Skeptic Tank
New Member
So, I managed to get a copy of BOSIV:ROGD (which is a mouthful) a little early, thought I'd send out some of my impressions.
There are four primary chapters, covering an overview of the terrestrial bureaucracy, the gods within, an overview of the elemental courts, and the elementals within that.
The overview chapters spend a good deal of time with the psychology of gods and elementals - How do they think differently from humans, being ageless beings who feel little discomfort? Why do gods find it easier to pursue sorcery than other skills possessed by non-gods? What do gods and elementals think of fair folk, demons, and each other? While much of this material has been given bit by bit in numerous other sources, I greatly enjoyed having it all laid out and spelled clearly.
They also go into which parts of a god are mutable, and which parts are permanent. We know that gods who are born to a specific nature will be unable to change it, but we also know some gods change forms and desires between stations. It gives few absolute, clear-cut answers, but at least addresses the issue and has us think about it.
They also deal with the history of the bureaucracy, ranging from before the Primordial War to the present day, and gives a much better sense of why there is so much corruption (especially when contrasted with the nature of the bureaucracy before the War).
The majority of the book is made of the stat blocks for various generic and specific terrestrial gods and elementals, as well as a big appendix covering all the spirit charms. Many of the beings we have written up were found in previous 1E sources (like Burning Feather, Lady of Intoxicants), but we have plenty of new additions as well (such as Rabszolga, God of Slaves), and interesting takes on existing gods (I think the writeup for Grandmother Bright was fascinatingly different than I expected).
Overall, I'm quite happy with this book. And not just because my two primary campaigns are coming up to their very first on-camera Calibration festival Â
There are four primary chapters, covering an overview of the terrestrial bureaucracy, the gods within, an overview of the elemental courts, and the elementals within that.
The overview chapters spend a good deal of time with the psychology of gods and elementals - How do they think differently from humans, being ageless beings who feel little discomfort? Why do gods find it easier to pursue sorcery than other skills possessed by non-gods? What do gods and elementals think of fair folk, demons, and each other? While much of this material has been given bit by bit in numerous other sources, I greatly enjoyed having it all laid out and spelled clearly.
They also go into which parts of a god are mutable, and which parts are permanent. We know that gods who are born to a specific nature will be unable to change it, but we also know some gods change forms and desires between stations. It gives few absolute, clear-cut answers, but at least addresses the issue and has us think about it.
They also deal with the history of the bureaucracy, ranging from before the Primordial War to the present day, and gives a much better sense of why there is so much corruption (especially when contrasted with the nature of the bureaucracy before the War).
The majority of the book is made of the stat blocks for various generic and specific terrestrial gods and elementals, as well as a big appendix covering all the spirit charms. Many of the beings we have written up were found in previous 1E sources (like Burning Feather, Lady of Intoxicants), but we have plenty of new additions as well (such as Rabszolga, God of Slaves), and interesting takes on existing gods (I think the writeup for Grandmother Bright was fascinatingly different than I expected).
Overall, I'm quite happy with this book. And not just because my two primary campaigns are coming up to their very first on-camera Calibration festival Â
