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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2011850" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Michael Daumen, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine RackInitiative RoundFields of Blood: The Book of War is a d20 system supplement published by Eden Studios. This softcover book of 176 pages (including several forms and a sheet of hex paper available to photocopy) has wraparound cover art by Kieran Yanner depicting a fierce battle scene with many kinds of creatures – an indication of its ambitious scope. Matt Colville and Doug Sun share writing credit, while Dan Oropallo and Matt Morrow provide the interior illustrations. While other books have previously approached the subject of war as a campaign event or in a generic fashion, this book combines rules for mass combat with a system for large-scale realm management that harkens back to Birthright. It is also available in pdf format from Drive Thru RPG.The rules chapters of the book are united by an ongoing examination of a small kingdom whose newly-crowned ruler yearns for fresh conquest. This provides short fictional introductions to the first seven chapters as well as a universal example that can be followed throughout the book. The initial two chapters cover the definitions, rules, and options for controlling a realm. The “Realm Play” system handles seasonal turns in which players can collect resources, marshall troops, build improvements that assist their rule, and cast powerful realm magics that benefit entire regions. It balances resource management, which many players of computer strategy games will recognize, with plenty of opportunities to roleplay. Additionally, players and DMs can factor in race relations, government styles, terrain effects and population density. One area which I found lacking was the relatively small selection of government and social types. It’s obvious that the authors tried to be both straightforward and universal, but this would have been a good place to explore exotic cultures that could be found in a fantasy world.As detailed as the realm mechanics are, the sections on mass combat are even better. Wisely, it applies familiar concepts from tactical d20 combat to manageable blocks of creatures. These units share many of the features of individual characters, from saving throws to feats and combat bonuses. Units (which can be composed of PC races, monster races, or even a mix of the two) can be customized with a dizzying array of choices, from equipment to roles to mounts, all which contribute towards the unit’s performance in battle. A creature’s unique abilities like breath weapons and spell resistance are taken into account as well. Two important additions are Morale and Shock Factors, for facing and causing fear on the front lines.Actual battles work very similarly to standard D&D combat. Units that take too much damage become inoperable – which may not necessarily mean death for PCs in the infantry, unless they challenge heroes in the other army! They have several movement and combat actions available, but for the more complex ones to succeed, a leader must be able to direct them with a Command Check. Special situations like aerial combat and sieges are covered, and of course there are plenty of opportunities for high-level characters to carry the day.New rules for characters include feats specialized for rulership and battle, like spymaster and noble. The most important new skill is Command, which allows generals to control large amounts of troops when needed. Nine Prestige Classes are presented, with a good mix of spellcasters and warriors – although the emphasis is on wading into battle and not sneaking around the flank. Bards can take advantage of the Warcrier class, and there is a Mason class, but ultimately there are no good selections for rogues – which is a shame, since an actual Spymaster class would seem to be a good fit.The last chapter provides guidelines for running a campaign focused on the material in Fields of Blood. It includes both mechanical examinations of what a GM needs to do, as well as considerations of the social effects of government types and habitiation. There is a section for players as well, offering suggestions for how characters of each base class can function as a regent. Given that most campaign advice chapters tend to ignore players, this is a nice addition. Critical HitThe authors have devoted much of the appendices to ready made conversions for over fifty types of monstrous units, from giants to beholders to outsiders. They also touch upon spells which can have effects on the battlefield, and have made all the necessary calculations to translate normal D&D effects into the mass combat system. The authors have taken care to include spells with specialized uses in battle – area spells like Forcecage and Sympathy, as well as unusual choices a crafty GM may overlook (such as Transmute Metal to Wood to weaken a unit’s arms). Powerful magic items, like Rods of Rulership and Spheres of Annihilation, are also mentioned in the same way (others, like Mattocks of the Titans and Chimes of Opening, are quite valuable in a siege). These sections show that the authors have truly spent a great deal of time contemplating the curves that D&D can throw on a battle.Critical FumbleOwing to the nature of heroes in combat, and the ability to manage entire kingdoms, this product is definitely aimed for high-powered campaigns. None of the spells are lower than 4th level, and there are quite a few 9th level. The realm magics considered “low level” are quite powerful and won’t be cast by the average character. DMs hoping to evoke a grunts-eye view of a conflict will have less to use. The other negative that bears mentioning is a steep price when compared with other softcover books of its size – at $30.00 it’s a bit expensive.Coup de GraceOf the available war-oriented supplements, Fields of Blood is the best thought out and weightiest. If used to its fullest, it will take a campaign in a new direction, as traditional quests and stories give way to the concerns a typical ruler has when managing his domains. If a campaign needs a change of pace (or even a shot in the arm), you could certainly do worse then staging an epic war with the material presented in this book.Final Grade: B</blockquote>

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