Dream Pod 9 has established a reputation of visual excellence, and delivers it strongly with their line of poster-size blueprint files.

Review Originally Published February 5th, 2002

Dream Pod 9 has earned a reputation of high excellence across its three lines of games (Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, and Tribe 8 — and if you didn’t already know that, shame on you). One of the more innovative forms of supplementary product they’ve tapped in these product lines are the “blueprint files”.

Each of these files – including the Heavy Gear Blueprint File which is being reviewed here – comes packaged in an 8.5” x 11” white envelope. On the front of the envelope is the title and a sort of “table of contents” – which tells you that there are eight 19” x 15” (poster size) blueprints folded inside the envelope, and that these blueprints are of: A Hunter gear; a Jager gear; a Mammoth strider; a Vortex landship; a Khan landship; a CEF hovertank; and a Fury-class assault shuttle. In addition, each of the blueprints is presented in miniature on the cover – so if you have any question regarding what these blueprints look like, you can just take a quick peek at the cover and you’ll know.

Each blueprint comes with some background text on the design, plus various specifications and explanatory passages. They are elegantly suitable for either framing or for actual reference to the crafts in question.

The biggest drawback of the product can be summed up in a simple question: What the heck do you do with it?

Well, like I said, these blueprints are great display pieces: Frame ‘em, tack ‘em up, whatever. If you’re a gearhead like me, your favorite might find a place in your office. Even if you’re not, then you may find displaying them on the walls of your game room will help add ambience and atmosphere to your Heavy Gear campaign.

Speaking of gaming, these blueprints can also come in handy as props and hand-outs. This is particularly true if your adventures are based off of a landship – in which case the landship blueprints can become primary reference points for the campaign.

Other than that, though, I’m not really sure. I, personally, find them cool. Of course, I own a Heavy Gear keychain… judge me if you must.

In short: Take a look at the cover in the store. If it looks like the type of product you’re going to get some use out of, pick it up. If not, don’t. You’re not going to be missing anything.

Style: 5
Substance: 4

Publisher: Dream Pod 9
Price: $9.95
Product Code: DP9-058
Page Count: n/a
ISBN: n/a

The Heavy Gear keychain was solid metal and really cool. I used it for years and years until it broke. Afterwards, I kept it in one drawer or another for several years, but it appears to have wandered away at some point. I’d forgotten all about it, until rereading this review unlocked a core memory.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

This volume appears to be a cult manual for the Brotherhood of Songsingers.

The Songsingers worship chaos in the form of the Discord – the “song of chaos”. They perceive the ways of order as the monotony of a single note beaten again and again. They see, in their acts of chaos and wanton destruction, a “changing of the tune” to include discordant notes. It this discord, they believe, which is the essence of freedom and life. Without discord, liberty would be a hollow and empty shell.

But there is also a deeper level on which the Discord exists. The book speaks of the Galchutt – “Dukes of Chaos” who “slumber in eternal aeons” in their “caverns ever-echoing”. The cult believes that, through their religious rituals, they can open their “inner ear” to the whispers of Galchutt – whispers which are, in fact, the Song of Discord and of Chaos.

In this way, the actions of the cult can be seen as variations played upon an eternal theme chanted into the world by the sleeping Galchutt.

DESIGN NOTES

This lorebook notably describes a cult which DOESN’T appear in my Ptolus campaign. It’s something of a meta-red herring. It’s like the old joke: If you want to prank someone, sneak three pigs into their house. If you want to drive someone insane, release three pigs in their house and label them One, Two, and Four.

If I gave my players a list of the chaos cults who appear in the campaign, then that list simply becomes a checklist. But if that list includes additional entries, then its sows uncertainty: Where are the Songsingers? Why haven’t we encountered them? Did we miss them? What are they plotting?

And even after the players become certain that the Songsingers are not, in fact, part of the conspiracy they’re investigating, the references continue to evoke a wider, deeper, and more mysterious world: The Songsingers were not here, but they are out there. These things that you have experienced are only one part of a larger world.

There is some risk with this technique that the players will take the bit between their teeth and go haring off looking for the thing which, technically, was not part of the current scenario. But this is hardly a bad thing. “Oh, no! The players are pursuing something they’re passionate about!” It’s easy enough to follow their lead and gin up a new scenario. Perhaps it’s only a side quest. Perhaps you (or they) can find some clever way to reflect it back into the primary scenario.

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In a word: Excellent. Easily one of the Top 10 D20 supplements released to date.

Review Originally Published October 13th, 2001

Let’s face it: When we look at the shelf in our game shop and see yet another D20 monster manual variant, our eyes begin to glaze over. “For the love of God,” we think, “How many cheesy fantasy monsters can these people crank out? Oh, look! It’s a geezlehopper. It just like an orc, except it’s neon pink! Ooooo! Wow!”

