Treebore
First Post
This is a transfer of my review from "grimaryl" to my main user name of Treebore. Plus I changed my rating from 4 out of 5 to a 3 out of 5. The problems with this book definitely warrant an average rating despite the ideas and content being superior.
Bone Garden Review Notes
128 Pages, $21.99 Necromancer Games through Sword and Sorcery Studios
100 pages of adventure 27 pages of appendices for new feats, magic items, and monsters.
Problems:
Monsters are in 3.0 format
Map is missing
Is not clear on certain issues, such as other planar connections.
Monster population doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For example there is a large number of Vampires in here but there doesn't seem to be an adequate food supply.
Fixes: Are located at:: p082.ezboard.com/fnecromancergamesfrm62 and at the authors website: www.hawkmoonadventures.com/ (Go here for the downloads).
This fix also includes complete write ups of ALL monsters from Tome of Horrors that are used in this module and a free additional encounter, plus the missing map and other information.
The good:
I am not going to cover what has been said here on ENworld by the other reviewers, except to say I agree that this is a very good, and very deadly, module. It is a variety of encounters contained within a 1 mile radius cemetary. These encounters do have some cohesion and a lot of personality, but it is primarily up to the DM to make this module work. The authors have given you the materials, now you must weave them together to make it the unique, and very deadly, adventure it will be. I strongly suggest going to the ezboard link and read some of the posts made about this module to help point out any problem areas and how to deal with planar issues, etc...
I am going to concentrate on the "extras" in this module, the new monsters, magic items, and feats. There are 12 new feats, which are actually used by some of the monsters and NPC's in the modules. I am not giving the details of anything, but little "teasers" to give you an idea of what these things are about. They are:
Ambush: This feat is being re-written by the author and will be made available on his website given above..
Anything Goes Combat: This one may actually be handy. Essentially it lets you use anything as a weapon, including weapons that you are not proficient in, and do damage according to the provided chart. Which keeps specific weapon proficiencies desireable.
Bonded Weapon: This is kind of a neat idea. You bond to a weapon and gain bonuses to hit and damage but are -2 to hit with ALL other weapons while you are bonded.
Cadaverous Familiar: Pretty much what it sounds like. Do you want an undead familiar? Then this feat is for you!
Chant:: Have you ever seen a movie where the work supervisor/slave master chants to keep people working or rowing? This feat gives you a game mechanic to give everyone who hears you the Endurance feat, which you must learn to gain this feat.
Counter Track: Essentially raises a trackers DC by 5 to track you.
Determined Soul: A variant on going negative HP's. I haven't seen this one before.
Prophetic Dreamer: Basically a game mechanic that gives the DM a vehicle with which to give you prophetic dreams.
Hold Breath: Just what it sounds like. I don't see many players being interested in this one, but who knows?
Ruse: Interesting idea, but one I think can be done with just the Bluff skill, but other DM's may think this kind of use should require this feat.
Trailing: essentailly a feat that keeps you from being spotted while you a trailing your prey/target.
Withstanding Heat: A good feat to have if you live in desert or near desert climates.
Monsters: 15 new monsters or monster templates.
Abasheen: An interesting variant genie from the Plane of Air.
Abyssal Vampire: Kind of an undead/lycanthropic hybrid that is an outsider.
Death Eye: An undead beholder/eye tyrant. You have probably seen these before. Very reminiscent of the 2e version.
Doomed Warrior: essentialy a Death Knight template. The fireball needs to be based on the HD of the creature, or make it have a minimum level for the creature to get this template. Otherwise a good Death Knight template if you are looking for one that strongly resembles the 2e version.
Elemental Shadow: Yes, an elemental from the plane of shadow with some shadow powers. Potentially a very nasty encounter.
Fleshbound Vampire: Essentially a vampire variant. It is a template. It is a weaker version, overall.
Headless Pawn: An alchemically created construct that has no head and is primarily meant to be used as a groundskeeper.
Life Leech: A nice negative level inducing pest.
Murder Crow: Essentially a very large undead crow. Should be surprisingly nasty to PC's.
Putty Bat: Gliding monkeys with wings. They like to steal things.
Shade (template): An interesting creature for a spellcaster to turn into besides a lich, and it is possible to do at as low as tenth level.
Undead Mimic: You know what a mimic is? Well this is what can happen when it becomes undead.
Vampire Bat: A vampire bat that can make you lose CON.
Visceryl: A creature that sucks you dry, of your body water! An incorporeal undead.
Wight (Template): What happens when you become a wight! i think it is a good template.
New Spells:
I am just going to list these:
Blood Bath, Death March, Jelvor's Illusory illusion, Kristoff's Solar Window, Multiple Contingency (Much like Elminsters), Sand Blast, Zatmenye's Coat of Arms (A nice and nasty spell), Zatmenye's Combat mind, Zatmenye's Tracer.
