[PR] Second World Simulations announces Masters of Arms

[sppeterson]

Second World Simulations has shuffled its release schedule a bit, making the Masters of Arms book its initial release.

Masters of Arms
96 page Softcover
Product Number: 2WS1100
ISBN: 0-9718397-0-0
SRP: $18.95
Release: June 2002

Over thirty prestige classes and 300 special maneuvers devoted to the use of weapons whose names you can’t pronounce! Special maneuvers such as the “Three-fold Strike” and “Stick a Fork in Him, He’s Done” help distinguish the glaive from the ranseur.

Masters of Arms focuses on unusual weapons and those who master them. Combination maneuvers give you lots of different ways to devastate things while defensive maneuvers give you something to do while the monsters try to eat you. All the classes are designed with maximum flexibility and customizability in mind and most of their special abilities can double as new feats, so that those who don’t wish to specialize in a prestige class can still expand their library of actions. For gamemasters the Alpha Beast provides a convenient way to upgrade a monster for close in fighting, whether using claws or teeth or tentacles. And the telekinesis master can make fighting demons a very different experience.

Here’s a list of the masters of arms included in the book:
Alpha Beast
Axe Power Fighting Master
Bashing Master
Blinking Master
Bow Master
Cloak Fighting Master
Club Master
Crossbow Master
Dagger Master
Double-Pick Master
Dual Sai Master
Dual Swords Master
Flail Master
Glaive Master
Greatsword Master
Immovable Rod Master
Improvised Weapon Master
Kusarigama Master
Longspear Master
Net Master
Precision Sword Master
Quarterstaff Master
Ranseur Master
Rapier Master
Rod of Lordly Might Master
Scimitar Master
Scythe Master
Spiked Chain Master
Sword and Dagger Master
Sword and Shield Master
Telekinesis Master
Tensile Mercury Weapon Master
Three Piece Staff Master
Throwing Hammer Master
Trident Master
Two Axe Fighting Master

Names left generic and descriptive for clarity (and because I used up all my ideas naming the maneuvers).
Depending on space constraints some classes may be removed or swapped out for other classes. Any class from the above list not in the published version will be available as a preview/free download from the Second World Simulations website.

 

[Creeping Death]

RE: Master of Arms

Sounds interesting, However wouldn't spike chain master be covered in Sword and Fist? Forgot what its exact name was. Some of the weapons masters look like the generic weapons master from sword and fist could cover for them as well. Duelist would take care of some of the weapon masters you have listed as well. I would like to see some odd weapon master prestige classes. You've listed a few, net, axe, ransuer, sai, kusari gama. Covering some of the wierd or not oft used weapons would be great. I'm looking forward to some samples.

Creeping Death

 

[sppeterson]

Samples sounds like a plan. I'll include a more generic sample (such as the Precision Sword Master) and exotic one, perhaps the Glaive Master since he inspired the entire combination maneuver system. I'll post here when the preview's ready but it should be soon.

For the Masters of Arms they'll be Beta versions since the classes are still in playtest. I'll follow with previews from the Sourcebook over the course of next month to help give a more precise idea of what kind of material Second World Simulations will produce.

 

[sppeterson]

Preview Available

You'll probably already see this elsewhere on the board but the preview is now available at www.Second-World-Simulations.com

 

[Creeping Death]

re: web page

I get an error when I try to view the page.

"You are not authorized to view this page"

 

[sppeterson]

I updated the Downloads page again just a few minutes ago so perhaps that caused the error. I'm also getting a bit more traffic at the moment though that shouldn't be a problem.

Are you having trouble with the main page, downloads page, or the file itself? And if the problem's gone could you post a quick message here or email me so that I know it's okay.

Gracias,

 

[Creeping Death]

re: web page

I'm having problems with the link in your previous post.

 

[sppeterson]

Grats, CD; dangling period there. I know there's a reason I always hated punctuation.

Anyway, fixed now.

 

[Corinth]

Why so many prestige classes?

 

[sppeterson]

Why so many prestige classes?

Two main reasons here.

First, I like prestige classes (and templates) so I figure my customers will too. A nice thing about solid prestige classes is that they enhance the player's game as well as the GM's game. As a player I have a new option and hopefully one or two of the options will be ones that I've been wanting to do anyway. As a GM a prestige class gives me a fairly easy tool to distinguish one of my monsters as special or create an elite group of orcs tied around a theme. Often I don't want a brand-new monster; I want a different theme for a monster type already present in my world. An item I'd find cool would be a large monster book but one solely devoted to creature-templates; I might have a hard time explaining the genetic diviersity in my kingdom if I used all the different monsters out there right now but I could pretty easily explain (and work into my campaign) a forest with wolves who've been possessed by a variety of different demons, each of which adds a different template to the base wolf.

Second, one way to help make one weapon feel distinct from another is to focus on the way the weapon is used. If the specialist with the sword fights differently from the specialist with the axe the two characters feel different even though they might ultimately have pretty similar hit points, damages, AC's, attack bonuses and saving throws. I think D&D already does that nicely with the subtle difference between the battleaxe and longsword. Essentially the MoA book just expands on those distinctions. Also, the combination maneuver system gave me enough points of variation that I felt I could go ahead and flesh out distinctive classes for a bunch of different weapons. In retrospect these classes should also blend well with other specialist classes already out there; I don't think that would be a problem for game-balance.