A Touch of Evil: Antagonists in Your Campaign Vol. 1: Orcs
From: Reality Deviant Publications
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
A Touch of Evil: Antagonists in Your Campaign, Vol. 1: Orcs is a new d20 Fantasy PDF Sourcebook from Reality Deviant Publications.
A Touch of Evil: Antagonists in Your Campaign is a series of short PDFs devoted to providing ready-made bad guys and opponents that a GM can drop into his campaign. Volume 1: Orcs, as the title implies, deals with a very common antagonist – the Orc.
From the website:
“Is your gaming group tired of facing the same old Villians?”
Taking an interesting position that the Orc is suffering from “bad P.R.,” the author sets out to convince you that an orc is more than just a pincushion for your characters to poke swords and spears into. The orc villains include the wondering orc ranger, Grauk Splintershield; the crafty rogue, Ug’rach Bloodfist of the Ghostwalkers; the murderous half-orc, Zurl Blacktooth; and the terrible half-dragon orc, Molok Spinebreaker with his insatiable appetite for destruction. Each is detailed with a background, and their levels range from 4 to 12. There are a total of 6 NPC orc antagonists. Each NPC also has side notes from the author on suggestions for using the particular villain in your campaign.
The art and layout is not bad and reasonably professional in appearance. It does not detract from the work and in some cases does adds some to it. Of note is the particularly nasty-looking depiction of the Half-dragon Orc. The cover art is well-done and atractive.
From page 2:
“Edmund Burke said, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’”
In conclusion, aside from the slight political grand-standing and American-historical angst that the writer displays in the introduction, this PDF series has potential. It can be a relief to a GM to have a variety of NPCs at his disposal. The layout is professionally done and the art is pretty good. There is a lot of imagination put into this as well.
For more details on Reality Deviant Publications and their new d20 Fantasy PDF Sourcebook “A Touch of Evil: Antagonists in Your Campaign, Vol. 1: Orcs” check them out at their website http://realitydeviants.net.
A Touch of Evil: Antagonists in Your Campaign Vol. 1: Orcs
From: Reality Deviant Publications
Type of Game: d20 Fantasy PDF Sourcebook
Written by: David Jarvis and Chris Swenson
Editing and Proofreaders: Ian Copp, Jared Helfer, Mike Ring, Suzette Stone, Chris Swenson
Cover Artwork: Jason Walton and David Jarvis
Interior Artwork: Jason Walton
Layout: David Jarvi
Number of Pages: 16
Game Components Included: PDF File
Game Components Not Included: d20 Core Rulebooks
Retail Price: $ 3.95 (US)
Website: realitydeviants.net
Reviewed by: Ron McClung