Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Help the Dungeon Master! Please!
  • EXCELLENT SERVICE!!!
  • DM
  • I Have Nothing Bad to Say About this Book
  • Good magazine material, poor hardback material
Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786928891
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Book Description

Weave exciting tales of heroism filled with magic and monsters. Within these pages, you’ll discover the tools and options you need to create detailed worlds and dynamic adventures for your players to experience in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.

The revised Dungeon Master's Guide is an essential rulebook for Dungeon Masters of the D&D game. The Dungeon Master's Guide has been reorganized to be more user friendly. It features information on running a D&D game, adjudicating play, writing adventures, nonplayer characters (including nonplayer character classes), running a campaign, characters, magic items (including intelligent and cursed items, and artifacts), and a dictionary of special abilities and conditions. Changes have been made to the item creation rules and pricing, and prestige classes new to the Dungeon Master's Guide are included (over 10 prestige classes). The revision includes expanded advice on how to run a campaign and instructs players on how to take full advantage of the tie-in D&D miniatures line.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Help the Dungeon Master! Please!.......2007-08-07

This is a great supplement for the DM. It gives you loads of great information in a clear manner. I really like the way this book is organised, it is quite intuitive. The re-vamp of Magic Items is a great improvement, as well as the introduction of Prestige Classes. My group LOVES prestige classes, maybe a little too much!

Overall if you want to introduce you group to the wonderful world of D&D 3.5 pick up this book plus the Player's Handbook 3.5 and you will find them both clear and easy to read.

5 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT SERVICE!!!.......2007-06-15

Everything was here faster than all other orders and in great shape!!!

5 out of 5 stars DM.......2007-05-25

My boyfriend's birthday was coming up and instead of just getting him a steak dinner and some electronic device, I decided to get him something that was a little more exciting. DM's Guide. He wants to start a game this summer and this is a must so I bought him a couple books and we are on our way. Nothing says I love you and I want to be with you a long time than a Dungeons & Dragons book.

(plus it arrived the next day -it was great)

5 out of 5 stars I Have Nothing Bad to Say About this Book.......2007-05-10

Pros

* Increased detail in the Adventure's section. Encounter charts, for example.

* The inclusion of a section on the planes. While this has little use for those who own Manual of the Planes, it considerably opens up the options to d20 companies.

* Epic Level rules, while simple, open up characters above 20th level to other game designers.

* Many additional prestige classes. While most of these are published elsewhere, their inclusion here (and therefore in the SRD) means that game designers can now include arch mages and duelists (to name two examples) in their d20 products.

* Many great changes in the magic items department. They gave Adamantium a purpose, finally, made certain magical properties effect only the price of an item, not its overall plus. They fixed the price of skill bonus items, as well.

* Inclusion of templates at the back of the book allow for more ease of play, were miniatures are involved.

Cons

I have nothing bad to say about this book.

2 out of 5 stars Good magazine material, poor hardback material.......2007-04-15

Dissapointing is an understatement. There is not a bit of information in this book that would not have been better placed in Dragon magazine. It's useful to some extent, but most players view hardback books as "cannon" and softback as "suggestion" - and everything in this book is in the catagory of suggestion. No DM should be held to anything in the DMG-2. You can agree to adopt some of it's good ideas if you want to, but this is not golden enough to justify the price tag. If you want it, get it used, and don't spend more than $10.
Master of Dragons (Mageverse, Book 8)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • My second Knight book, but I'm still a fan
  • took a while to read it
  • A good re-read
  • Angela Does it again!
  • Master of Dragons: Magical
Master of Dragons (Mageverse, Book 8)
Angela Knight
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425214249

Book Description

The last time fairy princess Nineva Morrow engaged in magic, evil forces rendered her an orphan-isolated and incapable of trusting in anyone's survival. But after years of hiding on Earth, she'll use her powers once more-and attract more knights than she can handle

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars My second Knight book, but I'm still a fan.......2007-09-20

Nineva Morrow is a princess of the sidhe, an avatar to the goddess Semira, and the only thing that stands between the Mageverse and the Dark Ones. Since birth, Nineva has been raised to believe that she will free Semira from an enchanted sword, and that in order to do so she will have to sacrifice herself to a blue dragon. Little did Nineva know that the blue dragon in question, Kel, would turn out to be her soul mate, and that together they would save the Mageverse from certain doom.

Master of Dragons is only my second Angela Knight book, but I'm still a huge fan of her work. Even though this book is number 8 in the Mageverse series, it's the first I've read in this storyline. That being said, there were definitely times when I knew I might have benefited from a little more background, but the story can definitely be read--and enjoyed--without that sort of grounding force. I liked this story, and will be sure to go back and read some of the others.

Nineva was an interesting heroine. She was born to be a martyr and her self-righteousness and determination to free Semira at all costs were both amusing and irritating. I think it took a hero of Kel's protective, arrogant, and strong nature to temper my initial dislike of her. By the time these two finally decided to make things work and combine their forces for the good of the Mageverse, I was feeling better about them both. Master of Dragons took some getting used to for me (but remember it's my first Mageverse book, so I'm probably in the minority), but once I started liking it, I couldn't wait to find out what happened. Read this book if you're in the mood for a romantic sci-fi fantasy story with a couple who is not afraid to kick a little tail.

