1 comments about Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium d100 system (Basic Roleplaying) (Basic Roleplaying).

1. If you are familiar with BRP you can skip the next four paragraphs as it covers the basic history and basic system description.
   
   The Basic Roleplaying system (BRP) has been around for quite a while (RuneQuest 1978) and is one of the most well known roleplaying systems still in print today. Unlike many RPGs, BRP has stayed true to its core mechanics over the years. Sure each new game that used the system had its tweaks and add-ons but the core percentile system stayed pretty much the same throughout. Several games that were popular during their times have used the BRP system including RuneQuest, Worlds of Wonder Boxed Set(Super World ,Future World & Magic World), ElfQuest , Stormbringer, Ringworld, Hawkmoon and multiple European RPGs. In recent years BRP has been most notable for its use in the Call of Cthulhu 6th edition.
   
   My experience with BRP is almost solely with Call of Cthulhu where most of the subsystems included in this book are not used. That said, from what I've read on BRP it includes nearly all of the optional rules from all of the Chaosium versions of the BRP system.
   
   For those that have not played BRP it is a percentile skilled based system: to succeed at a task you simply roll under your skill percentage. The characters characteristics (STR,CON,SIZ,INT,POW,DEX,APP, and EDU) , somewhat strangely, are not expressed in a percentage but instead are based on a 3d6 roll and give a range of 3-18. These characteristics in turn are converted into their derivative stats: Damage bonus, Hit Points, Major Wounds, Power Points, Experience Bonus, and Move. All challenges that do not fall under a skill or any of the subsystems are resolved with characteristic rolls. A Characteristic roll is done using the appropriate characteristic's value, multiply it by five and the result is the percent chance of success. As normal, you need to roll under to succeed. For example strength of 15 would give you a base chance of 75%. However, some more difficult tasks may only have a multiplier of two or less as determined by the GM.
   
   Basic combat involves three phases: Statements, Actions, and Resolution. In the statement phase players, in order from highest dex to lowest dex, state their intent for the round of combat. Next players carryout the intent that they stated in the statements phase. Possible actions are move, attack, take a non-combat action, disengage, parry, dodge, fight defensively or speak. Once actions are taken then resolution occurs. Combat is pretty simple; roll against your skill with the given weapon if you succeed you may have hit the opponent. Once your attack succeeds the target gets the chance to parry (using his weapons skill) or dodge the attack. If the attack is not parried or dodged then damage equal to the weapon's damage value plus the character's damage bonus is subtracted from the target's HP.
   
   While the core rules of BRP have not changed much over the years, there have been several add-on rules and systems. The subsystems included are: Magic, Super Powers, Mutations, and Psychic Abilities. The Magic system works similar to the skill system, each spell has its own skill and a roll against the spell's skill determines success. The difference between the skill system and magic system is that spells also use Power Points. Spells in the magic system must be memorized. Mutations, mechanically, are just special abilities that a character gains as a result of some sort of exposure or genetic tampering. Some act like skills and some are static abilities. The Psychic Ability system is also skill based; each ability is its own skill. Like the Magic system Psychic Abilities use power points but the Psychic system also pits either your POW or current power points against the target's POW or power points. Sorcery uses spells that work automatically without any skill roll except in cases where the spell allows the target a resistance roll. Also Sorcery gives the character more flexibility by allowing them to change their memorized spells day to day. The Super Powers system works by giving the player many, many choices for powers and then giving them the ability to buy levels in them. So while there are many powers to choose from there are also many levels of each and it provides a lot of variation. Players buy powers using their character point budget (based on the character's highest stat) and also by taking on character failings. Most of the major comic book super powers are represented; some use power points others don't.
   
   The book, in total, offers over 35 different optional rules that the GM can cherry pick to customize the system to their game. Several of the optional rules allow you to change the character creation process which is why I didn't cover that section, there just a ton of options. Other notable options are: Skill category bonuses that give character bonuses for high characteristics, Hit locations, Minis & Maps, Allegiance and personality traits. With so many options most GMs should be able to tailor a version of BRP that would suit their game.
   
