Ptolus ongoing review p.1...10

Thomas Percy

First Post
It looks marvelous; like encyclopedia, full color, small font, 700 pages, hard covers plus maps and CD-rom.
But it weights 6 Ibs.

I. Introduction
Monte, like a good teacher, explains that it's important to DM to understand "how" Ptolus works and even more importatnt is to be able as the DM to answer "why" somethings happened. It's a promise of making logical puzzle and giving to the DMs (and maybe even players!) a key to understanding. You know... it may be cool for some of us to slay 20th Halaster clone in the ambush on the sublevel E of level 89th of Undermountains, but it may be cool for some of us to know "why" this Halaster attacked the PCs in Waterdeep beside he's mad.

Why? Why Monte is trying to make Ptolus understandable and logical? Becuse the city is an extrapolation from a D&D premise - and D&D is Monte's game, so he created a setting full compatible with D&D. At least he promises to do this, because this is only introduction.

II. Player's Handbook
Everyone interested can download this part of Ptolus as a free pdf.
We find in this chapter bascic facts about the city, population, where it is, how it looks like...

...by the way. I'm enchanted by the graphics of this book. There is no a single page without a picture, but most of them is incrusted with 3-5 pictures. Some of them are very small, so I wonder one day we will see art gallery at montecook.com full of big pictures. I'm a lucky guy. I don't like comic, manga and WotC complete seris drawnings. I love classical fantasy art, realistic, colorful, like in the WotC PHBII or ToM - and I have thousands of such pictures in Ptolus. Besides my little known The Forge Studios, there are such titans of fantasy art as Jason Engle, Todd Lockwood (with Komarck, Lofgren, Lyon, Phillippi). Last but not least there are about one hundred plans of Ed Bourelle. I was in love in his maps until some years and this guy is better artist from one book 'till another.

... but Ptolus. So, there are short information about rulers of the city, its enemies and inhabitants.

Next. The description of city's districts. This is first time I glorify Monte. The city is original, but not weird, so its flexible and I can use it in my campset BIRTHRIGHT. The districts are placed very smart on the cliff circles around The Spire, with a river and sea nearby. When you read this, you can see there is historical, logical, and topographical sense of districts borders. Besides, imho all districts are cool.

Noble houses. Monte gives every house some distinctive traits. It's good as a flavour and mnemotechnic trick, but I think it will be better to remind a reader that an aristocrat is no a person who makes money on trade, but someone who has fief and/or court work. And if someone has a fief, he has a money. Money -> army. Army -> political power. Political power -> more fiefs, money, soldiers.

Organizations. They have a feel of Planescape factions... not a surprise, Monte writed some of Planescape materials last century. I love some of them, particularry Bros of Redemption, Dreaming Apothecary or Viridian Lords, which are mines of adventure ideas and even new prestige classes to create for the DM. I'm confused by Delver's Guild. I know it's a fantasy D&D city full of adventures, and IT'S possible to make money on them only, but I don't belive there are 8000 adventurers in the city with population 70.000. Such things are good in computer online games, when the only real person are PCs, but in my and my player's own campaign, my players are heroes, not 4 of 8000 heroes in the block. Besides, if there are 8000 adventurers and every of them has even the starting money (gp) from DMG all economy, all balance of power will differ from this decribed in PHB.

World. A few words about falling (in very interesting and adventure "hooking" way) empire around Ptolus. A few words about a church. We have a mono and politeism in the city at once, because folk is free to worship all good gods, but one of the faiths (Christian like) is state religion and is most worshiped.

Races. I'm curious what's this litorian. Half man, half lion. A guy you don't want to kiss or make angry. Until you are masochist.

Character background. There is very useful table to make a PC with the occupation of the character before he become an adventurer, most likely classes, smart benefits (as contacts or craft skill bonuses) and home district. I like this table.

At the end there are a few words about magic which is common in the city... it means that every commoner saw a mage, not that every commoner is a mage. Ptolus is a city compatible with the rules of generating towns from DMG.


This is the end of part 1 my progressing review. Sorry for my bad English. I don't promise to write next parts, bacause I'm doing it for fun, and I'll stop when I become bored.
 
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Tharen the Damned

First Post
Thomas Percy said:
I'm confused by Delver's Guild. I know it's a fantasy D&D city full of adventures, and IT'S possible to make money on them only, but I don't belive there are 8000 adventurers in the city with population 70.000. Such things are good in computer online games, when the only real person are PCs, but in my and my player's own campaign, my players are heroes, not 4 of 8000 heroes in the block. Besides, if there are 8000 adventurers and every of them has even the starting money (gp) from DMG all economy, all balance of power will differ from this decribed in PHB.

