Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved: A Varient Player's Handbook [Hardcover]

Monte Cook (Author), Sue Cook (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 430 pages
• Publisher: Malhavoc Press / White Wolf Publishing (February 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588467805
• ISBN-13: 978-1588467805
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The game designer
Monte Cook started working professionally in the game industry in 1988. In the employ of Iron Crown Enterprises, he worked with the Rolemaster and Champions games as an editor, developer, and designer. In 1994, Monte came to TSR, Inc., as a game designer and wrote for the Planescape and core D&D lines. When that company was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, he moved to the Seattle area and eventually became a senior game designer. At Wizards, he wrote the 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and served as codesigner of the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game. In 2001, he left Wizards to start his own design studio, Malhavoc Press, with his wife Sue. Although in his career he has worked on over 100 game titles, some of his other credits include Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, The Book of Eldritch Might series, the d20 Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, The Book of Vile Darkness, Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, Ptolus, Monte Cook's World of Darkness, and Dungeonaday.com. He was a longtime author of the Dungeoncraft column in Dungeon Magazine. In recent years, Monte has been recognized many times by game fans in the ENnies Awards, the Pen & Paper fan awards, the Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, the Origins Awards, and more.

The author
A graduate of the 1999 Clarion West writer's workshop, Monte has published two novels, The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. Also, he has published the short stories "Born in Secrets" (in the magazine Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in the anthology Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in the anthology Realms of the Arcane). His stories have appeared in the Malhavoc Press anthologies Children of the Rune and The Dragons' Return, and his comic book writing can be found in the Ptolus: City by the Spire series from DBPro/Marvel. His fantasy fiction series, "Saga of the Blade," appeared in Game Trade Magazine from 2005-2006.

The geek
In his spare time, Monte runs games, plays with his dog, watches DVDs, builds vast dioramas out of LEGO building bricks, paints miniatures, and reads a lot of comics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars d20 Flexibility at its Best, July 30, 2005

By 

Benoist Poire (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved: A Varient Player's Handbook (Hardcover)

I will give you a quick overview of the product itself. Second, I am going to talk about its appearance, ergonomy and detail its contents. Third, I will tell you what I think are the "Critical Hit" and "Critical Miss" of this book and finally conclude with my overall appreciation of the product.

Overview

Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved can be purchased in PDF format on DriveThruRPG.com or in hardcover format at your local game stores, Amazon.com and gaming websites. It is 432 pages long, one of the first "mammoth volumes" of its kind.

First and foremost, Arcana Evolved combines materials of Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, The Diamond Throne (detailing the default setting for Arcana Unearthed) and the Player's Guide (which was provided with the Arcana Unearthed DM Screen). If you want a "group price" for these books buy Arcana Evolved. If you have Arcana Evolved, you do not need these books at all (but for the actual DM Screen I was talking about, which is a nice product in itself, but that's another review altogether).

Arcana Evolved isn't just a compilation of previous Malhavoc products. It adds little bits and pieces to the award-winning Arcana Unearthed and makes something new and refreshed out of it. These "bits and pieces" include a new character race, a new character class, new options for your character's development on a "mechanical" level. But it also adds in terms of background, if you are interested in new ideas for your Arcana Unearthed or D&D games: the Tenebrian Seeds allowing access to "Evolved Levels" and the "Return of the Dragons" to the Diamond Throne (or your homebrew setting), for instance.

Lay Out

The first impression people get when they open Arcana Evolved is usually one of awe. First, the book is huge (more than four hundred pages, as precised above). Second, it is a full-color volume. One could expect a very confusing lay-out as a result - lots of color equals less clarity, right? Not with this book. Colors enlighten the product while not covering or confusing its contents. The lay-out is simple and efficient. The art is sometimes just okay, and sometimes outstanding, but always colored with taste. The overall impression it leaves is one of beauty, simplicity/clarity and coherence (there is a lay-out "theme" in tones, fonts and so on. This is one of these little details making for me the difference between very good and outstanding books).

