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Message: <blockquote data-quote="drnuncheon" data-source="post: 2008834" data-attributes="member: 96">Overview: Another vignette book, like Eden's Akrasia, Thief of Time, but more easily applicable to most people's campaigns, and with fewer rules gaffes.  Definitely designed for a thinking party - the vignettes have some tough encounters that can be avoided by clever players.Disclaimer: This is a non-playtest review of a product provided for free (along with Akrasia: Thief of Time) by the publisher, Eden Studios, in exchange for posting a review on ENWorld.  There was no pressure to write a good review.ReviewLike Akrasia, Thief of Time, Eden's Wonders out of Time presents a "vignette book" - a book of background, setting, new rules and mini-encounters that is something of an adventure and a sourcebook wrapped into one.In the case of Wonders out of Time, the overarching theme is that of the Merithian Empire, a long-fallen nation that is designed to occupy the same sort of historical niche that Rome or Greece did in our world.  The Merithians are heavily based on the Romans, providing a reasonably well-known baseline from which the DM and players can work.Physically, the book is 48 pages long, staple-bound, with 1 page taken up by the OGL and 2 by advertisements.  (Unlike Akrasia, the interior covers are not used for this purpose.) The front cover is in color, as might be expected, but is rather uninspiring - don't judge the contents by it!  The interior art, on the other hand, is much better at conveying the Classical feel of the Merithian culture, especially the two 'fresco' pieces.The first section of the book discusses the Merithian culture. Despite it's Roman roots, the designer has thrown in a few twists, from a feng shui-like mystical science called the Oracles to a unique form of magic.  The section is largely divided into topics, and the information under each topic is given a DC check - succeeding on a Knowledge (history) roll at that DC allows a PC to know the relevant piece of information, much like a Gather Information roll.  Bravo! I especially liked this setup and I hope its use spreads to other products.  Secret cults should have at least some information available though Knowledge (religion), lost magics through Knowledge (arcana), etc. Make the players glad they spent the points on the skill - and give the DM something to go by.  There are also suggestions for further adventures, expanding on the scope of the book.Following the history section are the vignettes, short adventures ranging in levels from 1-3 to 9-12.  The vignettes are lightly linked, but do not make up a complete campaign in and of themselves - they are best used scattered between other adventures.Spoilers are ahead for the various vignettes. You know what that means.Perinocles' Manor is the initial vignette, and also the final one, a clever way of bringing the plotline full circle.  It details a wizard's manor preserved by an ancient spell, and mystery abounds - who are all of the dead people, and why are they dressed as Merithians when it's obvious they haven't been dead for long?  Like the others, this vignette is full of well-done clues that reward a thinking party - evidence that allows them to avoid one of the tougher encounters or to find a hidden door.In the final vignette - The Shade Manor - the PCs return here and unlock a hidden section of the house with their newfound knowledge of the Merithian culture, allowing them to find several treasures of the ancient Empire.  The sequence of events required to unlock this area is unusual enough that DMs don't need to worry about the PCs accidentally doing it the first time they are there.  Unfortunately, The Shade Manor also contains the first rules problem - there is an undisableable magic trap (I strongly dislike absolutes in things of this nature) which has a save DC but doesn't relate the effects of a successful save.Next is the Merithian Farm, detailing a rebuilt Merithian farmhouse (no surprise there) that is inhabited by a pair of ogres and their goblin troops.  The scenario provides a tenuous link with Eden's Akrasia in that the ogres are worshipers of that goddess, but ownership of Akrasia is hardly necessary.  The vignette details the tactics of the ogres and goblins, many of which are very clever - some might think them too clever and organized for a bunch of goblins led by chaotic evil (and lazy!) ogres.This vignette also earns the prize for most unusual treasure - the farmhouse contains several sacks of high-yield grain, magically preserved.  Many parties may miss this entirely, while clever ones can use it to change the world.The next encounter is very similar: the Lost Fortress, built by Merithians and currently inhabited by brigands.  The section gives a number of good hints on handling the assult, helping DMs run a very tactical game which should please players who enjoy that sort of thing.The Merithian Temple presents a ruined temple that can provide a great deal of information about the Empire, including the steps necessary to unlock the hidden section of the Manor in the first vignette.  