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The Pun is Mightier than the Sword
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:54:49

Designed for those who feel the need to be funny in their games, this product dives straight in. Chapter 1 presents a whole batch of feats which are not so much amusing in themselves, it's the titles they have been given that are supposed to be funny or at least based on commonly-used phrases. Most are actually quite useful - for example, 'needle in a haystack' gives a bonus to your search skill, or 'with a grain of salt' makes it far harder for others to deceive you, by granting a bonus to sense motive checks and to will saves against illusion spells.

Chapter 2 presents a list of spells in similar vein. You may feel vaguely silly announcing the name of the spell you are about to cast, but the results are generally useful or advantageous to you and your party. Cast Kentucky Fried and conjure up a rather greasy order of chicken complete with sides... or Silent but Deadly to create a cloud of vile-smelling gas, or Full Monty to cause your target's clothing to mysteriously fall away from his body!

Chapter 3 explores some of the more unusual items you'll find. Try a 'dead ringer' - a black onyx ring that sounds a chime when undead approach (and provides protection from undead into the bargain!). Or if you are suspicious about someone, ask him to place his hand on a roll of parchment called a 'rap sheet' - and see a list of the crimes he's committed appear upon it.

Chapter 4 looks at prestige classes. A jack of all trades is the arch-dabbler, with at least one rank in every skill in the Player's Handbook and able to cast both arcane and divine spells - generally they have levels in 5 or 6 classes and seem to have tried a bit of everything. Next comes the jokesmith, a spellcaster who has turned his talents towards playing tricks and generally causing amusement for himself or for others. Many jokesmiths are bards, but they are not alone in thinking that the world could use a few belly-laughs. There's also the knight in shining armour - basically one who 'follows the impossible dream' - he's obsessed with the story-book ideals of honour and adventure embodied in the concept of chivalry and does his best to live up to it. It's an affliction that mostly catches paladins, but fighters and clerics also catch this obsession... most others cannot fight well enough (or wear the shiny armour) to qualify. Then there's the proverbial, a spellcaster who studies proverbs. You need to be good at knowledge skills and able to case divination spells to qualify... oh, and you have to be at least middle-aged! All these prestige classes are accompanied by a sample character, so that you can see how it works in practice.

Finally, an appendix lists apposite spells from other Silven Publishing products, Curses! and Libem Liborium: The Complete D20 Guide to Books.

Not being too keen on humour in games, I opened this book with some trepidation... and was pleasantly surprised. Much of it is usable and useful in an ordinary game of D&D, and keeps the jokes to something reasonable that could well happen within a fantasy world.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
The Pun is Mightier than the Sword
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Races of Twilight: The Lutrins
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:53:29

The lutrins are a race of marine-loving humanoids whose deity has deserted them, perhaps slain by the god of a horde of barbarians who where doing their best to overrun the lutrins. The loss of their god has shattered the lutrin people who even a thousand years later still struggle to cope with the loss of their patron deity.

Chapter 1 gives an overview of the lutrins, beginning with their mythology and the sad story of how their god Otravos was lost, the very deity which created their race in the first place. A very orderly people, they claimed to have learned everything from Otravos as they developed from a simple fishing society to a sophisticated merchantile empire while retaining respect for all living things. Not long after they were attacked by a bunch of barbarians who claimed that their god would trounce Otravos, the mountain above the lutrins' main city - where Otravos was said to live - exploded in a cataclysm of volcanic activity, and Otravos fell silent, never to be heard from again. The chapter goes on to describe the lutrins' physical appearance and the necessary details to roll up a lutrin character. Their racial history has left them confused, with a tendency towards distain towards any other group's laws as their own lawgiver is gone. Many lutrins exhibit what could almost be described as manic-depressive tendencies, being wildly extrovert and fun-loving one day and morose the next as they recall what their race has lost.

Chapter 2 examines Lutrin society, starting with an overview of their standard lifecycle. After a somewhat rebellious youth, during which Lutrin history and perhaps a trade are learned, virtually all young adults set off for a period of exploration and adventure. For some, this is but a brief fling and they soon return to settle down, while others take much longer to return if indeed they do so at all. All, at home or on the road, are liable to bouts of black depression although they are cheerful and outgoing, even wild, the rest of the time. Their townships are much like any other, save for the absence of any place of worship, and always based on and around water.

Chapter 3 looks at religion and gods. Deprived of their ancestral deity Otravos, most either lack faith or have turned to a new philosophy, that of entropy. They believe that the whole of creation is spiralling towards destruction and that nothing can be done save watch the growing chaos. It's a philosophy that enjoins its followers to enjoy the present, for tomorrow - or soon thereafter - they will all be dead.

Chapter 4 runs through the regular core character classes describing how each one fits (or does not fit) the Lutrin. It also includes a new core class, the entropist. Most classes are open to lutrins, although there are no clerics - unless the odd individual has chosen to follow a foreign deity - and rangers and druids tend to be interested in nature as expressed in oceans, rivers and lakes rather than in woodlands. Rogues and bards are popular choices, and sorcerers are more common than wizards. Entropists are given in full detail, and are able by virtue of immersing themselves in their philosophy to cast spells of a 'clerical' nature. Spells are gained through meditation rather than prayer, and none with a lawful descriptor can be cast. There are some impressive class abilities as well.

Chapter 5 describes a range of feats, some confined to lutrins and others available to any character who can qualify for them. Several are aquatic in nature - such as swimming feats, deep diver, an underwater version of blindsight and even pack mule of the seas - someone who can bear heavy loads whilst swimming.

Chapter 6 presents three prestige classes. First is the lutrin redeemer. These are amongst the few lutrins who do not believe that their god Otravos is dead, and instead teach that he will return if the lutrins can sort themselves out, prove themselves worthy. They stand for law, and often are hired as judges by other races. In complete contrast is the madcap, who are fearless and impulsive and, to be honest, a bit bored if they are not literally living life on the edge. The prestige class is open to any race, but is popular with lutrins especially those who are rogues or fighters. Finally there is the sea dog, accomplished sailors and explorers who are probably more at home in or on the water than they are on land.

