The Everlasting: The Codex of the Immortals From: Visionary Entertainment Studio Reviewed by: Ron McClung

The Everlasting: The Codex of the Immortals is a new RPG Supplement from Visionary Entertainment Studio.

Delving back into the remaining books I have left from Visionary, I now tackle The Codex of the Immortals. A smaller book (6"x9"), it is a supplement recently put out for The Everlasting Role Playing Game (RPG). The Codex, as the back explains, provides players with tools they need to further develop their characters for The Everlasting RPG. It contains expanded information about what it means to be one of The Everlasting (characters in the The Everlasting RPG) and guidelines to help develop backgrounds for protagonists. It also contains more information about the history of The Secret World and the Fall of the Dragons, the rise of the merodachs and the Azhi Dehaka, The Death Knell and the coming of the daimons.

More specifically, The Codex has guidelines on fellowships, mentors, apprentices, honor duels, and dominions and over a hundred distinctions for players to use to further define and mold their characters. Also included are guidelines on creating custom powers.

From page #3: “The secret world, a daydream shadow of our reality, is waiting for you.”The Codex  is a very compact book with a lot of information throughout. There are four major chapters and an index. The chapters are 1: Everlasting Society, 2: Advanced Protagonists, 3: Character Distinctions and 4: Preternatureae.  

Chapter 1: Everlasting Society contains an in-depth look at the society and history of the Everlasting. From the early years of Dragons to their eventual betrayal by pre-humans that immortals called the merodach; from the growth of mortal man and his sciences to the Death Knell (the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima). Also included is a timeline that goes as far back as 400 million BC when the first Dragons appeared. 

The remaining portions of the chapter is a conglomeration of subjects all relating back to life as an eldritch and all that it entails, inside and outside the mortal world. It starts out with a short piece on Fellowships (player parties) and why they form, and then a discussion on Dominions and the shared dominions of Earth known as mortal cities. The Wisdom of the Ancients is the commandments of the Everlasting, defining certain rules that all within eldritch society should follow. These include Observe the right of dominion, Do not rule over mortals, and Embrace the age in which you live.

It is also in Chapter 1 that you find the section on Apprentices. Many times, a new immortal needs a mentor to ease him into his new Everlasting life. Many of the eldritch societies allow for apprenticeships to help the new immortal deal with living longer than his mortal loved ones, keeping his nature secret, and learning the Wisdom of the Ancients. Like MacLeod was the Ramirez in Highlander, every new immortal needs their guide.

Chapter 1 ends with several short sections on the Mortal Identity that some Everlasting must take to walk among them, the subject of Sanctuaries and Sanctums of the eldritch, etiquette and honor among the eldritch, and several disjointed pieces on living an immortal life including notes on Soul-Bond (a metaphysical link between all eldritch) and Psychic Resonances - two aspects of immortals. There are also sections on fertility, family, love and romance among the eldritch.

From the back cover: “Unlock the Key to Your Destiny”

Chapter 2: Advanced Protagonists introduces the reader to new aspects of characters. Several new options are presented. This chapter starts out like the book - a conglomeration of loosely related subjects. It opens with short sections on Unusual Characters (young characters and playing yourself), Off-the-Scale score, Everyman Skills, and Skill Specializations. It seems to jump all over the place, but at least focuses on further fleshing out the character. 

The bulk of Chapter 2, however, is taken up with Ability Descriptions - uncommon ways to apply an ability to an aspect. This truly illustrates the flexibility of the Everlasting system and one characteristic I like about it. For roughly 24 pages, the authors expands on abilities and aspects in many unique ways.

Chapter 3: Character Distinctions expands on the concept of Distinctions. The one thing I have always said - if you have a classless system, you better have a good advantage and disadvantage system. Everlasting had a unique approach to this, and this book expands on it further. There are nine distinctions ranging from Biography and Resources to Psyche and Supernature. Herein lies the meat and potatoes of the character and the game. This chapter adds the gravy with some really cool options.

Chapter 4: Preternatureae takes up the remainder of the book, which is close to half. Preternaturae are the supernatural powers the eldritch have. These powers are divided out among 30 categories.  The Foundation books supply a few initial preternaturae for all the gentes, as well as a limited number of additional preternaturae abilities that characters can buy with experience as they play. This section supplies a huge number of additional preternaturae for the players to choose from. This almost makes the book a necessity for those that like to further differentiate their characters. Comparatively, some are a little more expensive then the preternaturaes seen thus far, and they range from the not-so-original abilities to the down-right interesting.  

In conclusion, I would say that this book completes the game thoroughly. Although it starts out like a strange conglomeration of notes and essays, the final chapters make the book worth the money. It is a smaller book than the Foundation books in pages and page size, and the layout is not quite as artistic as the original foundation books, but you would not buy this for the layout. If you are really into The Everlasting and in need of more expansion and differentiation of your characters, this book is a necessity.

For more details on Visionary Entertainment Studio and their new RPG Supplement “The Everlasting: The Codex of the Immortals” check them out at their website http://www.visionaryentertainment.com and at all of your local game stores.