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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG) $2.96
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Dio M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/07/2020 00:04:03

I bought all the haunt packs and as such the review will be identical between them. I loved it. I use all of them throughout my campaigns to add some mischief or punishing traps that can't merely be detected and disarmed. Some aren't for harming but just atmosphere. Some I use for neither and merely as an effect. The entries can be used in various ways for any number of creative purposes and as such adds a lot of fun that can be had.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 03/31/2011 12:54:18

Taking a new tack for Rite Publishing's "30" series, this work looks not at items that you might find but a specific type of threat that you might encounter - the haunt. Indeed, not just any old haunts but those which have, for whatever reason, chosen to manifest in a house.

The product opens with an overview of haunts, which were introduced in Paizo's GameMastery Guide - if you intend to make extensive use of haunts you may find a copy useful. Basically, haunts can develop in a location in which living creatures suffered in some way, and can be accompanied by undead. Despite having hit points and assorted capabilities, they can be thought of more as an atmosphere, an area in which effects are caused, than as actual beings in their own right. (I'm sure learned clerics and mages could argue for hours over that one!). They can only be removed from their location by performance of specific acts, based on the reasons why the haunt is there in the first place, although they can be damaged or negated such that they go away... but only for a while, they'll manifest again later. The really fun thing is that they manifest by duplicating a spell effect - which makes the game mechanics straightforward as you can treat the haunt's effect as if someone had cast the spell in question.

Straight on, then, to a collection of haunts ready to use, beginning with minor haunts - the sort of restless spirit that slams doors, walks around with heavy feet, or plays an instrument. They usually cause annoyance rather than harm, and manifest in ways that suggest 'This place is haunted' to the average paranormal investigator. Perhaps the area gets very chilly all of a sudden or things start to move apparently of their own accord (as if an unseen servant spell had been cast. For most of these, there's a standard riposte, the casting of an appropriate spell will negate the haunt... until it resets, that is.

Next comes the concept of 'associated haunts' - these are combinations of haunts that work together, and one example is given, in which a Fire Starter Haunt (which whispers in your ear that it would be a good idea to light a fire, with the effect of a suggestion spell) is combined with one called the Unrepentant Smoker, which causes a lit fire to billow smoke uncontrollably, and the Charred Man Haunt, where swirling smoke coalesces into what appears to be the form of a burned body... spooky indeed!

This idea for effective uses of haunts is followed by some more substantial threats. These can actually hurt, rather than annoy or scare: perhaps possessing your familiar and causing the poor thing to bite you, or a shadowy form manifests and appears to reach out through someone to grab and squeeze their heart! Again, many of these haunts are resonant with the sort of things that happen in ghost or horror stories... and should terrify the characters which encounter them, at least until they find out how to stop the manifestation occurring.

Finally, there's a fully-detailed NPC. Pers Veilborn studies haunts, he follows a goddess of knowledge and death, and can be persuaded to accompany adventurers who have encountered manifestations that need to be dealt with.

If you like spooky, haunted places to investigate, this work will give you hours of fun at the expense of your characters: all in the very best horror story style. Very effective and atmospheric...



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
I wanted to thank Megan Robertson for taking the time to do a review of our product. 5/5 Stars snoopy happy dance of joy!
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Nathan C. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 01/25/2011 10:17:52

Iron Nugget: I love when new things enter the D&D world. With haunts, Paizo added an element that is part trap, part creature, thick with mechanics but steeped in roleplaying. With 30 Haunts for Houses, Rite Publishing lends their visually descriptive writing to create 30 haunts that PCs can encounter when traveling into a residence.

Haunts do not have hit points, they are ended when specific conditions are met. This makes them a great addition to increase the challenge of an encounter without having to deal with the record keeping of another batch of creatures. I enjoyed the Lich’s Lover the most. It’s quite simple, but I can imagine how it would rack the brains of players as they search for something to hit.

Rite Publishing quality all throughout and a lot of creativity to add fun to traditional encounters.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to do a review of our product! Steve Russell Rite Publsihing
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I wanted to thank you for taking the time to do a review of our product! Steve Russell Rite Publsihing
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Dark M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/24/2011 16:25:39

30 Haunts for Houses by Rite Publishing

This product is 14 pages long. It starts with a cover, credits and Introduction. (3 pages)

Common Minor Haunts (2 ½ pages) There is 10 common haunts, they happen more often. As the ghosts doing it are doing something that was common to them in life. They are fairly minor and easy haunts to deal with. Most are very good simple haunts, a couple are a bit more involved.

