A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Tombs of the Desolation

Tombs of the Desolation by Robert J. Schwalb is a role playing game supplement published by Schwalb Entertainment for use with Shadow of the Demon Lord. This is a sourcebook for the undead-haunted Desolation of the Urth setting, the area from which the Witch-King and the Men of Gog hailed.

The supplement is available as a 42 page PDF from RPGNow for $8, as a print on demand softcover for $19.49 or both PDF and softcover for $19.49. The supplement can also be had in printed form from sites such as Amazon. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. The PDF comes in two versions, one with and one without a page background. Two pages are the front and back covers, one page is the Table of Contents, two pages are the Index and one page is an ad for the Demon Lord’s Companion.

The single page Introduction, which includes the front matter, says that this is the first in a series of setting expansions – although it isn’t included in the Lands in Shadow range – that add more details to parts of the official Urth setting. In this case, a dangerous wasteland on the Empire‘s northern edge.

Into the Wastes starts with Peoples of the Desolation, which covers the major ancestries that live in the area. There is also a new table of interesting things for the Desolation. There are three new ancestries for the region; Revenant, mortals who return from the dead to complete unfinished business, Salamanders, humanoid fire creatures created by genies and Vampires, undead blood-drinkers.

There are new paths too. Prince of Darkness is an Expert path, one which can only be chosen by vampires. Blighters are a Master path, one believed to be responsible for the Desolation, who drain the world’s resources. Dust Walker is another Master path that has control over dust and the final Master path is Slayer of the Dead, which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Magic has new spells and a new dark magic tradition, Blood. Blood would appear to be a minor tradition, going by the brief introduction. There are also a handful of other spells for other traditions; perhaps the most noteworthy is the new necromancy spell, liche, which turns the caster into a liche.

These Endless Wastes describes the Desolation itself, starting with new types of terrain and the problems crossing them, as well as the effects of the region’s heat. Notable Locations has various sites of interest and includes the Crusader States, the five citadels manned by the Cult of the New God where the Desolation borders the Northern Reach. There are some unusual places, such as stones that drift through the air, a city that vanishes and the obsidian tombs, black pyramids constructed by the Witch-King. Weather in the Desolation is covered and there is a d20 table of interesting features.

Secrets of the Desolation starts with some adventure ideas, with the levels they are suitable for. There is a sidebar on the Shadow of the Demon Lord and how the effects of the Shadow in the core rulebook can affect or be linked to the Desolation. Relics of the Desolation has new powerful magic items, which also have sometimes unpleasant side effects. There are some new monsters; as well as the expected undead, there are other creatures as well, such as giant insects and the three new ancestries.

The Dread of the Desolation is the final part of the supplement and is a Master level adventure. One of the obsidian tombs is uncovered by strong winds, and the characters go to investigate. The tomb houses a defeated rival of the Witch-King, and is mapped.

Tombs of the Desolation in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and these would definitely have been useful. However it does have a decent Table of Contents and an Index. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two column full colour format, with or without a background depending on the PDF. There are both colour and black and white illustrations; the colour ones definitely appear to be custom but the black and white ones may or may not be. Presentation is generally very good but there is one important element missing – there is no map of the Desolation. Even though the land is mostly desolate, a map would have been appreciated. The southern edge of the region is covered in the Northern Reach map in the core book.

This supplement is a combination of several different things. There are new character options, spells, magic and monsters. There are some details on the Desolation itself and points of interest. Finally, there is the adventure. All of this is interesting, but with so many different topics covered it feels like none of them have been gone into any great detail. The Desolation is definitely an interesting – and potentially fatal – region and this supplement does cover the area in more detail. Like many of the setting enhancements, it does feel like there is far more that could be covered; a GM can naturally flesh this out themselves. This provides a host of new options and more setting details. Tombs of the Desolation is a worthy addition to the range and it can be found by clicking here.