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This review is for the POD softcover edition of the book: print quality is excellent!
TPO is one of the few 3rd party books for 2e AD&D which TSR did not attack. Written by Peter Adkison, when he was the President of WotC, with help from others, copyright 1992, 1995 (WotC bought TSR in 1997). It codifies how to build out a pantheon of deities, for RPG's (others are named on the back cover, beyond 2e AD&D). It discusses how deities gain power from their base of worshippers. It is really helpful in giving the DM ideas on how to manage their pantheon of deities in a meaningful way, for their Priest players.
The Specialty Priest (SP), which debuted in the 2e PHB, was barely mentioned. It would not be further fleshed out until later rulebooks were published. Even with the later rulebook expansions on the concepts of the SP, it felt, to me, as though TSR was afraid to really explore the SP concept because it might have made all other character classes seem unworthy of being played. Too bad, really.
In a fantasy game, the gods are real, and most DM's I've played with, just do not understand what a fantastic role playing, storytelling tool the deities can be within their games! There is so much potential for driving stories with PC interaction, and PC's driving the storyline once the DM gives them a nudge to do so. This book can open those venues and ideas for both the DM, and their players.
If you want assistance in building out your fantasy pantheon of deities, in learning how you can employ your fantasy gods into the storylines of your games, this is the book for you. Otherwise, don't bother with it. Cheers!
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Hard Cover edition + PDF Edition.
Monsters should have tricks and traps pre-set, in their lairs, to defeat invaders -- this is their home: if you [i]dare[/i] to invade it, they will [i]dare[/i] to dance over your corpse!
I recently designed a dungeon which is home to three monsters that angered the gods sufficiently that they were twisted, bodily, into snake-humanoid nightmares, who are immortal -- until they are killed, which the gods said would happen, one day...
Their lair is in a tropical island jungle, surrounded by poisonous snakes, spiders, and insects! Just reaching the walls of their former, now cursed, temple, is defying death, by itself.
Once they reached the temple, they found its floor strewn with tied bundles of bamboo sticks! "Looks like a Stick-to-Snakes trap for us."
Yeah, Baby! The PC's swept these away after the 2nd bundle erupted into poisonous snakes: their AC's are so low, that a Nat-20 is the only way they can be bitten... When you roll 40+ d20's, you will see several Nat-20's pop up! Most of the PC's had Proof Against Poison amulets; others had both Slow Poison, and Neutralize Poison potions, and spells, and they used many of these to keep each other alive!
So, with some serious forethought, I managed to come up with my own Lair Actions, before I ever read page one of the book. I was pleasantly surprised when I read the book and I discovered that I had the right idea -- the same concepts the book expounds upon.
ART:
I love the artwork!!! There is unique artwork on almost every single page -- it corresponds directly with the monsters being discussed! There are some repeats of altered versions of some of the art, but only around six instances of this.
The art first appeared to be watercolor... That blew me away. Then, upon further study, I realized it is very likely [i]not[/i] watercolor. It is, however, similar, and it is impressive in quality, for whatever medium they used.
MONSTERS FROM A TO Z:
They feature many, many monsters, giving ideas for truly diverse monsters, across a wide spectrum. While they skipped over many of the monsters I would have liked to see coverage for, there are a very great many ideas presented, all of which can be adapted to other monsters; they also will inspire you to come up with your own concepts. The examples shown, are truly inspiring: I came up with many ideas similar, and divergent from, the shown examples.
OVERALL:
I would give this book a perfect! It has 237 pages of useful material, then credits, and a two-page Table of Contents. It is a lot of bang, for your Bucks!
While you can certainly come up with Lair Actions, on your own, it is much easier to form your own devilish concepts, from seeds you glean from others! Bypass the blank page syndrome, which plagues nearly every author/DM, at the most inopportune times.
Although this is written for 5e rules, it can easily be adapted to any FRPG. Ideas are not Edition specific. I play 2e, only, and I found this book teeming with ideas for my chosen rule set.
Having read my copy from cover to cover, would I purchase it again? YES! The POD books that go beyond 200 pages, often have issues with their spine glue, holding the pages together: they may crack, over time, with usage. I carefully thumbed through it, cover to cover. I have not seen any issues with the spine glue yet -- I hope I never do. This book is physically beautiful, and the contents, by themselves, make it worth the cost of entry.
