Review: Cha'Alt Ascended

 

When I did my review of Cha'alt I mentioned Cha'alt Ascended as an additional resource. I figured it was time that I did a review on it so people know what it is.  

As a disclaimer, I was given a copy of the PDF for review purposes.

Cha'alt Ascended is a list of 63 "old school" feats designed for Cha'alt and Crimson Dragon Slayer d20. The feats remind me of a mix of 3.x feats (from Dungeons and Dragons 3.0/3.5, Pathfinder, etc) and the ideas behind World of Darkness Merits and Flaws. Though because it is designed to be old school, it is less about numerical bonuses and tactical advantages and more about cool things your character can do. I view these as more class abilities light or mechanical value for background skills. Which, I like a lot better then just adding +x to y. 

Another really great thing Cha'alt Ascended provides is a table with 20 random background events to help breathe more life into your character. 

Presentation: The pdf is full color and the pages look like parchment. The organization is great and there is a mix of drawn and live action art/pictures. There is also a great full page art depicting H.P. Lovecraft in a therapy session with some hilarious dialog.

                                                      

Character Creation: None

Resolution System: Honestly, this is basically system agnostic for any OSR style game. Here are some examples;

 

As you go through the various abilities you will notice there is some terms used in them that are not found in the Dragon Slayer d20 rules. There are also some abilities that provide a benefit like an animal companion but does not provide stats for said companion. This does not bother me as it is easy to figure out a mechanical or narrative benefit for it (quickest would be to use advantage or in regards to the animal companion, work with your game master and roll something up. The power level of the companion is probably going to change depending on the level of the character) - a feature not a flaw. I view all these abilities as feats so to me, they are not one shot wonders/tricks. Going back to the example of the animal companion, if it dies then you can get another one.

If you look for balance (balance is an illusion), you will find a power scale with lows, highs, and mids. In addition, some of these abilities are more narrative driven while others are more mechanically driven. If you think some are over powered for your game or play style then adjust them, this is one of the benefits of using a rules lite system. Honestly, just let your PC's be badass and do crazy things with overly complicated plans.

Crunch: The only additional rules included would be regarding sorcery (which is interchangeable with wizardry) and is actually more of an alternate rule for magic use. In Crimson Dragon Slayer d20 magic use costs HP (this is a common OSR theme and not the first time I have seen it). The Sorcery rules allows the wizard to cast a number of spells per hour equal to their level without any detriment. After that, they become exhausted, which means they move at half speed and make rolls at disadvantage but can still cast magic. This brings to mind the wizard from Discworld and the one from Dragonlance ("I think I remember that fireball spell...").

Final Thoughts: I think this is a great asset to just about any OSR style game and I would highly recommend picking it up and using it (for just about anything really). It helps flesh out characters and give them their own uniqueness. My favorite thing about this is that it gives a great baseline for players and game master's to create their own.

I love the idea of the Sorcery alternate rule because as RAW, wizards are on the low end of HP. Though, I do think this idea can be greatly expanded. Maybe have it include a mishap table. Something like become exhausted or have a chance at a mishap - each choice of mishap increases the chances.

A final note is with the release of Crimson Dragon Slayer Revised, some of the abilities in Cha'alt Ascended overlap and function differently with some of the additional rules in Crimson Dragon Slayer Revised. I prefer the Crimson Dragon Slayer Revised versions of those abilities that overlap (ex. two weapon fighting).

You can find the PDF here.