No comments about PC Portfolio - Male Warrior or Rouge.

5 comments about Dragon Warrior I & II (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. I was disappointed in this guide, due to the lack of detailed strategy. Also, it seemed to gloss over a few of the important areas and treat them like they didn't even exist. Not a good idea.

   It seemed as though the authors quickly wrote it, without verifying strategy and concepts that they described. I expected much more specific and accurate strategy from an official strategy guide. It sure wasn't worth the money in my opinion.

   All in all, it was a very unsatisfying book.




2. I was disappointed in this guide, due to the lack of detailed strategy. Also, it seemed to gloss over a few of the important areas and treat them like they didn't even exist. Not a good idea.

   It seemed as though the authors quickly wrote it, without verifying strategy and concepts that they described. I expected much more specific and accurate strategy from an official strategy guide. It sure wasn't worth the money in my opinion.

   All in all, it was a very unsatisfying book.




3. This was an excellent strategy guide (unlike some, it goes in order, rather than say things like, 'when you get <-NAME->, go back and...", it says where to go back when you get it. The one thing I didn't like was that it didn't have the kinds of maps I wanted. Otherwise, it was excellent. Worth every penny.



4. This is not what I would expect from a company like prima. The guides from prima that I have used were supperior to that of Nintendo and Brady. Unless you're a serious gamer, that means absoluetly nothing to you. The guide itself is of very high quality and the list of monsters is excellent. However, there are a few things wrong with it. It fails to actually tell you how many HP Sidoh has. It does not give a very good strategy to beat him. It doesn't even give you a picture of what he looks like. Also, in the Rhone cave, a crucial turning point in the game, it sais there is a pit where there isn't. It took me hours of gameplay to discover that the book was simply wrong. No matter. I like the "down to earth" format, although I wish the would be a bit more specific. Instead of saying "Go to the north eastern staircase" they could have said, "Go to stair case 3" to take advantage of the strategy and map format. To sum it up, its fairly good, with only a few errors, (which can easily be solved by looking on the internet), and is worth every penny.



5. I received it within a week and a half and for a used issue, it was in mint condition. Thanks

5 comments about Warriors of Heaven (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Accessory).

1. This book, originally slated to be released under the planescape logo, does a very good job of making the celestials accessible as player character races. Whether you've always wanted to play an aasimon, an archon, a guardinal, an eladrin, or an aasimar, this book has all the rules you need to create a character worthy of the upper planes. One of the most interesting aspects of these rules is the fact that a first level celestial does not have all the powers normally associated with that type of creature: the character gains powers as he/she gains levels, and with some of the celestials, actually transforms into another type of celestial altogether (such as archons). All in all, this book is perfect for any DM who runs a planescape campaign, but since it has been presented as a 'generic' d&d product, it can easily be used with any other type of campaign. I highly recommend this resource.



2. Although not the best Planescape product I've read, Warriors of Heaven does a decent job of explaining the roles of the Celestials within the planes, and how each of the races interacts with each other. More description could have been included if the book was a bit longer.

   Good points include an interesting array of new magical items and spells, as well as the ability to play Celestials as PCs. Each celestial races, from aasimon to archons, to guardinals, to eladrins and asuras are playable as characters. Some are rather powerful, so it's unlikely they'd be included as standard PCs, however, the opportunities to run Celestial based campaigns combatting the fiends are endless. The idea of beginning as a lowly lantern archon and working up through the ranks to a Trumpet Archon, for instance could make a very interesting game, along the lines of Council of Wyrms...

   On the downside, efforts to make the Celestials usable as character races have created inconsistencies from established Planescape material. Additionally, the interior art leaves a lot to be desired...this is a far cry from DiTerlizzi...




