Another great product from Rich Howard and Tribality. Interesting new caster class that feels familiar yet distinct from the other offerings in the PHB. Theres a lot of variety in the type of alchemist you can be, with 7 unique archetypes including Artificer (skilled tinker), Herbwarden (apothecary/healer with a bit of plant affinity) , Irezumi (using ink and tattoos for magic), Metamorph (changing and enhancing the body), Poisoner (pretty self explantory), Pyromancer ( specializing in fireworks, explosives, etc), and Re-Animator (because everyone wants to be Frankenstein). Each subclass brings its own flavor and feeling to the class, granting interesting abilities and leading to interesting story opportunities. Rich does an especially great job of littering the text with helpful tips and suggestions to customize the various aspects of being an Alchemist to create a richer character, story, and gaming experience. And as with all of Tribality's offerings, the layout and design of this pdf is clean and easy to use. I cannot recommend this enough, 6 out of 5 stars, get these excellent options in your game.

UPDATE: one of my players has been playing a Poisoner in my new campaign and it has been an EXCELLENT and FUN time. this is the best 5e supplement out there and you need it.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This little expansion-pdf for the ranger class clocks in at 8 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let's take a look!

After a brief page of introduction to the matter at hand, we get a total of 3 different ranger archetypes, the first of which would be the Lantern-bearer. At 3rd level, these guys get a weaponized brass lantern, which inflicts 1d4 bludgeoning damage and acts as a finesse weapon. As a purely cosmetic gripe, while by now finesse weapons are unanimously 1-handed, for future-proofing purposes I would have specified that. The lantern-bearer may expend ranger spell slots to inflict bonus fire damage when attacking, starting at 2d6 for a 1st level spell, +1d6 for every spell slot beyond that, to a maximum of 5d6. The fire inflicts +1d6 damage versus beasts, monstrosities or undead. Additionally, the character can place the lantern on the ground or put it on a hook and expend spell slots to enhance the healing capabilities of those resting within its glow, grant resistance to necrotic and cold damage and advantage on saves versus the frightened and charmed condition. And no, the two abilities do not allow for cheesing.

At 7th level, the archetype gains Shadowed Paths, which can be used only once per rest-interval - two benefits can be chosen: Dispelling obscuring effects of targets hit or bonus action teleport to the lantern's bright light radius' edge while in an obscured area both make for cool effects. 11th level increases base damage of the lantern to 1d8 for both fire and mundane damage. Additionally, creatures of aforementioned types now take damage while within the glow of a placed lantern. 15th level lets allies with channel divinity or healing spells ignore the range limitations of the healing effects while within the placed lantern's light and yes, it does take care of AoE-healing as well. Okay, I'll admit it - as a Ravenloft/Dark Souls/Darkest Dungeon/etc.-fanboy, this had me pretty soon. I love this archetype.

Archetype number 2 would be the stormcloak and at 3rd level, this one has a similar ability like the lantern-bearer - spell-slot expenditure for bonus damage, this time around your choice of either lightning or thunder damage. 7th level provides resistance to both lightning and thunder and when you suffer either damage type, you may use your reaction to absorb part of the damage for 1 round, adding +2d6 damage of the type absorbed to damage; +1d6 if used in conjunction with aforementioned spell-slot expenditure ability. 11th level is a bit weird - when you inflict damage with two weapons in a single round, you add +3d6 thunder damage to one target damaged. 15th level increases the potency of the weapon-imbuing trick, adding 10 temporary hit points (or those suffered, whichever is less) that last for 1 minute. While these persist, you may spend the bonus action to fly up to your speed, but you do fall if you don't end the movement on solid ground.

The third archetype herein would be the Thornguard, who begins third level with snare mastery, which allows you to create a deployable trap during a long rest (only one may be in effect at a given time) - these can inflict the blinded, poisoned, pushed, restrained, stunned conditions and may be deployed as a bonus action. The Wisdom (Perception)-DC to notice it is equal to your save DC, and conversely, said DC is what's required to disable it via thieves' tools. Traps can be sprung as a reaction to an enemy standing in them and deal a basic 2d6 piercing damage, with spell-slot expenditure being possible to increase the damage inflicted. Interesting: Thus magically laced traps can inflict other damage types (lightning, poison, thunder) and disarming not triggered traps is covered as well.

7th level increases the area of effect your snares affect, though the magic enhancements aren't as potent here and, oddly, RAW, does not allow for a similar damage type choosing; the bonus damage is not perfectly codified this time around. The ability also nets your resistance versus damage incurred by traps or glyphs of warding. 11th level rewards dealing damage to one foe per round twice in a single turn, moving hostile creatures and imposing disadvantage on saves versus traps on the target. The base damage of the traps is also increased. 15th level lets you store a second snare when completing a long rest and allows you to reassemble them after 1 minute after combat. This may be a bit late - snares being the unique selling point here, I do think that at least the +1 snare being moved down to 7th level may be sensible.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, though the italicized sections of sub-feature lists are, formatting-wise, not smart. While we have no spell-formatting confusion this time around, as a whole, that could happen. Still, no issue. Layout adheres to Tribality's nice 2-column full-color standard, with fitting full-color photography as artwork. The pdf has no bookmarks, but at this low length, I can live with that.

Brandes Stoddard's ranger archetypes are generally solid - with one very minor hiccup, the rules-language remains precise and we get one damn amazing archetype with the lantern-bearer. The other archetypes fall slightly short of that one's awesomeness, but as a whole, they're not bad either and make for nice options. The stormcloak would have benefited from an ability that is more than a more flexible tweak of a part of the lantern-mechanic, but that's just me being a spoiled SOB. As a whole, this is worth the fair asking price. My final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded up by a margin due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This pdf clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let's take a look!

