Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Guide to Hell by Chris Pramas ISBN: 0-7869-1431-9 Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.92 (13 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Where Angels Fear to Tread...
Comment: Ah, the Nine Hells! After 20+ years of ignorant attacks on the game system by Christian extremists, it's nice to be able to say that again. Don't get me wrong, I love Planescape, but somehow, it just didn't seem to provide a gothic, forsaken, ultra-dramatic Hell. Now we have it! Granted, it's a bit unorthodox and anti-classical, but I believe that's the point. This isn't a mere retread of the classic AD&D representation of Hell - if you want a tamer, more Dantean environment, check out Dragon 75, 76, the Manual of the Planes, and the 1st printing of the Monster Manuals I and II. This book has a more creative vision - it tries to remold our interpretation of the Infernal into something more cosmic, alien, and underwordly. You get the impression that Hell isn't necessarily a place where the damned go for punishment; rather, its raison d'etre is as the ultimate stronghold of diabolic (lawful) evil. And it's good! The Blood War and history are briefly touched upon, but then we plunge in up to our necks with fantastic details on devils and their beliefs and society, notes on infernal cults, the priests-turning-fiends table, and great new kits that your players will love if they want to dive into "the 9." The Devil Slayer is your basic Hell-bent (ahem) crusader, the Thaumaturgist is a diabolical summoner who specializes in comprehending contracts and magical circles, the Inquisitor is an horrific cleric subclass, the Hellblade is a type of ninja-infiltrator who destroys devils, etc. Then, we have L'Ordre de la Croix-Rose Veritas, a great devil slaying "Templar" order in Greyhawk. But there's more! Diabolic magic, the descriptions of the Hells, infernal powers, the arch-devils, and minions are all described. All in all, it's an amazingly useful compendium. I give it four stars only because its unorthodox nature keeps it from appealing to everyone. In Pace Requiscat!
Rating: 3
Summary: What the...?
Comment: Perhaps I'm too hooked on a book's format and presentation, but content alone is not enough for me. The Guide to Hell is a very useful, interesting sourcebook for those wishing to incorporate a diabolic element into their campaigns. It expands on some of the ideas originating from the 1st edition of the AD&D game while maintaining consistency with the 2nd edition rules.
However, there was far too little material in this book to make it truly comprehensive. Granted, it's not a very large, nor expensive, book by today's standards, but as a "guide," this made a poor one. Half the book was devoted to summary material, which is useful to those who have no other sources to draw upon for information on, for instance, statistics for devils and such, but this information was so brief and short as to be practically useless! Far better to buy a Planescape Monstrous Compendium (volume 1) and have a firmer basis to work with than the shoddy crumbs Pramas includes in this book.
There were some neat kits and magic--nothing spectacular, mind you, but they fulfilled what could be considered the minimum for a sourcebook such as this (i.e., a few devil-related magic items, spells, and kits). The description of the Lords of the Nine was, on the whole, recycled from the 1st edition Monster Manuals, with a few new faces, but again, very briefly and of poor quality.
The good stuff is the politics of Hell that are described. This is the good half of the book, describing not only the history of Hell's denizens, but their secrets, their wars, and their constant politicking. DMs have a good deal of fertile ground to use these beings, rather than as another batch of super-powered monsters to hack and slash to death.
Personally, I wish there was more information; the font used in this book was quite large, perhaps to hide the fact that there was scant material. The paragraphs weren't even justified, and the artwork was horrendous, except for the nice cover art. Again, if you don't care about presentation and are willing to purchase half a book's worth of quality material, then the Guide to Hell is a decent buy. Just smooth over the rough edges with material of your own creation and use the book for inspiration.
Rating: 1
Summary: A Sad State of Affairs
Comment: One of the things that always bothered me about the Planes as described in 1st edition was that it seemed flat, populated by killing machines, and mostly the romping ground for inhumanly powerful characters looking for stuff to kill that would give them suitably huge experience. Period. Then, in 2nd Edition, Planescape was published, and I was astonished. Here, at last, was an attempt to explain how the planes actually worked, to populate them with a more realistic demographic, to make them more than a playground for 18th level fighters. Granted, many people disliked Planescape (I suspect they were the very same 30-year old children I refer to above). But most people I have spoken to found Planescape to breath life back into the stale, boring Planes. And now this. This product is a sad rehash of Planescape information: it encourages DMs to treat fiends like monsters, ignoring their immortal patience, tremendous intelligence, and experience. It describes one of the seven lower planes. 'Hell,' as it really is in D&D and has been since the beginning, encomapasses all the lower planes, not just Baator. If you want a 'to do' list for your munchkin campaign, this is your product. If you're interested in things like setting, dialogue, actual role-playing (as opposed to combat simulation), or story, this should be at the very bottom of your list.
 |
Title: Legions of Hell by Chris Pramas ISBN: 0970104847 Publisher: Green Ronin Publishing Pub. Date: 01 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual II by Gary Gygax ISBN: 0880380314 Publisher: TSR Hobbies Pub. Date: October, 1983 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: The Book of Hallowed Might (Sword and Sorcery S20) by Monte Cook ISBN: 1588461084 Publisher: White Wolf Publishing Inc. Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
 |
Title: Manual of the Planes (Dungeons & Dragons Supplement) by Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan ISBN: 0786918500 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 27 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
 |
Title: The Draconomicon (Dungeons & Dragons) by Andy Collins, James Wyatt, Skip Williams ISBN: 0786928840 Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Pub. Date: 14 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
