Book Description
The Book of Dragons
This title takes a comprehensive look at the dragons of the
D&D world from a variety of perspectives. It includes information on playing dragons and dragon-like creatures, how to run a dragon in a fight, and how to both fight dragons and work with them as allies.
There are statistics on dragons of every type and at every age category, in addition to examples of lairs, hoards, and dragon minions. There are new rules, feats, spells, prestige classes, magic items, and other materials associated specifically with interaction with dragons including illustrated lairs and rules for creating treasure hoards. The book itself is designed in a prestige format, with heavy use of art throughout and constructed of premium materials.
To use this supplement, a
Dungeon Master also needs the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. A player needs only the Player's Handbook.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Book with Flawed Content.......2007-04-11
Let me start this review by saying that this book is beautiful. The full color images throughout almost make it a coffee table book, and it is hard to NOT give it five stars just for those images.
But this book IS a roleplaying game supplement, so it has to be judged on more than just its pretty pictures.
Content in this book can be divided into three primary areas: General dragon information, player information, and DM-specific information.
- General Dragon Information. I truly have mixed feelings about this area. Dragon anatomy diagrams, descriptions of their senses, and the dragon language dictionary are all very interesting and worth an initial reading. Some of the other information, including history and religion, is disappointing - not only does it conflict with previously established sources, but it also doesn't fit with the "theories" that most people have about dragons (according to the Draconomicon, dragons die of old age, they worship strange gods, etc, etc..).
- Player Information. The sections of the book featuring player information truly shine. There are new feats for those that often deal with dragons, a good selection of new spells, intriguing new prestige classes, and numerous new magical items. The section on dragons being player characters, however, is too short and not particularly useful.
- DM Information. This is where the product once more falters. The new draconic monster section is all right, and the section on dragon feats / dragon prestige classes is also moderately interesting (though extremely limited in usefulness unless you are running a dragon-only campaign). The various additional rules and the sample NPC dragons weren't particularly captivating. The pantheon section and the dragon twilight section will not be accepted by many fans as those sections conflict with previously established content. Mongoose Publishing's "Slayer's Guide to Dragons" (written by Gary Gygax) contains better dragon rules and DM information, in my opinion, and should be considered if that is the only reason you are buying this book.
In conclusion: rating this book is extremely difficult, and depends on the desires of the consumer. On content alone, I would only give it 3 stars; when the incredible artwork is also factored in, it gets 4 to 4.5. For those that don't particularly like dragons or don't think they'll deal with them beyond one or two in an entire campaign, this product is a bit of an overkill - use the Monster Manual instead.
Side Note: Those interested in behind-the-scenes industry comments and barbs should check out the deity "Garyx" on page 33.
good delivery and good quality.......2006-11-05
i am satisfied with the product and the delivery. Everything was good!
Gorgeous and Flavorful.......2006-03-23
I absolutely love Dungeons and Dragons so please take my opinion with a grain of salt. I actually got this book for a friend, that doesn't even play DnD, because the pictures and information about dragons contained within are breathtaking. She is an artist and finds the descriptions of lairs, flight patterns, bone structure, growth data, and so much more to be indispensible whenever she wants to draw a flying lizard.
Of course I also benefit from her having it. I get to use the stat tables and diagrams to create the perfect dragon sessions whenever I need them. I have heard some people complain that dragons aren't used that much in their games and so this book is a waste of money. All I have to say to that is there is no more dangerous, interesting, diverse, powerful, or tricky enemy than a dragon. To not use them with care in a DnD campaign is to do your players a huge disservice. If you like to use Dragons in your campaigns get this book.
If you like to dream of dragons get this book.
If you have eyes... get this book.
Very handy to introduce custom dragons and gear.......2006-03-15
This is a very good resource book with plenty of details given about the primary dragon races. The main (and really only) down side is that it wasn't pubilshed after the conversion to v3.5. Still a really good resourse, but can get pricey
A Must Own!!!.......2006-02-22
I've debated over and over on the role Dragons would take in my campaign. Once I made the decision to increase the draconic feel of my campaign, it was a no brainer to pick this one up.
The anatomy section on the dragon was quite possibly the most interesting information I've ever read from WOTC. It really made the dragons feel less mythical and more real and tangible.
The monsters presented are a welcome addition to the ecology of my world. The Dragonkin are great baddies added to any low level campaign. The Fang Dragon, reprinted from the Faerun monster manual, is absoltely one of my most favorite evil dragons, a pure monster. The Draconic template is fastly becoming one of my most favorite templates in my arsenal.
However my most favorite section is the sample dragons. This section has helped me move the dragons to the pedestal they deserve. Too many campaigns reduce the dragon to a mere killing machine, and never really get under the skin of this wonderous race. This section reveals their motivations and trials, their tribulations and triumphs. I've spent many-a-night falling asleep to this section alone.
I couldn't have been happier with my decision to purchase the Draconomicon. This is the crown jewel of my collection. I am absoltely in love with this suppliment. There is even feats and other character options, so if your playing a half dragon or running a game with Dragons in it, this suppliment is a must own. And this guide isn't only for people who play DND, any fan of our gargantuan winged friends will enjoy this book. There is a little for everyone in this guide.
Book Description
An art-filled sourcebook about aberrations in the D&D world.
Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations takes a comprehensive look at the most bizarre monsters of the D&D world, and the heroes who fight them. It provides detailed information about beholders, mind flayers, aboleths, and other popular aberrations, while also introducing several new aberrations. In addition, this book provides new rules, feats, tactics, spells, and equipment for characters that hunt aberrations. Extensive story and campaign elements and flavor information add interest and dimension to playing or fighting creatures of this type. The book itself features a prestige format, with heavy use of art throughout and a full-painted cover.