Apparently, Zatmenye liked to melee.
Wondrous items:
Bloodlust: An interesting greatsword with a unique mechanic to its enchantment level.
Byssus of Afterlife: Want to become a mummy?
Boots of Parity: an interesting magic item to have if you always want to be able to find your better half.
Darnaulght's Consolation: A cool tool to better sculpt with.
Duping Bracelets: Want to dupe someone? These should definitely help.
Evening's Variorum: A interesting book, containing a vast amount of knowledge.
Fate's Alembic: An Alembic every Alchemist should have.
Alabaster Maggot: Basically a Giant Slug as a figurine of Wondrous Power. Ewwww! Gross! Something only a Necromancer could love!
Golem's Cranequin: A multi-purpose magic item. Most importantly it is a golembane scarab.
Hector's Pegasus Feather: An interesting use of a Haste spell to enchant something.
Hector's Score of Arrows: Interesting idea, may be a bit overpowered by some DM's standards.
Lucid Greave of Jousting: This is an item any plate armor character of mine would want.
Mascheri di Morte: You really don't want to wear this! Really! OK, don't listen, but you were warned!
Pieces of Her Heart: This is a cool item with a cool history!
Retort of Retort: A nice skill enhancing item.
Soul Siphon: Many uses for this sword, good and bad. Mostly bad.
Staff of Summoning:Just what it sounds like.
Starfire: A key item in the module. Powerful.
Scoring: I would love to give this module a 4 or 5, but i can't. Not a 5 anyways. The content has a lot of problems such as monsters/NPC's not being 3.5 versions, a map was forgotten, some of the maps are "hard" to read the grid on, especially the windmill map, where you can only tell grids are supoosed to be there if you look real hard.
I also think this module would be even more useful if the authors described the spell or spells with which the Bonegarden had been created with. By doing this i think they would have made it better in background story as well as helping DM's determine planar travel within the confines of the Garden, and probably provide answers to a multitude of other "What if..." questions that will come up in the course of running the Bonegarden.
Who knows? Maybe they will create this information and make it into a download.
Another big kudo is the speed at which the authors have responded to feedback, and with the help of Necromancer Games, have provided downloads of the 3.5 version monsters, the full write-ups of the Tome of Horror monsters used, and other corrections.
Since all of these things would have been provided within the book in an ideal world I have to give just a 4. The story content and overall concept makes for a very tough module that only an experienced DM can run easily. Any DM of any experience definitely needs to read this module through several times to give it justice when you actually run it. I recommend this module to anyone who likes, or wants, to use undead.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Bone Garden Review Notes
128 Pages, $21.99 Necromancer Games through Sword and Sorcery Studios
100 pages of adventure 27 pages of appendices for new feats, magic items, and monsters.
Problems:
Monsters are in 3.0 format
Map is missing
Is not clear on certain issues, such as other planar connections.
Monster population doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For example there is a large number of Vampires in here but there doesn't seem to be an adequate food supply.
Fixes: Are located at:: p082.ezboard.com/fnecromancergamesfrm62 and at the authors website: www.hawkmoonadventures.com/ (Go here for the downloads).
This fix also includes complete write ups of ALL monsters from Tome of Horrors that are used in this module and a free additional encounter, plus the missing map and other information.
The good:
I am not going to cover what has been said here on ENworld by the other reviewers, except to say I agree that this is a very good, and very deadly, module. It is a variety of encounters contained within a 1 mile radius cemetary. These encounters do have some cohesion and a lot of personality, but it is primarily up to the DM to make this module work. The authors have given you the materials, now you must weave them together to make it the unique, and very deadly, adventure it will be. I strongly suggest going to the ezboard link and read some of the posts made about this module to help point out any problem areas and how to deal with planar issues, etc...
I am going to concentrate on the "extras" in this module, the new monsters, magic items, and feats. There are 12 new feats, which are actually used by some of the monsters and NPC's in the modules. I am not giving the details of anything, but little "teasers" to give you an idea of what these things are about. They are:
Ambush: This feat is being re-written by the author and will be made available on his website given above..
Anything Goes Combat: This one may actually be handy. Essentially it lets you use anything as a weapon, including weapons that you are not proficient in, and do damage according to the provided chart. Which keeps specific weapon proficiencies desireable.
Bonded Weapon: This is kind of a neat idea. You bond to a weapon and gain bonuses to hit and damage but are -2 to hit with ALL other weapons while you are bonded.
Cadaverous Familiar: Pretty much what it sounds like. Do you want an undead familiar? Then this feat is for you!
Chant:: Have you ever seen a movie where the work supervisor/slave master chants to keep people working or rowing? This feat gives you a game mechanic to give everyone who hears you the Endurance feat, which you must learn to gain this feat.
Counter Track: Essentially raises a trackers DC by 5 to track you.
Determined Soul: A variant on going negative HP's. I haven't seen this one before.