   Other nice features are a very helpful GM section, mostly stuff an experienced GM would already know but it would be a good resource for new or inexperienced GMs. The creature section gives GMs a pretty good amount of beasties for all sorts of genres. The setting section gives general advice on applying the BRP system to most genres, however, each genre is only given a short section.
   
   My overall impression of the book is that it brings BRP up to the level of GURPS & Fudge for adaptability and utility. While being generic and adaptable is an asset to this game it brings with it the usual problems like being able to do all genres but may only do one genre very well. I think this version BRP probably would be better for gritty fantasy or horror games or cross-genre mixes including either. The sanity system is great and could be included to make a nice dark fantasy game. Combat seems like it may be slow and a bit cumbersome with all the parrying and dodging going on and armor absorbing damage. However, in settings without armor, the system could be pretty deadly like it is in CoC.
   
   I like the magic subsystem and the way spells are skills and I like the way pretty well every one of the subsystems are scalable. That's the name of the game here; make it what you want it to be. The book is a huge mass of optional crunchy goodness and a DIY GM's toolbox. BRP does not show it's age, it seems as good today as it was when I first played it and that is uncommon for the older RPG systems. If you like to play several genres but want to stick with a single system that can do them all, BRP is a good choice that should suit your needs.

5 comments about Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (2006) (Dungeons & Dragons Game).

1. I recieved this as a christmas gift and I had never played D&D or an RPG before and i was very plaesed with the result!
   I opened the box and the first thing to catch your eye is all the wonderfull miniature each in its own plastic bag(i have ead a review on here about the game not coming with stat cards so you cannot play the D&D miniature warband game but you can download and print these off the D&D site.
   
   The rules:nice and strait forward i understood them very fast(Yes, these are very "dumbed" down rules for all us newbies)i played a few rounds by my self (being teh NPC's and teh PC's just to get a hang of it(with can be fun) and then a round with my older brother who thought it was ok but didnt realy get into it, but the next night i played with my sister and now we have been playing it all the time(people say this is more of a mini battle game but me and my sis had a whole game with no die rolling just good old fashioned RPG-ing)
   and now i want to advance more so I ordered the D&D players kit(the day after i got the basic game of course) wich looks great!
   one of the things i would like better would be to have seperate RPG stat cards for all teh monsters instead of having to flip through teh pages of teh DM book...but thats no biggie.
   
   So I personaly think this is a great game!



2. My son really is enjoying this game. It is a great game for introducing people to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. I would STRONGLY recommend that you have an experienced Dungeons and Dragons person to be the Dungeon Master. The adventure and rules are completely inadequate for a first timer to be the Dungeon Master in that they do not address the various scenerios that arise from the game or give enough background for the adventure. Without an experienced person being the Dungeon Master, the game could end up being a disaster.



3. This product does a very good job of introducing the player(s) to the D&D world. I would suggest it to anyone who has no experience with RPG's and wants to get involved with the granddaddy of them all. It does a nice job of walking the player(s) and the Dungeon Master(DM) through a few scenarios; and is a nice starting point to see if the game will be enjoyable without a high initial investment.



4. I recently bought this game because I wanted to get into D&D and thought this would be a good place to start. It is okay if you have never played before and want to learn alittle bit on how to play dnd but you have to use premade characters and the adventure is short and not that great. I bought the three core rulebooks last night so I could get me and a couple other people into it more and have more fun with it. All together I would recommend anyone that has never played and wants to play to pick this game up. You get some cool miniatures and almost a full set of dice.



5. Review by the purchaser's son, age 14.
   Summary: Get this for the materials (adventures, figures, etc.) Get the rulebooks for content. Roll some dice. Have fun.
   
