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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2011728" data-attributes="member: 18387">Arcane AdversariesWritten by Dean Shomshak -128 pg Trade Paperback, Perfect BoundThis is rogues gallery type sourcebook for the Hero System detailing a wide variety of mystic villains. The book is best used in super heroic genres but with some modifications can make a good addition to a modern Dark Champions game or a fantasy campaign. This is a comp copy and was not playtested. Again, this is not a d20 book but is for use with the Hero System. Overview: Arcane Adversaries is a good book overall but suffers from a lack of focus which seems odd considering that it only offers mystic villains. To elaborate a little, a large number of the books enemies do not fit within either the superheroic or the heroic power structures. Many of the villains fall right down in the middle but with some rough spots that make them difficult to use in either genre – typically DEF, SPD, & DEX are too high for modern games while attacks and powers are too low for superheroic. Now that that is out of the way, the book contains 37 detailed write-ups including five separate organizations. Many of the characters are new but several are updated from 4th ED. The groups all get ample treatment detailing their goals and membership. The backgrounds are well written and integrate well with the Champions Universe.Layout & Design: Arcane Adversaries is adorned with the single best cover to date from Hero Games (IMO) and was done by Andrew Cremeans. The interior artwork is fair. Several pieces in this book are reused from previous Hero titles. One piece that I really liked was the Angler – a bizarre creature belonging to the Edom group. The layout is Hero System standard and the book seems densely packed with text, more so than usual for Hero Books and that makes it two in a row with super dense text.What will you find under the great cover?The Circle of the Scarlet MoonOnce a prime mover in the Champions Universe the group that helped kill the archmage is struggling in a world with superhero proliferation. This diverse group of black magicians who call themselves druids can be further fleshed out to fit in nearly any type of modern or fantasy type of game. Example characters include the Archdruid, the parents of Champions favorite witch, and the Wicker man (A construct that plays on the druidical sacrifices involving immolation).The Devil’s AdvocatesA true super-group the Devil’s Advocates are determined to usher in a new magical renaissance. Their plans, unfortunately, involve the destruction of technology. Each of the individual backgrounds are good reads and provide additional hooks to use the members as a whole or as solo villains. The Kings of EdomThe indescribable horrors of the Kings of Edom always makes for an interesting read. Descending from the same stories that inspired H.P. Lovecraft, the Kings of Edom are dark, sanity-rattling beings. Thankfully, only a whisper of their power remains while they continue their eons long sleep. This section details two of the kings and several of their servants/minions.The Sylvestri ClanTo my thinking, the Sylvestri’s are the first non-Asiatic servants of the elder being called the Dragon. Dark and foul, even the sacrifice of his own child caused less than a moments pause for the clan patriarch. The Sylvestri’s are easily ported into nearly any genre with only some mild tweaking of powers. Humorously, the three branches of the family are the Sylvestri, Liefield, and McFarlane brances – presumably after the gents of comic fame.The VandaleursDebauchery and deviltry at their finest is perhaps the gentlest way to describe this bunch of incestuous creeps. The family is less of a “team” concept and more of an umbrella under which several different independent black mages operate. The hedonistic twin sadists get close to the edge of rated R but they work fine for me.Solo VillainsA good number of these are updated villains from previous editions of Champions but a few are real standouts. Bromion, an Ordainer of the Lord of Order, is both intriguing and conceptually unique.  He is a fallen cosmic entity of order that now struggles against chaos. He does retain a fondness for smithcrafting and millworks (I said unique didn’t I?)Evil Eye is one of those unfortunates under the control of a powerful artifact and presents a real dilemma for players. Her powers are strong enough that if fought with kid gloves on she could possibly remove characters from game play for extended durations but she is also an innocent under the spell of evil magic.Mother Gothel is the witch from fairy tales – she loves small children, even keeping all sorts of candy around for them. If asked, she will explain that it is to fatten them up. Rounding out the chapter is Tezcatlipoca – a crazed Aztec god wondering where all his sacrifices went.Summation The Negative – as mentioned early on several of these characters need work to fit them in any genre other than an all mystic supers game. The Neutral - there are several entries from previous editions which will turn some folks off but others will be happy to see the familiar faces.The Good – The writing is engaging. Several of the groups can be taken with little “background” effort and plugged into a fantasy or modern setting. The mechanics would still need some work but the story and motivations would cause minimal fuss. The book is also full of ideas that can be used in any mystically based games. Finally, everybody in this book dislikes everyone else and they dislike the heroes even more - politics and intrigue with a heaping handful of magic sounds like sure winner for a campaign.Randy MaddenEosin the Red</blockquote>

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