Psion
Adventurer
I finished reading the book this morning. It was a good read, and it's a pretty strong book. Lotsa tools for tool-hungry GMs.
In several spots the author entertains rather variant modes of play, including rules that have an impact on balance (the sort of thing that would send some natives here into a frothing fit), but he specifically highlights the potential impact on the game. So if you don't have the werewithal to change your game, some of these options may not be of much use to you. But if you do, there should be few surprises.
I like his take on many of the variants. They seem a bit simpler to implement than other similar takes, which makes them more palatable to add to an already complex game.
Some of the new materials and items are eye-poppingly powerful and really only applicable in high level games. But if you find things like DR a nuissance, look up dragonsteel...
A few highlights:
Sensitive subjects -- discusses the inclusion of sensitive subjects as a playstyle, with much consideration to the group's tastes. Like all too many such discussions here, minus all the bickering and presumption of mashing freedom of speech.
Class Dodge Bonus -- I discussed this before. The idea is that all classes get a dodge bonus from level, which progresses rather slower than those defined in d20 modern or Star Wars (or, for that matter, unearthed arcana). The "max dex bonus" for armor becomes "max dodge bonus", to include all dex and dodge bonuses. A great addition to a swashbuckling style game.
Metamagic points -- a nice metamagic variant that gives you a limited number of free uses.
Self-limited spells -- a flavorful option with lots of plot potential. Those who take mystic oaths can create specific limitations to their magic. So you can have things like a ruler who elicits oaths from young wizards, etc.
Designing and running adventures, campaign design -- resembles the content of many threads you might read here, but good guidance for a developing DM that is missing from the DMG.
Designing antagonists -- resembles some other GM advice oriented products like Complete Book of Villains or DM Design Kit, but it's nice to give the subject a refresh for those without extensive libraries.
Simplified NPC design -- a somewhat more formalized take on faking NPCs, a subject that I have discussed in the past and that some different takes of have appeared in various sigs here.
Feat Design, Designing Prestige Class -- Some experienced and well read GMs have plumbed out the advice discussed here, but some would be (and actual) d20 designers obviously have not. If you are planning on designing your own game material, really consider picking up the pdf and reading these sections.
Character design -- this is where some of the variant rules get really crazy. But in a good way. For example, what if at every juncture that you could get a feat or an ability score bonus, you could choose either? Or what if you got a feat every level? Sounds crazy, but appealing.
Another cool variant is magic as a cross class skill (which riffs off of the eldritch weaver rules, one of the few things I liked about the APM).
I also like the variants on generating ability scores, such as choosing class first and then allocating dice accordingly (a technique that might seem familiar from 1e Unearthed Arcana, but less drastic/munchkin/humanocentric), or more heroic stat arrays.
Character backgrounds are an option that let you add more background related abilities. I like the concept, but I think the second world sourcebook pulled this one off better.
Treasure --
Chakra rules -- combined with the background rules above, I was almost surprised not to see the Second World Soucebook in the OGL. As in the taxonomy of the 2WS, the places on characters that can take magic items are called chakras. Stephens extends this concept with ideas like allowing feats for more Chakras, magic items that grant more Chakras, and making Chakras vary by class.
Innate abilities -- another idea is a different way to reward PCs, with innate abilities. Unlike some more sloppy takes on the concept, the author quantifies how to realize such abilities within the framework of the character wealth concept. (No, there is no Craft Innate Ability feat... these are more GM playthings.)
Levin -- this is basically a more thorough set of guidelines on one of my favorite, already existing rules: Power Components (components that pay XP costs for spells or items). The neat thing about this take on the rules is that the section on getting Levin is that one variant requires that the target creature be slain in specific circumstances, which sort of minimizes the "butcher shop" mentality which has PCs stuffing every monster corpse into a portable hole.
Sovereign materials -- some of these are astonishingly powerful by current standards. Use with caution.
Magic items -- the biggest issue the author tackles here is distilling many of the weapon/armor properties out of special and unique weapons/armor, and then creates some new unique items from the rules. You want a light weapon like a sunblade or a different weapon that acts like an oathbow, this section will please you. This chapter is a great companion peice for Arms & Armor.
Spell lenses -- essentially similar to the concept of spell keyed items in Book of Hallowed might II. Think of it as a universal spell adapter - you put a generic spell in, a specific spell pops out the other end. If the spell key items in BoHMII seemed like they were a little too generous to you, you should like these rules a bit better as they are more restrictive.
Making artifacts -- okay, take a second to clean the coca cola off of your monitor. Done? Good. The premise here is pretty simple, there HAS to be a way to make them, since they are out there, right? The cost is, as it should be, pretty significant. The author mentions that even if you don't allow PCs to use them, the rules could be use as a benchmark for the power of someone who made them. The rules are actually a bit simpler (for the players/GM) than you might expect.
Overall, it's a pretty nifty little reference, especially if you are an intermediate GM who would like to take it too the next level, or if you are interested adding some new spins to your game. The author is very good at working within the boundaries of the rules, whilst pushing those boundaries back, and seems to take extra care to ensure that he doesn't add too much complication to your game.