To round the book off, Chapter 7 talks about equipment and magic items specific to the lutrin (although in the most part usable by anybody). This includes the cravak, a distinctive knife with an extremely curved blade which is the favoured weapon of many lutrins. There's also a rather fine blubber coat to keep you warm at sea in cold latitudes and the breathing shell, a magical SCUBA set which provides air for up to 5 hours.

Overall, this is a fascinating race which would provide for fascinating encounters... I'm already thinking about how to bring them into my current game!

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Races of Twilight: The Lutrins
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Races of Twilight: The Green
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:52:18

The Introduction sets out the premise not just of this book but of the intended series of Races of Twilight: a detailed look at an original player-character race that can be incorporated into your campaign world. The underlying idea is that these are races past their prime, in decline; rather than a new and emerging society. In this case The Green, a race of tree people, are in decline due to a falling birth rate (and perhaps erosion of their natural habitat as other races extend the boundaries of 'the known world' into their territories).

Chapter 1 gives an overview of the green: their appearance, general philosophy and attitude - and how to roll up a green character. To start with, the green are sentient plants. They are more mobile than most plants, however, being quadrepedal and about 12 feet tall, although they bear leaves, look woody, and need to root themselves in the ground at frequent intervals to draw sustinance from the earth. They grow from seeds, remaining completely rooted and fixed in position for the first 20-25 years of life. They are nourished by photosynthesis (a sunlight-driven chemical process that occurs in the leaves for non-botanists) and draw most water in from the soil with other nutrients although they can obtain water from rainfall as well. As you can imagine they are best suited to wilderness adventuring. Green are genderless, and find it difficult to understand those races that have male and female, although much of their philosophy is based around duality - that there is light and dark, right and not-right, life and death and, yes, male and female. 'Good' and 'Evil' are difficult abstracts for them, each action is judged on whether or not it is right - a being who kills in self-defence acts rightly, one who kills to steal is not right... and get puzzled by those who'd classify a whole race as 'evil.'

Chapter 2 goes into more detail about green life and society. Basically, they live in 'groves' which - unless a green happens to be wandering around when you visit - look pretty much like any group of trees in a forest. Young saplings are raised in the grove until they are ready to step free of the ground and become adults, at which point those who desire to adventure will set off on their travels for anything from a few years to centuries. At some point, they decide that they have had enough and return to their original grove and become elders. Eventually, an elder takes permanent root. While green can be killed by violence or disease, it is not known if old age will bring about death, and it is rumoured than some very ancient green can remember the days when gods walked the earth (or a suitably long-ago time in your campaign setting).

Chapter 3 looks at green religion and deities. As you can imagine, nature gods are central and the main deity is an 'Earth Mother' one called Sheloss. Sheloss, the green believe, created the first green... and rather upset the other gods, who were her children, as a consequence. The chapter goes on to detail the entire green pantheon. Naturally, the DM can choose to incorporate as much or as little of this as he likes in a setting where the green exist. It does give good flavour to the green... and of course, if the DM prefers, they could be totally wrong and some other deity in his world is the real one! Or maybe they are the ones who are right and all the other races' religions are in error.

Next, Chapter 4 looks at how green characters fit in with the standard core classes. Druids and rangers are their favourites, but they are capable of other roles even if they are unusual and rare, except that green never show any psionic abilities whatsoever. Magic-using green are more commonly sorcerers than wizards, and barbarians are unheard of except for a solitary sapling that did not have the benefit of a grove education.

Chapter 5 introduces some new feats, some of which can be used by non-green characters if they meet the requirements. However such as fruit bearer - which enables you to produce edible fruits - are restricted to green. I suppose if you have another sentient plant race in your world, some or all of the green-only feats could be made available to them. The next chapter looks at prestige classes available to green characters. The cornucopian is a rare being, able to create nourishment for others and even excrete healing sap and produce plant-based material components. The nature warden is a steward of all living things, and dedicates his life to protecting them. Less pleasant is the living blight, a green driven mad by disease.

Finally, Chapter 7 examines the equipment and magic items produced by green artisans, much of which is produced for trade as the green themselves don't use much stuff. Weapons are produced in 'normal' and 'green' sizes, given the size difference between green and most other races.

While the green are an innovative race, it is likely that they will be of more use as an NPC race rather than as player characters, unless the campaign is wilderness-based. Green tend to be uncomfortable in urban settings and really don't do well at all in dungeons/underground. They are a fascinating and well-thought out society which would give an added dimension to any campaign world.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Races of Twilight: The Green
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Curses!
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:50:56

Most cultures have a tradition of curse-bestowal, so here are the tools to enable effective cursing to take place in your campaign world. Being fantasy, curses are bestowed by magical means and affect their targets in the same way as other spells can do.

The book begins with an overview of what real cursing is all about. It's a lot more than merely wishing ill on someone who has annoyed you. This moves on to a discussion of some real-world cursing traditions, from ancient Egypt (Tutenkhamun's tomb, anyone?), ancient Greece, the Judeo-Christian tradition and - possibly one of the best-known today - Voodoo (Voudoun). And of course witches are widely believed to have the 'evil eye.'

Next comes a definition of what makes a spell a curse. Ultimately, any spell with 'curse' in its name qualifies, as does one which does permanent harm or has an ongoing detrimental effect on its target, as do those which use 'words of power' to deliver harm... and, of course, if remove curse negates the effect of a given spell, that spell must be a curse itself. There's a list of Player's Handbook spells that qualify, and the concept that cursing can become an area in which you can specialise by use of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. A range of options to make bestow curse and mark of justice a bit more interesting are also included.

Next comes an assortment of new curse-related spells. Most will enable the caster to have a bit of fun with someone who's annoyed them, but there's also spells giving the ability to protect oneself from being cursed, and that to detect a curse on a person or item.

There is also a range of feats which may be taken, again curse-related in some manner, including the ability to bestow a dying curse on whoever caused your demise and a series that mimic the classic Voudoun ability to create zombies out of the dead remains of your enemies.

Finally, there is a collection of prestige classes for those who wish to specialise in the use of curses. These are probably best left to NPCs for the most part, but are quite interesting nonetheless.

