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And that's entirely appropriate. I'm obviously an enthusiastic fan who's way more involved in AU than your average gamer. That being said, these are my honest opinions based on 20 years of playing D&D and spending the past 6 months playtesting AU. I'm just trying to explain what it is about...

Why did I know that druid comment was going to get me in trouble? I guess my point is that the D&D magic system tries to confine your character to certain roles, while the AU approach adapts itself to your concept. D&D lays out a framework for each character and if you want to buck the typical...

Maybe the larger point that I'm trying to make is better put a different way. In D&D, magic is fairly specialized. If I'm a cleric, I can heal people, cast protective spells, bolster my allies, etc. If I'm a wizard, I can do some flash-bang magic, readily attack at range, charm people, and so...

Just to clarify, all the classes in AU use the same XP chart. Since it's an OGL book, there is no direct reference to the D&D core classes. If you want to mix & match, pick one chart and use that. It's more a technical legal issue than a compelling design choice, IMO. -Thrommel

I think AU operates under the assumption that magic is more pervasive than in D&D -- everybody can do a little magic and the setting is charged with magic & fantasy. One of the key concepts embedded in AU is that magic makes fantastic things possible -- you can do a ritual and become bonded...

Nope, no Haste in AU. Refresh my memory -- what's the primary caster stat for the monk again? ;) Let me clarify a little bit -- in AU, if you are a spellcaster, you can cast spells at first level, right off the bat. Not true for 3E rangers and paladins, and barely true for bards (even if you...

I'll just chime in here that if anything is radically different in AU, it's the magic system. The new races, the new classes, the feats -- all of that stuff is pretty much cut and paste right into your 3E/3.5 game. But if you want to port the magic system into 3E, you're going to have to...

Several fans asked Monte about this at Gen Con. You can read an interview with him over at diamondthrone.com where he talks about AU vs UA ,as well as the ENnies, 3.5, and some other Gen Con/AU related stuff. -Thrommel

Gen Con's over, AU has finally hit the shelves, and we've got a load of updates for you over at diamondthrone.com:The Showcase is full of new items, including Greenbond-inspired fan fiction and adventure ideas and two new locales: Zincar’ra Tormag, a Witchery Site in the Lands of the Diamond...

AU did sell out yesterday, but another drop-shipment of books is coming in today to try to keep up with demand. You can check out details and see some photos at diamondthrone.com So you have a decent chance at getting your hands on the book. (And as someone who's been playing AU with a 3-ring...

For those of you who missed our announcement last week of the launch of diamondthrone.com (the official AU fan site) we had one spot open up in an AU demo session at Gen Con. We're running a simple little contest to give away that seat. (And this is one of the demo sessions where one person...

You are not mistaken, the AU DM's screen will be the 'long and low' profile. More info here. I have both the 3-panel and 4-panel Master Screens. I prefer the 4 panel, it does a better job of 'screening'. They're a little spendy, but they seem built to last. (The guy at my FLGS crooned...

Just wanted to let you all know that we've added MORE content to diamondthrone.com, the official fan site of Arcana Unearthed. New this week:Advice on incorporating AU's giants into your World of Greyhawk game Two new showcase pieces, featuring our first fan-submitted piece, "Hands As Weapons"...

The discrepancy in length is pretty straightforward -- it doesn't take a lot of space to say you like something. "Sorcerers can change out their known spells when they become useless (or simply were bad choices)" -- what more really needs to be said? Do we need to rehash why Harm was broken, for...

I do have one of those and I kid you not it is FRICKIN HUGE. You have to have some serious real estate to use the Mondo Mat. We played with it a couple times at my buddy's office and it overfilled the conference tables there. The advantage -- once you start a dungeon delve, you can go a...

Well as you say, mechanically that's no big deal. But the entire setting is tied to the idea that the Tolkien races (apart from humans) don't exist in any significant way. Because that's the point -- to shake up the game and get some new themes going. One big thing this does is gives the DM...

Here's where we need to take a moment to define what 'integrate' means. Can you grab a random monster out of the MM and pit it against your AU party? Absolutely. Can you use a disease from the DMG? No problem. Where the systems start to collide is when you use PHB materials. (As a variant...

Just to clarify, you're definitely still going to need your Monster Manual and DMG to run AU. You don't need them to play (any more than you need them to play regular D&D) but if you're going to DM you'll want poison rules and monster stats, etc. The Diamond Throne is only slated for a 96...

Here's the key distinction from my point of view: 3.5 is a revision of a product. AU is a product of innovation. Much as the flames have fired over what's good, bad, or indifferent about 3.5, the bottom line at the end of the day is that 80% of your game is going to be the same. From what I've...

I have a ton of opinions on this but I'll boil it down to a few quick points. For starters, the community on the RttToEE messageboards is hands down one of the best groups of gaming minds I've had the fortune to interact with. The support they've created around this module makes it a STEAL for...