Adventurer's Handbook and Princes of the Apocalypse

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Mechatarrasque

Aug 21, 2014 11:37:21

I saw this on enworld (http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?1846-Sasquatch-Studios-Will-Produce-ADVENTURER-s-HANDBOOK-and-PRINCES-OF-THE-APOCALYPSE-for-D-D-5E-in-2015!#.U_Y76fldXuc):

 

After Tyranny of Dragons, Sasquatch Studios has been hired to produce Adventurer's Handbook and Princes of the Apocalypse [for 5e].

 

 

Adventurer's Handbook (March 17, 2015; hardcover; $39.95) -- A Dungeons & Dragons Accessory.


Create Heroic Characters to Conquer the Elements in this Accessory for the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game
#2

The_Jester

Aug 21, 2014 12:12:44

Not a fan of the name. 

Well both names.

 

Princes of the Apocalypse just sends Queen through my head. But that's a personal quirk.

Oh Freddie Mercury...

 

Adventurer's Handbook - or rather Elemental Evil Adventurer's Handbook - is a terrible name. It's basically the adventure's Player's Guide. Which serves a pupose and is a good book to have, but it doesn't sound useful to people not playing the adventure.

If you're not playing Elemental Evil it's easy to just ignore, even if most of the content could be generic like elemental sorcerers subclass or genasi race or extraplanar backgrounds. Elemental Champions or something would be much better. The content doesn't need to change, just the branding. So you know at a glance that it's tied to the storyline but has generic content as well.

#3

frothsof

Aug 21, 2014 12:28:40
Looks like the next storyline or "book" or whatever they are calling it in-house might be leaked. Elemental Evil. Hopefully see an elementalist sorcerer. The monk already has an elemental themed build, but maybe there will be additional maneuvers. They could do something cool w the druid here, methinks. Races would include genasi one would guess.
#4

frothsof

Aug 21, 2014 12:23:30
The adventure costs more than the handbook! Thats hardcore. Ill be buying them both, R Baker is the man.
#5

Mirtek

Aug 21, 2014 13:16:07

So that's their strategy to generate the "fresh core book" sales spikes for 5e? Well, in 4e calling them PHB 2, 3, etc. failed and people saw them as the splat books that they are rather than real PHBs.

 

I don't think this new approach will have better success.

#6

Plaguescarred1

Aug 21, 2014 13:42:22

Mechagamera wrote:
#7

CelticPaladin

Aug 21, 2014 15:29:25

It's no surprise, Mike Mearls has long said that options will come in themed and campaign oriented books rather than generic splats.

#8

ankiyavon

Aug 21, 2014 16:02:00

The_Jester wrote:
#9

JohnLynch

Aug 21, 2014 16:04:46

Mirtek wrote:
#10

JoeVelociraptor

Sep 17, 2014 10:26:09

"Elemental Evil Adventurer's Handbook" makes me worry that it'll be all about evil/not-quite-evil-but-actually-evil characters like that 4e Drow season or the 4e season with the assassins & vampires.

#11

Shasarak

Sep 17, 2014 14:37:01

I guess you can not go really wrong with the Elder Elemental Eye, but sometimes I just get a hankering for the clasic Zuggtmoy adventure.

#12

Thank_Dog

Sep 17, 2014 15:05:37

It's interesting to see how things have evolved in the industry. The OGL essentially created several companies. Many waned and those that didn't branched out into other areas with the obvious exception of Paizo. And now it seems that WotC are leveraging the survivors by outsourcing to them. Interesting indeed.

#13

Zardnaar

Sep 17, 2014 15:12:38

Damn those are some pricey books. 

#14

LupusRegalis

Sep 17, 2014 17:56:48

Isn't anyone else sick of seeing the Temple of Elemental Evil, and related adventures, rehashed every edition?  It's one thing to offer a conversion guide or something similar, but come on...

#15

Zardnaar

Sep 17, 2014 18:36:12

LupusRegalis wrote:
#16

Artifact

Sep 17, 2014 19:24:55

LupusRegalis wrote:
#17

Zardnaar

Sep 17, 2014 19:28:07

Artifact wrote:
#18

arnwolf666

Sep 17, 2014 21:32:36

I don't mind them redoing it.  But they need to create new iconic adventures.  I loved Paladin in Hell, the great modron march, the Grand Conjunction series, Grim Harvest, Fez series from Mayfair, and many others.  Guess what, I can convert them myself very well.  Bring me new adventures that blow my mind.  It is what pathfinder is doing well.

#19

Zardnaar

Sep 17, 2014 21:36:30

arnwolf666 wrote:
(Reply to #19)

arnwolf666

Zardnaar wrote:
#21

Uchawi

Sep 18, 2014 5:04:30

It will be interesting to see the approach. The immediate thought I had was how the adventurer guide will be formated, i.e. can adventure paths and guides be tailored for a specific version of D&D. So one may offer more options to fighters or martial classes via manuevers, and another may be heavy magic based. Basically you are buying a self contained game with every adventure path that is released.

#22

Grazel

Sep 18, 2014 16:16:16

Uchawi wrote:
#23

Zardnaar

Sep 18, 2014 16:59:58

arnwolf666 wrote:
#24

MonsterEnvy

Sep 18, 2014 17:28:28

The Temple of elemental evil has never been remade anyway.

#25

Zardnaar

Sep 18, 2014 17:53:05

MonsterEnvy wrote:
#26

Mistwell

Sep 18, 2014 19:26:58

Zardnaar wrote:
#27

Zardnaar

Sep 18, 2014 21:12:22

Mistwell wrote:
#28

Mistwell

Sep 18, 2014 22:57:48

I beleive all four of those I named are their own books, not Dungeon adventures.

 

I should mention that Madness at Gardmore Abbey is ranked by some (of those few who actually got it) as one of the best adventures of the 3e or 4e era, including PF.  It's regarded pretty highly.  The biggest downfall it had was D&D Next was already in playtest when Maddness was released.  So not that many people bought it.  Which is a shame.  Wyatt, Broadhurst, and Townshend put a lot of work into that adventure, and it shows.

 

The 4e adventures sadly had a trend of getting much better, as the 4e game was diminishing quickly.  So the adventures that sold the least because they were near the end of the run, were also the best adventures.

#29

cowleymen

Oct 26, 2014 19:10:35

So long as the additonal options covered in this book are not ment to be tied and workable/balanced only inside that adventure campiagn, I can deal with crappy names they give their splat books, SO long as the content is good and the price is fair for the ammount of content. One problem I had with 4e is that a lot fo the splat books had minimual content for the cover price.