One issue you'll immediately bump into when playing a pirate campaign in 5e would be that the official backgrounds don't have that much variety to offer; you basically choose sailor. Yeah, that gets a bit old pretty quick when the whole group takes it, right? Well, this little pdf actually features 4 variants of the background: Privateers retain the basic framework, but since they're sailing for a nation, their feature provides friendly shores, where nobles and commoners alike are more likely to accommodate your requests. The ship's surgeon background is slightly more complex, providing a variation of skill proficiencies received, gaining both Investigation and Medicine as well as tool proficiency with Herbalism kits and water vehicles. Similarly, such a kit is part of the starting equipment provided. As a feature, they may use a healer's kit to heal creatures for 1 hit point, but only once per long-rest interval.

Navigators similarly get modified proficiencies: Skill-wise, Nature and Perception, tool-wise Cartographer's tools, navigator's tools and water vehicles. One of the tool kits is part of the starting equipment. As a feature, you cannot become lost while you can see either sun or moon - which is pretty cool! The final background, the explorer, has a story feature that is pretty cool: You are the only one to have returned from a far-off, mythical place - which provides all kinds of cool story-telling options.

The pdf also features 3 new feats: Deck Brawler is only available for those with the sailor background or its variants and lets you increase Str or Dex by 1, to a maximum of 20, provides +2 initiative when standing on something floating on water, climbing doesn't halve your speed anymore and you add your proficiency bonus to any check that involves boarding another vessel. The latter is a bit ambiguous: If the respective action already receives the proficiency bonus, do you add it a second time? I guess that might be the case, but I'm not 100% sure.

The second feat would be Flintlock Expert, which nets proficiency with pistols, doesn't impose disadvantage when using a ranged weapon within a foe that's 5 ft. of you. Additionally, you may use a bonus action to attack with a loaded pistol after attacking with a melee attack. The third feat, Nimble, nets a Dexterity increase, up to a maximum of 20 as well as +1 AC when wearing light or no armor.

The pdf also offers a whole array of new weaponry: Bayonets and belaying pins, boarding axes, dirks, hooks, cutlasses, rapiers and scimitars can be found. The pdf also features a total of 4 martial ranged weapons: Flintlocks, Dragon Pistols, Blunderbusses and Flintlock Muskets. The pdf offers alternate damage outputs for games where guns are rare, which is a nice touch. Both blunderbusses and dragon pistols can alternatively fire cone-spread shots and e.g. attaching or taking off hooks is covered here. On a slightly nitpicky side, the pdf does not mention that the ammunition can't be scavenged after being fired, though that should be pretty obvious. Still, RAW, it can be.

We also get an array of nice items - from astrolabe to eye patches and nautical charts, up to reed breathing tubes, the items provided are cool.

The final section of the pdf introduces a total of 6 shipboard roles: These are relevant only on board of a ship and provide additional options while engaged in naval combat. Some of them have specific prerequisites regarding background or proficiency. Captains may use their bonus action to grant an ally that can see or hear him advantage on their next attack roll, skill check or saving throw, but only once per short rest interval. Additional, via an Int-check as their action, they may find weak spots in enemy vessels, granting advantage to attacks versus the vessel until your next turn.

The quartermaster may use his action to choose a crew member within 60 feet, granting said member advantage on the next attack, skill check or saving throw - this guy does not have the captain's 1/rest interval-limit, though. Pilots can make Dex-checks to impose disadvantage on attacks versus their vessel until their next turn, but only once per rest interval. The Boatswain may use his action to supervise ship repairs, recovering 1d4 + level hit points for the vessel. Master Gunners may use their action to fire all guns on one side of the ship at the same time, foregoing the usual turns. One attack roll is made for all cannons, with advantage. On a miss, the broadside still inflicts half damage. The Ship's Surgeon, finally, may revive crew members via DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) checks, with two options provided for different degrees of abstraction - nice!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant issues in either rules-language or formal criteria. Layout adheres to Tribality Publishing's elegant 2-column full-color standard and the pdf sports thematically fitting photography as art...which frankly works surprisingly well! The pdf has no bookmarks, but at the short length, needs none.

Shawn Ellsworth's little toolkit is well-crafted; the options presented are a significant step up and render depicting naval combat in 5e significantly more rewarding. My complaints pertaining this pdf should thus be taken as slightly nitpicky, not true detractors: As a brief file, it doesn't offer full background goal, personality trait, ideal, etc. options for the variant backgrounds - these may be dressing only, but I rather like them. The ammunition-scavenging component is another minor hiccup in my book. My third complaint would pertain the ship roles: I LOVE them. I really do. That being said, I think they would be even more rewarding if each featured at least two options...or options to further upgrade them via feats or the like.

That being said, all of these complaints boil ultimately down to the scope of this humble pdf: What it manages to portray in its scant few pages is impressive and deserves being acknowledged. It also was one of Tribality Publishing's first offerings, which makes it even more remarkable and means that it gets a bit of leeway.

How to rate this, then? Well, I don't consider this perfect, but for the very fair price-point, this is well worth getting...and I hope to see the theme expanded at some point in the future! My final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.

A nice supplement full of useful elements for a steampunk/old west/20's era game. It kind of makes me wonder what Tribality might do if they tried to do Occult-style material. I was pleased with the array of weapons, especially the chain saw, cane weapons, many guns, and riding crop. The Assassin's armor is great and its nice to see the buckler, but I feel like the Masterwork Coat was a missed opportunity, being more expensive, but lighter, than leather isn't really all that great. I'd suggest making it an action to don and doff like PF's armored coat. The Backgrounds are ok, though the features could be better worded. Adventuring Gear such as photographic cameras and wristwatches are nice flavorful items to have, but I wish there was more there (corset, typewriter, bicycle, ballon/dirgible).

