Customer Reviews

Book of Vile Darkness (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Let me preface this review by saying that I am not going to address the moral and ethical implications of this book. If you want in on that debate, visit any of the major D&D message boards. Instead, I'm going to review the BoVD on its merits, or lack thereof, as I would with any other accessory. So, without further adieu...

ART & LAYOUT: WotC continues with their book covers that resemble a "real" fantasy text. The Book of Vile Darkness (BoVD) certainly gets across the feel that it's a tome of evil. As a note, the cover you see on Amazon right now is not the published cover for the book. The real cover looks much cooler. Within, the pages look marked by fire and brimstone around the edges. The actual artwork itself varies in quality as with most of WotC's products. Much of it is very skillful and well done (Goblin Pits). But, just drawing tons of blood & gore doesn't make a drawing cool (Kythons). There are also more topless females in this book than in any other WotC product to date. Interpret that how you will. (This accessory would have gotten 5 stars if the art was consistantly strong throughout.)

CONTENT: Again, time for a preface. I'm a big Monte Cook fan. I think he makes some of the most brilliant D&D 3E products available. In some ways, this book is his greatest achievement yet. Why? He writes about evil, possession, curses, disease, torture, vile magic, and more, in an objective fashion, without glorifying it, rather putting into it d20 terms that you can use to enhance your game. That takes a phenomenal amount of tact - and I think he succeeds. Now onto what you'll find within:

* The Nature of Evil: My favorite section. This is the theory behind evil that allow for DMs to generate villains with realistic (albeit deranged) goals and motivations. What the heck drives these maniacs to such extremes? Here we examine psychology, fetishes, and what exactly is considered an "evil act". Keep in mind, we're talking evil in the D&D sense - a tangible thing you can sense with spells. We also get new vile races, example villains, and malign sites.

* Variant rules for possession, sacrifice, curses, diseases, and all aspects of evil.

* Evil equipment including torture devices (yikes), drugs, poisons, you get the idea. All the talk of "experimentation" gives me shivers, as it will for your PCs.

* Evil-only feats.

* Prestige classes: Another one of my favorite sections. You want a truly memorable villain? Start here. I sent a Vermin Lord after my PCs last night and they were looking at each other like "oh my god, what IS this thing." DMs like those moments.

* Magic: For those that have checked out Mr. Cook's Books of Eldritch Might, you know he can invent some of those most innovative spells & magic items. The BoVD is no exception. Wild, scary stuff. Your PCs will be left wide-eyed. BTW, there are many variant rules for [evil] spells and such, so these aren't only new, but altogether different in many ways from the Player's Handbook spells.

* Lords of Evil: Stats for the Demon Princess and Arch Devils. There are also stats for some lesser baddies. The princes are roughly demigod level in power, so for practical purposes, only a very high-level group would tackle them. However, they could plague a lower level group from behind the scenes just fine.

SUMMARY: If your game is rated PG or G, be very cautious about introducing aspects of the BoVD - You probably don't even want to buy this book. For the rest of you: Don't feel the need to throw the whole book into the mix at once. Used sparingly, the BoVD will definitely help DMs create memorable villains that the heroes will want to see go down and go down hard! Remember, even being vile should be fun when it comes to playing D&D!

I'm serious. The only person who can get anything remotely useful out of this is a DM. Players, unless they're in a "Hey, we're bad guys" campaign, have nothing remotely resembling a reason to have it.

Then again, I picked it up. And a mild case of nausea, to boot.

This is the sourcebook on evil and villainy for D&D. It includes descriptions of evil acts, what constitutes evil, ideas on making villains, feats and prestige classes and equipment for villains, lots of new spells, and a lot of new-to-3e monsters as well, including the demon princes.

The good...er, outstanding parts: It has a high production value, and it's clear that they've put a lot of thought into this. (The author's foreword: "I'm not a bad guy. Really.") It's also easy to make bad guys your PCs will want to stomp. Some of the equipment, properly rinsed in holy water after filing the serial numbers off, would be great for regular PCs.

