Requiem for a God

Rating:
Summary: Excellent blend of story elements and crunchy bits
Review: As the first event book from Malhavoc, Requiem for a God presents great ideas for the enterprising DM. It includes an excellent blend of story elements and crunchy bits, setting a high standard for future products in the series.

The Event
The introduction and the first two chapters (Preparing for the Event and Integrating the Event) lay the foundation for the death of a deity in the campaign: choosing a god, staging the death, and the effects on both society and the universe as a whole. I particularly enjoyed the sections on changes to the religion (believers, clerics, and church organizations).

One objection some DMs may find to this book is the assumption that gods leave both physical remains and spiritual traces. This was a particular focus chosen by the author, but it may not blend with all campaign cosmologies. The elements of the body (godsblood, godsflesh, divinity sparks) and spirit (demiurge, loosed divinity, energy wells) are the basis of many of the feats, spells, magic items, and prestige classes presented later in the book.

Crunchy Bits
Chapter 3 presents four prestige classes: the disaffected (former clerics who fake divine spellcasting ability), the harvester of divinity (a prospector of godly remains), the necrotheologist (a specialist in the study of dead gods), and the threnody (bards in tune with the Great Dirge). The classes are interesting and well-balanced, but they may be a bit morbid for most players.

Chapter 4 introduces godsblood feats, which require drinking or anointing oneself in the blood of deceased deity. There are a nice mix of constant effect feats (Arcane Resistance grants a save bonus vs. arcane magic) and limited use powers (Overwhelming Presence allows you to awe onlookers several times per day).

The spells in Chapter 5, the magic items in Chapter 6, and the monsters in Chapter 7 run the range from intriguing (Warp Alignment) to spooky (The Lance of Endless Night) to gross (divinity parasites). The items and monsters could be incorporated into existing campaigns without the dead god story elements, but the spells are a little less flexible (without changing names and explanations).

Story Elements
Chapter 8 gives seven adventure kernels ranging from 2nd to 15th level and beyond. Several of the scenarios feature organizations introduced in Chapter 2: Cabal of the Dirge and Memento Mori. The individual DM is left to flesh out the details of the adventure on their own, as is the case with most of the book's materials.

The sidebars throughout the book are quite useful: checklists for DMs, key terms introduced in each section, and mini stories featuring dead gods (The Final Rest of Theyasmalan, Galathak's Grave). These stories are an excellent complement to the adventure ideas, as is the flavor text in the magic items chapter.

Overall
The production, artwork, and content quality is on par with the Books of Eldritch Might. What really sets this book apart from other adventure supplements is the story elements. Although it can't be dropped into a campaign overnight, Requiem for a God will inspire plenty of thought for tomorrow's adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Another great book from Monte
Review: Once again Monte Cook has reached deep into his big bag of tricks and pulled out a winner. This book, which covers the death of an 'Immortal' deity, is done with seriousness and incredible thoroughness. It covers the topic well, and leaves you with all sorts of nasty ideas for a game or five.