Oddly, steamer trunk, tool/utility belt, and wristwatch are listed at the bottom of the Tools table. Of the feats Firearms Expert is good and necessary with the array of guns made available, but Nimble (filling the absent space of Light Armor Mastery from the PHB) is both strong and boring (a speedy don/doff would be good here too, or advantage with Acrobatics as you use the padding to your advantage) and Tinkerer is just boring (granting someone the unloved rock gnome Tinker racial ability... really?) I understand why it may have been done, most steampunk is human only, still... I'd have liked to have seen some stronger-flavored anachronistic feats featuring technology like the adventuring gear made available above, vehicles (dirgible, motorcar), or the horror and discovery themes so common to the (sub)genre.

Genies for Fifth Edition is not, as one might expect from the title, a book of genie-type creatures (though it does include four genies of legend) but rather primarily a book about genies and their magic. If you are thinking of including genies in your D&D Fifth edition game, this product, though short, will give you useful ideas and tools to build from.

Genies for Fifth Edition is for D&D 5e by Colin McLaughlin and published by Tribality Publishing is about genies and their magic. The layout is clear with thematic color photographs for illustrations.

It begins with a brief look at how genies perceive the world and the four elemental courts they are organized into, and what they want. It is short but evocative and provides the framework for the rest of the book.

Next are four genies of legend, each one a powerful exemplar of its element and has their own lair, briefly described, complete with lair actions. These are tough (CR 16) beings so not everyday encounters but good to have access to in a world with genies about.

Next there are new spells: one aligned with each element for Cantrip (Zero), First and Fourth Level spells. The First level spells are an interesting design as each enhance the cantrip of the same elemental type. While the fourth level spells let you call upon the power of the genie-kind, granting you a spark of their power including protection from their element.

Eleven new magic items (the “Genie’s Horde”) round out the product with a good mix of weapons, defenses and utility items including a cursed hat and a carpet that functions as a trap. A nice selection even if a few are quite specialized, a common trait among D&D magic items though.

A good selection of genie-based magic and idea here, that being said, it really seems like this book should have had a genie-based subclass or two to really have a character type who was integrated into the lore presented here.

Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Note: Read more reviews and other gaming articles at my journal https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/

Fire and steel. All he could see was fire and steel. Fire and steel and war, a maelstrom of blades and blood, so much blood. Father will be pleased. But it is never enough, never enough to clench the thirst of a God. Shouting his name out to the sky he rushed to his brothers for one final stand. Father will be pleased.

Rinse and rub, the breastplate was almost ready. She always wanted to do it herself, despised magic for such mundane tasks. She focused now on the most difficult parts, the edges near the collar or the hinges at the shoulders. This was her favourite; there were scratches and dents that escaped the armorers that repaired it. This scratch here must be from that devil’s claws, that dent over there from the heretic’s maul. All of them made to cleanse this world. Just like her breastplate. Satisfied, she stood up, the sun just appearing from the window of her cell. Maybe with haste she’ll be on time for the morning prayer.

Running like the wind, she made good time on the glade. She could feel Yal’thearas pouncing at some distance on her left. Leaves and branches rushed by her, some brushing her tanned skin, others giving way with loud cracks as she rushed on her way in the forest. Now it is not time for caution, just speed. With a big leap she found herself amidst the younglings, as they are surrounded by the wraiths. She pulled out her horn and let loose a piercing cry that made birds fly away and the shaken younglings were able to stand firm again. As for the wraiths, Yal’thearas was already upon them.

Tribality and Brandes Stoddard bring us the Mysteries of The Gods-New Cleric Domains and Spells. As expected, the publication is broken down in two major parts, the new Cleric Domains and then the spells.

The Cleric Domains are three:

Blood Domain, where your Cleric becomes more Fighter-y gaining proficiency to more armor and weapons, increased ability to keep on fighting plus the ability to help others do the same. At bigger levels you’ll be able to inflict more damage too. They can take up the mantle of the party heavy-hitter and combined with another such character can really pose a hard-braking line. I can see this a must-have options for battle-heavy campaigns.

Exorcism Domain, where your Cleric becomes able to turn Fey and Fiends as well, clear your allies’ minds (thematically this ability is not only great, but also so much theatrical) and at bigger levels you are an even much bigger threat against Fey and Fiends. Thus, they have tremendous RP potential. The mechanics are there for sure, but you can build upon the idea behind this Domain for really memorable characters. My only concern is that generally I dislike player options that narrow down powers and abilities against certain creature types, making these options redundant if the DM has something else in store.

Spirit Domain, where your Cleric becomes effectively a Tribal Shaman, gaining a ghostly animal companion (restricted to four specific animals). Pretty much all the special abilities you gain through this Domain play around the use of your animal companion, except the last one that makes the Spirit Cleric more resilient and potent. Spirit Clerics (aka Shamans) are a cleverly executed “Pet Class”.The options available of the said animal companion are limited to four but these four are actually four different types of companions. So, easily one can alter the name of each option accordingly to the campaign setting and/or character background. Interestingly enough, this is not the first Shaman provided by a Tribality Publishing product; the “Shaman Class for Fifth Edition” by M. Long has the Spirit Shaman subclass that thematically is identical, but approaches the subject from a different angle (M. Long’s Shaman is a Spirit Warrior with a Spirit Companion focusing on completely different aspects than the Spirit Cleric).

The second part of the document provides eight new spells, half of which are cantrips. Some of them are given as extra spells in the new Domains of the first part, but pretty much all of them can be added to the spell lists of all the spellcasting classes. The author provides in a relative sidebar some ideas about that.

The cantrips in particular are really original. All of them are damaging cantrips, with damage that scales per level, plus some other minor effect. I’d prefer some different wording in Song of Battle though, because as is seems a bit too powerful.

The rest of the spells are relative to the themes already discussed. My personal favourite is Righteous Accusation that really embodies all of the idea behind the Exorcist.

All in all, Mysteries of the Gods looks like a really helpful supplement for 5e Clerics. You get fresh options build upon some classic ideas. For the price tag offered, it can be proven to be a fine purchase indeed.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This pdf clocks in at 8 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let's take a look!

