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Advanced Options: Patron Hexes
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 12/10/2019 15:59:53

6 pages of 25+ hexes baed on the Witch's patrons. No specific patron is given, which is good, these are more generic (read as "flexible") in nature. They all seem great and the handful I have used in play have worked out well. Really helps add some new flavor to the witch class.

If you play a witch and have one of the patrons mentioned in the product listing then this is a must have. If you have a lot of witches (like me) then this is an essential product.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Advanced Options: Patron Hexes
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The Genius Guide to the Death Mage
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 12/10/2019 15:01:07

Remember the old Death Master by Len Lakofka in Dragon Magazine? Well Owen K.C. Steven does! And this 20 level class for Pathfinder "feels" like that class, but it is own thing.

This class is a stand-alone class (like most of the Pathfinder classes) complete with new powers and spells over 14 pages. In truth it is a lot of fun. The author compares it to necromancer wizrds, death priests and undead-bloodline sorcerers, and how it is different. A better comparison is to druids. But where druid is dedicated to life, the Death Mage is dedicated to death and spirits of the dead.

There are five "Sub-types" of Death Mages presented. Corpse Mages, Ghoul Mages, Tomb Mages, Reaper Mages, and Shadow Mages.

There are 11 new spells. I think an opprotunity was missed here to have 13 spells.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Genius Guide to the Death Mage
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Starfarer's Arsenal: Laser Grenades
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 12/06/2019 05:02:19

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Starfarer’s Arsenal-series clocks in at 6 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page advertisement, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 2 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

What’s more awesome than blowing foes up with grenades? Laser grenades!

This pdf introduces 4 types of laser grenade: Excimer laser grenades cause targets that fail their saving throw vs. explode to also burn; discs are easier to throw; x-ray grenade ignore cover from objects with hardness 21 or more or force effects, and also cause burn – but pay for that by causing less damage. Pulse grenades have the new pulse weapon feature – which must always be paired with explode. It does damage immediately, and again at the end of your next turn – you can turn the second pulse off, if you choose to…and picking it up might allow capable Engineering-savvy characters to prevent the secondary pulse.

There is one grenade for every one of the 20 item levels, with three types of x-ray laser grenades, 4 types of excimer and pulse grenades, and 5 regular types of laser grenade.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres toRogue Genius Games’ two-column full-color standard for the series, and the artwork depicting the laser grenade? Love it. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none.

Owen K.C. Stephens delivers big time here – I mean, come on, the concept of laser grenades might not be scientifically-viable, but for a science-fantasy game like Starfinder? For that, it’s pitch-perfect and oozes coolness. The design of the grenades regarding prices, damage caused, etc. is meticulous, and pulsing grenades? Great addition that can really lead to tense scenes. Considering the low price point, this pdf delivers more than I dared hope for from it. 5 stars + seal of approval – highly recommended for any Starfinder game!

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Starfarer's Arsenal: Laser Grenades
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Star Log.EM-073: Formwarp Spells
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 12/04/2019 11:20:47

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Star Log.EM-series clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This pdf contains 2 spells, both of which exist for levels 1-6, with both spells available at all spell levels for mystic and technomancer. They also feature the (formwarp) descriptor, which is concisely-defined herein in its interaction with e.g. polymorph effects.

Both of the spells cam be cast as a standard action; formwarp has a close range and targets one creature, while transmute body has a target of personal. Both last for 1 min/level and are dismissible. Formwarp has an interesting and rather complex structure: It has formwarp lists for each level and then provides subheaders that also denote the systems they modify: Take e.g. climber’s soles: At 1st level, we have climbing speed 20 ft., or + 10 ft. enhancement bonus climbing speed. At 6th spell level, we have a climb “peed”[sic!] of 70 feet, or +60 ft.-enhancement bonus to climbing speed, as well as allowing for the climbing of perfectly smooth surfaces. At 3rd level, you don’t have to use your hands to climb, for example. Each level has something unique going on. Take digitigrades locomotion: Jet Dash, run as a move action, withdraw as a move action (balanced by becoming flat-footed and off-target)…these bonuses offer SERIOUS and important tactical benefits, while retaining the balancing of the game. Gaining blindsight and variations of blindsense, gaining additional arms, natural weapons…what about quicker drawing of multiple items? Or piscine transmutations? This spell is a mighty engine and it certainly can change tactics in a unique manner.

Transmute body is frickin’ brutal – it makes you choose one type of energy or matter, with matter providing the more significant damage output of e.g. the modified unarmed damage inflicted. Each choice has different resistances/DRs and additional qualities/weaknesses. Matter provides scaling fortification. If energy is chosen instead, the character becomes incorporeal, which is one of the by far best defensive options in SFRPG – as soon as first level! Granted, the individual forms do have weaknesses, but getting incorporeal at the lowest level is imho too strong – going the route of partial incorporeity, with scaling and minor versions of the defenses increasing at higher levels, might have been the better call. A further nitpick with this spell would be that the damage types of the respective attacks granted are not classified. While it is obvious what damage electricity forms will inflict, the same can’t necessarily be said about radiant and shadow forms – while Starfinder does have suitable damage types here, having them spelled out would have been a big convenience boost – and prevent RAW-discussions. On the plus side, while not perfect, we do get two new universal monster rules, namely absorb and spines, adding to the game. And while I am not happy with low-level incorporeity, I don’t think that the spell as such will break the game. My balance-concern, particularly for incorporeal forms at low levels, though, remains.

Finally, the introduction page contains 3 feats: If you can cast the 1st-level version of formwarp, you’re eligible to take Formwarp Knowledge, which lets you choose four additional formwarps for each spell level of the formwarp spell you have. Body Transmutation Knowledge requires that you be able to cast transmute body at 1st level, which lets you choose four additional energy or matter forms for each spell level of transmute body. Formwarp Adept lets you change formwarp spells targeting yourself as a standard action, switching the current formwarp to another of an equal level or less. Nice!

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are good on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and the pdf sports a nice full-color artwork. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at its length.

Alexander Augunas presents two mighty spell-engines here, both of which are very interesting and broad in their applications. Both are tough cookies to design, and should enrich most games; while personally, I’ll use a formula akin to how the gradual increase of fortification behaves for transmute body’s matter forms to nerf the incorporeity components of the spell, I still very much like this supplement. Lower-powered groups might want to beware of the unmodified version of the second spell…and yet, I can’t help but admire the complexity of the material, its ambition and how well it is, ultimately executed considering that. That, and I always prefer ambition and daring with minor flaws over boring and safe cookie-cutter files that execute their blandness properly. This pdf is many things, but “boring” or “simple” are certainly two things that this is not, which is why my final verdict will clock in at 4 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Star Log.EM-073: Formwarp Spells
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Pop Culture Catalog: Alcoholic Drinks
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/25/2019 05:37:09

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Pop Culture Catalog-series clocks in at 17 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 13 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

As always, we begin this supplement with an explanation of the fandom rules that serve as a backbone for the series – and since I’ve already covered a few of these, I won’t recap them right now.

We begin with 8 fully fleshed out alcohol producer brands you can find in the Xa-Osoro system – as always, these have excellent full-color logos (!!) for each company provided – and while I usually try to provide some nods on the clever twists of the real world companies that acted as inspiration for these, being German, I feel I’m not too familiar with the inspirations behind these companies this time around. That being said, even without this meta-angle, I found myself enjoying what’s here, so let me take you on a brief tour, shall we? The Barrelchest clan (dwarves, obviously) is an old-school dwarven operation – costly (x2.5 price modifier), but the council-run brewery is old-school and dedicated to classic recipes – as a Franconian, I can get behind old-school beer executed well. Fans of this company are known among dwarves for their excellent taste, gaining a +3 insight bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy, and cool: Ingesting the brew enhances Athletics and initiative in a manner that scales for fans, keeping the benefit relevant at higher levels. If the Barrelchests represent traditional beer craftsmanship, Xiks-Zavin is more of a mega-brewery – kobold-run, it is famed for its Heirlag signature brew, and you can get it anywhere, with the fandom benefit helping further with Diplomacy.