Customer Reviews:
Horrifying alien usurpers from beyond time and space!.......2007-08-08
I had read this book more than a year ago (this was before I bought it), and my initial hunger was on the Illithids: Brain-eatting super-intellects from the far future. Their society, their behavious, their mindsets. All of which was pretty much mentally fufilled and sated.
Then, when I had finally read the whole book, I devled deeper still. Information of the Aboleths: Enormous, prehistoric slimy monsters who rule the wet recesses of the Underdark with inscrutable complex minds, mentally-crushing psionic powers, and debilitating slime. Beholders: Gluttonous and borderline insane monsters with an affinity to magic, and inbred xenophobic hatred toward all but the individual Beholder. Neogi: Pilfering spiderlike creeps who make their quota through slave labour and trade. The Grell: Intelligent predators from a parallel dimension with great skill in alien alchemy. And the Tsochari (newcomers to the D&D universe): Worm-like body snatchers from another planet with a fanatical intent to spread the word of their giant worm master, Mak-Thuum-Ngatha.
Each Abberation is gone into useful detail for the DM and the player alike. This book also goes into revised monsters from ealier D&D books (like the Beholderkin, the Illithidae and Illithiad, and a revision of the Psurlons), as well as some new, terrifying and maddening beasts (Hound of the Gloom, Half-Farspawn... my fave, Pseudonatural creatures, Shabboath Golems, and the Zeugalak, to name a few). Also some new feats (regular and Aberrant. Aberrant Feats physicall change your character and add some bonuses here and there), and Prestige Classes to fight, or aid the Aberration menace (Abolisher, Keeper of the Cerulean Sign, Fleshwarper, Darkrunner, the Sanctified Mind, and the Topaz Guardian).
For those not afraid to plumb the depths to know things to impress, or simply scare your D&D buddies with some impressive work, DO get this book. I fully recommend it.
Focus in on Aberrations.......2007-08-07
As a DM in an on-going D&D campaign featuring Epic Characters, it can be difficult (to say the least) to challage my group. But this book suceeds by diving into the mysterious creatures that live in the darkest caves of the Underdark. Once you lure your group into the innocuous looking dungeon, slam the door behind them and lead them deeper into the Underdark. Once there, they can be haunted by Aberrations that are the stuff of nightmares. This books goes deep in to the backgrounds of all the favorites, including Illithids, the decendents of the Gith and much more. It will be easy to create a wicked adventure for your group with this book. And it will be fun.
A celebration of aberrations........2007-02-22
This is everything that you wanted to know about Illithiads and all of the really weird races in the Underdark, an excellent source and a fun read. I would have liked to see more about the Mind Flayer/Gith history, but that might be better suited to a tome that focuses on the Githyanki and Githzerai races.
Good solid D&D reference book.......2007-01-28
This book is a must for the DM who is a fan of horror, especially the H.P. Lovecraft type of horror. Treating monsters like Beholders, Aboleths and Mind Flayers in detail gives an imaginative DM literally dozens of adventure hooks. The sample lairs are a great help for those who don't have acres of time as well. I was especially happy to see a few passing references to both Planescape and Spelljammer campaign settings (go Neogi!) giving me hope that one day these will be updated and re-released (any developers reading this I am ready to buy it all...just put it out!).
I will say that it is a very specialized supplement, so if you are a core, no frills DM this might not be for you. You certainly don't need it to run an excellent game. For those of us who revel in the mood of horror as a party stumbles upon the unearthly lair of a Mind Flayer or are captured and come up on the Neogi's slave block, this is the book for you.
Throwing a Little Bit of Light on the Terrors of the Long Night.......2006-04-07
Many aberrations in the D&D games if they have not been more or less blatantly taken from Lovecraft and his Cthulu Mythos they were at least inspired by the same. Most of the chapters are devoted to aberrations that have the intelligence and/or drive to make an attempt at world conquerors like Mind Flayers, Aboleth, the Grell, Neogi and a new thing. Next comes a chapter of secondary critters most of which are related to main chapters. A lot of the monsters are revised from 2nd Edition sources, the Illithiad being one of them. In fact when it comes to Mind Flayers a lot of material from this previous book was used. Fans of the old Monstrous Arcana will recognize material presented in a rather condensed form. SpellJammer fans will find interesting tidbits here as well. If you've gone looking for this book you probably already know what kind of information you are looking for. At least some of your questions will be answered in this tome as well as a lot to think upon. Personally I found this book to be an excellant read and treasure trove of a toolbox for Aberrations.
Book Description
A follow-up to the Dungeon Master's Guide, designed to aid Dungeon Masters and reduce game preparation time. The Dungeon Master's Guide II builds upon existing materials in the Dungeon Master's Guide. It is specifically designed to facilitate play, especially when the Dungeon Master has a limited amount of preparation time. Chapters include discussion on running a game, designing adventures, building and using prestige classes, and creating campaign settings. Ready-made game elements include instant traps, pre-generated locations, treasures, and a fully realized and rendered town.
Customer Reviews:
DM Guide II .......2007-07-23
This book has several good points. It has some new material and a few new things for players and GM's alike. It's one irritating thing is the number of "after you buy the canned game book spend 4 hours reviewing it". It could have had a lot more things to help those of us with a creative mind that like to generate our own worlds. It is, overall, worth the money.
Useful to Any DM.......2007-05-10
All right. Let's begin with a discussion of irony. Not irony as in the Alanis Morissette song (the greatest irony of which almost none of the things she calls ironic actually are). Instead we will talk about true irony.
