The Wargamer

Ah, Halloween.  It’s the one time of year when we can reach back into the innermost recesses of our minds and draw upon the things that scare us most, and turn those fears into entertainment.  So what better time than to examine some the scarier supplements out there for Dungeons & Dragons?  D&D v 4.0 (http://www.wargamer.com/article/2539/dungeons-&-dragons-v4.0) is, relatively speaking, quite new in the RPG world and doesn’t have the wealth of supplements that v3.5 has.  So I’ve picked the lock to The Wargamer’s library, disarmed the traps, and have pulled four tomes from off shelves which provide the best source material for upping the spook-factor in a D&D game.  Four books immediately rose to the top.  In alphabetical order they are:  Book of Vile Darkness, Exemplars of Evil, Heroes of Horror, and Libris Mortis.  All of these books are compatible with the d20 system, but were branded under Dungeons & Dragons logo.  Without further ado, let’s look at them.

Book of Vile Darkness

The Forbidden Fruit.  Nothing piques our interests like letting us know that there’s something behind the curtain that we really shouldn’t examine.  Book of Vile Darkness announces itself clearly as dangerous material with a big sticker on the front cover that reads:

WARNING! Content is intended for mature audiences only.

I’ll take two, thank you.

So what, dear reader, lies beneath yon forbidden cover?  Simply the most devilish and diabolical vexations that can be tossed into a D&D game.  After two paragraphs of opening Introduction, the immediate advice to the owner is to “Hide this book!”  Even on the inside, it seems that forbidden really means forbidden: Book of Vile Darkness is intended for Dungeon Masters only.  If players know what’s good for them (no pun intended) they should keep their grimy gauntlets off of it.

So, dear readers, it is with a heavy heart that I must confess I cannot share anything beyond the cover with you unless you are a DM.  Sorry.  Maybe you’ll have better luck with the next title.

Exemplars of Evil

Exemplars of Evil is just what it says it is: a summary of some great villains that…

What’s that, you say?  “Hold on!  Don’t leave me hanging!”  It would indeed be cruel of me to toss out a teaser like that for Book of Vile Darkness and not share something with you.  I am, after all, a nice guy.  So I’ll give you just a peek at Book of Vile Darkness.  But only if you’re a DM.  If you’re lying, your DM is going to know it, and you will pay for the transgression.

Book of Vile Darkness is structured like many of the latter published supplements for 3.5.  After the introduction it shares a summary of the subject, in this case the Nature of Evil, and it provides some solid discussion not only of the morality in terms of Alignment, but also how relativism can be introduced as a variant.  There is also a discussion of intent and context, all of which is aimed at giving a DM more tools with which to stir the pot.  It also includes some new vile gods and sample locations to help the DM get a handle on how it all works.

The second chapter provides a broad swath of variant rules including possession, sacrifice, curses, and lingering effects.  The third chapter is a very straightforward look at “stuff”.  It includes all manner of equipment tainted with evil.  Chapter four covers feats which evil villains and their minions might use against the players.  Chapter five puts all the aforementioned content together with a nice list of prestige classes (doesn’t it feel good to say that?  I miss them in 4.0, but enough editorializing).  Some of these classes represent NPCs that devote themselves to serve a specific evil entity, while others are using them as a means to further their own aggregation of power.  Any one of these prestige classes should give pause to PCs bold enough to consider themselves worthy of raiding a DM’s dungeon, but mix them in as lieutenants under a more powerful villain…muuuuaaahahahaha!  Oh…erm…moving on.  Chapter six addresses evil spells.  The usual cast of characters can be found here (assassin, cleric, wizard spells, etc) but also introduced are a new class of spells called “corrupt spells”.  These are spells that can only be used by classes that prepare spells (clerics and wizards; sorcerers and bards need not apply). However, instead of requiring material components, these spells cause an ability drain (such as Constitution damage).  There are even a few major artifacts tossed in to really trouble a party. 

Wow.  As if that weren’t enough, chapter seven spells out a whopping 43 pages of epic level bad guys and some of their entourage.  After that, chapter eight seems fairly tame with 17 pages of not-so-ordinary monsters to fill in the gap.  A short appendix then closes out the book.  Book of Vile Darkness isn’t fooling around when it places a mature warning on the cover.  There is no age guideline for books, but it doesn’t seem out of line to suggest that anyone considering purchasing it compare it to the five most disturbing horror films you’ve ever seen and then try to role play it.  In short, it doesn’t pull any punches and the subject matter examines the gamut of evil as only can be expressed in terms of evil. The corollary to this is that Book of Vile Darkness isn’t for every campaign.  Even if the DM is mature enough to handle the content, the audience it is aimed at may not be suitable.  The first time the DM describes a villain using the Absorb Mind spell, and mentions that the focus component is a portion of the brain of the mind it’s trying to read…well, that should give you plenty of notice as to how suitable the content of the book is for you and the party.

