50 Ways to Turn Things into Other Things: Transmutation is a 32 page pdf product and the second product in the series detailing the spells and spellbooks of Starlanko the Magnificent, the other dealing with evocation spells. This product is intended for use by both players and characters, the latter being the case because the pdf can actually be used to create a spellbook in game that contains all the spells the pdf does. The pdf is written from the perspective of Starlanko the Magnificent himself.

Silven Publishing do a good job at providing both a print and screen version of this pdf, and the general layout and editing is very good. Artwork is very good as well, with a large number of artwork pieces found within the pages of the pdf. Artist Joe Slucher provides some lively pieces of work that clearly portray the functionality of some of the spells within the pdf. From a mechanics point of view the spells appear correct and without any significant errors, and the same could be said for the balance of most of the spells within the pdf. A full table of contents and set of bookmarks are provided.

The pdf starts by providing an introduction from Starlanko the Magnificent on the nature and purpose of the book. Costing of the book are given for in game use, whether for purchasing only spells of a particular level or the entire volume of books that contain the spells in this pdf. Unlike other spellbooks, once learnt, spells from Starlanko's spellbooks can be used without requiring a Spellcraft check to succeed at preparing. Starlanko continues by providing a number of tactics related to transmutation spells. The terminology of his words and speech are very 'metagamy', in the sense that he uses words such as 'buff' that are not wholly appropriate to a fantasy character or setting.

There is a good variety of transmutation spells in the pdf, ranging from levels 1 to 9, but also amongst all the different spellcasting classes, including assassins, rangers and bards. Wizards and Sorcerers can learn the majority of the spells, while the other classes are limited to about half a dozen each. Each spell level gains an equivalent number of spells, except the ninth which contains only two new spells.

There are a number of good and interesting spell contained in this pdf, and given that they're transmutation spells will have applicability in a large number of different situations. Examples of spells included are Riggen Coin (a coin always lands the way you want it), Self-Loading Bolts (magically reloading crossbow), Dire Form (to create a more feral animal), Telekinetic Choke (ala Darth Vader style), Stone Plague (disease that turns subjects to stone), Divide and Conquer (you turn into a swarm), Construct Form (you gain numerous construct abilities) and Petrify (turns numerous creatures to stone).

Most of these I found very useful, some here and there questionable in their conception and power, but for the most part a very good selection of spells that'll enhance the repertoire of any spellcaster. Most are not entirely creative in the sense that they merely grant numerous abilities or traits of already established nature (swarms, constructs, etc.), and it would've been nice to see new ground covered in transmutation rather than expanding.

Overall I think this is a good pdf, with some useful material that most gamers can make use of. Given that each spell comes with a lot of advice from Starlanko on how to best make use of the spell, a lot of additional information is provided related to tactics and applicability of spells, and it also helps to avoid confusion if a spell's description wasn't clear enough. Each spell also contains the appropriate verbal component in Common and Draconic. This additional information increases the overall utility of the pdf.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is a good pdf from Silven Publishing with loads of in-game utility and some interesting spells that I can definitely see in use within a game. There's something for most players in this, although mainly for wizards and sorcerers. Artwork and presentation are good, and I liked all the advice given on the use of each spell.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Lack of creativity in some of the spells, although the mechanical execution is generally good. While the advice given is valuable, the tone of the writing (Starlanko) is probably not the best and I'd have preferred to see designer comments rather than Starlanko's comments which are very 'metagamy'.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Bleeding Edge #1: Mansion of Shadows is a 49 page d20 pdf adventure and the first in Green Ronin's new Bleeding Edge line of adventures. The Bleeding Edge line of adventures is designed for the modern player, and aims to offer good story, flexibility, self-contained scenarios and easy drop-and-play material for any campaign setting. Mansion of Shadows is Green Ronin's first d20 adventure since the last of the Freeport Trilogy. Judging by this adventure, it's definitely good to see Green Ronin back, and I'm already looking forward to next installment, Beyond the Towers, coming in the summer.

Mansion of Shadows comes as a single pdf file, fully bookmarked but without a table of contents. The layout and editing is excellent, as are the mechanics and stats, and I dare say even flawless throughout. Artwork is good and there are a good number of pieces included in the product. Maps are very good as well, and clear, and it's easy to find any given location on the map. The maps are logical as well in their detail, and not just random elements thrown together in a nonsensical arrangement.

I really liked the organisation of this pdf and the way it is structured - each chapter provides a clear and logical goal or theme, and multiple sidebars offer useful additional information of the DM, particular with regard to handling various options or events that may not have been foreseen. As such it succeeds admirably at its goals of being both flexible and easy to use in any campaign setting.

From an adventure point of view, Mansion of Shadows delivers exactly what Green Ronin intended - a good story driven plot, lots of excitement, interesting encounters, and enough useful advice and information to run the adventure smoothly. The background story is dark and foreboding, and unlike many adventures, this one actually caters for those cases where the adventurers don't succeed at the adventure. A strong point of this adventure is that it allows for a wide variety of possible scenarios within a strong structural framework, should characters act or react differently than what the main adventure envisages.

To that end there are a number of different ways that this adventure can run, and a number of different ways in which it can end, making for a strong overall gaming experience where the decisions and actions of the players all have consequences that impact the eventual outcome of the adventure. On that same note, while the adventure can be run in different ways, it's possible that the adventure can be run quite quickly as well, all depending on the actions of the players. In that case, characters may miss out on some elements of the plot.

This adventure offers a number of elements that make it good - story and atmosphere, roleplaying opportunities, challenging (and potentially very deadly) encounters, mass combat, and a number of other game elements. The pdf draws from material from a number of other Green Ronin products, including the Book of Fiends and the Advanced Player's Manual, and includes elements from these into the game, such as the mass combat system, the cultist class, various monsters and more. As such it's quite an eclectic adventure for those not familiar with Green Ronin's other products.

The adventure achieves a good balance between roleplaying and combat. However, having said that, this adventure can be very deadly for 1st level adventurers that don't handle the different roleplaying or combat encounters carefully. The PCs are pitted against a number of strong and deadly villains in a short space of time, and will need to act carefully if they are to survive. Certain scenarios can be very deadly, and it's unlikely that the PCs can handle everything thrown at them by taking a heavy handed approach. This adventure requires craftiness and skill in the presence of very real and dangerous threats.

And speaking of threats, the adventure provides a number of different avenues for the PCs to learn of the nature of the threats and the villains they face. Perhaps not everything included in say, the DMs background, but as the adventure progresses the characters will learn in stages what is going on and what their involvement may be, should they choose it. Should they not, the entire area in which the adventure is situation is fully detailed as well, from locations to weather, making the surrounding areas useful as a seed for other adventures.

The adventure is divided into five chapters - each containing a certain section or element of the overall adventure. Depending on how the adventure runs, players may be required to run through some or all of the sections of the adventure. However they do it, it will make for an interesting and tough game. The two appendices provide all the stat blocks, largely due to the non-linear nature of the adventure making it impractical to constrain the stat blocks of active and moving villains to one area. In addition to all the stat blocks, the pdf provides a new template, new feat, as well as pregenerated characters.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Mansion of Shadows is a very good adventure that combines strong elements of story, roleplaying and combat together in a well-structured adventure framework that offers excellent flexibility. The story is challenging and compelling, the roleplaying required skillful and often dangerous, and the combat sufficient but potentially deadly. I think this is a very good start to the Bleeding Edge line, and a strong adventure.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Perhaps not an adventure for inexperienced players or even DMs may not be able to cope with complex personalities and interactions, but that's more a comment than a negative. The adventure can be played through very quickly, perhaps ending in a less than satisfying experience for players since unless they are pro-active, they may not enjoy the adventure as much as it can be enjoyed. This is very much a player driven game within a DM driven framework, and the two need to work together to get the most enjoyment. The combat encounters can be very difficult, particularly the final encounter, and given that it may not be their first encounter for the day, it can be deadly.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

The Sovereign Stone Campaign Sourcebook is a 225 page pdf product detailing the lands and world of Larry Elmore's Loerem, the world of the Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting. Beautifully illustrated by Larry Elmore himself, the Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting is built on the conceptualization of Larry Elmore, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Originally released for d20 by Sovereign Press, the Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting is now re-released and updated to 3.5e by White Silver Publishing. This product details the lands, people, magic, and history of Loerem, offering players and DMs alike a new world to explore.

The Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting comes as a single pdf file. The file contains no bookmarks, but there is a thorough table of contents to help navigate through the pdf. Art is fantastic as one can expect from Larry Elmore, with some beautiful color and black and white images throughout the entire pdf. As somebody who grew up on Larry Elmore's art, it's still fantastic to see. The art is particularly good at capturing the look of the various races and classes in Loerem. Layout and editing is not bad - there are a number of minor editing errors that slipped through, and the layout is in places confusing. Some sections of the pdf such as the feats use roughly the same font size for headings and descriptions, making it difficult to read or look for something you're trying to find. In other places when the Dominion Lords are described, lengthy stat blocks are given without a clear indication which Lord they belong to.

What is more disappointing is the fact that while this product claims to be 3.5e revised and updated, it is only so in places. The majority is from a 3.5e point of view very poor, relying largely on old 3e mechanics without having bothered to convert them properly. Monsters and the stat blocks are all still 3e, as are many skills and feats, and the pdf essentially shouldn't have bothered claiming it was 3.5e in the first place. In many instances the mechanics are simply clumsy. I was disappointed to see the lack of updating that had gone into the pdf, which for the most part with Larry Elmore's art looks really professional and well done.

The Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting is divided into 11 chapters, and is a largely a 'player's handbook' style overview of the world of Loerem. While history and details of the world are provided, the pdf for the most part details the changes from the core rules required to play characters in Loerem. This is particularly so in the light of the new magic system introduced in the pdf, but equipment, classes and other material is rehashed in 'Sovereign Stone speak', often not very different from what's already within the SRD and core rulebooks. A black and white two-page map is provided of Loerem, but does not contain much detail beyond the lands of the different races and a dozen or so major cities and locations.

The pdf starts in Chapter One with a brief introduction for players to the world or Loerem. Short details are provided on a number of different topics, mainly the different races and nations, but also gods and teleportation portals. This introduction, coupled with the history that's detailed next, provides a brief and compelling introduction to the world of Loerem. Most of the material here is presented in more detail later in the pdf, although nothing further is said of the gods, for the simple reason that clerics do not exist in Loerem. Somehow some of this felt lacking in richness, and was presented as a campaign setting based on a simple idea and focused only on said idea, rather than a rich land that is more than it is presented as.

Chapter Two takes a look at the races of Loerem. There are eleven races within the world of Loerem - six different human races, elves (Japanese like with a strong code of honor), orks (a seafaring race related to orcas or killer whales rather than orcs, but looking like orcs), two dwarf races (clan and unhorsed dwarves - dwarves are mounted nomads akin to the Huns of old) and pecwae (a race of small humanoids). Each race is presented with full details and mechanics, giving background on religion, relations to other races, description and more. The concepts are interesting, but I think I would've preferred new race names rather than completely breaking the stereotypes and using the same names. A good selection of races with useful information for roleplaying.

Chapter Three takes a look at classes. As mentioned earlier there are no clerics in Loerem, nor are there druids, wizards and sorcerers. Magic works entirely differently in Loerem and is based upon the use of the four elements as well as a fifth element called the Void. The classes are all new, barring the fighter, barbarian and rogue which remain largely unchanged from the core rules. New classes include the magic wielding elemental mage and void mage, archer, mounted warrior, noble, sailor, soldier and stalker. Most of these roles could probably be filled by rogue and fighter core classes, but they add a little extra flavor and new abilities. The archer and mounted warrior are very strong at what they do, in most cases outstripping the abilities of the core fighter. There are a number of interesting ideas, some dubious ones (particularly given the mechanics), but generally extensive information to allow players and DMs to make the most of the classes. The chapter continues by presenting Destiny points, which are akin to action points or hero points in their concept, and goes into extensive detail on using and gaining Destiny points.

Chapter Four details skills and feats. There are some new ideas here related to skills, in particular the use of multiple skill checks to succeed at a task over time, and critical failures and successes for skills. The feats include a whole host of new material, but also a lot of rehashing to rewrite material for the Sovereign Stone setting, for example, in the item creation and metamagic feats as a result of the new spellcasting system. A useful chapter with a few interesting feats.

Chapter Five takes a look at money and equipment. Again this chapter rewrites most of what is in the core rules to make it more applicable to the campaign setting. Tables are also listed for all items to give their prices in the Loerem currency of argents. Some valuable information is also given on trading and economy within Loerem. There are a few new things in this chapter, such as the exotic weapons hirglaif and cavalry saber, but also details on services of government offices and mageware shops. From a completeness point of view this does a good job of presenting what is and what isn't available on Loerem.

Chapter Six and Seven are the most innovative and interesting chapters of the pdf, and detail magic in the world or Loerem and the changes to the spellcasting system. I found this interesting and creative, and a system that has some potential given a little reworking to remove some mechanical abuses. Essentially magic is based on the five elements (fire, water, earth, air and void) and spellcasters have 'unlimited' spellcasting ability. A spellcaster has access to all the spells of his element (and other elements), and can cast any of them at any given time. However, casting spells is a dangerous business, and can cause damage to a caster. Casting is based on making successive spellcasting rolls against a casting threshold associated with each spell. If the threshold is reached, the spell is cast. If it takes multiple rounds to reach the threshold (a dangerous proposition in combat), then the spellcaster stands the change of suffering damage for exertion and fatigue.

These two chapters include all the rules for casting spells, for learning spells, for dealing with the Void and the taint that it leaves on spellcasters, as well as providing numerous spell lists for each element and the associated spell descriptions. Healing magic is contained within the elemental schools (earth), so that an elemental mage is capable of healing as well, although damage sustained through spellcasting can only be healed by natural rest. It's a very interesting system with potential, although multiple round spellcasting and healing of spellcasting damage make spellcasting risky and dangerous. Certainly a strong candidate for those looking for an alternative magic system along these lines. The latter parts of chapter seven are devoted to designing your own spells and assigning threshold values. This is extremely useful and valuable and a excellent addition to the pdf.

Chapter Eight deals with magic items and the creation of these items within the framework of Loerem's magical system. Creating various magical items requires some modification, and the pdf provides most of the details for achieving this, although sketchy in places. Wands, for example, only have a statement saying that it requires a standard action to activate, which, given the nature of Loerem's spellcasting system can be very potent.

Chapters Nine and Ten expand on the details presented in the first chapter by providing more campaign and adventuring details as well as geographical descriptions of the various racial nations and major cities. I felt a lot more could've been done to bring the campaign setting to life here, particularly in detailing the setting itself and the interesting places and locations of Loerem. Only cities associated with the races are really detailed here, and it would've been nice to see more information on other locations of aspects that make Loerem a rich and vast world. A lot of advice is given on running and designing adventures and campaigns for Sovereign Stone, which is useful. Chapter Ten provides details on the Dominion Lords (blessed by the Sovereign Stone) and the threat of invasion from the Taan and the Lord of the Void that Loerem faces. Mechanics are sketchy here, as no details are included on what makes somebody a Dominion Lord from a mechanical point of view. A template, for example, would've been useful.

The last chapter deals with monsters and beasts. These are extensively treated and some interesting monsters are provided. Stats and mechanics are all still largely 3e, but I liked the concepts behind the Loerem dragons and many of the other creatures in the world of Loerem.

The Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting is a good setting with some interesting elements, most notably the magic system, but in the end I was less than awed about the pdf and its contents. There was a lack of detail and richness that would really make the setting come to life. It has its unique elements, but for the most part it felt flat in its execution and level of complexity.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The best part of the pdf by far is the unique magic system and the mechanics behind it. It offers a lot of potential for use. The races and classes were interesting, as were some of the setting details such as the dragons and their role in the history of Loerem. Fantastic art by Larry Elmore.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The pdf claims to be 3.5e, but it clearly isn't very well updated and the mechanics is sometimes clumsy. The setting lacks some richness, complexity and intrigue to expand on the base formed in this pdf. Editing and layout had some minor problems.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Bits of Darkness: Dungeons II is a 83 page pdf product and one of several products in Tabletop Adventures' Harried Gamemaster line. This product follows on from and complements Bits of Darkness: Dungeons by providing a whole host of new descriptions for quick insertion into any game. The Harried Gamemaster line aims to provide GMs with tools that are easy-to-use and allow the GM to minimize preparation time by providing flavorful descriptions and encounters with ambience.