3 out of 5 stars took a while to read it .......2007-09-06

I usually can read 1 book a day if it's really good. This one took me 4 days. It's not bad, but kinda boring and found myself skipping paragraphs to get through it. I was looking forward to Kel's book but I think he was more interesting in Master of Swords than in this one. I love sex in books but this one got to be a bit much. After about the 5th explicit love scene I just started skipping the sex scenes which is something I never do. It was like, allright already, get on with the story.

4 out of 5 stars A good re-read.......2007-08-16

I have read this book twice since I bought it. The series seems to be getting better and better as she goes along.

5 out of 5 stars Angela Does it again!.......2007-08-13

Once again Angela Knight brings fantasy and a great story together again. This time Kell gets to show us just what he is made of and we were definately not disappointed. The story was exciting, sexy and definately kept my attention through the whole book. Angela shows you the struggle that Kell and Nineva go through to fit in. She brings that life or death struggle that they are going through, yet also give you that sexual tension that they have together. A dragon and a Goddess what a combination and what a story. This is a must read!

5 out of 5 stars Master of Dragons: Magical.......2007-08-09

Ms. Knight once more delivers her magic touch.
Master of Dragons is the first title I've read in the series, but it won't be the last. I plan on buying the rest of the Mageverse series.

Kell is a wonderful hero and Nineva is the perfect heroine for him.
The worldbuilding is seamless, the plot kept me turning the pages.

Bravo, Ms. Knight for a truly wonderful tale of magic and love.
I am never disappointed when I pick up a book by Angela Knight.

Tambra Kendall
Dungeon Master's Guide II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • DM Guide II
  • Useful to Any DM
  • New stuff is good
  • A decent read, not great
  • Good supplement
Dungeon Master's Guide II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
Jesse Decker , David Noonan , Chris Thomasson , James Jacobs , and Robin D. Laws
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786936878
Release Date: 2005-06-23

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:

4 out of 5 stars 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.

4 out of 5 stars 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.

4 out of 5 stars 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

3 out of 5 stars 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.

4 out of 5 stars 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.
Deluxe Dungeon Master's Screen (Dungeon & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Accessory)
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not bad if you can find it under 10 bucks w/ shipping
  • Cool, but not necessary
  • Never shipped
  • Nice, but pricey
  • It ain't that bad -- it's actually pretty good
Deluxe Dungeon Master's Screen (Dungeon & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Accessory)
Wizards of the Coast
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Misc. Supplies

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ASIN: 0786934220
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Book Description

A Dungeon Master 2-pack that includes both a new D&D screen and a bonus d20 Modern screen -- in landscape format with new art.

Useful to anyone running any type of roleplaying campaign, this Deluxe Dungeon Master Screens 2-pack contains both a Dungeons & Dragons screen and a bonus screen for the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game.

The tables on the back of the Dungeon Master's Screen have been revised and updated to comply with the changes made in the new version 3.5 core rulebooks released in 2003.

Every table includes a page number reference you can use to look up more detailed information. You’ll also find some tables modified specifically for this screen that will help you get the information you need as quickly as possible during play.

Also included is a bonus four-panel screen geared toward the action-packed world of your d20 Modern campaign. Because both screens fully support the d20 System, they can be used separately or together by an experienced Dungeon Master or Gamemaster.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Not bad if you can find it under 10 bucks w/ shipping.......2007-05-09

The tables include:

-Equipment hardness/hitpoints
-Substance hardness/hitpoints
-Break/Burst DCs
-Items affected by magical attacks
-Size and AC of objects
-Object hardness/hitpoints
-Wall stats
-Door stats
-Turning undead
-Increase/Decrease weapon damage by size
-Attack roll modifiers
-AC modifiers
-Influencing NPC attitudes
-Missing w/ a thrown weapon figure
-Climb check DCs
-Listen check DCs
-Combat Actions (AoO)
-Concentration Check DCs
-Skills list (Armor check, AoO)
-Ability modifiers
-Movement and Distance
-Hampered movement
-Armored/Encumbered speeds
-Max distance for spot checks
-Detect Magic stats
-Detect Evil stats
-Light sources and illumination

While the list is comprehensive, I was looking for some random encounter tables, oh well. The screen is short and while I didn't think that would be an issue, it is. I'm now paperclipping the D20 Modern screen (which has a few D&D relevant things on it, but not many) on top of the D&D one (they're the same size exactly).

3 out of 5 stars Cool, but not necessary.......2007-04-03

Cool looking, but you could do without them. Nice quick info on inside, but again could do without.

1 out of 5 stars Never shipped.......2007-02-08

We ordered this a month ago. We kept waiting and checking.. not shipped yet. Wait some more, not shipped yet. The item said "usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks" however, in 4 weeks, still "not shipped yet". Recomend if you want this, to buy it somewhere else. We ended up canceling this order and getting it somewhere else. Amazon doesn't know how to ship this particualr item.

2 out of 5 stars Nice, but pricey.......2007-01-12

The charts selected for the inside of the screen are surprisingly useful; basically, they selected a lot of the things that most frequently come into play during a dungeon crawl, but that most people wouldn't bother to learn or remember. Things like various item and material hardnesses, common modifiers to AC, various types of actions and whether they provoke Attacks of Opportunity, skills, movement penaltes, light, and auras for both magic and evil/good. The creators were thoughtful enough to include the book and page number for various charts in case you need to get more info. On the downside, as other reviews mentioned it is surprisingly short for a screen, and pretty high-priced considering what you get. Yeah, yeah; you get a bonus D20 modern screen. Wow. I'd say that seven bucks would be a more reasonable price; five if it didn't come with a D20 modern screen.

