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Servants of Shadow: Five Necromancy-themed Races (PFRPG)
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/18/2014 15:04:32

Personally, I don't much like undead races. I wouldn't play one. I tell you this because despite that, I still really liked this book.

First, we have the Mortiss, undead creatures escaped from the afterlife to get a second chance among mortals. Basically a sentient zombie, with all the ripe smells that accompny such a character you'll be sure to be a real treat during mealtimes. There's a genuinely awesome magus archetype for the race and a mortiss paragon prestige class. Next up is the Forsworn, so called because they've given up their mortal soul in return for immortality. It's an acquired template instead of an actual race and I can certainly see a necromancer in your game seeking the rites to be able to do this to themselves. They have a witch archetype (a watered down 3.5 warlock), a paragon prestige class, and some really neat racial feats that allow you to graft bones onto undead as armor among other things. Third in the book and definitely the most gross is the Maghra. Once upon a time they were just jerks. Then they ate a bunch of ghouls and became undead jerks that eat people. If you've ever want to get a bonus for eating your fallen enemies, I have a solution for you. Also the phone number for a mental health professional. They have a racial paragon PrC and a bunch of feats to augment the bonuses you get for eating someone. Not content to just eat the flesh, you can also use feats to get a bonus for eating the skin or the bones. Because at that point, why not? Moving on, the Deathless are quite interesting. Another applied template, sometimes a god of death or necromancy needs some boots on the ground to take some petty vengeance or hunt down escaped souls. A sidebar suggests the template as a way to bring a fallen PC back to the party. If you want to do this, be aware that this template has a +2 level adjustment so you might need to break it down into two levels of abilities that they can get as though multiclassing or dropping two levels of their previous class. Deathless also have a racial paragon PrC and some racial feats. Finally, the nephandim are gnome-like little stewards of the underworld with control over hellfire and significant bonuses to necromantic spellcasting. They have a cleric archetype and, like the rest, a racial paragon PrC.

The book is liberally spotted with new necromancy spells, there's a new template for bonescriven undead, and a profile for Nergal, TPK's god of the dead.

A number of these races have really fascinating moral dilemmas built in for players to explore and TPK helpfully points them out. What does a person do when they're undead but yearn for life? Consumed with unnatural urges that must be controlled to fit into society among the living? These races lack the glitz and glamour of vampires. With the exception of the forsworn, it would be difficult to pass yourself off as normal playing one of these races. While that can create some problems at the table, I think it's outweighed by how this might turn even the most mundane conversations in interesting directions.

As a GM, if you have players interested in these races be sure to have a conversation about expectations. Undead have a lot of immunities. While they're probably going to be harder to heal for a traditional cleric, they're also going to shrug off most spells that require fort saves and a number of conditions. It's not impossible to do. I have a player right now who's doing it just fine. It just really needs open lines of communication so that everything works out for everyone at the table.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Servants of Shadow: Five Necromancy-themed Races (PFRPG)
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The Ultimate Gladiator
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/21/2014 13:54:06

When Brian Berg told me that he was making a Gladiator class inspired by Spartacus: Blood and Sand I made a sound indistinguishable from that of a 13-year old girl at a One Direction concert. Lets dig in.

Just slightly more that 36 pages of content here. The basics of the Gladiator only takes up two of those pages. Eighteen (EIGHTEEN!) pages follow with talents to customize your Gladiator. They are divided into three tiers that you unlock as you progress. Each tier is loaded with great stuff to tailor your Gladiator to what you want to do. Interestingly, many of them are markedly similar to the abilities of various archetypes. This was a really great idea as it allows you to borrow from your favorite fighter archetype to get the weapon style you want working for you. Other talents help with skills, performance in the arena, maneuvers, mobility etc. A final page for this part has favored class bonuses for nearly two dozen races.

Eight pages of archetypes follow featuring thirteen specialties. Some of these are remarkably cool like the blind Adabata.

There are four pages of feats including a whole passel of achievement feats that you can gain in the ring. I think these will be really great for feeling the progress you've made in your area bouts. I also really like the feats inspired by real gladiatorial styles like hoplomachus and retiarius. The book wraps up with a bit more that two pages of traits.

I'm really happy with the way this book came out. the talents for two weapon fighting made me yearn to watch some of the fight scenes from Blood and Sand. The various talents, archetypes, and feats that involve animals were an excellent inclusion allowing for some not very PETA-friendly arena fights that will evoke the lions from Gladiator (and also maybe that nightmare I have with the whale in it).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Ultimate Gladiator
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The Ultimate Gladiator
by Erik F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/16/2014 07:15:55

By Jupiter's, aww you know the rest.

This is one of my favorite classes in the history of d20. Seriously, if you like 300 and want to Spartan kick fools into the depths of the abyss you can! If Spartacus Blood & Sand had you saying, "Why can't I be this kind of badass?!" No questions, the rules are there.

Top this all off you are charismatic (role play bonus) and intelligent to boot!

Don't believe me come watch my review. Oh, and there is beer!

http://refreshandreload.com/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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The Reaping Stone Deluxe Adventure
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 02/15/2014 04:55:55

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This massive mega-adventure clocks in at 206 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of ToC, 1 page advertisement and 2/3 of a page SRD, which leaves one with a massive 201 1/3 pages of content, so let's take a look, shall we?

