Endzeitgeist
First Post
Disclaimer: I got this file for free for the purpose of a honest review.
This pdf is 23 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, 1 page ToC (at the end of the book). That leaves 20 pages of new races, so let's jump in!
The races are presented in a nice format, complete with sample names, information on their nomenclature, religion, adventures, lands, physical description, personality and relations.
-Cavian:
Psionically-active humanoid rodents with a kind of Hivemind. They get +2 to Dex and Wis and -2 to Str as well as a bite attack, the ability to implant telepathic sense-jacking via bites as well as a constant thought sense. They also get 4 alternate racial traits: "Alien Aura" can disquiet non-Cavians, "Severed" grants several skill bonuses, "Collective Power" lets you take 10 on some skill-checks once per hour, "Independent" grants bonuses against enchantment and mind-affecting effects.
Comments: Well, this race seems as well balanced as they get: When I read "Hivemind" I actually thought that they wouldn't be, but they are an interesting, cool choice to play. Especially the divination-infecting bite opens great avenues for plans, plots and PC-creativity. I'd like to see that expanded. The alternate racial traits etc. are cool and seem as balanced as the race.
-Cynean:
Powerful crystalline humanoids that have an aptitude for the arcane. They get +2 to Str and Int and -2 to Dex. They also get a crystal skin for racial AC-bonuses as well as a vulnerability to sonic and force damage. They can also spontaneously cast metamagic spells once per day. They get two alternate racial traits, "Mystic Body" (INT-bonus to AC) and "Cynean Magic" (+1 to saves against Conjurations as well as three minor spell-like abilities usable once per day). Furthermore, they get 5 racial feats:
-Crystal Resilience: Sonic Resistance, somewhat offsets the racial vulnerability to sonic damage.
-Crystal Strike: Burn spells to bolster unarmed strike damage.
-Greater Arcane Body: Use Arcane Body trait more often.
-Terran Sorcery: Use Con-mod instead of Cha-mod for bonus spells, use magic device and spell-DCs
-Improved Terran Sorcery: Use both Cha and Con-mod for purpose of bonus spells, spell DCs and Use Magic Device.
Comments: I liked this race as it seemed to be quite geared towards a Sorceror/Monk-build and I think they'd do that just fine. Improved Terran Sorcery, though, is a hardcore feat: Yes, it has massive requirements (lvl 13, one attribute over 15, the other over 17), but the final bonuses are MASSIVE and could potentially unbalance a game. At high levels that might not weigh in too much, but I'd be careful with it nevertheless. As it is, I won't slap the "OP"-label on it, but it lingeringly hovers there untill I built a NPC and sent it after my PCs. They are used to death, after all. ;P
-Dalrean:
The Dalrean are a race of sentient, mobile, humanoid plants that communicate via spores. They get +2 to Con and Cha and -2 to Int, have a movement rate of 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., gain a +2 bonus to survival, have stability, are immune to mind-affecting effects, can give of light as a torch, sustain themselves via sunlight and are vulnerable to environmental effects. There is unfortunately a missing-letter typo in the racial-trait-box. They get 4 alternate racial traits: "Photosynthetic Regrowth" lets you regain HP as if resting when basking in the sunlight, "Pithy Toughness" grants "Toughness" as a bonus feat, "Thorns" grants the Dalrean armor spikes for the purposes of grappling and "Wildkindred" lets him cast Speak with Plants as a spell-like ability. They also get 6 racial feats:
-Guarded by Nature: Nature prevents you from being flat-footed due to surprise.
-Hail of Thorns: Dalrean can shoot his thorns in a cone 1+Con-mod times per day.
-Plantsense: Gain Tremorsense 20 ft. while Speak with Plants is active.
-Rebuke Nature: Ability to rebuke plants and penalize them via your force of personality.
-Spellbuds: Ability to place low-level spells into buds to be cast at a later time.
Comments: The Dalrean race is far-out, imaginative, alien and yet beautiful. The idea that their casters grow spells as buds that flower into their magic is just awesome. I would wholeheartedly recommend this whole section if it were not for the lack of limitations of potential spellbuds active on any single Dalrean can have at a given time and I'm not entirely sure whether they can cast without vocal components due to being mute and communicating with spores or whether their caster's spores generate telepathic "noise" as if chanting the incantations. Apart from these lingering questions, I love the race.
