A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement The Blight (PF)

The Blight (PF) by Richard Pett is a role playing game supplement published by Frog God Games for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. This is a city and adventure path and is also available in versions for D&D 5E and Swords & Wizardry.

The supplement is available as a 954-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $16.25 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. Two pages are the front and rear covers, two pages are the front matter, fifteen pages are the Table of Contents and three pages are the Open Game License.

The Blight Campaign Guide starts with The Cyclopædia Infestarum. The Introduction explains that the Blight, the City-State of Castorhage, is based in the Lost Lands but parts can be found in other places. There are the seven prayers of Castorhage, a set of rules for the ordinary residents, and the seven unspoken prayers, a rather different set for the rich and powerful. A Note from the Author: Using This Guide gives some suggestions on using it, explains that it is a dark, more mature setting at, around 13th level, the opportunity for adventures in the city tends to cap out due to, by that time, characters have so many enemies and jealous admirers that being murdered is a real problem. The Player’s Introduction concludes the section with an overview of various important people, factions and places.

Part One: Places, A Cyclopædia of Geography starts with A Sum of Her Parts which gives a deeper overview of the different districts of the city, with again mention of notable people and factions in these districts, as well as overviews of some important locations. This is followed by several Seasonal Districts and Whispers of Darker Places, which are a land beyond mirrors and a part of Hell. Finally, Media Inspiration for the Blight contains a list of books, films, TV series and podcasts that provided degrees of inspiration, some of which can clearly be seen in the city.

Part Two: Peoples, A Cyclopædia of Character starts with Meet the Locals… This begins with an explanation as to how the city-state works; it is an absolute monarchy but there are various powers behind the throne that are really in control, most of whom work on behalf of a being many do not even know is the true power. “Gods” of Castorhage covers various powerful entities, which are not true gods – probably, in most cases. There are brief mentions of other names, as well as devils and angels.

More normal people follow next, starting with the Royal Caste that consists of the Royal Family and some other similarly-ranked people. Below the Royal Caste is the Upper Class, which appears to mainly consist of justices. Next is the Middle Caste, which gets almost no coverage, then the Lowfolk which barely gets more. The Invisibles include the Untouchables, who work with the dead, and the Lowest of the Low includes golems, homunculi and alchymical-unliving. Finally, Others includes those who do not fit definitely in a caste or stand outside them, such as artists and foreigners, anarchists, witches, guilds, gangs, highwaymen and vigilantes, along with creatures from Between and travellers. Races and Ethnicities of Castorhage covers which of the races and ethnicities from the Lost Lands setting can be found in the city – essentially, all of them. This references a lot of other supplements; The Northlands Saga Complete, Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms, Bard’s Gate, Dunes of Desolation, Razor Coast, Shades of Grey, Tome of Horrors Complete and Tome of Horrors 4 from Frog God Games, as well as various Pathfinder bestiaries.

Part Three: The Blight Player’s Handbook starts by saying that the Blight tends to change races that live there. New Racial Traits starts with Blight racial backgrounds and explains that these may seem similar to Pathfinder racial subtypes, which is because they are, but that Frog God Games has used older versions of racial subtypes and has simply decided to rename the options. This is followed by New Racial Subtypes, in the classic sense of the meaning, with new subtypes for derro (the madness of the city has driven them sane), elves, gnomes, half-orcs, halflings and humans.

Next are New Races, starting with the Briny, or half-skum, created when skum breed with human women, or when they breed with each other, which have some definite suggestions of being the equivalent of Deep One hybrids and possess the Innsmouth look. The Coprophagi, or roachfolk, are a humanoid cockroach that may be related to dwarves. The Night-Slug is a humanoid creature capable of altering its form so that it can squeeze into small spaces. Finally, the Swyne is a humanoid pig that lives for pleasure.

This is followed by a new favoured class option, of Blight-born, then Blight Campaign Traits, an extensive list of background options that can have beneficial and detrimental effects. There are a few new skills, one of which is simply a list of new professions, and some new feats. There is also a list of money feats, an optional rule whereby characters gain temporary feats in exchange for money. These feats are related to the power of money and what it can buy. Next is a list of new equipment. One section of new equipment is Insectum; the Blight breeds a lot of insects and specialists have gone and bred some of these for use. There are a variety of insects, each of which usually has a beneficial effect and a detrimental one.