I strongly recommend purchasing the PDF copy, at the same time. This will allow you to print off needed pages, for use at the tabletop, keeping your hardback on the shelf, resting comfortably, enjoying the ages to come. Cheers!
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This author gives some solid advice, with practical techniques for hand drawing maps. One tip, is to draw large, then reduce on a photocopier/scanner: this shrinks your errors, improving the look considerably! He shows you how to draw map elements, as well, showing/demonstating what you can do to create decent looking maps, without software.
It will take you hours to draw out your maps -- it is not automated software, it is all hand drawing. If you follow his advice, you can produce great maps. It is still plenty of work. Cheers!
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This module does not contain a synopsis of the adventure, what the plot is, what the storyline is, nor who the main NPC's are. You have to read the 96(?) pages to learn who/what/where/when.
I searched YouTube for a review, to learn what the story was all about. The reviewer stated that there are problems with it, as it was started by Gygax, and finished by others, after Gygax was ousted from TSR.
To be honest, I will never run it. I have no interest in reading it, much less running it, after hearing the synopsis from a DM who slogged his way through it all. Sorry. It may be a "classic", but not in my book. Cheers!
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I ordered the POD softcover book. My original, orange-colored hardback, is wearing a bit, after purchasing it back in 1989. My players mostly have the reprint version, so when referencing page numbers, we have issues as they are not the same between the original printing, and the reprint. This POD softcover solves that problem. The page numbers in this POD, are identical to the hardback versions printed in the mid-1990's -- I verified they were the same, to be sure.
POD: excellent quality, no complaints on format, binding, printing, etc. I would recommend you practice what you learned in grade school, in breaking in a new book: hold it on its spine; open 20-40 pages in the front, and press your hand against the pages, in the fold, to gently press them open, then repeat for the first 20-40 pages in the back; repeat with another 20-40 pages, front and back, until you reach the center of the book. This will help the binding, and the pages, open for you, without damage.
The POD version was a long time coming, but it is worth the price. The quality is excellent, and it is wonderful to have these books back in print!
Would buy a premium Hard Cover version, of all three core books, if offered, WotC!... Cheers!
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For 2.75D Dungeon Terrain, this is great stuff. It is a matter of print, build, repeat. I prefer to print on full sheet label paper, cut, peel, and mount onto 2mm thick, cardboard backing board, from a local framing shop. Cut those to size, using either a gray, or a black, marker to 'paint' the edges with. A quick application of translucent (non-shiny) Scotch Tape wrapping around the length of the edges helps prevent peeling, over time.
I use a table saw to cut a 1/4" deep, 1" grid into 1" thick foam floor mats, from my local Harbor Freight store. I use 3-4 colors of craft paints (white, tan, medium brown, dark yellow), applying them with a natural sponge, and wet blending them, on the mats, to create a mottled dungeon floor surface. I slot the finished cards into the rubber mats (after they completely dry, of course), to build out my dungeon of rooms, chambers, and hallways. Here is a link to an image.
I plan to use this approach to build out the dungeons of G3: Halls of the Fire Giant King, for a full immersion gaming experience, complete with all the miniatures needed. This set makes that possible! Cheers!
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I bought this as a high quality hard cover, hoping it would be a worthy replacement for my aging, 1989 2e AD&D PHB/DMG/MM. Unfortunately, the author barely mentioned Specialty Priests... For me, the Specialty Priest was one of the greatest innovations in the entirety of 2e core rules. Reading its short description within the original 2e PHB, in the gaming store aisle, sold me on 2e, when it first came out, in 1989; until I read that entry, I considered it to just be a money grab by T$R. That one thing sold me, completely, on 2e rules.
Imagine my disappointment in opening up For Gold & Glory, discovering the author barely mentioned it: "Clerics represent a generic member of a clergy. The Druid is an example of a specialized priest with specific tenants and abilities." That is the sum total of what the book says about Specialty Priests.
