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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/10/100-days-of-halloween-octhorrorfest-and.html
Lost Classes: The Arnesonian Classes
PDF. 30 pages. Black & white covers and interior art.
This one is not really a "Halloween" issue, but given I am doing Octhorrorfest I figure I would add this one is as well. Plus, it is for Old-School Essentials so that is reason enough.
Plus I think today is the last day of Dave Arneson week, so there is that.
This book covers what is called the Arnesonian Classes. This includes the Merchant and the Sage, as standard classes. We also get the Beastfolk. This includes Chimpanzee Folk and Duck Folk. We get both Basic race-as-class versions and Advanced races.
I have to admit I want to make a Chimpanzee Sage. I think that would be rather fun.
This little book is a great addition to OSE.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/10/100-days-of-halloween-octhorrorfest-and.html
Octhorrorfest!
PDF. 50 pages. Color covers. Black & white interior art.
This book is designed for Old-School Essentials, so that is already a plus in my mind.
It is filled with some wonderful art that is both creepy and evocative.
We begin with an introduction from author R.J. Thompson about Halloween, and all the things that make Halloween great.
There is a bit on Samhain (with correct pronunciation) and All Hallows with ideas of how to add them to your game. This includes what classes can do and the effects on magic.
There are new classes and since this is OSE there are race-as-classes. The classes include The Jack-o-Kin racial class and race for Advanced OSE. A jack-o-lantern race is a really interesting idea. Maybe not one I would play myself, but I am sure I would use it as an NPC race.
The next class is the Witch. Ah. Now we are talking. The class is a Wisdom-based spellcaster. They are fairly close to the Cleric class. There are a lot of interesting features to this class like healing, cure poison, and my favorite the Dying Curse.
There is also a Witch Hunter class. A fighter type that also can turn undead and detect evil. Essentially like a less devout paladin.
Magic of Hallows covers the spells for the witch. There are some ones that are familiar from OSE or SRD sources and four new spells. This section also covers Ritual Spell Casting which is adapted from the old d20 Relics & Rituals converted to OSE. It is rather good to be honest. There are 11 "new" spells. They are familiar spells but re-presented as ritual spells.
There is a section on Curing Vampirism, Demons and Exorcism. Another section on Turning the creatures of the Outer Dark (like Undead Turning).
Up next, around page 40, we get some movie monsters.
Since this Appendix N Entertainment, we get an Appendix N with new readings, music, and film.
In its 50 pages we get a lot of fun material. Well worth the price.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-baf-muse.html
This one is a bit special. First, it is produced by Basic Witch Games which is just a great name. Secondly, the game is produced by a couple of friends of mine, Miranda Hunt and her wife Caitlin Hliwa doing the art. Thirdly I contributed a few spells for this book.
So...that makes reviewing this a little more difficult. So in addition to following my rules I am also going to be especially careful here. I am not going to review the spells for example.
BaF - The Muse
PDF. 8 pages. Color cover. Black & white internal art.
BaF is short for "Basic as Fuck" a philosophy and a game design ethic. These classes (of which the Muse is the first) are designed for B/X D&D or OSE.
This class, the Muse, is a magic-using class that alters emotions and enchants their companions. This is a Charisma base class and it cast spells in a similar manner to the witch classes.
The XP charts follow the same format as Old School Essentials. The muse is similar in advancement to the Cleric and Magic-users. The Muse casts spells up to the 5th level.
While I don't feel it would be right to review the spells, there is a good number here and many that are original.
There is also a new magic weapon featured.
The class is really fun and I can see a lot of uses for it as a great support character (like the Cleric) and some magic firepower (like the Magic-user).
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC13 - The OSR Witch
PDF. 15 pages. Color cover.
Covers the basics of the class including requirements, alignment, and all the other expected details. There is a section on the special abilities of the class, in this case abilities all witches get. Each witch also gets a "Focus" or what I have called a "Tradition" but could be read as archetype or even sub-class. These include Black Witch, Fire Witch, Frost Witch, Light Witch, Mind Witch, Storm Witch, Wander Witch, Water Witch, White Witch, Weather Witch, and Wood Witch for a total of 11 (two more would have been great). Each gets some powers and a selection of spells unique to that Focus.