Overall, this is a little gem to aid any DM in putting some attitude into his Bad Guys' curses and is well worth taking a look at.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Curses!
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Bulldogs! - Robots
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:48:08

Designed as a comprehensive resource for robots within a science-fiction game (and Bulldogs! in particular) this is not just a list of bolt-on parts, but an analysis of what sort of things fictional robots might do, how the sentient ones might think and what sort of folks design and maintain them.

The first chapter looks at the various roles in which robots can be found within the Bulldogs! universe (much of which is, of course, applicable to any space-faring game in which extensive use of robots is to be made). It starts off by describing the discovery of Self Improving Nanocircuitry, the breakthrough that enabled robots to become sentient independent beings, rather than programmed machines. Created at the behest of a casino-owning crime lord, their captive inventors ensured that they learned the true nature of their master and eventually turned him in to the authorities - spawning undercurrents of fear that these new robots were disloyal and bent on taking over! Much research and investigation followed before any more were made, and restrictive legislation was put in place. With almost 200 years of history behind them, modern methods for constructing these SIN-based robots are discussed and their role in the contemporary universe discussed... all in a delightful quasi-academic tone.

There is still plenty of religious and political debate as to whether a SIN-based robot is genuinely 'alive' - as nobody's determined just what a soul is, it's a bit hard to tell whether a robot has one or not. However a few are able to break free of their programming, becoming 'awakened' or fully independent... these are generally hunted down by the authorities and eliminated as a threat. Some extremist groups even seek greater rights for robots. Be this as it may, while a robot can undertake virtually any task, their main use includes 'dirty' jobs (in environments unpleasant or toxic to biological life-forms), entertainment (frequently the, um, more improper sort that could be deemed demeaning for a performer or as gladiators who can be directed to rip each other to shreds without ethnical consideration), hospitality (as again, they do not feel 'demeaned' by being required to attend to another person's needs, and can be relied upon to be constantly attentive without daydreaming or disloyalty or even some time off), information processing (especially roles that need attention to detail over long periods like air traffic control) and of course warfare.

Next comes a detailed treatise on the laws applying to and about SIN-based robots, including the variations prevalent in different societies within the Bulldogs! universe. This includes comprehensive detail on the ramifications of each piece of legislation. There's a bit about the specialist law enforcement organisations and techniques used, and on the fate of rogue robots. The chapter is rounded off with an introduction to several organisations that take a particular interest in the subject. Overall, this first chapter ought to be read by anyone running a science-fiction game in which robots feature, Bulldogs! or not.

Chapter 2: Form v. Function, looks at the physical components of a robot. Again, while written with Bulldogs! in mind, this information will be useful to anyone wishing to use robots in a game and wanting to go further than picking them 'off the shelf' from one of their chosen system's equipment books.

After an overview of the various components that go into a robot, the chapter settles down to more detailed design - with a reminder that robots always are the result of conscious design on someone's part. Robots may be designed as player-characters or NPCs. PC ones are likely to be 'androids' - man-like robots - while others may be androids or 'mechanicals' - robots whose form suits their function. The various races within the Bulldogs! universe naturally tend to make androids that look somewhat like themselves, and there are more detailed notes on the particular proclivities of each of the main races. However, this chapter is still general discussion rather than actually getting down to the nuts & bolts of robot construction.

Next comes Chapter 3: It's Just a Machine... Right? This chapter examines the programming and behavioural aspects of a robot's character. A robot's operation centres around its code: the rules that govern its behaviour in terms of what it may and may not do. Often this refers to external codes - such as an imperative to obey the law of the world or location in which it is - but does not contain the external information, which is held in its intellectual memory. Naturally, some robots have their programming deliberately amended to allow them to commit criminal acts or acts of violence, both of which are specifically excluded by normal, legal factory programming. This is followed by a discussion of some of the roles which robots might occupy: assassin, bounty hunter, engineer, fighter, ship's gunner and so on, looking at the strengths and weaknesses of using a robot rather than a living person in each one.

The next chapter is entitled "Software Sale" and comprises a well-commented list of all the skills available to robots within the system. It also includes the interesting innovation of providing hardware and software upgrades during play using feats, as well as the more conventional use of them to reflect an individual's abilities. Programming languages in common use are also discussed (although many robots are designed to accept commands verbally in whatever language their owner speaks).

Chapter 5 is called "We Have the Technology!" and looks at the potential for live meat people to enhance themselves with technology, cybernetic style. It starts by discussing the cultural and scientific implications before moving into more rule-based material explaining what can be done and how... again with extensive use of feats as a way of implementing the enhancements. As with robots themselves, there is a considerable body of law relating to the possession of cybernetics (particularly inbuilt weaponry), although 'cyborgs' themselves, being living beings, are not as strictly controlled as are robots. There's also a discussion of the (mostly illegal) procedure for creating a complete map of someone's brain - which can be used for various purposes such as interrogration or personality transfer.

Next, Chapter 6 - "Never Eat... Never Sleep... Never Stop!" - covers all the other rules pertaining to robots and cyborgs in play. This includes viruses, combat rules and how to moderate the repair of robots and cyborgs; as well as new items of equipment.

Chapter 7: Custom Jobs looks at prestige classes, both those open to robots themselves and those which are in some way robot-related (such as the Bio-Engineer, who combines medical and engineering knowledge to develop the skills to create cyborgs). As robots may be designed to begin with the prerequisites for a given prestige class, it is open to the GM to allow one to be used as a core class should he so wish.

Finally, Chapter 8: Deus ex Machina looks at three of the major corporations that manufacture robots, and the things they do with them; and at ideas for using robots as NPCs or interesting things to throw at PC robots in your game.

Overall, as well as system-specific material (which could be adapted to any D20-based game), this product contains a lot of background discussion about the very nature of robots and is highly recommended to anyone wanting to use robots in a game, irrespective of the game mechanics used.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



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[4 of 5 Stars!]
Bulldogs! - Robots
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NPCyclopedia: Psionics
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:46:54

The basic premise behind this book is to provide a DM with a range of well-developed NPCs to use in a campaign in which psionics play a part, either when preparing original adventures or when wishing to adapt published material (which often does not include psionic characters as not everyone likes to use them) to accommodate their wish for a more psionic-oriented campaign.

