Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

Dungeon Crawl Classics #5 – Aerie Of The Crow God (DCC#5) is an old school D20 adventure for characters from levels 7 to 9. It was written by Andrew Hind and is published by Goodman Games as part of their Dungeon Crawl Classics series of adventures.

I have purchased print and PDF copies of the revised version of the product. (To be specific I am reviewing SKU GMG5004R.) The revised version includes a follow on adventure called Seed Of Evil and updated stats for D20. Both the print and PDF copies will be reviewed as part of this article. There are some spoilers in this review so stop reading here if that is a concern.

The book has color covers and an entirely black and white interior. It is 8.5” x 11” and is 64 pages in length. There is a 1 page table of contents and a half page OGL statement but the rest is content. I have converted the adventure to Fantasy Hero and run it for a group of players as part of my ongoing Spirit Storm campaign. Please keep the fact that I have not run the adventure using D20 in mind when reading this review.

-== What I Like ==-

The thing I like most about DCC#5 are the encounters. Each encounter is different but they hang together on a strong theme. The theme involves the invasion of a powerful forge by an evil crow goddess and her minions. The characters must scale a desolate rocky island to gain access to a tower then a hidden temple. Encounters are scattered along the ascent, in the tower, and in the temple. The temple encounters are my favorite as they vary in flavor and type of opponent.

DCC#5 was a perfect fit for my campaign. It required little to no rewrites for me to use the encounters as they are laid out in the module. I needed a raven themed big baddie with a magical forge…um…needless to say I was shocked when I discovered DCC#5. That said I do think this adventure could be easily adjusted to fit any campaign. The basic themes are ones that are not hard to integrate into any story and the adventure does provided several hooks for the GM.

Front and back cover artwork by Chuck Whelon and Brad McDevitt respectively are not great but the interior work is actually quite good. Interior pieces were done by Jason Edwards, Brad McDevitt, Stefan Poag, and Brian Tarsis. The maps are good except for the tower map. I had trouble figuring out how the tower levels connected and was forced to draw pencil arrows as aids.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

One aspect of the story for DCC#5 is around a collection of intelligent weapons. I did not like that part of the story as it does not fit my campaign world too well and the PC were not ready for items like these to appear. The good news is that this is not fundamental to the plot and I did not have a problem removing them entirely.

Although I did not run Seed Of Evil it did not feel as polished after reading Aerie Of The Crow God. As a follow on to Aerie Of The Crow God it might be fine. There was also an extra dimensional aspect to the adventure that is not to my taste. If you are hip to running adventures where part of the dungeon is in another dimension then it might work just fine.

One minor issue with the modules is that they could have picked different things for player handouts. For example, one of the handouts is a stack of skulls. There is nothing special about it at all. Why the handout? There are several handouts that struck me in the same fashion. I would have much rather had a handout of the cool chain shrouded ghast encounter!

The PDF copy of DCC#5 has a few broken links to the maps for Seed Of Evil but other than that it worked great for me. Note that I contacted Goodman Games about the issue and they fixed it almost immediately.

-== Summary ==-

DCC#5 was a 2004 ENnie nominee for Best Adventure and I think it deserved it. The encounters and theme are very strong and the adventure can easily be molded into most campaigns. The price point is also wonderful at $7 to $9. Cheap and fun…what else do you want!?!

You can get a copy of the module from DriveThruRPG at this URL for $8.99. Goodman Games OFTEN has sales on DriveThruRPG so if you wait and watch you could probably score a copy even cheaper. Noble Knight has copies at this URL for $7.95. Several sellers have the module for sale at Amazon for around $6 at this URL.

I give it 8 out of 10 paws.

Date At Start Of Game: 10/21/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 17th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

The Temple – Level 1

After unlocking the concealed door the PC carefully enter a set of underground chambers. The walls are carved but roughly hewn. The first room is a large natural cavern with a stone bridge. The drop is quite far so Bilby climbs to the roof with a rope. He ties one end to himself and the other to Cillian. When Cillian gets part way across Po notices something shadowy moving under the bridge and alerts the PC. Cillian runs back seconds before a monstrous centipede attacks! When the centipede closes Oren dishes it a blow. Bilby jumps down on it’s head killing it with a deadly strike. When the insect dies it changes into a shadow and dissipates. The PC have seen this effect from creatures that Narduhl has summoned.