The Actual Contents

Introduction: New Possibilities - This obviously presents Arcana Evolved to the reader, with its scope, its ambition, the themes and concepts that inspired it, how to use the book and how to create/level up characters. This is an important section for this review, since it states the goals of the product: bring the power back into the DM's hands, increase the player's choices, base the game on the notions of character choice, uniqueness, use a background made of rituals and traditions. With these goals in mind, we can actually know more or less objectively if Arcana Evolved fulfills its mission or not.

Chapter One: Abilities - nothing particularly new for a D&D player here. It presents the main ability scores used in AE, none of which are new. It also presents the classic tables of bonus spells and, something new here though, rites. Combat Rites are used mostly by the Ritual Warrior, the new character class in this book, but also other, revised character classes, such as the Oathsworn (at mid-level) and Warmain (at high-level).

Chapter Two: Races - First, the actual races are: Humans, Dracha (humanoid, medium-sized dragons), Faen (little feys between the PHB elves and halflings which can transform into the tiny, flying Sprytes), Giants (a noble, civilized race whose society is centered on the concept of ritual and tradition), Litorians (lion men), Mojh (humans who decide to become more draconic to uncover the mysteries of magic), Runechildren (kind of "Chosen Ones" who defend the world against agressions), Sibeccai (whose physical appearance is akin to the Egyptian god Anubis - they were animals who have been "elevated" to sentience by the giants) and Verrik (some near human beings with crimson skin. They have a cursed, heavy past and have a close relationship with magic).

Some little things change from Arcana Unearthed. For instance, the Mojh can no longer gain access to a breath weapon. This is mainly because of a larger, more significant change: the introduction of the Dracha, which is also part of an even bigger change - the Return of the Dragons to the Diamond Throne (see below). The Dracha seem very fun to play. They have a sort of "coolness" about them akin to the dragons many of us love. It's actually great to be able to play a draconic character without having to wait for high levels to do so or rely on various templates that may seem "wrong" or "artificial" when I added to a given character concept.

The main particular feature here compared to D&D is the introduction of Racial Levels and Evolved Levels. Racial Levels were already present in Arcana Unearthed. They allow players of all races but humans to take a few (between 1 and 3) levels that increase their racial abilities. Giants become bigger and stronger, Mojh gain magical spell-like abilities and the like. This is all simple and yet, original. The new additions here are obviously the "Evolved" levels. These are additional racial levels any character (including humans) can take if they've been exposed to the Tenebrian Seeds of the dragons. They are a plot device in the hands of the DM. In other words, this allows game master to monitor how these levels are accessed. Nice way of justifying them.

Chapter Three: Classes - They are: Akashic (a Jack-of-all-Trades using various skills and abilities reached through a new concept named the "Akashic Memory", which is akin to an alternate plane combining all the memories of all sentient individuals through the ages), Champion (a dedicated warrior more open-ended in its purposes and allegiances than the Paladin), Greenbond (a sort of Shaman spellcasting class. The Greenbond is a healer and represents the force of "The Green", the lifeforce of all things, which is the opposite of "The Dark", the force behind dark and unnatural forces creating aberrations and undead), Mage Blade (the archetypal fighter/mage with a focus on his chosen weapon, called an Athame), Magister (the best spellcaster of the lot which, besides spells, develops various flavour abilities related to his staff and his use of magic), Oathsworn (an unarmed fighter devoted to the fulfilment of his Oaths, which he can change once they have been fulfilled), Ritual Warrior (a warrior using Combat Rites, which are comparable to feats used in a "spell-like" manner - i.e. with a number of uses per level per day), Runethane (a spellcaster able to create runes, foci of various magical effects), Totem Warrior (a fighter developping traits related to his chosen animal totem), Unfettered (the archetypal fighter/rogue), Warmain (the ultimate tank) and Witch (a primitive spellcaster focusing on manifesting particular aspects of her chosen specialty which could be Wood, Winter etc).

