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Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (P1)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/29/2020 11:16:54

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This expanded version of RSP's Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let's take a look at the settlement!

The settlement’s original settlement statblock was, oddly, cut, but the revised version does come with a nice little marketplace section as well as the classic notes for villager appearances, dresses and nomenclature. As always, we receive 6 whispers and rumors that help keep the PCs on their toes/drive along proceedings and village lore.

Cartography is provided by the expert skills of Maciej Zagorski. Notable locations include various families and their interaction with their somewhat “benevolent” overlord. Anyways, the pdf sports some seriously nice b/w-artworks of the dilapidated hovels, and the expanded version now comes with full elaborations regarding trade and industry, and the section on customs and traditions does come with a potentially creepy and interesting angle. The dressing/event table has been expanded to a full 20 entries, which is a big benefit regarding the ability to make the place come alive in a dynamic manner. We also get quite a bit of information regarding the surrounding locality. The pdf includes a selection of 6 NPCs, presented in Raging Swan Press’ usual flavor-centric standards.

The following is important to know about, but may be considered to be SPOILERS. Potential players should skip ahead.

… .. .

All right, only GMs around? Great!

Bleakflat! What a name. I have rarely read a village with a name that evoked desolation quite to the extent as this does, so from a nomenclature angle, we're off to a good start. From barren soil rises a rocky bluff far from any dungeons, ley lines, trade routes, or, yes, reasons to traverse the desolate waste. And the leitmotif carries over to the local populace, who, with relatively listless gait, slurp watery mutton soups in silence. Bereft of special talents, armed forces or the like, one cannot help but wonder how the local population manages to fend off the wolves and giant bats that seem to have no compunctions about attacking travelers. Well, the reason is as easily evident as the expert roleplayer may have guessed: The warm and welcoming mayor is actually a vampire who tends to "his" humans as a benevolent farmer would...but relations tend to become strained when his elitist dhampir daughter (ironically, more despicable than her full-blown undead father...) and her treatment of the humans are concerned...and when he has undead guests, they don't always behave. Did I mention the blood baths...oh, and the bleakwood, where the vampires sometimes hunt for the thrill and sport of the chase? Yeah. They're vampires. What did you expect? Sparkling? Regarding his psycho-kid: The pdf remarks "Aldrich hopes this is just a phase." This sentence, usually connotated with parents talking about their goth/punk/whatever kids perfectly exemplifies the mindset of the master of this place and really made me smile. Oh, and obviously, horses are not used for riding round here - they are food for the roaming giant bats...

/SPOILERS

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to RSP's smooth, printer-friendly two-column standard and the pdf comes with full bookmarks as well as a gorgeous map, of which you can, as always, download high-res jpegs if you join RSP's patreon. The pdf comes in two versions, with one being optimized for screen-use and one to be printed out.

Jeff Gomez' Bleakflat is interesting in that its theme of decrepitude is supplemented by a leitmotif of conflict between generations and a bit of social commentary, if you're inclined to read that into the supplement: The population needs their master to survive, but at the same time is slowly destroyed by him. Sounds pretty much like dominant employers in remote communities everywhere to me. Anyways, the settlement is nice, has some thematically consistent angles and can go in several ways, depending on the morality of the PCs and how the GM elects to depict the situation - from full-blown horror to shades of grey "lesser of evils"-gameplay, there is a lot of potential here. The revised edition had a chance to add some interesting mechanics, which seemed very much like a sensible idea as far as I’m concerned, but the new flavor is nice. If you already have Bleakflat’s original iteration, I’d probably give this a pass, though. If you don’t have Bleakflat’s original version, consider this to be a 5-star offering. Otherwise, this’ll be somewhere closer to 3.5-4 stars. As such, my final verdict will be 4.5 stars, rounded down.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (P1)
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Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (P2)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/29/2020 11:15:52

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This expanded version of RSP's Village Backdrop-series, available for the first time in PF2, is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let's take a look at the settlement!

The settlement’s nice little marketplace section has been properly adjusted for PF2, and we get the classic notes for villager appearances, dressing habits and nomenclature. As always, we receive 6 whispers and rumors that help keep the PCs on their toes/drive along proceedings and village lore. I’d have liked to see the rumors perhaps integrate a bit better with PF2’s (critical) success/failure design-paradigm, but skill-wise, the correct ones to glean the pertinent information are employed.

Cartography is provided by the expert skills of Maciej Zagorski. Notable locations include various families and their interaction with their somewhat “benevolent” overlord. Anyways, the pdf sports some seriously nice b/w-artworks of the dilapidated hovels, and the expanded version now comes with full elaborations regarding trade and industry, and the section on customs and traditions does come with a potentially creepy and interesting angle. The dressing/event table has been expanded to a full 20 entries, which is a big benefit regarding the ability to make the place come alive in a dynamic manner. We also get quite a bit of information regarding the surrounding locality. The pdf includes a selection of 6 NPCs, presented in Raging Swan Press’ usual flavor-centric standards, but without much detail regarding mechanics – considering that PF2 is a young system and that this was released prior to the NPC-building guidelines, that’s okay, but in the long run, getting some unique attack options or abilities would at least be nice.

The following is important to know about, but may be considered to be SPOILERS. Potential players should skip ahead.

… .. .

All right, only GMs around? Great!

Bleakflat! What a name. I have rarely read a village with a name that evoked desolation quite to the extent as this does, so from a nomenclature angle, we're off to a good start. From barren soil rises a rocky bluff far from any dungeons, ley lines, trade routes, or, yes, reasons to traverse the desolate waste. And the leitmotif carries over to the local populace, who, with relatively listless gait, slurp watery mutton soups in silence. Bereft of special talents, armed forces or the like, one cannot help but wonder how the local population manages to fend off the wolves and giant bats that seem to have no compunctions about attacking travelers. Well, the reason is as easily evident as the expert roleplayer may have guessed: The warm and welcoming mayor is actually a vampire who tends to "his" humans as a benevolent farmer would...but relations tend to become strained when his elitist dhampir daughter (ironically, more despicable than her full-blown undead father...) and her treatment of the humans are concerned...and when he has undead guests, they don't always behave. Did I mention the blood baths...oh, and the bleakwood, where the vampires sometimes hunt for the thrill and sport of the chase? Yeah. They're vampires. What did you expect? Sparkling? Regarding his psycho-kid: The pdf remarks "Aldrich hopes this is just a phase." This sentence, usually connotated with parents talking about their goth/punk/whatever kids perfectly exemplifies the mindset of the master of this place and really made me smile. Oh, and obviously, horses are not used for riding round here - they are food for the roaming giant bats... As far as system is concerned, I do think that blood baths and the local customs would have benefited from stating them in PF2’s manifold mechanical options.

/SPOILERS

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to RSP's smooth, printer-friendly two-column standard and the pdf comes with full bookmarks as well as a gorgeous map, of which you can, as always, download high-res jpegs if you join RSP's patreon. The pdf comes in two versions, with one being optimized for screen-use and one to be printed out.

Jeff Gomez' Bleakflat is interesting in that its theme of decrepitude is supplemented by a leitmotif of conflict between generations and a bit of social commentary, if you're inclined to read that into the supplement: The population needs their master to survive, but at the same time is slowly destroyed by him. Sounds pretty much like dominant employers in remote communities everywhere to me. Anyways, the settlement is nice, has some thematically consistent angles and can go in several ways, depending on the morality of the PCs and how the GM elects to depict the situation - from full-blown horror to shades of grey "lesser of evils"-gameplay, there is a lot of potential here. The PF2-version of the revised edition had a chance to add some interesting mechanics, which seemed very much like a sensible idea as far as I’m concerned, but the new flavor is nice. In a way, this is a “straight” conversion – it translates what’s here, but doesn’t really dive into the options that PF2 has available. That being said, in this instance, it didn’t necessarily have to do that in order to remain compelling – that would have elevated this to seal of approval levels, but oh well. This is still a very compelling and fun village, and while this loses points for being a pretty linear conversion, it’s also the first time Bleakflat’s available for PF2, which is why my final verdict will be slightly more lenient and clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded down.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (P2)
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Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (5e)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/29/2020 11:14:17

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This expanded version of RSP's Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let's take a look at the settlement!

The settlement’s nice little marketplace section has been properly adjusted for 5e, and we get the classic notes for villager appearances, dressing habits and nomenclature. As always, we receive 6 whispers and rumors that help keep the PCs on their toes/drive along proceedings and village lore, with the checks properly adjusted.

Cartography is provided by the expert skills of Maciej Zagorski. Notable locations include various families and their interaction with their somewhat “benevolent” overlord. Anyways, the pdf sports some seriously nice b/w-artworks of the dilapidated hovels, and the expanded version now comes with full elaborations regarding trade and industry, and the section on customs and traditions does come with a potentially creepy and interesting angle. The dressing/event table has been expanded to a full 20 entries, which is a big benefit regarding the ability to make the place come alive in a dynamic manner. We also get quite a bit of information regarding the surrounding locality. The pdf includes a selection of 6 NPCs, presented in Raging Swan Press’ usual flavor-centric standards, with references pointing towards established creatures; getting some noes on a kind of Template for use in 5e would have been nice, though.

The following is important to know about, but may be considered to be SPOILERS. Potential players should skip ahead.

… .. .

All right, only GMs around? Great!

Bleakflat! What a name. I have rarely read a village with a name that evoked desolation quite to the extent as this does, so from a nomenclature angle, we're off to a good start. From barren soil rises a rocky bluff far from any dungeons, ley lines, trade routes, or, yes, reasons to traverse the desolate waste. And the leitmotif carries over to the local populace, who, with relatively listless gait, slurp watery mutton soups in silence. Bereft of special talents, armed forces or the like, one cannot help but wonder how the local population manages to fend off the wolves and giant bats that seem to have no compunctions about attacking travelers. Well, the reason is as easily evident as the expert roleplayer may have guessed: The warm and welcoming mayor is actually a vampire who tends to "his" humans as a benevolent farmer would...but relations tend to become strained when his elitist dhampir daughter (ironically, more despicable than her full-blown undead father...) and her treatment of the humans are concerned...and when he has undead guests, they don't always behave. Did I mention the blood baths...oh, and the bleakwood, where the vampires sometimes hunt for the thrill and sport of the chase? Yeah. They're vampires. What did you expect? Sparkling? Regarding his psycho-kid: The pdf remarks "Aldrich hopes this is just a phase." This sentence, usually connotated with parents talking about their goth/punk/whatever kids perfectly exemplifies the mindset of the master of this place and really made me smile. Oh, and obviously, horses are not used for riding round here - they are food for the roaming giant bats... As far as system is concerned, vampires in 5e are less template-driven than in e.g. PFRPG – getting a quick way to make e.g. a “vampire spellcaster, as noted by the NPCs” (that’s the reference of one of the NPCs), or better yet, proper stats, would have been nice. I’d also have loved to see a few lair actions for the bloodbaths, while we’re at it.

/SPOILERS

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to RSP's smooth, printer-friendly two-column standard and the pdf comes with full bookmarks as well as a gorgeous map, of which you can, as always, download high-res jpegs if you join RSP's patreon. The pdf comes in two versions, with one being optimized for screen-use and one to be printed out.

Jeff Gomez' Bleakflat is interesting in that its theme of decrepitude is supplemented by a leitmotif of conflict between generations and a bit of social commentary, if you're inclined to read that into the supplement: The population needs their master to survive, but at the same time is slowly destroyed by him. Sounds pretty much like dominant employers in remote communities everywhere to me. Anyways, the settlement is nice, has some thematically consistent angles and can go in several ways, depending on the morality of the PCs and how the GM elects to depict the situation - from full-blown horror to shades of grey "lesser of evils"-gameplay, there is a lot of potential here. This is a “straight” conversion – it is a nice expansion of the cool village, but if you have the original already, it’s less compelling. If you don’t have Bleakflat’s original version, consider this to be a good offering. It is somewhat weak regarding its potential regarding mechanical expansions – the original got a pass based on the strength of the concept, but for the expansion, I can’t help but be puzzled regarding the fact that this doesn’t add more 5e-specific components, when the context basically demands it. As such, my final verdict will be 3.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (5e)
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Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (OSR)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/29/2020 11:13:12

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This expanded version of RSP's Village Backdrop-series, available for the first time forOSR-games, is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let's take a look at the settlement!

The settlement’s nice little marketplace section has been properly adjusted for OSR-games, and we get the classic notes for villager appearances, dressing habits and nomenclature. As always, we receive 6 whispers and rumors that help keep the PCs on their toes/drive along proceedings and village lore.

