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Hatchet Men: Slashers in Heroic Horror
Publisher: Silver Games LLC
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/15/2020 22:53:51

This is a rather small book, but trust me when I say that every page is worth it.

Implementing Horror Elements into a heroic, powered-up game like Pathfinder is a challenge. I, like many GMs, have tried and failed on plenty of occasions, but it wasn't until I read this book that I realized what I had been doing wrong all along.

Jade is a game designer who I've often turned to for wisdom on how to run unconventional games or scenarios, and the first chapter is a fantastic example of why I trust his insight. The advice here for building, developing, and running slasher-based games is detailed and effective, running through everything that makes a slasher story work and how a GM can get the most of each of these elements at their table. The advice here is tailored towards horrific adventures in Pathfinder, but it can be extrapolated to writing adventures in any system and to writing horror in a variety of mediums. I particularly like the sense of player agency which this book advises be maintained, as horror adventures so often forget that a game is meant to be played and enjoyed by everyone at the table.

The book has less crunch than fluff, but the mechanics listed in the book are once again very effective and widely applicable. Several troublesome monster abilities have been reworked in this book to provide more player engagement at the table (the most obvious example being the replacement of grappling with Fool's Errand's Lock mechanic), and the resulting fixes do a great deal to streamline combat and make sure that everyone can get in on the fun of a slasher game. The two new templates (Slasher and Grim Slasher) are powerful in addition to being flavorful, with a variety of customizable abilities which allow for GMs to tailor their Slashers to their campaign (these templates also have some unique abilities that elicit a genuine "whoa" reaction from players). The numerous artifacts in the book provide some great plot hooks for Slasher villains and can once again be implemented into a variety of campaigns with relative ease (although they each can do very nasty things). The four sample Slashers provided in the book are all unique and incredibly flavorful without sacrificing much of their versatility.

The biggest crunch highlight of the book has to be the Massacre system, however, a mechanism which allows Slashers and boss monsters to become much, much more of a threat to a coordinated group of PCs. This system is rather simple but is broadly applicable and does a great job of improving the threat of individual creatures in combat. This is definitely a mechanic I will be implementing in many future games.

Overall, Hatchet Men: Slashers in Heroic Horror is a fantastic book with many applications beyond the advertised subgenre of Slasher Horror. If you are interested in running a Slasher Horror game in Pathfinder, I don't think you could find a more thorough and perfect guide to the subject.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Hatchet Men: Slashers in Heroic Horror
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Starfarer's Codex: Multiclass ThemeTypes
Publisher: Rogue Genius Games
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 21:11:44

Multiclassing in Starfinder is hard. This has been an issue ever since the days of 3.5, as giving up even one level of spellcasting for a lot of characters was brutal. This made character building a more narrow process than it should have been, especially for casters. This makes it all the more impressive that Rogue Genius Games has come up with a reasonably functional solution to this problem.

Multiclass themetypes allow characters to replace their theme and a few of their class features with numerous other abilities from another class, taking a page from D&D 4e and effectively creating hybrid classes which can be built from any combination of classes. While this book is far from perfect (the complaints levelled by some other reviewers are very valid), I am quite happy that this supplement exists and I think that many players would greatly appreciate having it at their table.

You want to play a casting Solarian, a Technomancer with a robotic sidekick, or a martially-inclined Operative? This book is how you do it.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Starfarer's Codex: Multiclass ThemeTypes
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Bloodlines & Black Magic
Publisher: Storm Bunny Studios
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 20:54:18

Hoo boy, there's a lot to unpack here. TLDR is that fans of modern fantasy, modern d20, or playing Pathfinder on a scale that keeps fear of the supernatural very real, this is the book for you.

The big thing that sticks out with this book is its size. Similar to some other Storm Bunny products, this book is incredibly extensive, clocking in at over 250 pages. Quite a bit of it is illustrated and tightly detailed, so you can expect to get quite a large bang for your buck. We've got a revised race system, some revised classes, a whole bunch of modern fantasy rules, and of course the oft-toted O7 rule system.

The O7 system (adapted from 3.5's old E6 rules) works great, creating a system of accelerated progression that makes characters feel powerful while keeping the dangers around them very real. The fact that the supplement offers a lot of details on how to accommodate a system of low-level gameplay into a high-fantasy game like Pathfinder is a nice touch. O7 is overall a very versatile, capable of being utilized in worlds far afield from the urban fantasy setting of BL&BM. I should mention, however, that the full alterations from O7 extend into the "Building your character" chapter of the book as well, so those wanting to utilize the full bevy of mechanics will have to check that chapter as well.

Now, let's get to the crunch itself. The first thing that needs to be talked about is the Bloodline system which replaces race, and I feel that this could be improved upon. Flavor-wise, the different heritages are all very distinct, with numerous lore tidbits being given for each and distinct flavor being established for every kind of character. The concept of custom-building bloodlin abilities through a point buy system is also fascinating. However, something that sticks out as distinctively lacking is the inability to customize ability score bonuses. This is particularly problematic when only one bloodline grants a strength bonus, a prospect which limits the number of viable strength-based builds.

