Posts
This book
clocks in at 419 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 3 pages of SRD,
leaving us with...414 pages of content.
...
..
WTF,
419-pages?? Seriously, I had various iterations of the playtest-doc since last
year. It's the only reason you're seeing this review NOW. This has been moved
forward on my review-queue as a prioritized review...and doing so was smart,
for this book has been in circulation among playtest classes for more than a
few months This is seriously the biggest book of CRUNCH I have ever reviewed,
even taking the one-column layout into account...and it would completely break
my format. So how to review this?
All right,
let's establish some standards, shall we? I am not going to go into an in-depth
analysis break-down of each ability, since that would bloat this review to an
extent that helps no one. Instead, I will give you a brief class-by-class
breakdown and then provide my general assessment of it, all right? Great!
The architect is a 3/4 BAB-progression
class with a good Will saving-throw, d8 HD, and 4 + Int skill points. These
guys let you create towers based on environments present, with a scaling number
of active towers at a given time. He may also choose to summon improved
versions at 5th level - these count as two towers active. Towers are created as
a standard actions and have different base stats depending on resources used in
construction. Beyond that, they have a mobile weapon's platform.
Gravity-towers, elemental towers...quite a lot of types are provided and the
class has 3 capstone super-towers...though presentation here is slightly
inconsistent - the table erroneously calls these "citadel cannon"
instead of grand tower and one of them has a somewhat not really required
reference to a tower being only a possible choice at 20th level - which already
is the case for the whole category and makes the presentation slightly more
confusing. The titan archetype is a full BAB one and uses towers to supplement
his increasingly mechanical body and gaining size and towers to be added to the
body - complex and unique.
The atomic adept is a 3/4 BAB class
with a good Fortitude saving throw, d8 HD, 4 + Int skill points, and 6th level
casting - with a unique twist: While the class has an extremely small
Int-governed spell list, they are defined by radiation: These guys are kinda
like warlock-y type of blasters, with scaling rays that inflict radiation
damage (treated like negative energy, minus option to heal undead). Here's the
interesting component, though: These blasts can only be performed safely a
number of times per day; any blast thereafter inflicts double the amount of
rads on the atomic adept. Spells also influence the rad count with a somewhat
chaotic chance of incurring a meltdown against himself. The higher the rad
count a creature has, the more severe the negative conditions incurred, with
rest, spells etc. being capable of reducing rad-count. Sufficient natural or
regular armor also reduces rads incurred. This class is odd - there are VERY
powerful talents that let you gain full progression for the blasts, for
example...but at the same time, you may inflict this damage upon yourself when
suffering a meltdown...and while the class has not the finesse of e.g. the
Interjection Games ethermagic-system, the overall balancing of the class is
interesting in that it can pull off a lot of powerful blasts, but is very
limited in their function. Personally, I gravitate to more customization,
though I do believe that the rad-system has a lot to offer - via other classes
and expansions, there is a ton of potential here. That, and I do like the
chaotic nature of spellcasting here. The mad bomber replaces nuclear strike
with radiation damage dealing bombs as an alchemist - which may, due to the
daily limit of bombs, be more suitable for less high-powered games...though
there is some issue regarding blowing all bombs at once. If the bombs were
intended to not have a daily cap, then this needs some balance-finetuning -
unlimited bombs = better damage output than the base class. Overall my least
favorite class in the book and the one I can see having the most issues.
The battle butler (or battle maid)
is a full BAB class with good Reflex- and Will- saves, d10 HD, and 4 + Int
skill points that treats expensive clothes as armor. They specialize in
Dex-based and are somewhat bodygaurd-ish, choosing a creature as their contract
and defending them. More become available at higher levels they can select more
people. Unlike many full BAB-classes, they have a bunch of non-combat utility
tricks, including massages that can get rid of exhaustion/heal attribute
damage. And yes, the ability has anti-abuse caveats. What about perfect memory?
