In Heroes of Battle, war is the dungeon. Whether your character must stare down orc hordes pounding out of the northern wastes or wend her way among the mighty armies of the Underdark, Heroes of Battle will serve you well. This book isn't about leading troops into battle; it's about your character and a few other heroes moving through a battle to face other elite forces. When such encounters occur in the midst of a thousand foes, your character will need everything this book has to offer to make it through alive. Below are ten specific reasons why Heroes of Battle is a great resource for players.

10. Allies Aplenty: The last pages of Heroes of Battle are devoted to sample armies and sample troops -- exactly the kinds of resources your character will need should his allies head off to war. Careful estimation of your foe's capabilities is the key to preparing for battle, but knowing exactly what your allies can do is also essential once the battle is joined.

9. Siege Engines: Launch massive boulders at enemies, or fling enemies over the wall -- it's all the same. Whatever use your character makes of them, siege engines get quite a power-up in Heroes of Battle.

8. New Mounts:Heroes of Battle ends with a short but noteworthy section that covers six new mounts. Any mount can get your character to the fight, but these can get him back home again too.

7. Take Charge:Heroes of Battle introduces a new type of feat that expands on the powerful Leadership feat. With rules for earning rank and reputation, and special commander abilities for those who lead troops into battle, the adventure is yours to command.

6. Build a Better You: It's not just the numbers that count. Stories of war are stories of adventure. Heroes of Battle can help you weave elements of military life into your character's history to make a cohesive and compelling background.

5. Dread Commando: This new five-level prestige class grants a qualifying character a full base attack bonus plus 3d6 points of damage with a sneak attack.

4. Skills of War:Heroes of Battle isn't a mass combat book -- it's a book about your character and what he character can do. In its pages, you'll find new battlefield uses for fourteen of the D&D game's most crucial skills, all of which are quite useful once initiative has been rolled.

3. Win the War: You'll need Heroes of Battle to take advantage of the new morale rules and victory point systems it presents. Should your group stray into a war zone, use of these rules can help ensure that you're on the winning side.

2. Battle Magic: From molten strike to drums of war, the spells in Heroes of Battle will crush your character's foes and help his party control the battlefield. These spells have but one purpose -- to destroy the opposition.

1. Teamwork: If you think your group works well together now, wait until you see the new teamwork benefits presented in Heroes of Battle. With special training and focus, your whole group can work together to earn special situation bonuses, and the right tactics can help everyone prepare to face the mission at hand. The new teamwork benefits are useful to members of every class. As long as your group as a whole meets the prerequisites for a given benefit, its members can train together to acquire it. Make sure you have the right team for the mission though, since a group can have only one teamwork benefit at a time.