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BoVD: Your opinions
- Thread starter sparxmith
- Start date
Henry
Autoexreginated
Love this book. It is chock full of not only really neat spells and magic for your evil villains to utilize, but hundreds of story threads involving said spells.
One of my favorite examples:
Bone Blast is a first level spell that requires a bone from a still-living child as a material component. Now suppose the good-aligned characters of a party (heck, even the neutral-aligned ones!) find out that Evil Villain #121 is not only capable of casting said spell, but has a... errr.. stockpile of components to cast this spell. It doesn't take getting the girl, a sense of duty, or even treasure to motivate anyone worthy of the title "hero" to take down the Real Piece of Work responsible for this.
Past this, there are also fascinating prestige classes, some rather disgusting feats and magic items, and a very good discussion of evil motivations for NPCs.
One of my favorite examples:
Bone Blast is a first level spell that requires a bone from a still-living child as a material component. Now suppose the good-aligned characters of a party (heck, even the neutral-aligned ones!) find out that Evil Villain #121 is not only capable of casting said spell, but has a... errr.. stockpile of components to cast this spell. It doesn't take getting the girl, a sense of duty, or even treasure to motivate anyone worthy of the title "hero" to take down the Real Piece of Work responsible for this.
Past this, there are also fascinating prestige classes, some rather disgusting feats and magic items, and a very good discussion of evil motivations for NPCs.
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
I like it. There are some crappy bits that feel like they were tacked on (the excecution rules, for instance), but overall it's very nice. The archfiends are good low-level versions of their old 1e selves, and I like the monsters and spells within. And the diseases and poisons are just fun. In a horrible evil way, of course.
Oh, and thanks to the vilewights, my players will never trust me to describe entrails without black "lasers" shooting out or trying to strangle them.
Demiurge out.
Oh, and thanks to the vilewights, my players will never trust me to describe entrails without black "lasers" shooting out or trying to strangle them.
Demiurge out.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
haiiro
First Post
It's a decent book. Overall, I prefer the BoED -- there were more things that got me fired up in there, and less things like the nipple clamp of exquisite pain. 
I do find myself flipping through the BoVD for inspiration while DMing, and I love the magic item section -- tons of useful tidbits in there. Same goes for the spells, as has already been mentioned.
I do find myself flipping through the BoVD for inspiration while DMing, and I love the magic item section -- tons of useful tidbits in there. Same goes for the spells, as has already been mentioned.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
The name of the spell eludes me, but there was one that I really thought was cool. Basically, it deals negative energy...but not on the target. It deals the damage to the targets closest friend/loved one/etc.
That one got some use in my games because two of the PCs were romantically involved. Wow that got some action out of the usually quite and calm Bard when her lover(the Rogue of the group) took damage because of HER, in a sense.
That one got some use in my games because two of the PCs were romantically involved. Wow that got some action out of the usually quite and calm Bard when her lover(the Rogue of the group) took damage because of HER, in a sense.
Olive
Explorer
I like it a whole lot.
I like the crunch of it: spells feats, prcs, monsters. like the possesion rules and the sacrifice rules. It gives me the rules basis to explain why NPCs do certain things - for the power they grant, rather than just for the EVIL of it. It's been an important part of my game since it came out.
There are bits that don't work: the torture stuff for example, but that's becasue the intimidate rules are dumb, so it didn't have much to work on.
Some of the discussion of evil etc is a bit average, but that's because I already now what I like about those topics.
I like the crunch of it: spells feats, prcs, monsters. like the possesion rules and the sacrifice rules. It gives me the rules basis to explain why NPCs do certain things - for the power they grant, rather than just for the EVIL of it. It's been an important part of my game since it came out.
There are bits that don't work: the torture stuff for example, but that's becasue the intimidate rules are dumb, so it didn't have much to work on.
Some of the discussion of evil etc is a bit average, but that's because I already now what I like about those topics.
Patman21967
First Post
Well,
I guess I'll be the dissenting voice. I don't like it at all...but then my group doesn't play evil characters. We are pretty much old school...not many weird combinations....none of the stupid min/max stuff like take a level in 4 classes so you get to use all the abilities....None of the stupid items....not trying to make the game perversely sexual, or any of that stuff...
I guess I'll be the dissenting voice. I don't like it at all...but then my group doesn't play evil characters. We are pretty much old school...not many weird combinations....none of the stupid min/max stuff like take a level in 4 classes so you get to use all the abilities....None of the stupid items....not trying to make the game perversely sexual, or any of that stuff...
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