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Dungeon Dressing: Altars weighs in at 13 pages, with roughly half of those pages being taken up with covers, TOC, OGL credits and intro. Fully bookmarked (always a plus), the TOC is even linked (which is a double plus!). Follows the standard dual column approach to format, with no horrible editing mishaps jumping out and making themselves known that I saw.

OK, so the Dressing series...each installment tackles one particular thing, and strives to give us enough material to make that thing easier to make better within our games. This time out it is the altar, that center point for sacrifices, evil bad guy lairs, final show down battles...you know, the altar!!! OK, so maybe there can be good ones also, lol. This pdf is filled with lists and options covering everything from construction material to interesting features, making sure that with just a few quick decisions from a handful of lists you can design a unique altar on the fly.

So, after consulting the charts, and rolling my dice I have my altar....

The altar is 6 ft. high; ceremonial steps behind it enable the priest to carry out services. The steps are narrow and steep; a landing at the top provides a modicum of comfort for the officiating priest. A small gong stands atop the altar; it is tarnished and battered. An unholy symbol is inscribed into its center. Of its hammer, there is no sign.

So, not to shabby for a whopping 2 dice rolls, no? But it needs something...something...oh yeah, a trap. Well, luckily the very next chapter deals with altar traps...From crushing ceilings to spell traps, to skulls with eyebeam attacks, this chapter has got you covered with making sure your altar isn't just sitting there waiting to be abused by them do-gooder types.

As I have stated many times before, if you are designing without Creighton in your corner, and his series of insanely valuable time saving pdfs...well you must have more time than any GM I have ever met, period. Another excellent addition to the collection, the only thing I can even think to say in negative here is that I would have loved to have seen a few fully designed example altars, but that's just me being picky. An easy 5 star rating, and well worth the price of admission folks.

So What is the Tavern Like Anyway.....honestly, if you are not familiar with this series yet, and you are a GM I have this feeling you fall into one of three categories...that GM who glazes over everything whilst his players walk through a land of vanilla drabness, the frantic nervous wreck of a GM who just spent the last six days detailing every possible thing in a community, praying her play-group will actually interact with something, anything to make it worth it. Or, the control freak, the person who literally is above the rest of us, who has designed their world down to the count and color of pebbles on their beaches...I tend to think a great deal of GM's fall somewhere in between the first and second, and that is why this series is so awesome and a must have. Every installment in this series tackles another topic/theme. This time out, it happens to be the classic tavern, as so many adventurers do spend a great deal of time in them, but short of returning to the same tavern, in the same town over and over....how many times have you heard yourself give the same boring description of a tavern to your players? Want to change that with a method that will require about a minute of your life, if that?

Let us take for example, The Abandoned Dragon. With a bad reputation for pickpockets, and a huge painting on the wall of the current landlord battling a dragon single-handed (This never happened – the landlord has always worked in pubs but dreams of adventure), this alehouse's specialty is fish cooked in ale with mashed swede and potato. A young lad with a shaved head and multiple piercings leans against the wall behind the bar. Answering to Wennig, he is the alehouse's excellent cook, fish and seafood being his specialty. Grodor, a short bearded bartender pours beers agonizingly slow behind the bar, much to the frustration of his thirsty customers.

So, that took longer to type then it did to put together...minute and a half...grand total. Starting to get the idea why the books of this series are so valuable? Mass charts, organized by the old school random dice roll, some by the d20, others by percentile...or simply waggle your finger, close your eyes and stab. Point is, it makes designing on the fly so much easier.

You've got lists for names of taverns, example customers, staff, menu items, drinks, events, interesting features and features...folks, if you can't design a tavern to full realization from this book in just a few short dice rolls that will thrill your players...you need to check their pulses, there might be something wrong...just saying.

Now...lots of lists with a lot of hidden gems, hooks to let you build off of, a child seeking a father who has been missing for over a day, a disguised ruler amongst his subjects, thieves starting a brawl to cover a theft...and many more easy to use hooks to engage your players...but then we get to an interesting section of this collection, and things take a turn, toward immersion. I love the idea of a product that gives me something I can use to further immerse my players in the world I am describing, so a selection of lyrics for bards to be singing in the taverns the players will be finding themselves within is nothing but pure win in my book!

Ending with a section detailing popular barroom games, with mechanics to let your players engage in them, everything from dice games to drinking games, jousting with brooms to that time honored classic, arm wrestling. An excellent way to end this collection of features to enhance the classic tavern beyond the typical glazed over boring descriptions it has suffered through for far to long.

Raging Swan continues to impress me with their releases, an easy 5 stars and well worth the price of admission.

OK, I'm going to ahead and state it...I know why the thumbnail covers for the Bullet Points now seem to have two covers, but it really sucks when the art for the preview on the site is awesome looking, and then that piece is not included in the actual PDF you get.

Now, back to business...This particular Bullet Point is 4 pages, with some very nice art pieces from Toby and Tamas...and of course there is that gorgeous Redpeggy cover that looked so great on the website...ok ok I'll stop harping about it, lol...maybe. Formatting follows the standard three column approach with embedded artwork, and deals with magic properties for silver weaponry. So, let us take a look and see what we see.

Argentum turns your weapon into the ultimate disease divining rod, letting the bearer of the weapon detect and suspend disease within his targets. All around an interesting idea, but I am left wondering why the ability to cast ice storm matters in the creation of this weapon...perhaps this is a copy/paste relic from the next offering, Frostscale. With a minor editing mishap of its own within the grammatical structuring, this weapon property puts some serious firepower at your disposal, in the form of ice that is. Mirrored is an excellent magical property for anyone facing gaze attack creatures, as it allows you to negate their gaze attacks by turning the attack back upon them.

Scrying weapons aid those fighting their way through illusions, and Shapebinding weapons not only help when dealing with trans-mutational magics, but have the added benefit of being able to lock shape-changers to one form for a time. As an added bonus Owen tossed in the Bane magic weapon quality for the alchemical silver weapons. There really isn't enough written up to tell you much more without giving it all away, so you'll have to read this one yourself. I can say that this entry gives us the largest amount of editing mistake, as an entire line is missing the spaces between words.

So, 6 for the price of 5, with more SpaG issues than I am used to seeing out of the SGG camp...now, there weren't that many, but we're only talking two pages of material here...from the guys who set the bar of excellence in the first place. So yeah, it matters. On the upside, Everything here is cool...yes, I was brief in discussing a few of them, but what can you say when Owen has already detailed the material in the synopsis for the product, lol. Settling on a 4.5 for a product that should have been a 5 due to the editing issues solely, and yes, I am rounding down.

7 Shield Spell Feats takes the standard Bullet Point format of 3 column landscape orientation and adds what I can only describe as really sub-par artwork. I know I know, art is just icing in a product like this, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't state my opinion, now would I?

OK, by now I think everyone alive knows what the Bullet Points are, but just in case...a quick and easy handful of material designed around one central theme, contained in the barest amount of page count possible. Got it? OK, let's move on...

This time out we are treated to a collection of feats intended to enhance the classic [i[shield[/i] spell. Covering Shield starts us off, giving us a feat that allows you to extend the benefit of the shield spell to an adjacent comrade. OK, kind of boring, but practical...and the practical stuff is at the end of the day the bones upon which the entire system is built, lol.

Elemental Shield allows you to attune your shield vs. a specific elemental attack, giving your elemental resistance a boost. Force Shielding is easily the first true feat to shine for me, as it turns this defensive spell into something far more offensive. Allowing for the casting of this spell upon a physical shield, it transfers the normal AC bonus into a force effect instead...which can then be utilized in touch attacks...yeah...let it sink in.

Reactive Shield lets you use this spell to affect your CMD as well, Shield Spell Bash allows you to use the field of force that is manifested by the spell to perform shield bash attacks, which could present some interesting group tactics on a battlefield to say the least. Shield Properties allows you to trade a percentage of the AC bonus of the spell for magical shield properties to enhance the shield. Tower Shield Spell lets you gain a higher AC bonus by stretching your shield to the sizes of a tower shield at the cost of a negative to attack. The spell may be weightless, but the sheer size of this thing leaves it in the way for attacks to some degree. As an added benefit, you gain a degree of coverage thanks to the sheer amount of space this thing will take up.

Tallying it all up, where-as there were a few that didn't ring any bells for me, everything here is useful, and makes sense. I saw nothing wasted in the designs, nor any “bad” feats here. I did stumble across a few grammatical missteps, but not enough to create confusion or misunderstanding. In the end I am going with a solid 4 star rating for this Bullet Point.

The sixth installment in the Monsters of Sin series tackles Sloth. Weighing in at 10 pages, with 4 pages going to the covers, the OGL and the credit/TOC. No bookmarks, nor is the Table of Contents linked, which I'll admit bummed me a little. The cover art, as has been the standard for this series, is excellent, with interior art giving us two great pieces, one that left me at the “meh” stage, and one particular piece that really needed some color, as it looks hilariously like something else entirely (don't worry, all will be explained). Following in the standard dual column approach, I saw nothing jarring in the sense of grammatical errors.

Opening with a run down of the author's thoughts on the particular sin of sloth, the template offering this time out is for the Slothful Creature. I think I can honestly state that this template, more than any other presented in this series, is a punishment more than anything, lol. Nothing but negatives and detriment, there are no redeeming qualities in this template to make it a desirable thing...which makes it perfect as a template for this sin. I mean seriously, Sloth...there shouldn't be bonuses to a slothful creature. Well done, and well handled!

First up, we have the Flab Giant, an addition to the Giant sub-species, they are a relatively short member of the species, with their larger size translating into girth rather than height. Grossly enlarged abdomens supported on short muscled legs clothed only in the most minimal of clothing, these giants use their dangerously heavy bodies as weapons, crushing their opponents to death before eating them. An excellent monster to represent sloth as a sin.

The Scrap Drake is not only a lesser dragon in that it is a drake, it's a lesser drake. This thing is so apathetic towards life in general it prefers to push along on its stomach like a snake rather than stand up on its two legs. The perfect deterrent for an area one needs guarded, as the creature is very unlikely to actually leave the area, ever. The coolest thing about this lazy lizard is their answer to having no supernatural breath weapon. The scrap drake keeps a mouthful of debris (wood, stone, metal) ready to spit out as an improvised breath weapon. Rather unique, and kind of a cool thought that the creature would have developed this technique of attack/defense. All in all I like these guys, they have the right feel of slothfulness while maintaining a coolness about them.