Bits of Darkness II comes with both a screen and print version, the latter being a rtf file that allows quick and easy cutting and pasting. Artwork is good and liberally (probably close to one per page) spread across the pages of the pdf, enhancing every room description with some very good visual art. Gillian Pierce provides a nice cover, largely the same as what's used in all the products in the Bits of Darkness series. Interior art by Jesus and Carmona is impressive in places. Editing is very good and the layout makes everything easy to use. A full set of bookmarks is included, as well as a complete table of contents, and a extremely useful index for finding pieces of description to suit a particular theme or topic. Presentation-wise a very good pdf.

Like other products in the 'Bits of' series, Bits of Darkness: Dungeons II is about descriptions that provide an easy way of adding flavor and theme to a particular encounter or just general area that a party are moving through. Dungeons II focuses on dungeons - underground constructed chambers and locations. The product presents a number of different types of descriptions, namely, bits, shards, bricks and splinters of the senses. The latter two are new to Bits of Darkness: Dungeons II. Bricks are rooms, encounters or traps that can be dropped into any dungeon in a premeditated manner, while Splinters are one-line descriptions that can add something of the senses (sights, sounds and smell) to an existing description. Bits and shards are descriptions of differing lengths, the latter more specific than the former.

Bricks are different in that they are more like single room encounters that come complete with d20 statistics for creatures or treasures contained. While some bricks are merely room kits without any mention of encounters, others are specifically encounters and traps for a designated challenge rating. The bits, as is usual for these products, are presented in card format as well so that they can be selected randomly. Splinters are also meant to be used in this way, and a table is provided to randomly roll and select a given splinter to add to a description.

The pdf starts with an introduction to the Harried Gamemaster line and the nature of the different pieces of description included in the pdf. It then dives into the bricks of the pdf, starting with several room kits. These kits include such areas as chapel of sacrifice, arena, kitchen guard barracks and my personal favourites, Schrodinger's room (complete with a disclaimer that 'No cats were harmed in the making of this product') and the Energy Gateway. The latter two are more 'puzzle' orientated chambers, and I'd love to see Tabletop Adventures do a series that included descriptions and solutions to various dungeon or cavern puzzles. Descriptions are wonderfully visual and inspiring, and give a real feel for what it would be like to stand in a given location.

The seventeen room kit bricks are followed up by 13 encounter and trap dungeon bricks. There are very descriptive but traditional dungeon encounters complete with traps, monsters and treasure for your d20 fantasy game. They're organised in order of highest to lowest challenge rating, starting at 17 and dropping down to 1, although the majority are in the higher CR range above 5 or 6, with only 1 (a neat encounter with drugged kobolds) that has a CR below 5. Examples include a volcanic workshop, a plant colony, scrag cave, haunted cells and a ingenious mirror trap that's bound to catch most players by surprise (although for a CR 8 trap, the initial Will save DC is very difficult to pass). A good selection of encounters and traps (although the CR selection is not the best), with excellent flavor and utility, and encounters with a lot of thought and creativity.

The bits are presented next, and 36 of these are numbered and included for easy use when a piece of description is needed. Again these contain wonderful flavor and descriptive elements, and also come in card format to be printed out and randomly selected. These aren't organised along any particular theme, but the index at the end is extremely useful if you want to actively select a bit. Active selection, however, is more suited to the 48 shards of this pdf, each presented with an appropriate title. The shards are organised into doors, stairs, dead ends, sources of water and rooms and provide DMs with a neat selection of different descriptive bits, some very evocative and alive.

The last sections of the pdf present the splinters of the senses. These are one-line description by Martin Ralya that can be used to add something of sight, sound or smell to a particular encounter or area. There are 99 of these, tabulated for randomly rolling, and provided a useful toolkit for the busy DM. Including these splinters, there are more than 200 descriptions, a fantastic trove of delightful words of descriptive power.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The pdf is extremely useful and filled with descriptive flavor. Challenging and interesting encounters are presented in the bricks, while the bits, shards and splinters provide tantalizing words the increase the ambience of an encounter or location. An extremely useful pdf, for both the busy and not-so-busy GM. Good art throughout the pdf.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The spread of challenge ratings for the encounters and traps is not the best.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Carnival of Swords: An Adventurer's Guide to Old Coryan is a 84 page pdf product that presents a detailed overview of the city of Old Coryan, once the heart of the early Coryani Empire, but now a forgotten relic of the past in favor of the grander city of Grand Coryan. This product is written by Scott Charlton for the Arcanis: World of Shattered Empires Campaign Setting, and features both an extensive city supplement on Old Coryan and an exciting adventure for characters of levels 1 to 3 with a whole host of new material. Note that this is a pdf of an older product and hence still utilizes the 3e core rules.

The product comes as a single pdf file. No print version is included, although given the nature of the art and images it should not be too heavy on printing. Layout and editing is excellent, with very few errors noticeable when reading through the text. Artwork itself is good, but for the most part of low resolution, meaning that it appears pixelated and grainy when viewed on a high resolution monitor.

The maps in the product suffered from the same problem and were slightly disappointing in their lack of detail and clarity, though they still remain useful. It would've been extremely useful to have a more detailed map of the city of Old Coryan with more locations indicated on the map that there currently are on a single page. The map certainly does not do the interesting metropolis justice. A full set of bookmarks is provided, though there is not table of contents, an inconvenience if you're using a printed version of the pdf.

As mentioned earlier this product essentially consists of two parts - a city supplement detailing Old Coryan, and an adventure for characters level 1 to 3 situated in Old Coryan. A lot of the information in the city writeup is geared towards the adventure, which makes it easier to play and for DMs to provide a compelling and living backdrop to the adventure itself. At a first look this is a very detailed product, with high-density text and enormous amounts of information. A very large number of locations and NPCs are presented, each NPC coming with its own background details, description and character. To a certain extent the amount of information can be overwhelming, and DMs intending to make use of this adventure and city would probably be well advised to make some notes on various locations as they prepare for an adventure.

The pdf starts by presenting a detailed background on the origin of Old Coryan and indeed also the origin of the Horned King which plays an important part in the adventure part of the pdf. The background and history of Arcanis is rich and fascinating, and the information presented here is no less so. We get to read about the birth of Old Coryan, about the blood oaths of the Val'Assante' line, about the God of the Hills and the Horned King and his Swords, and about the divine architect who built Grand Coryan. The information provided is a lovely introduction to the city, its history, its secrets and its origins.

The next section of the pdf is extensive in covering the city in impressive detail. Full statistics are provided for the Old Coryan metropolis, including details on population, industries, power centers, militia and the like. Old Coryan itself is actually a district of the larger city of Grand Coryan, but because the river Corvis separates the two, it's very much considered a city in its own right. The city itself is divided into four quarters or districts - the high quarter, the guild or merchant's quarter, the low quarter and the river quarter. Each is extensively detailed with locations of note, important NPCs (including backgrounds and personalities), important characteristics of each quarter, and much more. Examples of locations across Old Coryan include the Forum, the Gardens of Amicleis, the Imperial Sciences Guild, the Temple of the Invisible Sun, the Underhill Apothecary, the Imbas Forasna Theater, Dock Town, the Red Sword Fencing School, the Veil of Shu Magic Shop, Monedula Prison, and the Temple of the Whistling Fox.

The city of Old Coryan is presented as a vibrant and alive location with very much a character of its own. It will make for an exciting area to adventure in, particularly given the detail provided on both locations and NPCs. I appreciate the amount of detail that's gone into this, and it gives the DM more than enough information to use the city as the author intended it to be used. The only minor niggle with the material is the lack of decent support from the map. The city descriptions are extensive, in cases right down to street names, but not of these details are included in the map. While one could infer where a certain building is located, the product would've been much better served with more detailed maps.

The second half of the pdf is an adventure scenario (also originally sanctioned for Living Arcanis play) based on the city of Old Coryan. The adventure takes place during the Carnival of Swords (hence the title of the pdf), an ancient festival related to the Horned King and the God of the Hills. Full background details are provided for the DM, as well as a concise adventure outline which is extremely helpful given the amount of detail involved. The adventure is divided into hard points (essential to the adventure) and soft points (optional). The soft points allow the DM some leeway in running the adventure, but to a certain extent the plot is very linear.

