Customer Reviews

Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an interesting and potentially exciting supplement, but there are so many new rules, you'll need a copy of the book for yourself and your GM. This is one of those supplements where the crunchy bits are so extensive you can't just drop it into an existing game and run with it.
Likewise, the crunchy bits are tightly intertwined and have new rules systems meaning that the GM and the player will need to understand them. Unlike many of the other splat books, this one would be hard to pick and choose - you can't just grab a couple of feats and go, you and your GM will need to understand the rules well.
The system includes three new base classes which are really there to allow you to use the new combat rules. The classes represent three different approaches to extreme combat training.
The book offers about 30 new feats including a large number of tactical feats. The much longer rules section is the maneuvers and stances. Many of the feats either have maneuvers or class levels as prerequisites, meaning you can't just drop them on your favorite fighters.
The maneuvers and stances are the core of the book. They are organized into 9 schools each of which has a different focus. These special tricks allow you to gain advantages in combat. The advantages range from simple bonuses to hit or damage to the ability to take extraordinary actions or create what would normally be considered magical effects.
Because some of these tricks are quite powerful, there is some bookkeeping involved in using them. The suggestion in the rulebook of using tokens (or index cards) to track them is perfect and should probably be considered mandatory.

Overall, this is a great book and a great expansion. The extra bang for fighters is very welcome and allows you to create some very popular cinematic and fiction archetypes that you just can't get with the conventional rules. The extra complexity is worth it, but you definitely need to make sure that you read the rules thoroughly before starting to play or adding this to your campaign.

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about this product when I first heard about it. I generally like my games to have a lower power level, and I haven't bought many "splatbooks" in the past. Plus, over the top fighting styles usually don't excite me. However, as I read some of the promotional material my interest started to peak.

I knew from my gaming experiences that the spell casting classes tended to outclass the physical combatants. Not only did they get much more powerful, but they had a more interesting options. I don't mind playing a weak character (I played a half-orc diviner in one campaign) , but the game is simply not fun when you are unable to contribute to the fights as often happens with physical fighters at high levels.

The book of nine-swords changes this with a dynamic new system of "maneuvers", special fighter abilities that are superficially similar to spells. The book introduces three new base classes collectively known as Martial Adepts: the crusader, swords sage, and warblade that utilize these techniques. The game does this amazingly well and the system is easy to learn (especially if you keep track of the maneuvers on note-cards as the book recommends).

A martial adept can ready a few manuvers at the beginning of each battle and as he uses them, they go away. However, unlike a spell caster, he doesn't need to get a full nights rest to recover his powers - just a few minutes of practice / recovery time. This allows the martial adept to keep the durability that fighters are supposed to have over mages. The maneuvers themselves are very well done - they all have flavor text telling you exactly what they look like in battle and even the more fantastic ones them sound more exciting and flashy then just cheesy.

The martial adept classes give a strong alternative to traditional spell casters without taking their place. High level maneuvers are impressive but not as flexible or powerful as equivalent spells. At the same time, they make front line fighting dynamic and exciting. The book even enhances the power of existing characters, providing several feats that allow anyone to learn a maneuver or two. I would highly recommend this book, its approach is brand new and breaths new life into the D&D combat system.

After a summer of what I've considered a series of poor releases, this book has been the shining beacon to look forward to for D&D campaigns. The supplement is almost entirely self-contained, much like the previous Tome of Magic, in that very few pieces of the book are useful to any characters that are not built directly from the three base classes presented therein. This is probably the largest drawback of the book, aside from the potential that like many D&D supplements, we may see little more from WotC on the subject of Martial Disciplines and Maneuvers in the future.

The highlights of the book are the three new base classes: Crusader, Swordsage, and Warblade. The Crusader has the most complicated system as far as having maneuvers available to him, but its class abilities make it a formidable character option for front-line offense. Swordsages are your "Wizards" of the Tome of Battle, as they have the most options in terms of maneuvers known and disciplines available. Warblades are the closest to traditional fighters, and would be a great class for someone who likes fighter-types but with a little more pizzazz.

