Codex Effusio is a 34-page PDF translating emotions into feats, prestige classes, magic items, and spells for D&D. It is presented through the eyes of Johara Gway. Who is Johara Gway? The introduction doesn’t say, but apparently he is an adventurer, game designer, and expert on emotions.
Overall, the Codex is well written and filled with useful roleplaying ideas and solid rules. I highly recommend it, especially based on the strength of the prestige classes.
Some of the rules are somewhat tongue in cheek, like the cursed security blanket that must be carried everywhere or the Hopping Mad class feature that helps with Jump checks. However, even the few lighthearted references are backed by solid rules.
The first chapter, Feats, introduces two new types of feats: Disposition and Traumatic. Disposition feats can only be taken at 1st-level and represent bursts of intense emotion. Traumatic feats have a trigger condition that has to be fulfilled before they work and often center on a target or focus. Both of these new types of feats seem well thought out and fit in well with the base system.
However, both feats tend to be fairly rules heavy, especially Traumatic feats. While more complex, they also offer solid roleplaying hooks so the extra bookkeeping will be worth the effort.
Over fifty feats, including general feats and a metamagic feat, form a solid emotional rules foundation. Action Without Thought is a general feat that allows one to always act in the surprise round. Rancorous, a disposition feat, provides a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls against opponents one has faced in combat previously. Vindictive is a traumatic feat that triggers when one drops to 0 hit points or less, focuses on the creature that struck the final blow, and allows one final immediate action to strike that creature.
The vast majority of these feats provide roleplaying connections to emotion as well as providing new balanced options for characters. Overall, the feats are solid, well designed, and fit the theme of emotion well.
An example of a well-designed feat in term of mechanics is Fearsome Spell. A metamagic feat, it adds fear to the effect of an area spell or a spell with a target. The feat causes the target to become panicked on a failed save or shaken with a success. Both of those conditions are already defined in the core rules and the feat uses them to good effect.
A few rules-related issues do crop up. Blaze of Glory refers to partial actions, which are not used in D&D 3.5. Also, the higher the user’s Con modifier, the more the feat damages the user after it is used. This approach is in opposition to most feat builds, which do not reward low ability scores and conversely do not normally penalize high ability scores.
Vindictive, on the other extreme, references immediate actions and uses the rule appropriately. However, immediate actions aren’t referenced in the core rules. A sidebar defining the rule would be helpful.
How the Will save for Dejected is calculated may be listed incorrectly. It lists DC 20 – your character level, which means the higher your level the easier it is for a foe to make the save. However, it may be designed that way because you look less and less weak the higher your level.
Martyr’s Gift is the rare exception of a feat that seems poorly designed. It inflicts Con drain and possible death in return for very minor healing. As I can’t imagine any character taking this feat, its rare weakness among all the other useful feats doesn’t have too great an impact.
Chapter 2 covers eight five-level prestige classes revolving around emotions. The classes are filled with roleplaying potential and provide unique abilities unavailable in the standard classes.
The prestige classes have high requirements in terms of ability scores, casting, and skills. However, the classes themselves offer unique power so the requirements seem solid.
Perhaps for the first time in reading a chapter on prestige classes, I liked every class. From the requirement that would-be defilers buy the Scroll of Aversao or quest for it in the middle of a vast swamp while overcoming phantom fungi and mummy lords to the heebie jeebies swarm of the phobist that can take on a life of its own and run amok, I was hooked.
Many of the prestige classes offer power but with a dangerous price, like the possibility that the heebie jeebies swarm will become real. The classes also encourage interaction with both friends and foes. Using the class features will demonstrate powerfully what matters to the character using those abilities and how that strength of belief has affected them.
I’ll use the sin eater as an example. The sin eater is a minor divine caster with the major power of eating sin and turning it into power. Evil casters feed on sin itself, while good casters convert eaten sin into one of the seven virtues.
A simple touch or a melee touch attack absorbs a random sin. The power can be used more times per day based on the sin eater’s level and also becomes more powerful.
For example, a sin eater eats Envy. If evil, the sin eater can make a ranged touch attack to steal a feat and at higher levels a class feature or level. A good sin eater would convert the sin into Charity. He could than impart a feat, class feature, or level to another creature.
Succinct, easy to run, flavorful, and interesting. I have rarely seen better thought out or more interesting prestige classes. I can recommend this PDF solely on the strength of the prestige classes alone.
As great as this chapter is, I did find a few glitches. The sin eater prestige class indicates that many paladins enter the class, but it requires the ability to cast 5th-level divine spells. The despondent requires a low Charisma but also requires a feat that benefits from a high Charisma. And there is a minor spelling error on the furyon table. None of these minor problems changes my opinion on the usefulness of the classes.
Chapter 3 is all about alchemical and magic items. Toxins that manipulate emotions can be applied to weapons. The effects are useful and would be quite a surprise to foes. For instance, for only 1550, an elixir of tunnel vision can cause the target failing a save to be flat-footed and opponents gain a +4 bonus to attack when flanking.
The magic items are all high priced, making them less useful for low level campaigns. However, the powers of the wondrous items, arms, and armor, are useful and emotion based.
A vengeful weapon will continue to fight for its wielder after he falls in battle. It fights on above its fallen master for a number of rounds equal to the wielder’s character level. A great addition to the arms in the core rules.
This chapter offers six toxins, fifteen new magic items or enhancers, and four cursed items.
Chapter 4 includes around thirty new spells. Many of these new spells will produce powerful visual effects or generate intense emotion that could be roleplayed. The spells are packed with description. The spells cover new ground and rarely duplicate or mimic existing core rule spells.
Skin deep is a cleric spell that changes a living creature’s appearance to match its alignment and gain a beneficial effect. A lawful good creature appears as an angelic crusader armed with a flaming sword and gains an additional 1d6 points of damage against evil creatures.
Glitches include another reference to partial actions, adding spells to various domain spell lists, and the anachronistic naming of the powder keg spell. I wasn’t sure why awesome majesty was a wizard spell, as the illusion is of divine might. Again, the glitches are minor and do not detract from the usefulness of the spells.
As I stated at the beginning of this review, I highly recommend Codex Effusio. A variety of different characters and NPCs could benefit from the new rules. And the flavorful descriptions and roleplaying information would enhance most campaigns, whatever world they are based in.