Prefer wine? The Goldenbrooke winery is run by elves, with the matriarch establishing the brand as something for the elite (price modifier x3), and as such, fans have an easier time passing as a being of high social class. The Vixen baijiu and sake brewery is, unsurprisingly, run by kitsune, and fans will have an easier time dealing with Culture checks pertaining to races like vanara, kitsune, etc., and have an easier time changing their attitudes.

Minos Imbroglio would be a whiskey distillery (price x2) for the thinking man, fans gaining benefits to trying to solve complex puzzles and conundrums. Robogogo is less pricey (price modifier x1.5) and is a mechanoi-run combination brewery distillery – which features nanites that allow synthetic consumers to get drunk via scripts! And yes, organic life also can experience that. This is a cool concept, and synthetic life benefits further from being a fan here- Cheaper still, the combination brewery/distillery Uncle Uglee’s focuses on quick and cheap booze, but is also a storied company, which helps fans deal with gnolls. Finally, there would be the expensive (x2.5 price modifier) Rotgut company – a vrutloggery. What’s that, you ask? Well, know how vesk are pretty much carnivores? Picture adding yeast to caramelized meat, and making thus alcohol from the controlled rotted meat. This might sound weird, but to me, this sounds at least interesting…but then again, I’m a weirdo and love me some Bamberg smoked beer, which tastes pretty much like liquid bacon crossed with beer. Fans will benefit from imbibing by having their melee and thrown weapon capabilities enhanced.

And yes, the fandom perks essentially all add benefits to imbibing the respective brew, but what about the brews? Well, know how the excellent installment on Vice Dens (which you SHOULD own!) has introduced a scaling drug engine that allows a given item to increase over the item levels, instead of being fixed on a single item level? Guess what? This system is employed here as well, and we not only get one or two different drinks – unless I’ve miscounted, 35 (!!) drinks are included, and range from three whiskey types to different baijius. Ale hydrates you and fortifies vs. emotion effects, while beer helps you with contest skill challenges; lichbrew beer is alcohol for the undead and nets you scaling SR, while dwarven stout provides temporary DR 5/- against nonlethal damage. Regular stouts help with Strength- and Dexterity-based skill challenge checks. Interesting: Several of these also bestow their benefits upon certain intoxication stages, for example cider, which nets you bonuses when weakened or further along the track. Speaking of intoxication: There is a cool sidebar that does explain how intoxication can be thought of and represented in Starfinder.

Horilka fortifies against negative emotions and makes you susceptible to merriment; not all are helpful, though: Jamboozal juice is cheap, and gets you drunk fast – essentially a fruit-based moonshine. Mind-eraser liqueur can fortify you against mind-affecting effects, and mescal helps against fear – and helps with atk and skill checks if you’re sufficiently inebriated. Skittermander skitterseq is cool: If you’re far enough along the poison track, you’re under haste. Get that. Haste. That spell and being drunk? I’d so love to see the hilarious outcomes of that combination in real life…the Nova Age can’t come soon enough. And yes, I am just giving you a general overview of these cool brews!

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no serious glitches on a formal or rules-language level. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and the original full-color artworks are really nice. The pdf comes fully bookmarked in spite of its brevity.

Alexander Augunas’ delivers big time in this amazing installment; the drinks are amazing, their benefits balanced and yet tangible – and surprisingly differentiated. I was seriously enjoying reading this humble pdf, and after the great Vice Den-file, this represents a must-own expansion to the subject matter. I mean, while we should all drink responsibly, the same doesn’t hold true for our characters, right? With plausible effects for mundane alcohol and brews breathing the spirit of science-fantasy side by side, this pdf is a resounding success. 5 stars + seal of approval, and this shares the Vice Den-files’ status as a candidate for my Top Ten of 2019; the combination of those two? Gold.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Pop Culture Catalog: Alcoholic Drinks
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The Genius Guide to MORE Simple Class Templates for Monsters
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/08/2019 14:20:21

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This pdf clocks in at 23 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 19 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

So, applying class levels to monsters is often not a valid or smart move n the CR-system, as e.g. slapping a single wizard level on a CR 19 critter will contribute nothing to the build. The first of these genius guides remedied that for a plethora of classes, and this one follows that lead, this time around covering the Occult Adventures classes and the Vigilante. Since these classes have more complex systems, the abilities often work differently than for the class. Spellcasting only allows for the casting of the three highest spell levels it would have access to based on HD, though lower level spells may be spontaneously and optionally added, taking some build-load of the GM. The templates are often based on an ability score, and as such, a global guidelines is that a minimum ability score for an efficient critter should be around CR +9.

Each of the templates features quick rules and rebuild rules, and each of the templates features a sample creature. Kineticist creatures have CR +3 if below 10 HD, +4 CR if it has 10 or more HD, and use Constitution, unsurprisingly, as key ability modifier, and Burn is ignored, with infusions instead using daily limits – which makes sense for playability’s sake. The sample creature is a star here – we get a kineticist plague locust swarm! These sample critters also come with read-aloud text, and full-color artworks by Jacob Blackmon – nice!

The medium template (CR +1; +2 for 6+ HD, +3 for 10+ HD) ignores influence penalties and taboos, instead opting once more for a daily use cap; spellcasting is allocated properly, and the sample creature is the patchwork soul, an awakened flesh golem who can recall being other people – which is a genuinely cool angle! The Occultist creature has the same thresholds that determine CR-increases, and features a spell slot table. Not a fan: Resonant powers are ignored. I get why, seeing how mental focus is gone and focus powers are treated as daily use options, but yeah – the loss of resonant powers is sad. The sample creature here is btw. an occultist-v tooth fairy – aka cryptodontist. Easily one of the most twisted critters I’ve seen below CR 1!

Mesmerist creatures get +2 or +3 CR (with 9 HD being the dividing line), and a handy spells known table; the sample creature here is the baleful reflection, a CR 4 mesmerist soulsliver that may not be tough, but in the hands of a smart GM, can be a rather deadly adversary. Bold stare improvements are tied to HD, and mesmerist tricks are simplified to daily uses. Psychic creatures have their thresholds for CR-increases at 8 and 14 HD, respectively, and flat out uses Intelligence for discipline powers; phrenic pool points are gone, replaced with daily uses where appropriate. The sample creature here would be…a psychic velociraptor! Cool! Bu wait! We actually get more! We also get the cool psychic flumph from the cover! Yep, two builds! Nice!

The spiritualist gets a flat roaming range for the phantom and a small number of spells, with the HD thresholds to determine increased CRs once more being 6 and 10, respectively. The build here would be the gearghost-based “Ghost in the Machine”, which, with its phantom, can potentially wipe experienced parties – the build is pretty darn clever, and, when played correctly, will properly challenge a party. Kudos! (Yes, abbreviated phantom-stats are provided).

The vigilante creature, finally, can have its CR increase by +2 or +3, with 10 HD being the threshold; with slightly less moving parts than the other templates, this one allows for a pretty seamless integration that will make it very hard even for the most experienced of players to discern that the creature is not built via class features, regarding its overall capabilities, of course. The sample creature here, funnily, would be a vigilante unicorn!

