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Gladiator: Sands of Death
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<blockquote data-quote="DM_Jeff" data-source="post: 2008571" data-attributes="member: 3687"><p>Gladiator: Sands of Death</p><p>by Matthew Sprange</p><p>Cover art by Anne Stokes</p><p>$16.95 80-page d20 sourcebook for DM`s and players alike.</p><p></p><p>Gladiator is an encompassing sourcebook loaded with game sustaining ideas, campaign focuses, and combat coolness.</p><p></p><p>Gladiator: Sands of Death is the latest rules sourcebook from Mongoose Publishing, the folks who brought us the DM-inspiring Slayer`s Guides and the very professional Encyclopedia Arcane series. In this book, they explore the deadly and brutal world of the Gladiatorial Games and Arena. You`ll want to purchase this book if you are interested in adding any part of Gladiator-style themes in your d20 fantasy campaign, get a load of campaign enhancing tips, and supply your players with some great moves and a chance for a different style of game. You`ll also be interested if you want to enjoy D&D in a whole new way: the Sands of Death game which is included...read on.</p><p></p><p>This 80 page sourcebook, Mongoose`s largest so far, was again penned by the articulate and attentive Matthew Sprange, a writer whose passion for the D&D game is evident in all these works. Anne Stokes produced another excellent cover, showing a gladiator eerily watching for the lord of the arena to give thumbs up or down for the kill of a fallen foe. </p><p></p><p>The book has three basic sections which are then broken up into detailed subsections. First up is the gladiator and arena in your campaign. Second is rules for gladiators and their combats in the d20 system. Last comes a new game based off of the d20 combat system, Sands of Death.</p><p></p><p>Arenas and Campaigns: This section is more like the Slayers Guides, giving solid advice and numerous examples an how adding a Gladiator theme to your campaign can be a great thrill and add a change of pace. The history and purpose of the Arena in a fantasy campaign is given. The different fantasy races and their role in gladiatorial combat is explored, finally shattering the whole “Gladiator = Roman Empire” style. This opens up the fantasy race cultures to a Gladiator campaign and their individual roles and outlook on the whole genre. Five specific arenas are provided to show off the wide variety and number of campaign purposes, giving the history behind them and describing them in detail. These can be dropped into practically any locale with minimal effort of the DM.</p><p>As in other Mongoose products, there are interspaced short stories highlighting the subject at hand, and are always a fascinating look into the rules in play in a fantasy world from the character`s own points of view. Those in Gladiator are no exception, highlighting the brutal, cold, and quite deadly life the combatants lead as well as the politics surrounding the stable master and his gladiators.</p><p>For the DM there is advice-a-plenty on integrating arena combat into your game, either as a site of interest and plot complication in an ongoing game, or as the basis for the start of one. Imagine this scenario, as I did:</p><p></p><p>DM: “Okay, I`ve heard from all of you what you`d like to play in this new campaign. Roll up your characters! Oh, one more thing, you all have the same NPC class, Slave.”</p><p>Players: “Whaaa!?”</p><p>DM: “Oh, didn`t I tell you? Your village of Drenshire was always one to advance its young folk by supporting their interests in apprenticing. However, that was before Kailok the warlord sacked it, dispersing your family and friends and cutting short your future goals. You all stand in chains before the Noble Falthmire, watching as Kailok rides off with a sack of gold. `You better be worth the price I just paid for you in the arena, you lot. You debut tomorrow!`”</p><p></p><p>Talk about an incredible start to a campaign! If that doesn`t sound like your cup of tea, there`s plenty other ideas included. You can use the arena as the backdrop of a campaign where the PC`s get involved with the politics and atmosphere of the games. The characters themselves could even be the stable masters for a while, training and leading young gladiators to victory.</p><p></p><p>Gladiatorial Combat: Here`s where we enter the rules section of the book. The “player`s section”, if you will. First up is the previously mentioned Slave NPC class. It`s not much of a start to a character`s life, but it`s a fascinating gaming tool! They figure by the time you reach second level, you`ll multiclass into a regular class with none of the regular penalties. This is also useful to show the starting condition of NPC`s that fill out a stable of gladiators the characters get involved with. Next come a few prestige classes, including the Gladiator Champion (the brutal performance machine), Animal Handler (prepping the monsters and beasts of the arena), and Charioteer (master of the horse-drawn dueling cart). The Animal Handler and Charioteer contain a number of unique and cool abilities to help them in their jobs, increasing the animal`s potency in the ring and performing special maneuvers in the chariots. The Gladiator Champion isn`t the answer to everyone`s dreams of the “Uber fighter”. It`s a combination of