E.N. Armoury - Chainmail Bikini

[HellHound]

[imager]http://www.rpgnow.com/products/product_4686.jpg[/imager]
Adventuring Never Looked So Good

From the company that brought you Bride of Portable Hole: The Book of Neurotic Fantasy, and the author who really wanted a feat called Bondage Attack in E.N. Arsenal - Whips, comes a product that brings the superficiality and vapidity of pop culture into the realm of heroic fantasy roleplaying.

The chainmail bikini is a classic image of heroic fantasy, but only now do we have the scientific understanding (and the rules) to explain how exactly it protects warrior women in battle. It's a secret that will revolutionize your gaming experience, and possibly get you dumped by your girlfriend.

This book of course contains the full-figured scoop on the chainmail bikini, but wait, there’s more! In the pages that follow you’ll find:

• Statistics, history, and rules variants of the chainmail bikini.
• Other sexy armour for women and men.
• Rules to craft masterwork bikinis.
• Pretty pictures.
• Rules for conducting beauty contests.
• The folk tale of the magical armor of Quick Don, priest of Elea.
• And enough feats, prestige classes, and magic items of neurotic fantasy to choke a gnoll pimp.

 

[Jdvn1]

There are a lot of movies and television shows that feature a heroine in skimpy clothing. Is it practical? Not really. Does it provide adequate protection from attacks? No. Does it make for good cinematic effects? Definitely. Well, now there are some good rules for it. Chainmail Bikini is part of the E.N. Armoury line, and boy does it rock. I was a bit skeptical when I saw this pdf because I thought it’d be a really silly, stupid excuse to talk about women in very little clothing (I decided to review it because it was a free reviewer copy). Actually, it’s a really silly, smart excuse to talk about women in very little clothing.

The pdf starts of a bit slow because it discusses historical accounts of bikini armors – as if they were trying to justify the concept or make it less silly – well, it doesn’t work. Thankfully, they don’t spend too much time on that. Apparently there was some Celtic lady in the 7th century by the name Grace McCulloughan. I’m not in to all of that history stuff; I just want to play the game. The first chapter continues and goes into rules for being scantily clad (and naked), different types of bikini armors, gender and racial preferences of bikini armors, and bikini armor improvements. While bikini armors are better than normal armors (and more expensive) it’s the armor improvements that make the exotic armor proficiency feat really worth getting. Improvements do a variety of things ranging from reducing armor check penalties and reducing swim penalties to adding a quick-release mechanism.

The sidebars in this pdf are all very useful, and some of them could be expanded into their own pdf’s. The one at the end of chapter one is a change of pace – it is for all of you wanting more realism in their games. I’ve seen way too many tables and house rules using appearance as an attribute, but this sidebar does it very well. In the sidebar, Beauty is a stat the player can choose – but it has little or no mechanical benefit, and it takes penalties when dealing with members of a different race. It seems to be mostly a numerical representation of a purely fluffy character trait.

Phew. That’s chapter one, and probably the best chapter of the pdf – it has definitely made me optimistic toward the rest. I kind of glossed over the rules in chapter one, but it’s all pretty straightforward. No surprises, really. It provides most of what you need to use bikini armors in a game.

The feats chapter (chapter two, although they’re not actually numbered) is amusing and has interesting uses for Charisma (some of which seem out of place due to the discussion of Beauty vs Charisma), sex, and various parts of the body, but it strikes me as over-the-top at times. There are some goods feats, but I feel they’re not too consistent. The rest of the pdf takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to sex and such, but this chapter includes phrases like “you may attack with your breasts” which is just kind of weird. Who knows, maybe that phrase will boost sales. Some of the feats also seem kind of forced – that doesn’t mean none of them are good, though, and some feats oppose Naked Defense, which is the other extreme. Feats are a very mechanical part of the game, so they rarely have any color in them. Weapon Focus gives a +1 to attack rolls, but it doesn’t explain why. Interesting feats try to incorporate some color into the crunch, and many of these feats have some color. However, there are twenty-two feats, so you kind of get bogged down, and it does start to seem like rule after rule.

Prestige classes (the third chapter) are more of a mix. I like reading the opening descriptions of prestige classes and seeing how the benefits match the description. Although there are only two prestige classes here, they are both excellent. The first is a beauty pageant contestant/caster class that specializes in combining her beauty with spells. Rather fitting. The contest they originate from is described later on, so that adds a nice extra bit of flavor. The next is a monk/striptease class who wears bandages, and uses her bandage clothing as bolas to grapple and attack. The themes of each of the classes are entertaining and they look really fun to play. I’m inspired to adjust the classes (while keeping the same style) for other base classes.

