More reasons to love Monte

[buzz]

An interview with Monte Cook, in which he discusses his Ptolus campaign, his years at WotC, Malhavoc Press, and new products. Of particular note is Arcana Unearthed: The Malhavoc Handbook, which is a 240-page hardcover coming out at GenCon, and designed to be a "variant Player's Handbook" with about a dozen new classes, all-new races, all-new spells, all-new feats, revised combat rules -- everything you'd need to run a variant D&D campaign. It looks like it will be an OGL (not D20-branded) product.

He also mentions a Malhavoc Handbook II, which will have monsters, magic items and apparently some setting-type information for filling out the "assumptions" made in the Arcana Unearthed book. And he drops hints on a future book called Chaositech (a 'technological magic' sourcebook) as well as new products from Sean K Reynolds (a book on angels) and Bruce Cordell (a "big psionics classbook").

I had recently been thikning about someone (Monte in particular) making use of the OGL to produce "alternate" core books or core-type books. Guess he was way ahead of me.

/me heads off to buy any and all Malhavoc products

 

[Crothian]

That sounds cool, I just wonder what assumption his book will be making.

 

[Terraism]

[Grins madly. Rubs hands together.] My only complaint is the GenCon is so very far away...

 

[Thorntangle]

Monte is a one-man industry. I'll buy it, cause it is Monte after all.

 

[Psion]

I honestly don't know if I like the sounds of this. After all, I cared not at all for Monte's Ranger, Bard, or Sorcerer.

Monte's great when he innovates. I consider his attempts to reinvent the wheel to be his worst stuff.

 

[Zappo]

I recall the idea of an alternate PHB with new classes/feats/spells/races being discussed on these boards various months ago... heh, actually I recall having a longish argument with someone (could be Edena, not sure though) about the title of such a book. The other poster wanted to call it "PHB 2", while I thought that it would confuse newbies and should therefore be called "Unearthed Arcana 3E" or something like that. I almost got it, it seems.

 

[Lordnightshade]

This sounds pretty cool and I will definately check it out!

I love monte mostly for his Location books (BoEM3) and his situation books (Requiem for a God)

 

[Barcode]

I honestly don't know if I like the sounds of this. After all, I cared not at all for Monte's Ranger, Bard, or Sorcerer.

Monte's great when he innovates. I consider his attempts to reinvent the wheel to be his worst stuff.

I have only seen the Ranger, and I thought it was a little unbalancing. Are his Bard and Sorcerer too munchkin? What didn't you like about them?

 

[Crothian]

I have only seen the Ranger, and I thought it was a little unbalancing. Are his Bard and Sorcerer too munchkin? What didn't you like about them?

They are not as near as bad as the Ranger (although the Ranger isn't as bad once we played it to try it out). THe Sorcerer gets d6 HPs, 4 skill points, doesn't use material components, more skills, but the spell list is altered. Many of the good spells have been uped a spell level.

The Bard gets 6 skill points, but the big change is the magic is completely redone. It has a much more musical feel to it.

 

[Katerek]

Well I didnt really NEED another reason to love Monte, but I am sure glad he keeps given 'em to us!

This sounds like a really interesting buy, I can hardly wait.