Dark Legacies Player's Guide (d20; RSP001) Paperback – September 1, 2004

Let me be clear that this game only gets 5 stars if you think it would appeal to you and your players. It's not for everyone, not any more than Call of Cthulu is (or standard hack n' slash, for that matter).But within its niche, it deserves the 5 stars.This is not a cheap small-press publication. Artwork is top-notch and game design is quite advanced. The world history and game background is thoroughly developed.Dark Legacies has a steampunk feel to it, but is definitely a world suited for horror play. It comes complete with extended rules for insanity, which mostly come from casting arcane spells.Spell-casting is actually d20 skill-based, requiring a Spellcraft check, with upper level spells being nearly impossible to cast. All spells have material components, some of them quite gruesome.Religion is a fairly oppressive middle-ages institution, although it has 3-4 strong factions all vying for power.There are new races in here. In fact, all the standard D&D races are gone, you will find some interesting new varieties. The same is true of core classes: forget your standard fighter, rogue, cleric, wizard. You won't find those inside. Clerics (Priests) play like a bard, in fact: their greatest power is the sermon, which can be used on allies or against enemies. Priests must specialize to heal, and even then their healing is more like the Paladin's Lay on Hands.The typical enemy in the game is either player-race NPC's or demon-based monsters.It is much more of a thinking game than your typical D&D session. Although there is plenty of combat (if you want) it tends to be a good deal scarier than normal. Resurrection is an impossibility. Being raised from the dead might be, but not to return as a player character.The two complaints I have about the book are that spellcasting can sometimes be frustrating. Some spells seem to require Rube-Goldberg type rituals and components to perform but with little payoff. Also, virtually all spells have long casting times, making them extremely difficult to use in combat.This is fine if you are used to a more Cthulu-like game, however.The other complaint would be a dearth of monsters, or guidance on the creation of monsters. Information is provided, of course, but the DM must be prepared to get creative. Random encounters are not a good idea, either for the DM or the players.Much like my "complaint" above, though, I would say that any DM who finds this game appealing is not going to have a big problem creating his/her own monsters.And on the upside, DM-created monsters are far scarier than anything out of a book that is owned by every player.

I like post-apocalyptic settings and this one has that flavor with a bit of magic mixed in, from the demonic, dirty sense. I think it's a good mix.Adrian Smith has an artistic style that lends a great aural addition to the text and ideas here. There are enough pictures that this does feel like a quality work all around. A removable poster map is included, but it's cleverly glued in so that it folds out easily.The rules set isn't so baroque that it changes d20 completely, a refreshing change from some other d20 products that aparently bought the license when they might as well have made their own system--silliness. The mechanics lend themselves well to the setting. New magic spells, skills, etc are included and none get in the way of play.It's a good buy because it inspires stories.If you are looking for something that puts the demonic spin on post-apocalypse, then this is a good choice.