Cartography is provided by the expert skills of Maciej Zagorski. Notable locations include various families and their interaction with their somewhat “benevolent” overlord. Anyways, the pdf sports some seriously nice b/w-artworks of the dilapidated hovels, and the expanded version now comes with full elaborations regarding trade and industry, and the section on customs and traditions does come with a potentially creepy and interesting angle. The dressing/event table has been expanded to a full 20 entries, which is a big benefit regarding the ability to make the place come alive in a dynamic manner. We also get quite a bit of information regarding the surrounding locality. The pdf includes a selection of 6 NPCs, presented in Raging Swan Press’ usual flavor-centric standards.

The following is important to know about, but may be considered to be SPOILERS. Potential players should skip ahead.

… .. .

All right, only GMs around? Great!

Bleakflat! What a name. I have rarely read a village with a name that evoked desolation quite to the extent as this does, so from a nomenclature angle, we're off to a good start. From barren soil rises a rocky bluff far from any dungeons, ley lines, trade routes, or, yes, reasons to traverse the desolate waste. And the leitmotif carries over to the local populace, who, with relatively listless gait, slurp watery mutton soups in silence. Bereft of special talents, armed forces or the like, one cannot help but wonder how the local population manages to fend off the wolves and giant bats that seem to have no compunctions about attacking travelers. Well, the reason is as easily evident as the expert roleplayer may have guessed: The warm and welcoming mayor is actually a vampire who tends to "his" humans as a benevolent farmer would...but relations tend to become strained when his elitist dhampir daughter (ironically, more despicable than her full-blown undead father...) and her treatment of the humans are concerned...and when he has undead guests, they don't always behave.

Did I mention the blood baths...oh, and the bleakwood, where the vampires sometimes hunt for the thrill and sport of the chase? Yeah. They're vampires. What did you expect? Sparkling? Regarding his psycho-kid: The pdf remarks "Aldrich hopes this is just a phase." This sentence, usually connotated with parents talking about their goth/punk/whatever kids perfectly exemplifies the mindset of the master of this place and really made me smile. Oh, and obviously, horses are not used for riding round here - they are food for the roaming giant bats... As far as system is concerned, the supplement lacks any specifics regarding the environments or adversaries herein – so, alas, this is less of an OSR-version, and should be considered to be essentially the 2.0-version of the system neutral iteration of the first edition of Bleakflat.

/SPOILERS

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to RSP's smooth, printer-friendly two-column standard and the pdf comes with full bookmarks as well as a gorgeous map, of which you can, as always, download high-res jpegs if you join RSP's patreon. The pdf comes in two versions, with one being optimized for screen-use and one to be printed out.

Jeff Gomez' Bleakflat is interesting in that its theme of decrepitude is supplemented by a leitmotif of conflict between generations and a bit of social commentary, if you're inclined to read that into the supplement: The population needs their master to survive, but at the same time is slowly destroyed by him. Sounds pretty much like dominant employers in remote communities everywhere to me. Anyways, the settlement is nice, has some thematically consistent angles and can go in several ways, depending on the morality of the PCs and how the GM elects to depict the situation - from full-blown horror to shades of grey "lesser of evils"-gameplay, there is a lot of potential here. This OSR-version is actually “just” the expanded version of the system neutral original iteration of Bleakflat. Particularly considering how easy making OSR-stats is, and that they have significantly less demands regarding space, it’d have been nice to see some stats for the NPCs here. If you don’t have Bleakflat’s original system neutral version, consider this to be a 5-star offering – it low on crunch, but per se solid. Otherwise, this’ll be somewhere closer to 3.5-4 stars. As such, my final verdict will be 4.5 stars, rounded down.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Village Backdrop: Bleakflat 2.0 (OSR)
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Tyranny of the Black Tower
Publisher: Verisimilitude Society Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/28/2020 12:07:10

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This module clocks in at 24 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page back cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page advertisement, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 19 pages, so let’s take a look!

This review was moved up in my reviewing queue at the request of my patreon supporters.

This module is intended for characters level 3 – 5, and while no numbers are given, I’d recommend around 6 players for it. The module uses the Swords & Wizardry rules, and adaptation to other OSR- rules is pretty simple; there are a few deviations regarding formatting S&W’s conventions. Magic items, for example, are not properly depicted and are sometimes in the regular text sans highlighting, which makes parsing for information a hassle. The referee will also need to fill quite a few of the treasures – scrolls and magic items are not fixed, and spellbooks are also not fully depicted, with only spells prepared noted.

The module’s final 3 pages are devoted to sidetreks, which include a full map of temple crypts, but only two of the rooms noted on the map are actually provided – the rest is up to the referee. Stats for a local goblin tribe’s warriors and their chief are provided. The presence of the bonus map is welcome, though it does bring me to an issue you might encounter: None of the maps are provided in player-friendly versions, and while there are charming in being obviously hand-drawn, they are missing a grid, and thus don’t support VTT-play particularly well, with secret door “S”-indicators obvious, and the grid’s lack making the tracking of individuals tactically rather difficult. Also something to note: The way in which the rooms of the dungeon re numbered threw me in for a loop; it may be only a personal idiosyncrasy here, but from the numbers alone, you won’t be able to discern the approximate place where the room is in the dungeon unless you have the map ready. Room #18 of the dungeon, for example, is in the lower right section; room #20 is in the upper left section.

Speaking of which: The module is potentially pretty deadly and has a few potential “Gotcha”-moments, though the module does not revel in those; so yeah – deadly, but can be managed by skilled players. Unlike the first module released by Verisimilitude Society Press, this one is not as reliant on global lore to fully enjoy, working pretty seamlessly as a stand-alone offering. As far as read-aloud text is concerned, we do not get read-aloud text for rooms, but do get sentences that paraphrase what NPCs mention.

All right, and this is as far as I can go without diving into SPOILERS. Potential players should jump ahead to the conclusion.

… .. .

All right, only referees around? Great! The module takes place in the fully mapped village of Sacrabad, which once prospered under the goodly wizard Thonilly Bibotrob, who watched over them from his black tower. …I actually like this twist, as usual, black towers are pretty much an indicator of evil wizards, but yeah. Good, powerful magic-user + black tower – nice. Though it should be noted that we have more of a fort or keep than a tower here – the place has only 2 levels + an observation deck. Anyhow, the town’s steward and beloved knight, Nim Sheog the Elder, alas, passed away, only to be replaced by Nim the Son, who is nothing like his father. Bibotrob has not been seen in over 50 years, and Nim the Son has established an iron-clad rule of tyranny on the village, lording over the populace from the occupied black tower.

The true story is pretty obvious: Nim the Son started studying magic under Thonilly Bibotrob, stretching to forces beyond his ken and ability to control; duly alarmed, father and archmage conversed, and Nim the Younger listened, ultimately eliminating his own father and managing to trap the kindly archmage. In recent times, Nim the Younger has ordered allied goblins to help clear the still dangerous rooms housing Thonilly Bibotrob’s experiments, being more or less subtle with that.

The module begins with a pretty solid first section that introduces the PCs to the realities in Sacrabad, and has them ultimately unearth the fact that there’s a resistance movement going on; it is via roleplaying and proper interaction that the PCs can learn more here – and they should, for Nim the Son and his guards are no pushovers. The section also provides some solid red herrings, which I appreciated.

Ultimately, the module can be roughly divided in two sections: The first, which consists of the legwork and investigation, and the second, which is about venturing into the keep’s dungeon to rescue Bibotrob in a dungeon-crawl section. The goal, obviously, is to overthrow Nim the Son, which the powerful archmage will handle. The dungeon has no less than 4 means of egress, which is something I genuinely found myself enjoying – kudos there!

Also a plus: The dungeon does feel like a wizard’s containment lab: We have, for example, a unique monster, the Night Sky Horror, which has super-long tentacles (seen on the cover) – this’d work better if the rooms/maps actually had a grid to determine precise reach of the tentacles. As written, the module for example notes that the thing can reach down a pit trap, but determining precise length? Difficult to always determine. The “Rat King, a telepathic amalgamation of fused rats with 8 attacks that sports a save or die disease (ouch!) also is cool: It is slow, and such can be avoided. However, its confusion-causing telepathy would require a range. There also is a basilisk at one point, but there are statues warning the players. From a smoking parlor to a section sporting hallucinatory terrain, the complex has some cool angles.

There are a few issues with the module’s structure: The adventure sets up a pretty cool investigation and infiltration, which I genuinely like seeing. However, with no scale or grid, the maps of the tower remain a bit more opaque than I like. Moreover, there are no patrolling schedules provided, which seems odd, considering Nim the Son does have notes on a schedule of sorts. So, while the schedule’s here, the heavy lifting is left to the GM to undertake. The finale is also a problem – a good module shouldn’t necessarily reduce the PCs to sidekicks, but that’s probably what they’ll be in the conflict between the powerful wizards. The archmage is btw. imprisoned in one of the complex’s two mirrors of imprisonment, which obviously can also be one of the gotcha-moments mentioned before. Traps generally are not always sensible – there is, for example, a corridor that houses a pit trap without a convenient way to disable it – another pit trap states that it takes a minimum number of people to trigger it (makes sense), but yeah..

This is in as far all puzzling, as the module obviously had pages to fill – the “bonus content”, while okay, could have been better spent to actually flesh out the module’s finale, potential actions by the resistance to draw away guards – anything to make running the module smoother.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are decent, if certainly not impressive on both formal and rules-language level. Particularly jarring was Nim The Son being referenced as “Jian” suddenly out of left field, in what I assume to be a remnant of a name-change that threw me in for a loop. I noticed internal inconsistencies in formal criteria, deviations from established standards, etc. Layout adheres to a two-column b/w-standard, and the hand-drawn maps are charming, but not as useful as they should be. The lack of player-friendly maps is a comfort detriment. On the plus-side, the module is properly bookmarked.

Extildepo’s “Tyranny of the Black Tower” has a very promising set up and some genuinely cool ideas in the dungeon, but doesn’t properly develop them; the investigation/infiltration/revolution-angle, with a few more pages, could have made this a rough gem, even with its other issues, but as provided, the module falls rather short of its potential.

Oh, and in case you were having déjà-vu while I was describing this: Well, James Thomas’ Mystery at Ravenrock has pretty much the same angle, but does EVERYTHING better; higher production values, better maps, better executed infiltration, more rewarding exploration, etc. (And it has an entire module, Menace at Ravenreach, which sets up the incident, making it more immediate and personal!) The existence of these two modules makes it VERY hard to recommend this one, which is why, after much deliberation, my final verdict can’t exceed 2.5 stars, rounded down.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Tyranny of the Black Tower
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TEKUMEL®: Empire of the Petal Throne (TSR)
Publisher: The Tekumel Foundation
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/27/2020 12:31:36

An Endzeitgeist.com review of sorts

This book clocks in at 140 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages editorial, 2 pages ToC, 3 pages of advertisements, 4 pages left intentionally blank, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 127 pages of content.

I own both the hardcover, and the pdf-version. The hardcover sports the name on the spine, and the pdf can be properly searched, but only sports a very rudimentary 3 bookmarks, making navigation pretty much a chore – I strongly recommend getting print if you plan on spending time with this book. Layout is a two-column b/w-standard, with a couple of b/w-artworks, and LOTS of densely-packed text and tables. In modern days, this’d probably be twice its size.

So, to make this abundantly clear – this is NOT the usual review I write for products. It is more of an examination of why I like Empire of the Petal Throne, and why you may or may not feel the same.

Why no regular review?

Because I, as a person, as opposed to me in my capacity as a reviewer, love Tékumel.

This love, however, is highly subjective and, to a degree, based on my own non-gaming related interests, and less on a neutral assessment of objective quality. At the same time, I think that the reasons why I love this may well be the reason why others will absolutely despise it. So this format it is.

Why now? Well, it turns out that the book is now available as a PoD, and I, too young to ever get my hands on the boxed set (which released in 1975, one year after a self-published iteration), couldn’t resist.

Let’s start with perhaps the reason why you may not enjoy Tékumel: Originally released 1975, the book is, formally, brutally archaic to modern sensibilities. This extends to information design, an incredible density of information in massive textblocks, and a rules-presentation that, while functional, is clearly a product of its time. The most charming instance for this, in some ways, would be the suggestion to make custom dice via painting over numbers on a d20 – which makes sense, there simply were no weirdo dice like the ones we use in DCC etc. On the plus-side, navigating this tome is actually easier than I expected, more structured and certainly easier to reference than many comparable books. If you’re particularly prude, I should also mention that there are exposed boobs in some artworks – while these never struck me as sexualized, I’m also a European, so if you have an issue with that, consider yourself warned.

