new prestige classes to your favorite Fantasy role-playing game.

Section One, "Arcana", has 8 new mage prestige classes, including the Arclord of Nex, the Blackfire Adept, the Magaambyan Arcanist, the Razmiran Priest, the Riftwarden, the Tattooed Mystic, the Veiled Illusionist, and the Winter Witch.

Section Two, "Brawn", has 9 new fighter prestige classes, including the Aldori Swordlord, the Brother of the Seal, the Golden Legionnaire, the Knight of Ozem, the Lantern Bearer, the Mammoth Rider, the Pit Fighter, the Shieldmarshal, and the Skyseeker.

Section Three, "Guile", has 6 new rogue prestige classes, including the Aspis Agent, the Bellflower Tiller, the Daggermark Poisoner, the Gray Gardener, the Noble Scion, and the Sleepless Detective.

Section Four, "Piety", has 7 new clerical prestige classes, including the Champion of Irori, the Dawnflower Dissident, the Green Faith Acolyte, the Hellknight Signifier, the Prophet of Kalistrade, the Storm Kindler, and the Umbral Court Agent.

There's also a chart showing where to find 36 other prestige classes.  The classes in the book are presented in alphabetical order.  A canny GM would look to see if any of these classes would be more appropriate for NPC's.  There are two pages for each class, and the necessary chart, as well as a sample picture of what a generic member of that class would look like.  All new prestige classes in this volume, and references to the prestige classes in other Pathfinder products, make this just about a must-have for GM's.  Highly recommended.

Review: Three Days to Kill

Review: Three Days to Kill

"Three Days to Kill" by John Tynes, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.

This slim 32 page adventure module for characters from 1st to 3rd level is still jam packed with great info for the GM.  Even the inside front cover and inside back cover have maps for your use.  Although there are only three sections, there is plenty of material in each.

Part One, "Backdrop", includes customizing the module for your fantasy world, the setting, a bit about the bandit lords, whom you will be fighting later, and a look at the two temples in town.

Part Two, "Getting Started", has references for the Festival of Plenty and the job that is the module's main focus.

Part Three, "The Trek North", is the meat and potatoes of the module and contains a bandit lair and a few orcs thrown in for good measure.  There's also a paragraph or two about future adventures should the party survive the main encounter.

There are numerous NPC's detailed, as is a map of the small city.  A block about the challenge ratings for likely opponents, and even some optional opponents is also included,  As I stated earlier, there's maps on the inner covers, maps of the two temples, and a complete overview of the bandit villa.  The whole module is generic enough to plop down virtually anywhere you have a good space on your own maps, and can also be run by itself - even as an intro for new player characters.  I'd say this module deserves at least a look-see if interested - even if you're looking for a one shot deal.  Another good product from Penumbra.

Review: Pathfinder GM's Screen

Review: Pathfinder GM's Screen

"GM Screen" by Paizo, published and distributed by Paizo Publishing.

This four panel Gamemasters screen for the Pathfinder role playing game features extra durable hardcover stock pages, a great piece of art on the player's side, and four pages of quick reference charts on the GM's side.

Page One, "Skills", includes charts for acrobatic maneuvers, bluffing, wind effects on flight, Climbing, Diplomacy, Disabling Devices, and flying.

Page Two, "Skills", has references for healing, knowledge, perception, riding, spellcraft, survival, and swimming.

Page Three, "Combat", contains attack roll modifiers, armor class modifiers, combat maneuvers, two-weapon fighting, concentration checks, and a great list of conditions that affect combat.

Page Four, "Miscellaneous", shows armor and weapon hardness, other item hardness, and common item hardness as well as charts for XP awards, and for treasure values per encounter.

Having these charts at your fingertips saves a lot of time leafing through the various books for a quick ruling.  The four panel construction gives GM's room for both a notepad and their maps.  The heavy card stock covers means its very durable and suitable for frequent use.  If you're a GM for a Pathfinder game, and you don't have this screen, my suggestion is that it be the next item on your "To Purchase" list.  Highly recommended.