The next chapter (yes, that’d be four) describes how to incorporate bikinis and beauty scores and … well, all of this stuff into a world or campaign. It provides a wealth of ideas and includes rules for beauty contests – which apparently involves combat at times. After all, what’s the point of looking stunning in your chainmail bikini if it’s not also functional? It’s a useful chapter for GMs wanting ideas, which is most of us some of the time.

The last chapter is kind of short, but what is there is pretty good. They only have one new spell (it grants the benefits of a feat listed earlier) – it’s not a great spell, but you can easily house rule similar spells to grant equal feats from the feat chapter. One spell in the pdf and it’s not great. I think it should’ve been dropped or they should’ve put more in, but this seems skimpy. The new weapon in this chapter (again the only one, which is mildly disappointing) is the volleyball. This is actually a neat weapon – does a decent amount of damage, has multiple attacks, but it would be nice if they also included whips and such. This would not have been the first time they mentioned dominatrices. There are seven magic items, which are well done and interesting, some that contain a lot of color. Two of three of them are also tied together. A staff with a small bag of holding for holding spell components and daggers is a neat idea. They list one new god (I don’t say ‘just’ because I feel that is enough in this department), who has an amusing anecdote tied to her.

I feel I should mention two other things: it’d have been nice to have sample characters, and the artwork here is phenomenal. I’m biased toward the artwork, though, being a fan of JL Jones, who does most of the artwork. The other artwork is also excellent, but I’m biased toward JL Jones in particular.

By the time I finished this pdf, I was laughing. It’s very well done while being silly. Anyone whose game is silly enough to include this idea should really consider investing in this pdf. $4.95 for this 26-page pdf is an excellent deal.

 

[Anio]

Chainmail Bikini - review by Jason Lund (Anio)

Chainmail Bikini is a 29 page PDF (including 1 cover/credits page, 1 table of contents page and 1 OGL page) in the EN Armoury series written by Ryan Nock for EN Publishing. This product also comes with two full colour PDFs of the back and front cover. As the author states on the first page of content, "If it has something to do with looking good, you’ll find it here." This PDF covers a range of fantastical armour and equipment in the tradition of shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess and while it does not take itself seriously, it does attempt to completely cover the topic in the D20 fashion.

This product begins with a half page description of what it intends to provide before going onto a three-quarter page look at the chainmail bikini in history (mostly fairytale and an attempt at semi-serious analysis). Immediately after the history of scantily armoured women is a feat to wear the less than practical armour. This is followed by an in-depth description of the bikini. The analysis of the bikini goes into the differences between bikini armour, ranging from light bikini armour to full-plate bikinis, pleasure bikinis and dominatrix bikinis. Included is a description of male codpieces and a mention that, "..As everyone knows, men’s clothes never cost as much as women’s." A full table of statistics for all types of bikini armour in the vein of other armour types, including price, armour bonus and arcane spell failure.

Chainmail Bikini is packed with other information. A bikini armour template is provided to adapt any other armour type that may be devised. Details on racial preferences and craftsmanship lead into the provision of eight improvements to the armour, covering such areas as buoyancy, durability, mobility and balance. Sidebars present three optional rules for the use of scanty armour, including rules for improved defense while naked or scantily clad, beauty (a new ability score) and wealth (expensive clothes making you look better). Seven new magic items are presented, including the Tsunami Suit, a suit if armour that grants various powers relating to water, and the Shirt of Heroic Drama, a +5 manly shirt that grants bonuses based upon his armour tearing dramatically in combat.

Twenty-three new feats, all relating to wearing and using scanty armour, are featured, ranging from Anatomically Over-Endowed to Armour Focus and Glutton for Punishment. Clearly, a silly topic, but handled professionally, Chainmail Bikini goes on to provide information on two new five-level prestige classes that make use of the optional rules. The Nereid Diva is a spell casting class that gains its power from the beauty of the devotee while the Bolojiustu Striptease is an assassin-like class focused upon distraction and making use of bolas. Should a group intend to include various forms of scanty armour, it seems to be necessary to include the optional rules and feats in order that devotees of the prestige classes are able to survive combat. The crunch is rounded out by the introduction of a new deity, Elea, the Goddess of Sexual Escapades.