The PCs arrive in Old Coryan for the festival, and can take part in many activities that form part of the festival itself (rules for these are detailed in the Appendices). Over the course of three days they are thrust into an adventure of unimaginable consequence and immense danger. This adventure, being for low level characters, can be very deadly, and while it can be played by 1st level characters, it's probably more suited to 2nd or 3rd level parties. The adventure takes the characters across the city of Old Coryan to many of its locations, and makes extensive use of the NPCs and locations detailed in the city part of the pdf.

While the adventure may appear very linear (offset to a certain extent by the soft points provided), this is a very exciting adventure with a lot at stake. Characters and players should feel like they've been thrust into a world rich with conflict and life, and where the final outcome is truly in their hands alone. This will make a fascinating adventure to play, fast paced in action at times, but at other times full of roleplaying possibilities. It's an adventure of mysteries, as the PCs get to unravel the ancient history of Old Coryan and learn the secrets of the Horned King and his Swords, as well as the blood oath of the Emperor. A very good and thoroughly enjoyable adventure.

The latter sections of the pdf are devoted to additional information in the Appendices. The six Swords of the Horned King are presented in detail with full statistics, various members of important organisations are given statistics, rules for various games are given (wrestling, archery, cross town race, etc.) new magic items are detailed, and a new monster is presented.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: As a combination of city supplement and adventure, this product is rich in detail and utility. The city details and premise of the adventure are fascinating and exciting. This is a city vividly brought to life, and with an adventure that can provide hours of excitement and thrills. A very enjoyable product.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The maps for the product were disappointing, in particular the city map which wasn't very helpful in placing the many locations detailed, and as such undermined some of the utility of the city material. Art and images were grainy and of low resolution, but the maps really steal the show on the slightly negative side of things. DMs using the updated 3.5e rules will also need to make some modifications to some statistics.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

The Elemental Dimension of Magic: Spells of Farming is a short 7 page pdf that presents a number of farming related spells from the Jeshatan, a race of creatures from the Elemental Dimension of Magic. The Jeshatan have mastered twelve great schools of magic, with farming being one of them. Other products in Red Anvil Productions' Jeshatan line of products cover a number of other schools of magic of the Jeshatan.

Spells of Farming comes as a single pdf file with no bookmarks or table of contents. Layout is very simple, and only 4 pages of the 7 in this pdf are devoted to content. There is a brief introduction to the twelve spells in this pdf, but for the most part one is left wondering who the Jeshatan are, and what the Elemental Dimension of Magic is. The editing in the product is generally poor - poor grammar and poor spelling are abundant, and this detracts from the content of the pdf. In addition to suffering from poor editing, mechanically the spells have all sorts of weak areas, mostly in correctly annotating the spell description rather than in concept and execution (although the latter is also weak and unclear in places). From a presentation point of view such a short product could certainly do better, and it's disappointing to see the number of errors, both in editing and mechanics.

Spells of Farming presents twelve new spells related to farming, three of which are epic spells. It's very rare to see epic material in the d20 industry, so it's good to see some support for epic play, even if it is in the form of spells that are not necessarily 'adventurer' spells. On that point, while these aren't spells that every adventurer will prepare, they still form a set of spells that every magical society would naturally have, and as such form a nice addition to any game world. Yet, because they are not useful to adventurers, it would've been nice to see some plot hooks related to these spells that would integrate adventurers so that the spells would find much more utility for the average game in a high fantasy setting. You don't slay a troll with a Harvest spell, but you can save the livelihood of a town faced with threats of flooding by delving into an ancient crypt to find one.

The twelve spells presented cover most aspects of farming from Bless Crops, to Pest Control, to Plow, to Duplicate Livestock, to the epic Improve Soil. All these can form a useful part of a magical society, although in some places the text is rather unclear on exactly what the spells can and can't do. For example, the spell Bless Crops states that it 'increases the generic saving throw that the crops might need to make against vermin', which has little meaning within the framework of the core rules. It would certainly have helped to have had rules that cover the scenarios that the spells cater for. Overall though, these are certainly useful and in some cases interesting, such as the spell Splice Crop that allows you to genetically mix two species of plant, including such plants as treants and assassin vines.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Some interesting and useful spells that provide information on spells one would expect to see in a magical society. Splice Crops is interesting, and it's good to see some epic spells in the material.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The pdf has a lot of poor editing and clumsy, incorrect or unclear mechanics. It would've been useful to make the material more applicable to adventurers by providing, for example, some plot hooks. Additional rules for crops and harvests in a more traditional sense would also have been useful.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Magesmithing 101 is a 18 page pdf product and the second in Dog Soul Publishing's 101 series of products, the other being Golemcraft 101. The 101 series aims to provide DMs and players with different sets of options for their d20 game, and in the case of Magesmithing 101 an alternative crafting system for magical items is presented as well as several other related options.

The product itself comes as a single extensively bookmarked pdf file. Bordering and background is light enough that it should be easy to print as is. Layout and editing looks good, although there were one or two editing errors that slipped through, one of them being an incorrectly referenced table in the text. I found the writing to be generally good, but the organisation of the material appeared a little confusing and a brief overview or summary of the magesmithing process would've gone a long way in making the rest of the material easier to read and absorb. Mechanics was often buried in the text and not explicitly stated or highlighted. Generally, though, a well-presented product.

Magesmithing 101 presents a number of new options for crafting magical items, and in particular the option for non-spellcasters to craft magic items or the ability to craft magic items without casting any spells. Magesmiths have the option to create any kind of magical item from any kind of material, and there are some additional options that make this process easier. Fundamentally the system is an extension of the Craft skill rules for the core rules, with some additional modifications to allow for non-casting during creation.

Unlike a normal spellcaster who applies magic to an already crafted item, the magesmith applies the magic while actually crafting the particular base item itself. In order to do this the magesmith requires protocols and materials, the former being a set of instructions, as it were, on how to craft the items and is very similar to a ritual of sorts. Materials include all the normal materials to cover the cost of creating the item, and could include the use of special materials depending on the nature of the item being created. For example, some fire giant hair may be required to craft a flaming weapon.

To research a protocol requires a number of days based on the caster level of the item in question. This means it can take long to learn a protocol before crafting is even started but this is to a certain extent balanced out by the fact that crafting with magesmithing is often a lot quicker than the standard magic item crafting rules. Once a protocol is learnt, it can be applied indefinitely to item creation after that.

The need to learn or research protocols limits the magesmith's ability in the sense that most magesmiths won't know protocols for every magic item or every spell effect. Given a particular protocol, a magesmith can create a weapon or other item by following the standard craft rules, with the exceptions that the magesmith is required to succeed on additional Spellcraft checks to apply the protocols correctly. This makes crafting a very high risk proposition unless you have a lot of ranks in Spellcraft, something that non-casters won't have, but most casters would. The pdf does attempt to alleviate this risk by adding optional rules where only one set of checks is required per item rather than multiple checks as the item is crafted.

The pdf also presents a different craft system using Craft Units, a neat idea where the complexity of the item is based on its number of Craft Units rather than its price. So a silver item would be no more difficult to craft than a platinum item, and the extra cost is represented by the cost of the materials. If doesn't consider the fact that most items from other materials vary widely in how easy they are to craft, but it's a good simplified system to use for crafting a wide variety of items.

The latter parts of the pdf are devoted to a number of different and eclectic topics - advice on running magesmiths in a campaign, suggestions for various special materials required for magesmithing, advice of playing magesmith characters, new materials that make crafting certain items easier and a magesmith base class and a magesmith prestige class. Both the latter are top-heavy, in the sense that it's very easy to just invest a few levels in each without a significant loss of other abilities, and as a result are not the best or most interesting mechanical designs. The special materials are interesting and a neat idea, and can be used quite readily even using the standard crafting rules.

Magesmithing 101 is an interesting idea that presents some new options for crafting magical items without having to cast spells. While it's a good idea the mechanical implementation is stringent in its requirements and therefore has debatable utility. Since magesmiths require Spellcraft checks to apply protocols, the only non-spellcaster class that has Spellcraft as a class skill is the Expert. Non-spellcasters are as a result very rarely going to invest cross-class ranks in Spellcraft, something that could cost them dearly if they fail a check.

