Frostburn - WoTC Environment Series
- Thread starter Kesh
- Start date
MrFilthyIke
First Post
DaveMage said:
Yeah SSS is there by default because of WW.
Agreed...I like 3rd party, but am becoming VERY stingy, buying maybe one book here and there, mainly WotC and SSS, with some T20 and Kalamar stuff lined up hoping to be bought.
MrFilthyIke
First Post
Razuur said:
I flipped through Frost and Fur, and agree, it's a decent book. I wouldn't spend money as I have no need, and no artic campaigns, and am CHEAP these days.
But yeah, a good book. First time I've said that 'bout MonkeyGod.
Kesh
First Post
Just got my copy of F&F in the mail this morning. I haven't had time to do more than glance through it, but so far it looks very good. Lots 'n lots of crunch, just enough fluff to help add to the feel.
I'll go through it more thoroughly tonight, and may do an official review if I can.
I'll go through it more thoroughly tonight, and may do an official review if I can.
Kesh
First Post
Okay, in brief: I'm pretty satisfied with the book, though glad I got it at discount.
There's a lot of good stuff in this book. That said, it's really a collection of mini-campaign settings with extra monsters and rules to support that, rather than the other way around.
For instance, many of the spells and feats take their name of origin, rather than a generic-sounding one. I can see spells like sbatatdaq being renamed real quick.
Another aspect is that MGE seems to have put more emphasis on the actual legends and practices of the given cultures, rather than making the items balanced for a generic fantasy game. It ranges from the silly (singing construct pastries) to questionably balanced (the Voelva PrC is cool, but impossible to use in combat situations), to the absolutely great (Kam are monsters that cannot be damaged normally; instead, when hit, they split into two Kam, each with half the original's HP!).
I do love the detail on the various cultures, and how well-tied the material is to them. If you want to run a Norse campaign, or a Slavic campaign, it's nearly perfect. However, divesting some of the rules from those campaigns does not look to be easy. It would be simpler to find a niche in your campaign for inserting aspects of the culture, and allowing players to take bits 'n pieces from there to use.
That said, there's plenty to love here. The first chapter is an in-depth examination of arctic and sub-arctic climes, which goes into great detail on terrain, the effects of weather, and hazards. I pity the adventurers who get caught in a jökulhlaup!
A chapter on racial variants follows. For the most part, it seems very well done, and offers several subtypes of the standard humanoid races to choose from, as well as which cultural setting they're suited for. I love the author's take on halflings, for instance, especially the "Little Fist" subrace for Slavic campaigns. The addition of Neanderthals as a half-orc 'subrace' is a nice touch for any setting that lacks orcs.
The equipment chapter is equally meaty, with lots of new weapons and armor suitable for most campaigns. Given that many arctic cultures rely on the sea, there are several boats and ships statted out, which should prove quite useful.
Feats are perhaps the most contentious part of the book, in my opinion. Feats like Behead make sense, and provide a good way to quantify a house rule that many folks already use (insta-kill). Others, like Evil Eye fall prey to the concept that appearance = Charisma, and losing your looks means losing points from your CHA stat. In fact, many of the feats given directly affect your stat values.
While some look balanced, other feats would be a bit overpowering for a traditional fantasy game (such as Returning Ammo), or have some strange roleplaying restrictions (Orphan). Overall, it's a mixed bag. DMs should pick and choose carefully to suit their campaign.
The same goes for the magic chapter. While most of the spells are quite useful and flavorful, a few are either overpowered or just a bit confusing. As an example, the maturity rite spell is apparently a requirement for level advancement in an Ice Age campaign, but can only be cast by a 5th level Adept or Druid. This fact is never mentioned in the Ice Age campaign chapter, meaning it could easily be overlooked, and could be more easily handled through roleplaying than as a spell.
I have fewer problems with the monster section. There are some wonderful creatures, such as the Corpse Shroud, Cold Stranger template and aforementioned Kam. A few weird ones crop up, such as the Snowman Golem (literally described as "two large balls of snow, with a carrot for a nose, buttons for eyes, branches for arms and a hat of some sort.") No one can accuse the MGE folks of lacking a sense of humor.