The layout is clean and simple, with good use of white space and art interspersed to provide ease of readability. Chainmail Bikini is printer friendly without heavy borders or full-page ink-sucking pictures. The artwork ranges from simple to good and is thematically consistent. I particularly liked the drawing of the Bolojiustu Striptease devotee by Benjamin Richards as it is both thematic and conveys the impression of a seductress assassin quite well.

Summary

I see Chainmail Bikini in the same manner I view men's magazines: while not for everyone, a segment of the market would certainly appreciate this product and it has been done quite well. Despite the tongue-in-cheek topic, the author has made an effort to address it completely and provided a lot of information for the use of scanty armour. DCs, prices, crafting options, an abundance of feats, seven new magic items, two new prestige classes and three optional rules are all provided for a group who want to include scanty armour in their game. The style of writing, editing and use of artwork in this product could really be used as a template for other PDF products. The PDF is fully bookmarked, the layout is clean and the editing is good. The artwork ranges from simple to good and is all thematically consistent. I suspect, however, that the target audience will find this supplement quite funny and that the mechanics will matter far less than the humour.


Review by Jason Lund (Anio)

 

[OaxacanWarrior]

EN Armoury: Chainmail Bikini is an irreverantly fun look at the staple of fantasy protective wear that is the bikini. You may well be thinking that "A bikini doesn't offer any protection though does it?" I know that question crossed my mind a time or two. ENA: Chainmail Bikini answers that question with an optional rule (Naked Defense) and various feats and exotic armours. This supplement was a lot of fun to read and had me laughing out loud a few times.

Disclaimer: I recieved this product free as a review copy.

Let's take a closer look and see what you get with this product. The zip file includes 3 PDF files. Two of them are cover pages at various levels of detail. The third is the actual book itself. The book is 26 pages long plus a cover and table of contents at the beginning and the OGL at the end. The PDF is fully bookmarked for reading convenience.

The artwork is well done and fits in very appropriately with the theme of this book. The internal artwork is all done in black and white whereas the covers are in full color. My favorite illustration was on page 9 of the book. It looks like Ron Jeremy in a kilt with pierced nipples and a claymore. I got quite a chuckle out of it and still do each time I look at it.

The book is presented in five chapters or sections - Chainmail Bikini, Fighting and Feats, Bikini Prestige Classes, Swimsuits of the Multiverse, and Bikini Magic. We'll now take a look at each section.

Chainmail Bikini and Other Adventuring Gear for Beautiful People is the full title of the first section. It discusses what the book is and has a link to a picture of a pretty cool looking gnoll pimp. It then goes on to discuss the history of the chainmail bikini (and the bikini in general). The Exotic Armour Proficiency Feat is then presented so that you can use underwear armour such as binkinis, codpieces, loincloths, corsets, etc. Statistics for bikini armour are presented for everything from string bikinis up to full plate bikinis. Racial preferences are explained...it's just difficult to imagine a dwarf wearing a chainmail bikini and thankfully they almost never do. Craftsmanship of the chainmail bikinis is discussed with various improvements presented.

The optional rules Naked Defense and Beauty are explained in this section. Without Naked Defense, Beauty, and the Exotic Armour Proficiency most everything else in the book is pretty much useless in game, although still a fun read.

The next section is Fighting and Feats. The first page of this section boasts the great Ron Jeremy-esque illustration. The feats presented are Anatomically Over-Endowed, Arcane Armour, Armour Focus, Armour Optimization, Armour Specializtion, Bondage Attack, Cleavage, Combat Titillation, Exotic Armour Proficiency, Eye Candy, Glutton for Punishment, Hot and Violent, Improved Naked Defense, Improved Quick Don, Smothering Attack, Take Your Mind Off It, Tan Lines, and Too Cute to Hit. One epic feat is also presented - Epic Anatomically Over-Endowed - which makes it so that everything is sexually intimidated by you!

The third section is the Bikini Prestige Classes. Two PrCs - Nereid Diva and Bolojiutsu Striptease - make up this section. The Nereid Diva is a spellcaster who powers her spells with her beauty. The Bolojiutsu Striptease is a stripping monk-type character that uses bolas as a weapon of choice.

The fourth section is Swimsuits of the Multiverse. This section covers rules for beauty contest and provides a lot of plot hooks and ideas for how to include them into your game. It also discusses different types of swimsuits and when they would be used.

