Stefano Buonocore
With this article, we are pleased to offer you the review of Nightfell – Children of the Moon. First of all, let’s say thank you Mana Project Studio and Angelo Peluso (author and artistic director) for sending us a physical copy of the manual. Children of the Moon is an expansion module for Nightfell, an original setting compatible with D&D5E. This is an all-Italian project that has already achieved enormous success. Those who don’t know him can read about it in our review, absolutely positive.
Children of the Moon can be purchased on Mana Project Studio digital store at a cost of 39.90 euros, available in both English and Italian. The digital version is not included and costs 14.90 euros. The manual is also available in the deluxe version, for the price of 89.90 euros. Furthermore, it is also possible to purchase the other volumes of the line from the site Nightfell.
Volume Review of Nightfell – Children of the Moon
Children of the Moon it is a sumptuous manual. 241 pages full of content that remain perfectly readable; a hardcover volume that promises to withstand even the most intense gaming sessions. The quality of the materials is very high, browsing the pages is a real pleasure. Overall it is a volume that anyone would like to add to their library.
This is also due to the illustrations. The team (of which the author is part and coordinator) has created a job that is absolutely up to the standard of the setting manual and the bestiary which in themselves already set very high standards. The consistency in style is really huge, but overall the level of illustrations is excellent. And we are not just talking about a feast for the eyes, but a perfect complement to the contents of the manual. The artworks of Children of the Moon don’t just convey the darkest and most horror aspects of the setting, but they enhance its most feral nuances compared to previous works.
A Game of Heavy Contents
This is because the dominant theme of Children of the Moon, as the title suggests, is lycanthropy. However, limiting oneself to this would be doing the author a disservice, because the amount of material is supported by a storytelling of considerable depth. First of all, it must be clarified that, since it is an openly horror setting, even in Nightfell security tools are introduced. Even though it is a “classic” D&D, the author suggests adopting Lines and Veils, slowing down or stopping the narrative as needed by the table and always keeping in mind that the responsibilities are divided among the whole table, and not just the Nightmaster (the Dungeon Master of Nightfell).
It also features a Declaration of Intent. The tool that Riccardo “Musta” Caverni developed so that the entire table is aligned when sharing a gaming experience is in this case applied to the game itself. The author makes it clear what the aspects are Children of the Moon intends to bring to the surface. A horror that is never an end in itself, but aimed at a moral dilemma and survival. An important evolution, especially for a game that on the most classic panorama, that of Dungeons & Dragons, brings potentially delicate aspects.
Review of the Themes of Nightfell – Children of the Moon
Drawing heavily on popular traditions, Children of the Moon introduces a completely new look into Nightfell. The linchpin of this narrative is Lupecernos, an Echo of Death (the Echoes of Death, in the setting, are masculine). In other words it is a dark reflection of the Primordials, the beings of sidereal origin who have supported the life of the world. An Echo of Death inextricably linked to the moon itself.
Lupecernos, like the other Dark Echoes, pursues the destruction of life as its sole objective. Countless creatures have emerged from it which are the perversion of animal nature. The most classic werewolves but not only, because the worshipers of the Beast (as his cultists are called) permeate every aspect of the already corrupt nature of the setting.
Contents
Children of the Moon, as anticipated, is full of content. The narrative part is extraordinarily full of ideas, some of which are also useful for campaigns that do not involve the cults of Lupecernos and werewolves in general. They concern life in the world of Iùrmen and some information of a geographical nature, or in any case, they add depth to the setting. The heart of the manual remains focused on lycanthropy and all the mechanics it can bring into play.
This is explored both for the various types of wereanimals available in the game and for the various bloodlines that the PCs can choose from. There is no shortage of what is one of the most coveted contents in every expansion manual, namely the new game options. In particular Children of the Moon features four different themed archetypes. The Path of the Feral Soul allows the Barbarian to call upon the destructive energies of the followers of Lupecernos, while a Cleric who follows the Domain of the Lunar Faces venerates the Moon in all its meanings, both the protective one and the more bloody one.
A Druid belonging to the Circle of Pack Leaders, perhaps the most interesting archetype, transfers the energies of dying nature into his companions, allowing them to transform into ferocious beasts. Finally, the Curse of the Prey is the obvious but never banal solution for the Ranger, which facilitates him in hunting werewolves.
The Werebeast: Review of Nightfell – Children of the Moon
Certainly, the most interesting optional material is that of the new playable class, the Werebeast. As for the Vampire in the already published material of Nightfell, this class allows you to play a monstrous creature, a werewolf. It also explains how to multiclass these two classes with each other, although this is very rare.
As the levels progress, the character sees his feral characteristics increase in power and danger, acquiring abilities that bring him ever closer to his wild side. A Werebeast is not necessarily evil or subordinate to Lupecernos; however, she cannot escape the stigma that he imposes on her. This makes it a Predator hungry and bloodthirsty, or a Pack leader wise and close to the spirits. Or a Brute, enormous and endowed with immense destructive capacity. Or yet a Purebreed, most of all close to his animal side.
