JoeGKushner
Adventurer
I like series books. First, they're smaller than regular books. I enjoy a definitive book on a subject as much as the next guy but sometimes these huge 250+ page books are too much. I like the focused subject matter. For example, if it's a monster book, you know if you have a need for it before you buy it. If it's a specialized monster book, more than ever, you know if you need it. Last, the quality of the previous books helps you determine if you want another round at the series.
With that in mind, let's look at Elemental Lore, the latest book in the series of monsters broken down by type in the Fantasy Flight Game series. This book starts off with a definition of elemental type, the stat block break down allows you to quickly see what skill points, hit die and other information elemental types get and is the grounds for the whole book.
The welcome page provides a quick break down of the different type of categories of creatures. These include the “grudge monsters” that are meant for good old fighting, the NPC types, the chase creatures, and lastly, the plot creatures. The latter are used to help the GM establish points or draw the campaign in certain directions. Some PrCs with an elemental feel to them round off the utility of the book, working on the ideas that a monster book can be more, similar to previous books like Giant Lore.
The alphabetical listing of monsters includes the CR and page number so it's a great utility. Layout is simple two-column. Editing is fair with no issues jumping out. Game stats seem good as you can check the definition of the elemental type to see if there are any issues. The art,done by fan favorites Mitch Cotie, David Griffith, Joseph Querio, Hian Rodriquez and Beth Trott, meets FFG's usual high standards and gives the book an excellent fantasy feel. The CR ratings cover a broad range of spectrums from the lowly Haunt Elements (1/4th to 1), to the mighty Primal Spirits (18) with many foes in between.
If there is a weakness in the book, it is that due to it's nature, there is some overlap with standard monsters. Take the Amalgam, a huge elemental that is basically an earth elemental on steroids. Then you've got different elemental types like guardians and noble, each of them having an elemental type. So now you've got three earth elemental variants, each one different and unique, but a campaign would quickly be overcrowded with them, and the standards, unless the GM made sure to highlight the differences. If the GM is running a full outer planar type campaign, say using FFG's other recent book, Portals & Planes, then it's not as big a deal as the variety of the same is expected.
The creatures stat blocks are done in 3.5 terms including number of squares for movement, base attack, grapple, space and reach. Each one includes a description to be read aloud to the players, as well as background and cultural information. The sections on combat are fully detailed and allow a reader to quickly understand the powers of the monster. Combat tactics on a round by round basis, are not present.
Like some of the older readers, I fondly remember the original Fiend Folio and it's introduction of the evil elemental princes. While the Primal Spirits aren't quite up to that level of uniqueness, they are high powered entities that can add to the GM's arsenal of powerful planar foes. These creatures are “born of pure magic” and are beyond most creatures ability to interact with. The unique thing about them to me is that they “embody two separate, distinct poles that reflect the nurturing and cruel sides of nature.” This allows you to use the creature one way one session and another in a different session. There are four Primal Spirits, Cold, Electricity, Fire, and Sound.
Another creature whose use is campaign based , the vein slider, seems almost to fit the role that the purple worm does with it's wormlike body and huge jaws. Fortunately, it's a metal eater and it's digestive process refines the ores it eats. This makes it the ideal creature for dwarves and other underground races.
The prestige classes included are:
Runecaster: An earth subtype based caster of arcane or divine magics whose strength grows in the use of runestones for divination, luck, and application of metamagic feats.
Salvager: A aquatic or water based PrC who masters the dangers of underwater salvage.
Smokeshaper: Spellcasters with a connection to the elemental plane of fire. One of hteir more impressive abilities is Endless Fire, where they can spontaneously convert their spells to spells from the Fire Domain.
Zephyr: Masters of the travel, these creatures have complete recall of any messages they carry and have the ability to travel the planes under their own power.
For NPCs, they're great. They fill out the niches well. For players, I have a problem with the hit dice. If a mage somehow gets the earth subtype and were to go into the Runecaster PrC, they'd get a d8 hit dice, same as the other PrCs here. I suspect that this is based off of the idea that if undead and their PrCs get 1d12, then elementals should get 1d8. I agree with the logic behind it, hailing back to my Rolemaster days, where your race determined how much vigor you had and your class determined how easy it was to build (i.e. Hit dice by race and purchasing varying by class) but that's not quite how it's done in 3.5 yet. If you're going to allow players to take these, watch the hit dice.
