As many others have noted, the mentality of "get a magic weapon, use it, get a better one, discard the first" is far too pervasive. I have always liked the idea of improving your signature weapon as you go along, instead of discarding it - many of my characters have paid (often great amounts!) to do just that. And I have eagerly read the many articles or web thoughts on just that topic, but always been disappointed. Dragon Magazine's take on it - feed the weapon XP, and watch it grow - was particularly disappointing.
So it was with great excitement and anticipation that I bought Swords of Our Fathers.
I was not disappointed.
The central idea - connect advancement in a prestige class with advancement of the blade's power, representing your character's dedication to learning the art and magic of the blade, is extremely elegant. While it seems similar to Dragon's article, the difference is that instead of choosing to advance either the character OR the blade, you now may advance both ? a critical difference.
The PRCs themselves are a bit generic, but that is kind of the point. (This is not to say they are underpowered ? they are about average for PRCs focusing on their particular styles). They are merely a framework for the interaction between the PC and the weapon's powers
The main criticism I have of the product ? that there are no guidelines for writing up your own weapons of legend ? was negated by a posting on their website. JD wrote up a whole article on it, along with two extra demo blades ? all for free.
TGM is a class act, and this is a great product. 5/5 stars!
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