This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

All right, still here? Set in the metropolis of Maerh Varza (which comes detailed in a short appendix and with a full statblock), the PCs begin this module in a tavern of all places - and are dumped right into the action, as deadly adversaries enter the tavern and drop a vial - one, as it turns out, of many simultaneous strikes throughout the city, the contents spread a deadly magical plague that resists curing - the Reaping Sickness. Where did this come from? Well, once upon a time a good king got rid of a deadly cult of fertility and disease worshipping the dread queen of rot Maramaga - his men slew the cult's members and all associates. Alas, they also slew the family and friends of one of the most powerful cultists (hey, evil cultists can have families as well, right?), who then turned towards an excessive plan for blood, death and vengeance.

Following the cultist's trail through wererat-infested sewers (whether to find a cure due to being infected or to prevent a plague zombie apocalypse...), the PCs will find the operation place, from where the simultaneous strikes were -launched: The burnt-out remnants of a haunted orphanage, burdened by dread tragedies of crimes past (including great terrain hazards and haunts) not only conceal some cultists, the PCs will also have a chance to lay the dread spirits of the place to rest and even save one particularly foolhardy child from certain demise/madness. From here on, the PCs will also encounter the first of the numerous skeletal champions spellcaster from a sisterhood of undead skeletal spellcasters aligned with Maramaga's cult. Conveniently, the cultists have a map including a safe house noted down - at least for me, that hits a pet-peeve - any villain with an Int of >8 does not get such papers in my campaigns...

While the other plague strikes could be explored by the PCs, the module more or less linearly leads them to aforementioned safe-house, a mortuary now under the control of the cult - via magic etc., the explicit details are rather well explained, which also brings me to a point I will further elaborate in the conclusion - this is very concisely written. The mortuary, including crematorium etc. once again drips details galore and from the hints gleaned here, the lead brings the PCs to essentially a desecrated paladin-come-saint's shrine, which doubles as a final resting place for the dread remains of the undead that spawned from the paladin's betrayers. Fighting through the undead-ridden catacombs, the PCs dive into the underdark, where they explore a gigantic cavern (including ruined, cursed dwarven ruins and a tower ablaze in hellfire) and fight or negotiate with a deadly dwarven dullahan to finally reach the ultimate stronghold of Maramaga's cult.

The final dungeon is complex and sports not only deadly cultists, undead and vampires, it also delivers two deadly artifacts and perhaps the hardest climax I've seen in just about every commercial module - for once, the final battle would not require me amping up the challenge - this is a finale your players will remember for years to come, as multiple phase encounters, with magical terrain and deadly adversaries conspire to push even well-crafted PCs to the limit - at least if a DM has enforced them not being able to easily retreat throughout the module.

Among the appendices, we get all new monsters, a short write-up of Maramaga etc. It should also be noted that the module contains information to scale the encounters down to work for less than 6 players - nice!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are good, but by far not perfect - room's headers tend to miss apostrophes when requiring them and I noticed multiple instances of line breaks in the middle of sentences and similar minor glitches. The bookmarks are okay, though nested bookmarks for the respective areas would have made navigation more comfortable. My print copy has an issue with the second half of the book, with white paper near the binding and the text closer to the borders - something seems to have gone wrong on the printer's end, at least with my copy. This won't influence my verdict, though, since I can't ascertain whether this is a unique problem or extends to all copies. The cartography by Richard A. Hunt per se is AWESOME, though the maps of smaller locations (at least in my copy) tend to be slightly pixelated in both print and pdf, with the grids partially being superimposed on the walls instead of being below them - the big maps are high-res and do not have this issue, though. Artwork is generally solid, original b/w-artwork. One final complaint regarding the maps - in almost all examples when the pdf mentions that a foe is on a specific locale on the map - don't bother looking for the "x" or similar letter - they have been mostly forgotten - a rather unpleasant detriment.

Soooo, this module is very linear and does not kick off particularly enticing - a tavern, followed up by a sewer-level does not blow Endzeitgeist away.... Nor does the very linear storyline and structure allow for much deviations or excitement, essentially putting crawl back to back with crawl - this is a slugfest if there was one - however, that derogatory moniker does NOT fit "The Reaping Stone".

Why? Tom Phillips. The author GETS horror and dark fantasy and what makes it tick - each trap, each of the numerous haunts and treasures, from hidden caches to buried corpses - all has a meaning, a story to be unearthed, rewarding exploration and curious players with multiple tidbits that make experiencing the challenges herein actually very fulfilling - the logical, often very tragic storylines herein border on grimdark and paint a vision of bleak desperation against truly abominable foes. Speaking of which - another bonus herein is that this module is HARD. TPK Games is not known for easy modules, and inexperienced players will have their severed, undead, plague-ridden buttocks handed to them - apart from the handicap of the plague (which your PCs WILL contract in one of the numerous chances throughout the module), we get smart foes that, while adhering to certain themes (which enforce an identity via e.g. the skeletal champion sisterhood), offer enough diversity to keep things interesting. The respective dungeons/locales are creepy, spooky and will challenge and creep out your players - when moaning sundered ones, silver-tongued sociopaths and headless dwarven lords attack, your players will be challenged indeed.

