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The Abomination Codex, like its immediate predecessor, the Mystery Codex, is a grab bag of new goodies (and baddies) for WitchCraft. That being the case, I'm going to stick with the chapter-by-chapter breakdown I used for the previous book.

CONTENT

Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter is identical to the corresponding chapter in the Mystery Codex.

Well, aside from the book it introduces, of course.

Anyway, let's move on…

Chapter 2: Rules

Lacking the need to include the second edition rules updates, this chapter is much smaller than its analog in the Mystery Codex. It starts off with introductions to one new Character Type, the Lesser Supernatural (of which only one, the Feral, appears in this book) and five new Associations (the Knights Templar, the Covenant of Legba, the Nomads, the Mockers, and the Lodge of the Undying). All are covered in more detail later on in the book, so I will deal with them there as well.

Next are new Qualities and Drawbacks, none of them the kind of fluff that often creeps into "more stuff!" supplements. Three of them -- Feral, Skin-Changer, and True Immortal -- simply allow characters to be the eponymous supernatural being. The Familiar Quality gives the character a spirit familiar that the player "builds" from scratch, with the Quality's cost based upon the spirit's power and loyalty. The Influence Quality and the Obligation Drawback are nice additions, especially for players of "connected" PCs such as Rosicrucians or Knights Templar. The Legban Esoteric Quality gives members of the Covenant of Legba access to non-Legban Metaphysics, and the Spirit Patron Quality gives the character a bond with a powerful spirit. (More on the latter in a bit.)

Wrapping up the chapter are the Magic Bolt skill, which allows for the targeting of mystic blast attacks, and stats for a weapon that's a must for any good monster-hunting arsenal: the flamethrower.

(While they were at it, I do wish they'd included stats for shotguns as well. They were omitted in the first edition rulebook and not added along with the rest of the rules updates in the Mystery Codex.)

Chapter 3: Inhumans

The Abomination Codex adds two more playable inhuman character types: Feral and True Immortal.

Ferals

The Mystery Codex introduced lycanthropes -- Ferals, in WitchCraft parlance -- as NPCs. This book provides expanded information on them, including how to create Feral PCs.

Ferals are humans whose souls have become enmeshed with (or infected by) beast spirits, generally in one of four ways: through heredity, angering an animal spirit, or killing or being critically wounded by another Feral.

The book distinguishes between three basic types of Ferals:

Accursed Ferals -- created Ferals with no control over their transformations

Reconciled Ferals, which are created Ferals who have managed to master the beast within to some degree

Born Ferals, which are hereditary Ferals who have total control over their transformations

In this way, WitchCraft manages to touch most of the bases of pop culture's werewolf mythology.

Werewolves are only one type of Feral, however. The book provides stats for Bear, Coyote, Hyena, Jaguar, Lion, Tiger, and (naturally) Wolf Ferals. (It's suggested that non-predatory spirits lack the individuality and/or desire for revenge needed to create Ferals, and that non-mammalian spirits are too alien to merge with a human soul.)

In addition to the abilities inherent in all Ferals of a given type, individual Ferals have access to certain special Powers and Vulnerabilities. Well, actually, only one Vulnerability is listed: Moon Slave, which makes the Feral especially vulnerable to spontaneous transformation in times and places of high ambient Essence -- the full moon, for example. The Powers are Camouflage (think Predator); Inborn Feral (see Born Ferals, above); Spirit Claws (physical attacks affect ethereal beings); Strength of the Beast (gain the stat bonuses -- but not natural weapons -- of animal form while in human form); and Summon Animal Spirits (animal spirits of the Feral's type materialize to aid him). Stats for several types of summoned animal spirits are included, although the list does not contain the spirit types corresponding to every listed Feral breed.

Aside from the mammalian predator requirement, Ferals are a very versatile class of being in WitchCraft, ideal for everything from noble PCs to truly savage NPCs. In the former case, however, beware: Ferals have the potential to be highly unbalancing in combat.

Finally, a nice twist on the Feral concept are the Skin-Changers: magicians who use specially-treated animal furs to emulate the shape-changing powers of the Ferals. They have the advantage of full control over the transformation, but lack the special powers of a true Feral.

True Immortals

The Mystery Codex discussed the various ways beings in the WitchCraft universe can attain real or effective immortality, but the Abomination Codex imports from WitchCraft's sequel game, Armageddon, the only humans who are born immortal.