This review was moved up in my review-queue as a prioritized review at the request of my patreons. The review is based on V.1 of the pdf.

We begin this class with a brief, concise introduction to the subject matter at hand, including advice on creating a gunfighter and quick-build information. Gunfighters begin play with the option to create ammo and the like, with a nice, suggested alternate rule based on Intelligence modifier. In a minor nitpick, the material cost and maintenance-section of the item mentions $1.00 of the item's market value - a conversion rate of $1 = 5 gp is provided, but generally, considering the setting-agnostic nature of the class, this may be perceived as a needless complication by some. I won't penalize the pdf for it, but it is something to keep in mind. If a PC is not using at least 1 hour in a long rest to clean the guns he owns, natural 1s and 2s result in the broken condition for the weapon. A gunfighter can keep a number of firearms in good repair like this equal to his Intelligence modifier. At 13th level, you may craft twice your Intelligence modifier bullets during a long rest.

Now, let's take a look at the gun-rules required here: Ammo can't be salvaged (check!), broken condition requires an Intelligence saving throw on critical misses to avoid (no auto-blow-up). Focus is important - these weapons require steadying - as an action, movement is reduced to 0 ft. and, on the next turn, the gun can be fired. Guns are loud and can be heard FAR away and reloading is an action. Firearms with spread deal AoE-damage, but allow for Dex-saves based on you Intelligence modifier and proficiency bonus to negate.

The pdf provides 4 such weapons: Single action revolvers, repeating rifles, shotguns and buffalo rifles, with the latter being the only one requiring focus - and it better should, considering 4d10 piercing base damage, as opposed to 2d6 for the revolver.

The class gets 1d10 HD, simple weapon and firearm proficiency, vehicle (land) ans smith's tools as well as Dex- and Int-save proficiency and their choice of Animal Handling, Deception, Insight, Investigation (called "Investigate" here), Perception, Sleight of Hand and Stealth regarding skill proficiency. The starting equipment contains a revolver and a horse and includes notes on costs of animals in the Wild West. Gunfighters begin play with a gunfighting style that includes melee-shotgun-using sans disadvantage or double pistol fighting. The latter is somewhat awkwardly phrased "You can treat the weapons as light, and take advantage of two weapon fighting with them." Does this mean the style grants advantage on attack rolls when dual-wielding? I assume no, but wording wise, the use of "advantage" isn't too great. Duel specialists add Intelligence modifier to atk and damage when one-handing guns. Long-distance shooters don't suffer disadvantage at long range and add Intelligence modifier to attack rolls. Fast draw specialists have advantage on their first attack each combat and can't be surprised.

2nd level provides an action surge for +1 action, but only once per rest-interval as well as advantage on Dexterity saving throws versus effects you can see coming - like traps, spells, etc. Ability score improvements are gained at 3th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 19th level. 11th level allows you to attack twice instead of once.

At 5th level, you may reload one firearm as a bonus action and 6th level allows you to ranged disarm foes once per rest-interval.

Starting at 9th level, you may infuse cold, fire or acid damage into up to 12 of your bullets. 17th level nets you evasion and 20th level allows you to add Wisdom modifier either to attack or damage rolls...which feels a bit odd, considering that the base chassis of the class is otherwise themed around Intelligence and Dexterity.

As you may have figured, the gunfighter does gain the obligatory archetype-selection, this time around called gunfighter path. A total of 3 such paths are included and they net abilities at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 15th and 18th level. The first of these paths would be the bounty hunter, who can choose creatures as their mark, gaining advantage on Intelligence (Investigate[sic!] - should be Investigation) and Wisdom (Perception) checks, gaining +2 to attacks versus them...but they can only have Intelligence modifier marks a day, with long rests resetting the timer. They also deal bonus damage versus marks and at 10th level, heal minor wounds once per rest-interval. 15th level nets a potentially paralyzing shot. 18th level, allows for special double damage shots - oddly, the pdf refers to being affected by "Wing 'em" - which I suppose was a WIP-name for the mark. Still, slightly confusing.

Desperados gain cunning action at 3rd level, 7th level sneak attack (scaling up to +4d6 at 19th level), uncanny dodge at 10th level and vanish at 15th. 18th level lets NO attack roll against you have advantage....which is pretty OP, imho. Somewhat odd: "If you are hit, you may take a reaction to make an Attack against the attack that hit you" - I think, some text is missing here...or the wording's a bit odd. You can target an attack, okay...what happens if you hit the attack? Do you shoot a missile out of the air? Do you sunder an axe? Or should that be attacker? No idea.

Finally, the Lone Ranger is the outdoorsman and gains advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) and 7th level nets crits on 19s and 20s. 10th level "Adds another fighting style" - which should probably refer to "gunfighting style" instead and 15th nets you a stunning shot, while 18th level allows you perform 1 level of exhaustion causing shots 1/day. Pretty cool.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are generally good, though, oddly, the final pages seem to drop a bit regarding their precision. Rules-language similarly is mostly precise and well-crafted, with some minor hiccups. The pdf comes with great, thematically fitting photography-style artworks and the pdf has no bookmarks, but at 6 pages, that's still okay. Layout adheres to Tribality's two-column full-color standard and is clean and concise, though the upper and lower borders are pretty broad.

Michael Long's gunfighter is per se a damn cool class - and for the most part, it is precise and well-crafted, with the first couple of pages only featuring very minor hiccups like "Investigate" instead of "Investigation" or the aforementioned unfortunate wording choice pertaining advantage being good examples. The gunfighter paths have somewhat more glitches and unfortunately, the pdf does have some glitches that influence the rules-language. While the gunfighter is functional and elegant and appropriate for new players due to the relatively easy to grasp rules and low complexity, it is the collection of these minor hiccups that makes it impossible for me to rate this as high as I'd like to. The gunfighter certainly is no funfighter; the gunfighter is a cool class for its low, and more than fair, price point. While not perfect, it certainly deserves a final verdict of 4 stars - if you expect no perfection, you'll probably love this class as an easy to use, fun Western-class.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review of the revised edition

This class for D&D 5e clocks in at 20 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 17 pages of content, so let's take a look!