This is accomplised in a simple and straightforward way. Eleven psionic characters are presented in incredible detail. Each has a full background and life-story, and then is presented in 20 stat blocks, one for each level from 1st to 20th, including increasing numbers of items, possessions, etc., to reflect the rising levels. Naturally, you can amend the background to suit your own plotline - or you may find ideas spawning as you read through what has been written, basing your own adventures or even a whole campaign around one or more of these characters.

The characters are a cleric, a rather geeky wizard who discovered psionics and took a whole new path, a half-giant psychic warrior, a drow who's pretty nasty even by drow standards, an ugly half-orc girl who found herself through her psionics and developed into a healer, a half-elf monk who survived life as a slave-gladiator, a xeph adventurer turned vigilante, a devious doppleganger who uses his abilities to further his quest for political power, an orphan female rogue who helps the downtrodden, a dromite with anger management problems, and a duegar ranger with a violent streak and the nickname 'Mindsplitter.' Each has so much background and detail that they really start coming alive, you start to see the entire alternate reality growing up around them.

By having each character presented as they develop through the levels, it makes it possible to make one a recurrent friend or foe to your party, rising in level as they do, maintaining consistency without you needing to do very much work!

The work is rounded off with some new feats items and psionic powers - ones developed for the NPCs, but which may be of use elsewhere in your game.

In terms of providing well-detailed NPCs, this is a fine example to anyone wishing to create such a resource, and it may even give individual DMs ideas on how to develop characters of their own devising, or an NPC from a scenario that they would like to have turn up again later... the scope is endless.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



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[3 of 5 Stars!]
NPCyclopedia: Psionics
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50 New Ways to Blow Things Up: Evocation
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:45:29

Written in a delightful and self-aggrandising style by Starlanko himself, the book itself is designed to have an in game existance, to be available to interested characters as well as to their players and the DM. Notes are provided regarding distribution and pricing for this option, particularly useful if you haven't read Libem Liborium - The Complete D20 Guide to Books yet.

After explaining this, the Introduction continues with Starlenko explaining why he's so fond of spells of the evocation school, and why he's chosen the ones presented for this book. Bascially, evocation is a good source of spells for the adventuring wizard because they are good for dealing damage directly to the opposition. There's also tactical information both general and spell-specific, to aid the budding evoker in using his spells to good effect. For example, if you like using area effect spells, choose one that uses something you know a defensive spell against - then cast that spell on the rest of your party lest they complain about being caught by the fringes of that fireball!

And so, on to the spells themselves, for window-dressing aside what you get here is a good collection of original spells from the school of evocation. One cannot help but delight in a useful second level damage-causing spell even if its name does rather conflict with the alternate reality of being a spellcaster that you are trying to inhabit when you play. Each spell is described in the conventional manner, with a statistic block and a description of what it does - albeit with rather more editorial comment from Starlenko than many spell collections give you (that's not a complaint, his comments are amusing!). The comments are kept separate from the standard description, though, so you can read or ignore them as you please. Interestingly, suggested verbal components are given in the common tongue (well, English) and in Draconic for those who like to actually say something when their character casts a spell. It's a nice touch. Many years ago I had a DM who insisted on verbal components and it really helped with the 'realism' of the game.

The spells themselves are well-thought out and original, and even without Starlenko the Magnificent's comments I can see plenty of uses for them next time I play a mage! Finally, tucked away at the back is a single feat, Scribe Generic Spellbook. Useful for a teaching wizard, it makes the spellbooks you write much easier for someone else to understand. It will be a hit at colleges of magic throughout your world.

Overall, a very good collection of spells presented in a most entertaining manner. Certainly worth reading if you play an Evoker, or run a game in which finding new magic is part of what makes it fun for your wizard characters.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



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50 New Ways to Blow Things Up: Evocation
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Libem Liborium: The Complete d20 Guide to Books
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:44:09

Dungeons & Dragons makes the assumption that all characters (except Barbarians) are able to read and write in at least their own language, and can read and write in other languages once they learn to speak them. Yet it is unusual to find anything other than a spellbook, a scroll or a treasure map lying around. Here is an opportunity to bring the written word to life in your campaign, with rules and ideas for how to use books throughout your setting and adventures.

Even the introduction starts spawning ideas: characters who keep journals or write books, NPCs with vast knowledge - what happens to their notes and papers? The first chapter is mostly for DMs and looks at planning and administering the role that books play in your campaign world. It starts with a series of questions about the role played by various influences that could affect the availability of books. What, for example, is the attitude towards literacy in the main religion in the area? Does the local government encourage the free exchange of ideas or is it repressive? Does an individual need the permission of religious or state authorities to even publish, or does he just need enough money to pay the printer? Once you've established how society views the printed word, the next thing to explore is technology. Are all books 'monk-xeroxed' by hand, or has the printing press been invented? If presses are available, how advanced are they - do you have to set each letter by hand, ink them, then press down on the paper; or has technology (or magic) come up with a more efficient way to mass-produce books? This leads to an analysis of literacy levels... which despite the core rulebooks (which, after all, describe the abilities of adventurers who can be regarded as a cut above the ordinary inhabitants of the campaign world) may be quite low in areas where technology and magic are low and hence limiting factors in the availability of written material.

Chapter 2 looks at writing while adventuring and is intended for player and DM alike. Wizards and clerics might set out to write about their areas of expertise, bards have plenty of stories to tell, and just about any other adventurer might keep a journal of his day-to-day life or decide that the last adventure he had is a tale worth recounting. I once played a ranger who was a bit of an amateur naturalist and kept copious notes on every monster he encountered, complete with illustrations! Any character who likes writing is going to be annoyed if his notebook is damaged or stolen - and what might it reveal about him to the thief? If the character decides to get beyond the personal and seek publication, things get a bit more complicated - fortunately here are some rules and ideas for seeing the original manuscript through to print including the introduction of a Craft: Writing check to see if you really have written a masterpiece or if it's turgid rubbish, the results of which give you a 'marketability modifier' to apply to attempts to sell the manuscript once it's finished - very neat! Moreover, the system extends to cover other aspects such as selling to a bookstore and to individual customers, along with modifiers generated by the contents and physical presentation of your book. There's enough detail for the budding PC author to find out if he's good enough to retire from adventuring and live by his pen, or if he needs to swing that sword for a few years longer!

