Gothmog
First Post
Ok, I was at my FLGS on Wed, and they had gotten in a shipment of new games. Apparently in the process of shipping, UPS had bashed one of the boxes, and a few books were damaged (not badly- just scuffed with some creased pages, spines, etc). The owner of the store didn't want to mess with doing a full return for 3 damaged books, so I bought them for a 50% discount.
Anyway, one of these books was the Devil's Players Guide from Fast Forward. Ok, I know what you are thinking, FFE=crap. I bought the book thinking it might have a few good ideas I could glean from it, but boy was I surprised. The Devil's Players Guide is one Hell of a good book! (pun intended)
Basically, the Devil's Player Guide is a 128 page book all about devils, the infernal, and how to customize and modify devils so they are not all carbon copies of each other. Chaperwise, it contains:
Chapter 1: Devilish Campaigns- basically, how to run a campaign set in Hell or the Prime with the players as devils. Devil social heriarchy is covered, as well as the importance of corruption, temptation, subtlety, betrayal, and how to corrupt mortal with the seven deadly sins. In addition, devil patrons are covered, and types of infernal adventures.
Chapter 2: Devilish Races- All of the basic devils from the MM are covered (minus the mindless ones like lemures) in addition to three new races: the botis (beastial footsoldier of Hell), the flauros (giant leopard-like devils), and the shabriri (devilish advisors and temptors). Just to spell it out, the other races are barbazu, cornugon, erinyes, gelugon, hamatula, imp, kyton, osyluth, and pit fiend. I should say that the background and flavor text in this section is excellent. For example- did you every wonder why the kyton were shrouded in chains? The explanation given here is that they were once healers and messengers of the celestials, but during the Morningstar's rebellion, they sided with him. After his defeat, the celestial forces cut their wings off, bound them in magical chains, and cast them into Hell. Now creatures of bitter hate, they use their chains as a badge of honor, dreaming of somday repaying the celestial host for their torture. Very cool.
Each race is given stat modifiers, special abilities which are modifiable, and ECL. The only thing I saw here that I didn't agree with are the ECL ratings, which range from +1 to +3. Compared to each other, the races are fairly balanced, but compared to a mortal, they will vastly overpower him. However, a caveat is that there is an option for all devils start at 1st level as immature forms of their species, without full HD or abilities. Basically, the examples given in the MM are mature forms of the species, while the forms players could make here are fresh in the infernal machine.
There are also five (!) new devilish templates: Chosen of Hell, Devilish Servant, Half-Devil, Reborn, and Touched by the Hells. The templates are top-notch, and seem very mechanically sound. Most of the templates are designed to be applied to mortal followers and supplicants of devils, and have some really unique abilities and flavor. For example, the half-devil's abilities depend on what type of devil the infernal parent was. Another example- the Reborn is a great way to bring back a long-running villian who was killed by the PCs. If his plans were not yet accomplished, this template can be applied and the BBEG can come back as a devil in his own right, after making pacts with infernal powers.
Chapter 3: Devilish Classes- Basically there are 11 semi-new classes, and 7 new prestige classes in this section. The 11 semi-new classes are devilish variants on core PHB classes, including: Combat Mage, Bard, Fighter, Monk (with a cool Kyton monk pic), Mage, Rogue, Warder (ranger), Warrior (like a spellsword), Knight of the Hells (paladin), and Priest of the Pit. The classes are modified slightly to take into account devilish qualities and weaknesses, but they are quite a bit more powerful than core classes. Personally, I don't have a problem with this- devils SHOULD be more powerful than the average PC. The devilish forms of these classes can ONLY be taken by characters with devil blood, so no need to worry about regular PC munchkins trying to take levels in these classes.
The PrCs include: Devilish Servant (a creature that pledges itself to a devil willingly and is in telepathic contact with its master), Foot Soldier (basically a devil berserker), Infernal General, Infernal Lieutenant, Infernal Lord, Mortal Spokesman (a corrupted mortal who acts as the devil's liason), and Soul Corruptor (a mortal who tries to lure others into sin and damnation). In addition, guidelines are given for modifying the regular PC classes in the PHB for devils that want to rebel against their LE natures and seek another path.
Chapter 4: Devilish Feats- There are 80 new feats in this chapter that let you completely customize any devil with an array of abilities. Most of the standard devil abilites are listed, and are not restricted by race of the devil, although some devils are more likely than others to take certain feats. For example- you could easily make an erinyes with the kyton's chains abilities, DR, SR, several spell-like abilites, fast movement, smite good, and the fearful strike of a hamatula. Or, maybe a pit fiend that uses cold instead of fire, with a chilling attack like a gelugon, cold-based spell-like abilities, a master summoner of other devils, and the demoralizing gaze of a kyton. Devilish feats are gained by devils every few levels they take in a devilish class, and are not transferable with normal feats. One cool feat is Disguise Nature, which makes a devil undetectable as Lawful or Evil to spells or abilities- a great feat for devil infiltrators and corruptors.
