Beware! This review contains major spoilers.
Touched By The Gods is a sourcebook of fantasy cults and cabals. It costs $23.95.
Production & Presentation: This is a hardcover 128-page accessory. The front cover is a good piece of artwork in the usual Penumbra style. The back cover introduces the module and outlines its features. The first three front and back inside pages are blank. The first three pages of text contain contents and credits, the last four contain an index, OGL information, and ads. The text is well-defined and clear, making it easy to read. The text takes up about three-quarters of each page in the standard two-column layout – the edge of each page is bordered as well as having a fair amount of white space. There are several pieces of internal black & white artwork, ranging from poor to superb, with most being fairly good.
Whats Inside:
A bland one-page introduction gives an overview of the Penumbra line and the sourcebook, before getting into the meat of the book – the cults and cabals:
The Athenaeum (4 pages) – Knowledge-seekers who exchange information for a price. Covers the goals, organisation, membership and initiation, and important rituals of the Athenaeum. Also has two adventure seeds, and a new feat where members who also have the loremaster prestige class can swap ability scores, years of life, skill ranks or experience points in exchange for skill ranks (class, cross-class and exclusive skills) or experience points – from themselves, or others (in exchange for knowledge).
Davlika (3 pages) – Goblins infected by a strange bestow curse potion, which changes alignment of all who it infects – the goblins become contagious. Covers the origins and goals of the goblins, who have understood the alignment change as a spiritual awakening. Also contains two adventure seeds, and details on the potion.
Death’s Forsaken (6 pages) – Heroes who have been resurrected from the dead, and have become sensitive to the worlds beyond death. Covers origins, goals, organisation, trappings, initiation, and important individuals (the barbarian who formed the Death’s Forsaken brotherhood, and an insane villain who opposes them). It also has three adventure seeds and the Death’s Forsaken Prestige Class (which gains features such as ‘recognise reborn’, ‘astral communication’, limited spell use, and undead-orientated powers).
The Forge (14 pages) – Magic-users who seek to transcend their mortality by transferring their souls into non-fleshly vessels. Covers history and beliefs, organisation, goals, trappings, initiation, and important individuals (the three elders who have transcended flesh, and an ‘elevant’ who conducts the elders’ business (crafting items and constructs) in the outside world). Also includes information on the qualities of the elders, the process of transformation through ‘grafts’, and three adventure seeds (including stats for a new creature (Iron Toad), and a new item (Sword of Light), which feature in these ideas).
God Seekers (9 pages) – A society who seeks out those who seem destined for godhood, and helps them perfect their mind and body, so that these gods, when ascended, will be intelligent and thoughtful. Covers origins, goals and methods, training, organisation, initiation, and a section entitled ‘So You Want To Be A God?’ which actually deals with changing the God Seekers to fit in with your own campaign. Also includes a new feat (Divine Perception – sense the workings of the gods), a new skill (Divine Sight – recognise potential divinity), a new Prestige Class (God Seeker – with features such as Divine Sight, Bodily Perfection and True Seeing), and two adventure seeds.
Justicars (5 pages) – A secret vigilante group. Covers origins, goals and methods, how to contact the Justicars, organisation, and initiation. Also includes the Justicar Prestige Class (with features such as +1 Mission Bonus, limited spell use, and saving throw bonus vs. Law spells), a new deity (Raeksen the Just, god of righteous vengeance), Justicar responses to certain crimes, and an adventure seed.
Lurient’s Legacy (4 pages) – Robin-Hood-type organisation that defends peasants from the rich. Covers origins, organisation, important individuals (giving anti-violence and pro-violence perspectives). Also includes three adventure seeds.
Openers Of The Way (6 pages) – A cult, wracked by in-fighting, that search for the Chosen One, who will save them from the return of the demon Golthara. Covers origins, the Openers and society, important myths and prophecies, goals, organisation, trappings, and initiation. Also includes a sidebar on prophecies and their possible interpretations, and sample tests the Openers use to test if someone (i.e. a PC) is the Chosen One based on certain prophecies.
The Order Of Endings (5 pages) – An ascetic sect dedicated to the cycle of life, death and ascension – they worship Calaam, Lord of Endings. Covers beliefs, the DeMarkist Heresy (Calaamites who try to hasten all deaths, even Calaam’s), organisation, the rite of ending (ritual suicide by poison), and membership and initiation. Also includes a new deity (Calaam), a new poison, a new domain (Endings – mainly anti-undead), two new spells (Interment and True Passage – both anti-undead), three new feats (heightened detect undead, turn, smite, and cast undead spells against resurrected and reincarnated characters), a new item(s) (weapons of true slaying – stop resurrection), and three adventure seeds.
The Reborn (12 pages) – Humanoids who have been transformed into animals attempt to maintain a balance between nature and civilisation. Covers origin and myths, goals, organisation, trappings, rituals, and important individuals. Also includes a new deity (The Wild – primal nature force); Totem Prestige Class (character is killed and re-reborn as an animal champion; features include limited spells, ‘Cloak of Nature’ (twists perceptions of civilised people to see a wolf as a dog, a raven as a crow, etc.) and ‘Cloak of Majesty’ (stops humanoids taking violent action against Totem)); two new totemic spells (claim thrall (human servant), and shape of the spirit (like wild shape)); a random totem reincarnation table; four totemic feats (Thrall Master (control human servants), Subtle Charm (enhances enchantments), Nature Sense (detect true form) and A Thousand Furs (shapeshift at will)); plus two adventure seeds.
