Aitch Eye
First Post
A nice-looking issue with nice content. Thanks to everyone at the magazine for continuing with the "Campaign Components" features.
Campaign Components: Gladiators, by Dean Poisso. A few pages looking at gladiatorial games in Roman history is followed by the usual tips on working the contests into a D&D game. There are about four pages of rules material, including gladiator-specific armor, three new exotic weapons, combat feats and feats that interact with the "Fame Points" system that's also included (or with the "Honor Points" system in issue #299). However, most of the article deals with integrating the games into campaigns and running them inside and outside the arena rather than crunchy bits. It also has a map of the grounds surrounding an arena, possibly intended to be the same one as on the pull out battlemap/poster.
Class Acts: Blood And Fame, by Kolja Liquette. Three 5-level prestige classes, designed for gladiators but usable for adventurers. The Invisible Blade (a knife-fighter), the Occult Slayer (specializes in fighting spellcasters), and the Reaping Mauler (an unarmed fighter).
Saying The Right Things: Optional Rules for Social Skills, by Eric Cagle. General advice for using Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive, along with some new rules expanding them.
The Iron Path: Martial Arts Styles for Fantasy Cultures, by Dean Poisso. As in Oriental Adventures, when characters have the prerequisite feats and skill ranks, they receive an added benefit. 15 styles are described, for each of the non-hybid PC races and for drow, gnolls, goblins, lizardfolk, ogres, and orcs. (Seven feats are reprinted from some of the non-core WotC books.)
The Undergroves: The Natural Dangers of the Underdark, by Tim Hitchcock. Seven self-contained underground ecologies (such as bone gardens, screaming caves, and salt hives), along with stats for the creatures, flora and hazards found in them.
Guild Secrets: Academy Necronomica, by Andy Collins. Organization of necromancers headed by a lich. Includes two new feats, and three new alchemical substances.
Prying Eyes, by Johnny L. Wilson, from a story idea by T. H. Lain. Fiction featuring iconic cleric Jozan.
Silicon Sorcery: The Lost Horrors of Neverwinter Nights, by Clifford Horowitz. Four monsters from the game: the Skeletal Intellect Devourer, Battle Intellect Devourer, Creator Race, and the Spirit of the Woods template.
DM's Toolbox "Building Better Plot Hooks," by Johnn Four.
DM's Toolbox "Table Tune Up," by Glen Veltum. Using "marks," visual descriptions, gestures, and speaking styles that give players clues about NPCs.
The Play's the Thing "Negotiating with Your DM," by Robin Laws. Typing a DM by their gaming style, and the basic techniques of negotiation.
Sage Advice, by Skip Williams. General questions.
Pullout Insert. One side features a battlemap of a gladiatorial arena, illustrated by Arnie Swekel. The other side is a poster of Marc Sasso's cover art from Dungeon #96 (which will apparently include a poster of Dragon's cover -- they fit together -- with a battlemap of the lower level of the arena).
Several of the regulars ("Living Greyhawk Journal," "Dungeoncraft," "Up On A Soapbox," and "Elminster's Guide to the Realms") don't appear this month.
If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer them.
Campaign Components: Gladiators, by Dean Poisso. A few pages looking at gladiatorial games in Roman history is followed by the usual tips on working the contests into a D&D game. There are about four pages of rules material, including gladiator-specific armor, three new exotic weapons, combat feats and feats that interact with the "Fame Points" system that's also included (or with the "Honor Points" system in issue #299). However, most of the article deals with integrating the games into campaigns and running them inside and outside the arena rather than crunchy bits. It also has a map of the grounds surrounding an arena, possibly intended to be the same one as on the pull out battlemap/poster.
Class Acts: Blood And Fame, by Kolja Liquette. Three 5-level prestige classes, designed for gladiators but usable for adventurers. The Invisible Blade (a knife-fighter), the Occult Slayer (specializes in fighting spellcasters), and the Reaping Mauler (an unarmed fighter).
Saying The Right Things: Optional Rules for Social Skills, by Eric Cagle. General advice for using Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive, along with some new rules expanding them.
The Iron Path: Martial Arts Styles for Fantasy Cultures, by Dean Poisso. As in Oriental Adventures, when characters have the prerequisite feats and skill ranks, they receive an added benefit. 15 styles are described, for each of the non-hybid PC races and for drow, gnolls, goblins, lizardfolk, ogres, and orcs. (Seven feats are reprinted from some of the non-core WotC books.)
The Undergroves: The Natural Dangers of the Underdark, by Tim Hitchcock. Seven self-contained underground ecologies (such as bone gardens, screaming caves, and salt hives), along with stats for the creatures, flora and hazards found in them.
Guild Secrets: Academy Necronomica, by Andy Collins. Organization of necromancers headed by a lich. Includes two new feats, and three new alchemical substances.
Prying Eyes, by Johnny L. Wilson, from a story idea by T. H. Lain. Fiction featuring iconic cleric Jozan.
Silicon Sorcery: The Lost Horrors of Neverwinter Nights, by Clifford Horowitz. Four monsters from the game: the Skeletal Intellect Devourer, Battle Intellect Devourer, Creator Race, and the Spirit of the Woods template.
DM's Toolbox "Building Better Plot Hooks," by Johnn Four.
DM's Toolbox "Table Tune Up," by Glen Veltum. Using "marks," visual descriptions, gestures, and speaking styles that give players clues about NPCs.
The Play's the Thing "Negotiating with Your DM," by Robin Laws. Typing a DM by their gaming style, and the basic techniques of negotiation.
Sage Advice, by Skip Williams. General questions.
Pullout Insert. One side features a battlemap of a gladiatorial arena, illustrated by Arnie Swekel. The other side is a poster of Marc Sasso's cover art from Dungeon #96 (which will apparently include a poster of Dragon's cover -- they fit together -- with a battlemap of the lower level of the arena).
Several of the regulars ("Living Greyhawk Journal," "Dungeoncraft," "Up On A Soapbox," and "Elminster's Guide to the Realms") don't appear this month.
If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer them.
