The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Let me tell you right now, I absolutely did not like what the 2E Complete Handbooks turned into -- and I gather that most D&D players feel the same way. If Sword and Fist is any example of what the other 3E guidebooks will be like, however, then we've got nothing to worry about. There are so many ways that I could review this one that I thought instead maybe the best thing would be to just summarize what's inside and see what the readers make of it.

Chapter 1 is Feats and Skills. At a glance I don't see any feats that are out of control, which was a pleasant surprise. Some of them, if given to monsters and NPCs, could come as a real surprise to players who've already learned how to "work the system" in 3E combat. For example, "Hold the Line" (prereqs: base attack +2, Combat Reflexes) lets you make an Attack of Opportunity against charging opponents who enter an area you threaten.

Here's the full list:

Blindsight, 5 foot radius
Circle Kick
Close-Quarters fighting
Death Blow
Dirty Fighting
Dual strike
Eagle Claw Attack
Expert tactician
Extra stunning attacks
Eyes in the back of your head
Feign weakness
Fists of Iron
Hold the line
Improve overrun
Improve sunder
Knock-Down
Lightning fists
Mantis leap
Monkey grip
Off-hand parry
Pain Touch
Pin Shield
Power lunge
Prone attack
Rapid reload
Remain conscious
Sharp shooting
Shield Expert
Snatch arrows
Throw anything
Zen Archery

There aren't any new skills, but there are some examples of how existing skills can be used in ways we might not have thought of before. Sense Motive, for instance, can also be used as "Combat prediction" and "Decipher strategy," both of which have an effect on combat and are explained in detail, just as if they were new skills all to themselves.

Chapter 2 is Prestige Classes, which is probably the second biggest reason to buy the book. The classes include:

Cavalier
Devoted Defender
Drunken Master
Duelist
Fist of Hextor
Ghostwalker
Gladiator
Halfling outrider
Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom
Lasher
Master of Chains
Master Samurai
Ninja of the crescent moon
Order of the Bow initiate
Ravager
Red Avenger
Tribal Protector
Warmaster
Weapon Master

Now if you're like me then you probably can't tell what some of these are supposed to be just by looking at the names. Some of the less obvious ones are Devoted Defender = bodyguard whose abilities include "Harm's Way," which lets him switch places with his charge if they're within 5' of each other; Fist of Hextor = mercenary soldiers who work on behalf of a temple of Hextor; Ghostwalker = the Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" archetype, who reminds me of a living 1E revenant; Lasher = someone who can use a whip to wreck just about anyone who comes near; Master of Chains = same thing really, except with chains; Ravager = in Greyhawk, this is someone dedicated to Erythnul and has abilities which inflict fear, pain, and death (such as "Cruelest Cut" which inflicts temporary CON damage); Red Avenger = think of this as a monk who's really into using her Ki, but mostly to put the smack-down on people who have it coming; Weapon Master = if you remember the kensai from 1E Oriental Adventures, well, there you are.

Chapter 3, Worldly Matters, reminded me of the Hero Builder's Guidebook. It puts the new prestige classes in context, so that players and DMs might have a better idea of what kind of background these characters are coming from. Thankfully, it's rather short.

Chapter 4 is The Game Within The Game. Like the HBG, it suggest possible routes to take to create the character you're after, but then just when you think "thanks, but I really don't need this much advice" you get to "How to Fight Nearly Everything (and Survive)." You know those ".Vs" articles in Dragon? That's not what this is. This is genuine, top-down, how to go into 3E combat and get the most out of what you can do without getting killed. It gives very good examples, using the same kinds of maps we've seen in AoO examples, of just how much difference a square or two can make. Then comes advice rather like the "Power Play" sidebars, in which we see a numerical breakdown of things like how many hits in a Flurry of Blows we can expect given the number of attacks and the number needed to hit. It made my head swim, but I know you guys will eat that stuff up. Wicked DMs (is there any other kind) will also like the "Large and In Charge" approach to monster fighters and monks, especially when you see just how ugly things can get with a Colossal, 20th level monk. Ouch!

Chapter 5's Tools Of The Trade include new weapons and magic items, from the harpoon and Orc shotput to a "Bow of True Arrows" and a "Vest of False Life." Then come various vehicular rules and some specific feats for chariots which parallel the mounted feats from the PHB. Then, lastly, there are towers, keeps and castles: sample buildings for PCs or NPCs, complete with detailed maps, descriptions, and prices. You get the Border Tower, Elven Canopy Tower, Lighthouse Keep, Gnome Bridge Keep, Bailey Castle, Dwarven Plateau Castle, Monks' Temple, and of course the Gladiatorial Arena (which even includes descriptions of "Unusual Gladiatorial Fights" such as Dwarf-and-Giant, Hidden Weapons, and Chain Matches). Very inspiring stuff, which could've been taken straight from those 2E City Sites, Castle Sites, etc. books.