In addition, since a magesmith still requires the relevant item creation feat to create items, and since most characters that can realistically be magesmiths will be casters, there's not that much incentive to use magesmithing skills (unless, of course, you want to craft something that requires a spell from another spell list). It's also worth pointing out that once a protocol is learnt for an expensive item, said items can be churned out very quickly, in most cases less than a day for Wondrous Items - a less than desirable result.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This pdf provides a number of options and alternatives for crafting magical items. There are a number of good ideas in there such as the special materials and the concept of Craft Units that would enhance any game. The magesmith concept is interesting, and DMs can easily implement this concept in game. Well-presented with some interesting options and material.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The text is somewhat confusing in its organisation with mechanical details buried within long paragraphs of explanatory text. In addition, there are some traits and aspects of the magesmith crafting rules that some DMs and players may find undesirable, such as high risk, lengthy (and sometimes overly short) crafting time, stringent skill requirements and others.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Behind the Spells: Polymorph is a short 5 page pdf and is one of many products in Ronin Arts and Bret Boyd's Behind the Spells series. Each product in the series expands on a common spell found in many spellbooks by including details of its creation and history, variants of the spell, spell secrets or other ways of using the spells, new magic items and the like. This particular pdf features polymorph and details and explains the spell as told by the gold dragon, Maxolt Alberiim.

For a short pdf, layout and editing is acceptable, with a simple standard that is used for all the pdfs in the series. Writing is clear, and the text uses helpful blocked-text to highlight all the mechanical aspects of the pdf and separate them from the flavor text. About 3.5 pages are devoted to content within the 5 pages of the pdf.

Polymorph is a favourite of many players and DMs alike, both in its versatility and power. This pdf provides a number of new options related to the spell, and does a good job of providing some new and interesting material. We are told that the spell was created by an elven wizard with an obsession to study the nature and behaviour of all the different types of creatures in the world. His obsession resulted in him devising the polymorph spell, which allowed him to study creatures in more detail and experience the nature of their world. The background creation details are simple and flexible and provide some insight into the spell, including the origin of the spells baleful polymorph and polymorph any object.

The pdf continues by providing two new spells secrets - one that allows a caster to polymorph unliving creatures by transferring some of his soul to the creature, and the other that allows the use of polymorph as a strong fast healing spell. Both spell secrets flow nicely from the background material and the nature of the spell, going beyond the boundaries of what polymorph normally allows and providing something different. The healing secret of polymorph is on the strong side, having a longer duration (lasting as long as the polymorph spell) and more healing capability (up to fast healing 5) than similar cleric spells that also provide fast healing.

Lastly the pdf presents a new spell, false bloodline, and a new magic item, gloves of the beast, as part of related research into the spell. Again these provide useful little additions to the polymorph theme, in allowing spellcasters to mimic other bloodlines and thereby use race-specific items or be considered of another race. The magic item in question allows a certain number of useful changes to the users arms that allow for, for example, claw attacks or improved grab. A good end to a nice little pdf.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is a useful pdf that provides a number of new options for the spell polymorph. The history and background are good, and I can certainly see using these spell secrets, spells and magic items in game with little change. There is some nice flavor within the pdf.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The healing spell secret is on the strong side, particularly compared to other similar spells and the duration of polymorph.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Secret Societies is a 104 page pdf product that provides a comprehensive guide to secret societies - their use, nature, beliefs, history and much more. It's a topic that's not been covered in any detail in d20 so far, and as such the pdf provides a fresh new look at an intriguing idea with a lot of potential for use in game. Written by Landon J. Winkler Secret Societies is a pdf that encompasses three genres - fantasy, modern and science fiction - and all three genres are considered throughout the course of the pdf.

The product zip files come with a screen and a print version, the latter with only the borders and background removed, but with all the art still contained within the pdf. Layout and editing is good, with only a few minor errors noticeable when reading through the text. The art is good as well - a little bit grainy when viewed on a high resolution screen, but otherwise it presents a good look at the concept of secret societies. Most of the art appears geared to a more modern approach, while the text itself appears more geared towards fantasy. Overall, though, all genres are considered, each providing a number of different options for a particular genre.

Secret Societies is divided into five main chapters, the first being a brief introduction. The second details secret societies in gaming and covers an extensive range of topics. The third provides a comprehensive guide to six real-world secret societies with ample detail on using these societies. The next chapter takes a brief look at a wide range of other societies taken from the real-world, while the last chapter is a guide to creating secret societies for your game.

The pdf certainly covers all areas of secret societies, and provides enough detail to make these societies work in your d20 game. In some areas the text could've been more succinct, particularly when describing the goals, motivations and principles of the various societies presented (although these are supposed to be secret so perhaps these aren't even thoroughly known), but otherwise this is an extensive product which most DMs and players will find extremely useful for its mainly flavor content and ideas (there is some crunch or game mechanics in the form of several feats and six new prestige classes).

Secret Societies in Gaming - this chapter provides extensive and solid advice on running secret societies in a game. Topics covered across three genres include such things as the teachings of a secret society, revealing secret societies in game, control levels of secret societies or the extent of their control in any given game world, PCs as part of secret societies, secret societies as enemies, neutrals or even PC-run, and various other topics such as conflict in secret societies and society expansion. I found this chapter thoughtful, well-researched and absorbing with plenty of good ideas and useful material. Perhaps a bit vague here and there, but a lot of good material that focuses on roleplaying and advice. A lot of the advice fits the standard concepts of secret societies but is placed on a more solid and formal footing. DMs can get extensive ideas from this chapter for use in game.

Six Secret Societies in Depth - As the title of the chapter suggests, this chapter looks in depth (and it means in depth!) at six real-world societies. These are the Assassins, Aum Shinrikyo, the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, Mossad, and the Thule Society. This is a fascinating read, and I wish in some places the author had included more details and in others less. The material is well presented and well researched, with little a stone unturned. Each entry for a secret society covers a wide range of topics including society philosophy, history, symbols, advice on using the society in game and different ways in which to use them, running the society in fantasy, modern and science fiction settings, plot hooks and ideas, and an example society based on the real-world society.

It's thorough, detailed and with lots of neat ideas, although in some cases much of the material can appear as irrelevant to gaming, but still interesting from a historical perspective. The wealth of material allows one to customise these societies to fit into any setting, and the large number of ideas allows for any number of different avenues of approach when dealing with each society. Given the background information there's more than enough to provide DMs with all they need to run a good secret society based on these, or even using these as is. One of the lines that stands out from the pdf is 'a secret society consists of people' and this chapter gives good real-world examples of what that means.

Each entry is also presented with a prestige class. These were somewhat uninspiring and mechanically 'bland' and certainly could've done with more unique ideas (the Thule Sorcerer is probably the best for its unique 'spellcasting' system). Loading a class with bonus feats or spell-like abilities doesn't make for a unique class and I would've appreciated something more from these classes. Nevertheless, these are but a small portion of an extensive and imminently useful chapter with some fascinating material.

Societies in Brief - This chapters looks at an extensive range of other societies, including a brief few paragraphs on each society describing their nature, origins and goals. For those that couldn't get enough ideas from the preceding chapter, this adds plenty more. In some sense this is even more useful than the previous chapter since many of these societies are smaller and not as overwhelming as the larger ones of the preceding chapter. DMs that wish to use these in villages or small towns will find loads of ideas and advice. Some of the societies presented (more than 25) include the Bavarian Illuminati, the Knights of Malta, the Men in Black, the Merovingians, and the Yakuza.

Creating Secret Societies - This last chapter looks at creating secret societies and covers this aspect from three different angles - customising a real-world society, handcrafting a society, or generating a random society. Good advice is given, and in the latter case numerous tables are provided to determine such details as complexity, age, and which events have been relevant to the societies' past or history. I found this extremely useful and even creating random societies comes up with some interesting concepts.