This review is based on V.1 of the file.

The alchemist class comes with a sufficient array of introductory fluff, quick build rules and then proceeds to provide the respective crunch: The previously missing plusses have been added to the proficiency bonus and the notation of the HD, 1d8, now also 100% conforms to D&D 5e standards. Proficiency-wise, alchemists gain simple weapons, blowgun, hand crossbow and net as well as Aachemist supplies plus herbalism or poisoner kits. Saving throw proficiencies, fittingly, would be Con and Int and skill-wise, two from Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, perception and Religion are available. The starting equipment choices are sufficiently varied and allow for a nice array of customization and properly adhere to the standards established.

Alchemist spellcasting works a bit differently - while they gain cantrips, they refer to their spells as mixtures. While alchemists do gain 7th, 8th and 9th-level mixture slots, these only can be used to trigger or empower formulae from 1st to 6th level or utilize class features. Alchemist casting is a bit different: You expend a slot and then get the mixture's effects...but you may delay the onset/use of the mixture to a later date, with proficiency bonus denoting the cap of mixtures you can have ready to trigger at any given time. Here's the kick, though: Creatures with an Int of 4 or higher can spend their Action to trigger the mixture - you don't have to do so yourself! Attacks made by other characters with your mixture use their Intelligence modifier, but your proficiency bonus - this previously slightly wonky sentence is now streamlined and can't be misinterpreted anymore. Kudos!

You can prepare formula to turn into mixtures on a given day equal to Int-mod +alchemist level, minimum 1. Preparing a different formula does not require a short rest, only 1 minute of preparation per formula level. You need to succeed the concentration checks, if any, for your mixtures, even if someone else triggers them...unless you have reached 9th level and 15th level, at which point you may delegate the concentration of one or two mixtures simultaneously to other characters. The governing attribute for mixtures is Intelligence.

Some formulae can be prepared as rituals, provided they have the correct tag and alchemist formulae have Somatic and Material components, but no verbal components. At 1st level, you begin play with 6 1st level formulae, with each level providing +2 formulae of your choice. Formulae may be copied from spellbooks, scrolls, etc. and alchemists may attune magic items usually restricted to the sorceror and wizard classes as well as other, general spellcaster-exclusive items. 2nd level nets you more item preparation efficiency for alchemical items (proficiency modifier per day of downtime with your kit), excluding poisons or herbalism-based items. 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter (minus 20th, plus 19th) net you ability score increases. The capstone lets up to 3 creatures maintain concentration in your place.

The defining feature of the class, though, would certainly the alchemical tradition chosen at 3rd level, which truly defines the class - basically, these are the domains, the archetypes of the class. Each tradition sports bonus formulae, which are added to the formula-list of the alchemist in question, with the first such tradition being the artificer. At 3rd level, they get proficiency in three toolkits and at 6th level, the jack-of-all-traditions ability - which lets you add 3 formulae from other traditions, though these do not count as bonus formulae. 10th level lets you ignore class, race and alignment restrictions for item-attunement.

Additionally, you may choose to not regain mixture slots upon completion of a long rest, instead maintaining the functionality of those you already have created. 14th level becomes interesting: When you use a 7th level slot to prepare a mixture of 4th level or lower, it may be triggered twice before being expended. Long rests eliminate, as usual, both uses and rest the process. If the duration exceeds instantaneous, it can only be used a second time after the first use has elapsed. As soon as you have access to 8th level slots, you may do the same for this slot and mixtures of 5th level or lower.

At 18th level, 9th level and mixtures of 7th level or lower get a different upgrade - namely, duration: It increases to 10 days!!! If it is instantaneous, the mixture may be trigger your Intelligence modifier times per day. Effects that require concentration can be suspended as a bonus action and resumed as an action. Linked gates can be reopened by resuming concentration.

The second tradition would be the Herbwarden, who gains proficiency with Herbalism kits at 3rd level (which may be redundant if you haven't chosen poisoner kit at first level) and either Medicine or Nature, with Medicine being governed by Intelligence for you. Also at 3rd level, you may use field medicine to allow a target to expend HD as though he had completed a short rest, with higher levels increasing the number of HD a target can spend. Once a creature has thus been healed, it can't be healed again this way unless it has completed a short rest, providing a nice anti-abuse caveat. 6th level nets advantage on saves versus poison and versus effects generated by oozes, plants and plant creatures as well as increased item creation in downtime with herbalist kits, analogue to the previous archetype's crafting-enhancement.

10th level lets you double Int-mod when making Intelligence (Nature or Medicine) checks and when making healing mixtures. 14th level's ability has been revised and is rather cool: After a target has been healed or stripped of a negative condition or disease by you, it can choose, upon failing the next saving throw or ability check, to reroll one failed ability check or saving throw. 18th level nets the herbwarden the option to expend a 9th level slot to animate plants as a shambling mound that can be commanded via telepathy.

The third tradition would be the Irezumi, most of whose mixtures are intricate tattoos. As such, they gain proficiency with tattooing supplies at 3rd level -a new kit that now comes with a base price and weight.. Also at 3rd level, the irezumi gains two cantrips from any spellcasting class. At 6th level, irezumi can create mystic tattoos in an 8-hour process. Once the tattoo is created, you can charge a number of mystic tattoos equal to your proficiency bonus. You can charge the tattoos of other irezumi, if you want to. Tattoos can be triggered by the target as an action much like mixtures and the benefits last one hour.

