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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mongoose_Matt" data-source="post: 422803" data-attributes="member: 239">Hi guys,Two brand new series dropped onto my desk this afternoon - the first four Power Classes and the first of the Supplementary Rulebooks, Ultimate Prestige Classes.  Both sets of books have been eagerly anticipated, not least here in the office for our own campaign!Ultimate Prestige Classes (volume 1) is a big, fat 256 page hardback with a very attractive cover by Scott Clark (he also designed the covers for the Power Class books).  I am told there are well over 100 prestige classes in this book and judging by its thickness, I can believe it!The book kicks off with a couple of introductory chapters covering how to use prestige classes in campaigns and how players can approach them in terms of their characters.  One of the most well read chapters, I think, will be Design Your Own Class, written by Alejandro Melchor.  Rather than trying to introduce a point-based formula for creating balanced classes (we did actually start messing around with one until we realised the utter futility!), Alejandro discusses each stage of prestige class design, taking into account balancing factors, requirements and class features.  Then, with no more ado, the book gets into the meat of things - the prestige classes themselves.Rather than just a dry list of class after class, Ultimate Prestige Classes has been arranged into several self-explanatory chapters (Way of the Warrior, Secrets of the Arcane, The Power of Faith, By Wits and Skill, Mind Over Matter and Monstrous Paths).  In addition, Alejandro has written a paragraph mini-review for many of them (Classic Plays), discussing ways in which the class can be introduced into a campaign, the effects of its features and which characters will best suit it.  Hats off to Alejandro for this - it is a simple idea but it really adds a lot to the book.So, what classes are in here?  Well, I would be tempted to say all of them, but unfortunately space restrictions meant that not every prestige class ever released could physically fit in!  However, we do have a lot of old favourites from both Mongoose and other companies, as well as many new never-before-seen classes.  Some people have already asked where the OGC material has come from, and just running through the section 15, I see Firey Dragon Productions, Necromancer Games (Clark Peterson), FFG, AEG, MEG and Green Ronin (as well as the odd Mongoose entry!).I cannot speak for any other gaming group but I can see Ultimate Prestige Classes, along with its sister publication Ultimate Feats, being two _very_ well used books on the gaming table.  Whether you are a player looking for that vital edge of survival or a Games Master planning the next foil, if you cannot find inspiration from Ultimate Prestige Classes, well, I would be surprised!Ultimate Prestige Classes is a big fat $34.95 book which, incidentally, will be at the US distributors by the end of the week, I believe.  Unfortunately, gamers in the UK will have to wait a tad longer - sorry guys, but that is the way it goes sometimes!This leads us nicely into the second new series - Power Classes.  Kicking off with Assassin, Gladiator, Exorcist and Noble, each $2.95 / £2 booklet of 16 pages adds a complete core class to the game.  Each class is laid out in a similar method to those in The PLayer's Handbook, allowing gamers to jump straight in with a new character, or multiclass in from an existing one.  However, there is far more to each book than a new range of class features and skill lists - we have tried to add a little 'more' to each booklet to further expand the class and give it a good boost when introduced to a game.  Assassin, for example, includes new poisons, assassination equipment, new weapons (including the renowned Sniper's Crossbow!), and rules for concealing weapons.Each Power Class booklet covers a very different archetype, giving players a good spread of classes from which to choose from initially - we'll be expanding the Power Class range later this year.  The Power Class booklets will be available in the UK within a week, I am told, and will begin appearing in the US within a fortnight - they are being flown over to you guys as I type!Happy gaming!</blockquote>

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