The primary encounter is very tough for the recommended levels, but clever players will find many ways to use the environment to their advantage.  The vignette discusses some of them.  There's also a rather nasty "trap" in the form of the shackled spirits - if they convince a character to hold their burden "just for a moment" they vanish and the character takes their place. Fortunately the means to reverse this is within reach of the PCs at that level (remove curse), but there could be trouble if it's the cleric who takes up the shackles...Next is the Merithian Library, situated like Troy, buried under a city that was built and rebuilt on top of it.  The suggested hook is an innkeeper willing to pay 5,000 gp for the adventurers to clear out the ruins that prevent her from expanding her wine cellar - some DMs might think that 5 grand is a bit much for an innkeeper to be throwing around.  The library is a short encounter with a single opponent (a royal golem) but provides a great deal of information on the Merithians, including the location of the lost city of Derimos.Guess what the penultimate encounter is? Right. The City of Derimos, located in the last vignette, is the home of a cult dedicated to "Manar, sun god of the Merithians" and designed to provide its leader (the sorcerer Kareth Danian) with an army to conquer the surounding countryside.  Highlights include the ghosts of a legendary legion that can be convinced to help the PCs defeat the cultists.  A letter to the emperor points the characters back to the Manor, and now they know who it belonged to and can access the hidden Shade Manor.Following the vignettes is the appendix, with five new monsters, a brief description of a new type of magic, and several new magic items.  Unfortunately, this section shares the problems that Akrasia had - a lack of attention to the concepts behind the d20 rules.  The bone guardian is a fine concept that would do any necromancer proud - a skeletal animated hand with strength-draining ability. It is a construct rather than undead, which may throw the clerics for a loop, but some DMs might take issue with the fact that it has d4 hit dice instead of the usual d10 for a construct.  Construction details are included.The other two constructs, the bronze warrior and the royal golem, are generally better on the rules front, although bost list Evasion (or Improved Evasion) as a feat.  In fact, all three constructs have feats and skills, which are normally not present for creatures of that type.The other two monsters, as might be expected from a long-gone empire, are undead: the Shackled Spirit (discussed above) and the Ghostly Sentry, which is more of a redone shadow than anything else.Merithian Red Magic allows characters - even non-spellcasters - to learn low-level (1st to 3rd) spells as innate abilities usable once per day, at the cost of one-time permanent hit point loss.  DMs will want to carefully evaluate whether losing 6 permanent hit points is a large enough price for allowing the fighter to cast fireball or haste once a day, even if it is subject to spell failure and cast at half his level.The items (there are 11) range from "blood scrolls" (magical devices that teach red sorcery, activated by contact with the blood) through armor and weapons to cursed items like the braingem and the ring of arachnophobia. Unfortunately, there are some more rules problems here: the bone armor items (among other effects) give a +1 bonus to strength, which is generally a no-no in the d20 world (stat bonuses should come in even numbers).  There's also what I can only assume is a typo in the price of the officer's gladius - the fact that it is +1 lawful alone makes it worth more than the price given.The final pages of the product are dedicated to a new prestige class: the Centurion Knight, which combines the best aspects of fighters and rogues.  In fact, with two good saves and the ability to gain both fighter bonus feats and 'centurion training' (similar to the roggue's special abilities), it is too good. One could pick up 7 feats over the 10 levels, plus evasion, improved evasion, opportunist, and uncanny dodge.  DMs would be well advised to cut back on the abilities given to the class before incorporating it as a choice for PCs.Summary:Wonders out of Time shares many of the same virtues and flaws as its predecessor, Akrasia: Thief of Time.  However, the concepts and adventures surrounding the Merithian civilization would be easier to integrate into an existing campaign than the worship of Akrasia, and in all probability possess a wider appeal as well.  The background and adventures are cleverly written with plenty of information for the DM, so if you are willing to overlook the relatively minor rules issues, this product will provide a great deal of useful background information and adventure entertainment.</blockquote>

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