-Enuka:
Animalistic, apish creatures with a warrior-culture, these fierce warriors come with several possible mutations. They get + to Str and Con and - 2 to Cha and - 4 to Int as well as low-light vision and two mutations from the following list:
-Acid Spray: Spit Acid, not the spell
-Blinding Spittle: Blind enemies with spittle, can be combined with acid
-Claws: Gain 2 1d4 damage natural attacks
-Climbing: Gain a climb speed, +8 to the skill, ability to take 10
-Exoskeleton: +2 natural armor
-Fangs: Gain a 1d6 bite attack
-Gills: Breathe water and air, +2 to Fort against against ingested and inhaled poisons
-Keen Nose: Scent ability
-Long Tongue: Touch attack at 10 ft. reach
-Prehensile Tail: can manipulate objects with tail
-Quills: 1/hour 1d8 ranged attack at 30ft reach
-Webbed Feet: Gain a swim speed, +8 to the skill, ability to take 10
They also get two racial feats:
-Additional Mutations: Gain one extra mutation
-Mutation Focus: DC of mutation increases by 2.
Comments:
This race felt a bit geared towards warrior and barbarian-like classes, but what they do, they do fine. In contrast to the other races in this book so far, this one felt rather uninteresting to me. Savage mutated gorilla-men might be cool, but in contrast to e.g. Dalreans they just didn't feel that universally appealing. When shooting for the savage warrior as a character concept, this might very well be pulpy gold.
-Prymidian:
Red-skinned, regal humanoids with an extensive obsession with language and knowledge. They get +2 to Cha and Con and a -2 penalty to Wis. They also get a resistance to language-dependant effects as well as both bonuses to all Knowledge skill checks and linguistics. Their other racial ability grants them the ability to speak and understand any languages. They get 3 alternate racial traits: "Academian" (Substitute Knowledge check for Profession), "Tentacles" gets you retractable tentacles in your arms that serve as the "Lunge" feat, "Verbose" increases the DC of their language-dependant abilities by +2. They also get 7 racial feats:
-Dynamic Power: Use Charisma as key-stat for all spellcasting classes. Bonus spells are still determined as usual.
-Flexible Tentacles: Natural reach of 10 ft. as well as the ability to perform fine manipulations in the form of e.g. Sleight of Hand with the tentacles
-Linguistic Negation: 1/hour as immediate action, counter spell as with a readied dispel magic, caster level = character level.
-Linguistic Shield: Automatically save against language-dependant effects.
-Master Lecturer: Add Cha-mod as competence bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.
-Master Scrivener: Increases damage and DC of spells you cast that are triggered by reading, bypassing or touching a symbol or written word.
-Tentacle Grapple: Gain the Grab special ability for the tentacles.
We also get 6 new spells:
-Babble (Brd/Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 4): Sphere that makes language incoherent mutterings and prevents casting spells
-Learn Language (Brd 2, Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 3): Learn a language for a limited amount of time
-Lose Language (Brd,Clr,Sor/Wiz 5): Target permanently loses one language you specify.
-Transcribe (Brd 1, Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1): Transcribe non-magical writing
-Universal Language (Brd 3, Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 3): Area of free communication between all kinds of different languages
-Wall of Silence (Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 4): Create an invisible, deafness-inducing Wall
There are also two new exotic weapons for the Prymidians, the Butterflystaff and the telescopic Staff, are also introduced, including stats, cost etc. Finally they get a new wondrous item, the Scarab Gauntlet, which can provide blasts of force to bull rush and damage enemies.
Comments:
The Prymidians are an interesting race as a language-focused race that is further enriched by their somewhat disturbing, optional tentacles. However, I don't like their ability to speak and understand all languages, as this somewhat eliminates one central reason for the linguistics skill and has extreme repercussions for the mechanics of one world. the "Dynamic Power" and "Tentacle Grapple"-feats felt quite powerful to me. The spell lose language is another potential problem, as it does not specify if one loses the language AND the associated rank in linguistics or only the language. Can this spell be cast to deprive a Prymidian of one language (s)he understands via the Arcane Polyglot ability? All in all, while I like the concept, I didn't enjoy some components of the execution and would tweak them.
