Cleric of Kyuss

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Print Edition Discontinued

Add PDF $2.75

Welcome to the Machine...

4/5

Classes of NeoExedus: The Machinesmith

Contents:
18 pages, 1 page cover, 12 pages of content, 1 page OGL, 4 pages of advertising.

Grading:
I'm grading this on a number of factors that I look for in gaming products. I've attributed each of them with a score below, and graded mechanics twice as heavy because this is a character class, and thus to me at least the mechanics are incredibly important.

Artwork: 5.0
Mechanics: 4.0
Typography: 3.5
Fluff: 3.0

Final Grade: 3.9 (Rounded up to 4.0), mostly excellent work.

Artwork:
As per usual LPJ’s artwork used in the supplement is simply fantastic. The style is heavily anime-based, but great art is great art. It fits the theme of the product nicely. In addition, doing a product layout is an art form in and of itself, and LPJ's layouts are among some of the best in the 3pp market (for visual enjoyment).

Mechanics: In all, the mechanics of the class work. The class is based around mobius energy, which is sort of a magi-tech amalgamation. While not for everyone, the design and abilities are very interesting and fun. I was not entirely sold on the choices of class skills for a mechanical/craft-based class, and I think that some of the abilities they have could be remarkably powerful as they progress, notably the Mechanus (which is essentially a construct cohort). They also gain clever bonuses to crafting (not just a +X number), which benefits the theme of the class nicely. In addition, they use magical blueprints to store their spell lists -- also well themed. They also gain a weapon enhancement (of sorts) that is based around their mobius energy and a number of gadget tricks which are mechanically akin to rogue talents but are themed around technology. Lastly, and my favorite ability, is the Machinesmith's Axiom ability. This allows the Machinesmith to sacrifice a memorized spell to perform a dispel magic. That is a very clever ability, and I applaud it.

Typography:
This wasn't terribly impressive. There were several grammatical mistakes and I was greatly surprised by the lack of justified colums, it would have made things look a lot more professional. That's personal preference, and doesn't detract terribly from the product, so I left it at an average rating.

Fluff:
This was one of my few critiques of this product. I definitely felt there was more room to immerse the reader in the class. A little more fluff would have gone a long way. I want to point out though that this was a very inexpensive pdf, and this doesn't really detract from the actual value of the book.

Ultimately, if the concept interests you at all, I would pick it up. I think there might be some elements that are slightly more powerful than a typical class (notably the construct cohort), but in all this was a clever class, with good design choices and the product is a great value for the price. It might not fit neatly in a purist Pathfinder game, but in a homebrew game, anime-based or futuristic setting it will be a great addition.

-Necro

*Disclaimer: I am a publisher/author/designer for TPK Games. My opinion could be biased by that fact. You can have my insight or take my words as meaningless drivel, however you choose. Any 3PP who is interested in having my review is certainly welcome to contact me.