As those who are familiar with Armageddon know, these immortals carry the reincarnated souls of the immortal lords of Atlantis. They are physically powerful and supernaturally resistant to injury -- even more so than the immortals of Highlander fame. Only the complete immolation of their bodies followed by the scattering of the ashes or a supernatural sundering of their souls will destroy them.

Like Ferals, they also have access to special Powers and Vulnerabilities on an individual basis. The former include such abilities as Battle Boost, a temporary increase in all physical abilities, and Gaze of Dominion, a form of mind control; however, the most unusual power is Maker -- the ability re-create the super-science devices of ancient Atlantis. (More about those in the Metaphysics chapter.)

I'm not quite sure how well Immortals fit in the horrific WitchCraft setting, to be honest. They're only slightly less unstoppable than the Relentless Dead, but without the horror angle. And unlike the Storm Dragons, who are also not particularly good fit with a horror setting in and of themselves, the Immortals have no built-in reason to confront horror. But at any rate, they're nifty enough if you want them, and easily ignored if you don't.

Chapter 4: Associations

Like the groups in the Mystery Codex, the associations in this book are much less well known than are those in the main rulebook. That is not to say that they are necessarily weaker, however -- especially in the case of the first one.

The Knights Templar

Contrary to real-world history, the Knights Templar of WitchCraft are an order founded by King Solomon for the purpose creating a utopian one-world government, which will, in turn, allow humanity to literally find God. Unfortunately, that is exactly the sort of thing the Combine does not want to happen, and so the two groups have been engaged in a ruthless tug-of-war over dominion of the planet since Biblical times.

The Templars are definitely the underdogs in the struggle, but they have some spiffy tricks up their sleeves. These include Magic, the Second Sight, Divine Inspiration, and the mysterious Keys of Solomon (see below), in addition to good old-fashioned influence.

The Templars are perfect for a campaign focused on espionage and intrigue. These are the James Bonds of the WitchCraft world. PCs belonging to this group get either a 2 bonus to spend on physical attributes, two points to spend on Social Qualities, or one of each, this to reflect the hyper-competence and/or influence of the typical Templar.

As cool as they are, the Templars do present one potential problem for the GM: they know a lot about the secrets of the setting. For campaigns highly dependent upon the unknown, it may be best to keep the Templars as mysterious NPCs. But either way, they're a great addition to the game.

The Covenant of Legba

This is one of the largest Covenants of Voodoo practitioners in the world of WitchCraft, incorporating members from both the African-American and Hispanic communities. They work for the betterment of their communities and oppose to the Brotherhood of Blood, a group of evil Voodooists dedicated to the acquisition of power at all costs.

There's really not much else to tell about this group that isn't a description of Voodoo in general. The powers of Voodoo are covered in Metaphysics chapter.

The Nomads

Imagine a group of Ferals charged by the god and goddess of the moon with continually travelling the Earth, never settling in one place, forever hunting down and destroying supernatural menaces.

Now give'em semis and Harleys.

Actually, like all of the Associations in WitchCraft -- so far, anyway -- the Nomads aren't a homogeneous organization. Only about one fourth of them are Ferals -- it's just that a group of Feral families make up the core of the Association. The rest are a mix of humans, Magicians, Necromancers, Bast, Fey, Spirits, and Undead. But there's just something so compelling about werewolf bikers and werebear truckers…

Like the Fellowship of Judas did for Vampyres, the Nomads provide a ready-made motivation for heroic Ferals. (And beings of other sorts, of course.) As such, it's a welcome addition to the setting.

The Mockers

If, as I suggested in my Mystery Codex review, the Pariahs are akin to Little Fears characters who gained power from their experiences, then the Mockers are their brethren from Call of Cthulhu. These are people who've been infected with Taint by encounters with the Mad Gods, but who have lived to tell the tale with their sanity (mostly) intact. Now they use the Taint powers they've gained against the monstrosities who inflicted them, defending a universe that generally loathes them. They get their name from the cynical sense of humor with which they face what they see as a Lovecraftian universe of cosmic horror.

This is a nice enough idea, although the concept seems to overlap quite a bit with that of the Pariahs. I'd have found the Mockers more interesting if they were forced to study and use dangerous and forbidden magic arts in order to defeat their horrible foes -- that's one of the things I always found appealing about Call of Cthulhu. Unfortunately, that really wouldn't make sense with all of the non-hazardous supernatural powers available in the WitchCraft universe. So, instead of dangerous spells that are sought, it's dangerous powers that are inflicted.

