So, trying this again as my last review disappeared when I tried to submit it.
Quickie Review: Dungeoneer's Handbook is a lesson in mediocrity from a company that tends to do better. To be fair, their Player's Companion product line does tend to be a mixed bag when it comes to quality as it seems to be where Paizo places some of their newer more experimental writers. That said, there are a few gems in this product, so if you choose to buy it, you may want to stick to the PDF.
In Depth Review:
The Good:
There were only a couple things that really stood out as great for me. "The Torchbearer" was a neat concept. A weaker Leadership feat that eventually grows up into the Leadership feat at 8th level. The companion is limited in what class they can be but has access to some neat archetypes provided in the book. While "Blazing Torchbearer" and "Sapper" are questionable to the point of being nigh useless, the other's are kind of, well, neat for a hireling to have. The ranger archetype "The Groom" protects the horses and can scout out towns to help PC's find where to get that spell or service they need. The Ranger archetype "Dungeon Rover" is basically, well, a Dungeon oriented Ranger, and a pretty solid one at that. The "Terra-Cotta Monk" is pretty solid as well, with the "Stone Grip" ability invoking some rather neat mental images of a monk crawling along the ceiling towards it's unaware target. The "Trap Breaker" alchemist pretty much does what the name implies and has the added perk of being able to convert bombs into land mines, all in exchange for the poison abilities which seems to be the perfect trade off.
The traits on the inside of the back cover are neat. Two give more unusual PC's some nice fluff while providing a fairly solid benefit. Destine For Greatness makes the use of Kits far more appealing than they might otherwise be. Lost Role Model, well, that depends on how the key feature is used. A couple of other feats stood out as neat, such as "Close Call", "Cursed Item Detection" and "Dampen Presence", they actually struck me as being the only real worthwhile feats in the book.
The Meh:
There's a lot of Meh in here. After all, this is a Dungeoneer's Guide, which means unless you're new to the hobby, it's been done, about as much as 'hero point' rules, and this book is merely Paizo's take on it. Or at least feels that way. The advise is solid, but standard, with Golarion specific dungeons mentioned in blurbs giving the book a more campaign specific feel. Feats like "Coaxing Spell" and "Arcane Trap Suppressor" were alright, but offset by either a high spell level cost or a rather situational effect. The equipment was a mixed bag that basically evens out on the 'worth-it' and 'worthless' side of things.
Most notable here, belongs to the concept of Dungeon Guides. These are journals, stories, text books, on specific dungeons that, if utilized properly, give you an edge on certain skills. It's an interesting concept, but an awkward execution. The price for the sample tomes are ridiculous, the mechanics behind it are iffy, but I could see them being very neat as a plot device far superior to the classic trope of the map found in the treasure hoard or on the dead pirates belt.
The Fugly:
"Tactical Re-positioning" seemed to do something that one could easily argue the Re-positioning Maneuver should do already. The Feat "Ostentatious Display" struck me as being useless, pointless, needlessly convoluted and a poor concept altogether. Basically you get a +1 bonus to a social skill based on what type of bling you have and what magic item slot it takes up. To give you an example, per the feat, you might get a +1 intimidation bonus for a Diamond Studded Belt, but a necklace of Skulls and Bloody Ears would give you a +1 Diplomacy bonus. Oh, and in order to benefit from it, you have to give up a magic item slot, because the bonus doesn't apply to gaudy magic items. Altogether, about as worthless as a feat can be, without taking 'Prone Shooter' from "Ultimate Combat".
The spells they offered were, well, almost insulting. There was one 4th level spell that did damage equivalent to a fireball to 1 creature, but you could have it affect more (up to a 25ft square) at the cost of damage. There was the "Create Holds" spell, which is neat in concept, but should probably be 2nd level seeing as "Spider Climb, Communal" pretty much accomplishes more, better, and at 3rd level. "Discern Value" seems like a needlessly convoluted, needlessly high level spell to replace using appraise (and poorly). "Determine Depth" is so situational is should probably be level 1 instead of 2. "Nature's Ravages" is like the reverse of "Gentle Repose" but it's a 4 Cleric/3 Witch for some strange reason.
All in all, I give this a 2.5, some neat stuff, but an ultimately forgettable product. As 2.5 isn't an option, I'm listing it as 2, because mediocrity is a sin in and of itself, or maybe I'm just a jerk.
