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RPG Review – AaWBlog Presents: Armory of Adventures

June 11, 2015 by Paco G. Jaen

AaWBlog Presents: Armory of Adventures clocks in at 30 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC,1 page back cover, 1 3/4 pages of SRD, leaving us with 24 1/4 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

…

No, you haven’t misread. This many pages for a buck. And yes, the content herein premiered on the AAWBlog before, but ultimately, I’m a dinosaur when it comes to devices – I ban them at my game since I have had the experience of them being constant sources of distraction.

So what exactly do we get? Take the ashenbone axe: A lavishly-illustrated (btw., like most items herein!) axe that emits a light – so far, so bland. Where things become mechanically interesting is with the caveats: When a character is raging (via barbarian rage, a racial ability or spell), the damage increases by +1d8; conversely, when not raging, the damage-output decreases by 1d4. I really like the sentiment of this weapon, though its execution remains somewhat flawed – as written, this will be the axe the barbarian draws while raging, otherwise leaving it sheathed and thus eliminating pretty much the unique drawback. The axe also should explicitly specify that it only conveys its bonus damage while the wielder is subject to a rage-effect, not just “In the hands of a raging character” – since this could be read as a minor ambiguity. A simple solution would be to make this a cursed axe. A further plus, again, one that extends to all items herein, would be the flavourful description of the axe itself provided, as well as the scaling amount of information one can glean from researching it.

A ranger’s hunting axe, poison-spraying locked gauntlets, an evil arcanist’s angel-hunting crossbow, a greatsword that lets rangers with swamp as favored terrain breather underwater (alas, sans proper CL for the underwater breathing) – some interesting options here. What about a vicious blade that only reflects damage back upon the wielder 50% the time if he is pure at heart, but also illuminates such beings in radiant, stealth-negating harmless fire? Whips that can be used to entangle (alas, at a very low DC to escape) and nunchaku that make flurries of blows more effective are also among the interesting options provided herein.

Those familiar with a certain Hrólfr Kraki may be rather pleasantly surprised to find the almost-artifact level Skofnung herein. And yes, I freely admit to having a little “Heck yeah!”-moment here. There would also be a shield that allows for the substitute of hypnotism as an alternative to shield bash damage. There also is a very powerful, nasty ring that makes a character potentially a quasi-vampire. An enchanted spyglass, a dance-compelling gel, enchanted golden dentures (!!!) that fly out to attack foes, puzzle-boxes of holding – there are quite a few downright fun items to be found herein – all for a single buck!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are good, though not necessarily perfect. Layout adheres to a beautiful, yet printer-friendly 2-column full-color standard with a surprising amount of pieces of original artwork as well as some stock art. The pdf has no bookmarks, which is a bit of a comfort-detriment. The pdf does sport hyperlinks to d20pfsrd.com, though they are not provided for every spell in a list and thus sometimes are a bit inconsequent in what’s linked and what isn’t.

Mike Myler, Jonathan Ely, Brian Wiborg Mønster, Jacob Michaels, Joshua Taylor and Eric Madsen have delivered perhaps one of the most inexpensive pdfs I’ve seen in a while – the artworks and lore-sections alone render many of the items worthwhile. Now granted, there are some magical items to be found herein that are plot-items pure and simple, but that is not in itself a bad thing -I’d rather have an interesting plot item than a boring +1 flaming thundering keen rapier… Ultimately, this collection is an inexpensive, convenient collection with some downright nice ideas. Now yes, there are a few examples like the one in my picking apart of the ashbone axe, where one can arguably complain about the wording not being 100% tight. Still, at such a fair price-point, I still consider this a worthwhile purchase. As such, my final verdict will clock in at 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.

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RPG Review – GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing

January 5, 2015 by Paco G. Jaen

By Endzeitgeist

This massive compilation of Urban Dressing-content clocks in at 239 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page advertisement, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of ToC, 1 page statblocks by CR, 1 page advice on how to read statblocks, 2 pages of author bios (yay for those – seriously, more books should have them to generate name recognition), 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with a massive 228 pages of content, so let’s take a look, shall we?

Okay, so this massive book contains the originally free tavern game Dragon and the Thief, So what’s it Called Anyway, So what’s for Sale, Anyway I +II, So what’s the Tavern Like, Anyway I+II, random Urban Encounters, Barroom Brawls (a pdf any DM should own!) and the Urban Dressings for Alleyways, Docks, Graveyards, Guildhalls, Market Stalls, Parks, Pirate Towns, Sages, Shrines, Temples, Theatres, Thieves, Traders & Craftsmen and The Watch. These all have in common that I’ve written reviews for them, which you can easily find by searching for the respective product. Since I don’t like repeating myself unduly, I won’t comment on these and instead dive right into what makes this book different from the sum of its parts, all right?

