Miniatures Handbook: Any good?

Iron_Chef · Oct 24, 2003

Just saw this briefly at the store and it looked substantially more interesting than I was expecting. How useful is this book going to be to the average D&D gamer? How do the mass battle rules stack up vs. those in other sources such as Testament, Cry Havoc, Quintessential Fighter, War, etc. (and when the heck is Fields of Blood coming out, btw?).

Anybody have a chance to review the Miniatures Handbook yet? No reviews up on the ENWorld reviews section.

Cerubus Dark · Oct 24, 2003

Iron_Chef said:
Just saw this briefly at the store and it looked substantially more interesting than I was expecting. How useful is this book going to be to the average D&D gamer? How do the mass battle rules stack up vs. those in other sources such as Testament, Cry Havoc, Quintessential Fighter, War, etc. (and when the heck is Fields of Blood coming out, btw?).

Anybody have a chance to review the Miniatures Handbook yet? No reviews up on the ENWorld reviews section.

Short answer on a scale of 1 -10 it rates a 5 for the normal D&D player
It has several new classes,new feats, new spells, a few new PrC and a couple of new mosnters.

While as a DM i like this side of the book, but as a wargamer I also like the miniture battle side of it as well.

All in all I would say to get the book just for the new classes,feats and spells

I think the next character I make will be a Sacred Soul.

Thaumaturge · Oct 24, 2003

The Favored Soul, Warmage, and Healer classes all bring something new and different to the table. This is the first time in awhile I've read a new feat/spell section and said, "Wow, that's cool". I also enjoy the mass combat rules, though I haven't read Cry Havoc so I don't know how they compare.

Thaumaturge.

kilamanjaro · Oct 24, 2003

I really like the MHB. The nice thing about Cry Havoc is that you don't need minitures to resolve the battles. If you have enough minis I prefer the MHB system. To me it seems like a more intuitive extension of the existing rules.

Silveras · Oct 24, 2003

It comes down to "How combat-heavy is your game ?" The more combative your group's style, the more use they will likely get from this book.

The base classes are interesting; I especially like the Marshall, as there has not been a specific 'Leader' type class before. The Warmage, Healer, and Favored Soul don't do as much for me, but they will for others.

The spells are interesting. Note that the Lesser [Energy] Orb spells are re-writes of the ones in Tome and Blood, and are very different. Oddly, the [Energy] Orb spells themselves are missing (Lesser implies a 'Regular' version somewhere, I would think). Likewise, the Energy Affinity feat looks like a renamed Energy Substitution, and the Repair X Damage spells (also from Tome & Blood) have been carried in.

Other than those, the material looks to be just about all new (to me, anyway).

The PrCs, Feats, and Spells are good for any game with a strong emphasis on combat. As with all non-Core products, I recommend the "review each before allowing" approach, to make sure they fit your group's style.

pogre · Oct 24, 2003

kilamanjaro said:
I really like the MHB. The nice thing about Cry Havoc is that you don't need minitures to resolve the battles. If you have enough minis I prefer the MHB system. To me it seems like a more intuitive extension of the existing rules.

I certainly agree with this assessment. To be honest that's why I bought the book - big D&D miniature battles. It fits that bill very nicely. Cannot comment on the feats, etc. - I have not read them and probably will not any time soon.

Saeviomagy · Oct 24, 2003

Cerubus Dark said:
Cerberus sounds like one of those GM's who salivates with malicious anticipation every time a player considers casting 'wish'.

Wow. I got quoted.

I'm not sure whether that's a good, or bad thing...

On topic: What's the balance like on the favoured soul? I've heard people say it's a munchkin's dream, but then I've heard that said about the mystic theurge...

Silveras · Oct 24, 2003

Saeviomagy said:
On topic: What's the balance like on the favoured soul? I've heard people say it's a munchkin's dream, but then I've heard that said about the mystic theurge...

It looks a bit too good to me. Here it is in a nutshell:

Cleric BAB, HD, and Skill points; All Saves are Good; Spells per day and known uses same numbers as the Sorcerer but from the Cleric list (Spell access is based on Cha, Save DC is based on Wis). Over time, as Class Features, acquires Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization with the deity's weapon, 3 Energy Resistances at 10, Wings (Fly 60), and DR 10/silver or 10/cold iron (based on alignment).

Compared to the Cleric:
+ All spells spontaneous
+ More spells per day
+ Flying ability (late in career)
+ DR (LATE in career)
+
+ 3 Energy Resistances (gradually acquired)
+
+ Free Weapon Focus in deity's weapon (without needing the War Domain)
+ Free Weapon Specialization in deity's weapon
+ Extra Good Save

- Two stats control spellcasting effectiveness (Cha for # & max level and Wis for Save DC)
- No Turning
- No Domain Spells or Powers
- No automatic proficiency with Heavy Armor
- Limited selection of spells

Thaumaturge · Oct 24, 2003

Also the Favored Soul has the slower spell progression of a spontaneous caster.

Thaumaturge.

Ashrem Bayle · Oct 24, 2003

Thaumaturge said:
Also the Favored Soul has the slower spell progression of a spontaneous caster.

Thaumaturge.

That does seem pretty powerful, but cool for cleric lovers.

What about the War Mage?

Miniatures Handbook: Any good?

Iron_Chef

First Post

Cerubus Dark

First Post

Thaumaturge

Wandering. Not lost. (He/they)

kilamanjaro

First Post

Silveras

First Post

pogre

Legend

Saeviomagy

Adventurer

Silveras

First Post

Thaumaturge

Wandering. Not lost. (He/they)

Ashrem Bayle

Explorer

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