Player's Handbook: Conclusion

As we wrap up the 3e Player's Handbook, there are a few bits and pieces to go over. First of all, the Appendix explains rounding, which basically boils down to fractions always rounding down except for damage and hit points that always have a minimum of 1 point.

Then we get the rules for multipliers. It's a bit more complicated; a single multiplier (x2) is applied as usual. But if there is an additional multiplier, the second multiplier (and subsequent ones) are added to the first at a value of one less on the multiplier. So a x3 multiplier combined with a x2 multiplier would end up being x4 (x3+(2-1)).

Next up, something new for D&D rulebooks: A glossary! That's right, an eight-page glossary covering all the important terms. Earlier editions never had a glossary, although quite a few rulebooks did (including Champions 1st edition, which I am currently blogging about in a Let's Read on my Sprigg's Scribblings blog).

You know what else they didn't have in earlier editions? An index. You know what they have in this one? An index! Three pages indexing pretty much everything in the book. Combined with the glossary, this is an extremely useful section.

Following that is a page listing a whole bunch of playtesters (was it all of them? I have no idea.) for the 3rd edition, and then there's the requisite blank character sheet, two-sided. And that's--

Oh, it's not it? What's this? Later printings included a selection of questions from the Sage Advice columns in Dragon Magazine, but this is a first printing copy, which means we have something extra-special: The 2000 Survival Kit. What is that, you ask? Well, I'll explain it.

See, this is a brand-new edition of the game. And unlike the switch from 1st to 2nd edition, they really aren't all that compatible. Wizards of the Coast put out a Conversion Manual that is quite comprehensive and fairly lengthy in order to help people transition to the new rules. But it doesn't cover most of what has been changed in terms of how XPs now work, or the new monster rules, or magic items rules. And the DMG and Monster Manual aren't released yet. So, what good is a Player's Handbook if all you can do is create characters and there's no rules on how to do anything with them?

Enter the 2000 Survival Kit, a 16-page insert at the back of the Player's Handbook that gives a very compact overview of both upcoming core books. There's a warning that things can change between now and when the books are actually released, but there's enough to get some gaming in before then, so you don't have to wait.

The XP rules are very, very different from prior editions; I'll discuss that in more detail when I review the DMG next month. But for now, every monster has a Challenge Rating, and the XP awarded for defeating it is based on not only their challenge rating, but the party's average level as well. There's enough info given to handle up to character level 10 and CR 10. The table may change a bit in the DMG final version, but again, this is good enough to get started. I'll note that there are no XPs given for treasure recovered, which means that monsters have to be worth a heck of a lot more than they used to be to make up for that.

Okay, next up we have some monsters. And we get the full new format, which is basically what we saw with the dragon deities in Dragon 272. And the first monster...is a mature adult red dragon with a CR of 13. This is a 'fairly powerful' dragon according to the text. It's got over 300 hp, an AC of 32, +34 to hit with its bite attack, does tons of damage with its multiple attacks, has spell resistance of 23, really high saves and abilities, and seven feats including two news ones that don't appear in the PH list: Flyby Attack and Quicken Spell-Like Ability. Its breath weapon does 14d10 damage, and it can do that every 1d4 rounds. There's no 'three times per day' limit like there used to be. Oh, and it casts spells as a 9th-level sorcerer on top of that, as well as having several spell-like abilities (which it can quicken). This thing is just plain nasty.

Other monsters that are listed here include the Gelatinous Cube, the Ghoul (and Ghast), Goblins, Hell Hounds, Ogres, and Skeletons. These are given the full write-up treatment, and none of them are nearly as horrifying as that damn dragon. These are the sorts of critters that would be used in low-level dungeons.

Then we get some more monsters in an abbreviated format. These include several normal animals that would be used as animal companions for a druid (such as the badger, dog, and hawk), as well as the animals that are available to sorcerers and wizards as familiars. There's also a dire rat, a dwarf warrior, hobgoblin, human warrior, orc, unicorn, and zombie listed here. That's a total of 18 monsters along with eight different familiars. It's not a lot of variety, but again, it's just temporary until the Monster Manual arrives. Except for the unicorn (CR 3), all of these additional monsters have a fractional CR (1/2 or 1/3).