Elemental Lore allows a GM to put new menace in almost any elemental based aspect of his game. If players travel to the cold bitter north, there are different types of frost elementals. If they travel to volcanoes, fire. It's a focused book that allows the GM to keep elementals fresh.
With that in mind, let's look at Elemental Lore, the latest book in the series of monsters broken down by type in the Fantasy Flight Game series. This book starts off with a definition of elemental type, the stat block break down allows you to quickly see what skill points, hit die and other information elemental types get and is the grounds for the whole book.
The welcome page provides a quick break down of the different type of categories of creatures. These include the “grudge monsters” that are meant for good old fighting, the NPC types, the chase creatures, and lastly, the plot creatures. The latter are used to help the GM establish points or draw the campaign in certain directions. Some PrCs with an elemental feel to them round off the utility of the book, working on the ideas that a monster book can be more, similar to previous books like Giant Lore.
The alphabetical listing of monsters includes the CR and page number so it's a great utility. Layout is simple two-column. Editing is fair with no issues jumping out. Game stats seem good as you can check the definition of the elemental type to see if there are any issues. The art,done by fan favorites Mitch Cotie, David Griffith, Joseph Querio, Hian Rodriquez and Beth Trott, meets FFG's usual high standards and gives the book an excellent fantasy feel. The CR ratings cover a broad range of spectrums from the lowly Haunt Elements (1/4th to 1), to the mighty Primal Spirits (18) with many foes in between.
If there is a weakness in the book, it is that due to it's nature, there is some overlap with standard monsters. Take the Amalgam, a huge elemental that is basically an earth elemental on steroids. Then you've got different elemental types like guardians and noble, each of them having an elemental type. So now you've got three earth elemental variants, each one different and unique, but a campaign would quickly be overcrowded with them, and the standards, unless the GM made sure to highlight the differences. If the GM is running a full outer planar type campaign, say using FFG's other recent book, Portals & Planes, then it's not as big a deal as the variety of the same is expected.
The creatures stat blocks are done in 3.5 terms including number of squares for movement, base attack, grapple, space and reach. Each one includes a description to be read aloud to the players, as well as background and cultural information. The sections on combat are fully detailed and allow a reader to quickly understand the powers of the monster. Combat tactics on a round by round basis, are not present.
Like some of the older readers, I fondly remember the original Fiend Folio and it's introduction of the evil elemental princes. While the Primal Spirits aren't quite up to that level of uniqueness, they are high powered entities that can add to the GM's arsenal of powerful planar foes. These creatures are “born of pure magic” and are beyond most creatures ability to interact with. The unique thing about them to me is that they “embody two separate, distinct poles that reflect the nurturing and cruel sides of nature.” This allows you to use the creature one way one session and another in a different session. There are four Primal Spirits, Cold, Electricity, Fire, and Sound.
Another creature whose use is campaign based , the vein slider, seems almost to fit the role that the purple worm does with it's wormlike body and huge jaws. Fortunately, it's a metal eater and it's digestive process refines the ores it eats. This makes it the ideal creature for dwarves and other underground races.
The prestige classes included are:
Runecaster: An earth subtype based caster of arcane or divine magics whose strength grows in the use of runestones for divination, luck, and application of metamagic feats.
Salvager: A aquatic or water based PrC who masters the dangers of underwater salvage.
Smokeshaper: Spellcasters with a connection to the elemental plane of fire. One of hteir more impressive abilities is Endless Fire, where they can spontaneously convert their spells to spells from the Fire Domain.
Zephyr: Masters of the travel, these creatures have complete recall of any messages they carry and have the ability to travel the planes under their own power.
For NPCs, they're great. They fill out the niches well. For players, I have a problem with the hit dice. If a mage somehow gets the earth subtype and were to go into the Runecaster PrC, they'd get a d8 hit dice, same as the other PrCs here. I suspect that this is based off of the idea that if undead and their PrCs get 1d12, then elementals should get 1d8. I agree with the logic behind it, hailing back to my Rolemaster days, where your race determined how much vigor you had and your class determined how easy it was to build (i.e. Hit dice by race and purchasing varying by class) but that's not quite how it's done in 3.5 yet. If you're going to allow players to take these, watch the hit dice.
Elemental Lore allows a GM to put new menace in almost any elemental based aspect of his game. If players travel to the cold bitter north, there are different types of frost elementals. If they travel to volcanoes, fire. It's a focused book that allows the GM to keep elementals fresh.
