Unorthodox Rogues

[TheLe]

[imager]http://www.thele.com/thelegames/images/tn/UnorthodoxRogues_tn200w.jpg[/imager]Tired of the standard d20 Rogue? Maybe it's time to try some UNORTHODOX ROGUES!

Written by Samuel M. Wright and Troy Taylor, this 60-page pdf is for anyone who loves playing Rogues in any d20 fantasy setting.

This book includes 5 full twenty-level core Rogue classes (Fabricator, Layabout, Seductress, Shroud, Skulker), 3 Prestige Rogue classes (Backstabber, Saintly Thief, Ward Boss), and over 2 dozen mini artifacts!

This zip file contains a fully illustrated Landscape PDF for easy online reading, An illustrated Portrait PDF for printing, and our standard no-image Rich-Text-Format version so that you can cut/copy/paste to your hearts content (and print without wasting alot of ink)! Each pdf is fully bookmarked for easy viewing.

Still not sure? Well come check out the Free Demo!

 

[Vanuslux]

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy of Unorthodox Rogues. However, despite the fact that I didn't pay for it I will still be reviewing it as though I had paid for it.

Unorthodox Rogues is a short PDF aimed at giving us a selection of variations on the rogue class. Originally the Unorthodox series just contained core classes but sometime since Unorthodox Rangers, the last Unorthodox product I reviewed, they started bundling in some prestige classes with a small assortment of other stuff. This new material apparently led to a serious price increase too.

Appearances: We get three different files in the download. There is a landscaped PDF for screen viewing, a portrait PDF for printing, and an RTF file for those who want to edit in a word processor. I love that The Le Games does this. All the art is clip art, mainly from Mongoose Publishing's Character Portraits products. Fortunately the clip art here works pretty well and doesn't detract from the product.

Content: As for content, we get five core classes, three prestige classes, 14 artifacts, and three appendixes. We'll get to the appendixes later, but first we take a look at the meat of the book, the classes.

* Fabricator: Though I dislike the name of the class, an expert in traps and locks is a decent way to start off a book of Rogue variants. At least that's what I thought until I saw the repeating slingshot a weapon that the Fabricator receives free proficiency with. Over the course of future levels the Fabricator occasionally receives new abilities to improve the usefulness of his firearm substitute. While that may fit into some people's campaigns giving the Fabricator class abilities in a particular weapon all but assures that weapon will almost always be a part of any self-respecting Fabricator's arsenal. I would have much rather had a more broadly useful trap focused class that didn't have a wonky gizmo weapon inherent to the class in such a way, but for campaigns unlike mine that don't mind such a weapon the class is pretty solid so I'll give it a reluctant thumbs up.

* Layabout: It seems odd that the "masters of avoiding work and responsibility of any type" would ever amass so much experience that there'd be a 20 level class devoted to them. They get roguish stuff like evasion and backstab (which is basically sneak attack, except that instead of the additional damage being a set number of dice it is a multiplier of the weapon used) and charisma based abilities like seeming harmless and making friends easily. For the most part, however, the class is pretty much tailor made to be useless. It's practically a joke class without a punch line. Thumbs down on this one both as a player and a DM.

* Seductress: It seems like anytime variant rogue classes come up this concept comes to the table. We've seen this concept done several times before...so how does the Unorthodox Rogue version hold up? Not too well but its not a dismal failure either. The Seductress gets a lot of abilities, most of which are used through being intimate with their target which is reasonable enough, but sometimes the ability descriptions are vague. For example, the Addictive Kisses ability does ability damage to lovers deprived too long of the Seductress's affections but doesn't specify which ability score takes damage. With a little house ruling, however, the Seductress would be a quite viable class in a city based, role-playing oriented campaign. She would just be a poor man's rogue, however, in campaigns that didn't allow much use of her seduction abilities. Another reluctant thumbs up.

* Shroud: Some rogues rob from the rich and give to the poor. Shrouds steal from the dead to give to the living, though often case that just means giving to themselves. Of the core classes in this product, this one is the highlight. They receive an interesting array of abilities that make them exceptional in certain circumstances. They're a little underpowered in situations that don't involved undead, but how many campaigns don't at least have semi-regular appearances of undead? This class is a real standout and gets a hearty thumbs up.

