Mark Plemmons
Explorer
Since the Player's Guide seems to just now be arriving in many stores, I thought I'd post a compilation of the draftreviews Bernard ("Canuck in Kalamar") posted on the www.kenzerco.com message boards. You can see the original board and posts at http://pub49.ezboard.com/fkingdomsofkalamarfrm2.showMessage?topicID=480.topic
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Phew. Well. It's quite the tome to behold folks!
When I've time, I am reading it, cover to cover, and I'm making notes. The store I bought my copy from gave me a wee discount in good faith for my patronage and their invitation to me to provide a lengthy review on their website. So my notes will contribute to my forthcoming review... So far, so very very good!
While it's hard to absorb everthing at once, here's some info to share... and two signifcant typos for Dave et al to know about.
Negatives:
Typo #1: in Table 1-1 on page 3: the -2 Charisma for the Kargi Half-hobgoblin actually belongs with the modifiers for the Krangi Half-hobgoblin. Page 23 (or page 157 in the CS) has the correct data. I haven't noticed any other errors of that nature yet...
Typo #2: no explanation given for Skill Focus, Gather Information in Table 3-2 The Bounty Hunter, 3rd level.
While packed with info, the first thing that struck me when I opened the book was a lack of colour and colour art. There isn't any. Zero. Also the paper quality is different than that of the Campaign Sourcebook: it is a matt finish rather than semi-gloss--a lower quality in terms of what you feel between your finger tips--yet just as durable as the CS I think. You can tell "something's different", but it's not a problem. The hardcover and binding itself is very well done!
"Chapter I: Races.
Right away you'll see that, unlike the KoK Campaign Sourcebook, there is extensive treatment upon the Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-elves, Half-hobgoblins, Half-orcs, Halflings and several sub-races (including Dark Elves--the Tellene version of the Drow), AND Hobgoblins. In fact, hobgoblins are an established menace in this setting. They are bigger and live longer than humans do. Hobgoblins are depicted as ruthless but honour-bound creatures consistantly challenging humans in certain regions of the continent of Tellene. And yes, you can play a hobgoblin PC, the race is fully worked up for play. Some ppl may draw comparisons between hobgoblins and the Klingons of sci-fi lore--the attitudes and cultures are certainly similar. For example, hobgoblins generally consider cheating worse than losing--and they have a highly competitive culture. While Orcs are still a classic foe, Hobgoblins are much more important to the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting...
Humans do not receive racial trait rules for their 6 main cultures (but there is a long language table and variables concerning height and weight). However, this chapter does dedicate 4 pages discussing (mostly for setting flavour) the details of the 6 main human culture around Tellene.
There is extensive treatment of languages further on in the book. This chapter has some advice on converting your FR or OA characters for use in KoK. There's also a full page crammed with notes on Tellene Naming Conventions (that's very useful and it helps to shade in more colour into the setting itself)."
"Chapter II: Classes.
I find this a difficult chapter to cover as there are a lot of new rules and fair chance for controversy concerning the introduction of more "full-size" or "core" classes. However, the KoK PG does remind the reader of the remarks and example(s) of variants found in the DMG. Indeed, we ARE encouraged in the DMG to expand our games to our liking--and that's not even considering the "rule zero" trump one can toss at nay-sayers. With 6 new variant classes, Kenzer "went to town" for us KoKers...
Initially there's a quick discussion on the core classes of game, although the monk seems neglected (the psion and Psychic warrior weren't). Right away there are rules changes for the setting--in particular the list of feats for Fighters has changed significantly at the expense of mounted and ranged weapon feats in favour of new tactical feats for the foot soldier. Each core class has remarks concerning their distribution across the lands and cultures.
The second page of this chapter holds a long table with the complete list of deity domains for all 43 deities. "Finally", some might say. Reading that table shows many domains from various WotC publications.
Next we get into 6 new variant classes. These are full size classes (20 levels) that serve to replace some popular multiclass combinations while answering concerns on XP earnings, and some include unique features that tie into the setting. Each is presented in the familiar format utilized in the PH and adopted by the d20 community. Remarks are included concerning these variants in the KoK setting, such as the races who assume these classes and KoK gods typically associated with them.
The most setting specific is the Basiran Dancer--a combination of dancer and martial artist (a bard/monk that neatly circumvents the alignment problems of the actual multiclass). Despite the name, this class is actually portable into other D&D games--as is most of the content in this entire book.
