By Duane Nutley, Staff Reviewer

Initiative Round
Unorthodox Sorcerers is a recent release by The Le Games in the Unorthodox range. Written by Martin Jenner, Melinda Moore, John Walsh, Tony DiGerolamo, and The Le, Unorthodox Sorcerers is a 98 page pdf available from RPGNow for $9.95 and DrivethruRPG for $8.95.

The Unorthodox range of products has been a very successful range that looks at alternate options for the core classes. This is the first electronic sourcebook that I know of that includes a musical theme for a core class – A Sorcerer’s Song by Bailey Records. While a selling point in that the sourcebook has something that others do not contain, personally I see no benefit in the soundtrack as I do not use music at the table. However I could see a creative DM using part of the soundtrack to introduce the villain who is a spellcaster.

The Le Games knows the benefits and downsides to pdf and ensures that all their products maxmise the usability of said medium. The sourcebook has been broken down into three formats – a landscape version, a portrait one and a portrait rtf version. Each has their benefits: the landscape for reading on screen, the portrait for printing, and the rtf for copy/paste. The cover and advertisements have been made into separate pdf files, which means they do not have to be printed. The organisation of the zip folder is also quite useful. The three versions of the sourcebook are found in one folder, the full colour cover in another folder, all advertisements in another folder (instead of at the back of the sourcebook), and finally the mp3 song in yet another folder. All very easy to comprehend and logically sorted.

The actual sourcebook is broken down into the following sections – Introduction, fiction, new core classes, prestige class, new spells, magic items (baubles and urus) and six appendices. I did not read the fiction as that is not what I am interested in when I purchase d20 gaming material. Some might enjoy it, but if I want to read fiction, I will read a novel. There are five new interesting variants of the core sorcerer class – numeromantic sorcerer (numbers are magic), occult detective (using magic to help solve crimes), suppresser (magical power should be in the hands of the powerful, not the common people), immanent heresiarch (mortals transcend deities), and the sixfold septateuch (the seven dimensions hold power). In a time when new core classes have more power and abilities than the original core classes, these new variant sorcerers fit right in. All have multiple abilities, with few downsides. Most lose the ability to summon a familiar, and the only other downside is less spells able to be cast. The first appendix details the spell progression for all the alternate sorcerers and it looks very similar to the wizard’s spell progression. So all these sorcerers will cast less spells per day than their common brethen, but they all access a new spell level ONE level earlier than their mundane relatives. That is one of these alternate sorcerers will access 3rd level spells at 5th level, not 6th like the normal sorcerer. Yes they can cast less spells, but they access new spells quicker. What is worse the author forgot to compensate these new sorcerers with spells known, thus even though they can access new spell levels earlier, they do not know any new spells of that level.

The new core classes are definitely an interesting read, and it would be interesting to see how they do in normal game play, but I feel that they are more overpowered than the core sorcerer, a common trend nowadays with core classes. The prestige class, Pyramid Mage, uses the shape of a pyramid to power and enhance their spells.

There are twelve new spells, sorted in spell level order. Nothing overly flash, but nothing underwhelming as well. As with previous Unorthodox sourcebooks, there are new baubles and urus – magic items in the shape of gems that are considered artifacts, in the fact that they cannot be made by normal means. I found that most of the appendices reprinted existing information that can be found in the core rulebook, and thus was a waste of paper. Yes it is good that it is all in one spot, but I can find the core sorcerer class, information on familiars, why arcane spellcasters cannot wear armour, spell descriptions for core spells and the sorcerer spell list all in the PHB or the SRD if I needed.

To me the sourcebook would be more value for money if it contained only the actual variant sorcerer classes and the new spells, instead of all the “extras” that have been included. With all these baubles and urus The Lay has been including in the various sourcebooks, it would be easier to put them into the one sourcebook, instead of littering them throughout other sourcebook, that having nothing to do with urus or baubles.

Critical Hit
Some readers may well value the diversity of content in the sourcebook – magic items, new spells, fiction and new core classes. The new sorcerer classes are an intriguing read when you consider the underlying concept behind them.

I love the time The Lay puts into the actual sourcebook versions. I can easily copy/paste what I want from the rtf version, read on my laptop via the lanscape version that does not require constant scrolling up and down to read one page and use the bookmarks to move around, and print out with minimal art the whole sourcebook if I so chose. This can also be seen in the layout of the zip file that the sourcebook comes in when it is downloaded.

Critical Fumble
I do not like the current trend of overpowered core classes found in other sourcebooks, thus I did not appreciate reading more of said trend in Unorthodox Sorcerers. It is difficult to balance any new variant in relation to the original, but I would have hoped for something more original than losing access to a familiar, and the same spell progression as a wizard for the abilities gained.

Coup de Grace
Unorthodox Sorcerers will be what some people are looking for in regard to sorcerer goodness.

Review Scores:

Overall Total (Does not include OGL Rating): 92 (73%)
Final Grade: C+