* Skulker: This appropriately named class is all about going unseen. For example, at 5th level the character gains the ability to use paints to gain a +10 camouflage bonus to hide checks as long as he or she is completely naked. While certain abilities might raise a giggle when used, the class really is both interesting and useful. I like this class a lot and give it a thumbs up.

* Backstabber: This is a five level prestige class. I'm always leery of prestige classes that a character will almost always meet the requirements for without trying if they're a certain class. This class is the master of daggers, particularly in their application as a sneak attack weapon. A Skulker/Backstabber would be a nightmare for pretty much anyone. It's a very one-dimensional class but seems reasonable in regards to balance.

* Saintly Thief: This is a seven level prestige class. The requirements are a little more diverse than for the backstabber, but it would still be easy to take as low as 3rd level. That's really not too problematic, though, since the class doesn't really do much except a handful of modest disguise based abilities. The idea is that the Saintly Thief is a thief who only steals from other criminals but really he's just a chaotic good disguise specialist who has to give away 90% of his ill-gotten gains to charity.

* Ward Boss: This is a five-level prestige class is kind of like crime world middle management. He's just another run of the mill crime boss class that every rogue supplement just has to have. Again, the requirements are easily met by a third level rogue.

Baubles and Urus of Ancient Powers (artifacts) - This appendix is about small gem-like stones with a bit of power that can be infused into items. There's 25 of them and some are pretty interesting.

Appendices: There are three appendices. The first is a summary of Rogue abilities and their progression chart. The second is spells, which is really only one spell. The last is weapons, which is only one weapon...the aforementioned Repeating Slingshot.

In Conclusion: This product is a seriously mixed bag. A few of the base classes are really good, but the prestige classes are pretty weak. The baubles and urus are kind of cool but feel out of place in a product about rogues. The appendices don't add a lot. Ultimately I'm disappointed, but it's a cheap product and not without its value so it squeaks by with a rating of three.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

“Unorthodox Rogues”
Written by: Samuel M. Wright, Troy Taylor, and The Le
Cover Art by: Christopher Shy
Interior Art by: Brad McDevitt, clipart dot com,
________ and Character Portraits, Mongoose Publishing
Edited and Published by: The Le


First Impressions: When I saw the title “Unorthodox Rogues”, my first guess was that it would be a collection of “honorable thieves”. (It turns out they only included one specifically honorable thief.) Instead it creates several “alternate” rogue classes, by enhancing some class abilities and skills, while limiting others.

Front Cover & Interior Art: According to the credits, most or all of the artwork used was pre-existing work, but whoever chose the artwork chose well. Most of the images used matched the content.

Introduction Page: This PDF would have been better served with more introductory information included. A “statement of intent” discussing the theme of, “Unorthodox Rogues,” would have helped put the content in perspective. As it was, most of the information provided seemed obligatory.

Content: Most of the material in this PDF is of more use to a DM than to players. Among the “Core” and “Prestige” classes provided, few would make suitable adventurers, while most are good NPC archetypes.

The new classes seem a bit overpowered, but it is tough to judge game balance without actually playing them. There are some very clever ideas in here. The vignettes included with the core classes give insight into the class, and would make memorable NPC’s. The “Layabout” and the “Saintly Thief” seem quite playable with little or no tweaking. The “Seductress” on the other hand is required to be female (I guess Gigolo must be a separate class) and Evil, which limits the use of the class.

Some of the Special Abilities included suffer from “requiring too much thinking” such as calculating how long it takes a "Shroud" (grave robber) to dig a hole. Another concern is how often the writer reinvents the wheel. Rather than creating “Sneak Strike”, (which is like Sneak Attack except that it uses d4 instead of d6) they could make the sneak attack bonus improve less often (which is done with the “Fabricator”).

The magic items section “Baubles and Urus of Ancient Power” seems like it was a separate idea which was thrown in. I’ll admit that it includes items which are useful to a thief (such as a "Bauble of Free Movement") but they do not seem like items developed by thieves, for thieves. It also would have been good to include some indication of how valuable or expensive different baubles were.