These classes all follow the same pattern of description: short introduction, then description fields such as Adventurers, Background, Races, Other Classes (how they combine with this class in a party), NPCs, Hit Die, Class Archetypes (describing what kind of roles they can fulfill in the game), Skills, Class Features (with the usual table summarizing the class progression). It is interesting to note that there are no "favored classes" and the like. Players can multiclass their characters freely, which is a major element of AE's gameplay when combined to racial, evolved levels, prestige classes, and other options (like those proposed by the excellent supplement Transcendence, which among other things introduces players to Ability levels, Substitution levels and more - with these two books it becomes virtually possible to take levels in every aspect of character development).

Same thing as in the races above: there are minor changes, albeit more of them. Some classes needing to be more balanced have been slightly modified for the better. For instance, the Greenbond had too few skill points (which one of the players of my gaming table experienced the hard way). This is fixed here. Oathsworn and Warmain can now use Combat Rites.

There is one major addition here of course: The Ritual Warrior. One big change when compared to the D&D Player's Handbook is the many ways in which the player can specialize and/or customize a character. The Akashic abilities one chooses with the character progression. The Causes of Champions. The Runes of Runethanes. The animal Totems of Totem Warriors. The Manifestations of the Witch. All these game elements make sure that almost no character with the exact same levels will look alike.

Chapter Four: Skills Nothing important changes from Arcana Unearthed here. There are differences when compared to the D&D Player's Handbook: there is no "Profession" skill, the available Knowledges are different (more specific to the particular flavour AE with Knowledge (Ceremony) and various racial Knowleges for instance). Differences that make the gameplay easier mostly by combining these or those skills together. But nothing groundbreaking.

Chapter Five: Feats and Talents -There are two new types of feats when compared to core D&D: the Talents, which are feats that are only available to first level characters, and Ceremonial feats, which require some type of ritual performed on the character and a True Name to be gained. True Names are one of these cool additions typical of Arcana Evolved: it's not a "groundbreaking" idea but everything's in the flavour... Read more ›

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tired of standard Tolkien-esque D&D?, March 7, 2005

By 

H. Cummings "JediSoth" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved: A Varient Player's Handbook (Hardcover)

Arcana Evolved is a "director's cut" version of Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, a varient Player's Handbook for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The first thing that has to be emphasized about Arcana Evolved (AE) is that this is an alternate system of D&D. It has all the same rules as the classic D20 system but with a few twists. It is written to be compatible with the other core rulebooks, but replaces the Player's Handbook. So, you can enjoy an Arcana Evolved campaign with just this book, the Dungeon Masters Guide, and the Monster Manual.

Except for humans, there are all new races in Arcana Evolved. These include Faen (small fey - Quicklings, Loresong, and Sprytes), Litorians (noble lion folk), Runechildren (beings touched by rune magic and changed for it) Sibeccai (evolved from jackels to serve the giants), Dracha (dragon-kin), Mojh (humans who have transformed themselves to be more dragon-like), Giants (not the tall brutes you're used to), Verrik (human-like with superior intelligence, not unlike Vulcans). All of the classes have been replaced as well. In AE, there are Akashics (skill-based, they get their abilities from the collective memory of the world), Champions (warriors for a cause, what Paladins should have been), Greenbonds (mystics attuned to the spirits of the natural world, similar to druids), Mage Blades (warrior/mages whose bladed weapons are the key to their magic), Magisters (wizards whose magic is tied to their staves), Oathsworn (warriors who gain great power by swearing oaths to complete goals, like monks), Runethanes (mages whose powered is tied to the use of runes), Ritual Warriors (warriors who believe combat is the height of ritual and ceremony), Totem Warriors (warriors who have a tie to the natural world and a particular animal totem), Unfettered (swashbuckling roguish warriors), Warmains (tactical warriors who specialize in the heaviest armor and biggest weapons they can use), and witches (a pretty unique class that's hard to describe).