This is followed by the advancement tables. Witches get bonus spells for high Charisma. And the selection of spell common to all witches.
There are 9 NPC witches of various levels and alignments.
There are some design notes that talk about the lack of an official witch class and how most of the OSR ones are all done by "one guy" (no idea who that could be).
We end with the OGL statement.
All in all a really fun class. If this one works for you then by all means go with it. There are a lot of great ideas here.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC11 - The OSR Warlock
PDF. 14 pages. Black & White cover.
This is the "new" warlock from Reaban. I'll get to the "old" one in a bit.
Essentially this is a conversion of the 5.1 SRD warlock and I am totally happy with that. You get a Pact boon and a bunch of Eldritch Invocations.
Listed are various Patrons the warlock can take. We get the Fiend, the Great Nature Spirit (this one is new), Faerie Queen (or King), the Great Old One, Elemental Prince, and the Celestial. Each gives the warlock powers and a collection of spells.
This is followed by the advancement tables (with level titles!). Warlocks get bonus damage on their Eldritch Blast for high Charisma. And the selection of spells common to all warlocks.
There are 7 NPC warlocks and some design notes. The design notes in particular discuss why this is the second Warlock Reaban has done and how the old warlock is now the Kineticist.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC1 - The OSR Kineticist
PDF. 8 pages. Color cover.
This was the first OSR class done by Reaban and was originally called The Warlock. This class is a bit different. It is like a sorcerer in that has innate magic, but this is not due to bloodline. It has some blasty-like warlock powers, and some others making the class fairly unique.
There are the advancement tables (with level titles!). Kineticist get bonus damage on their Arcane Bolts for high Charisma.
It is a new idea and I really like it. This one is so early that there are no NPCs.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC2 - The OSR Exorcist
PDF. 6 pages. Black & White cover.
Ah. Now here is a class that is not all that witchy, but one that is likely to come up in any game where there are a lot of witches and demons. I have also played around with an exorcist class in the past and this one works so well for me I really don't think I need to do one now.
Exorcists are a bit warrior, bit cleric.
There are the advancement tables (with level titles!) but no NPCs yet in this one.
The class does exactly what is should do and does it well.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC3 - The OSR Witch Hunter
PDF. 7 pages. Color cover.
Can't have witches and not expect a few witch hunters. Like many of the "witch hunter" classes you can find this one is not limited to hunting witches alone but any supernatural evil. Like the Exorcist this one is a combination of fighter and cleric, though more leaning on the fighter side (they are considered a sub-class of the fighter). They get a number of abilities to allow it to hunt down their prey and vanquish them.
The witch hunter also gets a Bard-like Lore ability and the ability to read magic. They can even turn undead at 3rd level.
There are the advancement tables (with level titles) for First Edition, Original Edition, Basic/Expert Edition, and Cyclopedic Edition (to 36th level).
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC8 - The OSR Amazon Warrior
PDF. 9 pages. Color cover.
This might be stretching my "witch" idea, but I did do a book, the Cult of Diana: The Amazon Witch, and I like to use this book with that one.
This one gives us the Amazon Warrior class. It is a fighter, but with a more athletic bend to it. The have to have minimum scores of 15 in Strength, Dexerity, AND Constitution. The Amazon Warrior can't use magic items unless that magic item is a weapon and provided to them by a god.
There are the advancement tables (with level titles) for First Edition, Original Edition, Basic/Expert Edition, and Cyclopedic Edition (to 36th level).
There are 10 NPCs including a Red Martian (nice!), Zenia, and "Crimson Sonia" who is 25th level.
There is also a section on the daughters of the gods and how they can generate ability scores. There are also role-playing notes on the children of gods.
All in all a really fun additional class.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC10 - The OSR Beguiler
PDF. 15 pages. Color cover.
