Spycraft: Dark Inheritance

[Psion]

Spycraft: Dark Inheritance

Dark Inheritance is a modern occult setting. This review concerns the recently released edition rewritten to use the Spycraft rules; the original rules were written for d20 modern.

The original edition writing (some of which is repeated here) is by Gareth Hanrahan, Chad Justice, Jason Olsan, Aaron Rosenberg, Wil Upchurch, and Sam Witt. New writers for this version include Alex Flagg, Scott Gearin, Chad Justice, and Jason Olsan. Notable, Gearin and Flagg have worked on in-house Spycraft products for AEG.

A First Look

Dark Inheritance is a 256 page hardback book priced at $34.99.

The cover of the book is a flat brownish red color. Cover art is by Veronica Jones, whose style has become a trademark look for the in-house AEG Spycraft products. The picture depicts a tattooed many with a gun in his pants, an artifact in one hand, and casting a spell with the other; his outstretched hand is surrounded by rune-like patterns in the air. The patterns and title are a raised slick-ink that stands out from the cover of the book.

The interior is black and white, and bears art by Marko Djurdjevic, Marcio Fiorito, Santiago Iborra, Lief Jones, Socar Myles, Gabe Pena, Kevin Porter, Scott Purdy, Hian Rodriguez, Mattias Snygg, Alex Sheikman, and David Wong. Fiorito, Purdy, and Rodriguez are already artists well regarded by me. Overall, the book looks sharp, with only a few minor exceptions.

Most of the interior art is recycled from the D20 Modern edition of the book. However, there are a few names that weren’t in the original artist credits and a corresponding few pieces of artwork I don’t remember seeing in the original (such as the gun-toting, sunglasses-wearing nun.)

The layout differs significantly from the original. The Spycraft edition uses a more traditional, and smaller, serif body text font, making it more pleasant to read and more efficient that than the somewhat larger sans serif body text font used in the original. The chapter headers, use of images, and paper used also differ (this book uses slick pages, as opposed to the heavy bond coarse pages of the original.)

The layout of certain sections differs from the original as well. Generally, the ease of use is improved in the new edition. For example, in the original, inheritor descriptions and legacies were in two different sections, making them more difficult to reference.

A Deeper Look

Dark Inheritance is a modern supernatural action/subterfuge/mystery/horror setting based on a variant of Earth. As a setting, has two major setting schticks: the godgenes and the rip/otherworld.

The idea of the godgenes is that among the human race is the heritage of powerful beings in an ancient time. These genes have lain dormant for many years, but recently, with greater racial interbreeding, they have arisen again. The theory runs that the legacies each require multiple genes which are no longer concentrated in any singular large modern ethnic group. The bearers of these godgenes are called inheritors and can wield powerful supernatural powers.

The Rip refers to a major world altering even that occurs in the setting. The city of Jerusalem is devastated when another alien city in another dimension is superimposed over it. In essence, the city becomes an interface between our world and this "otherworld." This becomes a central even and setting hook for the game. The book has some fiction and prop-style excerpts from letters and chat sessions explaining the situation as it is viewed by those surrounding and involved in the event.

There is a bit of speculation here about the reaction than major world religions and other factions lies here, something that may tread a few sensitivities relating to current events in the middle east, if such things are of concern to you and your players.

There are seven major power groups that the players may be part of in the setting - or oppose. Like the Shadowforce Archer setting, each of these factions has its own "genre" and style of play associated with it. Unlike Shadowforce Archer, there is no guarantee that characters representing different factions will work together nicely (indeed, in Spycraft terms, each faction also includes statistics for the faction as a threat, facilitating its use as an opposing force in the game.) This being the case, it seems likely that the GM and players will have to pick out a faction to play unless the GM is willing to "bridge the gaps" between the motives of the characters.