All of this notwithstanding, there is plenty of material in the rules that can be adapted rather easily to “modern” OSR-games. (Now that sounds oxymoronic, I know, but you get my drift.) We have HD etc., a custom spellcasting engine with limitations, level-titles, and more. If you are familiar with contemporary OSR-games, a lot will be familiar to you here. There are essentially three core classes, and the book uses percentile-based character creation, which can result in hugely swingy characters. This is still relatively easy to adjust for if you are e.g. assuming the power-level of Swords & Wizardry, though. Character creation, even if you are not familiar with the game, is pretty swift and can be done in less than 10 minutes.

In case you’re one of the people who were not even aware of Tékumel, I can give you a brief run-down, which MIGHT be construed to be SPOILERS for players.

Players should best skip ahead to the end of the SPOILERS. Seriously, Tékumel, as a player, is best experienced without prior knowledge.

… .. .

Okay, only referees around? All right! Picture a super high-tech civilization spanning the stars, a true interstellar empire. They found this world, and it’s poisonous and strange – red jungles, poisonous plants, hostile local civilizations. Undaunted, they start terraforming the place and wage war; humanity not only radically annihilates essentially the planet’s previous flora and fauna and introduces their own, they also best the local civilizations and force them to retreat, beaten and battered. It is essentially an extreme form of colonialism that subjects the very nature of the planet to the whims of the colonizers.

Then, something happened, and Tékumel was cast into the void – the stars vanished, and only sun, moons, etc. remain – otherwise, the sky is DARK. This, predictably, collapsed the stellar colonialist empire – particularly since the planet has next to no iron, making it vastly more valuable than gold. So far, so common, right? Well, fast forward around 25,000 years.

In many ways, magic items are ill-understood old super-tech, buried beneath the earth; creatures and their strange niches are explained as beings either suited to a different eco-system, or just brought in by the colonists….but nobody in the world truly knows this. Since then, ancient empires have risen and fallen, and a series of unique civilizations have risen from the ashes.

Magic items, primarily in the guises of “eyes” are thus found under the earth, and are essentially super-science considered to be magic by everybody. Still, it should be noted that this is NOT science-fantasy. This entire angle is obscure, very obscure indeed, and players will probably never notice unless you want them to, but the referee should know about it.

/SPOILERS,

And I mean “unique” when I call the civilizations discussed herein thus. They are NOT just mash-ups of civilizations we have on earth; they are weird, interesting and novel, and present a truly holistic vision of a fantasy unlike any we’ve read. While Arneson and Gygax providing the introduction certainly establishes credits here, it bears mentioning that the comparison to Tolkien is suitable, it also is inaccurate, as Tolkien heavily drew on concepts established in Germanic myths and elaborated, while Tékumel is obviously a setting that presents a vision starkly distinct from even most modern (indie) games.

This originality is, ultimately, based on a rigorous intellectual conceptualization of the campaign setting: Tékumel has basically no four-legged animals; 6 are common, but we have no horses, no cows, no cats, etc. – instead, we have a distinct and strange, often wondrous fauna that is well-represented in the bestiary-section. But that’s not the draw for me: What made me smile here, is that the author genuinely thought about the implications of the lack of e.g. horses. No cavalry, and as a result, highways are crafted differently (raised and fortified, with three tracks depending on status) – and other things change as well. There is a thorough consistency here that truly renders the setting plausible.

The book also is, in some ways, ahead of its time: While it does pay lip-service to the notions of good and evil, particularly with the gods and their cohorts (there are 5 good and 5 evil gods, plus their cohorts), the book also remarks that they’re inscrutable and not THAT different from each other; the “evil” gods do engage in some “evil” behavior, of course, but considering the monolithic simplifications the alignment system still imposes on many games, I found it rewarding to find an acknowledgement of relativity, no matter how subdued. When it e.g. comes to detect spells, they discern hostile intent, which is imho much more interesting than the more common implementations. Did I mention the rules for beseeching them for divine intervention? These are level-based, and rather neat – almost like a very early proto-DCC Invoke Patron.

But I digress. Don’t get me wrong: The majority of this book is devoted to rules that are, to modern sensibilities, archaic; not bad or badly-presented, mind you, but not something I’d go out of my way to play.

And yet, I positively adore this book, and the reason for that lies in the lore. To be more specific, the consistency and detail provided for Tékumel has truly captured my imagination – while numerology (!!) etc. are their own supplements, the overview of the campaign setting provided here has set my mind ablaze: From politics between factions to bloodsports to the wiles of deities, there is an internal logic to everything; this is a fantasy unlike any I’ve read before or since, and its emphasis on clans, obligations, etc. over regular currency and the like puts a very different emphasis on what’s happening.

One of the reasons for that would be Tsolyáni. What’s that? Well, it’s the language assumed as a default, and it comes with its own glyphs and unique way of writing it – and yes, you can learn the script with this book! As an aside: Other languages are covered in their own files, but this first exposure to Tsolyáni? It really excites me in a profound way. Scripts with English translations, pronunciation guides, and its sheer alien aesthetics…I love it. I really do. And oddly, this fascination has exceeded the one I have for similar invented languages.

…I know, I’m a weirdo, but one can really see that M.A.R. Barker’s professions were linguistics and anthropology in his writing. For context: I’m one of the guys who read Frazer’s “The Golden Bough” (not the abridged version) and actually had fun with it. Tsolyáni is genuinely fun to me. Learning to write the glyphs? Yeah, I’m actually getting into that. I’m not even kidding you.

This language, however, also might well be a reason for plenty of people to look at this, and turn their backs on the setting. Memorizing the names of people and places is already not too simple, for the setting’s overview is provided in one of the most densely-packed pieces of wall-of-text I’ve ever encountered in a roleplaying supplement, and once you add to that Tsolyáni names, you arrive at a setting overview that is nigh-impossible to just quickly gloss over. This requires prolonged concentration and immersion, perhaps something that some people might consider to be strenuous in this digital age.

It’s imho worth it. The setting overview of its empires and politics, of the wealth of adventuring potential, of the customs, etc., is simply inspiring in the truest sense of the word. However, it is not handed to you in a convenient manner and requires perhaps more dedication to get into than many will deign to grant it. Even if you disregard the rules herein, Tékumel is not a setting you briefly skim over and then play. It requires that you pour yourself your beverage of choice and calmly settle into this new world. Wills, testaments, marriages – all provided, and before you ask, women can declare themselves as equals to men and thus enjoy full rights, but also the corresponding responsibilities. In many ways, this setting is surprisingly progressive without feeling like it’s pandering or censoring itself. (Like e.g. those sucky horror settings that try super-hard to avoid offending anyone…)

Speaking of which: This sheer unfamiliarity and novelty (and yes, I am aware of the irony of ascribing this moniker to a world that’s 45 years old…what does that say about contemporary fantasy?) exuded by Tékumel is also represented in the equipment. Barring copious amounts of iron, the hide of certain animals is alchemically-treated and used for armor, and the strangeness, the novelty of the setting, also extends to cultural norms regarding citizenship, slavery, etc. – some of these components become evident between the lines, in the equipment and encumbrance lists, in the lore regarding the fauna…and the book knows this, as the default start for adventuring is to have the PCs simply arrive in Jakalla (fully mapped), a port city, as newcomers to the Tsolyáni empire, essentially strangers in a strange land.

So, why am not (yet) talking about the two Swords & Glory books that go into much more detail than this one? That don’t spend as much time with rules you (probably) aren’t going to use in their entirety, and which I’ve been pretty vocal about not being impressed by?

Simple: Because this book here, while densely packed with information (in fact, I considered the lore on my first read-through to be more exerting to process than the rules), is a great way to check out Tékumel, to see whether it’s for you, whether you and your players can handle/enjoy the setting – it imposes an above-average cognitive load upon you, but it never does so self-indulgently; it acknowledges this fact freely, encourages the reader, etc. – it is written from the position of an assumption of competence, which is indeed refreshing to observe.

To make that abundantly clear: The book consists primarily of rules used for play in Tékumel, and I ignore most of them and only use them as a guideline to translate them into a more common OSR-game. This is possible due to them being here; the rules are entwined with the setting, and they are archaic enough to warrant even a conversion to more mainstream old school systems. It’s not bad, mind you – it’s just clunky, but considering its age, it has retained its viability remarkably well. Still, it’d be rather easy to poke holes into this and criticize it, but that would also not exactly be fair; in fact, it’d be a disservice to the vision. That being said, if I were to rate this book solely on the basis of its mechanical virtues in comparison to other contemporary old-school roleplaying supplements, it’d, at best, score 3 stars.

However, it is somewhat weird, but the lore and world itself, including the mechanical representation of it, are a great indicator of whether you and yours want to embark on a journey to Tékumel.

So yeah, if you never heard of Tékumel, this is the book I’d recommend checking out. It has all the stuff you need to play; its rules are easy to adjust to old-school systems, and it will change how you play the game; the rules imply realities that are very different from that of e.g. Greyhawk or Mystara, and are interwoven with the lore to generate a tapestry both wondrous and profound, of a culture that never was, of a fantasy that is radically different from any other setting I’ve read.

If the strength and consistency of the vision strikes a chord with you, you’ll love it and forevermore be under the spell of Tékumel. If it didn’t, then you’ll probably come away from this hating it – but at least have a book that is a window towards the start of the hobby we all love and enjoy.

Tékumel requires time and patience to get a feel for, and is pretty much the antithesis of “yet another setting inspired by xyz-culture/mashup of X cultures”; if most fantasy worlds are intellectual fast food, easy to contextualize and grasp, then this is obscure slow food that is very much an acquired taste, that takes time and effort to consume and properly digest.

This book, like the setting, is one that feels like it fell out of place and time, orbiting now its very own sphere, under a starless sky. It is timeless and odd, and I certainly don’t begrudge anyone hating it – in many ways, this may be one of the most polarizing things I’ve ever covered.

If that sounds interesting to you, then this most assuredly is a great way to take a look at this often-forgotten gem of a world. For me, as a person, this is a 5-star file, and I think you’ll either love it, or hate it – not due to some metrics or guidelines, but because its strikes a chord with you…or not.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
TEKUMEL®:  Empire of the Petal Throne (TSR)
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Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 5 More Æthercraft (Troika! Compatible)
Publisher: Axes & Orcs
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/27/2020 12:28:53

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The fifth installment of this series of mini-zinis providing essentially spelljamming rules/rules-conversions for Troika! clocks in at 4 pages – the pages are presented in a broad, landscape style, and can be folded in the middle to make a digest-sized booklet, so it’s more closer to 7 digest-sized pages than 4; the first page of the pdf contains the front cover, as well as supplemental text, while the other 3 each provide a new dogfighting-sized æthercraft.

First of all, the Locksley MK 9 and two of the new æthercraft herein are classified as moon-rat vessels, and glade at maneuver ½, with SR 1. The WNG-F/LC has an enclosed cockpit and twin fire-linked engine-mounted fusils. How is fire-linking represented? Two attack rolls per attack. Makes sense. As before, the vessels are portrayed as a silhouette, and come with weight, wing-span (also, thank the spheres, with values in both imperial system and metric system), and its cargo is contingent on whether it’s designed to carry cargo or passengers. This one also has two engines – a fact elaborated in the text, which, in combination with the previous examples and fuel-rules, actually can be rather interesting!

The second æthercraft, the Swyer no.3 also has fire-linked fusils, but those are mounted on the nose; with a SR of 9 and Armor 3, but relatively low Hull, it’s a surprisingly-resilient dogfighter, obviously designed to battle monsters and other vessels.

There is a third vessel, the L5er Fritillary, which can sail on its wings at SR 1 with no maneuver change – because it’s essentially a massive, genetic/arcane-engineered butterfly! I love this, and it’s weaker than the other vessels, but has a distinct engine – the butterfly has fire-linked thorn throwers that operate like crossbows, making these pretty great bosses for less experienced groups. They also showcase how you can use this engine without ever getting even close to scifi, steampunk or dieselpunk territory…or spelljamming, for that matter. Big kudos!

Speaking of which, the supplement comes with a couple of nice guidelines pertaining to Stars Without Number, called attacks and the like. Oh, and as an aside, with fire-linking now covered and the amount of material accumulated by now, we can use the Ætherjack’s Almanac series to relatively easily draw upon the wealth of e.g. Starfinder-ships without too much of a hassle.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no hiccups on a formal or rules-language level. Layout adheres, as noted, to a standard that lets you fold the supplement when printed into a digest-booklet. Color-wise, we have yellow/green this time around. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length. Artworks, as noted, are fitting, colored silhouettes. The pdf comes with a second b/w-version that is easier on the printer – kudos!

