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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoeGKushner" data-source="post: 2010913" data-attributes="member: 1129">The Book or Erotic Fantasy is a theme based hardcover that covers sex, love, pregnancy, STDs, secution, marriage and other erotic themes and its role in a standard d20 fantasy setting.Some may object to the use of photographs for use with a role playing game. Many of the pictures are adequate at covering their subject and include men and women. My only problem is that well, let's face it, a lot of well known fantasy artists have been providing cheesecake pictures for decades now and in some cases, would've done a better job than the glitzy photos and the modifications that went through them. Some are very good, peaceful looking, others not so good.The book itself covers many areas that are important to a game, even one not being graphic. At the same time, the authors have limited the book's coverage by not including material on bestiality, necrophilia, and pedophilia. Smart move on their part.But say you don't need rules for sex or anything of that nature? Is there anything in the book for you? Some of the ideas on how the different races treat sex, and how they go through pregnancy and childbirth are good reading. The stout dwarves, given the proper manual when they come of age, the half-elves and their awkward time no matter which race their raised with and even many creatures from the Monster Manual, given important details and ideas for those who want to include a little more than lusty barmaids in their encounters. Another smart thing done is the introduction of Appearance as an ability score. I say smart because since this is an OGL book and not a d20 one, they include different rules on how to customize character creation if using a seventh stat. In addition, they provide general scores for creatures depending on type, change skills in the PHB, and provide specific examples of Appearance score so that the reader has a good idea of what things look like, as opposed to their force of personality. On the other hand, if not using a lot of the material from this book, it's going to become the favored new 'dump' stat and just make everyone more buff, quick, and enduring, but ugly and weak personalities.The feats, core classes and PrCs are focused on one or another aspect of sex. In some cases, there doesn't seem to be enough variance. Some fill some gaps in the basic system. For example, the Imagist core class fills a role of spontaneous divine caster who inspires others to greater heights including the ability to inspire smite evil. The Kundala “a blend of martial powers and mystical energy” sound like they'd be perfect for a Mindshadows campaign. Very monk like with a small number of spells available to them as they go up in levels. Their hand to hand damage is no laughing matter either.In terms of too similar, the Disciple of Aaluran act as living altars where love is freely given in order for the worshipper to communicate with his god while the Sacred Prostitute follows a similar path offering her body as a “temple”. Different abilities but too similar in origins. Others fill standard roles like the Rake, a seducer with a silk tongue and some roguish abilities to the Harem Protector, a bodyguard with a specific purpose and lacking some important equipment.My personal favorite is the Metaphysical Spellshaper. They can sacrifice ability points to fill in for spell levels. The example they use is Maximizing a Fireball spell and taking 3 points of ability damage to a single ability. The best part is that you don't have to be the right level to cast the spell, as long as you're able to cast that level of spell. Since this would be a 7th level spell, the user has to have at least a 17 Intelligence score.The spells and domains continue to fill  the sexual roles in a d20 campaign. For domains, there are Body, Denial, Joining, Perversion, Pleasure and Voyeur. Each one with a granted power and spells listed from 1st-9th level. Spells are introduced by class, level and alphabetical order. Only core classes and new classes are covered though so no lists for Assassins, Blackguards and other core PrCs.Spells range from small and useful, like Block the seed, which prevents conception for 1 hour a level, to Magic Probe, a spells that reveals all spells currently on a target. Good for any group that wants to know what their facing when the enemy mage comes out. On a cursed based theme, Jealousy deals damage to the target if he sleeps with anyone other than the caster even as Impotency renders the target, well, impotent.  Because some of the spells are useful outside of the implied sexual theme, they're able to be used in any campaign. Come to Me for example, can teleport an ally to you in combat. Another nice thing is that the book doesn't ignore the potential for use with their systems, like the stat Appearance, with old spells. Information on using spells found in the PHB with this book and its theme are included so you can find new uses for the spell Calm Emotions or Geas/Quest, even as Invisibility becomes the voyeurs choice of spells.Like many good sourcebooks, Core Classes, PrCs, Feats, Skills, are not enough. There are also lists of mundane items, magic items, monsters and other goods to be found. This is perfect for those who want to add more details to their game, although it's obviously not going to be for every game while others will fit right in. I know for example, that many people, ever since that 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide with it's infamous prostitute table, want an update cost list to the different types of partners and this book provides one ranging from Escorts, to Masseuses.Many of them work on material introduced in this book to enforce it's themes and utility. For example, Dark Talon is a +1 sadistic unholy bastard sword. Sadistic is a new ability here where the weapon deads extra damage on a blow. How about the Fiendskin Armor property? Three times per day the user can activate protection from good. As in other areas, the fact that not everything is meant for erotic use only gives the book utility beyond its scope.The monsters include a lot of templates like Half-Demon, Half-Devil, and Serpentine. I'm not sure we really needed specific templates of some of the material, but it works and adds more options to the game without, once again, having to relate directly to sex.Chapter Seven, the last chapter of the book, helps out a poor GM. For example, there are 100 adventure seeds listed. These are simple one or two sentence ideas that can be added to almost any type of game. In addition, there are organizations listed. These include background and adventure ideas. These are brief organizations, nothing like the details in say, Guildcraft from Bastion Press. More impressive is the Velvet Room as it's actually mapped out with details. Maps are always good because they act as templates and allow a GM quick visual knowledge and allow him to customize the materialThe book also includes an index. Now that's important as there are a lot of ideas and materia introduced here. It also includes a listing of Appearance scores for common monsters, as well as a breakdown of challenge ratings of monsters introduced in this book, and even includes the page number, as well as the CR! The Phil & Dixie carton is actual a little bit of a let down since I'm an old reader of Dragon and have remembered their whole thing about Sex & D&D. This carton doesn't go in that direction and instead spears the dreaded Rules Lawyer.There are some parts of the book I haven't gotten to because the review is getting long in the teeth. For instance, feats, specific items, the discussion on sex and it's role in the campaign. For instance, they don't recommend some of those feats if your campaign is combat heavy and never involves roleplaying.The paper is good stock. Layout simple two column with good use of space. Tables are done in a parchment style to differentiate it from the text. The cover is one of the weaker photographs. I don't know if this applies to all copies, but mine came in plastic with the warning label on the outsider. A useful idea for those, like me, who despite having stickers on their books. Perhaps Wizards of the Coast could take a lesson here and insure that their 'mature' titles aren't looked at by younger gamers by putting it in plastic?The book has a theme and rules for using that theme. If you're not looking for rules that cover sex, then there is still material here that can be useful but it'd be like buying a book on Vampires and having no interest in vampires. If you're interested in the subject, this is a high quality product that could've benefited from more variety in it's art choices.</blockquote>

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