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Omni Database 1: Femme Fatale is part of Clockwork Golem Workshop?s OMNI-Labs series of ready-made supervillains. It is built around the conceit that OMNI-Labs tracks the super-powered individuals of the world (especially the villains) and maintains an extensive set of files and databases on them.
This set of files contain information on five of them, all (apparently) female:
Amazon-X, a refugee from a ruined future, a champion of the ?gene-pure? humans. She hunts supers, and only supers. She is a good direct combat character with some interesting background threads.
Binary, a living hologram that can convert herself into raw binary code to reprogram computers from the inside. A character designed for stealth and espionage adventures but also capable of some interesting combat tricks.
Infinity, a powerful sorceress with access to a wide range of magical artefacts, the perfect foil to an occult or mystic-based hero. Infinity seeks to build a new occult empire with herself at the head.
Killer Frost, supermodel turned supervillain with frost powers and a heart of ice.
Soulfire, a crusading feminist empowered to correct the problems of male dominance, with violence.
Each has a single page handout listing their abilities and crimes as analyzed by OMNI-Labs. These make excellent ?in game? props.
This product provides a good range of potential opponents for a variety of scenarios and adventures. Be it espionage, occult mystery or straight up combat, characters useful for all are provided. However, suggestions for how to link the characters included either as allies or enemies would have provided an additional level of usefulness. It is a useful resource for a M&M gamesmaster.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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I wasnt very impressed with this product. Some of the feats were usable but I didn't like the Kobold mutants. You might get it for the feats.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>
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I dont know what to say about this book. It wasn't very good. The best thing about this book was that it gave one or two ghoul feats that might be able to be tweaked.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>
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I won't dwell on what other comprehensive reviews have said, but this is the ideal format for running a d20 Modern game involving vampire PCs. <br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: Pretty comprehensive, with racial and class-based ways to approach the concept, supplemented by feats and rules ideas like off-stage hunting.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I would have liked a "bloodline" mechanism where a GM or player could select and balance their traits.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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The tattoos and other things available from this parlour could be of use to any adventurer of compatible mindset to the owners, particularly rogues and performing types. They also serve, as the author mentioned, as a low-key method to introduce a few interesting psionic items to the campaign. Tattoos, a few potions, wands (arcane and divine) and dorjes and a selection of miscellaneous items are for sale.
It's packed with flavour and should be a memorable part of the campaign with a pair of high-level characters who could take a more active part if the GM ever finds it useful.
A few editing problems, of the annoying word-choice sort that a once-over with a spell-checker won't find.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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This is a good solid product for anyone running a d20 modern game in the vein of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer", "Blade", "The Lost Boys", John Carpenter's "Vampires", "Underworld" or the like.
A very good modern interpretation of vampires with a new Vampire Racial class, new feats, new (interpreted from movies) gear, and quite a lot more.
Overall, I definitely recommend this product.<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: Pretty much everything.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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Now to put this in its proper place:
This answers "what happens when a nation specializes in one opponent?" A new race that was created with troll blood to keep the soldiers from losing, feats that are caused by troll genetic taint (and ones related to fighting trolls), and PrCs that use troll taint or works against troll weaknesses.
A most excellent product. I hope they write more of these dealing with other monsters.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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Bugbears feats and Throw backs
One type of book that I do not seem to see as often these days are books filled with bits that are easy to incorporate into one?s game. I think that was always been a strength of the d20 system. Sure people complained about books filled with feats, prestige classes, spells, equipment, etc.; but in the end it is these types of books that are easiest to use in a game. Many books seem to want one to start a new campaign using the books and while that can be good and fun there are simply to many books that seem to have this as their goal. I have selves filled with books that I really like, but because I would need to build a campaign around them instead of having them easily fit into the campaign I want to build they get little use. This is one thing I really enjoy about the small PDFs some companies put out. They are designed to be used in my game right now. I like that and I tend to find a way to use these books since they are so easy to use.
Masterworks Monsters: Bugbear Feats and Throwback is a new PDF by Clockwork Golem Worshop. This PDF Company has done a nice job with small PDFs that are about one topic. They have been very easy to use in my games. This nine page PDF has a basic layout with a few pieces of art. It is all black and white with some minor page borders making it easy to print out. There are no book marks in the book and while such a small product does not benefit as much with book marks as say a 256 page campaign setting; I still always like to see book marks. They are one of the big advantages over printed books PDFs have.
The book covers new options for bugbears. I think this is great as it takes a standard monster people know and expands upon them in easy ways within the rules of the game. Bugbears for the most part area race that has not been expanded on a lot. There is a Slayers Guide to Bugbears Mongoose put out in the early days of d20 and Kenzer recently put out a very nice book for Kalamar that covered Bugbears as well as elves. So, it is nice to also see them take something that has little support as while there is a great amount of d20 books there are nice big gabs in the areas covered.
The book offers twenty five new feats specifically designed for Bugbears and one small class. While these options are specific to the Bugbear race there are a few that really can benefit other characters. One great thing is the bugbear attitudes and basic personality is well reflected in the feats. They are not redefining the bug bear. They are building upon what has been presented. Some of the feats enhance the natural attacks of the Bugbear like Bear Claws and Savage Bite that both increase the damage they can do with natural attacks. There is a nice meta magic feat that allows the caster to craft a small representation of their victim to make their spell be harder to resist for that person. There are feats that allow the Bugbears to get more use out of scavenged weapons and armor, even if they are broken, incomplete, or if the bug bear is untrained in the items. There is Strong Arm that allows one handed weapons that are not normally able to be thrown to be thrown. Many of the feats would be very useful for primitive and barbaric cultures as well as scavengers and bandits.
