Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pinotage" data-source="post: 2483660" data-attributes="member: 15194">Lost Books 3: The Log of the Gray Swan in a pdf product from Clockwork Golem Workshop, the third in The Lost Books series. The Log of the Gray Swan features the history and background of the spellbook of a halfling wizard and pirate, including all the new and novel spells contained therein. Lost Books 3: The Log of the Gray Swan is a 9 page pdf written by Peter Ball. Of the 9 pages, 8 pages are devoted to the content of spellbook history and the 12 new spells, while one page is devoted to OGL declarations. This pdf normally retails on RPGNow for $1.20.Initial Impressions:I was quite pleased upon finishing reading this pdf. The writing is clear, concise, and well-written; the spells are intelligent, flavorful and balanced, and the layout is simple, yet effective. There is no art in this pdf, but the layout is colorful enough to make the pdf look nice and its professionally done. There are 12 spells detailed in this pdf, all part of the Log of the Gray Swan, the lost spellbook of a renowned pirate and halfling wizard, Zalich Ulhoran. Spells range from simple, yet effective, cantrips like Zalich's deadly sigh to the mighty Whirlpool spell. The twelve spells are at a range of different levels, depending on casting class, the highest being Whirlpool, a 7th level spells for Wizards and Sorcerers.There were a few minor editing errors contained in the pdf, such as Pepperblast not being listed as a spell in Zalich's spellbook, although the spell details and description are given; and a handful of minor 'typos' that did not get picked up. Overall I was very pleased, but let's take a look in a little more detail.The Details:The pdf starts by giving a detailed background on Zalich and his renowned pirate vessel, The Gray Swan. It's well-written, a good read, and gives ample opportunity for those with pirate/swashbuckling campaigns to draw a few plot hooks from or form a side adventure. Full details of the spellbook are given, including reasons for why it is called The Log of the Gray Swan, its physical description and even bardic lore DCs or equivalently Gather Information DCs on this infamous pirate and his ship.The pdf then plunges into the 12 new spells contained in Zalich's spellbook. Once again the spells are well-written, full of flavour, balanced and the mechanics of the spells are sound. There was no need to reread a spell description to figure out exactly what it did, the meaning clear from a first read, something I really appreciate in spells and their descriptions. As can be expected, these spells will fit much better into a pirate or seafaring campaign, or with those characters that have this kind of background. However, almost all will be equally well suited to a normal campaign, although trying to find the tooth of a drowned sailor as a material component for Zalich's deadly sigh might be tricky under most circumstances!I have to admit that it's the flavour of all the spells combined and the background provided that ties this pdf together nicely. Some of the individual spells use known or established mechanics or are only slightly different from other similar spells, but it's the way its written and the flavour elements that really shine. The small differences in some of the spells and their effects, as well as the novel ones form a well-rounded and cohesive pdf on a lost spellbook.The spells themselves offer lots of variety, from Burning Palate that can hinder spellcasters, to Captain's table to boost the crew's morale and performance, to Zalich's Bellicose Blow to deal with boarders or clear a path between foes, to Wave Rider as a means to escape the deep waters of the sea on the crest of a wave. There's a lot of variety in only 12 spells, and any wizard is bound to find something useful in there.Conclusions:I really liked this pdf. It was well-written, tied together nicely into a solid framework and contains some good spells for any campaign to use. I suspect that not all campaigns will find a pirate's spellbook useful, but this is almost a must-have for those wizards in seafaring campaigns, or those centred on coastal cities. There's not a lot negative to say about this pdf, except for the editing errors, the slightly niche content and perhaps a little touch of sparkling novelty that would've made this excellent. As a result, I give this four stars or good, something well worth the buy at the price offered.</blockquote>

Verification