Chapter 3 looks at where writing can be found - the sources of books for those characters in your game who wish to read books rather than (or as well as) write them. These include wandering book peddlers and book stores for those who wish to buy and libraries (public or private) for those who prefer to borrow. Maps are supplied for a range of these options, and statistics for appropriate characters including a peddler and a bookstore owner. City records and journals, magazines and newspapers may also be available as sources of information or even entertainment. And of course, you might wish to include books in the loot available someplace your players are raiding - a good way to ensure that a hint or particular piece of information is made available to them. For example, this trick is used in The Grave of the Prince of Lies, a free adventure from 0one Games. The chapter ends with some notes about specialist arcane and divine writings

The fourth chapter looks at new skills and feats useful or even necessary to enable the use of books within your campaign as described so far. Books can be broadly categoriesed according to the suggested areas for the Knowledge skill in the core rulebooks, with the addition of education and entertainment (including humour, fiction and even recipe books) as new categories. The art of writing itself is presented as a Craft skill, which may be taken by aspiring authors of any class. Bookmaking - including the production of paper and ink and book-binding - is covered by a second Craft skill, with printing and illustration as yet further areas in which you can specialise. The fabricate spell may be used to substitute for practical aspects but not for the creative areas of writing and illustration - you need talent as well as skill to perform those tasks well! There are also notes on book-specific uses of existing skills, such as Diplomacy when trying to sell your book to a publisher. Next comes a list of feats which may come in handy to people wishing to create, sell or enjoy books in the campaign.

For those who wish to take books very seriously, chapter 5 contains several book-related prestige classes that characters or NPCs may qualify for. An Archivist studies, collects and cares for books; and may adventure in search of rare tomes... while a Bookburner is an implacable hater of knowledge and best kept well away from libraries. A Counterfeiter is a rogue specialist, skilled at creating forgeries of any document or written material. The Legend Crafter can create amazing stories - and not surprisingly are usually bards. A Rune Warrior draws on the power of the runes written on his own body when in combat.

Chapter 6 introduces some new spells that ought to be useful for the more bookish spellcaster. How about a cartography spell that maps what you see for you? Or perhaps a major alphabetize spell to organise the books in your library without having to lift a finger.

Next, Chapter 7 is about tomes and ciphers. Now, here a 'cipher' is not a code, it is a graphical representation of a spell that holds mystical energy that can be released in the form of that spell in the same way as you might cast it from a scroll. There's also a collection of magical tomes, the sort of book that gives your character a distinct benefit via magic if he spends some time studying the book.

Chapter 8 provides a whole bunch of new magical and mundane items. The mundane things include just about everything you need to make a book, from a printing press to paper, bindings, locks and even a magnifying glass for those characters whose eyesight is failing! There's a whole range of fancy inks too, along with pens, so that you make make your notes and illustrations as fancy as you please. The varied assortment of magical items includes a device to levitate a heavy book in just the right position so that you can read without your arms getting tired and a pen that never runs out of ink. Possibly the most useful is a portable library - a single book which opens a portal to a specialised dimension in which you can store a number of books for access when on the road.

Chapter 9 presents four deities who are in some way connected with books and knowledge. Chapter 10 contains some new monsters, and finally Chapter 11 contains an assortment of charts and random generators to help you decide what books are to be found in whatever place your players happen to be looking.

Overall, this book is a detailed and informative look at a somewhat neglected area. It's also a fine example of how to consider an aspect of your game and develop it into something that supports the 'alternate reality' of your campaign world as a living place with which your players can interact.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Libem Liborium: The Complete d20 Guide to Books
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Mitarra - Caves of Crystal (Audio Enhanced)
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:42:26

The second in a series of adventures in which the characters need to first discover a threat to their nation and then defeat it, the first unusual thing about this one is the audio enhancement. Never mind 'read aloud' boxes, click on the track reference instead (assuming you have a computer or MP3 player available where you play).

While enjoyment is enhanced by playing the first adventure in the series, Agenda of Itherelle 1: Centipedes first, those who have not will need to assume that their characters have reached 2nd level elsewhere in a manner noteworthy enough to have come to the attention of the patron for this adventure, and so be asked to take on a mission for him. However, the DM will find it necessary to modify some of his delivery, as the assumption is that they did. If they have played Centipedes, and survived, they will have achieved this kind of status and notice already.

The main purpose of this adventure is to give the characters a wider view of the people and places of Mitarra, and to enable them to get to know folks who will be useful later on in the series... but naturally, although it begins quite gently and role-play intensive, there will be opportunities to get the sword out as well. The characters are hired to collect spell components, namely some special crystals, and are well-briefed on where they need to go, who they need to speak with... and that there is a guardian as well. Not to mention that their journey is not all through civilised countryside, and monsters may object to their passage.

Given that the patron is the local bishop, it is not surprising that he likes the sound of his own voice and the first section - where he explains the mission over a formal dinner - may get a bit tedious for more action-oriented players. The audio enhancements could be used to enliven it a bit, but it's rather a case of replacing the DM reading out the boxed text with a recording of someone else doing so... and of course a recording isn't able to respond to questions from the characters as well as a live DM can, even though there are some 'if the players ask xxx then read/play this bit' options provided. During this discourse, it becomes apparent that in this world elves are beings of some mystery, it is assumed that the characters will probably not have had much contact with them and indeed that they are all human! This section rounds off with some neat mechanics, using the Diplomacy skill, should the characters wish to haggle with the bishp over their fee for the mission.