5 out of 5 stars It ain't that bad -- it's actually pretty good.......2006-09-22

Generally my opinion is that a screen is a screen is a screen. However, this screen is actually better than most. I like the landscape, 4-panel format because it means I can see and be seen over the screen, while it still hides my map, my notepad and my dice rolls. It also has a better center of gravity since it is lower and wider, which means it almost never falls over, even when struck by a handful of dice or my marauding 18-month old. That is not a claim that most portrait-oriented screens can make.

Is the screen a black-out room and cone of silence rolled into one? Of course not. If you need the full height of the older-styled 11" screens, this one won't work for you. But really, if you are playing with people who can't keep their eyes off the occasional flash of paper behind the DM's screen, don't blame the screen; get new friends.

For my part, the most important part is that WoTC (a company I don't think much of normally) actually gave some thought to what was on the screen. The inside is well thought out, with useful charts and tables easy to hand. Easily the best part is the full listing of all actions, and whether they are free, standard, or movement equivalent, and whether they provoke an Attack of Opportunity or not. The table with hardness ratings for standard items is also useful for those spur-of-the-moment actions when the PCs want to break down a random door, chop that chest open, or split a table in two.

Normally I wouldn't bother to review a screen, but this one has such an unfairly low rating that I almost feel sorry for it. It's a good product; I use it in every session, it keeps the players' eyes off the important stuff, and it's durable enough that even after 2 years of use it's in quite good shape. If for some reason you don't have a screen already, you could do a lot worse than this one.

Master of Dragons (Dragonvarld Trilogy, Book 3)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent conclusion to a great series
  • Margaret Weis Does it again
  • The ending really makes up for the middle
  • ENTERTAINING
  • A powerful fantasy
Master of Dragons (Dragonvarld Trilogy, Book 3)
Margaret Weis
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0765304708
Release Date: 2005-10-20

Book Description

They were both the offspring of Dragon magic, one raised in court, the other in hiding....but the link that exists between them will not be broken by mere distance, and the duality of their origin will unlock new hope for a return to peace and safety. Now two renegade dragons have hatched a plan to enslave all mankindan act in direct contravention to all the precepts of the Dragon parliament. With an army of crazed demi-human/ dragons, they threaten the world order. It is up to the two brothers (separate and together) and Draconas, the special emissary of the Parliament, to restore the status quo between Dragonkind and mankind, even if by doing so, Dragonkind seals its own eventual doom.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Excellent conclusion to a great series.......2006-03-23

I really enjoyed the entire series and this book was no exception.

The book had a little bit of something for everyone. Lots of action, with well thought-out battles and suspensefukl turns of events.

There was suspense, politics and intrique. Lots of good stuff :)

But what really made this series interesting were the characters. The main characters were well-thought-out and developed as the story progressed. Plus they weren't the usual invincible heroes that are found in many of today's fantasy books. Instead, they faced real struggles and often needed outside help to overcome the odds. The characters often doubted themselves and what they should do. This made the story more interesting to me. Plus, the emotions of the characters felt real to me.

Add to this some really interesting villians and an interesting story-line and you get a really good novel. A fun and interesting read.

My only real complaint is that in a few places the action seemed a little rushed. But overall this did not detract from the quality of the narrative.

One word of warning - This is the final book of a trilogy and you will be lost if you don't read the first 2 books, but both of those were very good books as well.

5 out of 5 stars Margaret Weis Does it again.......2006-03-12

This series has quickly become one of my favorites. Her writting is intense and makes for great story-telling. Highly recomended.

4 out of 5 stars The ending really makes up for the middle.......2006-03-09

Master of Dragons is the final book in the Dragonvarld trilogy by Margaret Weis, and like so many other trilogies that are up and down from the beginning to the end, Weis completes the series in a positive manner after a true stinker of a second book. I really disliked Dragon's Son, but the third book definitely made up for it. It still suffered from some of the same problems, but ultimately it overcomes those deficiencies to make a somewhat thrilling conclusion.

The twin sons of Melisande, kept apart for so many years, have come together in DragonKeep, the hidden stronghold where sinister dragon-human breeding experiments are being done in order to establish dragon dominance over the human populace. It seems some of the dragons are threatened by some of the weaponry that humans are developing, weapons that could actually kill a dragon. Thus, the non-interference law of the dragons is being subverted by three dragons: Grald, Maristara, and Anora. An army is being raised, magic-wielding and unstoppable. Young Ven, the son of the dragon, is introduced to his many brethren, all fathered by Grald on various human females, and he is as repulsed as most normal humans are at him. Meanwhile, Marcus (Melisande's son by King Edward) and Evelina escape back to his home, to warn of the imminent danger. But will they be too late? And will even Draconas' help, he who is the dragon walker, be enough to stem the tide? The Parliament of Dragons is divided, and the cost of that might be the wiping out of humanity.