First of all – unlike some compilations of individual pdfs, this book does not simply cobble the material together – the organization is actually pretty smart: Need names? In the beginning of the book, we get all the composite name-generator tables for e.g. organizations, taverns etc., back to back.

The following organization is generally pretty alphabetical regarding the areas of the city – i.e. all the info for alleyways, then the info for docks (and docked ships), then graveyards (including weird characters and epitaphs), then guildhalls – you get the idea. Now generally, I think that Market Stalls would have been a great place to also position Traders and Craftsmen, followed by the “So what’s for sale…”-items, but that’s probably a matter of taste.

On the new content-side, we get two 100-entry tables on ruined buildings – both characteristics and appearance and general dressings and also a total of 20 complications for these buildings and 20 legends surrounding them – now don’t get wrong, these are glorious, but feel like they could have benefitted from a Dungeon Dressing-style cheat-sheet of terrain hazards…you know the type one find also in the other Dressing-series by Raging Swan Press. We get the same amount of tables for statues and monuments, btw., though here the dressing-table is much more extensive and covers more than the small entries provided for ruins – instead of e.g. “Smashed in windows”, we get monuments that double as guard posts, some with starnge depressions etc. So in that regard – cooler here! (Also: Monuments don’t require a terrain-hazard cheat-sheet or the like, so no complaints here.) The appearances of Wizard’s Towers are also delightfully extravagant, and as such, the table fits only 50 long entries in the two pages devoted to it. However, 100 different dressing should provide ample modification for these, especially due to the rather eclectic selection provided. And if you’re starved for ideas, 20 hooks and complications and 20 legends, all adhering to this level of lovingly crafted detail, further add to the experience and variety.

Now I was not particularly kind to “Random Encounters: Urban” and so, RaginGS wan has added additional ones to this book – the first of the new ones being “Fire Sale!”, in which a shopping trip to the alchemist results in a sudden fire and a bid to save the alchemist and keep the shop from blowing up – cool! The second new encounter would be all about a dormant, intelligent sword coming back to sentience when a hapless smith was supposed to modify it. Hilarity ensues. Awesome. An Imp-Oracle of fire and soot makes for an interesting info-broker/pyromaniac and investigating a case of vanishing corpses also makes for a nice diversion. Have I mentioned the dread encounter with the Boogeyman of the Alley, a lethal urban fey that is disturbing indeed? Or the encounter in which the PCs have to brave the unstable scaffolding of a church to make sure it’s properly renovated…and defeat the old gargoyle nesting there?

The new encounters have in common that they universally mop the floor with the original Random Urban Encounters and actually make for iconic playing experiences. SO kudos for these cool additions!

Now it should also be noted that the “So what’s for sale”-pdfs have been nicely collated and taverns, as one of the apexes of any self-respecting adventurer’s life, also have been collated- a rather good generator, followed by the sample taverns from installment II, with the barroom brawls thrown in for the mix makes for a nice piece of reference.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed next to no issues of concern – quite a feat for a book of this length. Layout adheres to raging Swan Press’ two-column b/w-standard with old-school b/w-artworks thrown in and mixed with thematically fitting stock art. The pdf comes extensively and fully bookmarked for your convenience and in two versions, with one optimized for screen use and one optimized to be printed out.

Okay, if you’ve been following my reviews, you know that the one Dressing-series that doesn’t routinely blow me away, is Urban Dressing. Far too often, the pdfs somewhat lost focus on what they wanted to be – a background dressing? A building generator? A selection of fluff-only NPCs? Now not all Urban Dressing-pdfs can be accused of a lack of focus, but quite a few can. It is my joy to report, that the new content provided for this compilation ranks among the best in the whole series, with especially the copious new encounters blowing the old ones out of the water and the handy tavern-compilation and organization making for one fine and often used component. Now that being said, when a component pdf has a lack of focus, it’s still here. The Theatre-tables, while expanded, still can’t decide on whether a sight or sound belongs on stage, the audience’s area or backstage etc. -a finer gradients for some of these tables would have made them more useful. the Installments dealing with criminals and watch are still rather rudimentary and not particularly inspired and so on.