The bad...er, negative: Way too many of the prestige classes are devotees of the demon princes and archdevils; that's boring. The corrupt spells (really Evil spells that any caster can use) are kind of stupid; they inflict heinous attribute damage on the caster and don't do enough damage. One of the villains, the Dread Emperor, has a suggested attack pattern that's impossible (just try to cast four spells in one round without being in epic levels...you have a standard action to cast Haste, cast a regular spell with the partial action from haste, and then one quickened spell/round), this from the system guru. That unnerves me a little bit. Finally, the demon princes and archdevils are, if anything, too weak.

So, in the final analysis, it's okay, and definitely worth a look, but don't even bother if you're a player. It's not at all useful for those, and not even that interesting. And, if you're the type that's easily offended by descriptions or depictions of gore, then, by all means, stay as far away from this as you can.

This book was a long-time coming to veteran gamers like myself. Not just evil...but vile evil, pure evil. And were not talking player characters running amok, were talking a book that probably is not even suitable for kids or inexperienced gamers. It's definitely geared towards the mature as it pulls no punches in dealing with the essence of evil. It even states it's intended for mature audiences in the introduction so don't discount the warning as mere rhetoric. This is Hellraiser type evil...mean, nasty, and vicious and boy is it fun to read. Even if you don't incorporate this into your settings or campaigns it's worth reading anyway.

The book stars out by defining the nature of evil, at least in terms of a D&D environment before delving into such topics as vile gods and races, creating villains, torture, sacrifices, curses, etc. The book also introduces us to the "Vile feats" for your evil character, although as the book says they are intended for NPCs but with a little modification and approval of your DM, well, you know...

The book introduces several prestige classes including such things as Demonologist, Lifedrinker, Soul Eater, Vermin Lord, as well as disciples or Thralls of various Arch Devils or Demon Lords. The book also features a number of new spells, magic items, artifacts, and monsters. But the thing many long time gamers like myself have looked forward to is the revamping of the Arch Dukes of Hell and Demonlords from the very first old Monster Manual. Asmodeus, Bel, Dispater, Orcus, Demogorgon...they are all here and done the way they always should have been where even ultra-high level PCs will think twice about trying to take these guys on.

Can you use PC's with this book? Clearly it's designed for DM's only and as such presents quite a new challenged for players. I personally prefer it as a DM source only as I'm old fashioned and I prefer players to be good and battle evil and this book provides a wealth of evil. Like most WOC products the art is uniformly good although not spectacular. A welcome addition for the DM

Dungeons and Dragons supplements should be rated not on their philosophical merits, nor even (I believe) on the quality of their writing, but on their flexibility and usefulness to a wide variety of games. Naturally, a book's being well written and philosophically complex and meaningful often enhances the depth and breadth of its potential application.

This said, I find Book of Vile Darkness, along with its sister book, Book of Exalted Deeds, to be two of the best Dungeons and Dragons supplements in print today. This is because of their potential applicability (after all, most stories will have heroes and villains), and the excellence in which this applicability is achieved, in terms of quality and balanced game mechanics, the addition of new and unique aspects to the world, excellent writing, and a deep core philosophy.

A deep core philosophy? I will start here, as most of the other reviews cover the other points well, and would agree that game mechanics are, for the most part, interesting and well constructed, and that the writing would carry one from the beginning to the end of the text. But the largest complaint is the simplistic philosophy. So what am I doing arguing the opposite? Let me defend myself.

The Book of Vile Darkness takes a deontological approach to good and evil. This approach is seen by most freshmen philosophy students (and even some at a later stage, sadly) as simplistic and faulty. The deontological approach, developed conceptually by Immanuel Kant (of "Critique of Pure Reason"), holds that there is objective, absolute, right and wrong, and that right and wrong rest upon duty.

Duty is important for people with both reason and bestial desire, and toward others with reason and bestial desire. Kant says that there are angels (those who have only reason) and these would always be good by nature, and so would never worry about duty. They would never want wrong. Then there are beasts, who have no reason, and their acts are naturally amoral. They have no responsibility. Then there are people, like you and me. And our duty is structured by a certain code, so that we may know always and in every situation, what is good and what is evil. The code is this: "Human persons are to be treated as ends, and not means to an end". For example, murdering a child for the sake of any reason would be wrong (even if it would save a village of people, or the rest of the world), because it would treat the child not as an end in herself, but as a means to an end. As Kant said, "Do your duty, though the heavens may fall." Right is right, no matter the consequences. As an aside, this is why abortion debates are so heated, because both sides take the deontological approach, but with different definitions of personhood.