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good on a rules language and formal level – I reverse-engineered the crunch for a couple of builds, and in these cases, the material checked out – kudos! Layout adheres to the 2-column full-color standard of the series (the one without the huge margins, mind you), and we get quite a lot of crunch here. The full-color artworks contributed for all sample creatures adds to the pdf. The pdf is also fully bookmarked with nested bookmarks.

This felt familiar. A quick glance at the credits told me why: The Faces of the Tarnished Souk-dreamteam of Matt Banach as author and Justin Sluder as developer once more reunites here, and presents us with genuinely challenging and exciting builds; I’d go so far as to claim that this pdf is worth getting for these sample creatures, even if you don’t have any interest in the tables! The creatures are creative, and the templates do what they’re supposed to – they allow you to quickly add class-specific angle to creatures without drowning you in minutiae. Love it! 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Genius Guide to MORE Simple Class Templates for Monsters
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5e Menagerie: Trash Griffon
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/07/2019 12:28:40

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This mini-pdf clocks in at 4 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, leaving us with 2 pages of content.

One of these pages is devoted to a one-page iteration of the nice full-color artwork, while the other contains the rules-relevant material and background.

In 5e, Trash Gryphons are challenge 0 Tiny monstrosities that actually are a variety of different entities that combine the traits of mammals and birds; the most commonly-known one is raven/raccoon, but pigeon/rat or jay-squirrel hybrids exist as well. An alternate ability that lets them use skunk musk is provided. Good news: the statblock of the 5e-version works, though the features like Keen Sight are only bolded, and not both bolded and italicized, as they should be.

As noted before, there is an alternate creature feature that allows for the use of skunk-like musk spray that may temporarily incapacitate those sprayed; however, it is not perfect: It specifies that immunity to poison makes you automatically succeed on the saving throw. Okay, does that mean the poisoned condition, poison damage, both? This needs clarification.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are okay on a formal and rules level. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and the artwork is cool. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

The 5e-version of the trash gryphons penned by Jacob Blackmon and Margherita Tramontano is better than the flawed PFRPG-iteration. It’s not necessarily an impressive critter, but it’s an okay little file for a low price point. If the notion sounds interesting to you, this may be worth checking out. My final verdict will be 2.5 stars, rounded up.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
5e Menagerie: Trash Griffon
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Monster Menagerie: Trash Griffon
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/07/2019 12:26:48

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This mini-pdf clocks in at 4 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, leaving us with 2 pages of content.

One of these pages is devoted to a one-page iteration of the nice full-color artwork, while the other contains the rules-relevant material and background.

Trash Gryphons are CR ½ Tiny magical beasts that actually are a variety of different entities that combine the traits of mammals and birds; the most commonly-known one is raven/raccoon, but pigeon/rat or jay-squirrel hybrids exist as well. An alternate ability that lets them use a skunk musk is provided. The statblock isn’t perfect and lacks e.g. flight maneuverability and has a few minor snafus in the math, which is jarring at low CRs and such a minor stat complexity.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are good on a formal level, but on a rules-language level, there are more glitches in this simple critter than I am comfortable with. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and the artwork is cool. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

I’m sorry to say, but the trash gryphons by Jacob Blackmon and Margherita Tramontano fall short – I like the concept, but with hiccups in such a simple critter and not much offered beyond the basics, and we’re left with a flawed little pdf. I can’t go higher than 2 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Monster Menagerie: Trash Griffon
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Occult Skill Guide: Sizechanging Rules
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/30/2019 14:00:36

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This super-sized Occult Skill Guide clocks in at 45 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page introduction, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 40 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This was moved up in my reviewing queue at my patreon supporter’s request, and because Halloween is approaching, and because its themes are relevant for Christmas (and all other holidays celebrated that time of the year…) as well…and finally, because it’s something I wanted in my Starfinder game – so, do these rules work, and how does the book work?

Okay, we believe with something that Starfinder threw out with the bath water, in a manner of speaking – size modifier rules. While I get the decision behind getting rid of that aspect of Pathfinder’s rules (which famously has two such modifiers), the result further adds to the sometimes a bit artificial feel that Starfinder critters can have. As written, the NPC creation rules simply do not account for different sizes, and though we expect a hippopotamus to be stronger than, say, a coyote, this is not necessarily true in the context of Starfinder’s monster/NPC-creation rules.

As such, the pdf begins with a couple of base rules, and it should be noted that, for the purpose of all further material herein, Small and Medium are treated as the SAME size category. The reasoning is obvious – to prevent disadvantages for Small player races. If you are MUCH smaller (4 size categories) than your opponent, you’ll have an easier time avoiding effects. If an effect from such a source has a partial effect on a successful saving throw, you instead avoid it entirely – essentially an evasion that applies to all saves. Conversely, if you are 4 or more size categories taller than your opponent, and are targeted by an effect that has partial effects on a successful saving throw, you instead take the partial effect on a failed save. What on a successful save? That depends on the context, I guess, but overall, this simple chassis represents an immediate improvement as far as I’m concerned. Why? Think about planes circling King Kong, Godzilla atomic breath-ing at teeny-tiny figures…this lets you play a more cinematic game, one where size matters.

Bulk is covered as well – you take into account the size of its intended user, with x8 per size category above yours, and sensible scaling for items of smaller sizes – essentially, using a space titan’s blaster pistol will be somewhat challenging; a survival knife for a Huge creature would weigh 8 bulk, as the progression is light-1-8. Smaller items follow the same calculation, just with 1/8 being the factor. And in case you’re wondering: Examples illustrate the rounding process etc. – The author’s background in teaching is readily apparent, as the material is easy to comprehend.

Next up are combat maneuvers. Do you consider it stupid that a tiny figure can suplex Galactus? Well, attempting combat maneuvers versus targets that are 3+ size categories larger fail automatically. Additionally, sunder is modified based on the size of the target. REALLY cool: With harrying fire, you can make allies count as larger! This adds teamwork and a tactical dimension to the fights. Now, ginormous creatures can obviously provide cover – this is determined by the elegant cover value mechanic: 1 + the number of size categories the creature is smaller than you, minus the number of size categories the source of the effect is. A handy table lists the cover values, just fyi.

Difficult terrain may also be ignored by creatures of sufficient size; enemies that are four or more size categories larger than you may not be flanked. Creatures with a space of less than1 foot can’t take guarded steps, as those are linked to space. Size modifiers are dynamic in this engine, and are equal to the difference in size between yourself and the creature/object you act against. If the target is larger than you, you apply the size modifier as a penalty to attack rolls, if the target is smaller, it is applied as a bonus. This might seem counterintuitive at first glance, but consider that Starfinder’s attack roll represents hitting the target in a way that actually, you know, causes damage. And this might well be harder for ginormous critters.

When you make a combat maneuver that is not dirty trick or the frickin’ amazing scale maneuver (Advanced Skill Guide, oh boy should that one have been core…): Other maneuvers, if the target is larger, apply the size modifier as a penalty, as a bonus if the target is smaller. When you deal damage to an opponent, the size modifier applies as a reduction if the target is at least one size category larger than you, as a bonus if the target is smaller. This is not multiplied on a critical hit. The size modifier also applies to saving throw DCs. Regarding Perception, larger critters are obviously easier to spot, but Strength-related checks obviously benefit from being larger. Other rolls are also covered, and the pdf provides rules for swallowing targets. But wait…isn’t there already a swallow whole universal creature rule? Yes, and the rules presented herein are essentially the lite version of that one – and while funny, it’s pretty darn risky to swallow targets if your biology isn’t made for it. Still, the inclusion here? Cool!

