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Masters of the Wild

Masters of the Wild is the most recent class guidebook released by Wizards (WotC). The book carries a $20 price tag, is 96 pages long, and is divided into 6 chapters.

Chapter 1, Nature's Lore, 13 pages. Chapter 2, Skills and Feats, 8 pages. Chapter 3, Tools of the Trade, 8 pages. Chapter 4, Animals, 9 pages. Chapter 5, Prestige Classes, 37 pages. Chapter 6, Spells, 17 pages.

COVER

The most remarkable element of the cover (by Jeff Easley) is the arctic/dawn palette, which gives the scene an unearthly look. It is of the iconic ranger, barbarian, and druid, grouped together, looking about. The whole scene actually reminds me of Easley's painting for the Crystal Shard. The characters to do not look as good, but the background looks better. Part of the reason the characters do not look so good may be related to the "lighting" they receive from their environment.

CHAPTER 1

The first section ,"Nature's Lore", is the "how to play this class" section. Generally, I think this kind of thing is a waste of space, or, more likely, a filler of space. I appreciate the effort to a certain extent; it doesn't hurt that novices will have access to a "primer" on their class, but when it comes to utility and value, well, sections like this don't help. As the Hero Builder's Guidebook amply demonstrated.

The most useful part of this section is the rules update for Wild Shape, which is essentially a thorough erratum. A second useful point is the in-depth discussion of the "Urban Ranger", which is the first time I have seen these "discussions" actually accomplish what they purport to be attempting. Because of these two elements, this section actually has some modicum of value, a rare thing when considered against all of the handbooks.

Perusing the discussion started my eyes glazing over as I began to read. I managed to focus long enough to realize that when it comes to non-standard races, the class level discussion was irritatingly inconsistent.

"For example, a grimlock's class equivalent level is equal to its class levels plus 3. This means that a 1st-level barbarian grimlock is effectively a 4th-level player character of one of the common races." (page 6, Level equivalent sidebar)

Then this, (same page, main text)... "Because of the grimlock's various advantages, his level equivalent is his class levels plus 5" So which is it? plus 3 or plus 5?

And this on page 9, regarding druids... "Her level equivalent is her class levels plus 7, so a 1st level centaur druid would be appropriate for a 6th level party?"

Shouldn't that be 8th level party? (1 plus 7 = 8, 1 plus 7 != 6) Apparently not because a few sentences later...

"Since the lizardfolk's level equivalent is her class levels plus 4, a 1st level lizardfolk druid can join a campaign when the average character level is only 3rd."

Good job guys, really. Clear as mud. At best this is misleading, at worst is wrong and confusing. This might be appropriate juncture to launch a rant on the bungled handling of nonstandard races in general in D&D 3E, but I doubt this will accomplish anything useful, so I will refrain.

The point here is not to mock or humiliate the authors. This section could wind up really confusing some GMs. I suspect mistakes like this tend to be missed because people rarely bother to read these boring-as-heck sections. If the core-rule writers aren't going to write the class handbooks, they should at least do a thorough editing job.

This kind of thing reminds me of the Complete Wizards handbook in 2nd Ed., where the author directly contradicts the 2nd Ed. core rules by stating that magic missiles can affect inanimate material objects, the example being to shatter rock and start a rock-slide, if I remember correctly.

CHAPTER 2

The eight page section on skills and feats is very useful, no surprise. The description of alternate uses of the various skills is fun and thought provoking. The requirements don't always make a lot of sense, though. For example the feat, Blindsight [Wild], requires the ability to shapeshift to a bat in order to use the bat’s method of "seeing". Makes sense right? It does until you realize that you must be able to assume the form of a DIRE bat. Huh? Does a dire bat use echolocation in a manner different from a normal bat? Not the last time I checked. All in all though, the list of feats, 42 total, is quite extensive and useful, especially as it covers 3 different classes, in addition to the general feats. The various Wild Shape feats are especially interesting, and the inclusion of previously monster specific feats is funny in a cool way.

CHAPTER 3

The equipment section features no normal items; they are all exotic or magical. Some of the exotic items are pretty interesting. The magic items were generally class specific, functioning as “boosters” of existing abilities. Not terribly remarkable. The Infusions rules are easily the most exciting part of the section. They are a spell stored in an herbal/natural material. They are especially for druids, who can employ them to “cast” spells in forms that would preclude spellcasting. They function as scrolls (not potions), must be eaten to take effect, and can be prepared in a (low cost) manner that actually makes sense. It was odd to visualize someone in hawk form eating a berry, triggering a flamestrike on an opponent, but pretty cool too.