My favorites among the adversaries would be the multi-phase battles - for once, we get multi-phase fights, e.g. preceded by haunts or traps; Particularly the boss battles, with unique terrain, multiple phases and often downright BRUTAL challenges are simply glorious to behold and made me chuckle my most sadistic DM-grin - also thanks to most NPCs actually feeling very organic and coming with at least short background stories. This also extends to the monsters - thanks to various mutations, variations and the like of established creatures, the fights have a lot cool, small tidbits to offer -and no, they don't stop at old, obese dire rats or 3-tentacled otyugh-mutants... So combat-wise, this is GLORIOUS. The vast plethora of small stories, the atmosphere of the respective locales is excellent as well.

But the module also has its weaknesses: The one puzzle of the book is rather simple - but hey, one easy puzzle is better than none. My other issue would be pacing and meta-storyline. So we have an outbreak of a zombie-plague in a metropolis - an incurable zombie-plague, nonetheless! AWESOME!! But the module does next to nothing with it - when compared to e.g. "Seven Days to the Grave" or Necromancer Games' 3.X plague-saga "Shades of Gray" (stop giggling - that was before a fanfic turned phenomena gave BDSM a bad name...) better moments, the sense of urgency is somewhat lost as PCs hurry from superbly crafted creepy vignette to vignette. There is next to no investigation, almost no chance to meaningfully use diplomacy (though more often than in several crawls I've read) and the threat to the city remains an opaque one - don't expect your players to experience mounting unrest, chaos, quarantine or the like in the city. No looters, no doom-speakers...and hence, the terror of the plague loses some of its gravitas.

Essentially, the PCs have a clear task and no timeline adds urgency to the plot. In fact, one of my issues is that, if you enjoy non-instantaneous level-up, this won't work: Your PCs are assumed to level as they go - which wouldn't be too bad, but in the combination with the lack of consequences for dawdling, that takes away from the threat of the adversaries and their vile plan- their plague-gambit essentially waits for the PCs to stop it. Maybe it's just me, but I was thinking that a sense of constant urgency, with consequences for each retreat, each resting, could have made this module a truly nailbiting, legendary experience.

So how to rate this? Oh boy, this is HARD - one the one hand I absolutely LOVE each and every locale herein - they're creepy, dark, logical and made me grin all the time - and then they're over, suddenly, the meta-plot's flimsy premise ripped me right out of it and towards the next location - where the whole game repeats itself. The pieces of fabric are among the most beautiful you'll see, but the yarn that holds them together is frayed at best. Add to that the issues with the cartography and the slightly less expansive bookmarks than what the module would have warranted and you have a module that is more of a mixed bag than I would have liked. "The Reaping Stone" has some truly awesome, grim moments and iconic locales, but the meta-plot requires serious work on the side of the DM to keep from showing its weakness and thus ending the sense of urgency the players hopefully feel. In the end, my final verdict hence has to clock in at 3.5 stars, though I'll round up to 4 for the purpose of this platform - just be aware of the rough edges in the production value department and the fact that the meta-plot needs serious work by the DM to produce the sense of gravitas it deserves and make the transitions from location to location more compelling.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Reaping Stone Deluxe Adventure
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Grave Undertakings: The Tomb of Caragthax [Revised]
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 02/01/2014 12:34:59

I never saw the original version of The Tomb of Caragthax, but apparently it was one of Total Party Kill Games's very first adventures and by all accounts deadly enough to be worthy of the company name! Now its back, revised to accommodate both advances in the Pathfinder RPG and the improved capabilities of its publisher... starting with the magnificent cover art that almost reaches of the page to grab at you, and almost doubled in size.

The backstory presents a picture that would surely scare even the bravest adventurer, and deterr them from entering the cairn the discovery of whose entrance is the starting point of the adventure, did they but know it. Keep this to yourself! Three 'hooks' are provided to sucker them in. Whichever one you use, they will soon find themselves at a small circle of stones, in the centre of which is a sinkhole, through which they can see some steps leading down into darkness...

And the fun begins! Each location, event or encounter is well-resourced with 'read aloud' text, appropriate stat blocks and tactical notes to accommodate just about any character reaction. That said, the nature of the adventure's opening event means that you will need to be on your toes and well-prepared to deal with what is to follow. Without giving too much away, the party gets split up and you will have to manage individual characters as they strive to regroup with their fellow adventurers.

There is a nice touch in that when they have managed to do so and cleaned out the crypt they suddenly discover that it is by no means over and there is an even more fateful foe to fight (and a whole other complex to explore). It is suggested that adventurers should be at 5th level when you begin this adventure, and that they be allowed to level up to 6th for the second part... suffice to say they'll need it.

If you relish truly deadly dungeons and are not afraid of inflicting a Total Party Kill (it's quite possible here), this is an excellent example. You might prefer to run it as a one-off with characters created for the occasion, though.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Grave Undertakings: The Tomb of Caragthax [Revised]
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Rawr! - Volume 2: Flame & Wrath
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/28/2014 11:27:10

This is an excellent supplement for GMs and players alike. Nearly 60 pages of content with some great art (the phenomenal cover included) there a lot here for everyone.

The first seven pages feature some really great advice for adding more personality to your monsters to make encounters more interesting. I think there's some good stuff here. As GMs, we often forget that every intelligent creature, not just the big bad guys, that the players face has lived their life and had experiences and has a personality. It's all too easy to just make them just boring slogs. Giving monsters occasional phobias or other forms of madness, angry or even happy (to have their dinner delivered) adds spice to your encounters.

