An Endzeitgeist.com review

The second installment of Raging Swan Press' new Places of Power-series clocks in at 12 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Originally home to a cabal of wizards, the prismatic tower, situated atop Starreach Peak and made from glasslike material, the focus on color-based spellcasting practiced there has recently seen an influx, growing the population of inhabitants to 25. Following the standard established, the first page provides lore the PCs can research on the place, a list of notable folk and a marketplace-section - all at one glance.

As in the first installment, an excellent b/w-map is provided alongside 6 events and rumors and whispers that represent apt and compelling means for the GM to utilize this location in a given campaign - Jade's master, for example, has vanished after pointing out a bizarre coruscation of colors across the sky... And yes, this is probably the point where you pull out all CoC-modules featuring colors ever to convert them...

The center-piece of the prismatic tower would btw. be the great prism, which is utilized in the research of the respective color (or invisibility)-laboratories featured - locations that are btw. detailed rather interestingly, including advice for use of this locale in your campaign and a note on daily life in this delightfully magical and unconventional place.

This is not where the pdf stops, though - from an eccentric gnome sporting a mane of luscious...and invisible hair to the gorgeous half-elven fighter/sorceror-multiclassed Vermillion, the respective NPCs come with Raging Swan Press' trademark level of detail, including unique mannerisms and distinguishing features. Of course, wizards experimenting can unleash strange things - and hence, a unique CR 12 creature, the dread colorvore, is presented , providing dangerous abilities and unique tricks.

Finally, there would also be a new 5th level spell, psychoprsimatic spray, which sprung from the research conducted at the tower, offering a diverse array of debuffs, enhancing the basic notion of prismatic magic in a truly interesting manner I hope to see more of at one point.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, as I've come to expect from Raging Swan Press. Layout adheres to RSP's elegant two-column b/w-standard with awesome original artwork of the two NPCs and great cartography in b/w. The pdf comes fully bookmarked and in two versions, with one intended for screen-use and one for print-use.

Mike Welham is one of the authors that deliver time and again - when I saw a second tower in the wings for this series, I was afraid it would offer too much overlap. The opposite proved to be true: The prismatic tower ultimately is an awesome locale I look forward to introduce in my game. Thoroughly distinct in scope and focus from the first installment in the series, while still adhering to the series' paradigms, this little pdf is a great adventure-locale I can't wait to use! My final verdict will clock in at a warm recommendation of 5 stars + seal of approval - at this low price, this pdf is definitely worth a look...or multiple ones!

Endzeitgeist out.