Now, remember, while these rules all are intended to work in conjunction with each other, they are presented in a manner that allows you to cherry-pick components to suit the degree of simulation you prefer in your game. Just want attacks, saving throws and DCs to matter? Include just those. Want magic and AoE attacks to be the grand leveler of sizes? You can do that. The modular nature of the rules presented here is really appreciated.

Of course, there is a simple and practical issue at the very foundation of size modification, and that would be the grid. And oh BOY is that one useful. Handy tables and precise explanations allow you to swiftly deduce the size of effects on e.g. a Tiny grid, when your PCs have been shrunk down, or on a colossal one, when they are having a martial battle with a kaiju.

Speaking of which, there is something that fans of Everybody Games will be familiar with – the introduction of Supercolossal creatures, including the super beneficent “massive” extraordinary ability – oh, and guess what? Concise rules for fighting such titans with your starships/using them in starship combat! On the other end of the spectrum, we have ultrafine creatures, who receive the miniscule extraordinary ability. It should be noted that these may be used with or without the previous chapter’s rules – kudos for championing modularity.

After these, we dive into sizechanging rules, which make use of both the concisely-defined macrosize and microsize descriptors; the pdf then walks you through the process of adjusting areas of effect, damage and reach in a manner that is both comprehensible and makes sense regarding its sequence. Speed and gear are taken into account as well, and interactions of sizechange effects are covered as well – new effects essentially supersede old ones, and when/how they stack is defined as well. The polymorph effects and their interaction with sizechanging is defined as well. This section is FRICKIN GOLD. Pym? Ant man? Il était une fois…la Vie (more commonly known in the English-speaking world as “Once upon a time…life” – all those glorious options, now available. I am literally salivating when thinking about the narrative options.

Oh, and if you’re a fan of “Honey, I shrunk the kids”, you’ll be happy to hear that the pdf includes the shrink weapon special property, and almost a full page of concisely-defined weapons – from small arms shrink rays to shrink-miniguns and precision shrink rifles or grenades, we have some seriously cool options, including the level 4 size-adjusting weapon fusion. 4 mks of insectisuit armors (ranging from levels 10 to 19) can be found as well and help you with sizechanging. Hybrid items, like the biomass downsizer and the miniaturization interface system (MIS) can downsize targets or allow you to take items along. Of course, magic is featured as well – baleful embiggen and baleful shrink are presented for mystics and technomancers, at spell levels 2 – 6, with the higher iterations unlocking progressively more extreme size category modifications – and yes, mass versions are included as well. With the right feat, you can also make the biomass taken act as a buff to allies, and if you want to affect targets sans their equipment, there’s a feat for that as well. Non baleful iterations may be found as well, and at 3rd spell level, you can modify the size of bodyparts, for grotesquely-elongated arms or locomotive limbs…or heads. And yes, these have individual penalties, depending on the caster’s choice. What about level 1-6 macrosize missile, which allows you to throw small objects and make them quickly grow to deadly proportions? Wanna evade attacks as a reaction? Shrinking dodge. And with underdog’s day and its mass iteration, you can even the playing field against those colossi.

This is not where the pdf stops, either – instead, we receive occult materials, with 2 corruptions (all required rules included) first; the first of these that made me draw my crimson bow and arrow. If you got that reference, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear: Yep, there is a Colossus corruption that obviously is inspired by Attack on Titan. (Puts the Epica track on full blast) Anyhow, it’s not just the corruption. Know those cool grappling hook harnesses from Attack on Titan? Guess what this book has? Yep. Item level 3. This corruption alone will warrant the asking price for some of you. Of course, there also a diminishment corruption, including an artifact-cannon! F***YEAH!

The book also presents new rituals, once again including all required rules to run them: At level 5, fantastic voyage does pretty much what you’d expect it to: People placed in pods and their consciousness is uploaded into nanomachine effigies of the respective individuals – and since shrinking objects is difficult, we have all the means provided to order the respective items…or, aforementioned artifact cannon would do the trick…but then you’d have to deal with InsaneCorp…worth the risk? Oh, and before you ask – yes, you can go full-blown Microcosm (who remembers that Psygnosis classic?) and have a nanoship as well! Microclysm draws unrepentantly from the traditions of sword and planet and pulp, with crystal ball-enhanced (yes, rules provided!) shrinking of whole cities being possible. And yes, you can shrink planets! AWESOME. Can you see the angle of the planet-collector? The desperate strategy to save a doomed world thus? I can. Love it. Can you see the damage that rough handling of a planet could cause, the post-apocalyptic consequences? I can. I love this to bits! Writhing Flesh in Father’s Form, a level 6 ritual, is once more on the potentially rather twisted side of things –the target of this ritual transforms into the shape of the creature that “donated” an organ, limb, etc. – from Metal Gear Solid to narratives exploring total identify fluidity (or dissolution!), this one has a huge amount of applications as well. It should be noted that each ritual comes with legends and sample encounters/story seeds to help contextualize their impact and application.

Speaking of which: In case all this awesomeness caused some serious choice paralysis because you just had too many great ideas, fret not, for the final chapter provides advice for microsized and macrosized adventures, with types and story structures noted, as well as examples provided. Scifi/science-fantasy-Gulliver, baby!

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and Jacob Blackmon provides a visually-consistent identity to the pdf, with lots of original full-color artworks that fit the subject matter perfectly. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience.

Alexander Augunas’ shrinking rules…ah, shucks, who am I kidding???

GET THIS NOW.

I am serious. Not only is this book highly modular in its rules, it presents elegant and easily implemented rules for size-changing; from Kaiju-battles to adventures within an organism and infiltration of organic growths, this book unlocks whole GENRES of awesome stories for you – and it doesn’t stop there. The corruptions and rituals add further icing on a cake so awesome, I don’t even know where to start.

Do you want your big monsters to matter more? Get this. Do you want to shrink and explore the wonders of the microcosm? Get this. Do you want to feature insane, pulpy super-science? Get this. Do you want moustache-twirling villains shrinking cities, nay, even planets? Get this.

This humble little booklet is a masterpiece, it enhances SFRPG in several crucial ways; its presentation is precise, clear and well-structured. It is a prime example of how great rules can make the game better in pretty much every way. With Zen-like elegance, Alexander Augunas delivers a masterpiece here, a book worth getting, even if you’re only interested in components. Chances are, that upon reading this, that’ll change and you’ll beam from ear to ear like I am right now. This is one of the most important books currently out there for Starfinder. It belongs in the library of every self-respecting GM, and thus gets 5 stars, my seal of approval, is a candidate for my best of-list of 2019, and this also gets the EZG-Essentials tag as a book that is al but required for SFRPG. If you get one Occult Skill Guide, get this. Now. If you even remotely like amazing, precise rules that truly inspire you to explore new vistas, you won’t regret it.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Occult Skill Guide: Sizechanging Rules
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The Genius Guide to More Druid Talents
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/29/2019 09:56:15

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This expansion for the Talented Druid clocks in at a massive 40 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 3 pages of advertisement, 1 page blank, leaving us with 33 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This pdf was moved up in my reviewing-queue at the request of my patreon supporters.

Okay, here things become interesting, as we get new stuff – where the core pdf provides the talented druid framework, this one presents new options, including guidelines (right in the introduction) that allows for their use in context with a regular druid class. The edges this time around take no prisoners, and tie in with pretty widespread and beloved concepts – it begins in a comparatively subdued manner, with astrology, which first allows for the consultation of stars to glean knowledge from them, and then, later, provides deeper insight, granting knowledge akin to mighty divinations. This edge also acts as a prerequisite for plenty of talents pertaining moons, planets, etc., allowing you to depict a natural scholar of the supralunar realms.

