Portrait of a Villain: The Desire (Portrait) is a new offering from Nevermet Press to be used in your very own D&D 4th Edition campaign. It's the first issue of Nevermet Press's new magazine. When looking back at D&D 3.5, one of the most obvious features of the game system was all the third party supplements generated for it. The Open Gaming License offered a lot of freedom to small and independent publishers to release niche products that players could utilize in a game system that was almost universally understood within the gaming community. With the release of 4th Edition, the supplements have dried up as Wizards of the Coast has tighten the leash on their system. What does this mean for products like Portrait? Is there still a market for third party releases that aren't released from Goodman Games? Does the little guy still have a chance to make a splash in the D&D supplement pond?

The Desire and other High Court Enemies

First you'll notice that the format of Portrait is easy to follow - if you've seen an official Wizards of the Coast module, it will be an easy transition from there to here. An encounter with the character of The Desire feels like a court in combat the way she's described. She floats around the board with her retinue. She is subtle, but deadly when you get near her. Just look at her character type - controller. The PC's will likely never actually take her out - she's not some big demon or monster to kill and take down. Nevertheless, should the players feel they need to go after her, the authors have provided enough of a threat to take out a heroic-tiered party or give The Desire enough time to flee. I love that a DM could set the scene in the court of The Desire, with minis and a battle map, and combat could flow very easily from a social skill challenge. The antagonists would be just as effective in combat at this point as they were in the social setting.


As far as flavor goes, I could easily see The Desire slipping into an Eberron or other campaign setting that offers a lot of urban action. She's an underground figure with connections in every bit of the underworld. She has connections with city officials and guild assassins alike. The hooks and background are quite unique - very mature and only for a more mature campaign given the themes. This isn't to say that sex is a theme that's more controversial than killing and maiming, but if your group is not ready for the theme, it may not be the best module. That being said, it's a welcome change in both theme and content from the standard D&D trope of violence. Sure it can get messy, but with The Desire, it's a tool to get what she really wants - power.

Highcourt

Highcourt is the setting that The Desire naturally resides in. As mentioned above, The Desire is a great character to be thrown into any existing world, but Highcourt is a setting tailored to explain the rise and reach she has. The city is run down; its name is a lesson in irony. Long out of vogue, it's now a pirate town at best. Every good fantasy game needs a dedicated bandit town, some place the PC's can visit, achieve an objective, and get out before their throats are slit. In gaming terms, it's a nice place to visit, but no one would want to live there.

We get an in-depth exploration of the Market Ward, the only civilized and ordered section of the town. Beyond that, snippets of other places to explore are presented. The local college of witchcraft, long ago abandoned since the great earthquake that shook the foundations of the bustling port town, is a highlight in this section. It could easily be read like a horror/adult-themed Hogwarts with something left behind deep in the bowels of the school.

Three sets of encounters are also offered up. They all center around the city of Highcourt and, more importantly, the seedy underground of the city. I'm not going to describe the details of the scenario, I'm not your DM, and it wouldn't be prudent! I will say that some fantastic maps are presented as well as a lot of meat to help both build up to a fight and wind down. If you've got players that have been itching for bar room brawls and back alley trouble, Portrait offers up the goods.

Fleshing Out the City of Highcourt

The organizations section is where Desire shines as both a player and a GM aide. Several different groups are detailed and can be used for both NPC's and PC's alike. This actually reminds me quite a bit of the way organizations are set up in Star Wars Saga Edition. Some monsters and other enemies are presented for each organization, and we also get a paragon path or two specific to the setting. As far as NPC's go, you get both thematic generic monsters such as the "Artemis Spellslinger" or the "Formy the Charlatan" (both named from their respective organizations). Some new and original named NPC's to throw into any game are also included. The stat blocks and descriptions are fully-fleshed out; you won't be guessing how a monster or NPC should act in any given situation. My one complaint about this section is the art. In fact, throughout the entire supplement, the art is incredibly hit or miss. Pictures that show buildings, maps, or non-living things are top notch and give a feel for the setting. Any character art leans the other way, with the exception of The Desire herself (right). It's a minor gripe considering there isn't a whole lot of art in the product in the first place, but it is noticeable.

I really like the magical items created for the setting. There aren't a whole lot, but they are very thematic. I won't explain why the "Demontrapper" polearm, the only weapon in the supplement, is very in-theme, but besides that we get a lot of mask head items. I love the idea of a masquerade in a D&D game. It gives lots of opportunities for suspicion and drama. Throw in some masks that are actually magical in and of themselves, and you've got a fun night. To reiterate my comment on the art from above, the masks are beautifully illustrated and imaginative. My favorite is the "Hood of Terror", which is basically a beholder mask for someone to wear. Sound cheesy? Well it's not - the art gives it a creepy edge, like something a serial killer would wear to a costume party.

The content is rounded out with a bit of original fiction for the setting. It's a nice short piece that you could give to your players as a hook for the city of Highcourt. We get two nice classic D&D characters thrown into the setting and the piece is followed by the stats for the characters as NPC's. It's a nice little addition that, come to think of it, I'd love to see in every RPG product that includes fiction to help set the scene. How many times have you read some setting information or a fiction blurb from a New World of Darkness supplement and wanted to use those characters in a game? Like I said, a nice touch that rounds the setting out.

The Whole Picture

The real question here - with all the free amateur material, all the books Wizards of the Coast and the big third party publishers are putting out there - is there a place for Portrait in a DM's collection? The first thing to look into is the price. For less than ten bucks, you get a fully-fleshed out city, lots of NPC's, several encounters, and some neat, original magic items. Is this worth ten bucks to you? Let's flip it around. With Wizards, for the time being, releasing big pricey hard covers as the only official D&D products for 4th Edition, there isn't a whole lot of cheap material out there to be had. Portraits is a great tool for DM's that can be picked up and absorbed in a single night, ready to be used for a quick game by an unprepared DM (not that DM's are ever unprepared of course!). With a couple of caveats - an adult theme and some sketchy character art, it's hard to not recommend the supplement for the price.

You can purchase Portrait right now directly from Nevermet Press' website by following this link and clicking the "Buy Now" button. Otherwise you can check out Drivethru RPG if that's your preference for downloadable content.