 inions
of the Shadow is a creature and NPC sourcebook from Fantasy
Flight Games for use in their Midnight campaign setting. I have
long sung the praises of Midnight, a setting that is at once steeped
in traditional fantasy flavor and brimming with clever new concepts.
A creature book is a critically important component to a new campaign
setting, because relying on the SRD menagerie cuts against the establishment
of its unique feel. The core Midnight book has a handful of critters,
but there was no denying the need for a full creature book for this
setting. Though possessed of a few shortcomings, Minions
succeeds at its principal function with rousing success.
Minions is a 64-page, perfect-bound, soft-cover book with
a full-color cover and ample, black-and-white interior art. It retails
for $14.95.
A quick word about the cover by the incomparable J.P. Targete. It’s
sublime. A moody depiction of some foul, otherworldly creature being
confronted by a small band of noble heroes. J.P. captures action
like few other artists; the detail of the bare-chested, axe-wielding
barbarian is a perfect example, flying through the air in a suicidal
assault. My only complaint was that I couldn’t find the creature
depicted within the pages of the book itself. Perhaps I’m
just being scatter-brained, but I searched high and low. In my mind,
that’s a big no-no, like showing the kid the cake and not
giving him a slice. (Whether it was truly omitted or just not clearly
identified is, in the end, irrelevant.)
The book is broken down, in atypical fashion, into various chapters
based upon the types of creatures: Demons of the Aruun, Creatures
of Eredane, Spirits and Allies, Animals of Eredane, and Agents of
Shadow. The book also includes two appendices, curiously having
nothing to do with the material contained in the book. They are
an updated spell list (complying with v3.5) and a brief errata sheet
for both Midnight publications to date. The books biggest shortcoming
is its organization. Organizing the chapters by the role the creature
plays in the setting is an interesting way to go, but in the end
more confusing than helpful. Some hybrid method would have suited
it better, perhaps a two-part book, similar to Malhavoc Press’s
Legacy of the Dragons, in which the generic creatures are
contained in the first part and the unique NPC’s are contained
in the second part. This deficiency would not be so vexing were
it not for the failure to include any summary lists by challenge
rating or alphabetization. The poor organization would inhibit the
ability of a DM to employ or reference creatures “on the fly.”
Fortunately, the content of the material is outstanding, and after
all content is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Almost
to a man (thing?), the creatures and NPC’s have a real, tangible
role in the Midnight world. They are laid out in standard MM format,
including an italicized description. Where the initial section of
an MM entry is normally reserved for general information, Minions
uses that space to go further. It contains relevant geographical,
societal, and environmental information to give the DM a clear understanding
of the creature’s role in the world and, not coincidentally,
inspire adventure ideas. Some of these go on for paragraphs (and
I mean that in a good way). By way of example, consider a portion
of the introductory section for the blight ogre:
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Other
blight ogre creations are surely in the works, far to the
north where the few forces of good cannot disrupt them.
Some in the resistance movement are considering traveling
deep into enemy territory to assassinate the shamans that
perform the creation rituals. Such a mission, while suicide,
would greatly aid the cause of both dwarves and elves in
their besieged homelands. |
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You immediately understand
the creature and its importance to the setting. I could conceive
of an entire campaign being founded on this single paragraph. Good
stuff all around.
Some of the creatures also take advantage of Midnight’s unique
game mechanics: the husbanded creature’s “favor of the
mistress” ability, the earthback’s “scent channeler”
ability, and the highland imp’s “charm gift” ability,
to name a few. I would have like to have seen more of this. However,
even the creatures not possessing such distinctive qualities are
still fresh and interesting in their own right. There were only
a few creatures that failed to do either—yawners, if you will.
Minions contains some 40 creatures and creature templates, seven
unique NPC’s, and 10 “generic” NPC’s. These
last entries are a handy device for the DM. Did the party do something
unexpected and pick a fight with a soldier legate? No problem. The
unique NPC’s were extremely well done, with rich, fully fleshed
out backgrounds and descriptions. Any one of them would serve ably
as an arch-nemesis to the adventuring party.
The interior artwork is uniformly superb. Five different artists
contributed, ranging in styles from Tieran Nordstrand’s moody,
abstract greyscale work to David Griffith’s detailed, more
narrative penciling. Unfortunately, the art is contained in a variegated
frame, often cutting off the artists signature mark. As no other
credits are given, it is difficult to match up which artist did
which piece. Of course, I’m sure that’s more of a peeve
to the artists themselves than the reader.
Finally, the layout, editing, and mechanics are top-notch, without
any apparent typos, errors, or mechanical flaws. I expect nothing
less of Fantasy Flight.
In conclusion, Minions of the Shadow is a worthy addition
to the Midnight canon and well worth the cover price. It is an indispensable
resource for Midnight DMs.
On a scale of 1 to 666,
it rates a fervent 538.
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