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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Sigil" data-source="post: 2009582" data-attributes="member: 2013">The Player's Handbook (hereafter PHB - never have gotten used to simply PH) is the first of the three Core Rulebooks for the D&D/d20 System, published by Wizards of the Coast.Note: This review, along with the review on the DMG and MM is considerably shorter than usual and focused on my opinions and reactions because of the tremendous amount of reviews they have already received and the assumption that everyone is quite familiar with them by now.Percent of OGC: 0%* (This deserves an asterisk because a great deal of the PHB was released as Open Game Content in the System Reference Document)First Impressions: When I picked up this beauty two years ago I was stunned by the beauty of the thing.  Two years later, I'm no longer stunned, but I think that's just due to familiarity.  This book is still, in my mind, the benchmark for d20 system supplements for players.Initial Annoyances: Spikes!  Seriously, the new "grim-n-gritty" artwork style didn't work for me.  I much prefer Elmore's style and while others can't stand him, this is a taste issue.  The other annoyance?  Well, um, can't think of any, really.The Good:  Everything here is very well-organized, and well-explained.  Of course there are "loopholes" and "rules problems" but they are very minor.  I especially liked the new way of cataloguing spells - alphabetically.  Makes things so much easier to find and no more, "see Wizard spell on page X."  Yay!  The introduction of Feats was a wonderful touch for customizing characters.  Suffice to say that this book showcases the d20 system.  There is nothing really "out of left field" in terms of the genre, but there is innovation aplenty in the mechanics.The Bad: Sorcerers and wizards should have different spell lists.  Nothing else really to find fault with here, with the possible exception of the Skill Focus Feat.The Ugly: Did I mention the artwork is a little too gritty for my tastes?  More "high fantasy" less "medievalpunk."Presentation: Gorgeous.  Solid hardback, beautiful paper throughout, well-organized.  Layout is wonderful and stuff is (fairly) simple to find.  No complaints here aside from the art style.  The inclusion of the Character Generator CD was nice, too.Conclusion: This is the book that defines the d20 system.  It set the bar for all future d20 releases in terms of balanced rules, organized publishing, and production value.  If you only buy one book ever for the d20 system, this should be it.--The SigilOctober 18, 2002</blockquote>

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