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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Infernal Teddy" data-source="post: 2454161" data-attributes="member: 28437">Bardic Lore: Ogham is a 12-page .pdf by Highmoon Media Productions - whom I've never heard of before, and was sent to me by Crothian due to my volunteering to join his review project.The typeset used in this product is well chosen, and easy to read on a screen. I'm not sure that green was a good choice for the borders, especially if the reader is going to print it, but it is very atmospheric, and the celtic pattern on the bottom end of the pages is very well chosenThe first 1 1/4 pages are used up by a narrative of the kind used in many modern sorcebooks and role-playing games to gie the reader a bit of feeling for the subject matter, some "Flavourtext". Normally, I like this kind of thing, but in a .pdf this small I'd consider it a sin. If the topic is interesting enough to do a .pdf this small, you probably have enough to say without "wasting" space like this.The next section is an overview of the history of Ogham, starting at 2200 B.C. Now I'm no expert on this subject, but it reads as if the author had taken his time, and done his research well, unlike what is often seen on books about the celts and germanic people in general. Part of this section is a table that shows all 25 characters in the Ogham script, together with the ogham name for the character, the pronounciation, the english equivalent and the tree that character is assossiated with. Very nicely done.After that the Author describes some uses for Ogham in a campagin, for example using Ogham as the written form of the druidic secret language. This is followed by a description of using Ogham to enscribe various magical effects into stones or trees, complete with a feat, "Scribe Ogham", to achieve this effect. Considering the author describes this feat as a combination of "Scribe scroll" and "Craft wonderous Item", and the fact that the d20 system has seen more than one version of a "Scribe Runes" feat, I must wonder why the author felt the need to write this new feat, instead of creating new abilities for an already existing feat. I'n not sure what to make of the metamagic feat, "Cursed Spell", I suspect I'd have to try it out in play. Basically, it lets you modify your spells to have the reciever of a spell also fall under the effect of "bestow curse".The text is rounded off by a suggested revision to the Druid spell list, with the intention of making the druid more alike to his counterpart from legend, and a description of what a bard might find out about Ogham on a check against his bardic knowlage ability. I found the spell revision rather fitting, and might even use this revision in my own campaign. The bardic knowlage checks are well thought-out, and I find it very thoughtful that the author actually took the time to include the DC's for these checks. After that the author cites his resorces, and includes the OGL.It's very obvious to me that the author is trying to create a line of suppliments that gives the game a more celtic feeling, and this Ogham suppliment definately succeeds on that count. I'm not sure I'd buy this .pdf, but I can recomend it to someone who is either looking to build a celtic setting, or wanting to give his druids a more "legendary celt" feeling. The author and / or the publisher should think about making one big document, instead of many small ones. In a .pdf this small, I consider the size of the intorduction text a sin, and a waste.-Infernal Teddy / Murray A. Murchison</blockquote>

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