Product Description
The essential handbook integrating war and battlefield action into D&D® play. Heroes of Battle™ provides everything one needs to know to play a battle-oriented D&D campaign. Players can build military characters with new feats, spells, uses for traditional spells, and prestige classes. Information is given on tools specific to the battlefield, including siege engines, weapons, magic items, steeds, and other exotic mounts. Battlefield terrain aspects are discussed with plenty of illustrative maps and new rules. Specific types of battlefield encounters are discussed in detail, and the book provides specific detail on designing battlefields.
Wilder @ 2:47 am
I have been running adventures for D&D for years that follow more the style of game represented herein, not delving into dungeons on a regular basis but rather encounters in the world. A battlefield campaign is a great idea and Wizards did an excellent job of giving guildlines and rules for running these. The section on victory and recognition points, as well as promotion and decorations is by far my favorite out of this book. While not terribly large for a hard-back this book is packed with information ranging from the 60-minute army to a few new prestige classes (all five-level and very useful) and some new magical items and weapon/armor properties.
If you want to run a game of D&D that doesn’t focus on crawling around in ancient ruins or goblin-holes all the time, but instead focuses on the glory and frightfulnes of war and surface skirmshes then this will be an excellent adition to your gaming books.
Anglobotomy @ 3:54 am
I give this 5 stars because its one of very few DnD books by Wizards of the Coast that’s come out in the past two years that I read from cover to cover. It interested me. A lot of the other titles they’ve released lately have been the sort of material you pick and choose; sometimes avoiding large sections of altogether, like the race books they released earlier this year. So I guess I’m rating in comparison to other DnD books.
It’s not the most amazing or ground-breaking stuff, but it’s a different take on the game than most of us choose to use. I guess it was inspiring to me. I’ve been DMing now for about 20 years, and though I’ve done a lot of what’s in this book on my own at times, I really enjoyed reading it, and I think this book needed to be produced for those who want to run a battle based campaign and didn’t know where to start.
A warning, though. If you’re looking for feats, races, classes, prestige classes, etc…. this is not that type of book. That being said, I’m glad. Most other DnD books of late have been only those things with a little fluff to make it all part of a theme. This book is good for any DM.
B. Allen-Trick @ 3:55 am
I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks there’s nothing more epic and exciting in a RPG than war. Well this book does a pretty good job of laying the groundwork for a campaign based around battles. It’s not all straightforward battlefield stuff either, a lot has to do with different tactics during war.
Things like cutting the enemy’s supply lines, battlefield espionage, siege weapons, arrow volleys, etc. It also has what is definitely the best and simplest system for battlefield morale that I’ve seen (and it’s compatable with the D&D miniatures rules) and explains how Leadership and one’s rank in the military play into things.
Most of the feats and prestige classes are boring (though the combat medic is excellent) and some of the spells are very interesting. Overall it is an excellent resource.
The only reason I am giving it 4 stars is that it’s all very situational, and in a standard campaign none of this will get used. For a campaign that involves medieval warfare and big battles, it earns its pricetag, which I can say for less and less of WoTC’s product line of late.
Andrew K. Ryan @ 6:35 am
This book has been vital to my weekly D&D game. The book rises and falls on the idea of epic clashes between giant armies that your players influence. The Victory Point system is increadible, it has really helped my players to get into the game. It lets even low level charactes feel that they are vital. It is easy for the players to fall out of the spotlight in a giant army, this book makes that a thing of the past.
The prestige classes don’t over run the book and that is a rarity in some of these supplements…a welcome rarity.
A surprising aspect of the book is the appendix which gives you monster stats for monsters of different ranks. (Orc general, drow priestess)
This book is almost as important as the Player’s Handbook if you are running a war themed campaign.
Merric Blackman @ 7:51 am
“Heroes of Battle” (HoB) is the first in the Genre series for D&D. It is designed to aid the players take their game into the middle of a war.
The focus in on the actions of the Player Characters during a mass combat and on what effect they might have on the course of that combat. As a result, if you want rules for armies meeting each other, you will be disappointed. HoB isn’t interested in that.
Instead, HoB asks the DM to determine the course of the battle in advance – assuming the PCs have no effect on the battle. Then it shows the DM how to use that information to provide an adventure for the PCs in the middle of the battle, and thus to have an effect on the overall battle. Based on how successful the PCs are during their adventure, then they can change the course of the battle according to guidelines given in the book.
HoB gives good advice on the subject, but eventually it will be down to the DM to make decisions on what occurs. I think this approach is wholly admirable and successful. I look forward to including it in future games.
A small number of new rules and rewards are presented to make running battlefield adventure easier; they generally serve their purpose.
Players are likely to find the book less interesting. The four new prestige classes are good, and the Teamwork Benefits add an interesting dimension to the game. However, most of the feats are generally too focussed on use in battle campaigns for regular campaign play and most of the book really is designed for the DM.
One interesting point: I think the opening chapters of this book are the most readable of any in the 3rd edition D&D line: very personable and entertaining. This surprised me, and I commend it greatly.
The book really doesn’t go much into the effects of magic on the battlefield – or indeed, what the course of a normal battle might be like. That is left up to the imagination of the DM. I would have liked a little more advice on this subject, but it does not detract overmuch from what is a solid book.