Has YOUR Arcana evolved or is it merely unearthed?

[Staffan]

I'm not running an AU campaign at the moment. Were I to run one, I'd either use a homebrew setting (I've got a bit of a vague idea based on the really old CRPG Dragon Wars) or the updated AE setting. I really like the addition of the dragons, providing places that are not beholden to the giants.

 

[Wombat]

Well, I love AU, but

1) I don't play it in the Diamond Throne world
2) I dislike Epic Level campaigns

So overall I'd say we are still only Unearthed

The extra levels, the "Evolved" stuff, the whole metaplot, all have been pretty much chucked out or forgotten about in our group.

 

[Narfellus]

I never bought, nor closely looked at AU or Diamond Throne. I'm thinking about getting AE after browsing through the book and being pretty dumbstruck by the presentation. Plus, some of the new classes sound pretty intriguing, like the greenbond, and i want to try the modified magic system. However, i don't have a real need for a new setting, i don't play Epic Level, and some of the races in AE aren't real enticing. I happen to like staple fantasy races just fine. Should I break down and get it?

 

[Tetsubo]

I've picked up AE. When I get around to a new campaign this will be the setting and rules I will use. Though I'm thinking of having the dragons arrive only after quite a bit of game time.

 

[Henry]

If I were currently playing MCA, I'd play the evolved stuff. It wouldn't make significant difference until 6th or higher level, anyway, and even then probably not.

I am curious to see how the Ritual Warrior would play, though. Just on paper, it seems like he'd run out of rituals for the day too quickly.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

i don't play Epic Level....

Let me speak to this point. AE is not an Epic Level book. There's a serious distinction between the two. Arcana Evolved has 10th level spells. Epic has Epic Spells. But rather than go on and on, let me point you to Monte's Design Diary on the subject:

http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mc_diary_36

As to whether you should buy the book or not, I can't answer that. I recommend it as a product that I really enjoy, but I do have a bias. What I would say is that probably 60-70% of those who own and use Arcana Unearthed - implying you can do the same with AE - add parts of it into an existing campaign.

Anecdotally, the part of it that people seem to like most is the magic system. A lot of people seem to switch to it or modify their homebrew to use that. Since AE adds a ton of new spells and templates to the mix, I'd say it's a good value if you want a variant magic system that (I feel) improves on fire and forget while retaining the D&D flavor.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I am curious to see how the Ritual Warrior would play, though. Just on paper, it seems like he'd run out of rituals for the day too quickly.

Missed this the first time through. At low levels, the RW did tend to run out of his rites a little fast for my players tastes. But you can take the feat that gives you extra rites and swap it out at 10th level. As they rise in levels, and get more rites, they don't run out so fast. (I see that Monte did boost the amount per day over what they got in playtest too, so I think that they'll have plenty to do.) Eventually, they reach the point where they have unlimited first and second level rites. Which is amazingly cool because the rites are so flexible.

They also get 4+Int for skills, the ability to substitute Concentration (a class skill) for certain saves, and some stat boosts built in. The player who took them really liked the class, and I've made great use of goblins with three Ritual Warrior levels to harass a 9th level party and nearly kill them.

 

[Dracomeander]

Some of the new material can be incorporated immediately, but most will have to wait 'til the campaign catches up. Need to lay some groundwork and rumors before I unveil the return of the dragons.

 

[Odhanan]

Arcana Evolved can be used outside the Diamond Throne.

Evolution comes from contact with the tenebrian seeds that the dragons hold. It is not even sure that this is the ONLY way to evolve. Dragons say so. Doesn't mean it's God's word, if you see what I mean. They have a political agenda and a huge valid reason to lie about this.

Now, in my campaign, characters are unearthing (quite literally) mysteries about an ancient race that has been wiped out by the Great Host of men, giants etc. The kingdoms of the Great Host now race and plot against each other. A plague ravages the land. But it doesn't merely kill people, it reanimates their corpses after their death. This all comes down to the last battle of the Host and the nature of the Lost Kingdom. Who are the Lost Ones? I didn't decide before hand, waiting to take a decision after we played for a while.

And here is Arcana Evolved. So I guess Dragons and/or Dracha, are good candidates. Which is a nice way to bring evolution to the game.

 

[Turanil]

I will keep on with my copy of Arcana Unearthed. I don't care much for the Diamond Throne setting, and don't really have a need for a new class and progression up to the 25th level. As such, I don't really need Arcana Evolved.