3. Sorely disappointing. Eladrins and Guardinals become mortal, not to mention the Asuras. The impact this has is it takes away a bit of the character of the planeborn. The methods by which PCs can be made from Celestials (most, not all) was also disappointing.If you don't mind a Leonal with a STR-15,DEX-14,CON-13,INT-12,WIS-14,CHR-15 then this is the book for you. If you aren't into seeing the planeborn being reduced to planar elves and rakasta, save your money.Many of the spells were not new either, being only repeats that may be found in other books, hardly unique to Celestials. This book isn't a companion to "Faces of Evil" so be prepared for it to concentrate on giving stats for making weak planeborn PCs (the weak Celestials Lanterns and so forth, were understandable, but not Leonal, Tulani, etc.)and not significantly defining the culture of those creatures. A few decent ideas were presented, but far too few and those few couldn't outweigh the many powerfully horrific ideas that even counters earlier Planescape material without offering any good explanations as to why. Most products of this type usually reintroduce the creature(s) being presented in a manner that makes them more spectacular than ever. This time though, the opposite has occured. I know for one I will be ignoring many of the rules presented in this release from TSR. Do yourself a favor, save your money.



4. "Warriors of Heaven" presents the celestial races in a manner that is both flat and without controversy. One of the highlights of the Planescape setting has always been that no one--particularly not the "authoritative" authors of official products--knows the whole story of the planes--they are simply too vast. As a result, Planescape products are known to present theories, alternate views, different takes depending on one's standpoint, wild speculations, misinformation, and even downright contradictions. Not here. No, everything here is cut and dried and told to you by a godlike narrator--as opposed to the nine or so different speakers (each with different knowledge, tone, and agenda) that illuminated for us the Faces of Evil.
   
   Well, then, what about the information you do get? It would be useful if you wanted to introduce a few celestial-themed adventures into a non-PS campaign, but as far as those of us who like the planes themselves as a setting, there is really almost nothing new or useful here--unless one is really enamored of tables for game mechanics, and has no interest in the actual characterization of the ways, manners, cultures, and beliefs of the celestials. You can even see this in the title: why *Warriors*? Are *all* good-aligned, celestial beings militant? Are there no celestials who are pacifistic? But such things don't matter in an accessory that assumes that it is only laying out additional "monsters" for game players to fight, presumably with a minimum of roleplaying and a maximum of rolling dice and consulting tables for the results.
   
   Shall I sum it up? Warriors of Heaven has *75* tables and charts of mechanical statistics cluttering its 90 pages. Faces of Evil has *none* in its 95 pages. If you want a rich, insightful analogue to Faces of Evil, then this is not for you. If you are dying to introduce a 3rd level Deva into your Forgotten Realms campaign, this is probably something worth reading. If there is to be a Faces of Good, apparently someone will have to write it for the internet.



5. This is basically a weaker rewrite of Mayfair Games' Sentinels product, which TSR won in their lawsuit against the third-party developer several years back. Forced into the basic AD&D Cosmology, this product still borrows in spirit from the original source. As a fan of MFG's Role-aids product line, I appreciated the effort, but it was not nearly as well done as Shaman, Chronomancer, or the latest, the Guide to Hell. Still, it does introduce some good possibilities for a Planescape game, and as such, a creative DM can use this product as a springboard for greater adventure possibilities later. But still, I'd recommend the old MFG Sentinels and Demons supplements, if you can find them.

No comments about Cloud Warrior: A Guide to Aerial Combat (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1 comments about Warriors and Priests of the Realms (AD&D/Forgotten Realms).

1. A good book with a variety of regional kits. The fighter section is probably best used for synopsis descriptions of the regions or as a way for the DM to add colour to foreigner NPCs. The priest kits seem like a good way to diversify the faiths and allow them to cater more specifically to their flocks.

   This book was developed concurrently with Faiths and Avatars, and unfortunately the authors were not aware of each other's projects, so the priest kits are alternatives to the SPs in Faith and Avatars, they cannot be combined.