If the Player/DM wishes to utilize Specialty Priests within the FG&G games, they will either need to design and build it entirely on their own, or they will need to refer to official 2e AD&D books to figure out how to do it. In all fariness, there is a brief outline as to which Spheres of spells both the 'generic cleric' and the Druid have access to, and a mention of how Minor Access limits a Cleric to 1st through 3rd level spells only, within such a Sphere, but this is hardly a descripiont of how to build Specialty Priests! Talk about disappointing! No discussion of Granted Powers, other than what the 'generic cleric' and the Druid get. If I knew nothing about Specialty Priests, this books would leave me ignorant of the whole concept for them, aside from the Druid. This reduces these rules to a mildly revised version of the 1e game, IMO. There really are not many drastic changes between 1e and 2e rules. The Specialty Priest concept, along with the Thieves being able to assign percentage points to the skills they desire to beef up, the Bard as a class to be played from 1st level, without being a Fighter and Thief, first, using a d10 for Iniiative, really are the big differences between 1e and 2e. Those differences make 2e more desirable than 1e, by a wide margin, for me.
As to the qulaity of the book, it is fantastic. I love the artwork, I love the organization, such as listing the Character Class's Saving Throw chart below their XP tables. It is really well done, aside from leaving Speciatly Priests virtually out of the entire book.
For me, the Specialty Priest makes 2e rules stand out from all other Editions of the D&D rules. That feature makes 2e rules the only ones I will play. I was so excited to get my hands on a hard cover, high quality POD copy of these rules... And I was so crushed to see the author ignore the greatest feature of 2e rules.
This book is basic, covering just the original core rulebook topics, lacking more advanced rules for crafting magical items, and such. Again, the 2.5 era AD&D books are still useful, if you need more than what is covered in the original 2e core books.
If, like me, you love the Specialty Priest rules, and concept, hang onto your official 2e AD&D books, or buy a PDF/POD copy of it from WotC. This is still a great core rulebook for 2e fans, covering the original three core books, in a single volume, it just has one crater in the rules (causing a 2-star loss in my rating), which I think potential buyers need to be aware of. Cheers!
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I have not had time to go through it, entirely, but what I've seen/read thus far, is impressive! For players and DM's who use 2e Specialty Priests, with limited Sphere access, as well as unique Granted Powers, these three books are amazing! The spells for water, alone, are incredible. For sea priests, these new spells are awesome! I would higly recommend them, for expanding your game's horizons. I assume there are spells for fire and earth and air elements, as well.
While not all of the spells are balanced, as they may have been written by game enthusiasts who were published in Dragon Magazine, they are worth consideration. I would suggest each DM will need to carefully review, and perhaps modify, many of the new spells. They are laid out according to Spheres, which is a monumental task, by itself. I would further suggest that the listed Spheres may not be enough. There is one water spell, for example, listed in Protection, alone -- it is not listed in the Water sphere...
I printed all three of these volumes, single-sided, excluding the covers, on an HP color laser printer, using gray-scale printing (black toner only), at full quality (more toner), not the econo-mode (less toner, less quality). It used up one-half of the black toner cartridge, at a cost of $79 per full, standard capacity, toner cartridge.
That means that each volume in this 3-volume set, cost me around $40 to print, in toner alone (roughly 270 pages, per book). I printed all three volumes, with the first and second volumes emptying what was left in my almost-new black toner cartridge. After I replaced the toner, it emptied 50% of the new cartridge, printing the third, and final volume of the series of books. Your experiences may vary, but I wanted to give folks an idea of how much it will cost, to print a decent copy of this, at home, using a LaserJet printer.
To put this into perspective, I bid on OOP hard copies, on e-Bay: they consistently sold for $92 per volume! I was bidding $80 per volume, and I was outbid repeatedly. For me, a $40 copy, which I then 3-hole punched, and placed into D-ring binders, was worthwhile.
If Hasbro/WotC ever make POD copies available, I will jump on them! The D-ring binder versions will work, but they're clumsy. I did, however, color code them by printing on different colors of paper, for each volume. This will allow us to know which volume we are in, at a glance. I hope this is helpful to folks. Cheers!
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I have not had time to go through it, entirely, but what I've seen/read thus far, is impressive! For players and DM's who use 2e Specialty Priests, with limited Sphere access, as well as unique Granted Powers, these three books are amazing! The spells for water, alone, are incredible. For sea priests, these new spells are awesome! I would higly recommend them, for expanding your game's horizons. I assume there are spells for fire and earth and air elements, as well.
While not all of the spells are balanced, as they may have been written by game enthusiasts who were published in Dragon Magazine, they are worth consideration. I would suggest each DM will need to carefully review, and perhaps modify, many of the new spells. They are laid out according to Spheres, which is a monumental task, by itself. I would further suggest that the listed Spheres may not be enough. There is one water spell, for example, listed in Protection, alone -- it is not listed in the Water sphere...
