Even early in its development, this really is a nice piece of work for 4th edition.

I think this supplement was originally published before Wizards of the Coast released Arcane Power, with its vestige pact. Thematically, there’s a bit of overlap between these pacts, but mechanically, the ghost pact stands on its own. The power structure follows the typical template for a warlock: one at-will power that distinctively exhibits the pact, a special effect when an enemy under your Warlock’s Curse is reduced to 0 hp, and a bunch of thematic powers. Unlike the other pacts in Adamant’s pact series (by the same author), this one includes only one piece of art (on the front cover, repeated on p. 10, uncredited). The formatting could use some improvements (adding page numbers, for example) as well. The supplement includes one paragon path, four feats, and three magic items for ghost pact warlocks. The powers offered here do a good job of evoking the feel of a ghostly patron, but they don’t make me want to play a warlock in order to use them. I wouldn’t choose this pact for one of my own PCs, and as DM, I wouldn’t really consider it appropriate for heroic PCs (and I feel the same way about WotC’s vestige pact, by the way).

An interesting addition to the 4th edition game. I liked many of the powers and did not feel they were too overpowered or underpowered. I also liked the different flavor they gave to the Warlock class. 3rd party publishers of D&D4 material are at a severe disadvantage. They can't add their material to the DDi and that makes them less attractive. But if you can get past that this is a very good class build and one I plan on using in my games.

The last pact (at this time) from Adament Entertainment. Finally, there is no "I have a better warlock curse" class features! yes! (and the first picture is really beautiful).

Well, it would be great to have no balance concerns... here are a short list:

• a power that has a miss effect with a (save ends)...
• "ghost pact augmentations" that are badly designed (Cold Ghosts of Limbo... Death Shadowy Pickets...)
• rahhhh, a (save ends) effect on an encounter...
• Window of the Other World looks like a 29 level.

Otherwise, this is perhaps the most balanced Pact from Adamant Entretainment.

Venture 4th - Pact of Ghosts is the latest product in Adamant Entertainment's Venture 4th series, a series of products devoted to developing game material for the 4e GSL system. This product is also one of several taking a look at alternative warlock pacts that can be used to flesh out your warlock character. Pact of Ghosts is a short 12 page pdf product, featuring all the pact details, powers from level 1 to level 30, new feats, a new paragon path and a few new magical items. Other warlock pacts in the Venture 4th series include Blood, Angelic Choirs, Vermin Lords and Dragon Lords.

This product comes as a single pdf file, very well presented with some stunning cover art and good frills on the inside to make the product professional and presentable. The writing, editing and layout is done well, and I particularly liked the flavor text, although at the same time the flavor text could've been supported a little better by some better mechanics. More on that later. Writer Stefen Styrsky packs in quite a lot of material in this product, giving good value for money in flavor and mechanics for those interested in looking at alternative warlock pacts. The product doesn't contain bookmarks, and perhaps a list of powers and brief descriptions would've been useful as an overview glance of the product material. Overall, though, well presented, professional, with good art and writing.

The pact of ghosts is just as the name implies - the warlock makes a pact with those departed spirits that for one reason or the other were unable to complete their journey in the afterlife. This grants the warlock access to a spell that can shake the mental faculties of his foes, and an interesting ability to manifest some of the ghost world whenever a foe is defeated. Naturally, the largest portion of the product contains warlock powers suitable to this ghost pact. As mentioned earlier, I thought the flavor text was done rather well, and fitted in excellently with the theme and feel of the product. On the other hand, the mechanics weren't that interesting.

For all the good flavor text, the powers' mechanics were just psychic or necrotic damage with the occasional addition tacked on. To a certain extent, this does fit the theme, but it speaks volumes as well with regard to lack of versatility in there somewhere. It just seemed rather disappointing that every cool description given to a power is followed by some psychic damage description which leads to a little disappointment. Having said that, some powers were actually quite good and made more use of the 'freeform' available to powers. Don't get me wrong, I think strategically and tactically these powers can be of a lot of use to a warlock character, but it's just more of the same with different flavor text, and I guess therein lies my problem with it.

The product concludes with a new paragon path, the Master of Shrouds, and several useful new feats that improve the ghost pact's abilities and fit the flavor nicely. Three magic items are included, and I particularly like the Book of the Damned, a tome that grants you the power of knowledge on various shadowy and otherworldly creatures. There's a lot of 'bang-for-your-buck' in this product, with loads of material that can be used - most of the material is usable even if you don't want the ghost pact specifically, or at least can be easily modified to avoid the pact and just use them as general warlock or other class powers.

I think this product has gone a good job of presenting an interesting and useful new warlock pact that is brimming with new flavor and mechanical options. It's very well presented with great art, and the writing is vivid and descriptive. My only negative is the implementation of the powers which just didn't seem to take full advantage of the flavor offered by the power itself. Overall, a very good product, and well worth looking at if you're after a ghostly pact for your warlock character.