I know. I am gushing, but I really enjoy this game and wish I played it more often.
Obviously I grabbed this one since it deals with darker magic and was part of the Haunted Highlands campaign (which I also enjoy). There is also the cover which is a call back to the infamous Eldritch Wizardry of OD&D.
The first part covers necromancers and necromancer spells. This includes a way for normal spell casters to gain a level of Necromancer. A nice little add on for any CK really.
There is also a great spellbook in here called the "Grimoire of the Witch Queen" that makes the whole book worth it to me all by itself!
That's the first half of the book. Later we get into Ritual/Sacrificial magic, magic items and some new monsters. Given the types of games I run and the magic I like to have this is a "Must Have" book for me. The book is a tight 38 pages. Covers, title/ogl page, so 35 pages of solid content.
Castles & Crusades Book Of Familiars
I love playing magic using classes. I also love having familiars. Nothing it more iconic that a witch and her cat or a wizard with his owl. Or a necromancer and a floating skull!
This book covers the basics; what is a familiar? How is it different than an animal companion? What does it do for a wizard?
We move into a number of familiar "abilities" that a caster can use. Now these look an awful lot like feats from 3.x. That is no shock, this book began as a d20 supplement and this is the new C&C version. That is fine, they have been reworked and it works well here. Don't think of them as feats really. Familiars also get a few special abilities themselves. A lot of these are true special abilities and set the familiar off from the rest of animal kind.
We get a list of "standard" familiars and the benefits they grant. We also get "Greater" and "Supreme" Familiars. Pretty much anything can now be a familiar.
If we wanted to just talk about basic familiars we could stop here. But we don't. Next chapter deals with the familiars Assassins can get. This is followed by a chapter on Barbarian familiars and special mounts. This is includes an awesome bit on Totem Spirits. Buy it for the wizards, keep it for the barbarians! (and we are only 1/4 of the way through!) This is followed by chapters for Bards, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Monks, Paladins and Knights, Rangers, Rogues, and finally special ones for Wizards.
We get 12 pages of new animals and 25 pages of new monsters.
We get 2 pages of new spells and 4 of new magic items. All in all 210 pages. Pretty nice really.
Castles & Crusades Night of the Spirits
The veils between the worlds are thin and there is every chance that fae lords and lady or even th Lord of the Dead himself will make an appearance.
Personally I am a little jealous of this one. It features the machinations of a Dark Druid. I ran something similar myself many years before. I am jealous because this one just oozes style and creepy atmosphere. The adventure is not long. It could be played in a couple of sessions or a longish one on Halloween night. Start at 6:00 or so and you can be hitting the end of Act 3 at Midnight.
Honestly. There is so much I love about this adventure I kinda want to blame Brian Young for hiring clairvoyants to get exactly what I wanted out of my head and on to print.
It is that good and I hate him forever for it.
(not really...but maybe a little bit)
Castles & Crusades The Goblins of Mount Shadow
Another Celtic/Fey themed adventure for characters 1st to 5th level. This time they have to deal with the rise of the Grey King (who I really, really want to call Jareth). The book is 26 pages with the artwork you come to expect from Troll Lords. Also written by Brian Young this adventure feels like someone should be playing uilleann pipes in the background. I love that C&C can effortless emulate old-school D&D, but these adventures take to someplace new...or rather someplace old. Someplace that is a little darker.
This adventure is simple enough (as it should be) but it also might be more difficult in terms of the challenges faced. Granted life in Celtic, even pseudo-Celtic, times was supposed to be harsh. I would say have the characters start at 2nd level instead.
Castles & Crusades A Druid's Lament
A nice little adventure that can be played in a single session. While not specifically tied to the Celtic world of Codex Celtarum, it does work well with it. It is an introduction adventure so there are many of the tropes of that, but that is fine. It works here.
If you have an afternoon and couple of bucks then this is a great choice.
Castles & Crusades The Giants Wrath
Another Celtic-themed adventure featuring some classic Irish and Welsh monsters and situations. Giants used to populate the lands but now men do. Some of those giants are not happy about it.
This adventure is 26 pages and can be played in a couple of sessions. Be warned though, it is a tough one given that there are a large number of giants to fight. Characters should be strong and the party should include a fair number of fighters and rangers. A wizard would help too.
This adventure also makes for a good bridge (somewhat literally) between the normal fantasy of C&C to the Celtic-fueled darker fantasy of the Codex Celtarum.
Also a good way to introduce the lands of faerie to new players.
Magnificent Miscellaneum Vol. 3
These books are a collection of various items for use in C&C by James Michler. Vol. 3 includes a couple of new artifacts, about a dozen new "White Box" menaces (monsters) and finally (and why I bought it) 3 new druid spells.
Magnificent Miscellaneum Vol. 4
These books are a collection of various items for use in C&C by James Michler. Vol 4. has to offer five new artifacts/magic items and 10 new White Box style monsters.
Still have more to look at.
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