-P'Tan:
A somewhat feline/orcish-looking (at least in the artwork), shadowstuff-infused slave race of the First Ones, P'Tan are native outsiders, gain +2 to Dex and Wis (strange choice for a slave race, boosting their will...),-2 to Int, Darkvision 60 ft., Light sensitivity, a racial bonus against creatures with the First One subtype, a resistance against shadow spells and can unleash a bolt of shadowy lightning 3+Wis-mod times per day. We are also provided with 3 alternate racial traits to customize the race: "Chaos Spark", an alternate to Shadow Spark that deals 1d6 negative energy damage instead of...well...1d6+Wis mod unspecified damage and replaces shadowspark. It can stand in for shadowspark with regards to the feats, though. Why would anyone do this again? I guess something is missing from either ability. "Shadow Strength" grants them a +2 Bonus to Str and Dex and Intimidate when in partial shadows. "Shadow Bourne" grants a bonus feat from their racial feat list. Their 7 racial feats develop their shadowsparks in different ways:
-Black Lightning Beam: Damage everone in a 60 ft. line with Shadowspark. Ref for half damage.
-Black Lightning Bolt: Shadowspark deals 1d6 for every two character levels.
-Black Lightning Burst: Create Bursts of your shadowspark emerging from a creature within range.
-Black Lightning Fist: Add Shadowspark Damage to unarmed attacks
-Black Lightning Cone: Use your Shadowspark-ability in a cone
-Black Lightning Sheath: Gain electric resistance and a shadowspark-shield when activating this ability, but turn chaotic evil for the duration.
-Black Lightning Surge: Spend one use of Shadowspark to gain Wis-mod temporary Hit Points.
The P'Tan also get two new exotic weapons, the bladed guard that doubles as a shield as well as the shang sword. While the former is a cool addition, I don't get why a sword that is ostensibly heavier than a greatsword enables one to use ones Dex-modifier IN ADDITION to ones Str-Modifier on attack rolls when having the weapon finesse feat. I thought two-handed weapons, for balance reasons, were exempt from the benefit of Weapon Finesse?
Comments: I really like this race, I do. The tormented ex-slave-race trope is enriched by both their versatile black lightning abilities and their unique feel. However, there are some problems: The Shang Sword is OP and I don't know if anyone would ever want to trade in the shadowspark ability for the other racial traits. Being practically geared towards becoming monks, the P'Tan have a nice additional edge with their Shadowspark-based abilities I personally wouldn't want to surrender. As I mentioned earlier, something seems to have gone haywire with the Chaos Spark trait, as it's almost identical to Shadowspark and I'm pretty sure they are at least supposed to be different damage types. Once these minor issues have been polished out, as I hope they'll be eventually, yoU'll get a very cool and unique race.
-Sasori:
A race of intensely private, information-gathering, espionage-affine scorpion-like humanoids, the Sasori gain +2 Dex and Wis, -2 Cha, +1 natural AC, Darkvision 60 ft., +2 to saves against poison, +4 to Acrobatics and Stealth, an affinity to Vermin and have mildly poisonous blood (DC 15+Con mod). They may choose from three alternate racial traits: "Analyze Opponent" lets you gain a bonus on a successful perception check against an opponent, "Poisoner" lets the Sasori create a weak poison (1d3 for 1d3 rounds) to coat their blades with and "Vermin Friend" lets them have Vermin instead of animal companions. The Vermin get Int 1 or 2. The Sasori only get 1 racial feat:
-Virulent Poison:
This makes the poisoner trait actually worthwhile: It makes the Sasori poison deal Con damage instead of nonlethal damage. At up to 9 points of Con-damage, we're talking serious business.
Comments: Apart from the Dalrean, the Sasori are by far my favorite race in this book, as they simply scream: We're awesome and cool - they have religious/mystic symbols on their carapce. They eat by regurgitating acid on the food and then consume it. They are humanoid SCORPIONS! Why then, oh cruel fate, do we only get one racial feat? I can come up with x variations of the poisonous blood feat, x expansions of the Vermin friend ability and their function as despised, but necessary spies is intriguing to say the least. I want more on them!