Review: The Tide of Years

Review: The Tide of Years

"The Tide of Years" by Michelle A. Brown Nephew, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.  An adventure module for 4th to 6th level characters.  Here's a quick look at the contents.

Chapter One, "The Spirit of Lagueen", includes an overview for the book, and how to introduce characters.  It also includes a new clerical domain, and spells for that domain.

Chapter Two, "Preparations", details how the village readies the party to breathe underwater.  A new monster and a new magical item are included, as is a valuable NPC.

Chapter Three, "The Waters of Time", contains a map of the underwater temple, another new monster, how to handle underwater movement and combat, and a great deal of info about the pyramid and its contents.

Chapter Four, "Replacing the Temporal Crystal", reveals what happens if the party's mission is successful, including a chart for challenge ratings and experience.

This 48 page adventure would result in a totally new civilization being plopped down into your fantasy world, but there are ways to avoid this if you already have a fairly structured realm.  GM's can have a lot of fun with "Kyrielee" and should play up the charming element if possible.  There are many things in the pyramid, and even more in the library that PC's may want to take.  There's a great chart in the book that describes water damage of various types.  Finally, there's a new large monster guarding the crystal, and the book allows for at least three different types of traps.  If you're not afraid of introducing time travel in your campaign, I'd say this is a wonderful way to start.  However, if you do not want time travel available, there are ways to do that too.  Another product worth looking at from Penumbra.

Review: Maiden Voyage

Review: Maiden Voyage

"Maiden Voyage" by Chad Brouillard, published by Penumbra and distributed by Atlas Games.  An adventure module for 1st to 3rd level characters.  Here's a quick look at the contents.

The "Intro" only has a brief "Before the Adventure" overview, and the Open Gaming License.

The "Before the Journey" chapter details "The Albers", a small one-masted ship, and a couple of encounters with dock NPC's, and the Albers crew, among other things.

"Day One: First Impressions", contains a card game characters can learn, and some shipboard rumors, including the sighting of a "Sea Serpent", and an eclipse.

"Day Two: The Calm Before the Storm", shows the players not only a valuable prisoner, but that the crew is very restless.

"Day Three: Murder and Mutiny", allows players to help with the investigation of a murder and the results of their investigation.

"Day Four: The Ghost Ship".  Herein lies the core of the adventure, the sighting and subsequent boarding of "The Sea Maiden" and what happens next.

The appendix gives stats for the NPC's and three pages of player handouts that I think are hard to read, and would probably be worse if copied.

This 40 page adventure would serve as a great intro to seaborne adventures, or simply a filler between two city adventures.  It is unfortunate that the open gaming content uses a background color that make the text here hard to read as well.  Ordinarily, I'd give this module a solid four stars, but with the text in many places hard to read, I just can't give it more than three.  Still, if you're looking to see if your players are interested in seagoing tales, it's a good start.

Review: Trailblazer

Review: Trailblazer

"Trailblazer" by Benjamin Durbin and Christopher Neveu, published and distributed by Bad Axe Games.  This book claims to create new horizons in 3.5 roleplaying.  Let's take a look at the contents and see if they succeed.

1) The Introduction.  Even the introduction has new ideas for players and GM's.  The book goes over some items that needed improvement from basic 3.5.  It includes several things that needed changing, and some charts that prove their point that even the "spine" of 3.5 could use a little tweaking.  Rebalancing core classes and customizing monsters are high on their list.

2) Action Points.  Introduces Action Points to 3.5 and how to use them for both players and GM's.

3) Character Creation.  All 3.5's core classes receive a workout.

4) Skills.  A look at what skills were changed skill by skill.

5) Feats.  Details on fixing old feats, creating new feats, and deleted feats.

6) Equipment.  Changes to weapons, and particularly armor.