The seven default allegiances for Dark Inheritance are:
-Brotherhood of the Iron Rose: A secret arm of the Catholic Church dedicated to defending the Church. This could result in the most religious takes on adventuring, with elements such as sanctifying the holy city and destroying "demons."
-Eight Heavenly Dragons: A powerful Chinese triad with martial arts underpinnings. A campaign involving the Eight Heavenly Dragons would run a bit like a John Woo film or Big Trouble in Little China.
-First Team: A South African mercenary contingent, for more military games along the lines of the original Predator movie.
-Fugo a Watu: This shadowy organization is concerned with breeding, and reassembling the godgenes and preserving the legacy of the inheritors. This is possibly one of the most "in the know" factions in the game.
-International Geographic Society: A coalition of scientists and explorers, this is probably the team to choose if you want Indiana Jones-style academic explorers facing the unknown.
-Project:TITAN: A secretive hardline US bureau concerned with the godgene phenomenon and known for extending deals that you can’t refuse to uncovered inheritors, probably the most appropriate if you want to take a classical (or jaded) espionage or paramilitary approach to campaigning.
-The Promethean Order: A mystical secret society, steeped more solidly in the "modern occult" feel.

Each of the factions has the same history, background, goals, internal factions, NPCs, and genre notes as listed in the original book. However, the book borrows a few bits from Spycraft. To wit, the book has Spycraft style plot hooks allowing the GM to run the various organizations as patrons to the PCs, as well as a threat writeup for each organization to allow its use as an adversary. As historically, organizations in Spycraft typically only had one writeup or the other, this breaks a little new ground for the game.

The book presents several new agent options. It is here that the book differs most significantly from the D20 Modern version as some supporting material is totally different between the two games. The agent options are really split into three chapters, one chapter describing generic new options, and later chapters discussing arcane crafts and legacies.

There are a few differences in the way several aspects of the game are handled from the core Spycraft. Spycraft assumes a fairly generic agency (well, at least until you buy Agency) that does not operate any different than any other. In Dark Inheritance, the character’s organizations have much less help to offer them (expressed in terms of greater difficulty for favor checks and greater cost to acquire gadgets.) However, some allegiances are better at providing some types of favor checks than others, and provide a character with certain benefits. For instance, Prject:TITAN offers a bonus to clearance favor checks and allow access to gadgets at normal price, whereas the Promethian Order allows bonuses to information favor checks.

The typical sorts of character options are included: new background options, feats, specialties/departments, core and prestige classes. There is little commonality with the classes in the D20 Modern version, many classes already existing in some form, or having their capabilities revised to fit the system better in some manner.

The most significant of the new departments are the hybrid and titan macro-species. The titan macro species is discussed below. The hybrid macro species is, essentially, Moreaus (animal-men) for Spycraft, results of genetic experimentation. Though there is not much discussion plot-wise about their presence and could easily be omitted for those who don’t care for animal men.

There are 5 base classes presented here. Four of these - the explorer, martial artist, scientist, and slueth - are revised from classes in Shadowforce Archer products. This is a good selection, arguably the most PC-worthy of the base classes in Shadowforce Archer.

There is one all-new class, the advocate. The advocate is a champion of a personal cause. An advocate chooses a cause and gains significant bonuses with skills when pursuing that cause. The advocate is not a highly combative character class, but when pursuing their agenda, their abilities with skill use are very telling.

As many of the concepts expressed in the original book as advanced or prestige classes are expressed as base classes here, there are relatively few concepts that need be expressed as prestige classes. Indeed there are only three: the edgemaster (blade-wielding martial artist), genesoldier (genetically modified member of Project:TITAN), and the witness (a senior Fugo a Watu class).

One of the most interesting - and daunting - sections is the arcane crafts chapter, which add magic to Spycraft. Called the craft, spellcasting offers some similarities to existing d20 magic rules, but varies in other ways. There are two types of craft use, depending on whether the character uses an external object as a focus, or are themselves a living focus. Either of these paths can be entered via feats or by entering a base class (the base class allows safe access to much higher level spells.) The arcanist uses object foci (allowing them to cast spells associated with the focus), and gnostics use themselves as a foci (which grant characters spells from domains.) Overall, the spellcasting of Dark Inheritance craft users is a lot more narrow than a typical D20 System caster, but they also do not have as severe liabilities in other areas, having decent vitality and skills.