A short section of magic items follows the monsters, including new weapon and armor effects. Again, the Cha = appearance idea crops up, but overall I can't fault the authors in this chapter. Many of the items here are classics, especially the Apple Of Sleep.
Finally, we get to the culture chapters. Here you find a brief discussion of the various cultures, how they fit into a campaign world, and various classes & prestige classes to add suitable flavor to your game world. Most of the PrCs are tied heavily to their particular culture, as should be, though this makes it more difficult to just drop any of them into a standard D&D game. Favorites of mine are the Koldun and Glimumann, while others (the previously mentioned Voelva) have some problems being useful for PCs. Some of these classes would be best restricted to NPCs.
The overall look of the book is very good. Though the font is larger than your PHB, and there's a bit more white space, the text is very easy on the eyes. Artwork ranges from average to absolutely excellent, with Andy Braz's monsters falling into the latter category. A very nicely done work of short fiction introduces most of the chapters, telling the continuing story of a native arctic group struggling to survive the intrusion of strangers, and ties rather well into the feel of the book. Culture is emphasised throughout the book, though they understandably can't go in-depth in a gaming supplement.
Overall, I'd recommend the book if you're interested in an arctic or sub-arctic campaign setting. It would certainly make a good addition for DMs wanting to run a game in The North region of the Forgotten Realms, for instance. However, it may be more time-consuming to convert and balance than casual DMs and players would enjoy. Also, until MGE publishes errata to correct the OGL in the back of the book, the spells chapter isn't open for use by other publishers.
If you're willing to put in the time to use it, and have the spare cash, it's worth it.
There's a lot of good stuff in this book. That said, it's really a collection of mini-campaign settings with extra monsters and rules to support that, rather than the other way around.
For instance, many of the spells and feats take their name of origin, rather than a generic-sounding one. I can see spells like sbatatdaq being renamed real quick.
Another aspect is that MGE seems to have put more emphasis on the actual legends and practices of the given cultures, rather than making the items balanced for a generic fantasy game. It ranges from the silly (singing construct pastries) to questionably balanced (the Voelva PrC is cool, but impossible to use in combat situations), to the absolutely great (Kam are monsters that cannot be damaged normally; instead, when hit, they split into two Kam, each with half the original's HP!).
I do love the detail on the various cultures, and how well-tied the material is to them. If you want to run a Norse campaign, or a Slavic campaign, it's nearly perfect. However, divesting some of the rules from those campaigns does not look to be easy. It would be simpler to find a niche in your campaign for inserting aspects of the culture, and allowing players to take bits 'n pieces from there to use.
That said, there's plenty to love here. The first chapter is an in-depth examination of arctic and sub-arctic climes, which goes into great detail on terrain, the effects of weather, and hazards. I pity the adventurers who get caught in a jökulhlaup!
A chapter on racial variants follows. For the most part, it seems very well done, and offers several subtypes of the standard humanoid races to choose from, as well as which cultural setting they're suited for. I love the author's take on halflings, for instance, especially the "Little Fist" subrace for Slavic campaigns. The addition of Neanderthals as a half-orc 'subrace' is a nice touch for any setting that lacks orcs.
The equipment chapter is equally meaty, with lots of new weapons and armor suitable for most campaigns. Given that many arctic cultures rely on the sea, there are several boats and ships statted out, which should prove quite useful.
Feats are perhaps the most contentious part of the book, in my opinion. Feats like Behead make sense, and provide a good way to quantify a house rule that many folks already use (insta-kill). Others, like Evil Eye fall prey to the concept that appearance = Charisma, and losing your looks means losing points from your CHA stat. In fact, many of the feats given directly affect your stat values.
While some look balanced, other feats would be a bit overpowering for a traditional fantasy game (such as Returning Ammo), or have some strange roleplaying restrictions (Orphan). Overall, it's a mixed bag. DMs should pick and choose carefully to suit their campaign.
The same goes for the magic chapter. While most of the spells are quite useful and flavorful, a few are either overpowered or just a bit confusing. As an example, the maturity rite spell is apparently a requirement for level advancement in an Ice Age campaign, but can only be cast by a 5th level Adept or Druid. This fact is never mentioned in the Ice Age campaign chapter, meaning it could easily be overlooked, and could be more easily handled through roleplaying than as a spell.