With that the PC head down the rough hallways. They venture into one room where they find a strange onyx dais and a statue of a woman with a raven head. In the room is a horrific looking chain golem. The PC are lucky that the golems first strike misses them. When Cillian and Oren strike their blows glance off! Po’s curse spell also seems to have no effect! Bilby strikes the golem with an assassin’s blow dealing some damage but is then grabbed by chains and is quickly knocked unconscious. Leaving himself open after the grab Oren strikes home felling the foul creature. After destroying the creature the PC examine the statue and find that the head has been recently carved onto the statue.

In the next area they PC discover a stairway with a strange raven head rune on the stairwell entrance. Po detects that it is magic and that there is a command word to bypass it. He tries several Dark Lord chants and one of them turns the rune another color and he is allowed to pass. The other PC repeat the chant and are also allowed to pass.

The Temple – Level 2

In the second level of the temple the hallways are constructed of fitted stones. Carefully Cillian investigates the area using his stone sight. He finds a room with strange ferns and many ravens, a room with a strange cesspool channel, a small library, a mess hall, and a small room for prayer. The prayer room concerns Cillian as it is filled with 8 to 10 rooks. Venturing further down one hallway he finds a large room with a forge and a Pit Bull Kin smith! Once he finds the room the PC sneak down the hall and walk into the room. Oren takes the lead into the room. Once the party has entered the room Po closes the door. Oren begins to speak to the Pit Bull Kin smith explaining the situation. The Pit Bull Kin is immediately put on the defensive but eventually starts to listen to Oren. Oren explains that they have a magic sword that must be destroyed. Upon hearing the story of the sword the Pit Bull Kin smith asks how they were able to get Crimson Tears. He eyes Po and seems surprised when the PC tell him that they are NOT minions of the Dark Lord. The smith then asked to see the sword. Bilby comes out of the shadows and displays the blade. The Pit Bull Kins eyes widen and he tells the PC that instead of destroying it that they should sell it to Malotoch! He will arrange the deal for a 50% cut. The PC rebuff the Pit Bull and again confirm that they want his help to destroy it. The Pit Bull Kin smith eyes the sword one more time then blinded by greed swings his mighty hammer at Bilby. Bilby dodges out of the way. Next the smith calls forth flaming dogs from the furnace! The four dogs all process to move towards Bilby so that they can attack him. Using dodges and masterful two sword fighting techniques the cagey Bat Kin spy avoids his attackers while the rest of the PC move in to help. Cillian and Po start using ranged attacks while Oren closes and swings his hammer. Oren takes a blow from the hounds and finds that their teeth are very painful! The Pit Bill Kin smith then calls forth the power of Granite Head forge which causes his maul to alight in flames! When things start to get rough for the party Po calls for the power of the Dark Lord and throws several surged heals at Oren. Cillian who is standing next to Po seems to be affected by the power from these spells as well. Eventually the Pit Bull Kin falls after a pulled blow from Oren strikes home. The dogs attack one more time then retreat to protect the body of the smith. When they attack one nearly rips into Bilby but Oren manages to ball him up to take the blow. In the effort Oren is knocked unconscious with Bilby rolled up inside of him. With only Po and Cillian to face the dogs Cillian decides to act. He utters for power from the Dark Lord and a huge earthquake rocks the entire temple complex! The dogs, Oren, the smith, and Bilby are now unconscious but not dead. (Note that only Po and the dogs saw what Cillian actually did although Bilby swears that he heard Cillian NOT Po call for the power of the Dark Lord moments before the earthquake hits.)

Before healing their friends Po and Cillian looks down at the body of the Pit Bull Kin smith. If they kill him now then they may not have to destroy the sword. Po draws a knife and nears the body but Cillian stops him at the last moment. Cillian reminds Po that their friends would think ill of them if the Pit Bull Kin was found dead. This taint of evil has cursed Po and Cillian in a very potent and powerful fashion…the pair can only hope that they will soon find a cure to their dangerous sickness…

Date At End Of Game: 10/21/206

-== What is it? ==-

Claymore is a high fantasy anime television series released by FUNimation. It is directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka. Madhouse is the animation company that produced the series. Claymore was release between April 2007 and September 2007.