On the other hand, we have simply evocative entries that, on their own, could spark whole adventures, exotic and inspiring sights and the spirit of wonder RaginG Swan Press’ dressings evoke more often than, all suffusing some of these tables and entries.

The organization of this book, in case that was lost on you, is superb and makes navigation exceedingly easy, though , due to some quirk, it doesn’t feel as exceedingly, superbly intuitive as the book on Wilderness Dressing, but I can’t fault it for that. The truth is, this book is the best compilation of the old urban dressing-series one could hope for – while the newer installments have brimmed with creativity and found their place, this book takes the older entries and whips them into a shape that is infinitely more useful than its component parts, both by refinement and organization and proximity. The new content is neat as well.

So how to rate this, then? See, this is where it becomes complicated – on the one hand, this book contains pdfs I consider rather subpar, whereas it on the other hand also provides some great new content and often-used classics that have seen ample successful use in our games. In the end, I consider this book to be exceedingly useful, but also short of the awesomeness that the Wilderness Dressing-book is – Dm’s looking for a way to make their cities more vivid – get this. My final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.

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RPG Review – Legendary Classes: Illuminatus

January 1, 2015 by Paco G. Jaen

By Endzeitgeist

Legendary Classes: Illuminatus clocks in at 37 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 3 pages of SRD, leaving us with 32 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

So what is the chaos illuminate or Illuminatus? First of all, the class would need to be non-lawful. It receives d6,4+Int skills per level, proficiency with simple weapons, 1/2 BAB-progression, good ref and will-saves and spellcasting of up to 9th level via a unique spell-list. Speaking of spellcasting – while it does work via cha and spontaneous, the casting works different than for any other class – Illuminati don’t cast regular spells, rather learning to cast so-called wonders instead. Each wonder is associated with a d8-throw: Wonders are cast as a standard action with V, S and F -F? Yes, for to cast spells an illuminate requires a so-called implement, which they not only require to cast wonders, but also to use marvels, the first of which they acquire at 2nd level, +1 every 6 levels thereafter, depending on the implements the illuminate uses. Marvels are full-round action and of a varying ability type, hence adhering to different base-rules – save-wise, these adhere to the 10 +1/2 class level + cha-mod formula.

What about the chaos-aspect, you ask? Well, it’s simple – each casting of a wonder is accompanied by a roll of d8, with a 7 or 8 meaning that the respective illuminate can control the wonder to produce any effect. Otherwise, the illuminate has no control over the effect the wonder produces. However, the illuminate *does* have control on where the spells resulting from the wonders go off, allowing for a certain modicum of control. It should be noted that metamagic and item-use purposes et al have been covered in the system..and that this is not where the class ends.

The illuminate also receive a 1/day reroll of a d20, +1 re-roll at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. 3+cha-mod times per day, the illuminate may also re-roll wonder-rolls or re-draw cards for abilities of magical item purposes (which adhere to a chaotic rule-set akin to that of casting wonders…) , should you choose to utilize cards when playing the class.

Now at 4th, 6th, 10th, 12th, 16th and 18th level, the illuminatus receives a so-called attainment, which essentially can be considered as the talents of the class, with the list being expanded by greater attainments at 10th level and even more with superior attainments, which are unlocked at 16th level. Attainments generally can range from reliable spell-like abilities (with interesting mechanics, like a 1-hour cool-down) and also contain interesting options that allow for a kind of primal flux (a wonder like fluctuation), duplication of an effect by subsequent re-castings of wonders on rounds following an individual cast. The attainments provided are extremely diverse and allow for quite a different array of builds, more so than one would expect from such a class.

Now in Purple Duck Games’ awesome tradition, we receive more favored class options than in any other supplement – psionic races, dragonkin, Fehr’s Ethnology-races, ARG-races – heck, even living ghuls and grindylow are covered. The FCOs span more than two pages – yeah, rather neat! Two thumbs up!

Now I already mentioned implements – these are important beyond acting as a focus, also influence, somewhat like bloodlines, the selection of wonders available to the illuminate -from books to bottles, cards etc., a total of 8 such complex suites being provided, the implements also defining the capstone marvels. The respective spell-lists of illuminati are hence all micro-tables of 6 possible spell-effects that are provided by school – for each spell-level. Mishap-effects, extensions of class abilities, chaotic metamagic and increased control over wonders can all be achieved with the selection of new feats. Unlike many similar supplements, the feats more often than not, do not require illuminatus class levels, allowing other classes to dabble in chaotic powers.

