Ok everyone, through a great stroke of luck, my local store got this book in on Oct. 7th. Here follows the review.
The book has eight chapters, an introduction and an appendix.
Note: I have not read every single spell, PrC, or feat, but I'll mention anything that jumps out at me.
Chapter One:
The first bit is about defining evil in your game. "Evil" is very clearly defined as not being misunderstood, but truly, unrepentantly vile. Several examples follow that help one define whether an act is evil or not. Next is definitions of evil acts, such as theft, lying, betrayal, or murder. Such things could be used as a yardstick for determining evilness.
After that several fetishes and addictions are defined, along with any relavant game mechanics (those interested in self-mutiliation are rarely at full hit points, for example).
Next there are detailed several vile gods; not the demon princes (those have a whole chapter to themselves) but simply other very evil gods.
Also included are vile races (particularly evil versions of humans and halflings), a few ready-to-run vile villains, and a couple of malign sites.
Chapter Two
This is the varient rules. It includes the rules for being possessed (and which demons can do it, and what they can do with a possessed person), making sacrifices (and the kinds of power people gain from it the more vile it is), curses, diseases, and several other vile things (like using souls or liquid pain in magic item creation).
Chapter Three
This is all the torture devices, poison, drugs, and execution equipment that any evil villain ever needed. Rules are supplied for using and/or making all of the above. One particularly evil thing included was traps for armor, weapons, or equipment. Remember how Blade's sword was really deadly to those that tried to pick it up that didn't know its secret? Same idea, but think of things like armor that explodes if you put it on wrong.
Chapter Four
Feats, feats, feats. Also included are the new vile feats, for which you have to be evil. The power granted is supernatural rather than extraordinary. There are several feats that allow one to effectively "metamagic" spell-like abilities, which could be deadly in the hands of demon or devils. Other feats brand you as the thrall of evil minons. Others are abilities you gain for willingly deforming yourself.
Chapter Five
Prestige classes. Several disciples and thralls of various powerful demons and devils. Also those that specialize in summoning infernal or abyssal beings, along with PrCs for devils, demons, or vampires.
Chapter Six
Magic. Many new spells and magic items of the vilest sort. My time skimming this chapter was punctuated with squeals of "Ew! Ew! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!!!" Most of the spells in here are utterly evil. A few are mostly utility for dark powers (spells that extinguish light or preserve organs) while others are used for very dark purposes. Some are disgusting, true, while some are simply evil (a spell that causes damage not to the target, but to a close friend or loved one, for example). Any PC with a shred of decency will look upon the casters of most of these spells with horror. (Case in point, look at the picture for rapture of rupture on the page following the spell description.)
Most of the spells have a cost. Some can only be cast by outsiders. Some cause temporary or permanent ability damage (a la Call of Cthulhu). Others can only be cast if the person is currently suffering from a specific disease or poison.
Next follows the evil magic items and artifacts. Most are quite vile, though on weapon special ability leapt out at me as unbalanced. The Cursespewing weapons quality casts bestow curse, a fourth level spell, time it deals damage. You need a DC 15 Will save to avoid the effects. Yet it only has a +1 market price. I would up that considerably.
However, most of the other weapons look better balanced. Most are quite frightning. Angelkiller forces celestials to save or die whenever it damages one. The Armor (and Belt) of the Dread Emperor are truly among the most vile (to me) items in the book (trust me on this).
Chapter Seven
The Lords of Evil. Here you are, your Demon Lords and Archdevils. Yup. They're here, they're the living embodiment of evil.
Chapter Eight
Evil monsters. Includes new demons, new devils, the return of an old favorite, the eye of fear and flame, kythons (mindless creatures of evil, the experiments of fiends), a nasty hailing from Carceri, a particularly evil undead, and three temples (bone, a smart skeleton, corpse, a smart zombie, and corrupted, a beyond fiendish template for the extremely evil)
Appendix
The only place where running an evil campaign is here, a three-page appendix giving a few ideas on how to run a campaign with one or more evil PCs.
Conclusion
Things are presented in a clear and non-sensationalist manner. At two points during the book, there are author's notes pointing out that he does not endorse any of this material at all. This book is simply to add an extra dimension to certain types of games.
The vile acts are defined in an almost dictionary-like fashion. This material is not "played up" or glorified. The ideas presented within, if set against PCs, would certainly urge them to destroy such evil rather than join or revel in it.
All in all, I found it to be a good purchase. Using such material would allow a DM to create evil foes that need such great heroes as the PCs to stop them.
