Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Tales Subscriber. Pathfinder Society Member. 203 posts. 18 reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 1 Pathfinder Society character.
Disclaimer - I received a review copy of this item from the authors. Of course, I would have had already bought it if the store hadn't sold out of the Print/PDF bundles at the time and kept me from ordering it then! :)
At any rate, this is a spectacular little collection of monsters. I'll be using at least two of them as early as my next game session. (The begging-to-be-a-familiar Monkeybat and the Kyton-offshoot Noxil... both of which should have had statblocks for player use as well, actually.) There's not a single beast in this thing that isn't well-worth your purchase dollars. On top of the awesome new creatures, there's also some great variants on existing creatures, like Shadows, Spectres, and Skeletons. The beasties have a big range on them as well, from city destroyers like the Starak and the Black Worm to appropriate challenges for beginners, like the aforementioned Monkeybat and Noxil.
Oh, and the monster feats in back are pretty cool. Is this the first appearance of Combat Patrol? I really loved that one.
The flavor text of this thing is pretty awesome too. Lots of data on how these beasts fit in-world, and each little excerpt is amazingly well-written. I can't wait to see the other books in this line, just on the quality of this stuff.
In the final analysis, Jon Brazer's knocked another one out of the park... and I'll be buying this myself when the print/PDF combo goes live again and I have the available funds... it's that good!
I LOVE the new Elven Archer class. It'll become a staple of many campaigns, I'm sure. Using the ranger spell list, some magus/Arcane Archer style benefits, and you've got a lovely Archer class... probably the best distance warrior I've ever seen. Add in the magic arrows, the awesome middle age feats, and a host of other great articles, and this issue alone was worth the cost of the the subscription. Buy it!
As the title shows, Malevolent and Benign attempts to bring back the old-school feel of the original Fiend Folio... and it succeeds admirably. Even the art is an excellent throwback to that bygone era. There are a host of horrid creatures in here to chill even the most rugged adventurer's heart, with an emphasis on types that are often forgotten, like plants, animals, and the like. Some really good stuff. The only drawback is that this product was clearly designed for the OSRIC system and converted, with monsters that may have been better represented as a template being full out creatures, like the corrupted otyugh. This isn't a major problem, of course. :) There are even beasts in here that can fill the old roles of certain protected content from older editions, with clever variations that can turn expectations on their heads. Great stuff all around. Highly recommended.
818 pages of monster goodness, and there's not so much as a period wasted. The original Tome of Horrors was a brilliant rescue of some of the forgotten treasures of Dungeons and Dragons history, and this tome finishes the job and returns these creatures to the world's greatest roleplaying game. I'm thrilled at how magnificently AWESOME this book is. It's awesome enough that it even has its own statblock contained therein... and your players WILL NOT want to mess with it! I just wish that there was a higher rating to give this thing than just perfect... this sucker's transcendent! Worth every penny of the asking price and more.
Dungeons of Golarion is a very effective guide to the megadungeons of legend that populate Golarion. From the Gallowspire itself to the crashed starship caverns of Numeria, this supplement basically gives the adventure hooks of six of Golarion's most infamous dungeons, supplemented by the occasional new monster, NPC villain statblock, and the new Robot subtype. This book doesn't contain an entire dungeon, although it does have a few level maps and encounters... but it does act as a tour guide for some of Golarion's darkest horrors, and it does that job well. It also lists something like 30 OTHER megadungeons not detailed here. My only regret is the absence of the Spire of Nex from the detailed descriptions, but that just means that this book's already ripe for a sequel... and full dungeon writeups for the ones we see here. Great job folks!
If you are anything like me, then feat selection is something that is constantly a topic of deep thought. Products like LPJ's Undefeatable series adds to the options, which can only make the fun last longer. This has some really nice stuff in it for basically any character you want to create... and it makes it well worth it for purchase. There are all sorts of things to keep you modifying your next three dozen characters for years in here. Buy it... it really builds character. :)
What a great book! Not only is it a monster collection, but there's enough awesome plothooks in here for an entire campaign setting. First off, Jack-in-Irons is flavorful as can conceivably be, and is the hook the rest of the book hangs on. The Spriggan is fully statted out for a player character, and, as such, makes a nice substitute for the Half-Orc in a different style of setting. The Dullahan, the Sylph, and the Erlking add so much to the standard fey that they should be standard for any campaign. Great stuff, well-delivered. A deserving purchase!
This is a truly professionally done and beautifully crafted book. I LOVE the vast majority of the new monsters contained in this book, the aforementioned Hawkape being a funtime favorite. Good stuff that should have a place at most game tables... my recommendation is buy it if you like new monsters!
Short summary review: this is to the Pathfinder RPG what the Tome of Horrors was to 3rd Edition. Buy it. Buy it now. I'll wait...
For the slightly longer version of that, Forgotten Foes converts several classic open-gaming monstrosities to the Pathfinder RPG, and does so with style and aplomb. Each conversion is lovingly crafted, so classic creatures like the Aerial Servant, the Catoblepas, and the Aranea get as good a treatment as anything in the Bestiaries. What's even better is the new monsters, like the Chaosiics which finally fill that void in my heart since the Slaad became closed content, and the Tunnel Brute, which makes the loss of the Umber Hulk easier to bear. It's a must-have product, folks, and your game needs it whether you know it or not! Go buy it!
