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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2011234" data-attributes="member: 18387">By John Girgsby, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine RackInitiative RoundOut for Blood is a Dungeons & Dragons supplement from Bastion Press. This 96-page softcover is by E. W. Morton, with cover art by Terry Wolfinger depicting a vampiress hiding from those who would do her harm. Interior artwork is by Cos Koniontis, Danilo Moretti, David Hendee, Edward Bourelle, Jesse Mohn, Marcio Fiorito, and Phillip James. Out for Blood retails for $22.95.Vampires are, without doubt, the most enduring of the horror icons, and why not? The dramatic imagery of a creature that subsist on the very fluid that sustains the living, the often erotic imagery that accompanies the legends; the vampire is a creature that is, paradoxically, the most feared and most beloved of all “classic” horror monsters. Many among us may entertain thoughts of immortality, but who would be willing to accept the price charged by this curse?Though not the first appearance of such a creature (the vampire legend has endured for at least 2,000 years in some form or another), it was undoubtedly Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, that brought the legend to life for so many (though vampiric tales of horror had been around for well over 100 years before his time). Since that time, the vampire had fascinated and thrilled us. It should surprise no one that is has become one of the most popular foes in many Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, most notably in an adventure written by Tracy and Laura Hickman that would spawn over 30 novels and an entire campaign setting; Ravenloft.Out for Blood is billed as “a guide for vampires and those that hunt them.” It is neatly divided into three chapters, Characters, Creatures, and Campaigns, and an appendix. We’ll examine each of these in turn. The book is written to utilize the 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons rules.Chapter One offers a wealth of character options, applicable to both PCs and NPCs. Four new uses for skills are introduced; Identify Blood for Craft (alchemy), Decrypt Message and Encrypt Message for Decipher Script, and Necropsy for Heal. Identify Blood is a primitive form of blood typing, not quite as sophisticated as modern methods (nor should it be), and Necropsy is a primitive autopsy. The other two should be self-explanatory.Only two new feats are presented in Out for Blood, and that surprises me. Feats are usually among the most sought-after content when it comes to new mechanics. The two presented here are intended for those who can, as a class ability, channel positive or negative energy. Blot the Sky forces a cloud to pass over the sun or the moon, while Part the Clouds has exactly the opposite effect. The mechanics for handling contrasting effects of this nature (i.e., when two areas affected by these feats overlap) is interesting; each part must make a turning/rebuking check, with the low roller losing concentration and the effect.Where Out for Blood is short on feats, however, it is strong on prestige classes, with 18 new ones presented here. These classes present a good mix, with some intended for vampires, some for humans, and others that just fit the flavor of the subject (such as the blood hunter). Some of these classes, such as the gothic pretender or the fortune teller, may even be appropriate for d20 Modern campaigns. The arcane pathologist and the vampire hunter are reminiscent of Stoker’s Von Helsing and Harker, respectively.Chapter Two takes a step forward by dividing the vampire into subtypes. These creatures are still vampires, as described in the Monster Manual, but often have very different abilities. It also adds four new extraordinary abilities; Allergen (a substance or thing which can hold a vampire at bay), Taboo (representing that a vampire cannot enter certain areas), Sunlight Vulnerability, and Water Vulnerability (both of which should be obvious). These have been specifically added as special qualities because not all of the vampiric subtypes may possess these traits.Three optional rules are also described here. The first offers a new look at vorpal weapons and their effects on these particular undead. After all, in many legends, decapitation is a sure means of defeating or even destroying a vampire. The second option makes vampires vulnerable to starvation, thirst, and fatigue. Though this may seem odd, consider that in many stories, a vampire that does not feed for a long period may grow catatonic, or even die. The final option permits vampires who are active for many decades or even centuries to become more powerful as time passes.In all, there are 18 new creatures presented in Chapter Two, and not all are vampires. Many, however, are, most in the form of templates. The astral vampire, the barb-tongued vampire, the deathgaze vampire, the death ringer vampire, the irontooth vampire, the kuang-shi, the lesser vampyr, the nosferatu, the plague vampire, the vampyr, and the volkadlak (undead lycanthrope) are vampire templates. The white beast (or black beast) is not a vampire, but is a template that can be added to any animal. Non-templated new creatures include the callicantzaro, the dhampir, the chupacabra, the lost soul, the