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The only downside here is that the book is a little fiction heavy at times. While the snippets of fiction are enjoyable, they are oddly placed at times and do take up a moderate amount of room that could have been used to further expand on the various groups. Nevertheless, this is a quality supplement and a welcome addition to the Promethean line.
The Physical Thing
This 156 page black and white hardcover showcases above average production values for its $26.99 price tag. The excellent art maintains the same sort of moody apocalyptic feel found in Promethean: the Created, and since it’s logically related to the text throughout the art really conveys a lot of information. The editing here is excellent, and few to no mistakes were noticed. On the downside, the lack of index and general formatting hurt this product. The text sometimes feels jumbled, as if the author was too excited to break things up. Setting fiction will suddenly appear in odd places and interrupt the flow of the product. Additionally, an Index would be quite nice in this product. A lot of material is scattered, and some page flipping will be necessary to find what a reader is looking for. Still, it’s a minor inconvenience at most.Sometimes Pandora’s Book makes use of Rumors in text boxes off to the side. These rumors are well done, and add even more atmosphere to a product already chock full of it.
The Ideas
Lets do a bit of review of terms. Prometheans, as you may recall, are animated by the Divine Fire – specifically Pyros, which is the part of the Divine Fire focused on order and evolution. One of the Milestones every Promethean must accomplish in their quest to be human is to create another Promethean. Sometimes, perhaps often, this process fails and Pandorans are created instead. Pandorans are typically small creatures, driven by Flux (Divine Fire focused on chaos and decay), that want to consume as much Pyros as they can. They do this by eating a Promethean’s flesh. Some grow big, strong, and smart. These Pandorans are called Sublimati, and are truly terrible enemies to face.Sometimes Prometheans are aided or hindred by the Qashmallim, which strongly resemble angels powered by the Divine Fire. These creatures are mysterious, and it’s unknown what connection they have to Prometheans. Another great source of the Divine Fire in the world comes in the form of Fire Storms, which are great and terrible storms of Pyros that have strange and highly destructive effects upon the world. They tend to form around Prometheans, especially when something important has just occurred.
Finally, the Centimani are Prometheans who have chosen the Refinement of Flux. They study the chaotic and destructive energy that gives Pandorans life, the very antithesis of the Pyros Prometheans wield, and are often shunned or even attacked by other Prometheans. Their path opens up danger, terrible darkness, and possibly knowledge for those brave or crazy enough to explore it.
Under the Cover
This product begins with a very flavorful piece of setting fiction followed by a standard introduction that discusses the overall concepts presented in Pandora’s Book.Chapter One Children of Flux 40 pages.
As you would expect, Chapter One deals with the Pandorans, Centimani, and Flux generally. The chapter begins with a general discussion of Flux and its effect on the world. Flux tends to kill life, calcifying small life forms (worms) while making larger creatures sick and poisoned. It could almost be viewed as anti-life, and it represents chaos and destruction. All areas of the game have a Flux Rating, which represents how tainted that area is with Flux. Most parts of the world have a happy 0 Rating, which means they’re as normal as the World of Darkness gets. However, in areas where there have been active Pandorans, where the Lilithim (a Flux oriented type of Qashmallim) have appeared, where Firestorms have occurred, where clones have died, or where Pyros has been mishandled the Flux Rating may increase.
Flux Rating is nasty for several reasons. First, it increases the dice pools of Pandorans, Lilithim, and other Flux oriented creatures. This is on a one for one basis, and will usually result in 1 to 3 extra dice to physical actions though it can go as high as 5. This is a particularly brutal mechanic, as a bunch of minor Pandorans led by one more powerful Pandoran are significantly more powerful, rolling 2 or 3 more dice on their attacks. Flux Rating in the form of Taint (think: radiation) can even infect people and inanimate objects, spreading to other areas.
Flux can do more than that, however. It causes madness, results in animals becoming disturbed and violent, causes physical degeneration, and can even cause extreme physical mutations. Even buildings warp and decay. While it’s similar to the Wasteland effect Prometheans generate, Flux is more insidious. Flux Rating provides yet another way for the world to twist and turn against the Prometheans.
