Review: Rite Publishing – In The Company of Fey (Pathfinder)

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In The Company of Fey
In The Company of Fey is an epic fantasy supplement for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, written by Wendall Roy and published by Rite Publishing.
By Cape Rust
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Learn more about In The Company of Fey here
Purchase In The Company of Fey here
Find other Rite Publishing products here

In The Company of Fey is a wonderful sourcebook for those gaming groups that want to really run a fey-inspired campaign rather than just inserting fey type things into their games. This book starts out as a narrative overview of the fey lifestyle by an enigmatic figure named Red Shuck. This narration covers things like Physical Descriptions, Fey Society, Relations, Alignment, Religion, and Naming Conventions. The standard information one would expect. Following this is a racial description of the First Folk. After the description of the First Folk, the creators move into describing 2 Class Archetypes, The Solstice Pariah (Taskshaper) and the Wild Hunter. Next comes an extensive and compelling description of the Fey Racial Paragon Class, taking a character from level 1 to 20. This book closes with six fey feats.

This is by far the most stunning book I have reviewed from Rite Publishing! In the past I have been critical of their use of stock art and flirtations with color art. My only complaint with this product is I wish there had been more art. The cover of this book while Drow worthy, was hauntingly beautiful, just like the Fey themselves. The page borders (which Rite has always chosen well) – a woodland scene that is museum quality. What makes this product even better is that it’s much more than just a pretty face.

I have seen the fey get different levels of treatment from fantasy RPGs for years; as you can imagine some of those treatments have been overwrought, while others have seemed like an afterthought. This book hits that sweet spot; it is dead center and spot on. The introduction and its narrative form are compelling. I felt like I was being treated to the introduction to a really good novel that happened to contain some really solid, rules crunch. I was slightly distressed that the abbreviation Dr. was used in the introduction as I think that is a more modern term for someone who is learned, but that was minor, really minor. This product had its hook into me quickly, after just a few pages of the background information I was already formulating ideas for a fey campaign.

I normally get excited when I see new products, but this one had me planning before I was even finished reading it. The First Folk as a race feels right; for me it is they fey race that I’ve always wanted, but no one had captured well on paper. Sure some of their abilities far surpass normal races, but they are fey, there is nothing normal about them. The three forms they assume were really cool; these forms provided an air of mystery without forcing a player to use all of their feats or templates just to create the fey feel they might be looking for. The Fey Paragon “class” was well thought out and I was surprised that the folks at Rite Publishing, wait I should say I shouldn’t have been surprised that the folks over at Rite Publishing, took this class all the way to 20th level. Most companies that come up with something like this go a few levels, maybe even up to 5 levels, but 20 levels, that is cra-cra.

This product isn’t a standalone but it is really close; even in the relatively small amount of pages that this product contains, it is good for months and months of great fey-inspired games. The paragon class, templates, and feats provide enough information and crunch to keep players satisfied for a long term endeavor. The art combined with great mechanics and a fresh approach to an oft played-out concept make this a must have if you want to run a fey campaign or want to include them in your campaign as interesting, powerful, and cunning foes for your PCs. Over all this is one of the best overall products I’ve seen from Rite Publishing and I hope they can maintain this level of affordable excellence!

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