Customer Reviews

Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this book has real possiblities if you are interested in doing a artic or a cold environment like in the George RR Martin series (game of thrones)

You are introduced in the opening chapter of the frostfell environments of high altitude, winter, ice age and lands of eternal ice. The dangers are listed like freezing, snow blindess, dangerous terrain, etc. There are listed specific terrain types, like tundra, frozen seas and the like.

Chapter two has the various races of the frostfell, mostly adaptations of the current ph races plus the uldra, a small fey who live in the cold. There is a section on the various classes and how they fit into this environment. There are new feats, but not alot. One of the feats is snowrunner which allows you to run at full speed, another is piercing cold which allows you to add the cold descriptor to your spells.

There are some new prestige classes which look hit or miss to me. It would depend on the DM to pick and choose. One of the prestige classes is the frostmage who gains natural armor, resistance to cold in the first two levels of the class.

There are new equipment and spells. There are several conjure ice beasts(summon monster equivilent). Ice shield gives damage reduction of 15, freezing glance which freezes subject in their tracks.

New monsters like the dire polar bear,and the wolly mammoth. The book ends with some adventures, always a good idea in my opinion.

If you are creative enough, you can do without this book.

I am planning on a series of adventures for my players and I find this to be a useful book, especially for the hazards of the cold and some of the monsters and spells

Apparently "the perils of ice and snow" are pretty much the same as the perils everywhere else: a proliferation of prestige classes largely suitable for NPCs and a handful of monsters that wouldn't have made the cut for the 1st edition Fiend Folio.

In fact, if you thought the perils of ice and snow might be, well, ice, snow and cold, this is not the book for you. Less than 20 pages are dedicated to discussing what life in extremely cold zones, especially in alpine regions, is like. Although there are a couple of feats designed to explain how some people (or races) might be able to survive in extreme climatic conditions, there is almost nothing about how to create the terror of an avalanche, rule on the gradual onset of snow blindness, or ajudicate the creeping psychological effects of oxygen deprivation. Hmmmm... in fact, almost nothing about adventuring in the element of cold that wasn't in the DMG and/or PHB.

I presume WotC is doing its market research and that research shows that prestige classes sell. If that's what you're looking for, this book will provide some. If you were looking for a book that would provide you with campaign insights on life in the cold, and how the 3.5 rule set can be used to ajudicate the hazards therein, you'll be disappointed. But the real shame is that with a hard look you realize that no one should really be satisfied with this supplement. Power gamers use the terms "crunchy" and "fluffy" to describe rule mechanics vs. campaign flavor. There needs to be a third term, "filler" that describes verbiage that fits into neither of the above categories. Sadly, that is where about 60% of this supplement falls.

The only upside is that there is still room for some hungry and enterprising d20 company to write a good supplement on setting a campaign in the cold.

I bought this book expecting some great rules and insights on how to really make my players suffer in the cold, I wanted them to think everytime they reached for their sword, everytime they put on armour and everytime they wandered what was for diner...and FrostBurn fell far short.

Yes it's crammed full of new prestige classes and monsters and spells, but if I wanted more of these I'd have bought a book called "Monsters, Feats and Prestige Classes for Artic Conditions".

Filling up 75% of a book with Monsters and Prestige Classes seems to be becoming a rather bad habit in D20.

The first 5-10 pages were a good start, and if the rest of the book had continued in the same vein I'd have been really happy.

Things I expected to find :
- Effects of cold on weapons and armour

- Hunting and food in the cold

- Flora and Fauna, herbs and wildlife

- Far more on cold related illnesses such as snowblindness, more detail on Frostbite and Hyperthermea (sp) in a D20 setting.

- Effects of deep snow and ice on combat

- Synergy of skills in cold environments

- More on travel.

The book seems more aimed at creating a new campaign setting (new player races are introduced) than being a Generic guide that can work for any campaign.

Certainly didn't fill the gap I needed, I'm still looking for other options.