Associated Haunts (½ page) There is only 3 such haunts in the book. Really only one with how they work. This is a great idea for haunts, they are haunts tied to one another and can trigger a series of them. Love the idea and the one sample three connected haunts is good, I just wish there had been more.

Haunts (3 ½ pages) This section as general haunts. There is 17 new haunts in this section they are all good, some better than others. There was one I questioned the CR on, it felt a bit strong to me. But all and all a nice collection of haunts to use in your games.

Pers Veilborn (1 ½ pages) A NPC that specializes in knowing about haunts. He is a 5th level divine channeler, all the rules you need to use the NPC is presented in the book.

It ends with a OGL and 2 pages of ads. (3 pages)

Closing thoughts. The artwork is nice with a old style to them. Not sure if they are all public domain or not. The artwork is black and white, not great but nice. The vast majority of the haunts are very good and if you like haunts you will enjoy them. There was a couple of was meh about and a couple I was not sure about the CR given, but most I thought where great. The layout and editing is top notching I didn't notice any obvious errors in the product.

Now the product is not perfect, there is one problem with it and a nit-pick about it. The problem is the NPC uses a new class from another Rite Publishing product, Secrets of Divine Channeling. Yet the PC makes no mention of where the class comes from. You don't need the book to use the NPC as is, as the rules are provided but it would have been nice. Especially if the NPC leveled up or was used as a PC or something. Another minor issue I had was I would have liked to have a bit more fluff with each haunt, to help sell it. Most have enough to make them creepy but a bit more would have been nice.

The nitpick was... I wanted more, what is here is good. But I would have loved if they had done 30 common haunts, 30 haunts and 30 associated haunts in three separate books. I really felt each section of haunts was plenty strong enough to stand up on their own. So whats my rating? Well I liked most of the haunts in the book, though a bit more fluff and well more haunts would have been nice. There was a couple of haunts I didn't agree with as I mentioned and then the one issue with the NPC. So I am settling for a 4 star.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Thilo G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/20/2011 14:23:42

This pdf is 14 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD and 2 pages advertisements, leaving 9 pages for the 30 haunts.

The pdf kicks of with one page introduction to haunts, including some insightful designer's note. The haunts presented herein range from CR 1 to CR 15. Common Haunts: -Common Door Haunt: Slams doors shut -Common House Haunt: Minor poltergeist effects -Common Phantom World: Strange, obscuring hallucinations -Graverot: A spark of unlife in a corpse -Hindering Haunts: Delay PCs in crucial moments -Lonely House Haunt: Charm PCs into staying for the night... -Phantom Blade: Haunted remains of a trap -Reluctant Portal: Hard to open/close portal -Solid Phantoms: Phantoms that block PCs -Weedy Well: Lure PCs

Associated haunts (haunts that belong together): -Charred Man: Potentially lethal killer -Fire Starter: Creepy little haunt -Unrepentant Smoker: Lets smoke billow forth

Haunts: -Biting the Hand that feeds: Make animals rebel -Black Bile: Cool manifestation -Chain Haunt: Poltergeist chains -Envious Armor: Your fighter with LOATHE this haunt. I love it. -Faithful Phantom Hound: A faithful phantom creature; great adventure seed/ idea for deceased PC-companions -Feel my Pain: Brutal, pain-inducing haunt -Gurglers: Creepy, almost Pow/Lovecraftian haunt -Heartstopper: Great nod towards one of my favorite Poe stories -Hot Handle Haunt: Fire walk with me -Lich's Lover: Anguish of a woman can kill you -Mumbling Malediction: Lethal, nice focus point for a haunted house -Open Grave: This haunt has a cool effect and works different from what you'd expect -Rats in the Wall: Iconic take on a classic motive -Restless Sleep Haunt: Insomnia-inducer -Scrawl: Scribbles appear with a twist -Shadowmaker Haunt: Undead-creating haunt -Spinning Spiders: This haunt is really cool and includes a spinning chandelier. Go figure. :)

The pdf closes with a NPC (CR 4) for ghost-and haunt-related adventures, who was built via the excellent rules for Divine Channeling from RiP's "Secrets of Divine Channeling". All necessary information is given for you to run this character without access to the supplement, though.

