Arms and Equipment Guide
by Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, Jeff Quick, James Wyatt
Dungeon & Dragons Accessory (160 pages)
Product Code: 881590000, ISBN: 0-7869-2649-X
Wizards of the Coast, $26.95
When I first bought this hardcover book, I was expecting something similar to an updated 2nd edition book of the same name. However, inside I found a wide variety of new mundane, magical and other special items that could be put into any campaign. Some of the material here seems as though it was collected from various other sourcebooks and compiled into one. Regardless, it’s an excellent extension to the DMG, which is how I look at this book.
The first chapter of this book covers a range of new weapons and armor. Along with new things described here, you’ll find new armor and weapon-making material, some of which I found very interesting. Elven leaf armor was something that I liked, along with Dendritic dwarven armor, a type of crystal armor that grows over one’s body. There’s lots more of this stuff, along with lists that help sort equipment by time periods, from the Stone Age to the Crusades.
Chapter two deals with adventuring gear, with a bevy of new equipment along with wonderful drawings of most items. Items range from those things carried on most adventurers to things you’d find in local towns, such as food and drink. They’ve even got a listing of unique alcoholic beverages and their effects on those who would drink them. There is a reasonably sized group of new alchemical items, a vast listing of poisons and their effects, plus a small dig into economic systems. In all, a very good addition to D&D, especially the poison section, which I will definitely find useful in my campaign.
In chapter four you’ll find stats and information for all types of vehicles, from land, sea, and air. The rules here describe how to make such vehicles move, and how to control them once they are in motion. There are also rules for combat on moving vehicles, from physical attacks to spellcasting, and even collisions with other moving targets or vehicles. Vehicle augmentation is covered as well, from special armor to magical attachments. There are a decent variety of drawings and diagrams of most vehicles, especially for some of the more rare types such as Zeppelins and Forest Crawlers.
Next we have rules on hirelings and creatures. This section covers a vast array of material on hirelings, from guilds and skill levels, and even costs. Mercenaries are also covered in this chapter, from the single mercenary to exotic troops. Companions, pets and mounts, both common and exotic, are listed in detail. You’ll get things ranging from Blink Dogs to the bizarre Soarwhales. I found the information covered here somewhat unique, and will be incorporating it into my campaign to some extent.
The last two chapters list a vast amount of new magic items and special magic items. As I stated at the beginning of this review, this section in particular is a definite addition to the DMG, so to speak. It adds a wonderful wealth of unique magic items to any D&D game, from rings and rods to a vast assortment of wondrous items. Many of these are illustrated beautifully with well done black & white drawings. The best part I found in the magic section was a listing of Regalia, three-piece magic artifacts for good and evil that would be interesting if placed in any campaign.
At the end of this book, the authors (or editors) put together a nice batch of tables that lists all of the items found throughout this new rulebook. This was a nice addition to an already good book.
So, for those DMs out there, this book is definitely a good addition to your 3rd edition set of books. For players, this rulebook is also vary useful, but I would restrict myself (if playing) from looking through the magic item section without DM approval. Get a copy of this book!
(review (c) July 2003 / David Flemming)