Review of Endless Sands

The gratuitous, busty babes on the front cover clearly identify this as another d20 supplement by Avalanche Press. Apart from that, the supplement is quite barren of artwork which is in sharp contrast to the artistic beauty of the cities the text describes. If the intent was truly to create an "... utterly original fictional culture of the Endless Sands ...", the publishers certainly have required the Gamemaster to rely on our own history for visual inspiration.

In a nutshell, the supplement provides some political and demographic background, 3 new prestige classes (all magic-using), some new monsters, a description of a polarized religious structure, a handful of new feats, a new magic domain (Desert) and templates fully describing the magical race of the Djinn.

The first third of the book is dedicated to building the background of the Endless Sands. The inland, Bitter Sea is the focus of civilization and the 4 cities that sit on its shores appear to be where much of the action is. Each city has it's own, distinct character and would present a challenge for almost any adventuring party due to customs and laws. Several places of interest are mentioned, but the details are sparse.

The middle third of the book describes the Deep Sands, the desert surrounding the more habitable areas and its people. The material offers sparse coverage of a nomadic culture. There are allusions to ancient ruins, myths and dangers but little more is written about any destinations that might interest players. The Gamemaster is pretty much on his or her own.

The last section of the book covers religion and it's implications on divine spellcasters, the use of magic and the nature of the Djinn. The extra game mechanics devised by the author (prestige classes, feats, monsters, etc.) which do add some interesting twists and limitations to the core rules.

Integrating the Endless Sands into a traditional AD&D campaign would be interesting. In a land where steel is prized above gold, the PCs might well be murdered for their shields and helms, alone. Perhaps their armor/wealth might be enough to buy their way to freedom? It would be the perfect destination for a gone-awry teleport spell.

All in all, I was somewhat disappointed with the supplement. However, it does make a nice addition to the "arabian" material I have from other publishers and new ideas are always welcome. If I had purchased this with the hope of it becoming the backbone of a campaign, my opinion would be lower. Afterall, in a land of so much mystery, magic and religious focus, how come there are not eternal fountains fed by Create Water spells all over the place?