CHAPTER 4

The section on animals is a very useful one for anyone with animal companions but druids specifically. The discussion is no-nonsense and factual, and offers useful suggestions in overcoming possible problems. In addition to detailing dire animals more extensively, the Legendary Animal type is introduced, which is a kind of "super-animal", kind of an equivalent of a unicorn, though not as powerful, of course. The legendary animals serve to allow high level druids to have appropriately powerful companions, among other uses.

CHAPTER 5

The section on prestige classes is easily the longest in the book. Being more than twice the size of the next largest section, this section deserves heavy scrutiny. One of the first features I noticed, which I liked a lot, was the prestige organization and the prestige class are detailed together. This format fits the originally presented prestige class outline better: that of a set of special skills known only by a specific organization or group, kind of like becoming a Jedi. To the prestige classes themselves…

In my opinion, the biggest problem with a lot of prestige classes is that they are poorly "empowered". In order to qualify for a prestige class, the character must be developed along specific lines, when this development might more effectively be spent elsewhere. Some prestige classes are also, to be blunt, pretty stupid. These, especially, receive the brunt of criticism. So how do MotW's prestige classes hold up?

There are the usual assortment of DM-only prestige classes like the Blighter and the Hexer. The Bloodhound and Shifter were my favorites, though the shifter may be too powerful, with the ability to become dragons and so forth.

The Forsaker is an interesting prestige class, and functions more along the lines of the 1st Ed barbarian described in Unearthed Arcana (and Dragon magazine), though he has strange, potentially game breaking abilities. The Geomancer is VERY strange, and looks like it could be extremely powerful, because of their Spell Versatility ability. This ability allows some inter-conversion between divine and arcane spells, and potentially allows mages to cast spells in full plate with no spell failure (!).

When I saw the Eye of Gruumsh prestige class I was certain that something was weird here. In 1st Ed. Deities and Demigods, Gruumsh has one eye, and he has always had only one eye. As of 3rd Ed, he used to have 2 eyes, but Corellon Larethian (AKA, the girly-boy) put out one. While I suppose Wizards and Hasbro can do whatever they want, this kind of inconsistency is irritating, especially when an entire prestige class is built around this premise. The Foe Hunter is the favored enemy ability as a class. The problem is, most people (myself included), think the favored enemy ability is already pretty retarded. Building an entire class around a disliked ability? …doesn't seem very smart. The King/Queen of the Wild, and the Oozemaster are both questionable at best. The King of the Wild is habitat specific (none of which include "Underdark" or "Dungeon"), and such a severe limitation really undercuts its usefulness. Its not even a "bad guy", so its usefulness to the GM is marginal. The oozemaster is initially pretty interesting in its premise, but the abilities are not all that great, and most people don't see "oozeman" as heroic. The exotic weapon master seems especially stupid. The ones that virtually always see use are dwarven waraxe, bastard sword, and spiked chain, while everything else is ignored (except by monks, maybe).

On the whole, I was not impressed by the prestige classes. There is the occasionally useful class, but for a section that takes up more than any other section by far, this was not good.

CHAPTER 6

This section consists entirely of spells, and I must say I was impressed with this section. Offensive spells like Creeping Cold and Bottle of Smoke are interesting and creative, in addition to meeting a standard functionality. With Last Breath the druid finally gains a restorative power rivalling clerics, and with True Reincarnate, we may well have the ultimate Resurrect. All in all, good stuff.

CONCLUSION

If you are going to play a druid, you MUST have this book. For Rangers, it is useful, but less so. For barbarians it will give some new feats and prestige classes and little else. The presentation is up to the usual WotC quality standards, so presentation gets 5/5. This is the only class book I am giving a 5/5 for writing and design. Bear in mind that this rating was given relative to other class books, not “RPG supplements in general”.

