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Campaign Guide: Zakhara - Adventures in the Land of Fate (Al-Qadim and Forgotten Realms Sourcebook)

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Hold On To Your Magic Carpet!

"Don't miss the Campaign Guide to Zakhara! Bringing the setting to 5e and cleaning up many of the cultural issues!"

- Ahmed Aljabry, 20Arabia

"ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF FATE DOES AL-QADIM 5E RIGHT . . . This book makes me want to jump in the Al-Qadim 5e pool feet first. [It] is in every way a rival for any official WotC D&D Fifth Edition content out there. GtG Rating: 5 out of 5"  

BJ Keaton, Geek to Geek media 


This book is your ticket to the wondrous land of Zakhara—a land of devious viziers, clever sha’irs, mischievous genies, and enough adventure to entertain you for 1,001 years or more! Separated from the rest of the Forgotten Realms by jagged cliffs and treacherous seas, Zakhara has a culture all its own—a culture inspired in equal parts by The Arabian Nights and Hollywood glamor. Whether you are a longtime fan with tons of old books and sourceboxes, a new traveler interested in the southern lands, or anywhere in between, Adventures in the Land of Fate has you covered.

Within this volume you will find:

  • An overview of the lands, cities, and people!
  • New character classes and kits!
  • Zakharan weapons and equipment!
  • Power groups vying for control of the land
  • New monsters and NPCs for your game!
  • An introductory adventure to get you started!

So what are you waiting for? Grab your scimitar, buckle your lamellar, tuck in your jambiya, and prepare for adventure. And remember—we have no Fate but the Fate which we are given!

Note: if you would like to purchase just the Monster section from the book, it is available here: Monsters of Zakhara

If you would like to purchase the introductory adventure "The Rat Catchers" by itself, it is available here: The Rat Catchers 



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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Greeting

Winged Cats

Glossary

Power Groups

Huzuz Writeup

Huzuz Locations Map

Equipment

Cities of the Heart

Encounter Tables

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Reviews (8)
Discussions (17)
Customer avatar
Jessica F November 13, 2022 4:32 am UTC
PURCHASER
I have this but I have to admit it doesn't feel like it was adapted for 5e all that much. Only a few "new subclasses" have extra features that feel 5e-ish with different features as the class levels up. I also have the original 2e pdfs. The biggest difference I see is the omission and side-stepping of the unsavory parts from the original. I understand that the content describes "kits" as similar but different than backgrounds but they seem like flavor text. They lack desert-themed functional feats or features.
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Customer avatar
Robert R April 08, 2023 3:06 am UTC
I didn’t buy because I read about the fiction – cleansing (or as you stated “unsavory parts“). I find it scary that someone is patrolling our fiction to make sure that it’s progressively correct. I know this is not the platform, but I pray that progressives stay out of my fiction. ITS FICTION.
Peace.
Customer avatar
Jakob S October 13, 2022 2:02 pm UTC
Some people appreciate having fantasy that is tailored to their political ideas. As the discussions in this theread show, there are others who appreciate not having their fantasy worlds influenced by daily politics.

Would it be possible to produce also a non-censored version of the book for 5e?

That way both groups could be happy, we could save us the fights in comment sections, and you could sell more books.
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Customer avatar
Gregory L October 15, 2022 11:43 pm UTC
CREATOR
The original setting materials included detailed instructions on how humans could purchase and own other humans. The original setting materials also included stuff like an NPC who was specifically described as being 16 years old when she married a 40-odd year old man and began having children with him.

These are things that have happened throughout history, and indeed continue happening in the present day. But I did not write a history book, nor a book on modern atrocities. I wrote a fantasy book for use in a fantasy roleplaying game.

Anyone who wishes to insert slavery, child marriage, or anything else into their games are welcome to do so. My book makes no prohibition against it, and people would be free to disregard whatever I wrote on the subject anyway.