Speaking of which – the opportunity and wonder cleric subdomains, 3 mishap-centric rogue talents, the primordial wildblooded sorceror mutation and the arcane experimenter wizard archetype make sure that chaotic magic that is less predictable does not remain the providence of the illuminatus. Warping magic and adding mishaps as injury to the insult of having your spells dispelled, generating wild magic zones – the new spells herein do come in a nice variety and magic items like coins that either summon good or evil outsiders and knucklebones that generate catastrophes also add a bit of excitement to the game.

Beyond even these supplemental pieces of information, we actually do receive 2 universal mythic tier abilities to influence fates and duplicate mythic spells with wonders – and we also receive support for groups utilizing hero points in the guise of 3 unique attainments in addition to the vast array provided, as well as one exclusive subdomain. Finally, a sample character of 1st level completes this extensive, massive class book.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to PDG’s printer-friendly 2-column b/w-standard with purple accents and the pdf does sport some thematically-fitting full color artworks, though you may know some of these from other sources. The pdf comes extensively bookmarked with nested bookmarks for your convenience.

Author David Nicholas Ross tries his hand at one of the more complex themes one can tackle regarding spellcasting – getting chaos magic right. On the one hand, you want a system that by design, delivers unexpected results, while still maintaining enough control to keep the class useful and relevant in game. Balancing the wonders and the associated spells among them must have been a rather challenging endeavor and the addition of attainment and their structuring in 3 different classes of power-levels as well as the abilities granted by implements allow for an array of different options to properly exert *some* control over the playing field. Beyond being mechanically interesting and innovative, the class delivers supplemental content galore that goes above and beyond making the concepts feasible for just about every world. Small fluff-boxes, feats and chaotic caster-level adjustments, mishaps – all these add another, neat dimension to the topic at hand and help bring the unpredictability back into magic. The illuminatus is a great class with cool options and one that is actually more complex than one would expect – the moving parts are neatly tied together, the class is easy to grasp and difficult to master and there are not that many classes of this high caliber out there. My final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval – add some chaos into your magic and make it feel magical and weird again!

Endzeitgeist out.

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RPG Review – Faerie Mysteries

January 1, 2015 by Paco G. Jaen

By Endzeitgeist

Faerie Mysteriesf clocks in at 29 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page blank inside the front cover, 2 pages of introduction/editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 22 pages of content, so let’s take a look, shall we?

One problem fey-based modules have when faced with my standards regarding fey is that the creatures ought to be familiar, yet weird, strange, yet familiar – and that a sense of otherworldly timelessness ought to pervade an encounter with fey – something rather difficult (at least from what I’ve seen…) to accomplish. The introduction and the respective concerns shows a concern for that otherworldly intrusion into reality we consider weird, of what makes fey strange and dangerous -and the rules follow up:

A new type of hazard is introduced to represent this weirdness, so-called fey impulses, which are categorized into 3 types, from rumors, to ripples and ruptures, each adheres to a different severity, with rumors being similar to figments and glamers and the more powerful fey impulses also influencing the mind of those subjected to them. Akin to traps or haunts, fey impulses may be quenched before they manifest, only they do require a different resource – enchantments and illusions, as the types of magic mostly associated with fey, are instead used to represent the forces to quell the fey impulse and, much like a haunt, it may re-manifest unless it is defeated for good.

Now such a system of course needs comprehensive guidelines for the DM to implement and this delivers in spades in that regard, without expecting the DM to do all the work – from CR 1/2 to CR 10, quite an array of options is provided – from a bridge automatically extolling its tithe to a dread hangman’s tree emitting waves of all-encompassing despair to a maze in a maze (be sure to read Shirley Jackson’s modern classic “The Sundial” for a great idea on how to narrate this one’s effect…), the respective impulses are awesome, but by no means everything contained within these pages.

A total of 22 events with codified rules are contained herein – think of these as either bullet-point encounters or even adventures -from nods to “The Great God Pan” to essentially a Rybalka’s narrative in a box to a mansion inhabited by a possible bride to the fey to a fey’s version of Neddful Things – the ideas contained in these pages are massive and extensive and all but the most burnt-out DMs ought to be inspired by one or more of these – and my skirting around the peculiars of these (and the impulses) is intentional: I do not want to spoil these.

