On Sale NOW: D&D Core Rulebooks v.3.5

Player's Handbook	Dungeon Master's Guide	Monster Manual

Insight and Answers from Ed Stark, Dungeons & Dragons Design Manager

3.5 Revision Update

If you want the best insight on what's going on with v.3.5, you should be reading Ed Stark's monthly article in Dragon Magazine.

D&D Revision Spotlight

Finally! You can see for yourself what a lot of us have been telling you for the past six months or so. The D&D core rulebooks v.3.5 are hot off the press and ready to help you push your game even further with tougher characters, deadlier monsters, and faster gameplay. The books are out there in gaming stores, hobby shops, and bookstores -- all ready for you folks to sweep in, snatch 'em up, take a look through them, and then decide you'd like to take them for a spin.

Actually picking up a copy to take a look-see is better than yet another excerpt. But since you're here and not at your FLGS (favorite local gaming store), we'll offer some content on these sparkly new D&D books.

Last month, I gave you a look at the titan and a run-down of the basic flow of information in the v.3.5 DMG (including a look at the all-new "Visual Aids" section). Before that, I passed on the Monster Manual's gauth and barbed devil, the blackguard prestige class, and even a peek at the new pit fiend stat block as it appeared on the Winter Fantasy t-shirt. Over there to the right, you've got directions to pick up Dragon Magazine for Ed Stark's 3.5 Revision Update article as well as a link to the Revision Spotlight.

Now, here's a chunk of helpful information you'll find piled up on a two-page spread toward the back of the Dungeon Master's Guide (on pages 300 and 301). This comes from a PDF I got back in February; so don't be overly critical of any post-editing differences in what you see here and what you'll find inside the printed book. Just enjoy it.

Hey, the release schedule doesn't revolve around the new core rulebooks (not any more, anyway) -- we've got all kinds of other cool stuff going on. Check it out:

On Sale Now: New York Times Bestseller Condemnation

Way back in April, I rattled on and on and on about this third book in the dynamic and exciting War of the Spider Queen series. It went on sale in May. A month later, it hit #34 on the New York Times bestseller list, and the following week, itmoved up to #31. How cool is that? (Yes. It's pretty cool!) That's Richard Baker's first appearance on the New York Times bestseller list, as well as the first for the series. (Of course, once the paperbacks start hitting the streets and after book #4 releases, it may not be alone.)

If you haven't started this terrific series yet, head over to our Sample Chapters page. There, you can download PDFs of the opening chapters from books one, Dissolution, and two, Insurrection. The Books area of the website also offers a fairly descriptive article about Condemnation that includes commentary and insight from the author himself. (Congratulations, again, Rich -- it's a great book. The Times says so!)

July: Dragon Magazine #310

Don't forget: The first Dungeon Master's screen for use with the v.3.5 D&D core rulebooks will be polybagged with issue #310. It features some hot-looking art by Wayne Reynolds that you might have seen by now inside Dragon and Dungeon/Polyhedron magazines.

July 24-27: Gen Con

As always, there's going to be a ton of cool stuff going on at Gen Con (this year in Indiana for the first time). You'll be able to demo new games, check out new products, meet game designers, and just have a blast. You'll want to swing by the Wizards booth on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to pick up that day's free D&D miniature. (You'll also be able to see more of the not-yet-released D&D Miniatures line at the Dungeon Delve.)

And don't forget to sign up for a free membership in the RPGA.Keep reading this article to find out what they've got in store for members who jump online and sign up for the D&D Player Rewards program.

August: Dragonlance Campaign Setting

Last month, I passed along a quick fly-by of the aerial combat section, because nothing says "Dragonlance" to me like two dragon riders (and their more than formidable mounts) locked in a dramatic aerial duel.

But if you don't have a couple of dragons ready to mix it up in mid-air, there's also nothing more Dragonlance than the hoopak-toting kender. If you've ever troddled around in the world of Dragonlance novels, you've certainly come across a kender or two and probably have a good idea of what they're like: They're small. They're curious. They've got their hands in your pockets and half your possessions in their backpacks. Wanna know how those rascals work out rules-wise? Take a look:

Want a little more? How about going to the other end of the racial scale and taking a quick look at some of the most iconic Dragonlance bad guys?

September: Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures

You know we're getting closer to the release of the D&D Miniatures line -- we've put up a couple pages built just for the product line.

First, you can click over to check out the D&D Miniatures Spotlight. This link lets you take a look at the packaging, get a run-down of what's inside an Entry Pack and what's in the Expansion packs, and reveals how much each one will hit you in the wallet. The cost, by the way, breaks down to about a buck and a quarter for each one, which isn't bad at all -- particularly considering you needn't do anything to it to get it ready for play but dump it out of the box. (Sure, you might want to touch up or add a little detail to some of them, but only if you're so inclined -- most are quite good, and would be stellar with a quick ink wash and dry-brushing.)