A related class, this one has also been called the houri, the courtesan, the temptress, or the hetaera. It is a Charisma based class that uses charms. She is also a poisoner along with her other skills, so in many ways she is closer in nature to the thief or assassin.
There are the advancement tables (with level titles) for First Edition, Original Edition, and Basic/Expert Edition.
This one also has some new magic items. There are 19 NPCs.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-jeremy-reaban-osr.html
Jeremy Reaban has published a good number of OSR Classes. While they say OSR on the cover they do have advancement tables for "Original," "First Edition," and "Basic/Expert" editions. So they are really quite flexible. I do note that the "Basic/Expert" table does go to level 20, so great for Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy, but you will need to cut off at 14th level for Old School Essentials. Keep in mind these classes all predate OSE in publication.
All his classes, and indeed all his publications, are Pay What You Want. I like that. Given he is buying art for all of these at least pay him a couple of bucks.
PC17 - The OSR Enchantress
PDF. 15 pages. Color cover.
This class is another spellcasting class, this time ismanipulates the emotions of others. This class is a magic-user sub-class.
There are the advancement tables (with level titles) for First Edition, Original Edition, and Basic/Expert Edition. There is also spell advancement to the 7th level.
The best part of this class, at least for me, are the new spells. There 33 in total. Some come from the d20 SRD, but that is fine. They work great here.
There are only 2 new NPCs here.
And finally there are two new Witch Focuses for the Witch Class; a Desire Witch and a Dream Witch.
Works great for me to be honest.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-echelon-reference.html
Back in August, I reviewed the Echelon Reference Series: Witch Spells which covers every witch spell for Pathfinder. It is a great series that represents a near Sisyphean effort to track all these spells. An effort that is only apparent once you dig into it. Tonight I thought I might go for their collection of witch class material. Basically, everything for the witch but the spells.
As always I will be following my rules for these reviews.
Echelon Reference Series: Witch (3pp+PRD)
Again this one comes as two PDFs. One for Pathfinder and one for Pathfinder and all other Third Party material. The author points out that these are "living" documents as the material will be updated periodically.
Presently the Pathfinder book is 78 pages and the Pathfinder + 3PP book is 196 pages.
Both books follow the same format.
About the Echelon Reference Series
This give you an overview of not just these two books but the series as a whole. Explains the differences between the PRD (Pathfinder SRD) and PRD+3PP (Pathfinder SRD plus Third Party Publishers) and the multiple versions of various books.
This section also covers the issue of duplicate names; that is when one publisher calls something "X" and another publisher calls something "X" as well but they do different things. Also some things may have different names but do remarkably similar things. In both cases everything is here.
Classes and Archetypes
Covers the basic witch class and the published (and Open) archtypes. The PRD covers just material that is open from Paizo and can be found (for the most part) in the Pathfinder SRD. The PRD+3PP covers the same but also all of the Open 3PP material.
Class Features
For the witch, this covers all her Patrons and all the various Hexes she can take. This might be one of the more useful chapters in the book.
Other Options
Here we get favored class options, feats specifically for witches, and spell casting options. No spells since those are covered in multiple other Echelon books.
NPCs
What it says on the tin. The PRD has five and the PRD+3PP has the same five plus five more
Appendices
Not much here yet save for the Index and the OGL.
There is no art, nor is art required. This is a massive data dump designed for people that want only the crunch and none of the fluff.
This does not replace the products it gets its OGC from. The "source" products may have in-world examples or other materials that situate all of this to give proper perspective. This is the RAW OGC as is. For me? I use Section 15 of the OGL statement here as a shopping list. I use the original books/sources as my inspiration, but I sue this as my quick reference.
Looking forward to seeing what else is added!
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-sisters-of-rapture.html
NOTE: This review covers both the OGL and Pathfinder Editions of this product. Where they differ will be detailed below.
We are getting much closer to Halloween now! It is cooler here in Chicago and I am ready for the seasons to change. Here at the Other Side, I am kicking up the witch topics hitting on products I have had for a while but have not reviewed or talked about.
