Sea of Fallen Stars

I remember, as a novice DM, flipping through the 1st edition Monster Manual, thinking about what I would want to use in my dungeons. There were all sorts of strange and fearsome creatures. There were some weird ones, and there were the obviously "hybrid" creatures, like perytons and owlbears. Then there were the ones I knew I would never use, things like the locathah and mermen and sea lions, and a manta-ray-like creature going by the unlikely name of ixitxachitl. The creatures I would never use and many like them populate the Sea of Fallen Stars, filling the pages of this new supplement.

After 20 years, TSR is now making an earnest attempt to bring undersea gaming into the mainstream (pardon the shameless pun). The whole trend began with the Of Ships and the Sea rulebook, and was continued in The Sea Devils (a supplement devoted exclusively to the Sahuagin), and the Sea of Blood series of modules (featuring Sahuagin as the primary antagonists). Weighing in at a hefty 192 pages, Sea of Fallen Stars is one of the biggest non-hardcover AD&D publications I've seen (and it should be for the $25 cover price).

With respect to the Forgotten Realms world, this particular supplement is something like, say, the Al-Qadim boxed set. It is a completely different setting, with different environments, but related to the whole. Sea of Fallen Stars features 3 major parts, and a total of 9 chapters, and includes a section of full color plates depicting denizens of the undersea and a fine map. The tome is organized intelligently, beginning with what the surface world knows of the Undersea, continues with the basics of the setting (topography, culture, and people), and finishes with practical encyclopedia and game setting details.

The first part is rather short, and is entitled Atop the Waves. It deals chiefly with the dealings and impact of the surface on the undersea, looking at nations surrounding the sea and notable wrecks and artifacts lost in the sea. This provides some good hooks for getting groups underwater, then embroiling them in larger conflicts.

The middle part, Life in the Inner Sea, comprises the bulk of this work. It deals with the general geography of the Inner Sea, the sentient sea dwellers of the sea, magic, and time and history under the sea.

Diving into Seros, the final section of this work, is designed specifically for play. This section is two chapters long. It features a cyclopedia for easy reference, and a detailed, for-use description of Myth Nantar, an undersea mythal (like Myth Drannor), intended as a base of operations for those new to the sea (i.e. the party).

The Good

One thing that struck me immediately was the amiable tone of the author. That the writer loves the subject of his work and crafts the material with care became apparent within the first several pages. This attention to detail and completeness crafted by the author make Sea of Fallen Stars, at worst, an excellent reference; a thorough index (especially for a work this size) is needed to make it complete, though.

I was pleased with the 4 full color map pages in the center of the book. The author and cartographer make a decent effort to convey the three-dimensionality of the undersea, by including cross sections at certain areas of the sea. The maps look very nice, and are very clear and easy to use.

The chapter of the book I enjoyed reading most was Chapter 7, the magic of Seros, which covers, among other things, a type of Specialist mage called a Dukar.

"The primary difference between Dukars and other specialist wizards are the coral skeletal implants of the latter, through which all Dukar magic flows. The coral…provides the potential for a variety of magical powers taught by the order the initiate joins."

The Dukars are based on dualist-mages (a type of specialized mage class belonging most properly to the "Arcane Age" of the Forgotten Realms). There are 4 orders, a Dukar must choose one of the four to join. This choice determines which 2 schools of magic will be open to him, and suggests general attitudes and standard "paths" for the order. The paths are basically groupings of the spell-like powers mentioned earlier. I liked the ideas, though the thought of having coral invade one's bones isn't the pleasantest image I've ever had. A simpler explanation of what the paths are, and how they relate to the class and the order would have been welcome.

The Bad

This supplement features all of my usual gripes about AD&D, including calling the heroes "adventurers", and referring to adventuring as profession, and the poorly developed FR history (it sometimes seems as though history revolves around Azoun I, there are so many references to him). Enough about my own pet peeves.

Once again, I was not impressed with the art I saw. Now, the cover was a nice piece by Easley, which I liked very much. Unfortunately, when included with 12 full color illustrated plates in the center section, which were not of such high quality, the art values drop. I dislike criticizing this art; I don't doubt that these plates added considerable cost to the supplement, and the art was competent. But it wasn't very exciting or inspiring. It was actually rather boring and unimpressive. This is one of those areas where less is definitely more. If there had been 4 plates of excellent art, rather than 12 twelve plates of humdrum art, the product would have really felt far superior.

Then there were also some points of vapidness, such as this statement:

"As a general rule of thumb, if a creature is as large or larger than you are, think twice before trying to consume it as food; not only might you be committing some terrible offense in the eyes of Serosians, you might also have quite struggle on your hands when the creature tries to fight back."

Well, duh. I don't think anyone expects something that they are hunting to just float there and let itself be slaughtered. So the statement boils down to the possibility of offending someone. Fine. Then this when discussing carry capacity for undersea creatures:

"Note that these weight figures are low compared to land animals; however, water is a much more difficult medium to move through than air, and this increased resistance from cumbersome [gear] accounts for the lower numbers."

Okay, I'll be the first to agree that water resistance matters…so what happens when one streamlines his equipment, or lets say it isn't at all bulky (like a bundle of 10 swords wrapped in seal skin)? Load on creatures is diminished underwater, because the force of gravity is resisted by pressure (living things float in water, etc.). When horses carry a burden (like a rider), in addition to moving the rider around, the horse must constantly support the load against gravity. If anything, I expect underwater creatures to be able to handle more weight, not less.

A particularly bothersome feature was the numerous references to Seros, and Serosian things. I didn't even know what Seros was, going into the supplement, but the author seems to expect the reader to already know. Had this expansion been called Seros: The Undersea World or some such, this mystery would not have existed; instead I read through 30 pages before I realized what was meant. This leads into my biggest problem with this work.

One of the greatest barriers to assimilation and use of this product is names. While reading this supplement, you will find constant references to things that you know nothing about. Reading through this really began to remind me of reading Tolstoy, as I constantly ran across things I have vaguely heard about somewhere, but know nothing about for sure. Unless someone has a real desire to actually study, and I do mean study, the names and locations, DMs will never be truly comfortable in Seros. Add to this the myriad of unpronounceable undersea names, and you have a real nasty mix here. Had some central reference point been established, in terms of a "great nation" or "mighty city", and used as a point from which to explain other areas and things, this supplement would have been much more accessible.

The Verdict

First, be aware of the scope of this project. This is no meager expansion, this is intended to launch you and your friends headlong into the depths of the sea. Possession of Of Ships and the Sea is almost a requirement if you are planning on using this product. The author compiles and reproduces the most essential facts from Of Ships and the Sea in chapter 4, but a scant 8 pages just does not do justice to the complexity of an underwater environment. Still, the scope is in some ways a good thing, as it definitely packs a bang for the buck.

It is difficult to say either yae or nae for this one. On one hand, a great deal of loving labor has gone into this product, and overall it is a very high quality work. On the other, this is a dauntingly massive work, and it is difficult to sustain one's interest in the subject through its entirety, especially since it lacks any really interesting things, such as scenarios, beyond the Dukar class. If you decide to take the plunge with this, do so with the understanding that you will be starting completely from scratch, and it is not easy going.

As a reference for anyone interested in having doings under the Sea of Fallen Stars, this book will serve excellently. For those who are enamored of or even interested in the undersea, this book will be a valued addition to your library. But this is a specialized, dare I say it, niche, product, and those who have no explicit use or particular love for the sea will likely find this book boring.

The Last Word: a Toss-up

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)