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Spellburst Savant
Publisher: Forrestfire Studios
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/23/2016 03:51:44

Hey there, checking out the spellburst savant from the new Forrest Fire Studios, let's see what we have inside!

What I liked

-The little blurb about the development was amusing, and gives the product a bit of charm.

-Very detailed bookmarks make for a great product, full stop.

-The art in this book is also very solid, definitely a perk for me.

-Deconstruct components is an interesting way of getting around arcane spell failure, making this a fun subversion of normal mechanics while still being new and fresh.

-Fundamentals are slightly clunky to read and the vague associated spells aren’t amazing, but the versatility they add to this class is done in a VERY cool way. For a 5th level caster, these help give a lot of longevity to the class for it’s average number of spells per day, as well as making for a caster who feels more unique than others. It feels like it has shades of the kineticist in its design, but I really like how these are done more, making for a more enjoyable character overall.

-Nova spell is the other big feature to this class, and while others would probably cry ‘OP’ on reflex (metamagic manipulation is a touchy subject), but considering this is a 5th level caster, I think this hits a sweet spot where it’s not TOO powerful while still adding a lot of style to the class (the caveat against dazing spell shows a good deal of savvy as to the designer’s awareness). Really, a lot of the description is wisely placed caveats about how it interacts with metamagic and other things that could cause issues like magical lineage.

The interaction between nova spell and fundamentals does feel somewhat messy, retracting from the cool factor a bit with possible conversations about it, but it doesn’t detract from a very clever use of metamagic manipulation.

-Spellsense is a small bonus but a flavorful one, and one that I think helps fill out the class well. This continues into aura sense, which is the progression of this ability. I almost wanna say truesight comes out of nowhere, but really, it’s a nice final progression here.

-Deconstruct Energy is a great ability that helps us fill up our metamagic jonsing and helps make damage more competitive, something I appreciate. It also helps you keep an elemental caster theme, and that’s always a good thing to me. Deconstruct Intent is another solid metamagic sink, giving us even more fun options here.

-Nova Counter gives us yet another thing to use our spell slots on and more uses for our swift/immediate action. Overall a fine addition to the package, one that feels natural.

-Deconstruct ownership is a fitting capstone and fitting with the theme. It’s powerful, but not too much so, leaving us with a great capstone.

-Spellburst Meditant is the monk archetype, and it has everything it needs even if I’d like it to have scaling damage. But it does what it should, and it does it well, which is something I really like.

-Class substitutions are like mini archetypes, and their inclusion is pretty cool. These often interact with other systems (akashic/psionics/etc), making it better for people who have access to those products, but there’s enough that it’s not entirely a subsystem swap.

-The new metamagic feats are interesting and catastrophic is just silly and fun, as are the metamagic rods that contain it.

What I wasn't sure about

-Not the biggest fan of spells per day being placed with spells known off in a different section, that’s normally in the main class’s table. It’s not a problem, it’s just a little off.

-Intuitive Understanding feels slightly out of place, but not to a point where it’s a big problem.

-Straight up personal preference here; absorb spell is a fine ability, it works as intended, but the limit on how often it can be used makes this less than idea. Goes into not sure since even with the additional uses later, it just isn’t something that I would use since I’m a resource hoarder.

-Gun witch is just cool, and it makes guns cool. I’m not sure of the duration of shooting star cartridge though, making the limited use abilities more confusing. Shooting star cartridges also doesn’t list what it replaces, although I’m assuming it’s the alteration to nova spells. I do like it, but it has some issues.

-Magpie mage has both an interesting name and mechanic; stealing spells. I panned this with extracurricular, but I like it more as a base for a class (again, personal preference). Spell mimicry still doesn’t list what it trades out though. Spell versatility feels like it could have been in the base class and is cool, but will just wreck your spells per day, and still doesn’t list what’s exchanged...Instant imitation does state what it replaces and it’s a fair trade for absorb spells even if it’s limited in uses in the same way.

What I didn't like

-I’m not in love with Extracurricular Studies, it just feels like it could lead to issues with power levels and feels like it encourages people to pouch from spell lists like the ranger/paladin/etc.

-First Strike is just too large of a bonus to me. I’d rather it be lower, rather than ending as a +9 to initiative checks which could also have every other method of initiative boosting added to it.

-Including a FCB section and only having 2 options that weren’t divided up at all makes it feel like this shouldn’t have been included.

-Spellburst Scholar isn’t an archetype which I can get behind. Another pretty complex trade at first that took me a few reads to understand without listing what it trades out and doesn’t feel as fun as the other archetypes represented.

