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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2010789" data-attributes="member: 9860">This is not a playtest review.This review contains spoilers for both the game and the TV series.The Coming Of Shadows is a d20 RPG sourcebook for the second season of the Babylon 5 TV series, from Mongoose Publishing.The Coming Of Shadows is a 144-page colour softcover product costing $24.95. Space usage is good with smallish font and margins, but not as good as the two previous products with a few small chunks of white space here and there, and the inside covers and another page used for ads for upcoming products. The book uses a similar presentation style as the main RPG/Factbook with lots of stills (a disturbing number of which are too dark to make out any detail) and rather bland tables and sidebars. Writing style is direct and concise, whilst editing contains rather more frequent minor errors than the previous two books, though still irregular. A notable error is that from p.67 onwards, all the section headings are dated 2258 instead of 2259.After a brief overview of the use of the sourcebook as a guide to, and inspiration from, the second season of the TV series, the main NPCs from the TV series are given updated stats and background, including Sheridan and Mr. Morden (who was missing stats in the first book). Mr. Morden is deemed to be a 3rd-level Scientist/6th-level Shadow Agent, but I could not find any trace of a Shadow Agent class or PrC elsewhere in this or previous books. More sample standard characters are also offered, such as Drazi smuggler, Narn citizen, and ISN Reporter.The majority of the book is taken up with an episode guide for Season 2 of the TV series (2259) along with new information, rules and campaign/adventure ideas linked to each episode. Notable information includes stats for the Soldiers of Darkness (Shadow minions), a template for those affected by Project Lazarus, the changes to Talia Winters brought about by Jason Ironheart, Centauri psycholinguistics (including a new Craft skill for writing speeches using this concept), the upgraded Defence Grid for the station, new races (the xenophobic, analytical Streibs and the arrogant, symbiotic Lumati), discussion of the Psi Corps sleeper program, and Vorlon agents. There is also an ongoing commentary throughout the book on the status of the war of retribution between the Narns and Centauri as the season progresses.The next section provides some rules additions, beginning with an optional rule for allowing the GM to rule a certain character has been critically injured and requires long-term medical treatment if they went below -5 hit points. New medical specialties such as xenobiology, toxicology, and trauma care are also offered. There are also rules for telepaths to create a memory vault (an area of the mind containing a single memory of a location, event, or person which is much harder for scans to access than normal).Four new prestige classes are offered:* GROPOS Hoverpilot - 5 levels, minimum 5th-lvel entry, good BAB, non-standard Saves, class features that aid getting into enemy territory, focused on flying vehicle defense and attack bonuses.* EarthForce Intelligence Agent - 5 levels, minimum 5th-level entry, average BAB, non-standard Saves, and class features that involve making use of government resources and their advanced training in covert operations and information gathering.* Centaurum Royal Guard - 10 levels, minimum 6th-level entry, good BAB, non-standard save progressions, and class features that improve their ability to protect the Centauri emperor such as erasing past records, advanced training, and psychic conditioning.* Techno-Mage - 10 levels, minimum 7th-level entry, average BAB, non-standard saves, and class features offering a variety of choices during progression for advanced technology creating pseudo-magical effects.Two templates are also provided:* Empath - empaths are created as the result of a failed psi corps experiment on former telepaths, rendering their telepathy useless but giving them an ability to alter the emotions and perceptions of those they contact.* Imperial Telepath - high-rated female Centauri telepaths used to protect the Centauri emperor, functioning as a symbiotic foursome.A new Telepathic feat, Commanding Presence, for Empaths, is also described, which works a little like the Command spell from D&D.A further and final section gives further information on vehicles and equipment, including cryogenic freezer units, stims, Earth Alliance Explorer Survey Ships, Centauri Republic Primus Battlecruiser, and tractor beams.High Points:Like the Signs And Portents chapter in the main RPG/Factbook, the campaign ideas surrounding the Season's episode guide is helpful for inspiration and detail when developing one's own adventures and story arcs as a GM. The new equipment, vehicles, and PrCs are welcome additions to the information pool, as are the updated stats for the main NPCs and the standard NPC examples.Low Points:A few rules that need smoothing round the edges and a (seemingly) missing PrC - the Shadow Agent. Purely in terms of game rules, 90% of the book is reference material, so those who already own Season 2 on DVD (or recorded it from the TV), may find it much less useful. I would have preferred to see the Centaurum Royal Guard and the Imperial Telepath in the upcoming Centauri sourcebook, but that would have slimmed down even further the scanty game rules.Conclusion:A great reference book for GMs who don't already have the series on DVD/Video, and full of inspiration in terms of the campaign/adventure ideas, even for those who do. Somewhat more limited in terms of its addition to the game rules, but covers a wide variety of topics.</blockquote>

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