A section on “magical poisons” would have fit the theme of the PDF better, considering that some of the classes in it have “poison use” as a special ability.

Appendixes: This ends up being one of the better features of the PDF. The standard rogue class information is included for comparison. Also included are spell and weapon information suggested for the classes, so there is less that a DM needs to look up in other places.

Disclosure: The reviewer did not purchase the PDF, but received a free copy for reviewing.

Reviewer: Peter R. Ellis a.k.a. MavrickWeirdo

 

[Vurt]

By Samuel M. Wright, Troy Taylor, and The Le
Published by The Le Games
Pages: 65 (onscreen version), 60 (print version)
Fully bookmarked

Disclaimer: I did not buy Unorthodox Rogues, it was sent to me for review.


Unorthodox Rogues is another title in The Le Games line of d20 class books, and true to its name, it takes the rogue class, turns it on its head, grabs hold of the feet and shakes loose a number of unconventional interpretations. It contains five new 20-level rogue class variants, three prestige classes of varying levels, and twenty-five new magical artifacts.

What you get is a ZIP archive containing four files. The first is text file briefly describing the remaining contents of the archive. I think it was written by a programmer. It is short, succinct, and wastes no space on such social niceties as sentences. It is followed by three PDFs, one a landscape version with page dimensions roughly in the same ratio as your monitor, meant to be viewed onscreen, next a print version, and finally a version in Rich-Text-Format meant for copy-and-pasting into your own files and documents. The RTF file looks exactly like the PDF meant to be viewed onscreen, but without the pictures or bookmarks. That said, you can still select the text in any of the PDFs for copy-and-pasting purposes if that is more convenient to you. With the exception of the appendices at the end and the Open Game License, the text is all in the standard two-column format. The print version is in standard portrait orientation, but without the borders. Ironically, I would probably end up trying to print the RTF version, since my printer is old and gives me a hard time if I try to print images, but since it too is in landscape format, I’d need to fiddle with my print settings to change the orientation of the output. That said, no matter your preference, chances are there’s a version here that’ll work for you. It’s nice to see The Le Games taking full advantage of the versatility of the electronic format.

While the bookmarks for the print version of the PDF appear to work properly, those for the onscreen version do not, instead falling short of the page to which I want them to take me. At first I was surprised that there even were bookmarks for the print version, until I realized that not everyone would actually print it. Many folks are staunchly opposed to the landscape orientation, would naturally gravitate to the print version for use on their computers, and the inclusion of bookmarks for it is a wise move. That said, while there is a Table of Contents at the beginning of the document, it doesn’t go so far as to actually list page numbers. Which is fine if you plan to rely on bookmarks to get you around, but not so much for your printed copy. And yes, the pages are numbered in each version.

There are eighteen pieces of art scattered throughout the document, in a variety of styles and of varying degrees of quality. Most of them are relevant to the subject matter in which they appear, but not all. A couple seem decidedly out of place, for instance, the Ward Boss prestige class is illustrated with what at first glance appears to be a sorcerous hag. Still, I do quite like the illustration, and that’s not the only one. Oddly, one of the pieces appears to have been cut from the print version for some reason, the second image in the Seductress class write-up.

Following the classes and new artifacts are three appendices. Appendix A contains a copy of all the standard rogue class abilities and its progression table. The new classes occasionally refer to them, and it is handy to keep them all in the same document. Appendix B contains a copy of the spell “Speak with Dead”, sans any paragraph breaks. Actually, from the way the sentences sit, it looks like the spell was copied from a web source into Microsoft Word, and the text style was changed. This happens to me from time to time, you have to go back and manually insert the paragraph breaks. Appendix C details a new exotic weapon, a repeating slingshot. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how that would work, but it seems to function essentially like a pistol. Sadly, no picture of the device is included.