Final Thoughts

Wow, this review went a LOT longer than I expected it to, but I wanted to be thorough with this first review. What I see here is a product with a lot of potential for cool things, and a great way for people who want to play with metamagic to do just that. There’s a lot of creativity here in using blasting spells, a lot of room for clever players to dominate in battle, and a solid product overall. I did have some issues with vagueness and some things being a bit too wordy, and some sections aren’t as tight as I would have liked them to be, possibly leading to table discussions about how certain things work.

Part of me wants to grade it lower, but I think for an initial offering that it’s very solid. I also know that the writer, Forrest Heck, is willing to make changes to a doc for issues that they can, so because of those considerations, I’m giving this a 4.5 rounding up to 5 here. My issues aren’t enough to make me not want to recommend this, and I think this is a great first book from an up and comer that will only continue to get better as she continues writing.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Spellburst Savant
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Psionics Augmented: Kineticists
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/19/2016 19:37:39

Hey all, N. Jolly here looking over Psionics Augmented: Kineticists, a book I'm sure a lot of people have been waiting for my opinion about. Rather than delay, let's get started

What I liked

-Starting with a bit of info about how magic and psionics work together was pretty nice, and a good tone setter for the book, something that I appreciated myself.

-I love the Avant Guard kineticist, I really do. It's fun, creative, and puts a great spin on the base class. Getting an astral construct that can be modified helps keep it new while also staying true to the original class. It also has nice text to keep it from being barred from other archetypes, a very nice touch. There's a lot of intelligent design here that shows a deep understanding of the class, and I really enjoy it.

-The new feats were all nice additions, giving opportunities for interesting multiclass as well as strongly integrating the psionic side of the product into the kineticist side. Fire Starter and Inner Fire were huge additions in my opinion, although kinetic duelist may be too strong for some games.

-As a whole, I like the new infusions and wild talents, as they're fun inclusions into the already wide array of 3p talents we've already seen. However...

-Slow burn is an interesting variant for how to play the class, and I think it's a nice change, making for a completely different experience while still holding onto the core mechanics of the class.

What I was indifferent towards

-The flicker gauntlet from the Roil Dancer is here, and while I like it, it's a reprint, so it's just so-so here.

-The new athanatic essence and sound blast are fun inclusions, but they're both shoehorned in, with their mechanics feeling a little janky. Both are heavily unresisted types, and while wood did need something (even if athanatic essence with wood infusions doesn't make much sense), sound blast was a bit too much for me, especially if you're already going air. You could also argue that even though you can apply infusions to it as though it was air blast, those aren't added to your wild talent list, meaning other elements that take it might not be able to learn infusions that work with it, but a sensible GM should overlook that issue.

What I disliked

-I didn't feel like we needed text about how archetypes worked in the opening, it felt like it wasn't vital to the content. Same goes for Astral Constructs being reprinted in whole here, this feels like it could have simply been referenced.

-Unfortunately, I didn't care for the Gambler archetype myself. It has issues with feeling like it's not even a kineticist itself, instead feeling like another class with kineticist leanings. While functional and strong, it felt lacking in some ways, and burning wager could have used more wagers to really fill it out, as I found myself mostly a fan of Double or Nothing over most others. It's a 6th level psionic caster without a lot of things tethering it to the base class, making it an odd duck for those who wanted more kineticist content.

-...The amount of wild talents is certainly lacking, making this hard to buff any existing kineticist. With only 2 infusions (one for the athanatic essences) and 3 utility wild talents, the amount of customization that this book grants for existing elements is almost nil.

Final Thoughts Overall, the content in this book is very solid as well as finely balanced. Forrest Heck shows her knowledge of the class in a lot of the design choices made in here, and Avant Guard certainly has a place at my table. You won't be disappointed in a lot of the content in this book, but at the same time, it doesn't do as much as I would like to expand the base class, feeling very insular about how it changes things. I harped on the Shifu for the same reason, so I can't leave it alone here.

This is a very well done product, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new way to play their kineticists!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Psionics Augmented: Kineticists
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Divergent Paths: Roil Dancer
Publisher: Dreamscarred Press
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/28/2016 11:40:25

The Roil Dancer was a project I first saw in its beta stages, and it's grown a lot since then. For those of you who wanted a kineticist with a bit more 'punch', you'll certainly get it here. The archetype itself does well at blending the power of Path of War with established kineticist content, although those using it in a now PoW enviroment might find it a bit strong due to PoW's higher optimization curve.

With a fun little magic item and a few flavorful feats that also help this archetype shine, you'll certainly be able to get a lot of value out of this content.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Divergent Paths: Roil Dancer
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ASA: Madam Margareth's Magic Potion
Publisher: Playground Adventures
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/11/2016 11:42:30

Now this product is interesting in that it's almost more of an activity book than a module. The book does require some 'props', such as:

• One head of red cabbage • One pot large enough to hold three cups of shredded cabbage and water • Water • One strainer • One large glass bowl • Three tablespoons of baking soda • One ice cube tray • One bottle of distilled white vinegar • One clear glass bottle.