We’ve so thoroughly “been there, done that” that it makes the endless Energizer Bunny commercials look fresh and innovative. (Do you realize that there are children in sixth grade who have never seen the original Energizer Bunny commercials? One is forced to wonder what, exactly, they think of this inexplicable pink bunny – who, as far as they can tell, has always starred in some of the worst commercials imaginable. But I digress.)

That’s why I’m writing this review: To send up a bright signal beacon to the gaming world at large, while jumping up and down and screaming:

HEY! OVER HERE! THERE’S AN INCREDIBLY AMAZING, HIGH QUALITY CREATURE CATALOG OVER HERE!

It’s called Legions of Hell, and it’s published by Green Ronin (famed in the D20 market for their Freeport modules).

THE LEGIONS OF HELL

As the title should suggest, Legions of Hell delves deeply into the nine circles of the Pit, exploring the servants of Asmodeus, the King of Hell. The core of the book consists of roughly forty-five monster entries, detailing a wide-range of hellish creatures.

At one end of the scale, Legions of Hell contains the foot soldiers of hell: The Akop (an entire race tricked into servitude and transformed into shadows); the Bonedreg (constructs created by the Leviathan from the remains of his victims he is unable to digest); the Chamagon (gaunt, quick-footed infiltrators and magical saboteurs); the Darksphinx (corrupted gynosphinxes); the Distender (foul devils with the appearance of a bloated stomach, capable of attacking using the four classic humors); the Faceless (assassins who signal their success by wearing the face of their latest victim as their own); the Hellwardens (living scarecrows who act as guardians); the Spinders (monstrous-sized creatures who travel in swarm – a bane even to the devils of hell); the Soulsniffer (creatures capable of tracking escaped souls across the planes); and many others.

At the other end of the scale, Legions of Hell also presents a variety of unique creatures – primarily various Princes and Dukes of Hell. These include such notables as Balan, Master of the Infernal Hunt; Furcas, Duke of Rhetoric; Hadriel, Duchess of Domination; Iblis, Duke of Pride (a Fallen Solar); the Lich Fiend; Krotep, Pharoh of Axor and Nekhet, Prophet of Set (who believe themselves to be the son and daughter of Set); and others.

In addition to this core of material, Legions of Hell presents a number of prestige classes designed for the servants of Hell; templates for Fallen Celestials; information regarding the Angelic Choirs; and an overview of Hell itself.

STRENGTHS

Legions of Hell distinguishes itself in a number of ways:

1. There is a lot of material crammed into it. Not only does it present a plethora of material which can be put to immediate use, every page seems to have some new idea or adventure seed waiting for exploration.

2. Chris Pramas, the chief author of Legions of Hell, was also the author of Guide to Hell, the definitive AD&D reference for the infernal plane. (He is also known for the Origins Award-winning Death in Freeport.) He puts this experience to good use, exploring the complete spectrum of Hell – rather than just focusing on one or two features. Legions of Hell is made notable because it isn’t the same old stuff we’ve seen before – a lot of creativity and research has gone into making this product distinct and valuable.

3. The artwork is simply stunning. It includes work by Brom, Sam Wood, Raven Mimura, and Toren Atkinson (those of you who keep an eye on artist credits in this industry should recognize all of those names). There is, literally, not a single weak piece of art in the entire book.

WEAKNESSES

So, moving onto an actual weakness of Legions of Hell…

Oh, wait. That’s right. It doesn’t have any weaknesses.

CONCLUSION

Legions of Hell is just plain good. It’s subject matter is rich; the ideas it brings to the table are original and creative; the development of those ideas is solid and imminently useful; the lay-out and production values are exemplary.

There is, literally, nothing negative that I can say about this product. If you have even the slightest interest in having a demonic presence in your D20 campaign, this product is absolutely essential.

In short: You will never regret the money you spend on Legions of Hell. There can be no higher recommendation.

Style: 5
Substance: 5

Author: Chris Pramas (with Jim Bishop, Brian Kirby, and Erik Mona)
Publisher: Green Ronin Publishing
Line: D20
Price: $14.95
ISBN: 0-9701048-4-7
Product Code: GRR1005
Pages: 64

The Book of Fiends series was completed, then revised into a single hardback collection for D&D 3.5 and then again for D&D 5E. I’ve never stopped singing its praises. It greatly enhanced the Avernus Remix. I used it extensively for my In the Shadow of the Spire campaign, from whence its influence can be easily seen in the Chaos Lorebooks series. I’ve adapted its monsters to Mothership, Numenera, and other systems.

If you asked me what my favorite RPG bestiary of all time was, it would be a toss-up between The Book of Fiends and the AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

According to this book, the thin veneer of civilization is a perversion of the natural order of humanity. We are born as beasts, and it is only by returning to the way of the beast that truth and purity can be found.

