Sorry for slightly derailing the thread but ... "Hot pursuit: on foot" sounds exactly like what I'm looking for for an adventure I plan to play soon. Is there any way to get a PDF version of this book (how long is it, by the way)? I checked on various online RPG shops and couldn't find it anywhere.
[3.x] 3rd Party Hidden gems?
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Only 14 pages, including cover, OGL, and everything. But you really need the first Hot Pursuit book (which is longer) to use it. Unfortunately, as has been mentioned earlier, Adamant Entertainment removed Hot Pursuit and its other d20 books when the d20 STL ended last December, rather than altering the PDFs to get rid of WotC's trademarks. So there's no way to buy Hot Pursuit any longer. It's too bad -- I picked these up just before the deadline, and they have a nice system for chases.
OTOH, if you need some chase rules and don't mind springing for a book with lots of other stuff in it, Pathfinder #7 has a decent chase system (I'd say similar in spirit to Hot Pursuit but not quite so open-ended) buried in the adventure. You can get the PDF at Paizo for I think $14. Of course, you're also paying for the adventure and other articles.
ValhallaGH
Explorer
Another alternative is to find some free Hot Pursuit derivatives and try using them. Even if they are for True20 instead of regular d20.
Didn't BESMd20 have a free online supplement with chase rules very similar to Hot Pursuit?
Edit: Here it is. Try this link: http://web.archive.org/web/20060324154647/www.guardiansorder.com/pdfs/BESMd20_optionalrules.pdf
Edit: Here it is. Try this link: http://web.archive.org/web/20060324154647/www.guardiansorder.com/pdfs/BESMd20_optionalrules.pdf
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El Mahdi
Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
Yeah, that does look very similiar. Not quite as many options for results, but the same basic concept. Kind of like a Hot Pursuit Lite.
Thanks for the link.
For anyone who wanted Hot Pursuit but can't get it anymore, this should work fairly well. I really don't see why it couldn't work with 4E also.
Thanks for the link.
Not a problem. Your welcome
There are also simlar chase rules in the Masterminds Manual for Mutants and Masterminds
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
More interesting news about Hot Pursuit and Pathfinder if you don't read the Publishers' forum: Adamant Entertainment has announced the Tome of Secrets for Pathfinder RPG, being released at GenCon. It looks like it will have OGL versions of several classes from non-OGC WotC books (re-envisionings, must be) and other rules -- including chases. Looks like this might be a new hidden gem coming out soon, we'll see!
Aus_Snow
First Post
Huh, interesting.
If my local 3e-ers make the short hop to 3.PF, I'll have to consider this book. Because [nodding approvingly goes here] it seems they've also included their Fantasy Occupations, more or less. I'll hope 'more', but either way.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
I was really excited that the Tome of Secrets listed the Warlock as a new class - I'm really hoping it's just like the WotC warlock with the serial numbers filed off.
Beyond that, I heartily recommend The Practical Enchanter from Distant Horizons Games. The first chapter alone contains a spectacular breakdown of bonus types you can get from spells, and de-constructs them into variable "spell templates" that can be used to create thousands of new spells. And, oh yeah, it's completely FREE!
Monster Knowledge Cards from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming fills one of those gaps you never realized you had until you check it out. It's standard operating procedure these days that PCs make Knowledge checks to see what they know about monsters, right? But the monsters in the SRD don't have Knowledge tables...until now. This is great for going back and giving the standard 3.5 monsters what later creatures have as a matter of course now.
Myth Merchant Press's System Operational Reference Digent, better known as SORD is a GM's best friend. This document completely reorganizes and gives a new layout to the SRD's rules for combat, making it INCREDIBLY easier to locate the necessary rules and speed up play. It guarantees that your combats will speed up by 10-15 minutes, and it backs up that boast. Also, for Pathfinder Beta players, there's SORD Plus 1.0.
While it's meant for Modern d20, Pelgrane Press's The Book of Unremitting Horror is one of the few monster books that actually frightened me as I read it. The writing, the art, the monsters...this book's tagline is "Because new times demand new nightmares" and it delivers those in spades.
Kobold Ecologies by Wolfgang Baur's Open Design has a dozen monster ecologies in a style reminiscent of Dragon magazine. While these are from the pages of Kobold Quarterly, this is a great resource if you don't have that magazine, and there's even some new material here. This book does a great job bringing to life the creatures it showcases.
Paragon Publishing has exactly a dozen products out, all of them for nature-themed characters. Ten prestige classes and two base classes are given, each one expertly detailing how the class approaches a different design philosophy for what it's meant to do. The design in these is great, and the flavor really helps evoke what's given. In particular, I recommend the Shamanistic Warrior and the Wildcat as great examples of what Paragon's produced.