The fifth and final section is Bikini Magic. One new spell, Endow, is presented that basically gives the target the benefits of the Anatomically Over-Endowed Feat. A new weapon, the volleyball, is presented to keep with the beach/bikini theme. Seven magic items are detailed - Armour of Quick Don, Bikini of Doom, Charm of Beauty, Shirt of Heroic Drama, Staff of Accessories, The Ribbon Whirlwind, and Tsunami Suit. Another optional rule, Wealth and Beauty, is presented. The section ends with a write-up of Elea, Goddess of Sexual Escapades, and the Tale of Quick Don, Priest of Elea.

I only noticed one obvious typo that made it into the finished product, which is pretty good in my opinion.

Overall, this book is a lot of fun to read. It is well done and presents material that I would actually consider using in-game for a character.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

E.N. Armoury: Chainmail Bikini

[imager]http://www.rpgnow.com/products/product_4686.jpg[/imager] EN Armoury: Chainmail Bikini

Disclaimer: I recieved this product free as a review copy.

Chainmail Bikini is a supplement for D20 fantasy games that allows the GM and her players to use supplementary rules found within to give their game a feel similar to that which is found in the fight scenes in Hollywood movies.

The beginning of the product starts with giving a history of how the bikini armor came into existence and its effect on the development of the bikini throughout history. Interestingly enough, though the bikini has existed as armour since the 7^th century, it only came into use as an article of clothing since the beginning of the 20^th century.

In order to gain the maximum effectiveness from wearing bikini armour a character needs to possess a feat called Exotic Armour Proficiency (which is presented in the product) and the standard armour proficiency of the appropriate weight of the armour (light, medium or heavy).

Naked Defense is presented in the product as a means of furthering the style of fighting while scantily clad or naked. I find this to be unique because the mechanic presented actually makes sense when applied to the game as a whole. When fighting scantily clad characters gain a +1 armour bonus to their AC. In order to be considered scantily clad a character be wearing no armour or robes. This does not mean the character has to be naked. The character can be wearing underwear armour (more on this later) and still be considered scantily clad. A character that is wearing absolutely nothing gains a +2 armour bonus to AC. The rules for naked defense are optional, but without it bikini armour is practically useless.

The product then delves into the multitude of bikini armours that are available (modified from table 7-6 in the PHB). All the armours that are presented in the PHB have a bikini equivalent. The armour bonus for wearing bikini armour is the same as wearing the full version of the armour, but in order to gain the full bonus the character needs the Exotic Armour Proficiency feat. A character that wears bikini armour and doesn’t have the feat suffers a -4 penalty to their AC. Wearing bikini armour is the equivalent of being scantily clad.

Also of merit is how fantasy races perceive bikini armour. Although humans invented bikini armour, the elves actually proclaim that they did. Halflings love bikini armour, but imagine looking at one while it is wearing it. That is a mental image that is a bit unsettling. Dwarves are another story and prefer wearing full armour over bikini armour. Gnomes like bikini armour and are actually the first race that developed the concept of swimsuit competitions. Orcs can it, but their generally less than beautiful looks don’t make them look good in it, actually preferring halters and dominatrix outfits.

Craftsmanship of the armour is delved into as well. This is ingeniously implemented and allows for armour to be improved. There are eight kinds of improvements and each have a way of improving armour. Buoyancy is a trait that can be added that allows for better movement in water. A Custom Fit is similar to masterwork armour in that allows the wearer to peruse it exactly as masterwork, without it having to be. The Durability and Hardened traits allow +2 to its hit points and hardness, respectively. Armour fitted with the Mobility trait allow the wearer to gain the benefits of wearing it as if it were one category lighter. Quick Release is a trait that allows for armour to be fitted with hooks and eyes that when depressed allow the armour to fall off in two rounds or less. Reduced Weight and Superb Balance are my favorites. They allow the armour’s weight to be reduced by half and increase the maximum allowable Dex bonus by +1, respectively.

Beauty is an optional rule that is included as well. It is presented as an ability score, but is not determined by random means like other ability scores. You can choose how beautiful your character is, descriptively and assign a score. If your GM determines that your description and score do not match, then they may overrule you on what the score actually is. Your beauty can fluctuate when dealing with people of higher and lower stations and when dealing with members of other races.

Feats are included as well and give the product a bit of humorous taste. There are a multiple of feats that can effect how physically endowed a character is to how well you can fight defensively and take a hit. There are too many to list and well, I can’t give away the entire product.

