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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vurt" data-source="post: 2476615" data-attributes="member: 1547">By Samuel M. Wright, Troy Taylor, and The LePublished by The Le GamesPages: 65 (onscreen version), 60 (print version)Fully bookmarkedDisclaimer: 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</blockquote>

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