Then, things start to become VERY interesting indeed – the ley line edge for spellcasting druids, which, for once, does not consider itself with tapping into ley lines per se, but instead focuses on moving them in a way, enhancing areas as more and more ley lines are bundled. This can result in a variety of options that range from making to area seem haunted to mists and the like, finally culminating in the option to make the area behave as a dead magic zone. As a minor complaint: As written, the movement of ley lines is tied to gaining access to a new level of spellcasting, with no minor tweaks included. This means that the ability is more useful for NPCs and campaigns where the druid doesn’t move too much – an understandable balancing tweak, but also one that I feel could have used a minor means to temporarily bypass. That being said, I do love that this provides rules to create druidic places of power. (As an aside, I’m living not too far from a real life druidic grove from ancient times, and considering the atmosphere of that place…yeah, I can see it.) Speaking of groves – there is an edge to erect a monument, which, once more, ties into the ley line edge as a sort of anchor for ley lines – and destroying these can have a variety of rather painful effects. In a way, this is another story option that primarily comes into play in narrative contexts, as well as for NPCs, so some sort of direct benefit would have been nice...for example, in the context of kingdom building, these probably should have repercussions and effects.

The pdf also presents lycanthropy in its “natural” form as an option; so not as a curse, but as a shapechanging trick that is not infectious. Big plus here: The pdf actually differentiates between different types of lycanthropy regarding abilities granted – wereshark druids have different tricks than werebats. Good call! Being reincarnated is also included, and then there’d be the words of creation. These are 9 words spoken at the dawn of time, and a druid with this edge gains Linguistics as a class skill. The edge may be taken multiple times, with each time providing access to a word of creation, provided minimum level prerequisites for having more than one are being met. These words duplicate spell effects, with 10 + spell level + Wisdom modifier denoting the DC, and class level as CL. These behave as SPs that have a compulsory verbal component, and may be dismissed as a free action. Rules to identify them via Spellcraft are provided, and only one word may be in effect at a given time, provided no talents have been learned to bypass said limit. The respective words each denote their action to activate, and have an interesting thing in common, namely that new abilities are not unlocked based on level progression, but on specialization – the more words of creation you know, the more abilities you’ll be able to execute per word, and the better they become.

The words are the 4 traditional elements, fate, space, time, life, death. To give you an example: Air nets the druid Auran as a bonus language, and lets them summon winds in a 20-ft. per druid level-radius of up to strong force as a swift action; higher numbers of words of creation unlock gust of wind as an at-will SP, and later, that one may be redirected and maintained as a swift action – take that, overpowered archery-builds… Quicker casting, longer range and greater windforce may be found as well…though the 9-words version uses untyped damage. And yes, I’d complain about that, but considering that whirlwind etc. also use untyped damage, I won’t. Still, I wished the pdf had codified the damage incurred by windstorms in a concise manner. I was always irked by PF1 not typing damage incurred from storms etc. properly. But that may be me. Death lets the druid cause a creature below 0 hit points and stable to resume dying, behaving as bleed as a SP. Considering that bleed is a standard action to cast (which is also the default of the SP), I’d have considered it wise to decrease that to a free or immediate action. Druids with more words get at-will effects somewhat akin to death knell and higher hit point thresholds, slowly building up to power word: kill-esque levels. Nice. At this point, you get the idea – in a way, this language of creation-engine is certainly better than Paizo’s ill-fated Words of Power-engine, and as far as a suite of class abilities is concerned, provides a surprisingly nice sub-engine. I should also mention that, no, life’s fast healing options may not be effectively cheesed. Though there is a way, so let me indulge in a bit of truly grotesque theory crafting:

The base word nets an aura that heals targets, but only when they are at negative hit points. The regular word applications have a hard cap on how often they may affect a target in a given timeframe, but this aura does not. So, theoretically, provided you can move hit points around freely, you could use a bunch of half-dead kittens and the aura, with hit point transfer, for unlimited healing. Slow unlimited healing that is contingent upon keeping all critters close to death’s door, and on the ability to move hit points from multiple targets to others. Yeah, know what? For once, I’ll shut my trap, and tuck my box of kittens away. As an aside: If you’re interested in the Space word, which focuses on the manipulation of sizes, I STRONGLY urge you to get the fantastic Microsized Adventures by Everybody Games, and potentially Microsized Templates, for not only more options, but also a sped-up playing experience. Similarly, ´(de-)aging becomes more comfortable to use with the Childhood Adventures book, but that as an aside.

Anyways, so the edges provide a rather distinct array of options here, how do the talents fare? Well, here, the words of creation come fully into their own, expand from options to essentially a whole mode to play a druid of its own. Want an armor of energy, with effects contingent on word of creation used? You can have that. Want to awaken animals and plants? There’s a talent for that. Want to be a good druid, always accompanied by blue skies (cue in Frankenfurter’s classic song)? You can have that. (As an aside – I love this one. It’s just so…nice. Like an ability that, you know, a HERO would take…) And yes, if you’re an edgelord, you can choose Dark Skies instead. It’s probably what folks would expect me to gravitate towards…but personally? Blue Skies. Breathing life back into the fallen if you know the word of creation? Possible. Those that know the earth word can gain a burrow speed. Know the words of fire and water? You can provide solace from cold and heat. Did I mention that each word has its own associated curse that can be unlocked with the right talent? These are potent, and thankfully cannot be spammed, but oh boy, those cursed will remember your name…

Speaking of curses. You don’t like non-infectious lycanthropy? There’s a talent here to change that and spread the curse of the beast. Oh, and yes, hybrid shapes may be enhanced further. Wanna be diurnal or nocturnal? Talents included for that. (And yes, they can’t both be taken.) If you want somewhat elemental features and abilities, you may wish t consult the elemental aegis ability tree, and there is a HUGE (as in: Spanning multiple pages) talent that may be taken multiple times, allowing you to take on more fey-like properties. Establishing territories to guard over, coaxing mental into shape, the ability to enter hibernation…and what about being such a brilliant herbalist that you can duplicate potent condition heals? At higher levels, we have swarm master-themed tricks and options to entomb the unfortunate, weaponry granted by the words of creation…you get the idea. But how does it retain its balance? Well, there always is the hard cap on words of creation in effect, and even though the base engine seemingly implies otherwise at once point, this cap remains pretty fixed. On the plus-side, there are combination effects and synergies galore – know air and death? Congrats, you can now generate a nauseating miasma! If you like combo-playstyles and organic character evolution, you’ll most assuredly enjoy this material. And yes, there is the good ole’ “save vs. wall of text” summary of talents by general theme to help prevent choice paralysis.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top notch on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard with its wide margins, but presents a lot of CRUNCH in its lengthy pages, with stock photography and artwork employed. The pdf has bookmarks for chapter headers, but not individual talents or edges.

Stephen Rowe’s expansion for the talented druid really makes it shine; the word of creation engine is a mighty tool that can drastically shift how you play a druid – any druid, really. Add to that the other themes, including the massive fey-themed array and the astrology-angle, and we arrive at a supplement that ranks as easily one of the best druid expansions released for PFRPG’s first edition. I can unanimously recommend this little gem to fans of the druid. My final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Genius Guide to More Druid Talents
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The Genius Guide to the Talented Druid
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/29/2019 09:54:14

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This massive supplement clocks in at 60 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, ½ a page blank, 1 page SRD, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 52.5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This pdf was moved up in my reviewing-queue at the request of my patreon supporters. Also: Samhain’s approaching. :)

To briefly recap, since it’s been a while: Rogue Genius Games’ talented class reworks are an interesting and handy option to have for many groups; the idea is to redesign a given base-class and codify all those alternative abilities and a archetype features in a unified frame; in some ways, one could argue that talented classes behave more like PF2 or SFRPG options than classic classes. The series’ ambition is to codify all of these abilities and put them in one of two ability-categories – the first, and more “valuable” would be the edge, which usually sports a pretty strong direction for the implementation of the class. The second is analogue to what we know from most classes – the eponymous talent, which now includes all those class abilities that you previously simply got, even though you didn’t necessarily want them.