OK, so two down, both of them being the artwork I thought was really good. This takes us to the Slow Storm. Now, simply looking at the artwork for this I thought to myself I am not going to like this creature. This creature is, quite simply, a bizarre looking thing. A quill-ed ball of organics at the center if a centralized storm throwing off static lightning...with eyeballs and a mouth...yup, goofy looking. But, it has a seriously cool ability that makes it seriously deadly. This thing absorbs the moisture from the joints of living creatures, causing a DEX drain, simulating the effect of aging on the living basically. Now, as cool as that is, here's where we run into problems...the presentation of this ability creates some serious confusion...as the way it is listed on the Special Attack line of the statblock it might be a special ability, or a breath weapon...but in the Special Abilities section there is no mention of it being a breath weapon...Now the breath weapon and the Arthritic Pain special ability do show the same DEX drain amount, and are both a Fort save ability, but where as the breath weapon has a limited usage, this is not mentioned within the special ability write up...and if this ability is in fact not the breath weapon, then we are left with no defining target concept for the ability, is it area? Single target? I am inclined to believe the ability is in fact intended to be the breath weapon, I just wish the wording within the description would have clarified that.

Which brings us to Embodiment. Illustrated and described as a mass of flesh, this B&W drawing far more resembles a large pile of excrement, with people sitting around it. Yes, once you read the entry you realize what you are looking at, but the initial thought upon getting to this page is a far different one than after reading the opening line. Hence my earlier observation that perhaps once, a small amount of color might have been warranted internally. So, the embodiment...a CR17 blob o' flab, with no discernible features...the ultimate in letting other do kinda critter. Has an insane leadership score that it utilizes to get others to handle its needs,defend it, or handle matters elsewhere. Ironically the creature typically chooses its agents from the least slothly of its followers, to try and guarantee that they will actually succeed in their task (this was fluff gold, loved it). Those who get to close to the embodiment and fail a Will save will find themselves chilling with the big squishy flesh mound. In return for serving its needs, the embodiment of sloth provides benefits equal to a ring of sustenance to its fellow mellows. All around, one seriously cool take on an embodiment for this sin, and an impressive design.

As always with this series, we close with some tidbits of Midgard, acting as not only extras for those utilizing Midgard as a setting, but as teasers for those who are not, enticing them to explore these lands, and the people we are being given an insight into. An expertly crafted closer to these books, the Midgard section has become one of my favorite parts of this series.

So, final thoughts. I liked this PDF, a great deal. The creatures were cool, the template made sense, the embodiment was awesome...but I keep coming back to the slow storm...and the breath weapon/special ability. The fact that the special ability has a name makes me think it is not intended to be the breath weapon, but they have the same DEX drain and are both a Fort save ability. I can't help but think this could have been worded much clearer to avoid any sense of confusion in this regard. In the end the only thing preventing me from giving this the 5 star rating it deserves is this issue, well, that and the no bookmarks (sorry, I like bookmarks). I'm going with a 4.5, rounded down to a 4. I would be happy to raise this rating if the wording of this becomes clarified...or if for that matter someone can help me see what I am obviously missing in case I am simply having a dense moment (it happens, I'm human, I'll admit it). Still well worth it folks, and this is an excellent addition to this series.

-edit. As the clarification has been made to the Slow Storm's specials, I am adjusting my rating to the full 5 stars this product deserved. Thanks guys!

Monsters of Sin 4, Lust continues the series with what potentially could be the deal breaker for people, the sin of lust. Lust can be interpreted in many differentiating ways, and handled with about as many different levels of maturity. Regardless of the concept of complet-ism, this style of gaming book must be handled with care by a GM, for not every group handles this type of material well. That being said, lets take a look under the sheets, shall we?

11 pages boils down to 7 after we remove the covers, OGL and ad. The standard two column approach, with the monster entries following Paizo's standard text to the left, creature to the right look and feel. Opening as always with a quick opener to explain the author's viewpoint in this particular sin, we quickly step into this sin's template, the Lust Slave. An excellently handled game mechanic translation of what one can only call a groupie, or infatuated “fan”...this template could easily see some usage around my table making sure that my BBEG's have a following within a community. Well done.

First up for creatures this time out is the Inbred Orc. Born of inbreeding, these orcs are built with mutations, both of the fortunate (giving bonuses) and the unfortunate (negatives) type. This basically works the same way as traits and flaws do, but as a physical manifestation in a birth defect. As a creature, this simply doesn't work for me. As a template, sure, to a point. They are granted a bonus to hit simply because they are unpredictable, with the justification that players are used to fighting regular orcs, not a misshapen orc with birth defects...really?

The Lovelorn is our second offering, and took me back to my childhood and the ghost stories I so loved as a kid. The classic woman in white is obviously seen here in influence, and that is a total win in my book. The long and the short of it, we have here a ghost who believes the victims she sets her eyes upon are her lost loves from life, and they are intent on possessing these loves now. Some seriously cool abilities, like the Bleeding Eye Gaze – a nice gaze attack with one seriously creepy visual. But the cherry on top has to be the Lovelorn Embrace, she literally embraces her victims like a lover and kisses them, causing CHA drain as well as being able to perform any one action available to a grappling creature....Whole new appreciation of the kiss of death. The artwork for this particular monster is excellent by the way, and the inking job clearly helps drive forth the partial manifestation ability of this incorporeal creature.

The Truffle closes us out for the monsters this time around, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of this fey. Appearing as a small genderless child, this creature is fascinated by the concept of sexual identity, and what separates the genders of differing races, to the point that they will dominate others into “demonstrating” if they are unwilling to answer their curiosities. On the one hand these creatures could be dismissed as fey with their vastly different viewpoints on social concepts. On the other, what we have here is a creature with no regard for for boundaries forcing people into sexual situations...this is one seriously steep and dangerous slope, and one that a GM needs to be very certain they want to include in their campaign world...as not everyone will react to the idea of these things as being just curious harmless fey.

The Embodiment of Lust is presented as a 10 foot tall humanoid of almost impossible to resist temptation. Surrounding itself with a constant orgy of loyal followers and lust slaves the Embodiment communicates and controls its throng telepathically, or through bodily language. Of all the various ways to embody this sin, I have to say this outsider pretty much does the sin justice for this series, and presents not only a challenge to a group due to its high CR (21), but the sheer fact that everywhere it goes it is surrounded by a willing throng of “lovers” who will kill or die in an instant for it. Not to mention the fact that all within range of it must fight the urge to join the party.

As with previous entries to this series the sin is addressed within Midgard with a bit of setting fluff detailing the Red Goddess, Marena, and an interesting bit of knowledge regarding the birth of the Seven Cities, and how Lust played its part in their origins.

All in all, I liked the Embodiment, the Template and one Monster without contest. That leaves two monsters, one I flat out was unimpressed by, and one, well, that disturbs me. Perhaps I am reading far to much into it, but any creature that, as a normal part of its behavior, “forces” people in this regard...no. Not at my game table.

So, With five items on the block, I like three of them basically. Taking into account the small section on the Midgard setting, I am going to settle on a 3 star, as the Lovelorn really is that good of a creature in my opinion.

Book of Magic Signature Spells 2 weighs in at 13 pages, with 2 covers, the OGL/credit page, an ad and an intro. We also have 2 ½ pages of the class lists breaking down available spells (and the listings pretty much cover the base classes). OK, so quick math says that leaves us with 5 ½ pages of new spells. Formatting follows the standard two column approach, with only one noticeable grammatical hiccup (and it was in the intro, so no harm no foul).

New spells with names...I can honestly say I miss spells with names. Yes, I know they are still there, and we can call them anything we want around our game tables...but when you have called a spell something your entire gaming life...well, it feels odd to not. Dale and his gaming crew obviously agree with my thinking, as these are a collection of spells straight from his table. The introduction gives us some pretty cool insight into the back stories, and leaves me hoping to perhaps see a few of these characters he discusses show their faces within his books. But all the fluff in the world doesn't matter if the spells aren't cool right? So let's get to them.

Presented here are 31 spells by my count, so if you have guessed that I am not going to detail them all here, you should probably buy a lottery ticket, because you are good at this game. What I will do is cover an assortment of what caught my eye, and what earned a spot in my personal character's spell book (more on that later). So, without further ado...

Tamis' Burst of Life is what I consider a great tactical spell when battling undead, as it essentially removes their undead immunities, making them a lot easier to screw up with tactics your GM is not prepared for...(lol, yes, I know, I just advised players on how to further drive their GM's nutz...I'll send in my union card). Shallan's Shadowy Cloud is fog cloud, done Plane of Shadows style. Darker, grittier and more dangerous...well done. Riyals's Counterspelling Preparedness allows you to counterspell as an immediate action, and packs a really cool visual effect to boot.

Shallan's Shadow Marionette is hands down my favorite spell out of the collection, you take control of a creature's shadow, thereby forcing the creature to act as you desire...oh the potential for this one...

Mikard's Burning Eyes target the eyes of your foe, flowing flame from their eyes, with per round damage, and the potential for permanent blindness...very very wicked! Iggaria's Demonic Form lets the caster assume the form of a chosen demon, enlarging in size and weight, with all the perks that come along with a size increase. Limited demonic perks come along with it as opposed to the full roster, but this one still feels slightly overpowered at a level 4. I say slightly because I am not entirely sold on the idea that it is overpowered. Gravada's Deadly Disease makes me want to meet these player's of Dale's, as this is just wrong to do to someone...lol. OK, the short and unsweet version, it resets the time duration on contracted diseases as if no time had passed. Essentially making the disease continue to run rampant within your body for far longer than it should...that's just wrong, lol. Clarissa's Confusing Speech is probably my second favorite of the bunch, and the first spell offered within the book. The targeted creature for the duration of the spell has trouble understanding and being understood...if you can't see the mass potential in this spell, I would recommend buying the Beginner Box and starting over...this is sheer brilliance in crippling an opposing spell chucker!

So, 31 spells, a few spacing issues due to the joys of justified text (have no fears, I have no intention of pinging points for that), and only one true grammatical misstep. Several spells worth noting, a couple that didn't really do much for me, but there will always be a few in a collection, it is the nature of the beast. Final ranking on this, 5 stars and well worth the price of admission.