Tonight is a good case in point. I have had this particular product in both the OGL and Pathfinder versions for years. I have not found a group that it would work well for, however. There is a lot of material here that I can use in my witch worlds. But, well. Let me get into the products and you decide.
Sisters of Rapture
OGL (d20 3.5) and Pathfinder versions.
PDFs, both 72 pages of content (76 and 74 total respectively). Color covers and interior art.
For Mature Readers. Let's approach this one upfront. The art featured on the cover is a rather tame example of the art that can be found inside. Point blank, there is a lot of nudity here and lot of sexual situations. The entire idea of the Sisters of Rapture is a class of semi-divine spellcasters centered around love and sacred sex. If this is not your thing then best to back out now. Again I have struggled with how to use some of these concepts in my games.
We know that history has had temple prostitutes, sacred sex, and many pagan rituals involving fertility. There are historical examples to fit this book more so than say the martial arts monk side by side with a horse-riding paladin in a quasi-European Medieval setting.
Plus, and I want to be truthful here, there is a lot a great and well-written material here that begs to be used. So let's get to it. Also, why am I doing these along with witches?
Unless mentioned the OGL and Pathfinder sections are largely similar. They are not 100% the same, more like 90% but both deal with their source game where they need too.
Introduction
Here we are introduced to the central concept of this book. That of the power of love. We learn of the Sisters of Rapture, a "close-knit organization of warrior-priestesses, dedicated to preserving and protecting the ideals of the various goddesses of love, beauty, sex, passion and other related concepts."
In terms of RPG applications the author (and artist) T. Catt, points to the various artists of fantasy art.
Chapter One: Love's Blessed
Here we are introduced to the Sisters of Rapture base class, also known as the Rapturous. They are a bit of a fighter, a bit of divine spellcaster, and maybe some rogue added in. They are dedicated to the various goddess of love. Their raison d'être is to spread pleasure and love around their worlds.
Here we also get our first look at the art of T. Catt; mostly nude women. Now I just finished watching HBO's hits Rome and Game of Thrones, so this fits that aesthetic, but like I said it is not going to be for everyone.
In terms of 3.x OGL/Pathfinder classes, they have somewhat medium combat abilities, good Fort and Will saves, with low Reflex saves. They can cast spells up to the 9th level, same as all full casters. They also get a power every other level. Their spells are known as "Carnal Domain" Divine spells. They get d8 HD and can only be women of any species.
There is a limit on the number of spells they know like sorcerers. Their powers largely focus on and around their sex and sexuality. There are several "kiss" powers for example. I actually rather like the Kiss powers, I have used something similar and lets be honest history is repleat with various sorts of powerful or significant kisses.
Depending on the Goddess they follow they can gain different powers. So Aphrodite grants her Rapturous different powers than Freya. Freya in particular grants her Rapturous a "Righteous Rage" ability to Rage like a barbarian of half her level.
What does this sound like? Yeah. Witches and their patrons.
Chapter Two: Love's Chosen
This covers the various Prestige Classes. I mentioned before that I like Prestige Classes, I always have. These classes work well with this base class. Though I will point out that other classes should be able to qualify for these to be within the spirit of the d20 rules; these don't really do that.
The Inamorare is something like a muse. They get some Bard-like abilities (mostly inspiration) and of the five levels they advance in spell casting in three of them. The Patron Mother takes on the role of training the next generation by taking on a Rapturous apprentice. In this respect, she more similar to a cleric. The Spellswinger (and I admit I like that name) swings both ways, Divine and Arcane magic. NOW this Prestige Class does require that character be able to cast Rapturous and Arcane spells.Yes, they are all about sex magic. My favorite though might be the Stormsister. These Rapturous are the strong arm of the Sisters and they punish anyone that harms women or stops love.
The Pathfinder version also includes various archetypes for the base class. These include the Abbess (closer to her Goddess and church), Divine Virgin (celebrates the pure divine love and refrain from sex), and the Sacred Prostitute (think of the Epic of Gilgamesh),
Chapter Three: Love's Method
This covers skills and feats. For skills there is Knowledge (Carnal). I can't help but wonder if the author was familiar with the old AD&D Netbook Book of Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. No, don't go dig it up, it's not worth it. There is also Perform (Sexual Techniques) and various Professions.