Claymores are a group of female warriors who roam about the countryside killing Yoma with their massive blades. Yoma are essentially humanoid demons. The series follows Clare, the lowest ranking Claymore. (She is rank 47.) Clare has a dark past that harbors a lot of pain and deep rooted vengeance.

There is some very brief nudity, an extremely light rape scene, and no sex scenes. The series has a good amount of blood but very little gore. The series is rated “17+” at RightStuf.com and I think that rating is actually a bit high. I would suggest “15+”.

I purchased the Claymore DVD Complete Series Box Set (Hybrid) version in standard definition. There are a total of 26 episodes which total roughly 620 minutes of content.

-== What I Like ==-

Probably the most compelling aspect of Claymore is the story. There are three important elements that I think are really intriguing. The first is that Claymores are actually half-Yoma/half-human. Thus they are essentially half-monsters who are tracking down full blooded monsters. The second is that the most powerful Yuma are actual Claymores who have succumbed to their Yuma half. These creatures are know as “Awakened Beings”. These two elements let the writers play around a lot with the big question of what it means to be human. You also get several scenes where Claymores are essentially hunting down their own members. The final plot element that I think is intriguing is that the Claymores are run by a secret organization with an agenda of their own. During the whole series their secret agenda is not revealed but the organizations is presented as being very devious if not downright evil.

I particularly enjoyed episode 4 and episode 8. Episode 4 is called “Clare’s Awakening”. It deals with Clare helping out a church that has been getting attacked by a Yuma. The episode has a great plot and great fight scenes. Episode 8 is a flashback episode called “Awakening”. Awakening tells the story of Clare’s “mentor” the infamous rank 1 Claymore known as Teresa.

The art style in the series is very nice. Madhouse produced an anime style similar to Basilisk or Cowboy Bebop in it’s reality. It is an anime art style that I very much enjoy.

Finally I think the end of the series is quite moving. It is a strong ending but leaves some open questions. Very climactic.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

My biggest complaint by far with Claymore deals with character exposition. The characters in the story will often think things that the viewer is already observing on the screen. Essentially the inner dialog is telling someone who is watching the show what they already know. For example, Clare might expose how powerful a Yuma is after he takes down another Claymore. “Um…I think we can see that he is pretty powerful if he ripped apart another Claymore.” It happens frequently in the series not just in combat.

Another issue I had with the series is that at times I felt like some of the fights were over too fast. This is especially true in some of the early episodes when the viewer really wants to see what the Claymores can do.

The series starts off a bit slow but really picks up the pace around episode 4. If you decide to watch the series give it some time to get legs.

-== Summary ==-

I thought Claymore was a thrilling fantasy romp. If you like monster hunting adventures then you should definitely check this one out. The $50 price point is not bad for such a large amount of quality content.

You can get the boxed set at RightStuff at this URL for $48.99. The Blu-ray boxed set can be obtained at Amazon at this URL for $39.99.

I give it 7 out of 10 paws.

Here is a list of the 2010 ENnie Award winners. Pathfinder was the big winner by far. I’m very glad Hero 6e took the silver for Best Rules and that Day After Ragnarok took the gold in the Best Setting category.

Here is the complete list. ENJOY!

Best Cover Art
Silver: Eclipse Phase
Gold: Pathfinder Bestiary

Best Interior Art
Silver: Shadowrun 20th
Gold: Pathfinder Core Rulebook

Best Cartography
Silver: Aces & Eights: Judas Crossing
Gold: Pathfinder City Map Folio

Best Writing
Silver: Victoriana
Gold: Eclipse Phase

Best Production Values
Silver: Shadowrun
Gold: Pathfinder

Best Rules
Silver: Hero 6th Edition
Gold: Diaspora

Best Adventure
Silver: Trail of Cthulhu: Armitage Files
Gold: Pathfinder #31: Stolen Land

Best Monster or Adversary
Silver: Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited
Gold: Pathfinder Bestiary

Best Setting
Silver: Rome: Life and Death of the Republic
Gold: Day After Ragnarok