Next up, treasure. We get an abbreviated version of the treasure table, which is definitely different than the older editions. What I like is that it's based on the dungeon level you're on, so level 1 treasures are much less valuable than level 5 (the highest we get here). Treasures are divided into coins, goods (gems and art objects) and items (mundane and magic). We get tables to calculate the value of gems and art objects, as well as a sampling of minor magic items that can be found (all of these will end up in the DMG, of course). Scrolls are basically what they were before. Potions are now drinkable scrolls; they duplicate spell effects. So, there's no more potion of rainbow hues or sweet water, since those aren't spells available in this game. However, any spell of 3rd level or lower can be brewed into a potion.

Rods are 'unique' items that look like scepters and have different powers. Staffs are spell-storage devices with charges and multiple options for spellcasting. Wands are now single-spell devices, again duplicating specific spells in the game. This standardization thing is getting out of hand. We also have a few rings: Climbing, Counterspells, Elemental Resistance (Minor), Force Shield, Protection, and Ring of the Ram. The latter is a charged ring; the rest are continual use.

Then, we get magic armor and weapons. These can be simple +1 or +2 items, or they can have special abilities on top of the bonus, such as Bashing or Blinding for shields, or Spell Resistance for armor. Weapons are the same, but their special abilities range from Distance (ranged weapons, obviously) to Flaming to Shock. These would replace the second bonus (so a weapon with a special ability is a +1 weapon).

Finally, wondrous items. These replace the 'miscellaneous magic items' from earlier editions, and include things such as the bag of holding, gauntlets of ogre power, and rope of climbing. Again, there are just a few sample items to whet your appetite for the upcoming DMG.

Finally, there is a brief 'Do-it-Yourself Dungeon' that comes with a map (with no doors or entrances). Basically, you roll for encounters and treasure, stocking the dungeon yourself and then giving the player characters a reason to adventure. And the nice thing is that this can be reused, since there's enough randomness to make it a different adventure each time. Of course, you're limited to the few monsters and treasures that are in this Survival Kit, but that will change eventually...

So, that's it for the text of the Player's Handbook. But there was also a CD-Rom included that contained the character generation software. I distinctly remember that I had the demo copy that came in Dragon Magazine 274, but I no longer have that. I recently learned, though, that there was also an adventure included in a hidden directory entitled 'The Dead of Winter'. I found a copy online, so here's a brief review of that.

Interestingly enough, this adventure is for 2nd-level characters, not 1st-level. So it's assumed you'll go through the 'do-it-yourself dungeon' first, I suppose, to give your PCs the necessary XP to get to 2nd level. Basically, it's a rescue mission. There's a missing trade delegation, and you have to find them. In the snow and ice of the northern foothills in winter, of course. Bring your druids and rangers along. The small town of Cador is described, with plenty of full-statted NPCs, including 'warriors' and 'commoners'. Yes, commoners get stats and skills and even feats.

So, this adventure expands the number of monsters available: There are owlbears, hippogriffs, wolves, dire bats, and...orc barbarians. Yes, orcs with class levels. I didn't see that one coming back in the day, let me tell you. Oh, and there are even spellcasters among these monsters, such as a hobgoblin adept. These aren't fully defined, as in I'm not sure what an 'adept' is, but all the necessary statistics (including spells) are included. The first dungeon at the end of the adventure includes some more monsters, including something called a 'darkmantle' which I have never seen before. And the second dungeon includes some traps. I'll note that traps have Challenge Ratings as well, which means you get XP for overcoming them, too. That's interesting.

So, this is a fairly standard adventure with some interesting encounters. It looks like it would be fun to play through, and I wonder how many people ever did, since it wasn't easy to find. I'm going to see if I can get a group together and make this happen, because it's pretty much a certainty they wouldn't have played it before even if they have experience with 3e.

Alright, that does it for the Player's Handbook. Next up, I'll be tackling the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game, and the rest of the 3e products that were released in August of 2000. Stay tuned.