Feats are an interesting lot and could have a lot of interesting applications. Blown Kiss, for example, allows the Rapturous to "blow a kiss" or deliver a touch spell/power attack at range.
The Pathfinder also covers various traits.
The next portion of this chapter covers the Carnal Domain Spells. There are only nine, but since the publication of this book there have been plenty of others that would work.
There are some magic items. The Rings of Faithfulness are certainly interesting.
Chapter Four: Love's Divinity
This chapter covers the various goddess of love, beauty, and sex. These include the expected Aphrodite/Venus, Isis, and Freya. Others are briefly mentioned. Shout outs to my favorites Astarte and Brigit. Additionally, we are presented with a "new" Goddess, Parvati.
The Pathfinder version is largely the same but I think a mention of the Goddess of Love Shelyn and her lovers Desna and Sarenrae should be in order here. I feel that their combined faiths would be perfect for the Sisters of Rapture. (I know these goddesses are not "open" in terms of the OGL so they could not be included in this book).
Chapter Five: Love's Order
This details the society and church organization of the Sisters of Rapture. This includes the religious practices of the Sisters and the roles they are play within the church organizations.
Chapter Six Love's Relations
It seems odd to call these creatures monsters, but they are creatures/people that are associated with or related too the Sisters of Rapture. There are the Theliel, the Archons (Angels) of Passion. The Beloved, undead victims of the Succubus. The Congress of the Wolf, an all-male group in opposition to the Sisters. We just call them the Patriarchy. There is Lileetha the Queen of the Succubi. The Half-Nymph and Huldra. The Pleasure Ooze looks like a woman but is really an ooze that wants to eat you. As does the Venus Mantrap.
I will say this for Pathfinder. The "Evolved" monster stat block makes it a lot easier to read than the base D&D 3.x one.
Appendix 1: Who's Who
This covers various Raprurous NPCs. Theophania Leandros the current Overmother, Althea Acarides a half-nymph Sister of Aphrodite, Saereid an elven Sister of Freya, Ninythys a human Sister of Isis, and Kamala Siddah a humanSister of Parvati.
Appendix 2: Modern Rapturous (OGL)
Here the books differ quite a bit. The OGL version covers the Modern d20 book and how the Sisters of Rapture exist in the modern age.
The OGL book ends with one of the most attractive-looking character sheets I have ever seen.
Appendix 2: The Nefer-Sefet (Pathfinder)
This is a special sect of Isis-worshiping Sisters of Rapture that attach themselves to an Arcane spell caster and bolster their powers. Essentially they are a living Meta-magic battery for these arcane spell casters.
Both the required OGL pages.
So. What to make of all of this.
Well, there is a lot of great mechanics here. The class is solid and even if you toned down the sexual aspect of it there is a lot her that is good to play. You have to ask though what is here that a cleric could not do or even should be able to do. This is a divine spellcaster. There are some powers, but I think a cleric could cover similar ground. I guess at some level the differences are the same between a cleric and this class and a wizard and a witch.
I also can't but help but admire the complete level of detail the creator has gone in on this. While others might scratching their head about where to use this class you know that T. Catt has thought about all of these things and more. It's obvious from the level of detail here.
Among other things, the half-nymph is a great idea, the various feats have some wonderful uses, and the creature section has some surprise hits.
I guess each Game Master has to decide on their own how to best use this sort of book.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-sisters-of-rapture.html
NOTE: This review covers both the OGL and Pathfinder Editions of this product. Where they differ will be detailed below.
We are getting much closer to Halloween now! It is cooler here in Chicago and I am ready for the seasons to change. Here at the Other Side, I am kicking up the witch topics hitting on products I have had for a while but have not reviewed or talked about.
Tonight is a good case in point. I have had this particular product in both the OGL and Pathfinder versions for years. I have not found a group that it would work well for, however. There is a lot of material here that I can use in my witch worlds. But, well. Let me get into the products and you decide.