Cryptid Scholar: Traits fortune
Uses [] [] []
Trigger: You attempt to Recall Knowledge to identify a creature you can see.
Effect: You roll the skill check twice and use the better result.
Hunt Prey:
<1> (concentrate, ranger)
…You designate a single creature as your prey and focus your attacks against that creature. You must be able to see or hear the prey, or you must be tracking the prey during exploration.
…You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks when you Seek your prey and a +2 circumstance bonus to Survival checks when you Track your prey. You also ignore the penalty for making ranged attacks within your second range increment against the prey you’re hunting.
…You can have only one creature designated as your prey at a time. If you use Hunt Prey against a creature when you already have a creature designated, the prior creature loses the designation and the new prey gains the designation. Your designation lasts until your next daily preparations.
…You have trained to unleash a devastating flurry of attacks upon your prey. Your multiple attack penalty for attacks against your hunted prey is –3 (–2 with an agile weapon) on your second attack of the turn instead of –5, and –6 (–4 with an agile weapon) on your third or subsequent attack of the turn, instead of –10.
Twin Takedown:
<1> (flourish, ranger)
Frequency once per round
Requirements You are wielding two melee weapons, each in a different hand.
…You swiftly attack your hunted prey with both weapons. Make two Strikes against your hunted prey, one with each of the required weapons. If both hit the same hunted prey, combine their damage for the purpose of its resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to each Strike normally.
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Skills
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FEAT AND ABILITY DETAILS
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Experienced Tracker (general, skill): Tracking is second nature to you, and when necessary you can follow a trail without pause. You can Track while moving at full Speed by taking a –5 penalty to your Survival check. If you’re a master in Survival, you don’t take the –5 penalty. If you’re legendary in Survival, you no longer need to roll a new Survival check every hour when tracking, though you still need to roll whenever there are significant changes in the trail.
Hunt Prey:
<1> (concentrate, ranger)
…You designate a single creature as your prey and focus your attacks against that creature. You must be able to see or hear the prey, or you must be tracking the prey during exploration.
…You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks when you Seek your prey and a +2 circumstance bonus to Survival checks when you Track your prey. You also ignore the penalty for making ranged attacks within your second range increment against the prey you’re hunting.
…You can have only one creature designated as your prey at a time. If you use Hunt Prey against a creature when you already have a creature designated, the prior creature loses the designation and the new prey gains the designation. Your designation lasts until your next daily preparations.
Hunter’s Edge:
You have trained for countless hours to become a more skilled hunter and tracker, gaining an additional benefit when you Hunt Prey depending on the focus of your training.
…Flurry: You have trained to unleash a devastating flurry of attacks upon your prey. Your multiple attack penalty for attacks against your hunted prey is –3 (–2 with an agile weapon) on your second attack of the turn instead of –5, and –6 (–4 with an agile weapon) on your third or subsequent attack of the turn, instead of –10.
Skilled Heritage: Your ingenuity allows you to train in a wide variety of skills. You become trained in one skill of your choice. At 5th level, you become an expert in the chosen skill.
Twin Takedown:
<1> (flourish, ranger)
Frequency once per round
Requirements You are wielding two melee weapons, each in a different hand.
…You swiftly attack your hunted prey with both weapons. Make two Strikes against your hunted prey, one with each of the required weapons. If both hit the same hunted prey, combine their damage for the purpose of its resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to each Strike normally.
Sword Training Items
…Equal to level: minor healing potion
…Equal to half level: minor healing potion
Boon Details:
ADVANCED BOONS
FACTION BOONS
GENERAL BOONS
Traits:
…agile: The multiple attack penalty you take with this weapon on the second attack on your turn is –4 instead of –5, and –8 instead of –10 on the third and subsequent attacks in the turn.
…sweep: This weapon makes wide sweeping or spinning attacks, making it easier to attack multiple enemies. When you attack with this weapon, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your attack roll if you already attempted to attack a different target this turn using this weapon.
Defense Proficiencies:
FORT: Expert
REF: Expert
WILL: Trained
Light Armor: Trained
Medium Armor: Trained
Heavy Armor: Untrained
Unarmoured Defese: Trained
Shields: Trained