Those of you who have read my previous reviews may have noticed a certain resistance to a phenomena I call "prestige class bloat." DMG II arrived at my door a bit late for a review copy, and I had some time to think about how I would view the prestige classes in this book. Every other book has drawn my anger, my disdain, sometimes even my pity for their prestige classes. But this book, I thought, "You know . . . I'm gonna give them a pass on this book. They might put the contents into the SRD at some point (it's possible). I'll let this one go."
And there are no prestige classes in this book.
I might weep. I might actually weep.
Anyway. We won't hold that against them. We won't. My review will be objective. Honest.
Actually, that won't be very hard. There's a lot to like in this book. Almost everything is useful. Some of it is downright insightful. When I reviewed the first DMG all those year's ago (all right, the first 3.x DMG . . . I'm not that old, people) I was amazed at how good the advice was. This wasn't just a set of DM specific rules, it really was a guide to being a good DM.
So here we are, years later, holding DMG II.
Chapter 1 deals with the actual running of a game. Now, in many ways this chapter resembles the Gamemaster's Law product from ICE. For years I've said that was the best book on GMing ever written. I'm friends with one of the authors. I'm crushed to say this, but, I like this one better. The bits on how to actually run are pretty blaise, although if your DM routinely shows up surly, sleepy and unwashed you might make him read this book. No, the true genius is the treatment of the different play styles. There was a lot of insight here I've missed over the years. In this section they talk about the different type of players and how to tailor a game for them . . . most importantly, they talk about how to avoid the pitfalls caused by these players. For instance, I've had problems with "Outliers" over the years. These are the players that choose strange class/race combinations, bizarre backgrounds, and seem to set themselves up to fail. An outlier can cause a great deal of trouble in a game if they go out of control at a bad moment. This book gave the simplest advice, to give the outlier the opportunity, a specific set up, to allow him to fail spectacularly early in the session, when it won't hurt anything. By doing this you'll avoid the problem of the character imploding later and taking your plot line with him. It's the simplest advice, but I've missed it for years, and now I know. I'm anxious to put it into use.
Chapter 2 deals with adventures. Now, this was sort of a ho hum chapter for me. When it's useful, I expect it to be very useful, but otherwise I doubt I'll ever look at it. It gives a section on using published adventures that I hope no one needs to read (but if you do, study it. I'm going into business as an e-publisher). It follows this up with some new traps, which are probably the most consistently useful thing in the chapter. Then it moves on to strange locations, such as the tree top city and all the rules necessary for play there. Then it moves onto special encounter rules, such as how to deal with mobs, which again, could be useful. Finally it wraps up with miniature and encounter advice, which was fine.
Chapter 3 deals with building a campaign. Most of the advice is pretty good, but the detailed examples of some medieval environments was truly spot on. I've studied a lot about medieval culture (I'm no expert, but above the gamer layman) and I thought they did a fine job here, especially in examining the fine line between realism and the style of play that is conducive to a good game. You absolutely need to compromise to find the perfect ground between the two, and I loved this book for even trying it. The rest of the chapter treats with general subjects like building a city or magical events and I looked upon it and I called it good.
Chapter 4 outlined the city of Saltmarsh. You know, I could have done without this chapter. I mean it was fine and all, but I thought the locale was a little too evocative of specific images to be as universal as a city in a book like this needed to be. We needed a Homlet, or better yet, a location that doesn't carry the baggage of roleplaying history with it (either good or bad). This chapter just didn't work for me as is. No offence to the writer. I believe this one went astray at conception (and as a game designer, I know the feeling. I've taken the fall for decisions that weren't mine in at least one book.)
Chapter 5 deals with NPCs. Its starts with a treatment of contacts and hirelings, plus a section on unique abilities. Then it hops into my favorite part, the complex NPCs. Lets face it, when you suddenly need a Blackgaurd, you need it now and it's not something you can wing and do it justice. This section gives a nice sampling of these types of difficult-to-improvise characters.
Chapter 6 is the character chapter, it starts with apprentices and mentors and moves on to running a business. Then it hits on teamwork benefits, like those given by special training in Heroes of Battle. I'm still glad these were added into the D&D system and I'm anxious to see more. Then it moves onto prestige classes. Sigh. Now, I was willing to see a few prestige classes in this book, hoping they'd make it into the SRD. Let's face it, only so many people can create versions of the Knight before you're accidently stepping on a half-dozen copyrights. I doubt anyone would sue you over retreading the same ground as everyone else, but we need to stop beating this poor horse. Still, they went a different way. This section is on how to build even more prestige classes. When I read the words, "Why make your own prestige class?" I wanted to find a set of precision needles and stick the one after another into my eyes. Flash forward ten years. "Why did he kill so many people, officer?" "Well, prestige class bloat was bad enough, but then they came out with DMG II. It was the beginning of the end." The chapter wraps up with some stuff on PC organizations.
Finally, the finishes with expanded magic item rules. The book needed this section, and I was happy with it. Of particular note is the section on magical locations which are essentially giant, immobile magic items. These types of locations have worked their way into my campaigns several times over the years. I was happy to see them here.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend that everyone who intends to run a game read at least the first chapter. I thought it alone was worth the cover price, and so if you can find a good use for the other material in the book, so much the better. Now I'm going to take a nap an imagine a world where prestige classes are few, balanced, and in some way prestigious.
New stuff is good.......2007-04-26
While this book is not nearly the resource that many of the more staple books are, like the Epic Handbook and PHB2, it is still extremely useful to add more flavor to the campaign. It gives some very good tips to create details and subtlties that make the campaign much more real without seeming narrated to the players. Anyone creating a new campaign could benefit with some of the examples in the Saltmarsh city, novice and veteran players alike.
