Mongooses' Sheloth: City of The Drow - Anyone get this yet?

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

OK, Joshua's teasing me with his new copy of FFG's Sorcery & Steam means I need to place an order with RPG shop. I'm also thinking about getting GR's monsters of the mind, and possibly this one:

Sheloth: City Of The Drow Hc
$34.95 (MGP 5005)
Mongoose Publishing

This 256-page d20 citybook...

Anyone have this yet? I think I heard there is some tie in with their new Quint Drow book, but I have never bought one of those ( not gonna either probably ) so the obvious question is will much of Sheloth will refer to that book?

I guess another obvious question might be how it compares in scope and flavor to the 2E Drow city boxed set ? ( MEnzobBberaZzzeon - hehee ).

Please someone tell me this book sucks so I can forget about the Drow for a while and save myself some $$ ...

 

[thundershot]

*waits*

I'm ---> [ ] this close to ordering the drow book... but I was also hoping to hear something about it. I buy all of the Quint books, so I'll end up with that book regardles...



Chris

 

[Psion]

I have it. Picked it up at GenCon.

I'd love to tell you it sucks, but I haven't really totally devoured it yet, so I can't, sorry.

From my initial glance-overs, it looks "okay." It seems functional, with lots of useful area descriptions, but nothing that blew me away flavor-wise like plot & poison did.

 

[sithramir]

I was very unimpressed.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I did not even see it at Gencon!

 

[Tewligan]

I just picked it up at the FLGS during lunch today, along with Sorcery and Steam. Haven't even taken the shrink wrap off of 'em yet, so I can't comment on the quality. I almost picked up Mongoose's Quint Drow as well, but resisted. Any opinions on that one?

 

[physics_ninja]

Has there been anything really new about drow in the past 10 years?

In this book I expect to see:

Prestige classes, maybe core classes, spells, magic items, and feats. You know, the usual.

Plus stuff on the various drow houses.

Plus stuff on that spider goddess of thiers. Maybe some new gods that aren't all that different from that evil god and that evil goddess.

Is there anything to say about drow that hasn't been said before?

 

[Psion]

Has there been anything really new about drow in the past 10 years?

In this book I expect to see:

Prestige classes, maybe core classes, spells, magic items, and feats. You know, the usual.

Actually, no. But you can find such content in the quintessential drow.

Plus stuff on the various drow houses.

Well, wouldn't you expect a city supplement for humans or dwarves or elves or whatever to discuss the aristocracy.

Plus stuff on that spider goddess of thiers. Maybe some new gods that aren't all that different from that evil god and that evil goddess.

The churches are discussed, but only as entitities. Again, deities are in the Quint Drow.

Is there anything to say about drow that hasn't been said before?

Perhaps not much.

In ready to play format in third edition with a city that veterans haven't played through one or twice? That's another matter.

 

[Psion]

Well, in browsing through the book, I think I just found something out about the book that I don't like:

From all appearances, the NPCs seems to be made with Jamis Buck's NPCGen, with few if any modifications.

Not that NPCGen is a bad program, mind you. I use it myself. But the NPC stat blocks it creates need a lot of work before they are publishable.

As examples/evidence:

The fomat is nearly identical to the formatting choices used by NPCGen. For example, class bonus feats are listed in brackets. There is no equipment (the prime thing that makes them unpublishable, IMO), merely have a "x gp in gear" under a possessions entry.

Craft (alchemy) is in the same place in the skills list alphabetically as alchemy was, as if a simple search-and-replace was used to upgrade the characters to 3.5. (I'm tempted to check to see if the bards have enough skill points.)

Many characters have some bizarre skill choices that are very unlikely for handcrafted characters, most notably flurries of half-rank cross-class skills.

There are some bizarre feat choices, again a common result of NPCgen. For example, the character I am looking at now has exotic weapon proficiency siangham, weapon focus gauntlet and weapon focut shortbow, and is a hight level fighter that does not go deeply into any feat chains.

 

[Derulbaskul]

Well, in browsing through the book, I think I just found something out about the book that I don't like:

From all appearances, the NPCs seems to be made with Jamis Buck's NPCGen, with few if any modifications.

(snip)

There are some bizarre feat choices, again a common result of NPCgen. For example, the character I am looking at now has exotic weapon proficiency siangham, weapon focus gauntlet and weapon focut shortbow, and is a hight level fighter that does not go deeply into any feat chains.

Hmmm, yet another miss from Mongoose. No wonder they provoked a three page thread about "blanket bans" of their products in various campaigns. Is Mongoose on track to being the next FFE?

Cheers
D