Secrets of the Shadowend - A Review

Nathan Irving was kind enough to send me a copy of his new Secrets #1 - Omens & Artifacts to check out, and I was very impressed. It's a great compilation of spells, monsters, and magic items for Swords & Wizardry (hallowed be its name) that you can fit into your long-running campaign to throw your players a curve, or use to launch a new campaign for old timers who already know the best way to skin a gnoll. Since it's OSR, of course, you can use the book for just about any OSR style rules you happen to use.

The book is illustrated with public domain art that is well selected to reflect the feel of the material - you can't go wrong with the likes of Batten and Rackham. The layout is nice and clean - very easy to read and it won't cost a fortune to print if you opt for the PDF rather than the print version.

Best of all - the book won't cost you an arm and a leg. You can CLICK HERE to see Nathan's blog post about the book and learn how to get a copy into your hot little hands.

So, what were my favorite bits?

I dig the Profane Stare spell - awesome opening move for a chaos cultist. The Carpenter's Rod is like a practical version of the Rod of Lordly Might, and every character intending to delve into a dungeon should be on the lookout for one. The magic cloaks, that give people access to race and class abilities, were nice as well. The cockerel horse (alektrequus) is definitely going to make an appearance in NOD - in the lands of the philosopher kings. The vouivre has an excellent write-up - lots of fodder for adventures.

It's a great book, and only the first in a series. The next will cover fantasy races. So go order the book already!