Oh, and the reference to my personal character's spell book...which spell got in? Let me explain first why this matters at all. I GM, it's what I do. I rarely if ever get to play. When I do it is usually in a high level one off, or perhaps a game that will stretch across a few evenings. I have a favorite character, as most of us do, who has evolved throughout the years. His spellbook is a collection of precision, nothing wasted, no filler spells for the sake of having them. The agreement I have with the small group I do get to play with is that if I find something I love, I may add it at the cost of two others, with no review required by them in anyway at all. Yes, this gives me the opportunity for abuse, but they trust me. It is rare that I find a spell I feel is worth making me look over his spell book to decide which two to sacrifice, but this book contained one such spell. Shallan's Shadow Marionette is perfect for the play style of my demented spell twister, and there was barely a hesitation in deciding that this spell had to be his. I thought, Dale, that you might enjoy knowing you made me make changes to a character I treasure deeply this evening, and that doesn't happen often. Well done sir, well done indeed!

6 Nonmagic Weapon Qualities for Weapons follows the standard look and feel of the Bullet Point series, so let us not waste time discussing those points, and get to why you are here, are these qualities worth it...lets see.

Weapon Qualities are a great thing to add to a weapon to help set it apart from the standard, without having to invest in magical enchantment, so I'm all for a larger variety, as options are almost always a good thing. First up we have the Back Spike, the classic spike of the reverse head of a hafted weapon, allowing for not only normal damage, but piercing as well. Basket Hilt trades off the option of 2-handedness for a better advantage against disarm/sunder attempts, as well as a shield bonus during the full defense action. Flamberge refers to those blades with an undulating pattern to them, causing some issues for a foe during parries. Although this weapon quality is written to allow pretty much any fantasy weapon to take it, I cant help but think this one I might limit to just the blades at my table. Ringed adds metal rings to a bludgeoning or slashing weapon, increasing damage from weight at the cost of some accuracy in attack. Ending with Springy is that quality for the player who understand the advantage of having a normally rigid melee weapon be on the more flexible side. Gaining a bonus vs. sunder/disarm against the player, this quality comes with a negative for when you attempt sunder moves of your own.

Parry Hooks are mounted spikes aimed forward upon a weapon designed to intercept and complicate parry maneuvers in which a foe will “ride” your weapon down to your hands. Now, given my initial read, I couldn't help but notice this quality blatantly states that it is the same thing as the Flamberge quality...but wait, wha? Hang on, have no fear folks. There are subtly differences here. First off, flamberge states that in a fantasy setting it "can" be applied to weapons other than blades ( of which I have already given my opinion), where-as the parry hooks make sense for hafted weapons such as spears, pikes, heck even long axes. Secondly, and this truly to me was the most important factor in deciding these two qualities are in fact different, the fluff. I personally would never build a character carrying a wavy bladed sword...sorry, I think they look stupid...my personal opinion. But, they idea of a well placed parry hook along the length of a two-handed sword...that I can get behind. In the end, the parry hook is far more restrictive in what types of blades are allowed (it lists the bastard and two-handed) then the flamberge, which further separates these two qualities.

Are they almost to similar to be in the same product as two separate qualities? Almost. But if Owen had included parry hooks later, I could see folks accusing him of simply re-skinning the flamberge anyway. Should he perhaps have written a "bonus" feat to make sure folks didn't feel cheated? Maybe...but he didn't. Is this collection still worth it? Of course.

After going back and forth on this one. One the one hand two of the qualities were nearly identical, which essentially would mean we got 5 for the price of 6 and the PDF failed to live up to it's promised material. On the other hand, they are not the same, they share some similarities in crunch, but that is all. One specifically permits non-bladed weapons, the other assumes in a fantasy setting it might be possible. Not to mention the concept of fluff, which to me is just as important as crunch...always has been, always will be. Without fluff, we are playing a boring board game of math...pure and simple. Taking this into account, I feel this PDF did deliver on the promised 6 qualities, and rate it at it's deserved 5 star rating.

A 12 feat Bullet Point for free?!?! Oh yeah...Megadungeon Delver's Player Options addresses those characters and playgroups that make their living far from the light of day and the support of a community, where certain forms of combat begin to develop in answer to the particulars of the environment they spend so much of their lives within...the biggest, the baddest....the megadungeons!

And pray tell, what do I mean by a megadungeon? Crawls of the nature of DungeonaDay, Rappan Athuk or the World's Largest Dungeon come to mind. Artwork far exceeds what one usually gets for a free product, and that simply speaks to the quality of SGG's stuff...as even their free product oozes awesome. Same format and style we all know and love, landscape with 3 columns, 5 pages this time with the cover/intro – do not skip over this, it doesn't have the traditional words that are usually here, lol, the OGL and an ad for DungeonaDay. So, two pages for the goodies, let's take a look.

Caged Fury aids in bull rushing in cramped quarters, while Corridor Combatant gives us mechanics for those wall bouncing stunt man moves we're seeing in every action movie out there. Delver's Saga is our feat for the bards – what? They might go in a megadungeon...if you put a boot on their back and kick them down a really long staircase...(insert evil laugh). Anywho...so delver's saga is an interesting twist on the inspire ability in that it is dependent upon how many levels the dungeon you are within has. Doorkicker lets you add your level to damage dealt in hp to an unattended inanimate object. Dungeon Stalker enhances the tracking class feature immensely in regards to identifying tracks within a dungeon setting. Earth Dragon gives you an additional caster level in determining CL for any spell associated with earth/rock/stone or the cold descriptor. Herald of Justice enhances your aura of courage ability to allow your allies to add the bonus to more checks.

Yeah, that's page one...there's an entire other page...but this PDF is free, and awesome for those looking to go into the deep dark dungeon for a while...so stop reading this review, and go download the PDF...I mean it, seriously, I'm just going to tell you the end, ruin it for you, so you'll go away and get the PDF already...an obvious 5 star rating, even if this wasn't a free product, I mean seriously...what Owen puts into a free product is easily worth paying for...so go get it already.

5 Unseen Servant Feats is yet another in the highly successful Bullet Point series from that rules monster Owen over at SGG... Following the standard Bullet Point landscape/3 column format with the type of editing that earns a 3PP a top spot amongst their peers, the look and feel of this PDF will be familiar to the fans of this particular series. Weighing in at four pages, with the classic intro/cover page, and OGL, we have two covering the new material, with two pieces of color interior artwork.

First up we have the Force Servant – making your unseen servants of the hardier variety. There really isn't much more I can say here without giving you this feat, literally, so, trust me on this one, it's decent! Greater Servant does exactly what you might assume here, it gives you a better version of an unseen servant when you conjure one. Unseen Actor is a brilliant usage of an unseen servant spell, utilizing the servant to add little physical effects to an illusion (kicking up dust, carrying small objects, lifting things, opening/closing doors, etc.). Gives a bonus to the save DC vs. said illusions, and I say again, is one seriously cool usage of a servant. Well Done!

Unseen Craftsman allows an unseen servant to partake of the aid another concept when allies are making skill checks. Unseen Squire allows a caster to “give away” their unseen servant, assigning it to serve another character. Now that opens up some interesting possibilities.

All in all, a good collection of feats to enhance and manipulate this spell, one in particular that I simply love. My one lone voice of dissent is in regards to the rather cartoonish piece of artwork, but that comes down to a personal taste matter, and is not worth an effect upon the rating of this material. Going with a 4.5 for this one, unseen craftsman didn't truly go there for me, but I am still rounding up to a 5, as a 4 is to low for this product.

7 Sinful Feats of Lust sees the return of Jenny Pousin to the covers of SGG product...I mention this purely because I imagine there will be a few fanboys, and girls, who buy this product for the picture, lol. And why not? Anyone who has ever grabbed a Bullet Point before will recognize the format instantly, and if you haven't...MY GAWDS MAN, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!?! OK, sorry...will try to control myself, seriously, won't happen again....

So, 7 feats, starting with the interesting Brazen, which grants a bonus to Cha and Init. Checks as long as you're dressed inappropriately enough, lol. Interestingly enough, the feat, as it is written, will not grant a female wearing the notorious “Fantasy Female Armor” any benefit at all, as the feat comes with a specific list of what one may wear while utilizing this feat. Lustful takes us down the path of that language everything speaks, sex appeal. Affect Diplomacy checks without even having a spoken language to work with, as well as gain a bonus of choice (simply to relate that “after glow” people tend to bask in after partaking in...yeah.

Masochist allows you to tap into the power that comes from enjoying the pain, giving you a bonus based upon the HD of the creature hurting or affecting you. While Sadist takes us the other direction, giving you bonuses based on the creatures you are hurting. Both of these feats require you to have Lustful, and is separate from whatever bonus you may already have going there or will gain from this feat, and stacks.

Wanton gives mechanics to those out there that literally seem to ooze sexuality, and bring it out of those around them. OK, any guy who has ever played flag football with a girl on the opposing team understands this next feat perfectly, and why its dangerous...Wriggle lets you distract those you are grappled or pinned by. Writhe goes right there with wriggle, letting spell casters take a bonus to a concentration check to cast while pinned or grappled.

This one ends with a full descriptor for the sinful feat type, in case you have not picked up any of the other sin inspired bullet points, and does a fairly good job of explaining the concept of these feats not being limited to the more evilly aligned characters.

Obviously this style of product is skating on an edge, and there are playgroups out there that are not mature enough to have this type of material made available to. There are also plenty of groups for whom this type of material is not their cup of tea, and that is fine as well, that is one of the beautiful things about the Bullet Points, if you aren't interested in the material, you can simply not buy one.

So, final thoughts on this collection of sin...hands down excellent. I know a few players I want to put these feats in the hands of, sit back and watch them terrorize their fellow players, lol. Another 5 in the chamber Owen, well done!

So What's The Armour Like, AnyWay? Continues this popular series with an excellent reference book for making armour so much more than a single line boring note on a character sheet. I could go into a long drawn out explanation of what this series aims to do for Gms, but I think it would be easier to demonstrate for those unaware...

Which would you prefer to have your GM describe to you, as a PC:
The knight was wearing full plate. wow, give that GM a prize for description

The knight was armored in a suit formed to resemble a well muscled humanoid torso, with glints of gold running down the sides, chasing the sun. His helmet bears the face of a hawk, its beak open in a scream of wrath, the wings sweeps back across the sides of his head.

