Author: Ameron (Derek Myers)

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Book Reviews

Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 3)

Psionics. I’ll admit that over the years I’ve never been a huge fan of psionics in D&D. I cringed when Wizards announced that PHB3 would introduce psionic powered character classes to 4e D&D. My initial (and completely uninformed) opinion on the matter was that psionics suck. However, over the past few months as preview material was released through DDI, I got a chance to see some of these new psionic classes first hand. I’ll admit that the preview content started bringing me around on psionics. Now that I’ve actually got a PHB3 with the full builds for each of the new psionic classes I find myself completely turned around on psionics.

In our Player’s Handbook 3 Review (Part 1) we covered the new races and the new divine leader class, the Runepriest. In Player’s Handbook 3 Review (Part 2) we covered skill powers, feats and new magic items. In today’s article we’ll look at psionics.

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Book Reviews

Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 2)

In our Player’s Handbook 3 Review (Part 1) we looked at the new Shardmind race and one of the new classes, the Runepriest. Today in our PHB3 Review (Part 2) we’re looking at skill powers, feats, superior implements and new magic items. In our PHB3 Review (Part 3) we’ll delve into a detailed look at the psionic classes.

Here’s a quick recap of the new races and classes available in the PHB3.

New Races

  • Githzerai
  • Minotaur
  • Shardmind
  • Wilden

New Classes

There are also complete rules for building Hybrid characters of all classes (including all six new classes introduced in the PHB3).

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Book Reviews

Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 1)

You may think that you know what the Player’s Handbook 3 is all about if you’ve got a DDI subscription, but the preview content was just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re a DDI subscribers who’s considering passing on the PHB3, think again. This is one of the coolest 4e D&D books that’s come out so far.

The PHB3 comes out next week on Tuesday, March 16, but for those of us living in the Greater Toronto Area it came out this past Friday. I visited three gaming stores and a major book selling chain and they all had it proudly displayed for sale. I don’t know if this complete disregard for the street date is limited to my area or if this is the case across the board. All I know is that I was fortunate enough to get my copy of the PHB3 Friday and I haven’t put it down since.

I took some flack for my Martial Power 2 review last month. Some readers didn’t think I spent enough time giving my opinion. With my review of the PHB3 I’m going to listen to the readers and do more than just tell you what’s in the book. But given the amount of material in the PHB3 it’s going to take more than one article to cover everything. So as seems fitting, I’m going to break my review of the PHB 3 into three parts. Today we’ll look at the new races and one of the new classes – the Runepriest.

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Editorial

Wizards Delivers a Killer Monster Makeover

Keep the design simple, make the layout easy to follow and eliminate guess work. This is good advice if you’re designing a website or improving the Monster Manual. Yes, the masterminds at Wizards of the Coast have improved the Monster Manual. We’re not just talking about the release of new monsters, we’re talking about redesigned monster stat blocks.

In Bill Slavicsek’s latest Ampersand article Beyond Essentials … (release online yesterday to DDI subscribers) from Dragon#385, he debuted the forthcoming changes to monster stat blocks in 4e D&D. “We’ve reorganized the information to make it easier to use and so that you can immediately find the details you need to run the monsters.”

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Eberron

Secrets of Eberron Revealed (Part 6)

The Dragonmarked Houses try to keep some secrets of Eberron from being revealed. In this installment we focus on the best kept secret in Khorvaire – true Dragonmarks manifesting outside of the normal racial boundaries. Power and fortunes hang in the balance if Dragonmarks loose their exclusivity to a particular house or race.

In The Gorgon Returns members of House Cannith are shocked to learn that their house patriarch, Starrin d’Cannith, may not have died on the Day of Mourning. The Dragon’s Teeth act on orders from the Dragonmarked Houses to track down anyone manifesting a true Dragonmark outside of recognized bloodlines.

Click on the Eberron tab above the Dungeon’s Master banner to find the previous installments in this ongoing series as well as many other great Eberron articles and resources.

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Month in Review

Month in Review: February 2010

February was month of milestones at Dungeon’s Master. On February 1, Dungeon’s Master celebrated its 1-year anniversary. To mark the occasion we posted the State Of The Dungeon – 1 Year Later and shared some details about how we’re doing after our first year. We’d like to thank all of the readers who have visited us during the past year. Your continued support and comments keep us motivated and let us know we’re on the right track.

Also in February Dungeon’s Master hit its 300th post. To celebrate this milestone, Ameron and Wimwick each took a stab at Creating King Leonidas (from the movie 300) as a level 16 PC. And to make the month even better we got another shout out from Wizards of the Coast on February 18 in their February News and Reviews. Check out all of the Dungeon’s Master highlights from February below.

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Eberron

Eberron Resource Page

If you’re looking for Eberron resources then you need look no further. Today Dungeon’s Master adds a new section to our website dedicated exclusively to Eberron-related content. The Eberron tab is easily accessed at the top of every page above the Dungeon’s Master banner. It’s a permanent, one-stop-shop for all things Eberron.

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DM Resources Top 10

6 D&D Convention Tips for DMs

Yesterday we shared 6 D&D Convention Tips for Players; today it’s the DMs turn. After running a few Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) adventures at the Spellstorm gaming convention this past weekend in Toronto, I’ve put together a list of things to keep in mind when you’re the DM. These tips are applicable to any D&D game, but even more so at a convention.

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Player Resources Top 10

6 D&D Convention Tips for Players

D&D is a complicated game. There are the general game rules, the specific rules that apply to player characters and then there’s your character himself. It can be tough just to keep all of that straight, especially if you’re just getting into D&D. After participating in the Spellstorm gaming convention this past weekend in Toronto, I’ve put together a list of things to keep in mind when you’re playing D&D. These tips are applicable to any D&D game, but even more so at a convention where you’re less likely to know all the people at your table.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: Olympic Games

The Dungeon’s Master team has used the basics of the skill challenge to create a unique form of athletic competition. Each skill check is scored as the PCs vie for top spot. PCs can compete against each other or against the world’s greatest NPC athletes. This is more than just opposing Athletics checks.

Since this is a test of individual ability, each PC must accomplish the required number of checks by himself. After all, outside help would be considered cheating.

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