Review of Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 4: Dragons

Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 4: Dragons by SJ Games

With a volume about dragons, of course I had to review it. Dragons are awesome! Which is one of the reasons why I named my blog after them. It is written by Sean Punch, the GURPS Line Editor.

Executive Summary: Just knowing the title and what this volume was about, made it an instant buy! After reading it and finding four dragons and rules to make my own fantastic and unique creatures, I do not regret it. Having read the Introduction, I wished the new traits had been stated out and given character point costs. Having read all of it, I figure I can attempt doing that on my own in another blog post. It also presents a view of dragons that is a breath of fresh air compared to what I have seen in the past, allowing those that want that to do that and those who don’t to stick to what they know.

I’m a conservative grader and give it 7/10.

The Introduction tells us what this volume is and what it isn’t. And explains how to read the stats and why dragons and their new traits aren’t given a point cost.

Yer Basic Dragons set the assumptions on what a dragon is and give stats for the various sizes of dragon, Small, Medium, Large, and Gargantuan. With a sidebar for even bigger dragons. It also gives us an introduction to how one dragon can differ from another. And that “[b]reath weapons and special abilities aren’t tied to size, age, or bloodline.” Which is completely opposite of what I’m used to, but gives a new face to what it means to be a dragon and how to fight them.

Dragon’s Breath explains the variations of available breath weapons. From clouds to cones and what types of breath weapons they have available, such as Acid, Frost, and Fire. And several more, some of them really interesting. And ways to make them both less and more powerful.

Distinguishing Your Dragon lists several other kinds of traits that a dragon could have, with some comments on rarity. As well as how difficult they might make the encounter. Including dragon magic, with a couple of new rules that make it extra interesting, and ideas on how to modify their breath weapon. And sidebars on their temperament and how unforgettable they should be.

Dragons in Action cover a dragon’s tactics and what a GM should think about when they are controlling one.

Not Your Average Dragon lists four interesting and different dragons based on the rules in this volume.

Review: Hall of Judgment

Hall of Judgment

Hall of Judgment is an expansion and rewrite of Lost Hall of Tyr for Dungeons and Dragons 5e.

Executive Summary: Hall of Judgment is an interesting, Viking themed adventure with enhanced survival and grappling systems, a variety of sample characters to control, and challenges to face. A worthy first foray into third-party content for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG from SJ Games.

I am a conservative grader and give it 6/10.

The Foreword and Preface were short and interesting, drawing the reader into the 120 pages of the book itself. This is only the second Kickstarter ever I’ve participated in, the first was the Dungeon Fantasy RPG from SJ Games that this product supports. And Hall of Judgment has a Viking theme which seems cool. It is also my first ever product from Gaming Ballistic, though I read Douglas Cole’s blog and his The Deadly Spring article may very well be the Pyramid article that I’ve gotten the most use out of ever.

The town of Isfjall and its surroundings is an interesting place and the first map in the book. It feels lived in and gives you information on how it is to live there. In honor, law, and tradition. As well as what you can get your hands on and for how much.

The Journey tells us how we get where we’re going and what we can expect on the way. Each of these things is described in their own paragraph, classified as animals and men, locations and weather, and conflict! And there’s a very useful section on Wilderness Survival that could be handy anywhere, letting you know what you need, how much you can get from animals you hunt on the way, and how you get it, as well as how you deal with temperature and weather.

The Logiheimli Ruins can be explored and we are provided with another map. Lohiheimli means Law Home and was a village, the fortress of a jarl, and a temple to the Law God. Each area is then described and classified, informing us of the Challenge, Concealed, Alternatives, and/or Reward of the area in question. So that we know what each area is, what is troubling it, what’s not readily apparent, and what we get out of saving the day. But a little more detail could in some cases have been helpful for the novice GM.

Dómstóllinn has a map of the area around the Hall of Judgment. Like the Logiheimli Ruins, each area is described and classified with Challenge, Concealed, Alternatives, and/or Reward. Though one of them is instead divided into Prepare, Protect, Perceive, and Puncture.

Nordalf Warrens have a number of maps describing each of the warrens. The tradition of describing and classifying each area with Challenge, Concealed, Alternatives, and/or Reward continued, giving the whole adventure a homogenized feel. Though some locations also had entries for Traps and more diversified rewards in Coins and Stuff.

In Fantastic Dungeon Grappling, a detailed grappling system is explored to enhance the vanilla of Dungeon Fantasy RPG. Those who use grappling in their games or want to use grappling in their games can find as much use of this chapter as hunters and survivalists could with the earlier Wilderness Survival section.

The Bestiary describes a number of different creatures sorted in eleven different classes: Animal, Dire Animal, Giant Animal, Demon, Elemental, Faerie, Hybrid, Mundane, Plant, Spirit, and Undead. As well as the traits the heroes can use to know about them and interact with them. And as suggested by the classification, there is a large and interesting variety of creatures to encounter, many of them with images of what they look like as well as the stats.

There are 16 Sample Characters, including one using the new Wrestler profession. All of the basic professions are included, including two Clerics, two Knights, and three Wizards. So there’s a lot of variety. There is a new trait, Specialist Magery, and a list of tasks the group should be able to complete so that they can prepare accordingly.

The volume then ends with a one page Index.