Following the equipment lists is the cost of living. If cost of living is used, these can also have effects from detrimental, for the very poor, through beneficial to eventually initially beneficial but in the long term self-destructive, of living to excess. There are some new prestige classes related to the Bight, a section on relationships – NPC friends – with rules on creating them and, finally, common names.

Part Four: The Blight GM Guide starts by explaining that the Blight can be used in its entirety, or just pieces of the supplement can be used. It also states that the Blight is unusually large, and the Pathfinder city stat block lists its population as over 3 million. There are suggestions for campaign themes, and how castes work in the Blight. There are also caste feats; different castes have different feats. Duelling, even though it is illegal, is covered, and are enemies, with an option to treat them as a penalty. The Blight has different fads and fashions band some are briefly covered.

Next, various organisations are covered, starting with clubs. Clubs are presented in a manner similar to feats; they have prerequisites and benefits, some special requirements and means of advancing. Membership of these can be useful, providing benefits at a cost and sometimes a risk.

Guilds are described in the same manner as factions in Pathfinder Chronicles: Faction Guide and factions from that supplement are also stated to be usable. Given the more in-depth coverage, only two guilds are covered but GMs can create more using the list of guilds earlier in the book. One guild is for arcane magic users; being unpopular with everyone, arcane casters joined together in a guild for self-preservation. The guild is largely a neutral force. The other is for magical engineers who want to be the sole people authorised to do building work in the city, even though they now they lack the ability to cope.

Cults and gangs are other organisations that characters could tangle with and many are not easy to defeat as they are too diffuse. There is a single sample street gang given, and the various stats are explained, including how the group’s morale functions. There are also the families; there are four great families and many lesser ones, with an example given for one of these.

Arcane magic in the city can cause problems. There are some optional rules here but, basically, arcane casters are both feared and hated. Unless they are in the nobility. Magic is power and the most powerful want to keep their grasp on it. Life can be difficult for arcane casters, but the GM is advised not to make playing them unpleasant.

Personal goals are optional challenges given CR levels that gain the individual whose goal it is experience – and they do not have to actively do it, as long as they are the prime mover. It’s explained that this is how such non-combat people such as James Bond’s Blofeld could lead large organisations, simply because of the goals achieved on their behalf. Another potential reward is power, which can come with responsibilities as well as benefits. Relationships, as discussed earlier, are another form of reward; characters gaining friends and allies thanks to their actions.

Firearms and technology in the Blight are also covered; the Blight is the most advanced civilisation in the Lost Lands, but it hasn’t gone the typical technology route, so this isn’t a steampunk campaign. Much of what would normally be done with technology is, instead, done with undead, manufactured creatures, such as constructs, and broken creatures. The city has an extensive Watch, which does manage to improve the safety of the streets; something that is more an incidental side effect of ensuring that order is maintained and trade and taxes are protected.

Thralls are outsiders summoned to aid arcane magic users for 40 years and a day. They are oddly loyal, even being willing to fight to the death, and it is unclear what benefit is gained from such. It is believed they are sent by a more powerful being in exchange for something that the organisation that summons the creatures provides. Also covered are actual gods, true powers rather than the beings mentioned earlier. None of these are good and include some demons. There are new domains and some new spells, one of which seems rather overpowered for its level. The gods of the swyne are briefly mentioned in passing.

Twisted Campaigns considers making campaigns that are darker in nature. The PCs do not have to be dark, but they could be up against darker forces. One example is given, with a more normal campaign version and a twisted one. In the latter case, the motivations of those the characters are helping are darker and more self-serving. The vermin of the Blight, the various insects, are mentioned, referencing Part Three. Finally, there are different suggestions for types of adventures.

Part Five: Between covers what is described as the lands beyond the magic mirror (probably not a coincidental name). Between is accessed through magic mirrors and is a strange place. This hasn’t stopped Castorhage from forming companies to explore and exploit Between, with sometimes mixed results – entire populations have vanished when they pushed too hard. The Betweenlands gives details on various locations in Between – there is a colour map at the back of the supplement – some of which are claimed by Castorhage, some of which are not and a handful that beings have claimed personal kingdoms. Similar to the Betweenlands is the Unsea in Between, which also described various places. There are rules on sailing the Unsea, equipment to use and a menagerie. Finally, there is a section on GMing Between, including a new disease.

Part Six: The Blight Bestiary has new monsters and creatures, as well as new templates for monsters, including rules on creating Between creatures, and a variety of things that are classed as hazards.

