Simon Collins
Explorer
This is not a playtest review.
Ultimate Equipment Guide is a collection of equipment from OGC provided by Mongoose Publishing.
Ultimate Equipment Guide is a 256-page mono hardcover product costing $34.95. Font and margins are standard. There are a few chunks of white space at the end of sections. Many of the items are illustrated, though the illustrations are small and average in quality. Given the nature of the subject matter, the writing style is fairly good and editing seems fine.
The book begins with a summary of the way the book has been split up (see below) and a rather philosophical discussion of some methods for designing equipment for your own campaign.
The book then splits equipment up into several different sections:
* Arcane Sorcery (19 pages) - robes, alchemical equipment, candles, darkfire items (a combination of minerals and fungi that produce a flame that can only be seen with darkvision), trick staves (e.g. extending staff), and spell components (with a table listing standard prices for each).
* Bards and Theatres (10 pages) - a variety of equipment used in theatres (e.g. collapsible weapon with fake blood), masterwork instruments (providing a +2 to perform checks and various other enhancements), and other musical instruments (e.g. bagpipes).
* Clerics And Temples (13 pages) - various standard clerical accoutrements (e.g. altar shroud), ceremonial tools (e.g. prayer rug), and a dozen or so sacred oils (acting something like potions).
* Food, Drink, Drugs And Herbs (19 pages) - food and drink (from ale to wheat), herbal recipes (e.g. nightingale balm, which doubles the recovery rate from subdual damage), three drugs, various incense, and several pages of herbs (from acacia to woundwort, with accompanying rules for use).
* Honour Amongst Rogues (14 pages) - a slew of general items for disguise, assassination, and theft (e.g. acid, diagram set, false knife), and special tools (once-off tools, like an acid needle that causes damage to the internal workings of a lock).
* In The Wild (15 pages) - general wilderness tools (e.g. animal snare, canoe, skis).
* Knick-Knacks Of The Little Folk (7 pages) - tools specific to halflings and gnomes (e.g. lantern helmet, underwater goggles, secured spice rack, whistle-pipe).
* Psychic Mastery (13 pages) - general equipment for those with psychic powers (e.g. meditation mat, power stone headband)psionically active materials (e.g. psisteel - crystal-infused metal), psychoactive substances (four drugs to increase psychic powers with some nasty side effects), tattoos (granting psychic enhancements - with costs, DCs, and prerequisites), and attunements (gain the powers of certain creatures with an XP cost and minimum level).
* The Armoury (42 pages) - a variety of weapons, ammunition, shields, and armour, including those from Core Rulebook I (examples include dragonscale shield, bugbear hide armour, whistling arrows, bladed bow, and cane sword). Also includes undersea armour (e.g. soft kelp, small shell) and five metal alloys (e.g. alchemists gold, frost steel).
* The Dwarven Forge (7 pages) - equipment used by dwarves (e.g. fungal rations, miners pack).
* The Elven Retreat (5 pages) - equipment used by elves (elven lyre, waybread). There is also a section improving the effects of masterwork items (and their price) when created by an elven craftsman.
* The Fighter's Trade (16 pages) - armour accessories (e.g. surcoat), piecemeal plate, miscellaneous items (e.g. aquatic quiver), practice weapons, exotic weapon materials (e.g. cold iron, pure gold), lances, alchemical preparations (various oils that improve the effectiveness of weapons), exotic siege ammunition (e.g. acid, hot oil), siege tools (e.g. sappers kit, standard), and soldier's comforts (e.g. cards, sharpening stone).
* Tools Of The Orient (11 pages) - alchemical substances, samurai armour, oriental weapons (e.g. katana), and miscellaneous equipment (e.g. climbing claws, battle fans).
* Tools, Trades And Crafts (6 pages) - various common items used in villages and cities (e.g. stocks, pitchfork), and mounts and related gear (e.g. barding, saddles).
The remainder of the book are tabular summaries of the items presented in respect to the previous chapter organisation, and a 9-page index.
Conclusion:
Like Mongoose's previous 'Ultimate' compilations, this product has the benefit of a great variety of equipment from which to draw actual examples, ideas, and inspiration, whilst suffering from some poor choices of equipment for inclusion. The vast majority of equipment comes from previous Mongoose products and a variety of FFG products such as Spells & Spellcraft, Traps & Treachery, and the Seafarer's Handbook. As can be expected from this relatively limited selection, not all the equipment will be interesting, useable or balanced. However, there are a significant number of items that caught my imagination or that I seriously considered implementing in my own campaign world. I had two main concerns regarding this particular product. The first was that the organisation into the chapters listed above left a little to be desired to my mind - for example, several weapons (e.g. racial weapons) were scattered through different chapters rather than in the Armoury section (this meant that rules summaries for weapons were split across different tables rather than in a single table in the tables section at the back), and herbs were not to be found in the 'In The Wild' chapter where I might have expected them. The same anomalies can also be found in other aspects of the organisation of equipment into their respective chapters. The second concern is how useful a big book of equipment really is. I'm unconvinced that equipment has the same appeal or impact as feats and prestige classes. Most will find something of interest in the book, but its value will depend on your interest in new equipment for your character or in your campaign world.