The Brigand serves as the replacement for the Fighter/Rogue. Brigands have some odd progressions for their Ref and Will saves (the only class outside the norm), 85% of the Rogues abilities, and less than 50% of the Rogues Skill Points (4 at 1st, 3 each level thereafter). The brigand also has a short bonus feat list, a very short class skill list, and, proving that charisma is important to this class, some special abilities associated with intimidating and bluffing others. I think the Brigand has more potential than what an intial reading of the class reveals, I'm not certain as I haven't playtested one. I would like to see the designer's explanation for the odd progressions though...
Next comes the Gladiator--a pure pit fighter! With showmanship and fighting prowess combined, my reading of this class' features evokes visions of the films Thunderdome and Gladiator, as well as the WWF. One can be as campy or as serious as one likes with this specialized fighter. The Gladiator has a number of extraordinary (Ex) abilities tailored to undermine his opponent in the midst of battle while pleasing a crowd. While I'm not a fan of the WWF (which is quite a circus of itself if one thinks about it), this class looks like good fun and should please many players who appreciate the concept of the arena fighter and his potential outside the arena! Get this: by 8th level the Gladiator may use any simple, martial or exotic weapon available without penalty... Now the show will really go on!
Fourth is the Infiltrator. This class combines some traits of the Ranger with some others of the Rogue. While having no spell casting abilities, this class benefits from progressively faster movement like Monks do (but less so), and the woodland stride at 2nd level much like Druids enjoy. For players who like to have their PC's sneak around the countryside raiding and sabotaging an enemy's turf, this class is perfect. Remember that the DM's entitled to apply this class to NPC opponents. PC Rangers have more to worry about now...
The Shaman, already presented in WotC's Oriental Adventures, and also by d20 publishers like Green Ronin and Mongoose Publishing, receives a different but concise treatment for the KoK setting. Closely modelled upon the Druid (the Shaman has, for example, about 90% of the Druid's special abilities), the Shaman fulfills a generic need for the barbaric cultures beyond what the Druid might offer given its quasi-Celtic roots. The difference between the Druid and the Shaman is in the fine details... The creation of a Shaman character requires the selection of a totem animal spirit, which is permanent, and this awards the Shaman a benefit (or two) depending upon the animal type. For example, if the totem is a deer, the shaman receives a +2 bonus to initiative and the new Instant Stand feat. There are 13 totems listed in the PG, from Bear to Wolf; one could probably invent a few more for fussy players. Considering the diversity of cultures across the wilder parts of Tellene, one could argue that the KoK Shaman fits the setting more logically than the Druid. One could even eliminate the Druid from one's game and replace it with the Shaman altogether. One further interesting feature of the Shaman: the time spent resting (i.e. sleeping) has no effect upon a KoK Shaman's ability to prepare spells--all they need is one hour of quiet meditation per day. Thus the Shaman gets a serious edge over others in the chaotic great outdoors... The Shaman can also cast as many spells per day as a Cleric, indeed 2 of these spells at higher class levels are domain spells! Mind you, their BAB and Fort Save progression is weaker than the Druid's. An interesting version, I think--certainly a none too complicated variant.
The last class is the Spellsinger. This class, in a sense, is very much an "improved sorcerer": a slightly better skill list, spell progression as wizard if Charisma is high enough for bonus spells, and no somatic nor common material components. "Wow, she can cast spells in armor and spontaneously as a sorcerer! RUN while you can!!..." (Well, it's not that scary, sorcerers still cast more spells per day.) Spellsingers must sing their magic and thus use a verbal component to all spells (whether the spell requires it or not), while the material components they might need are only those that have a listed gp or XP value. The Spellsinger is described as originating from Elven culture on Tellene and passed on to others, especially the dwarves who are implied to utilize cooperative magic as a preference. This class has good multiclassing potential!"
Okay. So those are the new variant classes. I like the Gladiator, Infiltrator, and Shaman the most. I think the shaman being built on the druid, and the spellsinger being built on the sorcerer (almost a carbon copy) will ellicit the most criticism however. I too would ask KenzerCo about the intentions they had having created these two as they did. Given the above, I'm inclined to limit the spellsinger to the "demi-humans" and maybe Half-elves. That leaves the sorcerer to humans and humanoids. Additionally, I'd assume shamans to be far more prevalent on the frontier than druids--the shaman makes the druid seem more specialized and very very rare... This treatment would suit my tastes given the new material combined with the old.