Chapter 1 goes on to discuss the Centimani, providing a lot of suggestions as to why different Prometheans choose this Refinement and what they learn along the way. While many are true villains, some follow Centimani out of the belief that they must understand Flux in order to truly understand their role in the world. In addition to an excellent discussion of the Centimani Refinement this chapter provides five Athanors (Lineage specific totems that provide abilities) for the Centimani, just like those presented for other Refinements in Promethean: the Created.
Next up are the Pandorans, starting off with several in-character essays and discussions on the nature of Pandorans. Pandoran Disquiet (that Pandorans are halted by mortal observation) and the pack nature of Pandorans receives good, well thought out discussion. A fantastic section on the Pandoran Agenda is also included, which provides a list of motivations that may apply to the unintelligent Pandorans but make the sapient Pandorans all the more sinister.
A new Flux based creature, the Kryptae, is introduced. Kryptae are plants and animals that have fed on the bodies of dead Pandorans, or have otherwise been exposed to large amounts of Flux. They become twisted, malign, and supernaturally aggressive. Plants animate and attack those that come near, herbivores cannibalize other herbivores, etc. Kryptae typically gain one Pandoran Transmutation.
The Sublimati (sapient Pandorans) also get some attention here. The book stresses that, unlike Prometheans, the Sublimati are monsters that have no desire to become human. Still, not all of them are evil and many explore philosophy and existence in a manner similar to Prometheans. Several example Sublimati and Sublimati organizations are provided, and they’re fantastic. The Ethoni, for instance, are Sublimati that worship Flux and consider it their divine mandate to hunt down and destroy Prometheans. They meet yearly at an island in the Mediterranean, thanks to the Centimani who serve them and provide the necessary Azoth to awaken them and bring them together.
Even more new options for Centimani characters and Pandoran NPCs are provided. Two new Merits are included. Incorruptible makes it easier for a Promethean who was on the Refinement of Centimani to resist corruption after she changes Refinements. Fighting Style: Multi-Limbed Combat is exceptionally cool, offering useful and neat combat capabilities for Prometheans and Pandorans that possess extra limbs. Five pages of new Pandoran Transmutations are also included, and they’re generally good stuff. I do dislike that losing Morality/Humanity continues to be a punishment in World of Darkness games for using effective powers, even where there’s nothing unethical occurring. We see that in one power here, Manskin, which results in Humanity loss for using a power that makes a Promethean seem human.
Chapter Two The Qashmallim’s Guidance 26 pages.
This chapter provides a complete overview and explanation of the Qashmallim. Qashmallim are not angels, but are instead beings created from the Divine Fire – either Pyros (Elpidos) or Flux (Lilithim). They come into existence for a set time period, anywhere from hours to months, and are completely dedicated to fulfilling a single mission (the Mission). Often this mission will be very narrow in scope, such as getting two people to meet or helping someone compose a poem. Often a Qashmallim appears to do nothing more than provide a simple prophecy or give directions.
The book goes on to discuss the butterfly effect and suggests that the often strange and seemingly insignificant missions of the Qashmallim usually have significant long term effects. A Qashmallim may only attempt its mission once, and if it fails no other will be dispatched to try again. The source of the Qashmallim will have to accomplish its goals some other way, perhaps by manipulating someone else years later.
Many Qashmallim are flawed. They often don’t have a clear idea of where their target is, or how to efficiently perform their mission. They live only a set time and then disappear back into nothingness, and know only what they need to know to accomplish their mission. Some simply defy common conceptions of time and space, such as an example Qashmallim that begins conversations by saying “Do you have any questions?” and ends conversations with “Hello, my name is X.”
While the book notes that Qashmallim are not angels, they have all the capabilities of angels and demons. The example pictures even feature glowing beings with halos and big angel wings. A comprehensive and neat list of powers includes things like immaculate conception and other angely abilities. I think the writers probably mean to say the existence of Qashmallim isn’t meant to establish one true religion in the World of Darkness, something the previous incarnation of the world did at times.
Qashmallim come in two forms (and two power levels – Normal and Arch), the Elpidos and the Lillithim. The Elpidos are cheery, bright, awe inspiring angels crafted from Pyros. The Lillithim are sinister, dark, fear inspiring demons crafted from Flux. Both seem to handle similar missions, and the Elpidos and Lillithim are equally likely to be villains. When either one manifests they wreak great havoc on the world around them, increasing the local Flux rating and animating Pandorans. Fortunately, they tend to be quite powerful and more than capable of defending their Promethean friends – if it helps the Mission.