   Dnd is a hobby that requires a lot of dedication and the purchase of at least three rulebooks at around $30 apiece. Many new players/DMs will not know if they like Dnd enough to purchase the books they need, and this product is a great jumping-on point. It clearly outlines most of the basic rules. The key word there, however, is "basic." The characters that come with this set do not follow many of the rules presented in the Player's Handbook (for example, skill ranks that are absurdly high) and as such, confusion can be caused when the standard rules are incorporated. The six adventures in this book make up a small but high-quality mini campaign, and your players (I speak as a DM) will be hooked. For the best experience:
   1. Purchase the core rulebooks (Player Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) along with this set. Use the miniatures, adventures, and treasure/experience included in this boxed set, but use the standard rules for rolling up (creating) characters and for leveling up that are detailed in the Player Handbook.
   2. Take the time to fill out character sheets and you will be rewarded. They provides spaces, blanks, and boxes for just about every variable in Dnd, and it's very hard to stay organized without one.
   3. LEARN THE RULES. This is the absolute most important point. Yu don't need to learn about sundering weapons, grappling, bullrushing, and other advanced tactics until you're experienced, but basic rules like skill/ability checks and combat rolls are a must.
   
   Pretty good value for the money, BTW.
   
   REMEMBER: THIS IS THE 3.5 EDITION OF DND. VERSION FOUR COMES OUT IN MAY AND JUNE 2008, BUT THAT WILL NOT MAKE THIS PRODUCT ANY LESS USEFUL. THERE ARE PLENTY OF RULEBOOKS FOR DND VERSION 3.5.

5 comments about Imperial Munitorum Manual (Warhammer 40, 000).

1. This is a nice little fluff book, the only reason I'll ding it a star is that there's a bit too much overlap with the Uplifting Primer. (how many ways can a Guardsman run afoul of a commisar and get executed again?) I would say it's primarily a prop to go along with a diorama, in your battle bag, etc, but the text is also an entertaining if short read. You could easily imagine this being the kind of thing a 41st millenium army would print en masse to hand out to the troops. The size is even right for fitting in a cargo pocket or rucksack.



2. Not a bad product, but really not something anyone who does Warhammer 40K needs or would really want, unless you are a fanatic. I probably will not keep it.



3. The munitorium manual, written in the style of an army field manual, is a dossier of the history of the Guard and the Imperial Army, and includes decent descriptions of a Guardsmans equipment and weaponry. Its a nice addition for fluff fanatics, and a good intro to the IG universe if you have a friend whos interested in playing a Guard in the new 40k RPG. Aside from those two niche groups, this book won't find much purchase anywhere else. The paperwork section and crimes and punishments are also entertaining.



4. This was a fun little book, a great companion for the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer but I'm deducting stars because it lacked a coherent and authentic narrative voice. While much of it was as offious as I would have expected, some of it had the wrong tone for a Departmento Munitorum bureaucrat. One minute it would be providing a dispassionate run down of impossibly harsh punishments for the slightest infraction and the next talking about something completely unofficial that simply would not have made it into the final text (and would probably have resulted in one or more of the punishments previously described being performed on the author himself). The metals section was the worst with this.
   
   Adding the "inside baseball" comments by way of marginalia (presumably added by an Imperial Guard supply officer with less respect for the rules laid out in the main text than the author of that main text) would have improved the authenticity of the book.
   
   If you liked the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifitng Primer or just can't get enough Warhammer 40k fluff (and those categories almost certainly fully overlap) pick this up. There's no reason to buy it otherwise.



5. Every now and then a W40K novel mentions the manuals. Normally it is during a narration, where Readers see (or "hear") an officer's thoughts as s/he dwells on duties or regulations. But have you ever stopped to wonder exactly what was in those manuals? Better yet, did you ever wish you could actually have one of them? Here is your chance. This is the "revised edition of the first published 945.M41". It begins with a preface by Seward Rosencraz, Chancellor of the Estate Imperium, followed by a Logistical Officer's Chain of Command. The contents of this manual, in my own words, are as follow:
   
   Part One - History and procedures.
   