The spells themselves function fundamentally the same as D&D/d20 Modern, even using the same 5th level spell limit. However, the system does not use the spell slots. A caster class receives a number of "ethereal points" (EP) and a "safe casting level" that they can improve as they advance. Spells of the safe level or lower can be cast merely by expending that many EP. If the character wishes to cast spells that exceed their safe level or if they are out of EP, they may attempt a skill check with the new incantation skill to cast the spell anyways, but risk a backlash (and usually at least take subdual damage even if they succeed.)

Some spells are provided, but for the most part, the arcane craft chapter provides a method to convert existing spells from d20 resources. The conversion notes address differences in the system (such as how to handle healing with respect to wound damage, differences in weapon statistics, and so forth) as well as appropriateness to setting (alignment related spells are not allowed, nor are spells that raise characters from the dead.) This has some exciting potential for occult related Spycraft games, as it allows you to plug into magic supplements from various D20 System publishers.

Characters with arcane craft abilities have access to a few new classes, the watcher (a Promethian order specific agent dealing with recruiting titans) and the two fisted god of guns (that use magic to replenish their ammo). There are also a number of arcane specific feats that allow a craft user, among other things, to raise the power of spells by spending additional EP.

One of the central new character options is that of titans or inheritors, modern day descendants of ancient beings of power. Titans are handled in Spycraft by means of a macro-species. All titans share some basic characteristics, including some drawback, including receiving significantly reduced benefit from action dice.

Most titans belong to one of five lineages. Each of these lineages grants additional species abilities and an additional weakness. Further, each of these grants access to a number of special abilities called birthrights. Finally, most have typical personalities or character concepts associated with them.

Birthrights operate like spells, except they are more random. Each time a titan manifests a birthright power, they must make a strain check and likely accumulate strain (which makes future rolls more difficult). Failing a strain check badly can result in the character gaining a legendary transformation that makes them less human and applies certain penalties. On the other hand, a great success gives the character legacy points, which can remove legendary transformations or improve the effects of a birthright ability. Legendary transformations can also be removed by expending XP.

Though this system is very random, I consider it a significant improvement over the original, which really left characters vulnerable to the vagaries of the dice roll.

The birthright abilities are divided into legacies; each lineage (except lost ones) have access to three unique legacies. Legacies have levels. Per the rules as stated, the character begins with a level one birthright and gains one of a level less than one half of their class level rounded down at every level. It seems to me as that designation should be "less than or equal to", as otherwise you would not be able to take a birthright at 2nd level.

The options for titan lineages are as follows; the legacy name should give and indication of the types of birthright abilities. For example, the emotion legacy has birthrights that manipulate emotions:
-Crimson Lords: Charismatic and leaderly by nature, Crimson Lords have access to emotion, graces, and [/i]vitality[/i] legacies.
-Hidden Suns: Mysterious sages and scholars, the Hidden Suns have access to secrets, shadow, and sun legacies.
-Storm Crows: Wise warriors, Storm Crows have access to the second sight, thunder, and war legacies.
-Void Phoenixes: Dangerous nihilists, the void phoenixes have access to ash, genesis fire, and renewal legacies.
-Wild Bloods: Wild bloods are bestial hunters, and have access to the chimera (allows physical transformations) urges, and wild flesh legacies.
-Lost Ones: Member of shattered bloodlines, the lost ones can select two legacies from those available to other lineages.

The final chapters of the book describe the terrifying landscape of the rip and the otherworld, including a selection of strange creatures. The original rules for demonic cultists have been scrapped, and replaced with an updated version of the mysticism rules from Shadowforce Archer books, which do not use core classes but rely on having a sizeable cult. This treatement is a lot more detailed (and moody) than the generic feeling rules offered in the original.

Conclusions

Spycraft: Dark Inheritance is a nice addition to the Spycraft lineup, as well as a nice update to the original material.

With the ending of the Shadowforce Archer line, Spycraft fans should appreciate the addition of a new setting with occult elements. In some ways, Dark Inheritance has a tighter feel and concept than Shadowforce Archer, but like that setting, provides a variety of possible subgenres.

Aside from system differences, there are many mechanical improvements from the orignal; I was especially pleased to see that the birthright system was much less haphazard.

The choice of D20 Modern or Spycraft versions may depend largely on your own preferences. One possible consideration is that the magic system here is much less mechanistic than the default D20 Modern system and may please those looking for a risky magic system for an occult game more than the reliable magic system born of D&D.

