KoK Products

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I am looking to expand the repetoire of my DM. Any suggestions for good books from the Kalamar line?

I'm familiar with the basic product, but I'd like to know more about some of the later hardbacks and adventures, particularly the Player's guide. The most useful products would be those that could reasobably contribute to another setting, like Forgotten Realms for instance.

Any products that expand the druid spell list would be of particular interest to me. Note the distinction between the object of the last sentence and my initial claim to be working for my DM.

I'd very much appreciate any feedback.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Unfortunately, you won't find much new for your Druid in the Kalamar Player's Guide. However, it has lots of good stuff in there, most of which is transportable. I'd give it a good flick through before purchasing it though as it sounds like you're looking for something Druid specific. I think there should be a Quintessential Druid book. Has a quick check and...

http://www.enworld.org/reviews/index.php?sub=yes&where=currentprod&which=qd87

The book of Hallowed Might has a single page on Druid's Groves but that's it.
Best of luck with your search.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Fenes 2]

I can vouch for the Villain Design Handbook, the advice in this book can be applied to any setting (I'd drop the anti-feats though).
The Player's Guide is quite good as well, although I personally think some of the feats are overpowered. The additional core classes do look good, however, and there are a couple of Prestige classes especially good for NPCs.

I use material from both in my FR campaigns.

 

[Nightfall]

Any products that expand the druid spell list would be of particular interest to me. Note the distinction between the object of the last sentence and my initial claim to be working for my DM.

I'd very much appreciate any feedback.

Doc, not sure but if you don't have it, R&R1 and R&R2 are definately things you might want to use to increase your druidic output/spells. That and maybe The Player's Guide for Clerics and Druids due out in August. Just some suggestions mind you.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Certainly R&R has some great stuff in it, but the reason for the specific interest in Kalamar is that the official DnDness of Kalamar would allow for some extra gravity towards the integration of new rules and spells.

Plus, while I am always interested in seeing the Druid spell list get better, this is really about seeing if there might be some material to compete with FR in my DMs heart.

Plus I already know a fair amount about SL I need more information on KoK.

That said, I will certainly be picking up the SL Player's Guides as they appear at my local game store.

 

[Darklone]

KoK PG... had a lot of feats that I would have loved to see in the PHB.

About the overpowered stuff... Well. Channeling comes to mind... If you or your DM trusts himself enough to balance a game ... then it should work.

Fury in the wastelands is an orc sourcebook and soon Strength&Honour will bring our favorite Hobgoblins to the gaming table... Klingons anyone?

 

[Mark Plemmons]

If you're only looking for Kingdoms of Kalamar products that could be used to expand another setting, I'd say... all of them!

Seriously, though, it's true. You could place the cities from the campaign setting, and move the adventures as well, though you'd have to do a bit of rewriting.

If you're looking primarily for new rules material, the Player's Guide and maybe even the Villain Design Handbook are possibilities.

Supplements like Geanavue (city), Fury in the Wastelands (orcs), and the upcoming Strength and Honor (hobgoblins) are also possibilities.

I think you'd get some pretty well-reasoned opinions directly from the main base of Kalamar fans, at the discussion forums -

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

Hope that helped a little!

===
Mark Plemmons
Kenzer and Company
www.kenzerco.com
===

 

[Outlaw]

Oh what Kalamar products to buy?

Well, depending on what your DM is looking for will determine which Kalamar books you should purchase. If he's interested in world/nation building, the campaign sourcebook is a terrific buy. I know you said you wanted it to be able to attach to something like the Realms, but who knows what you'll find to the west if you just set sail from Waterdeep. Hell, when I played in Faerun during 2e, the south was totally underdeveloped, although looking at the new map they've done a pretty thourough job of flushing out the wolrd. They did chop of Shou Lung from the east, though, so there's nothing that says these nations can't appear there.

The campaign sourcebook is packed full with detail and plot hooks that can perpetuate a campaign for years and years.

Fury in the Wastelands is bar none the best sourcebook for any race I've ever seen. Of course this is a subjective view point because it appealed directly to the kinds of things I want in a sourcebook and it certainly made orcs something more than 1st level fodder.

KoK has hobgoblins as PC races so Strength and Honor will be a good buy if that interests you and the Player's Guide has the details of playing a hobgoblin or a half-hobgoblin (as well as wood, wild, high, gray and shadow elves, stone, mountain and hill dwarves, forest and deep gnomes as well as golden or lightfoot halflings).

Later this year a 3.5 compatible monster manual will be released that gives details of the monsters including campaign specific material, but it can easily be used for any setting (one of the authors is nothing short of genius so it promises to be a good book).

If you DM wants to have a long-term villain rather than just an adventure-specific one that's there to cause trouble and get killed, the villain design handbook is a good guide for that task (WotC harpooned some of the mechanics in the book so that section is a bit off, only because it's unbalanced, but still usable)

If you purchase the modules, you'll have enough material to take your campaign from 1st to 14th level, so there's definitely campaign support.

Hope that helps.

 

[kenjib]

I really like the feats in the Kalamar Player's Guide. I thought that the core PHB feats were all too focused on combat. The Kalamar Player's Guide ones are more oriented around fleshing your character out, defining his persona, and roleplay.

The other biggest highlights for me are the rules for the divine right of rulers, a nice fleshing out of the craft, profession, and knowledge skills, and a section on the canons (holy texts and dogma) of the various religions of Kalamar. Because there are many gods in Kalamar - around 50 of them - it's easy to find one that applies to a given god in another world and adapt the material. It really adds a lot of flavor for clerics.

 

[Davelozzi]

The other biggest highlights for me are the rules for the divine right of rulers

Is that in the Player's Guide? I have the book and it it's in there I must have missed it but is something that I'd be interested in.