7) Combat.  Some changed attack bonuses, attack roll modifiers, and armor class modifiers, and what actions you may take if in combat. 

8) Exploration.  New Carrying Capacity, rules for movement, and other items found during exploration.

9) Magic.  Some spell changes, ready spells, and spell slots, and a glance at spell descriptions.

10) Encounters and Challenges.  A step-by-step guide to encounters, and details on how to create Elite and Solo Monsters, and monster types, subtypes, and special abilities.

11) Wilderness, Weather, and Environment.  Outdoor and indoor environments, wilderness areas, urban adventures, and some small details on weather.

If you're beginning to believe that they took the 3.5 rules and almost totally replaced them, you might be close to the sum of this book.  I find it interesting that one "J. Bulmahn" is listed as a playtester.  For those who don't know, Bulmahn is primarily responsible for the Pathfinder role-playing game.  Even the names are similar - does "Trailblazer" = "Pathfinder"?  You'll have to read this to find out.  For fantasy gamemasters, I'd say this one is well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.

Review: Touched by the Gods

Review: Touched by the Gods

"Touched by the Gods" by various, published by Penumbra, and distributed by Atlas Games.  This book claims to be a sourcebook for cults and cabals.  There are 15 different religious organizations covered in its 128 pages.  All 15 groups include some info and adventure seeds.  There are 4 new prestige classes, 7 new spells, and a few new magic items.  Following are a few brief descriptions of the 15 entries.

1) The Athenaeum.  A group of librarians and collectors seeking knowledge and selling info.

2) Davlika.  A group of goblins has "seen the light" and are now atoning for their perceived wrong doings.

3) Death's Forsaken.  A society of individuals that have been resurrected or raised from the dead.

4) The Forge.  A loose alliance of mages seeking immortality in a strange way.

5) God Seekers.  Seeking candidates for elevation to godhood.

6) Justicars.  A secret society of beings seeking to eliminate those who have escaped justice.

7) Lurient's Legacy.  A movement dedicated to equalizing the balance of wealth.

8) Openers of the Way.  Looking for their "chosen one" to fight a major demon.

9) The Order of Endings.  Preparing adherents for the afterlife in the netherworlds. 

10) The Reborn.  Alliance of humanoids that have been transformed into animal forms.

11) Shepherds of the Root.  Ushering in an age of enlightenment by attempting to topple civilization.

12) Spirits of Bohnaraii.  Composed almost entirely by nobles, they believe they can cause miracles.

13) Survival Cults.  Mostly comprised by dwarves, these artisans rarely go far from home.

14) Ten Thousand Heroes.  These warriors feel driven to prove themselves in battle. 

15) The Way of the Wolf.   A diabolic sect of werewolves who worship a werewolf lich.

I believe almost all of these "churches" could be dropped wholesale into almost any fantasy campaign.  Although I've only given a really short definition, there is much detail to be mined here by creative GM's.  I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that virtually all of Penumbra's D20 material is worth at least a good look.  For fantasy gamemasters, I'd say this one is well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.

Review: Crime and Punishment

Review: Crime and Punishment

"Crime and Punishment" by Keith Baker, published by Penumbra, and distributed by Atlas Games.  Most fantasy campaigns sort-of glance over crimes and punishment.  What happens =after= you loot that tomb?  For players, this book is a soucebook of law and order.  For GM's, this book reveals many details about what is considered a crime in various fantasy settings, and what happens to you if you are caught.  After a short two page intro to the book, it gets right into the meaty parts by giving GM's a new character class (The Investigator) and a new Prestige class (The Inquisitor).  In the 29 pages of chapter two, there are also spells and tools of the trade.  In the third chapter, we find another new character class - the Bounty Hunter, and two new Prestige classes, the Mage Hunter, and the Spellbane.  The rest of chapter 3 deals with spells and tools for those three classes.  The fourth chapter details many facets of law in a feudal society, and gives yet another new character class - The Justice.  Chapter Five details law in a theocratic society and two new Prestige classes - The Lawkeeper, and The God's Eye.  Chapter Six deals with what laws (if any!) are in a lawless society.  Chapter Seven tells you what taboos you might transgress and what to do if you find yourself in that situation.  Chapter Eight deals with punishment of various types.  Chapter Nine deals with imprisonment both above, in a cell, or below in a dungeon.  This hardback book of 160 pages is a treasure trove worth looting.  The 8 classes, the equipment (and how to use it!), the new feats, the new magic items, the info on how to use skills, the new spells, and the info on how to use law and order is invaluable.  Off hand, I can't remember seeing any book that fills this niche better than this one.   For fantasy gamemasters, I'd say this one is well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.