Best Supplement
Silver: Players Handbook 3
Gold: Mysteries of the Hollow Earth

Best Aid or Accessory
Silver: Gaming Paper
Gold: Pathfinder GM Screen

Best Miniatures Product
Silver: Gaming Paper
Gold: D&D Minis

Best Regalia
Silver: Battletech
Gold: Cthulhu 101

Best Electronic Book
Silver: The Devil We Know
Gold: The Great City Player’s Guide

Best Free Product
Silver: Lady Blackbird
Gold: Advanced Players Guide Playtest

Best Website
Silver:d20PFSRD.com
Gold: Obsidian Portal

Best Podcast
Silver: All Games Considered
Gold: Atomic Array

Best Blog
Silver: Gnome Stew
Gold: Kobold Quarterly

Best Game
Silver: Shadowrun
Gold: Pathfinder

Product of the Year
Silver: Eclipse Phase
Gold: Pathfinder

Fan Award for Best Publisher
Silver: Fantasy Flight Games
Gold: Paizo Publishing

GAME ON!

-== What is it? ==-

Enchanted Items is a book of magical items for Fantasy Hero (5th edition) from Hero Games. It was written by Jason Walters in May 2007. The book starts with a brief introduction then has sections for different types of items. For example, Amulets, Armor, etc. The last section is full of miscellaneous items that do not fit into one of the other categories.

The book has a color cover and an entirely black and white interior. The book is 8.5” x 11” and is 240 pages in length. I am reviewing the print AND PDF copies. I bought the print copy and was given the PDF copy for services rendered. See below for details.

-== What I Like ==-

The book has a great diversity of item types and they are divided into smaller subsections to make finding an item for that pesky PC easy. For example, if you have a mage you could go to the staff section then decide if you want Offensive, Defensive, Sensory, Movement, Miscellaneous, or Unique staffs. At the front of each major section there is about a page of text describing that type of item. These section are often quite good. The introductory text in the Potions section is exceptionally wonderful.

I also liked the approach of presenting first mundane items then moving up to more powerful unique items. This way you can also get something at the correct power level. The Unique subsection items are typically VERY powerful. These items often contain detailed stories that can be used to drive adventures and such in a campaign.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

A large percentage of the items in Enchanted Items have the same game effects with different “window dressings”. For example, how many items do you need that give Armor? Or aid Strength? etc. Some folks might not consider this bad but at times it felt like the book could have been shorter and cheaper if these repetitions were left out. I almost wonder what the book would have been like if it was constructed with a section on limitations for item types then a different section with effects. For example, here is a section on limitations that would typically be applied to Amulets. Next would be a section on Defensive Effects, Offensive Effects, etc. I would still like some fully constructed items but this approach might have been interesting and useful.

The printed copy of Enchanted Items has many printing flaws. I tallied up roughly 30 areas in the printed copy where text was missing. Unfortunately the missing text is typically in the rule detail material. When I brought it up with Hero they let me know that ALL copies of the book were in this state. I then offered to detail all of the locations where text was missing if they would give me a copy of the PDF. They kindly obliged. If you are interested in getting copies of the text that is missing send an email to Hero. With the document I sent to Hero it should not be too hard for them to write up an errata sheet for the product.

I would have liked to see more information about creating items and item related characters in Fantasy Hero. The big example here is the alchemist character. It might have been run to have a detailed section on creating a magic item related character with a write up.

The cover artwork is downright ugly. It depicts a simple yellow shield on a solid background. The graphic is juvenile and just plain unattractive. Interior artwork is primarily comprised of pieces from other documents and is fair at best.

-== Summary ==-

Even though Enchanted Items is by far the best coverage of magic items for the Hero System it is very hard to recommend unless you are a GM that really has trouble coming up with ideas. I really love a lot of Jason’s RPG products (check out Scourges Of The Galaxy) but this product is not one of his best. The best option for GM who wants to get a copy of the book is to look for a PDF copy at a cheap price. Wait for that DriveThruRPG sale if you can.

The cover price for the printed copy is $26.99. You can get a copy on Amazon.com at this URL for $26.97. Noble Knight Games has it at this URL for $20.00. You can get a copy of the PDF from DriveThruRPG at this URL for $23.00.

I give the printed copy 4 out of 10 paws. I give the PDF copy 6 out of 10 paws.