combat prowess and perform-ability with the crowd, garnering favor and winning accolades, earning a reputation while still attaining cool abilities like Devastating Attack and Improved Death Move! </p><p>Following the new Prestige Classes are a host of new feats to help the poor Gladiator, nine in all. Armor Penetration, Armor Specialization, Chariot Control, Death Move, Distract, Fame & Glory, Fearsome Display, Improved Chariot, Sideswipe, and Taunt. Some of these are nice reworking of obscure non-weapon proficiencies from 2nd Edition while others are brand-new. In all, the prestige classes and feats are very well done from a mechanics perspective, balanced and following the rules. </p><p></p><p>Sands of Death: This is actually a game within a game. Sands of Death game turns simulate a single day of arena combats. Players in the game take on the role of stable masters. They spend starting gold on buying and equipping their own stable of gladiators to fight in the arena! Unique rules and charts (easily understood and not cumbersome) help detail gaining fame, using chariots in combat, and rewards and experience for gladiators. </p><p>Each day four special combats are set up (either rolled randomly or chosen). These can vary from one-on-one combat, many against a creature, king-of-the-hill style, even waterborne combat or just an all-out fray to the death! Each player chooses one of their gladiators to compete in each of the combats. Death means death. Success means an increase in fame (which can effect a number of other aspects of gladiatorial combat), gold in your private purse (i.e. one step closer to buying your freedom) and experience, possibly meaning gaining a level! </p><p>In the end, it`s a wonderful excuse to enjoy the D&D combat rules to the fullest by putting unique feats, weapons and moves to the test while enjoying some healthy competition with the other stable masters in gaining glory, money and fame. It`s a perfect replacement for a night when someone can`t make it or a change of pace is desired by all. An ongoing campaign can be built around such a schedule too!</p><p></p><p>Conclusion: Gladiator: Sands of Death captures the best feel of cinematic gladiator stories (with between-the-lines homage to Ben-Hur, Conan, and of course Gladiator) and mixes them seamlessly with fantasy-oriented campaigns. The deadly and brutal life of the gladiator is examined on many different angles. It gives the DM loads of tools to integrate gladiatorial games into her campaign, either as a side interest or as it`s entire focus. The d20 mechanics are reliable and well done, and the rules and roleplaying material mix perfectly to give the arena new respect from players and DM`s alike. Both a fascinating read and a thorough sourcebook, Gladiator is well worth checking out!</p><p></p><p>-Jeff Ibach</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DM_Jeff, post: 2008571, member: 3687"] Gladiator: Sands of Death by Matthew Sprange Cover art by Anne Stokes $16.95 80-page d20 sourcebook for DM`s and players alike. Gladiator is an encompassing sourcebook loaded with game sustaining ideas, campaign focuses, and combat coolness. Gladiator: Sands of Death is the latest rules sourcebook from Mongoose Publishing, the folks who brought us the DM-inspiring Slayer`s Guides and the very professional Encyclopedia Arcane series. In this book, they explore the deadly and brutal world of the Gladiatorial Games and Arena. You`ll want to purchase this book if you are interested in adding any part of Gladiator-style themes in your d20 fantasy campaign, get a load of campaign enhancing tips, and supply your players with some great moves and a chance for a different style of game. You`ll also be interested if you want to enjoy D&D in a whole new way: the Sands of Death game which is included...read on. This 80 page sourcebook, Mongoose`s largest so far, was again penned by the articulate and attentive Matthew Sprange, a writer whose passion for the D&D game is evident in all these works. Anne Stokes produced another excellent cover, showing a gladiator eerily watching for the lord of the arena to give thumbs up or down for the kill of a fallen foe. The book has three basic sections which are then broken up into detailed subsections. First up is the gladiator and arena in your campaign. Second is rules for gladiators and their combats in the d20 system. Last comes a new game based off of the d20 combat system, Sands of Death. Arenas and Campaigns: This section is more like the Slayers Guides, giving solid advice and numerous examples an how adding a Gladiator theme to your campaign can be a great thrill and add a change of pace. The history and purpose of the Arena in a fantasy campaign is given. The different fantasy races and their role in gladiatorial combat is explored, finally shattering the whole “Gladiator = Roman Empire” style. This opens up the fantasy race cultures to a Gladiator campaign and their individual roles and outlook on the whole genre. Five specific arenas are provided to show off the wide variety and number of campaign purposes, giving the history behind them and describing them in detail. These can be dropped into practically any locale with minimal effort of the DM. As in other Mongoose products, there are interspaced short stories highlighting the subject at hand, and are always a fascinating look