Certainly this chapter leaves us all with alot to think about...
"Chapter III: Prestige Classes.
11, not 10 (?), new full size prestige classes (each 10 levels, not five). I'll sumarize them very briefly:
Alliance Merchant - the masters of politics and commerce, and the conspiracies that bind them. Not for good aligned characters!
Bounty Hunter - this class offers tricks to over come the intelligent "prey" they're after. The Bounty Hunter is an expert at subduing his foes.
Mariner - a special class for special characters... one has to have nearly died at sea to qualify. This prestige class should prove popular with those frequently adventuring at sea! On land, the Mariner is somewhat diminished, but not overly so...
Golem Master - a very special class appropriate for villains and quirky NPC's, not really an adventurer but rather a artisan or craftsman. What this class can create is very impressive indeed...
Muse - finally a prestige class well suited to the Bard. Designed to support allies in social and combative situations.
Order of the Slayer - an undead slayer. This prestige class has an interesting setting-specific history. Fighters and Paladins, for example, can augment their undead destorying capabilities--immensely!
Restorer - a Hobgoblin class dedicated to the restoration of the ancient Hobgoblin empire of Kruk-Ma-Kali. Especially appropriate for evil Hobgoblin sorcerers...
Sentinels of Providence - a setting-specific secret order offering a prestige class that excels at defeating evil outsiders. The class even offers the ability to turn outsiders and access to an anti-outsider domain.
Slaver - slavery is common to certain parts of Tellene, and so an evil class is an obvious development. Great for villains! Nasty for PCs!!
Vessels of Man - an anti-deity, cleric hunting prestige class for those disaffected from religion and the gods. With an SR of 20 versus divine spells at 10th level, one has a good idea what this group's all about.
Warlord - a classic necessity I think. Whether good or evil, or somewhere inbetween, the warlord is equiped to lead and conquer. Great for PC's itching to carve out their own empire!... The art despicting the scowling warrior lounging on his throne is most inspirational!
Chapter III closes with a "DM's Note" encouraging further setting specific prestige class development including a few ideas relating to the Campaign Sourcebook material--like the "Unchainer" based upon the Brotherhood of the Broken Chain--Slavers beware!"
Chapter IV: Skills - no draft review available yet
"Chapter V: Feats
A great many KoKers (KoK fans) will like this chapter. KenzerCo's preview in mid-April whet people's appetites, and I don't think they'll be disappointed. Of 103 feats listed and discussed, 7 are ported in from other WotC sources--perhaps because they were deemed useful to the KoK mileu? The vast majority are new and many require nativity to certain regions to be able to access them. A number of new feats are only available to 1st-level characters. Some feats are specialized to particular situations and, being so specialized, they award +4 bonuses, often to a skill, but a few to a save instead! About 30 feats deal with spells and saves, while at least 50 feats have nothing to do with combat at all (I did a quick count). Some combat feats permit interesting stunts. For example, there's a feat that halts an opponent who tries to move through your threatened area if your AoO is successful. (Those sneaky rogues are going to be in for a rude surprise against some fighters!)"
"Chapter VI: Religion
This chapter is a principle component of what distinguishes the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting from all other published settings. Within one'll find out that the gods of Tellene have no use for race, gender, or any other physical considerations, and that they are known by numerous names depending upon the culture worshipping them. There's a lengthy discussion on choosing a deity to worship, and on followers, worshippers and temple officials. You'll find a wonderful table showing the common non-human names for 43 deities in dwarven, elven, gnomish, halfling, hobgoblin and orc. This is followed by a full page-size table citing each deity's common human name (i.e. in Merchant's Tongue), alignment (BTW in the KoK setting a cleric's alignment must match her or his deity's alignment exactly), weapon (relates to the spiritual weapon spell too), their symbol and the associated divine focus. As noted earlier the deity's domains are cited in the chapter on classes (on page 34).
Page 96 of the KoK PG provides a large table on converting gods from the core PH (i.e. Greyhawk), and from the long list of gods found in Forgotten Realms. A small table shows commonly worshipped gods by core class (the 6 variant classes above already presented their preferences therein).