The Bugbear Throwback is a very interesting four level class. The idea is that as Bugbears age they regress. It is a rare class so not all Bugbears would go through this. It is not a prestige class so there are no requirements to get into the class. The class makes Bugbears a little stronger, a bit more able to survive in the wilderness, but they are illiterate. It is a nice simple class with a great idea behind it. The rules of the class are all simple and easy to incorporate.
Clockwork Golem Games once again has a nice creative book on a single topic. The rules are all fine and nothing looks like it would be close to questionable in terms of game balance. The feats offer a nice ability as well as a way to personalize the bugbears and role play them differently. The Throwbacks is a nice simple option that can really change how some Bugbears are. This is a good and solid small PDF that should benefit anyone interested in using and expanded on Bugbears in their game.
<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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Magic Merchant House of the Transformed Toad
Magic shops are an odd element into the d20 game. Many of the people who have played for years area little reluctant to introduce them while the people newer to the game seem willing to embrace them with no problems. Some people fear that magic shops take the wonder out of magic. That it cheapens the reward for the players making it too easy for them to get such items. The Magical Merchant series seems like it is going to in some ways tackle these issues. It presents a single small magical shop with a gnome owner and a small inventory.
House of the Transformed Toad is a new PDF by a new company, Clockwork Golem Workshop. The author is Peter Ball. The PDF is not that big being only twelve pages in length. There is not a lot of art and the few pieces are pretty simple. The Layout is just fine with no problems for reading it. The book has no book marks though and while for a PDF this size they might not be needed it is still better to see them then not.
This Magical Merchant book is filled with nice detail. It is way more then a simple shop. The author starts with a short few paragraphs explaining how the series is a hope to run the middle ground of having shops but not allowing players to buy anything they want. The shop presented here is has a limited supply of items so it would not be difficult for the players to buy the shop out of cure light wound potions for instance. This will serve as a simple way to supplement the players but not provide an endless supply of items for their use.
The shop for the most part has items for low level parties. One will not find a robe of the arch magi here for instance. There area few new items presented here like Liquid Images. These are small vials that contain a simple illusion inside. There are six stock illusions and special orders can be made. One can find a few wands, scrolls, and other small odds and ends in the store.
The real benefit of the store though it that it can quickly become a reoccurring place with an interesting reoccurring NPC. The store has a good history and the Telgen Mythander is fully fleshed out. There are some nice details like the fact that Telgen just recently learned to craft wands so anyone he sells a wand to with be questions ed on how well it worked.
Over all this is a pretty nice example of a magic shop. It does have some security but it is not completely secure as a building. There is no layout of the store presented but enough detail to figure one out. There are a pair of adventure ideas presented as well, but adventure ideas using a magic shop should be fairly easy for people to come up with on their own.
<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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Creator Reply: |
We've recently updated the layout and formatting of this product, which now comes with bookmarks throughout. |
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A cool little packet of flavorful goodness to drop into a campaign setting without causing much of a stir.<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: I like PDFs like this.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: More feats please<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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A cool little packet of flavorful goodness to drop into a campaign setting without causing much of a stir.<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: The concept<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There could have been more feats that incorperated the shadow theme.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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I've never really been fond of the idea of a drunken mage, especially stuffs that cater specifically to being drunk. The background story is simple enough but I found it somewhat unrealistic and simplistic for Butterboar (apparently a powerful mage) to have been only a simple tavernkeeper with ties to the underworld. Much more fleshing out is needed. The spells mostly lean towards the lower levels and a couple of them are actually logical and useful. The rest are a bit too comical for my tastes, and doesn't seem to fit the mindset of that Butterboar character.<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: The addition of a spell list and the simple images was a nice touch. Those new alchemical beers might prove useful.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I actually find the new design change to be rather distasteful. The font was unnecessarily big and made things look inelegant. I usually don't print these ebooks so it was nicer when one page would fit nicely on the screen (landscape format), rather than the half-page now (since it's now in portrait format).<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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I really enjoy this series. Slowly, tome by tome, I am really starting to flesh out all those bookshelves lining the walls of various members of the intelligentsia flourishing in my game world. It is really nice to be able to provide my players with some actual descriptions (not to mention plot hooks) of the dusty tomes they pull down off the shelves - and NOT have to default to soem lame generic description ("Uh...its a book of...Elven poetry...yeah...")!<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: The bundled format is a splendid idea. I hope that if we see a grand bundle in the future (i.e. All the lost books volumes 1 through ??) that there is enough additional material to persuade those of us that have been buying since the beginning to pick that up as well.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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Though the idea of a arcane caster troll seems strange to me, I find this whole product useful. Of note are the trollspawn template which allows the DM to create new trolls out of old creatures, the sly snatcher PrC that allows trolls to be sneaky in their hunting, the iron troll which was bred for war and the bog troll which should make lower level parties unhappy in swamps.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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This answers "what happens when a nation specializes in one opponent?" A new race that was created with troll blood to keep the soldiers from losing, feats that are caused by troll genetic taint (and ones related to fighting trolls), and PrCs that use troll taint or works against troll weaknesses.
A most excellent product. I hope they write more of these dealing with other monsters.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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