First of all, I would like to thank Petersen Games for sending us a copy of Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos for Pathfinder Second Edition in order to be able to write this review.
The stories of H. P. Lovecraft are now part of the common imagination of most role players. Cosmic horrors have already made their appearance in many RPGs, having also some completely dedicated to them. The reasons are many; these stories have been able to revolutionize the concept of horror, influencing works in many fields (movies, TV series, video games, gamebooks and, indeed, role-playing games). If the real protagonists of the Lovecraftian imaginary usually have a mysterious and almost indescribable aspect, in this review we will see how Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos was able to give them a shape (and stats).
For greater clarity, I specify that this manual is a supplement and you also need at least the PF2 core rulebook.
For those interested, this manual is available on the Petersen Games official store at a price of $ 19.99 (about € 18) in its digital version; the physical one, instead, can be purchased for $ 59.99 (about € 58). Keep in mind that it is also available for other game systems; specifically, it was also created for D&D5e and Dark Eye.
This volume, however, does is not a simple transposition of the other versions; so let’s find out in this review the new content within the PF2 edition of Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos!
There Is no Horror without the Right Atmosphere…
The manual starts with an interesting analysis of the horror genre; it explains its essential characteristics and how to avoid turning a scary adventure into a hunt for the “big ugly monster”. Obviously being an adventurer changes the starting point; one cannot think of having the same sense of bewilderment as an ordinary citizen who is thrown among the tentacles of the Great Old Ones. In any case this doesn’t preclude the possibility of finding the right mood.
For this purpose, I found three rules (contextualized by the author of this manual and originally written at the beginning of the twentieth century by M. R. James) very useful:
- Don’t interrupt the narrative; the technical terms must be thought of, not made explicit. Describing an effect by communicating only the outcome that interests the player is much more effective than explaining the rule openly.
- Make opponents creepy and deep. The enemies must not be simple reserves of hit points to be extinguished, but entities with very specific (and often destabilizing) motivations and instincts. Even after having met a creature of the Myth (and maybe made it even friendly), players must always have the suspicion that it may be hiding something or that a deviated aspect of its nature may have the upper hand.
- Use a setting familiar to the players and they will be able to experience the narrated events in a deeper way. A monstrous danger within walking distance of a safe place is creepier than an enemy lost in a wasteland on the other side of the kingdom.
Personally, I will use these tips in any horror adventure that I have the opportunity to narrate. I also anticipate that among the pages of the manual there are many other useful tips related to disparate topics.
… And the Right Atmosphere Is Supported by a Deep Lore
150 pages of the manual are dedicated to analyze the revered entities and the cults of the Myth. These are clear and detailed descriptions, full of content in order to give more depth to the narrative. These elements are very faithful to the novels from which they are taken and they manage to evoke strong emotions.
The description of the various cults does not have a common scheme, but presents (in thematically divided paragraphs) the main characteristics of the faith; they can include fields of expertise, physical manifestations, unique abilities and more. The only paragraph that is never missing is the one dedicated to treasures, which is what those particular cultists might possess. The cults are really many and among them there are for example those dedicated to Cthulhu and the Yellow Sign.
There is also a useful presentation of the specific cultures of the setting. Each master will find it extremely useful to know how the Deep One, Tcho-Tcho and others live; it also shows the links between the myths and the most common ancestries of the PF2 core rulebook (elves, dwarves, goblins, gnomes…).
But the following is my favorite part of the setting proposed in Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos. First of all, the different categories of alien creatures that can easily act as deities are explained (the Great Old Ones, the Outer Gods,…). Then we move on to what can really constitute an unforgettable event in a campaign: the manifestation of one of these entities. They know how to project a part of themselves among mortals, generating reactions among whoever is present; in general these are powerful and devastating effects, but their cultists may have some nice surprises.
Review of the New Mechanics Included in Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos
It would be a real shame if this intriguing atmosphere remained “only” the canvas on which to give life to the sessions; luckily the author of the manual managed to transform every useful element into a mechanic, enriching the game system with specific and effective elements.
Two pillars of Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos are Supernatural Dread and Madness. The first one represents the mental traumas that happen when the characters face the entities of the myth, occult powers or similar events. It is measured with a value that the higher it will be, the more the character will lose control; in its lightest form it makes you restless, in the most serious stages it can cause you to flee or paralyze. In some cases it can even lead to the aforementioned second threat: Madness. Mechanically, this represents something very similar to a magical disease; in fact, it has stages that can improve or worsen and produces long-term effects on the character’s psyche (such as obsessions, paranoia and even homicidal instincts).
A particular mention should be made for the Dreamlands, a plane of existence that represents the dream world. This aspect is treated with particular care; you can find the modalities to access it, the mechanics related to the permanence, its inhabitants and what happens in case of death inside it. Here is another confirmation of the fact that the author did not want to give only a “manual with Cthulhu flavor”, but a complete work to experience this narrative universe in a profound and immersive way.