Next comes a 16 page discourse on the canon attritubed to each of the 43 deities. Very helpful if only just background--players playing clerics will find this incredibly inspirational, I'm sure. Included in this canonical treatise is another large table citing the title of the priesthood, the name of the church, the title of their canon, and when in the day (or night) the clerics restore their spells, for each deity. Reading some of the canons, I find plenty of setting colour or flavour emerges. Very interesting and useful!
Chapter VII: Equipment
This chapter starts with alchemical mixtures, continues with herbal concoctions, then poisons and then jumps to slavery. There's even a half-page-size table on the costs of slaves. All wonderfully nefarious topics rendered in vile detail. Excellent, I say! While setting-specific, this material looks portable to other settings with little trouble. New weapons, ammunition and armor are presented lastly. There are a few novel ideas here--also portable. Much of the equipment and natural items in this chapter, though simple, are nicely rendered in realistic drawings."
Reviews of Chapter VIII: Combat, Chapter IX: Adventuring, Chapter X: Magic are not yet available.
"Chapter XI: Spells
12 pages of domains and 32 pages of spells highlight this chapter. Much of the formatting of this chapter follows the layout familiar to those possessing the PH. To start off, a sort discourse on spells entitled Bigby, Leomund, Otto, Tenser and others that have their names changed to setting-specific names of "famous spellcasters". Nice touch I think.
Then scalable spells are a new concept introduced to the game; although it is only a half-page discussion supported by 6 spells found among the 140+ in the book. Scalable spells are, generally speaking, spells that are castable at different caster levels without preparation. It's not entirely clear how that works with those who must prepare their spells. There are two examples, and while examples are general useful, they do not always replace a concise explanation. Thus the concept remains foggy to me--perhaps I have to "see it" in play to better understand it's implications.
Next, new spells are summarized per class, and 73 domains are presented as available to clerics in this setting. 65 domains come from the PH, Forgotten Realms, Defenders of the Faith. While the KoK gods are reiterated per domain, all but the PH domains are fully described. Some people might be irritated by this use of space, to repeat FR domains for example, yet the high expectations of a comprehensive setting with 43 deities probably demanded some "borrowing" for completeness. (Who's prepared to create 40+ new domains while some perfectly good ones are already available? At some point one starts reinventing the wheel.) Eight of the domains are totally new and unique to KoK and 2 from FR are modified. In keeping with the concept of non-racial deities, there are no racial domains.
Looking at the new spells, one'll find 120+ are new, while forty or more are selected from FR (19 of 3 and DotF (24 of 51). Regarding new spells "native to KoK", there are 7 for the Basiran Dancer, 2 for the Bards, 40 for Clerics, 9 for Druids/Shamans, 2 for Paladins, 1 for the Ranger, and 68 for the Sorcerer/Spellsinger/Wizard classes. With respect to specialist wizards, all the schools seem well represented.
(Note: Page 205 in the PG, the first page of the appendices, credits 7 feats, 43 domains and 43 spells ported in from other WotC sources. Mostly from FR and DotF.)
And to wrap things up here:
"Appendices:
I will be brief here.
Glossary - 7 pages! Not too many publishers are so thoughtful. Kudos to Kenzer & Co!
Place of Origin Table - 7 pages of d10,000 tables to find out where a PC or NPC originated. It looks like fun to use, and it even suggests population densities if one looks at it closely.
Feats - 13 reference pages of ALL official feats listing name, type, source, prerequisite and short description. Holy Kruk-Ma-Kali! Sure couldn't ask for more.
A new KoK PC sheet - a somewhat more logical and useful layout. For example, only the untrained skills are listed; 13 lines below them are blank for the trained skills and anything new a DM might dream up. Smart idea!
Spell planner - while I don't use such lists for play to date, these 26 pages of crammed info remain a useful reference summarizing all the official spells. And the principle level of organization is by class (some by prestige class), from Assassin to Cleric to Druid/Shaman to Vessels of Man (etc.)
Index - 10 pages of thorough references; whether it's a spell, a feat, a section heading, or a name of some class ability or fighting school, you'll find it listed here. An excellent close to a fine product!"
All I can say, as a fan, for the moment is "WOW!" I waited for a long time for this book. I am very pleased I have it. Yes, there is material that will provoke debate, but on the whole, this product is very very complete having covered almost all the ground one needs to initiate a good 3E D&D Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign. It is obvious alot of thought on the part of the folks at Kenzer & Co went into this lovely tome.
