Review: Swords of Our Fathers

[ post #1 ]

Title: Swords of Our Fathers
Author: JD Wiker
System: Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition
Page Count: 41
Format: Black & White PDF

I've downloaded and read the first PDF sourcebook by JD Wiker's new publishing house, The Game Mechanics, and I've got to say I really, reallly like it. For anyone that plays D&D, and even for some that run other fantasy games, this sourcebook is a really unique take on the concept of magical swords. I'm going to implement this idea into my campaign immediately, and it should help curb the "gimme gimme" attitude of some of my players.

The concept behind Swords of Our Fathers is that magical swords are too often treated like they are in video games -- just another, stronger weapon to trade for. For this sourcebook, however, JD has taken a very "Lord of the Rings" approach in that swords should be unique, special artifacts like Glamdring or Sting, something to be kept forever and never treated as just another weapon. He does this by having these legendary swords grow in power the longer a wielder uses them; four prestige classes cause these blades to grow in strength, representing time and training done with the blades. Never fear that you're taking a prestige class just for one weapon's ability; each of the four helps continue you down the path of your original class, if not quite as swiftly, but spellcasters increase in caster level and warrior types get bonus feats.

The weapons themselves are really, really cool. My favorites so far are Hearthbrand and Draakhoorn, just for the unique roleplaying opportunities they present. The great thing is that each sword has different powers, so that no two legendary swords are alike, and even the same weapon acts differently in the hands of different wielders. Forget your fighters pawing after the next +2 sword; now they're going to hang on to this weapon the entire game. Not only are the powers unique and useful, but the flavor of the weapons will turn Joe Fighter into a highly stylized and vivid character thanks to an identifying weapon. Moreover, the book does not limit itself to swords, but also includes ideas for axes and other bladed weapons, making it that much more versatile. I like this concept so much that I'm considering eliminating all magic weapons in the campaign except for legendary weapons that use the scion prestige classes. It makes a magic weapon special as opposed to treasure.

The art and layout of the book is great, and reminds me a lot of the AD&D 2nd Edition sourcebooks. However, this is where I do have my only real complaints with the book. One, the PDF file doesn't have bookmarks, so you can't just jump to the section you wants. Secondly, the borders and formatting go right to the edge of the page, meaning that when you print out the page you're going to get some cropping that might not look that great. It's nitpicky, but though the book looks great on the screen, printing can be a problem. You won't miss any text, but borders may mess up.

Overall, for $5 this book has already been well worth the money for the ideas I've harvested from it. Now the biggest problem is going to be finding a way of taking away "mundane" +2 swords and giving them a legendary blade....

Overall Score: 4/5

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Re: Review: Swords of Our Fathers

[ post #2 ]

Thanks for the review, Moridin! I'm glad you liked the book, and I appreciate you reviewing it here on a Star Wars-oriented site!

Originally posted by Moridin Now the biggest problem is going to be finding a way of taking away "mundane" +2 swords and giving them a legendary blade....

It's actually easier than it looks. Each of the legendary swords acts more or less like a mundane magic blade initially, and most of them don't look terribly special. So just have those +2 swords start displaying odd properties--and get the players wondering why. When they start trying to research the weapons, then clue them in that the swords they already have might be something more than what they appear.

JD

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JD Wiker
www.thegamemechanics.com
www.jdwiker.com

[ post #3 ]

Yea I was wondering about that, becuse it seems like so many monsters now, even relatively low level ones, need magic to hit them. I have not read the supliment yet so maybe there is something like this, but it would be cool to have a PrC that was vaguly Jedi like where they spent time at low levels enchanting their sword then it grew with them.

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"Oh, would you stop. Luke Skywalker this, Luke Skywalker that. I am sick of hearing about that little fruit!" Red Foreman- "That 70's Show"

[ post #4 ]

You got my $5, JD. Outstanding job, and something I'd very much like to incorporate into my own fantasy game.

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[ post #5 ]

Thanks, Rigil! Glad you've enjoyed it so much.

And, at the risk of sounding like I'm just advertising, I think you'll like Staves of Ascendance just as much. It does for magic staves what Swords of Our Fathers does for swords and other weapons.