Review: The Demon Wars Campaign Setting

 Review: The Demon Wars Campaign Setting

"R. A. Salvatore's Demon Wars Campaign Setting" by various, published by Fast Forward Entertainment.  Details a complete world setting based on R. A. Salvatore's first "Demon Wars" trilogy.  The "Demon Wars" trilogy includes "The Demon Awakens", "The Demon Spirit", and "The Demon Apostle".  Although there is another series, ("Mortalis", "Ascendance", "Transcendance", and "Immortalis") those books are not included in this volume.  There are a few other RPG books for the Demon Wars.  Although you'll still need the 3.5 edition of the Players Handbook from D&D, there are many places where the info in the PH is basically useless, and has been replaced with new info from this book.  Chapters include: "A Song for Sadye", Characters (and you'll be surprised at what is and is not included!), New Skills and Feats, Gem Magic (a big factor in the novels), Magic Items, Treasure, Creatures, and The World.  There's also a short summary of the first three Demon Wars novels.  The large section on gem magic, gems, and what they do is well worth considering even if you take it out and drop it in your own campaign.  The chapter on Creatures even includes the Demon, Dactyl, the series' major bad guy.  The tables in Treasure give enough random examples so as to not have a lot of duplication.  The art is very good, even though it is black and white.  Altogether, this 128 page hardcover is a very well put together tome.  For fantasy gamemasters, I'd say this one is well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.

Review: Seven Civilizations

Review: Seven Civilizations

"Seven Civilizations" by Rick Neal & Keith Baker, published by Atlas Games.  Details the creation and population of seven quite different civilizations: The Dragon Kings, Takalas, The Wind Riders, Silvergate, The Wilding Tribes, The Mondian Empire, and Kel Taera.  After a very short introduction that explains how to use the contents, there's a 14 page look at The Dragon Kings, 12 pages for Takalas, 11 pages for The Wind Riders, 14 pages for Silvergate, 11 pages for The Wildling Tribes, 14 pages for The Mondian Empire, and 12 pages for Kel Taera.  Each of them include a couple of plot ideas.  There are also many small maps.  They also include a few NPC's that you can use again (with new names) in other areas.  All told, including the OGL and advertisement, there's 96 pages chock full of great world building ideas.  There's almost enough info in this one slim book to fill out a small fantasy world.  For fantasy game masters, I'd say this one is well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.

Review: Seven Strongholds

Review: Seven Strongholds

"Seven Strongholds" by Robin D. Laws, published by Atlas Games.  Details the creation and population of seven different types of strongholds: The Barrows, Castle Briar, Gloom Keep, the Old Mound Fort, Steelface Point, The Perch, and Uthront's Fort.  After a very short introduction that explains how to use the contents, there's a 23 page thorough look at The Barrows, 19 pages for Castle Briar, 17 pages for Gloom Keep, 16 pages for the Old Mound Fort, 17 pages for Steelface Point, 15 pages for The Perch, and 15 pages for Uthront's Fort.  Each of the seven types of strongholds include a couple of plot ideas.  There are also many small maps.  They also include a few NPC's that you can use again (with new names) in other forts.  All told, including the OGL and advertisement, there's 128 pages chock full of great world building ideas.  For fantasy game masters, I'd say this one is well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.