E' già uscito, ed è già stato detto dalla 25 edition che non lo tradurrà (oltretutto non è un manuale della Wizard). Eccone una recensione (in lingua originale):
The Book or Erotic Fantasy is a theme based hardcover that covers sex, love, pregnancy, STDs, secution, marriage and other erotic themes and its role in a standard d20 fantasy setting.
Some may object to the use of photographs for use with a role playing game. Many of the pictures are adequate at covering their subject and include men and women. My only problem is that well, let's face it, a lot of well known fantasy artists have been providing cheesecake pictures for decades now and in some cases, would've done a better job than the glitzy photos and the modifications that went through them. Some are very good, peaceful looking, others not so good.
The book itself covers many areas that are important to a game, even one not being graphic. At the same time, the authors have limited the book's coverage by not including material on bestiality, necrophilia, and pedophilia. Smart move on their part.
But say you don't need rules for sex or anything of that nature? Is there anything in the book for you? Some of the ideas on how the different races treat sex, and how they go through pregnancy and childbirth are good reading. The stout dwarves, given the proper manual when they come of age, the half-elves and their awkward time no matter which race their raised with and even many creatures from the Monster Manual, given important details and ideas for those who want to include a little more than lusty barmaids in their encounters.
Another smart thing done is the introduction of Appearance as an ability score. I say smart because since this is an OGL book and not a d20 one, they include different rules on how to customize character creation if using a seventh stat. In addition, they provide general scores for creatures depending on type, change skills in the PHB, and provide specific examples of Appearance score so that the reader has a good idea of what things look like, as opposed to their force of personality. On the other hand, if not using a lot of the material from this book, it's going to become the favored new 'dump' stat and just make everyone more buff, quick, and enduring, but ugly and weak personalities.
The feats, core classes and PrCs are focused on one or another aspect of sex. In some cases, there doesn't seem to be enough variance. Some fill some gaps in the basic system. For example, the Imagist core class fills a role of spontaneous divine caster who inspires others to greater heights including the ability to inspire smite evil. The Kundala “a blend of martial powers and mystical energy” sound like they'd be perfect for a Mindshadows campaign. Very monk like with a small number of spells available to them as they go up in levels. Their hand to hand damage is no laughing matter either.
In terms of too similar, the Disciple of Aaluran act as living altars where love is freely given in order for the worshipper to communicate with his god while the Sacred Prostitute follows a similar path offering her body as a “temple”. Different abilities but too similar in origins. Others fill standard roles like the Rake, a seducer with a silk tongue and some roguish abilities to the Harem Protector, a bodyguard with a specific purpose and lacking some important equipment.
My personal favorite is the Metaphysical Spellshaper. They can sacrifice ability points to fill in for spell levels. The example they use is Maximizing a Fireball spell and taking 3 points of ability damage to a single ability. The best part is that you don't have to be the right level to cast the spell, as long as you're able to cast that level of spell. Since this would be a 7th level spell, the user has to have at least a 17 Intelligence score.
The spells and domains continue to fill the sexual roles in a d20 campaign. For domains, there are Body, Denial, Joining, Perversion, Pleasure and Voyeur. Each one with a granted power and spells listed from 1st-9th level. Spells are introduced by class, level and alphabetical order. Only core classes and new classes are covered though so no lists for Assassins, Blackguards and other core PrCs.
Spells range from small and useful, like Block the seed, which prevents conception for 1 hour a level, to Magic Probe, a spells that reveals all spells currently on a target. Good for any group that wants to know what their facing when the enemy mage comes out. On a cursed based theme, Jealousy deals damage to the target if he sleeps with anyone other than the caster even as Impotency renders the target, well, impotent. Because some of the spells are useful outside of the implied sexual theme, they're able to be used in any campaign. Come to Me for example, can teleport an ally to you in combat.
Another nice thing is that the book doesn't ignore the potential for use with their systems, like the stat Appearance, with old spells. Information on using spells found in the PHB with this book and its theme are included so you can find new uses for the spell Calm Emotions or Geas/Quest, even as Invisibility becomes the voyeurs choice of spells.