I printed all three of these volumes, single-sided, excluding the covers, on an HP color laser printer, using gray-scale printing (black toner only), at full quality (more toner), not the econo-mode (less toner, less quality). It used up one-half of the black toner cartridge, at a cost of $79 per full, standard capacity, toner cartridge.
That means that each volume in this 3-volume set, cost me around $40 to print, in toner alone (roughly 270 pages, per book). I printed all three volumes, with the first and second volumes emptying what was left in my almost-new black toner cartridge. After I replaced the toner, it emptied 50% of the new cartridge, printing the third, and final volume of the series of books. Your experiences may vary, but I wanted to give folks an idea of how much it will cost, to print a decent copy of this, at home, using a LaserJet printer.
To put this into perspective, I bid on OOP hard copies, on e-Bay: they consistently sold for $92 per volume! I was bidding $80 per volume, and I was outbid repeatedly. For me, a $40 copy, which I then 3-hole punched, and placed into D-ring binders, was worthwhile.
If Hasbro/WotC ever make POD copies available, I will jump on them! The D-ring binder versions will work, but they're clumsy. I did, however, color code them by printing on different colors of paper, for each volume. This will allow us to know which volume we are in, at a glance. I hope this is helpful to folks. Cheers!
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I have not had time to go through it, entirely, but what I've seen/read thus far, is impressive! For players and DM's who use 2e Specialty Priests, with limited Sphere access, as well as unique Granted Powers, these three books are amazing! The spells for water, alone, are incredible. For sea priests, these new spells are awesome! I would higly recommend them, for expanding your game's horizons. I assume there are spells for fire and earth and air elements, as well.
While not all of the spells are balanced, as they may have been written by game enthusiasts who were published in Dragon Magazine, they are worth consideration. I would suggest each DM will need to carefully review, and perhaps modify, many of the new spells. They are laid out according to Spheres, which is a monumental task, by itself. I would further suggest that the listed Spheres may not be enough. There is one water spell, for example, listed in Protection, alone -- it is not listed in the Water sphere...
I printed all three of these volumes, single-sided, excluding the covers, on an HP color laser printer, using gray-scale printing (black toner only), at full quality (more toner), not the econo-mode (less toner, less quality). It used up one-half of the black toner cartridge, at a cost of $79 per full, standard capacity, toner cartridge.
That means that each volume in this 3-volume set, cost me around $40 to print, in toner alone (roughly 270 pages, per book). I printed all three volumes, with the first and second volumes emptying what was left in my almost-new black toner cartridge. After I replaced the toner, it emptied 50% of the new cartridge, printing the third, and final volume of the series of books. Your experiences may vary, but I wanted to give folks an idea of how much it will cost, to print a decent copy of this, at home, using a LaserJet printer.
To put this into perspective, I bid on OOP hard copies, on e-Bay: they consistently sold for $92 per volume! I was bidding $80 per volume, and I was outbid repeatedly. For me, a $40 copy, which I then 3-hole punched, and placed into D-ring binders, was worthwhile.
If Hasbro/WotC ever make POD copies available, I will jump on them! The D-ring binder versions will work, but they're clumsy. I did, however, color code them by printing on different colors of paper, for each volume. This will allow us to know which volume we are in, at a glance. I hope this is helpful to folks. Cheers!
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Bought the POD version: excellent print qualtiy, very close to the original, wihich is long OOP. As to the contents, it is typical of the period. It details various classes of NPC's. These classes of NPC characters detail them with levels, Experience Point requirements, as if someone might play them, but it would not be entertaining to do so. The NPC's do gain powers and skills as levels increase. It is not a bad product. If a DM wants to have a detailed method of gauging such NPC specialists for their campaigns, this will fit the bill. Cheers!
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Fantastic paper model... However, I gave up on card stock models, beginning with this model. I buy 3mm-thick cardboard, from a framing shop, at Michael's. I print out the pieces of this castle, on full-sheet label paper, apply it to the cardboard, and cut it out to size. The 3mm-thick cardboard tends to bow, so I use Wood Glue, and I apply a balsa wood rectangular beam, from the craft store, to reinforce the long sections. It works, quite well, creating a durable 'paper' model, with strength, and heft. My cardstock models lasted about two games' worth; my 3mm-thick cardboard models have endured 3+ table games, with miniatures, without issue.