Next we have some dragon specific goodies like rules for draconic barding, embedding treasure in their scales, and a few pages of feats. I really liked the rules for embedding treasure in scales, especially the mechanic that calls for it to drop off bit by bit while the dragon flies leaving a trail. What a great hook. If any of my players are reading this, follow the trail of gold and gems. Nothing bad will happen to you. I promise.

Lastly, come the bloodline feats. Until now, pretty much the only way to make your character born from draconic ancestry was to play a sorcerer. No longer. With Major Bloodline feats you can take at first level or traits that give you more limited access you can be part of a proud (or shameful) dragon lineage. Now you have access to a wealth of feats letting you grow wings or a tail, walk on clouds, get a breath weapon or spell-like abilities, or even more awesome stuff. There's a lot of potential for awesomeness here which always means potential for abuse so players and GMs should communicate about when is appropriate to introduce things like flight.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Rawr! - Volume 2: Flame & Wrath
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Rawr! - Volume 2: Flame & Wrath
by A customer [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/19/2014 20:05:24

Really who doesn't love dragons. This is a good book for us of the dragon loving "bloodline".



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Rawr! - Volume 2: Flame & Wrath
by nick e. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/13/2014 19:22:16

I picked up Rawr II because I have a dragon PC in my current campaign and this book covers a lot of options for dragons and dragon descendents. The rules are solid, I've played with building some stuff and all seems to work well, and you can customize how much or little dragon blood you have. I don't want to give too much away, but this is a highly customizable system for dragon descendants. The rules to supplement dragons themselves are also well thought out, and I will probably use almost all of them. The new monsters are balanced and well written, and I especially like the viper.

My only complaints would be that this PDF is single column, and that there is not art for all the new monsters. Both minor nitpicks in an otherwise great book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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The Bleeding Hollow Deluxe Adventure
by Tim W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/12/2014 11:25:31

TPK Games has an awesome incentive and business practice of awarding their friends on their birthdays with a gift from their catalog. It was my recent birthday that allowed me to acquire "The Bleeding Hollow".

This is a fun adventure that combines Urban, Wilderness and Dungeon settings. It has many different plot hooks to appeal to different character types. It provides various quandaries and decisions based on various character alignments. It is designed for a party of five 5th level characters (but contains guidelines for adjusting the encounters for higher level parties/CRs).

I plan on running this and will probably get the "prequel" adventure mentioned in the book ("The Reaping Stone"). Between the two I "should" be able to get a party from 1st level at the beginning of the first book up though possibly 8th level at the end of "Bleeding Hollow".

I enjoy how the adventure manages to incorporate some of the "old school" feel within the "new school" Pathfinder RPG system. I also enjoy "variations on a theme" to allow characters to have a "comfort zone" of familiarity along with some (perhaps unpleasant) surprises to keep the party on their toes.

Keep up the good work TPK!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Bleeding Hollow Deluxe Adventure
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Infamous Adversaries: Cytheria the Blasphemer
by Callie R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/20/2013 12:09:41

This is a nice add-on for any Pathfinder game for those who want to embrace their dark sides.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Infamous Adversaries: Cytheria the Blasphemer
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The Bleeding Hollow Deluxe Adventure
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/02/2013 00:00:00

Brian Berg's introduction makes it clear that this adventure was a labor of love for TPK and it really shows. Where else are you going to find nearly thirty pages of plot hooks, NPC backgrounds and little side quests to start the adventure. It makes the town FEEL populated by real people and any GM that can't get his or her players invested with that much to work with should go sit in a corner and reevaluate their life choices.

Players have to contend with weather, gathering or buying food, and all sorts of little details that are often glossed over but serve to ratchet up the tension and make players decide whether they want full bellies at the cost of...well lets not give too much away.

Without giving away too much in the way of specifics, there are moral choices here, often difficult ones. Traps abound, a great variety of monsters lurk, and (sorry, I can't resist this one spoiler) THERE IS A WEREWOLF OGRE. This is where I sign up, right?

Get it. Get Reaping Stone, too, and start your players there. Murder them. Make them start over. MURDER THEM AGAIN. They'll thank you.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Bleeding Hollow Deluxe Adventure
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Feats Reforged: Vol. I, Core Rules
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/25/2013 04:08:14

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The first book of TPK Games‘ " Feats Reforged"-series is 40 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 37 pages of content, so let’s take a look, shall we?

We all have encountered the issue – there just are some throw-away feats that simply become useless over the levels (or are useless in the first place and are only taken as a prerequisite for another feat or a PrC) – this is what this pdf seeks to change: Herein, we get the feats from the core-rules, reforged towards providing scaling benefits throughout the levels.

Let’s for example take the utterly bland +2/+2 to skill-checks group of feats. You know the feats I refer to. In TPK Games' version, these feats get a new benefit at 7th level, allowing the character to 1/day reroll one of the skill-checks of the applicable skills and at 14th level, reroll both of them twice for a total of 4 rerolls – a more than solid benefit that makes these feats at high levels actually more useful than at lower levels. The crafting feats have the required time at higher levels cut down to by up to 20% depending on the feat in question. Cleave, for example, has its AC-penalty diminished over the levels and blind-fighting allows you to move blindly at more than half your speed without falling prone at only a DC 5 acrobatics-check and later completely omits said skill-check, though the benefit for the former fails to mention that it refers to moving blindly - but that's admittedly a nitpick.

