(review originally posted at TenkarsTavern.com)

Full disclosure - I do have a short article in this issue. That being said, Knockspell #6 still a damn good issue ;)

I love the cover. Yes, it's a bit modern comic bookish, but it pulls it off. It would look fine on the wall of a man cave.

The layout of this issue is top notch. I really shouldn't have to say it looks extremely professional, but it does, and it is. Even more importantly for those that will be reading this in PDF, it has bookmarks. Nice work by Matt and his team.

First up we have the next installment of Allen Grohe's From Kuroth's Quill. This time he offers us a new class for OSRIC - the Shadow Master. It's a nice addition to the spell caster stable, and adds some new spells into the mix. Part 1 of 2, the follow up will include the higher level spells, new poisons and some new monsters.

We follow this up with the Random Orc Generator by Robert Lionheart. Orcs are boring, but a staple of low level campaigns - Robert gives us some random charts to make them exciting again. If nothing else, there are some very good adventure seeds here.

Gabor Lux must be one of the most prolific and skilled "Old School" adventure writers out there. This time he gives us Isles on an Emerald Sea IV. I don't think I've ever come across a "normal" adventure from Gabor. Short but sweet.

Random Perks and Flaws by Stefan Poag. For me, I think the flaws outweigh the perks on this table, but the right perk can be a real advantage. Roll if you dare!

Mr. Finch himself gives us Fire and Other Eldritch Energies. It's kind of a game science article (initially) dealing with the energy types found in D&D, ranging from the aforementioned fire to necromantic nastiness and then some. Add some delivery system and effects random tables and you'll be able to keep you players guessing the pain they are going to be for campaigns to come. It's a good method to help find some unique powers for your unique badies.

Where were we in the review? Oh, yeah, The Body in the Street. It's a piece of fiction by Al Krombach. I was never one for short pieces of fiction, but then I started reading Solomon Kane and found I enjoy the medium. I haven't read this piece yet, but it's on my list to read.

Ouch, My Brain Hurts! is a psionics article for S&W by Robert Lionheart. I think Robert's first line sums my thoughts up pretty well: "Are psionics an unholy heresy or a valuable aspect of old School fantasy roleplaying?" I'm on the fence on it myself, having experimented with it in AD&D 1E and I never found it very satisfying. Robert's system requires PCs to sacrifice XP earned to acquire psychic powers. It's a decent trade off for the additional power the PCs may attain. Being that the powers are limited in the amount of uses per day, they may or not be worth the XP cost, but it may be a viable option depending on the type of campaign you plan on running. It's a long article, and would have been a viable PDF in it's own right.

John M. Stater (best known for NOD magazine, and the man I borrowed some OGL content for my Bard class design) presents us with Catacombs of Ophir. It's a nice little dungeon under the city-state of Ophir (itself detailed in part in NOD 2). I don't recall a level range for it, but I'm going to guess 2-4. Looks good, and it marks the second adventure for this issue of Knockspell.

Next up is A Duet if Bards. The first part of this section is by Doyle Taverner. Here he presents us with an adaptation of the original Bard class presented in The Best of the Dragon, Volume 1. He cleans up the fuddilly bits, such as using thief abilities with heavier armor (aint happening) and spell casting in armor (also aint happening). For me, the highlight is the page on magical instruments for bards. Leaves me wishing I had included some, but I think Doyle gives a nice assortment to choose from.

The next part of A Duet of Bards is Tenkar's Bard. It's short and sweet. I like it, but then, I should ;)

Locks and Traps as a "Mini-Game" by Jim Pacek follows. Not what I expected. Holy Crap but I really like the system he uses. Color me surprised, and I generally detest "mini-games in a game", but this isn't so much mini-game as a task resolution system. It gets my "Kick Ass!" Award. First time I've ever given one out.