Short Pathfinder Reviews – Hearts and Halflings

Today’s Pathfinder reviews looks at true love and brave halflings (and brave halflings in love?):

Transcendent 10 – Feats of Synergy – Heartbound Heroes from Lost Spheres Publishing draws upon the trope of finding resolve (and magic) in true love, providing feats for those who have found their one, called a ‘heartbound partner’ here, and it starts with a discussion about making sure that such stories have a place in your campaign and will fit with your players’ interests.  Ten new feats, one new spell and a new psionic power are provided.  The feats are a mix of combat and non-combat feats most (naturally) require that you are aiding or acting for your heartbound partner; the new feats including a metamagic one that allows your charm spells to create a simulated heartbound effect, which is rather clever, and one that allows wordless communication between a pair of true lovers (a classic).  The spell and psionic power are both 1st level and are mirrors of the same ability, a call to your heartbound partner and aid for them in reaching you, quite thematic.  If your campaign wishes to explore the boundaries of love and magic, this product is well worth a look.

#1 With a Bullet Point: 14 Halfling Burglar Feats from Rogue Genius Games is exactly what it says on the tin, 14 feats for halflings, mostly rogue oriented but other classes will find useful things here as well.  As expected, these are solid, Lucky Number lets you share your good luck, Professional Burglar lets any halfling join in the burglering fun, and Knuckle-Cracker, which allows a slinger to make disarm attacks.   However, the Duck and Weave feat seems to missing finishing part of its final sentence.  Overall, useful if you have lots of halflings in your campaign.

Player’s Options: Halflings from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming starts with a disclaimer that while fictional halflings drink and smoke and there are feats and flaw that relate to such in this product, the authors do not condone such behavior, which struck me as a little odd, but there you go.  It then presents two variant halflings: Hidefeet, hardier stay-at-homes, and Willowbranch, adventurous and adaptable, useful for variety.  A half-halfling template is provided for those odd crossbreeds, which I like in concept but the execution seems a little odd, as half-halflings, while usually larger than pure halflings, somehow are physically weaker than them, still a good idea that can be made to work.  Fourteen new feats, including Frying Pan Mastery (for the combat cook) and Underfoot, allowing you to dodge between big people’s legs, provide more options for customizing halflings as do six flaws (as well as the rules for flaws).  Lastly, new halfling equipment including two new sling variants, halfling staples (food, drink and pipeweed) and a few other useful things.  Overall, a useful expansion for additional halfling options, if you have enough halflings in your campaign to need to expand them.

Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.