Ian Woolley’s Ætherjack’s Almanac-series is a genuine boon to Troika! The engine is fun, and while these pdfs are brief, they deliver quality. I consider them all appropriate, and considering that #2 and #3 combined unlock a TON of ships from a wide variety of systems, this series is most assuredly worth getting if you even remotely enjoy Troika! – particularly since Troika!’s Golden Barges etc. scream for these rules.  I can’t wait to see where the author goes with these. My final verdict will be 4.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 5 More Æthercraft (Troika! Compatible)
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Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 4 Shellfolk & Spheresailing (Troika! Compatible!)
Publisher: Axes & Orcs
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/24/2020 09:20:48

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The fourth of the pamphlet-style zinis dealing with spherejamming in Troika! once more clocks in at 2 pages, with half of one of those pages devoted to the cover image; once more, printing this and folding it in the middle is the intended use, so it’d be most prudent to think of this as a 3-page pdf suited for A5/6’’ by 9’’.

So, what are shell persons? Well, they are a new background of people with a bad immune system, which starts with a small golden barge, a megacredit student/ship loan debt and an autostell drone, as well as a variety of suitable skills. The background states that the character is encased in a sealed container 1/4th of the size of a human, which can be connected to ships to fly them. Hits kinda close to home for me, as I only narrowly avoided a fate of such isolation as a kid…but how can this be fun to play?

Well, first of all, it should be noted that we get full stats for the starting ship, using the ship rules introduced in volume 2. Additionally, you get to control the autostell drone – essentially vacuum cleaners with a knife and an attitude (pdf’s words – got a big chuckle out of me!), and these drones may be upgraded later (that’d be a cool future installment!), and we get a mien-array as well. So, essentially, we get a playable monster/pet here, which also acts as a tool for the GM. I really like this background – alongside the one in #1 of this series, easily one of the best the author has penned, as it wrings a unique playing style out of the engine.

The second half of the page containing the front cover provides a definition of terms such as hyperspace, and proceeds to differentiate between lesser, common, greater, and grand spheres. Beyond that, we also have an explanation of æther and a brief discussion on navigating the spheres. I liked this concept generally – it feels magical, and the distinctions made sense.

It should be noted that this cross-referenced briefly the High Fructose Hyperspace-series of pdfs in a side-note that is purely optional. I own only #1 of High Fructose Hyperspace, and that pdf seems to be missing some stuff – at least I couldn’t really figure out what to do with the system based on HFH#1. I’ll let you know when/if the High Fructose pdf gets updated, and modify this review to remove this caveat.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level, I noticed no hiccups. Layout adheres to the series two-column standard, with the collage-like/abstraction artworks we’ve come to expect from it. This time around, the colors chosen are red and yellow, and as before, we get a handy printer-friendly b/w-version as well.

Ian Woolley’s fourth Ætherjack’s Almanac is a bit more conventional than the previous two, featuring one genuinely great background that offers a unique playing experience. It also provides some rather welcome definitions that you can easily use and tweak to sail the humpbacked sky. I had nothing to really complain about here, but I also wasn’t utterly blown away by what I found, and there is a bit more dressing here than before. This is a good pdf: It has charm, and the shell person background is certainly worth the asking price if it even remotely interests you. My final verdict will be 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 4 Shellfolk & Spheresailing (Troika! Compatible!)
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Divergent Paths: Rajah
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/24/2020 09:16:55

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Divergent Paths-series clocks in at 39 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page introduction/ToC, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 35 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This review was finally finished because one of my patreon supporters asked me to do so.

Okay, so first of all, this is a class that uses both the Akashic Mysteries and Path of War rules systems, and as such, including the Animus subsystem; as such, it reprints the Tap Animus and Extra Animus feats, and features a table of weapon special abilities in the back. Unless I have miscounted, the pdf features 23 new veils, and a new discipline for the Path of War system, namely Radiant Dawn.

I assume familiarity with both sub-systems in this review, and yet, I think it is prudent to preface this review with an observation regarding the subsystems in question. First of all: There is no wrong way to game. You’re free to disagree with me, and my observations are not intended to disparage your playstyle or preferences regarding content.

In this instance, however, I do feel it to be prudent to talk a bit about playstyles and implicit assumptions and frameworks of rules-systems. For akasha as a rules system, it is potent, but its math is exceedingly tight; in many ways, it mirrors psionics up to and including Ultimate Psionics. The power-level is on par with the game’s assumptions, or rather, the higher echelons thereof. One draw of Dreamscarred Press’ classes has always been that they don’t require as much system mastery to make them potent. If you don’t believe me in that regard, compare the damage output/to-hit reliability of a vizier with that of a barbarian, and you’ll notice that this level of precision is not coincidence. Akasha, in all its time at my table, has proven that it works precisely in accord with the game’s assumptions and in a manner that is consistent with other options available.

Path of War, on the other hand, is a sub-system that really broke my heart in a way, because it could have been a revelation. I adore Path of War’s concept, as I’m a huge otaku, and similarly, I love WuXia aesthetics. I concur with the assessment that martials needed fun things to do. However, in many ways, Path of War has assumptions about the Pathfinder rules that differ drastically from the assumptions of both other magic systems and martial options, and many of them can be chalked up not to necessity to make math or concept work, but to very questionable design decisions. These include means to delimit several balancing factors of the game, from competing rolls (3.5-y) to infinite healing exploits, to a variety of make-believe damage types that nothing has resistance or immunity to and that the game really did not need, to options to cheese abilities by slaughtering helpless kittens. Worst of all, the notion of skills used to attack falls completely flat once it is combined with magic items: Skills are super easy to buff to kingdom come in Pathfinder, and as a result, Path of War can be cheesed to kingdom come. None, and I mean “NONE” of these components were required to realize the vision of Path of War. Not a single one of these aspects was needed to realize the goals of the system. They all can be boiled down to either a disregard of these balancing factors, or, perhaps worse, a shrugging disinterest in maintaining these rules components. And yet, it has an honest appeal to me. As a result, Path of War only is used in very specific circumstances at my table, when it could have been universally beloved and applicable.

And before you start frothing at the mouth: Path of War can be exceedingly fun. However, it does not adhere to the math-conventions of PFRPG’s assumed default power-level; instead, it is, in many ways, more akin to a power-fantasy, and the design-paradigm of escalating damage, of attacks that can’t be negated or resisted, of classes severely outclassing other classes, has since been featured in quite a few Dreamscarred releases. Take the highlord and voyager, for example – they both are superb examples of complex, rewarding and INNOVATIVE class designs that I genuinely enjoy, and yet, I wouldn’t use them in my mainstream fantasy games due to their exceedingly pronounced power levels. Same goes for quite a few expansions for psionics. With damage types that can’t be resisted or negated, perfectly reliable hits etc., Path of War plays more like a power fantasy. And there is nothing wrong about that. Heck, it’s something I enjoy once in a while. But not all the time.

My contention is that Pathfinder with Path of War has different assumptions about the power-level of PCs and what they can do, than Pathfinder without it. They are two VERY different playstyles.

This is in so far important, as akasha is very much designed to assume the default checks and balances of the system to be in place, where Path of War flaunts them, and I assume it does so consciously. In a way, the two systems have different baseline assumptions of what player characters should be able to deliver in terms of power and capability– so, how does the rajah blend these two systems? The short answer is: It doesn’t. The long answer is more complex.

Chassis-wise, we have d6 HD, 6 + Int skills per level, proficiency with simple and martial weapons, light armor and shields (except tower shields), ½ BAB-progression, good Fort- and Will-saves, and the disciplines available to the class are Golden Lion, Radiant Dawn, Scarlet Throne and Solar Wind. The class begins with 5 maneuvers known, 3 readied, and one stance; at 20th level, we have 16 maneuvers known, 10 readied and 7 stances. The governing initiation modifier is Charisma, which is also used for veilweaving. As a minor nitpick, the rules-language here refers to initiation modifier, when it should be veilweaving modifier. The rajah begins play with 2 veils and 1 essence, gaining the first bind at 4th level; at 20th level, the rajah has 7 veils, 5 binds and 20 essence.

Regarding the binding of veils, the rajah goes a pretty interesting route: You see, most of the rajah’s veils have the [Title] descriptor, and there is a reason for that: The rajah can’t RAW bind veils to herself, as the class never gets the traditional chakra bind or an analogue ability – at least not nominally. The target (referred to as “entitled” herein) is considered to be the origin of a [Title] veil, and a target may only have [Titles] from one veilweaver. Unlike other veils, a rajah may shape as many veils of a title as they wish, but they may not stack them with themselves, so no double-weaving of the same veil on a target. The effect only applies while the entitled is within close range of the rajah; beyond that range, the title is suppressed on the rajah’s next turn until the entitled returns.

Instead, at 4th level, the rajah may bind veils shaped on her allies to Belt, Chest, Feet, Hands, Head, Headband, Neck, Shoulders and Wrist slots, with no minimum class level for them. The limit of binds maintained noted in the table only applies to veils gained from this class, which other veils follow the standard veilweaving rules. Beyond the title veils, there is another veil in this context, namely The Demiurge, which, while also a rajah exclusive, duplicates a veil that you’re currently shaping on an ally, regardless of distance, and also change which of the veils on allies you gain the benefit from as a swift action, but do not gain the chakra bind effect of the emulated [Title] veil unless you chakra bind The Demiurge (the veil explicitly allows for that, even though the rajah doesn’t usually have this ability), but only one of the available chakra binds of the emulated veil; additionally, if you have this chakra bind in effect, you can accept 1 point of essence burn as a move action to unshape a [Title] veil shaped and instantly reshape a new [Title] veil on an ally within close range. In the case of multiclassing, only such [Title] veils granted by the rajah may be thus shared. Essence invested in The Demiurge counts as being invested in the [Title] veil it emulates. This eliminates one of the most important balancing factors of veilweaving, namely the dispersal of essence and the choices inherent in the planning – including the action economy component. The Demiurge veil essentially allows you to share in the [Title] veils of your allies, but with an important difference – for your own benefits, only the essence invested in The Demiurge is actually relevant to determine benefits; this makes you choose between invested essence in allies, and invested essence in The Demiurge, for your own increased benefit. Essentially, for the rajah, the essence invested in The Demiurge counts as being invested in ALL VEILS shaped on your allies when they are emulated by the veil. Sure, you can amp up the buff on your ally, but yeah.

This veil poses a series of questions: 1) Why are titles veils in the first place? They do not have the level-related checks and balances one would usually assume to be present to retain akasha’s system integrity. 2) No, seriously, why are titles veils? They explicitly allow for the rajah to stack them atop of veils, as, while they do note slots, they do not occupy the respective slot; them being veils makes no sense whatsoever. 3) A sidebar mentions title veils being available via e.g. feats to other classes – which is where the chakra bind information primarily comes into effect. This, however, does not end the global rules of [Title] veils, which may still be stacked atop of other veils. Essentially, the veil-list of this class does not really represent a list of new veils; instead, it represents a massive secondary akashic system; like if you grafted a second, more potent iteration of the system atop of akasha, one that behaves similarly to it, but not entirely. In a way, this generates a weird impression – like jamming class features into veil shapes. Essentially, titles are a second akasha-like subsystem grafted on top of two already pretty complex class systems. If anything, [Title] veils are not balanced in the same way as regular veils.

As a comparison: Horselord’s Greaves nets a +2 insight bonus to Handle Animal and Ride, and when bound to feet or belt, among other benefits, nets the mount +1 to saves and AC, and 5 temporary hit points per essence invested. Compare that to the title The Benevolent. That [Title] veil nets you +2 to AC, +2 to saves and attacks vs. evil creatures, +2 untyped bonus to saves vs. mind-affecting effects and resistance 5 to acid and cold as well as DR 0/evil; for each point of essence invested in the veil, the resistances increase both by 2, AC increases by 1, and for every 2 points invested, the saves improve by 1. If you bind The Benevolent, DR further increases by 5, and the deflection bonus to AC and bonus to saves is shared by all allies in close range. The light the veil emits is upgraded to daylight and a weapon of the entitled’s choice becomes holy. ALL of these benefits are ONE title. This outclasses not only comparable veils, it also outclasses comparable buffing options – and it can be layered atop of other defenses and other titles. What about adding an untyped (URGH) damage-causing breath in a 40-foot line or 20-foot cone when hitting with main and off hand or two different natural weapons and a buff that allows for the ignoring of some scaling DR when hitting thus, as well as enhanced damage +2 (per die of the breath against which there is no valid defense? Not that it’d matter here – while this veil explicitly calls the damage “untyped”, there are plenty of veils herein that just deal “damage”, with no means to negate it. This is one of several inconsistencies herein. Don’T get me started on the poison option. It is BRUTAL.

