NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 6899760" data-attributes="member: 12731">I have it, but sadly, I do not feel it's worth its money. Not for its crunch, at least.As an introduction to the Realms, sure. But boy does it pale in comparison to the absolutely stellar 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting - which must contain a hundred times as much campaign info, and still managed to cram in much more crunchy goodness too!So, as crunch it's far too light. As fluff is much lighter than ten years ago. The best thing I can say about it is that for a complete newcomer to Forgotten Realms, it presents an easily digestible introduction. For everyone else, it just contains scraps of info: scattered bits of Realms-updates since 4E and the odd cantrip here, and a subclass there. It's just too light. Condense it down to half its page size, cut two thirds off its price, and you have something. Alternatively, add more subclasses so every class gets one, and add a dozen spells (NOT the elemental evil ones!), and a sprinkling of magic items, and you have a solid foundation. Perhaps add a few bonuses, such as the page on Svirfneblin Spell Gems (from Out of the Abyss). Then just double the background info and you might have something worth the asking price!---More specifically, I'd say over half of the little crunch there is simply not interesting enough.One reason for this is how padded it feels, with chunks of text devoted to races and classes that end up in... nothing. The way it refluffs existing crunch feels like empty calories.Then there's too many subclasses I simply don't see any of my players actually taking. Battlerager: cool image but meh implementation. Using up your bonus action for an extra attack - we already have such a subclass (and it still can't amplify a feat that too uses the bonus action). Reckless Abandon - too many ways to gain temporary hit points already. And the small number just sucks - had you gotten them each round, it might have been something. Getting to dash as a bonus action is also weak. Ultimately, you will never find magic spiked armor in any module or on any random roll, dooming the subclass in any group where you can't trust in the bottomless generosity of your DM. Grade C+Totem Spirits: a nice extra selection. Sure, nothing beats Bear, but still. Grade B (but a very small snippet of crunch)Bards: from a crunch perspective, a solid F. Especially since it takes you a fair few minutes before you realize you're not actually getting anything, which is especially harsh since you're the first class to make this realization.Cleric: again, the Arcana domain is a solid effort. Just so very little. Grade BDruids: Grade E (not F because by now you know some classes doesn't get anything, and the section is mercifully short)Fighter: Grade C-. Yes, we get a whole new subclass. But it's strangely specific and tied hard to the Realms (and Cormyr is not even on the Sword Coast!). It is a warlord-like subclass, but extremely cautious. The only thing the warlord players want is an Inspiring Surge like ability, but here you get a single use per short rest, rather than something you can use every other round! And to add insult to injury, you only get to give a single attack, not a full extra attack's worth! And the final straw is that you can't do this instead of acting yourself - nooo you get this as part of your Action Surge, preventing a true passive Warlord feel!Monk: I'm gonna be generous and hand out an B+. The two new subclasses might not be ultra-inspiring or that different, but this should have been the minimum bar for all classes, rather than the maximum contribution for just a single lucky class.Paladin: Not sure how good this subclass is, so I'll give it a grade of B for the moment.Rangers: Grade E. Only the fanboys and apologists would not agree when I say the new revised Ranger should have been ready for inclusion in SCAG!Rogues: Two subclasses, but my generosity is faltering quick, and really "above and beyond" means more than two subclasses. (As I said above, how about some new spells, magic items and the like; a couple of new battlemaster maneuvers perhaps) The swashbuckler isn't bad, but doesn't change the basic fact ranged combat is too attractive in 5th edition, especially for fragile rogues whose hp and ac has no place in melee. The mastermind is mostly strange. The warlord wants its Master of Tactics back. I hate abilities that talk about meta information, such as Insightful Manipulator. Grade B-.Sorcerer: the storm sorcerer didn't get bonus spells (as in playtest) but also didn't get anything else (that is, the bonus spells were just removed, not replaced by anything else). The end result is something that reads as a decent NPC class: too many abilities are just glorified ribbon abilities, and you certainly don't get anything comparable to the draconic AC you lose. Grade C-.Warlock: also a NPC build. If you feel favored enemy is too situational, just wait until you get a load of this. Slightly better because Warlocks got so much going, and because Warlocks can be built for the new cantrips (the sorcerer should stay far away from melee) - grade C+.and then we get to the only truly brightly shining spot...Wizard: you get the Bladesinger, which is awesome. And you get cantrips to support it. By this time I'm so starved for some truly crunchy crunch, if you know what I mean. Grade AIn the end, I can only recommend SCAG it somebody else is buying it for you... or if you're new to the Realms, to 5th edition and to D&D in general.Zapp</blockquote>

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