Masters of the Wild
Masters of the Wild Capsule Review by Mike MacKenzie on 30/05/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) Overall, there is a wealth of new and useful information, from the Wild Shape errata and Ranger variant, tons of new feats, the (useful!) new magic item type Infusion, the new animal type (legendary), and so forth making this a worthy purchase. Product: Masters of the Wild Author: David Eckelberry and Mike Selinker Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: D&D 3E Cost: $20 Page count: 96 Year published: 2002 ISBN: 0-7869-2653-8 SKU: Comp copy?: yes Capsule Review by Mike MacKenzie on 30/05/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	Masters of the Wild Masters of the Wild is the most recent class guidebook released by Wizards (WotC). The book carries a $20 price tag, is 96 pages long, and is divided into 6 chapters. Chapter 1, Nature's Lore, 13 pages. Chapter 2, Skills and Feats, 8 pages. Chapter 3, Tools of the Trade, 8 pages. Chapter 4, Animals, 9 pages. Chapter 5, Prestige Classes, 37 pages. Chapter 6, Spells, 17 pages. COVER The most remarkable element of the cover (by Jeff Easley) is the arctic/dawn palette, which gives the scene an unearthly look. It is of the iconic ranger, barbarian, and druid, grouped together, looking about. The whole scene actually reminds me of Easley's painting for the Crystal Shard. The characters to do not look as good, but the background looks better. Part of the reason the characters do not look so good may be related to the "lighting" they receive from their environment. CHAPTER 1 The first section ,"Nature's Lore", is the "how to play this class" section. Generally, I think this kind of thing is a waste of space, or, more likely, a filler of space. I appreciate the effort to a certain extent; it doesn't hurt that novices will have access to a "primer" on their class, but when it comes to utility and value, well, sections like this don't help. As the Hero Builder's Guidebook amply demonstrated. The most useful part of this section is the rules update for Wild Shape, which is essentially a thorough erratum. A second useful point is the in-depth discussion of the "Urban Ranger", which is the first time I have seen these "discussions" actually accomplish what they purport to be attempting. Because of these two elements, this section actually has some modicum of value, a rare thing when considered against all of the handbooks. Perusing the discussion started my eyes glazing over as I began to read. I managed to focus long enough to realize that when it comes to non-standard races, the class level discussion was irritatingly inconsistent. "For example, a grimlock's class equivalent level is equal to its class levels plus 3. This means that a 1st-level barbarian grimlock is effectively a 4th-level player character of one of the common races." (page 6, Level equivalent sidebar) Then this, (same page, main text)... "Because of the grimlock's various advantages, his level equivalent is his class levels plus 5" So which is it? plus 3 or plus 5? And this on page 9, regarding druids... "Her level equivalent is her class levels plus 7, so a 1st level centaur druid would be appropriate for a 6th level party?" Shouldn't that be 8th level party? (1 plus 7 = 8, 1 plus 7 != 6) Apparently not because a few sentences later... "Since the lizardfolk's level equivalent is her class levels plus 4, a 1st level lizardfolk druid can join a campaign when the average character level is only 3rd." Good job guys, really. Clear as mud. At best this is misleading, at worst is wrong and confusing. This might be appropriate juncture to launch a rant on the bungled handling of nonstandard races in general in D&D 3E, but I doubt this will accomplish anything useful, so I will refrain. The point here is not to mock or humiliate the authors. This section could wind up really confusing some GMs. I suspect mistakes like this tend to be missed because people rarely bother to read these boring-as-heck sections. If the core-rule writers aren't going to write the class handbooks, they should at least do a thorough editing job. This kind of thing reminds me of the Complete Wizards handbook in 2nd Ed., where the author directly contradicts the 2nd Ed. core rules by stating that magic missiles can affect inanimate material objects, the example being to shatter rock and start a rock-slide, if I remember correctly. CHAPTER 2 The eight page section on skills and feats is very useful, no surprise. The description of alternate uses of the various skills is fun and thought provoking. The requirements don't always make a lot of sense, though. For example the feat, Blindsight [Wild], requires the ability to shapeshift to a bat in order to use the bat’s method of "seeing". Makes sense right? It does until you realize that you must be able to assume the form of a DIRE bat. Huh? Does a dire bat use echolocation in a manner different from a normal bat? Not the last time I checked. All in all though, the list of feats, 42 total, is quite extensive and useful, especially as it covers 3 different classes, in addition to the general feats. The various Wild Shape feats are especially interesting, and the inclusion of previously monster specific feats is funny in a cool way. CHAPTER 3 The equipment section