So there you have it. Let's just hope that the next guidebook, Defenders of the Faith (clerics and paladins), is as good as this one was.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Sword and Fist
Author: Jason Carl Category: game Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: Dungeons & Dragons Cost: $19.95 Page count: 96 ISBN: 0-7869-1829-2 SKU: WTC11829 Capsule Review by Margo Schreck on 12/22/00. Genre tags: Fantasy	Let me tell you right now, I absolutely did not like what the 2E Complete Handbooks turned into -- and I gather that most D&D players feel the same way. If Sword and Fist is any example of what the other 3E guidebooks will be like, however, then we've got nothing to worry about. There are so many ways that I could review this one that I thought instead maybe the best thing would be to just summarize what's inside and see what the readers make of it. Chapter 1 is Feats and Skills. At a glance I don't see any feats that are out of control, which was a pleasant surprise. Some of them, if given to monsters and NPCs, could come as a real surprise to players who've already learned how to "work the system" in 3E combat. For example, "Hold the Line" (prereqs: base attack +2, Combat Reflexes) lets you make an Attack of Opportunity against charging opponents who enter an area you threaten. Here's the full list: Blindsight, 5 foot radius Circle Kick Close-Quarters fighting Death Blow Dirty Fighting Dual strike Eagle Claw Attack Expert tactician Extra stunning attacks Eyes in the back of your head Feign weakness Fists of Iron Hold the line Improve overrun Improve sunder Knock-Down Lightning fists Mantis leap Monkey grip Off-hand parry Pain Touch Pin Shield Power lunge Prone attack Rapid reload Remain conscious Sharp shooting Shield Expert Snatch arrows Throw anything Zen Archery There aren't any new skills, but there are some examples of how existing skills can be used in ways we might not have thought of before. Sense Motive, for instance, can also be used as "Combat prediction" and "Decipher strategy," both of which have an effect on combat and are explained in detail, just as if they were new skills all to themselves. Chapter 2 is Prestige Classes, which is probably the second biggest reason to buy the book. The classes include: Cavalier Devoted Defender Drunken Master Duelist Fist of Hextor Ghostwalker Gladiator Halfling outrider Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom Lasher Master of Chains Master Samurai Ninja of the crescent moon Order of the Bow initiate Ravager Red Avenger Tribal Protector Warmaster Weapon Master Now if you're like me then you probably can't tell what some of these are supposed to be just by looking at the names. Some of the less obvious ones are Devoted Defender = bodyguard whose abilities include "Harm's Way," which lets him switch places with his charge if they're within 5' of each other; Fist of Hextor = mercenary soldiers who work on behalf of a temple of Hextor; Ghostwalker = the Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" archetype, who reminds me of a living 1E revenant; Lasher = someone who can use a whip to wreck just about anyone who comes near; Master of Chains = same thing really, except with chains; Ravager = in Greyhawk, this is someone dedicated to Erythnul and has abilities which inflict fear, pain, and death (such as "Cruelest Cut" which inflicts temporary CON damage); Red Avenger = think of this as a monk who's really into using her Ki, but mostly to put the smack-down on people who have it coming; Weapon Master = if you remember the kensai from 1E Oriental Adventures, well, there you are. Chapter 3, Worldly Matters, reminded me of the Hero Builder's Guidebook. It puts the new prestige classes in context, so that players and DMs might have a better idea of what kind of background these characters are coming from. Thankfully, it's rather short. Chapter 4 is The Game Within The Game. Like the HBG, it suggest possible routes to take to create the character you're after, but then just when you think "thanks, but I really don't need this much advice" you get to "How to Fight Nearly Everything (and Survive)." You know those ".Vs" articles in Dragon? That's not what this is. This is genuine, top-down, how to go into 3E combat and get the most out of what you can do without getting killed. It gives very good examples, using the same kinds of maps we've seen in AoO examples, of just how much difference a square or two can make. Then comes advice rather like the "Power Play" sidebars, in which we see a numerical breakdown of things like how many hits in a Flurry of Blows we can expect given the number of attacks and the number needed to hit. It made my head swim, but I know you guys will eat that stuff up. Wicked DMs (is there any other kind) will also like the "Large and In Charge" approach to monster fighters and monks, especially when you see just how ugly things can get with a Colossal, 20th level monk. Ouch! Chapter 5's Tools Of The Trade include new weapons and magic items, from the harpoon and Orc shotput to a "Bow of True Arrows" and a "Vest of False Life." Then come various vehicular rules and some specific feats for chariots which parallel the mounted feats from the PHB. Then, lastly, there are towers, keeps and castles: sample buildings for PCs or NPCs, complete with detailed maps, descriptions, and prices. You get the Border Tower, Elven Canopy Tower, Lighthouse Keep, Gnome Bridge Keep, Bailey Castle, Dwarven Plateau Castle, Monks' Temple, and of course the Gladiatorial Arena (which even includes descriptions of "Unusual Gladiatorial Fights" such as Dwarf-and-Giant, Hidden Weapons, and Chain Matches). Very inspiring stuff, which could've been taken straight from those 2E City Sites, Castle Sites, etc. books. So there you have it. Let's just hope that the next guidebook, Defenders of the Faith (clerics and paladins), is as good as this one was. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)