So if procuring those for running this is going to be difficult, I wouldn't suggest this.

The adventure itself is a fun little romp, and I very much appreciate the hyperlinks to some of the things being referenced, making it very player friendly to run. It's informitive as well, thankfully explaining the science behind the potions which is something I appreciate, as it doesn't dumb it down for kids. Too many things I see aimed at kids assume them to be dumber than they are, so props to this product for not doing that.

I'd say it loses some points for not being able to be ran more than once, but for what it is, it does what it's intended to do quite well, which is something I can respect. Overall, it's something I can see kids having fun with as well as helping to educate them on chemical reactions, so if procuring the items to run this isn't an issue, I'd say it's a good use of your time.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
ASA: Madam Margareth's Magic Potion
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ASA: Alice in Wonderland #1 5E
Publisher: Playground Adventures
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/11/2016 11:20:19

Let me just start here by saying the artwork is adorable, like this is really kid friendly artwork that I could see any young gamer enjoying. I will admit it's a bit short, but since it's for kids, it's also the kind of thing I could see running with them several times (my niece often enjoys running through this), making the short length less of an issue, and it feels like it could be easily adaptable to less players.

The adventure itself is nice and fun, with good advice for helping to get younger players into character and the map that comes along with it is just perfect. It give new players a chance to enjoy things, feel like they're accomplishing goals, and other fun small things like that while introducing them to the mechanics of the game.

The encounters in it are easy enough to run, and with advice on how to continue the story already in there, it should be no problem to get things moving even if they want to continue.

All in all, this is a great first game for younger children who want to get into roleplaying and a good way to kill an hour or two, and I really enjoyed the printable map that came along with it. This is the same review I gave to the PF version, but everything I said there stands, as it's just as good for 5e as it is for PF.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
ASA: Alice in Wonderland #1 5E
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ASA: Alice in Wonderland #1 PF
Publisher: Playground Adventures
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/11/2016 11:18:20

Let me just start here by saying the artwork is adorable, like this is really kid friendly artwork that I could see any young gamer enjoying. I will admit it's a bit short, but since it's for kids, it's also the kind of thing I could see running with them several times (my niece often enjoys running through this), making the short length less of an issue, and it feels like it could be easily adaptable to less players.

The adventure itself is nice and fun, with good advice for helping to get younger players into character and the map that comes along with it is just perfect. It give new players a chance to enjoy things, feel like they're accomplishing goals, and other fun small things like that while introducing them to the mechanics of the game.

The encounters in it are easy enough to run, and with advice on how to continue the story already in there, it should be no problem to get things moving even if they want to continue.

All in all, this is a great first game for younger children who want to get into roleplaying and a good way to kill an hour or two, and I really enjoyed the printable map that came along with it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
ASA: Alice in Wonderland #1 PF
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Crawthorne's Catalog of Creatures: Demagogue Demon a.k.a. Tr'ump
Publisher: Misfit Studios
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/11/2016 01:32:07

This is the most hamfisted 'satire' I have ever read, with absolutely no hint of subtly towards its intended target. But I laughed, so 5 stars.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Crawthorne's Catalog of Creatures: Demagogue Demon a.k.a. Tr'ump
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Everyman Options: Kineticists
Publisher: Rogue Genius Games
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/08/2016 17:42:04

Note: I received a review copy of this product for the explicit purpose of reviewing it and adding it to the kineticist guide, but received no other compensation for my review.

Hey all, N. Jolly here to review this book. This has been another one that people have been anxious for me to check out, and that I've been looking forward to reviewing myself. Kineticists are sort of my thing as it were.

Things I liked -The section for design goals was an interesting touch.

-The explanation for the dream element is something I can get behind, and basic psychokinesis goes further than I was expecting for a base kinesis.

-While not in love with it mechanically, mind blast and dream blast are two rather interesting takes on basic blast, and will be a breath of fresh air for a lot of players who want something new to try.

-Just a shout out to phantasmal boost, this was a pretty interesting way of doing a 'boost' style composite.

-Okay, elemental blade is just cool. Like it is, being its own thing in a pretty creative way. It's basically the spell combat kinetic blast, which while could cause some problems with AOOs due to it still being a ranged attack still manages to be pretty interesting.

-Metabolic kineticist was probably one of the cooler things in this book, and was an interesting direction to take, giving one the ability to feel more like an elemental, with expanded apotheosis being a cool class feature.

