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In The Company of Fiends
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by David C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/23/2018 14:26:15

I can see this being a divisive title, but right now it’s probably my favorite of the “In The Company Of” series because of how well it captures the feel of playing a fiend (if not a specific type of fiend; more on that later). This book offers evocative flavor text, a cool new race, and a solid, playable new class that feels very fiendish. The art ranges from passable to quite good, and on the whole this is a book I’m excited to use in a future game.

The new race, the nephilim, are humanoid creatures that have been more or less permanently possessed by disembodied fiendish spirits. The precise metaphysics of this are left somewhat vague, although there is a handy sidebar discussing how to handle an existing PC or NPC who becomes a nephilim during play. I like this race rather a lot; they positively drip with flavor and potential GM hooks, and I would consider using them as a replacement for tieflings in a future campaign. Mechanically, the ramifications of their unique form of possession are that nephilim are treated as humanoids rather than outsiders, to the extent that they can be raised and resurrected like PCs from the core races.

The Fiendish Exemplar class appears to be rock solid, if perhaps a bit high-powered for the tastes of more traditional GMs. It offers a full BAB progression, d10 HD, and 6 skill points per level - an impressive stat array that might seem a little bit unbalanced at first glance. Fortunately, the book includes a handy sidebar that suggests some easy ways to tone the class down if you find it to be too powerful for your game.

The array of fiendish powers on offer is reasonably broad and, properly selected, they can produce a character who feels very much like a member of a broad category of fiends - a devil, a demon, a kyton, etc. It isn’t quite as good at recreating the experience of being a specific fiendish monster - a cornugon devil or a demonic succubus, for example - which might be disappointing to some players, so keep that in mind before you buy.

To sum up, I like this book a lot, but it may not be for everyone. The new nephilim race is cool and interesting, and the exemplar class seems both exciting and playable. If you’re looking for a set of rules to create a balanced character with a strong fiendish theme, “In The Company of Fiends” is for you. If you’re looking to play a succubus, a vulnadaemon, or some other specific creature, you may want to look elsewhere, but I think there’s enough good stuff in here to make it a good addition to any player’s library.



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
In The Company of Fiends
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