This pdf provides numerous examples and extensive details on creating secret societies and using them in game. Those interested in a little mystery, intrigue or extensive subterfuge that secret societies entail will find this a very useful product. While one may not want to use a secret society as such, this pdf contains so many ideas that the material here can easily be used in a non-secret society manner. Given that the pdf caters for three different genres, the material is even more useful.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Extensive detail, fascinating examples and complete details on all aspects of secret societies. The pdf succeeds very well at creating a compelling guide to conspiracies and secret societies. A very good pdf with tons of ideas and background material for use in a wide variety of games. Good artwork and presentation.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The prestige classes were uninspired and could've been done better, and there were one or two places where the text could've been more succinct.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

The Broken Isles Lorebook is a 39 page pdf product that acts as the DMs Guide for the Broken Isles mini-campaign setting. The Broken Isles are a small chain of islands that form part of the world of Avadnu, the land of Inner Circle's Violet Dawn Campaign Setting. This pdf, along with The Broken Isles Player's Guide, acts as an introduction to the Violet Dawn Campaign setting and presents material suitable for character levels 1 to 5. These two products can either be used as a mini-campaign or as part of the larger world of Avadnu. The Broken Isles Lorebook provides DMs will full details on the Broken Isles to successfully run a campaign in that part of the Violet Dawn Campaign Setting.

Like all Inner Circle's other products, the Broken Isles Lorebook is beautifully illustrated with stunning full color art. There are very few products that come with this quality of art, some of it truly inspiring, and the large number of artists involved have done a splendid job of creating visually fantastic and alive art. The product itself is very well presented, with no editing or layout issues of note, and the writing is clear, concise and exciting to read. The product itself comes as a zip file containing four different files - a screen version, a print version, a map of the Broken Isles, and the required d20 license in a separate file. The product is a substantial download at almost 23 MB. The pdf contains no table of contents (making it difficult to find something when you've printed a pdf), but does contain extensive bookmarks with which to navigate the pdf on-screen.

The Lorebook is divided into four chapters - history, geography, monsters and campaigns. About half of the pdf is taken up by the monsters section, while the geography section takes up the other half except for a few pages devoted to the islands' history and running campaigns in the Broken Isles. All in all this provides a solid and complete look at the Broken Isles and should make for some interesting and exciting gameplay. It is recommended that those intending on running anything within the Broken Isles also read through the Broken Isles Player's Guide which present races, equipment, feats and other important information needed to establish a campaign on the Broken Isles.

Chapter One provides a brief description of the four ages of the history of the Broken Isles, although given the nature of oral tradition on the islands, much of the history is often disputed. The Broken Isles themselves are said to have been formed by the body of a dead god, and each age of the history presents the rise and fall of some of the more important tribes and cultures on the islands, such as the One Tribe, the children of the suns, the zeidians and other now native races such as the skarren, the fall of the One Tribe and the emergence of the four human tribes on the islands. These few pages provide an tantalizing backdrop of flavor for adventuring in the Broken Isles.

Chapter Two concerns the geography of the Broken Isles and other places of importance. The pdf includes a map, which is well done but perhaps not as detailed as it could've been since many of the locations mentioned in the pdf are not indicated on the map itself. While I can imagine this adds to the air of mystery and danger that surrounds the island, it would've been useful to see a location beyond a one line description of the location in the text. The geography is fascinating to read, and each of the many islands that form part of the Broken Isles have a unique character that makes this an eclectic campaign setting. Examples of locations include the island of Tor'Un with its violent storms, Ull with its giant skarren warriors, the White Ghost village of Korr, the Temple of the Swallowed on Korr and the vast networks of underground caverns beneath Korr. The locations presented allow for a wide variety of gameplay, interesting opportunities and unique locations. Coupled with the uniqueness of the setting's races, this makes for a wonderful campaign setting.

Chapter Three is devoted to monsters. About half of the monsters are from Denizens of Avadnu, while the other half are brand new. The art and monster concepts are fantastic. These are some really unique, flavorful and interesting monsters that can make for fun and challenging encounters. Stat blocks were very well done, and from a casual look I couldn't pick out any errors, something that's extremely rare to see these days. Nineteen monsters in total are presented, as well as 6 mundane animals which are Avadnu variants of standard creatures. While the Broken Isles, and Avadnu as a whole, does not contain any creatures from the core rules, a section is presented that gives some advice and examples on modifying creatures to fit into the campaign setting. An excellent collection of monsters, ranging from CR 1 to CR 6 (a table is provided to sort creatures according to CR), and including a good variety of different creature types.

The last chapter deals with running campaigns on the Broken Isles. It presents some solid advice and good ideas, covering topics such as dealing with PCs who return home to their tribes frequently, rituals, various threats and antagonists on the Broken Isles and some advice on higher level play on the Broken Isles. More than enough information to run a successful game using this setting.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This pdf contains enticing, unique and flavorful material, including many eclectic geographical areas and very interesting monsters. This is an excellent setting and provide a strong introduction to the Violet Dawn Campaign Setting. Fantastic art and well-presented.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Only a few minor things, such as the dark background color of the pdf, lack of some additional features on the map provided, and lack of a table of contents for those wishing to print the pdf. The layout on the print version also looks odd since it has a lot of blank space where art images used to be.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

The Broken Isles Player's Guide is a 39 page pdf product. The Broken Isles are a group of small and scattered islands that form a small part of Avadnu, the world of Inner Circle's Violet Dawn Campaign Setting. This player's guide, intended for characters between level 1 and 5, provides full details on playing characters on the Broken Isles, and allows PCs to build knowledge and experience before exploring the rest of Avadnu, as will be detailed in the forthcoming Avadnu Primer. Along with Inner Circle's The Broken Isles Lorebook (essentially a mini-DMG), the Broken Isles form a mini-campaign setting that can be used as a standalone product or as part of the larger world of the Violet Dawn Campaign Setting.

The pdf comes as a hefty 18.6 MB file which contains a colour illustrated screen version (the quality of which is the reason for the large file size), a print version, a map of the Broken Isles, and a separate document containing the OGL and d20 System licenses. The first thing to mention regarding presentation is the artwork - it's excellent, and contains some gripping pieces that really enhance the flavor of the pdf tremendously. All the artists (and 12 of them are listed!) did a fantastic job of bringing this pdf to life from an art point of view, and make one really appreciate the primitive and savage nature of the Broken Isles. Layout and editing is excellent as well, although if I had to say something slightly negative it would be the background colour being slightly too dark for my tastes. The pdf contains full and extensive bookmarks, although there is no table of contents.

The Broken Isles Player's Guide contains five chapters of material - races (describing the four main races on the isles), tribes (describing the human tribes on the isles), classes (details on how the core classes fit into the setting and class variants), feats (general and race specific), and equipment (new equipment, armor and weapon, as well as rules for primitive weapons). In addition to this material, a well-done map is provided indicating the different islands of the Broken Isles and the general layout of the land. The pdf lists a website that one can visit to obtain further information on the Broken Isles, but at the time of writing this review it contains no content.

Chapter One details the races of the Broken Isles, and indeed some of the races of Avadnu as well. There are four main races on the Broken Isles - humans (consisting of four main tribes), ngakoi (three-eyed adaptable humanoids strong in magic), skarren (savage warriors), and zeidians (a race of loners who believe it is their duty to protect humanity on the islands). These races replace the traditional races of dwarves, elves and halflings, which are not found anywhere on the world of Avadnu. Each race is extensively detailed, including such details as appearance, society, lands they live in, culture, attire, personality, race relations (something very important to the Broken Isles), religion and language.

The really good things about this chapter is in the details on the interactions between the races and the unique races themselves. The framework provided by the races creates unique and interesting roleplaying encounters, particularly given the somewhat primitive and savage nature of the setting. Each race appears balanced and enticing enough to want to play a character using the races provided. In addition to the main races on the Broken Isles, there are also some foreign races to the islands, including the children of the suns, the stormkin and the trading vulnar. I thoroughly enjoyed each race - I think the setting and races make for an exciting roleplaying opportunity and the chance to face mystical, ancient, and monstrous challenges on the Broken Isles.

Chapter Two deals exclusively with the four humans tribes on the Broken Isles. Similar to the races presented in the previous chapter, each tribe is covered in extensive detail including lands, resources, relationships to other races and tribes and the like. As with the races, the inter-relationship details are strong and provide a solid foundation for roleplaying in the Broken Isles. The four tribes are the Azghars (coastal clans of herdsmen where infighting between clans is rife), Inuls (dwellers on the great peaks of the Broken Isles with strong customs of ritual sacrifice), Kurs (mysterious swamp dwellers) and Naruks (loose families with uncomplicated society and a special bond to the great cats of the Broken Isles). Very good material with lots of potential.