-Scion of the elements is just great. Like it might be a tad too powerful, but it's also great, and a really cool way of doing the avatar character. I'd probably say it was better than the elemental avatar from KOP. Props here, this is just an awesome prestige class, and very well done.

Things I was unsure about

-Having the class compared to the 3.5 Wu Jen instead of the Warlock just felt odd. I mean looking at it, it does make sense, just something that seemed off to me.

-The infusions feel very unique, but some of them also feel a tad too powerful.

-I don't think I can even comment on the Harbinger archetype because it references content from another 3p book. I can't find it on the PFSRD either so...why?

-Kinetic Trickster has a nice idea behind it, but I think it gives up too much to achieve its core concept.

-I was a bit underwhelmed at the advanced blast, as the burn cost and requirement of expanding into the same element felt like it limited their usefulness. Personal preference, I'd let them replace any composite blast rather than just an expanded element based one. Holy water is easily the best of them for being a monotype blast, as holy/hellfire both have 2 damage types (even if 1 is untyped), making it not as powerful.

Things I disliked

-The text is a bit small for me. Minor gripe, but it's a slight issue. That and the formatting for the dream element is just slightly different from the normal format (the kind of thing I only notice from my time with the class, so this is just a personal thing).

-Not having the basic blast/elemental defense separated out makes finding them more of a chore than I would like, at least after having been used to having them in separate sections for other products. Double this for not having infusions placed into their own section, which at this point feels like it should be standard. Really, this organization bothers me a lot, and the bookmarks don't especially help here.

-Elemental Expert is underwhelming for the restriction it has, making it very lackluster. A skill boost is less than I was expecting for this kind of speciality.

-Kinetic Marksman is absolutely busted. Like 100% busted. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, and I'd love to be corrected, but from how it reads you can use kinetic projectile as a full attack action, dealing kinetic blast damage on every projectile attack (it's a free action to . Also unlike Kinetic Chirugeon, this archetype only implies that you can't take infusions with Extra Wild Talent, while KC specifically says you can never use infusions, making me wonder if it's intended for you to snag some with Extra Wild Talent. This is further enforced by the next class feature allowing you to pick up rapid shot, further making me believe this is how this class feature was intended. There's also no 15th level infusion to be traded away in the enhanced projectile ability which is also just amazingly powerful. The entire archetype is so brutally powerful that I'd ban it in just about every game I was in.

Final Thoughts I'm seriously conflicted here, because at some points this product does things that I REALLY like, such as scion of the elements, metabolic kineticist, and elemental blade. But the organization of the wild talents, and absolutely busted kinetic marksman as well as lack of talents for non dream elements makes this a hard sell. There were a few grammar issues and formatting problems as well (some substance infusions lacked the word 'infusion' in their name, simply be called paralyzing and such), but nothing that major.

As a whole, I'd give this about a 3.25, as there is a good amount there that is useful, and you can basically use the dream element out of the box, but there's just a lot here that makes this product unwieldy and difficult to use in comparison to similar products such as Occult Archetypes.

That being said, everything in this book will be getting reviewed in the 3pp addendum of Mastering the Elements, so be sure to check that out when it comes.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Everyman Options: Kineticists
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Occult Archetypes
Publisher: Legendary Games
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/23/2016 07:21:08

Note: I received a review copy of this book, but no other compensation. I did provide feedback on the Focus Kineticist, and this review will only be focusing on Kineticist content.

What I liked

-Glad to see the notes I gave on the Focus Kineticist helped. While the damage of this archetype will probably be lower than that of others, the utility given to it is certainly going to help, and the flavor of it certainly helps make for a more memorable character. With the enhanced internal buffer, you'll also have more chances to use your utility wild talents, giving you more chances to cut loose with game changing effects.

-With the God-Touched Kineticist, a small change helps make for an interesting archetype, feeling flavorful without overpowering the player. It's a rather large archetype, but takes up little space to explain, which is nice. Revelations don't even feel out of place with the kineticist, instead feeling like a welcome change.

-The Primal Kineticist is really a much better healer than the kinetic chirurgeon archetype, although much like normal, going negative is going to be bad for you. I think the flavor here is a little off, and that the name doesn't exactly fit what it's going for, but that doesn't stop it from being mechanically sound.

-Infuse Weapon is an interesting way of boosting damage, and one I think the class needed. Antilife shell was a nice inclusion, although I personally think antiundeath shell should have been lower level due to its lesser utility. Deathsight is nice and thematic here, as is dimensional anchor and aura, although I feel like anchor would have been better as an infusion. Hide from undead is another that isn't super clear about the connection, but I don't care because it's sweet. And I love me some wall walker.