Edit - it occurs to me that I like this book a bit better than most SFA books I gave 4's. I don't think it's as central as Agency or Mastermind, but I think I'll let it slide into the low A's.

Man I hate scoring reviews...

Overall Grade: A-

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[Messageboard Golem]

Ungodly horrors crawl within an abandoned gene-splicing lab and deadly wonders lay hidden beneath a murdered city, shattered by a catastrophe that defies explanation. But mankind's most primordial secret has already been discovered and brutally suppressed. The truth was never out there: it was inside each and every one of us, waiting only to be unlocked.

And you hold the key.

Now, you can unleash the secrets of the Lost Age. Harness powerful supernatural forces in a world sixy seconds into a terrifying future. Outwit and outfight secret societies and black book government agencies for control of your destiny.

But watch your back. As the dust settles, a forgotten enemy slips through the cracks in their eternal prison, escaping onto streets lined with glass and steel. This world was once theirs, and they want it back!

The world is up for grabs, with the smartest, fastest, and toughest making their plays - winner takes all!

...OR DIE TO PROTECT?

Spycraft: Dark Inheritance features:

* An action packed world where the mysteries and terrors of the supernatural collide with the crises of modern events and technology
* Choose your style of play! Sign on with the NSA black program Project: TITAN; run with the criminal but enlightened Eight Heavenly Dragons triad; uncover the terrible truth with the International Geographical Society; or join one of four other exciting agencies. Each faction is fully detailed and has its own spin on action!
* Three all new base classes and five new prestige classes. Play a determined Advocate, a knowledgeable Arcanist, a cutting edge Genesoldier, a dynamic Two-Fisted God of Guns, or four other unique classes!
* Harness the powers of magic – a complete system to utilize magic from your fantasy d20 products in the Spycraft system.
* Play a titan, a hero born with the genetic legacy of ancient gods or monsters. Pick from five distinct lineages and over 150 powers from a lost age!
* Enter an ancient world, once locked behind eldritch gates, filled with monsters out of legend; an Otherworld waiting to be explored.
* Challenge players with your own diabolical cults, who covet power gained through blood sacrifice.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack

Initiative Round
Spycraft: Dark Inheritance is a Spycraft campaign setting from Mythic Dreams Studios and Alderac Entertainment Group. This 256-page black-and-white hardcover is penned by Alex Flagg, Scott Gearin, Chad Justice, and Jason Olsan. The cover art by Veronica V. Jones depicts a lone figure showing off his ability, and Marko Djurdjevic, Marcio Fiorito, Santiago Iborra, Lief Jones, Socar Myles, Gabe Pena, Kevin Porter, Scott Purdy, Hian Rodriguez, Mattias Snygg, Alek Sheikman, and David Wong provide the interior artwork. Spycraft: Dark Inheritance retails for $34.99.

It took me a moment to realize why this music was so familiar. That’s because I’ve danced this dance before. The tune is a little livelier, but I definitely recognize it. Back in October of last year, I reviewed a d20 Modern supplement called Dark Inheritance that described an Earth on which had opened a dimensional gateway that not only permitted all manner of nastiness to invade our world. Fortunately, the PCs, descendents of gods and their progeny, were there to protect us from what would surely destroy us all.

Spycraft: Dark Inheritance is that self-same campaign setting, except this time it’s been developed as an official Spycraft setting. The basic premise is the same, but a few other things have changed, so I’ll treat this as a brand-new review, rather than an update to an existing product.

Dark Inheritance describes a world transformed by disaster and wonder; a horrifying alternate version of our own Earth. It is a world ruled by silicon and steel, populated by the genetic descendents of gods and monsters who struggle against forces that wish nothing more than to twist the world to their own nightmarish vision. Welcome to the nightmare.

On February 9, 2004, at exactly 6:31 am (local time), the sky over Jerusalem peeled back and exploded. Because of this description, provided by several eyewitnesses, the event would become dubbed the Rip. Almost immediately, a state of emergency was declared and troops were sent in to rescue as many government leaders as possible. Forced into retreat, they described a world gone mad; buildings toppling everywhere, spars and beams appearing from nowhere to impale the unwary, and blocks of stone falling from great heights, even over what had formerly been open plazas. To the helicopters that flew overhead, it was as though the city had disappeared in a cloud of dust.