The interesting component with the class would be the service meter - this
meter fluctuates when the master is struck and oscillates between providing
bonuses (or penalty) to critical hit confirmation rolls and damage bonuses -
the interesting component here is that the class gets damage-bonuses when they
also have penalties to critical confirmation rolls. The table and system are
simple and play rather interestingly. The class also features the new butler
weapon group and several appropriately-themed weapons. This will make a whole
lot of Otakus very happy! If you haven't noticed, btw.: The battle butler does
undergo a rigid conditioning - and sometimes, something goes wrong - cue in the
rapscallion archetype, who begin with empty service meters, but may exert more
control over them.
The chessmaster gets 3/4
BAB-progression with good Reflex and Will saves, d8 HD, and 8 + Int skill
points. They utilize edge points gained in combat and skill challenges and
providing advice to allies actually yields results - the perfect class for all
the "I know better than you where to place your character on the
grid"-type of players...and providing bonuses makes listening, for once,
viable and also gain edge points when their suggestion is carried out. These
points they can use to return the favor by giving that action a boost via edge
points- and yes, this may actually result in proper teamwork. They also get the
option to set-up gambits, with prereqs, costs, triggers and effects - higher
levels unlock new gambits and allow for new customizations of old ones.
Interesting: At higher levels, the chessmaster can provvide advice to the
enemies - when the enemy follows the advice, the chessmaster gains edge points;
if not, the chessmaster can penalize him. Very interesting
mastermind/tactician-style class. The trickster archetype swaps two abilities
and replaces plans and coordination with a limited spell list.
The chimney sweep is a full BAB
class with good Fortitude- and Reflex-saves, d10 HD and 4 + Int skills per
level. They gain soot points via chimney sweeping, which they can use to create
concealment at first, and gain other benefits at higher levels. They can see
through fog, mist, and soot without penalty, and gain various tricks based on
soot - generally, think of these guys as polearm/concealment fighters and
soot-point based bonus precision damage. Okay, but very limited specialist.
The croupier gets full
BAB-progression with a good Reflex and Will save, d10 HD, and 4 + Int skill
points. The croupier receives the Sense, which makes hostile attacks of
ever-increasing natural attack rolls fail - e.g. natural 2s. When a foe misses
him, he gains Sense points, which may then be expended to modify e.g. d20
rolls: Think of the mechanic as somewhat akin to a Charisma-based version of
grit, but based on being missed. Additionally, weapons like pool cues and cards
are part of the deal - and important: The class can conjure forth cards and
throw them at foes, with the suits becoming relevant when chosen via one of the
class's talents - with e.g. hearts offering healing, clubs debuffs, etc.
Billiard-based combat tricks and chaotic firearm use or limited bardic
abilities complement a chaotic, but interesting class. Archetype-wise, the
cheater can use his tricks to influence the rolls of others - basically, the
more misfortune-themed variant of the class. The second archetype, the pool
shark, would be the specialist who manifests a cue ball of force energy, usable
in conjunction with a couple of unique rounder talents...including a
mechanically novel crazy eight ball that may suddenly change course...
The davatti gains full
BAB-progression and good Fortitude- and Reflex-save-progression, d10 HD, and 4
+ Int skill points. The interesting point here being that they can move
4-dimensionally - in the directions of ana
and kata - to illustrate the concept
for 3D-thinking: Imagine you're a denizen of Flatland (2D) and can move into
the depth or height of your world - 4D-movement works similarly, but obviously
lacks as poignant an illustration since our own perception is attuned to 3D. Mechanics-wise,
this class can be summed up as the perfect skirmisher - since they can
short-burst teleport/4D-move to just about any space, they are supremely agile
and make hit and run tactics pretty awesome; since their4D-movement is still
restricted by movement-type, this movement can't be cheesed. Also truly
intriguing: Non-4D movement charges their "manabar", i.e. the points
they can expend to modify their tricks via talents and the like. That's not
all, however - the class also sports a highly customizable "nth
blade", which interacts in some instances with these mechanics -
basically, we get a skirmisher with a highly customizable blade type. Pretty
impressive class! The archetype for this class provided would be the deja-vin -
instead of using their powers to phase around, these guys can try to force
creatures to repeat their previous actions to the best of their abilities,
including, obviously, modified warp talents.