You've got nine Martial Disciplines, each with a unique flavor. Desert Wind focuses on mobility and fire damage, Tiger Claw focuses on animalistic movements and attacks, Setting Sun emphasizes throws and trips in a very Judo-like fashion, as a few examples. Each discipline has about 20-30 maneuvers of differing levels, some of which get very powerful. The maneuvers include strikes, boosts, counters, and stances. Strikes are like one-hit spell effects, boosts are temporary bonuses to some attribute, counters are immediate actions that can be used, and stances are lasting effects that only end when you change stances or altogether stop that stance. The advanced maneuvers tend to look very overpowered, but when compared with spellcasters of equivalent levels, they are very much on par. Remember, 20th level spellcasters have a bevy of instant-kill spells at their disposal, 20th level Psions can create their own planes of existence, so being able to deal +100 damage on a single strike as a 20th level Warblade shouldn't be too out of line.

The feats and prestige classes are almost entirely self-contained. Most feats require some knowledge of a martial discipline; all of the tactical feats do. A few prestige classes require caster level prerequisites (Jade Phoenix Mage) or undead turning capabilities (Ruby Knight Vindicator).

As for the Nine Blades themselves, these are Weapons of Legacy that follows the rules of the book of the same name. It is nice to see a little revisit to that text, which I had assumed would quickly fall by the wayside.

In brief, this book is wonderful if you're running a low-magic campaign with an emphasis on a more tactical combat. Even in a high-magic setting, this gives fighter types more flavor in their motions, so "advance, full-attack, full-attack" isn't the only thing they have available. It's not for everyone, but I'm certainly going to make good use of it in my campaigns.

The Book of Nine Swords IS NOT a simple expansion of the Dungeons and Dragons combat system; it is three new classes, multiple new abilities that will alter the nature of most games, and an interesting story arc that ties them all together. It is important that the second aspect is realized by all those involved in the game - especially the other players. The new classes are, quite honestly, more powerful than many of the core classes (especially at early levels) - and their addition will change the game dynamic.

The three new classes revolve around new abilities called "maneuvers" that are used during combat rounds. In essence, these are super-powerful combat feats that renew very quickly (sometimes by the next round). While these maneuvers aren't as powerful as a fireball spell, they do offer many bonuses including increased damage, extra melee attacks, and improved armor class. Combined with other abilities that the new classes get, this makes them TOO POWERFUL for most traditional games. In fact, adding them to a current game will probably result in all of the melee-types (fighters, rogues, paladins, etc...) taking at least one level of a new class because of the major power boost they will get.

That's the biggest problem with this supplement - it isn't balanced. This is a trend that has gone on with other recent supplements including Dungeonscape, and makes me wonder if Wizards of the Coast is still playtesting their products prior to release. The classes themselves are fun to play, but they tend to only work well in a campaign focused on them (rather than stuck into an ongoing game). If such a new campaign is to be started, DMs might also want to consider other expanded D20 systems including Monty Cook's Iron Heroes.

A few other notes about this supplement:

- All classes have access to the maneuvers through new feats.
- The new classes often require A LOT of tracking and number-crunching each round.
- A useful way to keep track of crusader maneuvers each round is to use index cards. Write each of your crusader's readied maneuvers on an index card (one maneuver per card); the DM can shuffle and deal the appropriate number of cards to your character during the various combat rounds.

Final thoughts: This product isn't for every DM's game, so be aware of that before you buy it. For those looking to add flavor to a new campaign, though, it has definite potential.

I haven't totally devoured the entire book. However, i am currently playing a third level Warblade (class level of four) in a very active campaign. I made sure to OK the class with the DM before using it. I made sure he was aware of how some people declare the class is broken, but he said it would be fine.

I have to admit, i didn't think it was broken until i had taken a few levels in the class. In short, my character just seems over powered, in combat. At the cost of next to nothing, he can add an extra d6 of damage to every other attack...and that is only one of the five "maneuvers" he has in his repertoire. As he continues to level, the amount of extra damage dice continues to climb. Along with these dice come other perks, such as disallowing your enemy to move for a round, or to bypass damage reduction. It just seems too easy to accomplish spell-like abilities for no real cost to the character.

It feels as though these maneuvers not only take the place of figher feats, they are far superior to them. Also, the Warblade gets some pretty decent class features, that make it almost swashbuckelerish, without any real penalties. My character is a Dwarven tank.

