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Oathbound: Domains of the Forge
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<blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2009546" data-attributes="member: 9860"><p>Beware! This review contains major spoilers.</p><p>This is not a playtest review.</p><p></p><p>Oathbound is a campaign setting from Bastion Press. It is recommended for characters of 7th level and upwards.</p><p></p><p>Oathbound weighs in at 352 pages for $39.95, fairly standard for its size and type (hardcover, full colour).Use of space is good with little white space, a good font, and standard margins. Artwork is a matter of taste. Personally, I find most of it appalling, as I have in most other Bastion Press productions. It certainly has its own unique style. However, scattered through the book (all too infrequently) are some real gems, with great use of colour and a sense of personality to the characters depicted. Writing and editing are average, with occasional but regular errors.</p><p></p><p>Aeons ago, a god was imprisoned. Around the prison were set seven citadels that housed seven lords responsible for keeping the god in his prison. As time passed, these lords created worlds around the citadels. Each of the lords had sworn binding oaths to act as guardians to the prison, but they discovered that should any defeat them in mortal combat, they would be released from their servitude, and the victor would take over their responsibilities. So the lords drew powerful mortals in from outside their worlds and set challenges for them in order that they should grow more powerful, and eventually be able to defeat the lords, setting them free. These worlds have an intoxicating and exaggerated feel to them, enhanced by the ever-growing power of the imprisoned god, eager to attract those powerful enough to set him free.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 1: Arrival, gives advice on introducing the concept of the Oathbound campaign setting to your world. It gives information on how characters come to The Forge, the name of the Oathbound world setting. It gives an overview of the seven worlds, the planar atsronomy, temporal and calendrical measurements, and some of the gifts that are given to or achieved by heroic characters.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 2: Inhabitants Of The Forge, details both the main sentient races, as well as the flora and fauna of the setiing. Twelve suitable PC races are detailed along with a few other sentient species. The races are pretty weird, including winged tigerlike demon-types (actually depicted with a goatshead in the illo), telekinetic jellyfish, and sentient upright cats (puss-in-boots in the illo) as well as more 'normal' reptilian types. Some of these are given CLA's to adjust for their powerful abilities. Trees, crops, herbs and shrubs, and animals, as well as (oddly) a recipe for polenta casserole.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 3: Matters Of Prestige, introduces 6 prestige classes:</p><p>* Demagogue - gifted orator</p><p>* Hone - weapon master</p><p>* Inquisitor - religious fanatic</p><p>* Rafter - archaeologist/scout</p><p>* Stalker - spy and tracker</p><p>* Vigilante - mass combatant with danger sense</p><p>The book also introduces the concept of prestige races. This is where, due to the nature of the setting, beings evolve much more quickly than normal, mutating to their own benefit. These mutations are known as Foci, and these foci are detailed in the remainder of the chapter, each one costing XP. For example 'Sharpened Creature', where the creature develops sharper hearing and eyesight (+4 to Listen, Spot, and Serach checks, and low-light vision, at the cost of 4,000 XP and a prerequisite of 5th level). It seems strange that the prerequisites for most of these abilities are below the minimum recommended level for the campaign setting.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 4: The Seven Domains, looks to the geography of the campaign setting. Each of the domains is described in terms of settlements and inhabitants, travel, commerce and economy, and politics. Each land tends to reflect a particular geography. For example, Wildwood consists mostly of forests and jungles, Eclipse is underground, Kiln is mainly volcanoes, etc.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 5: The Black Flock, details the seven lords of The Forge, black-feathered bird-like creatures that are bound by an ancient oath, but seek freedom from their guardianship. The Lords also have avatars, whose powers are described, and an overview of the seven citadels of the Lords are also given. As The Forge draws characters from all over the multiverse, many religions are represented in the setting, and an overview of the main ones are given, but without detail. </p><p></p><p>Chapter 6: The City Of Penance, covers the largest city of the Forge, called Penance. Plenty of details are given, including politics, laws, NPCs, guilds, and the ruined Undercity with a great maze.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 7: The Bloodholds, details the nine domains of the city of Penance, and gives adventure hooks for each, as well as important NPCs including the Bloodlords that rule the domains, laws, politics, trade and commerce, and details of the geography of the city domains.