Like many good sourcebooks, Core Classes, PrCs, Feats, Skills, are not enough. There are also lists of mundane items, magic items, monsters and other goods to be found. This is perfect for those who want to add more details to their game, although it's obviously not going to be for every game while others will fit right in. I know for example, that many people, ever since that 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide with it's infamous prostitute table, want an update cost list to the different types of partners and this book provides one ranging from Escorts, to Masseuses.
Many of them work on material introduced in this book to enforce it's themes and utility. For example, Dark Talon is a +1 sadistic unholy bastard sword. Sadistic is a new ability here where the weapon deads extra damage on a blow. How about the Fiendskin Armor property? Three times per day the user can activate protection from good. As in other areas, the fact that not everything is meant for erotic use only gives the book utility beyond its scope.
The monsters include a lot of templates like Half-Demon, Half-Devil, and Serpentine. I'm not sure we really needed specific templates of some of the material, but it works and adds more options to the game without, once again, having to relate directly to sex.
Chapter Seven, the last chapter of the book, helps out a poor GM. For example, there are 100 adventure seeds listed. These are simple one or two sentence ideas that can be added to almost any type of game. In addition, there are organizations listed. These include background and adventure ideas. These are brief organizations, nothing like the details in say, Guildcraft from Bastion Press. More impressive is the Velvet Room as it's actually mapped out with details. Maps are always good because they act as templates and allow a GM quick visual knowledge and allow him to customize the material
The book also includes an index. Now that's important as there are a lot of ideas and materia introduced here. It also includes a listing of Appearance scores for common monsters, as well as a breakdown of challenge ratings of monsters introduced in this book, and even includes the page number, as well as the CR! The Phil & Dixie carton is actual a little bit of a let down since I'm an old reader of Dragon and have remembered their whole thing about Sex & D&D. This carton doesn't go in that direction and instead spears the dreaded Rules Lawyer.
There are some parts of the book I haven't gotten to because the review is getting long in the teeth. For instance, feats, specific items, the discussion on sex and it's role in the campaign. For instance, they don't recommend some of those feats if your campaign is combat heavy and never involves roleplaying.
The paper is good stock. Layout simple two column with good use of space. Tables are done in a parchment style to differentiate it from the text. The cover is one of the weaker photographs. I don't know if this applies to all copies, but mine came in plastic with the warning label on the outsider. A useful idea for those, like me, who despite having stickers on their books. Perhaps Wizards of the Coast could take a lesson here and insure that their 'mature' titles aren't looked at by younger gamers by putting it in plastic?
The book has a theme and rules for using that theme. If you're not looking for rules that cover sex, then there is still material here that can be useful but it'd be like buying a book on Vampires and having no interest in vampires. If you're interested in the subject, this is a high quality product that could've benefited from more variety in it's art choices.
Ed eccone anche l'indice:
Table of Contents
Introduction 4
Chapter 1: Love, Sex, & Roleplaying 5
Why Include Sex in Your Game? 5
Handling Sex in a Mature Way 6
Sex and Roleplaying 6
Romance, Seduction, and Love 7
Sex and Humor 7
Sidebar: "Rating Sex in Your Game” 7
Consent and Sex 8
Sexual Orientation 8
