Monsters of the Savage Snow
From: 3am Games/The Wanderers Guild
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Monsters of the Savage Snow is a new d20 fantasy source book from 3am Games/The Wanderers Guild.
From what I have heard from industry professionals, one of the top selling types of d20 books are the monster books. There was a flood of them for years when OGL hit the scene, along with many other types, but most were sub-standard and not worth the paper they were printed on. Most now have turned to the PDF market for this type of product, save a brave few. 3am Games and the Wanderers Guild have teamed up to make this new in-print monster compendium of interesting creatures.
One of the most satisfying things to do as a GM is creating the monsters and challenges for your characters and see them take your creations on. The Wanderers Guild epitomizes this creative vein in all GMs by providing a place for some of the more dedicated creators to pool their resources and create creatures together. At times, the results of their efforts are put together and released as a supplement.
From the back cover: “Amid the stark, unforgiving landscape of ice and snow one can hardly be expected to find an abundance of life,… ”
Content: The full title of this book is actually Monsters of the Savage Snow: The Wanderers Guild Guide to Frontbound Organisms – From the Expedition Logs of Lord Sir Edric Morgandale. Upon opening the book, I could tell this book was a little more than a standard monster manual. Inside these pages are not only over 30 arctic creatures but also a story of man’s quest to discover and conquer the tundra of “the north.”
The creatures, as the name of the book implies, are primarily arctic in nature. Included are a varied number of sizes and natures. There is the Oogrooq, the blubber thug – an obese walrus-like humanoid creature who lounges around the tundra; the Taguy, a brilliant inheritance – a symbiotic creature that appears like a knotted leather; the Aqamatiquk, the Legion of Front – a group of rangers of mixed races who specialize in frozen-lands survival; the Vulaniak, the Worm Cave – a magical gargantuan worm that can appear as something of comfort to its food and have it walk right into its mouth; and the Baturaq Kah, the Frozen Lost – the bloated undead of the frozen wastelands. There are a total of 36 entries in this book, and they not only are creatures but also tribes of people and sentient races.
One creature that has to be mentioned for its humor factor – the Yog Y’uk otherwise known as Yellow Snow. You knew some smart-as* would do it. It is a small ooze creature that devours living flesh. Very funny. Also there is the Nuquahut – the slaughtering snowball – a killer ball of snow which is best killed by swatting it with a wide paddle. Nuquahut Tennis anyone?
To coin a phrase… But that’s not all… Monsters of the Savage Snow also includes a variety of extras. There is equipment like the Ice Spear and the Oogrooq hide armor. There are spells like the Hakanwa Touch, magic items like the Suluk Pipes, as well as variant versions of the existing creatures. There are also prestige classes like the Aqamatiquk.
From the back cover: “Within these excerpts … you will find details of dozens of bizarre creatures highly adapted to this stark environment,… ”
What stands out to me is the way they present the creature stats. As in most cases with 3am Games, the story outranks the stats for space, which is very refreshing. In the 1.75″ margin of each page is the important d20 stuff. However, each creature is not only presented in a static Challenge Rating like the traditional monster manuals. Additionally, the book lists encounter ideas for a range of levels. For instances, the CR 20 Iatachuck, the Land that Lives, has encounter suggestions for Level 1-5 characters, Level 6-10 character, etc. Needless to say, the Level 1-5 suggestion for the CR 20 creatures comes down to “find a way to avoid death….” This is a great and handy tool that all monster manuals should have.
Also handy are the icon symbols for each creature that help with quick reference. They define habitat, activity cycle and diet. These are clearly visible at the top of each creature and can be found while thumbing through the book quickly. This is just another example of the handiness of this book.
The book ends with a tradition I saw first with Call of Cthulhu monster manuals – the classic silhouette size comparison chart with all creatures. I do not see this very often in d20 books either.
Layout: I love the use of space in 3am Games. It is a compact book with lots of content. It utilizes the inner covers on each side. The art is good and actually adds to the “adventurer’s journal” feel of the book. It is well written and edited.
In conclusion, what I like most about 3am Games work is that they are gaming supplements for gamers by gamers. They do not do just your run-of-the-mill d20 supplement. They add in their own little spice of the d20 chili with the gamer in mind. They designed this book with speed of reference and adaptability in mind. A GM is very well off with a handful of these books in hand when the characters go “off-script” and he needs something random and nasty to throw at them. I look forward to the future additions of the Wanderer’s Guild Guides from 3am Games.
For more details on 3am Games/The Wanderers Guild and their new d20 fantasy source book “Monsters of the Savage Snow” check them out at their website http://www.3amgames.com, and at all of your local game stores.
Monsters of the Savage Snow
From: 3am Games/The Wanderers Guild
Type of Game: d20 fantasy source book
Written by: Trevis Powell
Contributing Authors: Montgomery Mullen, Don Bessinger
Cover Art by: Andy Hopp
Additional Art by: Andy Hopp
Number of Pages: 65
Game Components Included: One d20 soft cover book
Game Components Not Included: d20 core rule books
Retail Price: $ 19.95 (US)
Item Number: 3AM12302
ISBN: 1595160078
Website: www.3amgames.com