There are also new and interesting traps, items, and rules that make this book very useful. I havn't read anyone talking about the Teamwork benefits, which are very interesting to me. I intend to implement them into my next campaign, assuming the players want to use any of them. The basic idea is that the group has worked and trained together, so they have studied each other to an extent that you gain special abilities and even feats when certain conditions are met. For example, a character with high Spellcraft and the Evasion ability can teach the rest of your party when to dodge a spell cast by a teammate. This means that the mage can cast fireball right on the fighter wading into melee and he gets to avoid the damage on a reflex save.
The new items, magic locations, and traps have some good ideas behind them, but nothing that a clever DM can't come up with on their own. I'm not saying they are useless, but many are hard to place into a campaign. The magic locations grant the owner specific powers and abilities, but in order for the players to get the location, it almost has to be the entire focus of the campaign. Very few are "side-quest" material, and the majority can take several sessions to get to, capture, find reagents to use them, and defend in order to reap the marginally useful benefits.
Most of the rest of the book is given over to npcs. There is a very large section of sample npcs to use for a fight. Unfortunetly, many aren't optimized, but that doesn't prevent them from being used by a lazy DM that doesn't feel like leveling up every single important npc in case the players fight him. There is also a section on making npcs more distinctive. This can easily be skipped over since DMG1 has a very similar section.
Overall, I have to say there is some interesting material and ideas to make a campaign world more interesting and unique. On the other hand, nothing in this book is game-changing. Useful? yes. Needed in any way? no
A decent read, not great.......2007-02-18
Overall this book contains about 50 pages of useful materials. The rest is really just fluff and made for a beggining gamer/DM who needs ideas for their campaigns.
I would recomend just buying a low level adventure if your starting out as a DM, and save your money on this book as its quite expensive for what you get.
For those who are familiar with the game, there is usefull material in the book on items, treasure charts, etc. Its just a smaller portion of the book.
If you have an extra $35 dollars go for it, it not don't worry your not missing much.
Good supplement.......2006-07-13
This book is a useful supplement for DMs. The new magic item traits and the magical events and locations can really spice up an otherwise stale treasure hoard, and the specialized example NPCs are pretty cool.
While it is by no means necessary (hence it being a supplement), it is not as full of fluff as some of the other d&d 3.5 books out there. Everything in it can be of some use to DMs and players alike.
My one complaint is that WOTC forgot to proofread it before sending it off to the printers. It's chock-full of typos and spelling mistakes (I must say, though, that it's not as bad as the Monster Manual 3.5, which actually has a proofreader named in the credits and yet still manages to come off looking like a rough draft).
Definitely worth getting if you're a DM looking to spice up your game a bit and don't know how/don't have time/can't be bothered to think of ways of doing it yourself. Also useful for new DMs, as it has tips on managing unruly players and the like.
Book Description
Raw Chaos and Pure Evil
Out of the maelstrom of chaos the demons came–a primordial horde of perverse souls consumed by hatred. They are as ancient and infinite as the multiverse itself. Even the bottomless Abyss could not contain their malice, and so they spread out across the planes, corrupting and destroying everything in their path. No living soul is beyond their reach, and with each conquered soul their numbers grow. What can stand against such a terrifying onslaught?
This supplement for the
D&D® game presents the definitive treatise on demons and their unspeakable home plane. Along with information about the physiology, psychology, society, and schemes of demonkind, you’ll find feats, spells, items, and tactics commonly employed by demons and those who oppose them. This book also provides detailed information on various demons, demon lords, and Abyssal layers.
For use with these
Dungeons & Dragons® core books
Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™
Customer Reviews:
Good start........2007-05-13
This book is very useful. Anyone facing the forces of chaos and evil (Or running them) will find this useful. Also, finally there are good stats for yocholols for 3.5e.
Demonawesome.......2007-05-07
If you are a DM of higher level games and need some seriously nasty beasties to toss at your adventuring crew, then this book will foot the bill.
Okay.......2007-01-12
Demons just aren't that complex. Lots of stuff here if you like demons. If you're not going to run a campaign centered around them, skip this. If you're going to run a game centered around them, there are new demons here, updates to old ones, history, etc.
The cover on mine was upside down.
loved it.......2006-11-11
i dont do reviews but this book has plenty of 411 for player and dm
alike
First Party Fluff?.......2006-11-07
Outside of the campaign setting books, their hasn't been much quality descriptive material from WotC. Generally, have stuck to mechanics and this has worked well from them. Honestly, when I heard of this book I assumed it was going to be another hodgepodge of feats, spells and PrCs glued together by some "generic to the point of being antiseptic" fluff. It, for better or worse, is not.
What this book gives you is a short primer on Demons and what they are about, some demon related mechanics, some setting information on the Abyss and some new monsters. This would all be good except there is so little of each that the book really doesn't get the job done. We sort of get the reverse of what was expected, a hodgepodge of description glued together by random mechanics. This is not to say the book is without charm. Some of the monsters of interesting and some of the description is inspiring, but it is extremely lean on content in an already thin book.
Book Description
The essential handbook integrating fear and horror into Dungeons & Dragons®
play.
Heroes of Horror provides everything players and Dungeon Masters need to play and run a horror-oriented campaign or integrate elements of creepiness & tension into their existing campaigns. Players can develop heroes or anti-heroes using new feats, new spells, new base classes and prestige classes, and new magic items. The book presents new mechanics for different types of horror, including rules for dread and tainted characters, as well as plenty of new horrific monsters and adventure seeds. Different types and genres of horror are discussed in detail.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent for both player and DM.......2007-08-20
I happened to see this book at a local book store and as a DM/player I thought I would check it out. I am a huge fan of horror and other creepy-crawly things, so this book really helped out my campaigns. The sections that I enjoy the most are the storytelling elements and taint/corruption. I do not like mostly hack'n'slash campaigns, so to do side quests that require thought instead of an axe means I have to come up with new ideas. There are pages of scary situations to put characters in (i.e. your character wakes up for breakfast but is no longer hungry. There is a taste of blood in his mouth.) Taint and corruption are acquired when characters enter a particularly evil area. When a certain number of points of taint/corruption is reached, symptoms appear, such as boils, bleeding, deafness, etc.
