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Like all of the threat reports come with a nice piece of color art of the character embedded in the PDF and a separate Hero Lab file.
Heavy Metal is the strongman of the Cybertribe (and brother to Sister Steel), tough and powerful, but also the youngest and most gentle of the team. An interesting character and very good at what he does (which is be strong and tough which you can be very of both at PL 11) and an important member of the Cybertribe but not the on the face of it the most interesting.
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Like all of the threat reports come with a nice piece of color art of the character embedded in the PDF and a separate Hero Lab file.
Sister Steel is the Cybertribe's field leader, strong, fast and effective. Her cybernetic shell compensates for his weakness of her body. Seeking to strike out at the world that has always beat her down, she restrains her anger to better protect her family. An effective and direct combatant (at PL 10) and an interesting character.
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Like all of the threat reports come with a nice piece of color art of the character embedded in the PDF and a separate Hero Lab file.
Rez is the Cybertribe's infiltration specialist, able to change her appearance at will. As someone who hated her appearance, her new found freedom to be anyone, anytime. Her powers are focused on being other people, which she loves as character, and is a fascinating build for an infiltrator. Again, an interesting mostly non-combat build (at PL 10) which allows for some fun and interesting plots.
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Like all of the threat reports this come with a nice piece of color art of the character embedded in the PDF and a separate Hero Lab file.
Motherboard is the team leader and 'mother' of the Cybertribe, a brilliant scientist betrayed by an evil corporation and kept alive only by a life support cocoon. But her brain is alive and able to manipulate computers on a superhuman level. From their base (detailed here as well) she leads the Cybertribe in a private war against groups she considers evil, especially the corporation that tried to kill her. An excellent mastermind character with very limited combat ability (even at her PL of 12) with a morally ambiguous agenda if such appeals to a campaign.
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For new heroes, and new game masters, this is a good starting point for a superheroic campaign. This adventure is nice as it touches on all of the primary types of scenes that can be used and provides a straightforward scenario to begin a team’s career.
Emerald City Knights, Chapter 1: The Aftermath is a 17-page PDF (15-pages if you remove the cover letter and OGL page) for the Mutants & Masterminds (3rd Edition) RPG written by Christopher McGlothlin and published by Green Ronin Publishing. This is the second part of Green Ronin’s Emerald City Knights adventure line for M&M (the first installment can be acquired free from RPGNow).
This follows the standard M&M layout, clean and easy to read with a variety of sidebars to clarify various points. Several nice full color pieces, including one that illustrates all the villains. Additionally HeroLab files for the four supervillains included.
This is a five-scene adventure arc with a mixture of action and combat scenes, a variety of people to meet and innocents to save, and ending on a cliffhanger (in the best comic tradition) that leads into the next adventure arc. The heroes are given a chance to be heroic and rescue people, meet some of the movers and shakers of Emerald City and get to fight members of F.O.E. (the Fraternal Order of Evl).
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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Monk Archetypes is an excellent expansion to the options available for the monk, allowing many of the classic wushu and martial arts characters to be modeled in interesting and dynamic ways. It does come with a slight increase in complexity and resource management for the monk, but many players will find that a small price to pay for the wushu abilities made available.
Monk Archetypes is a 29-page PDF (26-pages if you remove the cover, ad and OGL page) for Pathfinder written by Frank Carr and published by Rite Publishing. This is part of Rite Publishing’s Jade Oath support.
The layout is a standard 2-column design. The art is a full color cover with a few other interior pieces that nicely support the theme. A set of bookmarks makes it easy to navigate the product but a list/chart of the new feats might have been helpful
It is broken into three major sections:
New archetypes, eight of these emphasize different aspects of the monk and range from the Contemplative, master of the sutra, to the Thaskalos, wrestler-philosopher from the distant west. The Sohei and Yamabushi are different sorts of weapon-focused monks, the sohei focusing on being part of a group, while the yamabushi master the elements. These allow a wide variety of ways to emphasize different aspects of the monk.