The Cyclopaedia Appendices starts with Appendix A: Useful Lists. This has d100 tables for sights on the streets, echoes of Between, freakshow exhibits, strange shops and markets and street traders. There is a d20 list of NPCs; each is given an overview, some stats and a suggested use.

Appendix B: A Blight Lexicon is a single page of terms and phrases. Appendix C: Sample Encounters in the Blight has 25 short, single-paragraph sample encounters. Finally, Appendix D: New Magic of the Blight has new magic items, including one that is used to make undead servants and the alchymic-unliving.

Districts of the Blight is the second part of The Blight Campaign Guide. Chapter One: A Blight Upon the Lost Lands starts with an extensive stat box for the city, and a list of technology levels for the Lost Lands. Next is the history of Castorhage, which stretches back thousands of years before the current city. The history is described, then an extensive timeline of events follows. The city’s calendar is given – it decided to create its own – and the local currency.

A Blighted Empire describes the lands of the Empire of Castorhage ; the Isle of Lymossus, on which the city sits, the nearby lands and the Crescent Sea, not all of which are ruled by the city, and a, very brief, overview of what colonial possessions the empire has, outside of Between. Defence and Law Enforcement covers the army, navy and the law. There are details on clubs and guilds, including a listing giving brief details on a number of them, and then the various means of getting around. In most cases, this is slowly, because of the amount of people. People do tend to move out of the way of elephants, though. Finally, an appendix lists the monarchs of Castorhage.

Chapter Two starts describing the city itself, which continues through to Chapter Eleven of Districts of the Blight. The chapters all have things in common; they start with an overview of what the district is like, its smells, feels, sounds, before moving on to describe various places. These are given a read-aloud description in most cases, then more details. Some also have new rules or options to use.

The districts also have a section running the district. The Artist’s Quarter has some rules for nights out, new money feats, favoured multiclass options, random encounters and 30 artists to encounter. BookTown has secrets, which are new abilities, schools of dark magic that provide new feats, true dark magic, Between vessels, a cult, new god and new insectum, as well as 100 shops and 100 fleamarket items. Festival has details on the wererats, Festival magic items and encounters. The Capitol has details on political campaigns, with the major families being foes, friends and foes or a character’s background. The Great Lyme River simply has encounters above and below the surface. The Hollow and Broken Hills has several holy days, some optional rules on magic potency during holy days, hiding alignments and some holy places. Toiltown and the Jumble has some rules for running chases. Town Bridge and Scrimshaw has details on the cult of the Madness of the MirrorStorm and has an outline for a campaign based around it, as well as a d50 table of Unsea flotsam and jetsam. Underneath has a new prestige class, the Delver, and a d100 table of Underearth features. The Sinks has rules on staging robberies, rules for NPCs investigating them and some details on madness.

Some districts also have additional details. The Capitol has a section on people, including the major families and lesser houses. Town Bridge and Scrimshaw covers Scrimshaw, the whaling port located in Between. The Sinks also covers the Asylum, a rather unpleasant place.

The Levee – A Blight Adventure Path is the second part of the book and is, as it states, an adventure path, starting at level 1 and finishing at level 11. The Levee Adventure Path Synopsis gives an overview of what it entails. This is followed by GM Tips for Running the Levee, which includes assigning experience; characters need to be the stated levels for each adventure; being below them would be bad. The GM could simply increase their level at the end of each adventure. The Adventures groups the adventures, of which there are nine, into sets of three. An overview explains what happens in each set. Beginning the Adventure Path is on starting the adventure. There are six pregenerated characters followed by Between Maladies, which are 48 cards that can be printed out.

The adventure path itself then starts. The characters begin imprisoned and about to be executed – it’s always a good idea to have this set up before the game starts, rather than attempting to railroad characters into prison during it – but are freed in exchange for looking for someone. There are notes on what to do if players do not like starting with no equipment or supplies. Throughout the adventure path are notes on the weather and the ongoing unrest in the city, both of which have an effect on the situation, and the different sections have media inspirations and music lists.

L1: Heareafter has the characters helped to escape from prison and execution in order to look for a missing person. Appendices to the adventure have some new campaign traits for the characters’ home village and personal goals, both of which options are mentioned earlier. There is also a side trek whereby the characters can return home to find out details on what happened.

L2: Pound of Flesh has the characters following up a lead and heading to BookTown. Appendices has them given part ownership in a business and a description of the Thieves’ Guild and membership benefits. There is also a dream side trek.