The bulk of the document is taken up by the five full rogue class variants. Each class write-up starts off with about two pages of fiction which does a very good job of setting the tone for what the class is all about. The Fabricator is essentially a trap master, specializing in creating, setting, and disabling traps. As the class progresses, it gains the ability to sabotage items, improvise traps, create magical traps, and potentially increase the amount of damage his traps do by a number of his sneak attack dice. Next we have the Layabout, a self-stylized mooch. Layabouts specialize in ingratiating themselves with others, making friends, and calling in favours. The Seductress is self-explanatory. She uses her own natural charm to get others to do her bidding. Throw in some sneak attack dice, poison use and addictive kisses for a more rounded (rubenesque?) femme fatale. The Shroud is a grave robber, who slowly gets better and better at dealing with the ubiquitous undead he is bound to encounter in your typical fantasy graveyard. And finally, the Skulker is a master of camouflage and stealth, who is eventually able to evade even magical detection.

Unorthodox Rogues also contains three short prestige classes. The first is the Backstabber, who is a dagger expert that gains special abilities with her weapon of choice as she progresses. Next comes the Saintly Thief, which seems to me to be a mingling of the Robin Hood archetype with that of the Saint. (You know the one, from the TV series and then the movie starring Val Kilmer.) And lastly is the Ward Boss, an urban power broker and gangster.

The remainder of the document is taken up by a number of magical artifacts of varying degrees of strength, called “Baubles and Urus of Ancient Power”. These are basically gemlike stones that can be added to existing items to increase their power. Interestingly, the special abilities that these items grant can only be used by person who added the bauble to the item. Some of the special abilities granted are extremely powerful, and others are somewhat mundane. For example, the Bauble of Cavernous Shelter, when fused with another item, can be used once a day for 12 hours to create a large cave in a side of any large hill or mountain. There are no prices or experience costs given for any of these, and I wonder if that’s the reason why they’re artifacts.

So that’s what you get. But this is supposed to be a review! So where’s the review?

Unorthodox Rogues suffers from some major problems. While the ideas it puts forward are creative and unique, they aren’t followed up with polish and balance.

For example, let’s take a closer look at the Fabricator class. First off, let me just say that “Fabricator” is a poorly chosen name for the class. Basically, a Fabricator is a master of setting and disarming traps. So why not call him a Trapmaster? Or Master Trapsmith? How about Trapmeister? A fabricator makes me think of someone in manufacturing, not someone who would be out adventuring! According to the class entry, Fabricators tend to be methodical, studious and deceptive, more bookish than your usual rogue, favouring puzzles and traps. Why then, does the Fabricator have exactly the same skill list as the core rogue class? Why is Knowledge (local) a class skill but not Knowledge (architecture and engineering)? This class variant seems like it should be a shoe-in to make use of an otherwise overlooked and ignored skill. The Fabricator gains the core rogue’s Trap Sense ability, which adds a cumulative bonus every few levels to Reflex saving throws and to AC against attacks made by traps. Oddly, however, while the Fabricator gains the ability one level earlier than the standard rogue, its progression is slower, meaning that by mid to higher levels, the core rogue is better at avoiding the effects of traps than a trap specialist! Far from picking at nits, my point is simply that the class doesn’t appear to be terribly well thought out for all its enthusiasm.

Here’s another example. At 8th level, the Fabricator gains a special ability that allows him to improvise traps. He no longer suffers penalties for lack of proper tools, takes only half the regular amount of time needed, and does so for no cost. The only drawback is that such improvised traps are easier to find (+5 on Search). Does this mean that, in the middle of a dungeon crawl, he can suddenly decide to create a CR 8 Deathblade Wall Scythe to cover the party’s retreat? (Market Price: 31,400 gp.) If he doesn’t need to pay the cost, then presumably he can find the materials, as well as the requisite contact poison, just by scrounging around a little. And he can do it in half the time as normal! On the one hand, the ability sounds neat, but on the other, if one of my players told me he’d like to try this in the middle of an adventure I suspect I’d start pulling out my hair! How long does it take to make a trap? It took me ten minutes of digging to discover that that’s actually under the Craft rules, a quick perusal of which would seem to indicate I’m going to need a calculator to figure this out. Is any of this even hinted at in the Fabricator class write-up? Care to hazard a guess?

Does the class appear to be balanced at least? It gets a lot of new abilities, some more useful than others, true. The author tries somewhat, by giving it a 2/3rds sneak attack progression, and deferring Evasion to the list of special abilities that rogues generally gain at 10th level, but in the end the class still gains much, much more than it loses. Is the class fun to play? I could personally see having fun with it for maybe a session or two, but not for an extended campaign. I think it would better make for an NPC class. Was it playtested? I don’t see any playtesters listed in the credits.