Love and Sex Between Player Characters 8
Kinks and Fetishes 9
Prostitution: Sacred and Profane 9
Pornography 10
Consequences of Love and Sex 10
Marriage and Bonding 11
Commitment and Infidelity 11
Pregnancy and Childbirth 11
The Cons 12
Chastity 12
Sexual Taboos 13
Cultural Taboos 13
Universal Taboos 13
Rites of Passage 13
Marriage/Committed Union Customs 14
Fidelity/Chastity 14
Duration 14
Dissolution 15
Sex and the Alignments 15
Lawful Good 15
Neutral Good 17
Thunderhooves sidebar 17
Chaotic Good 19
Lawful Neutral 19
Neutral 20
Chaotic Neutral 20
Lawful Evil 21
Neutral Evil 22
Chaotic Evil 22
Sex and the Species 23
Player Character Races 23
Dwarf 23
Elf 23
Gnome 24
Half-elf 25
Sidebar: Intelligence and Sex 25
Half-orc 26
Sidebar: Half-breeds and Pregnancy 26
Halfling 27
Human 27
Other Humanoids 27
Centaurs 27
Doppelgangers 28
Dryads 28
Sidebar: House of a Thousand Pleasures 28
Felids 29
Giants 29
Giantborn 30
Gnolls 30
Goblinoids 30
Kobolds 31
Lizardfolk 31
Merfolk and Tritons 32
Minotaurs 32
Nymphs 32
Orcs and Ogres 33
Satyrs 33
Serpentines 34
Sprites 34
Other Creature Types 35
Aberrations 35
Animals 36
Constructs 36
Dragons 36
Elementals 37
Oozes 37
Outsiders 37
Plants 37
Undead 37
Vermin 38
Chapter 2: Rules, Skills, & Feats 39
Rules? For Sex? 39
Ability Scores 39
Appearance 39
Average Appearance Scores 40
Appearance and Species 40
Appearance and Sexual Organs 40
Size and Sex 41
Sidebar: Variant: Spells 41
Sustaining Sex 42
Skills 42
Appraise 42
Bluff 42
Craft 43
Perform 43
Profession 44
Sexually Transmitted Diseases 44
Social Consequences 45
Types of Sexually Transmitted Diseases 45
Fetishes 47
Pregnancy and Childbirth 47
Birth Control 48
Conception 49
Crossbreeding 49
Feats 50
Types of Feats 51
Chapter 3: Base & Prestige Classes 55
Imagist 55
Kundala 59
Tantrist 62
Prestige Classes 65
Disciple of Aaluran 65
Divine Celibate 67
Sidebar: Divine Celibate's Mount 68
Dominator 69
Fey Enticer 72
Frenzied Disciple 73
Sample Frenzied Disciple 75
Harem Protector 76
Sample Harem Protector 78
Knot Binder of Kaladis 78
Sample Knot Binder of Kaladis 80
Metaphysical Spellshaper 81
Sample Metaphysical Spellshaper 82
Pierced Mystic 84
Sidebar: Piercing Locations 84
Rake 86
Sacred Prostitute 88
Voyeuristic Seer 91
Chapter 4: Magic 93
New Domains 93
Body Domain 93
Denial Domain 93
Joining Domain 94
Perversion Domain 94
Pleasure Domain 94
Voyeur Domain 94
New Bard Spells 95
New Cleric Spells 95
New Druid Spells 96
New Imagist Spells 96
New Ranger Spells 97
New Sorcerer/Wizard Spells 98
Spells 99
New Kinks for Old Spells 119
Sidebar: Sex, Spells, Law, and Morality 120
Chapter 5: Items 123
Sexual Goods 123
Aphrodisiacs 126
Birth-Control Devices 128
Sexual Services 129
Magic Items 131
Armor and Shield Special Abilities 131
Sidebar: You're Not Wearing That to Bed, Are You? 131
Specific Armors 132
Weapon Special Abilities 132
Sidebar: Alternate Spaces for Magic Items on the Body 133
Specific Weapons 134
Potions 134
Rings 134
Rods 135
Staffs 136
Wands 136
Wondrous Items 136
Special Materials 140
Cursed Items 140
Specific Cursed Items 140
Artifacts 140
Chapter 6: Gods & Monsters 141
The Sexual Nature of Deities 141
Gods 141
Aaluran 142
Alilial 143
Cevelis 144
Kaladis 145
Vershnat 146
Zanbos 147
Creatures of Passion 147
Bliss Motes 147
Cherub, Celestial 149
Cherub, Fallen 151
Demonbred 153
Devilblooded 156
Felid 158
Feykissed 159
Giantborn 160
Half-demon 162
Sidebar: Giantborn and Changes in Size 163
Half-devil 164
Golem, Pleasure 167
Serpentine 169
Succubus, Greater 170
Chapter 7: Adventures & Organizations 173
Adventure Ideas 173
Organizations 176
Order of the Unseen Lovers 176
Damio's Companionship Service 177
Sample Brothel: The Velvet Room 179
Seekers of the Eternal Sensation 181
Appendices 184
Appendix I: Creature Appearance Scores 184
Appendix II: Creatures by Challenge Rating 187
Index 188
Open Game License 190
Sul forum della 25 edition, in vecchi topic, potrai trovare maggiori info. IMO, non serve a nulla.