The dynamancer gets full BAB-progression
and a good Will saving throw, d10 HD, and 4 + Int skill points. Inspired by
Gurren Lagann et al., they can fire beams of love...that deal love damage. Evil
foes take more damage from this, but have an easier time saving against it. The
interesting component, here, is momentum - being hit (or hitting a foe) grants
the class momentum, while it also may expend said points...and even go
negative, incurring penalties for doing so. And no, can't be cheesed/kitten'd. In
combat, the class has a BAB that is different from the listed amount, clocking
in at CR of the opponent, with class level +3 (later: class level +5) being the
caps. Aforementioned love ray can be supplemented and expanded upon over the
levels to result in compulsions and signature styles (including gender fluidity
of those hit or breakdancing). Additionally, the gain handicaps, which allow
for different uses of momentum - blind dynamancers can spend momentum to gain
blindsight for a limited time-frame, for example. They also get an aura at
higher levels that prevents creatures with a low Charisma from approaching them
and a sufficiently whacky capstone. Archetype-wise, there is a somewhat
tactician-y one, the greaser, who may lend signature styles to allies, for
example.
The guide has 1/2 BAB-progression, good
Reflex and Will saves, d4 HD (no, you have not misread!), and 8 + Int skill
points. Have you seen the infamously stupid D&D cartoon and thought the GM
as a character was a good idea? Have you ever played Ocarina of Time and NOT
wanted to bash Navi's wispy bauble to smithereens? Well, there are guides.
Guides serve the Storyteller, who prefers happy endings and thus sends out
these fellows to guide heroes. Hence the name. These guides can change into
tiny bubbles (with elemental traits) - even though the text confusingly once
states that their form is diminutive and can basically provide all those
support tricks: Mage Hand, Knock, high-level limited wishes, 1/day raise
dead at the cost of being reduced to
-1 HP, swift/immediate action cures - think of these guys as the support globe
that hopefully isn't as annoying as the more infamous rendition in video games.
Balance-wise, these guys are very fragile and their limited offense
capabilities make them an uncommon playing experience. Unassisted flight at 1st
level may prove to be problematic for some campaigns, though admittedly, the
fragility of the class does help here a bit - a few well-placed arrows and you
had a guide... One note: At 2nd level, these guys may cast magic missile at will, providing an easy and convenient way for
very reliable damage. Depending on the precise nature of your campaign, this
could prove to be an issue, thought it won't be in most. Fairy godmothers
replace bauble form and some tricks with Cha-based spellcasting from the
cleric's list and generally is a significant change of the feeling of the
class.
The henchling gets full
BAB-progression and good Fortitude saves, as well as d10 HD, and 4 + Int skill
points per level. The class is pretty ingenious in that it takes the old
"who carries the loot"-discussion and puts an end to it: These guys
do. Not penalized by encumbrance, they are superb at carrying huge amounts of
gear...and actually benefit from it: You see, the primary weapon of these guys
is the pack - basically, they can enchant their back packs, bags or the like
and are particularly adept at bludgeoning foes to death with all the loot
gathered. Interesting: Melee splash damage...and yes, you actually WANT to
carry around increasing amounts of gear, since the higher your level, the
higher the bonus damage for progressively higher weights carried around will
be. Damn cool idea and uncomplicated, easy to grasp execution. Archetype-wise,
the merchant, a rather complex one, can provide a significant number of quality
of life improvements and the option to ferret out rewards for things/foes
defeated is interesting as well.
The henshin hero is a full BAB class
and has good Fortitude- and Will-save-progression, d10 HD, and gets 4 + Int
skill points per level. These guys have a trinket à la Power Rangers that
allows them to assume a special form a limited amount of rounds per day; while
thus transformed, they gain tension points for passing rounds and defeated foes.
These points act as a resource to power special tricks, including enhancers to
the bonus damage-dealing finishers. The talents of the class include mounts,
better action economy, explosive finishers and transformations - the whole
array of tricks you know from the genre. Beyond the modularity this framework
offers, the henshin hero also may choose one from a metric ton of leitmotifs,
which cover bases from space to the alignment axes - these basically act as
somewhat order-like/bloodline-like ability-suites that unlock new tricks at
higher levels and provide modifications of the aforementioned finisher moves. Morph
rangers are, obviously, more teamwork focused.
