[Review] Fantasy Craft Adventure Companion

[royalfa]

I spend a lot of time this day reading the PDF.

I agree with the comments about the "immerse" feeling into the settings and, as I was reading, I was planing and imagine a lot of adventures and threats to my players. Specially in  Epoch I really love this setting, I found very interesting and hard to play Cloak & Dagger with political struggles and corruption and, at least for the moment, I don't grasp the whole Suncharser maybe I will read it most detailed another time.

Things I don't like:

Personally are some things I really don't like about the book, first sometime I thing is a lot of "writing" this is very personal because I don't like much the "detailed" stories and descriptions, in the case of role playing books like to "see" the monsters, the weapons, the gods or some mythical places. Like have more pictures/images and really LOVE the tables, yes my PCs hate this of myself. For encounters, or goods, or anything.
I was thinking in present my players new options for expert class (this Friday they will be forth level and soon can choose one) but I found all the same classes I already have. I purchase the Call to Arms bundles the very next day the online store have it.  I feel I am spending money twice.
As an addition then the pictures I see in the book some are the same I already know.

Things I love:
First at all the settings. As I first told I have a lot of ideas and some questions in my mind that I hope can someone answer or "hint" me (I know I don't will have an action die if nobody give me a hint lol).
I really enjoy all the new feats and tricks, the later will be very useful for my players.
And like a lot the names, alignment and panache tables. Give me more perspective about the panache.

In the end I will use the book, because is great!!!!,  maybe entirely but a lot of question arise from this.

I will post my questions in a new post.

Thanks
Roy

PS: I will wait for the spellbound with expectation but knowing will be worthy

[paddyfool]

I like a lot of the new feats and tricks.  Larger than Life and Bloodied, Bold and Resolute will be great for an Ogre character of mine, and Archery Master very nifty for my Deadeye.  The wider range of species feats seem very nifty as well, even if some don't seem all that powerful compared to the originals (comparing the Pteranadon-esque Clutch to Draconic Heritage, for instance).

As for the settings, I particularly like Epoch, especially the extra-large portion of doom with doom sauce.  You'd need the right group for it, though... particularly, one with a high tolerance for running, sneaking, and getting screwed over.

[Crafty_Alex]

I like a lot of the new feats and tricks.  Larger than Life and Bloodied, Bold and Resolute will be great for an Ogre character of mine, and Archery Master very nifty for my Deadeye.  The wider range of species feats seem very nifty as well, even if some don't seem all that powerful compared to the originals (comparing the Pteranadon-esque Clutch to Draconic Heritage, for instance).

Draconic Heritage is easily the most powerful Species feat pound for pound IMO. We'd considered winding it back with the Second Printing, but figured it would make more people angry than those it appeased. So it's just a legacy thing at this point (so to speak).

As for the settings, I particularly like Epoch, especially the extra-large portion of doom with doom sauce.  You'd need the right group for it, though... particularly, one with a high tolerance for running, sneaking, and getting screwed over.

Thanks! Epoch was the setting I created for the year-long playtest of FC as the game was being developed. All that sneaking, running and getting screwed over definitely shows its my kind of setting. 

[Krensky]

Thanks! Epoch was the setting I created for the year-long playtest of FC as the game was being developed. All that sneaking, running and getting screwed over definitely shows its my kind of setting. 

Out of curiosity, do the other two settings have similar backgrounds? Also, is there any chance of seeing the other settings listed back in the day?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Draconic Heritage is easily the most powerful Species feat pound for pound IMO. We'd considered winding it back with the Second Printing, but figured it would make more people angry than those it appeased. So it's just a legacy thing at this point (so to speak).

It's relatively the most powerful, considering not everyone can use the mage's pouch part.  I think that actually makes up for its power in some ways: you have to be using a certain option to make full use of it, which cuts down on other things you can take.

Also I have to say I really like what was done with Sunchaser.  It does have some drawbacks, with the threats not as unified as in Cloak&Dagger or Epoch.  (I wish the whole place felt literally bigger, but that really just a problem with my ability to perceive size and really doesn't reflect on the actual setting.)  However it manages to change a lot of the Standard Fantasy Setting enough that it at least feels like there are new things to explore.  I particularly like how the Big Bad is the Crone with her Ninety-Nine Knights who command goblins and they come from the Underheart which you access through moonpools that only open once every 77 years and it's important that this is going to be her third try........it's like you kicked out the usual Sauron analogue and brought in an evil fairy-tale witch-queen and it's just even more iconic.

[Deral]

The wider range of species feats seem very nifty as well, even if some don't seem all that powerful compared to the originals (comparing the Pteranadon-esque Clutch to Draconic Heritage, for instance).

