It's another theme week, this time focusing on quality third-party sourcebooks for popular games and game systems. We've got a couple of 5e products, one for Pathfinder, a Cypher/Numenera Pick, and of course something for my personal favorite system, Savage Worlds. If you really want to spice up your games and move beyond the core releases, it's time to look at what third party licensees are doing with your favorite games!
THE BRIDGES WE BURN
Yes, it’s spelled that way (and I am not entirely sure why, but it does stand out, so that may be a bit of clever marketing there). There aren’t that many third-party adventures for Numenera, and this one has a great deal of buzz surrounding it for a few reasons – excellent work, fully campaign-length experiences, and most importantly – directly challenging the players to consider the consequences of being adventurers in a world that’s trying to build a civilization upon the ruins of countless others that came before.
The Ninth World is full of wonders and dangers. Just how far will your heroes go to explore them all? How many traps will they disarm, how many ancient tombs unearth? And while doing so, will they ever stop and think about the consequences of their actions? How many bridges will they burn to get treasures, knowledge and glory?
This campaign consists of 5 linked scenarios that can be also played separately. They are designed for Tier 3 characters and offer a variety of challenges: a grand ball and mingling with nobles, investigation, exploration of a strange fortress and finally – battling a powerful monster and its minions to save a city.
The campaign provides 25-30 hours of play, but can be easily expanded and built upon for even more fun! It takes place in the city of Uxphon, which featured in “The Devil’s Spine,” and serves as an excellent follow-up set of new adventures. But fret not, knowledge of “The Spine” is not required!
Includes never-before seen art to inspire your imagination. And yeah – it is gorgeous.
This is an adventure module for Game Masters and requires the Numenera Corebook from Monte Cook Games.
GNOLLS
Looks like I’ve hit upon another Theme Week – Third Party Spotlight, supplements for core, popular systems from third parties you might be missing out on. I’ve pointed at Fat Goblin Games a few times here on the PotW, and it’s time to remind you again that they’ve got a lot of talent and experience in providing great material for some of your favorite games (Pathfinder, Castle Falkenstein, OGL), and now they’ve delved into the 5e market with a whole line of support. A friend of mine recently opined “You know what we need more of? Gnolls! Love me some dog boys!” Well, here you go.
Best-selling DMS Guild author Tony Petrecca (Journey Through the Center of the Underdark Volumes 1 and 2!) is at it again with another book in our popular 5th Edition Races line! This time out… Gnolls!
Gnolls are a horrific predatory race of hyena-like humanoids bent on pillage and destruction. They prey on the weak, using overwhelming odds and fiendish fury to wreak havoc where they may.
Explore the world of 5th Edition Fantasy Gnolls and find out all you need to know to bring these popular brutes out of the bestiary and on to your game table as a playable race.
What does this book have to offer?
– Subraces like the Abyssal Gnoll, Clan Gnoll, and the FLIND!
– New Weapons such as the flind bar!
– Two new magical items, the Howling Flail and Blood Fangs!
THE BOOK OF THE TARRASQUE
Third Party Spotlight Week continues with a book put out by my friends at Encoded Designs. Chris Sniezak and John Arcadian decided to tackle one of the most infamous monsters in all of D&D history, the freakin’ tarrasque! Considered by many over the years to be a kind of joke monster (never intended for actual use), while many others simply saw it as their ultimate “time to end the campaign” challenge, Chris and John decided to delve into the matter and make it a very real, usable world-threatening entity that you can build an entire campaign around facing.
Are You Ready For The World Ender?
The Tarrasque, the unkillable challenge of Dungeons and Dragons. Do you have what it takes to fight the monster? Do you have what it takes to run the tarrasque? How do you begin to tackle something so epic, so incredible? What do you do if your players are ready for it?
With The Book of the Tarrasque, you have all the help and information you need to throw an epic and fun challenge at your players that will be talked about for years!
What’s In The Book?
Advice
A fully fleshed out advice section guided by real world experiences.
New 5e rules that restore elements from previous editions (like regeneration and trample attacks) and add new options to challenge any group, no matter how powerful or prepared.
