This was an all round great issue. I found material that I know I will be using in the campaign I currently GM. And there is some great stuff I am sure my players will want to put to use. I should mention, I am currently running a Greyhawk campaign, which attests to the adaptability of the material.
The fiction is well executed and the art ranges from well done to amazing. Obviously I had a preference for some pieces over others, but that is entirely subjective. All of the writers, mechanics developers, and artists should be proud of their work.
Steven Russel of Rite Publishing is known for his creative designs and his desire to push the envelope of design. Both the Ironborn of Questhaven and the Wyrd of Questhaven are good examples of how Steven can craft a race you really want to play.
With Restless Souls, Steven approaches the subject of "risen" characters not by creating a wholly new race but providing a viable template that can be applied to preexisting characters. Coupled with new feat selections and spells, this product is both robust and inspiring.
From the moment I opened the document and began reading I knew this was a solid product. The template is balanced yet exciting, providing the player with an outlet to play up the "cool factor" while allaying GM concerns about party integrity.
Personally, I think the decision to provide a template as opposed to a new race was a good one. Additionally, the choice to assign this template the outsider (augmented) type instead of the more obvious undead type was inspired. That idea fits neatly with the concept of a lost soul sent back from the beyond on the command of a deity. Yet, it still allows the player to indulge in his character's "creepiness" factor without inspiring the party cleric to beat him repeatedly with a mace of disruption.
Restless Souls is an all around good product. It isn't my favorite of the Rite Publishing race books, but it is a solid entry into the canon. I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.
The Wyrd are an interesting race. As scions of ogres and elves, they are a creation of two worlds, with a rich and varied history all their own. Their way of life is both exotic and unusual, as their culture depends on certain social mores to maintain stability.
As I read the material, there were times where I felt these cultural mores were both compelling and a bit repugnant. And I mean that in a good way. For instance, the Wyrd never forgive a slight, no matter how minor. They go out of their way to record such slights in a book that they keep on their person at all times. While that kind of behavior is alien to me, I was really happy to see that kind of social trait mentioned in the book. It set the Wyrd apart from the standard races. Sure, it might be said that dwarves never forget a slight. But with the Wyrd you can guarantee you will pay for anything they perceive as a personal affront.
It should be noted that the Wyrd have an Asian flavor to them. But that shouldn't prevent you from using them in your game unless you are a purist. Golarion, in fact, can easily host them in a number of areas. Most notably, Absalom, Qadira and Katapesh would all be good places to place a significant contingent of this race.
Mechanically the material seemed fairly sound, though I would need to utilize it just to make sure. There are some interesting and effective abilities, to be sure, but nothing I would say is overwhelming in its own right. If this material was mixed with sources outside of the Pathfinder core, I am sure there could be some combination that would be quite effective. But that is hardly reason to let this great book pass you by.
While I was not so excited about the Wyrd as I was with the Ironborn, this book is still something I could see using in my campaigns. In some ways, I would want to homebrew a whole region or country around them, to really showcase their differences. And I intend to do just that with my new homebrew setting. But simply inserting them into an established setting would be painless and effective.
This is a very difficult review for me to write. Conceptually, I love the idea of mixing sci-fi and fantasy material. I am a huge fan of Fantasy Flight’s Dragonstar setting and I regularly mix steampunk-styled tech into my own games. Unfortunately, the reality of this product makes it difficult to appreciate the material.
One of the first things I noticed when I opened this document was the total lack of bookmarks. At 235 pages, a lack of bookmarks seems unusual. This omission makes the book difficult to reference and peruse.
Artistically, the document is lacking. While the art sufficiently portrays the subject matter, it appears amateurish. Perhaps it might be better to say the art does the bare minimum job but has a serious problem moving into the realm of inspirational.
Ultimately, the layout is a bit clumsy but serviceable. The tables are adequately composed and easy to read. While the text is large and clear, there are some issues involving the separation of paragraphs. The indent is small and sometimes hard to miss.
Mechanically this document has issues. The constant references to T20 are annoying and confusing. The setting is not truly PFRPG compatible, as there are a number of artifacts from 3.0 and 3.5 still lingering in the text. There are some very odd rules and rules that seem overpowered/underpowered as well. While it would take far more room than I have to detail each mechanical error, I can say the bulk of the issues really lie in the lack of compatibility with the Pathfinder RPG.
I think it is important to note there are some issues related to the OGL within the text. Some chapters that contain mechanical material derived from the SRD have been declared closed content, which runs contrary to the terms of the OGL. There are also references to creatures that have been declared close content by WotC.
Honestly, the ideas behind Dredan are good. The setting could be very compelling. Unfortunately, this book lacks a great deal of the refinement and mechanical understanding you would expect from a publisher at this point in the history of open gaming. If this product saw a positive overhaul, I think it would be worthy of great attention. But in its current incarnation it would take too much work to make this material viable at the game table.
As a huge fan of steampunk or clockwork fantasy settings, the ironborn generally fits right into my views of fantasy. But it is important to keep this in mind if you like your fantasy more along the traditional lines.
I have to say, when I first saw the ironborn race in Monte Cook's Book of Iron Might, I fell in love with them. They were a great alternative to warforged and provided a good option for those players that enjoy odd races. This update for the Pathfinder RPG does a good job keeping the spirit of the original ironborn alive while providing some new material to the mix.
Overall, the material appears balanced and is certainly intriguing. I was most interested in the clockwork familiar, which is a concept I have been toying with for quite awhile now. It was well-executed and is effective.
When I brought this material to my last game session, I had a player immediately jump at the chance to play a member of this race. I thought it would be a great idea and I have gone about adapting the race's background for the Ptolus setting.
And that is an important thing to note. This material is easy to adapt to any setting, so long as you can see living constructs making their mark on the world of your choice. For instance, I can easily see the race integrated into Golarion by a number of methods. So don't let the default setting hold you back in that regard.
In addition, this particular product has seen a number of bumps in the road to release. Don't let dissuade you from buying a great product. Rite Publishing has done a fantastic job correcting those issues and re-issuing the document to their customers. Simply put, they are very professional and quick to answer concerns and questions. They are genuinely interested in correcting mistakes they have made with this material.
All in all, I would highly recommend this product to anyone interested in integrating this kind of feature into their campaign setting. I am excited to see what Rite Publishing will produce in the future.