grave soil (elemental), and the iron maiden. Vampiric templates include information on both repelling and destroying these creatures, and may include an optional rule (such as the undead lycanthrope’s virulent lycanthropy, which permits the disease to be transmitted through eating the flesh of a lycanthrope or any animal slain by one.Chapter Three is devoted to helping the DM to integrate all of this new material into his or her campaign. It does so by presenting five fully detailed organizations (called Blood Brotherhoods) that may have arisen in a campaign that features vampires heavily. Each is presented in great detail, with history, organization (including hierarchy, membership, religion, alignment, secrecy, and symbol), leadership, recruiting, how one goes about joining the group, and a typical encounter. The group represent a fair mix of goals and causes; the Knights of the Phoenix are a band of crusaders who strive to keep a beacon of hope cutting through the darkness of the world, where the Order of the Dragon are a fallen order once devoted to the tenets of good, but now little more than a collection of butchers. The Resurrection Guild specialize in the (often illegal) procurement and sale of dead bodies (whole or in pieces), the Shadow Kingdom is a secret society of vampires that seek to take their place as rightful heirs to the world, and the Watch of Ages work to insure that they do not succeed.This chapter also discusses the relationships between the factions if one or more exist simultaneously in the campaign (and why not?). There are also 25 adventure hooks to draw characters into conflict with different types of vampires. Finally, a brief look at typical vampire lairs. Though this is really little more than a collection of suggestions to place an encounter with one of the bloodthirsty undead, it does spark some good ideas for adventures.The Appendix presents a new domain, Blood, and a handful of spells appropriate to the genre. There is a second appendix that provides a very short list of resources.Critical HitThree things come to mind right off. First, Out for Blood is designed to be very compatible with other vampire works. Instead of repeating what has been done elsewhere, E. W. Morton has designed new material that nicely complements what has gone before. You’ll find it very easy to implement this book in conjunction with Green Ronin’s Fang & Fury, for example. I find that’s a big complaint among d20 consumers—the “sameness” of products (“Do I really need another elf book?”)—and Out for Blood does a good job of avoiding this trap.Second is the flexibility of the product. A lot of what is found here is equally applicable whether you’re running a D&D campaign or a d20 Modern campaign. The content is not exclusive by genre or even game systems. Some of the templates found here can be easily and readily converted to GURPS, by way of example. If you use vampires in your campaign, this is an excellent supplement.Finally, the templates themselves show great variety and flexibility. Kuang-shi, for example, are not affected by lawful good holy symbols the way that other vampires are (I’m not going to tell you what does affect them; as a Dungeon Master, I feel that it is necessary to maintain the mystery of an unknown monster). Likewise, each template has a particular means by which it can be destroyed or prevented from rejuvenating, and that which affects one may not affect another. This permits the GM to tailor the vampire to the knowledge that his or her players possess.John’s Hot PickI’d have to cite the undead lycanthrope as my favorite addition to this product. Quite some time ago, I created such a character in a Villains & Vigilantes game I was participating in, and I’ve always thought about creating such for D&D. It’s good to see that someone else had the same idea. Kudos!Critical FumbleA few minor things, mostly. First, section 15 should list all of the sources used in the production of the work, including the title of the work itself. It’s a small omission, but a vital one if you want to protect your efforts by copyright. Secondly, I’m not fond of the layout, mostly because the chapters are not clearly differentiated from one another. The font used is only slightly larger than in other areas of the book, and while this conserves space, I like for my chapters to be clearly marked, to make it easy to skim to a particular chapter. Though the chapter is found in the form of a small header at the top of the right-hand page, I’d like to see them more clearly defined. Maybe some of the space lost by doing so can be regained by reducing the margins on the top and bottom of the pages. Is a 1½” margin here really necessary? Most books seem to do fine with 1 inch.Coup de GraceOn the one hand, there’s nothing really new about a book of vampires, but on the other hand, there’s plenty of original stuff to be found here. If you use the bloodsucking undead at all in your campaign, then you’d do well to consider this supplement. It has a good table of contents and a well-defined index. Everything herein is designated as Open Game Content with the exception of the artwork, which varies from excellent to acceptable.To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=777" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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