Legends of the Samurai - Campaign Guide
By Charles Rice
RPGObjects product number RPO4010c
59-page PDF, $6.95
Legends of the Samurai - Campaign Guide completes the 3-book set of PDFs that will soon be collected into a single print product. Book 1 set forth the rules for nonmagical PC classes, the monetary system, Honor, weapons and armor, and martial skills and feats; Book 2 introduced the magical classes and spells; and now this third book provides the equivalent of both the
DMG and
MM for adventures set in historical or mythical Japan.
The cover, not surprisingly, is the exact same one as the previous two books, and will no doubt be the cover for the print product when it comes out. I've commented on it (positively) before in my reviews of the two previous books, so I won't repeat myself again here.
The interior artwork is again provided by Joseph Wigfield (this time, 7 black-and-white illustrations), and in this book I think he does his best artwork to date. I especially like the Yakuza on page 27, who just cut off the little finger on his own left hand and is binding the wound (excellent detail work on his numerous tattoos, which look very authentic, by the way), and the two fighting kenku on page 38. My only complaint about the artwork is not about what's there, but what isn't - specifically, it would have been very nice if we could have had an illustration of each of the monsters in Chapter 3, as that's pretty much expected in a
Monster Manual section of new creatures. (Plus, there are a few monsters that I would have loved to have seen illustrated, if only because I have a rather fuzzy notion of what they're supposed to look like.) Oh, and that Yakuza illustration I raved about several sentences back also obliterated part of the last words in two lines on page 27 - that's not a problem with the artwork, merely a layout problem (which I'm sure will be fixed once it's pointed out to the RPGObjects guys).
Also art related, there are two very nice full-color maps of 16th-century Japan, or perhaps more accurately the same map printed twice, but one has the towns, castles, trade centers, religious centers, and gold and silver mines highlighted, and the other has the provinces highlighted. My only suggestion for improvement here would be that some of the symbols on the first map are somewhat difficult to differentiate between each other; the castles and religious centers, predominantly.
Chapter One: Medieval Japan starts us off with a concise history of Japan, from its mythical beginnings through the year 1867. It then briefly describes each province. The sections are well-written, although after awhile all of the Japanese names in the historical section started blurring together in my American brain.
Chapter Two: Gamemastering gives suggestions on how to run a historical (no magic or monsters) or mythic (bring 'em on!) campaign, with details on suitable adventure locations and 9 prestige classes. The prestige classes continue the high level of quality I've come to expect from the
Legends of the Samurai line, with logically-thought-out classes such as the martial arts master, wako (Japanese pirate), yakuza, and yojimbo (bodyguard). I especially enjoyed the wide versatility of the various ki abilities throughout the prestige classes - everybody uses it in a different fashion, as makes best sense for that class.
Chapter Three: Japanese Monsters was the biggest disappointment, because here I learned that stat block accuracy is not one of Charles' strong suits. (Sadly, he's far from alone in that category.) Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of PDF publishing, shortly after I post this review (and pass the list on to Charles), an updated version of
Legends of the Samurai - Campaign Guide should be available; in the meantime, I suggest making the following changes:
- p. 31, Awabi: Initiative should be +1, not +2 (+1 Dex). Special Qualities should include "water adaptation." The feats aren't alphabetized, and while we're on the subject, Improved Natural Attack is not an appropriate feat for a base creature - it's intended to be selected by an individual of a race that already has a given damage from a specific natural attack. In other words, if Charles wants the average awabi to deal 2d6 (+ Strength modifier) points of damage with its claws, then so be it; there's no need to burn a feat for it to do so. In any case, since awabi like to pull their victims down underwater and drown them, perhaps Improved Grapple would be a good replacement feat.
- p. 32, Advanced Awabi: The information listed above applies equally to the advanced version (although this time his Initiative is correct at +0), but he's got some additional problems with his stat block. His AC breakdown - "(-1 size, +0 Dex, +10 natural)" - should immediately follow the AC, not the flat-footed AC (although in this case they're both the same). Claw attacks should be at +14 melee, not +15 (+9 BAB, -1 size, +6 Str). Similarly, under Full Attack, the claw attacks should be "+14 melee (3d6+6, 2 claws)" instead of "+15 melee/+15 melee (3d6+6, claws)." In advancing from 5 HD to 9 HD, he should have picked up an additional ability score point (at 8 HD), besides the +8 Str, -2 Dex, and +4 Con he received as a result of going from Medium to Large. Depending upon which ability score is chosen for upgrade, there are likely to be additional changes to the stat block required. (For a no-muss fix, bump either Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma up by one point, as that won't have any effect on the rest of the stats.)