I think you confused some things. There are about 250 active Delvers and about 8.000 who died during their delving.
 

philreed

Adventurer
Supporter
I liked the use of color text linked to sidebars.

(Actually, I liked this when it was used in Underground back in 1993. It's nice to see someone in gaming using the technique again.)
 

Thomas Percy

First Post
Tharen the Damned:
So, there was 8000 adventurers durning last 3 years in Ptolus.

philreed:
I like this color sidebars, too. They are particularry useful, when I can find on the fly the number of the page of all NPCs and places mentioned in main text columns near.
I've seen it in Mystara Karameikos and Glantri TSR rulebooks. And Monte was a designer of one of them. There was a lot of handouts in Karamaikos boxed set too (I mean as in Ptolus envelope).
 


Thomas Percy

First Post
II. The World

The world of Ptolus has three moons. One of them is main and similiar to our. Second is smaller, darker, and swift – it’s called The Rogue. You can use it as a bad luck omen, thieves’ god symbol or symbol related to the Deck of Many Things. But most interested is the third moon, because there is no such moon, at least it disappeared. But it will be back as a herald of worldshaking changes… such as 4e.

Next paragraph, Empire. There is a map (even two, because bigger version is provided as a handout in the envelope joined with this rulebook). This world is like many others, we have realms deserted after magic catalysm, Arabs, barbarians, glacier, pirates, fallen emipire… you know… everything. Generaly it seems simple, generic, but logical and fun. With some pearls such as Cherubar or Cold Desert.

I have only one problem – the names. Most of them sounds good, but some (10%) of them sounds FOR ME (and I’m Polish) weird. I wonder there will day when WotC or some other publisher will ask on messageboards people around the world: „is this name sounds good?”, or „is it true, that >>Tuman<< in your language means „idiot” and it may not be the best name for wizard?”. There is no such obvious problems with Ptolus as far as I ‘ve read, but I see a word „Prustan”. Monte explains that it was a name of folk who created militaristic empire with advanced technology, something like Prussia in Eastern Europe XIX century. Is it really better asociation for German-like empire builders than Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation? The second one was used in Warhammer. The first one is like a fleshback from „Glantri” book wrote by Monte for TSR, where you can find Frenchmen in NYC, Spanishmen in New Yersey and Vikings in Manhattan. Generally we, Europeans, are very surprised, when an American confuse Sweden and Switzerland, but most of us don’t know where is eg. Nebraska. So, I’m surprised… I will be delighted if one day we'll see Ptolus pronunciation guide at montecook.com.

Ad rem. Special Materials. One of my favourite piece of the text. Maybe it’s not new for Monte’s long time fans, maybe this materials appeared in earlier Malhavoc rulebooks, but for me this is absolutely revelation „Today I’m reading, tomorrow I’ll use on my game”. There are minerals which absorbs macic and you can use energy absorbed to magic item creation. There are metals immune to magic or simply spell resistant. There are metals visible (or shinny) in various light eg. moonlight. There is a stone lighter then air. There are liquid light and liquid darkness usable to empower your spells. And there is a kind of quicksilver you can use like a perfume to grant yourself benefits of natural armor.

Chapter III. Races

You can mett three kind of races in the city:
- these from PHB
- new, but still for players
- monster
The most interesting from the point of view of idea miner is second group.

Centaurs called Aram. Nothing new, strong, no brilliant, half-men half-horses. Mechanical: 4 racial dices, which is very expensive. Personally I don’t even understand why someone wants to play with the PC without a pants. I’m not sure where such an animal sleeps when the PCs stays at the inn. And I don’t want to know how centaurs make love.

Cherubim elves. Something like avariel, it has a wings, it looks like an angel. LA +2. It will be very popular race among she-players with „Playing Favorite Role player subtype”, because cherubims are so cute.

Harrow Elves. Elves changed in mutants by one-of-most-evil-guys-of-Ptolus many centuries ago. They wear masks. Good for fans of World of Darkness (Vampire: The Masquarade and so on), because such elf is sufferrrrring, he is outsider. Good for Supercoolnes and Psychodrama player subtypes.

Litorians. Half-men/half-lions barbarians, but honorable. They always repay those who save their lives – good hook for party creation. Strong, healthy, dexterous, LA+1, intimidating, not ugly fresh-meet-hunter – perfect choice for Kicking Butt subtype of players.

Lizardfolk. They are in the place of homeless and beggars in the city. They like to sleep in the dock (or sewerrs), they like to basking in the sun whole day. They don’t like to have a home or work (evenytually as part time fishermen). They are favorite target of slavers and everyone (beside them) is very fond of this fact. Perfect for punk–lovers and outlier subtype of players.