It’s worth noting that there are a number of aspects presented in Book of Vile Darkness which have specifically crafted foils(and vice versa) in Book of Exalted Deeds, the PC’s resource in all things pure and holy in the D&D world.  If the DM has been toting around Book of Vile Deeds lately, run – don’t walk to your local hobby store and get yourself a copy of Book of Exalted Deeds.  ‘Nuff said on that.  (Yes, I knew you’d read it anyway, despite the fact that you’re not a DM!)

OK.  Now, let’s get to Exemplars of Evil.  Perhaps the most important thing that I took away from Exemplars of Evil is that every great book/movie/whatever has a great villain.  Think of any great, memorable action experience, and there was always a tough villain.  Star Wars’ Darth Vader immediately comes to mind.  Nothing says menace like James Earl Jones through a respirator.  Exemplars of Evil seeks to bring a campaign up to that level.  Unlike Book of Vile Darkness, which might possibly be used by Players role-playing evil characters (yeah, you know who you are), Exemplars of Evil really is pretty much restricted to DMs in terms of use.  The first chapter is a whirlwind compression of the normal structure to most of the D&D supplements.  It crams in concepts and archetypes of villains and their motivations, plots, outward appearance of villains, alternative classes, feats, spells, organizations, and minions.  Whew.  The balance of the book, chapters two through nine, are exhaustive examinations of boss-level bad guys.  These seven evil-doers range from a modest level 5 to an epic 21, and are expressions of different aspects presented in earlier chapters – from the power-hungry warlord to the psychotic (and beyond), the DM is given a fine variety from which to choose.  Also included is a thorough description of history, motivation, chief underlings, and there are maps drawn out for the final, boss-level encounter.  Veteran DMs searching for a canned boss need only reach for Exemplars of Evil, but to my mind the audience who will find the most use will probably be inexperienced DMs seeking to move on from pre-created purchased adventures like The Red Hand of Doom (http://www.wargamer.com/article/2311/dungeons-&-dragons-%E2%80%93-red-hand-of-doom-campaign).  These DMs may not be fully prepared to create the ultimate, unforgettable boss, but they are ready to start crafting their own adventures.  For them Exemplars of Evils is an excellent transition tool.

Libris Mortis – The Book of Undead

OK, this is stepping away from the alphabetic order I had previously followed, but the break with tradition has a purpose, so hang with me.  Libris Mortis was a book I thought about buying for a long time but was hesitant to take the plunge.  When I finally bought it, I was glad I did.  This is more than just an undead-themed Monster Manual.  Libris Mortis goes beyond a simple compilation of monsters that happen to be undead.  Instead it starts by examining the nature of being undead itself.  After all, a skeleton and a vampire are two entirely different things, are they not? What is a skeleton beyond a simple, animated pile of bones?  A vampire is a complex, intelligent, nay, possibly sympathetic creature (don’t believe me – try arguing with a teen about Edward in Twilight and see what response you get!).  Vampires are not merely undead, they are living dead with needs (mostly to feed).  Libris Mortis plunges directly into the nitty gritty of the undead, and does a fine job of cataloging them in a most Aristotelian fashion.  Got trouble figuring out how the character motivation of a wraith varies from a ghost?  Look no further than Libris Mortis.  The first few pages on undead feeding habits alone is a good read, nevermind the discussion of how the undead perceive religion.  And we haven’t even looked at the second chapter yet, where the option gets put on the table to make an undead character.  Think the world has ended for Bill the Barbarian when he got level drained past zero by the Villainous Vin The Vampire?  Think again!  This could be the first day of the rest of your life…as a vampire, anyway. 

The typical expansion format carries on in Libris Mortis; the third chapter discusses undead prestige classes, chapter four covers spells, chapter five is equipment, chapter six ads new undead monsters.  Chapter seven then devotes 54 pages to various aspects of running undead in a campaign.  Again, this material is mostly for the use of DMs (players stay out!), but chapters two, three, and four are perfect material if you have a sporting group who doesn’t mind trying to hide from the Paul the Paladin the fact that Bill-the-now-Vampire actually is hunting at night not because it’s more sporting (as a would-be barbarian might boast) but rather because he’ll turn to dust in daylight.  Libris Mortis becomes almost indispensable for DMs who are gaming with a heavy undead element in their campaigns.  The background information in the first chapter is worth the price of the book.  It provides the opportunity to move the campaign from a “oh, darn, another zombie” to “holy $#!^, they’re actually going to church?”  Libris Mortis presents undead not just as obstacles to be hacked through, but possibly masters of an entire world; certainly they become more complex, and therefore more interesting, and, as Exemplars of Evil points out, the worst bad guys are the most memorable. 