- p. 32, Bakeneko, Natural Form: HD should be 3d6+6, not 3d6+0 (+2 Con bonus). Average hit points should be 16, not 10. Feats should be alphabetized, and with 3 HD, the bakeneko should have only 2 feats, not 3 (one should either be deleted or annotated as a bonus feat). Since his Honor rank is determined by 20+2d10, the range should be 22-40, not 21-40.
- p. 32, Bakeneko, Human Form: Ditto the feats comments from above. Also, I don't get this conceptually: why would a bakeneko lose points in both Strength and Constitution when it increases in size from Small to Medium? I don't get it. Bakeneko racial traits (for creating bakeneko PCs) should be "+2 Str, +6 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis, +2 Cha," not "+2 Dex, -2 Int" as listed. (And size should be Small, not Medium, since the bakeneko's true for is a Small fey.)
- p. 33, Baku: As an outsider, HD should be 3d8+6, not 3d6+6 (outsiders have d8s for HD). Flat-footed AC should be 14, not 9 (-1 size, +5 natural). Claw attacks should be at -1 melee, not +0 (+3 BAB, -1 size, +5 Str, -5 for a secondary attack, -3 Power Attack). Special Qualities should not include "fey traits." With 3 HD, he should have 2 feats, not 3 (one should be dropped or annotated as a bonus feat). Why no Advancement allowed? Also, since one of its alternate forms is an ox, and there are no ox stats in the Monster Manual, it would have been nice to have had such stats provided. (In the meantime, I suppose you could make do using bison stats.)
- pp. 33-34, Guardian Statue: Grapple attacks should be at +5, not +2 (+3 BAB, +2 Str). Slam damage (under Attack) should be 1d6+2, not 1d6+1 (+2 Str). "Weapon Focus (bastard sword)" should be "Weapon Focus (katana)."
- p. 34, Hengeyokai: HD should be 1d8+1, not just 1d8 (+1 Con bonus). Speed should include "(6 squares)." Hengeyokai racial traits should be "-4 Str, +4 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Int, +6 Wis," not "+2 Wis, -2 Str" as listed. Also, I fail to see why a Medium hengeyokai would take damage from its armor when it changed shape into a Small or smaller animal form (the only sizes it can change to). Since the armor (and all other clothing and possessions) remain behind when the hengeyokai changes form, I could understand the damage if the creature grew larger than its armor, but smaller? I don't get it. Finally, while no stats are provided, I doubt that playing a flower or tree hengeyokai would be all that much fun.
- p. 34, Dog (Hengeyokai animal form): Wisdom should be 17, not 15 (hengeyokai retain their mental ability scores when in animal form). BAB should be +1, not +0 (hengeyokai retain their own BABs when in animal form). Grapple attacks should be at -2, not -3 (+1 BAB, -4 size, +1 Str). Bite attacks should be at +3 melee, not +2 (+1 BAB, +1 size, +1 Str). Will should be +3, not +1 (+0 as a 1-HD animal, +3 Wis bonus).
- p. 34, Monkey (Hengeyokai animal form): Wisdom should be 17, not 15 (hengeyokai retain their mental ability scores when in animal form). Bite attacks should be at -1 melee, not -3 (+1 BAB, +2 size, -4 Str). Will should be +3, not +1 (+0 as a 1-HD animal, +3 Wis bonus).
- pp. 34-35, Rat (Hengeyokai animal form): Wisdom should be 17, not 15 (hengeyokai retain their mental ability scores when in animal form). BAB should be +1, not +0 (hengeyokai retain their own BABs when in animal form). Grapple attacks should be at -11, not -12 (+1 BAB, -8 size, -4 Str). Bite attacks should be at -1 melee, not +4 (+1 BAB, +2 size, -4 Str).
- pp. 35-36, Hyakuhei: Reflex saves should be +2, not +1 (+1 as a 3-HD undead, +1 Dex).
