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Stormwrack is part of the series of environmental books for D&D dealing with all things aquatic. Which is to say, that it is a useful book for any campaign involving watery environments; which is to say any campaign. Stormwrack is divided into eight chapters with an appendix.

Chapter One deals with watery settings, from seas and oceans to underground lakes to planar seas and the hazards therein. There are rules for voyages and narrative naval combat. The chapter closes with 20 adventure ideas.

Chapter Two offers new seafaring races. The Atlanti . . . Aventi are the citizens of an ancient empire that sank beneath the ocean. The Darfellans are shore-dwellers who are equally at home in the water as on land who have been hounded by the Sahuagin. The Hadozee are winged, deck apes, but they are also the most poorly realized, more caricatures than characters. There are also aquatic elves. The chapter winds up with a discussion of seafaring cultures among core races.

Chapter Three includes information on adapting the eleven classes from the Player’s Handbook to marine environments. Brief descriptions and domains are offered for thirteen marine deities. There are seven prestige classes. The Knight of the Pearl is a paladin of Atlanti . . . Aventurus. Legendary Captains lead famous ships and crews. The Leviathan Hunter pursues creatures from the dangerous depths. The Scarlet Corsair owes much to the Pirate class from Conan d20. The Sea Witch, despite sounding like something from Popeye, is a weather focused arcane spellcaster. Although, it is probably better suited for an adversary NPC than a PC. The Stormcaster is a spell caster with lightning and wind related abilities, and because it has no marine connection, the Stormcaster could easily be used in any campaign. The Wavekeeper is a divine spellcaster that is well-suited for Druids and Rangers.

Chapter Four deals with skills, feats, and the roles onboard a ship. There are 24 new feats. Most deal with aquatic movement. Several are focused on unarmed combat. Chapter Five deals with ships and equipment. There are stats for 21 ships and deck plans for five.

Chapter Six is spells and magic items. One of the most interesting features of Stormwrack is its introduction of the Blackwater Domain which draws on the negative energy-aligned waters from the ocean depths. Sahuagin are particularly adept at drawing on the Blackwater. The other new domains are Ocean, Seafolk, and Storm. There are 45 spells included, as well as three epic spells and four new psionic powers.

Chapter Seven offers numerous monsters and animals, including four dinosaurs (but no Murlocs). Chapter Eight offers four sample adventure locales: The Sable Drake, a goblin pirate ship (EL 5) (9 pg.); Shatterhull Isle, a storm tossed island (dungeon) of sea hags (EL 6) (10 pg.); the Lost Temple of Sekolah, a Sahuagin relic (dungeon) (EL 9) (11 pg.); and the Tamorean Vast, a graveyard of ships (with dungeon) (EL 12) (13 pg.). The eight-page appendix contains encounter tables for a variety of marine environments and ELs up to 10-16.

Stormwrack surprised me with its versatility, and I am looking forward to using it in my games.

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