features no normal items; they are all exotic or magical. Some of the exotic items are pretty interesting. The magic items were generally class specific, functioning as “boosters” of existing abilities. Not terribly remarkable. The Infusions rules are easily the most exciting part of the section. They are a spell stored in an herbal/natural material. They are especially for druids, who can employ them to “cast” spells in forms that would preclude spellcasting. They function as scrolls (not potions), must be eaten to take effect, and can be prepared in a (low cost) manner that actually makes sense. It was odd to visualize someone in hawk form eating a berry, triggering a flamestrike on an opponent, but pretty cool too. CHAPTER 4 The section on animals is a very useful one for anyone with animal companions but druids specifically. The discussion is no-nonsense and factual, and offers useful suggestions in overcoming possible problems. In addition to detailing dire animals more extensively, the Legendary Animal type is introduced, which is a kind of "super-animal", kind of an equivalent of a unicorn, though not as powerful, of course. The legendary animals serve to allow high level druids to have appropriately powerful companions, among other uses. CHAPTER 5 The section on prestige classes is easily the longest in the book. Being more than twice the size of the next largest section, this section deserves heavy scrutiny. One of the first features I noticed, which I liked a lot, was the prestige organization and the prestige class are detailed together. This format fits the originally presented prestige class outline better: that of a set of special skills known only by a specific organization or group, kind of like becoming a Jedi. To the prestige classes themselves… In my opinion, the biggest problem with a lot of prestige classes is that they are poorly "empowered". In order to qualify for a prestige class, the character must be developed along specific lines, when this development might more effectively be spent elsewhere. Some prestige classes are also, to be blunt, pretty stupid. These, especially, receive the brunt of criticism. So how do MotW's prestige classes hold up? There are the usual assortment of DM-only prestige classes like the Blighter and the Hexer. The Bloodhound and Shifter were my favorites, though the shifter may be too powerful, with the ability to become dragons and so forth. The Forsaker is an interesting prestige class, and functions more along the lines of the 1st Ed barbarian described in Unearthed Arcana (and Dragon magazine), though he has strange, potentially game breaking abilities. The Geomancer is VERY strange, and looks like it could be extremely powerful, because of their Spell Versatility ability. This ability allows some inter-conversion between divine and arcane spells, and potentially allows mages to cast spells in full plate with no spell failure (!). When I saw the Eye of Gruumsh prestige class I was certain that something was weird here. In 1st Ed. Deities and Demigods, Gruumsh has one eye, and he has always had only one eye. As of 3rd Ed, he used to have 2 eyes, but Corellon Larethian (AKA, the girly-boy) put out one. While I suppose Wizards and Hasbro can do whatever they want, this kind of inconsistency is irritating, especially when an entire prestige class is built around this premise. The Foe Hunter is the favored enemy ability as a class. The problem is, most people (myself included), think the favored enemy ability is already pretty retarded. Building an entire class around a disliked ability? …doesn't seem very smart. The King/Queen of the Wild, and the Oozemaster are both questionable at best. The King of the Wild is habitat specific (none of which include "Underdark" or "Dungeon"), and such a severe limitation really undercuts its usefulness. Its not even a "bad guy", so its usefulness to the GM is marginal. The oozemaster is initially pretty interesting in its premise, but the abilities are not all that great, and most people don't see "oozeman" as heroic. The exotic weapon master seems especially stupid. The ones that virtually always see use are dwarven waraxe, bastard sword, and spiked chain, while everything else is ignored (except by monks, maybe). On the whole, I was not impressed by the prestige classes. There is the occasionally useful class, but for a section that takes up more than any other section by far, this was not good. CHAPTER 6 This section consists entirely of spells, and I must say I was impressed with this section. Offensive spells like Creeping Cold and Bottle of Smoke are interesting and creative, in addition to meeting a standard functionality. With Last Breath the druid finally gains a restorative power rivalling clerics, and with True Reincarnate, we may well have the ultimate Resurrect. All in all, good stuff. CONCLUSION If you are going to play a druid, you MUST have this book. For Rangers, it is useful, but less so. For barbarians it will give some new feats and prestige classes and little else. The presentation is up to the usual WotC quality standards, so presentation gets 5/5. This is the only class book I am giving a 5/5 for writing and design. Bear in mind that this rating was given relative to other class books, not “RPG supplements in general”.