Cato Novus's page

A small collection of these little things comes in handy fast, especially in games where you have creatures that you have no miniature or specific token. Say you need a force of skeletons led by a lich, but you have no lich. Instead of just using a skeleton and end up getting it confused for one of the others, drop one of these little guys in as the lich.

Likewise, if you have a group of warriors, mixed between archers and swordsmen, you can use the different colored pawns to represent these basic enemies and differentiate between said archers and swordsmen. Its great all-around.

The Book of Vile Darkness is a well written book on many aspects of Evil in D&D. In some cases, however, it seems to linger a bit too long, while others seem cut too short. I could have done without so many prestige classes, and more focus on rules for evil acts, such as torturing and/or brutalizing characters and so forth. As it is, it does the job, and will definitely use it when I run games. Furthermore, don't let the "Mature Audiences" notice fool you, while it isn't something you should read to your four-year-olds as you put them to bed, it isn't filled with sex and gore.

Its hard to say anything that hasn't already been said. I've looked through it and can find nothing I like. Early on I had hopes for the 4th Edition from what I'd heard, but the more I hear, the less interest I have. If this is a clear indication of the new edition, then I will not be getting it. If this is not a clear indication, then WotC should be slapped for printing it.

I picked up a copy of this and found that its great. Its always nice to have options to help a party bring their dead members back, instead of just walking up to Generic Cleric #3, dropping some gold, and having your party member back. This little gem lets you turn a party member's death into a side-adventure in itself. This is worth much more than the pricetag lists.

The image shown is kinda deceiving. Up until I got the miniature, I thought the rogue was giving some rude gesture with a look of defiance. In actuality, he's gesturing for some one to come to him with his left hand while holding a wicked-looking curved dagger behind his back. Kinda disappointing, but still fitting with a stereotypical rogue.

This is a great kit to start learning with, it goes over everything with simple, easy to understand instructions. Keep in mind, these kits are in the process of an upgrade from the Reaper Pro Series of Paints to their Master Series. The paints included are the nearest approximations to what was originally in the packages and come with a list to show which is replacing which. Otherwise, its a good buy. My only complaint is that I don't think the warts on the rat should be so bloody, but to each his own, I guess.

This is a great kit. Its got an exceptional assortment of color and has a great set of instructions. The only downside I have is that the kit I got is in transition from the Reaper Pro Series of Paints into the Master Series of Paints. While they include the closest approximation of equivalent paint, you are required to mix some at a couple points, and they don't quite mix into the same colors shown on the instructions, just a couple shades difference, but still noticable. Once the kit's instructions are updated, this should not be a worry.

This is probably the best monk miniature I've seen. That's not an exageration. Every miniature has a flaw, because every player has their own view of what their character looks like, and as close any miniature gets, its never quite perfect. But the Order of the Fist Initiate has just about everything right. Great pose, a determined look on the face, fighting unarmed. Very little you expect in a monk is not shown. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to paint themselves a monk.

Gah! Once again my review has been eaten!

Long story short, I like this map, a lot. The main room is a little distracting to me because there are no posts to support the second floor, as opposed to the other side, where there are lots of walls to justify not having support beams. The addition of an open field is also useful. I hope my group gets to make a lot of use of it.

This is a great tool to have. My group used it in the last game and the DM liked it. There was no question for him as who's turn it was. No need to write down the initiative over and over. Just rearrange when things changed.

I found this map to be a great boon in the last game we played, as it was low cost and easy to alter. I handled the mapping for the DM, and it worked out great. What's even better is that when you get your markers for the map, you can get one of those Multicolored packs and use each color for differing terrain or features on the battleground. You can use orange to show the brazzers, blue for water, and so forth.

The map being dry erase is great because you can map things out on the fly, not needing to worry about how to fold things to keep certain parts of the area secret. Finished with one corner of the dungeon? Bust out the eraser and redraw.

This site has eaten this review twice now. So I must retype this once again...

I've always wondered why D&D has made a d3 as the damage range for some weapons. Until Chessex made this d3, I've had to use ranges on things such as a d6 or a d12. Well, this does the job well. It even has "R P S" on it, presumably for Rock Paper Scissors, which could be handy if you are just too lazy to use your hands.

However, there is a definite annoyance with the d3. Chessex decided to make the RPS the predominant symbols, and the numbers in very small type. Rendering them almost as difficult to read as ranges on a larger die are cumbersome, almost.

Until Chessex(or some other company), decides to make a d3 with actual numbers dominating it, I must regrettably, and ironically, rate it at Three Stars.

The Dice Boot works exceptionally well, and has only one flaw: the front plate which is supposed to stop the die from rolling away as it comes out the bottom is very short, and the dice can occasionally ramp over it, causing the boot to accomplish what it is supposed to prevent, but only once out of every twenty rolls. I did, however, find out how to keep this from happening, instead of throwing the dice into the top of the boot, just drop it in. Also, once the dice have rolled, take them out of the bottom, so that they don't make it easier to ramp over the front plate. Aside from the short front plate, I find no problems with the boot, and is the only flaw keeping this review from being Five Stars.