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Demon Lord's Companion $8.00 $5.60
Average Rating:4.8 / 5
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Demon Lord's Companion
Publisher: Schwalb Entertainment
by Jonathan M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/22/2020 21:52:38

I'm new to table top RPGs, but Robert Schwalb has written a treasure trove of material for roleplaying that I can't wait to use at a table.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Demon Lord's Companion
Publisher: Schwalb Entertainment
by Jared R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/26/2016 15:00:12

The Demon Lord's Companion has more of what was good in the initial core rulebook.

There is another step you can add to your characters at character creation to give them more flavor from the start, which can be as much of a detriment as a benefit.

There are a couple more races that are good "general" additions to the player choices in the core rulebooks.

The new careers have some really interesting ways to do things that D&D and other games have attempted to do, and the minimalist way that the game handles those mechanics makes it work really well in the context of this game.

The new magical traditions are really evocative, and like the traditions and spells in the core book, they seem to snap into the core rules fairly easily without be automatically more awesome that what was presented.

And of course, more monsters!

While the name may make this seem like it is the "Dungeon Master's Guide" of the product line, and there are some "GM only" storytelling tools in this volume, it really is pretty much a companion to the main rulebook, more modular stuff that you can attach to the stuff you already got in the core rulebook.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Demon Lord's Companion
Publisher: Schwalb Entertainment
by Edward K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/10/2015 11:07:17

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Demon Lord’s Companion

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea everyday!

Product-Demon Lord’s Companion System- Shadow of the Demon Lord Producer- Schwalb Entertainment Price- $ 10 here http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/168258/Demon-Lords-Companion?src=slider_view TL; DR-The best DLC I’ve downloaded all year! 100%

Basics-OPTIONS! Have you already gotten tired of all the options in the core Shadow of the Demon Lord book? Odds are not, but here is a new book with races, master and expert paths, new items both magical and mundane, magic traditions, and even more rules for parts of the game not covered in the basic book like vehicles.

Mechanics or Crunch-This is an amazing book for what it adds. Every one of these pages is crunch. From the new spells to the rules for how to drive in this game, no space is wasted that doesn’t add to the world. New races are added such as halflings and fauns, new traditions such as alchemy are added, and tons of new items are brought into the world. This might be one of my favorite splat books to a system I’ve read in a long time. 5/5

Theme or Fluff-Now I don’t expect much from a splat book in terms of theme, but this one delivers! Let’s look at two things to drive home this point. First are story complications. These are new character additions that provide a detriment and a bonus. They almost function like zero-level feats. You get horrific problems for bonuses that directly come from this problem. An example is you might be ever-so-slightly possesed, but you can also talk to that demon to get bits of lore and knowledge. That’s pure Demon Lord’s Shadow right there. Second, let’s look at azeen. Azeen are foot long worms, that you place in your face or another large orifice and let it crawl/tare inside you. It gives you a whip that you can spring from your hands as an attack. Randomly, in the next 20 days you will crap your pants as the worm violently dies and is violently shot from your body. This is a new forbidden item with strong benefits, horrific complications, and a corrupting influence. Again, this is mainline Shadows of the Demon Lord with full descriptions of horror building up the mechanics with solid storytelling. Absolutely beautiful! 5/5

Execution-This book only comes out as a PDF currently. However, what makes this interestingly is the price, pictures, and writing. Comparing this book to other splat books, DLC is hands down the best I’ve seen in awhile. This book is 50+ pages for 10 bucks. That blows Paizo out of the water! I get a book full of character options, game rules, and monsters that is layed out properly, reads quickly, and is fun for less than half of some other books. 5/5

Summary- I didn’t ask for more options for Shadows of the Demon Lord, but I have wondered about some specific content. And this book delivered on all of it. Want some more steampunk? Well we’ve got airships and even guns now. Want more magic? Well now there is fauns and other magic traditions. Heck, you want to get some Kung Fu in your Demon’s Shadow? Now you can. Crouching tiger, hidden demon away! Everything fits in this book. It’s all from the very mouth of the Dark Hobo himself. It’s a great value, full of pictures to inspire, and quick pleasure to read. This book is well worth your time and money. 100%



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Demon Lord's Companion
Publisher: Schwalb Entertainment
by Luke W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/09/2015 15:29:21

Demon Lord Companion is a 50 page book for Shadow of the Demon Lord. It is essentially an expansion of all of the mechanical set out in the rulebook - races, magic, paths, equipment and monsters. It continues in the same superb physical presentation as the core book.

Chapter One: Ancestries This includes two new ancestries and the concept of story complications.

There are 8 story complications to choose from as a starting PC and each comes with a benefit and a penalty. As they are balanced, they are free to chose at PC creation.

The story complications include: addicted, cursed, doomed, haunted, mad, maimed, plagued, and possessed.

The two ancestries have the same level of detail as in the rulebook. Fauns are satyrs, children of both human and faerie. They are fast but flighty. Halflings are what you would expect, though elements of the description and the awesome picture do open up halflings to being more than their Tolkien counterparts.

Chapter Two: Paths The meatiest chapter in the book, there are 8 new Expert Paths (2 for each of the 4 Novice Paths) and 12 new Master Paths (6 Skill and 6 Magic).

The quality and coverage of the Paths is again equal to what's in the corebook. They really help round out some of the more peripheral concepts that yu would expect in a fantasy RPG, such as psionics and swashbucklers. The magic Master Paths also hint at the schools of magic to come, and again cover off a number of desirable, if somewhat peripheral magic ideas, such as Demonology and Alchemy.

The full list of Paths are:

Expert

  • Shaman
  • Warden
  • Elementalist
  • Psychic
  • Mountebank
  • Sage
  • Mystic
  • Swashbuckler

Master

  • Alchemist
  • Demonologist
  • Entropist
  • Medium
  • Mind Bender
  • Psychokinetic
  • Blackguard
  • Corsair
  • Martial Artist
  • Reaver
  • Sapper
  • Seeker

Chapter Three: Equipment Another weighty chapter, this includes several items that were not in the corebook, and specifically relate to the new Paths and Magic in the Companion.

The list of equipment is:

  • Alchemical Items
  • Forbidden Items - drugs, unicorn horns etc
  • Marvels of Engineering - bombs, guns
  • Potions
  • Vehicles - including rules for using vehicles

Chapter Four: Magic This chapter contains 6 new magic schools, again each gets the same coverage and depth as those in the rulebook.

These schools are awesome and include the ability to summon demons and create alchemical objects. I like how these use the existing magic mechanics, rather than new subsystems.

There is also a list of incantations that are able to be used by anyone.

The full list is:

  • Alchemy
  • Death
  • Demonology
  • Spiritualism
  • Telepathy
  • Telekinesis

Chapter Five: GM's Tools The final chapter mostly consists of 5 relics (detailed magic items) and 9 creatures for the bestiary.

There is also a section on magical places and a sidebar on magical trinkets.

Conclusion The book finishes with a 2 page index which is nice given the book in only 50 pages long.

Overall, this is a must have book for people playing SotDL, which is an impressive feat given how complete the rulebook feels. Some of the additions like psionics, demonology, guns, and alchemy may seem like vital additions to some people's conception of the world, but for many they will be welcome though non-essential options.

At 50 pages, it may seem short, but this is the kind of RPG where a few more options, create much greater variety as they interact with the options that already exist.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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