Several different explanations exist for the Qashmallim. They could be a force for Destiny, making things as they should be. They could be Destiny’s attempt to repair hiccups in the time stream. They could be a manifest force for life and evolution, a complex force that keeps reality working, or even the actual angels of God sent out to do His bidding. A few other flavorful suggestions are provided as well. On the whole I still don’t feel like the Qashmallim really fit in the Promethean world very well, but this product provides a lot more insight into the group and makes me more likely to use them.
This chapter wraps up with a discussion of how the Qashmallim interact with other supernatural creatures, how to roleplay the Qashmallim, and what sorts of abilities Qashmallim have. Several example Qashmallim and provided, and they’re all very flavorful and cover a variety of different types. Qashmallim powers are broad, and range from telekinesis to healing to time manipulation and more.
Chapter Three The Divine Fire 16 pages.
This chapter begins with a general discussion of Pyros that is difficult to convey. On the one hand, the book doesn’t provide any fundamental revelation. On the other, a certain sense of the primal aspect of Pyros is conveyed to the reader that makes one think of Pyros more as a part of the natural world – just a part we don’t normally see. Pyros is mystical energy linked to electricity, that behaves like plasma of a sort, and gravitates towards order. Some discussion is given to how Pyros interacts with other mystical beings, such as Vampires and Mages. While such discussions tend to be lackluster, these are actually really cool. Vampires that feed on Prometheans, for example, are filled with a primal sense that reminds them of something they’ve lost – and so they wont normally repeat the exercise. Interesting but important minor details, such as Prometheans being susceptible to blood bonds, are also included.
Firestorms are mystical storms of Divine Fire triggered, most often, by a monumental occurrence for a Promethean. It could be winning a big battle, completing a Milestone, or drawing closer to becoming Mortal. Some Firestorms are generated by other things, however, such as high Flux ratings and the manifestation of Qashmallim. The chapter goes on to break Firestorms into five different types, which tend to be very flavorful. The type of Firestorm – called the Spark – is really just the triggering event, though it shapes the storm. Five pages of extremely flavorful and cool special effects common to Firestorms are included, and they range from animating corpses with Pyros to plagues of toads. While I was less interested in Firestorms as they appeared in Promethean: the Created, this product has made me appreciate the beauty of a supernatural storm blowing in from nowhere at important moments in a Promethean’s life.
Chapter Four Storytelling 56 pages.
The first half of this chapter provides a wealth of example NPCs. Often example NPCs are useful, but a little flavorless. They tend to occupy specific roles, which makes them useful as generic characters to drop into any game. While these NPCs do that, quite well, they’re also very flavorful. Centimani, Pandorans, and Qashmallim are all included. In fact, one pair of NPCs (two Qashmallim) are just so neat I want to include them in the next game I run. They’re called Ruby and Mr. Gold, and the flavor text and roleplay hints surrounding them are just excellent, creating a very flavorful pair of characters in just half a page.
The second half of this chapter presents A Sheltering Storm. A Sheltering Storm is part two of the ongoing chronicle that began in Promethean: the Created. It takes the characters to a post-hurricane Katrina New Orleans where they interact with a variety of different political factions, obtain a mystic tome, and deal with a very neat Qashmallim. While I usually am not that interested in written adventures, this one is pretty good. There are a few points where the adventure overly relies on the characters doing a few specific things, but on the whole it’s well written and clearly showcases all the neat things introduced in Pandora’s Book.
My Take
I went into this product thinking it would be an adequate but ho-hum bad guy book for Promethean. I didn’t really care for the Qashmallim or Firestorms, and I didn’t feel like either one really belonged in Promethean. While I still feel that way, to a degree, this book has made me a believer in both concepts. The writing all the way through is good, and Pandora’s Book continues to deliver the same sort of lonely feel found in Promethean. While I don’t care for the Flux rating mechanic, as it’s yet another thing for the already burdened Storyteller to track and it provides a significant combat boost to Pandorans at no cost, I find the rest of the mechanics to be well done and would happily integrate them into my games. I’d still use Flux Rating as it’s very creepy and atmospheric, and I’m considering just replacing Wastelands with Flux Rating in my future games.If you’re already a fan of Promethean and want more of the same good stuff you got in the core book I strongly recommend Pandora’s Book.
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