Companion
Companion is a supplement for the dark fantasy setting Sundered Skies (powered by Savage Worlds) written by Dave Blewer and Kevin L. Anderson and published by Triple Ace Games.
By Aaron T. Huss
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There’s no doubt about it that the Sundered Skies Companion is a companion book to the core rulebook. Everything inside could essentially be inserted into the core rulebook and the new publication would be a cohesive publication and no one would be the wiser. However, as it stands, you don’t need the content inside the Companion book to run the plot point campaign or create your own adventures. Instead, the content within enhances your game-play by offering new options on the player and GM side along with presenting new locations to explore to take your campaign in different directions between plot points as the players see fit. So why would you want it? Because Sundered Skies Companion has lots of cool new options including the new Arcane Background Voidomancy along with a host of new Edges, Hindrances, items, and even fleshed-out skyships. And don’t worry GMs, because this Companion book has a host of new adversaries, locations, and encounters to throw at your players.
CONTENT
Player’s Section contains a large amount of new options for Character Creation and Advancement including new Hindrances, Edges, Gear, Skyships, Spells, an Expanded Gazetteer, Religion, and the new Arcane Background Voidomancy. Additionally there is a handful of pages dedicated to expanding on what life is like in the Sundered Skies.
Game Master’s Section contains a large amount of content for behind-the-scenes along with some information players may want to become familiar with. There are a number of pages dealing with the regular things GMs may have to deal with including glowmadness and the mechanics for flight, but there is also a great deal of content that expands upon the islands from the core rulebook along with adding new ones. While GMs will need to know this, players may want to familiarize themselves with it as well. Following that is a list of cults and secret societies to involve in campaigns and adventures plus a lot of new Savage Tales, some tied to the new locations and islands contained within. Finishing off this section is a list of new bestiary.
Ship Deck Plans contains the deck plans for six pregenerated skyships in illustration form.
OVERALL
The Sundered Skies Companion book is one of those that has a lot of pre-game and in-game material. It’s a book that is valuable during character creation and a great toolkit during campaign play. GMs should familiarize themselves with the content within but need not memorize it as there is just so much to remember. Instead, keep it as a handy reference for when the PCs throw you a wrench, taking a direction not expected. Let them wander a bit, pull out the Companion book, and present them with new options to follow their new direction.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 9 out of 10
The Sundered Skies Companion book is a very simple publication with an easy to read layout and format and a host of great options placed in just the right places. I’m wavering on the art as I really liked some of it while finding some pieces to be out-of-place or just not quite right for the setting or content being described. It still looks great and adds to the content, but I’d like to have seen art in other places. However, it didn’t detract from the content and the big ones look great. I actually found the Companion book to be easier to read than the core rulebook because that shadowed font was NOT used.
Mechanics: 10 out of 10
I have a hard time knocking off points for this rating because the mechanics presented are just so varied and valuable in a number of ways. The Companion book really touches upon a lot of different aspects of the core rulebook acting as an “insert” into the core content by simply adding and expanding what’s there. There’s nothing game changing or overpowered here, just lots of great new content and mechanics to add to your Sundered Skies games.
Value Add: 10 out of 10
The value in the Companion book is only apparent for those who don’t want to simply run what’s in the core rulebook. It presents a number of new options for the player and GM while adding additional locations to explore during the plot point campaign. As it’s designed, the book is a very valuable addition to the setting simply because it fits the core content so well. I would even suggest that to own the core rulebook means you should own the Companion book just to further the options available. But on the positive side, you don’t have to meaning that what’s in the Companion book isn’t going to throw the setting and plot point campaign out of balance.
Overall: 10 out of 10
The Sundered Skies Companion book is a great addition to anyone’s Sundered Skies library. It adds a wealth of new options along with expanding upon the setting by providing new locations (as in islands) and pregenerated skyships to helps game-play get started quickly and smoothly. A definite must-have for those playing a Sundered Skies campaign.
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