The second section of the adventure covers 'Civilised Travel' and takes the characters across the Mitarra Plain to Mitarra and onwards to Istanus through quite civilised terrain. The inns at which accommodation has been arranged for the party are designed for role-playing and to allow the characters to get a wider appreciation of this particular setting. However, an optional combat along the way is included for those players who get restless without a good fight. Descriptions are atmospheric and there is plenty of detail to create the 'alternate reality' in which the characters exist. As their stay in Mitarra itself includes the opportunity for a formal dinner with members of the nobility, this has wisely been presented in both summary and extended form allowing the DM to pick the version most appropriate to the characters' interests.

The third part of the adventure is 'Wild Travel' taking the characters west into less-settled areas (well, Istanus itself is pretty much a frontier town) and towards their objective. Again there is plenty of incidental description to enable the DM to create a vivid picture of the areas through which they travel. While the characters are basically following a fixed route, there are enough options and the odd side-excursion to give them a feeling of freedom, of being in an actual three-dimensional world in which they can move - like in the real one - any which way they please. There are a few incidental encounters that provide opportunity for combat but the greatest danger is natural - a river to ford.

Part four is 'Elfland.' Now in forest, the characters soon encounter the local elves, who are going about their own business... a business which initially lands the characters in some danger. Hopefully they manage to befriend the elves, in which case there's a party before they are guided to their destination, the Caves of Crystal, the following morning. Those who party too hard are warned that elves are early risers!

Part Five covers the journey to the Caves of Crystals, hopefully with an elven guide - it may take some finding without! It's a 35-mile hike which even an elf calls 'tiring' - and there are a few combat-based encounters along the way if you want to use them. It's not just 'bash the monster' though, there are opportunities for thought and interaction should the characters so wish.

And, at last Part Six is 'The Caves!' Naturally, the characters are not the only creatures here... oh, and there's a Guardian to get past. Assuming the characters manage this, there's more than crystals to find if they are prepared to poke around a bit. Unless the characters take a long time about, their elf guide is waiting outside to escort them back to the elf settlement (and some more parties).

Part Seven is 'The Return' in which the characters retrace their steps to the bishop who sent them out in the first place. Naturally, this will not be a completely uneventful trip... after all, this is a living alternate reality and there's a lot going on that is at most peripheral to the characters' actual quest, or even the overall arc of the series, but which is well worth including to help the setting come alive.

The final part of the adventure is 'Back to Ravennora and Epilogue.' This gives the characters the opportunity to deliver the crystals to the bishop and claim their pay, and he naturally wants to hear of their adventures, so there's the opportunity for some in-character bragging. The adventure section rounds off with advice to the DM on awarding XP for the non-combat parts of the adventure.

But we are not done yet, there's an Appendix that details the land of Mitarra and its people. It's an excellent resource to enable the DM to round out his presentation of the setting, and even to run his own adventures around those of the series. Appendix 2 provides information on the monsters and NPCs involved, and - for those running the adventure from a computer - hyperlinks in the main text where they are mentioned enable you to flick here for the details. Note that all creatures have actually been rolled up, so those with eidetic memories for the contents of the Monster Manual will not be able to rely on their knowledge! There's also one new spell, freezing ray, and some pre-generated player characters if you are eager to rush right in (although you'll find it better to transfer them to a character sheet for ease of use before you begin play).

About my only quibble is that the adventure needs thorough proof-reading. Apart from grammatical errors, it is clear that in some places the author intended to return to add hyperlinks/page references or names, but never found time to, and tags such as xxx and ROAD are rather too plentiful.

Overall, it is an excellent adventure with a lot going on, although admittedly light on combat. If you are intending to run the entire Agenda of Itherelle series of adventures it is well worth including as a 'scene-setter' that will embed the characters firmly within Mitarelle and hence more eager to defend it against all threats as they develop over the course of the campaign.

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Mitarra - Caves of Crystal (Audio Enhanced)
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Hussle
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/12/2006 12:40:52

Imagine if you will a small town which has decided that entertaining adventurers - the 'tourists' of your average fantasy pseudo-mediaeval world - is a lot more profitable than tilling the soil and tending their animals. A nice stopping point for your party as they move from one adventure to another...

However, the people of Elysburg have decided that providing entertainment and selling supplies is not enough. They have concocted a story about a marauding minotaur that has to be defeated to save the town, and spin it around visiting adventurers until they are well past noticing that the minotaur is but a costumed townsman. Unfortunately the deity of the real minotaurs has heard - and been offended - by the tales being spread and so has decided to call round and wreak some havoc for real... just about the time your players arrive, of course!

By now, the locals are experienced in presenting their little charade, and it is described in detail to enable you to run it easily and seamlessly as your party enters the township one evening. With the character adjudged the most gullible hailed as "The Deliverer" the entire party will be entertained (and swindled blind) for the following week as the village prepares for the visit of the 'minotaur' to collect his tribute. However, when the time comes, it doesn't go quite as the townsfolk expected...

It's a neatly put together adventure and just reading it through I'm itching to try it out on some players! There is a lot of scope for role-playing and interaction, and a good brawl at the end for those who prefer action to talk. It's worth the DM preparing a bit, a few detailed townspeople for the players to interact with would help; and if you are not very good at extemporising you might want to work out a few events in advance. As a little side-adventure to catch your party with when they think they are just travelling to the next stage in your campaign, it's excellent!

You can read information and reviews about product from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Hussle
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Monsters of Twilight: Curse Monsters
by Peter I. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 04/07/2006 00:00:00

Monsters of Twilight: Curse Monsters is a 34 page pdf and the first in a new series of monster book each detailing monsters based on a certain theme or idea. This first pdf details curse monsters, and draws from the mythos and cultural heritage of curses to present twelve new monsters complete with background and plot hooks. The monsters are created along two different lines of thought - those that are themselves cursed, and those that can curse others.

Curse Monsters is a fully bookmarked pdf that comes in two different versions - one for home printing and another for screen reading. Author Chris Caran does a good job to present clear and concise writing, while the general editing was fair given the few errors that slipped through. It's unusual for many small pdf publishers to provide a fantastic variety of art, and Silven Publishing and their artist Luis Czerniawski have done a splendid job of presenting some really splendid artwork, one piece for each of the twelve monsters in this pdf. Overall a professional looking presentation with some worthy art.

