Book picks similar to
Sword and Fist: A Guidebook to Fighters and Monks (Dungeons & Dragons Accessory) by Jason Carl
rpg
gaming
fantasy
dungeons-and-dragons
Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Michael Shea - 2018
Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master uses the experiences of thousands of GMs to help us focus on how we prepare our games, how we run our games, and how we think about our games. It includes practical steps for focusing our preparation activities on those things that will bring the biggest impact to our game. Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master builds off of the concepts of the well-received GM's guidebook Lazy Dungeon Master, updating that book with five years of new experiences, new approaches, and new observations of the way people prepare and run RPGs. This new book is a completely self-contained work, which does not require anyone to have previously read The Lazy Dungeon Master. Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master offers a new focused approach for preparing and running our roleplaying games. The book includes an eight-step guide for lightweight game preparation and is focused on how we prepare for our games, how we run our games, and how we think about our games. Prepare what benefits your game.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Rulebook
Green Ronin Publishing - 2005
Inside this Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay rulebook you'll find a quick system for character creation, a simple yet robust set of rules, a unique career-based system of character advancement and over 100 careers, details on the Empire and the Old World, a complete introductory adventure and a new short story by Dan Abnett.
Fate Core System
Leonard Balsera - 2013
Fate Core is that engine.
Fate Core is the latest evolution of the award-winning Fate roleplaying game system from Evil Hat Productions. We’ve streamlined and clarified the rules while maintaining the system’s trademark flexibility. Name your game; Fate Core can make it happen.
Inside, you’ll discover:
Easy-to-follow rules for character and world creation.
Rock-solid storytelling advice for players and GMs to produce the best play experience.
Clearly-defined systems to guide players both new and old.
New and improved approaches to character actions, aspects, compels... and more!
TELL YOUR TALE. ROLL THE DICE. EMBRACE YOUR FATE!
Unknown Armies
Greg Stolze - 1999
Completely reorganized, largely rewritten, and jam-packed with new art, the second edition of Unknown Armies isn't just better. It kicks metaphysical ass! We've remixed the book based on the level of campaign you want to play: Street, Global, or Cosmic. At street level, you're outsiders to the secret world of magick, ordinary people entering a land of mystery and peril. At global level, you're mojo-wielding cabalists in the occult underground, pursuing your arcane agendas and plotting against your rivals. At cosmic level, you're in tune with the cosmos itself, fighting to shape the next incarnation of reality. Background material is divided up as well, so new players in a street-level campaign only read what the GM wants them to know. But the beats don't stop there: Much more information for new players, to get them into the mindset of the game and help them make better characters and stronger campaigns. * New character-creation options, including Trigger Events, Paradigm Skills, and power levels scaled to match the level of campaign you're playing. * Numerous rules tweaks, including a new initiative system, Fuzzy Logic skill checks, player-directed combat modifiers, amped-up martial arts rules, a new experience system, and more, all dedicated to upgrading UA's innovative percentile system into a lean and precise tool for fast play and player empowerment. * More magick for non-adepts: Authentic Thaumaturgy, new rituals and artifacts, and revised versions of Proxy Magick and Tilts allow the freewheeling use of symbolic, sympathetic magick by anyone with the will to make it happen. * Twelve schools of magick (up from seven in UA1) for obsessed adepts, including revised versions of published schools (Bibliomancy, Personamancy, and Urbanomancy) and two new schools (Videomancy and Narcotic Alchemy). * Fourteen avatars (up from eight in UA1) for archetypalists, including revised versions of published avatars (The Messenger, The Mother, The Mystic Hermaphrodite, and the True King) and two new avatars (The MVP and The Warrior). * More resources for the GM, including specific guidance on combat, wounds, skill checks, campaign building, and other critical issues. * New cover art and design, new interior art and design, and a hardcover binding to keep this game in line.
Clanbook: Assamite
Graeme Davis - 1995
Once hunted, these vampire assassins are now sought out by the Kindred to dispose of their enemies. Fearful tales are told of their skill in hunting the most dangerous prey, their bravery in combat, and their fierce loyalty to their clan. Yet the tellers of these tales do not guess at the truth: the millennia of warfare, the roots of the Jyhad, and the clan mysteries which no outsider has ever seen.Clanbook: Assamite includes:* The history of the clan, frmo the First City to the present day;* The clan's treasure, beliefs and internal culture; and* New Skills, Quitus powers and advanced combat rules.
Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People, and Fantastic Adventure from Chess to Role-Playing Games
Jon Peterson - 2012
From a vast survey of primary sources ranging from eighteenth-century strategists to modern hobbyists, Playing at the World distills the story of how gamers first decided fictional battles with boards and dice, and how they moved from simulating wars to simulating people. The invention of role-playing games serves as a touchstone for exploring the ways that the literary concept of character, the lure of fantastic adventure and the principles of gaming combined into the signature cultural innovation of the late twentieth century.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Hogshead Publishing - 1986
On the surface, it is a civilized and cultured place, where only the occasional conspiracy, assassination, revolution or invasion by orcs, goblins, beastmen, or mutants disrupts the feudal order. Yet a shadow hangs over the world, cast by the corrupting hand of Chaos. From the Imperial court in Altdorf to the pirate-ridden coast of south Tilea, a few heroes strive to hold back the forces of howling Chaos, while it's hidden servants scheme from within to bring the world to it's knees before the Dark Gods." Warhammer FRP is a role-playing game set in the Warhammer world, a background developed by Games Workshop and used in the best-selling Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer Quest games. The three games are compatible, and characters can be transferred between them with a little fiddling. The Warhammer world is a grim place of perilous adventure. It's a little like Europe at the time of the early Renaissance, with all its corruption, villainy and opportunities for adventure; but this is a world of inhuman races, wizards, mutants, terrifying monsters and the dread shadow of Chaos, which stretches over the entire land. In WFRP, Chaos is not just a force of nature, but a living, malevolent thing supported by demonic princes who will not rest until the entire world has been enslaved or destroyed. It's a dark game with an atmosphere of psychological and visceral horror, and a subtle seam of dark humour at its heart.
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide
James JacobsJeff Grubb - 2011
Yet all is not lost, for these dark times provide ample opportunity for adventure and heroism.Inside this exciting and informative 320-page tome you will find:- Detailed summaries of the player character races native to Golarion, including more than a dozen distinct human ethnicities- Elaborate gazetteers of more than 40 crumbling empires, expansionist kingdoms, independent city-states, and monster-haunted wildlands of Golarion’s adventure-filled Inner Sea region, with locations perfect for nearly any type of fantasy campaign- Cultural information and Pathfinder RPG rules covering the 20 core deities of the Inner Sea, plus entries on other gods, demigods, forgotten deities, weird cults, strange philosophies, and more!- An overview of the Inner Sea’s history, a look at time and space, a discussion of magical artifacts and technological wonders, discussions of important factions and organizations, and hundreds of locations ripe for adventure!- Tons of new options for player characters, including Inner Sea-themed prestige classes, feats, spells, adventuring gear, and magic items!- Nine new monsters, including exotic humanoids of the skies and seas, undead and dragons, and an angry demon lord in exile!- A giant 21.75"x33" poster map that reveals the sweeping landscape of the Inner Sea in all its treacherous glory!Cover art by Wayne Reynolds
Pathfinder: Core Rulebook
Logan BonnerGiorgio Baroni - 2019
Advance Your GameThis comprehensive 640-page guide to the Pathfinder roleplaying game provides everything you need to set out into a world of limitless fantasy adventure! Choose from ancestries like elf, human, and goblin and classes like alchemist, fighter, and sorcerer to create a hero of your own design, destined to become a legend! The new Pathfinder rules are easier to learn and faster to play, and they offer deeper customization than ever before!This indispensable volume contains the core rules for players and Game Masters, and is your first step on a heroic new journey!The Pathfinder Core Rulebook includes:- More than 600 pages of game rules, advice, character options, treasure, and more for players and Game Masters!- Six heroic player character ancestries, including elf, dwarf, gnome, goblin, halfling, and human, with variant heritages for half-elf and half-orc!- More than 30 backgrounds like bartender, soldier, or apprentice to further immerse yourself in your hero's backstory!- Twelve character classes, including the alchemist, barbarian, bard, champion, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, and wizard!- Hundreds and hundreds of spells, class feats, and other exciting abilities to help you customize your character to become the hero YOU envision her to be!- Streamlined and revised rules to help ease new players into the game while providing the depth of character options and tactical interest that have defined Pathfinder from the beginning!