There also is a veil that provides +2 to AC and saves versus effects not originating from a marked target, +2 to atk and damage versus the target, with each point of essence invested increasing the AC and atk bonus by 1, every 2 essence invested increasing saves and damage by 1. The cavalier is sobbing in the corner. (Granted, the class deserves to be sobbing in the corner…) Anyhow, the chakra bind generates a temporary essence that is automatically reinvested in the title once per round, for up to 1 minute after combat ended. Hand me that bag o’ kittens. With an opposed attack roll at -5, usable 1/round as a free action, the entitled can negate an attack roll. Oh joy, opposing attack rolls. insert my usual rant Hej, or what about a debuff that has no save, unerringly hitting the target for -1 to atk and 10% spell failure (max -5/50%), AND the damage is changed to profane damage, one of Path of War’s “fun” invented damage types against which no single regular creature has valid resistances/immunities? There also is a veil that lets you store half damage inflicted, and lets it use you to heal yourself. This officially has left any cursory pretense of adhering to even rudimentary aspects of PFRPG’s default power-level behind.

In many ways, the [Title] engine is incredibly clunky. It adds a huge complication to a class that already has two complex subsystems to bear in mind, and since titles do not work like regular veils, the interaction between the two is really odd, with the increased power-level of [Titles] undermining the mechanic integrity of akashic power levels by frankly providing superior options that lack any notion of checks and balances. [Titles] also seem to be inordinately fond of no-save debuffs, significant bonuses sans bonus types, and add all of that atop the vast flexibility of afforded by The Demiurge, which REALLY should not be a veil, and instead operate as a class feature; indeed, whacking all [Titles] with the nerfbat, VERY OFTEN, and VERY HARD and making them class features instead would have been a vastly superior way of handling them.

Particularly since this is not even close to the only thing the rajah can offer; even as a stand-alone, singular, defining class feature, the [Titles] would make the rajah a very potent and flexible support class, borderline OP, and frankly the best buffing option out there.

The rajah, at 1st level, also gets royal mandate, a supernatural ability with a close range that lets the rajah, as a standard action, target an ally with a command, who then can follow it as a free action: he commands allow an ally to execute a melee or ranged attack at their highest BAB (NOT an attack action, at least) ; the ally may gain a morale bonus equal to the rajah’s Charisma modifier to AC and a save of the rajah’s choice, including rerolling a save against such an effect with this bonus (since the rajah uses Charisma for pretty much everything, this’ll usually be around at least +4/+5 at level 1), or the ally may move up to their speed. Additionally, when issuing such a command, the rajah may reallocate her essence and swap any single readied maneuver with another maneuver known, which is btw. readied and unexpended, allowing the rajah to combine serious ally buffing with akashic mode change and maneuver cycling. There is no limit to this ability regarding daily uses or the like, and no cooldown.

There is more to the class base engine. When an ally is entitled by the rajah, they are subject to the vassalage ability. A rajah can initiate boosts, counters and strikes through allies that have a shaped [Title] veil on them; the rajah uses the ally’s space and reach, but her own weapons, and ranged attacks executed through allies do not provoke AoOs, and maneuvers that affect the initiator do affect the rajah, not the ally used as a medium; maneuvers that include a charge allow the rajah to instead move her speed however she wishes, allowing for the constant chaining of charge-related maneuvers without actually incurring the dangers of melee. A rajah may counter through an ally, and in such a case, may use her own or the ally to determine how the effect resolves. Additionally, the rajah gets a bonus to atk when using vassalage equal to ½ her veilweaving level, rounded up. Which is her class level in most instances, unless a veil already grants a higher bonus. Such attacks also gain a bonus equal to the number of [Title] veils shaped onto other creatures. SIGH You know, the low BAB of the chassis? It kinda looks like a bluff to let GMs that don’t understand the class allow it in their game. Also, re damage, bear in mind:

“Unlike other veils, a veilweaver can shape as many of a given Title as they wish, though they may not shape the same Title onto a creature multiple times, nor may they shape a veil that shares the same name onto a creature who already has that veil shaped.“

…hand me…my TRUSTY ANT COLONY! Fear the wrath of the god-slaying level 1 ant emperor! I have entitled every single ant in the colony, for a nice +1,634,000 to damage! Of course, I am being facetious, but RAW, this is possible. Moreover, the first level nets “The Crossroads”, which allows for a choice: The first option lets you use Charisma instead of Strength or Dexterity modifiers for atk via vassalage. The second is a 1/round untyped cone or line with scaling damage when hitting a target via vassalage. Third option would be the means to 1/round expend a readied maneuver of a known counter’s level or higher to execute the counter sans requiring an action. In ADDITION to all of these, the rajah uses her class level as BAB for the purpose of prerequisites.

At 2nd level, the rajah gains a swarm of unseen servants with better strength that can’t aid another – essentially a really cool flavor ability. 4th level lets the class choose two skills as “courtly skills” and gets an untyped +2 to them; at 8th level, 2/day as an immediate action, the result of these may be 11. At 12th level, another skill is added and the bonus increases to +3, and at 16th level, 1/day as an immediate action, a result of them may be treated as 15. 6th level nets essentially advantage on Will-saves. At 14th level, the rajah can lend this to allies 1/round, as a free action she may take even when it’s not her turn. 10th level increases essence capacity of all veils and class features by 1, as well as immunity to fear. The rajah may ALSO invest essence in this ability, gaining +1 to saving throws for every point of essence invested. If the rajah has no Radiant Dawn maneuvers, she gains bonus essence equal to maneuvers known, divided by 3, which is a really odd way to keep the character from investing in a unique option it has. 12th level lets the rajah spend an hour to provide an inherent +2 bonus to an ally’s ability score, which stacks with other inherent bonuses up to a maximum of +5, and the rajah may have a number of targets thus blessed equal to her initiation modifier, i.e. Charisma. A single ally may benefit only from one such blessing at a given time, and at 18th level, the bonus increases to +4. 20th level negates age-related penalties, and if slain, the rajah enters a kind of super soul state supercharging receptacles. The rajah also true resurrections if exposed to the sun, and all class features and veils are considered to have 1 more veil invested in them, even if that would exceed the maximum.

At 3rd level and every two levels thereafter, the rajah gains a heraldry, chosen from a list of 15, which include the attention of a merchant outsider, upgrades for the unseen servants, a constant sanctuary with a scaling DC, constant nondetection + magic aura (as 5th level+) – you get the idea.

The archetype included, the batal, who modifies the base chassis of the class, and essentially replaces the whole vassalage angle, instead getting the ability to bind those titles herself. In many ways, the batal works a bit better than the rajah, but here, the wonky title-regular veil-interactions become a tad bit more evident.

The class comes with favored class options, a new martial tradition, 14 new feats, and 3 magic items. The feats allow you to e.g. shape veils sans [Title] descriptors as though they had it…and here we have the point where the whole thing starts becoming really wonky, eliminating yet another balancing check of akasha. There also is a feat that lets you remove [Title] from a veil, so you can freely shape any [Titles] as veils on yourself for a grand total of 1 feat. Add veils to your list AS TITLES, extra heraldries… What about a feat that lets you invest essence into non-Radiant Dawn maneuvers, and also granting free class level temporary hit points whenever you initiate a maneuver with essence invested?

Radiant Dawn, in case you were wondering, is an akashic discipline, sporting the essence capacity cap, and allows you to substitute close range scaling force damage rays for ranged weapon strikes; the radiant dawn maneuvers before essence receptacles when readied, and essence invested in them when they are expended remains bound until the maneuver is recovered. In a nutshell, this is a discipline that treats its options, which includes DR as immediate action for allies etc. as veils – and, ironically, as a whole, it fares better than the highly problematic [Title]-system. While powerful, Radiant Dawn plays like a well-rounded discipline when divorced of the rajah’s other components. The default blasting option is problematic and will make Solar Wind initiators jealous. There is a level 1 stance that enhance all healing received by 50%, stacking up to double your maximum hit points in temporary hit points. Cool here: These cannot be kitten-prep’d, and the potent stance prevents you from healing other targets. Alas, in case you had any question whether this as a whole even attempts to avoid abuse: The answer is NO. The discipline has e.g. a maneuver that nets allies the option to heal per hit, with more essence for more healing. Yep. Not even killing. Hitting a foe suffices. Bags full of mewling kittens to slaughter for everybody! Infinite damage, infinite healing – and more than one option for the latter without even trying! Why am I even bothering?

…because the rajah is, in spite of its massive shortcomings a genuinely awesome concept. Because all single components of the class on their own, with some checks and balances, could have worked incredibly well. Because I love the concept of the mastermind fighting through their allies; because the class, in spite of its issues, showcases serious talent. Because no other class has frustrated me to this degree with its squandered potential.

It’s just that nobody seems to have cared regarding any power-level considerations whatsoever. Our Path of War fans love super high-powered stuff, as long as it’s precisely-phrased! Heck, endy has stopped complaining, and rated our previous Path of War expansions all under consideration of the sub-system’s increased power-level. The rajah is where this assumption breaks – because the rajah not only is problematic in the context of akasha, it outclasses even this high-powered Path of War material.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting, formally, is very good – while the sequence of ability presentation and a couple of components could have been clearer, the quality of the rules language in its integrity is of the usual, high standard. Layout adheres to Dreamscarred Press’ 2-column full-color standard, with nice full-color artworks, and the pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience.

Anthony Cappel’s rajah feels like two akasha/Path of War-classes mashed into one; on the one hand, the initiator with maneuver receptacles, on the other, the commander with the channel-angle and the unique [Title]-engine. Perhaps that’s what this once was. That would also explain why this class outperforms frickin’ gestalts. Know how highlord and voyager are super powerful and outclass the old psionics classes? This one does pretty much the same for every buffer out there; heck, it can make your group short-range teleport around, blast foes AND heal.

This is the single most overpowered class I’ve seen for PFRPG.

I have not called it broken, because it is too intricately-designed to be dubbed this. I am very much positive that the class works as the designer intended. I’m just puzzled for which game, because the rajah makes even the Path of War classes seem meek.

When it starts outclassing even Path of War power-level characters though? Why play e.g. the medic when you can also command allies and buff them? Why bother with a highlord, when the rajah makes the fellow cry themselves to sleep?

Ouch.

Frankly, I would not allow this class anywhere near my table. Not even in my Path of War games.

It blatantly disregards all checks and balances for akasha, and while Path of War plays fast, very fast, and very loose with a lot of PFRPG’s default assumptions, the rajah flaunts even that system’s sparse limitations.

From not even having to try to cheese this fellow, to the clunky [Title]-engine, this could have been a masterpiece, but it looks like breaking the game’s mathematic and rules assumptions regarding defenses, bonuses, etc. was elevated to the declared design goal here.

Checking, playtesting, gritting my teeth, and quitting – those are the words that best encapsulate what I can say about the rajah.

It is paradoxical: It is a class that oozes cool components, that it has so many conceptually great abilities – and then got rid of anything that would even halfway contextualize or balance its power. It’s like it has been written for a different, bizarro-world PFRPG where every class is much stronger. It feels like an Exalted character in a 1e game; like a level 20 PFRPG-barbarian in a B/X game. Its rules are precise. They just don’t acknowledge in any way the power-level restrictions you’d expect within the context of the game it is ostensibly designed for.

Personally, I am crestfallen that nobody beat this in shape with the nerfbat. For me it’s essentially impossible to use as anything but as a super-potent NPC-boss, or to hand it to the single guy who can’t optimize. But wait: That guy would need to learn two complex subsystems, so not gonna happen. For comparison: I tried comparing a rajah commander of minions build vs. a mythic build filling the same niche; rajah wins, hands down.

Unless…well, unless Path of War does not deliver what you want from it. If you and your group want the full power-fantasy experience, with very few truly dangerous components, if you don’t derive pleasure from beating hard obstacles, but from curb-stomping foes, then this delivers. It’s like a cheat-mode. Similarly, if you seek a class that delivers the power-level usually only reserved for gestalts, and often outclasses even them? Then the rajah is what you’re looking for. For you, this may be a 5-star-awesome file that lest you indulge in your fantasies of squashing all puny elfgame NPCs and monsters.

For everyone else, this is a lesson that even obvious talent as a designer does not equate with solid designs; when one ignores any metric and balance of the system and even that of an already lenient and watered-down, easy to break and easy to cheese subsystem, and then proceeds dissolving the boundaries to another system while also breaking that system’s checks and balances, you have an unmitigated mess as far as I’m concerned.