The result, obviously, would be an extremely flexible and highly customizable take on the respective base class, which can allow for class concepts that wouldn’t otherwise be possible: IN my current game, I, for example, have a talented witch (a sentient voodoo doll), who uses Charisma and spontaneous spellcasting, and who specializes in delivering spells etc. via his hair, as well as on gray necromancy. The system immanent downside to this flexibility is readily apparent: The respective player needs a higher degree of system mastery…but then again, PF1 has been around for quite some time, so I kinda expect you to be capable of handling this component. The respective class components note their origins for reference in brackets, which can be rather helpful, but I’ll get back to that later.

Okay, that out of the way, the talented druid has d8 HD, 4 + Int skills per level, ¾ BAB-progression and good Fort- and Will-saves.: Druid’s language options include Sylvan, and Druidic is gained as a bonus language. The class is proficient with club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, scythe, sickle, shortspear, sling, spear, as well as with all natural attacks gained through shapechanging, as well as with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). The druid may not wear metal armor or use metal shields, and doing so causes the class to lose spells, SPs and SUs granted by the class for 24 hours.

The talented druid begins play with 4 edges, plus an additional at 3rd level and every other level thereafter; additionally, 4th level nets an edge. These include e.g. alien form, spellcasting (yes, you have to explicitly choose that!), animal companion (ditto), the feral shifter’s animal focus, bite or claw attacks (which include values for Small and Large druids as well), familiar, favored terrain, inspiration, the ability to use metal – you get the idea. Abilities like greater wild shape or chimera form are locked behind appropriate minimum levels, and if you want, you can have grab with your bite attack from level 1 onwards – you just, obviously, have to have the bite edge. Getting Psychic Sensitivity and psychic spellcasting is possible as well, provided you have spellcasting in the first place. Orisons must be chosen explicitly, and rage (the non-unchained variant) is a possibility. Higher level options include quicker summons, though here, I’d have appreciated the rules explicitly stating how the summoned creatures behave when called (“summoning sickness”, to burrow a term from Magic: The Gathering – yes or no?). I am not 100% happy with all choices made here – with just the claws edge, you can have rend as well, as soon as first level, which can be a brutal. Spontaneous domain casting, studied target and traps are included here alongside more skills or hit points. Wild shape can be taken as soon as 4th level.

Now, I mentioned domains, and it should be noted that these don’t just behave as the talented cleric’s take on the concept, instead having, like animal companions, their own appendix devoted to them, including massive lists of terrains, sources, etc. Now, it should be mentioned that the druid domain options tend to be somewhat less potent than those of the cleric, which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned, in light of the considerable power of the druid class even before becoming talented and allowing for cherry-picking. That being said, if your game tends to gravitate towards the upper power-echelons, fret not, for there indeed is a sidebar that helps you use both in conjunction with each other. Alternate domain options have been included, and for the sake of facility, we also get a spell-list with spells by level first, and then by school second – the list has been compiled from the sources up to and including Occult Adventures.

The druid also receives, as touched upon before, a resource called “talents”, which is used to further customize the class – these are the usual class features that have a slightly less pronounced impact on the overall direction of how the class plays, and in quite a few places, they have been taken and adapted in a salient manner – to take the first example “A Thousand Faces”, which generally makes for a somewhat underwhelming higher-level option, this one can be taken as soon as 6th level. At 2nd level, you can elect to become amphibious, or take the arctic druid’s Arctic Native feature. Shifting and tweaking of elements, favored enemies, communion with the spirits, upgrading companions to be undead, limited inspire courage. It should be noted that poison immunity has been tweaked, as now, only the augmented form ability (taken from the Naga Aspirant) has access to it as part of the mainstream class array; this, and the serpent domain, which gains poison immunity at 6th level, are the sole means to get this particular immunity – which seems like a sensible decision to me. It should be noted that, e.g. the mountain druid’s immunity to petrification may be found.

In case all of these options threaten to cause choice paralysis, fret not, for the series’ “Save vs. Wall of Text”-sidebars provide categories that help you navigate all of these options. Want to know what’ll net you resistances/defensive options? Take a look at the section. Want to know which talents net terrain-related improvements? Check out that list. Nice. A similar list has been provided for the edge-section as well, just fyi.

So, all cool? Well, there are a few things I didn’t like as much. 14th level is empty, for example – you don’t get anything cool, and just an additional spell of a spell level you already have access to, which may be a glitch, as several edges and talents reference 14th level as the minimum level. 16th level suffers from the same issue, but does not have the same prerequisite references, and that level, plenty of scaling class options improve, so it’s less of an issue there. 18th level is the final dead level. I am not sure if the class table is simply missing something, or if this is intentional, but as a whole, I dislike dead levels big time. A new level should always provide something cool.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no serious glitches on a formal or rules language level. Layout adheres to Rogue Genius Games’ two-column full-color standard for the series, with stock artwork used throughout. The layout has pretty massive borders, but considering the density of the massive supplement, you’ll still have a ton of material herein. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience.

I do not begrudge Stephen Rowe his work on this series of books. As much as I enjoy the talented series, working on these class supplements is a TON of work, and not work that’s pleasant or interesting, but serious WORK. Capital letters. As such, it is a joy to see the fruits of this labor pay off, and in many ways, I consider the druid in its talented iteration to be a success. At the same time, there are quite a few of the combinations herein, where I’d have added in a minimum level – rend, for example, is imho not something 1st level-builds or 1-level dips should be able to attain this easily. My second gripe with the class, is one of an aesthetic nature – dead levels. Those should imho just not be there.

Apart from these two complaints, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this talented class, which is why my final verdict will clock in at 4 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Genius Guide to the Talented Druid
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The Genius Guide to the Talented Otter Dragon
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/29/2019 09:53:09

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This pdf clocks in at 20 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 3 pages of SRD, 2 pages of advertisements, leaving us with 13 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This review was requested to be moved up in my reviewing queue by my patreon supporters.

Okay, first things first: I am pretty positive that this creature was created using the Talented Bestiary, a book I do not own. As such, I can’t comment on how well it implements the guidelines in said tome.

That out of the way, we begin with an introduction that contextualizes the otter dragon in the fantasy world, before diving into the abilities them have. Breath weapon-wise, we have a cloud of electricity that also affects the targets with touch of gracelessness, using the dragon’S HD as CL, and getting the resistance/immunity interaction right – kudos! Somewhat odd: The ability to add electricity damage to bite attacks is called “Burn” – which is already a word that denotes two thoroughly different abilities in PF1. This may be due to adhering to the bestiary’s guidelines, though, so it gets a pass. (It’s also a cosmetic nitpick to boot, one that doesn’t affect rules-integrity.) At adult age or later, we have change shape, and otter dragons of young adult age or older get an aura that can suppress fear and rage effects. We have dragon senses, fast healing at later age categories, and they cast spells as oracles, but choose them from the druid’s list, get SPs, SR, uncanny dodge and water stride – they are actually more nimble in the water.