The magical girl gets
3/4-BAB-progression, good Fortitude- and Will-saves, d8 HD, 4 + Int skill
points, and 6th level Cha-based spontaneous spellcasting. Magical girls are a
hybrid between the henshin hero and the magus classes, and thus also gain a
transformation as well the ability to gain and use tension, with finishers
being untyped damage-blasts. Her motif acts more like a witch's patron,
essentially a list of bonus spells. They also gain spell combat and some
magical girl powers that blend magus arcana and hero powers and may expend
transformation rounds to power spellcasting or dispel effects. Interesting: They can modify their finisher to work
as AoE- basically, Sailor Moon, the class. The magical girl and henshin hero
may btw. modify their trinkets via the empathetic device archetype to make
their defining trinkets slightly sentient. Fused heroes, in the meantime, do
not have such trinkets at all, working via different attributes and gaining a
unique overdrive state, which can prove to be rather risky.
The monster cowboy gets full BAB and
good Fortitude- and Reflex-saves, d10 HD, and 6 + Int skill points. They gain
the gunslinger's gunsmith ability and, more importantly, a monstrous companion
that acts like an animal companion (though the list is expanded to include e.g.
gorgons, hydras or shambling mounds...), and gain the ability to ride pretty
much anything you can imagine: With the exception of humanoids, incorporeal undead and oozes -
even if they're not willing. While initially, this is done mainly to hassle the
foes and gain advantages over them, things change once steel points enter the
fray; these can be used to attempt to force creatures into submission via Handle
Animal checks, though it is a mind-affecting effect. Beyond SPs gained by
brands and the subversion of the will of branded foes, these guys They also
have the ability to perform extra tricks with lassos and nets. Monstrous
mount-choices, obviously, are part of the class presentation, though I really
would have loved to see a pseudo-Chocobo here...oh well...riding owlbears is
pretty awesome. And FYI: Since riding fellow adventurers doesn't really help
the class, it thankfully steers clear of the minefield that is one PC riding
another...
The multiman gets 3/4 BAB-progression
and a good Reflex save, d8 HD, and measly 2 + Int skill points. Their main
ability is creating clones - at first 1 at a given time, later up to 4. Clones
are created as a swift action 4/day, +1/day for each class level, lasting for
class level rounds, minimum 3. Clones are restricted in the actions they can
perform and observant adversaries may pick out the prime multiman. Clones are
rather fragile to begin with and draw upon a collective pool of resources.
Impressive: The disarm/item-duplication-cheese options are covered. The class
becomes more interesting pretty fast, with customizable clones (e.g. remote-detonation
clones or ones that fly/are invisible) providing options via two separate suits
of talents. Oh, and obviously, the class also gets some serious teamwork-vibes
going on. Archetype-wise, the mitotic man is similar yet different, splitting
off clones by mitosis, with consecutively powerful ooze traits gained instead
of mirror manipulations. I am a bit weary of these guys, but then again, the
visuals are glorious.
Class number 15, The phantom thief,
gets 3/4 BAB-progression with good Reflex- and Will- saves, d8 HD, 6 + Int
skill points, and 6th-level spontaneous Cha-based spellcasting. Billed as a
hybrid of the rogue and the bard they also get a pool of panache, the ability
to fight more effectively in light or no armor, and the ability to spend
panache to sneak attack. They later gain a number of tricks to allow them to
steal various non-physical things, amongst other abilities. The class has the
crazy prepared option among the talents (which works well and can't be cheesed,
though it lacks the "no-specific-key" caveat)...and can steal abstract
concepts - from memories to attitudes, these guys come off as the mythic
tricksters with a slight touch of the magical. If you're familiar with a lot of
3pp-books: Think of these guys as a pretty powerful take on the Abstract Thief
that works much better than the class of the same name. My favorite version of
the concept so far - kudos! The bagman archetype of the class is the
gift-giving specialist, just fyi - and yes, you could make conceivably battle
santa with this one.