Combat Reflexes now offers a benefit of +1 to AoOs at 7th level, +2 at 14th and e.g. combat expertise also increases the doge bonus it nets by +1 on the respectively levels. Combat Casting sees a reroll at 7th level and a +5 bonus (instead of +4) at 14th level, whereas command undead increases its range to up to 50 ft. It should be noted that not all of the feats have two levels of improvement, with especially higher level feats usually netting only one improvement – Critical Focus getting a further +1 to atk to confirm critical at 16th level, for example. Some feats actually get quite a significant upgrade – Diehard gets fixed by first extending the amount of negative hp before you die by 5 and at 14th level, the feat also allows you to ignore the staggered condition for a round by incurring 5 points of damage. The idea of this latter ability is awesome, though I would have liked to see a caveat that no DR can mitigate the damage thus taken – otherwise creatures or characters with a DR x/- could potentially move without issues while staggered. Unfortunately, minor guffaws in the rules-language like this can be found here and there, though the latest iteration has cleared up many glitches, greatly improving the pdf - kudos to TPK Games! (For whomever it concerns: Here originally was a complaint about a glitch in the dodge-feat that has been rectified between draft 1 and 2 of the review!)

Conversely, another candidate among the throwaway-feats, endurance, gets a 1/day reroll and an increase to +5 – here, a more pronounced bonus would have been justified, but that may only be me.

Empowered Spells let you reroll one (or later two) of their damage dice, whereas extend spell allows for later extension of up to triple spell duration instead of double the amount – since metamagic feats per se count among the weaker options, these improvements imho add quite a bit to their value and make them work better – so kudos for that!

Extra channels, ki etc. nets you later a third channel/ki-point and then a fourth and extra mercy delivers one bonus mercy at 14th level. Long-range snipers using far shot learn to ignore the penalties of the first and later the second range increment and the fleet-feat adds another 5 foot and lets you keep your movement in medium armor at 14th level.

Improved counterspell may have ended up a bit on the strong side of things – allowing first a spell of the same school and level and later a number of spell-levels of the same school equal to the target spell to counterspell may be a bit much, but only a bit. A tad bit weird – Improved Two-Weapon Fighting’s iterative attack has its penalty reduced first to -3 and then 0, thus making the off-hand attack actually more effective than the attack with the primary hand as well as the iterative attack with the primary hand, breaking the rules for iterative attacks - not a fan of this design. Now non-monk users should rejoice at the reimagination of Improved unarmed Strike – at 7th level and later at 14th, the users of this feat now calculate their base-damage as if one size category larger, further increasing the damage output – though thankfully the feat can't be abused – only the greatest of the possible damage die-increases is applied – no stacking for monks. Point Blank Shot also gets a slightly increasing bonus and more importantly, increasing range (first 40 ft, then at 20th level even 50 ft) – very good!

The redesign of Weapon Finesse should go conform with many a playstyle/house-rule out there: At 7th level, the feat as reforged herein allows you to substitute ½ dex-mod instead of str to damage with finesse weapons, whereas at 14th level, the full dex-mod can be used. Two thumbs up – dex vs. str balance is maintained and agile combatants still can deal a bit of additional damage. Vital Strike on the other hand still has an issue - the feat's text is a bit ambiguous, stating "When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together, but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities..." It is clear that RAI the Str-mod is supposed to be added only once, but the text could be misinterpreted here to mean a double Str-mod to be added to the attack. A nitpick, yes, but a glitch nonetheless.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good at this point - the first incarnation of the pdf had a couple of glitches, almost all of which have been purged.. Layout adheres to a crisp 2-column b/w-standard with ok b/w stock art. The bookmarks provided are only alphabetical, not per feat, which is a bit of a pity since the latter would have made navigation probably slightly more comfortable – perhaps nested in the alphabetical bookmarks?

TPK Games' mastermind Brian Berg delivers us a pdf of reforged feats that succeeds at its given task of making feat-choices relevant over the course of multiple levels and even add sensible bonuses over the course of the respective levels. That being said, apart from the scarce few hick-ups here and there, this pdf does have one particular flaw in its basic logic: The introduction states that using these feats will not result in a balance-change if the adversaries also get access to them. At least in my opinion, that's a fallacy – some classes simply get a lot more feats than others and these classes are the true winners from implementing this system – feat-heavy classes benefit the most from this pdf. Taking a look at these classes, though, you'll quickly realize why I'm not screaming brimstone and death right now – feat-intensive classes (cough fighter /cough) are not necessarily the strongest of the bunch and a power-increase for them will probably not break a gaming-table, nor will the upgrade for the woefully weak metamagic feats hurt balance. Quite the contrary, they may actually become viable options. So yes, generally, I consider this a well-crafted supplement that delivers a good start of a massive relaunch of feats in general, one that makes me curious on how TPK Games will handle some of the utterly broken feats to come from books like Ultimate Magic and Combat.

