A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Wilderness Dressing: Bandits

Wilderness Dressing: Bandits by Creighton Broadhurst is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press 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 thirteen page PDF which is available from RPGNow at the regular price of $2.45 but was purchased at the greatly reduced price of $0.11 as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the plain front and rear covers, one page is an ad for The Sunken Pyramid, two pages are front matter and Credits, one page is the Contents, Stat Blocks by CR and Foreword, there is a single full page illustration and one page is the Open Game License and ads for other supplements.

Bandit Rank & File has tables giving backgrounds for various low-level bandits, giving such as reasons why they became bandits and behaviour. There are 10 humans, 4 half-elves and 5 half-orcs. There are also stat blocks for two human bandits, a half-elf adept and a half-orc.

Next is Bandit Leaders. There is a list of 8 different bandit leaders, again giving backgrounds, reasons and behaviour. Stat blocks are provided for four leaders as well, half-elf, human, half-orc and tiefling.

Finally, Hooks, Complications & Opportunities has a d12 table of possible bandit encounters or adventure hooks and several bandit groups by EL, using the stat blocks from earlier.

Wilderness Dressing: Bandits in Review

The PDF is decently bookmarked, with everything bar the stat blocks linked. The Contents covers the major sections and is hyperlinked. The Stat Blocks by CR lists the various stat blocks and gives their page numbers, but isn’t hyperlinked. Navigation is decent for a short supplement. The text maintains a two column format and no errors were noticed. There is the full page black and white illustration mentioned earlier and another piece of stock art. Presentation is okay.

The various bandit backgrounds are interesting, but there is a feeling that more could have been added. Nineteen bandits and eight leaders might be a fair amount for most campaigns, but it doesn’t really feel like a lot. The stat blocks are for fairly ordinary bandits, with nothing exceptional, even for the leaders. Admittedly, exceptional individuals might not be bandits. Still, the stats probably are fairly limited in utility beyond low levels. This is a decent enough supplement but it feels like it could have been better. Wilderness Dressing: Bandits can be found by clicking here.