In short, the book is a cult manual for the Brotherhood of the Beast – which also refers to itself as the Brood of the Beast.

The core ethos of the cult is complicated in its worship of Ravvan – a chaos god they revere as the True Beast or the Beast Without Shadow. They believe that they can hear the words of Ravvan – the “whisper of the Beast” – in their souls. By surrendering to the guidance of the Beast, the members of the cult experience a religious ecstasy.

Chaotic Possession
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Chaotic, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Clr 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: Standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One creature
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: Will negates (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

You cause a chaotic spiritual entity (often a demon) to inhabit the target for a time. Left to its own devices, the entity usually takes control of the target immediately, causing him to commit chaotic (and usually) evil actions. The target falls under the complete control of the DM. When the entity causes the target to commit an act he would normally never do—attack a comrade, commit a crime, and so forth—the target gets to make a new saving throw to cast out the entity. He remains possessed until he manages to succeed at a save

to cast out the possessor. The caster can give the entity one suggestion that it automatically must obey. Sometimes this involves an action to take place much later; until that time, the entity lies quietly dormant within the target. In such a case, the target has no indication that he is possessed.

Banishment, dismissal, dispel evil, or any other exorcism-type effect immediately rids the target of the controlling entity. Protection from evil does not help, however, because the entity is within the subject. Dispel magic has no effect. The target suffers a –2 luck penalty to the saving throw if he currently (knowingly) has any chaositech in his possession.

MONSTER GOD’S MARK

You have been marked as one of the god of monster’s favored minions.

Prerequisites: Con 13, god of monsters as patron deity.

Benefit: Your abdomen bears several ugly scars, as if your belly had been torn open by a clawed hand. The Monster God’s Mark identifies you as favored of this god, and if it is visible, you gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks but a –2 penalty on Diplomacy checks.

Once per day as a free action, you may invoke this god’s name as you strike a non-evil foe with any melee attack. As you do, you cause the creature struck to become deformed in some hideous manner (cloven hoof, horns, forked tongues, and vestigal limbs like wings and tails are common deformities). The deformity imparts a penalty of 1d4 points to the target’s Charisma score for 1 hour; the target can resist this effect by making a Fortitude save (DC 10 + your character level + your Charisma modifier). The physical deformity vanishes as soon as the Charisma penalty fades.

Any offspring you sire or give birth to gain the fiendish template.

Some material on this page is covered by the Open Gaming License.

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It’s like starving yourself for three days, and then eating a pecan. Kiraz makes you hungry for information, but leaves you unsatisfied when all is said and done.

Review Originally Published October 10th, 2001

Kiraz: The Lost City is the second adventure in the In Search of Panaga trilogy of modules. However, it is also a sourcebook for the lost dwarven city of Kiraz. As Crossby writes in his preface:

It was like this: Columbia wanted me to do Kiraz, and I wanted to complete the next volume of In Search of Panaga. Both modules were late. So, I thought, why not set the Horns of Ikarus in the Lost City?

I am largely unqualified to review the adventure portion of this product: I do not own either the first or third parts of the trilogy. However, I don’t feel this is a major impediment, because the bulk of the book is the sourcebook for Kiraz. And, in fact, the reason I bought the book to begin with was for the Kiraz source material.

Kiraz: The Lost City is comprised of three articles/modules: Kiraz (14 pages), Ushet (4 pages), and Horns of Ikaras (5 pages). There are also two pages of full-color illustrations (maps of the areas surrounding Ushet and Kiraz, as well as visuals of the entrances to each of them which can be shown to the players). There are also two blank pages labelled “GM Notes”.

KIRAZ

Kiraz is the oldest dwarven citadel in Hârn. A massive complex, it was once the pinnacle of dwarven civilization. Roughly six hundred years ago, however, Lothrim the Foulspawner laid siege to the city with his army of orcs. Kiraz fell.

Although the dwarves had their final vengeance upon Lothrim, the halls of Kiraz were sealed away forever – a grim reminder of the dark memories which were forged there. Today most of the halls stand deserted, although some of the lower levels have been broken into by orcs.

This section is really the core of the book: Brief detail is given of Kiraz’ history and the current area around the ancient city (3 pages). A cut-away map of the entire complex is given, along with a one-page summary of the major features of the city (2 more pages). After this one page summaries and maps are presented for several major areas of the city:

The High Halls: The Great Hall of Kiraz, the Royal Apartments, the Council Chamber – the High Halls once housed the royal family and government of the city.

Gallreda Complex: A residence for officers of the royal government. This includes the Hall of Galreda and the Hall of Zelanthu.

West Gate: The primary point of entrance to the city.

