Review & Commentary On Darker Paths 3: The Demonolater From BRW Games For Your Old School Campaigns

Right so I'm always on the look out for another variation of the demon worshiper, wizard, summoner, cultist, or dark priest of Chaos. Because let's face it Chaos & the Abyss in D&D and AD&D are fun to pit PC's against. The playing field is littered with so many demonic and quasi demonic foes that can go across the spectrum of level challenge and can be used with any level from a first level fighter to a twentyth level wizard. Demons are a perfect foil for PC's. Along comes Darker Paths 3: The Demonolater From BRW Games the same folks who do Adventures Dark and Deep. The Demonolater is a perfect foil to oppose an entire party and pose a major threat to any level of party of adventurers. According to the Drivethrurpg blurb you get a whole range of abilities and horrific ways of using this class in a game, "Demonolaters are priests who serve demon lords and ladies. The character class is a sub-class of cleric, but each demon lord has priests with special powers and spells, nearly 40 of which are included (with names like dark offering, invite possession, and warp reality). "
Grab This Class Right Over HERE

Even though on the tin this book says for both PC's & NPC's this book feels like a total Dungeon Mater book. These characters are the cleric's who think that their that much smarter then demons and their ilk. The class is fairly balanced to its approach of evil. It features, details on nearly 40 new spells it is suitable for use with any RPG compatible with the basic or advanced D&D
The book does live up to this claim with a nice even and balanced approach to the nasty spells, evil items, lots of flavor and more.  The rules on demonic pacts are solid and well though out . The book clocks in at fifteen pages making it both slim and easy to navigate as well as drop whole sale right into the back end of your old school campaigns.
The levels and magick for the Demonolater really sets the stage and we really get a good sense of the whats going on throughout this class. Heaven or Hell knows we get a good sampling of the motives and attitudes of the Demonolater, plus  how to use the player character class end of things.for maximum
 mayhem and evil. Everything in this class is well developed and carefully thought out plus it  focuses on the dark shades of the horror that it presents. The product presents the Demonolater as a cleric with several differences from your run of the mill cultist or evil wizard. According to the introduction, The demonolater is a sub-class of the cleric. They are those few twisted mortals who seek out and serve one of the various demonic lords of the Abyss, whether because of some compulsion, or a desire for power or other rewards. It is often impossible to determine their motives with any certainty, because demonolaters are quite frequently demon-possessed, insane, or both'  And that's  how this book really digs the sacrificial knife into the back end of the PC class. I can see using the Demonolater for Dungeon Crawl Classes as well more tradition game product editions  such as OD&D and AD&D. The book has charts, spells, and much more all balanced into a well thought out piece of black clerical horror. Everything in this book is slanted in my mind for NPC creation and that  your going to get a fully functioning and solidly done book of demonic mayhem. These black clerics are perfect foils on their own or as part of a black magick cult worshiping chaos and demons or as the heads of such a cult.The Demonolater is a really nicely done book that can create memorable NPC's for any era. You might have a band of mutant demon worshipers in the post apocalyptic wasteland being lead by a Demonolater. A gang of demon worshiping outlaws could also be operating in the weird wastelands of the Wild West where a Demonolater can cause all kinds of mayhem and trouble. 
Then there's the idea of the sentiment associated with a hidden operative A  Demonolater who uses a variety of demons and horrors to get his will done in the done among the circles of poor as well as rich as the master of a cult circuit. This book also has rules for patrons in the form of Dagon and his followers, minions, and more. Like many other black or evil classes this one comes with all of the bells and whistles that make the Demonolater a nice addition to the DM's tool kit. Do I think that you should pick this book up? Yes I do with all confidence and I do think its worth the price. Four out of five is what I give this variant class and horrors which await your PC's!