I should note that we are playing a rather high powered campaign. Strength and Constitution are both 18 and he has points in Intelligence to aid with the class abilities of the Warblade. He also has no negative modifiers on any of his abilities (all are 10 or above). However, all other characters were made using the same sytem.

I certainly wouldn't say the book is bad. The system they lay out for maneuvers and stances works and is consistent. I certainly have fun playing the axe-wielding cuisinart who mops up the bad guys. Our campaign has a deep enough storyline that just excelling in combat doesn't make for an over-powered character compared to the other characters.

But just be warned, that if you have a large party, with more than one front-line fighter, there may be some jealous glances thrown the way of your Warblade. And if your players aren't mature enough, you may find some arguments breaking out.

This is a phenomenal book and let me say this....if you opt to go the route this supplement offers, your game will never be the same. I'm not saying that Tome of Battle: Nine Swords is flawless, but it easily makes my top 3 or 4 3rd edition book list. Maybe even top 5 or 6 ALL TIME from 1st edition till now! I felt like this book had the same "buzz" and delivered the same saucy results as 1st edition gems like Unearthed Arcana & Oriental Adventures; the 3nd edition Player's Handbook, etc.

Each of the new 3 classes offers something great and the 9 levels of maneuvers & stances are AWESOME! In addition, I noted that the writers made a few vague references that the classes/PrCs/etc. contained therein are not 100% of "the sublime way"....MEANING that players and DMs are encouraged to create their own standard classes and PrCs. Although to be fair, WOTC has been encouraging this kind of homebrew creativity for several years now....

My biggest concern for the material in the book is in balancing with CERTAIN classes like the fighter and ranger....I worry that the classes and PRCs established in this book OR those created by us based on the 9 Swords content will outstrip the aforementioned classes. HOWEVER, fighters and rangers (and every other class as well) can learn maneuevers and stances, it's just that they cost a lot of feats.

It will take players time and patience to implement the vast storehouse of options in this hardbound treasure trove, but I believe in the long run that this is a fantastic set of playing options for melee characters....this book brings Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon + The Iron Monkey + The Matrix + Kill Bill + Final Fantasy + Street Fighter, etc. etc. to the D&D game. And to me...that's fantastic.

PLEASE BE AWARE....this is a wild and exciting new set of options, but before making any kneejerk or negative assertions, take the time to read, learn, and try....REMEMBER that you have the option of tailoring much of this material for YOUR game. The Book of Nine Swords is one of the best and most innovative supplements/books the D&D game has ever created.

I got this book at the recommendations of one of my players. While the styles are fairly well-balanced with the rest of the game, to me the main sticking point of the book is whether it really fits your campaign style or not.

If you enjoy classic a classic sword & sorcery feel, this book will most likely not be to your liking. Nine swords very deliberately introduces eastern-style martial styles to the campaign, many of which have very obvious magical effects. Long time players of greyhawk and FR might squirm a bit trying to fit this into their campaign. Dragonlance players might be able to fit this into their campaign if they tie the martial styles to the ancient Knights of Solomnia or other such groups, disregarding the 9 swords temple backgrounds. Other campaigns with a strong tie to midievil european set-ups will have a difficult time incorporating this book into the campaign without a bit of world revision.

On the other hand, if you've grown up with watching Inayushi, Princess Monoko and other anime staples, this book will feel right at home. Eberron players should likewise have little trouble fitting it into their world-view. In an oriental campaign (Rokugan, Karu-Tur or other), this book feels right at home as well.

You'll have to decide whether or not this book fits your world view as a DM. Most players, I'm pretty sure, will love adding this book to their repitoire. If the DM lets the players come up with an RP reason why these styles fit into a campaign, so much the better - it gives a good DM more plot hooks.

If you get this book, two things are pretty much essential - the DM needs his own copy, and make cards to keep your manuevers on (especially if you are playing a Crusader - you'll need something to randomize your manuevers in an encounter). Like spell cards - manuever cards, stance cards and the like are a big help to speeding up play in the game.

