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Not a bad product, with a lot of interesting ideas and potential, but also a lot of flaws.
The product spends a lot of time reinventing the wheel, with new (and, in my opinion, needless) takes on ideas that already exist in the d20 system. For example, the Shield Another ability could easily have been replaced with the Bodyguard ability that exists in various d20 prestige classes. Similarly, although the Noble is an interesting idea, such a class already exists (in d20 Star Wars and, I think, Wheel of Time).
There also seem to be numerous game balance issues. For example, the Scholar can gain a number of abilities (eg, Slippery Mind and Jack of All Trades) at level 3 that other characters can?t gain for another 5 levels or more. The Noble is so power-packed in it?s first two levels that I don?t see why any player wouldn?t start off that way. Not only do you get 3 feats at 2nd level, but a Servant at first level!
Although better edited than some pdfs, the product suffers from sloppy editing, particularly with respect to punctuation. There are some content problems, as well. For example, the Servant?s class ability, Anticipate Desire, serves no real purpose. It allows a Noble to issue a command to a Servant as a free action, but since conversation is normally a free action anyway, what?s the intended usage? The Guard?s weapon proficiency progression pushes him to take exotic weapons, since he?ll get access to all martial weapons soon enough anyway.
I guess one of my biggest gripes is that, while it?s his prerogative to do so, the author has ignored the point of the NPC classes in D&D. They?re not SUPPOSED to be as powerful as the adventuring classes. An interesting game could be based around characters of the NPC classes evolving into adventurers (a character who starts out as a warrior, then starts taking levels of fighter once he has some experience under his belt). With this product, the local butcher has a decent chance of beating the tar out of the party?s fighter, and woe to the adventurers who get involved in a barroom brawl: the local farmers will most likely leave them bleeding on the floor.
If you?re looking for new classes and option, this is a good product, but be warned that it doesn?t necessarily mesh well with existing d20 rules. I prefer products that add to the existing material rather than reinventing them, so was a bit disappointed.
<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>
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