An in-depth look at multiple tactics brought to the table, as well as an in-depth look at the utility of many magic items.
History
The most complete history anywhere of the tarrasque in mythology, D&D history, other game systems, and even where it has been used as an easter egg in other mediums.
A foreword by Ed Greenwood.
Resources
A robust set of handouts, recompiled stat sheets, paper miniatures, game logs, and large format scaled maps.
Interactive handouts for logging games, using optional rules, creating your own miniatures, and more.
Adventure
Plot hooks and advice for incorporating the tarrasque into your game.
A complete adventure to challenge 15th through 20th level characters and bring them against the tarrasque. Written by ENnie award winning writer Chris Sniezak (Misdirected Mark, Gnome Stew, Dracula Dossier).
What People Are Saying
Thank the gods that a great designer has souped-up gaming’s most famous kaiju. The lore and crunch contained within this tome redefine this sack of hit points as a being to build entire campaigns around.
– James Introcaso, Don’t Split The Podcast Network
Want to have a lot of fun with a tarrasque? Read this book!
– Ed Greenwood, Forgotten Realms
Wow, that history is impressively complete.
– Shannon Appelcline, Designers and Dragons
On using the tarrasque: I never did because I wasn’t sure how the frack to use it, really. I read it and went oh my god that thing is just death on wheels, holy cow it’s just a mindless horrible killing machine…
After perusing the overview Encoded Designs gave me, I want to run a ********* Tarrasque game.
– Brett Bloczyinski, Gaming and BS episode 125
This book is the best, and easiest, way to fight the often discussed, but rarely used Tarrasque.
Simply put, you need this book!
— Neal Powell, Dungeon Master’s Block Podcast
Whether you’re fighting the Tarrasque, fleeing it, or maniacally laughing as you reveal it from behind your GM screen, buy The Book of the Tarrasque. Author John Arcadian has finally crafted a tome worthy of the beast’s terrible countenance.
– J.M. Perkins – Author of the Salt in Wounds Campaign Setting
If you are going high level in 5th Edition, you owe it to yourself to GO COMPLETELY EPIC with The Book of the Tarrasque.
— Wolfgang Baur, Kobold Press
These guys have finally given the Tarrasque some teeth!
– Mike Shea, Sly Flourish
John Arcadian’s The Book Of The Tarrasque looks fabulous!
– Bruce Cordell, D&D Designer, The Strange
The Tarrasque is one of my favorite monsters that I’ve never used in a game. I like the story elements it brings, but managing the mechanics is daunting. The Book of the Tarrasque delivers more than just practical advice. It delivers confidence, which is one of the most important things a GM needs.
– The Caleb G, The RPG Academy
A NECROMANCER'S ALMANAC 2016
Third Party Spotlight Week marches on with a Pathfinder sourcebook of great (and dark) power. The folks at Necromancers of the Northwest are artisans in a workshop, producing an extraordinary volume of quality content for this beloved game system, and here’s everything awesome they did last year.
Animate Your Game Today!
A Necromancer’s Almanac: 2016 is a compilation of all the material produced in 2015 for Necromancers of the Northwest’s popular article lines Best in Class, Magic Market, and Exotic Encounters, and Top Ten. With over 180 pages of gaming content, it’s not hard to believe that this book was a full year in the making.
Somehow, we’ve managed to pack nearly 40 combined archetypes, bloodlines, spirits, and other class features, as well as five new base classes tied to specific monstrous races, nearly 120 brand new magic items, plus 25 monsters from CR 1 to 25, six new templates, 25 monster feats, and 5 new player races, plus 40 articles with flavorful content on a variety of topics, all in one single, massive tome of exciting new content for your Pathfinder game. With A Necromancer’s Almanac: 2016, you’ll have all the options to make exactly the character you want.
And what’s more, you don’t have to search through dozens of articles to find it. Everything has been collected, archived, and gathered in an organized fashion. Even better, the digital version boasts not only extensive bookmarking, but also hyperlinked tables and spell lists, allowing you to jump straight to an item, monster, or spell with a single click.
