2006 WotC D&D Product Survivor - Player's Handbook II is the sole survivor!

[Desdichado]

Be sure to read - In true Survivor fashion, the final round uses a different paradigm. Vote for the product you think is the best!

That's just asking for the whole exercise to be useless in the end.

 

[Shadeydm]

Its really bad form to reverse the voting process at this stage of the contest.

 

[Sidekick]

PHB2 has had the most effect of any book on my campaigns. It is really the best book of the year.

Cheers!

Apart frmo campaiign setting books (ECS) this is QFT.

I'm a bit fan so it's nice to see the PHBII powering away in the votes.

As I've said before, FC II (&I) might be slightly 'better' in some ways but in terms of their impact on the game and the majority of people who play our hobby, it's nowhere close.

I reckon the PHB II deserves the accolade on the alternate class features and re-training mechanics alone!

 

[BryonD]

Its really bad form to reverse the voting process at this stage of the contest.

a) It is the exactly correct form based on the concept.
b) Who can't read that short and clear explanation?
c) How many people got confused? I've seen none that fessed up so far, and it would need to be greater than 30 FCII fans that couldn't vote right to make a difference at this point. (assuming 100% correct voting by PHBII fans)

 

[Jedi_Solo]

Its really bad form to reverse the voting process at this stage of the contest.

This is how the show does it and it is pointed out multiple times to be sure and read the question.

 

[JoeGKushner]

PHBII gets a lot of use at the table. FC II, in my opinion, wasn't as good as the first.

 

[JustKim]

I prefer FC1 by quite a large margin.

FC:I was better

FC II, in my opinion, wasn't as good as the first.

Wow, why? This is really bizarre to me.

 

[Shade]

Wow, why? This is really bizarre to me.

For me, the reasons are as follows:

1.) FC1 did a better job remaining faithful to the canon of every edition of the game. It melded things from OD&D, 1E, and 2E with greater success than FC2. To me, that's a big boon. To those who dislike the canon fiends, I can see why they'd prefer FC2.

2.) FC1 went into greater detail on the layers it presented. Despite the fact that the layers of the Abyss are infinite, and the Hells limited to nine, the FC1 layers felt more developed.

3.) The obyriths. FC1 ran with the idea of the pre-tanar'ri demons and really expanded the game by developing the obyriths. FC2 chose to simply ignore the ancient Baatorians.

4.) FC2 made some poor design decisions when updating some of the fiends (or choosing not to, in the case of the kocrachon). The nerfing of the amnizu's spell-like abilities, for example.

5.) FC1 did a better job compiling all the non-primary-focused unique demons than FC2 did with the dukes of Hell, for example.

FC2 is a great book. I'd peg it 2nd best for the year. It just doesn't live up to FC1, IMHO.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

No contest; clearly the Fiendish Codex II.

 

[Arnwyn]

For me, the reasons are as follows:

1.) FC1 did a better job remaining faithful to the canon of every edition of the game. It melded things from OD&D, 1E, and 2E with greater success than FC2. To me, that's a big boon. To those who dislike the canon fiends, I can see why they'd prefer FC2.

2.) FC1 went into greater detail on the layers it presented. Despite the fact that the layers of the Abyss are infinite, and the Hells limited to nine, the FC1 layers felt more developed.

3.) The obyriths. FC1 ran with the idea of the pre-tanar'ri demons and really expanded the game by developing the obyriths. FC2 chose to simply ignore the ancient Baatorians.

4.) FC2 made some poor design decisions when updating some of the fiends (or choosing not to, in the case of the kocrachon). The nerfing of the amnizu's spell-like abilities, for example.

5.) FC1 did a better job compiling all the non-primary-focused unique demons than FC2 did with the dukes of Hell, for example.

I'm going to ditto all this (and twice on Sunday!). Exactly so, in every way. I found the reduction of power of the updated fiends (#4 on the list above) to be particularly galling.

Still, I'll (reluctantly) vote FC2... but FC1 was far superior. Thinking otherwise is just bizarre to me.