Review: Unnaturals

- originally published in Serendipity's Circle

This supplement for Bloodshadows focuses on unnaturals, offering 42 new non-human races for use as player characters and NPCs - though many of the creatures could easily be adapted (and pretty darn creepy) for any type of game.

I found the book a bit overwhelming, in that many of the races are so intriguing that GMs may be tempted to use not just a few but many of them, turning their Bloodshadows campaigns into something resembling high fantasy. (A few of the wilderness creatures sound like something out of the AD&D Fiend Folio - mastodons with tusks that fire lightning bolts?!) When reading this book, the GM ought to keep in mind that unnaturals are uncommon at best, and therefore not every species in this book will be found in every city, nor in any great quantity anywhere. From the players' perspective, those interested in being something other than human will find many alternatives to the more common unnaturals found in the original book. Separate sections cover shapeshifters, demons (most of which are not PC races), undead, breeds, and wilderness creatures (none of which are PC races). Of the PC types, I found some of the undead - specifically the ghost and the wraith - particularly interesting. (Unlike certain other games, even though wraiths are tied to a particular spot, they still have the ability to interact with others.)

Each unnatural with PC potential has the details for character generation listed next to it, and at the back of the book are character templates for many of the races, including some of those found in the Bloodshadows manual. There's also an appendix listing typical stats and advantages and compensations for quick reference when generating such characters. And for those who are never satisfied, at the beginning of the book are guidelines for creating your own types of unnaturals, with some advice on keeping them evenly balanced with other PCs.