Two prestige classes are presented within. The Nereid Diva effects how well a character can hold their own in a beauty contest and boosts you beauty score as you gain levels. The Bolojiutsu Striptease allows a character to hone their combat skills and beauty to help them while in battle. Mostly females are drawn to this prestige class, but some men enter into it as well.

Naturally the product also has rules and guidelines for characters that wish to enter and compete in beauty contests. Interestingly though, is the fact that it is presented, but the author suggests that one is unlikely to occur within the course of an adventure. Personally I see these rules as an opportunity to use in a homebrew adventure as it is just unfolding. A sample beauty contest is included so to familiarize a GM with how one works and the rounds that ensue. The first round is the Swim Suit Competition (not surprising), followed by an Adventuring Gear round, then the Dance and Socializing Competition followed by a Combat Competition and finalized with a Swim Race. The swim race determines the winners of the Beauty Contest competition. Prizes are given to five individuals that win; first place, second place and so on. Individuals in 4^th and 5^th place receive a vial of water that when drunk have their aging halted for a year. Second and 3^rd place winner can choose an item worth up to 5,000 gp or a vial of water that will halt their aging process for five years. The fist place winner can choose between having a magic item worth no more than 25,000 gp commissioned or a vial of water that halts the aging for fifty years. Those that choose to gain age defying the water are demanded that it be poured into the city’s communal water supply instead of keeping it, as this is apparently a tradition.

What product would be complete without new spells and/or magic items? Certainly not EN Armoury: Chainmail Bikini. Bards, sorcerers and wizards gain access to the first level Endow spell. Casting it allows you to benefit from the Anatomically Over-Endowed feat. In a nutshell it provides creatures that are interested in you a penalty to hit damage you, and you gain a bonus on any Charisma based checks against them. Among the magic items is the Armour of Quick Don (+2 glamered bikini full plate), the Charm of Beauty (makes the wearer more physically appealing), and the Shirt of Heroic Drama (when it takes a certain amount of damage in a single round, it tears and allows the character that is wearing it to use their Charisma modifier as a bonus to a single attack roll), among others The Shirt of Heroic Drama makes me think back to episodes of The Incredible Hulk.

Finally Chainmail Bikini includes a deity whose portfolio encompasses fulfilling desires, sex and sexual escapades (and occasionally love) and a tale of one of her worshippers know as Don Juan, aka Quick Don.

Conclusion
EN Armoury: Chainmail Bikini is a wonderfully done product that includes plenty of humor and expends the base of the game into something not usually covered. It is nowhere near as rude as I initially put it up to be before reading it. It is informative and well presented. I would recommend it to any group of mature roleplayers that wish to include the element of fantasy battle included in some Hollywood movies. This reviewer gives Chainmail Bikini four stars.

 

[Berandor]

The Chainmail Bikini has long been the center of controversy - cheesecake or sexist imagery? Now E.N. Publishing takes on this topic in a semi-serious accessory. As a reader of other humorous d20-books like “Slayer’s Guide to Rules Lawyers” or “Nymphology”, I know it’s a fine line to walk. Marrying humor with the often boring mechanics is not an easy task, so I was curious whether Ryan Nock would walk that line more succesful than his predecessors.

Note: I received “Chainmail Bikini” as a free review copy.

First Impressions
The zipped folder contains three PDF files, two versions of the cover (in 150 and 300 dpi, respectively), and the book itself. The cover contains the title on a brownish background, as well as the drawing of a woman dressed in the titular garment. The same image is found on the first page of the book, albeit without the coloring. The PDF file is bookmarked.

Images throughout the book are black and white only. The majority of these images are drawings by J.L. Jones. These images are competently drawn, but lack details - they’re more like sketches. There’s one image of a man in a torn shirt by Matthew C which is also alright, and an exceptional piece of a sorceress by Benjamin Richards. All images contain scantily clad women (and two men. I think the topic might have warranted more detailed art, though.

The design is clear and easy to read. The style is almost colloquial in places, with random references thrown in, and quite serious in others. For those who are interested in those things, the whole book is Open Content (save for a few titles). Finally, the PDF contains three hyperlinks in the first pages, one to an image, one to another E.N. Publishing product, and one to the Bikini Atoll.