   Part Two - Regiments, Raising and Structure, Supply Needs, Shipping of Equipment for the Cadian 91st (Sentinels).
   
   Part Three - Requesting of Equipment. (This section even mentions "the wholesome and nutritious" victuals supplied.)
   
   Part Four - Care and Maintenance of Equipment, Unauthorized Modifications, Procedures and Punishments for Laxity in Maintenance.
   
   Part Five - Identification of the items for front line troopers.
   
   Part Six - Identification of the weapons for front line troopers.
   
   Part Seven - Identification of the items issued to support platoons and squads.
   
   Part Eight - Identification of the items issued to senior officers and specialist personnel.
   
   Part Nine - A selection of forms for the many and varied situations likely to arise and how to deal with them.
   
   Of course, no Imperial manual would be complete without some extra sections to inform troopers about famous people (a few paintings are illustrated), badges and insignia (each clearly shown and told why there are given to select heroes), and even the guidelines for calling in a fire mission. More than once the manual stresses that the maps enclosed must not fall into unauthorized hands, so soldiers (uh, readers) must keep this manual safe. And above all remember the motto of the Departmento Munitorum: "Only the awkward question; only the foolish ask twice."
   
   ***** I really enjoy how realistic the author, Graham McNeill, made this manual. I would not be surprised at all to learn that most W40K authors keep this gem close by as they create their stories, for quick and easy reference. Littered throughout the manual are the quotes all W40K fans know by heart (and, I admit, use in conversations with family members and friends in the military) such as: "Ammunition isn't free - make your shots count!" Even the texture, color, and shape of the manual are realistic. (So much so that if you are in the military and have this in your locker, at first [and second] glance it looks like it belongs there.) Outstanding! *****
   
   Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

No comments about World of Darkness Dogs of War (World of Darkness (White Wolf Hardcover)).

5 comments about Complete Divine: A Player's Guide to Divine Magic for all Classes (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement).

1. The complete divine is a decent book, but by no means anything great. Roleplaying is gone over very briefly, and is mostly common sense stuff. There are decent classes that might be fun to roleplay, but don't bring much to the table in terms of originallity. Also, the new spells that are introduced aren't worth too much.



2. So I've been back and forth over this book a few times, especially once I first got it. After running through it a few times, I've come to the conclusion that it is pretty useful for bits and pieces of using Divine casters in a game.
   
   Like most recent Wizards releases, there's lots of extra material I as a player and DM never use and don't intend on. Too many Prestige Classes. Lots of them take hits on caster level for a special ability, or some other small bonus. It can be hard enough to run a caster at its full casting level without having taking an extra hit.
   
   Most of the magic items or artifacts presented aren't necessarily worth putting into a game without a specific use. Some of the regular magic items I wouldn't want to put in as part of a hoard or random treasure. They seem to be either overpowering or underwhelming, no happy medium.
   
   Feats were hit or miss, either you can use them in a multitude of places and on many types of characters or they were built for one class only. However some of the one class only feats, such as the Wild feats are helpful if you run a Druid to some of the middle and higher levels. Augment Healing was a nice one, a little help with healing every time doesn't hurt, until you get Heal and works good after run out of Heals too.
   
   When it came to classes, I've only be able to get into the Favored Soul. It's a pretty straight forward Divine casting sorcerer. It's got a d8 hit die, weapon focus as a bonus feat and 3 energy resistances through its level progression. Spell casting is a little slow compared to the Cleric, but you can do pretty well with bonus spells per day and a good Charisma score. Plus, you don't prepare spells, you spontaneous cast, which comes in handy when you need to act fast as both the healer and small tank. Wings in the late levels seem more as add on flavor text than as an actual perk of the class.
   
   It's not a bad book overall, I'd suggest snagging a copy if Divine casters are your thing, or borrowing one to make you next cleric, druid or other divine caster.



