The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Let me preface this review by saying that this book has virtually nothing of use for players in it. DMs, however, will find a wealth of information.

For those of you who are unaware, Legions of Hell is d20 system book from Green Ronin Publishing detailing several denizens of the nine circles of Hell. Whether this is close to how WotC will write the "official" version of Hell or not is anyone's guess at this point (though the author, who also works for WotC, has said that it should fit pretty seamlessly). Nevertheless, for those DMs out there drooling for some good ol' fiendish fun, you're gonna love this book.

The book itself has some very nice artwork throughout, though the paper stock used seems inferior to "official" Wizards' products. But, honestly, does it matter? My answer is "Nah, not really."

Ah, but Nightchilde, you ancient diviner of secrets and imparter of wisdom, you ask, what's within these pages? Take heed, young mortal, and I shall share with you...

The book starts with an Introduction, which gives the basic rundown of Hell, including naming the various rulers of each circle. The hierarchy of Hell is given some detail, just enough to set a fiendish DM's mind in motion.

The next 46 pages detail specific devils, including several nobles. All of the creatures seem to be balanced and well within the "confines" of the d20 system's rules (unlike some creature collections I could name). Interspersed among the devils are some magic items and a new mundane weapon or two. Among my favorite devils is the Distender, which sounds kinda silly, but is really quite neat. It's a huge stomach with arms and legs that vomits on its' foes. Quite a neat monster, actually.

Appendix 1 presents three Prestige Classes, Balan's Jackal (who become jackal-like beasts under the devil Balan's control), the Mountebank (agents of the devil Jalie who thrive on deceit and duplicity) and the Plaguelord (agents of Nergal, which spread disease and filth). Of the three Prestige Classes, really, only Mountebank would be even considered PC-playable, and even that is going to come about if the player begs me and I get tired of hearing it. For NPCs, though, the Prestige Classes rock. I especially like the Plaguelord (who, for initiation, must be consumed from the inside out by giant maggots..whee, fun!). Sample characters of each Prestige Class are presented.

Appendix 2 gives the now-infamous Fallen Celestial Template. You know, for all those times you were sitting there thinking "I'd like to throw an Astal Deva at the party, but why would they fight one?" Oh, come on, you know you've done it...A sample Fallen trumpet archon is provided. Overall, I find the template, well, pretty darned cool. Can't wait to play with this one!

Appendix 3 feels a bit out of place for the book. It details the angelic choirs, or the organization of the bands of angels in the seven heavens. I say this feels out of place because everything else in the book speaks of devils, but this one section is all about angels.

Finishing Appendix 3 is "an incomplete summary of many of the important fallen celestials resident in the Nine Circles of Hell." In short, these two pages give lists of two "hosts" of fallen celestials; the Stewards of the Promogenial Rebellion (which includes such perennial favorites as Beezelbub, Belial and Moloch) and the Samyasan Host. This is really used more for flavor, since none of these ultra-powerful devil lords have stats, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Appendix 4 lists monsters by Challenge Rating (wait..Combat Rating? What? :-)) and Appendix 5 gives a bibliography, including general and AD&D sources.

The book wraps up with the d20 license and some ads.

Overall, I found this book packed with some nifty, and nefarious, ideas. I think most DMs will. Most players, however, are not going to get much, if any, use out of this book.

Legions of Hell
Legions of Hell Capsule Review by Nightchilde on 04/07/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) An excellent book for DMs on the denizens of the nine circles of Hell. Product: Legions of Hell Author: Chris Pramas Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Green Ronin Publishing Line: D20 Cost: 14.95 Page count: 64 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 0-9701048-4-7 SKU: GRR1005 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Nightchilde on 04/07/01 Genre tags: Fantasy Horror Gothic	Let me preface this review by saying that this book has virtually nothing of use for players in it. DMs, however, will find a wealth of information. For those of you who are unaware, Legions of Hell is d20 system book from Green Ronin Publishing detailing several denizens of the nine circles of Hell. Whether this is close to how WotC will write the "official" version of Hell or not is anyone's guess at this point (though the author, who also works for WotC, has said that it should fit pretty seamlessly). Nevertheless, for those DMs out there drooling for some good ol' fiendish fun, you're gonna love this book. The book itself has some very nice artwork throughout, though the paper stock used seems inferior to "official" Wizards' products. But, honestly, does it matter? My answer is "Nah, not really." Ah, but Nightchilde, you ancient diviner of secrets and imparter of wisdom, you ask, what's within these pages? Take heed, young mortal, and I shall share with you... The book starts with an Introduction, which gives the basic rundown of Hell, including naming the various rulers of each circle. The hierarchy of Hell is given some detail, just enough to set a fiendish DM's mind in motion. The next 46 pages detail specific devils, including several nobles. All of the creatures seem to be balanced and well within the "confines" of the d20 system's rules (unlike some creature collections I could name). Interspersed among the devils are some magic items and a new mundane weapon or two. Among my favorite devils is the Distender, which sounds kinda silly, but is really quite neat. It's a huge stomach with arms and legs that vomits on its' foes. Quite a neat monster, actually. Appendix 1 presents three Prestige Classes, Balan's Jackal (who become jackal-like beasts under the devil Balan's control), the Mountebank (agents of the devil Jalie who thrive on deceit and duplicity) and the Plaguelord (agents of Nergal, which spread disease and filth). Of the three Prestige Classes, really, only Mountebank would be even considered PC-playable, and even that is going to come about if the player begs me and I get tired of hearing it. For NPCs, though, the Prestige Classes rock. I especially like the Plaguelord (who, for initiation, must be consumed from the inside out by giant maggots..whee, fun!). Sample characters of each Prestige Class are presented. Appendix 2 gives the now-infamous Fallen Celestial Template. You know, for all those times you were sitting there thinking "I'd like to throw an Astal Deva at the party, but why would they fight one?" Oh, come on, you know you've done it...A sample Fallen trumpet archon is provided. Overall, I find the template, well, pretty darned cool. Can't wait to play with this one! Appendix 3 feels a bit out of place for the book. It details the angelic choirs, or the organization of the bands of angels in the seven heavens. I say this feels out of place because everything else in the book speaks of devils, but this one section is all about angels. Finishing Appendix 3 is "an incomplete summary of many of the important fallen celestials resident in the Nine Circles of Hell." In short, these two pages give lists of two "hosts" of fallen celestials; the Stewards of the Promogenial Rebellion (which includes such perennial favorites as Beezelbub, Belial and Moloch) and the Samyasan Host. This is really used more for flavor, since none of these ultra-powerful devil lords have stats, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Appendix 4 lists monsters by Challenge Rating (wait..Combat Rating? What? :-)) and Appendix 5 gives a bibliography, including general and AD&D sources. The book wraps up with the d20 license and some ads. Overall, I found this book packed with some nifty, and nefarious, ideas. I think most DMs will. Most players, however, are not going to get much, if any, use out of this book.