Sisters of Rapture
OGL (d20 3.5) and Pathfinder versions.
PDFs, both 72 pages of content (76 and 74 total respectively). Color covers and interior art.
For Mature Readers. Let's approach this one upfront. The art featured on the cover is a rather tame example of the art that can be found inside. Point blank, there is a lot of nudity here and lot of sexual situations. The entire idea of the Sisters of Rapture is a class of semi-divine spellcasters centered around love and sacred sex. If this is not your thing then best to back out now. Again I have struggled with how to use some of these concepts in my games.
We know that history has had temple prostitutes, sacred sex, and many pagan rituals involving fertility. There are historical examples to fit this book more so than say the martial arts monk side by side with a horse-riding paladin in a quasi-European Medieval setting.
Plus, and I want to be truthful here, there is a lot a great and well-written material here that begs to be used. So let's get to it. Also, why am I doing these along with witches?
Unless mentioned the OGL and Pathfinder sections are largely similar. They are not 100% the same, more like 90% but both deal with their source game where they need too.
Introduction
Here we are introduced to the central concept of this book. That of the power of love. We learn of the Sisters of Rapture, a "close-knit organization of warrior-priestesses, dedicated to preserving and protecting the ideals of the various goddesses of love, beauty, sex, passion and other related concepts."
In terms of RPG applications the author (and artist) T. Catt, points to the various artists of fantasy art.
Chapter One: Love's Blessed
Here we are introduced to the Sisters of Rapture base class, also known as the Rapturous. They are a bit of a fighter, a bit of divine spellcaster, and maybe some rogue added in. They are dedicated to the various goddess of love. Their raison d'être is to spread pleasure and love around their worlds.
Here we also get our first look at the art of T. Catt; mostly nude women. Now I just finished watching HBO's hits Rome and Game of Thrones, so this fits that aesthetic, but like I said it is not going to be for everyone.
In terms of 3.x OGL/Pathfinder classes, they have somewhat medium combat abilities, good Fort and Will saves, with low Reflex saves. They can cast spells up to the 9th level, same as all full casters. They also get a power every other level. Their spells are known as "Carnal Domain" Divine spells. They get d8 HD and can only be women of any species.
There is a limit on the number of spells they know like sorcerers. Their powers largely focus on and around their sex and sexuality. There are several "kiss" powers for example. I actually rather like the Kiss powers, I have used something similar and lets be honest history is repleat with various sorts of powerful or significant kisses.
Depending on the Goddess they follow they can gain different powers. So Aphrodite grants her Rapturous different powers than Freya. Freya in particular grants her Rapturous a "Righteous Rage" ability to Rage like a barbarian of half her level.
What does this sound like? Yeah. Witches and their patrons.
Chapter Two: Love's Chosen
This covers the various Prestige Classes. I mentioned before that I like Prestige Classes, I always have. These classes work well with this base class. Though I will point out that other classes should be able to qualify for these to be within the spirit of the d20 rules; these don't really do that.
The Inamorare is something like a muse. They get some Bard-like abilities (mostly inspiration) and of the five levels they advance in spell casting in three of them. The Patron Mother takes on the role of training the next generation by taking on a Rapturous apprentice. In this respect, she more similar to a cleric. The Spellswinger (and I admit I like that name) swings both ways, Divine and Arcane magic. NOW this Prestige Class does require that character be able to cast Rapturous and Arcane spells.Yes, they are all about sex magic. My favorite though might be the Stormsister. These Rapturous are the strong arm of the Sisters and they punish anyone that harms women or stops love.
The Pathfinder version also includes various archetypes for the base class. These include the Abbess (closer to her Goddess and church), Divine Virgin (celebrates the pure divine love and refrain from sex), and the Sacred Prostitute (think of the Epic of Gilgamesh),
Chapter Three: Love's Method
This covers skills and feats. For skills there is Knowledge (Carnal). I can't help but wonder if the author was familiar with the old AD&D Netbook Book of Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. No, don't go dig it up, it's not worth it. There is also Perform (Sexual Techniques) and various Professions.
