Crothian
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Heroes of High Favor: Half Orcs by Bad Axe Games
Heroes of High Favor: Half Orcs is Bad Axe Games second book. This one focuses on Half Orcs and their favored Class Barbarian. The set up is exactly the same as the first with feats, new uses for skill, and prestige classes being the primary focus of this book. The size of the book is also the same, 62 pages and smaller then the standard d20 supplements. The cover is again very well done. There’s a symbol of an eye on parchment with bloodstains on it. The name of the book and the author’s name, Benjamin Durbin, are part of the parchment. I really like that style. The interior art, while done by Andrew Hale, the same person who did their Dwarf book, I did not like as much. I think most of the half orcs have a demonic look to them.
The book starts with a couple of pages on the introduction. This section tells one exactly what is to be found in this book. Next we get to the feat section. There are a few reprinted her from their earlier book. The types of feats are general, half orc, fighter, and rage feats. The rage feats are very interesting, they allow one to spend a rage ability to get an additional ability like damage reduction or do more damage with unarmed attacks.
Next, the book goes into new uses for old skills. This section has more craft item options including the ability to create shoddy items. An interesting idea is presented with the Handle Animal skill: the ability to cross breed. It covers the ability to cross animals with animals, beasts, and magical beasts. There is also expands the intimidation rules and good uses for Wilderness Lore.
The next chapter, and again the bulk of the book, is on the ten prestige classes. Each prestige class is geared to a certain Barbarian other class combo; pairing the barbarian with each of the other core classes. For the most part the classes seem okay; I just was not inspired by many of them. The Dire Stalker is a very nice Barbarian Ranger combination and the Moulder is a Barbarian Druid that specializes in cross breeding creatures.
Overall I think the book is pretty good, especially for people using half orcs in their game. I do like their Dwarf book better, but that does not take anything away from this one. The combination of barbarian with the other core classes is done very well and makes for many interesting new options for the half orc. I do like how even though alignment would usually prohibit some of the combinations that they were melded together anyway. As the first book in the series it was a bit rough but shows great promise and ability of the author. It would be nice to see more in the series come out as there certainly are plenty of races that could really use this type of detail to make them better.
Heroes of High Favor: Half Orcs is Bad Axe Games second book. This one focuses on Half Orcs and their favored Class Barbarian. The set up is exactly the same as the first with feats, new uses for skill, and prestige classes being the primary focus of this book. The size of the book is also the same, 62 pages and smaller then the standard d20 supplements. The cover is again very well done. There’s a symbol of an eye on parchment with bloodstains on it. The name of the book and the author’s name, Benjamin Durbin, are part of the parchment. I really like that style. The interior art, while done by Andrew Hale, the same person who did their Dwarf book, I did not like as much. I think most of the half orcs have a demonic look to them.
The book starts with a couple of pages on the introduction. This section tells one exactly what is to be found in this book. Next we get to the feat section. There are a few reprinted her from their earlier book. The types of feats are general, half orc, fighter, and rage feats. The rage feats are very interesting, they allow one to spend a rage ability to get an additional ability like damage reduction or do more damage with unarmed attacks.
Next, the book goes into new uses for old skills. This section has more craft item options including the ability to create shoddy items. An interesting idea is presented with the Handle Animal skill: the ability to cross breed. It covers the ability to cross animals with animals, beasts, and magical beasts. There is also expands the intimidation rules and good uses for Wilderness Lore.
The next chapter, and again the bulk of the book, is on the ten prestige classes. Each prestige class is geared to a certain Barbarian other class combo; pairing the barbarian with each of the other core classes. For the most part the classes seem okay; I just was not inspired by many of them. The Dire Stalker is a very nice Barbarian Ranger combination and the Moulder is a Barbarian Druid that specializes in cross breeding creatures.
Overall I think the book is pretty good, especially for people using half orcs in their game. I do like their Dwarf book better, but that does not take anything away from this one. The combination of barbarian with the other core classes is done very well and makes for many interesting new options for the half orc. I do like how even though alignment would usually prohibit some of the combinations that they were melded together anyway. As the first book in the series it was a bit rough but shows great promise and ability of the author. It would be nice to see more in the series come out as there certainly are plenty of races that could really use this type of detail to make them better.