... but I'll do my best regardless. This is the kind of product that makes a creator's reputation a legend! There isn't a single wasted WORD in this thing... everything contributes to a picture of the Great White North in a way worthy of the greatest of Viking sagas. New domains, new magical concepts, some AWESOME achievement feats, brilliant new races, great historical weaponry, and a brilliant usage of the Nordic gods prepared for Pathfinder. Tons of new monsters, some new races, and a brilliant use of the setting makes this one a can't miss. If you ever want to include a viking culture in your game, you NEED this product. Brilliant, brilliant stuff. My highest possible rating. If the rest of Midgard is this lovingly handled, it can count on my support 100%.
Well written and quite clever, this book offers feats for any character design. A lot of wor clearly went into each new Feat, and all of them deserve a spot at your game table. Recommended.
When Paizo itself eventually makes a huge collection of items both mundane and magical, it's going to have to be on its toes to touch the level of awesomeness that this thing has in a single one of its pages. HUNDREDS of new items, cool new enchanted items, and all of them have their own interesting story, told by a truly fascinating NPC that the book itself stats out. I've read campaign settings with less depth than this thing. It's just a work of genius... and one that no gamer should be without. Buy it.
If you have ever used divine magic in your game, you need this book. Clever new feats, awesome new spells, some new gods that deserve a home in any setting, and mounds of awesomeness that will up the stakes in any game. It's a great addition to 4WFG's arsenal of supplements... and will be one to your game table as well. Buy it!
For what may be the very FIRST Pathfinder-compatible product ever printed, way too few people have bought this exalted tome. Awesome new spells, brilliant school feats, and magic items that fill some awesome concepts, all for a ridiculously low price. I have NEVER played a mage that didn't use something from this book, since its release... and neither has anyone else at my game table. This should be on everyone's must-buy list if you even LIKE magic in your campaigns. No excuses.
This is a work of genius. 11 base classes for less than 5 dollars... all of which are exquisitely balanced, cleverly designed, and able to fill valuable roles in any campaign, PLUS several awesome feats like Martial Strike and Improved Sniping AND some brand-new weapons that'll shake up any campaign. Why this isn't one of the highest selling items on the site is beyond me. I've bought the thing 8 times in all, counting the POD copies at Lulu.com I've got for everyone at my game table. I cannot recommend this product highly enough... brilliance like this needs to be encouraged. Buy it now!
Full disclosure: I used the heck out of the d20 Freeport Companion. It's the second most used book for character creation and feats at my gaming table, and if this was just a reprint of that, updated to Pathfinder for the classes, then I'd be totally happy.
And so I am. This IS pretty much just a reprint of that, upgrading the base classes, prestige classes, feats, monsters, and NPC statblocks to Pathfinder standards. Even the adventure inside is the same. Now, if you're like me, and LOVE those base classes (Assassin, Corsair, Monster Hunter, Noble, and Survivor), the prestige classes (Mystic Navigator and Crime Lord being the standouts), and the VAST selection of feats (goodness for the entire spectrum of classes, like Restless Mind and Dead-Eye.), or need thousands of generic statblocks and ready to use NPCs, then the fact that this is old material updated? Doesn't matter. But if you're a tinkerer and don't mind updating the old versions your own way, then you might want to skip this. But if you've never bought a Freeport Companion before, GO DO IT NOW! You won't be disappointed at all!
(Note: I was provided a free reviewers copy. I like to think I'm unbiased, but YMMV)
The system ate my earlier, lengthy review so I'll keep it simple here: this is the best attempt at yoking magic and science fiction together to create a fascinating science fantasy I've ever seen. Every element of the setting from the races on builds on that concept, creating a product much more than the sum of its parts. Good, good stuff, even if the callbacks to the T20 rules were completely lost on me. Glad to have had the opportunity to read this!
4 Winds Fantasy Gaming has quickly established itself as a must-buy for me for my gaming needs, and Paths of Power is no exception to this tradition of excellence.
I was VERY impressed with the vast majority of the stuff. The Voyageur is already being used in my home game, as we had an NPC fur trader that works much better with this class than with that I'd used previously, and I already KNOW that the Gladiator will be seeing some heavy usage, due to the awesome pro-wrestling vibe it has on top of some great game mechanics. The Samurai actually SEEMS like a Samurai instead of Asian-themed fighter-paladin, which can be hard to do, and the witch was clearly a labor of love and can easily fill two or three different roles depending on the build. The new feats had some must-takes as well!
Special note should go to the NPC classes. The Sycophant amuses me endlessly, and I can already see the fun of utilizing it in my campaign, ala Bruce Campbell's role in Spider-Man II, and the others are well-done as well.
In conclusion, buy this product... it's an excellent use of the Pathfinder rules to build classes that have a place in any campaign. Here's looking forward to their next fine product!