Many of the classes aren't served well by my short descriptions. Many of them have a lot of options that allow you to create a unique character. You can be a Champion of Death, Life, Freedom, et al., or a Bear Totem Warrior (or Snake, Hawk, Wolverine, etc.), there are Winter Witches, Wood Witches, Frost Witches, etc. AE is about the freedom to create characters that are unique and can fulfill just about any concept you have. Ceremony and ritual play a big part in this game, and many feats can only be taken through participating in a ceremony. Class progression goes through level 25, with 20+ level characters gaining powers that are epic in scope, including 10th level spells! Hero points are also used in AE, they are similiar to Action Points from D20 Modern or Eberron, or Force points from Star Wars D20.

Alignments are gone out of AE as well, the philosophy being that alignment is an artificial construct that tries to define morals and ethics in a black and white structure, when in reality, it's a lot more complicated than that. Any creature or person can have any outlook, though it's still assumed that goblins are usually nasty, evil creatures. But, that doesn't mean that all goblins by definition are evil.

The biggest difference between AE and standard D&D is the magic system. Gone is the division between arcane and divine magic. Spells are divided into three types: simple, complex, and exotic. Templates exists, that casters can access through feats, to modify spells. So a caster with the acid template could apply it to their ice bolt spell and fire off an acid bolt. It creates a huge number of variations. It also assures that the PCs can no longer assume high-level enemy casters will always through fireballs and lightning bolts at them.

AE is set in a world called The Diamond Throne. The campaign setting is included in Arcana Evolved. It was formerly published separately. The inclusion here is a welcome addition. The campaign setting includes everything you need to know run a campaign, but doesn't give you information detailed down to which street in a certain town has what businesses. Monte Cook has purposely left those details up to individual campaigns.

A handful of monsters are also included to get you started. More are available in a book called The Legacy of Dragons. If you have the Monster Manual, a guide has been provided to show what is appropriate for The Diamond Throne.

The great thing about AE is everything was tested to be compatible with D&D as it is now. So if you want to play a witch from AE in your current D&D game, as long as you stick to the magic system and spells in AE with your witch, it will be balanced with the campaign you have.

The presentation of Arcana Evolved is beautiful. It's a full color book and the illustrations are, for the most part, gorgeous. It's easy to see that the $50 for this book is justified. It has an attractive design, easy-to-read layout, and is beautifully illustrated. If you're looking to spice up your game with something new, but don't want to get completely away from D&D, the Arcana Evolved will fit the bill nicely.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent D&D variant, November 9, 2006

By 

David L. Wetzel (Mount Holly Springs, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved: A Varient Player's Handbook (Hardcover)

Arcana Evolved is, for the most part, a very well-thought out variant of D&D. There are new races, new base classes, and a whole new spell system. Except for the magic system it sticks pretty closely to the d20 rules, so it's recognizable to the average D&D player.

For those of us who dislike the "Vancian" magic system in traditional D&D where spell casters have to memorize spells but forget them once they're cast, the new spell system is a vast improvement. At it's core it's a spell slot system much like sorcerers in 3.x D&D, but more flexible.

The spell system also lets you do a variety of things to change the power of the spells. You can cast it diminished, using a lower level slot but with less effect; you can cast it heightened, using a higher level slot for more effect; and there are spell templates that can tack on an additional effect (for example a Fire Mage would add the Fire template to do additional Fire damage).

That's the "Aracana" part of AE. The "Evolved" part refers to the concept of racial levels. Instead of ECL modifiers from D&D, several of the races have racial levels you can (optionally) take in lieu of a class level to gain the speical racial traits. In addition for all races (including humans), there are "evolved" levels. These take the racial traits and augment them.

All in all IMHO, an interesting variation on D&D. It still has many of the d20 quirks though (especially annoying is the miserly allocation of skill points)so if you really, really detest 3.x D&D because of things other than the magic system, you won't be happy here either. Everyone else should give it a try.