The sparkle princess has a 3/4
BAB-progression and good Fortitude- and Will-saves, d10 HD, 2 + Int skill
points, and Charisma-governed spontaneous spellcasting of up to 4th level,
though spells may be cast alternatively via sparkle power. Sparkle princesses
are ruthless, savage killers, honed by fighting devils in a nightmarish
demiplane of Hell, dread Candyland ruled by the Chocolate King, where
everything is tooth-achingly sweet and the devils assume cutesy-wootsy forms,
tempting children into the plane where most are either devoured or pressed into
slave labor. They utilize special snowflake powers that can be powered by their
sparkles...or they perform atrocities, which are sparkle-powered modifications
of their respective attacks. Including the severing of limbs. Obviously. (Yes,
rules included.) They also gain an animal companion or can establish a bond
with their allies. Information on the demiplane is provided, as is the +2 Cha
and Con, -2 Int half-construct teddybear race. ...the sparkle princess may not
be mechanically the most novel of options herein...but oh boy do I love the
class and its notion. Oh, and there is the mother archetype who can reselect
all mommy powers it comes with at 16th level - via the aptly-named "Best
Mom Ever"-ability.
The thread maiden is similarly a 3/4
BAB class with a good Will save, d8 HD, 6 + Int skill points, and 6th-level Wisdom-based
prepared spellcasting. They can see the threads of fate, which results in a
rather unique perspective on the world and creatures - think of her seeing
things basically as though we all were sackboys/girls from Little Big Planet.
Depending on the specialization chosen, they can unweave magic, take away the
qualities (or types) of creatures or objects. Additionally, special attacks,
so-called snips, allow for the expenditure of unused spell slots to provide
pretty nasty debuffs.
Finally, the ungermaw gets full BAB,
plus a good Fortitude-save, d10 HD, and 4 + Int skill points. These people can
draw in air with such force it delivers targets closer to his gnashing teeth. They
get a bite (proper primary/secondary codification provided) and are defined by
hunger - they must eat twice as much as a regular character and still are never
sated. They gain a number of talents, mostly focused on consumption as they
progress, making their bite more deadly, allowing them to exhale to push people
away, and even the ability to feast on magic itself...and yes, swallow whole. The
cannibal archetype of this class, while technically not correctly named, gets
abilities depending on the creature eaten.
The pdf
also sports archetypes beyond the aforementioned ones:
Abductee
clerics replace channel energy with the option to deal nonlethal
damage...however, there is a chance that the target is abducted and subject to
alien experimentation. Interesting one. Broodmother summoners are the
harbingers of insectoid or otherwise weird symbiotes - instead of an eidolon,
they can caused touched creatures to be infected and then mutate. They get less
creatures to be summoned, but may cause damage versus those infected, as a
capstone even providing a killswitch. The Comrade paladin...is a holy warrior of
the ideals of marxism, devoted to bringing down nobility and bourgeoisie. The
coward rogue is permanently shaken and deals minimum sneak attack damage - but
may inflict its cowardice on others and even learns to modify his levels of
fear - a lot of unique talents included. Interesting archetype-concept.
Pretty
cool, particularly for all interested in modern-style gaming, the
ranger-archetype of first responder, with paramedic, firefighter and police
officers being represented. The folken barbarian hails from a strange land and
has a blend of superstition-style abilities (yep, hex) and signature weapons as
well as the option to stir the hearts of those that listen to him using his
native tongue.
Glitch
sorcerors are interesting enough to be almost considered their own class and
rank as one of my favorite sorceror archetypes EVER - getting rid of the
defining bloodline and all that's associated with it, these beings regard
reality as a simulation and may tamper with in, hacking the world itself: This
allows them to swap creatures with other creatures, for example. Modifying DR
or hacking resistance also are...interesting. The significant, potentially
game-changing power comes at a price, though: Each time the glitch hacks
reality, reality recoils. The GM has an assortment of options, from problematic
objects to worsened starting attitudes...and yes, this can lead to very unique
situations. I really like this one, though it does require a quick-thinking GM.