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 8: The Hub Tavern, details an immense tavern set ouside of the Bloodlords' domains. It sits in the middle of a river, with various bridges linking to different areas of the city of Penance.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 9: Dark Welcomes, is a 65-page adventure set in Penance for 7th-level characters, whereby they must stop a plan by evil forces to destroy all heroes in Penance and to usurp the powers of the Bloodlords themselves. Advice is given for scaling the adventure for parties of a higher level, some adventure hooks are given, and the adventure relies on information given in previous chapters on Penance and the Hub Tavern. Further adventure ideas are also given.</p><p></p><p>Appendix A: Rules, summarises the rules changes that are applied to adventures for Oathbound. A new skill, City Lore, is discussed. Two new feats, Avoid Blow and Evolve are offered. 23 new spells, 17 magic items, 6 new weapon and armor qualities, 10 new weapons, and 4 new pieces of equipment are also described.</p><p></p><p>Appendix B: Monsters, offers 12 new monsters for Oathbound, although the book also recommends the use of Minions: Fearsome Foes from Bastion as an adjunct to Oathbound (but is not reliant on its ownership).</p><p></p><p>Appendix C: NPC Stat Blocks, gives stat blocks for Oathbound NPCs - a standard Bloodlord, Razor/Vanguard/Mercenary, Rafter, Stalker, and Zealot.</p><p></p><p>The book ends with a glossary and index.</p><p></p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>Its as simple as this. If you liked Bastion's previous releases, you're probably gonna love Oathbound. If you didn't, then you probably won't. Oathbound indulges Bastion's penchant for the bizarre, whilst benefiting from its proclivity for detail. The central concept just didn't appeal to me but (in much the same way as the art) this has to be a personal choice. Its not so much that there's anything particularly wrong with Oathbound so much as I believe you have to buy into the initial concept to find the rest of the book satisfactory. I found myself actually laughing at some of the drawings and this began to colour my view of the book. The mixture of archetypal names (e.g. Taliesin) with bizarro ones (e.g. Laocoon Lapithae) left me floundering to identify with the setting (or perhaps to come to terms with its breadth to look at it positively), and this theme is repeated with the geography and characters. For some, this lack of grounding in traditional fantasy will be refreshing, as it gives Oathbound a freaky sci-fi-fantasy ambience, reminding me a little bit of Planescape. Others, like myself, just won't care enough to ever use it.</p><p></p><p>Note that my score reflects my personal opinion. Make no mistake, this book will appeal to plenty of people out there.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Simon Collins, post: 2009546, member: 9860"] Beware! This review contains major spoilers. This is not a playtest review. Oathbound is a campaign setting from Bastion Press. It is recommended for characters of 7th level and upwards. Oathbound weighs in at 352 pages for $39.95, fairly standard for its size and type (hardcover, full colour).Use of space is good with little white space, a good font, and standard margins. Artwork is a matter of taste. Personally, I find most of it appalling, as I have in most other Bastion Press productions. It certainly has its own unique style. However, scattered through the book (all too infrequently) are some real gems, with great use of colour and a sense of personality to the characters depicted. Writing and editing are average, with occasional but regular errors. Aeons ago, a god was imprisoned. Around the prison were set seven citadels that housed seven lords responsible for keeping the god in his prison. As time passed, these lords created worlds around the citadels. Each of the lords had sworn binding oaths to act as guardians to the prison, but they discovered that should any defeat them in mortal combat, they would be released from their servitude, and the victor would take over their responsibilities. So the lords drew powerful mortals in from outside their worlds and set challenges for them in order that they should grow more powerful, and eventually be able to defeat the lords, setting them free. These worlds have an intoxicating and exaggerated feel to them, enhanced by the ever-growing power of the imprisoned god, eager to attract those powerful enough to set him free. Chapter 1: Arrival, gives advice on introducing the concept of the Oathbound campaign setting to your world. It gives information on how characters come to The Forge, the name of the Oathbound world setting. It gives an overview of the seven worlds, the planar atsronomy, temporal and calendrical measurements, and some of the gifts that are given to or achieved by heroic characters. Chapter 2: Inhabitants Of The Forge, details both the main sentient races, as well as the flora and fauna of the setiing. Twelve suitable PC races are detailed along with a few other sentient species. The races are pretty weird, including