L3: Sea’s End has the characters starting in TownBridge then heading to Scrimshaw. Much of this starts off with socialising in a tavern with rules for some gambling games. They then travel to the Unsea, for a voyage that is clearly – it’s even referenced at the beginning – inspired by Moby Dick to a degree. Appendices provide details on memory ambergris, a new profession, whaler, rules for wider combats, as well as details of the ship and seasons in the Blight.

L4: Decay has the characters heading to the Sinks. They infiltrate a club to gain more information. Appendices have details on two NPC vampire hunters, fashion and the weather. There are two side treks, one following up with references to a chapel in the Broken and Hollow Hills, the other heading to the Asylum in the Sinks, which is simply a single page about meeting an NPC.

L5: Below has the characters heading into the realms below the city to confront part of the Panacea. Appendices have details on cabal magic, how cabal casters can combine abilities, something the primary enemies in Decay have, as well as cabal feats and spells, the fertility subschool, including spells, and seasons again.

L6: The Susurrus Theatre has the characters returning to the surface and the Artist’s Quarter, to locate some missing children and deal with a vampire and its spawn. Appendices lack much in the way of new material, having the NPC vampire hunters from L4 again, as well as seasons. A side trek has various dreams and an excursion to a cathedral in the Sinks.

L7: My Benefactor has the characters heading to the Hollow and Broken Hills after finding out more details about who arranged for them to be freed. The settlement they travel to is sucked into Between whilst they are there. There is a single appendix, which just mentions seasons, and a side trek has them visiting the heaven created for the priest of their village.

L8: Apotheosis has three parts. Two of parts do not follow on from each other; following one or the other first could cause problems for the second, and the characters will need to choose which to do first. These send the characters to Toiltown and the Capitol. The third part follows on from one of these, and the characters visit a private Utopia that is no longer such a thing. The appendix deals with seasons again and there is a side trek, which is simply three dreams.

L9: Utopia is all on one day. The characters have to close three breaches to Between by the end of the day, though it doesn’t matter what order these are done in. There are three possible endings. The first is the characters fail in which case… something happens. What happens is up to the GM, though some suggestions are given. This does feel like a bit of a cop-out as if failure has not been planned for. Another ending is that a character agreed to have their own private Utopia created and the final ending is that the characters succeeded. This has suggestions for further adventures in the Blight. The appendices have details on the storm that hits the city at the beginning of L9 and on various potentially helpful NPCs.

The Map Appendix is an enormous 94 pages and reproduces the city and location maps from within the supplement.

Finally, after the book itself, there are four colour poster maps, of Between, the Isle of Lymossus where Castorhage is located and two general maps of the city, one for GMs and one for players.

The Blight in Review

The PDF is well bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth. Navigation is decent for a PDF of this length. The text maintains a two-column black and white format and quite a few errors were noticed, perhaps not surprising in such a lengthy book. There are a variety of black and white illustrations. These range from stock images to photographs to some custom images. The book’s sheer length may have made using all custom images extremely expensive.

There are references to a lot of books scattered through text – including some that probably should not be referred to directly, going by the Pathfinder Compatibility License. Any section that refers to material from other books, even if it’s only a description of a small area, has a reference list as to what these are at the end of it. The organisation can tend to be a bit odd; though earlier parts may describe things such as equipment, gods and more, there are further additions to these scattered throughout, and nothing that collects all these references together; an index would have been useful.

Castorhage is an unusual city; it’s essentially a steampunk city in a fantasy setting, but one where steampunk was invented by the heirs of Victor Frankenstein and consequently uses body parts rather than steam engines. The city is also unbelievably vast for any city in a fantasy setting, with a population of over 3 million. It’s frankly unclear how the city could possibly remain standing, given the description of how the buildings are built on each other.

The Blight is an extensive campaign setting, in and of itself. As well as this supplement, there are a host of others, detailing more monsters, locations and adventures. It also has a host of new rules and ideas that can be scavenged from the city and used elsewhere, from the new rules, abilities and monsters to the various random tables and encounters scattered throughout. All of Between, given that it is another realm, can easily be reused elsewhere.

It’s worth noting that the Pathfinder version of The Blight is now substantially cheaper than the other versions; the 5E version is still at $65. Admittedly, converting a Pathfinder supplement of this magnitude to 5E would likely take so much work that the difference in price would seem worth it. The Blight is a truly enormous supplement detailing a truly enormous city. It has a wealth of content, even if a group doesn’t feel the city itself fits in their campaign. The Blight, for what it currently costs for the Pathfinder version, is well worth picking up and it can be found by clicking here.