Genarally I like this races, but I doubt I will introduce them to my BIRTHRIGHT. If yes, then only as a fluff, as a background, without any stats for NPC. But what if one of my players want to play one of them? Then yes.
 
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Tharen the Damned

First Post
Thomas Percy said:
Tharen the Damned:
So, there was 8000 adventurers durning last 3 years in Ptolus.

Yep, that is what I understand.

Good review, keep it coming.

And The Forges Ptolus Sketchbook is awsome (at least what I saw from th free previews).
 


Thomas Percy

First Post
IV. Cosmology and Religion

This chapter is hard to review without spoilers… so forgive me… if I have a choice between a review which spoils the game of the readers, or review a little hard to understand, I choose the second.

So, Ptolus world was created by now-forgotten god for the purpose. He devised it as a trap for other evil gods, demons and another scum collectively called Galchutt. The creator was tired of the Galchutt, which corrupted and anihillated every world he created. So, he constructed mega-prison which looks like another world.
Entertainment guaranteed!
Because no outsider (including gods) can’t leave Ptolus world until someone breaks a seal on the moon (which disappeared, as I mentioned above), these Galchutt live near the mortals (or in etheral plane) and do ugly things from nearly 11.000 years. Well, they are sleeping hibernated right now… guess where?... and guess what time they will wake up?

Among their (I mean Galchutt) most ugly deeds was a creation of a few quasi-Saurons with complicated names, who tried to demolish the world a few times and always they were beaten by various fellowships of „the something”. Most of these second rank bad guys left as an inheritance some ugly gifts for the world, such as:
- the spire (from the city by the spire)
- abandoned dwarven kingdom under the city of the spire
- warehouses full of cursed artifacts (not only magic) in the city
- interdimensional shadow world realm in the city
- and many things even more ugly.
Be warned! City by the Spire is like a barrel full of dynamite! Now, I understand, why here in Ptolus, there are hundreds of adventurers!

Because the world is a prison, Monte altered some 3,5 rules to make every calling and Gate-like spell one way ticket. Honestly, I don’t understand these rules fully, I don’t want to use this them, because I like these spells such as they are in 3,5. I don’t worry about too many powerful outsiders in my world, because I assume after Planescape (and after Hordes of the Abyss now!) that there are no unlimited number of e.g. balors. And the world of Ptolus can be a prison for evil gods only, not for demons/devils too. Maybe I’m wrong.

The Church of Lothian is a Christian-like (before schizm, like Rome today) monoteistic church, which tolerates other minor non-evil gods. I find it perfect solution, because it’s nice and for politeism and syncretism lovers in fantasy and for monoteism lovers, and last but not least: this semi-medieval world has a semi-medieval church! And if you need some factions within The Church, you have various saints’ cults and various monastic and knighthood orders. When a priest violates Church’s law, he’s rebuked, but not befrocked, because the fact he still has the spells is a proof of god’s will. I like this Monte’s solution.

Cults of Chaos. Many evil and chaotic secret societes are must be in the city setting! Monte creates a lot of them: some stupid as a mob of ranchers, some wicked like Machiavelli, some disgusting like diseased body eaters, some based on the prophecy of end of the world.

It’s a good chapter even for idea miner, and the DM who want to insert Ptolus into another world with another cosmology.

V. History

This is another chapter full of fluff and epic adventure ideas for every DM.

Again, for many Malhavoc readers, such things as Bannewarens, Ochremeshk, Eslathagos Malkith, The Ghul, The Age of Elder Titans, or rise and fall of Tarsis Empire may be not new. But I’m not Malhavoc fan, because I don’t like dungeon crawl adventures, and I never have enough patience to read „Retun to the Temple of Elemental Evil” or „Bannewarens”. I assume there are a lot of cool crunch and tactics there, but I felt asleep every time I tried to read such a book.
And now I’m rewarded!
Monte gathered most of his best stories into interesting, inspiring, and very easy to understand and navigate fluff chapter. I see, there will be a lot of dungeon crawl in the Ptolus – but, after the reading of this chapter, I see it will be crawling with sense. Sorry, I’ll say no more, because these stories are for DM only, and I don’t want to spoil a game for my reader. If you like world-shaking epic intigues like Lord of the Rings – you will like this chapter. If you like political intrigues – you’ll like this chapter. If you like dungeon crawl with good story in the background – you will like this chapter.



Once again, sorry for my bad English, sorry for my editorial mistakes (I wrote it in the hurry), sorry that I have no patience (and many more) to make this review such deep and professional as these of eg. Merric, or JoeKrusher. The weekend starts, I will have two full day game sessions, so I will continiue after minimum two days break.
 


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