Everything is accompanied by some “archetypes”, basic build schemes to best reflect the animal chosen by the character for his Werebeast, and from new dedicated backgrounds. There is also a diagram with the effects of the phase of the moon on the character who chooses this class; in Nightfell the phases of the moon have particular importance, which thus acquires further importance.
Blood Magic and Items
A particularly interesting new game option is the Blood Magic. These are spells cast through a blasphemous practice that allows you to sacrifice Hit Dice to obtain absolutely devastating effects. An even more interesting option for Werebeasts who can replace them with Wild Dice, is their class ability.
Some spells also prove even more cruel. Vermillion Claw is only second level, but allows you to deal 3d6 Strength damage within 15 feet, automatically grappling the target and inflicting one level of fatigue at the start of its turn, until it breaks free. Very powerful, but a spellcaster of lower than third level (who learns the formula in other ways and casts it using Hit Dice) will take 5 damage to cast it.
It’s not missing a decent sampling of wonderful new objects. These too are all lycanthropy-themed, both as options for the Werebeasts and for the PCs who want to face them. Very interesting is the Belt of the Shapeshifting God, which is said to have been created by Lupecernos himself. Significantly enhances the werewolf’s statistics, bringing him further closer to the animal kingdom and making him fearsome in combat. But he will also remain morbidly attached to it, and if he reaches zero Spirit Points while using it, he will be possessed by the god himself and will be considered dead. A gaming option that is as intriguing as it is terrifying.
Review of Nightfell – Children of the Moon: the Bestiary
It couldn’t be missing in a manual like this Children of the Moon, a section of bestiary, which presents many new options for battles organized by the Nightmaster. Obviously, these are mostly creatures directly linked to lycanthropy, but not exclusively. We find the Lunar Draco, what remains of the ancient and majestic beasts now deprived of most of their powers. Or the Rune Drake of the New Moon, an undead creature reanimated from the bones of a dragon.
We have “common” NPCs, such as the Werehunter, and specifically interpreted as Werewolves: as a cultist or Champion, for example. We find numerous variations on the theme, such as the Were-Lich or the Were-Giant. And other more disturbing versions, such as the undead Revenant Werewolf and the Abomination, a cross between werewolf and vampire.
Disturbing is the Horror of the Plague, a creature infected by the curse of Lupecernos but incapable of becoming a true werewolf, limiting himself to being a shapeless aberrant mass of flesh and claws. However, there is no shortage of statistics about the same Echo of Death that generates this horror. At least in the form of a gigantic anthropomorphic wolf that is usually perceived by mortals. A Challenge 22, is a worthy conclusion to a very high-profile campaign.
The Song of the Beast
Children of the Moon also includes a campaign, The Song of the Beast, designed to take characters from the first level up to the most advanced (using the milestone system). The author suggests starting with characters who have at least a gray moral, which highlights some complex choices along the unfolding of the plot. Each player is asked to indicate a Motive, a Torment and a Virtue for their PC, which will outline the character within the plot. Given the high mortality of Nightfell, Various ways to replace a running character are also suggested.
Our reviews are always spoiler-free. However, we can anticipate that the characters will find themselves traveling across the entire game world in search of the Blasphemous Lunars, powerful magical objects obtained from the skulls of different creatures and sought by the cult of Lupecernos. Which means that the characters will not want to end up in the hands of the latter: whatever his purpose, it will certainly not be desirable.
A Not-so-Classic Campaign
The Song of the Beast it is divided into nine acts, each divided into three scenes. As mentioned, the campaign is itinerant and will take the characters to visit the largest offshoots of the game world. However, it is not focused on the journey itself, and indeed it completely delegates this part to possible interludes that the Nightmaster wants to create. The writing is rather free, leaving a lot of room for the narrator to personalize events and NPCs, providing very specific details only when truly useful to the narrative.
It is good to remember that Nightfell it doesn’t offer a classic “Diendiesque” game, preferring to work much more on ambiguity. The heart of the game will in fact be the choices, often difficult and almost always morally controversial. Characters will always be asked to choose what to leave behind, encouraging their character and moral evolution, as well as growth in level.
Conclusions of the Review of Nightfell – Children of the Moon
Children of the Moon it is, without mincing words, a masterful volume. With a rare quality-price ratio on the market, it offers ideas, content and new game materials. All with an artistic level and consistency in writing and storytelling that is rare to find in an expansion supplement. Nightfell is a game that starts with premises that are already of a certain depth, but this volume manages to enrich the narrative in a decidedly important way, opening the setting to a completely new genre of gaming.
Mana Project Studio has created a little jewel, in some ways even superior to the original material, from which it obviously cannot be separated. Children of the Moon can be used as a model for writing an expansion module, and this makes it a valuable volume for any role-playing player. But for those who have already loved Nightfell and in general for those who like to bring in their sessions D&D5e a touch of horror and a passion for lycanthropy, this is a simply unmissable manual.