5e is about options, not restrictions, and I did my best to honor that ethos.
Customer avatar
Home S August 07, 2022 4:25 am UTC
PURCHASER
Great book, BUT, this is the only PDF I've ever obtained that couldn't be searched. Not sure if this is a problem on my end or if there's some kind of security setting...? Makes it much harder to use I'm afraid. :(
Customer avatar
Rick J October 04, 2021 10:55 am UTC
I've been playing in the Al-Qadim setting for some time now, using the old 2E book as a guideline and moulding it to my own designs.
Could anyone give examples of things that got removed from the setting for being deemed "too sensitive?"
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Customer avatar
Damian F October 25, 2021 4:27 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Slavery is the more obvious go-to example, with market cities in 2E noted for having it as one of their major (or even main) product, while this book's version opts not to mention it.
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Customer avatar
Robert R December 06, 2021 2:56 am UTC
If they remove certain material because it’s inappropriate for certain age groups that would make some sense. However you can just put a warning on a book. That would probably increase sales! But to remove “slavery” because of REAL WORLD comparisons is downright terrifying. Remember this is FICTION. Fiction is meant to be boundless, infinite, creatively free no matter what the topic or slant! Politically correct fiction is the end of freedom of speech. Over the top? Some of you may think so. I pray this is not the future.
Customer avatar
Damian F August 24, 2021 8:16 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I must admit, this book had a lot of work into it. But I feel your attempts to "sanitise" the setting made it feel a lot more bland. Downplaying the "controversial" elements strips the world of a lot, in the opinion of myself and my players.

But credit where it's due, it gives a good simple 5e layout for some mechanics, Kits are great, and it does encourage reading the original material - which I have done, and don't regret. Seriously, the old 2E AL-Qadim book is insanely detailed and treating that as a companion to this book improves the overall experience IMO.
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Customer avatar
Gregory L August 27, 2021 12:48 am UTC
CREATOR
Thank you for your thoughts, Damian!

We went back and forth for some time on what to include and what not to, and I cannot overstate the help Ahmed Aljabry, among others, provided in guiding our hand here.

Portions of the 2nd Edition material, while evocative, didn't age particularly well. Our goal with the Campaign Guide was to provide a framework for Zakharan adventures that would provide new players with enough material to get going but not disrupt or contradict the campaigns of those who have been playing for years (or even decades). Anyone who feels that the setting is compromised by downplaying the sexist and dehumanizing aspects of the source material is welcome to retain those aspects in their own campaign, but we saw no reason to endorse them in our work.
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Customer avatar
Damian F August 27, 2021 9:31 am UTC
PURCHASER
You say they didn't age well, but having read them fully I entirely disagree with that assessment. There wasn't anything "sexist" or "dehumanising" in it, unless you think that establishing a culture with gender roles that's also open to breaking them is "sexist" in which case god help you, you'll never be satisfied unless everything is just a boring, sanitised world that is incredibly bland and boring that you have no business playing. The best argument I could possibly imagine you bringing up would be the love potion item. And even then, that is a standard fantasy trope where it is only modern interpretations that choose to make it an "icky" thing. The 2E material mentions slavery, but slavery didn't magically become "worse" in the last 30 years.

Frankly, your response just highlights the same thing we see all the time in Lovecraft-inspired works: "We hate this thing and what people like about it, but we're going to try and make money off of...See more
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Customer avatar
Samer M October 18, 2021 6:07 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Might want to take several seats and breathe cause going off on some random XXX XXX can't be good for the blood pressure.
Customer avatar
BJ K May 20, 2021 10:08 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I couldn't post in the Reviews tab for because reasons, so I wanted to make sure I put this here for people to read, even if it won't pop the star-rating up. Disclaimer: I got a review copy of Zakhara, but it hasn't influenced my review at all.
--

One of the worst things about coming to tabletop gaming and Dungeons & Dragons when I did (when D&D Third Edition was new) is that I missed out on a lot of the now-classic settings that older editions had. Settings like Spelljammer, Dragonlance, and Planescape have been left behind to make room for expanded Forgotten Realms lore and newer worlds like Eberron.

One of these left-behind worlds from AD&D days is Al-Qadim, a desert-themed setting full of genies, flying carpets, and seas of sand as far as the eye can see. The Zakhara Campaign Setting, though, revivifies it and updates the Land of Fate with new art, new mechanics, new player options, lore, monsters, npcs, and so freaking much more. This is Al-Quadim 5e. And it is...See more
Customer avatar
Kelly R May 01, 2021 4:40 am UTC
PURCHASER
So, I just wanted to check on this....page 71-72 present the Holy Slayer Fellowships lists. Table on 71 includes both The Storm Which Destroys and The Wind of Fate, but neither have a description on p. 72. Descriptions (in theory) should fall between The Soft Whisper and Wrath of the Old.