Sadly, the same sorts of problems appear with the remainder of the document’s contents.

Unorthodox Rogues is a highly ambitious project, and the authors have come up with several creative and interesting replacements for the core rogue class. However, it feels like somewhere in the brainstorming process the authors bit off more than they could chew, forgetting that what might be “cool” isn’t necessarily going to result in something “fun”. There is also a haphazard quality to the presentation of the package, and it is disconcertingly hit-and-miss. The classes are all quite interesting and unique, but as a DM I would have very strong reservations about allowing them into my game as written. That said, I do feel that they provide a very good starting point and would wholeheartedly try to work out any issues if one of my players wished to take one out for a spin. There’s a lot of good stuff in here, which would shine much more brightly with another round or two of editing and polish.

Reviewed by Scott Benoit

 

[Ace]

Disclaimer: I received a copy for doing this review.

Unorthodox Rogues is a unique expansion with a mix of core classes, prestige classes, magic items and a few feats all for only $6.

Appearance:
Unorthodox Rogues comes in a zip file just under 4 megabytes in size.. The main PDF is 65 pages long with a nice color cover by Ronin Arts. It has good layout as do all of the Unorthodox line.
In addition to the main PDF, the product includes an .rtf version for easy content extraction and an onscreen version.

Content:
This PDF has 5core classes, The Fabricator, The Lay About, The Seductress, The Shroud, and the Skulker. It also has 3 prestige classes, the Backstabber, the Saintly Thief and the Ward Boss.
The PDF also has a selection of Baubles and Uzras Diablo 2 mini artifacts

The Fabricator core class is an interesting trap specialist rogue with trap sense, a slower sneak attack progression and a wide range of mechanical and trap related abilities.
The class also gains a nifty bonus feat that allows the use of scroll to create magically traps. Pretty spiff. My minor complaint is the "repeating slingshot" which is essentially a hand crossbow that doesn't require a move action to reload is given 3 class abilities. I think the weapon is poorly thought out and more interesting, fitting and useful abilities would have improved the class.

The next class is the Lay About. It is basically Kato Kaelin for your D&D game, a get something for nothing and get out of work specialist. It has a wide range of abilities including favors, patrons, the ability to mooch off groups the ability to "save vs. work!" called Charmed Life . There is also a combat oriented “Backstab” which is sneak attack that only works with a bladed weapon. I find this method of balancing the class by giving limited sneak attack to be a mediocre design decision that is unfortunately used on several classes in this PDF. Still it is an easy thing to fix if desired. Minus the backstab ability this class might be fun in a Dude Where’s Cart silly campign

The next class is the Seductress. Just as the title the class has a wide range of seduction related abilities, poison use and accounting related abilities for gold digging I presume. Oh yeah and there are addictive pleasure related powers as well.
This class is followed by three feats, Poison Adaptation allowing immunity to single ingested poison (say Iocane powder) a Crushing Embrace ability (think Ivana Onnatop from the James Bond Movies) and an exhausting sex feat.
Personally I think this class and most of the aforementioned feats are better suited for the type of game that would benefit from Book of Erotic Fantasy or the like. Its a decent class, just not for most games

The Shroud is a creepy grave robber class with a limited (1d4) sneak attack, a speed boost on graveyards, speak with dead, and a more few additional grave related abilities. It is a very strange class but it looks perfectly playable especially if the DM is flexible enough to allow the same abilities to be used in tombs.

The Skulker is a very cool class. It is ultra specialized in hiding and stealth related abilities that can make this class very hard to find by any means, magical or non magical. It would be a perfect class for that Thief: Dark Project type of one on one game or for a fugitive type character. It is my favorite in the book as it has plenty of nice abilities and a good solid niche.

Now for the prestige classes:

The Backstabber is poorly named. It is not sneak attack specialist as might be expected but an expert dagger fighter. It has an odd ability to make really effective wooden dagger, a little sneak attack, a shadow jump borrowed from a friendly shadow dancer and a horde of dagger related abilities to choose from. Other than the shadow jump ability and the poor name this is a decent PRC.