Weis really redeems herself with Master of Dragons. Yes, Evelina's still annoying (and more on her later), but Marcus is a much stronger character here than he was in the second book. We don't see a lot of Ven, so he wasn't as irritating either. In fact, the characterization all around was pretty good, with Draconas (as always) being the best and most fascinating. It truly helps this book that he is featured a lot more than he was before. He has walked among humans for many years, and he has a grudging affection for them, even as they get on his nerves. He spends some time hiding in DragonKeep as a little girl as he is being hunted by Grald and his minions. He ends up being sheltered by a nice couple whose daughter has been given to the dragon (though, as far as they know, she is thoroughly happy there, not knowing the evil truth). He feels a lot of sympathy for them, especially after he discovers the truth of what happened to their daughter.

There is one characterization issue that continued to bother me, but it wasn't the mishandling of the character that was the problem. There are characters that you love to hate, and those that you just wish you could reach through the page and rip them out of it so you never have to interact with them again while you are reading. Evelina is one of those characters. She's a scheming harpy, only looks out for herself, and unwittingly saves the day at the end, but her conniving just became abrasive to read about. It didn't help that Weis figuratively puts her in the reader's face, with many asides talking about her schemes (either through narration or Evelina's thoughts). I'm glad that she avoids a last minute redemption for her, however, as that would have truly grated and made the rest of the story virtually worthless.

The plot was a lot more interesting this time around, too. We finally see the culmination of the dragons' plans, and we see a lot of interesting interaction among the various dragons of the Parliament. Since I cared about the characters more this time, the action was actually quite tense. I was actually affected when Grald was threatening to fulfill his threats to take over Ven and use his body to lead the Dragon warriors to victory. I hated Evelina, I didn't want to see Marcus get hurt by her. Ok, I wouldn't have minded if a dragon swooped down and bit Evelina in two, but they can't all be winners. Overall, though, the plotting and the characters were quite well done. I didn't even mind the "how convenient" way that Evelina unwittingly saved everything, though I did roll my eyes a bit.

Weis' prose gives the action scenes a quite vivid feel, and I was almost able to see the dragons swooping around fighting each other. The final battle between Draconas and the last remaining dragon conspirator was breathtaking. Even more effective was the rescue of Marcus from the dragon army. While the characters involved (with the exception of Marcus) weren't anybody we had been introduced too, Weis gives them just enough depth that the inevitable result feels like it matters.

If it weren't for Evelina and Weis inability to make me even like to read about her (since we're obviously not supposed to like her), this book would easily be a 5-star conclusion to a great trilogy. Her ability to bring together all the myriad pieces that she's introduced in the first two books is very good. That, combined with the characterization that I did like, and plotting which made sense, makes this an enjoyable read. I can't wait to see what Weis has up her sleeve next.

David Roy

4 out of 5 stars ENTERTAINING.......2006-02-20

I FOUND THE ENTIRE TRILOGY VERY ENTERTAINING
AND ENJOYED THE FINALE- "MASTER OF DRAGONS".
I FOUND MYSELF THOROUGHLY WRAPPED UP IN THE
CHARACTERS & OF COURSE- WITH THE WRAP UP & HAPPY
ENDING.

5 out of 5 stars A powerful fantasy.......2006-01-10

Margaret Weis' Master Of Dragons receives Suzanne Toren's vivid reading as it concludes Weiss' Dragonvarld trilogy, a story of politics, war and struggle. Familiarity with the prior books is recommended for a smooth continuation of a powerful story of violence, betrayal, and a divided kingdom which incites war and outlaw dragons. A powerful fantasy.
Dungeon Master's Guide: Special Edition (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • D&D
  • Warning: Not truly "leather bound"!
  • new and improved
  • Master Class
  • fantastic
Dungeon Master's Guide: Special Edition (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Monte Cook
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

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ASIN: 0786939427
Release Date: 2005-10-20

Book Description

A deluxe, leather-bound version of the essential tool every D&D Dungeon Master needs.

The follow-up to the special edition Player’s Handbook™ released in 2004 for the 30th anniversary of D&D, this special release of the Dungeon Master’s Guide™ features an embossed, leather-bound cover and premium, gilt-edged paper.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars D&D.......2007-05-26

loved the book. the leather binding gives it a beautiful touch on one of the Dungeons and dragon most bought book i loved it.

3 out of 5 stars Warning: Not truly "leather bound"! .......2007-04-10

From WotC's description, the Special Editions are "premium black bonded leather". "Bonded leather" is a manmade compound; it is essentially leather fibers plus latex. This is far from the quality of a true leather-bound book (which would use real leather). As one bookbinder puts it: "recommended for use only if the book will be used infrequently."

5 out of 5 stars new and improved.......2007-01-12

I think this is one of the areas where WOTC actually improved the D20 exepience. The DM's guide is well organized and contains lots of quality info and tools. I think this manual better lends itself to the person trying to create their own story line than the past offerings did. The only bad part was that the silver paint on the edges of the pages was literally painted on, so when I first opened the book I had to carefully seperate each page from the others.

5 out of 5 stars Master Class.......2007-01-10

If you truly appreciate the quality of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay then look no further than this edition of the DMG. I have a leather bound copy of the Player's Handbook as well and will soon purchase the Monster Manual leather bound.

Beautiful tomes and highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars fantastic.......2006-07-13

I am most pleased with this book. The faux leather cover is just so cool, and it's so nice to have all but the most recent errata corrected in the book already. I didn't mind having to separate each page when I first got it -- as someone else said, it just proves you really are the first person to open the book.