Since I don't really know the original, I wasn't sure if that was an error, if you consciously decided to leave it out, or if that information was never published in earlier additions.

Thanks!.

Also--LOVE this!
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Customer avatar
Gregory L May 01, 2021 11:06 am UTC
CREATOR
You're not wrong; somehow, we overlooked those two groups.

As we speak, Ahmed Aljabry has written a piece on the Storm Which Destroys and we have another covering the Wind of Fate, both of which will be out soon and both of which will be available free.

And thank you!
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Customer avatar
Kelly R May 01, 2021 7:29 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Sure thing! It was a good read. Although my current campaign isn't in Zakhara (or Toril, tbh), I'm actually going to use one of the Fellowships as an adventure seed to pull them south. (If they XXX, that is).
Customer avatar
Attila E April 29, 2021 11:02 am UTC
Hey, this book and setting is really interesting. May I ask, do you ever plan to make it into a module for Fantasy Grounds Unity?
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 30, 2021 3:22 pm UTC
CREATOR
We have a Fantasy Grounds conversion underway as we speak! We don't have an ETA yet on when it will be available, but it is coming.
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Customer avatar
Attila E April 30, 2021 6:52 pm UTC
WOW! Thanks, I can't wait!
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Customer avatar
Kelly R May 01, 2021 4:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
YAAASSSS!
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Customer avatar
Grim Press ` June 14, 2021 5:05 pm UTC
Hi Attila,

This massive sourcebook is now available for Fantasy Grounds! Thanks for your interest :)

https://www.dmsguild.com/product/360916/Campaign-Guide-Zakhara--Adventures-in-the-Land-of-Fate-AlQadim-and-Forgotten-Realms-Sourcebook-for-Fantasy-Grounds?affiliate_id=3083538
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Customer avatar
Attila E June 14, 2021 6:37 pm UTC
Cool, thanks!
Customer avatar
Christian J April 28, 2021 1:44 pm UTC
I probably just missed it, but what is the difference between the standard color print version and the premium color print version?
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 30, 2021 3:30 pm UTC
CREATOR
The Premium Color book has greater color saturation and a richer palette. It's hard to describe; here is the page from OneBookShelf on it (the bit at the bottom discusses the difference between Standard and Premium printing): https://onebookshelfpublisherservice.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020415653-The-Basics-of-Book-Printing

In our case, the cover of the Standard color book also has a slight purplish tinge rather than the full navy blue of the Premium color version.
Customer avatar
Phillip W April 25, 2021 10:27 pm UTC
Hey, first off, hats off to you for trying to be thorough. I haven't bought it yet, but I probably will. Out of curiosity though, are you updating the material to represent that 100 years has passed since the original Zakhara stuff came out, or is this going to be presenting things as they existed from the original material pretty much (i.e. same major rulers, same major realms, etc..)? I don't consider one way or the other to be better, I just feel like some people will want to know just like I do.
Also, do you have any links to the forgotten realms as well (i.e. do you try to interrelate this with the other regions of Toril)? To note, I already have most of the Zakhara material, so if I buy this, it would be more of a "hey what did this guy try to do with the region". As well, I'm interested to see how you might try to update the rules to 5e, as that's also of interest.
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 26, 2021 12:07 am UTC
CREATOR
Hi Phillip!

The Zakhara timeline and the larger Forgotten Realms timeline have never been officially linked!

They use different calendars and no official conversion has ever been published. We maintained this separation. Therefore, our decision was to keep the time the same: The same rulers in the same year, with the same plots hanging unresolved. This allows those who have the 2e books to cross-reference them if they want to, and even use the same adventures. This provides you with a single resource for the whole continent, and 5e rules for subclasses, monsters, kits, equipment, and NPCs you are likely to need!