3. This book is great for anyone playing a divine spell caster. Providing good feats and prestige classes.



4. Me, the guy who always plays the Cleric or Druid, could'nt resist picking this up, and it was worth every penny. Lets start with the beginning:
   Chapter 1: The Favored Soul, Shunenja, and Spirit Shaman are all nice classes, though I have to say I'll probably only use the first two.
   Chapter 2: The best part in my opinion. Every type of Divine spellcaster, and even some arcane spellcasters, has a class here. My favorites are the Pious Templar, Warpriest, and Divine Oracle (all of whitch I hope to become in the near future.)
   Chapter 3: The feats of the book where pretty good, but I'll probably only use the Wild Feats, whitch are mostly variations of other feats but with lower prequisites. Some of the divine feats are nice, like Spontanous Healer/Inflict/summoner if your not the apropriate class. It also touched on Epic Divine spellcasters, but all the feats are in Epic Level Handbook, but its good if you dont have it.
   Chapter 4: The Relics where a nice touch to the book, and although its exclusive to the core Greyhawk Dieties, It gave me some ideas on artifacts for my campiagn, as well as that of my freind's.
   Chapter 5: This chapter gives a synopsis of the rites, worship, temples, and practices of the core dieties as well as others, such as Bahamut and Lolth. It also touches on other minor Greyhawk deities.
   Chapter 6: The descriptions of what happens after death in these chapters has silenced many arguements at the table, such as intricacy's in resurrection and how the soul reacts to its new home (Or old one if its devoted to Fharlangh or Vecna. It also decribes Religous groups, though I knew all this stuff already.
   Chapter 7: 5 pages of new domains. If thats not enough, alot of new Cleric and Druid spells (As well as Blackguard, Ranger, And Paladin, though not nearly as many of them.) Though most are useful to me, some I'll never even think of agian. But there are always those spells that seem as if they were put there to address something that almost never comes up.
   I really like this book, and it ranks with my top 5 most used/useful supplements at #4. I use this book whenever I'm making a Cleric, Paladin, Blackguard, or Druid. If your Pcs don't play these (Why?) then consider other books, but otherwise, read this and I believe you'll find something to make you Diviner's the best they can be.



5. Like so many of the other "Complete" books from Wizards of the Coast, Complete Divine seems to have a galvanizing affect on it's readers and reviewers. In other words, either they love it or they hate it. The reason is probably because, while the book includes a number of extremely good ideas and useful new features, it also has some potentially game-breaking mechanics if used to their fullest extent (such as Divine Metamagic).
   
   Chapter 1 starts with a few pages of interesting flavor text about answering the call of the divine and why certain characters might serve as clerics or other classes of faith. It is followed by the introduction of three new base classes: The Favored Soul (a spontaneous divine magic user, sort of like a sorcerer but with cleric spells), the Shugenja (an oriental based spirit magician) and the Spirit Shaman (a more nature oriented spontaneous caster similar to a druid with some interesting abilities). Nothing to out of the ordinary in the first chapter, though some interpretations of the Spirit Shaman can get interesting at higher levels. Still, the first chapter has some good stuff for both players and dungeon masters.
   
   Chapter 2 covers 24 separate prestige class possibilities, including some "good guys", some "bad guys" and a whole slew of other guys from melee types to even an arcane spellcaster. I haven't seen a whole lot of game-breaking material here either, but some of it seems pretty ridiculously underpowered compared to straight cleric characters I've seen. All in all, Chapter 2 provides a few really interesting ideas and quite a few other fairly good ideas as well. Well worth a look.
   
   Chapter 3 covers a lot of ground in only a few pages. The Supplemental Rules section is where most of the craziness comes from as it applies to supposedly over-powered character creation. Many of the feats are good as written, but some have potential mechanic exploits that can create some very powerful characters. Most of the anti-sentiment towards Complete Divine comes from the section, but I think most of the chapter is perfectly usable as is.
   
