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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Macbeth" data-source="post: 2058807" data-attributes="member: 11259">Disclaimer: I recieved my copy of Hamunapatra as part of a contest by one of the authors. I have no other connections to the publisher or authors, and I do not believe this in any way changes my review.The most important thing about Hamunapatra is that it is a joy to read. Probably the most important aspect of any setting is the ability to make you want to read it, and Hamunapatra does an admirable job of making thre reader enjoy it. In particular, the Races chapter stands out as one of the best, and involves some great new ideas.The art and presentation is excellent. Some of the art pieces fall a little short (to my tastes), but some other outstanding pieces make the average quality a good bit above average. The boxed set format (3 black and white books plus a full color poster in a high quality box) is also a great DM tool.The setting itself reimagines all of the standard d20 classes and races (plus one new race and several new Prestige classes) into an egyptian framework. The setting revolves around an encroaching desert that threatens to engulf the great kingdoms. Most of the classes work well in this setting, though some seem slightly out of place due to their standard meanings. For example, the monk equivalent seems a little out of place just because it is associated with martial arts in the core rules, mechanically it fits the setting well. A few classes have minor or major changes to fit the setting, and all of these work well to add to the feel of the game.Magic is divided into spontaneous and prepared, divine and arcane (to use core rules terms). Within Hamunapatra, all magic is considered divine (with the possible exception of druids), though the spells cast by wizads still act like arcane spells (spell failure for armor and all). This clear division gives each class some special place, with clerics and wizards in particular being revered. The book also introduces a new system for ritual magc, which takes longer to cast but has greater effects, and material components based on school rather then spell.Further, there are writeups for most of the common fantsay races, with the new inculsion of the Anpur, who are effectively gnolls. All of the races had intriguing backgrounds, rife with possibilities. Ulitimately, I have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the entire setting.There's also a history of the setting, new spells, and new feats.And that's just the first book. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The other two volumes have an indepth look at the setting (with much of the writing on par with the excellent races section), inclduing geography, politics, and dieties and DM advice, including Prestige Classes, organizations, and advice. I found most of the advice to be a bit straight forward, but for the most part enjoyable. Oddly, I found that the first book (with races, classes, feats, spells, and a short history) to be the best way of conveying the feel of the setting. The other books were good, but the first volume truly stood out as a great belnd of flavor and mechanics.All of the mechanics seem sound, but I have not playtested them enough to be absolutely sure.Best Parts: The writing. The best thing a setting can do is make you want to read about it, and here Hamunapatra succeeds admirably. I had a great time reading it, and I felt the prose truly brought across flavor in addition to being clear and concise. I also liked the three book format, as I was able to let my younger brother (who has a huge interest in Egypt but will use any DM-only info he can get his hands on) read the first two books, and keep the secrets of the setting to myself.Worst Parts: To find anything wrong with this setting, I really had to nit pick. Probably the biggest problem is that not everybody will be interested in the topic. I am no huge fan of Egyptian fantasy (though I do not dislike it either), but I still enjoyed reading and using this product. Even if Egyptian fantasy is not a big enough topic for a whole campaign, the material from Hamunapatra can easily be dropped into any campaign as a desert society. A sample adventure would have been nice, but with 3 books plus a poster map, I really can't complain too much.Ultimately, I would like to give this product a rating of 4 and 3/4 stars, but since I can only go with whole numbers, and since the awesome writing and creative ideas (not to mention the excellent format) deserve praise, I can happily round up to 5 stars.</blockquote>

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