As far as I'm concerned the KoK PG rates a 17 out of 20! (Better than 4 on 5 )
By all accounts a fabulous job! "Yay Kenzer & Co!"
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Phew. Well. It's quite the tome to behold folks!
When I've time, I am reading it, cover to cover, and I'm making notes. The store I bought my copy from gave me a wee discount in good faith for my patronage and their invitation to me to provide a lengthy review on their website. So my notes will contribute to my forthcoming review... So far, so very very good!
While it's hard to absorb everthing at once, here's some info to share... and two signifcant typos for Dave et al to know about.
Negatives:
Typo #1: in Table 1-1 on page 3: the -2 Charisma for the Kargi Half-hobgoblin actually belongs with the modifiers for the Krangi Half-hobgoblin. Page 23 (or page 157 in the CS) has the correct data. I haven't noticed any other errors of that nature yet...
Typo #2: no explanation given for Skill Focus, Gather Information in Table 3-2 The Bounty Hunter, 3rd level.
While packed with info, the first thing that struck me when I opened the book was a lack of colour and colour art. There isn't any. Zero. Also the paper quality is different than that of the Campaign Sourcebook: it is a matt finish rather than semi-gloss--a lower quality in terms of what you feel between your finger tips--yet just as durable as the CS I think. You can tell "something's different", but it's not a problem. The hardcover and binding itself is very well done!
"Chapter I: Races.
Right away you'll see that, unlike the KoK Campaign Sourcebook, there is extensive treatment upon the Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-elves, Half-hobgoblins, Half-orcs, Halflings and several sub-races (including Dark Elves--the Tellene version of the Drow), AND Hobgoblins. In fact, hobgoblins are an established menace in this setting. They are bigger and live longer than humans do. Hobgoblins are depicted as ruthless but honour-bound creatures consistantly challenging humans in certain regions of the continent of Tellene. And yes, you can play a hobgoblin PC, the race is fully worked up for play. Some ppl may draw comparisons between hobgoblins and the Klingons of sci-fi lore--the attitudes and cultures are certainly similar. For example, hobgoblins generally consider cheating worse than losing--and they have a highly competitive culture. While Orcs are still a classic foe, Hobgoblins are much more important to the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting...
Humans do not receive racial trait rules for their 6 main cultures (but there is a long language table and variables concerning height and weight). However, this chapter does dedicate 4 pages discussing (mostly for setting flavour) the details of the 6 main human culture around Tellene.
There is extensive treatment of languages further on in the book. This chapter has some advice on converting your FR or OA characters for use in KoK. There's also a full page crammed with notes on Tellene Naming Conventions (that's very useful and it helps to shade in more colour into the setting itself)."
"Chapter II: Classes.
I find this a difficult chapter to cover as there are a lot of new rules and fair chance for controversy concerning the introduction of more "full-size" or "core" classes. However, the KoK PG does remind the reader of the remarks and example(s) of variants found in the DMG. Indeed, we ARE encouraged in the DMG to expand our games to our liking--and that's not even considering the "rule zero" trump one can toss at nay-sayers. With 6 new variant classes, Kenzer "went to town" for us KoKers...
Initially there's a quick discussion on the core classes of game, although the monk seems neglected (the psion and Psychic warrior weren't). Right away there are rules changes for the setting--in particular the list of feats for Fighters has changed significantly at the expense of mounted and ranged weapon feats in favour of new tactical feats for the foot soldier. Each core class has remarks concerning their distribution across the lands and cultures.
The second page of this chapter holds a long table with the complete list of deity domains for all 43 deities. "Finally", some might say. Reading that table shows many domains from various WotC publications.
Next we get into 6 new variant classes. These are full size classes (20 levels) that serve to replace some popular multiclass combinations while answering concerns on XP earnings, and some include unique features that tie into the setting. Each is presented in the familiar format utilized in the PH and adopted by the d20 community. Remarks are included concerning these variants in the KoK setting, such as the races who assume these classes and KoK gods typically associated with them.
The most setting specific is the Basiran Dancer--a combination of dancer and martial artist (a bard/monk that neatly circumvents the alignment problems of the actual multiclass). Despite the name, this class is actually portable into other D&D games--as is most of the content in this entire book.