D&D 3.5 is all about choices. Fans of older versions might not like it for various reasons, but that's ok. 3.5 has been designed with the next generation in mind -- it's simple, straight-forward, and endlessly customizable (thus giving it much broader appeal than previous versions). If you prefer the more restrictive and sometimes confusing rules of the older versions, don't play this game. You can still find older edition stuff secondhand.

My only real complaint is with the quality of WOTC's illustrations. They just aren't as good as the ones from 2nd edition. Those were truly reflective of 'epic fantasy', especially the full-page pics ... but the 3.5 pics are all fairly cartoonish, and some are downright silly. My guess is that WOTC couldn't afford to employ TSR's artists.
(As a side note, the Amazon.com image of the cover really doesn't do it justice. This book is actually black with silver -- the image here makes it look rather bland and grey.)

If you're like me and don't want to have to pencil in all the changes to the rules, get this copy. It's cheap enough here at Amazon. Otherwise, go for the regular version of the DMG. Maybe WOTC will release the SE printing in a regular cover soon like they did with the player's handbook.
Dungeon Master For Dummies (for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game)
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • not received so why review?
  • Just not enough...VERY VERY Basic!
  • A Terrific Companion For Novice Dungeon Masters
Dungeon Master For Dummies (for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game)
Bill Slavicsek , and Rich Baker
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471783307

Book Description

Whether you’ve been a Dungeon Master (DM) before and want to fine-tune your skills or want to get ready and take the plunge, this is the book for you. It gives you the basics on running a great game, info for more advanced dungeon mastering, guidelines for creating adventures, and tips for building a campaign. It shows you how to:

To get you off to a fast start, Dungeon Master For Dummies includes:

Authors Bill Slavicsek and Richard Baker wrote the hugely popular Dungeons and Dragons For Dummies. Bill has been a game designer since 1986 and leads the D&D creative team at Wizards of the Coast. Richard is a game developer and the author of the fantasy bestseller Condemnation. They give you the scoop on:

The book includes a sample adventure, The Necromancer’s Apprentice, that’s the perfect way to foray into DMing. It includes everything you need for a great adventure—except your players. What are you waiting for? There are chambers to be explored, dragons to be slain, maidens to be rescued, gangs of gnoll warriors to be annihilated, worgs to be wiped out, treasures to be discovered, worlds to be conquered….

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars not received so why review?.......2007-04-06

haven't received it, listed as not shipped, so why the query for a review? If you fix this glitch in your system, you don't need to post this. Doug Hayes

2 out of 5 stars Just not enough...VERY VERY Basic!.......2006-07-11

I bought this book, hoping it would go farther than getting into the "front door" of DMing. I kept reading, telling myself, no it is going to go into depth, it is going to hit on some substance, but it never did.

It spends too much of its time, focusing on the "dummy" concept. It repeats itself over and over again, stating "you are the DM, you are the one that runs the game". Yes I know that, now get on with the book, I kept saying!

If you are a totally new DM, then this book will be helpful. If you have run a game, a couple of times, then you have probably already figured out all of the concepts mentioned here.

4 out of 5 stars A Terrific Companion For Novice Dungeon Masters.......2006-05-17

Part of the fun of playing Dungeons and Dragons is being the story teller aka referee aka Dungeon Master. The idea is that other PC (Player Characters) are exploring your world and learning to overcome challenges that you create for them. The book is a good place to begin if you've never DM'd before since the authors are all skilled DM's and write from their own experiences.

You're given game etiquette and how to host a game session advice as well as PC styles of play whether it's the Rules Lawyer who invokes the rules at every opportunity or the Power Gamer who builds his character for ultimate power, you're given ideas on how to deal with these types of mind sets which has proved helpful to me.

I've DM'd in both 1st & 2nd edition of D&D and really felt lost in the new 3.0/3.5 editions. I have a lot of the rule books and supplements for 3.0 and I was kind of disappointed this was not covered in this book. I mean what does one do if they have a substantial investment in 3.0 edition books and all of a sudden, they're outdated?!?!?!?! I feel the authors could have discusses this a bit and given some ideas and ways around that setback.

For a Novice DM, the sample town given in the book is a great place to use as a backdrop for your first games. The book does a nice job of dichotomizing a campaign based series of adventures versus the single module type of ones and even mentioned that you can interconnect these modules to create an ongoing campaign. (FYI: A campaign is where the PC's use the same characters from start to finish whereas a module based style of play means the PC's can roll up new characters to play)

The Tens lists are helpful and many of the modules I'd never heard of before. (Used my own world primarily for 1st edition and Forgotten Realms for 2nd edition) Some of the modules I'm going to go out and get. In fact, Wizards of the Coast have graciously allowed many old 1st & 2nd edition modules & supplements to be downloaded free at their website.

Overall I think the book rates 4.5 stars but I was quite disappointed at no mention for how to reconcile 3.0 & 3.5 core rulebooks & supplements!
Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Dungeon Master's Guide
  • DM'ing Made Simple
  • The How and Why of D&D3e
  • So much less than it seems...
  • Simply Great
Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Monte Cook
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 078691551X
Release Date: 2000-09-01

Amazon.com

The 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide focuses on how to create and run a fun Dungeons & Dragons game. Like previous editions, the 3rd Edition DMG further explains the rules introduced in the Player's Handbook. But this book goes beyond rules and offers valuable tips on pacing, story creation, conflict, villains, motivation, and player rewards.