   Chapter 4 didn't impress me much, to be honest. It covers magic items, including relics, that can be included into a game. Most of them were sort of take them or leave them, in my opinion.
   
   Chapter 5 covers deities, how to read the deity "stat block" and goes over some new deities you might want to include in you campaign. I didn't find this section helpful because I typically used pre-published campaign settings or simply homebrew my own. That being said, this section might prove valuable to people who have a hard time with the deities presented in the core rule books.
   
   Chapter 6 was very interesting to me for the flavor text alone. Most of the chapter covered the various views of the divine and the afterlife as espoused by the deities and their followers. Very little in the way of rules or mechanics, but still interesting from a game-philosophy standpoint.
   
   Chapter 7 gives a whole heap of intersting spells to outfit characters. Useful if the dungeon master or players find the core selection limiting.
   
   All in all, I found this book useful for cherry picking feats and spells that I thought would add to the game while leaving behind things I felt detracted. I highly recommend that anyone who is seriously into playing D&D give this book a look-see.

1 comments about Lords of Summer (Changeling: the Lost).

1. The fourth book in White-Wolf's Changeling: the Lost gameline, Lords of Summer gives a look at the courtly intrigues of the Changelings. At long last, we get to see how freeholds operate (and come into conflict with one another) and, more importantly, the way that the Court structure comes up. Each of the four Seasonal Courts gets a write up in this book, giving background on their philosophies, lifestyles and recruitment, from the fear-mongering mystics of the Autumn Court to the wild revelry of the Spring Court to the hidden secrets of the Winter Court to the brutal warrior ways of the Summer Court, each one is examined. Not only that, we also learn more about the various rituals practiced by the different courts, the reasons behind their favored emotions and how that colors their perceptions, and perhaps most importantly, the various titles used by the Courts, and their roles.
   
   However, lest you go thinking this is just a book of politics, war and Changeling rites, it also has a fair amount of crunch. Each of the Courts gets a new, thematic Contract list, and a new Entitlement, and the whole second half of the book is full of them. The Contracts were actually fairly nice, especially Verdant Spring (which focuses on Spring's association with passion) and Spellbound Autumn (focusing on Autumn's role a Fae magicians). All in all theres about a dozen of them, ranging from the Lord Sages of the Unknown Reaches (who study other supernaturals) to the Magi of the Gilded Thorn (Autumn Courtiers who explore the Hedge) to the Eternal Echoes (who record the experiences of Changelings) to the Guild of the Goldspinners (literally money-makers) to the Lost Pantheon (who seek to become literal Gods) to the Barony of the Lesser Ones (who seek to dominate Hobgoblins). In addition to Court specific Entitlements, we also get two Seeming-specific ones (a messenger service for the Fairest, and an Ogre/Elemental masonic guild), and one that expends on the role of oneiromancy.
   
   Over all, this book is a very solid addition to anyone seeking to expand on the role of Freehold and Court in Changeling. While the Contracts were very nice, most of the Entitlements didn't jump out at me nearly as much as the ones in 'Winter Masques' (though a couple, like the Guild of Goldspinners DID). Still, no doubt some players (and STs) will find more use for these many Entitlements. Nor does it expand on the alternate Courts offered in 'Winter Masques' (the East Asian Directional Courts and the Slavic Sun/Moon Courts). Either way, it will certainly add a great deal of depth and dimension to any Changeling game. Well worth picking up. I'd recommend picking up both this and 'Winter Masques,' which expands not only on Seeming and Kith, but also adds more multi-cultural options for those seeking variation in their Changeling games. Players will appreciate having both present.

5 comments about Complete Scoundrel: A Player's Guide to Trickery and Ingenuity (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. I really found this book helpful, as the skill tricks can be used for different classes and I tend to play a more tactical based character anyway. I've had an enjoyable time experimenting with many classes using the recommendations from this book and the luck feats are rather entertaining at times.



