?Born on the 8th Day? provides a complete system for a dungeon master that would like to incorporate astrology into the actual character creation process in a manner that is meaningful to the character. The system presented deals with the year of birth, the month of birth, the week of birth, and the day of birth. This product is six pages in length with half of the first page being used by the cover image and with the Open Game License taking up one page. (The sixth page only has the final four paragraphs of the OGL.) The PDF is presented in landscape and the pages are divided into three columns.

The product presents four tables for randomly assigning the year, month, week, and day of birth. It then lists how each of the four astrological aspects impacts on a character?s abilities. The system uses 8 years, 10 months, 4 weeks, and 8 days. A product solely focused on astrology really should provide an overly robust system so that individuals could trim it down with minimal effort if required. For example, it is much harder to expand this product to include an extra couple of months than to take out some of the months that have been presented.

A new skill, Knowledge (astrology), is introduced. Successful use of this skill allows the ?astrologist? to predict something about a person?s future.

A new feat is introduced which allows the character to ?power up? the special abilities granted by the four astrological aspects. These range from a number of spell like abilities to Skill bonuses and bonus feats.

?Born on the 8th Day? also presents a new series of magical books which provide a bonus during Knowledge (astronomy) checks. I can only assume that this item is meant to work with Knowledge (astrology). Nowhere else in this product is Knowledge (astronomy) referenced. This is an error that requires correction or, if it is not an error, it requires explanation.

If you would like to use a premade astrological system, this product does exactly what you want with no frills and no extras. It is bare and simple, so it should be attractive to those of you looking to keep complication to a minimum, despite wanting the added astrological system. Those of you looking for more indepth, complicated systems should look elsewhere. Also, note that there are minor errors in the product, but nothing that prevents comprehension.

To rousing gaming and ample rewards, I. Perez <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>:

1. Simple and short. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>:
2. The products use of only 8 different years and 10 months. A product focused on astrology should present a robust astrological setting that allows the reader to whittle it down to what is required for a particular setting. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Many fantasy stories include the idea that the time or events surrounding a person's birth can not only shape that person's later life, but may well provide her with special gifts. Born on the Eighth Day presents a system that aims to do just that.

Four different aspects go into shaping a character's astrological information: year, month, week and day. The are listings for eight years, ten months, four weeks and eight days; each of which provides a different benefit.

The year a character is born in grants her a spell-like ability which she may use one time a day, as if a first level caster. Each of these abilities is drawn from one of the lists of first level spells. In addition to this effect, the birth year provides the character with a +1 benefit to a skill or specific type of save. No information is provided, so I presume it is a constant unnamed bonus.

The character's birth month also provides a spell-like ability. This one is usable twice a day, and is drawn from among the various zero-level spells.

The week of a character's birth provides them with a list from which to select a bonus feat. Three of the days offer four feats that may be chosen from, while one of the days (Hate) offers only three.

The final component of the astrological equation is the particular day of the week the character was born on. Six of the eight days provide a +1 Attribute bonus, while the seventh day is a day of good fate. Children born on the eighth day have it a bit rougher: they get stuck with a -2 Attribute penalty, and one or two bonus feats.

Also provided is information for the skill Knowledge (Astrology), a new feat relating to the use of a character's spell-like abilities, and an astrologically-related magic item.

This product admits that characters generated with this system are slightly better-off than average, but that using it for major NPCs etc. should help offset this. It also suggests making characters expend a starting feat, though this penalizes nonhuman characters more than human characters, and given that the birth week provides a bonus feat doesn't seem to be much of a solution. DMs wanting to include this product in their games might want to consider an alternate way of balancing it, such as a minor experience penalty applied to starting characters.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: An easy to use system for adding a new option to characters.

Attractive, easy to read layout.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: More consideration needs to go into balancing the system against average creatures and other encounters; not just NPCs that also use the system.

The penalty for being born on the 8th day of the week (-2 to an Attribute, meaning a corresponding -1 bonus) is unbalanced with the +1 to a stat granted by the other days. The bonus feat(s) isn't enough to offset this given that attribute bonuses have an impact on a number of character elements.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Devils Workshop has had some real interesting products and I always give their stuff a looksy.

The visual presentation of this and all their products is easily identifiable - they know about brand management. The subject contained within this product is pretty spiffy too.

For some, the abilities granted by this system are going to be a bit much. There will also be that DM that dreads implementing such a thing as this out of fear of having to feel like they have to role birthdays for evey monster and NPC. That is up to each DM to decide, I for one just cheat.

Anyway, this product is well worth the cost and my players love it ever since I introduced it. Well done.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

A great way of adding a bit more to your character's background.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Some have commented that the names are silly or that it doesn't do a good job about describing how to make a system for your own world. While I would change some of the names, and it is likely that I might change some other details, it DOES give you guidelines. The best way to show something is to do it. Lead by example. By adding in "first do this, and then this" would have been insulting to the intellect of any reader. Just look at it, and change what you want.

It is good inspiration to making the characters "marked by the stars" as the expression goes. Is it too powerful? No, unless you have only one PC that has it and the rest don't. If all PCs have it, it is not a problem. Many people seem to forget that power level of a given ability or advantage is subjective. What may be strong in one setting is weak in another.

Compare the Dark Sun materials to the Forgotten Realms, or the Forgotten Realms to Krynn.

Or just about any Rifts book :) Each book outdid the previously published book. :)<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Gave me some good inspiration<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

For me, this product isn't about using the information straight out of the "box" (since the names of the days, weeks, months, etc, don't fit at all with the campaign), but more as a set of initial guidelines for creating my own astrological system. I would have been better served if it included explicit suggestions or guidelines, but the product/example itself served well enough.

A niche product at best. Good as far as I can tell, but I haven't yet played with it, so I have little idea of the balance between the different options.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: It's a good starting point for creating your own system where your horoscope truly affects a character in the game rules. It does, however, make creating NPCs on the fly slightly more complex.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The names were a bit silly, but that's a nitpick complaint more than anything.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This was nicely done and addressed as far as what it will do to player character power. In relation to everything else. I am already using it in my new campaign.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This is an excellent idea, slightly similar to the birth-signs of H?rn. It allows you to give your character depth, making him/her stand out. My only concern with this PDF is that as a DM, I think the benefits are a little too good. I will most certainly either reduce the benefits or make them harder to use. Also, even though not all campaign worlds have 12 months to a year or seven days to a week, I would have liked to have tables covering at least 12 months and seven days.

Just what to give to a player who's more interested in their character's past than the present of the character.