What I was indifferent towards

-I want to like Poisoned Earth, but at the same time it's a situational archetype with some exclusive wild talents that I think should have been in the archetype rather than listed at the end, making them feel like general infusions. For the games that it works in, it'll be nice, but that number isn't exactly huge.

-We all saw acid blast coming, but taking it doesn't put any new infusions on earth's talent list, meaning RAW you can only get some of these by going water and taking them for that blast. A simple house rule to add them to your list when you select acid blast, but it's still an issue.

-Things like corruption resistance and detect radiation are standard, nice filler talents here. Gravitic leaper makes sense, although I'd have liked to have seen aether be able to share with gravitic pack horse. Amusing that irradiate specifically says 'please don't use this!' The rest of the radiation themed things are okay, but it's nothing game changing, and the water talents do well for a game specializing in it.

-While I like the amount of art, so much of it is just dark and hard to see.

What I didn't like

-Just a minor gripe, but the text felt a tad small.

-The Mystical Kineticist is just a straight upgrade, and lacks any real flavor to it. It feels like there's too much design space left untapped here, playing around with other features that could help to flesh out this archetype in my opinion.

-The Psychic Kineticist seems promising, but the mechanics for its spell list are just too daunting for me to want to try and make my way through. While thematic, the difference in power between getting wizard conjuration (creation) spells and earth elemental specialist spells is a rather large gap, and the M.(ulti) A.(ttribute) D.(ependency) issues that the class has due to needing both intelligence and constitution make for a difficult archetype to suggest.

-I'm just not a fan of acidic boost. I know that it was done as a space saver, I can recognize that, but I would have really liked to have seen some more composites in its place, as acid doesn't have the same feel as aether or negative energy in the sense of boosting. Add to that there's not even an acid/earth composite, and this feels like too much of a throw in to be worth considering.

-Eveneration feels so off to give when we already have an infusion that does the same thing, and the 1/day targeting limit just kills this for me. I don't really understand hide from animals as a wood talent either, although wood's hard to work with, so I can't be too harsh. Plane Shift also feels a little wonky to me.

Final Thoughts

From the perspective of just a kineticist player, you will easily get your money's worth from this product. The bad part aren't enough to ruin the book, the average parts are nice for less conventional players, and the good parts of it help expand the class in a way that it hasn't seen before while still keeping to the theme of the book. Nothing in here is a huge departure from what you're used to, making it a solid product all around for something not dedicated to only one class.

As a whole, I'd give this book a solid 4 out of 5, as there were some ideas I would have liked to have expanded on (acid blast), but there's also a lot of nice content in here that can really help you shape a better kineticist.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Occult Archetypes
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Legendary Hybrids: Deadeye Hexer
Publisher: Legendary Games
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/23/2016 07:19:30

So what we have here is a hybrid mixing gunslinger and witch, which isn't the most intuitive combination around. But to be fair, I consider that a strength, as it's overall an interesting combination of two wildly different styles done in an intriguing fashion.

What I liked

-The art for the book is just aces, definitely a big plus while looking through it, and something I can appreciate.

-The bullet hexes are just cool, they are. I absolutely love the visual image given for the speak with dead one.

"Well Slinger, they ain't gonna talk now. They're dead."

Pistol whips corpse

"Yes they will."

-While I would chide Paizo for not creating a unique spell list, this product gets a pass on that, as the witch list is very interesting for a character like this.

-Firearm familiar is just sick. Like it just is. Mechanically it's not too different, but flavor wise, it feels like playing a black blade with a far more gritty companion. The mechanics for it are just fun in such a flavorful and useful way that it's hard for me to praise this enough.

-Desperation spell is probably going to be what you use 90% of your mana using (mana=grit), which isn't a bad thing, it's a fun ability, but just warning you now.

-While less than practical, Eldritch Aim is just another thing I love thematically, as it helps you 'feel' the part. I feel like the first version shouldn't have a mana cost, but the second easily should.

-The rest of the new deads are flavorful and fun, although not as much as the previously mentioned ones.

-Okay, the fact that there are custom patrons for the class is a huge boost in my opinion. Something like that really helps draw me into the 'lore' of the class, making it feel more unique even if they're using a previously implemented mechanic. Also the art on that page helps sell the mood even better.

-The hexslinger archetype is hype to the point where I could see it being the base class, but I understand why it's not. It's more magus in feel, but it again helps provide such a cool visual that it's hard not to enjoy.

What I didn't like

-Some of the type setting just seems slightly off. Not enough to ruin the book, just a minor annoyance.

-Bullet Hex's description is a bit vague. I'm assuming it goes off of the witch rule about not being able to target a creature with hexes multiple times per day, but for some of these bullet hexes, that seems needlessly limiting, such as with hard rain or blowback bullet.