White Plume Mountain
Lawrence Schick - 1979
WHITE PLUME MOUNTAIN is from the Special ("S") series; like others in this series, it is meant to stand on its own and is a complete ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure. The recommended number of players is four to ten, with levels ranging from fifth to tenth.Introduction:White Plume Mountain has always been a subject of superstitious awe to the neighboring villagers. People still travel many miles to gaze upon this natural wonder, though few will approach it closely, as it is reputed to be the haunt of various demons & devils. The occasional disappearance of those who stray too close to the Plume reinforces this belief.Thirteen hundred years ago, the wizard Keraptis was searching for a suitable haven where he could indulge his eccentricities without fear of interference. He visited White Plume Mountain, going closer than most dared to, & discovered the system of old lava-tubes that riddle the cone & the underlying strata.With a little alteration, he thought, these would be perfect for his purposes. The area already had a bad reputation, & he could think of a few ways to make it worse. So, taking with him his fanatically loyal company of renegade gnomes, he disappeared below white Plume Mountain & vanished from the knowledge of men...
Dark Heresy RPG: Core Rulebook
Owen Barnes - 2008
You stand in the front line of a great and secret war where your duty is to hunt out the foul stench of heresy, the vile alien, and the twisted influence of Chaos. You will tread where others fear, venturing to distant planets, ancient space hulks, and the unsavory depths of the under-hive. You will never know fame nor reward, yet if you stand resolute your deeds will be whispered to the God-Emperor of Mankind and your name will be revered for millennia The Dark Heresy core rulebook contains everything you need to start your roleplaying adventure in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Changeling: The Dreaming
Ian Lemke - 1997
Only the world of humanity remains. Without any awareness of our true nature, humankind crushes us beneath its banal heel. Joy and laughter are gone; only the Dreaming remains.We are changelings, the forgotten ones, neither fully fae nor wholly mortal. The last of our kind on Earth, we have built ourselves an invisible kingdom. We are everywhere, yet you have never seen us. We hide, not behind some fragile Masquerade, but in plain sight with the power of our Glamour. We exist within a real world of make-believe where "imaginary" things can kill and" "pretend" monsters are real.The storytelling game of modern fantasy. The Kithain are heirs to Earth's secret kingdom of faerie. And yet they are only part fae; they are forced to adopt mortal guises to survive disbelief in magic. The fae must strive to forestall the coming Winter and bring about an endless Spring lest Banality consume all and the Dreaming be lost.Changeling Second Edition features a clarified and expanded setting and cosmology, as well as completely new and revised rules. Yet it's fully compatible with first edition and the rest of the Storyteller games. A full-color, hardcover book with art and graphics like you've never seen before.
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game
Greg Costikyan - 1987
Experience the drama and epic scope of the greatest space fantasy of all time! Adventure in a universe of epic heroes, fearsome villains, amazing technology and strange aliens. Pilot an X-wing against the Empire's devastating TIE fighters! Trade blaster fire with vicious bounty hunters! Smuggle contraband cargos through Imperial blockades! Learn the ways of the lightsaber-wielding Jedi Knights, and master the powers of the Force!This 176-page rulebook features:• Sophisticated yet simple rules covering all aspects of the Star Wars universe. Completely revised, with a conversion system for first edition materials.• Extensive information on the Star Wars universe, with guidelines on designing your own adventures set during the time of the movies or after the Battle of Endor!• Includes a beginning adventure.• Detailed skill descriptions, with many new skills and special abilities for aliens! • New movement, chase and combat rules covering everything from landspeeders to Imperial Star Destroyers!• 16 full-color pages, with never before published material.
Exalted (Exalted, #1)
Alan Alexander - 2006
The natural history we know is a lie, a falsehood sold to us by wicked old men who would make the world a dull gray prison and protect us from the dangers inherent to freedom. They would have you believe our planet to be a lonely starship, hurtling through the void of space, barren of magic and in need of a stern hand upon the rudder. Close your mind to their deception. The time before our time was not a time of senseless natural struggle and reptilian rage, but a time of myth and sorcery. It was a time of legend, when heroes walked Creation and wielded the very power of the gods. It was a time before the world was bent, a time before the magic of Creation lessened, a time before the souls of men became the stunted, withered things they are today. This is the story of that time. THIS IS THE STORY OF THE EXALTED.
The Vampire Player's Guide
Andrew Greenberg - 1991
A large portion of the book's text is reprinted, updated, and revised from the previous version of the Players Guide to fit the Second Edition's rules and formatting style. Notable among the new content in this edition of the Players Guide is the introduction of two new bloodlines, the Daughters of Cacophony and the Samedi, along with their respective signature Disciplines.