PIRATES OF THE DOMINION
We close out Third Party Spotlight Week with hot new gem from my buddies at GRAmel, who are full-out supporting one of the original genres Savage Worlds was always meant to exemplify. They’ve got a whole setting and line dedicated to swords-and-sorcery, and this latest release swerves to the barbaric piratical!
Welcome back to the Dominions! In this sourcebook you’ll find plenty of info on one of the biggest tropes of Sword and Sorcery: pirates!
Among these pages you’ll find stories ancient and new of sea and sail, freedom and betrayal, gold and curses, and booze, lots of booze, by Hordan’s bloody kiss!
In addition, you’ll find new rules to handle ships, crews and sea battles. If you like the idea of having your own crew of piratical scum and making yourself a name as the terror of the seas, this book is ideal for you!
-----
It's a gamer's weekend for me, as I head out the door to meet with one of my favorite gaming folks in the local area, Bill "Teh Ebil Bunneh" Keyes to talk about various gaming things (including some stuff I'd like to have him do with Evil Beagle Games).
Tomorrow, I am giving the Fantasy Flight version of Star Wars another try. Yes, I helped write a lot of stuff for this line, but the system has eluded me thus far. My last couple of experiences with it were... tolerable, rather than the previous awful I'd experienced. I am hopeful this new game will bring me around.
On Sunday, I'm running a combination playtest and possible campaign launch for a new Freedom Squadron campaign. I am playtesting the new Plans & Operations rules I've designed, something I think might be a fairly innovative addition to any Savage Worlds game. As you may recall, Freedom Squadron is one of the games I am developing via my Patreon, so folks who want to see more should definitely check that out. As an enticement, here's an image of Corporal Carnage. If he reminds you of a certain famous real-world person who became a G.I. Joe character/action figure, that's not an accident. He was approached by Spyglass Games and agreed to let them base the Corporal off of his image!
The Adventure Continues!
Note that I use affiliate links in all my posts as a way to generate additional revenue for my efforts; I make my Picks and other article choices, however, based on the desire to share a wide variety of things with you. Thank you for your support.
Sean Patrick Fannon
Writer & Game Designer: Shaintar, Star Wars, Savage Rifts, much more
Please check out my Patreon and get involved directly with my next projects!
THE BRIDGES WE BURN
Yes, it’s spelled that way (and I am not entirely sure why, but it does stand out, so that may be a bit of clever marketing there). There aren’t that many third-party adventures for Numenera, and this one has a great deal of buzz surrounding it for a few reasons – excellent work, fully campaign-length experiences, and most importantly – directly challenging the players to consider the consequences of being adventurers in a world that’s trying to build a civilization upon the ruins of countless others that came before.
The Ninth World is full of wonders and dangers. Just how far will your heroes go to explore them all? How many traps will they disarm, how many ancient tombs unearth? And while doing so, will they ever stop and think about the consequences of their actions? How many bridges will they burn to get treasures, knowledge and glory?
This campaign consists of 5 linked scenarios that can be also played separately. They are designed for Tier 3 characters and offer a variety of challenges: a grand ball and mingling with nobles, investigation, exploration of a strange fortress and finally – battling a powerful monster and its minions to save a city.
The campaign provides 25-30 hours of play, but can be easily expanded and built upon for even more fun! It takes place in the city of Uxphon, which featured in “The Devil’s Spine,” and serves as an excellent follow-up set of new adventures. But fret not, knowledge of “The Spine” is not required!
Includes never-before seen art to inspire your imagination. And yeah – it is gorgeous.
This is an adventure module for Game Masters and requires the Numenera Corebook from Monte Cook Games.
GNOLLS
Looks like I’ve hit upon another Theme Week – Third Party Spotlight, supplements for core, popular systems from third parties you might be missing out on. I’ve pointed at Fat Goblin Games a few times here on the PotW, and it’s time to remind you again that they’ve got a lot of talent and experience in providing great material for some of your favorite games (Pathfinder, Castle Falkenstein, OGL), and now they’ve delved into the 5e market with a whole line of support. A friend of mine recently opined “You know what we need more of? Gnolls! Love me some dog boys!” Well, here you go.