Ultimate Equipment Guide is a collection of equipment from OGC provided by Mongoose Publishing.
Ultimate Equipment Guide is a 256-page mono hardcover product costing $34.95. Font and margins are standard. There are a few chunks of white space at the end of sections. Many of the items are illustrated, though the illustrations are small and average in quality. Given the nature of the subject matter, the writing style is fairly good and editing seems fine.
The book begins with a summary of the way the book has been split up (see below) and a rather philosophical discussion of some methods for designing equipment for your own campaign.
The book then splits equipment up into several different sections:
* Arcane Sorcery (19 pages) - robes, alchemical equipment, candles, darkfire items (a combination of minerals and fungi that produce a flame that can only be seen with darkvision), trick staves (e.g. extending staff), and spell components (with a table listing standard prices for each).
* Bards and Theatres (10 pages) - a variety of equipment used in theatres (e.g. collapsible weapon with fake blood), masterwork instruments (providing a +2 to perform checks and various other enhancements), and other musical instruments (e.g. bagpipes).
* Clerics And Temples (13 pages) - various standard clerical accoutrements (e.g. altar shroud), ceremonial tools (e.g. prayer rug), and a dozen or so sacred oils (acting something like potions).
* Food, Drink, Drugs And Herbs (19 pages) - food and drink (from ale to wheat), herbal recipes (e.g. nightingale balm, which doubles the recovery rate from subdual damage), three drugs, various incense, and several pages of herbs (from acacia to woundwort, with accompanying rules for use).
* Honour Amongst Rogues (14 pages) - a slew of general items for disguise, assassination, and theft (e.g. acid, diagram set, false knife), and special tools (once-off tools, like an acid needle that causes damage to the internal workings of a lock).
* In The Wild (15 pages) - general wilderness tools (e.g. animal snare, canoe, skis).
* Knick-Knacks Of The Little Folk (7 pages) - tools specific to halflings and gnomes (e.g. lantern helmet, underwater goggles, secured spice rack, whistle-pipe).
* Psychic Mastery (13 pages) - general equipment for those with psychic powers (e.g. meditation mat, power stone headband)psionically active materials (e.g. psisteel - crystal-infused metal), psychoactive substances (four drugs to increase psychic powers with some nasty side effects), tattoos (granting psychic enhancements - with costs, DCs, and prerequisites), and attunements (gain the powers of certain creatures with an XP cost and minimum level).
* The Armoury (42 pages) - a variety of weapons, ammunition, shields, and armour, including those from Core Rulebook I (examples include dragonscale shield, bugbear hide armour, whistling arrows, bladed bow, and cane sword). Also includes undersea armour (e.g. soft kelp, small shell) and five metal alloys (e.g. alchemists gold, frost steel).
* The Dwarven Forge (7 pages) - equipment used by dwarves (e.g. fungal rations, miners pack).
* The Elven Retreat (5 pages) - equipment used by elves (elven lyre, waybread). There is also a section improving the effects of masterwork items (and their price) when created by an elven craftsman.
* The Fighter's Trade (16 pages) - armour accessories (e.g. surcoat), piecemeal plate, miscellaneous items (e.g. aquatic quiver), practice weapons, exotic weapon materials (e.g. cold iron, pure gold), lances, alchemical preparations (various oils that improve the effectiveness of weapons), exotic siege ammunition (e.g. acid, hot oil), siege tools (e.g. sappers kit, standard), and soldier's comforts (e.g. cards, sharpening stone).
* Tools Of The Orient (11 pages) - alchemical substances, samurai armour, oriental weapons (e.g. katana), and miscellaneous equipment (e.g. climbing claws, battle fans).
* Tools, Trades And Crafts (6 pages) - various common items used in villages and cities (e.g. stocks, pitchfork), and mounts and related gear (e.g. barding, saddles).
The remainder of the book are tabular summaries of the items presented in respect to the previous chapter organisation, and a 9-page index.
Conclusion:
Like Mongoose's previous 'Ultimate' compilations, this product has the benefit of a great variety of equipment from which to draw actual examples, ideas, and inspiration, whilst suffering from some poor choices of equipment for inclusion. The vast majority of equipment comes from previous Mongoose products and a variety of FFG products such as Spells & Spellcraft, Traps & Treachery, and the Seafarer's Handbook. As can be expected from this relatively limited selection, not all the equipment will be interesting, useable or balanced. However, there are a significant number of items that caught my imagination or that I seriously considered implementing in my own campaign world. I had two main concerns regarding this particular product. The first was that the organisation into the chapters listed above left a little to be desired to my mind - for example, several weapons (e.g. racial weapons) were scattered through different chapters rather than in the Armoury section (this meant that rules summaries for weapons were split across different tables rather than in a single table in the tables section at the back), and herbs were not to be found in the 'In The Wild' chapter where I might have expected them. The same anomalies can also be found in other aspects of the organisation of equipment into their respective chapters. The second concern is how useful a big book of equipment really is. I'm unconvinced that equipment has the same appeal or impact as feats and prestige classes. Most will find something of interest in the book, but its value will depend on your interest in new equipment for your character or in your campaign world.
