What is Arcana Evolved/Unearthed Arcana like?

[Krypter]

Thanks for the info, guys. Does AU have any alternative combat rules to replace AC with Base Defense Bonus, for example? I like the description of combat rites.

 

[Henry]

The best way I can describe it is to tell you to go to monte's site (mentioned by Klaus), but in particular to go to http://www.montecook.com/arch_stuff50.html (which was VERY hard to find from Monte's main page nowadays). You'll find a quick reference guide that is 1 megabyte in size, but is VERY informative as to the things that make the game different from D&D.

 

[Breakstone]

Thanks for the info, guys. Does AU have any alternative combat rules to replace AC with Base Defense Bonus, for example? I like the description of combat rites.

While two of the classes have Class Armor bonuses (Unfettered [swashbuckling-types] and Oathsworm [monk-types]), Armor Class works just like in D&D.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I have Arcana Unearthed and the Diamond Throne and am debating whether to fork out a load of cash for Arcana Evolved to get the new material in a nice shiny full colour book....

We use Arcana Unearthed in two games. One is my Lands of Intrigue FR campaign -- one of the PCs is an air genasi unfettered. The class fits in really well with the setting and the player's character concept.

The other game is run by Graham and is set in the very far south of Middle Earth, using an old ICE supplement as the campaign background. Half the party are non-native pandimensional travellers from Freeport/World of Greyhawk and have D&D classes; the other PCs are natives and use AU classes. I play a magister and am having a lot of fun with the AU magic system which is very flexible, and all the new spells.

Hope this helps

Cheers


Richard

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I ran a Middle Earth game with AU too! Sweet! Mine was set way in the middle of the fourth age, and was neat.

 

[woodelf]

Monte Cook has garnered a lot of respect in the industry for his rule variants (and setting books like Beyond Countless Doorways), so I was wondering if it's worth buying his new Arcana Unearthed v2 compilation Arcana Evolved. Apart from the cool-looking cover art, is this simply a rehash?

Could someone who has played using Arcana Unearthed tell me if these variants are worthwhile and exciting or just minor rules tweaks? The price tag for AE looks pretty steep, so I'd like to know if this is worth picking up. I know it's not out yet, but based on news and people playing UA is this going to be a Big Thing or Ho-Hum?

Well, here's where i come from: i love Arcana Unearthed. I'm not sure yet if i'm buying Arcana Evolved. AE is basically AU + Diamond Throne, + a couple new rules tweaks (new race, new class, extended classes and races to higher levels, probably a few new feats/spells, though i don't know for certain, maybe a few other little things). I'm really interested in the new rules. Diamond Throne has always left me cold. Also, i think AU is perhaps the best-looking D20 System book yet, with really awesome layout and art. I think AE is ugly, and i don't like the new design direction (I do like the new art). So, if you're asking if you should get AE instead of AU, i'd say only if you want a setting--if all you want is the rules, and don't mind not having every single latest innovation, save some money and get AU.

If you're asking if you should get at least one of AU or AE, i'd say definitely. The variants are definitely cool and exciting. I think AU is "more 'D&D' than D&D3E". The changes to spellcasting, alone, are worth the price of admission--they're what got my group willing to give it a try (we've played D&D3E, and they won't touch that again). The magic keeps the upsides of D&D (codified, predictable), while losing most of the downsides (fire-n-forget, have to be prescient). The classes are better-balanced, and, IME, do a better job of fulfilling common fantasy archetypes. The selection of spellsi is more interesting, and ditches a lot of legacy cruft (like a 1st-level no-save, no-attack-roll, force spell). The feat selection is more interesting, better-balanced, and has more for high-level characters. The only way in which i think Arcana Unearthed is *not* superior to D&D3[.5]E is the combat chapter--where he made essentially no changes. And i wish he'd done some of the stuff he talked about in the design stages, like changing armor over to DR. Nonetheless, IMHO, every changed subsystem is an improvement, and that's most of them.

Oh, and on the genericity: IMHO, there's no more setting included in AU than in D&D3E. It's just as easy, if not easier, to adapt to a particular setting. There will, of course, be much more setting included in AE, and i don't know how easily it'll be sidestepped.

 

[woodelf]

My biggest compainjgt is the lack of setting material., There is some good advice for running the game and getting the feel of the world but not so much in specifics as I like and am used to from other settings.

That's 'cause it's not a setting book, it's a rule book. It's analogous to the D&D3E PH, not to Nyambe.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Which is where the fansite, www.diamondthrone.com, can help. There are also some nifty bits of background in Children of the Rune, Mystic Secrets, Legacy of the Dragons and the forthcoming Ruins of Intrigue. The world of the Diamond Throne though is rather like first edition Greyhawk - lots of wide open spaces for the DM to mess with.

As to picking up AE, take a look at some of the art previews on Monte's site, Gaming Report or diamondthrone.com. That alone has me and my players wanting a new copy! (You could however get by without and just use AU, which has some really cool B&W art, and get the Gaming Trade Magazine issue with some of the bonus stuff in it.)

 

[Piratecat]

Some time in the next few days I should have an interview with Monte up on this subject!

 

[Woas]

Quick ?

Is Arcana Unearthed: A Variant Player's Handbook all in 3E?

And is Arcana Evolved in 3.5E or still in 3E?

Thanks

- Woas