I want to love the rajah and what it tries to do, I really, really do. But to me, it’s a rage-inducing mess, it’s like a callback to the bad 3.X-days of yore with their atrociously overpowered 3pp-options. Save that, back then, the reason for being overpowered was often that designers sucked; this is not the case here. This is very deliberate.

I genuinely can’t decide what’s worse.

As a PC class, this is a brand new level of overpowered, broken and problematic.

For me, this is the epitome of a 1 star book.

Worse, it endangers akasha’s balance more than even the new psionic options have broken down the checks and balances for psionics. It outclasses several classes at once at their own shtick. If you want a ruler-type, overpowered villain for your game, this class might be worth looking into, provided your players are really good at optimizing their builds. Otherwise the rajah will TPK them without breaking a sweat if you even remotely play the class to its capabilities.

Still, that is one valid use of the class, and its devastatingly brutal arsenal – which is the only reason my official final verdict will instead be 1.5 stars, rounded up.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Divergent Paths: Rajah
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Dwellers Amid Bones (P2)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/23/2020 08:51:30

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This collector's edition of Dweller Amid Bones clocks in at 25 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages advertisement, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page ToC (also featuring adventure background), 1 page back cover, leaving us with 18 pages of pure content, so let's take a look, shall we?

Dweller Amid Bones is a short module for 5th level characters, and features the entire village of Arcmoor as a kind of village backdrop. The sequence of presentation is clever, as we begin with detailed sample hooks that allow DMs to easily kick off the module in a variety of ways, before we get the adventure kickoff background of Arcwood.

Arcmoor as a settlement has its origins steeped in conflict - it is the place where the hero Therald Arcmoor fell, commemorating the final battle between the civilized races and the orcs of the severed ear - 300 ft. away from the feared Tuskwood. With a majority population of halflings, the settlement obviously comes with a massive array of supplemental information: We receive information on the village's demographics, whispers and rumors, nomenclature and clothing habits as well as local lore and marketplace-information. The marketplace information has been properly adjusted for PF2, but critical successes and failures could have been accounted for in more details in e.g. rumors gleaned, walls scaled, etc. – The module does tend to fall on the side of win/lose, not accounting as much for PF2’s finer differentiation of states as I’d have liked to see.

As always, the map provided is glorious and represents the privacy the local populace cherishes with the village being relatively dispersed - one can even see where halflings and humans live. Somewhat to my chagrin, no stats were presented for the names NPCs here; the original PF1-version of the module did have a haunt as well, which is not featured in this iteration of the village. Beyond that, the village, being close to the ancient battlefield, has drawn a less than nice person living in the village, one with a strange agenda. Beyond that, a moaning haunt provides an additional nice piece of dressing.

All right, from the village and the hooks, one can easily send the PCs towards the proper module - which takes place in the cairn devoted to the fallen orcs. The place is located in the Tuskwood (which also comes with a map), but unlike in PF1, the random encounter section for traveling there, including the cool sprite swarm, has been cut. Boooo! Particularly considering how PF2 codifies exploration mode, and how you can use that mode to do fun things, that’s a pretty big bummer.

The module per se has quite a lot of small tidbits to interact with, and the adventure sports read-aloud text.

From here on out, this review will contain SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still here? Great! As hinted before, Dwellers Amid Bones has the PCs explore an orcish burial cairn to put an end to the various raids conducted by a mated pair of green draconic beings - only forest drakes, thankfully, but deadly nevertheless! The drakes are properly statted, essentially featuring a nice lair action type of attack (which does have a somewhat weird verbiage, but that doesn’t influence functionality in a negative manner).The cairn and its details are up to the standard set in Raging Swan modules - general features and details to add to even unkeyed areas make exploring the cairn interesting and atmospheric.

Now from the very beginning, we get a cool twist: Gork Shattershield, undead orcish undead spirit (fully statted), manifests behind the PCs to demand they purge the drakes (which have time and time again destroyed the stubborn undead orc, only to see him rejuvenate) - thus the adventure begins with an uncommon social interaction before turning ugly - fast!

The drakes lurk in relative proximity and once roused, both attack with their noxious clouds, and the terrain featured here is pretty nice, with strange, tree-like stalactites and the like; here’s an issue, though: The original iteration of this short module stood out primarily due to the smart tactics of the drakes and the cool environment – that could have been expanded in PF2 in truly outstanding ways, courtesy of PF2’s awesome hazard-engine. The module does not real capitalize on that strength of the system, which left me disappointed at a high level.

Of course, the defeat of the dragons does not mean it's over - the problem with the undead orc between PCs and exit remains and plunderers better be smart...

It should also be noted that DMs get a detailed array of further adventure hooks. Where the PF1-version had terrain cheat sheets for the GM, the PF2-iteration doesn’t sport the like.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to a crisp 2-column b/w-standard and the pdf comes with awesome b/w-artwork and even better maps. That being said, I do think that by now, we should get player-friendly maps with the adventures. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience and the pdf comes in two versions, one optimized for screen-use and one optimized for the printer.

Creighton Broadhurst and Fabian Fehrs, with additional design by industry-legend Stephen Radney-MacFarland, deliver a nominally well-executed conversion to PF2 here. And an example of what I feared to see for PF2. You see, the original PF1-version was a highly technical module that used its terrain and adversaries in a clever and challenging manner; in many ways, it did back then what you can now do with PF2 much easier.

Flash forward to PF2, and we have a conversion that loses the some of the tactical depth the original had. I tested this. I’m sorry to say this, but the PF1 version of this module played better, when it really shouldn’t have. This is not a bad conversion, but it is also one that could have done a better job capitalizing on PF2’s strengths; Shunned Valley of the Three Tombs ran smoother than the original version in its PF2-version, and unlike that module, this one is not intended for starting groups.

This is particularly tragic in this instance, for the tactical depth and use of environment was what made this adventure special, depriving it of a means to enhance its greatest strength. My final verdict can’t exceed 3.5 stars, rounded down.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Dwellers Amid Bones (P2)
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Dwellers Amid Bones (5e)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/23/2020 08:50:27

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This collector's edition of Dweller Amid Bones clocks in at 25 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page advertisement, 1 page Gloamhold map, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page ToC/adventure background, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 18 pages of pure content, so let's take a look, shall we?

The 5e-iteration of this sidetrek module is based on the Collector’s edition of the original adventure, and as such, includes the village of Arcmoor. The Arcmoor village backdrop is included in its entirety in the module.

Arcmoor as a settlement has its origins steeped in conflict - it is the place where the hero Therald Arcmoor fell, commemorating the final battle between the civilized races and the orcs of the severed ear - 300 ft. away from the feared tuskwood. With a majority population of halflings, the settlement obviously comes with a massive array of supplemental information: We receive information on the village's demographics, whispers and rumors, nomenclature and clothing habits as well as local lore and marketplace-information. The marketplace information has been properly adjusted to represent the realities of 5e as a system, and the checks noted have similarly been adjusted.

That being said, as always, the map provided is glorious and represents the privacy the local populace cherishes with the village being relatively dispersed - one can even see where halflings and humans live. The village also provides 4 NPC write-ups one can encounter here, and these are depicted in Raging Swan Press’ usual, fluff-centric presentation, sporting no stats, and instead focusing on mannerisms, etc. Beyond that, the village, being close to the ancient battlefield, has drawn a less than nice person living in the village, one with a strange agenda.

The 5e-iteration included here features the new and expanded content created for the stand-alone supplement version of Arcmoor: This content elaborates on the life in Arcmoor, provides more detailed notes on local trade and industry, and we now get a full 20-entry table of dressing and events that allows us to bring the village closer to life. Similarly, the aforementioned Tuskwood is not only fully mapped, it does also include a variety of different pieces of information regarding the surrounding locality.

As for the keyed locations of the village itself, the presentation has improved over the original PFRPG-presentation: The respective write-ups now feature easy to paraphrase read-aloud texts, suggested random encounters for the nearby battlefield, and lists of strange and unique goods that may be scavenged or unearthed from the chaotic general goods store.

Much to my chagrin, the transitory wilderness section that was included in the original PFRPG-version, including random encounters and a fully-statted sprite swarm, has been cut.

All right, from the village and the hooks, one can easily send the PCs towards the proper module - which takes place in the cairn devoted to the fallen orcs.

The module per se has quite a lot of small tidbits to interact with, and the adventure sports read-aloud text.

From here on out, this review will contain SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

...

..

.

All right, still here? Great! As hinted before, Dwellers Amid Bones has the PCs explore an orcish burial cairn to put an end to the various raids conducted by a mated pair of green draconic beings - only forest drakes, thankfully, but deadly nevertheless! The cairn and its details are up to the standard set in Raging Swan modules - general features and details to add to even unkeyed areas make exploring the cairn interesting and atmospheric. There generally is a lot of stuff to interact with, including proper 5e-DCs etc.

Now from the very beginning, we get a cool twist: Gork Shattershield, undead orcish wight, manifests behind the PCs to demand they purge the drakes (which have time and time again destroyed the stubborn undead orc, only to see him rejuvenate) - thus the adventure begins with an uncommon social interaction before turning ugly - fast! Quick scaling notes for all combat encounters are presented. The Orc ghost’s Wisdom saving throw and passive Perception are incorrect.

The drakes lurk in relative proximity and once roused, both attack with their noxious clouds, fight, and when damaged too hard. Now, in PFRPG, the module’s appeal was highly contingent on how technical it was regarding its use of terrain and clever tactics. 5e’s less detailed and tactics-focused chassis does lose a bit of this appeal, though it manages to do some cool things here with lair actions: The drakes get quite a few of them, which allows the module to capture some of that appeal. Kudos!

Of course, the defeat of the dragons does not mean it's over - the problem with the undead orc between PCs and exit remains and plunderers better be smart...

It should also be noted that DMs get a detailed array of hooks for further adventures.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are good, but not as good as usual for Raging Swan Press. Layout adheres to a crisp 2-column b/w-standard and the pdf comes with awesome b/w-artwork and even better maps. Much to my chagrin, there are no player-friendly maps included, and in a module, that’s not ideal. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience and the pdf comes in two versions, one optimized for screen-use and one optimized for the printer.

John N. Whyte’s 5e-vconversion of Creighton Broadhurst’s and Fabian Fehrs’ module does a good job, considering that it system-immanently loses the aspect that made the module stand out most, namely the original’s tight focus on using environment in PFRPG to make lairs challenging. The 5e-iteration manages to capture a bit of that spirit, but it also features some minor hiccups in the stats of one of two original statblocks. Is this bad? No. But it also loses some aspects from the Collector’s Edition that it really didn’t need to cut.

It’s a nice little sidetrek, and it does a solid job at making the module work. As a whole, I consider this to be a solid conversion, though if you have the luxury of choice, I’d recommend the original over this one. My final verdict will be 3.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dwellers Amid Bones (5e)
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Mystical: Kingdom of Monsters Anniversary Edition
Publisher: Samurai Sheepdog
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/21/2020 08:19:30

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This book’s content clocks in at 193 pages if you already disregard the front cover, editorial, ToC, etc. – these pages also include massive lists, but we’ll get back to that!

So, this book’s a first – this is the third time that I’m going in depth through an iteration of this book, so let’s see whether this version has improved over its predecessor. This review is based on the full-color hardcover of the supplement, which I have received in exchange for moving this book’s review up in my reviewing queue. As always, and as many a publisher/author can ascertain, this does not change the rating, just when I’m covering it.

So what is this book? In one sentence: Pokémon for Pathfinder. But it can be more than that – I was never a big fan of Pokémon, but I am a huge fan of e.g. the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, and the engine and content presented herein is only one reskin away from being usable in such a context: In short, you can run this in a kid-friendly manner, or reskin it and still get something out of this.

The book begins with a pretty concise introduction to be then supplemented by easy to grasp fast-play rules. These include the notion of “heart” – which represents a benefit to the monster’s stats based on CR faced. This captures, to an extent, how power-levels of characters in Anime tend to fluctuate with the challenges faced. The result of this rule is that lower level creatures have a higher chance of being capable of contributing in fights against more potent adversaries. Whether you like that or not depends ultimately on your own vision. Personally, I do dislike it, but it helps duplicate the circumstances featured in e.g. the Pokémon anime.

Anyways, the main meat, the nexus of this book if you will, would be the new Monster Trainer base class. These guys can see the aura of a monster, which allows them to determine whether they can capture a given monster – this is concisely-presented: The creature can’t have class level, may not be summoned/captured or gained through feat or class ability; the monster’s CR must be equal or less than the monster trainer’s level – that should probably be class level. Creatures sans Intelligence score must btw. be awakened prior to capture.

