This installment of the TRIBES-series is 34 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page blank inside of front cover, 1 page overview, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC and SRD, 1 page introduction on how to read stat-blocks, 1 page ad and 1 page back cover. That leaves 26 pages of content.

The first chapter (6 pages) gives us an introduction to the 4 vastly different Brethren of the Crimson Altar. It is here that I have to insert a kind of disclaimer: I love vampires, I really do. And I’m in team Dracula, I.e. I think that vampires a) should never, ever sparkle and b) have very specific ideas on what vampires should be able to do, power-wise and how they should not act. (Like morons à la in John Carpenter movies.) To cut a long story short, I love my vampires intelligent, crafty, strong and devious. It’s hard to satisfy me in that regard. The different vampires presented here succeed flavor-wise in that endeavor. We also get a statblock for Kulan-Wyr guardians, lvl 11 skeletal champion monks and the intelligent, malevolent crimson altar. The chapter closes with one page that neatly sums up the particular things to consider when battling a vampire – change shape, create spawn and vampiric weaknesses – all compiled on one page. Nice.

The next chapter (10 pages) details the Brethren in the complex manner one has come to expect from Raging Swan, i.e. complete with mannerisms, distinguishing features, hooks and even favored disguises! It should be noted, that in contrast to other Raging Swan TRIBES-supplements, these statblocks are almost Rite Publishing-level complex, which is VERY NICE. We also get statblocks for Bat and Rat-swarms and each Brethren gets his/her own artwork.

The final chapter (10 pages) of the pdf features encounters with the Brethren 5 sample encounters, one of which is actually a smear-campaign against the PCs. This chapter also features 7 stat-blocks and has some neat ideas as well as artwork. The final page of the pdf collects the statblocks by CR and type with page-references.

Conclusion:

I’m very hard to satisfy when it comes to vampires. This little book did it. It is extensive and provides a sufficiently deadly cabal of bloodsuckers with ample roleplaying potential for your perusal and features excellent editing, formatting, writing and b/w-artwork to boot. For the very low price, you practically can’t ask for more. It’s the best installment of the excellent TRIBES-series as of yet and will be nigh impossible to surpass. An excellent resource. My final verdict practically has to be 5 stars.

This review will give you an idea of why I like this supplement. While I find the product very good, it does have a few quirks you should know about.

This PDF makes liberal use of space. I like this in a PDF. It makes it easier to set off various sections of the document and since I don’t normally print these out, no problem to use on my computer at the game table. This product does have a table of contents detailing the business side of things first. This includes credits, how to contact Raging Swan and a brief bio of the designer. The rest of the TOC is a description of the Brethren of the Crimson Altar (and the altar itself), stat blocks for the Brethren and their allies/minions and wraps up with suggested encounters with the Brethren including some tables to help you find the stat blocks by CR or Type.

Ascetically, this isn’t the most colorful product. It is all in black & white with grayscale art. I’m sure this is a design decision on the part of Raging Swan to keep costs down. Again, however, I like this and the “look” of this and other Raging Swan products is well done to my eye. If I do decide to print out a portion, at least I know it will use a minimum of ink. Further, sometimes “less is more” and it makes navigating the document quick and easy on just about any system. Finally, they describe how to read their stat blocks at the beginning of the document. It’s a nice overview and, again, wastes a bit of space, but I think it’s a nice touch I wouldn’t want removed.

This is a generic product in that it can be introduced into any Pathfinder campaign. It makes mention of a death god, but even this detail can be easily changed to fit a campaign. I like this very much as, at this point, I’m not sure where I’ll introduce this bunch. Each of the Brethren and the Altar is well described. It’s easy to see how I could incorporate any and/or all of them into a campaign from a background and personality standpoint. Anything that makes my GMing job easier is a boon.

I didn’t go over each stat block with a fine tooth comb, but they look correct. The layout of the blocks make them simple to use.

