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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 1112673" data-attributes="member: 13098">Well, I didn't go to Gen Con, so I could not pickup the preview.  So, my thoughts on the little bit I have been able to glean:Fluff text - Probably one of the more controversial areas of the book.  Some of the sex magic stuff might be interesting in the correct campaign.  Otherwise, it will be a silly joke gimmick.  "I go get laid so I have better Int/Wis.  I am so kewl."  As has been shown in other threads, people are widely going to disagree on the fluff text.  Is it handled maturely?  Subjective question.  It is easier to judge this thing by crunchy bits and avoid the hotly debated moral discussions.  (Mind you, I am not saying that those discussions have no place, but the line is quickly drawn between the two camps on whether this book should even exist.)  Feats and skills - Some are kind of silly (see above) but some seem interesting.  Again, a lot of this will depend on the correct context for the campaign.  But, there are a few feats previewed that do not seem to rely on a sexual requisite.Spells - From the preview spells I have seen, I like them conceptually.  Mechanically, they aren't finished.  An example:  Kiss of Life - Will allow a Bard or a Sorceror (Not a Wizard!) to bring the deceased back.  Mind you, the deceased must be brought back within 1 round/spellcaster level of death, so it has to happen quickly.  Additionally, the caster must make a Fortitude save to avoid losing a level.  Neat affect, but the mechanic is broken.  Why?  Because it seems the more competent a caster you are, the harder the DC will be.  The best caster would be a high level Bard with a 15 Cha so the DC would only be 17.  I would suggest something like a DC 10 + subject's character level so that it will be harder to avoid when you are raising a high level character.  But, that is just me.This is 1/3 of the spells I have seen.  I doubt that ratio is broken in the book, but we will see.PrC's - The ultimate crunchy bit that everyone looks at when evaluating a book, right?  The Vestal Virgin looks interesting and could be quite playable.  One problem I forsee is that some of the benefits may not stack nicely with the Paladin's benefits.  Since the Paladin is one of the classes this PrC is aimed at, it could use a little more work.  They need to make sure the bonuses are clearly typed and might want to re-think the statement that many Vestal Virgins are Paladins.  Or, rework the benefits of the class so they do not clash with the Paladin so much.  (What, the Vestal Virgin that used to be a Paladin has 2 special mounts?)In the same vein, I will include the base classes here.  The Imagist is a Sorceror similar class using the (new) attribute of Appearance to cast Divine spells.  OK, fair enough I guess.  It is an interesting class that might work nicely.  Inspired Smite Evil could be fun. Of course, if I _really_ looked at it closer, it might just be wacky.  Gods - More gods to have PC's/NPC's to worship.  Necessary?  Probably not.  Interesting?  Maybe.  I can't really judge based on one preview.  Critters - The Fallen Seraphim is just nasty.  Not as a melee opponent, but the flavor text is wicked.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly will not suit everyone.  It would make an interesting opponent to base an adventure around.  I could easily see designing an adventure around a Fallen Seraphim that is harassing a city.  The PC's must stop it.  I think I would play the creature up with a lot of self-loathing, begging to be slain, but fighting it every bit that it could.  Would I do that for every campaign style?  Heck no!My opinion:  The morality issues will bring this book up for hotly contested debate.  Especially with the marketing angles that have been taken.  Aside from that though, what mechanics will work here?  From the previews I have seen on the Valar site, some of the mechanics are less than optimal.  I can see using portions of this in some games.  What will I use?  All the preview spells have good flavor that I would drop into most any campaign.  The Vestal Virgin has a fit for my world, though I would tweak it somewhat.  This will be enough for me to give the book a serious look when it is released.  If anyone else has the printed preview, I would be interested in hearing the strengths/weaknesses of the mechanics.</blockquote>

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