The benefits depend upon the region: Arms grant resistance to one damage type chosen upon being tattooed, which imho could have used a finer restriction, since physical damage types and e.g. force or radiant are situationally more powerful and useful than others. Head can net you Advantage on Insight or Perception or Darkvision; Legs can provide these benefits to Athletics/Acrobatics or net +10 ft. movement and the torso nets advantage on one saving throw. 10th level allows the irezumi to grant a subject up to 2 mystic tattoos and 14th level allows you to charge a bonus formula of 4th level or lower into a mystic tattoo, allowing the user to trigger that formula.

Here's the thing, though: The formula is permanent. It is not expended upon being triggered, but any use beyond the first in a long-rest-interval incurs one level of exhaustion. I am a bit weary of this one in the long run - for as long as D&D 5e maintains the very high value of exhaustion, this is okay. As soon as a game has means of mitigating exhaustion, this may become problematic. This is just me being meta, though - so far, exhaustion remains one of the most crucial conditions in 5e and thus, this is solid. 18th level lets you create a master tattoo, which works analogue to the aforementioned tattoo, only with up to 6th level qualifying and two levels of exhaustion incurred upon repeated use.

The metamorph is pretty much the Dr Jekyll/Mr. Hyde alchemist - at 3rd level, expenditure of a 2nd level slot lets these guys trigger a combined alter self/enhance ability/mage armor with a duration of Concentration, up to 1 hour - but for the duration, you gain disadvantage on a mental ability's associated rolls. 6th level lets you use Int instead of Con to determine hit points, retroactive to 1st level, and 6th level further enhances the mutagen's effects. At 10th level, stoneskin is added to the fray and at 14th, regeneration is added alongside better natural weapons, advantage on concentration checks and an enhanced duration. Finally, at 18th level, the benefits are further expanded. Cool one!

The next one would be the poisoner, whose bonus formulae are considered to be poison effects. At 3rd level, you gain 6 doses of basic poison and now, also proficiency with the poisoner's kit. You also get proficiency in Sleight of Hand, Stealth and may apply poisons as a bonus action (3 for ammunition). You create proficiency bonus doses of poison per day in downtime and the may be ingested, inhaled or injury and deal 2d6 poison damage on a failed save- now properly used damage-type-wise. Kudos! After a long rest, you may refine poisons not crafted by you to apply benefits to them as though they were made by you - which now, in a didactically cleaner manner, directly points towards the respective abilities.

Well, yeah - at 6th level, you increase their save DC to your mixture save DC and when you harvest poison, you instead get proficiency modifier doses from a given creature. At 10th level, targets also acquire the poisoned condition when succumbing to your poisons and your poison creation quickens, now also for non-basic poisons. At 14th level, you may expend mixture slots to weaken targets versus poisons and diseases or even bypass poison immunity/resistance. At 18th level allows you to expend slots to make mixtures particularly lethal and poisons generated thus nigh impossible to negate.

The penultimate tradition would be the pyromancer, who can manipulate the damage-type of evocation-cantrips and spells by changing it to one of the classic energies or physical types. 6th level provides resistance to one of the classic energy damage types, though you can change the type after a short rest. 10th level adds Int-mod to the damage of evocation mixtures and 14th level provides an array of benefits that allow you to double the radius, range or make the AoE into cones or single squares by using a 7th level slot for a 5th level or lower evocation. The 18th level ability fails to specify the level it is gained, but imposes disadvantage on saves versus 7th level or lower evocations prepared via a 9th level slot.

The final tradition would the nod to ole' Herby West, the re-animator, who gets find familiar at 3rd level and may choose a crawling claw or homunculus . Any familiar is undead, though it gains advantage on saves versus effects specifically targeting the undead. Also at this level, you double your Int-mod for Medicine-checks and gain sneak attack progression of up to +5d6 at 18th level. At 6th level, undead you create also have the advantage of your familiar and at 10th level, you gain advantage on saves versus disease, poison and fear as well as the option to use a bonus action once per activity interval to temporarily gain resistance to damage from non-magical weapons and advantage on ability checks for 1 minute. At 14th level, you can use create undead to make (or assert control over) flesh golems and revenants and at 18th level, you can make either two flesh golems or two revenants...provided, for both abilities, that you expend the high-level slot.

It should also be noted that the pdf has a nod towards the intriguing Salt-in-Wounds-series (Think high, dark fantasy with a society based on the regenerating flesh of the subdued tarrasque) and advice on creating your own traditions.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting have been SIGNIFICANTLY improved and now are top-notch. Where the rules-language wasn't 100% perfect before, it now is. The sub-abilities no longer are italicized, which means you can easily see the now properly italicized spells. Even cosmetic and didactic complaints I nitpicked are fixed. Kudos indeed! Layout adheres to an elegant two-column, full-color standard with pretty big borders at the top and bottom and several pieces of thematically fitting art that has a photo-like-look. First, I considered it to be a bit jarring, but it rather grew on me.

Rich Howard and Tribality Publishing have taken an already good, evocative class and sanded off teh rough edges, showing that they care for their books, rendering the new alchemist superior in every way to its predecessor. The special casting of the class and its internal nomenclature are surprisingly consistent. While I wasn't blown away by all traditions and while I think they do vary slightly in power, I was particularly surprised by the poisoner and irezumi. While the latter can be considered to be perhaps one of the strongest options herein, it also is a class that requires the interaction with a group to prosper. And seeing unifying tattoos on a group by the same artist can be pretty cool roleplying material. If an irezumi dies and a survivor looks at the tattoo as someone asks how she got it...well, let's just say that I think the class and its modular traditions (of which we'll hopefully see more in the future) proved to be interesting to me. The level of care and detail that went into updating this pdf and the significant improvements make this revised edition now well worth 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

Through his monocle he could see the flaming airship lost in the cavern. With a grin, the Tiefling adjusted his collar and patted the dust off his forearms. "Well chaps, it seems our work here is done" declared with his -usual- pompous tone and headed to the horses.