Prophetic Dreamer: Basically a game mechanic that gives the DM a vehicle with which to give you prophetic dreams.
Hold Breath: Just what it sounds like. I don't see many players being interested in this one, but who knows?
Ruse: Interesting idea, but one I think can be done with just the Bluff skill, but other DM's may think this kind of use should require this feat.
Trailing: essentailly a feat that keeps you from being spotted while you a trailing your prey/target.
Withstanding Heat: A good feat to have if you live in desert or near desert climates.
Monsters: 15 new monsters or monster templates.
Abasheen: An interesting variant genie from the Plane of Air.
Abyssal Vampire: Kind of an undead/lycanthropic hybrid that is an outsider.
Death Eye: An undead beholder/eye tyrant. You have probably seen these before. Very reminiscent of the 2e version.
Doomed Warrior: essentialy a Death Knight template. The fireball needs to be based on the HD of the creature, or make it have a minimum level for the creature to get this template. Otherwise a good Death Knight template if you are looking for one that strongly resembles the 2e version.
Elemental Shadow: Yes, an elemental from the plane of shadow with some shadow powers. Potentially a very nasty encounter.
Fleshbound Vampire: Essentially a vampire variant. It is a template. It is a weaker version, overall.
Headless Pawn: An alchemically created construct that has no head and is primarily meant to be used as a groundskeeper.
Life Leech: A nice negative level inducing pest.
Murder Crow: Essentially a very large undead crow. Should be surprisingly nasty to PC's.
Putty Bat: Gliding monkeys with wings. They like to steal things.
Shade (template): An interesting creature for a spellcaster to turn into besides a lich, and it is possible to do at as low as tenth level.
Undead Mimic: You know what a mimic is? Well this is what can happen when it becomes undead.
Vampire Bat: A vampire bat that can make you lose CON.
Visceryl: A creature that sucks you dry, of your body water! An incorporeal undead.
Wight (Template): What happens when you become a wight! i think it is a good template.
New Spells:
I am just going to list these:
Blood Bath, Death March, Jelvor's Illusory illusion, Kristoff's Solar Window, Multiple Contingency (Much like Elminsters), Sand Blast, Zatmenye's Coat of Arms (A nice and nasty spell), Zatmenye's Combat mind, Zatmenye's Tracer.
Apparently, Zatmenye liked to melee.
Wondrous items:
Bloodlust: An interesting greatsword with a unique mechanic to its enchantment level.
Byssus of Afterlife: Want to become a mummy?
Boots of Parity: an interesting magic item to have if you always want to be able to find your better half.
Darnaulght's Consolation: A cool tool to better sculpt with.
Duping Bracelets: Want to dupe someone? These should definitely help.
Evening's Variorum: A interesting book, containing a vast amount of knowledge.
Fate's Alembic: An Alembic every Alchemist should have.
Alabaster Maggot: Basically a Giant Slug as a figurine of Wondrous Power. Ewwww! Gross! Something only a Necromancer could love!
Golem's Cranequin: A multi-purpose magic item. Most importantly it is a golembane scarab.
Hector's Pegasus Feather: An interesting use of a Haste spell to enchant something.
Hector's Score of Arrows: Interesting idea, may be a bit overpowered by some DM's standards.
Lucid Greave of Jousting: This is an item any plate armor character of mine would want.
Mascheri di Morte: You really don't want to wear this! Really! OK, don't listen, but you were warned!
Pieces of Her Heart: This is a cool item with a cool history!
Retort of Retort: A nice skill enhancing item.
Soul Siphon: Many uses for this sword, good and bad. Mostly bad.
Staff of Summoning:Just what it sounds like.
Starfire: A key item in the module. Powerful.
Scoring: I would love to give this module a 4 or 5, but i can't. Not a 5 anyways. The content has a lot of problems such as monsters/NPC's not being 3.5 versions, a map was forgotten, some of the maps are "hard" to read the grid on, especially the windmill map, where you can only tell grids are supoosed to be there if you look real hard.
I also think this module would be even more useful if the authors described the spell or spells with which the Bonegarden had been created with. By doing this i think they would have made it better in background story as well as helping DM's determine planar travel within the confines of the Garden, and probably provide answers to a multitude of other "What if..." questions that will come up in the course of running the Bonegarden.
Who knows? Maybe they will create this information and make it into a download.
Another big kudo is the speed at which the authors have responded to feedback, and with the help of Necromancer Games, have provided downloads of the 3.5 version monsters, the full write-ups of the Tome of Horror monsters used, and other corrections.
Since all of these things would have been provided within the book in an ideal world I have to give just a 4. The story content and overall concept makes for a very tough module that only an experienced DM can run easily. Any DM of any experience definitely needs to read this module through several times to give it justice when you actually run it. I recommend this module to anyone who likes, or wants, to use undead.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