The PC classes are a nice touch, as the Necromancer is long overdue and the Archivist is a nice alternative to the cleric. Prestige classes, new spells, feats, and a couple of monsters round out the book. (I particularly like the Angel of Decay)
Is it short compared to other titles? Yes. But as many reviewers point out, much of the new Wizards material is filler. Heroes of Horror is lean and mean and gets the job done. Enough of me. Go buy it. Now.
Excellent Supplement.......2007-07-28
I found this supplement to be one of the best released for D&D in the new millenium. Despite the fact that it's somewhat short, it's worth every penny. All the new base and prestige classes are excellent, but I instantly fell in love with the Dread Necromancer. A necromancer as a base class was long overdo, and the undead transformation is a very cool aspect of the class. If you love D&D and horror or thriller stories, this is a definite buy.
Some useful ideas but nothing exceptional.......2007-06-27
This book has some useful ideas but nothing really great in my opinion. I do have better Ravenloft material concerning horror campaigns.
practical, intelligent and information rich.......2007-06-01
Heroes of Horror goes beyond whatever you can think of what you would think you need for that horror element in your adventures. What I like best about this book is not just that it is so information rich, but that it is written intelligently in a no-nonsense style; often the writers go into a sort of 'behind the scene' mode where they talk to you directly in a real way, without romanticizing the subject and avoiding references every day life.
Another great aspect of this book is that it describes in much detail how horror elements can be used in single encounter events, single stories, a number of adventures or entire campaigns.
The book begins with the basic concept of horror and how fine grained it really is (it is not just blood 'n guts, which is a optional means to an end). It describes how you don't always need alien aberrations or headsucking monsters to convey fear to your players; the book teaches you how to work your players psychologically through subtle buildup in tension and the unknown. That also contributes to my conclusion that the book is written intelligently, because it is written from a psychology point of view (though never explicitly as to refrain from becoming a schoolbook).
The book also describes how player characters can be evil or how something evil can use a player character without them knowing to suprise them nasty, still always with subtle approach.
Then there's the taint system, more refined from the existing earlier versions in Oriental Adventures. I'm not going into that or the feats/classes/spells related to it. Suffice to say that it's a system you can adopt and adds a lot of new options to the game.
The book also explains how horror adventures could be used with very good example storylines and maps to go with it. In addition there's a major chapter about horror based campaigns and possible settings that make them possible.
A less interesting topic was that of the dream/nightmare adventures. This is such a specific type of environment, with its own feats and spells you would hardly every use those. Unless your player characters know they're going into a dream/nightmare based campaign, they won't pick a feat that reduces the random element from spellcasting in a dreamscape.
-----
I enjoyed reading this book very much and that alone says something. There's a lot of small subjects in the book that I didn't mention such as the various possible types of (super) villains and lots more, but suffice to say this book will hold your attention with its great detail for the horror subject.
A Pleasant Surprise.......2007-04-20
I honestly wasn't expecting too much from this book when I originally looked at it. I was expecting the caliber of the not-so-"Complete" series... Boy, did that get shot in the foot. This is probably one of the best supplements released in the past three years. It's very comprehensive with very little useless, extraneous information and is organized well. The sections written to be helpful to the DM are actually helpful to the DM- not just a bunch of 'no duh,' common sense information like many of the other new supplements.
The new classes are actually interesting- not merely spinoffs or mixes of other classes, and the Taint tables offer a really interesting new idea. The new creatures are also very intriguing, again, not just spinoffs. Take the Grey Jester: a humanoid that basically eats the laughter and happiness out of peoples (and PCs) to create mindless drones to do its bidding. There is also a little speckling of possible mini-adventures that help you get an idea of how to employ the concepts introduced into a campaign. While the book is really designed for a horror-oriented campaign, it would be very easy to adapt some of these ideas into a brief adventure, even just one dungeon. Pages and pages aren't wasted on new magic items or overly extensive info on adaptation into Ebberon, Faerun, etc. There's just the right about of info on both.
It would be worth the money for a one-shot Halloween adventure. It's very original, very creative, and a great buy. It would be a perfect match for anyone intending to run a Ravenloft campaign.
Book Description
An entirely new campaign setting for the
Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game.
During the spring and summer of 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc., put out a request to the gaming community for proposals for a new
D&D game setting. 11,000 proposals and two years of development later, the Eberron Campaign Setting is the result of that search. This brand-new setting for the
Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game is an avenue for any
D&D fan to experience swashbuckling adventure and explore mysterious new territories.
Designed to introduce a new, fresh world with unlimited possibilities for exploration, the Eberron Campaign Setting includes everything needed to develop characters and run campaigns in this exciting new arena. It includes new character races, monsters, prestige classes, feats, organizations, and equipment unique to the world, and it introduces a new base class to the
D&D game. It contains substantial information on new elements of magic, including spells, domains, items, artifacts, and more. Also included are historical and cultural details of the world, along with extensive illustrations and a wealth of maps that put the setting into vivid context. This title will also include both adventure hooks and a full adventure so that players and Dungeon Masters can immediately begin enjoying everything this rich new setting has to offer.
Customer Reviews:
D & D noir.......2007-06-28
The Ebberon campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game system brings players into a new world. This is no backwoods medieval period setting. This is technology married to magic, and twisting plots. this is a world where the "normal" rules no longer apply. I highly recomend this book for any Dungeons & Dragons fan who wants something truly new.