Still, a campaign with these guys and Rite Publishing's Metadventurers could be
absolutely hilarious! Goblin rogues may elect to become battle clowns
(including an assortment of goblin jokes) and harpy witches replace hexes with
belittling, vile insults.
The
impersonator PrC gets d8, 6+Int skills per level, 3/4 BAB-progression, good
Fort- and Will-saves and 7/10 spellcasting progression, a bonus feat at 1st and
every 3 levels thereafter...and generally, has the fine-tuning depending on the
persona he impersonates: A Schwarzenegger impersonator gets different class skills, applies better weapon
training to different weapons than a Bruce Lee impersonator, for example. 6
sample icons are provided. The Slimelord PrC gets d8, 4+Int skills per level,
1/2 spell/extract-progression, 1/2 BAB-progression, 1/2 Fort-progression - by
studying oozes, they can lob oozy bomb-like globs at foes, get different slime
forms and progressively take on ever more oozy traits...but at the cost of
progressively losing Charisma. Oh, and yes, there is a new deity: Baygorth, the
elderslime, whose favorite weapon...is green and needs to smell like peaches.
That's it. provided you can make a weapon adhere to these criteria and do
so...well, you got it. And yes, you can take Weapon Focus (Green and Smells
Like Peaches). This section also introduces us to the humanoid oozes called
Rezumar, who get 2 Dex and Wis, -2 Int and have a couple, but thankfully not
all ooz-y traits...and make for an overall balanced race, though I wished it
had more space to shine.
One of the
oddest archetypes I have ever seen would be the Master Familiar - a familiar
who gets a wizard thrall. Kinda awesome! The Nascent deity oracle archetype
selects a dominion from a list of cleric domains, with provides a prerogative
and a list of class skills, replacing the mystery and mystery bonus spells. Not
a big fan of this one, mainly since I've seen the concept done better. The
negotiator inquisitor is a slick, silver-tongued guy with some
battle-butler-synergy and ooze chemist alchemists get a symbiotic ooze
(erroneously, he's called "mad experimentalist" once here) -
basically an ooze companion that can be enhanced by extracts, but the alchemist
does lose bombs. Unfortunately, I've seen that one done before in a bit more
unique manner by Flying Pincushion Games. Pacifist fighters are perhaps not
perfectly named, but they do provide a solid means of depicting a face-fighter
that does not kill his foes. Pyrotechnicians are bomb-specialist-alchemists
with full BAB and Ex bombs as well as no spellcasting - mainly useful for non-magical
settings; in the fantastic context, I've seen this trope done better.
On a high
note: Rancer cavaliers get orthellas - magical motor-cycles. Awesome, though I
wished there were more than the two sample ones provided here. Speedster monks
increase their damage, the more they have moved and become progressively faster
(think Flash or Quicksilver, light edition), while starchild druids gain a
psychedelic outsider companion and the option to animate dreams. The take on
the Storyteller archetype, here provided for the bard, has weaponized books and
can conjure forth legends of old.
Of course,
in a book of this size, one should not be surprised to see feats - and indeed,
from Dance-Fu fighting style to Percussive Maintenance Style or Sissy Slap
style, there are quite a few rather funny ones. The feat-section also provides
a lot of options for the huge array of classes (and archetypes) herein - e.g.
the harpy does get a couple of feats. Nice, btw.: You see the associated class
at one glance - in optional brackets behind the feat-name. Very helpful! Firing
a bow with your feet? Possible. Also cool: Elemental Phobia: it nets you
resistance versus the element, but makes you react with dread when faced by
it...and yes, upgradeable. A fascination-inducing Puppy-Dog gaze, a personal
theme song-feat...this book earns its title.
The book
also sports new gear - metal jaws, cloudpress and darksteel, nacreous
silver...quite a bunch of new materials can be found...oh, and yeah, there even
are a couple (5) cool combat drugs. Books of lewd desires or bullets that talk
with you while sticking in your body...have I mentioned the "Oh Dear
Mother of God why would you do this"-chain that can discorporate into a
spider swarm on command?