Conclusion:
This pdf is full-color and beautiful - each race gets its own artwork and the artworks are consistent in style and all look somewhat cool. The book has no bookmarks and is presented in a two-columns-layout and has blueish borders that clearly mark it as a NeoExodus file. Unfortunately, I encountered several typos on my first read-through and some more on my second - this book could have used a more careful editing. Formatting is alright, though. The fluff I gathered from the races actually made me curious about the setting of NeoExodus, which is a very good thing indeed as not many settings grab my attention nowadays. The races are all far beyond what you'd consider standard fantasy fare, which is another good thing. As can be gleaned from my review, I'm really excited about the Sasori, the Dalreans and the Cavians. On the other hand, I felt the execution of the Prymidians and the Cyneans somewhat lacking and the P'Tan, Cyneans and Enuka felt a bit strongly geared towards a specific class/class combination for my tastes. I would have preferred them to be a bit more universal. Another deterrent is that the races lack age, height and weight information on, which would e.g. for the Cynean, have been very interesting. I also would have loved the races to have sections on why e.g. the different classes of the race go adventuring, preferably with the APG-classes included. The highly customizable nature of the races via alternate racial traits and racial feats, rocks, though.
Unfortunately, the races I considered most interesting got the least space, with the Prymidians (my least favorite one) having the longest write-up. That's just my personal preference and won't influence my final verdict, though.
I'll begin with 5 stars for a book of cool, far-out races beyond the standard fantasy staple and subtract a star for the editing glitches and typos that could have been avoided. Due to the fact that there are some minor mechanical problems with some abilities (e.g. Chaos Spark), the class-geared nature of some races and the lack of bookmarks, I'll detract another star, which makes my review clock in at a solid 3 stars - I'm hoping that some of the potential problems with the mechanics will be eased out in the campaign setting, as it looks promising.
One final note: My advanced copy did not include racial counters, initiative and monster cards and the combat and initiative tracker, thus I can't comment on them.
This pdf is 23 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, 1 page ToC (at the end of the book). That leaves 20 pages of new races, so let's jump in!
The races are presented in a nice format, complete with sample names, information on their nomenclature, religion, adventures, lands, physical description, personality and relations.
-Cavian:
Psionically-active humanoid rodents with a kind of Hivemind. They get +2 to Dex and Wis and -2 to Str as well as a bite attack, the ability to implant telepathic sense-jacking via bites as well as a constant thought sense. They also get 4 alternate racial traits: "Alien Aura" can disquiet non-Cavians, "Severed" grants several skill bonuses, "Collective Power" lets you take 10 on some skill-checks once per hour, "Independent" grants bonuses against enchantment and mind-affecting effects.
Comments: Well, this race seems as well balanced as they get: When I read "Hivemind" I actually thought that they wouldn't be, but they are an interesting, cool choice to play. Especially the divination-infecting bite opens great avenues for plans, plots and PC-creativity. I'd like to see that expanded. The alternate racial traits etc. are cool and seem as balanced as the race.
-Cynean:
Powerful crystalline humanoids that have an aptitude for the arcane. They get +2 to Str and Int and -2 to Dex. They also get a crystal skin for racial AC-bonuses as well as a vulnerability to sonic and force damage. They can also spontaneously cast metamagic spells once per day. They get two alternate racial traits, "Mystic Body" (INT-bonus to AC) and "Cynean Magic" (+1 to saves against Conjurations as well as three minor spell-like abilities usable once per day). Furthermore, they get 5 racial feats:
-Crystal Resilience: Sonic Resistance, somewhat offsets the racial vulnerability to sonic damage.
-Crystal Strike: Burn spells to bolster unarmed strike damage.
-Greater Arcane Body: Use Arcane Body trait more often.
-Terran Sorcery: Use Con-mod instead of Cha-mod for bonus spells, use magic device and spell-DCs
-Improved Terran Sorcery: Use both Cha and Con-mod for purpose of bonus spells, spell DCs and Use Magic Device.
