Hidden Lands

[Crothian]

SECRET LANDS OF DANGER

The Champions Universe contains many places and races hidden from the sight and attention of everyday people. Whether they’re benevolent or evil, each of them may create peril or trouble for your heroes.

Hidden Lands covers:

- the fabulous undersea realm of Atlantis, ruled by wise Queen Mara but with many people who may one day threaten the surface lands

- the utopia of Arcadia, located deep in a temperate valley in Antarctica, home to a powerful, immortal race called the Empyreans

- the lost empire of Lemuria, which sank beneath the waves long ago due to its own evil and hubris, but which is now poised to pose a greater threat to the rest of the world than ever

- other strange and secret places in the Champions Universe, such as Shamballah, Agharti, the Well Of Worlds, Beast Mountain, and Sunday Pond

Featuring dozens of new characters, even more adventure ideas, and tips and rules for creating characters from these races, Hidden Lands is the perfect way to expand the scope of your Champions campaign!

Stock #: DOJHERO217
ISBN: 1-58366-047-X
144-pg Trade Paperback, Perfect Bound
Retail: $26.99
Author: Daren Watts and Allen Thomas
Artists: Various

 

[Sketchpad]

Hidden Lands
A Review by Sketchpad

First off, let me just say this isn’t a d20 book. Rather, this is an excellent sourcebook for Hero Games’ Champions series of books for the Hero System. Fans of comic books are usually familiar with the ideas presented in Hidden Lands, as it covers those places that are veiled from normal eyes.
Diving deep into the seas, chapter one discusses the lost land of Atlantis. Much in comic book fashion, this chapter describes the history of the land, detailing its chronology within the meta-setting that Hero uses for most of its settings. For the player, there are packages for playing both Atlanteans and Half-Atlanteans, as well as some of the powers associated with these characters so that way even your characters can talk to fish! For the GM, there are expanded underwater rules, as well as vital NPCs for use in any Atlantis campaign that takes place within the Champions Universe. Overall, I really liked this chapter, though the art really needed a bump here as it looked a bit too rough.
Next, it’s down to chilling Antarctica and the city of Arcadia, home to the mysterious Empyreans. Being a bit of a comic book geek, I immediately recognized this as homage to Marvel’s Inhumans and Celestials, as well as some recognizable nods to Kirby’s Fourth World characters. Included within this chapter is a timeline for the city, including maps of both the area and the city itself. Like chapter one, there are packages for Empyreans, human children of the Empyreans and expanded power package samples for an Empyrean character. Closing the chapter are some notes on Empyrean NPCs, including stats for two major characters. Like the previous chapter, this one had a great comic book feel, as well as some really interesting info. The art was also significantly better as well.
Chapter three talks of some other hidden lands, including Shamballah, Agharti, The Well of Worlds, Sunday Pond and Beast Mountain. All the sections give brief essays on where they are and their significance in the Champions Universe. Of them, the one that I enjoyed the most was Beast Mountain, as the homage to Marvel’s Wundagore Mountain is easily seen (especially with the Beast Men package in that section). Personally, this chapter could’ve used a bit more information or possibly a few more locales.
GM information takes stage in chapter four. Included in this chapter are essays on how to use the book, notes on hidden land campaigns and using it with other genres. Also included is the “GM Vault” which presents “GM only” knowledge in an easy to find area. With plot hook and additional NPCs, this section proves invaluable to anyone using the book in their campaign.
The last chapter, chapter five, covers Lemuria, a rival to Atlantis and the Empyreans. Like the other areas, this hidden land gives a timeline and some information about the area. After reading it though, it’s obvious that this section is a GM section, as the characters presented (as well as the area info) are intended as villains. Included for the GM are packages for the various types of beings a character may encounter, as well as a bevy of NPCs to oppose heroes and new equipment that’s both interesting and strange. Seemingly a combination of several concepts from comics such as the Fantastic Four or Doom Patrol (as well as some nods to Marvel’s Deviants) this section has many options for the GM to explore in both campaigns and short run adventures.
Overall, this was a great book. Not only does it present some interesting ideas and tributes in the comic vein, but the source material is incredibly adaptable, especially for pulp-styled campaigns. As always, there was Hero’s great index in the back, as well as a great, full-color cover by fan-favorite Storn Cook. However, I found the majority of the art in the interior very jumbled and rough, a bit of a downgrade as opposed to art in earlier Hero products. I would easily recommend this book for anyone looking to spice up their campaigns with a bit of ancient mystery, but I would also recommend to judge the book by its content and not overall appearance.