The Gatehouse comes in two versions: simple, and complex, with a working portcullis. I built the complex version. The wall sections have a 1.5-inch wide catwalk. The Towers are all square. The textures are superb, there is great looking shadows. Though the finished models are really nice looking -- with no painting required!
Furthermore, I am using the printouts from this set to cover round, oatmeal tubes, to create round Towers. This does require cutting and pasting, to match things up -- it requires some skill and technique, but most average adults can accomplish this without too much effort. I am applying the same techniques to rectangular oatmeal boxes, to make custom, though much larger, Gatehouse, for really large cities.
This set is worth every penny. Printing on full-sheet label paper, and applying to 3mm-thick cardboard, makes beautiful, durable models, which should last for years. As for appearances, they are very good. For mini's gamers, and role players who want to build a city wall, or a castle keep, this is the bomb! Cheers!
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The magazine is short, which is why I took off one pip in the rating. Aside from that, the article is spot on. It covers the topic of speed-writing an adventure quite well. I look forward to applying the techniques. It seems so easy, and obvious, once the author points it all out... "Why didn't I think of that?" To me, that is a sign of some genius work at hand. Looking forward to the next one. This is definitely worth the cost for the 'how to' article.
Some nice artwork, decent, artistic layout, well done, really. I suspect the author will continue to improve his offerings over time. I look forward to seeing more from him. Cheers!
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Simple, basic, can be used for multiple purposes. Work best if printed on full-sheet labels: print, cut to size, peel and stick! Couldn't be easier. This product is worthwhile, but I highly recommend the artist's videos which show additional, intereting ways to employ his products. Visit his YouTube channel for his videos. The link can be found on his homepage. Cheers!
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I play 2e AD&D, not 3.X, but after reading reviews of the different versions of this title, the 3.5e version sounded the best. I purchased the standard heavyweight POD version: superb print quality! This book is one inch thick! The quality is superb. For me, the POD is worth every penny -- much less than I could get a used copy for, on e-Bay, or Amazon. POD is fantastic quality, and the price is often much cheaper than a used copy, as discussed already.
Now for the contents... It covers the major D&D Dragons: both chromatic, and metallic. It gives examples of each Dragon type, in each of their growth, or maturity classes. It gives examples of a typical lair for each type, as well. There is great artwork for each type of Dragon, in each listing. There is a large amount of 3.Xe classes, feats, etc. None of that is of interest to me, since I play 2e, and none of this material is trasferable. They changed up the wing designs on several types of Dragons. There are glaring similiarities for some, with wings stretching to the tail, running nearly the entire length of the body. They tried to illustrate how these body-length wings would work, in flight. I give them props for trying.
They give CR ratings on each Dragon type, and age group. This is where it becomes like a video/PC game. A Hatchling, for example has 34 HP! The Hatchling is all of 2-feet tall! The Ancient Worm, or whatever they call the largest age/size group of Red Dragons, tend to have 500+ HP!... Even the deities, back in the DDG book, from 1e, did not have that many HP, typically. This seems ridiculous, to me. The CR rating for this monster, is 36, by the way. The highest CR is the ancient Gold Dragon: 37. To me, this really is over the top for size, HP, etc. Still, it is easy for the individual DM to massage the statistics to more acceptable levels.
One of the most interesting things I noticed, is that some Black Dragons can change their breath weapon from a narrow stream, into a a cone, one-half the normal length. Neat option, which makes great sense. They also name every example printed, so you get around five names for every true Dragon type, listed. They also cover lesser Dragons, but in much less detail (more than the Monster Manual, typically, but less than the space alloted to the true Dragons.
There is a section dealing with generating a Dragon's hoard of treasue, as well as other crunch on Dragons, their larirs, and minions who serve, or even worthip them.Just about every aspect of Dragons is covered.
They list magical items for use by Dragons, such as a magical mouthpiece, which increases their bite damage. They cover uses for Dragon body parts, making armor out of their hides, and such. As stated, there are a lot of pages in this book! It is packed with fun-to-read information on the most iconic monster in the game. This book is just fun to read, whether I use the material in my games, or not.
I would highly recommend this book to any DM. There is, however, a Pleyer's Section, as well, for would-be dragon slayers. I skipped that section. I feel my players need to research that on their own.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book, regardless of what rules set you play. It is a fun romp through all things Dragon. I feel it was worth the price of hard-copy admission. Cheers!
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