Want to get a really good look at a whole pile of minis? Check out the other page that went up a little while back: the D&D Miniatures Gallery: PC Types.

These things are really going to be an asset to just about anyone who wants to use minis in a D&D game. There's no grace period between the time you buy these minis and the time they make it through the queue to get assembled, primed, and painted. It's an instant collection of gaming accessories referenced right inside your D&D rulebooks. (The Harbingerexpansion features characters, villains, and monsters taken straight out of the three core rulebooks.)

Another thing you'll want to use with your newly burgeoning collection of preassembled, prepainted, plastic minis is the slew of free downloadable fold-up paper models that Rob Lazzaretti, Dennis Kauth, and Todd Gamble have been painstakingly crafting for quite some time now.

Go check those things out. If you start downloading, printing, cutting and pasting now, you can have a middling-sized modular metropolis of paper for your new heroes to call home and your new villains to call "the place we should loot and pillage before lunch."

September: Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set

It's all three core rulebooks (v.3.5) in a slipcase (covered with some really nifty-looking art, from what I hear.) If you ever wanted to kick-start someone's gaming career, this would be a fine way to do it.

September: d20 Menace Manual

We'll keep this one short this month. First, to give you a quick idea of what's inside this fine 224-page hardcover for use with the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game core rulebook, here's the back cover copy:

And here's a quick glance at just one of the many (well over two dozen) supporting characters you'll find inside. This one, a government agent, could be on the PCs' side or not, depending on the adventure the GM has cooked up.

Of course, the full entry provides statistics for a low-level and a high-level version of this G-man, but this peek gives you a decent idea of who you might find riding around in those black helicopters.

Next month, I'll attempt to bombard you with a monster or two, a look at one of the organizations, maybe more.

Late Summer: D&D Player Rewards Program

The RPGA has concocted a cool new program called D&D Player Rewards. By joining the RPGA (which is free) and signing up for the D&D Player Rewards program (also free), you're on track to receive all kinds of cool stuff, including adventures, gaming accessories, and nifty gewgaws.

Sometime in late summer, qualified members of the D&D Player Rewards program will get a package in the mail called a "Con-in-a-Box." Among the many things inside will be a custom-tooled d20 that's covered in sigils instead of numbers, along with a rules sheetfor using this all-new minor artifact -- the Fist of Emirikol.

The actual tchotchke inside the box will be a 55mm (that's about 2 inches tall for the metrically impaired) d20 that's ivory-colored with black inking in the sigils. (If you were fast and lucky enough to get a set of Olidammara's Dice with your copy of the Epic Level Handbook, take a look -- it's the same thing, only bigger.)

If you want to get an idea of the kind of mojo your characters could be slinging around with this billiard ball-sized icosahedron-o-random doom, try out the Virtual Fist of Emirikol.

If you don't wrangle one of the Fist of Emirikol tchotchkes, you can download this and make your own.

Just print it. Cut it out. Score along all the lines. And start gluing or taping it in place around a regular 55mm d20, which you might find at your FLGS (friendly local game store) -- I know I've seen them at Wizards Retail Stores at the malls out here. Right now, they come in black, ivory, and red and are numbered as spin-down counters. (If you can't find the 55mm d20 at your hobby shop or game store, you can ask them to order some from Koplow Games or swing by Koplow's booth at Gen Con.)

Once you've finished folding, wrapping, and affixing the foldup around that mondo-sized d20, it'll look something like this.

Don't forget the handout/rules sheet. (Requires Adobe Reader.)

If you're not already an RPGA member (that is, if you don't have an RPGA number), you just need to get yourself to an RPGA event, show up, and say "Hey, I want to get an RPGA number." It's quick. It's easy. And best of all, it's free. You can find RPGA events by checking out the event calendar. If you're going to Gen Con, you'll not only be able to get the RPGA membership, but you might be able to get a look at a Fist of Emirikol while you're there.

Keep in mind that this is just one of the nifty gewgaws the D&D Player Rewards program will be doling out. Also take note that they're crafting the program in such a way that you can earn Player Rewards points by playing your regular D&D home game -- you don't necessarily have to go play at a con or comic shop. Wherever you play D&D, you can earn points. Check out the Player Rewards page for more details.

There it is.

About the Author

Mat Smith is a copywriter who's been playing roleplaying games for a disturbing number of years, and now gets to spend an astonishing amount of time thinking about clever ways to get more people to do the same.