Shepherds Of The Root (9 pages) – Eco-terrorist cult who plot the downfall of civilisation. Covers origins, goals, organisation, prophecies, initiation, and Children of the Root. Also includes a new deity (Syllisia, Lady of the Conquering Root), worshippers alignment (chaotic neutral/evil), new cursed item (Seed of Syllisia – implanted in body transforms to new monster (Child of the Root), giving special abilities: true believer in Syllisia, +2 to Str and Con, -2 to Dex from root network spreading through body, affinity with plant life, and, after death, a Spawn of Syllisia comes out of the dead body), a new monster (Spawn of Syllisia – a plant with burrow and tremorsense abilities), a new monster template (Child of the Root), and three adventure seeds (excuse the pun) including a new monster (Tremor Root) outlined in one of the adventure ideas.
Spirits Of Bohnaraii (10 pages) – Misguided cult of young arrogant nobles, who believe they have the spirit of a god within them, attempt to perform death-defying miracles to show the god’s power. Covers origins, activities, perception of the underclass, and the Missing (those who’s bodies have gone missing after their deadly miracle attempts). Also includes a new deity (Bohnaraii, patroness of nobility), a new domain (nobility), and three adventure seeds. At the end, has a section on Destiny, a rules mechanic for moments of attempted heroism – it reminded me of Force Points from the Star Wars game.
Survival Cults (12 pages) – Zealous cults of each of the major races who uphold racial purity and superiority:
Sons of the Earth – Dwarves who swap magical items for personal qualities (e.g. youth, honour, courage). Covers organisation and initiation. Also includes a magical pickaxe, a table outlining the effects of loss of personal qualities, a typical raiding party, and an adventure seed.
True Stewards – Elves who suck the life energy from the surrounding countryside to create perfect natural Glades. Covers organisation, traversing the Glades (with a sidebar on behaviour restrictions for outsiders), plus an adventure seed.
The Watchmakers – Gnomes who plan to take over the world. Covers organisation, plans (influencing breeding patterns in other races, and industrial espionage), and initiation. Also includes an adventure seed, with an accompanying rumour matrix table to sow chaos in a city.
The People – Halflings who attempt to take over the roles of a country, city, or adventuring party by observing their traits and excelling in those traits themselves. Covers organisation, plans, initiation, and an adventure seed.
Prophets Of The Golden Age – Human racists who recruit via travelling circuses. Covers beliefs and goals, organisation, plans and initiation. Also includes a new community (Tent Revival – a circus community) and an adventure seed.
Ten Thousand Heroes (11 pages) – Warriors who believe they are the reincarnation of ancient heroes, and strive to show this on the field of battle. Covers origins, the Way of the Hero, legends, Old War Chaser (a mysterious bard who records heroic deeds), organisation, goals, important rituals (the rite of testing and duels), and important individuals. Also includes a new deity (The Legion Of Ten Thousand Heroes – a pantheon of heroes), a new domain (Rage), the makeup of a warband, rules for the Rite of Testing, four feats (Battle Howl – penalty for opponents to hit; Heroic Destiny - +1 stacking modifier once a day; Vengeful Strike – partial action between 0 and –10 hp; Warsinger – can use bardic abilities when raging), a magical screaming sword, and two adventure seeds.
Way Of The Wolf (10 pages) – Diabolistic sect of werewolves with a werewolf lich leader. Covers origins, organisation (castes and packs, Lupin Tehran (werewolf lich leader), Altessa (leader of the Blood Claw sect), The First Pack (important members), and The Inner Circle (Lupin’s cronies)), myths and beliefs, and rituals (Initiation, The Scarring, Alpha Duel, and Sacrifice). Also includes a new deity (The Divine Wolf), stats for Lupin Tehran, magic item (Wolf’s Paw – healing phylactery with lycanthropy curse), stats for Altessa, and three adventure seeds.
Finally, there is an index, broken down into sections: Deities & Religions, Domains & Spells, Prestige Classes, Special Attacks, Special Qualities, New Feats, New Magic Items & Weapons, New Monsters & Templates, New NPCs, and Miscellaneous.
The High Points: This is a sourcebook with hundreds of imaginative ideas. These ideas are flexible, and can be developed, though the cults and cabals might be used as written if you haven’t developed your own campaign world. The ‘Adventure Seeds’ sections were full of intrigue and moral choices for the PCs. This is a sourcebook perfect for picking ideas from and running with them.
The Low Points: Only one or some of these cults and cabals are going to be useful to most GMs, though you might take ideas from more than these. Some of the skills, feats, spells and other ‘accessories’ seemed to be unbalanced or unnecessary. I would have liked to see this book in softcover at a nicer price to offset the inevitable redundant features.
Conclusion: A Good sourcebook in terms of ideas and organisation, great fodder for the GM who likes to steal ideas from here and there for his own campaign. Needs work if you want to use the cults and cabals ‘as is’ and could have been better with less accessories and in a soft cover to reduce the price.