The Brigand serves as the replacement for the Fighter/Rogue. Brigands have some odd progressions for their Ref and Will saves (the only class outside the norm), 85% of the Rogues abilities, and less than 50% of the Rogues Skill Points (4 at 1st, 3 each level thereafter). The brigand also has a short bonus feat list, a very short class skill list, and, proving that charisma is important to this class, some special abilities associated with intimidating and bluffing others. I think the Brigand has more potential than what an intial reading of the class reveals, I'm not certain as I haven't playtested one. I would like to see the designer's explanation for the odd progressions though...
Next comes the Gladiator--a pure pit fighter! With showmanship and fighting prowess combined, my reading of this class' features evokes visions of the films Thunderdome and Gladiator, as well as the WWF. One can be as campy or as serious as one likes with this specialized fighter. The Gladiator has a number of extraordinary (Ex) abilities tailored to undermine his opponent in the midst of battle while pleasing a crowd. While I'm not a fan of the WWF (which is quite a circus of itself if one thinks about it), this class looks like good fun and should please many players who appreciate the concept of the arena fighter and his potential outside the arena! Get this: by 8th level the Gladiator may use any simple, martial or exotic weapon available without penalty... Now the show will really go on!
Fourth is the Infiltrator. This class combines some traits of the Ranger with some others of the Rogue. While having no spell casting abilities, this class benefits from progressively faster movement like Monks do (but less so), and the woodland stride at 2nd level much like Druids enjoy. For players who like to have their PC's sneak around the countryside raiding and sabotaging an enemy's turf, this class is perfect. Remember that the DM's entitled to apply this class to NPC opponents. PC Rangers have more to worry about now...
The Shaman, already presented in WotC's Oriental Adventures, and also by d20 publishers like Green Ronin and Mongoose Publishing, receives a different but concise treatment for the KoK setting. Closely modelled upon the Druid (the Shaman has, for example, about 90% of the Druid's special abilities), the Shaman fulfills a generic need for the barbaric cultures beyond what the Druid might offer given its quasi-Celtic roots. The difference between the Druid and the Shaman is in the fine details... The creation of a Shaman character requires the selection of a totem animal spirit, which is permanent, and this awards the Shaman a benefit (or two) depending upon the animal type. For example, if the totem is a deer, the shaman receives a +2 bonus to initiative and the new Instant Stand feat. There are 13 totems listed in the PG, from Bear to Wolf; one could probably invent a few more for fussy players. Considering the diversity of cultures across the wilder parts of Tellene, one could argue that the KoK Shaman fits the setting more logically than the Druid. One could even eliminate the Druid from one's game and replace it with the Shaman altogether. One further interesting feature of the Shaman: the time spent resting (i.e. sleeping) has no effect upon a KoK Shaman's ability to prepare spells--all they need is one hour of quiet meditation per day. Thus the Shaman gets a serious edge over others in the chaotic great outdoors... The Shaman can also cast as many spells per day as a Cleric, indeed 2 of these spells at higher class levels are domain spells! Mind you, their BAB and Fort Save progression is weaker than the Druid's. An interesting version, I think--certainly a none too complicated variant.
The last class is the Spellsinger. This class, in a sense, is very much an "improved sorcerer": a slightly better skill list, spell progression as wizard if Charisma is high enough for bonus spells, and no somatic nor common material components. "Wow, she can cast spells in armor and spontaneously as a sorcerer! RUN while you can!!..." (Well, it's not that scary, sorcerers still cast more spells per day.) Spellsingers must sing their magic and thus use a verbal component to all spells (whether the spell requires it or not), while the material components they might need are only those that have a listed gp or XP value. The Spellsinger is described as originating from Elven culture on Tellene and passed on to others, especially the dwarves who are implied to utilize cooperative magic as a preference. This class has good multiclassing potential!"
Okay. So those are the new variant classes. I like the Gladiator, Infiltrator, and Shaman the most. I think the shaman being built on the druid, and the spellsinger being built on the sorcerer (almost a carbon copy) will ellicit the most criticism however. I too would ask KenzerCo about the intentions they had having created these two as they did. Given the above, I'm inclined to limit the spellsinger to the "demi-humans" and maybe Half-elves. That leaves the sorcerer to humans and humanoids. Additionally, I'd assume shamans to be far more prevalent on the frontier than druids--the shaman makes the druid seem more specialized and very very rare... This treatment would suit my tastes given the new material combined with the old.
Certainly this chapter leaves us all with alot to think about...