Comments: I liked this race as it seemed to be quite geared towards a Sorceror/Monk-build and I think they'd do that just fine. Improved Terran Sorcery, though, is a hardcore feat: Yes, it has massive requirements (lvl 13, one attribute over 15, the other over 17), but the final bonuses are MASSIVE and could potentially unbalance a game. At high levels that might not weigh in too much, but I'd be careful with it nevertheless. As it is, I won't slap the "OP"-label on it, but it lingeringly hovers there untill I built a NPC and sent it after my PCs. They are used to death, after all. ;P
-Dalrean:
The Dalrean are a race of sentient, mobile, humanoid plants that communicate via spores. They get +2 to Con and Cha and -2 to Int, have a movement rate of 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., gain a +2 bonus to survival, have stability, are immune to mind-affecting effects, can give of light as a torch, sustain themselves via sunlight and are vulnerable to environmental effects. There is unfortunately a missing-letter typo in the racial-trait-box. They get 4 alternate racial traits: "Photosynthetic Regrowth" lets you regain HP as if resting when basking in the sunlight, "Pithy Toughness" grants "Toughness" as a bonus feat, "Thorns" grants the Dalrean armor spikes for the purposes of grappling and "Wildkindred" lets him cast Speak with Plants as a spell-like ability. They also get 6 racial feats:
-Guarded by Nature: Nature prevents you from being flat-footed due to surprise.
-Hail of Thorns: Dalrean can shoot his thorns in a cone 1+Con-mod times per day.
-Plantsense: Gain Tremorsense 20 ft. while Speak with Plants is active.
-Rebuke Nature: Ability to rebuke plants and penalize them via your force of personality.
-Spellbuds: Ability to place low-level spells into buds to be cast at a later time.
Comments: The Dalrean race is far-out, imaginative, alien and yet beautiful. The idea that their casters grow spells as buds that flower into their magic is just awesome. I would wholeheartedly recommend this whole section if it were not for the lack of limitations of potential spellbuds active on any single Dalrean can have at a given time and I'm not entirely sure whether they can cast without vocal components due to being mute and communicating with spores or whether their caster's spores generate telepathic "noise" as if chanting the incantations. Apart from these lingering questions, I love the race.
-Enuka:
Animalistic, apish creatures with a warrior-culture, these fierce warriors come with several possible mutations. They get + to Str and Con and - 2 to Cha and - 4 to Int as well as low-light vision and two mutations from the following list:
-Acid Spray: Spit Acid, not the spell
-Blinding Spittle: Blind enemies with spittle, can be combined with acid
-Claws: Gain 2 1d4 damage natural attacks
-Climbing: Gain a climb speed, +8 to the skill, ability to take 10
-Exoskeleton: +2 natural armor
-Fangs: Gain a 1d6 bite attack
-Gills: Breathe water and air, +2 to Fort against against ingested and inhaled poisons
-Keen Nose: Scent ability
-Long Tongue: Touch attack at 10 ft. reach
-Prehensile Tail: can manipulate objects with tail
-Quills: 1/hour 1d8 ranged attack at 30ft reach
-Webbed Feet: Gain a swim speed, +8 to the skill, ability to take 10
They also get two racial feats:
-Additional Mutations: Gain one extra mutation
-Mutation Focus: DC of mutation increases by 2.
Comments:
This race felt a bit geared towards warrior and barbarian-like classes, but what they do, they do fine. In contrast to the other races in this book so far, this one felt rather uninteresting to me. Savage mutated gorilla-men might be cool, but in contrast to e.g. Dalreans they just didn't feel that universally appealing. When shooting for the savage warrior as a character concept, this might very well be pulpy gold.
-Prymidian:
Red-skinned, regal humanoids with an extensive obsession with language and knowledge. They get +2 to Cha and Con and a -2 penalty to Wis. They also get a resistance to language-dependant effects as well as both bonuses to all Knowledge skill checks and linguistics. Their other racial ability grants them the ability to speak and understand any languages. They get 3 alternate racial traits: "Academian" (Substitute Knowledge check for Profession), "Tentacles" gets you retractable tentacles in your arms that serve as the "Lunge" feat, "Verbose" increases the DC of their language-dependant abilities by +2. They also get 7 racial feats:
-Dynamic Power: Use Charisma as key-stat for all spellcasting classes. Bonus spells are still determined as usual.