The book has eight chapters, an introduction and an appendix.
Note: I have not read every single spell, PrC, or feat, but I'll mention anything that jumps out at me.
Chapter One:
The first bit is about defining evil in your game. "Evil" is very clearly defined as not being misunderstood, but truly, unrepentantly vile. Several examples follow that help one define whether an act is evil or not. Next is definitions of evil acts, such as theft, lying, betrayal, or murder. Such things could be used as a yardstick for determining evilness.
After that several fetishes and addictions are defined, along with any relavant game mechanics (those interested in self-mutiliation are rarely at full hit points, for example).
Next there are detailed several vile gods; not the demon princes (those have a whole chapter to themselves) but simply other very evil gods.
Also included are vile races (particularly evil versions of humans and halflings), a few ready-to-run vile villains, and a couple of malign sites.
Chapter Two
This is the varient rules. It includes the rules for being possessed (and which demons can do it, and what they can do with a possessed person), making sacrifices (and the kinds of power people gain from it the more vile it is), curses, diseases, and several other vile things (like using souls or liquid pain in magic item creation).
Chapter Three
This is all the torture devices, poison, drugs, and execution equipment that any evil villain ever needed. Rules are supplied for using and/or making all of the above. One particularly evil thing included was traps for armor, weapons, or equipment. Remember how Blade's sword was really deadly to those that tried to pick it up that didn't know its secret? Same idea, but think of things like armor that explodes if you put it on wrong.
Chapter Four
Feats, feats, feats. Also included are the new vile feats, for which you have to be evil. The power granted is supernatural rather than extraordinary. There are several feats that allow one to effectively "metamagic" spell-like abilities, which could be deadly in the hands of demon or devils. Other feats brand you as the thrall of evil minons. Others are abilities you gain for willingly deforming yourself.
Chapter Five
Prestige classes. Several disciples and thralls of various powerful demons and devils. Also those that specialize in summoning infernal or abyssal beings, along with PrCs for devils, demons, or vampires.
Chapter Six
Magic. Many new spells and magic items of the vilest sort. My time skimming this chapter was punctuated with squeals of "Ew! Ew! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!!!" Most of the spells in here are utterly evil. A few are mostly utility for dark powers (spells that extinguish light or preserve organs) while others are used for very dark purposes. Some are disgusting, true, while some are simply evil (a spell that causes damage not to the target, but to a close friend or loved one, for example). Any PC with a shred of decency will look upon the casters of most of these spells with horror. (Case in point, look at the picture for rapture of rupture on the page following the spell description.)
Most of the spells have a cost. Some can only be cast by outsiders. Some cause temporary or permanent ability damage (a la Call of Cthulhu). Others can only be cast if the person is currently suffering from a specific disease or poison.
Next follows the evil magic items and artifacts. Most are quite vile, though on weapon special ability leapt out at me as unbalanced. The Cursespewing weapons quality casts bestow curse, a fourth level spell, time it deals damage. You need a DC 15 Will save to avoid the effects. Yet it only has a +1 market price. I would up that considerably.
However, most of the other weapons look better balanced. Most are quite frightning. Angelkiller forces celestials to save or die whenever it damages one. The Armor (and Belt) of the Dread Emperor are truly among the most vile (to me) items in the book (trust me on this).
Chapter Seven
The Lords of Evil. Here you are, your Demon Lords and Archdevils. Yup. They're here, they're the living embodiment of evil.
Chapter Eight
Evil monsters. Includes new demons, new devils, the return of an old favorite, the eye of fear and flame, kythons (mindless creatures of evil, the experiments of fiends), a nasty hailing from Carceri, a particularly evil undead, and three temples (bone, a smart skeleton, corpse, a smart zombie, and corrupted, a beyond fiendish template for the extremely evil)
Appendix
The only place where running an evil campaign is here, a three-page appendix giving a few ideas on how to run a campaign with one or more evil PCs.
Conclusion
Things are presented in a clear and non-sensationalist manner. At two points during the book, there are author's notes pointing out that he does not endorse any of this material at all. This book is simply to add an extra dimension to certain types of games.
The vile acts are defined in an almost dictionary-like fashion. This material is not "played up" or glorified. The ideas presented within, if set against PCs, would certainly urge them to destroy such evil rather than join or revel in it.
All in all, I found it to be a good purchase. Using such material would allow a DM to create evil foes that need such great heroes as the PCs to stop them.
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Yay! Curses, Diseases, and evil items and such.