Generally, this pdf can be considered a successful experiment, though one that has rough edges here and there – breaking iterative attacks with off-hand weapons, some minor missed chances to upgrade throw-away-feats…it’s scant glitches like these that keep this supplement from reaching the highest echelons of the rating-scale. Still, this pdf can be considered an interesting, promising start for the series, well worth 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Feats Reforged: Vol. I, Core Rules
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The Bleeding Hollow Deluxe Adventure
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/24/2013 11:16:24

This is a cinematic, epic adventure, chasing the party across a wide and scary landscape as they struggle to survive with body and mind intact let alone rescue anyone else - they scarcely have time to draw breath long enough to remember why they came to Westden, a once sleepy rural town.

Harking back to many tropes of 'old school' gaming this is quite a sandbox of an adventure, the character may go where they like, when they like and it doesn't matter... they will probably get attacked anyway! Whilst aimed at a 5th-level party, there is a refreshing approach in that some encounters will be overwhelming and there are times when the best tactic is to take to your heels and run until you feel your chest is bursting. Characters who survive will be seriously considering a nice quiet life in trade or craft, their players will remember and reminisce until they are too old to lift a d20 let alone roll it.

The adventure is outlined for the GM at the beginning, but most of the meat of what is going on is to be found in the events and locations throughout the book - this is one for which study beforehand is recommended, indeed vital, if the adventure is to be enjoyed to its full. An interesting and recurring theme is the constant moral dilemmas with which the characters will be faced. There are no easy answers, and every choice has its consequences.

Like the best of sandboxes, this adventure is filled with 'quests' which the characters may take on or ignore as they choose. (And yes, these choices have consequences!) To begin with, there are a clutch of quests aimed at different character classes or interests just to get them to Westden in the first place, which if carefully set up could have different members of the group trying to achieve different ends at the same time. Even if they have come for other reasons, however, they will soon be asked to help rid the township from a band of harpies who have been making quite a nuisance of themselves in the area.

The settlement of Westden has been set out in great detail, giving it an air of reality. Everywhere the party turns there are people to talk to, things to look at, things to find out. Each inhabitant is described in detail, down to his answers to likely questions, along with appearance, attitude.. even hobbies and interests. The place should really come to life as the characters visit. Indeed there are notes should you wish to use this settlement outside of this particular adventure, it is certainly well-designed enough to be worthy of consideration as a permanent location in your campaign world.

A note suggests that players keep track of what their characters eat and drink. As the adventure escalates it might become important - do you stop to forage, or do you tighten your belt and keep running? As a 'reward' for troubling to keep notes, a good meal can grant minor bonuses or buffs so eat well when you can!

And all this is just Chapter 1! It is followed by Chapter 2: Hunters and their Prey, which begins to touch on the wider picture: there is a lot more going on in the area than a bunch of pesky harpies! Travelling around to deal with this, the party will have to contend with adverse weather - 'inclement weather' seems to be about as good as it gets, sounds a bit like Cheshire UK in winter! - and wandering monsters as well as those going about their nefarious business. Given the bad weather, most of them are hungry and probably grumpy.

Chapter 3 takes the characters to a small hamlet called Bertram's End, home to a failed mining enterprise and quite a few ruined buildings. Naturally, all is not quite what it seems... but again everything and everyone here is presented in loving living detail, all ready to spring into life within your shared alternate reality. Chapter 4 leads the action on into the mine itself... if you dare plumb its depths!

Finally, Chapter 5 takes the party to the Bleeding Hollow. Here is to be found the centre, the nodal point, of all the troubles besetting this area. The backstory here presents a sad and haunting tale, study it and weave it into your presentation of what the players encounter here: the adventure will be all the more potent and poignant for it.

This is an adventure that should linger on in the memories of all those who participate in it, cinematic in scale, dramatic in scope, granting a freedom of action within a structured story in elegant style. Now to round up some players...



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Bleeding Hollow Deluxe Adventure
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The Deductionist Base Class
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/23/2013 03:54:26

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This massive new class-pdf is 56 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page advertisement, 1 page back cover, 1 page SRD, leaving us with a whopping 50 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Author Matt Everhart kicks off with a short introduction before we get a compelling piece of fiction before we dive head first into the meat of this new class. Alignment-wise, Deductionists need to be lawful, a restriction I don't necessarily get (example: chaotic, associative savant etc.), but one that ultimately is easily ignored. Meat-wise, the class gets d8, 4+Int skills per level, 3/4 BAB-progression and a good will save.

Now, the signature ability of the deductionist would be, surprise, deductions: These essentially use appropriate Knowledge checks against 10+CR of creature or hazard, with rare or common creatures mitigating or increasing the base to 20 or 5 respectively. Much like spellcasting, deductions can be interrupted via AoOs, but don't work via concentration (deductions having no spell level), instead modifying the DC by the damage taken. Unless otherwise noted, deductions target one hazard/creature within 60 ft and last for 1 minute. Using a deduction multiple times during one encounter increases the cost of reason by 1 if applicable. Reason essentially represents a pool used to power certain deductions and other class features and a deductionist has 1+int mod points of reason at first level, scaling up to 7+int-mod. Reason refreshes after 8 hours of rest and has no autonomous benefits.