Chapter Three takes a look at the core classes with the Broken Isles and includes a few class variants, including the ranger, monk, druid and bard. The monk variant, for example, allows monks to forgo their core mystical abilities such as Ki strike and Empty Body in favor of a sneak attack ability and bonus feats. Clerics do not exist on Avadnu, and sorcerers, wizards and druids collectively generally fulfil the role of tribal shamans. Each class is discussed within the confines of the different races and cultures as well as which classes are prevalent in which societies.

Chapter Four deals with new feats. There are a few new general feats related to the use of primitive or crude weapons such as bronze, bone or stone weapons, but the majority of the feats are racial or tribal feats. These all enhance the flavor of each of the different tribes and races, allowing them to take feats and abilities that strengthen their general characteristics. The savage skarren, for example, can take a feat called devour the unworthy that allows them to gain temporary hp by eating the heart of a creature they have just slain. A very good and generally balanced collection of feats (the Kur feat revelation of the true face strikes me as being too strong - it's essentially a limited Blasphemy/Holy Word type ability).

Chapter Five deals with new equipment. Given the primitive nature of the Broken Isles, most weapons and armor are made from materials such as bronze, wood, stone or bone. New rules are introduced to cover this, including how easily these weapons break. These rules are elegant and easy to use. Each type of weapon or armor material is discussed and a whole host of new weapons, armors and general equipment are provided to enhance the gaming experience on the Broken Isles. New items are all illustrated as well to give an indication of what a particular item looks like. A new coinage system is also introduced.

The strength of the Broken Isles Player's Guide and in general to me lies in the various races and tribes, and in particular the relationships between them. It provides an interesting and dynamic framework that doesn't appear stagnant or even built up of stereotypes. The setting is savage and primitive, and allows for a easy introduction to the Avadnu world and the Violet Dawn Campaign Setting.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Strong setting flavor and characteristics, particularly related to the various races and tribes which feel part of the setting rather than forced into it. Excellent art, good, clear and concise writing, and solid mechanics. Relationships between the races are strong, races have unique and interesting elements, and the Player's Guide provides everything needed for adventuring in the Broken Isles. An excellent pdf.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing much. One or two feats were on the strong side, the background color of the layout was too dark for my tastes, and the new coinage system is not decimal. All very minor things.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

From the Laboratory of the Mad Wizard Shadmar is a 15 page pdf in the Creatures & Chaos line from Nitehawk Interactive. This pdf product features nine new magical items created by the wizard Shadmar. The product comes complete with bookmarks and a table of contents, and contains some good art of each of the nine items presented in the pdf. Presentation-wise this pdf looks good, although one of the tables for the Potion of Mutilate Self looks a bit clumped together. Of the 15 pages of the pdf, only 6 pages are actually devoted to the descriptions of the nine items - not the best ratio of content to page count.

The wizard, Shadmar, we are told, was once a respected wizard and a powerful spellcaster. His downfall came when he found a powerful item called the Amulet of Creation that gave him the ability to create any magical object of his desires. Unknown to the wizard, though, the amulet was in fact cursed in such as way that each item created using the amulet contained a minor curse of its own. The pdf details nine such items, all cursed items, that were created using the amulet, and include the details of the amulet itself. The appendix to the pdf contains the details on cursed magical items normally found in the d20 system reference document (SRD), thereby enabling DMs to create cursed items of their own should they wish to use the amulet in their campaign world.

Each of the nine items is presented with a brief background, including details on the reason for its creation and other background elements. There are some good and interesting details here, making each of the item concepts useful to a game. Examples of the nine items include the Jumping Blade that jumps out of your hand after an attack, the Flute of the Farmer that can cause devastation to local fields, the Potion of Mutilate Self that can harm your appearance and social skills, and the Wand of Reciprocal Paralyzation, that does exactly what the name implies. Some interesting ideas for cursed items, and certainly useful in game.

The pdf, however, suffers from some rather incomplete and poor mechanics. For one, none of the items listed include crafting or creation details, such as caster level, pricing, and the like. In addition, the pdf makes references to concepts like 'metamagic Craft feats' and 'Insanity scores' that aren't explained or properly detailed in the case of the latter. While I can understand that a 'metamagic Craft feat' actually refers to a Craft feat, this isn't the only example of some poorly referenced or executed mechanic.

Lastly, the pdf contains some useful adventure ideas and plot hooks. I think the pdf has some merit in the concepts and ideas that it present, but the execution is poor and could certainly have done with complete mechanics and corrected mechanical descriptions.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Some interesting and useful ideas amongst the nine magical items. I liked the idea behind the Amulet of Creation, and it's certainly something I can see using in a campaign. Small minor curses within items can make for interesting gameplay.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The pdf contains no crafting or creation details on the various magical items, and contains undefined or ill-defined references to several mechanical terms.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

The Man-at-Arms Advanced Class is a short 8 page pdf detailing an advanced class for pre-industrial society using the d20 Modern ruleset. This is one of several products in the Modern Medieval line of products from Sword's Edge Publishing. The line aims to bridge the gap between fantasy and modern in the pre-industrial, renaissance-type society, and the free primer Modern Principles from Sword's Edge Publishing aids in achieving this for players and GMs alike.

The product comes with three different versions of the pdf - a screen copy, an easy to print copy and a rich-text file containing the pdf that is easy to cut and paste. I like this approach to pdf publishing, although one can appreciate that it's rather more difficult when larger products are concerned. Layout and editing is generally good, and there are several pieces of art within the product, depicting battle scenes and mounted riders. Of the 8 pages of the pdf, about 5 are devoted to content.

The man-at-arms is a mounted mercenary knight out of medieval times; a warrior willing to serve in battle if the coin is right. The man-at-Arms is a skilled mounted soldier, fighting along side other mercenaries at the behest of a lord or country. The pdf starts by presenting a brief introduction to the man-at-arms class, something short that sets the scene and background details of the class, but gives enough flavor to get an appreciation for what the intent and purpose of the class it, and how to roleplay and view it.

The class itself, as can be expected, is devoted to horsemanship and command in battle. Several talent trees are presented for the class to explore, including the unit skills, cavalry, heavy cavalry and light cavalry talent trees. Each presents a number of options to customize the class, be it for commanding troops, shooting firearms or bows from horseback, superior horsemanship or powerful charging and use of a lance. The selection builds the idea nicely to form a good class.

The man-at-arms has some very strong abilities that, for example, grant bonuses to attack and damage equal to the man-at-arms class level (a 10 level advanced class). This can be exceedingly strong in battle, and some GMs may wish to adapt this class to suit their particular level of gameplay. The pdf also includes a fantasy version of the class, which suffers from much the same balance problem that the advanced class does. In addition, the mechanical presentation for the class and the fantasy class in particular is not the best, for example, by stating prerequisites as Ride 6 rather than Ride 6 ranks, or by using non-standard fantasy systems, such as medium save progressions, or referencing Willpower saves.

Overall, though, the idea is good and there's some useful material to explore. Those wishing to play in the era where mercenaries and mounted warriors are common will find this very useful using the d20 Modern rules.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Good idea behind the Modern Medieval line of products. Useful material to explore and use, as well as a class that is built well from the talent trees provided to form a useful class in pre-industrial d20 Modern times.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Some dubious use of mechanical semantics, as well as balance issues with the class. The fantasy version, in particular, could've been done better.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Dungeon Dive 6: Under the Ice is a 37 page pdf and the sixth product in Amalara's Dungeon Dive series. Each product in the series provide a unique dungeon along with hazards, monsters and traps but without any plot elements. DMs can then easily insert the dungeon into their campaign, providing all the plot and motivation and possibly the final encounters of the adventure. This particular Dungeon Dive is located in ice caverns beneath an ancient glacier, the latter which is rumoured to cover an ancient city, long lost artifact or burial tomb. It's one of the things I like about the series - unique locations not often explored in other published adventures.