The Saintly Thief is meant to be a Simon Templar "good guy thief class". Instead it is a disguise specialist class with an unusual 7 level progression. The disguise abilities are really nice if a bit underpowered. It does look fun to play although I would drop the Chaotic Good alignment requirement before using myself.

The Ward Boss is supposed to be a kind of mob go between with the commoners. It mostly flops on this end as it has few real class abilities to support this roll. Instead it has "Shank Strike", a dagger bonus if he is not flanking, the decent ability to call for help and get more money, a bleeding wounds ability and a bonus to diplomacy checks to buy and sell illegal goods. I think this class is nothing but a hodgepodge of only tangentially relayed abilities and it needs a bit of work.

Lastly are the baubles and Uzras

Unlike several other books I have reviewed before quite a few of these are related to the class featured in the book.

The baubles are

Action
Backstabbing
Cancellation
Cavernous Shelter
Cold Immunity
Free Movement
Hiding
Ladder Action
Mass Strike
Missile Defense/Reflection
Music
Nutrition
Pertification
Thieving

The Urus are
Assassination
Cats
Dwarven Smite
Eleven Fury
Goblin Killer
Luck
Piercing
Screaming
Second Chance
Sexual Imbalance
Spit

Next there is a handy index of rogue abilities, a reprint of the rogue class from the SRD, the Speak with Dead Spell and their fairly daffy repeating slingshot thingy all neatly stated up.

The last page is the SRD

I find this book to be a mixed bag but there is enough material in it to justify the $6 price tag. If you need or want a few new rogue types give it a try.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Unorthodox Rogues
Publisher: The Le Games
Pages: 60
Format: PDF (Available on RPGNow)

Overview:
Unorthodox Rogues is a D20 supplement meant for those of you who want to spice things up. I was excited to win this PDF in a recent contest by the publisher, Le Games, as the Rogue is one of my favorite classes to play.

The PDF is available at RPG Now and comes packaged with three versions: a landscaped on-screen version (with bookmarks for easy navigation), a portrait print version (also bookmarked), and an .rtf version for ease of copy-and-paste. This review will cover the printed PDF version of the book.

The book contains 5 new core classes, 3 prestige classes, 4 new feats, 1 new weapon, and a new class of magic items. In addition, it also contains an Appendix which includes SRD material that is referenced in various places in the book, so one need not pull out the PHB to double-check the exact text of an ability or spell.

I believe the new core classes to be the real strength of the product, as I am always looking for new ideas. However, I found several of them to be somewhat unbalanced compared to the PHB core classes; however, the book’s Introduction includes a section titled “Balancing and Game Notes” that gives some ideas for corrections should you find the contents unbalanced for your particular game.

I found the contents to be original and useful in many campaigns – I especially liked the Baubles and Urus of Ancient Power – new magic items that you infuse into current items (magical and non) to give additional abilities.

Appearance:
The printed version of the book is laid out in portrait orientation with two columns of text, much like the majority of the printed RPG products currently on the shelf. Black and white printing doesn’t hurt any of the graphics in the book, except for perhaps the (full color) cover.

The art quality is a little below what I am used to from print RPG books (I do claim a fondness for the early 3.5 art from WOTC), but on average for the PDF market. Overall, the art was appropriate for the book.

Most of Unorthodox Rogues is fairly well written, with a minimum of typos. The few that are evident usually have easily deduced corrections, although there is one or two that might call for errata (such as one of the Prestige Classes listing 12+Int skill points per level).

The printed PDF chooses a font that is easy to read, with a large enough text size that one can read with ease.

Core Classes:
Unorthodox Rogues contains 5 new 20th-level core classes, each set to specialize in a certain field or a certain character concept.

Each class is prefaced by a short story (roughly a page) that follows a brief adventure of a character in the class. I was pleased to see this, as it gives an insight into the way a typical member of the class would think and act.

The classes introduced in the book are as follows:

• The Fabricator
The Fabricator is a lock and trap specialist, although his skills can be focused on engineering in general. The class is one that would be a boon in just about any adventuring party, as not only can the Fabricator create traps, but they are also experts at disabling and bypassing traps of all sorts. I’ve seen this concept attempted by others, and I do have to say this is the best attempt to capture the idea that I’ve yet seen.