100% Awesome!.......2007-05-31
This is a great setting. It's very easy to get involved in Eberron, and there is just enough to play in such a vast world. The new races are very attractive and fun, and the personality of the world is very interesting. Since I play Eberron, adventures just got more fun. Of course, you don't need this material to take your players through amazing locations, jungles filled with ancient secrets and mysterious enemy lands, but this book will surly put you up to it.
Good book, but vague........2007-03-22
I run a D&D campaign set in Eberron, and of course this book is essential. It is very interesting, with a lot of good flavor material, and some decent additions to the rules (the new races are fun). One warning (this probably applies to all the Eberron source books): The backround information is very vague. Many things are hinted at, but rarely are they revealed in any detail. This is not neccesarily a bad thing. I like it because it releases me to invent whatever I want (without fear of contradiction by a player who has more time to study sourcebooks than me), and really make the setting my own. However, it is probably good to keep this in mind when you are considering buying this book.
Eberron is not The Forgotten Realms. You will not find reams of material on every obscure location and character.
The style of Eberron suits me very well, as it is quite conducive to plot oriented campaigns.
As for the book itself, it is well made and sturdy. Not a lot of typos, the illustrations are pretty good, better than a lot of Wizards books, but still a little inconsistent.
Incredible Source Book!.......2007-03-08
Possibly the most imaginative Campaign Settings in the history. There's so much detail, yet it's open-ended enough for literally anyone who's new to the role of DM to put something together. Awesome work by Keith Baker et al.
Awesome book, a must have in D&D campain.......2006-11-24
There is so many details that you just can't stop reading. I recomend this book to anyone who does have D20 products.
Book Description
Strike Down Evil with the Sword of Enlightenment
“Only those who are pure in word, thought, and deed may look upon the knowledge gathered within this blessed tome. For the blinding truths inscribed within offer nothing but redemption or destruction for the wicked. May these consecrated pages forever illuminate the paths of the righteous.”
-- Raziel the Crusader, ruler of the Platinum Heaven
As the Book of Vile Darkness was a resource book on the most evil elements of campaign play, the Book of Exalted Deeds focuses instead on the availability of good resources and features in the
D&D spectrum.
Included are new exalted feats, prestige classes, races, spells, magic items, and descriptions and statistics for a host of creatures and celestial paragons to ally with virtuous characters. The Book of Exalted Deeds also provides descriptions and statistics for a host of creatures and celestial paragons to ally with virtuous characters.
Book of Exalted Deeds is the second title in the line of
Dungeons & Dragons products specifically aimed at a mature audience.
To use this supplement, a
Dungeon Master also needs the Player’s Handbook,
Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. A player needs only the Player’s Handbook.
Customer Reviews:
The White that comes to Save the day.......2007-08-07
I bought the Evil book first and unfortunately, this book is not as wickely clever as that one. But it needs to be written, becuase this is the dawn to evil's night, both sides must be equal. It is a great supplement for an Evil campaign, which I ran for over a year. The "bad guys" were all the paladins and high Preists of good. But once we went back to the usual type of good/neutral campaign, this book came back out and some pc's willingly wanted to become exhalted. It is well worth your money. Great prestige classes and feats are included in this.
Grab your Holy Avenger and roll initiative!.......2006-08-14
This book is an extremely in depth look at how to play good characters. The maturity warning is unwarrented, I believe, because the only thing it does that is mature is cover topics such as good vs evil and how to be a good PC. The content is not innapropriate mature, more like difficult to understand mature. It is the excellent guideline for being a goodguy, and I would almost require it as a rulebook for anyone who treads the Lawful Good path.
Sad.......2005-10-23
I found this book to be more or less devoid of useful or interesting material, with two exceptions. I liked some of the feats presented in the book and I liked the section on creating immortals. The rest of the book was fluff, useless, a waste of space. The book tries to explain goodness to players, all of which know what it means to be good anyway. It presents a whole mess of groupings of deities which anyone could make up on their own, which is basically the way Wizards of the coast present everything divine. Instead of giving 7000 examples of divine beings, why not give us a book about how to build them, details of how divine beings interact, create, and how they fit into the cosmos? Anyone DM truly worth his salt makes all his own stuff up anyway rather than using the junk in books like this and the Manual of the Planes. Spend money on something else like Heroes of Battle, a much better book and more useable.
Awesome book.......2005-08-12
Has good, balanced classes and pretige classes to add to the library of DnD. New items are useful and goes into plenty of detail about using an Exalted character. Excellent addition to any collection of DnD books.
I'm Not a Hater.......2005-04-24
But this book is lame. Especially compared to its companion piece, the Book of Vile Deeds. Vile Deeds was cool--it had crazy pictures, an interesting musing on the nature of good and evil [before whole heartedly abandoning that line of reasoning and presenting such morally ambiguous figures as the "Cancer Mage"], and some really evil stuff to throw at your PCs.
This book... well... it has a great cover. No seriously, it's really neet to look at.
The inside art isn't very attractive. Most of the add-ons are like "if your characters become extra special good, they are just so swell! Let's make everything holy or something like that!" The prestige classes aren't very inspiring either. And it's not really clear [although Vile Deeds wasn't either] about how a non-god figure is more powerful and important than a god figure? I guess it's one of those DnD continuity issues that you just have to grin and bear... or create your own setting!
overall, not really worth your time.
Book Description
Revisit a classic D&D adventure, now expanded and updated!
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is a 224-page D&D adventure that harkens back to classic 1st-edition adventure, Ravenloft. This adventure expands on the original adventure, introduces some never-before-seen threats. It also features a new encounter format designed to make running the adventure easier for the Dungeon Master. This new layout includes such details as more graphics and readily available stat blocks, both of which can shorten prep time and gameplay.