Novice DMs will benefit from the sections on creating individual adventures and describing action, while even experienced DMs will appreciate the notes on extended campaigns, detailed world creation, and high-level play. We loved the "Behind the Curtain" blurbs, which explain the reasoning behind the changes made in 3rd Edition. Well-considered optional rules are offered to daring DMs, including rules for monsters as PC races (troll paladin, anyone?), high technology, and guidelines for creating custom races and classes.

The nuts and (lightning) bolts of DMing are also covered in great detail. The book teaches DMs how to gauge Challenge Ratings for players and monsters in order to create balanced encounters. These encounters are easier to run thanks to 3rd Edition's standardized monster abilities, each of which are covered in depth. Rewarding players for successful encounters is also easier, now that the cumbersome treasure tables of 2nd Edition have been replaced. Particular attention is paid to magic items: how to award them, how players create them, how to adjudicate them, and how to take them away. The new magic item enhancement rules (similar to the magic items in the computer game Diablo) are also detailed.

One dramatic departure from D&D as we knew it could have used a bit more attention. The DMG introduces the concept of prestige classes, and includes rules for six sample prestige classes: arcane archer, assassin, blackguard, dwarven defender, loremaster, and shadowdancer. Characters can't take these classes at first level but must instead work toward them by choosing specific classes, skills, and feats. For example, before taking a level in arcane archer a character needs to be an elf or half-elf and have a high attack bonus, specific archery feats, and the ability to cast at least one arcane spell. Unsure how these classes will affect your game? Want tips on how to properly create and balance these classes? Sorry, the DMG does not provide adequate answers.

But aside from this complaint the DMG stands out as an honestly useful guide book to the incredible new Dungeons & Dragons game. The rules and tips are well organized and easy to find, thanks to a detailed table of contents and full index. Artwork, examples, and diagrams are liberally placed throughout the book. All this attention to detail makes the DMG an easy and effective read. We wouldn't want to DM without it. --Mike Fehlauer

Book Description

The Third Edition Dungeon Master's Guide is an essential rulebook for the D&D game and is a must-have for every Dungeon Master. A Dungeon Master runs the Dungeons & Dragons(r) game-part storyteller, part actor, part referee. The Dungeon Master's Guide features 224 pages of beautifully rendered, intuitively presented rules and material designed to get a Third Edition D&D campaign up and running.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Dungeon Master's Guide.......2007-05-09

You sit down at the table, and the players are amicably chatting about Everquest or the upcoming D&D movie. You listen to the conversation as you begin to organize your notes. As the conversation draws on, you know that it's time to reel it in and begin, but somehow, you can't seem to work up the courage.

What do you do if a character falls into a water trap? What are the chances of having an encounter? Did you put enough combat into the adventure? Too much? Will it be a challenge?

This is your first time at the head of the table. You've been talking up a good storm, but now it's time to put you money where your mouth is.

Are you prepared?

There are two things that are important in a gamemaster's book. The first are all the rules necessary to run a game, those that players don't need to know. The second are all the little bits of advice necessary to make a person into a fine gamemaster.

Let's tackle those subjects one at a time.

First of all there are all the DM only rules. This is an area the all versions of the DM's Guide have been strong in. In fact, certain additions (2nd, for instance) seemed to concentrate solely on these issues.

There is a wealth of information in this book. They handle many of the old standby's. There are sections on NPC's and encounters. There are rules for assigning experience and treasure. There are methods of generating magic items. None of this is, in and of itself, a surprise.

We have some new additions. There is a system for generating towns. This allows you to calculate the highest level person of any given class in a town. It also tells how rich the town is, showing the most expensive object than can be purchased and total funds that can be taken out of a town (for the purposes of selling items). This was a welcome addition.

Another new feature are Prestige classes. These are classes that allow a character to explore career opportunities not usually available to a starting character. The arcane archer is a fascinating example of a prestige class, perfect for the elf who wishes to combine magic and archery.

Also, we have the new concept of NPC classes. In truth, NPC classes have been around for a long time, but they were never official and almost always set apart by how powerful they were. The NPC classes in the new addition deal with all the things PC's usually find too dull to explore. Why doesn't a commoner raise levels? Now they do, within the commoner class. Are all those town guards fighters? No, they are probably the less powerful warrior. NPC classes add a fine new element to the game.

Ever since Tomb of Horrors debuted at Origins, traps have been an important part of the D&D game. The new DM's Guide actually acknowledges this fact, listing several typical traps, along with all their stats. This allows a DM to easily extrapolate on traps of his own. Also, traps have challenge ratings now, which means they are worth experience.

Another big surprise comes in magic items. They are now organized (at least on the charts) by power level. This makes it very rare to roll a Staff of Power for the treasure a kobold is carrying. It also allows a GM to track more accurately the amount of treasure that his party is receiving.

All in all, a very strong showing.

But what about the second part? Does this book teach you to be a better DM?

Yes. Whereas 2nd addition had little dedicated to making a person a better gamemaster, the new edition seems to treat the subject very seriously.

There is an entire chapter dedicated to world building. Through it, a DM can gain advice on designing his own world. Various forms of governments are discussed, and the chapter is at times thought provoking. Not all that it should be, however. I wanted more on subjects like communication and healing, which can radically effect a game where magic is the norm.

The chapter on designing good adventures fares much better. Perhaps it should have been called, "Adventures for Dummies." This section discusses how to craft an adventure to suit the tastes of your group. It even goes so far as to give a statistical breakdown for the encounter levels of every fight.