If those do well, we might even explore some other magic items, like rings, armor, and such.

JD

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JD Wiker
www.thegamemechanics.com
www.jdwiker.com

[ post #6 ]

Oooh, Rings of Power......that's a LotR reference waiting to happen!

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Rodney "Moridin" Thompson
RPG Designer/Developer, Wizards of the Coast
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Follow me on Twitter: wotc_rodney

[ post #7 ]

I'll be honest JD.

I'd buy anything you put your name on. I'm such a fanboy... and besides, I think this e-book covers a topic that has, to my knowledge, been covered very little, if at all. And I agree with you. +1, +2, +3 swords... booooring!

P.S. The above bit about being a fanboy also goes out to Owen Stephens as well

What if.....

[ post #8 ]

You lose the sword? A warrior should not be dependant on a specific weapon, but rather on his/her skill with all weapons, or all weapons of a specific type. Unless the weapons have some feature that prevents them from easily being lost or getting stolen, the idea of building prestigue classes around them is risky at best.

[ post #9 ]

I guess that's an incentive not to loose the sword.

I mean how many epic mythology heroes do you see loosing their iconic weapon unless it's done so for plot reasons? The whole point of the publication was to change weapons from being disposable in to something that grows with the character. If your sword is your life, then you're gonna hold on to it pretty closely. Makes perfect sense to me.

[ post #10 ]

As long as you don't have a GM that enjoys starting off by removing everyones equipment... grumble grumble grumble

One GM that I had gamed with is notorious for that. Now, I hide most of my gold off of me, and am paranoid whenever he takes over a campaign.

..you wake up, in chains in your undergarments... your spell book is gone, your weapons are gone. You have nothing left.

or... a bar fight breaks out and is eventually broken up... the cops take a way everything, and when you get out of jail, they can't seem to find it...

Though, I do love the idea. I'll have to look into picking it up. Another GM has done that kind of concept with some weapons. We learn a new power of the weapon each level we go up. up to a certain amount.

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Re: What if.....

[ post #11 ]

Originally posted by Van Owen You lose the sword? A warrior should not be dependant on a specific weapon, but rather on his/her skill with all weapons, or all weapons of a specific type. Unless the weapons have some feature that prevents them from easily being lost or getting stolen, the idea of building prestigue classes around them is risky at best.

I agree--which is why we address this very issue in the first chapter. It boils down to a suggestion to the DM that the character shouldn't permanently lose a legendary item, precisely because the character has invested part of his adventuring career in it.

If you want to do a bit more research before you buy, check out the Swords of Our Fathers page on our website.

JD

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JD Wiker
www.thegamemechanics.com
www.jdwiker.com

[ post #12 ]

now that i've kicked my Midnight game into higher gear, i'm probably going to pick this up.

apart from normal D&D worlds, Midnight is very likely to have a legendary sword rather than a normal +2 longsword.

SooF is definately a good buy for your low-magic and rare-magic worlds.

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[ post #13 ]

Hey JD...I heard my dream had ome true and Green Ronin had compiled Swords of Our Fathers, and the Staff book. If so is it available at gaming stores yet? I have been holding off and waiting unitl they were compiled. Plus I just like books better than computer printouts.

__________________
Dr. Worm
(I'm not a real Doctor, but I am a real worm.)

"Oh, would you stop. Luke Skywalker this, Luke Skywalker that. I am sick of hearing about that little fruit!" Red Foreman- "That 70's Show"

[ post #14 ]

Originally posted by Dr_Worm Hey JD...I heard my dream had ome true and Green Ronin had compiled Swords of Our Fathers, and the Staff book. If so is it available at gaming stores yet? I have been holding off and waiting unitl they were compiled. Plus I just like books better than computer printouts.

It should be available in stores now, yes. We had it at Gen Con Indy, and it was due to release within a week or so of that, so ...

JD

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JD Wiker
www.thegamemechanics.com
www.jdwiker.com

[ post #15 ]

Just in case your store has to order it, the book is formally titled Artifacts of the Ages: Swords and Staves.

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Rodney "Moridin" Thompson
RPG Designer/Developer, Wizards of the Coast
Webmaster, SWRPGNetwork
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