Nothing but a toy soldier was on the floor. At least it seemed so. The orc slavers entered the dimly lit room with their cutlasses in hand, their eyes moving nervously in all directions. Like a whisper a hand shot out, once, twice, thrice, the orc slavers' bodies hitting the floor. The Elf Assassin wiped the bloody dagger on one of her victims' clothes, hid the dagger in one of her sleeve pockets and the toy soldier in the other and silently as death left the room.

Bursting through the valley, the train looked like a beast from hell. Dar'rgurn new, this IS a beast from hell. He counted his heartbeats as soon as the human contraction passed the Bloody Boulder. On the count of five Dar'rgurn fired his cannon, the lead ball hitting the train engine at the side, the explosion that followed rocking the valley some more. The humans should not pass through here, not any more.

The latest Tribality Publishing product gives us the tools and equipment to create Steampunk flavored characters. There are three major parts of the product are:

Backgrounds Equipment Feats Plus an Appendix

In the Backgrounds section we find the Fortune Teller background, a really thought of background that uses characteristics found in the Charlatan background of D&D 5e PHB. I do not know if this is too much steampunk, as we can find a fortune teller in pretty much any setting and this is a good thing. Also, we find a variant Guild Artisan, the Apothecary. As also with the Fortune Teller, you can very easily adjust the Apothecary to many settings.

The Equipment section is the biggest of the publication and one can find a lot of arms, armor and equipment to really flesh out a proper Steampunk themed character. You can find really unique stuff here, like the Sawblade Launcher and the Assassin Outfit or some more mundane ones that could as well be in the 5e PHB but are not, like the Sabre. Additionally, there are some found in 5e PHB that get a slight twist, like the Whip. There are a couple more that are common with 5e PHB and they have no changes whatsoever, I guess they are included so as the list provided can act like an easy to use list of steampunk flavoured equipment, rather than a list of purely new equipment.

The Adventuring Gear and Tools provided assume the appropriate level of technology, we are talking steampunk here after all, so we even get wristwatches and matches. In any case, a nice assortment of equipment.

The Feats presented are three, but they are nicely done. We get a couple that play around with the ideas already presented in the publication plus a more general one (Nimble) that I’m surprised that wasn’t already in the 5e PHB.

The Appendix provides us with Inspirational Steampunk Material. We get a really helpful list of books, comics, TV shows and movies so as to be able to immerse to a steampunk-flavored world. The icing to the cake I’d say.

All in all, another really quality product from Tribality Publishing and Shawn Ellsworth. The format keeps up with the norm already presented in the previous publications, the ideas are there, the price seems a steal. Finally, the low-res version of the pdf is a nice touch, although a printer-friendly version would be much better.

Mysteries of the Gods: New Cleric Domains and Spells for D&D 5e opens some interesting options for Clerics in 5e with both new Domains and new spells. Each of the new Domains suggests an interesting direct for faith in a world and the spells provide some solid support, if you are pondering what to do with clerics in your game it is well worth looking at.

Mysteries of the Gods: New Cleric Domains and Spells for D&D 5e by Brandes Stoddard and published by Tribality Publishing presents just that, three new domains and eight spells. The layout is clear with thematic color photographs for illustrations.

The Blood Domain draws on the idea of blood as potent force both of life and death, its tricks are mostly combat oriented enhancing both healing and offense. A nice balance and suitable for both heroes and villains.

The Exorcist Domain is much more focus and, as a helpful sidebar note, may not be suitable for all campaigns because of that. Its focus is on driving out possessors and denying the ability of otherworldly creatures to control others and it should be very effective in that role.

The third Domain, Spirit, slightly recasts the Cleric as shaman and mediator with the spirits (rather than a prestress of a god or gods), this domain gains a spirit guardian who protects and aid the Cleric and provides useful ability that are triggered by Channel Divinity. A interesting adaption of the clerical powers to a different aspect of spiritual belief.

Of the eight new spells, four are damaging cantrips, two of which are associated with the new domains (spirit claw for the Spirit Domain and word of censure for Exorcism) which are appropriately flavored, I would live to see a version of song of battle cantrip for the Paladin as it is so well themed. The remains four spells are 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th level and all are strongly in theme with the cleric, especially the Exorcist, righteous accusation which has the optional material component of a scroll detailing the target’s crimes is fantastic. While a few the spells might lean a bit too much towards a Christian vision of the divine for some, I think that framing has always been part of clerical magic in D&D and thus appropriate.

A solid addition to the options for cleric, I would have no problem with allowing any of these in my campaign.

Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review. Also, Brandes is a friend of mine and one of the players in my original Sea of Stars campaign, but I like to think that did not influence this review.

Read more reviews and other gaming articles at my journal https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/

Great supplment for players-to add flavour and options for your Clerics. Great supplment for dungeon masters-fleshes out your gods and divine magic flavour/options for your campaigns. Highly recommended content at a bargain price!

This is exactly the type of supplement I'd like to see more of in support of 5e. The cleric is such a versatile class, and Brandes Stoddard has really demonstrated this through these cool yet unusual domains. The spells are both flavorful and well balanced. This last point is crucial, as it's easy for a supplement like this to be forbidden at the table by DMs if the spells introduced are overpowered. I wouldn't have a problem allowing this supplement in my game. I also like that the new spells are explicitly mentioned as being appropriate for other classes (bard, druid, paladin, or warlock).

I'm happy to see Tribality continue to produce such great supplements, and look forward to future installments.

A great variety of options for building Alchemists.

Alchemists kind of live in a nebulous space in current D&D (May 2016). The last Unearthed Arcana has them as a Wizard tradition, which serves well as a small twist on Wizard and kind of feels like 4e, but it's not very open in terms of options.

This book instead tackles the very hard problem of designing a whole new class and then dives into a several very different Archetypes within that class. There's a neat side effect from this design decision, the Alchemist could act as the Caster in your world. It's a full caster class with a reasonable selection of base spells as well as things specific to each Archetype. If you wanted to run an "old west" campaign or a "victorian steampunk" campaign, this is the perfect way to get magic into your world.