With all that said, take note - in my homebrew world, this book just doesn't fit. Yet, at the same time I'm looking forward to running a campaign world where the nine styles fit perfectly in with the rest of the world. And I'm going to run a character with Tiger Claw and White Raven style :)

I must admit, when I first saw the previews on Wizards I was skeptical at best. I hated the idea that none of the manuevers were available to anyone outside of the three classes, and that the book was off base, and that it would be a pain to change it around. After buying the book I've come to the realization that actually this book is pretty darn close to perfect. The classes presented are balanced, the maneuvers are awesome, the (few) monsters are excellent, and the story line to the book, while it won't be used by me in my campaign, is a good one as well.

Sometimes first impressions are way off.

My entire gaming group reached a consensus: this book is our new favorite book for core classes in DnD 3.5.

First off, a cautionary note: DM's WILL want to read this before letting their player with all the disposable income roll up a character from this book, as its systems are complicated and the character abilities have been created almost whole-cloth. In general, we've found the classes to be powerful for a long time over a long series of encounters, but not QUITE overly so. When compared to the amount of damage a like-level sorcerer can throw around or a twinked-out feat-er, they're about right.

The core mechanics added are the nine martial Styles, which provide a choice of Maneuvers and Stances.

Styles: various fun, flavor-filled fighting styles, each with their own distinct forms, themes, signature weapons, etc. Example: Desert Wind focuses on slashing weapons and often allows a fighter to move quickly around the battlefield and deal elemental fire damage.

Maneuvers: Specific martial attacks with often near-spell-like effects that add a distinct descriptive element to the game. Maneuvers are used once, then lost, but can be regained during combat in a number of different ways, depending on your core class. Many attack-based maneuvers focus on making one standard action to achieve a very nice, powerful effect, so if your player knows his rules, this can actually speed UP combat if he usually plays a dual-wielding cheese monster (no, that's NEVER happened in any of my games...)

Stances: A martial stance that provides a continuous, ongoing benefit. Players can switch between them as a swift action.

The core classes are all very cool, and determine which Styles you have access to. As they start, they have access to a choice of lower-level maneuvers and stances, but these can be readily switched out later for more powerful ones, so their early choices don't become useless later on. In fact, the core classes are so cool, you often will stop looking for a prestige class, unless it is one of the few included in the book that also make use of the martial stance/maneuver system.

In addition to having access to specific style choices, each class also gets interesting class abilities as well. One cool example: the Warblade, a medium-armor figher type, can buy fighter-specific feats as an equivalent figher a few levels lower (read: weapon specialization, greater weapon specialization, etc.). In addition, they can CHANGE any weapon-specific feats to focus on a different weapon, such as weapon focus, weapon spec., with only a short amount of exercise at the beginning of the day. Did your character focus on swords but find a sweet magical greataxe? No problem.

Fans of White Wolf's Exalted game with notice some similarity in the stances and maneuvers to Exalted's Charm structure, the big plus being that lower-powered maneuvers learned early in a characters career can be switched out for higher ones, rather than lingering around at higher levels not doing anything like a bag of caltrops.

All in all, the Book of Nine Swords is not a must-have to play the game, and is certainly not appropriate to every single type of campaign, but most long-time DnD players will find the book adds new spice to their game, with new and interesting options that remain effective no matter what level your character is at the moment.

JT

This is one of the coolest and most original 3.5 supplements I've ever seen. I really enjoy some of the lesser known supplements like Dragonmech, Iron Kingdoms, and some of the indie stuff out there, but an actual WotC supplement is rarely so exciting at this. Tome of Battle offers a completely new take on martial combat, basically turning it into a kind of spellcasting. My immediate thought the first time I saw this book was that it was 4th Edition in 3.5 rules.
You've got three new classes: crusader, swordsage and warblade. The crusader is a kind of divine warrior, like a cleric with more combat and less spellcasting. The swordsage is like the ultimate fantasy martial artist and can really be considered a replacement for the oft-thought mediocre monk from the PHB. The warblade is one of only 3 D&D classes I'm aware of with a d12 hit die.
Other than the classes, you've got prestige classes, feats, a few new monsters, and items, and a nice big list of the martial powers available to PCs.

The only disappointing thing about this book is that it isn't bigger. It's awesome for what it is, but I wish there was so much more of it.