2. I was very excited about pre-ordering this book, as it sounded like just the thing for giving sneaky, underhanded spells/feats to sneaky, underhanded characters.
   
   However, being a scoundrel has nothing to do with being sneaky or underhanded. Or clever. Or...well, anything at all. EVERYONE's a scoundrel, as illustrated by the book's "What is a scoundrel?" section. Darth Vader and Mario (yes, that Mario) are cited as examples.
   
   This book is full of very similar feats (more often than not, they're just "Choose to re-roll" affairs).
   
   I would not recommend it.



3. This book is pretty good. It is unreasonable to expect that every person is going to use every bit of this book. No one has that much time, or that many characters. Unless of course your characters are suicidal and you roll up a new one every session. To me, if you can pick up a supplement book, pluck out a few classes, feats, and some other good information out of it, chances are its a good buy. Especially considering you can bring that to your gaming group and someone else there might like something that you didn't have a use for. The prestige classes are pretty interesting in terms of class abilities, but I wasn't crazy about them. The enrichment material at the front of the book is excellent though, just like the stuff in PHB2. Solid gold for helping you role-play or just concept a character. The feats and skill tricks presented in this book are also good. In my current campaign I play a Scout (from Complete Adventurer) and I like the character a lot. The problem was, I wasn't getting the full statistical output that my character's personality supports. With the feats in this book, I was able to customize my character by multiclassing in some things without losing some of the Scout class ability progression, which let me make the character into who I felt he should be. The book also has many other feats that make it a lot more appealing to multiclass with levels in a Scoundrel-type class. The skill tricks also add a lot of flavor to your character as well as giving them some cool abilities like some feats give, but with the limitation that they can be used once per day. The book isn't all for the Rogue type, though. It has a fair amount of prestige classes and feats and skill tricks for various casters. To name a few, this book contains the Grey Guard prestige class, sort of like a Paladin with less remorse and more freedom of action. It also has a skill trick that lets anyone with 5 ranks in the Heal skill heal some damage when they stabilize. All in all, I won't use everything in this book, but I will use a good amount of it and it is likely that some of my other players will, too.



4. I have every "Complete" except CChampion. This is one of the best ones there is...great buy! If you liked C. Adventurer you will like this too. The skill tricks introduce a great new option to the game (spend skill points to get mini-feats).
   
   There is even enough stuff for spellcasters in here for it to be worth the money. If you like playing anything remotely scoundrelish (no matter what class), you will benefit from this book.



5. Really well done.This product gives the players interested in playing rogues some great options and extra uses for skills for all classes.New prestige classes and core classes,spells,and items.

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

1. 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"



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



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. Complete Warrior was the first "Complete" book I got, and is still my favorite. It has tons of crunchy bits. Yes, much of the stuff is 3.5 revisions from Sword and Fist and Masters of the Wild, but it is useful none-the-less. In 3e many of the classes and feats in those books were overpowered and no sensible DM should have let them be used as written, some of those 3e failings were corrected in Complete Warrior.
   
   As always, a sensible DM should not allow their players to use anything out of any book they bring to the table. If you don't want hulking hurlers, all you have to do is not allow large size characters or say no--easy. My advice, cut the cheese, as a DM. If it sounds cheesy and hard to incorporate, DON'T LET ANYONE DO IT! Let your spoiled players whine and cry, and keep delivering a good game.

5 comments about Rules Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. Although 4.0 is still not too far away, its good to have this guide on hand. Just recently as the DM in my campaign, I had to look up rules for spell resistance, grappling, movement impairments and cover for a single fight, and try and figure out how the hell those all affected one player's turn. Having this guide made it a quick, easy process. In addition, the rules are alphabetized and marked in an easy to use table of contents. A good buy, at least for me or DMs



2. This book is nicely priced at Amazon,but it ends up being another book you will carry-especially for an already heavy laden DM.It is a useful tool for the game table and it explains many rules quite efficiently,and even adds some usable twist to existing rules.
   I would recommend this book more for a helpful player character at the gaming table,it is useful-but for a Dm it is just another book because it doesn't eliminate the need for any others.



3. This is s great book to have if you want all the rules in one place!
   It it also a must if you do not want to switch to 4th Edition D&D.
   
   The only problem is sometimes the rule you are looking for is not where you would expect it, but that is overcome with use.
   
   All in all a solid book that will see lots of use by any 3.5 D&D gamer.



4. The Rules Compendium adds little new material apart from the design notes from some D&D writers. I found that commentary interesting and worthwhile. The meat of the book itself, however, is a compilation of several years of rules development stretched out over dozens of products. The Rules Compendium condenses and organizes the rules of the game into a useful format. As an in-game reference, it is nearly complete, incorporating not only the material from the PHB and DMG but also rules such as swift and immediate actions added by later products.
   
   The only warning I would make is that there is essentially nothing new in this book. It is useful whether someone has just a few books and would like all the rules in one place or they have lots of books and do not want to hunt through them to find something specific. If you are running an active D&D game, I can strongly recommend it, but it is not going to offer much to the casual player or someone looking for inspiration.



5. This is absolutely necessary if u want to stay in 3.5. The text is clear and able to solve all your doubts of the 3.5 rules. The information is well organized and the flavor texts explain how the autors think the rules. The illustrations came for all other 3.5 books, so i'll find good and bad ones. If u don't care about the 4ed. or simply prefer the 3.5 rules, this is a must have item on your table, it helps a lot, with quick reference guide and clear explains about some problematics of the game.

5 comments about Expanded Psionics Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement).

1. This one is 3.5 right? Hardcover. 224 pages - that's the most ever. Good enough right? WOTC is coming out with yet another hardcover psionic book on April 11, 2006, 160 pages. What the hell is that about? Psionics Handbook, Expanded Psionics, and now the most ironically entitled book I've heard since "The Closing of the American Mind" by Allan Bloom..."COMPLETE PSIONICS". I kid you not. And WOTC says it's supposed to "COMPLEMENT" the Expanded Psionics book. So if it complements that book and has 64 pages less, it's hardly frikkin' COMPLETE NOW IS IT!!!



2. Much better than the original. Flows much more logically and makes alot more sense. However, I would not recommend getting it unless you plan on psionics being a major part of your campaign.



3. I was really eager to add this book to my DnD library, and I'm not sorry I did. This book is a wealth of information. The psionic monsters are really interesting and well-written, and the variety of feats available could knock you over. The revamp of psionics from 3.0 was much-needed; all the classes are now much more balanced. You won't be dissapointed, and it's worth the money.
   I highly reccomend getting The Complete Psionic; it gives you a few new options that could enhance your psionic characters. Complete Psionic (Dungeons & Dragons Supplement)
   
   However, there are a few things lacking. First off, a lot of the prestige classes are almost identical. It would have been better to offer a wider variety of prestige classes, especially ones that cater to more of psion disciplines, and keep the similiar ones for a web enhancement. Also, they only give you ONE model of a psionic golem in the book, no guidelines for creating one, and no variety to choose from. This was very dissapointing and was never addressed in the errata (or The Complete Psionic, for all that matters). There were also only two racial feats available for maenads; I think they deserved a little more attention than that.



4. For those looking for new material to get inspiration from, this is not the best thing to buy. But, it has tons and i mean TONS of new rules, feats, powers and items to enhance the D&D experiencie. The classes are very fun to play and the powers are also. Great for those looking for something new to start from.



5. I've always enjoyed psionics, but this is the first version that has finally gotten it right.
   
   The only gripe I have, other than a few typos and errors, is the fact that psionic dragons didn't make it into a Dungeons & DRAGONS book about psionics. 4 out of 5 because of that.