Sooo, and
right now I come to a chapter that may single-handedly make some people buy
this book, even those that don't care at all for a single class herein:
Mecha-construction rules. You get build points, various frames, engines,
weapons, defense systems, movement systems, special systems - in one word: Easy
to grasp-rules (with Build Point-progression rules for Mecha-XP, if you will -
slow, normal and fast progression...), different sizes, different generators -
the set-up is simple, yet works...and may well be a great start for a whole
book of mecha...the system's relative simplicity certainly would allow for a
lot of expansion beyond the ~20 pages devoted to it! I love this chapter and
its rules, but on a nitpicky side, explaining how the system works in detail
would have been didactically smart - while it becomes evident upon reading what
the components do, clearly explaining all components, not just the basics
before going into the system would have made it a tad bit more user-friendly.
Then again, it's so easy to grasp, you won't have any issues.
Conclusion:
Editing and
formatting are...honestly much better than I expected. In a book of this
significant size, there are surprisingly few glitches herein. Kudos to Morgan
Boehringer, Christina Johnson and Rahul Kanojia. Layout adheres to a 1-column
full-color standard and there is a LOT of playful, original full-color art
herein. On the downside, I don't really like the one-column standard for books
like this (more page-flipping) and I'm no fan of the font. Both are subjective
points and thus will not enter the equation regarding my final verdict. The pdf
comes fully bookmarked and a second b/w printer-friendly version -great to see
that one!
Scott
Gladstein, Dayton Johnson, Ian Sisson, Sasha Hall, Mark Nordheim, Christos Gurd
- congratulations. This book is the biggest crunch-book I have ever reviewed.
It took me forever to get done and I honestly expected the reviewing process to
devolve into pure pain somewhere along the way. It didn't. This is due to
several facts:
1) This
book opts to go the high road: You won't see any lackluster combinations of old
class mechanics herein; even in hybrid type classes, the results are unique and
have their own unique schtick.
2) Almost
all of the classes feature some kind of very distinct and novel mechanic -
granted, I dislike some of them personally, but I have to applaud their
creativity and said dislike stems universally from personal tastes. You can
e.g. reduce rads via magic pretty easily; in my games, this would be a problem;
in others, it may be required for the mechanic to be considered worthwhile -
bug or feature? You decide.
3) Overall,
there are no downright broken components herein. There are some strong options
herein, but they universally are circumstantial in their power and focus:
Obviously, the glowing Navi-thing must fly...is that an issue in your low-level
game? It can be, but it doesn't have to be.
4) This
book, honestly, is great for serious games as well. The davatti, for example,
will certainly see use in my games, no matter the tone.
5) This
book is never, ever BORING. I have seen A LOT of different crunch books and
quite a few...well, feel somewhat redundant to me at this point. This one, for
the staggering majority of its vast page-count, managed to keep me entertained
while reading and analyzing it.
How to rate
this colossus, then? See, this is where it gets tricky for me - I have
encountered a couple of instances where the rules-language or presentation
could have been a bit clearer. I didn't like everything...but on the other
hand, this is pretty much a colossal grab-bag of options, a scavenger's toolkit
that allows you to play basically Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, use tropes like
the battle maid, skirmish through space or play a friggin' fairy godmother...or
a psychotic sparkle princess. Not all options or power-levels will be
appropriate for every campaign. Not all classes will be to your liking...but
chances are, you'll find a lot of damn cool material (or rules-inspirations) in
this book. Ever wanted to play Ghostrider? There's an option for that. And then
there's the bang-for-buck ratio. ~$0.04 per page. You'll be pretty hard-pressed
to find a book of this imaginative potential with such an impressive
bang-for-buck ratio. While there are some hiccups herein, the totality of the
book deserves praise and hence, my final verdict will clock in at 4.5
stars...and since I loved a lot of the imaginative and innovative options
herein, I'll round up and while not all components inside deserve it, I will
still slap my seal of approval on this massive book for the multitude of components
inside that I do love. If you want to see something radically different, take a
look at this tome - there is so much to love here, even if you end up loathing
some components, it's well worth the investment!
You can get this massive tome here on OBS!
Endzeitgeist
out.