This is probably the only thing I'm actually a little unhappy about with the book- I love everything else, and I still really like all the species feats, but they do, overall, seem to be leaning towards the weaker side, and at least a couple kind of confuse me (Folk can spend 1 feat to become large with the benefits but no footprint increase, Unborn can spend a feat to get Large with the footprint increase and no wound point bump?) and I've never really considered "One new Ride/Crafting Focus" or "Access to a new Skill Mastery Pair" to be really a point-worthy boost at all, so some, like Steel Brave and Cliff-Born seem to fall pretty short.

[paddyfool]

Draconic Heritage is easily the most powerful Species feat pound for pound IMO. We'd considered winding it back with the Second Printing, but figured it would make more people angry than those it appeased. So it's just a legacy thing at this point (so to speak).

Ah, I see.  I'd selected that as the "how to give your Saurian wings" comparison (so, technically, I was comparing both Heritage and Legacy), rather than any other basis for balance.  Still, even compared to other flight-granting feat trees (the Swan [Elf] one, perhaps, or the various other Heritage-Legacies), this doesn't seem to offer quite as much. 

But what all these new species feats do offer is character in spades, so a few small balance concerns really aren't the end of the world.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I'd selected that as the "how to give your Saurian wings" comparison (so, technically, I was comparing both Heritage and Legacy), rather than any other basis for balance.  Still, even compared to other flight-granting feat trees (the Swan [Elf] one, perhaps, or the various other Heritage-Legacies), this doesn't seem to offer quite as much.

Except Sky Clutch doesn't require you to sacrifice Action Dice + take a penalty on a skill or take double damage from blunt weapon attacks.

[Crafty_Alex]

The wider range of species feats seem very nifty as well, even if some don't seem all that powerful compared to the originals (comparing the Pteranadon-esque Clutch to Draconic Heritage, for instance).

This is probably the only thing I'm actually a little unhappy about with the book- I love everything else, and I still really like all the species feats, but they do, overall, seem to be leaning towards the weaker side

Actually, these feats are all balanced against all other options within Fantasy Craft second printing Though most but not every species gets the same amount of "points" through its Species feats, they are internally balanced against one another (thus, Ogres tend to see more radical benefits/changes through species feats, but each Ogre species feat option is worth the same amount design-wise).   

..., and at least a couple kind of confuse me (Folk can spend 1 feat to become large with the benefits but no footprint increase, Unborn can spend a feat to get Large with the footprint increase and no wound point bump?)

In this case, the Giant-blooded character is just tall for their size (and we can't do footprint increases since not all our characters are 1 x 1), which Large-framed unborn are the same amount of material spread out over a greater volume. Part of the reason Unborn don't just become large is that such a benefit would greatly overshadow the other options. Note also that with Custom Construction you can also create a Small unborn who does not reduce his wounds!

and I've never really considered "One new Ride/Crafting Focus" or "Access to a new Skill Mastery Pair" to be really a point-worthy boost at all, so some, like Steel Brave and Cliff-Born seem to fall pretty short.

Systemically, they are worth something - foci being a 1 point benefit and access to a new skill mastery worth 1/2 point. It's cool if they're not your cuppa tea, but they're still a benefit.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Though most but not every species gets the same amount of "points" through its Species feats, they are internally balanced against one another (thus, Ogres tend to see more radical benefits/changes through species feats, but each Ogre species feat option is worth the same amount design-wise).

Thus probably explaining why it's so difficult to figure out new species feats from old ones.

[Doublebond]

Oh gee, I wonder who came up with the names for the tricks "Damned if you do" and "Damned if you don't."

It's a real mystery.

Also Merciful/Humiliating Shot/Strike FTW.

[Crafty_Alex]

Oh gee, I wonder who came up with the names for the tricks "Damned if you do" and "Damned if you don't."

It's a real mystery.

Also Merciful/Humiliating Shot/Strike FTW.

Yeah. I wonder...

I wrote that entire chapter, btw. And Chapter 1. And Chapter 2. And parts of 3. So I take full responsibility/flames/accolades for this thread 

[Crafty_Alex]

Though most but not every species gets the same amount of "points" through its Species feats, they are internally balanced against one another (thus, Ogres tend to see more radical benefits/changes through species feats, but each Ogre species feat option is worth the same amount design-wise).

Thus probably explaining why it's so difficult to figure out new species feats from old ones.

Well, using Second Printing you should be pretty OK. Using First Printing...it's a little less formulaic.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Well, using Second Printing you should be pretty OK. Using First Printing...it's a little less formulaic.

I am using Second Printing.  It's just that I think the problem is that if you try to use a feature from a feat for one kind of species to another you end up with funny results.

[Fastidious Monk]

Picked this up the other day and it is awesome.  My game group will love Epoch.  The sub-species chart was a welcomed surprise.

To make a Tiefling, it lists Infernal Heritage but I cannot find it.  Did you mean Devilish Heritage, or will Infernal Heritage be in Spellbound?

Thanks