                                                                               

Mechanics-wise, the monster trainer gets d8 HD, 6+Int skills per level, proficiency with simple weapons, all bows and the whip as well as light armor and they may cast trainer spells while wearing light armor sans spell failure chance. Spells? Yes, and this would be one of the mechanically most interesting features of the class: While monster trainers cast Charisma-based arcane spells like a sorcerer, of up to 9th spell level, with Eschew Materials gained at first level. They can only cast spells granted by their active monster and only if the trainer is high enough a level to cast the spell and uses the active monster as a channel of sorts – it is the origin of line of effect and sight. The latter is a bit weird, since RAW, the monster hunter still needs to cast the spell himself and line of sight of monster hunter and active monster are bound to be different, but rules-wise, this is precise, and the monster does incur the AoO of the spellcasting, if relevant.

The class also gets 3/4 BAB-progression and good Ref- and Will-saves. The monster capturing engine has been tweaked: Additionally, each monster trainer may cast the capture monster spell at will, which may be heightened as if they had Heighten Spell, and begins play with one monster already caught. This spell is crucial for the functionality of the class, so let me give you the details: It has a casting time of 1 full round (an essential change), a close range and targets one monster. (What does and does not constitute a monster is defined, just fyi.) The cantrip can be resisted via a Will-save, which is modified in the following manner: Monsters above 1/2 of their hit points receive a +5 bonus, +2 when above one quarter of the monster's hit points instead, and SR, if applicable, applies. At 9th level, the monster trainer may spend one use of talented trainer to cast a heightened capture monster as a standard action, as swift action if she also applies Quicken Spell.

At 13th level, spellcasting is further modified: When resting, the trainer can choose a monster and may cast a spell of the monster from each of the spell levels available as granted by the monster, regardless of active monster. At 17th level, the monster hunter may catch a monster sans saves, SR, etc. – RAW, exactly ONCE. Not once per day or the like, ONCE. This ability erroneously refers to itself as “master trainer”, when that should be “perfect capture.” This ability only resets if a monster thus caught is released, which makes sense.

Starting at 2nd level and every even level thereafter, the monster trainer gets to choose a spell that may now be cast regardless of active monster.

Big plus, on the other hand: A sidebar now mentions more powerful creatures (since the CR-system is more precise than HDs, but still not perfect) and templates in particular and explains why the captured monsters do lose templates while captured. The book presents a valid in-game justification for why monsters with class levels can’t be captured.

Deploying monsters in combat is, rules-wise, inspired by drawing weapons - you need a move action to call a monster, but do not require the BAB +1 prerequisite to do so. Big kudos: The engine has gotten rid of the nonsensical combat-based limitation, instead using the stress, and when in such a distraction/potentially dangerous situation, all but one monster are returned to the trainer’s essence. Monsters manifest with the trainer’s HP, and when “sheathed”, the trainer reduced their HP to that of the recalled monster, if it was less than that of the trainer – and this loss of HP cannot be redirected or reduced. Kudos for the anti-cheese caveat here. This change of the engine, away from the CR-based approach previously featured, is seriously clever – it prevents the trainer from cycling tricks, emphasizes the need to care for the monster, and not simply throw it in the meat-grinder, and represents rather well the bond, also on a meta-level, between trainer and monster. It looks deceptively simple, when it really isn’t; it eliminates the big soak-cycling exploit that existed in the last iteration of this book.

A monster does not gain its own actions in combat, instead being directed by the trainer – this uses a telepathic bond with 100-ft. range as the means of conveying orders.

At 15th level, the monster trainer may recall and redeploy a monster as the same action and may assign its HP to the new monster instead of herself – at this high a level, this cycling option, paired with the new base engine, actually did surprisingly well in playtest – potent if handled properly, but not broken. The improvement of monsters via monster growth has been hard-wired into the progression of the class – much like e.g. Pikachu in the series, favorite monsters thus retain their significance at higher levels.

First level also yields the ability that makes the aura of a trainer is harder to discern. 2nd level provides a variant of favored enemy that caps at +2, with an additional one granted at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.  The previous exploit’s been taken care of. This is particularly relevant, since 3rd level unlocks empathy, which means that creatures that qualify for favored enemy also increase their starting attitude, with influence as a 1d20 + class level + Charisma modifier check that takes one minute.

Also at 3rd level, we have that new talented trainer ability: Charisma modifier + ½ class level uses per day, which may be used to direct monsters to use their special attacks, defenses, etc., and monster spells not on the trainer’s list are properly codified. SPs can be directed at 3rd, Sus at 7th and EX abilities at 11th level, and the trainer can treat herself as the ability’s point of origin, which is a rather interesting trick. Restrictions such as daily uses are covered.

5th level grants the ability to share some senses between monster and trainer – the ability has been cleaned up. At 10th level, the trainer can spend one use of talented trainer to cast charm monster as a SP, but only while no active monster is in play. The capstone provides a master perk or three trainer perks.

4th level unlocks the talents of the class, trainer perks, which now properly states when new perks are unlocked. These include making a monster gain the benefits of animal companion at -3 levels; swift action boosts for the monster, having monsters manifest within 30 ft., natural armor sharing, etc. and the class can choose both evasion and its improved benefit and, at higher levels, stalwart. While the perks sport a few cosmetic hiccups, the list is significantly improved.

Speaking of improvements: We actually can catch monsters in downtime now, which is a definite plus. As a whole, I consider the monster trainer to be still a very strong class, but one that is certainly in its most elegant, smooth and streamlined iteration so far. Two thumbs up for the changes made.

A total of 6 archetypes are provided - the monster auror has been completely rewired – where the previous iteration was pretty much broken, the new version gets the ability to mimic temporarily spells, and even better, limitations by day, round, etc. are maintained: From a “get-every-spell-ever botchjob, this has improved to a valid blue mage-style trainer variant that retains the original vision and significantly improves upon it.

Monster Breeders replace 4th  level’s trainer perk and channel monster with either an animal companion, beloved monster (think Pikachu) or familiar, which do not count as monsters for the purpose of the active monster cap. The archetype also makes the active monster treat its BAB as rthe breeder’s monster trainer level, unless its own is higher, and it gets + the trainer’s Charisma bonus to damage; at 9th level, this bonus also applies to saves. The archetype also presents some rules for breeders making templated monsters – which provides a good balance of firm guidelines and GM empowerment regarding what goes.

Monster Gamblers or their active monsters can take up to -5 to a single d20-roll as a free action and grant it as a bonus to the other or use it themselves to the next attempt to perform such an action – and yes, this is tied to action and target. The archetype also gets sneak attack and a 1/day reroll.

Monster Performers get limited spells (only up to 6th level) and bardic performance that can be maintained by the creature. Monster researchers use Int as key ability modifier, get no proficiencies and d6, but better skill-checks and channel monster. We also have Knowledge-themed bonuses and prepared spellcasting. Oh, and they get a bonus feat like Augment Summoning, which builds on summon-themed perks.

Monster scouts would be the d10 martial monster trainers with 4 levels of spells (as a ranger) and Sidekick as a bonus feat at first level, while also gaining smite monster at 2nd level or the option to upgrade favored enemy analogue to the ranger. Per se interesting: There are two scout’s factions – one gets smite monster, the other favored enemy. Slightly annoying: The general text of the rules of the archetype sometimes refer to one of these sub-factions.

Next, we have a massive list of trainer spells by level as well as new ones - like Battlefield Adept, which grants you Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack for while it lasts; its wording has been cleaned up. Nice! Speaking of nice: layout has been cleaned up here, so that e.g. the capture monster spell is no longer cut in half by turning the page. We can also temporarily disrupt links, etc..

The pdf does sport a toolkit for making regular monsters into monstorin as a race, i.e. Pokémon-like creatures. While certainly not perfect, it does do its job surprisingly well and provides such stats, handily, for each of the monsters - and yes, this book is chock-full with them.

The race also comes with extensive favored class options, with all Paizo-classes minus vigilante and shifter covered. The vast array of the critters and their available spells granted to monster trainers is interesting and while some monstorin end up as slightly lopsided on the physical or mental attribute side (+2 to two mental or physical ability scores, instead of one bonus to physical and one to mental), the respective entries do sport some nice ideas and a vast array of downright cuddly Pokémon-style artworks that help visualize the creatures featured. It should also be noted that the guidelines here try to mitigate issues. We also get a racial archetype for a monstorin trainer – think Mewto, essentially.

How much monsters are here? More than 122 pages. While the first section of the book, used to sports some hiccups in previous iterations, the following, massive write-up of these creatures has always been pretty nice and remains so…in fact, I consider it to be better than before. Why? Well, for one, the layout. While it’s busier than previously, we now get more creatures per page, and the monsters are now grouped by family first, then internally alphabetically – so you’d have the ancestral, then all ancestral, then the next family. This may be contentious, but I actually found it made memorizing the monsters easier. Beyond that, the improved layout also uses more colors, and, though this might be a misconception, I do think that the book’s color saturation is higher than that in the previous iteration. The artworks and layout really pop from the page in this one, and some previously rather pale-looking artworks seem more vibrant when comparing both books.

Oh, and yes, I know that I’m using lots of Pokémon references in the review – so what about a Dr. Who one, for a change? Did you know that there’s stone angel monster here? Told you that adult fans who don’t like Pokémon have benefits here as well! Moreover, each page-spread provides comparisons of monster-sizes in relation to an adult human (cool!) and has small icons/pictures of the monsters on the next page on the side – this makes navigation of the hardcover a VASTLY improved task when compared to the previous iteration. Big kudos!

The third chapter then provides more supplemental material regarding monster training: For example, there are feats that allow you to cast spells through allies at +2 level increase; granting a limited evolution pool to a monster is interesting and minor monster trainer tricks for non-trainers may be found. One of the strongest feats previously has been made a part of the main class, with the feat now here as an expansion. Nice. We have better AC, dabbling in monster engine, etc.. Monstrous Cohort also deserves mention, it’s now broken in a different manner: "If your cohort is a The new Sidekick feat actually delivers, finally, on a good cohort-style feat for the engine without breaking it.

The items provided here don’t all live up to the precision of rules-language required, and some slipped past the refinement process. Take this 140K item: “An orb of the master trainer is a consumable item that allows a monster trainer to capture a single monster without fail. The monster must still be one the trainer is able to capture.” Okay, how? Activation? Is a roll required? That’s a non-entity of rules-language. Worse, while it refers to the correct ability of the class in its cost, it still seems to be based on the previous book’s version of it, as the item maintains that the level’s use of the ability is consumed – in this version, however, the ability can only be used once anyway…

We also get alternate summon-lists, an amorphous eidolon base form and a few new evolutions.

The final section of the book, which provides an all too brief (14 pages) glimpse at the eponymous kingdom of monsters, alongside random monster tables for respective environments, is interesting- and the writing here is really nice. The level of passion that went into this is also mirrored by the copious indices: Monsters by CR, by spell granted and even those not covered in the book (provide page upon page of handy information. Kudos! EXTRA Kudos: We even get artworks here, and the new version includes ALL Paizo Bestiaries – yep, including #6!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting have significantly improved on both a formal and rules-language level, particularly considering balancing. The only significant concentration of formatting hiccups I could find, is in sidebars, where spell-references are a couple of times not in italics- but frankly, that matters little, as these tend to be explanatory, and not rules-language per se. The layout improvements get two big thumbs up. Seriously. It may be a bit ore busy, but that FITS the book. It made it more FUN to read, and there’s some cool art going on pretty much everywhere. The use of icons in the monster lists is super helpful, and makes navigation and flipping through the book seriously more fun. I’m usually not a fan of busy presentations, but here, it’s pitch-perfect. As noted, the color-saturation, back to back with the previous edition, also helped here. The book feels more lively on an aesthetic level throughout. The hardcover has the name on the spine, as proper. I can’t comment on the pdf, since I don’t own, but all previous iterations had a TON of bookmarks.

I have dreaded going through this book’s latest iteration. I positively loathe reading (or watching) most forms of media more than once, and this’d be the third run for me. And I dreaded the snking feeling of seeing yet new issues, of having to complain once more about some snafus…or worse, unresolved ones. Then, something unexpected happened: I genuinely started SMILING.

I had issues with the last incarnations of the book, improved though it may have been. Almost all of my nitpicks have been addressed.

Better yet: The new engine is both SIMPLER without sacrificing complexity in what it can do (making it easier for kids to grasp) and actually uses a well-executed blend of GM control and rules-integrity to make the experience of playing the monster trainer work MUCH better than it ever previously has. It’s only once you give the new trainer a spin that you realize how much better it runs, how much more organic everything feels. From class features to archetypes to feats, this just WORKS.

