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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ghostwind" data-source="post: 2232551" data-attributes="member: 3060">HARP: High Adventure Roleplaying (Revised)Posted on behalf of John Grigsby, d20 Magazine Rack staff reviewer.Initiative RoundHigh Adventure Role Playing is a fantasy rules set from Iron Crown Enterprises. This is a 194-page PDF by Tim Dugger and Heike A. Kubasch. The cover art by Ciruelo is entitled “Fafner” and depicts a lone warrior facing a dragon for its treasure horde. Toren “MacBin” Atkinson, Peter Bergting, David Bezzina, Matt Foster, Eric Hotz, Mike Jackson, Jeff Laubenstein, Pat Ann Lewis, Larry MacDougall, Jennifer Meyer, Colin Throm, and Kieran Yanner contribute to the interior art. HARP retails for $25.00.I should point out that this review is actually just a brief look at the revision of the HARP rules that I reviewed several months ago. If you haven’t read it, I recommend that you go and <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1212" target="_blank">check it out</a>, then come back here for the pick-up notes on the revision. The easiest way to handle this is probably just to take it step-by-step, page-by-page, so that’s what I’ll do.The introduction has some minor rewording, but nothing you’d notice on a casual glance (I had to compare the two volumes side-by-side to catch it). In the Professions section, the cleric has been revised slightly. Combat and Outdoor have been removed as favored categories and replaced by the player’s choice of two categories. This actually makes the cleric one of the most versatile Professions in the game. The ranger also undergoes a minor adjustment, losing 1 Development Point each from Combat and Mystical Arts and gaining 2 DP in the Physical category. Thieves are more balanced, losing 1 DP each from Physical, General, and Combat and 2 DP from Subterfuge, but gaining 3 DP of Athletic and 2 DP of Influence. They have also been given the free talent, Subtle. Finally, the example for multiple Professions has been reworded somewhat for better understanding.Races and Cultures undergo some rather significant changes. First, the resistance bonuses no longer offer penalties to any race. For gnomes, gryx, halfings, and humans, each bonus has been increased by 5 points, while the bonuses for elves have been smoothed out, and the penalty on Magic for dwarves replaced with a +10 bonus to Will. Furthermore, the Endurance and Power Point ratings have been greatly simplified to a single bonus, rather than the disjointed progression system that was used previously. For the cultures, Starting Languages have been revised slightly, with speaking in the native tongue reduced by 2 and reduced by 1 for the secondary language (thus allowing for development). The only other change of note is a modification to the Adolescent Skills Table, such that each culture provides exactly 20 ranks, instead of the variable numbers that previously were granted. As an aside, I couldn’t help but notice that a disclaimer has been added to the gryx race, clearly identifying them as the “half-orcs” of HARP.One the surface, the skill point system still works largely the same. The old formula of -25Ÿ5Ÿ2Ÿ1Ÿ1 has been simplified to -25Ÿ5Ÿ2Ÿ1, but don’t be fooled. It’s still the same system, it’s just that skill ranks above 21 have been combined into a single digit instead of the pointless “+1 for 21-30 Ranks, and +1 for 31+ Ranks.” Ranks still give the same bonuses as previously, but the confusing Racial Skill Rank Progressions (for Endurance and Power Points) have thankfully been replaced with a straight modifier (as indicated above). On the master skill list, there are only minor changes; Herbcraft has been removed from the Outdoor category (since it appears in the General category), and Resistance has been added to the General category.As noted previously, Endurance and Power Points now provide a straight bonus, rather than progressive bonuses. The Resistance skill simply permits characters to spend DP towards increasing their resistance bonuses; a very useful addition. Each of the three types of Resistance Roll is increased separately. Counterspell has been added to the General list under Spells. Talents & Other Options are largely unchanged save for a few minor modifications (such as the addition of the Focus Item to Special Starting Items).In the equipment section, you’ll find a few adjustments to the weights and fumble ranges of weapons and the weight of armor. The one big change is to the Individual Armor Pieces table, which has now been divided by armor type to provide greater flexibility in building a custom set of armor.In large part, the mechanics