Ever since I read Rolemaster's Gamemaster's Law, books have been fighting an uphill battle when it comes to teaching a person to be a good GM. This book falls far short of that mark. Still, it is a good beginner's guide to running a game.

Where did this book fall short? Well the art, right off. The art is not nearly up to the quality of Player's Handbook or Monster Manual. It is obvious they saved their best artists for those.

They also failed to complete some very good thoughts. For instance, they have sample character stats for all the PC classes, but not for the NPC classes. They could have done more with traps, I think. I'd also have liked to see more on environment (cold, heat, drowning etc.).

Still, a thumbs up. This is a strong addition to the D&D line.

3 out of 5 stars DM'ing Made Simple.......2003-06-09

Let's face it. All my fellow DM's know Dungeon Mastering is hard. You need to be in tune with the entire game enviornment, and every NPC and every monster and...I could go on, but I'm not going to bore you. Anyway, I think 3rd Edition rules are pretty darn good, but this Dungeon Masters Guide is useless for experienced DM's.

There are many useful tables throughout the book based on almost everything imaginable. They are quite useful for in-game reference. The classes included are quite interesting. My personal favorite is the "Paladin Gone Bad." It's real name is the Fallen Blackguard, and he is very bad-arse. They have other interesting ones, like the Arcane Archer, and Loremaster. There are tips in the first chapter of the book for beginners, that could come in handy.

The problem is this book is geared for neophyte DMs. Experienced ones can rip out Chapters 1,4, and 5, because they just give you pointers on what adventures and campaigns are and how to control them. Trust me, If you've DMed for a fair amount of time, don't even bother buying this, and stick with your 2E Dungeon Master's Guide for reference. iF you are new to DMing, this is the perfect review for you.

5 out of 5 stars The How and Why of D&D3e.......2003-01-08

The 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide is exactly what it should be - a description of the how and why of 3rd Edition rules.

It is so much more than a collection of tables and charts. Sure, those are there as a short cut, an easy reference. What the book really brings to the table, though, is a system for knowing how to modify the system and add things to the game without throwing the power balance all out of whack. An example of the is the "Most important thing for a DM to know:" a quick and easy rule for modifying a situation. If it's easy, give a +2 bonus. Difficult? -2. REALLY difficult? -4. After the session is over, look up the actual 'rule' on the situation, and most times you'll find that you were right.

Most importantly, though, is that the book does this without cramming a default campaign setting down your throat. Many DMs out there, myself included, want to play in our own worlds that we've created, and the DMG lets you do exactly that.

This book is better laid-out than the Player's Handbook, which is why I gave it 5 stars. If half stars were available, I would have given it 4.5, since the book isn't perfect. Sure, there are some problems, but they're so much more minor than 2ed, with so many more possibilities for expanding the system that they're easily overlooked.

3rd Edition is what brougth my circle of gamers back to the table. It's so much easier to play that I can't imagine how we ever dealt with other systems. Much more time to roleplay, and less time taken looking up rules!

2 out of 5 stars So much less than it seems..........2002-11-27

The Third Edition DMG is not the book it should have been. It is a disjointed collection of rules that really don't fit together very well.

The most important flaw is the experience and rewards systems. It's designed to rocket the characters to 20th level without ever placing them in any real danger. Please, since when is one lone 4th level NPC a challenge for four 4th level characters? Any why are 1st and 3rd level characters treated the same on the experience chart? A 3rd level party is going to have more than triple the resources that a 1st level party has available. Combined with a reward chart that puts a truckloads of magical items into the characters hands, this book puts Third Edition D&D solidly into the munchkin world (For the RPG terminology impaired, that's like a Monty Haul campaign but without any danger of loosing).

Other irregularities include the fact that there are rules on drowning and being crushed to death by water pressure (deep under the sea), but no rules for actually moving in water or fighting under water.

There are rules for generating towns and cities. Those rules do not function in a reasonable manner, unless the DM manually saturates the cities with specifically placed characters. Even something as simple as using the tables to determine what the levels of the high priests of the religions present in a city breaks down unless there are less than four seperate religions present in the city.

The section on magic items is poorly laid our and difficult to use for anything other than random magic item rolls. Some of the magic items are undervalued, overly powerful, or both.

A lot of space is devoted to incomplete tutorials on how to be a game master. Ironically, that's not matieral that should actually be in the Dungeon Master's Guide. This is supposed to be a reference book for running a campaign, not "The Dummies Guide to Dungeon Masterery".

The rules for gunpowder weapons and lasers are useless filler that takes up space that could have been devoted to environments that average game master would actually like to see his characters in, like say astral combat rules and underwater combat rules. Who cares how much damage a laser might do if it were in the hands of a barbarian. Anyone who actually wants to use laser weapons is just going to use a d20 modern or futuristic sourcebook anyways.

The D&D economy is so disfunctional that no wizard or sorceror who can create any magic items (including scrolls) should ever be allowed to die. It's always worth a cleric's while to bring the chump back from the dead and make him work off the investment. Also it becomes blatantly clear that NPCs are supposed to give special respect to the PCs simply because they are PCs, otherwise how can you explain the fact that a character can earn a wage of 15 gps a week as a stablehand but only needs to pay his stablehands 1 gp per week.

