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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Mar 2004 : 09:59:25
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Hmmm...those metamagic components sound interesting, although I certainly hope there is some restriction on their usage as I can see a potential for inbalance in a campaign already...
Now, for the race variants - Arctic Dwarves...better or worse (in terms of stats) than those presented in Monsters of Faerun?.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2004 : 10:10:34
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MotF dwarves, definitely. About the only new thing with the Unearthed Arcana version is that they can apply their stonecunning traits to ice. That section is really nothing groundbreaking; just retread bits for those too busy to do it right, themselves. Nothing on the scope of any history or anything is included, which is a marked contrast from most of the new races they've created; at least those have had some reasoning behind them.
Oh, and the components are quite well costed for the feat to be applied, and to what spell. By the way, there's only one possible component for each spell-and it automatically enhances it with a specific metamagic effect. Sorry if I gave the impression that it was wide open. |
Edited by - Arivia on 04 Mar 2004 10:15:11 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2004 : 10:25:31
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| It's...interesting. I'll likely give it a try one of these days, but not right now. As of now, I'm more liable to just keep the old hp system, or use the Injury variant(Quite reminiscent of damage in Storyteller games.). |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2004 : 10:59:44
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| Essentially, when a character is hit, they make a Fortitude save. If they succede, then they suffer no ill effects. If they fail by 1 to 9, they take a "hit". Each "hit" applies a -1 cumulative penalty on the aforementioned Fortitude save. If they fail by 10 or more, they become disabled. A disabled character who fails another Fortitude save to resist damage becomes dying. A dying character must make another Fortitude save or die(the version of stabilization). That's essentially the core of it. |
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Alexander Heppe
Seeker
Germany
62 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2004 : 13:32:09
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Well, I just received my copy of UA, and -all in all- I have to say that I am slightly disappointed to have bought it for that kind of money.
I donīt say that it isnīt a good book, but most of the variants used therein would have been better placed as web-enhancements or variants on the WotC Webpage.
But now my views on UA:
Chapter 1 (races)
is an interesting read, but looking at the amounts of race-specific stuff in nearly all the FR-sourcebooks already, for a FR campaign you will pretty much have reached the "I like variety, but this is e n o u g h!!" point. The only exception are the UA racial paragons, which are quite good to "flavour" a certain PC or NPC.
Chapter 2 (classes)
No variant in here makes really sense to me. Sorry, this ainīt my favourite chapter. Not gonna happen in my game...
Chapter 3 (building characters)
As chapter 1, interesting read, but nothing much else. Mostly tables for character-background, quite useful perhaps for the "imaginationally challenged", but then perhaps D&D is not their game. Might be useful for a quick NPC, probably. Character traits and flaws sound interesting, but keeping in mind that some of my players tend to min/max in the extreme (not to say they are munchkins), no, again, not in my game...
Chapter 4 (adventuring)
Armor as DR? Defence rolls. Vitality and Wound points? Hey, D&D combat was supposed to be (more or less) simple and abstract. Now they offer you to throw that simple approach overboard. Go on and do it, I wonīt... I am playing in the Realms to tell a story - and I love challenging fights (which are -sometimes- allowed to last quite long), but with the rules presented in this chapter, I beleive most players will need a mathematician to accomplish a short skirmish with a band of kobolds... not in my game...
Chapter 5 (magic)
see above, to complicated, I love keeping things basic and keep the game moving...
Chapter 6 (Campaigns)
Well, oops, this is quite a good chapter. I especially like the parts about contacts, reputation and honor. But, on the other hand, this IS something you donīt need special rules for, īcause you can roleplay it. But I think that my players would love to see (in numeric terms) how famous and/or honorable their characters are...
maybe in my game...
All in all: good read, nice ideas, but taken way over the top, slowing the game down
But if you are gonna use more in your game than me, please let me know how it turned out. Some of the variants presented in that book might actually help to give a campaign a flavour of some sort (especially the sanity system... "eye of vecnulhu" or "bigbotheps interposing hand", anybody?)
If the text above sounds to agressive, I would like to apologize beforehand, but see, I just payed 40 Euros for it, and am still wondering why... |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2004 : 21:23:12
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Now my whole dollar's share...
Races-As I've said, the elemental and environmental races are horrible. However, Reducing Level Adjustments and Bloodlines are enough to save the chapter. I'm ambivalent on the paragon races.
Classes-Absolutely wonderous. I quite like what's there for all the classes, ranging from Domain Wizards to something resembling a resurrection of the Avenger kit for Druids...
Building Characters-Same goes here. I've been looking for the Complex Skill Check system for a while.
Adventuring-A grab bag. There's bound to be a variant here to appeal to everyone...I'm not likely to use Combat Facing, the hex grid rules or Players Roll All The Dice for quite a while, but I'm sure someone else will...
Magic-Another grab bag. I'm not one for the Item Familiars or Legendary Weapons myself, but oh well...
Campaigns-The only thing I'm not liable to use here is the Level-Independent XP Awards bit.
Oh, and there's an appendix on some cross-setting campaigns...
I'm already using some of these...
*Snips list of optional rules off latest two campaigns*
1.
Reducing Level Adjustments, page 18, Unearthed Arcana
Fractional Base Bonuses, page 73, Unearthed Arcana
Complex Skill Checks, page 81, Unearthed Arcana
Action Points, page 122, Unearthed Arcana
Metamagic Components, page 139, Unearthed Arcana
Daily Spell List, page 153, Unearthed Arcana
Incantations, page 174, Unearthed Arcana
No Spell Resistance Against Energy Damage, page 174, Unearthed Arcana
Contacts, page 179, Unearthed Arcana
Reputation, page 180, Unearthed Arcana
Puzzles and Hints, page 207, Unearthed Arcana
Test-Based Prerequisites, page 210, Unearthed Arcana
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Sanity
Bell Curve Rolls
Contacts
Reputation
Taint
Spell Points
Incantations
Generic Classes
Alternative Skill Systems(possibly)
Weapon Groups
Bloodlines
Traits and Flaws
Complex Skill Checks
Injury
Action Points |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2004 : 09:08:13
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Hmmm...certainly a nice mixing of alternate rules.
Arivia, what can you tell me about some of the new feats?. Are they anything new, or is it just a case of rehashing older material...?
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Lady Kazandra
Senior Scribe
Australia
921 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2004 : 10:00:44
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Sage, I'd read (at the EN World site I believe) that Arcana Unearthed was already available in Australia. Why haven't you received your order yet?.
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"Once upon a time the plural of 'wizard' was 'war'." -- The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2004 : 10:17:19
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There are essentially three large groupings of feats in this book:
- Weapon Group Feats-Replacing normal weapon proficiency with Weapon Group: Spears, for example.
- Spelltouched Feats -You can only take each one after being affected by a different spell. Each grants you a different ability.(For example, Naturalized Denizen: Prerequisite: Exposure to dimensional anchor Benefit: You never gain the extraplanar subtype, no matter where you travel.)
- The rest of them are a grab bag of a few for some of the options, like the Craft Masterwork item feats for the Craft Point system, and the Skill Knowledge feat for one of the variant skill systems.
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the psychotic seaotter
Seeker
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2004 : 19:28:39
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Got mine yeaterday. So far I have tweaked a Druid class, added in Spell points and the new XP system, and am going to phase in the contacts system.
I definatly see myself doing something with the Generic classes combined with the simpler skill system in the flavor of a basic style game...
Over all there were somethings I won't use but It was worth the $$ |
Run run as fast as you can you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man...
The Arcane Brotherhood, Wizards of the Sword Coast. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Unearthed Arcana