- p. 36, Advanced Hyakuhei: Initiative should be +1, not +0 (+1 Dex). Speed should be "30 ft. (6 squares)," not "swim 40 ft." (That was probably just a copy-and-paste error.) AC breakdown - "(+1 Dex, +4 natural, +3 ashigaru armor)" - should come immediately after AC, not flat-footed AC (in this case, they're different values). Since Weapon Focus is in "(primary weapon)" - hyakuhei use three different weapons, the katana, tetsubo, and yari - only the primary weapon attack should be at +5; the other two should be at +4. Also, one ability score should have been raised at 4 HD, although it's possible that the advanced hyakuhei chose to put his extra point into Constitution while he was still alive.
- p. 36, Jade Dragon: Fortitude saves should be +9, not +6 (+6 as an 8-HD dragon, +3 Con bonus). Also, saves are traditionally placed in "Fort, Ref, Will" order (alphabetized), not "Fort, Will, Ref."
- p. 37, Advanced Jade Dragon: Bite attacks should be at +15 melee, not +16 (+12 BAB, -1 size, +4 Str). Claw, wing, and tail attacks should all be at +13 melee, not +12 (+12 BAB, -1 size, +4 Str, -2 for secondary attacks with Multiattack). No saves are given; they should be Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +8. One ability score should have been increased upon attaining 12 HD. (Depending upon which is chosen, there might be other changes to the creature's stat block. If you want to avoid changes, put the point in one of the dragon's mental ability scores, which are all even numbers and thus won't have any game effects upon being bumped up to the next number.)
- p. 37, Kamaitachi: With HD 3d8+3, average hit points should be 16, not 17. Speed line should include "(12 squares)." Will saves should be at +2, not +1 (+1 as a 3-HD animal, +1 Wis). "Weapon Finesse (bite)" should just be "Weapon Finesse." Feats should be alphabetized.
- p. 37, Kenku: HD should be 2d6+2, not 2d8+2 (fey have d6s for HD). Average hit points should be 9, not 11. Kenku racial traits should be "+2 Str, +4 Dex, +2 Con," not "+2 Dex, -2 Wis" as listed.
- p. 39, Kitsune: Kitsune racial traits should be "-2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Cha" - as currently written, kitsune have no racial traits to ability scores.
- p. 39, Mountain Goblin: Touch AC should be 12, and flat-footed AC should be 13 (neither was provided). Ability scores are traditionally placed in the following order: Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha - this one had Int and Wis reversed. Mountain goblin racial traits should be "+2 Dex, +4 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -2 Cha," not "+2 Con, -2 Int" as listed.
- p. 40, Naga, Asp: Shouldn't there be a Fortitude (or possibly Reflex) save involved with the asp naga's spit venom attack? Asp naga racial traits should be "+2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha," not "+2 Con, -2 Cha" as listed for all naga types.
- p. 40, Naga, Chameleon: Racial traits should be "+2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha," not "+2 Con, -2 Cha" as listed for all naga types.
- pp. 40-41, Naga, Cobra: Either Initiative should be -1, not +3, or the cobra naga should have Improved Initaitive as a bonus feat. Grapple attacks should be at +0, not +4 (+1 BAB, -1 Str). Cobra naga racial traits should be "-2 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Cha," not "+2 Con, -2 Cha" as listed for all naga types.
- p. 41, Naga, Constrictor: HD should be 3d8+6, not 3d8+9 (+1 Con bonus, Toughness feat). Average hit points should be 19, not 22. Grapple attacks should be at +4, not +3 (+3 BAB, +1 Str). With 3 HD, it should have 2 feats, not just 1. Constrictor naga racial traits should be "+2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha," not "+2 Con, -2 Cha" as listed for all naga types.
- pp. 41-42, Naga, Greensnake: Racial traits should be "+2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha," not "+2 Con, -2 Cha" as listed for all naga types.
- p. 42, Nezumi, Crippled Bone Tribe: Racial traits should be "+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis," not "+2 Int, -2 Cha" as listed for all nezumi types.
- p. 42, Nezumi, Grasping Paw Tribe: Racial traits should be "+2 Dex, -2 Cha," not "+2 Int, -2 Cha" as listed for all nezumi types.
- p. 43, Nezumi, Tattered Ear Tribe: Racial traits should be "-2 Wis, +2 Cha," not "+2 Int, -2 Cha" as listed for all nezumi types.
- p. 43, Nezumi, Third Whisker Tribe: Racial traits should be "-2 Str, +2 Int, -2 Cha," not "+2 Int, -2 Cha" as listed for all nezumi types.
- p. 44, Oni: With 8 HD, it should have 3 feats, not just 2. (And again, Improved Natural Armor isn't needed; just assign the oni whatever level of natural armor seems appropriate.) Oni racial traits should be "+16 Str, +8 Con, -2 Int, -6 Cha," not "+4 Str, -2 Wis, -6 Cha" as listed.
