I will put these reviews in the appriopriate section of the site, but I will first submit these for your attention and comments.
The first one is Darkness & Dread:
Darkness & Dread
Author: Mike Mearls
Type: Accessory – horror guidelines
Format: 153 pages, hardcover
Release date: 2004
Summary of content: A book with tips and guideline for horror based campaign
Distributor: it is available at Fantasy Flight
Rating: ****
Darkness & Dread is well known to many Ravenloft fans, and with good reasons. This book is helping DMs and players who wish to include horror aspects in their D&D games.
It is based on a very low power, low magic base. According to these rules, players have weaker character then normal fantasy game, which Ravenloft aficionado are used to, but many rules of this book makes the players very weak, even for Ravenloft standards (they even say “Try not to get too attached to a PC - his next encounter could be his last.”!) The players class developed in this book are likewise stopped at 10th level, “since most PCs will not get this far anyway”…
So IMHO many of these rules are too harsh on players and would discourage most to play this campaign. This said, the book is offering many great advices and options that can be implemented in a Ravenloft game.
Chapter 1 (****) provides options and information for characters. It gives DMs advice for each of the core character classes – many fun ideas here. One of them is to change the cleric’s turning effect to a -2 malus on all attack and other checks made by the undead when the turning succeeds. Nice idea. However, it is followed by a discussion on how clerics, with their healing powers, can destroy the creepy atmosphere. They end this discussion by suggesting removing the cleric of horror campaigns… This goes a little too far if you ask me.
They then propose many new classes, all low power and low magic. Many of these are fun, but not for PCs, but for NPCs. In these are many ideas for interesting NPCs. Let’s list these:
Acolyte: A low-ranking priest recently initiated into his faith. As example of low power orientation, a 10th level acolyte, you get two spells of the third level, which you cast as a 5th level caster. He has abilities to instil courage in his flock. Good NPC class.
Alchemist: A researcher skilled with chemicals. This alchemist is able to distil bits of a creature and get some information on the creature: creature type, hit dice and size, physical attacks the creature can use (with estimate of the damage each one inflicts), and special attacks and special qualities. That information seems far fetched from a bit of fur, no?
Antiquarian: An expert on ancient artefacts and other historical relics. He can make Item Lore (as Identify). Good NPC class.
Apprentice: A student (or ex-student) of a wizard. This is a funny one. You can get tenth level in an apprentice class! And there are real wizards if you are an apprentice of one. That’s really odd. The list of spells doesn’t include any wizard stable such as magic missile, lightning bolt, or fireball. So a player get to be an apprentice wizard in a world where demons (and evil necromancers) roam? Too weak.
Artisan: An expert in a particular art or craft. Good NPC class.
Beggar: A street person who sees much more than others suspect. One fun aspect of this class is its ability to be invisible, on the principle “that many folk simply do not see them”. Good source of info.
Engineer: An expert in construction, stonework, and traps.
Gambler: An expert risk taker who excels at judging others’ thoughts. Good NPC class.
Grave Robber: Common henchmen of necromancers. Odd.
Grifter: A confidence man and swindler who tricks others of their wealth. This class has three very cool abilities: Gilt Tongued (experts at tricking others into taking foolish actions or overly trusting in their words - bluff skill vs Sense Motive), Pernicious Influence (using gullible folks for financial support, favors, and other services) and Confidence Artist (the grifter can spend influence points to gain favours and special actions from those under her influence.. Fun abilities for villains!
Herbalist: A master of creating herbal remedies and poisons. You can brew options that mimic spells, mainly healing and curing. Great class for Van Richten.
Kennelmaster: An expert animal trainer and handler. Interesting NPC class.
Medium: A mystic who has the mystic ability to delve into an object or location’s past. Fun ability for a vistani.
Merchant: The owner of a small business. NPC class.
Minstrel: A skilled storyteller and performer. A bard without spell. Fun NPC, or vistani.
Physician: A student of anatomy and a skilled healer. Odd, except perhaps in Lamordia.
Pit Fighter: A warrior who uses his skill at arms in illegal arena battles.
Prospector: A treasure hunter and outdoorsman.
Sage: A master of a wide variety of academic topics. NPC class.
Sewerjack: A labourer who toils in sewers and other repellent quarters. Odd.
Thief: One who uses illegal means to make a living. A low powered rogue. Perhaps for street thieves NPC.
Tracker: A scout, hunter, or woodsman. NPC.
Veteran: A soldier, such as a mercenary or a militiaman. NPC.
Worker: A laborer who uses his physical tools to earn a living. NPC.
As you can see, many cool ideas for NPCs, but I’m not sure for PCs.
Chapter 2 (***) Horror campaign new rules. It starts with a very gritty rules for hit point (number of hit point: constitution score + hit dice, that’s it!). However, undead and constructs have normal hit points. No wonder they expect PCs to die quickly.
An option follows, on health level. With this option, there are four stages of health: healthy, staggered, injured and critical. For example, when you are staggered, you get -2 on all attacks and checks, and a concentration check of DC 10 to successfully cast a spell. These penalties get harsher as health decline.
Fear rating guidelines follows. There are useful guidelines to estimate the fear effect of a creature (and the appendix gives the fear DC for all creatures of the Monster Manual Core book).
Madness method follows. You get madness points when you loose fear checks, then you lower these madness points when you defeat opponents. That’s a little weak, especially when compared to the madness rules of Ravenloft or Call of Cthulhu. This said, a few of the fear / disorders / madness descriptions (with appropriate game rules for each effect) are interesting and could be well applied to a particular situation inducing madness.
Chapter 3 provides rules on research. It develops on rules to the time to read a book, and the skill to read complicated or old tomes, as well as rules to decipher coded written messages or complex code. It also gives rules for the time to get it according to the size of the library.
A cool part develops magical books containing rituals, i.e. spells. A good way in your game to make innocent people use dark spells for a well intended purpose. Good ideas here.
Rules on library size follows, and its effect on information availability.
Chapter 4 (**) gives alternate rules for black magic and unspoken pacts with demons and other foul entities. Good ideas, but fantasy oriented.
Chapter 5 (**) Monsters: abominations and godlings. It’s a lot on the fantasy side, with heavy cosmic horror. Not very useful in a Ravenloft campaign, or perhaps once.
Chapter 6 (*****) is a very well written chapter on designing an horror adventure. It offers many advices and tips, as well as a step-by-step process for adventure design:
“A terrible creature, or its agents, take some sort of action that captures the party’s attention.”, or how to drag PCs in the adventure.
“This action is somehow related to a ghastly plot that could cause a severe disaster if it comes to fruition.”, or hints that something unclean is happening, making the PCs wanting to enquire.
“The characters must piece together evidence that illuminates the creature’s or cultists’ plans and determine how to stop them.”, or the enquiry itself. There are good tips on building the scenes where the PCs get the information needed for the enquiry, and how to make it work. Very informative.
“With this knowledge in hand, the PCs must foil the being’s or agents’ efforts.”, or the conclusion.
It is followed by tips on designing investigation, with great ideas to make it interesting, to build the links between things in the scenario, and to add complications.
In Ravenloft, it is often suggested that combat isn’t the first choice. This book offers many ways to defeat an opponent with actually fighting it.
Chapter 7 (***) is describing two adventures set in the Northwall city. I found this part weaker when looking at it with my Ravenloft lenses, as it is very fantasy oriented, but still fun to read. It has many events to animate city life (riots, fire, starvation, severe weather, strange phenomenons) as well as rules for cover, sight and movement in a crowd; and about catching fire
Highly recommended.