Conclusion: When first reading this, I was a bit baffled by the common haunts being...well...common. However, that is exactly the premise - the 10 haunts presented in the beginning are supposed to be very generic for ease of inserting it into your campaign. The other haunts were more creative and, in spite of the limitations in word-count, some of them managed to evoke a creepy atmosphere or were mechanically interesting. The thin line between "generic and boring" and "generic and easy to implement" - 30 Haunts for Houses walks it with ease and for the better. Editing and formatting were top-notch, I didn't notice any errors. Presentation and layout adhere to the high Rite Publishing standards. Art is ok and mostly from public domain. The NPC was a nice bonus. So what's my final verdict? Due to the low price and extreme usability, I'll settle for a solid 4 stars. This is, as of yet, the best haunt-supplement out there. For a sequel, I'd like to see more complex haunts or a file containing only common/generic haunts and files containing haunts linked by a theme as well as more associated haunts - the 3 associated ones make for a whole encounter in and of themselves.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Thilo G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/20/2011 14:23:42

This pdf is 14 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD and 2 pages advertisements, leaving 9 pages for the 30 haunts.

The pdf kicks of with one page introduction to haunts, including some insightful designer's note. The haunts presented herein range from CR 1 to CR 15. Common Haunts: -Common Door Haunt: Slams doors shut -Common House Haunt: Minor poltergeist effects -Common Phantom World: Strange, obscuring hallucinations -Graverot: A spark of unlife in a corpse -Hindering Haunts: Delay PCs in crucial moments -Lonely House Haunt: Charm PCs into staying for the night... -Phantom Blade: Haunted remains of a trap -Reluctant Portal: Hard to open/close portal -Solid Phantoms: Phantoms that block PCs -Weedy Well: Lure PCs

Associated haunts (haunts that belong together): -Charred Man: Potentially lethal killer -Fire Starter: Creepy little haunt -Unrepentant Smoker: Lets smoke billow forth

Haunts: -Biting the Hand that feeds: Make animals rebel -Black Bile: Cool manifestation -Chain Haunt: Poltergeist chains -Envious Armor: Your fighter with LOATHE this haunt. I love it. -Faithful Phantom Hound: A faithful phantom creature; great adventure seed/ idea for deceased PC-companions -Feel my Pain: Brutal, pain-inducing haunt -Gurglers: Creepy, almost Pow/Lovecraftian haunt -Heartstopper: Great nod towards one of my favorite Poe stories -Hot Handle Haunt: Fire walk with me -Lich's Lover: Anguish of a woman can kill you -Mumbling Malediction: Lethal, nice focus point for a haunted house -Open Grave: This haunt has a cool effect and works different from what you'd expect -Rats in the Wall: Iconic take on a classic motive -Restless Sleep Haunt: Insomnia-inducer -Scrawl: Scribbles appear with a twist -Shadowmaker Haunt: Undead-creating haunt -Spinning Spiders: This haunt is really cool and includes a spinning chandelier. Go figure. :)

The pdf closes with a NPC (CR 4) for ghost-and haunt-related adventures, who was built via the excellent rules for Divine Channeling from RiP's "Secrets of Divine Channeling". All necessary information is given for you to run this character without access to the supplement, though.

Conclusion: When first reading this, I was a bit baffled by the common haunts being...well...common. However, that is exactly the premise - the 10 haunts presented in the beginning are supposed to be very generic for ease of inserting it into your campaign. The other haunts were more creative and, in spite of the limitations in word-count, some of them managed to evoke a creepy atmosphere or were mechanically interesting. The thin line between "generic and boring" and "generic and easy to implement" - 30 Haunts for Houses walks it with ease and for the better. Editing and formatting were top-notch, I didn't notice any errors. Presentation and layout adhere to the high Rite Publishing standards. Art is ok and mostly from public domain. The NPC was a nice bonus. So what's my final verdict? Due to the low price and extreme usability, I'll settle for a solid 4 stars. This is, as of yet, the best haunt-supplement out there. For a sequel, I'd like to see more complex haunts or a file containing only common/generic haunts and files containing haunts linked by a theme as well as more associated haunts - the 3 associated ones make for a whole encounter in and of themselves.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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#30 Haunts for Houses (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by Jim C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/11/2011 20:49:52

A very good selection of specific haunts and extended concepts, with several classic effects and others that look useful as a framework for a scenario or haunted location. I might want to rework a bit some occasional overly-gamist traits, such as some of their means of destruction (but the first such mechanism presented, used for two of these haunts, is brilliant).

Production is clean and professional, with my only comment that some of the art selected might be a bit too detailed to work optimally in monochrome at the size used.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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