The section on special abilities is redundant because most of it is repeated in the Monster Manual and the encounter tables are useless without the Monster Manual. Since they were also rendered useless by the first expansion printed for the Monster Manual, it is very obvious that they should have been printed in the Monster Manual itself.

Half of an entire chapter is dedicated to charts of stats for average characters of each of the classes at each level. This space is completely wasted.

Overall, the DMG is first book produced for Third Edition that was simply bad. No attempt was made to turn a collection of notes and rules into a good refence book for Third Edition D&D. Instead it seems to have been thrown together with a nice binding and cover and some artwork and rushed out the door. Not all of the material is bad, but all you have to do is try to use the book to realize how useless it really is.

I would only recommend this book to someone who is being forced to run Third Edition D&D.

5 out of 5 stars Simply Great.......2002-09-25

The PHB was awesome, and the DMG is doulbly so. Prestige classes are a great tool. What's more are the very useful NPC classes. Finally there are rules for making magic items. I don't know why 2nd edition rules assumed that only NPCs can make these things. Now I have something for my players to strive for!
Masters of the Wild: A Guidebook to Barbarians, Druids, and Rangers (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying Accessory)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Masters of the Wild
  • weak for barbarians, pretty ok for druids and rangers
  • Barbarians, druids, and rangers.
  • For DMs not players
  • Highly useful
Masters of the Wild: A Guidebook to Barbarians, Druids, and Rangers (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying Accessory)
Mike Selinker , and David Eckelberry
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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  1. Tome and Blood: A Guidebook to Wizards and Sorcerers (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying) Tome and Blood: A Guidebook to Wizards and Sorcerers (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)
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  4. Song and Silence: A Guidebook to Bards and Rogues (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying) Song and Silence: A Guidebook to Bards and Rogues (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)
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ASIN: 0786926538
Release Date: 2002-02-01

Book Description

These Forces of Nature Can Weather Any Storm

Barbarians, druids, and rangers are the rugged and noble champions of untamed lands. This book teems with new ways to customize even the most seasoned characters, including:

New feats, weapons, spells, and magic items.

Improved, more detailed rules for the wild shape ability.

New prestige classes such as the frenzied berserker, the windrider, and the oozemaster.
A new type of magic item -- the infusion.

Dungeon Masters and players who want to add a new dimension to their barbarians, druids, and rangers will uncover a cache of indispensable material within these pages.

To use this accessory, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. A player needs only the Player's Handbook.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Masters of the Wild.......2005-09-21

Offers excellent updates for the greatest classes in the D&D Game! My favourites are the new Druid spells! Excellent resource for expanding my campaign! Just don't forget to put the book down and sleep once in a while!

3 out of 5 stars weak for barbarians, pretty ok for druids and rangers.......2004-12-03

This booklet was disappointing. There was very little new information or cool prestige classes for barbarians. If druids or rangers are your thing, they have slightly more interesting content here, so take a look.

4 out of 5 stars Barbarians, druids, and rangers........2003-04-02

3 classes noticably underplayed in the d&d world are represented here.

The barbarian comes out the poorest in this book, because much of it focuses on the druid. But all in all, it's a good book for me, because I play druids and bards best.

The new classes are interesting variations on the way the game works. Queen of the woods, beastmaster . . . it's most interesting to say the least.

If you play druids and rangers, buy the book. You might want to buy the book if you're playing a barbarian and are stumped for ideas.

2 out of 5 stars For DMs not players.......2003-01-10

The bread and butter of any guidebook is to (a) flesh out classes in rich detail (b)have new/cool feats (c)have really new/cool prestige classes. Unfortunately, this book fails on two fronts. Any player, except for the very new, would consider the information plebian. My biggest disappointment is in the prestige classes, which are geared for NPC's or, at best, solo adventures. For example, Deep Woods Sniper, Geomancer, Bloodhound, Foe Hunter, Verdant Lord, Forsaker, Windrider, Watch Detective, are all too specialized, requiring a severe limitation of campaigns. And don't get me started on the Oozemaster (what were they thinking?). I did like a couple of the prestige classes (Tempest, Animal Lord). Finally, the feats are solid, but favoring barbarian classes, which is good because barbarians were ignored for prestige classes.

5 out of 5 stars Highly useful.......2002-11-06

This book is very useful, especially for rangers and druids. Barbarians won't gain as much from it, but overall it's worth the money.
Castle Guide (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Dungeon Master's Guide Rules Supplement/2114/DMGR2) (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good book, available free online
  • Great Book! Only one problem...
Castle Guide (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Dungeon Master's Guide Rules Supplement/2114/DMGR2) (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons)
Grant Boucher , Troy Christensen , Arthur Collins , and Nigel Findley
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0880388374

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good book, available free online.......1998-02-24

I realy enjoyed this book, good resource for most players. The book is available online free from TSR's homepage. Good luck in finding it.

5 out of 5 stars Great Book! Only one problem..........1997-05-19

THE book for all who wish to build castles in the ADND world. With complete instructions for building your castle from the conception stage to the random encounters whilst building it. Numerous examples are evident, and there are even sections on the history of castles, chilvary, and even special racial castles are included. There is only one problem ... and this is that the entire book is available in electronic form (scanned & OCR'ed), from the TSR Inc. homepage at:www.TSRInc.com/Games/ADND/Core/Scanned/DMGR2/CASTLE.ZIP

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