The Inquisitor's Guide, A 5E DND Review

As I've alluded to before, sometimes the folks reading this blog happen to be game designers themselves. And when the stars align, I get a message asking me if I'd like to review their latest releases. I'm always down for checking out new material, and when I'm done giving it a look, I'll tell folks what I think of it.

And, honestly, I didn't expect what I found in The Inquisitor's Guide.

Because honestly, who expects this?

What Is This Supplement For?

As it says on the cover, The Inquisitor's Guide is basically a new paladin oath, a new background, and some detailed options for torturer's implements and skills. The new oath is presented clearly, the background is comparable with what you find in the rest of the game, and the rules for confessions... eh, we'll talk about that part later.

We always talk... eventually.

The rest of the word count is taken up with setting-specific flavor that will either help you a lot, or be less-than-useful for you. It's going to depend entirely on if you're running your game in the Forgotten Realms setting or not. Because if you are, great, this provides you a solid starting point for seeing how inquisitors can be organized, and the gods they tend to serve (it's Tyr, in case you were wondering). If you're running in another world with different gods... well, that part is largely going to be set aside for you. Though it's straightforward enough you could change a few names and cannibalize it if you want.

Honestly, I Expected More

It might have been a miscommunication when the creator was telling me about this project, but I thought it was going to be a lot more in-depth than this. When I saw it wasn't a guide for an entirely new class (as I love Pathfinder's inquisitors, and I was hoping to see some really expanded options for 5E along the same lines), and that it just gave a single option for paladins (rather than, say, one for paladins, one for clerics, one for rogues, and so on and so forth to give you a diversity in inquisitorial choices), I felt like an opportunity had been missed.

However, it is unfair to judge something by what it isn't rather than what it is. And what The Inquisitor's Guide is happens to be a useful, straightforward supplement that isn't going to break the bank, and provides you with a new option, and a little support.

What About That Torture Thing You Mentioned Earlier?

Oh, right. That.

One of the major selling points of this guide for some players and DMs is going to be that it details the use and DCs for torture implements. While the guide does take pains to point out that this kind of enhanced interrogation is an inherently evil act, and that those who serve good gods should be penalized for participating in it, these implements do exist, and they are available for those know know how to use them.

Which is a bit of a mixed message, honestly.

The supplement paints inquisitors as fanatical devotees of their gods, but also goes to some pains to assure the reader that the organizations who boast these members are usually good and just, only going to extremes when truly called upon. Which is sort of at-odds with the whole, "And here's how they torture people to extract information," section. And even apart from how dicey it is to have a non-magical means that accurately forces facts out of people (as torture isn't something that works, which is why on a practical sense it's a bad tactic), giving ostensibly good characters access to an in-the-text evil skill set is a problem.

Personally, I would have given that technique to another class archetype (perhaps an Inquisition rogue who was all about ferreting out lies and interrogation), or pairing it with a cleric who could detect lies at-will as an ability. Or, barring all of that, making the inquisitors more about getting results, and less about methods and goodness, showing them as wide-eyed, bloody-handed warriors that are seen by the faiths of the world as weapons of last resort. The ones given permission to lock the doors of hell from the inside if that's what it takes to keep the demons at bay, so to speak.

Overall, 3 stars. A solid start, and I would really like to see it expanded into some of the options I mentioned. But if it's not, I won't lose any sleep over it.

Interested in Other Stuff?

I've gone through a surprising amount of stuff over the past few years. If you're looking for more fun supplements to add to your table, might I recommend some of the following?

- Want a D10 System That Does More Than Monsters? Try Era!

- Is Pugmire Worth Playing? Short Answer, Yes!

- Just How Adequate is "The Adequate Commoner"?