-Flexible Tentacles: Natural reach of 10 ft. as well as the ability to perform fine manipulations in the form of e.g. Sleight of Hand with the tentacles
-Linguistic Negation: 1/hour as immediate action, counter spell as with a readied dispel magic, caster level = character level.
-Linguistic Shield: Automatically save against language-dependant effects.
-Master Lecturer: Add Cha-mod as competence bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.
-Master Scrivener: Increases damage and DC of spells you cast that are triggered by reading, bypassing or touching a symbol or written word.
-Tentacle Grapple: Gain the Grab special ability for the tentacles.
We also get 6 new spells:
-Babble (Brd/Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 4): Sphere that makes language incoherent mutterings and prevents casting spells
-Learn Language (Brd 2, Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 3): Learn a language for a limited amount of time
-Lose Language (Brd,Clr,Sor/Wiz 5): Target permanently loses one language you specify.
-Transcribe (Brd 1, Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1): Transcribe non-magical writing
-Universal Language (Brd 3, Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 3): Area of free communication between all kinds of different languages
-Wall of Silence (Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 4): Create an invisible, deafness-inducing Wall
There are also two new exotic weapons for the Prymidians, the Butterflystaff and the telescopic Staff, are also introduced, including stats, cost etc. Finally they get a new wondrous item, the Scarab Gauntlet, which can provide blasts of force to bull rush and damage enemies.
Comments:
The Prymidians are an interesting race as a language-focused race that is further enriched by their somewhat disturbing, optional tentacles. However, I don't like their ability to speak and understand all languages, as this somewhat eliminates one central reason for the linguistics skill and has extreme repercussions for the mechanics of one world. the "Dynamic Power" and "Tentacle Grapple"-feats felt quite powerful to me. The spell lose language is another potential problem, as it does not specify if one loses the language AND the associated rank in linguistics or only the language. Can this spell be cast to deprive a Prymidian of one language (s)he understands via the Arcane Polyglot ability? All in all, while I like the concept, I didn't enjoy some components of the execution and would tweak them.
-P'Tan:
A somewhat feline/orcish-looking (at least in the artwork), shadowstuff-infused slave race of the First Ones, P'Tan are native outsiders, gain +2 to Dex and Wis (strange choice for a slave race, boosting their will...),-2 to Int, Darkvision 60 ft., Light sensitivity, a racial bonus against creatures with the First One subtype, a resistance against shadow spells and can unleash a bolt of shadowy lightning 3+Wis-mod times per day. We are also provided with 3 alternate racial traits to customize the race: "Chaos Spark", an alternate to Shadow Spark that deals 1d6 negative energy damage instead of...well...1d6+Wis mod unspecified damage and replaces shadowspark. It can stand in for shadowspark with regards to the feats, though. Why would anyone do this again? I guess something is missing from either ability. "Shadow Strength" grants them a +2 Bonus to Str and Dex and Intimidate when in partial shadows. "Shadow Bourne" grants a bonus feat from their racial feat list. Their 7 racial feats develop their shadowsparks in different ways:
-Black Lightning Beam: Damage everone in a 60 ft. line with Shadowspark. Ref for half damage.
-Black Lightning Bolt: Shadowspark deals 1d6 for every two character levels.
-Black Lightning Burst: Create Bursts of your shadowspark emerging from a creature within range.
-Black Lightning Fist: Add Shadowspark Damage to unarmed attacks
-Black Lightning Cone: Use your Shadowspark-ability in a cone
-Black Lightning Sheath: Gain electric resistance and a shadowspark-shield when activating this ability, but turn chaotic evil for the duration.
-Black Lightning Surge: Spend one use of Shadowspark to gain Wis-mod temporary Hit Points.
The P'Tan also get two new exotic weapons, the bladed guard that doubles as a shield as well as the shang sword. While the former is a cool addition, I don't get why a sword that is ostensibly heavier than a greatsword enables one to use ones Dex-modifier IN ADDITION to ones Str-Modifier on attack rolls when having the weapon finesse feat. I thought two-handed weapons, for balance reasons, were exempt from the benefit of Weapon Finesse?