Feats are an interesting lot and could have a lot of interesting applications. Blown Kiss, for example, allows the Rapturous to "blow a kiss" or deliver a touch spell/power attack at range.
The Pathfinder also covers various traits.
The next portion of this chapter covers the Carnal Domain Spells. There are only nine, but since the publication of this book there have been plenty of others that would work.
There are some magic items. The Rings of Faithfulness are certainly interesting.
Chapter Four: Love's Divinity
This chapter covers the various goddess of love, beauty, and sex. These include the expected Aphrodite/Venus, Isis, and Freya. Others are briefly mentioned. Shout outs to my favorites Astarte and Brigit. Additionally, we are presented with a "new" Goddess, Parvati.
The Pathfinder version is largely the same but I think a mention of the Goddess of Love Shelyn and her lovers Desna and Sarenrae should be in order here. I feel that their combined faiths would be perfect for the Sisters of Rapture. (I know these goddesses are not "open" in terms of the OGL so they could not be included in this book).
Chapter Five: Love's Order
This details the society and church organization of the Sisters of Rapture. This includes the religious practices of the Sisters and the roles they are play within the church organizations.
Chapter Six Love's Relations
It seems odd to call these creatures monsters, but they are creatures/people that are associated with or related too the Sisters of Rapture. There are the Theliel, the Archons (Angels) of Passion. The Beloved, undead victims of the Succubus. The Congress of the Wolf, an all-male group in opposition to the Sisters. We just call them the Patriarchy. There is Lileetha the Queen of the Succubi. The Half-Nymph and Huldra. The Pleasure Ooze looks like a woman but is really an ooze that wants to eat you. As does the Venus Mantrap.
I will say this for Pathfinder. The "Evolved" monster stat block makes it a lot easier to read than the base D&D 3.x one.
Appendix 1: Who's Who
This covers various Raprurous NPCs. Theophania Leandros the current Overmother, Althea Acarides a half-nymph Sister of Aphrodite, Saereid an elven Sister of Freya, Ninythys a human Sister of Isis, and Kamala Siddah a humanSister of Parvati.
Appendix 2: Modern Rapturous (OGL)
Here the books differ quite a bit. The OGL version covers the Modern d20 book and how the Sisters of Rapture exist in the modern age.
The OGL book ends with one of the most attractive-looking character sheets I have ever seen.
Appendix 2: The Nefer-Sefet (Pathfinder)
This is a special sect of Isis-worshiping Sisters of Rapture that attach themselves to an Arcane spell caster and bolster their powers. Essentially they are a living Meta-magic battery for these arcane spell casters.
Both the required OGL pages.
So. What to make of all of this.
Well, there is a lot of great mechanics here. The class is solid and even if you toned down the sexual aspect of it there is a lot her that is good to play. You have to ask though what is here that a cleric could not do or even should be able to do. This is a divine spellcaster. There are some powers, but I think a cleric could cover similar ground. I guess at some level the differences are the same between a cleric and this class and a wizard and a witch.
I also can't but help but admire the complete level of detail the creator has gone in on this. While others might scratching their head about where to use this class you know that T. Catt has thought about all of these things and more. It's obvious from the level of detail here.
Among other things, the half-nymph is a great idea, the various feats have some wonderful uses, and the creature section has some surprise hits.
I guess each Game Master has to decide on their own how to best use this sort of book.
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Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/monstrous-mondays-twilight-fables-5e-osr.html
NOTE: This review covers both the 5e and OSR versions of this book. They are 99% the same content except where noted below.
There is a chill in the air here in Chicago. I have a flannel shirt on and my mood ever shifts more and more to Halloween. A Halloween bestiary would be nice and thankfully Izegrim Creations has just the thing I need.
Twilight Fables
I swear the Kickstarter for this had just ended and I got my DriveThruRPG notification that the hardcovers were available.
So for this I Monstrous Monday, I want to talk about both the 5e and OSR versions of this book, the Print on Demand and PDF versions, plus all the other material that makes up this line.
