Miniatures Handbook

[Alzrius]

As for Healers being a good NPC class ... maybe. My girlfriend (upon seeing the class) instantly announced she wanted to play one.

Which is a great irony when you consider that, back when we were first given the sneak-peek at the Miniatures Handbook here on EN World, the tipster (who was that? can't recall) mentioned that in WotC playtesting, the Healer was literally referred to as the "girlfriend class" for this very reason.

EDIT: Stormborn and MerricB beat me to mentioning this...but I still find it just that amusing.

 

[MerricB]

Which is a great irony when you consider that, back when we were first given the sneak-peek at the Miniatures Handbook here on EN World, the tipster (who was that? can't recall) mentioned that in WotC playtesting, the Healer was literally referred to as the "girlfriend class" for this very reason.

EDIT: Stormborn and MerricB beat me to mentioning this...but I still find it just that amusing.

So do I. The Healer is a class I really admire. I wouldn't want to play one, unrepentant Bard and Wizard that I am, but to create a class like that really shows an ability to work outside the purely conventional.

Cheers!

 

[psychognome]

Well, the Healer is obviously a girlfriend class. Your girlfriend will want to play one because then her character can stay out of the fights, healing the other characters. (especially your character if your playing) And the Healer gets a celestial unicorn. Chicks dig unicorns. It must be the long horns... okay, I'll shut up now...

 

[Stormborn]

My once girlfriend and as of this Saturday Wife always plays Monks and Dex based Fighters of various sorts. She finds the idea of playing the Healer laughable.

Back to the topic at hand: what is the general impression of the PrCs? I was looking at it last night and the War Hulk and tribal chief class seem
a bit overpowered with their bonuses to Str and what not. I do like the Bonded Summoner though.

 

[Seule]

Chicks dig unicorns. It must be the long horns... okay, I'll shut up now...

Have you ever read Not Wanted on the Voyage? Now there's an image you don't need...

I own the Handbook, and I am unlikely to use the miniatures rules. Overall, I think the book is pretty good for a D&D resource.
The 4 base classes have been discussed to death, my main concern is the Warmage may be overpowered compared to the Sorcerer. However, needing 2 spellcasting stats helps there, and they are seriously inflexible. If it's not combat, they simply can't contribute.
Of the Prestige classes the two that jumped out at me as cool are the Warhulk and the Tactical Soldier. The Warhulk has that really cool strength bonus instead of BAB thing going on, and a player in my Savage Species game (an Ogre) has already taken levels in it, starting when the web preview came out.
The Tactical Soldier is also very cool without being overpowered compared to Fighter levels, and I allowed a player in my other game (more standard D&D) to swap his Devoted Defender levels for Tactical Soldier, it fits his character so much better, and even gets some similar abilities.
The Sudden Metamagic feats are interesting, but I'm unsure how useful at higher levels. The once a day limitation is pretty killer. A number of people online seem to think that they are much better than the standard metamagic feats, but I am unconvinced. Many of the other feats are cool, with the notable exception of the feat that's a ripoff of the Epic feat Spellcasting Harrier, with these changes:
1) Combat Casting is impossible, rather than having doubled difficulty.
2) Bonuses in saves are also provided.
3) It's not Epic, and can indeed be taken at fairly low level.
Spellcasting Harrier may have been underpowered, but this feat, in the hands of a Spiked Chain wielder with Enlarge Person (I have one in my game) is just wrong. NPC spellcasters are toast.
The spells included are cool, with a few that are likely to see use in my game. The Swift action is not strictly necessary I think, but it's not exactly a problem.
The monsters are all clustered at the lower end of the CR scale, which isn't handy to me right now, as both campaigns I run have passed 12th level, but I can see several of the monsters getting use in a lower level game.

Overall, it's quite adequate as a book. Not being tied to any particular theme or setting menas it's basically a hodgepodge of stuff, at least some of which is likely to be of use to almost anyone. I'd recommend it as a buy for most people who collected the Builder Books, it's about on par with them for rules content.

--Seule

 

[dagger]

Me and my gaming group (4-8 peeps) like the first half of the book , we will get no use out of the 2nd half of the book.

We like the feats, classes, spells, and prestige classes in the first half of the book.

I paid around or under 20 dollars for the book (walmart.com) so to me, it was a good purchase.

 

[Caliber]

I, too, like the Tactical Soldier PrC. I have visions of two Rogues leaping and tumbling about, and then flanking you while they're both in front of 'ya.

The otheres were okay, although I thought the Tribal Leader a bit weak. Sure he can give all of his allies +2 to +6 in Str (depending on his level) but they take subdual damage the entire time they use it (equal to their HD) and thats the ONLY power he gets (aside from a Cha bonus ... but what good is that for an otherwise melee class?)

Warhulk is excellent. Bonded Mage is so-so. How many Elemental Wizard PrCs is that now? I love the Elemental Mage concept but there are only so many interpretations required.

The Undead Hunter-type Rogue PrC was interesting. I don't remember any of the others.

PS: My girlfriend DID make a big deal about the Unicorn mounts. What happens with male Healers? I thought Unicorns only liked the ladies?

 

[Psion]

Back to the topic at hand: what is the general impression of the PrCs?

Warhulk I would disallow. That much strength sounds like a munchkin in the making. No, the no time to think does not make up for it. I have never found creating a deficit in what was already a weakness to be a particularly productive method of courterbalancing.

I liked the skull clan hunter in particular, and most of the rest seemed decent.

 

[Gez]

PS: My girlfriend DID make a big deal about the Unicorn mounts. What happens with male Healers? I thought Unicorns only liked the ladies?

Depending on how you retranslate "virgin" from "maiden"...

It's a class ability. Which means it override usual behavior. And why should they all behave the same? Maybe you get a unicorn that's gay.

 

[Psion]

Depending on how you retranslate "virgin" from "maiden"...

It's a class ability. Which means it override usual behavior. And why should they all behave the same? Maybe you get a unicorn that's gay.

Maybe the truth of the myth is that unicorns are an embodiment of male power, and they only can become steeds for those who like men, so straight women and gay men can be healers, but straight men and lesbians need not apply...

Okay, maybe not...