"Chapter III: Prestige Classes.
11, not 10 (?), new full size prestige classes (each 10 levels, not five). I'll sumarize them very briefly:
Alliance Merchant - the masters of politics and commerce, and the conspiracies that bind them. Not for good aligned characters!
Bounty Hunter - this class offers tricks to over come the intelligent "prey" they're after. The Bounty Hunter is an expert at subduing his foes.
Mariner - a special class for special characters... one has to have nearly died at sea to qualify. This prestige class should prove popular with those frequently adventuring at sea! On land, the Mariner is somewhat diminished, but not overly so...
Golem Master - a very special class appropriate for villains and quirky NPC's, not really an adventurer but rather a artisan or craftsman. What this class can create is very impressive indeed...
Muse - finally a prestige class well suited to the Bard. Designed to support allies in social and combative situations.
Order of the Slayer - an undead slayer. This prestige class has an interesting setting-specific history. Fighters and Paladins, for example, can augment their undead destorying capabilities--immensely!
Restorer - a Hobgoblin class dedicated to the restoration of the ancient Hobgoblin empire of Kruk-Ma-Kali. Especially appropriate for evil Hobgoblin sorcerers...
Sentinels of Providence - a setting-specific secret order offering a prestige class that excels at defeating evil outsiders. The class even offers the ability to turn outsiders and access to an anti-outsider domain.
Slaver - slavery is common to certain parts of Tellene, and so an evil class is an obvious development. Great for villains! Nasty for PCs!!
Vessels of Man - an anti-deity, cleric hunting prestige class for those disaffected from religion and the gods. With an SR of 20 versus divine spells at 10th level, one has a good idea what this group's all about.
Warlord - a classic necessity I think. Whether good or evil, or somewhere inbetween, the warlord is equiped to lead and conquer. Great for PC's itching to carve out their own empire!... The art despicting the scowling warrior lounging on his throne is most inspirational!
Chapter III closes with a "DM's Note" encouraging further setting specific prestige class development including a few ideas relating to the Campaign Sourcebook material--like the "Unchainer" based upon the Brotherhood of the Broken Chain--Slavers beware!"
Chapter IV: Skills - no draft review available yet
"Chapter V: Feats
A great many KoKers (KoK fans) will like this chapter. KenzerCo's preview in mid-April whet people's appetites, and I don't think they'll be disappointed. Of 103 feats listed and discussed, 7 are ported in from other WotC sources--perhaps because they were deemed useful to the KoK mileu? The vast majority are new and many require nativity to certain regions to be able to access them. A number of new feats are only available to 1st-level characters. Some feats are specialized to particular situations and, being so specialized, they award +4 bonuses, often to a skill, but a few to a save instead! About 30 feats deal with spells and saves, while at least 50 feats have nothing to do with combat at all (I did a quick count). Some combat feats permit interesting stunts. For example, there's a feat that halts an opponent who tries to move through your threatened area if your AoO is successful. (Those sneaky rogues are going to be in for a rude surprise against some fighters!)"
"Chapter VI: Religion
This chapter is a principle component of what distinguishes the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting from all other published settings. Within one'll find out that the gods of Tellene have no use for race, gender, or any other physical considerations, and that they are known by numerous names depending upon the culture worshipping them. There's a lengthy discussion on choosing a deity to worship, and on followers, worshippers and temple officials. You'll find a wonderful table showing the common non-human names for 43 deities in dwarven, elven, gnomish, halfling, hobgoblin and orc. This is followed by a full page-size table citing each deity's common human name (i.e. in Merchant's Tongue), alignment (BTW in the KoK setting a cleric's alignment must match her or his deity's alignment exactly), weapon (relates to the spiritual weapon spell too), their symbol and the associated divine focus. As noted earlier the deity's domains are cited in the chapter on classes (on page 34).
Page 96 of the KoK PG provides a large table on converting gods from the core PH (i.e. Greyhawk), and from the long list of gods found in Forgotten Realms. A small table shows commonly worshipped gods by core class (the 6 variant classes above already presented their preferences therein).
Next comes a 16 page discourse on the canon attritubed to each of the 43 deities. Very helpful if only just background--players playing clerics will find this incredibly inspirational, I'm sure. Included in this canonical treatise is another large table citing the title of the priesthood, the name of the church, the title of their canon, and when in the day (or night) the clerics restore their spells, for each deity. Reading some of the canons, I find plenty of setting colour or flavour emerges. Very interesting and useful!