Curse Monsters presents twelve different monsters. Each entry starts with a quote from our real world, be it something from literature or historical writing. Background details are then presented on each creature, followed by a statistics block, combat details and lastly plot hooks. Many of the entries also include new curse spells, spells that can be used to curse other creatures or create curses. In addition, several of the entries, such as the templates for creatures created by spells or cursed by spells, also include sample monsters.

The monsters within the pdf cover a good variety of types, including dragons, magical beasts, undead, plants, constructs and an outsider. Magical beasts and constructs have the largest representation, although there are a good number of templates that can be applied to creatures of almost all types. Before looking at the individual monsters, it's worth commenting about the stat blocks. These were generally good, although almost each one contained at least one error, ranging from an incorrect attack bonus, to not listing a special quality or special ability in the monster stat block, to getting save DCs incorrect or not listing the ability modifier that determines the save DC itself. Nothing too detracting, but I've yet to see many products that can pull it all together correctly.

The monsters themselves are creative and unique, offering some interesting and exciting opportunities in-game. These are not your standard monsters in another guise, but truly different creatures with distinct flavor. In most cases this flavor carried through well to the mechanical implementation, although one or two may have been poorly worded. Some of the more interesting creatures include the blood crows (a swarm of crows that hunts cursed victims), the cursed familiar (a wizard does not want one of these!), malfeasant (a spirit of vengeance), and the skin stealer (a creature that can inhabit other creatures). It's a very good collection of creatures, and sure to find use in any game. Along with Silven Publishing's Curses! Supplement, this will make for a good addition to your d20 fantasy game.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This supplement presents twelve unique and creative monsters based on the curse theme, along with stunning art to support each of the monster entries. Flavor is good and presentation excellent, and this is overall a very useful pdf with some interesting and inspirational monsters. I look forward to seeing the next products in this series.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There were a number of editing errors as well as stat block errors, but nothing truly significant. Some of the monsters were a bit lacking in the descriptive and flavor text, particularly the templates where it would've been nice to see material on how the cursed template affects a creature's appearance and behaviour.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Monsters of Twilight: Curse Monsters
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Races of Twilight: The Sarkuvans
by Peter I. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/14/2006 00:00:00

Races of Twilight: The Sarkuvans is a 24 page pdf detailing a new race, the sarkuvans. This product is the third in Silven Publishing's Races of Twilight series, each product in the series aimed at detailing a new race that is experiencing its 'twilight' years, in other word is facing extinction. The sarkuvans, once created by a society called the Morphic Society, are such as race that has been hunted to extinction as a result of their inherently evil nature and hatred of all things good.

The layout and presentation of the pdf is good, and it comes with bookmarks and a detailed table of contents. There are two pieces of good art in this pdf, one being the cover art that is reused within the text itself. There are one of two minor editing errors, such as 'acobra' rather than 'a cobra' but nothing that detracts seriously from the text itself. This is an easy-reading pdf that's well-written and clear in the various mechanics involved making it easier to understand the writer's intent.

The sarkuvans are a created race, and hence incapable of breeding. An ancient cabal of wizards, the Morphic Society, created them in times past as a means to generate an army that would help them gain the power from the empire and shape the world around them. The Morphic Society was eventually destroyed, but many sarkuvans remained alive in the underdark or deep places of the world where they strive to learn the secret of procreation before their species becomes extinct. The pdf provides plenty of details on the race itself, including nature, characteristics, religion, society, lifecycle, community and much more.

Physically the sarkuvans are a race of amorphous creatures that can take the shape of one specific other humanoid creature. In natural form they're ooze-like, while otherwise they appear as the type of creature they can turn into. Essentially this is a mini-doppelganger type race. Full characteristics and abilities are provided in both the sarkuvan's forms, although the dominant one is its ability to change form into a single creature, something that made them useful to the Morphic Society in blending in. Overall it?s a well detailed and presented race, with some interesting uses, although a doppelganger in most cases will be a lot more useful than a sarkuvan that can only assume one humanoid form other than its ooze-like form.

The pdf continues by looking at several sarkuvan deities, all well written up and fitting the context of the sarkuvan race. Each base class from the core rules is also discussed in relation to the sarkuvans - finding sarkuvan druids or barbarians is rare, for example, while wizards and rogues are common among the remaining individuals of their race.

The latter half of the pdf is more mechanical in nature, and deals with skills, feats, prestige classes, spells and new equipment. The Craft (poisonmaking) skill is introduced (presumably taken from one of the OGL sources listed in the OGL declaration) and several sarkuvan-only feats are listed, most expanding on their racial abilities, such as granting additional humanoid forms and higher bonuses for their disguise capabilities. Three good, yet game-wise strong, prestige classes are presented: the living weapon (sarkuvans that specialise in turning themselves into weapons), the mimic (sarkuvans that can take the form of other creatures and objects), and the morphic mage (a powerful transmutation caster that gains many spell-like abilities). I think some balancing might be required here, particularly with the morphic mage which gets full caster progression and a large number of additional abilities such as baleful polymorph, polymorph and other spells as a spell-like ability, and a feat or two.

The last sections of the pdf present two new domains (Poison and Transmutation) and new spells. Most of the spells deal with poison and there are some good ones in there, such as Envenom Object that allows you to place poison on an object for a limited duration but limitless use. New equipment is also presented, including several new poisons, a grenade-like weapon that deals Constitution damage, and a new figurine of wondrous power, the alabaster cobra.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is a solid pdf that presents a new race with enough information and descriptive detail to create something interesting from it. The supplementary mechanical material is useful, and the prestige classes will give sarkuvan's an added edge in a campaign setting. I generally liked the idea and most of the material presented, in particular some of the spells, and the concepts behind the prestige classes. The sarkuvan background and history also made for enjoyable reading.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Minor editing and balance issues aside, there wasn't a lot in the pdf that stood out and could be considered excellent material with a 'must use' factor. There's no mistaking that it's a solid product with lots to offer, but the material wouldn't be classified as inspirational or exceptional.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Races of Twilight: The Sarkuvans
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Skinwalker
by Mark G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 02/22/2006 00:00:00

?Skinwalker: A Pinebox Tale? by 12 to Midnight is a 73 page horror adventure for the d20 Modern system set in Pinebox, Texas. This module has magic items and magical opponent and thus would be incompatible with a non-FX game. Although designed for the d20 Modern system some elements of this particular release also come from the d20 fantasy system reference document, so to make full use of some of the npcs and the main villain you will need access to that material or a v3.5 Player?s Handbook. The product itself comes in two versions a fully-bookmarked onscreen version at 73 pages and a non-bookmarked print-friendly version that is 64 pages in length.