The Lodge of the Undying

This is a kind of social club for True Immortals, dedicated to mutual support and to studying the nature and origins of the Immortals. A few immortals of other types belong to the group as well, including Vampyres, Magicians with high Essence scores, and ageless Seer masters of Mindheal; however, for the most part, this is the most homogeneous of the Covenants so far.

Desperate to keep a low profile and lacking any sort of activist agenda, this also may be the Covenant least likely to provide obvious plot hooks. But, on the bright side, its very existence serves to emphasize the fact that WitchCraft Immortals are not the Immortals of Highlander -- these Immortals cooperate and gain nothing from killing each other off.

Chapter 5: Metaphysics

The Keys of Solomon

These are Metaphyics used (almost) exclusively by the Knights Templar. Something like a cross between a spell and a supernatural power, they require a spoken component to activate but have fixed effects and Essence costs. There are supposedly thirteen of them in all, of which only the nine common ones are listed. (The other four may be learned only by Master Templars who have already learned the nine.)

Of the nine, seven offer varying degrees of defense against and control over specific types of supernatural beings: the Key of the Dead (undead), the four Elemental Keys (elementals of the classic sort, including defense against their associated elements) the Key of Seraphim (angels, fallen or not), and the Key of the Spirit (nature spirits). The catch is that the Keys alone cannot summon or control these beings; rather, they provide bonuses to other powers that can do so. By themselves, they only provide defensive bonuses. That being the case, it seems that they will be most useful to Templar Magicians or Necromancers. However, the Key of Seraphim also provides the ability to directly damage angelic beings through an Essence attack that cannot be resisted, making it more generally useful.

Of the remaining two, the Key of Life allows the Templar to heal himself and others, and the Key of War boosts his physical attributes for combat.

I was a little disappointed in the Keys. It seems to me that the mysterious Templars should have equally mysterious abilities, rather than powers that, in large part, piggyback on other Metaphysics or else duplicate their effects.

Voodoo Magic

In this section, I was somewhat relieved to see that WitchCraft isn't going to follow down the path of adding a new type of power at every opportunity. Specifically, Voodoo in WitchCraft terms is not an entirely new variety of magic; rather, it is a tradition that draws upon both Necromancy and Magic. Specifically, Voodoo makes use of all Necromantic powers and a specific list of Invocations, including two new Greater Invocations: Mount of the Gods and Zombie Mastery. The former invites a loa (Voodoo deity) to possess, or "mount", a target, which may include the caster. The latter, of course, allows for the creation of zombies. (These are of the actual undead variety, by the way, but the setting and rules allow for "real world" chemically induced "living" zombies as well.)

This combination of powers, combined with new Voodoo-appropriate Symbols and Items of Power, create a surprisingly effective WitchCraft interpretation of Voodoo practices without the need for new rules complications.

Spirit Patrons

Ah, the classic "power with a price" routine.

This ability allows characters to gain various boons from supernatural entities such as nature spirits, elementals, old gods, angels, demons, and even powerful ghosts and the Mad Gods. These boons may or may not come with a specific obligation attached, although at the very least, the being will frown on the character working against its interests.

The boons offered will vary based upon the entity and include such things as Invocations, Necromantic powers, immortality, and prophecy. Obligations also vary by entity and include demands for sacrifice, oaths of servitude, and the classic selling of the soul.

Spirit Patron makes a great addition to the game for at least two good reasons. First, it's just such a fixture of the genre. And second, it provides a way to get around certain limitations on Metaphysics that I'd otherwise find onerous -- Ferals normally can't use Invocations, for example, but they can do so with a spirit patron.

Taint Powers

As I mentioned in my comments regarding the Mockers, that group overlaps a bit too much with the Pariahs for my tastes. To a certain degree, the powers of Taint overlap with the Disciplines of the Flesh as well. However, there is enough new and interesting here to help give the Mockers and other Tainted their own distinct feel.

Taint is the polar opposite of Essence, which powers all other supernatural abilities, from healing angelic touches to demonic hellfire blasts. It is, in fact, the very stuff of the Mad Gods. That being the case, it's not surprising that using Taint can lead to insanity. In addition to purchasing Taint and Taint Channeling, however, Tainted characters must purchase a special skill called "Anchor". This skill allows them to maintain their sanity while making use of their powers.