Chapter VII: Equipment
This chapter starts with alchemical mixtures, continues with herbal concoctions, then poisons and then jumps to slavery. There's even a half-page-size table on the costs of slaves. All wonderfully nefarious topics rendered in vile detail. Excellent, I say! While setting-specific, this material looks portable to other settings with little trouble. New weapons, ammunition and armor are presented lastly. There are a few novel ideas here--also portable. Much of the equipment and natural items in this chapter, though simple, are nicely rendered in realistic drawings."
Reviews of Chapter VIII: Combat, Chapter IX: Adventuring, Chapter X: Magic are not yet available.
"Chapter XI: Spells
12 pages of domains and 32 pages of spells highlight this chapter. Much of the formatting of this chapter follows the layout familiar to those possessing the PH. To start off, a sort discourse on spells entitled Bigby, Leomund, Otto, Tenser and others that have their names changed to setting-specific names of "famous spellcasters". Nice touch I think.
Then scalable spells are a new concept introduced to the game; although it is only a half-page discussion supported by 6 spells found among the 140+ in the book. Scalable spells are, generally speaking, spells that are castable at different caster levels without preparation. It's not entirely clear how that works with those who must prepare their spells. There are two examples, and while examples are general useful, they do not always replace a concise explanation. Thus the concept remains foggy to me--perhaps I have to "see it" in play to better understand it's implications.
Next, new spells are summarized per class, and 73 domains are presented as available to clerics in this setting. 65 domains come from the PH, Forgotten Realms, Defenders of the Faith. While the KoK gods are reiterated per domain, all but the PH domains are fully described. Some people might be irritated by this use of space, to repeat FR domains for example, yet the high expectations of a comprehensive setting with 43 deities probably demanded some "borrowing" for completeness. (Who's prepared to create 40+ new domains while some perfectly good ones are already available? At some point one starts reinventing the wheel.) Eight of the domains are totally new and unique to KoK and 2 from FR are modified. In keeping with the concept of non-racial deities, there are no racial domains.
Looking at the new spells, one'll find 120+ are new, while forty or more are selected from FR (19 of 3 and DotF (24 of 51). Regarding new spells "native to KoK", there are 7 for the Basiran Dancer, 2 for the Bards, 40 for Clerics, 9 for Druids/Shamans, 2 for Paladins, 1 for the Ranger, and 68 for the Sorcerer/Spellsinger/Wizard classes. With respect to specialist wizards, all the schools seem well represented.
(Note: Page 205 in the PG, the first page of the appendices, credits 7 feats, 43 domains and 43 spells ported in from other WotC sources. Mostly from FR and DotF.)
And to wrap things up here:
"Appendices:
I will be brief here.
Glossary - 7 pages! Not too many publishers are so thoughtful. Kudos to Kenzer & Co!
Place of Origin Table - 7 pages of d10,000 tables to find out where a PC or NPC originated. It looks like fun to use, and it even suggests population densities if one looks at it closely.
Feats - 13 reference pages of ALL official feats listing name, type, source, prerequisite and short description. Holy Kruk-Ma-Kali! Sure couldn't ask for more.
A new KoK PC sheet - a somewhat more logical and useful layout. For example, only the untrained skills are listed; 13 lines below them are blank for the trained skills and anything new a DM might dream up. Smart idea!
Spell planner - while I don't use such lists for play to date, these 26 pages of crammed info remain a useful reference summarizing all the official spells. And the principle level of organization is by class (some by prestige class), from Assassin to Cleric to Druid/Shaman to Vessels of Man (etc.)
Index - 10 pages of thorough references; whether it's a spell, a feat, a section heading, or a name of some class ability or fighting school, you'll find it listed here. An excellent close to a fine product!"
All I can say, as a fan, for the moment is "WOW!" I waited for a long time for this book. I am very pleased I have it. Yes, there is material that will provoke debate, but on the whole, this product is very very complete having covered almost all the ground one needs to initiate a good 3E D&D Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign. It is obvious alot of thought on the part of the folks at Kenzer & Co went into this lovely tome.
As far as I'm concerned the KoK PG rates a 17 out of 20! (Better than 4 on 5 )
By all accounts a fabulous job! "Yay Kenzer & Co!"
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