[Green Ronin] Medieval Player's Manual Preview Now Available!

We've just put up a preview of our upcoming Medieval Player's Manual, which is at print now and will ship later this month. This is the Folk Charms section, one of many sections on medieval magic.

http://www.greenronin.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?prodid=1403#related

Medieval Player's Manual
A Mythic Vistas Sourcebook for the d20 System
Written by David Chart
Cover by David Leri
128 pages, perfect bound
MSRP: $22.95
GRR1403
ISBN: 1-932442-14-6

The Medieval Player's Manual gives you everything you need to have exciting adventures in the age of Christianity and crusade. This is not Hollywood medievalism, but the real thing. The Medieval Player's Manual has been exhaustively researched to provide rules that reflect the actual beliefs of the period. Ars Magica line developer David Chart has written a book that is both authentic and playable. Take your d20 game back to the Middle Ages with the Medieval Player's Manual. The book includes:

Three new magic core classes (cunning man, natural magician, and theurge) and two support prestige classes (necromancer and theophanist).

New systems for medieval magic like folk charms, alchemy, astrology, astral charms, and theurgy.

Three new religious core classes (priest, canonist, and saint) and five supporting prestige classes (crusader, templar, prelate, hermit, and mystic).

The introduction of Charisms, new feats representing gifts of miraculous power granted by God.

Rules for holding academic disputations, creating theories, and writing books.
Non-combat core classes like scholar and artist.

Overviews of the Christian Church, the political history of the time, philosophy and the arts, and medieval laws and beliefs.

Suggestions for alternate campaigns, like the Abbey Campaign and the Court Campaign, and intriguing historical "What ifs?".

Backgrounds and stats for important people of the day, like Empress Matilda, Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, and natural magician Adelard of Bath.

The book also presents Kin of the Conqueror, a campaign setting detailing the anarchic period after the death of King William the Conqueror. From 1087 to 1154 the British Isles and northern France were convulsed by wars over his legacy. Plunge into adventure with Kin of the Conqueror, or use the rules to explore other parts of the medieval world. Either way, the Medieval Player's Manual is your starting point for a new d20 experience.

Just wondering - How much time and effort did you guys put into this product to make sure you're conforming to the new d20 STL language? I.e. "Covered Products can not depict existing real-world minorities, nationalities, social castes, religious groups, genders, lifestyle preferences, or people with disabilities as a group inferior to any other group. Current, real-world religions and religious groups and/or practices will not be portrayed in any way that promotes disrespect for these religions or their participants. A Covered Product can not endorse or promote any specific religion or religious practice."

Sounds like you would have had to be real careful about your choice of language when discussing things like the crusades, history of christianity, religious classes, miracles, etc...

Conaill said:

Just wondering - How much time and effort did you guys put into this product to make sure you're conforming to the new d20 STL language?

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We are always careful when dealing with real world stuff (see Testament for another example). We didn't need to spend any extra time to conform to the guidelines because our approach makes such work unnecessary.

In other words, I have absolutely no worries that this product will cause a problem with WotC.

Yeah, that approach worked real well with your fiends book (that is sarcasm...)

trancejeremy said:

Yeah, that approach worked real well with your fiends book (that is sarcasm...)

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That book is fantasy. Inspired by real world material, yes, but as fantasy as D&D is itself. Should I worry that worshippers of the Roman pantheon will be offended by our depiction of Orcus? Testament and the Medieval Player's Manual are based on real historical eras (though, of course, informed by folk belief and mythology as well). That's the key difference.

You've made vague references before about Armies of Abyss slighting your religion, but you've never been willing to actually tell us what your beef is. Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us now?

Conaill said:

Just wondering - How much time and effort did you guys put into this product to make sure you're conforming to the new d20 STL language? I.e. "Covered Products can not depict existing real-world minorities, nationalities, social castes, religious groups, genders, lifestyle preferences, or people with disabilities as a group inferior to any other group. Current, real-world religions and religious groups and/or practices will not be portrayed in any way that promotes disrespect for these religions or their participants. A Covered Product can not endorse or promote any specific religion or religious practice."

Sounds like you would have had to be real careful about your choice of language when discussing things like the crusades, history of christianity, religious classes, miracles, etc...

Click to expand...

I guess. Seems pretty easy to me not endorse or disrespect someone's group. Especially when dealing with history. Disrespect is not anything that isnt whitewashed.

For example, if you talk about the Crusades, and tell what *actually happened* how is it possible to disrespect anyone? I did a book that covered the Crusades and the Holocaust and the Inquisition for d20 Modern, and to my knowledge managed not to offend anyone.

I also did a book about modern terrorism groups without getting a single complaint. Matter of fact, the only complaints about the books I've written were posted before the books themselves were released.

Which seems to be the case here as well.

Chuck

Just had a look at the PDF, and it looks great. But can you confrm my reading? Charms cost no money to make, can be used by anyone, and you can make a charm that does +5 points of damage on any attack for three feats an some XP?

So the 3 use charm costs no gold? at all?

For a PC, 3 feats is a lot, but I can just imagine people littering their campaigns with wise women selling these for 75gp a pop (1xp=5gp, or is it 25, making it 375gp). That seems kinda risky to me. Still, nice idea, the lower powered ones are cool, and in the context of the rest of the book it may make more sense.

I noticed the Arcane and Divine classes but what of other classes?

We have 3 "religious" classes and I assume "supporting PRCs" refers to the fact that they support the preceding "religious" classes?


How many levels for each class? Would this be suitable for a low-magic world or a "magic so rare you ar more likely to encounter pre-Colombian syphilis" sort of world?

Looks great. Alredy pre-ordered.

Loved Book of Fiends too. keep up the great work.

Razuur

Is this D20 or OGL?