Review of Other Game Master Material in Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos
In addition to the entities discussed in the previous paragraphs of this review, Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos also contains a bestiary; the creatures contained make the encounters more thematic and different from those of classic fantasy. There is a lot of variety; in fact there are 150 pages full of disturbing, balanced and well-structured monsters. They present many unique abilities, which make perfect use of the mechanics explained inside this manual; I have never had the feeling of discovering creatures that seem the reskin of other ones. A note of merit should be made to the management of their languages.
Other interesting additions are various themed items, magical and not. To be precise, the manual introduces alchemical items, alien technology, artifacts, grafts, materials, traps and myth texts. Personally I find them all useful and interesting, but I particularly appreciated the alien technology (which perfectly represents cultures outside the classic game world), the grafts (which allow you to modify an organism in a macabre and bizarre way) and the texts of the myth (which can help introduce specific elements of the setting, as well as provide excellent plot hooks).
The last chapter of the manual is dedicated to Silence from Sommerisk, an introductory adventure designed for first level characters, but adaptable to any other level thanks to the instructions contained. Obviously (and rightly) it was born as a pretext to be able to show how to correctly use the amount of material introduced; in any case it does not end up taking on excessively didactic tones, remaining an intriguing adventure to be played. As usual I don’t want to make spoilers, but I appreciated the plot; it begins as a simple search for missing persons, but soon it takes on much darker and more dangerous tones.
Review of Character Options in Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos
Se finora in questa recensione vi ho parlato principalmente degli elementi utili al Game Master, ora voglio appagare anche la curiosità degli altri giocatori. Le sorprese iniziano già in fase di creazione del personaggio!
The manual introduces new playable Ancestries: Ghoul, Gnor, Zoog and the Dreamlands Cat. Yes, you read that right: you can play a cat with supernatural powers; I know that it’s so cool that the review could end here, but I’m showing you the rest of the manual anyway. Each Ancestry has various specific Heritages and a large number of Ancestry Feats available, making them highly customizable at any level. There are also three Versatile Heritages: Deep One Hybrid, Leng Folk and Tcho-Tcho, obviously usable with any Ancestry. Finally you can find also various Backgrounds themed with the setting.
There are no new Classes, but each of those present in the PF2 core rulebook receives more options; for example, you can play Barbarians with the Delirium Instinct or Bards with the Muse of the Alien Symbolism, all with a myriad of dedicated Class Feats. There are Archetypes reserved for characters with certain Ancestries, such as the Ulthar Hunter or the Psychophage. There are also numerous Skill and Generic Feats, freely accessible to any PC who meets the requirements. Finally, I really enjoyed the introduction of special Familiars and Animal Companions; who doesn’t want a brain in a glass cylinder as a friend?
Finally, there are also many new Spells, divided between the four Magical Traditions. Among them we also find Focus Spells (divided by Class) and Rituals; the latter are the ones that I found most interesting, also because a very particular variant is introduced: the Cosmic Rituals.
Review of Aesthetics and Art of Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos
This manual is huge. We are talking about about 570 pages with a double column layout and classic fonts. The style in general is also very traditional, but in a positive way. The pages have a light parchment color, which goes perfectly with the other dominant color: a dark green that immediately recalls the great Cthulhu. Also the decorations on the edge of the page are very pleasant; both for the chromatic choice that oscillates between brown and gray with green inserts, and for the inserted subjects; stylized versions of eyes, tentacles, skulls and of Cthulhu itself give a truly remarkable glance.
“Remarkable” is not, however, an adjective sufficient for the art of this manual. As you may have already seen from the images included in this review, Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos illustrations are beautiful and evocative. And they are really a lot (with some additions compared to the other editions of the manual). The quality is very high and each of them is perfectly themed with the pages in which it is inserted; I never had the impression that they were fillers, but precious embellishments for a work that does not want to have any flaws.
Conclusions of Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos Review
Actually, nothing has disappointed me in this manual. Obviously my love for Pathfinder Second Edition and Lovecraftian novels played a big part in this evaluation; but also remaining as objective as possible, I feel I have a true masterpiece in my hands. Perhaps also because in each of his pages I perceived the same love and passion; and when a job is based on these principles, then it starts off on the right foot. The incredible success achieved by the other versions of this manual is a confirmation.
If you are wondering what knowledge of Lovecraft’s works is necessary to appreciate this manual, keep in mind that it is suitable for everyone. If you want to know that mythology in depth, or if you already know and want to experience an adventure that takes full advantage of it, then this manual is perfect. And if you want you can also use only some of its elements to insert them in other campaigns; after all, even the mechanics contained are very valid.
Per concludere questa recensione posso solo dire che, se vi piacciono i miti di Cthulhu e PF2, Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos è un manuale che non si può non avere.
To conclude this review I can only say that, if you like the myths of Cthulhu and PF2, Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos is a manual that you cannot miss.
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