I seem to recall some internet drama when the Hackmaster PHB premiered. Apparently John Kovalic got mad because he thought Kenzer & Co. was ripping off his idea, which was to rip off someone else's idea. Weird.
As I write this blog entry the PHBII has not been released. I found this image on Amazon, so the final cover may differ from this version.
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PHBII my ass. I read the wizards write up on the PHBII
ReplyDelete(link)
And it looks like nothing more than an unearthed arcana two. I thought the DMG II was crap and now we get this. Thanks, Wizards. Way to keep it "fresh" with crap we don't want or need.
I'm actually at a loss to figure out what would be in a good PHBII. Given that I'm a big fan of Unearthed Arcana, a further refined version of that book would hold some interest for me. But still, some days I find the PHB + Complete series to be overwhelming. I can't really see ANY need for a sequel to the PHB.
ReplyDeleteHmm , let's see:
ReplyDelete"New rules include racial affiliations that make race matter as a character advances in level"
- So a return to Uncle Gary's Elfs are mildly irritated by hobbits table. Only now you irritate 20th level elfs
"new character classes and alternate class features for existing classes"
- All of the racial substitution levels we put in the races of books are getting reprinted
"teamwork benefits -- an option first introduced in Dungeon Master’s Guide II and Heroes of Battle. "
- so the only vaguely interesting part of heroes
of battle is getting reprinted? So it can take up space in another book?
Has wizards been taking marketing tips from Taco Bell? Try our new Zoth-Omagarita, now fried and
wrapped in another food completely.
I have yet to see any copies of the Advanced Players
Handbook even change shelf positions at the local
stores. I can't believe wizards think they have to compete with that.
If it reprints the best crunchy bits from a bunch of Wizards books I don't own, then maybe this is a product I could use! The 'Races of' and 'Heroes of' lines just screen 'we padded out the page count' to me.
ReplyDelete'screen'?! I meant 'scream'. I shouldn't be posting this early in the AM.
ReplyDeleteI can think of a few things that would make for a good PHBII.
ReplyDelete1. Reprint some/all of the races, classes, skill options, and feats from the "Races of..." and "Complete..." books. I don't actually own any of those. I'd buy the PHBII in a heartbeat.
2. Include a more universal class level substitution system. This could include everything from racial level substitutions to fighting style substitutions for monks to alternate combat style substitutions for rangers. It would take a page from Unearthed Arcana's class options section, but systematize it and ensure that the options were balanced/playtested.
3. Provide better options for handling non-zero-ECL character races.
4. Provide more options for handling Familiars, special Mounts, and Animal Companions. Make advancement of these actually make sense when compared to, say, Cohorts.
To be honest, though, if PHBII ends up being an updated and 3.5-revised Unearthed Arcana with options from post 3.0 UA OGL products and OGL versions of options from non-OGL WotC products (like the Complete and Races of books), I'll be perfectly happy with it.