In the aftermath, the world came to a grinding, screeching halt as national monuments across the globe were evacuated, stock markets shut down, and world leaders pledged the aid of their governments in helping Israel find those responsible. Earth was poised on the brink of war. As the world slowly began to start up again, attendance at religious events has skyrocketed, and reports have begun to come in of wild animal attacks and monstrous creature sightings.

Within Jerusalem itself, it is apparent that the ruins of another, more ancient city from some other place merged with the existing one, creating a permanent rift between our world and someplace else. Someone trying to leave Jerusalem might suddenly find themselves in this other place. The media began calling it the Otherworld, and the name quickly caught on. Now, with safe roadways marked, exploration of the Otherworld has begun in earnest. Strange relics have already been recovered, that are completely unlike anything known on Earth.

Fortunately for us mere mortals, each of us carries within our genetic code a secret. It’s a tiny secret, and most will never even realize they have it. It is a gene passed down through millions of years, of which most of us have only a trace, the smallest fragment of a particular sequence. But there are those who have more; a genetic code within their bodies that, under the right circumstances, overlap and form what is called a Godgene.

Even those with a full sequence may never know their full potential, but fortunately for the rest of us, some do. These beings, collectively known as Inheritors or “titans,” can be categorized into one of five Lineages, with each Lineage sharing common traits, abilities, and weaknesses. The Godgenes grant these individuals powers once attributed to the gods of old. These groups of powers are collectively known as Legacies. Birthrights, in turn, are specific Legacy powers that each individual manifests. But Legacies and Birthrights come with a price. With each manifestation, a titan is threatened by a slow transformation that will eventually make them into something of immense power, but removed from humanity.

To add flavor to the world of Dark Inheritance, seven agencies have been detailed that represent some of the major players on the scene. They are: The Brotherhood of the Iron Rose (a clandestine Catholic order that exists solely to protect the Church, Christianity, and the world from evil), the Eight Heavenly Dragons (a Chinese crime syndicate operating out of Hong Kong and New York City), First Team (a band of mercenaries based in South America that will work for whomever can pay them, no matter what the job entails or why the client wants it done), Fugo A Watu (a cadre of ancient conspirators struggling to keep secret what must be kept hidden from the eyes of man), the International Geographic Society (a name synonymous with science and exploration, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding), Project T.I.T.A.N. (a black program within the NSA whose mission is to control information about the Godgene and to identify, then either recruit or destroy, titans all over the world), and the Promethean Order (a secret society of sorcerers and sages devoted to containing dark secrets from the Otherworld). Each agency is fully-fleshed out and ready to add to your game, with history, goals and methods, organization, how the characters fit in, headquarters, plot hooks, enemies, and the genre (style of play) that the organization best fits into. There are also rules for using each organization as a threat.

The very nature of the campaign necessitates a few changes from the standard Spycraft rules. One of these is that each player must choose an allegiance for their character. It is recommended that a player choose to ally his character with one of the seven agencies, and certain benefits are provided for doing so. If, for example, a character is allied with the Project: T.I.T.A.N., he gains a +3 bonus to clearance favor checks and may requisition gadgets at the normal cost (as opposed to the +2 RP that other characters must pay). Allegiances are so important to the game, that an entire system of mechanics has been created around the concept.

A Dark Inheritance campaign also introduces several new classes, four of which are revised from other Spycraft products, to stand alongside the base classes from the standard Spycraft campaign. The new classes are the advocate, the explorer, the martial artist, the scientist, and the sleuth. These represent unique character options available in the action, mystery, and conspiracy genres.

Dark Inheritance also introduces new backgrounds, departments, new skill uses, 31 new feats, and a brand-new option, the hybrid macro-species (a blend of human and animal DNA). New prestige classes are the edgemaster (a martial artist who has mastered melee weapons), the genesoldier (given super-human abilities through gene alteration), and the witness (overseeing the development of bloodlines for the Fugo a Watu). Other, more minor changes include the substitution of resource points (RP) for gadget points and the increased cost of gadgets and favors.

