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Message: <blockquote data-quote="trancejeremy" data-source="post: 2010157" data-attributes="member: 924">This is the eighth in a line of mini-books from Mongoose, "Power Classes", each of which introduce a new core class (that is regular class, like fighter or wizard or cleric, not a prestige class). By mini-book, I mean basically like the various mini-modules from AEG and FFG - an 8 page regular sized book folded in half so it's 16 small or half pages. It's priced at $2.95. Mongoose seems to be releasing these suckers in groups of 4. I had bought the first 4 power classes sight unseen, because my local game stores didn't carry them (and I really like core classes). However, they carried the second batch. This is the only one I bought, because I flipped through the others and wasn't all that impressed.This details the Explorer core class. Just what is the Explorer? Well, the cover pic has a pneumatic young women with a bare midriff with a hand crossbow in each hand. So it seems to imply the Exporer is a Lara Croft sort. Unfortunately, the reality is, that isn't so. It's a solid class, but it doesn't emulate her.I only played the first Tomb Raider game (which made Lara Croft a star), and that was on the Sega Saturn (the most under rated console ever). In it, besides exploring, and fighting, she would dodge a lot. And climb and do all sorts of acrobatics. And fight. (Don't see the first Tomb Raider movie BTW, it's beyond awful. Not even any camp value.)The explorer class in this is an okay fighter (average progression, like a cleric or rogue), with a d8 for hit points. It gets 4 skill points per level, and has a decent selection of class skills. Most of the special abilities relate to exploring. Which is probably a good thing, given the name of the class, but it doesn't quite fit the cover image, I would have thought perhaps the class would get the Rogue or Monks evasion abilities.There's a mini-page and a half on new uses for old skills (nothing exciting). Rounding out the booklet are several new feats, all explorer related, oddly enough. So, despite a misleading cover, this is actually a pretty solid class. Perhaps not overly suited for PCs, because most of the special abilities are not useful in combat, but certainly playable.B+</blockquote>

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