Customer Reviews:
A HUGE time saver!.......2007-08-19
First off, I must give WTOC a big round of applause for this module format. I typically run home-grown stuff, but with a demanding career I haven't had the time to prepare much in the way of a good game. As a result, we haven't gamed as much as I would like.
With the addition of this adventure to my library I have been able to read this while on a plane, and be prepared to run it when I land. The encounter pages are laid out BEAUTIFULLY, I love the stat blocks, and the maps/visuals are to die for.
I HIGHLY recommend this module for anyone having difficulty finding the time to prepare!
Great Book.......2007-05-20
This is an incredible adventure. Normally I am a little hesitant to buy a pre-made adventure, but this one is worth every cent. The new format in this book is a very handy feature, providing everything you need to know about the encounter in two pages. Wonderful formatting and maps. This is such a customizable adventure that it fits anywhere. It is reccomended that you buy Three Dragon Ante (Dungeon & Dragons) as well, because there is one part that these could be used. If you don't want to buy this, ordinary playing cards work just as well.
From the story aspect, this has an interesting plot. The adventure can be played multiple times with PCs finding out more things every time.
I look forward to more Expedition books!
Not as much atmosphere as the original adventure but a nice 3.5 adaptation.......2007-05-19
This is a very good adventure. It does not rival the original in terms of atmosphere but is a really nice 3.5 adaptation, with lots of new material also.
It is a much better work than the first revision of the original Ravenloft (House of Strahd for the 2nd Edition).
My only complain with this book is that it does not contain a full map of the Castle as in the original and the earlier version. Since this book even mentions that one of the groundbreaking features in the original Ravenloft was the classic Castle Ravenloft map, I would expect that it would contain a full two-page map of the Castle. It does not, though. It only contains small maps of each level, so you never get to see the Castle in all its glory. For me, it does not present a great problem since I own both the original Ravenloft and House of Strahd, but I would expect that it detracts from the adventure for people who only have this book.
Other than that, it is really surprisingly good.
It won't get 5 stars, in my opinion, because of the map issue.
Good story, poor layout.......2007-05-18
The overall story and possibilities of game play are tremendous in this book, however actually using the encounters is extremely difficult. First, there are monsters from various sources. It would have been nice if the book told you which books they came from. This also includes feats and prestige classes. Next, the encounters are hard to follow. You have to flip back and forth between the area description and the encounter descriptions which could be 20 pages apart. Also, the maps do not flow well. It is often hard to figure out where a character ends up when they go up or down a stairwell. The maps are not clear. A large poster map would have been much better. For running the adventure, the book is rather mediocre, but for future or outside stories and the feel of the original, it does a pretty decent job. There should have been a better description of taint and depravity, as it would be a great addition and players and DMs may not have access to or familiarity with the Heroes of Horror supplement.
Awesome.......2007-04-18
An amazing book. I'm a beginning DM and it lays everything out for you in the new encounter format pretty much as straightforward as possible. Here are the stat blocks for the monsters, here are their places in the encounter, here is how they act. Also very handy that they provide useful information about how to adapt the game to span any desirable length between a one-shot Halloween adventure to an entire full-blown campaign. If you like horror movies or halloween you will love this adventure. It's got everything you want in terms of zombies, witches, werewolves and of course, vampires.
Book Description
Vanquish Terrible Evil
The noblest heroes must contend with the foulest monsters. Whether torn from the darkest planes of existence or spawned as blights upon the natural world, the creatures bound within these covers will challenge stalwart adventurers of every experience level.
This accessory for the
D&D game captures over 150 monsters, including some of the most diabolical beings imaginable. While focused on extraplanar and otherworldly creatures, you'll also stumble across new creatures of every type, with Challenge Ratings that range from 1/8 to 25. Along with three new fiendish prestige classes, six new templates, and rules for swarms, grafts, and symbionts, the Fiend Folio offers a multitude of challenges for every hero.
To use this supplement, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook, and the
Dungeon Master's Guide. A player needs only the Player's Handbook.
Customer Reviews:
When extraplanar creatures attack..........2006-08-14
This book is not entirely truthful. I had though it was going to be entirely about fiends. It is actually more like a book of outsiders. It is very well done with some memorable monsters. I especially liked the ethergaunt. Almost worth buying just for the pictures, but definitely a must have for adventurers travelling anywhere outside the Material Plane.
Excellent overall, but some minor compatibility issues.......2006-03-10
Fiend Folio is an excellent supplement, with a wealth of new monsters, templates, and other goodies (such as grafts and symbiotes) that any DM can use to make a richer campaign. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is becasue it is 3.0 edition, so there are some minor incompatibility issues with 3.5 (the main thing I noticed was a few spell-like abilities not listed in the 3.5 Player's Handbook). So, if you are a stickler for such things, perhaps it is not for you. However, if you can put up with the minor inconsistencies, this really is a great source book overall!
A Fun Product.......2006-02-25
It's nice to be able to through the occassional "unusual" bad guy at one's players. Fiend Folio has a slew of them to choose from. Good stuff, for when you want to throw bad stuff at your players.
Great Book!.......2004-11-02
This book is excelent! Filled with fiends, undead, oozes, and some fey, this book has so many ideas for that monster for the climactic battle, or if you just want to keep your players on their toes. There's also new rules for grafts, if you want a demonic leg or something, and fiendish prestiege classes! The only [minor] downsides are that most creatures have an incredibly high challenge rating, and for some reason there's a celestial in here... oh well. Anyway, I seriously recommend this book for any DM with even the slightest intrest in using Fiends in their campaign.
Lots of Fiends in a Folio-like Compendium.......2004-07-18
The thing I like about the Fiend Folio is that there's lots of fiends in it. The fiends are arranged into a... how shall I put it.... folio-type of arrangement. So, to sum it all up, there are lots of fiends in the Fiend Folio and that makes it cool.
