Saturday, November 25, 2023

OSR Commentary on Exhumed Obscura By Paul F de Valera (Author), & Grant S Parrinello (Author) For The OSRIC Rpg

 "Do you like minute-long combat rounds? Do you know what game-inches are? Do you think the biggest problem with 5th edition is 6th edition? If so, we have the old-school role-playing expansion for you!


Introducing Exhumed Obscura, a new expansion for tabletop role-playing games with material developed over decades as in-house rules now brought to you in this finely crafted and concise format to augment and enhance your game. Features include 9 new races, 12 new classes, 4 new stats, critical hits charts, a mass combat system, numerous spells, weapons and magic items. 154 pages of exciting new ideas for your campaign lie within.
[h=1]Below is just a brief sampling of what awaits players and gamemasters alike as they discover new depths to their game world:[/h][h=1]Classes[/h]Anti-Paladin: Taking the quick road to power, the Anti-Paladin serves dark masters and can wreak havoc in ways no other class can...for a price.

Blood Guard: Relying on keen senses and uncanny reflexes, the Blood Guard are the ultimate bodyguards and overall defenders of life.

Dark Druid: Harnessing the darker side of nature, the Dark Druid seeks to gain dominion over the lands, not work harmoniously with them.

Fighter Mage: Mastering both magic and the blade, the Fighter Mage is a force to be reckoned with, both in melee and in a contest of sorcery.

The Hand: Secret enforcers working to maintain order in the realm, a Hand is a deadly fighter who uses stealth to their highest advantage.

Knights of the Brotherhood of Elemental Orders: Using planar magics and strict discipline, a Knight of the Elemental Orders ascends through their college of elemental power and becomes a fearless warrior.

Necromancer: Although the work of the Necromancer is loathsome to many, they are the premiere conjurer, manufacturer, and destroyer of undead.

Orator: Utilizing the little-known science of Harmonics, the Orator gains mastery over material and spirit alike.

Pit Fighter: Raised in the cruel and unforgiving arena, the Pit Fighter is the ultimate hand-to-hand combatant.

Savage: Dwelling in the wilds, the Savage is known throughout the realms for their brutal fighting technique, magic-resistance, and masterful survival skills.

Spirit Hunter: Using their deep connection to nature and the land, the Spirit Hunter is the dedicated protector of the wild forests they call home.

Targeteer: Using a crossbow with a fantastic precision, the Targeteer can place a bolt with deadly accuracy at unthinkable ranges.
[h=1]Races[/h]Bahkaruh: Huge, fierce nomads, The Bahakaruh roam the plains seeking glory in adventure and combat.

Ghoule: Released from the yoke of the Necromancer who once controlled them, the Ghoule are driven by their craving for flesh.

Half-Ogre: A massive human-ogre half breed, the Half-Ogre is welcomed amongst the ranks of soldiers and mercenaries but shunned by polite society.

Harood: Stout, desert-dwelling, lizard-like humanoids, The Harood are found equally in adventure parties or wandering alone.

Jorakeen: Found in temperate and winter climes, the doughty Jorakeen make excellent scouts and rangers.

Mavakin: Rumored to be a cursed bloodline, the giant Mavakin are resistant to all forms of magic, good or bad.

Mendelinkorian: An ancient race, the Mendelinkorian are peerless in magic... as they are in secrecy.

Styger: Magic constructs appearing as insect-like humanoids, The Styger are the prize of any army, renowned for teamwork in combat.
hi
Tinelians: Clever, light-hearted and adventurous, the Tinelians sail the world looking to sa
te their endless curiosity.

On top of all that, dozens of new spells, even more magic items, and a great many new weapons and armor await to enrich your gaming experience. It’s almost as good as pizza!"

 Exhumed Obscura By  Paul F de Valera (Author),  & Grant S Parrinello (Author) For the OSRIC Rpg came my way via Amazon. The book came out way back in 2017 and it wasn't on my radar until 2023. Why?! Because of the fact that there's no pdf of the Exhumed Obscura material at all. And so it didn't  come to my attention until a friend of mine on Twitter pointed it out some weeks ago. 
There are tons of new races, and optional PC classes for OSRIC along with some real tweaks to the OSRIC rpg system. The layout and fonts are fantastic but man that index is so damn small. And the artwork style goes from cartoony to classic but this is often what happens with truly independant publishing. So all is forgiven with the content. The content is where Exhumed Obsura shines, we get new player PC races by the bushel and lots of new PC classes for OSRIC. 

For the OSRIC rpg Exhumed Obscura is a great expansion supplement and it's got a metric ton of optional systems in it's one hundred fifty eight pages of content. There are a boat load of new spells and magic items. There's tons of optional lore included in there. The material is very well done for an independant outfit especially one or two guys. 
Is Exhumed Obscura a must have book for OSRIC?! No, but it's great addition to the rpg because it expands the scope of the work by a tinker's mile. And that's great. Some folks are going to compare Exhumed Obscura to the offerings of BRW games and please don't do that. BRW games by Joseph Bloch are on another level compared to the independant offerings of  Paul F de Valera (Author),  & Grant S Parrinello (Author). While they are both OSR authors and designers these are very different OSR offerings. 
And with that said I like Exhumed Obscura for what it is, and independant set off solidly done OSR optional systems for OSRIC. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.