Let it be known that I disagree with the deontological approach. However, that being said, the deontological approach is perfect for a text like Book of Vile Darkness to take. First, it is the approach that constructs the most stark heroes. Frodo is good because he fights wearing the ring, and his donning the ring, no matter the circumstance (even to save lives) is objectively evil. Second, because "Detect Evil" is best defined within an objective framework. Third, and most importantly, because an objective framework is easiest to change. Want a game with Dostoevskian angst? Set up this absolute measure, but only allow seriously flawed (and so evil) characters desperately trying to attain the impossible. Want a game with an existential Sartrian perspective? Keep the absolutist stance, but allow that stance to be defined by each individual, the conflict between definitions setting up the conflict of the story.

If we were to stay within the system defined by the gook, we can make truly admirable heroes, and very dark but understandable villains. Let's apply some of the templates of the book to this system.

First, we have a list of evil acts. Each of these (like lying) could be understood in certain circumstances, rationalized, and justified in a way. But from the deontological perspective, these are still always evil. Then the templates. We have the boorish thug. This can be as simple a character as that annoying mugger trying to beat your first level fighter up for his three gold. This can be as complex as Vladimir from Brothers Karamazov, or Sikes from Oliver Twist. The tyrant is a power mad villains who seeks dominion over everything. Again, as simple as the mad necromancer, or dark lord Sauron (though nonetheless a powerful and iconic villain), or as complex as the George W. Bush caricature, who wishes to restrict the freedoms of his citizens for the sake of their own security. The scheming liar finds his place in many corners of literature, from the "simple" Don Juan, to the more complex Faust, who tries to scheme the perfect wish from Satan. The sophisticate can be anywhere from the crazy-eyed madman with his monocle running his fingers along his fine curvy mustache while carving his name into the chests of babies, or it can be a truly sick de Sade character, doing all the things as the mustached villain, but with a complex and sick sexuality that he dismisses by invoking moral relativism ("who is to say forced sex with 10 year olds is really so bad?"). The misguided fool is always Dostoevsky's main character, Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment or Fyodor Karamazov himself, the quintessential villain within the budding postmodern world-view. Monsters become complex, not because of who they are, but because of who they are monsters to, and how they are made (the perfect example would be the movie "Monster"). And the psychopath I left for last, because almost every postmodern novel has a villain of something of this streak. Smyrdnakov of the Brother's Karamazov killed cats, and performed complex Christian burial rituals for them. "The Lord of the Rings" has Gollum, one whose entire psyche has been twisted about one temptation.

So the book actually helps building complex and understandable villains (though not as much as good literature), as has been demonstrated. It just blatantly states that one must remember, though the actions or inactions of these villains, whatever their redeemable qualities or understandable circumstances, they are still evil. And they will seem more evil because of the circumstances, because they will seem more real. And a true and tangible villain is important for every DM to build, for without them, there will be no true and tangible heroes.

So here's to suggesting this book, so helpful in making those believable devils.

1) If you are a D&D DM, and need any help at all with creating evil and villainous characters and events in your planning session, then this is the book for you. It has a lot of things that you might find very interesting and helpful.

2) It focuses mainly on the lower planes, sometimes to the point of excess. Virtually every prestige class and spell listed draws its power from demonic forces. There is little actual material regarding villainy in the classic Sheriff of Nottingham style.

3) While it spares you from the excruciating descriptions, some of the new rules introduced are. . . Hardcore, to say the least. A particular feat that stands out is "Lichloved," wherein the character obtains "dread powers" by "repeatedly committing perverted sex acts with the undead." Fun for the whole family, eh?

4) The art featured within is significantly more graphic than in any other TSR book that I've seen to date, and I've been playing since 2nd edition's hay-day (although 2nd edition is notorious for its tip-toeing around this kind of subject matter). Basically, you're going to see some nudes of various deformed creatures and demons, as well as a few vivid depictions of obscene violence, although not all of the art is so direct in its approach.

