March and Beyond Preview

[Cthulhudrew]

"Heroes of Battle" sounds less and less interesting all the time. A book about secret missions and daring adventures? Isn't that pretty much the core books?

Got to agree. When I first heard about it, I thought it sounded really cool. Now... not so much. Slinking around on battlefields and looting corpses is what it sounds like- nothing outside of the core rules, as you point out. Oh, but there will be ballistas and catapults to make it different, I guess.

Can anyone who owns the Minis Handbook tell me what the mass combat rules are like in there? Can you use the rules without minis, or no?

The previews for "Sandstorm" seem insufficiently exciting, which is strange, since it seems like such a slam dunk of a book, if it's even 75 percent as good as "Frostburn." (Deserts are more applicable for me.)

Again, agree here. I was really looking for some "wow!" factor in this preview from Sandstorm, but it just seems "meh." Hope the final product will change that opinion.

I'm hoping the subraces mentioned for "Races of Eberron" are the drow variants and core race tweaks. The main four Eberron races are plenty interesting as-is, especially once more prestige classes, shifter traits and racial feats are added to the mix.

Since this is a "core" book now, rather than just an Eberron book, I expect the subraces will be just optional, and along the lines of the "Whisper Gnome" and things from Races of Stone. But I agree with demiurge1138 in his reservations about subraces. I dislike the things myself, unless they actually have a physiological purpose- drow as subterranean elves work; mountain dwarves vs. hill dwarves, no.

It will be interesting to see what they do with the Kalashtar. So far, I really don't see anything interesting about that race other than "naturally psionic human."

 

[Von Ether]

"Lords of Madness" looks fantastic, but I disagree with them not reprinting the beholderkin from "Monsters of Faerun." They've reprinted almost half of the D&D content in the "Miniatures Handbook" by my count -- why not reprint and update this 3.0 content when it's (very) appropriate to do so?

"Heroes of Battle" sounds less and less interesting all the time. A book about secret missions and daring adventures? Isn't that pretty much the core books?

The previews for "Sandstorm" seem insufficiently exciting, which is strange, since it seems like such a slam dunk of a book, if it's even 75 percent as good as "Frostburn." (Deserts are more applicable for me.)

I'm hoping the subraces mentioned for "Races of Eberron" are the drow variants and core race tweaks. The main four Eberron races are plenty interesting as-is, especially once more prestige classes, shifter traits and racial feats are added to the mix.

I'm betting more on half-goblinkin types for subraces. Changelings and Shifters are already "subraces." Though I guess a half-Kalshtar isn't out of the question.

 

[d20Dwarf]

So anyone know how much overlap there is between "Champions of Ruin" and the earlier FR "Lords of Darkness"?

Champions of Ruin is written with players in mind rather than DMs, as was the case with the earlier book. Of course, there is plenty of material in there for DMs, but this book looks at evil Realms organizations from a "how can I *play* one of those?!?!" perspective.

 

[Stone Angel]

Heroe's of battle I will probably by and cross my fingers that it is great, though it doesn't seem to impress me all that much. I really liked frostburn, I would love to do an all one climate campaign sometime or at least have that tat the foci of sessions and these books are great for me. So I am also hoping that Sandstorm is as good or better than FrostBurn.

I really haven't heard to much about Lords of Madness or Champions of Ruin so I can't comment on them.


The Seraph of Earth and Stone

 

[Alzrius]

I'm glad to see that Lords of Madness is mentioning the myriad beholder subtypes, but it seems to leave some stuff out. Where is the Astereater? Where is the Observer? Heck, where's the Gorbel? I love those exploding freaks!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm glad to see that Lords of Madness is mentioning the myriad beholder subtypes, but it seems to leave some stuff out. Where is the Astereater? Where is the Observer? Heck, where's the Gorbel? I love those exploding freaks!

Observer is one of the ones listed as being in LoM.

 

[Alzrius]

Observer is one of the ones listed as being in LoM.

If so, it's not listed on that page.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Probably because the Observer has been called the Spectator. I think they were originally called Spectators, and then were called Observers in Planescape Monstrous Compendium II. And now it looks like they're Spectators again.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Sounds like a demotion really...at least Observer sounds like an important job. But Spectator? Pfft, can't even get paid for that.

 

[diaglo]

Sounds like a demotion really...at least Observer sounds like an important job. But Spectator? Pfft, can't even get paid for that.

why not Voyeur then. at least with all those eyes...