Taint, like the Disciplines of the Flesh, has its own version of a "Turn Into Disgusting Monster" power. The real fun, however, is in the Negaphysics power. This ability lets the characters screw around with kinetic energy and gravity, allowing for effects such as upward "falls", super-strength deadlifts, and the slowing of bullets. And just imagine the fun of orienting your own personal gravity, allowing you to travel about M.C. Escher style! Other powers include rather bland Taint-powered energy blasts and temporary Taint infection, but to my mind, Negaphysics alone is worth the price of admission in this section.

Atlantean Arcana

This is the "weird science" of the WitchCraft setting -- the supernatural technology of the ancient Atlanteans as re-created by the True Immortals in whom they are reincarnated. For each item listed, there is a cost to own it and a cost to be able to create it.

These creations are supposed to be "flashy and powerful", we're told, but I didn't really find them to be so. Oh, they're definitely useful, and nothing at which to sneeze, but they aren't the kind of whiz-bang Flash Gordon devices one might expect.

Adamant can make unusually strong armor or damaging weapons, and Orikalk can make unusually accurate weapons and armor resistant to Essence attacks. Ambrosia restores health and extends life (in mortals, of course). Orikalk can be used to make Energy Crystals, which in turn can power vehicles or "ray guns" (which do considerably less damage than, say, a .45 pistol, even if they do ignore armor). Orikalk and Energy Crystals can make Crystal Skulls, which allow for long-range though projection and a rather brutal form of mindreading. Finally, Adamant, Energy Crystals, and Orikalk can go into the creation of the only truly "flashy" device of the lot: the Atlantean Thought Ship. This UFO-like craft, which is powered by the pilot's own Essence, can do Mach 2, make 90 degree turns, and become invisible to radar or (for more Essence) the naked eye. (For an additional cost, the craft can have energy cannons mounted on it as well.) Of course, the fact that it runs on the pilot's own Essence means that the pilot must land to take breaks occasionally, making the Though Ships a bit like mystic bicycles.

Chapter 6: Supernatural

Where the Mystery Codex's chapter on the Supernatural focussed on the Sephiroths, the corresponding chapter in this book is more of a bestiary -- something that WitchCraft really needed, despite the fact that the main rulebook is far more generous in that area than the World of Darkness rulebooks, for example.

Included are examples of and general information regarding Elementals (Fire, Air, Earth, Water, and Electricity[!]); Nature Spirits (Cockroach, Eagle, Tree, and Wolf); Zombies (Astral, Living, and Undead); Fiends (demon-like beings who aren't fallen angels); and Ethereals (single-minded spirit entities severing greater supernatural powers, with stats for Vengeance and Angelic Ethereals). Also included is information on the cult of the Mad God known as Lle'Khor, the Rending Shadow, complete with stats for the god, a race of servant monsters, and one high priest. The book packs in a respectable amount of information for each entry, although the Undead Zombie entry seems fairly bland -- especially coming from the publisher of All Flesh Must Be Eaten.

STYLE

The writing is clear for the most part, although I did catch a couple of errors. For example, the chapter on Taint powers lists three powers that Tainted characters automatically receive; Tainted Healing, Tainted Shield, and the Unveiling; however, Tainted Shield doesn't exist, Tainted Healing should be Tainted Touch, and the sample Tainted character from the Mockers chapter has only Tainted Touch. On the other hand, the layout remains clean, with thematic fonts put to good use in the Metaphysics chapter. And WitchCraft's game fiction continues to be some of the best in the business.

The average quality of the artwork is good, and the book makes efficient use it -- the vast majority of it relates to the text. I'm not so sure about the cover art, however… It looks something like a vampire hit in the face with a milk-filled water balloon.

Finally, the appendix includes a glossary, an index, and various character creation reference tables. Strangely, some of the latter include information from the Mystery Codex, while others do not.

CONCLUSION

The Abomination Codex seems both more uneven and less central to the game than the Mystery Codex, but the good stuff is really good, nicely counterbalancing the merely mediocre. (The Feral and Knights Templar information alone go a long way towards making the book worthwhile.) That being the case, it's still worth buying if you have anything more than a passing interest in the world of WitchCraft.