A new rule for those with ki pools, Ki Focus, leads into the sixty-one new feats which are almost all divided into two new types: Ki feats, which require the character to have a ki pool, and Chakra feats, which are also powered by Ki and require allocation of ki to maintain them. There are also three general feats, one of which opens ki powers to the dedicated. The Chakra feats are quite fun and will allow for some interesting tricks, they provide bonuses by locking part of a character’s ki pool into them which can then be expended for a major effect if needed.
The last section contains seven Major Chakra, which work like the chakra feats but are only available to the Sadhu archetype, which specializes in manipulating the chakra. They are slightly more powerful and certainly more flexible than the chakra feats allowing for considerable adaptability. A GM may wish study this section carefully before allowing its use.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review
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Not enough fire magic in your campaign? This genius guide aims to help you with that problem. A variety of new fire-based spells and class options for all of your magical fire needs are provided within.
The Genius Guide to: Fire Magic is a 12-page PDF (11 pages if you remove the credits/OGL page) for the Pathfinder RPG written by Owen K. C. Stephens and published by Super Genius Game. This is part of Super Genius Games’ Genius Guide line.
The layout is a screen-friendly landscape design, with cover art and 1-column on the first page and three columns on the rest. The list of spells is in traditional Pathfinder formatting and as easy to read as they ever are. The art supports the fire magic and spell-casting theme of this product in a mix of color and black and white pieces.
Fire Magic opens with a discussion about how Fire is a well used (if not iconic) in magic imagery but somehow, spellcasters always seem to be able to use more fire magic. So, more fire magic will be provided.
Fourteen new spells of first level and higher including something for most types of casters (bard, cleric, druid, inquisitor, sorcerer/wizard and witch). Naturally most of these are combat oriented spells but there are some interesting utility spells as well and the new rules for damage caused by magical steam, which are quite clever. The spells Brand of Shame, scarring the wicked for their crimes, and Wall of Glass, which summons a wall of molten glass, are two of my favorites.
Beyond the spells, fire casters are supported with: an optional Inquisitor’s judgement, a new Oracle mystery (dragonfire), new Witches’ hexes, a fiery creature template and two new metamagic feats.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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The Hope Preparatory School Freshman Handbook is a lovely in-game artefact and a useful reference to the workings of the school. If playing a game in this setting, the Freshman handbook will add verisimilitude to the setting or if you need a super high school to visit, take a look.
Hope Preparatory School (HPS) Freshman Handbook is a 64-page PDF (61-pages if you remove the cover, OGL pages and ad) for the Mutants & Masterminds (3rd Edition) RPG written by John Dunn and published by Melior Via, LLC. This is part of the Melior Via’s Hope Preparatory School line.
HPS Freshman Handbook has mostly a traditional column layout and is digest size and easily readable. The text is annotated by three students which adds color commentary (in actual colored text). The art is full color but limited mostly to pictures of the teachers. It is very well book-marked and you can turn off layers (including the annotation) for easy printing.
HPS Freshman Handbook is exactly that, an in game artefact for students at the HPS school, a high school that caters to superhumans. This details the history of the school and its rules, information on academics (including class schedules and teachers -all of whom are superhumans-), sports, and extracurricular options (conspiracy club!). Overall, giving a solid view of the general workings of the school from the student side of things.
A short section on game rules talks about the appropriate power levels for students and rules for how school cliques impact on social skills. Lastly, the teachers are given short stat blocks.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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#1 With A Bullet Point: 5 Abilities for Dragonhide Armor by Supergenius Games is also just what is advertised, 5 new abilities (2 of which have multiple levels of power) that are thematically appropriate for dragonhide armor: tails, wings, breath weapons and more, all reflecting the powers of dragons the armor was created from. Quite a fun idea and well executed. So, if you need more things to do with that dragonhide.
