Vathak Times Zine #2 (5th Edition) is a role playing game supplement published by Fat Goblin Games for use with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG for $3.95, as a softcover print on demand book for $9.95 or as both PDF and book for $10.92. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle and has 40 pages with two being the front and rear covers, one the front matter, one the table of contents and one the Open Game License.
Meet Thy Neighbor: Baron Stroan Hellheimer gives some details on this NPC in Skalan and his goals and uses, but no stats beyond alignment, sex, species and class.
Little Girl Lost: A Hollowfield Adventure is an adventure for level 1 characters which has the characters meet a young girl on the road. There are some tips on using the adventure with The Hollowfield Harvest Festival.
Across the Front Line has some in-universe fluff about soldiers on the front line and some adventure hooks.
Heinrich Calvin Sprenger, Witchfinder, has a description of a wanted individual, a self-proclaimed witchfinder, and a new magic item.
Vathak Crime Report has brief paragraphs on several crimes in different places.
Bard Archetype: College of Tragedy has a new archetype for an entertainer focused on tragedy.
Racial Ecology: Deathcaps opens with some fluff on these, describes them, their behaviour, traits, names and three different features.
The Welcomed Wayfarer has some fluff on an inn, its menu and a rumour.
Madame Mombi Presents: Phantom Mongrel has a new type of undead, essentially a pet that remains loyal after death.
Knowledge Check: Haunts has some details and tables for creating haunts, that Pathfinder staple, along with some sample haunts. They are essentially identical to the Pathfinder version.
Random Thoughts: Traveller Curses has some details on inflicting curses on poor guests.
Vathak Times Adventure: Buried Passions is a level 5 adventure in which the characters become embroiled in a local feud related to an inheritance reading.
Close Encounters: Rotwing is a new undead found in graveyards and mass burials.
Doomsday Prophet has someone who gets visions of the end.
Sir Timothy Charles Emporium has a new item.
Vathak Times Zine #2 (5th Edition) in Review
The PDF lacks usable bookmarks and is long enough with enough different sections that these would have been useful. The table of contents covers the major sections. Navigation is adequate. The text varies between one and two columns and appeared to be mostly free of errors. There are a variety of black and white illustrations. Presentation is okay.
This is a collection of various different kinds of articles related to the Shadows Over Vathak setting, though the majority of them can be used in other settings with various levels of ease. They can add a bit of extra depth to Shadows Over Vathak, or be used by themselves as sources of new monsters, items, character options and other things. The main oddity is the Doomsday Prophet; though mechanics are given for it, it doesn’t seem to explain what it is. Vathak Times Zine #2 (5th Edition) can be found by clicking here.
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