By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer

Available at FRP Games

Hackmaster: Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies
Retail $19.99 Sale $15.99

Initiative Round
The Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies is a Hackmaster supplement from Kenzer and Company. This 96-page black-and-white softcover is written by Eric Neumann and Mark Plemmons and has a cover depicting two pixie fairies having it out above a party of adventurers (illustrated by Chris Moreno). Interior art showcases the talents of Tommy Castillo, William Church, Brendan Fraim, Brian Fraim, Ben McSweeney, and Travis Moore. The Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies retails for $19.99.

Hackmaster, for those not in the know, is a fantasy role-playing game that first surfaced in the comic strip "The Knights of the Dinner Table," by Jolly Blackburn. In many ways, it resembles 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons, on which it is based, but certain elements crucial the game as depicted in the comic strip have been added. The result is a very playable game, which is on my list of things to review and I'll eventually manage to work my way down to.

Pixie Fairies, as any Hackmaster player or KoDT fan can tell you, are a race that exist within Garweeze Wurld (the official Hackmaster setting). Many players would never consider playing a pixie fairy, as they have a preconceived notion of the race being akin to pacifistic little butterflies. The Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies attempts to dispel that notion.

The Hackmaster Player's Handbook describes one type of pixie-fairy, but there are others. The pixie fairy is race is believed to have originated from cross-breeding between pixies and fairies, and with the multitude of other fairy races in Garweeze Wurld and the lusty appetites of the pixies, it is only logical to conclude that there are other crossbreeds as well. In fact, the Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies describes seven such hybrids—the elvariel (elf-pixie fairy), fae-born (pixie fairies who choose an elf as a rebirth mother), grixies (grels that have eaten too many pixies fairies), pixie brownies, pixie leprechauns, pixie sprites, and pixie nixies. Each race, a well as the pixie fairies themselves, is fully described, including at-a-glance information (neatly consolidated in a text box for ease of reference), racial abilities, description, life and death, diet, how they are greeted at the pixie meet (a gathering of pixies that occurs once every six years), tattoo magic, and the lands the sub-race typically inhabits. This chapter also has an illustration of each type of pixie-hybrid.

The chapter on classes examines the level limitations of the new sub-races, as well as how they fit into existing classes. Two new classes, the animalist and the zealot, are also found in this chapter. The animalist class is available only to elves and pixie hybrids and resembles a druid in many ways, choosing a patron animal spirit and eventually learning to shape-change into the form of that animal. Zealots are similar to clerics, but display a fanatical devotion to their chosen deity.

Hackmaster characters are not perfect. All possess certain flaws and quirks that serve to make them more interesting. The Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies offers several new flaws and quirks specifically developed for these little characters. Packages are an optional character facet introduced in the Hackmaster class guides, but this book contains one new package specifically for pixie fairies, the Amber Guard (providing security for the Pixie Meet), as well as notes on which of the packages in the aforementioned volumes a pixie fairy is likely to choose.

This chapter also covers all non-essential information that helps to flesh out the character, including age, parentage, height and weight, social standing, and circumstances of birth. Table provide places of origin for each hybrid, sample names, and a listing of pixie fairy clans and where they are based. Humans and other non-fae races often view pixie-fairies as androgynous, and there is a table to help you determine just how androgynous your character is. Finally, this chapter also handles STPs (skills, talents, and proficiencies) and inheritances for pixie fairies and pixie hybrids.

Being so small, pixie fairies and their kin tend to have special needs when it comes to equipment. Even a human's dagger is like a two-handed sword to a pixie fairy. The next chapter describes some of the unique weapons and gear developed by the pixie fairies, including game statistics for tiny weapons and the specialized armors the pixie fairies wear. You'll also find information on new animal mounts for pixie fairies. After all, why fly when you can ride a fox or a butterfly?

Pixie fairies (and other pixie hybrids) are unique among player character races in that they possess wings. Flight can be a huge advantage over other races, but it also has its drawbacks. Pixie fairy wings tend to be quite delicate and susceptible to damage. There's also much more to flying than just flitting about merrily, teasing your companions, and that's why there is a chapter devoted to aerial combat. Tattoo magic is also found here, as well as power runes, and several new spells and magic items unique to pixie hybrids. There are special honor-point awards for pixie hybrids and rules for undead pixie fairies.

The next chapter is entirely on the subject of customs and culture. It's here that you will find everything you need to know to role-play your pixie fairy to maximum advantage. Social structure, government, and life from birth to death is outlined and explained in fair detail. Where do pixie fairies live, what do they wear, what do they do for entertainment, and how do they get along with other races? All of these questions are answered herein, as well as fairy coinage, the pixie fairy language, and notes on warfare. Pixie fairies have a unique and distinctive religious practice, and that's detailed here, too. Finally, you can learn a little about the Realm of Faerie, a highly magical nearby outer plane inhabited by pixie fairies and their kin.

The last two chapters in the book deal with the Seelie Court (the gods of fairie-kind) and new monsters. Gamemaster versions of elvariel and grixies are laid out (and player should, of course, keep their noses out of this section). A page of Hackmaster coupons for use by pixie fairy players completes the volume.

Critical Hit
I'll admit that the idea of pixies as a player character has always fascinated me, and Kenzer & Company is to be commended on the work they've put into making the race a viable character option. The amount of background detail on pixie-fairies is staggering, and not only makes a good read, but also good sense. Pixies-fairies (and their kin) are not just useless little insects, but a culture all their own that fit nicely into any campaign setting.

I should also like to point out the sardonic edge to the humor that is present in every Hackmaster product. Hackmaster is, first and foremost, a game, and games are meant to be enjoyed. Kenzer & Company reminds us of this through the humorous bits that are found throughout the Hackmaster line of products. Granted, the humor is sometimes dark, but it helps keep the game light-hearted and fun and reminds us that the reason we're getting together is, after all, to have a good time.

Critical Fumble
As Hackmaster does not use the same balancing system as D&D, the GM should consider carefully before allowing some of these variants into his or her campaign. None are overwhelmingly powerful, but the ability to fly, is in itself a great advantage, and combined with the power of invisibility, innate magic, and other talents, a pixie fairy gains a significant edge on other races. Flaws and limitations should be strongly enforced.

Coup de Grace
A personal note: It's sad to think that we've reached a point in the world where it is necessary to put a disclaimer on a game book that explains that trying to worship the demons found therein or trying to use the spells described there is ridiculous. I understand the reasons that Kenzer & Company felt the need to include this disclaimer, and I'm not slamming them for it. It just happens to be very prominent in the book and it struck me how terribly... what's the word... paranoid the public has become.

We went through this in the 1980s, and to be honest, I thought that we, as a society, had grown up a little. It's a game, people. Harry Potter is a series of fictional books and a pretty decent series of movies. It has no more to do with real-life than Bugs Bunny. There are so many real horrors in the world today, why not target them and let us enjoy our little moments of sanity-saving escapism?

I offer my apologies to our loyal readers. I know that I'm preaching to the choir here, but sometimes, you just have to get it out. Without further adieu, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled review.

The Adventurer's Guide to Pixie Fairies offers a broad range of options for those who choose to play these diminutive warriors and is a good addition to any GM's shelf as well (as many players consider pixie fairies to be a minimal threat, this gives a GM open license to prove them wrong). As this is not a d20 System product, there is no Open Game Content, but because the Hackmaster rules are derived from 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons, it's easy enough to do a little conversion work to borrow almost any of this material for your D&D campaign. If you do play a pixie-fairy, this book is almost a must-have for the wealth of material it offers.

Review Scores

Overall Total (Does not include OGL Rating): 117 (93%)
Final Grade: A