Monte Cook Presents Iron Heroes (Iron Heroes d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying [Hardcover]

Mike Mearls (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

It is not the sword, but the arm that wields it. It is not the spell, but the mind that shapes it.
Live by the Sword!

Iron Heroes is a variant player's handbook in the tradition of Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. This exciting new game of heroic combat action is for skilled heroes who have no need for magic swords or arcane trinkets. Armed with their cunning, talent and unmatched bravery, they wade sword-first into a savage world of high adventure.

This hardcover provides 10 all-new core classes, an expanded feat system, new combat options, character traits, a new magic paradigm, and much more.
Iron Heroes does for d20 combat what Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved does for the d20 magic system. Modifications to the core system allow for high-adventure gaming where a character's talents, not his possessions, determine his abilities. Expansions to the core skill and feat subsystems allow for intriguing new tactics and exciting, cinematic battles. This exciting new game draws in both players looking for a new roleplaying game and those who want useful new rules for their d20 games. This complete handbook for players includes guidelines for incorporating its new rules and options and into d20 games and Arcana Evolved games.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588467961
• ISBN-13: 978-1588467966
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to play like Conan, Sinbad or in Lankmar?, August 9, 2005

By 

Michael D. Briggs "Dark_Psion" (El Reno, OK United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Monte Cook Presents Iron Heroes (Iron Heroes d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying (Hardcover)

Iron Heroes is a variant Dungeon & Dragons player's handbook. While the traditional D&D settings offer several different styles of play, it does not work for several classic fantasy settings.

Settings like Conan the Barbarian, Sinbad the Sailor, or The Lankhmar tales of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser, where the heroes rely on wits and steel to survive against monsters and evil wizards. That's what Iron Heroes provides, a setting where the fighter is king and magic is rare.

The classes in this book are based on fighting;
Armiger: Knight in Armor, Hunter: Tracking and tactics, Barbarian: Raging warrior, Archer: Master of the Bow, Executioner: Assassin, Man-at-Arms: Basic Warrior, Weapon Master: Master of one weapon, Thief: Dirty Fighter, Harrier: Mobile fighter.

This book modifies several rules;
Skill Groups: Spend 1 rank in a group to get 1 rank in all skills in that group
Feat Mastery: Feats that get stronger with additional levels

It also introduces several new rules;
Armor providing damage resistance
Base Defense Score for when you are caught with your chain mail down
Reserve Hit Points to heal your self in a world without Clerics.

While it would be tricky to play these classes in a normal D&D game, there are several new ideas here that can be adapted. Or if you just want to try a different style without having to learn an entirely new system, then this book may be for you.

This book is an excellent example of how the rules of D&D can be adapted to a setting. The rules can be adapted to fit several TV & Movie settings as well, it would work for everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the Lord of the Rings.

Overall, a very good book!

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cook & Mearls hits the nail on the head, September 3, 2006

By 

J. Medica "D&D expert" (Middle of Nowhere, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Monte Cook Presents Iron Heroes (Iron Heroes d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this rule book. As several other reviewers have stated, I too am tired of the prestige classing, superpowering, magic hogging heroes that D&D now turns out with 3rd edition. Very few campaigns survive for long in the current world order unless you supply the characters with loads of magic and money, and let them destroy all opponents that they encounter. Gone are the days when you had a beefy fighter with a masterwork weapon, and good armor. Now, a beefy fighter has to have magical armor and a +5 vorpal sword in order to feel successful.
Mike Mearls and Monty Cook change all of that. Their mechanics and saavy rulesets for characters enable characters to get by on skills and standard weaponry. Magic becomes "magical" again, and wins back all the mystery it loses in the D&D world, where everyone has a +5 Vorpal Sword and a Dragon for a familiar. Even if you do not adopt it wholesale, there are enough nuggets herein to enhance the 3rd edition rules, to bring the magic back to the game.
Bravo Messrs Cook and Mearls!

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! Your wits will be tested!, June 8, 2010

By 

Yukio "Going West" (South MS) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Monte Cook Presents Iron Heroes (Iron Heroes d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying (Hardcover)

This is a very LEVEL playing field this rpg brings forth using 3.5 or d20 rules. No big fireballs or arcane anything to help you. All humans makes ones really think hard. The classes are a bit bland but they get the job done. I love how the magic system is! I'd have to incorpate that into my own system. No fireball to save the day here! You use your wits and strength and hopefully you will make it, if not.. Oh well. That is what I so much like about it. So very flexiable and not much to get in the way of the dms or gms to get in the way of making a strong compelling storyline for the players to work in! Always thinking ahead and wise planning and even teamwork is stressed here. That is what an rpg should be! Get it, if not at least for the magic system!