-Just me being greedy, but I'd have liked more bullet hexes, since they're a fun idea.

Final Thoughts There's a lot to like about this class, but to be fair, I love guns and would put hexes on everything as an archetype if I could. There's a few typos and such in there, but nothing that really detracts from the product. Also I think the right call was made making this a 3/4ths BAB class, as it really takes advantage of firearms being touch attacks. Little sad there wasn't a crossbow archetype, but I can completely understand why there wasn't. A few more feats/archetypes/bullet hexes would have been nice, but maybe we'll see them as an expansion down the road.

Finding a place for a class like this might be an issue if you have a "LOTR ONLY!" style GM, but for those who are willing to bend on the rules a bit, this is a solid class that have a lot of fun content to explore.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Legendary Hybrids: Deadeye Hexer
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Automata: Guide to the Awakened
Publisher: Storm Bunny Studios
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/06/2016 20:57:19

Okay, to start, I seriously love artificial races like this, so really, this is coming from the place of someone who adores things like warforged and such, which are very obviously an influence in the design of this race.

What I liked

-The art alone is enough to draw me in, it's freaking amazing and makes the entire product better. It's both plentiful and very evocative, making it a joy to read through the product.

-The mechanics for the automata are very well laid out, and while I think they're a bit overdone, there is a considerable amount of balancing that went into keeping a TRUE construct race viable without being TOO powerful. You can tell the writer was aware of some of the issues that would be brought up, and it shows.

-The fact that you care about about your choice of race mechanically after 1st level is something that this game needs more of, and it's definitely shown here. Clockwork points help give you a sense of racial progression in addition to your class progression, and really it's done quite well.

-The fact that we have a cool large playable race is just aces, and that the race runs the gamut from large to small is just aces, making it so quite a few (non con based) character concepts are entirely viable.

What I didn't like

-Not in love with frame hit points, but it's a small gripe.

-This race is going to be stronger than a base race. Like that's just how it is, but not by an amount that will bother most people. I'd say it's easily above a dwarf, but again, it's not game breakingly powerful by any means.

Final Thoughts As a whole, I could see using this as my default construct race in games from now on. While the mechanics can be a bit daunting at first, the reward for them is a very mutable race that has a lot of charm to it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Automata: Guide to the Awakened
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Dragons are Above My Pay Grade
Publisher: Zenith Games
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/06/2016 20:56:18

To have a party take on a dragon at first level is often suicide, and generally a good way to tell that the GM is sick of their players. But Jeff Gomez manages to make an adventure that lets you do just that without the first round of combat being "You're breath weapon'd and lose, now are you going to stop playing Chaotic Neutral?"

What I liked

-The descriptions of NPCs was very well done, and all of them are fleshed out well enough where a GM can pretty easily include them in the module beyond just a sentence. Each one feels very complete, and lack the 'samey' feel you'll get from a lot of NPCs. I'd honestly suggest keeping a few of them in your back pocket in case you want to use this as the starting point for a new adventure.

-The pacing of the adventure was something I enjoyed, the modular nature of it giving the PCs more control in how they approach the situation. Sure, there's a slight issue of one decision deciding several here in which location they visit, but aside from that, it has a lot of freedom as to how it's put together.

-The random encounters, didn't think I'd be saying that. The tables set up for time/location/monster/weather helped make each one different and unique, giving the entire module more of a 'living location' feel to it. It really helps everything come together, feeling more vibrant than a normal random encounter lineup.

-The locations were also fun, and I think one of the things I liked most about it was the slow progression of power where you feel like each of the locations is set up to help you fight a dragon. The layout for those that have maps is also nice and simple while still giving some decent challenges.

-The dragon itself was well done, even if I figured it wouldn't be at full power. Obviously you're not going to be fighting a CR 20 behemoth, and there was going to have to be a bit of fiat to keep this thing from straight up wrecking the party, but that doesn't stop the thrill of fighting a huge sized scale beast like this.

What I didn't like

-I'd have liked more maps. The maps that were in here were great, but really, this is just me liking maps, and I feel like 1 or 2 more could have helped fleshed things out more, like one for the mining camp.

-Some of the earlier encounters pre dragon feel a tad too easy. Small gripe here, but there's no 'mid boss' style encounter before taking on big red, which could have been fun.

Final Thoughts Dragons are above my pay grade feels like it could be the great beginning of a dragon slaying campaign, giving the players a very nice taste of taking on one of the biggest and baddest beasties in the bestiary. It'd be a great way to jump into things and ask your party "Hey, you wanna kill a dragon today?"



