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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2009407" data-attributes="member: 18387">Written by Jack "the Knife" -- Guest Reviewer, d20 Magazine RackThis review is for The Quintessential Rogue by Mongoose Publishing. Last September, I was eagerly awaiting the release of Wizards of the Coasts’ new Rogue product, Song and Silence. When it finally hit the shelves, I snatched up a copy without even cracking it open until I was in the parking lot. It was then that I realized that Song and Silence was no Sword and Fist. The supplement was meager, with little material to help advance a character’s personality, and the new equipment listings were little more than mediocre. Finally, the book was overrun with example thieves’ guilds, which were of absolutely no use to me. Where was the excitement? This March, I found myself in a comic book shop unfamiliar to me, and was surprised to find a large assortment of third-party publishers of the d20 system. It was there that I found the book I was really looking for; chock full of cut-throats, cut-purses, acrobats, and assassins. Included were a variety of new weapons, items, feats, and even new uses for old skills. Further, there were entire chapters devoted to poisons and traps, and even a short chapter on the “Law.” I found the The Quintessential Rogue to be the definitive book for the d20 Rogue. The book opens with boasts of creating a Rogue unlike any other ever played, right from first level, and then jumps into the first chapter, “Character Concepts.” Now lets not kid ourselves, “character concepts” are nothing more than what were called “kits” in second edition, but I never did understand why they were discontinued with the third edition and am very happy to see them making a comeback. My favorites include the “Explorer” (a Rogue who seeks knowledge and artifacts as well a fame and fortune), the “Barbarian” (a trickster from a strength-ruled tribal society who’s antics would often find him in hot water if not for his various abilities he can use against enemies), and the “Inspector” (who uses his Rogue skills to combat criminals). The next chapter, “The Prestige Rogue,” also helps add to the persona of the character. The third chapter deals with sneaky Rogue tricks. It opens with new uses for old skills including using alchemy to craft poisons, craft to mend or reinforce objects or even create a makeshift tool in times of need, spellcraft to figure out a magical trap, and forgery to counterfeit. The last three pages of the chapter explain how to use adventuring gear in unusual ways. Topics include using a confectionery staple to combat invisibility, breaking a window with a blanket, and how to use a normal ink pen as a deadly melee weapon. This chapter is not to be missed. Chapter four, “Rogue Feats,” is exactly what a person would expect, and includes many new feats for trap making and poison-brewing (including harvesting the various components to make them). This section is obviously very useful if the Rogue is into these things (mine is a Poisonist). There is even a feat that allows the PC to be over-looked when people start pointing fingers. The next chapter, “Tools of the Trade,” is not overly impressive, but the section on harvesting animal hides for armor is inspired. Studded rust monster hide anyone? Also of interest is the infinite ladder, which extends up to 200 feet, and upon command, shrinks to fit in the palm of your hand. The next chapter, titled “Law and Order,” focuses on the nemesis of the average Rogue – the fuzz. After an in-depth look at the town guard, the publishing team gives us a page and a half of sample guards, and then goes on to examine organized crime, corruption in the legal system, and the severity of punishments certain crimes dictate. Chapter 7 is a dandy, describing a new system for determining whether a complete stranger has heard of a PC or not, and what stories or characteristics they know of him. A PC’s reputation score, augmented with modifiers for different things he is known for having done, allows more power to be put behind his finer social skills, such as Intimidate. There are also additional negative modifiers taking into account the distance from where the PC earned his reputation, and obstacles the information has trouble traveling across, such as mountains, deserts, and oceans. The chapter ends with a look at different types of reputations, from brave and honorable to villainous and cowardly. Chapter eight, “Poisons and Their Manufacture,” is pretty straight forward, explaining how poisons are listed in the book before jumping into four fully-packed pages of deadly poisons, then finishing off with a tutorial on poison creation from the PC’s perspective. Next comes “Traps and Their Construction” which explains how traps work and the components that they all possess. We are then presented with an in-depth look at different trap types and how to build them. The chapter ends with a short section on using spell matrices in magical traps. Following the chapter on traps is “Laws of the Night.” This section, in particular, is what I found missing in Song and Silence. While this chapter is only a few pages long, it provides many good suggestions for designing a persona and background for any PC. Included is information ranging from deciding on a what part of society a Rogue comes from, to potential participation in a “thieves’ guild.” Where this chapter really shines is when its information is used together with material from the first few chapters. Combining some background information, a few new feats, and a new Character Concept can open totally new doors for Rogue PCs. “Guilds and Other Organizations” is an insightful look at the secret organizations of so many Rogues. Do not get me wrong, I still think guilds are a bore, but this is by far the best thing I have ever read on the subject. The author is very clear that the organizations in this chapter are not just thieves’ guilds; they are spy rings, explorers’ societies, and assassin guilds. These organizations are broken down to their core components of alignment, type, size, leadership, etc. Time is also taken for loyalty, measuring how willing a character would be fight for, die for, or rot in jail for their fellowship. The second half of this chapter is all about building (and rebuilding) one of these guilds. It features a monthly checklist for the guild leaders, further explanation of the loyalty rules, a guild income table, and examples of guild agendas. There are also a couple of paragraphs on mercenaries at the end of the chapter that are definitely worth reading as well. Finally, the last chapter, “Hideouts,” is a down and dirty check list for making a personalized fortified retreat, taking a player all the way from figuring out where to build, to designing the traps that keep it secret. There is also a new set of rules regarding the secrecy of a hideout, complete with modifiers for how often it is used. Also of interest is the security score, determining how well intruders are kept away. This book wraps up with some notes from the author, a few pages to reprint all the tables in one place, and a custom character sheet utilizing all the new scores and systems presented in this supplement. All in all, I am very impressed with this rulebook. The only disappointment that stands out in my mind is that the art does match the quality of the text throughout most of the book. The entire book is very insightful and littered with little ways to make Rogue more real. Bravo!To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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