The deductionist also starts game with the "exploit weakness" signature ability: By making as a free AoO-less action a knowledge check versus 15 + CR, the target may be considered exploited for 1 round, using Int instead of Str to calculate CMB and adding 1/2 class level (or HD, I assume, though the text doesn't specify it) versus the deductionist. Furthermore, the deductionist does not provoke AoOs when using combat maneuvers versus exploited targets. Exploited targets also suffer deductionist's int-mod in additional damage upon being subjected to a combat maneuver. Repeated uses of the ability versus the same target enhance the DC by +1 and via the expenditure of one point of reason, the duration of the exploited-condition can be prolonged by 1 round. Furthermore, the ability allows for the deductionist's attacks to count as silver, magic, cold iron and lawfully aligned over the levels, allowing the deductionist to potentially bypass a variety of DRs. In order to affect incorporeal creatures, the deductionist would require to interact with them, though. Particularly perceptive, deductionists may add Int-mod to perception-checks as well. Deductionists also learn to read subtle clues, gaining a +1 insight bonus to perception and sense motive versus disguises, conversations, observations, hidden doors etc. as long as they have at least one point of reason remaining and spend one such point to reroll one such check. The bonus scales up over the levels to+5 at 17th level.

Also at 1st level, though the class table fails to list it, the deductionist also chooses a discipline. Each discipline is associated with 2 skills, which may be substituted by a knowledge-skill depending on the particular area of expertise. Depending on discipline chosen, two skills are eliminated from the list of class skills to reflect opposing disciplines A discipline also offers a unique benefit that can range from being able to scribe scrolls via research (and skill-checks) or Trap Sense or the ability to offer his int-bonus as a luck bonus as an immediate action 1/day. The mechanics of these disciplines have been vastly improved and streamlined since the latest revision of the deductionist and while my first 2 drafts went on a tangent here, these rules have been cleaned up to the point where I can't complain - kudos for doing so! A total of 11 disciplines to choose from are provided.

Deductionists also gain 1/2 class level as a bonus to knowledge-checks, 5 bonus feats, add int-bonus to damage when attacking exploited creatures with improvised weapons and pick up an additional trait at 3rd and 9th level and at 5th, 11th or 17th level choose a teamwork feat - the deductionist may also designate an ally within 10 ft. as a move action to count as having said teamwork feat for purposes of the deductionist benefitting from the teamwork feat. Said teamwork is especially efficient with the cohort gained at 8th level, offering benefits to both deductionist and cohort. At 7th and 9th level and later at 11th and 13th level, deductionists may choose from two limited lists of rogue talents.

At 10th level, deductionists may use their accumulated, indexed knowledge in conjunction with the expenditure of reason for 3 distinct ways of increasing skill checks and at higher levels and the deductionist may use knowledge checks to get rid of enchantments. At 2nd level and at every even level after that, the deductionist gains a deduction (I assume either one or none is available at 1st level, but the pdf fails to specify so) from a list of 39 different ones available. Some of these deductions are exclusive to disciplines and since all of them are tied to respective knowledge-checks, careful attention must be given regarding the choice of Knowledge-skills. While the active ones usually require the expenditure of reason, there also are those that offer passive benefits which can be upgraded via using reason. From dazing opponents to fascinating others via monologues up to the ability of 20th level deductionists to lay low foes in sobbing heaps of self-pity and inflicting the new "distracted" condition, the deductions per se are AWESOME and ooze Doyle's flair - allowing you to finally portray the brilliant mind using intellect as a proper weapon. And yes, learning to exploit undead, constructs and even elementals.

Beyond a CR 4 NPC deductionist, we also get favored class options for 16 races and 17 feats, which allow deductionists to e.g. impart negative conditions in lieu of receiving a bonus to hit versus exploited targets. Getting extra points of reason or making attacks versus exploited elementals count as bane weapons are just two of the new options available via these feats. A total of 13 wondrous items, from diving tubes holding air to cloaks mitigating fog and similar penalties to lenses enhancing the deductionist's subtle clues-ability and gems that can act as a holographic tape-recorder/photographs - the items herein are pure gold regarding their utility: Glorious tools not only for players, but also for DMs to potentially make the respective investigations so much more complex. Have I mentioned syringes that can be used to replicate metamagic feats and apply the effects to potions? They are a great idea - but I have NO IDEA how they actually are supposed to work. Do they have to be used upon consuming a potion? If so, what action is using a syringe? Do they have to be drawn separately? Used in the same round as the potion? Prior to that? The text contradicts itself by acknowledging that 4 types exist, but then lists 5. This item is a great idea, but needs clarification and should be taken as an example of the hick-ups that sporadically plague this pdf.

We also get 3 new archetypes for the deductionist - the eldritch inspector loses improvised combat, but gain access to a slightly expanded bard's spell-list (which may, with the musical theme, result in some necessary reskinning...). The Operative may be neutral and while restricted to cloth armor, they are masters of concealed weapons and gain sneak attack etc. - essentially, the operatives are less detective and more secret agent, which is also reflected by 4 exclusive deductions. Finally, Shadowed Avengers may be non-lawful, as long as their alignment contains a neutral component. They gain a masked persona and learn to track fugitives from crime-scenes, scuffles etc. via a special ability and are closer to what one would use to create characters akin to Batman and similar masked detectives.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are this pdf's one weak spot - from harmless guffaws like knowledge checks being called "knowledge tests" to the class-table missing information and deductions not specifying whether they become available at 1st level or not (and if so, how many are gained), there are quite a few rough edges here, some of which unfortunately negatively influence the otherwise concise rules. Layout is drop-dead gorgeous and adheres to a 2-column b/w-standard with thematically fitting stock-art that makes for a perfectly fitting overall look - this pdf is, in one word, gorgeous to look at. The pdf comes with bookmarks, though I would have preferred more of them for a pdf of this length.