5 comments about Dragon Warrior VII (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. Indeed, it took me over 100 hours to finish DW7, it was a satisfying game. It was very satisfying, but also frustrating for I got stuck few times here and there. I got really stuck at one point and bought this strategy guide. I expected a full blown walk through with detailed step by step, however, I was left with more frustration because of this strategy guide rather than feeling liberated from the agony of being stuck.
   
   It doesn't have a WHOLE WORLD MAP, which confused me lot of times, and how to reach certain location was just vague. It would've been a much better strategy guide if they simply put a whole map with arrow pointing at every location with their name-I'm not sure if the writer's intention was for the gamers to figure out the rest of the game with only structured guide, so the gamers can have their own share of 'fun' to figure out the way- and I don't think that's 'funny' or 'justified' when we are talking about a game strategy walk through. Information regarding items, weapons, and armors was insufficient. For instance, if you can only get this weapon from an enemy, it doesn't specify which enemy you would have to fight to get it, or though the whole walk through does show where to get certain items from either treasure box or from a certain event, on the weapon/armor list, it doesn't say anything, doesn't specify specific location.

   If you are looking for something 'barely' enough to proceed with your games, this might work fairly well, however sometimes, that 'barely enough' isn't enough, really.
   I don't know what to say.. unless the price is really reasonable, I wouldn't recommend this strategy guide at all. But again, what are you gonna do when you are really stuck, right? It's a hughes game and I'm sure it might be an impossible job to really create a thorough walk through, however, just basic element and content of any walk through for RPG was missing, thus making it very frustrating. Good Luck.




2. Wonderful!! A great help. it was organized, a step by step success to defeat the Demon Lord and restore the world of all it's lands free of evil. Every aspect of this strategy is in FULL detail. gives great information on the weaponary, armory, Items and special item showing a pictures and plenty of information, gives an entire beastiary (monster) selection as well giving from Hp to capture rate. tells you almost exactly where every last Shard is and where the pedistals are in the temple to use them. a MUST have to know all the information in this great game



3. Wonderful!! A great help. it was organized, a step by step success to defeat the Demon Lord and restore the world of all it's lands free of evil. Every aspect of this strategy is in FULL detail. gives great information on the weaponary, armory, Items and special item showing a pictures and plenty of information, gives an entire beastiary (monster) selection as well giving from Hp to capture rate. tells you almost exactly where every last Shard is and where the pedistals are in the temple to use them. a MUST have to know all the information in this great game



4. While it doesn't look like much, the author packed a crazy amount of useful information in this small book! The job/level system is a little overwhelming at first, and the author sumerized it up nicely in the beginning of the book. I found this great since you don't have to read through the walkthrough section and spoil the story for yourself. When you get stuck, each part of the game has a it's own section in the walkthrough, so it's really easy to find. There are tips-0-plenty throughout the guide as well. Over all, I am very satisfied, and recommend this guide to anyone who wants to get the most out of Dragon Warrior VII.



5. This book will come in very handy if you buy the game. The game takes between 100-250 hours to beat and is extremely difficult. Without the book it will probably take well over 500 hours to beat it, if you don't give up. My brother is hard-core gaming geek and has well over 200 RPG games. He has only needed a strategy guide and help 3 times and this was one of the games he needed it for. If you can beat the game without it, you are a genius.
   
   It gives you walkthroughs and maps of most of the levels. It also has a guide in the back of all the monsters you will face and what they drop, etc. Weapons, armour, items, characters, etc. also have their own sections. The only thing I don't like and I really can't fault Prima for it is, is that it does not give "all" the info you need. For example, it tells you that there is a couple of bonus dungeons but, not how to get all the pieces to open them. This may seem small but, I tried for weeks to figure out how to open them. After 3 three weeks I finally found something on the internet how to open them. Another is tiny medals, there are tiny medals in this game to upgrade weapons. You do not really need them but I wanted to try to find all. The prima guide gives you the location for a lot of them but not all. You need to 100 to open the bonus dungeons and if you invest this much time into a game it will make your blood boil if you can't find them. Find that stuff at Dragon's Den on the internet. Other than these small things the guide gives easy explanations how to beat the game, for the most part. BUY IT!