The class list in this book is restricted, but this works to it's advantage. The open classes are Brawler, Investigator, Mesmerist, Occultist, Psychic, Slayer, and Spiritualist (although it seems implicit that Alchemist was supported at one point), seven classes which I feel do not get enough love. Many of them get new abilties at first level that suit the setting well, and the new archetypes for many of the classes are not only thematic but also fun to play. What's more, they are capable of being used in regular Pathfinder at low levels (high-level versions would be appreciated in future expansions should they occur).

In addition to bloodline and class, BL&BM introduces a third choice known as Careers. These determine your wealth and can grant a wide variety of potent non-combat bonuses if you progress enough in them (which is an entirely separate track from levelling up). It adds a modern aspect into the game without causing such rules to intrude on class functionality, and I could see quite a few games adapting it.

The system of feats and traits has received some revision in this book, and I feel that the changes are for the better. The use of a Tarot deck for deciding traits is darn creative, and the new and enhanced feats not only do a good job of making these options more suitable for modernized play but also more impactful on character concepts (Ability Training can actually boost your scores permanently, Demolition Training allows you to build and utilize all sorts of explosives, Weapon Proficiency feats now grant proficiency with multiple weapons every time you take them). Even better, these feats embrace creative strategic play, allowing the characters to utilize them in inventive combinations that offer a surprising amount of depth.

Equipment is also a consideration, and I feel that BL&BM does a good job of representing modern firearms in Pathfinder's ruleset. The sheer variety of weapons is impressive, allowing for players to customize their arsenal in some mechanically relevant ways. Armor, on the other hand, is less well-executed, with rules being ambiguous as to what guns (and melee weapons, for that matterr) can punch through what armor.

One final issue I have is that the PDF is poorly optimized and takes quite a while to load on my computer (a curse of the stylized design, I suppose). I'm hoping that this gets fixed up at some point.

Overall, there is a lot of good stuff here, and while some of it could use improvement I feel that there is more than enough fantastic content in this book to justify a purchase or run a campaign.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Bloodlines & Black Magic
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Creator Reply:
Thank you so much for your review! We wanted to add so much more, but we were working with a tight budget and much bigger dreams. Our latest issue of Whispers & Rumors will address a few things. I plan to simplify and expand on the armor rules in the future (which could be streamlined some). All in all, we love reviews and look forward to making better games. Cheers, Jaye
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Psionics Augmented Compilation 2
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 16:26:31

More psionics is almost always a good thing, and this is certainly one of the strongest entrees that I've seen. It combines a collection of interesting and unique supplements that DSP has released for some of their most iconic classes (Psychic Warrior, Psion, and Soulknife) into a single-pdf package, which is much easier to search through and navigate.

The content of this book is incredible as well, with a wide variety of disciplines, archetypes, talents, and prestige classes (yes, those are still around) that offer plenty of new options for psionic characters. Want to play an elemental specialist? Try out the new psionic disciplines. Want to play a soulknife without sacrificing access to physical weapons? Play the item-enhancing augmented blade (I should mention that soulknives get an across-the-board set of improvments with the High Psionics variant rule improvements and expanded prestige class access). Want to try out some really bizarre strategies and setups with the Wilder? The Volcanic Mind turns the wilder's psychic enervation into an area debuff with some cool and versatile effects. Don't care for these classes and just want more psionic options? There are more than enough new powers and feats to go around.

Just looking through this book, I got a whole bunch of great character ideas, and the Volcanic Mind I'm playing now is an absolute blast. Just like Ultimate Psionics, this book will last you a long long time before you milk it dry.

While the content is great, however, the same cannot always be said for the formatting. There are instances of prestige class features being displayed on tables without being listed in the text, and a few instances of text being unclear on how abilities interact or operate. These are problematic enough to make certain builds unplayable, forcing me to dock a star.

Overall, however, DSP did a great job with all of the component products, and while the integration needs work the content itself is absolutely worth checking out for anyone who likes psionics.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Psionics Augmented Compilation 2
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Divergent Paths: Rajah
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 12:17:00

This class has been a long time coming, and I have to say that it was worth the wait. I remember back when the Pharaoh first came out, to have it renamed the Emperor and eventually the Rajah. Numerous tremendous alterations have occurred for this class in development, and there were numerous times when I thought it was damned to development hell.

Hoo boy was I glad I was wrong. This is one of the most fun classes I have ever played.

The Rajah's abilities are numerous, versatile, and very powerful. What's more, they are immensely stylish. If you've ever wanted to play a king who sits on his throne fighting through his allies (or if you've wanted one as a villain), this is the class to do it with. That said, there is far more to this class' abilities than that description makes it sound like. The Rajah is perhaps the most potent combat support class to have ever come about, capable of turning run-of-the-mill soldiers into powerful and flamboyant combatants through its title veils (which can be slapped onto pretty much any character and serve a wide variety of utilities in combat) and turning them into vectors for the Rajah's own offense with Vassalage. The Rajah's maneuvers remain as excellent as maneuvers have always been, and the recovery method adds to the class' flavor as a commander.