Now, will further books move the timeline along? Only time will tell! :)
Customer avatar
Jeremy W April 24, 2021 10:46 am UTC
PURCHASER
Did you miss an instance of "imam"? p 211, Pilgrim District Encounters table, entry 2.
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 24, 2021 11:19 am UTC
CREATOR
Seems we did. Thanks for pointing it out!
Customer avatar
Jeremy W April 23, 2021 1:46 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I think either the Location Key + numbered map of Huzuz is wrong or the book text is wrong: e.g. based on the book text, location 9 should probably be the Gulf Gate, not the Lion Gate.
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 23, 2021 9:37 pm UTC
CREATOR
Wow! Good catch! The two definitely seem to be flip-flopped on the map.
Customer avatar
George K April 21, 2021 6:42 am UTC
Good for you for bringing back Zakhara. I am another author currently working on a more sub Saharan African setting and or Mesoamerican setting. It's good that you also toned down what was considered problematic or offensive stereotypes. I understand the struggle though because if you want the material to feel authentic and immersive you need to paint the setting in a somewhat realistic and accurate light but you don't want to make it offensive or crude in it's depiction. If you ever want to co write something in the future just text or message me. My family in law are Ethiopian and have several stories of monsters and mythological kings to share.
Customer avatar
Erik L April 20, 2021 1:51 am UTC
PURCHASER
Well written with beautiful artwork. I recommend it!
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 21, 2021 11:51 am UTC
CREATOR
Thank you!
Customer avatar
Brian S April 19, 2021 7:39 pm UTC
I'm confused as to what this is. Is this a 5e translation? Why not buy the actual book?
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Customer avatar
David S April 22, 2021 7:29 am UTC
It says "5th Edition in the stats about the product at the top right side of the page.

This is a "Dungeon Masters Guild" product. The entire DMs Guild program is a program to licence people to sell core 5e material and material based on the few D&D settings that have been authorised for use under the DMs Guild program.

Al-Qadim comes under the remit of Forgotten Realms (as do Kara-Tur and Maztica).

The "actual books" (i.e. the 2nd Edition Al-Qadim products) are part of the D&D Classics range. You can buy them if you would rather play 2nd Edition AD&D.
Customer avatar
Stephen K April 17, 2021 8:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
The Askar kit (Folk Hero), Corsair, Saluk and several other kits appear to be missing from the book (or are subclasses, not kits), though their name appears on Table 6, p. 79.
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 17, 2021 12:53 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hi, Dylan.

The intention of Table 6 is to provide guidelines for Zakharan archetypes, not necessarily a list of kits. The intention is that what the Zakharan call an Askar is what others might call a Folk Hero - more specifically a character with the Folk Hero background from the Player's Handbook.

Similarly, a Corsair is a Zakharan character with the Sailor background, and a Sa'luk is really just a rogue or ruffian.

Our goal was to help players (and DMs) bring Zakhara to life with minimal mechanical changes to 5e. We saw no reason to reinvent the wheel and/or loading people down with a bunch of new stuff when simply providing an alternate name or term for existing material would save the purpose.

I hope this helps clarify things!
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Customer avatar
Gregory L April 17, 2021 1:08 pm UTC
CREATOR
I'm sorry, Stephen! I read one comment while responding to a different one and goofed up the names in my reply.
Reply
Customer avatar
Nicholas J C January 26, 2022 8:12 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hi

I am certainly considering this book as I am a real Zakhara fan. The question from Stephen above though raises a point. I understand that you don't want to reinvent the wheel (and I agree) but if - for example - the Corsair is a character with the Sailor background, why not reference that rather than eluding to it in the book but providing no clarification?

Thanks

Nick
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Customer avatar
Gregory L February 04, 2022 11:31 am UTC
CREATOR
Hi, Nicholas! Thank you for your interest!

Table 6 in our book describes Zakharan archetypes. That table lists Zakharan terms and the archetype they describe, but does not mention game mechanics at all.

So for example, the Askar line on the table describes it as "Martial combatant, folk hero," but does not specifically mention the Folk Hero Background. This approach was an intentional choice on our part - to provide suggestions and hints but leave the interpretation open. It seems we could have been clearer about that approach, however, as it has caused some confusion. It doesn't help that we then go on to provide more mechanical information - in the form of new kits and/or templates - for some of those archetypes but not others, and we do not in any way indicate on the table which ones are intended to be guidelines and which ones have more information later.

We tried to provide additional clarity in our Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara, which is a free Player's Guide...See more
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File Last Updated:
March 03, 2021
This title was added to our catalog on April 13, 2021.