Comments: I really like this race, I do. The tormented ex-slave-race trope is enriched by both their versatile black lightning abilities and their unique feel. However, there are some problems: The Shang Sword is OP and I don't know if anyone would ever want to trade in the shadowspark ability for the other racial traits. Being practically geared towards becoming monks, the P'Tan have a nice additional edge with their Shadowspark-based abilities I personally wouldn't want to surrender. As I mentioned earlier, something seems to have gone haywire with the Chaos Spark trait, as it's almost identical to Shadowspark and I'm pretty sure they are at least supposed to be different damage types. Once these minor issues have been polished out, as I hope they'll be eventually, yoU'll get a very cool and unique race.
-Sasori:
A race of intensely private, information-gathering, espionage-affine scorpion-like humanoids, the Sasori gain +2 Dex and Wis, -2 Cha, +1 natural AC, Darkvision 60 ft., +2 to saves against poison, +4 to Acrobatics and Stealth, an affinity to Vermin and have mildly poisonous blood (DC 15+Con mod). They may choose from three alternate racial traits: "Analyze Opponent" lets you gain a bonus on a successful perception check against an opponent, "Poisoner" lets the Sasori create a weak poison (1d3 for 1d3 rounds) to coat their blades with and "Vermin Friend" lets them have Vermin instead of animal companions. The Vermin get Int 1 or 2. The Sasori only get 1 racial feat:
-Virulent Poison:
This makes the poisoner trait actually worthwhile: It makes the Sasori poison deal Con damage instead of nonlethal damage. At up to 9 points of Con-damage, we're talking serious business.
Comments: Apart from the Dalrean, the Sasori are by far my favorite race in this book, as they simply scream: We're awesome and cool - they have religious/mystic symbols on their carapce. They eat by regurgitating acid on the food and then consume it. They are humanoid SCORPIONS! Why then, oh cruel fate, do we only get one racial feat? I can come up with x variations of the poisonous blood feat, x expansions of the Vermin friend ability and their function as despised, but necessary spies is intriguing to say the least. I want more on them!
Conclusion:
This pdf is full-color and beautiful - each race gets its own artwork and the artworks are consistent in style and all look somewhat cool. The book has no bookmarks and is presented in a two-columns-layout and has blueish borders that clearly mark it as a NeoExodus file. Unfortunately, I encountered several typos on my first read-through and some more on my second - this book could have used a more careful editing. Formatting is alright, though. The fluff I gathered from the races actually made me curious about the setting of NeoExodus, which is a very good thing indeed as not many settings grab my attention nowadays. The races are all far beyond what you'd consider standard fantasy fare, which is another good thing. As can be gleaned from my review, I'm really excited about the Sasori, the Dalreans and the Cavians. On the other hand, I felt the execution of the Prymidians and the Cyneans somewhat lacking and the P'Tan, Cyneans and Enuka felt a bit strongly geared towards a specific class/class combination for my tastes. I would have preferred them to be a bit more universal. Another deterrent is that the races lack age, height and weight information on, which would e.g. for the Cynean, have been very interesting. I also would have loved the races to have sections on why e.g. the different classes of the race go adventuring, preferably with the APG-classes included. The highly customizable nature of the races via alternate racial traits and racial feats, rocks, though.
Unfortunately, the races I considered most interesting got the least space, with the Prymidians (my least favorite one) having the longest write-up. That's just my personal preference and won't influence my final verdict, though.
I'll begin with 5 stars for a book of cool, far-out races beyond the standard fantasy staple and subtract a star for the editing glitches and typos that could have been avoided. Due to the fact that there are some minor mechanical problems with some abilities (e.g. Chaos Spark), the class-geared nature of some races and the lack of bookmarks, I'll detract another star, which makes my review clock in at a solid 3 stars - I'm hoping that some of the potential problems with the mechanics will be eased out in the campaign setting, as it looks promising.
One final note: My advanced copy did not include racial counters, initiative and monster cards and the combat and initiative tracker, thus I can't comment on them.
