Legends of Excalibur
From: RPG Objects
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Legends of Excalibur is a new d20 World Book from RPG Objects.
Every once in a while, I will get a book to review that really impresses me and shows me that the person or persons writing it actually gave a damn about what they were writing and who they were writing for. Legends of Excalibur (d20) is one of those books. It is well written and well researched by someone who knows their Arthurian Legends. Many attempts have been made to retell this story in movies, books and RPGs, but only a few have done it as well as this book has.
From the back cover:“ For many a petty king ere Arthur came rules in this isle and ever waging war each upon other, wasted all the land. – Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King.”
Background: In this case, the background is the research the author put into and the approach to the Arthurian Legends he chose to take. As many Arthurian fans would know, there are several approaches that can be taken. In the introduction, the author breaks these approaches down to three different categories. This is where the author, in a very succinct and straight-forward way, shows his knowledge of the Arthurian legends and where he is coming from. In the end, he mixes the commonalities of all that has been written about Arthur and wrote the book based on the legends of Arthur and not a lot of the (so-called) facts about him.
The author references several books and movies including Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of King Arthur and the movie Excalibur. Of all of them, the one I have heard about the most as the definitive resource is the Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. However, one of the sticking points everyone I know seems to have with regards to Arthur and all the movies that have been done about him is the timing of his story. Some say 5th century while a lot of the movies place it further into the 14th or 15th century. This book is set in the latter era, making it more epic and chivalrous like the later tales of Arthur.
Also, the author uses a lot of the Arthurian background to introduce new concepts into d20 that make this book stand alone as a complete and separate world book. I find this to be very interesting and imaginative, and it shows his dedication to the preservation of the true feel of the Arthurian Legends.
Included in the back is more background material including a Guide of the Arthurian Legends, which outlines the chronology, a gazetteer to all the major places in Arthurian Britain, a gazetteer of “Known Worlds” (mythological worlds like Atlantis, Avalon and Fairyland as well as other major places in Europe like the Holy Roman Empire and Baghdad), and a complete list of the major and minor characters of the legends. Although not a complete world book, this combined with the colorful maps in both inside covers help set the stage enough for anyone wanting to adventure in the Arthurian legends.
System: As mentioned, this is a d20 world book supplement. However, it does introduce new concepts into the d20 system, including Nobility and Lineage. In a very imaginative and inspiring way, Mr. Rice introduces simple concepts and changes some of the core of d20 to make this book “feel Arthurian,” so to speak. The books starts out with a new concept called Bloodlines which gives the character bonuses plus determines social standing and starting money.
Another concept introduced is Nobility, which is a new statistic that measures ones deeds and honorable standing in the feudal world of Arthurian 15th century. Heroic deeds, transgressions, priestly quests and virtues effect ones level of Nobility. Some of the new Classes introduced in the book have a Nobility pre-requisite. Nobility basically replaces alignment.
Regarding classes, Legends of Excalibur introduces several new Core Classes while also presenting a guide to the Core 3.5 Player’s Hand Book (PHB) classes and how they fit in the world. Some of the PHB Core Classes simply don’t fit and are replaced by new Core Classes. PHB Classes like Wizard, Sorcerer, and Cleric are removed and replaced by Priest, Hedge Mage and Hermit. Other new classes are the Fool, the Knight (of course), the Minstrel, the Noble, the Robber Baron, and the Skald. Not only does it have a good number of classes, it also has a whole host of prestige classes as well as guidelines for Epic level characters. There are a total of 9 generic Prestige classes, including Alchemist, Changeling, Crusader, Enchantress, Lady of the Lake and Quest Knight.
Another interesting concept related to class is the Spectral Knights. To add flavor, Mr. Rice added prestige classes for each of the spectral orders of knights like the Black Knight, Blue Knight and Green Knight. Much of these are flavor but are well researched and linked to the original appearance in the tales.
Legends of Excalibur adds one new skill (Prophecy) and several new feats to the mix. Most of the feats relate back to core concepts of the Arthurian legends and the times they are set including Faith, Piety, and Ordination. Others are interesting like Metabolic Fuel and Power Surge, which effect the amount of spells one can caste. There are also Metamagic feats, all effecting the ways a spellcaster casts spells.
From the page # 13: “ And through the sit of Merlin, he had the host northward, the priviest way that could be thought, unto the forest of Bedegraine…”
The Magic system is different from the core PHB. It is based on Spell Points, although the Hedge Mage still have a limited number of spells he knows per day. Every spell has a base cost, based on the Caster Level and the Spell Level, and every caster has a pool of Spell points. Each class recovers their spell points differently. This system, on the outset, seems to reduce the presence of magic in the world, which in my view is not a bad thing. This may lead to a more balanced party of magic users and non-magic users. The Spells for each spellcaster combines existing core PHB spells and some new spells.
Extras: Other things not mentioned are the Magic Items list, including the legendary sword Excalibur, and a guide to adventuring in the Arthurian legends. The latter includes interesting and well-researched guides to typical cities and towns of the time. Maps here are incredibly well drawn and give you a true feel of the times. Also, there is a guide to creating a Quest, “the basic unit of adventure in Legends of Excalibur.” This leads to a series of quests or a campaign. Sample adventures are also included in this section as well as a guide to converting published adventures. A final gem at the end is a short section on jousting and rules that apply. Definitely good flavor.
The final pages are a short Bestiary of creatures. It primarily addresses the appropriateness of creatures from the Monster Manual (MM) in short but to-the-point paragraphs. It also addresses the issue of Nobility vs. Alignment for monsters in the MM. It also introduces a handful of new monsters. The book closes with NPC statistics for all the new classes.
Layout & Presentation: A lot of work was put into the layout of the book, and I must compliment the designer. It is brilliant, alive and appropriate at the same time. The inside covers are not just bland white – they are full color maps of Arthurian Britain and Europe along with other places mentioned in the book. They are not extremely detailed, but they are well done and anyone near a library can get the details these maps are missing.
The editing seemed well done, and the art layout using public domain pictures from many of the Arthurian references was well done.
Bottom Line, this is a great book, without a doubt. My only complaint is the price tag, but I guess I can expect it for a hard-bound 160 page book. If you like the Arthurian legends and want to run in that world, this is a book you want. This book almost makes me WANT to run in this world. There is so much to explore for a player and a GM. I thoroughly recommend this book if you appreciate the legend and the myth of King Arthur and are not a hard-liner about how things in his tales should be. The authors and publishers of this book have a lot to be proud of.
For more details on RPG Objects and their new d20 World Book “Legends of Excalibur” check them out at their website http://www.rpgobjects.com, and at all of your local game stores.
Legends of Excalibur
From: RPG Objects
Type of Game: d20 World Book
Written by: Charles Rice
Contributing Authors: Paul King, Chris Davis
Game Design by: Wizards of the Coast
Cover Art by: Jeremy Simmons
Number of Pages: 160
Game Components Included: One hard back rule book
Game Components Not Included: D&D Players Hand Book,
Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide
Retail Price: $ 29.95
Item Number: RPO4001
ISBN: 0-97430672X
Website: www.rpgobjects.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung