| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Sage |
Posted - 30 Mar 2006 : 14:48:18
Right then, I've actually found myself with a few extra gold pieces at the end of this month and as such I'm looking to make a D&D core product purchase. But I'd like some help from my fellow scribes on what they feel is the most useful, in terms of FR campaign usage (or for Arivia EB-usage since I also DM an Eberron campaign), for them.
My choices are:-
- Magic of Incarnum
- Races of the Dragon
- Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic
Thoughts?
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| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 05:56:42
I've been putting some serious thought into getting Tome of Magic. I've yet to see a negative review for this tome and nearly everyone I've talked to who has a copy have dismissed my previous thoughts about it being "stat-heavy".
I may just check it out...
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| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 03:38:49
But Sage, have you been enriched by the wide numbers facial expressions that Spellscales can exhibit? If only we had been able to see head shots of elves or dwarves so that we know when they are happy, sad, or what have you. I think every product from now on should have a series of at least ten different similar pictures of a new races head, with similar charactaristics, except for facial expression, collars, and headgear. Its a great roleplaying tool.
Okay, sorry. Honestly, was I the only one bothered by that particular art decision in that book?
But seriously, Tome of Magic was a very good, well put together book. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 03:18:46
Not as yet. I'm still waiting to hear the general opinions of scribes here at Candlekeep about this particular resource.
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| Shadovar |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 02:53:51
quote:
Originally posted by The SageI haven't decided on my second purchase yet.
Have you considered Players Handbook II since it is out already? |
| The Sage |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 02:22:34
In fact, yes you will.
Thursday night I purchased Races of the Dragon -- mostly because of DoF -- but also because I was extraordinarily intrigued by spellscales.
I haven't decided on my second purchase yet.
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| green knight |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 20:45:11
so, are we ever going to find out what you bought and what you thought of it?
Green Knight
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| Arivia |
Posted - 02 Apr 2006 : 02:18:44
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
The Xvimite campaign model?
Tell me more?
It's one of a set of sample campaign models for using horrific content in the Realms. This one resolves around a conspiracy by Xvimites after Bane's resurrection to corrupt good organizations and destroy Bane's church, and through doing so, raise Xvim back from the dead. I quite like it; I'll probably use it for a future game. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 02 Apr 2006 : 02:11:29
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
The book contains a LOT of info detailing how to promote/decorate PCs, how to create a military encounter, how to situate PCs in a large epic battle. It also has a lot of good crunch such as rules on arrow volleys (no longer will your high-level PCs ignore large groups of low-level warriors...), how to calculate one's commander rating, siege engines, the Legendary Leader, Combat Medic and War Weaver prestige classes (I'm using the latter for a PC that I play in my friend's campaign -- it's a wizard specialized in "boosting" allies... very useful in a group with several warrior-types, which makes the class perfect for an aspiring War Wizard of Cormyr nobleborn such as my PC! :) )
Get it. It's awesome.
It does sound like an intriguing mix of rules for a war-based campaign... though I fairly rarely involved large-scale warfare in my campaigns so I'm not sure whether it'd be a waste of gold pieces to purchase it.
I mean... the last large scale battle I ran in a campaign was back when The Horde boxed set was released... my PCs were part of the western Alliance army.
I'll have to look into this a little more...
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| The Sage |
Posted - 02 Apr 2006 : 02:08:57
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
I actually think it might be of limited use in both RL and the FR(take my comments with a grain of salt, as I have very little RL experience); it posits its own take on horror, which requires adjustments to existing campaign models to use(although the Xvimite one for the Realms is quite good), and which may not be compatible with horror as depicted in Ravenloft. It is, however, a great tool if you're willing to run a horror campaign using it as your main source and Ravenloft material as supplementary sources.
The Xvimite campaign model?
Tell me more?
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| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 01 Apr 2006 : 17:55:38
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I'd hadn't considered HoB itself... what's the general consensus on that tome from core D&D product fans?
As my players are now reaching level 8-9, I see myself using Heroes of Battle at least every other game, whether on the spot or as part of my DM preparation.
The book contains a LOT of info detailing how to promote/decorate PCs, how to create a military encounter, how to situate PCs in a large epic battle. It also has a lot of good crunch such as rules on arrow volleys (no longer will your high-level PCs ignore large groups of low-level warriors...), how to calculate one's commander rating, siege engines, the Legendary Leader, Combat Medic and War Weaver prestige classes (I'm using the latter for a PC that I play in my friend's campaign -- it's a wizard specialized in "boosting" allies... very useful in a group with several warrior-types, which makes the class perfect for an aspiring War Wizard of Cormyr nobleborn such as my PC! :) )
Get it. It's awesome.
DMG2 on the other hand... I would recommend you just "access" it for the things you need, somehow "retain" the rules you need somewhere, and not bother wasting the money on it... (i.e. borrowing it from a friend works great for me, as he is a player in my campaign and hardly needs the book on a full time basis). The book is especially great for the rules on how to run a business (i.e. two of my players are now in a joint venture together: they worked those rules perfectly if you ask me, as the PCs are level 9 now and they have sunk 25,000gp into the business, borrowed the difference they needed (i.e. ~37,500gp) from a moneylender, and they are now both much behind in terms of gear value compared to other players... when they become profitable and are done paying the debt down, they will be making a lot of money though, which I will houserule that only half of which can be spent on personal items, the others half being required for expansions, employee bonuses, R&D, i.e. the things not covered in DMG2's operating/maintenance costs). |
| Arivia |
Posted - 01 Apr 2006 : 17:31:13
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
What're all, for those scribes that have it, your thoughts on Heroes of Horror?
I quite enjoyed it; it is quite well done.
quote:
Given my devotion to all-things-Ravenloft since it's early beginning... I'm inclined to believe such a D&D core product would be useful for a RL campaign... but what about the Realms?
I actually think it might be of limited use in both RL and the FR(take my comments with a grain of salt, as I have very little RL experience); it posits its own take on horror, which requires adjustments to existing campaign models to use(although the Xvimite one for the Realms is quite good), and which may not be compatible with horror as depicted in Ravenloft. It is, however, a great tool if you're willing to run a horror campaign using it as your main source and Ravenloft material as supplementary sources. |
| green knight |
Posted - 01 Apr 2006 : 16:37:18
I throw my 2 cents in for Heroes of Battle. I picked it up because I liked the warfare chapter of POF and was very pleased with the quality of the whole book. While it would undoubtably be most usefull in a war campaign there is still a lot of usefull information in it for a standard campaign. I own Heroes of Horror and Races of the Dragon but Heroes of Battle beats them both IMO.
Green Knight |
| Chosen of Bane |
Posted - 01 Apr 2006 : 15:34:37
Personally I was a much bigger fan of Heroes of Battle than I was Heroes of Horror. I think that many aspects of Heroes of Horror have been covered in previous books, like Libris Mortis for example.
I have to admit my bias though, a campaign based on horror does not interest me in the least.
Heroes of Battle on the other hand is an excellent tome. Although it is definitely most usefull in a war/battle campaign, it could also be useful in statting out NPC's with military backgrounds. I particularly like the Legendary Leader prestige class. It fit the build my Paladin was striving for perfectly so I was very excited when it came out. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 01 Apr 2006 : 09:54:15
What're all, for those scribes that have it, your thoughts on Heroes of Horror?
Given my devotion to all-things-Ravenloft since it's early beginning... I'm inclined to believe such a D&D core product would be useful for a RL campaign... but what about the Realms?
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| The Sage |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 12:34:29
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Not to mention the fact that HoB is required if you want to use the Warfare section of PoF
Hmmm... good point.
HoB is another contender at this point, unless any other scribe has another suggestion for a recent and worthwhile D&D product.
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| Dargoth |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 11:24:37
Not to mention the fact that HoB is required if you want to use the Warfare section of PoF |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 09:34:55
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I'd hadn't considered HoB itself... what's the general consensus on that tome from core D&D product fans?
Well met
 Then I suggest that ye go and pick up this tome forthwith, Sage! Heroes of Battle is one of my favorite core tomes from last year. I was very impressed and often delve into the leaves of the tome. 'tis a beautiful and very useful resource. |
| Arivia |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 09:21:23
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Any particular highlights from the book?
I've found myself with a few more extra gold pieces... enough perhaps to purchase two D&D core products instead of just one. Races of the Dragon looks to be a definite at this point... so I'm looking for another... I'm willing to entertain suggestions for other recent D&D product releases that I haven't listed...
I really can't pick out one specific excellent aspect to the supplement; rather, it's notable for providing a consistently well-done and in-depth treatment of its subject material. However, I would caution you that the supplement will be of little use if you aren't running a battlefield campaign; like Heroes of Horror, it works best when an entire campaign is hung off it. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 09:04:33
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I'd hadn't considered HoB itself... what's the general consensus on that tome from core D&D product fans?
I liked it a lot; it does cover its subject matter quite well.
Any particular highlights from the book?
I've found myself with a few more extra gold pieces... enough perhaps to purchase two D&D core products instead of just one. Races of the Dragon looks to be a definite at this point... so I'm looking for another... I'm willing to entertain suggestions for other recent D&D product releases that I haven't listed...
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| Arivia |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 08:52:18
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I'd hadn't considered HoB itself... what's the general consensus on that tome from core D&D product fans?
I liked it a lot; it does cover its subject matter quite well. |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 06:21:02
I wouldn't call myself a core D&D-fan, when I buy a core book it's always with an eye as to whether it's useful from an FR-perspective, and I haven't seen Tome of Magic. So keep those two things in mind when I get round to actually answering the question
I'd go with Heroes of Battle which was a positive surprise to me. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 05:10:39
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
My choices are:-
- Magic of Incarnum
- Races of the Dragon
- Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic
Thoughts?
Always, I come to thee, to stir the proverbial pot... my answer is therefore this:
"Have you considered, if you do not own them already, Heroes of Battle and DMG II, which are beautiful companions for Power of Faerun..."
I'd hadn't considered HoB itself... what's the general consensus on that tome from core D&D product fans?
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| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 04:47:36
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
My choices are:-
- Magic of Incarnum
- Races of the Dragon
- Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic
Thoughts?
Always, I come to thee, to stir the proverbial pot... my answer is therefore this:
"Have you considered, if you do not own them already, Heroes of Battle and DMG II, which are beautiful companions for Power of Faerun..." |
| warlockco |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 04:16:12
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Races of the Dragon seems to be the favorite... and it was already occupying a temporary "first place" position because of its tie-in with Dragons of Faerun. But I wonder how much of it ties-in with the upcoming DoF?
Hard to say but RoD and ToM are the two of those 3 that I have acquired. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 01:31:48
Races of the Dragon seems to be the favorite... and it was already occupying a temporary "first place" position because of its tie-in with Dragons of Faerun. But I wonder how much of it ties-in with the upcoming DoF?
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| Dargoth |
Posted - 31 Mar 2006 : 00:11:27
Im going to vote none of the above.
None of those Tomes Inspired me enough to want to buy them |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 30 Mar 2006 : 23:58:50
Races of the Dragon will no doubt have some tie-ins with Dragons of Faerūn later in the year. So I'd probably go for that one. Tome of Magic does sound interesting though.
-- George Krashos
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| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 30 Mar 2006 : 20:27:18
Of the three, I'm prolly going to pick up Races of the Dragon at some point -- on the cheap, of course. |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 30 Mar 2006 : 19:54:26
Well met
I'd recommend Tome of Magic. I didn't really take to Magic of Incarnum, but Pact magic appealed to me, as did Shadow Magic (which was my initial reason for picking up the tome), and lo and behold I found Truename to be quite intriguing 
The kobold aspect of Races of the Dragon appealed to me, but I wasn't overly fond of the book on the whole.
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| The Blue Sorceress |
Posted - 30 Mar 2006 : 19:09:02
I favor Tome of Magic and Races of the Dragon in that order. I don't like Magic of Incarnum from what I've seen of it thus far and it appears more of a bolt-on than the systems in Tome of Magic. I just picked up the latter book, and I really enjoy what I've read of it thus far. The binder is an interesting class and I like the fact that you can have characters outside of the class than can use binding to a limited extent. The shadow magic chapter, and in particular the shadowcaster seem like a natural fit for Faerun. All it would require are a few minor alterations to the fluff and you've got a very organic addition to your game. I've yet to finish reading the section on Truename magic, but it also seems fairly easy to add on, particularly if you're already using the Words of Creation feat from the Book of Exalted Deeds in your campaign.
I've yet to see Races of the Dragon, but I was less than impressed with most of the other "Races of" books I looked at. As Kuje said, however, it ties into the upcoming Dragons of Faerun sourcebook, so you may want it for that reason.
-Blue |