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A Cast of Characters: Town Guards by Corvus Lunaris is exactly what is says on the tin, statblocks for five guard types ranging from village guards (CR 1/3) to Royal Guards (CR 8, though listed as CR 10), along with Captains for the two most competent sorts, Elite and Royal. Some combat tactics and roleplaying suggestion, maybe even suggested bribe levels, would have helped to flesh out the guards and moved them beyond generic opponents. On a design note, I would have liked to have seen more polearms among the guards and fewer (expensive) swords, some nonlethal weapon options would have been nice too. Still, handy to have when you need a bunch of guards to impede the player characters in some way.
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Death Sentence, a Coffee Break Adventure by War Games South. A short one-page adventure with a nice full color map and an all too brief encounter. It is good enough for a short encounter, but only just. A second page could have added so much more (and an OGL). Not bad for something to use on the spur of the moment of for inspiration but War Games South should aim higher.
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Mage Noir takes the mages of World of Darkness into the America of the postwar era in the US, a period of moral grays, the era of noir. Playing to mood and tone is one of the strengths of the World of Darkness and the noir era is full of such shadows and shades. If roleplaying in such a time interests you, this product is likely worth your time.
Mage Noir is an 82-page PDF (79-pages if you remove the covers and ad) for Mage: the Awakening (and the World of Darkness in general) RPG written by David Brookshaw, Matthew McFarland, John Snead and Filamena Young and published by White Wolf Publishing.
Mage Noir is mostly double column layout, except for the fiction, and is easily readable. The art is black and white as you would expect. It has basic bookmarks but lacks an index, still as this is a shortish work that is not a great hindrance to finding things.
Now, before I go any further, I should point out that I am not a Mage: the Awakening player or GM/storyteller so I am looking at it just as a 1940s/Noir reference. Mage Noir begins with fiction, moves into an introduction that defines the setting’s theme as price of awakening and its mood as cynicism, it is noir all the way. It gives a solid list of source materials from movie to music, books to games.
The other chapters are:
The Party’s Over looks at the status of American society immediately post-WW2. It gives an overview of a nation reshaped by war and trying to find its place in the post war era, a world of rapidly changing technology where the old societal certainties were breaking down.
The Power and the Glory looks at character creation. A surprising amount of this chapter is usable in any game set in the late 40s, giving things to think about when building a character of that period. A new Legacy, the Quiescent, is also introduced along with new attainments for that path.
Nice Guys Finish Last, is tied quite deeply into the Mage setting talking how about how the various magical groups have been disrupted by the postwar world and how they are trying to adapt. While tied heavily to the setting, there are many bits and hooks that could be used for other modern fantasy stories.
Stories in the Naked City, the storyteller’s part of the book, focusing on how to bring in the themes of noir into a game. Plot and setting ideas are spread out through this section waiting to be taken up.
The Weaver-West Papers, a five-part Storyteller Adventure System piece with five pre-generated characters. This serves as an introduction to the themes of noir in practice as well as providing example characters for the period. The adventure is structured with the idea that each of the five characters gets to be in the spotlight in one of the scenes.
Concluding is an appendix containing the Lamppost Cabal. Five mages complete with full character sheets, operating out of their own nightclub. They also get their own antagonist. Lastly, a blank Mage Noir character sheet is provided.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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The Sinking: Epicenter Rising is straight forward introductory adventure that ties a group into a major happening in the Great City, but with a little work could easily be adapted for other cities. While rather structured, the adventure has a good internal logic and should provide a satisfying play experience for most groups.
The Sinking: Epicenter Rising, an adventure for 1st level characters is a 16-page PDF (11-pages if you remove the covers, ads and OGL page) for any the Pathfinder RPG written by Tim Hitchcock and published by 0one Roleplaying Games. This is Season 1 - Pilot of the Great City Campaign Serial.
Epicenter Rising has a traditional two column layout and is easily readable. The limited art is solid black and white work and four maps are included within the work.