Chapter 5: Infernal Magic- This chapter has 33 new divine and arcane spells that can only be cast by devils or their mortal minions. The spells in this section are truly inspired, not just damage-dealing spells by another name. Some of my favorites included:
Corrupt Beast- temporarily give an animal the fiendish template
Damnation- the classical pact for the soul
Feast of Suffering- devils gain HP from the pain they inflict on another
Innocuous Guise- causes the others to react the target of the spell as if it were harmless
Open Hell's Maw- permanently converts part of the Prime to Hell
Planar Severance- allows a summoned creature to permanently remain on the Prime, but it is no longer controlled...
Scapegoat- allows the caster to start a rumor others believe is true about the target, causing the target no end of trouble
Secret Name- allows the caster to permanently prohibit the target from ever using a certain word or name again, as well as its synonyms
Sense Price- allows the caster to determine what price the target wants for a specific action
Shape the Malleable- allows the caster to give an ooze, lemure, or other formless creature any shape he wants
Sincerity- the next thing the caster says is believed by all, no matter how outlandish
Stink of Evil- magically places an aura on something that registers as evil, even if it is not
Sympathy for the Devil- uses a good creature's compassion and sympathy against them, preventing them from harming or hindering the devil
Weight of the Nine Hells- torments the target with visions of Hell, blinding, deafening, and causing hopelessness for the duration
There are also over 30 items, weapon and armor properties, and cursed items listed. I could easily see using many of these items in truly dastardly ways. This chapter was one of the best in the book- just reading some of the spell descriptions gave me several adventure ideas.
Chapter 6: Withered Wood- a short locale/adventure that details a diabolic stronghold and prison in the Prime.
Overall, I was really impressed with this book. The art is also top-notch, with Phil Renne doing almost all of the interior art. The devils truly look fiendish and sometimes disturbing, but the art is MUCH more tastefully done than the BOVD. This book is a goldmine of ideas for fiends, and what DM worth his salt doesn't love fiends?
The only complaint I have is that more care should have been given to detailing how to incorporate devils into mortal PC groups, including ECLs and ideas (this was an idea presented in the book, and could be a source of problems for a DM). Fast Forward has caught a lot of flak before, some deserved, some not. If this is any indication of how Fast Forward Entertainment is doing things now, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up more of their products.
Anyway, one of these books was the Devil's Players Guide from Fast Forward. Ok, I know what you are thinking, FFE=crap. I bought the book thinking it might have a few good ideas I could glean from it, but boy was I surprised. The Devil's Players Guide is one Hell of a good book! (pun intended)
Basically, the Devil's Player Guide is a 128 page book all about devils, the infernal, and how to customize and modify devils so they are not all carbon copies of each other. Chaperwise, it contains:
Chapter 1: Devilish Campaigns- basically, how to run a campaign set in Hell or the Prime with the players as devils. Devil social heriarchy is covered, as well as the importance of corruption, temptation, subtlety, betrayal, and how to corrupt mortal with the seven deadly sins. In addition, devil patrons are covered, and types of infernal adventures.
Chapter 2: Devilish Races- All of the basic devils from the MM are covered (minus the mindless ones like lemures) in addition to three new races: the botis (beastial footsoldier of Hell), the flauros (giant leopard-like devils), and the shabriri (devilish advisors and temptors). Just to spell it out, the other races are barbazu, cornugon, erinyes, gelugon, hamatula, imp, kyton, osyluth, and pit fiend. I should say that the background and flavor text in this section is excellent. For example- did you every wonder why the kyton were shrouded in chains? The explanation given here is that they were once healers and messengers of the celestials, but during the Morningstar's rebellion, they sided with him. After his defeat, the celestial forces cut their wings off, bound them in magical chains, and cast them into Hell. Now creatures of bitter hate, they use their chains as a badge of honor, dreaming of somday repaying the celestial host for their torture. Very cool.
Each race is given stat modifiers, special abilities which are modifiable, and ECL. The only thing I saw here that I didn't agree with are the ECL ratings, which range from +1 to +3. Compared to each other, the races are fairly balanced, but compared to a mortal, they will vastly overpower him. However, a caveat is that there is an option for all devils start at 1st level as immature forms of their species, without full HD or abilities. Basically, the examples given in the MM are mature forms of the species, while the forms players could make here are fresh in the infernal machine.