5) Rest assured that PCs making use of this source material are going to be un-kosher, to say the least. There are rules regarding torturing people, power through masochism/sadism, offering sacrifices to dark gods, becoming demon thralls, and destroying the souls of others. Such PCs are highly unlikely to fit in with conventional campaigns.

6) All that having been said, the book generally delivers in full on what it promises: Vile darkness and unspeakable evil. I can barely put it down. . . But then again, I'm weird.

First thing - this book lives up to being vile and dark. It focuses too much on Demon Princes and Arch-devils. It's cool that they're back from the 1st edition D&D, but they made a separate prestige class for thralls of each one. They could have used the space for other prestige classes. The spells are good (or is that bad?) and nasty. The vile monsters aren't too vile, I'd say they're comparable to some of the freakier Ravenloft ones, with some really cool HR Geiger Alien-ish things. The art has lots of ... The rules for insanity and drug addiction don't look too bad. I was expecting a bit more variety (i.e., slavery, crimes etc), which was oddly missing, and it would have been cool to see fear, horror, and insanity check rules like in Ravenloft. Overall, I'd say that there are better sourcebooks for mature content ...

The book of Vile Darkness is one of the most depraved books I have ever read. However, if you truly want your villains to be vile, there is no better sourcebooks. Think of any sins you want villains to commit, and this provides the rules. Parents who allow their under 16 children buy this book, however, should have their children taken away. The content is violent, vile, and wholly evil.

Perfect for fleshing out villains with those attributes.

Also, the stats are there for epic level versions of many demon princes and Archdevils. These stats are much better than the pansy stats included in Hordes of the Abyss, with challenge ratings from 20 to 33.

This book was mildly interesting and had some good ideas. The author has obviously put some thought in to his work. The artwork ranges from 'well done!' to 'take an art class!'. Reading the section about the types of villians can give you good ideas if you feel like you've thrown every type of nasty at your players and you're stuck for what next.

However...

Other than the D&D universe-specific monsters, spells, demons, etc., I found the source material rather skimpy. I find myself more disgusted (and more inspired) by reading a good history book. The book basically skimps and trivializes on the breadth and depth of evil.

The author states several times that the purpose of the book is not to glorify evil, that's good as evil is a thing that should not be glorified. However, it is a central theme to most RPGs (the fight against it, that is), and you can find better source material in a history textbook.

I can only assume that the 'mature audiences' sticker was put on this for marketing purposes.

During the mid-80s/early-90s crash of TSR, Inc., the point in time that DND needed to stretch its legs and make forward bounds, we, the gamers, saw a rapid decline in quality and a rapid increase in perceived morality. This "perceived morality" brought about by the changing of the brass at TSR, inc. very nearly destroyed a game that has finally come into it's own. There is really nothing "vile" about this book, only a return to some of the things that make DND a great game to play. You need really good bad guys to challenge the really good good guys! A lot of hype was built into this supplement to the world's most popular role playing game. This so called hype is the name of the book and what it implies. The book is all about villians and creative ways for the Dungeon Master to portray them. A very handy item indeed but really not all that necessary if the DM is worth his salt. I am greateful to see a return of the "archvillians" of old. We can call them Demons or Devils but they are really just antagonists for the DM to use. Most of the objections and praises read elsewhere in reviews of this book are all valid to an extent, depending on the point of view you take and if you don't read between the lines and make it something it is not. I recommend this book to all who play the game. Use what you like and discard the rest. That really is the key to this book and the subject matter that it portrays. Your villans in a game can be bad or realllly bad! Enjoy! And keep in mind that DND is only a game, the bad guys are just like the good guys, make-believe, but all in all, it is a very fun game to play!

I got this and the Exalted Deeds book at the same time, shelled out the cash and...I don't know...it just seems like fun filler, cool to read, but kind of hard on the wallet. Some of the nastier feats (and I mean nasty) were pretty intriguing, but as usual, the prestige classes were all just variants of stuff you've already seen (with the possible exception of the cancer mage, now that's just foul). Thrall of this, thrall of that. The production quality was outstanding, the art exceptional and the material very interesting.
Allright, I take it back...this is a good book. What's the point of having a paladin if he's just stomping kobolds and scaring off the occasional skeleton? This book will give good PC's (and especially crusading types)plenty of foes worth fighting, and if anyone wants to play some of these guys as PC's...yikes, look out.