Evocative City Sites- Kavit M. Tor’s Emporium of Collectible Curiosities by Rite Publishing.

This product is 23 pages long. First 2 pages are cover and credits page.

Chapter 1 – Description (6 pages) It has a store map and a IC introduction to the shop from a patron the visited the shop. There is also listed 6 secrets about the shop, though I wasn't sure if all 6 was suppose to be true or if the GM should pick the ones they liked. I mean no harm in doing it either way. This section finishes with 5 adventure hooks.

Chapter 2 – NPC's (4 pages) Here is the complete stat blocks for Kavit M(the owner of the shop), Chebutan(a Monkey), and Apaxut(a gargoyle). Kavit has 2 pages, the others each one. This section has one of the few things I didn't like. It is not a major deal but makes the book a little less useful than it could have been. Kavit is a caster with a template. It doesn't list the template free and clear of the character so you could apply it to others. I mean you could take the figure it out on your own but it would have been nice if the template would have been added.

Chapter 3 - 10 Cursed Curiosities and Other Objectionable Objects (2 pages) Below is a list of items. I liked all of them and only commenting on how I think they could have been better, to provide Rite Publishing with some feedback.

Dagger of Unhappy Returns Devils Due Trap – I think the gem shouldn't disappear but otherwise liked this. Doll House Trap – Love the idea, but thought those traps should appear as dolls in the house. Flameseeker Hat of Shifty Appearances – Loved it, but thought they should also look a little shifty. Horn of Smog Lord Parakeh's Sword – This was the only one I wasn't overly found of. Ring of Degeneration – Very nasty item. Slippers of Thief-Snaring Vain Hat of Curses – I liked this one.

Chapter 3 – 10 Colorful Curses (1 page) I liked all the curses, I really don't have more to say than that. Here is a list.

A Mouth Full of Mud Impaired Reading Lovesick Lurking Presence – My Favorite Seeing Red Self Doubt Timidity Thin Blooded Tongue Tied Vertigo

It finishes with 1 page for OGL, 6 pages of the blown up map for minis and 1 page for back cover.

They also include a map pack PDF of just the maps.

Closing thoughts. I liked this one, if this is the direction Rite Publishing is going to go with future ones I will be buying more. The previous ones I have, I thought where ok. This one goes beyond just giving you a location and some NPC's. It is well done and makes you want to figure out a way to drop it into your game. The art work is by Joe Calkins or public domain art, it goes from fair to in one case very good. Now other than the one critic I made earlier I do have one more. I really wish the section on objects had been expanded to at least 20 or maybe even 30 objects. If it had been then I would recommend the book just for the objects section alone, as they ones they have are just that good. As it is, for the price it is still a good buy. I am giving this a 4 star rating, it is good, but I think it could have been better.

Even before I clicked to open the PDF, I had a good hunch (and rightfully so) that this release was going to be a tribute to Leland Gaunt, the proprietor of Needful Things from Stephen King’s 1992 novel of the same name. A seemingly kind older gentleman who claimed to have arrived in Castle Rock from Akron, Ohio (Acheron?) to set up shop; he has a knack to have in stock a number of uncanny items that people would covet to have in their possession. For a low price, it could be yours … if you are able to do something “generous” in return.

Kavit M. Tor fills this niche in Rite Publishing’s Evocative City Sites line for the mythical city of Questhaven. If you need something ‘neutral setting’ to plug in a jiffy in your campaign, you should consider checking out Mr. Tor’s Emporium of Collectible Curiosities. Brought to you by Jonathan McAnulty and Trevor Gulliver, they were able to successfully bring this atmosphere to the forefront.

Included within this twenty-three page PDF are adventure seeds, ten collectible curiosities, and ten curses to aid you in the creation of your own item if the examples provided don’t fit the niche for your active setting or one-shot adventure plot. In addition, you will find further information about the mysterious proprietor, his servant and his ‘pet’ monkey and how they can be utilized in this setting.

What stops this short from being a five star product? I have but only two quibbles: 1) if you are going to pay homage to the character that inspired your setting, you should at least spell his name correctly (i.e. Gaunt; not Grant). 2) I was not familiar with the prestige class that was introduced. Since it comes from a third party publisher book that is out of print, it would be wise to provide additional information about that PrC if the GM may desire to understand the NPC’s abilities or expand upon it as those mechanics were designated OGC . With Rite Publishing having updated other content in their Questhaven product line from OOP sources (actually making a reputation of it, which a good thing for those who can no longer acquire these classics), its availability would have given the prestige class its due justice by updating it to Pathfinder rules. That said; these are simply editorial content that can easily be fixed by the Bean Counter and Lowly Janitor. ;-)

Overall, I endorse this product and out of all the existing Evocative City Sites, I find this one to have the greatest potential of continuous usage in anyone’s campaign setting. Thanks for Jonathan and Trevor in bringing this to realization and Steve for having faith in their capabilities to provide us such awesome goodness!

NOTE: While I possess all the Evocative City Sites line, I did not purchase this one as it was made available to me as a review copy. As always, caveat emptor.

If you dare…

From the pages of dark fantasy, one of the most compelling pairings is the shop of items arcane and perhaps nefarious and its shopkeeper, who is undoubtedly so--though perhaps not at first glance. Paizo board regulars Wicht and Tarren Dei have been teamed by Rite Publishing to give us this classic pairing for some wonderfully atmospheric gaming.

Among the work's good features, its real strength comes from the fully imagined character of the shopkeeper, Kavit Tor. He provides the explanation for the store's colorful and clever cursed merchandise, its planar nature, and its fruitful seeds for adventure. The product gives the GM plenty of material to drop Tor and his emporium directly into any game--another happy consequence of its planar nature. What makes it particularly appealing to me is that it gives interesting material that can be used right away, but moreover the material is presented with the right combination of detail and suggestion to spur one to build on the authors' material for further uses.

The work begins with a narration that draws one into Tor's twisted curiosity shop. Good luck to players who wish to outlive what they take out of it or hope to avoid leaving something valuable of themselves behind as a surety of a far dearer price. Chances are they'll become repeat customers, if they can find their way back in.

Don't be fooled by the stock art or the punning title: There is a richness to the contents that makes the price a steal. For many readers, the ten magical items and ten curses alone will make it a bargain, but for me, these are extras to character of Tor and the atmosphere of his emporium