Okay, the hard part, reviewing a module without laying out the plot of the module. The module is designed for four fourth-level characters with a very open-ended style that relies more on investigation then combat. The core of the module is based on the Navajo legend of the Skinwalker but twisted in a way that should surprise players familiar with the legend. The module runs along a timeline spanning 8 days and is divided into three major sections: Inevitable events, It could happen, and Taking it to Xvillain name obscuredX.

The module focuses on a series of murders that the heroes stumble upon and may even be incriminated in. This is a module for heroes and the author has a very definitive stance in that regard. It?s clear that every attempt has been made to make the module open to player options and not ?railroad? players, but as such you must rely on the fact that heroes will choose to do the right thing. The author?s attitude becomes clear in the opening encounter as he states quite honestly,

?If the heroes stop, you have an adventure on your hands. If they ignore the girl and drive into town, you should kill them on the spot for lacking compassion.?

From that point on there are a limited number of required events, and almost another dozen optional tracks that the party of heroes can take. The adventure is set in the town of Pinebox (which is the main site for 12 to Midnight adventures) and the surrounding woods known as the Big Thicket.

The adventure itself runs 33 pages because all the adventure support material is located in appendices instead of placed in text. Appendix I details all the npc characters the players are likely to encounter and covers named people, as well as nameless npcs like Helicopter pilot. Appendix II details 3 celtic themed monstrous opponents designed for the module, as ?in game? monster they do not possess average hit points. Appendix III introduces 6 magic items and a new spell. Of the items I like the utility of the medicine bag the most and will soon port it over to my d20 fantasy game. The crow whistle also does a good job of ? porting the swarm mechanic into d20 modern. Appendix IV details the organizations potentially involved in the module and was a cause of confusion for me. I couldn?t find what the statistics for the organization meant. It turns out the organizations are constructed with the rules presented in OGL Horror by Mongoose Publishing. Without access to the OGL Horror book, I would expect that the statistics presented for each organization would be useless as the game master would not know how to use the make checks using these abilities. Appendix V lists experience points for the party by scene in the adventure module. Appendix VI covers the 5 player handouts, and 5 maps for the adventure.

The 12 to Midnight guides (Jackson Green, Lance Carlson, and Professor Glen Maclanahan) return in this module and in sidebar provide advice, background information, players going off the map, suggestion on using mechanics. These were very effective in the 12 to Midnight module ?Brainwashed?, but they just didn?t seem to pop up as often in this work (and I kind of missed them).

Editing is excellent. The art is well-done and appropriate and the cover is stunning.

Overall, this is a very module that would have been excellent if an explanation of the organization rules had been included. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Open-ended design Good villain with excellent powers for a mystery/horror tale Solid editing, writing, and mechanics <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Organization rules should be explained. Not enough commentary by the 12 to Midnight Guides<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Skinwalker
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Skinwalker
by Don D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/20/2006 00:00:00

I really liked this product. The author succeeded at what he set out to do: create a non-linear creepy adventure. There is a lot of opportunity for role-play as well as many different options for the characters to take in order to finish the adventure.

This is a solid, well written adventure.

This is also easily-insertable into your own campaign.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The main villain is very creepy and will give the players a good challenge. I always love the handouts that the 12tomidnight authors provide and this product is no different. They add a lot of realism for the players.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Libem Liborium: The Complete d20 Guide to Books
by Jacob S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/16/2006 00:00:00

Really good, but not fantastic. There's a lot of good material that is designed to easily be incorporated into games, and the coverage is fairly complete. However, there are some somewhat-significant flaws:

Hints of things are mentioned, but not made explicit. For example, it's mentioned that areas with higher literacy levels have more education available, but it could be taken further that higher literacy means more secular education (historically), while lower literacy rates mean the education will come from more specialized sources (churches, clerk mentors, magic schools, etc.). Also, in areas with lower literacy, signs will be pictures instead of words, messages won't be posted, and people will tend to have superstitions about writing and the mysterious powers associated with it.

I appreciate the (prestige) classes and feats, although I tend to think they are a waste of time in most publications. Other material would have been helpful in their place, like a list of the topics of books at various literacy levels historically, or how literacy and economics interact (How do illiterate merchants get by? Or is there not a merchant class if literacy is below a certain level?), or how books were created and "published" before the time of the printing press. This is a bit a matter of taste, but I would have liked to see a bit more "campaign setting" material for the cost.

The maps of various bookstores and libararies would be better as an appendix, since they occupy several pages that interrupt the text and are bland enough to be considered "fluff".

The editing could use help -- for example, the entry of "halls of records" is two paragraphs which both basically say the same thing. There is a reference to a "media piracy is not unique to the modern era!" sidebar, but no such sidebar! Also, some feats are labeled as only allowed to be taken once (Quick Composition), but others which clearly also can only be taken once (Charismatic Composition) are not. This is not a terrible thing, but the feats are well-written enough that the ones that may not be taken more than once don't need it explicitly mentioned. Also, the archivist prestige class description mentions the archivist gets +1 to her spellcasting level with each archivist level, but the bookburner description does not mention it, even though it is shown on the bookburner class progression table.

This is a very good work on an extremely well chosen topic. If my review seems unduly harsh, that's only because the work is good enough that it's clear it could have been outstanding!<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Good coverage and ideas!<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The coverage could have been more complete, and the editing could have been better.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Libem Liborium: The Complete d20 Guide to Books
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