This is a tool kit for adventuring in the arctic. The feats, magic and monsters within are all geared towards this end. If you want to turn your caapaign into a winter wonderland, this is the book for you. If you want to run a medieval Ice Age, this is your book. For those that like it cold, this is your book. A word of caution on classes, the wilderness classes will get a lot more out of this than the others especially Druids and Rangers. Frostburn stands out in that hands down, Rangers get more new spells than Paladins but at least in my opinion, this is how it should be.

Frostburn is the first in a series of environment-based supplements, featuring arctic climates. The book is in the standard supplement format: New Races, New Prestige classes, New Spells, New Monsters, etc. This doesn't set Frostburn above its brethren.

What does set Frostburn above its fellow D&D supplements is the strength of the design and content. The book includes some intriguing campaign possibilities for GMs to explore, but without a heavy-handed campaign world. A gamemaster can use the book either as a standalone campaign, a single-shot adventure setting, or simply as good source material.

The new races were strong. There are arctic variants of some of the standard races (such as glacier dwarves). Humans finally get a subrace - the neanderthal - as a player race. And finally there is the Uldra PC race.

The Uldra are small fey creatures of the north. The race is fascinating itself, but there is also a very interesting campaign which could be developed from their gods and backgrounds. The uldra prestige classes are also very interesting.

The feats give a number of excellent new options for arctic heroes (and could be easily adapted to characters near volcanos by switching Cold to Fire :). There are feats for every class, giving all classes something to use. Spells were similarly intriguing. Unique substances, such as blue ice that can be worked like iron, create some interesting additions to a treasure trove.

The artwork is good for the most part, though some of the monster art is a little weak. The monsters themselves. FInally, there was an unexpected bonus - a couple of tiles for the D&D miniature grid - in the back.

Overall, definitely worth it.

This is a very good product that fleshes out the actic. WotC has spent a lot of time lately trying to flesh out various aspects of "standard" campaigns (likely because the aging professionals who play their games have less and less time for extraneous things--like building campaign worlds), and this product does a fine job of helping out DMs and players alike. It has a number of fairly interesting prestige classes, and a some very good feats. The neantherdal race is a very interesting PC race. The spells are pretty good, though rather standard and typical. Frostburn really shines, however, in its new monsters, and there are quite a few of them. Unlike some complaints, I felt the writers did a pretty good job of fleshing out the effects of extreme cold (though, perhaps, not good enough--but it's difficult to really know what -50 degree temperatures can do, especially week after week, unless you've lived in them, like I have). I highly recommend Frostburn.

Very comprehensive in fleshing out the details of a frosty world, otherworldly or material. This is a must-have resource for any DM/GM!

This is a good 3.5 supplement. Enough fluff to draw in the imagination, and enough crunch to make you want to buy the book and put the new pieces into play.

If you want to drop icebergs onto your foes, yes, get the book. Peril, situations which might suddenly turn violent, spells and items that intrigue; they're in here.

This is the book that contains new races you've looked for: the meaty Neanderthal, the blue-skinned Uldra. Amusing beating tools like the glot and razor skipdisk await your perusal. Hard, unrelenting prestige classes like the Knights of the Iron Glacier are available. Want to use an old-school weapon made out of antlers? Check out the Sugliin.

You've been saving your money, waiting for a book that lives up to what you demand in entertainment value. This might be it.

Of course, if your characters are planning something so vile that they may have to retreat to the howling frozen wastes of the North, and you didn't think you needed this book, you won't have a lot of time to regret it. The part-time marauders who sometimes are less than picky about the source of their fresh meat are always pleased when dinner strolls up to them and asks, "Where is the trading post?"

At least, they seem happy when they are eating.

Some of us just like Ice- Ice Dragons, Frost axes, and Ice magic, like Cone of Cold. Some of us just happen to like this element, just like some people just happen to like lightning or fire. This book has a ton of spells and feats and some excellent prestige classes for players who like ice and cold, and some excellent monsters and villain designs for DM's who like ice and cold. The data on survival in the cold in very useful as well, it's excellent for setting up a quest in the arctic. It's true most of it is in Farenheit, but you can easily convert the data to Celsius. This is a great product for the people it is targeted towards.

This book was exactly as advertised. My son loves it, and it's nice to save some money.
Thanks!