Epicenter Rising hinges on a simple plot, the characters are hired to investigate a smuggling ring, and many ways to get the characters involved are discussed (always nice). The investigation lead to the characters visiting the sewers just in time to be trapped by an earthquake! After which the adventurers must make their way through the winding tunnels to find a way back to the surface.
While the adventure is a bit linear, it is fair for an introductory adventure and the setting is engaging, almost a classic adventure movie setting that I think many players will find fun to play through.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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Attitude is all about style and the world of media and celebrity in the Shadowrun future. It is a superb reference but it is almost all background and information, very much a flavor sourcebook while there are some new equipment and rules, it is focused on adding depth to the sixth world not rules to the game.
Attitude: Sixth World Swagger for Shadowrun written by Lars Blumenstein, Rusty Childers, David A. Hill Jr., Jason M. Hardy, Adam Large, Je D. McLane, Cynthia Celeste Miller, William Murray, Elizabeth V. Nold, Malik Toms, Filamena Young, Russell Zimmerman and published by Catalyst Game Labs.
Attitude is a style guide and more for the world of Shadowrun, but style ties into a lot of things in the future of the Sixth World it is quite wide ranging. The majority of the book is descriptive and written “in world” that is from the point of view of the characters in the setting as if they were data files on a discussion forum.
After a short introduction there is almost forty pages of information on the Runners’ scene including topics such as managing your reputation, useful contacts and much more. This section is extremely useful for both players and GM, giving a good look at how runners fit into the larger world as well as many good tricks of the trade.
Then it moves into entertainment: the Music scene, the Trid scene, and the BTL scenes giving information on the scenes, the major players there, and provides adventure ideas tied to these industries. Even if you do not want to run entertainment-based runs, it helps to flesh out the world to know more about these media work in Shadowrun.
Next it is sports, which is a mix of old and new, with a discussion of leagues and teams and, of course, cheating. Pirate Media, for the shadow side of news and performance, but a media that could be used by (and may be sympathetic to) runners. One of my favorite pieces of the pirate media section are the cult recreationists who obsessively recreate old shows and movies for various purposes. A section on working with celebrities, which can lead to unwanted fame for a runner, is mostly fiction but paints an interesting cautionary tale.
Be Your Own Boss, on being a team leader, and Diving Off The Edge, which is advice on making your own luck rounds out the advice for runners. A selection of the characters that are referenced earlier in the work is given more detail for use as NPCs.
Lastly, there are new styles, clothing and toys for runners and normal people of the future alike (and the only mechanics in the entire book). New toys almost always make players happy and GM get some fun toys for the NPCs as well.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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If you like the harpy, or have never been exactly sure how to fit them into your campaign, this product will give you the ability to place harpies in a wide range of adversarial roles: combat, social, background threat even magical danger. If these winged dangers interest you, give this product a look.
Mythic Menagerie: Kith of the Harpy Queen is a 13-page PDF (11-pages if you remove the cover and credits/OGL page) for the Pathfinder RPG written by Owen K. C. Stephens and published by Super Genius Game. This is part of Super Genius Games’ Mythic Menagerie line.
The layout is traditional 2-columns design after the introduction, conforming to the standard bestiary format. The cover is full color with of the creatures and magic items having its own black and white illustration.
After a one page introduction, it moves directly to the six new harpy kin, ranging from the socially focused (the glory harpy), to magical empowered (storm harpy), disease bearing (pestilence harpy) and a variety of those combat skilled (cave harpy, Pazuzu’s chosen, and piasa), with CR from 2 to 14. A good variety of options for many types of encounters, each type of harpy has its own variant on the harpy’s song (except for the glory harpy).
Five harpy-associated magic items, including the nasty feathered dagger and the sweetest perfume, six feats usable by harpies or similar creatures, and five new spells playing on the nature of the harpy.
All in all, if you have thought of using harpies in your campaign this product will give you tools to make adventures dealing with them much more interesting.
Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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![[PFRPG] The Genius Guide to Fire Magic](images/97/89613-thumb100.jpg)
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