The Random Esoteric Creature Generator may not be a "hidden gem" since it's published by Goodman Games, but it deserves mention nonetheless. This book works for all editions of D&D, and does a great job letting you build your own creatures. It also has superb advice on using monsters in your game. It just might be the last monster book you'll ever need.
Of course, if you'd prefer existing monsters that have been altered with advanced Hit Dice, class levels, and/or templates, then check out the works by Creative Conclave. Whether it's Goblinoids, Orcs, Savage Creatures, or something else, their Lazy GM line provides the stat blocks you'd rather not suffer through yourself.
Tricky Owlbear Publishing has released their Behind the Spells series for a while now, wherein the history of various classic spells are revealed for the first time, along with new variants and related crunch. If that sounds interesting, the Behind the Spells Compendium may be worth a look.
Steamworks: Deluxe Edition is one of those "you got tech in my fantasy" products that puts technology on an equal footing with magic (and psionics) in your game. It keeps to familiar rules for doing so, making the integration almost totally seamless, and does a good job explaining how it all works in-game as well. If you want to have a technological presence in your fantasy world, this might be the answer you're looking for.
Finally, this might be a tad controversial, but I want to recommend Sisters of Rapture despite it being an erotic supplement (warning, the flash preview on the product link is NSFW). I want to say right up front that this book, unlike the BoEF, is actually good. Using actual artwork rather than photoshopped images, this focuses on a sex-positive cult instead of bombarding you with sex-based rules without any context. Mixing equal parts fluff and crunch, this is the erotic d20 book that gets it right.
Beyond that, I heartily recommend The Practical Enchanter from Distant Horizons Games. The first chapter alone contains a spectacular breakdown of bonus types you can get from spells, and de-constructs them into variable "spell templates" that can be used to create thousands of new spells. And, oh yeah, it's completely FREE!
Monster Knowledge Cards from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming fills one of those gaps you never realized you had until you check it out. It's standard operating procedure these days that PCs make Knowledge checks to see what they know about monsters, right? But the monsters in the SRD don't have Knowledge tables...until now. This is great for going back and giving the standard 3.5 monsters what later creatures have as a matter of course now.
Myth Merchant Press's System Operational Reference Digent, better known as SORD is a GM's best friend. This document completely reorganizes and gives a new layout to the SRD's rules for combat, making it INCREDIBLY easier to locate the necessary rules and speed up play. It guarantees that your combats will speed up by 10-15 minutes, and it backs up that boast. Also, for Pathfinder Beta players, there's SORD Plus 1.0.
While it's meant for Modern d20, Pelgrane Press's The Book of Unremitting Horror is one of the few monster books that actually frightened me as I read it. The writing, the art, the monsters...this book's tagline is "Because new times demand new nightmares" and it delivers those in spades.
Kobold Ecologies by Wolfgang Baur's Open Design has a dozen monster ecologies in a style reminiscent of Dragon magazine. While these are from the pages of Kobold Quarterly, this is a great resource if you don't have that magazine, and there's even some new material here. This book does a great job bringing to life the creatures it showcases.
Paragon Publishing has exactly a dozen products out, all of them for nature-themed characters. Ten prestige classes and two base classes are given, each one expertly detailing how the class approaches a different design philosophy for what it's meant to do. The design in these is great, and the flavor really helps evoke what's given. In particular, I recommend the Shamanistic Warrior and the Wildcat as great examples of what Paragon's produced.
The Random Esoteric Creature Generator may not be a "hidden gem" since it's published by Goodman Games, but it deserves mention nonetheless. This book works for all editions of D&D, and does a great job letting you build your own creatures. It also has superb advice on using monsters in your game. It just might be the last monster book you'll ever need.
Of course, if you'd prefer existing monsters that have been altered with advanced Hit Dice, class levels, and/or templates, then check out the works by Creative Conclave. Whether it's Goblinoids, Orcs, Savage Creatures, or something else, their Lazy GM line provides the stat blocks you'd rather not suffer through yourself.
Tricky Owlbear Publishing has released their Behind the Spells series for a while now, wherein the history of various classic spells are revealed for the first time, along with new variants and related crunch. If that sounds interesting, the Behind the Spells Compendium may be worth a look.
Steamworks: Deluxe Edition is one of those "you got tech in my fantasy" products that puts technology on an equal footing with magic (and psionics) in your game. It keeps to familiar rules for doing so, making the integration almost totally seamless, and does a good job explaining how it all works in-game as well. If you want to have a technological presence in your fantasy world, this might be the answer you're looking for.
Finally, this might be a tad controversial, but I want to recommend Sisters of Rapture despite it being an erotic supplement (warning, the flash preview on the product link is NSFW). I want to say right up front that this book, unlike the BoEF, is actually good. Using actual artwork rather than photoshopped images, this focuses on a sex-positive cult instead of bombarding you with sex-based rules without any context. Mixing equal parts fluff and crunch, this is the erotic d20 book that gets it right.
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