Best-selling DMS Guild author Tony Petrecca (Journey Through the Center of the Underdark Volumes 1 and 2!) is at it again with another book in our popular 5th Edition Races line! This time out… Gnolls!
Gnolls are a horrific predatory race of hyena-like humanoids bent on pillage and destruction. They prey on the weak, using overwhelming odds and fiendish fury to wreak havoc where they may.
Explore the world of 5th Edition Fantasy Gnolls and find out all you need to know to bring these popular brutes out of the bestiary and on to your game table as a playable race.
What does this book have to offer?
– Subraces like the Abyssal Gnoll, Clan Gnoll, and the FLIND!
– New Weapons such as the flind bar!
– Two new magical items, the Howling Flail and Blood Fangs!
THE BOOK OF THE TARRASQUE
Third Party Spotlight Week continues with a book put out by my friends at Encoded Designs. Chris Sniezak and John Arcadian decided to tackle one of the most infamous monsters in all of D&D history, the freakin’ tarrasque! Considered by many over the years to be a kind of joke monster (never intended for actual use), while many others simply saw it as their ultimate “time to end the campaign” challenge, Chris and John decided to delve into the matter and make it a very real, usable world-threatening entity that you can build an entire campaign around facing.
Are You Ready For The World Ender?
The Tarrasque, the unkillable challenge of Dungeons and Dragons. Do you have what it takes to fight the monster? Do you have what it takes to run the tarrasque? How do you begin to tackle something so epic, so incredible? What do you do if your players are ready for it?
With The Book of the Tarrasque, you have all the help and information you need to throw an epic and fun challenge at your players that will be talked about for years!
What’s In The Book?
Advice
A fully fleshed out advice section guided by real world experiences.
New 5e rules that restore elements from previous editions (like regeneration and trample attacks) and add new options to challenge any group, no matter how powerful or prepared.
An in-depth look at multiple tactics brought to the table, as well as an in-depth look at the utility of many magic items.
History
The most complete history anywhere of the tarrasque in mythology, D&D history, other game systems, and even where it has been used as an easter egg in other mediums.
A foreword by Ed Greenwood.
Resources
A robust set of handouts, recompiled stat sheets, paper miniatures, game logs, and large format scaled maps.
Interactive handouts for logging games, using optional rules, creating your own miniatures, and more.
Adventure
Plot hooks and advice for incorporating the tarrasque into your game.
A complete adventure to challenge 15th through 20th level characters and bring them against the tarrasque. Written by ENnie award winning writer Chris Sniezak (Misdirected Mark, Gnome Stew, Dracula Dossier).
What People Are Saying
Thank the gods that a great designer has souped-up gaming’s most famous kaiju. The lore and crunch contained within this tome redefine this sack of hit points as a being to build entire campaigns around.
– James Introcaso, Don’t Split The Podcast Network
Want to have a lot of fun with a tarrasque? Read this book!
– Ed Greenwood, Forgotten Realms
Wow, that history is impressively complete.
– Shannon Appelcline, Designers and Dragons
On using the tarrasque: I never did because I wasn’t sure how the frack to use it, really. I read it and went oh my god that thing is just death on wheels, holy cow it’s just a mindless horrible killing machine…
After perusing the overview Encoded Designs gave me, I want to run a ********* Tarrasque game.
– Brett Bloczyinski, Gaming and BS episode 125
This book is the best, and easiest, way to fight the often discussed, but rarely used Tarrasque.
Simply put, you need this book!
— Neal Powell, Dungeon Master’s Block Podcast
Whether you’re fighting the Tarrasque, fleeing it, or maniacally laughing as you reveal it from behind your GM screen, buy The Book of the Tarrasque. Author John Arcadian has finally crafted a tome worthy of the beast’s terrible countenance.
– J.M. Perkins – Author of the Salt in Wounds Campaign Setting
If you are going high level in 5th Edition, you owe it to yourself to GO COMPLETELY EPIC with The Book of the Tarrasque.
— Wolfgang Baur, Kobold Press
These guys have finally given the Tarrasque some teeth!