There are some issues with this product. There are a few either misspellings and/or grammar issues, but nothing that stands out and most people won’t even notice them. One thing that was confusing to me was a comment that the guardians of the Altar would “paralyse” travelers that wander too close to its hiding place. After reading through the stat blocks of the guardians, I don’t see any ability for them to do so. This same sentence mentions they might “otherwise subdue” said travelers, as well, so possibly the guardians changed type at some point. This is a nit, but after reading it and then reading the stat blocks, I was slightly confused.

The only other issue I have is that there are no maps. While not necessary for the product, it would have been nice to have at least had a map of the altar’s resting place. The whole fortress needn’t be mapped out, but just the actual location where it waits would have been helpful.

I rate this product a 4.5 out of 5. A map of the altar’s “lair” would have made it a 5 out of 5. This is a great group/organization to set against your PCs. To do them justice, you need to introduce them early in a campaign and build up to them. I highly recommend this product.

The premise is simple: four vampires are not only trapped in their undead state but held by the power of a sentient and malignant artefact, the Crimson Altar... you may drop the lot entire into your game, or use any of the individual vampires as something with a bit more personality than your average blood-sucking leech, as stat blocks at a wide range of levels are provided to meet just about everyone's needs.

At the moment there are just four Brethren (well, one is a 'sister' rather than a 'brother' but you know what I mean), but apparently the number can fluctuate if they invite another vampire to join or one is laid to final rest. Each has their own objectives as well as their allegiance to the Crimson Altar of Kulan-Wyr, which has seduced them with promises of ultimate freedom to act as they please. A lot of thought has gone into each one, with a background that shows some of their life before they became vampires as well as the interests and ambitions that they have retained or developed in unlife. Each was obviously quite a powerful 'character' (or NPC) before becoming undead: having levels in classes such as bard, wizard, fighter or rogue (the precise number depending at what level you require them) and the skills to match. A lot of the time, they go their separate ways - just as well, one of them alone poses quite enough threat never mind if they all ganged up on a bunch of characters all at once! Their diversity of interests will suggest various ways in which they may cross your characters' paths. For example the former wizard one likes collecting esoteric reference material while the rogue still likes stealing - either might have their eyes set on an item your characters covet or already possess. And one does go in for the sort of mindless debauchery of the 'classic vampire' and may attract the attention of the authorities or the more publically-spirited sort of characters.

Even better is their mindset. They aren't given to overt attacks, but are more likely to make life difficult for any characters that they feel are beginning to intrude. Framing them for crimes, sending them on pointless quests or even setting up an enthralled vampire (with his own lair) to take the fall for any suspicions of vampiric activity your characters might suspect: all these tactics and more are in their armoury. They don't care for it to be known just what they are, but have plenty of resources other than purely vampiric abilities with which to defend themselves when the need arises. Each has their own base of operations - probably in the same township for ease of cooperation - as well as access to the remote ruined fortress where the Altar itself is hidden. And of course the Altar has its own plans and ambitions...

Indeed the Crimson Altar has its own dark history and it may be this, rather than the well-camouflaged activities of the Brethren, that first attracts your characters' attention. It doesn't just like blood sacrifice, it needs it to further its aim of breaking down the barriers keeping Death itself away from the living world, hoping that one day sufficient sacrifice will have been made. How close it is to its objective is left to you to decide. It has its own skeletal guardians, which are also detailed, should anyone get close enough to pose a threat. There's also a run-down of standard vampire habits and tactics before each of the four Brethren is presented in copious detail: everything you require to run them not just as adversaries in combat but as full-fledged participants in the alternate reality you're creating in your game world.

Finally, if all that has not already been presented has not spawned enough ideas of how to incorporate the Brethren into your game, there's a whole section of encounter suggestions. They work better, though, if you study the individual vampires' backgrounds and ways of operating, and embed them in a township that the characters frequent long before any hint of the presence of such evil beings comes to light. Who knows, the characters might even ask the one that ostensibly earns her keep as a sage about the vampiric threat! Plenty of scope is provided in all the encounters, and each lays out options and all that's necessary to run them effectively in a clear and concise manner.

All in all, this is an excellent resource and could provide materials for several adventures if not an entire campaign or plot arc... beautifully-detailed Bad Guys who not only provide opposition but become an integral part of your game world.