In fact a quick look at the Archetypes reveals a Dr. Frankenstein, a Jekyll/Hyde, a maker of clockwork trinkets, a Poisoner and an Herbwarden which covers a lot of ground. This provides a pretty clear flavour for the types of campaigns that would benefit from such a class.

The ovearll text editing was good, but the page layout of this (and all Tribality products) really annoys me. A page is 11" high and the top 2" are just a giant black stripe with a Tribality logo. They have not bothered to include the document title or even some type of useful contextual header, it's just 2" of black. The images are mostly just stock photography props pasted into the bottom right hand corner of the page. None of them contain actual people which means there's no real "face of the class". The whole layout is acceptable but not top-notch.

At the end of the day, this is definitely worth the money and it will likely be lots of fun for players.

My biggest litmus test for new Archetypes is "would I allow this in my campaign"? In that respect this book succeeds. The Archetypes are all quite flavourful ranger ideas: A combat Trapper, a Lantern bearer that uses the lantern for combat and party protection, a master of lightning.

That stated, the Archetypes do suffer from a weird "good for NPC" feel. The Lantern-Bearer really feels like that NPC who helps you through the dangerous woods more than a PC you run for 15 levels. The combat Trapper suffers from a similar limitation.

I'm also not a big fan of the general Tribality layout featuring the giant black stripe at the top of the page and the spattering stock art pictures. The book kind of lacks a feel or flavour.

Small issues aside, the book is still well worth the price of entry. If you have a PC who wants to play a different type of ranger, this should definitely spark some ideas.

Idratch watched as the clouds raced across the summer sky. She felt the soft wind caress her face, the feathers of her cap gently following the currents. She always felt at peace here, but this was not the case now. The spirits of the land were at unease. She could sence their discomfort, the cry for something evil coming. With a nod she straightened, picked her staff up and walked on. She had a bunch of elders to convince.

The snow crunched underfoot, although the hunters tried to step as lightly as possible in the frosted forrest floor. Seeing his breath forming as mist in front of him, Baligua tried to controll his breathing in a vain effort to make his heart stop beating so furiously. But of course, this is not easy, not when you are hunting D'rul, the Dread Walker. Dogs were heard to bark at some point in the distance, tribal hounds picking up some sent. But Baligua felt so alone now, so alone in the darkness that kept descending and the pale form of D'rul appearing suddenly, these black eyes full of dread, oh so full of dread...

Shrieks and howls filled the tomb as the wraiths came pouring out the broken seal. "Told you" said Nalla, shifting her incorporeal body to face the wraiths, "Not now" replied Petr as he sliced with his spear against the first that came within range. His companions were just beginning to react as the wraiths closed all around them. As he shifted his grip on the spear to strike on an other of the ghostly horrors, Petr begun chanting a Silence spell to stop this howling. He new Nalla would lift the burden of the spell, in any case she owed him one.

The latest publication from Tribality brings us the Shaman, a fully playable Player Class for 5e D&D.

The PDF follows the high standards set from the previous publications, with carefully picked illustrations, minimal design and easy to follow text and tables.

The Player Class as presented from Micheal Long gives us a very neat example on how powers and abilities from other classes in 5e PHB (as covered by the 5e OGL) can be combined in order to provide a new, fully distinct class with a flavor of its own. Adding in the formula some new mechanics and ideas, the Shaman can rightly claim a spot alongside the other core Classes of 5e PHB.

Going through the basic Shaman attributes and powers, one can clearly see the influences from the Ranger, the Druid and the Barbarian, so we understand that we are dealing with primarily a nature warrior here, but this is expected from the theme of the class. The basic spellcasting mechanic derives from the Warlock and this is a nice touch, as Michael Long's Shaman is a nature spirit warrior and generally the interaction with spirits is an integral part of the class. This is further displayed in the Archetypes offered.

The second version of the document (v1) gives us four Archetypes, here labelled as Paths, to develop our Shaman. These can be broken down as following:

• The Path of the Corruptorgives us a really dark feel. The bond with the spirit world and nature is covered by a dark shroud and you get access to necromantic spells. Personally speaking, this is maybe the most interesting of the Paths given, as it gives you tremendous RP hooks; the Corruptor Shaman can be no more evil than let's say a Fiend Warlock.
• The Path of the Elements obviously makes the Shaman an elemental warrior. You get elemental powers as you progress in levels and at some point you get to call upon elemental allies to assist you.
• The Path of the Spirit makes the Shaman more atune to the spirit world. You get a cool "familiar" that you can actually speak with, you are a more potent foe against incorporeal creatures and at some point you can become incorporeal yourself.
• The Path of the Wild gives the Shaman bestial powers. Unlike the Druid that changes form, the Shaman takes on powers from her totem spirit (the one that she chose from level 1). I guess you have to plan ahead in this one, as each totem spirit grants a different set of powers as you progress in levels. These powers can give the Shaman tank-like fortitude and hitting power or even rogue-like characteristics, so you can fill in competely different roles in the party.

The spell list is solid enough, mainly drawing from the Druid. So we have protection spells, some healing, lots of utilities and limited offensive spells. I believe it serves the flavour of the class just fine.

So, the Shaman is a nice fit to any table. The initial impression could be that the class is too much Native American themed, but this is not the case and it is adaptable to pretty much any setting. Only concerns is that the -inevitable- link to nature makes this Class a but constrained by the adventure setting the DM decides and -personally speaking- this Shaman seems more like a Spirit Warrior that has no problem (and in some cases prefers) to get up close and personal with her foes instead of being the Tribal Priest/Magician that can provide words of wisdom.

Anyhow, the Tribality Shaman by Michael Long is a really nice addition to the player options for 5e D&D, playable in pretty much any setting and able to provide fun and unique characters.