Shadow, Sword & Spell: Threats

by Richard Iorio II

The World is a danger filled place.Monsters lurk in the shadows waiting for the moment to strike upon the unsuspecting. The Jungles or Moran teems with threats both mundane and magical. Though most threats are from the physical world, there are many threats originating from nether realms. Shadow, Sword & Threats is your guide to the dangers that lurk upon The World. Here you will find numerous monsters, and other dangers inspired by pulp fantasy and myth. Each monster is fully fleshed out, and ready to be used as is. For Gamemasters wanting to create their own unique creatures, new traits are introduced giving you more options in your own creations.Beside threats of a more mundane sort, you will also find fully detailed threats that serve as the springboard for any campaign. From an ancient dragon who runs a cult, to a giant mustering forces so that he can control all trade through the mountain passes, to a group of thieves who use the cover of a bakery to profit in a special type of “dough,” Threats is your guide to the unique adversaries found in Shadow, Sword & Spell’s The World.Grab your swords, summon your cohorts, and prepare yourself to face some of the most dangerous threats found in The World today!

90 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 22, 2012

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Shadow, Sword & Spell: Threats
Originally posted at Throat Punch Games, a new idea everyday!
Product- Shadow, Sword & Spell: Threats
System- 12*
Producer- Rogue Games
Price- ~$5.25 here
TL; DR- A well done monster manual 93%

Basics- Every good game needs a monster manual. Sure, Basic had a small one, but here are a ton of different threats (see what I did there!) to throw at your players.

Mechanics or Crunch- It's a bunch of monsters that all follow the rules set forth in Expert. The abilities are all defined well and you will know how to make them. I would kind of like a repeat of the rules from Expert on how to build a monster, but honestly that book's cheap, so go buy that one! 4.75/5

Theme or Fluff- I like the monsters here. They all feel pulpy, but they don't get too much write up. A common set up is one page for a picture and one page for stats and description. Descriptions get the short side of that stick. The description does give you something to work with, but I would have liked a bit more. However, the book does describe a few new villainous organizations for you to throw at your players, so Threats does build on the story of the campaign setting. 4.5/5

Execution- Threats does have some problems, but overall it's well done. There are a few typos and other minor problems. Also, just like Basic, no real advice is given for how to build a fight. But that is par for any pulp fantasy RPG course. Even with those minor complaints, I am really happy with one thing: EVERY MONSTER GETS A PICTURE! I hate having to describe each monster and then point at a general monster of that type. The pictures are not perfect, but at the very least they're in there! 4.75/5

Summary- Every good system needs a monster book. And this is just a well done monster book. My problems with this one are minor. I'd like game specific art for each thing, but some are is better than no art. Also, while other monster manuals teach you to build the monsters, Threats expect you to look at Expert to know those rules. Those are not bad, but just know that going into this one. Overall though, what's here is well done and well worth your five bucks. 93%