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dragons are Above My Pay Grade
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Into the Breach: The Magus 2nd Wave
Publisher: Flying Pincushion Games
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/08/2016 13:35:16

What I liked:

-The Arcane Engineer was an interesting twist on the normal magus, although the features weren't too explosive. Still, I think the archetype needed to exist as it does a lot of things that could help make for a unique character.

-The Fate's Blade was a very fun archetype, pairs well with the Erudite Blade Bravo later in the book, and the features flow together well to give a duelist feel as well as a warrior who's just barely ahead of the curve, something I'd very much like to play some day.

-The Primalist is cool, no doubt. My only issue is balance concerns here, as the amount of evolutions points feels like it could scale far too quickly, and getting quick change so early makes you basically ready to pop into your most dangerous form of combat in every battle. Add that to feral spell combat, and you have a combat beast. It's very cool, but it also feels imbalanced.

-The Waystrider might be my favorite from this book, as the mobility and synergy from the archetype makes for a hell of a fun archetype. Everything about it makes you feel like you're zoned into darting around the battlefield, and it combos well with this kind of playstyle, making it aces on all fronts.

-The Whip Weird is very understated, which I think is probably my favorite thing about it. It makes whips viable, gives a few neat tricks, but not a ton of class features. It's nice for combining with other archetypes, which I think is a strength.

-The Erudite Blade Bravo is the other prestige class, and you can enter this one smoothly through magus which is a huge feather in its cap. The class features help you feel like a duelist and are nicely grouped, making for no dead levels and a very nice capstone. Definitely the MVP prestige class.

-The art as a whole was very nice. It was very well used, and only felt slightly obtrusive at its worst of moments, adding a lot to the value of the book at its best.

What I was indifferent about:

-The Ebonheart Magus feels somewhat bland, and while it does have some fun features, everything blends together too much to me to make a more interesting archetype, which is a shame with the ideas that could have come from this. It's not bad, it's just okay.

-The Mistblade is a very rogue like archetype, probably better than Eldritch Scoundrel for someone trying to blend magic and metal, and the features worked well towards this goal, although it felt like it wanted to specialize more than I would have liked.

-The Towering Champion's mechanics are somewhat difficult to understand on a first reading, and the differences between the two styles presented feel more cosmetic than mechanical. The incremental stat boost are nice, and it does feel like you could have a lot of fun with this, but it can feel bland at times.

-The metamagic feat and spells are really what I'd expect. They're solid inclusions if you're using the material in this book, which you should. Nothing really stood out as amazing, but nothing was broken ore poorly written either.

What I disliked:

-The Elemental Champion just feels like it does too little. Needing to prep your spells as alternative elements and spending arcane points to do so is just such a large cost for such a small reward that it feels unlikely that you'd bother with it.

-The Force Bulwark's mechanics felt like too much of a departure from the base class, and nothing in its features felt like something that I would want from a magus. And somehow the capstone feels both too strong and too weak at the same time, leaving me unimpressed.

-The Pyroclastic Blade has done what we've seen done before, but doesn't really innovate on the 'fire mage' design we've seen before. If Piercing Flames came earlier and was more of a scaling feature, I could probably bump this up more, but we're going through 1/2 the game with no way to deal with fire resistance, and that's just no good for me.

-The Spell Torch Savant really feels like it wants to make fighting with a torch cool, and I've been burned by that before (PUN!). The features here don't feel like they match the fluff enough, and the archetype as a whole just doesn't have enough to motivate using such a bad weapon.

-The Anthroparion is the first prestige class that requires a specific archetype to enter and also loses 1st level casting. That already was a strike against it, but the class features aren't anything that I'm too interested, making this less than stellar on all fronts.

Final Thoughts: It's funny, the things I did like, I REALLY liked. But what I didn't like really popped out at me, making it a polarizing book. Overall, I did like it, and the art was nice. The formatting was fine, few typos or such, making for an enjoyable inclusion. I'd probably give it a 3.75 as a whole, obv rounding to a 4 for this, but I think the things that I liked outweighed any issues I had with the content of this solid book.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Into the Breach: The Magus 2nd Wave
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Mystic Marketplaces: Einjhall's Hall of Exotic Equipment
Publisher: Flying Pincushion Games
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/08/2016 13:34:18

[b]What I liked[/b]

-Another top notch description of the shop this time, it's nice enough to the point where the players can get a general vibe for it.

-While I'm still not in love with it, the barter system is back and feels better implemented this time, upgrading it to something I like, although in the future I'd like to see more items listed for it, even if the given ones are just suggestions. That and higher value ones, as the shop itself has very pricey wares, and the highest value of the barter items doesn't even get you halfway to one.