The lion’s share of the pdf is then devoted to a total of 12 otter dragon statblocks, one for every age category, from the CR 2 wyrmling to the CR 17 great wyrm. After each statblock, we have a name and one paragraph describing a sample otter dragon of the respective age category, with sizes increasing from Tiny to Large. The integrity of the statblocks tends to be better than I expected them to be; remember that, while “druid spells known” for the latter age categories may look puzzling at first, the spell list is referenced here, not the actual mode of spellcasting. I considered it to be rather refreshing to see plenty of instances herein (all that I reverse-engineered, in fact), where size modifiers, special size modifiers, CMB and CMD, initiative – you know, all those pesky values? Well, they’ve been calculated in a precise and correct manner.

…any nitpicks? Öhm…well….let’s see…does it count that the “0” in the dragon’s spells known is in italics and shouldn’t be? …Yeah, I know. Nobody cares, and frankly, I don’t care either. This is a cool collection of dragons.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to the talented series’ two-column full-color standard, and sports wide margins, but also lots of crunch per page. The pdf is fully bookmarked for your convenience, one bookmark per statblock. Kudos! The artworks should be mentioned as well, for there are multiple cool full color original pieces here, not just the one you can see on the cover.

Jeff Lee’s otter dragons are cool. I really like them, their stats are precise, and the pdf provides a significant amount of otter dragon bang for your buck. No complaints, my final verdict will be 5 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Genius Guide to the Talented Otter Dragon
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Occult Skill Guide: Devolution Corruption
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/28/2019 06:33:47

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Occult Skill Guide-series clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 5 pages of content,. So let’s take a look!

Before we dive in, some important notes: This pdf features all rules that are required to use Alexander Augunas’ corruption engine, so you’ll need no others. Secondly, while inspired by Pathfinder’s Horror Adventures book, the corruptions presented in this series are not simply copies or conversions of previously-released material; instead, the engine has been streamlined in many important ways: Especially important here: The engine is designed to account for corruptions that will see the PC in question trying to get rid of them, as before; but at the same time, there also are quite a few that exert a certain temptation, courtesy of the abilities they grant in relation to the drawbacks. In some ways, they behave more successfully like Ravenloft’s classic dark powers checks in their psychological effects than their Pathfinder 1 counterparts. Seeing as how I’ve reviewed quite a few of these corruption-pdfs, I won’t bore either you or me with yet another break-down of the corruption engine and dive straight in.

First of all: What is devolution? It’s a rather pronounced anxiety that occurs only in unnatural contexts; in real life, the ascent of the fear of devolution obviously began with the confirmation of the concept of evolution as a pretty fact, one of the grand psychological insults to the human notion of supremacy in the cosmos. (The others being the end of the geocentric world-view, and Freud’s theory of the psyche.) In short, the knowledge of humanity not being separate from the natural world changed a lot, and anxieties adapt. In medieval times, fear of demons and eternal hellfire was much more prominent, courtesy of the superstitions of that age, and decreased, particularly spectacularly when Freud’s theories were accepted in mainstream scientific context – most people nowadays would agree that having a strange, black-clad man scream into your face in Latin may not necessarily be the best way to treat multiple personality disorder. But I digress. With evolution came a fear of loss of what we have achieved so far, of regressing to a more primitive state, not just regarding our culture, but also our very own biology. This fear was thoroughly debunked, but had several unfortunate repercussions in pseudo-sciences and theories, but yeah. In a nutshell, devolution is the opposite of evolution, and in many ways, connotated with a regression towards bestial savagery, a loss of mental faculties, a tainting of the bloodline. Both classic horror and pulp feature devolution in a regular manner, echoing the prevalence of this fear in the respective media – Lovecraft’s deep one hybrids, and Pulp-fantasy’s beast-men and half-Neanderthals or a certain Dr.’s island being several prominent examples.

So, does this work in a science-fantasy context? Well, mechanically, devolution has Will as the associated saving throw, and Wisdom as the associated ability score, which should immediately make obvious that there is a chance for a spiraling descent, which is generally something I like to see. As far as the source is concerned, curses, annunaki and potent technology all may be sources of this corruption. The devolution, as contextualized above, is contingent on a distinction between civilized and primitive or savage behavior – and as such, the pdf precisely codifies primitive instincts and behaviors, which can be summed up as reproduction, survival, organization, dominance, feeding and territory…all of which are discussed properly within their respective indulgence, and they are relatively well-codified, though the ardent reader will have noticed that these are quintessential experiences of the condition of being a humanoid…which makes the corruption pretty nasty, particularly since sexual attraction can yield no less than a whopping 4d6 corruption points! If you have this corruption, by all means, stay away from the red light district! Note that the instincts need to be indulged in, and corruption points incurred stack. Interesting: At the latent stage, Diplomacy and Intimidate may be used to once more hammer the tenets of civilization into the target, allowing them to reroll the save. At the latent stage, we have the survival instinct manifestation, which lets you be treated as though you have your level ranks in Perception and Survival, and as though both were class skills; if you already have them, you gain bonuses instead. Additional stages broaden these abilities to other skills of your choice as well – the list obviously omitting “civilized” skills such as Computers or Piloting.

At stage 1, we have the primal body manifestation, which enhances Dexterity or Strength and further improves at higher corruption stages. The manifestation also nets you natural weapons, or enhances them, and proceeds to increase your movement speeds at stage 2, 3 and 4, though the stage 4 progression is called “stage 3” in an obviously typo-glitch that will not cause any confusion. However, at this stage, mental faculties start to decay, and penalties of mental ability scores are incurred. At stage 2, these decrease to barely functional, bestial levels, and skills related to them are penalized as well – though Survival may now actually be better to rehabilitate the character. At stage 3 the corruption points incurred are maximized, mental faculties decay further, but hey, you get low-light vision and blindsense (scent) or (vibrations) (or a decrease of previously existing such senses), or darkvision 60 feet, if you already have low-light vision. Note: The blindsense entries are missing their range here. This may be intentional, considering the hefty drawbacks, though I still would have enjoyed an explicit acknowledgement of this intent. At this stage, the character has turned into an animal, and reason (i.e. Diplomacy or Intimidate) may no longer reach them; the end stage represents full-blown bestial transformation into an animal.

Now, I’ve briefly mentioned The Island of Dr. Moreau before, and indeed, while the story’s theme is more one of evolution, an inverse agent is included here: There is a level 10 poison, the devolution agent, which has its own and pretty swift track towards becoming a bestial version of yourself…

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level, with only two minor nitpicks provided exceedingly minor inconveniences that should not trip up any GM. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and the artwork featured is neat. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Alexander Augunas touches upon one of my favorite themes in this one; there is something, unironically, primal, about the fear of becoming less than what you are right now, particularly when it comes to mental faculties. I don’t fear death, but I am exceedingly afraid of losing my mental faculties while alive, and devolution, in many ways, touches upon this. From a mechanical perspective, this condition is intended as one that is relatively easy to introduce to slip in and out of, with the risk regarding the manifold triggers and the save (bad save for classes that’d benefit most from it) representing two clever limits that prevent the corruption from ever feeling safe. And that’s what this should be about, right? As an aside: If you own the excellent Star Log.Deluxe: Uplifted Animals and are confident in your designs, I'd splice that into this corruption...just saying... My final verdict will clock in at 5 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Occult Skill Guide: Devolution Corruption
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Star Log.EM-072: Deisauryu, God of Monsters
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/26/2019 13:35:19

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This Star Log.EM clocks in at 7 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 3 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

So, first of all, if you haven’t seen this one before, the first page recaps the Supercolossal size category, including the potent “Massive (Ex)” ability, before we take a look at Godzill…äh, I totally mean “Deisauryu.” (As an aside, from a linguistic standpoint, I love how clever this is “Dei” + “saur(us)” + Japanese-sounding ending – most people won’t notice it consciously, but it made me smile!)