Faeire Creatures ought to be unpredictable, and thus we also are introduced to some variants – take the blackthorn dryad, who is essentially a dryad/kyton mix (including cool, unique signature abilities), the beautiful Green Hag variant Harionna who may fight with dread hooks embedded in her hair (!!!) or the Stormkarl Nixie, bound to a waterfall and emitting those that hear his laments – and yes, fellow aficionados of Scandinavian myths might be grinning right now.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to Legendary Games’ elegant 2-column full-color standard for Kingmaker plug-ins, though it should be noted that this supplement, more than others, can enrich just about every campaign. The copious amounts of awesome full color artworks are nice. The pdf comes fully bookmarked and hyperlinked, here and there even to inspiring reading material.

I did not expect to like this. After the somewhat mediocre Faerie Passions, I postponed reviewing this to kingdom come and when one patron made a generous donation on my site and asked me to review a couple of Mythic Minis and Mythic Monsters, I made these my priority for LG-files. Well, here I am now and Todd Stewart, Jason Nelson and Alistair Rigg have actually done it – this is one exceedingly glorious, awesome supplement, a hazard toolbox par excellence that is intelligent, cool and iconic – a supplement that can enrich ANY module featuring fey. Breathing the proper sense of weirdness, fey impulses are a simple idea that is easy to grasp and brilliant at the same time, with both toolkit and samples given being just awesome. The variant creatures make for nice icings on this awesome cake and while personally, I would have loved to see even more impulses, I won’t hold this against the pdf. Any DM running e.g. “Courts of the Shadow Fey” or similar glorious fey-themed modules should consider this a must-have purchase – 5 stars + seal of approval, given without even a the slightest hesitation.

Endzeitgeist out.

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RPG Review – Three Faces of the Muse

December 28, 2014 by Paco G. Jaen

By Endzeitgeist

Three Faces of the Muse clocks in at 51 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 46 pages of content, so let’s take a look, shall we?

Before we begin, I should mention that this is an adventure review and as such contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

All right, still here? Okay, first of all, all you history and art-buffs out there, especially those with some knowledge in Renaissance art and the greats will have a field day here: Imagine a vast cathedral, where an artist called Michello, known for his superb magical crafting prowess died while making his epic fresco. Remind you of something? Yeah.

Now in a fantasy world, that wouldn’t be too big of an issue – alas, the cathedral has since been haunted by strange phenomena and the artist’s soul remains lost. Enter the PCs, as they explore the massive cathedral – fully mapped and coming with player-friendly maps, btw. And these renaissance-style drawings reminiscent in style and execution of DaVinci’s famous drawings are simply AWESOME, even for the high standards of AAW Games.

Now while the goal is clearly defined in the resuscitation of Michello, in order to succeed, the PCs will have to brave the cathedral, which proves to be surprisingly deadly – choirs of madness-inducing allips (complete with sample insanities) and various, cool foes make for a challenging if not exceedingly lethal first part. Where the module becomes thoroughly awesome is with the second act – turns out, an asura called Aprame-Vara-Dharme, muse of Michello, has (kind of) claimed the artist’s soul. Via some detective work and clues, the PCs will find that taking the pigments and completed brush of Michello to finish the fresco.

Upon completion, the PCs have to venture into the thus opened demiplane in one of the most iconic scenes I’ve read in a while and brave the dangers of the Elysian fields and vanquish diverse, weird threats and finally the asura to free the soul of Michello. The module also provides an xp-per-encounter run-down and a new item as well as statblocks for both D&D 3.5 and PFRPG for the challenges herein.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn’t notice any significant glitches. Layout adheres to a drop-dead, gorgeous 2-column full-color standard, testament to Joshua Gullion’s prowess and talents – they will be sorely missed. The pdf comes fully bookmarked with nested bookmarks and the cartography by author Michael Allen is superb and fits the module’s theme.

Wow. Even by AAW Games’ standards, this module is one glorious blast – the encounters are inspired, the theme is uncommon, the hints and nudges towards real life are there, but unobtrusive and not distracting at all and the added twist of the fate of Michello and the cool villain make for an overall cool experience. Now if you’ve read “Gallery of Evil” – this is essentially superior in just about every way. It’s smarter, the encounters are more diverse and the second act is just weird in all the right ways. Author Michael Allen delivers in spades here – this is a great module and worth every cent. We need more unique modules of this quality – 5 stars + seal of approval: A module not only for art and history buffs, but also for everyone who looks for a thematic change of pace and truly iconic imagery.

Endzeitgeist out.

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