So, which GM you want? No seriously, that's what these books do for GM's...they are an absolutely brilliant collection of tidbits of that nature, arranged in list format assigned a number just waiting for you to either roll or blindly slap a finger on the page. This book has 8 pages of lists covering light/medium/heavy Armour and shields. Go word for word with the descriptions if you wish, or use them to spark your own thoughts, that in the end is what they are there for, to help you be more creative on the spot, with no prep.

And for those wanting some prebuilt, ready to drive off the showroom floor stuff, how about an assortment of famous and unique armors and shields? Four armors and one shield, fully detailed and ready to be slid into your storyline. Need some hooks, or complications? Not a problem. Two 1-20 random lists have you covered with one for previous owners, the other for random...randomness, lol.

In short, I can not recommend the books in this serious enough to you. Even the most creative GM in the world will find usage from a PDF of this nature, the time saving capacity alone makes this well worth the price of admission. An easily given 5 star rating!

One of the most impressive things in regards to Owen is his capacity to look at what another designer has done, and add to it, seamlessly. Louis Porter Jr's Machinesmith is the latest such thing to get the Owen treatment, Bullet style!!

Following the standard layout, landscape, three column, 4 pages...got it? Good, let's move on.

First up, Alchemical Admixture lets you add a taste of the alchemist's destructive capacity to the machinesmith's creations. Fast and easy breaks down to this, each time you take this feat you get to pick one alchemical discovery from a list, you may then add said discovery as an admixture to whatever it is your twisted little mind is creating next. This feat dominates the entire first page of this product, and may in fact have the longest write up for a feat I have ever seen in the bullet point series, as Owen tried to cover as much as possible of what might come up with this one. Intriguing to say the least, and a great way to take an already odd class, and give it an extra twist your players won't see coming. Ever notice when someone is really “all in” on something it tends to make you believe a little more as well? Well, Behold! is right there with you on that one, as the PC's confidence in their creations literally demoralizes those who can see and hear them. Rather amusing when you think about it, "BEHOLD ME MERE MORTALS, FOR I AM THE SCIENCE!" Anyone else picture Bill Nye while they read that? You are now, lol.

Better Than New has me wondering how many times Owen has repaired a home appliance, lol. Any time you got to put something back together, it literally is better, for a limited time, and by better I mean as in bonus better, with varying options of where you can assign the bonus. Creation Focus lets you add a temporary bonus to one item/day as long as you can dedicate the time to tinker with it throughout the day, and Emergency Activation allows you to fire up the toys faster. Non combat abilities only but seriously, we've all seen the tech guys suddenly "poof" some amazing crap right before the villain's eyes...right? Yeah, this feat RAWKS!!!!!!!

Final thoughts and such? An excellent handful of feats to accompany this class, and a solid addition to the Bullet Point series. 5 stars and well worth the price of admission.

5 Haste/Slow feats is yet another round in the never ending magazine of bullets Owen is firing off this summer. Following the basic look and feel of this excellent series, the PDF is presented in landscape, with a three column approach (although the third column is filled with artwork both times, lol) for the main body of the material, weighing in at 4 pages. Sporting three pieces of pretty decent art, and no true editing/grammatical speed bumps to speak of, this entry into the Bullet line lives up to usual standard of quality that I have come to expect from SGG. So, let's dive in and see what we have this time, shall we?

Distorted Speed is an interesting feat in that it goes both ways on the spectrum, being able to affect haste, or slow (or even blessing of fervor if you allow it within your campaign). Short and simple breaks down to this, those enjoying haste or fervor get to pick from a short list of variant perks instead of accepting the normal boost, while those suffering under slow are at your mercy with a new list of options for them as well. Nice, very very nice. Marathon of One gives you the ability to focus your speed spell of choice on a single target, as opposed to an area...got to say, am seeing some serious options for when this could be real handy. Master of Speed is one of those feats that proves once again Owen should have been around a long long time ago tucking his little nuggets of brilliance into the game...OK, follow me here...we've all been there, the play group roll their initiative rolls, the weakest non combat prepared players not only roll high, they roll really high...while your muscle rolls lower than the GM's critters/bad guys/insert evil thing here...crap...well folks, no more. With master of speed the spellcaster can “collect” the parties initiative rolls, and redistribute them as they see fit...yeah, you read that right, let it soak in. If a playgroup plays it right, the fighter will always be where he needs to be in rotation, the healer won't be wasted right off the bat, etc etc, you get the idea...Overlord of Speed really starts to give your speed spell chucking character some meat, any time a foe fails a save against a spell, SU ability or spell-like ability vs. you they suffer a slow effect. Now, as cool as that is, this feat is not quite done yet...because if you have an ally in range, they get a haste just for being in the right place at the right time.

Which takes us to the fifth feat, Unrestrained Spell. Now, this feat is seriously useful for a spell chucking character, as it increases the the range between targets for ANY spell that defines a parameter of distance between targets....wait, wha? What does that have to do with haste/slow? Specifically? Nothing. But, in the broader scope, everything. Haste and slow both are limited by the whole “must be within so many feet of each other blah blah blah”...as are many other spells. So, does this one belong here, yeah, technically....it's just uber cool that it also applies to a massive amount of other spells.

So, tallying it all up.....hmm, not much on the negative side there.....OK, not often do I look at the ratings and wish they went higher than 5...but here I am wanting a sixth star. I love the speed set, and being able better manipulate them makes me a happy GM. I'm going with an official 5 star, well worth the price of admission and all....but this one is a straight 6 as far as I am concerned.

10 Luckbringer Magic Items opens the entertainment right off the bat, with a great bit of humor for the comic book fans out there on the credits page, 'nuff said!

Artwork is the blade featured on the cover, re-used once inside, and the covers for the other two Rite releases regarding the luckbringer class. Of the 7 pages here, three are dedicated to the ten new items, with the rest being tied up in the usual ways. Format follows the standard dual column, with a portrait oriented page layout. No bookmarks, but honestly, when you are only dealing with three pages of material, bookmarks are not necessary, so no harm no foul.

Auspicious Assault lets you roll an additional attack die, with the benefit of additional succeses past the initial adding a set die to the damage for the attack. The weapon itself is described as always being plated in precious metal, and bearing symbols of good fortune. Taking out that one line of description, and the construction requirements, and this weapon instantly turns into a feat or ability...cool concept, but doesn't feel like an item so much as an ability shoehorned into the collection. At most a weapon ability, not a weapon. The Baldric of the Prepared mind is a belt worn sash style over the shoulder, and is typically worn as a means of carrying a weapon. The cool thing here is it allows you to utilize a small assortment of weapon-centric feats, but unfortunately due to a copy/paste snafu the limitations per day of usage are mixed up with another items, and we do not have a clear ruling on how many times a day the baldric works. Boots of Adventitious Timing make sure you are always standing in the right place, at the right time. Additionally, they give you a move action along with your standard action during the surprise round. Cape of Risk is the classic shiny distracting cape...sorry, this one did nothing for me. The Gloves of Fortunate Deeds are pretty fortunate indeed, giving you an automatic 20 on a small list of skills a set amount of times/day depending upon the power level of the gloves, as well as allowing you to take 10 on the same list of skills, even when distracted.

Luck's Aegis is an interesting suit of armor that shields its wearer with a 50% miss ratio, and that includes spells. Now before people start screaming about balance, relax, it comes with a negative to hit and a limit of per/day usage. Still, very cool armor. There's a very good chance I simply did not understand Ring of Fate's Unraveling, as reading over its descriptor and abilities, I'm left scratching my head. As I understand it the ring holds 7 gems, each of a different type, and this is a profoundly disturbing effect causing targets to save vs. a potential negative luck penalty on dice rolls....so a ring having 7 stones will screw people up? I've got to be missing something here, or the wording is not making the author' idea clear enough..not sure which.

The Ring of Peril brings us the first true grammatical hiccup, a word used in present tense when it should have been past...not a huge issue, just pointing it out. Symbol of Good Luck grants a bonus to any one D20 roll, with a full bonus if used before the roll, half if applied after, and you can grant the bonus to a party member, as long as your character is there with said party member and could feasibly help them. Which brings us to the Third Eye of Karma, the ultimate “one last blow before I go” item. A pendant on chain that activates upon a set list of parameters. Upon activation, you get one last attack upon your attacker before their damage/attack is finalized within mechanics, as long as you actually can attack them.

Other than the few minor glitches I mentioned, editing was good. While not every item jumped to the top of the cool new kid status, there were a few shining examples (I'm looking at you Luck's Aegis), most of them are still cool enough to make a Luckbringer player a happier gamer. Am going with a 4 star rating for this offering from Rite.

Expanded Shaman marks the second book in Open Designs' New Paths series. Anyone paying attention is well aware of how well received the first installment (The Spell Less Ranger) was, and what type of pressure that places upon this book right off the bat. Question here then is, did Marc Radle have another bullet in the chamber? So let us take a look.

Weighing in at 16 pages, with 10 pages of new material, 2 sheets for tracking wildshape and a spirit guide, cover, OGL, credit and ad (which would not fully load in my version of this PDF). Artwork is handled by the talented Rick Hershey, as those familiar with his style can easily recognize from the cover. Formatting follows the dual column, portrait layout with very few editing issues (an occasional extra space, nothing severe), with embedded artwork and tables. My only complaint in regard to layout is that one particular table finds itself with a full page between it and the descriptive text meant to help one read it. Now, granted by now anyone who games should have no issues using the table, but the addition on the breakdown shows an acknowledgement that those new to the game might still need some help (and I applaud that thinking, as at one point we all needed some guidance), and it being so far after the table makes it almost counter-productive.

For those loyal readers of Kobold Quarterly yes, this is that shaman, expanded upon and re-introduced...for the rest of you, it's all here, so you are not missing anything (although I still recommend you start picking up KQ).

