A Review of the Cthulhu Mythos for 5E

 Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5E review

    As something of an RPG fan and a massive fan of cosmic horror I found myself purchasing this book out of curiosity alone. It was a great investment, at least in my humble opinion. Sitting at 426 pages, this is a hefty tome that adds new elements to the realms of 5E. Within you will find all you need to bring the elements of cosmic horror to your D&D game, with their own rule systems to add with those new elements. The book adds four new races for you to play with and whilst all of them are interesting with a number of sub-races available to play with, I found myself most interested in the Dreamlands Cat. The idea behind the feline character is awesome, with the ability to change from an everyday kitty to the intelligent aspect of the Dreamlands cat. There are a number of subclasses that allow you to tweak the cat to your own liking but even the basic premise is interesting and unusual enough that I think many would thoroughly enjoy the option to roleplay in such an unusual fashion. The Gnorri, Ghoul, and Zoog are all interesting in their own right with a variety of ways they could be roleplayed in your games, bringing new dynamics to the typical parties. There are a number of new spells provided specifically to the influence of the Elder horrors that this book contains and alludes to. The book of course introduces new magic items and Artifacts that are tied directly to the realm of cosmic horror, adding yet another layer to how to proceed and develop your own adventures.

The book contains much more with rules describing how to handle insanity and dread in your games, giving you that real feel of the true horror of dealing with entities beyond the remit of fantasy alone. These entities are meant to instill fear, loathing, and disgust in equal measure. There are details on how to include cults directly linked to the Elder horrors featured in the book and hints on how that could impact your games. The details on the 26 Elder Gods and Outer gods are expansive, detailing the ways in which they impact the world as they come into contact with it. The artwork and details here are quite something, I would recommend the book on these alone. The likes of the Great Cthulhu and Azathoth are in here amongst several others that I had not heard of previously. Beyond this there the rules and details of the great races and Mythos monsters that any DM would be bringing to their games.  It would be a crime not to state how brilliant the artwork proves throughout the book, those featured within both awe-inspiring and disturbing in equal measure. Unlike some other rule books, the PDF came free with this edition which highlighted how much the creators cared about the content and not the profit line. 

For me, this book is a brilliant tool for any that are looking to add eldritch horror to their fantasy games, giving you countless options and a great deal of inspiration. I would highly recommend this to any DM just for the ideas alone.

Rating is 5 out of 5 for me.

Hope you enjoy it.

For fans of 5E and RPGs in general let me know your take on this expansive rulebook and how you would integrate it into your own games. Always happy to hear about any other rulebooks to look out for and enjoy.