JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Minions of the Shadow features monsters both new and adapted for the Midnight setting utilizing the 3.5 rules. This is one of the smaller source books at 64 pages and at $14.95, is priced competitively.
The material is broken up into Five Chapters with two appendices. The chapters are Demons of the Aruun, Creatures of Eredane, Spirits and Allies, Animals of Eredane, and Agents of Shadow while the appendices cover an updated Midnight Spell List and Errata for both Midnight and Against the Shadow. Most of the book, including the names of the monsters (with some restrictions), as well as the game statistics, mechanics and rules, are OGC. Backgrounds and descriptions, as well as art, graphics, and specific names, are closed.
The book is laid out in alphabetical order with templates thrown into the mix. Rules incorporate 3.5 in that they now have number of squares after Speed, the Base Attack and Grapple, as well as Full Attack, description for new GMs, and the DR of many of these creatures doesn't go too high.
Some of the creatures are going to be able to challenge near epic characters like the Noble Demon, monsters 'that haunt the ruins of Ibon-sul' who've taken plants and animals and made them into a new whole. The illustration looks like some weird manticore made of various creatures and shows it's massive size in comparison to a normal human. Another powerful creature spans back through tens of thousands of years, the Degenerate Darghuul, beings so dangerous that even Izrador doesn't triffle with them. These beasts clock in at a CR of 20.
One thing I enjoyed reading was how the sundering changed some core creatures. Imagine the glory and uncorrupted power of say, a blink dog or a unicorn. Now imagine them cut off from their outer planar sources of power and you get the gloom hound and the splinter steed. Another useful section isn't about the horrors of the world but about the more normal creatures, the Animals of Eredane. Sure, some of them could be dangerous like the River Eel or the Sea Dragon, but most of them are there to give life to the ecosystem and provide some variety to standard animals.
One animal that I thought humorous was the Carrion Stag. These creatures feast on the Fell, finding them an on the go type of meal. I thought this a fine example of how something like the Fell would impact the setting. On the other hand, the horrid Forsaken are undead created from a fetus that dies early. The thing keeps growing but isn't alive anymore, instead tearing it's way out at birth time and looking to feast. This brings the horror of the setting to life in a way that few other standard monsters could.
For those who want more specific foes, the Agents of Shadow may be for you. While some may not want specific NPCs, I find that in a changed setting like Midnight, they come in handy as role models not only in terms of background and motivation, but also assumed power levels and equipment owned. Some of these beings are hidden form plain sight either by possessing others, like the demon Asale and his victim, the female Miransil Ceelian, a diver who sought treasures but found possession, and the unassuming gnome Purlan Marrick. Others are much more in your face like Shealgruf, a one armed warrior whose presence is pretty much going to mean death for low level characters.
Because of the change to 3.5, there have been some changes to spells and Midnight is a bit different than the standard setting to begin with. That's why I'm thankful that there is an updated Midnight Spell List broken down by school and level. This makes looking up anything from Necromancy to Lesser Conjuration a snap. The errata takes up less than half a page but is good to have.
As per standard from Fantasy Flight, the art is top notch, the editing clear and the layout, two column standard. I do wish that they were able to use the interior covers and get rid of the one page ad, but at the cost, I'm not going to complain too much as several companies have recently kicked up their products a dollar or two.
For GMs interested in maximizing their options to utilize against their players in the Midnight setting, and getting the errata and updated spell list, this is a great buy. GMs of other settings won't get the full effect as they'll find no need for the specifics of the NPCs and other Midnight specific goodies but should be able to use most of the monsters with little difficulty.
The material is broken up into Five Chapters with two appendices. The chapters are Demons of the Aruun, Creatures of Eredane, Spirits and Allies, Animals of Eredane, and Agents of Shadow while the appendices cover an updated Midnight Spell List and Errata for both Midnight and Against the Shadow. Most of the book, including the names of the monsters (with some restrictions), as well as the game statistics, mechanics and rules, are OGC. Backgrounds and descriptions, as well as art, graphics, and specific names, are closed.
The book is laid out in alphabetical order with templates thrown into the mix. Rules incorporate 3.5 in that they now have number of squares after Speed, the Base Attack and Grapple, as well as Full Attack, description for new GMs, and the DR of many of these creatures doesn't go too high.
Some of the creatures are going to be able to challenge near epic characters like the Noble Demon, monsters 'that haunt the ruins of Ibon-sul' who've taken plants and animals and made them into a new whole. The illustration looks like some weird manticore made of various creatures and shows it's massive size in comparison to a normal human. Another powerful creature spans back through tens of thousands of years, the Degenerate Darghuul, beings so dangerous that even Izrador doesn't triffle with them. These beasts clock in at a CR of 20.
One thing I enjoyed reading was how the sundering changed some core creatures. Imagine the glory and uncorrupted power of say, a blink dog or a unicorn. Now imagine them cut off from their outer planar sources of power and you get the gloom hound and the splinter steed. Another useful section isn't about the horrors of the world but about the more normal creatures, the Animals of Eredane. Sure, some of them could be dangerous like the River Eel or the Sea Dragon, but most of them are there to give life to the ecosystem and provide some variety to standard animals.
One animal that I thought humorous was the Carrion Stag. These creatures feast on the Fell, finding them an on the go type of meal. I thought this a fine example of how something like the Fell would impact the setting. On the other hand, the horrid Forsaken are undead created from a fetus that dies early. The thing keeps growing but isn't alive anymore, instead tearing it's way out at birth time and looking to feast. This brings the horror of the setting to life in a way that few other standard monsters could.
For those who want more specific foes, the Agents of Shadow may be for you. While some may not want specific NPCs, I find that in a changed setting like Midnight, they come in handy as role models not only in terms of background and motivation, but also assumed power levels and equipment owned. Some of these beings are hidden form plain sight either by possessing others, like the demon Asale and his victim, the female Miransil Ceelian, a diver who sought treasures but found possession, and the unassuming gnome Purlan Marrick. Others are much more in your face like Shealgruf, a one armed warrior whose presence is pretty much going to mean death for low level characters.
Because of the change to 3.5, there have been some changes to spells and Midnight is a bit different than the standard setting to begin with. That's why I'm thankful that there is an updated Midnight Spell List broken down by school and level. This makes looking up anything from Necromancy to Lesser Conjuration a snap. The errata takes up less than half a page but is good to have.
As per standard from Fantasy Flight, the art is top notch, the editing clear and the layout, two column standard. I do wish that they were able to use the interior covers and get rid of the one page ad, but at the cost, I'm not going to complain too much as several companies have recently kicked up their products a dollar or two.
For GMs interested in maximizing their options to utilize against their players in the Midnight setting, and getting the errata and updated spell list, this is a great buy. GMs of other settings won't get the full effect as they'll find no need for the specifics of the NPCs and other Midnight specific goodies but should be able to use most of the monsters with little difficulty.