of the game remain streamlined and pretty simple, though one interesting addition is the “66 Rule.” This rule states that if an unmodified 66 is rolled during a skill attempt, something unusual happens. If the skill fails, the failure includes something bad. If the skill succeeds, then the character succeeds in an unusual, perhaps even spectacular, manner. The GM determines the exact effects, based on the situation. Rules have also been added for grenade-like attacks, as well as special combat conditions such as invisibility, poor visibility, and fighting blind.The section on armor provides a handy chart for those who aren’t sure exactly what pauldrons or a gorget protect (shoulders and neck, respectively, just in case you didn’t know), and the Individual Pieces of Armor table has seen some expansion, to better reflect the different types of armor available. So yes, now it is possible to wear a rigid leather helm, plate/chain pauldrons, chain gauntlets, a soft leather shirt, and a plate cuìrass. You know you want to.A few new combat actions have been added, such as Sudden Dodge and Weapon Bind, and “krush” has been correctly spelled as “crush” (perhaps the Mortal Kombat lawyers took offense?). Speaking of criticals, attack rolls have now been given a cap, based on weapon size. Using a tiny weapon, for example, you will not exceed a roll of 80 on the Critical Table, regardless of the actual attack roll. This may be violated, however, by certain skills and/or Combat Actions and is also ignored on an unmodified roll of 99-100 on the attack dice. The critical tables have also been expanded and the damage for most of the results increased.In Magic and Spells, most of the spells have undergone minor adjustments of one sort or another. Blur, for example, now provides a +10 to DB and also gives a +5 bonus to Stalk & Hide maneuvers. Herbs & Poisons appears to be completely unchanged.Some minor adjustments have been made to creature stats, most of them you’re unlikely to notice at a casual glance. However, four new sections have been added to each monster description—Abilities, IQ, DB, and Skills. Abilities lists racial or special abilities of the monster, IQ gives the creature’s intelligence score and some basic information on how it will act, DB breaks down the monster’s DB, and Skills provides the GM with a few common skills possessed by the monster. A new table also provides a full set of stat bonuses, Endurance, PP, and Resistance Rolls for every monster, including mounts for the PCs. Those monsters that may be used as player character races (pending GM permission) are also identified.Though the actual treasures haven’t changed much, there is a new kind of item, one that provides a generic (effectively making the item a “+#”) to skill use when the item is used. The Mundane Treasure table has also been reworked such as to provide a greater chance of obtaining normal equipment as opposed to specialized equipment such as wizard’s gear. Finally, the Gamemaster Guidelines section has been expanded slightly, providing a few more examples and also some non-adventuring Professions (such as artisan and scoundrel).Critical HitFrom what I am able to discern, the changes here make sense and seem to be good overall. The alterations aren’t so drastic as to be completely game-altering if your campaign is already underway, though some minor reworking of characters may be necessary. The detailed index is a welcome change, and since I noted that in my first review, I’d like to say thank you (as well as hope that in some small way, I influenced it).Critical FumbleI still have an issue with the critical tables providing weapon damage, rather than as an addition to damage. I think that veterans of role-playing games in general are going to be a little confused by this terminology, and I probably would have either inserted base weapon damage back into the system (as it used to be) or changed the word “critical” to something else. Coup de GraceThe revised edition of HARP is similar to D&D 3.5, an expansion and clarification of a decent and solid rules core. Where changes were made, they were made to balance the system after extensive playtesting and feedback. The artwork remains the same, having been recycled from the original version. On the whole, the revised edition takes a good thing and makes it better and if you’ve already found some enjoyment through HARP, it’s probably worth your money to pick up the PDF and post the changes in your own book. If you haven’t tried HARP yet, and what I’ve written here (and in my previous review) intrigues you, make sure and pick up the revised edition!Final Grade: A-</blockquote>

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