I have fewer problems with the monster section. There are some wonderful creatures, such as the Corpse Shroud, Cold Stranger template and aforementioned Kam. A few weird ones crop up, such as the Snowman Golem (literally described as "two large balls of snow, with a carrot for a nose, buttons for eyes, branches for arms and a hat of some sort.") No one can accuse the MGE folks of lacking a sense of humor.
A short section of magic items follows the monsters, including new weapon and armor effects. Again, the Cha = appearance idea crops up, but overall I can't fault the authors in this chapter. Many of the items here are classics, especially the Apple Of Sleep.
Finally, we get to the culture chapters. Here you find a brief discussion of the various cultures, how they fit into a campaign world, and various classes & prestige classes to add suitable flavor to your game world. Most of the PrCs are tied heavily to their particular culture, as should be, though this makes it more difficult to just drop any of them into a standard D&D game. Favorites of mine are the Koldun and Glimumann, while others (the previously mentioned Voelva) have some problems being useful for PCs. Some of these classes would be best restricted to NPCs.
The overall look of the book is very good. Though the font is larger than your PHB, and there's a bit more white space, the text is very easy on the eyes. Artwork ranges from average to absolutely excellent, with Andy Braz's monsters falling into the latter category. A very nicely done work of short fiction introduces most of the chapters, telling the continuing story of a native arctic group struggling to survive the intrusion of strangers, and ties rather well into the feel of the book. Culture is emphasised throughout the book, though they understandably can't go in-depth in a gaming supplement.
Overall, I'd recommend the book if you're interested in an arctic or sub-arctic campaign setting. It would certainly make a good addition for DMs wanting to run a game in The North region of the Forgotten Realms, for instance. However, it may be more time-consuming to convert and balance than casual DMs and players would enjoy. Also, until MGE publishes errata to correct the OGL in the back of the book, the spells chapter isn't open for use by other publishers.
If you're willing to put in the time to use it, and have the spare cash, it's worth it.
Last edited:
nopantsyet
First Post
Hmmm...both sound interesting. I really like the idea of environmental sourcebooks. I personally like to present a consistent world. I had a player call me on the direction a comet was moving. No big deal, but I just don't like incongruities to draw the players out of world.
So bring it on. Ecologies, geographies, environments, it's all good . I'm not an expert, so I research what I can. Anything that reduces that amount of research I've got to do is definitely worth the money.
So bring it on. Ecologies, geographies, environments, it's all good . I'm not an expert, so I research what I can. Anything that reduces that amount of research I've got to do is definitely worth the money.
Kesh
First Post
Erm, well, thank you. I didn't consider it that well-written myself, and I'd do a lot more work before I put up a real one.talien said:
But I am considering it.By the way, I also discovered one other possible omission in the OGL. It lists Prestige Classes as being open... but nothing about full-progression classes. Which means my favorite, the koldan, wouldn't be open for use elsewhere.
talien
Community Supporter
Post it post it post it! I thought it was quite well written. Of course, I suspect I'm horribly biased.Kesh said:Erm, well, thank you. I didn't consider it that well-written myself, and I'd do a lot more work before I put up a real one.
Sigh. I'm not in charge of OGL designations, but I did ask MonkeyGod prior and they said it was their intent to make the book very open. Trust me, they didn't do it on purpose. I'm going to go back with some errata suggestions and hopefully clarify the OGL issues (spells are a problem too, but it's all due to the wording, not intent I don't think).Kesh said:By the way, I also discovered one other possible omission in the OGL. It lists Prestige Classes as being open... but nothing about full-progression classes. Which means my favorite, the koldan, wouldn't be open for use elsewhere.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Qualir said:Of course bean counting, a Gygaxian divorce, and overpriced low quality books had nothing to do with this. Not to mention "Misfire" and a very poorly thought out marketing plan to boost holiday sales.
Still, I miss the day when rules supplements were something big instead of the next book in a monthly instalment.
Man, and here I thought it was Buck Rogers and bad editions of Gamma World with too many unsold novels that did it.
No, but seriously. What are you talking about with 'monthly instalments? WoTC puts out some good books but if you don't subscribe to all the lines, FR, Star Wars, etc..., it's hardly a monthly bit.
I confess that I'd love to see a 3.5 version of the Adventure Path series in one large hardcover though...