Heroes of Horror

Heroes of Horror.  Just the name should send chills down a PC’s spine.  I have been yearning to write about Heroes of Horror since it landed on my lap, but events, as they say, overtook me many times.  The Halloween season is now in full bloom, and I can think of no better time than now to introduce gamers to the single best horror supplement (and only, now that I think of it) on the market.  Heroes of Horror is listed last here, because I have saved the best for last.  It’s the reason why my fine alphabetical listing of these supplements has been, like the dreams of so many optimistic PCs, shattered like a mirror behind which a monster was lurking and has just now pounced….

If the worst bad guys are the most memorable, sometimes the worst campaigns are the most memorable, too.  Nothing spells horror like taking reality and bending it into a barely discernable figment of its former self.  It’s one thing to draw up a villain, spec him out according to the book, staff his castle (or dungeon) with minions, call you buddies and tell them “game on”.  Those can be fun.  Heroes of Horror seeks to take a DM’s story crafting/telling ability and level it up.  Maybe even power level it up.  Similar to Libris Mortis, the first twelve pages of Heroes of Horror are worth the price of the book.  Even for DMs who don’t want to run a horror-themed campaign, the tips on how to create tension and build suspense are top shelf.  DMs who incorporate these tips in their gaming will have a better campaign on those few pages alone.

But horror is more than just good story telling.  Building tension, relieving it, building it again to higher levels of fear and uncertainty…these are the hallmarks of horror.  Uncertainty is introduced in Heroes of Horror at an early stage.  Page 4 steps forth to address the concept of Taint.  Taint is a game variant that can be used to either replace or augment alignment.  Fighting the most corrupt and vile creatures in D&D can sometimes leave a mark.  Taint seeks to place a game mechanic around that idea.  Players need not commit any evil acts themselves; sometimes merely being exposed to the forces of evil will poison a character’s soul.  Chapter two lays out a clear discussion of how to create adventures the players will dread.  Theory is mixed with application, and a concept that is discussed is followed with a sample adventure to incorporate the idea.  A DM can borrow that encounter to insert into his campaign, or simply use it as a reference from which to build.  The adventures are compellingly crafted and although no warning label accompanies Heroes of Horror, there is subject matter in here that would qualify any film for an R rating. 

Chapters three and four take the logical next step, and the DM is carried from crafting a small adventure to crafting a campaign using techniques to build horror.  There is a brief discussion in the use of horror with published campaign settings like Faerûn, Greyhawk, and Eberron.  The discussion then takes the DM from known, solid ground, to surreal settings where things don’t quite work as expected.  Uncertainty can build fear, but the DM needs to understand that he, too, plays by rules – even if the PCs don’t recognize them anymore.  This discussion is excellent, and serves to help craft a world where the broken is common, and, a bit like Alice in Wonderland, the common is strange.  Yet through this the DM needs to have guidelines that keep the PCs on the hook; they need to feel like they’re playing a game with rules and the DM isn’t cheating.  This discussion and the treatment of things gone awry do a fantastic job of providing structure to something that, at least outwardly, is terrifyingly unstructured.  Again there are solid examples of encounters that help to underscore the theory that was previously discussed.

The fifth chapter covers heroes and antiheroes.  New classes and prestige classes are introduced which can serve to provide PCs more variety or fill in the role of a villain.  New feats and spells follow along, and the overall mix provides some interesting variants specifically crafted to a horrific setting.  The sixth chapter introduces new monsters to vex the PCs.  Strangely Heroes of Horror, like waking from a nightmare ends abruptly and without conclusion.  I prefer to think this is no accident, and the analogy is intentional. 

Waking from the Nightmare

Unlike Heroes of Horror, I won’t leave readers to suddenly wake without warning.  Of the four books discussed, I find the two I turn to most often are Heroes of Horror and Libris Mortis.  If I had to rank the four in order of preference, my favorite is Heroes of Horror, followed by Libris Mortis.  Then Book of Vile Darkness and last Exemplars of Evil.  Of the four, Heroes of Horror and Libris Mortis are indispensable.  Book of Vile Darkness is good to simply carry around and intimidate the party with.  Exemplars of Evil may be of less use to DMs unless they need a well-crafted boss-level bad guy on short notice.  All of these books offer solid advice, at least part of which can be transferred to any game.  D&D 4.0 is such a different game system that it’s unlikely players hot and heavy will find much use for any of them, outside of Heroes of Horror.  Despite a heavy grounding of examples in the 3.5 ruleset, Heroes of Horror has excellent advice no matter what the game system.  Should a player deep into 4.0 go out and buy it?  On a weight/cost analysis, Heroes of Horror has a great deal of its wealth in the 3.5 system.  It has good advice, but the examples, monsters, etc. won’t easily convert to 4.0.  That decision remains with the player.  For those groups who are playing a mix of 4.0 and 3.5 (or haven’t bother to move to 4.0), these books are excellent additions to the 3.5 world, and I would highly recommend taking a look at them – especially since Halloween is almost here.