The Dungeon Dive series provides gameplay at a variety of different levels, indicated in each pdf by the designations low, medium and high. Under the Ice equates these to 8th, 12th and 16th level respectively, but even these can easily be modified by one or even two levels by simply removing or adding one or two more similar creatures to the same entry. Monsters, hazards, and traps all follow these designation, so DMs can balance the adventure to their particular party level with little difficulty.

Since releasing their first Dungeon Dive, Amalara have come a long way with the series, and I'm pleased to say that I really like the way they've done this instalment in the series. Dungeon Dive 6: Under the Ice contains a number of improvements on others in the series, including clearer maps with complete legends, clear designations of text, moving extensive stat blocks away from the main adventure text (for example, this pdf has 9 pages of adventure text, but 23 pages of monster stat blocks - combining them can be confusing) and so on. The latter in particular separates the stat blocks at the different encounter levels, meaning that you can only print or use the particular appendix that applies to your party and adventure, rather than having pages of unrelated cumbersome stat blocks in-between the adventure text you're trying to run.

Under the Ice provides details on running an adventure beneath a glacier and in icy conditions, and includes 15 encounter areas with a whole host of novel creatures such as frostwights, half-white dragon dwarves (not white half-dragon dwarves as the pdf indicates) and polar medusa. The encounters provide interesting backdrops, challenging and fun encounters and all the information needed to run each encounter area successfully. Information is provided on the motivations and interactions between the various intelligent creatures of the ice caverns, an useful addition to the pdf. I generally liked this Dungeon Dive, as the encounters are interesting and the format makes it easier to appreciate the product. Given the aim of the product to provide DMs with an easy to run dungeon that requires little preparation, this succeeds admirably.

However, despite all the good parts of the pdf, it's a lot like taking two steps forward and one step back. And this concerns monsters. There are two issues with the monsters. The first is that there are obviously non-core monsters within this pdf, yet it's not clear if these are supposed to be new monsters (in which case the write-ups are poor) or monsters taken from other OGL sources (in which case the section 15 does not list them and constitutes a violation of the OGL). The second is the stat blocks themselves - very poor, bordering on awful. They contained numerous errors, ranging from listing DR 5/fire to incorrect attack bonuses, to incorrect saves, to referencing things like large steel shields which should be heavy steel shields, to generally incomplete stat blocks, and on and on. I was very disappointed to find so many errors in the monsters. Under the Ice is a large improvement in a lot of areas and contains solid adventure details, but very poor mechanics.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Under the Ice provides an easy to run dungeon in the ice caverns beneath an ancient glazier. I liked the interesting backdrop, terrain and location of the adventure, and the format of the adventure is much improved on other releases in the series, including maps. The encounters contain interesting and new creatures, that should be easy for DMs to familiarize themselves with.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Monsters and stat blocks in general were very poor. Numerous errors scattered throughout each stat block, and no clear indication as to whether the non-core monsters are new or from other OGL sources.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Legacy of Damnation is a 130 page pdf and the second in Paradigm Concepts' Empires of Onara series. Each product in the series details another part of the Arcanis campaign setting, this one dealing with the Sealed Lands behind the godswall erected to end the Time of Terror. The Sealed Lands are filled with dark-kin, demons, devils, and other infernals, as well as those humans trapped there that fight an ever raging war against the evil and darkness of demonic and devilish hordes. While this product is written for the Arcanis campaign setting, it can very easily be used in any campaign setting given the isolated nature of the Sealed Lands.

Legacy of Damnation is a very professional product. Artwork and writing are riveting and fantastic. This is truly a classy book and a very enjoyable read. The product comes as a single pdf, fully bookmarked, and containing a thorough table of contents. Editing is excellent, artwork is outstanding, and general layout good. The text is quite dense within the pdf, meaning that you get a lot more within than pdf for the 130 pages of writing. A brief glance at the OGL section of the pdf indicates that this material draws from a significant portion of Paradigm Concepts' other products to create a detailed and exciting guide to infernals and the Sealed Lands.

The pdf consists of only three chapters dealing with half-fiends in general, the Sealed Lands, its people and geography and finally a whole host of new rules including feats, spells and prestige classes. These three chapters are preceded by a fictional prologue and a brief introduction to the author, Brain Schoner. The prologue, and a lot of the other parts of the pdf, detail the histories and background of the Sealed Lands in very easy to read and gripping text that creates a believable world with a complex and rich background and history. Legacy of Damnation does a fantastic job of bringing the Sealed Lands to life in all entirety.

Chapter One gives a compelling overview of fiends and other tainted on Onara, detailing their relationships and bloodlines. Dark-kin, cambions, tieflings (planetouched) and other infernals and tainted creatures are described, as well as their representation amongst the many character classes available in Arcanis. This provides a comprehensive guide to fiends in Onara, particularly with reference to roleplaying fiends, and makes for excellent utility. The chapter also provides an extensive overview of the role of fiends in the various regions of Onara, such as Coryan, Canceri and Altheria. Arcanis is a setting rife with a full host of different tainted, from full blooded demons and devils to dark-kin that feel the pull of the taint in their blood.

Chapter Two present a detailed guide to the Sealed Lands. This is a gripping chapter that provides a splendid overview of an interesting and intriguing part of Onara. The chapters starts by providing a rich history of the Sealed Lands, advice on using the Sealed Lands in other campaign settings, and motivations for the infernals within the Sealed Lands. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of this section of the chapter, which provides a unique and complex area with loads of inspirational material and adventure ideas.

The chapter then proceeds to detail the geography and peoples of the Sealed Lands, and includes a single page map of the Sealed Lands. This is probably my only minor quibble with this pdf in that the map was not in colour, nor available as a separate image file, both which would've been incredibly useful, particularly given the location of the map in the pdf. Details on all the important areas of the Sealed Lands are provided, as well as extensive information on all the different peoples and kingdoms within the Sealed Lands, ranging from the Lordship of Iron and the Devil-king to the Bastion, the kingdom of a fallen Valinor, to the frost giants of the mountains and the forgotten villages. Each region or kingdom is detailed with full game statistics describing population and rulership, as well as complete details and histories for the more important towns, cities and locations. This section truly forms a complete and enjoyable guide to the living, breathing lands of the Sealed Lands.

Chapter Three takes up about half of the pdf and presents new rules and mechanics for the Sealed Lands. The chapter starts by presenting changes to the magic within the Sealed Lands (planar magic and summoning magic) before proceeding to present a new type, Infernal, and all the subtypes associated with that as they relate to Arcanis. Dark-kin and their racial traits and bloodlines are presented next, along with a number of heritage classes that allow dark-kin to unlock their infernal heritage by taking levels in these classes (infernal warrior, infernal arcanist and infernal stalker). The chapter provides some solid rules for playing infernal characters in the Sealed Lands or dark-kin in other parts of Arcanis.

New feats are also presented, as well as three different types of feats: background (taken at character creation), blood (characteristics of a creatures blood), and tainted (feats for characters with the Tainted subtype). There's a good variety of very useful feats, and enables fleshing out of characters in the Sealed Lands. Prestige classes are presented next, along with a new base class, the Order of the Ivory bow which is an organisation of infernals dedicated to hunting their own. The prestige classes include a variety of novel and solid ideas, including the Descendant (infernal creatures that embrace their heritage), Hellriders (Tainted capable of riding fiendish beasts and nightmares), the Infernal Harmonisist (infernal bard), the Summoner (specialists in binding and summoning outsiders), and the Taint Hunter (hunters of the tainted). A useful selection of solid classes.

The last sections of the chapter present numerous other options. I think that's one of the strong points of both the 'fluff' and 'crunch' of this pdf in that it provides some excellent options on a variety of different levels. Life quests are detailed, an interesting idea but might be difficult to implement too widely, new domains and spells are presented, and lastly a few new magic items and creatures. Overall a solid chapter and a fantastic pdf.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is a fantastic pdf that presents a rich and vividly detailed land, complete with complex history, interesting peoples, and novel ideas. It makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read, with enticing elements that make you want to use this material in a game. I thoroughly enjoyed the backgrounds and histories and the new rules are solid and provide plenty of options. A top-class and professional pdf.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing really. One or two minor typos (the table of contents incorrectly lists Chapter 3 as starting on page 116), and I would've appreciated a color map of the Sealed Lands.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>