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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shardstone" data-source="post: 7856806" data-attributes="member: 6807784">My review I wrote on another group.THE 60% GOOD<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The setting is honestly super interesting, with a lot of redefinition of the core PHB races into something neat (like dwarves who use aberrants to make living weapons and armor, or elves who worship the oldest undead liches as gods).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Introduces a lot of new mechanics, such as the Dragonmark sub-races (which also serve as MegaCorps ala Cyberpunk; each Dragonmark House is a non-biological gathering of dragonmarked people that corner the market on something and have lots of espionoage between them).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Introduces the Artificer class, which has two good sub-classes (Artillerist and Battlesmith) and one really, really bad sub-class (Alchemist).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Group Patron + Adventure Creation tables make it super easy to run a campaign in this world, and gives lots of ideas of how to make a game feel noir, pulpy, and "by the seat" with advice for recurring villains, etc etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A bunch of new-races are included (and ultimatley I wish Eberron was JUST Humans + these new-races, even with the dope reflavorings).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Very in-depth fractions for creating adventures, complete with sample adventure kits including a map, tables, seeds, etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The adventure generators are really astounding. They put every other book's generators, except maybe Ravnica's, to shame.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A pretty big bestiary with a range of enemies from low to high CR.</li> </ul></li> </ul>THE 10% MEH<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The art in this book is monstly horrendous. If it isn't reused from the original 3E Eberron books, its a new piece that ranges from trash to slightly above average, with maybe 5 or fewer pieces in the book being original AND good. This is a travesty and greatly weakens the aesthetic of the setting; so much of the old art is a jumbled mess, and so much of the new art is honest to god a mystery as to what it says about the world. I've attached to this post one of the dope pieces though - a Warforged Colossus slumped in a Mournland ruin.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This book would have benefitted from more focus. All the stuff outside the main continent should have been cut or left for Wayfinders and that space given to better exploring the ramshackle war-torn landscape that is left behind. Every section in the gazeteer offers a small blurb about how the Last War effected it, but not enough is shared that realls gives you the post Last War vibe.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Much of the writing is pretty meh. Not bad, well-edited, but a lot of it doesn't do a lot to rile up the imagination. Compared to Descent into Avernus or Ravnica or Saltmarsh, I felt that this was a step back, and it hindered my enjoyment of the book.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Alchemist Sub-Class is absolute trash. It has an infusion tax if you want the cool homunculi, and its new level 3 ability is a trashy skill to make a random d6 potion with a small-time magical effect (or flying).</li> </ul>THE 30% RIP OFF<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Let's not mince words: if you bought Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, you got ripped off. Most of that book is, word for word, reprinted in Rising from the Last War.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The gazatter sections are all 100% copy/pasted and then embellished a bit with "Aftermath of the Last War" sections, as are the faiths, planes, and the entirty of Sharn.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">All the cool tables in Wayfinder's is copy/pasted as well, and some even shortened, such as the "Falling in Sharn" table (which went from a d10 to a d8).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Again, a lot of art just comes from old books. Tragic.  And while Ravnica reprinted art too, at least its original art (sans the cover) was all FANTASTIC.</li> </ul>DO I THINK YOU SHOULD BUY THIS BOOK?<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you want a wide magical society, this is a pretty good one, but Ravnica is better.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you want a world that's a cool spin on Forgotten Realms, that is a lot more coherent, and that has some cooler aesthetics, then this is the book for you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you want a book to help you run Noir, Intrigue, or Pulp stories, this is a must-buy for the adventure-generation stuff.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A lot of the NPCs and factions are just OK, so if you want this book for piece meal, your mileage may vary.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you want the new races, classes, and Dragonmarks, this might be a good purchase. All are pretty interesting for the most part, sans the mechanically-defunt Warforged.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The bestiary isn't big enough to justify the purchase by itself.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you buy these books for the art and writing, avoid; it isn't worth it.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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