SUMMARY:
Excellent updated version of the Baali, but it's the new ideas that truly makes this a valuable book for V5. It suffers a bit on presentation in the interior, but the creativity easily makes up for that. There are parts that could use some more work to make it shine, but, honestly, it's a great read and a perfect product for the STV
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
A free, 44 Pages book with rad-looking cover about the sort of Vampires that seems to have been slumming it up in Sunnydale? I was instantly hooked. The inside was also great, but suffered a bit from a lack of through editing. Layout is very much like the V5 standard, which is very nice.
WHAT'S IN HERE?:
The Baali in this book are the lovely edgy Vampires we know from the past. with a bit of new sprinkled in.
In service to the forces beyond mortal ken, these Vampires are enjoying their decent into the Abyss, both metaphorically and literary.
As for Disciplines, the Baali have Presence, Oblivion and Blood Sorcery. Hot, Macabre, Powerful.
In short? They're like a study in Ghost lyrics. When reading the Archetypes, I saw most of the usual Satanic villain and antihero stereotypes being pictured here, so mission successful.
These Luciferian vampires are then given a Bane that deals with True Faith as Anathema to their unholy skin, and a Compulsion that forces you to give unholy powers from the beyond a chance to shine.
DISCIPLINES:
I have a lot of love for people who decide to become creative with the V5 system, and most of these powers certainly does that.
Presence has a bit of a outlier named Duress (putting a penalty of discipline use equal to the user's Willpower) that is far too powerful to be a Lvl 1 power, you still get some interesting Presence powers in the remaining categories, fitting for the Baali.
The Baali spread of Oblivion and Blood Sorcery is curious design space, but making both of them synergize as a amalgam power called Daimonion is quite the stroke of genius.
While I personally think the bit cartoony Balefire should remain in the past, this book presents an excellent way to use this, and the other Sorcery Powers are also inspired, especially Draught of Power which might be a better way to design the Draught Powers than the Corebook variant.
In the Oblivion corner, the powers are suitably creepy, (but the Lvl 5 Summon Demon power could have been a Rite instead) Soul Swap especially is probably one of the best examples of design-space used well. Kudos for that.
The Rituals and Ceremonies are working in tandem with disciplines, so I like most of them. The Death Pact Ritual might be a bit more expensive than I see PCs be able to use, but I suppose that was the intent. The Ceremonies are pretty cool as well especially the Bells of Gomorrah, a beautiful ritual that opens up all kinds of plots.
OTHER RULES:
A bit disappointing, displayed The Predator Types are too narrow and seem more like variant on previous PTs, but flavorful nonetheless.
Then, we have Optional Advantages that gives you a system for Infernal Pacts, which I think could have used a bit more examples, but what we have here is solid. The Coterie Merit for the Baali? I mean, I don't think I'll ever see anyone use it, but it makes sense.
LORESHEETS:
While a lot of these are interesting as updates to the old material, it sort of delves into my bigger problem with Loresheets among the fan community.
V5 is a new edition, and Loresheets are a big part of how to evolve the setting.
So, it disappoint me to only see content updated, not innovated. I love to see people take chances, and it feels like, while this is a good section of loresheets about the Baali of yore, we could have seen some newer ideas like the ones talked about in the far too short Modern Nights section.
MODERN NIGHTS, SPCS & SINNERS
Speaking of that? It's awesome. I could have done with more of it. Examining where to place our Satanic Menace in a modern nights game can delve into some uncharted waters. The Baali are an entire vibe of demonic glory, and horror movies love those.
The SPC section is prima material for a storyteller who wants to do some more gory, explicit supernatural horror as well as a bunch of poor souls who got in too deep.
The table of 20 Sinners is excellent, and being able to use a joke and throw shade at yourself is an artform. (Although, y'all should have gone with Carson instead of Cason, IMHO)
EDITING AND FORMATING:
As one of my only critiques of the book, it could have used some more work, like another Editing Pass and perhaps a few more sacred cows left behind.
But this is 44 pages of free, pretty good material. So honestly, I don't mind it much.
I was highly entertained and could see myself using this as a resource for a few things.
It is very much in the vein of Blood Sigils, and fingers crossed we get more of this stuff.
Now, hail Satan and pass me the skull chalice, I gotta go find me a black goat.
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