One of the two biggest changes to the system however, is the addition of Arcane Crafts; in layman’s terms, magic. Any agent may become a Craft-user, either by choosing a feat that permits the use of magic or by taking levels in an arcane base class. All Craft-users have a focus that helps them link to the Ethereal, which they manipulate to cast spells. Arcanists use physical devices to form this link, while gnostics are innately linked to the Ethereal and are in essence living foci. Craft-users gain ethereal points (EP), representing the amount of ethereal energy the Craft-user can manipulate safely. With experience, a Craft-user learns to cast more powerful spells safely. A Craft-user can spend EP equal to the level of the spell to cast any spell up to her safe casting level with no risks. Sometimes, however, a caster will want to use a spell that is beyond their means or will not have the necessary EP available. In this case, they can attempt an Incantation skill check. Using an Incantation costs no EP, but is very taxing, and often dangerous. A caster will almost always suffer subdual damage, and actual wound damage is a distinct possibility.

Craft-users come in two types—arcanist and gnostics. The primary difference between the two is in the way that their spells are handled. Arcanists imbue special items called foci (sing.: focus) with mystical energies, effectively “writing” spells to the focus. Each focus can hold a certain number of spell levels, determined by its size and power (a rating from 1 to 5). Without a focus, an arcanist is unable to cast even the weakest spell. Gnostics on the other hand, are living foci. Instead of having a broad selection of spells to add to foci, they cast from domains. At first level, a gnostic possesses knowledge of one domain. At 4th level, and every 4th level thereafter, a new domain is gained.

Besides the two new base classes, Dark Inheritance also has arcane prestige classes. The two-fisted god of guns is a direct descendent of the mystic warriors of ancient China, replacing flashing swords with a sleek pistol. The watcher is a member of the Promethean Order that specializes in ingratiating himself to titans, particularly those that know little or nothing or their powers. The section on Arcane Crafts finishes with a few new skills and feats unique to that calling.

It has already been explained that every person in Dark Inheritance has a fragment of a genetic code that links them to ancient powers. It has also been pointed out that only a select few possess enough code to make anything of it. Those lucky few are called inheritors or, more colloquially, titans. Titans are divided into lineages, distinct bloodlines, of which there are five known to have survived into the modern era. Each lineage has, in turn, three legacies, which bestow specific supernatural powers on inheritors called birthrights.

“Titan” is a new macro-species, but the species is surprisingly well-balanced and should fit into a campaign alongside more mundane characters without causing too much disruption. Though the titans are very powerful beings, each also has an inherent weakness that can be easily exploited by those who know of it (and these weaknesses aren’t exactly a well-kept secret). Furthermore, their great powers are tempered by a mechanic called strain. Manifesting a birthright is a difficult proposition, and it subjects the titan to a struggle to maintain his human qualities. Each time a titan manifests a birthright, he gains strain points as the birthright stresses his body beyond human limitations. Strain leaves agents fatigued and exhausted. In addition, there is always a possibility that the character will undergo a legendary transformation, receiving a penalty of some potentially harmful, debilitating, or dangerous effect.

A chapter on the Rip focuses on Jerusalem, including changes to the landscape, means of getting in and out, and the Otherworld. Though relatively little is known about this other dimension, what information has been uncovered is provided here. This section also contains a short bestiary of some of the more dangerous creatures that have been discovered on forays into the Otherworld.

The final chapter, Abyssal Terrors, introduces the GC to the nightmares that plague the world of Dark Inheritance. The spiteful creatures from the Abyss known as the Daemonhost are chief among these, and this chapter provides plenty of detail on them. A magic system similar to the one used by Craft-users (but subtly different) is outlined here, by which cultists can draw power through deals with beings from other realities. Rites and rituals are an entirely new kind of magic system that do not require levels in a Craft-using class, but rely instead on the arcane knowledge of the invoker.

In many ways, the Spycraft version of Dark Inheritance is similar to its d20 Modern predecessor, but somehow it just seems to fit so much better as a Spycraft campaign than it did as a d20 Modern campaign. I can’t really explain why this is; it just seems to work better here. If I was excited to run a Dark Inheritance campaign previously, now I’m ecstatic!