5 comments about Complete Warrior (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. What I love most about the complete series is that it gives you tons of options. There is no better guide to fighters and warriour options for all classes than this guide.
   
   You have to love the new classes presented in this suppliment. The Samurai at first seems a little out of place in a Greyhawk-ish setting, but this warriour with a heart of gold really fits in any campaign. The Swashbuckler is a favorite class of most powergamers, and is becoming a favorite class of mine weather they be robin hood or cap'n jack sparrow.
   
   The variant paladin and ranger classes are too sweet. I use them all the time with my PCs. These variant class make the ranger more like the hard core woodsman like Strider from LOTR, and the variant Paladin makes them more like the knights of the old code.
   
   The PRCs in this guide are very essential. You simply have to love the Cavalier and Ronin prestige class. The drunken master is a real step in the right direction for the monk, a natural progression for any dedicated holy man of the fist.
   
   The feats provided in this book should be considered core. With such feats as destructive rage, arcane strike, and other great options, you really can't miss this section. The spells are a welcome addition as well.
   
   The sections on fantasy warfare are a must read for any DM wanting to improve their game. One road block I've had over the years as a dm is sporting combat, and this guide has a real nice section on just that subject.
   
   I could go on and on about this great book. In short, every good Dnder should own the complete series. There are so many great options in this book, and is a favored addition to my library.



2. Here is the deal, there is a lot of material providing many, many options in this book. That being said, most of it is not incredibly "imaginative". For example, a PC in one of my campaigns wanted to play a samurai type character so using some of the guidelines in the DM's guide we constructed him as a standard fighter with a few extra touches (early access to Weapon Specialization, intimidate as a class skill etc...) and a few penalties (fewer bonus feats, required alginment, allegiance to a lord etc...). My point here, is that as far as the core classes, prestige classes and most of the other stuff in this book, a bit of imagination, some compromise, and a few free hours will let you build the whole volume from scratch without having to shell out the money and at the same time, giving you quite the sense of accomplishment. Take the advice of the DM's guide
   
   "The standard character classes fit into virtually everyone's campaign. They are flexible, and skill and feat selections allow them to be truly customizeable"



3. No book has a better supply of classes and feats for making a fighter character the best player at the table.



4. D&D today is great. I'm a geek from way back and have ranted and raved or applauded many versions of this game. The current one is...overall...the best. It's by no means flawless but they give it depth while trying to maintain a basic simplicity. For the most part, they succeed. Many of the suppliments of the core game however are definitely wanting. One gets the impression that no editor bothered to pay attention to see if it maintains the same balance as the other suppliments, much less the core game. There are some gems however that just add even more colour to the game overall. The Complete Warrior is one of those gems. Chock full of prestige classes and a few full 1-20 classes, as well as some interesting feats and additional infortmation...it is, as a whole, very useful and fun (the Swashbuckler and Samurai classes are definitely favourites of mine now). Not all of the prestige classes hit the mark but more do than do not. I would not recommend all of the suppliments but this one just happens to be a must for the serious gamer.



5. Like the thrill of close combat? Enjoy sneaking around in an attempt to find the best angle to sink your dagger into an enemy's back? Then the Complete Warrior is for you. This book goes into great detail about how to be an offensive fighter in a D&D group.
   
   Pros: Lists a plethora of prestige classes accompanied by beautiful graphic depictions, gives an experienced player more fantastic material for their higher-level characters. Also includes multiple new basic starting classes to choose from. Talks about a variety of tactics to use in-game during combat. All-around a good addition to those who lean toward creating Fighters, Rogues, Rangers, Paladins, etc.
   
   Cons: Not enough basic starting classes added. The types that were added don't have the same feel to me as the classics, such as the new Samurai class, and I will probably will only use one (the Swashbuckler) in the future.