winged tigerlike demon-types (actually depicted with a goatshead in the illo), telekinetic jellyfish, and sentient upright cats (puss-in-boots in the illo) as well as more 'normal' reptilian types. Some of these are given CLA's to adjust for their powerful abilities. Trees, crops, herbs and shrubs, and animals, as well as (oddly) a recipe for polenta casserole. Chapter 3: Matters Of Prestige, introduces 6 prestige classes: * Demagogue - gifted orator * Hone - weapon master * Inquisitor - religious fanatic * Rafter - archaeologist/scout * Stalker - spy and tracker * Vigilante - mass combatant with danger sense The book also introduces the concept of prestige races. This is where, due to the nature of the setting, beings evolve much more quickly than normal, mutating to their own benefit. These mutations are known as Foci, and these foci are detailed in the remainder of the chapter, each one costing XP. For example 'Sharpened Creature', where the creature develops sharper hearing and eyesight (+4 to Listen, Spot, and Serach checks, and low-light vision, at the cost of 4,000 XP and a prerequisite of 5th level). It seems strange that the prerequisites for most of these abilities are below the minimum recommended level for the campaign setting. Chapter 4: The Seven Domains, looks to the geography of the campaign setting. Each of the domains is described in terms of settlements and inhabitants, travel, commerce and economy, and politics. Each land tends to reflect a particular geography. For example, Wildwood consists mostly of forests and jungles, Eclipse is underground, Kiln is mainly volcanoes, etc. Chapter 5: The Black Flock, details the seven lords of The Forge, black-feathered bird-like creatures that are bound by an ancient oath, but seek freedom from their guardianship. The Lords also have avatars, whose powers are described, and an overview of the seven citadels of the Lords are also given. As The Forge draws characters from all over the multiverse, many religions are represented in the setting, and an overview of the main ones are given, but without detail. Chapter 6: The City Of Penance, covers the largest city of the Forge, called Penance. Plenty of details are given, including politics, laws, NPCs, guilds, and the ruined Undercity with a great maze. Chapter 7: The Bloodholds, details the nine domains of the city of Penance, and gives adventure hooks for each, as well as important NPCs including the Bloodlords that rule the domains, laws, politics, trade and commerce, and details of the geography of the city domains. Chapter 8: The Hub Tavern, details an immense tavern set ouside of the Bloodlords' domains. It sits in the middle of a river, with various bridges linking to different areas of the city of Penance. Chapter 9: Dark Welcomes, is a 65-page adventure set in Penance for 7th-level characters, whereby they must stop a plan by evil forces to destroy all heroes in Penance and to usurp the powers of the Bloodlords themselves. Advice is given for scaling the adventure for parties of a higher level, some adventure hooks are given, and the adventure relies on information given in previous chapters on Penance and the Hub Tavern. Further adventure ideas are also given. Appendix A: Rules, summarises the rules changes that are applied to adventures for Oathbound. A new skill, City Lore, is discussed. Two new feats, Avoid Blow and Evolve are offered. 23 new spells, 17 magic items, 6 new weapon and armor qualities, 10 new weapons, and 4 new pieces of equipment are also described. Appendix B: Monsters, offers 12 new monsters for Oathbound, although the book also recommends the use of Minions: Fearsome Foes from Bastion as an adjunct to Oathbound (but is not reliant on its ownership). Appendix C: NPC Stat Blocks, gives stat blocks for Oathbound NPCs - a standard Bloodlord, Razor/Vanguard/Mercenary, Rafter, Stalker, and Zealot. The book ends with a glossary and index. Conclusion: Its as simple as this. If you liked Bastion's previous releases, you're probably gonna love Oathbound. If you didn't, then you probably won't. Oathbound indulges Bastion's penchant for the bizarre, whilst benefiting from its proclivity for detail. The central concept just didn't appeal to me but (in much the same way as the art) this has to be a personal choice. Its not so much that there's anything particularly wrong with Oathbound so much as I believe you have to buy into the initial concept to find the rest of the book satisfactory. I found myself actually laughing at some of the drawings and this began to colour my view of the book. The mixture of archetypal names (e.g. Taliesin) with bizarro ones (e.g. Laocoon Lapithae) left me floundering to identify with the setting (or perhaps to come to terms with its breadth to look at it positively), and this theme is repeated with the geography and characters. For some, this lack of grounding in traditional fantasy will be refreshing, as it gives Oathbound a freaky sci-fi-fantasy ambience, reminding me a little bit of Planescape. Others, like myself, just won't care enough to ever use it. Note that my score reflects my personal opinion. Make no mistake, this book will appeal to plenty of people out there. [/QUOTE]
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