There are also five (!) new devilish templates: Chosen of Hell, Devilish Servant, Half-Devil, Reborn, and Touched by the Hells. The templates are top-notch, and seem very mechanically sound. Most of the templates are designed to be applied to mortal followers and supplicants of devils, and have some really unique abilities and flavor. For example, the half-devil's abilities depend on what type of devil the infernal parent was. Another example- the Reborn is a great way to bring back a long-running villian who was killed by the PCs. If his plans were not yet accomplished, this template can be applied and the BBEG can come back as a devil in his own right, after making pacts with infernal powers.
Chapter 3: Devilish Classes- Basically there are 11 semi-new classes, and 7 new prestige classes in this section. The 11 semi-new classes are devilish variants on core PHB classes, including: Combat Mage, Bard, Fighter, Monk (with a cool Kyton monk pic), Mage, Rogue, Warder (ranger), Warrior (like a spellsword), Knight of the Hells (paladin), and Priest of the Pit. The classes are modified slightly to take into account devilish qualities and weaknesses, but they are quite a bit more powerful than core classes. Personally, I don't have a problem with this- devils SHOULD be more powerful than the average PC. The devilish forms of these classes can ONLY be taken by characters with devil blood, so no need to worry about regular PC munchkins trying to take levels in these classes.
The PrCs include: Devilish Servant (a creature that pledges itself to a devil willingly and is in telepathic contact with its master), Foot Soldier (basically a devil berserker), Infernal General, Infernal Lieutenant, Infernal Lord, Mortal Spokesman (a corrupted mortal who acts as the devil's liason), and Soul Corruptor (a mortal who tries to lure others into sin and damnation). In addition, guidelines are given for modifying the regular PC classes in the PHB for devils that want to rebel against their LE natures and seek another path.
Chapter 4: Devilish Feats- There are 80 new feats in this chapter that let you completely customize any devil with an array of abilities. Most of the standard devil abilites are listed, and are not restricted by race of the devil, although some devils are more likely than others to take certain feats. For example- you could easily make an erinyes with the kyton's chains abilities, DR, SR, several spell-like abilites, fast movement, smite good, and the fearful strike of a hamatula. Or, maybe a pit fiend that uses cold instead of fire, with a chilling attack like a gelugon, cold-based spell-like abilities, a master summoner of other devils, and the demoralizing gaze of a kyton. Devilish feats are gained by devils every few levels they take in a devilish class, and are not transferable with normal feats. One cool feat is Disguise Nature, which makes a devil undetectable as Lawful or Evil to spells or abilities- a great feat for devil infiltrators and corruptors.
Chapter 5: Infernal Magic- This chapter has 33 new divine and arcane spells that can only be cast by devils or their mortal minions. The spells in this section are truly inspired, not just damage-dealing spells by another name. Some of my favorites included:
Corrupt Beast- temporarily give an animal the fiendish template
Damnation- the classical pact for the soul
Feast of Suffering- devils gain HP from the pain they inflict on another
Innocuous Guise- causes the others to react the target of the spell as if it were harmless
Open Hell's Maw- permanently converts part of the Prime to Hell
Planar Severance- allows a summoned creature to permanently remain on the Prime, but it is no longer controlled...
Scapegoat- allows the caster to start a rumor others believe is true about the target, causing the target no end of trouble
Secret Name- allows the caster to permanently prohibit the target from ever using a certain word or name again, as well as its synonyms
Sense Price- allows the caster to determine what price the target wants for a specific action
Shape the Malleable- allows the caster to give an ooze, lemure, or other formless creature any shape he wants
Sincerity- the next thing the caster says is believed by all, no matter how outlandish
Stink of Evil- magically places an aura on something that registers as evil, even if it is not
Sympathy for the Devil- uses a good creature's compassion and sympathy against them, preventing them from harming or hindering the devil
Weight of the Nine Hells- torments the target with visions of Hell, blinding, deafening, and causing hopelessness for the duration
There are also over 30 items, weapon and armor properties, and cursed items listed. I could easily see using many of these items in truly dastardly ways. This chapter was one of the best in the book- just reading some of the spell descriptions gave me several adventure ideas.
Chapter 6: Withered Wood- a short locale/adventure that details a diabolic stronghold and prison in the Prime.
Overall, I was really impressed with this book. The art is also top-notch, with Phil Renne doing almost all of the interior art. The devils truly look fiendish and sometimes disturbing, but the art is MUCH more tastefully done than the BOVD. This book is a goldmine of ideas for fiends, and what DM worth his salt doesn't love fiends?
The only complaint I have is that more care should have been given to detailing how to incorporate devils into mortal PC groups, including ECLs and ideas (this was an idea presented in the book, and could be a source of problems for a DM). Fast Forward has caught a lot of flak before, some deserved, some not. If this is any indication of how Fast Forward Entertainment is doing things now, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up more of their products.
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