For non-combat situations, the Rajah possesses a variety of neat options in the form of Heraldries. These are spell-like abilities, skill bonuses, and other boosts which demonstrate that the Rajah is a ruler off the battlefield as well as on it. This is one of the few examples I can recall of a martial class manipulating non-combat situations to the same degree that casters can.

The new feats are quite powerful and versatile, but they lead to the one big problem with the Rajah: it's dependency on them. There isn't a good way for the Rajah to grab bonus feats outside of its favored class bonus, so Flow of Battle, Clashing Essence, and Striking Mirage will be obligatory choices for most Rajah characters.

The Batal archetype serves well to fix this issue, granting the Rajah numerous bonus feats and turning it from a support class into an Akasha-powered martial frontliner. I'm very happy that it is an option, and though I personally prefer the support options the Batal remains a cool and fun class with a lot of great options.

Finally, there is the new discipline, which stands out as perhaps the best support discipline in Path of War. Radiant Dawn is powered by Akashic essence (hence the need for Flow of Battle), which allows even low-level maneuvers to reach an impressive degree of power in the same manner as Sleeping Goddess. Though the damage of many Radiant Dawn maneuvers is weak, the discipline's capacity for battlefield control, debuffing, healing, and general team support is incredible. Warders, Warlords, and Zealots will all appreciate the new options here, and the book may be worth picking up for the discipline and associated feats alone.

Overall, this is a fantastic class, and I've had a great deal of fun playing it. If you enjoy the Akasha system or have picked up Lost Spheres' four new Akashic classes, this is a perfect addition to the mix.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Divergent Paths: Rajah
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Psionics Augmented: Highlord
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 11:43:38

When I first saw the playtest, I was sorta skeptical of this class. The tactician is one of my favorite classes in Pathfinder, and I looked at a lot of the abilities on the Highlord and wondered if they were enough to justify it being its own class.

For all those with similar concerns, rest assurred that this is a very cool and distinct class. The Highlord creates a distinct and uniquely empowering playstyle that works perfectly for the Paul Atreides or Bastila Shan characters we've always wanted to play.

The first truly distinct thing about the Highlord is their unique set of powers, abilities which can't be claimed through expanded knowledge which grant the Highlord some unique and complex utilities. Each tenet (which is the Highlord's version of a Warrior's Path/Bloodline) grants a unique power, and this power offers more utility and versatility than a lot of classes get over the entirety of their career. The fact that these custom powers remain compatible with trickery like Solicit Psicrystal, Overchannel, and Metapsionic Feats makes me very happy, as it allows the class to benefit from the wide variety of existing options other psionic characters get. Each tenet also has its own creative way of boosting the Highlord's action economy, allowing them to utilize the often-overlooked Unwilling Participant feat in some creative ways and to implement it's effects without having to spend several turns setting up.

The decrees are the Highlord's talents, and they enable a wide variety of tactics and builds which go beyond the tenets. The sheer number of ways that the Highlord can boost its allies or debuff its enemies is staggering, and the versatility of this class is perhaps the greatest I've seen in a very long time.

My one complaint is that the lack of Spirit of Many, a class feature which helped to solidify the vitalist and tactician as two of the best support classes in Pathfinder. Maybe this design choice was intentional, but I would at some point like to see an archetype or decree grant the Highlord this ability.

All in all, this class is one of the best I've ever seen in Pathfinder and a perfect example of Dreamscarred Press' skillful design in action. I strongly recommend this class for anyone who wants to use psionics in their games.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Psionics Augmented: Highlord
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Psionics Augmented: Highlord II
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by Matthew D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 11:25:48

As a Starcraft fan, the premise of this class has intrigued me from the start. The class is clearly modelled after the Protoss commanders from the series (Artanis and Alarak, among others), but still posseses enough versatility to pull off a wide variety of fun character concepts. The new options in this book are incredibly fun, ranging from the manipulative Cherished (which grabs a lot of the best Telepathy Powers in exchange for diminished frontline potential) to the fiery Virtuoso (which turns the Highlord into a zany blaster class with a variety of Psychokinesis powers). The three new tenets are fun options as well, with the Ghost (another Starcraft nod) emphasizing subtlety, the Shepherd pulling off some impressive crowd manipulation, the Strategist serving as a master surveillance user, and the Tyrant indulging in an explosive and omnicidal playstyle which strikes me as hilarious (reading through it, I can almost hear Alarak yealling MY SUPPLICANTS' LIVES FOR MINE!).

Overall, this is a great book with a lot of value that may even justify purchasing the Highlord class. If you already have the Highlord, this supplement improves dramatically. I would love to see more Highlord books in the future (let's see that Spirit of Many ability already) if they keep up this level of quality. There are a lot more potential future options for the highlord, and I am especially keen on the idea of a Metacreativity variant.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Psionics Augmented: Highlord II
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