At first glance it is far to easy to dismiss this class as another variant druid, when it is far more. There are a few familiar concepts and abilities, but there is more than enough defining concepts as well. Take for instance the Totem Secrets. Essentially working the same as talents, with the PC gaining them at 1st, 3rd and every 4 levels after, we are given 12 to work with at this point. Of these 12, I would truly have a hard time as a PC deciding on what to pick as there are some really interesting abilities here that I would love to play around with...Invisibility, Protective Spirits, automatic stabilization from 0hp if on home plane, see the incorporeal, ethereal etc., Unleash a furious attack 1/day of spirits upon a target dealing force damage, lull into a trance to commune with the spirits and gain a +20 to one Int check...or my personal favorite out of them all, intestinal divination/sign reading – flight paths of birds, sand particles in the wind...a balanced game mechanic to do what we all imagine the shaman does. Very, very cool, with a nice array of bonuses depending upon what form of “reading” is done with this particular talent.

But fear not, there are more class abilities beyond the Totem Secrets, we have the Animal Spirit Guide, Wild Empathy, Woodland Step, Wild Shape, just to name a few before we get to the more class specific...Shaman's Touch – essentially the cure spells starting at light and working its way up progressively as you increase in level, Spirit Dance allows the shaman to call to the spirits to augment their magic via dance (pretty cool story driven concept actually), Spirit Step – shaman can go ethereal as if using ethereal jaunt, and Vision Quest where upon a shaman can release their spirit from their body for a time.

The Animal Spirit Guide, whereas is pretty class specific, felt a great deal to me like the druid's animal companion, and was one of the reasons I think I kept looking at the shaman looking for the similarities, and differences. 16 base statblocks are presented covering 24 different potential animals that the shaman can pick through, with choices ranging from predatorial birds to manta rays. The list felt more designed for the min/maxer to me, as almost every animal on the list is one with an attack, one would not see as a waste on a character sheet. When I think of shamans, and their guides, I think of the turtle, the rat, the mantis. Animals who, traditionally have been presented throughout fantasy as having something to teach. Not that I am entirely knocking the animals that are here, as they are decent choices, I just would have liked to have seen a few less “combat friendly” choices is all. The spirit animals of course come with their own list of cool abilities, being the very reason one wants them in the first place, lol. Everything from delivering your touch spells to acting as an intermediary to the spirit realm, going incorporeal and granting bonus spells. The options for the spirit guide in regards to abilities is pretty decent and gives plenty of options to handle a variety of builds.

We are given three archetypes, the Elemental, Primal and Medicine Doctor. The elemental, you guessed it, is more attuned to the elemental forces, and swaps out the animal spirit guide for an elemental one, as well bonus spells and their wild shape being one of an elemental. The primal gives up some spell-casting with a smaller quantity of spells daily in exchange for an enhanced wild shape (that comes with a built in healing that is freaking awesome), as well as primal dance – altering the spirit dance to augment the wild shape ability instead of spell-casting. The witch doctor goes the other route, diminishing their wild shape in favor of more spells and a closer relation to the spirits. The witch doctor and primal both have separate tables showing spell progression.

New spells come in the form of Elemental Blast – exactly what it says, Rain of Fangs – yeah, again exactly what it says, very cool visually speaking, and River of Moonlight – transfix opponents with a line of moonlight shaped by you as you choose, hanging before their eyes in the air.

We end with four new feats, Extra Wild Shape, Improved Shaman's Touch, Practiced Spirit Dance and Prolong Spirit Dance. The first two are pretty self explanatory, the practice feat allows you to pull off the 3 full round spirit dance in 3 move actions and requires you to take prolong, which extends the spirit dance an additional 2 rounds. I am assuming this wording means that the prolong spirit dance feat adds 2 rounds to the duration of the spirit dance's benefit, not the amount of rounds required to do a spirit dance in the first place.

The addition of the two additional sheets to add to a character sheet for the tracking of information for wild shape and the spirit guide are a flat out genius move, and a great way to help sell the idea of trying out the class to someone. Clear, concise and well organized, they would be an easy addition to any character portfolio, regardless of what sheets they are currently using.

So, final thoughts and tally...I liked the class, a great deal. And I owe Mr. Radle an apology, I stated early in this review that Rick Hershey handled the art, failing to mention the Radle piece from the interior. Editorial, it is close enough to perfect to not even merit nitpicking (lol), and the presentation is beautiful. I see from End's review that bookmarks were added, so I re-downloaded my copy to check, and I still have no bookmarks. Material wise, the class abilities have some nice surprises and new favorites for me, but I did think the spirit guides were missing something, more in their variety and the theme of them than anything else. I would have liked to have seen some more specific spells for the shaman class, as well as more feats, but I'm sure someone out there *cough* Owen *cough* will do something *cough* Bullet Point *cough* about that soon...sorry, had something caught in my throat there.

OK, so balancing my issues with the animal choices for spirit guide against the new options for abilities and over all flavor of the class, as well as the lack of bookmarks, I'm going to settle on a 4 star rating.

edit- I see in the comment threads that the Paizo version has the bookmarks, so I am willing to bet this has been addressed, and am raising my rating a full .5 star, settling at a 4.5 final rating

Stopped by my local game store today and grabbed the new Bestiary Box of pawns. Was immediately impressed with the weight of it, and the satisfying sound of the bag of stands shifting around, as there was still that nagging thought of fear that they would have no new stands.

Upon opening the box, which in and of itself is gorgeously done to complement the look and feel of the original Paizo Bestiary, I found the bases were not only included, but came in a variety of sizes to better convey the "footprint" of space for each size option of monster, excellent. The full listing upon the back of the box will come in handy for folks as they continue to release future sets of pawns if folks wish to store their pawns separated by sets (yeah, I know, but I am sure there will be those who, lol).

The Huge pawns are an excellent addition to the line, and I can only hope we will eventually see a Gargantuan, with perhaps a custom base (hint hint). And much appreciation of the smaller sized pawns for those creatures that just don't measure up to medium, although I have to say they look a little funny next my goblin hoard collected from various Beginner Boxes, lol.

The artwork, as expected, is amazing. I was disappointed to find that some artwork had been re-used, not much, but a few pieces. But with the cost of art that was without a doubt a necessary evil.

In the end I am left with three small complaints, if I can even call them complaints.
1. The checklist states there are 4 kobolds, there are only 3.
2. The Brass and Copper dragons are mixed up.
3. I want blank sheets precut so that customs can be made...lol

So, taking into account how much good there is here, the mixing up of two dragons I can easily see happening, and I imagine the fourth kobold did what kobolds do...he snuck off. Am still going with a 5 star for this product, and highly recommending it to GM's and playgroups everywhere.

The Dungeon Dressing line continues with the latest offering, Pools. Taking the design reigns for this PDF is John Bennett, with a forward from Raging Swans own Creighton Broadhurst. Following the standard dual column approach with a few pieces of embedded artwork, this PDF weighs in at 13 pages. After covers,OGL,credits and forward, we are left with eight pages for the material. The PDF is also comes bookmarked, as well as the Table of Contents being fully linked as well (always a nice touch!).

If you are familiar at all with the Dressing series, feel free to skip the next few lines, otherwise my friends, pull up a spot and listen up. The Dressing line seeks to give Gms an easy to use method of fleshing out the details that help really immerse your players into settings...filled with tips and advice on the visual and physical aspects of a specific feature, this time being pools, or small bodies of water. As is the case with each offering in this line, there are d100 lists, for when you just need something fast, or on the fly. Taken alone, these lists are invaluable, and a great time saver for Gms, and here they are just a part of this entire product.

But wait, lists and tips on differing types of pools, random lists to help generate in record time...what else could this treasure of a PDF possibly have to offer you say? Well, how about traps? Yes, traps. Not all pools in a dungeon are just waiting for you to find and take advantage of, no, some of them are being used as bait by those who want to take advantage of you, lol. Two traps are detailed here, one an instant vortex pulling characters to an underground chamber where in the characters face a potential drowning. The other pulls the old “I fool you” scenario, with a modified tentacle spell used to impersonate a large aquatic monstrosity. Very cool, and a very good way to get your players to kick your cat on their way out of the door, lol.

The last section of this PDF details two magical pools with a full physical description, backstory, effects and skill checks to learn information. Of the two, one is pretty dark and evil, the other struck me as a souvenir stand of sorts...let me explain. The Necrotic Pool is a magical pool used by necromancers to aid in the creation of undead, take a guess why you don't want to be drinking this water lol. The other pool, The Pool of the Forgotten Gods literally allows your characters to “buy” a bonus within game mechanics as their characters ranging from pretty paltry to a full attribute point to be applied as they choose. Now, they can only do this once per year, and it it possible to get a pretty hefty negative if they offer up to small of an amount of wealth, and they have no mechanism to know price ranges other than experience through trial and error. But, in a group dynamic of 4-5 players, if they each take a turn upping the last guy enough (well, there's only 6 possible rewards for the offering) you could have players quickly realizing the potential of this pool. I would be very careful about allowing this pool into a campaign that also allows chronomancy on any level.

Ok, that cover everything...OK, so, those already familiar with the series, time to come back, ready? Ok, buy this. There, all you need to know. Seriously.

The one pool strikes me as exactly what it is, trade in your money, get an in game bonus, beyond that, this entire PDF is solid, and a welcome addition to anyone's library of material. So, excellent random lists, fantastic breakdown of varying pools and options, two cool traps, and one really cool magical pool, with one not so much so pool. I noticed no errors jumping out and screaming for attention, and formatting looked to be error free as well. Am going to go with a technical 4.5 as I'm just not on board with the Pool of the Forgotten Gods, but I will round up to a 5 for the purposes of these forums.

Edit- And, do not miss the free web enhancement to this PDF detailing another two pools and a trap. The reality bending K’Thug Yhton, Pool of Hungry Maws, relaxing hot spring styled Pool of the Jade Empire, and the mechanically appropriate harpoon trap. An excellent addition to this already well valued PDF awaits you on Raging Swan's website
www(dot)ragingswan(dot)com/pools.html

There is something to be said for Archetypes, they bring a sense of freshness to an all to familiar class, without changing so much that things become unrecognizable. Abandoned Arts takes a step into Archetypes with an assortment of class offerings, this one being the Wizard. With two archetypes offered in a 4 page PDF (a page and a half being dedicated to the new archetypes), we are presented with the Animist, and the Guild Scholar. So let's take a look then, shall we?

Formatted as a single column page, stepping away from the dual column approach, we open with the definition of the archetype as per the Advanced Player's Guide from Paizo. As has become a standard from this publisher, each PDF opens with a clarification of exactly what they are in fact working with, according to Paizo.