(Hmmph... that turned out lengthier than I thought it should be. Perhaps I'll post it as a review.)
In several spots the author entertains rather variant modes of play, including rules that have an impact on balance (the sort of thing that would send some natives here into a frothing fit), but he specifically highlights the potential impact on the game. So if you don't have the werewithal to change your game, some of these options may not be of much use to you. But if you do, there should be few surprises.
I like his take on many of the variants. They seem a bit simpler to implement than other similar takes, which makes them more palatable to add to an already complex game.
Some of the new materials and items are eye-poppingly powerful and really only applicable in high level games. But if you find things like DR a nuissance, look up dragonsteel...
A few highlights:
Sensitive subjects -- discusses the inclusion of sensitive subjects as a playstyle, with much consideration to the group's tastes. Like all too many such discussions here, minus all the bickering and presumption of mashing freedom of speech.
Class Dodge Bonus -- I discussed this before. The idea is that all classes get a dodge bonus from level, which progresses rather slower than those defined in d20 modern or Star Wars (or, for that matter, unearthed arcana). The "max dex bonus" for armor becomes "max dodge bonus", to include all dex and dodge bonuses. A great addition to a swashbuckling style game.
Metamagic points -- a nice metamagic variant that gives you a limited number of free uses.
Self-limited spells -- a flavorful option with lots of plot potential. Those who take mystic oaths can create specific limitations to their magic. So you can have things like a ruler who elicits oaths from young wizards, etc.
Designing and running adventures, campaign design -- resembles the content of many threads you might read here, but good guidance for a developing DM that is missing from the DMG.
Designing antagonists -- resembles some other GM advice oriented products like Complete Book of Villains or DM Design Kit, but it's nice to give the subject a refresh for those without extensive libraries.
Simplified NPC design -- a somewhat more formalized take on faking NPCs, a subject that I have discussed in the past and that some different takes of have appeared in various sigs here.
Feat Design, Designing Prestige Class -- Some experienced and well read GMs have plumbed out the advice discussed here, but some would be (and actual) d20 designers obviously have not. If you are planning on designing your own game material, really consider picking up the pdf and reading these sections.
Character design -- this is where some of the variant rules get really crazy. But in a good way. For example, what if at every juncture that you could get a feat or an ability score bonus, you could choose either? Or what if you got a feat every level? Sounds crazy, but appealing.
Another cool variant is magic as a cross class skill (which riffs off of the eldritch weaver rules, one of the few things I liked about the APM).
I also like the variants on generating ability scores, such as choosing class first and then allocating dice accordingly (a technique that might seem familiar from 1e Unearthed Arcana, but less drastic/munchkin/humanocentric), or more heroic stat arrays.
Character backgrounds are an option that let you add more background related abilities. I like the concept, but I think the second world sourcebook pulled this one off better.
Treasure --
Chakra rules -- combined with the background rules above, I was almost surprised not to see the Second World Soucebook in the OGL. As in the taxonomy of the 2WS, the places on characters that can take magic items are called chakras. Stephens extends this concept with ideas like allowing feats for more Chakras, magic items that grant more Chakras, and making Chakras vary by class.
Innate abilities -- another idea is a different way to reward PCs, with innate abilities. Unlike some more sloppy takes on the concept, the author quantifies how to realize such abilities within the framework of the character wealth concept. (No, there is no Craft Innate Ability feat... these are more GM playthings.)
Levin -- this is basically a more thorough set of guidelines on one of my favorite, already existing rules: Power Components (components that pay XP costs for spells or items). The neat thing about this take on the rules is that the section on getting Levin is that one variant requires that the target creature be slain in specific circumstances, which sort of minimizes the "butcher shop" mentality which has PCs stuffing every monster corpse into a portable hole.
Sovereign materials -- some of these are astonishingly powerful by current standards. Use with caution.
Magic items -- the biggest issue the author tackles here is distilling many of the weapon/armor properties out of special and unique weapons/armor, and then creates some new unique items from the rules. You want a light weapon like a sunblade or a different weapon that acts like an oathbow, this section will please you. This chapter is a great companion peice for Arms & Armor.
Spell lenses -- essentially similar to the concept of spell keyed items in Book of Hallowed might II. Think of it as a universal spell adapter - you put a generic spell in, a specific spell pops out the other end.
If the spell key items in BoHMII seemed like they were a little too generous to you, you should like these rules a bit better as they are more restrictive.Making artifacts -- okay, take a second to clean the coca cola off of your monitor. Done? Good. The premise here is pretty simple, there HAS to be a way to make them, since they are out there, right? The cost is, as it should be, pretty significant. The author mentions that even if you don't allow PCs to use them, the rules could be use as a benchmark for the power of someone who made them. The rules are actually a bit simpler (for the players/GM) than you might expect.
Overall, it's a pretty nifty little reference, especially if you are an intermediate GM who would like to take it too the next level, or if you are interested adding some new spins to your game. The author is very good at working within the boundaries of the rules, whilst pushing those boundaries back, and seems to take extra care to ensure that he doesn't add too much complication to your game.
(Hmmph... that turned out lengthier than I thought it should be. Perhaps I'll post it as a review.)