Anyhow, this pdf contains not one, but two massive CR 25 statblocks – Godz…äh, I mean: “Deisauryu” and…Mechadeisauryu! :D And before you ask – they are two totally different builds, not just a lazy, slapped on template! Both use the combatant array as a baseline.

Deisauryu sports devastating bite + swallow whole, claws + bleed and tail + knockdown attacks, as well as an E & F- damage-causing ranged atomic bolt, with damage types properly noted: Minor nitpick: The bite and claw attacks (but not the tail) lack the +1 granted by the otherwise properly applied magical beast graft. The fellow has fast healing 100 (!!), immunity to ability score damage and drain, death effects, disease, energy drain, fear and fire – with acid, cold and sonic sporting sizable resistances and SR complementing an impressive defensive array. Never fight the fellow in fire – he can designate an energy type every round, and if a resistance or immunity prevents damage, that is healed instead. Oh, and Resolve and a reaction can be used to spontaneously change that. The aforementioned atomic bolts have a vast range, and, obviously, we have a breath weapon as well – this, in contrast to the bolts, not only causes damage, but also some short-lived radiation effects. No action reroll versus save or sucks and a 1/year second life complement a truly fearsome build. Did I mention that he can use bolts or breath weapon as an AoO? Yeah. My advice: RUN. Or board your starship. Oh. Wait. No. Scratch that. Why? There are tier 20 stats for the fellow included as well – even in your starship, he can mess you up! Minor complaint: No mechadeisauryu starship iteration is provided.

Speaking of whom: Where deisauryu focuses on melee as the better attack, the mecha-version is better at ranged combat, and a construct, though one that seems to have elected not to apply the construct graft’s adjustments. We have bleed inducing claws and bites in melee, as well as a defensive array, which, while impressive, is not as potent as that of deisauryu – with laser cannons, missile barrages or plasma bombardment (grenade-like attack) ranged attack options (did I mention the shock harpoon?), he hopefully won’t have to withstand as much damage. Oh, and with multiattack missile barrages, he does have even more damage capabilities. The lack of said feature for creatures of this size makes sense , but oddly, the penalties to atk don’t seem to have been applied to the mechadeisauryu. The missiles can have paralyzing and sleep-inducing payloads as well, and the creature can regain Resolve when resistances or immunities prevent damage – ouch! EAC, KAC and save-names are not bolded properly in this statblock. We also have a pretty cool flavortext included in the pdf.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are good on a formal level; on a rules-language level, I noticed some minor flaws, but nothing that would compromise the pdf’s integrity. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, and the pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Alexander Augunas’ Godzilla/Deisauryu builds are things of beauty; while I did nitpick a bit here and there, I just can’t help myself – this tugs at my heart’s strings in just the right manner, and I genuinely ended up loving both builds herein. As such, my final verdict as a person, for me, will round up from 4.5 stars, which I also suggest you do if you love Godzilla as much as I do. If you have no soft spot for the King of Monsters, you should probably round down, which my official reviewer’s score will also have to do…but then again, perhaps this pdf, alongside the sheer terror on your player’s faces could change that…

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Star Log.EM-072: Deisauryu, God of Monsters
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Star Log.EM-071: Solar Manifestation Options
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/24/2019 08:53:22

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This Star Log.EM-installment clocks in at 7 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 3 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

As often the case in the series, we begin with a bit of context for the material within, revealing some lore regarding the ever more compelling Xa-Osoro system.

After this, we are introduced to the 4 solar manifestations introduced herein, which may be taken instead of solar armor or solar weapon. We start with solar avatar, which lets you design 4 polymorph forms, as described by the polymorph (not italicized properly once, though thereafter, the pdf gets it right) spell – these are your avatar forms, acting as the 1st-level iteration of the spell, but you remain recognizable, and all attacks are treated as one-handed advanced melee weapon attacks you’re proficient with, with attack bonus equal to BAB + Charisma modifier + other bonuses that would apply to advanced melee weapon attacks. Transformation into such a form is a full action and remains indefinite, or until you assume another avatar form. At 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the avatar, the polymorph improves as though 1 spell level higher, capping at 6th spell level at 16th class level. Starting at 7th level, changing from one avatar form to another is a standard action, while reverting to the default form is a move action. If you apply a solarian weapon crystal to the stellar mote, it bestows its benefits to the natural attacks of any avatar form assumed. You may redesign one avatar form whenever you gain a solarian level. The interaction with the spell-level increase could have used explicit spelling out – though there are no issues, this might cause minor confusion at first.

Solar body lets you infuse the solar mote directly into your body; this may or may not change physical appearance slightly, and design may be changed upon attaining a new solarian level. This nets you Improved Unarmed Strike, and while infused with the mote, your unarmed strikes are one-handed kinetic advanced weapons for the purpose of Weapon Specialization and similar options. You get class level to Strength to determine your bulk-limits and may fire laser vision from your eyes, range 120 ft. This is a fire damage-causing attack with a proper burn-inducing critical, and behaves as a longarm. I am pretty sure the text erroneously refers to laser vision as solar weapon once, but that as a nitpicky aside. The damage and burn scale, and uses are contingent on Charisma modifier, with Stamina regain-rest to reset. Forming or dismissing solar body form is a swift action that may be performed as a reaction, and solar weapon crystals may be used to enhance the attacks. Minor nitpick: Solar mote is called “stellar” here.

Solar guardian is cool, as it nets you a pet – one roughly based on a mechanic’s drone with a wholly unique chassis presented within. Summoning grafts are applied, and forming or dismissing the guardian is a full action, and you can “repair” your guardian 1/day, and also while taking a rest – as a conscious exception to the “no task performed while resting”-rule. Cool!

The final one would be the solar reverie, whose design you once more may change if you gain a level. This one nets you a reverie pool equal to ½ class level + Charisma modifier, and this ability lets you use these points of cosmic energy (CE) to cast mystic spells, with the DC equal to 10 + spell’s level + Charisma modifier, and a required 10 + Charisma modifier to learn a spell. CE is replenished as a daily-use ability, and you begin play with two 0-level spells, and one of 1st level. You gain more spells to cast via CE at higher levels, with new spell levels unlocking, and cost of spells equal to the spell’s level. On a gained solarian level, you can retrain a single spell, and variable-level spells are unlocked for all spell levels you have access to, providing you know the spell level and have sufficient CE. You can also identify encoded spell gems and decipher magical inscriptions – solar reverie need not be activated – it’s always on.

The pdf also contains 3 new stellar revelations:

At 2nd level, you may increase the damage repaired to the guardian, and at 8th level, the mod array available to the guardian is enhanced. Characters choosing solar reverie may spend Resolve up to Charisma modifier to add as much to the reverie pool, replenishing expended CE, though this is fatiguing and thus, limited. Balance-wise, as an 8th-level revelation, this checks out.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good on a rules language level; on a formal level, a few minor snafus are here, but none impede the mechanical integrity of the material within. Layout adheres to the series’ two-column full-color standard, with a nice artwork, and the pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Alexander Augunas’ solarian options here are pretty darn cool, though I couldn’t help but feel that inclusion of how they behave in context of the graft-system would have elevated them further; as provided, GMs will need to improvise a bit, which is the deciding factor for me rounding down from my final verdict of 4.5 stars. Fans of solarians should definitely get this!

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Star Log.EM-071: Solar Manifestation Options
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