Up first is the Animist, a specialist transmutationist with a knack for animating the inanimate. Now, for those out there who have always wanted a wizard living in Disney's Beauty & the Beast castle, well, this is your archetype folks. With the ability to cast one's melee weapon from your grasp to strike upon its own before returning. A familiar literally created out of whatever object you take a fancy to, since it is an animated object (got to admit, I liked that idea a lot), that you can reshape into whatever else you might wish it to be...

Now, one might thing the Guild Scholar is simply the nerds of the arcane world...and one might be write, but let us not dismiss them quite so easily. Tied to the divination school, these folks have an interesting alternative to arcane bond, the bonded spellbook. Forcing them to carry their book everywhere to cast without a penalty, but with an infinite amount of pages, the bonded spellbook removes the fear of running out of room in one's arcane pursuits for knowledge. And then of course there is the 20th level perk, transferring one's consciousness into the bonded spellbook, becoming an intelligent magic item upon the moment of one's death....yeah OK, admit it, not bad for the nerdy guy with the book. But, before we get to such a dramatic end, there's runes and symbols to learn to write and copy, all made easier with additional archetype abilities and perks.

Once again, Abandoned Arts has shown some interesting ideas and some creative design. Would I liked to have seen the Animist get more than a half of a page? Yes. Was the archetype still represented and presented well? Yes. Am I sold on the Guild Scholar? About halfway. The bonded spellbook is awesome, and I love the Runic Immortality idea of becoming one with your spellbook...but am not as excited about the runes and symbols, nor the Researcher ability...

So, final tally, going with a 4 star for this, as the Animist is full of excellent potential for creative storytelling, and there is enough there in the Guild Scholar to intrigue me, just not entirely sell me...yet.

So, into my greedy little hands came a copy of the newest addition to the #30 series from Rite publishing, #30 Variant Dragons....let's just get something out of the way right up front, I love Dragons...period. I have loved them since childhood, and can accredit them as one of the themes that drew me to roleplaying, so there was no small amount of happiness on my part when I saw this PDF. Now, that we have that out of the way, and we all realize the pressure this innocent PDF is under to impress me and not destroy my faith in a certain breed of reptilian awesomeness...let us see what's going on with the latest #30 offering shall we?

Weighing in at 23 pages (Front cover, credits, intro and 2 Kickstarter ads) with 18 pages dedicated to introducing us to the newest variations on the draconic bloodline to join the family. Format follows the dual column with embedded artwork (all of it pretty decent, always a plus!). Of the 30 Dragons, we are given 17 pieces of art, and yes the beast on the cover is one of them internally...now, yes, there is the initial moment of letdown that all 30 of these variants are not illustrated...but let's be real here folks. We're talking about dragons here, we know what they look like, lol. The fact that we got 17 pieces of art is pretty impressive in all actuality (that is over half after all)...a few pieces you'll recognize from other books, others are still fresh enough they haven't been used often yet, but again, all of the art is good.

Those of who who have been in this hobby long enough to remember there was a D&D before 4e should recognize the author of this collection, Eric Morton. His pieces from Dragon magazine were always an excellent source of new material/rules, and I am delighted to see him releasing new material under the Rite banner.

OK, enough dancing around it, lets discuss dragons.

Our intro opens with a note from the Dragon Sage Salvatorius, a note that sets a tone for the entire book as I quickly realized, as each dragon's description is presented in first person, with the dragon themselves detailing their own description...flat out brilliant! Not only was I presented with 30 new possible variants to the standard dragons my players know so well, each came with a voice all their own, a personality that instantly had my mind forming NPC's around each...I had to stop reading to open a notepad as I found myself designing and naming as I went through the book. Such a simple thing that one wouldn't think would do much for the overall effect, and yet it very much is a powerful tool utilized properly here. Bravo! For all of my table loving friends out there the intro gives us a quick and easy breakdown of the variants, and how they relate to the Dragon Type they belong to. I won't lie, I'm not a huge Table guy, lol, but I do understand their importance, so I was happy to see this included.

With 30 variants, I am not going to go through each...so I shall touch on a handful, starting with the first offering in the book, the Bell Metal Dragon (Bronze). Attuned to the forces of life in ways most would never know, this particular dragon enjoys a symphony of sounds and experiences unlike anything the rest of us could ever hope to know. Replacing some aspects of the bronze dragon's breath weapon with a sonic effect, and an interesting reply to physical attacks in the form of a radius sonic attack (think striking a giant bell, while standing to close, lol). The description is where I fell in love with this beast though, as “listening” to him describe himself he is actually apologetic, in that he realizes in describing how he feels the vibrations of that which lesser beings are unaware he is in effect “describing a symphony to the deaf.” His penchant for impersonating a bard at great festivals only further entrenches this dragon as the type you want your players to meet, to experience. Well done Mr. Morton, and an excellent start to a collection, a great way to wet the appetite.

The Frozen Dragon (White) brings some serious street cred to the white dragon family. Possessing the elemental subtype as well as draconic, this particular nasty customer has a fascination with undead, particularly frozen undead.

From the Bog's ability to animate dead at will, to the Caldera's capacity to start and maintain earthquakes for as long as they choose, there are some seriously wicked dragons here. But fear not, my musically inclined friend was not the only offering of a not quite so violent dragon, oh no...we also have a dragon who lives below the waves simply because he finds amusement in the body shapes of aquatic creatures, and takes delight in playing pranks upon the coastal communities, tricking them into fighting over useless junk. The Feathered Dragon, ancestor to the more recognized couatls, or Electrums playing amongst the electrical storms when not entertaining guests at their floating manors. And then we have the Pyrite (Gold) dragon, an excellent reminder that alignment is far more than a scale color. These golds are far from our grandpa's gold dragon, lol.

The Hydra Dragon (Black) is exactly what you would assume in that it is a multi-headed dragon...but its intro is from the point of view of several of the heads, all talking in a manner that would suggest different personalities for each....and that is freaking awesome!

Or, how about the Petrified Dragon (Green)...so old its hide has turned to an animated stone-like consistency...measuring time on a grander scale this age old being is entwined in manipulations of the world that go way above the pay-scale of most adventurers lol. Still, a very cool concept for a mastermind character behind a massive organization, quietly pulling puppet strings and directing the characters lives through its machinations.

There are the occasional grammatical misshaps, an odd wording in a sentence, things of that nature. Some of these are minor distractions, others are downright clunky to read through.

Now, those dragons I did not touch on are in no way inferior to what I mentioned here, I simply am not going to give them all away in this review...go buy the PDF, trust me, you'll be happy. Are there some editing issues with some wording? Yes, but it is all understandable, and a quick and easy fix if the Rite camp has time on their books (Yeah, I know, time, lol). Do to the sheer awesomeness of several, and by several I mean practically all of them, of these draconic variants I am giving this book a rating of 4.5, as the design far outweighs the editing issues. I am however, rounding down to a four, as there were a lot of editing misshaps, far more than I am used to seeing in a Rite product. So, final rating is a four star for this book, and the recommendation that any lover of the big flying lizards gets their hands on this book

With the Field Guide to the Butterfrog Hugo Solis introduces us to his latest venture, the publishing company ButterFrog Studios. Right off the bat, you know the visuals are going to be phenomenal, I mean seriously, Hugo Solis...if you aren't familiar, first off, where have you been for these last few years, second, deviantart, Butterfrog, now...I'll wait, take your time, soak it in...better? all caught up? Good, let's proceed.

Now, for the freshman offering from this new imprint Mr. Solis presents us with a manual for the creatures sharing his namesake, and finally puts to rest the origin of said name. I have to admit, the cook in me had gone another route on the origin of the name, lol. Follows a dual column format with embedded imagery. Weighing in at 20 pages, with 5 of those pages going to covers, OGL and credits/TOC...as well as a one page ad for a contest to get your very own butterfrog included in the next offering from this imprint...very cool. That leaves us with 15 pages dedicated to this bizarre little creature, so lets dive in.

We open with an introduction written in first person from a Nigel Badgerthorpe, an awakened dire badger, who has been studying the butterfrog for many years. I loved the idea behind this, and would have loved to have seen more of the guide written from his perspective. Unfortunately, this intro gives us our first editing mishap, with a missing space we get the new word “awakenedsentient.”

Chapter One gives us multiple theories on the origin of the first butterfrog, including a legend reminding mortals to never betray the love of fairies, great story! Here though, I find the second editing/grammar mishap, with the usage of chose instead of choose. Here also we find an excellent parable regarding the relationship between foxes and butterfrogs...written along the lines of the frog and the scorpion parable, it carries with it an authentic feel that helps sell it very well.

The physiology of these creatures is handled very well, with the guide presenting them in a believable manner. The hiding of their wings across their carapace, the armor scaling...the fact that they are described in flight as looking like , and I quote..”a fat tailless dragonfly.” lmao...gold, absolute gold.
The butterfrog is detailed in both its alchemical/druidic value for components and such, as well as it's various effects upon its surroundings, both natural and communal. Small human communities that learn to keep their distance from local butterfrogs find that they are beneficial to have around, for a variety of reasons. And yes, even the playful fey touched froggies have a darkness, that should never be seen unless wrong is done to them. Imprisoned butterfrogs lose their coloration and joy, looking more like a moth than a butterfly, until either set free or escaping...at which point they become either a dreadfrog or gloomtoad, exacting their revenge upon those who imprisoned them.

We are even presented with a test of bravery for mortal children...the Test of Butterfrog...in which one stands amongst the horny little creatures during their mating cycle. I guess now would be a good time to mention that the butterfrog has an amazing capacity to crossbreed...and loves to test that theory with anything in can get its froggy little legs around...lol...