- Big Stompy Robots: A Fun, Rough-Edged Minis Game For Mech Enthusiasts

And if you've got something you'd like me to review, feel free to reach out! I'm always up for taking a look at new, unique stuff.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed the film, and it provides you all with the same sort of inspiration it did me!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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Avoiding Tonal Dissonance Always Makes Your Game Better

Even if you haven't heard the word tonal dissonance before, you know what it means. It's when you're watching a movie, reading a book, or playing a game, and there's a sudden, jarring shift in the tone. Like if you were watching Winnie The Pooh, and all of a sudden Pooh picked up an ax and started chasing Christopher Robin through a darkened wood. While that might be entertaining as hell, it wouldn't jive with the previous half hour of tree-house fun and adventure we'd been having. For any kind of storytelling experience to suck you in, and be immersive, you need a consistent tone. Any time it jars, there's a chance you'll be flung right out of your suspension of disbelief.

What does that have to do with gaming? Everything.

Because there is no escaping tone, no matter what you roll.

How Players, And DMs, Can Avoid Rocking The Tone

So, you've all agreed to play a game. Let's say you were told it's going to be an action-thriller sort of setup. Lots of combat, lots of fast-paced action, and a lot of explosions as the party walks away from dungeons, slowly putting on their sunglasses. The DM expressly requests players to bring badass characters with hardened reputations. This is going to be the A-Team, if they were from Middle Earth.

Now, the first part of keeping the tone relies on the players. If you've been told we're looking for ass-kicking soldiers, former spies, hardcase mercenaries, and swashbuckling rogues, it is the table's responsibility to bring characters who fit that mold if they agree to this setup. That's why Bridgett's ex-army evoker, with a burn scar along the side of her neck and a chip on her shoulder, works just fine. Keith's dandified bard who gets the vapors at the sight of blood, though, not so much.

Why doesn't that work? Well, when you ask for hardened characters who've been around the block, and who are putting the pedal to the metal on the action road, you don't want to have the nagging question of, "So why are these four scarred veterans dragging a terrified court singer around with them?" looming over the campaign. And the more Keith's bard tries to play comic relief, or alleviate the tension and action of the campaign, the more out-of-place the character will look. Not only that, but the more ridiculous it will seem that the party still keeps him around. It would be like bringing a feather duster to the Normandy landing.

Yeah, I know you put a lot of thought into him, Keith. But not this campaign, all right?

The other part of the responsibility for maintaining the tone, though, is on the DM. And since the DM is the one who set the tone in the first place, they will be held doubly tight to this standard. Most DMs understand that they should keep to an established tone, but they often undermine themselves in little ways. For example, if you're running a serious game where you want players to feel like badasses, the way you describe their actions (or allow the players to handle that description) matters.

Let's return to our example campaign. Mike's getting into the spirit, so he brings a mostly-reformed pirate captain, who has since turned privateer. He's a renowned swordsman, as evidenced by his choice of swashbuckler, and use of solid feat choices. However, when they get into combat, any time Mike's PC misses an attack roll (not even a natural 1, just a plain-old miss), the DM describes the attack as a whimsical prat fall. Oh, Captain Black missed because he slipped on a banana peel (rather than because his opponent managed to jerk aside, catching the point of his enemy's rapier on his shield at the last moment). Oh, he missed again, must be because a sea gull pooped on his head (instead of, say, locking blades with an equally skilled opponent, the two of them shoving and snarling for advantage on the ship's heaving deck).

Combat is one of the most obvious places a DM can undermine their own tone, but it's far from the only one. If you're running a light-hearted game, you wouldn't interrupt the local festival with the discovery of a grisly murder where the body was hacked to pieces, and the head put up on a spike. That would, essentially, be a play straight out of the Tyler Durden book of splicing a single frame of pornography into a family film. If you specifically ask for a crack team of warriors, you wouldn't then send them into a political game where everything is back-room deals and information gathering where they can never be armed, and even an attempt at combat gets them all thrown in a gulag.

Etc., etc.

So, in short, you should know the tone you want for your game. You should then communicate what you want to your players so they understand what they're signing up for. Once you have the tone established, stick with it. Try to keep things fast and flowing, and lead by example. If you blaze the trail, your players will often follow.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday update. Just a little niggle that bothers me, but I thought some other folks might be looking for a solution as well. If you want to check out even more gaming content from yours truly, take a look at my Gamers archive. To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help support Improved Initiative, go to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! All it takes is $1 a month to get some sweet swag as a thank you.