• The Layabout
The Layabout concentrates on avoiding work and trouble, and is the perfect freeloader. A Layabout can be a wealth of information and social favors, as they know everyone. Although an interesting class, it seems more suited for an NPC rather than an adventurer. Nonetheless, it is a unique and interesting class.

• The Seductress
The Seductress is an enchanting thief who lures wealthy men into a relationship in order to subtly take control of their funds and households, before finally stealing their very life away from them. A combination of a rogue and assassin, this would be a perfect fit for an addictive adversary to use against your PCs.

• The Shroud
The thief of death, the Shroud is a combination necromancer and rogue. Most of their abilities surround the dead, and they are known for exhuming bodies in order to question the deceased about hidden treasures and secrets – then using those secret to their own advantage.

• The Skulker
The Skulker is a master of stealth and camouflage, and is the perfect assassin – one doesn’t even see the blow that kills them. They eschew nearly all social contact in order to perfect their techniques.

Although all the classes are interesting, I believe that many of them might need a few tweaks to the mechanics before inserting them in an on-going game.

For example: The Fabricator gets the Rogue’s BAB and Saves, as well as many of the Rogue’s abilities (such as Sneak Attack, Trap Sense, & choice of Special Abilities). In addition, it is granted enough abilities to nearly create a whole new class on their own. To extrapolate, at first level the Fabricator gets Trapfinding (as per Rogue); Locksmith Expert (a new ability that gives +4 to 2 skills – basically replicating taking the PHB feat Skill Focus twice); and Repeating Slingshot Proficiency (the new weapon the book introduces, which grants the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat and allows you to create a customized version of the weapon (with the appropriate Craft check) that gives a +1 to attack. As this is due to customizing the weapon, it would be possible for a player to also make the weapon Masterwork, thus giving a +2 to attack).

Not all the classes are front-loaded as is the Fabricator, and depending on your play style and preferences you may not see a need to tweak the mechanics.

Prestige Classes:
The Prestige Classes introduced are interesting. There is the Backstabber, a rogue that specializes in wooden daggers that they often create themselves; the Saintly Thief, a rogue that is as comfortable changing identities as most people are changing clothes; and the Ward boss, the face of the city’s thieves’ guild and boss of the local thugs.

The Prestige Classes are all between 5 and 7 levels long, and all are fairly easily attainable, usually by 5th or 6th level rogue.

Magic Items:
The book introduces two new types of magic items: Baubles and Urus of Ancient Power. These are simple gem-like stones that are used to permanently infuse mundane and already existing magic items with a single power, useable only by the individual who activates them. If the infused item falls into other hands, the power is useless.

The items grant minor to major abilities anywhere from emitting soothing music on command to granting continuous cold immunity when worn or held by the infuser. If any given item has both a Bauble and Uru infused into it, there will be a synergy between the two granting an additional ability.

I found this a highly unique idea and one I would most certainly like to put into play. The only snag I found is that the items have no rules for creation, nor to they have a market price. The lack of item creation rules isn’t so worrisome, given the artifact-like background of the items (included in the description), but the lack of a market price makes it difficult to determine how to grant them – especially when considering making characters above 1st level, one doesn’t know how to include such an item in cost of equipment.

Last Thoughts:
I find that the book succeeds in the purpose of providing innovative and unorthodox options for rogues. However, the mechanics fall slightly short of balance in some areas, which is important for me.

All in all, if you are looking for something new and interesting, and don’t mind a few mechanical tweaks, I would suggest this book. Final score: 3 stars out of 5.

 

[TheLe]

reviews

Sweeettttt

 

[olshanski]

How long before this "review" is pulled?

Forget the ads,
These wasted links by Jaws are why I'll never read his reviews.

 

[TheLe]

How long before this "review" is pulled?

Forget the ads,
These wasted links by Jaws are why I'll never read his reviews.

huh?

edit:
Oh, good God. I see now. Geez. If you are going to make a statement, give me 5 stars...


~Le

 

[Morrus]

This is not a review and will be removed shortly.