Ultimate Toolbox

Ultimate Toolbox is the successor to the fan favorite d20 book Toolbox by AEG. For some reason, AEG made this a stealth review and I more or less stumbled upon it on Paizo’s boards and then on our own En World.

The Ultimate Toolbox is perhaps too big. At 400 pages and $49.95, it may be more RPG supplement than is needed. However, AEG, while perhaps not known for such supplements, has a history of them not only with the World’s Largest City and the World’s Largest Dungeon, but some large books in the Warlords of the Accordlands campaign.

It’s almost impossible to accurately review the Ultimate Toolbox. This isn’t because I haven’t been using it. Rather, it’s because the thing is so large and has so much potential, that I haven’t been able to use it all. Indeed, as I continue to use it, I suspect there may be parts of it that I never use.

For me, some of the tables I’ve been using most frequently are in the appendix. This includes the names section. The party has already meet Althanis Silverleaf, an eladrin ranger in my 4th edition D&D game. One of the players has also looked over this section for naming purposes. The group has also looked over this section for adventuring group names. While they liked some of them like the Glorious Adventurers and the Lucky Knights, they are still unnamed at this moment.

Another one in use, which I suspect will see use many times, is the Taverns, Inns and Recreation. Not that I need this as I’m running in Waterdeep, but I like putting the players in places where their experience with the vast body of Relamslore might not be as useful as they think. In this case, the Lazy Dog in the Dock Ward.

The last table I used last session was in anticipation of our Halfling rogue hitting up some targets., in this case, Pick Pocket Yield. There are several tables to roll on but the player missed his chance and almost caused a domestic disturbance with the party’s patron.

But that’s just in three weeks time. The Ultimate Toolbox is a book that I will continue to use, in probably every game I run. It has tables for just about everything. It has tools that I didn’t even know were in there. For example, Chapter Two, World, has tables for various things like the shape of the world, constellations and other goods. All handy stuff and probably very useful is you’re completely old school and still bust out the Primal Order and Chessboards or Spherewalker for your D&D campaigns. However, it also has various maps in hex form. And these maps would make great copies for a Warhammer campaign style table top adventure cause they’re about the right size.

If you’re running Freeport, a section of the book has you covered with pirate titles, crewman names, captain reputations, and other goods. Heck, look for sunken ships and earn some loot.

If you’re players are always going to the library for research or you just haven’t figured out yet that the players should never be given access to a random library, because they will grill you on titles, there’s five tables of book titles.

The book is a serious godsend in that way.

It’s not a cheap book but it’s utility is beyond Dungeons and Dragons. Any fantasy game you play, Rolemaster, HARP, GURPS, Hero, Stormbringer, Warhammer, Exalted, Soverign Stone or something on the more esoteric side like Burning Wheel, will benefit from having this book at the table.

It’s a short review but hey, if you see all of the product sample downloads, Downloads | Ultimate Toolbox showing plot, magic, city, character, index and intro, you see the threads where the authors are providing numerous free tables like the great cleave blog, great cleave , where he's just put up diseases and further down mercenary company band names, as well as our own En World here Forked Thread: 3.5 Discounts (FREE TOOLBOX) and here http://www.enworld.org/forum/general...e-toolbox.html here and talking about how fun it is, and you’re not convinced, my own game play experience probably isn’t going to convince you either.