Overview
Both books are huge volumes at 336 pages (5e) and 326 pages (OSR) each. The covers are full color as is all the interior art. And the art is fantastic.
Both books have a solid 5e aesthetic to them; colorful art and backgrounds, text describing the creature and its place in the environment/land/myths, and followed by a stat block.
The 5e book features a standard-looking 5e stat block, the OSR one is largely a modified Basic-era stat block. It includes everything you would expect along with descending and ascending AC, an entry for THAC0, and XP. The art for both books is the same. There is a good reason for this, the OSR version was added on a little bit later in the Kickstarter. The 5e version, with art, was done before the kickstart began (minus some edits I am told) so adding on the OSR version was a matter of adding the new stat blocks. One nitpick there are listings for "DCs" in the OSR version for magic item creation (more on that later). I would have preferred something that felt a little more pre-2000.
Now in most situations, I would fear translation errors, but the author Roderic Waibel had already developed that very successful Chromatic Dungeons RPG (reviewed here) which is solid OSR. So I know he knows OSR. My only gripe is kinda wanted the OSR stat blocks to look as nice as the 5e ones! But that is only a gripe for people that own both.
Like many of Waibel's publications we get nice sidebar discussions from the intelligent and rather civilized Gnoll "Fleabag." It is a very nice touch (I have done something similar with my 'From the Journal of Larina Nix') and it gives these (and his other books) character.
Regardless of which one you get (get both!) you are in for a treat.
I grabbed both and will be using the OSR version in my Old-School Essentials game. My oldest grabbed the 5e version and is using it in his weekly 5e game. So far he says it is great and he loves all the different sorts of monsters it offers.
The Fables
The name of the book is Twilight Fables. So you can expect that these are monsters from various myths, legends, and tales. And you would be 100% correct. Waibel has done his reading and there are a lot of great creatures here. Even ones that might be familiar get new life and feel "new."
For example, I mentioned in the past one of my favorites, the Basajaun who appears in three different monster books. Each one is a little different and yet each one 'feels' right. Perfect for DMs that want a familiar, yet different creature.
The creatures largely come from the myths, legends, and folklore of Europe. This is also what is advertised and leads to the logical assumption of Twilight Fables of other lands for future volumes. One for Africa, one for Asia, one for the Americas, all are possible.
In addition to the monsters, there are various legendary NPCs like Baba Yaga, Beowulf, Cailleach Beira, Cú Chulainn, Guy of Warwick, King Arthur, Little Red Riding Hood, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, Robin Hood, Scáthach, Queen Úna of Faerie, and Väinämöinen. So yeah. Lots.
There is a section on Mythological Treasures and Magic items. This includes some rules on how to make magic items as well. It is a very nice value add. You saw this sort of thing with the old Mayfair "Fantastic Treasures" and something you see Troll Lord Games do with their Monster and Treasure books.
Both books also have rules for new character species (wanna play a Pech? You can!) and for 5e there are class options such as Warlock patrons and cleric domains.
There is even a small adventure (20 pages) to introduce these new monsters.
The Monsters
All that is gravy. The real meat here are the monsters.
In both cases, the monsters take up full pages. This includes the background and descriptions, the stat blocks, and whatever else is involved with this particular creature such as "Lore & Rumors", any special treasures, habitat, behaviors, and more. In some cases, the material bleeds over to another entry, but not so much as to be an issue.
There are, by my count, nearly 220 monsters here ranging in HD from 1-1 to 30+ (OSR) and CR 1/8 to 30 (5e). So plenty of creatures to challenge any level of characters.
I have to say these are great books and well worth grabbing for your games, 5e or OSR, or both. There is a lot of material here and plenty to keep many groups engaged for some time.
Extras
When you get the digital copy from DriveThruRPG you also get a bunch of tokens that can be printed and used in f2f table games or digitally online. It is another value add this game offers. There is also an RTF version of the book, a printer-friendly/no background version, and maps for the included adventure.
If you love monsters like I do then this is a must-buy.
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