Author Matt Everhart has taken up a gauntlet that has been lying on the floor since the 3.X-days of old - create a scholarly class/detective that is actually fun and unique to play. And surprisingly, the deductionist WORKS. Superbly so, in fact -up to the point where I was constantly asking myself where this class had been all these years. This is exactly what I've been wanting for quite some time and definitely a glorious class - for me, as a private person, concept-wise, this is definitely a 5 star + seal of approval class...in concept and theme.

Unfortunately, I have to put my reviewer-hat on and start complaining - the class, as awesome as it is, simply features quite a few blunders and rough edges and starts to unravel a bit upon closer scrutiny - the rough edges in the wordings, the glitches accumulate - to a point where I'd usually rate this pdf down further. Some of the abilities just make not that much sense to me (a monologue can for example, affect creatures even if they don't speak the deductionist's language - some do specify the need to UNDERSTAND the deductionist, but not all of them do...) and more importantly - are skill-based. In case you're not aware - there's a reason why we don't see that much of them out there - skills can rather easily be buffed into the stratosphere, but since at least the deductionist doesn't use the skill-result as DCs to resist, that's still okay, if not particularly elegant in my book.

I should rate this probably down further, but honestly, I can't - while it does require some careful reading and some benevolent oversight on part of a DM, it still is an ambitious, cool take on the scholar class and simply does not deserve a lower rating. Whether the Deductionist works well for you is much more so than usual, a question of how your campaign works - for grim, relatively low fantasy settings like Ravenloft, for investigative APs like En Publishing's Zeitgeist, this class not only works, but fits superbly with the tone and premises. Conversely, in a far out high fantasy setting, at least to me, the class comes a bit apart due to its system inherent focus on knowledge - much like Batman in JLA-comics, deductionists reasoning versus intelligent oozes (which is an issue, since oozes are exempt from being affected by several deductions due to being...dumb...) and similar far-out beings might make the class seem a bit like a fish out of water. Reasoning with aberrations and the importance of language in this context feels a bit off to me, but that may just be me. To give you an example for Paizo-APs - I can see this working superbly with CoT or CotCT, but e.g. LoF...not so much. Now that being said, this particular caveat is not something that will influence my rating, but still is something I'd encourage both players and DMs to contemplate.

In the end, the deductionist's flaws make it impossible for me to recommend this as highly as I'd love to - hence, my final verdict will clock in at 3.5 stars, rounded won when you are going for a more high fantasy campaign, rounded up if you're looking for a more investigative/low magic style - still, either way, encourage you to check this class out, especially if you tend towards a more low fantasy gaming that is not brimming with strange creatures - its flaws can be ironed out and in certain campaigns, the deductionist will feel more at home than many other classes and deliver fun galore. Hence, I'll settle on a in dubio pro reo and round up for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Deductionist Base Class
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The Reaping Stone Deluxe Adventure
by Jason S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/10/2013 10:54:33

Today I’m reviewing The Reaping Stone, and adventure module for 4-6 Character starting at 2nd level produced by Total Party Kill Games.

Having reviewed one other product of theirs, I was sure it would be something worth while and I was not disappointed! There is an awesome starting hook with cultists spreading disease, subterranean adventure, and a house I would not want to enter alone… that’s just part 1. There are 4 parts to the story line, which look like they’re paced well for 4 or 5 long sessions or shorter ones. Each part is an adventure unto itself. By the time the characters have completed this “mega-adventure” they should be up to level 5 or 6, assuming they’ve survived!

This is an awesome adventure module, and it lives up to the title. All the elements are in place; good story, great use of game mechanics in the story line, everything presented in standardized format from design to statistics layout, including frames around the text sections that are to be read or paraphrased to the players. Reaping Stone really is presented well visually, and is so far my favorite product from them. It very much carries that dark creepy vibe of some of those awesome old school modules from the ’80s. It’s dark, creepy, brutal, and contains a heavy dose of my favorite fantasy schtick; sick, mad, disgusting NECROMANCY! Lots of undead, lots of evil, lots of long-lost ancient demonic scary stuff! This is well conceived, well written and well executed as a Pathfinder Compatible RPG adventure module.

Another bonus; encounters include a “Scaling the encounter” entry to assist GMs running the adventure for smaller groups by advising a subtraction from numbers of adversaries and / or their abilities. It’s a handy and thoughtful inclusion. Kudos to TPK for that.

The only negative here, and it’s the only one I found with a previous review of a TPK product, is some editing flubs and typos. Nothing major that would stop game play, but a little distracting on the first read through.

That being said, again, this is an amazing module whose scope is ambitious. TPK Games and author Tom Phillips have really produced a winning game product.

Overall I give this a 9.8. – Minus .2 for minor errors but overall probably the most likely to be used (and used “out of the box”) adventure module I've reviewed. I can’t find anything within the actual story or mechanics of play that I don’t like.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Reaping Stone Deluxe Adventure
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