– Mike Shea, Sly Flourish
John Arcadian’s The Book Of The Tarrasque looks fabulous!
– Bruce Cordell, D&D Designer, The Strange
The Tarrasque is one of my favorite monsters that I’ve never used in a game. I like the story elements it brings, but managing the mechanics is daunting. The Book of the Tarrasque delivers more than just practical advice. It delivers confidence, which is one of the most important things a GM needs.
– The Caleb G, The RPG Academy
A NECROMANCER'S ALMANAC 2016
Third Party Spotlight Week marches on with a Pathfinder sourcebook of great (and dark) power. The folks at Necromancers of the Northwest are artisans in a workshop, producing an extraordinary volume of quality content for this beloved game system, and here’s everything awesome they did last year.
Animate Your Game Today!
A Necromancer’s Almanac: 2016 is a compilation of all the material produced in 2015 for Necromancers of the Northwest’s popular article lines Best in Class, Magic Market, and Exotic Encounters, and Top Ten. With over 180 pages of gaming content, it’s not hard to believe that this book was a full year in the making.
Somehow, we’ve managed to pack nearly 40 combined archetypes, bloodlines, spirits, and other class features, as well as five new base classes tied to specific monstrous races, nearly 120 brand new magic items, plus 25 monsters from CR 1 to 25, six new templates, 25 monster feats, and 5 new player races, plus 40 articles with flavorful content on a variety of topics, all in one single, massive tome of exciting new content for your Pathfinder game. With A Necromancer’s Almanac: 2016, you’ll have all the options to make exactly the character you want.
And what’s more, you don’t have to search through dozens of articles to find it. Everything has been collected, archived, and gathered in an organized fashion. Even better, the digital version boasts not only extensive bookmarking, but also hyperlinked tables and spell lists, allowing you to jump straight to an item, monster, or spell with a single click.
PIRATES OF THE DOMINION
We close out Third Party Spotlight Week with hot new gem from my buddies at GRAmel, who are full-out supporting one of the original genres Savage Worlds was always meant to exemplify. They’ve got a whole setting and line dedicated to swords-and-sorcery, and this latest release swerves to the barbaric piratical!
Welcome back to the Dominions! In this sourcebook you’ll find plenty of info on one of the biggest tropes of Sword and Sorcery: pirates!
Among these pages you’ll find stories ancient and new of sea and sail, freedom and betrayal, gold and curses, and booze, lots of booze, by Hordan’s bloody kiss!
In addition, you’ll find new rules to handle ships, crews and sea battles. If you like the idea of having your own crew of piratical scum and making yourself a name as the terror of the seas, this book is ideal for you!
-----
It's a gamer's weekend for me, as I head out the door to meet with one of my favorite gaming folks in the local area, Bill "Teh Ebil Bunneh" Keyes to talk about various gaming things (including some stuff I'd like to have him do with Evil Beagle Games).
Tomorrow, I am giving the Fantasy Flight version of Star Wars another try. Yes, I helped write a lot of stuff for this line, but the system has eluded me thus far. My last couple of experiences with it were... tolerable, rather than the previous awful I'd experienced. I am hopeful this new game will bring me around.
On Sunday, I'm running a combination playtest and possible campaign launch for a new Freedom Squadron campaign. I am playtesting the new Plans & Operations rules I've designed, something I think might be a fairly innovative addition to any Savage Worlds game. As you may recall, Freedom Squadron is one of the games I am developing via my Patreon, so folks who want to see more should definitely check that out. As an enticement, here's an image of Corporal Carnage. If he reminds you of a certain famous real-world person who became a G.I. Joe character/action figure, that's not an accident. He was approached by Spyglass Games and agreed to let them base the Corporal off of his image!
The Adventure Continues!
Note that I use affiliate links in all my posts as a way to generate additional revenue for my efforts; I make my Picks and other article choices, however, based on the desire to share a wide variety of things with you. Thank you for your support.
Sean Patrick Fannon
Writer & Game Designer: Shaintar, Star Wars, Savage Rifts, much more
Please check out my Patreon and get involved directly with my next projects!
