By Steve Creech, Exec. Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack
This review is for The Complete Guide to Velociraptors by Goodman Games. This 32-page supplement, which retails for $11.00, can be used for either the Broncosaurus Rex game setting or any other d20 world without much modification. The focus of the book is velociraptors, and it delivers well on that point.
One of the strengths to this book is that raptors are considered to be highly intelligent dinosaurs. They have their own tribes, societal structures, trade routes, shamans, language, and religious beliefs. Violence is a way of life to raptors and it is reflected by their customs and tribal markings.
The section on combat is fairly well presented with an examination of the different strategies. For instance, raptors disguise or inflate the size of the tribe to deceive their enemies and gain a tactical advantage. They set traps and ambushes to surprise the unwary. They also lay siege against humans and other dinosaurs.
Another interesting aspect to this book is the section on political ploys. Velociraptors are masters of political intrigue with tribal loyalty as their only ethical restraint. These guys are worse than most congressmen and can outfox nearly any human.
Want to have a velociraptor as a PC or NPC? The rules are laid out that makes it possible. There are three character classes for raptors: warrior, tactician, and shaman. These are only 10 level classes, which opens up the option to multiclass with other core classes or prestige classes. A velociraptor tactician that has multiclassed as a shadowdancer could be a lethal combination. The warrior class is your consummate killing machine that thrives on combat. The tactician uses strategy to win battles. He is a master of traps, bluffs and strategies. Finally, the shaman mixes potions, powders and poisons to aid the tribe. He is the spiritual leader of the tribe and one of its most important members.
No supplement on raptors would be complete without new feats tailored to the race. Feats like Claw Rider, Disembowel, Jumpclaw Attack, Jungle Stride, and Tumbleclaw signify the uniqueness that makes them raptor feats.
The last few pages contain adventure hooks, suggestions for use in different campaign settings, raptor motivations and step-by-step instructions for designing raptor tribes. An example tribe follows this to serve as a working reference. The adventure hooks are divided into general fantasy suggestions and Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex suggestions. Finally the appendix contains two templates for raptors. The Exile is a raptor who has left the tribe and now wanders the land. This is an NPC only template. The other template, Silverclaw, is for raptors who have had their claws surgically replaced with steel prothestics. (These would be the only raptors that would flee at the sight of a rust monster.)
Overall, The Complete Guide to Velociraptors is a good companion to the Dinosaur Planet series. It has some solid potential but probably could have been even better with a larger page count and more depth to the book itself. It seems that an effort was being made to make this book more generic and not tied exclusively to the Dinosaur Planet setting. I think this actually hurts it somewhat by not bringing in more elements from the main book. Goodman Games has a solid hit with Dinosaur Planet and would do well to keep the related supplements keyed heavily in that direction rather than “dumbing it down” so anyone can use it with no modification. You still get the nutrition from this book, but you lose a lot of flavor in my opinon.
To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.