Five new pieces of equipment/magical items make up the bulk of chapter 2. Items like Butterfrog Dust – crafted of the poison secreted by the butterfrog, a hallucinogenic. Carapace Oil – gives an alchemical bonus to armor with a movement penalty, Feyfriend – is a powder crafted from butterfly wings that when applied to the skin makes one appear more appealing to fey. Metamorphic Gel – crafted from the slime coating of the butterfrog gives bonuses to Disguise and Stealth checks. Swimmer's Oil – gives a bonus to Swim checks, and is derived from the oils of a butterfrog's dermal glands...This would be the type of detailed breakdown that helps sell a guide on a creature...for alchemist players knowing what they can craft from any part of a creature is invaluable. Now, magic items...we have Butterfrog Berries – crafted from chemicals taken from a butterfrog caught in the grip of their mating frenzy (yeah, I'll let you all draw your own conclusion as to what chemicals these are, lol) the berries offer an armor bonus as well as two bonus feats for 1 hour. The Elixer of Resonance is a drink that enhances one's voice by extending the range and effect for auditory effects, as well as giving a bonus to underwater verbal spellcasting components. Out of all of the equipment and magic items, this would be the only one failing to tell us what part of the butterfrog is required to make the concoction though, kind of a shame of a shame as it breaks the feel, and ends up feeling clunky in comparison to the others.

A rather interesting list of known crossbreeds and variants is given after the standard butterfrog's stat block. I am hoping Mr. Holis and crew are planing on detailing each of these with art in future volumes. And for those wondering, yes, there are magical crossbreeds...frogatrice anyone? For now we are given the Rhinotoad (cross of the butterfrog and rhinoceros beetle) with a full statblock and artwork...and yes, he looks awesome. The CR is missing from the statblock for the rhinotoad, but the XP is given, so it can be deduced.

Chapter 4 covers that section I can see a lot of folks playing with, the recipe for creating your very own variant butterfrogs. Starting with a base, and presenting the different components with formulas depending upon what you are combining with the butterfrog, this chapter will walk you through the process of creating your very own little fey induced weirdness. Which is a good thing, since Butterfrog Studios is counting on you wanting to create your own variety to enter their contest. The final page covers the basics of said contest, and points you towards the website for more details. I know I'm planning on entering, these things are just to much fun not to.

Final thoughts: OK, layout - fantastic. Editing – two grammar mishaps, one statblock mistake. Am I being to harsh? No. Is it a free product? Yes. So does it matter if there are mistakes? Yes. Only way to get better is to know what you've done wrong. On the bright side, there was very little, and I mean very little wrong...I was seriously impressed. First time out the gate and that was all I saw, that's pretty good. Tallying it all up, the things I love about this PDF far outweigh the few mistakes that did not, in the end, detract from the understanding of the material. Giving this a 5 star rating, and can't wait to see what's coming next.

Monsters of Sin returns with its latest installment, Gluttony. Weighing in with 10 pages, we've got roughly half going to covers, OGL and credits/TOC, leaving of course, roughly half for the new material. Internal art is handled by Aaron J Riley and is all B&W, with the fantastic cover piece done by Cory Trego-Erdner. Format continues to follow the basic layout for a pathfinder creature entry (there really is only so much wiggle room there, lol), with the single page, single creature approach including artwork in the bottom corner of the page. Only the Embodiment spills over to a second page with its abilities descriptions. So, lets peruse Mr. Costello's offerings shall we?

First up we get the Monsters of Sin standard opener discussing sin, the purpose of this series, and defining (for the purposes of this collection) gluttony in all of its glory. As previously done, the template offering for this PDF is handled here, and I like the template this time out...I would really like to see these templates get to the point that we see some abilities added as well, but this one at least gives more than a one line write up. Both Quick rule and Rebuild rules are given, laying out the adjustments to ability scores for a Gluttonous Creature, as well as the CR adjustment.

Our first monster on the table is the Bottomless Pit, a swine headed pile of flab that is the epitome of eating machine. Able to swallow creatures up to its own body size, and graced with an insane metabolic rate, this thing will literally digest a meal in a matter of rounds. Add to that its sectioned stomach, and this thing could easily turn a goblin village into a ghost town in a matter of minutes. And, like any good sugar junkie, the more it eats, the more energy it gets...unfortunately this is where the mechanics fail the fluff for this creature, as the only thing mentioned in regards to this burst of energy is a haste effect as long as it still has a living target within its stomach. Would have been cool to see the creature perhaps gain more powerful abilities if it managed to eat X amount as combat continued, something more challenging to the playgroup than haste. And I have to say, the art really let me down on this one, as it would have been awesome to see the creature with its mouth open, to better understand where the mouth is on this thing, lol.

The Gnarljak, whereas is a cool critter is essentially an animated bear-trap...I've seen it before, several times...and I am failing to see what it has to do with gluttony. If the connection is the biting, I'm sorry, that's really stretching the concept of gluttony, as the sin is far more about the consumption than the physical act of biting, and an animated construct is not biting for personal consumption (although, this creature having some form of inter-dimensional “stomach” so that it was in fact consuming the pieces it bit off of foes would have taken this creature to that level for me). It is offered with three variants to allow you to customize your gnarljack torturing of your playgroup though, and variants are always a good thing.

Which brings us to the third creature, the Trap Bush. A goodberry producing bush that will allow any to pluck one berry per day from its branches, but only one. Able to alter its shape and uproot to attack and pursue, this creature's only downfall in my opinion was its art. The overly dark artwork just doesn't convey well for this creature in my opinion. And yes, I know, you're thinking why is this creature in a gluttony collection right? Simple, it punishes gluttons, and that's just flat out cool.

The Embodiment of Gluttony is an excellent offering, seriously, this is what I have been waiting to see from the embodiments. A large ooze that grows as it eats, and eats everything it can touch, my mind immediately went to The Blob, this thing is dangerous, its deadly, and ultimately really gross (lol) which is perfect for this sin. An enemy that continues to grow in size and danger the longer it is allowed to eat, with a starting CR of 18, what more could you ask for?

As always, a quick tie in to Midgard closes us out, this time telling us of a sheepherder in Zobeck, and a mage who was enslaved by his own appetite. Not so much to work with for a hook with the first perhaps as it is, but the hungry wizard certainly gives many a thought for hooks and seeds.

Final thoughts on this addition to the Monsters of Sin series, The embodiment was the best yet in my opinion as far as representing the sin while being a worthy challenge and interesting encounter. The template again was my favorite of the three so far offered. But the creatures, the gnarljack did not fit the theme of this PDF for me, the bottomless pit really could have used some more abilities tied to a sliding scale of “food” consumed but was otherwise an interesting creature. The trap bush was an excellent concept design wise, and I can not hold art against design, as the art issue is purely a personal choice. But, hands down, the embodiment sold me on this PDF, as it is so perfect for the sin of gluttony, and makes up for a few shortcomings elsewhere. So, balancing the pros and cons, I am going with a 3.5 for this one, rounding up to a 4 for the purposes of this forum.

Monsters of Neoexodus: Bilecrawler from LPJ weighs in at 9 pages, with 1 page going to cover, 1 for OGL, 2 pages of tokens, and 3 pages for tracking sheets. That leaves us 2 pages to cover two variations of the bilecrawler creature. The artwork (used for the cover and within, as well as a cropped version for the tokens) shows us what might happen if a slug and an earthworm ever got left alone with a Barry White cd and a bottle of red wine. Format follows the standard dual column approach, with editing having a few hiccups in sentence structure or wording, nothing so far off base you can't figure out the meaning, just reads awkward in a few spots.

So, the bilecrawler, a CR3 creature, with a nasty acid attack (it spews it at ya, lol), is essentially a rather large worm with teeth, doing exactly what you would assume a big worm would be doing, digging. Equipped with tremorsense, these subterranean eating machines tend to go for the element of surprise, typically only fighting long enough to secure a meal before vacating.

Presented with a more aggressive variant, the vilecrawler, at CR5, you get two creatures for the price of one. Tending to be larger, and more willing to fight past securing a meal, the vilecrawler is far more dangerous than its smaller, more docile cousin.

With fluff continuously mentioning setting specific information, it is apparent this creature was designed for the Neoexodus setting, but is easily portable to any setting a GM would wish to use them in. As mentioned the product comes with two pages of tokens, one sized for both variants. Not being a fan of token, I really would have preferred to see a paper mini option here, but that's a coin toss and you can't please everyone, lol.

The remaining three pages struck me as odd, as they have nothing to do with the product, and I came to the conclusion that they are there for two purposes, one to bulk up the PDF, and two to put a sample of the style of sheets LPJ has to offer into the hands of potential customers. What do I mean by sheets? Well, there are two pages of mini character sheets, with four per page, that could prove useful to a GM still tracking groups and NPCs via paper means, I can easily see these used similar to index cards in that respect, or kept as full pages, and stored by campaign to help track NPCs. The final page is a combat/initiative tracker, with sections for Pcs/NPCs/Conditions and spells, as well as notes.

So, final thoughts. To be honest, the combat initiative tracker was probably my favorite part of the entire PDF. Not to say the bilecrawler wasn't a well designed creature, it just wasn't all that interesting. It didn't strike me truly original or groundbreaking, there are plenty of worms with teeth crawling around within fantasy settings, it takes more than some acid spit to set yourself apart from the crowd. Mechanics appear to be good, and the creature is usable as is, with pretty good support art, so I will go with a 3 star rating for this one.

As always, with the arrival of a new Kobold Quarterly, we are in for a plethora of new RPG goodness. Our summer issue does not fail to deliver on this front, with articles touching on a handful of game systems as usual. This issue weighs in at 84 pages, and honestly, I'm not sure of the ad count this time around, lol. I know that there's a good balance, as flipping through it, and then reading through it felt balanced, not to many ads as to become crowded, but not so few that I wasn't aware of cool new things coming and companies I might want to go check out. The cover this time around is a Craig J. Spearing piece, and frankly is screaming to be turned into wallpaper on my system (hint hint)...hopefully one of these days the Kobolds decide to grace us with a PDF of cover artwork, as several of their covers have been amongst some of the greatest pieces of cover art, ever.

Wolfgang starts the ball rolling with his intro, covering the current state of role playing, and the state of flux that has been created with several different game systems all becoming more “mainstream”. And no, I don't mean that in a bad way, at all. I'm thrilled to see more game systems rising towards the top in popularity, as it means more game play, and better more broad articles to mine for ideas, for in the end, that's one of the coolest things about KQ, the articles written for the various game systems, as all of them bring great ideas to the table, for all game systems.

This issue will bring you articles for AGE and 13th Age, Castles & Crusades and 4e, as well as Pathfinder (with an article by Wes Schneider), as well as the system neutral articles designed specifically for everyone's usage.