It’s genuinely beautiful and made me grin from ear to ear. Lead designer Kevin Glusing, with additional design by Hel Greenberg, Ken Shannon, Doug Herring, Jenny Bradshaw, Scott Gladstein, Amy Glusing, Eric Glusing, Autumn Glusing, Timothy Ott Sr., Anthony Russel, and Zaaron Winn, has finally succeeded at the lofty goal this vision always had.

Mystical: Kingdom of Monsters Anniversary Edition is finally a book I can’t only recommend to fans of Pokémon, or within limitations and caveats – if you’re a fan of Shin Megami Tensei, mode-based classes or the like, do check this out. The trainer is a strong class, but actually plays rather well with the other classes; beyond that, its massive improvements regarding layout, and presentation should not be ignored either. This is a better book; it is a more beautiful book, and both in content and actual use at the table, it runs smoother than ever before. I genuinely find myself wanting to use this.

Oh, and, you know - this class is perfect for a 1-on-1-campaign...just saying...

Sometimes, third time’s the charm – 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Mystical: Kingdom of Monsters Anniversary Edition
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Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 3 Locksley Mk 9 (Troika! Compatible!)
Publisher: Axes & Orcs
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/21/2020 08:17:40

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Ætherjack’s Almanac-zinis clocks in at the usual 2 pages – if you print it out and fold it in the middle, you’ll get a neat pamphlet of 4 A5/6’’ by 9’’-pages, with one front cover, so three pages of content – this time, though, I probably wouldn’t fold it, since two of the pages sport the artwork for the Locksley MK 9 and its stats in a full-page offering on the second page – the most prudent way of thinking about this pdf thus would be to consider it a 1.5-page offering.

The Locksley MK 9 fighter/bomber æthercraft comes with full stats according to the guidelines laid out in #2 of this series; it can house a crew of up to 2 people, can be fueled for 5 hours of operation, and has a maneuver rating of 2, a ship rating of 8, armor 2 and 55 Hull. Its weaponry is interesting, as we have a forward-facing fusil, and swivel-mounted twin-fusils for the gunner. How are these used? Well, the pdf does make that clear – nice! We also get notes on tonnage, length and wingspan.

The æthercfraft also has a bomb-magazine with two sizes of bombs (small and large), and notes that variants are possible, including a removal of said bombs in favor of additional seating. Damage-wise, I am not sure where to place the bombs. I do think that the bombs are intended to default to Troika’s standard values for creatures (Small and Large beastly weapon damage tables), but getting proper stats here (or a note of the like) would have been nice.

This obviously opens up a couple of questions, which the pdf then proceeds to answer: The low fly time makes this a dogfighter, which is also evident in the high SR. This, though, is contingent on good fuel, and the pdf notes that similar engines might be pushed in similar manners, alongside comparable values for unpowered sailing/gliding, which is a really neat expansion of the base mechanics.

Also interesting: The open cockpit, which allows for the direct targeting of pilot and gunner, but the rules still provide a benefit to the people inside the vessel. Also important: Unlike big, full-blown ætherjammers, these vessels have armor on the scale of persons and use anti-person weapons, which are defined as having a range of one hex, and attack with disadvantage beyond that range. On the plus-side, ship weapons also attack with disadvantage against personal æthercrafts like this.

But what is disadvantage? Well, that’s defined as well: Rolling three dice and keeping the worst two.

The pdf closes with some previews and shoutouts.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are good on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to a two-column standard on the first page, with the second devoted to a full-page spread of the æthercraft and its stats – this time around in green-yellow. As before, a more printer-friendly b/w-version is included – kudos for that! The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none.

I am starting to really like Ian Woolley’s æthercraft rules! Where the global ship rules in volume two were super-impressive, this pdf provides something just as compelling – an extension of the engine to encompass smaller vessels on a personal level, so if you want dogfighters whirring about a dreadnought. You can have that! This also makes characters fighting small æthercrafts as bosses etc. (think Metal Gear Solid…) a possibility, and it manages to achieve that with precision. My one gripe with this pdf would be the lack of stats/definition for bombs…but if you like the engine proposed in #2, you’ll have fuel-based boosts and dogfighting added here…and that’s darn cool. As such, my final verdict will be 4 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 3 Locksley Mk 9 (Troika! Compatible!)
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Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 2 Cabbits & Combat (Troika! Compatible!)
Publisher: Axes & Orcs
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/17/2020 08:14:35

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The second installment of the Ætherjack’s Almanac-zinis clocks in at 2 pages – 1/2 of the first page is devoted to the front cover of sorts, which leaves us with 1.5 pages of content. If you fold this in the middle, you’ll have a nice pamphlet-style supplement, so you should rather consider this to be a 3-page pdf.

The pdf begins by presenting us with the æthernautical ship and combat rule breakdown: The days of air available are divided by the crew; the Crew value lists a minimum number to operate, and a maximum number for optimal operation. Cargo values are given in tons, regardless of mass or volume. The Maneuver value determines the number of hex-sides a ship can change facing sans piloting checks. Ship Ratings (SRs), hinted before in #1, are not always listed, as they are a factor of the engine and pilot. Armor has the same categories as personal, with the important caveat that personal weapons deal no damage to ships with armor unless specified. Hull is the HP_equivalent, and weapons will instakill regularly-scaled characters. Alternatively, they get to test Luck vs. Skill test to hit to remain standing with 1 Stamina.

Movement and combat takes place on a hex grid, and exceeding the Maneuver rating requires Piloting checks minus 1 per facing change. Minor nitpick – it should be “on the pilot’s initiative”, not “one the pilot’s initiative”, but this is a nitpick. Ship combat is resolved as ranged combat, and the ROF (Rate of Fire)-rating determines how often the weapon may be fired: ¼ would e.g. be one shot every 4 rounds. Considering Troika!’s swingy initiative system, this can be rather volatile.

the cuddly synthetic meta-lagomorph background, and come with fluffy ears (which does net you a +1 bonus to the Cute skill, and a singular appetite for a particular vegetable – you get +1 to Chomping on those. You also start with 3d6 outstanding warrants. Why? Well, the strange skill list notes plasmic cannons, so guess what? You can transform into a warship, and are thus illegal on a LOT of levels. Full warship stats are provided and include notes on how much cargo you can hold, minimum and maximum crew (and yes, the background makes you the minimum crew, so you none nobody to pilot you), Maneuver, Armor and Hull ratings, as well as weapons listed.

Beyond those, we have stats for naval vessels (static) and pirate vessel stats (which are much more prone to fluctuation, noting Skill, Maneuver, Hull, etc. Brief stats for crew members of these additional vessels are provided, in case you were wondering.

Okay, cool so far, right? Well, the pdf provides more: We get a pretty massive table that allows you to convert Stars Without Number, BECMI, and D20-based ships to Troika! regarding maneuverability; Armor conversion is provided for descending and ascending armor class, and we get proper Troika stats for 3 types of plasmic cannons, 2 ballistae, and 2 catapults. Some weapons can ignore up to 3 armor; plasmic cannons require electricity, ballistae etc. ammunition.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level – I have nothing to complain about here. Layout adheres to a delightfully-jarring purple-green 2-column standard that some people are bound to love – weirdoes like me, for example. (A “negative” version is included, flipping colors.) If you consider it rather jarring, fret not, for the supplement comes with a more eye-and printer-friendly b/w-iteration. Artworks seem to be adaptations of weird public domain images. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Ian Woolley delivers big time here – on just two pages, you get a great, mechanically precise engine that lets you seamlessly convert space ships/spacefaring ships/vehicles to Troika!, and we get some default stats as orientation, and a neat high-risk background. What more could you want? This is a resounding success of a mini-zine. Final verdict: 5 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Ætherjack’s Almanac Number 2 Cabbits & Combat (Troika! Compatible!)
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Village Backdrop: Don Galir (P2)
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/17/2020 08:12:28

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Village Backdrop-series clocks in at 15 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 9 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This village can be found in the duchy of Ashlar that also serves as a backdrop for many of Raging Swan Press cool offerings, including the Gloamhold mega-dungeon; to be more precise, what we have here, is the last dwarven hold in the region, situated right under Wellswood. As usual for Raging Swan Press supplements, adapting this location to your own game should not be an issue – it is a pretty easy place to adapt to your own games, with the tone, as usual, being in line with the grit we’ve come to expect from the Greyhawk-ish aesthetic that Raging Swan Press so successfully has cultivated.

Don Galir literally means “Lakeside Fortress” in Dwarven, and the settlement certainly faces its issues – which include exiles intent on recapturing their home, and the interaction with Wellswood’s notorious leadership. Structurally interesting: Don Galir is actually split, with the main halls and the other lake adjacent sections both coming with their own individual maps. Indeed, the angle regarding the subterranean lake is one of the cool things here – statues and mighty dwarven doors mirrored in the blackened waters most assuredly are neat visuals.

I rather enjoyed seeing the set-up and two maps, though I do have a bit of an issue with the main halls, which are depicted in a dungeon-like manner, with the map sporting a grid, but no scale. The lack of a scale makes the experienced GM default to 5-foot or 10-foot squares, depending on the system, and in both instances, the halls thus can feel very small and claustrophobic. I am all but certain that the scale should be higher and noted here, as it really flustered me for a second there.

Anyhow, as always in the series, we get the usual quality of life benefits for the GM that render this series so beloved: We receive notes on local dressing habits, nomenclature, and some sample pieces of information for PCs that actually do their legwork. A plus: Dwarves have an easier time here, though the bonus they receive should be typed. 6 rumors are presented as well. Kudos: Village lore can be properly assessed via Society, rumors via Diplomacy – makes sense. In the latter case, it’d have made sense to tie correct/incorrect rumors to the (critical) success/failure engine of PF2. No global marketplace information regarding magic items for sale is provided.

We do receive notes on the local trade and industry, law enforcement, and the customs practiced here, which make great use of the unique situation and numerous wells here: Picturing the dark waters illuminated by the full moon filtering through the manifold wells from above? That’s something I’d love to see in real life, and any GM worth their salt can evoke a sense of wonder and awe in this context. From edible moss to semi-blind cavefish, there is a sense of plausibility here that I enjoyed seeing.

The pdf also features a table of 20 small events and pieces of dressing to add further character to the settlement. Did I mention the secret society?

Speaking of character: 4 NPCs are provided in Raging Swan Press’ usual, flavor-centric manner, and as always, the keyed locales come with neat read-aloud text. The supplement goes a bit farther than usual, though: Contained herein are brief notes on the assumed dwarven pantheon worshiped in the duchy of Ashlar, and the supplement features a new uncommon advanced weapon (dwarf, shove and sweep traits), the thunderaxe, which basically a combined axe/hammer – on a nitpicky side,PF2 usually expresses the ability to use different damage types via the versatile weapon trait, which is missing here – instead, we have 1d8 bludgeoning or 1d8 slashing” listed in the damage-section. Functional, but not perfectly adhering to the system’s conventions. More important, the new material, Tordel, the soul steel, is problematic: It is “as expensive as mithral or adamantine.” So, which is it? The differences in price and power are significant! What’s the HP per inch? What’s the BT? Where are the sample stats for chunks, ingots, etc.? The material is said to trap the souls of the slain and gain power with the wielder. Okay, so does it detect as necromancy? Are there any mechanics? This is an idea – and that’s all it is. It is NOT a functional material as far as PF2 is concerned.

On the plus-side, the second appendix does net us a whole page on the lost hold of Vongyth, which does provide not only cool lore, but also some adventuring potential.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a formal level; on a rules-language level, the same can’t be said, as both components introduced have some flaws that render the new material, for example, inoperable as written. Layout adheres to Raging Swan Press’ two-column b/w-standard, and includes quite a few nice b/w artworks. The cartography is b/w is per se nice, though, as mentioned before, the lack of scale noted can render the place a bit more opaque than what I’d have liked to see. The pdf comes in two versions, one intended for screen-use and one for being printed, and supporters of Raging Swan Press’ patreon receive player-friendly versions of the maps, at least to my knowledge.

Steve Hood’s take on the dwarven hold (additional design by Martin Webb)  is interesting indeed: Making Wellswood’s setup a backdrop for a cool subterranean village is clever and incredibly efficient – particularly in the details: From fishing tackles available (properly adjusted for PF2) to the monthly festival, this place feels fantastic in a grounded, plausible way, and really captured my imagination. In many ways, it is a remarkable success, but also one marred by several small hiccups. These are somewhat akin to the ones plaguing the version for Pathfinder’s first edition. Additionally, it should be stated that the supplement doesn’t really do anything with all the cool things you can do in PF2, but not in other systems, making it feel very much like a linear conversion. The collective of these niggles make it impossible for me to rate this higher than 3.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Village Backdrop: Don Galir (P2)
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