-The returning patronage system is always aces,and if I'm being honest, it's one of the major draws of the book. I feel like now that it's established, it could be expanded upon, but that's not a fault of the book, more something I would just like to see in future instalments.

-Integrating the shop keeps more into the shop helped over Brass Dragon, making them feel more fleshed out and less 'needlessly mysterious', giving us a better feel for them.

-Speaking of integration, the special services was another nice touch, helping us feel like the shop was worth our time over others.

-Another fun set of quest and shop request here. While I'd like more, that's just me wanting more content, and not a fault of the book.

-While at odds with something below, the encounter provided actually allows you to deal with it without needing a map. It's a more tepid encounter, so it's nothing amazing, but it does give a very nice feel for the location, so the flavorful environment of the encounter makes up for it being mechanically weak. It almost feels like actually fighting in the shop is the 'wrong' way to do things, but that's not really a problem.

[b]What I didn't like[/b]

-Unlike the last store, there's no fantastical way to return to this one, which with it wares is a damn shame. Not a huge drawback, but this means you'll only get great use of this in a city locked game.

-The standard magic item list is prohibitively small. I understand it's most likely a spacing concern, but for the lush and lavish setting as well as the fact that the book has shown that it's willing to include (1) UC item, I would have liked around 20 items included here.

-The lack of a map; I know it was talked about before, I've had the reasons explained to me why there wasn't a map, but that doesn't change the fact that if you're going to include an encounter, you need a map. I will give kudos that the need for a map is greatly minimized this time around, so it doesn't hurt the overall product nearly as much as Brass Dragon, who's encounter was always going to be combat.

[b]Final Thoughts[/b] Really the only problems I'd say I have were listed above, the rest of this book is very solid. The atmosphere is correct for what it's shooting for here. While having both shopkeepers have the same statline was a tad lazy, it's forgivable since unique stat lines wouldn't have added much at all.

While the map was going to be my make or break for this, the intelligent way the need for it was sidestepped was enough to bolster my opinion of the product. I could honestly see using this shop in just about any game which was city locked, making it a regular establishment in my game world. 5/5 product to me, and if you use it for a city game, you'll probably get a LOT of use out of it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Mystic Marketplaces: Einjhall's Hall of Exotic Equipment
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Bite Me! Wererats
Publisher: Misfit Studios
by N. J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/28/2016 16:25:49

Disclamer: While I have worked with this publisher before, I received no compensation for this review, and was not involved with this project.

Okay, checking out the lycanthrope wererat, a group I didn't normally consider looking at myself.

What I liked: Amusingly, the art of this book slowly grew on me to the point where I really started to like the style being used, making it feel like a 90's animated film. The lore of the wererats was quite engaging too, and it gave me a strong idea of where I could fit them into a game, although it didn't paint them as overly 'evil' which I appreciated.

The racial archetype that I really took a shine to was the bully slayer, which was both mechanically sound and very fun, although the picture that accompanied it was a large help in visualising it.

The mundane items were fun and flavorful, although the rat pipes could have used a bit more clarification on how long it took for the rat swarm to summon. Aside from that though, they were all things I think would help with running wererats.

I can't say I'd use all the feats as a player, but for an NPC I think there's a place for all of the feats included in this book.

The hiding weapon quality feels just too good to me, to the point where I might consider it unbalanced. It's very interesting, but it could be too good for a +1 bonus, so be aware of that. The rat saddle did make me smile though, and it just feels like a fun item. Red Eyes was okay, it was an interesting take and I liked it in that respect.

The gnaw anything and swarm growth spells both felt thematic and fun, definitely things I could see using in a game.

The sample characters were pretty nice too, and statted out well enough to the point where it wouldn't be too hard to put them into a game, although I do wish they'd have been further apart in level to make them usable at different points in a game.

What I was indifferent towards : The sewer druid was nicely designed, but just a tad boring for me, making it somewhat forgettable. Some of the magic items were pretty forgettable too, as the helm of ratkind felt too specialized to me. Aside from the above mentioned spells, the rest of the magic was passable, but nothing ground breaking.

What I didn't like : The layout of the book, while serviable and printer friendly, still felt quite barren. Some borders or such could have helped this, but it's not a major issue. The lighting rager archetype also did little for me; while thematic, it wasn't the kind of thing I could see using for a game of my own.

Personal preference here, but I'd have preferred the rat style feats be sectioned off to be more easily referenced, and rat trap is a rather weak feat in the chain.

Final Thoughts: Overall, it's a solid book if you're looking to vary the lycanthropes in your game. While you might not use all of the material in it, there's easily enough in here to give you a very solid base for any wererat adventures you're looking to include.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Bite Me! Wererats
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