into the rules in play in a fantasy world from the character`s own points of view. Those in Gladiator are no exception, highlighting the brutal, cold, and quite deadly life the combatants lead as well as the politics surrounding the stable master and his gladiators. For the DM there is advice-a-plenty on integrating arena combat into your game, either as a site of interest and plot complication in an ongoing game, or as the basis for the start of one. Imagine this scenario, as I did: DM: “Okay, I`ve heard from all of you what you`d like to play in this new campaign. Roll up your characters! Oh, one more thing, you all have the same NPC class, Slave.” Players: “Whaaa!?” DM: “Oh, didn`t I tell you? Your village of Drenshire was always one to advance its young folk by supporting their interests in apprenticing. However, that was before Kailok the warlord sacked it, dispersing your family and friends and cutting short your future goals. You all stand in chains before the Noble Falthmire, watching as Kailok rides off with a sack of gold. `You better be worth the price I just paid for you in the arena, you lot. You debut tomorrow!`” Talk about an incredible start to a campaign! If that doesn`t sound like your cup of tea, there`s plenty other ideas included. You can use the arena as the backdrop of a campaign where the PC`s get involved with the politics and atmosphere of the games. The characters themselves could even be the stable masters for a while, training and leading young gladiators to victory. Gladiatorial Combat: Here`s where we enter the rules section of the book. The “player`s section”, if you will. First up is the previously mentioned Slave NPC class. It`s not much of a start to a character`s life, but it`s a fascinating gaming tool! They figure by the time you reach second level, you`ll multiclass into a regular class with none of the regular penalties. This is also useful to show the starting condition of NPC`s that fill out a stable of gladiators the characters get involved with. Next come a few prestige classes, including the Gladiator Champion (the brutal performance machine), Animal Handler (prepping the monsters and beasts of the arena), and Charioteer (master of the horse-drawn dueling cart). The Animal Handler and Charioteer contain a number of unique and cool abilities to help them in their jobs, increasing the animal`s potency in the ring and performing special maneuvers in the chariots. The Gladiator Champion isn`t the answer to everyone`s dreams of the “Uber fighter”. It`s a combination of combat prowess and perform-ability with the crowd, garnering favor and winning accolades, earning a reputation while still attaining cool abilities like Devastating Attack and Improved Death Move! Following the new Prestige Classes are a host of new feats to help the poor Gladiator, nine in all. Armor Penetration, Armor Specialization, Chariot Control, Death Move, Distract, Fame & Glory, Fearsome Display, Improved Chariot, Sideswipe, and Taunt. Some of these are nice reworking of obscure non-weapon proficiencies from 2nd Edition while others are brand-new. In all, the prestige classes and feats are very well done from a mechanics perspective, balanced and following the rules. Sands of Death: This is actually a game within a game. Sands of Death game turns simulate a single day of arena combats. Players in the game take on the role of stable masters. They spend starting gold on buying and equipping their own stable of gladiators to fight in the arena! Unique rules and charts (easily understood and not cumbersome) help detail gaining fame, using chariots in combat, and rewards and experience for gladiators. Each day four special combats are set up (either rolled randomly or chosen). These can vary from one-on-one combat, many against a creature, king-of-the-hill style, even waterborne combat or just an all-out fray to the death! Each player chooses one of their gladiators to compete in each of the combats. Death means death. Success means an increase in fame (which can effect a number of other aspects of gladiatorial combat), gold in your private purse (i.e. one step closer to buying your freedom) and experience, possibly meaning gaining a level! In the end, it`s a wonderful excuse to enjoy the D&D combat rules to the fullest by putting unique feats, weapons and moves to the test while enjoying some healthy competition with the other stable masters in gaining glory, money and fame. It`s a perfect replacement for a night when someone can`t make it or a change of pace is desired by all. An ongoing campaign can be built around such a schedule too! Conclusion: Gladiator: Sands of Death captures the best feel of cinematic gladiator stories (with between-the-lines homage to Ben-Hur, Conan, and of course Gladiator) and mixes them seamlessly with fantasy-oriented campaigns. The deadly and brutal life of the gladiator is examined on many different angles. It gives the DM loads of tools to integrate gladiatorial games into her campaign, either as a side interest or as it`s entire focus. The d20 mechanics are reliable and well done, and the rules and roleplaying material mix perfectly to give the arena new respect from players and DM`s alike. Both a fascinating read and a thorough sourcebook, Gladiator is well worth checking out! -Jeff Ibach [/QUOTE]
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