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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2009988" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman d20 Magazine Rack Sizing Up the Target This review is for the Soldier/Wheelman Class Guide by Patrick Kapera, Chad Brunner, Shawn Carmen, B. D. Flory, and Scott Gearin with artwork by Veronica Jones, Mike Sellers and Paul Way. Published by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), this 104-page book is a supplement for the Spycraft campaign setting and retails for $24.95.First Blood What’s in this book? New rules that expand the existing Spycraft rules, new vehicle chase rules and new prestige classes just to hit the high points. There are twelve new prestige classes presented here. The Ace is your deadly fighter pilot, who can fly the wings off an aircraft and hit his target with incredible accuracy. An Armorer can build nearly anything and is armed to the teeth. The Bodyguard is professional muscle with vast knowledge of defensive combat and protection techniques. Grunts are exactly what you would expect. These are the guys on the front line who are masters of heavy weaponry. A Hunter is an expert tracker, capable of stalking fleeing targets with deadly precision. The Mariner is the water-based equivalent of an Ace. Medics are the healers and always a welcome addition to any operative team. Slammers are experts in heavy vehicle operations, especially with tanks. A Stingray is the equivalent of the Navy SEAL. Street Fighters are fearsome, a combination of movie martial artist and street brawler. A Street Knight excels at using small vehicles such as a motorcycle. Finally, the Tactician empowers his allies by his ability to spot situations where the team may use to their advantage. The chapter on new rules covers new backgrounds (dishonored and public life), new departments, new skill uses, new feats (a whole bunch), new equipment and new gadgets. The new departments definitely cover some ground that was missing in the Spycraft Espionage Handbook. The new feats cover several aspects of the feat tree, including style feats (hard drinking and old school). Chapter three is devoted to new chase options. A broader range of rules is available for those characters who must go four-wheeling, jumping vehicles, engage in aerial pursuit, or even leap from the outside of one vehicle to another. There are also rules for racing and detailed one for vehicular combat. The final chapter focuses on a wide selection of vehicles. Here you will find vehicles suitable for nearly any environment. New vehicle qualities have been made available for more customization of vehicles. Such qualities include air lock, heavy armor, life-support, stealth design, and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Of course, no vehicle selection would be complete without options for new ordinance and new vehicular gadgets. Critical Hits There are a plethora of new vehicle options that really help the book. Of the many prestige classes, my preference is the Street Knight. That one is just aching for a hot shot cowboy to go crazy with. The best thing about the book, however, is the new vehicle combat rules. Critical Misses If there is anything bad that you can say about the book, it’s only that the reader suffers from information overload. There is a lot of stuff packed in those 104 pages. One might make an argument about the inclusion of so many prestige classes but I am a firm believer in the diversity that they offer. Coup de Grace All in all, the Soldier/Wheelman Class Guide continues the fine tradition of excellence that the first Spycraft book started. There are several good prestige classes and more vehicle options and rules than you wil know what to do with. If you play Spycraft, then this book belongs on your bookshelf. To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to Fast Tracks at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=4" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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