If you, the player-character ever have trouble defeating one of the numerous fiends enumerated within the hallowed pages of the Fiend Folio, my suggestion would be to cast a Magic Missle at it because there -is no saving throw- for Magic Missle.
Book Description
Get crafty! Veteran WoW player and creator of the most popular World of Warcraft add-on (Atlas) Dan Gilbert guides you through making your stay in the world of Azeroth more exciting. Whether you’re human, dwarf, elf, or orc, you’ll feast on numerous unique hacks such as combat, artwork and model, map, interface, loot, chat, raid, PvP, and more. You’ll also learn to create and use skins and themes, write your own macros, create add-ons, and work with frames and XML so that you can improve your experience with the hottest online game on the planet—planet Earth, that is.
Customer Reviews:
Not worth it!.......2007-09-20
Unless you are wanting to learn how to create your own macros, don't buy it. The book is out of date with World of Warcraft. I learned how to do everything online (regarding add ons). I guess it would be ok for the basics for writing your own add ons for the game.
Not about "hacking", just an out-of-date catalog.......2007-09-09
I'm so disappointed in this title that I'm returning it to Amazon for a refund.
The book's title and description are misleading. The book isn't about "hacking" anything; it's just a catalog of popular add-ons to the game. After an introductory chapter about how add-ons and macros differ, how add-ons can be installed and managed, each add-on is described and reviewed. Unfortunately, the authors don't describe their criteria for deciding which add-ons to include.
Undoubtedly, the term "hacking" was included in the title to make the book appear sexier; the book is really about expanding WoW functionality using available add-ons, not "hacking" in any sense of the word. Perhaps more frustratingly, the authors don't explain why most of the described add-ons are useful. Sure, I can get an add-on that tallies the damage done to me by various monsters, and by myself to the monsters. But why do I Want that? How does the use of such an add-on, for example, help me have a more enjoyable or productive gameplay experience?
Point is, though, that finding add-ons online isn't hard at all. A book cataloging them is practically worthless, as it is out of date just as soon as it is printed. You're better off finding interesting add-ons by searching your favorite World of Warcraft forum and asking other players.
The book's treatment of writing add-ons is superficial at best. Since this book is not a programming tutorial, any reader who wants to write their own add-ons needs to have some software development background. And anyone with some software development background would be able to examine existing add ons to "borrow" code, or learn how to write add-ons by reading the product documentation.
Great help.......2007-09-05
First of all, I didn't buy this book, my wife bought it, which could easily entail an entire discussion about how the impossible can, in fact, REALLY happen...but that must wait for another time! Quick take away regarding this book: I liked it a lot!
I am a software developer turned business man, so I have a background in programming (but haven't had to write code for about 7 years now). So, from that perspective, the code sections weren't much of a problem, but getting an understanding about how WoW addons function was very helpful. I wasn't quite as interested in the early sections of the book (although it was good to know about some of the existing addons)...my interest was on creating my own addons from scratch. In that regard, the book was great, and the steps were clearly laid out on how to create the Whereabouts addon.
This book is not intended to be a complete primer on EVERYTHING you need to know about writing WoW addons, nor is is meant to be a review of every single existing addon (they change)...rather, it is a nice balance that starts with what existing addons do, and leads into what to do if you'd like to try writing one of your own. In that regard, I think the book did a very decent job!
Example Addons *Do* Work.......2007-07-30
It's a good overall view of some of the basic addons for those of us who sit in front of the computer enough playing Wow and don't want to sit in front of the computer reading about addons. (:
I did have a problem getting the first addon to work; then I realized from reading this site that I had to enable script errors -- the message pops up as a script error.
Guide to Making Full use of World of Warcraft features........2007-07-27
Whether your a noob or a l33t player of World of Warcraft, there is always a way to improve your ability of play and this guide is the way to go. Want to make your own macros, but don't know how, then this guide gives you a brief and decent guide to do that. Curious about add-ons, but not sure whether they will work or if they will get you in trouble with Blizzard, this guide gives you a starting place and information to help you.
The 'Hacking World of Warcraft Guide' is a book for anyone who plays WoW, that wants to improve their ability to play, but either doesn't know how or is unable to figure out where to start. Having been in the predicament in which it seems that one-more second could decide the difference between victory or defeat, I know this book helps lay out the ways to improve game-play.
Now despite the name of the book, it doesn't let you hack World of Warcraft. It gives a player a description of features both available at first glance and those hidden just below the surface of the game. Ever wonder how to chain actions, spells, or abilities with one button, this book helps setting that up. Every see screenshots with maps or gadgets and want to know what those are, the book gives an overview of add-ons and options that are available either already in the game or where to find them online. It even warns about programs that Blizzard allows and doesn't based upon past problems. The book even gives you, the reader, fair warning about the dangers of using programs, both on your computer and with Blizzard, so you can't claim you didn't know.
Overall the book gives an overview of features, options, and other such things that can add to your gaming experience. While not as straight forward as Brady Guides, it gives a decent grasp of things for playing World of Warcraft.
Books:
- The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch
- The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
- The Grace for the Moment Daily Bible: Spend 365 Days reading the Bible with Max Lucado
- The Hollywood Book of Death : The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols
- The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
- The Quality of Life Report
- The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: Fifty North American American Stories Since 1970
- The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook: Healthy Recipes for Entertaining Family and Friends
- The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less
- The Sword of Truth (Wakefield Dynasty #1)
Books Index
Books Home
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General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
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| Books
Libris Mortis: The Book of the Undead (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Races of the Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
Dragon Magic (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Monster Manual III (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
Spell Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