Critical Hit
One thing that stands out is the magic system. Spells from nearly any d20 System product can be easily adapted to Dark Inheritance through a simple conversion system. A few sample spells have been included, and some official conversions can be found on the Dark Inheritance website. Rather than waste space printing what is already available through the SRD, Dark Inheritance simply provides you the means to utilize it; a masterful stroke.

Critical Fumble
I’d really like to have seen more prestige classes. Of the five prestige classes described herein, four require allegiance to a particular organization. There’s nothing wrong with this, but why not offer prestige classes for all seven power groups, as well as some prestige classes that don’t have to be aligned with a particular group? I just felt that there’s far more here that could have been done, but wasn’t.

I didn’t spot too many errors in spelling or grammar, but one stands out. A title in the chapter on the Rip spells Fotherworld Creatures, where I’m fairly certain that they meant to say Otherworld Creatures. I zeroed in on this one only because the title is several font sizes larger than the surrounding text, and it seems like something that the proofreaders would have spotted right off.

The big miss, so far as I’m concerned is that none of the rules for relics made it into the Spycraft version. Relics were one of the things that most impressed me about Dark Inheritance in the first place, and the fact that they were omitted from this printing doesn’t sit well with me at all. Relics made a great Magoffin for Dark Inheritance games that gave the PCs something to look for and their enemies something to come after. I also found myself missing some of the more interesting modern elementals that had been included in the original campaign.

Coup de Grace
On the whole, Mythic Dreams Studios has taken what was a great concept for d20 Modern and morphed it into a really great concept for Spycraft. I’d like to have seen a little more detail put into certain areas, but it’s still not a bad work at all. The campaign is very playable and offers a wealth of options, no matter what your style is.

The majority of the book, with the exception of key campaign elements such as the various agencies, birthrights, and most thematic story elements is declared as Open Game Content. That leaves a rather vague impression of what exactly you can or can’t use, but the mechanics seem to be opted for OGC, at any rate. As far as the artwork goes, some of it has been lifted from the original campaign setting for d20 Modern, but there’s as much new as there is old here, and most of it is well-done. I found a few of the drawings too cartoonish for my personal tastes, but little of the art seemed out-of-place with regards to the surrounding text. I was particularly impressed with the index, a well-referenced piece that makes finding what you need much less a chore.

Final Grade: A-

 

[GameWyrd]

Dark Inheritance

I like the idea of a godgene. Maybe I have it. Maybe you do? It's easy to see the attraction to Dark Inheritance. This is a modern setting d20 game with a good twist or two. This is a Spycraft game but rather than being another d20 RPG from the AEG production presses this is an offering from Mythic Dreams Studios. You'll have to look closely at the hard cover to notice the Mythic Dreams logo though.

Dark Inheritance announces there are no story arches as if it was a good thing. The plot behind the game isn't going to evolve... That's not generally what I want to hear. Then again it's a rare game which actually evolves. Fair call to Dark Inheritance - most games do actually just introduce plot characters who then never change. In the worse cases we have settings defined or completely overshadowed by NPC plot/story characters. I don't like that all. I like a story but I like the setting to help inspire my own story - I'm no fan of piggy backing on someone else's coattails. Dark Inheritance is all about a setting and an idea and from there.

The godgene is the Dark Inheritance idea. Here we have the hero PCs - characters with a gene passed on to them through their ancestors since the mythic ages. These godgene possessed characters are known either as Titans or the Inheritors. A good example of what it means to have the godgene can be seen in the Wild Bloods. The Wild Blood lineage are shapeshifting hunters and hark back, evidently, to the shapechangers of yore.

Other lineages include the Crimson Lords - the self appointed nobles of the Titans, the Hidden Suns - the scholars and healers, the Storm Crows - warriors and seers and the Void Phoenixes - chaotic creationists. I have to admit I have something of a White Wolf Werewolf flashback from both the names and the stereotypes. In fact I'm being harsh on Dark Inheritance again, there's more ground between the Lineages than the werewolf Tribes and some overlap of shtick (Crimson Lords / Shadow Lords / Silver Fangs) is inevitable. In truth the Dark Inheritance lineages are evocative enough the game has more depth that just exploring their flavoured powers.