First article on the table is for the Pathfinder setting, and details (and I do mean details, lol) Barbatos, the Gatekeeper of Golarion's Hells. Now, this article caught me for a few reasons, not the least of which was the full name of this demon. By declaring him the gatekeeper of Golarion's Hells, and this article being written by Paizo's own Mr. Schneider, is this cannon? Is this sanctioned Paizo? As that puts a big smile on my face folks. Of course, if I am wrong in my understanding of this, ah well, I guy can hope, lol. Now, the article itself, 5 1/2 pages of everything one would ever need to utilize Barbatos, his realm, his personifications, the names by which he goes, his minions and servants, oh the sheer amount of evilness that is here...and the art piece, folks, the art portraying this dude is flat out amazing, and I would love to see a full screen image of this sans text...oh someday the Kobolds will hear my plea and give unto us a PDF of art filled goodness...lol

4e takes center stage for the following article, with a focus on Dragonkin, the Mhraoti Empire's Legions. Offering up the Midgard dragonkin as an alternative to the 4e dragonborn with racial traits and options, this article is accompanied by artwork from Russ Nicholson. The art is of a slightly cartoonish slant, but works, the second piece being far superior to the first.

Anyone familiar with Open Designs knows of the Midgard setting, and knows of the patronage projects that are a steady source of fantastic product from this great publisher. Journeys to the West is one of these patronage projects, currently under works for the Pathfinder system I do believe. But here, to show some love to the Castle & Crusades crowd, Christina Stiles w/ Ben McFarland give us a look behind the curtain with a preview of a few creatures presented under C&C rules. If these offerings are any where near the standard for this project, this is indeed going to be on amazing collection of awesomeness when it releases.

Bringing a very interesting archetype concept to the table, David Schwartz offers up the Blood Brother Rogue, an archetype for two. Two players, committed to paring their characters via storyline and game mechanics, giving an in game technique for handling those friendships that go beyond simple drinking buddies, and venture into the realm of being able to do what no one single person can on their own. Replacing rogue talents with team talents, the archetype supplies a talent list more suited for a tandem team, with such offerings as Good Cop, Bad Cop and Tag Team. An interesting archetype, with a great deal of potential if put in the hands of the right type of players.

Monte Cook brings us another Game Theories article, this time addressing the GM's influence on character. Doing what he seems to do best recently, Monte again stirs the pot with yet another viewpoint that I am sure will spark a few debates and arguments, lol. This time around he is addressing the fact that a developed character tends to be far more interesting than a created character, regardless of system, and I for one agree with him. Well written, and thought provoking as always, agree with him or not, still a great read.

Rob Heinsoo introduces us to 13th Age not with the typical “Hey everyone, look at how cool we are and what we're doing that's so much better!”...and I am beyond thrilled. See, far to many companies make that mistake, they try to get our attention by waving their arms in the air and telling us how cool they are. Rob didn't do that here, heck he even pokes some fun at those who do. No, what he does is present an interesting mechanic from 13th Age, the Escalation Die. Stripped down to bare basics, its a 6d that you turn every round of combat (starting with the 2nd) to show a bonus to the playgroup for that round. Reason? Simple, dramatic story progression, more epic battles, and a closer to how we all picture those battles being...hero's rallying as the fight goes on to win big and battle back from the brink type of thing. Very simplistic mechanic to introduce into any rule system (yes, he covers this, lol), and one I think I will be trying myself at my next game session. For such a simple idea, this is the type of thing that can drastically change the landscape of a game night, and I love ideas of this nature.

Charles Lee Carrier and Nicholas Milasich hit Pathfinder elven archers with a slew of new spells, 20 to be exact, ranging from first to fourth level. I'm not going to go to deep into them here other than to say there are some gems in here, but one I have to cover, because that little kid in me demands it, is the first one up. Conjure Energy Arrows so screams for all of us who grew up watching a certain cartoon with a particular group of kids with a tiny unicorn. It may not be exactly the same, but it was the first thing that came to mind when I read it, and that brought a smile to my face. And in the end, is that not what good design is supposed to do? Bring us happiness?

This installment of Howling Tower sees Steve Winter tackling the age old topic of TPK. Giving some excellent advice on how to navigate these potential campaign killers, and tips on salvaging without losing face, or direction, this is an excellent read for every GM out there, regardless of system they play under.

Rodrigo Garcia Carmona brings us some Black Powder options for the AGE system with the arquebus, musket and pistol. Presenting not only the basic mechanics and crunch required, the article also introduces a few new magical items, one of which I will be converting for my PF campaign as the story idea behind them is fantastic.

A sit-down with Jason Bulmahn gives as a Q&A session with this lead designer, and proves to be a very interesting read as far as giving us a look into the mind behind his creativity. Jeremey L.C.Jones steers the train for this interview, and gets us some answers into the design process, why Jason is an RPGer, and several other topics.

Jeff Ibach gives us a solid article on the topic of interrogation for both the 4e and Pathfinder systems, complete with a breakdown of what skills would be useful, how to utilize them. He covers alignments, and what tactics they may use, or at least be comfortable with, as well as giving full randomized lists for results of questioning. One article I will certainly be printing out and adding to my game folder, an excellent tool, and one I was surprised to find tucked within KQ, as it would have required very little work to have been developed into a product that could have been released as it's own PDF for a few bucks. Well done!

John E. Ling Jr. gives Pathfinder players 15 new magical rings of a dwarven nature. Throughout the fluff of several of these rings there are various mentions that make it obvious that they were designed for the Midgard setting, as references to setting specific fluff are dispersed throughout. But, fluff is fluff, and does not in anyway detract from these rings working in any setting or campaign that you might wish to use them in.

Will Doyle serves up The Scaled Steamhall for 4e, a decadent bathhouse and hatchery for a dragon cavalry. With descriptive text that makes you want to literally visit this locale, Mr. Doyle does an amazing job of bringing the imagery, with Stacey Allan's old school cartography bringing it all together.

A section of book reviews covering such titles as Star Wars Scourge, A Hero for Wondla and Crucible of Gold covers the next section of the magazine, with reviewers William Banks, Shelly Baur and Pierce Watters featured.

Alex Greenshields handles the Pathfinder Society Guide to Varisia, with Rob Lazzaretti's cartography accompanying the article. A great into to many areas within the Varisian lands, and a great jumping off point for Society players. Best part would be the two included traits for Society players (yes, I'm willing to bet GM's would allow them at unsanctioned tables also, lol).

Wolfgang himself closes us out with the article The Void of Veles, addressing the heavens above and beyond Midgard, and a few of the things one might expect to encounter if they were to adventure there. With just enough fluff to entice, and inspire one to read a campaign sourcebook a little closer, this article teases, while still satisfying, and those sometimes are the best type of articles to come across.

All in all, the Kobolds have done what they always do best, and that is impress the heck out of anyone who picks up a copy. With each issue they prove why they are at the forefront and this magazine is considered the heir apparent. I can give this no less than a solid 5 star rating, and with confidence state this issue is well worth the price of admission.

Class Acts: Barbarians follows the standard 4 page, dual column, simple visuals that are quickly becoming the signature of Abandoned Arts. Opening with their standard explanation of what the theme being covered within this PDF is defined as according to Paizo, we're diving into Rage Powers this time out, 32 new ones to be exact...so let us take a look and see.

OK, Bash Aside has all the flavor of bringing your uber tough guy to a new level by allowing you to literally smack away attacks, even bare handed...and I was good with it, as much as I saw the potential for abuse, right up to the line where you can even bash aside rays and spells...really? Sorry, not at my game table, ever.

Feral Gait will have you running like an ape, knuckles to the ground...in conjunction with the swift foot rage power, this feat will double the speed bonuses granted by the power while raging...am not entirely sold on this, I've seen apes run on all fours...it's a lumbering, awkward thing, and not something that instills thoughts of greater speed in me.

Is That All You've Got? lets you slip in an intimidate check for demoralizing purposes after an enemy scores a crit, or you fail a save against a spell...now, as cool as this sounds, nowhere in here do I see anything in regards to you ignoring the effects of said critical hit, or the spell you failed to save against...how intimidating is the guy who just got thumped? Perhaps if this allowed you to shrug off the effect of the hit/spell, then the concept of this bringing about an intimidate check would make more sense.

Amongst the remaining rage powers are reskinned feats, bland +x -y powers, and at least a few more head scratchers...like Fearmonger, a rage power ties to Cha, and the presence/usage of magical items of a specific descriptor (neither of which were properly formatted)...not only does this not feel like a rage power, in anyway at all, this doesn't even feel like it was written for the barbarian class. Pulverize will never see my game table, as there are so many holes in the concept, any character with a DR renders this rage power useless, and for those without, a coup de grace works so much better. Which brings me to Slaughter, that rage power every GM will be wanting to give their NPC barbarians. Drop an opponent to -1, get the coup de grace as an immediate action...watch your players kick your cat on their way out the door...yup, good times.

Now, they're not all bad, there were a few that caught my eye, like Relentless Assault, which turns the movement from the No Escape rage power into a charge attack. Or Toss Aside which allows you to substitute a reposition combat maneuver for a melee attack, while still doing damage.

Now, the Totem Rage Powers...there are six, dealing with two totems, Panther and Wave...and I won't lie, I could not get on board with Panther, at all. The first of the panther totem powers allows for the stealth skill while raging, which to me, defies the very nature of what raging is. Raging is not control, it is not patience, it is blind physical fury. Now, that is my opinion, but it is what it is, and kept me from being able to even mildly accept the panther totem powers, as they did not, in anyway at all, feel like rage powers to me. Now, other side of that coin, the Wave Totem powers, loved them. The first one is odd, and almost totally useless for a landlocked barbarian, and I would love to see it replaced with something that lives up to the remaining two. Crash gives you a blast of water, expelled from your mouth (very cool!) and Crush allows you to infuse the force of a tidal wave into a melee attack, giving additional dmg dice (nonlethal) to the attack, as well as adding the effects of the hydraulic push spell to your target.

Final thoughts on this product...out of the PDFs I have reviewed for Abandoned Arts, this is easily their lowest offering. Far to few highlights to earn more than a low rating. But, at its price, there are still enough usable powers, Wave Totem for example, that this might be worth picking up. I can not however give this more than a 2 star rating, as the majority of these powers either felt wrong for this class, bland, broken, or poorly designed.