- p. 45, Orochi: Initiative should be +5, not +3 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initaitive). Speed should include "(18 squares)." Flat-footed AC should be 26, not 27 (-4 size, +20 natural). Under Full Attack, bite attacks should be at +26 melee, not +26/+21/+16/+11 melee - you don't get iterative attacks with natural weapons.
- p. 46, Advanced Orachi: He should have gained ability score increases at 24 and 28 HD. Initiative should be +4, not +0 (Improved Initiative). Flat-footed AC should be 26, not 27 (-4 size, +20 natural). Under Full Attack, bite attacks should be at +36 melee, not +36/+31/+26/+21 melee - you don't get iterative attacks with natural weapons. Fort should be +23, not +18 (+17 as a 30-HD dragon, +6 Con). Ref should be +18, not +13 (+17 as a 30-HD dragon, +1 Dex). Will should be +17, not +12 (+17 as a 30-HD dragon, +0 Wis). With 30 HD, it should have 11 feats, not just 7.
- p. 46, Swamp Goblin: Racial traits should be "-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Wis, -6 Cha," not "+2 Dex, -2 Cha" as listed.
Also, despite page 16 saying that in addition to humans (which are the only PC race allowed in a historical campaign), mythic campaigns also include hengeyokai and koro-pok-guru (dwarves), according to the monster writeups in Chapter Three, the following races should be added to that list: bakeneko, kenku, kitsune, mountain goblin, naga (asp, chameleon, cobra, and greensnake varieties), nezumi (all tribes), oni, and swamp goblins. However, I see no reason why constrictor naga - whose description specifically states that they are generally too powerful for a PC race, even in a mythic campaign - couldn't also be used as a PC race; after all, they do provide a Level Adjustment (+2) for the constrictor naga, which is there to assist in balancing more powerful creatures when used as PCs. Plus, I'd argue that the oni is much more powerful than the constrictor naga, anyway.
Besides actual stat block errors, though, I think some of the concepts behind a few of the creatures are a bit "off" as well. I was particularly disppointed with the hengeyokai. D&D hengeyokai (both from the 3E
Oriental Adventures and their AD&D precursors) are able to assume human form, animal form, and a hybrid form featuring aspects of each. The hengeyokai in
Legends of the Samurai - Campaign Guide are restricted to only human and animal forms. Worse, while they gain the physical ability scores of their animal form, they don't get the animal's feats while in animal form. This means that a monkey hengeyokai or rat hengeyokai in animal form has to do without the Weapon Finesse that normal monkeys and rats enjoy; as a result, their attacks suffer greatly. This current version has just about managed to suck all of the fun out of playing a hengeyokai.
Chapter Three finishes up with NPC stats for the basic classes, each providing NPCs for each level, 1st-20th, just like in the
DMG. These are sure to be a boon to any GM running a Japanese campaign.
Proofreading and editing were simply
phenomenal in this book. Monster stats aside - where there was the occasional "5ft." (with no space between the "5" and the "ft.") in a Space/Reach entry - I didn't find
any spelling errors, incorrect punctuation usage, missing words, or what-have-you. The only deviation I saw from the norm was that none of the magic items in the NPC Tables were italicized. Oh, and pages 26-27 have a Chapter Three header instead of a Chapter Two header. (Which actually turns out to be rather funny, as the section on the yakuza prestige class - basically, Japanese gangsters - shows up under a "Japanese Monsters" heading!) No proofreader is listed, but Andy Rau is listed under "editing" in the credits page, so excellent job, Andy! I realize most people tend not to put proofreading as very high up on their list of importance in a gaming book, but I for one found the quality in this PDF to be a very refreshing change, and it stands out well above the crowd of most gaming supplements I've seen lately.
Despite being very disappointed with the monster stats, I put
Legends of the Samurai - Campaign Guide in the low 3/high 4 range. Since I know from experience with the other two PDFs in this series that those monster stats should be fixed up very shortly after I send Charles my errata list, and since this is the third PDF in a series of three, and maintains the high level of quality of the other two PDFS (monster stats excepted), I'm going to go ahead and give this a "4 (Good)." Hopefully, the print version of the entire
Legends of the Samurai book hasn't gone to the printer yet, so these corrections can be made to the forthcoming book as well as to the PDFs.