Ranzad Complex: The largest cavern in Kiraz, this was the marketplace and social center of the city.

Minehead: As the name might suggest, this was the point from which the mines were reached. Workshops, ore storage, and the like are all found here.

The Catacombs: Not only the communal graves of Kiraz, but also the Royal Tombs. The Hall of the Godstone (an ancient earthmaster site predating dwarven civilization) can also be found here – it is generally considered to be “the birthplace of the Hârnic Khuzdul [dwarves]”.

An additional page discusses ways in which the GM can develop the material presented here. Finally, two more pages give several artifacts and special locations which can be placed by the GM in whatever locations seem most appropriate.

Before I continue, let me make one point abundantly clear: All of the material which is found here is excellent. Beyond par. The maps are beautiful and superbly executed. The logic and detail of the city is meticulous: Crossby refuses to simply wave his hands in the construction of this city; instead insisting that the city make sense. By the time you are done reading through this article, you will have the sense that a place like Kiraz really could exist. This is, by no means, a small or unvaluable accomplishment.

The problem with this supplement is not the quality of what is present, but the vast amounts of information which is – quite literally – missing. This is, apparently, keeping in line with the intended design methodology – which is described as such:

In keeping with our long term policy, there is lots of room for the GM to customize his own version of the Golden City – even if a player should get hold of a copy of this module, it won’t help him much.

Folks, this just doesn’t cut it for me. The whole point of buying a supplement is so that I don’t have to do design work. Certainly keeping snoopy players on their toes is a laudable goal – but if I want to do that, I am quite capable of changing information. In fact, changing and rearranging information is vastly easier than being forced to create material out of wholecloth.

USHET

This is a four page article discussing the Rock of Ushet. Ushet was once a hunting lodge, connected to Kiraz via a series of spent mining tunnels. Following the Carnage of Kiraz, the Ushet entrance was sealed. In recent years, however, orcs have broken through those seals and taken up residence in the former hunting lodge.

The material presented here serves two purposes:

First, Ushet serves as the point of entry to Kiraz for characters playing through The Horns of Ikaras (see below).

Second, there are many former dwarven hunting lodges spread throughout the area around Kiraz. They are sites of conflict between the barbarian tribes (both orcs and humans) who remain in the area. Ushet serves as a generic template which the GM can use for any of these hunting lodges.

There’s nothing phenomenal in this section – but it’s all solid material, and very useful as either a specific or generic resource.

HORNS OF IKARAS

As I noted above, I am not familiar with the first part of the trilogy of which the Horns of Ikaras is the second part. With that being said, I am thoroughly unimpressed by what I see here.

Essentially what Crossby presents is a four-page outline of an adventure, rather than an adventure. A summary is given of what took place in the first adventure (1 page), the NPC who gives them the hook into this adventure is described at length (1 page), player handouts are provided (1 page), and the adventure is briefly summarized (1 page).

In short, the material presented here can be summed up with extreme accuracy by saying: “Several months have passed since the last adventure. The PCs should have heard some rumors about the Big Bad Guy’s activities (kidnapping three beautiful women, stealing some rare animals, and burning town officials in Aleath). They go to Kiraz – most likely gaining entrance via Ushet – where they need to find a key to gain access to the room where the Horn is kept.”

CONCLUSION

As I write this I currently have a D20 module in development: I have a general outline of events written down; about half of the maps completed; and rough notes quickly jotted to remind me what the keys on those maps mean. That’s what Kiraz looks like.

By the time I finish developing that D20 module I will have a text which presents the adventure in full to the GM, a complete set of maps, and a fully developed and descriptive key for all of those maps. That’s what Kiraz should look like.

Reading Kiraz feels like starving yourself for three days and then eating a pecan.

Having said that, however, let me go on to say that Kiraz comes with my recommendation: Although I take issue with the fact that so many things are simply left undeveloped, what is developed here is – quite simply – superb. For $15 this presents a solid value for your money, and anyone thinking of including a dwarven citadel in their own campaign could only hope to benefit from this book. Certainly anyone interested in Kiraz in and of itself as part of the world of Hârn should snatch up a copy of this book without a second thought.

Style: 4
Substance: 4

Author: N. Robin Crossby
Publisher: Columbia Games, Inc.
Line: Hârn
Price: $14.98
ISBN: 0-920711-28-6
Product Code: 5016
Pages: 28
Year Published: 1989

Rereading this review, I was somewhat surprised to discover that I’d given it a rating of 4 in Substance. Flipping through my copy of the book, though, I understand where I was coming from: It was a little on the pricey side for 30 pages of material, but there’s a lot of great stuff in here and the maps are truly spectacular. The problems aren’t what’s on the page; it’s the mismatch between the scope of the product and the scope needed by the subject matter.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.