Chainmail Bikini
The first of five chapters starts with the (semi-fictional) history of the chainmail bikini and its statistics in a game (basically the normal armor types with less penalties). The effective use of a bikini in a D&D game relies on a new rule called “naked defense” which is also provided here. Also, we get new options to improve chainmail bikinis (and other armor) during the crafting stage; for example, for 150gp and a craft check DC 20, you can custom fit your armor and reduce its check penalty by one. Finally, there’s a new ability added to the game: Beauty.

Here begins the strange dichotomy that plagues the book. Some of the material in here is clearly meant to be humorous, while other parts could be used in any D&D game at all. This makes the humour stand out more, but it also means you second-guess some remarks that would not be appropriate in a normal D20 accessory. It also means it’s a very easy defense for the author, since he can deflect all criticism by referring to the book’s humorous nature. I’m not sure I like that.

Finally, the Beauty ability has its own problems. It is not rolled or otherwise determined, but a player may choose his or her own score, even though using the prestige classes in this book might make this ability quite powerful. Also, “Beauty Checks” simply mean you check who the highest beauty has; in d20, the name check has a clear meaning ot rolling the dice and adding a modifier, so “Beauty Comparison” might have been a better name.
On the other hand, I really like the armor enhancements and will likely use them in my (bikini-devoid) game from now on. A very nice idea.

Fighting and Feats
Somewhat confusingly named, this chapter contains just feats, 21 of them (one epic). Again, these feats contain the humorous (Anatomically Over-Endowed) and the useful (Armor Specialization) side by side. The feats are generally well done. Sometimes the humor dropped too low for my tastes, like Smother enabling you to take a creature’s breath with your breasts (a creature up to two sizes larger than you) or Cleavage giving you attacks with them (that’s gotta hurt!). But Tan Lines granting you fire resistance was a very nice idea. All in all, the feats’ names were funnier to me than the actual effects.

Bikini Prestige Classes
This chapter gives us two prestige classes, the Nereid Diva and the Bolojitsu Striptease.
The Nereid Diva is a spellcaster that uses Beauty to cast and gets some nymph-like abilities. The class might be unbalanced since Beauty has not many other uses than powering spells, so a caster doesn’t have a lot of reasons not to (temporarily) burn her Beauty.

Bolojistu Stripteases require sneak attack, but then the abilities enhance monk features, which might be a design oversight. This class enables characters to fight with bolas and use them as clothing, too, so they can strip these bolas off and employ them as weapons at the same time. This might even be a useable prestige class.

Swimsuits of the Multiverse
Wherein the author gives us a few ideas about using Beauty or bikinis in a game, followed by rules for beauty contests and an example, the nereid’s ball. The rules use the Drege of Success system from “Tournaments, Fairs and Taverns”.

There are some nice ideas in this chapter, but these ideas don’t go into much detail. The rules of beauty contests mainly showcase the DS system. Since this system is quite elegant, the resulting contests are also well done.

Bikini Magic
The final chapter contains one spell, one new weapon and seven magic items. The spell (Endow) is quite silly, the weapon (a volleyball) is even sillier, since it does 1d8 damage. And as a note to the author: Explaining that you know that this is an inane amount of damage doesn’t help. The magic items are mostly useful or at least nice additions.

Finally, we get a new deity, Elea, the goddess of sexual escapades, and a tale of her sole male priest, Quick Don. The goddess’ write-up contains a non-too-subtle political comment, whereas the folk tale contains a lot of male wish fulfillment.

Conclusion
The mechanics of Chainmail Bikini seem mostly well done (except maybe for the Beauty score and the Nereid Diva’s spellsystem relying on it), and my problems with this product come mostly from its style. This is not a strictly funny book, and being part serious makes me consider the humor in a slightly different view.

The humor is masculine and of the mostly juvenile kind. This is not bad, per se, but in a book named after such a hot button topic as chainmail bikinis I would have expected (and wanted) making fun of male views as well. Instead they’re almost celebrated, especially in the goddess Elea and the tale her Chosen. But beefcake, or males in speedos, are only referenced in very minor ways. Indeed, one of the two male pictures shows a big-bellied scotsman (with pierced nipples), whereas all women adhere to the classical ideals of beauty.

Finally, I must say it seems like D&D rules are too dry to make humor shine through in more than a very short book. Also, I fear the workable and usable material in this book is sort of thrown away, since most DMs will not allow feats from a “clearly” humorous book. So with the humor not always working and being too centered on the male view for my taste, and the good parts likely not to be used in most games, I can’t help but think this book could have been done better.

I rated this book 3 of 5 mostly since however doubtful their use, the mechanics are well done.