Faeries - Bastion Press

Faeries get a bad rap in my opinion. Even the cover of this book sends the idea that  they are all the commercialized version of elves (before Peter Jackson gave us his  interpretation of Legolas) that were made popular in cartoons and animated films. The stories of the Fey in cultures where they originated  give us a much darker portrayal than the images that have made them popular. They were  creatures not to be taken lightly and to deal with only if you had to and most times  that would not end well for the even the best intentioned if they were not careful.

Other than the image on the cover I think this book does a fair job of trying to put  them in a light more consistent with the legends that they sprang from. The book is a  D20 offering so it has much of the overhead that comes with that in the way of prestige  classes, feats and the like. If you are a 3.x player then these are at least average for  offerings from that period. The book offers details on the lands of the Fey and  background on the races that can be used in any game system as well as other material  that taken into systems or settings. I think this is one of the better Bastion Press  offerings I have read and am glad to have it in my collection.


Published: 2003
Pages: 128

Publisher Blurb:

Welcome to the Twilit Lands, where all is fey and faeries rule. This d20 guide to  Faeries provides answers on the fair folk, the fey races and creatures more ancient than  dragons and far more enigmatic than their sizes or shapes ever reveal. The secrets held  by the fey far outstrip all the other races combined, and this book brings them right to  players and Game Masters alike.

This supplement provides new rules and a new understanding of fey monsters as well as  many new faeries for your d20 games. Players can learn more skills and spells, plus  discover magical artifacts and secrets from the fey. Meet new monsters and fey legends  that cross many worlds and cultures, from Old Man Winter to the Lady of the Lake. Best  of all, the world of Faerie, a world as close as a dream and as magical as its denizens,  comes alive with its legends and lore for the Game Masters and can easily be linked to  all d20 worlds.

Arms & Armor - Bastion Press

Books like this take me back to the days when Oriental Adventures and Unearthed Arcana  were released for the first edition AD&D. Both of these featured new weapons and armor  options that the group I played with were more than willing to milk for every perceived  advantage they could. It was in those early days that I learned on of my most valuable  DM tricks. That was that if the players can do it so can their adversaries. Nothing like  having that same "rule breaking" option used on a player to make them see the folly of  the option.

This book is one that I would never have really bought unless I had been able to get is  cheap like I did. The material in it is not bad but the weapons selection seems too  exotic as it were. I am not sure that there was ever such a varied selection of weapons  in any one place, in history, other than a gaming convention in the early 21st century.  If you can get it cheap the books is worth having but unless you want your players  running around with weapons like Duck Spades and a Cicada Winged Sword while wearing  Aeroglass Plate or Subdermal Armor I might limit its use.


Published: 2001
Pages: 96

From the back of the book:

Weapons of Valor

Weapons make the adventurer, granting a cutting edge against fearsome foe and cunning  villains alike. Players and GMs discover new and innovative ways to arm their favorite  personages within these pages. With more than 70 new weapon qualities and 100 new  weapons, everyone can find something to arm their imaginations.


Armor of Faith

Bardic armor? Spellcaster's spidersilk? No matter the class, new types of armor await  discovery. Coupled with more than 70 new armor qualities, armorsmiths the world over  prepare to forge a host of new possibilities for the world's greatest heroes.