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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RodneyThompson" data-source="post: 2010083" data-attributes="member: 3594">I've downloaded and read the first PDF sourcebook by JD Wiker's new publishing house, The Game Mechanics, and I've got to say I really, reallly like it. For anyone that plays D&D, and even for some that run other fantasy games, this sourcebook is a really unique take on the concept of magical swords. I'm going to implement this idea into my campaign immediately, and it should help curb the "gimme gimme" attitude of some of my players.The concept behind Swords of Our Fathers is that magical swords are too often treated like they are in video games -- just another, stronger weapon to trade for. For this sourcebook, however, JD has taken a very "Lord of the Rings" approach in that swords should be unique, special artifacts like Glamdring or Sting, something to be kept forever and never treated as just another weapon. He does this by having these legendary swords grow in power the longer a wielder uses them; four prestige classes cause these blades to grow in strength, representing time and training done with the blades. Never fear that you're taking a prestige class just for one weapon's ability; each of the four helps continue you down the path of your original class, if not quite as swiftly, but spellcasters increase in caster level and warrior types get bonus feats. The great thing is that it balances the sword's abilities with continuing to progress in your chosen field, meaning that you don't sacrifice your character's class features for the weapon. It's a nice balance, and one that I think will work well when implemented in the game.The weapons themselves are really, really cool. My favorites so far are Hearthbrand and Draakhoorn, just for the unique roleplaying opportunities they present. The great thing is that each sword has different powers, so that no two legendary swords are alike, and even the same weapon acts differently in the hands of different wielders. Forget your fighters pawing after the next +2 sword; now they're going to hang on to this weapon the entire game. Not only are the powers unique and useful, but the flavor of the weapons will turn Joe Fighter into a highly stylized and vivid character thanks to an identifying weapon. Moreover, the book does not limit itself to swords, but also includes ideas for axes and other bladed weapons, making it that much more versatile. I like this concept so much that I'm considering eliminating all magic weapons in the campaign except for legendary weapons that use the scion prestige classes. It makes a magic weapon special as opposed to treasure.The art and layout of the book is great, and reminds me a lot of the AD&D 2nd Edition sourcebooks. However, this is where I do have my only real complaints with the book. One, the PDF file doesn't have bookmarks, so you can't just jump to the section you wants. Secondly, the borders and formatting go right to the edge of the page, meaning that when you print out the page you're going to get some cropping that might not look that great. It's nitpicky, but though the book looks great on the screen, printing can be a problem. You won't miss any text, but borders may mess up.Overall, for $5 this book has already been well worth the money if only for the ideas I've harvested from it. Now the biggest problem is going to be finding a way of taking away "mundane" +2 swords and giving them a legendary blade....</blockquote>

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