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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010172" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman d20 Magazine RackSizing Up the TargetThe Encyclopedia of Weaponry is a 128-page perfect bound book dedicated to presenting over 100 historic weapons with d20 statistics. It was written by a fairly large team of authors that includes such names as B.D. Flory (of the Spycraft/Shadowforce Archer books) and James M. Ward. William W. Conners provided the cover art while Dave Zenz was responsible for the interior art. Published by Fast Forward Entertainment, it carries a retail price of $19.99.First BloodEach weapon entry is divided into five distinct sections. The first section is an overview of the actual historical weapon, covering its design, how it is used and so forth. The second section is the non-fiction historical origin of the weapon. The third section lists the fantasy races most likely to use it. The fourth section is a fictional account of a magical version of that weapon complete with all relevant d20 statistics. The final section is a table listing all relevant game information about the weapon.Three new weapon categories are introduced: cannon, gunpowder and siege engines. These were created out of necessity because of the nature of several weapons in the book that do not fit the existing categories. One new skill and five new feats relevant to the new weapon categories are also presented.Since current rules do not cover issues such as artillery and gunpowder, new combat rules on attacking with artillery are included. The rules primarily cover sighting (or aiming) artillery, but they also address “drift” issues associated with primitive artillery such as cannons.When it comes to the weapons themselves, they are alphabetically listed starting with adaga, a parrying weapon sometimes used in place of a shield that has Arabian origins. From there the selection and diversity is amazing. Many weapons will be recognizable while others will be brand new (unless you are a history major). The final entry is a whip pistol, developed in China but seen mostly in India as late as the 1890’s.The appendix wraps up everything into convenient tables for quick reference. The weapons table is broken down into simple, martial, exotic (both melee and ranged), gunpowder, and siege weapons.Critical HitsThe diversity of weapons is staggering and should provide new options for both players and GMs. The section on the magical weapon provides a rich and flavorful history, giving it a unique feel that is missing from a lot of magical items today. For example, the hunga munga, a weapon that originated in Africa, is called “Blood Hungry” rather than a +3 Hung Munga of Wounding.Critical MissesThe are some weapons that also may double as a type of shield, yet there is no statistic bonus for armor class assigned to it. It is logical that most would offer a +1 bonus to AC, but this is something that was left out. Some of the weapons are, argulably, variations of existing core weapons (such as the clymore and two-handed hammer), but this is a minor argument.The flavor text regarding the magical version of the weapon, while a nice touch, tends to go overboard in that it often consumes nearly the entire page. I would have rather seen more focus on the first two sections, especially historical origins. Another minor issue with the magical weapons id the “artifact” level of power that is exhibited in many of the entries. Henri’s Bayonet of Suffering is a good example where “on a successful strike, the weapon may slay living as per the spell (DC 15).”Coup de GraceThe Encyclopedia of Weaponry is one of Fast Forwards better offerings as of late. It opens up the choices of weaponry and gives players something other than longswords, maces and daggers. Many of the weapons will require using an Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, but if a gamer wants his character to use a weapon from a particular cultural background, he will deem it worth the cost. The open content is a bit restrictive in that essentially only the game mechanic statistics and the names of the general weapons (since they are actual existing historical weapons) are open for use. The descriptive flavor text is all closed content and off limits for use elsewhere. Overall, it is a decent book that isn’t for everyone but those who can make use of it will find the $19.99 price reasonable.To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=3" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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