Tome of Horrors Complete (SW)

688 pages of Swords & Wizardry monstrosities!

Producing The Tome of Horrors Complete for the Swords & Wizardry game (S&W) is a wondrous tale of love for the original role-playing game, compiling the first three entries in The Tome of Horrors series in one book. The original Tome was produced to present First Edition monsters in Third Edition terms. The second and third entries in the series introduced large quantities of new creatures to the game. Now, The Tome of Horrors Complete for Swords & Wizardry takes all these monsters back in time and re-describes them for the Original Edition (which S&W emulates).

In creating this book for S&W, the authorial team embarked on an unusual journey: the task of forgetting as well as remembering, creating as well as documenting, and re-imagining instead of reproducing. In many ways, interpreting the First Edition monsters in terms of the Original Edition is to explore new territory — familiar territory, but territory that still contains surprises, opportunities, and unexpected inspirations. This aspect of the book is highlighted by tremendously creative short scenarios for each monster written by John Stater, Jeff Harkness, and Gary Schotter, offering a view of the monster that captures the vital and vibrant spirit of the Original Edition’s terse, folkloric, and evocative style in an entirely new way.

S&W Referees can bring back that sense of wonder and awe to their games, no matter how long they have played. Here there be monsters in quantities so large that players could encounter new ones for months. The addition of lair encounters really adds to the entertainment and utility value of an already awesome collection of monsters. So, flip through The Tome of Horrors Complete entries, add some new monsters to your campaign, and imagine the hell out of it!