One thing I like about the Kingdoms of Kalamar is that when they introduce material , they expand it. This is true of the setting and mechanics. Take Stealth and Style, a class guidebook, not to bards and rogues, but to Infiltrator's and Basiran Dancers.
The book starts off not with the classes themselves, but with background details that help fill in the origins of the classes. These origins not only detail class information, but racial information. While this is specific to Kalamar in many aspects, for the non-humans, it could be used for any setting. Races include all of the standard PHB races, as well as hobgoblins, half-hobgoblins, and even drow.
I enjoyed the infiltrator lexicon with it's different meanings for common words. For example, a new coat is a disguise and a leper is an assassin. It's not as detailed as the old Cant from Planescape or Gary Gygax's work for Troll Lords, but gives the GM an idea on how to get started and expand the list.
Those new to role playing or those simply wondering why these variants are needed, will enjoy the section Playing The... and The ... Role in the Campaign. These sections are short enough to be read in a single setting and showcase the different elements that these classes bring to the game.
Also of use is how the classes interact with other classes. The good news is that it includes the other core Kalamar classes so you can see how a Gladiator or Shaman, or a psion or psychic warrior, get along with an infiltrator or a dancer. For example, the infiltrator has a rivalry with the assassin. It's all on the assassin's part though. The assassins feel, perhaps righteously so, that the infiltrator comes too close to the assassin's own profession so they try to take care of them when possible although exceptions aren't unheard of.
Now for those wondering what the classes actually do, Chapter Two fills you in. These variants classes are fully described from 1st to 20th level with details on their special abilities and base information in terms of attack bonuses, saving throws and special abilities.
The Basiran Dancer is similar to a bard in that they're entertainers with the good old d6 hit dice, limited spell casting ability, and abilities to use their performance ability, in this case dance, to influence those around them. Because of their focus on movement, when they gain bonus feats, they come from a list that encourages movement and even combat. For example, Dodge, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Unarmed Strike or Quick Draw to name a few. Because of their high fitness level, physical activities like climb, escape artists, jump and tumble are easier for them, gaining bonuses the increase as they raise in level.
The infiltrator has some rouge abilities. They have the good old d6 hit die, the high reflex save, the good range of skills, a fair amount of skill points (6 as opposed to the rogue's 8) and sneak attack. They also get some wilderness abilities though like woodland stride, trackless step and woodcraft, providing a bonus to outdoor survival skills like climb, hide, listen, move silently and spot checks when outdoors. For those looking for an alternative ranger with no spellcasting abilities, the infiltrator could be it.
For players, now that you've got the core classes, you need ways to customize them. That's where the prestige classes, feats, skills, spells, and equipment, both mundane and magical, comes in. For GMs, you've got organizations and a Rogue's Gallery, each allowing you to quickly add the classes to your campaign with a minimum of muss and fuss.
For the prestige classes, I've got a couple of favorites. The Stompers are orcs and half-orcs,are masters of violence and entertainment. Another, the Sunwalker, are drow who spy on the surface world. A change of pace from good aligned drow leaving their dark caves but instead spying on the surface world. The third is because my taste tend to run towards city adventures as opposed to village,s the urban tracker. All of the PrCs are a full ten levels with description of abilities and role in the campaign.
Almost equally useful are class combinations. How about an Assassins whose also a Basiran Dancer or a Barbarian whose also a Stomper? These aren't detailed charts or listings but ideas on how the classes would best be combined.
I was a little disappointed that we saw some of those dreaded +2 to skills X and Y here but fortunately, there weren't many. Perhaps the best feat for any dancer would be iron legs where your strength bonus is doubled for damage with kicks in addition to a bonus to dance checks and forced marches while for infiltrators, Double-Jointed with it's bonus to tumble, escape artists and perform, would be an asset.
Most of the skills are specific to Kalamar like Knowledge Fhokki Culture or Knowledge, Kalamaran Culture, but they act as a good guide on what types of checks could be made for other campaigns. Of use to almost any game would be Perform (Jokes) since many players think that they already have ranks in it.
The spells range from 0 level minor magics like trailing image, leaving an after-image of the dancer, to the 6th level dance of protection, giving the dancer and allies the benefits of a sanctuary spell, in addition to a bonus to armor class and saving throws.
The equipment tends to be of that type that such classes would need. For the Dancer, finger cymbals and ankle bells while the infiltrator gets poison gloves and masked cloaks. The magic items tend to be low powered like the shoes of the Dancer, granting the wearer a +1 luck bonus to their armor class and the headpiece of the danger, a device used for quick custom changes.
For GMs, there are ten prewritten characters which include background and full game stats for use in any campaign. The twelve organizations range from the Bonedancers, “crosses Basiran dancers with an assassin's mentality” to the True Beginning, a school of Basiran dancers with members of cultures who lead to the class being created in the first place. Each school includes background, organization, activities, distinctions, admission, benefits, dues, and relations. The distinctions are useful for players wanting a quick way to tell what their doing and the relations allow the GM to see how these newcomers interact with previously published material. The Eyes of Kalamar for example, don't get along with many. They act without imperial sanction, are foes of any organization that's a foe of the Kalamaran Empire, and have a true hatred for the Blackfoot Society.
The book uses standard two columns for text. Interior covers are used. The front acts as an index while the back actually carries over the character from the previous page. Art is top notch with several full page illustrations. Keith DeCesare, Talon Dunning, David Hudnut and Patrick McEvoy all lend their talents to make the book easy on the eyes. The layout is standard per past Kalamar products with outer and top margins about an inch, and bottom and interior margins much closer
Stealth and Style is a self contained book. It features the core classes, prestige classes, feats, spells and items needed for any player, even as it brings in new organizations and NPCs to enrich any GMs campaign.