The world of Dark Inheritance is one where the Titans seem to have failed to fulfil their role is a prophecy. The Titans have not stopped the Daemonhost. The Cataclysm struck in Jerusalem. The even has many names; The Rip, The Tear, The Sundering or even The Day the World Cracked. In Jerusalem the fabric of reality has been torn. Parts of the city are merged with the alien landscape of the other world. There are also monsters, creatures straight from the other dangerous Otherworld and the abyss. We have everything from the demon-likes to the "are they really?" unicorns.

Unicorns and demonic horrors? These things are pretty darn usual for a Spycraft game! Yeah. The decision is slightly against the grain by Dark Inheritance isn't a d20 Modern game; it's a fully fledged Spycraft variant. This is great news for those of us with a copy of Spycraft but it means an extra burden for those of us tempted by an action fantasy in a modern setting it means buying a usual core rule set. This is a gamble for Mythic Dreams Studios but I think it's a good one. Rather than be another fish in the d20 pond, Dark Inheritance is positioned as a more noticeable fish in a smaller sub-pond! Meh. Enough of the marketing ponderings... the fact is that Dark Inheritance stands out because it's different and good.

Dark Inheritance brings the expected Spycraft extras. There are a set of new classes; the Advocate, Explorer, Martial Artist, Scientist and Sleuth. We have prestige classes too; the Edgemaster, the Genesoldier and the Witness. There are new options, backgrounds and departments (with the Dark Inheritance twist; tribal, old blood, hedge mage, etc) too.

A significant offering the Dark Inheritance makes to Spycraft are the mass of arcane crafts. Arcane crafts are spells and this hardback has plenty of them. Regular d20 players will not be confused with concepts like "Arcane Craft Domains" as a way of grouping arcane crafts into themes like air, animal, luck and knowledge.

There is more than just the Titan versus daemonhost conflict to act as a battling backdrop to Dark Inheritance. It's with the competing interest groups - cults, societies and government agencies - that the book gets especially Spycrafty. Whether it's the Brotherhood of the Iron Rose, Eight Heavenly Dragons, First Team, Fugu a Watu, International Geographic Society, Project: Titan or The Promethean Order acting as heroes, villains or switching between both roles and acting entirely independently of the characters there is scope for plenty of politics, intrigue and bloody conflict.

Dark Inheritance strikes me as the sort of game I'd want to play for a while. It feels cinematic to read and to play. Much like a good action film it seems to work best as a break, as an escape rather than an on-going investment. There's every incentive to create a Titan character (or one of the furry-esq macro-species created through genetic engineering) and jump into the exciting and action packed world there's perhaps less of a reason to do it again quickly. The jump will be the same, the themes will be the same and it'll be a challenge for the GM to offer their players a new angle to explore. That said, the same can easily be said for most cloned fantasy games where this criticism is even stronger.

If you have Spycraft then Dark Inheritance is a good investment. It's an interesting game in its own right and it'll work as a superb supplement. If you don't have access to AEG's Spycraft then there's more a debate. If you're tempted by an action based spy/agent setting and also tempted by the modern fantasy-horror with a kick-butt angle then Dark Inheritance is one of the very few RPGs that'll bridge that particular niche.

* This Spycraft: Dark Inheritance review first appeared on GameWyrd.

 

[Master of the Game]

It is worth noting that the company that produces this product is all but defunct. Despite there prostations on the Alderac message boards, there is no reason to believe they will be viable as a game-producing company agin in the near future, so don't expect any future suplements.

Further, don't expect any kind of online support. While not a requirement, such things as regular web content have become a staple of the industry, and this company is sorely lacking. Their webpage hasn't been updated since before the game hit general release, there is no erratta, though some is desperately needed, they have no forums of there own, though they have said on the Spycraft forums that "servers will be coming once they can scrap together the money."

Scrape together the money? Right. So anyways, they were supposedly going to "scrape the money" by the end of April.... but it didn't happen. So, if youare the kind of player who wants a system with any kind of support, or who likes his questions answered about key bits of information that were left out of the book, steer away from Dark Inheritance.